Team RAF Benevolent Spitfire is an amateur sailing team made up of serving and ex-serving RAF personnel and civilians. They've been competing since 2012 at the highest level, while also promoting the RAF Benevolent Fund. Simon Ling has written about the team's preparations for the upcoming J/70 World Championships in San Francisco.

Just over two months to go to the J/70 World Championships in San Francisco, USA and our preparations continue apace. This will be the 3rd World Championships since the class was formed and we have have been blessed with some fabulous racing at the previous events in Newport RI, USA and last year's event in La Rochelle, France. Suffice to say that we are very excited at the prospect of racing at the venue of the last Americas Cup finals and in the waters dominated by the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Even our youngest crew member, Tony, is excited and this despite the prospect of swimming the boat each day of the regatta to clean the hull in waters frequented by great white sharks! We have a rule on the boat that the youngest always swims the boat...

Team RAF Benevolent Spitfire is an amateur sailing team that seeks to compete at the highest level whilst at the same time promote the work of the RAF's principal charity, the RAF Benevolent Fund. The boat is co-owned by myself and brother in law Tony Hanlon. We have both served as officers in the Royal Air Force and feel passionately about promoting the work of such a fabulous charity. The remaining team members bring a wealth of sailing pedigree, with former Laser SB3 World Champion, Craig Burlton helming and current J24 World Champion, Ian Southworth trimming and calling the tactics. Last year the team finished 9th overall at the World Championships but were crowned Corinthian World Champions.

Our preparation this year has been encouraging. Having discounted the idea of shipping out boat to the event, most important off water prep was to secure a good boat to rent for the event and, with the help of Ullman Sails USA, we believe we have found a boat that will provide a competitive platform to race on. On the water, we enjoyed some very competitive racing at the Spring Championships, Royal Thames One Design event and the J Cup, and we are delighted with the results of 1st, 2nd and 2nd respectively. That said, we are lacking one design racing in the run up to the events, and with only Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week left before we fly to the USA, we are ruing the decision not to compete in the 2016 European Champs in Kiel last month, which attracted 90 entrants.

So all effort now is to continue our preparation including final decision on sail selection and then look forward to four days racing at the Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week super series.

- Simon Ling