British-American Cup Sail J/80s(London, England- 27–31 October)- The oldest international team racing contest in the world is taking place this weekend on Royal Thames YC's London sailing venue at Queen Mary Water. Racing will take place in the fleet of 6 evenly matched J/80s jointly owned and managed by Royal Thames Yacht Club and Royal Yacht Squadron (based in Cowes, England).
The British-American Cup, first raced in 1922, enters a new era in 2010 with the first match of the Fifth Series, to be sailed at Queen Mary Water. On-the-water practice for both British and American teams is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, with racing taking place on Friday 29th, Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st October.
The BA Cup represents a pinnacle in international team racing in keelboats. First sailed in International 6 Metres and contested effectively as a fleet racing contest between the United States and Great Britain it is now raced at the keenest level as a four-on-four team race by the top team racers in the two countries. Several British clubs have from time-to-time been involved in the British end of the contest including the Royal Victoria YC, the Royal Northern (now Royal Northern & Clyde) YC, the Royal Yacht Squadron and the Royal Thames YC while throughout its history the Seawahnaka Corinthian YC of Oyster Bay, NY has been the American custodian of the contest.
It is the two Clubs who have been continuously associated with the contest since it began who take it forward to the Fifth Series, with a new trophy presented by the Royal Thames YC to be contested in three matches, in 2010, 2012 and 2014. The first match will be in the UK, the next in Oyster Bay and the third in UK. After 2014 the Clubs will decide whether to continue with the Fifth Series or once more refresh the contest with a new format. For more British American Cup sailing information.
J/109 WHISKEY JACK Sailing China Cup(Hong Kong, China)- The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club was a-hummin’ and a-buzzin’ Wednesday evening, with all the crews in town – many of them overseas – for the opening cocktails and the skippers’ briefing for tomorrow’s passage race from Hong Kong to Longcheer, Daya Bay, Shenzhen, the opening event of the CCIR. The buzz was because "China’s signature offshore yachting race" to Longcheer, China was cancelled. Something to do with local marine regulations. Instead, the racing fleet will make its way to Daya Bay, and the Race Officer will slot an extra race into the Saturday-Sunday-Monday programme to make up for the lost opening race. The sailors have been promised an Opening Ceremony of impressive proportions, complete with lots of speeches from people in suits (don't we love it, bow-ties anyone?). Guy Nowell, from Sail-World Asia, will be reporting from the side deck of the J/109 WHISKEY JACK during the regatta. For more China Cup sailing information.
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
What a difference a week makes. There is a remarkable family story on the European side of the world that continues to evolve on a little island republic in the middle of that inland sea called the Mediterranean. It's called Malta. And, if the Maltese have learned a thing or two about survival in the middle of massive empires at the cross-roads of the world's most lucrative trading routes over a few centuries, then consider the fact that knowing "how" to sail one's boat might actually be important- in "love and war". Today, a loving, sea-going family was successful in the Rolex Middle Sea Race. While seafarers in the Med are renown for their sailing expertise, those in the British Isles are playing "rope-a-dope" on two proverbial "lakes", each distinct in their ability to confound the best navigators/ tacticians in the world. One is the RYA Match Race Nationals on the "Queen Mary" in the middle of London and the other is the "Winter Series" on the Solent. More European activity includes the J/22s concluding their season with a "Cooling Down" regatta in The Netherlands and the Spanish, while still celebrating winning the J/80 Worlds, have a fun match-racing event in J/80s for the Iberdrola J/80 Cup in Palma. In the Americas, the J/105s in the Northeast concluded their season with the Manhasset Bay Series and way, way further southeast in the Caribbean the J/22s in the Cayman Islands are getting their season started! 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- some of the best offshore sailors we know!Regatta & Show Schedules:
Oct 9-Dec 11- Hamble Winter Series- Hamble, England- http://www.garminhamblewinterseries.co.ukOct 20-24- Vela Panamericana- Puerto Vallarta, Mexico-http://www.velapanamericana.com/
Jan 10-14- J/24 Australian Nationals- Sydney, OZ- http://j24australia.com.au/
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.
J's Win Rolex Middle Sea RaceARTIE and JARU Win IRC Class 3 & 4
(Malta)- The 31st edition of the 606-nautical mile Rolex Middle Sea Race began Saturday, 23 October from Grand Harbour, Malta and the first boats finished by Monday the 25th. There is no question it was another epic odyssey for those sailors crossing the trading routes of antiquity, experiencing what many a mariner must have faced back in the days of Phoenicians ruling the Med or the Romans facing enormous navigational (and boat-handling) problems crossing the straits to Tunisia. In short, whether it was Rome's Neptune or the Greek's Poseidon, the mythological Gods of the Sea threw everything, including the Roman baths and kitchen sinks at the fleet as they took their counter-clockwise course around the extraordinarily picturesque volcanic island of Sicily. Faced with everything from dead calms to 40+ knot Mistrals from the WNW, it was certainly going to be a test of the sailors as well as their boats.
Before the race, the betting was on as to which Ripard family team was going to beat the other. And, perhaps more importantly, who was going to add another Rolex watch to their collection, especially after Christian Ripard won class and overall in the 2001 edition of the Rolex MSR with his J/125 STRAIGHT DEALER. Local knowledge in this race helps and, as predicted, the Ripard-family sailed teams would be very competitive against a very strong fleet of professionally sailed TP52s and an assortment of 45 to 100 foot custom racers. 
After a difficult, physically-demanding and challenging race, the J/122 ARTIE sailed by Royal Malta YC members Lee Satariano and Christian Ripard won IRC Class 4 were 2nd in IRC overall, just missing by just 26 minutes the overall honors against a slew of high-speed, custom offshore sleds like TP52s and two 100 foot canting keelers. First J to finish by just 25 minutes over the J/122 ARTIE was the J/133 JARU co-skippered by John Ripard Jr. and his brother-in-law, Andrew Calascione. JARU sailed strongly to win IRC Class 3 and place 3rd just behind ARTIE for IRC overall, in fact, beating in class a Swan 45 and Swan 56 custom and a Summit/Mills 40. Finishing 5th also in IRC Class 3 and 12th Overall IRC was the J/133 JUNO sailed by Sonke Stein.ARTIE's Christian Ripard commented- "all three J's, ARTIE J/122, JARU J/133 and JUNO J/133, have done the J Boats family proud and all the crew of these three boats would not change their boats for anything else-- and my congratulations to Didier LeMoal and the Johnstone family and their teams for building us a solid, fast, comfortable, safe boat capable of winning against flat-out offshore race boats crewed by professional America's Cup and Volvo guys! My bow-man is 19 years old and this was his first offshore race!"
It was a horse-race from the beginning. By late Sunday night, the J/122 ARTIE was leading the fleet on corrected time going thru the Straits of Messina. At the Stromboli checkpoint, it was going to the wire in Class Three. Sonke Stein’s J/133 JUNO was leading, but only just, four minutes ahead of JARU and ARGO from Malta and Italy respectively, who are inseparable on corrected time.Stein said, "Although JUNO is registered in Hamburg, she is based in Malta. This is my first Rolex Middle Sea Race with the boat, but personally this is my ninth race. The crew is mainly Maltese and has done the race many times. We hope to win, but the competition is very strong, we are looking forward to more exciting conditions ahead and above all to enjoy quality time with good friends."
One crew member in the race, Hillary Cook, commented on email, "North of Sicily it feels like we have sailed into a different climate zone. Gone from deck is the stash of sun cream and water bottles, to be replaced by thermals, oilskins and pleas for cups of hot tea. Porridge for breakfast this morning was very welcome after a challenging night, battling heavy rain and a wind which refused to make up its mind whether it was still southeasterly or the promised westerly, and at times settled for being zero."
If you have any interest in peering at a yacht tracker, check out each one of the boats tracks on the RMSR website. After the R/P 100 Esimit Europa 2 claimed line honours on Monday, the Slovenian maxi held the corrected lead, but only until the TP52 Lucky (USA) completed a fantastic lap around Sicily to take the overall handicap lead. Then it was down to ARTIE, and for a while, fellow Maltese boat JARU, a J/133, to see if they could beat the clock. Artie had to finish at 08.18 Wednesday morning, and at the various checkpoints of the course that meant averaging around mid-9 knots. They had shown flashes of this speed, so it was all possible. It was pretty impressive sailing in a J/122, a 40-foot performance racer-cruiser class that has had great success at several offshore events, including the Rolex Fastnet Race.ARTIE had a fast passage Tuesday night hitting boat speeds in the high teens, from Lampedusa through the South Comino Channel. Between Gozo and Comino the breeze held out, but around 08.00, as ARTIE sailed into Marsamxett Harbour, the breeze dropped away to zero, along with any chance of making the cutoff. Crossing the line at 08:44, ARTIE missed the overall win by a mere 26 minutes on corrected time. Incredible. And, to know you were winning going into the last few miles up into the Grand Harbour, from the giddy heights of euphoria to the dungeon of dismay in minutes.
Owner and co-skipper Lee Satariano could be expected to be disappointed, though he said, "Last night we had many hours where the boat was just surfing down the waves. I really enjoyed that moment, it was really moving. There was really nothing I would change, we raced the boat to its fullest potential, but we have only had this boat for a short time and we are very happy with our achievement. We knew on the last day that we were close to having first overall, but from the beginning to the end we were always pushing it to the limit. At no point did we take it easy. The entries for the Rolex Middle Sea Race have been increasing every year and the competition is reaching a very high level. Maltese boats have shown well in recent races, we are up there; we can compete with the international competition."Artie’s co-skipper, Christian Ripard was also full of wonder about the blast home on the last night. "The last night was just wonderful sailing and the crew had become fully in tune with each other. We were sailing on the edge and that requires precision, something that can only be achieved by perfect harmony which comes with time together on the boat."
First Maltese boat home was Andrew Calascione’s J/133 JARU, after 3 days, 20 hours, 2 minutes. Calascione said, "Sailing last night was one of those really special nights. First of all, the moon came up at a certain time where we were actually heading into it. We probably had a steady 17 knots of wind – chute up – and squalls to 25 knots, with just fantastic speeds because the wind was off the port quarter. Big seas, just a fantastic night of sailing, one of those things you dream of, twelve hours of it! The crew is in great shape, so it was good." For more Rolex Middle Sea Race sailing information. Rolex Sailing Photos/ Kurt ArrigoCherry Picks RYA Match Race Hat Trick(Queen Mary Reservoir, London, England- Oct. 22-24)- Racing in a matched fleet of J/80s, Nick Cherry picked up a third Royal Yachting Association National Match Racing title, scooping victory in a thrilling final showdown.
It went right down to the wire with a maximum five race final but it was two-time National title holder Nick Cherry (2007,2006) who finally walked away victorious this past weekend, walking off with the coveted crown for a third time at the 2010 RYA National Match Racing Championship Grand Final held at Queen Mary Sailing Club, Staines (about 15 minutes southwest of Heathrow Airpot). Nick had to overcome double defending champion Mark Campbell-James (2009, 2008, 2005), who was also looking likely to rack up a three straight wins hat-trick this year sailing with his newly crowned Extreme 40 Series Champion brother Paul. Cherry kept his nerve right up until the last possible race clinching the 2010 title in the "thrilla from Manila" final "rope-a-dope" race.
Entering the quarter finals on Saturday in pole position with a 100% unbeaten record Campbell-James retained his perfect score right up until the third race of the finals. But it didn’t take long for Cherry, who suffered defeats to Sam Pearson and Campbell-James early on in the round-robin phase, to find his winning pace. The Southampton based sailor stepped it up a gear and cruised through the quarter and semi-finals having not dropped a race, boosting his team’s confidence ready for the trophy deciding duel.
It was Campbell-James who took the first two wins looking to have all but sealed the crown. However race three saw a come-back from Cherry who edged ahead and forced the result to a fourth contest. Holding his nerve in impressive style Cherry and his crew, Matt Adams, Ed Hill and Connor Myant, pushed through with another win, this time more convincing, profiting from a lucky split on the start line enabling him to stretch out ahead.
With two wins a piece tensions were running high between the old rivals as they went into the fifth and final clash. Neck-and-neck right up to the second windward mark, the race could have gone either way. But pushing in front after a head-to-wind luffing match, Cherry rounded the mark first sealing the deal and crossing the line ahead of his opponent to swipe the title in an enthralling climax to the event.
A chuffed Cherry commented: "It feels really good to win again. When we were two races down we just said to each other we knew we could do it and we’re sailing pretty well. We didn’t get too down and just carried on and got stuck in! I think we got in tune with the shifts and started to sail the race course more effectively than our opponents and it came together for us. There was plenty of overtaking, hanging around head-to-wind at the windward mark and there was lead changing in almost every race. We’ve raced Mark a lot over the years and it’s always close. It’s what we know so we knew if we could just hold it together there was every chance we could win. We really enjoyed it!" he concluded.
A disappointed Campbell-James was eager to sing his opponent's praises: "It was good racing out there – we're a bit gutted but we were unbeaten until the last three races and those were the three that counted. Nick sailed well and we had a good fight on pretty much every race of the final." With half his crew hailing from the same town as Cherry he joked: "My crew Paul and Nick are a bit upset about the Southampton rivalry but they’re good mates and they’ll get over it!"
The petit final saw Women’s World Match Racing Champions Lucy Macgregor and Annie Lush, plus crew, beat higher ISAF ranked skipper Ali Hall in three straight wins ensuring a well-deserved podium spot for this week’s Busan Women's International Match Race, (Korea) bound team. The girls were a potent force in this year's event. Even Campbell-James was treating them with the upmost respect and awe, stating that, "I think the girls are going to be on form – they’ve obviously been sailing well all year and they are World Champions. The interesting thing will be how much the level has moved on since last year with the girls having done so much and how the guys are going to fair against them. It’ll be interesting to see who comes out on top."
Racing was tight across all ten teams sailing at the Grand Final, and youngest competing skipper, James French, made a great event debut beating World University Match Racing Champion Andrew Shaw in one of his races.
Long standing Umpire, Chris Simon, joined Cherry in taking home an accolade from the weekend picking up the Paul Banner trophy for his sportsmanship and outstanding contribution to International Umpiring; the event marking his retirement from his international role. Final results and sailing information for J/80 RYA Match Racing. Preview of the J/80 RYA Match Race sailing event.
Challenging Garmin Hamble Winter/ Big Boat SeriesThe DREAM, JIKA-JIKA, OI! Winning
(Hamble, England)- The third weekend of the 2010 Garmin Hamble Winter Series (24 October) produced more good racing. Sunday's steady northerly breeze produced double wins from the two J classes in the Garmin Black Group fleet, including the Apthorp’s J/109 J-DREAM and Mike and Jamie Holmes' JIKA-JIKA. Saturday's racing was marked by an unexpected squall when 12–15 knots of westerly breeze leapt to 40 knots at precisely 1300hrs. It was soon over but Race Director Jamie Wilkinson had immediately signaled an abandonment, and the two fleets returned for a restart of Race 3.
Sixteen J/109s sailed this weekend, making for tough competition. Was it a "dream come true", again? Sure was. The J-DREAM team (David & Kirsty Apthorp) dialed up the pressure again on their colleagues and now have a 1-3-1-2-1-1 score for 6 points. Lying second is OFFBEAT (David McLeman) with a 9-2-4-3-4-5 tally for 18 points. Third just one point back is OUTRAJEOUS (Richard & Valerie Griffith) with scores of 5-5-3-4-5-2 for 19 points. In the Big Boat Series IRC 0 Class, the J/122s and J/133s continue to sail in a challenging series. Ian Matthews' J/122 JINJA is sailing well, still lying in second place. Jackie and Robert Dobson's J/133 JERONIMO sailed a reasonable set of races on the third weekend, but dropping them into 6th place, but only 5 points from 3rd overall! The tale of the tape in this class goes race-by-race; especially since JINJA is counting a DNF in Race 9 in her scores.
In IRC 3 Class, the J/97s continue to sail well, with one leading the standings and the others falling off the pace a bit. Mike and Jamie Holmes J/97 JIKA-JIKA has now surged into the lead with a 4-1-1-3-1-1 record for 7 points in this competitive 17 boat class. Mike Flood's J/97 INDULJENCE, Ed Holton's J/110 SHADES OF BLUE, Bill Blain's J/97 BATFISH IV and Richard Watney's J/97 JENGA VI have fallen back or for family reasons have not been able to sail the full series.
Amongst the J/80s it's John Cooper on OI! still dominating the Winter Series with a 1-1-1-3-2-2-2-2 for 11 points! Now just seven points back is Patrick Liardet on AQUA-J with a 2-4-3-5-4-3-1-1 for 18 points. Now lying third is Gordon Craigen's SWALLOW with a 6-3-4-4-6-1-3-3 for 24 points.
The Bugle's Oliver Weeks presented the overall trophies and prizes, and the whole fleet were invited to enjoy live music at The Bugle in Hamble that evening. The Spinlock day prizes were presented by James Hall and Simon Crowther. Next Sunday’s racing (31 Oct.) sees the fourth round of the main Garmin Hamble Winter Series, with day prizes presented by Harken UK. There will also be more cakes on the menu in response to popular demand! Me thinks carbo-loading with sausage patsy's and Guinness were standard issue crew meals. Have times changed? Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth Pictures For more Garmin Hamble Winter Series results and sailing information.
ECLIPSE Wins J/105 Manhasset Bay Fall Series(Manhasset, New York- Oct. 23-24)- It only took one race on the final day of the season to decide the champion of the Manhasset Bay Fall Series. Sailing in a fresh easterly breeze, Damian Emery's ECLIPSE picked off PLANET CLAIRE on the second weather leg and JADED on the final downwind leg to capture victory in both the race and the series. There was still another race to sail, but with ECLIPSE holding a throwout of 5 points, the win gave it all the margin it needed to assure first place in the Fall championship. Then, almost as if performing a victory lap (or two), ECLIPSE went on to comfortably win the eighth and final race of the series--leading from the favored pin end all of the way to the finish.
The regatta completed an exceptional season for Emery, who entered more East Coast J/105 events than any other boat and who won four of them: Cedar Point, Block Island, the West Passage Regatta and the J/105 East Coast Championships in Newport. Second place for the Manhasset Fall Series went to KINCSEM, sailed by Joerg Esdorn and Duncan Hennes. Third went to Josh Burak on PEREGRINA; fourth to 2009 winner Kevin Granger on GUMPTION, and fifth to Paul Strauch on ANDIAMO. Eleven J/105s participated in the event, but the competition was tight as the entrants were all among the area's top performers in 2010. For more J/105 Manhasset sailing information.
J/22 The Netherlands Cooling Down!GILL Girls Finish Third- Yippee!
(The Hague, The Netherlands)- The J/22 center of the universe. The Chairman's Word. The Place To Be-- it's called The Hague. Catch my drift? Seems The Brassermeer is The Locus of The J/22s on The Planet Europa. Here's The Chairman's Word from The High above The Hague:
"You sometimes hear people say that time flies ... It's already October and that means that the water is 'cooling down', ie. low temperatures, short days, cold water, the J-22 fleet, too, after a busy and competitive season to prepare for the Brassermeer.
A busy and competitive season that was it. For those who seem to forget, all of course started this year with the team Braassem Kesbeke (Ned 1609) as the winner. After the fleet was well represented in Stellendam with Team Henri Lloyd (Ger 1513) as the winner. Everybody was aware that hereafter you can not just be champion. Resulting in more J-22 teams at the start in Medemblik and more teams soon after the launch on the North Sea Regatta. Where Team Henri Lloyd (Ger 1513) again sailed to victory. This team would then be the new World Champion?There were training at weekends and even ordered a Warming Up Worlds sailed so everyone could get used to the notorious North Sea. Finally it was the day of the World Cup. Many sailors appeared to be well matched, but there was only a very deserving winner of-- Quantum Racing Team (Ned 1364).
Most teams had just sailed enough but this was definitely not the case at all. A few weeks later there was a thrilling battle between Team Henri Lloyd (1591) and Team Patron (1449) in Travemunde, Germany.
Team Kesbeke (1609) found that the boat had been dry long enough and dropped again in Muiden that she wanted to become Dutch champion. Two weeks later the big day-- the next showdown. Amid all the Olympic classes also were the J-22's to decide who was going to be Dutch champion. Until the finish it was really exciting, but team Quantum Racing (1364) became Dutch Champion.Oh, forgot. The "Cooling Down" of The Netherlands, The J/22 Fleet. The End Of The World, Cup season that is, was a real sailing spectacle.
There was already quite a breeze for the start of the regatta. By the time Maria and her team shot away from the starting line in a 25 knot breeze, it was clear the spinnaker laps were going to be very short. The cheers of many a boat was heard clearly across the course.
After the first race the wind increased even more. There was still waiting for a while, but when 38 knots was measured everyone was sent to the port. After a few hours of waiting, a lot of chocolate and pea soup, the wind had fallen far enough for another 2 races to start. After three races, the top team was Kesbeke NED 1609 with 3 points.
The next morning was a sunny autumn morning- picture perfect! The wind was making us all a bit nervous, it was certainly not above 10 knots. Fortunately, the wind filled a little and we could sail three delicious races. Unfortunately, the wind began to turn somewhat in the afternoon. There was even an aborted start because the wind turned 30 degrees. Therefore, we did not manage to get in a fourth race, bummer!
With 4 first places and two second places, Team NED 1609 Kesbeke Eelco Blok, Bart Fast and Niels Block Majeure were first. Second with 10 points were Team Sika Roy Heiner NED Academy 1450 Ronald Veraar, Robert Janssen and Joost Brouwer. Third, with only 5 points difference were the ladies from Team NED 1141 GILL, Maria Poulie, Bregtje Lodewikes, Renske Verbeek and Leontien Benders-- gorgeous girls, right?! Smart those girls!
And with that the 2010 season ended. It was a great year and we hope that many play our Winter Games on the Brassermeer, everyone and all teams are welcome. Prior to the Winter Games we will be givng training on Saturday. The first will be given by Wouter Kollman. Thereafter, Rik Sand Boer for some courses. Set the weekend of 11 and 12 December in your diary. More later.
Looking back, it has so far been a great sailing season with great moments and winners! But looking forward, we have a lot to do! Until next week! The Boss- Floris Toetenel." For more J/22 The Netherlands Sailing Information.
IBerdrola J/80 Cup(Palma Mallorca, Spain- Sept 17-18)- Sponsored by Iberdrola and the Hotel Association of Cala Millor, there were two amazing, incredible, wonderful days of racing in the match racing format sailing aboard J/80s off Palma. The two finalists- HOTEL EDEN and MOYA HORRACH-The Art Gallery- had an fantastic fight with many lead changes over the course of eight races. At the end of this titanic struggle for alien supremacy in the Iberdrola J/80 Cup, it was Team MOYA HORRACH-The Art Gallery winning by 6 to 2 over HOTEL EDEN.
Thanks to the organizers for their efforts, making available to the press and guests a catamaran where snacks and beverages were provided for all while enjoying the races. As well, hotel rooms for participants in the beautiful port of Cala Bona were also provided FOR FREE (yes, it's not a misprint). Gee, sounds like a tough life-- qualify to race the Iberdrola J/80 Cup, get wined and dined, get given J/80s to match race, sail in a gorgeous port off Palma, stay in a hotel for FREE? Hmmm. Sounds like it's time to get a J/80 and do some real sailing. Without a doubt, the amigos in Espana are having a fun time sailing J/80s, at some point the rest of the world will catch on. Great mix of guys and girls on their boats, perhaps that's the secret. :) For more Iberdrola J/80 Cup sailing in Spain.
Cayman Islands J/22 Governors CupJUST LEAVING Left Them Behind!
(Cayman Island, Sometime Last Week)- Yes, the "island groove" and ethos is still alive and well with our dear friends down in the Caribbean and those in the same friendly latitudes. Remember that feature awhile back in J/News about our friends in the Cayman Islands deciding that sailing was "important"? That is was good for families, friends and strangers? That it would promote fun, camaraderie and a greater appreciation for being outdoors and enjoying our little lifeboat called "Planet Earth"??
Well, the gang down in The Caymans are slowly (emphasis, slowly), winding up their winter sailing season while the poor sods up in The North (as opposed to The Down Under) are "Cooling Down". The season starts with The Governors Cup.
This year, the gang aboard JUST LEAVING simply just left The Opposition behind in The 2010 J22 Governor's Cup. The Event was sailed in fairly light conditions over two days, with a total of seven races sailed in the mind-numbingly beautiful clear blue waters and steady as-a-rock 15-20 knot trade wind breezes. With the experienced crew of Mike Farrington on helm, ably supported by Matt Diaz and Sam Dawson, their JUST LEAVING Team have dominated the fleet of late. Nevertheless, they were given a good challenge by Nick Taylor driving MOONSHINE in Commodore Andrew Moon's absence (gone AWOL making moonshine?). Giving them all a run for their money was Peter Cunningham's SUNSHINE taking third. Oh dear, could it be that someone was JUST LEAVING town in the SUNSHINE because one was making MOONSHINE? Hope not. For more Cayman Islands J/22 sailing information.
The Australian Legends Regatta- Part II(New South Wales, Australia)- Gotta hand it to our friends from Down Under. The boys from OZ clearly have a lot of fun sailing. And the Legends Regatta was no exception. Simon Grain has provided a tremendous follow-up to the coverage in the past week:
"The Legends Regatta was born out of an idea from Peter Stevens early last year and it was decided to run it in NSW due to the larger amount of boats and Legends residing there and last weekend saw the culmination of a massive amount of work to make this event happen.
The Gosford weekend was a huge success for the class and I want to thank the members of the NSW Association that put in such a huge effort to make this all happen. The result is a real credit to the vision and hard work of Terry Wise, Arthur Crothers and Paula Shires-Clarke who were the main drivers of this event, I know personally that Paula has lived and breathed this event for the last 6 months, working tirelessly to make it all a success. Many others were involved and I wish to thank them for their effort also especially Tim Briggs for his support in offering sponsorship and help with the legends venue. Thanks must go to all the sponsors small and large that offered their help with the regatta, with around $50,000 worth of sponsorship this surely rank as the most amazing event of recent times within the class and indeed within yachting in Australia. Thanks to Gosford Sailing Club for running the regatta and to Graeme Watt and his wife Margo who came from Melbourne to bring their considerable experience as international fleet race officers to run the racing. And finally a huge thank you to all the competitors and Legends who came and made this the most exciting J24 event in recent Australian sailing history.Sailing on the flat waters of Brisbane Water was a delight (being used to Port Phillip chop), but it was tough with varying wind strengths and directions and the hottest and largest ‘national’ fleet seen in Australia for many years. The quality of the fleet was impressive and I know that there were a few that found and the level and the workload difficult if not scary. It does however remind us that there are levels of sailing competition far above even this weekend – just ask anyone who has done a worlds!
I asked the race winners (and others) to comment on the NSW States and Legends Regatta for the benefit of those who didn’t go or were just wondering how they did it. Here are comments from them on their perspective." Go to this link and read on-- some great and really, really funny stories. Lotsa comments and every word is a gem. Especially Peter Steven's story of grit and determination to simply get there!
Read more about the J/24 Australian Legends sailing stories here.
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* Australian J/24 sailor and writer Rob Mundle has just released a new book called, simply, "Bligh". With his previous book, "Fatal Storm", Rob took nearly 200,000 readers from all around the world into the eye of the storm and the heart of bravery as the 1998 Sydney to Hobart yacht race faltered. In "Bligh", Rob goes back to sea, this time it’s the eighteenth century, the era when brave mariners took their ships beyond the horizon in search of an unknown world. Those chosen to lead these expeditions were exceptional navigators, men who had shown brilliance as they ascended the ranks in the Royal Navy. They were also bloody good sailors. From ship’s boy to Vice-Admiral, discover how much more there is to Captain Bligh than his infamous bad temper. Rob Mundle’s "Bligh" is about bravery and brilliance, endurance and integrity, great battles and victories!Join Rob as he puts you:
· On a beach in Hawaii as 22-year-old Bligh witnesses the death of his captain and mentor, James Cook.
· Aboard HMS Bounty on its voyage into the South Pacific that led to the famous mutiny.
· In an open long boat with 18 of his crew,cast adrift in the middle of the Pacific by the mutinous Fletcher Christian.
· On survival rations and on the incredible 47-day, 3618 nautical mile open boat voyage from Tonga and Timor: to this day,an unbeaten feat of survival and precision navigation.
· In the company of a young Matthew Flinders, as the 37-year-old Captain Bligh takes HMS Providence on a voyage around the world.
All this before he was 40! You’ll never think Bligh a villain again. This is the story of one of our greatest master mariners. Rob Mundle is an international bestselling author, journalist, event organiser and competitive yachtsman. His "Fatal Storm", the story of the tragic Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race gone wrong – remains one of the world’s seminal ocean racing books. Australia’s premier maritime journalist and author, Rob Mundle’s Bligh is his tenth book. He lives in Queensland. For publicity enquiries please contact Alexandra Barlow- alexandra.barlow@hachette.com.au. Or, just go to Amazon.com, you're sure to find it there. Great Holiday gift!!
* J/28 WINDY owner Marc Luoma sent along a nice note the other day- "Rod and Alan, we just had one of our famous "J/Days" on the Chesapeake. I took my J/28 WINDY (Hull #49) for a family sail yesterday out of west river/galesville. We had steady 15-1 6kts with gusts to 18 kts out of the south. It was phenomenal - we were showing a consistent 7.8-8.2 kts on the GPS (high 8.5 kts) on beam reaches the entire way across the chesapeake and back, with full sails (135 jib) and 15 degrees heel. Pretty good for a 22-year old boat with a 24-ft waterline. I passed every other sailboat going out and coming back, and beat off every challenger who came over to match race with us!! Just to let you know that your vintage J designs still get the job done. Best, Marc"
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.* Glen Gustaffson is sailing his J/46 this year in the Caribbean 1500. He says, "There are two J/46's and I believe one J/40 in the event, which has a record turnout this year. We are pumped up and looking for a fast ride to the Islands. I'll see if I can get a story together on the J's in the event, and send it on after we reach Tortola. There is live tracking on the website- http://www.carib1500.com
* 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. Check out there recent travles- now past Fiji!Featured Boats
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.com 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.
Sailing onboard, as helmsman and watch leader, is 23-year old, Sebastian Ripard. This youngest of the Ripard generation is taking time out from his, and team mate Benji Borg’s, campaign in the 49er class for the 2012/2016 Olympics. This 600+ mile race requires switching gears from "around the cans". Asked what he likes about this, his eighth, race, Sebastian said, "It’s a beautiful race. I mean one of the marks is a volcano, which is often erupting! There’s always a bit of everything in this race, tactically there are a lot of different points where the race compresses, so there’s a lot of tricky areas: the Straits (of Messina), Stromboli, by Favignana, which make it challenging throughout. There are a lot of variables that keep on changing. And I quite enjoy the mental demands of an offshore race; it’s more of an adventure. In his first go round in 2002, he racked up an overall win on the J/109 JAMMIN with – same as this year – his father and uncle. He followed that with a second place in the J/109 ARTIE with Lee Sartariano.
Over in handicap land, the J Fleet sailed PHRF and managed to get in three races. At the end, Doug Shaffer's well-campaigned J/122 GAMBLER from Lakewood Yacht Club managed to pull off the top of the podium finish also with straight firsts. Just behind was Alex Ascencios' J/120 PREMIER from Lakewood Yacht Club and in third was Walter Caldwell's J/40 SHAKEN NOT STIRRED from Galveston Bay Cruising Association.
