Snipe Don Q Rum Keg Regatta’s 50th celebration

37 teams from Peru, Italy, Finland, the Bahamas, and the United States competed in the fiftieth Snipe Don Q Rum Keg Regatta on 18th to 20th March. A 5th spot finish in the regatta’s final race was enough for Claudia Loiacono and Ernesto Rodriguez of Miami to hold off the challenge of Andre Guanragna and Jensen McTighe of Ft. Lauderdale for the victory.

Winning the last race, Jessica Chafin and Augie Diaz of Miami allowed them to move up 1 spot to end 3rd just ahead of Maddy McGrath an Randy Lake of San Diego. Ft. Lauderdale’s Peter and Connie Commette of were fifth in the ranking.

Sailed on the Biscayne Bay for fifty years, now out of Coconut Grove Sailing Club, the Don Q Rum Keg Regatta has (along with the ’popular’ South Florida weather) the orthodox Don Q Rum Daiquiri Party after the racing on Sunday followed by a Cuban style dinner.

The Don Q met is part of Snipe Southern Circuit that starts in Clearwater, Florida, for Midwinter Championship and it goes on to Nassau, Bahamas for Bacardi Cup as well as the Gamblin Cup meets, and also organises the Rent a yacht Regatta in Greece.

Meanwhile, the 2nd stop of the NOOD Regatta series enjoyed three days of great conditions – from 18th to 20th March for over hundred teams. With twelve classes spread out on 2 ocean courses as well as 1 bay course, Bruce Golison topped twenty-three J/70 fleet to take the overall honor and be invited to be a part of NOOD Regatta Championship in the British Virgin Islands in October.


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