In an exciting winner-takes-all final match, Harry Price (AUS) of Down Under Racing defeated Chris Poole (USA) to capture the Long Beach YC Ficker Cup title.
Both will advance to the Congressional Cup, which starts next week. Dave Hood (USA) finished third, while Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) took fourth.
The Ficker Cup was established to honor Bill Ficker, a world class Star champion and winning helmsman of the 1970 America’s Cup. It is an invitation-only regatta, with strict criteria.
The Congressional Cup, hosted by Long Beach Yacht Club, will be held April 3 to 7, 2019.
Price and Poole round out a field that includes defending champion Taylor Canfield (USA), past winners Ian Williams (GBR) and Johnie Berntsson (SWE); plus Maxime Mesnil (FRA), Nicklas Dackhammar (SWE), Will Boulden (AUS), Nick Egnot-Johnson, (NZL) and Scotty Dickson (USA).
