The first Italian event of the new J 70 class takes place at Riva del Garda

The J 70 Eurocup is in full swing at Fraglia Vela Riva, Riva del Garda. This is  the first event for the brand new J 70 class which is enjoying are real boom in popularity in the U.S. - the home of J Boats- and has won numerous awards as Boat of the Year. It is making its appearance for the very first time here on Lake Garda, Trentino. These high-performing skiffs are suitable not only for professional sailors but also for those who enjoy  the challenge of competing at a high level. 

 

There are eight nations taking part, which is rather a low number for European events but as has happened so often in the past, Fraglia Vela Riva has taken the reins as pioneers for many new events, new sailing classes, and has witnessed the first trials and first technical try outs on the waters of Lake Garda, Trentino only to see them become within a few short years included on the international sailing circuit. During the last few days, the Teams have been trying out their boats in the  “sailing games” and even on a close reach they are reaching impressive speeds which come close to those of the Melges 24. Until now Brit Scott Ruairidh has dominated the field with Ben Field, Charlie Cumbley and Matt Curthoys on board. They have  5 firsts and a second partial. Bouvier of France and Brit Joe Woods are fighting it out over second place. With two days to go they are  drawn with 13 points each. Pietro Saccomanni (Diporto Velico Veneziano) along with Salvatore Eulisse, Alberto Grippo and Giulia Sent are the first of the Italians in fifth place. Weather conditions were very good on the first two days with steady, light – medium winds of 16-18 knots. The competitors have been very pleased with the organization of the the event from the staff on land to the regatta committee and to those on the water who had to change the course at the last minute due to bad weather and a drop in wind on the last race of the day. The event is sponsored by Hannspree who are awarding their latest model TV to the medal winners. The event concludes on Saturday.