LONG BEACH, Calif. — The 57th Congressional Cup wrapped up in Long Beach Saturday after five days of sailboat racing. The world-class boat racing event not only attracts the best skippers from across the globe, but it also provides just a small preview for the fanfare that awaits the area in 2028 when LA hosts the Summer Olympics.

The Congressional Cup gives a look at the potential economic boost that could come in 2028, too. It is one of the longest running sailboat match race regattas in the entire country, known as the “grandfather of modern match racing.”

After several days of unseasonably high winds, Saturday morning was a beautiful day for sailing in one of the most prestigious match race events in the world, said Taylor Canfield, skipper for the Stars and Stripes USA Team.

His crew was busy getting the boat ready to help Canfield defend his Congressional Cup Championship title on the final day of racing.

“I sailed my first regatta when I was 7 years old in a little single-hand boat called an Optimist,” Canfield said. “I remember I got fourth in my first event and I was like, that’s not enough.”

He has spent decades fine-tuning his craft, and is one of the top-ranked match racing skippers in the world.

However, at the Congressional Cup, he met his match, racing among an all-star lineup as one of 10 teams from five different countries.

This week, Canfield beat out all but one, his longstanding rival, Ian Williams, leading the Gladstones team all the way from the U.K.

“The competition is intense, especially in the match racing,” Williams said. “There’s no way to hide out there. If you make a mistake, you get punished for it and everybody sees, right?”

It’ll come down to each team's tactics and strategy as the two set off in a head-to-head race of identical Catalina 37 sailboats hosted by the Long Beach Yacht Club.

Congressional Cup Chair, Lisa Meier, said over 300 yacht club members volunteer to put the intense competition on each spring. However, this year’s competition was special because all eyes were on Long Beach in the lead up to the 2028 Olympics.

“Long Beach is the home of the sailing venue for LA ‘28 Olympics, so people are coming in from countries from this year on to practice in our waters,” Meier explained.

In the meantime, this Congressional Cup is the highest level of racing in the world, also happening right in LA’s backyard.

Thousands of spectators come to watch the races all week long and the economic impact can be felt far beyond the Belmont Pier.

They were so busy at the Belmont Brewing Company, general manager Robbie Macias was behind the bar serving drinks. He said every year during the Congressional Cup, he sees at least a 20% jump in sales. 

“We are definitely seeing the numbers and it’s been great for us and it’s just great to see people’s faces and see them out and about again,” Macias said.

It is a welcomed boom after a difficult wave of closures because of COVID.

The two finalists finished their flight just as the wind picked up to just under 20 knots.

Ian Williams emerged from the battle victorious, tying Canfield’s record for most all-time victories, but for Canfield, just being able to race here at home is an automatic win, too.

“My dad’s here to spectate the event, which is super cool, so it’s exciting just to have all the friends and family that we’ve met here over the years to support us and push us through,” he said.

Both he, Williams and the other top five winners, Chris Poole, Johnie Berntsson and Jeppe Borch, will be invited to compete in China in December, the last stop in this World Match Racing Tour.

Visit the Congressional Cup website for more information.