Saturday, July 16, 2016

J/70 West Coast Championship Preview

J/70 sailing Fiesta Cup in Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, CA)- Being held in conjunction with the 10th annual Fiesta Cup at Santa Barbara YC, the J/70s will be competing for their 2016 West Coast Championship off the beautiful harbor of Santa Barbara from July 15th to 17th.  Traditionally, the sailors are treated to luau-styled barbecue that caps off the racing on Saturday- it’s lots of fun, with a BBQ on the beach, a fun band, and a margarita bar that serves all kinds of delicious refreshments.

The fleet of eleven J/70s comes from the West Coast and Mexico; many teams are using the event to continue to refine their boat speed, crew work and tactical challenges for the upcoming J/70 World Championship in San Francisco. Eduardo Saenz’s DESTROYER crew from San Diego YC and Club Nauticos Valle de Bravo in Mexico will be facing a cadre of top West Coast sailors.  For starters, former J/24 North American Champion Pat Toole will be racing THREE BIG DOGS and is a formidable local talent.  These two teams are joined by Scott Deardorff’s CAKE, Steve Hendricks’ MONKEY HOUSE, Ken Kieding’s SMOKE & MIRRORS 3, Bob Garrett’s SLOOP JOHN B and Steve Wyman’s NUNUHUNU, amongst others.  For more J/70 West Coast Championship sailing information