San Juan, Puerto Rico. Register now! The 12th Club Nautico de San Juan International Regatta (CNSJIR) will take place February 1 to 3, 2013. Sailors who register by August 31, 2012 will receive a 50 percent discount off Early Bird registration fees. This means paying only $45 for single-handed sailors and $60 for double-handed sailors
“We look forward to hosting over 100 competitors from the Caribbean, U.S.A., Central America and the World,” says Commodore Gustavo Hermida.
Classes offered for 2013 include Optimists (Red, Blue, White and Green Fleets), Lasers (4.7, Radial and Standard), Sunfish, Club 420, IC-24s, J/24s and Open CSA Offshore Racing Class with Spinnakers.
Expect keen competition and ideal conditions in San Juan Bay, in the historic backdrop of 500-year-old San Felipe del Morro fort. Temperatures range in the 80s and winds customarily blow 10 to 15 knots in February. This makes the CNSJIR a great tune-up regatta for the sailing season ahead, especially for those who live in cooler climates.
One day of racing will be held close to shore arena-style making this a spectator-friendly regatta.
Social activities, entertainment for the kids, meals and drinks are all part of the fun.
Hotels, restaurants, shops, sights and an international airport with direct flights to the Caribbean, U.S. and Europe are all nearby the Club Nautico de San Juan Yacht Club, located in San Juan.
More specifically, the San Juan Beach Hotel is offering a special rate of $99 per night plus tax (Reservations: 787-723-8000, www.sanjuanbeach.com ). While supplies last, Allied Car Rental (Jaime Fornaris, (787) 233-4233 or corporatesales@alliedcarrentalpr) is offering a 50% discount on a vehicle during the CNSJIR with rates starting at less than $21 per day. Bring your GPS or SmartPhone for easier navigation to the regatta venue or to shop or tour the island.
The CNSJIR is an outgrowth of the Club’s junior sailing program, which was launched in the 1970s. The program, now directed by José ‘Yoyo’ Berríos, combines both technical knowledge with practical hands-on sailing experience. It’s a combination that definitely works. For example, the Puerto Rican sailors who won fleet and team racing awards at the 2008 Optimist World Championships were graduates of the program as were six of the island’s sailors who won five gold and one bronze medal sailing at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games in Mayagüez.
Sailors from six islands and countries took home trophies at the 2012 CNSJIR. These included Puerto Rico’s Andre Reguero in Optimist Advanced, the BVI’s Mollee Donovan in Laser 4.7, and Nikki Barnes from St. Thomas and Agustina Barbuto from St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, in Club 420.
Club Nautico de San Juan is the first and only yacht club in the Caribbean and the entire Americas to have welcomed the International Sailing Federation’s (ISAF) Executive Committee members to dinner. ISAF’s Annual Conference was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2011 and brought together the ISAF Council, Committee and Commission members along with other global movers-and-shakers in the sailing world to discuss and decide the key issues that will affect the future of sailing.
“We invite sailors to register online now,” says regatta director, Berríos. “We are truly committed to offering a great regatta.”
For more information, to register and to charter a boat, contact Berrios direct at: (787) 667-9936 or Email: vela@nauticodesanjuan.com, or Club Nautico de San Juan at: Tel: (787) 722-0177, Fax: (787) 724-8059, or Visit: www.nauticodesanjuan.com/sailingprogram/regatta_int.htm
