Jud Smith wins first event of Quantum J/70 Winter Series

The Quantum J/70 Winter Series got off to a rousing start with 39 boats competing at Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, FL. The three-weekend series kicked off from January 11-12, with Jud Smith of Eastern Yacht Club snagging the victory. Tallying a line of 1,5,1,10,2,6, Smith totaled 25 points to earn the win by nine points over second-place Rob Butler’s Touch 2 Play. A trio of boats followed next with 53 points each: Rob Britts’ Hot Mess, Henry Brauer’s Scamp and Mike Dressel.

Nineteen boats competed in the Corinthian Division, and the top three are: Britts on Hot Mess, Peter Tuite on Curragh and Joe Colling’s USA69.

On Saturday, winds started at 12 knots and built to 20 by the end of the day. With the breeze out of the south, waves increased to 1-3 feet. Sunday dawned with North winds which flattened the wave action, while breezes began at 8-10 knots but dropped to 4-6. Six races were completed overall. In addition to Smith’s two bullets, race winners were Britts, Butler, Bennet Greenwald and Kris Werner.

Click here for complete results.

Racing for the Quantum J/70 Winter Series continues at DIYC on February 7-9 and March 28-30.