More than 90 sailors from 11 islands and countries – Puerto Rico, all three U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, St. Maarten, Curaçao, Guatemala and the United States – will set sail in the 11th Club Nautico de San Juan International Regatta (CNSJIR) on Feb. 3-5. This participation makes the CNSJIR one of the largest youth regattas in the Caribbean.
“This year we welcome two new classes: 420s and IC-24s,” regatta director José Berríos said. “Each of these classes, like the Lasers, Optimists and Sunfish, are filled with some of the best sailors, and equally sailors who are just learning the ropes and represent the future of the sport of sailing.”
In the Club 420 class, Nikki Barnes and Agustina Barbuto out of St. Thomas will be the team to beat. The girls won a bronze medal in the International 420 at the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship in Croatia last summer and were on the Antilles School sailing team that won the national high school fleet racing championship in the Club 420 last spring.
The star-studded nine-boat IC-24 fleet includes Puerto Rico’s Fraito Lugo, who is an eight-time International Rolex Regatta winner in several classes, including the IC-24. Fellow Ponce sailor Jose Santiago won the silver medal in the J/24 at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games and will also be in action.
In the trio of Laser classes, Mollee Donovan of the British Virgin Islands comes fresh from a win at the St. Thomas Yacht Club’s Martin Luther King Jr. Regatta, and she will be one of the strongest competitors in the Laser 4.7 class. Meanwhile, Puerto Rico’s Manuel Inserni is back to defend his title in the Laser Radial.
The Optimist Class is the largest of the regatta with 28 sailors competing in the advanced age-divided Red, Blue and White fleets and another 16 in the beginner or Green fleet. Ponce’s Miguel Monllor won the Blue Fleet last year and will be the favorite in this class.
Finally, Puerto Rico’s Elvin Aponte also returns to defend his title in the Sunfish class.
For details, call Berrios at 787-667-9936 or e-mail vela@nauticodesanjuan.com. The Club Nautico de San Juan can be reached at 787-722-0177 or by logging on to: www.nauticodesanjuan.com/sailingprogram/regatta_int.htm.
- Freelance writer Carol Bareuther contributed to this report.
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