Sandberg Estates J/70 World Championship at Real Club Náutico de Palma – Day 3
by Sandberg Estates J/70 Worlds 19 Sep 12:25 PDT
13-22 September 2024
Douglas Newhouse and Jeremy Wilmot’s team is currently leading the leaderboard after the discard has been calculated, just one point ahead of Brazil’s ‘Mindset’ in second place, and five points ahead of third place, also from the USA, ‘Rowdy’.
It was a lengthy day in the bay of Palma for nearly one hundred boats competing in the Sandberg Estates J/70 Worlds. Although the wind posed challenges during this third round organized by the Real Club Náutico de Palma (RCNP) and the J70 International Association, the fleet successfully added two new races to their scores, allowing for one discard and intensifying the competition for the title.
It was an early start on the third day of the World Championship. Aiming to capitalize on the morning breeze, the fleet set sail from the RCNP after 09:00, with the first race scheduled to begin at 10:30. After the first race was canceled just after the start due to a sudden shift in wind direction, teams began the third round of the championship around 11:00 under eight knots of north-easterly breeze.
As in the earlier races, the fleet showed irregular performance, with the first three positions claimed by teams outside the top ten: Laura Grondin’s USA ‘Dark Energy’, Flip Engelbert’s Swedish ‘Elvis’, and Brazilian Haroldo Solberg’s ‘Oceanpact’, finishing first, second, and third respectively.
With the first race of the day wrapped up, the race committee had to raise the postponement flag and wait for the arrival of the much-anticipated thermal wind from the bay of Palma. Following course repositioning, with conditions improving to between eleven and fourteen knots from the south, the fleet resumed action with the starting gun at 15:15 for the second race.
This time, the victory went to John Heaton’s USA ‘Empeiria’, achieving his first podium finish. Richard Witzel’s USA ‘Rowdy’ secured second place, followed by Ralph Vasconcellos’ Brazilian ‘Mindset’ in third.
With a total of five races recorded, the third day of the Sandberg Estates J/70 Worlds concluded with the introduction of the discard, which, as anticipated, triggered further changes in the top ten and tightened the competition for the intercontinental podium.
Douglas Newhouse and Jeremy Wilmot’s ‘Yonder’ from New York YC, finishing today in 23rd and 17th, maintains the lead by virtue of their strong performances on the initial two days. They are just one point ahead of second-placed ‘Mindset’ from IC Rio de Janeiro and five points clear of third, now occupied by ‘Rowdy’ from Chicago YC. Four other teams closely trail them, with only nine points separating the top six.
Tomorrow, Friday, marks the second-to-last day in the bay of Palma, with all still to play for.
The Sandberg Estates J/70 Worlds 2024 is organized by the Real Club Náutico de Palma and the International Association of the J/70 class, supported by Sandberg Estates, along with institutional collaboration from the Palma City Council, the Spanish Navy, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands, the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation, and the Balearic Sailing Federation.
Results after Day 3: (top five)
1. [USA] Yonder, Douglas Newhouse/Jeremy Wilmot, 32pts
2. [BRA] Mindset, Ralph Vasconcellos, 33pts
3. [USA] Rowdy, Richard Witzel, 37pts
4. [USA] Catapult, Joel Ronning, 39pts
5. [USA] Savasana, Brian Keane, 40pts
More information at www.rcnp.es/j70worlds
