Bacardi Miami Sailing Week winds down today

A north-northwesterly breeze and cooler, calmer weather allowed the Star class, competing for the 84th Bacardi Cup, to add two races to their scoreline, while three additional races were completed by the Melges 24 and Melges 20 fleets, and four additional races by the Viper 640 and J/24 classes. Except for the downpour for an hour or so the other day, the weather has been incredible, the sailors are thrilled with the way the week has turned out. The cool bright blue sunny skies greet them each morning and the red sunsets welcome them into the evening.


With gusts, at times, to 20 knots, Sweden’s Fredrik Lööf and Max Salmiren took the win in the first race for the Stars. “We positioned ourselves off the starting line more or less in the middle of the fleet and it was a bit of a drag race because the mark was quite a long way to the right,” said Lööf. "At that point, most boats were right port tack and the sailors that positioned themselves too far to the left suffered a lot. We sailed quite aggressively toward the end and we positioned ourselves on the favored side with the wind coming in from the right. Still it was close, we lost a little bit, and then we came up and were across the finish line by no more than half a boat length. It was a good battle and an interesting, really close race."

Unfortunately, Lööf and Salmiren did not fare as well in the second race, placing 20th, which they attributed to a rough start. “If you're not in the front right away, you're struggling all the way through,” said Lööf. “A lot of those guys were pushing hard at the start." That second race was won by Alexander Schlonski and Matthias Bohn (Germany) who finished ahead of their fellow countrymen Johannes Babendererde and Timo Jacobs.


Only one Star team has recorded single-digit finishes over the course of the five races thus far. 2008 Olympian Peter O’Leary and David Burrows (Ireland) finished 8-4 today to move from fourth overall into the lead of the 89-boat fleet with 18 points. Guillaume Florent and Pascal Rambeau (France) are one point behind in second overall. Lööf and Salmiren and early series leaders Eivind Melleby and Petter Morland Pedersen (Norway) are third and fourth, respectively, with 24 points each. Andy Horton (South Burlington, Vermont) and crew James Lyne (Granville, Vermont) finished 3-6 today to move from ninth up to fifth overall with 25 points.

In the 35-boat Melges 24 class, Lorenzo Bressani (Milan, Italy) had a near-perfect day, winning two races and placing second in the final race of the day. He remains first overall with five points, followed by Riccardo Simoneschi (Milan, Italy) with 14 points, and Brian Porter (Winnetka, Ill.) with 20 points.

Two teams did all the winning in the J/24 fleet: Kris Werner (Rochester, NY), sailing with John Enwright, Michael Mansfield, Fred Meyer and Kiki Werner won the first two races on the day, and Robert Pincus (Miami) with Patricia Amaducci, Eammon Delisser and JB Slater won the last two races. Pincus moved into first overall with seven points. Werner is second, tied on points, with our own Brian Kamilar (Coconut Grove), sailing with Fran Bellocchio, Fabio Galarce, Mauricio Galarce and Enrique Quintero.

Bacardi Miami Sailing Week concludes today, Saturday, March 12.


The village atmosphere is very Olympics-like, I don't mean Coconut Grove, although the village atmosphere of the Grove is very intimate, but the actual sailing grounds is almost set up like an Olympic village. There is so much camaraderie with the sailors from all over the world.

Two teams did all the winning in the J/24 fleet: Kris Werner (Rochester, N.Y.), sailing with John Enwright, Michael Mansfield, Fred Meyer and Kiki Werner won the first two races on the day, and Robert Pincus (Miami) with Patricia Amaducci, Eammon Delisser and JB Slater won the last two races. Pincus moved into first overall with seven points. Werner is second, tied on points, with Brian Kamilar (Miami), sailing with Fran Bellocchio, Fabio Galarce, Mauricio Galarce and Enrique Quintero.

Bacardi Miami Sailing Week concludes today, Saturday, March 12.


Nightly social events this week featured award presentations, entertainment and art displays including exhibits by, among others, renowned Italian maritime photographer Franco Pace and Miami pop artist Stephen Gamson, designer of the official event poster. The art exhibits are located in the North Hall of the Coconut Grove Expo Center, along with “100 years of the Star Boat,” a collection of information, photos and artifacts detailing the path of the Star boat from the original design in 1911 to the present day.