(Cancun, Mexico)- The J/70 Mexican fleet enjoyed some spectacular sailing in Cancun for their three day regatta; it was the final race of the year and also the 2015 Mexico National Championship. Teams from Puerto Vallarta, Valle de Bravo, and Acapulco came to join the new J/70 fleet that is starting in Cancun. A wonderful turnout of 16 boats included the 2015 World Champion Julian Fernandez skippering FLOJITO Y COOPERANDO; so everybody knew what they were up against and looking forward to a fun event!
The
first day of sailing was just about postcard perfect- 17 knots, blue
water and no foul weather or spray tops needed in Cancun! In these
conditions the top three or four boats got a comfortable lead but the
fight right behind was definitely full-on with very close finishes. At
the end of the day, the Club de Yates de Puerto Cancun PRO managed to
get in four races. Jorge Murrieta led the first day skippering
BANDOOLA, with Julian Fernandez’s FLOJITO in second and Ricardo
Brockmann’s VINCITORE in third position.The local Cancun Tourism Bureau must’ve had a direct connection to the Aztec Gods, for on the second day they delivered chamber of commerce conditions again; winds in the 10-15 kts range allowed four more races to be sailed. This time, “los banditos locos” on FLOJITO had a great day, showing their transom to most everyone with terrific race-winning speed. As a result, FLOJITO took over the overall lead with BANDOOLA in second and VINCITORE in third.
On
the last day, the Gods must have been crazy. How can they deliver such
gorgeous conditions, again!? Who sacrificed what to make it happen?
Perhaps, we don’t want to know. With the fleet treated to more 10-15 kt
breezes, the racing was very tight with each of the top three boats
winning one race, but also having to come back on other races from well
behind. The final leg of the final race was a perfect example of how
FLOJITO became the 2015 World Champion. After rounding well back at the
first mark in 6th place, they worked hard to get through the boats in
front of them to ultimately finish 2nd in the race behind the
Brockmann’s VINCITORE. At the finish, big cheers erupted for the
victors- Fernandez and crew on FLOJITO (Santiago Fernandez, Diego
Cervantes & Willem van Waay) were crowned the Mexican J/70 National
Champions for the third year in a row! Jorge Murrieta and crew on board
BANDOOLA finished 2nd while Ricardo Brockmann and crew on VINCITORE
completed the podium in third place.With 35 boats now in the country, the J/70 class in Mexico is getting more competitive every day with sailors coming from big boats, dinghies, J/24s, Lightnings, Stars, TP52s, and so forth. Mexico is looking forward to hosting a J/70 North American Championship in the coming years, hopefully in 2018, and why not later on the J/70 Worlds in Cancun in 2020!? Ask any Laser sailor how much fun they had sailing the 2002 Laser World Championship in Cancun! For more Mexico J/70 Class sailing information
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