All change in the leaderboard after race 3 on Biscayne Bay with Eric Doyle and Payson Infelise USA take overall lead with 7 pts.
A win for Doyle and Infelise move ahead of overnight leaders and defending Bacardi Cup Champions Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Bruno Prada on 11 pts.
Biscayne Bay presented a different challenge Wednesday, as the lingering effects of the overnight storm transformed the race course into a bit of a cauldron.
The increased 10-12 knot southerly breeze and chop added complexity to the conditions. Downwind proved particularly tricky, trying to stay in the shifting pressure and anticipate the unpredictable breeze coming down.
Sweden’s Tom Lofstedt and Johan Tillander lead from the start, and continued to control the fleet downwind, but all change behind as John Dane III and Dave Martin edged into second, closely followed by MacCausland and Sangmeister and Doyle/Infelise.
Plenty of position changes unfolded as teams opted left or right through the gate and back upwind.
This was the moment Doyle and Infelise made their move, splitting with everyone at the bottom to lead. Dane and Martin managed to hold onto second place.
Misura and Barac overhauled Lofstedt and Tillander to finish 3rd and 4th, with both teams counting their best results so far. Diaz and Boening chipped through to finish 5th and advance to third overall on the leaderboard.
At the regatta’s midpoint, current form suggests the battle for victory is shaping up to be a showdown between Doyle and Infelise and Kuznierewicz and Prada. But, with three races to go anything can happen.
Star Bacardi Provisional Results – Top 10 after Race 3
1. Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise (USA 8580) – 7 pts
2. Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Bruno Prada (POL 8559) – 11 pts
3. Augie Diaz / Henry Boening (USA 8509) – 19 pts
4. Lars Grael / Ubiratan Matos (BRA 8392) – 24 pts
5. Jørgen Schönherr / Markus Koy (DEN 8532) – 27 pts
6. John MacCausland / Peter Sangmeister (USA 8448) – 34 pts
7. John Dane III / Dave Martin (USA 8230) – 36 pts
8. Johann Spitzauer / Christian Nehammer (AUT 8529) – 38 pts
9. Piet Eckert / Frederico Melo (SUI 8575) – 38 pts
10. Will Stout / Parker Mitchell (USA 8538) – 41 pts
