The SAILING WORLD Test(Newport, RI)- Dave Reed and crew hopped on board the J/70 recently for a test drive on a very spring-like day in New England. Some excerpts from what Dave had to say about the new J/70 speedster sailing, "After a quick rig we were off and sailing in a puffy 10- to 15-knot spring southerly. When I slid into the driver’s seat, grabbed the tiller, and sheeted in another click on the floor-mounted ratchet block, my immediate impression was the responsiveness of the rudder: micro-movements gave instant results. And when I found that groove somewhere between high and pinchy and bow-down fast, the boat came alive. With the three others sitting casually, legs out, I let the tiller extension float above my open hand, and the helm remained balanced, the boat practically sailed by itself. When a puff would hit, a small amount of mainsheet ease kept it tracking. J/Boats tend to focus first on having good upwind traits, and the J/70 is no exception.
It turned swiftly through the tacks, even without any attempt to roll, and because of the narrowness of the cockpit, the high boom, and plenty of space behind the traveler, I only had to take two steps to go from sitting to sitting. It was a very natural flow, and I never felt any tendency of being tossed off-balance mid-tack." Read more on Sailing World website here- http://www.sailingworld.com/sailboats/the-j70-gets-real
