J Contenders In Rolex Middle Sea Race(Malta)- Flying into Malta it’s hard not to be struck by the landscape- the buildings all a blinding beige in the hot sun, the landscape fairly arid and dry. It’s more reminiscent of the Northern African coast, which is only 155 nautical miles west. The island archipelago is at the crossroads of the Mediterranean situated, as it is, midway between Sicily and the coast of Tunisia. The setting is stunning enough that Ted Turner described the MSR as "the most beautiful race course in the world".
The 31st edition of the 606-nautical mile Rolex Middle Sea Race begins Saturday, 23 October from Grand Harbour. The race is organized and hosted by the Royal Malta Yacht Club. This year’s fleet is more diverse than in any years past, with numerous entries from throughout Europe, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Many of the fleet is moored in Camper & Nicholson’s Grand Harbour Marina and dockside there today there was a flurry of activity with crews effecting repairs or otherwise prepping for Saturday’s offshore race. Along the quay, there were country flags on the back of boats from Spain, Italy, Hungary, Slovenia, the UK and United States, as well as a local fleet of competitors from Malta. One would think the Maltese might have an edge – local knowledge of the area, perhaps – and in that group one of the ringers may well be JARU, a J/133 co-skippered by John Ripard Jr. and his brother-in-law, Andrew Calascione. The close relations don’t stop there, as half the crew are composed of their children, with a few close friends from the UK there to round out the crew.
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.The J-Boat has a good track record for the race: a J/133 won its’ class and placed second overall in the 2008 Rolex Middle Sea Race. The 43-footer was Sailing World magazines' "Boat of the Year" award when it was launched in 2003 and the design has proven itself for performance cruising and offshore racing. Sailing on the latest ARTIE, a J/122, will be other Royal Malta YC members and even more Ripard family members aboard- Lee Satariano & Christian Ripard. Christian has also won the MSR on board a number of other J's in the past, continuing the tradition of the Ripard family as they have for generations on the island republic. Finally, giving the two "Ripard-sailed" boats a run for their money will be the J/133 JUNO sailed by Sonke Stein. Story from Rolex/ Kurt Arrigo. For more Rolex Middle Sea Race sailing information.
Growing Sailing at the Grass Roots- the College Edition(Vallejo, CA)- This fall J sailors at the college level have had their fair share of fun in the sun, sailing everything from J/22s to J/44s. At one end of the scale, the Storm Trysail Club's Big Boat Series on Long Island Sound had an enormous turn-out with dozens of college teams vying for glory on what appears to be the college-version of J/Fest. And, about the same time, another group were dueling for big boat supremacy on the US Navy Academy 44 footers to qualify for the Student Yachting World Cup in France! Busy week! Stories below.
What could be cooler than for a little maritime academy that use their fleet of six J/22s and a J/105 to train for keelboat events in the battle-hardened college sailing circuit and win the "big one"- the Kennedy Cup sailed on 44 footers at the US Navy Academy in Annapolis, MD. Then, better yet, in a real, heart-warming "David and Goliath" story, that same team qualifies to sail in the 30th annual Student Yachting World Cup in La Rochelle, France from October 24th to 29th! Yes, hopes and dreams do come true sometimes. The California Maritime Academy in Vallejo, CA with an enrollment of about 850 students, will be by far the smallest school among the 11 international universities entered from the Canada, England, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Japan.
Cal Maritime Sailing Director Susan "Charlie" Arms-Cartee says she and her team don’t worry much about those figures. "We have a history of doing well against much larger competitors. We took the Kennedy Cup in the 2009 National Intercollegiate Offshore Championships last fall to win the right to compete in France, and we recently beat Navy to take our fifth Shields Trophy in seven tries at Annapolis, MD, against teams from the U.S. service and maritime academies." According to "Charlie", "we use the J/105 to help us "show the flag" in Bay Area events and regattas and means our veterans can step aboard other competitive boats on the Bay with greater confidence in their skills."
Arms Cartee says Cal Maritime’s small size can be an advantage. “Many on Team USA have sailed with each other for two and three years in a variety of boat classifications and conditions. As the first team from the West Coast to compete for the U.S. in this event in its 30-year history, we think we have some demonstrated strengths in sailing in the kind of heavier winds we’re told are the norm in late October on the Atlantic Coast of France. Many on our team are comfortable with the stronger winds we often find in northern California and especially on San Francisco Bay. But we’ve also got team members with skills in light winds, as we demonstrated with our recent Shields victory.”
Follow the adventures of Team USA at the Student Yachting World Cup. We hope the skills learned at home along with their counterparts, many of whom have also been "schooled" on other J's, like 24s and 80s in Europe, all have fun and good sailing! Read more about sailing the Student Yachting World Cup. Cal Maritime TeamUSA sailing website.
J/Regatta News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
As the fall season sails on "up above", with leaves turning into various hues of burnt reds, pumpkin oranges, and screaming yellows, bigger and bigger cold fronts racing across the continents in anticipation of a cold winter, it also marks the time that many colleges and universities across the Americas and Europe conduct some of their major championships in dinghies and "big boats". In America, we hope you read about how the California Maritime Sailing team has produced remarkable performances for such a small school way, way out in western California and have become the American representative to the Student Yachting World Cup in La Rochelle, France (note- it has something to do with J/22 and J/105 sailing). Their performance inspires youth sailors across the country- a real-life David and Goliath story. Along the same lines, the passionate leader within the Storm Trysail Club Foundation, Jim Bishop, owner of that famous J/44 GOLD DIGGER, led the charge to get other equally passionate J owners to support the STC Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta- a.k.a. College J/Fest! Speaking of J/Fests, the first Southwest version was held recently down in Houston, TX at Lakewood Yacht Club. And, yet another English version of a J/Fest is taking place at the Garmin Hamble Winter Series on the infamous Solent with fleets of J/109s and J/80s. Furthermore, the recent Premier Marinas Autumn Championships hosted by Hamble River Sailing Club also was a festival of fun for J/109s and J/80s, supporting most importantly, the "Toe-in-the-Water" Charity supporting British military servicemen and women. The J/22s held their Southeast Championships in Birmingham, Alabama and, incredibly a J/80 just crushed the Lahaina Yacht Clubs' Maui-Honolulu Race, surfing away on monster seas! Finally, in the spirit of growing the sport of sailing worldwide, supporting youth sailing along the way, read about the two programs below on Lake Ontario and Lake Minnetonka featured by Sailing Anarchy and Sailing World/Scuttlebutt, respectively. 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. 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
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.
HOT Premier Marinas Autumn ChampionshipsAwesome Toe-In-The-Water Party
(Hamble, England)- Both the J/80s and the J/109s were in for an extra special treat for this year's version of the Premier Marinas Autumn Championships-- lots of races! Run by the Hamble River Sailing Club, the PRO's did a fantastic job of getting the troops mobilized early and running a lot of races in great sailing conditions. In addition to the hot competition on the water, the J/80 and J/109 classes were treated to a fantastic party on Saturday evening sponsored by Key Yachting and in aid of Toe in the Water- the charity that benefits recovering British military war veterans (damn good sailors, too!.
The J/109s saw a terrific turnout with 15 boats participating. It was quite a battle for first overall in the The Velvet Elvis Sailing Team just about "ran the table" sailing VELVET ELVIS to a remarkably consistent 1-2-2-1-2-1 record for a mere 9 points. Giving them a run for the money was the powerful J-DREAM team headed by David and Kirsty Apthorp, sailing to an equally as strong 4-1-1-2-1-2 record for 11 points. Watching the drama unfold in front of them were Richard and Valerie Griffith sailing OUTRAJEOUS to a 2-4-3-3-3-3 record for 18 points and third overall. Perhaps sailing one of his strongest series in awhile is David Aisher's YEOMAN OF WIGHT, starting strongly, then fading a bit, with a 3-3-6-4-7-6 for 29 points. Fifth is Dom Monkhouse's team on ME JULIE with a consistent 5-5-5-10-5-4 tally for 34 points.
If the J/109s had some hot competition, the competition amongst 17 J/80s was smokin' hot! Dueling amongst a trio of boats were J/80 UK fleet leaders Ian Atkins, John Cooper and Team Spitfire. Talk about throwing three teams into the proverbial frying pan, the tale of the tape was determined in the last race with all three teams finishing within 3 points of each other-- shades of the recent J/80 Worlds in Newport! Fun stuff. Ian Atkins finally got his BOATS.COM team rolling this 2010 season, firing the first salvo of the series with a 1st in the first race. Second in that race was John Cooper on OI! Lurking just behind in 4th was British Royal Air Force's Team Spitfire firing on all cylinders with SPITFIRE. By the next race, the standings amongst these three amigos flip-flopped, so in short they were tied after two races! And so the story went on for the next four races. After the dust cleared, Ian Atkin's team on BOATS.COM prevailed by a mere 2 points, sailing to a 1-4-1-2-1-3 score for 12 points. Second was John Cooper's OI! with a 2-3-3-1-3-2 tally for 14 points. One point back in third was Team Spitfire's SPITFIRE getting a 4-2-2-4-2-1 record for 15 points, finishing strongly! The tri-service initiative, Toe in the Water (TITW), entered four J/80s in the event, and each of these boats had a crew of five on board, some of whom are recovering from traumatic injuries. According to Becci Eplett of the J-Boats UK agents Key Yachting, who supported the party; "They are a hugely competitive bunch on the race-track and a delight to race against". Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth Pictures For more Premier Marinas Autumn Championships sailing info.
Hot J Racing At Garmin Hamble Winter/ Big Boat Series(Hamble, England- October 16-17)- The second weekend of the 2010 Garmin Hamble Winter Series produced two more days of excellent racing in a shifting north to north-easterly breeze. While Saturday produced tough racing for the J/109, J/80 in 10-20 knots of cool breeze, Sunday was a softer day, with sunshine and blue skies, but still with big wind shifts. The Black Group start was set up on the Ryde Bank with a long first beat across the ebbing tide to windward marks near the mainland shore. With two races scheduled and the prospect of a softening breeze, the second start sequence was underway by midday on the same start line. Although the classes starting later struggled in the now east-going tide all boats were finished by 1430. For Sunday, the J/80 fleet was closer to the shore there was around eight knots of breeze for their first race, falling to six knots for the second. Soon afterwards the breeze fell away completely, and with two good races in the bag to conclude the Autumn Championships for these classes, White Group PRO Rob Lamb decided to call it a day and send the fleet in.
Fourteen J/109s made it to the start this past weekend for the J/109 Winter series. After getting their boat back in the water and tuned, it was again the J-DREAM team (David & Kirsty Apthorp) that re-asserted their ability to dig out after tough starts or windward legs, having accumulated finishes of 1-3-1-2 for 7 points to lead the Griffith's by ten. Sailing consistently for second overall at this stage is OUTRAJEOUS (Richard & Valerie Griffith) with scores of 5-5-3-4 for 17 points. In hot pursuit of them is OFFBEAT (David McLeman) with a 9-2-4-3 tally, showing great improvement after the first race. Keep your eyes on the Velvet Elvis Sailing Team sailing VELVET ELVIS! While not sailing the first weekend, their 2-1 this past weekend shows they mean business and with a few toss races later in the series, could easily be contenders for the top three.In the Big Boat Series IRC 0 Class, the J/122s and J/133s are sailing a demanding, challenging regatta fighting the usual large current shears and wind shifts so typical of the Solent. Ian Matthews' J/122 JINJA is sailing a strong series, lying in second place. Jackie and Robert Dobson's J/133 JERONIMO sailed a very strong second weekend, getting three seconds to pull them up to fifth place! Neil Martin's J/133 JAMMY DODGER is having a tough go of it, managing to get a 2-3 in the series, but are just a bit off the pace, sitting in seventh for now.
In IRC 3 Class, the J/97s continue to sail well and lead the standings. Mike and Jamie Holmes J/97 JIKA-JIKA has now surged into the lead with a 4-1-1-3 record for 9 points. Mike Flood's J/97 INDULJENCE lies third just one point back from second with a 2-5-4-4 score for 15 points. Ed Holton's J/110 SHADES OF BLUE has dropped off the pace and is now in 5th with a 3-2-7-9 for 21 points. Watch out for Bill Blain's J/97 BATFISH IV to climb the standings quickly, starting off with an 8-5 and also Richard Watney's J/97 JENGA VI getting a 5-2 last weekend.Amongst the J/80s it's John Cooper on OI! still dominating the Winter Series with a 1-1-1-3-2 for 8 points! Ten points behind him is Patrick Liardet on AQUA-J with a 2-4-3-5-4 for 18 points. Tied for third is Ian Atkins' BOATS.COM and Terry Palmer's JUST DO IT. Ian's 3-dnf-dns-1-3 still give him 21 points to Terry's 4-2-2-6-7 for the same total. Showing up for this past weekend was the powerhouse Team Spitfire team racing SPITFIRE to a 2-1! At that pace, they'll be a force to reckon with in the coming weekends. Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth Pictures For more Garmin Hamble Winter Series results and sailing information.
Storm Trysail College J/Fest Long Island Sound(Larchmont, NY- October 9-10)- Over the Columbus Day Weekend the Larchmont Yacht Club hosted sailors from 30 schools and universities for the Storm Trysail Foundation’s Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta (IOR) Presented by Prestige BMW. The annual regatta— now in its 10th year— saw over 300 sailors crew the 36 boats in the fleet, making the IOR the largest college sailing regatta in the country. It was a veritable showcase for J/Boats- of 36 boats, it was a J/Fest of 31 J's, with 7 J-44’s, 3 J-122’s, 1 J-133, 8 J-109’s, 11 J-105’s, a J/120 and a J/35.
Maine Maritime’s sailing team coach Tom Brown decided to pull his team out of all their dinghy events for the weekend so that his team could sail big boats at the Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta instead. After driving over eight hours with his 17 sailors, Brown’s strategy paid off as team won two of the five divisions in the 38-boat fleet. Over 300 sailors participated make the IOR the largest college sailing regatta in the country. The enthusiasm was so strong, that the University of Michigan team drove 2 vans 11 hours each way in order to race!! The weather gods smiled this year offering sunny skies and breezes that built from 10 knots for the first race to 15-20 knots for the subsequent races on both days. PRO Butch Ulmer ran seven races in two days. The race organizers worked hard to put
together one-design and closely-rated divisions to keep the racing tight. "The student sailors were some of the best we have seen in the ten years that STC has been running this event," said Paul Hoffman who ran the windward mark boat. "Racing was so close that three of the divisions ended up tied for first after seven races. More than once practically the whole J/109 fleet rounded the marks en-mass."Maine’s Coach Brown said, "I have never seen so many smiles. Our team was so stoked that they stayed awake talking about the racing for the eight-hour drive back to Castine. When I got back to school, I had got a congratulatory note from the President of the school. They take big boat sailing seriously here. We will be back next year and we hope to have the same boats again."
The purpose of the regatta is two-fold: to introduce dinghy sailors to the team work and fun of big-boat racing and to provide a chance for experienced big boat sailors to have a chance to compete in well-prepared evenly-matched boats. STC has worked hard to build up this regatta because getting sailors involved in the sport of ocean racing goes right to the Club's mission statement.Unlike other collegiate regattas, the boats are privately owned and the boat owners sail with the student sailors as coaches and safety officers. The regatta is not possible without the boat owners who lend their boats and time in order help educate the next generation of offshore racers.
Dr. Carl Olsson, who has lent his J/105 Morning Glory to his alma mater Bowdoin for the last eight years and who will be Larchmont Yacht Club’s Commodore next year, pledged to help the regatta grow significantly under his watch. "I believe that this regatta is so important the we will grow the event from 300 sailors to 500 in the next two years." To help meet this goal, the Storm Trysail Foundation funds educational events like the IOR and its junior safety at sea seminars across the country."Everyone who participates in this regatta has a great time," said regatta chair Adam Loory. "Both college sailors and boat owners tell me that this is the most fun regatta that they sail in all year. The boat owners get to go sailing without having to make a week’s worth of phone calls to round up crew, the kids get to sail on some of the most competitive boats around, and the whole event is free thanks to the sponsors who help support the regatta." Corporate sponsorship came from Prestige BMW, Rolex, Vineyard Vines, Safe Flight Instruments, Caithness Energy, UK-Halsey Sailmakers, Gill, Coca Cola and Heineken. For more Storm Trysail Big Boat sailing information. Sailing photo credits- Carter Williams photos. Howie McMichael sailing photos. Steve Landis sailing photos.
WHITE TRASH Wins J/22 Southeast Champs(Birmingham, AL)- The Birmingham Sailing Club held their annual Leukemia Cup Regatta and hosted the J/22 fleet for their Southeast Championship Regatta. The event was held over the weekend of September 17-19, 2010. The regatta counts for double points in the Southeast Circuit and rotates from year to year amongst the major sailing venues of the Circuit. Previous championship regattas have been held on Percy Priest Lake-Nashville, TN, and Choctawachee Bay-Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
With double points on the line, everyone brought their “A” game. Eight J/22s were there for the racing. Three boats were local and the remaining five trailered in from Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, and Kentucky. High pressure moved in for the weekend and settled in over the area making for very light and shifty conditions. At the end of one race what had been the windward mark was now almost a perfect set for the leeward mark! In conditions like this it’s sometimes hard to remember that the only place worse to be than on your own boat trying to go forward is to be on the race committee boat trying to get in a few quality races.When it was over, three races counted and Sean Clare sailing WHITE TRASH with crew of Doc Bellows, Ashley Sulkalski and Micah Souza (Ashley’s 6 year old son won the regatta). Finishes were 3-1-2. A very determined past Rolex competitor, Jennifer Grant with crew of Sam Grant took a solid second with finishes of 2-4-1. Local knowledge paid off for Bob Blythe and crew of Rebecca Blythe and Larry VanHorne who placed third with finished of 1-5-5. Contributed by Wayne Cassady. For more J/22 One-design sailing info.
J/80 Crushes Maui-Honolulu Race
(Lahaina, Maui)- Got a great report from Bob Stephenson sailing his J/80 CRUSADER across the infamous and insanely notorious Molokai Channel- known to get 20-30 knot winds and 15 foot seas! Yikes. If everyone thought racing J/80s in the J/80 Worlds was tough in 15-30 knots and up to 7 foot seas, imagine them double the height! Bob was inspired to see all the coverage of the recent J/80 Worlds. He wanted to make sure to let everyone know that he's having a scream sailing his J/80 off Maui in the Hawaiian Islands and is hoping to see more of you 80 sailors out there soon!
Bob commented on their sailing exploits racing the J/80 is such incredibly beautiful conditions, "our J/80 CRUSADER won the 64th Annual Lahiana Maui to Honolulu race, a 69.9 nm race that took us about 7 hours 45 minutes to complete, taking both class B and overall PHRF. CRUSADER crew reports hitting 15.5 knots-plus surfing the Molokai Channel. CRUSADER also sneaked by her sistership BOONDOGGLE, to take Class B in the Lahiana Offshores and to win the first ever J/80 Hawaii State champs." For more J/80 Hawaii sailing information.
J/Fest SW Great SuccessZartler, Goethe, Flynn, Shaffer Get Straight Firsts!
(Houston, TX)- The first J/Fest Southwest took place on Galveston Bay this past weekend, hosted by Lakewood Yacht Club. Forty boats participated ranging from the majestic J/122 GAMBLER down to fleets of J/22s, J/24s, J/80s, J/105s and J/109s! On Saturday the fleet awoke to a beautiful sunny, crisp fall morning, with a light northerly. By afternoon the sea breeze filled in for some great racing on Galveston Bay. Sunday a similar scenario played out for the weather. In short, it was amazing work by the regatta committee, led by Lakewood YC Fleet Captain, Carl Drechsel, to get off up to six races for some of the fleets on what was a beautiful weekend. The general theme voiced by all the competitors is that the race committee’s did an outstanding job, and the racers handled themselves in a corinthian manner both days!
In the J/22 class, Brant Koepke from Galveston Bay Cruising Association sailed RICH SKANK into first place after a slow start, garnering a 5-3-1-2-1-2-1 score to win with 10 points after seven races, one throw-out. Second place was a duel between Pat Gibson from Houston Yacht Club sailing CRIMSON RIBBON and Casey Lambert from Lakewood Yacht Club racing OUT OF SIGHT. Pat started out strong with a 1-2 to Casey's 4-5. But, after a tough seven races, Pat prevailed on the tie-breaker with his 1-2-4-4-3-1-4 score for 15 points. Finishing third was Casey getting a 4-5-3-1-2-3-2 also with 15 points.
The J/24s had a strong turnout with ten boats. Racing was close for the top five. But getting three firsts and keeping himself out of trouble allowed Pedro Gianotti from Galveston Bay Cruising Association to race AMBASSADOR to the top of the heap with a 2-1-4-1-5-2-1 with 11 points. The race for second and third was very tight, with the final result determined by who beat who in the last race. Stuart Lindow sailed TROPICAL AGGRESSION into second place by just a whisker over Dov Kiviovitz's NO NAME. Stuart's 1-6-2-3-1-6-4 record for 17 points just gave him the edge over Dov's 5-3-1-5-8-1-3 for 18 points. Kelly Holmes placed fourth. Kelly did a really neat thing and crewed on his boat with the University of North Texas Sailing Team. Lots of smiles on the UNT sailors faces.
Fresh from having raced the J/80 Worlds and, most likely, still licking their wounds, was the team of Terry Flynn and Dave Whelan from Fort Worth Boat Club racing QUANTUM RACING. That experience in Newport seemed to have sharpened their skills, winning 6 of 7 races to win by 6 points over Paul Parsons team hailing from Galveston Bay Cruising Association sailing PARSONS PROJECT. Third was Ramon Torres' 80 PROOF from Fort Worth Boat Club another 6 points back. What was really cool was that Kurt Vanderwall pulled his J/80 down from Dillon, Colorado to partake in the festivities.Special J/Fest guest Rod Johnstone was brought aboard Scott Spurlin's J/105 RAGTIME-JTEEZ to have some of that special karma help them get around the course faster and smarter. It nearly worked! Winning the J/105s was long-time J/105 champion Bill Zartler from Lakewood Yacht Club sailing SOLARIS to straight firsts after five races! Ouch! Talk about a "spanking". Even Rod J was impressed, wondering himself what special voodoo or karma was being practiced aboard the great yacht SOLARIS-- something special that's for sure! Scott and Rod managed to sail well to finish 2nd ten points back with a 3-2-2-5-3 score. Giving them a run for the money was Matt Arno from Fort Worth Boat Club sailing the BLUE FLASH into third with a 2-5-3-2-5 record.
The J/109s were having fun amongst themselves. It was the HAMBURG boys using the FRENCH CONNECTION to stay out of HARMS WAY!! Ha! Well, nearly the case. Albrecht Goethe's HAMBURG from Lakewood Yacht Club pretty much showed their tail feathers to the rest of the 109 class all weekend, getting straight bullets. Second was John Mather's FRENCH CONNECTION from Galveston Bay Cruising Association and third was Mark Smith's HARMS WAY from Fort Worth Boat Club.
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.Of note was the chance for Rod Johnstone to catch up with Rita Matthews (pictured at right). Rita, and her husband Ed, owned the first J/24 on Galveston Bay. Over the years Rita and Ed sailed many times with Rod. Rod took the opportunity to tell the attendee’s about that first J/24 on the bay and that “Rita was the mother of all J/Boats in Texas”. A touching, sweet moment for all! For more J/Fest Southwest sailing information.
No Saving Sailing Needed?Try Fleets of J/22s, J/24s or J/80s
(Lake Minnetonka, MN)- Dallas Johnson submitted a letter to Sailing World/ Scuttlebutt where he commented that while everyone is talking these days about "Saving Sailing", there are still sailing areas - such as his home waters of Lake Minnetonka - that are doing just fine. As current Commodore of Wayzata Yacht Club, Dallas provides some insight into what’s going right on their lake in Minnesota (note- they were home to J/24 and J/22 Fleets #1). Dallas' comments are an honest, simple and incredibly straightforward program to keep sailors coming to their programs and having FUN:
"There's no magic bullet or super genius running our programs, but there are some basics:
First, we focus on having a well rounded board of directors who are focused on our club mission statement of being "a dedicated, passionate sailboat racing club", and it's a working board where everyone is expected to be energetic and do more than contribute their opinions. They take their jobs seriously.
Second, we own our club property: year after year that Board of Directors has made the commitment to invest in our club (often against the wishes of vocal club members) and provided us with a substantial base of operations. We do not live like a bird on a wire with rented or borrowed property smiling at how little we spent to get there.
Third, we have two-tiered mooring rates. By far our biggest asset has been to provide "owner" mooring rates to boats that race at least 15 races per year. All other boats pay about double for a slip rate which is equivalent to commercial marinas on the lake. This gets rid of the dead wood.
Fourth, we got strong One-Design racing fed by handicap fleets: We love the simplicity and comradeship of one design, and we structure our fleets to have different flavors of non-competing one design fleets so that even the casual/family racer has a one design fleet to join. It's not an accident that we are home to J/24 and J/22 fleet #1.
Fifth, our great RC pays off: We spend copious amounts of money on our RC equipment and paid RC staff. They provide us with what many visitors tell me is the best staff in the country.
Sixth, lotsa Seminars: I've lost count of how many seminars we do each year. All of them are inexpensive and mostly volunteer run.
Seventh, inexpensive Crew Membership levels help participation: All those people who don't own boats can join or club for a measly $100 per year, and it creates commitment.
Eighth, the "Crew Needing A Ride" Table gets lotsa takers: Before every race we have a table on the patio reserved for anyone who wants to pick up a ride (member or not). Excellent recruiting tool.
Ninth, Women and more women: Specifically, women sailors. We court them, encourage them, train them. Women are half the population, it's a big market, and they are really, really fun to sail with and somehow (magically) they bring in more men to the club. I am told that many clubs are not female friendly, too bad, we're having a ball!
Tenth, Free Beer: Another obvious thing. Along with free soda we provide a free keg after most races. (note: the women are not free, anything but!)
Eleventh, more kids. Here's a simple formula. Women + beer = kids and families. And nothing kills sailing more than an uncooperative family. So we focus very hard on trying to make our club family friendly, and we strongly support our youth sailing center and its programs.
Here are the things we don't do: We don't have a bar, a restaurant, a "model room" of our past glories, blue blazers, and anyone who suggests getting a pool is thrown off the dock. We are not a country club with a sailing program, and our lack of "ancillary revenue sources" like a bar or restaurant means that we are free to throw some great parties after the race and make everyone feel welcome.
In short, we focus our energy on providing a solid base for excellent racing programs, and we try to keep it simple, friendly, and fun. For more on Saving Sailing, please refer to various articles at: http://www.sailingworld.com or http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* Giancarlo Ghislanzoni, owner of the J/133 CHESTRESS^2 in Italy, was recently in Boston, MA looking over an MJM 40z with Bob Johnstone. He sent along a heart-warming note about his experiences with boats, family, and friends sailing in the Med: As "GG" said, "Adding a 40z to the J/133 in our family is indeed an enduring aspiration; even stronger after seeing the real boat, what a beauty! I am making progress towards the goal. Meanwhile, our CHESTRESS^2, it keeps winning in the MED! We thought the victory at the 2008 Middle Sea Race couldn't be repeated, but this J/133 and her crew of committed and enthusiastic corinthians had another year that we could only dream of. Here are the main highlights:- overall victory at the Campionato Invernale del Tigullio, the main winter series in Italy; a result beyond class victories that we have been chasing for years against the best local X-Yachts, Swan 45s, Grand Soleils, Sydneys, and other Js. It finally came true in 2010, at the very end of ten memorable regattas over the winter.
- overall victory at the Regate Pirelli in Portofino, probably the most flashy handicap regatta around the cans in Italy. We had enthusiastic coverage from the specialized press for beating the professional teams (e.g.. the official Swan 42 from Nautor-Swan- Leonardo Ferragamo's personal boat), as well as from lifestyle (e.g. Vanity Fair) and gossip magazines (see below)- guess which ones we discovered have most impact, even on the business community!
- overall victory of the Italian Offshore Championship, based on the three best results at the eight main offshore regattas, like the mythical and magical Rolex Giraglia Race and the Tre Golfi Race. We were not able to beat the most focused racing boats and professional crews in the individual offshore races, but better season's strategy and consistent performance led us to the overall victory and a gold medal from the Italian Sail Federation.Indeed our beloved CHESTRESS^2 ('what a stress', squared) and her blue asymmetrics keeps giving us unexpected glory despite her five years and amateur crew, thanks to her consistent performance in all conditions: e.g. we had three races with 5 knots of wind and three races with over 25 knots-plus at the Regate Pirelli in Portofino, difficult to cope equally well for others.
During the year other boats outperformed our J/133 in specific conditions, but no other boat performed so well under both IRC and ORC ruling, around the cans and offshore, in light air and large breaking waves and did it in such an accessible way: half of the crew, including myself, have turned 50 this year!
We now look at the next season with the usual dose of realism about who we are and what our real and demanding professional lives are; but CHESTRESS^2 makes us also confident that the impossible may come true again!" Best regards, GG
* Community Sailing- doing the right thing at Sailing Anarchy for youth sailing- SA Editor Scot Tempesta has been a strong supporter of sailing at the grass roots. He recently featured Sodus Bay's junior program (another program that uses J/24s as their keelboat), "Here's a community sailing/ youth sailing group that all SA readers should be aware of. Sodus Bay Junior Sailing Association (SBJSA) has been teaching kids and adults sailing, swimming and environmental awareness on the south shore of Lake Ontario since 1956. SBJSA is a not-for-profit, educational, community based sailing school based on Great Sodus Bay in upstate New York. SBJSA teaches kids from ~ 8 to adult beginning and advanced sailing. All the students are also encouraged to move on to the learn to race (LTR) programs both on Great Sodus Bay and at interclub and regional regattas. All our students are also taught all 7 levels of American Red Cross certified swimming.
The SBJSA fleet is made up of Optis, Lasers, 420s, Lightnings and J/24s. The fleet currently has over 60 boats and 130 - 150 students actively sailing for the multiple session, season each summer. Above all our goal is to instill "Teamwork, Sportsmanship, Responsibility, Leadership and Environmental Awareness" in all our students. Our motto is , "Sailing is Fun! It builds self-reliance, physical strength, quick thinking and a love for the environment".
SBJSA offers scholarship assistance to students through the generosity of many local families and organizations. The school is run by a volunteer board and volunteer help from parents. This bunch of "misfit, do gooders" volunteers their time and energy just to see the smiles on kids faces the first time they figure out how to control wind, waves and fiberglass, and are truly in command of their own vessel.
The Sodus Bay Junior Sailing Association alumni have moved on in all aspects of sailing and water safety. There are SBJSA alumni who have sailed and raced in regional, collegiate and national campaigns. Others have raced internationally and even sailed on Americas Cup campaigns. Students have also gone on to careers in ocean research and naval architecture.
Three years ago SBJSA built a new 3500 sq. ft. teaching facility through the help of a multitude of contributors and volunteers. Many donated money. Some donated material and several donated their time as a labor of love of sailing. Sodus Bay Junior Sailing owes them and all the volunteers over the past 53 years a great debt of gratitude. We have high hopes that through all their efforts we will be teaching kids sailing and swimming well past our 100th anniversary in 2056." For more community sailing stories, read about them or send them into Sailing Anarchy.
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). 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 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.
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J/Boats, Inc. | 557 Thames Street | Newport, RI 02840 | 401.846.8410 | editor@jboats.com
