Racing throughout the event has been tight and aggressive. Chief Umpire Philippe Michel announced there were over 95 protests on Day Two, resulting in 16 penalties by the on-the-water umpiring team.
“It’s a massive pressure on the officials” conceded Michel; with a sizeable commitment by the LBYC organizers, as umpires on RIBs trail each opponent around the entire course, during every single match.
“It’s a very big line item in the budget, flying in umpires from around the world so we have the highest level of professionals here at the Congressional Cup,” added Kirk Brown, a renowned International Umpire and Judge. At today’s press conference, Brown was honoured for his years of service to the yachting community. The Congressional Cup requires this prominent group of umpires as a Grade One event, and to handle the exacting and instantaneous on-the-water justice this level of yacht racing demands. But it wasn’t always this way.
Previously, when a match racing competitor felt their rival had broken one of the intricate rules, they would protest: waving a red flag at the time, and continuing with a lengthy protest hearing ashore.
“It was like a trial,” explained Brown. “After the race the parties would come in and they would have a trial in front of a jury on how and what happened. But it’s really difficult to come in off the water and explain what happened. One side has one view and the other side has their view. How do you sort that out? So the protest hearings would run well into the night: 1:00 in the morning, 2:00 in the morning … It was horrible.”
Brown was among a team of racing pros and authorities that helped Congressional Cup pioneer on-the -water umpiring 35 years ago. “We came up with an idea that we would have live field-of-play officiating. It had been somewhat piloted in a couple of other places, but the Congressional Cup was the first major event to do on-the-water umpiring.”
“Field-of-play officiating originated here at the Long Beach Yacht Club,” Brown added with pride. “It speeds up the process. You know who wins the calls right away.” It also gives competitors a chance to clear a foul on the course, versus getting thrown out of the race in the protest room”
Excitement will only heat up as the Congressional Cup semi-finals commence tomorrow Friday April 21. Spectators are invited to watch the exciting race action from the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier starting at 11:30 local time daily, where they can enjoy live commentary and stadium seating for free. Or take in the races virtually at www.thecongressionalcup.com where you can also get full details and live results.
Ideal conditions are forecast as racing continues tomorrow through Saturday April 22, when the finals are complete and the 2023 Congressional Cup champion is crowned.
For more information go to www.thecongressionalcup.com and www.wmrt.com
