Quintana Roo Youth Sailors Join Mexico’s Team for Optimist Championship in Uruguay

Quintana Roo — Young sailors from Quintana Roo are preparing to represent Mexico at the 2026 Optimist South American Championship in Punta del Este, Uruguay, where they will race against some of the continent’s leading junior competitors.

The International Optimist Dinghy Association lists the championship for October 25 through November 1. Racing will take place in the Bay of Maldonado, with the Yacht Club Punta del Este hosting the event.

Quintana Roo state coach Tomás Bayones will accompany the athletes and work alongside Mexican national team coach Martín Kloss. The Asociación Mexicana de Veleros Clase Optimist (AMVCO) is coordinating the Mexican delegation.

What They Will Face on the Water

Organizers expect the 54th edition of the championship to bring together about 180 sailors aged 10 to 15 from 12 countries, including Mexico. Despite its name, the event also welcomes teams from outside South America: Bermuda, Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico are among those expected.

The planned program includes 12 individual races and a day of team racing. In an Optimist, each young sailor handles a small, single-person dinghy, making decisions about the wind, the course and other boats while competing. The team event adds a different challenge, requiring sailors to work together rather than focus solely on their individual finish.

Bayones has guided young sailors from the peninsula at this level before. He was part of Mexico’s coaching team at the 2024 South American Optimist Championship in Paraguay. Quintana Roo sailors have also qualified for earlier editions, making this trip another opportunity for the state’s junior sailing program to compete internationally.

For the athletes, the championship means a week of racing in unfamiliar waters as part of a national team. It is also the result of the training, travel and family support behind a young sailor’s chance to compete abroad.