Bacardi announces 100th edition of the Bacardi Cup
by Hannah Lee Noll 2 Jun 12:45 UTC
March 7-13, 2027
The downwind battle begins on day 2 of the 99th Bacardi Cup © Hannah Lee Noll
The countdown has begun for the banner year ahead.
In 2027, Bacardi celebrates the 100th edition of the Bacardi Cup, the longest-running partnership in the history of sailing. What began in 1927 as a 13-boat regatta in Havana, Cuba has grown into one of the sport's most revered institutions. Since 1962, Biscayne Bay has been its home. The world's best Star sailors come to Bacardi to measure themselves. That tradition continues; and next year, it reaches its centennial.
2027 Bacardi Series
- Bacardi Winter Series Event No. 1 | January 22-24, 2027
- Bacardi Winter Series Event No. 2 | February 19-21, 2027
- 100th Bacardi Cup | March 7-13, 2027
- Bacardi Invitational Regatta | April 1-3, 2027 | in conjunction with J/70 Midwinters
The 100th Bacardi Cup runs March 7-13, 2027 on Biscayne Bay. The goal: Over 100 Stars on the starting line. The biggest gathering of Star sailors the sport has ever seen.
For 2027, Bacardi is taking a new tack. The Bacardi Cup and the Bacardi Invitational Regatta will be sailed on separate weeks for the first time, giving each event its own stage and its own moment.
The storylines are already written
99th Bacardi Cup Champion. Star World Champion. Etchells World Champion. What does Paul Cayard do for an encore?
The 67-year-old Rolex Yachtsman of the Year and International Star Class President delivered one of the most extraordinary individual seasons in recent sailing history, claiming three world-level titles in a single year. Cayard had chased the Bacardi Cup for 46 years, through America's Cup campaigns, around-the-world races, and a career that built one of the most decorated resumes in the sport. When he and Frithjof Kleen finally sealed it this March in a match race showdown against the legend Robert Scheidt and Austin Sperry, the relief was visceral. "A 200-pound gorilla fell off my back," he said dockside.
Now he returns to defend it. At the centennial. Against a fleet that has had 12 months to think about it.
Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Bruno Prada will have something to say about that. The Polish-Brazilian duo claimed six consecutive Bacardi Cup titles before Cayard abruptly ended the streak. They finished third in March. Champions of that caliber do not come to Miami to finish third twice, even if they are up against the titan Cayard.
Scheidt and Sperry pushed Cayard and Kleen to the absolute limit and lost by one race: a match race that unfolded inside a fleet race, between two of the most decorated sailors alive. Scheidt fought from last place in that race, climbing from 30th to 10th on the final lap. It wasn't enough. That memory doesn't fade.
The 100th Bacardi Cup will draw the deepest, most motivated Star fleet in years. Every champion in the sport knows what is at stake. History is on the line.
The winter series builds toward it
The Bacardi Winter Series opens with the J/70 and Melges 24 fleets at Shake-A-Leg Miami January 22-24 and February 19-21 - two weekends of elite one-design racing that set the tone for what follows. Defending champions return. New rivalries form. The season begins.
At the Bacardi Invitational Regatta April 1-3, it peaks. Other fleets such as the VX One join the J/70 and Melges 24. The J/70 fleet will contest its Midwinter Championship during the Bacardi Invitational Regatta.
Where champions race
Across the full season, 200+ boats and more than 600 sailors representing over 20 nations are expected. Olympic medalists, world champions, Corinthian heroes, and sailors making their first trip to Miami all share the same start line.
Miami is one of the world's great sailing cities. Coconut Grove is its heart. The walkable streets, the palms, the light off Biscayne Bay in March; there is nowhere quite like it in sailing. Racing is hosted across Coral Reef Yacht Club, Shake-A-Leg Miami, Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, US Sailing Center, and Coconut Grove Sailing Club. When the boats come in each afternoon, the Bacardi bar is open.
There is no prize money at the Bacardi Cup. But there is prestige. There is legacy. And there is honor. Sailors dream of lifting that trophy even just once - because sipping rum from the Bacardi Cup, that is only for champions.
"There's a reason more and more sailors come to Miami every winter," said Eddie Cutillas of Bacardi USA. "The racing is exceptional, the hospitality is unmatched, and the sense of community here in Coconut Grove is truly special. For 99 years, we have honored our past. Now we stand on the edge of an extraordinary milestone. The next chapter begins in 2027."
One hundred years of competition. One hundred years of friendship. One hundred years of unforgettable moments on Biscayne Bay.
This is your invitation. Welcome to tradition. Welcome to the 100th Bacardi Cup.
Registration and information: bacardiinvitational.com
Registration for Bacardi Cup opens June 15, 2026
Registration for Invitational opens September 1, 2026
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