MONACO, Oct. 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The sailing world has gathered in Monaco for the J/70 World Championship. For the 2022 edition, more than 400 sailors from 23 nations and 90 boats are ready to go to sea and the competition looks fierce as half of the participants already have their names on trophies such as the Olympic Games, America’s Cup or other top – has seen racetracks. “When you go to a World Championship, you know you’re going to be sailing against the best in class. Everyone we expected to be here is here. At the end of the day, it’s about every team performing, getting the job done and staying consistent,” explains US America’s Cup and multiple World Champion veteran Chris Larson. “It’s not so much about the other individual competitor, it’s about you going and doing your job,” he adds. Larson sails with the Smokeshow team alongside world champion sailor Alan Terhune, veteran J/70 sailor Patrick Wilson and owner Paul Sevigny.

On the quays of Monaco you can see the Brazilian legend Torben Grael (five Olympic medals, four of them in the Star class), the Italian sailor Pietro Sibello (responsible for the mainsail on the Italian challenger Luna Rossa at the last America’s Cup) and the British Sailor and Olympic champion Saskia Clark. And the list goes on with Luis Bugallo, Marshall King, Ian Wilson, Peter Duncan, Jud Smith and Paul Ward being crowned J/70 World Champions in recent years. Luca Domenici, José María Torcida Seghers and Jonathan Calascione complete the class with their European results.

“First of all, hosting the World Cup means the end of the pandemic for us because it should have taken place in 2021 but had to be postponed to 2022 – summarizes Oliver Campana, President the Monaco J/70 Class Association – It is also very significant for us as the last one we had here in Monaco was in 1976. Hence hosting such an important competition with 90 boats coming…