Cole Tapper and his team from the Youth Sailing Academy sailed into the Quarter-Finals at the 2024 Congressional Cup in Long Beach, California this past weekend. Tapper went up against USA’s Chris Poole/ Riptide Racing, New Zealand’s Nick Egnot-Johnson/ KNOTS Racing, and Switzerland’s Eric Monnin/ Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team.

21 yr-old Tapper’s participation in the regatta, sailing with a predominantly youth crew, including local sailor Charlotte Carmichael, 15 years old, underscores their notable accomplishment of making it into the quarter-finals, after qualifying into the event from last week’s Ficker Cup.

“We came off the water yesterday and felt like we left a lot of points out there,” comments Tapper. “So to go out there today and put some points on the board when it really mattered was really nice feeling. Our goal has always been to get through to the next stage, and we’ve done that. So now, it’s just to get through this next one.”

This year’s addition of the ‘repechage format’ has injected a fresh energy into the regatta, giving teams a second shot at making their mark. Finishing ninth and tenth in the opening round robin, Monnin and Tapper would not have qualified for quarters. But the clean slate of the repechage stage offered them a chance for redemption, and both teams were determined to maximize the opportunity.

While Tapper and his crew gave it their all, they did not advance to the semi-finals.

Following Quarter-Finals racing, Congressional Cup skippers were paired with junior LBYC sailors to fleet race Flying Juniors for the Junior Congressional Cup.

Thanks to Ian Roman/WMRT – 2024 Congressional Cup for the images. For more photos, check out the full album here.

For more information on the regatta, find the Race Website here.