A lot of sun, some clouds and a good wind for the first day of J/70 World Championship in La Rochelle, France. After two days of registration and a training race Tuesday, under the sun, the competitors from 16 different nationalities left the port in the late morning to get to the racing area. Three races were held Wednesday, under a partly cloudy sky and with a slightly oscillating wind between 12 and 17 knots.
Around half past one, after a general recall, the competitors took their first start of the Championship, a start under black flag, which cost Allan Higgs’ English crew his first race. A clockwise rotation of the wind required a change of course, and it was the English (GBR 557) who won this first race in 53 minutes, led by Ian Atkins, already Spi Ouest France winner in the J/70 this year.
The second round was more difficult since the tidal current combined with the wind were pushing the boats on the line. Three general recalls were necessary before having a good start, and more than a dozen boats were declared BFD (disqualified for premature start) for that round and had to wait for the start of the next and last race of the day.
After this first day of championship, it was MEX 384 and their skipper Julian FERNANDEZ NECKELMAN who took the overall lead. Just behind in second place, the US team HELLY HANSEN with the skipper Tim Healy, J/70 World Championship winner last year, had a good first day too (ranked fifth and then first during the first and second races, they ranked 13th in the third race). He explained, “The conditions were good, but the wind was a bit shifty which made the race quite tricky. We missed such a change during the third round so we didn’t make a very good start, but we managed to climb over the race to 13th, which was not so bad. Anyway, we have not been BFD today, like many competitors, which is good.” With a crew he knows very well and with whom he is used to sailing for several years, Tim HEALY was happy with the first day in La Rochelle on a body of water he did not know but had heard off. However, he is well aware that nothing is played yet for this championship, saying “This is a large fleet, and everyone came very well prepared. The best are here, so inevitably, there will be competition, but if conditions remain as they were, it will be a good week. ”
In third place overall, we find the Italian team on Calvi Network (ITA 456) and its skipper Carlo Alberini, who won the J/70 European Championship in 2014.
The French are not far behind. Indeed, Laurent SAMBRON and his crew on HEMON CAMUS (FRA 722) ranked eighth in the provisional general. Just behind is ENTENTE CORDIALE and its crew from La Rochelle, sailing under the Great Britain flag (GBR 836), and led by Philippe Briand, positioned in tenth place.
This first day of the championship was marked by numerous BFD and a fairly dispersed fleet which suggests some surprises in the coming days of competition.
In the Corinthian classification of the event, reserved for amateurs, it is the English teams who dominate the race for now. TEAM BENEVOLENT FUND RAF SPITFIRE (GBR 123) and skipper Simon LING ranks first, followed by GILL RACE TEAM (GBR 259) and their skipper Ian Wilson.
Thanks to the Sailing Anarchy team to see all of the event in live video.
Ten races are scheduled for this championship. Each day, the race committee should launch at least three races, depending on sea conditions. For complete information, visit www.j70worlds2015.com.