J/70 BRICS Sailing Championship 2025 in Bodrum, Turkiye - Practice Race
by Burak Zengin 19 Dec 2025 02:44 PST
18-21 December 2025
On December 18, the official program of sailing competitions in the J/70 class opened on the picturesque coast of Bodrum, combining the J/70 BRICS Sailing Championship and the second stage of the prestigious Tenzor International Cup - J/70 Open Winter Series 2025/2026. The first day was devoted to practice races, which became the final test of strength and capabilities for the teams before the start of the competition.
The fast, manoeuvrable and incredibly popular J/70 boats, representing one of the most numerous mono fleets in the world, have gathered the strongest international crews in Turkiye.
The training day turned out to be dynamic and allowed the teams to assess the water area and each other. Honored Master of Sports, Andrey Kirilyuk, who acted as the coach of the Ptichki Sailing Team, shared his impressions: "The day went well. It was warm and the wind was blowing even harder than expected. The wind twisted and turned. We spent two races testing new settings. We watched how the other teams are going... the fight starts tomorrow and it will be very interesting."
The expanded format regatta will become a platform not only for on water battles, but also for strengthening international ties in the sailing community. Representatives of 10 countries will take part in the competition.
Kakhaber Noniashvili, skipper of the GSC-OneClick team from Georgia, said: "This is our first time in Bodrum, at the Tenzor Sailing Club Turkiye. The feeling of a very pleasant atmosphere - both the weather and the relations between people here are incredibly warm. There are a lot of familiar faces around, and this is very important in the sailing community. Our team is now international, as Georgian sailing is only in the way of developing.... But everything is ahead, we are trying very hard and next year we will be a fully staffed Georgian team."
The team from China, China Changshu Shanghu Lake Team, is also enthusiastic. "We are sincerely glad to be here. This is our first time participating in these competitions, so we are full of excitement and ready for fight. Thanks to the organizers for the excellent preparation. Everything is really perfect," the team representatives said. "Our team has sailors who participated in the Olympic Games in Tokyo, as well as sailors from other fields, so let's see how things turn out," said team manager Elaine Zhai.
The organisers have created all the conditions for a fair and spectacular fight. On Friday, December 19, the first race day will be held, which will determine the first leaders in the overall standings of the combined regatta.
"This year I think I spent more time in Turkiye than in Italy. So I feel at home. I am really confident with Turkish friends not just with ne boat that I sail with. Bodrum is perfect with wind conditions. I really enjoy sunny beautiful weather here now. Turkiye grows a lot in the last few years with help of Tenzor Sailing Club team. Nowadays the level of the fleet is quite high, so it nice to sail here. In November it was hard for us to defend the title in very intense races. A lot of different countries, sailors are here and this is great, everybody of different experience - it a key to improve yourself", - commented multiply champion, Italian Massimo Bortoletto.
The regatta is organised by the Tenzor Sailing Club in cooperation with the International J/70 Class Association, the Sailing Federations of Turkey and countries participated.
General Partner - Tenzor Consulting Group, partners - Anthaven Resort, Radisson Collection Hotel Bodrum, Nautique Yachting.