The Bermuda Gold Cup will look different this year after the format for the race was tweaked by Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and the World Match Racing Tour.

For the past two years a dedicated women’s event has been held alongside the historic Open Gold Cup but that has been shelved this year, with organisers citing commercial difficulties.

The 2026 Gold Cup, which is scheduled to take place from October 13 to 18, will instead transition to an integrated 12-team regatta, with invitations being given to leading international women skippers, ensuring they continue to compete at the highest level of the World Match Racing Tour.

While organisers are disappointed at the loss of the women’s event, they said in a press release yesterday that they are committed to its long-term success and hope to bring it back in 2027, with Past Commodore of RBYC Somers Kempe outlining the reasons for the change.

“The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club has prided itself on being at the forefront of supporting the growth of women’s match racing,” Kempe said on behalf of the event’s organisers.

“While commercial realities require us to be flexible this year, our core values have not changed. Ensuring that the world’s best female skippers have a prominent place on the starting line in Bermuda this October remains a top priority for us.”

James Pleasance, executive director of the World Match Racing Tour, has reiterated his support for the event’s evolution

“The Bermuda Gold Cup is one of the most prestigious events on the World Match Racing Tour and its commitment to advancing women’s match racing has been exemplary,” Pleasance said.

“While the economic climate has presented challenges this year for the Bermuda Women’s Match Race, we support RBYC’s approach to integrate top female skippers into the amended 12-team format for the Bermuda Gold Cup while we collectively focus on bringing the stand-alone women’s event back to the calendar next year.”

Further details regarding the final event format and the official schedule will be announced in the coming week with the publication of the Notice of Race. Official invitations will be issued shortly thereafter.

Last year, Swedish sailor Johnie Berntsson grabbed his own slice of Bermuda Gold Cup history by becoming the only person to lift the King Edward VII Trophy for three years in a row since the event switched to the modern format.

Berntsson’s compatriot Anna Ostling was victorious in the Women’s Match Racing Tour regatta.