San Juan Regatta

Gusts blowing 20+ knots and rolling seas created challenging yet exhilarating conditions for nearly 100 sailors from five islands that competed in the 13th Club Nautico de San Juan International Regatta (CNSJIR), held January 31-February 2 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The CNSJIR Race Committee reveled in the brisk conditions launching as many as 13 races for the six classes that sailed with teams hailing from five Caribbean island nations. In the 7-boat CSA Spinnaker class, which included three Melges 32s, it was Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Lipuscek’s J/105 Dark Star that won with a decisive five firsts in six races. “We did very well considering the conditions and the competition,” explains tactician, Rafi Martinez. “Our strategy was to focus on good boat handling, make few errors and on the downwind when the Melges plane to maximize the waves and puffs to our advantage.”