Three perfect starts on the third and final day of racing at
the 29th Annual Bared Puerto Rico International Regatta, hosted by Club Nautico
de Puerto Rico and held March 11 to 13 out of Fajardo, said it all for Enrique
Torruella. Torruella skippered his Melges 24, Don Q Limon, into the winner’s
circle in the most competitive Spinnaker-Racing Class by overtaking Antonio
Mari’s J/80, Ex Mero Motu, with a three point lead.
“We had good speed
and played the shifts perfectly. After that, the rest was history,” Torruella
explained.
Fifty-five yachts
from Puerto Rico, St. Croix and the US mainland competed in up to eight races
in what proved to be light air conditions. In addition to Torruella, four other
skippers who topped the event’s five main classes, won a handsome Breitling
Avenger M-1 watch, distributed by Joyerias Bared, the main sponsor of this
event and a key supporter of the sport of sailing in Puerto Rico.
In the J/24 Class, it was Efrain “Fraito”
Lugo, helming Orion, who dominated the class, followed by Gilbert Rivera’s
Urayo and Leo Loria’s Saudades. The one-design J/24 continues to be popular
throughout Puerto Rico and this is always a keenly contested class.
The big surprise
came in the Spinnaker Racer-Cruiser class. Relative newcomer, Juan Bosch’s
J/110, Candela, beat out experienced sailors such as second place class
finisher, Julio Reguero aboard his J/105, Umakua, to top the competition with
five bullets.
Felix Gonzalez’s
J/29, Enjambre, successfully defended his title in the Jib & Main Class.
Balaju II, a C&C 37 skippered by Jose Sanchez and two times class winner of
the St. Croix International Regatta, finished second.
Enrique Figueroa
and Jorge Hernandez, the Puerto Rico Olympic sailing duo in the Tornado,
revalidated their dominance in the Beach Cat Class. Figueroa’s Suzuki/Movistar
took straight bullets in his class and was followed on the scoreboard by Pedrin
Colon’s Spookie Monkey and Keki Figueroa’s Flywind.
This year’s
regatta again featured a competition for junior sailors. Jose Nigaglioni won
the highly competitive Optimist Class, while Carlos Hernandez took first in the
Laser Standard, followed by Javier Rodriguez in Laser Radial and Patrick
Carolous in Laser 4.7.
