The final day of racing for the 50-boat J/70 fleet delivered drama and surprises at the Bacardi Cup in Miami, as the series leaders were unseated in a three-race showdown. In a talent-packed fleet, recovering from a mid-fleet position proved nearly impossible. Overnight leaders Casting Couch faced a tough start, battling weeds and a massive downwind shift in Race 5, which saw them tumble to a 32nd-place finish. Haroldo Solberg’s OceanPact seized the win, taking the overall lead, while Peter Duncan’s Relative Obscurity climbed to second with a second-place finish. Race 6 brought more twists, with Casting Couch and OceanPact struggling deep in the fleet. Duncan’s Relative Obscurity secured another second-place, putting them in pole position heading into the final race. Onto race 7 and the regatta was Duncan’s to lose. He sailed conservatively, staying in the top 10 before pushing to yet another second-place finish, clinching the series by a commanding 17-point margin. Casting Couch redeemed themselves with a fourth-place finish, securing third overall behind OceanPact on tiebreak. A great result for Duncan, who has reunited his 2017 J/70 World Championship-winning team. “It was a really tough fleet, and we had some tough spots,” commented Willem VanWay on their win. “We battled, and we were fighting a little as a team, but we got it all figured out and today was much better. We had great starts. We figured out a few things with our upwind speed and communication. We got to the weather in the top eight each race, managed to get a 2,2,2 and be consistent – that’s all it is out here. So, we’re stoked, amazing, nice to put it all together.” Relative Obscurity also claimed the Bacardi Winter Series title, while division honors went to Joel Ronning’s Catapult (Mixed+), Vernon Robert’s Morenita (Corinthian) and Susan Wayne’s Seabiscuit (One Pro). For full event details: https://bacardiinvitational.com/
Final J/70 Results Top 3:
1. Peter Duncan/Victor Diaz de Leon/Judson Smith/Willem VanWay (USA 1311) – 25 pts
2. Haroldo Solberg/Carlos Robles/Gabriel Silva/Mario Tinoco (BRA 849) – 42 pts
3. Cate Muller-Terhune/Steve Hunt/Allan Terhune Jr/Will Ryan (USA 34) – 42 pts