Showing posts with label canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label canada. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

J/Newsletter- July 24th, 2019

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

This past week was an epic one for offshore racing. In just over ten days, the Chicago to Mackinac Island race finished (Chicago, IL to Mac Is, MI on Lake Michigan- 289.4nm), the Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race finished (Port Huron to Mac Is, MI on Lake Huron- 255.0nm), and the 50th Transpac Race finished- 2,225.0nm! And, in Europe, the RORC’s Cowes-Dinard-St Malo 165.0nm race finished in St Malo, France! That is a lot of offshore racing, nearly 3,000nm worth of enjoying spectacular sunrises, sunsets, and watching playful dolphins/ porpoises jumping in your bow wakes. In all of those races, J/Teams collected plenty of silverware. A J/121 and a quartet of J/125s hammered their classes in the Transpac, with J/125s going 1,2,4,5 Overall! In the Mac Races, the J/121 podiumed both times, winning the Bayview Mac in their class; so did J/105s, J/109s, a J/99, J/111s, and so forth.

Two very cool, fun, sociable “J/Fests” took place on either side of the Big Pond- the Atlantic Ocean. The largest- J/Cup U.K.- took place on the Solent off Hamble, England, hosted by the Royal Southampton YC. Sailing were J/70s, J/80s, J/88s, J/92s, J/105s, J/109s, J/111s and J/122s.  Over in Canada, the Royal Canadian YC hosted the J/Fest Great Lakes off their extraordinary facility in Toronto, Ontario for a PHRF Class and one-design fleets of J/105s, J/27s and J/80s. South of them, the New York YC hosted their 175th Anniversary Regatta off Newport, RI for offshore yachts that included J/105s, J/109s, J/120s, J/111s, and J/44s. Off to the west, the Santa Barbara YC hosted their annual Fiesta Cup Regatta in the Channel Islands Channel for fleets of J/70s and J/111s. Finally, J/Teams enjoyed a rather hot and steamy Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge Regatta on the Chesapeake Bay for J/111s, J/105s, J/109, J/70 and so forth.

Over in Spain, 80-plus teams from nine nations sailed the J/80 World Championship off Getxo/ Bilbao, Spain. As usual, there was intense competition between the top French and Spanish teams for the coveted top spots on the podium.
 

J/121 downwind 
J/121 Offshore Speedster Winning Silverware Worldwide!
(Newport, RI)- The 2019 offshore racing season continues to see J/121 teams developing their knowledge regards sailing techniques for maximizing their offshore speed potential in a variety of conditions across the Pacific Ocean, the Bass Strait/ Tasman Sea, the Great Lakes, and the Atlantic Ocean. That knowledge has been leading many J/121 owners to several amazing trophy-winning performances across the world.

Most recently, Scott Grealish’s team from Portland, Oregon sailed BLUE FLASH to 1st Division 6 in the 50th Transpac Race and earned the prestigious Navigator’s Trophy. BLUE FLASH took off in the first flight of starters from Los Angeles, California to Honolulu, Hawaii and won their class outright by over 2 1/2 hours corrected time, racing under the ORR handicap system. Winds ranged from 10 to 20 kts from the NE to ESE under the Pacific High as they raced across the 2,225.0nm race track at speeds up to 22.5 kts! Scott reported the boat had plenty of “grip” and felt in full control flying down the huge Pacific swells.

In much flatter, choppier waters on the Great Lakes, the newly launched J/121 LOKI from Charlevoix, Michigan sailed both “Mac Races”- the famous Chicago-Mackinac and the Bayview-Mackinac- and collected a gold and bronze medal for their efforts! The two races could not have been any more different; Chicago was 85% 0-10 kts (upwind & downwind) and 15% 15-25 kts (reaching), while Bayview was the converse with 80% 15-25 kts (upwind) and 20% 6-12 kts (reaching/ downwind).

In the Chicago-Mackinac Race, LOKI had set a furious pace in the constantly changing winds from their start on Saturday afternoon until Sunday midday. The winds started SW, shifted NE, then NW, back to SE and dying. 24 hours into the race, LOKI was leading class and overall until around noon Sunday. At that point, LOKI “parked” for nearly five hours, going just a few miles. Behind them, mid-fleeters and tail-enders did an “end around”. The most extreme examples saw smaller J’s leading the much faster, more powerful J/121 LOKI into the Manitous by midnight Sunday (165.0nm into the race)- a J/105, J/111, and J/109! How bizarre is that? In the end, LOKI scrambled their way back to a 3rd in class!

Segue to the Bayview Mac one weekend later. On the redemption path, LOKI was determined to bury their top competitors, including the Chicago-Mackinac Overall winner- the 1D35 Turbo Chico 2. That movie did not take long to unfold. Fresh off their start, LOKI simply took off on port tack headed for the first mark off Cove Island; reaching the turning point over 5.0nm in front of their class. Not soon after heading for the Mac finish line, the front rolled in from the WNW and LOKI proceeded to tack on the shifts in 20-25 kts TWS, steadily opening up their lead. By the finish, LOKI opened up a 12.0nm lead on Chico 2 and the rest of the fleet, winning class comfortably with a 2 hour margin over the next boat.
J/121 sailing off Seattle, WA
Scott Campbell’s J/121 RIVA raced two huge offshore events in the Pacific Northwest and collected silverware in both. Sailing conditions ranged from drifting to 40 kts plus.  RIVA won the 193.0nm Oregon Offshore Race from Astoria, OR (opening of the notoriously dangerous Columbia River) to Victoria, BC, Canada. Then, RIVA sailed the 487.0nm Van Isle 360 Race- a 10-day, nine-leg, event- that circumnavigates the spectacular Vancouver Island in some of the most treacherous waters in the world- that effort earned them the silver medal!

In addition to the Transpac Race, Grealish’s BLUE FLASH sailed both the Ensenada Race and the Cabo San Lucas Race. Their inaugural race was the 800.nm Cabo Race- going from Newport Beach, CA to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (the tip of the Baja Peninsula). That was quite a “shake-down cruise”, certainly not for the faint of heart! Sail-testing and boatspeed analysis was the order of the day. After two days, they were dueling with the J/125 for the class and overall lead. However, the wind went flat, disappeared, and BLUE FLASH was too far outside, dropping to 5th ORR 3 Class in the end. For the 125.0nm Ensenada Race- from Newport Beach to Ensenada, Mexico- BLUE FLASH sailed in light 0-10.0 kts TWS and all Code Zero/ A1 spinnaker sailing conditions for the entire race, ultimately taking 2nd in ULDB B Class- a great test of the J/121’s light air performance.

In February, a new J/121 sailed her inaugural event in the Geelong Festival of Sails, off Geelong/ Melbourne, Australia. Mark Nicholson’s J/121 JAVELIN sailed in the offshore AMS Cruising Division. Three races and over 100.0nm of sailing later offshore, JAVELIN won her first major offshore event in winds ranging from 6 to 20 kts!  Earlier, JAVELIN won the 2018 Offshore Winter Series hosted by the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria, Australia. The ORCV Winter Series is a series of 5 passage races of varying distances, from medium distance races around fixed marks at the top end of Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne to several longer distance passage races to popular destinations- such as Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron (BYS), Royal Geelong Yacht Club (RGYC), and Hobson’s Bay Yacht Club (HBYC).
J/121 sailing upwind
Sailing double-handed, David Southwell’s J/121 ALCHEMY won the 100.0nm Ida Lewis Distance Race PHRF Doublehanded Class, starting/ finishing off Newport, RI and sailing around an ocean triangle in Rhode Island Sound; winds were mostly SE to SW in the 6 to 15 kts range, sailing a balanced beat/ reach/ run with just about “all the laundry” the duo could hoist- J2, J4, Code Zero, A1, A2!

If J/News readers recall, Don Nicholson’s J/121 APOLLO first major ocean race was the famous 635.0nm Newport to Bermuda Race. Blessed with good fortune, solid navigation and well-executed strategy, they managed to win their Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division class and finish 6th overall.  An amazing performance considering the magnitude of variables and weather decisions necessary to stand atop the podium in the professional Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division! The first two days of the race were light, drifting conditions. Then, for the last 24 hours, APOLLO set their Code Zero and J4 jib as a staysail and sailed away from their competition, winning the race, literally, in one day and just over 160.0nm of sailing in the slowly building WSW breeze of 5 to 14 kts TWS.

Are you ready to have fun offshore? Ready to race an amazingly easy-to-sail offshore 41-footer?! Give one a try today and go for a test sail!  For more J/121 Offshore speedster sailing information
 

J/70s flying on Solent 
Epic, Windy Landsail Tyres J-Cup Regatta
(Hamble, England)- The J/Boat family bid a fond farewell to Paul Heys who “sailed away” in February this year. Before the start of racing, the sixty-boat fleet gathered in the vicinity of the proposed location for the Paul Heys Memorial Buoy for a special tribute. Whilst observing a minutes silence, Paul Heys' ashes were released in a seashell by his wife Marie-Claude, assisted by Paul's daughters, Gemma and Natalie. Over £25,000 has already been raised, covering the cost and maintenance of the Paul Heys Memorial Buoy for ten years. The target of £34,000, will ensure that the buoy will be raced around by Paul Heys' grandchildren and those of the J-Boat family. To make a donation: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/paulheys

Martin Dent (owner of the J/70 and J/111 named JELVIS) commented after the memorial to Paul Heys, “It was fantastic when we came in and congregated, I looked at the other boats and teams were standing in rows on deck to attention. It was very moving. We got to our feet as well in honor of an absolute legend. I am glad that we are fund raising to put a mark in to celebrate Paul. I hope the mark will be a place of much carnage..... If ever we are doing a mark rounding there, we will leave the drop late, rodeo drop, and possibly fling it in with borderline rights in honor of the greatest rogue. Paul Heys has made more impact on sailing than any other single person, and is responsible for so many Solent sailors, including my family and team Jelvis. I miss him.”
J/99 sailing J/Cup
The Landsail Tyres J-Cup is an annual event in which all J/Boats are invited to attend, to race in one-design classes or under IRC. The 2019 edition was hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club with racing in the Solent. Sixty teams racing ten different examples of the J/Boat range were in action with skippers from Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and the United States. This year's regatta also featured the J/70 UK Class Training Event.

All nine races were completed over three days of thrilling racing for over 300 sailors. Conditions ranged from moderate to fresh and frightening. Mother Nature saved her best until last with 25 knots of breeze in clear blue skies for the last race of a fantastic regatta. Competitors enjoyed the use of modern facilities at the Royal Southern Yacht Club, including the spacious Upper Bar with elevated views over the Hamble River. In the dining room North Sails delivered a video debrief, a master class on heavy airs trimming and boat handling from: Dave Lenz, Ruairidh Scott, Jeremy Smart and Charlie Cumbley.

In the 16-strong J/70 Class, Paul Ward's Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat scored seven bullets out of nine races to win the class from Charles Thompson's Brutus. Clive Bush's Darcey was pushed hard by Graham Clapp's Jeepster for the podium, with Jeepster winning the last two contests. However, Darcey was third by a single point after nine race.
J/111 start on Solent, England
Paul Ward's Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat was awarded the J-Cup for their impressive performance, the first time a J/70 team has won the prestigious trophy. A very surprised Paul Ward was quick to thank his team and Paul Heys at the Prize Giving. “I am shocked, this is totally unexpected!” commented Paul. “A big thank you to Paul Heys, all of us here wish he was still around, and like many many of us, he has helped me enormously with my sailing. A big thank you to the Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat team, Charlie (Cumbley), Ruairidh (Scott), and Mario (Trindade).”

In the IRC Big Boat Class, Chaz Ivill's J/112 Davanti Tyres won the class for a third year in a row, but it was far from easy. Davanti Tyres put in a stellar performance on the last day, winning all three races to win the class, just ahead of Mike Wallis' J/122 Jahmali. Isabelle Hung's “The Outsiders” racing J/122 Jolly Jellyfish were competing in their first J-Cup, and finished on the podium in third.

In the IRC Small Boat Class, Frédéric Bouvier's J/99 J Lance 14 was in commanding form, scoring all podium finishes in nine races, including six bullets. Jeff Johnstone racing J/99 Jet was runner-up, and the American skipper gave the French J/99 a great battle, succeeding in victory and one tie during the regatta. President of J Composites SAS, Didier Le Moal was part of the J Lance 14, racing against the President of J/Boats Inc, Jeff Johnstone.

“What an amazing weekend,” commented Jeff Johnstone. Having this many J/Sailors together is when the magic happens - you can design boats in a vacuum, and you are never quite sure how people respond to it until you show up at a regatta like this. The racing has been fantastic, run by a stellar race committee. Meeting up with so many friendly people, enjoying their boats and testing them to the limits. I know I speak for the J Boat Company back home, and Didier (Le Moal), when I say that the great camaraderie shows great respect for Paul Heys, who started this event.”

Ten teams competed in the J/92 Class, a bumper entry for the high performance 30-footer. Robin Stevenson's Upstart impressed, scoring four race wins and a tie for first place to win the class and retain the J/92 National Championship. David Greenhalgh's J'ronimo, with VOR sailor and daughter Libby on tactics was second. A very close third was Alan Macleod's Samurai J scoring eight podiums out of nine races.

“With a new baby this year, the J-Cup is the first regatta of the season for Upstart,” commented Robin Stevenson. “The J/92 is the only boat I know, and this is a regatta full of great competition in the class. Boat handling was the key, especially for the last two days, and the Upstart crew performed very well in the big conditions”
J/99 sailing J/Cup UK
In the J/111 Class, Tony Mack's McFly held off a strong challenge to win the class from 2018 J/111 National champion, Chris Jones & Louise Makin's Journeymaker II, and 2018 J-Cup winner Paul van Driel's Sweeny. In a high-octane close encounter, races were won by just seconds. Tony Mack was full of fun at the Prize Giving, and was quick to praise his crew. Journeymaker II and Sweeny tied for second place, both scoring equal points after nine races. Sweeny was scored second on countback after winning the last race of the regatta.

In the J/109 Class, eleven teams duked it out over nine races. Last year's runner up, John Smart's Jukebox, won the class scoring five race wins with Ireland's Mark Mansfield calling tactics. Simon Perry's Jiraffe was second, scoring seven race podiums, including a win in big conditions in the last race. Racing in the class is highly competitive, with a full program of J/109 events through out the year. Thirteen J/109 will be competing at Cowes Week and 19 J/109s are set for the Rolex Fastnet Race for the J/109 Fastnet Trophy.

Kirsty & David Apthorp's J/88 J-Dream was on the race podium for all nine races, including six bullets, to retain the J/88 National Championship for a third year in a row. Gavin Howe's Tigris scored all but one podium finishes, including a race win to finish the regatta in second place. Tim Tolcher's Raging Bull saved their best until last scoring a 2-1-4 on the final day to finish on the podium in third.

Video action from the 2019 Landsail Tyres J-Cup and J/70 UK Class Training Event. (Thanks to Louay Habib, Shaun Roster, and North Sails). Sailing photo credits- Tim Wright/ Photoaction.com.  For more Landsail Tyres J-Cup sailing information
 

J/125 Snoope/ Derivate in Transpac Race 
J/121 and J/125s Crush 50th Transpac Race!
The J/Race Horses Are Back in the Barn and Celebrating!
(Honolulu, Hawaii)- First organized by the Transpacific Yacht Club in 1906, the biennial Transpac Race attracted a record fleet of 90 boats for its 50th edition. Three waves of starts over a four-day period got the fleet onto the 2,225.0nm race track from Los Angeles to Honolulu.

The early starters on Wednesday, July 10th (Classes 6 to 10) dove south for better winds that never fully materialized; and they continued to be plagued by lighter airs relative to the rest of the fleet as they surfed to Diamond Head. The second wave of starters on Friday, July 12th (Classes 3-4-5) had favorable, windy breezes, after fetching Catalina Island on starboard tack, the fleet simply bore off, set Code Zeros, then A3s and A2s as they flew down the track for the rest of the race! However, the third group starting on Saturday, July 13th (Classes 1-2) was not as lucky as they dealt with light winds for their escape from California. As a result, the big winners in the “wind lottery” in the first 72 hours were the second wave of starters.
J/125 sailing Transpac Race
J/125s crush 50th Transpac Race Overall!
For the first time in the fifty years of Transpac Race history, a one-design class nearly swept the entire top five results overall- the famous J/125s!! Congrats to all four teams!

Winning was Shawn Dougherty & Jason Andrews’s Seattle-based J/125 HAMACHI, taking both Division 3 and Overall honors. Taking silver in both class and overall was Zachary Anderson & Chris Kramer’s San Francisco-based J/125 VELVET HAMMER. Fourth in class and overall was Mark Surber’s San Diego-based J/125 SNOOPY (ex-DERIVATIVE). And, fifth in class and overall was Tom Garnier’s J/125 REINRAG from Los Angeles.
J/121 BlueFlash crew win Transpac
J/121 Smokes Division 6!
Congratulations to Scott Grealish’s J/121 BLUE FLASH from Portland, Oregon! They easily won the “first wave” of starters overall (5 classes in total). Amazingly, BLUE FLASH was eighth boat to finish on elapsed time and won Division 6 by 4 1/2 hours corrected time!

Also, in that first wave of starts was Division 7, Paul Stemler’s classic J/44 racer-cruiser, named PATRIOT, took the silver in her group.

For the first time, the 50th Transpac also had a Corinthians Division. Winning Corinthians overall was Tom Garnier’s J/125 REINRAG 2, plus they won it in Division 3 as well. Winning Corinthians in Division 6 was Scott Grealish’s J/121 BLUE FLASH, and taking 5th overall. Finally, winning Corinthians Division 7 was Paul Stemler’s J/44 PATRIOT, taking 8th overall.

To give you an idea of what it is like to sail a 2,225.0nm race, take some time to read the various J/crews’ blogs they were posting over satellite phone links.  Some of them are pretty amusing.
J/121 Blue Flash crew
J/121 BLUE FLASH- Scott Grealish
“After all the training we had done in the light airs Cabo San Lucas Race and the moderate winds in the Ensenada Race, and sail testing off San Diego prior to the race, we were excited to see what kind of legs we would have on our new J/121 in the open Pacific on a 2,225nm race track. We had no idea what to expect in the forecasted 10-20 kts winds, other than to push hard, keep experimenting with sail combinations for wind/wave angles and press on regardless.

On Wednesday, we had a good start, good lane, and we got to the right of fleet. A Farr 57 and Swede 55 were water-lining us, but we got around Catalina quickly in 16-18 kts breeze. The Farr just in front of us and the 55 just behind.  We were pleased with our speed, using the water ballast upwind helped at this stage and we were fast.

Based on the forecast and grib files, we could see the Pacific High was split in two, the east side was weaker, and the 500 mb pressure line was wobbly. We hoped for a solid High that would recede NW, tighten the gradients south, produce more winds, but that that didn’t happen. Initially, we had to go south after passing Catalina, which adds a lot of miles. But, that was not enough, in retrospect, as we never got the winds the Friday starters got for the whole race.

After rounding Catalina, we held on to our J2 jib for some time, sheeted to the rail. We wanted to hold higher (to the right) of the fleet so we could set our Code Zero once we could get the wind around to 75-125 TWA. Once we did that, we ran our genoa staysails underneath double-slotting- that was fast!  Once the wind moved further aft, we had what we called our “A10”, basically an A3/A5 flat reaching kit, flew the J4 on the inner forestay- that was even faster! Two days into the race we were constantly in the high teens boatspeed, hitting 22.5 kts at time in just 17-19 kts TWS. Note, we also used this combo in the reaching we encountered going into the finish like in the Molokai Channel in 20-30 kts TWS.

For the main part of the course for a good 7+ days, the wind dropped into 12-16 kts TWS. We were further north than most of our class/ fleet. We used our A2 chute (running kite) up to 18-21 kts TWS with large spinnaker staysail underneath. Late at night, we’d switch sometimes to the A5/ J4 for squalls. The staysails were very effective!

As for driving and boatspeed, connecting wave-sets was key, especially once we got up to 15 kts plus boatspeed. Like sailing our J/88, you had to watch to not go too high or too low on TWA’s downwind. We watched our VMC constantly and would adjust our angles based on wave trains and wind angles/ pressure. Basically, we’d sail between 150 to 160 TWA for best VMC. 165 was too deep, 145 was too high.

Finally, I have to give a shout-out to my crew- ‘Thank You, for being such a fantastic team!’ We sailed all amateur with three youths (my son- Sean- and two other 20-somethings) and three “old guys” (50-something’s). As I've told others- sometimes we needed their energy, sometimes they needed our wisdom, and sometimes the roles reversed. But, they always stayed focused.

Andrew (our navigator) and I would spend 20 minutes pouring over the GFS grib files, surface analysis, 500mb pressure lines, yellow brick tracker, routing at various polar percentages, then give a discourse about why we needed to do such and such an angle, etc. Then, in the end they'd say ‘so you mean, sail fast, right?’ Haha, right! Reflecting on the experience, it was priceless to share it with friends, my son Sean, and having the added bonus of collecting silverware, we didn’t expect that!”
J/125 Hamachi win Transpac
J/125 HAMACHI blog- Shawn Dougherty / Jason Andrews
July 14- 1700- After solid 10-20 for the first 40 hours it got light this morning. Hamachi switched to its A2.5 at the 4am watch shift and worked south/southwest in 10 kts most of the day. The lighter air and flat seas allowed us to do some much-needed house keeping, which included going up the rig and doing a check as well as configuring halyards. We flew the drone for the first time and captured these pictures of the boat and crew with Matt Pistay aloft. A general funk has permeated the boat and its been traced to many damp socks and gear. It's now 5pm and the skies are clearing and the wind is filling.

July 15- Sunday- 1730- After a slow and cloudy Sunday, we had a nice evening sail under partly to mostly cloudy skies and nearly full moon. The skies cleared this morning and the wind filled around noon. Currently 15-20 kts and Hamachi is rumbling along. The boys are eagerly lined up awaiting their turn to drive and the Godfather Fred is sitting in the barko lounger critiquing their performance. The Hamachi crew had a relaxing lunch of fresh spaghetti bolognese on the back patio. The tunes were pumping. Everyone is well fed, rested and loving the experience!

July 16- Monday- 1600- Hamachi is approaching its halfway point so we passed the flask, flew the drone and had a dance party… all while hauling the mail!

July 18- Wednesday- Team Hamachi is laying down the gauntlet-time to do the serious business of racing…. to win it all. Transpac is a race within a race within a race. There are four J/125s, an above average collection, who are competing with each other to be the fastest J/125 on the west coast. Each boat has donated to a prize for the first across the line. This was our main focus going into Transpac, as its been a friendly rivalry and a great chance to meet other J/125 owners. All four J/125's are racing within Division 3, which is highly competitive and comprised of 13 boats. It's a great honor to win your class at Transpac, especially in a class this competitive. Finally, there is an overall winner based on corrected time for all 92 boats.

For Team Hamachi, we have been tracking the other J/125's from the start. After day 2 we started tracking other boats in our Division and were both surprised and excited to see Hamachi climb our Division ladder. Then on Tuesday, Hamachi started trending towards the top of the overall standings and now we've held the #1 in ORR (fastest boat overall) title for 24 hours.

The crew is ecstatic but a little uneasy. We like being a pursuit boat, quietly seeking to pass the leader. We are not used to being the boat everyone is watching and trying to take down.

So, needless to say, the dance parties have stopped, along with the drone flying. We spend every moment pushing to boat to go as fast as possible. Living below is like driving your VW camper van down a black diamond mogul run. We constantly pull weather and position reports, and we are gybing to find the best wind and wind angles. We are 920 miles from the finish and SENDING IT. Our current 24 hours record is 336.0nm (a 14.0 kts average). Top boat speed is 21.8kts (David Rogers).

Summary: This may be the last at sea update as time is now very short:  eat, sleep, sail fast, repeat…

Here are two well-done videos by the HAMACHI Team and commentary from co-owner Jason Andrews:
“Team Hamachi had a magical run to Hawaii.  We power reached across the line at 16 kts at 2:21 am Sunday (7/21) morning to complete the 50th Transpac in 8 days 16 hours and 21 minutes, which gives us a corrected time of 8 day 0 hours and 52 minutes.

It’s been a hell of an adventure and one that will not be repeated anytime soon.  We were fortunate to start on the “right day” and the high pressure materialized in a manner that allowed us to power reach the whole way to Hawaii in winds that averaged between 15-20 kts.  We never saw winds above 22 kts except for a few minutes, and always between midnight at 2 am to make it more exciting. We couldn’t have asked for a better crew and having one additional crew member became a clear advantage in the heavier wind versus the other J/125s. It’s going to take several days to catch up on sleep and begin to process the magnitude of this adventure and accomplishment. We have really appreciated all the support from our friends, family and Pacific Northwest sailing community. Mahalo!” A few videos from Hamachi for your amusement:
J/125 Hamachi video
J/125 Snoopy sailing Transpac Race
J/125 SNOOPY blog- Mark Surber

July 16- 1830- Transpac day 5. The last 24 hours has been fast. Great trade breeze, great tunes, beautiful sailing and we remain in touch with our other J/125 competitors. Before the trade winds, the game was straightforward: Sail to the right point to enter the trade winds in the desired position against your competitors. Once entered into the trade winds, the game is even simpler: sail as fast as you can to the right corner (depending on its location, on the west/southwest side of the high, or northeast of Hawaii).

We did a great job executing on the first, entering the trades just to the south of our competitors. Since entering into the trades yesterday, we have sailed as fast as we could while near-parallel tracking our competitors (Hamachi north and ahead, Velvet Hammer directly to the north, and Reinrag2 south and behind).

It was funny, about three hours ago we saw Velvet Hammer for the first time since day 1. We were sailing a bit higher and they a bit lower and we came within sight. Almost as soon as we saw each other, we again diverged to our private missions.

What happens next is the effect of the high. The wind slowly changes direction in a clockwise fashion until it is almost directly out of the east heading into Hawaii. The effect of this is that we slowly turn towards the north and ultimately jibe toward Hawaii. Thus, the boats to the north, will gain on the boats to the south. If all things stayed as they are now, Hamachi would likely be ahead of us, Velvet Hammer close to slightly behind, followed by Reinrag. Of course, this slow right turn won't fully develop for a couple more days making any outcome possible.

All aboard is very good. Typical breaks and fixes, but nothing worth writing about. Food remains my most pleasant surprise. Kinda like the Jetsons… just add water and presto! A ten-course meal (almost). The flying fish watch continues. No one has been hit, but one about a foot long flew over Pike's head while he was driving. Then an hour ago, a baby was found on the deck grasping at every last breath to reach Scott. He had made the hazardous voyage onto the boat only to fall a foot short. So sad. We took a picture.

Weather continues to warm. I wore swim trunks, a dry shirt and straw hat today. A bit cold for 20 kts breeze, but way better than sweating in the foul weather gear.

(Oh, we just hit 20 kts again. It’s just not as special as it used to be!)
J/125 sailing offshore
J/125 REINRAG 2 blog- Tom Garnier
July 16- 1700- Last night in the Pacific was spectacular. The wind was blowing us towards Hawaii with enough pressure to allow Reinrag 2 to surf from 12 to about 20 kts on the smallish 2 to 4 foot seas. The air was in the low 70s, chilly with wind on wet clothes, but pleasant to my New England accustomed senses. Oh, and the moon was full and shining down on all, the white foam of breaking waves, the sparkle of the spray from the bow, and the ghostly white of the spinnaker curl in trim.

As I relieved Tom and took my turn at the helm, he admitted understatedly, “Ok, maybe I had fun for a few moments there.” Pointing out that, there is something here in these moments of driving a small boat across this wide ocean that make it worth the price of admission.

The expense, the months of preparation, even for a boat and crew that’s done it before, and the time away from family and career. Why do we do it? And, why do we come back and do it again? We do it for last night, that feeling.

Behind the wheel, I started to think how I can describe it. I chuckle to myself as I think in my SoCal raised way, “it’s just awesome dude!” And in a way it is… a feeling of awe. No, not so much in the natural world around us; it is just too alien.

The ocean raging from the trade winds, the tiny sails of the jellyfish, the moon and Jupiter beside it are indifferent to our passing (although the porpoise do check in on us from time to time).

No, I feel the awe about the humanity invading this night so far from land. This boat, these five primates on it, riding, crashing, bursting towards Hawaii.
sunset over the Pacific
I stand behind the wheel, my feet firmly planted on the deck, through which I feel the boat almost as though it were an extension of my body. The pitch and roll of the boat tells me what the waves are doing, though I see only a crest reflecting the moonlight. The boat pitches down and begins to roll to leeward as the stern is lifted by the oncoming wave. Like a dinghy, I shift my weight unconsciously to windward and will the boat to catch (in fact, I move the wheel to leeward and the boat rolls windward). She catches the wave and accelerates. Tom is watching the sail and grinds in to keep her pulling as the apparent wind shifts forward. The boat is now doing half again as much speed as before and I hunt by feel and moonlight for a second wave to catch, or a clean exit from the one I’m on. Eventually the boat slows and Tom eases the sheet.

There are instruments to help… a compass, apparent wind angle, boat speed etc… but these are secondary checks. Surfing is done by feel. You feel the wave, and you move the boat… and it’s a wonder. Standing at the wheel, riding over the ocean is just awesome.
J/145 sailing Transpac Race
J/145 KATARA blog- Roger Gatewood
July 21- 0630- We're on the final approach! Yesterday in the afternoon, we took some of our medicine and went West to get to the corner despite non-ideal VMC numbers. We gybed on to port tack for the 500+ mile run in to Molokai where we'll gybe again near Kalaupapa in the accelerated pressure zone that surrounds the NW corner of Molokai. From there we will gybe down that coast and around it's western edge before lining up for a final gybe over to starboard to finish the race off Diamond Head in Honolulu. We're told that channel has some of the finest big-boat surfing conditions seen anywhere. I'm looking forward to the ride. Might be a bit more excitement than we originally anticipated as we're almost guaranteed to hit it at night. Luckily, we've had an excellent near-full moon to guide our way each night.

Wind pressure was lighter than hoped for yesterday afternoon and in to the night, so our arrival has been delayed slightly. Estimating some time in the early morning on Monday.

Conditions being quieter we've been able to get most of the crew caught up on sleep and everyone seems to be doing well.

Just witnessed an absolutely stunning sunrise on deck with the Blue watch. They've got the reigns until Green takes over in about an hour. The fight to capture the most miles in this final push is on, and the helmsmen are focused as can be.

Inventorying the food reserves, we appear to have sufficient rations aboard to sail right past Honolulu and head for Fiji instead. The only things running low are the chocolate covered espresso beans and the trail mix.

Our trusty little water maker has been treating us right. We run it about an hour a day during charging and it whips up 6-8 gallons of good tasting safe potable water straight out of the sea.

It's pretty weird on port tack at the moment after nearly a week on starboard. Exercising muscles we haven't tried in a while and we had to do some clean up as everything went flying from its starboard tack optimized positioning. Roger was threatening to lead crew-yoga on the foredeck to get everyone stretched out again, but it's still mighty wet on that end of the boat.

The captain just gave up the helm a bit ago and is now sitting back and enjoying a nice hot up of tea as he surveys our progress. Seems to be having a blast.

Sailing photo credits- Sharon Green/ Ultimate Sailing.com.  Analyze how the J/121 and J/125s crushed the 50th Transpac here on YB Tracker   For more 50th Transpac Race sailing information
 

J/80 at Worlds in Bilbao, Spain 
Spain’s Santurde Crowned J/80 World Champ!
(Getxo, Bilbao, Spain)- The Real Club Marítimo del Abra hosted the 2019 edition of the J/80 World Championship that started on July 13th off Bilbao, Spain. Eighty teams battled hard on the Cantabrian Sea; twelve nations were represented from across the world (Canada, Spain, France, USA, Russia, Portugal, Cyprus, Ireland, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Belgium, and India).

The fleet sailed nine qualifying races to determine the Gold fleet in the first three days of competition.  Thereafter, the final two days were scheduled for six more. But, the weather Godz would not cooperate.  The first championship day saw just one race sailed due to light airs. As a result, the grand finale on the last day saw three more races sailed to determine the 2019 J/80 World Champion.  Winning in the end was Pablo Santurde’s Spanish crew on M&G TRESSIS.

The exciting final day had spectacular weather, sun, cool, and a northeaster of 18 to 20 kts, enabling a total of thirteen races to be sailed with one discard race for the final scores.

The battles were epic all week, especially between the top two nations that have continuously been at the top of the world in J/80 events for over a decade- the French and the Spanish.
J/80 sailing Worlds off Spain
After the first three days of qualifiers, the two leaders were tied on points at 23 each, the Frenchman Laouenan Pierre’s COURRIER ECOLE NAVALE and the Spaniard Pablo Santurde’s M&G TRESSIS. Going into the one and only race of the Gold flight on Thursday, both teams had bad races; having to ultimately make them their discards- Pierre had a BFD and Santurde a disappointing 22nd.

On the final day, Santurde’s M&G TRESSIS crew sailed brilliantly, posting a 2-2-1 to win the regatta with 28 pts net.  Meanwhile, Marc de Antonio’s Spanish crew on BRIBON MOVISTAR sailed equally as well, posting a 1-1-3 to leap into the silver spot. The flying Frenchman could not keep the pace with the top Spanish crews, posting a 6-3-4 in the finale for 36 pts net to take the bronze.  Rounding out the top five were Rayco Tabares’ HOTEL PRINCESS YAIZA from the Canary Islands in 4th and Jose Asqueta’s BIOBIZZ taking 5th place.

“We have done very well on the last day. We were not first until this final day, but we have been very consistent and never gave up on anything. We are very happy with this outcome. We have competed against the World’s best and sailed at a higher level than we expected,” said a satisfied and much relieved Pablo Santurde.
J/80 Worlds sailing off Bilbao, Spain
In addition, the best Women’s Team was that of Eva González's OPTICAL IVF CANADIO CENTRAL from the Royal Maritime Club of Santander.

The “J80 WORLDS 2019 GETXO” crew from the José Luis de Ugarte Sailing School (R.C.M.A.-R.S.C.), took the world title in the Youth Team category, after having also recently been champion of Spain.

The prize for the best Corinthian Team went to the Ignacio Camino’s SOLINTAL.  The best Mixed Team was the French NAVIGATLANTIQUE skippered by Anne Phelipon, while TROCADERO MARBELLA Team skippered by Juan Luis Páez took the Masters Team category and SLIGHTLY STEAMY skippered by the Englishman Nick Haigh won the Over-60 Team category.  Follow the J/80 Worlds on Facebook here  For more J/80 World Championship sailing information
 

J/121 wins Bayview Mackinac Race 
Stormy Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race
(Port Huron, MI)- While last year was a drifter, this year was anything but for the 202 boats competing in the 2019 Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race. The 95th running of the longest consecutively held freshwater race in the country started Saturday, July 20 at noon on lower Lake Huron and served up a “little bit of everything” on its way to the finish line at Mackinac Island.

“It included reaching, running, a lot of beating, and a pretty nasty storm thrown in on Saturday evening,” said Bill Martin (Ann Arbor, Mich.), the skipper of a Santa Cruz 70. According to Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race Chairman Robert Nutter, the storm dumped torrential rain for three hours straight and harbored gusts in excess of 30-40 knots. Nutter commented, “there were some breakdowns, but most everyone persevered. and enjoyed a great race with average wind speeds of 15-20 knots.”

Cove Island Course
On the Cove Island Course of 259.0nm, the first leg northeast to the Cove Island buoy along the Canadian shoreline was a reach for the entire fleet. Then, a storm rolled through with winds in the 20-30 kts range from the west-northwest, with the fleet finding themselves beating for over 75.0nm. Then, as the storm passed, it veered as predicted into the northerly quadrants and got lighter, permitting most of the fleet to be lifted on starboard tack and some of the faster mid-fleet boats basically had a long fetch on starboard tack into the Mackinac Island finish line.

Out for redemption in Class D was Robert Christoph’s J/121 LOKI. As they did in the Chicago-Mackinac Race, LOKI set a fast, hard pace in the first part of the race to the Cove Island buoy, comfortably leading the class boat-for-boat and punishing the Chicago to Mac Race winner- the 1D35 Turbo called Chico 2. Thereafter, as the front rolled through, the J/121 LOKI reveled in the windy conditions, played the shifts for the favored tack to the Mackinac Island finish line, and continued to sail away from the class. Finishing at 4:34 AM Monday, they covered the track in 39:44:35 to win their class comfortably by nearly 2 hours corrected time! As a result, a very happy J/121 LOKI crew was now on the podium for the second time in just one week! Rounding out the top five were Jeff Schaeffer’s J/111 SHMOKIN JOE in 3rd, Don Hudak’s J/111 CAPERS in 4th, and Robert Klairmont’s J/133 SIROCCO 3 in 5th.

Class E was comprised solely of ten J/120s. Taking class honors was Henry Mistel’s NIGHT MOVES, joining them on the podium was Charlie Hess’ FUNTECH RACING in 2nd and Kenneth Brown & Mark Pikula’s J-HAWKER in 3rd (these two were only separated by 30 secs at the finish!). The balance of the top five included John Harvey & Rick Titsworth’s SLEEPING TIGER in 4th and Curtis Kime’s VICTRIX in 5th position.

Guess who won Class H that was made up of mostly J/35s? Yes, you guessed right! Bill Wildner’s infamous MR BILL’S WILD RIDE. Second was Dennis Meagher’s SNIPE and third was Bill Vogan’s MAJOR DETAIL. Fourth was Phil Velez’s AMANTE and fifth Cheryl Miller’s DEAN’S LIST.

Winning the all J/Boats Class I was yet another familiar name at the top of the podium, none other than the Chicago Mackinac Race winning J/109 GOAT RODEO sailed by Robert Evans! And, yet another champion team took the silver, Mark Symond’s J/105 PTERODACTYL- winners of the J/105 class in the Chicago Mackinac Race. In fact, both boats earned the honor of being the winning J/109 and J/105 for the second respective Mac Race, a feat that has been repeated in previous Mac Races for these two teams. Third was Chris Mallet’s J/109 SYNCHRONICITY, fourth was Jim Murray’s J/109 CALLISTO, and fifth went to Mark DenUyl’s J/105 GOOD LOOKIN.

Gary Gonzalez’s J/42 DOS MAS took the silver in Class K Cruising Sails. Then, Brad & Ian Faber’s J/111 UTAH took the silver in the DoubleHanded Class L division.

Third in Division N in the Shore Island Course was Brett Langolf's happy crew on the J/34 IOR KNEE DEEP!
J/34 IOR Knee Deep in Bayview Mac race
A total of 20 classes sailed in three divisions at the 2019 Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race, which prides itself on being one of the most spirited events on the Great Lakes. On Friday night (July 19), participants lined the Black River with their boats to participate in Boat Night. They paraded to the start on Saturday morning to the cheers of spectators lining the shore. After finishing on Sunday and Monday, skippers and crews found their way to the Pink Pony (an iconic bar on Mackinac Island) to get a delicious Bell’s Beer once they cleaned up, and Tuesday afternoon they attended a giant awards party and concert on the grounds of Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel.  Follow the Bayview Mackinac Race on Facebook here  For more Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race sailing information
 

J/105s sailing offshore 
Fun J/Fest Great Lakes Regatta
(Toronto, ONT, Canada)- The Royal Canadian Yacht Club in Toronto, Ontario hosted their first J/Fest Great Lakes on their magnificent setting on an island offshore of the majestic city of Toronto.  The event featured one-design fleets for J/27s, J/80s, J/105s and a PHRF fleet that included J/88s, J/35s, and J/109. Thirty-three boats participated in the event, an excellent turnout for the inaugural event at RCYC.

In the five-boat J/27 class, winning was Bruce Scott’s WARPED PERCEPTION.  Second was Chris Johnston’s AFTERNOON DELIGHT, and third was Madeleine Beese’s MESSING ABOUT.  Rounding out the top five were Rich O’Hare’s TAKE 5 and Christian Greenfield’s MISS TRIXIE, in 4th and 5th, respectively.

There were three women owner/ skippers in the nine-boat J/80 class. It just so happens the women triumphed! Winning was Trudy Murphy’s FEISTY and in third was Chrissy Thompson’s PUFFIN. Sandwiched in between were two guys- Dave Doyle & Mark McLean’s INNOCENT BYSTANDER.

Surprise, surprise, guess who won the sixteen-boat J/105 class? MANDATE? No, couldn’t be!? Well, after posting six straight bullets, who else would it be? Yet again, the 3x J/105 North American Champions, Terry McLaughlin & Rod Wilmer on MANDATE walked off with the J/105 title at J/Fest with just 12 pts total- an astonishing, eye-popping, draw-dropping, low score compared to the rest of the fleet. As the Queen was once rumored to have remarked after the yacht AMERICA won the 100 Guinea Cup after rounding the famous Isle of Wight in 1851, “who was second”? The answer was purported to be, “Your Majesty, there was no second!”  And so it goes for the J/105 class in North America, the “Mc/Wilmer” duo is pretty unstoppable, with MANDATE usually seen at the top of the leaderboard.  Second was, in fact, Peter Hall’s JAMAICA ME CRAZY and third was Frank McLaughlin’s STARCROSS.

The J/PHRF class was won by Paul-Angus Bark’s J/105 CRIME SCENE. Second was Tim Sweet’s J/88 PUFFIN and third was yet another woman boat owner on the podium- Denys Jones’ J/109 CARPE VENTUS.  For more J/Fest Great Lakes Regatta sailing information
 

J/133 PINTIA from France sailing RORC race 
Fast RORC Cowes St Malo Race
(St Malo, France)- 198 boats were entered in the 151.0nm RORC Cowes-Dinard-St Malo race; it was the largest fleet for the race since 2007. Well over one thousand sailors took part from twenty different countries. The fortified city of Saint-Malo, France was celebrating French National Day during the weekend, with fireworks and music festivals around the medieval walled-city.

In the IRC 1 Class of thirty-three boats, Mike O’Donnell’s British team on the J/121 DARKWOOD took fifth in class, their best performance to date in the RORC Seasons Point Series. Their ultimate goal is to peak for the Rolex Fastnet Race.

The IRC 2 class of thirty-nine boats saw a quartet of French J/Teams all finish in the top nine.  Top boat was Gilles Fournier & Corinne Migraine’s J/133 PINTIA in 4th place, just 4 minutes from 3rd and 6 minutes from the silver! That scenario had to make for a few anxious moments, as they were the first-to-finish boat in the class!  Taking 5th was another J/133, Yves Grosjean’s JIVARO. Then, in sixth was the J/122 ROCH HIR 3 sailed by Pierre-Yves Danet and in ninth-place was Patrice Vidon’s J/111 J4F.

All of these teams are participating in this coming weekend’s RORC Channel Race, a famous dash back and forth across the English Channel and is often seen as the last “offshore practice race/ training mission” prior to the start of the famous 635.0nm RORC Rolex Fastnet Race on Saturday, August 3rd off Cowes, England and the majestic Royal Yacht Squadron starting line.  For more RORC Cowes-Dinard-St Malo Race sailing information
 

J/121 sailing New York YC regattaJ/Teams Sweep NYYC 175th Anniversary Regatta
(Newport, RI)- Celebrating the 175th anniversary of its founding in 1844, the New York Yacht Club hosted a week-long regatta at Harbour Court, July 15 to 20. The participation was limited to members of New York YC and the four invited yacht clubs (Royal Thames Yacht Club, Royal Yacht Squadron, St. Francis Yacht Club and Yacht Club Costa Smeralda). It has been a busy summer of sailing at NYYC HC, starting with the Annual Regatta, followed up by the One-Design Regatta, the 175th, and then soon a slew of team racing and culminating in the Invitational Cup in September.

J/Crews participated in both the IRC and PHRF fleets. Appropriately leading a sweep by J/crews of the IRC 2 Division was NYYC Commodore Bill Ketcham on his gorgeous navy-blue J/44 MAXINE. Ketcham’s team opened the regatta with a stunning trio of bullets on the opening day on Tuesday. However, it was apparent that even the “lay day” after the enormous 175th Anniversary party Tuesday evening was not enough time for his crew to fully recover. Their next four races saw them never cracking the podium spots, posting a 5-5-7-5. Thereafter, a much sobered up and fiercely determined team cracked the whip and closed with a magnificent set of races on the last day with two bullets. Their win was not an easy one, as those two bullets meant they tied at 37 pts each with St Francis YC’s Peter Wagner on his J/111 SKELETON KEY, with Wagner losing the tie-break on countback. Rounding out the J/Sweep of the podium in third was yet another J/111, Andrew & Sedge Ward’s BRAVO. The balance of the top five was also J/crews, with Joe Brito’s J/121 INCOGNITO in 4th and Paul Milo’s J/122 ORION in 5th place.

Easily eclipsing the PHRF Navigator’s Division was Bruce Stone & Nicole Breault’s J/105 GOOD TRADE, counting all podium finishes to win with just 13 pts total! Fourth went to yet another San Francisco J/105 team, led by Bill Dana. For more New York YC 175th Anniversary Regatta sailing information
 

J/70s sailing Fiesta Cup- Santa Barbara, CAJ/70s Battle @ Fiesta Cup
(Santa Barbara, CA)- The Santa Barbara YC hosted their annual Fiesta Cup Regatta for one-design fleets of J/70s and J/111s.  In the two-day regatta, the SBYC PRO managed to run four races in the challenging, kelp-laden, conditions often seen on the scenic Pacific Ocean waterfront in front of the club.

Trading off 1sts and 2nds all weekend in the J/70 Class was the Janov family on MINOR THREAT and Pat Toole’s famous 3 BIG DOGS crew.  In the end, Jeff Janov led family members Jay, Ryan, Grant and Jordan, plus a local World Champion sailor (David Ullman, no less), to a trio of bullets and a 2nd to win with 5 pts. Two points back was Pat Toole’s “big doggers” (George Witter, Dale Turley, and Chris Weiss) with a tally of three deuces and a bullet for 7 pts. Third was Doug Weitz’s crew on AGENT 99- Brian O’Mahony, Paul Zambriski, and Ryan Eastwood.

In the J/111 class, Kenny Kieding and John Vincent’s ARGO 3 won the class with all bullets, followed by Mike Drammer’s TITANIUM in second with all deuces.

As usual, the fleet was treated to an amazing BBQ cookout on the beach next to the club; the sailors enjoyed a great band, lots of tacos, pitchers of tequilas, and lots of camaraderie discussing the days racing. By the end of the evening, the sea stories were epic- the tactics were brilliant, the speeds supersonic, the leads huuuuuge, and enemies vanquished at every turn!  For more Fiesta Cup sailing information
 

J/105 at Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge regattaHot’n’Steamy Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge
(Solomons Island, MD)- Since 1993, the Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge has been a Chesapeake Bay racer’s favorite regatta in the summertime.  The three-day regatta is held every July, in the middle of the summer, in the middle of the beautiful Chesapeake Bay, near Solomons Island, Maryland. Hosting the event was the Southern Maryland Sailing Association.

Several J/Crews participated in what may be the hottest and steamiest Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge in recent memory. The regatta started on July 22nd, but it was too hot and too sunny for the wind to develop much anywhere on the Bay.  As a result, the PRO postponed the start and waited for the wind to develop before sending everyone off on their merry way for a few races.
Screwpile Lighthouse social entertainment
In the end, Marty Roesch’s J/111 VELOCITY won PHRF A Division by just a single point over Ian Hill’s J/111 SITELLA that took the silver.  Yet another J/111, Jim Connelly’s SLUSH FUND took fourth.  In PHRF A-2 division, Craig Wright’s J/109 AFTERTHOUGHT managed a fourth place.  Meanwhile, in PHRF A-3 division, Mark & Robin White’s J/105 RAKALL won quite easily, posting all firsts! Finally, in PHRF B division, Larry Ray made the commitment to go all the way in his J/70 JRAY and slid home in 5th place.  Follow Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge Regatta on Facebook here  For more Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge sailing information
 

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Jul 20-28- Travemunde Week- Travemunde, Germany
Jul 25-28- Marblehead NOOD Regatta- Marblehead, MA
Jul 26- Santa Barbara to King Harbor Race- Santa Barbara, CA
Jul 26-28- Ugotta Regatta- Harbor Springs, MI
Jul 27- RORC Channel Race- Cowes, Isle of Wight, England
Jul 24-27- Whidbey Island Race Week- Oak Harbor, WA
Jul 26-27- New England Solo-Twin Race- Newport, RI
Aug 2-4- Buzzards Bay Race Week- New Bedford, MA
Aug 3- Rolex Fastnet Race- Cowes, England
Aug 8-11- J/Fest New England- Newport, RI
Aug 9-11- J/105 East Coast Championship- Newport, RI
Aug 9-11- Verve Offshore Cup- Chicago, IL
Aug 10-17- Cowes Race Week- Cowes, England
Aug 10-18- Nantucket Race Week- Nantucket, MA
Aug 14-16- Surfin’ Safari Regatta- Corpus Christi, TX
Aug 15-18- SAILING Champions League- St. Moritz, Switzerland
Aug 17-24- AUDI Hamilton Race Week- Hamilton Island, Australia
Aug 17- Ida Lewis Distance Race- Newport, RI
Aug 20-24- J/109 North American Championship- South Dartmouth, MA
Aug 20-23- J/111 World Championship- Chicago, IL
Aug 21-25- J/24 USA Nationals- Rochester, NY
Aug 23-25- Irish J/24 Nationals- Lough Erne, Ireland
Aug 23-25- Ted Hood Regatta- Marblehead, MA
Aug 23-25- Verve Inshore Cup- Chicago, IL
Aug 24-26- J/80 U.K. Nationals- Lymington, England
Aug 30- Sep 6- J/70 World Championship- Torquay, Devon, England
Aug 30- The Vineyard Race- Stamford, CT
Sep 4-8- J/105 North American Championship- Marblehead, MA
Sep 12-15- Rolex Big Boat Series- San Francisco, CA

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

Marblehead harborMarblehead NOOD Regatta Preview
(Marblehead, MA)- The 2019 Helly Hansen National Offshore One Design Regatta at Marblehead Race Week returns to Marblehead, MA, July 25 to 28. Boston Yacht Club will host more than 150 teams across 14 fleets. J/One-Design classes include J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, and J/105s.

Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, Jud Smith (Swampscott, MA), won the 2018 Marblehead NOOD and the 2018 J/70 World Championship in the same venue. “It’s a new year,” says Smith, “And, a lot of good boats are registered. We have three past J/70 World Champions in the fleet, including myself, Peter Duncan, and Joel Ronning, so the top end of the fleet is going to be stacked.”

Training and preparation were vital to Smith’s past success, and this season he plans to share his knowledge as a coach and mentor. Smith notes the importance of working out the kinks throughout the season so teams can peak at the right time.

J/70s sailing off Marblehead, MA“The best method I’ve seen is to do a regatta every month or so, with intensive training in between,” shared Smith. “With the wind and currents in Marblehead, the NOOD will serve as a perfect training platform for the World Championships in Torquay [England] later this season. Marblehead is one of the top ocean venues in the country, and with the NOOD Regatta coming here each year, it keeps the area at the forefront of one-design racing. It’s the biggest regatta of the season for many of us in New England, so everyone gets really excited to go out and compete.”

Joining these world-class competitors in the 25-boat J/70 fleet are Dan Goldberg’s BAZINGA, Travis Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER, Bill Lynn & Ed Keller’s KEY PLAYER, Sam Altreuter’s LEADFOOT, Henry Brauer’s RASCAL, Brian Keane’s SAVASANA, David Franzel’s SPRING, John & Molly Baxter’s TEAM VINEYARD VINES, and Nancy Glover’s WINTERWIND.

The J/80s will have good racing with top crews like Peter d’Anjou’s LE TRIGRE, Sam Cushing’s THE PARTY TREE, Jason Viseltear’s UPSETTER, Brian Gibbs’ BLIND FAITH, and Fred Baker’s BLUE SKIES.

J/105s sailing off Marblehead, MAOn a roll in the J/105 class is Bruce Stone & Nicole Breault’s GOOD TRADE. Having had much practice in their hometown J/105 Fleet #1 in San Francisco Bay. Fifteen J/105s are expecting to learn more about the tricky Marblehead offshore sailing conditions, as it is also the site for the 2019 J/105 North American Championship in September. Hoping to give GOOD TRADE a run-for-the-money are teams like Bill Zartler’s DEJA VOODOO from Houston, TX; Bennet Greenwald’s PERSEVERANCE from San Diego, CA; Mark Lindquist’s STERLING from Buzzards Bay, MA; and Mark Masur’s globe-trotting TWO FEATHERS from Fort Worth, TX.

The Marblehead NOOD, hosted by Boston YC, with race committee support from Eastern and Corinthian yacht clubs, will produce the final entrant for the Caribbean Championship sponsored by Sunsail in the British Virgin Islands on October 27 to November 1, 2019.  For more Helly Hansen Marblehead NOOD Regatta sailing information
 

J/109 sailing in Puget Sound, WAWhidbey Island Race Week Preview
(Oak Harbor, WA)- The kids are now adults. And, the adults are still acting like kids. And, after nearly four decades, Whidbey Island Race Week remains the stalwart among true race weeks. This year’s event has attracted a fleet of sixty-one boats, twenty-eight of them are J/Crews- 46% of the regatta! There are one-design classes for J/80s and J/105s, with the rest sailing in various PHRF handicap classes.

The J/105 class has, perhaps, its largest turnout ever. Eleven teams are making the trek north to enjoy some fun in the sun, lots of socializing, and perhaps a few round-the-cans races! If they have not gone delirious at the evening parties, these teams should be contenders in the leaderboard; Tom Kerr’s CORVO 105, Jerry Diercks’ DELIRIUM, Chris Phoenix’s JADED, John Aitchison’s MOOSE UNKNOWN, and Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE.

Similarly, the J/80 class of eight crews also have one of their largest turnouts ever.  Watch for these crews to stay somewhere near the forefront of the leaderboard, David Schutte’s TAJ MAHAL, Ryan Porter’s JOLLY GREEN, Bryan Rhodes’ CRAZY IVAN, and Morris Lowitz’s UPROAR.

In the PHRF handicap racing world, the J’s are well represented across the board. In PHRF 1 is Bruce Chan’s J/111 65 RED ROSES II. In PHRF 2 are three J/109s (Mike Campbell’s LAPA, Stu Burnell’s TANTIVY, & Tolga Cezik’s LODOS), Brian White’s J/35 GRACE E, and Dave & Vernice Cohen’s J/90 EYE EYE. Then, in PHRF 3 class is Stephanie Arnold’s J/33 DASH (yet another woman owner ready to dust the class).  For more Whidbey Island Race Week sailing information
 

J/111 sailing Edgartown Race WeekEdgartown Race Weekend Preview
(Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard)- According to world-famous New Zealand sailor Gavin Brady, “Edgartown Race Week always produces a lot of great stories.” He should know, since he sailed for years in Martha’s Vineyard on the TP52 VESPER- which belongs to summer native Jim Swartz (notable for his prescient investment in a little social media company called Facebook). Brady goes on to say, “the Vineyard is an awesome destination, and the club has a great feel to it with loads of history. The ‘Round-the-Island Race is a very tactical race with tides and plenty of passing opportunities– always enjoyable and never the same. This will be as much a great adventure as a race.”

Edgartown Race Weekend divisions includes racing for IRC, ORC, ORR, PHRF-NE (including Spinnaker and Non-Spinnaker), Classics, One-Design, Multihull and Doublehanded boats. ’RTI/’RTS and ‘RTB are scored separately, with top-three prizes awarded in each class.

A Mount Gay-sponsored “Jump-Up” party on Friday night (July 26) and awards on both Friday afternoon and Sunday morning (July 28) round out the amazing social schedule.

J/122 sailing off Edgartown Race Week
Not surprisingly, the event is incredibly popular with many New England J/Crews, especially for those in Cape Cod and surrounding waters. Sailing in the RTB race PHRF B is Dan Heun’s J/122 MOXIEE.  In PHRF C are two J/105s (Matt Schmitt’s HARDTACK & the trio of Joyce/ Reservitz/ Wagner on DARK’N’STORMY).

For the RTI race, in PHRF 2 is Alan Fougere’s J/160 AVATAR and Kent Nicholas’ J/42 PANASEA. Sailing PHRF 5 are three J/105s (HARDTACK, DARK’N’STORMY, & Nantucket Community Sailing’s CLIO), Phil Stathos’ J/110 AIRBENDER, Steve Dahill’s J/35C RIVA, and Ira Perry’s J/29 SEEFEST.  Racing PHRF 6 are Jonathan Burt’s J/130 LOLA, Dick Egan’s J/46 WINGS, Doug Curtiss’ J/111 WICKED 2.0, Stephen Besse’s J/120 APRES, and two J/109s (Ed Dailey’s RAPTOR & Eliot Shanabrook’s HAFA ADAI).

Finally, in the RTS race, in PHRF 2 is Heun’s J/122 MOXIEE and the J/70 Class includes JP Bretl’s SEAHAWK, Veronica Lundgren’s GHOST, and Anthony Giordano’s TONIC.  For more Edgartown Race Week sailing information
 

Point Dume, Malibu, CA 
Santa Barbara to King Harbor Race Preview
(Santa Barbara, CA)- The 2019 Santa Barbara to King Harbor Race is a distance race spanning 81.0nm and has been a tradition for Santa Barbara and King Harbor sailors for 47 years. The race is quite popular with sailors up and down the Southern California coastline, seventy boats are registered, of which 23% (16) are J/Teams.

The SB-KH is a simple race, too, since the tactics are pretty well understood by most teams. From the start line, sailing in a building northwesterly seabreeze, it is a straight shot on starboard tack to the bottom of the Channel Islands, with either Code Zeros or reaching spinnakers. The one and only turning mark is Anacapa Island, left to port.  The principal issue is getting around the wind shadow of Anacapa before gybing and dashing off on port tack under spinnakers towards the infamous Point Dume (a.k.a. sometimes Pt Doom!) in the glittery, fashionable village of Malibu, CA. The reason why that strategy works is that late afternoon winds from the NW are significantly accelerated around that point due to the fact the entire Los Angeles Basin is boiling hot (like 100 F deg hot!) and the Santa Rosa/ San Jacinto Mountain range to the east are like giant frying pans sending all that heat skywards! Upon reaching Point Dume, most boats gybe back onto starboard tack and head for the finish line at the opening to King Harbor in Redondo Beach, just north of the gorgeous Palos Verdes peninsula.

J/125 Warrior sailing Santa Barbara to King Harbor RaceThe sixteen J/Teams participating include four J/111s (Bernie Girod’s ROCK & ROLL, Doug & Jack Jorgensen’s PICOSA, Kenny Kieding & John Vincent’s ARGO 3, & Mike Drammer’s TITANIUM), Dr Laura Schlessinger’s J/125 WARRIOR (a multiple race winner), two J/120s (Tom & Terri Manok’s POLE DANCER & Jack Rose’s PRIVATEER II), Scott Torrance’s J/124 FORGIVENESS, two J/109s (Tom Cullen’s FUEGO & Jack Mayer’s ZEPHYR), Doug Steick’s J/100 JIB & TONIC, Tom Hinkle’s J/40 WHITE LIGHT, three J/105s (Chuck Spear’s TWELVE BAR BLUES, Tom Bollay’s ARMIDA, & Dan Murphy’s CUCHULAINN), and Brian Kerr’s J/92 DOUBLE DOWN.  For more Santa Barbara to King Harbor Race sailing information
 

J/70s sailing Ugotta Regatta 
Ugotta Regatta Preview
(Harbor Springs, MI)- Hosted by Little Traverse YC in Harbor Springs, MI, the annual Ugotta Regatta has become a very fun, sociable “Post Mac Race” regatta to enjoy day-racing in what has to be one of the prettiest horseshoe-shaped bays in the world, with Caribbean-like aquamarine waters so clear you can see over 35 feet below the surface. It has become quite popular for J/sailors since it now includes the J/70 class, in addition to a J/105 class and PHRF handicap racing.

The enormous twenty-boat J/70 class is likely due to the fact that the J/70 Corinthian National Championship will be taking place in the same venue in a few weeks time. Some of the top crews include John Heaton’s EMPEIRIA, Polk Wagner’s ESCAPE, Don Glover’s MISS KILLER, Bob Willis’ RIP RULLAH, Glenn Gault’s SIMPLY IRRISTIBLE, Ryan McKillen’s SURGE, and Scott Sellers’ TRES BURRITOS.

Racing the J/105 class are a quartet of mostly local boats, such as Bill Petzold’s GREEN FLASH, Sam Powers’ GRYPHON, Jay Vander Wall’s MANITOU, and Mark Symonds’ PTERODACTYL (hoping to complete the “triple crown” - Chicago Mac/ Bayview Mac/ Ugotta).

In PHRF A class are two J/111s (Brad Faber’s UTAH and Carl Hanssen’s VARIANCE). Then, in PHRF B class is Larry Taunt’s J/35 BAD DOG and Gary & Susan Stewart’s J/32 ZONE.  For more Ugotta Regatta sailing information
 

J/99 sailing doublehanded offshore 
New England Solo-Twin Race Preview
(Newport, RI)- Newport Yacht Club is hosting their annual New England Solo-Twin Race, starting on Friday, July 26th at noon.  The NYC PRO has an opportunity to select from five race courses for the singlehanded and doublehanded racers that are 60.0 to 100.0nm ocean triangle courses that start and finish in Narragansett Bay.  The selected course is based on weather forecasts for the two-day race.  So far, the various weather models (NAM, ECMWF, GFS) are showing seabreeze SSW 10-15 kts for the start, slowing swinging SE by evening and more ESE Friday night and Saturday morning in the 5-10 kts range.

Looking forward to the challenge are several well-sailed J/Crews.  In the Monohull Spinnaker Solo division is Ben Hodgson’s J/100 GRIMACE.  In the Monohull Spinnaker Twin division are two J/121s (David Southwell/ Scott Meier on ALCHEMY and Greg Manning/ Todd Johnston on SARAH), Bill Kneller/ Eric Irwin’s J/109 VENTO SOLARE, Paul Grimes/ David Moffet’s J/35 BREAKAWAY, Kevin Dakan/ Bob Kinsman’s J/110 MEMORY.  For more New England Solo-Twin Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

J/Newsletter- August 22nd, 2018

J/122E sport cruiser- cruising with family
Win the Worlds, Cruise Home- the Family-friendly J/112E Sport Cruiser
(Newport, RI)- It would be hard to imagine a more successful sailing season than the summer the J/112E sport-cruiser has enjoyed in Europe, and there’s still plenty of summer and fall sailing left to enjoy!

J/112E Offshore Sailing World ChampionsOur congratulations to Didier LeMoal, Fred Bouvier and the J/Composites team for organizing a great campaign with J/LANCE 12- capturing both the IRC European Championship and the IRC/ORC World Championship (with Netherlands J/Dealer Gideon Messink skippering).

Check out this partial list of J/112E results from some of the top events in Europe:
  • 1st Place- SPI OUEST France– IRC 2
  • 1st Place- 2018 J/CUP– IRC Overall
  • 1st Place- IRC Europeans– Overall and IRC 3
  • 1st Place- Around the Island Race (Isle of Wight) – IRC 1
  • 1st Place- Offshore Sailing World Championship– Class C
  • 1st & 2nd Place- Lendy Cowes Week – IRC 4
Even more impressive, the J/112E has been one of the few boats in each event carrying a full-on cruising interior.

J/112E women's sailing teamAs Paul Heys of J-UK reported- midway through the IRC European Championship in Cowes, England, after seeing how fast the J/112E passed their boat on the race course, one competitor hopped aboard J/LANCE 12 to see what was below. To his great surprise he discovered a V-berth cabin, main cabin table, sit-down nav station, marine head with holding tank, and a galley with stove- everything his current, purpose-built race boat was lacking (a JPK 1080). The next day he put a deposit on J/LANCE 12 and, after watching her win the Offshore Sailing World Championship, recently celebrated by winning the IRC 4 Class at Cowes Week!

Designing and building high quality sailboats that compete at the highest levels AND pass the family sailing test is no small task, which explains why so few companies do it. From the ramp launch-able J/70 to the open-course J/121, every J/ can be pushed or dialed back to the style and pace of sailing that best suits the owner. Sure, every design strikes a compromise between performance and accommodation to reach a specific design objective, but with a J/Boat there’s a big difference – we never compromise when it comes to the pure joy of sailing.

Look for the amazing J/112E at these 2018 Fall Sailboat shows- Newport, Southampton (England), and La Rochelle (France).  Learn more about the J/112E sport cruiser here.
 

J/99, Agent 99, or Bond 007?Agent 99 or Bond "007"?
(Seabrook, TX)- J/Boats Southwest has been fortunate enough to take delivery and introduce several new J/Boat models- all with Hull #7: J/70, J/88, and J/111 #007. J/Boats SW’s Steve LeMay put the following video together for fun on the J/99! They’re hoping to get J/99 007! Enjoy this Bond spoof on 007 and Agent 99!    Watch the Bond 007 J/99 sailboat spoof here.   Learn more about the J/99 here
 

J/24 World Championships40th J/24 World Championship Preview
(Riva del Garda, Italy)- The first J/24 World Championship took place in 1979 in Newport, RI. It was a memorable event. For four days, crews from around the world in the 72-boat fleet fought for world supremacy.  However, there was a “special race” that made it especially memorable for all participants that first year. On the last day of the event, the J/24 Worlds had their famous “long distance race”. In Rhode Island, there is ONLY one long distance race- the infamous “Round Island Race” of Jamestown- a 21.0nm affair.  It was a benign race to start off with; a mid-teens genoa windward beat to the first mark off the end of Beavertail Point Lighthouse.  However, from there on end, the Worlds would forever go down in infamy as one of the craziest races ever in the history of the J/24 class.

The weather forecasts were a bit odd that day, sunny, partly sunny, but rapidly-building winds from the SSW. By late afternoon, possible thunderstorms and squalls were forecast.  As it turns out, the Low/ depression grew considerably in strength as it hit the New England coastline.  On the downwind run in the West Passage of Narragansett Bay, the winds rapidly increased from a benign SSW 12-18 kts to gusts well into the high 30s from the WSE! Boats were broaching everywhere, spinnakers blown out, crews hankering down for more severe gusts as squall after squall rolled over the race track. What?? Narragansett Bay?? Cannot be!  Nevertheless, the entire fleet reduced to 100% jibs and finished the race off Fort Adams in 20-30 kt winds from the SSW.

What no one expected was the jaw-dropping events for the awards ceremony held at the Newport Yachting Center that evening.  As everyone was enjoying their drinks and reminiscing about the past week, a huge black, ominous squall rolled over horizon from the west across Narragansett Bay.  Before everyone knew it, “white water” was blasting across the Bay underneath Newport Bridge and Newport Harbor, the tops of wavelets blown into a white froth, as the wind blast hit the regatta tent, it lifted it up nearly 5 feet!  Then, it settled down as everyone just about freaked out, then realized they had experienced a “hurricane-like” blast front and survived intact.  The drinks, and awards continued on that night, though a bit more subdued than one might expect.

Later, as everyone realized at that first J/24 Worlds in Newport, that Low/ depression became a “super depression” with 70+ kt winds and it devastated the RORC’s Fastnet Race 1979 with the most horrific sailing conditions imaginable for many unfortunate teams; many boats and lives were lost that year in “Fastnet Force 10”.  While Ted Turner’s famous TENACIOUS won that race, he still considered the Chicago- Mackinac Race in his equally famous red 12-Meter AMERICAN EAGLE the toughest race he ever sailed.  Many J/Boats sailors can relate to both of these experiences, many of whom sailed those two events.

The J/24 class has endured “winds of change” over the course of time, from 1977 until the present day.  Fleets around the world continue to enjoy close, fun, one-design, family racing, week to week in far-flung places around the world- such as Sydney and Melbourne, Australia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Williams Bay/ Tierra del Fuego, Chile; Tokyo, Japan; Seoul, Korea;  Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, & Valle de Bravo, Mexico; and, of course, across the USA, Europe, and the United Kingdom.

As a result, it is not surprising that a huge turnout of eighty J/24 teams are looking forward to a week of awesome racing at one of the most hallowed waters of one-design racing in the world- the northern end of Lake Garda, Italy.  Hosted by the Fraglia Vela Riva, the J/24 teams are in for a real treat of amazing sailing on what many consider to be one of the most spectacular bodies of water to sail- bar none.

Looking forward to enjoy perfect summer sailing conditions on Lake Garda are the following fifteen nations from around the world and the leading skippers from each:
  • Australia (6 teams)- Simon Grain and Hugo Ottaway
  • Brazil (1 crew)- Rento Catallini
  • Denmark (1 crew)- Fabian Damm
  • France (2 teams)- Brice Pelletier and Garcia Aorelian
  • Great Britain (14 teams)- Ian Southworth
  • Germany (19 teams)- Laura Hartje, Stefan Karsunke, Frank Schonfeldt, Peer Kock, Manfred Konig,
  • Greece (5 teams)- Nikolas Kapnisis
  • Hungary (9 teams)- Farkas Litkey, Peter Szabo
  • Ireland (3 teams)- Finbarr Ryan
  • Italy (29 crews)- Fabio Apollonie, Ignazio Bonanno
  • Japan (4 teams)- Kazuki Kumagai
  • Korea (1 crew)- Gyeongwon Jo
  • Netherlands (1 crew)- Dirk Olyslagers
  • Sweden (2 crews)- Per-Hakan Persson
  • USA (5 teams)- Will Welles, Travis Odenbach, Keith Whittemore, Bill Allen, Mike Ingham
Notably, the USA crews all have world-class talent on board.  In fact, all five teams are at least World Champions or North American Champions in various classes.  Given the tight quarters, emphasis on boat-handling, and acceleration/ boat speed, the American teams are likely to excel on the Lake Garda race-track.  For more J/24 World Championship sailing information
 

J/70s sailing one-design regattaSTC Ted Hood Regatta Preview
(Marblehead, MA)- The annual Storm Trysail Club Ted Hood Regatta taking place from August 24th to 26th is normally a fun-loving, locally-based, regatta for J/70s, J/105s, and a variety of PHRF handicap racing teams.  However, in 2018 the regatta has taken on a bit more significance since the presence of forty-six J/70 teams is an outsized, enormous fleet that is using the event as “practice” for the upcoming 2018 J/70 World Championship being hosted by Eastern YC in late September.

Not surprisingly, many of the top USA teams will be present in the huge J/70 class, hoping to test new sails, refine tuning for speed, and iron-out boat-handling techniques.  Those teams range from Minnesota to Texas, from California to Massachusetts.  From the West and South are crews like Jack Franco’s 3 BALL JT from Texas; Pat Toole’s 3 BIG DOGS from Santa Barbara, CA; Doug Strebel’s BLACK RIVER RACING from Dallas, TX; Mallory & Andrew Loe’s DIME from Seattle, WA; Glenn Darden’s HOSS from Ft Worth, TX; Jim Cunningham’s LIFTED from San Francisco, CA; Bruce Golison’s MIDLIFE CRISIS from Long Beach, CA; and Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE from Dallas, TX. From the Midwest and East are leading crews such as John & Molly Baxter’s TEAM VINEYARD VINES from Riverside, CT; Jud Smith’s AFRICA from Marblehead, MA (a true “home-boy” in these parts); Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT from Excelsior, MN; John Heaton’s EMPEIRIA from Wilmette, IL; Tod Sackett’s FM from Cleveland, OH; Marty Kullman’s HYDRA from St Petersburg, FL; Ray & Jenn Wulff’s JOINT CUSTODY from Annapolis, MD; Bill Lynn’s KEY PLAYER from Marblehead, MA (another “home boy”); Tim Healey’s NEW ENGLAND ROPES from Newport, RI; Oivind Lorentzen’s NINE from Stamford, CT; John Brim’s RIMETTE from Fisher’s Island, NY; and Brian Keane’s SAVASANA from Beverly, MA.

Joining that rather formidable group of top USA J/70 teams from the R.O.W. is the famous Italian crew on MASCALZONE LATINO (Vincenzo Onorato) and Renato Faria’s team from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on TO NESSA.

Meanwhile, the J/105s are turning out in force with a strong showing of nearly a dozen boats.  Notable class leaders include teams like Dave Nelson’s GOT QI from Hingham YC, Steve Hollis’ SIROCCO from Jubilee YC, and Mark Masur’s TWO FEATHERS from Ft Worth Boat Club in Texas.

A new feature for the event this year is the ORR-EZ class of nearly two-dozen boats.  Featured among them are eight J/Crews that range from 24 ft to 43 ft!  Those teams include Fred de Napoli’s J/124 ALLEGRO MALVAGIO, Tom Mager’s J/122 GIGI, Chris Zibailo’s J/112E DOPODOMANI, Ed Kaye’s J/111 PRAVDA, Gary Weisberg’s J/111 HEAT WAVE, and Dan Boyd’s J/109 WILD THING.  For more Storm Trysail Ted Hood Regatta sailing information
 

J/70s sailing off ChicagoVerve Cup Inshore Regatta Preview
(Chicago, IL)- From August 24th to 26th, the Chicago YC will be hosting the Verve Cup Inshore Regatta on the challenging waters of Lake Michigan, right off the majestic waterfront of Chicago.  Participating are seven one-design fleets, with the largest participation coming from the J/70 and J/24 classes.

Ten J/70s are racing, including top local teams like Sarah & Mark Renz’s BERTEAU GROUP, Steve Knoop’s AMERICAN FLYER, Tod Sackett’s FM, Amy Neill’s NITEMARE, Bob Willis’ RIP RULLAH and Ray Groble’s TAIPAN (a leading Midwest youth team).

The J/24s are also showing up in force, with nine boats heading for the starting line on Friday.  Many teams are traveling from all over the Midwest- from Minnesota, Indiana, Wisconsin and Illinois.  Locals include Mark Soya’s BREAK AWAY, Dan Walsh’s GOLD RUSH and Ed Leslie’s JAMMIN.  Visitors include three teams from Minnesota- Cory Huseby’s BORK BORK BORK, Eric Christenson’s BUBBLES, and Josh Bone’s MOTORHOME.  Two are from Wisconsin- Ben Stauber’s INSATIABLE and Ed Leslie’s JAMMIN.  Joining the fun from Indiana is Rick Graef’s DON’T PANIC.  For more Verve Cup Inshore Regatta sailing information
 

J/70s sailing off Miami, FloridaMiami J/70 Fleet Takes Flight
NEW Bacardi Winter Series 2018/ 2019!
(Biscayne Bay, FL)- The 2017/18 racing season on Biscayne Bay saw the formation of an action-packed new class, the J/70s. The hottest sport boat in sailing has come to Miami in a big way. Nine boats now call Miami home and are ready for an exciting 2018/2019 racing season, with several new regattas added to the calendar (see story on right).

This is the first new class to call Biscayne Bay home in many years and the excitement is building with other owners planning to join. There is even a Swedish team planning on buying a boat and keeping it in Miami to escape the Swedish winter.

There are currently only five boats available for immediate delivery from the factory. Interested parties should contact Mark Pincus at 305-915-1438 or mark@pincuscarlson.com

New Winter Series From Bacardi
Bacardi has announced a thrilling new series to be held on Biscayne Bay for the 2018/ 2019 racing season. The Bacardi Invitational Winter Series for the red-hot J/70 class will feature two regattas leading up to the grand finale- the Bacardi Cup.

The Winter Series regattas are December 1–2 and January 19–20. There will be trophies for each event, plus trophies for the entire three-event series, which culminates with the Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta on Biscayne Bay in March.  For more Bacardi Cup J/70 Winter Series information
 

J/22 Womens match racingUS Women’s Match Racing Championship Preview
(San Francisco, CA)- Eight teams are set to face off in the 2018 U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship, hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco on August 24-26, 2018.

With the competition on San Francisco Bay in J/22 sailboats, teams will be racing with high stakes on the line this week. Due to a change in dates for the Nations Cup Grand Final from October, 2018 to April, 2019, US Sailing can nominate the skipper of the 2018 U.S. Women’s National Champion Match Racing team to represent the U.S. at this elite international match racing event.

The top placing eligible skipper will also be invited to compete at the 2018 U.S. Match Racing Championship, hosted by the Chicago Yacht Club on October 19-21, 2018.

A number of familiar faces in the women’s match racing circuit will be on hand this week, including defending two-time Champion (2016, 2015), Nicole Breault (San Francisco, Calif.). She returns with the same crew from her winning 2016 team, composed of Molly Carapiet (San Francisco, Calif.), Karen Loutzenheiser (Santa Cruz, Calif.), and Hannah Burroughs (San Francisco, Calif.).

Carapiet and Loutzenheiser also raced with Breault on her winning 2015 team. Breault is the #1 ranked women’s match racer in the country and #8 in the world.

After taking second place honors in 2016 and 2015, Janel Zarkowsky (Annapolis, Md.) makes a return to this Championship to take another shot at the title. Zarkowsky won as crew with Stephanie Roble in 2014.

“We are really looking forward to this year’s Championship on San Francisco Bay, especially since the list of highly-skilled and experienced teams racing this week is deep,” said Betsy Alison, Adult Sailing Director at US Sailing. “I expect the competition to be fierce as the competitors hone their skills by taking part in the additional opportunities for quality coaching and a clinic preceding the event."

Randy Smith, an active match race competitor, umpire, and longtime PRO for the Congressional Cup, will be conducting a match-racing clinic with the participating sailors on Thursday, August 23.

Previous winners of the U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship include some of the top women’s sailors in recent U.S. history. Cory Sertl, Betsy Alison, Sally Barkow, Anna Tunnicliffe, Stephanie Roble, Genny Tulloch, Liz Baylis, and Debbie Cappozi have all won this US Sailing National Championship.  For more US Women’s Match Racing Championship sailing information
 

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

The end of “European Vacation” is near!  Yes, that amazing “mandatory” vacation built into all European Union countries- six weeks!  Starts in July, ends in August.  Ever heard of the 12-hour backups on the major autobahns in Europe as 80% of European families and friends all head south to the beaches in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy on the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean?? Caravans flying all over the place, tempers flaring. Plus it’s super hot this summer in Europe with record heat and record sales of AC units.  This summer was far more chaotic than usual. Imagine that for a few days last week, Oslo, Norway was over 90 degrees while Newport, RI was bathing in just 83 degree with 90% humidity and 10-15 kt southerlies cooling down Aquidneck Island (yes, we do live on an island in Newport)!  Which was worse?? Norway!! LOL!

Fortunately, being on the water offshore brings those temperatures down quite dramatically, no matter where you live in the world.  Not surprising that a number of offshore races and regattas enjoyed near record participation as virtually everyone could not wait to get out on the water this summer in the northern hemispheres!

The J/111 World Championship update from Breskens, Netherlands, shows they just completed the J/111 Pre-Worlds in the last two days.  Now it is “game on” for the fleet of a dozen boats from five nations.  And, the epic, wild, challenging RORC’s SevenStar Round Britain & Ireland Race is finally coming to a conclusion, with an amazing performance by a double-handed J/122 crew from The Netherlands. Then, a report from this summer’s Irish J/24 Nationals at Galway, Ireland where everyone seemed to have a wonderful time.

Over in the America’s, the increasingly popular Ida Lewis Distance Race took place for a fleet of J/Teams that included four J/121s, a J/120, J/105, J/109, and J/35; just about everyone garnered some silverware.  Just further northeast, there was the famous Canadian regatta- the Chester Race Week hosted just west of Halifax, Nova Scotia.  The event had a one-design fleet of J/105s as well as handicap fleets both Inshore and Offshore that included J/29s, J/27s, J/92s, and J/120s.  Just west in Canada, it was the long-standing CORK Regatta that hosted the J/24 Canadian Nationals off Kingston, Ontario on the far northeastern parts of Lake Ontario.

Down South in the Americas, the Low Country Hook Race took place off South Carolina and Georgia.  The Low Country Hook Ocean Race goes from Hilton Head, SC to the finish off the Landings Marina on Skidaway Island, GA. The race was presented by Skidaway Island Boating Club and The Yacht Club of Hilton Head. Twenty-four boats registered with nearly half the fleet in the PHRF Spinnaker class. Of those nine boats, six were J/Boats; including two J/105s, two J/24s, one J/30, one J/100, and one J/109.

Then, traveling 3,000 miles west to the Pacific Coast (same distance to fly from London to New York), we find the J/70 Pacific Coast Championship was hosted by the amazing St Francis Yacht Club on San Francisco Bay in California; the fleet were treated to what everyone expected- near nuking wind conditions of 15-25 kts plus!  On the same weekend, the St Francis YC was also hosting the Phyllis Kleinmann Swiftsure Regatta for a large fleet J/105s and ORR handicap classes that included J/111s and J/120s.

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below has many entertaining stories and news about J/Sailors as well as cruising blogs about those who continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north.  Check them out!  More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or  upload onto our J/Boats Facebook pag  Below are the summaries.

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Aug 19-26- J/111 World Championship- Breskens, The Netherlands
Aug 24-31- J/24 World Championship- Riva del Garda, Italy
Aug 24-26- J/80 East Coast Championship- Boothbay Harbor, ME
Aug 24-26- Storm Trysail Club Ted Hood Regatta- Marblehead, MA
Aug 24-25- US Women’s J/22 Match Racing Championship- San Francisco, CA
Aug 24-26- Verve Cup Inshore Regatta- Chicago, IL
Aug 25-26- Vela J/24 Festival- Buenos Aires, Argentina
Aug 30- Sep 2- SAILING Champions League Finale- St Moritz, Switzerland

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

J/111s sailing in EuropeJ/111 World Championship Update
(Breskens, The Netherlands)- The 2018 J/111 World Championship is being hosted in conjunction with the Breskens Sailing Weekend in the Netherlands.  A dozen J/111 crews are participating from five nations (Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, Netherlands, & Switzerland). Racing will take place offshore, in the wide-open North Sea, along the fabled northern beaches of the Benelux seashore.  Hosting the event are Watersportvereniging Breskens, Royal Yacht Club of Belgium, Koninklijke Roei & Zeilvereniging De Maas, J/111 Netherlands sailing offshoreKoninklijke Nederlandse Roei en Zeilvereniging Muiden, Koninklijke Antwerpse Watersportverenging SRNA and the Royal Netherlands Yachting Union (RNYU).

For the past two days, nearly all J/111's have been practicing their skills during the J/111 Pre-Worlds Tune-Up Regatta. With close racing in continuously changing conditions, Martin Dent's British team on JELVIS took pole position with the Belgians on Sebastien de Liederke’s crew on DJINN following second and the Dutch team of Sjakk Haakman on RED HERRING in third place. Rounding out the top five were one of the regatta pre-favorites- Paul van Driel’s Dutch team on SWEENY- that took fourth place and Jorg Sigg’s LALLEKONIG was fifth.

On Thursday, the "real" work begins with a clean slate for all teams! Game on for the start of the 2018 J/111 World Championship!  For more J/111 World Championship sailing information
 

J/121 sailing doublehandedJ/Teams Sweep PHRF B/ Two-Handed Ida Lewis Race
(Newport, RI)- The forecast was not the rosiest one might expect for an offshore race.  However, with an impending front with rain showers forecast to roll into New England over the next twenty-four hours after the start, the slowly strengthening south to southwesterly winds eventually gave the fleet a reasonably quick race.  In the end, the entire J/fleet finished before noon time in the 120nm long track they were given- start to “NB” buoy (traffic separation scheme buoy at the entrance to Narragansett Bay), then east to Buzzards Tower, back west to Montauk Bell, back east to Buzzards Tower, then round “NB” again to the finish.  A simple course, but devilish in the details on how to maximize VMG (both upwind and downwind)!

Fifty-plus teams raced the 14th annual Ida Lewis Distance Race that started August 17th in the Eastern Passage of Narragansett Bay between Jamestown and Rose Island in Newport, RI. Starting first, fast out of the blocks was David Southwell’s J/121 ALCHEMY, taking the lead right off the starting line in the PHRF Doublehanded Class and never looking back, winning their fleet on corrected by over three hours.

J/121 Sarah sailing offshoreThen, in the PHRF A Spinnaker division were three more J/121 sisterships.  In their inaugural race, it was Greg Manning’s SARAH that took J/121 honors and was second on corrected, just a few minutes off from the lead.  Though finishing only ten minutes back on elapsed time, Don Nicholson’s APOLLO finished 5th on corrected.  What was fascinating about this duel was the differences in performance from the Montauk Point mark back east to the Buzzards Tower mark- a long starboard tack reach/ run under spinnakers.  After the first four legs, APOLLO was leading boat-for-boat.  However, Manning’s SARAH sailed lower and faster on the long leg back to Buzzards, passing APOLLO to leeward.  Thereafter, it was close-reaching back to the “NB” entrance buoy to Narragansett Bay, then a quick spinnaker run to the finish.

All five (5) J/Crews in PHRF Spinnaker B simply eclipsed their class, occupying all top five spots.  Perhaps unprecedented in offshore sailing history, all teams sailed hard and fast and it was a duel to the finish on handicapped time for every boat.  Winning was Bob Manchester’s J/120 VAMOOSE, followed by just 57 seconds (!) by Greg Slamowitz’s J/111 MANITOU in second, Paul Grimes’ race-winning J/35 BREAKAWAY Collegiate in third, Bill Kneller’s veterans on the J/109 VENTO SOLARE in 4th and “the kids” on the J/105 YOUNG AMERICAN YCC YOUTH taking 5th!  Congrats to all, an amazing performance overall!  For more Ida Lewis Distance Race sailing information
 

J/70 PCC winners1FA Crowned J/70 Pacific Coast Champions
(San Francisco, CA)- The St Francis YC hosted the 2018 J/70 Pacific Coast Championship over the weekend of August 17th to 19th.  As is typical for this time of year on San Francisco Bay, the seven teams racing in the event had to contend with strongly building seabreezes from the west that would peak up to 25-plus kts by late afternoon.

Perhaps the most notable performance of the regatta was that of the Santa Barbara YC Youth Team on USA 1156, after the first day they were leading the entire fleet with a record of 5-1-1 for just 7 pts total.  However, one of the kids got into an accident on Saturday evening, severely scraping his leg.  As a result, on an even windier Sunday, the SBYC Youth Team did not want to risk their injured crew member, so bowed out of the last two races.  Nevertheless, skipper Paul Harteck was ecstatic with their performance against the top West Coast J/70 teams.  Ultimately, they finished in 4th place.

J/70 Santa Barbara YC Youth Team sailing San FranciscoWatch their YouTube sailing video highlights of their first (and only) day on the Berkeley Circle race track winning one of the races here.

Winning the event by taking two bullets on the last day, obviously loving the nuking winds, was the trio of Scott Sellers, Harrison Turner, and Geoff McDonald on 1FA.  Their record of 2-3-2-1-1 for 9 pts enabled them to be crowned the 2018 J/70 PCC Champions. Never far behind them on the race track was Chris Kostanecki’s JENNIFER team with a 3-2-3-2-2 record for 12 pts total.  Then, ending up in the bronze on the podium was Tracy and Christine Usher on their boat- CHRISTINE ROBIN RACING- with a tally of 1-5-6-3-3 for 18 pts total.

In the Corinthians Division, winning was Kostanecki’s JENNIFER, second was the Usher’s on CHRISTINE ROBIN RACING, and third was the SBYC Youth Team skippered by Paul Harteck!  For more J/70 Pacific Coast Championship sailing information
 

J/105s sailing San FranciscoCliffhanger Final for J/105s
J/Crews Top Phyllis Kleinmann Swiftsure Regatta
(San Francisco, CA)- This past weekend, the St Francis YC hosted one of their favorite events of the year, honoring one of their long-time supporters of both offshore handicap and one-design sailing on San Francisco Bay- the Phyllis Kleinmann Swiftsure Regatta.

Nineteen J/105s showed up for the party on and off the water.  After five races, it was apparent the entire podium was going to be determined by a cliffhanger finale in the last race.  Anyone could have won amongst the entire top five, so close was the racing along the San Francisco city waterfront.

J/105 winnerIn the end, Tim Russell’s NE*NE won the countback on a tie-breaker for first place with Ryan Simmons’ BLACKHAWK. NE*NE was consistent from the start and faltered a bit in the end, posting a 4-1-1-2-8 for 16 pts.  BLACKHAWK had a 3-3-2-7-1 tally to nearly pull off the class win, also finishing with 16 pts.  Just out of the money was Bruce Stone’s ARBITRAGE, posting a roller-coast tally of 1-6-3-6-3 for 19 pts total to just hang on to third place.  Fourth went to Ian Charles’ MAVERICK with a 6-7-4-1-2 record for 20 pts.  Then, fifth place was Doug Bailey’s AKULA with a 2-2-6-4-10 for 24 pts total.  In short, had AKULA won the last race, they could have won the regatta!  And, that was apparently the case for the rest of the teams in the top five! 

J/Crews cleaned up in their respective ORR Divisions. Reuben Rocci’s J/111 SWIFT NESS won ORR B, while Barry Lewis’ J/120 CHANCE won ORR C with straight bullets!  For more Phyllis Kleinmann Swiftsure Regatta sailing information
 

J/122 Junique RayMarineJ/122 Podiums RORC Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The 2018 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race started from the Royal Yacht Squadron line at noon on Sunday 12th August, immediately after Lendy Cowes Week. The 1,805 nautical mile race around Britain and Ireland was organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club every four years and will go down in history as one of the toughest races yet in the quadrennial event.

For the 2018 race, 29 teams with close to 200 professional and Corinthian sailors started the race.  Over a dozen dropped out over the course of time due to boat damage, human damage, or electronics failures.  In fact, the weather forecast was so rough, the RORC reversed the route to protect the fleet from a potential battering.  In layman’s terms, that meant that fast reaching/ running boats would enjoy an enormous advantage for 85% of the race.  The normal course is counter-clockwise, going around Britain first to the east, then around Ireland and back to the finish.  The clockwise course meant the fleet sailed in mostly southwesterlies due to a large depression northwest of Ireland- a fast reaching port gybe from southwest Ireland to the northernmost point of the course at Muckle Flugga.

Racing in the IRC 2 Class and the IRC Doublehanded Class was the Dutch duo on JUNIQUE RAYMARINE SAILING TEAM (Chris Revelman & Pascal Bakker).  For most of the race, they lay in fourth place in both IRC Double and IRC 2.  However, as the race progressed, their perseverance produced gains on their much faster offwind competitors.  And, as things slowed down on the eastern shore of England, heading back down into the English Channel, they made enough gains to ultimately finish 3rd in IRC Doublehanded, 3rd in IRC 2 Division, and 5th IRC Overall!  Considering Revelman & Bakker were sailing a standard factory-built J/122, that is an extraordinary achievement against some of the world’s top professional sailors all in custom and semi-custom modified boats that beat them.  Congratulations to Revelman & Bakker’s tremendous achievement on their J/122 JUNIQUE RAYMARINE Sailing Team!  For more Round Britain & Ireland Race sailing information
 

J/120 sailing Chester Race WeekJ/Crews Eclipse Chester Race Week
(Chester, Nova Scotia)- After three nearly perfect sunny days, sailors brought out their foul weather gear for the fourth and final day of racing at Helly Hansen Chester Race Week 2018. Thick fog, swells and rains that varied from a sprinkling to torrential downpour didn’t dampen enthusiasm at the many start lines.

“It wouldn’t be Chester if we didn’t have these rainy days,” said Patricia Nelder, 2018 chair of on-water activities. “Despite some fog, the fleets were able to get in a few more races to finish the regatta.”

J/105 sailing Chester Race WeekThroughout the week, all four one-design fleets were extremely competitive, moving as one through their courses. It takes an extra edge to lead a fleet where all the boats are essentially identical. Doing exactly that in the J/105 class was Sean McDermott and Rory MacDonald’s McMAC, winning the class counting all bullets in five of six races.  Counting virtually all 2nds was Jim Mosher’s MOJO to take the silver with 10 pts in 5 races.  And, rounding out the podium was Barry Eisner’s BUZZ with 13 pts.

The Inshore 1 Class was simply dominated by an enormous J/Navy.  Leading the sweep of the top five were all J/29s!  Jane Filbee’s PAINKILLER marked the first time a woman skipper/ owner topped the class.  Second was Chris MacDonald’s SCOTCH MIST IV (a previous regatta winner), third went to Don Williams’ PARADIGM SHIFT, fourth to Terry Schnare’s HEAD GAMES, and fifth was Scott Covey’s RUMBLEFISH.

Dominating all four Distance Classes were J/Crews!  Winning Distance 1 Class was Stu McCrea’s J/120 DEVIATION.  Another J/120, Rick Calder’s BRILLIANCE took fourth.

J/35 sailing off Chester, Nova ScotiaAndrew Childs’ J/35 HELOC led a sweep of Distance 2 Class.  Second was Larry Creaser’s J/100 YOUNGBLOOD, third went to Rod Johnstone (yes, the designer) and Gary Bennett’s J/35 J’AI TU.  The balance of the top five included Thane MacDonald’s J/35 J-HAWK in 4th and Peter Traves’ J/35 CRACKERJACK in 5th position.

Distance 3 Class saw long-time J/92 veteran Colin Mann again wins his class on the famous POOHSTICKS.  Then, in Distance 4 Class, Jesleine Baker’s J/30 JUST ADD WATER marked yet another win by a woman skipper/ owner; and at that, winning with all firsts as counters!  Taking fourth was Jordan MacNeil’s J/30 FLUX.

Chester Race Week video highlightsSailing Video highlights of each day-
Day 1- https://www.facebook.com/ChesterRaceWeek/videos/2227312080837134/
Day 2- https://www.facebook.com/ChesterRaceWeek/videos/2793308284028926/
Day 3- https://www.facebook.com/ChesterRaceWeek/videos/1069576573211802/
Day 4- https://www.facebook.com/ChesterRaceWeek/videos/1517346938367338/

For more Chester Race Week sailing information, follow here on Facebook
 

J/24 Canadian Nationals- CORKHowarth Tops J/24 Canadian Championship
(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)- Thirteen teams took on the 2018 J/24 Canadian Championship held August 18-20 in Kingston, Ont. Michael Howarth’s crew started hot, winning three of the first five races, and held off a late charge by David Ogden to take the title. Ogden’s team won the final four races but still finished five points back in the 9-race series. Peter Dixon finished one point further back in third overall.

Rounding out the top five were Jean Levac in fourth with 38 pts and Edmond Rees in fifth with 42 pts.  For more Canadian J/24 Championship sailing information
 

Irish J/24 National championsHyde Wins Irish J/24 Nationals
(Foynes, Ireland)- The Irish J/24 National Championship concluded at Foynes Yacht Club in a light to moderate westerly breeze. The Foynes YC PRO- Derek Bothwell- was able to start on schedule for the first time the entire weekend after hours spent waiting around for wind for the previous two days.

Race six of the championships got off to a clear start with the fleet splitting both left and right on the course in a flooding tide. GALA RACING, who went right on the first beat and left on the second, got their first win of the championship followed by Howth YC’s Under 25 team SCANDAL in second and Tim Corcoran on CRAZYHORSE in third.

As the tide strengthened and wind lightened, the race course was shortened before the start of the final race of the event. Flor O’Driscoll’s HARD ON PORT tacked off to the right immediately after the start, keeping further right than any other boat and emerged with a clear lead by the windward mark. A battle for second developed between JIBE, CRAZY HORSE and JUMPIN JIVE who exchanged places numerous times on both the upwind and downwind legs, with CRAZY HORSE finishing in 2nd just ahead of JUMPIN JIVE.

Irish Nationals- Under 25 winnersWith the championship complete, attention turned to the prize giving. There were multiple changes in positions in the fleet after the final two races. In Gold, Royal Cork Yacht Club’s Stefan Hyde on MAURICE JOHNSON & PARTNERS became the new Irish J/24 National Champion for 2018. The new Under 25 Irish National Champion is Harry Cronin and his SCANDAL team from Howth Yacht Club.

A number of initiatives brought in for this year’s event were very successful. The trialing of On-the-Water Judging conducted by Gordon Davies was well received by the competitors. Also, the introduction of a Bronze Fleet made for competitive sailing for all competitors.  Here are the complete results for each of the fleets.

GOLD Fleet
1st – Maurice Johnson & Partners – Stefan Hyde
2nd – Crazy horse – Tim Corcoran
3rd – Hard on Port – Flor O’Driscoll

SILVER Fleet
1st – Gala Racing – Simon McGibney
2nd – FYC Under 25 Team – Michael Lynch
3rd – Kilcullen – Colin O’Sullivan

BRONZE Fleet
1st – Jevan – Ken Draper/Adam Sutor
2nd – Blue Jay – Brian McDowell
3rd – NUIG Galway – Aaron O’Reilly

UNDER 25
1st – Scandal – Harry Cronin
2nd – FYC Under 25 – Michael Lynch
3rd – Kilcullen – Colin O’Sullivan

The association acknowledged the support of the sponsors of the event and ICRA for their support and finally the host club and its members for a great weekend of sailing!  Thanks for contribution from AFLOAT.IE in Ireland for the report
 

J/30 wins Hook raceJ/30 Leads Sweep of Low Country Hook Race
(Hilton Head, SC)- The 2018 Low Country Hook Ocean Race goes from Hilton Head, SC to the finish off the Landings Marina on Skidaway Island, GA- a 30.0nm distance race that took place on August 18th.  The race was presented by Skidaway Island Boating Club and The Yacht Club of Hilton Head. Twenty-four boats registered with nearly half the fleet in the PHRF Spinnaker class. Of those nine boats, six were J/Boats; including two J/105s, two J/24s, one J/30, one J/100, and one J/109.

The race took the sailors out into the Atlantic, crossing the Savannah River shipping channel past Tybee Island, south to the entrance of Wassaw Sound, where the boats then maneuvered up the Wilmington River to the finish line north of Landings Harbor Marina. The “Hook Race” is named after the pattern of the race course- looks like fish hook.

J/100 sailing Hook raceWinds were light from the southwest at the start of the race, allowing the J/105 and J/109 to fly their asymmetrical spinnakers. The J/30 had chosen to use their 163% genoa, which allowed her to keep up with the asymmetrical spinnakers. The J/100 attempted to fly their symmetrical spinnaker with the pole at the lowest position on the mast and all the way forward just off the head stay.

At the end of the race, the Gebel Seese’s J/105 HIGH VISIBILITY from Savannah YC crossed the finish-line first on elapsed time, followed by Mike Foster’s Savannah YC crew on the J/30 RONIN, then Troy Lamb’s J/109 WAHOO from Savannah YC, then Paul Reddick’s J/100 BLU J from Skidaway Island Boating Club.

After PHRF handicap ratings were applied to the elapsed times, it was a convincing win for the Foster’s J/30 RONIN.  Taking the silver meal was Seese’s J/105 HIGH VISIBILITY, followed by Lamb’s J/109 WAHOO J/105 sailing Hook racein 4th, Reddick’s J/100 BLU J 5th, and Amar Patel’s J/24 ROGUE from Skidaway Island Boat Club in 6th position.

Commented one of the crew members (and Co-Chair of the Race), Mark Winters, “It was a great day of racing, especially for those of us on J/Boats. I was on the J/100 BLU J. We competed well with the J/105 and J/109 upwind, but downwind it is difficult to compete with them unless the wind is aft of beam.  Had we elected to bring our genoa, we would have been right there with the J/30!”  For more Low Country Hook Race sailing information
 

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

Alison Kent at Doyle Sails New Zealand* Alison Kent- The making of a sailmaker- how did she get from Milwaukee, Wisconsin (the cheese state and brewery home of Schlitz, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, Miller High Life, and Rhinelander, amongst others) to Auckland, New Zealand (the land of sails)?!  For starters, Alison sailed with family and friends for what seemed forever on their J/30, winning many races on Lake Michigan, and even competing as skipper in the J/30 North Americans as a teenager.

For those that aspire to be a professional sailor, an apprenticeship in sailmaking is one of the best points of entry to consider and there are more opportunities than ever at Doyle Sails.

For Doyle’s CEO, Mike Sanderson, a sailmaking apprenticeship was the obvious route to reaching his career goals. “My aim in life was to be a professional sailor and I left King’s College early at sixth form, having been on shortlist for Head Boy, to start a sailmaking apprenticeship,” he says. “At the time it was quite a drastic move with my peers finishing seventh form and going on to university. But I strongly believed that being 100% entrenched in sailing and sailmaking was the secret to success in the sailing world.”

It was a move that more than paid off. Sanderson worked as an apprentice until he landed his first pro sailing gig on board NZ Endeavour in 1993. “That kick-started everything,” he remembers. The rest, as they say, is history with Sanderson forging a stellar career in sailing, going on to be named the youngest ever skipper to win the Volvo Ocean Race and winner of the 2006 World Sailor the Year Award.

Unsurprisingly Sanderson is passionate about the value of sailing apprenticeships. “An apprenticeship sees you immerse yourself in the sailing world and gives you many opportunities to get on boats,” he explains. “Thinking about boats and the speed and handling of sails – which are the biggest singular component of what makes a boat go fast – is key, and sailmaking also gives you deeper insight into the boats, masts and rigging as well.”

At Doyle New Zealand, American Alison Kent is now immersed in their apprenticeship program and shares the experience here:

Where is home for you?
Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA

What do you miss most from home?
Deep fried cheese curds and Spotted Cow Beer, it’s our local brewery, and you can only drink it in Wisconsin!

How long have you been a sailor?
I’ve been sailing on the Great Lakes of the States my whole life…ever since I can remember really! Literally all my baby photos are on boats. I tried to quit once when I was a kid and give soccer a-go but then I realized it was pretty lame compared to sailing, so I went back to my ways.

How is sailing different from the states to NZ?
I feel like NZ is a couple steps ahead in their sail technology and skill wise they are on another level. Even before I came to live in NZ, I had always heard that it was the place to be if you wanted to advance in sailing.

How did you come to work for Doyle Sails NZ and what do you do there?
I was lucky enough to get a job here when I originally came to Auckland as a post-grad trip. I quickly realized how many sailing opportunities came from learning how to make sails at this loft and sailing in Auckland. I now joined the apprenticeship program and work in the downwind department, making spinnakers and the code zeros!

What has been your biggest learning curve?
I really came to the loft not knowing anything about sailmaking. The whole process has taken awhile to perfect and I am still learning how to do things more efficiently every day. Spreading the sails on the floor and learning how and why the curves affect a sail’s performance has made me look at sailing so much differently.

What teams do you race with? Any events coming up?
I sail on a YD37 called Anarchy as their main trimmer and we basically participate in all the local Auckland events. They are such a fun crew to work with and the boat is fast! I’ve learned a lot sailing with them.

I’ve also recently joined the all-female NZ Women’s Match Racing Team with some of the crew from Anarchy. It’s a different kind of sailing than I usually do and I’m on the bow, so it’s been cool learning a new role. We also travel around which is a bonus! We just got back from Finland and we’ll be participating a couple of regattas in Australia in September.

What is your biggest sailing accomplishment so far?
Probably sailing on the Magenta Project for the 2017 Sydney Hobart. It was a dream to work with rockstar sailors like Libby Greenhalgh and Lisa Blair. I was lucky enough to be put on watch with Libby and she was so down-to-earth and funny. When she left the boat to join Scallywag for the Volvo Ocean Race, she had to leave behind some of her kit and she gave me her sailing pants [trousers] from the last edition of the VOR when she sailed with the all-female team. I wear them all the time, they are so cool!

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now? 10 years from now?
I hope that in 5 years’ time I’ll have gained the confidence and skills as a sailmaker and that I’ll be using that experience in my offshore racing. At that point, I want to be competing in as many events as possible and learning from the very best in the industry. In 10 years, I’d like to have at least one major accomplishment under my belt and working in a management position in the sailmaking business.

Who is your sailing idol?
Can I say my dad? My dad (Tim Kent) sailed in an Open 50 alone in a round-the-world race back 2003…against all odds he accomplished it. My step-dad is also a very talented sailor and my sister and I Alison Kent- apprentice at Doyle Sails NZhave learned so much from him. My ‘dads’ were such positive influences and encouraged me to keep sailing. I feel very lucky that I had that.

Favourite Kiwi slang?
Fizzing – to display or feel excitement

Can you use that in a sentence?
I’m fizzing to get back home for some cheese curds and beer!  Watch her interview on YouTube

J/105 collision with fishing boat* Nine boaters survive massive boat collision on Chesapeake Bay- J/105 vs. fishing boat!

The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating a collision between a commercial powerboat and a sailboat in the Chesapeake Bay on Friday.

The two boats were off the shore of Thomas Point Park when the commercial boat, part of a charter service, and a J/105 sailboat belonging to the Chesapeake Boating Club in Eastport, collided. The powerboat slid over the sailboat, then came to rest with the cabin mounted across the middle of the deck, leaving a sizable dent.

There were nine people aboard the boats and no one was injured, according to the Coast Guard.

The boats were perpendicularly stacked until emergency personnel separated them and towed both boats back to shore.

First responders with the Natural Resources Police, Anne Arundel County Fire Department, U.S. Coast Guard and Maryland State Police arrived at the scene in the early afternoon. Two people from the sailboat, named “Levitation”, and seven people from the powerboat, named “The Hunter”, were rescued, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Shannon Kearney.

J/105 crushed by fishing boat doing 30 ktsKearney did not know what charter service operates The Hunter.

Typically, a motorboat gives way to a sailboat if the passengers are not engaged in certain types of fishing at the time or the boat is otherwise unable to move. Conditions Friday were perfectly clear.

The U.S. Coast Guard has jurisdiction over crashes involving commercial vessels. Kearney could not disclose which boat caused the accident, or whether alcohol or excess speed caused the collision.

Chesapeake Boating Club owner Kevin Ryman said a club member was sailing when the powerboat struck the vessel.

Commented Ryman, "At approximately 11:30am, a member of the Chesapeake Boating Club was under sail on one of the Club’s J/105s when they were struck by a 35’ powerboat. The J/105 was struck amidships on the starboard side, with the powerboat coming to a stop on top of the sailboats’ cabin top, creating an enormous gash and hole on the starboard side of the J/105.  It’s a miracle the J/105 didn’t sink immediately- testimony to the tough building standards and qualities of the J/105!

Our members were operating the boat in a safe manner, on a day with clear visibility and 10-12 knots of breeze. The J/105 crew attempted to hail the approaching boat prior to the collision, otherwise signaling with their hands and yelling, too, and then took action to avoid the collision."  Thanks for contribution from Danielle Ohl at The Capitol Gazette.

J/105 damage from 30 kt collision with fishing boatEye witness account from fishing boat- The Hunter:
One of the passengers on the powerboat shared this witness account the next day on the Club Sea Ray forum (member ID- Winch1995):

“Yesterday, I was passenger on a 34′ fishing charter out the eastern shore of Maryland, below the bridge (south). We had fished all morning and by noon we headed in. It was a brand new deadrise boat, first trip out. Six passengers plus the Captain.

We were underway for about 10 minutes, and I estimate our speed was around 30 knots.

Visibility was unlimited.

Most of the passengers were hanging out enjoying the ride, and no one was really paying attention the situation on the water.

I was on a port side bench seat, looking toward the stern. Suddenly, a guy yells “WATCH OUT!!!” I spun around to look forward and all I saw was white sails through the windshield.

Then impact. We t-boned a sailboat with two guys in the cockpit. We were thrown to the deck. Now, we are on top of the sailboat.

Our captain was kind of dazed, so being an experienced boater, I first told everyone to grab a life vest. We did a head count and injury check and nothing serious beyond cuts, scrapes, and bruises. I could not tell what was happening on the sailboat.

Anyway, I turned on the marine VHF radio and Mayday’d. The US Coast Guard answers and I give GPS coordinates. The guys in the sailboat are shaken up, but ok (everyone was shaken up, but no panic).

So, now we are sitting up on top of the sailboat, with our stern precariously close to being swamped. I found the bilge pump switch and turned it on to “auto”, but it did not appear to be working. I switched to manual mode and it started pumping water overboard. The switch set up required that you hold the switch down for the pump to work.

Now, I’m at the helm holding this fricking switch down, dangerously close to swamping, and I’m thinking, if we swamp, I’m going to be trapped in the cabin at the front of the cockpit with no way out. It was kind of dicey at that point.

US Coast Guard arrives about 15 minutes later and transfers the sailboaters to another boat, then they start to transfer the six passengers from the charter to another boat. I have to admit that the USCG did an awesome job. Once we were all safely transferred, the USCG actually went back to the charter boat and retrieved our coolers!!

DNR, Marine Police, Fire Boats, Tow Boats, we had ’em all.

I was kind of surprised that only one boater offered assistance.

So, as far as I know, no serious injuries. But, we were so lucky in that respect. It could have been a whole lot worse.

For the life of me, I cannot understand how this happened. Broad daylight, Captain was not drinking, etc. One guy said that he thought the sailboat changed tack.

I guess my big lesson is this: Stay far away from all other boats because you don’t know what they might do.

I am sharing this story reluctantly, since the Captain is a good guy, but it’s all over the news anyway. As a Captain of your vessel, be alert at all times. Don’t put yourself in a situation where you are too close to other boats. As a passenger, be a second set of eyes for the Captain. Give wide berth to other vessels.

Stuff happens fast.

I have this anxiety right now about boating, but I am going to go down to my 27′ Sun Dancer and do some maintenance work. I’m sure I’ll get over it but I’ll not forget yesterday.”

J/105 starboard side damageWashington Post's Article- as reported by Martin Weil & Reis Thebault
Two boats, one a sailboat and the other an engine-powered fishing boat, collided on Friday in the Chesapeake Bay, a crash that caused no serious injuries, authorities said.

Two people were aboard the sailboat, named Levitation, and seven were on the fishing boat called Hunter, the Coast Guard said. Maryland Natural Resources Police said the crash occurred near Thomas Point, which juts into the bay south of Annapolis.

The Hunter — which police described as a charter fishing boat from Kent Island, 10 miles east of Annapolis in the bay — overrode the sailboat and ended up atop its hull, until the two were almost perpendicular.

The bow of the fishing boat projected beyond one side of the sailboat’s hull, the port side. The stern projected beyond the other side of the sailboat.

In a photograph of the tangle, the fishing boat’s bow is seen pointed up, the stern down, touching the water.

A sailboat under sail and not running its engine has the right of way, police said, speaking generally. A fishing boat could have priority if engaged in a certain kind of fishing, but authorities declined to say whether that was the case here. and also did not say whether the sailboat’s engine was running.

The police described the sailboat as a J/105 based in Annapolis. Available specifications put its overall length at 34.5 feet. It has a large cockpit and can cost more than $100,000.

In the photo, the two boats seemed to have melded firmly, with the lower edge of a sail draped across the front of the fishing boat, just in front of its cabin windshield.

The hull of the fishing boat apparently left a V-shaped gouge across the hull of the sailboat.

Coast Guard officials said that after they evacuated the seven people from the fishing boat, it slid off the sailboat. Authorities called in a commercial salvage company to tow both boats back to shore, which is standard practice when an incident does not result in a medical emergency.

The Coast Guard is still investigating the cause of the crash.

The height of summer is the most dangerous time for boating, said Capt. Melissa Scarborough of the Maryland Natural Resources Police, one of the agencies that initially responded to the crash.

“July is historically, without fail, the biggest boat accident month that Maryland has,” she said. “August is the second highest.”

So far this year, boating incidents have killed 16 people in the Chesapeake and its tributaries, Scarborough said. This month, two have died — one in an incident on a creek off the Potomac and another in Frederick County on the Monocacy River.

Some on the water think of boating as purely recreational, Scarborough said, and forget that, just like cars, boats can be dangerous and even deadly.

“I think that sometimes changes their mind set and the care that they take,” she said.

COLREGS Right of Way Rules: a simple reference and reminder for all friends in the sailing and boating world…
Whenever two boats try to occupy the same water at the same time, a right of way situation exists. When this happens, one boat is obligated to give way to the other. The boat that is supposed to give way is called the “give way” vessel and the other one is called the “stand on” vessel. The “stand on” vessel should keep to its course, so the skipper of the “give way” vessel can get out of the way without collision. There are specific rules to use in determining which vessel is which.

Motor vs. Sail: A motorboat is any vessel using an engine, regardless of whether it is a sailboat or a motorboat. A sailboat is considered to be a motorboat, even if the sails are up, as long as the engine is running. A sailboat that is sailing generally has the right of way over motorboats. But, there are some exceptions as enumerated below:
  • Large motor vessels are given the right of way in channels where it is difficult for them to maneuver. In the case of ships, the whole of San Francisco Bay is considered to be channeled, so that ships always have right of way in the Bay.
  • In narrow channels such as Redwood Creek, motor vessels as small as 65 feet may be limited in maneuverability enough to make them the "stand on" vessel.
  • Motor vessels that are restricted in maneuverability, due to the special job they are doing, are "stand on”. This could be anything from towing nets to dredging, pile driving, or tending buoys.
  • Motor vessels don't have to give way to sailboats that are motoring, when the rules for motorboats give the motor vessel right of way. (When motoring, a sailboat is treated like any other motorboat).
  • If a motor vessel is experiencing some kind of difficulty restricting its maneuverability, it is given right of way.
  • If a sailboat is overtaking a power boat, the power boat has the right of way.
  • Passing- When any boat is passing another boat, the passing boat is the “give way” boat and the boat being passed is the “stand on” boat.
  • Head On- When two motor boats approach each other head on, both boats turn to the right and pass each other port to port.
  • Crossing- When motor boats paths cross, the boat on the other's right is “stand on” and the one on the other's left is the “give way” boat. This is like two cars coming to a 4-way stop, except that a give way boat would alter course to go behind the other boat.
  • Sailboats- When encountering sailboats that are sailing, motorboats generally should give way. If you are motoring in a sailboat, you should give way to sailboats that are sailing.
  • Add to Flipboard Magazine.