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Canfield and crew continue dominance

Photograph by Blaire SimmonsPlain sailing: Nicklas Dackhammar, of Sweden, was among the skippers to advance to the last eight of the Argo Group Gold Cup yesterday

Taylor Canfield and his USone team-mates continued their dominance on day two of the Argo Group Gold Cup in Hamilton Harbour yesterday.

The American entry chalked up four more points in the shifty ten to 15-knot breezes to complete the round-robin stage of the $100,000 regatta with an unblemished 10-0 record and earn the right to choose their opponent in the quarter-final.

Canfield was victorious at the Congressional Cup in Long Beach, California, last month and appears to have carried the momentum into the Gold Cup, which he won in 2012.

“We are really looking forward to continuing the progress we made as a team at Congressional Cup,” said Canfield, who is also a former World Match Racing Tour champion.

“We just try to keep sailing as best we can, hit the shifts and never let a small deficit get to us. You have to keep pushing when you’re ahead because it can turn bad at any moment.”

Canfield is one of two past Gold Cup winners advancing to the quarter-finals as two-times winner Johnie Berntsson, of Sweden, also took route one to the knockout stage after posting a 9-1 record, his only defeat coming against the red hot Canfield.

Berntsson is attempting add his name to those who have lifted the prestigious King Edward VII Gold Cup three or more times. He has brought along with him the same team he last won the showpiece in 2014.

Denmark’s Joachim Aschenbrenner (8-2) and Sweden’s Nicklas Dackhammar (6-4) were the remaining two skippers advancing to the last eight yesterday.

The remaining seven teams led by skippers Lucy MacGregor (6-4), Torvar Mirsky (5-5), Charlie Laulimere (4-6), Marek Stanczyk (2-8), Ettore Botticini (2-8), Sam Gilmour (2-8) and Chris Poole (1-9) have been left to battle in the repechage round where the top four will advance to the quarter-final.

“You can come from 500 metres behind and win a race in these conditions,” Gilmour said.

Laulimere (3-0), MacGregor (2-0), Mirsky (2-1) and Botticini (1-1) occupy the top four spots after the first three of seven scheduled flights in the repechage round, which concludes today.

MacGregor is the Women’s Open match race world champion, while Mirsky is the reigning Men’s Open match race world champion and a former Gold Cup winner.

The quarter-final starts tomorrow.