ANNOUNCING THE SPANISH J/80 SAILING SERIES!

(Barcelona, Spain)- The Spanish J/80 class is considered one of the best in the world; after all, amongst their teams they account for nearly a dozen J/80 World Championships (forget the fact they are several Olympic sailing Medallists amongst them). Building on that strength (a somewhat scary thought for the rest of the world), the Spanish class of more than 145 teams and 1,000+ sailors has created a new summer sailing series that will enable them to pursue their great passion for sailing in all of the most beautiful, iconic sailing venues throughout Spain. 

The Spanish J/80 fleet hopes to get sailors of all ages, women's teams, youth teams and masters together. Clearly, they are a class that adapts to the times and promotes values as important as equality and sustainability amongst their ranks of sailors.

J/80 Spain Sailing Series
The 2021 J80 Spain Sailing Series calendar is made up of two major national events; the Spanish Cup to be held in June at the Real Club Marítimo del Abra and the Spanish J/80 Championship to be held in the waters of Cádiz, specifically at the Real Club Náutico La Linea in September.

In addition to these two national qualifying races in the ranking, one regatta per fleet will be added; Canary, Andalusian, Balearic, Basque, Cantabrian and Galician regattas, such as the Prince of Asturias Trophy and the Princess Alexia Trophy. All these regattas will be the scoring events to make the national ranking. The top ten best of the year will come out of this ranking with their direct pass to the Super Final, the J/80 Sailing Finals!

The Spanish J/80 Super Finals
The top ten teams by ranking at the end of the circuit will go to the Super Final. It will be a competition of champions that will be held for the first time in the month of October. The chosen venue has been the amazing natural amphitheater of Santander, and the host Real Club Maritimo de Santander will undoubtedly offer an extraordinary nautical show!  For more Spanish J/80 Sailing Series regatta informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

J/80 Women's Cup Smashing Success!

 

(Getxo, Bilbao, Spain)- The inaugural International Women's Cup recently took place off Getxo, Spain on their gorgeous azure blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Hosting the event for the dozen J/80 women sailing teams was the Real Club Marítimo del Abra, sponsored by Euskadiko Kirol Portuak. Originally, the regatta was scheduled to be held at the end of March 2020.  But, like everything else, it had to be postponed due to the pandemic and sailed last weekend.

After hosting the Spanish J/80 Cup in 2018 and the J/80 World Championship in 2019, the Club de Las Arenas wanted to promote women's sailing and teamwork. Finally, after working with Basque authorities, they were given permission to host the event at Real Club Maritimo del Abra. The regatta was held over the three-day weekend of October 9th to 11th. The event started off with a teamwork/ training session on Friday; which was greatly needed by all!


“It is with great satisfaction to present this important sporting event, which represents a great step in the objective that EKP has within its strategy of promoting and contributing to equality between women and men in all areas. The hope is to grow women's presence in sailing as skippers, crew, and boat owners," said Edurne Egaña, Executive Director of Euskadiko Kirol Portuak. 

The Biscayan J/80 sailor- Carmen Galdós- commented that, “women have been sailing for a long time, with an increasingly higher percentage of female sailors participating in recent years. Now, with the support of the Spanish J/80 Class, there is even more interest; the women like the J/80 for its sailing qualities and ease-of-handling.”


In addition, Lourdes Bilbao (owner of the J/80 SIEMENS GARCIA) agreed by highlighting at the press conference that, "this event is a great leap forward, and events like this promoting women's sailing gives them an opportunity to get together with friends and strangers. Plus, for many of them it was a chance to sail with Olympic-class sailors, many of them being Olympic Medallists!” 

The 100-plus women sailors could not have been more blessed with great weather and nice sailing conditions.  On the first day, the RCMA PRO managed to run three races. The shifty northwest wind of 8 to 12 kts challenged the sailors.  However, it quickly became clear the class act of the regatta was going to be Natalia Vía-Dufresne's CLINICAS DORSIA Sailing Team, closing the day with a 1-2-2 record.  Also winning races the first day were Carmen Galdós's FINGOLFIN Women’s Team and Helena Alegre's CENTROSEGUR Team. 


Much to the delight of the women sailors, the second day of racing saw more of the same sailing conditions, but with a bit more breeze-on from the northwest, blowing 15 to 25 kts. Starting where she left off on the first day, Via-Dufresne's CLINICAS DORSIA Team won the first race by a wide margin and repeated that performance by an even larger margin in the last and final race. Clearly, Natalia's team reveled in the breezy, wavy conditions, compiling a 2-2-1-1-1 tally for 5 pts and the gold medal.  Her winning team included Nuria Sanchez, Ana Pujol, Susana Romero, Clara Llabres, and Marta Garrido. 

Despite CLINICAS DORSIA domination, the second place DECOEXSA Women's Team crew was just five points back on the leaderboard with a record of 3-5-2-3-2 for 10 pts. DECOEXSA was skippered by Olatz Munoz Ortiz, with crew of Amaia Sanchez Arnaez, Paula de la Hoz San Bartolome, Patricia Alza Larruscain, Magdalena Czernick, and Marta Lizarrage Durandegui. 

Taking the bronze medal step on the podium was the well-known BIOBIZZ Women's Team with a record of 4-3-4-2-3 for 12 pts total.  Skippering BIOBIZZ was Maria Sanchez Diez with crew of Laura Fernandez Gutierrez, Lucia Gonzalez Villa, Claudia  Carpintero Borrajo, Carlota Gala Licona, and Elena Quevedo Pasarin. Thanks to Luis Fernandez for his beautiful photos of the inaugural International Women's J/80 Cup!  Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/80 World Championship Preview

(Bilbao, Spain)- From July 13 to 20, the Real Club Marítimo del Abra will host the 2019 edition of the J/80 World Championship. Eighty-seven teams will battle for the title on the Cantabrian Sea from twelve nations across the world (Canada, Spain, France, USA, Russia, Portugal, Cyprus, Ireland, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Belgium, and India).

There is no question the biggest battles will be fought between the principal protagonists of the class in Europe- the host nation Spain and their counterparts just across their border to the north- the French.  Familiar names will be in the thick of the battle for Spain, such as past World Champion Rayco Tabares Alvarez on HOTEL PRINCESA YAIZA from the Canary Islands; past World Champion Marc de Antonio on the famous BRIBON MOVISTAR; and IBO.ES with Francisco Javier Chacartegui on the helm.

The French are showing up in force, with teams like Luc Nadal’s GAN’JA; top woman helm Anne Phelipon on NAVIGATLANTIQUE; another top woman helm- Maxime Rousseaux’s J’RAFON; Patrick Bot on ECOLE NAVALE CD29; Simon Moriceau sailing ARMENT HABITAT; and Ludovic Gilet sailing NUMERO J.

One top American team is participating, Ramzi Bannura’s STACKED DECK from Annapolis/ Eastport YC. The Russian team NEW TERRITORIES is being sailed by Alexei Semenov.  Ireland is fielding two teams from Howth YC just north of Dublin- Dan O’Grady’s JAMMY and Patrick O’Neill’s MOJO. The United Kingdom have a pair teams from the Solent- Chris & Hannah Neve’s NO REGRETS and Nick Haigh’s SLIGHTLY STEAMY.  The Netherlands also have a pair on the starting line- Bram Adema’s NJORD and Louis Kanters’ JIP. Their neighbors in Belgium also have a duo in the frame- Jean Marc Fobert’s BAD JOKE and Lemaire Jacques & Winnie Berteloot’s SEA JOU 2.

Perhaps the most surprising development is the five-boat contingent from India’s Royal Madras Yacht Club. It will be interest to see how they perform and how quickly they learn the tricks of the trade from the best J/80 sailors in the world.  For more J/80 World Championship sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Record Set @ CaixaBank Trofeo Conde de Godó

(Barcelona, Spain)- The prestigious regatta organized by the Real Club Nautico de Barcelona since 1974, the CaixaBank Conde de Godó Trophy, saw a new record set this past weekend. On the final day of the 46th edition of the event, the J/80 BRIBON-MOVISTAR of Marc de Antonio and Sofia Bertrand became the most successful team in the history of the event. It was the 16th victory for the BRIBON MOVISTAR team in the Conde de Godó, adding eleven titles in Offshore Racing and five in one-design classes.

While the J/80 Class saw domination from the BRIBON-MOVISTAR team, the team of Pepequin Orbaneja and Rafael Lasso on LES ROCHES- CRISANDKIM TRAVEL were hot on their heels for the entire regatta to take the silver. Third was the women’s sailing team on DORSIA SAILING TEAM, skippered by Ana Pujol Puyal with owner Natalia Via-Dufresne.

In the J/70 class, the Russian NEW TERRITORIES team of Alexei Semenov, with Spain’s Olympic Medallist Hugo Rocha on board, won with comfort, without having to do the last race. Second was the Spanish “G75 Team” skippered by G. Panei and Martinez Doreste (owner- Petter Fjellstad), and the Polish team on MOONRAKER, sailed by Pawel Boksa, won two races enroute to finishing in the third place.

Organized by the Real Club Nautico de Barcelona with the collaboration of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation and the Catalan Sailing Federation, the 46th CaixaBank Conde de Godó Trophy is sponsored by CaixaBank and supported by La Vanguardia, the City Council of Barcelona and the Generalitat de Catalunya. Collaborating companies are Gramona, Estrella Damm, Royal Bliss, VIP Style Magazine, Veri, Benfumat, Nordés and Mizuno.  Follow the Trofeo de Vela Conde de Godo on Facebook here   For more Trofeo de Vela Conde de Godo sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Russians Win Barcelona J/70 Winter Series

BRIBON MOVISTAR Eclipses J/80 Series
(Barcelona, Spain)- Sixteen boats sailed the 2018- 2019 winter series in Barcelona, Spain; the event was hosted by Real Club Náutico de Barcelona. The sixteen teams hailed from across Europe- Cyprus, Great Britain, Spain, Poland, Portugal, Russia, and Italy.

Winning the overall winter series was the Russian crew of AMAIZ SAILING TEAM with Egor Terpigorev, Sergey Dobrovolskiy, Victor Serezhkin and Slava Martynov from Cyprus Yacht Club. Their winning record was 5-1-1-4-1-1-10-7 for 20 pts.

Tony Hayward’s SERIOUS FUN from Great Britain, skippered by Mark Lees from Royal Thames YC, was DSQ’d in the last race to lose the regatta by just 1 point.  For Hayward’s team, it was serious training for the 2019 J/70 World Championship that will be hosted in Torquay, England.

The balance of the podium and top five were all hot, fast Spanish crews.  Third was Pablo Garriba’s RCN Barcelona team on TENAZ with 26 pts. Fourth was another Spanish crew on Luiz Martinez Doreste’s FORTY-FIVE with 30 pts. Fifth place went to David Marco’s Spanish crew on REBUFF from Real Club Nautico Barcelona with 36 pts.

In the J/80 Winter Series, Marc de Antonio's J/80 BRIBON MOVISTAR won the series handily. Taking the silver was MIKAKU, sailed by Rosa Artigas (also top woman helm) and Luis Corbella.  Rounding out the podium in the bronze position was AKEWUELE, skippered by the second woman helm- Silvia Ravetllat.
For more Barcelona J/70 & J/80 Winter Series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Competitive Barcelona Winter J/70 and J/80 Series

(Barcelona, Spain)- While there was good racing on the Atlantic Ocean off Vigo for their winter J/70 series on Spain’s western coastline, the Real Club Nautico de Barcelona was hosting its Barcelona Winters Series for J/70s and J/80s on the sunny, warm Mediterranean.

Eighteen J/70s from Spain, Germany, Cyprus, Russia, Poland, Norway, Italy, and the United Kingdom have been thrashing around the Barcelona waterfront for five events so far.  Just one final weekend is left on March 16th and 17th.  After a total of fifteen races, the leading team is a bunch of Russians sailing out of Cyprus YC; their fearless leader on AMAIZ SAILING TEAM- Sergei Dobrovolski- has guided them to six race wins and look tough to beat with just 35 pts. Only a colossal miscalculation will prevent them from winning the overall series.

However, with one regatta to go, it is a battle royale for the balance of the podium and the top five spots.  Currently sitting in second is the duo of Tony Hayward and Mark Lees from Great Britain, sailing with their Royal Thames YC team on SERIOUS FUN. They haven’t done themselves any favors by having to count a DSQ/19 in race 8 and a 15th in race 15; consequently, their 57 pts is just two shy from the third place team.  That crew is the Spaniard Luis Martinez Doreste; he’s skippering FORTY FIVE and his Real Club Nautico de Grand Canaria team is capable of winning races (three so far).  Then, sitting three points behind FORTY FIVE is Pablo Garriba’s RCN Barcelona crew on TENAZ with a total of 62 pts  And, only one point in arrears of them is Gerard Marin’s CLUB NAUTIC L’ESCALA with 63 pts.  The grand finale is going to be thriller and a nightmare for the tacticians as all four boats easily have a mathematical chance of getting onto the podium.

Spoiler alert! Of note, the top five crews are likely happy that the duo of Spanish Olympic Gold Medallist Hugo Rocha and Russian Alexey Semenov on NEW TERRITORIES missed the first three events, as they are averaging a 3rd in their last seven races, including two bullets and two deuces!

Meanwhile, the nine-boat J/80 fleet had their hands full dealing with past J/80 World Champion Marc de Antonio on his familiar boat named BRIBON-MOVISTAR.

Marc’s RCN Barcelona team have sailed all fifteen races, won six of them and placed in the top three twelve times; their points total is just 26! Comfortable in their second position is Agusti Altadil on NACEX with 32 pts overall.

However, the balance of the podium is sure to be a full-on battle in the March event between MIKAKU (Rosa Artigas and Luis Corbella) and AKEWUELE (Silvia Ravetllat and Joan Salame). Both women skippers are quite talented and have sharpened their skills over the course of the winter series. In particular, Silvia Ravetllat has seven top three scores and, other than her OCS/10 in Race 14, she would have had a chance at the silver.  Instead, Silvia’s AKEWUELE team sits in 4th place with 44 pts, three points in arrears of Rosa’s MIKAKU crew that have 41 pts.  Follow the Spanish J/70 teams here on Facebook  For more Barcelona J/70 & J/80 Winter Series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

BRIBON MOVISTAR Wins J/80 Catalonia Championship

(Barcelona, Spain)- The 2018 J/80 Catalonia Championship was hosted by Real Club Nautico Barcelona over the past weekend for a fleet of twenty-one teams from across the region. A total of five races were held over the two days in relatively light winds, very unsteady in direction, and with quite a swell rolling across the race track. As a result, it meant a tough test for skippers, tacticians and crew that had to work hard in each of the races to stay in contention for the regatta.

Winning the regatta was past J/80 World Champion Marc de Antonia; his BRIBON MOVISTAR team posted a 1-6-1-3-3 for 8 pts net.  After a brilliant last day of racing with two bullets nearly allowed Jose Maria Pujol’s DECKMETAL to pull off a surprise win.  However, it was his first three races that prevented the dream from occurring, recording a 7-2-6-1-1 for 10 pts net.  Finally, it was Rosa Artigas’ MIKAKU that took the bronze on the podium with a fairly steady tally of 2-5-3-5-2 for 12 pts net.  For more J/80 Barcelona Winter Series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Barcelona J/70 & J/80 Winter Series Finale

(Barcelona, Spain)- This past weekend marked the fifth and final act of the Barcelona J/70 & J/80 Winter Sportboat Series in Barcelona, Spain.  In the end, the Real Çlub Nautico de Barcelona managed to run twenty-nine races, much to the delight of the sailors that looked forward to their monthly races.

In the J/70 fleet, it was Javier Scherk on GUNTER that won the final weekend, setting a blistering pace with a 1-1-2-6-1 tally to win by a large margin.  Finishing second for the weekend and winning the overall series was Luis Albert Solana skippering PATAKIN from Club de Mar Palma Mallorca.  Second for the winter series was Massimo Rama’s JENIALE EUROSYSTEM, an Italian skipper and crew that had been Italy’s J/80 National Champion.  Then, rounding out the podium overall was David Marco’s REBUFF from RCN Barcelona.

The clear, runaway winner of the finale and the overall J/80 Winter Series was Gonzalo Morales’ BRIBON MOVISTAR with top skipper Marc de Antonio; they managed seventeen 1sts and seven 2nds out of 29 races!  Finishing a comfortable second overall was top Spanish woman skipper Silvia Ravetllat on AKEWELE from Club Nautico de Balis.  Taking the bronze was another leading woman skipper, Rosa Artigas, sailing Luis Corbella-Jordi’s MIKAKU from RCN Barcelona.  For more Barcelona J/70 & J/80 Winter Series sailing information
Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Barcelona J/70 Winter Series Report

(Barcelona, Spain)- The Real Club Nautico de Barcelona (RCNB) just completed the 5th weekend of their 2017- 2018 Barcelona Winter Series for J/70s and J/80s off their beautiful city waterfront of Barcelona.  The Mediterranean offered picturesque blue seas, plenty of sunshine, and good southeast breezes to permit the RCNB PRO to run two more races on Sunday, bringing the series totals up to 24 races, permitting teams to discard their four worst races.

With five weekends of racing under their belts, the J/70 PATAKIN sailed by Luis Albert from Club de Mar Palma Mallorca is leading the series with 44 pts net, counting all his scores in the top four!  Amazing!  Sitting in second for the series is Massimo Rama’s Italian crew on JENIALE EUROSYSTEM from RCN Barcelona with 52 pts net.  Rounding out the top three on the provisional podium is David Marco’s REBUFF from RCN Barcelona with 75 pts net.

In the J/80 fleet, it is past World Champion Marc de Antonio from RCN Barcelona leading the series on his famous BRIBON MOVISTAR with 28 pts net.  Holding on for second place is Silvia Ravetllat’s AKEWELE from Club Nautico El Balis with 46 pts net.  Then, sitting in the provisional third position is Rosa Artigas’ MIKAKU with 56 pts net.

The sixth and last regatta of the Barcelona Winter Series takes place next month!  For more Barcelona Winter Series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Barcelona Winter Series Hotting Up!

(Barcelona, Spain)- This past weekend, the fourth Act of the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona Winter Series saw cool waters, brisk winds, and hot action across the water of the Olympics sailing venue.  In the J/70s, winning Act IV was the Russian Sergey Semenov’s NEW TERRITORIEs, while Luis Albert Solana’s PATAKIN sailed well enough to maintain their overall series lead over Massimo Rama’s JENIALE EUROSYSTEM.

Unfortunately, Saturday’s sailing was canceled after several fruitless starts with an “AP over A” to mark the end of day for all racers.  However, on Sunday the sailors were greeted by spectacular sailing conditions; so good that both J/70 and J/80 classes were able to post a total of four races.

In the J/70s, there were many changes in the standings.  On Sunday, the fleet was completely dominated by the Russian Sergey Semenov, sailing his NEW TERRITORIES that represents the Nautical Club of Saint Petersburg in Russia. Three 1sts and one 5th pretty much crushed the competition for the weekend.  JENIALE’s Massimo Rama won the only other race that the Russians left open, the third race.

For Luis Albert Solana, owner of PATAKIN, the day was fantastic.  Luis commented, “of those who make a hobby of sailing, it was fabulous. Perfect wind and they treated us terrific!! I love surfing with Alex Muscat; Finn's Spanish champion- a luxury!"

Spanish sailing super-star Hugo Rocha, who has sailed on the Russian crew on NEW TERRITORIES, commented that, “everything has gone very well for us. With a very windy sea breeze, the wind was great for us, and therefore, more fun. Thanks to the Race Committee that has done a good job!”

For the weekend, behind PATAKIN and JENIALE EUROSYSTEM, it was David Marco’s REBUFF that is now sitting in third for the overall provisional series.

The J/80s had a bit of an upset for the weekend.  It was an excellent day for AKEWELE sailed by woman skipper Silvia Ravetllat.  They won two of the four races in a hard fight with Marc de Antonio’s BRIBON-MOVISTAR (a J/80 World Champion, no less).  Taking third for the weekend was the Polish crew on MOONRAKER sailed by Pawel Boksa. 

As a result, for the season series, BRIBON-MOVISTAR maintains a comfortable lead of ten points over AKEWELE. In turn, Silvia’s crew are just seven point up on Rosa Artigas’ MIKAKU.  For more Barcelona Winter J/70 & J/80 Series sailing information  Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Barcelona Winter Series- Act III Report

(Barcelona, Spain)- The third Act of the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona Winter Series for the J/70 and J/80 classes was blessed by good winds, sun, and three races, much to the delight of the sailors and the spectators. The racing took place in a shifty, northerly breeze blowing 10 to 17 kts with occasional gusts over 20+ kts.  The offshore breeze made racing difficult to stay at the front of the pack as boats from behind would often over-run the leaders when large, streaky puffs landed on the race area.

J/70 REBUFF Wins Weekend
The highlight for the J/70 class has been the return to racing by the REBUFF team; they had been absent for the first two Acts of the series. Owner David Marco had the great Spanish sailor (2x J/80 World Champion) Rayco Tabares from Las Palmas, Grand Canaria skippering the boat. Their strong performance stopped the runaway train called GUNTER, Javier Scherk’s team that had dominated the series to date.

REBUFF won the first race of the day and added two 2nds to dominate the weekend.  On the other hand, GUNTER did not even get a podium finish, having to hold on for two 4ths and a 5th to finish 4th place for the weekend.

The other two boats that scored a victory for the day were Luis Albert Solana’s PATAKIN, with Spanish Finn National Champion Alejandro Muscat on board, and Massimo Rama’s JENIALE EUROSYSTEM.  For the weekend, it was REBUFF first, then PATAKIN second and JENIALE third.

For the provisional overall series, GUNTER still leads with 26 pts, followed by PATAKIN with 30 pts and JENIALE with 36 pts.

Star J/80 -> BRIBON MOVISTAR!
Putting the gas pedal to the floor, and never letting up, was the pugnacious and awesomely fast BRIBON MOVIESTAR sailed by Marc de Antonio.  Three bullets for the weekend simply meant they have dramatically extended their lead over the fleet for the provisional overall series. In fact, they’ve won 8 of 15 races so far!

The real race, the regatta within the regatta, is for the balance of the podium.  The two stars are top women skippers in Spain and it is a real battle to determine who gets the silver and bronze.  The two women protagonists are Rosa Artigas’ MIKAKU and Silvia Ravetllat’s AKEWELE.  In the first two races, MIKAKU finished right on the transom of BRIBON-MOVISTAR, posting two 2nds.  Meanwhile, in the third race, it was Ravetllat’s turn, taking 2nd in that race over MIKAKU.  As a result, the two teams are in a virtual “dead heat”, with AKEWLE sitting on 30 pts after 15 races and MIKAKU has 31 pts.  The next few weekends should portend the “tale of the tape”.  For more Real Club Nautico Barcelona Winter Series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

GUNTER Leading Barcelona J/70 Winter Series

(Barcelona, Spain)- The leader of the Barcelona J/70 Winter Series comes from a most unlikely background, a top Dragon sailor in Europe.  The renowned master of the Dragon class in Europe, Javier Scherk, chartered the well-known J/70 NOTICIAS from Luis Martín Cabiedes and, suitably, renamed it after all his boats- GUNTER.

It is quite evident that Scherk and his crew on GUNTER have familiarized themselves amazingly quickly to the J/70.  After their first day of sailing, they had posted a 1-2 to be the leader of the fleet, followed by Luís Albert Solana’s PATAKIN in second place.  The scuttlebutt onshore was Scherk’s crew would have to figure out how to sail “planing mode” on Sunday versus the lightish winds they sailed on the first day.  Time would soon tell!

What no one expected was for a Dragon sailor to continue to excel in the J/70 class.  It was a fantastic day for sailing on Sunday, with a strong northwest wind of a steady 15 kts, gusting higher into the upper teens.

Scherk’s GUNTER crew continued to show their overwhelming superiority throughout the two days, closing out the weekend with four 1sts for a record that left practically no option for their competitors to pass them in the series.  Only Luís Albert Solana’s PATAKIN could beat them in one race; and they are laying second overall. Sitting in third place overall is the Italian team of Massimo Rama sailing JENIALE EUROSYSTEM; their best results include two 2nds against this very talented fleet.

For Javier Scherk the J/70 seems to him, "A fantastic boat! What more do you want!! I find it more fun than other sportboats and it is cheaper to maintain, easier to trailer..just a great boat all-around!”   For more Barcelona J/70 Winter Series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Spanish J/80 Fall Report

(Barcelona, Spain)- All across warm, sunny, Spain, the J/80 class was having multiple regattas this fall that were taking place in very diverse sailing conditions. From Barcelona to the east on the Mediterranean, to Santander to the north on the Bay of Biscay (near France), and Baiona to the west on the Atlantic Ocean, just north of the Portuguese border.  Here is the latest in the Spanish J/80 sailing world.

Real Club Nautico Barcelona Winter Series
AKEWELE dominated Act II of the Barcelona Winter Series in J/80
The second act of Barcelona Winter Series for J/80s started with two races on Saturday. Despite the changing conditions with light winds blowing in front of the port of Barcelona, the Committee managed to complete two of the five races scheduled for the weekend. Then, on Sunday the RCNB Race Committee managed to complete three more races.

There was a duel between AKEWELE’s Silvia Ravellat (leader of the fleet) and BRIBON. AKEWELE won the first race of the day, ahead of BRIBON, and he did the same in the second. Ravellat’s crew could only achieve a 6th place; as result, they dropped off their sole position at the top of the leaderboard for the overall series.

At this stage, Marc de Antonio’s BRIBON is now leading the series, having recovered his usual form of sailing fast and staying conservative.  In this last regatta, he achieved three 1st and two 2nd places; giving him a three points lead over Silva Ravellat’s crew on AKEWELE.  The third crew is Rosa Artigas’ MIKAKU, also sailing well and having posted a 1st and two 2nds in the series.

Monte Real YC Fall Series
Fernando Yáñez’s CANSINO is leading the AXA J/80 Autumn League
The Commodore of the Monte Real Yacht Club, Fernando Yáñez, managed to get his team on CANSINO to the top of the leaderboard after Sunday’s races in the AXA J/80 Autumn League series that is being sailed on the beautiful Baiona Bay on the west coast of Spain.

After posting two 2nds in two races, Yáñez's CANSINO team managed to overtake OKOFEN, who had been in the series lead.  However, the OKOFEN team was lacking their fearless leader- Javier de la Gándara.  Instead of their usual top 3 finishes, the could only manage a 4th and 5th place, dropping them into second overall on the series. Sitting in third for the series is FERRALEMES, fourth is NAMASTE, and fifth is MARIAS.

Notably, the winners of the third and penultimate day of the AXA J/80 Autumn League were Manuel María Cunha’s MARIAS-CASAS DO TELHADO, with Luis de Mira’s NAMASTE in second place.

The AXA J/80 Autumn League will end on November 25th, with three more windward-leeward races planned for the weekend on pretty Baiona Bay.  Once the competition is over, the Monte Real Club de Yates will host the awards ceremony for the winners, ending their 2017 J/80 sailing season.

Real Club Maritimo de Santander
The Spanish J/80 Association and the Royal Maritime Club of Santander organize every year the great nautical sports festival- the Mundialito of the J/80 class. It is a regatta whose ultimate goal is to gather together all Spanish J/80 sailors from across the country for great sailing, a big party, and to celebrate good times!

“The Mundialito” (e.g. "the little worlds") celebrated its twentieth edition on Cantabrian waters. Despite its name, the classic and long-lasting celebration aims to welcome all J/80 sailors to the Cantabrian fleet of J/80s.  The event starts with the traditional "costume dinner" on Friday, November 24, an event celebrated by all participants with some amazingly fun and outrageous designs!  They all reflect their beautiful regions throughout Spain, including Galicia, Andalusia, the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Barcelona, and Madrid.

A total of twenty crews participated in the four races held between Saturday and Sunday, two for each day on Santander’s famous bay inside the monstrous sandy point. During the two days, the sailors sailed on the Quebrantas, between Somo and Isla de Mouro, with a variable wind that blew from the north and waves that reached one meter in height.  As usual, the Real Club Maritimo de Santander provided excellent race course management from its very experienced Race Committee and PRO teams.

The competition was preceded by the traditional "Cena del Traje" held on Friday and organized by the Spanish J/80 Association and the Royal Maritime Club of Santander. The regatta primary purpose is to bring together all top Spanish J/80 sailors to enjoy a sporting event that combines competition with an atmosphere of friendship and socializing on land— the Saturday evening dinner/ dance party was immensely enjoyed by all in the cozy atmosphere offered by RCMS!

Daniel Pedraja’s ONO, with Alfredo González at the helm, won the Mundialito J/80 event. If you recall, three J/80 World Champions are from this amazing fleet on the north side of Spain.  Then, taking second was Álvaro Mazarrasa’s VERIQUETO, with Gerda Pereda’s KIA rounding out the podium. In fourth place was Pichu Torcida’s AILA, just one point off the podium (himself at two-time J/80 World Champion). Finally, in fifth place was Iker Almandoz’s CENTRAL OPTICA.  Sailing Photography: Real Club Marítimo de Santander   For more Spanish J/80 Class sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Spanish Winter Sailing J/70s & J/80s

Come Join the Barcelona or Vigo Winter Series!!
(Barcelona, Spain)- Over the October 21st and 22nd weekend, the Real Club Nautico de Barcelona held the first stage of the Barcelona Winter Series (BWS) for J/70s and J/80s.

The seven J/70’s and seven J/80’s competed in three races every day.  It marked the inaugural event for J/70’s in Barcelona, with more J/70 teams planning to arrive when winter freezes northern Europe!!

The first provisional leaders of the series after six races were NOTICIA in J/70s and AKEWUELE in J/80s.  The fleets are quite competitive, with several J/80 World Champions and Olympic class medal winners sailing in both classes- it makes for great “tuning” and “training” over the winter in preparation for the 2018 sailing season!

BARCELONA WINTER SERIES
Barcelona is a great place to sail in the winter to prepare for the J/70 Europeans in Vigo, Spain and the J/80 Worlds in Les Sables d'Olonne, France for 2018, so don’t hesitate to come down with your J/teams for a great winter sailing!

The sailing conditions in Barcelona during the winter are gorgeous.  It’s warm weather on the Mediterranean, with mostly thermal sea breezes every day from 6 to 13 kts, nice temperatures and sunny!!  Our friends in northern Europe and Scandinavia who are no longer experiencing “the land of the midnight sun”, should join us for lots of “fun-in-the-sun” on the gorgeous Spanish Riviera!

The Barcelona Winter Series will be held one weekend every month from October 2017 through March 2018, with very professional sailing management by RC Nautico de Barcelona.  For more RCNB Winter Series sailing information

VIGO WINTER SERIES
While Barcelona is in northeastern Spain in the beautiful Catalonia province, essentially the Spanish Riviera along the Mediterranean Sea, Vigo is on the opposite coast on the Atlantic, in northwestern Spain.

Real Club Náutico De Vigo invites teams to participate in their winter series. They promise a warm welcome, wind, races on Saturdays and Sundays.  The most significant attraction for J/70 sailors is that RC Nautico De Vigo will be the host for the 2018 J/70 European Championship, running from June 12th to 16th, 2018.  Here are their dates for the 2017/ 2018 Winter Series:

- October 28-29th
- November 18-19th
- December 16-17th
- January 13-14th
- February 3-4th
- February 24-25th
- March 17-18

Please note, it is possible to rent boats for individual events for the complete series in Vigo. It's not too late to order a new boat that will be waiting for your team at the yacht club!  J/70 Spain Facebook page Add to Flipboard Magazine.