2021 Bacardi Cup
Preview Report
Every year the Bacardi Cup attracts a dazzling mix of professional rock star racers and super-talented Corinthian teams from around the globe. They are drawn to the stunning location, world class racing and fantastic hospitality, which guarantee an atmosphere perfectly epitomizing the spirit of sailing. For 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced a scaled down regatta, with local restrictions on entry levels and fleet quotas limiting racing to the Star Class.
First held in 1927 in Cuba, the iconic Bacardi Cup is steeped in history and has grown year on year in partnership with BACARDÍ® rum, who has been the proud patron and organizer since the regatta’s inception. Ranking as one of the world’s oldest and most esteemed sailing regattas, the Bacardi Cup has been a constant over the past nine decades, serving up sailing in the revered Star Class that has put teams and spectators on the edge of their seats with awe-inspiring race track action. Despite the event’s relaxed atmosphere and nostalgia, staking your place on the Bacardi Cup leader board remains as competitive as ever and the challenge for victory is as tough as the first edition back in 1927.
Eddie Cutillas of Bacardi USA, commented, “Although it hasn’t been easy to pull off this year’s event, Bacardi is immensely proud to host the 94th Bacardi Cup and 2021 Bacardi Invitational Regatta and I applaud everyone for working so closely together to follow the Covid-19 protocols and deliver a safe event for all. We expect to return to our usual hospitality and entertainment next year, so save the date as 2022 is going to be one heck of a party!”
Current travel restrictions and limits on fleet size have kept many at home, so we have a new look entry line up featuring only a few international faces who have been able to travel to join the mainly USA based teams. The commitment of sailors in making the journey to Miami demonstrates the huge popularity of the regatta and the Organizing Committee is very grateful for everyone’s participation.
“After a difficult past 12 months we are thrilled to welcome teams back to the 2021 Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta,” commented Sara Zanobini, Event Director. “The Organizing Committee thanks all the teams who have been able to enter this year and we appreciate your commitment to sail despite the challenges. The event has a new format for 2021 as we have adapted to Covid-19, introducing multiple protocols and safety measures in our aim to keep everyone safe, which means there will be none of the usual shore-side social events, although sailors still get to enjoy BACARDÍ® rum with daily cocktail kits to take home. We are very proud to be amongst the few major sailing events to take place this year and we are proof events can be held safely. We expect teams’ energy and focus will all be on the racing and we are super excited to see how the leader board shapes up.”
As always plenty have their eyes on the main prizes and returning to defend their 2020 titles are Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL) and Bruno Prada (BRA) in the Star Class.
Kusznierewicz/Prada made winning the 93rd Bacardi Cup look easy, seizing victory with a race to spare, after which Kusznierewicz declared it ‘his perfect regatta’. They were chased hard by Augie Diaz, who for this year’s mission to displace the defenders has partnered up with Pedro Truche, who finished 5th last year with Paul Cayard. Local hero Diaz is massively experienced in sniffing out the breeze and Biscayne Bay current, but has yet to see his name etched in history on the iconic Bacardi Cup.
Strong contenders Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise won the warm-up at the Star Mid-winters last month ahead of Diaz, and won the 92nd Bacardi Cup in 2019 over Kusznierewicz. But touché, as Kusznierewicz/ Prada won the 2019 Star Worlds, with Diaz in 2nd, whilst Diaz won gold at the 2016 Worlds. And so it goes on in the highly talented Star fleet. Honoring its history, the Bacardi Cup remains firmly loyal to the initial concept of an event for all, with the sport’s luminaries, Olympic medalists, World Champions and America’s Cup legends on the same starting line as talented enthusiasts and weekend warriors. There is everything to play for with numerous well-known faces amongst the thirty teams taking on one traditional long race per day in the high octane battle for supremacy at the 94th Bacardi Cup and earn the honor of drinking BACARDÍ® rum from the winners’ trophy.
Day One
An epic opening day at the 94th Bacardi Cup on Biscayne Bay featured tropical temperatures, an overcast sky and a steady north-easterly breeze averaging 15 knots, with gusts up to 20 knots.
Racing got underway at 1130 hours in a battle for the front row as the twenty-five boats jostled for pole position as they relished the day’s stunning conditions. For many, the Bacardi Cup marks the first racing opportunity for many months, so it was no surprise to see a fleet of exhausted but very happy sailors return ashore. Dominating the race track were three former World Champions, who took the advantage off the line and proudly displayed their gold Star mainsail badges of honor to the opposition as they seized the top three places.
Despite not sailing together since last year’s Bacardi Cup, taking center stage were defending Bacardi title holders and reigning World Champions, Mateusz Kusnierewicz/Bruno Prada who knocked out a masterclass of showmanship and skill, as they covered the fleet from start to finish. The pair owned the lead from the outset, opening up a great divide of over a minute to rack up their first leader board incision.
“The conditions were super tough,” commented Prada. “There were some choppy waves, so it was super challenging. We are happy with our speed and we are happy with the way that we sail, but we did a joke always that on Wednesday we will be ready,” he added with a broad grin.
Acknowledging the powerful conditions Kusnierewicz expressed a sense of relief, saying, “I think the race officer made a really good decision that we sail only one race, because for the fleet sailing in wind above 20 knots is, after a long break, well let’s say we are very warmed up!”
Recognizing they could not close the gap to the leaders, Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise focused on maintaining their speed and position, steadily increasing their advantage over third placed George Szabo/Guy Avellon. Doyle won the 1999 Star Worlds, and the pair won the 92nd Bacardi Cup in 2019. Szabo, who won the 2019 Star Worlds, and Avellon had their work cut out to hold onto third place, in a close call as the fleet pursued them in a frisky battle.
Augie Diaz/Marcus Koy made up significant ground after finding themselves back in the third row of the starting line up by the Committee boat. They were forced to head right off the start line, but it turned out well as they found flatter water and gained through the fleet to finish in fourth. An impressive day considering it was their debut race, as Diaz’s intended crew was unable to travel to the USA. Diaz finished second overall behind Kusnierewicz/Prada here last year and again 2nd behind them at the 2019 Worlds, so there is clearly unfinished business for Diaz as he seeks to become this year’s hero.
Provisional Top 5 Results – After Race 1
1. Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Bruno Prada (POL 8548) – 1 pts
2. Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise (USA 8423) – 2 pts
3. George Szabo / Guy Avellon (USA 8528) – 3 pts
4. Augie Diaz / Marcus Koy (USA 8509) – 4 pts
5. Jim Buckingham / Phil Toth (USA 8440) – 5 pts
Day Two
Race day two at the 94th Bacardi Cup welcomed Star Class teams with another strong breeze day of 20-25 knots and knock-back waves, demanding huge physical effort and concentration from the fleet. No change in the leader board top three as the opening day’s finishing order repeated itself for race 2 on Biscayne Bay, Miami. Ten minutes before racing got underway, the Star fleet held a memorial start in honor of James ‘Ding’ Schoonmaker who passed away on 19 January 2021. As the fleet positioned themselves head to wind Ding’s wife Treecie, aboard Mario Bustamonte’s ‘Merengue’ with friends and family, shared some words with the fleet from their position above the start line. A world class sailor and stalwart in the Star fleet and the sailing world, Ding’s contributions and philanthropy have reached out and benefited multitudes of sailors.
A World Champion and multiple Bacardi Cup winner, Ding’s mission and continuing legacy was to build the sailing community, support success and extend opportunities for all. Ding was also the driving force behind the training facility which provides sailors access to train and compete on Biscayne Bay, and the building bears his name. The Bacardi Cup’s own legacy is due to the special friendship between Ding, Tito Argamasilla Bacardi and Frank Zagarino who in 1962 together brought the Bacardi Cup to Miami from Cuba, thus saving this unique and special regatta.
Regatta Chairman Mark Pincus commented, “Ding has been huge in the Star fleet and has been associated with the Bacardi Cup way before it came to Miami. Today we honored him with his wife and family.”
Racing started a short while later on a two-triangle course, with some teams opting to stay ashore in the challenging conditions. Race 2 was a repeat of yesterday’s opening race as the same line-up claimed the top three places. Defending Champions Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Bruno Prada (POL) were out front, followed by Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise (USA) with George Szabo/Guy Avellon (USA) rounding out the top three.
This time though Kusznierewicz/Prada were unable to get away unchallenged. Doyle/Infelise led the initial stages of the race, with Kusznierewicz/Prada only overtaking in the last third of the first reach. Some close maneuvering around the gybe mark saw Kusznierewicz/Prada take off, whilst Doyle/Infelise struggled after attempting to gybe too tight. The battle continued upwind on virtual level pegging, with a split towards the mark with Doyle/Infelise looking to have the advantage as they headed further right. But Doyle/Infelise got knocked back by waves which killed their speed forcing them to duck and handed the advantage going into the mark to the wily Kusznierewicz/Prada, who rounded a few seconds ahead before going on to score another emphatic win.
“Coming to the regattas, I always look for really good competition, and I must say that today Eric and Payson gave us a really good push,” smiled Kusznierewicz. “We were battling for the win of the second race of the Bacardi Cup and we managed to overtake them on the reach, but I must say wow they were sailing very good today. Full respect and we are looking forward for the next races.”
Doyle commented, “It was really fun and we had a great battle with Mateusz and Bruno. We were duking it out. We felt we were going pretty good upwind and they passed us on the reach and all in all just a great battle and a lot of fun.”
Doyle/Payson won the Bacardi Cup in 2019 and have been sailing together for almost ten years, so are a slick partnership. Payson added, “The communication is always good, we know what is happening in the boat, what the other person wants or needs, so from there it is almost natural at this point for us which is quite nice. We were going really well upwind today. We made a couple of little changes but we thought we were pretty happy with it and we were getting closer up there.”
Payson’s passion for Star sailing is evident as he continued, “The boat is just a classic. You know, I love sailing the Star boat. It is technical, it is physical, you got to be smart, you got to work hard and the fleet and the class is one of the best in the world.”
Some team combinations are longstanding whilst others are more recent. For third placed George Szabo/Guy Avellon their partnership started just a few years ago, with the 94thBacardi Cup marking their first time sailing in Miami this year. “The conditions are proving a challenge but serious fun so far,” explained Avellon, “Sailing a Star in bigger breeze there is obviously a lot of preparation we go through and [we] do a lot of research on the weather and the course where we are at. Then a lot of boat handling skills go into it.”
Szabo added, “Sailing a Star boat in heavy airs is kind of like trying to go upwind or downwind in a Laser when you are 140lbs! That thing is just throwing you all over the place and to control that you can’t do that without a big crew, a team mate who really knows how to sail as well. The thing is just a handful, you have to get the tuning right, get the main quiet, get the boat driving and under control. Once you do it is just an absolute ball, but if you don’t it’s kind of a little scary. It’s a hoot!”
Bouncing back from a DNC yesterday, 2013 Star Class World Champions John MacCausland/Phil Trinter (USA) claimed a 4th place to secure the biggest leader board gain and step up to 12th overall. Close behind were Augie Diaz/Marcus Koy in 5th place, keeping them firm in fourth overall.
Provisional Top 5 Results – After Race 2
1. Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Bruno Prada (POL 8548) – 2 pts
2. Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise (USA 8423) – 4 pts
3. George Szabo / Guy Avellon (USA 8528) – 6 pts
4. Augie Diaz / Marcus Koy (USA 8509) – 9 pts
5. Jim Buckingham / Phil Toth (USA 8440) – 13 pts
Day Three
Miami in the spring normally serves up perfect sailing conditions, reminding everyone all of the things we love about our sport. So far here on the waters of Biscayne Bay, the race track has been rather breezy and the weather conditions on race day 3 at the 94th Bacardi Cup escalated to what can only be described as a frisky breeze and frothy waves. Just over 20 knots of breeze and gusts up to well over 30 knots, combined with the Biscayne Bay waves which are super close particularly making off the wind sailing a bit risky, forced the Race Committee to make the decision to cancel racing. A tropical downpour then kicked in just to remind everyone that they were best ashore.
Carl Schellbach Principal Race Officer of the 94th Bacardi Cup, explained his decision, saying, “It is the third day in a row of more than 20 knots of breeze and gusts up to 30 knots. After two days of good racing in this weather, we have decided that it is probably a good idea to conserve everything.
“Nothing is going to change from yesterday through today, so we decided that we would conserve our equipment and our bodies and come back tomorrow,” Schellbach added in reference to the leader board standings. “With twenty-five boats we have about a third the size of last year’s fleet and we can run shorter races and more of them, give quality racing and we look forward to doing that the remainder of this week as the winds calm down and we can get into more tactical racing as opposed to the survival that we have had over the past couple of days.”
Going into Thursday’s race day 4 for the Star Class defending Champions Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Bruno Prada (POL) lead, with Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise (USA) 2 points behind in second and George Szabo/Guy Avellon (USA) another 2 points back in third.
With racing cancelled, we chatted to a few Star Class teams who shared their thoughts on the breezy race track. First up the President of the International Star Class Yacht Racing Association (ISCYRA) Hubert Merkelbach from Germany and his crew Kilian Weise, whose scorecard of 6, 10 places them in 6th overall. From the south of Germany they have known each other a long time, but it was only in 2020 that they decided to team up. They raced a few regattas over the past months but have now decided to sail all the majors together. Their key challenge is being on the smaller side of the typical size Star crew, which requires some compensation.
“We are working like hell on the boat,” grinned Merkelbach. “We try to hike both as hard as we can, try to make nice settings on the boat to compensate for what the others might have,” Weise explained in reference to their lighter weight. “We like to sail in every condition, but if it is too light it is not our favorite, so conditions like today it is very nice,” continued Merkelbach. “The boat is planing and we can go full speed,” he added, although that was before the breeze increased and racing was cancelled for the day.
One place up from the German duo in 5th place on the standings are the USA’s Jim Buckingham/Phil Toth from their consistent 5, 8 scorecard. “We have been sailing together for a little over two years now,” commented Buckingham.
“We don’t do a whole lot of big breeze sailing, so this year has been a little unique that way. The Mid-winters we had one or two days of pretty breezy conditions, nothing like this. This has been as windy a regatta consistently as I’ve sailed in. Sailing a Star boat in breeze is a real handful. It is physically demanding, but it is rewarding. The boats really perform well, particularly off the wind on the reaches which again we rarely do, as we are typically windward/leeward,” Buckingham said in reference to the triangle courses so far set by the Race Committee. “Doing these triangles in 18-20 knots is really a lot of fun.” “Every time I look back, you have a huge grin on your face,” chipped in Toth.
Toth’s Star career was a natural progression after years racing the Finn internationally, as he explained, “It is a true sailors’ boat and it is very rewarding. You get out of it what you put into it. The harder you sail the boat the harder you work the faster you really go. It teaches you so much about every other boat you can go off and sail. You sail big boats, little boats, the Star boat really encompasses all of those aspects and it is a blast too. It is so powered up and it just absolutely brilliant.”
Buckingham has taught all his children to sail and his son, Charlie Buckingham, will be making his second Olympic appearance representing the USA at the Tokyo Olympics this year, following on from an 11th place finish at Rio 2016.
Day Four
Perfect performance weather conditions delivered an average 14 knot breeze with occasional gusts up to 20 knots on Biscayne Bay, Miami, where racing continued for the Star Class contesting the Bacardi Cup. A stunning day of racing delivered a full schedule, with two races for the Star Class. No change in the Star Class frontrunners with Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Bruno Prada (POL) holding firm.
Racing for the 94th Bacardi Cup continued after racing was called off yesterday due to strong wind, with two back to back races on a double triangle course and the race throw out coming into play after race 4. Continuing as fleet power brokers are defending Bacardi Cup champions Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Bruno Prada (POL), who racked up two more race wins to make it four in a row. Their unrelenting performance could prove invincible, but nobody triumphs at the Bacardi Cup win without a battle to the end.
Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise (USA) scored a 2,5 to sit 3 points off the leaders, with John MacCausland/Phil Trinter finishing 4,2 and, now able to discard their DNC from race 1, they advance nine places to 3rd overall. “It was just phenomenal racing,” commented MacCausland. “Phil and I came out of the day feeling pretty strong. First race we didn’t start so well but came on strong and second race we were strong the whole time and very looking forward to the rest of the week. I think the conditions are going to get a little lighter so will give us old guys a little rest!” MacCausland is racing with former band member Trinter, so they have a lot of chemistry despite not sailing together since 2015. The pair won the 2013 Star Worlds and Trinter won the 2010 Bacardi Cup with helm Rick Merriman.
Sitting on tiebreak 10 points with MacCausland/Trinter, the super talented Augie Diaz was the 2016 Star World Champion, but the closest he has ever got to the top spot at the Bacardi Cup is 2nd place last year. He and crew Markus Koy have been on a baptism of fire as Koy only flew into Miami the evening before racing. “I had like a last minute arrangement with Augie Diaz, a guy which I ever wanted to sail with and finally got the chance,” explained Koy. “So the first two days were kind of tough, we got along, we developed ourselves as a team a little bit more. Even today we are feeling better as a team and still more races to come, so we are super happy and really looking to get better and better every day.”
Two more days to go and whilst Kusznierewicz/Prada seem unstoppable there is plenty to wrestle for.
Star Class – Provisional Results after Race 4
1. Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Bruno Prada (POL 8548) – 3 pts
2. Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise (USA 8423) – 6 pts
3. John MacCausland / Phil Trinter (USA 8448) – 10 pts
4. Augie Diaz / Marcus Koy (USA 8509) – 10 pts
5. George Szabo / Guy Avellon (USA 8528) – 12 pts
Day Five
An easing up of the breeze at the 94th Bacardi Cup and precision tactics continue in the Star Class as Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Bruno Prada maintain their magic and edge closer to a successful Bacardi Cup defense. Two races for the Star fleet today and yet again series leaders and defending champions Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Bruno Prada repeated their dominance to claim two more wins at the 94th Bacardi Cup, making it an extraordinary 6 in a row.
The opening race 5 got underway to schedule at 1130 hours in a light 7 knot breeze, with Kusznierewicz/Prada muscling through to wrap up the windward/leeward race, with Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise in second and John MacCausland/Phil Trinter (USA) in third.
The breeze increased to around 10-14 knots for race 6 and a change of face as Joshua Powell/ Mark Strube (USA) burst through to own the lead in the upwind hike, trailed by Kusznierewicz/Prada. Heading downwind the Americans just kept out front over the Polish, with the entire fleet compressed together. Onto the second upwind leg and Kusznierewicz/Prada injected some speed, pushed hard to accelerate and took the advantage just over half way up the leg. From thereon it was another walkover and they never looked back to win with a massive gap over second placed Powell/Strube, with third going to Augie Diaz/Marcus Koy (USA). A breakthrough for this Bacardi Cup, as Powell/Strube are the only non-Star World Champion team to score a result inside the top three, seeing the partnership end their day in 8th overall.
Two more races to decide the final podium tomorrow and whist it looks like a second successive Bacardi Cup victory is assured for Kusznierewicz/Prada, anything could happen. The more intense battle is going to be for the remaining places on the podium, with just 9 points separating the top 5 and all capable of blitzing the competition.
Star Class – Provisional Results after Race 6
1. Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Bruno Prada (POL 8548) – 5 pts
2. Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise (USA 8423) – 13 pts
3. Augie Diaz / Marcus Koy (USA 8509) – 18 pts
4. John MacCausland / Phil Trinter (USA 8448) – 20 pts
5. George Szabo / Guy Avellon (USA 8528) – 22 pts
Day Six
An overwhelming display of dominance from defending champions Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Bruno Prada (POL) made Bacardi Cup history, as according to event knowledge, never before has a team recorded an all-win scorecard. Today Kusznierewicz/Prada wrapped up their assault to defend their title by claiming two more race wins to walk away with the 94th Bacardi Cup on a 15 point advantage. The wind steadily dropped throughout the week and racing unfolded today in a lighter 6-10 knot breeze and fairly flat water across the two Biscayne Bay race courses.
Kusznierewicz/Prada made achieving their second consecutive Bacardi Cup title look easy, but despite their record breaking scorecard the race track didn’t always go their way, as twice they had to play catch up to secure their wins! Not today though, as they again led from start to finish in what can only be described as an unsurpassable event for the pair. To win with a win as a discard is simply once in a lifetime stuff!
“Since we left Miami last year after a beautiful Bacardi Cup so many things happened and we were looking forward to come here again and we managed to do this,” said Kusznierewicz. “It was not easy to get to the United States for Bruno from Brazil and me from Poland, but we made it and we experienced such nice sailing conditions, such nice hospitality. Of course we are so happy to win the 94th edition of the Bacardi Cup, it is a great privilege. I just want to say that once you try Bacardi, you want it more and this is why I think we performed so well.” Prada added, “Much bigger than our victory was the courage of the Bacardi team to run the Bacardi Cup. It was a super tough year last year and to 2021 and we would like to congratulate all the Bacardi team to make it happen.”
The battle going into race 7 was all about podium second and third and the two teams having the overnight hold on those places didn’t ease up. Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise went into race 7 on 13 points, with Augie Diaz/Marcus Koy (USA) 5 points behind. Doyle/Infelise took the upper hand, scoring 4th to Diaz/Koy’s 9th, assuring them of second overall.
Onto the podium deciding race 8 there were now three teams, and four former Star Class World Champion sailors, vying for third place with just 2 points separating Diaz/Koy, John MacCausland/Phil Trinter and George Szabo/Guy Avellon. Diaz/Koy knew they had to keep the pressure on to hold onto third place, as Diaz explained their road to the final spot on the podium.
“We had a really good race between three of us for third place. Our first race this morning was not very good, we ended up 9th and that was our throw out. So basically there were three of us to get third place and we had a really good start, so we were very fortunate that we were able to control the race. We were third at the weather mark and we were pretty much in second the rest of the way and we just felt really fortunate. It is just so nice to be able to sail in a Bacardi Cup under the conditions that are currently existing.”
A top performance from Star Class President Hubert Merkelbach and crew Kilian Weise, who unleashed their best day of racing, with a 2,5 bumping them up the leader board to finish in 6th overall and earn the Tammy Rubin-Rice Trophy.
As Kusznierewicz/Prada yet again shared the honor of sipping Bacardi Rum from the perpetual Bacardi Cup Trophy and the Tito Bacardi Cup, division prizes were also presented. Doyle/Infelise won the Masters (skippers age 50 through 59), Diaz/Koy the Grand Masters (skippers age 60 and above) and John Ferguson Dane III/Art Anisov the Exalted Grand Masters (skippers age 70 and above).
Star Class – Provisional Results after Race 8
1. Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Bruno Prada (POL 8548) - 7 pts
2. Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise (USA 8423) - 22 pts
3. Augie Diaz / Marcus Koy (USA 8509) - 25 pts
4. George Szabo / Guy Avellon (USA 8528) - 28 pts
5. John MacCausland / Phil Trinter (USA 8448) - 32 pts
Results
