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Thursday, March 28, 2024
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HomeCaribbeanSailor Profile: Puerto Rico’s Marco Teixidor

Sailor Profile: Puerto Rico’s Marco Teixidor

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Say the name Cachondo and what comes to mind is one of winningest boats in the Caribbean back in the 1980s and 1990s. It’s the stuff of legends what Puerto Rican brothers Jose and Tony Teixidor accomplished on their Tripp 40. Now, the next generation of Teixidor’s, Jose’s son Marco, is contributing to the Cachondo legacy as well as making a name for himself in the sailing world.

Marco started sailing at the age of eight when his father and uncle, both lifelong sailors, took him and his cousin Carlos to the protected waters off Puerto Del Rey Marina, in Fajardo, to sail Optimist dinghies. Their first instructor was Olympic beach cat sailor Enrique Figueroa. Marco moved on to win several regattas in Optimists and Lasers, competing in regional regattas as well as major events such as the Optimist World Championships and ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships. During his four years at Georgetown University, in Washington, DC, he led the sailing team to two third place finishes and a second place at the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Team Race Nationals and a first place at the ISCA Fleet Race Nationals. The ICSA named Marco All-American Honorable Mention his senior year. He switched focus to Snipes right after college. Marco and his cousin Ricardo Latimer won a bronze medal at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games in Snipes. Then, he teamed up with Raul Rios and they won the Snipe North Americans and placed 4th at the 2011 Pan American Games. Today, Marco is sharpening his sailing prowess by skippering keelboats such as J70s in international regattas and IC24s in Caribbean regattas. Both of his keelboats are called Cachondo.

“My dad and uncle sold their last Cachondo a few years after winning the International Rolex Regatta in 1999,” says Marco. “For me it’s an honor to carry on the Cachondo tradition. I know that my dad and uncle and their crew worked extremely hard to give Cachondo a name that everyone in the sailing community recognizes and is synonymous to winning. Cachondo is a legacy that I hope to continue for years to come. I think the IC 24 class is going to continue to grow in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean as well as the J70 on a worldwide scale.”

Fleet racing is something Marco has long enjoyed.

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“Fleet racing is awesome especially when you have a lot of boats on the line and everyone is competitive. Sailing in a fleet where anyone has the ability to win a race makes it really exciting and challenging,” he says

More recently, Marco has started match racing as well as serving on the organizational side of regattas.

“The constant boat to boat action in match racing requires a different strategic mindset from fleet racing and that makes the racing even more interesting. I could match race or team race forever,” he says. “Organizing regattas is a lot of work off the water, but the results are really satisfying.”

Marco, with the assistance of his father and other sailing movers-and-shakers at Club Nautico de San Juan have created a trio of new regattas – the first-ever Puerto Rico Match Racing National Championships and the fleet-racing oriented San Sebastian Vela Cup held in December and January, respectively. The Magna International Regatta will take place February 6th – 8th. In this event, Puerto Rico’s top four match racing teams will compete against an equal number of high-caliber teams from the USA, Guatemala, US and British Virgin Islands in Bahia Urbana.

“Bahia Urbana in Old San Juan is a unique venue in that it provides the perfect facilities for people to come and watch the sailing. We are working on organizing regattas that will be integrated with on land entertainment and festivities. Club Nautico de San Juan and Puerto Del Rey are both committed to developing the sailing scene in Puerto Rico and are expected to run several big regattas throughout the year. For me, the future of sailing in Puerto Rico looks positive.”

 

Carol M. Bareuther, RD, is a St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands based marine writer and registered dietitian. 

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Carol_Bareuther
Carol_Bareuther
Carol M. Bareuther, RD, is a St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands based marine writer and registered dietitian.
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