The Club de Yates Valdivia is the oldest yacht club in Chile, celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. Part of these celebrations included hosting the first World Cup regatta for the Pirate class sailboat. This is a very big event for the club and the crew of Curare had the opportunity to partake in the many events of the regatta.
The Pirata (in Spanish) is a small, 5 metre long by 1.6 metre wide velero similar to the Flying Junior. The boat was originally designed in 1934 for the German youth to learn sailing techniques and has a large following worldwide. The Royal Canadian Sea Cadets also use the Pirate class as a training sailboat. With a full mainsail and a fractional rig jib the boats sport 10 m2 of
sail area and can fly a 10 m2 spinnaker. At a measured weight of 218 kg, the boats are lively performers.
The Pirate World Cup Regatta was held from January 12 to 21, 2012 with a limit of 50 entrants. There were numerous European participants including Austria, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Switzerland, and Turkey. Of course Chile and neighbouring Argentina, with their strong German heritage, had multiple entrants in the event. The race schedule included two to three races per day with a lay day in the middle. The regatta was run on a points system using the International Pirate Class Racing Rules. Points are assigned based on your position over the line, so the boat with the fewest points wins.
Three race venues were available depending on current and wind conditions: on the Valdivia River right in front of Marina Estancilla so that the crew of Curare would have a front row seat; in the shelter of Isla Mancera (where we first anchored Curare after our passage from Easter Island) at the mouth of the river; and in Bahia Corral which is open to the winds and swell of the Pacific Ocean. Other than on the practice day, all races were run on windward-leeward in
Bahia Corral. However, with wind over current conditions along the river, the five mile tow to the start meant a very wet ride for everyone.
When one of the skippers was unable to race due to an injury, G had the opportunity to participate in the races for one day. It was an excruciatingly long wait for the
course to be set up, as the Race Committee deliberated
exactly where the windward leg should go in the frequently changing conditions. After a two hour delay the 10 minute flag was raised. With 45 boats converging on the short start line, there was a lot of adrenaline flowing as everyone wanted the favoured end. We managed to fend off from other competitors by yelling “Agua” and crossed over in fine position. Unfortunately with all of the
jostling, a restart was called. We
didn’t fare as well on the next two starts but did finish the races in the middle of the pack at 27 and 28, respectively. Everyone got to rehash the races at the end of the day back at Marina Estancilla where the local artisanal brewer provided abundant refreshments.
It's been exciting to be among these world class racers,
participating in the regatta events and helping repair broken stays, sails and hulls between the races. While not quite an America's Cup event, the Valdivia Yacht Club sponsored a great regatta and provided all participants a perfect venue for world cup racing.
The first Pirate World Cup trophy was taken by a German registrant, followed closely by a Chilean team. In fact five Chilean boats were in the top 10 showing that there is strong competition among this spirited little training boat.