(Newport, RI) - An iconic brand has taken its decades-long affiliation
with the sport of sailing to a new level with the start of a new
tradition: BACARDI Newport Sailing Week presented by EFG Bank. For this
inaugural event staged from Sail Newport, Rhode Island’s public sailing
center, four one-design fleets, including the J/80s – they got in three
great days of racing (June 24-26) under PRO Anderson Reggio who received
resounding applause at the awards presentation.'It was fantastic. It exceeded what we expected,' said Eddie Cutillas of BACARDI U.S.A. 'I think it’s a great first step and I look forward to a long future here.' Cutillas explained that the shore side activities – which included an exhibit of nautical photographer Cory Silken’s work along with nightly social events – are just as important as what happens on the race course: 'They [the sailors] work hard and it’s a long day on the water. I love to have something fun for them to come back to and enjoy after having been on the water all day.'
The
only detail the event organizers could not dictate was the weather,
which was chilly and grey for the first day of racing before settling
into a partly sunny pattern that brought typical Newport sailing
conditions of light, shifty breeze. Racing north of the Newport Pell
Bridge on one shared course meant the sailors also had to contend with
current which one described as 'tough because there was more pressure
where there was adverse current.'In the J/80 class, Newport sailor Andy Burton closed the series with a 2-2 after winning the first five races, for a net score of seven points to take the regatta title. Chris Bulger (Brookline, Mass.) was second with 11 points followed by Tim Pitts (Plymouth, Mass.) with 19. By all accounts, the inaugural Bacardi Newport Sailing Week event Presented by EFG Bank, with Verizon Wireless as a preferred sponsor, hit it out of the ballpark with their first effort. For more Newport Sailing Week sailing information.
