Please select your home edition
Edition
Allen Dynamic 40 Leaderboard

Celebrating the 2019 J/70 Open Division and Corinthian World Champions

by David Schmidt 10 Sep 2019 16:23 BST September 10, 2019
Darwin Escapes 2019 J/70 World Championships - Day 4 © Sportography.tv

The J/70 arrived in 2012, forever changing the one-design racing scene. In just seven years, J/Boats has sold more than 1,500 of these 23-foot speedsters, and the class — not surprisingly — has become one of the most competitive one-design classes afloat. To date, the class has held five World Championships, and much like the previous four, the 2019 J/70 World Championship offered nail-biting excitement and saw some of the world's best skippers and sailors line up to determine top bragging rights, this time on the waters off of the Royal Torbay Yacht Club, which is in Torquay, United Kingdom.

While the competition was fierce, skipper Paul Ward and his Eat Sleep J Repeat (GBR 1451) team of Charlie Cumbley, Ruairidh Scott and Mario Trindade posted proud results in the Open Division, including a bullet, a second, a third and a fourth-place finish to beat-out skipper Joel Ronning and his Catapult (USA 180) team, and skipper Jose Maria Torcida and his Noticia (ESP 961) squad, and claim the mantle of 2019 J/70 Open Division World Champions.

Interestingly, this title wasn't determined until the final race, which was sailed in 20-knot winds that gusted to 26 knots.

"Very, very pleased, it has been hard work and we have a very good team," said Ward in an official regatta press release after nabbing his big win. "We have sailed well all year and this has been a tough week but a lot of fun. We were just a few meters from the finish when we realized we had probably won, we worked hard right up to the end, the Americans and the Spanish pushed us really hard, it was full-on."

Meanwhile, skipper Marshall King and his Soak Racing (IRL 1123) team of Ian Wilson, Andrew Shorrock and Adam Brushett took top honors in the in the Corinthian division, followed by skipper Doug Struth and his DSP (GBR 1248) squad and skipper Denis Cherevatenko and his Joyfull (RUS 1217) team.

"We have been trying to win this for six years, so it feels just amazing," said Wilson (GBR) and King (IRL) in an official event press release. "Torbay has been exceptionally tricky, and we have had great competition at a really well-organized regatta, and it is great to come away with the win."

As for the strategy that cinched the win, Wilson and King pointed to a fourth-place finish in race 13 (the team's high-water mark for the regatta), followed by some defensive ball.

"Today's racing was really exciting, we were 10 points behind [Doug Struth's] DSP [GBR 1248] going into the last two races," said Wilson and King in an official regatta press release. "We had an excellent Race 13 and then it was about staying with DSP and making sure there were not too many boats between us. It all came down to the last 100 meters, and we did just enough."

Sail-World tips our hat to the newly crowned 2019 J/70 Open Division and Corinthian World Champions, and to all of the other top-level teams that got their gunwales wet en route to these impressive and down-to-the-wire finishes.

Speaking of J/Boats, the J/105 North Americans were contested on the waters off of Marblehead, Massachusetts and were hosted by the Corinthian Yacht Club. While racers were forced to make their peace with Hurricane Dorian, which passed by Massachusetts last week, the race committee was ultimately able to score eight races that saw skippers Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault and their team aboard their East Coast-based J/105 Good Trade (USA 96) take top honors, followed by skipper Ken Horne and his Final Final (USA 396) crew and skipper Charlie Garrard and his Merlin (USA 635) team.

Looking ahead, this week marks two important U.S.-based regattas that are being held on opposite sides of the country, and which are being hosted by the nation's top two yacht clubs. The first of these events is the 2019 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup (September 7-14), which is being hosted by the New York Yacht Club on the waters off of Newport, Rhode Island, and which will see a fleet of 20 identical Mark Mills-designed IC37s being raced by Corinthian teams from different yacht clubs from across the country.

The second event is the 2019 Rolex Big Boat Series (September 11-15), which is being hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, California on the waters of San Francisco Bay and which will feature both handicap and One Design racing. While participants can expect the usual go-fast suspects at this high-level event, the Classics class will be making a Rolex Big Boat Series appearance this year and will include five classic ladies that were built before 1955 and measure at least 48' LOA.

Sail-World wishes great sailing to all participants competing in both of these great regattas, and we'll certainly be doing our best to wear-out the refresh buttons on our web browsers once the starting guns begin sounding.

May the four winds blow you safely home.

David Schmidt
Sail-World.com North American Editor

Related Articles

Foiling Frenzy at Fraglia Vela Malcesine
The Moth Worlds at Lake Garda are something else! The Moth Worlds at Lake Garda are something else! Regardless of where sailors are in their careers, or the reputation they have, everyone wants to be there and have a tilt at the title. Posted on 7 Jul
The oldest video footage of Moth sailing
A look back into our video archive, to when the name of this class first settled down We delve into our video archive to find the oldest possible videos that show Moth racing. Are these International Moths, British Moths... or was the name still Olive, Inverloch 11ft, National Moth or Brent One-Design?! Posted on 6 Jul
The power of tech
What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it? What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it? Posted on 2 Jul
An evening with the Scaramouche Sailing Trust
Sailing hasn't always been a sport for inner-city state schools like the Greig City Academy Sailing hasn't always been a sport for inner-city state schools like the Greig City Academy (GCA). But they've shown it can be accessible to everyone, with amazing results. Posted on 2 Jul
Jazz Turner completes Project FEAR
Drama right to the end in her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles Jazz Turner has completed Project FEAR, her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles in her Albin 27 yacht. A flotilla of supporters met her in Seaford Bay, which grew and grew the closer they came to Brighton Marina. Posted on 1 Jul
Project FEAR is in the final few days
Charity circumnavigation almost over, in record time, with a record total raised Jazz Turner is expected to reach home (Brighton Marina) on Monday 30th June or Tuesday 1st July. She has sailed round the British Isles - all round Ireland and the Shetland Islands - without any assistance in 27 days so far. Posted on 28 Jun
Funding for clubs transforms sailing opportunities
During the latest RYA Participation Webinar we heard from UK clubs about their experiences During the latest RYA Participation Webinar we heard from a range of UK clubs, walking through their case studies, and then heard from experts in finance who talked us through the opportunities and pitfalls of acquiring funds. Posted on 26 Jun
A brief history of marine instrument networks
Hugh Agnew has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge One man who has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge, is Hugh Agnew, the Cambridge-educated mathematician who is one of the founders of A+T Instruments in Lymington, so I spoke to him to find out more... Posted on 25 Jun
Project FEAR turns southwards
Charity circumnavigation progress report from the Shetland Islands Last month I didn't even know that Muckle Flugga existed. Yet today, the very name of the island brought tears of emotion to my eyes, as I heard Jazz Turner scream it out in victory, in a video she took when passing the lighthouse. Posted on 22 Jun
The Big Bash
Every summer the tournament rolls into town. A short format of the game. Fun and excitement abound. Every summer the tournament rolls into town. Local and international players. A short format of the game, run over a relatively compact six-week season. Posted on 15 Jun