J/70 European Circuit Update

(Les Sables d’Olonne, France)- The European J/70 National class associations have updated their J/70 European circuit and proposed European 2014 ranking.  At this time, over 200 J/70s are sold in Europe and J/Composites in France will be delivering 15 boats per month to fulfill the demand.  The primary countries generating such enormous enthusiasm are Germany followed by Great Britain, France and Switzerland.

The 2014 European ranking system has been established as follows: each race of each event will be considered in the overall formula.  The points will be based on a “high point” scenario, with first equalling the number of starters for each race, second is -1, third is -2, etc.  On the basis of an average of 6 races per event, you can discard 10% of the races when more than 18 races have been achieved and 20% when 32 races have been achieved.  The major events include the following dates:

• Feb 7-9- Primo Cup- Trophee Credit Suisse- Monte Carlo, Monaco
• Apr 18-21- SPI Ouest France- La Trinite sur Mer, France
• Jun 6-9- North Sea Regatta- The Hague, Netherlands
• Jun 21-29- Kiel Week- Kiel, Germany
• Aug 2-5- Cowes Race Week- Cowes, Isle of Wight, England
• Sep 23-27- J/70 EuroCup/ Europeans- Lake Garda, Italy

At this stage, the current report from the various J/70 Class associations are that Kieler Woche will see at least 25+ boats from Germany and that 15+ boats from Lake Constance will participate in the EuroCup on Lago di Garda.  The German J/70 Nationals will be held on Lake Constance (the Bodensee) just before the EuroCup.

The Netherlands J/70 Class reports they’re already approaching a dozen boats.  One of their top sailors, Wouter Kollman sailing HENRI LLOYD will be sailing the North Sea Regatta at The Hague, Kieler Woche, Cowes Week and Lago di Garda for the EuroCup.  They expect at least 6 Dutch boats at North Sea Week, 3 at Kieler Woche, 2 at Cowes and 4-5 teams at EuroCup.  The Dutch J/70 sailors are also offering to other J/70 teams “free storage” after North Sea Week so that you can easily sail Kiel, saving a lot of travel time for some teams!

Both the Italian and French J/70 Class associations are indicating at least as many boats as the Dutch teams traveling to the same events.  For more information on the J/70 European Circuit, please contact Fred Bouvier- fred@jcomposites.com

J/70 Worlds, Europeans & NA’s Announcement!

(London, England)- 2013 has been a remarkable year. The first full season of J/70 class racing runs like a highlight reel - starting with the huge fleet at Key West for the first J/70 Midwinters, 50+ boats at Charleston, numerous regional events around the globe, and the 89 boat North American Championship held two months ago in Annapolis. Not since the J/24 has there been such rapid market acceptance and endorsement of a new design. And just when we thought the news couldn’t get better, 2014 promises even bigger and better things to come for J/70 sailors worldwide.

2014 J/70 Worlds Newport
After being approved as the International J/70 Class recently by ISAF in their Oman Meetings, the J/70 class will be looking forward to their inaugural World Championships in Newport, RI hosted by the New York Yacht Club, in partnership with Sail Newport at Fort Adams from September 8th to 13th, 2014.  The 2014 J/70 Worlds will be one of the hottest one-design tickets around. Hot enough in fact that it will be a qualified entry event with a cap of 120 boats. Upcoming J/70 winter events such as Key West, Davis Island Winter Series, St. Petersburg/San Diego NOODs and Bacardi Cup, plus most of the regional events throughout the season, will have qualifier slots (both Open and Corinthian) for the 2014 Worlds. The J/70 Class plans to announce the specifics of the qualifier program early next month. If you know of a regional J/70 event that is not already on the class calendar and should be considered as a world’s qualifier, please contact Chris Howell- email- howell@j70office.com

2014 J/70 European Circuit
Rapid fleet growth is already taking place in Europe with fleets forming in Sweden/ Denmark, Netherlands/ Benelux, Germany (Lake Constance), Monaco, Italy, France and Great Britain/ Ireland.  As a result of the tremendous enthusiasm and the desire for many teams to travel to events with their fun, fast trailerable speedster, there will be a six event European J/70 Circuit that culminates in the de-facto J/70 European Championship on Lake Garda, Italy.  The events include the following dates:

• Feb 7-9- Primo Cup- Trophee Credit Suisse- Monte Carlo, Monaco
• Apr 18-21- SPI Ouest France- La Trinite sur Mer, France
• Jun 6-9- North Sea Regatta- The Hague, Netherlands
• Jun 21-29- Kiel Week- Kiel, Germany
• Aug 2-5- Cowes Race Week- Cowes, Isle of Wight, England
• Mid-Sept- J/70 EuroCup/ Europeans- Lake Garda, Italy

2014 J/70 North Americans Rochester
While a ticket to the Worlds might take a few regattas to qualify for, the 2014 North American Championship in Rochester, New York is OPEN to all comers! Slated for July 14-20, this event promises to be huge. Rochester Yacht Club is ready to roll out the red carpet to J/70 owners and their families. Timed ideally at nearly two months before the worlds, J/70 owners around the world have a great excuse to bring their boats to the northeast USA and enjoy what promises to be an epic J/70 summer!

The 2014 J70 Calendar is shaping up to be huge!  By the first of the New Year there will have been 500 J/70s produced. There are other regional circuits developing that will be announced soon that include Pacific Coast, Great Lakes, Southwest, Mid-Atlantic and New England.  Please be sure to check frequently at the J/70 Class website for any updates.   For more J/70 Class regatta information   For more International J/70 One-Design sailing information

Scott Crowned First J/70 EuroCup Champion

(Riva del Garda, Italy)- Warm fall weather and a gracious, friendly host in the form of Fraglia della Vela welcomed the J/70 one-design class to Riva del Garda for their first edition of the J/70 EuroCup.  As expected the Northern part of Lago di Garda offered perfectly epic sailing conditions.  The J/70 Fleet sailed in the early afternoon with constant steady breeze from 12-23 kts from the south- the famous "Ora" wind.  The last day of racing had an early morning start with a solid northerly breeze up to 25 kts, the classic "Peler" mountain winds that blow down the mountain valleys onto the lake at night.

Seven nations (Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russian, Netherlands, Monaco) participated in the event that saw the competition dominated by the British team led by Ruairidh Scott and crew (Ben Field, Charlie Cumbley and Matt Curthoys).  Scott's team were already UK J/70 National Champion and winner of the Cowes Week J/70 class. Fred Bouvier of France and British sailor Joe Woods fought hard for second place all regatta long, often trading places in the standings.  In the end, Bouvier captured second with Joe Woods' team on RED taking third.  Perfect boat-handling and good speed were enough for the young German Team skipper Mehlig Kevin to defend fourth place.  Pietro Saccomanni (Diporto Velico Veneziano) along with Salvatore Eulisse, Alberto Grippo and Giulia Sent are the first of the Italian teams in fifth place.

Fraglia della Vela provided perfect organization on the water. At the end of sailing each day a tasty, delicious pasta party and local wines were offered to all exhausted and very hungry competitors. At the very generous Awards Ceremony there were the classic trophies for great performances, but thanks to the generous sponsorship of Hannspree Italia, enormous HD flat-screen LED TV's were provided to the top three finishing teams and Alcatel cell phones and tablets were also provided to the top finishers!  Furthermore, J/Boats Italy delivered to Fraglia della Vela a J/70 half-model as the "Challenge Trophy" to be awarded each year to the winner of next J/70 EuroCup regattas.

The report from Fred Bouvier, second place finisher in the regatta, provides some nice insights.  "After a lot of excitement and a busy week (our crew was set-up 4 days before the event and the boat was brand new and finished twos day before) we arrived in Riva", said Bouvier.  "We launched the boat on Tuesday and trained for a few hours in the afternoon (it was the first time we sailed together and I was the only with any experience in the J 70!)."

"We were very impressed about the beauty of the city, the gorgeous lake and the mountainous environment around us", commented Bouvier. "We clearly understood after two days that the North guys couldn't be beat and that we would fight for the 2nd or 3rd place. Before the last days we were standing 1 points behind Joe Woods' RED and we knew that we had to be good to beat them.  Unfortunately we were not that good but still had a bit of luck.  At the finish in the final race RED was stuck just two boat lengths from the finish line in a dying breeze from the north, when all of a sudden a puff from the other direction came in and 90% of the fleet, including us, just passed across their bow!"

"The event was perfectly organized," continues Bouvier, "the welcome was wonderful and the race committee is highly professional in the way they managed the typical Garda conditions. As the lake is 300m deep, they used fixed mooring for buoys and committee, for this reason the leg lengths are unchanged for all types of championships. Because of this fact, the race committee could tell us that the first J/70 in its fastest race was a bit faster than the best Melges 24 on the same course!!  Incredible!!"

Similarly, Paolo Boido from J/Boats Italy commented, "The J/70 has been able to demonstrate a great show of Speed + Power + Stability + Easy Handling in the solid breeze of Garda-- going very fast downwind with speed on the Velocitek showing up to 20 knots (note-- that's an average GPS speed)!!  Plus, the J/70 was comfortable and dry upwind, beating easily at close true-wind angles in the irregular big chop typical of the Lake".  Sailing photo credits- David Turrini- www.recordiamo.net.    For more J/70 EuroCup sailing information

J/70 European Yacht of the Year!

(Dusseldorf, Germany)- While on display at Dusseldorf, the world’s largest boat show, the J/70 was named "European Yacht of the Year- Special Category".  While several J’s have been previously nominated, the J/70 is the first winner.  On hand to accept the award was Didier Le Moal, President of J/Composites.

Here is Dieter Loibner’s report from boats.com: "Finally, the secrets are out- during "Flagship Night" following the opening day of the Düsseldorf Boat Show, the winners of the EYOTY contest got on stage. The "Who’s Who of the international boat business" gathered at the gala "Flagship Night", sponsored by the German publisher Delius-Klasing, to witness the awards of this year’s European Yacht of the Year contest.

After thoroughly inspecting and testing the 25 nominated boats in Southampton, England and La Spezia, Italy the international expert jury returned the following winners:  "Special Yachts- J/70".  Nominated late as a substitute, the American-designed J/70 swayed the panel with a flawless showing during the last, and final, test days in Italy. Good acceleration, easy and precise on the helm, featuring a simple yet functional layout and a very effective sail plan, the J/70 will excite racing sailors and family crews alike. It’s the first J/Boat with a lifting keel, and it turned into a smashing success."

Said Jochen Rieker from Germany's YACHT Magazine, "For the tenth time, the international award of "European Yacht of the Year", is the annual contest that awards Europe's best new boats with the "Oscar of Water Sports".  The jury is made up of the test judges and chief editors of the eighteen leading sailing and powerboat magazines in Europe.  Every year in Europe there are nearly 100 new sailboats on the market but only five will earn the coveted title of "European Yacht of the Year 2013".

Yachting World (UK) editors had this to say, "Don't be surprised to see this one-design pocket-rocket to sell in the thousands. She sails as good as she looks, fast and fun, stiff as a board, and manageable but with more than a twinkling of J-style off-wind thrills. She represents good value, too, as I've no doubt she'll command a high resale price."

For those of you who missed seeing the remarkable BOOT Dusseldorf Show, please be sure to visit the two shows in The Netherlands-- BOOT HOLLAND or the famous HISWA Amsterdam Show.  BOOT HOLLAND runs from February 8-13 in Leeuwarden, see the J/70 on Stand# 5079 (http://www.bootholland.nl).  From Mar 6-10 is the HISWA Amsterdam Boat show- Amsterdam, Holland (http://www.hiswarai.nl/).  Please be sure to contact Robin or Angelique Verhoef at J/Benelux, hosts of the show, at Ph. +31-78-630-5505 or email- info@jboats.nl.

J/80 & J/70 UK Nationals- Register Now!

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)-  J/UK and the UK J/80 and J/70 Class are pleased to announce that J/80 and J/70 owners can now submit their entries for their UK National Championships hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes. Registration at the regatta will commence on Thursday 13th June, with racing from Friday 14th June to Sunday 16th June. The overall prize-giving will take place after the final race on Sunday.

As the championships will fall on the same weekend as Isle of Wight Festival, we are advising our customers to book their accommodation as soon as possible, and to transport crew to the island via their J/70 or J/80 as opposed to the ferries, which can become very stacked up during this period.  To enter the UK National Championships and to view the Notice of Race, please visit the event website:
2013 J/80 and J/70 UK National Championships.

SALON NAUTIQUE PARIS- Dec 8-16

J/70, J/97 and J/111 on Display
(Paris, France)- One of the world's more spectacular sailboat shows starts this weekend.  J/Composites will be displaying the J/70, the J/97 and the "International J/111" at Stand J-62 Hall-1. Furthermore, J/Composites is hosting cocktails & hors'd'oeurves for J/111 owners and potential customers to review the 2013 European J/111 Circuit- please contact "Fred" at "info@jeurope.com".  Paris Show information.

J/Boats @ European Boat Shows

(London, England & Paris, France)- With the holidays fast-approaching consider taking the time to visit some of Europe's more famous boatshows this winter season to see some of the latest boats the J/Team has to offer.  It's a wonderful opportunity, in particular, to visit Paris in December and London in January to see their spectacular shows, visit "bright lights & big cities" and enjoy delicious international cuisine, evening entertainment and historical cultural attractions with friends and family!  After these two major shows, there are numerous others in delightful cities and countries around the Continent.  See more below.

SALON NAUTIQUE PARIS- Dec 8-16
The Salon Nautique Paris on the south side of Paris will again present one of the world's most spectacular sailboat shows.  J/Europe will be displaying the J/70, the J/97 and the "International J/111" at Stand J-62 Hall-1.  You will get a chance to speak to many top French sailors who've been trained on J/22s, J/24s and J/80s over the course of time.  And, you'll get a chance to "talk shop" with winners of SPI Ouest, La Rochelle Race Week, RORC Fastnet Race and many others who are renowned in the French offshore sailing community.  Furthermore, J/Europe is hosting cocktails & hors'd'oeurves for J/111 owners and potential customers to review the 2013 European J/111 Circuit- please contact "Fred" at "info@jeurope.com".  Paris Show information.

TULLET-PREBON LONDON BOATSHOW- Jan 12-20
On display at the Key Yachting booth will be the "International J/111" and the new J/70 speedster.  Perhaps most significantly, the J/70 will be a new "SPITFIRE", supporting the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund.  Featured at the show will be the Royal Air Force SPITFIRE Team that is headed-up by Wing Commander Simon Ling.  In addition, the International J/80 one-design will be on display along with the IRC family-cruiser-racer- the J/97- runaway winner of 2012 Cowes Week and Scottish Week in the most competitive IRC Division. London Show information.

BOOT DUSSELDORF- Jan 19-27
With dozens of great sailing lakes, access to the North Sea and the Baltic, it's not surprising the J/70 and near bigger sisterships like the J/80 and J/95 are attracting an entirely new group of German sailors.  Most importantly, you'll be able to meet the European Boat of the Year Nominee- the J/70 Speedster! Contact Henning Mittelmann at info@mittelmannswerft.de for more show information.  BOOT show info.

HISWA AMSTERDAM- Mar 6-10
As a seafaring nation, the Dutch are amongst those without peer and take their sailing seriously! The latest HISWA Boat of the Year nominee is the J/70! To chat more about J/70 class development in the Benelux region (or about the J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER's amazing sailing season), please contact Angelique Verhoef of J/Benelux at info@jboats.nl.  HISWA show information.

SCANDINAVIAN Boat Shows
Mid-December frozen sailing! Cool! Reports Peter Johansson at Marstrand Yachts, "the first three J/70’s will arrive in the middle of December, we will start test sailing ASAP in Marstrand!"  He's not kidding.  It is warmer than you think up there-- sleeping in ice-cave hotels is normal.  After some schnapps and a very warm fire, don't hesitate to give our Scandinavian friends a visit at one of their Swedish indoor boatshows this winter.  For more Scandinavian Sailboat Shows information, please contact Peter Johansson peter.johansson@marstrandyachts.com.  Here's the list for those adventurous sailors:

• Feb 2-10- Gothenburg Boatshow- Gothenburg, Sweden
• Mar 1-10- Stockholm Boatshow- Stockholm, Sweden
• Mar 13-17- Norwegian Boatshow- Oslo, Norway                   

SWITZERLAND Boat Shows
In the land that iconized the cow bell for "cheerleading" and dreamed up tasty items like swiss cheese, chocolate and cheese fondues and schnapps, it's no wonder Swiss sailors have plenty of energy to sail all day on their gorgeous mountain lakes so high up in the Swiss Alps.  Learn more about why the J/70 and J/95 are rapidly growing in popularity in Europe's Alpine region.  Be sure to contact Peter Bangerter at J-Lane Yachting GmbH for more show information- peter.bangerter@jboats.ch.  They will be displaying the J/70 at the Suisse Nautic and Austrian Boat Shows.

• Feb 16-24- Suisse Nautic- Bern, Switzerland
• Feb 28- Mar 3- Boot Tulln- Austrian Boat Show- Tulln, Austria

Benelux "Try A J" Sailing Day!

Twin J/70s Featured with Five Other Big J's
(Port Zelande, Netherlands)- J/Benelux will have the annual “Try a J” demo sailing day on Saturday 27th October in Marina Port Zelande in Ouddorp, The Netherlands.  Featured at this sailing event will be twin brand-new J/70s along with the International J/80, the J/108 shoal-draft performance cruiser, the J/109 one-design cruiser racer, the J/111 offshore one-design speedster and the J/122 offshore cruiser racer.  Of note, you will get to experience the J/70 as a European Yacht of the Year Overall Nominee for 2012/ 2013!

To schedule a demo, please be sure to go to www.jboats.nl for registration.  You may also contact Robin or Angelique Verhoef at email- "info@jboats.nl" or telephone- +31 (0)78 6305505.

J/70 @ HISWA Boatshow

(Amsterdam, Netherlands)- Over the September 4th to 9th weekend in Amsterdam, J/Boats Netherlands will be displaying the J/70 on its trailer just inside the main entrance to the show at Stand Number- K110.  This will be the first J/70 displayed in a European Boatshow in 2012, so be sure to contact Angelique Verhoef via email- angelique@jboats.nl- for an appointment or for a demo-sail after the show!  For more HISWA Amsterdam Sailboat Show information

J/70 Speedster Excitement Growing!

(Newport, RI)- In the next few weeks, several announcements will be forthcoming that will simply knock those cozy holiday socks off your collective feet! 

The J/70 train is starting to build up steam, in fact with so much momentum building, it's a possibility the J/70 may eclipse any known sales records for the introduction of a new "J" class in history.

Watch this space next week.  The first announcement coming within a fortnight will have an enormous impact on American J/70 fleet development and with a commensurate impact on European J/70 class development, too.   For more J/70 sailboat information