The J/70 Midwinter Championship saw a different leader on each day, but Jack Franco’s 3 Ball JT was on top when it counted. Coming into Sunday in fourth place, the Texas-based skipper with Bill Hardesty (main trimmer), Rob Lindley (bow) and Allan Terhune (headsail trimmer), secured a 5,2,4 to leap over a couple J/70 World Champions for the victory with J/70 hull #3. Although Joel Ronning’s Catapult won race 8 of 9, an 18 in the final contest left him in the silver position overall with 41 points. Peter Duncan’s Relative Obscurity also had a bullet on Sunday, but followed with a 29,7 to land in third overall with 42 points. Sixty-one boats completed nine races over three days at Coral Reef Yacht Club in Miami, Florida. “We just tried to be consistent with solid starts and minimal mistakes,” summarized Franco. “We won the regatta without winning a race. At the last weather rounding of the last race, we were fourth and wanted to be defensive. We are not speedy off the wind since we’re a little heavy.” 3 Ball JT held their fourth position which was enough to secure the Championship. Franco credited Hardesty, who he has known since Hardesty was eight years old. “He is the king of tacticians!” Jenn & Ray Wulff’s Joint Custody bested the 23-boat Corinthian division, with Jim Cunningham’s Lifted and Nancy Glover’s WinterWind rounding out the top three. Sunday’s race winners were Duncan, Ronning and Brian Keane’s Savasana in gorgeous conditions with a warm breeze around 10 knots.
The top five overall:

  1. 3 Ball JT, Jack Franco, 2 -4 -7 -[62] -8 -3 -5 -2 -4; 35
  2. Catapult, Joel Ronning, 1 -3 -3 -15 -9 -2 -7 -1 -[18]; 41
  3. Relative Obscurity, Peter Duncan, 6 -12 -8 -1 -3 -4 -1 -[29] -7; 42
  4. Midlife Crisis, Bruce Golison, 4 -5 -1 -3 -1 -5 -13 -17 -[19]; 49
  5. Savasana, Brian Keane, 8 -[15] -6 -4 -2 -15 -2 -13 -1; 51

Photos are available on the J/70 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4500.

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