J/70 Europeans Preview

(Vigo, Spain)- Seventy-eight teams from 15 countries will contest the 2018 J/70 Class European Championship, organized by the Real Club Náutico de Vigo.

13 races are scheduled over five days, racing in the stunning Ria de Vigo on the Atlantic coast of Northwest Spain. The Real Club Náutico de Vigo is providing a warm welcome to competitors with social occasions throughout the regatta.

USA, USA, USA!
Reigning J/70 World Champion, Peter Duncan's RELATIVE OBSCURITY team (Willem van Waay, Victor Diaz de Leon, and Max Hutcheson) will be representing the USA. “I decided to race in Europe this season because the competition is great. The European teams sail the J/70s very well,” commented Peter.  “Last year in England and Italy, the hospitality was fantastic, everybody was very helpful, and the events were very well put together. I have never sailed in Vigo, but I have heard some great things about the conditions and the venue, so is a great opportunity. The intensity and level of racing in Europe is definitely on the up, and there are 78 boats signed up for Vigo, which is terrific. I hope they race us on one line, that would be really interesting.”

Viva Espana!
The host nation Spain has the largest entry by country with 22 teams entered. Gonzalo Araujo's LaGuardia & Moreira was crowned Spanish National Champion in the run up to the main event, and will be representing the host club for the J/70 European Championships. Jose María Torcida's NOTICIA was runner up for the 2017 J/70 European Championships, and is a two-time winner of the J/80 Worlds. J/70 Spanish Class President, Willy Alonso will be racing ENERSYS in his home waters, the highly experienced sailor from Vigo will be hard to beat.

Made in Brazil
Faria Renato's TO NESSA has made the long journey from the Rio de Janeiro Yacht Club in Brazil. At the 2018 Bacardi Cup, in a hot fleet of 47 J'70s, TONESSA came 8th carrying a DSQ from Day One. Horacio Carabelli will be sailing with all family members on URUBU. Horacio has won the Snipe Worlds twice, competed at the Olympic Games, and been part of numerous teams for the America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race.

British Armada Invasion
Twelve teams from Great Britain form the largest group from overseas. Olympic sailors and World Champions will be racing with owner-drivers including Graham Clapp's JEEPSTER, with reigning Nacra 17 World Champion Ben Saxton, and Olympic 49er sailor Sophie Ainsworth. Simon Ling's TEAM SPITFIRE, 2015 Corinthian J/70 World Champions, will also be in the thick of the action.

Viva d’Italia
Eleven teams are entered from Italy. Claudia Rossi's PETITE TERRIBLE will be gunning for a hat-trick of European titles, having won the event for the last two years. Claudia's father, Alberto Rossi, will be racing ENFANT TERRIBLE. Alberto is a past Farr 40 World Champion and three times ORC World Champion. Reigning J/70 Corinthian Class World Champion, Gianfranco Noe's WHITE HAWK will be racing. Vincenzo Onorato will be racing for the Yacht Club de Monaco under the name of his well know America's Cup Syndicate MASCALZONE LATINO.

From Russia With Love
Valeria Kovalenko will be competing, hoping to take the prize for the top women helm. Melges 24 World Champion, Fabio Gridelli will be amongst her crew on ARTTUBE RUS-1. Another notable Russian entry is 2013 J/80 World Champion, Alexey Semenov and Hugo Rocha racing NEW TERRITORIES.

From Turkey, Ahmet Eker's team EKER KAYMAK, includes 2012 Melges 24 World Champion, Enrico Fonda. Fredrik Hedlund's Swiss team racing AGERA3 includes Christoph Berger, past Swiss National Finn Champion and 5.5 Metre World Champion.

Vigo is an ancient fishing city on Spain’s northwest Atlantic coast in Galicia. The mouth of the nearby Vigo Estuary is sheltered by the Cíes Islands, which form part of the Atlantic Islands National Park. The Cíes are known for their bird life and crescent-shaped Rodas Beach. The Ria de Vigo forms a superb natural location for the J/70 European Championships, and the city of Vigo has a renowned old quarter, home to plazas with towering ancient houses, which have been homes to fishermen for hundreds of years.
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