SDYC's Bruce Golison skippered his J/70 Midlife Crisis with an all-SDYC crew to 2nd place in the J/70 World Championship at Cal Yacht Club this summer. His team was primed with a solid win in the Pre-Worlds last month. One of only two teams to get bullets in the tightly matched Worlds event (along with Magatron), Golison sailed with Steve Hunt, Erik Shampain and Jeff Reynolds.
Peter Duncan’s Relative Obscurity prevailed over 60 other teams and challenging wind conditions to capture the 2021 J/70 World Championship title at California Yacht Club.
The J/70 World Championship regatta began August 11 with enthusiasm: a characteristic that would continue throughout the week and result in multiple General Recalls and the hoisting of the U flag and Black flag. Breezes of 6 to 8 knots greeted the fleet, but by the second day the breezes vanished. The Race Committee attempted to pull off the desired two races, but deterred by the shifty zephyrs, abandoned racing for the day.
A slight improvement in velocity on day three allowed for one race – just skimming the Class’ lower limit for breeze. A championship regatta isn’t always about heavy weather, many competitors pointed out, saying it’s just as vital to conquer light and shifty conditions, as heavy air. And the masters of the fleet proved that over time.
The forecast rang true on day four, with a breeze that started at 6 knots and filled in to 14 knots by the end of the day. Principal Race Officer Mark Foster squeezed out three races, despite repeated General Recalls which threatened to trim the number of races. But organizers already had the requisite number under their belt, to constitute a World Championship and allow for throw-outs.
With one day remaining, the frontrunners had consolidated their positions with Duncan’s Relative Obscurity in the lead followed by Dark Energy, Savasana, Midlife Crisis and Catapult. The final two races today of the J/70 Worlds Championship Regatta would bring fair winds averaging 7-10 knots to Santa Monica Bay, with a number of shifts that kept racers and Race Committee on their toes.