Too much breeze cancels racing on day 1 of the Bacardi Cup 2017
by Star Sailors League 6 Mar 2017 21:43 GMT
5-11 March 2017
Too much wind on day 1 of the Bacardi Cup 2017 © Gilles Morelle / Star Sailors League
Bacardi Cup and BACARDI Miami Sailing Week events kicked off on Saturday night with a highly successful Havana Nights and Casino Party at Coral Reef Yacht Club benefitting Shake-A-Leg Miami, Team Paradise and Sailing Heals. On Sunday afternoon the BACARDI hospitality Village at Regatta Park opened for competitors and guests with 72 Star registering for the event.
Sustained winds welcomed Star sailors to the first day of the 90th Bacardi Cup. One race is scheduled for each day of the 6-days event as part of the BACARDI Miami Sailing Week (BMSW) presented by EFG. Steady winds over 20 knots and with gusts well over 30 knots forced the PRO, Carl Schellbach, to cancel racing for the day. Conditions would certainly have caused masts breakage and competitors were happy to sit out for the day. Forecast looks favorable for the rest of the week, therefore they will have a day with two races with an early start at 11:00AM. "Competitors will have plenty of time to get ready for tonight's party at the Bacardi HQ," says event chair Gabriele Pedone. "It will be a special evening and we will celebrate the 90th running of this historic event with great cocktails and memorabilia from this event directly from the Bacardi collection."
This year the Star Sailors League is assigning to the winner of the Bacardi Cup 3,000 points worth for the SSL Ranking, just like any SSL Grand Slams, to honour the historic regatta and at the same time test what the SSL Sea Grand Slam would be like.
Sailing will resume tomorrow for the second day of the 90th Bacardi Cup, probably around 12am EST. You can watch the action LIVE on live.starsailors.com with the latest in hi-tech camera technology, as well as Virtual Eye 3D Graphics and expert commentators both on the water and in studio.