GURU-SIRTECOM Tops Chilean Navy J/24 Regatta

(Puerto Montt, Chile)- This past weekend the twentieth edition of the Chilean Navy Regatta Frutillar was held on the spectacular waters of Lake Llanquihue and organized jointly by the Chilean Navy and the Cofradía Náutica de Frutillar Yacht Club.

“Lago Llanquihue” is the largest lake in Chile, just north of Puerto Montt along the Pacific coastline. It is located at the start of the “Patagonia Verde” and is the most beautiful landscape in the country, with enormous fjords, dozens of glaciers, spring waters, and immense rainforests.  Plus, the wildlife is off the charts with seals, dolphins, whales, albatross, salmon, hawks, you name it.

The lake is in southern Chile's Lake District. It's known for its vast waters and black-sand shores. It is 860 sq. km. (330 sq. mi.), 21.75 miles long, with waters that exceed 1,000 ft (rumored to be as much as 6,000 ft in places).

To the east, the 12,000 ft high snow-capped Osorno Volcano that borders the lake has enormous ice caves. Nearby are Petrohué Falls, flowing down chutes etched by lava. On the lake's southwest edge, is the old town of Puerto Varas- famous for its German-style buildings and a red & white, 3-towered church. North of Puerto Varas, is the peninsula of Frutillar, famous for its glass-fronted “Teatro del Lago” that hosts concerts all year long in a most spectacular waterfront setting. In the northeast part of the lake is Puerto Oscuro, known locally as the “Riviera” of Chile for its benign, quiet, gorgeous surroundings along the lakeshore.

In the 1850s, Vicente Perez Rosales made a huge contribution to the region and organized the colonization by Germans and Chileans of the Llanquihue area.  He made an agreement with the German government to bring German families, giving them 1 hectare (100 acres or 10 sq. km.) of land to settle and develop a zone that at that time was full of rainforest, lakes and beauty, but no infrastructure at all. The sole inhabitants at the time were just brave Araucanian Indians.

That initiative was a great success, and many Germans settled in the region in the second half of 19th century, developing its incredibly rich resources for agriculture, sheep/wool production, liquor distilleries, wine vineyards, granaries, and also commercial ferry services for many lakes, especially Lago Llanquihue.

The Chilean Navy’s Cofradía Náutica Regatta remembers those brave colonizers; many lost their lives (entire families, in fact) in the challenging weather, but their efforts enabled the few small communities to survive.

A strong fleet of a dozen J/24s and a handicap fleet that included J/80s participated in the multi-fleet event that took place over three days. The fleet experienced eight races with very shifty winds, with the velocity ranging at least 8-15 kts over the course of each day.

The J/24 fleet included eight boats from Talcahuano; Raul del Castillo from Algarrobo; and Tomas Detri from Villa La Angostura, Argentina. The regatta PRO was setting marks in about 300 to 600 ft of water!  Imagine that, as bad as Hawaii or Lago Panguipulli!  A rock, some string, chuck it over the side, time it (literally), and the mark is set!

The ultimate winner was GURU-SIRTECOM, with Nicolas Cubria from Argentina on helm.  They finally won the title after sailing in a more protected area of the bay that produced 10-30 degree windshifts. In the end, the podium was rounded out by Raúl del Castillo’s LA BANCA in second place and the duo of Andrés Menta/ Carlos Lucero on VIKING in third position.

In the Handicap class, the J/80 DOMINGO SIETE sailed by Alejandro Caroca lead in a one-on-one battle against the other J/80 PUERTO VIEJOR, sailed by the Surazo Sailing Club member from Puerto Varas- Rodrigo Carrasco.

Surazo SC is a group of 10-15 boats that sail the whole year on Llanquihue Lake from their homeport of Puerto Varas.  The town is an important residential town for most of the professionals of the salmon fishing industry that work in Puerto Montt. Add to Flipboard Magazine.


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