by Oliver Dewar
Punta del Este, Uruguay, is confirmed as the South American stopover for the Global Ocean Race 2014-15. Following one month of high-octane racing across the high latitudes of the Pacific Ocean and rounding Cape Horn, Punta del Este is the perfect destination to celebrate and recover from the gruelling conditions of the GOR’s Leg 3. Known as the Saint Tropez of South America, Punta del Este, will be at the height of its summer season when the GOR fleet arrives for a two week long stopover.
In the 80’s and 90’s Punta del Este - and the town’s famous Yacht Club Punta del Este - hosted The Whitbread Round the World Race and The BOC singlehanded race. This will be the second visit to Uruguay by the GOR, with the 2011-12 edition of the race bringing modern round the world racing back to Punta del Este.
For the GOR teams, their families, friends and sponsors, Punta del Este supplies exotic nightlife and festivals balanced with calm, golden beaches along the River Plate coast and impressive surfing beaches along the Atlantic coast. “As a Yacht Club and City with a rich heritage in ocean-racing, the welcome our fleet received here during the GOR 2011-12 was warm, embracing and enthusiastic so we are delighted to able to build on this relationship for the GOR 2014-15,” says Josh Hall, Race Director of the GOR. “We shall once again be working closely with the Yacht Club Punta del Este, the Uruguayan Ministry of Tourism and the City of Maldonado to make the stopover a memorable and valuable one for everyone involved,” he adds.
Commodore of the Yacht Club Punta del Este, Alejandro Foglia, said: “We are an extremely active yacht club with an international membership and we are very proud to assist again with the hosting of this remarkable race. This is a round the world race that is highly accessible for sailors racing very reliable, safe yachts and we totally agree with these principles. We look forward to welcoming the GOR sailors to our shores, our city and our Yacht Club,” he commented.
The GOR starts from the PSP Southampton Boat Show on Sunday 21st September 2014 and finishes in Gunwharf Quays Portsmouth in early May 2015 with the racing fleet making stopovers in Cape Town, South Africa; Punta del Este, Uruguay and Charleston, USA, before returning to Europe. The Australasian GOR stopover will be confirmed next week.
Global Ocean Race
