MIAMI (March 4, 2026) — Paul Cayard and Frithjof Kleen are undefeated with a 1-1-1 scoreline at the 99th Bacardi Cup. Three days in, and it’s been a test of endurance. With heavy breeze on Biscayne Bay, nearly 80 teams have battled through long, physical races, and the forecast calls for more of the same in the coming days.
Race Three delivered a gritty contest as the fleet reached the midpoint of the series. Cayard led wire to wire. The leaders started on the left, worked toward the middle, then returned left as the first beat developed. The first windward mark was fronted by Americans: Cayard, Brian Ledbetter, and Eric Doyle. By mark two, Norway’s Eivind Melleby and Ireland’s Peter O’Leary advanced. Little by little, Robert Scheidt recovered from a deep start and clawed his way back to fourth place overall, passing Mateusz Kusznierewicz in the overall podium.
On the final beat, Cayard extended his advantage and confidently took the win. Three back-to-back bullets. Hat trick secured.
With another bullet on his scorecard, he is distinguishing himself from Kusznierewicz and Scheidt, the trio that defined the opening days.
“It was just beautiful sailing – as good as it gets on Biscayne Bay,” said Doyle, who finished second. “Paul stepped out a little bit on the final leg and showed why he’s leading the regatta right now.”
With three races complete, Cayard and Kleen now sit firmly atop the leaderboard, but with three races still to sail and a throw-out looming after five, the Bacardi Cup remains unclaimed.
“The game is still pretty open,” said Scheidt.
Top 5 Overall After Race Three
1. Paul Cayard/Frithjof Kleen (USA) – 3 points
2. Robert Scheidt/Austin Sperry (BRA) – 10 points
3. Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Bruno Prada (POL) – 13 points
4. Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise (USA) – 16 points
5. Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA) – 17 points
Coconut Grove comes alive as the Bacardi Invitational Regatta invites the J/70, Melges 24, VX One and Snipe fleets onto Biscayne Bay, adding another 111 boats to the week and turning Miami into one of the largest gatherings of high level one-design racing in the world. For many sailors, the draw is the combination of elite competition and the community around it.
Follow the Bacardi Cup and Bacardi Invitational Regatta
Results: bacardiregattas.sailti.com
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