Vamos 2^nd – J/70 Mixed World Championship

Vamos: Rob Greenhalg, Tim Ryan, Jessica Grimes and Laura van Veen

Tim Ryan sailing with Jessica Grimes, Laura van Veen and Rob Greenhalgh have finished 2^nd in the inaugural J/70 Mixed Plus World Championship. 

 Three Australian boats were racing Vamos, Nutcracker and Sequel with members from Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron, Sandringham Yacht Club and Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron.

There were 47 boats, 222 sailors (134 females, 88 males) representing 17 nations and 4 continents:  AUS, BRA, CYP, DEN, ESP, FRA, GBR, GER, JPN, HUN, ITA, MON, NED, POL, SWE, SUI, USA.  The event was hosted magnificently by the yacht club Circolo Vela Torbole from June 26-29.

Lake Garda delivered ideal racing conditions, with the southern Ora breeze ranging from 12 to over 20 knots each day of racing.  Shifty and gusty, the wind put both crews and tacticians to the test.

 Eliza Davis on Nutcracker commented "It’s incredibly rare and special to compete in a sport at this level alongside your dad. The J/70 class stands out for the remarkable variety of events it offers — from Corinthian to Open and Mixed World Championships — allowing sailors of all ages, skill levels, and genders to compete internationally, and most importantly - together. 

Despite the high calibre of the fleet, no one was left out. This championship brought together a diverse mix of sailors including 22 Olympians and members of elite sailing teams from 17 nations.

And racing at Lake Garda… it doesn’t get any better - both on and off the water !"

‘It took two minutes to run the start line and with 47 boats it was hectic from start to finish of every race’ said Karyn Gojnich racing with the Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron team on Sequel.  ‘We were back in the pack and mark roundings you could gain, or loose 5 to 8 boats easily.  It was a fantastic regatta and I can see the attraction now for either chartering a boat or owing a boat in Europe to enjoy the terrific competition’. 

The fleet was using RaceSense and Vakaros Atlas2 units on each boat so there were no general recalls, and the race committee were able to accurately finish multiple boats at a time that were overlapped.

Winner of the event was Yupi, the Spanish team helmed by Tokyo 2020 Olympic Bronze medallist Joan Cardona Méndez with crew Gerardo Prego Menor, Cristina Pujol Bajo, Fátima Diz Barreras and Pilar Amaro Filgueira.

The win was not decided until the final race.  Vamos chased the Spanish team matching style around the committee boat in an effort to push Yupi back into the fleet.  Vamos scored a 2 & 1 in the final two races however Yupi’s 4 & 5 ensured he retained the lead.

Third overall was Olympic Silver and Bronze medallist Anton Dahlberg from Sweden racing with Pär Svärdson, Emilia Svardson, Lovisa Karlsson (Bronze medallist) and Johanna Sommarlund.

Fourth was the Brazilian team with nine Olympic medals shared amongst the crew of Renato J Cunha Faria, Kahena Kunze, Kadja Brandao, Torben Grael and Martine Grael.

Winning the Corinthian division, reserved for entirely non-professional crews was DSP of Douglas Struth (UK), who managed to overtake Dime of Andrew Loe (USA) on the final day, after Loe had led for most of the event. The bronze medal went to White Hawk of Gianfranco Noè, a former Corinthian World Champion. Completing the top five were Piccinina of Stefano Roberti (Monaco) and Ciclone of Yann Inghilesi (Italy).

The Mixed-Plus format also includes special prizes: for the best all-female crew and the best female helm. The all-female crew award went to Hollandsch Glorie, skippered by Sanne Crum, while the best female helm prize was awarded to Luca Kis-Szolgyemi onboard Ljuzi. Finally, the best team in the Young division was Bulla, with Matilde Garaventa at the helm.

The 2025 season of the J/70 Italian Class is supported by Lincoln International, Gottifredi Maffioli, Garmin, VelaMania, North Sails Collection, UtilGraph, Gin Vento and Cantine Tinazzi.

Results: https://www.hubsail.it/classifica/24026

The 2026 J/70 Mixed-Plus World Championship will be hosted by Royal Danish Yacht Club in Copenhagen Denmark on August 13-16, 2026.

If you would like to try sailing a J/70 join the Sydney fleet on July 19, register your interest here: https://www.j70australia.org/events/301659