Some of the world’s best sailors return to Long Beach this week to compete in the 2025 Congressional Cup, one of their sport’s most coveted prizes and the nation’s longest-running regatta.

Flying the flags of yacht clubs from seven nations, and against the backdrop of palms, city skyline and booming bullhorns, 10 skippers will line their Catalina 37s along Long Beach’s Belmont Pier and compete in a round-robin series of one-on-one match races, with a championship race on Sunday.

The final two competitors were determined last Sunday by the results of the Ficker Cup qualifiers on April 25-27.

Long Beach Yacht Club regatta chair Lisa Meier said it should be an interesting week for the race, which is entering its 60th year.

“Given that this is the 60th anniversary of the Congressional Cup put on by Long Beach Yacht Club, it certainly is momentous and the Yacht Club, its members and myself are so proud to be a part of its history,” Meier said. “Long Beach has a reputation for running world-class regattas, starting in 1934 with the Olympics, and we are proud to be able to continue that tradition of racing on these fabulous waters of Long Beach.”

Team Pierroz works on the deck as they raise their sail during the Flicker Cup in Long Beach on Friday, April 25, 2025. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
Crews competed in the Ficker Cup to earn one of the two qualifying slots in the Congressional Cup, Friday, April 25, 2025. Photo by John Donegan.

The name of the cup resulted from a special charter granted by Congress in 1964.

Races run April 30 to May 4, starting at 11:30 a.m. each day. Teams will enter practice runs on the water on Tuesday.

According to organizers, each race lasts about 20 minutes and varies in exact distance, due to changing wind and water conditions along Long Beach’s outer harbor.

Under the Congressional’s match racing rules, each of the 10 six- or seven-member crews is assigned an identical 37-foot Catalina yacht. To maintain competitive balance, the crews are assigned a different boat every day. Each crew races 18 times, facing each other twice over five days.

Team Pierroz received a penalty from an umpire during the Flicker Cup in Long Beach on Friday, April 25, 2025. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
Crews are observed by a closely following umpire during the Ficker Cup, Friday, April 25, 2025. Photo by John Donegan.

The winning skipper earns a $20,000 cash prize, crimson blazer akin to the Masters golf jacket and their names etched into the Congressional Cup trophy.

Among the competitors in this year’s cup is former champion Chris Poole, a 36-year-old American skipper looking to win for a third year in a row. Poole joins a contested field of prominent yachtsmen and past winners including Johnie Berntsson from Sweden (Berntsson Sailing Team), and Switzerland’s Eric Monnin (Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team).

“Our team is looking forward to returning to Long Beach for the 60th Congressional Cup,” Poole said in a news release. “We have a chance to go for a 3-peat which is an incredible opportunity at one of the toughest match racing events in the world.”

Teams prepare for the Flicker Cup in Long Beach on Friday, April 25, 2025. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
A member of the Pierroz team clings to a rope as they race towards the finish line in preparation for the Flicker Cup in Long Beach on Friday, April 25, 2025. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.

The Congressional offers landlubbers a rare opportunity to watch world-class sailing without leaving the beach. The race course will be set just west of Belmont Pier, with viewing from grandstands or from grassy bluffs along Ocean Boulevard. There is no admission charge.

Vendor booths and activities will be on-site.

Races will also be livestreamed starting on Friday at the link here.