Hudson Valley's 'Relative Obscurity' Sails To Victory

RYE, NY — Peter Duncan’s Relative Obscurity outsailed 60 other teams in challenging wind conditions to capture the 2021 J/70 World Championship title at California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey this past weekend.

In a five-day series with competitors from 11 nations, Rye native Duncan, sailing with Willem van Waay, Morgan Trubovich and Victor Diaz de Leon, earned a top five qualifying position at the beginning of the regatta. The Relative Obscurity never looked back.

“I’m elated,” Duncan said moments after the race . “That was a tough day out there. We didn’t start very well but had a bit of a break with a header on the first run of the second race that let us get close to everybody and sail through some folks we needed to sail through. We have a lot of fun onboard – joke and laugh and keep it light – and that worked in our favor when we had to grind through.”

The "Relative Obscurity" and her crew are making a name for themselves. (Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing)

The Relative Obscurity's long voyage to the championship cup charted a course through a global pandemic making the salty taste of victory even more precious.

Plans for the championship regatta had been on the books since 2018, according to organizers. The event was originally slated to start in July, 2020. By early that year, the entry list was brimming at 96 and nearing the 100-boat limit. Half the fleet scheduled to race would hail from countries around the globe, but then the pandemic capsized those plans.

The event was rescheduled for this summer.

Duncan is comfortable on the winner podium. He kept busy by winning the J/70 North Americans in Annapolis and the 2017 J/70 Worlds in Porto Cervo, Italy, but something about the pandemic-delayed regatta this week made this victory extra special.

“It was very cool that there were four boats who could have won this thing in the last race,” Duncan said. “To me that’s really fun, exciting sailing ... This competition was really great and the Race Committee did a terrific job getting the races in with the breeze we had."