Short Sightings — Cayard, Peninsula Youth Sailing and More

Cayard and Kleen Go Two for Two at the 99th Bacardi Cup

Rum and sailing have been together since the British navy discovered sugar cane. Possibly the oldest rum sponsorship in sailing started with Bacardi’s sponsorship of the Star class 99 years ago.

Tuesday’s race in the 99th Bacardi Cup delivered classic Biscayne Bay breezes with steady 13- to 15-knot winds from the east, powering the fleet of 75 boats through race two of six. At the front once again, Paul Cayard and Frithjof Kleen (USA) converted an early strategic separation into their second consecutive race win, finishing ahead of Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Bruno Prada (POL), with Robert Scheidt and Austin Sperry (BRA) third.

After the race Cayard commented, “Can’t start Bacardi much better than that, but it was very tough racing out there with Mateusz and Robert: very physical in 15 knots. It’s a two-hour nonstop physical exertion.”

The racing is being held March 1–7 on Biscayne Bay, Florida.

The Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup

The Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup, co-hosted by Cal Poly Maritime in Vallejo and the Port of Los Angeles, is one of the preeminent intercollegiate sailing events in the nation. The event will again be held by the Los Angeles Yacht Club in the Port of Los Angeles this coming weekend, March 6, 7 and 8. Last year’s winners, the University of Southern California Trojans, will return to defend their 2025 title. With several returning crew members, and having won seven of the 10 races last year, they promise challenging competition to the nine other contenders. The other nine teams are: Cal Poly Maritime, Cal Poly SLO, College of Charleston, University of Hawaii, Maine Maritime Academy, US Merchant Marine Academy, US Naval Academy, US Coast Guard Academy, and University of Victoria.

Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation Named Official Waszp Hub 

The one-design foiling, one-person Waszp has announced that the Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation (PYSF) is an official Waszp Hub for the 2026 season.

Based in Redwood City, PYSF has built one of Northern California’s most respected youth-sailing programs. The Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation has transitioned from longtime executive director Molly Vandemoer to new executive director John Vandemoer, her husband, as Molly moves to become the director of the US Sailing Olympic Sailing Team ahead of the 2028 L.A. Olympics.

Since foiling went mainstream after the 2013 America’s Cup on San Francisco Bay, dozens of new foiling classes have been developed to tap the excitement and potential of foiling. There are already several Waszps sailing on the Bay, though PYSF’s program will be the first concentrated program to develop local, foiling youth sailors.

Orange Coast College School of Sailing and Seamanship

Changes on the California waterfront continue. Orange Coast College’s Mariner Training Programs announced the retirement of two of their dedicated and renowned career staff members with the departure of Karen Prioleau, who was the faculty lead for the Professional Mariner Academic Program, led the Adventure Sailing program with many miles sailing the Alaska Eagle, and is also a US Sailing instructor trainer and leader in the Safety at Sea Seminars. Also retiring is Mette Segerblom, who was the coordinator of the School of Sailing and Seamanship, which kept the docks busy with youth and adult sailing and ran numerous programs, including their annual Summer Sailstice event that brought many new sailors to Newport Harbor.

We’ve had the pleasure of working with both of them over the past 25 years and know they’re leaving the program in good hands.

Team USA Wins SailGP Sydney

Finally. Taylor Canfield and the crew on Team USA chalked up a win at SailGP in Sydney. Sydney served up a light-wind tactical match on Sydney Harbour. Light-air tactics were key to the win during Team USA’s first appearance in the three-boat final match in over a year.

Once qualifying for the three-boat final, Canfield and crew led all around the course to reach the winner’s circle. They took on Emirates GBR and Spain’s Los Gallos in the final and kept control to take the win.

SailGP now heads to Rio de Janeiro for the next event before moving on to Bermuda and then New York at the end of May. See the full calendar here.