J/Newsletter- June 24th, 2009

J/97 Flies Around America's Cup Course

The New J/97 Takes 2nd in Around Island (Isle of Wight)

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England- June 20th)- The J/UK Team of Paul and Marie-Claude Heys raced the inaugural regatta for their brand new J/97, JENGA.

The race was light and favored the small boats for the near record turnout of 1,800 boats ranging in size from 25 to 110 feet. The J/97 performed far better than anyone had expected.

See the JP Morgan Round Island Race story below.

J/95 Celebrates "Fathers Day"

Beachcombing off Lido Key in Florida

"Very few performance daysailers (any?) have the ability to sail well in skinny Florida waters and allow you to step off for a bit of beachcombing", said Craig Crossley.  CrossCurrent Marine's J/95 hull #1 demo boat took time out from its tour of gulf coast yacht clubs and allowed Craig  to kick back and enjoy a special Fathers Day with a walk on the beaches of Lido Key, one of the Sarasota Bay barrier islands. As Craig said, "a walk on the beach after an amazing sail -- priceless."

J/Regatta News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

With summer solstice behind us, the J calendar saw J sailors enjoying some amazing Around Island Races as well as Race Weeks in both Europe and America.  EUROPE had the famous Around Isle of Wight Race and in America the renowned Block Island Race Week started off with the Around Block Island Race!. Read on! More importantly, if you have more J Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page!  Below are the summaries.

Block Island Race Week

Stormy Around Island Race Gets Fleet Rockin

(Block Island, RI- June 22) - Usually it’s the sailors who get an eyeful of majestic scenery while racing around the island during the Storm Trysail Club’s biennial Block Island Race Week presented by Rolex, but today, spectators ashore oohed and aahed at the magnificent site of 153 boats trying to hold it together in raging winds on the Atlantic Ocean. The spectacle was best viewed from Southeast Lighthouse, perched on a 150-foot cliff at the southern-most tip of tiny Block Island, which for these five week days is serving as the epicenter of sailing in the Northeast. A mass of colorful spinnakers paralleled the shore -- some of them flailing wildly during broaches and a few becoming unwanted anchors when waves rose like jaws to snag them.

The Solent-like conditions led to several mishaps, including a man overboard on a J/122 (and safely recovered).  The J's are well represented with one-design class starts for the J/122s, J/44s, J/29s,  J/105s and J/109s.  The Around Island Race on Monday was a rare event.  With a strong NNE 15-25 knots wind, the RC sent the fleet around the island clockwise.   A start off the R2 Bell sent the fleet north to 1BI Bell, then a right turn around it to SE Lighthouse cans and the bell off SW corner and back up to the finish off R2.

The winners for this race included the following:  J/105s- Brian Keane on SAVASANA, J/122s- Mike Bruno on WINGS; J/29- John and Tony Esposito on HUSTLER; J/109s- Sharp on HUSTLER; J/44s- Jeff Willis on CHALLENGE IV; J/109S- Group W on GOSSIP; and PHRF3- John Storck on J/80 RUMOR.
More info:
http://www.blockislandraceweek.com

Chicago SW NOOD

J/105 VYTIS Wins Overall Title

(Chicago, IL- June 19-21)-  Tom Petrus and the crew of the J/105 VYTIS were selected as the overall champions of the 2009 Sperry Top-Sider Chicago NOOD. 186 entrants competed amid 17 classes, with Petrus besting 16 other team to earn the title.

Michael Lovett, of Sailing World, interviewed the team- "When I spoke with the crew of the J/105 Vytis on Saturday night (of the Sperry Top-Sider Chicago NOOD), the team stood in fifth place, 8 points out of first. In the blare of the regatta tent, downing Mount Gays and chewing on a dinner roll, crewmember Keith Krause made a hopeful declaration. "We're still in the hunt," he said. "That's all that matters.  I nodded my head and wished him luck, but I must admit I never expected Vytis to post two bullets on Sunday and vault to the top of the standings, unseating fellow Chicago boat and perennial rival, Messy Jessy, earning first place overall at the 2009 Sperry-Top Sider Chicago NOOD, and winning a trip to the British Virgin Islands to compete in the NOOD Championships this November.

"This is huge for us," says owner Tomas Petkus. "This is a regatta we've always aspired to win, and we come to the NOOD every year." By every year, he means every year for the past 18. The 2009 event was Petkus' 15th in the J/105 class. And although the team's comeback victory took me by surprise, it shouldn't have. These veteran racers-- Petkus (skipper), Krause (main trimmer), Steven Druszicki (tactics), Andrew Saltys (jib trimmer), and Michael Collins (bow)-- have completed more than 100 Chicago to Mackinac races among them, and when they needed to perform on Sunday, they did.

When I spoke with the crew of the J/105 Vytis on Saturday night, the team stood in fifth place, 8 points out of first. In the blare of the regatta tent, downing Mount Gays and chewing on a dinner roll, crewmember Keith Krause made a hopeful declaration. "We're still in the hunt," he said. "That's all that matters."

I nodded my head and wished him luck, but I must admit I never expected Vytis to post two bullets on Sunday and vault to the top of the standings, unseating fellow Chicago boat and perennial rival, Messy Jessy, earning first place overall at the 2009 Sperry-Top Sider Chicago NOOD, and winning a trip to the British Virgin Islands to compete in the NOOD Championships this November.

By every year, he means every year for the past 18. The 2009 event was Petkus' 15th in the J/105 class. And although the team's comeback victory took me by surprise, it shouldn't have. These veteran racers-- Petkus (skipper), Krause (main trimmer), Steven Druzbicki (tactics), Andrew Soltys (jib trimmer), and Michael Collins (bow)-- have completed more than 100 Chicago to Mackinac races among them, and when they needed to perform on Sunday, they did.

"We had to win both races to win the division," says Krause. "Today we were in phase with every lift, every knock, every change in condition."

Despite the need to pick up points, the team sailed fairly conservatively. "Our strategy was to keep our eyes on the boats ahead of us in the standings," says Collins. "We planned stick with them and try to get ahead when the opportunity arose."

As the racing played out, however, Vytis didn't need to play a lot a catch up-- the boat led at every mark, thanks to excellent starts and spot-on tactics courtesy of Druzbicki.  "He's the supercomputer," says Soltys. "We input the information into the supercomputer and he outputs what we need to do."

The supercomputer may work wonders, but it's also incredibly humble. Druzbicki was quick to point out that his tactical decisions are only as good as the boathandling and boatspeed behind them. "The key was we were able to sail higher and faster than the other boats," he says. "That way, we controlled our own destiny."

In the highly competitive J/105 fleet, in which seven boats had a legitimate shot a victory on Sunday morning, holding a lead was no simple task. "With all the great local sailors and the boats that come in from all over the country, who are you going to cover?" says Petkus. "The thing about this regatta was the conditions were very trying. We were constantly changing gears. And in this fleet, if you fail to adjust your jib car before the other boat does, that could be the difference between first and fifth place."

The Vytis guys sail their boat like a professional crew, but they'd never let you mistake them for such. "We're a family boat," says Petkus, "For us, it's more important to have fun with our family and friends than to win."

Vytis is a "family" boat, but only Petkus and Krause are related. It's also a Lithuanian boat, though only Petkus and Krause speak Lithuanian. Don't let these facts fool you-- these friends are as close as family, and they're proud of their Lithuanian heritage (Petkus' parents emigrated to the United States in 1953 after Stalin overran Lithuania).

On the racecourse, they sometimes use Lithuanian to confuse their competition, lobbing around Lithuanian words while pointing at parts of other boats. "We'll be pointing up at the other guy's rig, yelling the Lithuanian words for lunch, dinner, eat, hungry, whatever," says Krause.

The three non-Lithuanian crewmembers are happy to play along. "The rest of us have no idea what's going on," says Soltys. "It's great."

A few years back, when organizers of the Chicago-Mac were considering implementing a new weight limit for the J/105 class that would break up the Vytis crew, Petkus responded that he would sooner race PHRF than give the flick to one of his family members. The solidarity of the team is so great, competitors have a running joke that Petkus must have a 401K plan in place for his crew.

Dan Pesch’s J/100 Remedy wins PHRF section 4.  Seventeen J/105s competed in the NOOD; eleven J/109s battled for NOOD honors but ZEITGEIST wins again. Congratulations to Rob Zerban and crew; and in the J/35’s Larry Taunt’s BAD DOG wins.
For more info:
http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas/chicago-il/2009-sperry-top-sider-chicago-nood-coverage-1000072598.html

Cleveland Race Week

Excellent Turnout and Fun Racing for all

(Cleveland, OH- June 20-21)- Edgewater Yacht Club commenced the annual Cleveland Race Week with the One Design weekend, which precedes a weeklong schedule of womens, juniors, and handicap class events. Getting the party started this weekend were 75 boats divided into fleets of J/22s, J/24s, J/105s, T10s, Ensigns, Jet 14s, and Highlanders. Big winds on Saturday’s racing kicked up some serious Lake Erie chop (the short/steep kind) and allowed only one of the three race circles to get in their scheduled races. On Sunday, it was about warm temps but light winds.

JP Morgan Round The Island Race

J/97's Inaugural Race is 2nd in Class, J/80 "boats.com" Wins Class

(Cowes, IOW, England- June 22nd)- The annual JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, organised by the Island Sailing Club, is one of the most popular fixtures on the Solent racing calendar. There were 1,779 entrants from Europe and the USA, as well as all over the UK, to follow the 50 mile course round the Isle of Wight. Starting on the famous Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes, the fleet races westabout, to The Needles, round St Catherine's Point and Bembridge Ledge buoy back into the Solent.

Conditions in today's JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race gave everyone a challenge. The breeze at the start was light, with some boats swept over the line early and having to make their way back slowly. At the Needles the most popular description competitors had of the race was "champagne sailing". Then the wind played tricks. Off Bembridge everyone was on a spinnaker reach when the breeze suddenly went through a 180 degree turn and then dropped. From 80-footers down to Laser SB3s, crews were kept busy fending off other boats. Once into the eastern Solent most of the fleet had to cheat the tide and creep close into Ryde Sands. Then it was short tacking to the line. The 'rush hour' was between 1900 and 2000 when a close to a thousand boats were finishing.  Here were the significant J finishes:

IRC-1A- J/133- Neil Martin's JAMMY DODGER - 2nd
IRC-1A- J/122- John Patterson PANACEA- 3rd
IRC-1A- J/122-  Ian Matthews JINJA- 4th
IRC- 1B- J/120- Adrian Cooks- MOJO- 2nd
IRC-1C- J/39- David Walters JACKDAW- 2nd
IRC-1C- J//39- Jonty & Vicky LayfieldS- SLEEPER- 3rd
IRC-2A- J/109- Richard Griffith- OUTRAJEOUS- 4th
IRC-2B- J/109- Mike and Sarah Wallis- JHAMALI- 2nd
IRC 2B- J/109- Will Leonard-JUST  WILLIAM- 3rd
IRC-3A- J/97-Marie-Claude and Paul Heys- JENGA- 2nd

One doesn’t expect to end up on the podium when racing against 1700-plus boats, but that’s what happened to the crew from Boats.com last weekend when we raced in the JP Morgan Round Island Race, starting and ending in Cowes, England. Actually, there are something like 60 classes in the race, and we won one of them, but the day, and our result, still left us feeling we had beaten the odds.

Skippering the boat was the boss man at Boats.com and YachtWorld.com, Ian Atkins, a top J/80 class sailor, who just finished third in the class’s U.K. Nationals. His righthand man and sail trimmer, European Boats.com sales manager Dan Brown, was chief trimmer. Ian’s son, Sam, was the third experienced member of the crew, and I was the guest strati-guesser, in from the States for his first ever trip around.

Over the course of nine-odd hours, beginning with a 0750 start off the Royal Yacht Squadron line at Cowes, we had a great start and immediately started losing places until we were worse than mid-fleet by the time we rounded the Needles at the western end. By then the seabreeze had kicked in and at least we were moving fast under the spinnaker. Gradually we began to pass competitors and near St. Catherines, at the south corner, we jibed about 30 times and overhauled several more. We learned later that we had moved into the lead; if we’d known that, we’d have been much more nervous when the wind died completely and we approached the Bembridge Ledge buoy with about 400 boats immediately ahead and behind us.

We took a risk, jibing offshore into the current and carrying the breeze forward and around one big pile of boats, then jibing in again and sneaking around the buoy with at least 30 more outside us. The wind then died, but at least whatever air there was could reach our sails and we crept forward, with the wind gradually building again from the north. It was several more hours to the finish, and we always felt slow because there were lots of big boats passing us. We couldn’t see any J/80s ahead or behind and when we finally crossed the line back at Cowes, we received a cannon salute, meaning that we were first.
For more info
www.roundtheisland.org.uk

Biscay Challenge 540 Mile Doublehanded

J/133 PINTIA Wins, J/105 ONLY JUST Second

(Southampton, England/ Santander, Spain)-  The Royal Southampton Yacht Club's 540-mile Biscay Challenge two-handed yacht race from the Solent to northern Spain was a close event for the leading participants.

Borja Garbizu's J/133 PINTIA had only ten minutes margin on corrected time from the winner of the last Solent to Santander race, Andy Hill and Matthieu Lathoud on the J105, ONLY JUST.  The finish line was at Hondarribia, in the heart of Basque country on the Spanish border with France.

Of the 22 yachts which began the race in the Solent a week ago on Saturday, June 15, twelve made it to the finish in Hondarribia. Ten boats retired, primarily through lack of wind during the race both in the English Channel, off Ushant, and in the Bay of Biscay.
For more info:
www.rsyc.org.uk

Yacht Club Italiano's Giraglia Race

Slowly, Slowly, to La Giraglia Rock and Return to Genoa

(St.Tropez, France / Genoa, Italy)-  If patience is a virtue, than the 190-boat Giraglia fleet had it in spades early Thursday morning as the boats seemingly crept towards La Giraglia rock and the turn towards the finish in Genoa, 90 miles away.

After Wednesday's start of the 243-nautical mile race in St Tropez, the breeze slowly built and once the fleet rounded La Fourmigue to head for La Giraglia a northeasterly of 8 - 10 knots settled in, and backed enough to let the boats enjoy a close reach on the rhumbline to the rock. Through Wednesday night the fleet made slow but steady progress, but just before sunrise, the wind died out.

With the breeze so light, the fleet is fairly compacted which gives the smaller boats have an excellent chance to do well on corrected time. The finish line for the Giraglia distance race is just off Sturla in Genoa. The fleet will dock at the Yacht Club Italiano.

The J's had a good showing in this perennial event held by YCI.  The J/133 CHESTTRESS II was 2nd in IRC-A and sailed by Yacht Club Italiano's Giancarlo Ghislanzoni.  There were also several J/122s that managed to sail themselves out of contention despite being early race leaders. For the J/109s, GALANGA was 3rd in IRC B, raced by Phillipe De Saignes from International Yacht Club de'Hyeres, France.
For more info
htp://ww.yci.it

J/Community:

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

* Block Island Race Week- in attendance were a number of notables from the the J/World events of the past.  Collegiate All-Americans and J Champions seen helping friends getting around the track or driving were Jack Slattery, Mark Ploch, Farly Fontenot, Jay Lutz, Geoff Ewenson, Bryson Hall amongst others.  Hmmm, it seems the "wise man" cometh and never go away.  Can't go wrong with any of that crew-- who did we miss??

Featured Boat

New J/105 Incentive Available

There’s plenty of new J/105 talk these days, thanks to the great reviews of the 2009 model J/105 built by US Watercraft of Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

Introduced in 1992 as the world’s first modern day keelboat with a bow sprit, the J/105 continues to thrive around the world - whether one-design racing on San Francisco Bay or sailing non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean in the OSTAR Race. There are now over 676 boats sailing in 16+ countries. While the racing successes get the headlines, the real story is that the J/105 meets the needs of today’s active sailing families perhaps better than any other design on the market. Daysailing, weekending, distance sailing, one-design racing – the J/105 does it all.

J Boats is pleased to announce that US Watercraft is offering a complimentary Waterline Systems “Club Racer” bottom job (in epoxy or anti-fouling) for the first three J/105 orders placed between June 18th and August 1, 2009. This is a $6k+ value and provides you with a boat ready to launch out of the box. Please contact J/Boats or your nearest J dealer for details.

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- June 17th, 2009

J/95 BANJO Wins Off-Soundings

Shoal-draft Speedster dominates Around Block Is Race/ Regatta

(Stonington, CT- June 13-14th)- Rod J and a family crew sailed the J/95 BANJO to victory in the Sprit Boat Class C-3. A class, by the way, that included three J/105s; three J/109s; and a J/92. The event starts in Watch Hill, RI then sails direct to the Great Salt Pond Harbor on Block Island. Then, on Saturday is the traditional, famous Around Block Island Race.

As Rodney reports- "Friday was a real drag race – a 12 mile beam reach from Watch Hill, Rhode Island to Block Island to a set mark just North of the entrance to New Harbor followed by a 3 mile run to Buoy 1 BI North of the Island and a 3.5 mile beat to the finish at the Harbor entrance. BANJO nailed the jib reaching start. At 1BI we were ahead of everyone except the J/105 DRAGONFLY who rounded just ahead of us and finished first.  We were second and third boat-for boat behind us was Hugh McLean’s J/109 SHEARWATER.

Saturday’s race was counter-clockwise around Block Island. We sailed the long course with the larger, faster classes which meant we had to go out to the Southwest Ledge Whistle buoy about three miles SW of the island, then East to Southeast Point, then NNE to the NE Whistle buoy a mile off Clay Head, then to the NW to 1BI, then finish off the harbor entrance. The wind was light NE at the start with the flood current starting. It was a set-up for us to showcase our shallow draft all the way down the island –in the breeze and out of the foul current- and kick some serious butt.

We started, then skimmed past the end of the breakwater by a boathook length in about 4-5’ of water and kept going. Needless to say the J/105 and J109 right on our tail had to jibe back out into the murky calm for a few boatlengths in order to avoid running aground. We rounded SW Ledge Whistle a quarter mile ahead of the next boat. The next leg to the NE Whistle Buoy was a light, tight spinnaker reach and lost ground (again) to everyone ahead of us.  The leg from the NE Whistle to 1BI was a light air run at the very end of the flood current. We gained back all of what we had lost on the boats ahead of us on the previous leg – maybe three or four minutes. We could sail lower than everyone if not faster. The final beat was a port tack fetch to the finish in about 10-12 knots of wind. The J/109 SHEARWATER was first over the line, but we corrected out to first place on time, winning both days and won the series with 2 points.

All in all, Banjo is fun and easy to sail. Now we know it is fast, too. Oh yes, and we could park it in among the powerboats close to shore at the Oar Restaurant."

J/Regatta News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

With summer solstice just around the corner, the J calendar saw our intrepid J adventurers (like 18 year old Oscare Meade at right) finish this year's OSTAR with some epic stories. On the American circuit the Rolex New York YC Regatta had a record turnout. The Europeans hosted the J/22 Worlds on gorgeous Lago di Garda, Italy. Read on! More importantly, if you have more J Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page!  Below are the summaries.

ROLEX NYYC 155th Annual Regatta

Keane's J/105 SAVASANA and Weiss's J/122 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON Win Strong Classes

(Newport, RI- June 12-14,) – The three-day regatta, the longest running in America's history, attracted a record turnout of 105 boats. The event served up weather challenges that, while perhaps disappointing to beach-goers, delighted the 1000 plus sailors competing on Rhode Island Sound over three days.

With fog shrouding the first part of Friday’s 19-mile Around Jamestown Island Race, crews had to navigate with their instruments and keep themselves out of trouble from the capricious currents and wind eddies that swirl around the Island. Amongst the J/122s racing this legendary race, it was Mike Bruno and team aboard WINGS that won the race.

For the weekend racing offshore in Rhode Island Sound for Saturday and Sunday it was classic June conditions for Newport. With a combination of weather systems and the ubiquitous thermal engine trying to kick into higher gear, the tacticians had their crystal balls going full tilt trying to divine the next wind shift to streak to victory over their erstwhile rivals.

For the J/122 class, it was their inaugural event to race as a one-design class in the NYYC Annual Regatta. A ten boat turn-out saw some incredibly tight racing with tremendous changes amongst the leaders for every race. After the three races Saturday, five boats were within five points of eachother. However, it was Andrew Weiss on-board CHRISTOPHER DRAGON from Mamaroneck, NY that sailed consistently well in the three races on Sunday to stretch out their lead to win by four points over Doug Shaffer's GAMBLER from Bayview, TX and David Askew's Annapolis-Newport winner FLYING JENNY VI.

In the J/105 class, Brian Keane from Boston, MA continued his command over the J/105s to take his SAVASANA to first by four points over Wilson Pollock's SEA SHADOW from Bonita Springs, FL. In third was Dennis Seyhaeve racing his MOPELIA from Annapolis, MD.

Over on the IRC-5 course the J/109s simply dominated their class, going 1-2-3. Leading the charge was Bill Sweetser's RUSH from Annapolis, MD. Only one point back was Ted Herlihy's GUT FEELING from S. Dartmouth, MA. In third was STORM being sailed by Rick Lyall from Wilton, CT.

Of note was Jim Bishop's perennial champion J/44 GOLD DIGGER giving fits to the large IRC-3 class. Jim and crew finished a highly commendable second in class!  For more info.

J/22 World Championship

Netherlanders Crush the Competition

(Riva del Garda, Lago di Garda, Italy- June 10-14)- Joe McCorkell on USA 1577 offers his report from the J/22 World Championship in Italy: Tuesday was the first day of the J/22 World Championship. The boats struggled out of the harbor as the shore and sea breeze fought, then like a brick wall we were hit with 15-20 knots, and we are off! There are 36 boats, with the largest fleet coming from The Netherlands. The Netherlands teams showed their skills in heavy air today with all top 10 boats coming from there. Marvin Beckman's team and ours struggled from time to time downwind in the 25-30 knot breeze with both teams wiping out at least once and looking at their keels. Every day there are different morning conditions, and we think, "hey maybe there will be no breeze today. At noon, we are proven wrong every day as the switch is flipped, and 15-20 knots are piping down the lake. These are definitely some tough conditions, but for the most part, we (the 2 American teams) have switched to European driving mode and ride high and plane all the way down, as opposed to the low and soak mode we are used to back in the States

Predictions regarding Gaston Loos winning would definitely come true! Hailing from the strongly competitive contingent from the Netherlands, Loos won followed by fellow countrymen Kasper Kieft in second and Ronald Veraar in third. Meanwhile, Jeroen Den Boer, the 2006 World Champion, finished in fourth position. The American teams could fair no better than tenth for Marvin Beckman and twelfth for Joey McCorkell. For more info.

2009 OSTAR

Plymouth to Newport Classic Finishes with J/122 2nd Overall, Wins IRC-1 Class!

(Newport, RI- June 17)- For starters, congratulations to Oscar Mead for being the youngest OSTAR finisher ever at the ripe old age of 18 years old racing his J/105 KING OF SHAVES. Furthermore, he was 2nd overall in Gypsy Moth Class and 7th overall on IRC corrected times.

Kudos must also go for an epic journey and very strong showing by Rob Craigie to finish 2nd overall boat-for-boat and 3rd corrected overall on his J/122 J-BELLINO. Rob in fact won IRC-1 Class on corrected time, too!

After 21 days of racing Oscar, aboard his J/105 KING OF SHAVES, has just completed the race goal and set a record as the youngest ever finisher in the Original Singlehanded Transatlantic race. He sailed closest to the rhumb line of all competitors, battling through the ice fields of Newfoundland and led the Gypsy Moth class for most of the race. In a titanic struggle with Irishman Barry Hurley, he just lost out by 2.5 hours on the water and by just 30 minutes on handicap.

Oscar has been sailing since he was 8, he grew up in Hong Kong but sailing videos of Ellen Macarthur going round the world, combined with his innate desire to tinker led him to building models of what "his" Open 60 would look like.

From there it was a one way trip towards bigger boats and longer courses. His lucky break was a chance to sail the China Sea Race with Hong Kong sailor, Frank Pong, on Pong's RP76 "Jelik". Oscar ended up doing the 600 mile China Sea Race and the follow up inshore series on with "Jelik", which by his own admission was a great introduction to big boat racing, As Oscar said "what's not to like about sailing at 20 knots with the spinnaker up on a 76 footer in the sunshine!"

Oscar then managed to persuade his father that they ought to try 2-handed racing together and a J/105 was acquired in early 2008. The two Mead's then sailed the Royal Southampton 2-handed series, winning 5 of 7 starts over the season and totally dominating Class 1.

By mid summer Oscar was desperate to go singlehanded so he entered the Petite Bateau Channel Week, 7 days of racing across the Chanel and back in which he was "Top Rookie". He only turned 18 the week before the series started to even be eligible to enter. After that he set his goal of sailing the OSTAR and did his 500 mile solo qualifier in late summer 2008.

As for Rob Craigie aboard his J/122 J-BELLINO he narrowly missed winning the entire event overall on corrected time for IRC handicap. Rob was beaten on IRC corrected time by two much smaller boats that finished 3 days 5 hours behind (Tamarind) and 4 days 1 hour behind (Elmarleen). Neverthless, Rob only was 3 minutes 33 seconds behind second place and just 45 minutes behind the corrected time winner Elmarleen. Considering the fact Rob blew out his main spinnaker and destroyed part of his jib (e.g. sailing under a severe handicap in terms of the J/122s normal performance) it's amazing he achieved the feat he did to finish 2nd overall and 3rd on corrected.  For more info.

Oscar's OSTAR 2009 Blog Entries

You have to read some of them! Here's an excerpt below:

"Hello Everybody- We have made great progress through Friday towards the finish line. I had the A5 chute up but as planned dropped it and have switched to the jib top while I sailed into this header. I am starting to worry a little that I might not have used the last 48 hours to get south enough, the latest weather says that the northerly after tonight’s light air patch is going to be more easterly than previously suggested and that will make the wind angle very square on Saturday, I will be dead upwind (better that then dead downwind!) of Nantucket Lighthouse. Its hard to be sure, there is still 280 miles to go to the lighthouse so lots of time to get south but it’s on my radar.

Nothing new to report on the boat front. King of Shaves may be small but the J105 is a pretty awesome little boat really. Very seaworthy and other than upwind in the light she’s pretty fast as well. With the chute up nothing much is faster rating for rating. I don’t know this for a fact but I would guess this is the first J105 to cross the Atlantic and I can recommend it, other than the fact that the living quarters down below are smaller than the bathroom of a modern semi detached house…..Oh, plus the fact that the only real way to go to the toilet is “bucket-and-chuck it”!

Absolutely no viz out here today. I can only see the front of the boat, misty and chilly. I have spent a lot of time today hiding in my conservatory (home built solid sprayhood) as that allows me to see all the sails and stay warm and dry at the same time, but other than recently its been cold enough to want to keep the hatch closed, so that whatever warmth there is down below stays there. My sail repair on the A5 held so that was satisfying.

Race wise its me and Barry on Dinah fighting for the lead in the Gypsy Moth class. We have a pretty good lead on the rest but I think I am about 10 miles in front of Barry today so that is going to go down to the wire. We are also fighting for 5th place across the finish line which is pretty good as we are in the smaller class. I think I might get there early Monday at this rate….keep your fingers crossed and thanks for all your emails.  Cheers, Osc       For more entertaining reading

J/Community:

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

* Ken Read- the comeback kid, from DFL to 2nd in Leg 8- Ireland to Sweden. Yes, these guys were all probably sleepless and shattered. It was a tough race, particularly in the waning hours. The relentless conditions, from gales to flat calms, shipping to shallows and ferocious currents, have rendered the crews physically and mentally exhausted. After blowing up their big chute, wrapping on the head of the main and having to take a left turn around a low, PUMA had their work cut out for them. While the world focused on Green Dragon and race leader Ericsson 4 fighting it out off the Danish coast, less than a mile off the beach of Thyborøn, a fishing village in Jutland, famous for being the site of numerous shipwrecks, Ken and the boys began to stage a mind-blowing, pedal-to-the-metal comeback from the left field green monster wall of Fenway Park (well not really, but figuratively anyways). PUMA streaked in from the left and in a dramatic finish passed Green Dragon to finish second!

As if this drama wasn't enough, Ken and PUMA Team were so stoked they finally decided such adrenalin rushes were "cool". So, Ken and gang took off to win Leg 9! Well, seems that hope, perseverance and luck won't go unrewarded for this tenacious team-- looks like PUMA Racing will get second overall for the whole bloody VOR race!! Hats off to you guys from the "J/World". Kathy- are you happy about this?? Or, are you ready to go do this again next year-- shopping is good I hear.  For more info.

* Terry Hutchinson- the comeback kid story part II. As if Ken's exploits in the closing days of the VOR weren't enough, another friend and J/24 World Champion, Terry Hutchinson has continued to steadily gain momentum to again challenge the leaders in the Audi MedCup Circuit. Defending champions Quantum Racing won an exciting, stamina-sapping 39.7 miles coastal return race east to Cassis. With northwesterly winds blowing anything between 12 knots in the bay to 22-24 knots offshore on a long, fast sleigh ride downwind to the easternmost, leeward turning mark, this was a race which was doubly fulfilling, close and exciting to the end, with five boats finishing within two minutes after the long beat home, but the backdrop – the stunning limestone calanque cliffs and sheer valleys – is the most awesome of the Circuit. Four different boats lead the race, but it was Quantum Racing’s afterguard who were able to take advantage, seizing the initiative to use the additional pressure in under the cliffs and the consistent favourable lift, to take the lead early on the beat which they were able to hold to win by 33 seconds from the Russian boat Valars III.   For more info

* HOW TO PROMOTE THE SPORT- Celebrity Media Regatta in San Francisco supported by J/105 and J/120 fleets along with J/Boats dealer Sail California and J/World San Francisco.

“We need to get more people in the sport.” This statement has probably been made as many times as there have been questions on how we can grow the sport. Up in San Francisco, they have hit on a theme I have long championed, that is the convergence of sailing with media-friendly entities. Here is their event
announcement:

“The first ever Celebrity Media Regatta will be held on Sunday, June 14th, in conjunction with the Giants-A’s baseball game, with the sailing event held next to AT&T Park in McCovey Cove. Local broadcast personalities will join local sailors for a parade and fun races to benefit BAADS (Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors). The event is organized by Marine Media Alliance, hosted by South Beach YC, presented by Summer Sailstice, instruction by Spinnaker Sailing, boats lent by the Catalina 34, J/105 and J/120 fleets,
with assistance from lots of volunteers including norcalsailing.com, and contributions by Sail California and J/World.”

Holding the event during this cross-town rivalry, at a site where home runs over right field may hit one of the boats, crewing the boats with celebrities that will attract local television and print media, doing it for a worthy cause, and supported by numerous groups that will benefit from the publicity… win, win, win. This is a pretty damn good way to promote the sport! --   For more info see Scuttleblog.

Featured Boat

New J/105 Incentive Available

There’s plenty of new J/105 talk these days, thanks to the great reviews of the 2009 model J/105 built by US Watercraft of Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

Introduced in 1992 as the world’s first modern day keelboat with a bow sprit, the J/105 continues to thrive around the world - whether one-design racing on San Francisco Bay or sailing non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean in the OSTAR Race. There are now over 676 boats sailing in 16+ countries. While the racing successes get the headlines, the real story is that the J/105 meets the needs of today’s active sailing families perhaps better than any other design on the market. Daysailing, weekending, distance sailing, one-design racing – the J/105 does it all.

J Boats is pleased to announce that US Watercraft is offering a complimentary Waterline Systems “Club Racer” bottom job (in epoxy or anti-fouling) for the first three J/105 orders placed between June 18th and August 1, 2009. This is a $6k+ value and provides you with a boat ready to launch out of the box. Please contact J/Boats or your nearest J dealer for details.

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- June 3rd, 2009

J/95 Cruising To Its Own Tune

Three Weeks of Sailing Leads to Sprit Fest Appearance

(Sag Harbor, Long Island, NY)- After sailing around the eastern end of Fisher's Island Sound and the outer reaches of The Race off the end of Long Island Sound for the better part of May, it was time to see how the J/95 matched up with the other thoroughbreds in the J stable. When Rod took his J/95 Banjo up against the benchmark J/105 at the Black Seal Sprit Fest Regatta, it was apparent that his hope for a good "bench test" would be met. Rod's remarks were telling- "in the 10-14 knot conditions it was clear we had very good straight line pace upwind, and on a few occasions were even able to squeeze off boats to windward. We forgot to lower the centerboard on one upwind test and were later surprised at how well we did considering the reduced draft (from 5.5’ to 3’). Off the wind under the asymmetric spinnaker we also had good pace. We’ll have Banjo out at Block Island for Off-Soundings the weekend of June 13-14 where we will have numerous other J’s to sail with. We’ll be docked at the Block Island Boat Basin and look forward to welcoming sailors to look at the boat.”  For more info.

"STOP PRESS! J/80 Worlds 130 Boats!

J/80s Expect Record Fleet For Worlds in Santander, Spain

(Santander, Spain)- Seemingly impervious to the tilting windmills blown over by the winds of economic change, the J/80 International Class seems to be hell-bent on breaking all previous records for attendance of ISAF one-design keelboat class world championships. The average number of attendees for the last three J/80 Worlds has been over 110 boats!! This year promises to be equally as epic an event with multiple World, European and National Champions in attendance. Plus, the weather in Santander ought to make it as challenging as the 2007 Worlds in La Trinite Sur Mer, where 124 boats sailed in nearly a 20 knot average wind speed with large swell and foaming crests on top of huge chop!! More news soon as this is certain to continue being a very significant event on the international racing circuit. For more J/80 info  For more J/80 Worlds Info.

J/22 Worlds Sailing on Romantic Lake Garda

44 Entries from Six Countries Will Enjoy Breathtaking Scenery

(Riva di Garda, Lake Garda, Italy)- Not to be outdone by the J/80's in Spain, the J/22's are hosting their World Championships this year on the spectacular location of Lake Garda deep in Italy's famous northern Lakes District. Renowned for gorgeous cobalt blue waters, strong adabatic winds gusting up and down the mountain valleys, enormous rock and mountain formations thrusting skyward precipitously along the lakeshores and simply extraordinary Italian home-style hospitality, it's hard to imagine how anyone of the forty-four boats entered to date are going to have a bad time! Toss in a fair dose of great Italian wine, fresh bread, some extraordinary northern Italian cuisine and you have a recipe for a gastronomic World Championship--- nearly to rival the sailing itself! We wish all competitors fun, fair winds and many a splendid evening along the shores of the sybaritic, romantic waters of Lago di Garda.  For more J/22 International Class Info.  For more J/22 Worlds Info.

J/100 One-Design Sailing Opportunities!

Three fun regattas for lovers of slim, fast, pretty boats.

For those J/100 owners who have a penchant for taking a run around the buoys every once in awhile, there are three opportunities in the New England region to get together and share your passion for this unique J design.  Henry Brauer of Marblehead and Northeast Harbor has suggested the following events may be of interest to J/100 owners:

* The first is the new Mount Desert Island Summer Series which will be held July 18-19, in Northeast Harbor, ME. Day one is the traditional Maine Hospice Regatta and Day two is a regular MDI series race. They've put the two together to offer a 2 day series with both day trophies and overall regatta trophies. There is a lobster bake on Saturday night in Southwest Harbor and a Raft up Sunday after the racing. We have 4 active J/100's in Northeast and hope to attract some more to have offer a one-design division.

* The second opportunity for J/100 one-design is Downeast Race Week which is scheduled for August 7-9. Again, there already 3 J/100's registered for the event and a chance to attract several more boats will provide some great one-design competition. DERW has a new format this year and will be only 3 days long starting on a Friday and ending on Sunday so it is easy to plan for crew. More information is available on the DERW web site.

* The third opportunity is at the PHRF-New England Championship which is scheduled in Marblehead August 28-30. There are 10 J/100's in Mass Bay and with a commitment of 6 or more boats PHRF will provide a one- design start for the class.
For more insights on J/100 class sailing, please contact Henry Brauer.

J/24 Asia - Pacific Championships in Australia

25 boats to race in first AsiaPac regatta

(Adelaide, Australia- June 6-8)- The Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia will host the first J/24 Asia - Pacific Championships. With resurgence worldwide in the J/24 class, Asia is one of the last areas on the globe to have an active international circuit for the class. Five Australian states as well as Singapore and Korea will be represented at the Regatta. This Regatta will have a tremendous depth of talent with multiple Australian Championship winners Sean Kirkjian - NSW and Sean Wallis - West Australia, challenging to take out the first Asia - Pacific title. Hugo Ottoway from Victoria, also a past National Champion, will be joined by David Suda and three other teams from Victoria, with four times SA State Champion Alyn Stevenson heading a strong local contingent, including the much travelled Hi team skippered by Peter Stevens. The Aussies won't have it all their own way as Singapore National Champion Vladimir Borstnar, a specialist light air sailor, is likely to get eight knot breezes in June. The field is completed with Korea fielding a team from different continents, to be skippered by Park Ki-Cheol.

The South Australian fleet has provided eight loaner boats for the event and is hosting five teams. 'It's time to turn the clock back and run low cost regattas' according to regatta Chairman Alyn Stevenson. With the regatta being held off the North Haven Marina in Gulf St Vincent during 6th to 8th June, competitors are likely to encounter 6 to 12 kts during the event. There will 10 races sailed over three days ensuring plenty of tired bodies come Monday. The Cruising Yacht club ran the J24 Nationals in January and should produce another excellent event with Race Officer Stuart Ross at the helm.

J/Regatta News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Racing Worldwide

Summer is accelerating molto rapido! It was very busy on the J calendar this past week. European summer kicked into high gear at the end of May in France (Trophee Atlantique), England (Vice- Admirals Cup and RORC North Sea Race) and Italy (J/24 Italian Nationals). In America, Detroit had something to lift their spirits despite dismal automotive news-- the Sailing World NOOD Regatta was an unqualified success with great weather and the women finished the BoatUS Santa MariaCup. Internationally, two long distance offshore events kept J sailors busy- starting with the Swiftsure Race from Seattle to Vancouver and the famous OSTAR Race from Plymouth, England to Newport, RI. 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.

J/122 Pen Azen Victorious at Grand Prix du Crouesty

The Grey-blue French Rocketship Continues Domination of French IRC Offshore

(Crouesty, France- May 30-June 1)- The third major event of the French UNCL/ FFV offshore sailing season had excellent representation from passionate J owners from France, in particular. The Yacht Club du Crouesty Arzo hosted a wonderful event; the J's represented 50% of the fleet of the Grand Prix du Crouesty and forty one J/80s were present to do battle; not far behind in attendance were the J/22 and J/24 classes.

In the J/80's, Sylvain Pelissier won in a highly competitive fleet. In IRC1, the J122 Pen Azen again confirmed their supremacy over IRC1 competitors, beating stablemate J/122 Damacle with the renowned Christine Briand on-board as tactician. Also doing well was the J/109 Poulico, 3rd in IRC2 (beating three very competitive Archambaut A35s).  For more info.

Pen Azen Wins Trophee Atlantique/ 46th SIV Habitable Regatta

The UNCL/ FFV IRC1 French Championship Dominated by J/122s

(Port des Minimes, La Rochelle, France- May 21-23)- The hosts at Société des Régates Rochelaises- Yacht Club Les Minimes put on a splendid regatta for the competitors vying for honors at the SIV Habitables Regatta and for the ultimate honor of winning the UNCL/ FFV Trophee Atlantique- emblematic of the French offshore spring championship series. With eighteen entries in IRC Classes 1, 2 and 3 it was not going to be a walk-over for any of the competing teams at this highly regarded event. Nevertheless, Philippe Delaporte and team on his J/122 Pen Azen again managed to sail a solid series, winning by one point over fellow J/122 Damacle with the world-renowned Christinne Briand as tactician. Both boats easily dispatched two very competitive Archambaut 40s (Batistyl and Stamina3) who finished third and fifth behind them, respectively. For more info:

SLAM J/24 Italian Nationals

Casale Wins, Followed by American Keith Whittemore

(Riva del Garda, Italy- May 29-June 1)- Steady southerly winds made for great racing during the third day of J/24 Open Italian Championship. The race committee at Fraglia Vela Riva Yacht Club managed to run three great races for the fleet of thirty-two J/24s. Andrea Casale, helmsman of Fiamme Gialle, reigned supreme with 2 first-place finishes and 1 second. Onboard with Casale: Vittorio Rosso as tailer, Ernesto Angeletti as tactician, Fabio Montefusco as bowman and Enzo di Capua on halyard and mast. American Keith Whittemore (USA 5399 - Furio), who won the second race, surpassed the German crew steered by Mares Kai (GER 5420 - Rotoman), to finish second overall. Keith is originally from Seattle, WA having cut his teeth racing against other veterans of the J/24s in the Pacific Northwest like Jonathan and Charlie Mckee and Carl Buchan.
Sponsors of the J 24 OPEN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2009, organized by the Fraglia Vela Riva and the Italian J 24 Class Association, are SLAM and Trentino SpA.  For more info.

RORC North Sea Race

Stop and Go Driving For Fleet- J/109s 2nd and 3rd

(Harwichport, England- May 22-24)- Five J/109s participated in the RORC North Sea Race over the Bank Holiday weekend 22/24 May 2009. This race of approximately 210 miles is organised by RORC in association with the Royal Harwich Yacht Club. EAORA, Yacht Club Scheveningen, Royal Maas Yacht Club, Noordzee Club and the Royal Dutch Navy Yacht Club.

The race was started in 12 knots and sunshine before the conditions became more difficult. Gusts in excess of 20 knots were seen, before the first “park-up” occurred about midnight. The wind dropped even further by dawn, resulting in a virtual restart of the event. Light and variable winds through the shipping lanes kept the fleet on their toes. Jaguar of Burnham (Adrian Lower) managed to keep moving (just) and located the new breeze ahead of the fleet to finish in 2nd place whilst the J/109 Yeti (Paul van der Pol/Suzanne Hen) was third.  For more info.

Vice Admirals Cup

Champagne Sailing for the J/109 Fleet

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England- May 29-31)- To quote Solent sailing legend Kelvin Rawlings- "On a day like this there's nowhere I'd rather be racing than the Solent" - and for the competitors at this year's Vice Admiral's Cup, hosted by the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, Cowes from 29-31 May, it was certainly a weekend of champagne sailing.

The four fleets enjoyed three days of hot competition in glorious sunshine and excellent winds under the auspices of Race Officers Bob Milner, running racing for the Classes 0 and 1, and Robert Lamb, running racing for the Quarter Tonners and J109s.

For Class 3 – the J109s – it was confidently won by David & Kirsty Apthorpe’s J-Dream with five firsts, two seconds and a discarded sixth. Speaking after sailing David put their success down to simple time on the water. “Going into the event Zelda and Jambhala looked like our closest competition, but we’ve sailed more than they have recently and put a lot of time in on the water which makes a big difference.” There was some controversy in the class when it was noted that Jambhala, owned by Gill Ross and Richard Sainsbury, had sailed the first day without either owner aboard which contravenes class rules. As soon as Gill and Richard realised their error they immediately did the honourable thing and retired from Friday’s races dropping them from third to tenth overall. Jambhala’s loss was to be Zelda’s gain and Ben Richard and Mike Ewart Smith were delighted to unexpectedly find themselves moving up into third place overall. Second place went to fleet newcomer Martin Miller sailing Jouster/Velvet Elvis who was thrilled to have done so well.  For more info.

Sailing World Detroit NOOD

Frank Kern Wins J/120 Class!

(Detroit, MI May 29-31)- The host Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit, MI had 191 boats competing in 20 classes. Frank Kern's Carinthia, took a seven-boat J//120 class by 3 points over second and six points over third. Five of seven boats won races in the J/120 class, six of seven recorded a top-two finish.

The assessment of the competition for the J/120s at "Day-twaah" was insightful: "In spite of the large spread of the J/120 class IRC ratings, these boats are very close in speed and any one of them can win the NOOD based on tactics and crew ability. Jerry Bresser of Flyin' Irish comes in from his 2008 one-design victory in the Bayview Mackinac. Don Hudak's Capers returns from his overwhelming 2008 victory of the J/120 class in Harbor Springs. Henry Mistile Night Moves will be defending his 2008 NOOD victory, which he won in the last race. Marv Ihnen's Ihnsanity will be returning with his first place success in the DYRA series on Lake St. Clair. Bob Kirkman's Hot Ticket, although he didn't claim any bullets in 2008, will be returning with a veteran J/120 crew and is always in the thick of competition. Frank Kern's Carinthia did not race in last year's NOOD, but will be coming back with a class triumph in the Chicago Race to Mackinac class and winner of the J/120's Great Lakes Trophy. Competition in this class is very competitive and these veterans of the J/120 class should have another close battle for victory." Ultimately, Frank and crew prevailed. For more info.

Swiftsure Lightship Classic Race

J's Win, Place and Show Again Across the Fleet

(Victoria, BC- May 29-31)- Just a 139 mile race from Victoria, BC to Swiftsure Bank mark and return. Over 150 boats compete in five race courses. But, it's anything other than an easy race. Rugged, exacting, colourful and international in competition. Or a boring "Driftsure", sometimes accompanied by fog and drizzle. Every year, the Swiftsure International Yacht Race is a major community event - the premiere long distance sailing race in the B.C. and US Pacific Northwest area and a festival on shore. It is a race in which cruising yachts capable of adventure in exposed waters are encouraged to compete and crews to test their skills.

Swiftsure has drawn boats and sailors from California, Hawaii, New Zealand and even Russia. The nature of the course and the potential variety of sailing conditions provide an exacting review of good seamanship. Swiftsure is now actually six different races over four separate courses, plus the unofficial "Sookesure" start. Therefore, it offers wide appeal to the experienced amateur sailor who takes pride in his or her boat, big or small. The skipper and crew must be willing to test their collective knowledge and sailing experience to maximize their overall performance.

The races may look glamorous, especially if there is a downwind spinnaker start, but the Swiftsure International Yacht Race demands a combination of a great deal of hard work, and a bit of luck. One needs endurance but strategy is also a major factor. Yacht racing is not only about going as fast as possible; it also requires much thought about how to take the most advantageous course, given the wind and the tides, and lots of concentration, especially in light airs and at night. The winners in each race are often the skippers who guessed best where to sail in order to pick up the most useful winds.

The roster of J/Boats' owners is legendary that have taken on this classic over the course of time. Nevertheless, J's sailing in the 2009 event included a: J/30, J/32, J/33, J/35, J/105, J/37, J/124, J/125, J/42, J/109, J/122 and J/160. The outcomes were pleasing for most of these owners who prevailed in this northwest classic.

In Class 1B PHRF- John McPhail raced his J/160 JAM to 2nd overall. In Class 3I, Bob Brunius took his J/120 Time Bandit to third overall. In Class 3J PHRF, William Wong won with his J/109 Harwar and just off the pace was Don Leighton in his J/35 Tahlequah. In Class 3K, Mike Pearson sailed his J/105 BiFrost3 to first overall. For More info.

BoatUS Santa Maria Cup

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

(Annapolis, MD -May 27-30) - Enduring a week of brutally light and fickle winds, the women’s world top ranked match racing champion Claire Leroy (FRA) conquered the field to win the ISAF Grade 1 BoatUS Santa Maria Cup women’s match race event. Following the first three days, the event had yet to complete a single round robin schedule of nine races. For the fourth and final day on Saturday, the light winds permitted a 9am start to complete the round, but with time now running short, the second round robin series was scratched, and the top four teams advanced to the semi-final round.
By virtue of their round robin scores, the semi-finals saw top-seeded Leroy blank fourth seed Elizabeth Baylis (USA) 2-0, while second seed Genny Tulloch (USA) also dispatched third seed Katie Spithill (AUS) 2-0. It wasn’t until after four o’clock that the Final/Petit-Final Knockout Series commenced with Leroy vs Tulloch in the Finals and Spithill vs Baylis in the Petit match. Leroy cleanly defeated Tulloch in the first match, with Tulloch unable to overcome two penalties in the second. With time running out, Spithill defeated Baylis in the single Petit match to determine the final scores.

Peter Howson commentary: It's been a rough season for marquee sailing events in Annapolis so far this year. It seems the weather has been one week off on the wind every time and the Boat US Santa Maria Cup was no exception. After a spectacular Memorial Day weekend and the cancellation of the pro-am (sponsored by a local lingerie shop: awesome) because of too much wind, the racers have endured several days of barely enough wind to race. Today was another drifter. The press boat left the dock at 11:00 and hit the race course just in time to wait for a good 3 hours before the breeze picked up. Three hours of floating around watching boats full of women sunbathe... for once waiting out a calm didn't totally suck. In fact I'm sure once "Mr. Clean" (Sailing Anarchy) sees the photos he'll be putting this regatta on his schedule even if it is in Annapolis again. This is an impressive fleet by any standards. The big guns according to the media guide are Genny Tulloch, #1 match racing skipper on the US Sailing Team Alphagraphics, Liz Baylis and the San Francisco Match Women's Racing Team, Katie Spithill ranked #7 in the world by ISAF, and last but certainly not least, #1 in the world (again, according to ISAF) Claire Leroy of France. There are also 6 other women fielding teams from five different continents, all of whom could knock your ass off the racecourse without breaking a sweat. The day started with Liz Baylis and Claire Leroy tied for first with 6 wins each and Baylis had beaten Leroy in a prior flight. RC finally set a course and they got off a full flight of races. With wind blowing just barely 5 knots most of the time, these races were all won at the start. With a short course it was pretty tight quarters and there were some challenges at the windward mark when some boats misjudged the set of the current and had to tack a couple of extra times putting them smack dab in the middle of the following race. Leroy picked up another win and Baylis dropped one to that Spithill girl so Liz was down one at the end of the day. Genny Tulloch came away with the only US win against Ramires of Portugal.

Regatta Debrief: Genny Tulloch, currently ranked as the top women’s match racing skipper on the US SAILING Team Alphagraphics, provides a recap from last week’s ISAF Grade 1 BoatUS Santa Maria Cup women’s match race event: “The Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis was unfortunately not shined upon by the wind gods, and we had four light air days where the breezes were fighting with each other rather than cooperating on our behalf. Sadly I had caught a pretty bad cold on the flight to Annapolis, so while many of the other teams were sunbathing in bikinis, I was still in a jacket, sneezing anytime a zephyr of 2 knots came through.  “We knew the weather was bad when we were told Thursday night (after 2 days) that the Santa Maria Cup had never been this far behind in races before, and then we went out and were only able to get one race the next day. We finally finished the first round robin, racing its final race on Saturday, which left us ranked second on a tie-break, as we had beaten both Katie Spithill (last year’s Match Racing World Champion), and Liz Baylis (last year’s second place in World Champs) in the round robin races.  “The breeze then died again and we sat out there for about 6 hours as our Northerly gradient fought the Southerly seabreeze, neither one staying long enough to actually get a start off for our semi-finals, though the other match raced one race with three different 180 degree shifts—kites up on the downwind, then sailing upwind on the downwind leg and kites back up for the upwind leg, etc. We were happy not to have raced in that. They finally moved us straight to the finals matches at four, so we were up against Claire Leroy (currently ISAF ranked #1 Women’s Match Racer) to see who would get the win.” Event website.  Further info.  Photo credits: Sarah Proctor.

2009 OSTAR

Plymouth to Newport Classic Currently Led by J/105 and J/122

(Plymouth, England- May 25 start)- As if local racing around the Solent, French Bays and Italian Islands wasn't enough to satisfy some J owners, the long distance classic of 2,800 miles from Plymouth, England to Newport, Rhode Island known as the OSTAR would certainly provide the J's an extraordinary test of a different kind. Not to be undaunted by difficult and often capricious conditions, two intrepid J owners outfitted their boats, a J/105 and J/122, respectively, to cope with the extreme range of conditions tossed at them by the North Atlantic Ocean. The J/105 King of Shaves is sailed by the youngest competitor in the event, Oscar Mead from England, who is only 18 years old-- his father is Lawrence Mead, a well know Hong Kong based Etchells sailor. The J/122 J-Bellino is sailed by Rob Craigie from England.

Crowds gathered to see H.R.H. Prince Philip start the race from aboard the Trinity House vessel, Galatea. After months of preparation and anticipation the skippers, ranging in age from 18 years to 68, are facing strong, prevailing winds; an adverse Gulf Stream; hazardous icebergs (south of the Sea of Labrador); and dense fog as they each battle to reach their destination. With international competitors from Austria, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, the USA and the United Kingdom, the whole world will be watching their progress.
Trackers have been fitted on each boat and their progress can be seen via the OSTAR 2009 race website. Regular news updates and weather forecasts will also be available. The skippers are leaving regular blogs on popular website- www.blogstar.org.uk.

June 3rd Update: Who is Winning? The leader on the water is Jan Kees Lampe sailing the Open 40 La Promesse. Chasing him hard and catching up is Rob Craigie in the J/122 J-Bellino which has been reveling in the downwind conditions and has taken over the lead of IRC 1 on handicap. IRC 2‘s positions are more difficult because the J/105 King of Shaves tracker is not working. However, input from daily reports giving lat/lon indicates that King of Shaves is leading IRC2 on the water and is probably leading on handicap as well. For more info

OSTAR Blog Updates from Oscar Mead

* Monday at 0700- Its freezing out here, I am wearing my full Musto drysuit, loads of thermals and I have the hatches shut to keep the waves out and the warmth in. still windy though, I had just over 30 knots in the night and am sailing with a reef and the jib top doing 10 to 12 knots all the time and making great long surfs at up to 21 knots on the waves. I have never sailed in this sort of condition before and it’s half scary and half exciting. Slowly getting used to it but this seems like a very small world on a J/105. I am bit more apprehensive for some reason so trying to stay positive and focused.. A fair bit of water in the boat and no chance of sleeping, you can rest but there is no deep sleep. My main sat phone got soaked last night so that has given up the battle and I am now using my spare but with my old sim card.. Battered and bruised from being thrown all over the boat. Anthony the Autopilot is struggling but has managed to cope so far. Using a quicker response level in these conditions so using more power but need to in order not to get knocked around too much by the waves. Still absolutely hoooooning along...... Position at 0700 hours Monday N49 15 180 W 29 30 439 Steering 255 (ish) at 14 knots.

* Tuesday morning- This is "King of Shaves" reporting. It is still windy, still wavy, still wet and we are still flying along. I have been in throttle back mode all night as I had had a great 36 hour run and with the wind on the beam and the waves pretty massive I wanted to give Anthony a break and make sure that I didn’t blow it all up and spin out on a corner after having got myself right up there in the race.

It was always going to be that I lost ground while we were beating at the start, would make some up while we were reaching (if that ever came along which thankfully it did in a BIG way!) and, then, assuming we are in the race at the Grand Banks, then the results will be decided on the 800 miles down the coast. I got the positions from 8am and I am really happy with my position, I am further west than all but four bigger boats so that can't be bad. I may be a bit too far north but right now you can only sail where the waves allow and this is the angle I need to sail. Flying along though, still surfing at 14 knots regularly even with only a double reefed main up.

I spent a lot of time down below overnight, was up and down to check sail plan / wind and waves but I had a good night with the boat, I have sailed her enough to know a bit about what she is telling me and I have an agreement with Anthony about how hard he can be pushed and when it’s too much he lets me know and I re-balance the boat to take some strain off him. So far so good on all those fronts.

I will put the 4 back up now and as the breeze is supposed to drop I will increase sail all day it seems. Mind you, the GRIB weather files are ALWAYS 5 to 8 knots under reading so maybe not!!! Nobody said anythung about 45 knots on the first night!  Breakfast of oats and fruit today, so off to eat some yummy food…it’s funny how out here very plain food tastes awesome. Mind you the view is spectacular…

J/Community

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

* J/35 sailor, Tom Amory, completed his circumnavigation of the northern Atlantic Ocean on May 14, 2009. Tom had just arrived in Camden Harbor at 5 AM on his 24-year-old J/35 Flash of Beauty, having tied the knot on his Atlantic Circle voyage of some 13,000 miles, which he completed in 50 weeks. And yes, on the prior abysmal evening, Tom was single-handing the final leg across the Gulf of Maine.

Tom has been characterized by one of his myriad friends as “so tough, he keeps his socks up with thumb tacks.” Indeed, Tom has done the Bermuda One-Two Race twice on the Flash and did his Atlantic Circle with varying crew compliments, ranging from zero to two extra hands on board. His voyage started in Camden, Maine, last June, and after a chilly but quick crossing of the North Atlantic, he made his first landfall in Scotland, followed by Scandinavia, England, Germany, France, Portugal, the Caribbean, Bermuda, Newport and back to Camden to complete the adventure. On various legs, the crew consisted of a variety of friends and family, all richer for the experience.

If you consider Tom to be an intrepid adventurer, his beloved Flash of Beauty has proven herself equally well. How do six trips to Bermuda, four transatlantics, plus one each sortie to Newfoundland and the Caribbean sound? Highest mileage J under 40 feet, ever?
Specially modified for shorthanded sailing, the Flash is actually 34-1/2 feet long, with her transom having been truncated to fit into a smaller class for the OSTAR race some years ago. Water ballasting was also added and, of course, windvane steering and redundancy all around (three autopilots) are just some of the features of this amazing J/Boat.

What was Tom’s biggest asset on this voyage? Simply put, a supportive and loving family who let him pursue his dream of circumnavigating the Atlantic Ocean, almost guilt free. His wife of 34 years, Mary, and his three daughters—Rachel, Lucy, and Alice—crewed, cooked, cajoled, and gave Tom their unqualified support.
Tom Amory summed it up nicely in his final blog: “Home looks great, and Mary, wife, looks even better. The Flash and I sailed for two weeks short of a year and 200 miles short of 13,000. She is still my favorite boat, but not my favorite girl.” Read Tom's blogsite.

* QUANTUM RACING' s Terry Hutchinson (former J/24 World Champion) is having another rocky, but seemingly successful start on the MedCup TP52 Circuit. Another former J/24 Champion, Morgan Larson, is making sure he's heading in the right direction as Terry's tactician--- most of the time. 8-) This time, they've started the series from the middle of the fleet instead of the sewer and can see daylight in front of them! Hallelujah! Progress. Sometimes minor victories like these have meaningful consequences for the future. Clearly, time in the boat and time in the Med gel for the Quantum Racing Team....seemingly an inevitable progression leading to a podium finish.

* PUMA's Ken Read (6x J/24 World Champion) Seeks Redemption Again! Good on ya mate! The VOR Inshore Race at Galway was another feather in Kenny's cap. Thank Goodness. PUMA won the in-port race series in Galway after two races were held on Galway Bay. This is the first time that PUMA has been on top of the podium for the Volvo Ocean Race and it brings her closer to second place in the overall standings. Telefonica Blue maintains second place overall, but only by one point and Ericsson 4's disappointing performance shaves her overall lead from 14.5 points to 13 points. Bummer. Can you imagine, Kenny, what a podium finish on the Atlantic Leg and Boston Inshore would've done to overall points? Our hearts are bleeding. Crushing the comp to Sweden will be yet another chapter in ultimate redemption. Cape, remember that it will take some strong out-of-the-box thinking to get that sticky wedge of cheese you're sailing to bypass the Swedes. Good luck, fair winds from the J/ World.  For more info.

* ALINGHI's Ed Baird (former J/24 World Champion) and Peter Holmberg (USVI J/24 Champion) are still training on bicycles or tricycles?? Hmmm. The world awaits the debate and rumors. Last seen watching and coaching his son at Noroton Yacht Club in Optimists at the Opti 2009 Team Trials (with friends Peter Johnstone and Regatta Chairman Bill Crane observing with a fair degree of caustic wit) it remains distinctly unclear the direction that Ed's bosses are headed. Thank goodness Ed has sailed Lasers, Hobie Cats, J/24s and other boats that float, otherwise his boss Ernesto Bertarelli might be at a distinct disadvantage.

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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.