Palma, epicenter of the J/70 fleet with the world title dispute

With just over two weeks to go until the deadline for registration, the 1st of June, the list of entries for the J/70 World Championship has not only reached the maximum number established by the organizing committee of 99 pre-registered teams, but has also created a waiting list of around 30 teams.

Thus, between the 13th and 22nd of September, the Real Club Náutico de Palma will pick up the baton from the St. Petersburg Yacht Club in Florida (USA), host of the 2023 World Championship, which had 83 units and where the British boat "Brutus III" of Tom Mallindine and Charlie Thompson won with authority and will defend its scepter of world champion in the waters of the Bay of Palma against 98 rivals.

The main fleets of the world will be in Palma, with the North American delegation with 15 teams being the most numerous, followed by the Spanish with 12, and the Italian and Brazilian with seven boats, making a total of 27 countries.

The Spanish fleet will have a lot of potential with very experienced teams - the first units arrived in Spain in 2014 - such as the Vigo boats "Abril verde" and "Abril rojo" owned by Luis and Jorge Pérez Canal respectively, or the "Marnatura" owned by Enrique Freire and skippered by Luis Bugallo. On the Canary Islands side, Jorge Martínez Doreste's "Hang Ten - Hnos Berga" and Luis Martínez Doreste's "Monjo" will be presented. The boats from Barcelona will be Pablo Garriga's "Tenaz" and Luis Martín de Cabiedes' "Noticia". From Santander will be José María "Pichu" Torcida's boat and from Denia Marcelo Baltzer's "Let it be", and from Palma there will be three units: María Bover's "Balearia", Miguel Coll's "Nautia.net" and Luis Albert's "Patakín", with Olympic medallist Joan Cardona among its ranks, the only Spanish representative in the last World Championship in Florida.

Another regular fleet in the Bay of Palma is the Argentinian fleet, and for this World Championship they will be sailing four boats. Among their boats, a name that stands out is a regular name in the regattas of the RCN de Palma: Guillermo Parada with "Nildo".

In addition to the defending champions, Charles Thompson's "Brutus III", seven other boats are also in with a good chance of making the World Championship podium: Joel Ronning's American "Catapult", Laura Grondin's "Dark Energy", Richard Witzel's "Rowdy", Brian Keane's "Savasana", Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio's Monegasque "GSpot" and Luca Domenici's Italian "Notaro" and Claudia Rossi's "Petit Terrible-Adria Ferris". All of them are leading the betting for the 2004 title in Palma.

Hosting a fleet of a hundred teams at the Real Club Náutico de Palma, by land, is an added challenge for the club. Each team brings at least one workshop/storage vehicle, a trailer and the racing boat itself. All of this means not only having to adapt the pontoons for a fleet of 99 boats, plus the inflatable support boats, the direct jury on the race course, the race committee and the press: cameras, photographers, editors and social networks, but also the land area for measuring the sails, parking for the vehicles of each team and a storage area for the trailers transporting the boats.