https:\/\/vrsport.tv\/vr-media\/2017-j70-european-championship-day-one-stormy-weather\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\u201cIt was an exciting day, very fast conditions and I love to drive the boat when it is like this,\u201d smiled Claudia Rossi. \u201cWe have only completed two races, so it is early in the regatta, but we had two good races, so it was a good day for us. Our tactician made some good calls today.\u201d She was referring to Olympic Finn Medallist and TP52 tactician- Michele Paoletti.<\/span><\/p>\nIn the Corinthian Class, Tim Gratton’s Royal Thames YC Academy Team with woman skipper Fiona Hampshire guiding them around the course, led from Patrick Liardet’s COSMIC. The 2015 Corinthian J\/70 World Champion, Simon Ling’s SPITFIRE, scored well in the first race but spun out and destroyed their spinnaker in the second race, to end the day third in the Corinthian Class. \u201cI know it sounds cheesy but that was full-on today,\u201d commented Simon Ling. \u201cI have raced J\/70s since they first came out and that was a first; we blew out both kites. We dug out an old kite and got it measured, so SPITFIRE will be back fighting tomorrow!!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nDay 3- Spanish Conquistadores Take Lead!<\/b><\/span><\/p>\nAfter four races on day three, there were aching limbs and bloodshot eyes among the sailors, but plenty of smiling faces after another fantastic day on the water. Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Torcida’s Spanish NOTICIA team cracked the Italian defense, with a 1-2-1-2 tally, taking the lead in the championship by a single point, from current J\/70 European Champion, Rossi’s Petite Terrible.<\/span><\/p>\nPeter Duncan’s American RELATIVE OBSCURITY team, including past Etchells World Champion Jud Smith, scored three keepers with their 3-1-23-4 tallies to move into third. Martin Dent’s British team, including past J\/80 World Champion Ruairidh Scott, had the same points as the Americans, but placed fourth on countback.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cPichu\u201d Torcida and his Spanish NOTICIA team are new to the J\/70 Class. However, Torcida has won the J\/80 World Championship on two occasions. “Balance is so important, in any wind strength, but especially in surfing conditions,\u201d explained Torcida. “You need to get all of the crew to the back and then you will fly faster, and when you need to change direction, you will have more control. My team are from all over Spain, from the Canary Islands to the very North, and I am not the only world champion on the boat: Rayco (Tabares) has won the J\/80 World Championship three times, including the last two years!!\u201d\u00a0 Indeed, a very, very talented and competitive crew!<\/span><\/p>\nWith the wind initially from the southwest, PRO Stuart Childerley positioned the racetrack further to the east, with a top mark in the vicinity of Osbourne Bay, giving the J\/70 fleet some relief from the easterly going tide and the 20 knots plus of wind. The tide turned later in the morning, as did the wind. Giving the opportunity to move back to the preferred Hill Head Plateau – Brambles Bank runway.\u00a0 With a slight moderation in wind speed, the penultimate day of the J\/70 European Championship was a more tactical affair, and after close to five hours on the racecourse, stamina and tenacity were also keys to success.<\/span><\/p>\nOne of the day\u2019s top performers was past Etchells 22 European Champion, Jeremy Thorp, racing the J\/70 PHAN. “Starts are always important, but especially, in big one design fleets. If you manage to just get your bow ahead, and hold your lane, you can break out of the pack into the leading boats and clear air. If you don’t, you don’t start well, you have to tack away and take so many sterns that you end up over 100 metres behind. In this fleet, you can never expect to make that back. We are a new team to the class and it is exciting to be racing at such high speeds. On the helm, I find concentration to be the biggest challenge, I have quite a young crew, they put in the huge physical effort.”<\/span><\/p>\nIn the Corinthian Class, the Royal Thames YC Academy Team, helmed by Fiona Hampshire continued to impress. However, after two top-ten finishes, Jack Davies Team YETI, from the Isle of Wight, closed the gap on the Corinthian Class leaders. Simon Ling’s Team SPITFIRE remained in third.<\/span><\/p>\nDay 4- Epic Finale<\/b><\/span><\/p>\nThe last day of racing was full of drama; PETITE TERRIBLE won the first race, putting pressure on overnight leader, NOTICIA. The Spanish team fought back in the penultimate race, to get ahead of PETITE TERRIBLE at the crucial first top mark, only to see their spinnaker explode in a gybe. NOTICIA quickly hoisted their second kite, but in a high caliber fleet, they could not recover. PETITE TERRIBLE held their nerve in the last race to win the J\/70 Open European Championship for the second year running.<\/span><\/p>\nAs the Italian team went up to collect their award, a huge cheer went up from the J\/70 crowd. \u201cI want to say \u2018Thank You\u2019 to everyone, the standard of the competition and the regatta was very high,\u201d smiled Claudia Rossi. \u201cI also want to say \u2018Thank You\u2019 to my team, without them I could not have done this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nTorcida’s World Championship caliber Spanish team on NOTICIA was second. Peter Duncan’s American team on RELATIVE OBSCURITY scored an impressive 2-1-1 to snatch third place, just two pts back from the Spanish crew. The top British boat was the Maltese\/British alliance of Calascione & Ripard on CALYPSO, finishing the regatta in fourth place.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(Hamble, England)- This year\u2019s J\/70 European Championship, hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club, promised a feast of big-breeze racing for forty-two teams from eleven countries. After nine scintillating races on the Hill Head Plateau, Central Solent, the J\/70 European Championship saw a rare \u201ctwo-peat\u201d unfold before their collective eyes. Claudia Rossi’s Italian team, racing PETITE TERRIBLE, retained her title<\/p>\n
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