After much consideration, responsibility for the organisation of the 2013 Worlds for the France J/80 Class has been awarded to the city of Marseille and the project put forward by SIRIUS EVENEMENTS. The event will be held from 7 to 13 July.

Marseille is a prestigious site which has been geared up for sailing for many years. Hosting the Louis Vuitton Cup, the Tour de France la Voile and Grade 1 Match Racing, to name but a few such events, this year the city is also a host venue for the MOD70 series... Clearly Marseille is not just a place where you go to lap up the warm sunshine.

The event website will go online over the coming weeks, where you will be able to peruse the first information regarding the 2013 Worlds.



Press contacts

- Ludovic Gilet, President of the French J80 Class, ludovic.gilet@classej80france.com +33 (0)6 07 57 30 40

- Xavier Dubos, head of communications for the French J80 Class, xavier.dubos@free.fr ,+33 (0)6 70 20 50 86

- Manfred Ramspacher, Manager of Sirius Evenements, m.ramspacher@sirius-events.com, +33 (0)6 08 16 98 29

| 04 April 2012 | 

(Dartmouth, England)- Like their French and Spanish counterparts, the J/80 UK sailors are starting to "dial-up" their training programs this spring. Four training weekends are planned for the UK fleet after Easter. They will include coaching for the fleet, tuning, boat handling practice, race work with the Race Management team for the Worlds and plenty of really good sailing. It starts on 28-29 April in the Solent then transfers down to Dartmouth for the last three weekends of May.

The Baltic Wharf J/80 Training Program is precisely that: A coaching program which will be led by RYA/Olympic Sailing Coach Jim Saltonstall. It‘s a series of training weekends designed to offer those skippers and crews who take part a real step up in performance in advance of the Worlds and a chance to learn the waters in which the regatta will be fought. One of the two final weekends will take place with the PRO and the full race team in attendance. If you'd like to learn more about how to sail the one-design J/80 faster, please contact Becci Eplett (becci@keyyachting.com) at J/UK Key Yachting Group in Southampton, England. Sailing Photo Credit- Peter Newton

| 27 February 2012 | 

(Santander, Spain)- The J/80 fleet in Santander enjoyed a good day of racing last weekend, vying for the Trofeo Maximo Bolado. The high tide and northwest wind around 12 knots (which was subsiding throughout the afternoon), allowed the RC to locate a good race course up to the gorgeous moors that form the backdrop to the harbor.

The first race was dominated from start to finish by Alberto Padron at the helm. NEXTEL's Ignacio Camino was second. Third place was decided in the final meters in favor of VERIGUETO that had Santi Lopez-Vazquez at the helm, ahead of CROCS sailed by Javier Aguado. Finishing fifth was ECC VIVIENDAS, skippered for the occasion by Javier de la Plaza.

In the second race, it was FONESTAR with Peru Mujica at the helm, who led most of the race, but he hooked the anchor line of a mark and lost his position with an "auto-penalty", but managed to finish third despite the setback.

Overall, the thirty boat fleet is pretty tight with the Pichu Torcida's ECC VIVIENDAS leading the first trophy of the year with 15 points, followed by Ignacio Camino's NEXTEL which has soared to second place (18 points) and third is maintained Jaime Piris on FONESTAR (22). David Madrazo's GO FIT is fourth with 26 and fifth with 31 is CINCUA SOLUCIONES sailed by Tono Gorostegui and Alejandro Diaz. For more Santander J/80 sailing information Sailing photo credits- Chapifoto.com

| 26 February 2012 | 

(The Netherlands)- J/80 Grevelingen Cup Regatta in The Netherlands are having fun getting themselves up to speed in the middle of the European winter. Conditions have been less than ideal, but they did manage to get some good "GoPro"-like video of their racing. You can watch some of it here:

YOUTube video---http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w1KKeVJ7wU

| 25 February 2012 | Read more J/80 Netherlands training and video here | 

(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- The J/80 teams in France are starting to dial-up their training programs for 2012 with a focus to get all boats up to speed in time for the early start of the J/80 Worlds in Dartmouth, England in June.

For the second weekend of training, seven enthusiastic teams showed up for a combined weekend of training on Saturday with a Sportboat Regatta on Sunday.

Saturday's sailing was simply fabulous. Under a wind veering north-northeast from 6-12 knots, flat water and glorious sunshine, the fleet practiced sailing maneuvers and then worked on various starting situations. At the end of the session, the skippers and crew met for a debrief with their coach and speaker Walter Arnaud (winner of a Spi Ouest France in J/80). A video of the day is available on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlblKR75rlQ

| 22 February 2012 | Read more J/80 French team training here | 

(Dartmouth, England)- SLAM UK has this week confirmed major sponsorship support for the 2012 J/80 World Championship, which will now be "Powered by SLAM". The regatta will take place between the 9th and 15th of June and will be jointly hosted by the Britannia Yacht Club, the Royal Dart Yacht Club and the J/80 UK Class Association. Both the Opening Ceremony and the Prize-giving Ceremony for 2012 J/80 World Championship Powered by SLAM will take place at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon.

In addition to significant financial support for the regatta, the partnership with cutting edge sportswear company SLAM UK will bring style, flair and inimitable glamour to the event, along with real and quantifiable added value for the competitors of the 80 teams which are predicted to travel to the UK this summer to compete. Not only will competitors be able to enjoy the tangible benefits of SLAM UK‘s investment in the Championship, but they will also witness first-hand the competitive edge afforded on the race-track by this technologically advanced clothing range; Chris Ducker, owner of SLAM UK, will also be racing his brand new J/80 at the Worlds....

| 15 February 2012 | Read more about SLAM J/80 Worlds partnership here | 

(Marina Port Zelande, Ouddorp, Netherlands)- Over the course of the second weekend in January, the J/80 fleet in the Netherlands have their sites set on a good showing in this summer's J/80 World's in Dartmouth, England. Like their French sailing friends to the south, they recognize the opportunity to grow their fleets, increase overall participation and have some good performances to show for their efforts. Even further south in Spain, the evidence is abundantly clear that organization coalescing around several key events with training/practice weekends designed to get "everyone" up-to-speed makes an enormous difference for even the top crews! That the Spanish J/80 class has created several J/80 World Champions is no accident. They have fun sailing and, most importantly, make sure that no one is left behind. No prima-donna's there, that's for sure (must the sangria and tapas)!

| 07 February 2012 | For more J/80 Grevelingen Cup read more | 

The J/80s sailing off Santander, Spain are starting to document some of their adventures sailing against one another. Not a bad fleet to learn from! Just a few J/80 World Champions in Spain and the tops guys are from Santander-- including the two most recent J/80 World Champs. Here are a selection of videos from various boats.

For the ESP 880 team- here's their commentary- "Great sailing conditions. NW wind ranging 18-25 knots. Gusty with rain squalls. Recorded while attending regular fleet racing. Unfortunately, I lost a GoPro2 attached to the bow-sprit in the process. Don't worry, a new one is on the way! Javier Lopez-Vazquez helming on ESP 880." The skipper of NEXTEL ENGINEERING is Ignacio Camino and, of course, the leader of ECC VIVIENDAS is Pichu Torcida. Good perspectives on sail trim, body movements, boat positioning on waves and boat-for-boat positioning- very informative and instructional!

| 06 February 2012 | Watch J/80 TV here | 

(Santander, Spain)- One of the world's top J/80 fleets is at it again. When the Santander J/80 fleet gets rolling in early January on the spectacular northern shores of Spain, it not only marks the start of the J/80 sailing season in Spain, it is also an opportunity for the newer J/80 teams to test themselves against some of the world's best sailors.

The first trophy event of the season for the Santander J/80s is the Trofeo Bodegas Maximo Bolado, an event that runs for over four weekends and attracts many of Spain's top J/80 sailors from other fleets- the depth of talent in the twenty-eight boat fleet is simply breath-taking! Sailing photo credit- Chapifoto.com Read more...

| 04 February 2012 | Read more ECC Viviendas sailing Trofeo Bodegas Maximo Bolado | 

(La Trinite Sur Mer, France)- As their Spanish counterparts are ramping up their sailing and training schedules, the French J/80 Class are doing the same in La Trinite, Lorient and other ports around the French coastline. No question the top French teams have in their sights top 10 finishes (or better) at this year's J/80 Worlds in Dartmouth, England and later in the 2013 J/80 Worlds in France.

The first event called the ARNO SKIPPER is now also a Sport Boat Regatta in La Trinite sur Mer. Leading up to the famous monster spring event called SPI Ouest Regatta, there will be five training weekends for any French J/80s wishing to participate. The dates are: January 28/29, then February 11/12 and 25/26, then 10/11 and 24/25 March.

These training programs are being organized on the following basis: on-the-water sailing, racing, speed-testing, boat-handling and so forth followed by a de-briefing in the evening with video, photos and questions/answers with the top sailors (tactical, strategy, weather, boat-settings, etc). If you want to get your J/80 team up-to-speed very, very quickly, then participation in these training weekends will be the best investment of time and resources you can possibly make!

For further J/80 training/ sailing information, please contact- Arnaud Walter- ph- 06 69 58 21 21 or arnoskipper@yahoo.fr For more J/80 France sailing information

| 01 February 2012 | 

(Key West, FL)- It was a frantic finish for the 119 entrants at Quantum Key West 2012 as several boats snatched victory with strong performances on the final day. It was a fitting end to the 25th Silver Anniversary Edition of Key West. As usual, Key West delivered on an almost picture-perfect "postcard" week of sailing. The weather conditions provided a challenge for all over the course of the five days and the creme d'la creme rose to the top in every class.

The sailing was simply incredible. Each day presented a new challenge and each day ultimately presented a unique set of sailing conditions-- they may have appeared to be the same, but they never are exactly the same. Monday was the windiest day, with 18-24 knots of wind from the NNE, starting out grey but clearing as the day went on for two excellent races. While it was forecast to be an oscillating-persistent shift veering further East, one could often play the wind shifts and make gains on the left side of the course upwind. By Tuesday, as the fronts kept moving and the High went offshore, the wind moved into the Easterly quadrant and diminished to 8-14 knots-- again it was sunny with deliciously clear, azure-colored waters reflecting the white sands beneath the boats and the fleet was treated to three races. Much like Monday's racing, you could not hit a corner upwind or downwind, lest you get killed by those playing the wind shifts. As predicted, Wednesday's sailing was washed out, no wind, not even a breath of air. Thursday and Friday's sailing were simply classic Key West "shorts & shades" sailing days- ESE winds 8-14 kts, sunny, with temps in the balmy 70s all day. With three races on Thursday and two on Friday, it was a fitting, memorable finale for this Silver Anniversary event.

Making the most of the conditions was Glenn Darden's J/80 LE TIGRE team from Fort Worth Boat Club, Fort Worth, Texas. Glenn and his affable team comprised of co-owner Reese Hillard, Johnnie Gluek (Newport, RI) and Karl Anderson (Cape Cod, MA) never looked back after the first day; it was clear their experience as past J/80 World and North American Champions was keeping them out of trouble and sailing fast. Leading the regatta from wire-to-wire, LE TIGRE walked off with the J/80 Class and were declared J/80 Midwinter Champions. Giving them a run-for-the-money at times was Swedish J/80 Champion Mikael Lindqvist on ROCAD RACING. Mikael's team ended the regatta on a high-note, winning the last race and tied LE TIGRE for top J/80 of the day on Friday, securing 2nd place for the regatta. Third was Ron Buzil's VAYU 2, fourth was past J/80 North American Champion John Storck, Jr on RUMOR and fifth was Chris and Liz Chadwick's CHURCH KEY- one of their best J/80 Championship performances to-date.

Of special note, the SAIL Magazine's Best Around the Buoys competition winner, Ryan Glaze from Dallas, Texas, sailed remarkably well to finish 6th on their boat SAIL BAB-Team Gringo. In fact, after the first two days of sailing on Monday/Tuesday, Ryan and crew were lying in a solid second place overall! However, perhaps the lay-day Wednesday and the classic Key West "daze" (e.g. late evenings) got to them as they faded from their podium position and fell out of the top five in the last two days, posting a 10-12-6-3.

| 25 January 2012 |