How do you make the follow-up to an ORC World Championship-winning design even better? Cantiere Del Pardo pulled out all the stops

If it looks right, it probably is right. Generations of sailors, boatbuilders and yacht designers used to swear by that simple rule of thumb. Even today, when the science of CFD modelling has completely replaced the instinct of the designer’s eye, the shape that looks best is still sometimes the fastest. Witness the graceful, swooping curves in the topsides and aft quarters of Matteo Polli’s Grand Soleil 40. Two of the great 20th century designers, Kim Holman and Olin Stephens, would no doubt approve.

The naval architecture of Polli’s contemporary racer-cruisers, like the GS 40 and GS 44, has very little in common with the hull shapes drawn 60 years ago by Holman and Stephens, but they share the same very strong focus – unlike many other sailing yachts back then and also right now – on maintaining the hull’s balance of volume through a wide range of heel angles. That’s why they handle so well and often win races despite being less aggressively endowed with sail area and form stability than some of their rivals. Less rudder action means less drag as well as a more controllable and enjoyable boat to steer.

A hallmark of Matteo Polli’s designs is the very strong emphasis on maintaining the hull’s balance of volume through a wide range of heel angles – and they look rather elegant, too

Polli extends that principle significantly further than the shape of the hull in his designs for Grand Soleil. The sailplan is also precisely balanced, with the mast moved aft to give the foretriangle more area relative to the mainsail. The results speak for themselves. The GS 44 scored a convincing win at last year’s ORC World Championships and it’s a strong contender again this year. The GS 40, which makes its début at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September, is an evolution of the concepts studied for the GS 44 and thus, once again, quite likely a force to be reckoned with in racing.

It is rare to find this level of comfort inside a high-performance hull. Massimo Gino put every last millimetre to best use

The waterline beam is notably slender and the bow profile remains very fine to maintain good performance in light airs and ensure a smooth passage through the waves. Unlike a more typical cruiserracer or performance cruiser with highvolume aft quarters, this boat shouldn’t have any tendency to bury its nose when powered up on a reach, so it doesn’t need the extra buoyancy of a hydrodynamically inefficient blunt entry. As with the GS 44, the GS 40’s single rudder is located well forward – the balanced hull form doesn’t need the rudder blade to be as far aft as possible for directional stability – which helps to make the boat nimble in tacks and responsive on the helm.

Two versions of the GS 40 are offered: Performance and Race. The former is a cruiser-racer with a self-tacking jib as standard on a track recessed into the coachroof and the mainsheet led to a fixed point on the cockpit sole. The deck plan includes four winches: two on the coachroof and two on the sidedecks within easy reach of the twin helms.

The Race version, while still a dualpurpose boat, is emphatically more of a racer-cruiser with a deck plan designed for a full crew to work the boat with maximum efficiency. An extra pair of winches are mounted on the coamings and the bowsprit is extended by 70cm. The backstay tensioner is hydraulic and a mainsheet traveller runs across the full width of the cockpit, recessed into the sole. The self-tacking jib is replaced by a 100 per cent genoa on transverse tracks, giving an extra 11m2 of upwind sail area.

The stern platform is a lot lighter than usual to minimise its pitching moment

Both versions have an electric stern platform. It’s deliberately small and light so its impact on pitching and thus performance is greatly reduced.

Three different keel options are available, all with a cast iron fin and lead torpedo bulb. The standard keel is optimised for IRC racing with a draught of 2.4m; there’s also a 2.1m draught version for ORC and a 1.85m shoaldraught option which will significantly enhance the boat’s versatility in some of the most popular sailing areas.

Perhaps the stand-out aspect of the GS 40, though, is the inventive design work on deck and down below by Massimo Gino, a founding partner of the highly regarded Nauta Design studio and its head of design production. ‘On deck, the position of the mast further aft and the internal headroom requirements allowed us to create a nice sunbed area on the forward part of the coachroof,’ he says. ‘The main companionway is still positioned quite far forward even though the mast is further aft, thus giving a great cockpit size that can be appreciated both when cruising and racing. All functions on the coachroof – winches, clutches, sprayhood and hatches – are placed very carefully, using every millimetre available.’

Some of Gino’s most innovative work on the GS 40 might pass unnoticed by cruising sailors, but to an experienced racer it should be immediately obvious. ‘It’s not often that you get a three-cabin, two-heads interior layout with a properly accessorised galley inside a boat with such light displacement and such performance-oriented hull shapes and volumes,’ he explains. ‘And in the master cabin, the queen size owner’s bed is placed with its headboard forward, which is another feature you don’t often find in a race-focused hull.’

A queen size berth with its headboard forward – rarely seen on a racer-cruiser

The GS 40’s saloon layout is also a bit different, with an asymmetry between the dinette and galley that creates a seating surface comparable to what one would expect to find in a larger yacht. ‘The galley is positioned longitudinally with an L-shape worktop that allows plenty of space for crew circulation, even when somebody is cooking,’ Gino says. This arrangement works well when the yacht is anchored, with a wide-open space separating the cooking and lounge areas of the saloon. Under sail, it allows people to move about without needing to squeeze past each other.

In racing mode the GS 40’s interior layout gives the crew more elbow room and creates a clear, straight-line pathway that is nine metres long, stretching from the aft bulkhead of the port-side aft cabin to the forward bulkhead of the forecabin. Race crews will find this useful for stowing expensive moulded membrane sails that don’t like to be folded, and also for re-packing spinnakers in the middle of a race.

Moving the mast aft also allowed the design team to give the master cabin the option of an en suite heads on the starboard side. However, in the boat’s standard fit-out this is envisaged as a technical area and stowage space for racing kit rather than a private bathroom. ‘That space is a magic big storage area for sails, oilskins and all wet equipment that you may need to store,’ Gino says. ‘If the owner is more racing oriented he saves the weight of a toilet and uses that space as a great additional sail locker.’

With a boat like this, success is primarily proven in its first full year of racing results. We await the outcome of the 2023 regatta season with interest.

The forecabin heads is an optional extra. As standard it’s an equipment store

Matteo Polli explains his latest design

The design brief for the Grand Soleil 40 set the bar even higher than the 44. Fitting three comfortable cabins and two heads in a 40-footer that should be able to win races under different rating systems is a rather tough call. Starting from the experience accumulated on the 44 and considering the effects of a smaller size, improvement has been found in different areas. We are talking about refinements in hull volume distribution, improved form stability, slightly longer bow and stern overhangs and some tweaks to the appendages. Definitely not revolution of a concept but more about evolution.

In the design phase there was no specific focus on offshore passage racing or inshore windward-leeward racing. The idea was to balance the performance profile on the full range of conditions without giving more importance to one single situation. However, the owner can adapt his boat configuration quite a lot by selecting from various options of appendages, sailplans and features that in conjunction will work better for inshore or offshore racing. The boat is also equipped to deal with different sail inventories, asymmetric or symmetrical spinnakers, masthead or fractional code zero, conventional jibs or self-tacking jibs, staysails and so on.

The effect on performance of adding heavy equipment and payload is particularly critical on smaller yachts like the GS40. To minimise the negative effects, it has been paramount to pay attention to the location of heavy optional items, trying to avoid positioning them on the boat’s extremities. In this way, pitching motions are reduced but also unwanted bow down or stern down trim are minimised across the client selection possibilities. Designing the hull lines, not only the racing sailing trim condition has been considered but also the full load displacement condition making sure that all the shape parameters remain between acceptable values across the whole displacement range.

The optimal heel angle will be around 20-22° and this allows a perfect balance between righting moment and aero-hydro efficiency. Beyond that, more power can be achieved and thus more drive force but the compromise on drag would be too high. On a cruise, the optimal heel angle (considering comfort) would be slightly less, about 16-18°. Enough to sail up to 17kts without a reef on the main.

Good performance in light airs is achieved by a combination of many parameters – rocker, waterline beam, stern profile and a number of others – but the most important are the low wetted surface vs displacement, the relatively low prismatic coefficient together with absence of transom immersion. Also the large foretriangle helps quite a lot in light airs.

Pitching motion in waves is a function of not only the hull underwater shape, but most importantly the overall volume distribution, so also including the topsides. The perfect balance between bow and stern volumes allows a comfortable and also effective ride. On the GS40 as on the 44 the bow entries remain quite narrow but the forecabin volume is outstanding for this segment and the stern exits match perfectly, forming an equilibrium that ensures both comfort and performance.

As always there are compromises so a perfect shape in head seas cannot be a perfect shape when sailing in following seas, and the smaller the size of the boat the more critical this aspect is. Balance is required also in this respect. The GS40 is improved in this direction too; in fact the vertical distribution of the volume in the front part of the hull is steeper than on the 44 and this will prevent burying the bow in reaching conditions.

On the GS 40, the mast is about 4-5% further back in terms of LOA compared to a typical cruiser-racer. This percentage is even bigger if we compare to older designs. This allows larger jib area which is more efficient and has lower centre of effort. If we compare to a traditional sailplan with the same overall sail area, this configuration is faster at a smaller heel angle. It is also more reactive in accelerating after tacks and in choppy seas.

The large foretriangle of the GS40 is even more important when the boat has a self-tacking jib, especially if it’s on an under-deck furler which further reduces the J dimension. With the mast in a conventional position the cruising jib would be very small and surely underpowered relative to the typical full load displacement when starting a cruise.

The performance differential between the Performance and Race versions will be noticeable. The Race version has an almost 1m taller mast, 12% more upwind sail area, 14% more downwind sail area. Its appendages are lighter and the deck layout is more efficient. The Race version’s longer bowsprit allows more spinnaker area and also more separation from the mainsail so the performances gain will be surely remarkable if you go for maximum sail area I would recommend it for racing purposes. When cruising, the standard bowsprit will allow more than enough kite area and downwind performance.

The Race version has another pair of winches on the coamings, transverse genoa car tracks and a longer bowsprit

Click here for more information on Grand Soleil »

King Marine’s latest achievements include building the world’s first fully flying maxi monohull for shortrange offshore racing

The most recent America’s Cup cycle demonstrated the pros (and cons) of achieving high performance on a large monohull with designs and builds focused on specific course types in a specific location and a well-defined context of competition. Advances in smaller sail and power foiling craft are also becoming interesting and relevant in the marketplace. The cutting-edge technologies needed to achieve the performance targets in these projects require the very best in design and boatbuilding fabrication, and King Marine has recently demonstrated its ability to meet this challenge with its four latest projects being foiling boats.

Built by King Marine and designed by Mark Mills, Roberto Lacorte’s Flying Nikka is a giant step forward in the application of foiling technology to offshore monohulls

For example, the recent launch of Roberto Lacorte’s Maxi-sized foiling Flying Nikka represents a huge forward step in applying foiling technology to offshore monohull performance. While the Imoca class yachts have demonstrated the application of monohull foiling in the oceanic passage context, until now no boat had been designed and built in this size range to have a wide range of foiling performance in a non-oceanic setting, such as the Mediterranean. Here in lighter air conditions the boat’s sailplan must have the power to generate the initial speed needed to overcome drag from the hull and foils, activate the lift forces to elevate the boat clear of the water and sustain stable flight.

Port and starboard moveable appendage arms and foils are needed to achieve and sustain flying performance on both tacks. A T-shaped foiling rudder keeps the boat in proper angle of attack trim for the foils to lift, as well as to steer the boat in both displacement and flying modes.

‘We had nicely clear directions on the concept,’ says principal designer Mark Mills. ‘This boat is more like the mule of the [American] Magic AC team than an AC boat itself. It will enter short offshore races in the Med, not the long offshore races held there and elsewhere. It therefore needed not only to meet the expectations for high performance, but also meet the safety standards in the racing and rating rules.’ On this point the team at ORC are working hard to get a workable solution for rating the boat, recognising that the VPP has to run in three modes: displacement, transition and flying. Not an easy task, yet one necessary for this and no doubt more foiling big boats racing against more conventional designs in the future.

Many features and technologies used in this new VPLP-designed power cat are derived from offshore racing yachts

From yacht racing to sustainable transport

Another remarkable foiling project recently completed at King Marine is a 12.5 metrelong electric foiling catamaran, designed by VPLP from a concept developed by MerConcept. This very interesting design won an award in the powerboat category at the fifth Foiling Awards in Milan. It features innovations derived from offshore racing, in particular technologies relating to foiling and flight management.

With an eye towards high performance in addition to being eco-friendly, this carbon craft is powered by two electric motors, a single foil and two elevator rudders. The flight control system was developed by Madintec, which says: ‘This hydrofoil catamaran is the first boat that really demonstrates our will to transfer technologies from offshore racing to a more sustainable maritime mobility.’

Electrically powered craft of any type have to navigate some tricky trade-offs. Batteries are not light and the more you have the more range and power you may achieve, but also at the price of greater take-off speeds. For this design the boat’s autonomy in power is targeted for a 90- mile cruise at 22kts with a payload of eight people aboard, which is impressive for a boat this size. The protype of this remarkable design has been built at King Marine to the exacting specifications of the project’s design partners.

Mills also explains that the goal was to have early take-off in light air Med conditions and not try for ultimate top speeds, yet performance expectations are for 30kts VMG upwind and 40kts downwind… exciting indeed. There is a team of six top talent crew aboard. The foils are designed to flex and have auto-adjust features similar to those seen on TF35s. For a boatbuilder this is an astonishingly complex brief, not just for the complication of building strong component parts of the boat, its appendages and control systems, but also because every kilogram is critical and the physics are simple: every kilogram saved in weight makes the boat take off faster. For example, the overall length of Flying Nikka is 18.75 metres yet its weight is only 7,570 kg (slightly more than a TP52). Principal designer Mark Mills says for every 100 kg there is a 0.1-knot delay of take-off speed, so this put tremendous pressure on the design team, working with the suppliers and builders at King Marine, to be at their absolute best in achieving target design weights.

King Marine was able to meet this challenge by having a close collaborative relationship with all the various parties involved with the success of Flying Nikka throughout the life of the project. Only in this way were they able to start in June 2021 and finish in May 2022, on time and on budget. It’s a remarkable achievement given the lingering supply and staffing issues due to Covid and other new issues that arose recently due to the war in Ukraine. The entire team was composed of recognised leaders in their fields including Mark Mills and KND Marine as co-designers; Pure Engineering on structure design; Nat Shaver on foil design; Thiha Win for the wing system and steering concepts; and Michele Malandra for sail design.

Putting the design concepts into action were other team members that included suppliers Cariboni for the hydraulic systems; Donati Racing for electronics; Faro Advanced Systems and Ricadro Bencatel for PLC and flight controls; Gottifredi Maffioli for running rigging; Re Fraschini for foils and rudders; Southern Spars for the mast; KZ Marine custom furlers; North Sails for sails; Platero for the engine system; and Harken for winches and deck hardware. This remarkable group was led by project manager Micky Costa, internal project manager Matias Bevacqua and hi-tech boatbuilding experts like Pablo Santarsiero, who were tasked with transforming all ideas into achievable plans.

‘This project took 30,000 man hours to complete,’ says Santarsiero. ‘That is more than twice the amount for a typical TP52, which as we know is also a demanding build in carbon where every kilo counts. The spirit of collaboration on this project was amazing and while there was a lot of stress at the beginning we were really pleased at the end when it all came together. There is no better feeling than delivering a project like this to completion with good results at the end.’

Since there was such a strong demand to minimise weight in the build, Santarsiero says they built female tooling for the hull and deck and had no fairing materials – their process of layup and lamination was sufficient to meet the specifications for a raceboat.

Flying Nikka has more in common with the ‘mule’ boat used in development by American Magic than with an actual AC72

Making this possible at King Marine are not only their talented in-house team who have 10 years of experience (since the 2013 America’s Cup) in building high-quality carbon foils, but the tools they use such as the 2.7 x 8 metre autoclave for prepreg composites, the two Eastman prepreg cutting plotters for ultra precision in making precisely what’s needed in the laminate with minimal extra waste, and a Faro arm for measuring, to ensure quality control. This is in addition to three postcuring ovens of sizes appropriate for multiple applications – 32 x 9 x 6 metres, 26.6 x 8 x 5 metres, and 9 x 8 x 5 metres – two clean rooms for handling pre-pregs, an ultrasonic NDT machine for quality control, CNC milling equipment, a full carpentry shop and specialised storage facilities for sensitive goods like core materials, dry fibre, pre-pregs and dangerous materials.

King Marine has two locations: a boatbuilding facility and a fully-equipped waterfront centre in the old Team New Zealand base from the 32nd Americas Cup. Here is where new boats are launched and sea trials performed to ensure all details are worked through until both builder and customer are satisfied. Flying Nikka was commissioned here in early May.

Flying Nikka’s race plans include the Giraglia Race in June and the Maxi Worlds in Porto Cervo in September. All eyes will want to see how this exciting project will finally perform on the racecourse as a presage towards more boats like this in the future.

Since it was founded 17 years ago, King Marine has built up a world class team of composite boatbuilders and a wide range of other specialists at the top of their game

King Marine is further establishing its reputation in meeting the demands of foiling technology with new projects planned in other arenas of offshore foiling, such as the very demanding field of the Imoca class. Here the pressure to achieve is extremely high since not only is this a highly-competitive arena, but failure is unacceptable and possibly dangerous, so the build quality has to be at the absolute best.

This is not an unusual circumstance for the team at King Marine, who has a legendary obsession for quality and has been delivering the highest quality in custom high-tech racing yachts for the past 17 years from their base in Valencia, Spain.

Click here for more information on King Marine »

How the new device-oriented Phlotilla package does do it all

Newport, Rhode Island is the home of Phlotilla, formed in 2019 by experienced sailors, technologists and entrepreneurs, including world champions, America’s Cup veterans, Olympic sailors and race committee officials. Its next-generation event management platform eases the load on organisers and builds engagement within fleets.

Built on modern, mobile-friendly technology, Phlotilla supports onedesign, handicap, pursuit, team and match racing, even classic yacht scoring. Officials using the Race Management system can post results within seconds of the last boat finishing. Competitors can find all they need, such as notice board posts, NoR, sailing instructions, weather and tide data, schedule, scratch sheets, results and more on the Regatta Dash, just three clicks from their phone’s home screen.

Leapfrogging existing systems
Phlotilla incorporates all aspects of regatta management. It provides for a familiar “classic scoring” workflow with efficient scoring from finishes taken on paper, but excels as an all-digital finish and scoring platform that is consistently more accurate. ‘Phlotilla is so intuitive and easy to use,’ says Lee Parks, longtime US Sailing inshore director (retired) and experienced race official, after taking finishes and scoring with the on-water Run Race feature.

In addition to functionalities race organisers should expect from any online solution – easy self-serve regatta setup, intuitive entry registration, electronic document handling and simple, accurate scoring – it also offers:

• Automation of pursuit, team and match race management
• Integrated competitor, committee and volunteer communications
• Mobile device driven on-water run race features
• Wind tracking (direction & speed)
• Course/mark set functions
• Time-synced start and finish videos, readily cross-checked
• Online protest processing with remote hearings via Google Meet
• Crew finder functionality

‘I’m hugely impressed,’ says Peter Ryan, chairman of the Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA). ‘It’s absolutely phenomenal. There’s nothing they haven’t thought of, it’s the future.’

Engagement and community
Paramount to Phlotilla’s mission is the use of technology to promote sailing by building engagement and a sense of shared community within clubs, classes, fleets, and events. Drawing from its registry of yachts, sailors, teams, clubs, organisations and associations, it introduces sailors to fellow members or rivals and provides background on boats in the fleet – all linked directly to entry lists and results pages.

Event and organisation admins can create and post articles to their pages and upload photo albums. By ticking the “Allow to be Featured” box, content is made available to Phlotilla’s weekly newsletter and posting on the Phlotilla.News page. Registered crew can become onboard reporters, able to post and share images, videos, articles and albums on behalf of the boat.

Build profiles, manage teams
Sailor profiles allow competitors to share their experience, background, and historic performance as well as stories, albums and the boats they sail. Public profiles include a brief biography, preferred roles or positions, and past results, providing an effective “background check” of potential crew.

A sailor’s profile can also store personal information such as apparel sizes, weight, ISAF class and dietary restrictions to be shared only with team or crew managers. The robust Team Management feature is suitable for grand prix crews and collegiate teams as well as race committees and club racers, allowing management of crew lists or volunteers, inviting/assigning to specific events and, in the case of supported classes, compliance checks with specific requirements (weight, ISAF Group, gender, etc).

Yacht Profiles provide an easy way to create a professional-looking online presence for any boat. Shared with event media officers and linked to entries, they provide up-to-date content. Private sections offer real utility to yacht owners and managers with digital tools such as Voyage Logs, Maintenance Logs, Inventories, Deck Notes, and more.

A technology hub for racing
Aiming to become a hub for sailboat racing, Phlotilla has launched a number of useful and creative features. Phlotilla.News includes news, features, video and a comprehensive list of content links: publications, photographers, blogs, podcasts and more. In time, the universal sailing calendar, which includes results, will provide links to all events, regardless of the system hosting them.

Phlotilla’s unique architecture enables emerging technologies in racing championed by organisations like SAP and the Sailing Yacht Research Foundation with which Phlotilla has partnered. This may include electronically enabled autonomous racing, providing for starting lines to be monitored, incidents adjudicated and finish times taken automatically, tracking made accessible down to the club level, and asynchronous racing, competition between boats sailing in different times and locations.

Click here for more information on Phlotilla »

We’ve yet to meet the sailor who has raced the historic Bacardi Cup on the glorious waters of Biscayne Bay who did not want to go back again... and again and again

If you are looking for some world class, warm climate winter racing, with palm trees, blue skies, azure waters, epic après-sail and where you can rub shoulders with the world’s best, then get the Bacardi Cup and Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta in Miami, USA, 5-11 March 2023 in your calendar.

Bacardi’s involvement with sailing stretches back almost 100 years, sealed since 1927 when the brand partnered with the Star Class in Havana, Cuba for the first ever Bacardi Cup. Even back then, the popularity of the Star Class and Bacardi brand meant the Bacardi Cup was destined for success. Today, nine decades after its foundation, sailors the world over still aspire to participate in the Bacardi Cup, celebrate the regatta’s glorious history and secure their names on the prestigious trophies. From the outset, Bacardi has proudly set the standards for running outstanding racing and impressive socials.

The Bacardi Cup has expanded in recent years to include other competitive one-design sports boats, racing the Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta. The 2023 programme kicks off on 5 March 2023 for the Star Class at the Bacardi Cup, with the sports boats joining the competition from 9 March 2023, wrapping up with one almighty prizegiving and party on Saturday 11 March 2023.

Miami’s Biscayne Bay in midwinter offers stunning palmfronded sailing conditions that in a week will present both a joy and a challenge to all sailors. The weather ranges from the normal warm subtropical southerlies to the occasional sharp, cold blast of northerly breeze from a passing cold front to remind everyone it’s still March. Regardless, the clear waters of the bay are always inviting and it’s a short commute out and back to the race areas. The fleet line-up is world class and whether you are a legend of the sport or a weekend enthusiast you are guaranteed phenomenal racing.

There are few better venues in the world than Miami in spring, as the essential ingredients of warm weather, reliable breeze, camaraderie and exceptional hospitality ensure teams flock to enjoy the Bacardi Cup and Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta. The joy on faces says it all and Bacardi is well aware of the event’s potency, so year on year the mission for excellence continues.

Back on dry land after a thrilling day on the water, sailors are invited to relax, unwind and soak up the renowned hospitality. With typical Bacardi flair, the free-flowing complimentary cocktails, food and music boost the fun factor and up the tempo for the party animals.

Attracting a diverse cast of teams from around the world, the event regularly hosts more than 500 sailors from 20+ nations who come to compete against an array of talent and heroes, and to be part of this unique event in Miami.

Uniting generations, the Bacardi Cup is like no other event combining six world class race days of pure drama and spectacle, followed by a party atmosphere ashore. The regatta remains a landmark event for the Bacardi Rum brand and for the Bacardi family.

Despite its relaxed atmosphere and nostalgia, the Bacardi Cup is known for its twists and turns as numerous sailing legends, Olympians, Star world champions and Bacardi Cup champions aplenty fight it out. It is no easy ride, and there is every chance the world’s best will find themselves overhauled by amateur teams and weekend warriors. Staking your place on the leaderboard is never assured and the challenge for victory remains as tough today as the first edition back in 1927.

Above: the Bacardi Cup has expanded its scope in recent years and now includes large fleets of sports boats, including a strong showing of J/70s, alongside the original Star Class regatta.
Below: this year’s winners, Bruno Prada (left) with the Tito Bacardi Trophy and Mateus Kusznierewicz with the legendary Bacardi Cup itself

The event has never made compromises as it brings together the world’s best all round sailors in a battle for the Bacardi Cup and Tito Bacardi Cup trophies. Since 1927, 45 different skippers have claimed the elusive Bacardi Cup trophy. As well as the overall trophies, whatever your age there is a prize category for you, with awards presented to the winners in the Masters (skippers aged 50-59), Grand Masters (skippers aged 60 and above), and Exalted Grand Masters (skippers aged 70 and above).

With deep respect for the traditions of the Star Class, sailors face the challenge of one endurance race per day, and the zero-weight limit rule ensures the event remains accessible to all crew combinations.

Back-to-back 2022 and 2021 Bacardi Cup champion, Mateusz Kusznierewicz from Poland sums up why he, along with so many others, head to Miami year after year, saying: ‘It’s a brand. It’s a tradition. It’s a fantastic place. It’s a perfect time of the year. It’s great people. It’s this magic taste and feeling you have. Once you taste it, you want it again.’

Celebrating 100 years in 2027, the Bacardi Cup will no doubt continue to lead the sport into the future and retain its role as a unique international sailing tradition.

Progressing from the global popularity of the annual Bacardi Cup, it became a natural evolution to embrace other high-performance classes and the Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta was born. The Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta offers racing for the J/70, Melges 24, Viper 640 and VX-One sports boats, who prefer a short course style of racing, with multiple races held per day and only three scheduled race days overlapping a weekend. With an added pre-race day for boat setup and a practice session, this is a popular and wellproven format.

Hugely popular, the J/70 has been on the starting line in Miami since the first fleet was created. High-performance but stable enough for the whole family, the class features a huge depth of talent.

The Invitational Regatta is a staple for the fast and furious Melges 24 style of racing and the event is used as a USA national ranking event as well as settling the final score for the Bacardi Winter Series.

The Viper 640 is a relatively simple boat to sail and easy to set up for the crew of three or four. Newbies pick up the nuances of the boat easily and the sailing experience is sure to put a smile on your face, whether amateur or pro.

Simple, fast and fun is the mantra for the VX One, which offers crews of two or three, from junior to advanced a thrilling and sporty sail.

The Bacardi Cup and Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta are open to all – anyone who wants to take part is welcome. The Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta title may include ‘invitational’, but that only refers to the ‘invited’ classes competing, as the event is open to teams from around the world.

The organisers make it easy to just turn up and race. Venue logistics are super-organised, with careful planning of where to park boats, trailers and people on what can be a compact and crowded waterfront. There is no better feeling than knowing there is an organised and secure process to handle your boat, your trailer and your crew so that you can focus on why you’re there: to sail well and have fun.

The organisers and host clubs coordinate short and long-term storage options for the hundreds of boats that visit to race throughout their busy winter season, including prior to and during the Bacardi Cup events – at the Winter Series regattas for the Melges 24 and J/70 classes held over 16-18 December 2022 and 26-29 January 2023.

Above: fast and furious competition in a world class fleet draws the cream of Melges 24 teams from around the world.
Below: with typical Bacardi flair, the free-flowing cocktails boost the fun factor

Charter boats are available and there are on-site support and coaching options. A wide range of accommodation choices are nearby, as well as an event accommodation partner to handle teams’ requirements.

Even for family and friends who are not racing, there is plenty to do and see in nearby Coconut Grove and Miami is just a short journey. The host clubs along the waterfront throw open their doors, with the race village set up at the central venue of the Coral Reef Yacht Club.

It is evident that the event team and Bacardi are focused on ensuring a world class and enjoyable event for sailors, race officials and everyone involved. No wonder, year in year out, so many head to Miami for the finest winter sailing anyone can find on earth and superb parties!

Bacardi doesn’t make commitments by half-measures, it is all in. The company has been focused on not only creating a desirable brand, but its patronage has supported sailing events to evolve and be different.

The Bacardi Cup and Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta are almost the stuff of dreams. Who wouldn’t want to be in Miami in the winter warmth and sun, racing on clear waters, set against a palm tree waterfront and dramatic city skyline? These events are amongst the world’s most prestigious regattas and whether you are standing on the podium or not, you really will enjoy every moment. The Bacardi magic is open for everyone to be part of.

There’s no dream too big – and the world’s best continue to dream of victory in Miami. The 2023 Bacardi Cup and Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta should be on everyone’s calendar for the coming winter season.

Click here for more information on The 2023 Bacardi Cup and Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta »