Exciting 2024 Season Ahead for UK J/70 Class
by Ruby Dent 7 Mar 2024 21:07 AEDT
2023 J/70 European Championship © James Tomlinson
With three major J/70 championships in Europe this year and the introduction of two new categories, the 2024 UK J/70 Season will not disappoint.
The class rules now include two new divisions, Mixed-Plus and Young Crew, aimed at boosting opportunities for youth and female sailors. In line with this, the UK Grand Slam, with the generous support of the Royal Thames Yacht club, introduces series prizes for top mixed gender and youth boats. To encourage new teams, attractive charter packages have been put together for the entire series by the Royal Thames Yacht Club, Royal Yacht Squadron, and Royal Southern Yacht Club, who collectively own fifteen J/70s.
The Grand Slam Series includes six premier events in the Solent, including Cowes Week Short Series and the J/70 Nationals. The best four events, including Nationals, count towards overall prizes and determine the UK Class teams put forward for the World Championships, where entry is restricted, and places are highly sought after.
The UK Class has put forward Jelvis (Open) and Little J (Corinthian) for the 2024 World Championships being held in Palma. Mathieu Cadei, trimmer on Little J, commented: "We're absolutely delighted to have been selected for the World's in Palma. The Grand Slam series provides a great competition and opportunity to race against some top J/70 teams.
As a young team, (we're all in our mid 20s) J/70 racing offers a great balance of social and challenging racing. The Grand Slam events will be key to our build up to the worlds."
Charles Thompson's Brutus will be defending both a Grand Slam and World championship title this year. Charles commented: "After the excitement of competing in the World Championships in Tampa/Florida last year, the buzz of the UK Grand Slam series is now just around the corner. It may not be quite so warm and sunny, but with over 40 boats eligible to race, we know the competition will be hot and look forward to seeing so many friends out in the racetrack again."
Following the success of the first edition of the Corinthian World Cup last year in Garda, this title is being hosted in Copenhagen, and has 140 entries. Many UK teams will be travelling to take part in this event, as well as the European Championships held in Tuscany.
"One of the great elements of this class is the opportunity for teams to travel to some super venues, and to race in high quality fleets. The UK fleet and our Grand Slam racing reaps the benefits as those teams that race internationally bring back the developments they picked up so that all of the Solent and UK J/70 sailors continue to develop. The UK Class is committed to continue developing the fleet, welcoming newcomers, offering training opportunities and facilitating the transfer of knowledge throughout the fleet" said Phil Taylor, UK Class Sailing Secretary.
The season is kicking off with a training clinic in March, with coaching from Olympic coach James Gray. The first Grand Slam event kicks off on April 6th at the Royal Southern Yacht Club. Entry is now open here.
For more information on all events, visit the J/70 UK Class Website.