Brazilian World Champs Win
(Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)- The fifty-three J/24 competitors enjoyed a very special treat sailing off Puerto Vallarta in Bahia de Banderas this past week. The weather held true to form with the midday westerly thermals of 220-240 degrees giving way to the afternoon thermals of 310 degrees most of the days. The shifty, streaky winds kept tacticians busy. But, perhaps most importantly, the Mexican Ministry of Tourism, the Presidente of Mexico- Felipe Calderon (a sailor himself sailing on the lake of Valle de Bravo) and the Mexican Navy did not hold back in their support and enthusiasm for supporting the J/24 Mexico sailors to conduct a world-class event. It was beyond comprehension when you compare it to most sailing events worldwide. With special events and parties each night, the sailors were treated to delicious foods indigenous to the region along with entertainment reflective of Mexico's rich, mixed culture of Spanish, Mayan/Aztec and European flavors. Cowes, Key West, Spi Ouest, Sardinia, Phuket, St Maarten beware! The Mexicanos joi'd'vivre is in a class unto itself when it comes to throwing a world-class event with chutzpah, fun and great sailing-- a cocktail that is indeed hard to pass up.Partaking with great gusto in the activities were the German, Italian, Mexican, Peruvian, Puerto Rican and, of course, the American and Brazilian teams. It was pretty clear the winners of both the parties and the sailing were the beloved Brazilians. Between the salsa dance-offs for DELL laptops, the spontaneous dance party on the party boats to and from Bahia Las Casetas dinner/entertainment evening and the ultra-Euro chic Puerto Vallarta resort in downtown with the live DJ/ disco, the Brazilians simply reclassified for all how to have fun and win a regatta. Kudos to Maurizio Santa Cruz and his crew for having fun and winning it in style and with class-- helped in no small part by long-time J/24 class stalwart and builder, Paolo Boido from Turino, Italy. Remember, these are the same guys who taught Chris Larson a lesson on how to train and win another 24-footer's Worlds last summer in Annapolis, MD.
When the smoke cleared on the waters of Bahia de Banderas, it was pretty clear J/24 class veterans used to very tight, close quarters racing with an unmistakeable capability to make the best of really bad situations at starting lines, mark roundings and weather conditions were the ones whom ultimately prevailed. The cream would rise to the top after such a long series of five days and ten races. While Chris Snow from the USA sailing "S" won "college-style" on the water with the most consistent no-throw out scores, it was Maurizio Santa Cruz from Brazil sailing BRUSCHETTA who prevailed by four points by tossing two bad scores for an impressive victory over a talented and remarkably, deep fast fleet. Just off the pace in the top three was Maurizio's Brazilian colleague, Claudio Ruschel racing A QUE SI, finishing a solid third. The Mexican contingent are proving to be not only fast, but wily as coyotes. They know their waters, are strong tactically and are a force to be reckoned with--- guess it doesn't hurt to race every two weeks in fifty+ boat fleets on Valle de Bravo for bragging rights as best sailors in Mexico! Both Jorge Murrieta on VIVO MEXICO and Ken Porter on MONSTER FISH COMEX sailed strong last days to finish 4th and 7th overall, respectively. Of note aboard Jorge's boat was Regatta Chairman Peter Wiegandt, DELL Computer's chief sponsor representative for the regatta. The top ten shows the diversity of international talent in the world's largest one-design keelboat class; Brazilians were 1st, 3rd; Americans 2nd, 5th; Mexicans 4th, 7th, 10th; Germans 6th; Puerto Ricans 8th; and Peruvians 9th. For more J/24 Copa Mexico sailing regatta information.