Preview to Debauchery

BACARDI Miami Sailing Week


With registration closed and my arrival in Miami only 3 days away, let's take a look at what Miami has in store...

photo from event site

It's the second year for BMSW. After great success with their inaugural event, big things are to be expected this year.

And big things are happening.

With 183 boats signed up when registration closed on Feb. 28, the event has 50 more boats than 2010. Nearly 600 participants will be barging the line in the Star, Viper 640, Melges 20, Melges 24 and J/24 classes. This not just a national event either, just under 20 different countries will be represented throughout the classes.

This year marks the 84th running of the BACARDI Cup for the Star class and a cultural recognition of the class's 100th year. The Cup was won last year by returning registrant and US Sailing Team Alphagraphics member, Rick Merriman. The question is will Rick be leading the fleet or will 2009 Cup winner, Peter Bromby, be coming back to reclaim the trophy? Another strong contender could be this year's Rolex Miami OCR silver medalist, Frederik Loof. It's truly anyone's game here with 95 class registrants.
On a separate note, the Star Class's 100th year since inception has added a culture factor to the event with an exhibit amongst the arts in the North Hall of the Convention Center of Coconut Grove. The century celebration will include designs, photos and artifacts from the class.

The Melges 24 class has a lot of big names -Guy Mossman, Bora Gulari, Riccardo Simoneschi, Steve Kopf-  starting amongst 34 boats on the line. This will be an extremely competitive regatta for the 24s as the Italians look to keep up their winning streak in the Road to Corpus series. This event is just one part of the anticipation buildup for the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship in Corpus Christi, TX.

The Audi Melges 20 class has doubled in entries from last year with 27 boats registered. This small sportboat is just too-hot-to-trot in my opinion. I had the brief opportunity to sail one to the harbor at Charleston Race Week last year and haven't found an experience to replace it yet. Predictions call for 2010 Audi Melges 20 US National and USA Sailing Series Champion Michael Kiss on Bacio leading the fleet to the finish. 

This event has the three most important aspects to a popular regatta covered:
1) Easy water access
With the boats being stored and launched all along Coconut Grove, water access doesn't get much better. Also, if you have housing accommodations in The Grove, everything is within walking distance.
2) Good parties
It's fair to say that a good rum sponsor aids the event's party factor. Even better is that the parties start as soon as you're off the water; no waiting around. Another benefit is the hangover factor taken into account with race warnings only starting at 11am.
3) Cheap options
While Miami is an expensive city, there are several ways of doing this regatta on a budget. Hotels can be found for under $150/night, why not pack them with your whole crew? Good food and nightlife can be found at least at the Sandbar; though, there must be other cheap options in the area that I am sure to discover.

photo from event site

The debauchery begins Saturday.