Club Náutico Baja Opens “Grandes Navegantes” Regatta to US Racers

When we think of Ensenada, certain races come to mind. Newport Ocean Sailing Association’s Newport to Ensenada race, Southwestern Yacht Club’s Little Ensenada race, and the Todos Santos regatta sponsored by Club Náutico Baja draw the largest participation of American racers in the region. This summer, Club Náutico Baja (CNB) opens the Grandes Navegantes regatta to US racers for the first time in its 22-year history. The 23rd annual regatta will be held on Sunday, June 16, and racing sailors seeking a new challenge should save the date now, and make their plans to head south.

The Grandes Navegantes (Great Navigators) is similar to the better-known, and newer, Todos Santos Regatta held each October. But past winners say there are big differences between the two races.

“Both races go around the Todos Santos Islands,” notes three-time winner Eduardo Morales of the Catalina 27 Yatemg. Morales has sailed those waters for decades and says, “The Todos Santos course is counterclockwise around the islands, and the Grandes Navegantes course clockwise. But beyond that, Grandes Navegantes is significantly more challenging due to the uncertainty and unpredictability of the conditions that you’ll find. One year, you can sail directly from the start near the Coral Marina to the southern tip of the islands; another, you might have to tack all the way. Behind the islands are the ever-changing problems of the wind, rocks, current and kelp. The return is generally downwind via spinnaker to the finish.”

Carlos Hussong won the 2023 edition of Grandes Navegantes in his Catalina 38 Foggy N. Valentina. Hussong sums up the difference. “Local sailors consider it much more difficult … a more technical regatta than Todos Santos. And the perpetual trophy is by far more significant than any other here in Mexico.”

The Grandes Navegantes trophy is a tribute to Mexican sailor Ramón Carlín, who led his crew to victory in the innaugural Whitbread Round the World Race in 1973/74. Carlin was an amateur sailor, and his crew consisted of family (including his wife and son) and friends. Carlin was a 50-year-old weekend sailor with two years’ experience. When he saw an ad for the round-the-world race, he saw it as “an opportunity to teach his son some discipline and a real life experience.”

The regatta organizers at Club Náutico Baja explain the significance of the regatta’s perpetual award. “That trophy is important not only because of who donated it, but because of what it represents for Mexican sailing. At that time, 17 yachts from seven countries participated in the 27,000-nautical-mile regatta. His [Carlin’s] boat, the Swan 65 Sayula II, was dismasted during the 133 days of racing, and he donated a part of that mast to CNB to use in its most prized perpetual trophy. His struggles and his improbable triumph were memorialized in the award-winning film The Weekend Sailor, which will be screened by CNB the night before the race at the Hotel Coral.”

CNB Commodore Jorge Hurtado adds, “The Grandes Navegantes Trophy reminds us, as Mexicans, that against all odds we can compete at the highest level. It reinforces the ideals of training, perseverance, preparation and Corinthianism that lead to winning regattas. And this year, we invite our American friends to come and compete with us for this prize of historical importance.”

US racers are encouraged to sign up, spend a long weekend, and discover this tradition. A welcome reception, film screening, and traditional on-the-docks post-race party are being planned. For more information or to register for Grandes Navegantes, contact CNB at ClubNá[email protected].

The Weekend Sailor is a film about Carlin, Sayula II and her crew. It was released in 2016 and features many of the original sailors. The film is narrated by Duran Duran singer Simon Le Bon, who is an experienced ocean racer of numerous international competitions, including the Whitbread Round the World Race (1985/86).