Showing posts with label j44. Show all posts
Showing posts with label j44. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

J/Newsletter- February 24th, 2021

Jeff Adams- Morning sunrise in Newport, RI

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

Ever so slowly, the sailing world is starting to heat-up again in both hemispheres. This weekend, the USA J/24 Midwinter Championship is taking place on Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida! Thirty-plus teams are thrilled they have the opportunity to hop back aboard their stallions and ride them across the aquamarine waters of the Bay. Similarly, 3,000 miles across the continental USA, the Singlehanded Sailing Society of San Francisco Bay will be hosting 180 single and doublehanded boats in their popular Corinthian Race. 

This past week saw the epic conclusion to the increasingly popular SORC Islands in the Stream Series. The final event was the Miami to Eleuthera Race, a 443.0nm jaunt across the Gulf Stream, through the Bahamas, and down to the southern tip of Eleuthera. Wow, did they ever enjoy an epic beach party with a bonfire of the vanities, to boot!

Then, we get a report of the latest sailing from the San Francisco J/105 Fleet. They held a doublehanded race called the Valentine's Day Invitational. A fun around-the-cans event, with start and finish just off Golden Gate Yacht Club!
 
J/24s sailing Midwinters

J/24 Midwinter Championship Preview

(Miami, FL)- This coming weekend, sailing from February 26th to 28th, the USA J/24 class has organized their J/24 Midwinter Championship in Miami, Florida, with the Shake-A-Leg Foundation being their host at their amazing facility on the Miami waterfront. J/24 sailors from across the country are certainly excited about heading down to one of their favorite "watering holes" in all of Florida- Coconut Grove and its super chill downtown collection of restaurants and bars (abiding by pandemic guidelines, of course). The sailors can't wait to chuck the boat in, pop open a few "tinnies", lather up in sunscreen, put on the shades, and take a cruise around the lovely aquamarine waters of Biscayne Bay with friends.

J/24s sailing downwind
Nearly thirty J/24 teams are registered and the depth of talent is remarkable. Sailing the regatta are several past National, North American, and World Champions; such as the John Mollicone & Mike Marshall duo on AMERICAN GARAGE, Robby Brown's ANGEL OF HARLEM, the Long Island Sound brother duo of Al & Dave Constants on BLITZ, the scary smart crew on HONEYBADGER (Travis Odenbach, Patrick Wilson, Chris Stocke, and Monica Morgan), Eammon Delisser's MAIN SQUEEZE with Luke Lawrence on cockpit/ tactics, the famous Aidan Glackin on MENTAL FLOSS, Mark Pincus steering SCOUTS HONOR, Kirk Reynolds driving TYRUS, and Marcus Rogers on WIND MONKEY with Carter and Molly White providing traffic directions. No "spring chickens" amongst those boats, a lot of bragging rights in the J/24 class amongst them!  For more J/24 Midwinters event and registration information, click here to go to Yachtscoring.com and sign up!
 
J/70 sailing San Francisco Bay- photo by Pressure-drop.us

SSS Corinthians Race Preview

(San Francisco, CA)- The Singlehanded Sailing Society of San Francisco Bay is back at it again. After hosting their eponymous Three Bridge Fiasco (won overall by a J/70, if you recall), they will now be hosting one of their more revered races of the year- the Corinthians Race.  Answering that siren's call are 180 intrepid souls who are gleefully looking forward to more wind on SF Bay! It will be the first event of the season that includes the huge doublehanded contingent on the Bay.

Starting and finishing off Golden Gate Yacht Club, the 15.5nm course rounds Blackaller Buoy to starboard, Southampton Shoal red bell to port, Little Harding green buoy to port, Blossom Rock green bell to starboard, then to GGYC finish on the waterfront. Basically, the course is criss-crossing the Bay in a circumnavigation of all the tourist sites! 

So far, the weather forecast is for a sunny day starting out with a light 5-8 kts NNW breeze, swinging into the classic westerly seabreeze by noon, and increasing to 8-15 kts by late afternoon! Sounds amazing!

J/105 doublehanded offshore
Looking forward to that challenge are a raft of shorthanded J/Crews.  In PHRF C class are the doublehanded J/105s; including Adam Spiegel's JAM SESSION, Eric Patterson's KESTREL, Tom Struttmann's ARRIVED, Bruce Stone's ARBITRAGE, Phil Laby's GODOT, Charles James' ROXANNE, and Chris Kim's VUJA STAR-- wow, quite the all-star cast from the local SF J/105 fleet!

Sailing in PHRF 5 Class for singlehanded J/70s is John Brigden's COOL STORY BRO. He'll be taking on the PHRF 6 Class doublehanded J/70s that include David Fried's SON OF A SON, Scott Sellers 1FA, Pete Cameron's KANGAROO JOCKEY, Justin Foox's FLOTEK, and Tom Thayer's RAMPAGE. 

The thirteen-boat PHRF H Doublehanded Spin class looks pretty formidable. Rated at the top is Nesrin Basoz's J/111 SWITF NESS. He'll be challenging a gaggle of tough J/120 honchos, like Timo Bruck's TWIST, Barry Lewis' CHANCE, Tracy Rogers' HOKULANI, and Jeff Phillips ALCHERA. Wishing they were sailing in a different class is Ted Rogers' pretty J/100 GRACE!

PHRF 13 Class is Doublehanded Powered Winches boats, which includes Richard Leute's J/44 ACEY DEUCY. 

PHRF I Class Doublehanded Spin has thirteen boats and just one J/Crew- Tim Roche's J/92 ZAFF. Then PHRF K Doublehanded Spin of 11 boats also has a sole J/30 sailing- Jenny Thompson's FRICTION LOSS. 

The seventeen-boats PHRF L Class Doublehanded Non-Spin is also seeing a solo performance by Brian Richards' J/109 LA VIAJERA. 

The eleven-boat PHRF N Class Singlehanded Spin has Ralph Morganstem's J/30 GEODESIC up against another classic J, Chad Peddy's J/24 IRISH BLESSING.

Finally, the fourteen-boat PHRF P Class Singlehanded Non-Spin includes yet another solo performance by John Kalucki's J/109 LINDO. Fair winds and God Speed to all, hoping for a gorgeous day of sailing on the Bay!  For more SSS Corinthian Race sailing information
 
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Sailing Calendar

Feb 26- Mar 1- J/24 Midwinter Championship- Miami, FL
Mar 4-7- J/70 Primo Cup- Trophee Credit Suisse- Monte Carlo, Monaco
Mar 5-7- J/111 Key West Winter Series- Key West, FL
Mar 5-6- Islands Race- San Diego, CA
Mar 10-13- J/70 Bacardi Cup- Miami, FL
Mar 11-14- J/105 Midwinters- Seabrook, TX
Mar 18-21- J/22 Midwinter Championship- New Orleans, LA
Mar 19-21- San Diego NOOD Regatta- San Diego, CA
Mar 19- NHYC Cabo Race- Newport Beach, CA
Mar 25-28- SAIL 22 J/70 Invitational- Coconut Grove, FL
Mar 26-28- St. Thomas International Regatta- St. Thomas, USVI
Mar 29- Apr 4- BVI Spring Regatta- Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Apr 2-4- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Petersburg, FL
Apr 8-11- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 30- May 2- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
Apr 30- May 2- J/111 North American Championship- Annapolis, MD
May 9-15- J/70 North American Championship- Annapolis, MD 

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

J/Teams Sweep SORC Islands in Stream Series!

J/44, J/109, & J/121 Go 1-2-3!

(Miami, FL)- The final event for the SORC's Islands in the Stream Series took place last weekend- the Miami to Eleuthera Race. The course took competitors through the heart of the Bahamas and led them to a tropical oasis- Eleuthera Island on the eastern banks.

J/44 KENAI sailing off Miami, FL
The 443.0nm race started February 17, 2021 in moderate winds with great expectations the "Weather Gods" would prove right and provide a fresh breeze nearly all the way down the course. The Eleuthera race started off of South Beach, Miami, crossed the Gulf Stream, left Great Isaac (67.5nm), Great Stirrup (75.5nm) and Eleuthera (82.0nm) to starboard, rounded the southern tip of Eleuthera (130.0nm), past the southern tip (18.0nm), and up to the finish near Powell Point (70.0nm). Thereafter, drop sails and head into the gorgeous Cape Eleuthera Resort and Marina. 

J/121 Wings sailing offshore
At the start of the final race, the overall outcome could not have been predicted by anyone. The top five contenders for the series were quite close on points between a TP 52, a 40 ft custom, and three J/Teams (J/44, J/109, and J/121).

J/109 Harm's Way sailing off Miami, FL
In the end, tremendous perseverance paid off for all three J's. Winning was Chris and Karen Lewis' J/44 KENAI, followed by Andy Wescoat's J/109 HARMS's WAY in second, and Bill Wiggins' J/121 WINGS in third position. 

J/44 KENAI winning crew
Here is the report from Chris & Karen Lewis (pictured above with crew) from their perspective on the gorgeous J/44 KENAI:

"We were thrilled to win the SORC 2020-21 Islands in the Stream Series with a 1-1-2 score line. The races were varied with light conditions for Races 2 and 3 and then a real blow for most of the Eleuthera Race that challenged all yachts. 

We won the series through sheer determination and, at times, some good decision making. For example, to get to Key West we tacked the 145% genoa 114 times and gybed the 0.5oz VMG kite 28 times. I guess that was good for the sailmakers! Although, I am amazed at how today's carbon sails stand up to offshore conditions if properly handled. 

The first leg to Eleuthera was a tight reach in moderate conditions across the Florida Straights (e.g., the fast-flowing Gulf Stream) allowing for a Code Zero to be flown off KENAI's 2.0m sprit.  We sagged below the rhumb-line with the Stream on our stern quarter. By reefing the main and reducing drag in the puffs, the boat was noticeably faster. Then, we changed to a Heavy #1 sheeted to the rail and we were able to foot up to Little Isaac over the last 20 nm with less north set current. 

From there, we were on the wind with a 200nm starboard-biased beat changing down to a #3 jib and finally the #4 jib! In both cases we had a reefed main. The seas got to be 6 to 8 ft and confused going out into the Atlantic Ocean past the northern tip of Eleuthera (Ed. note- the ocean floor goes from 10,000 ft to 50 ft. in less than 4.0nm, creating the "washing machine effect" on the eastern shore). 

We moved the #4 jib sheeting to the outboard track and saw boat speeds of up to 8.7 knots. Great for the race, but not appreciated by the off-watch crew as KENAI launched off and through the seas. Finally, we turned to a fetch down to the southern tip of the island and set the A4 spinnaker for the finish line. We knew it was tight with the TP52 on rating, but the old girl hit 13 knots with 25 knot gusts on the VMG run to the finish. We corrected out by 22 minutes in the race, with the RC selecting the ORC Predominantly Upwind Rating. 

Eleuthera Island awards
It's truly amazing that a 23,500 lb. 30-year-old design with 175 sq. m kites and an overlapping genoa has been able to be competitive with a variety of race boats in SORC under a wide range of conditions during the series. The key is knowing your boat and staying near 100% of your speed throughout the race. We do a lot of sail changes. We were also fortunate the J/121 WINGS never got to fly downwind for very long!"

J/44 KENAI and J/109 HARM's WAY at awards
The red-carpet treatment laid down by the Cape Eleuthera Resort & Marina was enthusiastically welcomed by all teams. It is truly a little paradise in the middle of the ocean. Their staff did go above and beyond to make sure the sailor's needs were all met, and then some! That included a fantastic bonfire Eleuthera Race bonfireafter the awards ceremonies and dinner to celebrate the end of the event (no worries, the wind was blowing hard offshore!)!

The resort looks west over Exuma Sound, which provides good access to the Marina. The channel into the marina is straightforward East/ West, and well lit. A summer dredging project removed the few remaining high spots and left a 12-foot controlling depth, as well as adding jetties extending from the shore.

Follow the SORC Sailing on Facebook here  For more SORC Islands in the Stream series sailing information     For the SORC Miami to Eleuthera Race results and information
 

Stone & Breault race winners

ARBITRAGE Triumphs @ J/105 Valentine's Rally

(San Francisco, CA)- As part of their on-going San Francisco J/105 Doublehanded Winter Series, the fleet got together for their first-ever J/105 Valentine's Rally on Sunday, February 14th. San Francisco Bay served up its usual challenges to the sailors, having to make decisions between wind and current on literally every leg of the course. Here's the report from Bruce Stone from aboard ARBITRAGE:

"With the typically modest mid-winter breeze out of the northeast, and our starting area in front of Golden Gate YC, the RC announced a course to the East with port roundings.  So, we re-ran our spin gear to account for that, but just ten minutes before the warning we had a shift to the WSW! So, the RC announced a last-minute call for the new course to Blackaller- just before the Golden Gate Bridge! OMG! So, us and the other crews scrambled to re-run the spin gear for the starboard rounding that would take everyone out into the flood tide! 

Given the adverse current, teams were challenged right from the start to exploit the relief along the shore and were ping-ponging off the breakwater in front of the St. Francis; normally quite easy with a full crew but a workout for double-handers!  

ARBITRAGE had a great start and, after making some gains toward the shore, decided to stretch out on port tack for the better wind just 100 yards out; it was the typical arbitrage of wind and tide...hence the name of Bruce's boat.  

ARBITRAGE won that battle and rounded clear ahead, setting the kite and reaching out to the favorable flood in the light breeze.  A long downwind to channel mark 4, passing Alcatraz to port, created passing opportunities for the trailing boats. Some went low toward Treasure Island, staying in the dying flood, while ARBITRAGE and JAM SESSION looked for better wind toward the north and took a gamble in cutting behind Alcatraz.  That approach backfired, as they were both swept up in the reverse eddy of the famous cone!

After apparently losing its lead, ARBITRAGE jibed back into fresh air and extricated themselves from the ebb in a clean spinnaker reach to the downwind mark, converging with the other boats that had stayed away from Alcatraz. 

Stone and Breault executed a Mexican drop just past the mark with the jib preset for the upwind leg and were able to round tightly and head right toward the finish at Golden Gate YC. However, our competitors were a little less fortunate, as the other teams dropped too early and struggled to round the mark in the light winds and early ebb tide.  

Everyone headed toward the city front as the flood had ended and ebb was established there. But, once again, wind pressure trumped tide and it was better to stay in the deeper water. Tom Struttmann and Joerg Esdorn on ARRIVED went too far, ran out of wind and retired!"

In the end, the J/105 Valentine's Rally was won by Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault in ARBITRAGE, followed by Justin Oberbauer in STRANGELOVE, Adam Spiegel in JAM SESSION and Bill Woodruff in RUSSIAN ROULETTE.

Next up for the J/105 doublehanders is the Singlehanded Sailing Society's Corinthian Regatta on February 27, with 150 boats competing, 7 of which are J/105s - see www.jibeset.net - and then the Pi Regatta on March 14th.
 

J/Community

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Bll Taylor sailing J/105

Paying it Forward to Youth Sailing- the J/105 WHISTLER story 

 Recently, SAILING Inc in Cleveland, OH had a chance to catch up with some of their good friends, The Taylor Boys from North Cape Yacht Club in La Salle, MI. Father Bill and sons Will and Ethan have been sailing mainstays on Western Lake Erie for years, and recently purchased the J/105 WHISTLER. Here is their fun interview with the Taylors.

SAILING: Describe a little of your sailing background.

I’ve had no formal sail training and youth sailing was limited to the SportYak and Katyak of Boy Scout Camp and the family summer vacations to Northern Michigan. I’ve been a power boater since my early teens. I was introduced to keelboats around 2000 on a Pearson 30 by a lifelong friend, where I moved from rail meat to the pit. 

My two sons and youth sailing formally introduced my family to competitive sailing where they excelled in the Thistle. Today, our sailing is their sailing. I’m easily the worst sailor on our boat!

We overpaid for a ragged-out boat (Thistle) and Will and Ethan began a complete refit, chiseling-out stanchions, thwart, cap, 45s all replaced by them. Senior members of the Thistle fleet, like Doug Labor, motivated and encouraged their sailing and skill development. The Thistle played a huge roll in their early development and they're still active in the Thistle fleet today.

Meanwhile, their passion for the sport grew exponentially and invitations to crew on various keel boats began flowing in. We made the family decision to purchase our first keel boat in 2014, J/24 #4240 named “Juice Box Hero”. The J/24 was an excellent learning platform for our young teenagers to earn the trust of the western basin fleets. Juice Box, sailed with an exclusively junior crew, in various ILYA (Inland Lake Yachting Association) Regattas and helped inspire the creation of the PCYC (Port Credit Yacht Club) J/24 fleet. My passion for the sport took off helping youth sailors find opportunities to sail quality equipment and seriously compete at adult levels. The support and encouragement we received from fellow club members was invaluable. 

My sailing background is directly tied to youth sailing, working on refits and restorations. The passion has been passed down from generation to generation. Those junior sailors have now grown up to be collegiate or former colligate sailors. They live, eat and breath sailing. They run our J/105 WHISTLER program!

SAILING: What kind of sailing do you do?

While we attempt to run a competitive race program, the 105 is used for everything. A sunset cruise or swim on a hot afternoon is a great way to spend the day. We race Wednesday night series, weekend local regattas and intend to jump into one-design and travel this year as well. If you asked Will, it’s PHRF, OD and ORC. If you asked Ethan, we race but I love a sunset cruise.

SAILING: What were you looking for in your next boat?

We wanted a larger race platform that was more accommodating for offshore, night and/or heavier conditions. We found ourselves in longer/larger regattas and had a great experience with the J/24. The bigger J/105 was an obvious choice. My sons researched listings, travelled to inspect, arranged surveys, purchase and transportation. WHISTLER is their program. I take pictures, pay some bills and most of the time they let me tag along (hahaha!). They launch, step, tune, paint, epoxy and repair.

SAILING: Why did you choose this boat and what do you like most about it?

We sail as often as possible and sailing with a younger crew, it's sometimes difficult to sail once or twice during the week and every weekend. The 105s asymmetrical configuration is friendlier to short-handed sailing than a symmetrical boat. The deck layout and system configurations on all J/Boats are well thought out. The boys have sailed J/24s, 29s, 30s, 70s, 88s, 92s, the 105, 109 and J/122- a lot of experience on J's! The J/105 shares some of its classic DNA with the 109 and even 122. They commonly sail on a very strong 122 program called BLITZKRIEG. In addition to shorthanded sailing, the asym configuration is a good platform for training and preparation for larger national regattas aboard the larger J/Boats while also allowing them a platform for more common doublehanded competitions.

SAILING: What particular sailing features do you like?

The boat is an absolute blast in 20 knots. The confidence and stability the boat provides is fantastic. When Lake Erie gets choppy, WHISTLER loves it. The competitive nature of the boat’s design is evident when we pushed the boat hard. We seem to find an extra half knot, but you have to push the boat hard and have the boat in great condition and a good tune to get it. Last, the deck layout is friendlier to more mature sailors like myself. Trying to keep up with these youngsters is hard enough and I’m glad the deck and cockpit configuration doesn’t beat you up.

SAILING: What is the story behind your boat name?

The boat name WHISTLER comes from the previous owner who lives in Barbados. The boat bounced back and forth annually between Barbados and Newport. Rumor has it he was directly affiliated with the famous “Whistler” ski resort. He bought a new J/121 and we got a boat that had been raced by a knowledgeable owner.

SAILING: What do you most look forward to each season on the boat?

Every off-season is busy for us. We attempt to improve our boats every off-season. It affords us a season to work on the boat and a season to race, making spring launch an event with the testing new gear, rigging and sails. The Mills Race is the biggest regatta in our area so it’s the one we look forward to it each spring. This year we are going to attempt a regatta or two in the southeast.

SAILING: What is your proudest achievement on the boat?

Will and Ethan won their first doublehanded regatta. First in PHRF-A at O’Connell Fall Bay was a blast, but the proudest achievement was winning the Club Championship at North Cape Yacht Club. Members have mentoring my boys for years and the competition is strong. Earning a club championship with a young crew and a skipper that should be competing in the junior circuit … it’s pretty rewarding.

SAILING: What is your biggest goal for the boat? Do you have any upcoming plans for this season or next?

The goal is to get the boat into top-flight competition condition. We’re looking forward to the Mill’s Race, a Bayview Mackinac Race, Cleveland Race Week, and possibly Bayview One Design Regatta. I want to keep the WHISTLER crew busy; they get better every time they leave the dock. It’s a young crew and they dream. I’d like to see if we can make a couple of those come true, whether it’s Florida, Charleston, Cleveland, Chicago, or a J/105 North Americans. We probably have some travelling in our future!!

Editor's Note: WHISTLER won the PHRF Fleet at the 2021 Ft. Lauderdale to Key West Race! Congrats team Taylor!  For more news from Sailing Inc Cleveland, OH


J/24 sailing Midwinters

Mark Pincus Chats About J/24 Midwinters

David Schmidt from Sail-World.com (https://www.sail-world.com/news/234871 ) newsletter recently had time to catch up with a stalwart of the J/24 class in Miami, Florida- Marc Pincus. Here is that interview.

"The J/24 might be venerable design, but the now 44-year-old design still draws some of sailing's best talents to its ranks. Better still, the boats are affordable, relatively easy to maintain, and transportable enough to be taken to destination venues or warm-weather locales during the cold months. One great example of this type of destination fun is this year's J/24 Midwinter Championship (February 26-28), which is being hosted by Shake-A-Leg Miami and which will be sailed on the waters of Florida's Biscayne Bay.

While J/24s may be portable-and their small crew numbers conducive to (relatively) easily creating coronavirus bubbles-the simple fact that the pandemic is still raging has forced many regattas to cancel. Fortunately for J/24 sailors, this year's Midwinters is still happening; better still, the event organizers are taking COVID precautions very seriously and have worked hard to create a safe event for all involved.

Which brings us back to the earlier point that, while now an older design, J/24s have long earned their well-deserved reputation for delivering great racing, and this year's Midwinters promises to be no exception.

J/24s sailing Midwinters
I checked in with Mark Pincus, regatta chair for the 2021 J/24 Midwinters (and fleet captain for J/24 Fleet 10 in Miami, Florida), via email, to learn more about this competitive regatta.

SW: What kind of entry numbers are you seeing this year? Also, how do these stack up to previous editions of the regatta?

MP: We are about on track from other years at 23 entries...there are several entries I know are pending, so we should see 25-30 entries on the starting line.

For this COVID environment, we're very happy to be in the normal range! There is a cap of 35 boats, and we were hoping to have to make a wait list but that's probably not going to be necessary.

SW: Weather-wise, what kind conditions can sailors expect to encounter on Biscayne Bay in late February? Also, what are the best-case and worst-case weather scenarios?

MP: Our winter season is great sailing weather typically with balmy mid-70-degree Fahrenheit temps and nice breezes.

We normally see easterly winds from NE-SE and mid-teens in velocity. If a front is coming through, then anything is possible. It's very rare to have temperatures below the 50's but in February they can happen.

With the cold fronts it depends on how strong they are and if they make it all the way south past Miami. When the fronts stall it can leave us without much wind but hopefully the doldrums we have seen this season are past and the breeze will be on for this year's J/24 Midwinters.

SW: How important do you think local knowledge will be? Also, do you expect most visiting teams to arrive early and acclimatize to conditions?

MP: Biscayne Bay is not a hard place to sail and all but maybe one of the current entries has raced here more than once before. The tides are pretty easy to understand, and there are many options for getting current real time info on conditions.

Where we will be racing, a little south in Biscayne Bay, we are removed from the few local knowledge spots near shores.

And yes, I already know of several boats that are coming early to get some practice sailing done!

SW: If you could offer one piece of advice to visiting (and local) teams, what would it be?

MP: It's different this year: BE SAFE!

Respect all the preventatives put in place to keep both sailors and hosts safe and COVID-free. The last thing we want is to have any regatta become a spreader event.

Other than that, bring plenty of water and suntan lotion!

SW: In the ideal world, how many races do you and the other organizers hope to score? Also, how many races will you run per day?

MP: We have ten races are scheduled. Hopefully, with good breezes we can run four races each on Friday and Saturday so that only two are needed on the last day.

SW: What kinds of safe-play pandemic tactics are you expecting from the racers on the water? Also, what kind of shoreside Covid precautions will the event employ?

MP: Looking at our NOR (yachtscoring.com/event_documents/13200/2021%20J24%20MWs%20NOR%20.pdf) will give an idea of all the precautions we have put in place.

Starting with requiring all participants— whether they are racing, supporting, or race committee— to provide negative rapid Covid tests that are less than 72 hours old to be at the event.

We will have temperature takers stopping all persons entering the property and issuing color-coded wrist bands after being allowed entry.

We have suspended all social functions and will prohibit gathering at the venue. If the previous regatta we ran in December is a model, then we expect the sailors to be respectful of the world we are dealing with and not be ultra-aggressive, both on the water and in the jury room!

SW: Can you tell us about any efforts that you and the other regatta organizers have made to try to lower the regatta's environmental footprint or otherwise green-up the regatta?

MP: The biggest environmental effort this year, other than the fact we are sailors who by description do not pollute the atmosphere and are usually very cognizant of keeping our waters clean, is the addition of MarkSetBot to the race course!

Although interest in these GPS battery-operated robotic race marks was already building, the onset of COVID hastened their acceptance in the sailboat racing world. They make staffing the Race Committee much less demanding, controlling the race circle super-fast and easy and require less motorized equipment on the racecourse.

SW: Anything else that you'd like to add, for the record?

MP: We look forward to seeing all of our J/24 friends here in beautiful Coconut Grove playing on our Biscayne Bay waters again in February! Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

J/Newsletter- January 27th, 2021


The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

What a difference a year makes in our collective lives across our little blue planet Earth. Who knew, right? This past week marks the anniversary of the bizarre scenario that was unleashed on the world from the little-known city of Wuhan, China. It marks the discovery of an alien virus in Seattle, Washington and La Rochelle, New York, as well as other parts of Europe (like Italy) and was soon to be described as covid-19 coronavirus. Sadly, some of our sailing friends passed. But, hope is now on the way with numerous vaccines to help overcome the pandemic... the faster that happens, the better.

Sailing events suffered, as did countries, islands, and events when the prescription was to "lockdown" all human activity and just sit at home. In the end, as we learn to overcome the 21st century version of the infamous Black Plague of the 1920s, there is no question that human ingenuity will tackle such problems with open-minded, serendipitous, ingenious solutions.  

This past week saw some amazing performances by J/Teams in various events.  For one, the Bacardi J/70 Winter Series held their second event in Miami, Florida sailing on Biscayne Bay. A deeply talented fleet enjoyed a full day of racing on an abbreviated weekend. Then, the SORC's Lauderdale to Key West Race took place with light wind conditions, but J/Teams certainly enjoyed their silverware. Finally, our friends Down Under had some great racing in Australia, with the embryonic J/70 fleet in Victoria enjoying fun, close racing.

And, in the J/Community section we have a tribute to our dear friend Bob "the Fish" Fisher, we're sad to see him go. As Fish often said to me, "best place ever to lift a cold one and enjoy the sunset"- sitting on a deck chair on the lawn at New York Yacht Club (see photo above). 
 
J/105s sailing Block Island

Block Island Race Week Announcement

(Block Island, RI)- With 81 boats already registered for Storm Trysail Club’s 29th Block Island Race Week presented by Margaritaville; the 2021 edition is shaping up to be one of the biggest turnouts in recent years. J/Boats teams are clearly enthusiastic about getting back out to Block Island and enjoying a week of sailing and camaraderie! Forty-nine J's signed up, where are you?!

So far, here are the highlights for J/Teams. In the one-design classes, there are six J/88s, thirteen J/105s, twelve J/109s, and five J/44s. In the ORC Division are two J/121s. In the PHRF Division are three J/111s, two J/122s, a J/35, a J/33, two J/29s, a J/80, and a J/24. In the PHRF Pursuit Race division is a J/125 and a J/133.

Storm Trysail Club and Margaritaville today announced that for the second time, Margaritaville, the global lifestyle brand known for escapism and fun, will be the presenting sponsor of the 29th edition of Block Island Race Week, one of the largest and most prestigious big boat regattas in the United States. 

“We are elated to be partnering once again with Margaritaville,” says Event Chair, Ray Redniss. “Storm Trysail Club is honored they are continuing to be a part of the iconic tradition that is our 29th Block Island Race Week. Our goals and passions align to create a fun, safe escape for our sailors to kick off their summer.”  Redness added, “This event was founded on the idea that it should be more than just a competitive regatta; there has always been an emphasis on fun, camaraderie and an openness to all kinds of boats and crews.  The vibe that Margaritaville adds to Race Week is a natural fit.”

“As we look to lift spirits in 2021, we are thrilled to bring the Margaritaville state-of-mind back to Block Island Race Week,” shared Tamara Baldanza-Dekker, Chief Marketing Officer at Margaritaville.   

Sailors are encouraged to register and learn more at blockislandraceweek.com. Storm Trysail Club and Margaritaville are committed to putting attendee health and safety at the forefront of the event and are continuously monitoring health guidelines as provided by the CDC and local entities.  Sailing photo credits- Steve Cloutier. "Block Island Steve"   To learn about Margaritaville’s commitment to health, safety and sanitation, please visit us online.   For more Block Island Race Week sailing information
 
Safe Harbor Race Weekend

Safe Harbor Race Weekend Announcement

(Newport, RI)- The inaugural Safe Harbor Race Weekend is a three-day sailing regatta geared toward the enjoyment of boat owners, families, and crew members. Scheduled for August 13th to 15th, sailing will take place on Narragansett Bay.

The goal of the organizers and local marina managers is to provide an event that delivers good sportsmanship, enjoyable competition, and sailing camaraderie over three fun-filled days with racing and exciting shoreside social events at Safe Harbor Marinas in Newport, Portsmouth, and Jamestown, RI. The regatta PRO will be Peter Craig from Boston, MA- yes, the same person that ran so many epic Key West Race Weeks for years.

Social highlights will include an opening Friday evening Coastal New England Dinner on The Point at Safe Harbor New England Boatworks overlooking Narragansett Bay, and a celebratory Talk of the Town Saturday night Crew Party and dinner featuring live music at Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard in the heart of downtown Newport. 

Come one, come all! Sign-up now at the link below. The Notice of Race is already posted.  For more Safe Harbor Race Weekend sailing information
 
J/105s sailing San Francisco Bay

J/105 Valentine's Day Doublehander Announcement

(San Francisco, CA)- The San Francisco J/105 fleet is pleased to continue with our monthly gathering of J/105s for a double-handed event, no entry fee.  

We had eight teams racing in the Tandem-Baum Regatta on December 10, won by Ne*Ne, and nine racing in the Bittersweet Regatta on January 10, won by Doug Bailey in Akula, and are now going to meet up on Valentine's Day February 14 in front of Golden Gate YC.  

In each case, we're scheduled for the day after RegattaPro Mid-winters, so you can race fully crewed on Saturday and then leave your boat rigged, making it easy to hop on board and go out double-handed on Sunday. Here's a link to the Notice of Race.

Next double-handed event after this will be on 14 March 2021 - Pi Day. We'll then launch the regular fully-crewed season on March 20-21 with the J/Go Regatta, a more upbeat name than J/Stop...

Feel free to reach out to me with any questions: Bruce Stone- email- bruce@brucestone.com or phone- 917-822-4060.  For more information about J/105s.
 
J/Gear Marmot Jacket

February Special- Marmot Jacket!

(Newport, RI)- The J/Thermo Jacket is by Marmot and is a stuffed lightweight, highly compressible and enviably warm Primaloft ® Black insulation — a synthetic insulation made with 60 percent recycled fibers that boasts warmth without bulk and a soft feel — the outer is from a durable nylon ripstop fabric. Elastic hem and cuffs keep the jacket in place and Angel-Wing Movement™ allows you to move without the jacket riding up. Zippered pockets offer a warm place for your hands to rest. Wear under a shell or on its own. Perfect for packing and stylish for cool weather.   Click here to enjoy a 20% discount on this gorgeous Marmot jacket
 

Sailing Calendar

Feb 4-7- Monaco J/70 Winter Series- Monte Carlo, Monaco
Feb 17- SORC Miami to Eleuthera Race- Miami, FL
Mar 4-7- J/70 Primo Cup- Trophee Credit Suisse- Monte Carlo, Monaco
Mar 5-7- J/111 Key West Winter Series- Key West, FL
Mar 5-8- St Maarten Heineken Regatta- Simpson Bay, Saint Maarten
Mar 10-13- J/70 Bacardi Cup- Miami, FL
Mar 19-21- J/70 Davis Island Winter Series III- Tampa, FL
Mar 19-21- San Diego NOOD Regatta- San Diego, CA
Mar 26-28- St. Thomas International Regatta- St. Thomas, USVI
Mar 29- Apr 4- BVI Spring Regatta- Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Apr 2-4- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Petersburg, FL
Apr 11-17- Les Voiles de St Barth Regatta- Gustavia, St Barthelemy 
Apr 8-11- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 24-30- Antigua Sailing Week- English Harbour, Antigua, West Indies

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

McKillen Family Wins J/70 Bacardi Winter Series II!

Girl Power! Women Skippers 2-3!

(Miami, FL)- It's a story right out of a fairy tale. Man and woman meet three years ago, get married, learn to sail, buy J/70s, and each steer their own boats to victory! Who knew that would ever happen!? Certainly not Ryan and Maggie McKillen, the couple that went 1-2, respectively, in last weekend's J/70 Bacardi Winter Series on Biscayne Bay. While Ryan's crew on SURGE certainly had a head start on Maggie's team on MAGATRON in terms of experience and podium finishes, no one expected her to be at the top of the leaderboard when the smoke cleared on the race track!

Hosted principally by the Bacardi Event management team and Shake-A-Leg Miami's beautiful facilities in Coconut Grove (Miami), Florida, the second of the three event Bacardi Winter Series took place this past weekend from January 22nd to 24th, 2021.  

While the first regatta in mid-December featured just one race, this past weekend tripled that number. While an improvement over the first event, the three beautiful races on Saturday were welcomed by all competitors. Who's complaining? No one. Just the fact that you can be on Biscayne Bay, enjoying warm temperatures, sailing/ floating on azure blue waters, being around friends was just a victory in itself! The J/70 fleet is a fun-loving, social group of sailors, despite the amazingly talented collection of World Champion sailors on hand.  

J/70 Power Play sailing Biscayne Bay, Miami, FL
By any one-design class standards, the deeply talented fleet counted well over two-dozen World Champions in various classes amongst them. Fast out of the blocks in the first race was Ryan McKillen's SURGE. With Olympic Silver Medallist Lucas Calabrese calling tactics, their solid start and conservative strategy kept them in the hunt, playing the left-hand side of the course to a well-earned win. Second in that race was Pamela Rose's ROSEBUD with Bill Hardesty calling tactics. Third was David Janetti's VERY ODD with Travis Odenbach giving random advice. 

The second race saw more of the same in terms of course strategy, the left predominating as the breeze curved over Key Biscayne Island on the left-hand side of the course. Winning that race was class newcomer Doug Newhouse. No stranger to sailing fast and smart in various J's, like his recent J/88 YONDER, Doug and tactician Jeremy Wilmot got dialed in and never looked back. Second was Maggie McKillen's MAGATRON with Brian Kamilar calling the shots and third was World Champion Joel Ronning's CATAPULT with Morgan Reeser providing traffic directions. 

The third race was a shocker for many veteran J/70 teams. Two women skippers got podium finishes, propelling both of them onto the podium overall. Bounced out of the starboard end start by her husband Ryan on SURGE, Maggie's MAGATRON bailed right to clear and after a few minutes, flipped back onto starboard and carried more pressure and a right shift to lead by a country mile at the first weather mark. In the end, she won the race comfortably, her first race win ever. Third in that race was Pamela Rose's ROSEBUD, sandwiched in between was John Brim's RIMETTE with Zeke Horowitz calling the shots.

Ryan and Maggie Mckilllen J/70 sailorsAs a result of at least one good day of racing on gorgeous Biscayne Bay, it was the McKillen family (pictured at right) dueling for the top of the podium! Ryan's SURGE team of Lucas Calabrese, John Wallace, and Sam Loughborough took the win by just one point! Yes, over his wife Maggie! The Ladbroke's betting parlours in England were having a field day betting on these horses.  While Ryan's team had some pedigree based on previous events, the MAGATRON team was probably a 1,000:1 bet. Nice payoff. 

The SURGE team won with a 1-5-4 tally for 10 pts. One point back was MAGATRON with an 8-2-1 record. Third was Pam Rose's ROSEBUD with crew (pictured below) of Bill Hardesty, Alec Anderson, and Chris Watters, posting 2-9-3 finishes for 14 pts. 

Rounding out the top five was Joel Ronning's CATAPULT team (Patrick Wilson, Chris Stocke, Morgan Reeser, Erik Shampain) in fourth, with Doug Newhouse's YONDER team (Ted Hackney, Jeremy Wilmot, Tomas Dietrich) in fifth position. 

J/70 Rosebud crew
In the Corinthians Division, winning was the Brazilian team on CLOUD NINE, skippered by Toribio Tedin. His crew included Emilio Miguel, Javier Carbi, and Enrique Dillon. Second was USA 1154 skippered by Zachary Segal, with crew of Enrique Quintero, Ashton Hamerlin, and Blake Cabasa. Rounding out the podium was Kelly McGlynn's BEARNARCHY with crew of Luke Adams, Jim Barry, and Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick.  For more Bacardi Winter Series II sailing information
 
J/46 sailing Lauderdale Key West Race

J/Teams Sweep Lauderdale to Key West Race!

(Fort Lauderdale, FL)- With a time limit of 48 hours, the 29 starters for the 2021 Lauderdale to Key West Race were on the clock as light winds plagued the 155.0 nm course. In the end, it was a matter of perseverance.

J/109 Harms Way sailing Lauderdale Key West Race
In what has to be a "first" ever for any offshore race around the world, J/Teams won every division they entered.  In ORC 2, Chris Lewis's J/44 KENAI continued their winning ways in the SORC Island in the Stream series. Second was Ashley Maltempo and Bill Wiggins's J/121 WINGS. In ORC 3, Andy Wescoat's J/109 HARM's WAY won and was the only finisher in their class. In PHRF Division, the Schaedler/ Taylor duo on the J/105 WHISTLER took the gold medal and were also the only finisher in their class. Congratulations to these crews that persevered, job well-done!   Watch how the race replay unfold here on the Kattack Tracker  Check out the Key West Harbor webcam here   Follow the SORC Sailing Facebook page   For more Key West Race sailing information
 
J/70s sailing off Victoria, Australia

J/70s Growing in Victoria, Australia

(Victoria, Australia)- The J/70 class continues to make inroads in Australia. The most recent fleet developing has been at the Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron in Victoria. Here is a report from Down Under on their growing fleet from Andrew Little. 

"Heats 1 to 4 of the Juno Trophy were sailed last Sunday 17th January. What a fantastic day! We had 15-20 knots from the south, flat water, a steady breeze, sunshine and six J/70s lining up on a short start line. It was a lovely sight to see the rapidly growing BYS fleet participate in tight and close racing all afternoon.

J/70 Victoria fleet and sailors
Thank you to Tony Landgren for making his second boat Spike available to a pick-up crew of Alister Danks, Sean O’Brien, Steve Cowell and Fingers Vinck. It was great to welcome new member Rod Warren to the club, who had three solid second placings in his first hit-out at BYS.

The Youth team of Laura Harding, Ella Grimshaw, Hayden Brown, Hannah Danks and Mitch Harding was very impressive sailing Notte Bianca to three wins, with Jumpin’ Jack Flash (Doc, Marty, Andy Mac and a first-timer J70 crew member Batsey) winning the other heat.

A big "thank you" to Alex Bolton, Zoe Blochlinger and Gordon Hyde for the race management.

J/70s sailing off Victoria, Australia

Australia Day Regatta report:

Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron held their inaugural J/70 Australia Day Regatta on 26th January with six races held on southern shores of Port Philip Bay.  Rod Warren on JOUST 70 won overall, closely followed by JUMPIN' JACK FLASH and JAVELIN.  Everyone commented on what close fun racing it was.  The teams are looking forward to the New South Wales and West Australian crews heading to Blairgowrie over Easter for the J/70 Nationals. Sailing photo credit- Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron  For more J/70 sailboat information

 

J/Community

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

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

J/120 brokerage boat for sale
J/120 Storm brokerage boat for saleFreshwater 1997 J/120 For Sale. Owner wants an offer! Fresh Survey. Hull Wrap Removed! Storm Warning is a very well-kept J/120 that shows pride of ownership. She has a long, successful racing history. Originally sold new by RCR in 1997 and then sold to the current owners in 2015. Always sailed on

freshwater Lake Erie. She has an original white gelcoat hull with blue double-boot stripe. She has a faired bottom and standing rigging is pulled every fall for winter land storage. She has a custom-made canvas cover with access door to cockpit.  Learn more about the J/120 Storm Warning here


J/22 Warrior Sailing program

Meet Jim Burge @ Warrior Sailing

Retired US Army 1st Sergeant James Burge explains how his life has changed by participating in Warrior Sailing and how the 2020 Great Lakes tour was a bit different from other years, but still effective. Jim's 26-year career in the Army has led him to many adventures, but chooses Warrior Sailing for its comprehensive and hands-on approach to changing lives.  

The Warrior Sailing Program is dedicated to maritime education for wounded, ill, and injured service members of the US Military. Getting military service members on the water can provide physical, mental, and emotional therapy for a variety of injuries and illnesses. Sailing is an outlet to cope with the long-term effects of PTSD, brain injury, amputation, paralysis, and nerve damage. It’s also an exciting way for our Warrior Sailors to express their most natural abilities: teamwork and competitive drive.
Watch this story of Jim's experience at Warrior Sailing YouTube channel here.   If you’d like to learn more about Warrior Sailing click here.

Bob "the Fish" Fisher- RIP

Eight Bells: Bob Fisher

Bob Fisher, the larger-than-life yachtsman, journalist, and author, crossed the bar peacefully on January 25 surrounded by family in Lymington, Hampshire UK. He was 85.

Bob Fisher was born and bred in the coastal town of Brightlingsea, Essex UK and made sailing his life, engaged by stories from the professional Brightlingsea fishermen who crewed the big yachts of their day, including Sir Thomas Lipton's two British J Class America’s Cup challengers Endeavour and Endeavour II in 1934 and ’37.

He first made a name as a top crew, winning seven national and world titles in the National Hornet and Fireball high performance dinghy classes. He also won the International Yacht Racing Union trials to select a 2-man trapeze catamaran trials with his Brightlingsea friend Reg White, which led to the Tornado being chosen as the first Olympic multihull class.

Bob Fisher J/105 team at  Master's Regatta
Bob's team at J/105 Master's Regatta- San Diego YC- L-R: Brent Draney, Stu and Julia Johnstone, the Fish himself, and Phil Lawrence

White was Britain’s top multihull sailor, and it was on his recommendation that Bob went on to claim international fame, winning the 1967 Little America’s Cup in C-Class catamarans, racing the British defender Lady Helmsman with Peter Schneidau against the Australian challenger Quest III, winning the series in dominant style 4:1.

J/105 Masters Regatta- Bob Fisher steering
Bob’s prize was an all-expenses paid trip to Newport, Rhode Island to watch the American 12m yacht Intrepid beat the Australian challenger Dame Pattie in the real America’s Cup. It led to a life-long obsession with Bob covering all the matches since, bar the current racing off Auckland.

Bob Fisher speaking at Master's RegattaThe author of 30 books on all aspects of the sport, they include eight covering The Whitbread/Volvo Round the World Race and 1986 Book of the Sea award winning tome – Greatest Race: Official Story of the Whitbread Round the World Race, 1985-86 – and seven on the America’s Cup.

In 1992, Bob set about to write the definite history of the America’s Cup, supported by that year’s Cup winner, American philanthropist Bill Koch. The 2-volume An Absorbing Interest took 15 years to research and write and has become the go-to opus to answer any question about the Cup. His latest work, An Absorbing Interest Vol III, covering the past two decades of Cup Races is due to be published in the autumn.

Bob’s greatest hope had been to see Britain finally win back the famous auld mug first competed for in 1851 in a race around the Isle of Wight. That has not happened in his lifetime, but he did follow the INEOS Team UK come-back from oblivion in preliminary races in Auckland before Christmas to win a place in the finals of the Prada Cup challenge trials and was cheered even more by Sir Ben’s last race dedication to our Mr America’s Cup.  The final chapter of Bob’s last book may yet record his greatest wish fulfilled.

J/105 Masters Regatta- Bob Fisher team
Bob's self-avowed "favorite" venue was the International Masters Regatta in San Diego, CA. Started in San Francisco by long-time J/Boats supporter Don Trask, the event started in J/24s and then shifted to J/105s.  Bob sailed the last two J/105 events in San Francisco, CA and the next three events in San Diego also sailed on J/105s. Bob loved the camaraderie of the regatta, rubbing elbows with many famous sailors, regaling everyone with one funny or amazing sea-story after another-yes, the Fish was a real character, a larger than life character. He will be missed. The pictures in this tribute are all from the San Diego events. 

Master's Regatta skippers
Bob Fisher is survived by his wife Dee, two children Alice and Carolyne, three grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Donations in Bob Fisher’s memory are welcomed to the Sir Thomas Lipton Foundation.   Messages are welcome on Bob Fisher’s Facebook page

Sailing photo credits- San Diego YC/ Cynthia Sinclair/ Bronny Daniels a data-flip-widget="flipit" href="https://flipboard.com">Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

J/Newsletter- January 13th, 2020

J/70s at sunset north of Moscow

Now that we are approaching the midpoint of January, it is hard to believe that next week would have marked the start of the famous international "Woodstock" of sailing- Key West Race Week sailed off Key West, Florida. For sailors around the world, it marked the beginning of the sailing season sailing on the sunny, warm waters off the Florida Keys, and enjoying the warm breezes, heavily influenced by the 85 F degree Gulf Stream flowing north at 4 to 6 kts just a mile or two offshore.

However, all is not lost in this pandemic mayhem we have all been living with for nearly one year now. Perseverance combined with safe practices has resulted in two events that will be taking place in Key West this year! For starters, the next event in the SORC Islands in the Stream Series is the famous Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race! Thereafter, the passionate J/111 class organized the first full set of regattas to take place in Key West in three years- the J/111 Key West Series will be starting up this weekend! Then, across the Atlantic, the famous Yacht Club de Monaco will be hosting their first Act in the eighth annual J/70 Winter Series held off Monte Carlo, Monaco on the Mediterranean Sea.

Meanwhile, the J/99 fleet is growing in South America and the latest boat has landed in Chile, read the report below from Juan Reid in Algarrobo, Chile.  Also, the San Francisco J/105 Fleet continues to innovate and run their own winter series, safely sailing as doublehanded teams on San Francisco Bay. The fleet rendezvous at a specific mark, and off they go around government marks! Simple, sweet, and easy to administrate. This past week a big fleet of doublehanded J/105s enjoyed the inaugural "Bittersweet Chocolate Race", honoring "bittersweet chocolate day" last weekend! Guess what the awards were? Read on and find out!
 
J/111s sailing offshore

J/111 Key West Winter Series Preview

(Key West, Florida)- The inaugural 2021 Key West Winter Series will take place January 16-18 and then March 5-7, 2021. And, if you want to go, you need a J/111! Our hats off to Ryan and Rob Ruhlman and the entire team at SAILING INC (with J/Dealerships in Ohio and South Carolina) for pulling this together. 

When the difficult decision was made not to hold Key West Race Week in January 2018, it was a harsh blow to passionate, enthusiastic sailors from across the USA and the rest of the world that loved the amazing Caribbean-like tropical weather. It is hard to forget the roosters running amuck, the raucous night life, the amazing restaurants, and key limes in everything you eat or drink. Determined to overcome the lack of any sailing event in Key West, the Ruhlman family and SAILING INC. from Cleveland, OH decided to do something about it.  Here's an interview from Scuttlebutt Sailing Newsletter to give you a perspective. 

J/111's sailing at Key West
Where did the idea come from?
Rob Ruhlman: Key West Race Week had an epic 30 year run and being part of nearly every one of those years made it more than an annual event but a way of life. It was what January was dedicated to every year. The opportunity to reignite that flame, albeit on a much smaller scale, is worth pursuing in the hope that when properly fanned and fed the fire will once again burn brightly. The J/111 class has gotten together to organize an event this year and with the support we have and a little bit of luck, we can use this as a starting point for bigger and better events going forward.

Why Key West and not somewhere else?
Ryan Ruhlman: Key West is a signature destination in the United States, an honest-to-God tropical paradise. The opportunity to race on blue water, experience the island culture, and reconnect with our friends during the cold winter months is just too good to pass up.

J/111 sailing Key WestKey West had become less accommodating when KWRW ended. Has that changed?
Karl Felger: The City of Key West has graciously signed off on the event, and we’re going to have a lot of help from our friends and sponsors. The majority of the organized activity will be on-the-water, with our social gatherings leveraging some of the best spots in Key West. We appreciate the City of Key West’s cooperation and are happy to help support the local community and economy.

There is no infrastructure in Key West... how do you pull this off?
Karl Felger: Our goal is to provide a grand prix racing experience, while planting the seeds for the future. Our focus is on offering multiple great races each day over the two-weekend format, leveraging resources provided by the J/111 owners, and with the help of a world class PRO. We have secured the services of a full-service marina, allowing the fleet a venue to launch, haul-out, and store their boat between two events. Boat owners then have an option for dockage at any marina of their choosing.

Answering that siren song to participate across the J/111 world are the following teams; Andrew & Sedge Ward's BRAVO from Shelter Island, NY; Rod Jabin's RAMROD from Annapolis, MD; Ian Hill's SITELLA from Hampton, VA; Rob Ruhlman's SPACEMAN SPIFF from Cleveland, OH; and Marty Roesch's VELOCITY from Annapolis, MD.   Follow the J/111 class on Facebook here   For more information regards Key West Winter J/111 Series, presented by SAILING INC
 
J/70 Europeans logo

J/70 European Championship 2021 UPDATE!

(Skovshoved, Copenhagen, Denmark)- The Royal Danish Yacht Club is looking forward to hosting the J/70 European Championship in 2021 from June 4th to 12th, 2021. Please note the updated dates!

The event will take place at Rungsted Harbour approximately 15 km north of downtown Copenhagen. This harbour is one of three stations that Royal Danish YC manages. 

The RDYC has been a strong supporter of the growth of the Danish J/70 Sailing League and their efforts have led the way for well over eighteen sailing clubs to participate. As a result, the level of competitiveness for Danish sailors has improved considerably in the J/70 class. The KDY/ RDYC have been able to achieve strong success in the SAILING Champions League in the past few years (finishing in the top 10 every year out of 36 teams); an event that has been held at the YC Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy and St. Moritz Sailing Club in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

As in years past, the KDY/ RDYC are anticipating over 100 J/70 teams will be participating in the J/70 European Championships on the Baltic Sea in early June.  For more J/70 European Championship sailing and registration information
 
J/121 sailing Key West Race

Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race Preview 

(Fort Lauderdale, FL)- While nowhere near the record fleets of 100+ boats of the past, the remarkably strong turnout of twenty-seven keelboats for the 2021 pandemic edition of the SORC Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race is sure to be a fun time! The weather forecast looks promising, with a frontal passage promising 15-20 kts winds from the N/NW. That could mean an amazing starboard tack sleighride down around the Florida Keys reefs, right-turn signal blinking the entire way!

J/111 sailing Key West RaceA fleet of twenty-seven keelboats will be starting on Friday afternoon hoping to pop their Code Zeros or spinnakers as they head south down the Florida coastline. The largest class is the nineteen-boat ORC Class. Participating will be the J/121 WINGS sailed by Ashley Maltempo & Bill Wiggins from Johns Island, SC; Chris Lewis's J/44 KENAI from Seabrook, TX; the J/109 HARM'S WAY skippered by Andy Wescoat from Galveston Bay, TX; and the J/92 HILLBILLY sailed by Brad Stowers from Melbourne, FL. Have fun! Thousands of J/Sailors will be dreaming of their virtual sleigh ride, too!  For more SORC Key West Race sailing information
 
Monaco J/70's sailing off Monte Carlo

J/70 Monaco Winter Series Act I Preview

(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- For the start of its eighth season, the Monaco J/70 Winter Series will have around 20 boats on the water this coming weekend. Due to the current pandemic health situation, the teams present at this first official meeting of the race season will mainly comprise local teams. Virtually all the teams will be focused on preparation for the 37th Primo Cup – Trophée Credit Suisse organized by the Yacht Club de Monaco from March 4th to 7th, 2021. 

Among the favorites for Act I of the winter series will be the leaders that started their winter season with the Christmas Regatta in December 2020. Winning that event was Ludovic Fassitelli's JUNDA- BANCA DEL SEMPIONE. Challengers should include teams like Stefano Roberti's PICCININA, Herve Maino's SOPWITH CAMEL, Jeremy Moutot's LOKOMOTIV, and the French team on Guillaume Charon's KISS & FLY.   For more YC Monaco J/70 Winter Series sailing information
 
J/Duffels for sale

January Special for a J/Duffel!

(Newport, RI)- Ronstan has been in the performance sailing business for years and they have designed a quality duffel that is perfect for racing or cruising. Ample space in the 24"x12"x12" dimension with wide grip carry strap. Inside wet pouch keeps the dry clothes separate. Rugged stitching and large top loading flap. Embroider with your class logo, boat name, and sail number.  We are offering a 21% discount for the month of January! Click here to order now!
 

Sailing Calendar

Jan 14-17- Monaco J/70 Winter Series- Monte Carlo, Monaco
Jan 16-18- J/111 Key West Winter Series- Key West, FL
Jan 21- STC Lauderdale to Key West Race- Fort Lauderdale, FL
Jan 22-24- J/70 Bacardi Winter Series II- Miami, FL
Feb 4-7- Monaco J/70 Winter Series- Monte Carlo, Monaco
Feb 17- SORC Miami to Eleuthera Race- Miami, FL
Mar 4-7- J/70 Primo Cup- Trophee Credit Suisse- Monte Carlo, Monaco
Mar 5-7- J/111 Key West Winter Series- Key West, FL
Mar 5-8- St Maarten Heineken Regatta- Simpson Bay, Saint Maarten
Mar 10-13- J/70 Bacardi Cup- Miami, FL
Mar 19-21- J/70 Davis Island Winter Series III- Tampa, FL
Mar 19-21- San Diego NOOD Regatta- San Diego, CA
Mar 26-28- St. Thomas International Regatta- St. Thomas, USVI
Mar 29- Apr 4- BVI Spring Regatta- Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Apr 2-4- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Petersburg, FL
Apr 11-17- Les Voiles de St Barth Regatta- Gustavia, St Barthelemy 
Apr 8-11- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 24-30- Antigua Sailing Week- English Harbour, Antigua, West Indies

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
 
J/99 sailing off Chile

J/99 Chile Update

(Algarrobo, Chile)- In July 2019 Eduardo Capdeville was very interested in the new J/99 when it was first introduced. He was looking for a boat that his family could enjoy, one that he could race with them, and have the ability to do some doublehanded coastal sailing.

As a result, Eduardo decided to visit the J/Composites factory in Les Sables d'Olonne, France. He wanted to see how the boat was built and to take a test sail. Thanks to the efforts of Fred Bouvier, a day of sailing and taking a J/Composites factory tour was organized for Eduardo and friends.

J/99 family sailing off Chile
One year later, in June 2020, Mr. Capdeville placed an order for J/99 hull #60 (pictured skippering with family crew).

After the confirmation of the order, the J/Boats dealer in Chile- Juan Eduardo Reid- started the process of organizing all the details and logistics for Mr. Capdeville to complete the boat in France, ship the boat from France to Chile via the Panama Canal; and commission the boat in Algarrobo, Chile.

The optional equipment was finalized, including the big wheel J/111 pedestal option. ONE SAILS were selected for the entire set of sail, the first J/99 worldwide to have them. Additional items included a 12" chart plotter for the wheel pedestal, a long list of West Marine safety equipment, covers, cradle, mooring, proper anti-fouling bottom paint and so forth.  As Juan exclaimed, "I soon realized I was configuring this boat like it was for me, but keeping the customer's desire in mind for all things onboard.

J/99 sailing offshore of Algarrobo, Chile
The boat arrived safely on November 22nd, 2020 and, amazingly, we were ready to go sailing on the 9th of December with very light winds!"

As Juan described the occasion, "I wanted to make it a real sea trail for our owner. So, I got together with a famous and very experienced South American sailor- José Muñoz- and we did some test sailing on January 10th, 2021 as the weather would be the right ones.

The conditions were perfect- 12-14 kts, sun, and gentle rolling swells from the southeast (e.g., storm swells from the Roaring Forties down by the Antarctic Ocean).

"During the current pandemic, with the daily cases going up again, going to sail a brand-new J/99 with a great sail inventory and my friend José with the perfect sunny and windy day, was kind of a miracle", commented Juan. "Also, we got Yanko to film with his DJI Drone and Choncho to rent his nice FE 580 RIB.  Sailing was perfect! The IFS A4 asymmetric spinnaker fit and performed perfectly, as well as the rest of the ONE Sail inventory. Flavio Formosa from design and Slovenian Loft 
did a great job."

J/99 sailing with doublehead rig
Juan continues describing their experience, "the J/99 is amazing. The wheel is sensitive and transmits the sensation from the rudder perfectly. With 14 kts of breeze, the boat was going 6.8 to 7.1 kts with no crew on the rail. Very stable, similar to the J/105. And, the hull going through the waves was smooth and strong... hard to describe, but easy to understand for a J/Boats owner. The V shape section and the good hull, sail plan, foils and ballast make the whole combination perfect and the boat just flies through the water."

He added, "downwind, we were making 8 to 9 kts, with a breeze of just 12 to 14 kts. There was no planing condition, but you can see that the boat will go planing very easily with winds over 15 to 16 kts.  Very stable, very easy. Nice, nice, nice.

Other aspects that surprised us was the nicely appointed interior, nice headroom (almost 1.8 meters) and simple, but good distribution. This is a big step ahead of the J/105, a boat that we are very used to in Chile, with a fleet of thirty boats.

J/99 sailing upwind offshore- Algarrobo, Chile
For the J/99, another really nice aspect is the nice aluminum mast with an integral mainsail luff track (for sliders), that makes mainsail handling very easy. Also, the trimming system for the jib (with up- down and in-out) makes it very easy to tune the jib shape to any wind/wave condition. This gives you the opportunity of having only one all-purpose jib, as we did for "Lady Chopper II", with Harken furler and vertical battens.

Congratulations to Al Johnstone for the nice design, J/Composite for the good construction, and the entire J/Boats team to achieve more than 60 J/99's built to date. We are happy to have two already in South America; one in Chile and one in Perú.

Now, we look forward to racing doublehanded regattas in IRC, a TCC of 1.005 is very promising.

And, we are also looking forward to sailing the bigger brother of this boat, the new J/45. We see in both models the same design considerations; we believe the J/45 will be a rocket in the water; an easy to sail, soft, stable, well-built, comfortable rocket offshore."   To learn more about the J/99 shorthanded offshore speedster
 
J/105 sailing upwind offshore doublehanded

"Bittersweet Chocolate" J/105 Doublehanded Race Report

(San Francisco, CA)- On Sunday, January 10th, nine J/105s gathered informally near Golden Gate YC’s X buoy for some fresh air and double-handed sailing in what has become a monthly event for the fleet. The occasion for this past weekend was the National Bittersweet Chocolate Day; therefore, the inspirational name for the race (the kicker, of course, was the awards were Bruce & Nicole's bittersweet chocolate brownies!). 

With a 4-7 kt northeasterly and a few knots of ebb, expected to build significantly, several skippers wondered whether we could even make it around the course.  The current was strongly flooding INSIDE SF Marina’s West Harbor and drove Bruce Stone’s J/105 Arbitrage sideways into the corner of the guest dock, earning a severe scrape of the hull.  After Co-owner (and spouse) Nicole Breault applied a healthy amount of duct tape, the team headed out to the starting area.

With the wind starting to clock north just before the start, and the windward mark being YRA 8 (channel marker R “4”), most boats started at the wind-favored X buoy, while Akula, skippered by Doug Bailey, started on port at the Wave Organ, the shoreside end of the line, in less adverse current.  Akula heading along the shore all the way to Pier 39, and looked way behind, especially when the wind shifted further north and both Ne*Ne and Arbitrage were able to set their spinnakers while still on the first leg.  With most of the fleet gaining current relief by passing Alcatraz to the north, Akula seemed to be a mile behind.  The northerly then ramped up to 12 kts and the “leaders” were sailing on a tight spinnaker reach, barely under control since they were missing 800 pounds of crew!  All of a sudden, Akula poked out into the ebb exiting from South Bay and achieved a massive VMG as he headed north toward the mark, arriving there a half-mile ahead of Ne*Ne, Russian Roulette, Arrived! and Arbitrage rounding together in that order.  Akula then headed southwest (with the westward flowing ebb) in a fast close jib reach to Blackaller, and the next four boats traded places behind her.  It was quite tactical as Ne*Ne and Russian Roulette sailed high so they could reset their spinnakers, while Arbitrage sailed low with the jib barber-hauled to the rail and Arrived split the difference.  Approaching Blackaller for the final rounding to finish at Golden Gate YC, Arbitrage moved up to third by passing Roulette and Arrived!, while Ne*Ne held on for second behind Akula in first.  

Race winner Doug Bailey on AKULA describes their experience:

"Racing on The Bay in winter is always a crap-shoot with respect to the wind. Sometimes it shows up, and sometimes it doesn’t. The forecast for Sunday did not look promising, with a high-level Northerly flow in relatively stable air, leading to predictions of just 5kts max across the race course. Couple that with a vicious ebb, and I was in half a mind to stay home, cook brownies for myself, settle down on the couch and watch the wildcard games in comfort. There’s nothing worse than hanging out at the Wave Organ for 2 hours in just enough wind to get to it, but not enough to poke your nose out into the current and pass it. Been there, done that. As this was an informal race, Bruce communicated the course – X (start) to Red 4 to Blackaller to X (finish); my crew Roberto Giramonti and I discussed our options.

As luck would have it, we were blessed with 4 kts wind at 11:00 AM and what looked like better air out in the central part of the bay. However, I was not sure that there was enough breeze to overcome the central bay ebb and I was particularly concerned about the wind shadow of Angel Island because of the northerly component. I wanted to try to get our nose out into the long fetch down the bay quickly to avoid parking or worse, getting washed backwards to Harding and beyond. We decided to take the long way around and hide from the ebb along the city front, before making the call to cross the (stronger, but shorter distance) ebb flow to relief at the back of TI.

Surprisingly, no-one came with us, and by the time we figured that out, there was no way to get to the boats that were already well out into the wind line – we were stuck with our plan. It did not look good for a while as we made 0.1 kts SOG past Ft. Mason. The breeze in there was very light – I speculate that it was coming undisturbed at 4kts or less down the bay and the laminar flow was lifting up over the land leaving us with just zephyrs to use to make progress in the more or less slack water behind Aquatic Park. What kept us motivated was the flags flying strongly on Pier 39 – we were pretty sure that if we could make it past the ebb on the marina wall and into the next section of relief, we would be in good shape.

The money decision was when to head out into the current and go for the mark. It was already easily “fetchable” in the absence of current and so the decision rested on the relative strengths of the wind and current on the run up to Red 4. In the end, it was clear that we stayed on the city-front too long – we never had to go above 40 degrees apparent on what turned into a fast white sail reach past Blossom and Red 2. We saw the central bay fleet coming fast carrying kites (and staysails in some cases) at fine angles, but we were pretty sure that we would get to Red 4 with plenty of gap, which is what happened. At that point it was simply a matter of covering the fleet on the way back out to Blackaller and home to X. We had a kite ready to go and we were watching to see if anyone took a flyer south of Alcatraz, but no-one did, and we felt that the guys that did launch would not be able to catch us. We elected to keep it simple and reduce the risk of a mistake by holding our kite in its bag. We won with a few minutes to spare, followed by Ne*Ne, Arbitrage and Arrived!

Bruce handed over our prize – the eponymous Bittersweet Brownies, much better than I would have made if I’d stayed home. A delicious, but nerve-wracking and somewhat lonely, day on the Bay.”

Next up will be the Valentine’s Day Race on February 14th.
 

J/Community

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

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SmartTune readout

* Load Data is Key When Margins Are Tight Racing One-Design

One-design racing is all about those tiny margins when gaining and losing positions in a race. A skipper that knows this better than most is Tony Mack who retained the J/111 National Championship and was awarded the J-Cup at the helm of McFly back in September last year. Cyclops Marine proudly sponsored the event and gifted the winner of the J-Cup a SmartTune load sensor.

Cyclops were excited that Tony should be the recipient of the device, not just as a worthy winner after his crew’s performance, but because they knew that he was a competitor who would get the most out of it. The owner of McFly is well respected not just for being fast on the water, but for the effort and diligence put in in preparation and fine tuning.

Tony Mack- owner of J/111 McFly“As with our J/111 one-design class the margins are very close, technology that can help us go a little faster can be invaluable”.

McFly leaves nothing to chance, because their skipper knows what all the best do: that you can always get faster, tighten those margins and know more about your boat – that resting on your laurels is the first step toward letting your upper-hand slip.

“Last year we lost a Cowes Week race by just 12 seconds after almost 5 hours sailing. Having been able to test SmartTune we can already see that it is an essential product that will provide us with the next competitive edge”. 

Easily swapping in for existing turnbuckle (forestay/backstay/shrouds/diagonals), the device sends live lSmartTune on J/111 headstayoad data to your phone via the SmartFittings manager app, and to existing on-board displays, allowing you to learn your fastest settings, set up to match them, make real time adjustments to conditions, and see immediate results in the numbers – finding that winning gear time and time again.

The app also logs data integrated with GPS, ready for export to sailing analytics software – maximizing the value of time spent in training and taking post-race analysis to new levels of detail. (Unsurprisingly) this excited McFly’s owner: 

“During the winter we are looking forward to developing our base setting numbers and continual improvement through the 2021 race season to hit our fast numbers quicker and more reliably.”   Learn more about the SmartTune Load sensor here. Add to Flipboard Magazine.