Electric J/88 Oceanvolt- Boats.com Overview(Newport, RI)- J/Boats has given its latest fast racer/cruiser, the J/88 family speedster, an added dimension— electric power. Dieter Loibner, boats.com editor, provides a brief commentary of the innovative system’s components while reviewing the boat at the Newport International Boat Show. Learn more about why the J/88 Oceanvolt model from J/Boats is being called “the Tesla of sailboats.” Watch on boats.com YouTube channel here. To learn more about the revolutionary electric J/88 Oceanvolt option, click here
Lipton Cup Preview(San Diego, CA)- The life of Thomas Johnstone Lipton of Great Britain was an amazing one at many levels, not the least of which was his contribution to yachting worldwide. Sir Thomas, who was knighted in 1898 by Queen Victoria, offered all yachtsmen an excellent example of a true sportsman in the broadest sense. He was undaunted by defeat, despite his team’s inability to win the America’s Cup after multiple attempts.
Born in Glasgow, Scotland (1850), Thomas Johnstone Lipton eventually became one of the world’s great success stories. He went to work at an early age as an errand boy in a Glasgow bookstore. At the age of 15, he came to the United States as a steerage immigrant but never forgot his homeland. He first worked in a grocery store, then drove a mule streetcar in New Orleans, became a traveling portrait salesman and finally worked on plantations in South Carolina and Virginia.
Sir Thomas returned to Glasgow at age 26, with enough money to open a small grocery store. As his business grew, he opened other stores– first in Scotland and then all over Ireland, Wales and England. To supply these stores, he acquired tea plantations in Ceylon and also purchased coffee and cocoa plantations. A global entrepreneur, Sir Thomas operated a large packing house in Chicago, a bacon curing plant and bakeries in England. He had fruit orchards and factories for making jellies and jams. Within 10 years, he was employing 8,000 persons.
His passion for being on the water was undiminished by his business interests. Ultimately, in 1898 at the age of 48, he challenged for the America’s Cup sailing the famous line of “Shamrock” designs.
By early 1903, Commodore Lucien Blochman of the Corinthian YC (later San Diego YC) knew of Sir Thomas’ respect for sportsmanship and wrote to the tea baron, requesting that a trophy be created in his name for West Coast yacht racing excellence. This exchange resulted in the San Diego Lipton Challenge Cup. On July 22, 1903, the spectacular silver trophy arrived in San Diego, compliments of Sir Thomas Lipton.Since its inception, the Lipton Challenge Cup has been considered as one of the preeminent events in Southern California racing, and the event’s history closely follows the history of yachting in Southern California- from the CCA days, to IOR heydays and now to one-designs. Since 2002, the event has been sailed in J/105s, a very popular offshore keelboat class on the west coast.
The 2015 edition promises to be every bit as competitive as has been over the past century. Last year, the St Francis YC team led by skipper Chris Raab won the event for the first time in decades. Chris and his tactician Russell Silvestri (an Olympic-class sailor) will be back to defend the title against a field of sailors that includes multiple National, North American and World Champion sailors. Participating clubs and their skippers include: Annapolis YC (Peter McChesney), California YC (Bob Little), Chicago YC (Steve Knoop), Coronado YC (Patrick Powell), Larchmont YC (Dan Pletsch), Long Beach YC (Dustin Durant), New York YC (Brian Keane), Newport Harbor YC (Jon Pinckney), San Diego YC (Tyler Sinks), San Francisco YC (Jack Barton), and Southwestern YC (Shala Youngerman). For more Lipton Cup sailing information
J/22 & J/24 East Coast Preview(Eastport, MD)- A fall sailing classic will be taking place this weekend on Chesapeake Bay- the East Coast Championships for both the J/22 and J/24 classes. Taking place from October 30th to November 1st, the fleets will be treated to the amazing hosts in Eastport, MD known as the Severn Sailing Association. Both fleets have more than fifteen boats registered and the quality of the fleet is incredibly high.
For the J/22s, class President Sandy Adzcik will be racing and will be joined by veterans like Brad Julia, Trevor Perkins, Jeff Todd and Chris Wilson. Teams are participating from Rhode Island, New York, Maryland and Virginia.
The J/24 Eastern Championships are sponsored by Hillman Investments. The fleet has several class leaders participating, including past East Coast, National, North American and World Champions. In fact, it’s quite the stellar cast for the size of the fleet. The de facto class cheerleader for over three decades, Tony Parker’s BANGOR PACKET, will be hoping to lead an all-star group that includes Carter White’s SEA BAGS SAILING TEAM, Peter Kassal’s SPACEMAN SPIFF, Mike Marshall’s PIPE DREAM from Jamestown, RI, Robby Brown’s crew from Tampa, FL, the Samson/Deom duo on HIJACK from Montreal, Quebec and Travis Odenbach’s HONEY BADGER from New York. For more J/22 East Coast sailing information For more J/24 East Coasts sailing information
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
Fall events continue to enjoy somewhat benign sailing conditions in various parts of the northern hemisphere. In Europe, the Garmin Hamble Winter Series, the Sailing Networks Big Boat Series and the Doyle Sails One-Design Championship based in Hamble, England have had what amounts to an “Indian Summer” series of weekends- unseasonably warm and with just moderate winds and mostly sun!Meanwhile, on the far western parts across the Atlantic, the Manhasset Bay YC Fall Series concluded on western Long Island Sound for one-design J/105s as well as PHRF racers like J/88s, J/109s, and J/111s. Further south along the mid-Atlantic seaboard, the J/70s enjoyed their Fall Brawl Regatta at Eastport YC and the Annapolis YC Fall Series and Storm Trysail Fall Regatta also took place with one-design fleets for J/80s, J/30s, J/35s, J/105s, and PHRF/ORR racers like J/109s, J/111s, and J/122s. Then, much farther west on the “left coast”, the San Diego YC hosted their famous J/105 International Masters Regatta.
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:
Oct 24-Dec 8- Garmin Hamble Winter Series- Hamble, EnglandOct 30- Nov 1- Lipton Cup Challenge- San Diego, CA
Oct 31- Nov 1- J/22 East Coast Championship- Annapolis, MD
Nov 7-11- French J/80 Nationals- Saint Cast, France
Nov 26-30- J/24 South American Championship- Porto Alegre, Brazil
Nov 28- Dec 6- Peru J/24 National Championship- La Punta, Peru
Dec 4-6- J/22 Jamaica Jammin Regatta- Montego Bay, Jamaica
Dec 12-13- Quantum J/70 Winter Series I- Tampa, FL
Jan 9-10- Quantum J/70 Winter Series II- Tampa, FL
Jan 13- Lauderdale- Key West Race- Fort Lauderdale, FL
Jan 18-22- Quantum Key West Race Week- Key West, FL
Feb 6-7- Quantum J/70 Winter Series III- Tampa, FL
Feb 25-28- J/70 Midwinter Championship- St. Petersburg, FL
Mar 10-13- J/70 Miami Sailing Week- Coconut Grove, FL
Apr 16-19- Charleston Race Week– Charleston, SC
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
“Master” Burnham Wins J/105 Masters Regatta(San Diego, CA)- From October 23rd to 25th, the San Diego YC hosted the J/105 Masters Regatta for the third consecutive year in a fleet of matched J/105s supplied by the generosity of their local fleet. A dozen legendary master sailors from around the world sailed inside San Diego’s beautiful harbor along the city waterfront.
The weather over the weekend cooperated beautifully on Friday and Saturday, with the classic WNW seabreezes providing the fleet with five good races. However, the racing on Saturday was concluded early due to a minor dust-up at the windward mark when three boats got wrapped up and engaged in a slow motion pirouette that left one boat without a usable pole. Sunday dawned with overcast skies and lots of clouds with a stalled frontal system preventing any hope for the classic seabreeze. Despite several attempts to get a final race going, Regatta Chairman Jeff Brown and SDYC’s Jeff Johnson (Regatta Manager) concluded it was time to stop for the day and bring the fleet home for the awards.
The racing was close and the sailors enjoyed racing the matched fleet of J/105s. It was clear from the beginning that Malin Burnham’s crew, that included Star/Etchells and offshore champions Vince Brun and Benny Mitchell on board, were going to set the tone for their regatta by easily winning the first race! Not bad for the 88-year-old skipper, a former Star World Champion himself. Second in the first race was Sandy Purdon from San Diego YC and third was Jon Andron’s team from St Francis YC.
After the first day of racing, Andron was leading with a 3-1 followed by Burnham with a 1-4 and Gary Jobson’s team in third with a 4-2.
Saturday dawned with the potential for a perfect, sunny day with plenty of breeze. Mother Nature delivered in spades, providing postcard perfect sailing with breezes building into the high teens by the third race of the day. Starting out Saturday’s performance exactly how they started Friday morning, Burnham’s team put their stamp on the regatta by posting a 1-2-4 record to ultimately win the regatta with just 12 pts total! Andron’s crew had a slow start to the day but improved every race to score a 6-4-2 on the day and secure second overall.
Behind the two leaders, it was “clear as mud” who was going to take the final spot on the podium. In the fray were Purdon, Jobson, defending Champion Augie Diaz, Don Trask, Chuck Nichols and Bob Fisher. It was rough going as virtually every mark rounding and every finish line produced yet another roller-coaster ride for these teams. Positions changed dramatically at each corner and consistency was not a term one could use for their scorelines. In the end, Purdon’s 8-5-6 was enough to grab the bronze. Just two points back was Jobson’s east coast team that closed with a 4-8-10. Then rounding out the top five was the “Cuban Comet”- Diaz’s team that closed with an 11-3-3 to secure 5th overall.Regatta Chairman Brown thanked the small army of SDYC’s famous volunteers (50+) that looked after the needs of the famous participants. He also thanked sponsors JK3 YACHTS, McCarthy Holthus and TESLA Motors (who were providing test drives in their cool electric cars). For more J/105 International Masters Regatta sailing information
GARMIN Hamble Winter Series Report(Hamble, England)- For the first time in as many years, the weather gods allowed the full programme of two races to be sailed on the first weekend of the Garmin Hamble Winter Series. Which, as race officer Kathy Smalley pointed out, perhaps should be temporarily re-named the Garmin Hamble Indian Summer Series for the time being!
For the preceding week, the forecast had steadfastly refused to predict anything above 2-3 knots for the opening day of the 2015 series, but Sunday dawned with a light southeasterly that was to build throughout the day.
All classes got underway on time helped by a sluicing flood tide, which resulted in a few individual recalls for some slightly over-keen competitors. The race team set a series of windward-leeward courses for the competing boats. As boats headed upwind to their first mark, the wind was oscillating through no more than 10 degrees, meaning that boatspeed was the order of the day. But there were plenty of lead changes and tacking duels taking place throughout the 70-boat fleet.
In IRC 0, Cornel Riklin’s J/111 JITTERBUG won both races to top the results table, ahead of Louise Makin’s JOURNEYMAKER II in third.
In IRC3, it was BLACKJACK, the J/97 of Annie Kelly who dominated, scoring two firsts, while David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’RONIMO was in third place, at the top of a batch of J/92s.
Week 2As October progresses, you could be forgiven for thinking that the thermals should be dug out – but the second weekend of the Garmin Hamble Winter Series, which this week incorporated the Doyle Sails Hamble One-Design Championships and the Sailing Networks Big Boat Championships, hosted some unseasonal sunshine and warmth to accompany the racing.
Racing on Sunday, the Garmin Hamble Winter Series fleet experienced some close racing in conditions ranging from a steady 12 knots to a shifty, frustrating 6 knots. These shifts and wind holes turned fleets on their heads and favored crews with their eyes out of their boats. Nonetheless, the race team, led by Stuart Childerley, fitted in two races for each class in the bright sunshine.
Cornel Riklin and crew on their J/111 JITTERBUG added another two first places to their score in the IRC0 class, continuing their run of bullets, ahead of fellow J/111 JOURNEYMAKER II, which scored two seconds. Christopher Daniel's J/122 AYBE completed the podium with two third places.
IRC 2, Paul Ward's J/88 EAT SLEEP J REPEAT took second in both races. This leaves the fleet extremely close, with only two points separating 3rd and 6th place.
IRC 3 saw the J/97 BLACKJACK II add another two firsts to her scoreline, with the J/92s UPSTART taking a 3rd and a 2nd.
The J/109s were also racing with IRC 3, and were won by Simon Perry's JIRAFFE which recorded a 2nd and a 1st. Joe Henry's JOLLY JACK TAR scored a 1st and a 3rd to take 2nd, and Roger Philips' DESIGNSTAR 2 took third overall.
Week 3The third race day rounded off a successful weekend of racing, which this week incorporated the final act of both the Doyle Sails Hamble One Design Championship and the Sailing Networks Hamble Big Boat Championship.
The wind was decidedly fluky for Sunday's racing, but the race team got all fleets away after a short postponement. The wind started at around 10 knots, easing through the day to a minimum of 3 knots of Northeasterly, but the race team fitted in two races to leave competitors smiling as they came off the water – despite some large shifts that meant no position was set in stone until the final tack to the finish line.
A strong weather-going tide meant that there was a general recall or two, but fleets subsequently got away cleanly – no doubt encouraged to be cautious by the Z flag flying from the committee boat. First away was the IRC 0 class. Cornel Riklin's J/111 JITTERBUG added two more firsts to continue her run of bullets, making her lead look healthy and strong after three weekends of racing. Fellow J/111 JOURNEYMAKER II took two second places, ahead of J/122 JUNO in third, making for a complete J-Boat podium at this stage.
In the IRC2 class, the J/88 JONGLEUR skippered by Richard Cooper finished 3rd in both races.
In IRC3, J/97 BLACKJACK II recorded two wins, rounding off a weekend of celebration as owners Annie Kelly and Andy Howe got engaged on Saturday! At the prize-giving, day sponsor, the Bugle pub presented them with a special champagne bottle to add to their day prize, to tumultuous applause! The J/92s UPSTART skippered by Robin Stevenson took two second places to add to their consistent scoreline.
The J/109 fleet, racing with IRC3, was won by Simon Perry's JIRAFFE, which took two bullets ahead of Joe Henry's JOLLY JACK TAR’s two second places.
Week 4Coming at the end of a week of pessimistic weather forecasts, it was little surprise to both competitors and the race committee that the scheduled start time of the fourth race day of the Garmin Hamble Winter Series was marked by a flat calm, two hoots and an AP.
But it was a day of surprises – firstly that the end of British Summer Time would be marked by warm temperatures and blazing sunshine, and secondly that a light southeasterly breeze would fill in at around 1230. This came as a particular shock to the boats that had decided that there would be no racing today and who had started motoring home – resulting in a few hurried U-turns and high engine revs as they tried to make it back to the start line in time!
The wind never rose above 6- 10 knots, but that was plenty enough for race officer Kathy Smalley to fit in a short race with the same course for all classes - a triangle between HYS, Hill Head and hamblewinterseries.com buoys. Many classes saw the overall winners surprised and in some cases back towards the rear of the fleet in the light and shifty breeze.
First away were IRC 0, where Cornel Riklin's J/111 JITTERBUG added another first, for what is a perfect run of bullets. As a result, they are leading a J-Boats sweep of their class with 6 pts net followed by JOURNEYMAKER II in second and Chris Daniel’s J/122 JUNO in third place with 28 pts net.
A Z flag flying from the committee boat caused some issues in IRC2, with two boats affected, including Paul Ward’s J/88 EAT SLEEP J REPEAT in being penalized for being over the line. Nonetheless, EAT SLEEP J REPEAT finished first and took the penalty. Consequently, the overall results so far have the J/88 ESJR in third overall with 26 pts net, top of the J/88 class in the regatta. Next J/88s are Cooper’s JONGLEUR second, Gavin Howe’s TIGRIS 3rd and David Cule’s MAI TAI in 4th.In IRC 3, Robin Stevenson on the J/92s UPSTART pushed class leader J/97 BLACKJACK II into second place, with Jonathan Stevens' J/97 WINDJAMMER completing the podium for the day's racing. That result still leaves the Howe’s J/97 BLACKJACK II in control of the overall standings with 6 pts, followed by Stevenson’s J/92s UPSTART in second with 12 pts and David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’RONIMO in third- currently a sweep of the podium like their colleagues in IRC 0.
The J/109s continue to have JIRAFFE in first, with Henry’s JJT in 2nd and Phillips’ DESIGNSTAR II in 3rd.
Next weekends sees competitors and organizers alike take a well-earned break, before the series resumes the following weekend. We look forward to seeing you then! Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth/ PWPictures.com and Hamo Thornycroft. For more Garmin Hamble Winter Series sailing information
Doyle Sails Hamble One-Design Champs Report(Hamble, England)- The final weekend of the Doyle Sails Hamble One Design Championships didn't come with a promising forecast, but the race team, headed by Dermot O'Malley, got all races away on Saturday and Sunday in an oscillating N/NEly wind. The series featured racing for J/70, J/80, and mixed sportsboat classes.
There has been some close and exciting racing, and competitor feedback has been very positive for the four days of racing, in which 10 short, sharp races were sailed with a quick turnaround between races. This weekend in particular saw boats splitting tacks up the beat to take advantage of the numerous shifts, some reaping their rewards and others losing out as they neared the windward marks.
Points-wise, no boat had it all their own way in the J/70 class, but it was Tom Forrester-Coles' HARLEQUIN that took home the trophy, finishing the series with 18 points, six points clear of second-placed JUGADOR, belonging to Jack Davies. The podium was completed by Greg Hall's RTYC 742, with 32 points. The rest of the top five included Patrick Liardet’s COSMIC in 4th place and David McLeman’s OFFFBEAT in fifth overall.
Things were extremely close at the top of the J/80 class, where it came down to the final race to decide the winner. Phil Taylor's J.A.T and Yannig Loyer's J out of the box finished tied on 13 points apiece, but it was J.A.T that squeezed ahead on countback with one more first place. Michael Lewis' Jester had a late run of success, taking first place in the final three races which brought her to within three points of the two leaders and clear of Jumblesail in fourth place overall.In the IRC mixed sportsboat class the J/92S WIZARD finished up in second place overall.
And with that, the 2015 Doyle Sails Hamble One Design Championships conclude after some close racing in tricky conditions. We look forward to seeing entries from as many classes as possible next autumn, and would like to thank all competitors and Doyle Sails for their support of the event. Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth/ PWPictures.com and Hamo Thornycroft. For more Garmin Hamble Winter Series sailing information
Sailing Networks Hamble BBS Report(Hamble, England)- The Hamble Big Boat Series, ran alongside the One Design Championships on the 2nd and 3rd weekends of the Garmin Hamble Winter Series, offered top-notch racing for some of the best-sailed big boats in the country. This year, popular social media site Sailing Networks sponsored the event, which proved popular with competitors.
After four days of racing and 12 races, sailed in mainly light winds, the biggest boats raced in the IRC 0 class saw the main series leader, Riklin’s J/111 JITTERBUG placing third overall. Just two points behind them was Chris Daniel’s J/122 JUNO in fourth position. The J/111 JOURNEYMAKER sailed by Louise Makin and Chris Jones placed 6th overall.
Thanks go to all competitors and to sponsor Sailing Networks, for their support, and we look forward to seeing you all on the start line next year. Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth/ PWPictures.com and Hamo Thornycroft. For more Garmin Hamble Winter Series sailing information
McChesney Takes J/70 Fall Brawl Regatta(Eastport, MD- The Eastport YC and friends at Storm Trysail Club hosted the J/70 Fall Brawl Regatta, a popular event for J/70 sailors at it often marks the first stop heading south from the northeastern USA to Key West Race Week and other events on the winter circuit- like the Quantum J/70 Midwinter Circuit in Tampa, Florida.
The regatta saw light to moderate winds, shifty and streaky, that enabled the EYC PRO to run seven races for the thirty-one boats sailing the regatta. Sailing a very consistent series was Peter McChesney from Annapolis YC, posting a 6-1-4-4-1-3-4 for 23 pts total to win the regatta by just four pts.
Tied with McChesney after Saturday’s racing but not able to keep up the pressure and the pace was Henry Filter’s WILD CHILD from Eastport YC. Filter’s scoreline of 4-5-2-2-9-2-3 was good enough for 27 pts.
Just off the pace of the leaders and with a legitimate chance of winning the regatta going into the last race was Peter Bowe’s Annapolis YC team sailing TEA DANCE SNAKE. After posting a 1-6-7-3-2-1 in the first six races, all Bowe’s crew had to do was finish 3rd or better to win the regatta. Unfortunately, their can of “whupass” must’ve expired by midday, for they could only manage a 10th in the 7th race to take the bronze on the podium with 30 pts total. It was TEA DANCE SNAKE’s best showing to date in a major J/70 regatta.Rounding out the top five was Geoff Becker’s (current Lightning World Champion) PAPA WHEELIE from Severn Sailing Association, taking fourth overall with 43 pts. Taking top women’s skipper award and holding on to 5th overall was Jen Wulff sailing with husband Ray and crew on JOINT CUSTODY.
More than half the fleet sailing the J/70 Fall Brawl are headed south to sail in the Quantum Key West Race Week and Quantum J/70 Winter Series at Davis Island YC in Tampa, Florida. Sailing Photo credits- Dan Phelps/SpinSheet For more J/70 Fall Brawl sailing information
Big J Fleet @ Annapolis Fall SeriesJ/122 Wins Storm Trysail Fall Regatta
(Annapolis, Maryland)- The Storm Trysail Club's Annapolis Fall Regatta provided a preview of close inshore racing expected at Quantum Key West Race Week in the IRC, ORC and One-Design Divisions. Participating in this year’s event were J/80s, J/30s, J/35s, J/105s and J/122s, J/111s sailing in the handicap classes.
The road to Quantum Key West Race Week started with last weekend's 3-day Annapolis Fall Regatta, organized by the Chesapeake Station of the Storm Trysail Club and co-hosted by Eastport YC and SpinSheet Magazine. After three days of conditions ranging from light to moderate breeze and on courses varying from windward-leewards to a short offshore tour of the Chesapeake Bay, the fleet enjoyed over a half-dozen races for most classes.
Part of the gear-shifting was due not only to the conditions which ranged from a bright and sunny 10-16 knots on Friday to a cool and rainy 7-10 knots this morning, but also to the event's unique racing formats. Friday's 23-mile offshore race took the fleet from Annapolis across to the Eastern Shore, north upwind under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge halfway to the approaches to Baltimore Harbor, then back south to the Eastern Shore again before reaching back up the Severn River to a finish near the harbor in Annapolis. This race was scored as two races: times were taken at the northern-most mark for a 1.0 point-weighted race, while the elapsed times for the entire course were used to score a 1.5 point-weighted race.
Using ORC scoring within the same class, Paul Milo's J/122 ORION from Annapolis took victory by a 5.5-point margin, with all bullets and two seconds in the no-discard series. Milo also plans to head south for Key West, but via some distance races as well, including the Ft Lauderdale-Key West Race, the Miami-Havana Race, as well as Quantum Key West Race Week.
Asked about his feelings on use of ORC for the first time, Milo commented "I think the system is great, it's based on measurements, its transparent, and it seems fair across the boat types. If we offered it more here in the Chesapeake I would definitely consider doing more racing here, particularly the distance races that we enjoy."Taking second in ORR Class was Marty Roesch’s J/111 VELOCITY, posting all top three finishes to finish 5 pts back from Milo’s ORION.
On the IRC Class side of things, Milo’s ORION took 3rd in class behind two custom IRC boats followed by Bill Sweetser’s J/109 RUSH in 4th in class.
"We're really pleased to offer this regatta again this year to bring competitive big-boat racing to the Chesapeake," said PRO Dick Neville. "This year we had had a good turnout. We're always trying to innovate and make this event interesting, and I think we succeeded with that this year with our long course and the introduction of ORC scoring. Everyone had fun, and I thank our competitors for coming out to race, our Committee for all their efforts, and our sponsors at SpinSheet for all their support."
Annapolis YC Fall SeriesIn the J/105 class, sixteen boats enjoyed the weekend of sailing with Cedric Lewis on MIRAGE posting three bullets on their way to winning the class with just 14.5 pts. Sailing nearly as consistently was Scott Gitchell’s crew on MIRAGE that completed the series with 18 pts. By winning the first race long distance race for double-points, Jim Konigsberg’s INIGO was well-placed to win the regatta, but faded into the last two races with a 4-9 to drop into third overall. The balance of the top five included Matt Robbins’ ALLEGIANCE in fourth with 34 pts, closely followed by Andrew Cherner’s CRASH just 1.5 pts back.
The seven-boat J/35 class enjoyed good racing overall. Nevertheless, it was James Sagerholm’s AUNT JEAN that again showed her transom to the fleet for most of the races, compiling five bullets of six possible races to win with just 7.5 pts. However, just behind them it was a fight for who would end up on the podium. Winning the battles and the war was Peter Scheidt’s MAGGIE, finishing with 17 pts to take the silver. Just out of the money was Benjamin Travis’ BZING, taking third with just 18.5 pts.The J/30s had a three-way battle over the weekend. In the end, it was Rob Lundahl’s RAG DOLL that took class honors over Tristan & Sheila Keen’s INFECTIOUS SMILE in 2nd and Ron Anderson’s INSATIABLE in 3rd place.
With seven boats, the J/80s enjoyed good sailing with John White’s NOAA’s ARK winning class, followed by Dave Andril’s VAYU in 2nd position and Tom Walsh’s WINDRIDER in the 3rd spot. Sailing Photo credits- Dan Phelps/SpinSheet For more Storm Trysail Club's Annapolis Fall Regatta sailing information For more Annapolis YC Fall Series sailing information
J/Teams Top Manhasset Fall Series RegattaJ/88 Wins PHRF 2, J/29 Smokes PHRF 3
(Manhasset, NY)- The 37th Annual Manhasset Bay YC Fall Series took place over the past two weekends on western Long Island Sound. There was an enormous presence of J sailors in the event with a large J/105 class of nine boats and various J’s sailing in all PHRF handicap fleets with terrific performances in the seven+ race series.
Starting with the “big boats”, PHRF 1 Class saw Paul Strauch’s J/111 ANDIAMO sailing a very consistent regatta, nearly pulling off a class win save for a 7th in their 4th race that had to be their “toss” race. Their scoreline of 3-2-2-7-1-3-3 was good enough for 14 pts net and third overall, just 3 pts out of 1st! Taking fourth was stablemate SPIKE, the J/111 sailed by Sam Talbot.
J crews dominated PHRF 2 Class with Doug McKeige and the crew of the J/88 JAZZ having an outstanding performance, winning PHRF 2 on a tie-breaker with 9 pts. Like a freight train getting rolling down the tracks, McKeige’s crew gathered steam every race and posted an impressive 4-2-2-2-1-1-1 record. Losing the tie-break was Carl Olsson’s J/109 MORNING GLORY, not able to find a way to beat the fast J/88 team, closing with three 2nds to take the silver. Third was yet another J/88, Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION sailing the most consistent record imaginable, with six 3rds in 7 races! Finally, fourth place was secured by Bob Schwartz’s J/109 NORDLYS.The J/105s had good racing overall, but there is no question that past 105 champion Damian Emery is back on form, guiding his familiar ECLIPSE team to first overall with just four 1sts and three 2nds for just 8 pts total. Second was Marcus Wunderlich’s STRATOS with 12 pts and in third was George & Alex Wilbanks’ REVELATION in third position.
The PHRF 3 Class also had a near total eclipse by J sailors. Winning by a significant margin was Tom & Julie Sinatra’s J/29 SMOKIN’J with three 1sts and two 2nds in the record to win by the comfortable margin of 4 pts. Taking third was Jason Viseltear’s J/80 UPSETTER and in fourth place was Todd Aven’s THIN MAN.Finally, Robert Taylor’s J/34c MINX sailed an all top two record to take 2nd place in the PHRF Non-spinnaker class.
Of note for J/88 owners, Jeff Pawlowski of JPBOATWORKS <jpboatworks@gmail.com> does deliveries of J/88s to regattas, so if you are dying to go to Key West but did not know how to get your boat there, get in touch with Jeff. (He owns J88 "East Eights" and will be in Key West as well). For more Manhasset Fall Series sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* J/44 VAMP, the Bermuda Race and AJ Evans story. As the youngest Race Chairman in the history of the Newport Bermuda Race, 34-year-old Alton J. Evans has the helm of the 50th “Thrash to the Onion Patch,” which starts Friday, June 17, 2016.“I grew up on the Navesink River and Sandy Hook Bay,” says AJ, who lives in Middletown, New Jersey. “I started sailing with my parents, Alton and Jackie Evans, when I was 3, and attended junior sailing at Monmouth Boat Club. We started cruising when I was 7, mostly long weekends on Long Island Sound, Block Island and Martha’s Vineyard, as well as the U.S Virgin Islands and Southern California.”
© Matt Marciano
“My dad was Commodore of the Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club. That’s where I met my sailing godfather, Lenny Sitar, who is also a Past Commodore. Lenny invited my dad and I to go on a race, although my dad is more interested in cruising with my mom. I took to racing with Lenny and was 17 when I did my first Bermuda Race on his J/44 Vamp in 1998, and I haven’t missed one since. This will be my tenth Bermuda Race, and ninth on Vamp.”
“We’re very lucky to have a core group of sailors aboard Vamp,” says AJ (pictured at the helm in a gale). Next year will be my twentieth on Vamp, and other guys have been there much longer. That says a lot about how Lenny runs a program and takes care of his crew. I’m not the youngest anymore, by far, and it’s become a great group of reliable, talented shipmates. Lenny is a great guy and a great team leader, and quite often he can predict the weather better than the forecast!”
“Competition in the J/44 class in the Bermuda Race has been close from start to finish. During the SSB check-in days, you could drop a quarter on the plotting sheet and cover the class’ plots. In 2014, we started close to Jim Bishop’s Gold Digger and saw them next a few days later when we finished about two minutes ahead of them.”
“I really enjoy the camaraderie of the J/44 class, but I’ve been exceptionally blessed with kind invitations to sail with friends on a variety of boats all over the world, including classics. I’ve done the Rolex Middle Sea Race, the Pineapple Cup, several Annapolis to Newport and Marblehead to Halifax races, and a very funny Transatlantic Race on the clipper Stad Amsterdam. It turned from race into cruise not long after the breeze died. I’ve never laughed so hard for so long.”
A member of the Storm Trysail Club for a decade, AJ is currently on the club’s governing board. He’s a member of the New York Yacht Club and serves on the club’s Sailing Committee and Race Committee, as well as the National Sailing Hall of Fame’s Youth Advisory Board. A maritime lawyer by profession, he’s Chairman of the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Maritime and Admiralty Law Special Committee.
“My involvement with organizing the Bermuda Race started when I was 29. Sheila McCurdy, who was then the first female Commodore of the Cruising Club of America, appointed me Fleet Captain of the CCA. The Race Chairman at the time was Bjorn Johnson. I had sailed with Bjorn, and my mom has known him since grammar school. I helped Bjorn by writing the Sailing Instructions, and have enjoyed doing so ever since. I am incredibly honored that the flag officers of the CCA and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club have appointed me to this position. Not only is this the 50th edition of the Bermuda Race; it’s also the 90th anniversary of the RBYC’s partnership with the CCA in running the race.”
“The Bermuda Race is special – I think there’s something in the water, especially when it turns that indescribable blue. Some of the best parts of the race never change – the water, the Stream, the routine of offshore sailing, the first sighting of a Long Tail, that two-hour motor to RBYC, and then the dock walks, exchanging sea stories loosely based on true events. But it’s most special in that it’s the only ocean race in the world that focuses the competition on the sailors and their skill more than the boats, their designers, or owners’ bank accounts. It doesn’t have an overall trophy, although the St. David’s Lighthouse is considered the grand prize.”
“We level the playing fields by dividing the race into divisions that don’t mix movable ballast boats with fixed ballast boats, or stored power with manual power, or double-handed with fully-crewed boats, and we limit the participation of professional sailors in most divisions. No matter what anyone says, there is no science-based handicap system that can fairly rate the differences that divide the fleet. We, along with many other premiere ocean races, trust the Offshore Racing Rule to do the rest. Our format, combined with ORR, gets the most people sailing and promises everyone a fair shake.”
“I came up with the idea to permit boats in either the St. David’s Lighthouse or the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse division with a minimum performance screen of 0.50 to also enter the Open Division. This will give those boats the option to compete for the Open Division’s Royal Mail Cup, and it will give the Open Division boats (e.g. Comanche, Rambler 88 and Privateer) much more competition. It will be a special contest to mark the 50th race. I’ve been referring to it casually as ‘The Hauling the Mail Competition.’”
AJ relishes what he calls “friendships forged offshore,” and looks forward to sailing with his friends on Vamp in the next Newport Bermuda Race. “A true friend gets soaking wet on a cold, dark night by helping you flake a jib full of water on the foredeck for little or no money,” he explains. “They’re with you whether the cockpit is full of saltwater or rum, and they’ve got a fistful of your foul weather gear when the deck’s awash.” Courtesy of WINDCHECK Magazine
* Sally Barkow and Dave Ullman take early wins at Pro-Am Regatta. The sailors in this year’s Bitter End YC 29th Annual Pro-Am Regatta come from a range of sailing experience, but almost to the person, all have significant J/Boats experience on their CV’s. While Sally Barkow from Neenah, WI may be a two-time world champion and two-time US Yachtswomen of the Year (having won five Rolex watches over the course of her impressive racing career), she’s spent a lot of time racing J/22s, J/24s and J/80s as part of her fleet and match-racing career growing up in the Midwest.
In addition, Taylor Canfield has been a J/24 (and IC24) ace as he grew up sailing in the US Virgin Islands, not to mention that he’s been spending a lot of time recently racing J/70s, too.
Similarly, JJ Fetter from San Diego YC has spent lots of racing various J/22s and J/24s in her past experiences. Likewise, Sally’s “sister” sailor from Wisconsin, Annie Haeger from Lake Beulah, WI has learned a lot sailing J/22s in various fleet and match races across the USA. Anthony Kotoun has raced everything in the small J/Boats stable, including J/22s, J/24s (as World Champion) and recently J/70s. Finally, none other than Dave Ullman was an early participant in helping grow the J/24 class, has raced J/22s, J/70s, J/80s, J/105s and J/125s as part of his role continuing to grow Ullman Sails worldwide. The Bitter End YC “amateurs” will be having a fun time with these wonderful sailors! For more Bitter End YC Pro-Am Regatta sailing informationJ/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/
* 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!
* 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 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 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
The 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/.
* 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.
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