What started out as a three-day event with less than 10 boats in 1927, now attracts more than 200 sailors each year from some 23 countries and the attention of international media.
The BACARDI Cup is legendary as one of the few sporting events in which weekend enthusiasts have the opportunity to compete head on with Olympian and World Champion athletes.
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.
For the next 30 years the BACARDI Cup established an esteemed reputation for competition and hospitality. The tradition flourished until political unrest forced BACARDI to leave Cuba in 1957, the last year the BACARDI Cup was hosted by Cuba. It was also cancelled in 1934, during World War II from 1943-1947 and again in 1956.
In 1962, the regatta found a new home in Coconut Grove/Miami at the Coral Reef Yacht Club, where it has continued to sail from every year since. Miami native James "Ding" Schoonmaker, former World Champion and seven-time BACARDI Cup winner, and Frank Zagarino, 1969 Bacardi Cup winner, are credited with making the transition work. Ding won his first BACARDI Cup in Havana at the age of 19. In 2004, the Portuguese team of Afonso Domingos and Bernardo Santos was the first European team to win this prestigious sailing regatta. They won again in 2008.
In 2007, teams from China and Croatia competed in the BACARDI Cup for the first time. In 2008, Hungarian and Russian teams were on the start line for the first time joining teams from 24 other countries. 2008 was a BACARDI Cup history first with almost three quarters of the fleet from countries other than the United States.
The BACARDI Cup is the only Cuban-born sporting event to survive in the United States and it is sponsored in full by Bacardi U.S.A., Inc.
Year | Boat # | Boat Name | Skipper | Crew | Fleet | |||||
2023 | POL 8548 | Savannah | Mateusz Kuznierewicz |
Bruno Prada | POL |
|||||
2022 | POL 8548 | Savannah | Mateusz Kusznierewicz |
Bruno Prada | POL |
|||||
2021 | POL 8548 | Savannah | Mateusz Kusznierewicz |
Bruno Prada | POL |
|||||
2020 | POL 8548 | Savannah | Mateusz Kusznierewicz |
Bruno Prada | POL |
|||||
2019 | 8423 | USA 8423 | Eric Doyle |
Paison Infelise | USA |
|||||
2018 | 8533 | Spirit of Milica | Diego Negri |
Sergio Lambertenghi | ITA |
|||||
2017 | 8481 | Starboat | Mark Mendelblatt |
Magnus Liljedahl | USA |
|||||
2016 | 8340 | Starboat | Robert Stanjek |
Frithjof Kleen | GER |
|||||
2015 | 8474 | Renata | Lars Grael |
Samuel F.M. Gonzales | BRA |
|||||
2014 | 8474 | Renata | Lars Grael |
Samuel F.M. Gonzales | BRA |
|||||
2013 | 8177 | Star | Mark Mendelblatt |
Brian Fatih | USA |
|||||
2012 | 8237 | La Pelle | Xavier Rohart |
Pierre Alexis Ponsot |
FRA |
|||||
2011 | 8270 | Max | Guillaume Florent |
Pascal Rambeau |
FRA |
|||||
2010 | 8362 | Max | Rick Merriman |
Phil Trinter |
USA |
|||||
2009 | 8272 | Peter Bromby |
Magnus Liljedahl |
Isol |
||||||
2008 | 8309 | Gildeptis | Afonso Domingos |
Bernardo Santos |
POR |
|||||
2007 |
8187 | Hamish Pepper |
David Giles |
NZL | ||||||
2006 | 8230 | John Dane | Austin Sperry | USA | ||||||
2005 | 8157 | Mark Mendelblatt | Mark Strube | USA | ||||||
2004 | 8145 | Afonso Domingos | Bernardo Santos | POR | ||||||
2003 | 7988 | Peter Bromby | Martin Siese | BER | ||||||
2002 | 8067 | Bongo Fury |
Mark Reynolds | Magnus Liljedahl | SDB | |||||
2001 | 7988 | Peter Bromby | Martin Siese | BER | ||||||
2000 | 7838 | Ross Macdonald | Kai Bjorn | EB | ||||||
1999 | 7838 | Ross Macdonald | Kai Bjorn | EB | ||||||
1998 | 7829 | Bongo Fury | Mark Reynolds | Magnus Liljedahl | SDB | |||||
1997 | 7829 | Bongo Fury | Mark Reynolds | Magnus Liljedahl | SDB | |||||
1996 | 7836 | Vince Brun | Magnus Liljedahl | SDB | ||||||
1995 | 7737 | Ross Macdonald | Kai Bjorn | EB | ||||||
1994 | 7737 | Ross Macdonald | Bruce Macdonald | EB | ||||||
1993 | 7602 | Paragon | Peter Wright | Greg Cook | SLM | |||||
1992 | 7460 | Mark Reynolds | Hal Haenel | SDB | ||||||
1991 | 7302 | Ed Adams | George Iverson | NB | ||||||
1990 | 7460 | Bongo Fury |
Mark Reynolds | Hal Haenel | SDB | |||||
1989 | 7288 | Bongo Fury |
Mark Reynolds | Hal Haenel | SDB | |||||
1988 | 7101 | Ed Adams | Tom Olsen | NB | ||||||
1987 | 7209 | Vince Brun | Hugo Schreiner | SDB | ||||||
1986 | 7209 | The Usual | Vince Brun | Hugo Schreiner | SDB | |||||
1985 | 6921 | Yes Indeedy | Vince Brun | Bob Billingham | SDB | |||||
1984 | 6464 | Trigger Happy | Mark Reynolds | Chris Gould | SDB | |||||
1983 | 6910 | Andy Menkart | James Kavle | WS | ||||||
1982 | 6680 | Van Gogh | Vince Brun | Randy McLaren | SDB | |||||
1981 | 6680 | Van Gogh | Vince Brun | Todd Cozzens | SDB | |||||
1980 | 6560 | Frolic | Bill Buchan | Douglas Knight | PS | |||||
1979 | 6042 | Frolic | Bill Buchan | Douglas Knight | PS | |||||
1978 | 5681 | Virgo III | Peter Wright | Todd Cozzens | SLM | |||||
1977 | 5607 | Dingo | Ding Schoonmaker | Chris Rogers | BisB | |||||
1976 | 5607 | Dingo | Ding Schoonmaker | Jerry Ford | BisB | |||||
1975 | 5681 | Virgo III | Peter Wright | William Wright | SLM | |||||
1974 | 5607 | Dingo | Ding Schoonmaker | Jerry Ford | BisB | |||||
1973 | 5660 | Frolic | Bill Buchan | Craig Thomas | PS | |||||
1972 | 5524 | Super Rat | Read Ruggles | David Dickey | BisB | |||||
1971 | 5407 | Dingo | Ding Schoonmaker | Joerg Bruder | BisB | |||||
1970 | 5407 | Dingo | Ding Schoonmaker | Joerg Bruder | BisB | |||||
1969 | 4621 | Zig Zag | Frank Zagarino | Gould Ryder | BisB | |||||
1968 | 5271 | Glider | Richard Stearns | Lynn Williams | WH | |||||
1967 | 5271 | Glider | Richard Stearns | Lynn Williams | WH | |||||
1966 | 5012 | Star of the Sea | Joe Duplin | Rodney Long | BH | |||||
1965 | 4459 | Super Rat | Read Ruggles | David Dickey | BisB | |||||
1964 | 4207 | Dingo | Ding Schoonmaker | Ace Colson | BisB | |||||
1963 | 4589 | Cirrus | Howard Lippincott | Herb Hild | ES | |||||
1962 | 4305 | Conch III | Basil Kelly | David Kelley | CoH | |||||
Series moved to Biscayne Bay |
||||||||||
1961 | Not Sailed | |||||||||
1960 | Not Sailed | |||||||||
1959 | Not Sailed | |||||||||
1958 | Not Sailed | |||||||||
1957 | 3076 | Kurush IV | Alvaro de Cá¡rdenas | Jorge de Cá¡rdenas | Mar | |||||
1955 | 3076 | Kurush IV | Jorge de Cá¡rdenas | Alvaro de Cá¡rdenas | Mar | |||||
1954 | 2934 | Cubana | Alberto Reyes | José de la Campa | FdeH | |||||
1953 | 3167 | Dingo | Ding Schoonmaker | D. Pritchard | N | |||||
1952 | 3081 | Mate | Robert Lippincott | Bob Levine | WJ | |||||
1951 | 2967 | Estrellita | Durward Knowles | Ding Schoonmaker | N | |||||
1950 | 2125 | Shillalah | Skip Etchells | Mary Etchells | WLIS | |||||
1949 | 1961 | Twin Star | Woodie Pirie | F.S. Dixon | WH | |||||
1948 | 1961 | Twin Star | Woodie Pirie | Sam Pirie | WH | |||||
1947 | Not Sailed | |||||||||
1946 | Not Sailed | |||||||||
1945 | Not Sailed | |||||||||
1944 | Not Sailed | |||||||||
1943 | Not Sailed | |||||||||
1942 | 1902 | Concubine | Alfred de Marigny | -- | N | |||||
1941 | 1563 | Gale | Harry Nye | -- | SLM | |||||
1940 | 1563 | Gale | Harry Nye | -- | SLM | |||||
1939 | 1310 | Melody | Paul Smart | -- | CLIS | |||||
1938 | 1563 | Gale | Harry Nye | -- | SLM | |||||
1937 | 1367 | Jack Rabbit | Paul Shields | Cornelius Shields | PGB | |||||
1936 | 202 | Ace | Adrian Iselin II | Elwood White | WLIS | |||||
1935 | 202 | Ace | Adrian Iselin II | Sr. Carricabura | WLIS | |||||
1934 | Not Sailed | |||||||||
1933 | 202 | Ace | Adrian Iselin II | Elwood White | WLIS | |||||
1932 | 700 | Moonshine | David Atwater | Charles Lawton | NB | |||||
1931 | 388 | Delfin | Carlos de Cárdenas | -- | FdeH | |||||
1930 | 499 | Catherine | W.F. Teves | -- | WLIS | |||||
1929 | 333 | Colleen | Fred Bedford | Brigs Cunningham | CLIS | |||||
1928 | 510 | Budsal II | F. Robinson | D. Robinson | PGB | |||||
1927 | 202 | Ace | Adrian Iselin II | Ed Willis | WLIS |