2011 Series Piana Cup                 

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Regatta Summary by John Payne at bottom of page

 

Miami, FL (December 9, 2012) - The 2012-13 Etchells Jaguar Cup Mid Winters Series kicked off this weekend with the Piana Cup (Dec. 8-9). “The Jag”, as it has come to be known, is a series of four regattas between December and March. Hosted by Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, the series consistently draws forty or more boats to the good weather, great competition and even better camaraderie. Seven of the top ten boats from last year’s series were present amongst the fifty-two Etchells that reported to the starting line Saturday morning for the first of five scheduled races. While the weather on Biscayne Bay was beautiful, mid 70’s and lots of sun, the winds were light.

 

Race one began with a nice southeast breeze of about 7 knots. While small oscillations were present, there were no persistent shifts. At the first weather mark rounding, the first boat came from the far left side, and the second came from the right. After four 1.4 mile legs, Jeffrey Siegal held off Ernie Pomerleau to take the first race. As the day wore on, the clouds began to move in over the bay, and with that the winds began to fade. Race two went off with the wind holding just above 5 knots. Ante Razmilovic led start to finish, holding off Ernie Pomerleau in a photo finish. Race three went off in very light and shifty conditions, as the velocity barely reached five knots over the course. Flipper Wehrheim, driving Shannon Bush’s La Tormenta, took the last race over Senet Bischoff and Scott Kaufman. Once on shore the competitors were treated to a taco buffet, washed down with a couple of kegs of beer.

 

Sunday looked to be a repeat of Saturday, but the breeze was late filling in on the Bay. It was so much so that PRO Dave Brennan postponed on shore until noon. Once out on the bay, the fleet waited in vain for the wind to materialize, finally scrubbing the day at 1:30. Thus, Saturday’s scores stood with no drop.

 

Winning the Piana Cup was La Tormenta, skippered by Flipper Wehrheim with his crew of Kurt Oetking and Brad Boston. They were followed in second by perennial Jag champ Jeffery Siegal sailing with Jeff Madrigali, Willem Van Wey and Sara Callahan. Placing third was Senet Bischoff sailing with his brother Clay and Ben Kinney, the “K” of their boat’s name KGB. In fourth was America Jane II driven by Scott Kaufman with Justin Law, Victor Diaz and Jake La Dow as crew. Rounding out the top five was Keep Smiling steered by another Jag veteran Marvin Beckman with Andrew Lee and Watt Duffy.