Peter O’Leary Tipped a Pre-Regatta Favourite At Bacardi Cup

28th February 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Miami Focus — Cork’s Peter O’Leary in Star Class action in Cork Harbour as he heads to the 99th Bacardi Cup on Biscayne Bay, where he is tipped among the pre-regatta favourites. Photo: Robert Bateman

Cork’s Peter O’Leary in Star Class action in Cork Harbour as he heads to the 99th Bacardi Cup on Biscayne Bay, where he is tipped among the pre-regatta favourites Credit: Bob Bateman

Cork’s Peter O'Leary is a noted pre-regatta Star Class favourite as the 99th Bacardi Cup opens on Biscayne Bay (March 2-7).

Ireland’s challenge is strengthened by a significant family presence. Three O’Learys are entered in the 80-boat Star fleet.

As Afloat reported earlier, Peter O’Leary races with Dutch crew Joost Houweling. His father Anthony O’Leary and brother, Robert O’Leary are also on the start list, giving Ireland rare triple representation in the historic class.

The regatta, first sailed in 1927, runs from March 2–7 in Miami. It marks the 99th edition, with attention already turning to next year’s centennial.

Bay Battle — The Star fleet spreads across Biscayne Bay at the 98th Bacardi Cup in Miami, with nearly 80 boats contesting the historic regatta. Photo: Up Top Media

International Line-Up

Teams from 25 nations are competing across the Bacardi Cup and the Bacardi Invitational Regatta, bringing nearly 200 boats onto Biscayne Bay.

Six-time consecutive champions Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Bruno Prada return to defend their record.

Kusznierewicz said: “I’m focused on building habits, not chasing better results. The pleasure of sailing and the faith in the process are the source of my success.”

Defending Star World Champion Paul Cayard is also racing, alongside a line-up that includes Olympic champion Robert Scheidt and leading European contenders.

Invitational Fleets Join Midweek

From March 5–7, J/70, Melges 24, VX One and Snipe fleets join the action.

Victor Diaz de Leon, tactician on last year’s winning J/70 team, said: “We’re proud of the win here during the Winter Series. But the most exciting one is next… That’s what we’re really looking forward to.”

Across five classes, Biscayne Bay again becomes a focal point of international keelboat racing.

For Ireland, much of the spotlight will fall on Peter O’Leary as he bids to convert pre-event expectation into podium success.

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The Star keelboat is a 6.9 metres (23 ft) one-design racing keelboat for two people designed by Francis Sweisguth in 1910.

The Star was an Olympic keelboat class from 1932 through to 2012, the last year keelboats appeared at the Summer Olympics at which Ireland's representatives were Peter O'Leary and David Burrows.

Ireland has performed well in the class internationally thanks to some Olympic campaigns including a bronze medal at the Star World Championships in 2000, won by Mark Mansfield and David O'Brien.

The boat is sloop-rigged, with a mainsail larger in proportional size than any other boat of its length. Unlike most modern racing boats, it does not use a spinnaker when sailing downwind. Instead, when running downwind a whisker pole is used to hold the jib out to windward for correct wind flow.

Early Stars were built from wood, but modern boats are of fibreglass and carbon construction.

The boat must weigh at least 671 kg (1,479 lb) with a maximum total sail area of 26.5 m2 (285 sq ft).

The Star class pioneered an unusual circular boom vang track, which allows the vang to effectively hold the boom down even when the boom is turned far outboard on a downwind run.

Another notable aspect of Star sailing is the extreme hiking position adopted by the crew and at times the helmsman, who normally use a harness to help hang low off the windward side of the boat with only their lower legs inside.