Infante crowned French J/70 National Champions
by J-Boats 29 Jun 2025 01:10 PDT
French J/70 National Championship © Charles Guilloteau
The French J/70 class continues to grow nicely and the competition also continues to heat up. La Rochelle Nautique hosted the 2025 French J/70 Nationals for a fleet of twenty-one teams.
The outcome of the eleven-race series hung in the balance until the very last race. From day one, a battle broke out between two very well-sailed teams: Denis Infante's FR 1583 and Jean Yves Martin's FR 144. Trading off mostly all podium finishes, it was Infante's team of Francois Barbet, Theo Di Guglielmo, and Louis Barbet that earned a well-deserved gold medal with 20 pts net. By closing with a blistering 2-1-2-1, Martin's team of Damian Michilier, Charlie Guth, Alois de Guitaut, and Willow Terrassier nearly pulled off an upset but settled for the silver medal with 22 pts net.
Meanwhile, another battle was brewing for the final bronze step on the podium. Like their colleagues, that outcome also came down to the final race. Taking the bronze was Philippe Guigne's FR 288 team of Damien Scelo, Cedric Pouligny, and Thomas George with 44 pts net.
Rounding out the top five were Theau Guilcher's FR 297 and Herve Leduc's FR 1086, in fourth and fifth, respectively.
For more French J/70 National Championship sailing information visit www.larochellenautique.com/national_70.