Showing posts with label argentina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label argentina. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

J/Newsletter- April 7th, 2021


The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

It has been a somewhat busy time Down Under for the past few weeks as both the J/24 and J/70 classes are well into the middle of their sailing seasons.  The Australian J/70 Nationals were recently sailed in Melbourne, Australia, hosted by the Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron with racing taking place on Phillip Bay. Sailing in the same waters, the J/24 Victoria State Championship also took place hosted by Sandringham Yacht Club for a strong fleet of fifteen boats. Then, on Good Friday a J/111 sailed an incredibly nasty, rough race of 308.0nm from Brisbane to Gladstone along Australia's Sunshine Coast.

Over in South America, the Argentina J/70 Class has been racing on Mar de la Plata with events being run by YC Argentino, Mar de la Plata YC, and YC Olivos. An average of a dozen boats have been racing offshore of Buenos Aires. Earlier, the J/24 Campeonato del Centro Republica took place on the gorgeous Lago San Roque in foothills of the majestic Andes Mountain range. The regatta had a strong turnout of J/24s. 

In the USA, there was great enthusiasm for the Helly Hansen St Petersburg NOOD Regatta for J/24s, J/70s, and J/105s and offshore boats that included doublehanded J/112E's dominating their fleet! The J/24 Easter Regatta in Columbia, North Carolina was recently hosted by Columbia Sailing Club for a happy fleet of a dozen-plus boats. 
J/70s sailing at Charleston Harbor

Charleston Race Week Preview- A Rendezvous with Destiny!

(Charleston, SC)- Starting two weeks later than its traditional schedule the weekend before Easter/ Bank Holiday, the amazingly popular Charleston Race Week will be taking place this weekend from April 8th to 11th at the historically famous venue (Fort Sumter is where the American Civil War started) for a long three-day weekend of sailing on six courses spread around the huge harbor.

The Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina serves as host for the event and the CORA organization provides all logistical and professional race management for the 500+ sailors.  While the on-water racing is fun, fast & furious, it’s the après’ sailing social activities on the beach ashore with loads of rum, beer, southern food, and live music that keeps sailors coming back for more fun-loving memories in the Deep South....NOT this year, sadly enough, due to the pandemic protocols. 

While the party atmosphere that has always been synonymous with Charleston Race Week is not possible in 2021, the focus this year will be on the race course for one of the largest, most popular regattas in North America.

A total of 188 boats in 16 classes are entered following a one-year layoff caused by the pandemic, and finally able to celebrate its 25th anniversary in Charleston, SC.

“When you boil it all down, great racing is the main reason why Charleston Race Week has become such an iconic event,” observes event director Randy Draftz. “After all that has happened over the past year-plus, I think sailors just want to go racing again.

“We have been thrilled by the response from the national sailing community to the return of this great regatta and will be introducing several new features designed to enhance the racing experience.”

While COVID-19 continues to pose a threat throughout the world, social gatherings remain risky with state and local government officials advising against such activity. As a result, there will be no post-race events this year, but Charleston Race Week management is confident social-distancing, mask-wearing and hand-washing will allow for a successful and safe three days of racing.

Not surprisingly, passionate J/Sailors across the country have been anticipating this rendezvous with destiny for well over a year! Of the 188 boats registered, 103 of them are J/Boats sailors (a stunning 55.0% of the fleet)!  
 
The regatta features five one-design J/Classes, including J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, J/88s, and J/105s.  In addition, there are two “Pursuit-style” sailing divisions for both PHRF and ORC handicap rated boats that includes a J/30, J/35, J/109s, J/111s, J/120s, J/121s and a J/122. 

Starting with the biggest fleet in the regatta, the J/70s will have their hands full negotiating the shoals and currents and wildly shifting breezes on 3/4 mile windward legs (max!).  Despite the challenges, for most J/70 sailors, it is like a big college regatta, but on keelboats. Looking forward to that experience are many top J/70 teams loaded with talent, including Joel Ronning's CATAPULT, John Heaton's EMPEIRIA, Maggie McKillen's MAGATRON, Cate Muller-Terhune's MURDER HORNET, Mike Illbruck's PINTA (with John Kostecki as tactician), Peter Duncan's RELATIVE OBSCURITY, Brian Keane's SAVASANA, Chuck Thompson's SOAK RACING from the United Kingdom, Bruno Pasquinelli's STAMPEDE, Ryan McKillen's SURGE, and Buddy Cribb's VICTORY. 

Another large class is the J/24s, which has attracted 21 entries – double the number that attended Charleston Race Week 2019! They will race on Circle 4 along with the J/22 class, which consists almost entirely of junior teams. Notable J/24s teams include Jim Thurlow's FORTITUDE, Taylor Borges' BLIND SQUIRREL, Mike Palazzo's JO MAMMA, Eric Trejo's junior team on the KELLY HOLMES-MOON BOAT GRANT, Chris Jackson's LUCIFER's HAMMER, Aidan Glackin's MENTAL FLOSS, Kirk Reynolds' TYRUS, and Chris Stone's VELOCIDAD. 

The two other J/One-design classes sailing on Circle 3 are the 88s and 105s.  The eleven-boat J/88 class promises to be a very closely-fought amongst a number of the class leaders. Look for these teams to be near the top of the leaderboard over the course of the regatta; Justin Scagnelli's ALBONDIGAS, Iris Vogel's DEVIATION, John & Jordan Leahey's DUTCH, Andy Graff's EXILE, Andrew Weiss' ONE TOO MANY, Rob Ruhlman's SPACEMAN SPIFF, and Tim Wade's WINDSONG. So competitive these teams are that any one of them can have a strong, consistent event and leap to the top of the podium. 

The nine-boat J/105 class is also the largest turnout the class has seen in nearly a decade. The Ladbroke's Betting Parlour on the High Street in Liverpool would have a hard time handicapping this group, as there is a broad cross-section of teams in the mix. Nevertheless, watch for these crews to feature on the leaderboard; Ken Horne's FINAL FINAL (2nd in the 2019 J/105 NA's in Marblehead, MA), Joe Highsmith's DEAD ON ARRIVAL, Betsy Pilcher's JOYRIDE, Pete Boland's LONDON CALLING, the trio on RUCKUS (Matt Self/ Russ Smith/ Pat Chisum- e.g. "local home boys"), Bill McKenzie's RUM FRONT, and the "foreigners" from Lake Erie- the Schaedler/ Taylor duo on WHISTLER (yup, same famous boat from the Caribbean)!

As has been the case for many editions of Charleston Race Week, there will be pursuit racing and ORC racing out on the Atlantic Ocean. In the ORC B class of a half-dozen boats are four J/Teams; two J/121s (Bob Christoph's LOKI and Bill Wiggins/ Ashley Maltempo's WINGS), Robin Team's J/122 TEAMWORK (they hardly need any introduction, do they?), and John Keenan's J/120 ILLYRIA. 

In the Pursuit Spinnaker A Class of eleven boats is Bob Musor's J/130 SCEPTRE, two J/120s (Bill Hanckel's EMOCEAN and Richard Moore's KEELFORCE), Willy Schwenzfeier's J/35 ARROW, John Wrangle's J/105 PALADIN, an Ed Goss' J/36 SOUL. With six J/Crews on the starting line, perhaps there's a chance for a J/sweep? Time will tell. Finally, in Pursuit Spinnaker B Class is Mark Swatta's J/30 LAS BRISAS and Warrior Sailing's J/95 WARRIOR 95 as the lone wolves carrying the J/flag in that fleet. 

To help all participants get back up to speed quickly, Charleston Race Week will be providing TracTrac devices that deliver live tracking using the latest technology. TracTrac is an innovative analytical tool that records each boat’s performance and displays various metrics online in real time.

This marks the first time Charleston Race Week has implemented live tracking on all five courses. The TracTrac device will be included in your registration packet along with an instruction sheet.

In addition to live tracking, Charleston Race Week will also introduce on-course observers to provide expert commentary and analysis. These seasoned professionals will offer interesting insights and observations about various aspects of racing.

Also, Quantum Sail Design Group will have its team of professionals on-site to deliver daily weather briefings, discuss tactics and strategy or answers any other questions sailors might have. Sailing photo credits- Priscilla Parker.  For more Charleston Race Week sailing information
 
J/80s sailing off Spain

Announcing the Spanish J/80 Sailing Series!

(Barcelona, Spain)- The Spanish J/80 class is considered one of the best in the world; after all, amongst their teams they account for nearly a dozen J/80 World Championships (forget the fact they are several Olympic sailing Medallists amongst them). Building on that strength (a somewhat scary thought for the rest of the world), the Spanish class of more than 145 teams and 1,000+ sailors has created a new summer sailing series that will enable them to pursue their great passion for sailing in all of the most beautiful, iconic sailing venues throughout Spain. 

The Spanish J/80 fleet hopes to get sailors of all ages, women's teams, youth teams and masters together. Clearly, they are a class that adapts to the times and promotes values as important as equality and sustainability amongst their ranks of sailors.

J/80 Spain Sailing Series
The 2021 J80 Spain Sailing Series calendar is made up of two major national events; the Spanish Cup to be held in June at the Real Club Marítimo del Abra and the Spanish J/80 Championship to be held in the waters of Cádiz, specifically at the Real Club Náutico La Linea in September.

In addition to these two national qualifying races in the ranking, one regatta per fleet will be added; Canary, Andalusian, Balearic, Basque, Cantabrian and Galician regattas, such as the Prince of Asturias Trophy and the Princess Alexia Trophy. All these regattas will be the scoring events to make the national ranking. The top ten best of the year will come out of this ranking with their direct pass to the Super Final, the J/80 Sailing Finals!

The Spanish J/80 Super Finals
The top ten teams by ranking at the end of the circuit will go to the Super Final. It will be a competition of champions that will be held for the first time in the month of October. The chosen venue has been the amazing natural amphitheater of Santander, and the host Real Club Maritimo de Santander will undoubtedly offer an extraordinary nautical show!  For more Spanish J/80 Sailing Series regatta information
 
J/Gear April Special

J/Gear April 20% Off Special!

Awesome Under Armour Performance Polo shirt!

(Newport, RI)- Here is an excellent opportunity for the whole crew to get Under Armour Polo shirts at a special price. Under Armour have been a leader in the performance arena for some time now and their gear is perfect for a marine application. This polo boasts rugged construction and features a distinctive comfortable fit.

The fabric is 95% polyester, 5% elastane, it is a smooth, soft anti-pill fabric, has an anti-odor technology to prevent the growth of odor causing bacteria, and offers 30+ UPF protection from the sun’s harmful rays!
Order your beautiful, comfy Under Armour Performance Polo here
 

Sailing Calendar

Apr 8-11- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 30- May 2- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
Apr 30- May 2- J/111 North American Championship- Annapolis, MD
May 9-15- J/70 North American Championship- Annapolis, MD 

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
 
J/70s sailing off Australia

VAMOS Crowned J/70 Australian Champions!

(Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)- This past fortnight, the Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron on the southern isthmus of Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne hosted the 2021 Australian J/70 National Championship. Plenty of fun and games and great sailing was had by all that were more than happy to get sailing on the water again. 

For those "not in-the-know", Australia and their counterparts in the Antipodes "down under" (New Zealand) were one of the first few nation-states in the world to battle the pandemic aggressively (with incredible contact-tracing processes) to enable their countries to be the first to live a new "near-normal" lifestyle.

Here is the report from a three-time dinghy World Champion and top woman sailor- Nickie Douglass- a.k.a. "Sailor Girl". 

"With two strong days of racing down in the 2021 J/70 Australian Championship, the weather served up testing conditions for the racing crews and Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron race management team on the third and final day.

In what could be deemed the most challenging, yet exciting race of the series, race seven was a battle from start to finish. With the course set at 160 degrees, and the south-easter blowing directly from the club with the outgoing current, the shifts, which came in waves of pressure, were significant.

J/70 Australia
Reg Lord, defending National Champion and his team on JUNO were first to identify a left-hand shift during the start sequence, and popped at the pin cleanly as the gun went. Current regatta leader, Tim Ryan and his crew on VAMOS were just off their hip, and second-placed CELESTIAL were to windward of them, but opted to tack onto port shortly after starting, as did Karyn Gojnich and her team on THE JACKAL.

The next pressure line came from the right, and CELESTIAL and THE JACKAL looked to be making the most of the pivoting course. The local teams of JUMPIN' JACK FLASH, and the all-female team on SPIKE, and the only NSW Corinthians, MAYBE J were able to slip up the middle of the course while those on the left were left flailing in easing pressure.

The rounding at the first mark of the course, and the second gates were the same, with CELESTIAL leading from JUMPIN' JACK FLASH, SPIKE, MAYBE J, and THE JACKAL

J/70 sailing Australia
On the second circuit rounding the cans, a pod of dolphins joined in with the racing, making for a happy distraction for crews while trying to connect the dots with the fickle pressure.

CELESTIAL skipper Sam Haynes and his crew of David Chapman, Johnny Warren and Locky Pryor continued to lead around the final mark, but it was the local heroes on JUMPIN' JACK FLASH who stole the gun on the line thanks to the final puff coming more from the west to push them over the line.

Laura Harding and her all-female youth team on SPIKE from Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron rounded out the podium finishing in their best place of the regatta so far.

The results also meant that Tim Ryan on VAMOS and his crew who had been sailing a near perfect regatta, would have to sail in the final race 8 to secure their win over the closing team of Celestial.

J/70s sailing Australia
After a lengthy delay under AP, the breeze finally settled once again at 165 degrees, and the J/70 fleet for the first time of the regatta saw a change in the course, from a two-lap windward leeward to a three-lapper.

VAMOS triggered at exactly the right time at the pin to lead off the line, with the second-placed team of CELESTIAL right on their hip. VAMOS had their eyes on the prize and kept themselves in between CELESTIAL and the next mark, and the local team JOUST 70, skippered by Rod Warren slipped through to take the lead around the first and second marks of the course.

CELESTIAL opted to split from VAMOS, and took the left-hand turn at the bottom gate, while JOUST 70 ahead of them, then VAMOS at the same time as CELESTIAL, and then the youth all-female team on SPIKE all opted for the right-hand turn.

The next phase of the breeze came from the left, forcing CELESTIAL back to fourth, dashing their hopes of a chance to take the title.

The commanding VAMOS team of Rob Greenhalgh, Charlie Gundy and Jess Grimes, led by skipper Tim Ryan took the lead up the second beat and were not challenged for the remaining two laps. They crossed the finish line to take their sixth race win of the series, and the overall championship with a race to spare.

Rod Warren's JOUST 70 with Aaron Cole, Tim Smith and Ollie Vanderslot took second place, with Laura Harding and the all-female youth team on SPIKE backing up their race 7 performance with another third place.

J/70s sailing offshore Australia
With the Championship and runner-up positions already decided, VAMOS and CELESTIAL opted to head back to the beach for the final race of the series to allow the teams on JUNO skippered by Reg Lord, and THE JACKAL, skippered by Karyn Gojnich to battle it out for the final podium position.

JUNO opted to cover THE JACKAL in the pre-start forcing them to the right hand side with an early port tack duck off the line.

With the easing breeze, and the outgoing current, the top mark was a mess, with multiple crews doing turns for nipping the first mark of the course.

JUNO took command of the race, and took the win, securing third place in the overall Championship for the defending champion Reg Lord, and his crew of Tom Grimes, Murray Jones and James Hodgson.

Local team JO JO ZIP skippered by Ian Cooper with Neil Taylor, John Lindholm, Dean Taylor and Callum Burns had the best race of their series finishing in second.

Michael Nash, Peter Nash, John Watson, Garth Davies and Maria Nash on MAYBE J finished third to secure the Corinthian Division for 2021.

Laura Harding, Ella Grimshaw, Daisy Laing, Hannah Danks and Harriette Singh finished in sixth, to not only take the boat of the day bragging rights, but the Youth Division for 2021.

Karyn Gojnich, Sara Ladd, Ewa Lindelof and Kyle Dodds on SPIKE finished in fourth place to secure fourth overall in the championship and the Female Division for 2021.

J/70 Australian winners
1st Overall, Vamos (l-r) Charlie Gundy, Rob Greenhalgh, Jess Grimes, Tim Ryan, Matt McCarthy, Vice Commodore BYS 

Ladies winner J/70 Australia
Ladies Division winner Karyn Gojnich with Matt McCarthy, Vice Commodore BYS

J/70 Corinthian Australia winner
Corinthian Division Winner, Michael Nash with Matt McCarthy, Vice Commodore BYS

Sailing photo and story credits- Nic Douglass / www.AdventuresofaSailorGirl.com / http://www.nicdouglass.org

 
J/70 sailing Argentina

Argentine J/70 Class Report

(Olivos, Argentina)- Nothing, not even the pandemic, was going to slow down or diminish the enthusiasm the Argentinean J/70 fleet had for getting themselves organized and out on the water sailing in their favorite "watering holes".  Traditionally, the fleet starts their season off the famous city of Buenos Aires, on the muddy waters of Mar de la Plata. Between Yacht Club Argentino's amazing sailing facility on the city waterfront, to Mar de La Plata Yacht Club, and to Yacht Club Olivos cozy location on a harbor north of the city, the J/70 class enjoys world-class racing and Race Committee management. 

J/70 sailing off Buenos Aires, Argentina
Despite the challenges of coping with strong river currents, the fleet PRO- Mario Laitan- managed to run a number of good races for both the traditional PIMMS CUP TROPHY regatta and the J/70 ANNIVERSARY Championship.

J/70 sailing off Argentina
The PIMMS CUP Trophy regatta was organized by YC Olivos for a twelve-boat fleet.  After a good weekend of racing, it was Alejandro Yrigoyen's BUTANTE that took the gold, followed by José Arrondo's BBTO in second, and Francisco Campero's AMIGO VII in third position. 

The Mar de La Plata YC hosted the ANNIVERSARY Championship for a fleet of a half-dozen boats. For two days the fleet was blessed with sunny weather and nice northerly winds of 8 to 16 knots. After a six-race series, it was BACHAJO that ultimately won the regatta by winning three of the 6 races. Their team was comprised of Juan Diego “Chiqui” Figueroa, Ignacio Giamonna, Leslie Jenkins and Julián Lobelos.

J/70 Argentina winners
Second place went to SI QUERIDA skippered by Francisco van Avermaete, with crew of Rafael de Martis, Gerónimo Galvan and Carlos Lacchini.

Rounding out the podium was MERCENARIO skippered by top woman skipper Martina Silva with her crew Trinidad (her sister), Gabriel Marino, Nacho Portis and Tobias Cédola. Sailing photo credits- Romano Cuenca photography.  Follow the Argentina J/70 Class on Facebook page here  For more Argentina J/70 Class sailing information

 
J/111 sailing Brisbane Race

J/111 Brisbane to Gladstone Race Report

(Brisbane, Australia)- The past Easter Weekend, the J/111 BLACK DOG sailed the Brisbane to Gladstone Race in near gale sailing conditions. Here is their report from owner/skipper Rodger Vinton.   

"The 73rd Brisbane to Gladstone (B2G) yacht race started on Good Friday 2 April at midday. The course is 308.0nm long and starts in Brisbane (Queensland) in Moreton Bay, going to a turning mark off Redcliffe pier; before heading across the bay to Moreton Island then exiting the bay through the NW shipping channel. The course then runs past the Sunshine Coast, keeping Fraser Island to port, leaving Lady Elliot Island to port and then going across what is affectionately known as “the paddock” to Gladstone. The last 15.0nm is a trip up the shipping channel to finish off at the Gladstone Yacht Club.

There are many divisions in this race, including Vintage through to Modern yachts, competing in cruising and/or racing divisions. The boats range from 10.3 to the 30.48 metres Black Jack (100 ft Maxi). There were 37 boats that started the 2021 race, including the J/111 Black Dog with 7 crew skippered by Rodger Vinton.

The forecast was for southeasterly winds of 25-30 knots for the start and then building as the day went on with expected gusts of up to 35 knots and large confused seas off Breaksea at the northern tip of Fraser Island.  We started with full main and 3.5 jib and ended up a few minutes late for the start re-running reef lines.

Just after the start we put up the A3 kite but it was too shy, so we changed down to the 3.5 jib and then we were off passing the fleet. The upside of a slow start was that we did get to see most of the other boats.

Once in the shipping channel we were able to hoist the A3 kite again and in the bigger gusts we hit 20 knots boat speed. At NW4 beacon we were going to drop the kite but a gust of 30+knots hit and we broached. It took a while to get the kite back onboard and then up went the 3.5 jib again. 

At dusk we put the first reef in and sailed at about 150 AWA running down the large quartering swells. Dark rain clouds would come through and the wind speed would increase, occasionally hitting 40 knots. After Breaksea we jibed onto port to our next mark Lady Elliot Island and then after we reached Lady Elliot Island the wind dropped slightly with top gusts of only 25 knots. We put the A3 up again. This lasted about half an hour before the wind speed built and the A3 was reduced to tapes. 

We carried on under reefed main and the 3.5 jib until the finish. The top boat speed we recorded was 24 knots under reefed main and 3.5 jib as we surfed down big seas and we also saw a top wind speed of 41 knots. During the night we were smashed by a big wave and it hit one of the crew with such force that her PFD auto inflated with a bang and set the strobe light off. The look of shock on her face was priceless and we then had to use one of the spare PFDs for the rest of the race. Now we know what happens to an auto PFD and why you need to carry spares.

Our experience with our first B2G race in 2018 was that in heavy weather no one eats much, so we took a lot of finger-food that could be eaten on the rail. We ate things like salad rolls, BBQ sausages, home-made pies, fruit, biscuits, lollies, trail mix, chocolate, and Doc’s rice pudding. Seasickness impacted a few crew, but was managed with the appropriate meds. All of our crew finished the race in one piece and our mascot toy dog SALTY survived, too – just a bit wet. Other boats and crew were not so lucky – there were 11 DNF’s including most of the favorites for line honours and IRC, with a couple of crew injuries including one needing to be air-lifted off in a medical evacuation.

We crossed the line in 6th place after 32 hours and 12 mins, we won the line honors trophy for a yacht under 37 feet and came 2nd in Division Two on both IRC and PHRF. A great result for our J/111!

The boat went very well, with all three people on helm enjoying the challenge of the ride. The only boat damage sustained was one A3 kite and the broken toilet lid. If only we’d not been a few minutes late for the start. Oh well, next time!"

 
J/105 sailing St Petersburg NOOD

J/105 BREEZIN' BAYOU Smokes St Pete NOOD

J/112E's Sweep Doublehanded Class

(St Petersburg, FL)- The Helly Hansen St Petersburg NOOD Regatta was sailed over a three-day weekend last week with simply spectacular sailing conditions on Tampa Bay. Wait a minute, is that a "typo"? Spectacular sailing conditions at St Pete? While having earned an unenviable reputation for having at least one day of any winter regatta spent working on suntans or hiding in the shade, this year's event more than made up for any past sins committed by the weather Godz in the past decade!  

J/24 sailing off St Petersburg NOOD
Loving the conditions were not just the sailors, but the St Petersburg Yacht Cub Race Committee team. For three-straight days of racing it was almost a "set it and forget it" race course setup for all race circles. Overall, J/Crews had amazing performances across the board, from one-designs to handicap racing.

In the North Sails Doublehanded Distance Race division, the J/112E's dusted off their class. Winning was Harvey Ford and Tom Mistele's SILVER SURFER, followed by Chris Zibailo's DOPODOMANI. Rounding out the podium was yet another J/team- Tarry Grimsdale and Bill Wingrove's J/35 ROCKET! A sweep to say the least! Yet another J/35- Jose Suarezhoyos' NO WAY JOSE took the bronze in their Cruising World Rally Race. 

J/24 sailing on Tampa Bay
The J/24s saw Eammon Delisser's MAIN SQUEEZE never let off fire-walling the gas pedal as they cruised to a mere 10 pts total for the class win; e.g. 10 points in 10 races means all bullets. Doh! So much for eviscerating the locals.  Mike Beattie's DAZE OFF collected a meaningful number of deuces to collect.....drum roll please.... the silver! Kudos to Katie Nelson's YELLOW TAIL team as she collected mostly "treys" to take home the bronze medal. 

J/70 sailing on Tampa Bay
By contrast, the relative stratification of the top J/24s teams was not reflected in the J/70 class. After three days of racing, it was the final race on the final day that determined who beat whom.  In the end, it was Matt Braun's ELE that won both the Corinthian Division and the Open Division by one point over Alex Meleney's TRUCKIN. Third was Chris Schoendorf's TAZ just three points back. 

J/105 St Petersburg NOOD winners
The big winner in the regatta was Stephen Mitcham's J/105 BREEZIN BAYOU, posting nearly all bullets to win their PHRF 2 Class by a big margin. Second was Bob Wetmore's J/29 FAMILY CIRCUS and taking fourth place was George Cussins' J/105 FIRE & ICE. In PHRF 3 Class, Herb Maguire's J/22 HOLY MOLY took fourth place. 

J/105 sailing video
Watch J/105 video in fast trim.

Sailing photo credits- Paul Todd/ OUTSIDE IMAGES.com.  For more Helly Hansen St Petersburg NOOD Regatta sailing information

 
J/24s sailing on Lago San Roque, Argentina

Cubria Wins J/24 Campeonato del Centro de la Republica

(Lago San Roque, Argentina)- As part of their traditional summer series way "down under", our friends in Argentina love to take their boats to the base of the spectacular snow-capped Andes Mountain range to a gorgeous lake in the foothills known as Lago San Roque. Google map the location. It will blow you away. A visual feast for land-locked sailors, an eye-opener for those accustomed to the wide-open seas. For the "locals", it's just another opportunity to have fun with family and friends, some of them owners of famous local vineyards you may know as the "malbec" varietal.

This year, the occasion was the ninth anniversary of the Campeonato Central hosted by the Club Nautico Cordoba in Villa Carlos Paz in the mountains. How popular is "mountain" sailing to Argentinean J/24 teams?! Well, an amazing twenty teams from across the country showed up for some fun in the sun in the mountains. 

J/24s sailing in Andes Mountains- Lago San Roque, Argentina
This year the fleet was blessed. There were three days of mild winds from the northeast across the placid waters of Lago San Roque. Seven races were impeccably managed by Race Officer Leo Rivas. In the end, the winner of the event was Nico Cubria's RINA and his crew of Mario Cubria, Guille Aporszegui and Guillermo Bellinotto.

Taking the silver was Javier Moyano's GRAN CARAJO with crew of Hugo Camele, Adrian Berelejs, and Javier Macheu. Third was Ramiro Camilotta's PURA VIDA with team of Carlos Trigo, Pablo Fabre, and Martin Caruso. 

Taking fourth and the top women's team was Trixi Agusti's CARNBURY with team of Lucrecia Arrambide, Rocio Agusti, Candelani Berbenian, and Mariana Felix.  For more Campeonato el Centro de la Republica sailing information  For more Argentinean J/24 sailing information

 
J/24 Victoria States winners

CHECKMATE Crowned J/24 Victoria State Champions

(Victoria, Australia)- Recently the Sandringham Yacht Club hosted their annual Victoria States J/24 Championship. The fleet was blessed with gorgeous sunny weather, winds ranging from 4 to 18 kts, the breeze starting northwest and shifting to the southwest on both days. Choppy seas made for difficult steering conditions upwind, with teams making the hard choice of which jib to use in the upper wind ranges- the 150% genoa or the 100% jib. The fleet was unusually over-eager and aggressive on the starting line, with lots of general recalls, restarts, U-flags and even several U-flag DSQs! 

After an eight-race series, it was Brendan Lee's CHECKMATE that consistently powered their way to victory, winning four races and counting only podium finishes to win by a significant margin. Taking the silver was Warren Campbell's J-FORCE, posting all top five finishes for a cumulative score of 22 pts.  The bronze went to Adam Keyes-Tilley's BAILE DE LUNA with 28 pts total. Rounding out the top five were Hugo Ottoway's BRUSCHETTA VI and Warren Slater's JAB in fourth and fifth, respectively.

J/24 Victoria States PHS winners
Winning the PHS handicap division was Darren Cuttsy's JOYRIDE, followed by Richard Taylor's HAYWIRE in second and Chris Ravesi's PANAREA in third position. 

A big thank you to Sandringham YC Race Management and PRO Warren Campbell and the Committee for putting on a fabulous event. Plus, thanks to our contributors, Carina Tomietto, Craig Wiley, Adam Keyes-Tilley. More posts, video and info on the Victoria J/24 Facebook page.  For more Australia J/24 class sailing information

 
J/24s sailing Easter Regatta

THE Easter Regatta

(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 you are an amateur team attending your first regatta or a professional team contending for the top prize, you will find something that impels you to return year after year!

Launching J/24s with a cherry picker
The Columbia Sailing Club offers first-class facilities, such as the new Bath House at the beach and camping area! 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 tied everything together. This is the tradition that J/24 competitors have come to know and love. 

J/24 sailor's towing rig
The fourteen J/24s were thrilled to be sailing on Lake Murray. Three races were completed, and it was a battle to the wire. Winning by just one point was Chris Stone's VELOCIDAD over Charles Bumgardner USA 555. James Howard's CLASSIC completed the podium. Rounding out the top five was John Hirsch's DAZE OFF in fourth and Fred Wiedeke's CARAMELLA in fifth position.  For more J/24 Easter Regatta sailing information

 

J/Community

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

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J/Net Brokerage Specials! Check out our exciting new site for lovingly-owned J/Boats from around the world here.  

J/133 brokerage sailboat for sale

2005 J/133 For Sale

The J/133 is the embodiment of the J/Boats ethos - setting a new standard for race-winning speed under multiple handicap systems, stability for shorthanded cruising, durability for rough offshore passages, an easy to manage sail plan and performance cruising comfort. 

The J/133's generous sail plan provides performance in both breeze and light airs, and with a low center of gravity, makes for short handed stability while eliminating the need for multiple sail changes across wind speed bands. 

Her generous cockpit and aft led lines deck layout transit readily from day sailing, to single handling to fully race crewed. 

J-HAWK features the coveted performance cruising triple cabin interior and was factory loaded with many upgrade packages including her deluxe satin finished cherry joinery, a well-equipped double sink galley with refrigeration, stove and microwave, and Ultra-Leather pearl upholstery. Comfortable sleeping for 6 combined with excellent storage systems in each cabin plus port and starboard seating in the main salon provides comfort space and luxury for anything from day trips to blue water passage making. A MUST SEE cruising sailboat to fulfill your dreams of sailing the Seven Seas! Learn more about this J/133 brokerage sailboat for sale here- https://jnet.jboats.com/listings/2005-J133-YCgd7FzU


J/70s sailing off England on Solent

Easter J/70 Coaching Weekend

Organized by NORTH SAILS' Marshall King, the J/70 UK Class Coaching Weekend featured multiple world champions Andrew "Dog” Palfrey and Elliot Willis putting the ten J/70 teams through their paces. Enjoy the photos from Louay Habib and a "big Thank You" to Ian Wilson for the RIB ride and banter! 

J/70s sailing on Solent off England
The UK J/70 class starts off their Grand Slam Series with the Warsash SC Spring Championships on the weekend of April 17th and 18th.  For more UK J/70 Class sailing information
Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

J/Newsletter- March 25, 2015

J/70 Calvi NetworkItalian J/70- Campeonato Nazionale 2015 
(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- The J/70 Italian Class is getting ready to run the largest J/70 regatta series in southern Europe. This was possible with the joint venture of the J/70 fleets from YC Monaco and YC Sanremo, managed with the cooperation of both the J/70 NCA Chairman Vittorio di Mauro from Italy and Jacopo Carrain from the J/70 NCA Monaco.

The main sponsor of the series will be ALCATEL OneTouch and the Federation Italiano de Vela (FIV) have assigned the winner of the series as the J/70 Italian National Champion; this goes to the best finishing Team at the end of a series of five regattas and up to thirty-five races!

The first two events will constitute, as well, the Spring Cup with active participation from both YC Monaco and YC San Remo fleets.  The third event will again be held in San Remo in May before the J/70 class heads across Italy to race for the first time on the Adriatic Sea; the sailors will enjoy the nice, friendly and well-organized location of the Riviera Romagnola and the wonderful host club- Circolo Nautico Cervia.  The final event will take on Lago di Garda in September, already a “classic” event for passionate J/70 enthusiasts in Europe.

J/70s sailing off Monte Carlo, MonacoThe twenty boats of the Italian Fleet are getting ready to move this week to Monaco to meet the local YC Monaco J/70's. Some Teams from North Europe are attending as well. Therefore, expect a crowded starting line in the range of forty-plus J/70’s!  All the best Italian Teams will be there, including Carlo Alberini’s CALVI NETWORK.  There is no question, CALVI NETWORK will be the “standard bearer” for all top European teams to be measured against; especially after winning the USA J/70 Midwinters in Key West, Florida, placing 2nd in the recent Bacardi Miami Sailing Week and was also the 2014 European Champion and Italian Champion!

The Italian JCA is looking forward to welcoming teams from all countries across Europe.  The ALCATEL OneTouch Italian Trophy is an “open” event and all Teams are welcome.  There is the opportunity to store your boat in Sanremo and J/Boats Italy is proud to offer their best assistance. The schedule for the events is as follows:
  • Mar 28-29- Spring Cup (YCM & YCS)- Monte Carlo, Monaco- YC Monaco
  • Apr 25-26- Spring Cup (YCM & YCS)- San Remo, Italy- YC San Remo
  • May 16-17- Campeonato Nazionale- San Remo, Italy- YC San Remo
  • Jun 12-14- Campeonato Nazionale- Cervia, Italy- Circolo Nautico Cervia
  • Sep 10-12- EuroCup- Riva del Garda, Italy- Fraglia Vela Riva
For more Alcatel OneTouch Italian J/70 Series sailing information, please contact:  Veronica Tondelli (vtondelli@gmail.com) Press agent for the J/70 Italian Class (http://www.j70.it)

J/105 women sailors off St ThomasTAG Heuer St Thomas Regatta Preview
(Cowpet Bay, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands)- The TAG Heuer St. Thomas International Regatta is etched into every racer’s mind as the “Crown Jewel” of Caribbean racing– where sailors can experience their reliable breezes, warm azure waters and world-renowned Island hospitality. This year a fleet of 80+ boats will be competing in the three-day series starting March 26th and ending March 29th.  J/Teams are well represented in this year’s regatta in the various CSA Racing and Non-spinnaker divisions.

J/122 El Ocaso sailing St Thomas regattaIn CSA 2 Racing, there are four amazingly competent teams assembled in their class that includes a J/111, two J/122s and a J/120.  This is the first year that Holland, Michigan’s Mitch Padnos and his crew from the Macatawa Bay Yacht Club will charter the J/122 EL OCASO. The boat, under a different skipper and crew, has participated in the STIR on several occasions and won its class in 2014. “We were attracted to this year’s event as the boat was available which allowed the Michigan crew an early spring tune up. In addition, the idea of racing in St. Thomas was too much to resist,” says Padnos. His Michigan crew sail their J/122 SUFFICIENT REASON (winning their class and the 2013 Chicago-Mackinac Race Overall) and have been active in buoy racing on the local Lake Michigan scene.

SUNSET CHILD, a J/120 in Performance Yacht Racing USA’s charter fleet, most recently competed in the Pineapple Cup to Montego Bay Race in February with a Jamaican team onboard. “This is the first time we will sail with her in St. Thomas,” says skipper Marcus Cholerton-Brown. “We have a whole family racing onboard, plus some PYR-USA crew and myself. We can’t wait to get stuck into the racing against a really strong field of boats in CSA 2 class.”

In addition to these two boats, it marks the first appearance of a J/111 in the STIR event. Sam Talbot’s crew from Road Town, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands will be racing SPIKE.  In addition, the J/122 DUNDER will be sailed by Robert & Jan Thouron from Middlesex, Vermont.

J/36 Paladin sailing with St Croix youth/ kids crewIn CSA 3 Class, there will again be the renewed friendly rivalry between three knowledgeable local teams that include two J/105s and a J/27.  Jonathan Lipuscek from San Juan, Puerto Rico and the Club Nautico Puerto Rico will be sailing his well-traveled J/105 DARK STAR and he will be up against the New York-based crew aboard SOLSTICE led by skipper Bryan Coon from Lloyd Harbor YC in Hicksville, New York.  Chasing them around the course and hoping to get them on handicap honors will be Paul Davis’ J/27 MAGNIFICENT 7, the “local knowledge” in the group from St Thomas, USVI.

The CSA Non-Spinnaker Class will have the privilege of racing against “the kids” that sail the J/36 PALADIN with adult supervision led by Stanford Joines of St Croix YC in St Croix, USVI. Watch out!  This crew really knows how to sail their boat hard and they have the silverware to prove it, too!

IC24 crews sailing St ThomasMeanwhile, the homegrown IC-24 class (the J/24 modified) is expected to be the largest of the regatta with 18 entries. “The best part about racing in the IC-24 class is the level of competition and how close the racing is,” says St. Thomas’ Mike Finley, who will sail his Ocean Potion. “Plus, we have fun racing and fun afterwards at the parties.”  Mike should know, World Champion Match Racer Taylor Canfield got “schooled” by the big boys in the IC24s when he was growing up as a kid on St Thomas!

Great Parties Too?!
Unquestionably, all the Caribbean regatta venues are renowned for “fun in the sun, great sailing and great parties”.  St Thomas is no different and has certainly been the “gold standard” by which all other regattas have been judged since the STIR event started so long before all others.  Beach barbeques, nightly parties featuring Presidente beer and the Virgin Islands’ own Cruzan Rum, and live bands will take place at St. Thomas Yacht Club Thursday March 26, Friday March 27 and Sunday March 29. The Awards Ceremony takes place Sunday March 29 starting at 7 p.m. on the beach in front of the St. Thomas Yacht Club. On Saturday March 28, there’s the newest STIR tradition: the Yacht Haven Grande Party with Spectrum Band on stage. Have dinner and enjoy the best of St. Thomas restaurants and bars nearby Yacht Haven Grande while detuning after a day of racing.

“St. Thomas International Regatta organizers are excited about our new partnership with TAG Heuer and their world famous timepieces. TAG Heuer has a long history of sports marketing and we feel honored to have them involved in our sailing event. Their involvement places the STIR back at the top of Caribbean events and offers 8 more reasons to attend our regatta in Cowpet Bay home of the St. Thomas Yacht Club,” says Regatta Director, Bill Canfield.

Class winning skippers in the 2015 STIR will be presented with an Aquaracer Caribbean Limited Edition watch. These models are equipped with key features such as stainless steel craftsmanship, water-resistance to 10,000-feet, screw-in crown and unidirectional turning bezel. The beautiful deep sea-blue dial is imprinted with a map of the Caribbean Islands in a gold tone. These limited editions are exclusively available in the Caribbean; they are individually numbered.  The eight classes eligible to receive an Aquaracer Caribbean Limited Edition watch as prize include all divisions of CSA, Portsmouth, and Beach Cats.  Sailing photo credits- Christine Thompson   For more St Thomas Regatta sailing information

J/70s training/ sailing on Hamburg Lake AlsterDeutsche Segel-Bundesliga Training
(Hamburg, Germany)- Throughout the months of March and April, several of the clubs participating in the 2015 Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga are training together on their J/70s to get ready for the start of yet another fun and exciting sailing season where teams have the opportunity to sail in up to seven events from May to the Finals in October.  The primary training venue is the gorgeous Alster Lake in the middle of Hamburg with Norddeutscher Regatta Verein sailing club hosting the teams and running the regatta simulations.

J/70s sailing on Lake Alster, Hamburg, GermanySome of the teams participating in these “warm-ups” were Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (with Peter Kaehl, Sven Jurgensen and Marc-Daniel Mahlman) and Blankeneser Segel-Club (Hamburg), Duisburger Segel-Club (Nordrhein-Westfalen), Flensburger Segel-Club (Schleswig-Holstein), Seglervereinigung Itzehoe (Schleswig-Holstein), Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee (Berlin), Segel-und Motorboot Club Überlingen (Baden-Württemberg) and Berliner Yacht-Club (Berlin).

Sven Jurgensen reported that, “The first day was rather gray and it was raining heavily. However, it was just great to see other DSB League teams coming together for common training programs.  In fact, for many clubs, it has been quite intensive training as they are also going through a process of team and crew selections.”

J/70 sailing in Munich, GermanyMore and more DSB League clubs have been training their teams in other parts of Germany, too. Last weekend several teams from the Munich were trained on their club J/70s.  Munich Yacht Club (MYC) in collaboration with teams from the Bavarian Yacht Club (BYC) had a great practice on their lake. "This is excellent that we have entered a training partnership with the BYC, because the races with five boats are very exciting and close to DSBL-mode," said team manager Michael Liebl from Munich YC. This coming weekend you will be certain to find them back out there working on speed, boat-handling and tactics!

This year’s DSBL schedule has been published and for those who wish to see what the excitement is all about in Germany, be sure to head over to one of these venues over the course of their season.  Most of the events will be sailed in J/70s, including all Champions League Level 1 and the Finale in Hamburg.
  • May 1-3-   Tutzing/ Starnberger See
  • Jun 5-7-   Kiel / Innenförde
  • Jul 4-6-   Warnemünde / Ostsee
  • Jul 18-20- Travemünde / Ostsee
  • Aug 21-23- Berlin / Wannsee
  • Sep 25-27- Überlingen / Bodensee
  • Oct 29-31- Hamburg / Außenalster- the Grand Finale
Sailing photo credits- Sven Jurgensen and C. Herrbold   For more J/70 Deutsche Segel Bundesliga sailing information

J/70 at US Coast Guard Academy, New London, CTUS Coast Guard College J/70 Regatta
(New London, CT)- This coming weekend, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy will be hosting their first intercollegiate keelboat regatta with their J/70 fleet.  Teams will be sailing equalized one-design J/70s with four person crews on the Thames River.  The format is short course, college-style sailing with double windward-leewards and rotations likely after every two races.  Sound familiar for those who’ve been following the “sailing US Coast Guard Academy- Jacobs Rock Sailing Centerleague” formats? College-style sailing is fun, exciting, high-energy and incredibly social as teams hang out on the docks and watch the racing together.

The USCGA’s facility at Jacob’s Rock is one of the nicest sailing facilities anywhere in college sailing.  Built over Jacob’s Rock and accessed by a 300 yard long pier, it offers the sailors, coaches and spectators an extraordinary venue to watch and enjoy the sport of sailing.

If you have any questions about USCGA Sailing or their J/70 cadet offshore sailing program, please contact Jack Neades at email- jack.l.neades@uscga.edu.   For more USCGA Sailing team information

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

This past week was a busy one worldwide, east to west, Down Under and Over the Top.  In Europe the bitter winter is finally receding and spring time is beginning to flourish everywhere.  The Brooks MacDonald Warsash Spring Series continued for its second weekend with plenty of sun but not enough of that wind stuff!  Nevertheless, the fleets of J/70s, J/80s, J/109s, J/111s, J/97s, J/92, and J/105 were all the warm-up on the cool Solent.  Across the English Channel, the French and Spanish were all busy with either trophy regattas or training regattas in preparation for major events ahead on the national schedules as well as preparing for an early J/80 World Championship in Germany.  Likewise, the J/24s in Italy were also working hard on their preparations for the J/24 Worlds in Germany, with a solid turnout for their J/24 Trofeo Nettuno regatta.  In addition, preparing for their J/22 Worlds in Germany were the Dutch and German teams sailing in the annual spring Warming UP Regatta held at WV Brassermermeer on the lake— ask them about their 20-30 kts first race!  Interestingly, the J/70s are also preparing for their J/70 Worlds in La Rochelle, France in July; the reason you see a lot of J/70 activity in Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Monaco already with others like Sweden, Norway and Denmark waiting for a few more harbors to thaw out!

Hopping West across the Big Pond, we find lots of activity happening on the Pacific Coast.  Sailing was happening everywhere you looked up and down the Mexican, California and Washington coastlines.  Up north in Seattle, WA the famous Scachet Head Race took place on Puget Sound it what could best be described as “fresh to frightening”, if not truly epic conditions.  A bit further south, the St Francis YC was playing host to the grand finale of the J/22 California Dreamin Match Race series in somewhat benign, sunny conditions for San Francisco Bay along the city waterfront.  Then quite a bit further south, the Cabo San Lucas Race completed with a J/125 completing the 810nm course from Newport Beach, California to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in near record time.

Down Under in both the Americas and Australia, we find the J/24s continuing to offer sailors lots of fun, easy-going, but serious, sailing on everything from lakes to harbors to the big stuff offshore.  In Argentina, the J/24s just completed the final regattas in their Triple Crown Series, effectively their Argentinean National J/24 Championship.  With events concluding in Mendoza and Cordoba up in their gorgeous Andes Mountain lakes- Lago San Roque and Potrerillos Reservoir- it’s hard to imagine anyone not wanting to go spend a weekend in both places for a spiritual and healthy retreat!  Meanwhile, over in Australia, the local J/24 class in Sandringham continues to “grow women sailing” and they offer some ideas on how to encourage greater participation by women in the sport.

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:

Mar 27-29- J/22 Midwinters- Jackson YC- Ridgeland, MS
Mar 27-29- St Thomas International Regatta- St Thomas, US Virgin Islands
Mar 30- Apr 5- BVI Spring Regatta- Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Apr 13-18- Les Voiles St Barth- Gustavia, St Barthelemy
Apr 16-19- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 24- May 2- EDHEC Sailing Cup- La Rochelle, France
Apr 26- May 1- Antigua Sailing Week- Falmouth, Antigua

Boat Shows:
Apr 9-12- Apr 9-12- Strictly Sail Pacific- Oakland, CA- J/70, J/88, J/111

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

J/111 sailing on Solent- Warsash Spring SeriesBig Tide, Shiftiness @ Warsash Spring #2
(Warsash, England)- Sunday 22 March was a day that had the race team on their toes and competitors sailing backwards for the second weekend of the Brooks MacDonald Warsash Spring Series. The wind shifted from the forecast ENE, died and came back, and the big spring tides raced through the Solent - all making for some frustrating racing!

White Group’s first and only race started with competitors being pushed across the line by 2 knots of tide and ended with them being pushed away from the line as they tried to finish the race!

An attempt to get the J/70’s second race started ended with competitors not even being able to reach the start line – at which point the White Group race team declared the bar was open and racing was unfortunately finished!

J70 sailors in EnglandJUST4PLAY (Simon Cavey) narrowly won in the J/70 fleet, beating Boats.com (Ian Atkins) to second place with COSMIC (Patrick Liardet) in third. As a result, the series continues to see Cavey’s crew atop the leaderboard sitting on 3 pts net from a 1-1-4-1 record.  Racing up the ladder after a toss-race, but tied on points for second, was Nigel Evans’ LITTLE LOUISE with a 4-2-1-7 for 7 pts.  Likewise, classmate David Mitchell’s JUMANJI has a 2-3-2-5 for 7 pts.

In the J/80’s the first three boats were a good minute ahead of the rest of the fleet with BOYSTEROUS (Ali Hall) taking first place, BETTY (Jon Powell) in second and SWALLOW (Romain Patemot) in third.  For the series, that means Powell’s unbroken string of firsts now includes a dastardly 2nd place!  Nevertheless, with a toss race and a record of 1-1-1-2 that’s a class-leading 3 pts.  Sitting on second and showing improvement every race is Ali’s BOYSTEROUS crew with a 3-3-2-1 tally for 6 pts.  Third is Mike Lewis’ JESTER with a 2-2-3-DNS for 7 pts net.

J70s sailing on the SolentFor the Black Group tidal tactics were definitely the name of the game. Racing a series of windward-leeward legs between Wight Vodka and the Hill Head/Lee-on-Solent shore helped keep the boats mainly on the Hill Head plateau and East Knoll bank areas and so out of the strongest current of the big spring tides. However, by the second half of the race the breeze had died away to little or nothing for a very frustrating 1.5 hours or more. By the time it did fill in again it had shifted to the SE making the remaining legs of the race rather processional.

Spring Series Chairman Peter Bateson said, “It was great that nearly three-quarters of the boats kept going and persevered to the finish, which we had been shortened 2.5 miles early at Hill Head buoy”.

Leading the IRC 1 Class home was the J/111 ICARUS (Chris Body & Andrew Christie), now holding the series lead with a 4-1 for 5 pts over fellow J/111 JITTERBUG skippered by Cornell Riklin with a 2-4 for 6 pts.

J/88 sailing Solent- Warsash Spring SeriesIn IRC2 it was clear the J/88 JI FI sailed by Stew Hawthorn and Paul Heys enjoyed the challenging light air going, taking a second in this hotly contested class to move into fourth overall for the series.

The top J/Crew in IRC 3 class continues to be the J/97 BLACKJACK II sailed by Andy Howe, currently lying in 5th for the series with 11 pts.  Sitting in seventh place is David Greenhalgh’s J/92s J’RONIMO with 12 pts.  Remarkably, only five points differentiates 2nd to 8th overall!  Needless to say, there will be some tight racing in the weekends ahead for this class.

Finally, in the J/109 class on the Black Group circle, Paul Griffiths’ JAGERBOMB won another race to lead their class for the day and the series.  Taking second on the day was David McGough’s JUST SO followed by Frank Gmitrowicz’s RED ARROW.   For the time being, Owain Franks & Jean Lockett’s JYNNAN TONNYX is tied for series second overall with Joe Henry’s JACK TAR with 7 pts each.

After a frustrating day on the water competitors headed back to the Warsash Sailing Club where Tiffany Beard from Brooks Macdonald presented the champagne prizes of the day for each of the class winners.  For more Brooks MacDonald Warsash Spring Series sailing information

J/88 sending it down Puget Sound- world's most awesome 29 foot sailboatEpic, Fresh to Frightenin’ Scatchet Head Race
(Seattle, Washington)- A real rip-snortin’, barn razin’, dog flyin’ along with the chain attached, kind of wind came through Puget Sound Saturday March 14th for the second race in the Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle’s Center Sound Series- the Scatchet Head Race. Sixty-six boats made it out for the start in what Bruce Hedrick, in his Friday afternoon NWYachting.com weather brief, recommended boats “leave the dock in the morning with the crew all in pfd’s, safety harnesses, and tethers, with the jacklines rigged and in place.” Hedrick predicted a strong and fast frontal system to move through our area with its strongest winds soon after the fleet had started on its 26-mile course from Shilshole to Scatchet Head and back.

Once again, slow boats started first but with a new twist, a downwind start in the building 20+ knot southerly. The winds continued to build as the starts rolled off the line but it wasn’t until class 7 that the wipeouts began happening just after the start area – one of the late-starting 30-footers had some good rolls followed by the standard flogging sails with shaking mast until they finally gave up and took the chute down to re-orient things before giving it another go.

J/130 sailing fast on Puget SoundBy 11am, the winds began pushing into the 30-knot range and as the fleet moved into the narrower part of sound going into Edmonds things began to happen. Broaches and round ups across the course, the old wind Gods testing the mettle of the sailors on the course with many deciding the Gods were right, it might be a good time to bring that chute down and continue under main and jib. The wind didn’t test only the sailors will and the strength of the cloth and seams of their spinnakers but tested the rigs to the limit as some boats reported gusts from 32, to 36 and on up to 39 knots with sustained winds over 30 for quite some time.

Back on the race course things were fast and furious. The J/88 found themselves flying along with numbers pushing over 20 before the wind gods decided to shake them silly on their side for using an A2 instead of an A3 in such strong winds. The J/105’s reported flying along under control with their (smartly chosen) A3’s, their shy kites, pulling them along at speeds over 16 knots, pushing into 17 at times. The waves built and built as the fleet moved North, 2 feet became 3 and as they got closer and closer to the mark they built to over 4 feet allowing for the now sans-spinnaker boats to surf along at 14, even 16 knots at times.

The faster boats worked through many of the early starters near Scatchet Head with a few coming in from the west. Many boats had spectacular crashes, some even losing rigs; one sailor reported, “I’ve never been that sideways in my life.”

J/35 rocking Puget Sound in Seattle- sailing Scatchet Heads raceBoats wrapped their chutes around their forestays in gybes, some of them shredding apart while they were pulled down the forestay. Boats dropped their chutes in the water, some recovered, some getting cut away after wrapping around their keels and becoming too much of a liability to try and recover. But, just as quick as it started the downwind run was over and the reefs settled down on many of the boats in the fleet for the long slog south to the finish off Shilshole. Almost the entire fleet sailed up the east side of the course short tacking the beach, ducking or tacking away from starboard tacker’s while a couple boats worked up the Western shore, enjoying the westerly wind angle and open un-crowded course.

By this time, the rains had passed through and the sun was out but the wind gods weren’t done with the boats yet, holding winds in the upper 20’s.  What a day, the strong breeze had caused some serious carnage, both in sails and gear but in the end there was no major injuries, no boats requiring outside assistance or help from the coast guard!

J/27 sailing Puget Sound- first in class baby!!The winds began settling down as the middle of the fleet approached Meadow point and wouldn’t you know it, Bruce Hedrick was right again (don’t tell him). Hedrick stated in his NWYachting.com weather brief “you should also notice that by around 1500-1600 hrs the breeze will start to drop significantly and back to the east. So if you’re coming off the west side of the Sound this could be painful.” And painful it was – any advantage the J/88 had gained by working up the western shore disappeared about halfway across the Sound as their bow came down below Meadow Point and they fell in line behind the 40 footer in their class. But, the winds didn’t stop changing there, they continued to die down to the point that a few boats barely made it across the line in glassy seas. As Hedrick said, “a fairly quick frontal passage.”

Full results can be found at the CYC Seattle website but here are the highlights. Class 2 was dominated by Andy and Jaime Mack aboard their J/27 TRUE NORTH correcting almost 8 minutes in front and leaving third to the J/27 WIZARD. Class 3 was sailed away with by that fun loving bunch aboard Pat Denny’s J/29 HERE & NOW, winning by an ungodly 12 minutes!

Class 4, the J/105 A3 flying One-Design class was once again taken by those fast sailors aboard Erik Kirsten’s J/105 JUBILEE. Leaving the J/105 LAST TANGO over 6 minutes back in second and the J/105 AVALANCHE, another 13 minutes back in third. Class 5 saw the J/88 take third. Class 6 saw the timeless J/35 TAHLEQUAH take second and third went to Commodore Burnell’s J/109 TANTIVY.  Class 7 saw the J/120 TIME BANDIT take second. Finally, Class 9 saw the J/145 DOUBLE TAKE finish in fine fashion to take third.

Take a gander over to janpix.smugmug.com and find yourself a photo to buy your crew or boat owner, there are some amazing shots there and by supporting the Anderson’s your supporting two people that make themselves available for assistance to the those in need on the course while passing up great picture opportunities to render this assistance. Thank you, once again, Skip and Jan!   Sailing photo credits- Jan Anderson   For more Scatchet Head Race sailing information

J/22 sailboats- match racing on San Francisco BayDurant California Dreamin Match Race Winner
(San Francisco, California)- The California Dreamin’ Series, the three-event California match racing series held in San Diego (Jan 10-11), Long Beach (Feb 28-Mar 1), and San Francisco (Mar 21-22), concluded with the final event in J/22s hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club.

Vying for the overall series title, the San Francisco event was won by Dustin Durant with Russ Silvestri in second and Shawn Bennett in third. Durant’s win sealed for him the overall series title, with Bennett finishing second and Silvestri in third for the series.   For more J/22 California Dreamin Series sailing information

J/80s sailing off SpainSpanish J/80s Prepare for Worlds
(Santander, Spain)- As they have in the past few years, the Spanish J/80 class meet during the winter time to discuss the regattas, sponsors and events they will participate in for the following year.  Recognizing the J/80 Worlds are being held in Germany in early July, the fleet adjusted their regatta schedules in order for their fleets to get in enough training and racing to feel competitive by early summer.

J/80 sailing off SpainCantabrian Championship
Recently, the Cantabrian Championships were sailed off Santander and the event could not have been harder fought by the teams in attendance. The 22 boat fleet sailed in gorgeous Santander Bay and seeing how close the fleet was sailing over the two days of sailing, it could easily have been mistaken for a world championship event taking place.

Javier Aguado’s MAQUECHE managed to hold off famous J/80 skippers like Pichu Torcida’s OXITAL and David Madrazo’s GO-FIT to take win the regatta.  Since he’s not a Cantabrian registered fleet sailor, the actual title of Cantabrian Champion went to Torcida’s OXITAL.

The difficult sailing conditions that included very light winds for the weekend meant that little errors could become very expensive quickly!  With such a tightly knit and talented fleet, it was hard to crawl back into contention in any given race.  In fact, every team in the top five had at least one race that was in double-digits!

After the conclusion of Sunday’s racing, Aguado’s MAQUECHE won with a 6-1-17-2-2 for 11 pts net.  A last race 14th shot any chances for Pichu’s OXITAL to win the regatta, instead having to settle for a scoreline of 1-5-4-3-14 for 13 pts net and second overall.  Third was Madrazo’s GO-FIT, posting a 4-15-8-5-3 for 20 pts net.

J/80 sailing-- GreatSailing SpainTrofeo GREATSAILING
Elsewhere in Spain, another strong fleet of fourteen boats was sailing to win the Nautica Watches Trophy of Spain— the Trofeo GREATSAILING.  This fleet was nearly as deep and talented as the Santander regatta.  Included in this event were Jose Maria van der Ploeg, a multiple World Champion; Massimo Rama, the Italian J/80 champion; and Marc Antonio, the 2014 Spanish champion.

Unlike their friends in Santander, the fleet never got a race off on Saturday due to such light winds.  However, the regatta PRO and the RC committee more than redeemed themselves by running four excellent races on Sunday.  It was abundantly clear after the first two races that BRIBON MOVISTAR was going to be the “star” of the show, with Marc de Antonio and Sofía Bertrand ultimately claiming victory and taking the Nautica Watches Trophy - Trofeo GreatSailing.  After posting an opening duo of bullets, the MOVISTAR Team took a 3-1-4 to close the series with 6 pts net and win the tiebreaker.  The NAUTICA WATCHES team skippered by van der Ploeg took second with a 5-2-1-2-1 series for 6 pts net to lose the tiebreaker!  Third was Rosa Artigas skippering MIKAKU, fourth was Javier Scherk’s GUNTER and fifth was the Italian team on JENIALE! which was skippered by Massimo Rama.

J/80 sailing with friends off SpainMI MONEDA Leads Trofeo Vitaldent
There was spectacular sailing over the past weekend of the Bay of Baiona, with weather conditions that led to the quick races and lots of tight maneuvering for the teams. The crew of MI MONEDA, skippered by Jacobo Vecino, took advantage of the 20 knots of wind and successfully completed the races crossing the finish line first in all three races!

Behind the dominant MI MONEDA, the FERRALEMES team with skipper Roberto Fontan and the NEW MOON crew with Juan Luis Tuero at the helm, managed to place second and third place, respectively, for the weekend’s sailing.

After this event, the MI MONEDA team strengthens its leadership in the overall Trofeo Monte Real, with three wins in five days of competition. VIRAZON and NEW MOON could end up with the silver and bronze trophies if they can keep their good performances going next weekend.   Rounding out the top five in the standings are NAMASTE, NORTADA and FERRALEMES.

The Trofeo Vitaldent continues on March 28-29 with the last two days of the competition and the awards to the overall winners.   For more Spanish J/80 sailing information

J/24 Trofeo Nettuno winners- La Superba- Ignacio BonnanoJ/24 LA SUPERBA Crowned Trofeo Nettuno Champion
(Nettuno, Italy)- With a stunning performance, the Naples Navy crew on LA SUPERBA, skippered by Ignazio Bonnano and crew of Simone Recivo, Alfredo Branciforte, Picaro Francesco and Luigi Ravioli, won all six races to win the first of seven stages of the Italian J/24 Championship.

The event was perfectly organized by Neptune Yacht Club, in collaboration with the Italian Navy League section of Anzio, the Sailing Club of Rome, the Royal Rowing Club Tevere Remo, the Marina di Nettuno and the support of the Italian J/24 Class.

J/24 sailor- Litkey Farkas from Hungary and Lake BalatonThe presence of the best sailors in the twenty-four boat fleet made the event exciting and for close competition, at least for the balance of the top ten!  Amongst those competitors were Ignazio Bonnano (European Champion in 2012 in Cannigione), Luigi Ravioli (Italian champion in 2013), Massimo Mariotti (Italian champion in 2009 in Cagliari), Litkey Farkas (Hungarian champion in 2014 and current Soling World Champion- photo here), the James Black (current Italian J/24 National champion); and Italian Massimo Peter Noons (former champion of the Italian Laser class).

With six wins on the six races, LA SUPERBA was firmly in command of the regatta beginning on the first of racing.  They finished the regatta 10 points ahead of JAMAICA, sailed by the President of Italian J/24 Class, Pietro Diamanti, who sailed to a 6-2-2-2-10-4 record for 16 pts.  Taking third on the podium was JUMPIN JACK FLASH helmed this year the Hungarian Farkas Litkey (including crew Erica Manauzzi, Federico Miccio, Alessio Carvellin, Giorgio Caprini); their record was a reasonably consistent 8-6-4-3-2-7 for 22 pts.

Fourth place, just one point from the podium, was LILY PAD skippered by the young Giacomo Del Nero (owner/crew was Massimiliano Biagini), with a record of OCS-7-5-4-5-2 for 23 pts.  Fifth was JULIUS CEASAR skippered by Peter Max Noons with 25 pts.

"For the three days of racing, the PRO chose the bay to the north, an area not often sailed by the local fleet so as to make the competition fairer for crews from the other fleets,” said Federico Miccio. "Adding to the complexity of the sailing area was also the weather conditions: light wind from the south for the two races on Friday, a little more intense, but from the same direction, on Saturday (three races) and a light north-east wind Sunday for the only race completed before the wind fell below two knots."

"As President and as a sailor, I am extremely satisfied with this first leg of our circuit, thanks to great racing and a fun fleet to sail against; this confirms the strength of our class in Italy and the excellent camaraderie of our crews,” commented Pietro Diamanti. “On behalf of the entire class and especially the sailors and boat owners present these days in Nettuno, would like to thank and congratulate all the staff of the Nettuno Yacht Club and Marina di Nettuno, for their great hospitality and professionalism. Also, thanks to the jury, the measurer Cesare Cislaghi and all those who have worked on the water and on land for the great success of the event."

The National J/24 Circuit will continue with the Pasquavela- now in its twenty-eighth edition.  The event is organized by the Yacht Club Santo Stefano and will begin April 3, with sailing from April 4 to 6 inclusive. For more information, please visit YCSS link: http://www.ycss.it/pasquavela.htm   Thanks for the contribution from Paola Zanoni- Italian J/24 Class Press Officer- paolazanoni@icloud.com.  For more Trofeo Nettuno sailing information

J/125 sailing Cabo RaceJ/125 Flies In Cabo Race- 9.1 Kts Average!
(Newport Beach, California)- Cabo Race veterans dream of the idyllic offshore sailing conditions made famous in record-setting years.  Imagine taking off in sunshine, mid-70s temperature, just t-shirts and shorts and a light to moderate seabreeze building as the afternoon goes on.  Switch from Code Zero’s over to A3s overnight, then take off in trade-wind type conditions launched to Cabo San Lucas just 800nm away.  Much to the delight of this year’s 37-odd boat fleet, that’s how Neptune answered their prayers.  The sailors relished the solid northerlies blowing down the coast in big oscillations, surfing down the enormous Pacific Ocean swells, enjoying the moonlit nights filled with stars and watching long trails of phosphorescence in their stern wakes, watching in amazement as pods or schools of dolphins frolicked around their boats.

While the start was a bit of the usual light winds blowing onshore, it didn’t take long for the fleet to experience nice breeze offshore on the way down Mexico’s Baja Peninsula.  The ORR fleet saw the big boats whistling along at 17+ kt boatspeeds and the smaller boats simply peeling the miles away on their speedos in the 9 to 12+ kts range. There were several lead changes throughout the night in the class; it was amazing that boats can be this close after sailing so many miles.

By Sunday, the J/125 TIMESHAVER had taken the lead in ORR 3 Class. For them it was a drag race all day Sunday with few changes in position, and even into the night some of the boats were bundled together likely in sight of each other as they pass close by Isla Cedros. It was going to be a close race both across the line and corrected.

By the time they finished on Tuesday, the fleet continued to enjoy good winds and, generally, those who stood offshore of boats that kept gybing too far inshore kept making incremental gains.  In the end, it’s not too surprising that one of the top west coast offshore J/125 teams, Viggo Torbensen’s TIMESHAVER from Dana Point Yacht Club, pulled off a stellar performance to take second in ORR 3 Class and eighth overall!  It was an amazing ride for the TIMESHAVER gang; they averaged 9.1 kts boatspeed for the 810nm course, finished 3rd boat-for-boat against four SC 50s and beat their nemesis HORIZON by over 45 minutes corrected ORR time (they crossed the line only 26 minutes behind them, in sight after 810nm!!). Congratulations to Viggo and the crew!  For more Cabo Race sailing information.

J/24 Argentina sailorsINDIGO J/24 Argentina Triple Crown Winner!
(Cordoba, Argentina)- The Argentinean J/24 fleet just concluded its regatta series called the Campeonato Centro de la Republica.  The series starts February in gorgeous Mendoza and ended this past weekend in a red-hot regatta with a huge fleet on the beautiful Andean mountain lake- Lago San Roque and its pretty village called Villa Carlos Paz.

It all started out on the February 20-21 weekend sailing on the Potrerillos Reservoir  west of the mountain town of Mendoza. The event was organized by members of the Mendoza Fleet with the support of the Córdoba Fleet.

In a wonderful atmosphere, the fleet was blessed with strong winds between 15-25 knots with almost no waves, blowing in the dominant direction from the southeast (an adiabatic mountain wind like Lago di Garda in Italy). The water in the lake is so deep, cold, so pure and clear that it was fully drinkable by the crews!

Argentina J/24 bow girl- sailing regattaAfter measurement Thursday and practice racing Friday, the fleet retired to shore for a massive feast with canapés, appetizers and fabulous Malbec red wine, plus all the drinks you could want.  The atmosphere was warm and familiar to all at the social events as all sailors were that traveled from Buenos Aires, Cordoba and Salta were accompanied by wives, girlfriends, friends and family!  The final touch of the day concluded with a river-rafting tour in the Mendoza River, a tributary of the lake!  What amazing hospitality!

Saturday’s racing had four hard races with winds up to 25 kts.  After the conclusion of the day’s racing, the fleet was led by Ezequiel Despontin’s INDIGO, followed by Nicolas Cubría’s RINA, Sebastian Halpern’s MORRUCHO and Javier Moyano’s GRAN CARAJO. However, clearly none of those behind were willing to give anything in the water to these leaders. After these four grueling races, another excellent assortment of refreshments met the weary sailors.  In addition, to crown the day, a guided tour to an excellent local winery.

Sunday dawned with lighter winds, much to the relief of all the crews.  After a morning postponement, another three races were run with wind in the 15-20 kts range.  Again, by 1700 hrs the fleet was home, showered and ready to put on their best attire to attend another party at a nearby farm where the sailors spent a wonderful evening with music, dancing, food and even more fine wines!  Needless to say, you can imagine that all this fun and wine made for a lot of camaraderie and glamor until it all ended at 0200 hours!

J/24 sailing ArgentinaThe fleet approached Monday’s racing a bit less ambitiously than they had the first two days.  At this point it was clear the Despontin’s INDIGO had an unassailable lead.  The real battle was going to be for the balance of the podium and the top five.  In the end, Cubria’s RINA sailed fast and smart on the last day to post a 1-1-4 to take second overall by one point with 24 pts total.  Moyano’s crew must’ve had too good a time during the previous evenings festivities for their first race 13th knocked them right down the ladder so that their closing effort of a 2-3 was just good enough to hang onto third place with 25 pts.  Nearly catching them and taking fourth place was Halpern’s MORRUCHO with 28 pts due to a strong closing series of races with a 2-8-5.  Fifth place went to Alvaro Abate on CAMBURY.

After this memorable event, the fleet then traveled 672 km (directions here) and re-grouped on yet another picturesque lake, Lago San Roque and the fleet expanded even further to 28 boats, one of the largest turnouts in recent memory!  The fleet was blessed with good conditions all weekend for the final event of the Championship.  Teams came from all major fleets in Argentina, including Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Mendoza, Rosario and Salta.

The hosts for the final event were Club Nautico Cordoba and 400 Yacht Club, both in Villa Carlos Paz along the lake.  Again they hosted rather remarkable events after sailing each day for all three days.

J/24s sailing Argentina Lago San RoqueThe PRO and the clubs volunteers managed to conduct eight races over the three days; two on Saturday, three on Sunday and three on Monday.  The good winds on the last day were to Despontin’s liking, he and his INDIGO crew managed to close with a 7-1-1 to take the Cordoba regatta by one point to also be crowned the “Triple Crown” winner of Argentina with his crew composed of Franca Pesci, Daniel Merlo and Martin Costa.

Bridesmaid again for the second time in a row was Nicolas Cubria’s RINA with 31 pts; Nico’s crew included Mario Cubria, Fernando Bertrand, and Viviana Florencia Grau.

There was a real battle for the balance of the top five.  The three players included Pablo Despontin’s CARRER, Gustavo Saul’s ON LINE and Javier Moyano’s GRAN CARAJO.  After the first three races, Saul’s ON LINE was winning the regatta with an enormous lead due to their 1-2-1 tallies.  And, Despontin’s CARRER also had some flashy finishes during the regatta that included a 1-2-3.  However, neither team could sail consistently, in fact experiencing a “snakes & ladders” ride all weekend long.  Sailing steadily but just a touch off pace was Moyano’s GRAN CARAJO.  The last day proved to be a tough one for the ON LINE team, their hopes for even an easy top three getting dashed by a 3-21-2 closing scoreline and being forced to eat the 21 as a counter instead of dropping a BFD in race# 5.  As a result, Despontin’s CARRER finished in third with 40 pts, Saul’s ON LINE in fourth with 47 pts and Moyano’s GRAN CARAJO in fifth with 48 pts.
For more Argentinean J/24 sailing information

J/80 sailing off FranceJ/80 France Spring Training
(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- The French J/80 teams have not only gotten themselves well-organized for the 2015 Coupe de France J/80 season, but they are firm in their sights to get their teams quickly up to speed for both their first major event of the season, the SPI Ouest Regatta in La Trinite sur Mer, but also operating at world-class level for the upcoming J/80 Worlds next door in Germany in the first week of July.

The French J/80 fleets coordinated to hold training events both in La Rochelle and in La Trinite sur Mer.  As the La Trinite coaches and Arnaud Walter reported:

“In the beginning of the year the wind was strong, sometimes too strong.  Then, this weekend it was weak.

It is in the conditions of Saturday, a wind easing off from to a moderate breeze that the crew must learn to sail fast!  Between the placement and movement of the crew in the boat, the constant attention of the sails adjustments, it had to be done!

The crews practiced ten rounds of hard boat-handling maneuvers.  Then, they spent time doing speed tests.  Finally, they closed with 3-minute starts.  The end of the day closed with three races of double windward-leewards.

With racing canceled on Sunday for lack of wind, the three races on Saturday counted for the qualification of the 7th edition of the Challenge J/80 La Trinité.  At this time, the top five teams include: 1- EV CATASCHOOL (Quentin Delapierre), 2nd MILLESIM (Jean-Pierre Richard), 3rd JDISMERCIPAPA (Matthew Visbecq), 4TH J-VENTURE (Marc Leborgne) and 5th J’HALLUCINE (Eric Despierre)

On the following weekend, it was exceptional spring weather with winds blowing 15-25 kts from the SE, lots of sun, a lunar eclipse on Friday morning and a “tide of the century” on Saturday (so bad that you had to time launching/ retrieving the J/80s)!  Like the previous weekend, even more of the same disciplined approach to their training that should pay off big for the top French teams.  Thanks for the contribution from Arnaud Walter.  For more French J/80 Class sailing information

J/22s sailing Netherlands Warming Up regattaJ/22 Warming UP Regatta Report
(Brassermermeer, Netherlands)- Marijke Hasselman from the WV Brassermermeer sailing club reports that, “A Warming Up was this weekend for sure! On Saturday, the strong wind in the morning and on Sunday the many starts and the sun. The new concept, many short races, was very well received by the sailors. On Saturday, the winds were such that the sailors had to focus on not crashing in the heavier breezes, particularly downwind!  Much practice needed!  But, in the afternoon, it was with the northern winds and it was fine sailing weather for a total of three races Saturday. On Sunday, everything went according to plan and all the fleets had six starts and short races!”  Participating was the very competitive Dutch and German fleet of J/22s as well as a new J/70 on the lake in the Sportboat class.

J/22s sailing Brassermermeer lakeThe German J/22 team had a similar report of their weekend experience: “Twenty J/22s were sailing over the weekend on the Brassermermeer, including 5 German teams (Thomas deletion, Holger Schmitt, John Albert Buitenhuis, Peter Hillebrand and Christian Rieck Born) and the German-French team JAZZY. Saturday morning was crazy, some bump and various bruises today.  With gusts to 32kts TWS in the 1st race, it was almost pointless to race.  Many boats tore sails, lots of them broached, one J/22 even ended up on the lee shore! As some sailors had to say, that water temperature is not really suitable for bathing in!! Saturday afternoon was much better as the breeze died and the front passed by fast. However, there were fantastic sailing conditions on Sunday!”

The J/22 teams don’t have much time to get “warmed UP” for their upcoming J/22 World Championship in Germany.  Many teams were working hard on their boat speed, tuning setups and most importantly, trying to work out a lot of winter rust!!  Coming out on top was FRAPORITA with skipper Jean-Michel Lautier and crew of Giuseppe d’Aquino and Denis Neves.  With 29 pts FRAPORITA just nipped another local Dutch team, JUT EN JUL sailed by Rosemarijn Verdoom.  Taking third was BIG ROLL-TU Delft sailed by Hylke Kooistra.  The top French boat was JAZZY sailed by Reiner Brockerhoof, managing a fourth.  Top German team was 7 SITZER skippered by Holger Schmitt in sixth.   Sailing photo credits- Cora Chess   For more Warming UP regatta sailing information
 

J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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J/80 women sailors enjoying afternoon sail off Cyprus* Taarbaek Sailing Club in Denmark now has a new J/80 for their adult sailing program.  It’s a sweet story about how one of the smallest sailing clubs in Denmark was blessed with an un-traditional source to raise funds to purchase their J/80.  Here’s the story from Torsten Rasmussen from Denmark’s BAADNYT sailing magazine (http://www.baadnyt.dk).

“One of the Sound’s smallest yacht clubs located in Taarbaek is linked to a very small harbor with only 100 moorings.

But, the club, which just had its 75th anniversary, is a very active club with a large junior section with three youths and an adult program with two H-boats. The Club has the stated goal that it should be inexpensive to become a member for both their junior sailing as well as adult sailing programs.  This is achieved with little help from sailing foundations and using mostly the club’s volunteer labor.

It has long been a desire to make the club's adult program more attractive. The club has therefore decided to replace the adult program’s H-boats with new J/80s.  But, the idea was to get one J/80 first, then when there was time and money in the future, to get another J/80 to replace the second H-boat.

And, so why select the J/80?  Simple.  The small yacht club needed a very sturdy boat that was safe, easy to use, fun to sail, could stay in the water all the time.  Plus, there are a number of J/80s at good sailing clubs nearby in Denmark.

Then, the most amazing thing happened, almost as if a gift from God fell out of the sky!  An envelope was dropped into the club’s mailbox one day, sent by the Association for Sail Sports Joy.  The envelope contained a letter that expressed their “congratulations” to the club on deciding to acquire their new boat and included inside the letter was a check for a large sum of money to help them buy the new J/80! The Board of Taarbaek SC has carefully considered and guessed, but who is the Association for Sail Sports joy?

The club will certainly “thank” the Association for the donation and together with the Kai Nielsen Houmann Fund, it has made it possible to buy the new J/80 for the adult program.  The world is wonderful and the club is convinced that the purchase is the right decision for their older adults in the Taarbæk Sailing Club.  Please note— Taarbaek has begun the hunt for the J/80 #2 soon!  Read it all in Danish here.

Women J/24 sailors off Australia* J/24s- The Female-friendly Class in Australia!!  Our girls are doing it with style and fun, the J/24 is a very female-friendly class and the boat can be sailed enjoyably and raced competitively by young and older women, something not many other keelboat classes can offer. Hugo Ottaway,  “Mr J/24” and long time class sailor, takes up the story.

“Women have been sailing J/24s since they arrived in Victoria in 1982.  Our first international representative was Barney Hartnett who competed in both the 1986 Newport Rhode Island and 1988 Sydney J/24 World Championships. Since then women have represented the Victorian J/24 association across the board. Gai Clough, Commodore of Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron and J owner won two Australian Championships.  She and Nikki Clarringbold represented Australia in the 1996 Worlds in Argentina; Nikki also sailed at the 2006 worlds in Sweden along with the all female crew of Kirsty Harris.  Kerry Dickerson and Diane Grimshaw crewed in the 1995 worlds in Sardinia and there are others I can’t recall.

J/24 women sailors- ArgentinaBuilt on this rich heritage of successful female participation, is a new wave of women who have embraced the J/24 as the weapon of choice.  Today, we see a group of females who not only equal the men in numbers, but also in talent.  Without a doubt, owner Robyn Coombs, skipper Kirsty Harris and crew are the best all female crew today, having won races in the Australian and Victorian Championships. In 2012 and 2014, two J/24 teams from Victoria represented Australia at the Dennis Conner International Yacht Club Challenge in New York (sailed on J/24s), in 2014 Alicia Ray was on one and Cherry Birch, who sailed in both regattas, was on the other.

The 2015 J/24 Australian Champion “Pacemaker” crew includes Rachel Suda, also included in the teams that came 3rd and 4th were Lisa Simonov and Candice Lee.

Recently Paullina Mattila won the 2015 RMYS Linda Goldsmith memorial trophy with Kirsty Harris 2nd, both sailing their J/24s.

J/24 women sailors- ArgentinaOur girls have progressively been making an impact, locally, nationally and internationally and it’s only going to get bigger. The J/24 is an ideal boat for Victorian conditions; here we have strong winds and an open bay that provides challenging conditions, the equal to any around the world. Due to their unique design the boat works perfectly with either all or part female crews. The class weight restriction of 400 kilos means the boats can sail with either 5 or 6 crew, this makes women crews competitive. Very few classes offer true International one design sailing, with strong competitive fleets in as many as 60 countries, that women can compete equally with the men.

In Adelaide, class stalwart Robin Townsend has long campaigned and skippered ‘Good Company’ with a mostly female crew and now with her newer J ‘Witches Thimble’ she continues to compete. In Cronulla, Sheryl Brighton and “the girls” compete – and win – club sailing in their 19 boat J fleet in “Cooee Two”. On Sydney Harbour and around the country, Jeanette Syme is a fierce competitor with her mixed crew. In Melbourne, we have had several young all female crews on our youth boats achieve great success. The names of many other female crews and skippers escape me but are too numerous to mention.

Women J/24 sailors The name Kirsty Harris continually pops up throughout recent J folklore and this article and she and owner Robyn Coombs deserve special mention. In Robyn’s own words, “The Melbourne based ‘Hyperactive’ all girl crew joined forces in 2006 when Sarah Thompson and I borrowed a J/24 and competed in and won our first regatta, The Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta. I decided this boat had to be ours! So, that’s where it all began! We have been predominantly an all female crew. Competing in many AWKR regattas at RMYS, WISC series at SYC, J/24 Worlds in Sweden, many J/24 Nationals and State Titles along with our one design racing on a regular basis out of SYC and recently competed in The Marley Point overnight race.

J/24 Ladies Race- AustraliaKirsty Harris and myself are two of the original crew members. We had a stint of approx 2 years where we had one of the male variety sailing with us, luckily for us he was more than happy to don our crew colours of hot pink (which represents Breast cancer awareness) along with a colour coordinated mini-skirt for special occasions!  As you can see, it’s all about fun otherwise we wouldn’t be there. Saying that, we are very committed and competitive, to say the least. We are also very lucky to have a lot of support around the buoys from members and especially our past sponsors “Red Bluff Homes and Clearly Frameless” and present sponsor “Crystal”.

Sarah left our crew recently due to baby commitments and Mary has stepped in as the new partner. Our next big adventure will be in Mexico in 2016!  So, bring it on! Robyn Coombs Team Hyperactive – Kirsty Harris, Mary McCauley, Joelle Roderick, Amanda Alyward and Robyn Coombs.”

Women J/24 sailors- Kiel, GermanyIn Victoria, Sandringham Yacht Club is the home of J/24. The club has embraced the class and over the past 3 weeks we have had two new owners join us, swelling the ranks to 21. New owner, Eddie Ragauskas, has been joined by his wife and daughters as a team.

This growth is not without effort. Bruce Alexander, who owns a local J/24 has created a user-friendly Internet site- “Melbourne Sailing Meet up” (http://www.meetup.com/MelbourneSailing/)- which boasts over 1,000 members, 2/3rds of which are women. Says Bruce “this site allows potential crews to access sailing at the click of a button, without the intimidation of the yacht club walls. The Victorian J/24 class has grown and benefited enormously from this group”. Hugo notes, “on my boat I now have two women and one male, who all came from Bruce Alexander’s Meet Up site, thanks Bruce for that!!”  Here’s their Facebook Melbourne Sailing page- https://www.facebook.com/MelbourneSailing.

J24 Melbourne Meet Up sailing in AustraliaA recent Friday evening sunset cruise with three “new” sailors aboard the J/24 features the simple fun and camaraderie they are having- check out this YouTube sailing video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgKiTSu2aQg#t=77

J24 sailing MeetUp- Melbourne, AustraliaBruce has provided several charts that have shown a rapid increase in interest in sailing J/24 yachts and women have made up the majority of that interest. I urge all J owners to look closely at the benefit and enjoyment of having either part or all female teams. Here is an indication of the popularity of Melbourne Sailing Meet Up and the interest in sailing J24s. Remember 2/3rds of these are women!

Want to Join the Group?
Interest should be directed to, J/24 Victoria Class President Doug McGregor or just go to the Melbourne Sailing Meet Up website here: http://www.meetup.com/MelbourneSailing/!

Thanks for contribution from Simon Grain (with help from Hugo Ottaway, Robyn Coombs and Bruce Alexander).  For more Women J/24 Sailing in Australia information.
 

J/Cruisers
J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers.  Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.
*Giant whale breaching in front of J/160 SALACIA off  Australia's Whitsunday Islands J/160 SALACIA has been sailing in Australia in the Whitsunday Islands.  Guess who decided to throw themselves across their bow as they cruised comfortably to their next destination?  A giant whale!  Look at this amazing photo!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-  Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun).  Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".

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