ZAQUERO Crowned Mexican J/70 National Champions!
(Valle de Bravo, Mexico)- At the gorgeous lake high in the mountains in Valle de Bravo, west of Mexico City, a fleet of thirty J/70 teams from across Mexico participated in the four-day Mexican J/70 National Championship. Hosted by the most gracious and accommodating club one could ever imagine- the Club de Vela La Peña- the sailors enjoyed not only good racing on the lake, but plenty of the famous hospitality onshore after the racing. As has been described by sailors familiar with the club, it’s truly a family affair, and everyone is made to feel part of their extended family.
After a total of seventeen races sailed, with fourteen races to count (3 discards), it was the Perez family from Vallarta Yacht Club that dominated the top of the podium. In fact, it was a “nip & tuck” battle between the two family boats until the very last race! Winning by just one point was Ignacio Perez-Morett’s ZAQUERO with crew of Santiago Perez Soltero, Manuel Weiller, and Rodrigo Cuellar Dipp. Their remarkably consistent scoreline filled with podium finishes produced a net total of 33 pts in 14 races for a 2.36 average!
Not to be outdone, Alejandro Perez’s ALGARETE with crew of Diego Fructuoso, Rayco Tabares, and Juanma Barrionuevo also had an equally impressive scoreline, including six bullets (!), for a net total of 34 pts! Who beat who in the last race determined the winner, with ZAQUERO taking 2nd to ALGARETE’s 3rd place! Noteworthy about Alejandro’s ALGARETE team was his inclusion of two-time J/80 World Champion Rayco Tabares as his tactician from the Canary Islands in Spain! That’s not exactly a “hop, skip, and a jump” from Gran Canaria Airport, Canary Islands, to Mexico City International Airport!
Rounding out the podium was another long-time, prominent yachting family in Mexico- the Brockmanns. Taking the bronze medal was Ricardo Brockmann’s VINCITORRE with crew of Erik Brockmann, Jeronimo Maristcacal, and Palo Guzman. Counting three bullets and three deuces in their scoreline, it wasn’t nearly sufficient to overcome the sheer dominance of the Perez’s consistency, with VINCITORRE finishing with 56 pts net.
The balance of the top five included Marco Sparveieri’s BUENA JUNTA in fourth place and Eduardo Cano Seija’s CHILCANO in fifth place.
Corinthians Division
Winning the Corinthians was Sparveiri’s BUENA JUNTA with crew of Leopoldo Risotto, Ramon Benitez, and Gerardo Benitez with 113 pts net. Taking the silver medal was Cano Siena’s CHILCANO with a team of Luis Olcese, Hugh McCarthy, and Natalia Pellicer with 123 pts net. Then, rounding out the podium with the bronze medal was Manuel Vazquez’s 4 LOCOS with crew of Eduardo Oething, Cesar Ruiz, and Rodolfo Carballo with 139 pts net.