J/Newsletter- May 27th, 2009

New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta

J/122 One-Design Warm-up for North Americans

(Newport, RI- June 14-16)- Nine very competitive J/122s are entered to race one-design in this year's New York Yacht Club's Annual Regatta held off Newport, RI.  This classic event starts with the fun and challenging Around Jamestown Island Race on Friday and then proceeds to course racing on Saturday and Sunday off Brenton Point, about four miles southeast of Castle Hill.  Teams are coming from as far away as Annapolis, MD, Denver, CO and Irvington, TX. Come down to NYYC's Harbour Court during the weekend and see why these J/122 owners are having such a fun time!   For more info.

Vice Admiral's Cup

J/109 Selected as One-Design Class for this Prestigious Event

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- With just a few days left to go until the start of the fifth edition of the Vice Admiral's Cup, to be hosted by the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, Cowes, from 29-31 May, there's already a big buzz about this year's regatta.

In particular, it's the first time that a large one-design class has been included as part of the RORC Vice Admiral's Cup format. For this year, Class 3 (J109 Class) is currently set to be the largest class competing with thirteen entries already confirmed at the time of writing.

Racing will take place in the central Solent. Each evening competitors will be able to enjoy an informal après sailing supper at the Royal Corinthian's beautiful harbour side club house and there will be a formal prize giving after racing on the final day of the regatta. For more info.

J/80 UK Nationals

Strong, Incredibly Competitive Turnout Expected

(Hamble, So'ton, England)- Hamble Yacht Services on the River Hamble is this year's sponsor of the J/80 UK National Championship. The HYS UK National Championship 2009 will take place from the 10th to 13th of June and will be hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble. Racing will take place on the Solent.

Kevin Sproul, reigning J/80 UK National Champion, will also be back in the Class for the HYS Nationals, but he will face strong and new competition this year. In addition to several new owners in the J/80 Class, including Vicci Gregory and Rob Larke of Joystick, who have dominated the early spring one-design events on the Solent, the charity Toe In The Water will be entering three J/80s for the HYS Nationals. Toe In The Water aims to use competitive sailing to re-inspire injured servicemen and women in order to assist them in seeing beyond their disability.

The HYS J/80 UK Nationals promises to be an exciting and hard fought event, and strong entry levels are expected, boosted by the generous sponsorship of Hamble Yacht Services. The Notice of Race and Entry Forms are online now.

J/80 Worlds in Spain

12+ Countries Expected to Compete for World Title

(Cantabria, Spain)- From July 4th to 11th, Cantabria, Spain and Real Club Marítimo de Santander have been chosen to host the World J/80 Championships on Cantabrian waters. A very large turnout exceeding a 70 boats is expected, with over a 400 competitors taking part. The sailors will come from all over the world and will include previous world champions.

The J/80 class has a great tradition on Cantabrian waters and just in Santander around 40 J/80 vessels compete regularly...including members of the Spanish Navy and Royal Family. Some of the strongest boats on the world circuit will come to Santander, including entries from France, England, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Holland and the United States. The J/80 class has become one of the most popular in sailing and, in recent years, it has grown spectacularly in Europe.  For more info.

J/Regatta News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Racing Worldwide

Summer is upon us!  It was busy on the J calendar last week.  With the Bank Holiday Weekend in England and other American events ushering in the start of summer, J sailors were spoiled for choice where to go and what to do around the world.  In Europe, the RORC kicked off with the Myth of Malham Trophy and Cervantes Trophy and Scotland kicked off the sailing season with the annual trek to Tarbert.  In New England, the combination of FIGAWI and Block Island Race provided stark contrasts.  Read on!  More importantly, if you have more regatta news, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page!  Below are the summaries.

RORC Myth Of Maltham Trophy

J/133 Batfish III Dominates the Offshore Channel Classic

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The 230 mile race from Cowes around the Eddystone Lighthouse and back proved to be a very demanding race for the 130 boats competing for the RORC Myth of Malham Trophy. Light airs and strong tides conspired to produce a tactical conundrum that was an ever changing picture.

In IRC Zero there was an outstanding performance by Bill Blain's J/133, Batfish III, winning class by nearly three hours and claiming third in IRC overall and Neil Martin's J/133, Jammy Dodger was third in class. In IRC Class Two, Simon Curwen, sailing two handed, was second in J/105, Voador and Robin Taunt's J/109, Jibe, corrected out to third. There were 24 entries for the Two Handed Class and honours went to Simon Curwen's J/105, Voador.  For more info.

BoatUS Santa Maria Cup

Top International Women Match Race on J/22s in Annapolis

(Annapolis, MD- May 26-29)- Today also marks the first day of racing at the BoatU.S. Santa Maria Cup, an international women's match racing regatta held in Annapolis, MD. US Sailing Team members Katy Lovell (New Orleans, La.) and Genny Tulloch (San Francisco, Calif.) will be among the ten skippers competing in the event alongside other well-known skippers such as 2002 US SAILING Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Liz Baylis (San Rafael, Calif.) and the world's top-ranked women's match racer Claire Leroy of France.  For More info.

J/109 Wins Vuurschepen Race 2009

Challenging Crossing With Windy Night

(Scheveningen, Netherlands- May 22)- The J/109s in Europe continue their winning ways. The 110 mile Vuurschepenrace 2009, part of the Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta, was a relatively calm crossing going from Scheveningen, Netherlands to Harwich port, England. The race started and ended light winds and was mostly close-hauled. In the middle of the night, a number of boats measured up to 25 knots of wind, forcing middle of night, chaotic sail changes. Nevertheless, despite this midnight mayhem, John van der Starre finished first again with his J109 FRD-Xperience in IRC2.  For more info.

Christie Cancer Care Wins Scottish Series Trophy

J/109 Checkmate Team Wins After Sixth Try!

(Tarbert, Scotland- May 23-26)- After more than 20 years competing on Loch Fyne, Nigel Biggs and the Checkmate Sailing Team (sailing as "Christie Cancer Care") from the North West of England won the overall Brewin Dolphin Scottish Series Trophy, the top award for the annual regatta which finished yesterday off Tarbert and attracted 160 boats racing in 14 different classes.

Sailing a J109 in the highly competitive IRC Class 3, Biggs and crew won with their sponsor-named Christie Cancer Care to publicise the Manchester centre of excellence which cared for Biggs' late father, it was a poignant and appropriate year for the crew to get their hands on the top award. The nine strong team endured a tough final pair of races today when they started prematurely in the final race of the series and were hampered by slower boats in the first race to post a second and third, their weakest scores of the regatta. Conditions for the final day were typical of one of less pleasing faces of Loch Fyne: wet, grey and a mix of light winds peppered with periods of difficult gusty breezes.

Based in Manchester, The Christie Cancer Care centre covers a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist centre around 15% patients are referred there from other parts of the UK. The Christie is an international leader in research with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. It runs one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year, and the centre has been officially ranked the best in the UK.
For more info about Christie Cancer Care Centers.  For more info about Checkmate Team.

J's Successful in UK's May Bank Holiday

J/109s Out in Force in English Channel

(Solent, England- May 22-24)- After the conclusion of the recent Raymarine Warsash Spring Series, J/109s were racing all over southern England and the English Channel this past weekend. Three J/109's were tempted by the forecast of a favourable North westerly light to moderate breeze and sunshine to join the JOG RS Divers St.Vaast race; four J/109s participated in the RORC Cervantes Trophy to Le Havre and Royal Southampton Yacht Club Weymouth Double saw three J/109s compete in Class 1.

The JOG RS Divers Race started on Friday evening and instead of the forecast, the fleet were unfortunately greeted on the start line off Cowes by overcast Solent skies and wind gusting up to 27 knots. These conditions proved initially ideal for the sole J/105, Only Just (Andy Hill), who revelled in the spinnaker start and fast first leg to the Forts, showing a clean pair of heals to the rest of the fleet, which was led by J/109 J2Eau (Steve & Jody Maine) and closely followed by J/109s Jahmali (Mike & Sarah Wallis) and Just So (David & Mary McGough), together with Swans and Dehlers. Rounding Bembridge Ledge and heading into the Channel, the wind began to moderate, and yachts were able to settle onto a close fetch to the Normandy coast. Good average VMG's were maintained, and loss of concentration in the night was rejuvenated by sizeable pods of dolphins swimming alongside for some distances. As is often the case, the dawn arrival off the French coast was met with decreasing visibility and winds. The three J/109's had maintained a course slightly higher than the layline, taking them close to the Cherbourg peninsula and as the wind veered this allowed them to hoist their asymmetric spinnakers early. With flat water, boat speeds exactly matched wind speeds, and allowed the fleet to slowly ghost their way to the finish. The conditions favoured the J/109's and the overall fleet finishing order of Jahmali, Just So and J2eau was the same on corrected time, despite them opting for different sail plans and consequently IRC handicaps.
As the lock gate opened in the early afternoon, the sun shone, and the RS Divers (who had joined Jahmali for this race) sponsored wine flowed.

The Royal Southampton Yacht Club Double-handed race to Weymouth and back sponsored by McGuigan Wines also commenced on Friday evening. It was definitely a game of two halves – the leg out on Friday night was cold, damp, foggy, upwind and SLOW with a big park up at St Albans Head – the unspoken question was “why do we do it?” All was answered on Sunday on the return leg when in flat seas, a 15 knot north westerly and sunshine the fleet enjoyed a fantastic race back to the Solent. Over the two legs J/109 Zelda (Michael Ewart-Smith/Ben Richards) finished third and first, whilst J/109 Jambhala (Richard Sainsbury/Gillian Ross) was fourth on the way out and J/109 JoJo Gunne (Bill West/Mike Garvey) took fourth on the return leg.

The RORC Cervantes Trophy to Le Havre started on Saturday morning by which time the sun was shining and 108 boats gathered for the start off Cowes. A light westerly breeze greeted the fleet although with the wind exceeding the forecast it was to be a quick race. Three of the J/109s Jibe (Robin Taunt), Aria (Luca Rubinelli) and Jeez Louise (James Arnell) finished 7th, 8th and 9th in IRC2 on corrected time whilst all four J/109s finished in less than 20 minutes despite their variances in sail plan.  For more info.

Spinnaker Cup Offshore Race

Slows to a Turtle Pace After Slow Start

(Monterey, CA- May 22)- The San Francisco YC and the Monterey Peninsula YC hosted another successful Spinnaker Cup race this year. It was the twelfth running of an annual 90 mile offshore race from SF Bay to the south end of Monterey Bay. Fifty boats finished in lighter than usual winds. No new race record was set this year on the 90-mile course, but some notable local participants, like Philippe Kahns Pegasus Open 50 entered this race as a tune-up for the upcoming Transpac Race to Hawaii.

J's were well represented with Scott Dickinson from Coyote Point YC racing his J/42 Tiki J to 2nd in PHRF 2A. In PHRF 1F Jim Vickers of host SFYC on board his J/109 Joyride raced to a 2nd and not far behind was Jim Brainerd also from the host club taking his J/35 Brainwaves to 5th in class. Playing amongst the big boys was Point Richmond J/125 owner Andy Costello, managing to hang tough against big fast boats to get 4th in class in PHRF 1A.  For more info.

Fast Block Island Race For All

J/145 Sweet Lorraine Leads All J's with Win, Place or Shows in all Five IRC Classes

(Stamford, CT- May 22-23)- The 186 nautical mile race began May 22 and sent a fleet of 20 J's and 35 other IRC- and PHRF-rated boats off on a course from Stamford, Conn., down Long Island Sound, clockwise around Block Island (R.I.), and back. A Southwest breeze of 8-10 knots got the boats off to a quick downwind start and stayed consistent until the fleet got to Plum Gut.

The Block Island Race – the traditional start to the Long Island Sound summer sailing season, held each Memorial Day Weekend – featured eight classes for IRC and PHRF. A total 55 out of 60 entered boats completed the race, with J's comprising 33% of the fleet! Top dog in IRC 50 class of seven boats was Sweet Lorraine, a J/145 sailed by Mark Hansen from Scarsdale, NY.

The IRC 45 group of eight boats might just as well have been called the "J 44 Foot Class"- for 6 of the 8 boats were J's- J/44s, J/46 and a J/133. Leading the pack was Leonard Sitar's J/44 Vamp followed by Tom Carroll's J/133 Siren Song and Kevin Tongue's J/44 Glory.

In the IRC 40 class of ten boats the J/120s finished 3-4-5, lead by Joe Healey's J/120 Soulmate, then Kirstin Haas's J/120 Richochet and George Petrides J/120 Avra.

The IRC 35 class of eight boats had the lone J/109 racing in the fleet- David Rosow, from Southport, CT sailed Loki to a third in class on corrected. Not to be outdone by his faster stablemates, John Towers took his J/37 Ripple to a second in IRC 30 class.

Perhaps the most interesting fleet entered into this year's race happened to be the growing contingent of double-handed racing. The Double-Handed IRC class had a solid showing of eleven boats, with over 50% of them J's. Represented were a J/100, two J/105s, J/35 and two J/120s. It was a competitive bunch, but getting the awards for 2nd and 3rd, respectively, were Gardner Grant on his J/120 Alibi and Peter Rugg/ Dudley Nostrand on the J/105 Jaded. For more info.

FIGAWI Race Fast and Beautiful

The Race to the Ball was Fun for All

(Nantucket Island, MA)- Serious fun, camaraderie, and sailing... that's what Figawi Race Weekend is all about. Over 240 boats and a thousand+ sailors convened for New England's first major regatta to kickoff every summer. The format is unique since it's a pursuit race, with smaller, slower boats starting first and the biggest, baddest, fastest start last.

Over the last twenty years the Figawi Charity Ball has become the largest single night of fund raising for local charities. Today, the event attracts 1,200 zealous and diverse individuals (like the Kennedy family) and is considered to be the premier social event of the season on Nantucket. It is not only famous as a great night out, but thanks to the generosity of sponsors and proceeds from raffles and silent auction, Figawi Charities generates nearly $200,000 each year and has provided over $2.2 million in support to local organizations who would otherwise go without.

As they say, gotta make sure you don't "hoot with the owls too long" otherwise you may not be able to "soar with the eagles" the next day. Keeping things fun and in perspective were a number of J's doing their best to keep the pace with the fleet and fellow J owners. Getting line honors in Division A was Bill Jacobson on-board his J/46 Vanish. In Division D, the J/37 Duck Soup sailed by Stephen Lipman finished 3rd. The "Sprit Boats" Division S was comprised of nine J's sailing against six other boats (unfair maybe?). Taking second and third, respectively, were Nick Judson's J-105 Prima and Bill Mack's J/120 M-Squared.  For more info.

J/Community

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

* At this year's Commissioning of Harbour Court in Newport, RI, Gary Jobson (former J/22 owner)  received the New York Yacht Club Medal. The medal is presented in recognition of achievements and particular merit or outstanding contributions to the Club or yachting in general. Commodore Elwell said, “I’m honored to present the New York Yacht Club Medal to a member and former trustee who has done it all. His broad accomplishments as a racing sailor and a supporter of our sport are truly exceptional… He has televised everything there is to televise in the world of sailing including the America’s Cup, the Olympics and the Volvo Ocean Race.” Jobson is the 15th winner of the Medal, which includes amongst others, the famous designer Olin Stephens and renowned contributor to sailing Commodore Henry ("Harry") Anderson Jr.  Photo (Gary- left, Bob J- right).
In college Gary was an All-American sailor three times and was twice named College Sailor of the Year. Jobson is the National Chairman of The Leukemia Cup Regatta. Gary has been a long time supporter of J/Boats, too, having participated in or supported numerous J regattas and events since J/Boats' founding in 1977.  More info at NYYC.

* PUMA's Ken Read Stealthy Shot for Redemption Succeeds! Their "stealth move" less than forty-eight hours from the finish enabled PUMA to make a huge leap from fifth to second in Leg Seven of the VOR. In their last long distance race of the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race from Boston, MA to Galway, Ireland the boys on PUMA had to overcome enormous diversity to gain a podium finish. Somehow, Capey (the navigator), Kenny and the boys got it right and in their "stealth mode play" decided to head for home a few steps earlier than their competitors, going right a bit sooner and rocketing home to the finish line to just nudge out hometown favorites Green Dragon for second place! All any of us can say is "Congratulations, job well done". A fitting moment of redemption for the hard-working crew on PUMA... while it may not have earned them the proverbial ultimate glass slipper for the "shoe boat", it at least earned the dramatically colored red and black liveried seventy footer the silver in perhaps their toughest fought race so far-- a sprint across the northern Atlantic in remarkably capricious conditions, including having to fix a bloody rudder that simply sheered off under load while doing a mere 35 knots under full sail!

Featured J/Brokerage

If elegance and speed are important to you, the J124 Warbride is the right choice.  Conceived and equipped to be equally adept at day sailing, cruising and racing, Warbride does it all.  For cruising, she has an elegant all cherry interior, refrigeration, ultrasuede and teak and holly along with a dodger, autopilot, and a generous and very comfortable cockpit.  As a day sailer.  the electric halyard winch, clean deck layout with sail controls at the helm, and a feather light touch on the carbon fiber wheel are guaranteed to make each venture out into the bay a pleasure.  If the competitive juices are still flowing, Warbride has an excellent sail inventory and an exceptional race record that proves her great versatility.  Wonderfully maintained, only seasonal use with heated indoor storage in the off season.  Please contact East Coast Yacht Sales (Jon Knowles or Tom Babbit).

About J/Boats

Started in 1977, J/Boats continues to lead the world in designing fun-to-sail, easy-to-handle, performance sailboats that can be enjoyed by a broad spectrum of sailors.  The International J/24 has become the most popular recreational offshore keelboat in the world with over 5,400 J/24s cruising the waves. Today, there are 13,000+ J/Boats, ranging from the International J/22 to the J/65 and ranging in style from one-designs to racers, cruisers to daysailers and, of course, the ubiquitous J sprit boats- J/Boats' innovation in 1992 for easy-to-use asymmetric spinnakers and retractable carbon bowsprits (J/80, J/92, J/95, J/105, J/109, J/110, J/120, J/122, J/130, J/133, J/125, J/145, J/160).

J/Boats has the best track record in sailing for innovation and design as evidenced by:  11 Sailing World/ Cruising World Boat of the Year Awards in 14 years; 2 SAIL Awards for Industry Leadership; 2 American Sailboat Hall of Fame Designs (J/24 & J/35); and the three largest ISAF International One-Design keelboat classes (J/22, J/24, J/80).

Counting crew, every year there are over 100,000 friends to meet sailing J's, populating the most beautiful sailing harbors in 35+ countries around the world.  Sailing is all about friends.  Come join us and expand your social network everywhere!  For background info.

J/Newsletter- May 20th, 2009

J/95 Morning Light And Bluewater Sailor

Dawn Patrol off Sandy Point Shows Shoal-draft Picnic Boat Cruisability

A spectacular morning off Stonington's Sandy Point was the perfect time to shoot the J/95's capabilities to anchor in shallow waters off your favorite beach.  Rod and Stu took Banjo for a cruise at dawn Thursday morning to get a few nice shots of the boat for you all to dream about sailing her in the shallow cruising areas around the world.  Needles to say, the boat looked stunning and graceful.  Please take a look at more of these beautiful photos on the J/95 site.


In addition, please read through Bluewater Sailor's review of the J/95.  We hope you enjoy a fresh perspective on why we're so excited about this new shallow draft, performance day sailer. Download the Bluewater Sailor review


For those of you who can't make it to either Sarasota, FL or Stonington, CT for a demo  sail, please note the following dealers will take delivery of their boats in June:  Bob Sittel at Sittel Marine in Dallas, TX and also Bruce Tait at Bruce Tait & Associates in Sag Harbor, Long Island, NY.  Please contact the dealers directly or J/Boats

J/Mediterranean Cup

Enjoy the best the Med has to offer racing your J

On June 6-7, J/Europe distributor K-Yachting is sponsoring its third annual J/Med Cup event.  This regatta has a passionate following amongst those J sailors cruising and racing in the Mediterranean.  The locations have been terrific and this year's event promises to be every bit as fun as they have been the past two years.  Pierre Duchein at K-Yachting promises that it will another fantastic year. For more details, please visit the K-Yachting website or download the NOR.

J/80 Best Practices

How to ensure "peace of mind" caring & maintaining your boat

Subsequent to the Farralones Island Doublehanded Race incident on a J/80, J/Boats has spent a considerable amount of time researching the matter and, with the help of experts in surveying, engineering, construction and repair have assembled a "J/80 Best Practices- Part I" document for J/80 owners.  Please make sure to go to the J/Owners Resource site, register yourself and then download the document.

J/Regatta News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Racing Around the World

Spring is just about to turn into summer....or so we believe.   Global weather patterns seem to be conspiring to delay spring as long as possible.  Or, as in the case of our Santa Barbara friends, summer fire conditions already started the week before (BTW, our sincere best wishes to all who survived the Jesusita Fire, especially Dave Ullman).  Nevertheless,  J/Owners should be pleased with past weeks results.  Other than J/22s in upstate New York, most J activity in the USA took place in the Pacific Northwest, including the SW NOOD in Seattle; the Oregon Offshore from Portland to Victoria; and the Stone Cup in San Francisco.  More importantly, if you have more regatta news, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page!  Below are the summaries.

Sir Thomas Lipton Cup

On the Wings of Victory, Snatched From Almost Certain Defeat

(San Diego, CA- May 16-17)-  . The racing on J/105s off the waters of San Diego for the Lipton Cup was some of the best and most challenging ever; with shifting winds; dead spots to steal victory from some; and defeat from others.  It was a nail-biter to the end.  The San Diego YC team skippered by Andy Ladow on-board the J/105 Wings looked as if they had bought the farm.  But, with a bit of perseverance and luck (e.g. I'd rather be lucky than smart, as they say) Andy and crew managed to overcome the strong performance of Chris Nesbitt sailing Perseverance from Balboa YC.  Not far off the pace were Rick Goebel hailing from Coronado on-board Sanity and Kenny Manzoni hailing from Southwestern YC on-board J-OK.

The San Diego Sir Thomas Lipton Cup is steeped in rich tradition.  It was created in 1903 and deeded to San Diego Yacht Club in 1913. It has been competed for every year since except for the war years and has become “The Holy Grail” of West Coast Yachting. See San Diego YC or Flickr for more.

Elvstrom J/80 Summer Championships

Joystick at Full Throttle for the Summer Season

(Hamble, So'ton, England- May 16-17) The Elvstrom J/80 Summer Championship was hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble. This is the sixth year that Elvstrom have sponsored the event, which acts as a warm-up for the UK Nationals.

The fleet woke to howling gales on Saturday unfortunately, and after a postponement ashore, the Race Committee, under the careful guidance of the PRO Tony Lovell, decided that discretion was indeed the better part of valour and racing was cancelled for the day. The J/80 fleet were in agreement; much as the J/80 is a fabulous boat in a blow, no-one much fancied the 40 knot plus gusts which were battering the race area.

With everyone hoping for lighter airs on Sunday, but with forecasts differing in opinion, after an hour’s postponement ashore and once a 50 knot squall had blown past the Royal Southern pontoons and the readying fleet, the class set sail to do battle.  Just two races were sailed, or perhaps ‘survived’ by the hardy J/80s, enough to constitute a series, and the eventual winner of the Elvstrom Champs, Rob Larke, who co-owns Joystick with Vicci Gregory.  Behind them were Terry Palmer and Caroline Cooper  on Just Do It by three points and in third was Andrew Ashworth steering Jammy Dodger.  More J/80 regatta news. For more UK/Euro J/News.

Seattle SW NOOD

A bit of a drifter, but the tent party was HOT!

(Seattle, WA May 15-17)  Leave it up to the locals in Seattle to make the most of seemingly nothing.  On Puget Sound, when the wind is light and shifty, you don't hear a lot of complaining. Racers are used to variable conditions; with the Olympic Range towering to the west and the entire North American continent to the east, weather systems frequently lock horns over the Sound, resulting in confused wind patterns and Seattle's characteristic lingering rain.   The regatta was characterized by light, variable winds.  That's not to say the weather wasn't beautiful-- with clear skies and stunning views-- and it's certainly not to say that the racing wasn't tight. There were 17 classes racing, but only 8 classes got enough racing to generate any results- 3 of those fortunately enough were the J Classes- the J/80s, J/105s and J/109s.

The six boat J/109 class was won by Robert Arney on It's Only Rock & Roll with a first and second.  The J/105s had Jerry Diercks on Delirium scream around the course to net a first and third to triumph over their nine boat class.  And, perhaps the cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers, was the incredibly tight racing amongst the six boat J/80 class.  There was a three-way tiebreaker with four points a piece that was broken in favor of Dave Schutte on Taj Majal, followed by Chris White on Crazy Ivan and Mike Brewis on Swish.

Gene Brown and Pete Bristow, who crewed aboard Edward Pinkham's J/109 Jeopardy, were pleased with their boathandling. "Any day we don't have trouble with our spinnaker sets and takedowns," said Brown, "that's a good day."  Over a plate of tasty, local barbeque, SW columnist spoke with Jack Seznick, who grew up on the bluff behind the Corinthian YC and reckons he's been sailing these waters for thirty years. For the past three years, he's been working with the crew of the J/109 J-Tripper, co-skippered by Dave Dack and Rick Nordquist.  Before purchasing their J/109, Dack and Nordquist were only occasional racers.  Since Seznick hopped aboard, however, the team has made drastic improvements to their boathandling and their scoreline. Seznick finds the steep part of the learning curve extremely rewarding. "When I joined the team," he says, "I told the guys, 'I want to be a part of this crew, but we've got to keep it fun."

Strategy in the light air was critical and local talent certainly had their advantages.  As in other tidal locales, the key to success is often deciding where to position oneself in relation to the fast-moving current in the middle of the Sound. At times, there is a "toilet bowl" effect, as the tide flowing out of Lake Union and through the locks moves through the marinas and swirls out along the shore, providing for a peculiar, near-shore lift.  See Sailing World for more info/ results.  Photo credits- Tim Wilkes

Stone Cup Invitational

Competitive J/105 and J/120 One-Design Classes on San Francisco Bay

(San Francisco, CA- May 15-17)  The St. Francis Yacht Club again provided solid race management to get off a nice series of races for this annual weekend classic to start off the summer season on the Bay.  There were five classes in the event with two of them representing the J/105s (23 boats) and the J/120 (8 boats).

Racing was as competitive as ever in the two J classes.  For the J/105s, Scooter Simmons racing Blackhawk took two bullets to win by six points over Rolf Kaiser on Donkey Jack.  Bruce Stone sailing Arbirage commented, "the Bay served up its usual heavy tidal conditions and strong afternoon winds.  Saturday had a late start with a three hour postponement due to no wind and oppressive heat in the Valley (over 100 degrees).  So, all the boats had to contend with a strong ebb changing to the flood late in the day.  Conversely, Sunday was a lopsided day of racing with everyone diving off into ebb in deepwater, leaving no lanes or opportunities to pass if you got stuck behind after the start."

The J/120s had some very tight racing at times.  But, in the end, it was the team aboard Chance led by the capable Barry Lewis that took two bullets and beat out  Steve Madeira's Mister Magoo.  More information on StFYC site

Oregon Offshore Race

J's Take Four of Top Five in a Spring NW classic

(Portland, OR- May 15-16)- Every May, the Corinthian Yacht Club of Portland sponsors the Oregon Offshore Yacht Race from Astoria, OR to Victoria, BC.  The conditions in the Northwest at this time of year can range from tempestuous to downright placid and billiard table flat.  This years edition served up good winds in the first part of the race diminishing towards the end nearly thirty-plus hours later for most boats.

Twenty boats started this years race and it was pretty clear the J's were going to do very well indeed.  At the end of it all, Scott Campbell's J/46 Riva was first in class and first overall.  She was followed in close succession by the J/122 Anam Cara raced by owner Tom Kelley, getting a second in class and second overall.  Just off the pace was Bob and Barb Brunius's J/120 Time Bandit picking off fourth in class and fourth overall.  A cruiser/racer classic, Tom Keffer's J/42 Velocity followed her larger, faster stablemates into the finish to get a respectable fifth in class and sixth overall.

In addition to Scott Campbell on the J/46 Riva, the crew included local North Sails Rep Kerry Poe, Steve Ackerman, Davis Moran, Charles Turner, Nelson Rolens, Bob Martin, Dale Diets and Ray McCormack.  The J/122 Anam Cara, Gaelic for "Soul Friend", is Tom Kelly's 5th boat in over 30 years of racing.  Tom says she is his "dream boat". He is a long-time competitor in the Oregon Offshore and plans to do the Swiftsure Race in 2 weeks and then do the Van Isle Race, a race around Vancouver Island this summer.  The crew has been described as "geriatric" by Tom, but it contains a number of excellent sailors with many sea miles. The crew includes John Copper from West Marine, local Portland sailors Brian Marske and Jim Madden. Out of town sailors include Bob Ross, the broker and Manager of Whidby Island Race Week for many years and Scott Boys and Sally Hawkins from Friday Harbor. Other members of the crew are Lane Brown and Patrick Cummings.   The J/42 Velocity's skipper is Tom Keffer. Assisting Tom as crew are Bill and Kathy Cuffel, Robert Henry, Gil MacGregor and Carl Hosticka.  The J/120 Time Bandit from the Seattle area, carries a crew of 10. Skipper Bob Brunius and his wife Barb, John Sheppard, Tim Cleary, Tom O'Hara, Bob Conrad, Mark Lincoln, Troy Donaldson, Joshua Siegel and James Doane.  For more commentary, visit the Oregon Offshore Blog.

J/Community

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

* Genny Tulloch has been practicing a lot on J/22s recently for her bid in women's match racing. The Marin Journal had a nice account of her efforts: "On Wednesday nights, a small unassuming group of match racing aficionados get together and practice maneuvers on J/22s, in Paradise Cay just beyond the Tiburon Yacht Club. Among these sailors is 25-year old Genny Tulloch, currently the top-ranked member of the U.S. sailing team. For Tulloch, these sessions are more than just a romp in the Bay. She has her sights set on the 2012 Olympics, representing her country in a new sailing event: women's match racing. Tulloch, a Tiburon resident, has been on a roll this past year, accruing an impressive sailing resume. Aside from participating as the only female crew on Morning Light, the Disney-backed TP-52 entry in the 2007 Transpac Race, the story of which became a movie that debuted last fall, Tulloch has quickly claimed a stake on the women's match racing circuit.  Full story here.

* J/Boats have been key to Maritime College’s On The Water Success
SUNY Maritime College, the oldest and largest maritime college in the nation, attributes much of the success of their Offshore Team to J/Boats. Through the generosity of J/Boat owners turned donors, SUNY Maritime College’s small waterfront team of staff and coaches have been able to return the Offshore Sailing Team to national prominence.  The J/Boats have also been a vital tool in allowing the College’s waterfront staff to dramatically expand "learn to sail" programs for students, faculty and staff, as well as the community at large.   From the restoration of a J/35 by students, that  included a re-launching ceremony attended by Sailing Hall of Fame member and SUNY Maritime College Class of 1973 graduate Gary Jobson, to actively campaigning a J/105 in western Long Island Sound events, J/Boats has been an integral part of  Maritime College’s sailing success.

Currently, SUNY Maritime College manages eight donated J/24s. The Maritime sailors also participate in J/24 Fleet 61 Wednesday Night Races, and the Waterfront staff uses the J/24s in free “learn to sail programs” for scores of students, faculty and staff, as well as “learn to sail classes” that are offered through the College’s Community Programs Classes.   J/24’s have also played a vital role in allowing the College to develop a strong working partnership with the newly formed Hudson River Community Sailing and the celebrated New York City non-profit group, “Rocking the Boat.”  This South Bronx based group, after-school sailing programs as well as job-training for at-risk New York City middle and high school age students.

SUNY Maritime College is currently seeking donations of J/24’s and J/24 sails to expand the College’s community “learn to sail” programs as well as “introduction to racing” programs.
Read more about SUNY Maritime Sailing here.
 
* Scott Young from Austin, TX has been reincarnated as a Laser sailor on the Masters Circuit.  Scott raced J/24s actively for years on the Texas J/24 Circuit.  He was a College All-American at University of Texas and a 4-time winning skipper of the U.S. SAILING Men's Championship.  Last weekend he went to race in the Laser Masters North Americans at Wrightsville Beach, NC. In his quest to win, he came up just short, finishing second on a tiebreaker to Peter Vessella from San Francisco Bay. Here is his amusing analysis on taking his game from the Lake Travis to the Atlantic Ocean.  Read on at Scott's blog.

Featured J/Brokerage

If elegance and speed are important to you, the J124 Warbride is the right choice.  Conceived and equipped to be equally adept at day sailing, cruising and racing, Warbride does it all.  For cruising, she has an elegant all cherry interior, refrigeration, ultrasuede and teak and holly along with a dodger, autopilot, and a generous and very comfortable cockpit.  As a day sailer.  the electric halyard winch, clean deck layout with sail controls at the helm, and a feather light touch on the carbon fiber wheel are guaranteed to make each venture out into the bay a pleasure.  If the competitive juices are still flowing, Warbride has an excellent sail inventory and an exceptional race record that proves her great versatility.  Wonderfully maintained, only seasonal use with heated indoor storage in the off season.  Please contact East Coast Yacht Sales (Jon Knowles or Tom Babbit).

About J/Boats

Started in 1977, J/Boats continues to lead the world in designing fun-to-sail, easy-to-handle, performance sailboats that can be enjoyed by a broad spectrum of sailors.  The International J/24 has become the most popular recreational offshore keelboat in the world with over 5,400 J/24s cruising the waves. Today, there are 13,000+ J/Boats, ranging from the International J/22 to the J/65 and ranging in style from one-designs to racers, cruisers to daysailers and, of course, the ubiquitous J sprit boats- J/Boats' innovation in 1992 for easy-to-use asymmetric spinnakers and retractable carbon bowsprits (J/80, J/92, J/95, J/105, J/109, J/120, J/122, J/130, J/133, J/125, J/145, J/160).

J/Boats has the best track record in sailing for innovation and design as evidenced by:  11 Sailing World/ Cruising World Boat of the Year Awards in 14 years; 2 SAIL Awards for Industry Leadership; 2 American Sailboat Hall of Fame Designs (J/24 & J/35); and the three largest ISAF International One-Design keelboat classes (J/22, J/24, J/80).

Counting crew, every year there are over 100,000 friends to meet sailing J's, populating the most beautiful sailing harbors in 35+ countries around the world.  Sailing is all about friends.  Come join us and expand your social network everywhere!  For background info.

J/Newsletter- May 12th, 2009

J/95 in Stonington Ready for Demo Sails!
Schedule your demo today on this "beachable" 31 footer!
J/95 #2 launched and after a Newport stopover, sailed to Stonington, CT to spend the rest of May at Dodson Boatyard.  Meet J/Boats' designer, Rod J, for demo sails-- truly a fun and unique experience! Rod (pictured here) was very enthusiastic about the J/95's performance, near instantaneous turning abilities from the twin rudders and is looking forward to demonstrating the inherent advantages of having a shoal-draft boat that's "beachable" on Sandy Point. We encourage you to contact J/Boats to schedule a demo or builder visit to Bristol.
Find out more about the J/95 here.

New J/97 Pictures For You to See!
Feast your eyes on the sweet lines and pretty interior!
The first J/97 launched had an excellent sea trial.  The conditions were perfect to test it in a wide range of conditions.  It also gave us an opportunity to get a variety of great shots and angles on how the J/97 moves through the water-- ranging from 8-12 knots flat water to 15-20 knots with 2 foot chop on top of huge rolling swells from the North Atlantic.

Please visit the J97 website and take a peek at how so much can be fitted into this sensational 32 foot cruiser/racer! We encourage you to contact J/Boats to schedule a demo or builder visit in Les Sables d'Olonne, France. 
Find out more here.

J/122 Continues Growth & Success in USA, Europe, Caribbean
North Americans @ BI Week, One-Design @ NYYC Regatta, IRC Champions in Europe!
The J/122 continues its winning ways in regattas this spring.  With that rare combination of speed, comfort, great modern looks and competitively rated in IRC and PHRF, J/122 owners continue to collect silverware and have increased participation in events this year.

In the USA, Robin Team's TEAMWORK won PHRF A going away in both Charleston Race Week and the Ft Lauderdale-Charleston Race. Andrew Weiss's CHRISTOPHER DRAGON won the J/122 One-Design class in the American YC Spring Series.  In the Caribbean, Jamie Dobb's LOST HORIZONS was dominating Antigua Race Week.

In Europe, PEN AZEN sailed by Frenchman Philippe Delaporte continues to dominate, winning IRC1 in the prestigious Obelix Trophy.  And, John Patterson's PANACEA was overall series Champion at the RayMarine Warsash Spring Series in England sailing against all the newest IRC boats in the 37-44 foot size range.

This solid, all-around performer continues to be the best combination of cruising and racing in the 40 foot category.  Competitive boats are "niche-oriented" and become "type specific" in terms of breeze/conditions they're targeted at-- many are extremely tender, hard-to-sail "twitchy" boats.  If you haven't tried one, hop aboard a J/122 in your local area, see them at the J/122 North Americans at STC Block Island Race Week or the New York YC Annual Regatta in Newport.  Or contact J/Boats for a dealer/owner near you who can fill you in on why the J/122 has been such a fun, competitive boat to sail. 
Find out more about the J/122 here.

J/Regatta News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Racing Around the World
As spring rolls on, J/Owners have a lot to be happy about based on the results from several prestigious regattas and race weeks around the globe.  A large number of J's ranging from the J/24 and J/100s, to the J/105 and J/109s, up to the J/122s, J/125s, J/133s and J/145s competed in large regional and world championship events.  Europe had the RayMarine Warsash Spring Series and the Obelix Trophy and in America were the American YC Spring Series and the San Diego YC Yachting Cup.  More importantly, if you have more regatta news, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page!  Below are the summaries.

American Yacht Club Spring Series
Damian Emery's ECLIPSE wins J/105s, Fleet Endures Light Airs and Heavy Current
(Rye, NY- May 9-10)- The AYC Spring Series held on Long Island Sound had 91 boats spread across 10 fleets.  The weather for both weekends was less than satisfying, a weak High pressure dominated all week long so both weekends were generally light airs fighting current to get around the marks.  The J's dominated the one-design fleets, 48 J's representing 52.0% of all boats sailed 4 classes- the J/105, J/109, J/44 and J/122.

In the handicap fleets, the J's fared well in IRC and PHRF.  In IRC 3, the J/120 AVRA sailed by George Petrides finished 2nd, just beating out Tom Carroll's J/133 SIREN SONG.  In PHRF 4 class, the J/100 SKIPJACK sailed by Joe Matteo earned a respectable 5th overall-- quite good considering she was designed to be the "gentlemen's easy-to-sail, elegant, short-handed daysailer! 

In the J one-design classes, the competition was strong in all four fleets.  The J/105 Class had the largest turn-out with 21 boats.  Damian Emery and team sailed ECLIPSE very well in the highly variable conditions to win overall "by the hairs of their chinny chin chins".  One point back was the duo of Joerg Esdorn/ Duncan Hennes on KINCSEM and 13 points further in arrears was Peter Rugg's JADED.

The J/109 Class had 6 boats competing and Adrian Begley sailed their renowned MADS DOGS & ENGLISHMEN to first overall ahead of Al Minella's RELENTLESS and Bob Schwartz's NORDLYS, 2nd and 3rd respectively.

In the 6 boat J/44 Class, Jim Bishop and the GOLD DIGGER crew were outclassed by Bill Ketchum on MAXINE by only one point, finishing 2nd and 1st respectively.  Not too far off the pace were the dynamic duo of Don and Rick Rave on RESOLUTE.

Finally, the J/122 Class of 5 boats were shown their way around the course more often than not by perenial campaigner Andrew Weiss and his capable team aboard CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, comfortably winning by a six point margin.  Mike Bruno's WINGS hung in there for 2nd with John Chapman's team on board SCREAMING EAGLE finishing 3rd.  For more info, news and scores see the American YC's site.

RayMarine Warsash Spring Series
Superb climax to this classic spring series warm-up in England
(The Solent, England- April 25-26)- There could not have been a better finale to the seventh Raymarine-sponsored Warsash Spring Series - glorious sunshine and a decent south-easterly breeze that built gradually during the day. They were ideal conditions for close and challenging racing for the 220 boats entered. The weekend also saw the final two days' racing in the Spring Championship for "Big Boats", J/80s, J/105s and J/109s.

The Black Group fleet were set long courses, using much of the central Solent, from a start line at Flying Fish buoy.  John Patterson in the J/122 PANACEA had taken a healthy points lead into the day's racing and while he finished behind all the bigger boats, he was close enough to the leaders to recoup his time and take the IRC1 handicap honors. This gave him the IRC1 Series win by six points from Bill Blain's BATFISH III, a well-sailed J/133. The Big Boat class included a number of J/133s, J/122s as well as a range of other designs - Comet 41, Farr 52, TP52, Ker 39 and Corby 40 and a new Santa Cruz 37.

The remaining Black Group one-design classes enjoyed a largely similar course. The J/109s had a general recall and were sent to the back of the sequence but all other starts were clear. In the 19-strong J/109 class only Adam Wright's JOUSTER/ VELVET ELVIS won two races. The title went to David and Kirsty Apthorp in J-DREAM who counted no result lower than third.

In the final J/105 race, Charles Rolls forsook his own J/109 BARBAROSSA to helm Andy Hill's ONLY JUST to victory by over two minutes. In the Series there was only one point between each of the top three boats: FAY-J (Paul Griffiths), VOADOR (Simon Curwen) and JAVA (Rob Dornton-Duff).

With the wind in the southeast, the White Group courses could be laid head to tail along the Meon shore.  The J/80s had enjoyed some very tight racing during the Series but usually behind JOYSTICK (Vic Gregory and Rob Larke), who won 13 of the 17 races completed. Like many scorelines, this fact belies the closeness of the racing. Often victories were by a handful of seconds. The main opposition came from Charles Somerset's LOUDWATER and Ian Atkins' BOATS.COM. In the final reckoning they were a single point apart in Somerset's favour.
For more info, news and scores see the Warsash Spring Series site.

Antigua Sailing Week
The Party Starts and Never Ends for this Festival on the Water
(Antigua, Caribbean)- This year's ASW proved to be a test of boats and crews as a result of strong breezes and wavy conditions.  The Racing 4 division sailed a pair of windward/ leeward contests on the last day- their seventh and eighth of the series- in the waters off Falmouth Harbour. Earlier in the week, Jamie Dobbs's J/122, LOST HORIZON, appeared to have a lock on the class title. But when LOST HORIZON suffered a broken boom midway through the week, fellow J owner Rick Wesslund's J/120, EL OCASO, persisted in their absence and held second until the last day.  But, with a disappointing seventh on the last race, EL OCASO still held on to third place for the regatta.
For more info, news and scores see the Antigua Sailing Week site.

J/24 Worlds XXX
South Americans triumph yet again, Brazil's Santa Cruz wins 3rd time!
(Annapolis, MD- April 3-10)- The sun came out at last, the wind finally arrived and the 2009 J/24 World Championship came to an exciting end with three races jammed into the final day of competition.

With the vital worst-race throwout in play once the sailors had completed the day's first contest, standings shuffled quite a bit, and as 1996 World Champion Chris Larson of Annapolis and his National Sailing Hall of Fame team finished third in that race thet took the lead by the narrowest of margins, tied on points with Canadian Rossi Milev and his Clear Air crew.

With a third-place finish in the next race, Larson and his team, which included Dave Hughes, Moose McClintock, Steve Frazier, and Curtis Florence, pulled ahead a bit more, establishing a 2-point lead over 2006-2007 World Champion Mauricio Santa Cruz and his Brazilian team on Bruschetta, who now found himself winning the tiebreaker with Milev and setting up the final race as a real nail-biter to see who would emerge at the top of the highly competitive 76-boat fleet.

In the end, Santa Cruz and the Bruschetta crew, with a third in the seventh race to Larson's 11th and Milev's 14th, came away with a third J/24 World Championship, making him the second-most successful J/24 skipper in class history (Ken Read still holds the record with six titles) and the first non-US sailor to win a Worlds in this country.
More info @ J/24 Worlds site. For some cool videos and interviews, check out Sailgroove.com or the T2P Video sites.

SAN DIEGO YACHTING CUP
J/105 and J/120 Classes Have Great Competition
(San Diego, CA- May 2-3)- The San Diego Yachting and Leukemia Cup had a very nice turnout for this very worthwhile cause and event.  97 boats competed in 11 classes; the 38 J's constituted 39% of the fleet with great one-design class action in the J/105 and J/120 fleets.
In the handicap racing, the J/125 DERIVATIVE sailed by Mark Surber won PHRF2 while the J/145 BAD PAK owned by Tom Hothus finished 3rd.  In PHRF5, the venerable J/29 RUSH STREET owned by Larry Leveille sailed nicely to finish 2nd and Nicolas Landauer sailed his pretty J/34 MARLEN to 3rd place in the division.

In one-design class racing, J's had the two largest classes in the event.  The J/105s with 17 boats had the largest fleet and it made for some great racing.  Ultimately, it was Bill Logan on-board PHOLLY that beat Tom Hurlburt's TRIPLE PLAY by a 5 point margin.  In 3rd was Dennis & Sharon Case's WINGS.  For the J/120s, Charles Nichols' team on CC RIDER overcame the 11 boat fleet to just win by 2 points over John Laun's CAPER in 2nd and Peter Zarcades MELTEMI in 3rd.  More info at SDYC's Yachting Cup site.
  
OBELIX TROPHY
J/122 PEN AZEN Winner Against "Best of IRC" in Europe
(Benodet, France- May 2-3)- The Obelix Trophy is one of the most prestigious events on the French offshore racing circuit each spring.  Repeating a performance of previous J/122s, Philippe Delaporte's PEN AZEN continued her winning ways taking a highly competitive IRC1 Class. The J/122 beat the latest IRC-influenced offerings from several builders, including the new Beneteau 41, Archambault 40RC and others.  It's clear the J/122 continues to be the "boat to beat" in international and regional IRC competition.

J Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* Ken Read sailed his VOR 70 PUMA into 6th place in the Volvo Ocean Race Inshore Event in his hometown Boston this past weekend.  The 7 boats raced on a "hot dog" course with a middle gate, two times around with a downwind finish.  The course location between Nahant and Winthrop on the western side of Boston Harbor meant current and serious wind streaks would be critical to one's success or, in PUMA's case, their undoing. When asked afterwards how he really felt, Ken gave himself and crew a sobering assessment- "just take us out behind the wood shed and shoot us will you?"  Sorry Ken, we won't.  You gotta race across the Atlantic first, time for some redemption and show them all how to get across the "pond".  We wish him God Speed, again, in the TransAtlantic leg coming up soon.
* Tony Hauglum wrote:  "In local sailing in the Corpus Christi, Texas area, my J44 MAS CERVEZA scored a pair of first places in two of the races comprising the Port Aransas Regatta, sponsored by Corpus Christi Yacht Club. The first race was an 18 mile beat in 25kt winds with gusts to 35kts. The second race was 18 miles off the wind, again with winds in the 25-30kt range with gusts to 40kts. The J/44 continues to show its ability to perform in windy conditions when many other boats struggle."  P.S.- We agree, and we'd also think Ken up there might want some of those cervezas you undoubtedly offer on board your beautiful J/44!

Featured J/Brokerage
If you have a passion for speed, the J/65 BRAND NEW DAY is in a league of its own.   The J/65 is the flagship passagemaker in the J Boat line-- the ultimate private sailing yacht for dedicated J Boat enthusiasts. The J/65 has exceptional performance under non-overlapping headsails, double-handed ease of operation, minimum on-deck maintenance, luxurious accommodations, stunning aesthetics, and great value.

Built in 2006 this boat is located in New England in the Newport/Portsmouth area.  She has been lightly sailed, finished 2nd in Class in 2008 STC Bermuda Race and enjoyed the New York YC 2008 cruise.  Please contact J/Boats dealer Jeff Brown at JK3 Enterprises for more information on this unique boat.

About J/Boats
Started in 1977, J/Boats continues to lead the world in designing fun-to-sail, easy-to-handle, performance sailboats that can be enjoyed by a broad spectrum of sailors.  The International J/24 has become the most popular recreational offshore keelboat in the world with over 5,400 J/24s cruising the waves. Today, there are 13,000+ J/Boats, ranging from the International J/22 to the J/65 and ranging in style from one-designs to racers, cruisers to daysailers and, of course, the ubiquitous J sprit boats- J/Boats' innovation in 1992 for easy-to-use asymmetric spinnakers and retractable carbon bowsprits (J/80, J/92, J/95, J/105, J/109, J/110, J/120, J/122, J/130, J/133, J/125, J/145, J/160). 

J/Boats has the best track record in sailing for innovation and design as evidenced by:  11 Sailing World/ Cruising World Boat of the Year Awards in 14 years; 2 SAIL Awards for Industry Leadership; 2 American Sailboat Hall of Fame Designs (J/24 & J/35); and the three largest ISAF International One-Design keelboat classes (J/22, J/24, J/80). 

Counting crew, every year there are over 100,000 friends to meet sailing J's, populating the most beautiful sailing harbors in 35+ countries around the world.  Sailing is all about friends.  Come join us and expand your social network everywhere!  For background info.

J/Newsletter- May 3rd, 2009

J/95 Demos Ready to Roll in FL and CT

Experience an Awesome Shoal Draft Performance 31 footer!
J/95 #1 arrived in Sarasota, Florida and CrossCurrent Marine is busy with demo sails and an upcoming open house-- both dealers/ customers are welcome.  Hull #2 is launching May 6th in Barrington, RI and will spend the rest of May at Dodson Boatyard in Stonington, CT.  Meet J/Boats' designer, Rod J, for demo sails-- truly a fun and unique experience!  Then, relax afterwards at Clay Burkhalter's renowned watering hole, The DogWatch Cafe, for a refreshment or two. We encourage you to contact J/Boats to arrange a demo in FL or CT and factory visit to Bristol.

J/97 Launched in May

The new 32 foot cruising sensation debuts in Europe!
J/97 Hull #1 launched in Les Sables d'Olonne, France this past weekend.  This refreshing, innovative design re-defines space, comfort and enjoyable sailing for the 28-32 foot size range.  Sea-trials performed by designer Alan Johnstone were successful, "she sails sweetly and is an excellent handling boat.  We expect the J/97 to sell well in the European market.  She will debut in America in the fall boatshows."   During May, press trials and demo sails may be scheduled with the J/Europe.  Find out more here.

J/Regatta News

The Sun Never Sets on J/Owners Racing Around the World
Spring ushers in a bevy of regattas in Europe and the USA.  J's are having fun out West- Cabo San Lucas Race, Newport-Ensenada Race; out East with Charleston Race Week, Bermuda Race Week; in the Caribbean in St. Maarten Regatta, Antigua Sailing Week; in Europe at Warsash Spring Regatta.  More importantly, if you have more regatta news, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page!  Below is a summary of recent events.

Sailing World NOOD Annapolis

Brian Keane's SAVASANA dominates J/105s, Tim Healey Rolls the Dice in J/24 Pre-Worlds!
(Annapolis, MD- April 25-26)- The Annapolis SW NOOD saw 266 boats spread across 18 fleets.  The J's dominated the one-design fleets, 167 J's representing 63.0% of all boats sailed 8 classes- the J/22, J/24, J/80, J/29, J/30, J/35, J/105 and J/109.

In the J/105 class, Brian Keane's SAVASANA (picture) dominated the 30 competitors and took home the coveted overall award, giving them a spot at the overall NOOD championship in the B.V.I. this fall. Tactician Michael Lague, who's sailed with Keane for many years, summed up their win as simply as he could. "Good starts."


In the J/24 unofficial "Pre-Worlds" with 52 boats, Tim Healey managed to pull off a nail-biter event over regatta leaders Pete Levesque, Chris Larson (Moose as tactician).  In the last race, Pete and Chris dove right after the start and disappeared off the face of the Earth.  Tim started left and stayed left to finish 2nd and win overall.  With 70+ boats registered for the J/24 Worlds hosted at Annapolis YC this coming weekend, it will be interesting to see how the American crews fare against the Europeans and South Americans who've come into their own in recent years.

The J/22 class saw 37 boats sail in incredibly tight racing with New York's Chris Doyle ultimate prevailing over this talented class.

Chris Johnson from Eastport YC won the 11 boat J/80 class in what was purported to be the tightest racing seen in all the fleets.

The 5 boat J/29 fleet saw Ira Perry travel down from New Bedford YC to take first place silver.

Local sailor Dave McConaughy from Hampton YC won the 12 boat J/30 class.

The J/109s had 9 boats race with veteran campaigner Bill Sweetser winning.

And, Jerry Christofel on the venerable AUNT JEAN took the honors in the 11 boat J/35 class. 
For more info, news and scores see the Sailing World reports.

Charleston Race Week

A fun fest for all in a Caribbean-style event
(Charleston, SC- April 16-19)- The CRW saw 150+ boats, representing strong growth from the previous year.  The 33 J's in attendance had strong showings across three PHRF classes and three one-design fleets- J/24, J/80 and J/105.


In the J/80 class, Kerry Klingler sailing J-HAWK beat 9 other boats in a closely fought class.  In the J/24s, Chip Till raced his MURDER Inc. to win over 16 boats.

The J/105s had Patrick Eudy's BIG BOOTY prevail over 5 competitors.
In the PHRF world, hot off a good showing at ACURA Key West Race Week, Brian Team led his friends on the J/122 TEAMWORK to first in PHRF A.

Ira Perry topped PHRF C sailing his J/29 SEEFEST.  Having fun, relaxing and winning in non-spinnaker PHRF F was Dick McGillivray's J/130 GONE.

For more info, news and scores see the Charleston Race Week site.

Newport-Ensenada Race

The Party Starts in CA, Go Race, then Party Again in Mexico!
(Newport Beach, CA- April 24 weekend)- It was a good year to race to Ensenada.  267 boats actually finished- that's 99% of the fleet!  A record.  And, the winners all said it was the straightest race in recent memory with good breezes the entire length of the course.  There were 30 J's in attendance participating in the J/120 class, Sprit A and Sprit B.  The winner of the J/120's was Carlos Avila Escoto racing with his seasoned team aboard MELTEMI.
For more info, news and scores see the Newport-Ensenada site.

Bermuda Race Week

Pink beaches, RBYC, Dark'n'Stormies--- Life Doesn't Suck!
(Hamilton, Bermuda- April 24 weekend)- The fleet was greeted by good breeze, plenty of sun and solid race management by the veteran RBYC crew.


The J24 group saw Trevor Boyce with crew Carlton Adams, Samantha Mallory, Gary Taylor, Jorge Chiapparro and Anna Kinsten hold on to the lead and won the J24 Gipper Trophy, for the second year in a row. Sixteen year old Lance Fraser and his all-Bermudian, all-16 year old crew held on to second place, two points ahead of Tim Lynch. The top three J24 teams were all from Bermuda.  The long distance traveler award went to Bruce Stone, a perennial J/24 and J/105 sailor from St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, CA.

The J/105 group had very close racing.  The Williams/Rego team sailed strongly enough to not have to sail the last race.  They topped former Sunfish World Champion Chuck Millican and the others to win by 10 points. Chuck had a rough time the last race holding off Jim MacDonald and Jon Corless to finish second on a tie-breaker.


Find out why this event has to be counted amongst the best in the world- heck, who would object to pink sands, temps in the 70s, 20 knots of breeze, flat water, Goslings rum and ginger beer (aka Dark'n'Stormies) and extraordinary hospitality.  Frankly, we're jealous we weren't there!

Find out what happened here.

J Community

What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* Dennis Conner (ex J/120 owner) convinced another J/Boat sailor and owner (J/80, J/92s, J/125), Dr. Laura Schlessinger, the famous psychologist with a nationally syndicated radio talk show to go sailing with him on the Newport-Ensenada Race aboard his 60 footer "Stars & Stripes".  Read more about this interesting development on SailingScuttlebutt's Scuttleblog.
* Ken Read sailed his VOR 70 PUMA into 4th place in the Rio-Boston leg of the VOR race.  While not exactly a J/24, it was clear his World Championship performances in one-designs like the J/24 were paying off in the Inshore Races and early tactical decisions off the starting lines.  Unfortunately, Kenny's early lead off Brazil evaporated...we believe someone heard him say, "darn, I just can't buy a shift!"  We wish him well in the TransAtlantic leg coming up soon.

* Ed Baird and his ALINGHI mates are apparently experiencing some anxiety now that the America's Cup might actually have to be sailed sometime in the near future.  His wife and sons have been content going to school, relaxing and enjoying life in St. Petersburg.  They hope that Dad doesn't go cartwheeling off into the sunset on some giant spider of a multihull sometime in 2010.  Ed was overheard remarking that "...it's way easier sailing those darn J/24s in the BVI than these temperamental beasts we've been racing in Europe!"

Featured J/Brokerage
If you have a passion for speed, the J/65 BRAND NEW DAY is in a league of its own.   The J/65 is the flagship passagemaker in the J Boat line-- the ultimate private sailing yacht for dedicated J Boat enthusiasts. The J/65 has exceptional performance under non-overlapping headsails, double-handed ease of operation, minimum on-deck maintenance, luxurious accommodations, stunning aesthetics, and great value. 
Built in 2006 this boat is located in New England in the Newport/Portsmouth area.  She has been lightly sailed, finished 2nd in Class in 2008 STC Bermuda Race and enjoyed the New York YC 2008 cruise.  Please contact J/Boats dealer Jeff Brown at JK3 Enterprises for more information on this unique boat.

About J/Boats
Started in 1977, J/Boats continues to lead the world in designing fun-to-sail, easy-to-handle, performance sailboats that can be enjoyed by a broad spectrum of sailors.  The International J/24 has become the most popular recreational offshore keelboat in the world with over 5,400 J/24s cruising the waves. Today, there are 13,000+ J/Boats, ranging from the International J/22 to the J/65 and ranging in style from one-designs to racers, cruisers to daysailers and, of course, the ubiquitous J sprit boats- J/Boats' innovation in 1992 for easy-to-use asymmetric spinnakers and retractable carbon bowsprits (J/80, J/92, J/95, J/105, J/109, J/120, J/122, J/130, J/133, J/125, J/145, J/160).  


J/Boats has the best track record in sailing for innovation and design as evidenced by:  11 Sailing World/ Cruising World Boat of the Year Awards in 14 years; 2 SAIL Awards for Industry Leadership; 2 American Sailboat Hall of Fame Designs (J/24 & J/35); and the three largest ISAF International One-Design keelboat classes (J/22, J/24, J/80).  
Counting crew, every year there are over 100,000 friends to meet sailing J's, populating the most beautiful sailing harbors in 35+ countries around the world.  Sailing is all about friends.  Come join us and expand your social network everywhere!  For more background info.