A team developed through the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) has secured a major international triumph, winning the prestigious Congressional Cup in Long Beach, California.
Skipper Cole Tapper led an all-CYCA crew—Max Brennan, Jack Frewin, Nathan Gulliksen, George Richardson and Hamish Vass—to a dominant 3–0 victory over defending champion Eric Monnin in the final. The performance capped a composed and clinical week on the water.
All six sailors are graduates of CYCA’s Youth Sailing Academy, under head coach Jordan Reece, highlighting the strength of the club’s development pathway.
The win marks only the second time an Australian team has claimed the title, following Peter Gilmour’s victory 38 years ago. It also completes a redemption arc for Tapper’s crew, who finished third in 2025 before mounting a comeback from 2–0 down in this year’s semi-finals.
“This is something special,” Tapper said. “The team is just incredibly happy.”
CYCA Commodore Sam Haynes described the result as a reflection of the club’s high-performance culture, praising both the sailors and the system behind them.
