(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- This past weekend was a very summery atmosphere
on the waters off Monaco. A hundred boats made a stop in the YC Monaco
Marina, divided between the races in the Bay of the Monaco Sportsboat
Winter Series and the arrival of boats sailing the Grimaldi Trophy- a
coastal race between San Remo, Italy and Monaco. 25°C outside, 23°in water, 15 knots of wind, and moderate sea conditions were worthy of an “Indian summer” experience for the thirty crews sailing one-designs from across Europe. The teams came from Italy as well as Eastern European countries to start Act# 1 of the Monaco Sportsboat 2014-2015 Winter Series.
Initiated
last year under the leadership of Valentin Zavadnikov, this winter
gathering of fun-loving sailors, scheduled on a monthly basis with 5
events to March 2015, now includes the rapidly growing J/70 class. This
promising series has attracted to YC Monaco one of the largest J/70
fleets in Europe, with fifteen teams attending.Training "clinics", combining theory and practice, are available for competitors who wish to prepare for the upcoming season at the highest level. It is in this spirit that Ekaterina Skudina, double European champion and World champion, shared her experience with sailors in the J/70 class, which have benefited from the new building infrastructure. “The YCM provides fitness centers, classrooms, and a perfect location to learn how to sail competitively offshore and one-design. It’s an ideal platform for
preparation
in sailing. Personally, if I had to retry a new Olympic campaign, YC
Monaco provides everything you need to train,” observes Ekaterina,
Russian representative at the last three Olympics in sailing.Having swapped his past European Champion J/24 for a J/70, it was clear the transition worked out brilliantly for one YC Monaco member. Ian Ilsley’s ST ANDREWS crew, with tactician François Brenac, quickly took advantage of the techniques required to sail an asymmetric spinnaker boat fast! With a 1-1-4 in the first three races, they are just one point in the lead. In a close second with a very consistent 2-2-3 are Dennis Fredriksen’s and Stefano Roberti sailing ARIA with a 2-2-3 for 7 pts. The President of the Monegasque class, Jacopo Carrain (CARPE DIEM) completed the podium. Under his leadership, the Y.C.M. host the J/70 European Championship from 12 to 17 October 2015 with nearly 60 teams expected. For more J/70 YC Monaco Winter Series sailing information
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