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. Alongside the individual event results, teams will add their points from BWS #1 and BWS #2 to their results at the Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta (BCIR), March 5-8, to decide the overall series winner. With another breakaway race win Sunday, 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. Sunday though their performance almost unraveled 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 fourth, following up with their fourth win of the series to secure victory ahead of an impressive leaderboard. 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 on board, 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. The competition was tough, and other great boats led races. 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 final day. They claimed a win in Sunday’s opening race and followed up with a second place in the final race, to jump up to eighth overall. Their elation was evident as they made themselves heard on the course!
J/70 – Final 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
5. Superior 1 – Dick Kalow (USA 64) – 60 pts
For event details, visit bacardiinvitational.com.