Sailing: Ricardo Seguel and Emilia Veloso qualify for the Sunfish World Championship

Ricardo Seguel and Emilia Veloso earned Chile’s places at the Sunfish World Championship by winning their respective categories at the national trials held during the XVI Copa Escuela Naval BCI.

The regatta took place at Club de Yates Higuerillas and brought together 94 boats and 150 athletes from different sailing classes. Seguel, representing Cofradía Náutica del Pacífico, won three of the 11 races in Concón Bay and finished on the podium in 10. After two discards were counted, he finished five points ahead of Renato Brito of Club de Yates Higuerillas. Agustín Soto placed third, nine points behind Seguel.

Veloso, from Universidad Católica, won the women’s category with one race victory and seven podium finishes. Constanza Olivares of Club Sunfish finished second, while Javiera Navarrete of Club de Yates Valdivia completed the podium.

The Sunfish World Championship is scheduled for Nov. 9 to 13 in St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The wider Copa Escuela Naval also produced winners in Optimist, ILCA, J24, Pirata and Finn classes.

Franz Schulze, commodore director of Club de Yates Higuerillas, highlighted the age range of the competitors, from nine to 88, and said the event is consolidating its place among Chile’s leading one-design regattas.

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The event is consolidating its place among the country’s leading one-design regattas.