Swiss Team Wins Congressional Cup

Switzerland’s Eric Monnin along with his Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team won the 60th Anniversary Long Beach Yacht Club Congressional Cup

The five-day event featured racing fleets from around the world that started from April 30 and culminated at Belmont Pier on May 4.

“It tastes very sweet. It is a dream of more than 20 years and it is our 11th Congressional Cup, so we’ve chased this a while. And when you’re chasing this so long, you (doubt yourself) but that’s the strength of our team, we’re patient. We’re building up things slowly. We try to improve and it’s so nice to see that we still can improve all these years even though, it’s been this long,” said Monnin.

Monnin and his Capvis Swiss crew came into the Congressional Cup as underdogs, chasing back-to-back Congressional Cup champion Chris Poole in the final race of the Ficker Cup.

Both sailors and their teams were tied 2-2 heading into the final match with Monnin and crew starting off slow with a penalty, yet the camaraderie and patience from his team proved the deciding factor.

“I think it was my crew and especially my wife also beside me, just just getting me bit down and giving me good information and I think also what I told the crew is at the last race to say, hey, it’s just one of our best practice races we’re going to do. Take it like this and don’t think too much about it,” said Monnin.

Monnin’s Capvis Swiss team consisted of: Ute Monnin Wagner, Mathieu Renault, Jean-Claude Monnin, Simon Brügger, Julien Falxa, and Maxime Mesnil.

The grand prize was $20,000 cash and Crimson Blazer to commemorate the first-place finish.

One key member on Monnin’s crew was his brother, Jean-Claude Monnin, who finally sees the work and perseverance come full circle.

“It’s such an amazing experience to just participate and then to win, it’s great. I mean, my brother did it like 11 times, I think I only did it four times, but it’s just incredible. We started sailing with my younger brother, my two brothers and my dad— we, that’s how we all started sailing,” said Monnin.

The Congressional Cup is a long-standing Long Beach tradition which features world-class match racing from sailors from different countries spanning five days of prate, qualifying races and championship sailing.

Volunteers from Alamitos Bay Yacht Club gathered to spectate the local match racing that they also helped support.

“So originally my mom initially said that we were supposed to be volunteering for just the beginning of the (Congressional) cup but then after seeing this we ended up also, wanting to watch the (finals),” said volunteer Matilda.