MIAMI, FL. USA-(12-3-2004) It’s official. Without sailing the final race in the six race series, the Portuguese Star Class team of Afonso Domingos and crew Bernardo Santos have won the 2004 Bacardi Cup. They are the first
Europeans to win this prestigious sailing regatta since the race first sailed with 10 boats in Havana, Cuba in 1927.
Canadians Ross Macdonald and Mike Wolfs took second overall and Colin Beashel and David Giles of Australia took third. Americans Howie Shiebler and Will Stout followed in fourth with defending Bacardi Cup champion Peter
Bromby and crew Lee White fifth in the final standings.
“Winds were shifty all week and we enjoy those conditions,” said Domingos. “This is the best Star Class regatta in the world and we’re honored to have done so well against a fleet of this caliber,” he said.
Friday’s race was won by Americans John Maccausland and Brad Nichol with the British team of Iain Percy and Steve Mitchell in second. There was a tiefor third between Beashel and Giles and the French 2003 World champions Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau.
“Our next goal is to win the U.S. Olympic Trials and we’ve been working hard to finish really strong, “ said Maccausland. “The Bacardi Cup, which I’ve sailed every year since 1981, is a great event. When you ask sailors which is their favorite event, it’s the Bacardi Cup for sure,” he said.
Xavier Rohart admitted that “we finally woke up.” The French team did poorly in the first four races and placed third on the fifth day.
The sixth race was delayed more than an hour with unsteady 12-knot winds coming from the north to northeast. After two general recalls, 20 boats jumped the start and were disqualified including many of the Star Class elite – Mark Reynolds (USA), Vince Brun (USA), Marc Pickel(GER), Flavio Marazzi (SUI), Jali Makila.(DEN).
“Today wasn’t very good, we went over the line early,” said Reynolds. “You always want to win,” said the former Olympian and Star Class World champion, “but we’re also out here gauging the strength of the competition going into the U.S. Olympic Trials.”
The German team of Michael Koch and Markus Koy found the races tough. “We’re not used to such difficult wind conditions. It’s very professional and high level amateur and I’m quite proud to sail against yellow stars,” he said.
2004 BACARDI CUP DAY SIX RESULTS – Top 10
1. John Maccausland/Brad Nichol (USA)
2. Iain Percy/Steve Mitchell (UK)
3. Xavier Rohart/Pascal Rambeau (France)
4. Colin Beashel/David Giles (Australia)
5. Peter Bromby/Lee White (Bermuda)
6. Aaron Serinis/John Avis (USA)
7. Maxwell Treacy/Anthony Shanks (IRL)
8. George Szabo/Mark Staube (USA)
9. Peter Vessella/Brian Fatih (USA)
10. Rick Merriman/Bill Bennett (USA)
2004 BACARDI CUP FINAL OVERALL RESULTS – Top 10
1. Afonso Domingos/Bernardo Santos (Portugal), 7-7-1-2-7-DNS, 24
2. Ross Macdonald/Mike Wolfs (Canada), 3-13-5-5-11-27,37
3. Colin Beashel/David Giles (Australia), 15-10-16-3-22-3.5,47.5
4. Howie Shiebler/Will Stout (USA), 26-5-4-8-6-31,49
5. Peter Bromby/Lee White (Bermuda), 18-1-13-17-16-5,52
6. Iain Percy/Steve Mitchell (UK), 94-8-44-1-1-2,56
7. John Maccausland/Brad Nichol (USA), 14-37-30-11-4-1,60
8. Xavier Rohart/Pascal Rambeau (France), 21-14-41-19-3-3.5,60.5
9. Hans Spitzauer/Andreas Hanakamp (Austria), 8-51-2-20-18-17,65
10. Flavio Marazzi/Enrico De Maria (Switzerland), 9-4-24-22-8-94,67
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