Milan – With the presentation of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda’s racing season and the simultaneous publication of the Notice of Race for the 2026 J/70 Cup, the return of the J/70s to the waters of Gallura has been officially announced. The final leg of the circuit organized by the J/70 Italian Class will take place between October 2nd and 4th. This event, also counting as the Italian J/70 Championship, will be the first step towards the eagerly awaited 2028 J/70 World Championship, scheduled for Porto Cervo with a limited entry limit of 198 boats. This number is set to surpass the record of 161 entries recorded on the same race course during the 2017 World Championship.

“We are delighted that the intense YCCS sporting season is coming to a close with the Italian J/70 Championship, an event that combines competitiveness on the water with a genuine spirit of friendship and sharing between owners and crews. We are already looking to the future with enthusiasm, awaiting our return in 2028 for the J/70 World Championship, where we aim to break the record for participation compared to 2017, when we welcomed 161 boats,” said Giorgio Benussi, General Secretary and Sporting Director of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.

As mentioned, to see the J/70s racing on the Costa Smeralda, we will have to wait for the final act of the season, the thirteenth managed by the class led by Federico Siragna, which opens in less than three weeks at Marina di Scarlino. Hosted by the Yacht Club Toscana, between April 10th and 12th, the J/70 fleet will establish its initial rankings, which are expected to be confirmed throughout the season.

These will take place in the towns of Lerici (May 8th-10th), where the second race will be hosted by Circolo della Vela ERIX, a valued long-time partner of the J/70 Italian Class, and Torbole (June 26th-28th), home to last year’s inaugural J/70 Mixed Plus World Championship. The success of the event hosted by Circolo Vela Torbole has prompted the J/70 International Class to award the 2027 edition of this popular format, scheduled for Naples, to the Italian class as well.

“The wait is now over: less than three weeks and a new edition of the J/70 Cup will begin. It is always a highly anticipated moment: by those who organize because it represents the moment in which the ideas and efforts made during the winter touch the water, and by those who participate for very obvious reasons,” explains Siragna, in his second term as president of the J/70 Italian Class and architect, thanks to the support of Giulia Albuzio, Class Manager from the very beginning, and other long-time collaborators, of the simultaneous assignment of the J/70 Mixed Plus Worlds 2027 and the J/70 Worlds 2028. “We have paid great attention to building a calendar that leaves ample room for maneuver for those of our owners who wish to take part in the main international events, which this year are taking place along the Portuguese ocean coast and in the Mediterranean, between mainland Spain and France. As for the stopover locations and related clubs, the choice fell on destinations that, having already welcomed us successfully in the past, know the characteristics of our fleet in detail and guarantee high hospitality and solutions. Logistics tailored to the needs of the J/70 world. It will be interesting to return to technical and challenging race courses like Marina di Scarlino and Lerici, as well as the traditional Peler and Ora di Torbole races before meeting for the season finale in Porto Cervo, where the Mistral can sometimes blow to the limit and the Scirocco can create significant swell. As for the class, we are starting the season with a new face: Niccolò Gaddi, who has come aboard as Race Office Manager and will strengthen a team that will count, as always, on the experience of Class Manager Giulia Albuzio and Media Manager Mauro Melandri”.

The J/70 Italian Class is supported by Lincoln International, Garmin, VelaMania, North Sails Collection, UtilGraph, Gottifredi Maffioli, Gin Vento, and Cantine Tinazzi.