(Buenos Aires, Argentina)- It would be fairly certain that no one could've
foreseen the outcome of this year's J/24 Buenos Aires Race Week hosted by the
famous YC Argentino. Sailing was ferociously close for the top three
contenders at this year's event. The fleet was blessed with gorgeous
sailing conditions on the Rio de la Plata, sailed just offshore in front of the
picturesque, bustling metropolis of Buenos Aires.
By winning the first three races in a row, everyone apparently
concluded that Matias Pereira and crew on CARRERA were simply a
"runaway" and could never be caught. So, the rest of the fleet
resigned themselves to racing for the remaining podium spots. However,
while no can explain exactly how it happened, but either Pereira and some of
his crew (like the tactician?) suffered temporary amnesia or perhaps they all
had a few too many cervezas the night before. Nevertheless, their last
two races were a complete meltdown, posting two 6ths to nearly lose the regatta
to Francisco Van Avermaete on MENDIETA. To their credit, MENDIETA sailed
a steady series with all finishes scored in the top three. Both boats
tied on points with 9 apiece, with CARRERA crowned as BARW champion due to
their three firsts.Behind the top two boats was another close battle for five boats in all, in fact it was an anxiety-ridden "nail biter" until the very last race. After the dust settled on the battleground, it was Alejo Rigoni's CHUCHA NO SOY McCENROE taking the third spot on the podium with 13 pts. Fourth was Nicolas Cubria's RINA with 16 pts. Fifth was Sergio Pendola's CACIQUE with 18 pts, beating Pedro Garra's EXTASIS on a tie-breaker. And seventh in this group was Fernando Montes's COCOON with 19 pts! For more J/24 Buenos Aires Race Week sailing information
