NORTH-POWERED TEAMS DOMINATE J/70 TED HOOD REGATTA

XCS-2 & J-2 High Clew Combo Secure the Win in Marblehead

Forty-seven J/70s attended the Ted Hood Regatta held in Marblehead this past weekend in preparation for the upcoming World Championship end of September. Competitors saw three days of pleasant racing conditions allowing for a total of seven challenging races with winds ranging between 8-15 knots from the SE. All three days were very similar, with moderate to heavy chop, which comes as no surprise being a precursor as to what sailors will be expecting at the Worlds.

We caught up with North Sails expert Tim Healy to get his thoughts on his regatta winning inventory. Tim used the XCS-2 mainsail, J2-High Clew Jib, and the versatile AP-1 spinnaker, which he credited his power over chop, speed in light to medium conditions, and overall performance.

Upwind

“The hardest part about the upwind legs in each race was keeping the boat moving through the heavy chop typical to waters off of Marblehead. The J-2 High Clew jib keeps its power and depth with a twisted leech which proved fast and forgiving to trim in the difficult sea state. It is for sure my jib choice for the Worlds .”

Downwind

“Downwind was exceptionally tricky as all modes came into play. In many of the runs, we found ourselves winging, planing and in displacement mode multiple times. When planing mode was in play, there was a lot of ground that could be made up in one puff, which made things exiting! With that said, knowing when to switch gears downwind was key. Using the wing-on-wing tactically, knowing when to go bow-up to get on a plane, or stay in displacement mode were important decisions almost every run. The AP-1 spinnaker did it all and did it well! Once again the AP-1 proved itself as a great all-purpose kite and the best downwind choice for the Worlds.”

North-powered teams finished 1, 2, 3*, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 1st* place in the Corinthian division.

“We had a very fun event. We decided to go with the J2-HC for the first time here at the THR. It worked well for us especially in the chop. Its powerful design helped a lot with acceleration out of our tacks and off the starting line. We also found it easy to trim. Based on our experience, given similar conditions, it will be the jib for us at the Worlds.”
Jim Cunningham, Lifted – 1st place Corinthian division

Need new sails for the Worlds? Order online or call your North expert today.