Sunday, March 8, 2015

Monaco J/70 Winter Series- Act 5 Preview

J70s sailing off Monaco (Monte Carlo, Monaco)- The fifth and final event of the Monaco J/70 Winter Series promises to be an exciting and challenging event for the twenty-nine teams entered.  The event has continued to gain tremendous momentum since it first started in early December 2014.  After an incredibly successful Primo Cup- Trophee Credit Suisse event less than a month ago, the Yacht Club de Monaco is looking forward to hosting the grand finale of their first J/70 winter series.

The Monagesque J/70 sailors should be proud of the extraordinary popularity and growth of their class in Monte Carlo.  Not since the J/24s has a class gained such a strong following in so short a period of time in the Principality.  Nine German teams, an Italian duet and one team from Great Britain will join seventeen local teams.  Will the YCM teams have gained valuable experience and training from their previous events to overcome the strong contingent from Germany??  Only time will tell and, indeed, a few surprises may be in store for the fleet with a number of new faces/ teams participating.

Certainly, the top contenders based on prior performance will be the German team from Bayerischer Segel-Club, Claus Lehmann’s BLANKER HANS (winner of the Primo Cup); YCM’s Pierrick Devic (4th in Primo Cup); Jacopo Carrain’s CARPE DIEM (YCM J/70 Fleet Captain, 5th in Primo Cup); Ian Isley’s ST ANDREWS from YCM; and Ian Wilson’s JOYRIDE from the UK.   Sailing photo credits- YC Monaco/ Carlo Borlenghi.  For more YC Monaco J/70 Winter Series sailing information