THE ALCATEL J/70 WORDL CHAMPIONSHIP HAS REACHED THE HALFWAY POINT
The series discard will kick in after race 6,  but so far looks like it won’t give big changes at the top of the leaderboard

San Francisco, CA (September 28, 2016) – It was a tough day on Berkeley Circle at the Alcatel J/70 World Championship hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club with strong winds and tides challenging the skills of the 68 boats fleet on day two of the event. But by the time the fleet arrived at the northeast of Alcatraz Island, westerly breeze had been building and the Race Committee quickly started the first of the day’s three races before the morning’s flat waters would grow steep by the afternoon’s ebb tide arrival. Nonetheless, stronger airs and a gathering ebb tide conspired to kick up bigger seas, which would only intensify as the afternoon continued. After a total of five races, Neckelmann’s Flojito Y Cooperando is currently topping the leaderboard, followed by Jud Smith’s Africa (USA 179) and Rossi’s Petite Terrible. As Carlo Alberini’s Calvi Network (ITA 456) with Paul Cayard serving as tactian aboard  climbed from the seventh to the fourth position. Racing resumes tomorrow, with San Francisco’s famed wind and tidal conditions again expected to be the dominant racecourse features. Interested spectators can follow the racing online courtesy of title sponsor Alcatel, who supplied each boat with a smartphone to be used as an onboard tracker to report real-time positions, facilitating a state-of-the-art virtual spectator experience for those ashore.