Enjoy SAILING Champions League J/70 Video

 

(Porto Cervo, Italy)- Twenty-seven teams from thirteen nations sailed in the finale for the AUDI SAILING Champions League in Port Cervo, Sardinia. The host, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, and their race committee and media production teams provided the 300+ sailors the red carpet treatment. And the Weather Gods blessed everyone with epic sailing conditions all four days of the competition. Their media team produced a pretty cool video summary of the event.  Enjoy this J/70 SAILING Champions League sailing highlights video!

Germans Win SAILING Champions League- Again!

 

(Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy)- Commodore Mike Illbruck of Yacht Club Costa Smeralda could not have been more pleased and excited about how his club handled the 2020 edition of the AUDI SAILING Champions League finale. As an active J/70 sailor himself racing PINTA, Mike was proud to see his team at YC Costa Smeralda provide the red-carpet treatment for the twenty-seven teams representing thirteen nations meeting in Porto Cervo for the final leg of the circuit. 

Sailing a fleet of a dozen matched J/70 one-design class sailboats from the YC Costa Smeralda, the teams were blessed with four straight days of epic, champagne sailing conditions- sunny, partly cloudy, 10 to 25 knots of mistral conditions with winds blowing from the northwest offshore, making for flat water conditions. The planned eighteen flights were completed for the four-day event, for a total of 72 races! 

The surprise winner for the event was yet another leading Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga team- the Segel-und Motorboot Club Überlingen Team that sail on the spectacular Lake Constance (bordered by Germany, Austria, and Italy). Here are the daily reports on how it all went down in this year's exciting, thrill-a-minute finale. 


Day One
Two flights were completed on day one for a total 8 races run. Currently tied for points and in the lead was the familiar German crew from Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, themselves German Sailing League champions more than once. The surprise team in the number two spot on the leaderboard was the Åländska Segelsällskape Team from Finland. Third place for the day was the Swiss team Seglervereinigung Kreuzlingen.

Måns Lundberg, from Åländska Segelsällskapet commented, “racing in Costa Smeralda is always great for us! Our primary objective is to improve on our results that our Club has obtained in the past editions of this event.”

Stefan Seger, from the Regattaclub Oberhofen said, “in this first day the wind direction was very shifty, so it was hard for all of the teams that are participating. At any rate it’s always a pleasure to meet again here.”


Day Two
The second day of racing was intense for the twenty-seven teams! There were seventeen races run for a total of four flights completed...exhausting for the Race Committee, the Jury boats, and the race teams! The races got underway punctually at 10AM in south westerly winds at 20-22 knots and gusts at up to 30 knots. Racing was in the Golfo del Pevero and ended at 5PM. After seven hours on the water!

At the end of the day’s racing the Spanish team from the Club Náutico Arrecife was just one point ahead of the German team from the Segel- und Motorboot Club Überlingen, who raced up the standings to place second for the series. The Italian team from Aeronautica Militare also had a great day and rose to third place.

Ricardo Terrades, from the Club Náutico Arrecife had these words, “fundamentally, we want to sail fast and have fun. Our objective is to qualify for the final series, so we’ll try to do our best to hang on to the position we’re currently in. We hope that in the upcoming two days we’ll be sailing in similar conditions, our team loves windy weather!”


Day Three
The third day saw the weather Gods bless the sailors with yet another perfect combination of racing conditions with westerly, very shifty, very puffy winds that ranged from 18-22 knots. The action was intense again and a total of 21 races were run to complete five flights. 

Aeronautica Militare has continued to work its way up the scoreboard. After a first race where the team finished fourth, they won three races and placed second once. As a result, they are currently in the lead in the provisional results. Swiss teams from the Regattaclub Oberhofen and the Seglervereinigung Kreuzlingen are in second and third place respectively after having placed consistently well today.  

Niccoló Bertola, from Aeronautica Militare, commented on their strong performance, “we really weren’t expecting to get such good results! Actually, we were a little worried because this year we never had the chance to sail using the National Sailing League format and we know that training is the most important thing in this kind of regatta. So, we’re really happy so far! Tomorrow the conditions should be a bit different with lighter air, but we’ll be ready.”  

After the racing there was a presentation in Piazza Azzurra of the survey on the quality of Sardinia’s waters that Oristano’s CNR is conducting with the support of the One Ocean Foundation. Immediately afterwards the scientific expedition that Ocean Scientific (partner of the OOF) is conducting in the Med was also presented.  


Day 4 Finale- Wash, Rinse, Repeat
It was yet another perfect day of racing for the finale. Racing started punctually at 10AM with more amazing mistral winds from the west from 12-15 knots. Three more flights were held bringing the event’s total to fourteen completed flights and 56 races. At the end of all of the flights the teams that finished in the top four positions qualified for the final series. Those teams were Aeronautica Militare (Italy), Segel-und Motorboot Club Überlingen (Germany), Seglervereinigung Kreuzlingen (Germany) and Akhmat National Sailing Team (Russia).  

After a mixed bag of results in the previous days of racing, the German Segel-und Motorboot Club Überlingen Team stayed concentrated and had their best day. With two wins out of four races they were crowned champions of the SAILING Champions League 2020 for their first time. The Italian team from Aeronautica Militare finished second and taking the bronze on the podium was the Swiss team from Seglervereinigung Kreuzlingen. 

Michael Zittlau, skipper of the Segel-und Motorboot Club Überlingen team, commented, “I still can’t believe that we have won the SAILING Champions League. It’s incredible, we’re from a small Club on Lake Constance in Germany and we came here thinking that we might manage to finish in the top ten at best. We were sailing against some top-level teams. In the final event we could barely keep up, but in the end, we won, and it feels fantastic!”

Michael Illbruck, Commodore of the YCCS, had these comments during the award ceremony held on the terrace at YCCS, “in four days we have seen all kinds of weather conditions, the teams sailed in gusts up to 30 knots. I have to say that it has been a real challenge for the twenty-seven teams that have participated! Events like these embody the fundamental values of sailing like sporting spirit, competitiveness, and a sense of belonging with one’s club. We hope to welcome many teams again next year here in Porto Cervo!”  For more SAILING Champions League regatta information

Audi SAILING Champions League Underway!

 

(Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy)- The Audi SAILING Champions League Final is underway with twenty-seven teams representing thirteen nations meeting in Porto Cervo for the final leg of the circuit. The event, organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, with the support of AUDI and the ONE OCEAN Foundation as main partner, is scheduled to run from Thursday through Sunday.
 
The event will take place in compliance with all Covid-19 prevention regulations and the protocol issued by the Italian Sailing Federation, ensuring maximum safety for the participating sailors and all staff involved.

Eighteen flights are planned over the course of the four-day event, for a total of 72 races, with the top four teams progressing to the finale. Each team will compete against each of the others as the crews alternate aboard the YCCS fleet of a dozen J/70 one-design class sailboats. The formula for the event was introduced in 2013 in Germany, taking its lead from the format used in soccer (football) tournaments. 

Favorites among the participating teams include the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein from Germany, the Royal Danish Yacht Club, and the Akhmat National Sailing Team from Russia. Also competing in the final is the Aeronautica Militare team, representing the Italian Air Force.
 
“At last we can welcome sailors from various parts of Europe to compete in the final of the AUDI SAILING Champions League. This will be the first international event we have organized since the pandemic began, and we cannot wait to get back on the water,” commented YC Costa Smeralda Commodore Michael Illbruck.
 
The event program also includes a focus on raising awareness on the issue of safeguarding the sea. On Saturday 17 October, in Piazza Azzurra, the ONE OCEAN Foundation will present a study regarding the quality of the waters off Sardinia's coasts. Having just left Monaco on board the maxi-catamaran formerly known as Club Med, the Oceano Scientific (OOF partner) scientific expedition will also present their project goals to collect scientific data on contaminants in the Mediterranean and raise awareness among local communities. For more SAILING Champions League regatta informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

ONE OCEAN MBA's CONFERENCE & REGATTA

(Porto Cervo, Italy)- The 16th edition of the One Ocean MBA's Conference & Regatta, organized by SDA Bocconi School of Management and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) with the partnership of the One Ocean Foundation (OOF), got underway today. Taking place for the first time in the beautiful setting of the Costa Smeralda, about 400 students and alumni from the world's most prestigious business schools have gathered to experience three days dedicated to sailing and environmental sustainability.

More than 50 teams representing their respective business schools will face two days of racing divided into three categories. The Open J/24 Class will see 14 teams complete two windward-leeward races daily on board International J/24 one-design class sailboats. The teams will be competing for the MBA's Cup Challenge Trophy.

The business schools taking part in the event are: Cambridge Judge Business School, Chicago Booth School of Business, Columbia Business School, ESADE Business School, GOETHE Business School, Harvard Business School, HEC, IE, IESE Business School, IMD, INSEAD, London Business School Simon Male, Manchester Business School, MIP School of Management, MIT SLOAN School of Management, SAUDER School of Business, SKOLKOVO Moscow School of Management, TUCK School of Business, WHARTON School of the University of Pennsylvania, YALE School of Management and SDA BOCCONI School of Management.

The highlight of the event will take place on Saturday, September 21st, with the conference to be held at the Colonna Resort the day after the sailing regatta finishes. The conference was designed jointly by SDA Bocconi and the One Ocean Foundation, thanks to the scientific partnership between the two institutions. Spearheading that effort was Prof. Maurizio Dallocchio, Professor of Corporate Finance at the Bocconi University and Past Dean of the SDA Bocconi School of Management.

"Why future leaders need to face sustainability challenges"
The main focus will be on addressing the sustainability challenges that leaders of the future can no longer ignore. The conference, which will explore the impact of sustainability models and how they can help make the world a better place, will be attended by prominent speakers such as the President of Illycaffè, Andrea Illy, and, in his role as an OOF Ambassador, the explorer Paul Rose, as well as the artist Maria Cristina Finucci, founder in 2013 of the Garbage Patch State.

YCCS Commodore, Riccardo Bonadeo, commented on event: "We are happy to be able to host this regatta for the first time under the umbrella of our One Ocean Foundation and to be able to renew and deepen the collaboration with SDA Bocconi Business School, which from the outset has provided scientific supported to our journey with the One Ocean Foundation. I also think there is no more suitable setting than the one provided by Sardinia, in which to reflect together on issues related to sustainability and above all the preservation of the marine environment. I am sure that these will be three intense days which will provide interesting food for thought for the potential leaders of tomorrow."

The Dean of SDA Bocconi- Giuseppe Soda- commented that, "Sailing is a perfect metaphor for management that allows students from the main international business schools to learn very important lessons. Moreover, the partnership between SDA Bocconi and the One Ocean Foundation makes the value of sustainability a crucial issue for the managers of the future."

"The MBA's Conference and Regatta", added Federico Pippo, lecturer in Corporate Finance for the SDA Bocconi School of Management, "represents a further step on a path that we set out on 12 months ago together with the One Ocean Foundation, combining sport with scientific research. We are very happy with the partnership established with the foundation and the YCCS, which allows us to raise awareness among our MBA students, from all over the world, on the issues of environmental sustainability and the Blue Economy. 'Making the future the cause of our present' should be the motto of the event, to push future leaders to build an efficient society that is compatible with our civilization from an environmental and social point of view."

The MBA's Conference & Regatta is an international sailing event created 16 years ago by the Sailing Club of the SDA Bocconi School of Management. More than 4,000 students and alumni of the Masters in Business Administration have participated in the event to date.  For more MBA Conference & Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Casales Leads Sardinia J/24 Winter Series

(Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy)- In the waters of the Golfo di Poetto, the Windsurfing Club Cagliari hosted the first event of their winter series on the beautiful waters off Sardinia for a fleet of ten boats. Prior to the start of the series, mistral-like conditions buffeted the island with steady 30 knots of winds, gusting to 45 knots.  However, by the weekend, the Race Committee of the WCC, chaired by Betty Lai, managed to run three races on Saturday.

The starts were close, tightly packed, and the first windward legs were, in particular, very shifty, making it hard for boats to remain consistent race to race. The one exception appeared to be Andrea Casale, an Italian J/24 Champion and also two-time J/24 World Champion. His team managed to round all marks in the lead and start out the series in first place.

Behind Casales’ team on ARIA DELLA LNI OLBIA in the first race was Aurelio Bini’s VIGNE SURRAU in second and Giuseppe Taras’ DOLPHINS in third. In the second race, DOLPHINS took second followed by Sergio Contu’s NEW MOLLICA in third place.  In the last and final race of the weekend, NEW MOLLICA took second in a close duel with Casales, with VIGNE SURRAU taking third.

At the end of the racing, the J/24 crews met to talk with the Genovese champion- Casales- who, in addition to describing the sails he represents, gave excellent advice on the boat's handling and on the tactical choices to be competitive in conditions like those on the weekend. The arrival of pasta and delicious Sardinian wine offered by the WCC gave the right conclusion to a beautiful day at sea and sport.

The overall standings (after the first 5 races) have ITA 443 ARIA DELLA LNI OLBIA leading with a 6-2-1-1-1 record, followed by ITA 405 VIGNE SURRAU from the Circolo Nautico Arzachena with a 3-1-2-9-3 tally in second, then Giuseppe Taras’ ITA 401 DOLPHINS sitting in third with a 2-6-3-2-5 scoreline.

The next event for the Sardinian J/24 fleet is scheduled for February 16th and 17th.  For more Sardinia J/24 fleet sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

CCVB Crowned Italian J/70 League Winner

(Porto Cervo, Italy)- Over the September 28th to 30th weekend, the Italian J/70 Sailing League’s fifteen teams completed 45 races to determine the ultimate winner of their season-long sailing season.  Hosting the event was the YC Costa Smeralda in its fleet of matched J/70s on the gorgeous waters off Porto Cervo, Sardinia.

Winning the overall series was the Club Circolo della Vela Bari (skippered by Simone Ferrarese, with crew of Valerio Galati, Corrado Capece Minutolo, Leonardo Dinelli). Eight points behind the winner in second place was the crew of the Italian Air Force (Giancarlo Simeoli - captain, Niccolò Bertola - helmsman, Marco Balbi, Giovanni Bannetta), they were followed in third by the team of the Società Canottieri Garda Salò (Diego Franchini - captain, Carlo Fracassoli - helmsman, Pietro Corbucci, Mauro Spagnoli).

"The Circolo Della Vela Bari is the new Italian Champion of the Italian Sailing League,” said Simone Ferrarese, helmsman of the Circolo Della Vela Bari. “We are very happy to thank our crew, Valerio, Corrado and Leonardo who gave me the today, as high as a month and a half ago in St. Moritz, where we also managed to win the International Championship of the SAILING Champions League, who knows how it will go next year, we can not wait to return!"

Commodore of YC Costa Smeralda Riccardo Bonadeo said, "We are delighted to have closed the YCCS sports season with the national final of the Italian Sailing League circuit, three intense days with a competition format that has given us exciting challenges. And, Thank You to our partner Audi, not only for the collaboration in the success of the event, but also for the support of our One Ocean initiative, promoting the principles of Charta Smeralda.  Thank you also to the Race Committee, the Jury, Umpire, YCCS staff and all the teams that embody the spirit of Club.”

"It was a busy day,” commented the President of the Italian Sailing League, Roberto Emanuele de Felice. “The crews were the best in Italy, the fast and dynamic formula of the LIV regattas requires concentration and great harmony.  The clubs have brilliantly demonstrated the outstanding performance of the Circolo della Vela Bari, which won 10 of 15 races. The collaboration with the YCCS, whose efficiency has allowed us to complete such a high number of races, confirms once again the great synergy of the staff, both at sea and ashore."

"The Italian Sailing League circuit,” declared Francesco Ettorre, FIV (Federation Italiano de Vela) President, “is an event the FIV has supported from the beginning because we believe it is an important opportunity both for the clubs and for the sailors; the format is the right one, fun and fast, in line with what is the new way to go boating outside of the Olympic classes. Here in Porto Cervo, we are experiencing great sailing. The crews have a great enthusiasm in participating in this format. Thank you to the whole board of LIV for the work you are doing, also towards our young people who represent the future of our sailing and our Club."

Watch Italian J/70 Sailing League video highlights here
https://www.facebook.com/legaitalianavela/videos/296914417803397/
https://www.facebook.com/legaitalianavela/videos/586563615133739/

Follow Italian J/70 Sailing League on Facebook here  For more Italian J/70 Sailing League information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Circolo Della Vela Bari Top AUDI SAILING Champions League Qualifier
(Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy)- Teams from 22 clubs representing 13 nations were battling over four intense days of competition at Semifinal 1 of SAILING Champions League (SCL) in Porto Cervo for a ticket to the SAILING Champions League Final in St. Moritz coming up at the end of August.

The first 14 sailing clubs qualified in Sardinia for the final event in Switzerland. The Italian yacht club, Circolo Della Vela Bari, won the opening round organized by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda with the support of title sponsor AUDI, after a commanding performance in Sardinia. In the beginning of August, 16 other sailing clubs qualify at Semifinal 2 in St. Petersburg, Russia, to complete the list of 32 participants besides host club Segel-Club St. Moritz and SCL Champion Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.

Day One- Danish Women’s Team First Leader
Perfect weather conditions welcomed the sailors competing on the first day. The first of two semifinal legs got underway with a mild Mistral wind between 9 and 12 knots; ideal conditions for the YCCS fleet of J/70s. Heading the provisional classification was the all-women’s team from the Royal Danish Yacht Club followed by the Finns of AAS and Germany's SMCU.

Participating crews have travelled to Porto Cervo from every corner of Europe: Slovenia is represented for the first time by JK Aurora, while the largest contingent hails from Nordic and Central European countries.

Each flight consists of a full round of short windward-leeward races, with each leg approximately a third of a mile and teams alternating on board the J/70 fleet. Smooth organization allows crew changes to take place in just 3-4 minutes, allowing flights to depart in quick succession.

During the Welcome Cocktail on the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda terrace, YCCS Commodore Riccardo Bonadeo declared, "We are delighted to welcome the SAILING Champions League back to Porto Cervo, approximately 100 sailors from across Europe began racing today in excellent weather conditions with a formula that allows yacht clubs to compete in a fun way and on an equal footing. On behalf of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, I would like to thank our long-term partner AUDI for their support over the past 11 years. Fair winds to all the participants!"

Day Two- New Leaders Take Control
Competitors and the Race Committee had a long and productive day at sea. No less than five flights were concluded, with a total of 15 races run, shaking up the top of the leaderboard. The Austrians of Yacht Club Bregenz now sat in the lead with consistently good performances, followed just one point behind by Circolo Della Vela Bari on level points with the Germans of SMCU.

The day began at 9 a.m. with the usual briefing in Piazza Azzurra, and the first races started on time at 10 a.m. with northerly winds of about 10 knots, which lessened and rotated eastward throughout the day. After two stoppages for lack of breeze, in the late afternoon a southeasterly breeze picked up allowing two more flights to be completed.

"We had great conditions here and we managed to sail consistently well,” said Jodok Küng of Yacht Club Bregenz. "The racing is pretty tight, all the clubs are performing at a really high level, so we don't want to overrate our leading position. We want to qualify for the SAILING Champions League Final in St. Moritz. So, our plan for the next few days is not to think too much, to sail well and in the end we will get a result."

Simone Ferrarese, skipper of Circolo Della Vela Bari, commented, "Thanks to three bullets today we were able to recover from yesterday's OCS! We hope to continue like that over the coming days and end up with a good result. I'd like to thank my team mates who sailed really well, the wind was very shifty and the support on tactics by Valerio Galati, our mainsail trimmer and my crew in the 49er Olympic campaign, was fundamental to our success.”

The teams concluded the day with the social highlight of the competition, a team barbecue on the terrace of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.

Day Three- Italians Take Lead
The third day saw the team representing Circolo Della Vela Bari move to the top of the classification, followed by the Austrians of the Yacht Club Bregenz. Just four flights remained to be held in the final day of the event.

The wind filled in at around 11 a.m. and the first race got underway soon after, accompanied by an easterly wind of approximately 6 knots which progressively built up to 10 knots and moved to south-easterly. The races took place in quick succession and were broadcast in live streaming on the SAILING Champions League YouTube channel.

Once again, the race course was not easy to read, with shifty wind and unexpected holes in the breeze. In such a closely ranked fleet, it was important to make as few mistakes as possible. Many penalties- a 360° turn- were imposed by the umpires on the tightly-bunched fleet.

The team from Circolo Della Vela Bari posted four 1sts, one 2nd and one 5th to lead the provisional standings just one point ahead of yesterday's leaders, the Austrians of the Yacht Club Bregenz. The French team representing Club de Voile St. Aubin Elbeuf moved up to third place at the expense of the German team of Segel-und Motorboot Club Überlingen.

Simone Ferrarese, skipper of CVB, said, "It was an excellent day and the crew worked especially well, we expected more wind, but luckily we managed to perform well in today's conditions. We are all very close, tomorrow is the decisive day! The forecast gives more wind and we will see who makes it in the end."

Cédric Chateau, skipper of Club de Voile St. Aubin Elbeuf, commented, "We were able to manage the day well, avoiding big mistakes and especially those penalties that had initially brought our scores down. We are very close to our opponents and, generally, very pleased with the day."

Day Four- Finale, Italians Win!
Excellent starting skills and clear-headed tactical racing delivered victory for the crew representing Circolo Della Vela Bari (CVB), one of two Italian teams competing on the sparkling waters of the Costa Smeralda. Simone Ferrarese’s team went into the final day just in front of Austrian rivals Yacht Club Bregenz, with Club de Voile Saint-Aubin Elbeuf also in contention. However, neither the Austrians nor French could match the blinding consistency of the CVB crew, who won all three of their races on the final day to win the 22-team contest with a race to spare.

Ferrarese was delighted to win in such dominant fashion, commenting that, “We had an amazing day today. It’s great to come out with a race victory and it’s fantastic to win in Italian waters! We love Porto Cervo and we love this event. It was tough until the end, especially in our last race to keep our eyes on the French team from Club de Voile Saint-Aubin Elbeuf, who was our direct rival. Thanks to my crew, they did an amazing job!”

Although they may not have won in Porto Cervo, the Austrians were still very satisfied with second overall. Compared with the Mediterranean heat of Northern Sardinia, skipper Max Trippolt will perhaps enjoy the cooler climes of Switzerland in just under three months from now. “Sailing so many races in four days, the sun in Sardinia kills your brain, and keeping the concentration up is not easy at all! So, we’re very happy to have qualified for the SAILING Champions League Final. But the competition is going to be even harder in St. Moritz, when the best clubs from the semifinals come together. We’ll give our best and see what’s possible.”

Aside from winning the event, the other battle in the middle of the fleet was to secure one of the 14 places available for the final in St. Moritz. APCC Nantes sailed well in their final heat to take second place behind the winners from CVB, the French doing enough to secure qualification for Switzerland. Last of the qualifiers was Jachtclub Scheveningen from the Netherlands, with their Dutch compatriots WSV Giesbeek finishing just one place and three points behind, but meaning they just missed out on a ticket to St Moritz.

The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) ran an exemplary regatta, proving why this venue continues to be one of the clearest choices for hosting world-class sailing contests. YCCS Commodore, Riccardo Bonadeo, commented, “the club became famous for hosting Maxi yachts but we also want to welcome the young sailors to compete at events like SAILING Champions League. We are happy that this new challenge for the club is achieving great results for sailing. We make every effort to create the same spirit of sport for young people in the smaller boats – because this is the future of our sport.”

The YCCS regatta was the first of two semifinals, with the second semifinal due to be hosted by St. Petersburg Yacht Club in Russia from August 3rd to 6th, just a few weeks before the 2018 Final which will be hosted for the first time by Segel-Club St. Moritz, high up in the Swiss Alps from August 30th to September 2nd.

Live broadcasting by SAP
Did you miss the races of SAILING Champions League? Just visit http://www.sapsailing.com and click through the SAP Sailing Analytics for replays of all races and different and interesting statistics about the action on water.

The qualified clubs for the Final in St. Moritz are:

1     Italy- Circolo Della Vela Bari- Bari, Italy
2     Austria- Yacht Club Bregenz- Bregenz, Austria
3     France- Club de Voile Saint-Aubin Elbeuf- Saint-Aubin Elbeuf, France
4     Switzerland- Regattaclub Bodensee- St. Gallen, Switzerland
5     Germany- Segel-und Motorboot Club Überlingen- Überlingen, Germany
6     Monaco- Yacht Club Monaco- Monte Carlo, Monaco
7     Switzerland- Regattaclub Oberhofen- Oberhofen, Switzerland
8     Denmark- Kongelig Dansk Yachtklub- Copenhagen, Denmark
9     Italy- Società Canottieri Garda Salò- Salò, Italy
10     Finland- Åländska Segelsällskapet- Åland Islands, Finland
11     Germany- Wassersportverein Hemelingen- Bremen, Germany
12     Sweden- Cape Crow Yacht Club- Gothenburg, Sweden
13     France- APCC Nantes- Nantes, France
14     Netherlands- Jachtclub Scheveningen- The Hague, Netherlands

Sailing photo credits- SCL/Lars Wehrmann   SAILING Champions League highlights video on Facebook   For more SAILING Champions League regatta information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Sea of Dreams: 2017 Audi J/70 World Championship

Featured in The Virginia Sportsman Magazine
(Alexandria, Virginia)- As part of the 2017 AUDI J/70 World Championship hosted by YC Costa Smeralda off Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy, the renowned yachting journalist, Louay Habib from the United Kingdom, wrote an article about the experience and how various Virginia yachtsmen/ sportsmen featured in the event.

To read this most excellent article in The Virginia Sportsman, please click here and open up the Acrobat PDF file. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/70s World Sailing Show Video

(London, England)- The World Sailing Show- is a highlights video produced by the “World Sailing” organization in London, England. The November highlights reel talks about the radical new America’s Cup class design. Then, they discuss why winning an Olympic medal doesn’t get you a head start, especially if you’re embarking on a 7,000nm race offshore (however, having one-design experience in strong one-design classes like J/24s, J/80s and J/70s does). Finally, they have a nice segment about the massive turnout for the AUDI J/70 World Championship in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy hosted by YC Costa Smeralda.  The event started with controversy and ended with spectacular racing in the biggest one-design sportsboat fleet ever seen in history.   Watch this J/70 Worlds segment at 09:38 in the World Sailing video Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Italian J/24 Winter Sailing Series Report

(Cagliari, Italy)- The final event in 2017 for the Italian J/24 Winter series took place off Cagliari this past weekend; one that not only had a new winner for the regatta, but also confirmed the series leader of the regional series- a six event program that takes place during the fall 2017 and winter 2018.

The weather conditions were not favorable for the two-day event in Cagliari. There was little wind on Saturday and way too much wind on Sunday.  So, the RC Chairman of Société Canottieri Ichnusa, Tanni Spanedda, wisely called off racing on Sunday.  As a result, there was nothing left to do but enjoy the hospitality of the club and enjoy a fabulous Saturday evening dinner that was augmented by very tasty local wines.

Winning the regatta was ITA 460 BOTTA DRITTA sailed by Mariolino Di Fraia, with his crew of Luca Montella, Ezio Diana, Andrea Tirotto and Gianluca Cataldi. They sailed fast in all six short-course races on Saturday to celebrate their good fortune that evening.

As a result of the weekend series, ITA 405 VIGNE SURRAU from Club Nautico Arzachena, skippered by Aurelio Bini, leads after 27 races sailed in three events. Then, sitting in 2nd place is Davide Gorgerino's ITA 431 LNI CARLOFORTE-PUNTO A and then in 3rd place is ITA 396 MOLARA sailed by Federico Manconi.

The next regatta on the circuit does not take place until Sunday, January 21,2018.  For more Italian J/24 Fleet sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Close encounters of the J/70 kind!

(Porto Cervo, Sardinia)- According to the skipper, “we were going around 14 knots downwind when another boat broached just ahead of us, we pulled up higher and higher until we were nearly broaching ourselves.

The gennaker trimmer had no idea anything had happened so he kept responding to the skipper’s commands to let the sheet out with: "why?? the kites flying awesome!"

We were able to narrowly avoid a collision, thanks to the great steering and cool head of our skipper! Top speed was 15.8 kts on that run.”   Watch YouTube J/70 sailing video here Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Europe’s "Best Sailing Club“ 2017- YC Costa Smeralda!

(Hamburg, Germany/ Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy)- The 2017 Audi SAILING Champions League Finale took place in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, exactly one week after the conclusion of the epic Audi J/70 World Championship. Organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, in collaboration with the SAILING Champions League, and with the support of title sponsor Audi, and Technical Partner Quantum Sails, a maximum of 48 races were scheduled over the three-day event and the 32 competing teams had until the close of play on Sunday, the 24th of September to claim the title of “Best Sailing Club 2017”.  The teams were competing in eight perfectly-matched J/70s with new Quantum Sails supplied for the event.

After the entire 48 races were sailed, 12 in total for each team, it was the YC Costa Smeralda team of Flavio Favini, Federico Michetti, Branko Brcin, and Luca Faravelli that took home the grand prize and were crowned the 2017 “Best Sailing Club” in Europe.  Here is how it all took place over the course of three days.  Here is the complete SAILING Champions League Finale- Team Introductions

Day 1- Classic seabreeze
Fourteen races were completed on the first day. Racing got underway at 12.30 after an hour’s wait for the breeze to fill in. At the conclusion of five hours at sea, three full flights had been completed along with two races of the fourth of a total of 12 scheduled flights. The 32 participating teams did battle on the regatta course of Porto Cervo accompanied by a southeasterly breeze of 10-12 kts that built to around 15 kts over the course of the afternoon. Each race saw eight teams take to the starting line aboard one-design J/70 craft for fast races of approximately 10 to 15 minutes’ duration each.

With day one’s racing filed away the home club- YC Costa Smeralda- team topped the overall leaderboard with three wins in three races! Just one point behind in second place was the Swiss team Société Nautique de Genève (Guillaume Girod – Marc Stern – Nicolas Kauffmann – Mathieu Fischer) with a 1-1-2 scoreline. In third place, four points behind and with four races run, was the Russian team LORD OF THE SAIL– EUROPE (Evgeny Neugodnikov – Viacheslav Ermolenko – Iurii Popov – Sergey Musikhin).

Flavio Favini, an America’s Cup sailor and helm of the YCCS team declared: “We didn’t expect this result today, we didn’t get a chance to practice over the past few days. We’re really happy because we managed to get 3 wins one after the other, but there is still a lot to work on. Today’s conditions were fantastic, racing in 10-12 knots of breeze was great.”  After the day at sea, crews gathered in Piazza Azzurra for the Opening Ceremony.  Day 1 Highlight video

Day 2- Maximum Racing Day
It was a busy day for the teams that saw them reach a tally of nine flights completed. Racing ran perfectly to schedule with teams taking to the regatta course at 1000 hrs and completing 22 races over the course of more than 7 hours at sea accompanied by a 12-13 knot south-easterly breeze. This brought the participating Clubs to a total of 36 races run out of a maximum possible 48.

Competition was incredibly close at the top of the leaderboard where each point counted towards losing or retaining a podium position today.

The YCCS team gave a mixed performance, alternating top finishes with low scores, but they maintained their lead of the overall classification, thanks to victory in the final race. The extremely competitive Société Nautique de Genève team sat just one point behind the Italians and posted a 5-3-1-6-2-3 scoreline. In third place were the Russians on LORD OF THE SAIL- EUROPE; they came back from taking an OCS in day’s second race with a victory in the third (4-OCS-1-3-2).

Guillaume Girod, Swiss Laser sailor and helmsman of Société Nautique de Genève, commented on the day’s events: “At the start of racing we weren’t very consistent, but we got better towards the end and finished in the top three so it went well! The crew has trained, they took part in the Audi J/70 World Championship last week and we also sailed together for a few days before this race but we can always learn more. We were more aggressive in our starts today compared to yesterday and we will try to improve again for tomorrow’s final day.”

After a full day of competition, teams gathered in the evening for a Team BBQ Dinner at the YCCS Clubhouse in Porto Cervo.   Day 2 Highlight video

Day 3- Fantastic Finale
A decisive final day saw the team from the host club YCCS claim the title of “Best Sailing Club 2017”. The event, organized by the YC Costa Smeralda in collaboration with the SAILING Champions League and with the support of title sponsor Audi and technical partner Quantum Sails, concluded Sunday after competitors completed the full schedule of 12 flights of races over the three-day program.

At 1000 hrs, the teams took to the starting line off Porto Cervo for the final sprint. After approximately 5 hours on the race course, with wind conditions that reached 20 knots and swung from southeast to northwest, prompting repositioning of the race area, the full quota of 48 races was completed.

The Italian team representing YCCS, in the lead from day one, secured victory with a first place finish (bringing them to 6 wins in total) and two second places in Sunday’s racing.

Federico Michetti from the YCCS team was delighted with the result, “It is a great honor to represent the Best Sailing Club 2017. It’s been a great day and a great weekend spent with fantastic friends Flavio Favini on the helm, Branko Brcin and Luca Faravelli together with Filippo Molinari as Team Captain. They were great teammates and I can’t think of a better way to round off the sporting season! There were a lot of strong teams here, a lot of young sailors and I really think this is a winning formula!!”

Thanks to two victories and a second place today the Russian team of OST LEGAL SAILING (Vladimir Lipavsky, Andrey Kochnev, Egor Larionov, Nikolay Korneva) climbed up the leaderboard to claim second place four points clear of the Swiss team of Société Nautique de Genève in third place with a 4-6-2 scoreline.

“Luckily we had a good today, we finished in seventh place overall yesterday so we thought we might not get onto the podium. But, today we were concentrated and we had a bit of luck as well so we were able to finish in second place,” exclaimed Andrey Kochnev of OST LEGAL SAILING.  Their performance was indicative of the high standard of J/70 sailing being achieved by Russian sailors across Europe, building upon the win by Russia’s top woman skipper- Valerya Kovalenko- with her ARTTUBE team at the YC Monaco’s 2017 J/70 Winter Sportsboat Series.  In the 2016 SAILING Champions League, there were no Russian crews in the top ten, now in the 2017 edition they placed two Russian teams in the top four.  And, the winners of the German, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, French, and Austrian sailing leagues finished behind them— an extraordinary achievement in just twelve months!

Speaking about the event during the final prize giving ceremony YCCS Commodore Riccardo Bonadeo commented,  “The Audi SAILING Champions League brings the YCCS sporting season to a close in this, our 50th anniversary year. I would like to ‘Thank’ all of the 32 teams who travelled from across Europe to take part in three days of thrilling competition. My congratulations got to all the participants and to our own team who honored the YCCS colors. Special thanks must go to the SAILING Champions League Association for collaborating with us on the organization of the event, to the title sponsor Audi, the Race Committee, the International Jury and the staff of YCCS who made this all possible. I hope to see you all here in Porto Cervo during the 2018 sailing season.”

The YC Costa Smeralda will be in Milan from the 3rd to 4th October for the ONE OCEAN Forum, an initiative that aims to promote the safeguard and conservation of the marine environment. During the Forum the “Charta Smeralda” will be presented, a code of conduct comprised of environmentally sustainable principles.  A SAILING Champions League Regatta Highlight video.

As the technological partner of the SAILING Champions League, SAP provided spectators worldwide with a professional livestream. Races were commentated and explained for everyone by sailing experts and sailing reporters. All races were broadcast live via the internet Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 pm CEST.   SAILING Champion League results and live stream can be found here.

J/24 Italy Handicap Children Benefit

(Porto Rotondo, Sardinia, Italy)- In the waters of Porto Rotondo, the Italian J/24 class and its fleet on Sardinia are hosting a benefit for handicap children, to give them the eye-opening experience of sailing on the deep blue emerald waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

"While waiting for the 2018 J/24 season, I would like to propose you to participate in the seventh edition of the Vita da aMare event,” explains Captain of the Sardinia J/24 Fleet- Marco Frulio. “The event, sponsored by the municipal administration of Olbia in collaboration with the Lombardy Region, will allow people with different handicap abilities, coming from the peninsula and the city of Olbia, to enjoy and experience three days sailing in the sea of the Gallurian coast.”

For the event, Boomerang Yachting Charter company will make available its J/24s to accommodate one hundred children and fifty volunteers. The children with different abilities will be under the responsibility of adult captains to skipper the 18 boats provided by Boomerang.

"At the seventh edition of Vita da aMare, about one hundred special children and some fifty volunteers and expert sailors are expected. This event took place last year in Genoa.  The initiative enjoys the logistical support of the Italian Red Cross organization.  In the weeks before the event, the Yachting Club of Porto Rotondo held a presentation about the importance of the event for handicap children and for the sport of sailing in Italy.  The presenters included the organizer (Claudio Pedrazzini- the head of FIV in the Lombard Regional Council), the Mayor and the Councilor of Tourism in Olbia (Settimo Nizzi and Marco Balata), the President of Porto Rotondo Consortium (Leonardo Salvemini), Boomerang (Angelo Usai) and entrepreneur Paolo Berlusconi.

"The event started eight years ago, thanks to the idea of a group of friends who wanted to share the passion for sailing with less fortunate people. And so," said Claudio Pedrazzini, "something unique has come about not only to people with different fragility but to all those who are able to make themselves available to others with great sensibility. Every year we take the challenge and, at the same time, we grow. This year, thanks to the support of Angelo Usai of Boomerang, our children will have at their disposal 18 boats."

"Being able to help handicapped children at least for the three days of the event is a wonderful thing. Our community,” said the Mayor of Olbia- Settimo Nizzi, “will support the event to make it unforgettable to all those who are participating."

For Marco Balata, Councilor of Tourism in Olbia, this is the “crystallization of a project born about a year ago and that is part of the sector where there is so much to do in our country: the so-called accessible tourism. As soon as we started contacts with Pedrazzini, we immediately thought of dedicating the event to the memory of Patrizia Bigi."

On the same tone, the organizer of the event, Angelo Usai: "We are not new to this kind of initiative," said Boomerang, a nautical tourism company.  “Although in the past, we welcomed handicap people on board to sail boats in Italy, we are still well behind compared to other nations like Germany."

For Leonardo Salvemini, President of Porto Rotondo Consortium, “We are here to thank the special people who will come here. Well-done initiatives like these are important for Italian society and important for broadening the positive social impact of the sport of sailing for everyone.”

Paolo Berlusconi also expressed words of appreciation for the initiatives. "Getting to Porto Rotondo and talking about disability and volunteering is good for the heart," said the entrepreneur, "and makes us understand that man is also capable of doing good things to include all manner of handicapped sailors.”

For more information about this special event on J/24s in Olbia, Sardinia, Italy (just south of Porto Cervo).

Claudia Rossi- VANITY FAIR Girl Sailing Amongst Giants!

Rossi Led Many Top Women Teams Sailing the Worlds
(Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy)- No question, for a 25 year old girl growing up in Italy, Claudia Rossi has earned her fair share of accolades "sailing amongst the giants" of the sport- not just in Europe, but also worldwide.

This month's Italian VANITY FAIR edition not only features Angelina Jolie on the cover, but also features Claudia as a woman that can compete on the world stage, a supremely talented sailor forging new levels of competition for women in sailing around the world.  She proved it, yet again, sailling her PETITE TERRIBLE #AUDI into 4th place overall and was top women helm.

Similarly, the second women helm at the J/70 Worlds was the 2017 Monaco Winter Series Champion, the top Russian women skipper- Valerya Kovalenko from Moscow, Russia.  Her team on ARTTUBE is often at the top of the Russian J/70 Sailing League and will, again, be sailing the Monaco Winter Series starting in mid-December 2017; a five regatta series that ends with the Primo Cup Credit Suisse at YC Monaco in March 2018.

At the J/70 Worlds were several all-womens teams, too.  One was the United Kingdom's Hannah Mills, an Olympic 470 Gold Medallist, sailing with five other women on her team, including Suzy Russell and Hanna Peters.  Hannah was third woman helm at the AUDI J/70 Worlds.

The Dutch all-women's crew was part of the "She Sails" team that have been competing all summer, including the J/70 Europeans sailed on the Solent and hosted by Royal Southern YC in Hamble, England. The crew on WATERLAND MONNICKENDAM included Rikst Dijkstra, Sanno Crum, Fettje Osinga, Milah Wouters, and Nova Huppess from Amterdam, The Netherlands.

Then, there was an all-women's team from Germany that had been sailing on Lake Constance and were participants all year long in the Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga that saw racing all over Germany, from the south to the north- Travemunda, Kiel, Lake Constance, Alster Lake in Hamburg, and so forth.  The "YC Langenargen Team" team sailed LADY LIKE, skippered by Anica Rimmele with crew of Lina & Rosanna Schnetz (sisters), Carla Rau, and Anne Winkelhausen. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

USA’s Duncan Crowned AUDI J/70 World Champion!

Italy’s Noe' Tops Corinthians Division
(Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy)- In more ways than one, the 2017 edition of the AUDI J/70 World Championship, hosted by YC Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo, will go down in history as one of the most memorable.  For starters, it was the largest fleet of sportboats ever assembled for a World Championship- 163 boats ultimately sailed, with 175 boats initially registered from 24 nations.  Then, over three days of measurement, seven boats were rejected and another six boats simply disappeared and withdrew from the regatta.  As the teams started to practice on Sunday, it was evident the forecasted “mistral” was going to be much stronger than expected; by Sunday evening winds were a steady 20-30 kts, gusting to 40 kts from the West.  The mistral was the central theme for the next three days, blowing out Monday’s practice race with 62 kts in the harbor and 85 kts in the Straits of Bonifacio (between the southern cape of Corsica and the northern points of Sardinia), then steady 30 to 45 kts for what was supposed to be qualifying races on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Overcoming a wide-variety of challenging weather conditions for the next three days was none other than the American team led by Peter Duncan on RELATIVE OBSCURITY.  Peter’s crew of Jud Smith, Willem van Waay and Victor Diaz de Leon, simply showed their transom to the fleet more often than not for the six races sailed, compiling an amazing record of 3-1-1-2-1-3 for 8 pts net to easily win Peter’s first J/70 World Championship.

Another impressive performance was the Corinthians Division winner- Italy’s Gianfranco Noe sailing WHITE HAWK, sailing with his son- Emmanuele and crew of Giuliano Chiandrussi, and Samuele Semi.  Their scorecard of 22-2-3-13-14-16 not only earned an easy Corinthians win, but also placed them 10th overall in the Open division!

Day 3- Thursday
After three days of mistral, the fleet was quite anxious to go sailing. After the mandatory 0930 hrs skipper’s briefing run by the PRO Mark Foster from Corpus Christi YC in Texas, the teams briskly walked down to their boats and headed out of the gorgeous Porto Cervo harbor into the big seas and big breezes that lay in wait offshore under spectacular sunny blue skies with torn cotton clouds racing across the horizon.  It was a magnificent start for the fleet.  A total of six races were run in 15-22 kts from the remnants of the westerly flowing mistral.  More often than not, the left hand side of the course was better than the right, due to the known geographical shift that would often show up in the top one-third of the race course.

After the one-day, three-race qualifying series, Peter Duncan’s RELATIVE OBSCURITY led with a 3-1-1 tally for 5 pts; followed in second place by Claudia Rossi’s Italian team on PETITE TERRIBLE #AUDI with a 1-4-1 scoreline for 6 pts; and yet another Italian team, Franco Solerio’s L’ELAGAIN, sitting in third place with a 2-2-7 for 11 pts.

The top Corinthians Division leaders were Noe’s WHITEHAWK with a 22-2-3 record for 27 pts in first place; Follin Robin’s GIVE ME FIVE from France with an 8-29-14 for 41 pts in second; and Luis Bugallo’s MARNATURA from Spain with a 23-20-11 for 54 pts in third position.

Day 4- Friday
On Friday, the regatta moved up a gear, as the fleets were split into Gold and Silver Fleets. The early morning westerly Mistral wind, unexpectedly piped up to over 20 knots before the start of racing.  However, by the end of the day, a southerly wind caused the second race to be abandoned, and racing was shortly called to a halt. Four races had now been held, offically constituting a series, with one day to go.

Following on their amazing performance on the first day of racing, Duncan’s RELATIVE OBSCURITY crew grew their lead to 10 pts by scoring a 2nd in the only race of the day.  Meanwhile, Rossi’s PETITE TERRIBLE #AUDI team scored a 9th to drop into third place.  Leapfrogging her into second place by taking a 4th in the race was the Spanish FERMAX team, skippered by Gustavo Martinez Doreste.

Meanwhile, Noe’s WHITE HAWK continued to lead the Corinthians Division, followed by the Mexican Ignacio Perez skippering ADRENALINE in second place and Bugallo’s MARNATURA in third.

In the Silver fleet, it was Norway’s Eivind Astrup that was leading on NORWEGIAN STEAM and the Silver Corinthians leader was Alessandro Zampori’s NOBERASCO DAS from Italy.

The top three for Friday’s Gold Fleet race was all American; Peter Cunningham's POWER PLAY won in shifty conditions with an enormous lead of well over a minute. Despite not getting a great start, Cunningham's team, with Argentinian Lucas Calabrese calling tactics, came back to cross the finish line in first position. Duncan's RELATIVE OBSCURITY was second, scoring their fourth podium in the regatta and Brian Keane's SAVASANA made it a 1-2-3 for the American teams.

"We still had the Mistral wind today, but it was much lighter,” commented Relative Obscurity's Jud Smith. "We thought the right would pay and it did, we rounded the top mark in second. In all my years, I have never been in a keelboat fleet this big. However, now we are in a fleet of about 80 boats, that is similar to last year's Worlds in San Francisco. I guess the popularity is down to the fact that the J/70 is a great boat, and it suits people of different sizes, gender, and ages, and its great to see a lot of young people at the regatta!”

Day 5- Epic Saturday Finale
With numerous General Recalls, a Black Flag in play, and a full on foam-up, the Worlds had a thrilling climax to remember for years to come. With sparkling sunshine, a significant sea state, and a warm westerly breeze, piping up to a ballistic 30 knots, the world's largest championship sportsboat fleet enjoyed a fantastic finale.

After a stunning performance, scoring podium finishes in every race, including three race wins, the runaway winner of the regatta was America’s Peter Duncan on RELATIVE OBSCURITY. Another American team, Brian Keane's SAVASANA (with crew of Stu McNay, Tom Barrows, Ron Weed) scored a second in the final race, moving up to runner-up for the championship. Italian Luca Domenici on NOTARO TEAM (with crew of Diego Negri, Stefano Orlandi, Piero Vigo) moved up to third place after posting a BFD-5 in the last two races!  After posting a 9-BFD, Claudia Rossi's attempt to become the first lady helm to win the title was ended, her PETITE TERRIBLE #AUDI team settling for 4th place just 4 pts back from 3rd.  Then, only 1 pt behind her in 5th place was another Italian crew, Mauro Roversi’s JCURVE.

The Corinthians Division was easily won by Noe’s WHITE HAWK.  Second, was Bugallo’s MARNATURA and third was Follin’s GIVE ME FIVE.

The overall winner of the Silver Fleet and also the Silver Corinthians winner was Zampori’s NOBERASCO DAS from Italy. They were followed in second place by Stefano Roberti’s PICCININA from YC Monaco in Monte Carlo and in third place was Russia’s Dmitry Shunin from Moscow, Russia sailing GOLDEN WING. Rounding out the top five were Michael Grau’s German crew on PAINT IT BLACK in 4th and Horacio & Nicolas Carabelli’s Brazilian team on URUBU taking 5th place.

In the Silver Corinthians Division, taking second place was America’s Henry Brauer sailing RASCAL from Eastern YC in Marblehead, MA (host of the 2018 J/70 World Championship).  Third place went to Pawel Tarnowski’s APOTEX team from Poland.

"Awesome! Top of the world,” exclaimed Peter Duncan dockside at the YC Costa Smeralda. "It is a great feeling, I have sailed with some great guys, we had a great event, and everything seemed to go our way, it was just one of those weeks. It is hard to put into words how I feel like now, but this was just exceptional. This fleet has some really great talent, and the organizers, and the yacht club have done such an amazing job. Most of all I want to credit the crew, Victor, Jud, Willem, they have been just fantastic."

Runner-up was Savasana (USA) Brian Keane. "We chartered the J/70, so we are really pleased to have come second in the championship. I have been racing in the class since the beginning, and now that we have fleets racing J/70s all over the world, the standard is just amazing, and so is this regatta. A world record keelboat fleet in superb surroundings."

Top team for the host club, YC Costa Smeralda, and first team with a Lady Helm (winning the Helen C Johnstone Memorial Trophy), was Petite Terrible (ITA) Claudia Rossi. "Peter Duncan is a worthy World Champion, his team sailed the best this week. Our fourth position is better than fifth in the last World Championship, so maybe I will not win for three years,” laughed Claudia. "However, I will be in Marblehead for the 2018 J/70 World Championship!”

The Closing Ceremony and Awards for the Audi J/70 World Championship was held at the Piazza Azzurra. YCCS Commodore, Riccardo Bonadeo, spoke about the event before presenting prizes to the winners.

"Congratulations to all of the winners at the Audi J/70 World Championship. This is a special year for the YCCS, as we are celebrating our 50th anniversary, over the years we have hosted many world championships. However, this is the largest world championship fleet hosted by the Club in all of those years. It has been a pleasure and an honor to welcome over 160 teams from 25 different countries, to enjoy the fantastic sailing grounds of the Costa Smeralda, and the Clubhouse at the YCCS. I would like to thank Audi the Title sponsor of this event, and our partner for a long time, which supports us in so many of these new challenges. I also want to thank the J/70 International and Italian Classes, the owners, their crews, the Race Committee, the International Jury and all the YCCS staff. We hope that all of the competitors will come and race again with the Club in the very near future."

The 2018 J/70 World Championship will be hosted by the Eastern Yacht Club, Marblehead, Massachusetts USA from 22nd to 29th September 2018.  Follow the AUDI J/70 Worlds on Facebook here

AUDI J/70 Worlds Summary video
https://www.facebook.com/j70italianclass/videos/380396249045985/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJQu7MRHXAY
Day 3- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yge147XOAc
Day 4- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUtBzYxpaHw
Day 5- Finale- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJQu7MRHXAY

Facebook Video interviews of J/70 Worlds winners here:
Champion Peter Duncan- https://www.facebook.com/J70Class/videos/877195112432176/
Corinthian winner- Gianfranco Noe- https://www.facebook.com/j70italianclass/videos/379790799106530/
1st Woman helm- Claudia Rossi- https://www.facebook.com/j70italianclass/videos/379761999109410/
2nd Woman helm- Lera Kovalenko- https://www.facebook.com/j70italianclass/videos/380363419049268/
3rd Woman helm- Hannah Mills- https://www.facebook.com/j70italianclass/videos/379791925773084/

Video Highlights
Final race of Gold- https://www.facebook.com/Sail22Racing/videos/10155701957289868/
Final race of Silver- https://www.facebook.com/Sail22Racing/videos/10155701943399868/

Sponsor- Quantum Sails
Time-lapse video- https://www.facebook.com/QuantumSails/videos/10155164917292098/
Day 5 Gold fleet- https://www.facebook.com/QuantumSails/videos/10155170974467098/

Sailing photo credits- Pierrick Contin, Max Ranchi & Kurt Arrigo  For more AUDI J/70 World Championship sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.