(Lisbon, Portugal)- Here is a fun idea to do with friends, not just in your local sailing community, but with friends around the world in your social online communities. Try the Virtual Regatta, sailing the online version of the J/70 (replete with actual VPP polars from actual J/70 sailing)!
Our friends at J/Boats Portugal have not only done that, they have organized regattas! Frans Wijnveld had this to say about their initiative:
"Due to the coronavirus, all sailing in Portugal is forbidden. So, my business partner- Luis Verissimo- came up with a great idea to start virtual regattas organized by J/Boats Portugal sailing in J/70's.
The idea was so successful, it is now adapted by the Portuguese Sailing Federation! In fact, we now have a number of sponsors for the winners and the last place boat, donated spontaneously! Amazing!
Last weekend, Luis ran the regattas with help of five people and 232 people joined in the regattas, with 20 boats racing at a time!
Our virtual regattas drew a lot of attention in these times of misery when all sports have come to a standstill! Amazingly, here in Portugal we got a LOT of spontaneous media coverage in major newspapers and TV; both online Internet and traditional print/ TV outlets!
People view this as a very sympathetic initiative of J/Boats Portugal! And one thing is for sure, the whole country of Portugal knows that J/Boats has arrived!"
If you want to learn more about hosting and running a Virtual Regatta using J/70s, please do not hesitate to contact Frans or Luis via email:
- Frans Wijnveld- franswijnveld@gmail.com
- Luis Verissimo- jboatsportugal@elixirsailing.pt
Watch a video of how Virtual Regattas work here
Learn more about Virtual Regatta and J/70s here: Add to Flipboard Magazine.
|