Kemmling Tops J/70 MaiOR Regatta

ByStuart Johnstone

J/70s sailing off Kiel, Germany

(Kiel, Germany)- The first major regatta of the season on the Baltic Sea for sailors in Kiel saw a dozen J/70 teams assemble on the inner bay for the MaiOR (May Offshore Regatta). Hosted Kieler Yacht Club managed to run a nine-race series for the fleet over the three-day event. Sailing on the inner bay proved fortuitous, as the localized heating enabled sea breezes to develop and provide the fleet good racing around the cans. 

J/70s sailing in Berlin, Germany

In the end, nine races were completed despite the sluggish conditions – two were a bit borderline – but there was always excitement. It was a smooth start to the season. The learning curve of newcomer Martin Menzner and his crew was remarkable, they’ve been the best German J/80 sailors for many years. Menzner and other top sailors from Kiel have now switched to the J/70 class and many are hoping to qualify for the J/70 World Championship taking place in Monte Carlo, Monaco in October 2022. 

Winning the event was Carsten Kemmling’s crew on GER 928, counting five 1sts and three 2nds for a smoking hot 11 pts net for the nine races. Second was Soren Hadeler’s GER 644 team with 22 pts net. And, taking the bronze was the only Danish team, Johnny Jensen’s DEN 1417 with 32 pts net.