J/111 TriState Race Debut(Chicago, IL)- With great anticipation a crowd gathered around the dock at Chicago YC on Friday afternoon September 6th to take their first peek at the recently arrived J/111. Like a powerful stallion pulling at its reins in nervous anticipation of a quick trip around the race track, the J/111 was waiting to gives its crew a fast flight across the fresh water of Lake Michigan.
Expectations were not unfounded. After the first leg of the Tri-State Offshore race was canceled due to gale force winds, the J/111 instead went sailing on Saturday with a number of prospective 111 one-design fleet owners. In the puffy westerly winds blowing 10-22 knots and a large swell running in a southerly direction, the stage was set to test the performance of the 111 in Lake Michigan's notorious chop. The boat left the dock, set the smaller 111m2 asymmetric spinnaker and took off on a couple of 18+ knot puffs. By the afternoon, with a number of skeptics on board loaded with handheld GPS's, there was no question the 111 was easily planing off the wind and hitting 16+ knots in 22 knots of wind. One owner was told by a crew member that he better wipe the smile off his face or it would kill him!
Sunday's racing dawned with a forecast for 10-20 knot winds from the S-SW for the 35 mile leg from Chicago to Michigan City, IN-- basically a drag race under spinnaker headed at Michigan City's power plant stacks. The 111 started with the large 130m2 kite, sailed off below its competitors and established a lead less than three miles after the start over a Grand Soleil 44 IMS/IRC racer, Mumm/Farr 36s, J/120s, J/109s and a Sydney 38. The wind varied from 85 to 110 apparent with the large A-sail for half the race. The wind moved further south and increased slightly in velocity into the 15+ knot range, moving the apparent wind to 65-90 degrees, necessitating a change to the smaller 111m2 kite. The tighter reach also proved to the liking of the boat and by race end, the J/111 crossed the line 4th boat for boat, behind a RP 66, a TP 52 and an RP 46 and winning on corrected time.
Labor Day Monday dawned grey and cool with a brisk breeze blowing in from the S-SW 10-20 knots with a short, steep nasty chop. Like the day before, the forecast suggested a rhumbline route, a drag race for 35 miles pointing at Chicago's Sears Tower from the Michigan City's starting line just off the long jetty. The leg was a 32 mile "power beat" with jib just inside or just over the lifelines. Only in the last 3 miles did the bigger boats have the wind temporarily free-up to set code zero's or spinnakers. The 111 started at the RC boat end, to leeward of all competitors. Stacked to windward basically dead even were the two J/120s, two Mumm/Farr 36s, the Grand Soleil 44 and the Sydney 38. What surprised everyone was the fact that the 111 managed to just stay ahead of the 36-41 footers in these conditions, slicing into the waves, accelerating rapidly off wave-tops and rarely ever pounding. Even in these conditions, the 111 was hitting 7.7 to 8.5 knots "power beating". The GS-44 is a powerful boat and as expected, powered away from the fleet to win boat-for-boat on what was essentially a "waterline" race. With good management of their sail selection and better playing of the late race wind shift, the J/120 and the Sydney 38 caught the 111 in the last five miles of the race. As a result, the 111 finished 4th on elapsed and 2nd on corrected, the J/120 winning the class on this leg. Overall, the J/111's 1-2 for the weekend meant that she "unofficially" won her class for the shortened "Bi-State Race". For more J/111 sailing news and information.
J/95 Key West Available To Race! (Key West, FL)- The perfect holiday present -- race ready, willing and able -- J/95 number one is seriously for sale and committed for delivery to Miami by year end for sailors wanting to make her the fifth boat planning to attend the first J/95 one-design gathering this January at Key West Race Week. The most extensively equipped J/95 built, she is capable of kicked back shoal draft daysailing or happily, quickly romping around the buoys. Please contact Craig Crossley at 401-330-6135, craig@crosscurrentmarine.com for more information.
J/105 North Americans Preview(Chicago, IL)- Over twenty J/105s are conducting their final preparations at the Chicago Yacht Club for this year's J/105 North American Championship. Teams from throughout the U.S. and Canada will compete Thursday through Sunday with three races planned each day.
Competitors traveled from as far as Santa Barbara, CA and Dallas, TX. Two teams also came south from Canada. The PRO is Vickie Matthews. Local favorites include Don Wilson, founder of the Chicago Match Race Center, racing CONVEXITY; Tom Petkus on VYTIS and Dorin Candea on MESSY JESSY--- notably all were in the top three in the SW NOODS Chicago in June. Also a factor will be Carter Williams on CREATIVE DESTRUCTION; Canadian Jim Rathbun on HEY JUDE! (second in the 2009 J/105 NA's); a couple of warhorses from Fort Worth, TX in the form of Lee Smith and Ken Young on JOKER; and J/105 Class President Bernie Girod on ROCK & ROLL from Santa Barbara, CA. For more J/105 North Americans sailing information
Rolex Big Boat Series Preview(San Francisco, CA)- With racing set to start this weekend, the 46th annual Rolex Big Boat Series, hosted by California’s St. Francis Yacht Club, is playing host to 97 boats, including 26 IRC entrants. An innovative twist will be the inclusion of an IRC light displacement--read super-fast--sport boat class-- like the notorious J/125s! The balance of the fleet is comprised of one-designs with J's representing two of the larger classes- the J/105 class with 24 entrants followed by J/120s with 8 entrants. Total J's participating, including the two J/125s AUGUST ICE and DOUBLE TROUBLE, means 36 J's of 98 boats entered in this year's RBBS- nearly 40% of the fleet!
For the J/120 class, one of the expected leaders may be Barry Lewis's CHANCE, last year's winner of the Rolex BBS. But, CHANCE will most certainly be challenged by John Wimer's DESDEMONA from Half Moon Bay, California. Last year, the outcome of the last race determined the overall winner of this very competitive class. 2008's winner MISTER MAGOO sailed by Steve Madeira will surely be a contender as will Don Payan's DAYENU that finished third last year. BTW, the J/120's are the J/Calendar's 2010 Rolex BBS September "poster childs" (see http://www.jboats.com/sailing-calendar).Returning to defend their title in the J/105 class will be Chris Perkins' GOOD TIMIN. Also contending for the top spot will be 2009 J/105 North American Champion Bruce Stone sailing ARBITRAGE (2nd in RBBS 2009). Both of these class leaders will be challenged by other podium finishers in past RBBS's, including, Jeff Littfin's and John Case's MOJO, Rolf Kaiser's DONKEY JACK, Scooter Simmons BLACKHAWK, the Spiegel's JAM SESSION and the Laby/Pipkin team on board RACER-X. For more Rolex Big Boat Series sailing information.
J/Regatta News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
The fall season appears to be kicking into high gear around the northern parts while the Aussies and others Down Under are just beginning to get rolling in their spring season! The UK is prepping for their renowned Fall Series in the Solent. And, in the Americas classes like the J/80s held their North Americans which are seen as a prelude of things to come for the J/80 Worlds in Newport Concurrently, the Irish held their J/24 Nationals, the J/109s held their US East Coast Championships and Sailing World held another one of their popular SW NOOD Regattas in Larchmont, NY. 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. Don't forget to visit the J/Cruising Community section below.
Regatta & Show Schedules:
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
Sep 15-19- Seattle Boat Show- Seattle, WA- http://www.boatsafloatshow.com/
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/
Sept 18-19 - J/22 East Coast Championship - Annapolis, MD- http://www.j22.org
Sep 25-26- American YC Fall Series- Rye, NY- http://www.americanyc.org Oct. 3-9- J/80 Worlds- Newport, RI- http://www.j80worlds2010.org/
Oct 7-11- Annapolis Sailboat Show- Annapolis, MD- http://www.usboat.com/us-sailboat-show Oct 16-17- J/Fest Southwest- Houston, TX- http://www.lakewoodyachtclub.com
Jan 17-21- J/80 Midwinters- Key West, FL- http://www.j80.org
Jan 17-21- J/105 Midwinters- Key West, FL- http://www.j105.org
Jan 17-21- J/95 Midwinters- Key West, FL- http://www.jboats.com/j95
Jan 17-21- Key West Race Week- Key West, FL- http://www. premiere-racing.com
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
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
Sep 15-19- Seattle Boat Show- Seattle, WA- http://www.boatsafloatshow.com/
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/
Sept 18-19 - J/22 East Coast Championship - Annapolis, MD- http://www.j22.org
Sep 25-26- American YC Fall Series- Rye, NY- http://www.americanyc.org Oct. 3-9- J/80 Worlds- Newport, RI- http://www.j80worlds2010.org/
Oct 7-11- Annapolis Sailboat Show- Annapolis, MD- http://www.usboat.com/us-sailboat-show Oct 16-17- J/Fest Southwest- Houston, TX- http://www.lakewoodyachtclub.com
Jan 17-21- J/80 Midwinters- Key West, FL- http://www.j80.org
Jan 17-21- J/105 Midwinters- Key West, FL- http://www.j105.org
Jan 17-21- J/95 Midwinters- Key West, FL- http://www.jboats.com/j95
Jan 17-21- Key West Race Week- Key West, FL- http://www. premiere-racing.com
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
Storck Family Wins J/80 North Americans(Marion, MA)- Vene, vidi, vici. Five strong. The Jackson Five they're not, but they sure put on quite a show. The Storck family team again prevailed as J/80 North American Champions with a dramatic finish over a very strong fleet that saw competitors from Canada as well as from far-away places like Denmark, Hong Kong and Japan! It was an extraordinary event hosted by Beverly Yacht Club and superbly run by PRO Sam Vineyard. Three great days of sailing, thirteen races and in wind conditions that varied considerably, providing a tremendous test for all forty-four teams. And, it certainly proved to be an excellent "training" event for all teams participating in the J/80 Worlds happening in Newport, RI in early October. Perhaps what was most remarkable about the quality and depth of the fleet was the fact that EIGHT different boats won over the course of thirteen races! Boats were loaded with talent with National, North American, World Champions, college All-Americans and College Sailors Of The Year spread across the top fifteen boats.
The fleet was blessed with blustery N-NW winds on Friday. Upwards of thirty degree shifts swept across the course varying in intensity from 5 to 18 knots...nowhere near what was forecast for the day (less). With a course laid out across the easternmost portions of Buzzards Bay, the starting line was set just shy of the Cape Cod Canal shipping channel and weather mark set in the general vicinity of Converse Point. It was clear the Storck's (Dad- John III, sons John Jr and Eric, daughter Katie and Kayla Johnson) threw down the gauntlet early and were not to be denied, winning the first race in their well-known boat RUMOR, followed by Glenn Darden of Fort Worth Boat Club in second sailing LE TIGRE, Jay Lutz/ Gary Kamins from California YC sailing FIRED UP in third and Jeff Johnstone from Ida Lewis YC racing LITTLE FEAT into fourth. This race proved to be a premonition of things to come, as three of the top four in the race took the top three overall! The fleet continued to be treated with great racing conditions all day and PRO "Sam the Man" Vineyard simply told any competitor that inquired, "we're racing all day". He wasn't kidding, managing to pull off five races by 5pm... a fun but exhausting 9+ hours of sailing! In addition to the teams mentioned above, one of the better performances of the day was turned in by Ben Schwartz from New York YC, sailing his LUCKY FROG to a 5-8-8-3-6 record to be amongst the early regatta leaders. Everyone else seemed to have one throw-out race already accounted for on the first day!
By the second day, the fleet continued to see a northerly gradient wind flow with N-NE winds forecasts up to 15 knots at midday and diminishing to 5 kts.. very atypical for Buzzards Bay, more renowned for its powerful San Francisco Bay-like sea breezes than for multi-day northerlies. How wrong those computer weather models were again! By the start of the first race the winds were gusting well in excess of 15 knots from the Northeast and for the rest of the day winds blew in excess of 23 knots at times, creating some carnage on the race course with torn spinnakers, blown up spinnaker poles, bent stanchions and bruised egos. But for most, a blast to sail downwind as the 80s simply took off on fast planing angles. At this point, the early regatta leaders began taking their steps to cement their positions atop the leader board. Like the first day, the left side of the course continued to pay most of the time because of the geography (instead of Converse Point, this time it was Butler Point). The Storck's RUMOR managed to avoid the one BAD race and sailed to a 9-8-7-2-8 score for the day; Darden's LE TIGRE really did have a tiger by the tail and got the day's best tally at 7-2-3-1-4; and Johnstone's LITTLE FEAT sailed nearly as well with a very consistent 4-6-5-4-5 record. Sailing strongly on this day was New York YC's Henry Brauer and Will Welles on RASCAL, making their bid for a phoenix-like comeback with a 3-4-6-8-10 score, but had to take a DSQ for their 6th.
Sunday dawned with lots of low-level flying clouds with high-level cirrus layered above and another not so promising forecast with winds pegged to be in the 5-13 knot range from the NE and diminishing during the day. Following the same theme of wrong forecasts as the previous two days, the fleet was treated to another excellent day of sailing with NE-ENE winds in the 8-17 knot range. With the course setup so the windward mark was in the general vicinity of Bird Island south of Butler Point, one might have guessed that sailing off into the Cape Cod Canal shipping channel with favorable current in the morning races might help. It didn't. The first two races still saw a strong play to the left side of the course. Not until the last leg of the last race did the "giant right-hand" shift kick in as all models kept forecasting to favor those who could see the black puff rolling across the Bay from Cape Cod. With the regatta on the line, it was clear the top five boats were very aware of their placement relative to one another. Johnstone's LITTLE FEAT drew first blood, opening the first two races with a 1-2 followed by Scott Young's and Terry Flynn's QUANTUM RACING Team from Austin YC (TX) with a 5-3 and Chip Johns' CAVITICA from host Beverly YC with a 3-5. The Storck's started the day slowly, getting themselves in trouble with a 16-6 while Darden started with an 8-7. The result of these finishes were that Darden's LE TIGRE could win the regatta if they could press Johnstone's LITTLE FEAT below 20th in the last race and simply hope that the Storck's RUMOR wouldn't get anything higher than a 2nd--- for the most part a pretty good bet. Darden succeeded in preventing Johnstone from getting a 20th or better but he could do nothing but watch the Storck's sail an incredibly dramatic race to win the last one, the biggest one, to take the regatta, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat right at the finish line! Nearly six boats all crossed the line in less fifteen seconds for the final race! At the end, the top three were the Storck's RUMOR, Darden's LE TIGRE and Johnstone's LITTLE FEAT. Fourth was Scott Young/ Terry Flynn's QUANTUM RACING and fifth was Kerry Klingler and Robert Miller's LIFTED.Special thanks to BYC Commodore Chip Johns and to Karen Manning, the regatta chair, and her team of volunteers for delivering a fantastic regatta. As usual, the Beverly Yacht Club were terrific hosts, great volunteers and had amazing support from the local Marion community. The racing was excellent, with great courses and the pace of the racing kept everyone on their toes with little time to waste between each races. Barden's Boat Yard also chipped in, and deserves special "thanks", for providing all the hauling/ launching for all J/80s for the event, including having an entire team of crane operators, bobcat drivers for moving trailers and cherry pickers for picking masts on Sunday (their day off!)-- now that's service with a smile! For more J/80 North Americans Sailing information. Sailing Photo Credits- Spectrum Photo/ Fran Grenon
O'Driscoll Earns Irish J/24 Title(Dublin, Ireland)- An exhibition of how to win sailing races on the second day of the Irish J/24 Championships saw Flor O'Driscoll and his crew from the Royal St.George YC on HARD ON PORT deservedly win the national title by the impressive margin of 19 points at Howth Yacht Club near Dublin, venue for the 2011 J/24 European Championships.
Three bullets on day two, including one which required coming from behind to outfox former champion Stefan Hyde by the final leeward mark, was sufficient to give the pre-event favourite the championship. O'Driscoll's cause was certainly helped when overnight leader and defending champion Mickey McCaldin on MURDER PICTURE (LEYC) was one of five boats 'black-flagged' on the first race start after PRO David Lovegrove imposed the penalty following a couple of general recalls.
That effectively ended the Ulster crew's challenge and it was followed by two other poor results which ultimately dropped them to 6th overall. The black flag decision also had a significant impact on other overall results, with another Lough Erne entry, Diarmuid O'Donovan's SAYONARA jumping four places to earn the runners-up spot, thanks to two second places and an 8th. It was enough to edge past clubmate and J/24 Class President Robin Eagleson who wasn't as effective as on the first day but did more enough to justify 3rd overall and also first in the silver fleet for the older boats.The 17-boat fleet, one of the biggest J/24 fleets in recent years, augurs well for the J/24 Europeans at Howth next year, with around eight nations already confirming their intention to compete. Final results were HARD ON PORT first with a regatta dominating 13 points, followed by O'Dononvan's SAYONARA with 32 points and Robin Eagleson's LUDER TOO in third with 34 points. Just off the pace by a tack or two was Fergus O'Kelly's JIBBERISH in fourth with 35 points and incredibly only one more point back was Andrew Mannion's JEB STUART with 36 points in fifth. Could've bet more than a few points of Guinness on that one as to who was the luckiest Irishman of the bunch, eh?! Great regatta to all...watch out to all those arriving next year for the Euro's! Sailing Photo Credits- FotoSail For more Irish J/24 Nationals sailing information.
RUSH Wins J/109 East Coast ChampionshipsTeam RUSH Also Take Larchmont NOOD Overall
(Larchmont, NY)- Some regattas just get a bad rap. It only a takes a drifter or two before a place gets an undue reputation for being a no-wind racetrack. Fair enough for Long Island Sound in the summertime, where the old-timers say it just doesn’t blow like it did back in the day. (Something to do with all the development on nearby “Lawng Island.” However, there was no idle time this weekend in Larchmont. For the final event of the 2010 Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta series, 70-something entries in nine classes sailed two race-packed days: one with brilliant sunshine and mind-bending windshifts, and one with a 20-knot easterly pushing in big swells and steep chop. There was plenty of current, too. Just to make things interesting.
While the lighter winds and shifts of Saturday rewarded those with their collective heads out of the boat, Sunday was all about speed through the waves, and finding the stronger winds. Many competitors reported the left side of the course as the place to be early in the day, but the right side came into its own toward the end. The middle, more than few unhappy crews told me, was not the place to be. But, isn’t that always the case?
Even with the rougher conditions, which will usually separate the cream, there was plenty of tight-pack racing and battles for points. The sixteen boat J/105 fleet were mixing it up as usual, and when it was all said and done, Joerg Esdorn’s KINCSEM, eeked out the class win again with a single point to spare over Kevin Grainger’s GUMPTION. KINCSEM's win wasn’t pretty, but it’s solid proof that consistency is no easy accomplishment in the J/105 class, no matter how long you’ve been at the helm-- their record was 4-1-2-2-11-5 for 25 points. GUMPTION sailed to a 7-5-1-9-2-2 for 26 points. Third was the New England Circuit winner, Damian Emery's ECLIPSE with a 1-8-7-1-3-7 for 27 points, just two points off first!The J/109 entourage were sailing their East Coast Championship at the Larchmont NOOD, and with 2009 overall winner, Rick Lyall’s STORM from Annapolis YC, in attendance, we figured it was going to be a full-spirited battle among the top-three boats in this eight-boat fleet. But that was before the close of business on Saturday, when Bill Sweetster’s RUSH sailed into Larchmont Harbor with three bullets notched on the results sheet. They followed form Sunday, winning the first race, and finishing second in the other two to secure the class win, and the overall regatta title-- their record was 1-1-1-1-2-2 for 8 points! The “overall,” of course, earns them a berth at the Caribbean NOOD Championship in November where they’ll take on winning teams from the other eight NOOD Regattas. As fast as team RUSH appeared on the water, they were even quicker once they hit the dock--— off they rushed to catch flights back to their hometown Annapolis, unaware they’d won. Second was Rick Lyall's STORM from Cedar Point YC with a 4-4-2-2-1-4 record for 17 points. Adrian Begley's MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN from Atlantic Highlands YC was third with a 6-7-4-3-3-1 record for 24 points.
The J/122s had a small fleet but strong competition amongst them. This time around, it was Andrew Weiss's CHRISTOPHER DRAGON from Indian Harbor YC slaying the 122s with a solid 1-1-2-1-2-1 record for eight points. Second was Tom Boyle racing WINGS from American YC with a 2-2-1-2-3-2 record for twelve points. Steve Furnary's PATRIOT from American YC rounded out the top three with a 4-4-4-3-1-3 record. Good class racing with everyone getting a chance to win a race! For more Sailing World NOOD sailing information.
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* J Sailors and friends dominate the U.S. Qualifying Series for New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup. Surprised? The regatta saw Eastern Yacht Club's team, skippered by Bill Lynn (Marblehead, Mass.) and crewed by his son, Peter Lynn, and Rick Myers (both Marblehead) and Alden Reid (Bedford, Mass), besting 24 other prominent U.S. YC's for the right to compete in this coming year's New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup. During the first two days of racing on Narragansett Bay, in which 24 of the nation’s foremost yacht clubs were split equally into fleets designated Red or Blue, the competitors sailed half of each day’s races in either NYYC’s Sonars or Sail Newport’s J/22s.Said Lynn of the regatta: "There's so many good sailors here it's ridiculous. If you miss one shift you lose five boats, and you look around and all of a sudden you're in 11th and there are 12 boats. It's really close racing. There’s so many good sailors here it’s ridiculous. If you miss one shift you lose five boats, and you look around and all of a sudden you’re in 11th and there are 12 boats. It’s really close racing.
Lynn also noted that, "Winning is not the objective. Not losing is the objective." But win he did after six races on the final day in which Eastern Yacht Club placed no worse than fourth to end the series with 40 points.
"It was a nice day of sailing, pretty shifty," said Lynn shortly before the awards presentation at Harbour Court, the NYYC Clubhouse. "We were tied for first going into the day, and we didn’t blow it more than anything else. We stayed consistent, stayed in the top-five. Our goal for the week was to just qualify the club."
Annapolis Yacht Club was second overall in the Gold fleet standings with 50 points. Skipper Peter McChesney, with Shane Zwingleberg and Scott Snyder (all Annapolis) as crew, was a fan of the conditions that had stymied some teams. "The current was good for us when it was strong at the starting line because we had good starts. On the Chesapeake we’re used to current and some of the lake people [competing here] are not. We were up on the line, and other people were getting pushed back. It was helpful for us." McChesney felt that it would not be an easy feat to be one of the U.S. teams that qualify because there were so many great sailors participating. "Our mantra was ‘first is third and third is first’ for this regatta. We’re very pumped to be where we are. The competition is fantastic. Racing is extremely tight, and the whole philosophy of the regatta is fantastic. It’s an honor to come to this regatta," he concluded.
Taking third place in the Gold fleet standings with 67 points was the team from Newport Harbor Yacht Club skippered by Payson Infelise (Newport Beach, Calif.). "It’s tough out there," Infelise said at the end of the final day of the event. With Chris Raab (Long Beach, Calif.) and Reid Vitarelli (Newport Beach) crewing, Newport Harbor won the first race of the day and struggled a bit before closing the series with another win. "I had a little trouble getting off the starting line today which was uncharacteristic of me, but we pulled through with some good tactics and boat handling and were able to pull off top-three and that’s what we’re here for. We were thrown out of race 10, which we had won, after we crossed a buoy line next to the Naval War College. Unfortunately we weren’t really paying attention at the time. We were all racing to get to the right hand side ‘cause that was definitely favored to get out of the current and that’s the way it turned out."
Although Infelise had sailed Sonars at NYYC during a championship in 2007, he was surprised by the current. "The last time I sailed here it wasn’t as big a factor. But it’s definitely tough racing out there, definitely a tough competition. Most of my sailing has been as the middle/tactician, so driving is kind of new to me; I think we surprised some people."
The event consumed its fair share of internet bandwidth over its four-day run. Newport Harbor Yacht Club kept fans at home up-to-date via Twitter (NHYCsail), while Fishing Bay Yacht Club posted regular updates to their Facebook page, Kattack followed the racing in real time, and Brad Dellenbaugh, NYYC’s sailing director, posted regular updates to the event blog from the race course.
The New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup U.S. Qualifying Series is sponsored by Sperry Top-Sider and Jaguar North America, with the support of Sailing World, Shumway Marine, J/Boats and Team One Newport.
For more NYYC Invite Series sailing information.
http://nyyc.org/2010USICQualifying/
* Dave Ullman- A lengthy and distinguished career has afforded Dave Ullman formidable insight into both the art and business of sailing. As a direct result of his many achievements, Dave has a genuine interest in ensuring that future generations have access to the experiences and learnings of the past. "Ullie" as he's affectionately known by close friends, has known the J family since 1972 sailing in 470s. By 1977, the introduction of the J/24 meant that it was simply another fractionally-rigged, keelboat version of the 470 to Ullie. Experience in "fracs" led to an early jump for Ullman Sails in leading the J/24 class down the path of simply faster sails. While Ullie simply knows the co-founders of J/Boats as Bob and Rod, he and Peter Harken know Bob's next generation as simply "the goddamn kids" (more on that story some other day...includes notables like Peter Barret and current Tufts University President Larry Bacow and MIT colleague Alan Spoon). Here's the rest of the story in Sail-World"So then. Let's actually start with his significant and distinguished past. Dave was born and raised in Newport Beach, California. He came from a sailing family, where his induction to the water was certainly dramatic. ‘Dad was very adversary; we went to Catalina Island a lot, which was 20 miles away, nearly every other weekend. He had a Pram dinghy and when I was about three years old, he would tie a line on the Pram and send me off sailing out the back of the family vessel. When it was lunchtime, he'd pull me in. That's how I learned to sail', was how Dave described it.
This wasn't enough to turn Dave off the sport. On the contrary, clearly it actually engulfed him. ‘I started racing when I was six. There was an adult group who sailed boats called Balboa dinghies. They were like an early version Sabot with one sheet of eight-foot plywood as the main part. They asked me if I'd race with them, to which I said, ‘Sure'. At six years of age, most of the other kids around weren't sailing at all', he said.
The local junior racing program ensued from there and when he was around 14 years of age, Dave got serious with the International Snipe class. Now as a result of that, the first of his international campaigns had been born. ‘It seemed like it was something I could do. I did a lot of surfing at the time, too." Read more about "Ullie's" experience here.
The J Cruising Community
J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most 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). Bill and Susan Grun 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).
* 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). Bill and Susan Grun 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 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 
performance 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 sailing blog. 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 at email- jeff@jk3yachts.com
performance 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 sailing blog. 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 at email- jeff@jk3yachts.com 
J/95 #1 Available in Florida!
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.
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.
