Martin Cloos Sailing

After my time in the Optimist Class, I transitioned to the 420, one of the most popular options for youth sailors in Argentina, especially for lightweight individuals. I immediately fell in love with the boat: its numerous systems, the boat handling, and the thrill of planing upwind were aspects I truly enjoyed.

My first regatta in 420, August 2012.

Although the 420 is not a fast boat, coming from the Optimist, it felt like I was flying. I started as a crew for a good friend and excellent sailor. We competed together in the team trials for the 2013 Youth Worlds, but we finished second and did not qualify. Nonetheless, we raced in the 2012 South American Championship and finished 5th, an excellent position considering I had only been sailing the boat for a few months.

Racing in Mar Del Plata, 2016.

After that, I changed crew and skipper many times for various reasons, which negatively affected my performance since each change was like starting over. The upside of this experience was that I learned to handle everything on the boat by myself. I became proficient in rigging and tuning the boat and learned how to teach new crews their roles effectively. This experience contributed to my development as a good coach in the future.

Despite the challenges, I achieved some notable results in the 420. I won the "Semana Internacional del Yachting" three times, one of the most important regattas in Argentina, held in Mar del Plata. I also finished second in the 2016 South American Championship and won the 2018 championship.