Miami, FL — Amidst balmy temperatures and partly sunny skies, the 2024/2025 Etchells Biscayne Bay Series got underway last weekend with this year’s Louis Piana Cup Regatta. Biscayne Bay once again was dotted with Etchells Class vessels on December 7 and 8 as a fleet of 43 boats representing four countries vied for the early lead in the annual series.
Coming out on top following the weekend’s racing was Bayou Hustler, skippered by Austin Sperry. This Piana Cup victory is the first win for Sperry in an Etchells Class event. Joined by crewmates John Kostecki and Noel Drennan, Sperry and Bayou Hustler put up a commanding performance finishing top 3 in all but one of the regatta’s races and scoring 9 points total.
“Obviously the result we achieved was great,” said Sperry. “But working with the whole team, from my crewmates to our coaches, was what made this event special. I’m so honored to sail with them. Being relatively new to the Etchells Class, we just focused on the process leading up to the regatta and we are looking forward to improving even more throughout the series.”
However, the competition remained tight with solid performances from other top crews, setting up an exciting battle for the Biscayne Bay Series title over the course of 3 remaining regattas. Only 3 points separated finishers in second and fourth places.
Notable on the leaderboard are two Corinthian (all Cat 1 sailors) crews holding spots in the top ten aboard the vessels No Dramas and The Martian. “This is our fifth Biscayne Bay Series and it’s clear to see the competition has stepped up another level,” said Andrew Lawson, skipper of No Dramas. “You just need to read down the entry list to see the depth of talent and that’s the big attraction as you get to test yourselves against world-class competition.”
Madeline Baldridge of second place Dark’NStormy—the only crew with an even gender split amongst members—commented on her team’s experience in this weekend’s event:
“We are sailing with a new crew configuration this year, so that the tactician [2024 Paris Olympian Stephanie Roble] is able to have her eyes out of the boat as much as possible. Giving the trimmers the freedom to hyper-focus on speed through variable conditions and narrow lanes allowed us to be offensive enough with breeze phases and course bias. As a new team out for the first winter series event, we relied heavily on skilled driving from Ed Tillinghast to keep us clean around the course and a reliable inventory of North Sails to access the highest gears.”
Tillanghast added: “We put a premium on focusing on enjoying sailing together with some thoughtful pre-regatta planning and preparation to identify our goals, working together to emphasize each of the team’s strengths, a well defined list of things to focus on that would be realistic in such a competitive fleet and have the greatest benefits toward building a long term team, and our comms so the whole team contributed equally to our results. Sailing with two men and two women enhanced our focus on having a great time sailing together and focusing on our goals.”
Regatta Organizer Jeff Nehms noted the weekend’s near-perfect conditions and high caliber sailing. “Strong winds and great conditions made for a champagne sailing weekend at the Piana Cup,” he said. “The talent of this year’s fleet shone through, and the remaining Biscayne Bay Series is sure to thrill participants and spectators alike.”
Full results of the 2024 Louis Piana Cup Regatta are available via Yacht Scoring. The next event in the 2024/2025 Etchells Biscayne Bay Series is the Sidney Doren Memorial Regatta scheduled for January 11 and 12, 2025. The Series continues through mid-February and also includes the Florida State Championship (Feb. 1-2, 2025) and Mid-Winter’s East Regatta (Feb. 14-16, 2025).