The 10th Caribbean Laser Midwinter Regatta is taking place in Cabarete, Puerto Plata, a world class event on the Laser circuit of the Americas. World famous sailors like Nick Thompson from Great Britain, Javier Hernandez of Spain, Gustavo Lima of Portugal, Peter Seidenberg and Charlie Buckingham of the US and the DR's own Raul Aguayo are racing in this prestigious event 13-15 January. It is held the weekend before the Miami OCR, and thus is an opportunity for weekend-warrior sailors to compete with the best in the best sailing conditions.

Event organizers say that one of the attractions of the Cabarete event is that mid-fleet sailors can casually chat with those who have made it to the top of their game, and learn from the greats of Laser fleet. The regatta usually attracts between 30 and 40 competitors, many of whom also attend the four-day pre-race clinic.

The favorite to win this year is Julio Alsogaray of Argentina, who recently won gold in the Guadalajara, Mexico Pan Am Games and is ranked fourth in the world.

12 countries have sent teams, knowing that the wind and waves of Cabarete offer some of the best conditions for sailing in the world. Sailors from Argentina, Bermuda, Canada, Curacao, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Spain, the United States, and host Dominican Republic are taking part in the event.

The event is organized by the Dominican Sailing Federation, under president Luis Jose Cabral. Race lead officer is David Kerr of Puerto Rico and principal juror is Chris Gowers of Great Britain. Gowers was head coach of the GB Sailing Team, which won gold in the 2008 Olympics.

For more on upcoming events, see www.dr1.com/calendar

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