By day’s end, USA’s Chris Poole and Switzerland’s Eric Monnin had confirmed their status as the frontrunners, each locking in 2-0 leads in their respective semi-final matches. But the real fireworks came from the battle to secure the final four spots—an intense scrap that saw Long Beach local Dave Hood and young Australian charger Cole Tapper claw their way into the semis with clutch, must-win performances.
For defending champion Poole and his Riptide Racing team, Friday was about staying sharp and maintaining momentum. Entering the final day of the round robin with his semi-final berth already assured, Poole was able to focus on fine-tuning.
Monnin, however, still had work to do. The Swiss skipper, who thrives in light conditions, sealed his ticket to the next stage with impressive wins against both Berntsson and Poole himself, avoiding the nerve-wracking four-way dogfight that loomed for the remaining hopefuls.
With just two spots left, the tension ratcheted up. Tapper (AUS), Hood (USA), Hansen (SWE) and Berntsson (SWE) each knew only strong performances would do.
Both Tapper and Hood stumbled in their opening matches of the day, putting their dreams in jeopardy. But resilience won out. Each skipper rallied in their second races to keep their regatta alive.
“This morning, we had two very important races to get into the semi-finals. It was a tight race against Nicole, and we managed to win that, which was very much a must-win race,” Tapper said. “The whole team is stoked to be in the semi-finals, and we had an incredible first race against Chris. Tomorrow, we’re going to focus on having fun because that’s when we operate the best.”
In the semi-final pairings, Poole wasted no time in asserting himself against Tapper. The young Australian team picked up multiple red-flag penalties in a combative pre-start, leaving them chasing from behind. Still, Tapper’s crew kept their heads, pushing hard to stay in touch throughout the race.
“We’re back to where we were last year, and things are clicking in the right direction,” said Poole after taking the early 2-0 lead. “Our plan is to keep improving one race at a time. We’ve been here twice before, and we feel like all the pieces are there, so if we do what we know we can do, everything will come together for us.”
Meanwhile, Monnin and Hood went blow-for-blow in a tight and tactical encounter. Ultimately, the Swiss team’s mastery of the light breeze proved decisive. Monnin and his Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team closed out both matches to hold a commanding 2-0 advantage heading into the final day.
“We started the day in a comfortable situation, but we were not locked into the semi-finals,” Monnin reflected. “So, it was a big relief to win the race against Johnie Berntsson, and nice to get the win on Chris Poole. But it’s a big day tomorrow against Hood, we hope to keep the momentum up. It’s on us to do well and we’ve never felt so close.”
For Hood and his DH3 Racing team, simply making the semi-finals was a significant achievement. But he’s determined not to stop there.
“Today, we needed to come out and get it done and we had a good race with Björn Hansen and that put us into the semi-finals,” Hood said. “We’re looking forward to racing Eric more tomorrow, who got a jump on us today, but we’re going to come out swinging tomorrow and see how it goes.”
With the Crimson Blazer now tantalisingly within reach, only four skippers remain in contention. Poole and Monnin are on the brink, but Tapper and Hood have shown they are capable of comebacks. Tomorrow promises a thrilling finale to the 60th edition of this historic event.
