Yachting: Kiwis finish fifth at Miami

Photo / APN

The New Zealand Star sailing crew of Hamish Pepper and Craig Monk have finished fifth at the prestigious Bacardi Cup Miami Sailing Week regatta off Florida, United States.

A top-five finish for Pepper and Monk marks a solid start to the European season for the pair, who joined forces in 2009 to campaign towards the 2012 Olympic Games at London in the Star class.

Guillaume Florent and Pascal Rambeau, of France, won the regatta by one point over Ireland's Peter O'Leary and David Burrows. Eivind Melleby and Petter Morland Pedersen, of Norway, rounded out the podium places a further two points back.

The Bacardi Cup for the Olympic men's keelboat -- the Star -- dates back 84 years and the event attracted a world class fleet of 93 crews.

- NZPA