A slow start to the opening race of the day for all fleets at Bacardi Winter Series event 2 on January 28, with the light fluky breeze ensuring the notorious Biscayne Bay race track lived up to its reputation.

Racing continues on January 29 in what is forecast to be a rough and tumble breeze of around 21 knots with gusts up to 30. Bring it on! Sunday, January 30, will see the breeze ease up.

Peter Duncan reminded everyone of his versatility whatever the weather, to close the opening three race day in first overall with his crew on Raza Mixta.

"We had a great day today," said Peter Duncan. "We had really nice crew work and a good tempo on board the boat.

"What we did right today was that we stayed in phase. We were tacking on shifts, and there were a fair amount of shifts going on out there, and we were lucky. The shifts are actually very interesting out on Biscayne Bay in a breeze like today, because the shifts are more dominated by the puffs and you need to stay in breeze. So we did a good job with that.

"It was a fun day, it was a beautiful day's sailing and we are happy to be here."

Race 1 was all about Harry Melges IV, grandson of iconic sailing personality Buddy Melges, and his crew on Zenda Express who delivered a horizon job, leading race 1 from start to finish. Second to Raza Mixta and third to Sandra Askew's Flying Jenny team.

Winner of last year's Winter Series event 2 and the 2021 Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta, Bora Gulari on New England Ropes showcased his credentials in race 2, leading by around 6 boat lengths at the leeward gate. With all top 5 boats packed closely together and pushed hard by Peter Duncan, Gulari struggled to maintain his control in the neck and neck battle. On the final downwind, Duncan drove hard, securing his lane to extend over Gulari and take the win, with Michael Goldfarb on WarCanoe in third.

Onto race 3 and the breeze demanded a change of pace and a fully hiked crew, with the race again looking set to belong to Duncan's Raza Mixta who led the first two legs. Heading back upwind, Peter Bergendahl's Wardance optimized their attack to take the advantage, with Megan Ratliff's Decorum close behind. As these two teams locked into their own battle, John Bailey's Talisman claimed a tidy third place.

Melges 24 Provisional Results after Day 1: (top five, 3 races)
1. Peter Duncan / Victor Diaz de Leon / Matt Pitsay / Erik Shampain / Morgan Trubovick (USA 829) - 7 pts
2. Bora Gulari / Kyle Navin / Norman Berge / Ian Liberty / Dave Hughes (USA 820) - 13 pts
3. John Bailey / Mike Buckley / John Bowden / Beth Whitener / Bear (USA 720) - 13 pts
4. Michael Goldfarb / Jonny Goldsberry / Morten Henriksen / Matteo Ramian / Emory Williams (USA 825) - 15 pts
5. Harry Melges IV / Finn Rowe / Ripley Shelley / Jeremy Wilmot / Kate O'Donnell (USA 866)
Full Results