Paul Cayard


Tradition and excellence


Ninety-five years is a long time by anyone’s measure. Some people are fortunate enough to live that long… not many, though. The relation- ship between the Star Class and Bacardi started in Cuba in 1927. In 1962, with the help of Dr Carlos de Cardenas, the Bacardi family moved to Miami. The relationship has been parented


by generations of Bacardi family members as well as Star Class leaders. The Bacardi Cup has endured wars, recessions, political unrest and a pandemic, only gaining strength through it all. Eddie Cuttilas is the man at the helm these days. The great-


grandson of Emilio Bacardi, cousin of Tito, Eddie has been curating the event and the marriage with the Star Class for the past 20 years. About 12 years ago, to support more of sailing’s popular one-


design classes, Bacardi Cup invited about five other classes to join in for the final four days of the traditional Star event. These classes have included the J70s, Melges 24s, Vipers, VX Ones and this year the 69F foiling monohulls made their debut. For 95 years the Bacardi Cup has been the fusion of two quality


brands, the Star Class and Bacardi. Both stand for excellence, and both cherish tradition. There is a knack to being a premium brand yet staying relevant as the world evolves. The Star Bacardi Cup has one race per day, and it is run on the


(long) World Championship course. The Bacardi Cup is to the Star Class what the Masters is to Golf. The list of past champions reads like the honour roll of the Star fleet. The two sailors with the most victories are Ding Schoonmaker


32 SEAHORSE


with eight (seven as helm and one as crew) and Mark Reynolds with seven as helm… And the venues… I never had the pleasure of sailing in Havana,


but I have been told it was epic. Big waves, warm water and reliable easterly breeze. Much the same weather as some of the other idyllic spots further down east which we race at frequently… the BVIs, St Barths, Antigua and so on. I can only imagine the fun they had in ‘old Havana’ during the


Star races in the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s. Probably a good thing Blackaller and Buddy Friedrichs were too young. For the past 61 years the Bacardi Cup has been held on Biscayne


Bay where the breezes and seas are gentle, and the water is warm. The sun will scorch you, though, so use that HarkenDerm! In Coconut Grove we are hosted by a trio of great sailing institutions: Coral Reef Yacht Club, Biscayne Bay Yacht Club and the US Sailing Center. This year the Shake-A-Leg foundation’s hanger provided a great


‘village’ for the event. If there is a home of the Star class currently it must be Biscayne Bay. The Grove is also close to the Bacardi company headquarters which hosts us each year for a fun evening of libations and entertainment. In recent years the Bacardi Cup has been dominated by Mateusz


Kusznierewicz (POL) and Bruno Prada (BRA). Bruno is the sailor with the most Star World Championship victories at five, also an Olympic medallist. He is currently coaching his daughter in the IQ Foil for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This year there are 58 entries. Twelve are past world champions. There are no soft spots to be found up at the front of this group.


VAN DER BORCH


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