Bacardi Winter Series Event 2 Overall
by Bacardi Invitational Regatta 27 Jan 11:28 AEDT
January 24-26, 2025
Melges 24 – perfect Biscayne Bay racing conditions - Bacardi Winter Series Event 2 © Hannah Lee Noll
Three days of exceptional sailing on Biscayne Bay, January 24-26, set the stage to make Bacardi Winter Series 2 a perfect event. Miami delivered stunning weather and challenging conditions that tested every aspect of performance.
On the final day, under sunny skies and planning conditions, three races shaped the final podium in a variable 11-18 knot north-easterly knot breeze. Maintaining the pole position they claimed on day one, Peter Duncan and his two-time J/70 World Champion-winning team on 'Relative Obscurity' secured the J/70 series with a race to spare. Racking up two wins, Peter-David Karrié's 'Nefeli' team advanced to triumph in the Melges 24.
"My heartfelt congratulations to the winners," said Eddie Cutillas, Bacardi USA. "I look forward to welcoming everyone back in Miami in just a few weeks for the grand finale of the series at the Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta."
The Bacardi Winter Series 2 wrapped up with the usual epic Bacardi soirée and prize-giving celebrations at Shake-A-Leg Miami.
Alongside the individual event results, J/70 and Melges 24 teams will add their points from BWS #1 and BWS #2 to their results at the Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta (BCIR), March 5-8, 2025, to decide the overall series winner. Registration is open and entries have already tipped over one hundred entries for the J/70, Melges 24, Snipe, Viper 640 and VX One. The iconic Bacardi Cup celebrates its 98th edition from March 3-8, with almost seventy Star teams so far confirmed.
J/70: 'Relative Obscurity' wins with a race to spare
With another breakaway race win today, Peter Duncan's 'Relative Obscurity' sealed the overall J/70 victory, finishing with a 10-point margin and no need to sail the final race.
'Relative Obscurity' took control of the fleet from race 2 and never let go. Today though their performance almost unravelled in the opening race 7, as despite a good start they opted for the unfavored right side of the course and rounded the first mark mid-fleet. A phenomenal comeback pushed them back to finish in 4th, following up with their fourth win of the series to secure victory ahead of an impressive leaderboard of J/70 teams.
Stepping up to claim the final race win was Charles Thompson's 'Brutus III' who moved up to second overall.
Victor Diaz de Leon, tactician on 'Relative Obscurity', shared, "It was a really great event, great wind, great competition, great friends - a lot of fun!"
The reunited 2017 J/70 World Championship-winning team, including Willem van Waay and Jud Smith, showcased strong onboard chemistry, as Diaz de Leon added, "It was really tough competition and we are really happy to have come away with a win. We had great chemistry onboard and we are really enjoying being together."
Commenting on their dominance, Diaz de Leon explained, "It's always a great feeling to win, but we're focusing on the process and trying to get better every day. There's a lot of great competition out there, so we never felt like we had it in the bag. We knew we had to keep getting better because the other guys are really good, and they showed that yesterday and today. The competition was tough, and other great boats led races today. It was certainly a battle."
Cate Muller-Terhune's 'Casting Couch' rounded out the podium in third with a solid 3,6,10 performance, just 2 points off 'Brutus III'.
Mexico's Alejandro Pérez and his team on 'Algarete' had a mixed scoreline but a standout today. They claimed a win in the day's opening race and followed up with a 2nd place in the final race, to jump up to 8th overall. Their elation was evident as they made themselves heard on the course!
J/70 Overall Results: (after 9 races)
1. Relative Obscurity - Peter Duncan (USA 1311) - 29 pts
2. Brutus III - Charles Thompson (GBR 1123) - 39 pts
3. Casting Couch - Cate Muller-Terhune (USA 34) - 41 pts
4. Two Odd - David Jannetti (USA 25) - 58 pts
4. Superior 1 - Dick Kalow (USA 64) - 60 pts
Melges 24: 'Nefeli' claims victory with final race win
High-octane racing and a dramatic shake-up on the leaderboard saw Peter-David Karrié's 'Nefeli' soar to the top of the podium, thanks to two wins in the day's three races. The racing was exceptionally tight, with just 6 points separating the top four boats.
After discarding an 8th place in Race 2, 'Nefeli' counted an impressive all-top-5 scorecard - a performance that made the journey from Germany to Miami well worth it! Karrié was thrilled with his team's performance, saying, "It was a fantastic weekend for us. We really found a good mode, especially upwind."
A regular at the Bacardi events since 2019, this victory marks a milestone for Karrié. "It's our first win here. In March last year, we came close but finished 2nd. This time, it feels fantastic to finally win."
The competition was fierce and Karrié relished the challenge, particularly going into the final race tied on points and 1 point off first. "There were so many good sailors and big names. The easiest way to win was to take the last race, and we did it! We've been sailing together for a long time, like a family, and that really pays off."
'Zenda Express' with Harry Melges IV driving pushed hard, winning the opening race of the day which bounced them up to first. Follow-up scores of 3,7 couldn't match 'Nefeli', dropping them back to end the event in 2nd overall. Laura Grondin's 'Dark Energy' edged into third on tiebreak advantage over 'Melgina'.
For Karrié, Bacardi is an essential start to the season. "The venue is perfect for the Melges 24—flat water, warm weather, and the best way to kick off the year. Thank you to my team—everyone worked perfectly this weekend."
Not the expected conclusion for Paolo Brescia's 'Melgina', who slipped from control of the leaderboard to 4th after scores of 4,2,8 today.
Melges 24 Overall Results: (after 9 races)
1. Nefeli - Peter-David Karrié (GER 859) - 22 pts
2. Zenda Express - Harry Melges IV (USA 866) - 27 pts
3. Dark Energy - Laura Grondin (USA 864) - 28 pts
4. Melgina - Paolo Brescia (USA 8) - 28 pts
5. Sentinel - Geoff Fargo (USA 856) - 39 pts
Full results can be found here.