(Newport, RI)- The Cantabrian double World Champion is looking forward to his tenure
as leader of one of the world's elite international one-design classes
with large fleets competing in the United States, France, Italy,
Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Spain."The J/80 class is definitely the best one-design sailboat in Spain, with over a hundred boats, and it involves many senior sailors. The fleets with significant activity include Catalonia, Baleares, Murcia, Andalusia, Canary Islands, Galicia, Cantabria and Basque Country. From a world perspective, Spain is third in the total number of boats after the USA and France, and in terms of results in international competitions is the first," declares Torcida.
The objectives for his next journey are clear: "Keep doing great with the J/80 class as each day new classes appear and the competition is tough. Working with professionalism and with great enthusiasm, for boat owners and J/80 sailors, I am convinced that the class will have, internationally, many great years ahead."
"Our work in Spain to promote the class has been a success, with over 100 boats on a regular basis battling with powerful fleets scattered around the Spanish coast."
The
J/80 class, recognized by ISAF (International Sailing Federation) in
1995, has had in the last ten years impressive growth worldwide. These
boats are easy to operate and high performance, designed for a crew of
4-5 people. Its sail plan, with a powerful 65 sqm gennaker, provides the
J/80 exceptional performance at high speed, ideal for both professional
and amateur sailors."The performance of the J/80 is very good and the boat as a whole works well for a lot of people-- size, number of crew, ease of handling, good surfing, and cost," said Jose Maria Torcida, "In Spain we follow the constant work and dedication of Alex Diaz, President of the J/80 Spanish Association. This year marks the seventh championship of the Santa María Cup VII in Hondarribia Spain!"
In Spain, despite being a young class, global successes was not expected from the outset. Since 2007 the J/80 Worlds have seen many good performances by Spanish sailors-- including Pichu Torcida (2007, 2010), Ignacio Camino (2008, 2011), Rayco Tabares (2009) and José María Van der Ploeg (2012). Torcida hopes to expand on that success to help other nations build their J/80 class presence and improve the overall quality of sailing-- the J/80 class should anticipate having two years of exciting leadership by one of her great and enthusiastic champions! Fotos de Jose María Torcida: ELENA TORCIDA. Fotos de J80: Pierick Jeannoutot. For more J/80 International class sailing information
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