WEST MARINE J/70 World Championship Preview

The World’s Most Competitive Regatta Ever?
(Marblehead, MA)- The 2018 edition of the J/70 World Championship, sponsored by WEST MARINE, will be hosted by Eastern YC in Marblehead, MA for a fleet of ninety teams from around the world. It may represent the most unprecedented assemblage of world-class talent ever gathered together in a single one-design regatta in history- keelboat or dinghy. Teams will be travelling thousands of miles to compete at the 2018 J/70 World Championship from as far away as Australia, Germany, Mexico, Canada, Italy, Great Britain, Japan, Monaco, Russia, Spain, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden and Turkey. Furthermore, J/70 teams will be competing from all over South America including; Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay.

To appreciate the relative “fire power” and depth of talent that some J/70 teams bring to the table, here are the notable combinations of the top USA skippers & pro-sailors on the leading teams:

• Jud Smith’s AFRICA- 3x Etchells 22 World Champion, 2017 J/70 World Champion/ Lucas Calabrese- Olympics 470 Bronze Medallist for Argentina
• Tim Healy’s USA 2- first J/70 World Champion, 3x J/70 Midwinter Champion, 2x J/24 World Champion/ John Mollicone- Brown University Coach and 2x J/24 World Champion
• Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT- J/70 World Champion, Melges 32 World Champion/ John Kostecki- J/24 World Champion/ Offshore World Champion, America’s Cup Champion
• Peter Duncan’s RELATIVE OBSCURITY- J/70 World Champion/ Willem van Waay and Victor Diaz de Leon- 2x J/70 World Champion crew
• Glenn Darden’s HOSS- J/105 North American Champion, J/80 North American & World Champion/ Jonathan McKee- Olympic Gold Medallist
• Brian Keane’s SAVASANA- 3x College All-American & J/80 North American Champion/ Thomas Barrows was College Sailor of the Year at Yale.
• Bruce Golison’s MIDLIFE CRISIS- Etchells 22 World Champion/ J/24 North American Champion
• Martie Kullman’s HYDRA- J/22 World Champion
• John Brim’s RIMETTE- Storm Trysail Offshore Champion on Farr 60 RIMA/ Taylor Canfield- 3x World Match Racing Champion/ 2x Congressional Cup Match Race Champion
• Will Welles’ SCAMP- 2x J/24 World Champion/ J/24 North American Champion
• Jack Franco’s 3 BALL JT- 2x College All-American/ Bill Hardesty- Etchells-22 2x World Champion & J/70 World Champion/ Allen Terhune- J/22 World Champion.
• Pat Toole’s 3 BIG DOGS- J/24 North American Champion
• Chris Snow’s COOL STORY BRO- J/24 North American Champion & J/70 West Coast Champion
• Bill Lynn’s FLYING NONE- 2x Sonar World Champion
• Jenn & Ray Wulff’s JOINT CUSTODY- J/70 North American Corinthian Champion
• Tom Bowen’s REACH AROUND- J/70 North American Champion
• Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE- J/70 Midwinter Series Champion/ Eric Doyle multi-class champion
• John & Molly Baxter’s TEAM VINEYARD VINES- J/70 Midwinter Series Champion
• Mark Foster’s WINTERWIND- J/22 World Champion and J/24 North American Champion

Nearly half of the extraordinary fleet will come from overseas, including the best teams from Europe:

• Alberto Rossi’s ENFANT TERRIBLE from Italy- J/70 European Champion and 2x Farr 40 World Champion/ Branko Brcin a famous offshore champion tactician
• Claudia Rossi’s PETITE TERRIBLE from Italy (daughter of Alberto)- 2x J/70 European Champion and women’s J/70 World Champion
• Valeria Kovalenko’s ARTTUBE RUS1 from Russia- 2x Monaco Winter Series Champion & Russia J/70 Sailing League Champion
• Vincenzo Onorato’s MASCALZONE LATINO from Italy- Farr 40 World Champion, Melges 32 World Champion
• Luis Bugallo’s MARNATURA from Spain- J/70 Corinthian European Champion
• Jose Maria “Pichu” Torcida’s NOTICIA from Spain- 2x J/80 World Champion, 2nd J/70 Europeans
• Martin Dent’s JELVIS form United Kingdom- 2x J/111 World Champion/ Ruairidh Scott- J/70 United Kingdom Champion
• Javier Navarro from Mexico- 3rd J/70 North American Championship
• Vernon Robert’s MORENITA from Chile- 5x J/24 Chilean Champion

In short, THIRTY boats (1/3 of the 90 boat fleet) have on their teams Olympic Medallists, World, European, North American, or Midwinter Champions in various classes.  Not exactly a stacked deck, is it?!  Quite frankly, a mind-numbing proposition for those determined to become the 2018 World Champion. The five days of sailing off Marblehead in the cool Atlantic Ocean waters teeming with wildlife like whales, dolphins, and bluefish will be interesting.  Just cracking the top 25 will be a feat for most teams sailing in the regatta! Perhaps, what is most fascinating of all, is that no one knows what to expect with such an enormous gathering of talent from across the spectrum of experience in the sailing world!  For more J/70 World Championship sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.


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