Group H – Race 2: Uruguay bounced back from a difficult start to claim a convincing victory in Race 2 of the Pan-American Qualifiers, Group H, in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, November 12. A well-judged tactical decision to head towards the channel, combined with a favourable wind shift, allowed the crew to take the lead at the first windward mark. Demonstrating excellent boat-handling skills and consistency, La Celeste steadily extended their advantage, using the stronger current in the shipping channel to build a lead of more than 450 meters and secure the race win and four valuable points.
After the race, captain Hernán Umpierre highlighted the team’s ability to reset and stay focused despite a challenging start to the day: “We started a bit messy today… that second upwind mark. But then, yeah, I think the team stayed focused through the whole day. We breathe in, breathe out, and take all the bad vibes and bad energy out, and we recover quite well. I think we are fast. We are quite a fast boat… very grateful to have this team by my side.”