When the high summer season of competition finishes in the month of April, after four months of intense sailing and regattas, including the Rolex South Atlantic sailing week, Yacht Club Punta del Este’s sailors start training in the cold winter weather in winter, as well as travelling around the world racing in major events.

The club will welcome the Clipper Round the World Race’s stopover in October, and again for the third time in a row there is a boat representing the Yacht Club Punta del Este. Our position in the South Atlantic makes Punta del Este the perfect stopover for round the world races, and for almost 50 years we have been hosting major events, with a big impact in our community. Commodore Juan Etcheverrito views these events as a challenge and an opportunity to unite the Club and the public to promote sailing and inspire our local sailors to enter major events.

While the first leg of the Clipper Race was sailing home, a crew member was invited to compete at the New York Yacht Club Invitational in Newport, Rhode Island. Only three South American yacht clubs were invited, and our boat finished ahead of them at the end of the races.

In addition, our Sailing School and Optimist sailors travelled to Salinas Yacht Club, in Ecuador, to participate in the Optimist South American Championship against more than 180 competitors. We were in charge of the Race Committee as Principal Race Officers, named by the International Optimist Class, so our Club also assists in the organization of events around the world.

With 102 years of history, it’s always inspiring to reflect on how far our club has come since 1925 and the race between two Commodores in our first wooden sailboats. The same spirit of adventure and passion for sailing continues today, as evidenced by our many and varied international activities.