J/70 Open European Championship – Preview

by Louay Habib on 30 May 2017 The 2017 J/70 European Championship will be held in Great Britain for the very first time. Since the J/70 was introduced in 2012, over 1300 J/70s have now been launched, making the exciting one design sports boat the fastest growing sailing class in the world.

About 50 teams are expected for the J/70 Open European Championship, from eleven different countries; France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and the United States. Principle Race Officer, Stuart Childerley, is scheduling 11 races, and in early June, medium gradient breeze of about 12 knots is likely, and possibly enhanced by sea breeze later in the day, to provide high octane surfing conditions.

The full podium from the 2016 J/70 European Championship will be competing; reigning European Champion, Italy's Claudia Rossi, last year's runner up from Monaco, Stefano Roberti, and third place, Spain's Gonzalo Araujo. From the United States, Peter Duncan's victorious team from the 2017 Bacardi Cup, which was also third in this year's North American Championship, will also be competing.

Ian Wilson's Soak Racing is one of the teams to beat from Great Britain, Soak Racing came second at the highly competitive Spi Ouest in April this year and last month Team Soak won the J/70 Southern UK Championship.

“Claudio Rossi's team has got to be the fastest J/70 outfit in the world at the moment” commented Ian Wilson. “She may have come fifth at the worlds but that was counting an OCS! So for sure, she will be very hard to beat as will Stefano Roberti and Gonzalo Araujo. We raced against Thomas Mellano in Spi Ouest and the French are fast, as are Calascione and Ripard from Malta. Our goal each race will be to make the top five, if we can achieve that, then we are in with a chance, because nobody is going into this championship thinking that are going to put a stack of bullets away. The Europeans is going to be a fantastic competition.”

Ian Wilson's Team Soak will be helmed by past SB20 World Champion, Geoff Carveth. Other top British teams will be Simon Ling's Team Spitfire with past J/24 world champion, Ian Southworth and multiple SB20 World Champion Craig Burlton on board.

Olympic medalist and Dragon World Champion Ossie Stewart has teamed up with four time J/80 National Champion, Kevin Sproul. Champions from other classes include past Etchells European Champion, Jeremy Thorp and J/111 World Champion, Martin Dent has been training with past J/80 world champion and J/70 European champion Ruairidh Scott.

Top up and coming youth teams taking part in the J/70 European Championship include Tim Gratton's Royal Thames YC Academy and Jack Davies' Team Yeti for the Royal Solent Yacht Club, Isle of Wight.

The 2017 J/70 European Championship is organised by Key Yachting, exclusive agent for J Boats in the UK and Ireland, and hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club.

The championship is proudly sponsored by Alfa Romeo. The new SUV model, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, will be on display at the Royal Southern Yacht Club, competitors will be invited to take the first ever SUV by Alfa Romeo for a test drive.

Raymarine and North Sails will be awarding fantastic prizes during the event.

Karen Henderson-Williams, Commodore of the Royal Southern Yacht Club, said 'Hosting such major Championships is a rewarding challenge for the Royal Southern Yacht Club and its members. We are looking forward to showing the J/70 competitors some great hospitality in our wonderfully enhanced facilities.'