Wednesday, October 2, 2019

J/Newsletter- October 2nd, 2019

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

Last week, J/70 sailors were treated to an amazing regatta on Lake Erie. The first J/70 North Americans to sail on the Great Lakes took place off Cleveland, Ohio, hosted by the Edgewater Yacht Club. The sailing conditions were truly epic, with two days of racing in 6 to 10 foot waves (more like giant chop) and 15 to 25+ kt winds with temperatures in the 70’s F and mostly sunny days. Also enjoying breezy conditions were a number of other regattas around North America. The J/105 Canadian Championships were held on Lake Ontario, hosted by the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. South of them on Long Island Sound, the American Yacht Club hosted the first weekend of their famous Fall Series for one-design fleets of J/70s, J/88s, J/105s, J/109s, J/44s and a PHRF fleet with J/111, J/145 and J/112E sailing in them. Still further south on the Chesapeake Bay, the Annapolis Yacht Club hosted the first Offshore Doublehanded Regatta for a one-design fleet of “mixed” J/105s and a PHRF handicap fleet with a J/35 and J/33. Out west, the fun-loving J/Fest San Diego hosted one-design fleets of J/70s, J/105s, J/120s, and a J/PHRF fleet that included a J/30, J/109, and J/145.
 

J/99 sailing off Newport 
J/99, J/97E & J/70 @ Annapolis Sailboat Show!
(Newport, RI)- It is that time of year, again! Time to plan a visit to one of the exciting sailboat shows in  the USA - the U.S. International Sailboat Show in Annapolis, MD.

J99 European Yacht of the YearJ/99- the seriously fast, comfortable, offshore shorthanded speedster
Making her Annapolis debut, the J/99 is the newest addition to the J/Sport range, combining headroom and comfortable interior accommodation with the tiller-driven responsiveness of a sport boat. The sail and deck plan are optimized for easy handling with fewer crew, and incorporate the latest developments from the award-winning J/121 and the new Offshore Sailing World champion J/112E. The interior features twin aft cabins, a proper sit-down forward facing nav station, an L-shaped galley, and a private forward head with sail locker. Plus, the J/99 has been nominated for European Yacht of the Year Award. For more J/99 sailboat information.

J/97E- the perfect dual-purpose family cruiser racer
The J/97E was the first J in over two decades under 32’ to combine headroom and family cruising accommodations in a high performance, easily-driven hull. With the handling ease of an asymmetric spinnaker and non-overlapping headsails, the J/97E has proven to be the most versatile design yet under 35’ to fit the needs of today’s sailing families, both young and old alike-- the ultimate combination of sailing performance and creature comforts for all!  For more J/97E sailboat information.

Come join us at the Annapolis Sailboat Show- the J/99, J/97E, and J/70 will be on display; from October 10th to 14th at Annapolis Cityfront MarinaFor more information.
 

J/70 sailing San Francisco Bay
Sail a J/70 in Florida this Winter!
(Newport, RI)- There is nothing like escaping the winter freeze for some fun, competitive one-design racing in the warm waters of Florida.  Even better when there’s a choice of events and venues to choose from. The J/70 class has it covered- from the Davis Island Winter Series on Tampa Bay to the Miami Bacardi Winter Series on Biscayne Bay, the J/70 Midwinters in Miami, and Charleston Race Week.

Discover why the J/70 is called the sportboat with stability- a blast to sail upwind and downwind, and one of the few modern designs that can be sailed by three-generations competitively- from 7 to 70!

There has never been a better time to buy a J/70- the 2020 J/70 Fall Package Special is available until October 15th, 2019 and includes:
  • 2020 Model J/70 with standard equipment
  • Selden carbon mast and boom
  • Harken Snubbair low-profile winches
  • Cross-sheet jib cleats and vang cheek blocks
  • Galvanized, single-axle, float off/lift off trailer
  • Companionway spinnaker bag
  • Safety Gear– anchor, chain & rode, bucket, bilge pump, first aid kit, two fenders, two dock lines.
The Fall Package Special is $46,900 (Bristol, RI) for orders placed prior to October 15, 2019.   Please contact your local J/Dealer or J/Boats for more information. Learn more about the world’s most successful sportboat- the International J/70 here.
 

J/70s sailing off Cleveland, Ohio 
J/70 North American Champs on Cloud NINE!
(Cleveland, OH)- The Edgewater Yacht Club hosted the 2019 edition of the J/70 North American Championship for the world’s largest and most popular sportboat class from September 24th to 29th. The thirty-five teams from five nations (Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico and USA) sailed an amazing regatta on the challenging waters of Lake Erie, famous for its severe chop and rapidly changing winds along their city waterfront. In fact, for many J/70 crews, it was an eye-opener to see gale-force type oceanic conditions with massive chop on one of the big freshwater Great Lakes.
J/70s sailing fast off Cleveland, OH
For the three-day event, the Edgewater YC PRO Mark Foster and his Race Committee pushed the sailors to their limits. The first day set the pace for the regatta. The fleet was greeted with postcard-perfect conditions, southerly breeze from 12-16 knots and gusts in the 20s meant perfect planing opportunities. Adding in sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s, everyone relished the three races to kick off the Championship. The second day dawned with grey, leaden skies that ultimately cleared for a spectacular sunny day of racing. As the front and skies cleared, a strong northwest breeze filled in blowing 15-20 kts, with gusts in the high 20s.  What made the day an epic experience were the monster waves (e.g. giant 6 to 10 foot chop) that made for some hair-raising, double-digit planing speeds on the downwind runs. After all that excitement in the first two days, the fleet had to contend with a finale that was anything but mind-blowing, concluding with just one light air race on Saturday.
J/70 NINE team
Oivind Lorentzen’s NINE team (Lucas Calabrese, Ian Coleman and Will Felder) started out the first day of the regatta in first place over a stellar, incredibly talented field; the top of the field had multiple World Champions on their boats as tacticians/ main trimmers. Consider that you had Olympic 470 Silver Medallist Lucas Calabrese on the lead boat; J/22 World Champion Allen Terhune on TEAM VINEYARD VINES; Golison’s MIDLIFE CRISIS with Erik Shampain as Etchells 22 Champion; Keane’s SAVASANA with College Sailor of Year Thomas Barrows; Ignacio Perez’s ZAQUERO with World Champion crew Willem Van Waay; Pam Rose’s ROSEBUD with World Match Race/ Congressional Cup Champion Taylor Canfield; Ryan McKillen’s SURGE with offshore World Champion Tony Rey; Haroldo Solberg’s VIKING with 4x J/24 World Champion Mauricio Santa Cruz from Brazil; John Evans’ AIRPLANE with J/88 and J/111 champion tactician Marty Kullman aboard; and Travis Odenbach’s famous HONEYBADGER with World Star Champion George Szabo and J/88 Midwinter Champion trimmer Michael Booker keeping it going fast. Not exactly a group of “shrinking violets” amongst that fleet of talented sailors, ALL capable of winning Continental or World Championships given the right team, boat and owner/skipper.
J/70s sailing downwind on Lake Erie
Against that backdrop, it was clear that winning this J/70 N.A.’s was not going to be a “walk in the park” for anyone, despite the small fleet size of thirty-five boats. In fact, there was no place to hide! The teams had to be on their game, as the small starting line, and incredibly sharp tacticians, meant you had to be fast, pick your spots, have great boat-handling, and minimize your mistakes that invariably creep into even the most professional programs. In short, with so many good teams, having just one bad race in the ten race series (with one discard) could be catastrophic.
J/70s sailing off start line
Going into the last day, NINE held a mere 0.7-point advantage over Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT heading into Saturday’s final competition. The main problem for the NINE team was a 18th in race 6, while CATAPULT had all top 6 finishes. The stage was set for the CATAPULT team to bury the NINE team and walk off with an easy, tactical win. Going into the final race, CATAPULT was one of only two teams without a double-digit finish and in a prime position to take advantage of that leverage on any competitors. However, lurking in the shadows with an ability to win overall was also Keane’s SAVASANA, the only other team with all single-digit finishes after nine races.
J/70 Team Vineyard Vines sailing
In the regatta finale, CATAPULT missed their opportunity, while NINE nailed it; earning a second-place finish (to CATAPULT’s 12th) to claim the 2019 title with a total of 26.3 net points. The 2016 J/70 World Champion- Ronning’s CATAPULT TEAM- captured the silver position with 31 points. John Brim’s RIMETTE gained a third in the day’s lone contest, leaping them up to third overall with 38 points. John and Molly Baxter’s TEAM VINEYARD VINES closed the Championship with a bullet, giving them fourth place on a tiebreaker (over Brian Keane’s SAVASANA) at 42 points.

Kevin Morgan’s WILD CHILD with crew Mike Sheehan, Caroline Sundman, Sarah Paisley and Mark Hassett topped the 13-boat Corinthian division. Following them were Martin Johnsson’s AQUAHOLIKS and Charlie Pendleton’s BAD HOMBRES.
J/70 sailing upwind on Lake Erie
“It’s very exciting for me because I’ve been working at this now for a few years,” beamed Lorentzen. “The level of competition makes it so rewarding. Having good crew makes all the difference in the world. The thanks really go to them.” Although Lorentzen has sailed in the Great Lakes before, he’s never done so in Cleveland. “The venue was a pleasure— the wind, the welcoming club. Hopefully, we do it again.”

Willem van Waay, racing on ZAQUERO, summarized this week’s conditions in Cleveland, “15-25 knots, 72-degree fresh water, 5-8 foot waves, 80+ degrees outside. San Francisco is awesome, but this place, this week, was at a different level. It’s like God built a perfect playground for us!”

Photos are available on the International J/70 Class Facebook page.  Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes   For more J/70 North American sailing information
 

J/105 Mandate team in Toronto, ONT, CanadaThe MANDATE Was A Whitewash? The Terry & Rod Show Win Canadian J/105 Championship
(Toronto, ONT, Canada)- By now, the J/105 class has become accustomed to the Terry & Rod Show. An amazing, smart, talented duo hatched on that infamous little island off the Toronto city waterfront that is home to the beautiful Royal Canadian Yacht Club. They have an amazing facility, but equally important, is that RCYC has been an incubator for some of Canada’s best sailors over the past few decades. This past weekend, two of those “alumni” cashed in on their experience to take home the pinnacle of the Canadian J/105 Class- the Canadian National Championship.

Starting off with a pair of bullets, and leading after the first day of racing, the duo of Terry McLaughlin & Rod Wilmer on their mighty MANDATE never looked back, as the rest of the fleet watched their transom most of the time disappearing over the horizon in front of them.  Never finishing worst than 2nd, the MANDATE crew posted six bullets and two deuces over eight races. Ouch, that was a spanking of everyone’s proverbial derrieres. Is anyone surprised? Well, the M&W MANDATE team are three-times past J/105 North American champions.

Did the rest of the fleet manage to stay in contention? None, really. However, Frank McLaughlin skippering STARCROSS was learning the “rope-a-dope” early in the regatta by taking a 2-3-7 in the first races to hang close to the MANDATE duo. Thereafter, McLaughlin’s STARCROSS posted a commendable record of one 1st, three 2nds, and a 3rd to hang on to a respectable silver medal behind the world-dominating MANDATE crew.

Another J/105 North American Champion took the bronze medal, Jim Rathbun’s HEY JUDE. After an incredibly difficult first race 12th, they clawed their way back into contention by posting mostly all podium finishes, e.g. all of them left over after the two McLaughlin’s took all the others!

Rounding out the top five were Peter Hall’s JAMAICA ME CRAZY in fourth place and Andrew Moor’s THUNDERSTRUCK in fifth place. For more Canadian J/105 Championship sailing information
 

J/105 sailing off San Diego, CA 
Fun, Beautiful J/Fest San Diego!
(San Diego, CA)- What no one expected, after a highly variable weather pattern over the past few weeks, was a simply gorgeous weekend of sailing in San Diego, CA. The occasion was the J/Fest San Diego Regatta for a fleet of J/120s, J/105s, J/70s, and a J/PHRF fleet.
J/120 sailing off San Diego, CA
In the legendary J/120 fleet in San Diego, it was the extraordinary team on John Laun’s CAPER that simply decimated their fleet. What is interesting about the San Diego J/120 fleet is that results are highly dependent on simple combinations of good skippers, tacticians, and sail trimmers. It is not a secret at all, put together the right crew with the right “karma” and off you go! Having good starts helps, as you go for the first shift ahead of the rest of the fleet. In the end, Laun’s CAPER crew won all five races!  Second was Chuck Nichols’ CC RIDER with a 2-3-4-2-2 tally for 13 pts. Then, taking  home the bronze was Scott Hogan’s SHAMROCK with a 4-2-2-4-4 for 16 pts.
J/120s off San Diego, CA
The equally famous J/105 fleet in San Diego also saw a near whitewash of their class. Chuck Driscoll’s JUICED won three races in their five-race series enroute to a dominating class win.  However, behind them it was a full-on battle for the balance of the podium. The three protagonists included Steve & Lucy Howell’s BLINK!, Stew Cannon’s J-OK, and Jeff Brown’s SWEET KAREN.  As each team enjoyed a roller-coaster ride up and down the standing in, literally, every race, it was the Howell’s BLINK! that took the silver. But, that was based on winning a tie-breaker over Cannon’s J-OK at 18 pts each. Rounding out the top five was Brown’s SWEET KAREN just one point back with 19 pts and still only 1 pt behind them was Rich Bergmann’s ZUNI BEAR with 20 pts! Close racing, indeed!
J/70s sailing off San Diego, CA
Unlike their counterparts in the 105s and 120s, the J/70s had a classic duel at the O.K. Corral! The regatta was a training event for many West Coast teams that are preparing for the 2020 J/70 World Championship at California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, CA. The final race determined everything for the closely fought leaders in what has become the world’s most competitive class. David Hochart’s USA 540 and Tony Collins’ FLY finished tied on points as a result of Hochart’s last race win! Losing the countback was Collins’ FLY. The final position on the podium was determined by a battle between Drew Belk’s KAWAU BAY and Curt Johnson’s AVET 2.01.  Belk’s lest than stellar 8th in the final race was enough to overcome Johnson’s 5th place to secure the bronze medal. Rounding out the top five was Steve Wyman’s NUNUHUNU with 26 pts.
J/120 CC Rider sailing off San Diego, CA
In the J/PHRF division, it was Robert Noe’s J/30 MAD HATTER taking class honors. Second was Gene Pitkin’s J/109 GERONIMO, while Robert Pace’s J/145 ANDIAMO 2 won every race on elapsed time, but ended up taking the bronze in class.  For more J/Fest San Diego sailing information
 

J/44s sailing on Long Island Sound 
Windy Start to American YC Fall Series
(Rye, NY)- The first of two weekends of racing in the famous American Yacht Club Fall Series took place with extraordinary weather conditions. With a solid 15-25 kts of breeze, the AYC PRO and Race Committee were able to run six races over the two days, giving the sailors more than they bargained for in their first weekend of racing. The AYC Fall Series has big one-design fleets of J/70s, J/88s, J/105s, J/109s, and J/44s participating, as well as an offshore PHRF Fleet.

The eight-boat J/70 fleet saw John Gochberg’s team on USA 551 take an enormous lead over the fleet, posting an amazing six 1sts and one 2nd to be leading with just 6 pts net.  Second was the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Team on YOGI, also recording an very steady record of all podium finishes; a 1st, two 2nds, and four 3rds for a total of 14 pts net. Rounding out the leaderboard is Manuel Cadarso’s EOLO with a 2-3-5-3-2-5-4 tally for 19 pts.

With the upcoming J/88 North American Championship looming over the horizon on western Long Island Sound at Larchmont, it is not surprising the eleven-boat J/88 class was going to see several teams using the AYC Fall Series as a “pre-NA’s” tune-up. The big surprise was a new team that took the fleet by storm; John Sommi’s CLOUD 9 ran away with the early lead, posting seven bullets in seven races for a net score of just 6 pts! Sailing fast in their first major event and challenging Sommi’s CLOUD 9 in most races was the duo of Andrew Weiss & Larry Cutler on ONE TOO MANY; their tally of five 2nds and a 5-7 puts them in second place with 15 pts net. The balance of the podium has William Purdy’s WHIRLWIND in third place. Notably, there are four teams within three points of third place, including Purdy’s WHIRLWIND, Tim Sweet’s GIVE’R from Canada, Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION, and Paul Strauch’s ANDIAMO.

J/105s sailing upwind on Long Island SoundThe fourteen-boat J/105 class had a good mixture of racing in the seven races sailed so far. A relative class newcomer is leading the series, Dwight Greenhouse’s SKIPPERDEE is on top with a record of 1-3-2-1-6-2-2.5 for 11.5 net pts. Second is a perennial Long Island Sound J/105 champion, Paul Beaudin’s LOULOU with a 9-1-3-2-1-1-9 roller-coaster tally for 17 pts net. Sitting in third with another roller-coaster experience is John & Maria Koten’s GRAY MATTER with 3-2-1-9-2-3-12 for 20 pts net.

The thirteen-boat J/109 fleet also saw one boat stand out from the pack. Not surprisingly, David Rosow’s talented crew on LOKI sailed a very consistently both days, producing four 1sts, a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th to post 9 pts net. Behind them, it’s a bruising battle for the next two steps on the podium.  Sitting in second is Trevor Roach’s INCENDIARY with 17 pts net, third is Jonathan Rechtschaffer’s EMOTICON with 21 pts, fourth is Bud Rogers’ BIG BOAT with 22 pts, and fifth is John Greifzu’s GROWTH SPURT with 28 pts. All of them are experienced teams and, in the end, with another weekend of racing in front of them there is no question anything goes in this competitive class.
J/44s sailing on Long Island Sound
The big-boat J/44 one-design class had a half-dozen boats sailing, with four boats sitting within five points of each other after six races! One-design sails supplied by the class ensure extremely close racing. Leading is Don & Rick Rave’s RESOLUTE with a 2-3-2-2-1-1 record for 8 pts net.  Second is Tom Blackwell’s BREAKAWAY with a 4-2-1-3-2-3 tally for 11 pts net, and in third is Len Sitar’s VAMP with a 1-4-4-1-3-4 record for 13 pts net. Tied with him is New York Yacht Club Commodore Bill Ketcham’s MAXINE with scores of 3-1-3-4-4-2 for 13 pts net as well.

In the PHRF handicap world, we find Bill & Jackie Baxter’s J/111 FIREBALL sitting in fourth in PHRF 1 Class, just five points out of 2nd place. And, in PHRF 2 Class, Scott Devine’s J/112E REVIVER is sitting in third, while sitting in fourth is the Landy/ Soohoo duo on their J/100 SANGUINE. In the PHRF Performance Cruising class, Charles Taus’ J/33 SIRIUS is sitting in fourth.  For more American YC Fall series sailing information
 

J/105s sailing off AnnapolisSmyth/ Persson Win Annapolis YC Doublehanded Offshore Distance Race
(Annapolis, MD)- The Annapolis Yacht Club hosted a new 24-hour distance race for mixed double-handed crews that started on Saturday, September 28, 2019 off the entrance to the Severn River. The inspiration for the event came from the announcement by World Sailing that the Olympic Games will host a mixed double-handed, long-distance competition beginning with the 2024 Paris Games in France.

The fleet took off on a race course designed to be sailed in about 24 hours across the vast expanse of the Chesapeake Bay. The AYC event featured two divisions: one for mixed gender crews in J/105s and a second division open to male or female teams in boats of 25 to 42 feet using the ORC handicap rule to score the different size boats.

The seven-boat J/105 fleet had several famous offshore sailors participating. Winning the race was Randy Smyth, a two-time Olympic medalist and winning America’s Cup sailor. He was paired with his friend Christina Persson on-board MIRAGE. Taking second was a U.S. Naval Academy Team comprised of Midshipman 2/C Donald Poirier and USNA Coach Nancy Haberland. Third was the duo of Bill Bomar and Bri Grenier on PEREGRINE. Rounding out the top five were RJ Cooper & Courtney Cumberland’s PRISCILLA/ TENACIOUS and Ethan Johnson & Cat Chimney’s OAKCLIFF SAILING/ RUM PUPPY.

In the ten-boat ORC Division, the two J/Duos racing; Roger Lant & Mike Welin’s J/35 ABIENTOT and John Loe & Matt Schubert’s J/33 HORNET, finished second and third, respectively. For more AYC Doublehanded Distance Race sailing information
 

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Oct 11-13- China Coast Race Week- Hong Kong, China
Oct 11-12- J/80 Copa de Espana- Coruna, Spain
Oct 17-20- J/88 North American Championship- Rye, New York
Oct 18-20- J/105 Masters Regatta- San Diego, CA
Oct 19-26- J/24 World Championship- Coconut Grove, FL
Oct 19- Rolex Middle Sea Race- Gzira, Malta
Oct 25-27- J/24 East Coast Championship- Annapolis, MD
Oct 25-27- J/Fest Southwest- Lakewood, TX
Oct 25-27- J/105 Lipton Cup Regatta- San Diego, CA
Nov 1-4- French J/80 Championship- La Rochelle, France

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

J/122s sailing on Galveston Bay, Texas 
J/Fest Southwest Regatta 10th Anniversary!
(Lakewood, TX)- The 10th annual edition of the J/Fest Southwest Regatta will feature many of the exciting and fun events that J/Sailors have enjoyed over the past decade. This year’s event will feature live music, a shrimp boil dinner, free beer, spectator boats (for family and friends), and lots of J/Sailors having a lot of fun! Hosting the event at their expansive facilities on Galveston Bay is the incredibly accommodating Lakewood Yacht Club. Participating are one-design fleets of J/22s, J/24s, J/70s and an ORC handicap class.

For the thirteen-boat J/70 fleet, the regatta serves as a 2020 J/70 Worlds qualifier that will be held in Marina del Rey, CA at California Yacht Club. Despite the relatively small size of the fleet, it is bursting with talent from many top southwest sailing teams. Watch for these teams to be factors on the leaderboard; such as Doug Strebel’s BLACK RIVER RACING, Mallory & Andrew Loe’s DIME from Seattle, WA, Glenn Darden’s HOSS, Forbes Durdin’s MOJITO, Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE, Mark Masur’s TWO FEATHERS, Al Poindexter’s USA 241, and Jay Lutz & Doug Strebel’s ZOUNDS.  Fun and games for that fleet!

The eleven-boat J/24 fleet also features a number of leading crews in the southwest.  Chief amongst them is Jack Franco’s 3 BALL JT, plus Stu Juengst’s VANG GO, Andrew Theismann’s YOUNG’UNS, and Gerald Rademaker’s YIKES!

The fourteen-boat J/22 fleet has a number of amusing teams participating. Who’s on first in this fleet? Who knows. But, it could be Casey Lambert’s BLACKBURN MARINE RACING, Jeff Jones’ GAS STATION SUSHI, Dan Pletsch’s SKETCHY, Gary Thies’ STUDENT DRIVER, or Kevin Orff’s TROUBLEMAKER. Wow, sounds like a bunch of refugees from the local mental asylum… anyone want to race against that crazy crew? For sure, they will have a lot of fun.

The J/105s have seven teams participating from around Galveston Bay. Based on their performance at the recent J/105 North American Championship, there is no question the outright favorite has to be Ken Horne’s FINAL FINAL team (the infamous boat with class illegal “no windows”). Who will challenge them? Perhaps John Barnett’s PESTO, Brad Robbins’ RUMPUS, Dennis Kokkinis’ SPITFIRE, or Albert Shannon’s WIKI WIKI V.

In the J/ORC Division are six teams that will be pointing their bows across the starting line. Those teams include the brand new J/99 USA 007 (another Agent 99!), Albrecht Goethe’s J/46 HAMBURG II, Andy Wescoat’s J/109 HARM’S WAY, J.D. Hills’ J/122 SECOND STAR, Jim Demarest’s J/46 SODALIS III, and George Cushing’s J/92 77. Included in this group is Richard Bell’s J/97E VESPER.  For more J/Fest Southwest sailing information
 

J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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J/34 Knee Deep sailing Mac Race
* More Fun Sailing on Lake Erie! Here’s a report from the fun-loving sailing family- the Langolf’s from Cleveland, Ohio:


“Fresh off a 3rd Place finish in the Bayview Mackinac Race, the Langolf family crew got our J/34 IOR boat called KNEE DEEP off the trailer and back in the water. Now, it was time to coordinate our next adventures.

J/34 Knee Deep sailing upwindWe put the mast back up, dialed in the rig to our settings and coordinated with the crew to see how we could tackle the end of summer. In a five-week span, we were full-on weekend warriors. We took 4 kids (and 3 wives!) on their first overnight race (drifter!) aboard KNEE DEEP (taking 3rd). We cleaned up the boat by sunrise and fired up the diesel for a Sunday Funday Race in the Bay, victory again!

The next weekend was a wild ride in six-foot waves and #3 jib to a top-five finish at the annual Labor Day pursuit race; the 20 mile delivery home was even more fun.

The family then packed up the gear and headed east the following weekend to race with our friends on the J/105 FALL LINE. Winning the overall Cleveland Cup on Saturday, we also helped the FALL LINE team win the J/105 Boat of the Year on Lake Erie. We had a convincing J/105 class win around the buoys on Sunday. Better yet, the race was in the books before kick-off for the Cleveland Browns NFL football game!
J/105 young girl skipper
The next weekend, the regatta was canceled due to weather. However, that didn't stop us! We loaded five kids on our boat and took two other families sailing for the day.

J/24 sailing on Lake Erie
J/Boat September ended at the J/24 District Championships. Our family chaired the regatta and we jumped aboard BOOYAH! to take a second-place finish. We had two great days of racing in Sandusky Bay (host for the 2022 J/24 North Americans). Amusingly enough, most of our KNEE DEEP crew were dispersed among the top 5 boats!

Now, it’s time for a couple of October sails to the famous Cedar Point Amusement Park; over a half-dozen of the world’s largest and fastest roller-coasters are on the island. Let's hope the kid's lifejackets fit over their Halloween costumes.”  Thanks for this contribution from father Brett Langolf.
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