Somers Kempe and Douglas DeCouto both did the Island proud at the Bacardi Miami Sail Week that concluded in Biscayne Bay at the weekend.

The two local skippers managed top ten showings in an overall Viper 640 fleet of 32-boats to come away from the regatta with their heads held high.

DeCouto was ninth and Kempe tenth.

Kempe and the crew of Overproof saved the best for last on the final day of racing on Saturday.

Sailing with crew Adam Barboza and Butch Agnew, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club commodore produced some of his best results of the regatta to fulfil his goal of finishing among the top ten.

Kempe made a slow start in the light air conditions, finishing lower down the fleet in 22nd in the day’s opening race.

However, his fortunes took a dramatic turn for the better after the breeze filled in, placing eighth and a regatta best third in the final two races to make one last surge up the leader board and finish with a bang.

“The first race was light breeze and we didn’t do very well,” Kempe said. “The next two races were windy and we finished eighth and a third.” Kempe’s podium finish in the final race was the only podium display by a local team at the regatta featuring nearly 200 boats and sailors from 15 countries.

“It was a fun regatta and we are looking forward to coming home and racing locally in the coming months,” Kempe said.

DeCouto and the crew of Man ‘o War did not sail consistently in the variable conditions on the final day of competition, but despite losing further traction on the leader board the local skipper, who sailed with crew Rockal Evans and Bill McNiven, still managed a solid top ten showing in what was DeCouto’s first appearance at the regatta as a skipper.

“The day went well and we had a strong last race,” DeCouto, president of the Bermuda Viper 640 Class Association, said. “We had a fun regatta.”

Brad Boston, of Canada, took top honours in the Viper 640 class while Peter Beardsley and Geoffrey Ewenson, both of the United States, rounded off the podium.

Chuck Millican, Bermuda’s remaining representative in Miami, placed 40th in the 46-boat J-70 fleet sailing with crew Corola Cooper, Dave Brining and Dan Couglin.

Mauricio Santa Cruz, of Brazil, topped the J-70 fleet with Julian Fernandez Neckelmann, of Mexico, and Carlo Alberini, of Italy, finishing second and third.