The 97th Bacardi Cup and Bacardi Invitational Regatta brought together over 200 teams, setting a new record for the event. More than 600 sailors from 25 nations, spanning North and South America, Europe and Asia competed for some of sailing’s most coveted titles. The climax of The 97th Bacardi Cup and Bacardi Invitational Regatta was a day of anticipation and pressure. With a three-way tie-break to determine the winners of The 97th Bacardi Cup.
SSL Team Poland Captain Mateusz Kusznierewicz and SSL Team Manager of Brazil Bruno Prada led the fleet from start to finish, clinching an unprecedented fifth consecutive victory! After five races, our SSL sailors had moved into a league of their own with the three-way tie break going into the last day. Kusznierewicz/Prada, Augie Diaz/Henry Boening (SSL Team BRA Sailor) and SSL Team USA Doyle and his crew Payson were ready for the final showdown for first place.
Final Top 3
1. Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Bruno Prada (POL 8559) – 14 pts
2. Augie Diaz / Henry Boening (USA 8509) – 17 pts
3. Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise (USA 8580) – 18 pts
In the J/70 Class, Laura Grondin and her team managed to win over the forty-nine boat fleet.
Final Top 3
1. Laura Grondin / Taylor Canfield / Luke Muller / Malcolm Lamphere (USA 819) – 46 pts
2. Brian Keane / Thomas Barrows / Ron Weed / Conner Harding (USA 49) – 57 pts
3. Ralph Vasconcellos Rosa / Guilherme Hamelmann / Julio Falcão / Felipe Rondina (BRA 1226) – 60 pts
The VX One fleet had a major leaderboard shuffle on the last day. Going into the last race there was only 2 points between the three podium positions. After tow races and two race wins, the defending Champions, Christopher Alexander/Grace Howie/Ricky Welch won the race and sealed their first place overall.
Final Top 3
1. Christopher Alexander / Grace Howie / Ricky Welch (USA 276) – 20 pts
2. John Porter / David Himmel (USA 343) – 24 pts
3. Doug Clark / Matt Haddon (USA 362) – 25 pts
The Melges 24 fleet saw a change to the leaders which came down to the last race. Bora Gulari’s ‘Bespoke’ team started the last day 6 points behind leader Peter Karrié’s ‘Nefeli’. Gulari’s team pulled out all the stops and ended the last day with two bullets and securing first place overall.
Final Top 3
1. Bora Gulari / Norman Berge / Nick Ford / RJ Porter / Charlie Smythe (USA 820) – 20 pts
2. Peter-David Karrié / Alessandro Franci / Niccolò Bianchi / Saverio Cigliano / Alessandro Saettone (GER 859) – 22 pts
3. Bruce Ayres / Thomas Dietrich / Edward Hackney / Pearl Lattanzi / Jeremy Wilmot (USA 851) – 29 pts
The twenty boat Snipe fleet made their debut at the Bacardi Invitational Regatta. In a fleet packed with talent, the racing was bound to be intense.
Final Top 3
1. Ernesto Rodriguez / Issa Uribe (USA 31337) – 13 pts
2. Enrique Quintero / Nico Ocariz (USA 31640) – 16 pts
3. Yoan Carrillo / Rene Torrecilla Abreu (USA 29511) – 20 pts
Marek Zaleski/Chris Zaleski/Jake Bradt who were leading the twenty-two boat Viper 640 fleet by 2 points going into the day emerged victorius after an intense final race.
Final Top 3
1. Marek Zaleski / Chris Zaleski / Jake Bradt (USA 237) – 26 pts
2. Mary Ewenson / Jane Moore / Rob Gorman / Jahn Tihansky (USA 297) – 27 pts
3. Jimmy Praley / Austin Powers / Max Vinocur (USA 298) – 27 pts
