Two-time J/70 World Champion Peter Duncan’s Relative Obscurity (USA) ascended to the top of the leaderboard at the J/70 World Championship on Wednesday, with four races completed in the series. Including crew Victor Diaz-de-Leon, Scott Norris and Willem Van Waay, the team went 4,2 on the day to tally 25 points and the advantage upon day two of five for the Championship at St. Petersburg Yacht Club in Florida. Laura Grondin’s Dark Energy (USA) kept strong at 31 points, staying two ahead of Luis Albert’s Patakin (ESP) in third overall. Lee Sackett and Dave Kerr’s 1516 (USA) moved atop the 28-boat Corinthian Division, and Tim Ryan’s Vamos (AUS) kept the advantage in the 14-boat One-Pro Division.
A cold front passed through Tampa Bay overnight, bringing a fresh breeze of 12-14 knots but continued blue skies and temperatures in the 70s. Ryan’s Vamos (AUS) started their strong day with a bullet in Race Three, also including Bruce Golison’s Midlife Crisis (USA) and Albert’s Patakin (ESP) in the top group. Ralph Rosa’s Mindset (BRA) reveled in his second victory of the Championship in Wednesday’s second race, while Duncan’s Relative Obscurity (USA) continued his move up the podium. Haroldo Solberg’s OceanPact (BRA) placed third.
Teams are enjoying daily beverages upon arrival at the docks sponsored by Three Daughters Brewery, and Wednesday convened to an evening social event during sunset at St. Petersburg Yacht Club.
Eighty-three teams from 15 nations are competing from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Germany, Great Britain, Mexico, Monaco, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the USA.
Racing continues through Saturday. Photos/video are available via International J/70 Class social media, and complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eid=15594.