Star Class Honoring the Past, Leading the Future
Author: Rachele Vitello - March 05, 2019Light winds on Biscayne Bay forced the 128 Star sailors to take it easy on Day 2 of the Bacardi Cup Regatta
MIAMI, FLA (March 5, 2019) – Despite the weather forecast predicting the day’s outcome, this morning everyone was still hoping a light wind race would be achievable. But, with no breeze and nothing forecast, the Race Committee called it a day at around 11:30 AM and hoisted AP over A at Coral Reef Yacht Club.
“The weather was too unstable and it would not guarantee fair racing, and possibly not even safe racing, to the competitors,” commented Regatta PRO Carl Schellbach. “We have four more days to get five races done and the forecast is looking really good. So we thought we would give the sailors a day off instead of keeping them here to wait. At 16:30 there is a Bacardi cocktail and we can enjoy all of the great opportunities Miami offers.”
Racing was cancelled early in the day, to give sailors the opportunity to enjoy the camaraderie of the event, relax and kick into what is guaranteed to be a classic Bacardi cocktail party. The Race Committee know they can catch up on today’s race in much better conditions and give fair racing to the sailors, which is what the Bacardi Cup is all about. Plenty of spills and thrills are guaranteed over the coming days as the world class 64-boat fleet battles it out to make their mark on the leaderboard, and keep Italy’s Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi, who lead after race 1, from defending their 2018 Bacardi Cup title.
Racing for the Star fleet will resume tomorrow, Wednesday March 6th, with Race 2 of the 92nd Bacardi Cup scheduled to be in starting sequence at 11:55 hours.
BACARDÍ has sponsored the event since its inception in 1927. The nightly parties make sure the fun continues long after the finish line, and tonight, attention switches to the nightly cocktail hosted at Coral Reef Yacht Club. Tomorrow the Mid-Week Party at Shake-a-Leg Miami will welcome the J/70, Melges 24, Viper 640 and Flying Tiger 7.5 teams, who start racing on Thursday March 7th.
Author: Rachele Vitello - March 06, 2019Race 2 of the Star class was windy and challenging, but Biscayne Bay will return to its classic conditions tomorrow to welcome the other invited one design classes, J/70, Melges 24, Viper 640 and Flying Tiger 7.5.
As the fleet departed from the Coral Reef Yacht Club, day three of the 92nd Bacardi Cup delivered a brisk northerly breeze day under a clear blue sky and bright light.
A 15/18 knot breeze from the north-east, with very choppy seas gave an exhilarating if challenging ride for the 64 teams, with one bent mast the only recorded damage. The Committee hoisted the AP flag to wait for the wind to settle and a little after midday the starting sequence began with U flag up for security reasons.
After a rough upwind leg, Norway’s World Champion Eivind Melleby with his American crew Josh Revkin were the first to round the mark, followed by Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise (USA), both chased hard by Paul Cayard/Magnus Liljedahl (USA). The iconic partnership of Cayard/Liljedahl knocked out a fantastic and fast paced downwind leg, accelerating to be first at the gate, leaving Melleby/Revin second and Olympic Champion Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL) and Frithjof Kleen (GER) still pushing hard in third.
Making their break, the newly formed Kusznierewicz/Kleen team opted for the right side of the upwind leg and eased into the lead, extending their margin further on the second downwind leg, with Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise now in second, and Cayard/Liljedahl third. Moving into the fifth and last leg, Kusznierewicz/Kleen controlled their lead, whilst behind Cayard/Liljedahl advanced to second, passing Doyle/Infelise who had to be satisfied with a 4th place finish. But their consistent two-race scorecard of 3,4 rewarded Doyle/Infelise at the top of the leaderboard and the team to now oust.
“It would have been nicer to keep the lead and win a bullet for Magnus’ birthday,” grinned Paul Cayard. “But it was very shifty out there and we had to battle with some very good sailors. Second is good, we are pleased with the result and look forward to tomorrow.”
“Winning always feels nice,” reflected Mateusz Kusznierewicz after their dominance. “We missed Race 1 yesterday for being UFD, so today was our first day racing together and it was fun. I liked sailing with Frithjof and in these great conditions.”
Tomorrow PRO Carl Schellbach will aim for two races for the Star fleet by starting an hour earlier at 11:00. Embarking on their first race day on Biscayne Bay will be the other classes invited to the Bacardi Invitational Regatta, as the J/70 fleet appears here for its second consecutive year, the Melges 24 returns after a short break and the Viper 640 and Flying Tigers 7.5 fleet make their debut at this the best sailing week in Miami.
An 11:00 start is scheduled for all fleets tomorrow on Biscayne Bay. The Star fleet is targeting races 3 and 4 of the Bacardi Cup, while J/70, Melges24, Viper 640 and Flying Tigers 7.5 will face their first three races of the series. The weather forecast should see a return to classic Miami conditions, embracing the usual warm temperatures and steady mid-range breeze.
March 07, 2019Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise hold Star Class lead at 92nd Bacardi Cup after race 4, with plenty of action kicking off in the J/70, Melges24, Viper 640 and Flying Tiger 7.5 after 3 back to back races.
It was one amazing sailing day in Biscayne Bay, with typical Miami winter conditions of strong breeze, sunshine and small chop. Racing doesn’t get better than this for the 165 teams racing at the Bacardi Invitational Regatta. Race day 1 got underway in the J/70, Melges 24, Viper 640 and Flying Tigers 7.5, with the Star Class enjoying race day 4.
Two races for the Star fleet, to make up for no racing on Tuesday. A grueling and challenging day as the Star Class racing here respects the original Bacardi format, used since its inception in 1927, of races legs that are at least 2 miles long, and last up to two hours. With so much depth in performance, there were plenty of lead changes today as the shifty breeze further out on the bay tested the best.
One bullet went to French Olympic bronze medalist and SSL President Xavier Rohart with his crew Pierre-Alexis Ponsot, whilst American sailing legend Paul Cayard and Olympic champion Magnus Liljedahl picked up the other win. After four races top billing holds firm with Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise (USA), after a consistent scorecard of 2,3 and counting a 4th as their worst result. Defending Bacardi Cup title holders Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA) are chasing hard nine points behind, and then it’s Norwegian World Champion Eivind Melleby and Joshua Revkin. Expect the leaderboard to shuffle up tomorrow, as the discard comes into play after race 5. One team for sure set to escalate their standing will be Mateusz Kusnierewicz and Frithjof Kleen, as they shake off their UFD penalty from race 1 and aim to maintain what is otherwise a scorecard of top 5 finishes.
“The boat was really fast both upwind and downwind,” reflected Paul Cayard. “It was tricky and shifty today, and unfortunately on the first race we got a little out of phase on the second leeward leg and we lost some boats. While we were in phase in the second race everything went our way and we won.”
Back ashore, 500 very tired sailors were welcomed to the nightly Bacardi post-race party. After some relaxing and camaraderie, they will prepare for another intense Biscayne Bay sailing day tomorrow, with a scheduled 1100 hours start for all fleets.
Author: Rachele Vitello - March 08, 2019A great race win by Cayard/Liljedahl sets the stage for a suspense filled finale on Saturday, as they challenge Doyle/Infelise.
Miami and the South of Florida woke up under a cloudy sky with the wind blowing vigorously at 15/18 knots from East/North East on day 5 of the 2019 Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta. All races started on schedule at 1100 hours across the different race courses on Biscayne Bay. Three races were wrapped up for the J/70, Melges 24, Viper 640 and the Flying Tiger 7.5, and one very long five leg race for the Star Class.
The fifth day of the Bacardi Cup saw Paul Cayard/Magnus Liljedahl (USA) starting fast and right on time at the pin end, claiming the lead to the first mark and extending over the tight and fierce fleet in pursuit. Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise (USA), Eivind Melleby (NOR) and Joshua Revkin (USA), Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL) and Frithjof Kleen (GER) and, in fifth position, Xavier Rohart and Pierre-Alexis Ponsot (FRA) are all members of the elite band of former Star World Champions, carrying gold stars on their mainsails, who pursued Cayard/Liljedahl.
Despite intense pressure, the Cayard/Liljedahl partnership did not buckle, made no mistakes and just observed the action unfolding behind. Numerous shuffles in fleet position saw the overall leaderboard change throughout the race, as teams made their final charge to position themselves with a podium chance ahead of Saturday’s final racing. Positions are close, with just 5 points separating the top three, and 11 points separating the top 5, so plenty of teams sit well in with a shot at stepping up to the podium. The question of who will lift the 92 year old Bacardi Cup Trophy is between two teams, as only Cayard/Liljedahl and Doyle/Infelise can mathematically win. The odds are on the most solid team in the series Doyle/Infelise. To oust them, Paul Cayard will have to win the race and Doyle/Infelise finish 3rd or worse. Regardless of the odds, the momentum is with the 1992 Louis Vuitton Cup winner and his crew, Olympic Champion Magnus Liljedahl, who has won the Bacardi Cup six times with different skippers, the last time just two years ago with Mark Mendelblatt (USA).
“We are just going out and try to do what we’ve been doing in the last few races,” said Paul Cayard (USA). “I think we found our groove, we have good speed, we just need to get a good start, the black flag will be up, and we'll just try to sail another great race”.
“It’s pretty helpful to have had a solid week,” responded Eric Doyle. “We’ll just start and always know where Paul is and if we get ahead it’s going to be a long day for him on the beat. It’s going to be tough but it should be a fun race.”
Tomorrow, Saturday March 8th, is the last day of the Bacardi Invitational Regatta and another 1100 hours start is scheduled for everyone. A few hours later the winners will be known, and the Star Class will crown its 92nd Bacardi Cup Champion, as another team is recorded in the history of this amazing event that started in 1927.
Author: Rachele Vitello - March 09, 2019Six days of great racing in Miami deliver another epic day of racing to crown the best teams in the J/70, Melges 24, Viper 640, Flying Tigers 7.5 and Star classes
MIAMI, FLA (March 9, 2019) – Miami and Biscayne Bay today showcased the best day of racing as this iconic racing venue said good-bye to the 500 sailors who competed at the Bacardi Invitational Regatta. A great Easterly breeze of around 10 knots, sun shining warm and wave chop a lot less than the previous days made for a perfect race day. All of the classes finished their scheduled races at this the best spring sailing yacht racing event in the North Hemisphere.
In the Star Class, the charge for the 92nd Bacardi Cup victory came down to an American Gold Star battle. Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise (USA) presented a flawless scorecard with results always in the top 4, but Paul Cayard/Magnus Liljedahl (USA) managed a brilliant come back from a 27th in race 1 and earned a chance to steal the win from Doyle/Infelise. But only if they could maintain the momentum that gave them wins in Race 4 and 5. Both teams started on the right side, with Doyle keeping an eagle eye on Cayard who was almost on pin end and kept following that track. The Southern California partnership of Doyle/Infelise were first to the windward mark, whilst in a surprise turn of form North California legend Paul Cayard rounded at the back, in about 20th position.
The order of play continued at the downwind gate and up the second windward leg. At this point, Doyle/Infelise realized they were safely ensconced as winners of the 92ndBacardi Cup and could abandon the race and head ashore! Even though Paul Cayard/Magnus Liljedal were slowly climbing back through the fleet, there was no hope of them overhauling Doyle/Infelise’s points advantage. Then, on the second downwind, they broke their mast and were forced to be towed back in. Scoring a DNF penalty, they had to re-count their 27th from day 1 and plummeted down the leaderboard to finish in 7thoverall.
Standing alongside Doyle/Infelise on the podium were Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL) and Firithjof Kleen (GER), who also gave themselves an uphill start after a UFD in race 1, but won two races from the remaining five and finished only 2 points behind the winners. Another two points back were bronze medalists Eivind Melleby (NOR) and Joshua Revkin (USA). In fourth were defending champions Diego Negri and Sergio Lambertenghi of Italy and in fifth the French Xavier Rohart and Pierre-Alexis Ponsot.
“It’s been great, fun, fabulous weather, it all came together nicely, we had great speed, a fantastic team work, good starts and it’s great to be in this excellent field with incredible champions,” smiled a very satisfied Eric Doyle. “It is our first win even though I have sailed here for 20 times. One time we had a big fight then Ross McDonald came ahead I lost my points; it doesn’t matter now, it’s great we won it! And we are happy to win 2500 points of the Star Sailors League. We plan to go to the Europeans/SSL Breeze Grand Slam in May and then to the Worlds in Porto Cervo in June, so plenty of racing coming ahead!”
As the curtains prepare to drop on the Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta, tonight it is all about the big Prize Giving Ceremony and dinner party at Shake-A-Leg Miami to officially close the 2019 edition. Bacardi is already planning the 2020 edition with the 93rd Bacardi Cup for the Star class, the event that launched this all in 1927 in Havana, Cuba.
Author: Rachele Vitello - March 03, 2019Ninety-two years of history is a record that not many sports competitions can match. With the number of teams and the unparalleled talent on the water increasing each year, the Bacardi Cup Regatta is among the world’s most iconic sporting events. For 56 years, this event has had the pleasure of calling the beautiful warm waters of Biscayne Bay its home.
This year, the Organizing Committee decided to extend an invitation not only to the Star Class, but also to other one-design fleets, making the 2019 Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta the most attended spring sailing event. The J/70 class, the fastest-growing one-design fleet in the world, has been invited for the second year in a row, while the successful long-lived Melges 24 class will make its return to Biscayne Bay along with the high-performance classes represented by the Viper 640 and Flying Tiger 7.5!
Racing gets underway in Biscayne Bay on Monday, March 4th and on Saturday, March 9th we shall know the winners of the 92 edition of the Bacardi Cup, the Star fleet will compete in a single daily race of proper endurance racing, which is the traditional format that the more than 100-year-old class dictates and exactly what the sailors relish.
Teams from across the U.S. will be joined in every class by an international line-up of 22 different countries, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the Ukraine.
The 2019 Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta has a recording-breaking 165 entries, with more than 500 sailors attending. World champions, Olympians and America’s Cup legends will be on the starting line. The most shining one will traditionally be the Star Class, with the many heroes that still competitively race in it and sport the Gold star on their main sail for winning at least one Star World Championship. We are excited to have competitors that include the very eclectic Paul Cayard (USA), who has been sailing the Star for 40 years alongside his successful career in the America’s Cup and big yacht racing; Xavier Rohart (FRA), the Bronze Olympic medalist in the class in Athens; Lars Grael (BRA), a two times Bronze Olympic medalist in the Tornado class; and Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL), the Gold and Bronze winner at the Olympics in Atlanta and Athens in the Finn class.
The reigning champs of Bacardi Cup, Diego Negri and Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA), will be on the water to try and replicate their success in the huge fleet of almost 70 boats.
Post-race, the BACARDÍ rum team will greet and host competitors each evening, with great food, music and plenty of BACARDÍ cocktails. BACARDÍ has sponsored the event since its inception in 1927. The nightly parties make sure the fun continues long after the finish line. Social events include the Bacardi Cup Welcome Cocktail to kick off event at Coral Reef Yacht Club tonight, the Mid-Week Party at Shake-a-Leg Miami on March 6 to mark the half-way stage of the event and the Prize Giving Dinner on Saturday, March 9. Race activities are directed by Coral Reef Yacht Club, in collaboration with Biscayne Bay Yacht Club and Key Biscayne Yacht Club.
Author: Rachele Vitello - March 04, 2019A sunny and very hot South of Florida morning welcomed the 128 Star sailors at Coral Reef Yacht Club for the first day of the 92nd Bacardi Cup.
The regatta is one of the most appreciated competitions in the sailing calendar, with a long and celebrated history starting in Havana, Cuba in 1927. Since then, with only ten boats in the line-up, the Bacardi Cup has grown into one of the world’s major sailing events with peak records of more than 100 entries. In 2018, the Bacardi Cup Organizing Committee extended an invitation beyond the Star Class, to embrace other high-profile one-design fleets, making the Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta one of the most attended spring sailing events. The J/70, Melges 24, Viper 640 and Flying Tiger 7.5 will begin their racing on Thursday, March 7th, but today it was all about the Star Class.
After the skippers briefing, the 64 teams headed to the Biscayne Bay race course for a 11:55 hours start. No surprise the fleet was eager to get going, with PRO Carl Shellbach giving two general recalls before Race 1 got underway. The black flag played its deterrent role and only three boats were over the line, among them Polish Olympic Gold and Star World Champion Mateusz Kusznierewicz, racing with World Champion crew Firthjof Kleen.
The upwind leg opened with a light breeze of 6/7 knots from ashore, with most of the fleet opting for what they predicted was the favourable left side. First to the windward mark was Italy’s Diego Negri with crew Sergio Lambertenghi, winner of the 2018 Bacardi Cup, followed by the Norwegian World Champion Eivind Melleby with Josh Revkin (USA). The two exchanged positions in a tussle to the downwind gate, before Negri/Lambertenghi stepped up their pace to reclaim the advantage in a tricky second upwind leg. Behind, Augie Diaz and Bruno Prada came through, in a masterclass of ‘right place at the right time’ as the wind began its big shift to the right. A few boat lengths into the last leg saw the morning wind drop, giving way to a different breeze from the land to give the race an unexpected reaching finish.
Letting the fleet know they have every intention of defending their 2018 title, Negri and Lambertenghi kept their lead in front of Augie Diaz/Bruno Prada, with Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise finishing in third. After starting strong, Eivind Melleby/Joshua Revkin could only hold onto an eighth place.
“It is such a great feeling to be leading this excellent fleet,” smiled Diego Negri after racing. “The day was really tricky with two pressures fighting each other, so the first half of the race the left side was favorite while on the second half it was the right that ended with a reaching finish. We kept eyes well open, we kept control and we managed to finish with a bullet in a first beautiful race.”
Tonight, teams are guests of Eddie Cutillas at the beautiful Bacardi Building for the traditional welcome cocktail, where the BACARDÍ rum team will greet and host the competitors. BACARDÍ has sponsored the event since its inception in 1927. The nightly parties make sure the fun continues long after the finish line. Next social event will be the Mid-Week Party at Shake-a-Leg Miami on March 6th to mark the half-way stage of the event and the Prize Giving Dinner on Saturday, March 9th.
Before that, tomorrow another sailing day awaits the 64 teams for Race 2 of the 92nd Bacardi Cup, with an 11:55 starting sequence and more head to head battles set to unfold.
Author: Rachele Vitello - June 14, 2018
April 12, 2018| Nov 10-11, 2018 | Schoonmaker Cup | Results | Sat-Sun |
| Dec 1-2, 2018 | Commodores Cup | Results | Sat-Sun |
| Jan 5-6 | Levin Cup | Results | Sat-Sun |
| Feb 2-3 | Zagarino Masters | not sailed | Sat-Sun |
| Feb 7-8 | Walker Cup | Results | Thurs-Fri |
| Feb 9-10 | Midwinters | Results | Sat-Sun |
| Mar 3-9 | Bacardi Cup | Results | Mon-Sat |
Charter Boats:
Star Boat Shop
Arthur Anasov
Bacardi Cup Stickers!!!!
First 10 PEOPLE to register for the Bacardi Cup Regatta will receive Bacardi Cup 1927-2019 stickers in the mail!
SCHEDULE
Sunday 3/3 Registration
Monday 3/4 - Sailing + Bacardi Cup Private Party
Tuesday 3/5 - Sailing + Happy hour
Wednesday 3/6 - Sailing + Mid. Week Party
Thursday 3/7 - Sailing + Happy Hour
Friday 3/8 - Sailing + Happy Hour
Saturday 3/9 - Sailing + Prize Giving Party
BOAT STORAGE
For those of you wondering where to keep your boat before or after the event, check out the ARRANGEMENTS Page on our website
BACARDI CUP - PRIVATE PARTY!
Stay tuned for more info on the Bacardi Cup private Party at the Bacardi building! Information going out soon!
