The climax of the 97th Bacardi Cup and Bacardi Invitational Regatta was a day of anticipation and pressure. Biscayne Bay set the stage for a spectacular finale, kicking off with a building 12 knots breeze and waves. Eddie Cutillas, Bacardi USA, praised all involved, saying, “It was a tremendous week. The Bacardi Cup and the Bacardi Invitational is a feeling like family. Bacardi is all about family and heritage, and we feel that this fits in perfectly with our mission at this regatta. Six days of world class racing meld seamlessly into shoreside friendship and fun. Thanks to each and every one of you for being part of our unique annual sailing celebration.” The 97th Bacardi Cup and Bacardi Invitational Regatta brought together over 200 teams, setting a new record for the event. More than 600 sailors from 25 nations, spanning North and South America, Europe and Asia competed for some of sailing’s most coveted titles. Leading by one point at the start of the final day, a tough battle saw Laura Grondin’s Dark Energy close out the series with scores of 5,7. Grondin’s team worked through their opening day struggles and maintained greater consistency to win over the 49-boat fleet. Grondin has been a regular at the Bacardi events for many years, both in the J/70 and Melges 24. This win ranks as the pinnacle of her appearances. In a twist of fate, Grondin was due to race her Melges 24, but due to crew illness switched to the J/70. “I just think it is really cool to win a signature event like this,” said Grondin. “It was really windy, so the downwinds were fun. The upwinds, just keeping the boat moving was the key to success.” Grondin’s victory headlines exceptional performances by women J/70 helms, with three others securing spots inside the top 20 leaderboard – an impressive feat in this world-class fleet. Charles Thompson’s Brutus III team secured the 2023-2024 Bacardi Invitational Winter Series title by combining their second-place finish in BWS2 with eighth overall here. The top-placed Corinthian team in 19th overall was Alec Cutler/Charles Pucciariello/Ryan Cox/Brad Rodi.
Final Top Three:
- Laura Grondin / Taylor Canfield / Luke Muller / Malcolm Lamphere (USA 819) – 46 pts
- Brian Keane / Thomas Barrows / Ron Weed / Conner Harding (USA 49) – 57 pts
- Ralph Vasconcellos Rosa / Guilherme Hamelmann / Julio Falcão / Felipe Rondina (BRA 1226) – 60 pts
(Text Credit: Luissa Smith) For full event details, visit bacardiinvitational.com.