Yacht Club Punta del Este team announced, with Uruguayan Skipper at helm

Following a second-place finish in the Clipper 2019-20 Race, the Yacht Club Punta del Este (YCPE) team is back for another circumnavigation. The Yacht Club Punta del Este team will race 40,000nm around the globe with Uruguayan skipper and Punta local, Nano Antía Bernardez at the helm.

Image: The Yacht Club Punta del Este

Yacht Club Punta del Este will be flying the flag for Uruguay as both a Host Port and Team Partner on the Clipper 2023-24 Round the World Yacht Race. This will be the third time the Yacht Club Punta del Este welcomes the global sailing event to its marina, and the second edition to see a Uruguayan team entry.

Having completed one circumnavigation on the 2017-18 edition and four legs of the Clipper Race on the 2019-20 edition, firstly as a crew member and then a First Mate, Nano Antía, now a Clipper Race Skipper. Nano is the first ever South American to skipper on the Clipper Race and will also experience the pride of sailing into his hometown, representing his yacht club on board the YCPE team yacht. He said: “Being from Punta del Este myself, it is a dream come true! I’m honoured and very proud to be representing the Yacht Club Punta del Este as we sail around the world, especially on our 100 year anniversary.

Image: Nano Antía will be the Skipper on Yacht Club Punta del Este

“We will make friends in every port and make sure the world knows that Punta del Este is a destination you need to visit at least once; especially if you are a sailor, as we have blue sky, sun and fair winds almost every day. Punta del Este is where the green forests meet the blue ocean, a unique peninsula where you can see both sunrise and the sunset over the sea. You will definitely fall in love with my hometown and people.

“We will work super hard to make the Yacht Club Members and everyone in Punta del Este proud of us. We will inspire the youth by being the happiest and most friendly team in the fleet while being competitive on the water to ensure we represent the spirit of Punta.”

The Clipper 2023-24 Race starts on 3 September. Its fleet will sail into Punta del Este having raced almost 7,000nm from Portsmouth UK to Puerto Sherry in Spain, and then across the Atlantic Ocean to Uruguay. After testing conditions, the crew will be ready to explore the city of Punta del Este and its stunning beaches and sample the South American culture. The timing couldn’t be better as the club is about to celebrate its 100th Anniversary, so the Yacht Club Punta del Este team and fellow Race Crew can expect a fiesta on arrival as the Yacht Club begins its celebrations!

Commodore of the Yacht Club Punta del Este, Juan Etcheverrito said: “It is a great joy to start celebrating our 100th anniversary as a Host Port and Team Partner of the Clipper Race. When a small group of sailors founded the Club so many years ago, little did they imagine a century later a boat would carry their dream all around the world. The Yacht Club Punta del Este team, led by its Club member, the Uruguayan Skipper Nano Antía, is not only competing in a race, showing their skills, courage and endurance, but symbolising how far a dream can take you, with the same passion and drive that identifies our Club from its beginning.”

Image: Yacht Club Punta del Este yacht branding

Alongside Nano Antía, two Uruguayan Race Crew will have the honour of sailing into their home country, on board the Yacht Club Punta del Este yacht:

Fernanda Nunez, 31, a cabinet maker and artist from Punta del Este, sailing on Leg 1

Eugenia Segovia, 47, a dentist from Uruguay, now living in Spain, sailing on Legs 1 and 5

The Clipper Race fleet will arrive in Punta del Este from 12 October 2023, to a huge welcome and a full stopover programme to showcase Uruguayan culture and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the YCPE. On 22 October, the teams will leave the city to race to Cape Town, South Africa.