J. Lasso C.
Last Saturday, the third edition of the "Vuelta a la Isla de Lanzarote" regatta was held, organized by the Casino Club Náutico de Arrecife and the Marina Rubicón Sports Port, scoring points for the Insular Cruise League.
The route consisted of circling the island in an easterly direction, starting from the Marina Rubicón Sports Port, going along the east coast of Lanzarote, passing through Puerto del Carmen, Arrecife, the north of the island, La Graciosa, the Timanfaya coast and arriving back at Marina Rubicón in Playa Blanca after crossing La Bocaina. The weather report for Saturday morning predicted average winds increasing towards the afternoon; everything pointed to a not too fast crossing.
After the arrival of the boats at Marina Rubicón on Friday afternoon, and the preparations prior to the race, on Saturday morning the regatta started at 9:30 am with a total of 21 boats divided into the IRC Regatta and IRC Cruiser classes. The conditions at the starting line were excellent with a wind of 18 knots blowing from the north that was maintained during the first section of the regatta to the tip of Papagayo, the yacht Lola of Rafael Lasso led the fleet followed closely by the Muyay of Aureliano Negrín. After turning the southern end of the island, there was a great calm that regrouped the boats again, and in which the Avanti Lanzarote of Manuel Hernández, skippered by Alejandro Morales, took advantage of the land winds to get out of the calm with a great advantage, which placed him as a prominent leader until reaching the height of Puerto del Carmen, there again the wind dropped and the boats that were sailing closer to the coast were greatly harmed, escaping the rest of the boats that had opted for the outside edge (Lynx, Teceda and Lola).
This advantage was soon neutralized as a result of a new calm and change of wind direction in front of Arrecife, where the Sorondongo of Miguel Ángel Armas took a great advantage when the land wind rose, which would place him as leader until the tip of Los Ancones in Costa Teguise, where he would be overtaken by the Muyay.
In the cruiser class, the fleet was led by the Linx. The north wind set in from this moment with great intensity (between 18 and 28 knots) and a beautiful battle could be seen on the ascent towards La Graciosa with continuous changes at the head of the fleet and with some abandonment due to breakage.
The Regatta Committee decided to divide the race into two time sectors to make two classifications, and from the sum of points of which the final winner of the III edition of the Vuelta a la Isla de Lanzarote-Marina Rubicón Trophy would emerge. The first control point was established in Orzola, where the first boat to cross was the Lola followed by the Muyay, Sorondongo and Avanti, and after applying the time compensation the winner of the first sector was the Muyay of Aureliano Negrín followed by the Hotel Princesa Yaiza Grupo Fariones of Álvaro Jiménez and the Sorondongo of Miguel Ángel Armas. In the cruiser class, the one that made the best time was the Linx, followed by the Colibrí and the Altamar skippered by Francisco Curbelo.
After the fleet passed the first control point and turned the Fariones point, the descent began along the north and west coast of Lanzarote where the boats, pushed by a fresh wind and sailing with the Spinakers hoisted (large sails for downwind winds), covered the second section in a fairly short time, with few changes in the order of arrival with respect to the first control.
At 21:33 hours, it was Rafael Lasso's Lola who crossed the finish line in first position, after which Aureliano Negrín's Muyay did so, who after the time compensation would win by 10 seconds to the Lola and would be proclaimed after a very good regatta, as the winner of the III Edition of the Regatta Vuelta a la Isla-Marina Rubicón, with two first places, followed by the Lola with a fifth and a second and the Hotel Princesa Yaiza Grupo Fariones of Álvaro Jiménez with a second place and a fifth.
In the cruiser class, the Linx finally won with a first place and a second, followed by Francisco Curbelo's Altamar with a third and a first, completing the podium of winners with Jesús Escribano's Colibrí.
After the arrival of the participants who were arriving at the facilities of the Marina Rubicón Sports Port throughout the night, a reception was held for the crews who, after a long day of navigation with continuous changes in intensity and wind direction, were preparing to celebrate the end of the Regatta and to receive the well-deserved trophies and souvenirs of their participation in this III edition of the Regatta Vuelta a la Isla de Lanzarote.
