Wednesday, October 11, 2017

J/70 North American Championship Preview

J/70 sailngs offshore(Rye, NY)- It is going to be a busy week on the famous Rye Point that extends into Long Island Sound off Peningo Neck in Rye, New York!  The American YC is hosting their HPR Regatta on the weekend from October 7-8 for over a half-dozen classes (dinghies mostly) that also includes J/70 teams.  That event will act as a “warm-up” and training regatta for many teams that will then be participating in the 2017 J/70 North American Championship that starts racing on Thursday, October 12th and finishes on Sunday, October 15th.

While it may not be the largest J/70 North Americans held in recent history, it is more than making up for the numbers with a deeply talented fleet and all of the top American teams that sailed the AUDI J/70 World Championship at YC Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy.  Fifty-eight teams are registered and that includes Peter Duncan’s RELATIVE OBSCURITY, not only the Rear Commodore of the host American YC, but also the current J/70 World Champion! Brian Keane’s SAVASANA team is also participating; the runner-up in this year’s J/70 Worlds!

Then, the 2016 J/70 World Champion is sailing- Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT from Excelsior, Minnesota. Jumping ship to sail his own boat will be Jud Smith aboard AFRICA from Marblehead, MA (Jud was crew with Peter Duncan at the Worlds in Sardinia)- he is an Etchells 22 North American and World Champion, too.  Joining those elite teams will be the first J/70 North American Championship winner and the first J/70 Worlds Corinthians winner- the duo on MUSE with skipper Heather Gregg and Joe Bardenheier.

Many other top crews will be in the mix on the leaderboard that have won or placed in various NOOD Regattas, Charleston Race Weeks, Bacardi Miami, Midwinters, or Quantum Winter Series; including Doug Strebel’s BLACK RIVER RACING, Melissa & Andrew Fisher’s BUTTON FLY, Mallory & Andrew Loe’s DIME, Jack Franco’s FLOJITO 3 BALL JT, Trey Sheehan’s HOOLIGAN: FLAT STANLEY RACING, Jenn & Ray Wulff’s JOINT CUSTODY, Bruce Golison’s MIDLIFE CRISIS, Martie Kullman’s NEW WAVE, John Brim’s RIMETTE, Pam Rose’s ROSEBUD, Peter Vessella’s RUNNING WILD, Will Welles’ SCAMP, Dave Franzel’s SPRING, Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE, Scott & Alex Furnary’s ANY COLOUR, and John & Molly Baxter’s TEAM VINEYARD VINES.  For more J/70 North American Championship sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.