2024 Etchells Biscayne Bay Series

The annual Etchells Biscayne Bay Series drew teams from across the USA and Europe for four regattas in Miami, FL. Participation was strong with 40+ boats on the line over four events: the Louis Piana Cup Regatta in December 2023, the Sidney Doren Memorial Regatta in January 2024, the Florida State Championship in February 2024, and the Mid-Winter’s East Regatta, held February 16-18, 2024.

For the third consecutive year, the overall winners were Jim Cunningham, Steve Hunt, Erik Shampain, and Serena Vilage. Their achievement was attributed by Cunningham “to the cohesive and enduring teamwork they have maintained for over five years.”

The crew acknowledged the importance of their consistent performance (they never finished worse than a 4th), highlighting the irreplaceable coordination and situational understanding that comes from long-term collaboration. Working with A-MAC as tuning partners (Jack Jakosky/ Andy Beadsworth/ Brian Ledbetter) for the second year proved instrumental, along with the guidance of their coach Dave Ullman.

USA 1504’s strategy involved securing solid, lower-risk starts to avoid early mistakes, sailing slightly conservatively, and steering clear of the racecourse edges. The tight competition was evident, with the top three teams separated by just two points. USA 1506 Oatmeal (Peter Duncan, Andrew Palfrey, and Mark Mandelblatt) secured second place, followed by USA 1456 Freedom D (Craig Mense, Ian Liberty, Manu Weiller, Norman Berg) in third.

The Corinthian Award winners were once again CAN 1451 Blackadder II with Andrew Cumming, Chloe Congourdeau, Erin Sauder, and John Millen, who clinched the award in a tiebreaker against USA 1349 Amateur Hour with the Bischoff family.

The final event, the Mid-Winter’s East Regatta, was characterized by fluctuating winds and equally varying results. Over the course of seven races over three days, there were six different winners, but Scott Kauffman’s team of Gonzalo Ribeiro, Carlos Robles, and Hugo Rocha led the regatta after winning the first race and were the most consistent.

• Biscayne Bay Series: Event details – Results
• Mid-Winters East: Event details – Results