Hoping for no hurricanes at J/70 Worlds

The build-up to the biggest 2018 event in North American has one month remaining as 98 teams from 19 different nations prepare for the J/70 World Championship, with Open and Corinthian Class titles to be decided September 25-29 in Marblehead, MA.

Since the inaugural J/70 World Championship in 2014, three American skippers have won the championship and all of them will be racing in Marblehead: Tim Healy (Sail Newport), Joel Ronning (Wayzata YC), and the defending J/70 Open World Champion, Peter Duncan (American Yacht Club).

The 2018 J/70 North American Open Champion, Thomas Bowen (Annapolis YC), will also be competing, as will the runner up from the 2017 J/70 World Championship, Brian Keane (Beverly Yacht Club). Eight American skippers will be representing the Eastern Yacht Club, hosts for the 2018 J/70 World Championship, including Jud Smith, part of Peter Duncan’s winning team last year, but racing his own J/70 Africa for the World Championship at his home club.

“I am so excited to share my home club with these elite racers from around the world,” said Jud Smith. “Wind in September should be great–as long as there are no hurricanes—and we should see some really competitive racing.”

Nearly half of the fleet will come from overseas, including the best teams from Europe.

The current J/70 European Champion Alberto Rossi (Circolo Canottieri Aniene, Italy) and his daughter, the 2016 & 2017 J/70 European champion, Claudia Rossi (Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, Italy) will both be competing.

Top Spanish teams include the 2018 J/70 Corinthian European Champion, Luis Bugallo (R.C.N.Vigo, Spain), and Jose Maria Torcida (R.C.M.Santander, Spain) who has won the J/80 World Championship on two occasions. Top teams will be competing from Great Britain including 2015 J/111 World Champion Martin Dent (Royal Southern YC).

Six teams from Mexico will be racing including, Javier Navarro (Club Izar), third in the 2018 J/70 North American Championship. J/70 teams will be competing from all over South America including; Argentina Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay.

Teams will be travelling thousands of miles to compete at the 2018 J/70 World Championship from as far away as Australia, Germany, Japan, Monaco, Russia, Sweden and Turkey.

Event details – Entry list – Facebook

Source: Louay Habib