THE J/80 World Championship, set to take place in Dartmouth in June and heavily promoted in this newspaper, has won another major backer.

MIQ Logistics, a global organisation with a rapidly growing interest and investment in the marine sector, has this week announced major financial backing and operational support for the J/80 UK Class.

The firm will be investing in June's extravaganza along with sailing clothing firm SLAM UK, which stepped forward to sponsor the event last month

The world regatta will take place between June 9 and 15 in the port and will be jointly hosted by the Britannia Yacht Club, the Royal Dart Yacht Club and the J/80 UK Class Association.

Both the opening ceremony and the prizegiving for the event will take place at Britannia Royal Naval College.

What's more, Chris Ducker, owner of SLAM UK, will also be racing his brand new J/80 at the worlds.

In recent years Spanish J/80 sailors have reigned supreme at the World Championships and the last five J/80 world champions have hailed from Spain. 

However, with the MIQ Logistics 2012 J/80 World Championship Powered by SLAM being co-hosted by the Britannia Yacht Club (the yacht club of Britannia Royal Naval College) and the Royal Dart Yacht Club, the UK fleet is determined that the World Championship title will be retained in home waters this year.

Building on their sponsorship of the J/80 UK Nationals in 2011, Baltic Wharf, a full service boatyard in Totnes, at the top of the river Dart, has stepped up to the mark with yet more investment for the Worlds, precisely targeted to improve the racing credentials of the UK J/80 fleet. 

The Baltic Wharf J/80 training programme, in association with First Class Nautical, another Dartmouth based firm, will enable UK competitors to train in Dartmouth this spring.

Jim Saltonstall, the UK's most renowned and successful racing coach, will be putting the Baltic Wharf squad through their paces in advance of the World Championship by way of the most intensive coaching programme that the UK J/80 Class has ever enjoyed.

Nick Haigh, a familiar name in UK sailing circles with vast experience ranging from Lark dinghies to his most recent DK46 yacht, will be sailing his new J/80 with his wife Annie and the current SB3 world champion Geoff Carveth.

Nick explained: 'Geoff has campaigned J/80s before and, when he called me to suggest putting a team together, I could not resist. Annie and I live in south Devon and the MIQ Logistics 2012 J/80 World Championship Powered by SLAM will be raced in our home waters.

'We are fully revved up and ready to go with our new boat, Slightly Steamy.'

Elsewhere in Europe, the USA and Asia, other nationals teams are also deep in preparation for the 2012 event.

Ignacio Camino Rodriguez is the skipper of the J/80 'Nextel Engineering' and is the current J/80 world champion having won the 2011 event in Denmark.

He said this week: 'I have raced in all five J/80 world championships since 2007 and I have now won the title twice.

'The 2012 World Championship in the UK this summer is not to be missed. We Spanish are looking forward to a great event in Dartmouth with a really strong entry list, tight competition, sound organisation and superb sponsor support from MIQ Logistics and SLAM. We also hope that the weather will be good.'

Further information can be found online at the website http://www.j80worlds2012.com">www.j80worlds2012.com and entries for the event can also be made via the website.