2013 Boat of the Year: J/70
___Sailing World _Announces Its 2013 Boat of the Year Winners
Middletown, R.I. — Sailing World magazine announced the winners of its annual Boat of the Year awards, the most anticipated awards in the sailboat-building industry. Topping this year’s field of winners as the Boat of the Year is the J/70 from J/Boats and CCF Composites (Bristol, R.I).
The J/70 and five other new boats won awards from an independent panel of experts that evaluated 15 nominees following the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Md., in October. Selections were based on extensive inspections and sea trials of all the boats. Sailing World‘s January/February 2013 issue will feature all six winners.
“When it comes to successfully launching a new design, especially a one-design in a crowded market, no other builder in the performance sailboat industry rivals J/Boats. With the J/70, it meticulously refined the design and construction while promoting it to yacht clubs and potential owners before the first boat was ever built,” says Sailing World editor and Boat of the Year director Dave Reed. “The result is a high-performance, but modestly technical sportboat that instantly appealed to a wide range of racing and recreational sailors.”
“The thing is really sweet,” says BOTY judge Chuck Allen, whose enthusiasm is echoed by fellow judge and professional boatbuilder Tom Rich: “It’s really fun to sail, but I’m really impressed with how well it’s built—the quality is excellent for the price.”
“J/Boats promotes it as a multigenerational boat, and I can see why,” says Greg Stewart, a naval architect and veteran BOTY judge. “A good young sailor could steer this boat just fine. It felt solid going through the waves. We could sail the angles we wanted. This is a boat that could definitely be raced by the family.”
Other winners in Sailing World‘s 2012 Boat of the Year competition are:
- Best Grand-Prix One-Design: MC38 One Design (McConaghy Boats, Australia)
- Best Handicap Racer: Ker 40 (McConaghy Boats, Australia)
- Best Daysailer: **Sparkman & Stephens 30 **(Bluenose Yacht Sales/CCF Composites)
- Best Recreational Dinghy: RS Venture (RS Sailboats, United Kingdom)
- Best Crossover: Dufour 36 **Performance **(Dufour Yachts, France)
Sailing World, the authority on performance sailing, is based in Middletown, R.I., and published nine times a year by Bonnier Corp. Advice on the latest boat models and equipment, racing tips, tactics, and techniques make it a must-read for sailors who race to win.
Bonnier Corp. (www.bonnier.com) is one of the largest consumer publishing groups in America and is the leading media company serving passionate, highly engaged audiences through 49 special-interest magazines and related multimedia projects and events. Bonnier Corp. is the U.S. division of the Bonnier Group (www.bonnier.com), a 200-year-old family-owned media group based in Sweden with business operations in 25 countries.
