Wednesday, June 26, 2013

J/Sailing Newsletter- June 26th, 2013

J/105 one-design sailboats- sailing off Long BeachLong Beach Race Week Preview
(Long Beach, CA)- One of the classic California regattas will be taking place this coming weekend off Long Beach, renowned for being the host of the famous match race series, the Congressional Cup.  The conditions are considered the best in southern California, with summer sea-breezes often developing out of the West at 10-17 kts.

Over the course of time, the event has become a big J/Fest with six J one-design fleets participating, including J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, J/105s, J/109s and J/120s. In addition, there are two PHRF divisions with several offshore J racing teams sailing.

The fast-growing J/70 class in SoCal has eight teams sailing with top sailors from Cal Race Week also gunning for repeat performances. New York YC Annual Regatta J/70 class winner Bennet Greenwald will be sailing PERSEVERANCE, others sure to be challenging them will be Cal Week J/70 class winners Jenkins/ Kownacki on DFZ, Karl Pomeroy's ZERO TO 60, Dan Gribble & Kurt Wiese's GO-RILLA, and looking for redemption will be Dr Laura Schlessinger's VENDETTA.

Five teams are sailing in the J/80s, including multiple class winner Curt Johnson sailing AVET and Cal Week's runner-up Steve Wyman on NUHUNU.  The J/24 class has a small turnout but had some good teams participating, including past winner Susan Taylor's TAKE FIVE.

The J/105 class has six teams sailing and the fleet may see a repeat of the battle for the lead during California Race Week a few weeks earlier between Gary Mozer's CURRENT OBSESSION 2 from Marina del Rey and Rick Goebel's SANITY from San Diego, as well as Rich Bergmann's ZUNI BEAR from San Diego.

With seven boats sailing, the J/109s also will see the leaders from Cal Race Week participating, including Tom Brott's ELECTRA from Seal Beach, Bryce Benjamin's PERSISTENCE, Peter Nelson's SPRAY and Alice Leahey's GRACE O'MALLEY all from Cal YC.

The nine boat J/120 class has most all of the top SoCal teams participating, including several champions over the past few years.  Amongst the potential leaders may be John Laun's CAPER, Mike Hatch's J-ALMIGHTY, Tom & Terri Manok's POLE DANCER and Chuck Nichols' CC RIDER.

In PHRF Division, will be a cadre of fast, well-sailed J's, including the famous offshore speedster DOUBLE TROUBLE, the J/125 sailed by duo of Peter Krueger and Andy Costello; the J/125 DERIVATE sailed by Mark Surber; the J/133 TANGO skippered by Roy Jones; the J/111 JATO sailed by the duo of Bill Webster and Mike Moorhead; the J/124 CIRRUS sailed by  Tim Harmon; the J/35 RIVAL led by the duo of Dave Boatner and Dick Velthoen; and the J/105 LEGACY by Bruce Cooper. Sailing the PHRF Random Leg (around government marks) division is the J/133 PICANTE sailed by Doug Jorgensen.  For more Long Beach Race Week sailing information

Jimmy Buffet rock concert with JBoats sailboatsJ/Day Chicago & Jimmy Buffet Concert!
(Chicago, IL)-  Around the world of music, there are few entertainers as popular amongst sailors as the famous Jimmy Buffet.  Long a fan of the sport of sailing and famous for his "Margaritaville" life-style in Key West, Florida, Jimmy and his band will be performing on Saturday, June 29th right on the Chicago city waterfront.

Concurrent to the evening concert, a "J/Day" is planned with fun, family sailing races with balloons and other crazy things; plus there will be some regular sailing races followed by a barbecue on the Columbia YC docks.  Following the "barbie food", a J/flotilla will embark to the Jimmy Buffet concert, so you can listen from your boats!  A day no Chicago J/Sailor should miss!   For more J/Day sailing information and registration

J/70 one-design speedster sailboat- sailing in TogoJ/70 Togo One-Design Fleet!
(Togo, Ivory Coast, Africa)-  Recently, the first J/70s were delivered to Togo to officially commence one of the first one-design fleets on continental Africa.  We received the good word from Olivier Grassi from Togo that the J/70s arrived in fine shape and are already becoming  part of the local sailing folklore, being received with tremendous enthusiasm.  Many of the kids who are used to sailing some of their local "clunkers" can't wait to go sailing!  What a shot in the arm for Togo, if not Ivory Coast sailing!

J/70 one-design sailboat- being hand-launched on ramp in TogoEasily transportable by container, the J/70s have the ability to ship two boats in 40 ft versions or four boats in 45 ft boxes, making it easy to ship J/70s anywhere in the world where there's enough water (to hand launch on boat ramps like seen at left in Togo) and lots of wind to enjoy the world's fastest growing sportboat fleets ever. With over 500+ boats and counting in just over twelve months, there's sure to be a J/70 fleet popping up near you! J/70 and Starship Enterprise- sailing through spaceIn fact, J/70 is the first keelboat in modern sailing history to have presence on every major continent in the world in just about one year of production!  In some ways, J/70 is a bit like the Starship Enterprise in the TV series STAR TREK, while it may not be space, it's mission is "sailing waters anywhere: the ultimate frontier. These are the voyages of the J/70. Its mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before to go sailing!"  Togo, Chilean lakes in the Andes, Brazil's lakes, Colorado & Montana's lakes, Swiss/ German/ Austrian lakes are proof it's making good on that mission! For more J/70 one-design speedster sailing information

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

The end of June often the highlight of the summer sailing season for many in northern Europe and America.  With over 2,000 sailboats participating, it's hard to argue with Kieler Woche's claim that it is one of the world's oldest, largest and most outstanding race weeks on the summer calendar, after all 5,000 sailors are participating in what amounts to a massive waterfront festival along Kiel, Germany's waterfront along the beautiful Baltic Sea; competitive classes of J/24s and J/80s participated in the event.  Enjoying a somewhat similar reputation for sailors in northeastern America, Storm Trysail Club's Block Island Race Week held on Block Island, Rhode Island attracts nearly 200 boats every year for what is one of the few "race weeks" left in America.  Participating in this year's "Block Party" were J One-Design fleets of J/80s, J/105s, J/109s, J/111s, and J/44s.  Also sailing were J/122s, J/130, J/100s, J/95 and others in PHRF and IRC classes.

In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, several solo/ double-handed sailors were participating in the classic 635nm Bermuda One-Two Race with a J/122 showing their transom to much of the fleet.

In the Great Lakes, several J/Teams were also participating in solo/ double racing and also performing very well on Lake Huron and Lake Michigan sailing a J/29, J/30, J/105 and J/111.  Just northwest of them were a solidly competitive fleet of J/24s racing their US Nationals on Lake Minnetonka, hosted by Wayzata YC and J/24 Fleet #1!

Finally, out West on the Pacific the Royal Vancouver YC's famous "monster" Around Isle 360 Race (the world's longest around island race?) took place with J/109s, a J/120, a J/46 and a J/32 having a wonderful, award-winning experience and most amazing adventure!

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below has many entertaining stories and news about J/Sailors as well as cruising blogs about those who 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:

Jun 27-30- J/22 Europeans- Zierikzee, Netherlands
Jul 4-7- J/24 UK Nationals- Plymouth, England
Jul 6-13- J/80 World Championships- Marseilles, France
Jul 12-14- Bacardi Newport Regatta (22, 24, 70, 80, 105)
Jul 13-15- Chicago Mackinac Race- Chicago YC- Chicago, IL
Jul 25-28- J/30 North Americans- Barrington, RI
Jul 26-28- J/70 New Englands/ NOOD- Marblehead, MA
Jul 27-28- Youngstown Level Regatta (70, 24)- Youngstown, NY
Aug 3-10- Cowes Race Week (70, 80, 109, 111)- Cowes, England
Aug 9-11- J/109 North Americans- Chicago YC- Chicago, IL
Aug 9-11- Verve Cup Offshore (109, 111)- Chicago, IL
Aug 9-13- J/27 North American Championship- Oakville, Ontario
Aug 10-11- J/70 Great Lakes- Buffalo YC- Buffalo, NY
Aug 14-18- J/111 North Americans- Chicago YC- Chicago, IL
Aug 22-30- J/24 Worlds- Howth (Dublin), Ireland
Sep 9-14- J/70 EuroCup Regatta- Lago di Garda, Italy
Sep 26-28- J/70 North Americans- Annapolis YC- Annapolis, MD
Sep 26-29- Rolex Big Boat Series (70, 105, 120)- St Francis YC- San Francisco, CA

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

J/105 sailboat- sailing around block island raceFabulous Sailing @ Block Island Race Week
J/105 ECLIPSE Wins Best Overall Performance
(Block Island, RI)- The 25th Anniversary of the Storm Trysail Club's biennial Block Island Race Week was celebrated this past week, and it seems that after almost five decades a good thing has only gotten better with age. First held in 1965, the five-day competition, originally patterned after Cowes Week, is one of the last true Race Weeks remaining in America.  The event proved it still can deliver on its time-tested tradition of good, challenging racing to over 1500 sailors competing on 182 teams while also embracing all types of racing sailors with a “something for everyone” approach.

Of the 182 boat fleet, J/Boats had by far the largest brand presence in the regatta with 80 boats participating (44% of the fleet!).  Six J one-design classes participated, including the J/111s, the J/80 North American's and East Coast Championships for the J/109, J/105s, J/44s and J/29s.  J/Teams also sailed in the IRC and PHRF handicap divisions.

J/44 cruiser racer sailboats- sailing around Block IslandWith eight boats, the fabulous turnout for the J/44s include several past J/44 North American and Block Island champions, including Jim Bishop's GOLD DIGGER, Jeff Willis's CHALLENGE IV, Bill Ketcham's MAXINE and Norm Schulman's CHARLIE V. Sure enough, it came down to the wire for these teams.   Jeff Willis (Huntington, N.Y.) sailing CHALLENGE IV (seen here to left) J/44 Challenge IV sailing Block Islandwon his class in the last five Race Weeks, but he waited until today to claim victory in the J/44 class and take home the East Coast Championship title.  According to Willis, in the high breeze, some of the fleet, including yesterday’s leader GOLD DIGGER, skippered by Jim Bishop (Jamestown, R.I.), had spinnaker trouble.  “In a good breeze we excel. We’ve had the same crew for a long time, some of them for 25 years.  Everyone knows what to do in those (high wind) situations,” said Willis. Second overall was Bishop's GOLD DIGGER and third was Bill Ketcham's MAXINE, losing the tie-breaker at 20 pts each.

J/111 one-design class sailboat- sailing Around Block IslandThe J/111 class had a closely contested event with five boats.  After winning the classic Around Island Race on Tuesday, Paul Strauch's ANDIAMO team never looked back to lead the class after finishing third on the final windy race on Friday.  Second was Doug Curtiss's WICKED 2.0 with 18 pts.  Class newcomer Mike Piper (Marblehead, MA) sailing EAGLES DARE were quick learners in the class, sailing better and more consistently every race to snag third on a tie-breaker over PARTNERSHIP (David & Maryellen Tortorello).

The fifteen boat J/109 class held their East Coast Championships and one performance stood out above all the others.  From the first day, it was clear Rick Lyall's STORM was on a mission to win the event.  Here's what Rick had to say after Wednesday's racing, “We had conservative starts today, because we were called across the line J/109 cruiser-racer one-design sailboat- sailing Block Islandearly on the first day and had to fight back from 15th to sixth,” said Lyall. “That was a tough way to begin the regatta, and then yesterday in the Around the Island Race, we were close to last, because we were on the wrong side of the course, but we made one of the best comebacks of all time to win.  It was one of the best tactical races we’ve ever had, and we were thrilled about that. Today it was all about execution. Tactician Kerry Klingler (Norwalk, Conn.) and the rest of the crew had the boat going in all the right places. It was a good team effort -- the right combination of what you need to win the regatta.”  Prophetic words, after posting five 1sts, they walked off as East Coast Champions.  Second was Group W's GOSSIP and third was Don Filippelli's CAMINOS.  Fourth was Bill Sweetser's RUSH and fifth was SKOOT (Jim Vos).

J/105 one-design sailboat- sailing Block IslandWith fourteen boats, the J/105s had a relatively closely fought series for the top two spots between two veteran J/105 teams-- ECLIPSE (Damian Emery, who's reigning STC Block Island Race Week champion) and LOU LOU (Bruce Stone past North J/105 Eclipse sailing Block IslandAmerican, Block Island and Big Boat Series champion).  In the end, the ECLIPSE team's initial four straight 1sts was too much for the LOU LOU team to overcome. As a result, Damian Emery and crew were awarded the Everett Morris Memorial Trophy for the Best Overall Performance at Block Island Race Week XXV. Behind these two were Jim Macdonald on DISTANT PASSION in third overall with 30 pts, narrowly beating out Jordan Mindich's SHAKEDOWN in fourth with 32 pts and Fred Darlington's TONTO in fifth with 33 pts!

J/80 one-design sailboats- sailing around Block IslandWith their North American Championship on the line, the J/80's sixteen boats saw what became two races within a regatta:  two boats clearly vying for the overall lead with five other boats vying for the balance of the top five.  In the end, Will & Marie Crump and team aboard R80, launched a tremendous J/80 one-design sailboat- planing along under spinnakercomeback to topple the previous leader USA 1162, skippered by John White (Annapolis, Md.). “There were five points between us, and we were excited about the conditions but anxious about the fog,” said Crump, a 1999 J 80 North American champion (as crew) whose crew was comprised of wife Marie, her brother Thomas Klok and new crew member Chris Larson (all from Annapolis). “We’re more experienced in the high breeze, so we knew it was possible to win.  We did a little match racing with our competition to get him driven back in the fleet in the first start. For the second start, we didn’t have such a command, but we got out and away early.”  J/80 R80 sailing by Will and Marie CrumpBut, it didn't start out that way for Crump and family. Said Will, “We didn’t do the practice race, because Marie broke one of her thumbs and we had to make a mad dash to the hospital on Sunday. We were lucky to get to the line and race without major compromise.” Behind the leaders were Gary Panariello on COURAGEOUS finally closing the deal on the last day's two races to take third overall with 41 pts.  The Storck family had trouble finding their groove, but ultimately the RUMOR crew took fourth overall with 44 pts. Taking fifth was the Hayes/ Kirchhoff team on MORE GOSTOSA.

J/29 Hustler one-design offshore racer sailing Block IslandThe J/29 East Coasts ended up with a nail-biter after what seemingly looked like a walk-away by the Esposito's HUSTLER (multiple Block Island Race Week Rolex winners and champions). After posting five 1sts in six races, the last two races for the HUSTLER team nearly derailed their bid to win another BI Race Week.  Nevertheless, at the end of the day their 15 pts was good enough for the win over their arch rival, Steve Thurston's MIGHTY PUFFIN.  Third was Jack McGuire's DIRTY HARRY.

J/130 cruiser-racer sailboat- sailing around Block IslandSailing IRC 3, the winners were the family team led by Andrew & Linda Weiss on their J/130 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON VIII.  Third was the J/122 ORION sailed by Paul Milo and fifth was the  J/122 DOLPHIN sailed by Neil McMillan. In IRC 4 the J/120 REBECCA sailed by Glenn Gault from Houston, Texas finished fifth in class.

In PHRF world, the PHRF 2 class saw the J/35 SERAPHIM (David Saurette) take third overall with stablemate, the J/109 ZUMA (Macrae & Chronert Sykes) take fourth. In PHRF Double-handed class the J/100 FLASHPOINT (Adrian Little) took second overall.   Sailing Photos by Allen Clark/ PhotoBoat.com and Stephen Cloutier/ BlockIslandRI.net.  For more Block Island Race Week sailing information

Kiel Week classic traditional schoonerStrong J/24 & J/80 Classes @ Kiel Week
(Kiel, Germany)- Kieler Woche is promoted as the greatest sailing event in the world and the largest summer waterfront festival in northern Europe. With a nine-day program packed with over 2,000 events (including many music stages of Germany's longest open-air festival with folk, pop, rock and classical music on offer) to entertain three million guests from all over the globe, their claim may not be far off the mark.

This year's 131st Kieler Woche, amongst the oldest sailing weeks in the world, enabled millions to experience the maritime atmosphere of "KIEL.SAILING.CITY"-- the theme for an entire city! 5,000 yachtsmen and women, 50 countries, 2,000 yachts, dinghies and surfboards, almost 40 sailing events, and more than 400 planned regatta starts on eleven race courses. The "Who's who" of sailing in Europe (if not top Olympic sailors) lined up at the starting lines for this year's events.

Kiel Week creative arts kids contestPlus, all the sailors and visitors experienced an endless forest of masts on the banks of the bay, with over one hundred windjammers and traditional sailing boats moored on the quayside. The fascination of tall ships resulted in the windjammer parade with more than 100 ships taking part, including the European Navy destroyers, frigates, corvettes, and minesweepers from a whole host of countries that came together in Tirpitz Harbour for the meeting of the Navy fleets.

Within that armada of ships and windjammers were one-design fleets of J/24s and J/80s enjoying the festivities, camaraderie and great sailing.

The J/24s saw a fleet of forty-three boats participating with the German team of Peer Kock taking the gold with a consistent 1-6-6-1-4-12-2 series for 20 pts net after toss race.  Second was Jan Kahler's team taking a scoreline of 6-12-1-3-2-4-7 for 23 pts net.  Third was a combination of American J/24 champion Mike Ingham and a British and German crew, including class leader Marianne Schoke; their scoreline was 5-7-2-2-13-9-1 for 26 pts net.  Rounding out the top five were Frithjof Schade in fourth and Tobia Feuerherdt in fifth.  Top Hungarian boat was Farkas Litkey in 8th; top Monaco boat was Dennis Frederiksen in 9th; top Swedish boat was Per-Hakan Persson in 14th; top Netherlands boat was Erik Jeuring in 9th; and top women skipper was Germany's Stephanie Kopcke in 16th.

The eighteen boat J/80 fleet experienced a bit of an "old-fashioned schooling" of how to sail a J/80 fast and smart.  After twelve 1sts in thirteen races, Martin Menzner's team from Germany did have to sail the last two races due to a double-throw out series.  A mile behind in second place was Hauke Kruss and friends and in third Flemming Dejernes (top Netherlands team).  The balance of the top five were Matthias Herzberg in fourth and Niklas Ohling in fifth.   For more Kieler Woche sailing information

J/24 one-design sailboat- sailing at US Nationals on Lake Minnetonka, MNDynamic Duo Crush J/24 Nationals
(Wayzata, MN)- It was not readily evident that a bolt of lightning would hit the twenty J/24s assembled for their US Nationals sailing on Lake Minnetonka and hosted by Wayzata YC, but it did.  In the form of the Rochester J/24 fleet and, especially, in the form of two J/24 champions sailing together, Mike Ingham and Tim Healy.  Tossing a 3rd place and counting four 1sts and three 2nds is not exactly "chump change" considering the competition.  After all, there were other NA and Regional champions in the mix but that didn't seem to dissuade the Ingham/ Healy team from winning by a commanding twelve points overall.

On Sunday, the breeze on Lake Minnetonka was 13-15 knots, and three races were accomplished. “It was a little bit shifty, but you could actually connect the dots,” said Ingham. “We started conservatively in the middle of the line every race.  If we’re patient, get a good start so we’re going fast, and stay patient to the first shift, then once we got in phase it was a lot easier.”

J/24 US Nationals winnersThe regatta began Friday in very light air when only one race took place. Saturday dawned more promising, and four races were completed. “The first two days were more than just shifty, it was die and fill, so the wind would go away,” summarized Ingham. “Whatever it took to get to the next pressure, we were concentrating on going fast toward that pressure.  And not just small puffs, but looking for trends like a wind line coming from one side to the other.”

Without ever winning a race but sailing equally as consistently a few steps back was the Might HONEY BADGER team led by the indefatigable Travis Odenbach, also from Rochester YC; counting two 2nds and three 3rds in his seven race scoreline to snare second overall.

Proving that experience, local knowledge and perseverance matter, local legends Rolf Turnquist and John Gjerde on the mighty yacht OZ started out after the first three races with a winning combo of 2-1-1.  However, due to memory lapses or competitors learning all their tricks too quickly, they suffered from consistency to eke out a well-deserved third overall, the top local finisher from Wayzata YC!

Changing their name from "three" to FOUR BIG DOGS, Pat Toole and the boys from Santa Barbara YC were struggling in the early going, but managed to win a race on shifty Lake Minnetonka and post mostly top five finishes to grab fourth overall-- a good showing for "ocean sailors" in sunny Santa Barbara.  Fifth was the Olness/ Johnson team on ZOOM, the next local boat from Wayzata YC.   Sailing photo credits- Mark Puariea or Facebook.com/Mark.Puariea    For more J/24 US Nationals sailing information

J/109 cruiser-racer sailboat- sailing off Seattle/ VancouverIrish Win Canada's Van Isle 360!
(Vancouver, BC, Canada)- Can it be the "luck of the Irish"??  Or, perhaps not?  As his younger brother became the youngest ever Irish skipper to complete the Figaro race in Dieppe, France one morning, on the far side of the Atlantic George Kenefick steered the J/109 DIVA to victory in the marathon Canadian offshore race, the Van Isle 360!  Royal Cork YC's Kenefick was leading the biennial point to point race after the penultimate leg on Thursday and continued the consistent form to win the 15-boat division two category.

The Van Isle 360 is a biennial, 580 nautical mile point-to-point race circumnavigating wild and rugged Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Sailed in ten legs, the course provides inshore, offshore and overnight sailing through some of the most stunning and challenging waters on the planet.

J/46 DIVA- cruiser-racer sailboat sailing in Van Isle 360 race off Vancouver IslandIn Division 1, top J/Team in fourth place was the J/120 TIME BANDIT sailed by Barb & Bob Brunius. They've sailed their boat enthusiastically over the years doing six Swiftsure's and now completing their seventh Van isle 360. Taking ninth in the division was the J/46 RIVA sailed by Scott Campbell; like her stablemates she too has raced in every Oregon Offshore and Swiftsure Race since then, except 2006 and 2010, when she raced in the Pacific Cup race to Hawaii.

J/109 DIVA- winners of Van Isle 360 race off Vancouver IslandThe Division 2 had to contend with a raft of well-sailed, fun-loving J/109 teams-- a very tough group to beat in this kind of point-to-point offshore event.  As noted above, first overall was Jim Prentice's DIVA sailing with friends like skipper George Kenefick.  Third was ASTRAL PLANE skippered by Adam Korbin; as Adam notes about the boats many nice features, "When we’re rounding Cape Scott her crew appreciates the heater and the lasagna warming in the oven!"  Fourth was Stuart Brunell's TANTIVY enjoying yet another adventure and amazing camaraderie around Vancouver Island.

Sailing Division 3 and taking a seventh in class was the J/32 BLUE JAY hailing from Nanaimo, BC-- the host city for the event.  It was owner Todd Rutter's (from Edmonton, Alberta) first Van Isle 360 race.

For a good perspective on why people do the race, here is a report from Christof Marti (Director at Simply Sailing School in  Vancouver and  sailing scribe for Vancouver Sun).  Reports Christof, "Starting in Nanaimo, the first half of the race takes sailors up the inside of the island through some of the world’s most beautiful cruising grounds, sailing through Desolation Sound and up through Johnstone Strait to Port Hardy. The second half takes the boats around infamous Cape Scott at the Northern tip of Vancouver Island into the Pacific Ocean. The distances between ports are much longer on the outside and each leg includes an overnight passage.

You may ask why would someone want to be on a small sailboat with up to eight other crew, with no showers and sitting on deck in the rain and wind for hours or baking in the sun without shade?

The answers are as varied as the sailors participating in this race: A love of sailing and the ocean, the adventure of visiting stunning places few of us will ever visit, the camaraderie among crew and competitors, are probably common sentiments among participants. The exhilaration when the wind is just right, the sails trimmed perfectly and the boat is accelerating down a wave can hardly be described in words.

So what makes Van Isle 360 so special? It’s the involvement of the communities. At each stop, there is an event: The traditional pancake breakfast at the start in Nanaimo, the salmon feast at Hardwick Island, or the famous barbecue in Telegraph Cove.

The boats on this race range from small coastal cruising boats to high-end racing machines. The crews are just as varied. Some boats are crewed by highly trained, and seasoned racers. While other boats are crewed by less experienced sailors looking for a lifetime adventure.

Aboard Turicum, the majority of the crew are novice racers and we use the VanIsle 360 as a way of training new racers and giving them an opportunity to become part of the VanIsle 360 family and by introducing them to long distance and offshore sailing. For me, racing in the Van Isle 360 for the first time in 2011, was the beginning of an incredible adventure that took me sailing to Hawaii and back during the 2012 Vic-Maui International Yacht Race.

This year’s event is characterized by light winds on the inside legs, making it very challenging for all boats. It’s tough to sit on a boat, trying to tweak the sails to get the maximum out of the little wind there is. During the leg from Deepwater Bay to Hardwick Island, strong, adverse currents added insult to injury. With almost no wind to give the boats steerage, it felt like bumper-car racing. Around us, boats were anchored but spun around on eddy lines, bumping into one another or the crew was avoiding rocks. It was brutal carnage. Amazingly, everybody had a good laugh and there was no yelling or protests.

After a day of relaxing, washing cloths and drying sails and boats, the crews were looking forward to some exiting downwind sailing on Wednesday. Neptune seemed to finally have mercy on the Van Isle family with strong winds predicted from the northwest."   More Van Isle 360 stories here on Nanaimo Bulletin.   For more Van Isle 360 Race sailing information

Bermuda One-Two sailorsJ/122 RESOLUTE Takes Bermuda One-Two Overall!
(Newport, RI/ St George's, Bermuda)- After sailing 635nm twice in a period of around three weeks, going from Newport to Bermuda and back, it may be time for Scott Miller to take his J/122 RESOLUTE back to the barn for some R&R!  After all, after winning the outbound single-handed race, winning Class 1 both on elapsed and handicap time and sailing back double-handed with friend George Hazelton to repeat the feat of the first leg, it may be time for celebration, relaxation and reflection on a job well-done! In fact, this may be the first time that any boat sailing the classic Bermuda One-Two Race has ever won both elapsed, corrected and overall honors on both legs!

If some of you recall, the Bermuda One-Two is one of the classic short-handed races in the summer northeastern offshore sailing schedule, especially for those who love the challenge of short-handed sailing.  It's a race many sailors look forward to in between the Storm Trysail's fully-crewed version that takes place in even years.  For most, the "odd years" sailing from Newport to Bermuda outbound single-handed and returning on the summer solstice from Bermuda to Newport sailing double-handed, is the ultimate test of sailing skill.

Congratulations again to Scott and George on their formidable accomplishment and proof, yet again, the J/122 is an easy boat to sail short-handed offshore in such a forgiving fast boat (note- read the story below about sailing the J/122 in "darwinian sailing conditions!).
For more Bermuda One-Two sailing information

J/105 sailing double-handed on Great LakesJ's Sweep Great Lakes Double-handed Races
(Chicago, IL)- Two popular short-handed events recently took place on the Great Lakes hosted by the Great Lakes Singlehanded Society, an organization established for the perpetuation of the sport of solo sailing. Its purpose is two-fold, the first being to encourage the development of and education concerning suitable techniques, equipment, and gear for shorthanded passage under sail; its second being the recognition of accomplishments of singlehanded sailors in the Great Lakes region. The camaraderie of like-minded sailors, borne of the competition on the race course, is the one of the greatest benefits the Society is able to bestow upon its members.

According to legend, it all began innocently enough when a group of sailors were having a few beers on a cold windy night back in the autumn of 1978. The place was "Brownies on the Lake" and as the rounds of brew piled up, so did the enthusiasm for a Solo Challenge to Mackinac from Port Huron. Meetings were held throughout the following winter, until the details were finally worked out for the inaugural Mackinac Solo Challenge held on June 9, 1979.

It was a dark, dreary day with overcast skies and a blustery wind out of the north at 15 to 25 knots. Twenty two skippers answered the starting cannon and seventeen hung on to finish at Mackinac Island. The seventeen finishers of that first race went on to become the charter members and nucleus of the Great Lakes Singlehanded Society. It was proclaimed that the organization would be dedicated to the promotion and development of shorthanded sailing on the Great Lakes. Membership would be extended only to those skippers who successfully completed the "Port Huron to Mackinac Island Singlehanded Challenge".

Recently, those members took up the challenge when both the Western Shore LMSS Double-handed Race took place as well as the "Mackinacs" Singlehanded Race.  In the Western Shore race the J/Teams swept the top three divisions and took four of the top six overall!  Tom McIntosh and Dave Michals, sailing their J/111 MISTY, simply smoked their fleet, winning by over 45 minutes corrected time in PHRF Division II and taking first overall.  Finishing fourth in their class was Mike Hettle and Chris Nielson on the J/105 GLOBAL NOMADS, also taking fifth overall.

In PHRF III Division the J/29 TFWB RELENTLESS sailed by George Petritz and Craig Rastello won their division by ten minutes and took sixth overall. PHRF IV Division was taken by the J/30 MADCAP sailed by John Hoskins and Sam Keys, winning by a mere four minutes, but their effort also led to a podium finish overall, taking the third spot!

The two Mac Solo Challenge Races, Huron (230nm) and Michigan (289nm), also took place with some notable performances by J/Sailors.  In the Huron Race, the J/40 TANGO solo'd by Bob Van Eck took third in PHRF 1- Superior.  In the Michigan Race, the J/105 GANGBUSTERS sailed by Mark Gannon took third in PHRF 1- Superior while Rick Stage sailed ALPHA PUPPY to fifth in class.  In PHRF 3- Ontario class, the 30 foot J's had their way with the fleet.  Top dog was George Petritz sailing his TFWB RELENTLESS winning by a half hour over the J/30 MADCAP skippered by Sam Keys.  For more Great Lakes Shorthanded sailing information

J/Community

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

J/122 JOSS crew sailing to Darwin, Australia* J/122 JOSS- Proof Darwinian Theory Lives in Sailboat Design!  Cruising sailboats take many forms- skinny, fat, heavy, light, wine-glass shaped, plumb-bowed, frac-rig, masthead rig, cutter rig.  No matter what incarnation anyone believes in, over the course of time the ultimate sailing test is always the sea.  What many have learned is that excellent all-around sailing performance is important, especially for cruisers who wish to ply the Seven Seas and cover as much blue-water territory they can safely and swiftly without having to rely on the "iron genny".  Recently, a new J/122 owner in Australia chronicled their adventures sailing 1,100 nm from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea to Darwin, Australia.  Here's the story of the J/122 JOSS's adventures:

"It all started when Ray Entwistle (J/Australia dealer) rang to say: ”Are you busy next week? It’s time to put the team together again and Dave “The Rock” Buck can make it too”. The owner of the stunning J/122 Joss would like the boat moving back to Australia. We are going to take it easy however, It’s about 1100 miles from Port Moresby Papua New Guinea to Darwin and nowhere to stop. There are reasonable trade winds, I don’t want to use his spinnakers if we can help it, and need to get the boat there in pristine condition so it’s ready for racing in Oz.”

Great, I was on the team but that’s where all similarity to taking it easy stopped! My name is Craig, I am an Australian working in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea where Joss is based.

J/122 JOSS sailing adventure across top of AustraliaRay and Dave flew into Port Moresby from Australia on the afternoon of Wed 29th, I picked them up from the airport, we all checked the boat over then provisioned Joss up for the trip. A meal in the Royal Papua Yacht Club Wednesday night and the introduction of a local called Simeon who was an experienced power boat skipper but had never been under sail before and was a personal friend of the owner Ian. Sim as he was quickly nick named was joining us for the trip. That would make four and no problem for the J/122’s next adventure.

Thursday morning Joss slipped out of her marina berth at RPYC and gently moved over to the fuel wharf to top up the diesel tank and fill 2 x 20 litres Gerry cans (just in case) making a total of 170 ltrs.  At 7.30 am Thursday 30th the crew of J/122 Joss said their goodbyes to Ian the owner. Out of the harbour and through the uncharted Lilyoblad Passage with local expert Sim on the helm. This was a good start and we had already saved a few hours by not going around one of the large reefs that are part of the local geography in this part of the world. By 9am we cleared into deep charted water and Joss dipped her bows into the Coral Sea as we hoisted the #4 Jib, full main and where slipping along at an easy 7.5 knots in the 15 knot Sou Wester which was kicking up the 2 – 3 meter seas.

By 10 am the wind was 15 -25 and Joss was easily peaking at  8-9 knots in the stronger gusts with a reef in the main. The watch system started to settle in. Sea Temp 29.3 degrees c, air temp over 30 c and some 1070 or so miles to go.

7.30 Friday morning revealed Joss had covered 189 nm and we were in good shape to reach the incredibly tricky reef ridden strong currents which would be in our favour in the Torres Straits much later tonight.  We were already negotiating the many Islands of the Torres Straits which are a myriad of at least 274 small islands which  separate the far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of Papua New Guinea. Later in the morning we began to overhaul a 14 meter catamaran, he was initially under engines then as we began pass it they set some sail. It was good fun playing with the big cat all day.  He would sometimes get ahead as he used his minimal draft   to cut across some of the more shallow areas we were not even going to contemplate. Joss thundered along sometimes in the teens on the speedo as we tendered her needs which was mainly taking in a reef or shaking one out to maintain steady speed and comfort levels. Eating was a gourmet affair after choosing some great local meats and veggies in Port Moresby.

On the second night in the early hours came one of those calls seldom heard on a sailboat. Joss was negotiating a narrow passage called the Prince of Wales channel, with a reef to stb and Wednesday Island to Port, a freighter approaching from ahead in the opposite direction and the catamaran just ahead of us which Joss was gaining on rapidly. The jib had been furled and with 2 reefs in the main Joss was travelling at over 8 knts when the call came “I need some help please, how do you slow these b!**dy#  J/Boats down? “ Ray cracked up laughing - I love that call, never heard it before - go the J’s.

It was 2.30 in the morning with 25-30 knots just forward of the beam, Joss still doing over 9 knots at times and reveling even with reduced sail area perfectly balanced. We began to overhaul the cat once more, much easier with a few more pairs of eyes looking out through the dark non moon night and spray. Then all of a sudden the cat peeled away to port and must have realized it was his last chance to sail down another channel towards Thursday Island anchorages.  (Hope he had permission and given at least 76 hours notice – we had discussed it amongst ourselves as it was an option we considered but dismissed when we realized there was no jetties to moor up against and we weren’t carrying a dinghy).

The rest of the early hours went well and as daylight broke the daily log revealed Joss had covered another 181 miles even though we had been weaving between the many narrow channels and Islands. Four hours later Joss had cleared the Torres Straits. We all managed to contact our loved ones whilst in brief phone contact but now had over 600 miles to go to Darwin, course 286 deg and into the Arafura Sea already. We were pleased how the trip was going and complimenting Dave on his route planning and the home work he had done before embarking on this dash across the top of Australia. All was well, the boat making great progress, all eating very well with more steaks and fresh gourmet food left in the fridge and the relief of the tricky Straits behind - these would have been great to see in the daylight but never mind everything on the J/122 was good and a great crew who had gelled perfectly.

Suddenly Joss began to head up off course, we manually checked this and reset the autopilot we had named Hank.  Hank would not re engage so we set about removing the dock box so we could climb into the stern locker to see if anything was obviously wrong.  Nothing wrong could be found so with dock box replaced we re-jigged our watch system with the mindset that we would now be hand steering Joss for the next 600 miles.

The first thing was a crash course for Simeon on how to steer a 40ft performance yacht downwind in 3 meter seas and potentiality high winds.

The third day slid by and everyone began to feel the way a J/122 can handle winds in the mid to high twenties and 3 meter following seas, it was just too square at times so for safety reasons we played the angles. A hand steered 15.2 boat speed record was soon set, then a 15.8, later that night 16.4. With 2 hour watches totally focused on the instruments wind and wave pattern and the stand by crew on deck too, the Joss crew settled down to a new rhythm. The next morning on the 24 hour plot revealed another 191 miles had slipped under the keel.

It was now a common occurrence for the Australian Customs Service to buzz the boat making radio contact and sometimes contacting us when we couldn’t even see or hear them - security in the part of the world is on high alert due to the extraordinary amount of refugees trying to enter Australia by boat.

With the wind changing strength from as low as 6 knots to 39 and changing direction as much as 40 degrees  during the next few days the watches were made fun by trying to break the record but with strict rules around reefing early and staying on the agreed plotted course.  We saw a tropical rainstorm heading straight for us and Ray called “that cloud looks amazing - time to doby.” I had heard this saying before and the others soon realized its meaning when I reappeared on deck with bars of soap. We were not short of water at all but it was so good and refreshing as we showered on deck in the heavy downpour of 25 degree rain.

On the fourth day we saw the wear patch on top spreader was beginning to chafe so we dropped the main and applied some extra layers from our sail repair kit. With the boat slowed down and not racing along  it was suddenly amazing how much bigger  the waves appeared to be as they tossed us around, every one harnessed up to apply the running repair. It was during the next hour or so while we waited for the sail patch to dry we noticed marlin following the boat and eagle eyed Sim also pointing out some sea snakes. Sail repaired we raced away once more surfing down whatever waves we could. This was great sailing, not over pressed, never out of control and making good speed, eating and sleeping well in this very comfortable platform as it sped us across the Gulf of Carpentaria.

On the 4th night the wind increased seeing gusts of 36 then 39 knots, we had 2 reefs in the main and a partially furled #4 jib. The next morning I was elated, the log revealed an 18 knot burst of boat speed, I couldn’t tell when it must have happened, I just have this memory of my best sailing ever in this amazing 40 ft yacht.  The 07:30 am 24 hour log telling us we had covered 205 miles, our best yet.

We were soon across the Gulf of Carpentaria and with Cape Wessell and Croker Island slipping quickly past our port side we turned almost due south into Van Dieman Gulf. Hard on the wind which was blowing in the high twenties to mid 30s and the seas still 2-3 meters. I envisaged a lumpy ride and knew we had this new course for over 40 miles before we could bear away again on a more westerly track. I was on watch but Ray appeared early and used the time to trim the boat up, a few adjustments here and there, we were still pulling over 8 knots, no excessive heel and a smooth ride, I was surprised once more by this boats performance and sea kindly motion, Ray then demonstrated how balanced Joss was steering with only two fingers on the helm with very little deviation from course, what a well-balanced platform.
The 40 miles hard on the wind soon passed and we were reaching again. Joss heading into the Timor Sea, then another south westerly heading again as we threaded our way toward Darwin around the headlands and across Shoal Bay, but not hard on the wind this time as it appeared to veer with us.

With approximately twenty five miles to go to Darwin the seas suddenly flattened then without warning the wind switched off. It was just as if it had said “there you go Joss, you are almost home and I have other things to do.”  We continued for a hour or so ghosting along at 4 knots then put the sails away for the last time and fired the up the iron mainsail. Ray started to organize a replacement auto pilot under warranty as soon as we got a signal. We were in no hurry as once again wanted to catch the strong tide entering Darwin.  We sat at 5 knots or so under engine, soaked up the flat seas and thoroughly enjoyed the last of our superb food we knew would be disposed of due to strict Australian quarantine laws. We entered Darwin harbour and dropped the anchor where Customs had indicated approximately 10.45 pm  Tuesday 4th June.  We were close to Cullen Bay Marina AQIS dock where we were booked in early the next morning for clearance back into Australia.

My good friend Simeon had this to say about his first sailing experience:  “The motion was very comfortable, the food was exceptional and the speed of this small boat was alarmingly quick. I was anticipating it to be rough, slow and hard work, my friends had warned me about sailing, however this adventure was the very opposite to that.”

The J/122 Joss covered the 1089  miles from Port Moresby Papua New Guinea to Darwin Australia in 132 hours (5.5 days), average speed 8.25 knots and used 22 litres of fuel mainly from charging the batteries.  When I reflect on this most enjoyable cruise we did the equivalent of almost two Sydney to Hobart Races, with 4 crew in 5.5 days and didn’t use spinnakers.

My thanks to the rest of the crew, Dave for his great navigation and seamanship, eagle eyed Simeon who picked up sailing very quickly and became a valuable member of the crew and Ray for putting together another great team. He makes me wonder what will happen if he is ever in a hurry as he obviously knows there is more to be had out of this fine piece of machinery - but please invite me again. I also know what I want for Christmas!

Good luck to the owner Ian and the relief crew as they take over from Darwin to take JOSS to her new home, Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club in Perth.  Best, Craig" 


* J/160 AVATAR headed for the Caribbean, again!  We LOVE these updates from our cruising J sailors that continue to criss-cross the Seven Seas. This one comes from Alan Fougere, sailing his beloved J/160 AVATAR.

J/160 sailing offshore to US Virgin Islands- rainbow over oceanAlan sent us an email update commenting on their passage south this winter, "In mid-December AVATAR completed her sixth transit to her winter Caribbean home, Grand Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI (seen above)  from her home port in Quissett (Falmouth), MA.  A crew of three, Captain Alan (e.g. me), Crew Pablo Brissett and Mark Conroy, covered the 1,500 nm trip in in her best time to date- 7 Days 5 Hours, averaging 8.7 kts, that's about 208 nm per day!  Amazing passage it was!  Rainbow at right far offshore was some of the amazing phenomenon we experienced on this fast offshore passage.

AVATAR will participate in the BVI Sailing Festival/Regatta again in 2013, where last year she won the Nanny Key Cup Cruising Class race around the Island of Virgin Gorda.  Here are some photos for you to share with the J/Community at-large.  Enjoy!"
Best, Alan Fougere/ AVATAR

Bill & Judy Stellin- sailing J/42 Jaywalker* Bill & Judy Stellin recently had an interview about cruising on their J/42 in the Wall St Journal called "Retiring on the Open Sea".  The Wall St Journal asked Bill to reply to dozens of questions that flooded into the WSJ's Editor desks. Here's the update:

Retiring on the Sea: Answering Readers' Questions
Advice about selecting a boat, ocean crossings, itineraries and safety

Wall St Journal interview- Stellin's Offshore cruising/ sailing retirementThe article in our WSJ Online December retirement report about eight years spent sailing the Mediterranean— "Retiring to the Open Sea"— prompted many questions and comments from readers.  We asked William Stellin, who wrote the story, to answer some of the most common queries.

WSJ- "What kind and make of boat did you use? Looking back, would you have picked a different boat?"

Bill- "In 1995-96, J/Boats of Newport, RI, came out with a new cruiser/racer model, the J/42. We bought hull No. 6 of this popular 42-foot sailboat and named it JAYWALKER. This was our fourth boat since beginning sailing in 1975.

Although long-distance cruising wasn't what we had in mind when we purchased JAYWALKER, it soon became apparent it had the ability to carry us easily and safely anywhere we wanted to go. Because the boat is light, it sails well in light winds, which means very little motoring is necessary.

People often ask (and argue) about what boat is best for cruising. Any boat that is strong, safe, fast, comfortable and easily handled by two people should fit the bill. One thing for sure, fast is fun—and important when trying to avoid bad weather."

READ MORE ABOUT BILL'S INSIGHTFUL COMMENTARY AND THOUGHTS ON WSJ ONLINE HERE


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/

* 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/.

J/130 sailing ARC Rally arrives Portugal- leave a message on the sea wall!* 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).

-  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).  Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".

- 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), 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.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

J/Newsletter- June 19, 2013

J/88 one-design family speedster sailboat 
J/88 Family Speedster Update
(Newport, RI)- The next generation family-friendly speedster is rapidly taking shape at the production facility in Bristol, Rhode Island under the careful supervision of designer Alan Johnstone and CCF Composites.  Seen here with it's deck installed, the J/88 is on-track to launch by late June in time for the masses of sailors that flock to Newport to enjoy the spectacular 4th of July Independence Day celebrations on the water in front of New York YC's Harbour Court and the fireworks display off Fort Adams.

J/88 one-design family speedster sailboat cockpitThe J/88 one-design speedster has over two dozen boats going to European, American and New Zealand customers.  The anticipation has been very high in those areas where 28-32 foot performance sailboats have traditionally been most popular-- Northeast, Mid-Atlantic/ Chesapeake, Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico, West Coast, as well as the United Kingdom, Benelux, France, Germany and Scandinavia.  For those who can’t make it to Newport this summer, the J/88 will soon be “on tour” making the rounds at most of the major shows this fall including Newport, Southampton and Annapolis.  Over the next six months boats will be on their way to five different countries including New Zealand, UK, Germany, Canada and the USA; and within the USA to Chesapeake Bay, Long Island Sound, Galveston Bay, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Michigan (Chicago), Gulf of Maine, Marblehead, San Francisco and more.

For demo sails on this exciting new addition to the speedster family, please be sure to contact J/Boats (info@jboats.com)/ ph# +1-401-846-8410 or contact your local J/Dealer to make arrangements to sail the J/88 in Newport.  For more J/88 sailboat information

Block Island Race Week Preview
(Block Island, RI)- For many sailors in northeastern America and their friends from the around the world, Block Island Race Week is the highlight of the sailing summer.  Hosted by the Storm Trysail Club with professional, well-managed race committee's, sailors can count on fantastic racing for five straight days of sailing from June 24th to 28th.  Included in the schedule is another one of those fabulous "round island" races, the 25nm Around Block Island Race sailed mid-week.  While many enjoy the sailing, it's not unusual for many of the thousand-plus sailors to enjoy the renown "Block Party" that goes all week long, fueled by Mt Gay's famous rum and, equally as famous, The Oar Restaurant & Bar's famous "mudslides".

This year the sailing teams are looking forward to one of the largest fleets to assemble in years, with 183 boats registered to sail, J/Boats having by far the largest brand presence in the regatta with 80 boats participating (44% of the fleet!).  Six J one-design classes are sailing, including the J/111s, the J/80 North American's and East Coast Championships for the J/109, J/105s, J/44s and J/29s.  J/Teams are also sailing in the IRC and PHRF handicap divisions.

The J one-design teams are loaded with excellent sailing talent.  With eight boats, the fabulous turnout for the J/44s include several past J/44 North American and Block Island champions, including Jim Bishop's GOLD DIGGER, Jeff Willis's CHALLENGE IV, Bill Ketcham's MAXINE and Norm Schulman's CHARLIE V.

The J/111 class have a strong fleet of five boats, all of whom have won various handicap and one-design events over the past two years, including ANDIAMO (Paul Strauch), BRAVO (Sedgwick Ward), PARTNERSHIP (David & Maryellen Tortorello who are reigning STC BI Week J/111 champions), WICKED 2.0 (Doug Curtiss who's reigning BI Week 2012 champion) and class newcomer EAGLES DARE (Mike Piper from Marblehead, MA).

The fifteen boat J/109 class are hosting their East Coast Championships and all recent North American champions are participating, including Bill Sweetser's RUSH, Rick Lyall's STORM and Ted Herlihy's GUT FEELING.  Other teams that may factor into the hunt for some silverware include CAMINOS (Don Fillippelli), NORDLYS (Bob Schwartz), PAX 3(Bob Siegel) and SKOOT (Jim Vos).

With fourteen boats, the J/105s have a combination of veteran teams as well as some new faces in the crowd.  Amongst the veterans with North American, East Coast and regional series championships silverware are ECLIPSE (Damian Emery who's reigning STC Block Island Race Week champion), LOU LOU (Bruce Stone), JADED (Peter Rugg), PLANET CLAIRE (John & Marisa Koten), TONTO (Fred Darlington) and TWO FEATHERS (Mark & Jolene Masur).

With their North American Championship on the line, the J/80's sixteen boats are also the largest J one-design class participating.  There are several top teams sailing with North American, Sailing World NOOD, Key West and East Coast champion credentials amongst them, including R80 (Will & Marie Crump fresh off a NOOD and New York YC Annual Regatta wins), RUMOR (John Storck, Jr and family), Clarke McKinnney, Bert Carp, CHURCH KEY (Chris & Liz Chadwick), FKA (Les Beckwith) and COURAGEOUS (Gary Panariello).

Enjoying a bit of a renaissance are the J/29s with six boats attending this year's event.  The two principal rivals with North American and Key West Race Week titles in their past will be at it again with HUSTLER (John & Tony Esposito) and MIGHTY PUFFIN (Steve Thurston) dueling for class supremacy.  However, don't count out DIRTY HARRY (Jack McGuire) and SEEFEST (Ira Perry who has won Charleston Race Week in PHRF class).

Sailing IRC 3 are four J/122s, DOLPHIN (Neil McMillan sailing for the US Naval Academy Sailing Squadron), ORION (Paul Milo), TUMBLEWEED (George and Carole Shaw) and WINGS (Barry Lewis from St Francis YC).  Also sailing are Andrew & Linda Weiss on their J/130 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON VIII.  In IRC 4 are two J/120s, REBECCA (Glenn Gault) and VAREKAI (Peter Hein).

In PHRF world, sailing the PHRF 2 class are the J/100 5 CENT (Nickel van Reesema), the J/109 ZUMA (Macrae & Chronert Sykes) and the J/35 SERAPHIM (David Saurette).  In PHRF 4 is the J/95 GRIN (Richard Eytel).  Sailing PHRF Cruising is the J/24 ISLAND SPIRIT (Bob Closter from Block Island).  In PHRF Double-handed class are the J/90 BLACKWING (Chris Dowling) and the J/100 FLASHPOINT (Adrian Little).  For more Block Island Race Week sailing information

J/24 one-design sailboat- world's largest one-design classJ/24 US Nationals Preview
Will Three Big Dogs Prevail?
(Wayzata, MN)- Lake Minnetonka will again be the playground for J/24s as the Wayzata YC hosts them for their National Championship from June 20-23.  As J/24 Fleet #1, Lake Minnetonka has more experience than any other club hosting major events for J/24s over the course of time sailing on the lake since 1977!  The Wayzata YC J/24 sailors are looking forward to another "most excellent" regatta with a stellar group of twenty boats participating.

Recently, the J/24 class established a "World Rankings" website (http://www.j24worldrankings.com) that gives J/24 sailors around the world a ranking overall and by country based on performance and participation.  Currently 1,118 sailors and 140 regattas over 4 years were used in these rankings (best four in past two years count using a high point system).  Not surprisingly, six of the top ten are Americans with Brazil, Italy, Argentina and Germany filling out the balance of top teams.  Sailing in this year's J/24 Nationals are three of the Americans, including World #1 Mike Ingham from Rochester, NY, #9 Pat Toole from Santa Barbara, CA sailing his famous THREE BIG DOGS and #10 Travis Odenbach from Rochester, NY sailing HONEY BADGER.  Not to be outdone are some of the famous founding members of  J/24 Fleet #1 sailing with Rolf Turnquist and John Gjerde on the mighty yacht OZ!  For more J/24 US Nationals sailing information

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

As we approach the end of June, several significant regattas and offshore races have taken place that mark, for some, the highlight of their summers already, and for others the beginning of a series of events that will hopefully take place in sunny warm, sublime climes!  On the European side of the world, the J/70 and J/80 UK Nationals were hosted by the fabulously cool Royal Yacht Squadron situated on that little corner of Cowes facing north across the Solent, and what a regatta it was!  Just WNW was the Celtic Regatta held in North Wales also over a spectacular weekend of sailing for a fleet of J/109s and a very fast new J/111!  Also adding to all the drama off the Squadron was the fact that an RORC De Guingand Bowl race was started for J/105s, J/109s and others racing IRC offshore from Cowes to Guernsey, Channel Islands off St Malo, France.

Across the pond in the old colonies were a bunch of Americans sailing offshore to Bermuda.  One event started in Marion, MA deep inside Buzzards Bay, the Marion-Bermuda Race, which saw the J/120 ALIBI and J/122 AUGUST WEST participating as well as other famous TV, Hollywood, social media personalities!  The other event, the Bermuda One-Two, was decidedly less star-struck, but had their own stars in the form of the J/122 RESOLUTE blasting across the Gulf Stream to glory.  Also happening in Newport was the century and half-plus New York YC Annual Regatta that was host to several J one-designs, including the J/70, J/80, J/105, J/111 classes as well as offshore IRC classe with J/92s, J/100, J/109, J/44 and J/122s participating.  Heading west, the Cleveland Race Week had a great turn-out of J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, J/105s all sailing as one-design classes and having a ball!  Out West, the Pacific was offering up some amazing conditions for the classic "downhill racers" on the California coastline.  This time, the J/125 enjoyed the awesome conditions in the Spinnaker Cup (San Francisco to Monterey) and a new J/111 joined them for the Farallones Race (San Francisco out to Farallones Island and return).

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below has many entertaining stories and news about J/Sailors as well as cruising blogs about those who 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:

Jun 19-22- J/24 US Nationals- Wayzata, MN
Jun 23-28- Block Island Race Week- (80, 35, 105, 109, 111, 44)- Block Island, RI
Jun 27-30- Kieler Woche (70, 80, 24)- Kieler Segeln Club- Kiel, Germany
Jun 27-30- J/22 Europeans- Zierikzee, Netherlands
Jul 4-7- J/24 UK Nationals- Plymouth, England
Jul 6-13- J/80 World Championships- Marseilles, France
Jul 12-14- Bacardi Newport Regatta (22, 24, 70, 80, 105)
Jul 13-15- Chicago Mackinac Race- Chicago YC- Chicago, IL
Jul 25-28- J/30 North Americans- Barrington, RI
Jul 26-28- J/70 New Englands/ NOOD- Marblehead, MA
Jul 27-28- Youngstown Level Regatta (70, 24)- Youngstown, NY
Aug 3-10- Cowes Race Week (70, 80, 109, 111)- Cowes, England
Aug 9-11- J/109 North Americans- Chicago YC- Chicago, IL
Aug 9-11- Verve Cup Offshore (109, 111)- Chicago, IL
Aug 9-13- J/27 North American Championship- Oakville, Ontario
Aug 10-11- J/70 Great Lakes- Buffalo YC- Buffalo, NY
Aug 14-18- J/111 North Americans- Chicago YC- Chicago, IL
Aug 22-30- J/24 Worlds- Howth (Dublin), Ireland
Sep 9-14- J/70 EuroCup Regatta- Lago di Garda, Italy
Sep 26-28- J/70 North Americans- Annapolis YC- Annapolis, MD
Sep 26-29- Rolex Big Boat Series (70, 105, 120)- St Francis YC- San Francisco, CA

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

J/70 one-design sailboat- world's fastest growing one-design sailboatStellar J/70 & J/80 UK Nationals
Scott Wins J/70s, Sproul Takes J/80s
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- Hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron from Friday 14th June to Sunday 16th June 2013, the rapidly growing J/70 class and the large J/80 fleet held their National Championships in widely varying, challenging sailing conditions on the Solent. Winners in the J/70s were Ruairidh Scott on NORTH SAILS and in the J/80s was Rob Larke on J2X.

Expectations were high amongst the J/80 fleet following a stellar 2012 season. The J/80 World Championships came to the UK for the first time in seven years, and hosted an incredible seventy-six boats from nine nations including the USA and Hong Kong. Twenty-six boats then went on to compete in the J/80 UK Nationals in September. The Nationals provided a nice warm up for UK teams sailing the 2013 World Championships in July, where more than 130 boats are expected to travel to host city Marseille.

The J/70 UK Nationals were the first major UK one-design regatta for the new sportsboat that is storming the world. J/70 crews will then go on and sail one-design at Cowes Week and at the fabulous J-Cup Regatta at the end of August.

The first day of the regatta on Friday could not have been nicer.  Both fleets were presided over by PRO Captain Simon Van Der Byl. Conditions on the race-track (in the area of Brambles Bank) were some of the Solent’s finest with a brisk but variable 10 to 18 knots from South to South West. Captain Van Der Byl explained, "We really did have the best of days. We had to use the Z flag on the first start for the J/80 fleet but after that the behavior of both the J/70s and the J/80s was immaculate."

J/80 one-design sailboat- sailing upwind off Cowes, EnglandThe J/80s were first away for Race 1 of the two races scheduled. Once the fleet had settled down following the deployment of the Z flag, Kevin Sproul led Race 1 from the start in J.A.T and took the bullet at the finish line. Sproul said, "The Squadron did a fantastic job with the course. We sailed well and we had good boat speed. In the second race Stewart Hawthorn just got past us. It was great racing." Hawthorn and his crew on board J’ai Deux Amours were clearly pleased with the way things went for them. "We managed to get away from the fleet and get ourselves inside the leading pack at the penultimate mark. From then we managed to stay ahead until the line." But, it was a day where consistency delivers its own rewards and a mid-fleet result for Hawthorn in the first race countered by consistency and some strong and intelligent sailing by Allan Higgs with Team Juicy and Jon Powell with Betty put them in second and third place respectively, each on eight points at the close of the first day.

J/70 one-design offshore speedster- sailed by Russell Peters from West Kirby Sailing ClubThe first race for the J/70s saw newcomer to the Class, Russell Peters and his team on BOB in first at the first windward mark!  But, Race 1 and Race 2 ultimately belonged to Ruairidh Scott and his boys on board North Sails who scored bullets in both. Ben Field, tactician for North Sails explained, "We got the boat going well, we took the shifts and tried to play every little lift and header. Russell did a tremendous job keeping the pressure on, as did the guys in Team RABF Spitfire." Ruairidh added, "The first race was really close but at the start of the second we saw a potential fight brewing at the pin and we came up to avoid it. We got a clean start and then worked the shifts as they arrived to our advantage." At the close of racing, North Sails led the J/70 UK Nationals with Bob in second place with five points and Simon Ling’s Team RABF Spitfire in third, also on five points.

It was a challenging day on the water for all on Sunday. Having completed the first two races of the championship on Friday in sublime race conditions, competitors were sent ashore and racing was abandoned before the first start sequence on Saturday, as an easily sailable 21 knots quickly built to a steady 33 knots in the course area near Mother Bank on the Solent. Three races were scheduled for Sunday, of which two were completed by the J/70s and the J/80s in a fading breeze of between 6 and 12 knots which swung between 230 and 190 degrees.

J/80 international one-design sailboat class- sailing off Cowes, EnglandSunday was a ‘double bullet’ day both for Rob Larke and his crew in the J/80 National Championship fleet on J2X and also for Ruairidh Scott and the boys on the J/70, North Sails. For Ruairidh, these two wins completed his perfect regatta score-line and stamped convincing authority on this first J/70 UK National Championship title. Conversely, for Rob in the J/80 fleet, two wins on the final day of racing, although impressive, were not sufficient to overhaul Kevin Sproul and his crew on board J.A.T who had led the regatta from Race One and, having never posted a result outside of the top two across the series, were deserving winners of the 2013 J/80 UK National Championship.

Both fleets were invited to a Pimms loaded prize-giving on The Platform at the Royal Yacht Squadron on Sunday afternoon, which, unsurprisingly, was extraordinarily well attended. PRO Captain Simon Van Der Byl thanked competitors for their sportsmanship throughout the weekend and presented prizes alongside the Rear Commodore for Finance, the Honourable Patrick Seely.

In the J/80 fleet, Gillian Ross and her crew from Rock & Roll were presented with the prize for Most Improved J/80 which was sponsored by Race Yacht Services. Rock & Roll’s results got better and better as the championship progressed, perhaps aided and abetted by the team’s visit to the Isle of Wight Festival.

The Best Corinthian J/80 Team at the J/80 Nationals was Jon Powell and his crew on Betty. There are many full-time professional sailors racing J/80s and J/70s and both classes acknowledge that recognition is due for outstanding achievement by the ‘amateurs’ in each fleet. In the J/70 Class The Best Corinthian Team was Simon Ling and the boys on board Team RAFBF Spitfire Powered by SLAM. The prizes were generously sponsored by Fastnet Insurance.

It was a short hop back to the podium for Jon Powell: he and his crew on Betty finished third overall at the 2013 J/80 UK National Championship with 15 points across the series. Rob Larke and J2X finished in second place with 11 points. J.A.T finished on just 7 points and the 2013 UK National Champions, Kevin Sproul, Phil Taylor, Chris Taylor and Chris Fisher were presented with the silverware and were congratulated by the assembled fleet.

In third place at the 2013 J/70 UK National Championship was Simon Ling and his crew from Team RAFBF Spitfire Powered by SLAM with 12 points on their score-sheet. Second overall was class newcomer Russell Peters and his team from Bob with 9 points. Ruairidh Scott, Hugh Fletcher, Ben Field and Matt Curthoys sailing North Sails stepped up to accept the J/70 UK National Championship title, never having lost a race. They were presented with a stunning J/70 half-model, sponsored by Wilson Covers.

On behalf of the J/70 and the J/80 fleets, Ruairidh thanked all at the Royal Yacht Squadron for the Club’s unrivaled hospitality and for the excellent race management delivered by Captain Simon Van Der Byl and his team. He went on to congratulate and thank his crew for their skill and support throughout the season so far and all of those racing at the championship for their competition and sportsmanship. Sincere thanks were also proffered for the other supporting sponsors of the event, Grapefruit Graphics, Peters and May, Wight Vodka and SLAM.

The next key event on the 2013 calendar for J/80 and J/70 sailors is AAM Cowes Week and then both fleets will race at the J-Cup in Plymouth later in August. The 2014 J/70 and J/80 UK National Championships will take place at Poole Regatta from the 24th to 26th May 2014.   Sailing photo credits- Rick Tomlinson   For more J/70 & J/80 UK Nationals sailing information

J/122 offshore one-design cruiser-racer sailboat at New York YC annual regattaGorgeous New York YC Annual Regatta
J Sailors Winners Across the Board!
NEWPORT, R.I. (June 16, 2013)  – The New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta presented by Rolex—the oldest regatta in the country—has entered the history books for the 159th time. With 153 teams competing, the 2013 edition also was the largest Annual Regatta on record, with enough action on the water and ashore to guarantee the event’s venerable reputation into the next century.  The regatta was blessed with great sailing conditions all three days, starting with the immensely popular Around Jamestown Island Race, a 20nm affair that can challenge the best sailors anywhere.  A massive frontal system was moving offshore, greeting the sailors with 20-30 kts of NNE breeze on Friday's Round Island race. Saturday saw beautiful SSW breezes in the 6 to 13 kts range with partly cloudy skies and balmy temperatures.  By Sunday, a weak cold front presented the fleet with dazzling blue skies and a cool fresh Northerly blowing 8-15 kts in the morning that slowly died off by noon, followed by 6-14 kts of classic SSW sea-breezes under sunny skies in the afternoon.

“We are proud and privileged to be able to open our home to this many yachtsman and sailors that come from all over the world, both professional and Corinthian, with great crews,” said Commodore Thomas Harrington after an Annual Regatta dinner that hosted 800 sailors and is as much of a tradition as the racing. “We extend the hospitality of the New York Yacht Club both on the water and off, because what we are about is sharing in our traditions. And like anything else, to have a great party you need people to come, and they came.”

J/Teams were a significant part of the regatta, and the parties!  One-design J's included J/70s, J/80s, J/105s and J/111s. Sailing on the Red course located just north of Newport Bridge in Narragansett Bay were the J/70s, which also are preparing for their first J/70 North American's in Annapolis, MD. Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT lived up to its name by launching itself into first place on Sunday after winning three of four races to displace Saturday’s leader SUGAR DADDY, skippered by Mark Ploch.  Finishing third in the eleven boat class was Heather Gregg-Earl and Joe Bardenheier's MUSE.  Rounding out the top five were brothers Blake & Lud Kimbrough's NOSTALGIA in fourth and Don & Tim Finkle's JUNIOR in fifth.

Racing on the same course were the J/80s, also preparing for their North Americans next week being held concurrently with Storm Trysail Club's Block Island Race Week.  Taking the crown with three bullets on the last day were Will & Marie Crump sailing R80.  Finishing with three 2nds on the final day to snag second overall was John Storck and family racing their famous RUMOR!  Taking three 3rds on Sunday to take the bronze on the podium was Jeff Johnstone racing LITTLE FEAT.  Taking fourth was Guy Nickerson's PRESSURE and fifth was Peter McCarthy's EAGLE.

J/122 offshore cruiser racer sailboat- US Naval Academy's ORION.Sailing outside on Rhode Island Sound were the Blue, White and Green race courses.  Both sailing days brought challenging conditions to these fleets.  In the J/111 class, Henry Brauer's FLEETWING sailed a very consistent series, taking two 1sts and three 2nds to win with 8 pts, 5 pts clear of the fleet.  In a donnybrook behind them were Marty Roesch's VELOCITY and Doug Curtiss's WICKED 2.0 helmed by designer Rod Johnstone.  The last two races determined the outcome, with VELOCITY taking a 1-3 to take second overall while WICKED 2.0 sailed a 4-2 to finish third overall behind by one point!  It could not have been closer racing overall for the 111s, with positions changing virtually every leg.  Of note, was that FLEETWING never rounded the first mark in first place and three boats won races, including Dave Brodsky and Fred van Liew's ODYSSEY.

Sailing on the same course as the J/111s were IRC 3 Class.  It just so happened this class of eight boats had to contend with five incredibly experienced offshore racing teams sailing J/122s and J/44s.  In the end, the J/122s dominated with Mike  Bruno's WINGS taking first by a whisker over the US Naval Academy Sailing Squadron's Neil McMillan sailing DOLPHIN.  Third was Paul Milo's team aboard ORION.  Fourth in class was the gorgeous aquamarine J/44 GOLD DIGGER skippered by Jim Bishop from Jamestown, RI.

Over on the more westerly White Course were IRC 4 and the J/105s.  In IRC 4, Bill Sweetser sailed his J/109 RUSH fast and furiously, enough to take second and eclipse one of New York YC's more famous boats, Vice Commodore Rives Potts' 48 foot CARINA.

J/92s offshore racer cruiser sailboat- sailing New York YC Around Island RaceThe J/105s had incredibly close competition with just two points separating the top three!  In the end, finishing strongly to take overall honors was Sean & Susan Doyle's KESTREL from Cos Cob, CT.  Settling for second was Fed Darlington's TONTO and taking third after leading the first day were Mark & Jolene Masur's TWO FEATHERS from Fort Worth, TX.

The Green Class teams were sailing the PHRF Navigators races, courses that took them around Narragansett Bay and into Rhode Island Sound.  In PHRF 6 class, the J/92s SPIRIT sailed by EC Helme took third and in PHRF 7 class, the J/29 MEDDLER skippered by Brian Kiley finished second.

Finally, past J/105 North American Champion, Stew Neff, skippering his Etchells 22 SCIMITAR, held the lead over two days and five races to win his class. "This weekend was full of tricky conditions and tough competition, but we sailed well enough to win the regatta," said Neff, who won the Etchells North American Championship in 1992 and is preparing for the 2013 event scheduled here next week.  "This weekend was great practice for the North Americans coming up this week; about half the fleet was here."   Sailing photo credits- Rolex/ Daniel Forster   For more New York YC Annual Regatta sailing information

J/111 international one-design sailboat- sailing off Wales, United KingdomJ/111 JEZEBEL Wins Celtic Regatta
(North Wales United Kingdom)- The 2013 Celtic Regatta incorporating the ‘J Challenge’ was hosted by Pwllheli Sailing Club over three days in June. The Regatta was organized in response to the growing fleet of racing boats in Pwllheli Wales and in particular in the J classes.

Racing started on Friday 14th June with three windward leeward races. The Welsh National Event Centre Race Management Team started the regatta at the scheduled time despite the challenging force 5 winds and just as the skies and rain cleared to reveal the fantastic backdrop of the glorious Llyn Peninsula and the mountains of Snowdonia and mid Wales.  In fact, the sailors were treated to mostly sunny skies, windy conditions accompanied by enormous seas-- it was a glorious weekend of sailing in northern Wales along the spectacular Irish Sea.

J/109 one-design sailboats- sailing off north Wales, United KingdomJ/109 JEEPSTER (David Lean) took an early lead in the regatta with a 1st, 2nd and 3rd closely followed by J/109 SGRECH (Stephen Tudor - ISORA 2012 champion) with two 1sts and a 5th.  The competitors were greeted ashore by Kev ‘Bach’ Williams of ‘HEART FM DISCO SOUNDS’ and later entertained by Meinir Gwilym.

The second day's racing was in a force 6 with wind speeds averaging 25 knots and gusting 30 knots. All competitors thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and exhilaration of the surfing conditions on the downwind legs and Andy Green the official photographer captured excellent images of boats in action.  SGRECH took the first race and then two 2nds. J/111 JEZEBEL (Guy Cowper) found her pace and scored 2nd and then finished the day with two firsts.  Saturday afternoon ashore entertainment was by the GYPSY TRIO and followed by a superb crew dinner for 90 competitors, friends and guests and music by the WEE BAG BAND until the early hours.

J/109 sailing upwind at Celtic Cup in north Wales, United KingdomSGRECH led the regatta at the start of day three with JEZEBEL and JEEPSTER looking to snatch a victory. With lighter 17 knots of wind SGRECH failed to repeat her strong wind performance and the impressive JEZEBEL came first in the first race. So it was all down to the final race and with JEZEBEL pushed onto the course side at the start of the last race SGRECH failed to take advantage and JEZEBEL won the regatta by one point (10 points). SGRECH was second on 11 points and JEEPSTER third on 14 points.

The J/109 MOJITO fought it out with JETSTREAM for 4th place and finished the regatta with a second place on the last race and JETSTREAM achieved their best result in the earlier race (2nd).  All results were very close and the standard of racing was considered exceptional with evidence of good seamanship in the high wind regatta.

Gareth Roberts the CHPSC Events Manager presented prizes to the winning boats donated by English Braids, Sta-Lok and Partington Marine and thanked all competitors, race management team - lead by Richard Tudor, volunteers, staff, entertainers and sponsors including Cwrw Llyn and Hafan.

The Pwllheli J/Teams will be taking part in the Dún Laoghaire Regatta Ireland in July.  Planning has started for the 2014 event which will be hosted in the new Sailing Academy and National Event Centre and details will be posted on www.pwllhelisailingclub.co.uk   Sailing photo credits- Andy Green - Green Sea Sailing   For more Celtic Cup Regatta sailing information

J/125 Double Trouble sailing San Francisco Bay- Farallones Island RaceJ/125 DOUBLE TROUBLE 4-Peats Spinnaker Cup!
DT and J/111 AEOLUS Dominate Farallones Race
(San Francisco, CA)- Looking at the success of Peter Krueger and Andy Costello's J/125 DOUBLE TROUBLE, one is reminded of other sporting achievements that are roughly parallel to their efforts.  For example, Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls were a pretty tough group with a supporting cast like Scottie Pippen and 3 pt gunners John Paxson and Steve Kerr.  "Da Bulls" are now celebrating the 20th anniversary of their first three-peat as NBA World Champions.  Then, they had a "repeat three-peat"?!  An un-paralleled achievement in sport, anywhere.  Winning sailboat races is never easy, particularly offshore with a few zillion variables tossed in for good measure and boats often going to extremes to win (e.g. hitting corners).  So, to win a race, any race or regatta four times in a row is pretty special-- the DT gang are basking in "rare air" standing tall atop the Spinnaker Cup Race podium and savoring yet another sweet victory for the record books.

Three-peat winners- Chicago Bulls basketball- like four-peaters Double Trouble J/125 sailboat!Said Andy after their victory, "We finished up our 4th overall Spin Cup victory in good shape. I think we corrected out 45 minutes in front of the next boat. We also ended up beating the RP 45 Criminal Mischief boat-for-boat! We passed them down wind in 30 plus knots of breeze thru Monterey Bay. Our GPS track had us clocked at over 25 knots of boat speed for over a minute. We averaged over 17 knots for last 35 miles of the race. The 125 is a wicked design!"

Andy goes on to say, "We just sailed around the Farallones Island in the 58 nm Round Farallones Race.  Incredibly, it looks like it's good for back to back wins in it! Here are few shots of us hovering at 20 knots under the Golden Gate Bridge for the finish!"  The DT gang again eclipsed the "criminals" on the RP 45 by over forty-five minutes on corrected time to take both PHRF 1 Class honors as well as overall PHRF honors!

Also sailing a terrific Farallones Race was the J/111 AEOLUS sailed by Rob Theis from Santa Barbara YC.  Rob and crew managed to finish in second place in PHRF 2 and take fifth overall in PHRF on their first major offshore outing!  They managed to beat some downwind flyers like a Quest 33, Hobie 33, Farr 36 and an very experienced Express 37 crew.  Sailing photo credit- Pressuredrop.us    For more J/125 DOUBLE TROUBLE sailing information - Spinnaker Cup   Round Farallones Race sailing information

J/70 one-design sailboat- sailing Cleveland Race WeekJ/Teams Love Cleveland Race Week!
Cleveland, OH (June 16, 2013) – Seventy-one one-design boats invaded Cleveland Race Week at Edgewater Yacht Club on June 14-16. Seven fleets competed, including four J one-design classes- J/22, J/24, J/70 and J/105. Light and inconsistent breeze on Saturday allowed only the J/105s to complete a race. Sunday dawned with winds between 14-16 knots, and all fleets were able to run three races.

J/22 one-design sailboats- sailing off Cleveland OH at Cleveland Race WeekThe largest fleet competing were the J/22s with sixteen boats participating from all over the Great Lakes.  Adding yet another feather in their cap was Chris Doyle and gang sailing THE JUG 4 1 from Youngstown, NY.  The JUG's 1-3-1 record for 5 pts was by no means a walk over, narrowly beating chief rival Travis Odenbach on HAARSTICK SAILMAKERS with their 2-2-2 tally for 6 pts.  Taking third was Tod Sackett on TRACTION with 11 pts, fourth was Vic Snyder on MO'MONEY and fifth was RJ Moon on MOONLIGHTING.

The J/24s did see a "runaway" in the form of FUGUE STATE sailed by Kevin O'Brien.  Their three firsts could not be matched by any other team.  In fact Dean Riedy tried, but their HALL PASS failed to get the ticket to pass go and had to settle for three seconds!  Third was Cathy Graf sailing GRAFIX.

J/70s had a terrific regatta with the second largest one-design fleet at the event.  Having learned some lessons from Key West and Charleston Race Week, Dave Ullman from ULLMAN SAILS simply staged another "runaway" with three firsts in three races to win handily.  Second was Ron Copfer on CLOUDSOURCED with three seconds and third was J/70 Class President Joe Colling.  Fourth was Tim Gibbs and fifth was David Koski sailing SOUL.

J/105 world saw the Sminchak family team (photo at right) led by Mindy Sminchak to a dominant four first places, the third example of a runaway in the Cleveland regatta.  Their closest competitor was Robert Mock's UNBRIDLED with three seconds.  Taking third was Eric Sutherland on ROLLICK.  For more Cleveland Race Week sailing information

J/109 offshore one-design cruising racing sailboat- sailing RORC raceWild Ride To Guernsey
J/Teams Dominate IRC 3 In RORC De Guingand Bowl
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The 120nm race to Guernsey produced some of the toughest conditions in this year's RORC Season's Points Championship so far.

In IRC 3 Class, J/Teams dominated, taking seven of the top 10 overall.  Second in IRC 3 was Todd Wells with the J/109, JE VANTE, beating five other J/109s racing to Guernsey. Todd Wells sums up a tough race- "Well that is the sort of race when you ask; why do we do this stuff? From a light start of 15 knots, the weather forecast was as predicted and we knew what was coming. Two thirds of the way to the Casquets, we peeled to the heavy No. 3 and all was fine....Then we hit it. It wasn't so much the wind which was about 28 knots but those Atlantic rollers, some up to 4m, which tossed us mercilessly. Wet, bumpy and torrid for 25 miles against tide; that's when you re-evaluate why you sail offshore! So eventually after four hours or more, it ended. Bearing away to a reach, we spot J/109 Jarhead; a scalp to aim for. We hoisted the kite for the last 3 miles and in up to 25 knot gusts we took her, what a stunning result for Je Vante and I'd like to say how proud I am of you my crew! Thanks for that stunning result guys and thanks much more for enduring it."

Behind JE VANTE were the J/109 JARHEAD (Greg Nasmyth) in third, the J/109 JIBE (Robin Taunt) in fourth, the J/109 J-T'AIME (Chris Palmer) in fifth, the J/105 DIABLO-J (Nick Martin who also took second overall in IRC Double class) in sixth, the J/109 JAZZY JELLYFISH (Kevin Armstrong) in seventh and the J/105 MOSTLY HARMLESS (Tom Hayhoe) in ninth!  Quite a show by these J sailors!  Thanks for contribution from RORC press officer Louay Habib.   Sailing photo credits- Rick Tomlinson   For more RORC De Guingand Bowl Race sailing information

Bermuda One-Two sailors enjoying dinner on Bermuda!J/122 RESOLUTE Takes Bermuda One-Two Outbound
(Newport, RI/ St George's, Bermuda)- One of the classic short-handed races is the 635nm Bermuda One-Two Race.  It's a race many sailors look forward to in between the Storm Trysail's fully-crewed version that takes place in even years.  For most, the "odd years" sailing from Newport to Bermuda outbound single-handed and returning on the summer solstice from Bermuda to Newport sailing double-handed, is the ultimate test of sailing skill.

After a gorgeous start on June 8th with sunny skies and a beam reach out of Narragansett Bay, Scott Miller's J/122 RESOLUTE managed to draw first blood and win Class 1 on both elapsed and handicap time over a C&C 41 and a Class 40!

The fleet is now sailing the return double-handed leg from Bermuda to Newport and Scott is sailing with friend George Hazelton.  At noon on June 20th the fleet took off from the Sound. The wind kept shifting from WSW to SSW but the fleet made it out of the Town Cut with no problems.  The fast ferry even arrived between classes; very accommodating.  The fleet are being tracked by Yellowbrick again, for you armchair sailors you can monitor and strategize what's the best course for the given winds and cut-across past the infamous meanders of the Gulf Stream.   For more Bermuda One-Two sailing information

J/120 offshore cruiser racer sailboat- winning Bermuda Race off St David's LighthouseJ/120 ALIBI Stars in Marion-Bermuda Race
(Marion, MA)- This year's 645nm race from Marion to Bermuda was anything but typical.  Starting with good breeze with many boats anticipating a record run, the wind ultimately shut-down with some of the leading teams nearly in sight of Bermuda's famous St David's Light finish line.  Persevering through the challenging conditions was the experienced blue-water team aboard the J/120 ALIBI skippered by Gardner Grant from Westport, CT, a recent winner in the Block Island Race and now Marion-Bermuda Race class and overall champion!

Early wind in the Bermuda ocean races often dangles race records like a time carrot in front of the bows of the big boats. But the record is very elusive. When the top of the course has pressure and speed, the system that is producing the wind is already moving out into the North Atlantic.

As high pressure expands from the West and to the South of the original windy area, a proverbial "parking lot" grows right in the middle of the last 100 miles of the course.  Most racers call this area the "Happy Valley", happy because that's how you describe skippers and navigators who've gone delirious!

The 'handicap' leaders for most of the race were the smaller boats that kept the old, reaching breeze longer and made their time on the other larger boats in their class. Towards the end of the race, the winds shifted into the southerly quadrants with 5-12 kt breezes moving the fleet along nicely.  For most of the fleet, the low pressure system built from Monday into Tuesday as the low moved off the mid-Atlantic coast and squeezed the high back to the southeast.  One of the prime beneficiaries of this front was the ultimate winner, the J/120 ALIBI.

Also participating in this year's event were two well-known media and TV personalities- Geraldo Rivera who's now on FOX NEWS and also Dan Egan, ski/ sports extreme adventurer from Boston.  While Geraldo sailed his own boat quite respectably, Dan joined with friends on the J/122 AUGUST WEST sailed by Jamey Shachoy from Marion, MA. They managed to have fun and take a sixth in class and beating Geraldo!  Sweet!

J/122 August West shredding spinnaker at start of Marion to Bermuda RaceEven better, Dan wrote about his account on the boston.com/extreme sports blog.  Titled "Ski Bum at Sea", Dan loves to write about action sports and adventures.  He thrives on action and has been at the forefront of the extreme sports scene since the mid 1980s. As a pro athlete, Egan pioneered extreme skiing and the extreme sports industry. He led adventure trips around the world from the Alps to the Arctic. His company skiclinics.com (http://www.skiclinics.com) runs camps and clinics across North America, Europe and South America. Dan's is not only a writer, but a world-renowned extreme skiing pioneer and an award-winning and Emmy nominated media producer. Here is some of Dan's commentary on the race:

"Joseph Campbell famously once said, 'The best things in life can not be described, the second best thing in life are the things we attempt to describe and the third best things in life are the ones we talk about.'

One thing is for sure: sailing the open ocean at night can’t be described, and in the spirit of Joseph Campbell, I will not attempt to do so here.

But what I can tell you is that Marion, Mattapoisett and Padanaram, Massachusetts are towns where sailing reigns. Located in those towns are some of the most respected boat yards, boat wrights, and sailors in the world.

The annual Marion to Bermuda Race is a rite of passage in this part of New England, and the scene at the dock with generations of families ranging in age from four months to 80 plus years old, wishing us luck is equally hard to describe.

On the boat I sailed on, ages ranged from 18 year-olds to seasoned sailors, many of whom had done this race as many as 13 times. The largest boat in the race, Shindig, had a father-son team on board. Mark Riley and his son kept a blog with that is very moving and both the father and son are sailing the boat back later this week.

I sailed on the boat August West. We had an amazing start, only to blow out the spinnaker three miles into the race. We eventually sewed it back and referred to it as Frankenkite, but by then the leaders were too far out in front to catch. This photo was taken by Hew Russell of our kite ripping away from the boat.

Racing these sailboats is a mix of mental endurance and physical grind, with three-hour watches at night and four hour watches during the day. The hardest part of sailing in general is staying focused on making the boat go fast and in a 650 mile race like this, that often can be a tall order. We had eight crew members to motivate each other, and the winner of the race (on the boat Alibi) was a double-handed entry. I can only imagine that their challenges during sail changes and rough seas were greater than ours."  Read more about Dan's adventures here on boston.com (http://www.boston.com/ae/radio/edging_the_xtreme/).   Sailing photo credits- Spectrum Images   For more Marion to Bermuda Race sailing information

J/Community

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

J/111 speedo - Blur.se going 20+ knots!* J/111 Breaking 20+ Kts- Marstrand, Sweden- Peter Gustafsson and crew aboard BLUR.SE went out for their training session in May on the northwestern Baltic Sea on a grey, steely day with winds blowing just 20-26 kts.  Many other boats were out practicing prior to the first race weekend of the season-- most were having great difficulty controlling their boats, most broaching wildly.  The J/111 crew on BLUR.SE simply went about their training session like a "walk in the park on Sunday morning", effortlessly gybing several times (see their technique in the video) and planing up to 20.26 kts on their GPS/ speedo!  Watch this YouTube video of the J/111 BLUR.SE.

Similarly, the J/111 #17 sailed by Dorian McKelvy has been out sailing quite actively and are also having a great time with their boat.  Here is their first regatta video on YouTube.com-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcKqYQie6NE


* J/160 AVATAR headed for the Caribbean, again!  We LOVE these updates from our cruising J sailors that continue to criss-cross the Seven Seas. This one comes from Alan Fougere, sailing his beloved J/160 AVATAR.

J/160 sailing offshore to US Virgin Islands- rainbow over oceanAlan sent us an email update commenting on their passage south this winter, "In mid-December AVATAR completed her sixth transit to her winter Caribbean home, Grand Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI (seen above)  from her home port in Quissett (Falmouth), MA.  A crew of three, Captain Alan (e.g. me), Crew Pablo Brissett and Mark Conroy, covered the 1,500 nm trip in in her best time to date- 7 Days 5 Hours, averaging 8.7 kts, that's about 208 nm per day!  Amazing passage it was!  Rainbow at right far offshore was some of the amazing phenomenon we experienced on this fast offshore passage.

AVATAR will participate in the BVI Sailing Festival/Regatta again in 2013, where last year she won the Nanny Key Cup Cruising Class race around the Island of Virgin Gorda.  Here are some photos for you to share with the J/Community at-large.  Enjoy!"
Best, Alan Fougere/ AVATAR

Bill & Judy Stellin- sailing J/42 Jaywalker* Bill & Judy Stellin recently had an interview about cruising on their J/42 in the Wall St Journal called "Retiring on the Open Sea".  The Wall St Journal asked Bill to reply to dozens of questions that flooded into the WSJ's Editor desks. Here's the update:

Retiring on the Sea: Answering Readers' Questions
Advice about selecting a boat, ocean crossings, itineraries and safety

Wall St Journal interview- Stellin's Offshore cruising/ sailing retirementThe article in our WSJ Online December retirement report about eight years spent sailing the Mediterranean— "Retiring to the Open Sea"— prompted many questions and comments from readers.  We asked William Stellin, who wrote the story, to answer some of the most common queries.

WSJ- "What kind and make of boat did you use? Looking back, would you have picked a different boat?"

Bill- "In 1995-96, J/Boats of Newport, RI, came out with a new cruiser/racer model, the J/42. We bought hull No. 6 of this popular 42-foot sailboat and named it JAYWALKER. This was our fourth boat since beginning sailing in 1975.

Although long-distance cruising wasn't what we had in mind when we purchased JAYWALKER, it soon became apparent it had the ability to carry us easily and safely anywhere we wanted to go. Because the boat is light, it sails well in light winds, which means very little motoring is necessary.

People often ask (and argue) about what boat is best for cruising. Any boat that is strong, safe, fast, comfortable and easily handled by two people should fit the bill. One thing for sure, fast is fun—and important when trying to avoid bad weather."

READ MORE ABOUT BILL'S INSIGHTFUL COMMENTARY AND THOUGHTS ON WSJ ONLINE HERE


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/

* 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/.

J/130 sailing ARC Rally arrives Portugal- leave a message on the sea wall!* 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).

-  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).  Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".

- 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), 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.