Wednesday, April 29, 2015

J/Newsletter- April 29th, 2015

J/70s sailing Annapolis NOODAnnapolis NOOD Preview
(Annapolis, Maryland)- The upcoming Helly Hansen Annapolis NOOD regatta hosted by Annapolis YC in Annapolis, MD is seeing an excellent turnout, with strong growth over last year’s event.  Of the fleet of 206 boats registered, there are 159 J’s (77% of the fleet) sailing in nine one-design classes (J/22, J/24, J/70, J/80, J/30, J/35, J/105, J/109 and J/111.  In short, the Annapolis NOOD has become a de facto J/Fest for the Chesapeake Bay and very class has talented teams in their mix.

The fleet will have to deal with a less than thrilling forecast for the three days of sailing.  While Friday may have some sprinkles and 6-10 kt easterlies with the passing of a weak Low, Saturday morning at least looks promising with nice breezes out of the northeast starting in the 10-20 kts range and diminishing and veering as the day goes on- a fairly typical scenario.  Sunday looks like a roll of the dice, with winds starting northwest but shifting east, then back west in the 4-7 kts range.  Perhaps a few offerings to old man Neptune may be in store each day to improve those odds!

Starting off with the J/22s, the 21-boat class has teams from New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Rhode Island and New Jersey.  Leading teams include Mike Marshall’s BAD NEWS, Jeff Todd’s HOT TODDY, top woman sailor Sandy Adzick skippering HOT TICKET, Brad Julian on JULIAN ASSOCIATES, Terry Flynn (recent Midwinters Champion) on RUG BURN from Houston, and Chris Doyle’s THE JUG 4 1 from Youngstown.

The venerable J/24 class has seven boats sailing with Ron Medlin’s BASH, Pat Fitzgerald’s RUSH HOUR, Pete Kassal’s SPACEMAN SPIFF and Mark Rivera’s THE J-TEAM.

J/70s sailing AnnapolisContinuing to set attendance records is the extraordinarily popular J/70.  With 59 boats scheduled to be on the starting line, there will be little room for error amongst the fleet leaders as it appears that it will be just one starting line for this hyperkinetic group of sailors.  Many of the top teams from the Midwinters, Bacardi Miami Sailing Week and the recent Charleston Race Week will be in attendance.  The mighty AFRICA will have Will Stocke from Martha’s Vineyard racing her this time (she got 3rd in Charleston); Mauricio Santa Cruz’s BRUSCHETTA from Rio de Janeiro YC in Brazil (5x J/24 World Champion); Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT for Wayzata YC Minnesota; Allan Terhune’s DAZZLER from Annapolis YC; Julian Fernandez Neckelmann’s FLOJITO Y COOPERANDO from Valle de Bravo, Mexico (recent Charleston winner with Etchells 22 World Champion Bill Hardesty on tactics); current World Champion Tim Healy sailing HELLY HANSEN from Newport, RI; Jen & Ray Wulff sailing JOINT CUSTODY from Annapolis; Cole Allsopp skippering MOXIE from Annapolis; Dan & Gannon Troutman aboard PIED PIPER from Fishing Bay YC; Will Welles on RASCAL from Newport, RI; Peter Vessella skippering RUNNING WILD from St Francis YC in San Francisco; John Aras’ hot local team on SCHOOL’S OUT; Peter McChesney driving SUM TING WONG from Annapolis; Alex Meleny cruisin’ on TRUCKIN’ from Martha’s Vineyard, MA; Henry Filter on WILD CHILD from Eastport; and finally he who needs no introduction- Terry Hutchinson sailing USA 419 (recent ROLEX Yachtsman of the Year sailing with his daughter and Taylor Canfield- World Match Racing Champion).

Top Corinthians J/70 teams are likely to include MUSE led by Joe Bardenheier from Boston, MA; Bryan Cameron & Brian Elliott on B-SQUARED from Sayville YC; Holly Graf skippering SPICE from Eastport YC; and Brandon Flack & family electrifying the world on TORQEEDO from Stonington, CT.

With one of their strongest turnouts in recent months, the 25 boat J/80 fleet will have spirited racing with many class leaders showing up on the starting line, some of whom also sailed Charleston Race Week two weeks ago.  Some of those fun-loving sailors are Nizar Abuzeni’s ARROW from St Croix Sailing Club in the US Virgin Islands; Bill Blank’s BLIND SQUIRREL from Eastport; Gary Panariello’s COURAGEOUS from New York; Bert Carp’s ELEVEN from Annapolis; Ken Mangano’s MANGO and Mike Hobson’s MELTEMI from Eastport; Bill & Shannon Lockwood’s SHENANIGANS from Keyport YC in New Jersey; and David Andril’s VAYU from Annapolis.

Moving on to the “big boat” world, we see the classic J/30 cruiser-racer continues to enjoy a resurgence.  The ten-boat fleet has a number of passionate enthusiasts that sees some beautifully re-conditioned boats sporting new paint jobs, gloss varnished interiors and fast new sails.  Teams that have participated and sailed well in past NOODs include George Watson’s AVITA, Bob Rutsch & Mike Costello’s BEPOP, Pam Morris’ BUMP, Ron Anderson’s INSATIABLE and Rob Lundahl’s RAG DOLL.

Like their 30-foot colleagues, the popular 35-36 foot category has all four major J designs sailing- J/35, J/105, J/109 and J/111.  The eight-boat J/35 fleet continues to attract their loyal following as well.  Famous boats include AUNT JEAN with the duo of Jim Sagerholm and Jerry Christofel leading the charge.  Sure to give them fits will be Maury Neibur’s BUMP IN THE NIGHT, Peter Schiedt’s MAGGIE, Charles Kohlerman’s MEDICINE MAN and the MASCI & McGONIGLE duet on WINDEPENDENT.

With 18 boats, the J/105 fleet continues its long-term love affair with Chesapeake Bay sailors.  Familiar names that have led the Annapolis fleet over time include Andrew Kennedy’s BAT IV, Collin Jones’ CHESSIE, Jim Konigsberg’s INIGO, Don Santa’s SANTAS REIGN DEAR, Chuck Lawrence’s FROYA, and Carl & Scott Gitchell’s TENACIOUS.  Talented visiting teams include Jim Macdonald’s DISTANT PASSION from the Royal Bermuda YC in Bermuda and Josh Richline’s VELOCE from Corpus Christi YC in Texas.

The modest but highly talented J/109 fleet includes North American Champion Bill Sweetser sailing the famous RUSH with an Annapolis YC team.  Their chief battle will likely be with Bob Schwartz’s NORDLYS visiting from Manhasset Bay YC from Long Island, New York and Francis Albert’s RESOLUTE.

Continuing their migration north that will ultimately end up in Newport, Rhode Island for the J/111 World Championship are the migratory J/111 sailors.  Two of the top three teams from Charleston Race Week are participating- George Gamble’s MY SHARONA from Pensacola YC in Florida and local hotshots Marty Roesch on VELOCITY from Annapolis YC.  Several teams have undergone significant enhancements to their programs and could easily upset their duel, including Robert Stein’s KINETIC from Charleston, SC; Dave McCreight’s appropriately named DARK HORSE from Annapolis YC; Gary Weisberg’s HEAT WAVE from Marblehead, MA; and Tony Culotta’s CUORE DI LEONE from Baltimore, MD.   Follow your favorite teams at HELLY HANSEN Annapolis NOOD Regatta here

J/80 sailing off Palma Mallorca, SpainPalmavela Preview
(Palma Mallorca, Spain)- The Gaastra PalmaVela regatta will celebrate its twelfth edition with a multi-coloured fleet, consolidating its international status as the Mediterranean’s first big boat sailing event of the season.  117 boats from 16 different nationalities will be hosted by the Real Club NĂ¡utico de Palma, where flags will be flown from Germany, Antigua, Spain, France, Holland, Hong Kong, England, Ireland, British Virgin Islands, Italy, Monaco, Portugal, Russian, Switzerland, Sweden and the United States.

The Gaastra PalmaVela Regatta was first held in 2004 as an ambitious project to “convert Palma into the Mediterranean capital of sailing”, explains Manuel Fraga. Eleven years later, the regatta has established itself as the principal kick-off event of the offshore keelboat season in the Mediterranean.

“The key word is adaptation”, adds Fraga, “There are a lot of regattas on the calendar, but in the last decade Gaastra PalmaVela has managed to continue filling the spectacular Bay of Palma de Mallorca with boats and sails in springtime”.

The racing programme of Gaastra PalmaVela 2015 will alternate coastal racing with windward/leeward races throughout the four days. J sailors will be participating in J/80 one-designs as well as in the ORC handicap classes.

A number of top Spanish and German teams are sailing as part of their preparations for the upcoming J/80 World Championship in Kiel, Germany.  Champion sailors like Marc de Antonio from Barcelona will be skippering BRIBON-MOVISTAR and his team will be up against fierce competitors like Javier Chacartegui Cirerol on HM HOTELS, Sebastian Allebrodt on MNEMONIC and World Champion Jose Marie van der Ploeg on NAUTICA WATCHES.  One Swedish team will be on the line- Tom Bscher’s OPERA SEASON- TEAM RCNP.  And, two German teams should be in the hunt as well- Dirk Euler’s LIMMAT EXPRESS and Inken Braunschmidt’s JOY TOY.

The large ORC Offshore Division will have to contend with Juan Carlos Sanchis’ J/92S CAFE DEL MAR from CNS Antonio.  For more Gaastra Palmavela sailing information

J/80s sailing Yachting CupYachting Cup Preview
(San Diego, California)- For sailors, springtime in San Diego can only mean one thing. While the rest of the country enjoys warmer weather and blossoming wildlife, the sailing community is training and strategizing for Yachting Cup, the premiere spring regatta of the San Diego Yacht Club.  2015 marks the 43rd running of the Yachting Cup Regatta, SDYC’s signature event. Again, this year is the expanded two and a half day format that combines both random leg racing with windward leeward buoy courses that will truly test the competitors.

The regatta kicks off on Friday, May 1st with a single ‘Beer Can style’ race in San Diego Bay to be held at 4:00 in the afternoon. For those who missed the Friday race, a throwout is allowed for the regatta, keeping them in the running. Following the race are the first day of parties at SDYC with the exclusive ‘Skippers/Tacticians VIP Party’ held in the Frost Room while the open invite ‘Crew Party’ will be held on the front deck of the club. Free food and complimentary drinks will be featured at the parties so they are sure to be a big hit!

J/70s sailing Yachting CupSaturday and Sunday will once again feature windward/leeward courses held in multiple venues in the ocean off the coast of San Diego. With steady breeze and open water, good boat speed and steady crew work will be what wins the event. Eight races are scheduled for the weekend, combined with after race parties at SDYC each day, skippers and crew are guaranteed to get plenty of excitement. There will be a trophy ceremony following racing on Sunday with class awards and the overall winner of the regatta crowned.

Part of the success of Yachting Cup could be attributed to its ideal placement on the calendar the weekend after the Newport to Ensenada Race. SDYC capitalized on that opportunity by offering registered Yachting Cup competitors free mooring at SDYC starting the weekend prior and going all the way through the regatta. This means boats traveling back north from Mexico can take a pit stop in San Diego, enjoy the racing and hospitality, free slip space on the docks all week and then continue on north.

Seventy-two of the sport’s most enthusiastic sailors have already signed up to compete in the signature regatta.  The 2014 Yachting Cup Champion Rick Goebel is registered and ready to defend his championship title in the J/105 class. However, he is faced with a long list of past champions ready to take back the title, including 2013 champion Tim Fuller on the J/125 RESOLUTE and 2012 champion John Laun sailing in the J/120 class.

Not surprisingly, the J/70s have the largest fleet at the regatta with a million boats sailing.  For many teams, it’s a continuing quest to prepare for this summer’s J/70 North Americans being hosted by San Diego YC.  Some of those top sailing teams include Bruce Golison’s MIDLIFE CRISIS, Justin Kromelow’s LOOSE LUCY, Karl Pomeroy’s ZERO TO 60, Vince Brun’s BLISS, Tom Garrett’s SLOOP JOHN B,
Eric Kownacki / Tom Jenkins’ DFZ, Beverly Burr’s VIVACE, and Dave Vieregg’s SOGGY DOLLAR.

J/120 sailing off San Diego, CAEnjoying one of their best turnouts in a blue moon is the popular offshore cruiser-racer- the J/120s.  Most of the top Southern California teams will be pushing the starting line hard, such as Chuck Nichols’ CC RIDER, Rudolph Hasl’s HASL FREE, Gary Winton’s SHENANIGANS, Tom & Teri Manok’s POLE DANCER, Peter Bretschger’s ADIOS, Peter Zarcades’ MELTEMI, Ernie Pennell’s MADMEN, John Snook’s JIM, Mike Hatch’s J-ALMIGHTY, and Eric Axford’s CAPER.

Never to shy away from a good battle are the veterans in the J/105 class in SoCal.  Familiar leaders in the class will be at it again with familiar names like Tom Hurlburt’s BLOWBOAT, Dag Fish’s VIGGEN, Dennis Case’s WINGS, Rick Goebel’s SANITY, Steve & Lucy Howell’s BLINK!, and Jon Dekker’s AIRBOSS.

J/109 sailing off San Diego, CAFor one of their best collection of teams seen in recent events, the J/109s from across SoCal have gathered together for some fun in Sunny Diego.  With a number of them fielding updated crews and sails, it’s going to be hard to handicap this crowd.  So, it’s your pick from the following crews- Alice Leahey’s GRACE O’MALLEY, Tom Brott’s ELECTRA, Gene Pitkin’s GERONIMO, Daylen Teren’s GREAT BALLS OF FIRE, and John Schulz’s LINSTAR.

The longest-distance traveling crew from San Diego YC might be Curt Johnson’s team aboard the J/80 AVET.  They will be up against several J/World J/80s with a few skippers in the “yet to be revealed, but they are good” category.

Finally, in the world of offshore random leg PHRF handicap racing, the classic J/35 RIVAL skippered by David Boatner will have to contend with an on-going rivalry between two very fast, very well-prepared J/125s- TIMESHAVER skippered by Viggo Torbensen and RESOLUTE helmed by Tim Fuller.

In addition to top-notch competition, the Yachting Cup also prides itself in promoting environmental responsibility by registering with Sailors for the Sea as a Clean Regatta.

The Yachting Cup would like to thank its sponsors El Jimador, Spinlock, Harken, Downwind Marine and Sailing Supply, North Sails, Mount Gay, Anchor Glove Co., Jackson Design & Remodeling, First National Bullion, Ballast Point, SD Boatworks, Bronny Daniels/ Joysailing and Cynthia Sinclair Photography. For more Yachting Cup sailing information

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

The end of April is typically busy in the spring season worldwide.  The north is winding up while the south of the equatorial border types are in full swing in their long, long summer daze.  On the American side of things, the J/24s enjoyed their Cowtown Stampede and Southwestern Championship in Dallas, Texas instead of Fort Worth, Texas— something about water levels (or was that fracking levels?).  Out West, the famous Newport to Ensenada Race offshore race from Newport Beach, California to Ensenada, Mexico took place with a large fleet of J/120 one-designs as well as dueling J/125s and J/145.

Over in the Caribbean, the last of the famous winter/ spring regattas was taking place off English Harbour, Antigua in classic sailing conditions.

In the European theater, the Warsash Spring Series Finale was winding up for the one-design classes of J/70s, J/80s, J/88s, J/109s, and J/111s on a beautiful final weekend on the always-challenging Solent.  Then, east of them the second act of the Alcatel OneTouch Italian J/70 National Championship Series took place off YC San Remo in Italy.

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:

Apr 24- May 2- EDHEC Sailing Cup- La Rochelle, France
Apr 26- May 1- Antigua Sailing Week- Falmouth, Antigua
Apr 30- May 3- J/80 Palmavela- Palma Mallorca, Spain
May 1-3- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
May 1-3- Mexican J/24 Nationals- Valle de Bravo, Mexico
May 1-2- San Diego Yachting Cup- San Diego, CA
May 12-25- Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta- Scheveningen, The Netherlands
May 14-17- Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale Brest- Brest, France
May 16-17- Cedar Point One-Design Regatta- Cedar Point, CT
May 20-24- J/24 USA Nationals- Berkeley, CA
May 22-25- Grand Prix du Crouesty- Crouesty, France
May 22-24- J/80 Copa de Espana- Aguilas, Murcia, Spain

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

J/70s sailing Alcatel OneTouch regatta in ItalyL’ELAGAIN Leads J/70 ALCATEL OneTouch Series
(San Remo, Italy)- The kick-off stage for the J/70 Italian Open National Championship featured thirty high performance J/70s from 3 different countries. Despite some spring weather tantrums over the weekend, the Alcatel OneTouch J/70 Italian Nationals Series turned out to be a tremendous success, all made possible by the great organization of the local YC San Remo and partner Gill.  The fleet enjoyed all types of wind conditions, including the last three races with solid breeze where the J/70 offered a great show of power, easy handling, stability & fun.

It was Alessio Marinelli on UJI UJI along with tactician Sandro Iseri who won the second stage of the Italian circuit in San Remo.  Tied with equal points in second place was Franco Solerio's L’ELEGAIN with Daniele Cassinari calling tactics. Monaco's duo of Guido Miani and Massimo Benussi on ANGE TRANPARENT finished out the podium in third.

J/70s sailing off San Remo, ItalySaturday's opening day brought very light wind that made races very tactical and produced some tough match-ups. There was a tightly fought duel between Solerio and Marinelli, the latter winning both races by a whisker. Similarly, on the first and second race, ANGE TRANPARENT and Luca Domenici's NOTARO Team took third and fourth, respectively.

On the second day, more favorable winds opened the door for a highly-competitive final day of action.  Taking advantage of the great sailing conditions was the reigning Italian and European J/70 champion Carlo Alberini's CALVI NETWORK, with Branko Brcin calling tactics.  They won two of the last three heats, while Solerio's L’ELEGAIN took his first win in the penultimate race.

In the end, consistency paid off and team L’ELEGAIN has taken the lead in the overall series after the second stage of the J/70 Alcatel OneTouch Italian Trophy.  Nevertheless, the level of high performance racing embodied by top J/70 teams such as CALVI NETWORK and Swedish Ingemar Sunsted's ROCAD RACING promises a very intense battle in the class with three more rather interesting stages to follow- - - everyone still has a chance to win!

J/70 sailing San Remo series- Alcatel OneTouchThe competition has been very tight in every race.  In fact, about 60% of the whole fleet are finishing races within 60 seconds of the lead boats!  Such compact, close racing makes for fun sailing and puts a premium on good boat-handling and steady, not-so-risky strategies.

Keeping it close for everyone with both class support and ensuring all boats conform to J/70 International Class rules has been Paolo Boido’s team at J/Boats Italy.  In particular, they’re making sure all boats are measured at minimum weights and people adhere strictly to the “hiking rules” (e.g. no, no touchy touchy those ankles!).  As a result, the J/70 is one of the few classes in Italy (as well as Europe) that have very strong Corinthian owner/drivers that are competing at the top of the class.

The next stage of the J/70 ALCATEL ONETOUCH ITALIAN TROPHY will be held once again in Sanremo on May 16-17 before moving towards Cervia (June 12-14) and Riva del Garda (September 12-19).

J/70 ALCATEL ONETOUCH ITALIAN TROPHY top five leaderboard is the following:
  • 1. L’ELEGAIN- Franco Solerio (ITA)- 24 points
  • 2. NOTARO Team- Luca Domenici (ITA)- 29 points
  • 3. ROCAD RACING- Ingemar Sunstedt (SWE)- 40 points
  • 4. ANGE TRANPARENT- Guido Miani (MON)- 40 points
  • 5. UJI UJI- Alessio Marinelli (ITA)- 45 points
For more Italian J/70 sailing information

J/88 sailing Newport Ensenada RaceCamaraderie + Perseverance Keys @ N2E Race
Anyone Seen The Amazing “Blue Flash”!?
(Ensenada, Mexico)- The 68th annual Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race saw over 200 boats hit the starting line on April 24 around noon in less than ideal conditions.

Hosted by the Newport Ocean Racing Association, the beloved N2E is an eclectic mix of serious sailors campaigning multi-million dollar yachts racing alongside recreational cruisers.  As a result, there’s no putting a damper on the attitude of competitors; camaraderie and the spirit of competition trumps lofty winds and rogue showers every time. Via the challenges of this race however, we learned it can be rewarding to get swept away with your family; it is OK to get off to a bad start, teenagers cure doldrums and look to the horizon for brighter days!

J/88 BlueFlash wins Ensenada RaceSpeaking of young sailors, Scott Grealish credits his 16-year-old son for their J/88 BLUEFLASH winning the Gil Knudson Trophy for Best Corrected Time in PHRF D Class. In their first N2E and second ocean race ever, Grealish said his son, a champion dinghy racer, was the one on deck who pulled the J/88 out of the doldrums. Although Grealish lives in Oregon, he keeps BLUEFLASH in San Diego. He decided to race N2E because it was appropriate for his 29-foot boat and because of N2E’s rich history.

The J/120 Class had seven boats with many of the top boats from the SoCal region racing.  After some close, spirited sailing in drifty conditions at the beginning, the choice was going out or staying in along the shore.  Some tried both.  After much gnashing of teeth, it was Mike Hatch’s J-ALMIGHTY crew that persevered in the end with an elapsed time of 24:47:37, just 6 minutes faster than Rudolph Hasl’s HASL FREE.  Taking 3rd was John Laun’s CAPER another 12 minutes back, followed by Peter Bretschger’s ADIOS in 4th and Tom & Terri Manok’s POLE DANCER in 5th.

The seventeen boat PHRF A class had the hottest California offshore boats in the 40-60 foot range.  Top dog amongst the J teams was Viggo Torbensen’s J/125 TIMESHAVER in third place.  Sailing one of their best offshore races in awhile was Carolyn Parks’ magnificent bright red J/145 RADIO FLYER, just 9 minutes back from TIMESHAVER.  Taking 8th in class was Mark Surber’s J/125 DERIVATIVE.  Winning bragging rights amongst the J/160 fast cruiser-racers was John Lyon’s INNOCENT MERRIMENT over Paul Margis’ INDIGO.

Having a duel for nearly the entire race in the fourteen-boat PHRF B class were two fast-reaching J’s.  Crossing the line first and also taking handicap was John Raymont’s J/122 T.K.O. over Seth Hall’s J/124 MARISOL, earning 6th and 7th in class, respectively.

The ten-boat PHRF D class got “flashed” by Grealish’s numbingly fast J/88 BLUEFLASH. Jack Mayer’s J/109 ZEPHYR was the only 109 to persevere for the entire endurance contest and took a well-deserved third in class.  The lone J in the 15-boat PHRF E class was Juan Lois’ J/105 ROCINANTE, taking a hard-fought third overall in class.

J/125 sailing fast in Ensenada RaceKeith Magnussen from Ullman Sails Newport Beach sailed aboard Viggo Torbensen’s J/125 TIMESHAVER.  Here is K-Mags’ report on his experience:

“Every year hundreds of boats leave Newport Beach on a Friday afternoon in full view of thousands of people along the shoreline who admire and question what is actually going on.  Contrary to what most sailors think, not a lot of people really pay attention to, or know what sailboat racing is all about, much less what going on an adventure like this entails.  At Just Go And Sail, we strive to bring you the real story without the boring technical stuff.

2015 was a highly anticipated year for the N2E.  Entries are increasing and sailing is gaining popularity amongst the general public so organizers were gearing up for the "best" Ensenada ever.  Only problem was no one told the wind God's!

The chosen ride for this race is the J-125 Timeshaver.  Owner, Viggo Torbensen, stresses competitive racing but at the same time a good fun atmosphere.  Sailing programs vary from boat to boat so it is important to feel out each team and understand their respective vibe.  There is nothing worse than being on a boat for an extended period of time with people whom are not enjoyable to be around.  We are lucky to race on a boat that requires a sailor to be good yet remember the main goal is fun and adventure.

A week of build up makes everyone involved in the race excited about the prospect of sailing down the coast and into another country.  First timers and veterans alike are always thrilled upon crossing the San Diego border.  Most people admire the beauty of a sailboat going through the water and when the Pacific is littered with hundreds of boats, it can make for some spectacular scenery.   This year did not disappoint as you can tell by this picture snapped just after the first start.

People always want to know what we do on the boat, where we sleep, what we eat and do we stop at night (especially interesting question when asked about the Transpac).  Just Go And Sail tells the story of what the racing is like.  What we feel, what we do and how we handle certain situation.

First off all we do not stop racing at night and have a few beers and light up the B-B-Q.  We put that myth to bed once and for all.  We sleep in tiny little bunks and eat freeze-dried food.  Some of the larger boats have decent meals and larger sleeping quarters but the average race boat is like camping while you are moving.  It is a close encounter with your crewmates and can

Starting amongst a few hundred boats only gives you a few lanes of clear traffic as you try to maximize your speed in order to get away from the light southern California coastline.  2015 was a tough year to do that.  In fact, they were still only abeam of us when we passed Dana Point, which happened to be at four in the afternoon.  Yes, this was my slowest N2E at this point.

Dana Point for me is iconic.  Living here for so long and understanding the history of this little port made me really appreciate and respect my surroundings.  It was almost sad watching it slowly fade from the horizon as the wind gently filled in.  Discussions about quitting were constant until we came together and decided to push through.  Freddy was not too pleased and decided he needed a nap at that point.  Sounded like a good idea to me but I was in it now.

What is it like sailing in this type of breeze?  It is extremely excruciating and taxing.  You need to really focus and shift gears with the slightest wind shift or velocity change.  It takes commitment and I know the good boats are committed.

Sunset came and we had still not breached the Mexican border.  When we did the wind finally came up a bit.  At this stage, we were headsail reaching with the genoa staysail.  Good combination since it was too tight for the Code 0.  When the wind finally shifted, we were just past the southern Coronado Island.  We put up a reaching spinnaker and were now doing ten plus knots right at Ensenada.  Now it is a drag race.

What did we do for the last five hours?   Sailed hard, made sail changes and packed sails.  I had the guys taking bearings of the boats around us and we figured we were in good company.

Morning comes and now is the chance to see what is really going on.  The Santa Cruz 52 Relentless and Javelin (Farr 49) were right there with us.  Being around boats that owe you a lot of time is usually a good thing right?  We will take it as a good omen at this point.  The fun part about this is that my good friends are on Relentless and we get to cross just in front making some fun gestures.

We pushed to the finish line making a few more spinnaker changes.  Finishing this one was great.  Only thing that ruined it was getting in and finding our good friends on Horizon had beaten us and won overall.  Just kidding.  Erik Shampain is a close friend and it is always a rivalry that keeps us motivated.  Great job to the team!

Ensenada is a great place to visit.  From fantastic restaurants to the wine country tours, there is something for everyone.  I highly recommend the taco place next to the legendary Hussong's Cantina.  Everything is good.  Take your time and adventure around, you will not regret it.

My time was spent winding down from not sleeping and enjoying a good meal.  Hearing the stories around town is an interesting experience.  Everyone comes away with a life changing moment or a harrowing tale.  Keep in mind I am talking to the bulk of racers who look forward to this race and spend time in the town.  There are the boats that turn and burn, the professionals who vacate immediately but the core of the racers stay to extend their experience.  The big boats might get the spotlight but the other guys make the race!”   Sailing photo credits- Rockskipper Photography   For more Newport to Ensenada Race sailing information

J/70 sailing Warsash Spring seriesWarsash Spring Series Finale
(Warsash, England)- Last weekend saw the deciding races in the Brooks Macdonald Warsash Spring Series and the Brooks Macdonald Crewsaver Spring Championship.  The boats were sailing in a force 3-4 southwesterly on Saturday, which veered close to due west for a time but backed once again during race three so the course did become biased for a couple of the classes but was re-aligned to the new wind direction for the remaining two.

JITTERBUG in the J/111s (Cornel Riklin) never dropped a podium place throughout the Brooks Macdonald Crewsaver Spring Championship and deservedly won their class.  Staying in contention the entire series was Chris Body & Andrew Christie’s ICARUS just two points back after 12 races.  After missing a number of the initial races, Louise Makin and Chris Jones’ JOURNEYMAKER II closed fast to grab third for the series.

Paul Ward’s EAT SLEEP J REPEAT just nipped their compatriots in the J/88 class by 1 pt with their steady scoreline throughout the series.  It was Stew Hawthorn & Paul Heys’ JI FI, the early class leaders after rattling off four 1sts and three 2nds in the first seven races that looked unassailable.  Nevertheless, persistence and consistency counts.  After learning the ropes on the J/88, Ivan Trotman’s JOJO closed with a 2-1-1 to secure third overall in class.

J/109 sailing Solent- Warsash Spring SeriesRelative class newcomer Ivan Burden sailed their J/109 JACOBI to victory in one of the Solent’s toughest classes by simply staying out of trouble and not having too many deep scores “down the mineshaft.”  Hanging close for most of the series and nearly pulling off a win was David Mcgough’s JUST SO, closing the series with a 3-3 for 47 pts.  The balance of the top five was in a near three-way tie for third.  As it turned out, Paul Griffiths’ JAGERBOMB nearly lost their advantage with a closing 1-7-12 to Robert Stiles DIAMOND JEM that closed with a 4-2-9.  On the tiebreak, JAGERBOMB prevailed for the series.  Taking fifth just one point back was Francis Edwards SARDONYX IX.

Ian Atkins’ BOATS.COM swept to victory once again in the J/70 class winning the class overall with just 31.5 pts total.  Class newcomer and ultra-fast learner has to be Russell Peters, former Commodore of the West Kirby Sailing Club, uber I-14 competitor and expert team racer.  Peters managed to win, place or show in six of 14 races to snag second place with 59 pts.  Taking third was Jamie Arnell’s LITTLE LOUISE with 65 pts.  Fourth was Simon Ling’s TEAM RAF BENEVOLENT FUND SPITFIRE and fifth was Ian Wilson’s GILL RACE TEAM.

J/80 sailors having fun on SolentJ/80 BETTY (Jon Powell) also maintained her first place position to win with nine 1sts in their 14-race record for an aggregate score of 20.5 pts.  Winning races but not able to match BETTY’s blistering pace was Mike Lewis’s JESTER in second with 34.5 pts.  Third was top woman’s skipper, Ali Hall’s BOYSTEROUS only 5 pts back.

The Black Group racing series was based near Champagne Pol Roger buoy off Lee Point in order to fully utilize the southwest breeze.  Windward-leeward courses were laid using inflatable marks in the deep water to the north of the Ryde Middle bank.  The White Group was racing in its usual spot on the Meon shore.

Peter Bateson, Series Chairman “The racing has been cracking not only this weekend but through the whole Spring Series and Spring Championship. We have had more boats competing this year and it has been a pleasure to see so many regular competitors return and to welcome the numerous newcomers.”

Whilst the Sunday (26 April) was overcast, quite chilly and the wind was back to the north/north easterly direction that has prevailed through most of the series, the competitors remained undeterred. Black Group’s first race, Class 4 started from near Wight Vodka and went up to William buoy before running all the way down to Cowes, then a couple of windward-leeward legs before the finish at a laid mark between Flying Fish and Artemis.

The other four classes started near South Ryde Middle and beat up towards Lee-on-Solent to a laid mark between Hamble Yachts Services and Fastnet Insurance; then a series of windward-leeward legs back to Ryde Middle and the Island shore and finish in the same place as IRC4.

White Group moved onto the Bramble Bank in an effort to avoid the large shifts associated with offshore breeze close to the shore and to take advantage of the neap tide.

J/70 sailing under spinnaker- Solent Warsash Spring seriesThe conclusion of the Brooks Macdonald Warsash Spring Series saw LITTLE LOUISE (Nigel Evans) storm home to a conclusive victory in the J/70 class.  20 pts in arrears was David Mitchell’s crew on JUMANJI and in third was Dave Mcleman’s OFFBEAT.  Rounding out the top five was Patrick Liardet’s COSMIC and Simon Cavey’s JUST4PLAY, taking 4th and 5th, respectively.

The J/80s had a repeat winner in the form of Powell’s BETTY.  But, in this case it was Ali Hall’s BOYSTEROUS that snagged the 2nd spot while Mike Lewis’ JESTER crew secured 3rd.

Elsewhere the final battle was more closely fought with the J/109 JAGERBOMB (Paul Griffiths) slipping in with a series win just two points ahead of JUST SO (David Mcgough). That result was not without its anxieties as the JAGERBOMB crew nearly “bombed” their spring series with a closing set of “non-podium” finishes- a 4-7-13 that ultimately became their throwouts.  Third was Joe Henry’s JOLLY JACK TAR with 16 pts.

Of significance in the Black Group IRC results was that the J/88 JI-FI took fourth overall for the series in IRC 2 and in IRC 3 Andy Howe’s J/97 BLACKJACK II sailed consistently to secure 4th overall.

The Sunday afternoon saw a packed Warsash Sailing Club with the last of the weekly champagne prizes presented, with a total of 22 bottles on offer.  The prizes were presented by top racing coach Jim Saltonstall.  For more Brooks Macdonald Warsash Spring Series sailing information

J/24 women sailing & winning!Natalie’s GIGGLES Stampedes Cowtown!
(Dallas, Texas)- The 2015 Cowtown Stampede & J/24 Southwest Championship started out with excitement even before the racing began. Normally hosted at the Fort Worth Boat Club, due to low water at Eagle Mountain Lake, the venue was moved to Dallas Corinthian Yacht Club on Lake Lewisville. The weekend though had a little bit of something for everyone – light air, medium air and gustier breeze up to 21 mph, delicious food and a few extracurricular activities.  Staying flexible seemed to be a good strategy!

After a postponement due to no wind, the wind filled in enough to get a start going. In the first (and only) race on Saturday, Mark Smith must have listened to his jet plane rockstar Joshua Bone as After Midnight took off and one tacked the weather leg for a commanding lead they never relinquished. It was probably the longest two-leg race in history as the wind died to very light air, with John Parker and Team Chupacabra steadily moving up to finish third behind Kelly Holmes-Moon and Team BadMoon. The rest of the day was abandoned and the shore festivities began. The fleet was blessed with a great dinner served up by Tonja Holmes-Moon.

On Sunday, much better winds awaited the fleet. In Race 2, James Freedman and the boys aboard Miss Conduct rode the left side to round the first mark in the lead with David Broadway and Team Superman, Natalie Penner and Team GIGGLES, and Kelly Holmes-Moon and Team BadMoon in close pursuit.  On the last weather leg, Team Superman found the big right shift and surged for the victory.

The trend for the rest of the day were large and persistent right shifts and the RC, from the Fort Worth Boat Club, had its hands full adjusting the course and even abandoned one race because of a large shift. In Race 3, Natalie Penner and Team GIGGLES took first place, while James Freedman and Team Miss Conduct, Tonja Holmes-Moon and Team Siren and Kelly Holmes-Moon and Team BadMoon followed in second to fourth place finishes. On Race 4, Natale and Team GIGGLES continued with their strong sailing and took another bullet with Kelly Holmes-Moon and Team BadMoon, Mark Smith and Team After Midnight, and James Freedman and Team Miss Conduct followed in second to fourth place finishes.

Some of the fleet had a challenge dealing with the large shifts at the starts, but when the dust all settled, Natalie Penner and Team GIGGLES, consisting of Bobby Harden, Chris Rousseau, Rachel Loziuk and Reed Cleckler, played the wind well to score two bullets in Race 3 and Race 4 for the overall victory of both the Cowtown Stampede and the District 14 Southwest Championship.  But, that wasn’t the last of GIGGLES accomplishments.

Seems a few fleet elements conspired to assist Natalie Penner into a full dunking in the DCYC pool to help cap off the celebration of winning the Southwest Championship! Natalie, ever been to Japan?  Congratulations to Natalie Penner and Team GIGGLES for their chance to represent Texas at the 2016 J/24 World Championship!!  For more J/24 Southwest sailing information

J/39 sailing Antigua Sailing WeekAntigua Sailing Week Update
(English Harbour, Antigua)- The grand dame of all Caribbean sailing regattas is taking place this week off the gorgeous English Harbour on Antigua.  So far, the diminutive, but fun-loving fleet of 50 boats is enjoying fabulous sailing conditions, with steady tradewinds in the 10-20 kts from the easterly quadrants.

At this stage, in CSA 3 Racing we find that lying 2nd is Nigel Passmore’s J/133 APOLLO VII with a 1-3 and is tied for first with three boats.  5th is Jonathan Bamberger’s J/145c SPITFIRE from Canada.  CSA 5 Racing shows that Martin Kennedy’s J/120 SUNSET CHILD is currently in 9th and hoping for more wind!

Over on CSA 6 Racing is Robbie Ferron’s J/39 OSSENFEFFER from Roadtown, Tortola, British Virgin Islands in 3rd and in 6th is David Cullen’s J/109 POCKET ROCKET with his Irish team.  Then, in CSA 8 Racing is the perennial Antiguan contender for class honors, Tanner Jones’ J/30 BLUE PETER sitting on 5th place.  In the same class, the St Thomas, US Virgin Island crew aboard the J/95 SHAMROCK VII, skippered by Matt Dana, are lying 10th.

Watch this space next week to see how these J/Teams survived Antigua Sailing week and all those amazing reggae bands!  For more Antigua Race Week sailing information & results

J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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J/70 Muse- Heather Gregg-Earl sailing Key West Race Week* Corinthian Sailing- It’s Critical to the growth of the sport, according to Heather Gregg-Earl.  “No victory is sweeter than one you win with friends!”  In the world of one design sailing today, those words have special meaning. With so many professional teams racing across so many one-design classes in the US these days, the Corinthian team (all Group 1’s per ISAF classification, no professionally paid sailors on board) is becoming a rare bird.

Many one-design fleets are finding themselves now with about 3/4 of the fleet categorized as professional teams with a small contingent, a fourth, being sailing by Corinthian teams. However, it’s critical to the growth of the sport that we encourage Corinthian teams within our classes.

Maintaining Corinthian type competition brings more sailors into the class, period, as it is a great outlet for those that place a high value on the experience yet still want to compete at a high level to do so.

I’ve been asked several times why I sail Corinthian, and the answer is simple: sailing and winning with friends is priceless. Twenty years from now I will be remembering the fun and laughs we had on and off the water, not whether we placed top ten in any given regatta. Life is about experiences with friends, not just podium finishes (well, maybe the big ones!)

But it is wrong to think that sailing as a Corinthian team doesn’t mean you can’t do well – you just have to work harder! The Corinthian teams that have worked hard are delivering the results across many classes.

Corinthian team of Ben Kinney, Senet Bischoff and Clay Bischoff recently had an impressive win in the Etchells class, a fully pro’d up class, winning a Jaguar Regatta beating 48 boats fleet. Last summer, their team placed 4th in a fleet of 95 in the Etchells Worlds. In the J/70 class, we have a number of fiercely competitive Corinthian teams that are giving the pro’s a run for their money too!

We think we have the best of both worlds. We get a lot better competing against the Pro’s and learning from them, yet we still have a chance at the Overall and Corinthian trophies as well.

The key to a strong Corinthian team is chemistry. There is no rock star aboard to bail you out. All members of the team tend to be a lot more equal in experience level relative to each other. It’s a complete team effort. How you work together on the boat, how you laugh together on land, how you support each other, and how you communicate all drive chemistry on the boat.

Chemistry is one of those intangibles – often underestimated but can be very powerful in driving results. We, as Corinthians, are underdogs, and must use everything we’ve got!”

Editor’s note: Heather Gregg Earl, Skipper of J/70 Team MUSE, trophied at the 2013 North American Championship (1st Overall, 1st Corinthian) and 2014 World Championship (5th Overall, 1st Corinthian, 1st Female Driver)

J/22 College of Charleston winning Charleston Race Week* Nick Johnstone (son of Peter J) sailed aboard the winning J/22 College of Charleton team that recently participated in Charleston Race Week.  Here is Nick's report:

"It was a great turnout this year at Charleston Race Week for all of the J/boat classes. The inner circle in particular saw a highly competitive field of J/80’s, J/24’s, and J/22’s all racing on the same course.

Day one saw tricky conditions with a very light northerly breeze with the windward mark placed a stones throw away from the battery. The infamous Charleston ebb current made the strategy throughout the day to see how close you could tack up alongside the downtown shoreline without running aground.  This involved numerous tacks along the shoreline, which was a joy with the dinghy like handling of the J/22. This strategy continued until the last race when Tom Hubbell on Air Force One noticed the current had switched on the right side of the course and decided to separate completely from the fleet on the right side. He ended up winning the last race of the day by several minutes.

Day two saw better breeze out of the southwest and the course being moved further out towards James Island Yacht Club. Air Force One won the day (scoring a 3, 1) with superior speed to the competition and closed in on Los Tres Bigotes lead.

The final day was raced tucked up against Castle Pickney again in a strong southerly seeing around 15+ knots in the puffs. Air Force One started the day off strong with a bullet, but Los Tres Bigotes would go on to win the final two races of the day. The final race was very invigorating in particular with a match race showdown pre-start between Los Tres Bigotes and Air Force One. Los Tres Bigotes were able to get the better of the two boats off the line and ended up finishing the race with a sizeable lead by the finish. Los Tres Bigotes skippered by Chase Shaw and crewed by Bobby Boger, Morgan Buckley, and Nick Johnstone finished atop the podium. Air Force One skippered by Tom Hubbell (president of US Sailing) finished in second and Wild Goose skippered by David Buckley finished third.

The J/22 sailors were composed of a great variety of competitors sailing College of Charleston’s new fleet. The regatta was sailed exclusively in the college’s fleet, which made the boats themselves a very even fleet, almost similar to college sailing. It was great to see the warrior sailing team fielding a boat with all disabled sailors minus the bowman, even including a completely blind competitor aboard. They had a modified J/22 with a bar for the skipper to cross the boat, which only goes to show how great a boat the J/22 can be for disabled sailing. Also sailing was College of Charleston’s dock master Jacob Raymond who is also an active warrior sailing volunteer and Iraq veteran military policeman. It truly a great experience and hope to compete in the class again whether it is at Charleston Race Week or other events in the future."
 

J/Cruisers
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/40 HERON REACH sailed by Virginia and Jerry is participating in the Blue Planet Odyssey project and have recently joined them in the Marquesas Islands in the Eastern Pacific.  Learn more about their adventures and experiences here- http://heronreachodyssey.blogspot.com/
Giant whale breaching in front of J/160 SALACIA off  Australia's Whitsunday Islands* J/160 SALACIA has been sailing in Australia in the Whitsunday Islands.  Guess who decided to throw themselves across their bow as they cruised comfortably to their next destination?  A giant whale!  Look at this amazing photo!

J/42 cruiser- sailing across Atlantic Ocean* Jim & Heather Wilson just completed a circumnavigation of our "blue planet Earth" in June 2013 on their J/42 CEOL MOR.  Said Jim, "The odyssey of CEOL MOR is over, for now.  We completed our circumnavigation on our J/42 when we crossed our outbound track in Britannia Bay, Mustique. We were, however, still 2,000 nautical miles from home. So we continued on through the Windwards, the Leewards, and then through the British Virgin Islands. After a farewell 'Painkiller' at the Soggy Dollar, and a last meal at Foxy’s, we made the 1,275 nautical mile passage to the Chesapeake and completed our port-to-port circumnavigation when we arrived in Annapolis on June 28, 2013. We had been away 1,334 days, completed 259 days of ocean passages, and sailed 30,349 nautical miles (34,925 statute miles). Read more about their adventures in their  well-documented blog here:  http://www.svceolmor.com/SVCeolMor/Welcome.html

J/160 sailing offshore to US Virgin Islands- rainbow over ocean* 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.   Alan 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/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, April 22, 2015

J/Newsletter- April 22nd, 2015

J/97E walnut interior
Gorgeous New J/97E Interior + Cockpit
(Les Sables d’Olonne, France)- Following her bigger sister- the J/122E- the J/97E is a dramatic new configuration of the extraordinarily successful J/97.  Having proven itself as one of the most successful 29 foot IRC offshore keelboat designs ever, many avid J aficionados wished to have that “big boat” feel in a pocket rocket cruising boat.  Renowned for its capacious, wide-open interior, the new J/97E features a J/97E new cockpitnew high-end, modern interior design comprised of walnut woods and off-white trim and ceilings.  Add in the large hull windows and the feeling is one of “bringing the outdoors in”!

In addition to the wonderful interior enhancements, the cockpit has been completely re-designed to include the famous J/111 cockpit ergonomics- nice long seats that permit you to stretch out in comfort combined with a floor-mounted mainsheet and a large diameter steering wheel on a pedestal in the wide-open aft cockpit.  Look for the new J/97E in this year’s fall boatshows.    For more J/97E performance cruiser sailing information

J/120 sailing Newport to Ensenada raceN2E Race Preview
(Newport Beach, California)- The 68th annual Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race will see more than 40 classes of boats cross the start line this Friday, April 24 from 11 a.m. until noon.

Hosted by the Newport Ocean Racing Association, the beloved N2E is an eclectic mix of serious sailors campaigning multi-million dollar yachts racing alongside recreational cruisers. With more than 205 boats entered, N2E is again one of the world’s largest international offshore yacht races.

The inaugural Transpac Qualifier route will send larger yachts and experienced sailors around San Clemente Island then South to Ensenada, Mexico.  Also new this year is the Open Class; a showcase for ultra-modern foiling sailboats that can potentially complete the 125-nautical mile course before dark.

J/124 sailing Ensenada RaceFirst run in 1948, the N2E has a storied history of mixing professional racers, celebrities and recreational sailors to become a time-honored steeped in tradition event for Newport Beach, the city of Ensenada and sailing enthusiasts who come from across the country to compete.  More than 40 trophy categories in monohull, multihull and cruising classes give this a race a wide appeal. In recent years, great winds have tested and challenged the skills of crews, many who only sail overnight on this race.

In fact, the weather may end up being the story of the race much like it was last year.  For those with short memories, the 2014 edition of the N2E was the first start this century that started off with a windward beat in 15-20 kts winds dead on the nose from the SSE.  As a front moved through, the wind died and swung SW, then ultimately NW with the arrival of the front with speeds hitting 20-30 kts at times during the night.  This year the fleet is hopeful the forecast holds true.  At the start, it should be around 8-12 kts SW shifting to W 10-15 kts in the evening and by midnight to the NW with a slight chance of showers with the passing Low (depression). By the Saturday morning, the fleet should be well down track towards San Diego and Ensenada and with any bit of luck the forecasted 15-25 kts winds, gusting to 30 kts, from the NW kick in for a super fast, fresh-to-frightening sleigh-ride under spinnakers or code zeros to the finish!  It has the makings of a record run for many boats.

J/120 sailing start on Ensenada RaceThe J/120 Class has seven boats with many of the top boats from the SoCal region looking forward to the heavy reaching conditions.  Top teams include Peter Bretschger’s ADIOS, John Laun’s CAPER, Mike Hatch’s J-ALMIGHTY, Tom & Terri Manok’s POLE DANCER and Gary Winton’s SHENANIGANS.

The seventeen boat PHRF A class has some of the hottest offshore boats in the 40-60 foot range.  Chief amongst that group are a twin J/125s- Mark Surber’s DERIVATIVE and Viggo Torbensen’s TIMESHAVER.  They will have to contend with some very fast reaching offshore J/Teams in the form of Carolyn Parks’ J/145 RADIO FLYER and two J/160s- Paul Margis’ INDIGO and John Lyon’s INNOCENT MERRIMENT.

J/122 sailing Newport to Ensenada RaceIn the fourteen-boat PHRF B class, two J’s will be going at it, John Raymont’s J/122 T.K.O. and Seth Hall’s J/124 MARISOL (the famous kid’s boat!).

The ten-boat PHRF D class promises some interesting match-ups, the old versus new and the very experienced versus the new kids on the block.  Three J/109 one-designs are racing that all have some pedigree to them, such as Jon Turner’s PATRIOT, Jack Mayer’s ZEPHYR and Milton Santos’ LINSTAR.  A veteran and sailing a classic J/35 is Eric McClure’s MACS.  All of them will be chased hard by the J/88 BLUEFLASH skippered by Scott Grealish.

The lone J in the 15 boat PHRF E class is Juan Lois’ J/105 ROCINANTE.  Finally, the lone Transpac Qualifier race entry for J’s is Robert Pace’s J/46 ANDIAMO.

Tom Siebel (the new J/125 owner of STARK RAVING MAD IV from San Francisco, CA) will be racing the mighty ORION, a MOD 70 that is identical to Lloyd Thornburg’s MOD 70 PHAEDO IV that just won the multihull class at Voiles des St Barths (Lloyd is owner of one of brother Peter J’s Gunboat 62s by the same name- PHAEDO III is also sailing in the N2E).   Sailing photo credits- Rockskipper Photography   For more Newport to Ensenada Race sailing information

J/111 sailing Key West Race WeekStorm Trysail Club Hosting Key West!
QUANTUM SAILS Remains Title Sponsor
(Larchmont, New York)- Quantum Key West Race Week will continue thanks to the organizational expertise of a new ownership group and the on-going support of its title sponsor – Quantum Sail Design Group.

The Storm Trysail Club (STC) is pleased to announce that it has taken over ownership and management of the prestigious regatta. Established in 1938, the club is well known for running Block Island Race Week, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary this summer. STC also organizes the Lauderdale-to-Key West Race that has long served as feeder for Key West Race Week.

“Key West Race Week is a terrific bookend to the club’s long-standing Block Island Race Week,” Storm Trysail Club Commodore Lee Reichart said. “We believe we will be able to utilize our experience at Block Island to ensure that Key West remains the most prominent winter big-boat event in North America.”

Quantum Key West Race Week 2016 will be held Jan. 18-22, 2016 with many of the same elements that made the regatta so popular remaining in place.  Quantum Sail Design Group came aboard as title sponsor of Key West Race Week in 2012 at a time when its future was uncertain. Quantum and its backers provided the financial support that enabled Premiere Racing to continue organizing the regatta.  “We recognize Key West Race Week is the flagship regatta in this country and has been for well over two decades,” Quantum President Ed Reynolds said. “This midwinter, big boat regatta is very important to North American and international sailboat racing.  STC is uniquely qualified and we’re excited about the future of the event under its direction.”

Yachting Magazine founded Key West Race Week in 1987 and seven years later brought Peter Craig aboard as race chairman. At the time, it was a single division regatta with 112 boats. Craig took over as event director in the late 1990s and under his leadership Key West Race Week evolved into an iconic international keelboat event.  Craig and assistant Jeanne Kleene, the two principals of Premiere Racing, are happy to hand off the event to capable new stewards.

J/70s sailing Key West Race WeekSTC members are in the process of contacting old and new sponsors. J/Boats, a worldwide leader in high-performance sailboats, has pledged its support to the event.  Hundreds of J/Boats sailors have competed at Key West Race Week over the years, either in one-design, PHRF or IRC classes. “Key West Race Week has been a favorite for J sailors since its inception 20-plus years ago,” said Jeff Johnstone. “We’re very excited to see Storm Trysail Club take the helm and we encourage all of our sailing industry peers to join us in supporting this great event that means so much to the sailing community. We’re looking forward to being back in sunny, breezy Key West next January.”

STC announced that longtime member John Fisher will serve as event chairman for Key West Race Week. Fisher has been involved with Block Island Race Week since 1999, serving as chairman for three editions of the biennial regatta. “Key West Race Week has long been the best winter venue the U.S. has to offer, given the consistency of conditions and obviously the incredible weather,” Fisher said. “Veteran competitors at Key West have come to expect top-notch race management and that will not change! Storm Trysail Club is a proven commodity when it comes to on-water organization.”

In other good news on the logistics/ management side of the event, Dick Neville, another STC veteran, has been appointed race committee chairman. Neville has been working Key West Race Week for nearly two decades as right-hand man to Division 2 principal race officer Dave Brennan. Neville is expecting to conduct starts in most of the classes that have traditionally competed at Key West.  Furthermore, Fisher said Nick Langone will serve as shore-side committee chairman while John Storck Jr. will oversee mobile marina logistics.

The Storm Trysail Club hopes to retain the services of numerous dedicated volunteers that worked for Premiere Racing for many years.  “It is important to point out that many Storm Trysail Club race committee members have been involved with Key West Race Week over the years. So we are not novices when it comes to this particular regatta and its unique elements,” Fisher said. “Because of the accumulated knowledge available to us, I expect the transition from Premiere Racing to Storm Trysail Club to be very smooth.”   Sailing photo credits- Sharon Green/ Ultimate Sailing. For more Quantum Key West Race Week 2016 sailing and registration information

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

Post Easter Holidays one might think that it was time for people to relax, enjoy a few more pounds of Easter Bunny chocolates and delicious Peeps, and simply chill.  However, that was not the case for several hundred J sailors around the world.  Starting Down Under, we find the largest fleet of J/24s yet assembled for their annual J/24 Victoria State Championship sailed at Sandringham YC in Australia.

East across the Pacific, a huge fleet of J’s were sailing J/Fest San Francisco with one-design fleets of J/24s, J/70s, J/105s and J/111s enjoying a classic blustery, cool spring weekend on the Bay with their basic breeze of only 15-25 kts.  Similarly, up north along the Pacific coastline, the Royal West Vancouver YC hosted their increasingly popular Southern Straits Race that included J/29s, J/30s, J/35, J/109, J/120, and a J/160 in their midst.  Hopping across the continent, we find an even huger, in fact massive armada of J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, J/88s, J/111s, J/122s and other assorted J’s sailing in the famous Charleston Race Week off Charleston, South Carolina.

Just southeast in the Caribbean, we got a report regards the fun-loving fleet of J/24s sailing in the Mt Gay Rum Barbados Series.  Then, the emergent and increasingly popular Les Voiles de St Barths had an even larger fleet of J’s (J/109s, J/111, J/120, J/122 and J/125) enjoying the 6th edition of the event.

Heading across the Big Pond we land on the shores of the United Kingdom to see the Brooks MacDonald Warsash Spring Series for J/70s, J/80s, J/97s, J/109s, J/111s taking place for their 5th weekend of sailing.  Then, on the perimeters of Germany, the increasingly large presence of J/70s on Lake Constance sailed in the Battle of Lindauer- the first of many “Battles” to be held on Lake Constance between the 55 clubs on the giant lake in the middle of Europe!  A few J/70 sailing club teams continued their J/70 Training in Hamburg, Germany on Alster Lake in preparation for next week’s first Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga event on May 1-3 at Tutzing, Germany on the Starnberger See.

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:

Apr 24- May 2- EDHEC Sailing Cup- La Rochelle, France
Apr 26- May 1- Antigua Sailing Week- Falmouth, Antigua
Apr 30- May 3- J/80 Palmavela- Palma Mallorca, Spain
May 1-3- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
May 1-3- Mexican J/24 Nationals- Valle de Bravo, Mexico
May 1-2- San Diego Yachting Cup- San Diego, CA
May 12-25- Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta- Scheveningen, The Netherlands
May 14-17- Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale Brest- Brest, France
May 16-17- Cedar Point One-Design Regatta- Cedar Point, CT
May 20-24- J/24 USA Nationals- Berkeley, CA
May 22-25- Grand Prix du Crouesty- Crouesty, France
May 22-24- J/80 Copa de Espana- Aguilas, Murcia, Spain

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

J/70s sailing CharlestonJ/Eclipse @ Charleston
(Charleston, South Carolina)- Despite light to moderate breeze and a noticeable lack of bikini weather, the 20th Anniversary of Sperry Charleston Race Week proved that CRW is not only here to stay, but that it is one of the most important regattas for sailing in America.  It’s not just the fact that so many serious racers gather here every year; the event seems to attract just about everyone in the sailing industry, and Randy Draftz and CORA are constantly chasing ways to make CRW more modern, more progressive and more fun.  Notably, Draftz and crew have worked hard to attract more one-design and offshore J sailors; the effort has paid enormous dividends over time.  Celebrating the 20 year milestone were 150 J’s sailing in multiple fleets (52% of the total!)- J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, J/88s and J/111s as one-designs and J/122s, J/29s, J/30s, J/35 and others in PHRF handicap.

J/70s sailing before storm frontSailing conditions were variable light to medium strength throughout the regatta with current direction and strength a dominating tactical factor when starting, calling lay lines and timing your turn at crowded mark roundings.  Weather was “on-off soggy” on Friday, improved with warmth and sun on Saturday after a long postponement, and surprised on the upside without any thunderstorms during Sunday’s racing until buckets poured down in the final minutes of the awards ceremony.

With an early start time Sunday, a moderate but consistent breeze from the Southeast, and a ripping tide pouring out of Charleston Harbor, overall victory and podium finishes were up for grabs through most of the fleets. Unlike Saturday, an early breeze meant three short, intense races in some classes and two in others, allowing a few teams to sew up runaway victories and a few more to make late runs to the top of the leaderboard in the quest for 20th Anniversary silver.

J/22s sailing at CharlestonCharleston is immensely proud of its local university sailing team, and College of Charleston Sailing Team Captain Chase Shaw showed why in the J/22 Class. Shaw and his CofC crew on LOS TRES BIGOTES reveled in the fast outgoing tide on Sunday, grabbing two bullets and holding off a late charge from US Sailing President Tom Hubbell aboard AIR FORCE ONE.  Hubbell said he’d never had an easier time entering a regatta.  “You call up the College, they charter the boat to you, you jump in a plane, show up on the dock, and go race one-design at Charleston Race Week.  Could it be any easier?” said Hubbell, whose team finished just 3 points behind Shaw.  The J/22 Class also featured the Warrior Sailing Team, entirely crewed and helmed by wounded and disabled military veteran and managed by Charleston professional sailor Ben Poucher.  “Sailing with these guys against a fully able-bodied fleet was something we’d been relishing, and watching them put everything they have into it was pretty awesome,” said Poucher.  The Warriors grabbed 8th out of 9th entries.  “It was a victory in every way,” Poucher said.

J/111s sailing off Charleston14 year old Kyle Gamble and MY SHARONA shocked the until-then very tight J/111 fleet with three bullets on Sunday, giving them the easy win despite a hard week.  “We just sailed clean and fast and it’s great to have days like that,” said Gamble, whose father George steers their Pensacola-based boat.  A tie-breaker determined the balance of the podium in this tight class, with Marty Roesch’s VELOCITY taking 2nd and Rob Ruhlman’s SPACEMAN SPIFF taking the bronze.  Fourth in class was Gary Weisberg’s HEAT WAVE and fifth was Doug Curtiss’ WICKED 2.0.

J/88 sailing off CharlestonOn the same course, the J/88s also had a donnybrook of a duel taking place between Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION and Rob & Sandy Butler’s TOUCH2PLAY RACING.  In some respects, it was a complete replay of their “mano-a-mano” battle that took place at the J/88 Midwinters in Key West.  This time the roles were flip-flopped.  Butler’s team started off winning the regatta after the first two days with three 1sts and two 2nds.  However, on Sunday Vogel’s DEVIATION crew was doubly determined to overcome their deficit.  Sunday proved to be their curtain call, posting a 1-4-1 to win on a tie-breaker over TOUCH2PLAY at 11 pts each!  Hanging in for a good showing for third position overall was Joe & Jeff Pawlowski’s EASY EIGHTS.

The lone Mexican entry in the regatta, the J/70 FLOJITO Y COOPERANDO earned their first Charleston Race Week win with a runaway performance in the stacked 83-boat J/70 Class. But it still wasn’t an easy day for them, despite their dominance. “With the black flag up and the current pushing us over the line, starting was nerve racking,” said tactician Bill Hardesty, one of the most successful American one-design sailors of the decade. “We started in the second row a couple of times, and luckily we had the speed to work our way forward.”

J/70 sailor Jud Smith at CharlestonAlso in the J/70s, Jud and Lindsay Smith on Africa stole a brilliant penultimate race win, setting up a final battle with Eivind Astrup and his Norwegian team on NORWEGIAN STEAM.  Smith found himself stuck in traffic on a crowded port-tack layline; while Astrup judged the speedy ebb current perfectly, sweeping around the final mark in first place and extending to the victory.  “It all came together at the right time, and now that we know the currents, we’ll come back as locals,” joked the skipper – just before singing “Happy Birthday” in Norwegian to celebrate Race Week’s 20th.

J/70 sailor- Gannon TroutmanCongratulations to Gannon Troutman, the truly gifted 12 year old skipper of the 4th place J/70 PIED PIPER who received the Dynasty Award including a new set of Opti Sails from Quantum Sails at the prize giving!  That’s an impressive showing to add to an equally remarkable 5th place at the J/70 Midwinters in Key West!  Fifth was Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT from Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota.

The winner of the J/70 Corinthians Class was Rob Britts on HOT MESS from Tampa, Florida. He was followed by Blake & Lud Kimbrough’s NOSTALGIA in second and Tim Molony’s JOUST in third.

J/24s sailing off Charleston harborThe twenty-one boat J/24 class had a tight podium with local racer Scott McCormack (Mt. Pleasant, SC) and his GIGGITY playing the ebb perfectly today to jump ahead by one point on the last race over favorite Tony Parker aboard BANGOR PACKET from Annapolis, Maryland. Mike Marshall’s PIPE DREAM from Jamestown, Rhode Island was only four points out of second place with a very steady score line.  The top five was completed by Aidan Glackin’s MENTAL FLOSS in 4th and Jay Adams’ BLIND DATE in 5th.

After firing off four bullets in the first five races, it was pretty clear that Clarke McKinney’s crew on the J/80 USA 788 were not to be denied the gold by the end of the regatta.  In fact, McKinney’s worst race was a 3rd and took their win by 7 pts over Gary Panariello’s COURAGEOUS.  Taking third was Ken Mangano’s MANGO-mon!

J/122 Teamwork sailing and winning at CharlestonIn the world of PHRF handicap racing, there were offshore buoy races taking place at the same time as “pursuit-style” racing was happening inside Charleston Harbor.  Offshore, it was the mighty J/122 TEAMWORK that again won her PHRF A class led by Robin Team from North Carolina.  Third in their class was Paul Milo’s J/122 ORION.  In PHRF B class, the J/35 ARROW sailed by Willy Schwenzfeier grabbed fourth overall.  Then in PHRF C class, the winner for the third year in a row was regatta sponsor GILL Clothing- skipper David Pritchard from Atlanta, Georgia aboard his J/92 AMIGOS.  Not far behind him in third was Steve Thurston’s J/29 MIGHTY PUFFIN from Newport, Rhode Island and in fourth place was a good showing by the J/27 AUDACIOUS skippered by Robert Key.

The PHRF Pursuit racing Spinnaker Division saw the College of Charleston’s J/36 SOLE take second place and just one point off their pace was Bill Hanckel’s J/120 EMOCEAN- both teams were local Charleston boats.  Bob Musor’s J/130 SCEPTRE glided home in seventh overall.  The PHRF Non-spinnaker Division saw Mark Swata’s J/30 LAS BRISAS snag sixth for the weekend.

After top-secret calculations to determine the winners in the most competitive classes in the regatta, Randy Draftz announced that Robin Team and his family-crewed J/122 TEAMWORK had won the historic and beautiful Palmetto Cup for the top PHRF performance of the regatta.  It marks an incredible 3rd overall win in Charleston, something the Teams say they want to try to add their name to the perpetual trophy again next year.

Hank Stewart, the PRO on the most populous racing circle – the 83-boat J/70 course – was relieved and pleased at the end of the day. “I’ve never worked with the fleet split system that we used here (to orchestrate the large number of boats in this class), but it worked really well. I think the tight competition proves it works,” he said.  Stuart says his volunteers and Race Week staff provided terrific support for the Race Committee, but emphasized that he “gives a lot of credit to the competitors. I think across all the classes at the event, the sailors were very gracious, particularly in showing such patience on Saturday when we had that lengthy postponement. And, at least on our course, it was worth the wait because we had two of the best contests of the event that day.”   Sailing Video coverage here.   For more Charleston Race Week sailing information

J/70 sailing Lake Constance/ BodenseeRIO Wins Battle @ Lindauer
(Lindauer, Germany)- The first major regatta for J/70s sailing on Lake Constance took place this past week.  Teams from all three countries that surround the lake were participating (Switzerland in the south, Germany in the north and Austria in the east).  The event was called “The Battle @ Lindauer” and twenty boats hit the starting line eager to test their skills against each other.  It was a perfect weekend for the sailors and the hosts- Lindauer Segel-Club (http://bit.ly/1EnK3cb)- were able to get in 14 races total, 8 on Saturday and 6 on Sunday.  Race Director/ PRO Josef Bitsche said, “you seldom have spectacular weather like this with a cool, brisk north wind- force 4 Saturday and force 3 on Sunday!”

J/70s sailing Lake Constance/ Bodensee regattaAt the end of 14 races, the top boat was Malte Kamrath skippering RIO from VSaW in Berlin, their five 1sts enabled them to win with 25 pts net.  Battling them from the first race was Julian Stuckl’s team on GER 470 from DTYC in Hamburg.  Had it not been for a BFD in race 10, Stuckl and crew sailed a very consistent series posting most all their races in the top three, but could only manage 27 pts net to take second place.  The top local boat was Veith Hemmeter’s crew from Lindauer Segel-club, taking a third with fairly consistent scores in the top five.  Fourth was Florian Troeger on JACKPOT and fifth was Tino Mittelmeier on ESPRIT D’EQUIPE.

What was evident from the regatta was that German teams that had been sailing for two years in the Deustche Segel-Bundesliga had an advantage in terms of boat speed and boat-handling.  Taking four of the top five spots were German teams.  Nevertheless, the steep learning curve for the Swiss and Austrian boats showed they were on the fast-track and were starting to get better finishes in the latter part of the regatta.  For example, Klaus Diem on PFANDER from Bregenzer Segel-Club started slow on the first day with mid-fleet finishes, but managed to sail much faster the second day and post a few finishes in the top six!

Fourteen teams are going for training in Italy at “Lago di Garda” next week- it’s part of the Alcatel OneTouch Italian J/70 Championship circuit.  The next “Battle on Lake Constance” is May 14-16 on the German side of the lake in Langenargen.  For more J/70 class sailing information

J/70s sailing San Francisco JFestWet, Wild, Windy J/Fest SFO!
(San Francisco, CA)- This year’s J/Fest regatta hosted by St Francis YC had an excellent turnout of fifty boats and the J/Tribe were treated to a wet & wild weekend of sailing in classic 15-25 kt breezes that are part of any Bay sailor’s weekend repertoire. Five one-design J classes were sailing- J/24s, J/70s, J/105s, J/111s and J/120s.

Starting with the “classics”, the eight-boat J/24 fleet was treated to a complete “schooling” of how to sail in the challenging conditions.  While they’ve sailed well in the past, it was Mike Whitfield’s crew on TMC RACING that simply went into “turbo mode” and despite attempts by Launch Control in Houston to throttle them back, managed to go ballistic and nail down four bullets to win by a commanding ten points.  Despite their dominance, the rest of the pack was in a “cat fight” for the top five.  Those scores were not settled until the last race when Paul van Ravenswaay’s crew from Severn Sailing Association (yup, of Annapolis fame) took their whacked-out FEERAL ROOSTER (not avian flu influenced) and took their Bay hosts to task to snag a 2nd in the last race to take second overall.  Third was locals Alex Schultink’s appropriately named FLY BY NIGHT from Berkeley YC.

J/70 sailing fast on San Francisco BayNext on the totem pole were the J/70s.  As every quarter goes by, it’s clear that Bay area sailors are beginning to look towards not only the J/70 North Americans in San Diego in September 2015, but many are focused on the 2016 J/70 World Championship to be sailed in San Francisco Bay in 2016! Consequently, the names at the top of the leaderboard keep changing all the time as veteran Bay teams keep re-balancing and new teams jump into the fray to try their hand at insanely close one-design racing.  Fun times were had by all, that’s for sure.  A new face in the crowd topped the 70 class, Scott Seller’s 1FA sailed an amazing series to post just one win, but hammered home four 2nds to win by seven points in a very competitive class.  Just behind them, it was truly a fight at the OK Corral worthy of a John Wayne “western cowboy movie”.  The protagonists included Justin Kromelow’s LOOSE LUCY, Chris Kostanecki’s JENNIFER and Peter Cameron’s PRIME NUMBER.  After three races, LOOSE LUCY had the upper hand, but it was not clear-cut what was happening on the last day of racing.  On the last day, Kostanecki’s JENNIFER won a race, so did Cameron’s PRIME NUMBER.  In the end, LOOSE LUCY won a tie-break over JENNIFER to take 2nd and 3rd, respectively.  For the only boat to win two races, Pete Cameron’s crew must be asking “WTF” happened in races 2 & 3??  While winning the last race was an emphatic plus, it only enabled them to secure 4th for the regatta.  Fifth place was Bob Milligan’s RAMPAGE from Richmond YC.

J/105s sailing off San Francisco city frontThe popular J/105 class continues to gain new adherents to their fleet after nearly 20 years of sailing on the Bay. Sailors have included the world’s best restaurant creators (Scooter Simmons on BLACKHAWK), to world famous venture capitalists (Jim Swartz), and software technologists (Larry Ellison of ORACLE fame).  Such diversity has enabled a universe of fun-loving sailors like Andy Grove (bowman on one J/105 and Chairman/CEO of INTEL) to experience what it’s like to take a wall of saltwater into their faces at 50F at 30 kts and live to recollect their experience with friends forever. This year’s J/Fest for the twenty-one boat J/105 fleet was typical.  After a disastrous first race, Phil Laby’s crew on GODOT found the “secret sauce” and ran away with the regatta- posting an 11-4-4-1-1 to win the tie-breaker on 21 pts with colleague Jeff Littfin on MOJO.  Not far off was Adam Spiegel’s JAM SESSION sitting on 27 pts in third.  Also starting slowly and climbing fast was Bruce Stone’s ARBITRAGE to take 4th and in 5th was Doug Bailey’s AKULA.

The J/111s are gaining a nice following on the Bay and the class is enjoying close racing.  Nevertheless, for the first time in awhile one crew stood out with an incredibly strong performance, Dorian McKelvy’s MADMEN!  Perhaps running the table with five straight 1st places helps!  With a strong win behind them, it was quite a battle for the balance of the podium. After posting a strong performance on the last day, Richard Swanson’s BAD DOG pulled off 2nd place over their colleagues Nesrin Basoz on SWIFT NESS from Richmond YC.

As one might expect, the J/120s are never predictable.  Crew, tacticians, skipper hangovers, and good Lord what not, it’s by far the most unpredictable of fleets.  One thing is for sure, they have fun!  This regatta, the protagonists were Barry Lewis’ CHANCE and David Halliwill’s PEREGRINE.  After trading 1st and 2nds, it was CHANCE that won the last race to gain the upper hand and win in the end.  Taking third was another top boat, Steve Madeira’s lovely deep green colored MR MAGOO.   Sailing photo credits- Erik Simonson/ H2oshots.com   For more J/Fest San Francisco sailing information

J/111 sailing Warsash Spring seriesChampagne Warsash Spring Series IV
(Warsash, England)- 164 boats racing and over 60 races were laid on the water over the opening weekend (18/19 April) of the Brooks Macdonald Crewsaver Spring Championship and the Warsash Spring Series.  The Black Championship Group were racing windward-leeward courses out in the Solent, with starts based near Flying Fish buoy. Peter Bateson, Series Chairman “It was an incredible weekend’s racing. We have more boats entered this year for the Championship which, combined with the weather has led to some really close and challenging racing this weekend”.

J/70 sailing fast on SolentSaturday saw 22 knots of wind that started in the NE and gradually swung to the SE and back again by the end of the day. Sunday had a generally steadier ENE breeze of 8 to 10 knots with gusts in the low teens and the occasional drop to 5 knots.  The Black Flag had to be dusted off for Sunday’s races with the initial wind against tide pushing the normally conservative IRC4 fleet across the line; resulting in a general recall and the black flag to ensure they got away cleanly at the second attempt.

The J/70’s followed and similarly were recalled and got away at the second attempt, but four boats at the pin end did pick up a disqualification. The J/80s spotted the problem and managed better.

By the start of the second race the tide was beginning to turn and with it the starts improved as boats were being pushed down the line rather than across it. A drop to just 5 knots and the wind shifting around by 30 degrees at the end of the day led to some rather tight approaches to the leeward gate as boats misjudged the strength of the tide.

J/70 boats.com sailing Warsash Spring seriesIn the White Championship Group Ian Atkin’s J/70, BOATS.COM looks set to repeat his winning performance from last year having gained podium places across all the weekends races bar one.  So far, Atkins’ team has accumulated just 16.5 pts after seven races.  Newcomer to the fleet Russell Peters is sailing fast, as he should being a former UK International 14 Champion.  Peters’ comfort with the J/70 was such that he peeled off three straight bullets in his last three races! On that pace, the BOATS.COM boys had better keep a close watch on their rear view mirror!  Just off the pace behind these two is Jamie Arnell’s LITTLE LOUISE with 41 pts.

BETTY’s (Jon Powell) dominance of the J/80 fleet in the Spring Series extended on into the Championship with a good lead of 6 points over Mike Lewis’s JESTER.  Ali Hall’s BOYSTEROUS is giving the boys a run for their money, too.

J/88 JiFi sailing Warsash Spring SeriesThe dynamic duo of Stew Hawthorn & Paul Heys on the J/88 JI-FI continue to show pace and smarts, leading the J/88 one-design fleet with just 8 pts in six races.  Constantly nipping at their heels and waiting to pounce have been Paul Ward’s crew on EAST SLEEP J REPEAT with all 2nds and 1sts for 10 pts, just 2 pts back from the lead.  Third is Ivan Trotman’s JOJO sitting on 19 pts.

As they’ve done for quite some time, David Mcgough’s J/109 JUST SO started the championships off slowly, but they’ve found 2nd and 3rd gear and have rapidly ascended the standings to be winning on a tie-break with 20 pts.  Second is Chris Copeland & John Smart’s JUKE BOX and just 3 pts back is Paul Griffith’s perennial contenders on the JAGERBOMB!

The J/111s are just starting to get warmed up for the season and showing good form early is Cornel Riklin’s JITTERBUG, posting 5 bullets in just 6 races to hold a 3 pt lead.  Second is Chris Body & Andrew Christie’s ICARUS and third is Chris Jones & Louise Makin’s JOURNEMAKER II.

J/80 sailing Warsash Springs on SolentAs we head into the final Sunday (26 April) of the Warsash Spring Series we see that Body & Christie’s J/111 ICARUS in IRC 1 have extended their lead with 10 pts, followed in 2nd by Riklin’s JITTERBUG with 17.  In IRC 2, the J/88 JI-FI is lying 4th and is easily within reach of the top three.  Andy Howe’s J/97 BLACKJACK II is sitting in 6th but only 7 pts from third place.  Griffiths’ J/109 JAGERBOMB leads their class with Owain Franks & Jean Lockett’s JYNNAN TONNYX tied with Joe Henry’s JOLLY JACK TAR for second & third place.

The massive J/70 class of 24 boats is having a scream in the final stages of the Spring Series and Arnell’s LITTLE LOUISE is leading after 9 races with 30 pts net.  In a close second is Dave Mitchell’s JUMANJI 4 pts back.  A duel for third has two boats tied on 48 pts net- Patrick Liardet’s COSMIC and David Mcleman’s OFFBEAT.   For more Brooks MacDonald Warsash Spring Series sailing information

J/109 sailing Voiles de St BarthFabulous Sailing Les Voiles de St. Barth!
(Gustavia, St Barthelemy)- All the elements were in place to make the sixth edition of Les Voiles de St. Barth an exceptional event: a magnificent fleet of 70 boats, including some that are quite out of the ordinary; varied and challenging race courses; perfect weather conditions; suspense right to the last tack in the last race for many classes; and a roster of various shoreside events that were fun for the sailors as well as the local population.  A recap with François Tolède, managing director of the regatta:

J/122 sailing St BarthFrançois, what is your final take on this sixth edition?  “It is super positive. This year we had 70 boats of all different categories and we divided them into 10 different classes, which provided a fabulous spectacle on the water. Over the course of the previous editions, we noticed that the performance level was getting higher and higher. The crews are proving to be more and more interested in racing here and on larger and larger boats, some of which are so high-tech they make quite an impression. We hosted such “machines” as Comanche and Rambler 88 this year, which demonstrates that we are attracting sailboats designed to set transatlantic records… This is very positive and nice recognition for us. Conditions on the island impose certain logistics and a relatively large budget, but the regatta offers a multitude of benefits thanks to its “fun-race” format. Those who come to race arrive with their friends and families. They come before the race begins and remain for a few days after the awards ceremony in order to enjoy the island’s legendary “French-touch” lifestyle. Overall, this sixth edition was not only successful for racing but also an economic success, a success in terms of media coverage, and the boats put on a beautiful show. That’s exactly what Luc Poupon and I were hoping for from the very beginning, when we created Les Voiles de St. Barth. And that’s exactly why we really want to set ourselves apart from traditional regattas.”

J/111 JBoss sailing St Barth regattaThe first responses from sailors are extremely positive. That must be very satisfying for you…
“Yes, we have had some really great response, from the sailors, the owners, and the locals. The race village was open permanently with free access for everyone. Our desire was to make sure that people felt comfortable there, and that was certainly the case. We had a great mix of people. And we tried to create a varied schedule of events including live music, fireworks, and a day off that the sailors really enjoyed. Today, we don’t see any reason to change a formula that works. The only question we ask ourselves is, “How do we make things even better?”

The last day’s single race for each of 10 classes sailing at Les Voiles de St. Barth determined overall winners and left an indelible impression on all the sailors.  It was simply a spectacular day, strong 15-20 kt winds from the East shifting from 88 to 110 degrees across the race track since most of the course took place in the leeward portion of the islands off the southwestern tip.

J/125 Hamachi sailing St Barth regattaIn both CSA Spinnaker Racing 1 and 2 classes, minor collisions impacted boat performances.  In Spin 1, Greg Slyngstad’s J/125 HAMACHI was hit on the second start after the first general recall.  They retired from the race but, sadly, were not granted YMP points for the incident.  As a result, after starting off with a promising 3-2 they had to count an OCS penalty and a DNF to finish in 4th place overall.

In CSA Spin 2 class, Rick Wesslund’s J/122 EL OCASO had a 3-2-1-2 scoreline and finished just 2 pts out of first place overall. Their team was beginning to learn the vagaries of the winds that whistle around the headlands of St Barths, not a bad showing for their first time at Voiles de St Barths! Finally, in CSA Spinnaker 3 class, the J/109 POCKET ROCKET from Ireland skippered by David Cullen and the women on the J/109 La’Feminine had a rough go of it as the smaller boats on a much bigger boat start line- often having to fight for clear air most of their first beats.   The Voiles des St Barths summary sailing video.  For more Voiles de St Barth sailing information

J/24s sailing off Melbourne, AustraliaSuda Takes J/24 Vic States
(Melbourne, Australia)- Without taking anything away from the excellent Nationals in Adelaide earlier in the year, the Vic States have been warming up to be the real contest of the year. And so it was. Twenty-seven boats at Sandringham YC!  And, yet again, the “Black Prince of Sandringham” took it from the “Young” Sydney Fox with the canny scotsmen third.  What that means in plain English is that Dave Suda (VIC) was 1st, Steve Girdis (NSW) took 2nd and Doug Watson (SA) finished 3rd.

Performance handicap was won by Dave MacKay from Cronulla, our own Stephanie Strong took out second in the Sidetracked youth boat and Steve Girdis was third. Hugo Ottaway, the real Mr J24 and deep thinking scribe takes on the finer details.

“This year’s 2015 Victorian J24 Championship may be remembered by the “could have been champions” as a regatta of lost opportunity. Despite only achieving 4 races due to a 40+ knot squally Sunday, the championship reached a milestone in Australian J24 sailing. Of note is the following: starting at the top, 27 entries including every J24 at Sandringham Yacht Club, 6 entries from NSW and 4 from S.A. Oldest skipper 70+ youngest 23. Two youth boats, four female skippers, two all female crews. A Jury and Race management of National and International standing and possibly up to 50% female participation.”

There many hard luck stories in any fleet, probably about 26 of them in this regatta! But look who we are up against. Hugo continues …

J/24 sailing Vic States in Australia“To ease the pain of the masses, the calibre of the leading bunch reads like a who’s who of sailing. Our winner, David Suda sailing Pacemaker from Victoria has won two J/24 and one International cadet National titles. Second, Steve Girdis (NSW), three J/24 National titles and 5th in the Osaka worlds. Third, Doug Watson (SA) 2nd in the J24 Nationals and 4th in the Sigma 33 Europeans. Fourth Hugo Ottaway (VIC) one J24 and one International Cadet National title, then fifth God himself, David McKay (NSW) one 16 foot skiff and two Moth WORLD TITLES, one J24 , Etchells 22 and 18 foot Skiff National title and 1969 Yachtsman of the year award. Sixth, Simon Grain (VIC) four New Zealand Tornado Catamaran National titles.”

“I am sure as I go down the list there are many others amongst us who also boast similar achievements, however we very rarely acknowledge the pedigree of fellow sailors, to win either a state or national J24 title is tough, hard to come by and first rate.”

So what are the hard luck stories, well the first would be the whole regatta with the sailing on Sunday closed down. That meant we had a series, but no drop and there were many who needed it – badly. Myself for one, going left nicely all day and then going right in the last race – wrong! John Neville, our hard working Vice Pres who has been sailing like a demon all summer, last seen burying his head in a beer in despair after scoring the unlikely bottom double. Next time John! Half the fleet overlaying the top mark in the first race! Holes in the wind in the second race that left the top boats wallowing in nothing within spitting distance of the finish line while boats behind them sailed by – spitting chips maybe! And from Hugo, “finally the best gag of all, watching the class president start at full speed one minute early on a black flag, with no one else around….. great stuff.”

I could go on, but one of our newest owners does, Mike Bond shares his experiences:

J/24s sailing off start at Vic  States“The J24 Vic States had been on the agenda for 6 weeks and we were all very keen to participate after having bought Code Violation. We had only been out once or twice as a team so things were going to be interesting come the first race. In true beginner style we missed the first race completely due to poor clock work. I took the blame for that one as I was the only one wearing watch. The second race was our best of the series and I do believe we were coming 7th around the top mark however we ended up 14th with some poor kite work and some bad tacks. The third race wasn’t great either, we had a good start but just couldn’t maintain boat speed. The last race we came dead last which in the end was quite amusing. We took the wrong side of the course (behind Simon) and got blitzed. All in all, it was great fun and we were a bit disappointed we couldn’t sail on the Sunday due to poor weather conditions but after the 2nd beer we were fine. Special thanks to Simon Grain and the crew on Jet for all their help as well as Hugo Ottaway and David Suda.” That’s the kind of fun the newest guys are having.

The conditions were great sailing for the first two races with a westerly around 12 knots, boats powered up on genoas and the race track full of boats. After the second race the wind died, the sun came out and lunch was served with sails down while we drifted in the tide waiting for wind. The last two races were held in a sputtering and dying westerly as we watched a black roll cloud gather it’s skirts on the southern horizon. The fleet finished and just made it back to the marina as a 40+knot front blew through minutes later!

Sandringham Yacht Club in Melbourne, AustraliaBack in the bar, we were very lucky to be able to watch our if only’s on the Yachtbot site – no consolation to some, but very interesting for most. YachtBot and CYCSA had been stupendously generous to us both in terms of their time and resources (CYCSA loaning us the trackers for nix and YachtBot set us up as a Pro level registration for free also) If you want to see more or the racing replay, go to www.yacht-bot.com and choose a race, or link directly to the races at www.yacht-bot.com/races/6958 to 6961. Our thanks go out to all our sponsors, Monjon Security in particular for your continued support again this year, Sailor Sunscreen and Iguana Design. To all our volunteers both on the class committee and SYC, a big thank you for your efforts.

Also a huge thank you to all the interstate competitors who made the effort to come to the regatta, your contribution to our fleet makes the difference to the flavour of the competition.

J/24 Vic States Champs- Dave SudaHugo wraps up a few more stats to finish “Other points to note, three different brands of sails in the top five, both youth boats supplied with new and almost new sails courtesy of their owners, about 25 new sails measured in for the regatta. 135 competitors from 4 states. What I think makes this a great class is the generosity of the members, $800.00 raised during the regatta to help Luke Mathews (Trimmer off Pacemaker) and his family who is recovering from a very bad road accident.”

The class BBQ and free beers, as always pulls everyone together after the racing and enjoyably the stage show that is the prize giving, with a forthright intro speech by the irrepressible Doug MacGregor (VicPres) and the brilliant John Neville doing the raffle draw had everyone in stitches and rounded off a great, if short regatta for both the locals and the visitors – you should have been there if you weren’t !

We don’t say goodbye to our interstate friends for too long, the next regatta is the Macquart Marine Short Course Regatta at Cronulla in NSW on Queens Birthday long weekend, 6-8 June this year. This was brilliant last year (see pics on the CSC site). The NSW States normally held in early November (dates TBA) and then the 2015-16 season biggie, the Nationals at Sandringham on the 4-8 January 2016, where we planning a regatta to attract a fleet of over 30 boats – this one you do not want to miss!

Chris Furey has again taken some great pics of the J24 States in Melbourne on the weekend. See them on the Australian J/24 class website here.

J/70s sailing Alster Lake, Hamburg, GermanyJ/70 Training Germany Update
(Hamburg, Germany)- For the third weekend in a row, many of the top sailing teams participating in the 2015 Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga were training in J/70s on the gorgeous Alster Lake in Hamburg, Germany.  Sven Jurgensen reports:

“Again, the Norddeutscher Regattaverein did a fabulous job hosting our training event on Alster Lake.  It was a much different weekend than we had in the past training sessions.  On Saturday we had very strong rains, 10 to 27 kt winds, extremely puff and shifty!  Then, on Sunday we had beautiful sunny weather with 10-16 kt winds.  For the second session the following weekend, we were lucky to have nice sunny weather both days with much lighter winds- everything in the 5-10 kts range.

All of the teams are looking very hot and they are ready for the first sailing league event on the 1st of May in Tutzing on the Starnberger See.  The teams that trained with us in Hamburg included Flensburger Segelclub, Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, Segelkameradschaft „Wappen von Bremen, Kieler Yacht Club, Seglervereinigung Itzehoe, Wassersport Verein Hemelingen, and Blankeneser Segel Club.  Hopefully their training will pay off in the first event!”   Sailing photo credits- Sven JĂ¼rgensen   For more Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga sailing information

J/24s sailing Mt Gay Rum Barbados seriesThe Ultimate Red Hat Sailing Party!
(Barbados)- Or, what you need to know to have lots of fun and great sailing in the Mt Gay Rum Barbados Series.  Hats off to the local J/24 fleet on the island.  They know how to do it and get people aboard as crew.

Since its relaunch five years ago the Mount Gay Round Barbados Race Series has developed into an event that offers golden opportunities for teams looking for top class but seriously fun racing.  There can be few sailing venues to beat Barbados... host to the ultimate Mount Gay Rum Red Hat Crew Party.

Barbados, the home of Mount Gay Rum, and affectionately dubbed as the seafarers' Mecca, continues to attract those who enjoy a fun element along with great sailing. The Mount Gay series, which incorporates three days of coastal racing, the headline event —the Mount Gay Rum Round Barbados Race — and a final 300-mile ocean race to Antigua to tie up with the Superyacht Challenge, is organized by Barbados Cruising Club in association with Barbados Tourism Marketing and Mount Gay. Next year the event, which runs from 16 to 24 January 2016, celebrates its 80th anniversary, which means there'll be even more of an excuse for a week of hot sailing and rum-fuelled partying.

By the nature of its date, which always falls in mid-January, this annual regatta marks the opening of each Caribbean race season. It not only serves as a warm-up for teams competing on the Caribbean circuit, but also acts as the perfect post-Christmas winter escape for crews from the Northern Hemisphere.

The Mount Gay Rum Round Barbados Race, which traditionally takes place on a public holiday (21 January) to celebrate Errol Barrow Day (birthday of the first Prime Minister of Barbados and 'father' of independence... and also keen member of the Barbados Cruising Club), is one of the key attractions of the annual series. While big boat racing teams from around the world are beginning to recognize the event as a strong component of the Caribbean race circuit there are also more and more charter and blue water cruising yachts taking part. Overseas competitors, who made up a large part of the 49-strong fleet in 2015, represented 11 countries including a strong contingent from the UK, plus teams from Canada, New Zealand, the USA, Lithuania, Slovakia, France, Poland, Germany, Argentina, plus of course many neighboring islands.

Event manager Alene Krimholtz commented, “We are delighted that this event has re-established itself not only as a major island attraction, but also as a key regatta on the Caribbean circuit. One of the main incentives, other than the warm Caribbean waters, miles of gold sandy beaches and generally constant 12-18kt east to east-north-east trade winds... is the opportunity to break records in the 60-mile Round Barbados Race. We hope the 2016 event, which celebrates 80 years for the series, will encourage even more teams to join the fun.”

The impressive standard of sailing in the local J/24 fleet will hopefully attract bigger numbers in the future, particularly with the opportunity for visitors to charter local boats. Although most of the eight-race, closely fought J/24 Coastal Series takes place in the beautiful setting of Carlisle Bay on windward-leeward courses, for the first time in 2015 the J/24s were granted fleet status in the Round Barbados Race.

Robert Povey, overall winning skipper of the J/24 Coastal Series sailing Hawkeye, commented, “I think Barbados as a sailing venue is one of, if not the, most incredible places to go sailing in the world. I am hoping that next year we'll be able to encourage more international J/24 teams to participate, particularly from the USA and of course Europe.”

Peter Gilkes, yachting consultant to Barbados Tourism Marketing, who has been involved in the organization of the event for many years, believes the future looks bright, “Our event has grown with each passing year and this has not gone unnoticed by those who are charged with making key decisions within the tourism arena. As the event continues to grow our product can only get better with each passing year."   For more Mt Gay Rum Barbados Series sailing information

Southern Straits startSouthern Straits Madness Reigns Supreme!
(Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)- Hosted by the West Vancouver YC, the Southern Straits Race continues to gain momentum.  Southern Straits has earned its reputation as being one of the Pacific Northwest’s premiere sailing events. 2015 marked the 47th consecutive start of this WVYC flagship event, and what a weekend of racing it was!

With 4 all new course options, this year saw 92 boats on the line with over 750 sailors on the water. The Medium Course turned out to be the most popular with 46 boats racing to Sister Islets and back.

We haven’t had a downwind start for years and the visual spectacle of nearly 100 boats setting off under spinnaker was quite something. A spectacular blood red moon lunar eclipse and good wind at the Finish Line at Pt. Atkinson made for an incredibly memorable event for all.

J/160 sailing Southern Straits raceIn the Long Course race of 138nm, John McPhail’s J/160 JAM from Gig Harbor YC managed a 5th in Division I class behind all the ULDBs.  In the Medium Course race of 98nm, the J/120 TIME BANDIT sailed by Bob Brunius missed first place by a mere 13 minutes, having to settle for 3rd place in Division 4 class. On the same course in Division 4, the J/109 DIVA sailed by Jim Prentice from Royal Vancouver YC took fifth place and Ron MacKenzie’s J/37 FUTURE PRIMITIVE placed 13th.  Also sailing the same course was Mardy Grossman’s J/30 DESPERADO, cruising into a well-earned 3rd in Division 5 Class.

The new sponsor ePACT had plenty to say about their experience being associated with the Southern Straits event:

“Over Easter weekend we sat on the sidelines in awe, as we watched 92 boats take off from Dundarave Pier. The ePACT team is new to the sailing world, and we can honestly say that we were blown away by it all. From the infectious energy leading up to the race start, to the tight knit sailing community and the addicting SPOT tracker, the Southern Straits was an incredible event from start to finish.”

To bring you a recap of the race, we sat down again with Sonia Telford, Race Chair.

What were a few of the race highlights for you?
It has been a few years since we’ve had a downwind start, and the spectacle of 92 boats heading out of English Bay on their Southern Straits adventure under spinnaker was quite a sight. Eric Holden and his Open 60 “O Canada” was such a thrill to see. In addition, we had dolphins on both the start and finish line, and when you top that with good winds and a spectacular red moon lunar eclipse; I think we had it all!

How many boats and participants did you have out on the water?
This year we had 92 boats with roughly 750 sailors. We also had an amazing group of 92 volunteers who helped to pull of this fantastic weekend of sailing – we couldn’t have done it without you!

J/120 Time Bandit sailing off SeattleWhat was included in your safety/emergency plans?
Each boat must satisfy strict safety requirements in order to qualify to race. New for this year we introduced pre-race safety inspections to ensure that the participants had the necessary safety equipment on board. With 18 first time Skippers racing this year, this was more important than ever before.  In addition, each boat carried a SPOT Transponder which not only allows friends and family to watch the race from home, but also allows the Race Committee to monitor the fleet throughout the duration of the race. This was the first year that we implemented ePACT for our Crew Lists and having the information about who was on which boat in a secure, easy to use database was a great addition!

With so many moving pieces for the event, how did you keep safety top of mind for everyone?
Like any extreme sport, safety has to be top of mind and sailboat racing is no different. Leading up to Southern Straits, West Vancouver Yacht Club hosted 3 Tech Talk evenings with each one focusing on a different safety topic: Boat & Crew Preparation, Rig Maintenance, Man Overboard Recovery & Weather. In addition to pre & post safety checks for participants, each boat is required to “check in” with Race Committee at various points throughout the race. Not only does this confirm the boat location, it gives Race Committee the opportunity for on-site weather checks from each boat so that conditions can be monitored.

How was ePACT used during the race?
Traditionally for an overnight race, Crew Lists are submitted to Race Committee on a piece of paper prior to the race. Last minute crew changes or rushed handwriting have the potential to make the Crew List inaccurate and this has always been a concern.

This year, we made the switch to ePACT and not only was the information up to date, easy to read and secure, it lead to an interesting discussion throughout the sailing community about how critical this information is. For example, we had a competitor add 2 crew members to their boat the morning of the race start. Rather than scribbling out the names and contact information and stapling it to the original document, the Skipper was able to log in and make the changes quickly, while having peace of mind that the correct information was available in the case of an emergency.

I knew ePACT had been a great addition when several Skipper’s retained their boat account and are using ePACT for Swiftsure, Van Isle 360 and other overnight races!

Can you give us a sneak peek into next year’s events?
Well, I can tell you that Easter is early next year with Good Friday falling on March 25, 2016. This will definitely affect the number of daylight hours available which is a factor in an overnight race. The Organizing Committee is already at work planning the 2016 event, so you will just have to wait and see what we have in store!

A huge thank you to Sonia and the West Vancouver Yacht Club for having us as a part of the Southern Straits! To learn more about this great event, check out our Play of the Month and video interview with Sonia, or our blog, Introducing the Southern Straits Sailing Race! We’re already looking forward to the 2016 event.   Southern Straits Facebook page    For more Southern Straits Race sailing information
 

J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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Peter Johnstone sailing Gunboat G4 Timbalero* While there were a number of J/Boats sailing in the Voiles de St Barth’s last weekend, a number of J sailors were also sailing aboard other boats and having a combination of ethereal as well as hair-raising experiences.

For starters, on the Gunboat 62 ELVIS was Steve Cucchiaro (J/105 North American champion strategist), Cam Lewis, Jack Slattery, Mark Laura, Brian Thomas and Dru Slattery- all avid J/Boats sailors over the years having fun cat racing in the Caribbean.

G55 Toccata sailing St BarthSimilarly, long-time J/105 and J/70 owner Chris and Carolyn Groobey were sailing Gunboat 55 TOCCATA in the same class with Stu & Julia Johnstone aboard.  Here’s a nice sailing video of her by ace Spanish photographer Jesus Renedo: https://vimeo.com/125166259.

Gunboat G40 sailng St BarthFinally, Stu’s brother Peter J. was sailing the brand new Gunboat G4 TIMBALERO III (40 footer) and learned their limits of sailing a performance cruising foiling catamaran on the final day of Les Voiles de St Barth- check out the sailing video here: https://vimeo.com/125378004

* Victor Felice, owner of the J/24 MERMAID RESCUE that sails on Lake Pleasant in Phoenix, Arizona invites all J sailors to join them anytime they come through Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport.  Said Victor,

J/80 sailing Lake Pleasant, Phoenix, AZ“This May, barring some unforeseen fierce write-in campaign, I will be the Rear Commodore of the Arizona Yacht Club. Chris Smith (J/80) fills that position now and he will become the new Commodore. At last count, I know of 1 J/22, 3 J/24’s, 1 J/27, 2 J/80’s and a J/105 on Lake Pleasant. We’re having a great time together with our little J sailing community!

This season we have had an interesting mix of speakers, most of whom you probably know – Stephanie Roble, Sharon Green, John Sangmeister (1987 America’s Cup; Tritium Racing), Jeanne Socrates (solo circumnavigator), Tom Ehman (Golden Gate Yacht Club), Peter Nichols (Author, A Voyage for Madmen; Sea Change; Evolution’s Captain, among others), Rod Favela (Vela Sailing Supply) and Keith Magnussen (Ullman Sails Newport Beach).  Tom Leweck, the founder of Sailing Scuttlebutt, is going to speak at our meeting next month. Previous speakers have included Annie Gardner, Anna Tunnicliffe, Andrew Campbell, and Peter Isler.

Here’s the info about meetings for any and all you J sailors. They are the second Tuesday of the month from June through November and then February through April and held in Tempe, which is a few minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor airport. We are quite an adventurous bunch and you’all would truly enjoy the desert experience. We can even go sail on Lake Pleasant if your schedule allows.  Please drop us a line anytime!  Best, Victor.”  Victor's contacts are: ph- +1.480.577.4007/ www.mermaidrescue.us/ victor.felice@mermaidrescue.us
 

J/Cruisers
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/40 HERON REACH sailed by Virginia and Jerry is participating in the Blue Planet Odyssey project and have recently joined them in the Marquesas Islands in the Eastern Pacific.  Learn more about their adventures and experiences here- http://heronreachodyssey.blogspot.com/
Giant whale breaching in front of J/160 SALACIA off  Australia's Whitsunday Islands* J/160 SALACIA has been sailing in Australia in the Whitsunday Islands.  Guess who decided to throw themselves across their bow as they cruised comfortably to their next destination?  A giant whale!  Look at this amazing photo!

J/42 cruiser- sailing across Atlantic Ocean* Jim & Heather Wilson just completed a circumnavigation of our "blue planet Earth" in June 2013 on their J/42 CEOL MOR.  Said Jim, "The odyssey of CEOL MOR is over, for now.  We completed our circumnavigation on our J/42 when we crossed our outbound track in Britannia Bay, Mustique. We were, however, still 2,000 nautical miles from home. So we continued on through the Windwards, the Leewards, and then through the British Virgin Islands. After a farewell 'Painkiller' at the Soggy Dollar, and a last meal at Foxy’s, we made the 1,275 nautical mile passage to the Chesapeake and completed our port-to-port circumnavigation when we arrived in Annapolis on June 28, 2013. We had been away 1,334 days, completed 259 days of ocean passages, and sailed 30,349 nautical miles (34,925 statute miles). Read more about their adventures in their  well-documented blog here:  http://www.svceolmor.com/SVCeolMor/Welcome.html

J/160 sailing offshore to US Virgin Islands- rainbow over ocean* 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.   Alan 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/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.