The J/70 South American Championship gets underway this weekend at Algarrobo, Chile, with the Cofradía Náutica del Pacífico hosting three days of racing from 27-31 October.
In a quirky scheduling coincidence, the event kicks off on the same day as a separate J/70 continental championship in North America, something organisers describe as a very rare overlap between the two hemispheres.
Fifteen teams from four nations, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Argentina, will contest the title on the Pacific swells rolling in off the club's waterfront. The venue is itself something of a drawcard: not many yacht clubs can boast their own 25-tonne travel lift sitting dockside.
Among the fleet to watch is Guido Van Avermaete's Whisky from Argentina, alongside Pablo and Luis Herman's New Wave and Francisco Perez's Eleanor Rigby. Ecuador's challenge comes from Jonathan Martinetti's Morenita, while Peru is represented by Alec Hughe's Windmade. The Ducasse family will be aboard Tsunami.
Racing from the recent Chilean National Championship is available to review through the Vakaros RaceSense replay system, giving sailors an indication of the conditions they can expect this week. The Cofradía Náutica also runs live webcams from its waterfront, offering a direct look at the breeze and swell building off Algarrobo as the championship gets underway.
