Pereira’s CARRERA Becomes Triple Crown Winner!(Buenos Aires, Argentina)- The Argentinean J/24 class hosts what may be one of the most picturesque regatta series in the world of sailing. Every year, they host the Triple Corona (triple crown), an event that encompasses three regattas starting in Buenos Aires/Rio de la Plata, then transitioning to the beautiful mountain lakes in the foothills of the towering Andes mountain range- where snow-capped volcanic peaks often hit 12 to 14,000 feet (Lago Potrerillos/ Mendoza and Lago San Roque/ Villa Carlos Paz, Cordoba)! It makes for truly breathtaking sailing, especially when the breezes howl from the west down the slopes and hit the lake with a ferocity that would surprise anyone- whipping up 20-30 kt “helicopter puffs” that cause knockdowns even upwind!
This
year saw twenty-seven boats participate in the complete series; it
truly is a favorite of Argentine sailors as it is family-oriented and,
in the evenings, the social festivities ashore are second to none.
Imagine ending sailing on a sunny day, then one family (of many that own
famous Malbec vineyards in the region) pop open several cases of
vintage Malbec red wine and it’s shared with everyone at sunset! Locally
made cheeses and fruits of various sorts are laid out in a big spread
for everyone to enjoy! Yes, put this one on your “bucket list”- the
days are still warm, more importantly, the lakes are still somewhat warm
(although it’s all snow-capped, crystal clear water from the
mountain-tops).The third and final regatta in the “triple crown” recently took place on Lago San Roque at Villa Carlos Paz- the Campeonato Centro de Republica. The event produced dramatic changes in the overall series standings. By winning the final regatta, Ezequiel Despontin’s INDIGO from Club Nautico Cordoba and his crew of Martin Costa, Marcelo Freytes, Franca Pesci, and Carolina Lorenzon, managed to leap up the standings in the overall series- taking 2nd for the Triple Crown!
After
winning the Potrerillos event in Mendoza, Javier Moyano’s GRAN CARAJO
from Club Nautico Cordoba was hoping to post high enough finishes to get
onto the series podium. His crew of Francisco Agusti, Pablo Avila Gray
and Adrian Berelejis sailed well, but not well enough to overcome the
fact they did not sail the first event at CUBA in Buenos Aires.
Nevertheless, they won two races in the finale and took the silver in
the Lago San Roque event.In a similar situation as GRAN CARAJO, Sebastien Halpern’s team on BELUGA (Federico Roser, Franco Monetti, and Yael Malem) sailed the last two regattas well, taking the bronze in the San Roque event with most finishes in the top five.
After winning Buenos Aires, Matias Pereira’s crew on CARRERA (Andres Guerra, Guillermo Bellinotto, and Emilliano Homps) started off by winning the first two races at Lago San Roque, then managed to nearly throw away the entire Triple Crown series with a number of double-digit finishes and an OCS (28) pts in the last race. Despite their hair-raising final regatta, CARRERA held on for a 5th place finish on Lago San Roque, enough for them to be declared the overall Triple Crown Winner!
Nicolas Cubria’s crew from Club Nautico Olivos (Mario Cubria, Gonzalo Frejenal, and Fernando Bertrand) had also gather enough points in the first two events so their 6th place finish on Lago San Roque was good enough for them to earn the bronze for the Triple Crown. Although they had a tough series with mediocre results sailing their boat ALAGUA RINA, winning the final race of the entire series in style lifted their spirits! For more Argentina J/24 sailing information