A Brief History of the Regata del Sol al Sol
- 16 Nov
- Category: Regata History
In 1964 the Past President of Mexico, Lic. Miguel Aleman Valdez, then President of National Tourist Council, called together yachting principals from the gulf coast of the U.S. to meet with himself and his longtime friend, Jose Jesus de Lima, Director of Sports. At this meeting, regattas were organized from Houston, New Orleans, Pensacola, St. Petersburg and Naples, Florida to destinations of Veracruz, Isla Mujeres, Progreso and Cozumel. Of these only four persist, the St. Petersburg to Isla Mujeres, the Pensacola to Isla Mujeres and the New Orleans to Isla Mujeres. The Regatta de Amigos is still being run every even year from Houston to Veracruz.
The first race of the series organized by P/C Tom Downs from the St. Petersburg Yacht Club and Rear Commodore Esteban Lima of the Isla Mujeres Yacht Club was the Regata Del Sol al Sol in 1969. The Commodores of each of the yacht clubs at this time were Jack Clark of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club and Lic.Vicente Erosa of the Isla Mujeres Yacht Club. It has been sailed each year since, and this 44th annual regatta will begin on Friday, April 27, 2012.
