Wednesday, March 28, 2018

J/Newsletter- March 28th, 2018

J/112E sport cruiser racing boat
40th SPI OUEST France Regatta Preview
(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- The largest offshore keelboat regatta in Europe- SPI OUEST France- is the first major event in the spring for French sailors. It is always looked forward to with great anticipation for J/sailors, as it is a celebration of sailing and family over the Easter Holiday weekend.  Even more importantly for this year, it is a celebration of the 40th edition of SPI OUEST!  The regatta is hosted by Societe Nautique La Trinite sur Mer, located in the quaint seaside village of La Trinite sur Mer.  The sailing will take place from Thursday, March 29th to Monday, April 2nd on the Baie de Quiberon, one of the most famous places to sail in all of France.

Participating in this year’s event are over 100 J/Boats, ranging from J/70s, J/80s up to J/97s, J/109s, J/112E’s, J/120s, and J/122s.  The fifteen-boat IRC 2 class will have four J/Crews vying for class supremacy.  Last year’s winner, Didier Le Moal’s J-LANCE 12 from Societe Regate Rochelaises, will be working hard to maintain their momentum from last season.  Another new J/112E will hope to capitalize on lessons learned from J-LANCE 12’s success; MUSIX will be helmed by P. Baetz from the home club SNT S/Mer.  Two J/120s from Club Nautique Pornic will be up against those formidable 112E’s, one is P. Girardin’s HEY JUDE and the other is P. Tostivint’s LADY JANE.

In the twenty-one boat IRC 3 class are two J/97’s.  From SR Rochelaises is B. Fagart’s MISPICKEL V and from Societe Nautique Baie St Malo is JP Briand’s J L’AMOROSSO. These two crews will be battling an octet of JPK 10.10s and a trio of SF 3200s.  Another slightly lower-rated J/97 will be racing in the twenty-two boat IRC 4 Class, P. Mabo’s HALIOTIS from Club Nautique Piriac sur Mer.

In the OSH handicap class of fifty-four boats is a range of classic J’s.  The smallest and oldest is S. Gras’ J/24 JIBUS from YC Crouesty-Arzon.  Three J/92’s are sailing, including T. Bidon’s DR JEKYL from Club Nautique Lorient, M. Morvan’s J3M from CVF, and C. Roux’s LED ZEP from Societe Regate Turballe.  Joining them are four J/105s, including P. Allain’s BO GOSS from CN Pirieac S/Mer, three crews from the host club from SN Trinite S/Mer; JP. Peche’s J’RTOURN, P. Jomier’s J-SQUARED from SNT S/Mer, and F. Guillemot’s MISS J from SNT S/Mer.  In addition, the two “big boats” in class are S. Blevin’s J/109 JOKE from SNT S/Mer and P. Vidon’s J/111 J4F from SN Baie St Malo.

In the world of one-design, J’s continue to dominate the French scene, with strong turnouts for J/70s and J/80s.  In the sixteen-boat J/70 fleet several of the top J/80 teams from the past are most likely focused on the upcoming J/70 World Championship to be sailed in Poole, England in 2019.  Familiar names are racing, like Luc Sambron’s HEMON-CAMUS from APCC Voile Sportive, Herve Leduc’s PIERRE OCEANE from SR Rochelaises and Eric Vallliant’s TRISKELL from CN Narbonne.  A top Russian/ Spanish crew will be also participating, NEW TERRITORIES RUS 667 sailed by S. Alexei and Hugo Roche, sailing under the flag of YC St Petersburg in Russia.

Again setting the record for at least a dozen years as THE largest one-design class at SPI Ouest will be the fleet of seventy-one J/80s.  Such is the strength of the J/80 class in France that virtually ALL top yacht clubs/ sailing clubs have them as “club boats”; so juniors and women train on them all the time.  That continues to feed the used-boat marketplace for J/80s.  There are many fresh faces in this year’s fleet, as well as some of the grizzled veterans from European and World Championships.  Look for some of these teams to be at the top of the leaderboard; Ludovic Gilet’s NUMERO J fron CN Pornic, Andrew Hurst’s British crew aboard SEAHORSE MAGAZINE from Keyhaven YC, Simon Moriceau’s ARMEN HABITAT from APPC Voile Sportive, Madame Rousseaux’s CN ST CAST GRAND OUEST ETIQUETTE from CN St Cast, Luc Nadal’s GANJA from NDCV Angers,  and Simon Pellisier’s INTUITIVE SAILS from NDCV Angers.

Perhaps what is most notable for the J/80 fleet is the increasing number of women helms as well as a significant increase in the numbers of university sailing teams- at least ten!
  Sailing photo credits- Jean-Marie Liot. For more SPI OUEST France Regatta sailing information
 

J/24s sailing Easter Regatta 
THE Easter J/24 Regatta Preview
(Columbia, SC)- Sailed in J/24s since 1987, THE Easter Regatta has been one of the world’s most popular and enduring J/24 events. It offers an excellent mix of shore side events and world-class competition. Whether yours is an amateur team attending your first regatta or a professional team contending for the top prize, you will find something here that impels you to return year after year!

The Columbia Sailing Club offers first-class facilities. Everyone appreciates the awesome Bath House at the beach and camping area, especially the campers! Their never-leave-the-club option offers FREE camping (first-come, first-served), meals every day, and parties GALORE!! The beautiful peninsula and gorgeous beach provide an unparalleled camping experience.

Most importantly, the down-home southern hospitality ties everything together.  That is the tradition that competitors have come to know and love.

Answering that “call to duty” for J/24 sailors are at least twenty-three teams from across the cosmos of the J/24 universe.  Notable characters include such teams like Dan Borrer’s JESUS LIZARD form St Augustine, FL; Mike Palazzo’s JO MAMMA from Charleston YC; Chip Till’s MURDER INC from Charleston YC; Steve Wood’s TASMANIAN DEVIL from Sail Newport, RI; Chris Stone’s VELOCIDAD from Atlantic Highlands YC; and Paul Abdullah’s TEAM TARHEEL from Jacksonville, FL.  For more J/24 Easter Regatta sailing information
 

J/Gear special 
J/Gear Winter-Spring Special- 20% Off!
(Newport, RI)- J/Boats’ sailing gear licensee V-Sport is pleased to offer all J/Boats owners and crew their 2018 Winter-Spring Special.

The Special Offer is good from now until April 4th, 2018 (please note 1/2 models, J/Photo Prints and J/Battleflags are excluded from the offer).  To place your order and enter the 20% discount code- “JB2018SP”- please visit the J/Gear website.
 

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

Things finally got busy on the Solent this past weekend as the popular Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series was finally able to sail their first weekend of the year.  Hosted by the Warsash Sailing Club in Warsash, England, the series starts in March and ends in May.  There is one-design racing on the White Fleet course for J/70s, J/80s, and J/88s, and on the Black Fleet course there is both one-design J/109s and IRC handicap racing for J/111s and J/112Es.  Just across the Channel, the J/80 Frostbite Cup concluded after its four month-long season in Naarden, The Netherlands. Then, way, way off to the east, the Russian National J/70 Sailing League- Act I- took place in Sochi, Russia with sailing along the waterfront in the Black Sea.  Twenty-four teams participated from all over Russia- from the far east (Vladivostok) to the far west (St Petersburg).

Over in the Americas, the Gulf Yachting Association’s Women’s PHRF Offshore Championship was hosted by Southern YC in New Orleans, LA. Sailing took place on the relatively placid waters of Lake Ponchartrain for a fleet that included a J/22, J/24, J/30 and J/35.  Out West on San Francisco Bay, the BAMA organization hosted their first offshore event of the season, their annual Doublehanded Farallones Race, the infamous adventure that takes you from the Bay, underneath the Golden Gate Bridge, and uses the Farallones Islands and rocks as the sole turning mark- a 58.0nm extravaganza.  A group of J/111s and J/120s sailed well and collected some “pickle dishes” for their efforts in a relatively slow race.

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 pag  Below are the summaries.

Regatta & Show Schedules:Mar 28-Apr 1- J/24 South Americans- Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina
Mar 29- Apr 2- SPI Ouest France Regatta- La Trinite sur Mer, France
Mar 29- Apr 1- Easter Regatta- Columbia, SC
Apr 6-8- ALCATEL J/70 Cup- San Remo, Italy
Apr 7-8- J/FEST San Francisco- San Francisco, CA
Apr 12-15- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 8-14- Voiles de Saint Barth Regatta- Gustavia, St Barth
Apr 21-22- J/80 West Coast Championship- Seattle, WA
Apr 21-22- Van Uden Reco Regatta- Medemblik, The Netherlands
Apr 26-29- J/70 Corinthian Nationals- Ft Worth, TX
Apr 27-29- Newport to Ensenada Race- Newport Beach, CA
Apr 28-May 1- Grand Prix de Saint Cast- Saint Cast, France
Apr 28- May 4- Antigua Sailing Week- English Harbour, Antigua
May 2-6- J/24 North American Championship- Charleston, SC
May 4-6- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
May 4-6- Yachting Cup- San Diego, CA
May 8-12- J/22 European Championship- Laveoc, France
May 11-13- ALCATEL J/70 Cup- Porto Ercole, Italy
May 14-19- J/70 North American Championship- Valle de Bravo, Mexico
May 18-20- North Sea Regatta- The Hague, The Netherlands
May 24-28- J/Cup United Kingdom- Cowes, Isle of Wight, England
May 25- Storm Trysail Block Island Race- Larchmont, NY
May 25-28- The FIGAWI Race- Hyannisport, MA
May 26- Spinnaker Cup Offshore Race- Belvedere, CA
May 26-28- Swiftsure International Yacht Race- Victoria, BC, Canada
May 26-28- U.K. J/24 National Championship- Poole, England
May 28-29- Coastal Cup Race- Santa Barbara, CA
May 31- SoCal 300 Race- San Diego, CA

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

J/112E wins first race- Helly Hansen Warsash Spring series 
Warsash Spring Series- Week II Report
(Warsash, England)- What a difference a week makes- for the first weekend of the series, all racing was cancelled as strong winds and a blanket of snow covered the south of England.  However, on Sunday, March 25th, light winds and relatively balmy temperatures were the order of the day!

Challenge number one for the race committee came when the primary Black Group committee boat broke down and couldn't be enticed into starting. So, the team had to squeeze onto the club’s smaller committee boat named “Lobster.” Challenge number two for both race committees was setting start lines and courses in the light Northerly air, with wind speeds between 5 to 8 knots.

As everyone knows, light winds off the mainland shore mean a shifty day, with success going to those who get the majority of shifts right, while also keeping an eye on the strong tides. Both groups had postponements while waiting for the wind to settle.

Black Group was started near North Ryde Middle, with zig-zag courses up to a laid mark near the Bramble post, with a couple of forays across the tide to buoys on the island side. The principal being that a number of shortening course options were available, if required. Starting was well disciplined in all classes, with some being quite shy, in fact. But, all fleets got away cleanly.

The IRC classes found their last two legs were quite tactical, crossing the fairly strong tide from the island back to the Bramble bank- there was more breeze on the bank than on the island, and some boats that kept to the island side lost out, with a couple of boats over standing the finish.

The winner in the IRC 2 class was Chaz Ivill’s J/112E DAVANTI TYRES (photo above) and the winner in IRC 3 Class was David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J'RONIMO.
J/109 Jubilee wins first race- Warsash Spring series
The leaders of the J/109 class are Christopher Preston’s JUBILEE (above) in first, followed by Simon Perry’s JIRAFFE and Rob Cotteril’s MOJO RISIN’.
J/88 sailing fast- Warsash Spring Series
In the J/88 class, Gavin Howe’s TIGRIS (above) clawed their way to the top, with Richard Cooper’s JONGLEUR hanging on to second and David & Kirsty Apthorp’s J-DREAM in third.

The White Group managed to get three races completed in the shifty conditions. Race 1 saw a very closely fought start, but all boats got away cleanly. Race 2 was postponed while the course was reset to reflect the wind swing, and this time there was a general recall as boats found themselves over the line in the strong tide. However, the next start got away cleanly after advice from the committee boat and the added enticement of a black flag. For Race 3 the course was moved again, and this time the breeze built slightly, however, the race was shortened to ensure three races were completed.
J/70 DSP winning - Helly Hansen Warsash Spring series
DSP (Douglas Struth)(photo above) and JEEPSTER (Graham Clapp) ended the day leading the J/70s, with Simon Cavey’s JUST4PLAY holding on to the third slot. The J/70 is noticeably the largest class represented in White Group - probably the combination of being the newest kid on the block, plus the fact that the J/70 worlds next year are in the UK- even Warsash SC member Jon Powell is campaigning the J/70 PEGGY this year; he’s clearly learning fast, having won the second race of the day!

The Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series is sponsored by Helly Hansen @HellyHansen with race partners Crewsaver and Doyle Sails. The Crewsaver Warsash Spring Championship will run on the following weekends: 21/22 April and 28/29 April 2018.  For more Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series sailing information
 

J/70 Russian National Sailing League- off Sochi
NAVIGATOR Tops Russia J/70 Sailing League- Act I

(Sochi, Russia)- For the start of the 2018 Russian National J/70 Sailing League, twenty-six teams from across the country (from Vladivostok to St Petersburg), participated in the challenging, choppy waters of the Black Sea off the seaside resort of Sochi (the site of the Winter Olympics).  It marked the fourth full season of sailing for Russian teams sailing J/70s across the enormous landscape of the Russian Federation.

These are the teams that began their journey in the fourth full season of the League.  Participating in the first regatta in Sochi were LORD OF THE SAIL- ASIA (Sergei Musikhin), NAVIGATOR Sailing Team (Igor Rytov), LORD OF THE SAIL- EUROPE (Pavel Kuznetsov), PIRogovo (Yuri Morozov), Konakovo River Club (Mark Kagansky), ARTTUBE RUS1 (Valeriya Kovalenko), St. Petersburg Yacht Club Yachting Academy (Jan Chekh), Rocknrolla Sailing Team / RUS76 (Alisa Kirilyuk), Leviathan (Maxim Titarenko), X-Fit (Vladimir Silkin), DC TEAM (Denis Cherevatenko), Sochi-South Sport FPS (Alexander Mazurin), Region-23 (Evgeny Nikiforov), NAVIGATOR Trem (Alexandra Peterson), Parma- (Vitaly Tarakanov), USC (Dmitry Zhayvoronok), ResursKomplekt (Andrey Nikolaev), Skolkovo Sailing Team (Andrey Davydyuk), KOMATEK (Vyacheslav Frolov) , RUS7 (Anatoly Arnautov), East-West (Evgeny Anishev), Imperial Yacht Club (Artem Kuznetsov), CSKA Moscow (Alexander Mikhaylik), QPRO Sailing Team (Zoran Paunovich), Black Sea Sailing Team (Inal Berbekov) and Calipso (Vladimir Shishkin).
J/70 ARTTUBE team- leads Russia J/70 Sailing League
Friday
The racing started on Friday, eight races were held with 18 teams sailing at least 3 races and 7 teams sailed 2. Due to the uneven number of races, to make a judgment on performance would be difficult.  However, what was clear was that one team was ahead of the whole planet!  Valeriya Kovalenko’s ARTTUBE RUS 1 team (photo above) had three wins in three races for just 3 pts total! That was powerful beginning! However, something like this was to be expected, because it was this Russian team that won the YC Monaco Winter J/70 Sportboat series, defeating all competitors from across Europe and won the overall trophy.  Kovalenko’s crew includes Igor Ignatenko, Igor Lisovenko and Alexander Bozhko, all from the Taganrog (Moscow) region.

Sitting in a provisional second place after sailing just two races was another star of Russian yachting, Igor Rytov’s NAVIGATOR Sailing Team.  Then, just behind them was Alexander Mikhaylik’s CSKA Moscow Team in third with 5 pts.

The winners on Friday included six teams: SAIL LORD-ASIA, NAVIGATOR Sailing Team, RUS7 (Anatoly Arnautov), CSKA Moscow, KOMATEK (Vyacheslav Frolov) and ARTTUBE RUS 1.   Watch the YouTube “Live” sailing video of first day- 3 hrs 20 min!
Russian J/70 Sailing League video highlights
Saturday highlights - sailing video- 2:13

Saturday
On Saturday, despite the difficult weather that included rain and a very shifty wind, the Race Committee and PRO managed to conduct 14 races, for a total of 22 races sailed so far. Again, there were differences in the number of races each team sailed due to the boat rotations and number of racers.

Nevertheless, it was Kovalenko’s ARTTUBE RUS 1 that continued to lead the regatta with 8 races sailed and just 21 pts total.  Just behind was a tie on points between Rytov’s NAVIGATOR Sailing Team and Yachting Academy of St. Petersburg’s Anna Basalkina, both with 7 races and 20 pts each.

As a result, the racing was so tight that these three teams all had the chances of winning and getting on the podium for the first stage of the Russian National J/70 Sailing League.
Russian /70 Sailing League- Sochi winners
Sunday Finale
After three days, 32 races were held. Five teams had 10 races, fourteen teams had 11, and seven teams had 12 races.  For teams that missed one race, they were added the average value of points scored in their previous races. Teams that had 12 races in the standings had their last race discarded.

As a result, the NAVIGATOR Sailing Team that consisted of Igor Rytov, Anton Sergeev, Konstantin Besputin and Vyacheslav Martynov won in a stubborn fight over the ace J/70 sailor- Valeriya Kovalenko’s ARTTUBE RUS 1.  Unfortunately, after winning 4 races, Kovalenko’s team counted an 8th place in one of the Sunday races, knocking them out of contention for the lead to have to settle for the silver. Her team lost by 1.2 pts.

Taking the bronze was the LORD OF THE SAIL- EUROPE team sailed by Pavel Kuznetsov, Evgeny Neugodnikov, Vyacheslav Ermolenko and Yuri Popov. The team from Ekaterinburg had good results on the final day to climb onto the podium ahead of their rivals.

Rounding out the top five were the Konakovo River Club (Mark Kagansky) in 4th place and the Sailing Academy of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club (Anna Basalkina) in fifth position.
Russian J/70 Sailing Leage- highlights Day 3
Sailing highlights video- day 3

Follow Russian J/70 Sailing League on Facebook  For more Russian J/70 National Sailing League information
 

J/120s sailing Doublehanded Farallones RaceStrong Performance for J/Crews in Doublehanded Farallones Race
(San Francisco, CA)- Fifty boats were registered to start the 2018 edition of the infamous Doublehanded Farallones Race, hosted by the Bay Area Multihull Association (BAMA).  This year, most of the top boats completed the picturesque, iconoclastic 58.0nm race between 9 to 10+ hours elapsed time (a not so fast average of ~ 5.8 kts to ~ 6.4 kts).

Going for it were five J/crews from various Bay area sailing clubs and most all of them completed the circuit out and around the foreboding Farallones Island and rocks.

Leading the J/fleet home was Rich Pipkin & Mary McGrath’s J/125 CAN’T TOUCH THIS, with an elapsed time of 8:54:20, taking 5th place in Class 4 ULDB <42.  Top banana distinction went to Howard Turner & Jay Crum’s J/111 SYMMETRY, going around in 9:06:16 to take the bronze on the podium.  Just behind them in 4th place was Roland Vandermeer & Andy McCormick’s J/111 BIG BLAST with a circumnavigation time of 9:06:26! Yes, just TEN seconds behind their J/111 classmate!  Wow, talk about a close, close, “hair by the chinny chin chin” finish, eh??

Similarly, but not quite as close, were the trio of J/120s sailing in Class 6 ULDB >42.  Taking those honors was Ludovic Millin & Mark Scott’s SAETTA with a time of 9:16:03 to grab the silver in their class.  Second J/120 was Sean & Jeff Mulvihill’s JAMANI crossing in a time of 9:18:42, just over 2 minutes behind their buddies on SAETTA, taking 4th in class.  Then, Timo Bruck & Fraser Novakowski’s TWIST crossed in 10:02:43 to take 6th in class.  Sailing photo credits- Chris Ray/ Pressure-drop.us.  For more BAMA Doublehanded Farallones Race sailing information
 

J/80s racing Frostbite Cup- The Netherlands 
J/80 Frostbite Cup Ends On Calm Note
(Naarden, The Netherlands)- With only 4 to 7 kts registering on the anemometer, the Frostbite Cup closed with a calm, quiet partly sunny day of sailing. The light weather last Sunday ensured the field of twenty-four J/80s never got too far apart on the race track. For many, it was a welcome reprieve from the rather cold and blustery winter of sailing.

J'ZUSTER closed in style and took a huge lead in the second race of the day and rounded the top buoy far ahead of the rest.  However, despite their enormous lead, the winner of the weekend was LED2LEASE.

As a result of the movement up and down the standings on the final stage of the series, it was J’ZUSTER that maintained their firm grip on the overall series lead to take home the Frostbite Cup.  Behind them, things changed a bit overall.  Taking second place was OANT SIEN and, as a result of winning the last event, LED2LEASE secured the bronze on the podium.

Sailing on the “Gooimeer” was quite a challenge for all the crews.  The wind can shift dramatically in various places on the water. Tactics are important, but in any case, the field was closely matched and any mistake was immediately punished, and often, very costly.
J/80 Frostbite Cup- winners
According to race leader Jørgen Schrier, “You are often forced to blow your start and have to catch up to the fleet.  But then, rounding the top and bottom buoys also produced logjams of boats to gain or lose! The field was very competitive, but fortunately, despite the very tight racing, little or no damage was involved- just bruised egos!”

Of the seven scheduled competition days, only one day could not take place because of ice floes! With six cold, often turbulent days on which to sail, the event organizers can look back with satisfaction at the Frostbite Cup 2017-2018.

"No less than 24 boats appeared at the start. That is unique for the J/80 class in the Netherlands,” said organizer Frans Driessen.  “All active boats have gathered in Naarden. The past few weeks, J/80s have also been brought from abroad and we welcome them in the upcoming matches, such as at the Dutch Championships that we will be sailing in May during the North Sea Regatta. With a big field J/80's on the North Sea ... that will be spectacular!”  Follow the Dutch J/80 class on Facebook here  For more Frostbite Cup sailing information
 

J/30 sailing GYA Women's PHRF Regatta 
J/Crews Dominate GYA Women’s PHRF Regatta
(New Orleans, LA)- Every year, the Southern YC on Lake Ponchartrain in New Orleans, LA hosts the Gulf Yachting Association’s annual Women’s PHRF Regatta.  The event always gets a spirited turnout of women’s teams from across the region sailing in everything from J/22s up to J/35s.  The J/women crews seem to make it a habit of sailing more determined and happy-go-lucky than other teams and collect more than their fair share of silverware along the way.  The regatta is really more about the “joy of sailing” and the camaraderie of the women being able to share their passion with old friends and newfound friends.

This year’s event was a pretty light air affair.  Like super-flat waters and less than 10 kts of wind all weekend.
J/30 sailing GYA Women's PHRF Regatta
In the end, it was Clerc Cooper’s J/30 Zephyr V2.0 from Southern YC that posted a 1-1 for 2 pts to win PHRF Spinnaker class.  Louise Bienvenu’s J/22 LOLA followed them from New Orleans YC with a 3-3 for 6 pts to take 3rd place.  Then, Debby Grimm’s J/30 HOT CHOCOLATE from Southern YC posted a 4-4 for 8 pts to take 4th place.
J/22 sailing GYA Women's PHRF regatta
In Non-Spinnaker A class, Nancy Claypool’s J/35 FOOTLOOSE TOO from Southern YC posted a 3-3 for 6 pts to secure 3rd position.
J/35 sailing GYA Women's PHRF regatta
Finally, Anne Robinson’s J/30 TOY BOX from New Orleans YC scored a 3-1 for 4 pts to take the silver in Non-Spinnaker B class.

Local photographer/ videographer Curtis Christianson put together a highlights video of the event.  The theme song is called “This woman’s on fire!”  Yup, maybe corny, but a suitable and fun music/ sailing video to enjoy. Watch it here.   Sailing photo & video credits- Curtis Christianson
 

J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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*  The “Island Fever Midwinter Series” just finished at the South Beach Yacht Club in San Francisco, right in the shadow of the San Francisco Giants Ballpark. This is a five-month series from November 2017 to March 2018 with 1 race day per month. Here is the report from J/32 owner Chris Boome:

“The J/32 is a great boat for San Francisco and we have four active racers on the bay. Three of the boats are kept at South Beach Harbor, which makes our Summer Beer Can racing all the more fun.

Two of the J/32s in the harbor raced in this series, LA DOLCE VITA (Hull # 64) owned by John Riley and Larry Weinhoff and STRATOCASTER (Hull # 16) owned Lewis Lanier. The racing was very tight, right up to the end with any one of four boats having a chance to win the series at the start of the last race.

I was fortunate enough to sail on La DOLCE VITA with my good friends John and Larry and it was fun to see how they do things differently than we do on my J/32 RHAPSODY (Hull #53) that I own with my boat partner Molly Morris.

The rest of the crews were also J/32 owners. Luther Izmirian (Hull # 79) keeps his J/32 a few miles down the bay at Coyote Point Marina. Then, Luther's brother- Robert- recently bought a home in Southern California and decided he needed a boat to both race and cruise! Therefore, of course, Robert also purchased a J/32 (Hull #46). Luther was the first one to discover the J/32 on San Francisco Bay and Larry (before he and John bought their boat) was the one that told me that I needed to go sailing with Luther before I decided which boat to buy!

So, our crew was made up of 100% J/32 owners!  How did it go for us? We ended up winning the race and the series by one meager point! In third place was Lewis Lanier’s STRATOCASTER. For the series, the J/32's won 5 of the 8 races that were completed, not bad for a cruising boat!

From left to right in the photo above: Luther Izmirian, Larry Weinhoff, John Riley, Chris Boome (Not shown, Robert Izmirian).

* Here is another great sailing video from the “K-Mag” sailing the San Diego to Puerto Vallarta Race.

Viggo Torbensen's J/125 TIMESHAVER had a successful 2018 San Diego To Puerto Vallarta Race. TIMESHAVER was 1st in Class and 2nd Overall. Keith Magnussen (a.k.a. “K-Mag”), from Ullman Sails Newport Beach, has helped put together an extensive offshore racing sail inventory for the team over the past seven years.
J/125 Timeshaver racing Puerto Vallarta race
Enjoy watching this PV Race sailing video highlights.

Here is the day one video from the first 24 hours of the race on-board TIMESHAVER.  They saw lot of reaching with the Code 0 and genoa staysail- a very fast combination!
J/125 Timeshaver close reaching - Code Zero


J/105 Young American- junior training boat*  The J/105 Young American Team expands its horizons in 2018!  

The Young American Sailing Academy, Inc. (YASA) has been formed and incorporated as a nonprofit organization with a mission to provide high school and college sailors opportunities in competitive offshore sailing.  This new initiative is the natural progression of the successful Young American Jr. Big Boat Sailing Team that had become famous for racing their J/105 YOUNG AMERICAN on Long Island Sound and Narragansett Bay and winning their class in many major offshore events.

Based at American Yacht Club in Rye, NY, the program has been setting the standard for non-dinghy junior sailing for the past six years.  The YASA philosophy is twofold: first to empower junior sailors to take command of vessels by building experiences and skills that create confidence and comfort in any number of conditions at sea, and second, to support junior offshore sailors with an extremely high level of coaching and mentoring.

YASA believes sailing empowers young men and women by developing critical 21st century skills in leadership, teamwork, project management, decision-making, and critical thinking.  With mentorship and coaching from highly experienced sailing veterans, these young sailors will not only participate but also take command in various offshore sailing races where adaptability and confidence become keys to success. 

J/105 Young American- youth junior big boat trainerPeter Becker and Robert Alexander have provided guidance since the conception of the Young American team in 2013 and will continue to lead YASA.  With a dedicated J/105 focused on basic training, the team actively sails in both one-design class racing and coastal distance races.  Building upon High Noon's 2016 successes - first in Class, third in St. David’s Lighthouse Division, winner of the Onion Patch Series and winner of the Stephens Brothers Youth Trophy - YASA will continue to present opportunities to grow the numbers of young sailors competing in renowned sailing ocean races.

About Young American Sailing Academy
The Young American Sailing Academy is a not-for-profit with a mission to develop a new generation of American offshore sailors.  The goal is to work with high school and college aged junior sailors to give them the tools required to compete at the highest level in the sport of ocean racing.  The goal is to field winning entries in premier national and international sailing events including the potential future Olympic class of offshore sailing. The Young American team has over six years of experience racing coastal and offshore events with numerous and notable victories such as the Block Island Race, Vineyard Race and Newport Bermuda Race.  For more information please visit the website YASailing.org.   Contact: Peter Becker- email- info@yasailing.org / phone- (917) 715-1471

J/24 junior youth boat sailing team*  The USA J/24 Class Awards Their Second Annual Boat Grant to a New York Team.

For 2018, the US J/24 Class has awarded the second annual Kelly Holmes-Moon J/24 Boat Grant to Kira Munger from Oswego, New York. Along with crew members Robert Hoffman (tactician), Tom King (bow), Brendan Dickerson (trimmer) and a rotating fifth person, Munger (at the helm), they will have use of a donated J/24 for the upcoming season. The Program is named in honor of Kelly Holmes-Moon, a long-time supporter of the J/24 Class Association who served as US Class President and as the Copyright Holder’s Representative.

From May through November 2018, the boat will see weekly action at Oswego Yacht Club with J/24 Fleet 146. The Boat Grant team plans to participate in the District 7 Pennant Series in hopes of earning a berth for the 2019 J/24 World Championship in Miami, FL. Munger and her crew have a busy projected travel schedule, including J/Daze in Canandaigua, NY; the Oneida Lake Pennant Series Regatta in Oneida, NY; Newport Regatta in Newport, RI; Marblehead NOOD in Marblehead, MA; the J/24 District 7 Championship in Oswego, NY; the Lambert Lai Memorial Regatta in Rochester, NY; the J/24 US National Championship in Portland, Maine; the Changing of the Colors Regatta in Lake George, NY; and the J/24 East Coast Championship in Annapolis, MD.

The Kelly Holmes-Moon J/24 Boat Grant Program encourages talented young sailors to gain first-hand experience racing within the J/24 Class of one-design sailboats at virtually no cost. Dave Eggleton donated the boat, USA 423, to the program, providing the Scholarship Boat recipients with the experience to escalate their level of competitiveness and inspire them to accomplish great things in the sailing world. The team is in need of contributions to help fund their campaign. To find out how you can help, e-mail- director@j24class.org. 

2018 Boat Grant Member Biographies

Kira Munger, from Oswego, NY, began sailing in middle school at Fair Haven Yacht Club Community Sailing where she served as Head Instructor for three years. She skippered for Christopher Newport University while in college. Since graduation, she has split her time between Newport, RI and Central NY and continues to sail J/24s, Lightings, J/22s, Thistles, 210s, as well as frostbiting Interclubs and Lasers. She works in the media and public relations fields, as well as at a sail loft in service and production. Kira has coached sailing since 2008 at the junior sailing, high school and adult level.

Robert Hoffman grew up in Annapolis, MD and spent summers in Henderson Harbor, NY. He graduated the International Yacht Restoration School in 2013, focusing on Composite Building. Rob spent close to a year as crew of an arctic research vessel. He currently works as crew on a Custom 42 and Custom 47 that operates in the Gulf of Mexico, the East Coast and the Pacific Northwest. This summer, he is coaching sailing at Henderson Harbor Yacht Club in NY.

Tom King grew up sailing in Henderson Harbor, NY and stayed involved with the program as a coach throughout college. He also has experience coaching at the high school level. Tom regularly sails Lightnings, Lasers and J/24s. He graduated from Roger Williams University with a degree in architecture in 2012, attended the International Yacht Restoration School, and recently graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology with a Masters in Product Architecture and Engineering.

Brendan Dickerson hails from Skaneateles, NY where he grew up sailing on his family’s J/22, Hobie 16 and 49ers during the summer. He is an avid skier and is graduating from Saint Michael’s College with a degree in mathematics this Spring. Brendan is eager to expand his sailing experiences this summer by attending more regattas. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

J/Newsletter- March 21st, 2018

J/121 Apollo sailing off St MaartenNew J/121 Offshore Speedster Update
APOLLO Crushes Heineken St Maarten Long Distance Race
(Simpson Bay, St Maarten)- During the Heineken St Maarten Regatta, a newly launched J/121 named APOLLO created quite a stir amongst the offshore cognoscenti that were present in the 100-boat fleet.

The occasion was the traditional opening day race- the Round the Island Race.  Normally a 30.0nm picturesque circumnavigation of St Maarten, the course was changed for CHS Offshore classes due to lighter than normal winds in the 8-13 kts range from the East-Southeast.  The shortened course was approximately 23.6nm, starting in Simpson Bay heading west for 4.5nm under spinnaker to Point Basse Terre leaving it to starboard, a short reach north for 1.3nm around Point Plum, then a long 6.5nm beat up the Anguilla Channel to a turning mark off Bell Point leaving it to port, then a spinnaker run of 6.5nm back to Point Plum to port, around Pt Basse Terre for 1.3nm, then a 4.5nm beat to the infamous “Heineken Gate” and finish line in Simpson Bay.

It was a race course where no one could “hide”, you simply sailed it fast, clean, make smart sail choices, and have good boathandling.  Not much to pick for windshifts upwind or downwind, just sail fast and have fun.

That is precisely what Don Nicholson’s crew did aboard his J/121 APOLLO. They sailed away from their CHS 3 fleet that had the fastest, winningest J/122 in the Caribbean- EL OCASO- and the proven, winning offshore speedster- the J/111 SPIKE from the British Virgin Islands.  In other words, in a gold-plater division full of the best crews in the Caribbean, the J/121 sped away like a horse running for the roses and the barn door!

J/121 Apollo sailing fast off St MaartenLeading at the first mark by well over 2 minutes, APOLLO powered away upwind to open up a substantial lead.  At the top turning mark, they gybe set their large A2 asymmetric spinnaker, and flew downwind.  By the time she crossed the finish line in 2 hrs 50 min 28 secs elapsed time (an 8.34 kts course average), they beat the 2nd place J/122 EL OCASO by 16 min 23 secs across the water and 9 min 11 secs on corrected time.  Needless to say, Nicholson and his crew were overjoyed to have proven in a simple point-to-point race that the J/121 lived up to its billing as an easy-to-sail, fast, shorthanded boat for six crew.

Nicholson commented on their performance with his new J/121 APOLLO after the regatta:

“I’m extremely pleased with our first regatta in APOLLO (J/121 hull #2).  We placed 3rd in CSA 3 Class of both the Gill Commodore's Cup and the Heineken Regatta in diverse and challenging conditions against a fleet of extremely well-sailed boats.

Being scratch boat in the class and crossing the line first in most races was a thrill.  The J/121 handles extremely well, with dinghy-like responsiveness and quick acceleration.  She pointed higher to weather than I expected and we routinely found ourselves both higher and faster than the other boats in the fleet, giving us many tactical opportunities, especially in close quarters at the start.

Downwind she was delightfully fast and competently handled all the sail area we put up.

My crew was awesome and the J/121 provided them a great opportunity to experiment with trim, weight distribution and boat handling so that we got up the learning curve quickly.

Our next regatta will be the St Thomas International Regatta in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the adjacent British Virgin Islands Spring Regatta, where we hope to hone our skills and push the boat to its full potential.

After that, Apollo will return to her homeport of Newport, RI in preparation for the Newport-Bermuda race.  I’m a big fan of the J/121 already and it’s great to be able to reduce our crew numbers and simplify the logistics of the Apollo program.”  Sailing photo credits- Laurens Morel. For more J/121 Offshore Speedster sailing information
 

J/122 El Ocaso sailing St ThomasSt Thomas International Regatta Preview
(Cowpet Bay, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands)- If your bucket list includes having a drink at the 2017 Favorite Yachting Bar in the Caribbean, then tick that box with for March 23 to 25 at the St. Thomas International Regatta. Announced on January 3, 50° North, creators of Wight Vodka and Scuttlebutt Europe announced that the STIR-host St. Thomas Yacht Club won its annual contest in a special Caribbean category to recognize bars that were hard hit by the hurricanes last fall.

“It’s an honor to have received this recognition, especially as the Club is still recovering from the after effects of hurricanes Irma and Maria,” says regatta director, Bill Canfield. “As a result, this will not be our biggest STIR, but we can guarantee everyone a special time. For those who have never visited, Cowpet Bay is a beautiful place to finish a race and the Club and its bar are located beachfront here. Plus, for those that are long timers, think back to your first Caribbean regatta and what a great experience it was. We are offering this same vibe this year with an emphasis on ‘simple fun and great sailing’. That’s why we love it here!”

There is no question many sailors are answering that siren call!  For those that enjoyed Caribbean racing in the 1970s and 1980s – or heard the stories and wished you were there – this year’s St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR), set for March 23-25, 2018, is the place to be!

J/122 El Ocaso sailing St ThomasA dozen boats are registered for the third annual Round the Rocks (RTR) race on Thursday. This one-day event, whose course is a 19 mile circumnavigation of the neighboring island of St. John, is a great way for teams to tune up for the main event starting on Friday. Boats sailing in the Round the Rocks race will start off St. Thomas’ east end off Cowpet Bay, sail counterclockwise around St. John, and finish off St. Thomas.

“By popular demand, we brought back the Round the Rocks race this year. This sprint around St John is both scenic and tactical. It’s a great way to kick-off STIR, especially with Rock City Brewing Company sponsoring the race and after-racing Happy Hour,” says regatta director, Bill Canfield.

The twelve-boat race fleet is split into two groups: CSA (Caribbean Sailing Association) Spinnaker and CSA Non-Spinnaker classes.  Sailing in CSA Spinnaker is Don Nicholson’s J/121 APOLLO.  Nicholson commented;

“This is the third ‘big boat’ in our program; Apollo replaced my custom 42 footer. We have been racing as a core crew for about 15 years; the core crew being myself, Denise Bienvenu, Paul White and David Malkin, including two Newport-Bermuda races, a Chicago-Mackinac race, and numerous other regattas on both coasts of the USA. But, we have never raced as a team in the Caribbean. So, we are extremely excited to be honing our skills with this exciting new boat in such a wonderful venue. We also have Jeff Johnstone from J/Boats on board for the RTR and STIR.”

Amongst the fleet of forty-five boats for STIR are two very quick J/crews racing the preeminent class in the event- CSA 1.  Continuing their battle offshore and around the buoys during the Heineken St Maarten Regatta will be Nicholson’s J/121 APOLLO and the famous J/122 EL OCASO.  Interestingly, both boats will have mostly new crews!  Robin Team’s crew from North Carolina (winners of multiple Key West Race Weeks and Ft Lauderdale-Key West Races on board their own J/122 TEAMWORK) have chartered EL OCASO and will be vying for class honors in their very tough eight-boat division.  For more S.T.I.R. sailing information
 

J70 Women's sailing leagueWomen’s J/70 Sailing League Announcement
(Hamburg, Germany)- After the last general assembly of ISLA (International Sailing League Association) in December 2017, the date and the location of the first event of Women’s SAILING Champions League are now set. Kiel Week will host the first Women’s SAILING Champions League from June 16 to 18 in Kiel, Germany.

The first battle of all-women teams takes the stage at the world’s biggest sailing regatta in Kiel, Germany (1,600+ boats!). Up to 24 teams from more than 17 nations will compete in the kick-off event of Women’s SAILING Champions League.

Each of the 17 European National Sailing Leagues gets the chance to send up to two club teams to the event. The organizing authorities, ISLA and SAILING Champions League GmbH, leave the decision which clubs to nominate for the event to the national leagues. Additional spots will be granted as wild cards by ISLA and SCL.

J/70 Women's sailing leagueEach club sends a team of four or five women sailors to Kiel. The familiar format with six to eight J/70 one-design boats, a pairing list and short, spectator and media-friendly races will be used. The races will be broadcast live with SAP Tracking and SAP Sailing Analytics as part of KielerWoche.TV.

Peter Wolsing, President of ISLA says, “We are very excited that the league sailing format is growing so fast. We are happy and honored that our best women’s teams will compete during Kiel Week in June and our best youth teams during Travemünde Week in July.”

Hosting clubs are the four organizing clubs of Kiel Week: Kieler Yacht-Club, Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, Hamburger Segel-Club and Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee. The latter club from Berlin will be responsible for the race management.   Sailing Photo Credit- Lars Wehrmann  For more Kiel Week sailing information  For more Women’s SAILING Champions League regatta information
 

Farallones islands/ rocksBAMA Doublehanded Farallones Race Preview
(San Francisco, CA)- Fifty boats are entered for the 2018 edition of the infamous Doublehanded Farallones Race, hosted by the Bay Area Multihull Association (BAMA).  It can be a thrilling 58.0nm race, a “pea soup” foggy drifter, a challenging marathon, or a benign cruise.

The course could not be simpler, start in San Francisco Bay in front of Alcatraz Island, go west out underneath the majestic Golden Gate Bridge, around the Farallones Rocks to port (teaming with monstrous great white sharks, thousands of seals, a few zillion birds creating too much guano), then back into SF Bay to the finish line just off the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory along the waterfront.  What can go wrong with this picture? Well, in a matter of words, plenty.

J/120 sailing doublehanded Farallones raceMost times, the race takes on multiple personalities, going from sunny & gorgeous, to 20-30 kts offshore with terrifying breaking waves, back to an cold wet blanket of pea soup fog with 50 ft visibility, then finishing with a flourish in nuking 20-30 kts wind conditions inside the Golden Gate Bridge.

Because it is such a challenge, it marks the beginning of the season for many sailors on SF Bay.  It is certainly a very popular event for the short-handed sailing crowd after racing their cherished, insane, Three Bridge Fiasco earlier in the year.

Going for it are five J/crews from various Bay area sailing clubs.  Hoping to lead the entire fleet home will be Rich Pipkin’s J/125 CAN’T TOUCH THIS with a mind-numbing -18 PHRF rating.  Chasing him hard will be Reuben Rocci’s J/111 SWIFT NESS.  Then, a trio of J/120s with a number of class wins in this event will be tough to beat, including Timo Bruck’s TWIST, Ludovic Millin’s SAETTA, and Sean Mulvihill’s JAMANI.   For more BAMA Doublehanded Farallones Race sailing information
 

J/80s sailing off startJ/80 North Americans Announcement
(Forth Worth, TX)- For all ‘ye J/80 sailors across America, Mexico, and Canada, be sure to mark your dance calendar now and get organized for the 2018 edition of the J/80 North American Championship.  The regatta is being held from September 7th to 9th, 2018 and it is being hosted by the Beverly YC in Marion, MA. Sailing will take place on the famous Buzzards Bay, notorious for lots of current, enormous choppy waves and 15-25 kts of west to southwest sea breezes every day!  A perfect venue for the fast, easy, robust J/80 to have a romp around the buoys!  Register NOW - click here!  For more J/80 North American Championship sailing information.

J/80s sailing downwind1st annual J/80 West Coast Championship
The J/80 class continues to steadily grow in the Pacific Northwest region.  In fact, the class is now large enough to warrant creating the first ever 2018 West Coast Championship.  The regatta will take place from April 21st to 22nd, 2018 and the host will be the friendly members of Corinthian YC Seattle in Seattle, WA.  Racing will take place on the always-challenging Puget Sound where you can expect just about any weather condition imaginable in late spring!  Register NOW and get more J/80 West Coast Championship sailing information here.

If you have any questions whatsoever about either event in terms of possible charter boats, accommodation, traveling information, local contacts, then do not hesitate to contact the J/80 North American Class President Ramzi Bannura- email- rbannura@yahoo.com
 

J/109 sailing Block IslandEdgartown Race Weekend Adds 'Round-Sound Race
(Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard)- Edgartown Yacht Club Race Weekend, a Martha’s Vineyard tradition anchored by its ’Round-the-Island Race (’RTI) of eight decades, is adding a new ’Round-the-Sound Race (‘RTS) option for teams wanting to sail a shorter course of approximately 20.0nm around government marks on Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds. The ’RTS adds yet another dimension to Edgartown Yacht Club Race Weekend and is an attractive alternative for those wanting to go a bit easier on Saturday or just even try short-distance racing for the first time.

The ’RTS will start at 0900 on Saturday, July 21, soon after the final start for all classes entered in the 56.0nm ’RTI, which never ceases to challenge even the best of sailors while simultaneously wowing them with “The Vineyard’s” scenic splendor.

The Saturday of short-distance racing follows two days of popular ’Round-the-Buoy Races (’RTB) in Edgartown’s Outer Harbor. The ’RTB Races were added several years ago to add diversity to its format and extend the fun of Race Weekend on its front end.

Edgartown Yacht Club Race Weekend traditionally attracts entrants from the Eastern Seaboard and beyond, delivering superb racing action for boats 28 feet and longer in classes for IRC, ORC, ORR, PHRF (spinnaker and non-spinnaker divisions), Double-Handed, and Classic yachts. Professional teams as well as amateurs enter, and the mix is what keeps the atmosphere upbeat and adventurous.

The deadline for signing up for the ’Round-the-Island or ’Round-the Sound is Wednesday, July 18, 2018. The registration fee for ’RTS is $125 before July 6 and $175 after that date. The registration fee for the ’RTI has been decreased to $250.00 before July 6 and $325 thereafter.

The ’Round-the-Buoy Races registration fee for all classes will be $50 each day. The deadline for each of the two days that those races are held is Tuesday, July 17, 2018. The distance races for each day of ‘RTB are scored separately. Prizes will be awarded for all qualifying classes, including one-design, for those boats that participate in both Thursday and Friday races.

A Mount Gay-sponsored “Jump-Up” party on Friday night (July 20); and prize givings on both Friday and Sunday (July 22) round out the social on/shore schedule for competitors entered in one or more of the racing sessions.  Follow Edgartown Yacht Club Racing on Facebook  For more Edgartown YC Race Weekend sailing information  http://www.rtirace.org or email contact- racer@edgartownyc.org
 

J/Gear special 
J/Gear Winter-Spring Special- 20% Off!
(Newport, RI)- J/Boats’ sailing gear licensee V-Sport is pleased to offer all J/Boats owners and crew their 2018 Winter-Spring Special.

The Special Offer is good from now until April 4th, 2018 (please note 1/2 models, J/Photo Prints and J/Battleflags are excluded from the offer).  To place your order and enter the 20% discount code- “JB2018SP”- please visit the J/Gear website.
 

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

Last week produced rather hair-raising weather patterns in various parts of the world.  In the USA, the wildly meandering jet stream has either created little wind or overwhelming low pressure systems that smash the West Coast with big winds, massive waves, and torrential rains that create enormous mudslides.  Then, in Europe, they were hit by another “beast from the east part 2”!

In southern California, it always seems that San Diego escapes the worst of the weather.  In this case, the San Diego YC managed to hold their three-day Helly Hansen San Diego NOOD Regatta for one-design fleets of J/70s, J/105s, and J/120s. For the most part, they were blessed with good winds, mostly sunny days, and were able to run ten races for the J/70s in South Bay and six races for the 105s/ 120s offshore of Point Loma.  Further north, the annual J/105 Spring One-Design Regatta in San Francisco, CA was hosted by St Francis YC; they were not fortunate, having to contend with strong spring tides and light winds.  Nevertheless, the StFYC PRO persevered and knocked out 4 quick races.  In the mid-south, the J/22 Midwinters were sailed on Galveston Bay, hosted by the Houston YC in Houston, TX.

Hopping across the Atlantic Ocean, the Warsash Sailing Club had to cancel the start of their popular Winter Series on the Southampton Water and the Solent due to insanely crazy weather and high winds.  Meanwhile, farther south in lovely sunny Spain, two J/70 winter series were completed.  Club Nautico de Vigo, the site of the 2018 J/70 European Championship, hosted the Vigo J/70 Winter Series in Vigo.  Then, the Barcelona J/70 Winter Series in Barcelona hosted by Club Nautico de Barcelona, completing 29 races in five events!

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 pag  Below are the summaries.

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Mar 22-25- St Thomas International Regatta- Red Hook Bay, St Thomas, USVI
Mar 28-Apr 1- J/24 South Americans- Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina
Mar 29- Apr 2- SPI Ouest France Regatta- La Trinite sur Mer, France
Mar 29- Apr 1- Easter Regatta- Columbia, SC
Apr 6-8- ALCATEL J/70 Cup- San Remo, Italy
Apr 7-8- J/FEST San Francisco- San Francisco, CA
Apr 12-15- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 8-14- Voiles de Saint Barth Regatta- Gustavia, St Barth
Apr 21-22- J/80 West Coast Championship- Seattle, WA
Apr 21-22- Van Uden Reco Regatta- Medemblik, The Netherlands
Apr 26-29- J/70 Corinthian Nationals- Ft Worth, TX
Apr 27-29- Newport to Ensenada Race- Newport Beach, CA
Apr 28-May 1- Grand Prix de Saint Cast- Saint Cast, France
Apr 28- May 4- Antigua Sailing Week- English Harbour, Antigua
May 2-6- J/24 North American Championship- Charleston, SC
May 4-6- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
May 4-6- Yachting Cup- San Diego, CA
May 8-12- J/22 European Championship- Laveoc, France
May 11-13- ALCATEL J/70 Cup- Porto Ercole, Italy
May 14-19- J/70 North American Championship- Valle de Bravo, Mexico
May 18-20- North Sea Regatta- The Hague, The Netherlands
May 24-28- J/Cup United Kingdom- Cowes, Isle of Wight, England
May 25- Storm Trysail Block Island Race- Larchmont, NY
May 25-28- The FIGAWI Race- Hyannisport, MA
May 26- Spinnaker Cup Offshore Race- Belvedere, CA
May 26-28- Swiftsure International Yacht Race- Victoria, BC, Canada
May 26-28- U.K. J/24 National Championship- Poole, England
May 28-29- Coastal Cup Race- Santa Barbara, CA
May 31- SoCal 300 Race- San Diego, CA

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

J/70 sailing San DiegoGorgeous, Sunny, San Diego NOOD Regatta
Close Racing for J/70s, J/105s, and J/120s!
(San Diego, CA)- The 2018 edition of the Helly Hansen San Diego NOOD Regatta took place from March 16th to 18th, hosted by the famous San Diego Yacht Club on Point Loma.  The promising weather forecasts for the weekend were fulfilled, providing the racers great sailing, both offshore south of Point Loma and also in the flat waters of South Bay in the eastern part of San Diego Harbor beyond Coronado Bridge.

Winning the J/70s on the final day was Bennet Greenwald’s PERSEVERANCE.  Stew Cannon’s J-OK nearly swept the J/105 class.  And, John Laun’s J/120 CAPER kept it consistent to top their class. Here is how it all went down over the three-day weekend.

J/120s sailing San DiegoFriday- Postcard Perfect!
Optimal conditions on San Diego Bay made for a solid first day of racing. This was the second of five stops in the nation's largest and longest-running sailboat racing circuit, now in its 30th season.

Nearly half of the regatta’s entrants participated on the first day of racing and the rest join them for races Saturday and Sunday. In the J/70 fleet, the largest of the weekend, local sailmaker and professional sailor Chris Snow and the crew aboard COOL STORY BRO lead the fleet with 11 points after three races.

Snow credits a conservative approach and good boatspeed to his team's early success in a traditionally competitive fleet.

"The rule of thumb is you can't win the regatta on the first day, but you can lose it," Snow said. "Sailboat racing is a game of risk versus rewards, and the best strategy is to not take a big risk at the start [of each race] and let your boat speed do the work for you. So our strategy was to have a good solid day and not make any mistakes."

Despite shifty conditions for the first race of the day, team COOL STORY BRO placed first. The wind strengthened for the following two races. Snow said the favorable conditions made it easier for his team to “to get out in front, which takes a little bit of the stress out."

With seventh- and third-place finishes in the following races, Snow led the class by a single point. The J/70s are laden with top sailors and, according to Snow, it's still anyone's game.

"This fleet is very competitive, and that makes it fun for everybody. If you finish in the top 10, it's an accomplishment."  Tied for 2nd were Bennet Greenwald’s PERSEVERANCE with a 9-2-1 and Chris Raab’s SUGOI with a 6-1-5.

The Santa Barbara Yacht Club (SBYC) Youth Team, a crew of high school-aged sailors participating in the regatta, shared Snow’s perspective. The youth team is currently placed ninth in a class full of veterans and pros. Echoing Snow's strategic insight, SBYC's tactician Payne Donaldson, 16, said his team's game plan is to "go fast, sail conservatively and start well."

J/70 Santa Barbara YC Youth TeamAfter an impressive second-place finish during the first race, Donaldson’s teammates faced a few "communication and boat set-up" issues in the day’s second race. "But we came back with sixth place during the third race, so it was a good day. We sorted out the problems we needed to."

As one of three youth teams in the J/70 fleet, the young sailors were sailing to qualify for the US J/70 Youth Championship this fall, defending the club's 2017 title.

"We picked this event because it's one of the closest qualifying events and one of the first," said crew member Caden Schivlauer, 16. "The team was here last year and we know this venue pretty well, so it just felt natural to come back."

Photo L to R: Payne Donaldson (captain, tactician), Paul Harteck (Skipper), Chris Kayda, Caden Scheiblauer, Kyla Murphy. Note- Payne and Chris were part of the Santa Barbara YC 2017 championship team at the first U.S. J/70 Youth Championship in Newport, RI.

J/70s sailing San Diego South BaySaturday- Shifty, Rough Day Offshore
Saturday was a challenging day on the water for the hundreds of sailors competing in the eleven classes. Sailors faced shifty winds and rough seas on two race courses set on the ocean off Coronado Island.

San Diego-native John Laun, the 2015 Helly Hansen NOOD San Diego Overall Winner, found the conditions demanding, but he and his crew aboard CAPER established a comfortable lead in the J/120 class, which saw four different boats win each of four races.

“It was a great day,” Laun said. “The sea state was very confused for the first couple of races in particular. There were big wind shifts and big changes in wind direction, so it was very challenging.”

Those big shifts resulted in an abandoned race. But, the wind eventually shifted westerly and held steady with more reasonable oscillations,

Behind Laun’s CAPER with a 2-1-2-2 tally for 7 pts, it was Chuck Nichols’ CC RIDER in second with a 5-2-1-4 scoreline for 12 pts and sitting in third was Rudolph Hasl’s HASL FREE with a 3-3-4-5 score for 15 pts.

The ten-boat J/105 fleet got rolling on Saturday as well.  It has been tight racing, as illustrated by the roller-coaster scorelines of the top three boats.  Leading was Stew Cannon’s J-OK with a 1-5-2 for 8 pts, followed by Rick Bergmann’s ZUNI BEAR in second with a 4-3-4 tally for 11 pts.  After an awful first race, Tom Hurlburt & Chuck Driscoll’s crew on JUICED re-grouped and, ultimately, posted a 10-2-1 for 13 pts to sit in third for the day.

Meanwhile, the large J/70 class produced a few more winners and a few luckless outcomes, too.  Leapfrogging into first place was Greenwald’s PERSEVERANCE, adding a 1-8-3-2 to their record to close with 26 pts total.  Dropping down to second was Snow’s COOL STORY BRO after posting a 4-5-12-1 for the day for 33 pts total.  Then, top woman helm- Pamela Rose from Chicago, IL- guided her ROSEBUD team to a 5-4-8-3 tally for 35 pts total.  Dropping off the face of the Earth was Raab’s SUGOI team scoring a dubious 3-13-13-13 on the day to drop them out of second and, in fact, out of the top five- rough day for the Newport Beach crowd!

J/120s sailing offshore San DiegoDay 3- Sunny, Gentle Breezes for Finale
Continuing to maintain their composure on the last day was Greenwald’s PERSEVERANCE.  They maintained their lead with a 12-2-4 to win the J/70 class with 44 pts total.

“The J/70s are always tough,” Greenwald said, touting that the fleet this weekend boasted several world champions. “South Bay is really fun because it’s flat water but the shifts come quick. It was a very exciting weekend. It feels good to win, but just being here is a privilege.”

The Snow/Brigden duo on COOL STORY BRO closed with an 8-5-7 to finish with 53 pts.  Just one point back in the bronze position on the podium was Jeff Janov’s MINOR THREAT; it was quite a comeback to hop on the podium for Janov’s team, closing fast with a 1-4-1 for 54 pts in total!  Climbing like a Phoenix arising from the ashes of defeat and destruction the previous day was Raab’s SUGOI, clearly going for redemption and blitzing the fleet with a smokin’ hot 2-1-2 tally the final day for a total of 59 pts- good enough for 4th place!  Rounding out the top five was Fabian Gomez-Ibarra’s VAGAZO from Mexico with a total of 66 pts.

In the J/70 Corinthians Division, it was Gomez-Ibarra’s VAGAZO team that won the title; followed by Craig Tallman’s JAYA in second, and taking third was the incredibly well-sailed Santa Barbara YC Youth Team, skippered by Paul Harteck.

In a somewhat unusual scenario, after scoring just the three Youth teams participating in the regatta, it was the King Harbor YC FLY Team skippered by Kyle Collins that scored as top Youth team for the event by just one point over the Santa Barbara YC Youth Team.  Third was the Newport Youth Team skippered by Max Mayol from Newport Beach, CA.  As a result, the King Harbor YC youth team qualifies to go to the U.S. J/70 Youth Championship to be held in November 2018 at St Petersburg YC in Florida.

In the J/105 class, the standings for the three lead boats from the previous day did not change.  Stew Cannon’s crew on J-OK kept up the pressure on the fleet and closed with a 1-2 to take the J/105 title.  Also, closing with a 2-1 was the Hurlburt/ Driscoll duo on JUICED to take the silver.  Finally, Bergmann’s ZUNI BEAR had a good regatta to close with a 5-6 and secure the bronze.

Laun’s team on CAPER ran away with the J/120 class, sailing very consistently to close with a 2-3-2 to win with just 12 pts.  Nichol’s CC RIDER team also hung in there with a 4-4-1 to hold on to their second place.  However, third place was up for grabs all day long, with a new team looking ready to grab the bronze.  Nevertheless, those efforts proved elusive for most boats, with Ernie Pennell’s MAD MEN sailing like “mad men”, taking a 3-1-4 tally straight to the podium to seize the bronze for the regatta.  Coincidentally, it was anyone’s guess who would get that final medal as only 2 pts separated the three boats from 3rd to 5th. Tim Hogan’s SHAMROCK took 4th and Hasl’s HASL FREE must have fallen from grace with the sea, dropping down to 5th place.  Sailing photo credits- Paul Todd/ Outsideimages.com and JOY Sailing/ Bronny Daniels.   For more Helly Hansen San Diego NOOD Regatta sailing information
 

J/22s starting MidwintersFoster Crowned J/22 Midwinter Champion
(Houston, TX)- Four J/22 World Champions finished in the top five of the 2018 J/22 Midwinter Championship, an event hosted by Houston YC and sailed on the muddy waters of Galveston Bay.  However, it was 1999 Champion Mark Foster on PRESSURE DROP who edged out fellow Texan Terry Flynn on TEJAS to earn the title on a tie-breaker.

Both teams had 23 points net, but Foster’s bullets secured the top spot. Fellow past World Champions Mike Marshall on BAD NEWS and Chris Doyle on THE JUG 4 1 finished third and fifth, respectively, with Travis Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER in fourth.

Thirty-nine teams completed eight races on Friday and Saturday, however light winds today did not allow the final scheduled contest. With 39 boats on the line, this attendance matched the highest for a J/22 Midwinter Championship since 2008.  Here is what transpired on those first two days.

J/22 Midwinters off Houston, TXDay 1- Light and shifty
Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER led the field after day one. Four races were completed in a smorgasbord of conditions from overcast clouds to sun and winds from light and shifty to solid breeze between off and on rain showers.

Doug Weakly’s HNL opened the regatta with a bullet, ahead of HONEYBADGER Flynn’s TEJAS. Marshall’s BAD NEWS earned the next victory, with the two Doyle’s behind him— Kevin’s MO’MONEY and Chris’s THE JUG 4 1. Chris Doyle took race 3 followed by Odenbach and Marshall. Race 4 saw some new names with Foster’s PRESSURE DROP at the top followed by Danny Pletsch’s SKETCHY and Chris Doyle in third.

As a result, Odenbach’s team of Justin Damore and Kris Werner were leading with a 2-4-27 for 15 pts.  Following in second was Chris Doyle’s crew of Will Harris and Adam Burns from Youngstown YC with a 9-3-1-3 for 16 pts.  Sitting in third was Marshall’s crew with a 5-1-3-8 for 17 pts.

J/22 crew sailing at chute setDay 2- More Light stuff
On what was the penultimate, then final day of racing, the luck of the Irish on St Patrick’s Day was with Foster’s PRESSURE DROP. Posting a line of 1-3-4-3, Foster won the day and moved to the top of the leader board tied with his old friend and Texas neighbor Terry Flynn on TEJAS.

After a postponement ashore, racing started just before noon. In light but steady winds, race five was won by Foster’s PRESSURE DROP, with Flynn’s TEJAS and Alexander Hanna following in second and third. Pletch’s SKETCHY jumped to the top spot in race six followed by Kevin Orff’s TROUBLEMAKER and then Foster. Then, Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER took race seven followed by Flynn and Doyle’s MO’MONEY. As the conditions continued to improve, the RC squeezed in an eighth race that was won by Doyle’s THE JUG 4 1, followed by Flynn and Foster, respectively.

J/22 spinnakersAs a result, with no winds on Sunday, Foster’s team of Brian Babbit and Matt Romberg on PRESSURE DROP were declared the J/22 Midwinter Champions!  Flynn’s crew on TEJAS- Brett Allred and Bryan Clark lost the tie-breaker to secure the silver, while Marshall’s BAD NEWS rounded out the podium in third position.  Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER team of Justin Damore and Kris Werner took 4th and Chris Doyle’s THE JUG 4 1 took 5th place.

Foster enjoyed battling it out with friend Flynn, who he has known more than 30 years. “We have sailed together in many Championships,” said Foster. “Terry was sailing the boat I won the Worlds in (hull 707), and I was sailing the boat Terry won the Worlds in (hull 1501)!”  What a coincidence!

Top woman skipper at 7th overall was Nataleigh Perez’s crew on FORGET ME NOT from Fort Worth Boat Club- Alex Crowell and Blake Billman.  Second women’s skipper was Anne Lee’s HELMS A LEE from the host Houston YC, and third was Jessica Lombard’s FOLKA from Hudson YC in Quebec, Canada.  For more J/22 Midwinter Championship sailing information
 

J/70s sailing off BarcelonaBarcelona J/70 & J/80 Winter Series Finale
(Barcelona, Spain)- This past weekend marked the fifth and final act of the Barcelona J/70 & J/80 Winter Sportboat Series in Barcelona, Spain.  In the end, the Real Çlub Nautico de Barcelona managed to run twenty-nine races, much to the delight of the sailors that looked forward to their monthly races.

In the J/70 fleet, it was Javier Scherk on GUNTER that won the final weekend, setting a blistering pace with a 1-1-2-6-1 tally to win by a large margin.  Finishing second for the weekend and winning the overall series was Luis Albert Solana skippering PATAKIN from Club de Mar Palma Mallorca.  Second for the winter series was Massimo Rama’s JENIALE EUROSYSTEM, an Italian skipper and crew that had been Italy’s J/80 National Champion.  Then, rounding out the podium overall was David Marco’s REBUFF from RCN Barcelona.

Barcelona Winter series winners in J/80 and J/70The clear, runaway winner of the finale and the overall J/80 Winter Series was Gonzalo Morales’ BRIBON MOVISTAR with top skipper Marc de Antonio; they managed seventeen 1sts and seven 2nds out of 29 races!  Finishing a comfortable second overall was top Spanish woman skipper Silvia Ravetllat on AKEWELE from Club Nautico de Balis.  Taking the bronze was another top leading woman skipper, Rosa Artigas, sailing Luis Corbella-Jordi’s MIKAKU from RCN Barcelona.  For more Barcelona J/70 & J/80 Winter Series sailing information
 

J/70s sailing off Vigo, SpainEl NOTICIA Repeats in Vigo J/70 Winter Series
(Vigo, Spain)- After seven weekends of racing from October 2017 to March 2018, hosted by Real Club Nautico Vigo, the Vigo J/70 Winter Series saw a repeat winner in the form of El NOTICIA, sailed the Cantabrian Pichu Torcida (past J/80 World Champion) and Luis Martín Cabiedes from Madrid. They started off by winning the first weekend and never looked back, dominating the series from beginning to end and winning four of the J/70 Noticia winnersseven acts.  As a result, they were declared winners of the Linde Sogacsa Trophy.

"We are very satisfied with the result in the Linde-Sogacsa Trophy winter series, especially since this season has been very windy; a weather condition where we were weakest last year.

Thanks to the changes we have made, we have improved a lot in the big breeze! We want to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate our sponsor and RCN Vigo and all those who have worked hard to organize this event of such high level,” commented Pichu Torcida.  “We hope to see you all again soon for the Spring Series and, even, the J/70 Europeans in June!”

J/70 sailing off SpainSecond place overall went to Luís Bugallo’s MARNATURA, skippered by José Luís Freire.  They were one of the few boats that could give “los amigos” on NOTICIA a run-for-the-money during the entire series.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the series was the performance by ABRIL VERDE sailed by Luis Pérez Canal from the host Real Club Náutico de Vigo.  They sailed all seven events and were clearly the top Corinthian team as well.  They are looking forward to the Europeans being sailed in the same waters in June.

Rounding out the top five were Juan Deben’s LAGUARDA & MOREIRA (skippered by Gonzalo Araújo’s) in fourth place and Manuel Bermudez De Castro’s SOLVENTIS taking fifth place.

J/70 rounding weather markAfter the Linde Sogacsa Trophy Winter Series, the Vigo fleet will begin their "Spring Series" in two weeks.  That event will be great training leading up to the 2018 J/70 European Championship being held from June 9th to 16th. If you have not yet done so, please be sure to REGISTER here for the J/70 Europeans- 62 boats from 15 countries are already registered!

Follow the Spanish Vigo J/70 Fleet here on Facebook  For more RCN Vigo J/70 Fleet sailing information
 

J/105s sailing San FranciscoARBITRAGE Wins J/105 Spring One-Design Regatta
(San Francisco, CA)- The San Francisco J/105 Fleet is alive and growing with 25 teams on the starting line for each mid-winter race and 25 boats competing this past weekend in the St. Francis Yacht Club’s Spring One Design, its opening fleet racing regatta of the 2018 season.

It was an uncharacteristically light wind regatta due to little gradient, as the Central Valley has not yet heated up. Despite the resultant light winds and strong, building tides, the race committee managed to pull off three races on Saturday and one on Sunday.

J105 winners- ArbitrageThe fleet welcomed returning owners Tim Russell and Ian Charles, both highly experienced skippers who had sold their J/105s a few years ago while attending to growing families.  In the past few months each of them bought a well-prepared used J/105, shipped them to San Francisco, and jumped right into the front row for each race.  Nevertheless, Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault on ARBITRAGE #116 turned in a consistent score line of 4-2-3-3 to win convincingly with a total of 12 points.  They were followed by Tim on NE*NE #3 (Lowell North’s and Dennis Conner’s old “superboat”) with 20 points and Ian on MAVERICK #385 with 22 points, with Shannon Ryan and Rolf Kaiser on DONKEY JACK #26 in fourth with 26 points.  Completing the top five was Adam Spiegel’s JAM SESSION with 27 pts.   Sailing photo credits- Chris Ray
For more J/105 Spring One Design Regatta sailing information
 

J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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J/24 women's Seabags sailing team*  Erica Beck Spencer created the SEA BAGS WOMENS SAILING TEAM several years ago to give women a greater chance to experience top-level competition in the J/24 class.  Based out of Portland, Maine, she has traveled thousands of miles and had several dozen women from all over America sail on her team. Here is here latest update after she sailed the J/24 Midwinters in Miami, Florida:

“The Sea Bags Women’s Sailing Team Kicks Off Their Fourth season at the J/24 2018 Midwinter Championship in Miami!!

It is astonishing how much there is to learn in the sport of sailboat racing. Before, throughout, and following an event there are new things to consider, things to tweak, and other people to watch and learn from. We analyze video and photos following the event to see how we should better trim our sails the next time we see those same conditions. We capitalize on every opportunity to improve our practice: be it talking to each other about what we could do better, getting to know the pros in the fleet, and asking them as many questions as they’ll allow, learning from our fellow Corinthian sailors who are better than us and getting advice from them, and we attend every dock talk with notebook in hand, questions at the ready.

As the skipper for an all-women’s team I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished in just over three years. In fact, the recent 2018 J/24 Midwinter Championship in Miami marked the beginning of our fourth season together.

Exactly four midwinters ago we picked up Jess Harris’s new boat in Annapolis, towed her to Davis Island, named her “Wait For It…”, rigged her, tuned her, and got her in the water. So much was new to us, or at least new to us being the ones in charge of the finer points of putting all this together. It’s easy to not really learn something when someone else is in charge. Just getting on the water was an accomplishment to be proud of.

But, finally in the very first race, with all the excitement and anticipation, we started aggressively and slowly one by one, boats passed us and we came in dead last. I was not expecting to do well, but last?! I was not expecting that either.

J/24 women's teamThe next day I got to the club early and got some help from Will Welles.  Hands down he is one of the greatest J/24 sailors of this era.  He helped tuning the boat, and that day we improved, dramatically! In one race, we rounded the windward mark right behind Will. It was one leg, but it filled us with some hope of the promise to come. We had a fast boat, and some skill on our team, we just needed lots of time to figure out how to get it all together. At this first event, we finished 24th out of 27th if memory serves me correctly. Not last!

I believe some of the reasons we’ve been able to improve as much as we have includes the fact that I am never ashamed to ask for help with tuning. I’ve improved tremendously in this essential task, but only because I’ve asked for help over and over again. Some guy friends have teased me about this fact, but I think more guys who have skill levels equal or less than mine, should ask for help. When a male friend from Portland, our home, got a new-to-him J/24, I was able to give back by sharing some tuning advice with him.

Is this a difference between men and women- that women are more willing to ask for help? I don’t know, but I think all newbies should ask for help. Why the hell not!? I am honored when someone asks me questions. Maybe it is unique to the J/24 fleet, but everyone is very helpful.

One friend we’ve made along the team’s journey is Alain Vranderick from Canada, a Star sailor.  We fondly call him “coach”.  He said to me somewhere in the beginning of our campaign, “first you put together a good leg, then a good race, then a good day on the water, and finally you put together a good event.”

Our progress feels slow because we all want to be doing better- but, what we’re doing is no easy task. We’re bringing a team of six women together, all of whom have day jobs, and some have families- none are professional sailors. Many of us are sailing in relatively new positions on a J/24.  Plus, I am relatively new to skippering keelboats. Our tactician is new to being in this role. We’re competing against teams who have been doing this a lot longer and the great teams typically have sailed together for over six years.

Every event we go to we’re learning and growing as a team. At midwinters this year, we struggled, and I was disappointed with our results- but a lot of learning happened.

women J/24 sailors downwindGeoff Becker (World J/24 and Lightning Champion), another person who I’ve asked approximately a zillion questions to, was able to watch us come down wind (we won’t say why he was able to do this…) and took some photos of our team.

He found me post racing and talked about our speed downwind. He pulled up this photo on his phone (IMG 3294) and talked about how the shoulders of our spinnaker were too high and compared them to the other boats around us.

He said, “We’re all taught that the clews should be matched, because that is a nice way to teach kids, but you actually want the leading edge to be a little tighter than the back edge. The pole end will be slightly lower than the clew. This will keep the front edge more stable and keep the boat from bouncing around as much.”

He added, “The wind flows from luff to leach of spinnaker so you want the back edge more open than the front edge. Certainly, the spinnaker end should never be higher than the other side.” He also shared these rules:
  •  Keep pole flat (play around with upper and lower ring to find that level spot)
  • Clew never past the head stay
Finally, he challenged us that in roll gybes you can actually hook the clew on the forestay and have that anchor the spinnaker as you roll, until you get the pole back on, but I’m not sure I totally get how to do that. We may need to have Geoff on board for some coaching to see how that one works!

For more information about improving spinnaker trim check out this great article, Spinnaker Trim for Speed Sailing by Mike Toppa and Gary Jobson.

As part of our commitment to give back to the sailing community, especially to those who want to go from being good racers (most of us) to better ones, we write about what we’re learning along the way on our From Good to Great  blog.

We’d love you to follow along at website or on the Seabags Sailing Team Facebook page.

So, we didn’t finish as well as we’d like in Miami, 19th out of 35. There is so much more to learn and yet we had fun. How could we not? It was 85 degrees, some of us swam, we sailed near dolphins, the location was stunning, and we shook off the winter months of not racing together. Looking forward to a great season with much learning and growth. We hope you’ll follow along on the journey.”  Sailing photo credits- Connie Bischoff/ Geoff Becker/ Chris Howell
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