A Q&A with Marylyn Hoenemeyer on the 2021 J/70 World Championship
by David Schmidt 9 Aug 2021 16:00 BST
August 11-15, 2021
Darwin Escapes 2019 J/70 Worlds at Torbay day 3 © Ingrid Abery /
www.ingridabery.com
The saying goes that luck is what happens when opportunity and preparation meet. Such can be said of yacht designer Alan Johnstone's highly popular J/70, which draws on decades of J/Boats' expertise, and which hit the sailing scene in 2012 as the world was emerging from the Great Recession. The fast, easily sailed One Design quickly caught on (there are now ballpark 1,500 afloat in numerous countries), offering high-level racing for (relatively) affordable budgets.
The class held its first world-championship regatta in 2014 on the waters off of Newport, Rhode Island, and they have contested a Worlds each consecutive year, with the exception of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Fortunately, 2021 is shaping up to be a different year, and the seventh J/70 World Championship will be hosted by the California Yacht Club and contested on the waters off of Marina del Rey, California, from August 11 to 15.
Not surprisingly, the (closed) registration list is deep (76 boats at the time of this writing) and populated with the names of former North American and world champions. And while the bulk of sail numbers carry the prefix "USA", the same sheet also registers 13 other country codes.
I checked in with Marylyn Hoenemeyer, Regatta Chair of the 2021 J/70 World Championship, via email, to learn more about this exciting event.
Weather-wise, what kind conditions can sailors expect to encounter off of Marina del Rey in early-to-mid August? Also, what are the best-case and worst-case weather scenarios?
We prefer to host our championship regattas in the summer as conditions are the most consistent at that time.
In August, competitors can expect sunny skies, with temperatures in the low-70s and a west-to-southwest breeze that builds as the afternoon progresses, generally peaking in the low-teens.
Our weather is so consistent, that there's really no "worst case" scenario. On the upside, the breeze could build to the mid-to-high-teens, especially for the second race of the day.
How important do you think local knowledge will be at this world-championship regatta? Also, do you expect most visiting teams to arrive early and acclimatize to conditions?
As a famous local sailor Tom Leweck, once said: "If you think you understand racing on Santa Monica Bay, you haven't sailed here often enough." But of course, the more time you spend in the racing area, the more likely it is that you'll able be to spot a familiar pattern.
We tried to level the playing field by hosting several regattas leading up to the Worlds. Many out-of-area teams traveled here directly from the North Americans to compete in them. They were joined by several international teams in the Pre-Worlds, [which were] hosted by our neighbors here in the Marina, Del Rey Yacht Club. The teams have used the time between that event and the Worlds to get more familiar with our local conditions.
If you could offer one piece of advice to visiting (and local) teams, what would it be?
I guess I'd encourage everyone to enjoy the entire experience. Of course, the racing is the main focus, but especially after the year we've just had, I hope that people take advantage of the social functions and enjoy the camaraderie of their fellow competitors.
Do you have any teams that you are eyeing for podium finishes? What about any dark horses who you think could prove to be fast, once the racing begins?
There's a lot of talent in the field, including the past three World Champions and the reigning North American champion. You can't discount any of them for a podium finish. There's never been a repeat [J/70] World Champion though, and I'm hoping that record stands again this year. Of course, I'd like the winner to be a Southern California boat, but I don't want to jinx anyone by naming names.
A dark horse in the field may be Threatening Minors, competing in the newly offered One Pro Division. The team consists of the three Janov brothers, who grew up in our junior sailing program, and Willi McBride, the coach for two of the brothers in their 49er Olympic campaign. They're new to the boat, but have done well in the lead-up regattas this season. I suspect they'll have a strong showing at the Worlds as well.
How many races do you and the other organizers hope to score over the course of the regatta? Also, will you use traditional racing marks, or will you use some of the new GPS-guided autonomous robotic marks such as MarkSetBots to administer the racecourse?
We've scheduled two races on each of the five days of the Championship for a total of ten races.
The Class has some very specific standards regarding leg lengths and overall target time limits that we'll be following, but there's still plenty of sunlight to get in the races - even with a few General Recalls.
We'll have humans setting the marks. We considered using MarkSetBots, but weren't sure that they could handle the swell and the wind chop that we experience in our racing area. We know that our volunteers can get the job done!
Given the still-lingering pandemic here in the USA (and the still-ragging pandemic in many other countries), have you heard if some international competitors have been unable to attend this Worlds? If so, what will this mean for the regatta's overall competition level, given that you also have several former J/70 Nationals and Worlds winners registered?
Travel restrictions and economic uncertainty certainly took its toll on participation. Kudos to all the teams that persevered through these difficult times to make it to the starting area.
It was especially difficult for the European and Brazilian teams to get here, as they only recently received permission to enter the United States. And that wouldn't have happened without the help of Nancy Mazzulli at US Sailing who worked with Homeland Security to get the required clearance.
So, we'll have a truly international roster, with teams from eleven nations and three continents competing for the 2021 title.
Obviously organizing and running a big regatta amidst a pandemic isn't easy. Can you tell us about the biggest logistical and organizational hurdles that you've had to clear to make this happen?
We've had to stay flexible in our planning due to the evolving Covid protocols. The club hosted its first regatta in 18 months just this past May, and it's only been within the last month that we were cleared to host outdoor social activities.
Those would have been minor considerations if the international teams hadn't been able to compete though. Even fielding the International Jury was a challenge, as our Chief Judge from Germany was originally denied permission to travel here despite being fully vaccinated.
That said, the complexities posed for organizing a sailboat race pale in comparison to the suffering and loss that so many people endured during the pandemic. I tried to keep that in perspective when things seemed complicated on this end.
Can you tell us about any efforts that you and the other regatta organizers have made to try to lower the regatta's environmental footprint or otherwise green-up the regatta?
It's interesting to see how best practices have changed in response to a more eco-friendly perspective. Paper entries are a thing of the past. We no longer provide copies of race documents or results, as all are available online. And recently we've moved to electronic filing of protests to reduce paper usage there, too.
We use recyclable or compostable tableware for our shore-side hospitality, and encourage the use of refillable water bottles by staging numerous filling stations near the docks. Water usage is a big concern for us here in California. While we appreciate that saltwater and sailing hardware don't mix, we'll encourage competitors to be mindful of our [current] drought conditions when hosing-down their boats at the end of the day.
Is there anything else that you'd like to add, for the record?
This regatta has been three years in the making. There's been a solid core of volunteers who've worked through all the Covid related uncertainties to be sure that we are ready. They'll be joined by hundreds of volunteers who will assist with registration, measurement, and race management during the regatta itself.
Our club prides itself in running great events, and has been a three-time recipient of US Sailing's St. Petersburg's Trophy for Excellence in Race Management. None of this would be possible without our loyal volunteers. I hope that all the competitors will join me in thanking them for their dedication.