Club Nautico de San Juan International Regatta set for Feb 3-5, 2012

by Carol Bareuther on 11 Jan 2012 San Juan, Puerto Rico. Hot competition, superb sailing conditions and great fun on and off the water is what you’ll experience at the 11th Club Nautico de San Juan’s International Regatta (CNSJIR), set for February 3 to 5, 2012.

'We expect over 100 competitors from the Caribbean, the USA, Latin America and the rest of the World, says regatta director, José ‘Yoyo’ Berríos. 'Seventy (70) participants were already registered by mid-November.'

This number makes the CNSJIR one of the Caribbean’s largest and most competitive dinghy regattas!

Classes offered include Optimists (Red, Blue, White and Green Fleets), Lasers (4.7, Radial and Standard), Sunfish and Club 420.

New – there will also be a one-design IC-24 class.

Racing takes place in San Juan Bay where temperatures reach a comfortable high in the low 80s and winds customarily blow 10 to 15 knots in February.

There’s not just competition, but meals and drinks are included as part of the fun.

Hotels, restaurants, great shopping, sights and an international airport with direct flights to the Caribbean, Canada, U.S. and Europe are all nearby to the regatta venue at Club Nautico de San Juan, located at the entrance to historic Old San Juan.

Two nearby hotels are offering a special regatta rate on a first-come first-serve basis. These are the San Juan Beach Hotel, which is offering a special rate of $99 per night plus tax (Reservations: 787-723-8000 ( www.sanjuanbeach.com) and the Caribe Hilton is offering 10 rooms at only $205 per night plus tax (Reservations: 1-800-468-8585, 1-787-721-0303, www.hilton.com. Group Code: REGA12).

Allied Car Rental (Luis Duprey, (787) 233-4233, (corporatesales@alliedcarrentalpr)) is offering a 50% discount on a vehicle during the CNSJIR.

The CNSJIR is an outgrowth of the Club’s junior sailing program, which was launched in the 1970s by Andres Nevares and strengthened in the late 1990s by then-Commodore Richard Christiansen and Ricky Adsuar. The program, which is now directed by Berríos, combines 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.

'We invite sailors to register online now,' says Berríos. 'We are truly committed to offering a great regatta.'

The registration fee for entries prior to January 19, 2012 are $110 for single-hand and $140 for double-hand. Late registration for entries after January 19 and up to February 2, 2012, are $130 for single-hand and $160 for double-hand.

For more information, to register and to charter a boat, contact principal race officer, José ‘Yoyo’ Berrios direct at: (787) 667-9936 or Email: vela(at)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