Ireland’s Peter O'Leary/Stephen Milne finished second in race three of the Star class Bacardi Cup in Miami on Thursday and moved to sixth overall.
The Cork-Belfast pairing have moved up the rankings from their opening score of 17th on Monday. A fifth place in race two moved them into the top ten on Wednesday, and now they are six points off the podium with three races left to sail.
Two general recalls for the Star as the fleet re-contested yesterday’s abandoned race 2. A five-leg race in 12 knots of breeze tested teams’ endurance and displayed their vast sailing prowess. Never underestimating the fleet quality, five of the boats inside the race top ten carried the gold Star mainsail logo awarded to World Champions.
Yet again Piet Eckert/Frederico Melo led the fleet to the first mark, before 2019 Bacardi Cup champions Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise dismantled the opposition to take the lead and the win after a battle in the second upwind. They were at their best and making up for yesterday’s BFD error. However, their scorecard won’t be realised on the leader board until the discard kicks in after race 5. They currently sit in 25th from scores of 3,1, 74 (BFD).
“It was a little tough to take yesterday, it got us a little fired up,” reflected Doyle on their penalty score. “It was good motivation to get us back in the regatta.”
Speaking on today’s win, he continued, “We are happy when it is windy and shifty is pretty nice too. It is anybody’s game then. But if you are feeling confident and feeling good you can tack on the shifts, try and surf a little downwind and be a little bold at times, which we like.”
Team work is key said Infelise, “We work well, our communication in the boat is really good, so we know what moves are coming at what time. We are very happy with it.”
In reference to the BFD penalty, Doyle added, “We can’t make any mistakes now. There are so many good guys, we have got to go for it. It has put us in a little bit of a corner. We have got to have some bold races if we want to win the regatta. That is what we are here for, and it is going to be fun.”
Defending Champions Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Bruno Prada finished in third and gear up to top the leader board, with overnight leaders Eivind Melleby/Mark Strube finishing two places behind and now second overall.
Star Provisional Results – Top 5 after Race 3
1. Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Bruno Prada (POL) - 12 pts
2. Eivind Melleby/Mark Strube (NOR) - 14 pts
3. Hans Spitzauer/Christian Nehammer (AUT) - 18 pts
4. Piet Eckert/Frederico Melo (SUI) - 22 pts
5. Leandro Altolaguirre/Lucas Altolaguirre (ARG) - 22 pts
Results here
