By Colin Thompson

Sailing Correspondent

Being involved in the Argo Group Gold Cup has always been a special occasion for Tucker Thompson and this year will be no exception.

Event organisers confirmed that the America’s Cup television host and commentator is returning to the Island to provide commentary for this year’s Gold Cup, the oldest match racing trophy in the world for competition involving one-design yachts.

“I am extremely excited to be involved in the Argo Group Gold Cup again,” Thompson said.

The American has provided commentary for the Gold Cup on several occasions and also competed in the event as crew of British America’s Cup skipper Andy Green, who won the regatta in 1999.

“My history with the Gold Cup dates all the way back to the late 1990s,” Thompson added. “I sailed in my first Gold Cup with Andy Green and Glenn Astwood and that was the first professional, international match race I ever did in my career. It got me hooked on sailing and hooked on essentially the same level of sailing that I am involved in now, which is the America’s Cup.

“It all started for me at the Gold Cup, so I have a very special connection to that event.”

This year’s Gold Cup, the penultimate stage of the World Match Racing Tour, will take place in Hamilton Harbour from October 6-11 and will be closely followed by stage three of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Bermuda.

“For me to be involved in the America’s Cup and have the honour to come back and be involved in commentating the Argo Group Gold Cup is sort of like a double honour because those two events have defined my career,” Thompson added.

In 1985, the World Match Racing Conference was formed with the Gold Cup one of five major events.

Three years later hosts the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club introduced sponsorship prize money, on the water judging, spectator boats, live commentary and racing in Hamilton Harbour. These innovations made Gold Cup match racing more appealing for spectators and participants and sowed the seeds which ultimately led to Bermuda being chosen as host America’s Cup in 2017.

“The Gold Cup was one of the first international match races in the world,” Thompson said.

“It was one of the events that started the World Match Racing Tour and that Tour is the feeder series to the America’s Cup.”

This year’s Gold Cup field features America’s Cup racing syndicates Artemis Racing and SoftBank Team Japan, all eight of the World Match Racing Tour Card Holders and the eventual winners of the Bermuda Match Racing Championship, Detroit Cup and Knickerbocker Cup.