Wednesday, January 27, 2010

J/Newsletter- January 27th, 2010

J/97- the ultimate IRC racer-cruiser sailing boatJ/97 at Chicago Strictly Sailboat Show

(Chicago, IL)- With the weather outside looking a bit frightful, jump into the car and head for Chicago's Navy Pier Exposition Center where the Chicago Strictly Sailboat Show is taking place this weekend from Jan. 28 to Jan. 31.   Stearns Boating will have the new J/97 on display and will be giving out free J/Sailing Calendars to J/97 prospects.  They also have lots of fun things to do for the kiddies, like make your own foam boat sailboat races and also radio-control sailboat races in a big pool.  For show information, please go to http://www.strictlysailchicago.com.  Don't hesitate to contact our J/Dealer, Rich Stearns- email- rich@stearnsboating.com.  

J/111 Speedster- the ultimate sailing boat- hull plugJ/111 Speedster - It's Alive!  Ready to Rock!

(Newport, RI)- J/Boats' partner in building the J/111, CCF Composites from Bristol, RI, has done a beautiful job lofting and building an incredibly fair and spectacular looking hull plug.  Prepare yourselves for some eye-candy and mouth-watering performance in June flying across the waters of Narragansett Bay.  With twenty J/111s on order from all over the world (1/4 from Europe alone) the momentum and excitement continues to build for this new J speedster....certain to "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee".  For more J/111 information, sailing performance and more pictures.  

J/24 sailing - one-design class sailboat- Key WestBacardi Cup- J/24s- March 8-13

(Miami, FL)- A long time supporter of the J/24 class has expanded their renowned Bacardi Cup to include J/24s for the first time ever as part of their week long festivities called Miami Sailing Week.   Hosted by Coral Reef Yacht Club you can be sure you will be well taken care of by one of the best regatta hosts in the world.  With a great club, fantastic pool and outdoor bar/ cabana you can rejoice with even greater pleasure recounting the day's racing and amusing stories about past J/24 Midwinters and other events on Biscayne Bay.  Contact CRYC or sign up now at http://www.miamisailingweek.com.  Bacardi and CRYC promise you will have a memorable time.  Can't go wrong.  J/24s are cheap to charter and race.  Weather is awful up North because of an El Nino year, so head south and soak up some good rays and enjoy fair breezes! For more regatta and sailing information.  

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Jan. 28-31- Chicago Strictly Sailboat Show- Chicago, IL-  http://www.strictlysailchicago.com/
Jan. 29-Feb. 6- Seattle Sailboat Show- Seattle, WA- http://www.seattleboatshow.com/
Jan. 28-31- San Diego Sunroad Boat Show- San Diego, CA- http://www.bigbayboatshow.com/
Feb. 6-10- J/24 Midwinters- Davis Island YC- Tampa, FL- http://j24d10.org
Feb. 14- St. Pete NOOD- St. Petersburg YC- St. Petersburg, FL- http://www.sailingworld.com
Feb. 18-21- J/30 Midwinters- New Orleans YC- New Orleans, LA- http://noyc.org/rc/2010MardiGrasNOR.htm
Mar 7–13- J/24 Copa Mexico- Puerto Vallarta Mexico - www.j24mex.com/copamexico/index.html
Mar 8-13- Bacardi Cup- J/24s- Coral Reef YC, Miami, FL- http://www.miamisailingweek.com
Mar. 11-14- J/22 Midwinters- Southern YC, New Orleans, LA - http://www.j22mw.com/
Apr. 8-11- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC- http://www.charlestonraceweek.com
Jun 20-26- Block Island Race Week- Block Is, RI- http://www.blockislandraceweek.org

J's sailing at Key West Race WeekJ/Regatta News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

Key West Race Week finished this past week with nice winds and good weather.  Over one-third of the Key West fleet were J's.  Multiple regattas within the main event were taking place.  The J/105s were enjoying their J/105 2010 Midwinter Championship.  And, the J/80s were not only having great racing, competing for their J/80 Midwinter Championship, but it was the J/80 Class' kick-off event for the J/80 Tour that concludes with the J/80 Worlds in Newport in October.  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.

J/80 one-design sailboats- leaders sailing downwind with spinnakers- Darden and JohnstoneBeautiful Key West Race Week

SAVASANA Wins J/105s, LE TIGRE Triumphs in J/80s

(Key West, FL- Jan. 18-22)-  This year's Key West Race Week was sponsored by Nautica Watches along with popular supporter Mt. Gay Rum.  It was a great cocktail and recipe for success, making for many happy winners celebrating with drinks plus a new watch!  Check out the photos of all the J's racing on the J/Boats Facebook page! (email us if you want high-resolution photos- contact us at J/Boats).

J/120 EL OCASO sailing to windwardThe weather was nearly postcard perfect, hard to go wrong sailing on aquamarine seas, sunny, with gentle breezes and 70 degree temperatures during the day.  The fleet was treated to a typical cold front scenario where the incoming front pulls in SSW breezes and over the course of several days veers from NNW to SE.  The fleet of 134 boats saw J/Boats having the largest total fleet of boats at the event- over one-third were J's ranging in size from the "classic" J/24 upwards through the range including J/29, J/80, J/105, J/109, J/122, J/125 and J/44.  The races generally got off without a hitch due to the seasoned expert PROs like Ken Legler and others who stayed on top of the shifty, streaky breezes.  Races started on time at 10:30 am and most fleets generally completed two races and were heading home by 2:00 pm.

J/122s sailing past leeward gateOn the Division 1 course, David Murphy's J/122 PUGWASH sailed well in IRC-B Class. At one point they had a solid lead but a few slow starts, missed windshifts and streaks rapidly jumbled the standings over the last two days.  Nevertheless, David and crew managed to hang in there to get a podium finish- 3rd overall for the week.  Their good fortune was counter-weighted by the roller coast rides seemingly experienced by Robin Team's J/122 TEAMWORK and Jim Bishop's beautifully repainted J/44 GOLD DIGGER.  Both sailed well in a couple of races but had difficulty maintaining any consistency due to the very shifty, streaky wind conditions on Division 1 course-  large black holes materialized frequently, swallowing up any unsuspecting boats and never let them go.

J/105 one-design sailboat- sailing at windard markThe Division 2 course with J/105s and J/80s had incredibly competitive racing.  For the J/105s, it's Brian Keane's SAVASANA that took home the gold, finishing in first by a significant margin of sixteen points....almost not having to sail the last day because their lead was so large.  However, the next three places from second to fourth was wide open until the last day.  Essentially, a three-way tie exists between Ken Colburn's GHOST, Scooter Simmons BLACKHAWK and Damian Emery's ECLIPSE.  In the end, it was Ken Colburn on GHOST that prevailed, finishing second for the week followed by Scooter Simmons sailing BLACKHAWK to third place and Damian Emery slowing down a bit onboard ECLIPSE  on the last day to finish fourth.

J/80 one-design sailboat- Darden's El TigreThe J/80 Midwinters lived up to its promise to be an indicator for the J/80 Worlds of how tough it would be to win in this closely fought class.  The top five was truly a horse race with anyone still having a mathematical chance of winning with just two days (four races) to go.  Each day brought a new leader to the top of the pack.  The last day created a lot of anxiety for the leaders. However, Glen Darden on LE TIGRE managed to overcome an early race deficit, with Rod & Jeff Johnstone sailing LITTLE FEAT in the lead, to just catch one more boat by the finish to finish fifth and win the regatta.  Rod & Jeff sailed extremely well on a challenging day to get two firsts to rapidly close the gap with LE TIGRE at the start of the day.  Those efforts, however, were not enough to overcome a slow start with two 7's on the first day, LITTLE FEAT finished second by a point.  Early regatta leader Will Welles on board RASCAL experienced some minor (but expensive) mistakes mid-week to fall off their consistent early showings, garnering a third overall.  Conversely, Al Minella sailing RELENTLESS have a "barbell" shaped results table, with great results midweek but a few mid-pack races at the beginning and end of the week.  Past J/80 World and NA Champion Kerry Klingler racing LIFTED had 1-2-3s in his record, but couldn't maintain any consistency to crack the top three, finishing fifth for the week.

LE TIGRE, co-owned by Glenn Darden and Reese Hilliard of Forth Worth, TX, Darden has competed in eight Key West race weeks, but has never taken a top win. Until now. An experienced racing sailor, he is a past J/105 North American Champion and has won the J/80 Worlds. This week, the team placed third or better in seven of 10 starts in capturing the J/80 Mid-Winter Championship, which was contested as part of Key West 2010.   "We had a great battle with Jeff and were just able to hold on", said Darden, who had Ullman pro Max Skelley aboard as tactician.

Another Texan, Jay Lutz calling tactics on SWE 803 said, "The depth of the competition was much better than ever before".  Magnus Tyremans entry (SWE 803) placed sixth in fleet, not bad for the tough, 19-boat class battle. Blake Billman was on the bow and Cal Herman worked the middle. Winning race 2, and finishing in the top ten consistently, the SWE 803 team followed the suspense of the final races between Le Tigre and Little Feat. "The lead boat LE TIGRE almost lost it", Herman said. One extra point and that would've been the case. 

You can read more about what happened on the J/80 race course by reading Chuck Allen's Sailing World blog at http://tinyurl.com/j80chuckallen

J/125 racing sailboat- Jim Madden Stark Raving MadThe Stock Island located Division 3 course for PHRF boats saw two fantastic performances by two enthusiastic J Owners.  In PHRF 1, Jim Madden's  very fast J/125 STARK RAVING MAD and his fun-loving, happy-go-lucky crew from the San Diego/ LA area (including Gary Weisman and Benny Mitchell), had another great time in Key West and sailed away with PHRF A with eight bullets!  

In PHRF 2, Bill Sweetser's J/109 RUSH led for most of the week but Thursday's windy day generated an uncharacteristic 4-3 for the day to drop him down to second overall by just one point. Their five firsts in ten races are an average of just over second place, it was testimony to their consistency and how well they sailed their J/109 RUSH.  Perennial Key West participant, Steve Thurston's MIGHTY PUFFIN got in some good sailing and good times during the regatta, sailing to a sixth overall.

In PHRF 3,  the three J/24s stayed remarkably close to one another all week long.  Mark Milne's BLAH BLAH BLAH "won" the J/24 Class award, finishing second in the overall standings.  Just behind was Naroski/LeBlanc's NOJOE in third. 

For Key West Race Week regatta information and sailing results.  

J/Community

What friends, alumni and crew of J's are doing worldwide

* Chuck Allen's J/80 team daily blog is both informative and educational.  His descriptions of what took place during the J/80 Midwinters are helpful for both experienced sailors as well as for those who are first learning how to get around the race course. -- http://tinyurl.com/j80chuckallen  

* Key West on a Budget-  J/80 owner Jeremy Reynolds was skeptical when it was suggested he enter Key West 2010, presented by Nautica. The Maryland resident started doing a mental checklist of the costs associated with doing a regatta off the southernmost point of Florida and just shook his head. “I saw the dollar signs going cha-ching, cha-ching in my head,” Reynolds said. That was before J/80 class president Kristen Robinson showed Reynolds a detailed spreadsheet of how to attend the annual race week in Key West on a reasonable budget of less than $8,000.

Perhaps the most notable cost-cutting method involves working a package deal for most of the J/80s to launch and berth at Old Island Marina. Robinson negotiated a discount on the splash fee and storage rate with the Stock Island facility. Robinson also helped the J/80 teams contain their housing costs by calling around to numerous Key West realtors and comparing rates.

Robinson, who posted a “How to do Key West on a Budget” article on the J/80 website, was asked why she puts so much effort into assisting other J/80 owners with their Key West plans and plotting out a budget for the regatta. “Because if I’m going to make the effort to come down here I don’t want to race in PHRF. I come to Key West for good one-design competition so the more boats the better,” said Robinson, who believes other class presidents or representatives should put forth the same effort for a regatta the caliber of Key West.

Premiere Racing president Peter Craig is extremely impressed by the ability of J/80 owners to put together a Key West campaign on an affordable budget. “The J/80 class increasing to 19 boats in this economy is one of the great success stories of this event and should be listened to carefully by the owners in other classes,” Craig said. “The J/80 folks have figured out how to do Key West without breaking the bank by working collectively. They have clearly shown that it can be done.”  Learn more about sailing Key West on a budget at the J/80 Class  

J/105 one-design sailboatFeatured Boat

J/105 #436 "J-Teez"

The dream of owning a J/105 can now become a reality with a great used J/105. J-Teez has been professionally maintained since new.  Extensive documentation and records to validate the condition of this boat.  Keel and rudder have been templated and faired to class specifications.  Beautiful white hull and deck with Navy Blue waterline stripe.  All lifeline, wheel, pedestal covers are navy blue.  VC Blue offshore paint applied March 2009 along with cosmetic work.  This boat looks and shows much newer then a 2001 model.  Interior and exterior look great.  We are also listing J-Teez's sister ship #437- another beautiful example.  Your slipmates will think you bought new.  J/105 Trailer available for sale. Please contact Scott- (877) 596-0430/ Cell (512)-423-2179/ scott@JBoatsSouthwest.com.  Check out this listing and others at:  http://www.jboatssouthwest.com/brokerage/brokerage.html

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:  15 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 and sailing the waters of 35+ countries around the world.  Sailing is all about friends.  Come join us and expand your social network everywhere!

For more information on J/Boats: http://www.jboats.com/intro.htm
  

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

J/Newsletter- January 20th, 2010

J/109 IRC racer, cruiser, sailboat, sailing downwindJ's Killing It In The UK-
Home of the IRC

Read "Yachts & Yachting" February Issue

The J/80 UK Class Association is supporting Toe-in-the-Water as its official charity in 2010.  This allows injured service personnel from the armed forces to take part in sailing and racing as part of their rehabilitation. In 2009, 3 J/80s were loaned to compete at Cowes, the Red Funnel Easter Challenge, J/80 National Championship and the Hamble River SC Autumn Champs.

Andy Robertson, reported that the French are likely to preselect Phillipe Delaporte’s J/122 PEN AZEN for one of its 3 Boat teams in the 2010 Commodores’ Cup.

Y&Y described the 2009 Garmin Hamble Winter Series as ‘WET AND VERY WILD’ and ‘feisty’ where several races were lost to adverse weather and new meaning was given to the phrase ‘blowing dogs off chains’.  The series kicked off October 3 with a SW breeze gusting up to 30 knots ‘making for a baptism of fire’.  ‘Neil Martin’s J/133 JAMMY DODGER took full advantage scoring three bullets on the opening day and going on to win the IRC Class Big Boat series overall, despite close attention from Ian Matthews J/122 JINJA.’

"J-DREAMS" continue. The J/109 class was won by David and Kirsty Apthorp’s J-DREAM with a string of bullets ...There was a close battle for 2nd with Luca Rubinelli’s ARIA holding off  Richard and Valerie Griffith’s OUTRAJEOUS. “We see the Winter Series as the start of a new year, rather than the end of the year, commented David Apthorp. ‘Our goal is always to improve and to be awarded Yacht of the Series was a surprise...The J/109 is a fast and exciting boat downwind, at time the boat hits 16-18 knots which for a 5 tonne boat is pretty quick. The J/109s are set up for one-design, they enjoy close racing even in strong winds. Putting the spinnaker up in 30 knots makes for some great photo opportunities and keeps the crew on their toes.  The more practice in those conditions, the better, as we know she can go faster.!”

In the one-design J/80 Fleet:   John Cooper’s OI!!! Dominated, scoring 7 wins in a 16 race series and was  awarded the Sportsboat of the Series. Ian Atkins BOATS.COM was second and Thor Askeand’s ELLE SAPELLE third.  “It had been four years since I had been racing and this was our first season in a J/80 with an entirely new crew, we didn’t even know each other’s names at the start or the series!” Cooper commented. “We were delighted... We plan to do the Spring series, the J/80 Europeans in Lake Garda and Cowes Week.”

JOG- The Junior  (or now maybe “J”) Offshore Group for IRC rated yachts runs both an Offsore and Inshore Series, starting in March with the North Sails Nab Tower Race and finishing in September with the Document Technology Cherbourg Race.  Y&Y commented, “The J/109 fleet whether two-handed or fully crewed have had many race victories” JANGADA TOO (Richard Palmer) won the first race back from Cherbourg in both the 2-handed division and in Class 4.  J/109s took the top 3 positions in the RS Divers St. Vaast Race:  JAHMALI (Mike and Sarah Wallis); JUST SO (David & Mary Mgough) and J2EAU (Steve & Jody Maine.   In the Document Technology Alderney Race saw JUST SO achieved their first victory then followed that up with a wins in the race to Le Havre, Dartmouth and Cherbourg Races.   Read more at Yachts & Yachting.  

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Jan. 23-31- boot Dusseldorf- Dusseldorf, Germany- http://www.j22kv.de/boot2010.html
Jan. 28-31- Chicago Strictly Sailboat Show- Chicago, IL-  http://www.strictlysailchicago.com/
Jan. 29-Feb. 6- Seattle Sailboat Show- Seattle, WA- http://www.seattleboatshow.com/
Jan. 28-31- San Diego Sunroad Boat Show- San Diego, CA- http://www.bigbayboatshow.com/
Feb. 6-10- J/24 Midwinters- Davis Island YC- Tampa, FL- http://j24d10.org
Feb. 14- St. Pete NOOD- St. Petersburg YC- St. Petersburg, FL- http://www.sailingworld.com
Feb. 18-21- J/30 Midwinters- New Orleans YC- New Orleans, LA- http://noyc.org/rc/2010MardiGrasNOR.htm
Mar 7–13- J/24 Copa Mexico- Puerto Vallarta Mexico - http://www.j24mex.com/copamexico/index.html
Mar. 11-14- J/22 Midwinters- Southern YC, New Orleans, LA - http://www.j22mw.com/
Apr. 8-11- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC- http://www.charlestonraceweek.com
Jun 20-26- Block Island Race Week- Block Is, RI- http://www.blockislandraceweek.org

J/Regatta News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

The northern hemisphere midwinter racing schedule is beginning to get underway starting with the Ft. Lauderdale Key West Race and the Key West Race Week.  The latter is considered an important fixture on the international regatta circuit and generally marks the beginning of many boats "midwinter tours" either down island or slowly inching their way back up the East Coast of America to include regattas in Charleston, SC and Annapolis, MD before the summer schedules kick in to gear.  The Aussie contingent Down Under are preparing for more racing, including Victoria's renowned race week.  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.

J/122 Teawork sailing upwind- the ultimate sailing cruising and sailing boatFt Lauderdale-Key West Race

J/122 TEAMWORK Wins IRC

(Key West, FL- Jan. 16th)- The 160 nm winter classic was a fast one.  The race starts off the Ft Lauderdale sea buoy and heads south, then slowly curving west, keeping the string of Florida Keys reef buoys to starboard, finished in the Key West channel off the old Truman Annex Navy Base.  The race started in light to medium northerly breezes with everyone under spinnakers.  Chasing down streaks and better gybe angles were the name of the game.  Some boats doing better than others as they seek to maximize VMC down course, dodging the reef, playing wind streaks and avoiding as much as possible playing shifts that take you offshore into the teeth of the fast-flowing Gulf Stream just outside the reef lines. 

J's were well represented in both fleets. Robin Team, on the aptly named J122, TEAMWORK, won Divison B of the IRC class, and also was awarded the race¹s Seamanship Trophy for their assistance during the US Coast Guard rescue of another racing boat, Crosswinds.  Once they heard the distress call on the radio and knew of Crosswind's proximity, TEAMWORK, without hesitation, went to their aid.

Frank Kern's J/120 CARINTHIA finished second in PHRF A and John Gehrig's J/46 FULL DECK finished third in PHRF B.  Congratulations to all on a great performance and kudos to Robin's "Team" for performing mid-race heroics as true corinthian yachtsmen. For more Key West race and sailing information.  

J/105 one design sailboat at Key West sailing upwindKey West Race Week

SAVASANA Leading J/105s, STARK RAVING MAD Dominating PHRF A

(Key West, FL)- This year's Key West is not unlike many others in the past.  The typical cold front scenario that kicks into gear and flows across the southern part of America, sucking in the winds from the SSE, then shifting into the front with greater wind speeds out of the SW and, as the front passes over, shifts quickly into the NW then over a two-four day period moves back into the NE, E, SE quadrants.  The fleet of 134 boats have been treated to a nice week of sailing so far, despite the buckets of rain poured onto the participants during Sunday.  Despite a seemingly dour start, the clouds parted, a starry night greeted contestants dinners that evening and the week started off with a nearly postcard perfect couple of days.  While the winds have not been the "dogs blown off chains" variety, it's made for pleasant cruising around the windward-leeward buoys courses set by the seasoned race committee veterans assembled by the Premier Racing organization.

J/122 Pugwash sailing upwindOn the Division 1 course, regatta leader in IRC2, David Murphy's J/122 PUGWASH is sailing very well and has been a fleet leader for the past four days...with any luck and two good races on the last day they should be vying for a podium finish.  Robin Team's J/122 TEAMWORK faired a little worse in the weeks' shifty, streaky wind conditions and have dropped to fifth overall with a reasonable shot at a third overall.  Jim Bishop's J/44 GOLD DIGGER has had an unusually variable week and lies seventh, but only six points out of third.  The tale of the tape on Friday will certainly flip-flop the standings yet again.

The Division 2 course with J/105s and J/80s has seen some incredibly competitive racing.  For the J/105s, it's Brian Keane's SAVASANA that is leading the fleet by a significant margin of sixteen points....almost having to sail the last day their lead is so large.  However, the next three places from second to fourth is completely wide open.  Essentially, a three-way tie exists between Ken Colburn's GHOST, Scooter Simmons BLACKHAWK and Damian Emery's ECLIPSE.  Who beats who on the last two races determines the top three.  What has been heartwarming to see are good performances by a variety of J/105 class veterans and newcomers like Travis Weisleder on LUCKY DOG, Carter Williams much improved team on CREATIVE DESTRUCTION and Ed Palm's team on TENACIOUS.  Special note- we wish our best to Ed and his team since the house they rented in Key West burned to the ground Wednesday night!

J/80 one-design class sailing downwindThe J/80s are conducting their Midwinters and is a harbinger of which American (and British) teams will be competitive at the impending J/80 Worlds in Newport later in 2010.  The top four is a true horse race with only nine points separating the group.  Each day brings a new leader to the top of the pack.  Currently, Glen Darden on EL TIGRE is showing their transom lights to everyone else by a six point margin.  Fighting it out for the top four spots include Rod and Jeff Johnstone in second racing LITTLE FEAT, Will Welles on RASCAL and Al Minella on RELENTLESS.  Just off the pace is past World Champion and current North American Champion Kerry Klingler sailing LIFTED in fifth place.  Also, you can read more about what's happening on the J/80 race course by reading Chuck Allen's Sailing World blog at http://tinyurl.com/j80chuckallen

J/125 Stark Raving Mad Key West Ultimate Sailing Race-SailboatThe Stock Island located Division 3 course for PHRF boats has seen two fantastic performances by two enthusiastic J Owners.  In PHRF 1, Jim Madden's J/125 STARK RAVING MAD and his merry bandits from the San Diego/ LA area (including Gary Weisman and Benny Mitchell), have simply had a wonderful time in Key West and sailed away with PRHF A with eight straight bullets!  

In PHRF 2, Bill Sweetser's J/109 RUSH continues to be a fleet leader and is sitting just one point out of first place Thursday afternoon.    Their four firsts are and average of just over second place is testimony to their consistency.

In PHRF 3,  the three J/24s continue to have fun, close racing amongst themselves despite the variable wind conditions.  Mark Milne's BLAH BLAH BLAH is currently in second and just behind is Naroski/LeBlanc's NOJOE in third.  Stay tuned!  For regatta information and sailing results, please go to KWRW Sailing Results.  

J/Community

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

* After four races Chuck Allen's J/80 team is holding a narrow lead in Key West 2010. Here he reveals a tip from his post-day review: "In today's second race we killed the start off the third to pin end, we had the opportunity to tack and cross the fleet. I got falsified into how the left had paid for us in the first race and hung it out there a bit longer than we should have. Sure enough, boats that had had poor starts and cleared right behind us were back in the game. We literally went from top two to top ten. It really helps to get to the weather mark in the J/80 class out in the top group, clear air, lanes, etc... all help the first few boats extend and sail almost their own race. We got pin balled around during this race, falling back into the teens fortunately grinding some back finishing eighth. Lesson Learned: Tack and cross when you can - this was also our college motto." -- http://tinyurl.com/j80chuckallen  

J/80 class John Storck Key West Race Week 2010 * John and Colette Storck- "Antithesis of Helicopter Parents"- Presented annually by Premiere Racing, John Storck Jr. was recognized at Key West 2010, as the recipient of the Paul Washburn Award - For The Love of the Sport. Steve Washburn, a Long Beach, Cal., resident and long-time race committee volunteer for Key West, created the special award to honor his youngest son, who passed away suddenly three years ago. Here is a story published in Race Week News:

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John Storck Jr., has said on many occasions that it is truly a blessing that his four children have taken to sailing with such enthusiasm. Storck, a resident of Huntington, N.Y., is a lifelong sailor, so it is certainly rewarding to see his kids enjoying spending time on the water capturing the wind as well. However, it is no accident that John III, Erik, Kaity and Ian Storck have come to love sailing as much as their father. All four were introduced to the sport in a positive environment that fostered a passion.

John Storck Jr., and wife Colette, brought each child aboard the family cruiser-racer Jonrob, when they were babies. The kids learned the basic fundamentals of sailing while cruising Long Island Sound aboard the Ericson 39, and were later introduced to the competitive side of the sport as crew for their father when he raced in local events sponsored by Centerport Yacht Club or Lloyd Harbor Yacht Club. "Our kids literally grew up on the Jonrob doing summer cruises and were able to experience sailing in its purest form," Storck said.

All four children attended sailing school to further hone their skills, learning how to steer and trim in the Optimist dinghy and Club 420 classes. During those years, John Jr., and Colette were the absolute antithesis of the infamous "helicopter parents", who push their kids to compete and focus solely on results. "When my kids were junior sailors, I rarely ever went to the regatta unless I was working on the race committee," Storck said. "If John and Erik were doing a big regatta, I would take Kaity and Ian to the zoo. My wife and I never wanted to put any pressure on the kids." -- Read more in Tuesday KWRW Sailing News  

J/105 one design sailboatFeatured Boat

J/105 #436 "J-Teez"

The dream of owning a J/105 can now become a reality with a great used J/105. J-Teez has been professionally maintained since new.  Extensive documentation and records to validate the condition of this boat.  Keel and rudder have been templated and faired to class specifications.  Beautiful white hull and deck with Navy Blue waterline stripe.  All lifeline, wheel, pedestal covers are navy blue.  VC Blue offshore paint applied March 2009 along with cosmetic work.  This boat looks and shows much newer then a 2001 model.  Interior and exterior look great.  We are also listing J-Teez's sister ship #437- another beautifuyl example.  Your slipmates will think you bought new.  J/105 Trailer available for sale. Please contact Scott- (877) 596-0430/ Cell (512)-423-2179/ scott@JBoatsSouthwest.com.   Check out this sailboat listing.

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:  15 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 and sailing the waters of 35+ countries around the world.  Sailing is all about friends.  Come join us and expand your social network everywhere!

For more information on J/Boats:   http://www.jboats.com/intro.htm
  

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

J/Newsletter- January 13th, 2010

Key West Race Week- one-design sailboats, PHRF, IRC sailing regattaKey West Race Week Ready To Roll

(Key West, Fl- Jan. 14) - Sailors from around the world are arriving and preparing to race in North America’s premiere midwinter regatta - Key West 2010, presented by Nautica. Boats from over 14 countries and 20 states begin five days of intense competition on January 18th. Follow the action, racing excitement, and results through the web-site blog and coverage on the regatta site.  Also, Stu J's on-the-scene reports/ video and photos will be posted to J/Boats news blog and also J/Anarchy (http://tinyurl.com/kwrw2010).  In addition, there will be live tracking of the J/80 fleet by Kattack and nightly on-demand video on www.TP2.tv.  For more race results and sailing info.  

J/95 sailboat- for day sailing, cruising, shoal-draft sailingWinter Sailboat Show Season

January and February kick into high gear for the sailboat show season with a number of highlights that might spark some ideas for the upcoming year; a chance to whet your appetite on new J's that have stimulated significant interest worldwide.  The first triple-crown sailing award winner, the J/95 shoal-draft, performance sailboat, will be on display in the London Sailboat Show this coming week.  The J/97 will also be on  display in London and for those in America, don't miss the chance to see the winningest 30 foot IRC racer-cruiser this past year in Europe at the Chicago Strictly Sailboat Show at the family-friendly and fun Navy Pier Convention Center-- J/97 will be on display with Stearns Boating.  Also, the International J/22 will be on display at the world-renowned Boot Dusseldorf Show.  For American West Coast sailors, don't miss the chance to see our J/Dealers at the Seattle Sailboat Show and the San Diego Sailboat Show.  Details for all events are linked below.  

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Jan. 23-31- boot Dusseldorf- Dusseldorf, Germany- http://www.j22kv.de/boot2010.html
Jan. 28-31- Chicago Strictly Sailboat Show- Chicago, IL-  http://www.strictlysailchicago.com/
Jan. 29-Feb. 6- Seattle Sailboat Show- Seattle, WA- http://www.seattleboatshow.com/
Jan. 28-31- San Diego Sunroad Boat Show- San Diego, CA- http://www.bigbayboatshow.com/
Feb. 6-10- J/24 Midwinters- Davis Island YC- Tampa, FL- http://j24d10.org
Feb. 14- St. Pete NOOD- St. Petersburg YC- St. Petersburg, FL- http://www.sailingworld.com
Feb. 18-21- J/30 Midwinters- New Orleans YC- http://noyc.org/rc/2010MardiGrasNOR.htm
Mar. 11-14- J/22 Midwinters- Southern YC, New Orleans, LA - http://www.j22mw.com/
Apr. 8-11- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC- http://www.charlestonraceweek.com
Jun 20-26- Block Island Race Week- Block Is, RI- http://www.blockislandraceweek.org

J/80 sailboats- sailing off Santander, SpainJ/Regatta News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

As J/News goes to press, a cross-section of J's have started the renowned Ft Lauderdale to Key West Race, that 160 nm offshore dash where you go south and turn right around the Florida Keys that so many of you have enjoyed over the last few decades-- yes, "the race to the party tent".  The Aussie contingent had a heckuva fun time racing J/24s in their Australian Nationals-- we heard some Tazzie "devils" had fun, too.  Finally, an international contingent of sailors are descending upon Key West for Race Week, by air, by land and by sea.... more news next week.  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.

J/122 Teamwork sailing upwind at Key West Race WeekFt. Lauderdale Key West Race

(Ft Lauderdale, FL- Jan. 13th)- And they're off like a herd of snails in a dust storm, led by of all things ex-J/24 sailor George David's 90 foot sailing machine- RAMBLER.  A fleet of fifty five PHRF and IRC classes took off at noon Wednesday, January 13th, for the 160 nm winter classic that starts off the Ft Lauderdale sea buoy and heads south, then slowly curving west, keeping the string of Florida Keys reef buoys to starboard, finishing in the Key West channel off the old Truman Annex Navy Base.

J's are well represented in both fleets. Racing in IRC B is Robin Team's J/122 TEAMWORK from Lexington, NC. Sailing PHRF B is John Gehrig's J/46 FULL DECK from Ft Lauderdale as well as David Bond's J/105 LOKI from Miami, FL.  In PHRF A, Frank Kern from Grosse Pointe Park, MI is racing his well-campaigned and very successful J/120 CARINTHIA.

The race started in light to medium northerly breezes with everyone under spinnakers.  Chasing down streaks and better gybe angles has been the name of the game so far.  Some boats doing better than others as they seek to maximize VMC down course, dodging the reef, playing wind streaks and avoiding as much as possible playing shifts that take you offshore into the teeth of the fast-flowing Gulf Stream just outside the reef lines.

As of 1030 hours EST Thursday, Jan 14th, it looks like Robin Team's J/122 TEAMWORK is headed for a podium finish in IRC B (currently in 2nd); Frank Kern's J/120 CARINTHIA is also looking at a podium finish in PHRF A (currently 2nd); and John Gehrig's J/46 FULL DECK may get 3rd in PHRF B.  The tale of the tape will tell all if they were successful at maintaing their leads.  For you armchair sailors, navigators, racers, be sure to go to the race site and check out the action happening in real-time.  For more race and sailing information  

J/24 Australian Nationals- sailing around leeward markJ/24 Australian Nationals

WETTY GRIPPER Takes All The Marbles

(Sandringham, Australia)-  The lads aboard WETTY GRIPPER, lead by cosmic J/24 sailing genius Sean Wallis, bested the lot at this year's 2010 Australian J/24 National Championship.  Hosted by Sandringham Yacht Club, the event was blessed with great sailing, good breeze and a great sailing time by all.

On a day where bad luck stories abound, Sean Wallis and his team on WETTY GRIPPER came home to win one of the closest and most hard fought titles for many years. Doug McGain on CODE VIOLATION was bridesmaid and Dave Suda sailing PACEMAKER was third.  Adam Evans and his youth team won the Handicap Title.

In true one design tradition you can always rely on great a competition. With the last days racing to go only one point between first and second and one point between third and fourth separated the top teams. At that point, Doug McGain from NSW was first with 14 points, Sean Wallis from WA was second 15 points, Hugo Ottaway from VIC in third with 22 points, Dave Suda from VIC in fourth with 23 points and Sean Kirkjian from NSW at 32 points.

For some perspective on how competitive this group was, McGain, Wallis, Ottaway and Kirkjian, are all former J/24 Australian Champions, and Suda a runner-up J/24 National Champion.  A bit like having Ed Baird, Ken Read, Jon Kostecki and John Kolius beating each other up for podium finishes separated by only five points going into the final heat.

On the second to last day, it was a postcard perfect day on Port Philip Bay, a 10 to 15 knot southeast wind matched with a flat sea and clear 28 degree temperature that saw both Suda and Kirkjian win heats putting additional pressure on the front three boats. Doug McGain and Hugo Ottaway consolidated their positions with two seconds for Doug and two thirds for Hugo. Sean Wallis had his worst day so far with an 8th and 4th, however with the one race drop system now achieved after six races completed, Wallis was still able to hold second.  The rest is history, as evidenced by Wallis's WETTY GRIPPER excellent performance on the last day, consolidating their position to win over McGain on CODE VIOLATION.  For more sailing and regatta info.  

J/Community

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

* J/133 SIREN SONG Wins Long Island Sound IRC Championship.  Tom Carroll's J/133 SIREN SONG wins the Caper Trophy which is awarded by the Yacht Racing Association to the IRC season champion.

J/24 sailing- Mel Hawkes story from Australia* Mel Hawkes had a wonderful, endearing story of her experience sailing the J/24 Australia Nationals on-board STARPAC: "When my legs had finally stopped shaking and after I had stuffed a roll in my face I headed for the bar. Not normally a drinker I am finding I am quickly making up for that in the last few days. Still in a bit of a daze, I found myself being asked how we did. I had no idea, so was very surprised to find not only had we come fourth overall, but we had been leading for a while on the first race.

The whole experience has been a steep learning curve and another one  I found was probably how to annoy everyone by me piping up, I had no idea where we were, I was too busy concentrating on my  two little lines that were my job. The correct terms for them would be the topping and the kicker line.

I must confess to shutting my eyes at each start as it looked more like a pack of bumper cars about to attack and judging by a rather loud thud at one point I think that theory was correct.

I have an absolute respect for all skippers, especially mine, as to how they manage to pick their spots, remain calm, is a new mystery to me. I also have to re-think the theory that men can’t multi-task as our skipper, apart from helming and trimming the boat, prevented me from hanging myself on more than one occasion and hoisting up the bow girl with the pole and that’s just the parts I had my eyes open for.

My goal tomorrow is to try and look up at one point. Baby steps! I started sailing with Pacific Sailing School a few months ago after a holiday in St. Lucia and I managed to flip a Hobie Cat which I am told is pretty hard to do. A few months later I find myself racing in the J/24 Nationals way out of my comfort zone. Hank at the school reassured me that girls can be very good sailors, let’s see what our skipper has to say at the end of the week. ;)" 

Thanks Mel for such a heartwarming story--- we all started sailing somewhere, sometime, someplace...some great, some not so great. ;)  Persevere, have fun and God Speed!  

J/105 sailboat- one-design racing, cruising, day sailiingFeatured Boat

J/105 #436 "J-Teez"

The dream of owning a J/105 can now become a reality with a great used J/105. J-Teez has been professionally maintained since new.  Extensive documentation and records to validate the condition of this boat.  Keel and rudder have been templated and faired to class specifications.  Beautiful white hull and deck with Navy Blue waterline stripe.  All lifeline, wheel, pedestal covers are navy blue.  VC Blue offshore paint applied March 2009 along with cosmetic work.  This boat looks and shows much newer then a 2001 model.  Interior and exterior look great.  We are also listing J-Teez's sister ship #437- another beautifuyl example.  Your slipmates will think you bought new.  J/105 Trailer available for sale. Please contact Scott- (877) 596-0430/ Cell (512)-423-2179/ scott@JBoatsSouthwest.com.   Check out this listing and others at J/Boats Southwest.com

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:  15 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 and sailing the waters of 35+ countries around the world.  Sailing is all about friends.  Come join us and expand your social network everywhere!

For more information on J/Boats:   http://www.jboats.com/intro.htm

  

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

J/Newsletter- January 6th, 2010

J Boats- Key West Race Week- one-design, IRC, PHRF sailingJ/Tent @ Key West Race Week

Stop by the J/Tent during the week to meet and socialize with fellow J sailors (J/80, J/105, J/109, J/122 and more).  There to discuss  the day's sailing and to help you learn more about J/Boat's newest designs- J/95, J/97 and J/111- will be Rod, Jeff and Stu Johnstone.   In general, J orders for 2010 continue to accelerate at a remarkable pace considering what we've all endured in this "new" global economy.   The next generation J/111 one-design class order book is already filled into 2011.  Some photos of the spectacular, powerful J/111 hull will be out within a month.  Not to be outdone, J/95 interest has been particularly high after winning sailing's Triple Crown- SAILING WORLD'S Overall Boat of the Year, Cruising World's Domestic Boat of the Year and SAIL's 2010 "Best Boat" Performance category.  Yet another stablemate, the J/97 that won SAILING WORLD's 2010 Boat of the Year Club-Racer Award is also gathering momentum for those wanting a solid, all-around, roomy, comfortable performer in all weather conditions-- after all, J/97 completely annihilated its IRC Competition in Europe during the 2009 summer sailing season.  

Apple iPod Touch winning J/Sailing Anarchy ContestOne More Week to Win Apple iPod Touch!

Sailing Anarchy and J/Boat's fun, holiday contest has one week left to go!  It closes January 15th! Take the challenge to identify the boats, the place and the month in the new 2010 J Sailing Calendar and compete to win some sweeeet swag.  Apple iPod Touch 8 GB, VISA Gift Cards, SA Hoodie sweatshirts, Polo shirts, sailing T-shirts, sailing caps and more.  All you need to do is read the contest rules, register and complete the contest questionnaire.  The contest ends Friday, January 15th, 2010.  Winners will be announced at the J/Tent during Key West Race Week, January 18th, 2010.  Learn more about the J/Sailing Anarchy Contest.  

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Jan. 2-8- J/24 Australian Championships- Sandringham YC- http://www.j24.com.au
Jan 8-17- London Sailboat Show- London, England- http://www.londonboatshow.com/2010.aspx
Jan. 18-22- Key West Race Week- Key West, FL- http://www.premiere-racing.com
Jan. 18-22- J/80 Midwinter Championships- Key West, FL- http://www.j80.org
Jan. 23-31- boot Dusseldorf- Dusseldorf, Germany- http://www.j22kv.de/boot2010.html
Jan. 28-31- Chicago Strictly Sailboat Show- Chicago, IL-  http://www.strictlysailchicago.com/
Jan. 29-Feb. 6- Seattle Sailboat Show- Seattle, WA- http://www.seattleboatshow.com
Feb. 6-10- J/24 Midwinters- Davis Island YC- Tampa, FL- http://j24d10.org
Feb. 14- St. Pete NOOD- St. Petersburg YC- St. Petersburg, FL- http://www.sailingworld.com
Mar. 11-14- J/22 Midwinters- Southern YC, New Orleans, LA - http://www.j22mw.com/
Apr. 8-11- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC- http://www.charlestonraceweek.com

J/Regatta News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

The new year dawn's with hope and anticipation that anything can be better than 2009.   So, here's our best wishes to all in the J/Community to "Hang Ten in 2010"-- catch that big wave and surf it to success with sailing, friends, business and school!  Our Australian contingent ushered in the New Year at the peak of their summer sailing season with some major events coming up soon.  "Up North", the new year also dawns with the prospects of having fun while competing at Key West Race Week and the many Caribbean Regattas about to kick off in the spring.  The active J/80 fleets on the Mediterranean continue to practice hard for the impending J/80 World Championship in Newport.  The J/80 fleets in Palma and Bilbao in particular have strong racing.   And, our Pacific Rim/ Asian friends seemingly had a rip-snorting good time racing their J/109 in China Cup.  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.

J/109 sailboat- China Cup- sailing upwindJ/109 China Cup

WHISKEY JACK Second in China Cup IRC Class

(Hong Kong, China)-   The Hong Kong Yacht Club-based J/109 WHISKEY JACK finished second in the IRC division of the 2009 China Cup International Regatta sailed last month. Here's an update and report that came in from her owner Nick Southward.

“The third China Cup International Regatta, held at Longcheer Yacht Club at Daya Bay in Shenzhen, China, is China’s only international sailing regatta. Teams from all over the world come to participate, in either chartered Beneteau’s or IRC racing yachts from Asia. China is new to the art of organizing regattas, so their style may not have been to everyone’s taste. However, if you just wanted to go and sail for four days in good weather, flat water and decent breeze then this was the place to be in late October. We took our J/109 WHISKEY JACK up for the regatta, which consisted of a 32-mile passage race from Hong Kong to Shenzhen on Day 1 and six windward leeward races spread over the remaining three days.

UK-Halsey Hong Kong’s Barry Hayes has referred to the J/109 as an IRC speed demon, but having a speed demon is one thing; doing everything right to make it win is another. Fortunately, Barry was with us and we were finally able to prove just what a demon she is.

The boat was sailing higher and faster than the main opposition, some extremely competitive and well sailed A35’s, and we finally managed to nail them and the rest of the IRC racing fleet. We won Sunday’s racing with a 1-1-2 and went into the final day tied for 1st place with one of the A35’s. Conditions on the final day were 25 knots of wind and a short steep chop. We made the decision to play it safe and didn’t push the boat too hard and that earned us second place for the regatta. The price of first for the A35 RED KITE was some blown kites so we renamed her Dead Kite!”.  Photo Credit- Carlo BorlenghiFor more information about sailing J/109s.  

J/122 Teamwork- sailing Key West Race WeekKey West Race Week Update

Great J/80 and J/105 One-Design Fleets, Strong IRC/PHRF Racing

(Key West, FL)- With the northern hemisphere caught in a month-long vice-grip of cold weather, it's not surprising that many sailor's focus on the first warm water regatta of the year, generally the shindig hosted by Premiere Racing in Key West, FL.  As Regatta Chairman, Peter Craig, pointed out, "..we are leased with the commitment of boat owners to participate in what is unquestionably another very challenging year for all."   J/Boats are well-represented in all classes again this year.  In fact, over 1/3 of the entire fleet is composed of J's this year....what looks to be 15 J/105s, 19 J/80s and another ten J's between J/122s, J/44, J/109, J/125, J/29 and J/24s participating.

The J/80 class is hosting its 2010 J/80 Midwinter Championship and it also marks the inaugural event of the 2010 J/80 Tour that culminates in the J/80 World Championship in Newport, RI.  The entries have a very strong contingent of past North American and World Champions in the fleet.  The favorites to win-place-show in this hot fleet include Kerry Klingler of Larchmont, nY sailing LIFTED; Glen Darden from Fort Worth, TX racing LE TIGRE; Neil Martin from Hamble, England sailing JUGGERNAUT; Jeff Johnstone from Newport, RI sailing  LITTLE FEAT with a family crew; and John Storck from Huntington, NY racing RUMOR.

The J/105 class will have excellent, close competition as well with a number of class leaders and winners from past North American Championships and New England Championships participating.  Among those vying for silverware should be Scooter Simmons from San Francisco, CA racing BLACKHAWK; Damian Emery from New York racing his well-traveled and successful ECLIPSE; Ken Colburn from Southport, ME sailing GHOST with ace tactician Bobbie Slattery aboard; and Brian Keane, from Marion, MA, a perennial class leader, racing the redoubtable SAVASANA with his crackerjack crew.

Dueling it out for honors in the IRC2 class will be a combination of new and old warhorses.  Jim Bishop from Jamestown, RI will have a strong team onboard his aquamarine colored J/44 GOLD DIGGER.  They will give two J/122s a run for their money.  Robin Team's J/122 TEAMWORK from Beaufort, NC will be dueling with another J/122, Dave Murphy's up and coming PUGWASH with renowned sailmaker/ tactician Larry Leonard aboard calling the shots.

In the PHRF classes, Jim Madden's fast and fun J/125 STARK RAVING MAD from Oyster Bay, NY will be whistling around the course with North Sail's Gary Weisman calling tactics, wondering how they did on handicap; they're sailing with an enormous forty second per mile advantage over others in PHRF1.    Chasing S.R.M. around the track will be two well-sailed J/120s and a past Overall Key West Race Week Winner- the J/120 EL OCASO sailed by Rick Weslund from Miami, FL.  William Terry will be r acing his J/120 TAMPA GIRL for honors in this competitive class.  In the PHRF2 class, Bill Sweetser, from Annapolis, MD will be racing his champion J/109 RUSH and hoping to hold off the small boat in their class, Steve Thurston, from Barrington, RI racing the J/29 MIGHTY PUFFIN.    In PHRF3, some die-hard J/24s sailors  will be having a blast enjoying the camaraderie, fun and sailing that so epitomizes Key West Race Week.  Mark Milnes from Key Wey will be racing BLAH BLAH BLAH and Joe Naroski and Norm LeBlanc will be vying for braggin rights with NOJOE.  For more regatta and sailing information.  

J/80 sailing in Santander, Spain- one-design sailboatJ/80 ECC Viviendas Trophy Series

(Santander, Spain)-  The J/80 class in Santander put an end to the 2009 season, with the conclusion of the last two races of the ECC Viviendas Trophy sailed in great northwest breezes, sunny skies and steep waves.  It was a fitting end to the season considering how many times racing had to be postponed/ canceled.  The big waves were a delight for all the sailors as it made for fun, long, fast surfs downwind under the big asymmetric spinnakers.

At the end of the racing, it was YATES & THINGS sailed by A Piris that managed to stay ahead and put up the rest of the away to win the race with great ease. SPACIO 10 raced by Paul Santurde soared to second and in third finished  Javier López-Vázquez in BANCAJA.  The 2010 season will begin on January 9th with the so-called MAFIA TROPHY-- gee, we wonder what the implication is for the winners?  Photo Credit- Jesus Renedo.  For more sailing and regatta information.  

J/Community:

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

* Clay Burkhalter, a cousin to the next-generation of Johnstone's (Stu, Jeff, Drake, Alan, Phil, Margot, Jessie, Peter, Pammie,  etc) recently premiered a new movie/show based on his Mini-Transat experiences over the past year.  Clay's documentary is quite interesting and if you want to attend the next showing, please don't hesitate to contact him down at the Dog Watch Cafe in Stonington, CT.  For more info:  http://www.dogwatchcafe.com/ phone# +1-(860) 415-4510.

* Mike Schiltz's J/105 MONEY SHOT took one of the top two spots in 48 North Magazine and Harken's annual Pacific Northwest Top 25 Sailboats of 2009.  MONEY SHOT tied for first after dominating on the race course all year. During 2009, ten major events were tracked and the Top 25 list includes boats that sailed in at least four of those events. MONEY SHOT won four events and had equal number of class starts for an unbreakable tie!

J/44 sailboat- cruising, racing, day sailingFeatured Boat

J/44 "HALCYON DAYS"

Up in the Pacific Northwest lies a beautiful J/44 that has been immaculately kept and lovingly sailed by her Seattle owners.  It's the second to last J-44 built.
Specifications are extensive.  This J/44 has an all Cherry interior, Generator set, Air conditioning, New chart plotter, 2 dinghies and low hours on the engine.
HALCYON DAYS has been very well taken care of and shows it!  It has the J/44 "B" layout with the double head and cabin.
Check out the full listing at http://www.sailnorthwest.com.  Or, contact  Bob Pistay at phone# 206-286-1004, bobp@sailnorthwest.com.

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:  15 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 and sailing the waters of 35+ countries around the world.  Sailing is all about friends.  Come join us and expand your social network everywhere!

For more information on J/Boats.