The inaugural J/70 East Coast Championships were held on Sydney Harbour over three days from Friday November 27 to Sunday 29 November 2020.  It was a very welcome event for a year, without any J/70 regattas since early March.  Eight J/70's were registered for the regatta.  Friday incorporated two practice races and eight races were scheduled for the weekend.

The weather on Saturday provided hot and gusty NW winds of 15 – 20 knots which combined with choppy conditions and plenty of on-water traffic provided challenges to all crews. The intended complement of four races were sailed on Saturday.  Unfortunately Yknot (Steven Brady) withdrew after the first race with crew injury.

The forecast for Sunday was for similar conditions in the morning with a cold front moving through Sydney in the mid-afternoon so racing commenced at 0900 in an attempt to complete the further four races planned for that day. The conditions were again hot and gusty NW winds of around 20 knots with gusts to building through the morning although the sea conditions were flatter. The first race was sailed by seven of the eight registered boats.

After flying code flag Y, the second race was started as the wind strength further increased and strong gusts blew through the course.  Half way through the race the Race Committee abandoned racing as it was clear conditions were getting worse.

Reg Lord writes 'The conditions were challenging and all teams noticeably improved gust response handling over the weekend. Downwind the crews were busy changing through all the modes, with rapid mode switching critical to maintaining speed. We hadn’t sailed together as a team on Juno before, but managed as each person clearly understood their role. Gender equality, a first for our team, was a revelation; everyone was calm, with no shouting or swearing! The J/70 is a great boat to sail. The class members are a friendly but competitive group. They enjoyed the class dinner at RSYS on the Saturday. We look forward to sailing with teams from other states next year at the nationals in Victoria at Easter'.

Results:

Overall

1^st        Juno (AUS7071)                      Reg Lord                      CYCA
2^nd       Maybe-J (AUS1303)                Michael Nash              RSYS
3^rd        The Jackal (AUS1130)             Karyn Gojnich             RSYS
4^th        James (AUS007)                      Tim Ryan                     CYCA
5^th        Jabberwocky (AUS1129)         Andrew Tompson       MHYC
6^th        Madness (AUS1305)               Paul Breslin                 RSYS
7^th        Nuvola (AUS0070)                  Marco Poli                   CYCA 
8^th        Yknot (AUS7055)                    Stephen Brady             DSC    

Corinthian
1^st        Maybe-J (AUS1303)                Michael Nash              RSYS
2^nd       James (AUS007)                      Tim Ryan                     RSYS
3^rd        Jabberwocky (AUS1129)         Andrew Tompson       MHYC
4^th        Madness (AUS1305)               Paul Breslin                 RSYS  
5^th        Yknot (AUS7055)                    Stephen Brady            DSC

Performance Handicap (PHS)
1^st        Juno (AUS7071)                      Reg Lord          CYCA
2^nd       Nuvola (AUS0070)                  Marco Poli       CYCA 
3^rd        Maybe-J (AUS1303)                Michael Nash  RSYS

Full Results HERE

Photos: Peter Lowndes

Thank you to the RSYS race management team of Jim Hawkins, Rob Ridley, Ian Kingsford Smith, Susan Wade, Phil Maloney and Will Imlay for running the races in such trying conditions.