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 News from Around Banderas Bay | January 2007 
J/24 UBS World Championship Vallarta 2007
 Verania Fernandez - PVNN
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| | World famous Mexican hospitality and spectacular sailing conditions promise to be the hallmark of the largest international sailboat regatta ever held in Mexican waters - the 2007 J/24 UBS World Championship in Puerto Vallarta, March 1st-9th. |
Hundreds of the world's best sailors will compete in the 2007 J/24 UBS World Championship being held in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, March 1st to 9th. World famous Mexican hospitality and spectacular sailing conditions promise to be the hallmark of the largest international sailboat regatta ever held in Mexican waters.
The J/24, the world's most popular racing keelboat, has over 5,000 boats and 50,000 sailors in action in over 27 countries around the world. Since joining the J/24 International Association in 1979, Mexico has grown to 250 affiliates and over 70 active boats. Twenty-four Mexican crews and boats have qualified for places in the competition.
Registrations have been confirmed from 14 countries, and over 70 boats will participate in the regatta. Boats are arriving in Puerto Vallarta by land and sea. Many North and South American entries will be towed to Mexico, and international shipping agents Kuehne and Nagel will facilitate the overseas shipping by container of J/24s from other continents.
As well, the Mexican National J/24 Championship will take place March 23rd - 25th, and many of these participant boats will be available locally for charter by international teams.
This World's competition is the first to use real time, on line, satellite regatta tracking system. Globalstar will provide transponders for each boat, and using their "bent pipe" technology and constellation of 40 Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites, each race can be viewed online at http://www.j24mex.com/worlds2007.asp. Fans, friends and families all over the world will be cheering for their favorites in each day's race.
Another first for the World's will be the consistent sailing conditions of Banderas Bay. Warm steady afternoon breezes of 10 to 20 knots off the beaches of Nuevo Vallarta will provide an even platform for the one design J/24s.
Measurements will be conducted March 1st to 4th at Vallarta Yacht Club in Nuevo Vallarta, hosts for the 2007 competition which consists of a Practice Race on Sunday, March 4th, and 2 races per day from Monday the 5th to Friday, the 9th.
The beautiful beaches and resorts of Nuevo Vallarta will provide the backdrop for a great social program including volleyball, fiestas and costume parties.
What is a J/24?
The J/24 is a fiberglass sailboat 24 feet (7.32 meters) long, with a beam of 9 feet (2.70 meters). These measurements were determined by the size of the garage attached to the family house of Rodney Johnstone, who is the creator of the J/24.
On May 15, 1976, Ragtime, the first J/24 sailboat touched water. The J/24 is usually sailed with a crew of 4 or 5 sailors, who are weighed at the start of each event, and whose total weight can't exceed 400 kg.
Currently, the J/24, the world's most popular racing keelboat, has over 5,000 boats and 50,000 sailors in action. Its popularity can be attributed to its design, the skill necessary to sail it well, and the force of the International J/24 Class Association, which has 2,728 active members in 27 countries around the world. |
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