J80 European Championship - José María van der Ploeg a favorite to win

by Neus Jordi on 20 Jun 2014 The powerful J80 Spanish fleet has clear possibilities to reach the top three places in the European Championship that will be held at Club Náutico El Balís from June 28 to July 4 at Barcelona’s Maresme waterfront. Amongst the 70 boats from 15 different countries that will compete at Sant Andreu de Llavaneres a clear favorite is 'Great Sailing' commanded by Barcelona 1992 gold medalist José María van der Ploeg.

An honored Catalan skipper, who represents Club Náutico El Balís, Van der Ploeg was the J80 world champion in 2012 and finished in second place in the World Championship the year after. In this class, he also won the prestigious race Copa del Rey Mapfre. He has been IMS 670 world champion and has won Audi MedCup circuit. His achievements could easily be improved sailing at home in the European J80 Championship as he explained to us in the following interview:

What is your preparation for the J80 European Championship?

For us it is the top race of the season, so we have been practicing very hard during the last weeks to be ready for it.

Is sailing at home, at CN El Balís, an advantage for you and your crew?

Sailing at home has many advantages. For example, you do not have to travel, you do not have to mount and dismount the boat, you sleep at home, you are with your family… The sailing course is very complicated, so I do not think knowing it will give us an edge over other boats.

How has the season been so far?

We have participated in many national races like the Spanish Championship, where we finished in third place only a point behind the boat that finished second. We won the MedSailing race at CN El Balís. We came fourth at Trofeo Conde de Godó-Merchbanc. In this one I feel we raced below our possibilities… A couple days ago we joined the Catalonia’s Championship, finishing fifth but tied with the fourth place and only a point behind the second boat. We have always been at the top of the races, but first places are always very tight.

Are you planning to make any changes for the European Championship?

We had a brand new boat last December and we have made the typical adjustments to it. We are working on our sales and yes, we will do some changes for the European Championship.

Spain has a very powerful J80 fleet having ruled the world championships of the past seven years. What are the main reasons for this?

I think there are many reasons. Amongst them we can include that Spain has excellent sailors, so when they finish competing at Olympic classes they move to those where there are top competitive levels like J80. Besides, we are talking about a very affordable boat with excellent performance.

You have won an Olympic gold medal, an IMS 670 world championship, a prestigious race like Copa del Rey Mapfre, the Audi MedCup circuit… You have been racing since 2011 at the J80 class, where you have finish in first and second place worldwide. Why do you like this class? Aren’t you planning to go back to the big boats races?

The J80 has given me the possibility of competing at an excellent level and to be able to do it with my son after having to leave the professional races due to the economic crisis we are all experiencing during the past years, which makes very hard to get private funds.

The J80 European Championship is organized by CN El Balís, the Spanish and Catalan Federations and the Spanish and International J80 Associations. The event is supported by the General Secretary’s Office of Sports of the Catalan Government, the City Hall of Sant Andreu de Llavaneres and Spain’s National Sports Council.
Event website