Mexico J/70 Golf + Yachting Extravaganza!

(Valle de Bravo, Mexico)- The Mexican J/70 class continues to grow apace and they are having a ball!  They recently completed their third regatta in the Cancun Series on the northern part of the peninsula, enjoying gorgeous sailing in the deep blue cobalt Gulf Stream just offshore. Winning the series was KRAKEN, sailed by Claudio Cozi with crew of Eduardo Muniz, Jose Luis Martinez and Ricardo Schondube.  Sailing well was PiQ2 in second with lady helm Luisa Imanol sailing fast, counting four bullets in her scoreline, and getting great help from her crew of Annie Arroyo, Irina Hentschel and Olivier Calderon.  Sitting in third for the series is RADIOACTIVO skippered by Luis Yokin with crew of Alfredo Moreno, Lorenzo Cellis and Cristian Garcia.

On the western side of Mexico City high up in the mountains is the beautiful lake called Valle de Bravo.  The J/70 class has grown quickly there and they are having plenty of fun.  Recently, they sailed an event sponsored by Jaguar of Mexico and Land Rover of Mexico- it was the golf + yachting event- the Copa Picacho-Izar held at Club Campestre y de Vela Ízar on the lake.  It was a real battle for the top of the podium between Jeronimo Cervantes’ LAMPUGA and Erick Brockmann’s VINCITORE 2.0.  Starting off the regatta with two firsts, Cervantes’ LAMPUGA team was hoping to keep the pressure on the fleet, but got caught on the wrong side of the course in the shifty lake winds to post a 6th in the third race.  On the comeback trail after opening the regatta with a fourth was Brockmann’s VINCITORE 2.0, finishing up the regatta with all  2nds and a 1st, but losing the tie-breaker on 7 pts with LAMPUGA.  Finishing third was Federico Ortiz’s PURA VIDA, winning his tie-breaker on 12 pts over Yon Belausteguigoitia’s BULLET.  Taking 5th overall was Javier Prieto’s EXPRESS with 19 pts.  For more J/70 Mexico sailing information

J/70 FLOJITO El Capitan de Mexico Nationals

(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