Ten international teams of four women each gathered in Valle de Bravo, Mexico to compete in the 2017 International Women’s Keelboat Regatta (IWKR). The IWKR is a US Sailing championship with a rich history dating back to its inauguration in 1985. The championship alternates between a national and international venue each year and has most recently been sailed in J70s. The race format is based on the Championship League format where races are targeted to run approximately 15 minutes and breaks in between are often five minutes or less.
The Club de Vela La Peña in Valle de Bravo, a beautiful small town about 2 hours southwest of Mexico City, was our host for the week-long event. The clubhouse sits nestled among trees slightly above the lakes edge and provides the competitors with amazing food, fantastic service, and more importantly one of the warmest welcomes upon arrival ever experienced.
Due to the timing of the event in mid-August, we did find ourselves in the middle of the rainy season and at a time of year that the locals typically do not sail. Yet, the locals knew the weather like the back of their hand and often had the course laid out almost perfectly prior to the wind even filling in. We’d get about 3 hours of sailable breeze each day prior to the rumbling of thunder and flashes of lighting that began high in the mountains and slowly made their way towards the course.
The conditions were challenging with leads changing daily! Lake sailing conditions best describe what we found with local knowledge helping out tremendously. As the organizer mentioned - the people that sail here know when to go five feet farther or when to tack early. As the week progressed so did everyone’s confidence in some of the typical characteristics of the lake and racing became closer and closer with three to five boats often crossing the line within seconds of each other.
Team SDYC was comprised of Stacey Szabo (bow), Alexa Cavalieri (jib/spin trimmer), Betty Sherman (main/tactics), and Giselle Camet Nyenhuis (helm). Due to some logistic constraints, this team came together to compete with only one day to practice under their belt. We faced many teams that have been sailing and training together for over a year, so we were really excited to finish a strong fourth in the tight and competitive fleet.
We have many people to thank for the opportunity to have competed and represented SDYC in this regatta. First and foremost the San Diego Yacht Club – the Board of Directors, the Competition Fund, and the members for their support! In addition, we had the opportunity to practice in a J70 with the support of J70 owners at SDYC. Thank you to Dave Vieregg as well as Neil Senturia and Channing Hamlet for your support!