With 21 J/24s on the water of Lago San Roque from the provinces of Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Mendoza and Neuquen it was sure to be tough competition. With somewhat extreme conditions, the regatta’s PRO managed to run three races overall for the four day event scheduled to sail from February 9-12. In the first day of sailing, PICANTE #5469 with Samuel Capeta steering was leading the fleet due to the most consistent record of a 3-3 with 6 pts. Just behind him by two points was a three-way tie for second; including CARRER #5458 owned by Juan di Francesco with Pablo Despontin at the helm with a 4-4 for 8 pts; Javier Moyaro sailing CALDO DE CIELO #4106 with a 2-6 for 8 pts; and RIMA #5499 sailed by the famous Nicolas Cubria with a 7-1 for 8 pts! With so many good teams fighting for the top five, the last day of sailing was shaping up to be a tough one for all the crews. Finally, on Sunday, the fleet managed to complete a single race due to highly variable weather conditions that went from storm to calm and “Borneos” (adiabatic winds in those Andes!) of 180 degrees; the wind ultimately settled to a nice 8-10 kts wind. This time, the results of the race created the sailing version of the “chutes & ladders” board game; some teams went way up and some went way down. After the dust settled from the heat of battle, it was clear that CARRER #5458 owned by Juan di Francesco with Pablo Despontin at the helm, had a brilliant performance and with excellent local knowledge sailed well to lead the fleet home in the last race, so their 4-4-1 record would ultimately take the gold. Following behind them by one point with a 3-3-4 tally for 10 pts was PICANTE #5469 with Samuel Capeta steering, both of the top two boats were from the club YCC 400. Third overall was taken by Moyaro’s CALDO DE CIELO with a 2-6-3 scoreline for 11 pts. Rounding out the top five were Despotin’s INDIGO in 4th and Cubria’s RIMA in 5th overall. Everyone agreed it was a fantastic time sailing and very well organized by the Cordoba J/24 fleet with both CNC and YCC 400 fleet members. Incredible enthusiasm despite the heat of the race, so to speak. Plus, can’t forget to mention how fun the regatta’s “launch party” was to start the event, thanks to the hospitality of YCC 400 and the contributions of many sponsors. Another good party and regatta completed on the famous Lago San Roque. For more information, visit, http://j24arg.blogspot.com/.
International Class Association
