Star Class Honoring the Past, Leading the Future
Author: BCIR - March 07, 2022Two-time Bacardi Cup Champions, 2020 and 2021, Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL) and Bruno Prada (USA) controlled the opening day of racing in Biscayne Bay, Miami.
An epic line-up of fifty-eight Star Class teams kicked off racing at the 95th Bacardi Cup under a picture-perfect blue sky dotted with clouds, breeze of around 14-16 knots and choppy seas. The week ahead is looking equally stunning, with a cracking mid-teens breeze forecast through until the end of racing on Saturday, March 12.
“We have a beautiful week set up for weather and parties,” smiled Mark Pincus, Regatta Chair. “It gives us great pleasure to be able to have everybody here again and to be able to do the regatta and the week the way we normally do. We are so happy to have over 500 sailors for the week and all of our Star sailors back again that we haven’t seen in a couple of years.
“The weather is going to be phenomenal this week. There should be some great times out on the water with a great week of races and competition that we have been missing over the last couple of years. Year in year out, everyone wants to come back and sail Bacardi because they have so much fun as well as great competition.”
Thrilling Opening Day
As always, the Star fleet featured plenty of World Champions, identified by the distinction of a gold mainsail logo, along with Olympians and legends of the Star Class in this high stakes battle for Bacardi Cup supremacy.
A clean start got racing underway at midday, wrapping up one hour and 45 minutes later with the win in the hands of the defending Bacardi Cup partnership of Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL), 2-time Star Class World Champion (2019, 2008), and four-time Star World Champion (2019, 2012, 2011, 2007) Bruno Prada (BRA).
“I am honored to be here on the 95th anniversary of the Bacardi Cup,” said Kusznierewicz. “We had a plan from the beginning to play upwind on the left side, because of the wind pattern but also the current. We knew that maybe on the beginning it would not look very good for us, but we had to be patient and then coming to the left side it will start to pay off and it did.”
From 7th place at the first mark, the pair accelerated to close the gap, as Kusznierewicz joked, “We pushed a special button in our boat, we got superpowers, especially on the reaches we were performing very well and that gave us the lead.”
It didn’t start that way, as controlling the fleet for the first two legs were the California based partnership of Erik Lidecis/Greg Smith, with Lidecis saying, “We had a really nice lane and just chugged out to the left for a while, held it as long as we could, got a little leftie, tacked on it and went across the fleet, which was beautiful.”
Lidecis/Smith stayed in phase to round the windward mark first and hold their advantage to the reaching mark, before all change. The easing conditions saw the crews mostly back in the boat for the reaching legs as submarining was inevitable if too far forward, with plenty of action as crews were in and out of the boat to keep on the chine in the lulls and puffs.
“The wind was super challenging because it was a good wind, a strong wind,” reflected Bruno Prada, who is racing his sixteenth Bacardi Cup, “but especially on the downwind reaches it was a little bit less wind, so the crew movement in the boat - forward and backwards, leeward and windward – trying to balance the boat was super challenging, trying to keep the boat with a lot of power, especially releasing the back stays. There were a lot of little details that I think was our success.
“We never think about winning regattas, we think day by day, enjoying day by day and then if in the end if we do a good average, we have a good chance to win.”
Kusznierewicz/Prada set their pole and made some gains on the first reaching leg. They had the capacity to capitalize and went low on the next leg to advance underneath the fleet, before going high in the closing metres to the gybe mark, boosting their boat speed to exploit an opening and get around everybody to take the lead into the second upwind.
As the breeze dropped to around 12-13 knots, the Race Committee changed the second lap to a downwind course format. Behind the leaders, the fleet consolidated on the next downwind and played the right side of the course more on the third and final upwind.
Whilst Kusznierewicz /Prada oozed class to extend and take the race win, thrilling tacking duels unfolded for 2nd between Peter O'Leary/Robert O'Leary and Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise, with Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi and John MacCausland/Rodrigo Meireles battling for 4th and 5th place.
Two-time Star Class Olympian (2008 and 2012) Peter O’Leary, who is racing with his brother Robert, was stoked to come out on top of their duel and claim second. Last time racing at the Bacardi Cup in 2020, the pair finished 6thoverall.
“I guess if you didn’t like today, you are never going to like Star sailing!” laughed Peter. “It was good to be back in the boat after two years. We ended up reaching on the first lap and that’s a fun thing to do in the Star.”
Robert chipped in, saying, “We’ve done a good bit of training reaching, but I’ve never actually raced a reaching course, so it was a bit of a shock to the system trying to decide whether jib on pole or not. We did it for the first leg and it definitely paid, and then the second leg we were just trying to defend, keep our lane, keep the air clear going down. We got inside three boats at the gybe mark.”
An impressive passage of play from Paul Cayard/Fritjof Kleen whose broken outhaul a couple of minutes before the start left them slumped mid-fleet at the first mark, before getting back on pace to finish in 10th.
Post-race, Bacardi hosted Star sailors and the Race Committee at the Bacardi Building, Coral Gables, in a celebration of the partnership and legacy between the Bacardi Cup and the Star Class.
Race 2 is scheduled to start at 1200 hours on Tuesday, March 8.
Provisional Top 10 Results – after Race 1
1. Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Bruno Prada (POL 8548) - 1 pts
2. Peter O'Leary / Robert O'Leary (IRL 8465) - 2 pts
3. Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise (USA 8423) - 3 pts
4. Diego Negri / Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA 8567) - 4 pts
5. John MacCausland / Rodrigo Meireles (USA 8448) - 5 pts
6. Eivind Melleby / Joshua Revkin (NOR 8543) - 6 pts
7. Erik Lidecis / Greg Smith (USA 8459) - 7 pts
8. Peter Vessella / Phil Trinter (USA 8573) - 8 pts
9. Tonci Stipanovic / Tudor Bilic (CRO 8540) - 9 pts
10. Paul Cayard / Frithjof Kleen (USA 1988) - 10 pts
The perpetual Bacardi Cup Trophy will be awarded to the first placed skipper and the Tito Bacardi Cup to the first placed crew, with prizes also presented to winners in the Master’s (skippers aged 50 through 59), Grand Masters (skippers aged 60 and above), Exalted Grand Masters (skippers aged 70 and above) and the Tammy Rubin-Rice Trophy will be presented to the highest placed team not otherwise receiving a prize.
Author: BCIR - March 09, 2022Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Bruno Prada hold onto the series lead but not the race win on day 3 at the 95th Bacardi Cup.
Spectacular conditions guaranteed a day of hiking and downwind fun for the fifty-eight boat Star Class fleet. After two days of domination by defending Bacardi Cup Champions Kusznierewicz/Prada, today saw new faces accelerate to front of fleet racing.
Biscayne Bay is always a race track that rewards confidence and switching on their afterburners to manage the fleet skilfully and break away to race glory were Jack Jennings (USA) and Pedro Trouche (BRA). They made their assault from the outset, sailing a perfect race to catch the leaders in a decisive move at the end of the first downwind, set the pace back upwind and surge ahead to victory.
New Faces out Front
The fleet were evenly spread along the race 3 starting line and up the first windward leg with no favoured side.
Sailing together for the first time, Great Britain’s Ed Wright and Italy’s Alberto Ambrosini gave the fleet the early run for their money. The team had a good start, although a bit behind the boats around which worked to their advantage, as they were in a position to tack off to port. They sailed the lift until they got knocked and headed into the windward mark covering the fleet from the right.
Wright/Ambrosini continued their form downwind, opting left to drive fast through the fantastic waves and surfing conditions. But when they switched to the right, their lead unravelled.
After an exciting gate rounding, Jack Jennings/Pedro Trouche sailed strong upwind, dictating the leader board shuffle as they approached the windward mark for the second time. The pair managed to pick their spots to tack into a clear lane and manoeuvred to the right of Wright/Ambrosini to take the lead, with 2019 Bacardi Cup champions Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise chasing.
Rounding the windward mark, Wright/Ambrosini were in a tussle with 2018 Bacardi Cup winners Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi who came in on port tack, with Kusznierewicz/Prada in 5th. Paul Cayard/Frithjof Kleen followed, with the O’Leary brothers and Jørgen Schönherr/Markus Koy neck and neck, and Eivind Melleby/Joshua Revkin close behind.
A strong bounce back from Schönherr/Koy, who were off the track yesterday due to Jørgen’s broken foot, as they target an upgrade on their partnership’s 8th place finish from 2020. Koy finished 3rd at the 2021 Bacardi Cup with Augie Diaz (USA).
Heading back downwind, the pressure remained consistent across the course, with plenty of wave action to accelerate the gains to Jennings/Trouche. An impressive passage of play from Kusznierewicz/Prada, who clawed back from around 5th at the final leeward gate to finish in 2nd, with Doyle/Infelise finishing 3rd. A 4th place finish to reigning Star World Champion Negri with crew Lambertenghi advances them to leader board 3rd, knocking the O’Learys down to 4th.
Jennings/Trouche are racing only their fifth event together, and their win advances them two places up the leader board to 7th overall.
“For sure we had a lot of fun surfing, sailing by the lee sometimes, playing with different modes,” explained Trouche, who won the 2018 Star Sailors League Finals. “Our talking was way better today on the downwind, so we had some gains on the first downwind. I am super happy. A champagne day in Biscayne Bay!”
“I think the key was to just keep doing the little things the right way,” smiled Jennings, “like getting a good start, which we have had the last two days, and then working on our downwind mode a little bit and also working on our communication. So more important than the result is, I think, we made an improvement in all those areas and we sailed the boat well from the beginning to the end.
“There are so many great champions here that it is always nice to have a good result. A lot of it is due to Pedro’s good hiking, our teamwork off the line and to have the boat in the right mode and keep our lane.”
From pole position, Wright/Ambrosini lost their pace to finish the race in 7th. The pair only partnered up after their respective skippers were unable to compete. Progress has been steady, with an improving scorecard of 18, 11 and 7. For Wright, their front of fleet territory matches his pedigree, having previously stepped onto the Finn Gold Cup podium six times, including gold in 2018.
On pressing the accelerator, Wright said, “From the first day to now, we are sailing the boat much differently. We are driving the boat a lot faster and really trying to power it up instead of pinching, and that made a huge difference with our boat speed.”
Eivind Melleby/Joshua Revkin finished 5th to hold their leader board 5th, with Cayard/Kleen finishing 6th in the race and on the leader board. Cayard first competed at the Bacardi Cup forty-two years ago crewing for Tom Blackaller. He has raced many times since, but is yet to taste victory.
"I've never won the Bacardi Cup", declared Cayard. "I've been second many times, so it would be nice to win! We have a lot of great competition here, I think there must be 10 world championships racing, so when you're in the top 10 in the races it's tough".
On their new partnership, Cayard said, "We are working on the speed and the set-up of the boat, so just trying to keep improving and if we do I think the result will be good. Frithjof is the current World Champion crew and I have a lot of experience, he is young and I'm a little older so I think we have a good mix of experience and youth and physical capability".
Reflecting on the event history, Cayard added, "The Bacardi Cup is like the Star Class. The two brands have been together for 95 years, in Cuba first and then here in Miami. They are both brands that represent excellence in a sector and respect tradition and so the fusion of these two brands is what makes the Bacardi Cup special. So, it is quite an honor just to be participating."
As always, the challenge for Bacardi Cup victory is as tough today as the first event hosted in Cuba back in 1927.
Provisional Top 10 Results – after Race 3
1. Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Bruno Prada (POL 8548) - 4 pts
2. Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise (USA 8423) - 8 pts
3. Diego Negri / Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA 8567) - 12 pts
4. Peter O'Leary / Robert O'Leary (IRL 8465) - 14 pts
5. Eivind Melleby / Joshua Revkin (NOR 8543) - 18 pts
6. Paul Cayard / Frithjof Kleen (USA 1988) - 22 pts
7. Jack Jennings / Pedro Trouche (USA 8464) - 23 pts
8. Augie Diaz / Christian Nehammer (USA 8509) - 27 pts
9. Erik Lidecis / Greg Smith (USA 8459) - 35 pts
10. Ed Wright / Alberto Ambrosini (AUS 8320) - 36 pts
Author: BCIR - March 08, 2022The Star Class leader board ended the same as yesterday’s opener, with defending Bacardi Cup Champions Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Bruno Prada again dominating the fifty-eight boat fleet for their second win in two races.
Race 2 of the 95th Bacardi Cup got underway on attempt number two, after a bunch of ambitious teams in the middle of the line forced the Race Committee to a general recall. A perfect day delivered as good as Star Class racing gets, with a consistent south-easterly breeze of around 12-15 knots, waves serving up full hiking upwind legs and super surfing conditions downwind for the 110 minutes, 9 nautical mile race.
Behind Kusznierewicz/Prada, it is tiebreak between Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise (USA), who won here in 2019, and brothers Peter O'Leary/Robert O'Leary (IRL) who sit on 5 points apiece, having matched each other’s scores across the two races. 2018 Bacardi Cup victors Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA) are in fourth.
The Race Track Story
Kusznierewicz/Prada know the nuances of Biscayne Bay well, opting for the left side upwind, before making a faultless tactical decision to move to the right side and find the increasing pressure for the final part of the first upwind. The leaders were chased hard by Augie Diaz/Christian Nehammer (USA), Peter O'Leary/Robert O'Leary (IRL), Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise (USA) and Jack Jennings/Pedro Trouche (USA), who had all made a break ahead of the fleet.
The teams who played the left side of the track got crushed and a significant number overstood the port tack layline, leading to a crazy and close mark rounding.
Downwind the easing breeze consolidated the fleet, picking up as teams rounded the gate to again favour the strong and experienced who flew back upwind. As before, a significant gap unfolded between the top seven boats and the rest of the fleet. Heading upwind, Kusznierewicz/Prada extended their lead, with Diaz/Nehammer, the O'Leary brothers and Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi battling (ITA) it out for second place.
On the final downwind the O’Learys made a key move, pressing Kusznierewicz/Prada every step of the way, as Peter explained, “Robert decided we would go round the other gate, at the bottom left looking down, and he was spot on. We gained a nice bit of space and were able to get close to the leader.”
Onto the final upwind, the brothers got forced a bit past the layline, giving Doyle/Infelise the advantage to move into second by a couple of meters, the Irish in third and Italians fourth.
“It was proper racing,” continued Peter. “It is as close to an Olympic standard as you are going to get. There was very little between the boats.”
Doyle/Infelise were pleased with their score, having chipped their way through the fleet to get back on form and pop the result after an uninspiring start.
“It was beautiful tough sailing, it’s a super competitive fleet,” said Infelise. “The key was to sail by yourself, get going fast, hit the shifts when you can and just keep the boat moving as quickly as you could.”
“Everywhere you look you are turning around and looking at a World Champion or a silver Star, so super competitive. I think it is the most competitive we have had in a few years here. It is really nice to have all the Europeans and everyone back here.”
Another 4th place finish from Italy’s Negri/Lambertenghi positions them 3 points behind the Americans and Irish.
“More or less the performance was even worse than yesterday,” commented Lambertenghi as we caught up with him relaxing post-race in the pool.
“We were a little bit slower I think, because it was lighter than yesterday, and we were not so brilliant as we felt yesterday. But anyway, we had a good race, a couple of mistakes on manoeuvre on my side and a couple of small mistakes on the tactics. We had fun and we had the same result as yesterday and we are quite satisfied – not 100%, but good!”
Provisional Top 10 Results – after Race 2
1. Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Bruno Prada (POL 8548) - 2 pts
2. Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise (USA 8423) - 5 pts
3. Peter O'Leary / Robert O'Leary (IRL 8465) - 5 pts
4. Diego Negri / Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA 8567) - 8 pts
5. Eivind Melleby / Joshua Revkin (NOR 8543) - 13 pts
6. Paul Cayard / Frithjof Kleen (USA 1988) - 16 pts
7. Augie Diaz / Christian Nehammer (USA 8509) - 17 pts
8. Erik Lidecis / Greg Smith (USA 8459) - 22 pts
9. Jack Jennings / Pedro Trouche (USA 8464) - 22 pts
10. Peter Vessella / Phil Trinter (USA 8573) - 26 pts
Author: BCIR - March 12, 2022The weather front that was expected to sweep through Biscayne Bay after racing on Saturday, March 12, arrived early, with the strong wind forcing racing to be cancelled for all classes at 0900 hours this morning.
Each day the weather has unfolded as per the forecast, so with 30+ knots of breeze expected the different course PROs took their decision based on each class and were unanimous to keep safe racing conditions and cancel all racing.
Superb winds for the preceding days delivered five neck and neck races for the Star Class, with an equally intense six race series for the J/70, Melges 24, Viper 640, VX One, and twelve races for the 69F. The overnight scoreboards are final and class podiums decided.
The Bacardi Cup and Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta wrapped up in fine style with the awards presentation at Shake-A-Leg Miami, accompanied by Bacardi rum and hospitality
“Thank you to the sailors, thank you to the host clubs, thank you to our volunteers on the water and ashore, and thank you to everyone who has been following this fantastic event from around the world,” expressed Eddie Cutillas of Bacardi USA. “The Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta supports our vision of the world’s best sailors racing together and leaves the best possible imprint; a turnout of inspirational sailors, exceptional racing and after parties that make sure the fun continues long after the finish line.
“Our regatta is an ‘invitational’ in respect of the ‘invited’ one-design classes participating, but sailors from around the world need no invitation to join us here on Biscayne Bay in our annual celebration of sailing - you are all welcome. Save the date for 2023.”
The tradition of camaraderie and high-level competition are embedded in the Bacardi Cup and Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta, guaranteeing the world’s sailors want to compete. 2022 featured more than 600 sailors, with the crew line-up from over 22 nations
Save the date for next year at the 96th Bacardi Cup and Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta taking place March 5-11, 2023.
For nearly one century, the Bacardi Cup has continued to attract the world’s top sailors and fans with its popularity and intrigue. In 2022, the Bacardi Cup celebrated its 95th anniversary on Biscayne Bay, its home for the past 61 years. In the fifty-eight-boat line-up were eleven previous Bacardi Cup winners and twelve World Champions – competition doesn’t get tougher than that.
The stars of the show were unequivocally Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL) and Bruno Prada (BRA), who showed themselves as most prepared for the physicality, intensity and tactics of racing in waves and a breeze which never dropped below 12 knots. Many sailors have won multiple Bacardi Cup titles - the legendary Ding Schoonmaker scooped eight victories, seven to Mark Reynolds, and some renowned partnerships have two wins - but Bacardi Cup history is written for Kusznierewicz/Prada who go down as the first same team partnership to win three back-to-back titles.
Second overall to Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise (USA) who were the 2019 Bacardi Cup winners, and third to Italy’s Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi who won in 2018, with a tiebreak for 4th and 5th.
Although victory was secure, Kusznierewicz/Prada had every intention of competing in the final race, before the excessive winds scuppered plans.
“Firstly, we love this sport,” said Kusznierewicz this morning. “Secondly, what could I do today? Golf, shopping, staying on shore, going to the restaurant – no, not my style. I love sailing and I think today maybe upwinds are not going to be such great fun, because of the strong winds and physical work, but reaching is going to be awesome. We also have a lot of respect, and we want to show this respect to the regatta organizers and the other sailors.”
With racing cancelled Kusznierewicz/Prada embraced their victory, celebrated their remarkable achievement and prepared to sip Bacardi rum from the iconic Bacardi Cup and Tito Bacardi Cup trophies.
“I am not sure if we are the fastest, but we are the most consistent team,” said Prada. “I think the advantage is we have been sailing for a couple of years together and we have a good chemistry sailing together.”
Kusznierewicz added, “We did it again, we are very happy, very satisfied. This week was great from many perspectives. It wasn’t easy, it was hard actually, physically and we had to focus a lot on racing, but we liked it. After two years of pandemic, not everyone could show up in previous years, but this year it’s impressive,” he said, in reference to the twelve Star World Champions competing.
“So, it is an even bigger pleasure for us to win this regatta and for the third time in a row, it is kind of history in the books. For me, it is a great honour to be here. To win it, wow I am in the skies!”
Prada continued, “I feel super happy. Every Championship we win in the Star Class, especially Bacardi Cup, Europeans and the Worlds, are special events, so we need to be very proud of ourselves and enjoy the victory. We are in the top 5 fastest boats and, in the end, we proved that our sailing was better than the others.”
On what’s next, Prada continued, “We are planning to sail the Worlds in Marblehead and it will be our next regatta together. Meanwhile I am going to sail a couple of regattas with Augie Diaz, to keep in shape and arrive at the Worlds on a high level.”
“The week was great,” reflected 2nd placed Eric Doyle. “It was epic Miami conditions, so much fun, great fleet, great sailing, great battles with everyone. It is the best sailing you can do anywhere I think. We changed boats this year and it took a little bit getting adjusted to that, especially downwind. We really wanted to win, and we made a few mistakes that cost us some points, but clearly Mateusz and Bruno are the gold standard right now.”
Prizes were presented to the top five boats, and also to winners in the age divisions:
Master (skippers aged 50 through 59) - Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise
Grand Master (skippers aged 60+) - Paul Cayard/Frithjof Kleen
Exalted Grand Master (skippers aged 70+) - Stefan Lehnert/Marc Pickel
In 6th overall, Jack Jennings (USA) and Pedro Trouche (BRA) were awarded The Tammy Rubin Rice Trophy, a well-deserved accolade for the pair’s standout performance, including two race wins.
The Star Class sailors will renew their on-water rivalry at the 100th anniversary of the Star Class World Championships in Marblehead, USA from September 8-17, 2022, which is undoubtedly going to draw a global line-up for this remarkable celebration.
Final Top 5 Results
1. Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Bruno Prada (POL 8548) - 6 pts
2. Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise (USA 8423) - 12 pts
3. Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA 8567) - 14 pts
4. Peter O'Leary/Robert O'Leary (IRL 8465) - 21 pts
5. Eivind Melleby/Joshua Revkin (NOR 8543) - 21 pts
Author: BCIR - March 11, 2022On the penultimate day of racing at the Bacardi Cup and Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta, Miami turned on another day of exhilarating sailing, with a consistent southerly breeze of 12-17 knots across the race courses.
The Biscayne Bay stage is now set for the Star, J/70, Melges 24, Viper 640, VX One and 69F finale tomorrow.
Teams will be looking at changes to race strategy, as an approaching weather front is forecast to up the wind pressure on Saturday, March 12. Racing gets underway at 1100 hours and the Race Committee is expecting to complete the full race programme completed before the weather system comes through.
The Star Class fleet enjoyed another spectacular day in picture perfect conditions, with the fleet spread along the length of the line for their nine nautical mile race in 12-15 knots of due south breeze
Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL) and Bruno Prada (BRA) again pulled the proverbial rabbit out of the hat, as they were spilled off the leading boats at the first windward mark but again dug deep to put on another masterclass and claw back to finish in 2nd. An invincible performance from Kusznierewicz/Prada rewards them with mathematical victory at the 95th Bacardi Cup with a race to spare. This punishingly accurate partnership makes it three in a row as they convincingly defend their 2021 and 2020 Bacardi Cup titles.
Behind the leaders, the USA’s Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise and Italy’s Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi have secured enough of a points margin to make it a two-way battle for 2nd and 3rdoverall. Both teams are former Bacardi Cup champions, with the Americans winning in 2019 and the Italians in 2018. Negri is also the reigning Star Class World Champion.
Disappointment for Jack Jennings/Pedro Trouche who switched from their race winning show to a 14th place score, which takes them out of podium contention.
In this fifty-eight boat fleet, packed with twelve Star World Champions and eleven Bacardi Cup Champions it is tough. There are so many good sailors it is incredibly hard to break into the top 10 in the fleet, with numerous teams who can win on any one day.
Making the break to the front today, were Jørgen Schönherr (DEN) and Markus Koy (GER) who earned their lead at the first mark, holding on to the win. Schönherr was forced off the race track on Tuesday due to a foot injury, and despite limping ashore is hiking and fighting as hard as ever on the water.
“We started in the middle of the line and had a few good shifts on the first beat, and downwind we had more or less the same pace as the strong guys behind us,” explained Schönherr, a two-time World Champion in the Dragon and FD. “I think the training we have been doing here in Miami has helped our performance downwind. After coming from the cold north it is so nice to be here and so nice to spend some weeks here in the winter.”
Provisional Top 5 Results – after 5 races
1. Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Bruno Prada (POL 8548) - 6 pts
2. Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise (USA 8423) - 12 pts
3. Diego Negri / Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA 8567) - 14 pts
4. Peter O'Leary / Robert O'Leary (IRL 8465) - 21 pts
5. Eivind Melleby / Joshua Revkin (NOR 8543) - 21 pts
Author: BCIR - March 10, 2022Miami, USA turned on another beautiful sailing day – brilliant breeze, sparkling turquoise waters and warm weather – as the Star Class was joined by the full line-up of one-design classes at the Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta on Thursday, March 10.
Biscayne Bay was a spectacular vista, packed with boats who have converged on Miami from around the world. The Star contested the traditional one race, with three races wrapped up for each of the J/70, Melges 24, Viper 640 and VX One. The 69F, which made its BCIR debut, completed six races.
Across the race courses, the breeze tracked from 10-18 knots, with the overcast morning giving way to sunshine. The forecast has so far delivered perfect race conditions and looks set to remain game on for Friday, March 11.
Post-race another keenly anticipated Bacardi happy hour got underway at Shake-A-Leg Miami, giving the perfect atmosphere to unwind and enjoy a glass of rum.
Racing got underway in a 10 knot breeze and very similar conditions to Wednesday. A couple of rain showers either side of the course for the second windward leg yanked the breeze, forcing a change of course.
Jack Jennings (USA) and Pedro Trouche (BRA) got to work straight away on ‘Pied Piper’, conjuring up more of yesterday’s magic to call the race track tune, lead from start to finish and claim another win. They shift up to leader board 4th and sit just one point adrift of Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi, who finished the race immediately behind and retain 3rd overall.
“I feel really glad with the way we are sailing,” said Trouche. “We are feeling good with our routine. Every day in the morning we have breakfast together, briefing for the day and then we go out as early as we can, doing some practice. So it is working out, yeh.”
Defending Bacardi Cup Champions Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Bruno Prada hold firm as series leaders, but again struggled further back in the pack. Unlike yesterday, they couldn’t chip through and had to settle for a 6th place finish. Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise crossed the line in 4th place and hold firm in 2nd overall.
The race discard kicked in which, though not impacting the order of the top three, has shuffled places behind and compressed the points a little closer, making tomorrow’s race a challenge for control of the podium places ahead of Saturday’s concluding race.
Provisional Top 5 Results – after 4 races
1. Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Bruno Prada (POL 8548) - 4 pts
2. Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise (USA 8423) - 8 pts
3. Diego Negri / Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA 8567) - 10 pts
4. Jack Jennings / Pedro Trouche (USA 8464) - 11 pts
5. Peter O'Leary / Robert O'Leary (IRL 8465) - 14 pts
Author: Rule 69blog - March 04, 2022Regular readers will know that I need scant excuse to post photos of Stars. For some reason it’s the boat that crawled into my soul at a very young age, captivated something deep down and has never let go. Perhaps it’s the chines. It could be the hiking position. It’s most certainly the history. Why they let it go from the Olympics is beyond me. The runners fascinate me. I don’t truly understand how it all works. And I still can’t figure out how they keep that mast up. But show me a picture of a Starboat and a weakness overcomes me. I can flick through Seahorse and find a Star at a canter – luckily the editor is as mad as I about them and even, and I say this with utmost respect and jealousy, owned one.
I’ve never sailed a Star. I desperately, desperately want to. Hell, I want one. And my Facebook feed is merely an excuse to window-shop on a daily basis. “Ooh a Lillia in Germany for £6500. I could drive down there this weekend…” It’s an addiction of sorts. It’s a mental affliction. It’s a problem. It’s an itch that I can’t stop scratching and I say again, I’ve never even sailed one. But I know I want one. It’s a boat that just looks right, points to the moon with an added bonus that with my reputation and build I get a 20 stone bodyguard thrown in for protection if I ever do, finally, take the plunge.
So when the email comes through, as it does every year, from the fabulous Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta there’s a part of me willing it be an actual invitation but it’s always just the press release. Fair enough. I know my place. I recognise my limited talent. But it happily ruins a good 50% of that morning as I have to flick through the website photos, re-watch the videos for the umpteenth time and then jump on the Lillia website and pore over the Juan K designed Star which is as close to Michelangelo’s frescos in the Sistine Chapel for its beauty.
This year’s invitational at the behest of the eponymous Bacardi drinks brand starts on Sunday and Miami is the picture postcard perfect venue for an orgy of photographic Starboat pornography. I’m not entirely sure that I’ve ever seen a bad photo of a Star. I’ve seen Moths upside down and they’re ugly. Lasers are a photographic bore in light winds. 505s look umpty until it’s blowing 40 knots. 49ers are soap dishes that went to Eton. The Finn is a bathtub that didn’t. And catamarans, even the foiling Nacra’s, look like the designers took way too many recreational substances at University. No, the Star is the one boat, and I would argue the ONLY boat (and I’ll have the 5.5 metre mafia on me now), that looks right from every angle in every condition.
Stick them in Miami and you’ve got gold-dust. The Bacardi Cup sold me at the word ‘Bacardi’ but it’s the stand-out regatta on the calendar year in, year out. Yes it has expanded and brought in the hot J70 fleet, the almost-there Melges 24s, the oh-what-are-they Viper 640s plus those banzai Persico 69Fs that look like a long day in the office, but it’s the Star that is the Blue Riband. The Star brings the glamour and oozes the class. Look up aloft and you’ll see gold stars aplenty denoting ex-world champions and in my book that’s bigger than an Olympic medal. Carrying gold up top says more than words can ever write in our sport. Nothing comes close to a gold star on a Star.
And this year’s regatta, the 95th running of the event (95!) is stuffed with more talent in the Stars than perhaps has ever been seen before. The hugely popular and affable Mateusz Kusnierewicz sailing with Bruno Prada, are the defending champions from the last two Bacardi’s and are back looking for a three-peat but ranged against them are legends of the sport.
Italy’s Diego Negri, the hugely likeable current World Champion who won the 2018 Bacardi will be on the start line. So too, Eric Doyle, 2009 World Champ and Norway’s 2017 World Champ Eivind Melleby but keeping the whole fleet honest will be Paul Cayard who won the Worlds in 1988 but unbelievably , and quite astonishingly considering his prowess, is yet to see his name etched on the Bacardi Cup. Meanwhile new blood in the form of ILCA 7 silver medallist from Tokyo, Tonči Stipanović, who also finished runner up in the Star Worlds last year, is the darkest of dark horses having been training hard all winter.
The format is classic and gentlemanly. One race a day – remember those fabulous social regattas – with six sailed, five to count – little room for error or an off-day. To win, you need to put it all together and with a 60 boat Star fleet that’s no easy feat. I see the Bacardi as the sailing equivalent of golf’s The Masters at Augusta. A perfect regatta in the perfect venue of Biscayne Bay with history and regatta organisation the likes of which the rest of the sport simply admires. I don’t usually give sponsor quotes much truck here, and that’s my bad, but for Eddie Cutillas, Bacardi’s man in the USA, the floor is yours with this that says it all:
“Bacardi Cup and the Bacardi Invitational Regatta have always been all about the sailors.For the first time since 2020, we will return to hosting not only our usual top level sailing but also the aprés-sail for which Bacardi is renowned – with nightly cocktail hours, dinners, music and entertainment. After being forced to scale back the events in 2021, we are thrilled to return to a full line-up this year.”
SOURCE rule69.blog
Author: BCIR - March 07, 2022The Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta is set to take place in Miami from 6-12 March 2022. The regatta kicks off with Star Class racing at the iconic Bacardi Cup on 7 March and the other classes - J/70, Melges 24, Viper 640, VX One and 69F - take to the race track from 10 March 2022.
The entry list features over 500 sailors from 20+ nations, showcasing the usual mix of sailing legends, World Champions, Olympians and pros lining up against weekend enthusiasts. There are few better venues in the world than Miami in spring, as the essential ingredients of warm weather, reliable breeze, camaraderie and exceptional hospitality ensure sailors flock to enjoy the BCIR. Demonstrating the appeal of BCIR and the world-class competition on Biscayne Bay, entry numbers have bounced back to pre-Covid heydays.
“Bacardi Cup and the Bacardi Invitational Regatta have always been all about the sailors,” commented Eddie Cutillas, Bacardi USA. “For the first time since 2020, we will return to hosting not only our usual top level sailing but also the aprés-sail for which Bacardi is renowned – with nightly cocktail hours, dinners, music and entertainment. After being forced to scale back the events in 2021, we are thrilled to return to a full line-up this year.”
Bacardi is rightly proud of the Bacardi Cup, which lays claim to being one of the most distinguished events in sailing and continues as a landmark event for the Bacardi Rum brand and Bacardi family, who have been active patrons since the beginning. As a fledgling event in 1927 in Cuba, the popularity of the Star Class and Bacardi brand meant the Bacardi Cup was destined for success. Throughout more than nine decades the Bacardi Cup has never made compromises as it brings together the world’s best all round in a six-day battle for the Bacardi Cup and Tito Bacardi Cup trophies.
“We are delighted to welcome so many sailors back to Miami – we have missed you all,” said Sara Zanobini, BCIR Event Director. “As an event organizer, our aim is to exemplify the unique style of the Bacardi brand and hit the sweet spot by offering world class racing and legendary shore side hospitality. I wish everyone a fantastic competition on one of the world’s most beautiful and demanding race courses.”
Star Class
The Bacardi Cup guarantees passion, drama and world class sailing in the revered Star Class. Celebrating its 95thanniversary in 2022, the Bacardi Cup opens for the sixty boat fleet on 7 March 2022 in the traditional one race per day format, with six races and five to count.
The race track will see the majority of the top twenty pairings from last year return, led by favourites and back to back 2021 and 2020 Bacardi Cup Champions Mateusz Kusznierewiz (POL) and Bruno Prada (BRA) who will be on a hat-trick mission.
Joining them are numerous big-hitters, Olympians, Star World Champions and Bacardi Cup Champions aplenty. Amongst names to watch are Italy’s Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi who won the 2018 Bacardi Cup and Negri is the reigning Star Class World Champion, Eric Doyle/Peyson Infelise (USA) who won the 2019 Bacardi Cup, 2009 Star Class World Champion George Szabo and crew Guy Avellon (USA) and Norway’s 2017 Star World Champions Eivind Melleby and crew Joshua Revkin (USA), who also picked up Star Worlds silver in 2018 and bronze in 2019. Denmark's Jörgen Schönherr and Markus Koy (GER) will be hoping to better their 4th place at the 2021 Star Worlds, with Koy also planning to upgrade on his 3rd with Augie Diaz at the 2021 Bacardi Cup. Paul Cayard (USA) and Frithof Kleen (GER) rank as another impressive partnership, with plenty of Star Worlds podium finishes between them, including a win in 1988 for Cayard and in 2014 for Kleen. Cayard is yet to see his name etched on the Bacardi Cup, whilst Kleen claimed the accolade in 2016 with Robert Stanjek – 2022 has every chance of being their year too.
Amongst the relative newcomers to the Star Class is Croatia’s ace in the ILCA 7 Tonči Stipanović, who picked up silver in Tokyo before going onto claim silver at the 2021 Star Worlds with crew Tudor Bilic.
Since the inception of the Bacardi Cup in 1927, forty-five different skippers have claimed the illusive trophy. So get set for plenty of action to unseat Kusznierewiz/Prada as the world’s best battle it out for glory and the honor of sipping Bacardi rum from the revered trophies.
A special thank you to this year’s event sponsors and supporters:
Bacardi USA, EFG International, Quantum Sails, Nautical Ventures, Fever Tree, Shake a Leg Miami, Sail 22, Pro Coach Boats, HATUEY®Beer, Tuuci, Termodinamica USA, Coconut Grove Business District, Harken Derm, Team 1 Newport and Hobie.
Text Credit: Luissa Smith
Photo Credits: Martina Orsini
Thank you as always to our host clubs, Coral Reef Yacht Club, Coconut Grove Sailing Club,Shake a Leg Miami and the US Sailing Center, the Coconut Grove Business District and Dinner Key Marina for their support.
