2009 Star Class Bacardi Cup Countdown
With one week to go before the 2009 BACARDI Cup Star Class regatta, 59 teams from 27 countries have registered. The fleet is peppered with 11 Olympians, several Gold and Silver medalists, two Star World Champions, and three BACARDI Cup champions.
What started out in 1927 as a three-day event with less than 10 boats in Havana, Cuba, the Bacardi Cup now attracts the best sailors in the world each year and remains one of the few sporting events anywhere in which weekend enthusiasts have the opportunity to compete head to head with Olympian and World Champion athletes.
“There’s simply no race quite like the Bacardi Cup” said Eddie Cutillas, event chairman. “It’s this opportunity for seasoned amateurs to test their skills against the world’s most accomplished sailors that makes the Bacardi Cup so special,” he said.
This year’s teams have come from USA, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Argentina, Austria , Finland, New Zealand, Sweden, Bermuda, Netherlands, Bermuda, Ireland, Great Britain and Canada to battle the unpredictable waters of Miami’s Biscayne Bay for the prestigious Trofeo Bacardi.
This six-day race series sails Sunday, March 8 through Friday, March 13, 2009. It is co-hosted by the Coral Reef Yacht Club and the U.S. Sailing Center, both based in Coconut Grove, and sponsored in full by Bacardi U.S.A., Inc.
All participants in the BACARDI Cup compete aboard 22-foot Star class sloops. Race teams comprise two members: a skipper and crew. Participants sail one race per day from Sunday through Friday on an approximately 10.5-mile course in Biscayne Bay. The six daily races of the Cup will each proclaim a winner, with the overall top winning team demonstrating the best performance in five of these six races.
Day One:
Szabo/Peters Win First Race at Bacardi Cup Regatta
With shifty southeasterly winds up to 12 knots, the 62-boat Bacardi Cup fleet sailed a fast first day race on Biscayne Bay. For two-time North American Star Class Champion George Szabo of San Diego, and crew Rick Peters it was the first time the duo had won a race together since 1995.
It was a tight finish with Jon VanderMolen of Richland, MI, and crew Goeff Ewenson taking second, and Mark Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, FL) and crew Bruno Prada in third; the same lineup at the last mark.
Szabo/Peters were in the top 10 boats from 1st through the 3rd mark and took the lead at the 4th. “Rick and I won our first race together in 1995 and now we’ve done it again,” said Szabo. The team was rewarded with a bottle of Bacardi Gold Rum by Tito Argamasilla Bacardi who was in a nearby boat. Tito signed the label and then handed it to Szabo who said this is one bottle of rum he won’t be drinking.
After competing in almost a dozen Bacardi Cup’s, VanderMolen said this was his first time placing in a daily race. “We sailed for the pressure and kept climbing,” he said, "and the last run is what made the difference”.
Rounding out the top five were Olympians Peter O’Leary of Ireland and crew Tim Goodbody and Marc Pickel of Germany and crew Steve Mitchell.
O’Leary who is sailing in his second Bacardi Cup surprised everyone with an extreme move to the right after the 2nd windup that gave him the lead at the third mark. “I went in that direction because I thought there was better wind and to separate us from the fleet,” says O’Leary.
Day One Report, Paul Cayard
The first thing to say is that the weather down here is perfect: 8-12 knots of wind from the Southeast and 80 degrees. It doesn't get better than this anywhere. Sailing here at the 82nd edition of the Bacardi Cup marks my return to the Star Class after a four year absence. I am fortunate to have Austin Sperry crewing for me who was the US Olympic crew in the Star Class in Beijing last summer. We are a bit light in terms of weight, so the forecasted light to moderate winds is fine with us.
The 65 Star boats headed out to the race track this morning for a 1200 start. Everyone was scrambling a bit as the time changed last night and robbed everyone of an hour of sleep.
Once out on the track on Biscayne Bay, it was perfect Star weather. The fleet raced a 10 mile, 5 leg, windward/leeward course. There was confusion at the start as the main race committee vessel at the starboard end of the line signaled an individual recall while a committee boat at the port end of the line raced across the bows of the fleet in what appeared to be a general recall. This boat actually raced back across the bows of the fleet a second time. Some competitors went back to the starting area, most stopped sailing, but the main race committee never signaled a general recall and they thought it was a race.
Needless to say, it was more than a bit confusing and the jury is going to decide if we even had a race today. As for the race, once we realized we were racing, we had a decent day. Without going through all the details, we rounded the first mark about 22nd had a great first run and second windward leg, going fast and the right way to round the second windward mark about 10th.
We went too far into one corner on the second run and lost a few boats and a lot of distance to the leaders. We went ok up the last beat and finished 11th. All in all, Austin and I thought we were going pretty well which was good news as yesterday, in training, we were not. I read my notes from the 2004 Olympic trials that were sailed on this very course and we made some rather major changes to our mast setup for today. So that is all good.
George Szabo and Rick Peters of San Diego won the race. The Bacardi Cup is an institution in the Star Class. Originally sailing in Havana, it has been raced out of the Coral Reef Yacht Club, in Coconut Grove, since 1958. It is a six race championship. Once five races have been completed, each competitor can discard their worst score. Tomorrow's forecast is 8-12 again from the southeast. More sun!
Day Two:
Italians Boggi/LaPorte Win Day Two at 2009 Bacardi Cup, Bromby/Liljedahl in First Place Overall
The second race of the 2009 Bacardi Cup got off to a late start today after puffy 8 to 10 knot winds caused a 20-minute postponement followed by a general recall. The Italian team of Lucio Boggi and crew Manuele La Porta led at the start and played cat and mouse with three-time Bacardi Cup champion Peter Wright and crew Nathan Quist, both of Chicago, IL, through most of the 10.5 mile race on Biscayne Bay. The Italian duo are now in 8th place overall and the Chicagoans are in third.
Wright who took 10 years off since his last Bacardi Cup win in 1993, said he had good speed from the start and was in a jibing duel with the Italians from the second mark on. “We weren’t watching Bromby at all. He got between us at the end,” said Wright. The powerhouse team of Peter Bromby and Magnus Liljedhal, both Olympians and Bacardi Cup champions, slid into second place on the run to the finish and move up to first place overall.
“We found some pressure at the right time and picked off a couple of boats by tacking to the left of the boats ahead of us just after the start,” said Bromby who was out of the top 10 at the first mark but had consistent gains throughout the race.
Miamian Augie Diaz and crew Mark Strube took fifth place today and moves into 5th place overall. “We had a really poor start but we were fortunate that the wind came in strong when we cleared. We made it to the weather mark 9th." Day one leader Szabo/Peters finished 20th today putting them at 6th overall and still in striking distance. The 62-boat fleet, peppered with Star World champions and Olympians also has a first-time Star sailor from Slovakia.
Day Two Report, Paul Cayard
Another beautiful day on Biscayne Bay. Sunny and 80 degrees with a light Southeasterly breeze. Plenty of sunburns for everyone. We had a decent result finishing 10th. It was huge recovery after a not-so-flash start and a 30th place at the first mark.
After one general recall, the race committee hoisted the black flag for the second start. When the black flag is up, if you are over the line within one minute of the starting signal, you are disqualified from the race. So it is prudent to be conservative. Maybe we were a bit too conservative and therefore we were at the back of the pack coming off the line. A few boats were caught out at the start.
The course today was a simple, four leg, windward-leeward course - 8 miles in total. The conditions were 7-10 knots from 110 degrees. Fairly flat sea. The standard rules of Biscayne Bay don't seem to be applying so far this week. The right side of the course has be unusually good. That keeps the course more open and there is more shuffling of positions.
The race was won by Italian Lucio Boggi, with Peter Bromby of Bermuda finishing second and Peter Wright of Chicago in third. Many of the top boats yesterday had bad results today. It is tough out there.
The upshot of the redress claims in yesterday's first race was that the jury gave redress to those who complained. Almost everyone lost something in confusion; but only four boats filed for redress. I just figured the race was going to be thrown out, but I was wrong. About four people complained, one of them being Peter Bromby of Bermuda who had a great race today finishing second. So, the four boats who filed for redress will receive the average of their scores for that first race, making it a bit difficult to calculate the scores as their scores will be a moving average every day.
Austin and I are pretty pleased with our speed in this light air. We are very light in our crew weight, about 15 kilos under the Class Rule. Here at the Bacardi Cup, the class weight rule doesn't apply so there are some teams here that outweigh us by 125 pounds. Hopefully, it won't blow too hard. I think tomorrow's forecast is still for fairly light breeze.
Day Three:
Mark Mendelblatt and Crew Bruno Prada Win Day Three at Bacardi Cup
Mark Mendelblatt, the 2005 Bacardi Cup champion and America’s Cup tactician, and crew Bruno Prada of Brazil won the third race in the six race series at the 82nd Bacardi Cup Star Class Regatta on Biscayne Bay, near Miami. Today’s first place finish moves them up six slots to third overall. Mendelblatt credits his win today to Bruno who he is sailing with for the first time. “He called the right off the start, fixed our rig for speed adjustment on the first run, and pulled the seaweed off our bow.” The duo took a sharp left tack off the downwind mark after noticing more wind on the left. “I like the left in Miami,” said Mendelblatt. “It seems the way to go more times than not.”
Light wind this morning pushed the race start back an hour, but the six knot breeze had little effect on Bermuda’s Peter Bromby and crew Magnus Liljedahl who had great speed on the course today and finished in second for the second day in a row.
“We concentrated on staying in pressure and it made the difference today, as well as having Magnus on board,” said Bromby who is a two-time winner of the Bacardi Cup. “We had a good first half and now we need a good second, but there are a lot of good sailors in this competition.”
Bromby/Liljedahl, who were in the top five in a fleet of 62 boats for the entire race today, maintain their first place overall after three of six races. Californian Andy MacDonald and crew Brian Fatih of Miami finished third and are in 25th overall.
John MacCausland and crew Kevin Murphy, both from New Jersey, finished in fourth and had a strong race today rounding the first upwind mark second just behind Mark Reynolds and crew Hal Haenel, and coming through the downwind gate first. They are in 10th overall.
Floridian Arthur Anosov and crew Mark Dolan of Michigan finished in fifth place and move up to eighth overall. Italians Lucio Boggi and crew Manuele LaPorta, the day two leaders, finished ninth and keep their sixth place overall. San Diego’s George Szabo and crew Rick Peters, the day one leaders, finished 25th and drop to 11th overall. Jon VanderMolen of Michigan and crew Goeff Ewenson from Maryland finished sixth and move up two slots to fourth overall.
Day Three Report, Paul Cayard
It is still sunny and 80 degrees. The wind blew a bit harder today 8-12 knots from the Southeast. There was a general recall and then a black flag start. When the black flag is up, if you go over the start line early you are disqualified. This has the effect of backing people off the line. You can get a real good start if you are confident of your line sight in a black flag start. We had a good line sight but ended up not using it. We started at the pin end of the line with a bias of 10 degrees. Peter Bromby was just to windward of us. He tacked to port to cross the fleet, we followed. About 5 minutes into the race, Bromby/Liljedahl and ourselves had a 100 meter lead on the third place boat.
Ok, so we had an awesome start. That is about where it ended for us. We were noticeably slower than Bromby upwind and in fact we made some errors with our tactics so we rounded the 1st mark 4th. We then proceeded to go slow downwind and rounded the leeward gate about 10th. Bromby was first followed by the Irish team, then John VanderMolen who is now in second place in the regatta.
We made an adjustment to our rig downwind and went better up the second windward leg going from 10th to third. Then down the run we went slow for some reason, also a tactical mistake and we finished 5th. Kind of frustrating to end on a backwards move. The last few days we have been doing the passing on the last leg. Anyway, big picture is that we have bettered our finishing position each day and are now in 3rd place over all.
John VanderMolen is very fast, especially downwind. He is using a new boat called a "P-Star" built by Mark Pickle of Germany. This boat seems to be real fast. John must be sailing well too but he did go by us downwind like we were in a Snipe. Peter Bromby and Magnus Liljedahl pretty much have the regatta sewn up as they have a 2,2,1 score line and for the first race they will get the average of race 2-5 for their score.
Two races to go and we have to keep improving. Today was really the day that I could feel the rust of not being in the class for 4 years. When you start, sail for 30 second and then tack and cross the fleet by 100 meters, you should never see anyone. The fact that we got swallowed up by the pack is testament to the rust. As it should be! If that did not happen, the Star class would not be the class that it is. Winning in this class has always meant excellence. Tomorrow's forecast is about the same as today; 8-12 knots from the southeast with more sun.
Day Four:
Bromby/Liljedhal In First Place Overall with Win Today at the Bacardi Cup
Bermuda’s Peter Bromby and crew Magnus Liljedhal of Miami held off a late charge by Jon VanderMolen of Gull Lake, Michigan, and crew Geoff Ewenson of Annapolis, Maryland, to win day four at the 82nd Bacardi Cup Star Class Regatta on the waters of Biscayne Bay, Miami. With the victory, Bromby and Liljedahl increase their overall lead to seven points with two races to go in the regatta.
Winds were 8-10 knots out of the northeast today as Day 4 of the 2009 Bacardi Cup Star Class Regatta got underway, picking up to 12 knots and more as the four-leg race progressed. Olympian Peter O’Leary and crew Tim Goodbody (IRE) were among the first boats off the starting line with a pack that took a left tack upwind.
However, Bromby and Liljedahl established themselves as the team to beat with the lead at the first mark, and they never looked back. By the third mark, Bromby’s lead was more than eight boat lengths, but it whittled to about one boat at the finish following several strong attacks by the Americans on the final downwind leg.
“We bided our time before we attacked,” said VanderMolen. “If you start attacking too early, you potentially give up ground to the boats behind you, so it’s a delicate balance.” Ewenson added, “Chances weren’t good that we would pass [Bromby], but we had to attack him. We got close enough that we could hear them talking. I like to think we made them a little nervous today.”
When asked about that, Liljedahl assured, “They didn’t make us nervous at all. When they jibed out on the final leg, it allowed us to get a little more pressure on the run. VanderMolen did a good job, but I knew Peter would pull it out.” With Wednesday’s second place finish, VanderMolen and Ewenson remain in second place in the overall standings.
Rounding out the top five Wednesday were Switzerland’s Flavio Marazzi and crew Petter Pedersen; Ireland’s O’Leary and crew Goodbody; and Americas Cup veteran and former Star Class World Champion Paul Cayard with Olympian Austin Sperry of the United States.
“We were a little bit faster, shorter and higher today,” said Pedersen (NOR), who rounded the third mark in sixth place, but gained three boats on stronger gusts during the final run. “There’s more action when there’s wind.” Bacardi Cup participants sail one race daily through Friday, March 13, keeping their five best finishes to determine the overall champion.
Day Four Report, Paul Cayard
Another perfect day: 80 degrees, 12-14 knots of wind, sunshine, short chop on Biscayne Bay. 70 Stars on the starting line. It doesn't get better than this.
Unfortunately, our score could have. We had a decent start but got out to the left of the first windward leg and the right was better once again. 27th at the first mark. Ouch! But that is when we start to kick it into gear. Hoss (Austin) said, "Come on Boss. Wake up Dude! We have got to get this cart in gear." That is code for; "Hey buddy, we can still catch up a bit." Every day but one has been the big comeback for us and today was no different. 4 legs and 16 boats passed to finish 11th.
The race was won by Andrew Campbell of San Diego who is a new "kid" in the class. Andrew went to Georgetown University and sailed Lasers in the last Olympic Games for the USA. The scary thing is that I sailed on the same America's Cup team as his father Bill Campbell in the 1983 Cup! And I had been sailing Stars already for 6 years by then. I know, I know, the is just amazing considering I am just 37.
Mark Pickle of Germany led at every rounding of the race only to get ground down by Andrew and on the last leg. Mark Mendleblatt had a good race to finish third and move himself up into 2nd overall. Peter O'Leary of IRL also had a good race finishing 4th which moves them into 4th. John VanderMollen who was second after yesterday's race finished 20th and Peter Bromby and Magnus Liljedahl finished 24th! And yes, this was the windiest day of the regatta. So, the regatta is not over. We could technically still win!
Not only did we not have a stellar race, but the discard started being applied today and we have been very consistent throughout the series which does not get rewarded in a regatta that allows you to discard your worst race. So, every boat ahead of us is discarding a big number; Bromby 24, Mendleblatt 23, VanderMollen 20, O'Leary 29, Merriman 44, Marazzi 65 and we are discarding just 11 points. The good news is that we have sailed pretty well every day and for a four-year absence I am very happy. Also, if things go badly tomorrow, we won’t sink too far as the worst we will score tomorrow is 11 points.
Tomorrow's start is moved up to 11:00 and the forecast is like today. We made some changes to our rig this morning to account for the more wind and I think we went well considering we are very light compared to everyone else. So, we are all set for tomorrow and we can go for it a bit knowing that we have 5 decent scores already. What the heck, it is time to go for it!
Day Five:
Andrew Campbell and Crew Mike Nichol Win Day 5 at Bacardi Cup
It was a perfect sailing day on Biscayne Bay with 10 - 12 knots of wind from the northeast, sunny skies and temperatures in the high 70s. It was also the perfect day for Star newcomer Andrew Campbell of San Diego and crew Mike Nichol of Miami who edged out Olympians Marc Pickel of Germany and crew Steve Mitchell of Great Britain on the approach to the finish line to win the fifth race in the 82nd Annual Bacardi Cup being sailed on Biscayne Bay, Miami.
Campbell was in the top dozen off the start line, moved up to second at the third mark, and never let go. "We made nice gains downwind and hung tough, “said Campbell, a 2008 Olympian in the Laser Class and 2006 College Sailor of the Year. “Truth is my legs fell asleep as we never let up."
The two teams went bow to bow on the last upwind leg and Campbell and Nichol kept their speed up through the finish line beating Pickel and Mitchell by seconds. “There was some pressure to keep up the lead, but as the race goes on, the pace gets to you,” said Pickel who had an almost 30 boat lead at the first mark. “We are still pretty happy with the results,” he said.
“If there is a competition to do a year, it has to be the Bacardi Cup,” added Pickel. “The camaraderie among the competitors creates a special atmosphere and I believe that this Bay is the best place to sail Stars.”
2005 Bacardi Cup champion Mark Mendelblatt of St. Pete, FL and crew Bruno Prada of Brazil, took third place today after running in the top six for most of the race. “We got off to a good start, even though we choose the wrong side,” said Mendelblatt. “To be third today means we still have a shot at the regatta, an opportunity we were close to loosing if it wasn’t for today’s efforts.” Rounding out the top five were Irish Olympian Peter O’Leary and crew Tim Goodbody (IRL), and Swiss Olympian Falvio Marazzi and crew Petter Pedersen (NOR).
Overall leaders Peter Bromby and crew Magnus Liljedhal, both Olympians and Bacardi Cup champions, finished 24th in the 64-boat fleet and keep the number one slot with 12.3 points after discarding today’s race. All competitors toss out their worst race after completing five races in the six race Bacardi Cup.
Mendelblatt/ Prada move from fourth into second overall with 17 points after discarding their Day 2 finish, and Gull Lake, MI “weekend warrior” Jon VanderMolen and crew Geoff Ewenson drop down from second to third overall after discarding today’s 20th place finish. The final race and sixth race in the 2009 Bacardi Cup will be sailed on Friday, March 13th.
Day Five Report, Paul Cayard
The Crew's View by Austin Sperry
It's been almost seven months since I was in a Star boat. Given the last 3+ years of full time campaigning I was really crispy, tired and burned out, and wondered if I would ever hop back in the boat. Then I got the call. "Hoss, it's Boss. We're going sailing," said Paul (Cayard).
My first thought was, "Gee, I hope I am out of this cast (post knee surgery) in time to make the Bacardi Cup!" To make a long story longer, I rehabbed my knee five days a week. Once I was cleared to sail by Dr. James Andrews, I made the call to Paul telling him that 'the Eagle was ready for take off!'. Truthfully, I thought I was cleared too early by the doctor, but last time I checked I didn't have an MD at the end of my name.
My Dad and Paul drove together from San Francisco (man they have some good stories!!) towing Paul's Star. They stopped in Mississippi for three days where they tried out far too many waffle houses and we did some training out of the Pass Christian Yacht Club. Then the three of us road tripped together for the last 800 miles to Miami.
At one point my old man was driving and forgot to pull into the toll booth lane (apparently he thought we had a sun pass on the Florida turnpike - note that none of us live in Florida). So the cameras started to flash and proceeded to record every license plate from the Star trailer to the front and back of the big Dodge Ram. We decided that at the next toll booth we would fess up and it turned out that this was a good move especially when the traffic is full on!
We have been here for one week now and I am having the time of my life. The weather is fantastic, the wind is perfect and the water is warm. I really like sailing with Paul. The guy is amazing on the tiller. Unfortunately, I am very rusty having been out of the game for seven months, but thus far we have improved every race so the trend looks promising.
We have completed four races and have two remaining, we are in 3rd place overall with about 65 boats competing for the Bacardi Cup. Yesterday we had a great day. We finished the race 5th. We had an unbelievable start at the pin with Peter Bromby/Magnus Lilijhdal and traded tacks up most of the beat. I have to take my hat off to Peter and Magnus they are sailing a great regatta.
Truthfully, after being away with my knee surgery/therapy I didn't know if I wanted to come back and go again but being here with Paul and the boys makes me reconsider, besides these are my good friends so what else would I do? One more race to go then back to Mississippi for the Spring Championships sailed out of PCYC.
Final Day:
Bermuda’s Peter Bromby and Crew Magnus Liljedahl Win 2009 Bacardi Cup
Bermuda’s Peter Bromby and veteran Star Class crew Magnus Liljedahl of Miami won the 2009 Bacardi Cup Star Class Regatta Friday on Biscayne Bay in Miami. Bromby and Liljedahl sailed to victory on the final race in the six race regatta to finish with a commanding six-point lead over Floridian Mark Mendelblatt, the 2005 Bacardi Cup champion, and crew Bruno Prada (BRA) who finished second overall.
Bromby took an early lead on the left side of the fleet following a very strong start and held the lead at each of the first three marks. He rounded the fourth mark in second place behind seven-time Bacardi Cup Champion Mark Reynolds of San Diego, sailing this week with crew Hal Haenel, but regained the lead on the final leg to capture both the Day Six victory and his third Bacardi Cup championship.
“Every time we needed some extra horsepower, we seemed to find it today,” said Bromby. “We were keeping an eye on Mendelblatt. If he had taken control of us, things would have been very different. Our strategy was to cover him throughout the race.” Added Liljedahl, “We attacked [Mendelblatt] at the start, tripped him a few more times, and sucker-punched him a couple times at the end. We just needed to stay ahead of him today.”
Rounding out the overall top five were New Yorker Rick Merriman and crew Phil Trinter; Switzerland’s Olympic Star sailor Flavio Marazzi and crew Petter Pedersen (NOR); and veteran Star sailor Paul Cayard, who has finished second in the Bacardi Cup four times, with crew Austin Sperry, the 2008 Olympian representing the United States in the Star Class.
“Our start was a disaster,” said 2003 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Augie Diaz. “Half way up the first weather leg, we had an opportunity to come across, but we got greedy. Had we gone toward the fleet, we might have been in the top 20. For us, it was combination of sailing badly and a bad start. Bromby, however, was on fire this week; he is very deserving of this victory.”
“I came in not knowing what to expect,” added Clay Bischoff, a Star Class up-and-comer and winner of the 2009 ISAF Team Racing World Championship with Team USA in Australia. “I came to learn as much as I could, regardless of the scores and standings. Growing up in Miami, seeing this bay, and being around a group of great guys willing to pass down their knowledge created just a perfect atmosphere for me as a young sailor. I can’t wait to come back to the Bacardi Cup.”
More than 60 teams representing 15 countries competed in the 82nd Bacardi Cup Star Class Regatta, one of the most competitive Star Class events in the world. The legendary Bacardi Cup, ranked as one of the best international sailing regattas in the world, is sponsored in full by Bacardi U.S.A., Inc. and co-hosted by the Coral Reef Yacht Club and the U.S. Sailing Center in Miami, FL. What started out as a three-day event with less than 10 boats in Havana, Cuba in 1927, remains one of the few sporting events in which weekend enthusiasts could compete head on with Olympians and Star World Champions.
Day Six Report, Paul Cayard
Another perfect day, 78 degrees, 10 knots of wind from the southeast. We did have a big cloud come over the course today that kill the wind for a while on the second windward leg but, I don't think it shuffled the results too much.
We were convinced about the right side of the course today so we started up by the right hand side of the line and tacked shortly after the start. That was wrong. We were deep all day! At this moment I am not even sure where we finished but it may have been 30th. It doesn't really matter because thankfully all those "mediocre" finishes we had all week look pretty good right now as we will count an 11th and can discard today's finish.
Peter Bromby and Magnus Liljedahl won the race and the Bacardi Cup. They sailed really well all week. Mark Medleblatt/Bruno Prada also sailed well today and finished second overall. John VanderMollen who had been second most of the week had an even worse race than us today, so we may have passed him. The Irish were over early at the start. They were just to windward of us so we were a bit lucky there but again, it wouldn't have mattered. Rick Merriman and Phil Trinter (USA) sailed a solid second half of the series to finish 3rd with Flavio Marazzi (SUI) just one point behind them in 4th. I think we were 5th but I have not seen the scores. If so, I am pretty happy with that considering my rust.
It was a lot of fun sailing the Star again and sailing with Austin. I think it is doing me some good too. Even though today was our worst score I feel so much more comfortable in the boat than I did a week ago. We will race again in two weeks in Mississippi for the Western Hemisphere Championship. Tomorrow Austin and I will drive the boat and truck to Gulfport, Mississippi. Thanks for following us this week.
Results
