St. Francis Yacht Club to host 2017 J/111 Worlds in San Francisco
by Meredith Laitos on 5 Nov 2016
2015 J/111 World Championship Cate Brown
The 2017 J/111 Worlds will be hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club (StFYC) in San Francisco, CA from August 24–27, 2017. This will be the fourth World Championship for this competitive one-design class and its first on the U.S. West Coast.
Regatta chairman Gerard Sheridan is anticipating a strong turnout with a diverse entry list. Says Sheridan, “We’re expecting boats from the West Coast, the Midwest and the East Coast as well as a solid turnout from Europe and abroad.”
This announcement comes at the conclusion of an impressive 2016 racing season at St. Francis Yacht Club, in which the club hosted multiple consecutive championships and international regattas including Hydrofoil Worlds, International Knarr Championship, Rolex Big Boat Series (the largest in history), Alcatel J/70 Worlds and the US Sailing Adult Championship.
“The Club has proven itself time and again as one of the most desired regatta hosts in the country,” says Sheridan. “Our race staff and volunteer race committee have earned their reputation for organizing top-flight regattas; our clubhouse wows visitors with every amenity; and our natural venue is second to none.”
The J/111 has been in production for six years now. Introduced in August 2010, there are now about 130 J/111s racing in over a dozen countries. San Francisco sailor Rob Theis has been racing J/111s since 2014 and won the J/111 class in both the 2014 and 2015 Rolex Big Boat Series. “This is a very active boat,” says Theis. “It will plane at 12 knots. It goes 18-20 knots downwind. It’s not technically a sportboat but it can sure feel like one.”
Recognizing that San Francisco can be a trek for many sailors, St. Francis Yacht Club has organized a 2017 regatta schedule around J/111 Worlds to accommodate multiple races for visiting sailors. The Aldo Alessio/Phylis Kleinman Swiftsure Regatta will take place August 18–20 and the 2017 Rolex Big Boat Series is scheduled for September 14–17. “If you visit St. Francis Yacht Club in 2017, you’ll be visiting a world-class city and sailing in up to three great regattas,” says Sheridan.
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