Honoring the Past, Leading the Future
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President's Message
Dear Star sailors,
Just returning from the 93rd edition of the famous Bacardi Cup 2020: we had a fantastic, exciting regatta with almost 70 entries, perfect sailing every day on Biscayne Bay and great social events. The superior winning team were the 2019 World Champions Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Bruno Prada, with an impressive series of 3 first and 3 second places! Second place was Miami's legend Augie Diaz/Henry Boening ahead of the 2017 World Champion team of Eivind Melleby / Joshua Revkin.
Now days later Corona Covid-19 virus has spread further all over the world and influences our health and life tremendously. Currently we are faced by different news every day.
Beside all the health problems the C19 virus has created in Europe with a lot of restrictions in travelling, border crossing and social life. Meanwhile almost all major sailing championships and sporting events in Europe running in March, April and May have been cancelled. We just received a message from Yacht Club Cannes/France who also had to cancel our Star Eastern Hemisphere Championship and District 9 Championship. The EHC will be postponed probably to end of September 2020 and we will keep you updated. It might be necessary to change the schedule of other events as well. We don’t know what will happen through the next weeks/months but we expect and hope that the situation will stabilize again until June.
It is the position of the Star Class officers that with the current global virus, we encourage all regatta organizers to constantly monitor the situation. Any decisions of regattas to be held or cancelled is left to the regatta chair, which has enough information and pressure from their local governmental agencies which override decisions. We should be driven by our concern for the health and well-being of all sailors.
I wish you fair winds, stay healthy!
Hubert Merkelbach
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NOTICE OF MEETING
ISCYRA Annual Meeting is set for 1 September, 2020. KSSS - Royal Swedish Yacht Club, Stockholm, SWE 1800
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Regatta Wrap-up
THE 2019 WORLD CHAMPIONS WIN THE 93RD BACARDI CUP-- REGATTA WRAPS UP IN SPECTACULAR RACE TRACK CONDITIONS
Tough, rough and exhilarating conditions showed up in Biscayne Bay on the last day at the Bacardi Invitational Regatta for the thrill of the 130 sailors gathered in Miami for the 93rd edition of the world-renowned event. An average 15 knots breeze, with gusts of over 20 knots, tested the 64 teams and served up a spectacular final day of racing for sailors and the spectator flotilla following the racing.
The 2020 Bacardi Cup Champions secured their title with a race (and a day) to spare. Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL) and Bruno Prada (BRA) have been leading the series since day two, and had an impressive scoresheet of three bullets and three seconds!
The Polish Finn Olympic Champion and the Brazilian five-time Star World Champion Bruno Prada (BRA) can add to the 2019 Star World won together last June in Sardinia, this well-deserved title:
“I’ve attended the Bacardi Cup for so many years in my Olympic career but have never managed to win it,” said an enthusiastic Kusznierewicz, who is also the reigning Star Class World Champion. “It is an unbelievable feeling to finally win this after finishing runner-up last year. Bruno and I had an amazing week, three bullets and two seconds, I can’t remember having had a regatta so perfect in my life. I think I am ready for the Tokyo Olympics,” he laughingly concluded.
“Sailing with Bruno Prada is fantastic, I enjoy it so much,” continued Kusznierewicz. “We had an amazing year together, we won the Star Worlds last June, then the qualification round for the SSL Finals and now this epic race. Of course it’s easier to enjoy it when you are winning, but I loved this event so much, and I love sailing, I don’t ever want to stop!”
Even though they won with a race to spare, the team still went on the water for the final day and delivered yet another impressive final race. The pair led the fleet for the first half of the race, before they confused the upwind mark of another racecourse with the Stars’ bottom gate, giving the opportunity for Diego Negri (ITA)/Frithjof Kleen (GER) to overhaul them and extend to win the race by 150 meters.
With Negri/Kleen taking out the final race win, the fight for second and third on the podium unfolded between Paul Cayard (USA)/Pedro Trouche (BRA) who tamed the strong wind and the waves and finished race 6 in 3rd, Augie Diaz (USA)/Henry Boening (BRA) in 4th and Eivind Melleby (NOR)/Joshua Revkin (USA) who started the day in second place dropping to third overall after a 9th place finish. Claiming the glory of second place, by tiebreak advantage over Melleby/Revkin, were Diaz/Boening.
The spectacular finale prize giving at Shake a Leg Miami followed by the renowned Bacardi after party brought the 2020 Bacardi Cup to a close only to be back next year.
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2020 Upcoming Silver & Gold Events
click on the logo for more information
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Currently the EHC is postponed until Sept/Oct dates are confirmed. The Star Class Office will continue to update the regatta calendar as we are informed of regatta status.
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