(Torquay, Devon, England)- 79 Teams, 20 Nations, 5 Continents. On Monday September 2nd, racing started at the Darwin Escapes 2019 J/70 World Championships, hosted by the Royal Torbay Yacht Club. This will be the sixth edition of the J/70 World Championship and the first to take place in the United Kingdom. Five days of windward-leeward racing are scheduled with up to 14 races in the stunning, yet tricky sailing grounds of Torbay.
J/70 teams from all over the world are competing at the Darwin Escapes 2019 J/70 World Championships: Argentina, Australia, Bulgaria, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United States of America. So far, the racing has been extremely challenging, tricky, and have tested the skills of the world’s best J/70 sailors. Here are the reports from the first four days.
Day One- Shifty, Puffy, & Streaky Offshore winds
The Worlds kicked off on Monday with three races in Torbay. Big wind shifts and changes in wind speed tested the 78 teams competing as well as the Race Management team led by Stuart Childerley. In the Open Class, Joel Ronning (USA) racing Catapult, leads the championship after three races. Second is Claudia Rossi (ITA) racing Petite Terrible, which recovered from a 28th place in Race 1 to post two podium finishes. Andrey Malygin (RUS) racing Maria, is third. In the Corinthian Class Patrick Liardet (GBR) racing Cosmic leads by just one point from Doug Struth (GBR) racing DSP. Wilson & King (IRL) racing Soak Racing completes a trio of British boats leading the championship for the Corinthian title. There were race wins today for Pichu Torcida (ESP) racing Noticia, Reg Lord (AUS) racing Juno, and Nelson Mettraux (SUI) racing CER Aprotec - Ville de Genève.
Joel Ronning (USA) CATAPULT
“It was a very anxious series of races and we had a lot of fun. It was very shifty, very puffy and you have to find a lane, which was incredibly important downwind because if you didn't find a vein of breeze or gybed the wrong way you were a loser. Consistency is going to be very important, we have a bet on the boat in terms of the average score for the winner, my number is 9, and we are all about that range. This is a very tricky venue, and we expect variable results but we are prepared for that, we know we will bring in some real shockers but we are looking forward to tomorrow, this is a lot of fun.”
Patrick Liardet (GBR) COSMIC
“We had a great day, the conditions were fantastic for us, 9-14 knots is a good for us, and we have practiced a lot in that range. It was very exciting to be out there with 78 boats on the line racing amongst some of the top keelboat teams from all over the world. The worlds is really testing and competitive, and we were really on the pace today, the team on board performed well, and we enjoyed it.”
Pichu Torcida (ESP) NOTICIA
"The first race was fantastic we went for the left and winning the race made us feel very happy. The rest of the races proved more difficult, in the second race, we went right and the left won, and in the last race, we were going well downwind for the finish but a very big shift caught us out. This championship is very long, so to finish the first day in fourth is okay. The Noticia team are good friends, we all do a very good job. Torquay is a tricky place to sail but we enjoy being here and tomorrow we will try to do our best.”
Murray Jones (AUS) JUNO
“The start line was really packed with everyone pushing the line really hard. Getting a bullet at the worlds was a good feeling. We were about 25th on the water up the first beat but we managed to slowly chip away, had a good second downwind to slide into the lead at the end and it felt good. Last race of the day, we managed to find a pretty clean end of the line but it was the wrong end and we got buried. We don't get many big fleets in Australia, here there is much more boat on boat action, which puts on the pressure.
Day Two- Brilliant & Breezy
The breeze for Day Two started with a stable 10 knots from the southwest, but backed south after the first race building to a 18 knots, with brilliant sunshine providing spectacular condition for the international fleet. With the wind direction and speed fluctuating, today's results were far from stable.
After six races there are new leaders for both the Open and Corinthian classes. Alberto Rossi (ITA) racing Enfant Terrible, acknowledged as one of the best in Europe if not the world, moves up to pole position for the Open Class, after posting 1-16-2 today. Joel Ronning (USA) racing Catapult, drops to second, three points behind the leader. Boat of the day was Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat raced by Paul Ward (GBR) propelling the team to third just a point off second. Pichu Torcida (ESP) racing Noticia is only one point off the podium. In the Corinthian Class, Doug Struth (GBR) racing DSP, is the new leader. Wilson & King's Soak Racing (IRL) discarded a Black Flag infringement in Race 5, to place second for the amateur status class, as did Denis Cherevatenko (RUS) racing Joyfull. All results are provisional pending protest decisions. There were race wins today for Alberto Rossi (ITA) Enfant Terrible, Andrey Malygin (RUS) Maria, and Peter Duncan (USA) Relative Obscurity.
Henry Brauer USA RASCAL- Past President J/70 International Class and Vice Commodore Eastern YC- host of the 2018 J/70 Worlds, commented: “The folks at the Royal Torbay YC, led by Bob Penfold, are doing a great job, this us a tough regatta to organize with a lot of volunteers and a lot of moving parts, and it has been seamless, and they are doing a fantastic job. On Rascal, we are getting it together, a bit better every day. The competition is world class and the sailing conditions are challenging, you have to keep your head out of the boat and keep on your toes. The last race today was the stand out, things didn't work out upwind and we rounded the top mark pretty deep, but our tactician Brian Kamilar called for a quick gybe, and we got a great puff and moved up into the top ten, so it paid off in spades. Tomorrow the weather man says we will have more breeze, but Torquay seems to have its own micro-climate with its spectacular topography of climbing cliffs, I think Torquay does what Torquay wants to do!”
Doug Struth GBR DSP- 2018 J/70 UK National Champions for both the Corinthian and Open Classes.
“So far it has ben very good but we have had tricky sailing conditions, unlike the conditions we normally get in the Solent. Everyone is having the same issues with the shifty wind and awkward chop but for us so far so good. The team has been together for nearly a year and a half, it has always been the worlds that we have been building towards, and we have been refining our roles. As with all teams, we have our moments but it is all beginning to click together. I think we are better than last year, and we are pretty happy with our results so far.”
Day Three- Big Wednesday
20 knots of breeze piping in from the north created full-on battle conditions for the 20-nation fleet on Day Three of the Darwin Escapes 2019 J/70 World Championships. For the third consecutive day, the Open and Corinthian leaders have changed, with teams from nine nations occupying the top ten places. There were thrills and spills as the wind speed reached close to the top end of the wind speed for the class but with flat warm water, it was a day to remember for the J/70 fleet.
In the Open Class, Paul Ward’s EAT SLEEP J REPEAT scored a 1-4-15 to take the overall lead. Pichu Torcida (ESP) racing Noticia has climbed to second after scoring a 5-17-6. Joel Ronning (USA) racing Catapult, drops to third after scoring 14-14-10. Yesterday's leader Alberto Rossi (ITA) racing Enfant Terrible, started the day well posting 9-8 but a 28 in the last race after broaching out drops Enfant Terrible to fourth.
In the Corinthian Class, King & Wilson Soak Racing (IRL) is the new leader after posting 2-34-9 today. Doug Struth (GBR) racing DSP drops to second place. Denis Cherevatenko (RUS) racing Joyfull retains third but is under pressure from a top performance today by Charles Thompson (GBR) racing Brutus. There were race wins today for Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat, Henry Brauer (USA) Rascal, and Carlo Alberini (ITA) Calvi Network.
Paul Ward GBR EAT SLEEP J REPEART
“The conditions today were exactly like we expected for Tor Bay – shifty, difficult to sail, and hard to find the right way to go. We managed okay and had an absolute blast out there. Leading the championship is terrifying, there are some really good sailors and we have a long way to go, and we will see how it all rolls tomorrow.”
Ian Wilson (GBR) SOAK RACING
“It is really difficult to track the boats in the Corinthian fleet because we are all out on one race course and we are racing against the pros and we can give them a really good run for their money but we do keep an eye out for our mates from Hamble, DSP, if we are in front of them, we know we are doing well. It was brilliant today, blowing 20 knots, wind all over the place, a great day out with boats planing all over the place - just great fun. We are hoping for more of the same tomorrow, big breeze and great racing in Tor Bay.”
Carlo Alberini (ITA) CALVI NETWORK
“We are very happy to be in Torquay but today we had a black cloud with the first race when we were just one second over the line before the start, and we were disqualified. We won the last race in the sunshine, so we were so happy. Today those conditions were good for us, we specialize in strong wind, and I hope we will do better over the last five races.
Day Four- More Breeze, More Shifts
The penultimate day was blessed with beautiful conditions in Tor Bay. With the breeze coming from the land once again, shifts and puffs of breeze made for tricky conditions with snakes and ladders right across the race course. Three windward leeward races were held in a shifting northerly breeze oscillating 45 degrees, the mean wind speed was about 12 knots with occasional 20-knot gusts.
In the Open Class, Paul Ward (GBR) EAT SLEEP J REPEAT retains the lead having scored a 6-8-30 today. However, Pichu Torcida (ESP) racing NOTICA has shortened their odds on winning the worlds posting an 11-9-11, finishing the day just four points off the lead. Realistically these two teams will battle for the Open World Championship in a double-header of racing tomorrow. Still in with a chance of winning the title are Alberto Rossi (ITA) ENFANT TERRIBLE, Joel Ronning (USA) CATAPULT, and Claudia Rossi (ITA) PETITE TERRIBLE.
In the Corinthian Class, Doug Struth (GBR) racing DSP has regained the lead but only just, Denis Cherevatenko (RUS) racing JOYFUL had a great day on the water and move up to second just 4 points off the lead. Yesterday's leader King & Wilson SOAK RACING (IRL) drop to third after three mid-fleet finishes. There were race wins today for Reg Lord (AUS) racing JUNO, ENFANT TERRIBLE, and Luis Bugallo (ESP) MAR NATURA.
Luis Bugallo (ESP) MAR NATURA
“Today the conditions were a bit easier, especially as there was less chop but it was still difficult to work out which way to go. This is a difficult place to sail but it is the same for everybody. We are looking forward to the last day of the regatta, we have a lot of teams in front of us but we are a young team looking to improve, and just like every day, tomorrow there will be lessons that we can learn.”
Tom Grimes (AUS) JUNO
“Today the shifts were shorter and more manageable and we had a much more enjoyable day. We just have to keep it together and avoid any big mistakes. It is a really big thing for us to come and race here, as we only have a few J/70s in Sydney Harbour, so to shake it up with this big competitive fleet is a lot of fun. Tor Bay is a lot like racing on Lake Macquarie where a lot of the crew grew up sailing.”
Ludovico Fassitelli (MON) JUNDA-BANCE DEL SEMPIONE
"We scored two podiums today so that was really good, Tor Bay is a big surprise for us, we were expecting big ocean waves but this is like sailing on a beautiful lake with very strong winds! We are in sixth position and tomorrow we want to stay in there and maybe get up the leaderboard. To race in this beautiful place with 80 boats is great, and we expect to have all of these boats in Monaco 2021 for the J/70 World Championship."
The Darwin Escapes 2019 J/70 World Championships, hosted by the Royal Torbay Yacht Club, will have up to the minute coverage as the drama unfolds at Facebook here. For more Darwin Escapes 2019 J/70 Worlds sailing world information Add to Flipboard Magazine.
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