Alcatel J70 Worlds delivers more than results

by Christy Usher on 19 Oct 2016 The husband and wife team of Tracy and Christy Usher, sailing under the St. Francis Yacht Club burgee, bought their J/70 sailboat Christine Robin one year ago setting their sights on sailing in the 2016 World Championships in San Francisco, just six months from their first major regatta. Here, Christy tells their story and explains why buying the J/70 was the best decision they ever made.

My first year sailing in the J/70 Class has been one of the most exhilarating and by far one of the best years of my life—culminating just recently with the Alcatel J/70 World Championship hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club (StFYC). Almost exactly one year ago to the start of the Worlds, my husband Tracy and I bought our J/70 sailboat. Buying the J70 has proven to be the best decision we’ve made together.

My husband and I had been looking for the right sailboat for us as a family for over a decade. Tracy had been content competing on the Laser Master circuit, so for many years we sailed Lasers “together separately.” He sailed the Laser Standard rig while I sailed the Laser Radial. As much as I enjoyed sailing in the Laser Class, I aspired for a sailboat we could race and sail together.

Our first introduction to the J70 was in Newport, Rhode Island in Fall of 2012. The St. Francis YC sent a team including my husband and Peter Vessella to the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) for a regatta that was to be sailed in JBoats latest speedster, the J70. Peter Vessella was rightfully and quickly smitten with the boat and purchased one soon after, adding to his Star, Etchells, and Laser programs. But it wasn’t until a couple of years later after seeing several J70s on display at the Monaco Yacht Club that I started to take notice of this sporty, sleek and fast looking yacht. The next time Tracy mentioned Peter Vessella’s J70 program, Running Wild, I suggested we consider getting a J70 and the rest is history.

Read the full article on SailCouture.com here.