By David Rose
Editor’s Note: This lifestyle article is editorial free and prepared for your immediate use. These and other high-resolution editorial free images are available to support lifestyle articles on Miami and the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship. For details or for more information, please contact Karen Cooper at karen@regattanews.com or Marina Kienitz at marina@regattanews.com.
Miami. What is it about this place that makes everything so exhilarating? It might be the warm tropical sun, azure blue sky, enticing sapphire ocean, or magnificent palm trees swaying in the tropical breeze. Miami Beach boasts much more than these generous gifts of nature however, with its art deco buildings, lively music, outstanding cuisine and very stylish population. This is one very exciting town.
In springtime a unique transition occurs. As the snowbirds head back to their nests up north the city reclaims its identity. Miami is an American city unlike any other. Its South American, Cuban and Caribbean influences clearly set it apart from every city in the country as well as the rest of Florida. As you stroll past the shops and restaurants of Lincoln Road or mingle amongst the cheerful bystanders on Ocean Drive the pulse is definitely Latin. The music, the aroma from each busy restaurant and even the language spoken is conspicuously Spanish.
As a destination Miami offers more than just fabulous beaches and vacation activities. Each calendar year is full of stimulating events that add to the international essence of the city’s name. Every month brings a festival or other major event which includes art shows, wine and food festivals, a film festival, a bi-annual fashion week and a jazz festival just to name a few. The Art Basel Show that takes place in December is often said to be one of the most important art shows in the United States.
This year an exceptional event took place that gave Miami a global distinctiveness beyond any other. The Rolex Farr 40 World Championship is an event held each year in a different venue. This year Miami was the site of the Farr 40’s eleventh year of competition and thirty-three international teams were there to contest for the championship. The fleet included identical yachts from ten countries: USA, Australia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy Denmark, Japan, Monaco and Switzerland.
Throughout the year these boats race against one another at international events around the world. Australia, Southern Europe, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Italy as well as the United States host these events with the ultimate competition being the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship.
The World Championship is more than just a race. The international field of competitors together with the name of the title sponsor adds a level of elegance and sophistication to the community just by being there. The title sponsor Rolex has been the leading name in luxury timepieces for over 100 years, but Rolex is also famous for its support and partnership with yachting events as well as other sporting events worldwide. Since Mercedes Gleitze swam the English Channel wearing her Rolex Oyster wristwatch in 1927, Rolex has been both a sponsor and partner to international sporting events that include golf, motor racing, tennis, equestrian events, the arts, as well as yachting.
The list of Farr 40 owners includes billionaires, entrepreneurs, sportsmen and a crown prince. Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli, owner of the yacht Alinghi, is an America’s Cup winner and the American Jim Richardson, who owns Barking Mad, is a Farr 40 two-time world champion. The well-known German American architect Helmut Jahn owns Flash Gordon, and the co-founder of German software company SAP, Hasso Plattner, owns Morning Glory. The yacht Nanoq is owned by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark.
The atmosphere in Miami when a major event takes place is always charged with excitement and the local population love to take it all in. The sidewalk restaurants were alive with activity as the sailors and locals combined to create a city that transformed into one big festival. For the sailors however, it was more work than play as they prepared for the competition.
In the city all was normal, the crowded bars and restaurants were thriving while the Ferraris, Porsches and Lamborghinis went parading through the main streets of the city attracting the anticipated attention they have come to expect. Over in Coconut Grove and Coral Gables the action was much quieter. The beautiful people prefer the flash of South Beach but for a romantic evening there is nothing nicer than cocktails at the pool of the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables before dinner. The pool at this 1920’s luxury hotel is said to be the largest in the world and the outdoor bar has live music at twilight in a comfortable setting among mature palm trees in the understated garden.
Other Miami activities for the more sophisticated tastes include a visit to the magnificent 16th century inspired Villa Vizcaya which was built in 1916 for the industrialist James Deering, co-founder of the International Harvester Company. This American palace is furnished with European antiques and has a remarkable formal garden that gives one a glimpse into a style from a period that is now only a remembrance in history.
Miami is a diverse city that comes alive at night, but for daytime activities one could pay a visit to the Everglades or one could put to use the more than 50 private and public golf courses in the area. The finest art galleries are located along Ponce de Leon Boulevard in Coral Gables and within a short drive from there, one finds the sidewalk cafes and restaurants of Coconut Grove, where vague reminders of Miami’s Bohemian days are still visible. Further north is the eclectic Miami Design District, a vibrant 18-block neighborhood of galleries, studios and shops that has fast become an internationally recognized epicenter of art and design.
After four days of hard racing in unpredictable conditions a World Champion was crowned. Vincenzo Onorato won the World Cup that has made him the first consecutive three-time winner of the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship. As owner and helmsman of the first place yacht Mascalzone Latino, Onorato was also awarded a Rolex Yacht-Master timepiece.
As for those visitors who came to Miami for the first time they shall leave this sultry city with warm memories of a place in the sun where anything goes and life is good.
