Wednesday, August 25, 2010

J/Newsletter- August 25th, 2010

J/111 one-design speedster sailboat- downwind under spinnakerNewport Sailboat Show- J/111 Introduction

(Newport, RI)- Be sure to mark your calendars to view the J/111 at the Newport Sailboat show, open from September 16th to 19th.  Also featured will be the J/95 (the cool, shoal-draft centerboard cruiser); the J/100 with sprit option; the J/22 and J/80 at the Waterlines booth; the J/80 and J/105 on the Discover Sailing docks on the waterfront next to the J/Boats in-water docks; and the gorgeous J/65 BRAND NEW DAY (more info below) in the brokerage section.  For more Newport Sailboat Show info.

J/111 Hall Spars carbon nano-tube - Zyvex Arovex J/111 Carbon Nanotube Technology

What does it have that BMW/Oracle 17 & C-Class Cats Don't?

(Newport, RI)- In the world of composite materials there are always the issues of trade-offs in terms of cost/ performance/ durability and the practical limits of production.  Witness the recent advances made in engineering/ design to construct BMWO's massive wing sail.  Or, follow the thread in Sailing Anarchy's multihull forum on C-Class cats that describe "monster garage technology" used to create state-of-the-art C-Class cats capable of sailing at near ice-boat wind speed multiples~ 3x faster than the wind.  These boats are built to the extreme limits- sail to win one regatta and if it breaks afterwards, you won the engineering arms race.

In the case of the J/111, Zyvex approached J/Boats and Hall Spars regarding their ground-breaking use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in both flat panel and tubular composites.  Much of Zyvex's work has been the usual cloak-and-dagger stuff of spy novels, such as ultra-lightweight unmanned surveillance craft, reinforced with carbon nanotubes, (see www.piranhausv.com) operating 24x7 over certain Middle Eastern/ Asian theaters.

Military applications aside, here are the simple facts for our commercial world --Zyvex's carbon nanotubes are hollow, extremely lightweight tubes 5 nanometers in diameter and about 30 nanometers long (e.g. a smaller "framework" than the 32 nanometer process used in INTEL Corp's latest Itanium "Tukwila" microprocessor designs with over 2 BILLION transistors).  These tubes have a special coating ("Kentera") which forms a bridge between the CNTs and the epoxy resin. The epoxy resin/CNT mix is then squeezed under 200 psi of pressure into a carbon fiber pultruded fabric called Arovex.  This "pre-preg Arovex" is then wrapped onto a Hall Spars mandrel, then autoclaved cured at 90 psi at 250 F. degrees.  At these pressures, epoxy has the viscosity of alcohol and the carbon nanotubes naturally disperse into the recesses between the carbon fibers in the laminate (e.g. providing connections along the "load lines" of the carbon fiber itself).  Remember, a single carbon fiber thread is about 0.5-1.0mm (500 microns), or about 10x the thickness of human hair (which is 50 microns or 50,000 nanometers thick on average).  So, you can fit a LOT of carbon nano-tubes into the "empty/ dead" space between the fibers- displacing a lot of "dead epoxy" resin unnecessary to maintain the matrix of the carbon threads in the pre-preg fabric (see picture depicting this process). 

The result?  The J/111 spar is built with the most advanced carbon fiber technology known today in the sailing world- more advanced than the materials used by BMW/Oracle 17 engineers and the current state-of-the-art in the C-Class cat world.

According to Mike Nemeth, Chief of Commercial & Defense Applications for Zyvex, "At the same weight of another laminate schedule, our materials demonstrate a 10% improvement in fracture toughness and 25% greater flexural modulus. For further comparison, our military hulls weigh 30% less than traditional carbon fiber laminates when designed to the performance capabilities of our materials."  For more J/111 sailboat information.

J/24 Worlds sailing in breezy conditions off Malmo, Sweden 

J/Regatta News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

This past week has been a fascinating one worldwide.  Celebrating the old while ushering in the new.  Old technology and design versus the latest in ultimate sailing performance and aerospace technologies.  The launch of the J/111 has caused quite a stir amongst the sailing cognoscenti.  Meanwhile, passionate J sailors who have sailed some J classes over 30 years are having a great time with friends and the larger "J/family" at continental and world championships- such as the J/22 Northamericans in Buffalo, NY;  the J/24 Canadians in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and the J/24 Worlds in Malmo, Sweden.  At the same time, J/105s and J/109s had great class racing in Chicago's Verve Cup and in Southern California.  Plus, a J/100 in Chicago proved yet again it's tough to beat in double-handed racing.  Finally, don't forget to read the J/Cruising Community section below.  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.

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Sep 9-12- J/80 North Americans- Marion, MA- http://www.j80.org
Sep 10-19- Southampton Boatshow- Southampton, England- http://www.southamptonboatshow.com
Sep 11-12- Larchmont NOOD Regatta- Larchmont, NY- http://www.sailingworld.com
Sep 11-12- J/109 East Coast Championships- Larchmont, NY- http://www.sailingworld.com
Sep 14-19- J/24 UK Nationals- Cornwall, England- http://www.royalcornwallyachtclub.org
Sep 15-18- J/105 North Americans- Chicago, IL- http://www.j105.org
Sep 16-19- Newport Sailboat Show- Newport, RI- http://www.newportboatshow.com/
Sep 16-19- Rolex Big Boat Series- San Francisco, CA- http://www.big-boat-series.com/
Sep 18-19- J/Fest Newport Beach- Newport Beach, CA- http://www.balboayachtclub.com
Oct 16-17- J/Fest Southwest- Houston, TX- http://www.lakewoodyachtclub.com

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

J/24 World Champions- Team 11th Hour/ Sailors For The SeaTeam 11th Hour-Sailors For The Sea Win J/24 Worlds

Or, Why "The Moose Is Loose" Is a Winning Formula

(Malmo, Sweden - August 18th)- Well Moose, it took just a few years to get there (e.g. it couldn't have been a better outcome for one of the nicest guys sailing on the planet).  Nevertheless, with a crackerjack team skippered by Tim Healey, Team 11th Hour-Sailors For The Sea took the coveted prize- "World Champions of the World"- a.k.a. J/24 Worlds 2010 gold.  It was not easy.  As described in "The Moose Reports" on SA (Sailing Anarchy), it nearly became "stealing victory from the jaws of defeat."  Apologies to all, but it's great reading, so here's the unabridged versions from Scot and friends at SA's "The Moose Is Loose Reports"
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J/24 World Championship- Team Japan, Germany, SingaporeAugust 19th- Today was a good day- "Finally, good starts and good finishes, and deserved.  At least a little bit. Gordy stepped up in a big way and got us right on the line both starts (first raced we started bow to chainplate with Ingham who was BFD), we were able to use some speed (and I'd like to say smarts but it's still too early to talk about stuff like that) to pop a 1,2.  And no rain.

Both races were tough. The first race started with small jibs (though we knew we should have been in the big jib), we hooked a good start and were able to tack right into the great current (cool thing here, the current is all based on where the highs and lows are, the current flows from low to high, the high went south last night so instead of the northerly current of the last week, it went south), we were able to overcome about 10 degrees of pin bias to come across the left side and round first.  We did a quick change to the big jib in the way downwind, as did most of the fleet, and though there were a lot  of anxious moments downwind (I'll stop whining at some point) and a tricky beat where we hooked to the right again for current, though slightly out of phase, we managed to maintain ahead of Tony Parker, who came with us to go from 5 to 2 on the beat.  Good day for the ugly Americans.

J/24 Worlds- women bow girls everywhere on lead boats.The 2nd race was nerve wracker, we missed a little trying to be smart and were pinned going to the left, away from the good current.  We weren't quite able to hang with Ian Southworth, who popped out form a pretty good start from the left side, though we weren't able to quite hang with him we both did some fancy swerving to get around a group from the right, Ian rounded right behind a Japanese team in first, we slid into 3rd (don't ask how, stuff happens), we both rolled the Japanese and then we followed Ian around for 2nd.  It was a particularly tough race for both Ingham and Parker, they were stuck left and never recovered.  Casale, who was probably lying around 2nd gong into that race, also fell victim to the squirrelly breeze which leaves Southworth in 2nd, I think.

I haven't looked at results yet, that superstitious thing I've told anyone that asks that I've been in far bigger collapses, I hope we can hold on.  Tomorrow is forecast to be light and weird, I hope that's not right, we go well in breeze, in light stuff we have to think a lot more and that's where things go bad.  Hopefully I'll give you a good report soon."
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J/24 World Championship- spinnaker mark rounding at leeward gateAugust 21- Moose tells you how to Close The Deal- "Well, we didn't make it easy on ourselves but we held on.  Ian Southworth sailed extremely well over the last three races to make a full charge at us, we helped him out a lot by hacking up the first race today, losing three boats on the run to the finish to put the end result in doubt. You may have seen our report from the second day, when I talked about losing three boats at the weather mark.  I call this points left on the course.  Points you had that you blew.  We could have sailed in after our poor first race today as champions, instead we left the whole thing up in the air.  For anyone that sails a lot, this is an incredibly important lesson: even in a long series, there are little points that you say coulda, whoulda, shoulda, those are the points that will make the difference down the road.  Don't give up on any points you've gained, keep pushing all the time, EVERY point makes a difference.  If we had only lost two boats the second day we could have sailed in.  If we'd only lost two boats on the run the first race we could have sailed in.  Frustrating.

Enough ranting, anyone that sails with me knows I whine incessantly, for better or worse (and you can guess which one it is, though most still want to sail with me).  Tim did an unbelievable job, total calm within the storm (anyone that sails with him knows there isn't a whole lot of noise from the back of the boat), very fast and particularly high upwind, great concentration and effort.  We used a chartered Italian boat from builder Paolo Boido (a truly class guy, deal with him if you can, if not go straight to Dunes) that was very comfortable all the way around the course, having confidence in the boat helps in a lot of decision making.  John Mollicone in cockpit made the comment- "who would have ever thought I'd  win a Worlds trimming?"

J/24 Worlds- sailing at start in front of "The Twisted Sisters" apartment in Malmo, SwedenWell, he did, very capable upwind getting the genoa (and jib in the breeze) in better than almost everyone (after never doing it), and calling all the shots downwind (while, as expected, I whined about what he was doing, catching the theme?).  Gordy Borges, our bow guy (and former World Champ with Brad Read) was the glue that held the package together, the guy that does the bottom, makes the sandwiches, does the rig, all the crap that no one wants to do, and always with a smile (I think).  Dan Rabin, a Lightning stud and newer member to the team, joyfully sat below in all the rain (though today it was sun all the way around) and light air (porn not included), never complained and soaked up the experience (if not the sunshine), the perfect complement for a bunch of guys that sail the boats way too much.

For the rest of the fleet, there was  a mish-mash of results.  Former champion Andrea Casele, though quick, had a couple bad races but held on for third overall.  Maurizio Santa Cruz, defending champion, won two races but struggled for consistency.  Tony Parker was always fast but suffered a BFD in the last race to drop him to 6th after entering the day 2nd, a tough finish but a testament to Tony and his team for sailing a strong series.  Mike Ingham also fell victim to the black flag, he had moments of pure brilliance but consistency was not in the books and he ended falling out of contention today.  Overall, though, a good showing from almost every country represented.

I'm really glad this came together, not so much for me, because I have been lucky enough to sail with really good teams and have had success, but for the rest of the guys on our team.  I love the whole crew aspect, gathering diverse people and getting the most out of the mix.  We were fortunate; we sailed very well for several days and had success.  This doesn't always happen, I've finished 2nd three times (in the J/24 Worlds) and the bitter pill is tough to swallow. These guys busted their asses, they got the results.  I'm really proud, and glad, to have gotten the chance to sail with them."  Thanks to SA for The Moose Report- http://www.sailinganarchy.com    For more J/24 Worlds sailing results   For Sailing Photo Credits- Magnus Grubbe

J/22 North American- sailng under spinnaker off Buffalo, NYMercedes J/22 North Americans

Fisher Wins Again!

(Buffalo, NY)- This past weekend, over 50 teams from across the United States and Canada sailed on the waters of Lake Erie in the Mercedes-Benz 2010  J/22 North American Championship, hosted by the Buffalo Yacht Club in Buffalo, NY.  In the end, J/22 class leader Greg Fisher from Annapolis, MD again proved beyond any reasonable doubt that he's one of North America's most versatile one-design class sailors.  Greg and his team of Jeff Eiber, Jo Ann Fisher and Martha Fisher, on their J/22 Team WHAT KINDA GONE finished the event with 30 points over five races.  It certainly didn't start out that way for Greg and crew.  On the first day, they were in a three-way battle for second. 

J/22 Mercedes Benz North American Championship- sailing around mark to set spinnakersChris Doyle of Kenmore, NY dominated day one.  Team SOLID LAYER finished the day with just 12 points over four races. A three-way battle ensued for the next spots between Todd Hiller, Greg Fisher and Jim Barnash (28 points). Competitors experienced winds starting around 12 knots, building to 15-20 with large waves.  Todd Hiller kicked off the event by winning race one, followed by Canadian Champion Gordon McIlquham and David McBrier. In race two, Terry Flynn took the top spot, trailed by Chris Doyle and Greg Fisher. Chris Doyle had a strong showing in race three, besting John Loe in second and Fisher in third. In the day's final race, Flynn returned to the first position, followed by Fisher and Kevin Doyle.

By the last day Sunday the tables had turned on the top three completely, looking nothing like the first day of sailing.  No racing was completed on the final day of the regatta due to a lack of consistent winds. After a rare score of 20 in the first race of the event, Fisher tallied two third-place finishes and two second-place finishes. Following Fisher in the silver position is Jim Barnash with 35 points, then Rochester favorite Chris Doyle with 36.  For more J/22 North American sailing and results informationSailing Photo Credits- Tim Wilkes Photography.

J/24 Canadian Championship- Halifax, Nova ScotiaYERTLE (the turtle) Wins J/24 Canadian Nationals

(Halifax, Nova Scotia)-  Just days after the J/24 Worlds finished in Sweden, the Canadians were conducting their 2010 J24 Nationals. The win by Ian Dawson and Craig Noake's YERTLE was a remarkable result, considering that YERTLE emerged from a three-way tie for first winning on the strength of three first place finishes in individual races. It was a crazy scenario...if this has ever happened before, I have my doubts. Here's the story by "Dr. Zeus":

"YERTLE had to win the last race and did so by overtaking Lisa Ross in JAMN'IT on the final leg of the last race. Ian and Craig needed Peter Wickwire to finish no better than third, which Peter, in fact, did, fully aware that if Lisa could hold on his SUNNYVALE would win the regatta. Both required Johnny Whynacht in STICKY FINGERS to finish eighth or worse (i.e. a drop), which he unfortunately did by coming in tenth for his worst race in what was otherwise a very consistent series."  Incredible. Stupendous.  Unbelievable. What other words can you possibly use here (or would the competitors use)!?!?

The event closed with a first class lobster supper and prize giving in the Squadron's Spar Loft attended by more than 150 sailors and officials. Class President Dale Robertson, who did a spectacular job recruiting sponsors, distributed the largesse of Sperry Topsider, Slam clothing and gear, Jackson-Triggs, and others to the countless volunteers who supported the event as well as to top finishers and notable also-rans (e.g., Best Dressed Lisa Ross and Best Comeback Eric Koppernaes). Plaques were distributed to all crew members of the top five boats along with many sponsor-provided items. The event concluded after the YERTLE crew collected their trophy and participants were told to look under their chairs for tags that indicated they had won prizes such as Sperry shoes or Henri Lloyd clothing provided by The Binnacle. A melee ensued and we can only hope that everyone left with shoes and jackets that fit.

By the time the band Big City was warming up for the finale, I have to admit I was too dog tired. It was nice, though, to see Tom Taylor from St. Catherines, who I used to sail with in Kingston, Ontario, and who brought his boat, A1, farther than any other competitor at the event. Tom was hoping for more wind than we provided this time but acknowledged that you couldn't knock the sun, which is usually harder to find in Halifax than breeze.

I got a second wind, myself, when Big City kicked into their version of "Suspicious Minds." I lasted long enough to get a few dances with my wife, Lorna, while the young women of BLACK JACK cut a "vicious rug."  Next August, when the J/24 North Americans come to town, we'll see if we can't come up with a shorter line up for measurement, no fog, a touch more breeze, equally comfortable temperatures, and the same good times and terrific competition."  So, now Dr. Zeus can relax and go to bed!  For more Canadian J/24 Nationals sailing information

J/105 Sealark Winners of Chicago Verve CupJ/105 SEALARK Wins Overall Verve Cup

MOMENTOUS Wins J/109s

(Chicago, IL)-  The 2010 Verve Cup Offshore Regatta kicked off on a beautiful sunny day in Chicago, with decent winds and all three circles getting at least three races in for the day. Racers did have some challenges with shifty wind conditions, navigating between the lake breeze and the winds from the shore.

"The challenge on Saturday for the sailors was an offshore southwesterly about 12 knots was battling a lake breeze of about 8-10 knots," explained Chris Bedford, meteorologist for Sailing Weather Service. "Shifts of 20-30 degrees between the two breezes were common. Depending on if you were on the correct side of the shift, you were a winner or a loser."

Circle B was dominated by the 17-boat J/105 Fleet, led by STRIKING, owned by Blane Shea. Close behind are SEALARK and VYTIS who are all within 1 point of each other. The J/105s are tuning up for their North Americans which will be held at Chicago Yacht Club in September.   After two bullets and a second place, MOMENTUS leads the J109s also with a great first day.

J/105 one-design racing- sailing upwindNevertheless, with Sunday's sailing under their belts the class leaders in the J/105s had a lot of turnover amongst the leaders.  At the end it can only be best exclaimed by eventual regatta winner Clark Pellet on the J/105 SEALARK.  "Holy crap", exclaimed Clark, upon realizing he'd not only won first place in the J/105 fleet, but also the prestigious honor of the Overall Verve Cup trophy. The Overall Verve Cup trophy is awarded to the winner of the most competitive fleet in the Verve Cup Offshore regatta.

"As we say in the J/105 fleet, there's always someone waiting to steal your lunch. And they will," Pellet of Chicago said about the great sailing during the series.  "This is a great regatta, the Chicago Yacht Club and Race committee does such an outstanding job, we couldn't be happier."  The crew of SEALARK also includes, bowman Shane Montgomery, tactician Russ Radke, mid bowman John Schussler and headsail trimmer Ned Sher.  SEALARK scored 33 points to take first place, followed by Dorothy Mietz's LATIS with 42 and Team Weerwing/Mathis's LANE 4 with 43 points.  Pre-regatta favorites like Tom Petkus's VYTIS ended up fourth, just two points from second!  And Don Wilson's CONVEXITY sailed a very strong series and were easily amongst the leaders by virtue of their three firsts but a DNF and DSQ on their score-card dampened any ability to be in the top three.

The J/109s had a very competitive regatta amongst the seven participants.  Kevin Saedi's team on MOMENTUS took the gold and walked off with five first and a second and third to win by six points.  George Miz and team on-board VALOR sailed very well (their second regatta on a J/109 other than racing the Chicago-Mackinac Race) to finish in second, nicely bracketing their regatta with firsts in the first and last race.  Third was Peter Priede's FULL TILT with 33 points, just beating out David Gustman's NORTHSTAR in fourth with 35 points.  In fact, NORTHSTAR came on strong the last day with second best record of the day behind the regatta winner MOMENTUS.

In the handicap world, the J/125 JEANINE sailed by John Roeser took second in PHRF 2.    In PHRF 5, the two J/35s gave everyone fits...again.  The J//35 BOZO'S CIRUCS sailed by Bruce Metcalf was second and in fourth was the J/35 AFTERSHOCK skippered by William Newman.  PHRF 7 was dominated by the resurgent, fun-loving J/30 giants in the greater Midwest.  The J/30 AWESOME- Team CHI NOLA won; their worst race was a second! In second was the J/30 PLANXTY sailed by Kate and Dennis Bartley.  Third was the always competitive J/27 TRUE NORTH sailed by Dan Arntzen.  For more Verve Cup sailing information.

J/24 one-design racing- sailing off New York Statue of LibertyTeam Swiss Wins Dennis Conner Challenge!

(New York, NY)- The New York Harbor Sailing Foundation held its annual Dennis Conner International YC Challenge over the weekend, in New York Harbor.  It is the fourth running of this remarkable event designed to promote fun, camaraderie and international relations amongst all sailing clubs worldwide--- pioneered by founder of Manhattan Sailing Club founder Mike Fortenbaugh and renowned America's Cup Champion Dennis Conner from San Diego Yacht Club in San Diego, California.

It is both a historical event as well as a fun event.  "Doubting Thomas's" aside, it's a first class program that includes taking in all the wonderful sites and events that New York City has to offer as well as a fabulous social program for the four days of the event.  Mayor Bloomberg eat your heart out-- perhaps next year he'll sail, too!  For you Newporters, thank goodness the blockade in the War of 1812 by the British worked-- they just took a few bits of pine lumber from those quaint Newport cottages to repair their lumbering, slow warships and ultimately left.  Meanwhile, Narragansett Bay was shut down...the beneficiary was "New Amsterdam" (e.g. New York) which became the "new" trading port for the colonies.  The rest is history...most amusingly when an ancient Dutch Johnstone "ancestor/farmer" (non-sailor we might add) swapped 1,477 acres of the southern tip known today as "Manhattan's Wall Street" for a farm further inland near another town now called "Princeton" (Wall Street used to flood too much back in the 17th century, not conducive to growing crops).

First place went to Societe Nautique Rolloise (Switzerland) with 14 pts, in second was the fun-loving, Mardi Gras-loving, beads wearing gang from Southern Yacht Club (USA) with 15 points.  And, not to be outclassed by any measure were the lucky Leprechauns in 3rd from the Royal Cork Yacht Club (Ireland) with 17 pts.  Sixteen yacht clubs from around the world participated in the 4-day regatta raced on J/24s on the Hudson River-- lots laughs and many tears of joy and happiness as all departed to the seven seas around the world.  Next time, join us!!  For more J/24 Dennis Conner International YC Challenge.

J/122 Pugwash sailing at Key West Race WeekJ/122 PUGWASH Wins New York YC Cruise

(Camden, ME)- This year's 154th Annual New York YC Cruise in Maine had over 100 yachts. How cool is that?  Well, it was more like 60 sailboats and 40 motor yachts as support/ mother-ships.  Fun stuff.  The social calendar is nearly as important as the sailing calendar...some think the former is way, way more important than the latter (where was JP Morgan and The Queen?). 

The Queen's Cup, a marquee event of the Annual Cruise, saw Dave Murphy's J/122 PUGWASH (pictured above sailing off Key West) finish second overall by 20 seconds (but winning class)! Two days later, on August 10, Dave's J/122 PUGWASH also finished second overall in the equally iconic Astor Cup by 22 seconds (but winning class)!  Ouch!  That hurts...two huge chunks of silverware lost were it not for some lobster pots on rudders, a few slow tacks and a better spinnaker take-down.  Nevertheless, the PUGWASH gang, like George Washington forging across the Delaware River, persevered against all odds and took first overall for IRC 2 for the Squadron Runs.  For more New York YC Cruise sailing information.

J/105 one-design class- SoCal winners Gary Mozer and teamJ/105 SoCal Championship

Gary Mozer wins with solid team

(Long Beach, CA)- After posting three first-place finishes in a row on Saturday, local favorite Gary Mozer's J/105 CURRENT OBSESSION 2 hung on Sunday to take first place honours in the second annual J/105 SoCal Championship hosted by Long Beach Yacht Club and sponsored by Ullman Sails, North Sails, West Marine and JK3 Nautical Enterprises.

In the final two races, Mozer finished third and sixth keeping a four point spread between himself and second place finisher Dennis and Sharon Case's WINGS.  With consistent winds of 10-14 knots throughout the weekend, the competitive 17 boat fleet enjoyed long legs, lots of passing opportunities and tight racing.  "Today we enjoyed a much deserved victory," Mozer said. "Twice in the last nine days I've been in the hospital with sciatica and in a lot of pain. It was my team that deserves the credit."

J/105 one-design racing- sailing downwind under spinnaker off Long Beach, CAMozer's team of John Busch, Robert 'Peaches' Wittle, Whit Batchelor, Peter Isaac and Liz 'Tinkerbell' Tran kept the boat in the fight after he began to have severe back and muscle pain near the end of the day Sunday.  "My back was hurting so bad I had trouble concentrating," said Mozer, "but the key was the years of teamwork we have had together and our consistency. We also had a little help from someone you may have heard of.  Dave Ullman went out with us earlier in the week during one of our practices and his coaching helped us a lot."

A good part of the fleet is from the San Diego area and, two years ago, a call from fleet member Dennis Case started the ball rolling to create this event. Long Beach Yacht Club found a date for the regatta and it has now enjoyed two years of great racing and great racing conditions.  The reason they wanted to race in Long Beach?

"Well, there are two reasons we chose Long Beach," explained Case. "The first reason is that Long Beach is pretty much the center of the West Coast J/105 fleet. We figured boats coming from either down south or up north would have to come about the same distance. The second reason is the great sailing conditions. The wind is reliable and we race inside the breakwater in fairly flat seas that allow us to enjoy close, fast racing. We are delighted with what we experience here and couldn’t ask for anything better."  With his second place in the regatta Case feels he and his team did quite well in the local conditions.  "We tried to slow him [Mozer] down a bit," said Case. "I held him down as much as possible on the starts, but by doing that it put us in a world of hurt for boat position on the fleet. He was untouchable on Saturday so we tried to catch up today by staying ahead of him."

Local sailing legend Barney Flam and his boat FLAMBUOYANT sailed to third place in the regatta with his equally skilled son Steve calling tactics and handling main sheet duties. "It was consistency in that last race that helped us a lot," Flam said. "The race was well run and the race committee work was very good."

At the end of the two-day event, there was a three-way tie for fourth place. The tie-breaker was the first place finish in race five by San Diego's Chuck Driscoll and Tom Hurlburt's boat BLOW BOAT. "We tightened the rig and did a few things which helped us to sail better," Driscoll said. "Saturday we were weren't quite right and after the adjustments we were able to finish first in the last race today.  We never sail in really good breezes like this and we worked on getting good starts this weekend."

Giving a final comment on their success this weekend Mozer said, "It's all the little details and consistency that wins races."  For more J/105 SoCal Championship sailing information

J/100 sailing off Chicago waterfrontJ/100 & J/105 Win There & Back Race

(Chicago, IL)-  The annual Belmont Yacht Club's "There and Back Race" were won by J/Boats, reports the Herer's from Chicago.
The J/100 WHAT'S UP, sailed by Paul and Sue Herer won the Double Handed Division.
What is even cooler that another J, Mark Gannon's J/105 GANGBUSTERS, won the Single Handed Division!

J/Community

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

J/30 one-design sailboat- sailing North Americans- video* While Steve Buzbee's BLUE MEANIE crew was winning the J/30 Northamericans, other friends on the water did their own version of SA's "On-the-water-Anarchy".

Check out this amusing video of the J/30s racing off Marblehead, MA- hosted Boston Yacht Club.  It was clear this team was determined to have fun-- powered by Corona Extra Light, it's a great on-board video.  See it on YouTube.

Australina J/24 sailing J/24 Worlds in Malmo, Sweden* The boys from Down Under sailing Australian-built J/24s had two of their own sailing in the J/24 Worlds in Sweden (one pictured here in blustery conditions near the beginning of the week).  In addition, Fleet Captain Simon Grain unearthed two articles from renowned Australian Sailing journalist, Bob Ross, from 1979 and 1982 describing his first experiences sailing J/24s with yet another renowned Australian, Rob Mundle.  Read more about the story here on their J/24 Australia website.

J/160 sailing into port, cruising the South Pacific IslandsThe J Cruising community

These passionate J sailors continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers.

* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand.  Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/

* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years.  Their blogs/journals can be found at- http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker.  The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com.  Search for "SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing" by Bill Stellin or William Stellin."  Fun reading when rocking back in a chair watching your storm-lashed windows take a beating in the gale roaring outside and listening to the crackle of a roaring fire.  It is winter "down under" you know.  The Argentineans are freezing.

* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary will have just finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.

* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between.  Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins??  Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).  SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).  Susan Grun and her husband on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun).

Featured Boats

J/65 offshore cruising, racing, sailing yachtJ/65 at the Newport International Boat Show

If you have a passion for speed and comfort, the J/65 BRAND NEW DAY is in a league of its own.   The J/65 is the flagship passage maker in the J Boat line-- the ultimate private sailing yacht for sailing enthusiasts. The J/65 has exceptional J/65 cruising interiorperformance under non-overlapping headsails, double-handed ease of operation, minimum on-deck maintenance, luxurious accommodations, stunning aesthetics, and great value. Finishing 2nd in IRC in the 2010 Newport Bermuda Race, sailing with air conditioning and wine with each meal, the J/65 is a yacht that performs exceptionally well and in style and comfort. For more on the race experience, visit this link.  Brand New Day will be at the Newport International Boat Show September 16 – 19 in Newport, Rhode Island. To arrange a viewing, contact Jeff Brown jeff@jk3yachts.com

J/95 shoal-draft cruising sailboat- sailing in Florida KeysJ/95 #1 Available- Owner Buying Bigger J!

J/95s are on a roll in the southeast with five boats sailing in the area by this fall (at least four planning to participate in the January Key West Race Week). Sarasota Yacht and Ship is the brokerage side of the J/Southeast dealer CrossCurrent Marine, and they are thrilled to have landed the first brokerage listing for this wonderful shoal draft performance daysailer. Boat is fully optioned with carbon sails, mast, V boom and sports an extension electronics suite. Please contact Craig Crossley at 401-330-6135 craig@crosscurrentmarine for more information.

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.