Please select your home edition
Edition
Belvedere

New Wave wins J/70 Chilean National Championship

by J/Boats 18 Jan 2020 21:12 GMT
J/70 Chilean National Championship 2020 © Cofradía Náutica del Pacífico

Fresh off sailing the recent J/70 South American Championship in Punta del Este, Uruguay, a number of teams headed back across the formidable Andes Mountains range back northwest to Algarrobo, Chile for the 2020 J/70 Chilean National Championship, hosted by Cofradía Náutica del Pacífico.

Twenty-six teams participated in the regatta and many them participated in the training program provided by the Doyle Sails Team. Running the sailing clinic was non other than J/70 World Champion Jud Smith from Marblehead, MA.

After the pre-regatta full-day training program that included an onshore debrief, the competitors continued to learn even more about Smith's "speed secrets" during the course of the regatta. Juddie was on-the-water all three days of racing and provided post-race day debriefs at the yacht club for any of the sailors.

The sailors were treated to a fairly typical cross-section of wind and wave conditions off Algarrobo. Friday's racing was light and shifty winds for most of the day. Then, on Saturday and Sunday, the fleet enjoyed 10-18 kts of breeze, increasing on Sunday to 15-20 kts...making for a few fun, full-out planing races downwind.

Day 1

In the lighter breezes on the first day, the right side of the course upwind paid off the best. However, late in the day, the seabreeze affect started to pull the breeze left with a little more pressure. The strongest performance of the day was the Herman brothers on New Wave, they had great starts, solid tactics and very good speed to post a 3-3-2 to sit atop the podium at the conclusion of racing. Not far behind was Matias Seguel's crew on Team Volvo with a 7-1-5 and in third was Vernon Robert's Morenita team that had just finished sixth in the J/70 South Americans in Punta, posting a 2-2-10 for the day.

Day 2

On Saturday, the wind built a little more and some of the stronger teams took advantage of the wind and wave angles, particularly downwind. The Ducasse family onboard Tsunami posted the best record for the day with a 6-9-1. Meanwhile, the regatta leaders on the Herman's New Wave posted a 3-11-4 to hold on to their lead. Meanwhile, Seguel's Team Volvo also held on to their second spot with a 4-12-2.

Day 3

The stronger wind conditions on the final day certainly played into the hands of the more experienced teams. Dominating the final day and closing out the regatta with a strong performance was the Herman brothers on New Wave, posting a 2-1-4 for a 22 pts net (after one discard); that gave them a 13 pts winning margin. This was the second J/70 Chilean Nationals the Herman brothers have won, taking the first event in 2015 at Lago Panguipulli onboard Carolina.

Taking the silver was Seguel's Volvo team, closing the regatta with a 3-5-8 for 35 pts net. Then, rounding out the podium was the Ducasse family on Tsunami. Their final day was a bit of a disappointment, as they had been in the running for the overall lead with Volvo and New Wave. They started off the day winning their second race in a row, but suffered an OCS in Race 8 and, therefore, ruining their chances to win the regatta. They closed with a second to take the bronze.

After an uncharacteristically bad fourth race, a 21st place Robert's Morenita crew demonstrated why they are one of South America's best J/70 teams, closing the gap very quickly on the leaders to finish just seven points from second place! In fact, they posted the best record of any team in the last five races- a 1-3-6-2-1, winning the last race by a big margin and securing fourth place. Rounding out the top five was Alejandro Perez's team on Peligro.

Winning the Corinthians Division was young Alfredo Urzua on LA Negra, second went to Cristóbal Pérez's IL MOSTRO, and third was José A Jimenez and family on Dark Side.

Related Articles

Rooster are Clothing Partner of Poole Regatta
2026 is shaping up to be the largest in the event's history Rooster, the well-known watersports clothing and accessories manufacturer is to become the Official Clothing Partner of the International Paint Poole Regatta 2026. Posted today at 7:32 pm
Puget Sound sailing, Etchells, J/70s, Cup news
Seeking Goldilocks conditions on Puget Sound, Etchells NAs, J/70 U.S. Nationals, AC38 news As the saying goes, 'you don't know unless you go'. While I've mostly heard this phrase applied to climbing, skiing, and mountaineering, four late-winter and springtime races on Puget Sound this year exemplified the fact that this line. Posted on 20 May
Joel Ronning's Catapult Wins J/70 U.S. Nationals
Hometown Hero on Lake Minnetonka After five races in a full range of breeze, Joel Ronning's Catapult team won the 2025 J/70 U.S. National Championship on home waters in Wayzata, Minnesota. Posted on 19 May
German J/70 Sailing League update
Berlin YC and Bocholt YC take the season lead The 2025 German J/70 Sailing League could not have gotten off to a better start. In perfect spring weather, three days of sailing took place on the Kiel Fjord, directly in front of the Olympic Harbor. Posted on 18 May
Register now for Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week
LBRW is open to multiple classes and in 2025 the event is proud to host the Catalina 37 Nationals Exciting racecourses with flat water offerings inside of the Long Beach breakwater, and big waves and big breeze on the outside are just a few of the factors that make the Long Beach Race Week regatta one of the most enjoyable on the west coast. Posted on 14 May
Swedish J/70 Sailing League Act I
Royal Gothenburg YC sealed victory ahead of the host club The first Allsvenskan Sailing competition of the 2025 season was hosted in Saltsjöbaden at the Royal Swedish Yacht Club (KSSS). Posted on 12 May
Stop Guessing, Start Winning
The Ultimate Cheat Sheet for Fast Rig Settings You know the boats that kept finishing ahead of you last season? They're not faster. They're just better at repeating what works. Posted on 8 May
Rooster Sailing Ltd Expands Event Support
With New and Continued Partnerships for 2025 Rooster is proud to announce an exciting line-up of event partnerships for the 2025 season, reaffirming our ongoing commitment to both grassroots and high-performance sailing. Posted on 7 May
It's So Easy to Shop for Winning Sails Online
Shop North One Design sails online anytime for fast delivery Shop North One Design sails online anytime for fast delivery, in-stock availability, and podium-ready results. Don't wait, your next win starts here. Posted on 28 Apr
2025 J/70 US Mixed Plus Nationals Preview
The Pacific Northwest has one of the biggest and the fastest growing J/70 fleets in North America The J/70 is the biggest and fastest growing sailboat racing class in the world. The Pacific Northwest has one of the biggest and the fastest growing J/70 fleets in North America. Posted on 27 Apr