The J/70 Class returned to Continental Championship racing for the first time since 2019, as the North American Championship got underway in Annapolis, Maryland USA. Fifty-nine teams took to the Chesapeake Bay in winds between 6-8 knots, and completed three races. 2017 J/70 World Champion Peter Duncan on Relative Obscurity grabbed the early advantage, notching a 2,3,5 for 10 points. Ryan McKillen’s Surge began with a 9 but added back-to-back second-place finishes for 13 points. In third is the team of Terry Hutchinson and Jenn Norwood-Wulff on USA419 with 24 points. Leading the 24-boat Corinthian division is Zachary Segal’s USA1154, and Doug Rastello’s Good to Go is atop the eight-boat One-Pro Division. Racing continues through Saturday. Opening the Championship with a victory was Laura Grondin’s Dark Energy, trailed by Duncan and another J/70 World Champion—Joel Ronning’s Catapult. Hutchinson/Norwood-Wulff claimed the next win, ahead of McKillen and Duncan. Richard Witzel’s Rowdy secured the day’s closing contest and was followed to shore by McKillen and Stephen Benjamin’s Reggae Shark. Photos are available on the International J/70 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=13209.