(Santander, Spain)- The J/80 "Great Sailing" skippered by Jose Maria van
der Ploeg, current world champion and class gold medal at Barcelona
1992, leads the ranking of the Spanish J/80 Class thanks to stringing
together excellent results in events counting towards the ranking, such
as: Palmavela, Cup of Spain, the Spain Championship and the World
Championship.Great Sailing skipper Jose said, "It is a great pleasure to be in front of this ranking during the start of the 2013 J80 Spanish sailing circuit" and adds that "since coming to the class, in March 2011, my team has done a great job, keeping an exceptional level for over two seasons. The J/80 is very competitive class where there is a large group of great sailors, that when sailing one-designs becomes very important. Obviously, my years of sailing numerous Olympic sailing classes such as the Finn and Star have contributed largely to my success because I feel very comfortable in the J/80 class."
Furthermore,
Jose had some words of thanks, "to my crew for their excellent work
where it matters most in tough situations on the race course. My
sincere thanks to: Javier Goizueta, Iñaki Olariaga, Fernando Velarde,
Maria Bover, Jesus Quirze, Juan Ignacio Merayo, Lluis Mas Hugo Ramon,
Chapon Pol and son Jose Maria.As for the future, Van der Ploeg explains that "we will soon start our 2013 season, which means we must work harder to have a good season. More importantly, we're also looking forward to hosting the 2014 J/80 European Championship to be held at my club."
It's not surprising the Spanish continue to succeed in the world of J/80 sailing; considering there are four other Spanish sailors before him that have won J/80 Worlds. Van der Ploeg's record is quite remarkable when one considers his competitors including six previous J/80 World Champions. In April 2012 he finished third in the Palmavela, after winning the Princess Sophia. In May, Van der Ploeg was proclaimed Champion of Catalonia during the celebration of the MedSailing in The Balís and winner Trofeo Conde de Godo in Barcelona. In June he won the Silver Cup in Spain. And, then a few weeks later Jose was crowned J/80 World Champion in Dartmouth, England. In September he took the bronze medal in the Championship of Spain. Thus, only two years after embarking on the adventure of sailing the International J/80 class, Van der Ploeg is at the "top of the class" in both Spanish national events and at the world level. For more J/80 Spain sailing information
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