Brazilians sweep J/70 South American Championship

J/70 South American Championship © Oliver Umpierre

J/70 South American Championship © Oliver Umpierre

There were great expectations for the 2024 URUFARMA South American J/70 Championship that was held at Yacht Club Punta del Este from November 18th to 24th, 2024.

Thirty J/70 teams from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay were looking forward to the four days of competition on the southeastern reaches of the Rio de la Plata in the gorgeous and world-famous international resort city of Punta del Este. For many, it was a "practice race" for the teams wishing to qualify for six spots in the 2025 J/70 World Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina!

After an amazing eleven-race series, it was clear the top three teams were a Brazilian trio from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that were fighting for the top three spots on the podium. In fact, just two points separated the three teams that have all competed on the international J/70 circuit for years in the USA and Europe. The winner was determined by a tiebreaker at 30 pts net each!

Winning the countback against fellow countrymen was Ralph Rosa's MINDSET and his crew of Guilherme Hamelmann, Julio Carvalho, and Goncarlo Ribeiro. They won four of the 11 races. Garnering the silver medal was globe-trotting Haroldo Soldberg's VIKING team of Geison Mendes, Mario Tinocco, and Gabriel Silva. Rounding out the podium was Sam Albrecht's EL ENEMIGO crew of Gustavo Thiesen, Rodolfo Streibel, and Guilherme Roth.

J/70 South American Championship - photo © Oliver Umpierre

For more J/70 South American Champion information and results viramos.com/championship/sudamericano-2024-de-la-clase-j70

For more YC Punta del Este sailing information ycpe.org.uy