Iain Percy, the multiple Olympic gold medallist and world champion, is pumped up for next month’s Argo Group Gold Cup. And for good reason.

The English sailor is returning to Bermuda’s shores as manager and tactician of 35th Americas Cup challenger Artemis Racing, one of two America’s Cup challengers taking part in the Alpari World Match Racing Tour (AWMRT) sanctioned event.

Percy competed in the previous Gold Cup alongside compatriot Sir Ben Ainslie who was denied a third King Edward VII Gold Cup after losing to fellow America’s Cup tactician Francesco Bruni in the final.

Bruni, who is now helmsman of Italian 35th America’s Cup challenger, Team Luna Rossa, is also returning to defend his title.

“Bruni and the Luna Rossa boys sailed really excellently in last year’s final, and we were comprehensively beaten,” said Percy, who won two Olympic gold medals competing in the Finn and Star Classes.

“We had been out of the match racing game for a while and were impressed by the improvement not only of Bruni but the rest of the Tour teams.”

Percy will compete in the upcoming Gold Cup with Artemis Racing helmsman Nathan Outteridge and team-mates Iain Jensen and Christian Kamp who also sailed with Ainslie in the previous Gold Cup.

Outteridge, who won the gold medal in the 49er at the 2012 Olympics in London with fellow Australian Jensen, is making his first appearance in the Gold Cup, while the team is racing together for the first time.

“It will be difficult for Nathan in his first match race competition and for us as a new team,” Percy added. “As a team, we are relatively inexperienced on the match racing side and so the Gold Cup is a great opportunity to practice. But I know we will all enjoy the challenge and take a lot from the lessons.”

Percy believes that the experience he and Kamp have in the classic International One Design sloop will come in very handy during the upcoming Gold Cup.

“Artemis are lucky to also have Christian Kamp, who was another consistent member of Origin match race squad with us,” Percy added. “And between Christian and myself we will have to try and remember how we used to sail the classic IODs.”

This year’s Gold Cup will feature all of the eight AWMRT cardholders, which include Björn Hansen, of eWork Sailing Team, Taylor Canfield, of US One Sailing Team, Team Gilmour’s David Gilmour, Mathieu Richard, of Luna Jets, WAKA Racing Team’s Phil Robertson, Keith Swinton, of Alpari Team FX, Ian Williams, of Team GAC Pindar, and Bruni. Williams, Canfield and Richard are past Gold Cup winners.

Another past winner, Johnie Berntsson from the Stena Sailing Team, is among 11 additional teams that have accepted invitations to compete.

Representing Bermuda this year are Somers Kempe, of Raymarine/Ocean Electronics, and Lance Fraser, of Digicel Bermuda. Kempe, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club commodore, qualified after winning the 2014 National IOD Match Racing Championship, while Fraser, the Island’s top-ranked match racer, received an invite.

This year’s Gold Cup, to be held in Hamilton Harbour from October 21 to 26, will be sailed with the same 20-team format used last year.

The format is unique on the AWMRT, as it allows for two ten-team groups.

Skippers in each group are ranked and divided by Tour officials and the organisers at the RBYC. Rankings in the groups are based on AWMRT and ISAF rankings, and other performance factors.

Each group will sail a round robin, with the top four teams moving to the knockout stage.