J/108 SAIL Magazine Review(Key West/ Boston)- According to SAIL magazine editor Adam Cort, "It was the perfect test for the new J/108. We were in Key West, and the light southerly breeze was opposing an ebb tide, creating a nasty chop in the shipping channel, so we opted instead to make an end run between Sunset Key and Wisteria Island.
Doing so in a typical, deep-draft, 35-foot J/Boat would have been risky at best—on the chart the passage between the two islands shows a couple of narrow 8-foot channels flanked by unmarked shoals. But the J/108 is no typical J. Like the 31-foot J/95, which came out in 2009, the J/108 features a shoal-draft keel and centerboard, and twin rudders. The basic hull form is the same as the acclaimed J/109, which draws 7 feet, much too much for comfort in this kind of a situation. But with the centerboard up draws just under 4 feet—about the same as a J/24!
In fact, this is precisely why J/Boats created the new design. The company’s performance-cruisers and one-designs have been wildly popular over the years wherever there’s plenty of deep water. But J/Boats has achieved much less success in thin-water country, like the Florida Keys. Although many sailors, myself included, looked askance at the J/95—how could you have true J/Boats performance without a deep keel— the boat has been a success, both critically and commercially, so that it just made sense to upsize the formula. Read more about Adam's J/108 sailing review here.
A recent test sail by Florida yacht broker Lee Messina, from Sarasota Yacht & Ship Services (a former J/30 owner who raced and cruised her extensively), had this to say after Wednesday evenings sunset sail on the new J/108, "Wow!! This is a lively and fast, yet stable racer/cruiser. For those who understand the lingo, she sailed close-hauled as well with the centerboard up as she did with it down in light air. Thank you again, Craig and Denise for an enjoyable sail on a great boat. Fair Winds and Following Seas, Lee". For more J/108 shoal-performance sailboat information.
J/111 Yachting World "OnTest" Review(London, England)- The March 2011 Yachting World magazine is out on the news-stands now; on the cover is Frank Slootman's new J/111, INVISIBLE HAND shot by Erik Simonson at H2oShots.com-- check it out. Here's an update on Toby Hodges "OnTest" review of the Niall Dowling's J/111 ARABELLA- "Yachting World were the first media in Europe to sail this sizzling hot new one-design cruiser-racer. Conceived as a one-off, demand meant the J/111 quickly became a one-design, and in a special feature in our March issue, you'll find out why the midsize racing market has been crying out for such a model. But the J/111 is no one-trick pony. Her deck-layout makes her ideal for both crewed and two-handed racing, and we've no doubt she'll be highly competitive in IRC handicap events. This is a hot boat for the new season. Start saving now!"
Toby's OnTest video review of the J/111 ARABELLA is located both on the Yachting World site as well as on YouTube. You can see the full video review here- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yKz-OrdwwQ Paul Heys, the J/UK dealer for J-Boats for the last 16 years was interviewed by Toby. Paul explains more about the target market of the J/111, why she's the "2011 version of the J/105" and why she looks set to take the market by storm. See Paul's J/111 interview on YouTube- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxvRWI5BeyY For more J/111 sailing information
J's Sailing St. Maarten Heineken Regatta(St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles)- With less than a month to go before the kick-off of the 31st St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, which this year runs from March 3-6, the entry list continues to grow at a rapid pace, and now surpasses over a hundred yachts competing in a half-dozen different classes. With over fifty entries to date, however, the lion's share of entries will be racing in the CSA Monohull classes, and it's a truly international field, with competitors from France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Italy, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Turkey, the United States, and a host of Caribbean nations.
While the sailors themselves represent a wide and varied background, the respective yachts also form a diverse and eclectic fleet. At the smaller end of the spectrum is Tanner Jones's gorgeous electric blue J/30, BLUE PETER (the April 2011 J/Calendar poster girl pix above) and the fun-loving team on the J/105 NO FACE 2 FACE. We wish them fair winds and following seas-- at least most of the time. For more Heineken Regatta Sailing information.
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
The advent of February seems to bring a lot of great news for the large J one-design fleets around the world. The J/80s are still training in China and having a lot of fun. The J/80s in Europe have ratcheted up their Winter/ Spring series already in Spain (Palma Mallorca, Barcelona, Santander), in Italy and in France, with their UK and Netherlands counterparts already rolling with both events and training programs-- any wonder why they're getting smarter and sailing faster? J/22s and J/24s have also started their regattas and training programs, with the J/24s in particular opening up their European International sailing season with a flourish in the beautiful little principality of Monaco-- remember Prince Albert racing J/24s? In the Americas, the J/24s have started their Pan Am Games Trials in sunny Florida and will have their J/24 Midwinters immediately following over the weekend. Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below have more interesting, and heart-warming, stories this week. Check them out! More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page! Below are the summaries.Regatta & Show Schedules:
Feb 9-11- J/24 Pan-Am Games Trials- Tampa, FL- http://www.diyc.org/Feb 12-16- J/24 Midwinters- Davis Is YC, Tampa, FL- http://midwinters.j24d10.org/
Feb 17-21- Miami Boatshow- Miami, FL- http://www.miamiboatshow.com/
Feb 18-20- SW NOOD- St Petersburg, FL- StPYC- http://www.sailingworld.com
Feb 24-26- J/22 Midwinters- Davis Is YC, Tampa, FL- http://www.diyc.org
Mar 9-11- J/30 Mardi Gras Midwinters- New Orleans, LA- http://j30.us/blog
Mar 10-12- Bacardi Miami Sailing Week- Miami, FL- http://www.miamisailingweek.com/
Mar 13-Apr 17- Warsash Spring Series- Hamble, UK- http://www.warsashspringseries.org.uk/
Mar 18-20- SW NOOD- San Diego, CA- http://www.sailingworld.com
Apr 16-23- J/24 South Americans- Montevideo, Uruguay- http://www.ycu.org.uy
Apr 21-25- SPI Ouest France- La Trinite Sur Mer, France- http://www.spi-ouestfrance.com/
May 1-6- Bermuda Race Week (J/224 & J/105)- RBYC, Bermuda- http://www.biirw.bm
May 10-14- J/24 Nationals- Dallas, TX- http://j24texas.com
May 14-15- J/109 Vice Admirals Cup- Cowes, England- http://www.rorc.com
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
J/24 Monaco Primo Cup(Monaco- Feb 4-6)- This year's 27th edition of the Primo Cup/ Trophy Credit Suisse runs over two weekends, the 4-6th and 12-13th of February and has traditionally marked the launch of the international racing season in the beautiful, picturesque principality of Monaco. For over a dozen years, Prince Albert of Monaco raced J/24s in the event, inviting other royals from around Europe to participate and either stay at the Palace or nearby swanky hotels along the waterfront. This past year, Port Hercules was buzzing with all the competitors from around Europe- Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Great Britain, Hungary and, remarkably, a huge contingent from Russia. Of the 99 entries in 5 classes, the J/24s were the largest sailing class at the event (others had many "no shows"). Those 24 J/24 entries came from 7 countries- Monaco, France, England, Hungary, Italy, Brazil and Sweden. Amongst them were Sweden's Anna Maria Gunderson, Brazil's BRUSCHETTA sailed by Maurizio Santa Cruz with J/Boats Italy's Paolo Boido aboard, England's HITCHHIKER sailed by Andrew Taylor and JOLLY ROGER helmed by Roger Morris, and Hungary's NORD TELECOM SAILING TEAM skippered by Gabor Makai.
Brazil's Mauricio Santa Cruz, three times world title holder in 2006, 2007 and 2009, commented, "It is the first time I sail in Monaco, this event is internationally recognized for it gathers the best European challengers." To gather all the competitors, Dennis Frederiksen, J/24 class representative, had organised a skiing weekend in Limone, France. Dennis mentioned that "the competition would be a great challenge as the winner of this series would also receive an "invitation" for the J/24 World Championship on 11th to 19th November 2011 in Montevideo, Uruguay.""The years follow on and none are alike. After the snow and very strong breezes of 2010, it is the first time in 27 years that we have had such light, sunny conditions!" declared Thierry Leret, Race Committee President, at the prize-giving. Indeed, spring-like conditions, with an anticyclone centered on the Gulf of Genoa meant only one race counted during the whole of the first weekend of the Primo Cup - Trophy Credit Suisse.
"That's the risk you run with regattas! We had the most amazing practice sailing conditions from Tuesday to Thursday with 15 knots of wind and a calm sea which meant we were able to sail with many foreign teams who had arrived early to get in some training!" observed Jean Rodelato, one of the J/24 specialists in the very international field."It is the first time I have come to Monaco to race in the Primo Cup, as I had heard so much about this event which is a benchmark on the international one-design scene. I witnessed the dynamism of the Monegasque J/24 class which organised a ski & sail ahead of the regatta," commented Mauricio Santa Cruz (Bruschetta), triple world champion. Faced with a Monegasque and Italian armada, he clinched a fine second ahead of the Monegasque Pieter Flohil (Dangerous) and won “selection by invitation” to take part in the series’ world championship being held 11 to 19 November 2011 in Argentina.
As it turns out, Mauricio only had to sail one race! On Saturday 5th February, following a recall, the J/24s competitors had to calm down their enthusiasm after being shown a black flag, with all early starts disqualified. Despite a slow start, Santa Cruz's BRUSCHETTA team figured out the tactics and surged through the fleet to finish 2nd in the one and only race that was run on all three days! The placid, calm seas made for gorgeous sunrise and sunset photos but offered impossible conditions to finish off the regatta after a beautiful start on Friday midday. BTW, the "swag" the competitors receive for entering the event is extraordinary, as are the trophies-- including a Hublot Yacht Chronograph for all the winners, tasty champagne and lots of other nice things like you see in this photo! See you there next year! Sailing and Regatta Photos by Carlo Borlenghi For more J/24 Monaco Primo Cup Sailing Information.
J/24 Pan Am Games Trials(Tampa, FL)- This week, the Davis Island YC who bills themselves as "The Sailingest Yacht Club South of the Mason Dixon Line (actually, Southeast)" is playing host to three J regattas in a row! First, they are hosting the J/24 Pan Am Games Trials, then the J/24 Midwinters, then the J/22 Midwinters-- they will be busy catering to the fun-loving, under-demanding needs of J/22 and J/24 sailors who always look forward to their time in the sun in midwinter Florida.
Starting this week, the J/24 Pan Am Games Trials has a "who's who" of recent J/24 Champions (National, North American and World) vying for the honors of heading south to an awesome place to sail the Pan Am Games 2011 off Vallarta Yacht Club in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on the spectacular sailing venue, Bahia de Banderas. Amongst the leaders will be Charlie Enright from Bristol, RI sailing MOOKIE, Will Welles from Portsmouth, RI skippering FAWN LIEBOWITZ and John Mollicone from Newport, RI racing 11TH HOUR RACING- "the green, environmental boat".
Sailing against the American representative will be Maurizio Santa Cruz from Brazil, a past J/24 World Champion, who will have just come off of some good practice sailing the J/24s at Monaco's Primo Cup last weekend as a qualifier for the J/24 Worlds in Montevideo, Uruguay in September of this year. For more J/24 Pan Am Games Trials sailing information. For more J/24 Pan Am Games Mexico sailing information.
Of note are the fact that J/80 and J/24 sailors from Texas have won the Lightning berth for the American team at the Pan Am Games. Jay and Jody Lutz along with foredeck crew Derek Gauger recently won the Lightning Class Pan Am Trial's dominating a very tough group of sailors-- Go get 'em guys!!
ZEIKA Wins J/80 Winter Trophy(La Coruna, Spain- Feb 7th)- This past weekend the J/80 Spanish class held the penultimate round of the Winter Trophy organized by the Real Club Nautico de La Coruna and Sada Yacht Club. On Saturday, the J/80s completed 3 windward-leeward races in the Ria de Sada, with a northwest wind of 6 knots at the start, but reached 15 knots during the third race.
At the end of the Winter Series Trophy, it was a good day for MARINA CORUNA skippered by Paul Chavert, with two wins and a third for the day to hold on to second place overall with 13 points for the series. ZEIKA skippered by Mariano Zapata, with a second and two fifths, remained the class leaders in the standings with 12 points, one point ahead of MARINA CORUNA. LA SAL DE BAZAN sailed by Blanco-Iglesias, with a 2-4-5, goes from fifth to third place overall with 23 points, ahead of IN ITINERE, skippered by Fernando Bonilla, in fourth place with 24 points.
After the racing, the J/80 fleet held the traditional version of a "Spanish Tea" in the storeroom of the Real Club Nautico de La Coruna in which the sailors were able to taste the delicacies cooked up by various members of the class….sounded yummy and tasty! Paella, red or port wine to warm up the insides? For more Barcelona J/80 sailing information.
J/80 Palma 2010 Video(Palma Mallorca, Spain)- In a tribute to his friends who sail amongst the many J/80s that comprise the fleet in Palma, the highly regarded sailing photograher, Jesus Renedo, produced a nice compilation of the year's sailing events along with a powerful musical soundtrack mixed in-- perhaps an inspiration from a long, entertaining evening down along the city-front? See the Jesus Renedo YouTube video of J/80s in Palma.
For more J/80 saling information in Palma de Mallorca.
J/80 Italy Winter Championships
(Tigullio, Italy)- All was not lost on the 2nd to last weekend of the 35th edition of the Winter Championships in Tigullio. A beautiful northerly wind helped get the fleet around the beautiful waters off Tigullio and it was clear that some of the class leaders had it all figured out.
The team of Frederick Rajola on OLJ SPIRIT-HATAMURI consolidated their first place position by getting two 3rds and a 1st to get themselves five points clear of Massimo Rama's JENIALE! in the overall standings, 18 points to 23 points, respectively. Lying third is Paolo Montedonico sailing MONTPRES with 28 points, having a very strong last weekend with two 2nds and a 1st! Fourth is Alberto Garibotto on J-BES with 33 points and 5th is Massimo Zunin's JOCONDA with 40 points.
The final set of races takes place on February 20th, let the games begin for the final top three on the podium! As shifty as the wind was this past weekend, anything can happen! For more J/80 Italian class sailing information.
J/80 Challenge Trinitaine
(La Trinite Sur Mer, France)- Ever wonder why the Spanish and French teams continue to get stronger and stronger every year and the talent level in their fleets overall continue to improve significantly? The British J/80 teams understand the problem, and do a lot of training with their RYA Coaches at various venues.
The Trinitaine J/80 fleet is conducting their 3rd edition of the Challenge J/80 Trinite over five weekends in the winter/ spring- February 12/13 and 26/27 - 12/13 and 26/27 March - 9 / 10 April. It's a great program with specific training targeted on Saturdays and race-training on Sundays. Afterwards, the entire training class goes to a debriefing at the "Cafe Zing"/ Internet Bar for video and tactical review. Most importantly, to improve training, they're trying a new method for tracking via mobile phones. Go here to check out the iSea 3D program for ANY SmartPhone. Or, for Apple iPhone's Sailboat Tracking app, you can go to iTunes. For more information regarding J/80 sail-training in La Trinite Sur Mer, France.
J's Dominate Pacific NW Top 10(Seattle, WA)- What do 7 of the top 10 boats in the Pacific Northwest sailing circuit share in common? A natural predisposition to have fun, sail fast on easy-to-sail boats, never-say-die and keep a smile on their face every time they jump aboard their J's to go sailing every day!
For the 2010 sailing season, starting in 2nd overall, was Stu Burnell's J/109 TANTIVITY from Corinthian YC (photo above) that lost overall honors on a tie-breaker despite having the lowest total point score for the season! They were followed in 3rd by Tom Mitchell's J/35c WILDFLOWER that won a three-way tie-breaker over Erik Kristen's J/105 JUBILEE in 5th. In 6th was the J/109 ILLUSIONIST sailed by Dave McLean from Corinthian YC, 7th was Dave Dack and Rick Nordquist racing their J/109 J-TRIPPER, 8th was the J/105 LAST TANGO sailed by John Peterson from Shilshole Bay YC and 9th was the J/105 ALLEGRO VIVACE sailed by Lorenzo Migliorini Corinthian YC. For more J/Boats Pacific NW sailing information.J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* J/World- The #1 Ranked Sailing School Going to Texas! Have you considered J/World training in the past, but found the added cost to travel to their location just too expensive? Now, J/World will be offering offering 2 classes at Austin Yacht Club: March 8-9th and March 10-11th. Enrollment is limited to 12 or 16, so please sign up before it is too late! For more J/World Sailing School- Austin, TX information and registration.---------------
* A "BowGirl's" Perspective on sailing J/92's- "September 2006, St Malo. That was when I officially resigned from my role as bow-girl on the 1720 that I was sailing at the time. And yes, there was a certain amount of petulance involved. The 1720 has no guard-wires. It’s scary up there. My knees hurt. Everything was just so loaded up and hard work. There was no loo on board. And what sort of woman calls herself a ‘bow-girl’ at the age of 38 anyway?Since then I’ve sailed and race on countless Js but have always steadfastly refused to step forward of the mast. Until last Sunday that is, when I found myself ‘guesting’ in the ‘bow-middle-aged-woman’ role on Andy and Annie’s J/92 S ‘Blackjack’ in the Southampton Frostbite Series. It was an absolute blast. I’ve not sailed the J/92 for ages, although it was one of the first Js I ever sailed, and I’d simply forgotten what great little boats they are.
On Sunday we had light airs and crystal blue skies. We had ice on the decks (so a perfect excuse for my ineptitude up at the front) and we had the luxury of guard-wires too, of course! We were a crew of four boys and two girls. We even had a loo, imagine that!? And you know what? We could do it all easily! Everything on the J/92 is set up so well. Annie (who is tiny) and I could get the kite up and down easily between us. Our gybes were (mostly) good. You simply don’t need a gorilla on the bow or to have a team of gorillas on the rail. The J/92s are such forgiving boats and they are fast. Just a little breeze sees the boat power up and take off and it’s absolutely great! Best of all, we had LOTS of other J/92s to race against; it was fabulous!
I am a born again (forgot-how-much-fun-they-are) J/92 fan.
There are newer Js and there are bigger Js of course, but this 30 footer planes easily and just wants to go fast. She has her own class racing and her own National Championships. She also has a busy and sociable Class Association (see the newsletter attached below). And she has guard-rails and loo as well; have I mentioned that? Put simply, the J/92 is a super, super boat. Read more about the J/92 UK Class in their recent newsletter (downloadable PDF). For more J/92 UK sailing news.
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* During Key West Race Week 2011, Kerry Gruson, a disabled sailor from Shake-A-Leg Miami, helmed John Smittle's J24 CLASS ACT for the first time Tuesday, then Wednesday and then again Thursday.John Smittle has made it possible for disabled sailors and now current Military Veterans from Shake-A-Leg Miami to compete in Key West Race Week since 2005. On Thursday, Ketty Wilson Gonzalez, an Iraq War Vet who is part of the Shake-A-Leg Miami Veteran's program, also joined the team. Cool, eh?
John Smittle who teaches at J/World Key West, has a local sail making and canvas repair loft and is also a Navy Pilot Veteran (a.k.a. a Top Gun/ Black Aces trainer on those little F-14 jets that only go a million miles an hour upside down over Havana--- just to check on Fidel).If any of you J Sailors wish to help out on Harry Horgan's eponymous program in Miami, please don't hesitate to contact him at: Harry Horgan, Ph# 305-527-5602 or harryhorgan@gmail.com or visit Shake-A-Leg Sailing website- http://www.shakealegmiami.org
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* J/24 Crews Make Bigger Boats Go FAST To Hobart- Sure enough, Down Under with our Aussie friends, it's pretty clear that J/24 training and experience comes in handy for "big boat" owners who are trying to make that 600+ nm dash from Sydney to Hobart a bit faster and safer. Amongst the VELOCE crew and friends with some of the booty from their win to Hobart are NINE (9) J/24 sailors in the crew picture-- e.g. most of the crew!!Once again some of the little boat guys went to do battle on big boats to Hobart – seems they like us out there. Or as Tim Bilham from Sydney points out, the Sydney-Hobart was their training ground for their subsequent J/24 Nationals victory. Coincidentally, their Hobart ride was on the First 45 VICTOIRE, another larger Tupperware version of their J/24 VICTORY.
Tim says, “our training for the J/24 Nationals on DEATH STAR has been predominantly centered around Hobart preparation. On our J/24 crew, we have Duncan (bow), me (pit) and Sean (helm) who all did the Syd-Hobart on VICTOIRE (Beneteau First 45).
We won our IRC and ORCi divisions and came 5th overall on IRC. Only plastic production boat in the top ten. Shane (our trimmer) sailed the Hobart on INVESTEC LOYALK. I’m sure he’s using a lot of the knowledge gained from sailing a 100 foot maxi with powered winches in his J/24 sailing”.
“David (our mast guy on the J/24) is the smart one and skipped the Hobart but this doesn’t seem to be holding him back at all on the J/24.”
As we know the Hobart fleet had some moments out there and some boats didn’t make it, although we think all the J Guys got there.
By comparison, the other overwhelmingly J/24 crewed boat was the Elliot 44 VELOCE out of Melbourne doing the M2H Eastcoaster. VELOCE was one of the front 3 that got away from the fleet and had a dream ride to Hobart, beating the old race record and finishing in a time of 2 days 2hrs 40min to take the race and series wins and just to keep the boys happy, hitting around 24 knots down the coast of Tassie in the middle of a very black night. VELOCE also set an additional informal record as the smallest boat in many years to win the King of the Derwent Double with line honours and handicap wins. Making the boat go to Hobart were Melbourne J/24 Guys; Mark Houghton, Kelvin Oldridge, Simon Grain, Noel Duffy and, of course, Fitzy. Joining us for the race in Hobart were Stewart Geeves, Neil Wallace, Priscilla Cutter and Lisa Simonov. So you might say most of the crew !
Jane Flowers who sails on MAKE MY J went down the east coast in luxury on the 60ft Swan DREAMCATCHER 3 and Rowan “Two Dogs” Pollard also out of Sandy, won 1st place in Cruising Division of the S2H (keeping himself a much tidier boy than previous ‘escapades’ offshore).
So that’s at least 13 J24 Guys that I know of doing the Hobart thing. Well done everybody. And then many of us fronted up for further training in Sydney! For more J/24 Australian Sailing news.
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* For a gorgeous, highly detailed model of your J, you might consider contacting Howard Leonard at SeaCraft Classics. He recently built a spectacular J/44 model of BEAGLE for the owner Dr. Gutin. Pictured here is the J/44 model, apparently Howard's done a few others of various sizes and shapes in the J model range. If you want to contact him, you can reach him at- Howard Leonard, SeaCraft Classics, Port Hadlock, WA- howard@seacraftclassics.com or ph# 800-356-1987 or find him on his website at http://www.seacraftclassics.comThe J Cruising Community
J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers. Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.* 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 after completion of their ARC Rally. 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 travels- now past Fiji!
Featured Boats
J/122 SKYE- Triple Mac Race Winner For SalePossibly the best equipped and fastest short-handed 40 foot racer-cruiser in the world! SKYE is the Chicago-Mackinac Race Winner in 2008 (fully crewed) and the 2009 and 2010 Double-handed winner overall! This IRC-friendly 40 footer offers a perfect, completely furnished interior with all the canvas protection covers for the bright-work while racing. As a fresh-water boat it has been immaculately maintained to "Bristol" condition. It features two flip-up pilot berths in the main cabin and gimbaled LPG stove/oven. The B&G 3000 system includes a Garmin 3210 chart plotter, three 20/20s on the mast, lots of readouts everywhere, plus a Hercules H3000 autopilot system with the H3000 gyro- an awesome short-handed sailing system! Sail inventory is all North Sails 3DL carbon, including 2 mains, 6 jibs, Code 0 and 2 spinnakers (Norlite runner and AirX reacher)- blue and white colors. Hull is white with double-blue boot-stripe and white racing bottom paint. For more info call Richie Stearns at Stearns Boating- ph- +1-847-404-2209 or email- rich@stearnsboating.com.
About J/Boats
Started in 1977, J/Boats continues to lead the world in designing fun-to-sail, easy-to-handle, performance sailboats that can be enjoyed by a broad spectrum of sailors. The International J/24 has become the most popular recreational offshore keelboat in the world with over 5,400 J/24s cruising the waves. Today, there are 13,000+ J/Boats, ranging from the International J/22 to the J/65 and ranging in style from one-designs to racers, cruisers to daysailers and, of course, the ubiquitous J sprit boats- J/Boats' innovation in 1992 for easy-to-use asymmetric spinnakers and retractable carbon bowsprits (J/80, J/92, J/95, J/105, J/109, J/110, J/120, J/122, J/130, J/133, J/125, J/145, J/160).J/Boats has the best track record in sailing for innovation and design as evidenced by: 15 Sailing World/ Cruising World Boat of the Year Awards in 14 years; 2 SAIL Awards for Industry Leadership; 2 American Sailboat Hall of Fame Designs (J/24 & J/35); and the three largest ISAF International One-Design keelboat classes (J/22, J/24, J/80).
Counting crew, every year there are over 100,000 friends to meet sailing J's, populating the most beautiful sailing harbors and sailing the waters of 35+ countries around the world. Sailing is all about friends. Come join us and expand your social network everywhere! For more information on J/Boats.
Read Kimball Livingston's SAIL update on the J/Boats story- A Band of Brothers.
