HONEYBADGER CROWNED J/70 BACARDI CHAMPION

(Miami, FL)- This past weekend, the Bacardi Invitational for the J/70 class took place on Miami's Biscayne Bay, hosted by the Shake-A-Leg Foundation, with race management conducted by the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club.


The twenty-two boat J/70 fleet was simply blessed with classic, amazing Biscayne Bay sailing conditions all three days of the event. Starting off with two days of planing conditions in northerly winds, the smiles painted onto everyone's faces was palpable...pure joy as teams loved the good breeze, sunny weather, and turquoise waters of the Bay!

An incredible nine races were run by the Biscayne Bay YC Race Committee and PRO team, helping out that process was the quick mark reset capabilities of the tres-cool MARK-SET-BOT buoys of the windward marks and gates!


In the end, the most remarkable performance came from the well-known cast of characters from upstate New York; winning with style and grace was Travis Odenbach's HONEYBADGER team that consisted of Andy Horton, Geoff Becker, and Danny Lawless. They eclipsed a truly star-studded fleet that was deeply laden in talent, leaving multiple World, European, North American Champions in their wake. On their way to the top of the podium, they collected an outstanding record of four 1sts, two 2nds, and two 4ths to count only top five finishes for 16 pts net. 


For the third straight time, it was Ryan McKillen's SURGE crew of Jeff Reynolds, Lucas Calabrese, and Sam Loughborough that took the silver. They put up a good fight but could not match the sheer consistency of the HONEYBADGER gangsters.  Like their colleagues, they also posted all top five finishes, including two race wins, to end with 22 pts net. 


Rounding out the podium was World Champion Joel Ronning's team on CATAPULT that consisted of Jud Smith (another J/70 World champ), Kris Stoke, and Patrick Wilson. Winning two races and taking three 2nds, they were virtually tied for the lead with just two races to go in the series.  However, a lighter air, shiftier day for the finale proved to be their undoing, posting an uncharacteristic 9-8 to close out the regatta and dropping to the bronze step on the podium. Rounding out the top five were John Brim's RIMETTE in fourth place and Vernon Robert's Chilean crew on MORENITA.

Winning the Corinthians Division was Zach Segal's USA 1154 with crew of Ashton Hamerlin, Enrique Quintero, and Blake Cabasa. Second was the Brazilian crew on CLOUD NINE with Toribio Tedin as skipper and team of Emilio Miguel, and Javier & Enrique Dillon. Sailing photo credits- Bacardi / Mattias Cappizano.  For more Bacardi J/70 Invitational Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/70 BACARDI WINTER SERIES II PREVIEW

 

Miami, FL- Hosted principally by the Bacardi Event management team and Shake-A-Leg Miami's beautiful facilities in Coconut Grove (Miami), Florida, the second of the three event Bacardi Winter Series will be taking place this weekend from January 22nd to 24th, 2021.  

The forecast continues to improve for the weekend for the twenty J/70 teams that are entered from around the world. There are teams from Germany, Brazil, Cayman Islands, and USA. 

The first regatta in mid-December was nearly washed out due to no wind...a single, very marginal, race was held for the highly competitive fleet.  No question, everyone is looking forward to the classic breezes from the southeast that Biscayne Bay is famous for this coming weekend.  

By J/70 standards, the small fleet is deeply laden with talent across the board, counting well over two-dozen World Champions in various classes amongst them. Some teams that may be at the top of the leaderboard include Joel Ronning's CATAPULT (with Erik Shampain & Morgan Reeser on speed/tactics), Germany's Mike Illbruck on PINTA (including famous tactician John Kostecki), Peter Cunningham's POWERPLAY from the Cayman Islands, John Brim's RIMETTE (with Zeke Horowitz on tactics), Pam Rose's ROSEBUD (with Bill Hardesty on tactics), Steve Benjamin's SAINT (with 2 World Champion tacticians aboard- Al Terhune & Chris Larson), Ryan McKillen's SURGE (with Lucas Calabrese & John Wallace on speed/ tactics), Dave Janetti's VERY ODD (with Travis Odenbach on tactics), Buddy Cribb's VICTORY (with Greiner Hobbs & Malcolm Lamphere on speed/tactics), and Doug Newhouse's YONDER (with Jeremy Wilmot & Tomas Dietrich on speed/ tactics). That is a breath-taking collection of smart, fast sailors on those teams.  For more Bacardi Winter Series II sailing information

J/70 Heavy Air Tuning and Sailing Tips

When the breeze increases, a different set of skills are required. North Sails expert Allan Terhune, who called tactics on the winning TEAM VINEYARD VINES at the J/70 Midwinters in Miami, explains some lessons learned from a windy weekend.


Sailing in Breeze – Upwind
The key to speed upwind is keeping the boat flat and balanced. This is achieved two ways: rig tune and trim.

Rig Tune
We were at the top of our tuning guide most of the weekend to keep our headstay tight. One key factor is the backstay gross tune; make it TIGHT. You need to have enough throw to pull backstay on, in order to flatten out the main. Many teams took the slack out of their gross tune but didn’t make it tight. Also, I heard many people did not go to the top of the tuning guide. If this was not the weekend to go there, I don’t know what would be!

Trim
Once the rig is tuned, the goal is to keep the helm balanced, and also to be able to burp the main in the puffs to eliminate heel. The key to this is the jib sheet. If you have the sail max in-hauled like you would in lighter conditions, the main would immediately luff in puffs, forcing the bow to go down. To compensate for this, we sailed with less inhaul, and moved the lead forward one hole. This may seem counter-intuitive, but it keeps the leech correct and makes the foot powerful enough to get through the chop. We made sure the leech was close to the middle band on the spreader at all times.

We then played the in-hauler to get through waves and puffs. Our main luffed very few times, and we talked all the time about keeping the boat balanced.

As for mainsail trim, it was easy to over-tighten the outhaul and not have enough power through waves. We found that having max backstay was always faster and having enough vang on made it easy to play the sheet. We tried to NEVER let the main luff or flog. You have to be using both sails to be balanced and fast.

Sailing in Breeze – Downwind
Wow was that fun or what! Seriously though, it was HARD work!

A few things to remember off the wind in big breeze:

• Keep a constant angle of heel of 10-15 degrees. Too much heel and you wipe out, too little and you slow down and bear off too much. You have to keep the apparent wind forward.
• Jib trim is crucial. Molly did a great job of always keeping the jib full, but also knew when to blow it if I lost the kite.
• Jibing: Speed is your friend. The worst thing you can do is bear off and slow down and load the boat up right before a jibe. That is when you wipe out.
• Steer around waves and surf whenever possible. Finding a good rhythm with the trimmer and talking about the angles is the best way to identify the path of least resistance.
• Stay in the puff. We all work so hard upwind to go .1 or .2 knots faster, but if you miss a puff downwind you will be 2-5 knots slower. The tacticians who keep their eyes out for the next puff make HUGE gains.

This regatta was a great reminder that the J/70 is truly a team boat. Everyone has a role, and if one person is not carrying their weight, the boat does not succeed. For success in heavy air, you need to develop a different set of skills. And practicing with your team when it’s windy is the only way to get better.

John and Molly Baxter's TEAM VINEYARD VINES crew of Ben Lamb and Allan Terhune were the 2020 J/70 Midwinter Champs after a relentless eight-race battle in a variety of very windy, testing conditions with gusts up to 30 knots! For more information on J/70 heavy air sailing Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Britain's Ward Tops J/70 Bacardi Invitational

Loe's DIME Crowned Corinthians Winner
(Miami, FL)- A stellar fleet is assembled for the 2020 edition of the J/70 Bacardi Invitational in Miami, Florida.  Hosted by the Coral Reef Yacht Club and Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, the fleet of forty-three J/70 teams from ten nations (USA, Argentina, Italy, Thailand, Brazil, Great Britain, Chile, Germany, Canada, and Mexico) were treated to four-straight days of nearly perfect champagne sailing conditions. Solid breezes, sunny skies, a few clouds, warm waters (72 F) and warm weather (75 F) meant that "shorts, shirts, & shades" were the order of the day every day!


After starting off the first day with a 2-2-1 tally, the EAT SLEEP J REPEAT team from the United Kingdom (skipper Paul Ward, Ruairidh Scott, Ben Saxton, and Mario Trinidade) basically led the regatta from wire-to-wire over the eight-race series. As the current J/70 World Champions, they finally showed "good form" after getting a few kinds worked out of their system from earlier regattas in Florida where they were having difficulty staying in the top ten. After a fourth race debacle that saw them score their drop race, an 18th place, the team roared back to win yet another race and finish with 23 pts net.


Notably, the regatta was witness to a meteoric rise for a previously unknown team at the top of the J/70 class leaderboard. Having taken a surprising third place at the J/70 Midwinters two weeks ago, Ryan McKillen's SURGE Team of John Wallace, Sam Loughborough, and Mark Mendelblatt managed to repeat their most excellent performance in the previous event. The SURGE Team were able to sail quite consistently and posted six races in the top five to take the silver with just 28 pts net.


Taking the final bronze step on the podium was Bruce Golison's crew of MIDLIFE CRISIS (Steve Hunt, Jeff Reynolds, and Erik Shampain) from southern California. After their first race "down the mine shaft" finish of 26th, they won the next race and were able to post five finishes in the top five to finish just two points back with 30 pts net.

Rounding out the top five were J/70 World Champion Joel Ronning and his talented crew on CATAPULT (Patrick Wilson, Chris Stocke, and Paul Brotherinton), winning the final race and also posting five top five finishes to take fourth place with 35 pts net. Fifth place went to Oivind Lorentzen's NINE from New York with crew of David Shreiner, Lucas Calabrese, and Ian Coleman.

In the eight-boat Corinthians Division, it was Seattle, Washington's Mallory & Andrew Loe and crew of Cardwell Potts and Brian Shores aboard DIME that won the division, even winning the fourth race overall! Second was The Brazilian team on THREE MUSKETEERS (Alberto & Andre Guarischi, and Mario & Pedro Tinoco), then third went to Zach Segal's USA 1154 team (Enrique Quintero, Ashton Hammerlin, and Alex Sachs). For more J/70 Bacardi Invitational sailing information

J/70 Bacardi Invitational Report

(Miami, FL)- Forty-three J/70 teams from ten nations (USA, Argentina, Italy, Thailand, Brazil, Great Britain, Chile, Germany, Canada, and Mexico) started off their regatta with three races. Coral Reef YC is hosting the event, in coordination with Biscayne Bay YC, and the combined PRO’s hope to get in at least 3 to 4 races per day.

A stellar fleet is assembled for the event, following on the previous week’s J/70 Midwinter Championship that was hosted in the same venue.


After three races on the first day, leading the fleet is current J/70 World Champion Paul Ward's EAT SLEEP J REPEAT from the United Kingdom. Ward's crew includes Ruairidh Scott, Ben Saxton, and Mario Trindade have accumulated an astonishing 2-2-1 tally for 5 pts. The balance of the top five includes Ryan McKillen's SURGE in second with a 5-3-4 for 12 pts, third is Pablo Herman's NEW WAVE from Chile with a 3-4-10 for 17 pts, fourth is Oivind Lorentzen's NINE with a 13-5-2 for 20 pts and fifth place is John Evans' AIRPLANE with an 8-13-5 for 26 pts.  For more J/70 Bacardi Invitational sailing information

J/70 Bacardi Invitational Preview

(Miami, FL)- Forty-three J/70 teams from ten nations (USA, Argentina, Italy, Thailand, Brazil, Great Britain, Chile, Germany, Canada, and Mexico) are looking forward to the third and final series of the Bacardi J/70 Winter Series- the Bacardi Invitational- that is being sailed from March 4th to 7th, 2020.  Coral Reef YC hosts the event, in coordination with Biscayne Bay YC, and the combined PRO’s hope to get in at least 3 to 4 races per day.

A stellar fleet is assembled for the event, following on the previous week’s J/70 Midwinter Championship that was hosted in the same venue. Leading teams from the USA include Doug Strebel’s BLACK RIVER RACING from Houston, TX; Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT from Wayzata YC in Minnesota; Andrew & Mallory Loe's DIME from Seattle, WA; Brian Keane’s SAVASANA from Beverly YC in Massachusetts; Bruce Golison's MIDLIFE CRISIS from Long Beach, CA; Oivind Lorentzen's NINE from Greenwich, CT; John Brim's RIMETTE from Palm Beach, Florida; Pam Rose's ROSEBUD from Coconut Grove, FL; Bruno Pasquinelli's STAMPEDE from Fort Worth, Texas; and Ryan McKillen's SURGE from New York, NY.

There are several formidable foreign teams that will be on the starting line, many having already sailed the recent J/70 Midwinters in Miami. Those teams include three from Great Britain: the 2019 World Champions- Paul Ward's EAT SLEEP J REPEAT, Martin Dent's JELVIS, and Tilly Harrison's JOLT. The three Chilean teams include Rene Vidal's MEMPHIS, Pablo Herman's NEW WAVE, and Vernon Robert's CHI-1038. A leading German team will also be on the starting line- Michel Grau's GER 1250 from Hamburg, Germany.
For more J/70 Bacardi Invitational sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

NINE Shreds J/70 Bacardi Winter Series II

Segal Tops Corinthians Division
(Miami, FL)- As the second Act of the 2019/2020 Bacardi Invitational Winter Series unfolded last weekend, many of the world’s top J/70 teams resumed their battle for supremacy on the waters of Biscayne Bay in Miami. Twenty-five teams came from Brazil, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Mexico, and the USA. Despite the light to medium winds and a hyper-aggressive fleet on the starting line, the six windward/leeward races that were scheduled were completed.

Winning their first major J/70 regatta was Oivind Lorentzen's NINE crew from the greater New York area. His crew included Ian Coleman, David Shreiner, and the immensely talented Lucas Calabrese from Buenos Aires, Argentina (an Olympic Silver Medallist in the 470 class). Giving the NINE team moments of anxiety all weekend-long was past J/70 World Champion Joel Ronning and his crew on CATAPULT (Victor Diaz de Leon, Patrick Wilson, and Chris Stocke); they finished five points back to take the silver. The final spot on the podium was determined on a tie-breaker at 25 points each.  Winning on countback to take the bronze was long-time Chicago sailor John Heaton on EMPEIRIA with crew of Will Felder, Zeke Horowitz, and Zach Mason. Losing the tie-breaker to take fourth was another talented Chicago-based team- Pamela Rose's ROSEBUD with Goncalo Ribiero, Willem van Waay, and Bernardo Freitas. In fifth place was Bruno Pasquinelli's STAMPEDE from Fort Worth Boat Club in Texas; his team featured two brother who were both Olympic Medallists- Jonathan and Charlie McKee from Seattle, Washington- and Orrin Star.

Taking the Corinthians Division by a large margin was Zach Segal's USA 1154 with crew of Ashton Hamerlin, Enrique Quintero, and Peit Van Os. Twelve points back in second place was Doug Weitz's AGENT 99 with team of Yumio Dornberg, Brian O'Mahony, and Paul Zambriski. Another thirteen points in arrears to take the bronze was the Brazilian team on MANCHA NEGRA, skippered by Pedro Camargo with crew of Eduardo Penido and Danilo Santana.  For more Bacardi J/70 Winter Series sailing and scoring information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/70 Bacardi Winter Series II Preview

(Miami, FL)- As event 2 of the 2019/2020 Bacardi Invitational Winter Series unfolds January 23rd to 26th, many of the world’s top J/70 sailors will resume their battle for supremacy on the waters of Biscayne Bay in Miami.

In December 2019, the first of this three-event series featured twenty-one boats for the J/70 fleet, coming from Brazil, Canada, Germany and the USA, with a climb to fifty-three entries for this weekend’s event and three new nations: Great Britain, Italy and Mexico.

Six windward/leeward races are scheduled for the J/70 fleet. The breeze set to be light and fickle as the regatta kicks off, building to a different race track over the weekend with an expected 11-13 knots forecast.

A mixed weather system in December’s event 1, with big breeze followed by light airs for two days led to mixed results in the J/70 class. The J/70 to beat is the team on SURGE skippered by Ryan McKillen, who showcased their tenacity to bounce back after a mid-series shocker to claim the win in December. His team was not exactly comprised of a bunch of "hacks", they included Mark Mendelblatt, John Wallace, and Sam Loughborough- all champion sailors in their own right. They are just one of twenty-five talented teams making the trip to Miami to stake out front of fleet finishes in a fight that will be finely balanced.

Amongst those strong on talent are Jeff Janov on MINOR THREAT, racing with a crew of Dave Ullman, Ben Mercer and Doug McLean, all highly experienced in getting results in under-powered wind conditions. MINOR THREAT finished second in December, just two points behind SURGE. Trey Sheehan and crew on HOOLIGAN also proved their ability to nail fluky breeze wins back in December, scoring two bullets in light pressure to finish third overall.

Joel Ronning and his team on CATAPULT, who won event 2 of last year’s Winter Series and claimed the J/70 World Championships silver medal in September 2019, struggled to balance out an up and down scorecard in event 1. They finished in 6th place, so they will be eyeing a return to form and upgrade to their usual podium placing. Joining the fleet after some time off is Glenn Darden's talented crew on HOSS from Fort Worth Boat Club in Texas, his crew includes two rock stars- Eric Doyle and Max Skelley (Star and J/105 Champions). Other teams that have dialed up their efforts include Oivind Lorentzen's NINE, John Brim's RIMETTE, Pam Rose's ROSEBUD (with superstar crew Willem Van Waay aboard), Bruno Pasquinelli's STAMPEDE also from Fort Worth Boat Club, and perhaps the "sleeper" of the regatta- Buddy Cribb's VICTORY with a few characters on his crew list that actually know how to sail- Scott Ewing and Greiner Hobbs.  For more Bacardi J/70 Winter Series sailing and scoring information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Pierini Leads J/70 Bacardi Winter Series I

(Miami, FL)- The first of three events in the 2019/ 2020 Bacardi J/70 Winter Series took place this past weekend on Biscayne Bay. Hosting the series was the Shake-A-Leg Foundation sailing program located next to the completely refurbished Monty Trainer's Bar and Restaurant in Coconut Grove, FL. Seventeen team sailed the first event in somewhat challenging weather conditions; just three races were completed over the two days of competition, a rare scenario for the usually predictable sea breezes on Biscayne Bay.

Winning the first regatta was Geoff Pierini's "49" team from Perth Amboy, New Jersey with a 3-2-1 tally for 6 pts. Second was past World Champion Joel Ronning on his famous CATAPULT, his Wayzata Yacht Club (Minnesota) team posted a 1-5-2 record for 8 pts. Then, rounding out the podium was Trey Sheehan's HOOLIGAN: FLAT STANLEY RACING from Edgewater Yacht Club in Cleveland, Ohio. The balance of the top five included Henry Brauer's RASCAL crew from Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead, Massachusetts in fourth place and Bruno Pasquinelli's Fort Worth Boat Club (Texas) team on STAMPEDE in fifth place.

Winning the Corinthians Division was Joey Kolisch's LIL team from Coral Reef Yacht Club (Miami, Florida), second place went to Jon Ewing's RUNNING WILD crew from Coral Reef YC, and third place was Marcus Wunderlich's STRATOS team from Jersey City, NJ and Edgewater Yacht Club.

The second of the three events in the J/70 Bacardi Winter Series takes place on January 25th to 26th in Coconut Grove, Florida.  For more Bacardi J/70 Winter Series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Bacardi J/70 Series Gets CATAPULT’ed!

(Miami, FL)- Thirty-seven J/70 teams from ten nations (USA, Argentina, Italy, Monaco, Brazil, Great Britain, Chile, Germany, Canada, and Mexico) sailed the third and final series of the Bacardi J/70 Winter Series- the Bacardi Invitational- this past weekend in simply stellar weather conditions for all three days.  Coral Reef YC hosted the event, in coordination with Biscayne Bay YC, and the combined PRO’s managed to run eight races, much to the delight of the sailors.

A stellar fleet was assembled for the event, following on the previous week’s J/70 Midwinter Championship that was hosted in the same venue. In the end, it was Joel Ronning’s crew on CATAPULT from Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota that won, with crew of Victor Diaz de Leon, Patrick Wilson, and Chris Stocke.  It was a very difficult regatta strategically and tactically for many of the top teams in the J/70 fleet. Here is how it all went down over the three-day series.

Day 1- Thrilling, Gorgeous Thursday
It was one amazing sailing day in Biscayne Bay, with typical Miami winter conditions of strong breeze, sunshine and small chop. Racing didn’t get better for the 165 teams racing at the Bacardi Invitational Regatta.

Three races were wrapped up for the J/70 fleet. Three different teams won races and it wasn’t easy task to grab victory amongst such super competitive talent. Owner-driver Carlo Alberini on CALVI NETWORK controlled the leaderboard with scores of 2-6-1 and sat on a 3 point advantage over SURGE (USA) helmed by Ryan McKillen with World Champion tactician Mark Mendelblatt. Two points behind in third was Monaco’s G-SPOTTINO driven by Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio.

“Beautiful day out there today for yachting in Miami,” said a happy Ryan McKillen on SURGE. “We had a good day, a seventh, a fourth and a third. Our third Miami event, the Bacardi, and then we snuck in the J/70 Midwinters two weeks ago. So, we did a lot of sailing in Miami this winter.”

Day 2- Fabulous Friday
Miami and the South Florida woke up under a cloudy sky with the wind blowing vigorously at 15 to 18 knots from the East/North East. All races started on schedule at 1100 hours across the different race courses on Biscayne Bay. Three races were wrapped up for the J/70s.

Tough and close battles unfolded on the J/70 course, with the top two teams separated by just four points. Italy’s CALVI NETWORK lost their overnight lead after mistakes in their gennaker drop at one leeward gate rounding, giving the opportunity for CATAPULT (driven by Minnesota’s Joel Ronning) to break away into the top spot. But, with two races on Saturday the game was still wide open. SURGE dropped to third place, and was an 11-point deficit to second.

“It was a fantastic day in the bay,” said Carlo Alberini of CALVI NETWORK. “The race course here is always interesting and different. “We’re four points from the leader and we’re not going to make it easy for them tomorrow. This year we celebrate our team’s 20th anniversary that started in 1999. We’ve been to this event many times and it is one of our favorites!”

Day 3- Spectacular Saturday Finale
Miami and Biscayne Bay today showcased the best day of racing as this iconic racing venue said good-bye to the 500 sailors who competed at the Bacardi Invitational Regatta. A great Easterly breeze of around 10 knots, sun shining, warm, and wave chop a lot less than the previous days, made for a perfect race day. All of the classes finished their scheduled races.

In the J/70s, the winners were the team on CATAPULT, featuring Joel Ronning, Victor Diaz del Leon, Patrick Wilson and Chris Stoke. They were the most solid and consistent of the fleet with every score inside the top 3, after discarding their 11th in race 3. They racked up a 16 point advantage over second placed Americans onboard McKillen’s SURGE with Mark Mendelblatt calling tactics along with Jon Wallace and Sam Loughborough.  Then, in third was Italy’s CALVI NETWORK with Carlo Alberini driving with crew of Stefano Cherin, Jas Farneti, and Marco Furlan.

Rounding out the top five was Will Welles’ SCAMP in fourth with crew of Zeke Horowitz, Jake Doyle, and Reed Baldridge.  Fifth was the Mexican team on WOODSTOCK, skippered by Fernando Gutierrez, with crew of Willem van Waay, Javier Gutierrez, and Leopoldo Turco.

“This was a very fun team to sail with we all got along very well,” commented Ronning on their win with Team CATAPULT. “This group of people is very good at what they do. We had tremendous fun; we were able to minimize mistakes by keeping the dialogue open and if there were any issues they were taken care of right away. It’s a phenomenal event and one of the premier series in the world. It’s very well organized. We love Shake A Leg, we love Bacardi, everybody is so welcoming and we will definitely be coming back.”  For more Bacardi Cup J/70 Winter Series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/70 Bacardi Miami Winter Series Act II Preview

(Miami, FL)- The first Bacardi Invitational Winter Series took place December 1-2, 2018, on the sparkling aqua-blue waters of Biscayne Bay. A talented fleet of eighteen boats raced the first of the major J/70 Winter Series down in Florida. For Act II of the Bacardi Winter Series, sailing from January 19th to 20th, a slightly larger fleet will be assembled on the Bay, twenty-two boats from across the USA, Great Britain, Cayman Islands, Monaco, Canada, Netherlands, and Italy will be participating in this international regatta.

Leading contenders for this event will be teams like Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT (1st 2016 J/70 Worlds San Francisco), Henry Brauer’s RASCAL, Pam Rose’s ROSEBUD, Peter Duncan’s RELATIVE OBSCURITY (1st 2017 J/70 Worlds Sardinia), Peter Cunningham’s POWERPLAY from the Cayman Islands, Bruce Golison’s MIDLIFE CRISIS from California, Martin Dent’s JELVIS from the United Kingdom, Glenn Darden’s HOSS from Fort Worth Boat Club in Texas, and Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio’s G-SPOTTINO from YC Monaco in Monte Carlo, Monaco.  Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes.com.  For more Bacardi Winter Series II sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Bacardi J/70 Winter Series- Act I Preview

(Miami, FL)- The first Bacardi Invitational Winter Series will take place December 1-2, 2018, this coming weekend, on the sparkling aqua-blue waters of Biscayne Bay. Hosting the event will be Shake-A-Leg Foundation in Coconut Grove, just south of the completely refurbished Monty Trainer’s Bar and Cafe on the waterfront.

An incredibly talented fleet of eighteen boats has assembled to begin their bids to improve their performance for the 2019 sailing season.  In fact, the first major J/70 event will be the J/70 Midwinter Championship in late February 2019 that will also be sailed in the same waters of Biscayne Bay.

Leading contenders for the start of this winter series will be teams like Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT (1st 2016 J/70 Worlds), Trey Sheehan’s HOOLIGAN- FLAT STANLEY RACING, Henry Brauer’s RASCAL, Pam Rose’s ROSEBUD, and Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE (2nd in 2018 J/70 Worlds).

The series consists of three events, the next two are scheduled as follows:
Jan 19-20- Bacardi J/70 Winter Series II- Miami, FL
Mar 6-9- Bacardi J/70 Winter Series III- Miami, FL
For more Bacardi Winter Series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Miami J/70 Fleet Takes Flight

NEW Bacardi Winter Series 2018/ 2019!
(Biscayne Bay, FL)- The 2017/18 racing season on Biscayne Bay saw the formation of an action-packed new class, the J/70s. The hottest sport boat in sailing has come to Miami in a big way. Nine boats now call Miami home and are ready for an exciting 2018/2019 racing season, with several new regattas added to the calendar (see story on right).

This is the first new class to call Biscayne Bay home in many years and the excitement is building with other owners planning to join. There is even a Swedish team planning on buying a boat and keeping it in Miami to escape the Swedish winter.

There are currently only five boats available for immediate delivery from the factory. Interested parties should contact Mark Pincus at 305-915-1438 or mark@pincuscarlson.com

New Winter Series From Bacardi
Bacardi has announced a thrilling new series to be held on Biscayne Bay for the 2018/ 2019 racing season. The Bacardi Invitational Winter Series for the red-hot J/70 class will feature two regattas leading up to the grand finale- the Bacardi Cup.

The Winter Series regattas are December 1–2 and January 19–20. There will be trophies for each event, plus trophies for the entire three-event series, which culminates with the Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta on Biscayne Bay in March.  For more Bacardi Cup J/70 Winter Series information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Bacardi Cup J/70 Invitational Preview

(Miami, FL)- After a near perfect three days of sailing on Biscayne Bay two weeks ago, the J/70s are returning to Miami to race the Bacardi Cup J/70 Invitational.  Coral Reef YC in Coconut Grove, FL will again host the racing.  The forecast certainly looks promising with good breezes and sunny skies on the menu from Thursday through Saturday, with winds starting in the 10-20 kts NW and slowly swinging to the SE in the 10-15 kts range to conclude the regatta.

The 50-boat fleet has an international flavor to it since there are many teams from Europe and South America joining in for early training time before the J/70 World Championships being hosted in Marblehead, MA by Eastern YC in September 2018.  Teams are sailing from Great Britain, Brazil, Canada, Monaco, Chile, Argentina, Norway, and Mexico.

Amongst those to challenge current J/70 World Champion Peter Duncan is his J/70 World's winning teammate Jud Smith (USA) and 2017 Worlds runner-up Brian Keane (USA). Italy’s Vincenzo Onorato, who holds World titles in the Farr 40 and M32, will be racing his well-known Mascalzone Latino with a formidable team including three-time Olympian and Gold Medallist in the Laser Class and two-time Moth Class World Champion Paul Goodison (GBR). Joel Ronning (USA), who won the 2016 Worlds and the recent J/70 Midwinters, will also be in the field.

In fact, most of the top five from the recent J/70 Midwinters will be participating, including Ronning’s CATAPULT, Duncan’s RELATIVE OBSCURITY, Bruce Golison’s MIDLIFE CRISIS, and Keane’s SAVASANA.  In addition, two more top teams will be mixing it up with these leading boats, such as the first J/70 World Champion- Tim Healy on USA 2 from Newport, RI and also the J/105 North American Champion and J/80 World Champion Glenn Darden from Forth Worth Boat Club who will be sailing HOSS (his crew includes Olympic Gold Medallist Jonathan McKee as tactician).

Overseas visiting teams include the 2017 J/111 World Champion- Martin Dent on JELVIS from England and J/24 South American Champion- Vernon Robert from Algarrobo, Chile sailing MORENITA.
For more Bacardi Cup J/70 Invitational sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Bacardi Cup J/70 Announcement

(Coconut Grove, FL)- Bacardi USA is pleased to announce a new format in 2018 for the 91st anniversary of the world-famous Bacardi Cup, sailed on the emerald-green waters of Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida. Started as a regatta for Star boats in Havana, Cuba in 1927, the Bacardi Cup has continued to evolve and change with the times, giving it continued growth and popularity in a sport that has seen numerous regattas come and go.

In 1962, the series moved to Biscayne Bay and in 2010 the event expanded to include other classes in addition to the Stars. Known since 2013 as Bacardi/Miami Sailing week, recent classes have included J70’s, J80’s, and other sportboats from 18 to 24 feet.

For 2018, the organizing committee has decided to refocus the series on the original idea of an invitation-only regatta where the best small-boat sailors in the world come together to compete in tight, competitive, thrilling racing with the emphasis on quality instead of quantity. Still sponsored by the venerable Bacardi Rum brand and the Bacardi family, who have been active patrons since the beginning, the series in 2018 will be called the Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta.

The Star class as always will have a single race per day on long, demanding legs rarely seen in today’s short course era. Only one other one-design class has been invited to the regatta in 2018: the J/70 class, the fastest-growing one-design sportboat fleet in the world.

As always, days on the water will be followed by hospitality and outdoor parties that only Bacardi can deliver, with great food, tropical music and an open bar with plenty of Bacardi rum.

The Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta will be held March 4-10, 2018 and is being run by a new management company, Twelve MKTG, headed by Sara Zanobini, well-known to competitors in past years as the driving force behind the scenes of the event. She is joined by Miami native Mark Pincus, a US Sailing-certified PRO who is organizing the on-water racing program as he has done in past Bacardi regattas.

For more information about the Bacardi Invitational Regatta, contact Sara: sara@bacardiinvitational.com, (305) 510-7024, or Mark: mark@bacardiinvitational.com, (305) 915-1438.   For more Bacardi Cup Invitational sailing and registration information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Duncan Triumphs @ Bacardi Sailing Week Regatta

(Coconut Grove, FL)- This year’s Bacardi regatta took place from March 9th to 11th, hosted by the triumvirate of Biscayne Bay sailing clubs- Coral Reef YC, Biscayne Bay YC, and Coconut Grove SC.  The regatta conditions were challenging for all, for both sailors as well as the RC/PRO’s on each circle.

The thirty-six boats from seven nations (USA, Argentina, United Kingdom, Monaco, Brazil, Poland, & Uruguay) that participated in event were treated to a challenging combination of light to moderate conditions that never seemed to fall into the “normal” tactical/ strategic patterns many sailors are accustomed to on Biscayne Bay.

The three days of racing saw mostly light winds from the Eastern to Southerly quadrants, with enormous wind streaks and massive holes characterizing the dynamics of the race course.  According to many, the “middle was death”, you either had to pick one corner or another and try to control (or stay in touch) with your grouping.  The standings changed dramatically for one day to another.  In the end, it was the team on RELATIVE OBSCURITY that prevailed in the tough conditions, a very talented team that was led by owner/skipper Peter Duncan and renowned sailors like “Moose” McClintock from Newport, RI, Willem Van Waay from San Diego, CA and Victor Diaz DeLeon from Caracas, Venezuela.  Smart. Light. Fast. They were a hard combination to beat!

Chasing them hard all weekend were leading teams from both American coasts, with the Europeans and South Americans having a rough time divining what was happening on the course.  In the end, it was a talented group of College All-American sailors on TEAM VINEYARD VINES that took the silver six points back- John & Molly Baxter with Mark Ivey and Jake Ledow.  Taking third one point in arrears was a superstar crew from Southern California on-board MIDLIFE CRISIS, led by Bruce Golison with crew of Steve Hunt, Jeff Reynolds and Eric Shampain.  The balance of the top five include Mary Kullman’s NEW WAVE team from Tampa Bay, including Alex Shafer, Steve Liebel, and Megan Hislop in fourth place.  Fifth was secured by Brian Keane’s SAVASANA crew from Buzzards Bay, MA- Tom Barous, Stew McNay and Juan Weed.

It was a very talented fleet that saw several leading teams with skipper/tacticians of America’s Cup contenders, Olympic Games Medallists, World Champions and European Champions that did not finish in the top ten overall.  Such is the state of the J/70 class today, the world’s great equalizer.  As Bob Fisher (and his friend Jack Knights) at Yachts & Yachting magazine in the United Kingdom once said about the J/24- “it’s a Laser with a lid”!  So simple, that many top teams can get it up to speed extremely quickly and be competitive.”

For some perspective, here is a “Note to Self” for many teams that sailed the Bacardi: “at some point in this regatta, I crossed ahead of an Olympic Medallist (470, Soling, Star) or World Champion (Star, Etchells 22, Farr 40, Melges 24, Melges 20, Melges 32, J/24, J/22, J/70, J/80, Lightning, 470, 420, Soling, Rainbow, Sonar, etc) or World Champion Match Racers (#1 in both Open and Women) or World Champion Team Racers.” In other words, it was a deeply talented fleet that rewarded those teams that made fewer mistakes.

The event also marked the second qualifier for the U.S. J/70 Youth Championship.  The qualifying Coral Reef YC Youth Team was comprised of the following youth sailors (from left to right)- Ivan Schestopalov (skipper), Shawn Harvey (main/tactician), Clay Snyder (kite trimmer), Claudia Loiacono (Jib Trimmer), and Jack Johansson (crew/ tactics).  Claudia had this to say about their experience:

“The Coral Reef Youth Sailing Team and the crew of the Sail22/ Harken Headknockers would like to thank you for sponsoring us in the Bacardi Miami Sailing Week.  It was our first time racing a small keelboat and we are really excited to sail in the J/70 Youth Nationals in August!

As high school seniors, our sailing experience has been primarily, if not exclusively, in dinghies. Our challenges in sailing the J/70 were understanding the dynamics of having five people on the boat, focusing on our individual jobs and learning to trust each other to do the same.  We also learned a lot about tuning to different conditions and enjoyed sailing in a much more competitive fleet.  The skills learned will definitely advance our sailing careers and help us all keep competing in more advanced fleets.  Thank you for the wonderful opportunity this past weekend.  We really enjoyed sailing the J/70.”

Congratulations to them as they will be sailing in the U.S. J/70 Youths in Newport, RI this summer in the middle of August representing Coral Reef YC!  For more Bacardi Miami Sailing Week information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Bacardi Miami Sailing Week Preview

(Coconut Grove, FL)- From March 8th to 11th, J/70 teams from across the world will again be looking forward to participating in the famous Bacardi Miami Sailing Week, sailed on the pristine aquamarine waters of Biscayne Bay.  Hosting the J/70 fleet will be a combination of Coral Reef YC and Biscayne Bay YC for both on-shore social festivities as well as providing support for volunteers managing the RC and mark boats and regatta PRO.

The weather looks promising for the thirty-six J/70 teams entered from nine nations from Europe and the America’s- USA, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, Italy, United Kingdom, Poland, and Norway.

The South American teams are well-represented by leading crews, including Argentina’s Pablo Despontin; Brazil’s Phil Haegler on CLOUD NINE and Harold Solberg helming VIKING; Chile’s Felipe Robles on LEXUS; and Uruguay’s Ricardo Umpierre sailing XTREME 4U from YC Punta del Este.

Several European teams will have just finished sailing the final event in YC Monaco’s Winter Series and will be winging across the Atlantic at the beginning of the week to join in for more fun-in-the-sun in Miami.  The leading European teams include Poland’s Krzysztof Krempec skippering EWA; Great Britain’s Martin Dent on JELVIS 7 and Jeremy Thorp on PHAN; Italy’s Vincenzo Onorato helming MASCALZONE LATINO and Marco Salvi on VERTIGO TOO; and Norway’s Eivind Astrup sailing yet another NORWEGIAN STEAM!

The American teams include a number of major regatta and Corinthian leaders, such as Doug Strebel’s BLACK RIVER RACING from Dallas, TX; Andrew & Melissa Fisher’s BUTTON FLY from Greenwich, CT; Chris Snow and Mary Bridgen’s COOL STORY BRO from San Francisco, CA; Al Terhune’s DAZZLER from Annapolis, MD; Bruce Golison’s MIDLIFE CRISIS from Alamitos Bay, CA; Marty Kullman’s NEW WAVE from St Petersburg, FL; Tom Bowen’s REACH AROUND from Annapolis, MD; Peter Duncan’s RELATIVE OBSCURITY from Rye, NY; John Brim’s RIMETTE from Fishers Island, NY; Pam Rose’s ROSEBUD from Miami, FL; Brian Keane’s SAVASANA from Beverly, MA; Will Welles’ SCAMP from Newport, RI; and John & Molly Baxter’s TEAM VINEYARD VINES from Riverside, CT.  That range of talent is a star-studded cast of sailors that have all posted top five performances in many races in major J/70 events.  The only question is, which teams will put it all together, avoid the regatta-crushing BFD penalty, and post high average scores to win-place-or-draw!?  For more J/70 Bacardi Miami Sailing Week information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Dark’n’Stormy J/105 Bacardi Bermuda Invite

(Hamilton, Bermuda)- The prognosticators who sail Bermuda’s Great Sound (e.g. local knowledge) were convinced the weather forecast was perfect for this year’s Bacardi XL Catlin Bermuda Keelboat Invitational.  From November 17 to 19, Bermuda Weather Service, as well as the European Community Model Weather Forecast service (ECMWF), were in agreement that winds would be near gale force from the westerly quadrants for most of the weekend.  A “nice breeze” for locals, by the way, is 15-25 knots in this beautiful little island community about 635nm offshore southeast of Newport, RI.  For J/105 sailors, especially for those familiar with San Francisco Bay conditions, such breezes are just a “walk in the park” on a Sunday afternoon.  It really only begins to get a bit challenging when puffs start to peak into the 30-35 kts range, like that experienced in the recent J/105 North Americans in Larchmont, NY.

As the teams wandered down Thursday morning for the 0930 hrs skipper’s briefing at the Royal Bermuda YC regatta HQ, it was abundantly clear that weather conditions were bordering on the extreme end of the range.  The Bermuda Weather Service has four AWOS (automated weather observation systems) spread across their island nation from the west (little Pearl Island in the Great Sound) to the east (Bermuda Airport in St David’s).  Both locations were reporting steady 15-25 kt winds, gusting to 32 kts by 0930 hrs.  The forecast was for the breezes to increase to 20-30 kts, gusting to 40 kts by midday and abating back to 15-25 kts, gusting 30 by mid-afternoon.  After a harbor postponement was posted for the J/105, IOD and Etchells 22 classes, it became abundantly clear it was (a) a good decision to postpone and (b) the weather forecasts were, as usual, wrong.  By 11am, gusts at Pearl Island were in excess of 45 kts with intermittent rain squalls flooding the streets and there was no indication the “micro-low” positioned just north of Bermuda was slowing down anytime soon. So, by noon, the RBYC PRO canceled racing for the day.  Most teams made the most of their newfound “tourist pass” and went exploring all over the island, with many headed over to the famous Dockyards to take a tour of some America’s Cup bases- ORACLE Racing Team and Team SOFTBANK JAPAN. 

The regatta is a unique format.  It’s invitation-only.  Local Bermuda J/105 teams “invite” a non-Bermuda team to join them, so three “foreigners” join three “locals” to form a team of six crew.  Then, the skippers of each group (Bermuda/ foreigner) take turns skippering each race.  Awards are given for the top three Bermuda skippers, the top three foreign skippers, and for the overall team leaders.  It is a fun regatta format that produces copious amounts of camaraderie between the crews, particularly since the event sponsors include Bacardi.  In fact, the welcoming Captain’s Reception on Wednesday evening is truly a bacchanalian festival of feasts at Bacardi’s World Headquarters on the front street next to Royal Bermuda YC.

After Thursday’s race-day cancellation, the crews were anxious to get in some good racing since the forecasts had actually taken a turn for the worst.  There was a distinct possibility that a three-day event might turn into one-day’s racing only!  Friday dawned partly cloudy and sunny with a 10-12 kts westerly breeze caressing the Great Sound.  As the teams took off to get some early practice, it was evident it was going to be a difficult day to get in 4 to 5 races (the race day’s schedule).  The weather radar showed large cumulous formations with rainy, squally conditions beneath them marching across the horizon towards Bermuda, a by-product of two fronts colliding as they moved east.  Over the course of the day, the wind direction changed 70 degrees at least twice, and during the racing there was little rhyme or reason to the wind shifts as the cloud lines passed by, often producing 30-45 degree shifts per leg and at least twice per race!  Needless to say, it was a dilemma for most teams as the fleet kept splitting into “wolf packs” heading into corners of the race course upwind and downwind.

After four races on Friday, local Star World Champion, Peter Bromby’s team on AIRFORCE from the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club posted a very consistent 1-2-3-1 to take the lead with 7 pts total.  Just behind them was Jon Corless’s MAYHEM from Royal Bermuda YC posting a 4-3-2-3 for 12 pts and James McDonald’s PASSION from RBYC in third with a 3-7-1-2 for 13 pts.

Saturday dawned with one rain squall after another sweeping the Great Sound, truly another “dark’n’stormy” morning.  It was a rather foreboding weather forecast for even the most jaded offshore sailors.  Again, BWS and the ECMWF showed a Low depression 100nm to the north deepening and heading south (!) towards Bermuda over the course of the day before it took its “hockey stick” course off to the east by early evening.  Forecasted was a rapid increase of breeze from 10-20 kts to 20-35 kts, accompanied by massive rain squalls.  The RBYC PRO took no chances and simply postponed for one hour.  As expected, the weather did not improve at all and simply got dramatically worse, again.  At that point, the gig was up and it was time to put the boats away and celebrate the coronation of the winners of Friday’s racing by early afternoon.    For more Bacardi Keelboat Invitational sailing information