VALLE DE BRAVO, Estado de Mexico, Mexico (August 14, 2017) – Women’s teams from around the world have arrived at the Club de Vela La Peña A.C. for the International Women’s Keelboat Championship presented by US Sailing. The event will conclude the 18th of August.
Teams took to the water Monday morning for practice sessions in J/70s, which are provided by the club. The lake, surrounded by mountains provides challenging and unique conditions for competitors. Racing will begin Tuesday morning in a round robin format, with quick rotations and on-the-water umpiring.
Betsy Alison, organizing authority for US Sailing and five-time winner of the Bengt Julin Trophy, says of the racing format, “Using the Champions League format is a really exciting innovation to this event. I think we will see super close racing and the winners will not be determined until towards the very end. I think it’s great movement forward for this regatta.”
In effort to revitalize the championship regatta, this is the first time in history that the storied event will be contested outside of the United States. The last championship took place in 2016, the first championship since 2011 in Rochester, New York.
Alison says of the event, “The championship truly celebrates excellence in women’s sailing. I think we can expect great racing from the competitors that are here and I think we will have wonderful hospitality and a great event.”
The winner will be the recipient of the Bengt Julin Trophy and the top American boat will be the US representative at the 2018 Sailing Championship League World qualifier. The Bengt Julin Trophy is named for an international judge and strong supporter of women’s sailing.
The International Women’s Keelboat Championship is a spectator friendly event and can be observed from the shore or private watercraft. Race start times are dependent on wind and weather, but racing is schedule to begin at 11 a.m. each day.
