After many months waiting for the first J/70s to arrive in Valle de Bravo, a total of 13 J/70s participated in their first major regatta—J/70 Nacionales de Mexico—on the famous Valle de Bravo lake. Amongst the fleet were several notable teams, including Ignacio and Alvaro Perez who brought their boats from Puerto Vallarta for the first official National Championship. The favorite to win was FLOJITO Y COOPERANDO skippered by Julian Fernandez who just finished 12th at the North American Championship a couple of months ago. Furthermore, some of the best Mexican sailors from different classes were amongst the teams as both skippers and crews. Chris Snow was calling tactics for Sean O’Keefe who brought his J/70 from San Diego to have it in Valle de Bravo for the winter. Over the two-day weekend, the fleet enjoyed seven races in a wide range of conditions from 6-12 knots which gave everyone a good feeling for their new boats. First place was taken by Fernandez’s FLOJITO Y COOPERANDO, followed in second place by PELIGROSO’s owner Diego Berho and skipper Yon Belausteguigoitia. Third place went to the team led by Alvaro Perez, who showed that experience and time on the boat counts a lot. Fourth was Sean O’Keefe and Chris Snow, and rounding out the top five was Gerardo Lozano. What was great to see in the Nationals was that five boats (nearly half the fleet) won races and seven of the 13 boats all posted at least one or more top three finishes. Next year the national circuit will include sailing in Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco and Cancun. For more J/70 Mexico Class sailing information, visit https://www.facebook.com/J70Mexico.