2018 J/70 World Championship: Most competitive keelboat regatta ever?

2018 J/70 World Championship © YCCS / Kurt Arrigo

The J/70 World Championship may be the most competitive event in the sport of sailing. Ninety-eight teams from 19 different nations have qualified to compete in the 2018 West Marine J/70 World Championship. After three days of inspections for the strict one-design class, racing for the championship will commence on Tuesday, September 25th. Five days of action are scheduled with up to three races per day. The Open and Corinthian Class Champions will be crowned on Saturday September 29th, at an Awards Ceremony at the Eastern Yacht Club.

The inaugural J/70 World Championship was held in 2014, and today more than 1,700 fast planing J/70 sportboats have been sold worldwide. Three American skippers have won the championship and all of them will be racing in Marblehead: Tim Healy (Sail Newport), Joel Ronning (Wayzata YC), and the defending J/70 World Champion, Peter Duncan (American Yacht Club). The 2018 J/70 North American Open Champion, Tom Bowen (Annapolis YC), will also be competing, as will the runner up from the 2017 J/70 World Championship, Brian Keane (Beverly Yacht Club).

Eight American skippers will be representing the Eastern Yacht Club, hosts for the 2018 J/70 World Championship, including Jud Smith, part of Peter Duncan's winning team last year, but racing his own J/70 Africa for the World Championship at his home club. "I am so excited to share my home club with these elite racers from around the world," said Jud Smith. "Wind in September should be great, as long as there are no hurricanes, and we should see some really competitive racing."

Nearly half of the extraordinary fleet will come from overseas, including the best teams from Europe. The current J/70 European Champion Alberto Rossi (Circolo Canottieri Aniene, Italy) and his daughter, the 2016 & 2017 J/70 European champion, Claudia Rossi (YC Costa Smeralda, Italy) will both be competing. Notably, Alberto himself is two-time Farr 40 World Champion. Top Spanish teams include the 2018 J/70 Corinthian European Champion, Luis Bugallo (RCN Vigo, Spain), and Jose Maria Torcida (RCM Santander, Spain) who has won the J/80 World Championship twice. Top teams will be competing from Great Britain including two-time (2015 & 2018) J/111 World Champion Martin Dent (Royal Southern YC).

Six teams from Mexico will be racing including, Javier Navarro (Club Izar), third in the 2018 J/70 North American Championship. J/70 teams will be competing from all over South America including; Argentina Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay. Teams will be travelling thousands of miles to compete at the 2018 J/70 World Championship from as far away as Australia, Germany, Japan, Monaco, Russia, Sweden and Turkey. More West Marine J/70 World Championship information here.