Duncan/Dyvi Grab Top Melges 24 Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta Titles
‘Raza Mixta’ wins the final race to secure victory in the Melges 24 Class
Norway’s Jan Frederik Dyvi ‘s ‘Team RRH’ wins Melges 24 Corinthian division
The never-ending pursuit of excellence was all apparent on the final day of racing at the 96th Bacardi Cup and Bacardi Invitational Regatta. Biscayne Bay delivered another stunning day, with an offshore breeze changing the race track strategy.
One race on Saturday for the Melges 24s saw Peter Duncan’s ‘Raza Mixta’ take the race win and upgrade to overall victory.
“As a Bacardi family member, I am extremely proud of where we are with the Bacardi Cup and Bacardi Invitational Regatta,” said Eddie Cutillas, Bacardi USA. “We have had an outstanding event with a record line-up of entries and teams from twenty-seven nations. I could not be prouder of the effort we have put in to get this regatta to where it is.”
With just one point separating the top two boats going into the final race, the stage was set for either ‘Pacific Yankee’ or ‘Raza Mixta’ to win.
Peter Duncan’s ‘Raza Mixta’, who was on a one-point deficit to ‘Pacific Yankee’, opted for a mid-line start and accelerated up the left side of the track to hold the advantage at the first mark. A shock performance for Drew Freides’ ‘Pacific Yankee’, who found themselves languishing 4th to last at the first mark, and facing what proved an impossible task to make up lost ground.
Whilst ‘Raza Mixta’ went on to take the win, ‘Pacific Yankee’ did manage to claw through to finish in 14th and consoled themselves with second overall. Safe racing from Brian Porter’s team on ‘Full Throttle’ saw them safely hold on to third overall.
Speaking on their win, tactician Victor Diaz de Leon, laughingly said, “We had really good team chemistry and sailed very well the first day, well the second day and very well the third day! We made it happen and we are very happy. We had different conditions with the onshore breeze the first two days and we finished with the offshore breeze. It was shifty.
“Today our goal was to sail safe and sail clean and not worry about other boats. In an offshore breeze it is very hard to cover people and you often have to sail forward in order to do well. It worked. It was a good strategy.”
On the thrill winning, Diaz de Leon, commented, “There are a lot of great teams here and we respect all of them. We are very excited to get the win because it is such a tough fleet. We love this event because of the camaraderie, the organisers put up a great party and it is a lot of fun.
“I think the biggest secret for our team is how much fun we have together and that helps our performance. The guys did amazing, they hiked so hard all week, and Peter drove very well. We had a great vibe onboard.”
Melges 24 Final Results – Top 5
1. Peter Duncan/Victor Diaz de Leon/Patrick Wilson/Morgan Trubovich/Erik Shampain (USA) - 16 pts
2. Drew Freides/Nic Asher/Charlie Smythe/Alec Anderson/Mark Ivey (USA) - 25 pts
3. Brian Porter/RJ Porter/Bri Porter/Matt Woodworth (USA) - 28 pts