Final Results for Pensacola to Havana Race

Bob Kriegel (Pensacola, FL) sailing his monohull Pearson 424 ‘Acadia’ and George Reiss (Panama City, FL) sailing his multihull R&C ‘Bene Vita’ shared the top prize in the 2015 Andrews Institute Pensacola a la Habana Race. Kreigel was top corrected time finisher in the 17-boat monohull group and Reiss was top corrected time finisher of the 4 multihulls that started the historic renewal of yacht racing to Cuba from the United States.

The 2015 race was 511 nautical miles from Pensacola to Havana. The fleet started October 31 with the tide at the end of the Bayou Chico Channel, heads through Pensacola Pass, leaves the sea buoy #1 to starboard and heads straight to Havana leaving Rebecca Shoals Light to port. The last yacht reached Cuba on November 5.

Twenty-one boats from 27 to 57 feet long competed in three divisions — 10 Modern Cruisers, 7 Classic Cruisers, and 4 Multihulls. Along the way four yachts withdrew, two because of damage. The crew from one of those, ‘Midnight sun II’, returned to Pensacola, transferred their supplies and gear onto ‘TraSea’, owned by one of her crew, and headed for Cuba. The crew was actually awarded third place in Class B.

CORRECTED TIME RESULTS

• MODERN CRUISER DIVISION
CLASS A
1— XTC, Beneteau OC 461, Tom Glew, St. Petersburg FL
2— Lesson #1, J130, Guy Williams/Mike Finn, New Orleans LA
3— Déjà Vu, C&C34+, Stephen Thorne, Norcross GA/Mandeville LA
4— Na Zdravi, Beneteau 47, Chris Schmidt, Montgomery AL/Panama City FL
CLASS B
1— Legacy, Hylas 49, Alan Steele, Gulf Breeze FL
2— La Gazelle, Beneteau 381, Kirby Louque, Metairie LA
3— TraSea, (re: Midnight Sun II) Beneteau 473, Neil Davies/Larry Cost, Pensacola FL
4— Tif Blue, Tartan 34, Bob Suberi, Orange Beach AL

MODERN CRUISER DIVISION OVERALL
1— XTC, Beneteau OC 461, Tom Glew, St. Petersburg FL
2— Lesson #1, J130, Guy Williams/ Mike Finn, New Orleans LA
3— Déjà Vu, C&C34+, Stephen Thorne, Norcross GA/Mandeville LA
4— Legacy, Hylas 49, Alan Steele, Gulf Breeze FL

• CLASSIC CRUISER DIVISION
CLASS C
1— Libra, Tripp 57, Ryan Rayfield, Orange Beach AL
2— Radio Flyer, Valiant 40, Tim Cerniglia, New Orleans LA
3— Serengeti, Formosa 45, Larry Hamilton, Marathon FL
CLASS D
1— Acadia, Pearson 424, Bob Kriegel, Pensacola FL
2— Chanty, Cape Dory 36, Larry McAnally, Ashland OR/Destin FL
3— Learning to Fly, Island Packet 38, Robert Witzler, Apollo Beach FL

CLASSIC CRUISER DIVISION OVERALL
1— Acadia, Pearson 424, Bob Kriegel, Pensacola FL
2— Chanty, Cape Dory 36, Larry McAnally, Ashland OR/Destin FL
3— Libra, Tripp 57, Ryan Rayfield, Orange Beach AL
4— Radio Flyer, Valiant 40, Tim Cerniglia, New Orleans LA

MONOHULL FLEET CORRECTED TIME OVERALL WINNER
1— Acadia, Pearson 424, Bob Kriegel, Pensacola FL

MULTIHULL CLASS & DIVISION
1— Bene Vita, R&C 46, George Reiss, Panama City FL
2— Odalisque, Catana 43, Tom Schinkert, Elberta AL
3— Belafonte, Corsair 31R, Mike Patterson, Pensacola FL

MULTIHULL FLEET CORRECTED TIME OVERALL WINNER
1— Bene Vita, R&C 46, George Reiss, Panama City FL

PACE PERPETUAL TROPHY WINNERS
Monohull— Acadia, Pearson 424, Bob Kriegel, Pensacola FL
Multihull— Bene Vita, R&C 46, George Reiss, Panama City FL

OVERALL BEST CORRECTED TIME TROPHY WINNER
Bene Vita, R&C 46, George Reiss, Panama City FL

Race website – Tracker

Report by Talbot Wilson

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