Canadian Queen City (Toronto Island) sailors compete in Miami - Bacardi Cup
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Good ship(s) Canada sail in the week long Bacardi Cup. Queen City Star Class boat finishes 73rd, another Canadian team finishes 4th
A pair of sailors from the Queen City Yacht Club took part in 5-days of Star Class races in the Miami's Bacardi Cup. Skipper Greg Poole and crew Jeff Imai took part in the 83rd running of the venerable regatta.
Poole and Imai were not the only Canadians in the race, according to our correspondent/photographer Pat Whetung (and commodore of the QCYC) reported from the races that " there are boats from the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club in Ontario, and entries from Quebec and British Columbia."
"There were 84 entries in total this year." she continued. "That makes for a very long start line filled with skilled boatmen. There were 10-12 Canadians on the start line each day."
The race schedule was hampered by bad weather, organizers called it a "vicious storm system which lurked north of Miami." As a result some races were cancelled.
Poole and Imai placed 73rd in the field of 84. Top Canadians were skipper Richard Clark and crew Tyler Bjorn who placed 4th. Clark, from Victoria, is a member of the Canadian Yachting Association's 2010 Canadian Sailing Team.
American Skipper Rick Merriman and Crew Phil Trinter took the victory on the final day of Star Class sailing,(March 13th),taking home their first Bacardi Cup win.
With gusty wind conditions puffing up to 24 knots on a sunny day, at least five Star Class masts were snapped trying to navigate strong winds.
The wind become an increasing concern in the afternoon of the last day of the regatta, the decision was made to not hold an additional Star Class race to make-up for a previous day cancellation due to windy weather. In its final day, the regatta settled for five instead of six total sessions.With Merriman-Trinter taking the win, the end of the day found Irish Skipper Peter O'Leary second overall, and American Skipper Andy Horton taking third.
What started out as a three-day event with less than 10 boats in 1927, the Bacardi Cup now attracts more than 200 sailors each year from some 23 countries and the attention of national and international media. The tradition of camaraderie and competition surrounding the Trofeo Bacardi began in Havana, Cuba where it was first sailed as part of the Mid-Winter Championship known as the Cup of Cuba.
In 1962, the regatta found a new home in Coconut Grove/Miami at the Coral Reef Yacht Club, where it has continued to sail the Star Class from every year since.
WHAT IS A STAR CLASS BOAT
The International Star (or Starboat)is the designation for a 6.9 m (22.7 ft) Olympic keel boat. It is designed for two people - skipper and crew - and has been raced for over a 100 years.
According to Wikepedia "the boat must weigh at least 671 kg (1479.3 lb) with a maximum total sail area of 26.5 m2 (285 ft2). It is sloop-rigged, with a mainsail larger in proportional size than any other boat of its length. Unlike most modern racing boats, it does not use a spinnaker when sailing downwind. Instead, when running downwind a whisker pole is used to hold the jib out to windward for correct wind flow. Early Stars were built from wood, but modern boats are generally made of fiberglass."
CUT LINE:
TOP: Poole (left) and Imai (right). Photograph by Pat Whetung
BOTTOM: On the starting line 84 Star Class boats get ready for the final day of the Miami Sailing Week. In the background also competing: the Melges 20, Melges 24, Viper 640 and J/24 Classes for a total of 135 boats sailing in the e waters of Biscayne Bay. (C) Cory Silken/BACARDI - www.MiamiSailingWeek.com. (PRNewsFoto/BACARDI, Cory Silken)
Good ship(s) Canada sail in the week long Bacardi Cup. Queen City Star Class boat finishes 73rd, another Canadian team finishes 4thA pair of sailors from the Queen City Yacht Club took part in 5-days of Star Class races in the Miami's Bacardi Cup. Skipper Greg Poole and crew Jeff Imai took part in the 83rd running of the venerable regatta.
Poole and Imai were not the only Canadians in the race, according to our correspondent/photographer Pat Whetung (and commodore of the QCYC) reported from the races that " there are boats from the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club in Ontario, and entries from Quebec and British Columbia."
"There were 84 entries in total this year." she continued. "That makes for a very long start line filled with skilled boatmen. There were 10-12 Canadians on the start line each day."
The race schedule was hampered by bad weather, organizers called it a "vicious storm system which lurked north of Miami." As a result some races were cancelled.
Poole and Imai placed 73rd in the field of 84. Top Canadians were skipper Richard Clark and crew Tyler Bjorn who placed 4th. Clark, from Victoria, is a member of the Canadian Yachting Association's 2010 Canadian Sailing Team.
American Skipper Rick Merriman and Crew Phil Trinter took the victory on the final day of Star Class sailing,(March 13th),taking home their first Bacardi Cup win.
With gusty wind conditions puffing up to 24 knots on a sunny day, at least five Star Class masts were snapped trying to navigate strong winds.
The wind become an increasing concern in the afternoon of the last day of the regatta, the decision was made to not hold an additional Star Class race to make-up for a previous day cancellation due to windy weather. In its final day, the regatta settled for five instead of six total sessions.With Merriman-Trinter taking the win, the end of the day found Irish Skipper Peter O'Leary second overall, and American Skipper Andy Horton taking third.
What started out as a three-day event with less than 10 boats in 1927, the Bacardi Cup now attracts more than 200 sailors each year from some 23 countries and the attention of national and international media. The tradition of camaraderie and competition surrounding the Trofeo Bacardi began in Havana, Cuba where it was first sailed as part of the Mid-Winter Championship known as the Cup of Cuba.
In 1962, the regatta found a new home in Coconut Grove/Miami at the Coral Reef Yacht Club, where it has continued to sail the Star Class from every year since.
WHAT IS A STAR CLASS BOAT
The International Star (or Starboat)is the designation for a 6.9 m (22.7 ft) Olympic keel boat. It is designed for two people - skipper and crew - and has been raced for over a 100 years.
According to Wikepedia "the boat must weigh at least 671 kg (1479.3 lb) with a maximum total sail area of 26.5 m2 (285 ft2). It is sloop-rigged, with a mainsail larger in proportional size than any other boat of its length. Unlike most modern racing boats, it does not use a spinnaker when sailing downwind. Instead, when running downwind a whisker pole is used to hold the jib out to windward for correct wind flow. Early Stars were built from wood, but modern boats are generally made of fiberglass."
CUT LINE:
TOP: Poole (left) and Imai (right). Photograph by Pat Whetung
BOTTOM: On the starting line 84 Star Class boats get ready for the final day of the Miami Sailing Week. In the background also competing: the Melges 20, Melges 24, Viper 640 and J/24 Classes for a total of 135 boats sailing in the e waters of Biscayne Bay. (C) Cory Silken/BACARDI - www.MiamiSailingWeek.com. (PRNewsFoto/BACARDI, Cory Silken)
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