J/80 Worlds 2015 Announcement

(Kiel, Germany)- Please join us for the 2015 J/80 Worlds in Germany! The regatta will take place from July 4th to 10th in Kiel, Germany on the Baltic Sea.

Host of the J/80 Worlds 2015 is the Kieler Yacht-Club (KYC), which annually conducts the famous Kieler Woche and organized excellent international Sailing Events (ORC Worlds 2014, Star Europeans 2009, 505 Worlds 2014, German Sailing Grand Prix 2007) and the J/80 Worlds 2008. It is the second World Championship of the sporty and dynamic J/80 class in Germany. Up to 300 sailors from 15 nations are expected in the Olympic Center Kiel-Schilksee.

The races of the World Championship 2015 will be staged on the well known Kieler Woche race area. The persons in charge, Ulrich Münker, Peter Hecht, Thore Hansen and Felix Weidling of KYC, German class representatives, Andreas Rose and Frank Ruehr are absolutely motivated to organize such a fantastic and fair race week as in 2008. You will find the race-village and berths close to hotels, apartments and camping site in the Olympic Center Kiel-Schilksee. Numerous accommodation located in Kiel-Schilksee and village of Strande are within 15 min walking distance from berth. The Olympic Center is from 1972 but due to ongoing usage for Kieler Woche, many national and international sailing events and training facilities of the German sailing federation the infrastructure is kept up to date.

Apart from top-notch infrastructure ashore, we expect ideal wind an weather conditions in July. Beside the yacht harbor you and your family will find sandy beaches with shallow waters in Schilksee and Strande. Both places are tourist destinations and offer shops for tourists and sailors like supermarkets, marine chandlers, sail-maker, bakery, restaurants, swimming-pool, pharmacy etc. Everything else you will find in Kiel city, which is 15 km along Kiel Fjord to the south. Kiel is the capital of state Schleswig-Holstein with maritime and naval tradition and offers your family a range of activities for the case of bad weather. Further tourist informations about Kiel and the charming countryside surrounding you will find on www.kiel-sailing-city.de in English, Danish and Swedish. Among the staff of the Kiel Tourist-Information you will find English, Spanish and French speaking organizing team members.

Two weeks prior to the J/80 Worlds the Kieler Woche will take place with 4 days of J/80-regattas Saturday June 20th to Tuesday June 23rd. Please find all information online: www.kieler-woche.com. Three more J/80 regattas in Kiel will start in May and June (MAIOR, May 01-03; WetterWelt Cup, blau-gelbeKanne, see www.j80.de in February, when schedules are published). Further information on event-website www.j80worlds2015.com. Notice of race is expected for December. 

J/80 Europeans Announce On-Line Registration Now Open!

 
Competitors, sailors and friends of J80:

We remind you that the registration for the J80 Europeans Championship is available on the web www.j80europeans.cnelbalis.com. Until May 19th, you can take advantage of the special "Early Entry Fee" described in the Notice of Race: only 300€ per boat!

For the teams who register between May 20th and June 19th, the regular "Entry fee" of 350€ will be applied. (Kindly note that this price will also be applied to the teams registered but unpaid on date May 19th).  At the championship website you can find the Notice of Race, along with other useful information.

Join the great family of J80 Europeans Championship, a competition with high level skippers and crews! And please feel free to share this newsletter with your sailing friends.

Thank you and see you soon at Cantiere Navale El Balís (see location here)!

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Inscription en ligne pour l’Européen J80
Régatiers, marins et amis de J80,

Nous vous rappelons que l'inscription pour le Championnat Européen J80 est disponible sur le web www.j80europeans.cnelbalis.com. Jusqu'au 19 mai, vous pouvez profiter du tarif spécial "Early Entry fee" décrit dans l'Avis de Course: seulement 300 € par bateau!

Pour les équipes qui s'inscrivent entre le 20 mai et le 19 Juin, l’"Entry fee" régulier de 350€ sera appliqué. (Veuillez noter que ce prix sera également appliqué pour les inscriptions réalisées mais non payées en date 19 Mai).  Dans le site web du championnat vous pouvez trouver l’Avis de Course ainsi que d'autres informations utiles.

Joignez la grande famille du Championnat Européen J80, une compétition avec des capitaines et équipages de haut niveau! Et n’hésitez pas à partager ce bulletin avec vos amis régatiers.

Merci et on se voit bientôt à El Balís!

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Inscripciones On Line para el Europeo de J80
Regatistas, Navegantes, Amigos del J80,

Os recordamos que la inscripción al Campeonato Europeo J80 está disponible en la web www.j80europeans.cnelbalis.com. Hasta el 19 de mayo podréis disfrutar de la tarifa especial  “Early Entry Fee” reflejada en el Anuncio de Regata: sólo 300€ por embarcación!

A los equipos inscritos entre el 20 de mayo y el 19 de junio les será aplicada la tarifa  “Entry fee” normal de 350€. (Nota: este precio se aplicará igualmente a todas las unidades inscritas y no pagadas en fecha 19 de Mayo).  En la página web del campeonato podéis  encontrar el Anuncio de Regata, junto con otra información útil.

Uníos a la gran familia del Campeonato Europeo J80, una competición con patrones y tripulaciones de gran nivel! Os animamos a compartir este boletín con vuestros compañeros regatistas.

Gracias y nos vemos muy pronto en El Balís!

2014 J/80 Worlds Registration Now Open!

(Annapolis, MD)- The USA J/80 Class has announced they've opened for registration the 2014 J/80 World Championship being held September 28th to October 4th, 2014 at Eastport YC in Annapolis, MD.

More information and the registration link can be found on the Worlds website at:
http://j80worlds2014.org/race-documents/registration/

Furthermore, the USA J/80 Class has outlined a 2014 J/80 World Circuit for you J/80 enthusiasts and believe they have a great slate of events, especially with a few events being held at the Worlds venue, to promote practice and familiarization of the sailing area.

The 2014 J/80 Worlds Circuit is as follows:

• Jan 19-24- Key West Race Week & J/80 Midwinters- Key West, FL
• Mar 21-23- Davis Island Yacht Club Regatta- Tampa, FL
• Apr 10-13- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
• May 3-5- Annapolis NOODs- Annapolis, MD
• June 6-8- J/Jamboree, Gilford, NH
• Aug 30- Sep 1- J/80 East Coasts- Annapolis YC- Annapolis, MD
• Sep 10-14- J/80 North Americans- Annapolis YC- Annapolis, MD
• Sep 28 - Oct 5- J/80 World Championship- Eastport YC- Annapolis, MD

There will be an Overall Circuit Champion and Runner-Up Award. Boats need to compete in at least 50% of the races to qualify. Finishes will be weighted in accordance with regatta class size to keep it fair.

Please let us know if you have any questions. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you on the water!    Chris Chadwick, J/80 USA Class Secretary- email- j80churchkey@gmail.com
USA 59 “CHURCH KEY”

Rocha Takes J/80 Catalonian Championship

(Catalonia, Spain)- The J/80 Catalonian Championship took place during the MedSailing Regatta, that saw all wind conditions with varying speed and directions. Despite the challenging wind conditions, the highly competitive fleet managed to sail six races.

The J/80s in attendance were an exceptional fleet, counting amongst them five of the top ten overall J/80 World's sailing teams.  The racing was so tight that the winner couldn't be announced until the last race. Hugo Rocha, from CN Cambrils, took the trophy after a hard-earned championship. In the first day of racing he was always in the top of the leaderboard and he secured the win with an exceptional second half of the championship, where he scored two seconds and a first.

As mentioned above, some of the best sailors in the world J/80 rankings were present. Among them, Carlos Martínez with ZHIK/NOVASAIL, had a spectacular first half of the championship scoring three bullets in the first four races. But on the second day, light winds worked against him and he obtained second place overall in the MedSailing regatta.

Javier Chacártegui, on board HM-HOTELS, was very consistent in his performance and finished all races in the top positions. However, he was tied in points with Carlos Martínez in the overall standing, and since he had less wins than Martínez, he finished third overall, 17 points ahead of the fourth boat.

Other outstanding sailors taking part of this regatta were the current World Champion José María van der Ploeg, on board FACTOR ENERGIA. However, he was unlucky and broke his bowsprit in a collision during the first race of the championship. Even if the Protest Committee ruled in his favor, he was prevented from racing in 4 of the 6 final races. However, on the last day he proved his talent by winning one of the two races of the day.

The winner of the Catalonian Championship, as well as of the MedSailing Regatta, was Hugo Rocha, from CN Cambrils. The runner-up was Oriol Cornudella from Club Náutico El Balís, who thanks to a fourth place in the last race managed to skip in front of Javier Scherk (Gunter), from RCN Barcelona, who finished only a point behind and took the third place in the Catalonian podium. Thanks for the report from the Catalonian J/80 fleet.   For more Spanish J/80 sailing information

PRO RIGGING Wins PalmaVela J/80s

(Palma Mallorca, Spain)- Gaastra PalmaVela reaches it’s tenth edition this year and is part of the Semana Náutica Internacional de Palma. More than 140 yachts from 17 countries, take part to inaugurate the cruising/racing calendar season in Spain.  Gaastra PalmaVela is one of the three most important regattas the Real Club Náutico de Palma organizes during the year.

Other than the ORC Class of 52 boats (in fact three classes), the single largest class are the International J/80 One-design Class.  Attending this year's events are many hopefuls from Spain that wish to attend the J/80 Worlds in Marseilles, France later on in July.

After the first day of racing for the J/80’s, the "locals" dominated, including Javier Sanz's PRO RIGGING and José Carlos Frau's BUFETE FRAU. Representing Real Club Náutico de Palma, Javier Sanz won two races and with a third place lead the evens.  David Madrazo of Pro-Rigging, is very satisfied with the teamwork: “We sailed well and won the first two races of the day. Although in the third race we took an OCS and after starting last, we were able to rebound up to the third position.”  He also has pointed out that it was a very difficult day for the Race Committee. “This wind direction from the north is very tricky and difficult to dealt with.”

For the second day of racing, the wind took its time to develop again.  But, after an hour and half postponement, the Race Committee was able to start races in a Southeasterly wind that increased during the day. It was a long day at sea, but it turned out to be a good racing day. The J/80s managed to get in three W/L race and the teams could then discard their worst race result.

The J/80 had an interesting tactical and strategic competition between PRO RIGGING and BUFETE FRAU. Javier Sanz’s boat added two victories to their scores, which gave them a small lead over José Carlos Frau who finished second in the first two races of the day. Third is current J/80 World Champion, GREAT SAILING sailed by José María van der Ploeg.  GREAT SAILING won the third race and they were followed by Javier Scherk's GUNTER.

The third day of racing provided simply spectacular sailing for the last day of competition in the Gaastra PalmaVela. With 12 knots of wind from the Southeast, the one-design classes in the Bay had a memorable day of racing-- rolling seas and long surfs and planes off the wind made for epic rides across the Bay in front of the spectacular waterfront of Palma!

In the end, the J/80 class was dominated by the "locals". Sanz's PRO RIGGING was declared PalmaVela champion with an amazing five 1sts and three 3rds in his final scores for a total of 13 pts. They were followed by van der Ploeg's GREAT SAILING in second with three bullets and three 3rds in their scoreline for 19 pts total.  Third was Frau's BUFETE FRAU with five 2nds in their tally with a total of 25 pts. Rounding out the top five were Dionisio Martinez in PUERTO SHERRY- INTUIL TEAM in fourth and Javier Scherk on GUNTER in fifth.  The top German team sailing was Dirk Euler on LIMMAT EXPRESS.   Sailing photo credits- Ingrid Abery   For more Gaastra PalmaVela J/80 sailing information

GREAT SAILING Leads Spanish J/80 Circuit

(Santander, Spain)- The J/80 "Great Sailing" skippered by Jose Maria van der Ploeg, current world champion and class gold medal at Barcelona 1992, leads the ranking of the Spanish J/80 Class thanks to stringing together excellent results in events counting towards the ranking, such as: Palmavela, Cup of Spain, the Spain Championship and the World Championship.

Great Sailing skipper Jose said, "It is a great pleasure to be in front of this ranking during the start of the 2013 J80 Spanish sailing circuit" and adds that "since coming to the class, in March 2011, my team has done a great job, keeping an exceptional level for over two seasons. The J/80 is very competitive class where there is a large group of great sailors, that when sailing one-designs becomes very important.  Obviously, my years of sailing numerous Olympic sailing classes such as the Finn and Star have contributed largely to my success because I feel very comfortable in the J/80 class."

Furthermore, Jose had some words of thanks, "to my crew for their excellent work where it matters most in tough situations on the race course.  My sincere thanks to: Javier Goizueta, Iñaki Olariaga, Fernando Velarde, Maria Bover, Jesus Quirze, Juan Ignacio Merayo, Lluis Mas Hugo Ramon, Chapon Pol and son Jose Maria.

As for the future, Van der Ploeg explains that "we will soon start our 2013 season, which means we must work harder to have a good season.  More importantly, we're also looking forward to hosting the 2014 J/80 European Championship to be held at my club."

It's not surprising the Spanish continue to succeed in the world of J/80 sailing; considering there are four other Spanish sailors before him that have won J/80 Worlds.  Van der Ploeg's record is quite remarkable when one considers his competitors including six previous J/80 World Champions.  In April 2012 he finished third in the Palmavela, after winning the Princess Sophia. In May, Van der Ploeg was proclaimed Champion of Catalonia during the celebration of the MedSailing in The Balís and winner Trofeo Conde de Godo in Barcelona. In June he won the Silver Cup in Spain.  And, then a few weeks later Jose was crowned J/80 World Champion in Dartmouth, England. In September he took the bronze medal in the Championship of Spain. Thus, only two years after embarking on the adventure of sailing the International J/80 class, Van der Ploeg is at the "top of the class" in both Spanish national events and at the world level.   For more J/80 Spain sailing information

NEXTEL Wins Trofeo AVIA

(Santander, Spain)- Ignacio Camino's NEXTEL ENGINEERING was the winner of this year's Trofeo AVIA sailed in J/80s on the waters of Santander Bay.  The wind was a the real "star" of the event as for two days the wind saw gusts over 30 kts at the start of the races.  Going to windward after the starts was a test of seamanship, steering and basic sail-trim.  Going downwind was even a greater test as some crews experienced some pretty remarkable broaches.

On both days, the Race Committee PRO had to change race course area after the first race, taking the fleet inside the "sand spit" into the area of ​​Quebrantas and could fit a smaller, protected course in the vicinity of the island of Horadada.

Jaime Piris on FONESTAR opted for the pin end start and stretched to the left side where the influence of the current tide was lower, in addition to benefiting from the greater wind pressure that came from the west.  On the other side of the course going up the right hand side were ECC VIVIENDAS sailed by Pichu Torcida, GO FIT skippered by David Madrazo and Ignacio Camino on NEXTEL.  Although they finished behind FONESTAR, they did not fare well on the right due to less wind pressure and were sailing against stronger current.

After several more races, it became quite obvious to the sailors that the left hand side of the course was paying off upwind while the right hand side (left going downwind) was much faster going downwind under spinnaker.

It was a good afternoon of sailing for the favorites NEXTEL, ECC and GO FIT, which never finished below the top five.  In the end, Camino won on NEXTEL with just 9 pts followed by Madrazo on GO FIT in second place with 13 pts, narrowly beating out Luis Prieto sailing MAQUECHE who had 14 pts for third place.  The balance of the top five were comprised of Pichu's team on ECC VIVIENDAS in fourth with 15 pts and in fifth was YATES & COSAS.  The Class B champion was A&G Private Banking sailed by Tono Ribalaygua.  For more J/80 Santander Trofeo Avia sailing information

For those of you who are students of sailing tactics & strategies, you may want to take a look at a very interesting video representation of the tracking system used for the J/80 French Nationals in Douarnenez, France.  Take a look at this sailboat tracking system overview on YouTube here.

NEXTEL Wins Spanish J/80 Circuito Montanes de Vela

(Santander, Spain)- The Spanish J/80 sailing circuit this year comprised of three events starting in April and concluding in October-- all competing for top honors in the Circuito Montanes de Vela.  A total of thirty-two J/80 teams sailed over the course of the year starting with the VIII Trofeo Autoridad Portuaria de Santander in April off Santander's gorgeous harbor and waterfront.  During May, the teams sailed the Campeonato de Cantabria de Monotipos and then concluded their racing circuit sailing the VII Trofeo Presidente de Cantabria in October.

The series proved to be a hotly contested affair with the top three not being determined until the last regatta of the series.  After a modest start getting a 5th place in the Autoridad Portuaria regatta, the NEXTEL ENGINEERING team led by Ignacio Camino sailed consistently in the last two events by securing 2nds in both the Campeonato Cantabria and Presidente Cantabria events to win with a series total of 9 pts, winning by four pts over the rest of the World Champion-studded field.  After a strong start and strong finish, Pichu Torcida's ECC VIVIENDAS managed a 1-11-1 over the course of the three events for a total of 13 pts.  Third was Tonio Piris skippering YATES Y COSAS with a 2-4-13 for 19 pts.  Fourth was determined by a tie-breakers with Rafael Pascual Alfonso Esposito's MAQUECHE team winning the draw with a scoreline of 12-6-3 for 21 pts while fifth was Jaime Piris' FONESTAR team with a 11-5-5 also with 21 pts.   For more J/80 Circuito Montanes de Vela sailing information

Tabares Takes J/80 Copa Espana

(Palma Mallorca, Spain)- Only in Spain.  A nation that has produced some great sailors in the last decade or so.  J/80 sailors dominating the Volvo Ocean Race on Volvo 70s with the Martinez family having an impact on sailing TELEFONICA.  Olympic 49ers, Olympic 470s and other classes the Spaniards have sailed well.  And, sailing J/80s has proven to be their "national testing ground" for next-generation keelboat sailors.  It's clear Spanish sailing team efforts have seen their efforts come to fruition on a global scale in the J/80 class.  Nowhere is this more self-evident than sailing against some of the world's best sailors in the J/80 Worlds- Spanish teams have won the last SIX J/80 Worlds in a row (Dartmouth 2012 (UK), Copenhagen 2011 (Denmark), Newport 2010 (RI, USA), Santander 2009 (Spain), Kiel 2008 (Germany), La Trinite sur Mer 2007 (France))!

Therefore, when the top teams in Spain congregate for their Copa Espana from around the country at the High Performance Center in Los Alcazares Infanta Cristina de Murcia, it's going to be clear that year-end "bragging rights" for "top dog" in the Spanish sailing world will be the winner of the Copa Espana.  The world be damned, who wins in Spain is what counts.

The first day of sailing was marked by a good breeze of 15 kts average, which made it easy to get in three races for the madding crowd of champions. From the start the fleet opted for the left side of the course, led by Rayco Tabares at the helm of the J/80 AUTRAN who would never relinquish his lead to win the first race.  The second race was for local and reigning Copa del Rey Mapfre J/80 Champion Carlos Martinez.  With a great start, he controlled the race despite repeated attacks by Rayco Tabares' AUTRAN, with whom he had a nice "match race" in the second beat.  In the third and final race of the day, the strategy again favored those who got left.  Again, Rayco's AUTRAN team started well and won the race followed by Carlos Martinez on MAPFRE.  The reigning world champion Jose Maria van der Ploeg and his crew of NILFISK after a slow start stood at 6th place overall after the first day.

The second day was marked with hotly contested races amongst the top ten teams.  The Race Committee had a difficult job because the wind was unstable in strength and direction. It would not be possible to start the first race of the day until 2:30 p.m. with winds of 5 to 9 knots.  On the first beat the fleet divided between left and right with a clear advantage to HERBALIFE sailed by Leonardo Armas playing the middle of the course quite well, rounding the first weather mark first and never relinquishing his lead in difficult, shifty conditions.  The second race was clearly for NILFISK and MAPFRE on the left side of the course on the first beat, finishing 1-2 in that order.  For the third race, Jose Maria van der Ploeg after a great start took the lead from the start and with good speed controlled all his rivals to win the race.  Meanwhile, the battle for second place was between three boats, Rayco Tabares' AUTRAN, Carlos Martinez's MAPRE and Jose Ballester's Bureaufax-Eu; ultimately they finished in that order.

After trying to get races going on the third and last day of the event, the RC had to cancel all racing after 1500 hours. As a result, Rayco Tabares on AUTRAN was proclaimed the 2012 Copa de Espana Champion with just 11 pts net with a well-sailed 1-2-1-3-6-2-2 record.  Second was Carlos Martinez on MAPFRE with a dsq-1-2-8-1-3-10 record for 25 pts net.  Third was current J/80 World Champion NILFISK with José María Van der Ploeg with a 7-7-13-4-2-1-1 for 26 pts net, narrowly missing out getting second for the regatta.  Fourth was Emilio Azofra on YACHT PORT CARTAGENA sailing a solid series with an 11-3-3-9-4-9-1 record for 20 pts net.  And, rounding out the top five was Pablo Benjumeda on PUERTO SHERRY I scoring a commendable 4-4-9-7-5-7-3 for 30 pts net.  Close racing, indeed, for the top five overall!

The awards ceremony was attended by the Director General of Sports of the Region of Murcia, Antonio Peñalver, accompanied by the mayor of Los Alcazares, Anastasio Bastida; RFEV president, Gerardo Pombo, president FVRM, Pedro Román, Spain J80 class president, Alejandro Diaz, with his secretary, and Pepe Gándara Cartagena Premium BMW manager, Miguel Angel Poor.   J/80 Copa Espana YouTube  For more J/80 Copa Espana sailing information

J/80 MAPFRE Wins Copa del Rey

(Palma de Mallorca, Spain)- The J/80s gathered together in Palma Mallorca for what has to be one of the world's better sailing venues for offshore one-design racing.  The Bay of Palma provides classic sea-breeze conditions most of the time and this year was not a disappointment for most of the sailors.  It all started on the first day for the J/80s.

The Bay of Palma delivered another day of fantastic conditions in spite of a not so optimistic wind forecast. The latter announced light Southerly winds of around 10 knots for most part of the day, but the locally known as "Garbi" picked up progressively reaching 18 to 20 knots. This allowed the fleet to display a fantastic show on the water, which saw several spinnakers blow under such unexpected wind pressure.

The J-80s enjoyed lighter winds in the race area Charly which hosted the day`s two races. Ignacio Camino`s Nextel and Jose María van der Ploeg`s Nilfisk won race one and two respectively, thus cutting down distances with Carlos Martinez`s Mapfre which remains leader in spite of her third and fourth places today.

For the second day of racing, the wind pattern of around 15 knots from the Southwest-West that prevailed the three past days switched to a Southerly-Southwesterly light breeze of around six knots at the beginning of races today, gradually picking up and reaching 12 to 14 knots in the early afternoon. Demanding conditions and very tactical racing in a very decisive day in which discards came into effect in J-80 divisions.

The J-80 division saw Carlos Martinez`s Mapfre increase her lead thanks to her rival`s Nextel`s over the line in the first race and a fourth place in the second, whereas Martinez was second and first. The victory in the first race went to Nilfisk of José María van der Ploeg, but the boat skippered by the Olympic sailor could only finished seventh in the second. Nextel lies second in the overall classification, followed by Nilfisk, which is twenty points clear of fourth classified.

For the third day of sailing, the J-80 Mapfre stood out as clear favorite with just one day of races left. Conditions proved tricky for the J/80s, with 14 knots of wind gusting up to 18 knots and lumpy seas in the first race. Carlos Martínez discarded his result on today`s first race, which was won by Jose María van der Ploeg skippering Nilfisk, and was third in the second, a good result given that his closest competitors, Nilfisk and Nextel where eighth and sixth respectively. Mapfre held to the hot spot with six points advantage over second place Nextel.

For the final day, the Bay of Palma provided perfect sailing which started in Northeasterly winds of 18 knots at the beginning of races, dropping to 12 knots along the day. The wind shifts of around ten degrees and almost flat seas made for the perfect challenge for aspirants to the crown of each class.

In J-80s, Ignacio Camino`s Nextel lost his options when his boat dismasted right before the start of race 1, forcing him to abandon. This benefited Mapfre who got rid of his main contender, so he sailed conservatively the two last races of the event, and got his first Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre crown. Nextel was third.  For more J/80 MAPFRE Regata Copa del Rey sailing information

J/80s Sailing Copa del Rey

(Palma Mallorca, Spain)- The 30th edition of the famous Copa Del Rey Audi Mapfre regatta again promises world-class competition in Spain and the Mediterranean.  And, continuing to be one of the pre-eminent classes at this prestigious gathering of sailors from around the world will be the J/80 International Class.  For sailors in Europe, the J/80s have become the breeding ground for top international competitors.  In Spain, in particular, World, Olympic and European champions from many classes are tested routinely in local and regional competitions.

For this year's edition of Copa del Rey, top teams will be participating from Spain, Germany, United Kingdom and Italy.  The UK representative is John Horn sailing BALTIC ROPES/J-SAILING for the Royal Yachting Association.  From Italy, it will be veteran campaigners Massimo Rama on JENIALE! racing for YC Chiavari.  The German teams will be represented by the Segelkameradschaft Das Wappen von Bremen sailing from Bremen, Germany.  Then, Spain is showing up with an armada of recent and past World Champions and national champions, including 2012 World's Champ Jose Maria van der Ploeg sailing NIFILSK/ GREAT SAILING.  Also, in attendance will be NEXTEL ENGINEERING sailed by past World Champ Ignacio Camino and past Copa del Rey champion MAPFRE will be sailed by the Martinez/ Barrionuevo team-- yes, the same Martinez family that saw Iker race the Volvo 70 TELEFONICA in the 2012 Volvo Race.  The racing promises to be extremely competitive across the board.  For more Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre sailing information

Spain Sweeps J/80 Worlds

(Dartmouth, England)- At a constant wind speed of 33 knots coupled with swells in excess of 4 metres (12 feet plus) across the race area had necessitated the decision to abandon racing for the day and for the regata. An excited round of applause rang around the Race HQ as the assembled fleet congratulated the new J/80 World Champions: Jose Maria van der Ploeg and his crew on board NILFISK: Luis Mas, Juan Merayo, Hugo Ramon and twelve year old Jose ‘Junior’ van der Ploeg.  A sweet and well-deserving victory for this family crew!

The nine races sailed at The MIQ Logistics 2012 J/80 World Championship Powered by SLAM each delivered a different winner: a fact that is testament to the level of competition on the race-track within the International J/80 Class. Van der Ploeg’s team on NILFISK never conceded a single result outside of the top 14 boats during the course of the regatta but nor did he finish a race within the top two. Skilled consistency in crew work, boat handling, tactics and intelligent regatta strategy delivered a World Championship win for NILFISK with a four point lead over the second placed boat, Rayco Tabares’ Hotel Princesa Yaiza and six points over third place Carlos Martinez’ Mapfre.

All 76 J/80s were de-rigged and lifted back on to their road trailers on Friday afternoon along Dartmouth ’s North Embankment so that 350 competitors could rush home to spruce themselves up in advance of the Closing Ceremony and Prize-giving Dinner scheduled for Friday evening. The venue for the closing ceremony (by virtue of the fact that the Britannia Yacht Club shared the hosting of the World Championship with the Royal Dart Yacht Club) was Britannia Royal Naval College .

Competitors enjoyed dinner, wine and a fair few tots of SLAM-buca on Friday night in the stunning surroundings of The Senior Gun Room and The Ward Room at the college before moving on to the official Prize-giving Ceremony which was held on The Quarterdeck. Prizes were presented to the top ten boats at the MIQ Logistics 2012 World Championship Powered by SLAM. Several British J/80 teams featured in the role-call: Kevin Sproul’s J.A.T finished in fourth, Robert Larke’s J2X took sixth place, Simon Ling’s RAF benevolent Fund Team Spitfire finished ninth overall and Simon Johnson and Ruairidh Scott’s Joyeuse finished tenth overall. The largest piece of silverware presented on the night war Rennie and Ruth Miller’s J/80 One-Design Cup which went to Sproul and his team from J.A.T who were the best performing British team at the Worlds. Special prizes from Allspars of Plymouth were awarded the best performing furthest travelled boat, which went to Andrew Moore’s Tigrina from Hong Kong and to stalwart supporter of the J/80 UK Class, Scott Cole and his team on Purple Haze.

At the Prizegiving Commodore Simon Williams of Britannia Royal Naval College explained how much the college had enjoyed being involved with the World Championship and without need to recourse to spoken word his presence at the Ceremony meant that all competitors were duly reminded what an honour and privilege it was to take part in such an auspicious event in such dramatic and historic surroundings.

Paul Heys of Key Yachting thanked Britannia Royal Naval College , Mike Moody and his team at the Royal Dart Yacht Club, the PRO Mike Pearson, the massive team of volunteer helpers and all of the sponsors of the event: Principal Sponsors MIQ Logistics and SLAM. Supporting Sponsors Baltic Wharf, Brittany Ferries, Coast Graphics and Dart Harbour and Prize Sponsors Allspars, Café Alf Resco, Chandlery.co.uk, Lifedge by Scanstrut, Paul Barclay, Rowbury Gallery and the Royal Castle Hotel.  Dancing and celebrations continued in to the small hours of Saturday morning.    Sailing photo credits- Tim Wright- http://www.photoaction.com  For more J/80 Worlds sailing information

J/80 Worlds Update

Spanish Teams Leading, English & French Fill Top Ten
(Dartmouth, England)- It was a tough first day of racing for the 76 boats sailing the J/80 Worlds in Dartmouth, England.  The day started ashore with a postponement.  Then breeze built in from the south light air and rainy.  Just one race for the fleet doing a double windward-leeward.  As a result, many of the top contenders were all over the map, some finishing mid-fleet.  The podium was Frenchman Patrick Bot 1st, Englishman Robert Larke 2nd and Spaniard Javier Aguado 3rd.  French were 5 of top 15, showing their hard-work this spring has been paying off.  English were 8 of top 15 and Spanish were 2 of top 15, the latter was a surprise to many sailing.

Racing commenced in Dartmouth on Tuesday. The World Championship is being co-hosted by the Britannia Yacht Club and the Royal Dart Yacht Club. Principal Race Officer Mike Pearson held the crews of the seventy six competing teams ashore for a postponement of just over two hours in order to wait for the breeze to fill in and settle. Light airs meant that only one race of the three scheduled for today was raced but the fleet returned to the Regatta Centre happy to have completed the first race of the eleven scheduled for the World Championship series.

Out in the race area in Start Bay the breeze eventually filled in to a very tricky four to six knots from 180 to 190 degrees and a windward-leeward course was set. Keen to get going, competitors pushed the line on the first start resulting in a general recall and the PRO immediately deployed the black flag and at the next start all boats got away cleanly. Crews from nine nations are racing in Dartmouth and today it was Frenchman Patrick Bot sailing Ecole Navale CG29 who took the win in Race 1.

Patrick explained ‘I had a good start, not perfect, but I arrived at the first windward mark in eighth place having sailed the left hand side of the beat. We then just worked our way through the fleet. The gate at the bottom on the leeward leg was important: I took the left hand mark and it paid. The boats around us on the race course are all evenly matched in terms of boat-speed.’

Rob Larke of Great Britain took second place in Race 1. He said ‘We also chose the left hand side of the beat but it was hard to call. Our boat speed and we’re happy with our second place today.’

All in all it was a good day on the water for British teams with five GBR sail numbers in the top ten at the end of day one. Four races are scheduled for Wednesday 13th June and all the competitors are hoping for a little more breeze to add to the excitement.

On the second day of sailing, clearly the sun was shining brightly on the Spanish Teams. Dartmouth was blessed with blue skies, sunshine and just a little more breeze on Wednesday for the second day of racing. Four races were sailed in 6 to 9 knots of breeze oscillating through the day between 095 and 135 degrees. As the crews came ashore after racing it was clear that the fleet were delighted to have enjoyed really tight racing and top flight competition albeit the day’s sport had been both physically and mentally challenging. The overnight leader of the regatta is Jose Maria Van der Ploeg from Spain and his crew on board NILFISK, a result of this crew’s consistency across the regatta series so far, never scoring a result outside of the top 10 boats in the fleet of 76.

The first race of the day (Race Two of the series) was won by Laurent Sambron of France racing EJP 10 with the young crew of Henry Bomby on Team Baltic who are all from Dartmouth in second place. Simon Ling and Ian Southworth took third in RAF Benevolent Fund Team Spitfire. Eric Brezellec from France won Race Three in Interface Concept 1 and his friend Maxime Rousseaux won Race Four in his J/80 called CN St Cast Grand-Ouest Etiquette. The final race of the day (Race Five) belonged to Javier Aguado’s team on board CROCS, a win that puts him second in the overnight rankings.

The two top boats in the fleet going into Day Three on Thursday are both Spanish teams. Speaking to Jose Maria Van der Ploeg, skipper of NILFISK after racing he said ‘We are very satisfied to be leading but it was hard on the water today. We are not used to sailing with this much current and we found it very difficult. We have tried not to take too many risks but we were very close to being over the start-line in Race Four and that would have meant a Black Flag disqualification for us’. Van der Ploeg’s son Junior is just twelve years old and is a crucial part of this talented race-crew. He explained that today the crew work and boat handling was good on board NILFISK but that the J/80s racing in Dartmouth are all very evenly matched in terms of speed across the water.

Javier Aguado helmsman and skipper of CROCS are in second place overall and he said ‘The racing was close and exciting although the light airs and strong current are not what we are used to and it has made judging the start-line very difficult. We were over cautious in Race Two and found ourselves late when the start signal sounded but we were tactically strong for the next three races and I am pleased to be in second place overall.’

The top placed British boat is Kevin Sproul’s J.A.T. and this crew currently sits in third place on the leader-board. Sproul is a formidable sailor and is well known in racing circles for his dry humor. ‘I was feeling close to suicidal when I came ashore’ he joked. ‘It was so hard out there with 76 boats on the race-track and I really felt that I could have sailed better. I suspect that I may have been just a little hard on my crew today but when we came off the water and I saw our points score and our position in the rankings I have to say I felt a lot better.  My crew definitely deserve a beer or two on me tonight.’

The next two days of racing promise more wind, more weather and, most certainly, much tougher racing as the top teams from Spain, UK, France and Germany fight it out for the podium and top ten.  Sailing photo credits- Tim Wright- http://www.photoaction.com  For more J/80 Worlds sailing information

Awesome Sailing J/80 Copa de Espana

El Conquistador Pichu Torcida/ ECC VIVIENDAS Wins
(Bilbao, Spain)- Past J/80 World Champion, Pichu Torcida, can seem somewhat invincible sometimes; sailing his trusted ECC VIVIENDAS J/80 to yet another regatta win against another field of strong Spanish J/80 teams.  Pichu managed to overcome late challenges from NILFISK, sailed by Catalonian Olympic Medalist Jose Maria van der Ploeg.  During the three days of the regatta, Torcida never dropped below fifth place and finished with 15 points.  Meanwhile, Van der Ploeg sailing for the Club Nautico El Balis of Barcelona, ​​finished with just 16 points after an intense struggle on the water with Torcida.  Completing the podium was RAITAN sailed by Amaliach Gonzalez with 20 points.  The first three teams had a thrilling final day to determine the champion and the podium outcome.

This year's Copa de Espana had 32 teams participating.  After the top three, fourth was Paul Santurde's GO FIT, fifth was yet another J/80 World Champion, Ignacio Camino's familiar NEXTEL ENGINEERING. Remarkably, even past champions like Jaime Piris on FONESTAR could only manage an eighth.  With this practice behind them, the J/80 sailors during the Worlds in Dartmouth will have to again face a well-honed group of sailors from Spain.   For more Spanish J/80 sailing information

J/80 Sail Training Video- off Santander, Spain

(Santander, Spain)- Over the past few months, the J/80 Santander fleet in Spain has had Santiago Fiochi conduct on-going video sessions and fleet seminars on how to sail J/80s better and faster.  If you want to answer some questions about how you defend yourself better on starting lines with an aggressive J/80 fleet, here's some good instructional video.

In this particular video (of the dozen or so available on Santiago's "YouTube channel"), it's the first race in the VIII Trofeo Autoridad Portuaria de Santander  on Santander Bay on-board ESP 880 with Spanish champion Javier López-Vázquez helming.  Winds are in the 4-12 knot range.  It was recorded with GoPro Hero 2s mounted on both the boom and a mast camera.  Check out the J/80 sailing video here.

J/80 Spain Sailing Summary

(Santander, Spain)- Last Saturday, May 5th, the Cantabrian fleet in Santander started the first day of the Maqueche Trophy race. Jaime Piris with FONESTAR leads the standings after placing 1-2 in the first two races. The runner-up is ECC VIVIENDAS sailed by Pichu Torcida and in third is YATES Y COSAS.

On May 6th and 13th, the J/80 Bilbao fleet has two days of training with the collaboration of J/80 World Champion, Ignacio Camino. These training sessions are a prelude to the forthcoming J/80 Spain Cup, which will start May 31 and go to June 3.

On April 14, in the waters of Lanzarote, Canary Islands off the coast of northern Africa, the local J/80 fleet sailed the J/80 Island League Championships.  After two weekends of sailing (five weekends total are scheduled), MARINA RUBICON II sailed by Rafael Lorenzo Lasso is first.  HOTEL PRINCESSA YAIZA sailed by Rayco Tabarez is currently second followed in third by MARINA RUBICON I sailed by Quintana Aythami Marrero.  For more Spanish J/80 sailing information

J/80 PRO-RIGGING Wins PalmaVela

(Palma de Mallorca, Spain)- Four days of picture-perfect sailing conditions have decided the winners of the 7th edition of the Mapfre PalmaVela regatta, which has gathered 115 boats of 16 countries in the bay of Palma.  It came down to the wire on the last day for winners in most of the 15 divisions at the 2012 Mapfre PalmaVela regatta, which began Friday with over 1.000 sailors representing countries such as Spain, Italy, Ireland, Russia, Virgin Islands, England, Sweden and Great Britain. The event is hosted by the Real Club Náutico de Palma, and is considered the first event of the Mediterranean sailing season.

The nineteen teams sailing in the J/80 fleet had excellent competition.  However, this time a new team took the honors at the top of the podium, local hotshot sailor Javier Sanz racing for Real Club Nautico Palma on PRO-RIGGING won the event easily.  Second was the "sponsor's" team, MAPFRE sailed by Carlos Martinez and third was past Spanish Olympic Gold Medalist, Jose Maria Van Der Ploeg racing NILFISK.  The American team on FIRED UP sailed a charter boat and managed a credible 7th, led by Gary Kamins and crew (Jay Lutz) from California YC and Houston, TX.

In the ORC fleet the J/145 ACE sailed by Fred Stelle with guest star Rod Johnstone had a fabulous time sailing and managed to grab a third overall in their division.

On the first day or racing, the forecast was for Westerly winds of around 15 knots all day, reaching 16-17 knots at 12:00, when the start of races is scheduled. The nice westerly breeze and clear sunny skies brought another great day of sailing for the season`s first event.  Of note, in the Soto 40 class the series favorite Iberdrola, with J/80 World Champion Pichu Torcida at the helm, showed they are in form and finished the day in the first position after the three races held today.  In the ORC 0 Class, Fred Stelle's J/145 ACE managed a 3-4.

On the second day of sailing, Southerly winds of 8 to 10 knots in the early afternoon cooperated to give almost all classes three races, although the breeze didn`t settle until later in the afternoon, 15:00 hours, when the clear sunny skies and 15 knots delivered picture-perfect conditions.  In the J80 class Javier Sanz`s Pro-Rigging skippered by David Madrazo clawed their way up to first after a great performance notching two first and a second place, leaving Jose María Van der Ploeg`s Nilfisk as runner up. The Spanish Olympic medallist posted a sixth, an eleventh - discarded- and a first.  In ORC 0, Fred Stelle's J/145 team on ACE repeated their performance from the day before, scoring a 4-3.

The third and last day of races started in tactically demanding conditions of 6 to 8 knots of Northeasterly wind and light overcast skies which prevented the breeze from pushing through until 14:00 hours, when a nice Southerly breeze stablished in the bay of Palma.  The J-80 class was a cause for joy at the RCNP for its President Javier Sanz`s PRO-RIGGING clinched the Mapfre PalmaVela Trophy in the One-Design class which gathered nineteen boats for this seventh edition. Carlos Martinez`s MAPFRE was second, whereas Olympic medallist Jose María Van der Ploeg`s NILFISK was third.  On the last day, Stelle's J/145 ACE in ORC 0 class managed a 3rd to clinch 3rd overall for the division.   Sailing photo credits- Martinez Studio   For more PalmaVela sailing information

MANDOVI Leads El Trofeo Primavera

GO FIT Leads Trofeo El Mundo Cantabria
(Algorta, Spain)- The J/80s in Spain continue their spring series in their various sailing regions.  Held over several weekends, these regatta serve to warm-up their teams to world-championship calibre in a very short period of time-- all possible due to the high level of talent in their fleets, giving many sailors the chance to practice and train hard against Olympic and World Champions!

In the Trofeo Primavera being sailed off Punta Galea near Algorta, Spain, the MANDOVI team is setting the pace, having won two races last weekends.  MANDOVI now sits in first place with only six points followed by JET SET and FREUS that are tied on ten points each.

Over in Santander, the J/80s are racing for the title of Champion of El Trofeo El Mundo Cantabria-  in short, "Champion of the Cantabrian World".  A bit tongue-in-cheek, of course, but no less fun and serious for the top teams practicing for the upcoming worlds just under two months away in Dartmouth, England.

After last weekend's racing, it is David Madrazo's team on GO FIT that is leading with a strong, consistent performance of a 7-2-2-1-2-2 for only 9 total points.  Immediately behind him are two J/80 World Champions, with Ignacio Camino on NEXTEL ENGINEERING with a 5-3-1-3-8-3 for 15 pts, good enough for second place, and Pichu Torcida on ECC VIVIENDAS in third with a 1-20-5-7-4-1 for 18 pts.  Rounding out the top five are Jesus Gonzalez on RAITAN with a 6-17-7-2-6-5 for 26 pts in fourth and in fifth is Tonio Piris on the familiar YATES Y COSAS, starting out strong with a 3-1-4-5 but DNC'd the last two races for a total of 43 pts.  For sailing photo credits in Algorta- Patricia Merino Fotografía  For J/80 Spain sailing results

J/Teams Sailing PalmaVela

(Palma de Mallorca, Spain)- 116 boats, 1,000 sailors, 16 represented countries and 15 divisions make up the impressive line-up of the 2012 Mapfre PalmaVela regatta, the principal opening event for the 2012 sailing season on the Mediterranean. During the four next days, 15 divisions will be competing on four race areas distributed throughout the bay of Palma, probably one of the world's most famous sailing areas.

The J/80 fleet will have nineteen teams and will feature the participation of Olympic champion and winner of the last edition of the Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre, José María van der Ploeg at the helm of GREAT SAILING as well as past winner of the PalmaVela, Carlos Martínez sailing MAPFRE.  Sure to give them a good-ole fashioned run-for-the-money will be Gary Kamins and crew (Jay Lutz) from California YC and Houston, TX.

In the ORC fleet will be the J/145 ACE sailed by Fred Stelle that has on-board a great crew, including J/Boats designer Rod Johnstone.  Since they're the "small boat" in a big-boat class, life could be interesting chasing down the big-boys when the sea-breeze builds on a choppy, wavy bay off Palma.  For more PalmaVela sailing information

Piris Wins J/80 Compesca Trophy

(Santander, Spain)-  Thirty one boats competed in one of the first major trophies of the famous J/80 Santander fleet sailing season-- the Trofeo Compesca.  The Cantabrian fleet takes no prisoners, amongst them are multiple J/80 World Champions, Olympic and European Champions.  In the end, Tono Piris too his crew on YATES Y COSAS to a one point victory over current 2011 J/80 World Champion (Copenhagen, Denmark) Ignacio Camino's famous NEXTEL ENGINEERING.  Third was yet another 2010 J/80 World Champion (Newport, RI), Jose Maria "Pichu" Torcida's ECC VIVIENDAS.   The fleet enjoyed good weather, sunny days, and plenty of wind over the course of three weekends of sailing.   For more Spanish J/80 sailing information