Runner up is Fernandez Neckelmann’s Flojito Y Cooperando and in third place is Jud Smith’s Africa. Italians at the feet of the podium with Carlo Alberini’s Calvi Nework and Claudia Rossi’s Petite Terrible in fourth and fifth place respectively

San Francisco, CA (October 2nd, 2016)  – Berkley Circle racecourse was beset by light winds on the final day of the Alcatel J/70 Worlds hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club capping off the regatta with light air sailing conditions for the final two races of the event. Throughout the five-day, 12-race regatta, San Francisco Bay tested the heavy-air skills of the 68 skippers and teams, so it was a bit of an anomaly when the wind was light on the final day of racing at this world-class event. A flood tide and 5 knots of breeze allowed for a spinnaker ride from host-club St. Francis Yacht Club to the Berkeley Circle, where all racing has been conducted this week. There, racers were greeted a short postponement as the race committee waited for the breeze to gather. Prior to the sound of the day’s first warning signal, Catapult was topping the leaderboard, followed by Flojito Y Cooperando and Calvi Network. However, a light-air pop quiz would ultimately see a leaderboard change as Jud Smith and his Africa teammates and Calvi Networkcharged hard on the day the mattered most.Once reliable pressure filled in, the race committee launched the fleet on a 1.6-nautical-mile beat in 6-8 knots of breeze. Africa slowly began sliding ahead and to weather of her competition, allowing Smith to enjoy a private windward-mark rounding as the pursuing fleet battled for clear air. Smith held his lead for the entire race, strutting into the leeward gate rounding and the final run to the finishing line in a wing-on-wing configuration that was replicated by the other contenders. Brian Keane’s Savasana and Neckelmann’s Flojito Y Cooperandofollowed Africa across the finishing line. Smith’s hometown of Marblehead, Massachusetts may have properly trained him for light-air fights, but it was the two best San Francisco hometown tacticians— Paul Cayard, sailing aboard Alberini’s Calvi Network, and John Kostecki, sailing aboard Ronning’s Catapult—who were able to capitalize on the heavier airs and ebbing tides that kicked in every afternoon. While the Sailing Instructions included a 1430 hours deadline for the regatta’s last warning signal, the RC successfully delivered a full-ticket series to the competitors who had gathered from 15 nations. An ebbing tide, building chop, and a breeze that had built to the mid-teens defined Race 12, which began under friendly P Flag starting-line conditions. Alberini’s Calvi Network owned Race 12, promptly getting their bow into clear air and giving the rest of the fleet a fine view of their transom all the way to the finishing line. Finally Ronning, with tactician John Kostecki, finished with a 17-point lead over second place Julian Fernandez Neckelmann’s Flojito Y Cooperando, sailing with tactician Bill Hardesty. In third place was Jud Smith’s Africa. Fourth and fifth place respectively for Carlo Alberini’s Calvi Network and Claudia Rossi’s Petite Terrible.