Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta 2025 - Day 3
by Luissa Smith 6 Mar 16:10 NZDT
March 3-8, 2025
Jack Jennings/Pedro Trouche dominate to take the race 3 win - Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta 2025 © Marina Semenova
Day 3 at the 98th Bacardi Cup delivered another stunning show, with a consistent 15-20 knots southerly breeze across Biscayne Bay. Jack Jennings and Pedro Trouche claimed a decisive victory, showcasing tactical mastery and flawless execution.
Spotting a crucial wind-shift two minutes before the start, Jennings/Trouche positioned themselves strategically a few boats in from the pin end. Launching off the line with superb speed, they executed a bold port-tack, crossing the fleet to head right upwind. Their move secured them a convincing lead, which they held from start to finish.
"We got a little lucky," commented Jennings. "There was some open space on the line near the favoured end and we got there early to check both sides and figured out the wind was in a left phase, so it was a pretty good advantage on the left-hand side."
Jennings/Trouche opted to tack relatively early, spurred on by Will Stout/Danny Cayard shouting for them to make the move. In contrast to Monday's shifty conditions, which demanded countless tacks, only two were needed to reach the windward mark. Jennings/Trouche nailed a perfect rounding, with Stout/Cayard chasing in second, followed by Peter Bromby/Mark Strube rounding third after their strong pin end start.
Jennings, a veteran of over twelve Bacardi Cups appearances, is competing in his fourth event with Trouche. Reflecting on the performance, he remained cautiously optimistic, saying, "We have won races at Bacardi before. One year, in 2022, we won two races, and we are going to be happy about this. But for us it is about the series result. We have got to stay consistent, there is a lot of regatta left."
The pair has been training in Miami in January, as Jennings explained, "This is definitely the pinnacle, so this is what we shoot for every year. The race course being long and the breeze being up like this, that is what we love."
Trouche, who is fresh off winning the 2024 Star South American Championship with Paul Cayard, highlighted the synergy he has with Jennings, adding, "We got a lot of synch, especially on the downwind. We train a lot in the Finn against each other, so this really helps to know exactly what the boat needs and what we need to do to keep the boat on a nice flow."
A phenomenal second place finish from the 2024 Star World silver medallists, Will Stout/Danny Cayard. The conditions so far, Stout has described as the windiest they have sailed together. Describing the racing, Stout explained, "The shifts were relatively small, so it was really kind of a boat speed day, clear lanes and get out and go."
They also spotted the left shift, starting just to leeward of Jennings/Trouche, and tacked soon after the start. "It was a long port grind all the way to the right corner. It was forever," continued Stout.
Reflecting on how he felt seeing the series leaders behind them, Stout laughed, "I think that is what everyone is trying to do right now! Obviously, Mateusz is sailing quite well and has throughout history, so we are just trying to watch and continue to learn from him. We are still relatively new in the class, and Danny and I just started sailing together at the Worlds."
The duo secured an impressive second-place finish at the 2024 Star Worlds, marking a milestone achievement for Danny Cayard, who carries on the legacy as a third-generation Star sailor.
Paul Cayard/Frithjof Kleen finished fourth, holding their second place on the leaderboard and within striking distance of series leaders Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Bruno Prada, who took third. Cayard, the reigning South American, and North American Champion with son Danny, continues his quest for the Bacardi Cup title which has so far eluded him.
Croatia's Marin Misura/Tonko Barac climbed into the top 10, with a fifth-place finish. In twenty-second overall, Germany's Nick Heuwinkel/Jesper Spehr lead the U30 fleet in their Bacardi Cup debut.
Race 4 is scheduled to start at 1200 hrs on Thursday, with the series discard set to shake up the leaderboard after Friday's race five.
Provisional Results after Day 3: (top ten, 3 races)
1. Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Bruno Prada (POL 8587) - 5 pts
2. Paul Cayard/Frithjof Kleen (USA 8550) - 11 pts
3. Jack Jennings/Pedro Trouche (USA 8464) - 19 pts
4. Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise (USA 8580) - 21 pts
5. Will Stout/Danny Cayard (USA 8538) - 22 pts
6. Hubert Merkelbach/Christian Nehammer (GER 8446) - 22 pts
7. Marin Misura/Tonko Barac (CRO 8531) - 28 pts
8. Piet Eckert/Frederico Melo (SUI 8599) - 34 pts
9. Leandro Altolaguirre/Lucas Altolaguirre (ARG 8565) - 37 pts
10. Peter O'Leary/Joost Houweling (IRL 8465) - 38 pts
Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta
Teams competing in the J/70, Melges 24, Snipe, Viper 640, VX One and Star were welcomed at this evening's Bacardi Mid-Week Party. The evening featured Bacardi's signature cocktails, live music, and plenty of fun, ready for the racing ahead.
As he headed to the Bacardi Party, race winner Pedro Trouche grinned, "A little bit of rum and coke never hurts!"
Racing starts tomorrow, March 6, with the first three races of the nine-race series starting at 1100 hrs. The event is supported by Vakaros, providing their RaceSense race management software, and Regatta Rescue, in partnership with Think Inflatables, offering on and off-water maritime medical services.
Full results available here.