(Sydney, Australia)- The inaugural J/70 Australian Championship was held
on the weekend of 14-15 October, with the race management support
provided by the team from Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron.Six races were held over the weekend of racing. Saturday’s breeze was forecast for 25 kts, but abated to 15-20 kts providing some exhilarating kite runs down the harbour for the fleet. Sunday’s winds softened to 10-12 kts from the southeast.
First place with 6 bullets was a clean sweep by Reg and Sally Lord, Jordan Reece, Tom Grimes, and Cam Gundy on JUNO from the CYCA. A thrilled Reg said, “We had good speed around the course, expert tactics from Jordan, and great trim and boat-handling all round. Sailing with the team on a J/70 is just so enjoyable.” Reg and crew were fresh from competing in the 168-boat fleet in the J/70 Worlds held in Sardinia, the largest sportboat event ever.
In 2nd place, also from the CYCA were Tim Ryan and crew on JAMES. Third place was tightly contested and ultimately went to JACKAL team from Royal Sydney YS.
It’s great to be part of the J/70 International Class, and have the opportunity to sail a high-performance boat with family and friends, and compete in International regattas.
Not since the J/24 have we seen such a worldwide response to a new one-design keelboat. Like its predecessor, the J/70 has struck a chord across a wide age and skill range and has proven itself to be an extremely versatile platform.
The
J/70 Class offers the highest level of competition and yet the boat can
be successfully crewed by a three-generation team. The real secret to
the success of the J/70 is its inclusiveness of all sailors.Nick Rozenauers, sailing THE JACKAL with brother Alex, Dad, Peter, and two mates really enjoyed the racing. “The first race on Sunday was nearly 80 minutes and four of the J/70’s finished within 16 seconds of each other, brilliant close racing!” New to the J/70, Andrew from JABBERWOCKY said, “it was a great learning experience for the crew, but good fun!”
The J/70 is a dream to sail. Most expect her to fly downwind, but few expect her to sail to windward as well as she does. This “two-way” ability (thanks to excellent stability) clearly distinguishes the J/70 from the pack of other sportboats and presents a compelling option and appeal to both youth and mature sailors.
Over 1,400 J/70’s have been delivered to happy owners in the four short years since its launch, making the J/70 the fastest growing and largest sportboat class in the World.
The J/70 fleet thanks Chris Stone and Margaret Carney at Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron for their support of the Championships, and also for running the W/L Mini Regatta series throughout the year. Thanks also to North Sails and Harken for their on-going support of the J/70 Australian Class. Add to Flipboard Magazine.
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