Long Beach Yacht Club Ficker Cup set to start: gateway to greatness

If the Congressional Cup is the gateway to the America’s Cup, the Ficker Cup is the gateway to the Congressional Cup.

This Grade 2 Match Racing competition, organized annually by Long Beach Yacht Club since 1980, is both a qualifier to the prestigious Congressional Cup regatta, as well as a world-class sailing event in its own right.

The 2019 Ficker Cup will take place March 29 to 31 in the Congressional Cup stadium, a designated race course adjacent the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier, beginning at 11:30AM daily. Eight top-notch skippers from around the globe, each with a complement of five crew, have been invited to compete in the event, which consists of round robin racing followed by semi-finals, petit finals and finals.

At the end of three days, the winner will be awarded the Ficker Cup trophy: so named to honor Bill Ficker, a legendary yachtsman who helmed Intrepid to victory in the 1970 America’s Cup and won the Congressional Cup in 1974.

In addition, first and second place finishers are invited to compete in the esteemed Congressional Cup regatta, April 3 to 7, 2019.

A win in the Ficker Cup is auspicious. Last year’s Ficker Cup champion, Dean Barker, came within striking distance of capturing the Congressional Cup; finishing second in a thrilling final series of that event. Twice, Ficker Cup victors have gone on to win the Congressional Cup the same year: Terry Hutchinson and Simone Ferrarese.

Vying for the title are some of the world’s leading skippers, including several in the top 20 World Sailing Match Race rankings. Harry Price (AUS) #3, Chris Poole (USA) #15, Pearson Potts (USA) #16,  Chris Nesbitt (USA) #38 , Joachim Aschenbrener (DEN) #41, and Dave Hood (USA) #59 return to Long Beach Yacht Club, while Charles Lalumiere (USA) #150, and Tom Spithill (AUS) #372 make their Ficker Cup debut.

On its heels: the 55th Congressional Cup, one of the leading match race events in the sport of sailing!

Enthusiasts are invited to enjoy the action, free-of-charge from Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier, at 15 39th Place, in Long Beach, Calif.