Somers Kempe came from behind on the final day to win the 2015 EFG Winter Cup in the Viper 640 Class in Biscayne Bay, Miami yesterday.

The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Commodore kept his cool when it mattered most in breezy conditions and did just enough in the final fleet race of the seven race series to edge out rival skipper Lawrence Crispin, of Britain, for the title.

Anthony O’Leary, of Ireland, was third.

Kempe and crew Adam Barboza and Butch Agnew had very little margin for error heading into the final race after scoring an eleventh in the penultimate race for going over the line early.

The Bermuda team did not panic though and proved equal to the task, posting a fourth second-place finish of the regatta and putting enough boats between themselves and Crispin to edge the latter by two points after making their drop.

“We were able to come back when we needed to and recover from mistakes well,” Kempe said. “The crew did a great job of staying focused right to the end.”

The victory has boosted the confidence of Kempe and his crew who will now look to carry their momentum into the Bacardi Miami Sailing Week which gets under way for the Viper 640 Class on Thursday.

“This was a good warm-up event ahead of the main event later this week,” Kempe said.

Also impressing at the 2015 EFG Winter Cup was Douglas DeCouto, president of the Bermuda Viper 640 Class Association and a former crewmate of Kempe, who finished fifth in the overall fleet of 20 Vipers with a crew that included Rockal Evans, a past national Comet Class champion.

DeCouto’s team was second best on the final day after posting two top-three finishes that included a bullet in the final race. DeCouto will also represent Bermuda in the Viper 640 Class at the Bacardi Miami Sailing Week.

Chuck Millican, who served as Bermuda’s chef de mission the Winter Olympics in Sochi, is also competing at the regatta in the J-70 Class.