J/70 WORLD CHAMPIONS CLAIM VICTORY AT BACARDI INVITATIONAL

Versatility of North Products in a Wide Range of Conditions

Paul Ward, Ruairidh Scott, Ben Saxton, and Mario Trindade teamed up to win the 40-boat J/70 fleet at the 2020 Bacardi Cup Invitational, posting only one score deeper than seventh in the eight race series. “We used the F-1 main, J-6 jib, and the AP-1 spinnaker,” North Sails expert Ruairidh Scott explains, adding that they used the same sails for the windy Midwinters two weeks earlier. “We had anything from 6 knots and flat water to 25 knots and chop, so being able to mode the boat and sails for the conditions was very important.”

Ruairidh says they spent the Midwinters shaking off the rust because the team hadn’t sailed at all since winning the Worlds last September. After some well-focused pre-event training to dial in upwind speed and consistent starting, “we were more comfortable at the Bacardi,” he says.

The team plans to sail Charleston Race Week before focusing on the Europeans in Denmark. After that it’s out to the US West Coast to prepare for the 2020 J/70 Worlds hosted by California Yacht Club at the end of July.

Congratulations to team Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat!