Johnie Berntsson and Stena Sailing Team will launch their Argo Group Gold Cup defence in Hamilton Harbour today.

Berntsson is bidding to become only the third skipper behind Sir Russell Coutts, the Oracle Team USA chief executive, and Peter Gilmour to capture at least three titles since the Gold Cup was revamped in 1985.

He remained cautiously optimistic yesterday of achieving the team’s primary objective.

“We have a good chance to defend our title but it’s never going to come easy,” Berntsson said. “There are 15 other teams here interested and they are also keen on winning, so it’s not going to be an easy battle.

“But we feel good and if we perform to our best we’re definitely going to be near the top.”

The Swedish skipper will face Phil Robertson and Waka Racing in his opening group one match.

Berntsson and his team-mates had thoroughly enjoyed sailing around the harbour in yesterday’s 16-22 knot breezes during the morning practice session.

“If we get these conditions all week it’s going to be a terrific Gold Cup so we are looking forward to it,” Berntsson said. “We definitey needed the practice and it was good to get in these boats again.

“We have been practising back home in IODs but they are not the same technical solution so we needed to get that sorted out. We feel more comfortable with the boat and felt that we had good boat speed.”

Also included in group one is No 1 ranked Ian Williams and Team GAC Pindar, the past Gold Cup winners and world match racing champions, who will face local hopeful Blythe Walker and Team RenRe in their opening match.

Walker is competing in the Gold Cup with an unchanged crew from last month’s Bacardi Bermuda Match Racing Championships, where Team RenRe finished second to Dean Barker’s SoftBank Team Japan to claim the sole local qualifying spot.

Bjorn Hansen and Nautiska Racing are the top-ranked team in group two, which also includes former Gold Cup winners Taylor Canfield and US One and Francesco Bruni of Artemis Racing, one of two America’s Cup challengers among the field.

Canfield and Bruni will face each other in their opening group match.

• The International One-Design sloop that sank during Hurricane Joaquin could be in action in the Gold Cup after all.

Michael Richold’s, Privateer, was refloated yesterday and is scheduled to undergo a sea trial today to determine whether the boat is fit to be used as a spare for the competition.