J Class ready to go in Barcelona

The J Class fleet of three boats Rainbow, Svea and Rainbow have gone afloat around midday anticipating the first day of racing at the J Class Barcelona Regatta. Winds this morning have been very light, just two or three knots out on the race area. The forecasts from the various sources and models all seem to vary but the consensus is that it will be a light day with a slow build to the wind. Hopes are high. The forecast for the week is generally good and the J Class crews will certainly be tested over the five days of racing. There are no discards allowed in the scoreline and the objective is to runs two races a day.

The form book suggests Svea rank as favourites but the winds off the Barcelona shoreline are shifty, puffy and unsettled – especially when it blows offshore – and so there will be lots of opportunities for gains and losses. Very often, though, it is the team which gets off the start line be stand ahead early which can defend. The target duration for each race is about 70-75 minutes, usually two upwinds and two down winds to the finish.

Rainbow’s navigator is Barcelona based Simon Fisher, The Ocean Race winner who has been racing these past weeks at the Maxi Barcelona Regatta, he explains, “ It has been such a difficult place to forecast for. We are now seeing a bit of change now. We might see the SW’ly come in in the afternoon but when and how it will arrive, it is a little bit vague. Tuesday and Wednesday rather than the traditional Garbi sea breeze we are into a gradient, two days of good gradient breeze, we have W’ly on Tuesday potentially quite shifty, gusty and off the shore. And then Wednesday a stronger SW’ly which will build as the day goes on. We can maybe see over 20kts by the end of the day. It is an interesting place to race when you are close into the shore in the typical SW’ly it is often quite right side favoured. We do see quite a lot of difference of pressure between on and off the shore but we will be in bigger boats in a bigger area than the Cup boats and so there are options to get stuff out on the left as well. We have seen light races with pretty big wind shifts and the sea breeze battling with the gradient, you have the wrap around breeze with the Mistral, there are some pretty big wind shifts.”

The Rainbow team are new to the boat this year and Rainbow is new to the class, “As a team we are still figuring out the boat. We are not really sure what we are going to like, but hopefully we are getting faster in all of them. We have been trying to line up with the other boats but it is hard to know where we are. The other boats are very good and very well sailed. If we can go well against them we are in good shape. It is amazing how small differences, the subtle differences still make a big difference in this fleet. There is no room for error.”

Tom Dodson, tactician on Velsheda, is enthusiastic about the Class being at the heart of the America’s Cup arena, showcasing the J Class: “We love being part of this whole festival here and think it is great to play a big part of it. Our excitement is being here where maybe there are a lot of foiling fanatics and we have the chance to put on a show, they see some real 200 tons action. We sail these boats well and they will be surprised how close the racing is. But our real enthusiasm here is about promoting the class, keeping these boats relevant in yachting history. Svea have come in an raised the game and we have tried to match them and now we have Rainbow which has always been a very quick boat. So it is going to be interesting.”

Bouwe Bekking is the tactician on Svea, “ Since the owners purchased the boat three years ago this has always been the event to work towards. If there is one event to set up to win it is this one. Everybody who races these boats really appreciates being here in the epicentre of theAmerica’s Cup which really is the pinnacle of our sport along with theOlympics, and we are also lucky to sail these boats which have such ahistorical heritage with the America’s Cup. But it is still a yacht race and we go out to win. We have had good events but the other two boats are good, with so much experience and fast as well. It is not a given we can win.”

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