Farr 40 Class Takes 2014 International Circuit to the West Coast

Among the U.S. hubs for Farr 40 class racing is in California, which will get a shot of adrenalin in 2014 as the International Circuit travels west for a series of five events that will conclude with the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship.

Zoltan Katinszky, who serves as president of the West Coast Fleet, is pleased with how the caliber of participating programs has developed in recent years. However, Katinszky isn’t satisfied and has set a goal of having 18 boats or more on the start line for most regattas. Needless to say, Katinszky is thrilled the 2014 Farr 40 International Circuit will be conducted on the West Coast, believing an influx of top-flight teams from all over the world will really spur interest in the class from Long Beach to San Francisco.

“We want to be the world capital of the Farr 40 class. In order for that to happen, we need to step up to the plate and show what we’re all about,” Katinszky said. “I’m tickled pink to have the International Circuit coming to California. This is an off-the-scale challenge and opportunity for our West Coast Fleet. My mission is to convince all the local owners to work together to make all these events a success.”

Jeff Janov has dominated the West Coast Fleet, winning the annual High Point competition four years in a row aboard Dark Star. Janov has not been active on the International Circuit since joining the class in 2008 and is eager to find out how his team performs against the world’s best.

“We’re very excited to have the top Farr 40 programs coming to the West Coast. We have always wanted to test ourselves against the best,” said Janov, who won the Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship that was held off Long Beach in 2011. “We’ve been fortunate to field the same team for the past four years. We have worked very hard to improve our performance and are pleased with the consistency we have displayed. Personally, I’m eager to be able to race against the outstanding teams from Europe, Australia, Canada, Mexico and the East Coast.”

The Farr 40 Circuit has been conducted in the United States Europe, Australia and the Caribbean. This marks the first time since 2004 that the U.S. West Coast has hosted the International Circuit.

“I have never sailed on the United States West Coast so I’m really excited about doing a series of events there,” said Alberto Rossi, owner of the Italian boat Enfant Terrible. “It will be fun and interesting to experience the racing conditions provided by these new and different locations. To complete the season in San Francisco is great and I am very, very pumped up about racing in such a famous sailing venue.”

Among the leading west coast teams will be Viva La Viva (Jeff Shew, Bill Durant, Long Beach), JoAnn (Steve Murphy, Long Beach), Temptress (Ray Godwin, Long Beach) and Skian Dhu (Dirk Freeland, Santa Barbara) along with Dark Star. “I think the overall caliber of competition is going to surprise the boats from Europe and the East Coast,” said Katinszky. “We have half a dozen very credible programs that have performed at a high level.”

2014 Schedule
March 26-29 – Farr 40 Midwinter Championship, Cabrillo Yacht Club (San Pedro, CA)
May 14-17 – Rolex North American Championship, Long Beach Yacht Club (Long Beach, CA)
June 18-21 – California Cup, California Yacht Club (Marina del Rey, CA)
July 16-19 – West Coast Championship, Santa Barbara Yacht Club (Santa Barbara, CA)
Oct. 15-18 – Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, St. Francis Yacht Club (San Francisco, CA)

Class website: http://www.farr40.org/