Wednesday, April 27, 2011

J/Newsletter- April 27th, 2011

J/80 one-design sailboat- sailing Charleston, SCJ's Invade Annapolis NOOD
The Battle (and the Party) Rage On!
(Annapolis, MD)- After last weekend's Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week, there will be plenty of scores to settle at the Sperry Top-Sider Annapolis NOOD.  Next weekend's STS Annapolis NOOD will see 221 teams racing in 16 one-design divisions. An enormous turnout of 138 J's (62% of the entire fleet!) are sailing in seven fleets, including thirty-seven J/22s, thirteen J/24s, twenty-nine J/80s, fourteen J/30s, twenty-eight J/105s, seven J/35s and ten J/109s.

The 37-boat J/22 class will be the largest in Annapolis. Expect a good battle between Todd Hiller's LEADING EDGE and Travis Odenbach's INSTIGATOR teams; Hiller and Odenbach finished third and fourth, respectively, in Charleston.  However, some additional hot sailors locally and from the Newport contingent will certainly be factors on the leader-board, including Tim Healey's SAILORS FOR THE SEA from Newport, RI, a past J/24 and J/22 champion; Carol Cronin sailing HPS, a past Women's keelboat champion from Jamestown, RI; Allen "Albie" Terhune from Arnold, MD; Kevin Doyle and Victor Snyder on MO'MONEY from Youngstown, NY; and Jeff Todd on HOT TODDY from Annapolis, MD.  Shaking off some ice and rust from the Great White North will be the long-distance travelers from Toronto, ONT, Stu Lawrie on CATCH 22.

Of the 29 teams registered for the J/80 division, 12 competed at CRW, including top-five skippers Kerry Klingler from Larchmont, NY; Will Welles from Newport, RI on RASCAL; Bruno Pasquinelli from Dallas, Texas on TIAMO; Thomas Klok and Will Crump on GULDFAXE from Copenhagen, Denmark and Annapolis, MD; and John White from Annapolis, MD. However, upping the ante considerably will be the presence of past World and Key West Champion Glenn Darden from Ft Worth, TX sailing LE TIGRE, fresh off the Texas J/80 Circuit.

In the 13-boat J/24 division, expect Chris Jankowski's STREET LEGAL crew to be hot coming off a second-place finish last weekend.  But, giving them a serious run for the money will be Mark Hillman sailing WIP and class centenarian Tony Parker on BANGOR PACKET (showing the kids again how to get it done!), amongst others.

Within the J/105 fleet will be several strong teams that will all factor during the races and some of whom will be on the leader board at the conclusion of racing on Sunday.  Amongst those teams will be several top Annapolis J/105 sailors like Peter McChesney sailing THE MYSTERY MACHINE, Carl and Scott Gitchell steering TENACIOUS, Bob Reeves on A-TRAIN, Jack Biddle on RUM PUPPY, Chris and Carolyn Groobey on JAVA and Andy Kennedy on BAT IV.  Solid out-of-town teams that also had success in regional and National J/105 events include Jim Rathbun on HEY JUDE from Toronto, ONT and John Gottwald racing EAGLES WINGS from Chicago, IL.

The J/109 teams are all looking forward to another competitive, but fun, regatta.  Said Steve McManus on SAYKADOO, "Bill Sweetser is a great guy, and his boat RUSH is the top boat in our fleet. He is also very understated. At any rate, Bill is hosting a party at his home in Annapolis for the J/109 crews on the Saturday evening.  Last year, all the skippers and crew were there!!"  Say no more, these guys know how to have a good time!  Two good out-of-town teams joining the fun will be Craig Wright's AFTERTHOUGHT from Raleigh, NC and Adrian Begley's MAD DOGS from Atlantic Highlands, NJ.

The J/35s have several familiar faces showing up at the OK Corral to determine who's going to win the gun-fight.  Amongst them are names like AUNT JEAN sailed by Jim Sagerholm from the Naval Academy Sailing Squadron, Peter Scheidt's MAGGIE and Chuck Kohlerman's MEDICINE MAN.

Big brother of J/24 lives!  As #2 in the J family of boats, the J/30s continue to enjoy a renaissance and this year is proving to be one of the strongest J/30 one-design class reunions post last year's well-attended J/30 Nationals in Marblehead, MA.  With fourteen J/30s on the line, there will be some strong competition.  As in last year's NOOD and Annapolis Race Week, amongst the leaders will be Bob Rutsch and Mike Costello on BEPOP; Larry Christy's BIG KAHUNA team; Ron Anderson sailing INSATIABLE, Bob Putnam skippering BETTER MOUSETRAP and George Watson racing AVITA.  Thanks for Mike Lovett/ Sailing World for contributing to this story.  Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes Photography- http://www.timwilkes.com  For more Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Annapolis sailing information.

J/80 sailing school trainingJ/World Newport Sporting J/80s For Instruction!
(Newport, RI)- J/World Sailing School in Newport, RI is excited to announce the addition of two J/80s to its fleet.  They're incorporating the new J/80s into the full range of Learn to Sail, Cruising and Racing courses, and will also offer specialty programs for J/80 sailors, racers and owners who want to focus on specific J/80 techniques to maximize their performance. These courses will include spinnaker and race boat-handling courses, crewing courses and full team training.  For more information, please contact J/World at 800-343-2255, 401-849-5492 or visit http://www.jworldschool.com.  And, for graduates (or those wishing to graduate up to a J/80), you can take advantage of this great deal- 2011 Model US Watercraft J/80s are $53,900 including a Waterline Systems faired keel and complete double-axle Triad Trailer!  For mor J/80 package deal information- info@jboats.com

J/111 one-design sailboat sailing off EnglandJ/111 Sailing RORC Offshore
(Cowes, IOW, England)- There are over 100 boats bound for Le Havre, France this coming weekend.  Amongst them is Nial Dowling's J/111, ARABELLA making its offshore debut for The Cervantes Trophy.  The race starts Saturday, April 30 from RYS is organised by RORC in association with the Société des Régates du Havre and the Royal Yacht Squadron. The Cervantes Trophy Race marks the start of the RORC European race circuit with eleven races scheduled for destinations in Northern France, Holland, Ireland and many ports of call in the United Kingdom.

The majority of the RORC fleet for the Cervantes Trophy is an eclectic mix of performance cruising boats.  In IRC-2, it has no less than 20 types of yachts, including RORC Commodore Andrew McIrvine's boat. The much travelled Nial Dowling will be racing his new J/111 ARABELLA for the first time offshore and could have a close battle for line honours in class with several other notable 39-42 footers.  An impressive line up in IRC-3 has nine J/109s, including proven competitors such as Robin Taunt's JIBE and Paul Griffith's JAGERBOMB.  The Two-Handed Class, an increasingly popular discipline, has attracted nine yachts for The Cervantes Trophy Race, including Rear Commodore Nick Martin's J/105, DIABLO-J, which won the Cherbourg Race at the end of the 2010 season.  For more RORC Cervantes Trophy sailing information.  Sailing Photo credits- Paul Wyeth- www.pwpictures.com


sailboats in formationJ/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

Spring sailing continued at a feverish pace worldwide with events taking place on a 24 hour "follow the sun" scenario.  In fact, two J/145s were racing simultaneously on the same weekend nearly 15,000 miles apart (1/3 of the way around the world)- one sailing across the  South China Sea from Hong Kong to the Philippines and one sailing in the PalmaVela off Palma Mallorca, Spain.  The J/24s nearly pulled off the same feat (at least within two weekends) with the Vic States in Australia, the South Americans in Montevideo, Uruguay, the Trofeo Accademia Navale in Livorno, Italy, the Tasmanian States on the River Derwent (Australia) and the gang racing in Charleston Race Week.  The European offshore and one-design scene saw an extremely competitive fleet of J/80s racing in the PalmaVela with World and Olympic champions vying for honors.  Simultaneously, in England the J/80s were in their Easter weekend RORC Easter Challenge in a training/ racing weekend with top RYA coach Jim Saltonstall helping them all go faster!  Also sailing were the J/97, J/109s and other J's training on boat-speed and boat-handling.  Just across "La Manche", the French were playing host to what has become one of the largest fixtures in the spring regatta circuit worldwide, the famous Spi Ouest-France regatta in La Trinite Sur Mer, with the largest one-design keelboat fleet ever assembled in France (the J/80s) and the J/97 "schooling" their IRC handicap fleet.  Finally, the continental European J/22 fleet were starting their spring series with their "Warming Up" Regatta on the Brassermeer Sea in the Netherlands.  Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north.   Check them out!  More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page!  Below are the summaries.

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Apr 29-May 1- STS Annapolis NOOD- Annapolis, MD- http://www.sailingworld.com
Apr 30-May 1- Yachting Cup- San Diego, CA- http://www.sdyc.org/yachtingcup/
May 1-6- Bermuda Race Week (J/24 & J/105)- RBYC, Bermuda- http://www.biirw.bm
May 5-8- J/80 Copa de Espana- Palma Mallorca, Spain- http://www.j80copaespana2011.com/
May 10-14- J/24 Nationals- Dallas, TX- http://j24texas.com/
May 14-15- J/109 Vice Admirals Cup- Cowes, England- http://www.rorc.com
May 14-15- Ahmanson Cup- Newport Beach, CA- http://www.nhyc.org
May 14-15- J/109 Vice Admirals Cup- Cowes, England- http://www.rorc.com
May 20-22- STS Seattle NOOD- Seattle, WA- http://www.sailingworld.com
May 27- STC Block Island Race- Stamford, CT- http://www.stormtrysail.org/
Jun 3- Annapolis-Newport Race- Annapolis, MD- http://www.race.annapolisyc.org
Jun 12-19- Rolex Giraglia Cup- Genoa, Italy- http://www.yachtclubitaliano.it
Jun 18-22- Kieler Woche Regatta- Kiel, Germany- http://www.kyc.de/

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.

J/80 Spi Ouest champion- BrezellecBrezellec & J/97 Cruise To SPI Ouest-France Wins
(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- The largest one-design fleet in the history of SPI Ouest-France delivered in spades.  Great competition, good sailing and a champion whom is greatly respected in French sailing circles.  Eric Brezellec, from Saint-Quay Portrieux, residing in Brest, was the overall J/80 class winner.  With his crew, he won his second brilliant Spi Ouest France.

Eric has won four J/80 Cups in France (2004, 2005, 2006 and 2010). "This morning, I have no aches because we did not have severe weather conditions. For cons, I'm tired mentally because it's not easy for nerves to function in a split-fleet of 100 J/80s (the fleet was split into two flights).  It is the happiness of winning for the second time this great race of the season that brings great pleasure", said Eric.

J/80 sailing off France downwind"I sailed in the J/80 since 2004. Our victory is linked to a good analysis of the water but also to our knowledge of J/80. We know how it works and we have a great set of sails. And, we are used to sailing in large J/80 fleets. In the J/80 Coupe de France, we regularly sail 60 boats on the starting line. We are not surprised at the mark roundings, they can be jammed!"  Eric plans on sailing the J/80 World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark in July 3-8.

While Eric sailed his INTERFACE CONCEPT 2 to a 3-4-2-1-5-6-3 record for races counted, Sylvain Pellisier on VOILERIE ALL PURPOSE sailed a series of very consistent races to start out slowly and make a strong bid to win the regatta, getting an 8-8-3-3-3-1-11-6.  Had it not been for a bad race #7, Pellisier may have won the regatta.  Third was Maxime Roussea on GRAND OUEST ETIQUETTES perhaps sailing the strongest regatta of the entire top three finishers.  Maxime was leading the regatta for the first six races, getting a 3-2-1-3-7-1. But disastrous last two races of 19-46 simply dropped them off the top of the podium, having to drop a 46th just to finish 3rd overall.

J/80 one-design sailboats - sailing Spi Ouest FranceOf note, Bruno Trouble's team on COYOTE finished 12th overall, with Phillipe Girardin, Patrice Roynette and Gilles Fournier as crew.  They firmly established primal, senior, supremacy by winning their first race! Nevertheless, they sailed well to get a 1-6-8-10-9-19-20-41.  Their finishes for the first five races put them in the top five but an unfortunate last three races dropped them off the top ten.  Also, Christine Briand (famous naval architect's Phillipe Briand's wife) sailed a great series to finish 6th sailing her J/80 J'ILE DE RE to a good record of 13-3-4-2-5-5-15-45.  Past top 3 finisher Luc Nadal on GAN'JA was 8th.  Laura Vroon's team from the Netherlands, JOIE DE VIVRE, finished 18th, winning a race, too!  And, top Italian team was Massimo Rama's team on JENIALE finishing 23rd.

As for the J/97, Didier Le Moal's team on J-LANCE won with a 1-1-2-2-1-1-1 to simply dominate their class, the largest IRC class at SPI-Ouest-France with over forty boats.  In the J/22 class, Huet's EUROPEAN HOMES managed to squeeze out a victory with a 1-2-4-4-2-3-2-1.  Pouteau's SOFFE was second and Raphalen's BANQUE POPULAIRE ATLANTIQUE was third.  Sailing photo credits:  Eric Rousseau - VELOX IMAGES http://bit.ly/9zQYbc,   Laurent Vidal - PHOTOMER http://bit.ly/avmMWw   For more Spi Ouest-France sailing information

J/80s sailing Palma Mallorca, SpainMAPFRE Dominates J/80 PalmaVela
J/145 ACE Third in IRC3
(Palma de Mallorca, Spain)- Some of the most magnificent sailboats of the world sailed this past weekend in Palma.  However, it was clear the giants of sailing in Spain had the best competition in the J/80 class.  The J/80 is the most important one-design racing boat in Spain and the participation of three Olympic Medallists and a World Champion simply elevated the level of competition to a world-class level.

One of Europe`s most scenic events came to an end Sunday after several days of racing which delivered very different wind patterns and great conditions throughout the whole contest.  For J/80 heavyweight Carlos Martínez`s MAPFRE, it was a dominant win in the one design class for the third consecutive year. Two bullets and a second place in Sunday's three races gave the Spanish team a fifteen point advantage over surprise second place finisher, Manuel Weiller's BUFETE FRAU ABOGADOS, which moved up to second after a third and two fourth places. Third was NEXTEL ENGINEERING sailed by past J/80 World Champion Ignacio “Trucha” Camino.  Fourth was Barcelona 1992 Gold Medallist Jose María van der Ploeg skippering GREAT SAILING.  And, fifth was Portuguese Hugo Rocha, Bronze Medallist in Atlanta 1996, skippering TURISMO DO ALGARVE.

J/80s sailing Palma Mallorca, Spain- downwindThe racing over the three days delivered just about every condition one might imagine in the idyllic seaport of Palma.  On Saturday, the second day of races in Palma for J/80s started with a heavy early shower which left clear skies for the rest of the day with Southerly breeze of 12 knots.  Carlos Martinez's MAPFRE, the defending champion in the J/80 division won the day with a 1-1-2-5. Olympic medallist Jose María Van der Ploeg's GREAT SAILING made an impressive showing with 6-6-1-1, which boosted them up to the second place in the scoring board after six races.  Ignacio Camino's NEXTEL ENGINEERING was over the line in the first race and was third and second in the last two races.

On the first day of racing nice conditions accompanied the days races after an early heavy storm which let the sun come out again right before the fleet left the dock. Races were run in 15 to 20 knots wind which started blowing from the south-east and shifted to the west by the end of the day.  The J/80 class delivered a great show on the water which was won by defending champion Carlos Martínez on MAPFRE, who seemed to be very much in control of the fleet after getting a 1-2-1.  Second was Ignacio Camino's NEXTEL ENGINEERING with a 3-3-3.  Third was TURISMO DE ALGARVE sailed by Olympic Medallist Hugo Rocha.

In the IRC fleet, the J/145 ACE sailed by Fred Stelle and Rod Johnstone ended up with a 3rd overall in a highly competitive fleet of IRC boats that included two well-sailed TP52s.   For more Mapfre PalmaVela Sailing information.

J/109 sailing RORC Easter Challenge in EnglandSummer-Like Finale for RORC Easter Challenge
J/97 Got the FEVER to Win!
(Cowes, IOW, England)- It was an RORC Easter Challenge where competitors not only head home wiser after three days of coaching, but also with suntans...so the July-like conditions continued for Easter Sunday, the final day of competition.

Racing got underway in the morning with just enough northwesterly gradient coming out of Southampton Water for the race committee to set courses to the north of Ryde Sands. The first race was held in 5-10 knots while in the second, the breeze dropped off after the second start.  The regatta's only run-away leader was Grant Gordon's J/97 FEVER. She finished 16 points ahead of the next boat.

Traditionally the RORC Easter Challenge has been an event for full oilskins and thermals to counter the freezing cold and driving rain. For the first day of the RORC's annual European season opener, conditions were more like August, albeit with the wind cooled by the still chilly Solent. With this afternoon's first race held in six knots, followed by a puffy breeze gusting at times to an un-forecast 12 knots during race two, combined with a building flood tide, it was a tricky day for the tacticians, but with the unseasonal sunshine there were no complaints.

Proving his skill is not solely in racing giant multihulls round the world or singlehanded on IMOCA 60s, Brian Thompson led IRC 3 with his crew on the J/109 TOE IN THE WATER. However Thompson's crew, that includes several recuperating servicemen, is just one point ahead of a team that had three Commodores' Cups behind them.  Chris Neve, sailing with the experienced Phil Lawrence on mainsheet, was particularly pleased with their performance in today's second race when they port tacked the fleet and went on to win, despite putting in a penalty turn at the top mark when they tacked too close to another boat.

Leading the J/80s was Douglas Neville-Jones, a relative newcomer to the class, who co-owns his boat with ERIVALLE III owner Mike Greville. Their reason for having the boat is to teach their sons and daughters. "The young ones usually just get sidelined and don't get to understand what's happening," explained Neville-Jones. "Do this [the J/80] and you get involved and that makes a huge difference, because they actually learn about why you are going this way or looking for shifts. Otherwise if you are on the weather rail of a big boat and the guys at the back are discussing whether they are on a shift or not - you aren't aware of that at all."

Throughout the day the coaching squad, led by Jim Saltonstall, has been out on the water in force, helping crews with their boat's tuning, their sail handling and maneuvers, etc. With the rule preventing 'outside help' being dropped for this regatta, the coaches can get on board and help. Much video of the racing was taken and this was analyzed in the Cowes Yacht Haven Events Centre post racing.

For Saturday's racing, a windless Solent saw racing postponed for three hours. Competitors were kept occupied in the Cowes Yacht Haven Events Centre with a valuable talk from Jim Saltonstall on race preparation.  Early afternoon the race committee made the brave call to get underway on a course off Hill Head despite the apparent mill pond. In fact there was wind off the water and a meaningful race was held. At the end of the first race the wind began to veer into the southwest as the sea breeze prevailed and for race two, the wind picked up to an unexpected 13-14 knots with the tide running left to right across the course on the beat. From the first race, where crews were being sat down to leeward, for race two they were up on the weather rail, fully hiking.

IRC 4 is the only class to have a run-away leader in Grant Gordon's J/97 FEVER. Over in the J/80 class, Kevin Sproul made a good come back after yesterday's rig issues to win both Saturday's races.

Despite the light wind to start with on Saturday, the conditions once again proved ideal for the on-the-water coaching provided by Jim Saltonstall, Barry Dunning and their team. The RORC Easter Challenge is a `coaching regatta' and the competitors have been lapping up the advice during races as well as the post-race video analysis ashore.   Sailing Photo Credits-  Tom Gruitt- http://www.pwpictures.com    For RORC Easter Challenge sailing results- http://www.rorc.org

J/24 Victoria States, AustraliaPACEMAKER  Wins J/24 Victoria States
(Victoria, NSW, Australia- Apr 18th)- In the biggest state fleet seen in Melbourne for many years, 18 boats and around 100 yachties and race officials enjoyed great weather and sailing over the two day regatta.

Although PACEMAKER sailed by Dave Suda had to settle for a 4th on the much lighter Sunday race, his clean sweep on Saturday’s four races meant the result was effectively all wrapped up on the first day.

PACEMAKER was sailing without owner Herschel Landes this year after a health scare, but it didn’t matter and with a 15 – 18knot South Easterly blowing on Saturday, PACEMAKER showed pure dominance in what must now be called Super Sudaday. With a marginal edge in speed and height and a clear edge in tactics and crew work, Dave and his crew put the work in to earn the 2011 State Title.

J/24 sailing AustraliaThis year the fleet was like a pack of hungry wolves, tight and very competitive and plenty of hard racing with close and hard fought mark roundings, a fair amount of ‘one design’ banging together (no major damage) and quite a few protests. Exciting and fierce competition as the standard of the whole fleet was up considerably on past years.

With 14 boats from the Vic fleet and 4 interstate boats sailing, the fleet is one of many changes. Hugo Ottaway bought BRUSCHETTA VI a week before the champs and was coming to grips with his new boat, Andrew Stefano has recently bought GRIDLOCK back from Hobart, John Neville bought VICE VERSA from Hugo and surprise package Brendan Lee bought ‘Hi’ (now called ‘By the Lee’) from Pete Stevens in Adelaide.

From interstate we welcomed Arthur Crothers with Dave West steering, brought KAOTIC from Sydney, Terry Wise brought two boats from Sydney, SAILPAC (Sean Wallis’ old ‘Wetty Gripper’) steered by current National Champ Sean Kirkjian and STARPAC steered by Hank Beyer. Admiral Stevens brought his ‘newest’ boat, CODE VIOLATION over from Adelaide. For those who knew the boat when Doug McGain had it you just wouldn’t recognize it, Pete is a master of cleaning up boats.

If Dave blasted into first, Kirj quietly made his way into second place with an impressive and consistent score, reminding us all that you don’t need a win to be up there in the placings.

Third and fourth were the two surprise packages of the championship. Brendan Lee sailing in his first J regatta, put in a solid series to show us all that the new guys need to be well respected and with placings between 4th and 8th took out fourth place.

J/24 Vic States WinnerSome of you may know Adam Evans as occasionally part of the old PACEMAKER crew. Most won’t have seen his 3rd place coming in quite the way Adam showed us how to sail this weekend. Like a breath of fresh air reminding the old guard of our pasts, Adam, crew, ghetto blaster, black cans and life turned up to loud, in my opinion stole the rest of the show. A very consistent and dedicated youth program trained sailor, Adam is now sure to follow Dave Suda as one of our most important role models for the attraction of a new generation of young J sailors. Only a tangle with yours truly at the top mark and an arbitration experience kept him out of 2nd place. I would confidently expect him to be a future Nationals winner.

Rounding out the top 5 was Hugo Ottaway, who could have been 2nd or 3rd if you factored out a loss in ‘the room’ from the last race.

Another interesting battle with results in the middle of the fleet, was two of our newest owners stepping into the middle of their boats and having the two top Victorian S80 skippers and some of their crew come aboard to contest the series. Andrew Stefano had Gary Mackinven, twice a state S80 winner from Blairgowie, steer for him and between the two, won with a solid 9th, current S80 State Champion Luke Reinehr from Sandy jumped on John Neville’s VICE VERSA for the first time on Saturday and although only finishing 12th overall sailed to an impressive win the Sunday’s race in balmy lighter airs.

I could go on, the results as usual are full of ‘if onlys’. However the fleet is now full of guys and girls at all levels doing their thing and getting amazingly better at it, Doug MacGregor on CRACKERJACK found himself at the pointy end of the fleet, scary stuff Doug!  Ron Thomson had a few tangles and left green in places and MAKE MY JAY has a bit of stainless pipe bending to do as well.  There were the usual didn’t see you last minute tacks, 720s, plenty of mark rounding shouting and heart stopping moments.

The HYPER GIRLS (and Rob) six-up, finished in a tie for 5th with Dave West getting 6th, about a metre ahead and therefore one point ahead of MAKE MY JAY 8th in the last race – could have been the other way around so easily!

Out the back this time, but just as important to the fleet were Chris Hely (a good 14th overall), Peter Moulang (Jack’s just married and Pete is probably thinking about golf), Michael Lewenhagen (best place a good 12th) and Warren Campbell (best place an excellent 9th). These guys are also improving and spending on their boats, which shows that the interest is there right to the end.

Once again (and thanks) Lisa Simonov gave us her house for another great party on the Saturday night, the class association buying a liberal amount of food that was not only enjoyed on the Saturday but enough for leftovers to be enjoyed again at the club BBQ on the Sunday presentation. Thanks also to the hard work put in by the Victorian J committee, the club and the race team headed by Graeme Watt for running a faultless regatta. We again appreciate the effort made by the interstate guys bringing their boats.

The ‘Hard Luck Wheel’ award must surely go to its’ originator Pete Stevens for burning out the clutch on his car less that 50 clicks out of Adelaide in the middle of the night. Alan Stevenson didn’t make the regatta, but in a late night show of support for Pete, his Jeep did.  See Herschel Landes Youtube sailing video at the top mark.  For more J/24 Australia sailing information.

J/24 South Americans- Montevideo, UruguayJ/24 South American Champs XXVIII
Rigoni's LUCA Wins Tough Battle
(Puerto del Buceo, Montevideo, Uruguay- Apr 17-23)- The J/24 class had their South American Championship hosted by Yacht Club Uruguayo this past weekend.  With spirited competition from teams in the Buenos Aires and Uruguayan fleets, it was sure to be a tough competition.  After starting out strong Alejoni Rigoni on LUCA from Buenos Aires just managed to hold onto his lead going into the last three races, overcoming the late challenge from Diego Garcia skippering ALFA BETA from the local YC Uruguay club.

The YCU PRO managed to get off nine races over the three days.  The fleet was treated to nice conditions and some challenging races.  Rigoni's LUCA sailed a very consistent series, posting mostly top three finishes, but never winning a race!  Rignoi's 2-2-2-3-2-2-7-6-3 for a total of 16 points (two toss races included) was just one point clear of Garcia's 4-4-3-2-dsq-3-2-1-2 for 17 total points.  Lying third was Mateas Pereira sailing CARRERA from Buenos Aires, winning the most races (4) in the entire fleet. But Pereira's finishes were too inconsistent to overcome the regatta leaders, garnering a 1-5-1-1-1-5-6-5-5 for 19 points.    More J/24 South Americans sailing information

J/145 1st Class Hong Kong-San Fernando Race
(Hong Kong, China)- The J/145 REDEYE, sailed by Royal Hong Kong YC members Thompson & Leese, raced the RHKYC's RORC San Fernando Race, a 480 nm mile dash from the islands off Hong Kong to San Fernando, Philippines and managed to become the first boat to finish in their class and get 2nd on handicap IRC.

The race was described as being of two halves- "upwind and very lumpy to start with, which was tough on the crews. The second half was sailed in much easier conditions and overall the race was a very productive and useful experience for Hong Kong sailors. It was a "classic San Fernando Race."  The first night was very bumpy with confused seas and blowing 20-25 knots, but the last night was great offshore sailing, spinnaker reaching under a big red moon."   For more Royal Hong Kong YC San Fernando Race sailing information.

J/22 sailboats- off Netherlands one-design racingJ/22 Warming Up Regatta
(Brassermeer, Netherlands)-  Every year the J/22 fleet that sailed on the big inland "sea" called the Brassermeer that border Germany and the Netherlands host two beginning and season ending events- appropriately called the "Warming Up" and the "Cooling Down" regatta.

Most teams arrive on Friday afternoon and rig by Saturday morning.  This year started off with a beautiful mill pond- water smooth as glass and reflecting all the clouds and sun perfectly!  By late afternoon, a mild thermal winds kicks in to start to move the boats.  Said one J/22 sailor, Thomas Gutenstein, "When a few small wind lines show on the water we go out - even if's no racing, just for fun, we sail a round. I am amazed how little we need to move the J!"  After three races, the teams retire back for dinner in the clubhouse.  Thomas continues, "we sit together with the four German teams, "talk shop" and end the day. Of the Dutch team, only the "Gill Racing Team" and part of the Regatta Committee is there. Most Dutch to operate the sailing as we go to the gym: Go there - Sports - have a beer or coffee and then again from home!"

After the races on Sunday with a total of four completed in the light wind conditions, all the crew puts their boats away and head for home.  The remarkable aspect of sailing in Europe is that teams can come from all over the Continent and get to the sailing area, literally, by plane, train and automobile in just a few hours or less.  Said Thomas, "by 1900, JAY-2-PLAY is ready to be towed home and Sophie and Martin are sitting in the train to Schiphol Airport, Martin flies to Frankfurt and Sophie takes the train to Hanover! Till next time!  Thomas."   For more J/22 sailing stories in the Netherlands.

J/24s racing in ItalyBrazil Wins Trofeo Accademia Navale
(Livorno, Italy)-   Brazil beats Italy?  Sounds like a soccer (futbol) game.  No, just a story of a good Brazilian sailor stuck in Italy not wishing to leave such a warm, loving, hospitable and fun-loving people that love the "dolce vita", have delicious pastas and even yummier wines.

With an impressive series (five first places and two second places) the Brazilian Mauricio Santa Cruz and his equally renowned BRUSCHETTA crew dominated the Trofeo Accademia Navale held in the city of Livorno. The prestigious event held for more than a quarter of a century ensures not only top-level racing but charm and appeal-- thanks to the Navy and its splendid setting on the seashore next to the village of Tuttovela.

The J/24 world champion (champion in 2006, ’07 and ’09), Mauricio, and his team did not even need to take to the water in the eighth and final round: they had, in fact, won the coveted trophy (delivered by Admiral Division of Pierluigi Rosati, Commander of the Naval Academy) to close the regatta with 9 points.  Silver went to JAMAICA helmed by Carrara Peter Diamond (with a crew Gianluca Caridi, Giuseppe Garofalo, Fabrizio Ginesi, Paul Governato) 26 points.  Just one point away with the Bronze medal was LA SUPERBA NAVALE led by Ignazio Bonanno.

Eight races with challenging weather and sea conditions were completed under the careful direction of the Navy League of Livorno.  Forty-two teams participated- a record for the T.A.N. regatta.  There was a strong presence of foreign Navies- with Naval Academy teams represented from Chile, China, Colombia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Japan, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.  For more Trofeo Accademia Navale sailing information.

ANOTHER TOY Wins Tazzie J/24 States
(Derwent, Tasmania)- On Saturday 5th of April the Derwent Sailing Squadron held the Tasmanian J/24 Championships. With a lot of work behind the scenes, Peter Bingham (STREETCAR) managed to secure five boats to compete in the championships.

Racing was tight in the first two races, with DRUMBEAT (J. Cooper) taking the honours from ANOTHER TOY  (G. Rowlings) and DIVINE MADNESS (C. Squires).  After the first race the wind died and the DSS racing committee flew the AP flag. The wind must have had a numbing effect, as a number of boats miscounted the numbers of laps on the subsequent race!!

Race three was a tightly contested affair, with numerous lead changes over the course of the day. Newcomer to the class, Greg Rowlings (ANOTHER TOY) secured his first win for the series followed closely by STREETCAR and DIVINE MADNESS.

After a short break, racing in the afternoon saw the wind pick up to 20 knots with numerous white caps in the Derwent. ANOTHER TOY (Greg Rowlings) showed a clean pair of heels taking out these two races and subsequently the series. DRUMBEAT and STREETCAR fought it out until the end with DRUMBEAT finishing runner-up on a count-back. What is more remarkable is that the owner of DRUMBEAT, John Lewis, donated his boat to the Cooper boys (Johnny and Tom) and fellow students from St. Virgil’s College, who displayed excellent boat handling skills in their first up regatta in a J/24. Watch out for these boys in years to come!

A special mention must go out to the Derwent Sailing Squadron who continue to support the Tasmanian J/24 Association. They put on a magnificent series and backed it up with a great BBQ at the club afterwards.  The final results were Greg's ANOTHER TOY with 5 pts, Cooper's DRUMBEAT getting second with 10 pts beating on a tie-breaker Bingham's STREETCAR who ended up third.  Fourth was Squires' DIVINE MADNESS only one point back with 11 pts and fifth was Jim Anderson's SAILING MADE EASY.   For more Tasmanian J/24 sailing information.

J/Community

What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide

*Get NOAA Charts for FREE!?  Yes, it's possible but takes some work.  You can print out the full catalog of NOAA charts for free, in full living four color of any place you go boating in the NOAA coverage area.  Print on waterproof 11x17 paper and you're good to go!!  Incredibly helpful for cruisers and racers alike-- the kayakers are all over this idea already.  Here are four steps to getting great NOAA charts for free--

1.  Choose the NOAA chart numbers you want via their Online Chart Viewer. Choose the chart number you want and write it down. (you’ll want the Raster Navigational Charts (RNC) – not the Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC)). You can also directly download the chart by click on “download this chart” in the top right corner of the page with the chart displayed. In this case, jump to step 3.
  
2.  Download the raw chart files at their Interactive Catalog. Choose the state, download the full version of all charts in that state, then find it by the chart number you looked up above. The main map files uses the _1 in the filename. You may also notice charts numbered xxxxx_2.KAP. These are typically the inserts on the chart such as harbor details.
  
3.  Convert the BSP Format To PNG by downloading bsb2png or other program. You can get bsb2png here.
  
4. Open and print the new .png file using your web browser, paint, or photoshop. Just set the paper size you want and you’re good to go.

Instructions on how to do all this in more detail can be found at these resources below.
http://l-36.com/charts.php
http://www.paddlinglight.com/articles/tutorial/print-your-own-noaa-charts/

J/80s for US Sailing Olympic Team sailing* J/22s and J/80s are often used in Group Experiential Learning (GEL) programs.  GEL has renewed its bronze level partnership with the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG). Initiated in 2009, GEL has delivered high-impact team building and leadership training experiences for USSTAG sponsors.

The US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics is made up of the country’s top athletes in each of the 10 Olympic and three Paralympic classes who train together with the common goals of winning medals at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Weymouth, England.

As part of the partnership in 2011, GEL will introduce some of USSTAG’s non-endemic sponsors to the sport of sailing, while offering sailing veterans the opportunity to sharpen their skills and enhance their teamwork on the water. Many GEL events will feature participation by USSTAG’s Olympians and Olympic hopefuls.

"We take great pride in helping USSTAG with sailing programs which support team members’ Olympic and Paralympic dreams and the business objectives of USSTAG’s other sponsors. The relationship also provides special opportunities for our own clients to sail with and simultaneously support the athletes,” said Jay Palace (San Francisco, Calif.), President of GEL.

GEL will host two introductions to their signature program “BoatWorks” in a one-day complimentary experiential sailing program for leaders and HR professionals. The first “Taste of BoatWorks” will be held on May 26 in partnership with Courageous Sailing Center, sailing J/22s in Boston, Mass. On June 29, the second “Taste of BoatWorks” will be held in partnership with J World Annapolis, sailing J/80s in Annapolis, Md. At both locations, participants will be introduced to GEL’s facilitated leadership development program offered across the country at various US SAILING-accredited Keelboat Sailing Schools.

Later this summer, GEL will team up with the Courageous Sailing Center to organize a special introduction to sailing and racing for USSTAG’s title sponsor AlphaGraphics all sailing on J/22s. Franchise owners from the New England area will sail side-by-side with USSTAG members on the Charles River. The afternoon of racing on the J/22s will strengthen relationships and give participants a unique glimpse into the training, preparation and focus required to win medals at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“We are excited to continue and enhance our relationship with GEL,” said Katie Smith (Newport, R.I.), USSTAG’s Commercial Manager.  “We had a very successful event in Naples, Fla. last year where AlphaGraphics executives and franchisees got the opportunity to race on J/80s (see photos) with Olympian Graham Biehl (San Diego, Calif.) and gain insight to the teamwork and challenges involved with racing.  GEL did a phenomenal job translating the passion for sailing into easily accomplished onboard activities. It was a very positive experience for everyone involved.”  For more information about the GEL USSTAG sailing experience program.

The J Cruising CommunityJ cruising directions- roll the dice and go!  Sailing to anywhere, anytime! J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers.  Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.

* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand.  Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/

* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years.  Their blogs/journals can be found at- http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker.  The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com.  Search for "SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing" by Bill Stellin or William Stellin."  UPDATE-  Just a short note to update from Bill- "Our cruise began in May of 2000 and ended in May of 2008, some 8 years later. I have just finished and published my third and final book covering the last three or so years including our double handed crossing in 16 days and one winter in the Caribbean. Like the others, "Sea Trek- A Passion for sailing- Book III," can be found at www.blurb.com.  Thanks, Bill and Judy"

J/130 sailing ARC Rally arrives Portugal- leave a message on the sea wall!* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.

* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between.  Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins??  Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).

SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).

-  Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun).  Check out there recent travels- now past Fiji!

- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com.  Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA)J/109 racer-cruiser sailboat GAIA- sailing off Java Sea cruising offshore, then to the South Pacific and New Zealand.  MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.

* The J/109 GAIA (seen right in the Java Sea) was sailed by Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay around the world. In February 2011, their cruising adventures came to an abrupt, sad ending.  As a tribute to them and their cruising friends worldwide, we hope their chronicles on their GAIA website remains a tribute to their warm-hearted spirits- read more about why many loved them dearly and will remain touched by their loving spirit forever- http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/
  

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

J/Newsletter- April 20th, 2011

J/111 one-design sailboat- sailing downwindJ/111 Cabo Race Video
(Cabo San Lucas, Mexico or some place north)- The boys on the J/111 INVISIBLE HAND had a good sleigh ride to Cabo once the "normal" breezes finally kicked in after a few days of light air beating.  In J/Anarchy, "the Hand's" owner, Frank Slootman, had some insightful commentary for current and future J/111 owners: "With six crew, I thought the boat was quite manageable. We slept and ate well. Crew (of 6 total) commented how comfortable the boat was. We have a light air #1 head sail that performed very well upwind. The last day when the winds finally became what we were rated for, the sailing was absolutely epic. The boat was continually planing and surfing big waves. We spun out a few times, of course (still learning), but the boat doesn't broach violently and lay over hard, it is quite easy to get control back. I compared the downhill sailing to deep powder skiing, very gentle.  But, the boat was like a dog with a bone, it just wanted to go all the time!! Our downwind speeds most of the time were in the low-mid teens, peaking at 18 knots.  We had the A2 (big runner) up most of the time.  We put up the A3 (110 sq. meter) kite when breeze started to push past 25 kts on the last night and we were surprised how little speed we sacrificed and the boat was just rock solid in the conditions with that smaller kite. We made up HUGE the last day on the fleet.  We were only a good hour out of second overall, which we would have easily made up had the race lasted a few hours longer. It was very apparent from post race chatter that none of this went unnoticed!!"   Watch video of Frank's J/111 INVISIBLE HAND team sail fast & fun to Cabo.

J/80 one-design sailboat- sailing in La Trinite, Spi-Ouest Regatta, FranceRecord 105 J/80s Race SPI Ouest!
(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- The largest one-design fleet in the history of SPI Ouest-France is expected for the J/80 class with more than 105 teams planning to attend.  Seven countries are represented with international crews from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Sweden. The strength of the French J/80 class have contributed to this record turnout, it's considered the best one-design class in France and routinely attracts the best French one-design sailors; included amongst them is Bruno Trouble, the managing director of Louis Vuitton's participation in the America's Cup.  Bruno is again expected to sail with most of his "Jurassic Park" COYOTE crew that accompanied him in Newport for the J/80 Worlds--- one tough group of hombres!

J/80 one-design sailboat- sailing La Trinite- Spi-Ouest- FranceThis strong turnout also bodes well for the J/80 Worlds 2013 that will take place in France (over 140 crews expected) and for which preparations have already begun (applications of organizing clubs are open, the final site selection will be done later this year).

Of note will be the fact that one of the best PRO's in France, Christophe Gaumont, will be managing the races at SPI Ouest, as he did for the 2007 J/80 Worlds.  The fleet will be split in two with four flights rotating against one another to determine the Gold and Silver fleets, then competition will commence to determine the ultimate overall champion.  For more SPI-Ouest J/80 sailing information.
Sailing photo credits:   Eric Rousseau - VELOX IMAGES    Laurent Vidal - PHOTOMER

J/80 one-design sailboat- sailing Palma Mallorca, SpainPalmaVela Features Olympic/ World Champions Sailing J/80s
(Palma de Mallorca, Spain)- Some of the most magnificent sailboats of the world will compete from the 20th to 24th of April in the Mapfre PalmaVela regatta. Twelve classes will join competition during the four racing days. A total of 120 boats, 1000 sailors, 15 divisions and 15 countries will compete, distributed across four racing areas.

While the giant sailing yachts will be racing further offshore, the giants of sailing in Spain will be racing in the J/80 class.  The J/80 has grown into the most important one-design racing boat in Spain and will see 23 highly competitive teams taking part in this year's regatta.  It's a gathering some of the best national and international sailors that call Europe home.  For these teams, the Mapfre PalmaVela will also serve as a warm-up for the debut of the class in the Copa del Rey Audi-Mapfre regatta that will be sailed in July.

The participation of three Olympic Medallists and a World Champion is proof of the extremely competitive level of the class. Barcelona 1992 Gold Medallist Jose María van der Ploeg will take the helm of the J/80 GREAT SAILING and so will Montreal 1976 Silver Medallist Toño Gorostegui onboard CANTABRIA INFINITA. Portuguese Hugo Rocha, Bronze Medallist in Atlanta 1996, will skipper TURISMO DO ALGARVE, while J/80 World Champion Ignacio Camino will sail onboard NEXTEL ENGINEERING. ALCOLA sailed by Estanislao Carpio, FIERABRAS skippered by Diego Colón, PORTCALL COMPOSITES helmed by José Carlos Frau, Javier Sanz's PRO RIGGING, or Miguel Pujadas' EDER HOTELS are some of the strong Majorcan J/80 teams to compete this week in Palma. Defending champion Carlos Martínez also stands out as one of the favorites.  For more Mapfre PalmaVela Sailing information.

J/24 one-design sailboat- sailing Buenos Aires, Argentina- Montevideo, UruguayJ/24 South American Champs XXVIII
(Puerto del Buceo, Montevideo, Uruguay- Apr 17-23)- The J/24 class in South America continues to have great events no matter where it's been raced- Buenos Aires, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay

Yacht Club Uruguayo members should feature to be amongst the regatta leaders, including Marcelo Alzola and Gonzalo Alcantara.  From just down the street, so to speak, will be Yacht Club Punta Del Este members Diego Garcia, the 2011 Spring Series leader and colleague Pedro Garra.  Giving them all good competition will be the past J/24 World Champion from Brazil, Mauricio Santa Cruz, who just won the Monaco Grand Prix in J/24s.   Video Intro to J/24 South Americans    More J/24 South American Championship sailing information

J/145 Sailing Hong Kong-San Fernando Race
(Hong Kong, China)- The J/145 REDEYE, sailed by Royal Hong Kong YC members Thompson & Leese, are sailing in the RHKYC's RORC San Fernando Race, a 480 nm mile dash from the islands off Hong Kong to San Fernando harbour on the northern part of the Philippines.

The 10 to 12 knot due easterly that had been recorded earlier in the day by Race Officer Jimmy Farquhar, quickly built into a 20 knot breeze, and an hour after the start, the fleet had cleared Lei Yue Mun Gap, and was heading out into open water across the treacherous South China Sea.  As of 1800hrs Wednesday evening (USA) REDEYE was leading her IRC Cruising fleet by a substantial margin, 30 nm already with 2/3 of the race left to go! A rough first two night beckons, with a forecast of force 5 to 6, but with visibility at 8km, it should also be a spectacular night sailing.  This was a video of the fleet start- Hong Kong time with the city in the background (China Bank Tower is the tall one).   You can track the fleet sailling the course using the Yellowbrick Tracker site here.  For more Royal Hong Kong YC San Fernando Race sailing information.

sailboats sailing at sunset off BrazilJ/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

In most parts of Europe and North America, this past week marked the first full-blooms of spring as the strange weather everyone has experienced are at least transforming into a warmer climate.  Over in Europe, the British were completing their Warsash Spring Series and Spring Championships in gorgeous weather but under a massive High was simply squashed the breeze from developing too strongly.  The J/111 loved it (see below) and so did the J/122s, J/80s and J/109s.  In the America's, the largest regatta held so far in 2011 is the Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week with 270 boats, with a large offshore J contingent, including J/111 and J/122 as well as strong J one-design fleets of J/22s, J/24s and J/80s.  Out West, the Singlehanded Society of San Francisco held their single/double Corinthians Race earlier in April.  And, the sail hard, party hard legendary Ensenada Race had 170 entries in this annual classic blast reach down the coast from Newport Beach, California to Ensenada, Mexico.  Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north.   Check them out!  More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page!  Below are the summaries.

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Apr 16-23- J/24 South Americans- Montevideo, Uruguay- http://www.ycu.org.uy
Apr 20-24- PalmaVela (J80s)- Palma Mallorca, Spain- http://www.palmavela.com
Apr 21-25- SPI Ouest France- La Trinite Sur Mer, France- http://www.spi-ouestfrance.com/
Apr 29-May 1- STS Annapolis NOOD- Annapolis, MD- http://www.sailingworld.com
Apr 30-May 1- Yachting Cup- San Diego, CA- http://www.sdyc.org/yachtingcup/
May 1-6- Bermuda Race Week (J/24 & J/105)- RBYC, Bermuda- http://www.biirw.bm
May 5-8- J/80 Copa de Espana- Palma Mallorca, Spain- http://www.j80copaespana2011.com/
May 10-14- J/24 Nationals- Dallas, TX- http://j24texas.com/
May 14-15- J/109 Vice Admirals Cup- Cowes, England- http://www.rorc.com
May 14-15- Ahmanson Cup- Newport Beach, CA- http://www.nhyc.org
May 14-15- J/109 Vice Admirals Cup- Cowes, England- http://www.rorc.com
May 20-22- STS Seattle NOOD- Seattle, WA- http://www.sailingworld.com
May 27- STC Block Island Race- Stamford, CT- http://www.stormtrysail.org/
Jun 3- Annapolis-Newport Race- Annapolis, MD- http://www.race.annapolisyc.org
Jun 12-19- Rolex Giraglia Cup- Genoa, Italy- http://www.yachtclubitaliano.it
Jun 18-22- Kieler Woche Regatta- Kiel, Germany- http://www.kyc.de/

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.

J/80 sailing Charleston Race WeekJ's Enjoy Spring Fling in Charleston
J/122 GAMBLER & J/29 MIGHTY PUFFIN Triumph, J/111 2nd
(Charleston, SC- Apr 14-17) - Springtime in Charleston is one of the more perfect places to spend the spring season and nature smiles especially fondly on Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week every year. For local Charleston resident and J/22 competitor, Greg Fisher, it's all about the community. The multiple world champion and former sail designer recently left the sailmaking industry to accept the position as Director of Sailing for the College Of Charleston. "The amazing thing about Charleston sailors is how they come together as a community for important events," Fisher said. "Hundreds of passionate sailors and their families get together to support Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week, Charleston Community Sailing and the College, and it really feels like you're part of a big family when you're with them."

While the rest of America was fretting about tax filing deadlines, Charleston Harbor gave sailors a tax day gift - nearly perfect weather for sailboat racing on Friday. "I don't think I've ever had a day with such perfect sailing weather," said a competitor on the offshore PHRF course. "We had tight racing with 15-18 knots out of the East - perfect wind, perfect waves, and warm sunshine all day."

J/111 one-design sailboat- sailing Charleston Race WeekRacing offshore on the north/south courses were the big boats.  The new J/111 VELOCITY finished the day in fourth in a very competitive PHRF B Class with a 3-4-4 record. "This was the boat's first day of racing ever, and we're having a good time figuring her out," explained trimmer Dave Malkin of Annapolis. "We're definitely looking forward to even more breeze tomorrow." Kemah, TX J/122 owner Doug Shaffer leads the class with just four points in three races aboard GAMBLER, getting a 1-1-2 score.  In second was yet another J/122, Robin Team's TEAMWORK from Lexington, NC with a 4-2-1 record, getting stronger every race as their team dials it in to be a class leader.  Having a tough time against their stablemates were the two J/120s, John Keenan's ILLYRIA and Rick Moore's MOOSE DOWN, finishing further down the ladder.

J/124 sailing Charleston Race WeekIn PHRF A, the J/124 WICKED sailed by Doug Curtiss and crew from Branford, CT lay in a three-way tie for second with a 2-3-4 score.  Just behind them were the two J/130s, David Hackney's SUGAR MAGNOLIA and Noel Sterret's SOLARUS.

In PHRF C were the 35 footers-, including the J/35, J/109 and three J/105s.  After the end of a glorious day of racing, the J/35 ARROW sailed by Willy Schwenzfeier from Charleston, SC sailed a solid 4-5-6 to lie 4th for the day.  Ric Campeau's J/109 HOODOO had some flashes of brilliance but couldn't put it all together, ending up with a 7-6-9 for 6th.

Over in PHRF D, a real fight was taking  place for the top three positions on the podium.  Leading the charge was the masthead/outboard J/29 FOR SAIL skippered by Jim Mackevich from Edison, NJ with a 4-2-1 record for 7 pts.  Just behind them by one point was Steve Thurston sailing MIGHTY PUFFIN, another masthead/outboard J/29, sailing to a 2-1-5 record for 8 pts.  Just off the pace was Dave Pritchard's J/92 AMIGOS sailing to a 7-4-3 tally.

J/24 one-design sailboat- sailing to offset mark at Charleston Race WeekOn the inshore one-design courses, the J/22s, J/24s and J/80s were having a great day sailing, with all three classes getting in four races.  Sailing on the new Course "0", the J/22s and J/24s were sailing in the easterly breeze with the windward mark set about 85 degrees from the start line.  While the first race was affected by the strong ebb current flowing out of the harbor, after 12:18pm the next three races were fought in a building flood current.  If you haven't heard about it before, there's no question that current is a factor in setting your course strategies and tactics, on some courses more important than others.  For the J/24s and J/22s, the first beats were influenced by the presence of the giant sand spit called Shutes Folly Island with a little fort at the SE end of it- Castle Pinckney.  The combination of less adverse current near the island and the puffs backing left most of the afternoon meant the fleet had to play middle left nearly all day.  At the end of the day, it was pretty clear the top three in the very competitive 25 boat J/24 class traded places taking most of the podium finishes.  Leading the charge was past J/24 Champion Mike Ingham, from Rochester, NY, who had the wind and current scenario wired, sailing to a very consistent 1-3-1-2 record for 7 pts.  Sailing STREET LEGAL into second for the day was Chris Jankowski from Richmond, VA with a 3-2-2-3 tally for 10 pts.  And getting stronger by the race was John Surguy's team on VANISHING ACT from Marlboro, NJ, sailing to a 4-4-3-1 scoreline for 12 pts to secure third place for the day.

The J/22s had a very strong sixteen boat fleet and the competition for the top spots was going to be tough with some excellent teams fielded not only from local Charleston sailors, but also from very strong J/22 one-design class fleets in both Rochester, NY and Annapolis, MD.  After the first two races, it was obvious that a near match-race was forming for the top spots between Chris Doyle sailing SOLID LAYER from Rochester, NY and Greg Fisher from Charleston, SC.  After the first two races, Chris had a 1-2 and Greg had a 2-1.  As the afternoon wore on, Chris and his SOLID LAYER crew made their move and established primal supremacy in the J/22 fleet, getting two more bullets to finish the day with a 1-2-1-1 for 5 pts.  Greg's team sailed well to finish the day with a 2-1-3-3 tally for 9 pts.  Behind them was another match race shaping up between Todd Hiller from Annapolis, MD sailing LEADING EDGE and Travis Odenbach from Rochester, NY sailing INSTIGATOR.  This duel ended up tied for the day with Todd scoring a 3-3-2-6 and Travis with a 4-4-4-2, the tiebreaker going in favor of Todd.

J/80s one-design sailboats- sailing downwind at Charleston, SCA great turnout of twenty-six boats meant the J/80s were going to have a good series with some very competitive teams attending.  Plus, a fun, fast course with less than 1.0 nm windward-leeward legs meant that skippers, tacticians and crews would be busy.  Unlike the J/22 and J/24 Course "0", the J/80s were sailing on Course 1 along the southern part of the harbor.  The PRO set the windward mark at about 90 degrees and basically never changed it all day.  The winds built from 6-12 to 9-17 knots from the East by mid-afternoon, making for epic, brilliant sailing, perhaps the best course for sailing in the entire regatta (based on hearsay at the Goslings tent afterwards!).  Like the Course "0" sailors, the J/80s saw the winds oscillate significantly, but the right side of the course along shore only paid off twice on 8 total windward legs over 4 races! Fast out of the blocks was Bruno Pasquinelli from Dallas, TX sailing TIAMO to a 1-1-4-6 score for the day for 12 pts.  However, the team of Henry Brauer and Will Welles sailing RASCAL from Marblehead, MA/ Newport, RI sailed consistently well, never finishing out of the top three, rounding either the first or second mark in first place in every race, to get a 3-3-1-2 record to end the day with 9 pts to be at the top of the leader-board.  In third due to a tie-breaker with Bruno's TIAMO team was Kerry Klingler's team from Larchmont, NY sailing to a 5-2-2-3 for 12 pts.

The talk of the dock after the spectacular day's racing was whether or not the dire predictions for Saturday's sailing would come true- a weather forecast that included no less than trailer-destroying tornados, frightening line squalls, severe ginormous thunderstorms, massive car-destroying hail stones, monster micro-burst puffs and gale-force wind conditions. If Friday's conditions provided a chance for racers to knock the rust off, Saturday would undoubtedly separate the top teams from those who could use a bit more practice-- or the crazed from the simply normal.  As Saturday dawned, it was clear the prognosticators were correct, the forecast was more accurate than most had hoped; in fact, the storm front killed nearly 50 people in tornados less than 100 miles away.  As a result, Regatta Chairman Randy Draftz was put in the unenviable position of having to cancel racing for the first time ever in the race week's history.  Nevertheless, many were sanguine about the dilemma and felt it was a good call.

Multiple J/24 World Champion Anthony Kotoun of Newport, RI was one of them, and the Virgin Islands native who has sailed the past four Charleston Race Weeks, shared his thoughts on Charleston Race Week: "I just love this regatta," he said. When pressed on why, he mentioned the parallels with Caribbean regattas. "I just came back from sailing in St. Thomas at the Rolex Regatta, the BVI at the Spring Regatta and St. Maarten for the Heineken event, and Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week is the only event in the country that's got a flavor like those." Kotoun cited "great breezes, beautiful surroundings, and the regatta village here on the beach that's really something you don't see anywhere but the Caribbean."

An earlier start time for Sunday saw frantic preparations as all boats were seen pulling piles of extra sails and gear off their boats to lighten their loads for the expected forecast of a dying 5-10 kt wind. The offshore courses saw sufficient sailing breeze through most of the day, with the first race run under very light northerly conditions and the final race in a moderate Charleston sea breeze of 10 knots.

The biggest boats at the event had an exciting, three-way battle for the lead in PHRF A, with the J/124 WICKED ending up third after the smoke cleared.  WICKED missed 2nd by 1 pt and first by just 2 pts, a shift here, a puff there and the tables would have turned completely in their favor.

J/122 offshore racer-cruiser sailboat- one-design sailingIn PHRF B, Doug Shaffer's J/122 GAMBLER simply sailed away, leaving the fleet in their rear-view mirror, winning the last two races to win by 9 pts over the J/111 VELOCITY.  After their Friday "practice race" day, the gang on the J/111 VELOCITY got their act together, retuned the rig, trimmed the sails faster, avoided some big holes and even led the entire fleet around one leeward gate to secure 2nd overall with a solid 2-2 showing on the last day for a total of 15 pts.  Third was Robin Team's J/122 TEAMWORK, sailing an uncharacteristic 7-3 to finish 3rd with 17 pts.

The mighty struggle between the 30 footers in PHRF D was finally settled in favor of Steve Thurston's well-sailed J/29 MIGHTY PUFFIN, getting a 4-1 to win with 13 pts.  Jim's J/29 FOR SAIL had a slow day, getting a 7-5 to drop to 4th after leading on the first day.  Dave Pritchard's J/92 AMIGOS got their mojo on and managed to peel off a 1-2 for the best record on Sunday to get 3rd overall with 17 pts.  The Palmetto Cup, which is awarded each year to the best boat competing in the PHRF (handicap rating) classes, went to Steve Thurston and his crew from Bristol, RI racing aboard the mighty yacht  MIGHTY PUFFIN!

Inshore, conditions were more fickle and no races were completed on the J/24 and J/22 race course, with only one completed on the J/80 course.  Former North American and National J/24 Champion Mike Ingham was disappointed that his class didn't see enough wind for a final race today, though he was happy to take the victory in the most competitive J/24 fleet that Charleston has seen in several years. "We last sailed here for our National Championship about six years ago, and it's just as great as I remembered," said Mike. "On Friday, we got four solid races in, and just kept our noses clean and tried to sail smart. It worked."

J/80 one-design sailboats- sailing downwind with spinnakersFor the J/80s, it was a beautiful, but disappointing day.  The one and only race was punctuated by a series of events for the leaders and the entire fleet that could best be described as "unfortunate".  The PRO elected to start the race in a rapidly dying breeze from the NW (it was forecast to die by 11am) at precisely 10:40 am after it was obvious the Viper 640 fleet that started at 10:35am were struggling getting to the first windward mark.  Toss in a dying breeze with massive holes, 40 degree shifts and a full-moon ebb tide flowing at 3 knots and what do you get?  A very ugly picture that many sailing in England's Solent are all too familiar with.  Out of 26 boats only 5 managed to finish the race (exactly 1/5th of the fleet) and the rest scored TLE (time limit expired!).  Not exactly a "fair or reasonable" race for all involved, e.g. an awfully expensive one-day regatta!  Nevertheless, not often you see top three finishers scored with TLE's as counters!  Kerry Klingler's team avoided the mishaps and secured a finish to win with 15 pts with a 5-2-2-3-3 score.  In finishing second, the Brauer/Welles team got caught by the finish line buoy, literally, and instead of winning the regatta was forced to take a TLE, scoring 3-3-1-2-TLE for 16 pts.  Third was Bruno's TIAMO team who seemingly took an involuntary tour of Fort Sumter over on another course as they were getting flushed out to sea, finishing with a 1-1-4-6-TLE for 19 pts.  Thanks to Mike Lovett's contributions from his Sailing World Forum report (http://www.sailingworld.com).

VIdeo coverage:
  - OTWA  Sailing Coverage- Day One
  - T2P.TV- Day One Summary

For more Charleston Race Week sailing information

J/145 Sequoyah from Santa Barbara, California- sailing Ensenada RaceEnsenada Race A Sleeper
J/29 RUSH STREET & J/145 BAD PAK Class Winners
(Newport Beach, CA- April 15-17)-  This year's 64th Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race provided a slightly less than perfect mix of fun and adventure as racers had to decide whether to head off-shore for stronger winds or to sail the 125 nm rhumb line towards the finish.  For the 175 boats gathered on the starting line off Newport Beach, CA, the probabilities that it was going to be a slow race, like real slow race, were nearly 100%!  The weather forecast for Friday was for a west-northwesterly wind up to nine knots---virtually the rhumb (direct) line to Todos Santos Bay all along the entire Southern California and Baja California coasts. Stronger breeze was expected offshore, but a lighter patch of wind of three to six knots will separate the sea breeze near the coast from the gradient wind farther offshore.  Then winds diminishing on Saturday with very little "gradient effect" to keep the fleet moving.

Scot Tempesta's Sailing Anarchy report regarding the sailing conditions for this year's N2E race- "…as for wind, there was a good bit of breeze in the evening on Friday - we saw 20 true at one point. We, too, tried to stay outside given the weather forecasts, but a huge right shift couldn't be ignored so we came into the Coronado Islands on port gybe.  But, it was getting lighter, so we bit the bullet and took a long, long unfavored starboard gybe out into more pressure - maybe 10 miles or so outside the Coronado's. We then just tried to keep our outside lane, jibe on the shifts and come in a bit later rather than earlier."  He did OK, winning his class, as did a few other J's following a similar strategy.

J/130 racer-cruiser- sailing on Pacific Ocean during Ensenada RaceThe strong contingent of J sailors were not able to dial-in their accustomed form of reaching away at surfing speeds all night and all day long with the giant asymmetric spinnakers flying over ballooning staysails and walking off with all the booty at the awards.  Instead, it was all light air VMG'ing down the track, a race so tricky and full of holes that even Dennis Conner's Farr 60 STARS & STRIPES managed to beat very well sailed 70-80 footers!

Despite the light and challenging conditions, the J's swept Sprit A class! Tom Holthus' TransPac winning J/145 BAD PAK from San Diego YC won both line honors and handicap honors.  Second both over the line and in handicap was Mark Surber's J/125 DERIVATIVE from CORYC.  Third was the other J/145, the Santa Barbara YC's team of Poppe/ Parks sailing with some happy sailors aboard SEQUOYAH.  Paul Marais's gorgeous J/160 INDIGO from SYC-LB was fourth in class.  And, fifth was the J/130 BEBE sailed by another fun crew from Santa Barbara YC, Chuck Browning and gang.

Leading the charge in Sprit B class was Scot's ANARCHY, while the J/120 BARAKA sailed by Janet Mostafa from Balboa YC came in a very respectable second and the J/105 LUCKY STAR sailed by Mark Wyland from ALYC finished third.  Due to the lack of wind, the rest of the class all dropped out…smaller boats were having a tough go of it.

Seth Hall and Steve Ronk on the J/124 MARISOL from CYA finished 3rd in their PHRF Cruz GA class.

Finally, yet another member of the Santa Barbara sailing mafia won PHRF E! Larry Leveille's J/29 RUSH STREET (last year's Kings Harbor Race Winner) from Santa Barbara YC won their class quite handily, proving yet again the venerable J/29 masthead/outboard version is a really tough offshore boat to beat in most races- light, heavy, surfing, or simply pounding your teeth-fillings out in an uphill gut-buster.  For more Ensenda Race sailing information.

J/109 racer-cruiser- one-design- sailing with spinnaker on Solent, EnglandLight Breeze For Warsash Finale
J/111 ARABELLA Wins IRC1-B Class
(Warsash, Southampton Water, England- April 16-17)- The last weekend of the Warsash Spring Series and Spring Championship took place on 16-17 April. The event has been running since 1984 and now involves over 100 Warsash members afloat and ashore. What was different this year was the persistent light conditions which race officers around in the early days cannot remember happening before. On only two days did the wind stay in double figures but more often than not loitered in the 5-8 knot range for racing. This may have meant less toll on boats and equipment but a real challenge, especially for tacticians and helms.

Saturday- Spring Championship- Day 3
Again a high pressure system hung over the Solent – wonderful sunshine but the water resembled a mill pond.  The postponement flag was raised at 0950 with race officers constantly checking for wind in the area. As the day wore on, there had been no change or likelihood of a breeze filling in by soon after midday and there was no choice but to cancel all racing for the day. This proved to be a wise move since although a 6 knot breeze did perk up in the afternoon, it vanished again within half an hour.

J/80s one-design sailboat- sailing on Solent, EnglandSunday- Warsash Spring Series- Day 6 & Spring Champs- Day 4
The forecast promised slightly better conditions for Sunday but as the Black Group fleet gathered near East Knoll, it looked unlikely. When the first signal was due to be sounded, visibility was obscured by a veil of haze from which emerged a stream of commercial traffic inbound for Southampton. The postponement flag was hoisted and race officers made the first of several radio announcements to keep competitors aware of their intentions. Shortly after noon, everyone’s patience was rewarded. A south-easterly breeze filled in and, whilst never more than 8 knots, was sufficient to allow racing. Courses were set with Flying Fish the first windward mark, followed by runs and beats in the area of Hill Head and Universal Marina. With some classes combined, the first start consisted of IRC1, Big Boat and Farr 45s. With a strong adverse tide, some skippers were slow to reach the line and AP was flown again to allow these boats to clear the line. This also coincided with a brief wind shift and when it had steadied again came the turn of IRC2 and J/109 classes with a slightly shorter course. The ODM end of the line was favored.  The J/109 OFFBEAT got clear air and made significant gains to lead their class at the first mark, going on to take line honours.

J/80 one-design sailboat- Henri Lloyd sailing upwind on Solent, EnglandOn the White Group sportsboats’ racing area, the wind had arrived a little earlier. The first set of races got away cleanly only then to suffer the large wind shift experienced further out. The J/80 fleet was boosted by entries for the Spring Championship. Ian Atkins sailing Dan Brown’s HENRI LLOYD SHOCKWAVE Lloyd Shockwave took the first J/80 race ahead of AQUA-J (Patrick Liardet) and Robin Fielder helming WARP FACTOR IX.   Life was not so simple for the start of the second set of races. The J/80s then had a rush of blood to the head and were recalled. Everyone had another go and this time successfully. However, the clock was ticking and it became clear that this would have to be the final race.

On the first lap, HENRI LLOYD SHOCKWAVE established a lead over AQUA-J and JUMPING JENGA (Stewart Hawthorn). These positions were maintained on the second run but then the two boats became involved in a luffing match as they approached the bottom mark. When they gybed for the final time they found that JUMPING JENGA's layline from closer inshore was the better one. This allowed Stewart Hawthorn to round the mark in the lead and complete the short reach to the finish seven seconds ahead.

Spring Championship Final Results
The Spring Championship does not allow discards and six races were finally counted to decide the overall standings. The J/80 Spring Championship winner was HENRI LLOYD SHOCKWAVE, just one point ahead of Patrick Liardet's AQUA-J with the RAF’s TEAM SPITFIRE third.

There was no catching VELVET ELVIS leading the J/109s sailing to a 1-2-1-2-2-1 for 9 pts.  After a slow start to the season, second went to a resurgent J-DREAM sailed by David and Kirsty Apthorp and getting a 2-1-2-1-5-2 score for 13 pts.  Third was Richard and Valerie Griffith's OUTRAJEOUS with a very consistent 3-3-5-4-3-3 tally for 21 pts.

In the Black Championship BB2 Class, Ian Matthew's J/122 JINJA sailed to a 2-8-2-3-4-7 to finish third, only 2 points out of second.  Lying fourth was Jackie and Robert Dodson's J/133 JERONIMO sailing to a steadily improving 9-7-6-5-5-2 for 34 pts.

J/111- the ultimate one-design sailboat- sailing in Solent, EnglandSpring Series Final Results
In the Spring Series, IRC1 Overall results, the J/111 ARABELLA sailed by Nial Dowling finished a respectable fourth counting drop races, but second overall behind Nik Zenstrom's Farr 45 RAN if all races were counters!! Kudos to Nial's team for strong sailing in a very tough class.  Neil Kipling's J/122 JOOPSTER also sailed nicely to win two of the six races sailed to get 6th, only 1 pt from 5th overall IRC despite counting a DNS in Race 1 and tossing a DNS in Race 5-- had they gotten one more race under their belts, the J/122 JOOPSTER would certainly have had a shot at 1-2-3 overall in IRC.

In the breakout IRC1-B Class, Nial's J/111 ARABELLA (pictured here) wins IRC Class on her first series outing ever!  Quite a remarkable feat, to say the least.  Amassing a 2-3-4-4-2-1 record for 12 pts (4th dropped) to win class.  Third was the J/122 JOOPSTER sailed by Neil, sailing to a DNS(13)-1-1-1-DNS(20)-4 score for 20 pts.

In IRC3 Class, the J/97 JIKA-JIKA sailed by Mike and Jamie Holmes sailed nicely all spring to finish third overall with a 4-3-13-4-3-3 tally for 17 pts (13th dropped).  Without question, Mike and Jamie are probably still kicking themselves for having to toss the 13th and wondering how they ever got that far down the standings in the first place!

In the one-design groups Mike & Sarah Wallis' JAHMALI led Matt Boyle' SHIVA in the J/109s. Third was David Mcleman's OFFBEAT, fourth David McGough's JUST SO and fifth David and Kirsty Apthorp's J/DREAM.

J/80 one-design sailboat- sailing in EnglandThe J/80s sailed a total of twelve races over so many weekends and despite the lack of wind had a great time sailing on their shorter courses-- sometimes a good thing on the Solent!!  Patrick Liardet's AQUA-J was the overall series winner.  Second was Stew Hawthorn and Paul Heys on JUMPING JENGA, third was Dan Brown (with boats.com's Ian Atkins sometimes) on HENRI LLOYD SHOCKWAVE, fourth was Tony Hanlon/ Team Spitfire on SPITFIRE and fifth was Terry Palmer's JUST DO IT!

In challenging light conditions the fact that the vast majority of races were completed is a credit to the patience of the race management team and the competitors in equal measure. The prize-giving will be held on Friday 20th May when all competitors and crews will be welcome at Warsash Sailing Club’s Shore House to join club members in celebrating a very successful event. The 2012 Warsash Spring Series starts on Sunday 11th March.    Sailing Photo Credits- Eddie Mays.    For more Warsash Spring Series sailing results.

J/92 & J/109 Dominate Corinthians Race
(San Francisco, CA)- In the second of their series, the Singlehanded Society of San Francisco (SSS) held their 18-mile Corinthian Race (named for the Corinthian Yacht Club who hosts the start) on Saturday, April 2nd.

All boats could either sail single or double-handed, the entry list for the Corinthian Race included 18 J/Boats, which as we all know are perfect for this kind of racing!  Dispersed amongst the fleet were the following J's- J/80, J/92 (2), J/100, J/105 (5), J/109 (2), J/120, J/35, J/32 (2), J/30, J/29 and J/24.  While only two J's sailed singlehanded, all the rest sailed doublehanded.

As Bob Johnson, owner/ skipper of the J/92 RAGTIME, reports, "After a long series of Pacific storms, some local damage from the tsunami and general cabin fever, it was apparent skippers are anxious to get back out there and race around the central Bay."  And, indeed they had a good time.  Bob managed to sail a reasonably fast race and won the Singlehanded PHRR Class 3.  Just behind him was the J/105 LARRIKIN sailed by Stuart Taylor from St Francis YC.

Doublehanded PHRF Class 11 was a near sweep for the j's in the largest class of the race, 21 boats competing and J's getting 8 of the top 10!  First was the J/109 SYMMETRY sailed by Howard Turner from Santa Cruz YC.  Third was another J/92, Tracy Rogers' RELENTLESS from CPYC. Fourth was the J/105 LIGHTWAVE sailed by Richard Craig. Sixth was the J/105 RACER-X sailed by Rich Pipkin. Eighth was the J/105 AKULA skippered by Doug Bailey. Ninth was the J/120 TWIST sailed by Timo Bruck.  And, tenth was another J/109, Jim Vickers' JOYRIDE.

In Doublehanded PHRF Class 12, the J/80 PAINKILLER skippered by Eric Patterson was second, followed by the J/32 PARADIGM skippers by Luther Izmirian.  Lying eighth was another J/32 sistership, Ed Ruszel's FLICKER.

Not to be left out of the silverware was the lone J/24 DOWNTOWN UPROAR, raced by Darren Cumming in Doublehanded PHRF Class 13.  Finally, in Doublehanded PHRF Class 16, the J/30 IONE sailed by Peter Jermyn finished a respectable fourth and the J/29 AUDACIOUS captained by Scott Christensen finished 5th.   More sailing information is available at Singlehanded Society of San Francisco site.

J/Community

What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide

Brad Van Liew- sailing Velux 5 ocean race off Charleston, SC*Johnstone Cousin Brad Van Liew Wins Velux 5- Leg 4- Congratulations Cuz!!  Awesome job.  Just a young buck at the ripe age of 43 years old, Brad sailed into his home town of Charleston, South Carolina, Tuesday to rapturous applause from the flotilla of spectator boats who turned out to greet him. After sailing more than 5,900 nautical miles from Punta del Este in Uruguay, Brad crossed the finish line in Charleston Harbor at 1658 local time following 23 days, 4 hours and 58 minutes at sea.

His victory makes it four wins out of four legs in the Velux 5 Oceans, a 30,000-mile singlehanded race around the globe sailed in 60ft yachts called Eco 60s. With one more leg to sail, Brad has a dominant lead at the top of the Velux 5 Oceans leader-board.  In fact, were it not for a mandatory finish of every leg to count for the overall title, Brad would not have to sail the last leg to win!  Awesome, he only has to start, relax, eat and drink well and simply finish!  Brad is a veteran of two previous Velux 5 Oceans races in 1998 and 2002, when it was known as "The Around Alone". Brad won Class Two of the 2002 edition.  For more information on Brad's sailing adventures on Velux 5 Ocean Race.

The J Cruising CommunityJ cruising directions- roll the dice and go!  Sailing to anywhere, anytime! J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers.  Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.

* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand.  Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/

* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years.  Their blogs/journals can be found at- http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker.  The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com.  Search for "SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing" by Bill Stellin or William Stellin."  UPDATE-  Just a short note to update from Bill- "Our cruise began in May of 2000 and ended in May of 2008, some 8 years later. I have just finished and published my third and final book covering the last three or so years including our double handed crossing in 16 days and one winter in the Caribbean. Like the others, "Sea Trek- A Passion for sailing- Book III," can be found at www.blurb.com.  Thanks, Bill and Judy"

J/130 sailing ARC Rally arrives Portugal- leave a message on the sea wall!* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.

* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between.  Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins??  Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).

SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).

-  Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun).  Check out there recent travels- now past Fiji!

- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com.  Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA)J/109 racer-cruiser sailboat GAIA- sailing off Java Sea cruising offshore, then to the South Pacific and New Zealand.  MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.

* The J/109 GAIA (seen right in the Java Sea) was sailed by Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay around the world. In February 2011, their cruising adventures came to an abrupt, sad ending.  As a tribute to them and their cruising friends worldwide, we hope their chronicles on their GAIA website remains a tribute to their warm-hearted spirits- read more about why many loved them dearly and will remain touched by their loving spirit forever- http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/