J/80 Boston Boatshow(Boston, MA)- Check out this beauty, the recent cover girl of the March issue of Sailing World, now resplendent in all its glory at the Boston Boatshow this weekend. Come on down and talk shop with our J/Dealers Hill and Lowden and other sailors at this show. Rich and George will be able to fill you in on recent developments on the J/111, leading events in New England this summer- like the J/105 North Americans in Marblehead, and some new products that are in the J/Boats development pipeline! Find out why the Russian Sailing Federation has chosen the J/80 for their Russian National Sailing Championship in Lanzarote, Canary Islands again in November 2011 (story below)! Any questions? Call J/Boats or contact Hill-Lowden at ph- 781-631-3313 or email- hilllowden@aol.com. For more J/80 Boston Boatshow information.
J-Cup Guernsey 2011(St. Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands)- The J-Cup 2011 will take place in St Peter Port, Guernsey from Tuesday July 12th to Thursday July 14th. The J-Cup 2011 will also include the inaugural Lombard J/97 UK National Championship. The J/97 Class is thrilled to have won sponsorship support from Lombard, which reflects recognition of the rapid growth in the J/97 fleet in the UK and of the standard of competition within the class.
The J-Cup 2011 is the tenth anniversary of the regatta, and it is therefore fitting that the event is once again hosted by the Guernsey Combined Yacht Clubs and supported by Nautical Guernsey, who hosted the first ever J-Cup many years ago. The J-Cup has grown in size beyond all reasonable expectation since that first event, both in terms of the number of competitors involved and also by reputation. All J Boat owners are invited to compete; the racing is first class and the shore-side socials are legendary.
There is likely to be a strong French entry joining the Brits at the J-Cup this year. It has not gone unnoticed that the final day of racing and the huge Gala Prize-giving Dinner will take place on Bastille Day. Some skillful planning by the event organizers has also ensured that the RORC Cowes-Dinard-St Malo race (which takes place on the weekend just before the J-Cup) will offer the perfect passage race to the regatta. In fact, the J/97s will be using this race to add points to their score-sheet for the Fever Trophy, which will be presented to the J/97 with the best cumulative score for the RORC Race and the Lombard J/97 UK Nationals. Other owners and crew may of course opt for a more leisurely ‘cruise in company’ to the Channel Islands.
There are also a number of new prizes and surprises in store for J-Cup competitors in this tenth year; an invitation to party in a castle, a Prix D’Elégance Trophy and a number of other such sparkling gems are all set to add to the excitement surrounding the J-Cup 2011. Come join us! The Notice of Race and the Entry Form for the J-Cup 2011 can be found online at http://www.keyyachting.com Sailing Photos Credits- Tim Wright. For more J/Cup Sailing information- Becci Eplett- Key Yachting- +44-0-2380-455669 or email becci@keyyachting.com
J/24 East Coast Champs(Newport, RI)- The 2011 J/24 USA East Coast Championship, being held in Annapolis, MD from October 28th-30th, is experiencing a renaissance, with plans to celebrate the history of the event from its inception to present. They are looking for photographs, videos, articles, interviews, results or trivia from past years.
For more J/24 East Coast Championship sailing information.
J/35 North Americans On Sunny Great Lakes!(La Salle, MI-- August 26-28th)- With over a half-dozen entries already and nearly a dozen indicating interest to go, the North Cape YC is throwing down the gauntlet and hoping J/35 owners from around the globe entertain the idea of proving who's the Seven Seas J/35 Champion of the Universe. Can't go wrong on the sunny, tropical, azure blue waters of the Great Lakes during this time of year. Some of the best sailing in the world. After all, with J/35s sailing in England, Netherlands, Italy, France, Australia, Hong Kong and the Americas, its about time to place your stake in the ground and determine the J/35 "King of the World". Will it be CONVICTS, HOUQUA, AUNT JEAN, or another un-sung hero? Charter boats are available---well, show up with a crew, a case of Guinness and the betting is good a J/35 crew is sure to invite you aboard to have some fun and kick some booty. For more J/35 one-design class information. For more J/35 North American (maybe Northern Hemisphere) Championship information.
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
Spring in the north is just around the corner. As winter's last gasp keep parts of the northern hemisphere in a Gordian knot of snow, wind, ice, windy warm southerlies, then more wind and frigid temperatures, the traditional passage of spring seemingly starts with the first of many Caribbean regattas. The tropical sailing season traditionally starts with the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta (although the RORC 600 may take that crown), this year our J/105 and J/30 friends will be cheering on their colleagues! In Europe, the J/80s continue training hard aiming for the start of the Warsash Spring Series in a fortnight, continued racing off Spain and off Italy's "Gilded Coast" of Santa Margherita and Portofino and the legendary Spi Ouest Regatta soon after. The Russians have jumped aboard the J/80 bandwagon, having now hosted their first Russian National Sailing Championship with J/80s off Lanzarote, Canary Islands in some truly remarkable sailing conditions. Nearby, a J/92s in Dubai, United Arab Emirates sailed to the rescue of a fellow sailor, read more about the dramatic rescue below. Over in the Americas, the J/22 class just completed their Midwinter Championship in Tampa, Florida. And, the Californians are "Dreamin" again, hosting the first of three regattas in J/22s to qualify match racers for the Ficker Cup and, possibly, the fabled Congressional Cup. Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north. 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 26-Mar 6- New England Boatshow- Boston, MA- http://www.newenglandboatshow.comMar 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 14-17- Charleston Race Week- http://www.charlestonraceweek.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.
A Cliffhanger Determines J/22 MidwintersHOT TODDY Wins Tie-breaker in Last Race!
(Tampa Bay, FL)- The setting was as dramatic as it was in the 2010 J/80 Worlds. Just about anyone in the top seven could've won the regatta depending on where the chips fell in the last few go arounds. In this case, the last three races saw a dramatic shift in the standings with past J/22 World and North American Champions playing "Chutes & Ladders", some screaming up the ladder to be amongst the leaders, then in a flash dropping just as fast down the chutes into moments of despair.
Not
to be undaunted by global situations that couldn't be solved by a bunch
of smart, fun-loving J/22 sailors, Benz Faget sailing TEAM FATS from
Metairie, LA dominated the first day of the Layline J/22 Midwinter
Championship at Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, FL. With scores of
2-1, Faget’s TEAM FATS ended the day seven points ahead of Scott Young
and Chris Doyle on SOLID LAYER who were tied with 10 points. TEAM FATS
were cruising for a bruising, enjoying the good times when good times
were to be had.
Jeff
Todd on HOT TODDY shot to the front of the 25-boat fleet on Day 2 of
the J/22 Midwinter Championship as 4 races were held. Todd scored
11-1-3-2 for a regatta total of 21 points. Following Todd were Scott
Young (22) and Chris Doyle (25), followed by a 3-way tie of Tim Healy on
TEAM SAILORS FOR THE SEA, Terry Flynn on MARGO and Travis Odenbach on
INSTIGATOR (27). Good Lord, could you be in any tighter company than to
have a squeeze play of a few dozen college All-Americans breathing down
your neck?? Winds started at 8-10 knots and built to the high teens. A
throw-out race took effect after race 5.
At
the end of the fight for global J/22 midwinter domination, it was Jeff
Todd on HOT TODDY who narrowly won the J/22 Midwinter Championship in a
tie-breaker over Chris Doyle's SOLID LAYER. Only 8 points separated the
top 7 finishers! Todd won the tie-breaker with his bullet in race 4. In
third, Tim Healy on SAILORS FOR THE SEA squeaked past Scott Young (tied
at 47). Travis Odenbach on INSTIGATOR trailed them by one point
finishing fifth, then Benz Faget on TEAM FATS sixth and Allan Terhune on
SEA BISCUIT seventh (tied at 49). Bringing up the rear of this tight
pack was past World Champion Terry Flynn in eighth on MARGO. The final
day of racing featured 3 more races for a total of 9. Don't know what
was the cure, but a combo of Pepto Bismol, Advil and a "chill pills"
(Bud or PBR?) may have been the prescription to keep these crew's
anxiety under control and focused on the game at a hand.Finally, as if the the top 7 wasn't tight enough, Sally Barkow did the Rolex Women's Seminar/ briefing to help the women get amped, focused and organized for the Rolex Women's Worlds in Rochester, NY later this year-- watch out! BTW, they can all use a lot of volunteers to help get them all up to speed. Sailing Photos by Chris Abate- Pixilico. For more J/22 Midwinters sailing information.
Let The Dreams BeginCalifornia Dreamin J/22 Match Race
(San Francisco, CA)- Two guys who have spent most of their lives sailing on San Francisco Bay should have heaps of advice for America's Cup match racers from around the world who'll be dipping into these cool and quirky waters over the months leading to the 34th America's Cup defense in 2013.
There were a few examples over the weekend climaxed by locals Shawn Bennett's 2-0 victory over Russ Silvestri on Sunday to win the first of three stops of the California Dreamin' Series. The next two events are in Long Beach (March 5-6) and San Diego (March 12-13).
The overall winner of the California Dreamin' Series gets a free pass to the Ficker Cup at Long Beach March 17-19, and the winner of that gains entrance to the most prominent match racing event in the United States, the Grade 1 Congressional Cup, which will feature a world class line-up on March 22-26.
Bennett, who won the 2010 U.S. Match Racing Championship last September in Detroit, MI, is looking forward to the America's Cup two years hence. "That's gonna be a blast," he said. "I'm general manager of a tugboat company and we have a dock right at Pier 17, so the finish line is going to be right near us."
As for offering advice to the participants based on his local expertise, Bennett shied away. "I doubt if I have the credentials to give anybody coming in here for the America's Cup any advice," he said. However, he added, "I can tell 'em about some good restaurants probably." Full California Dreamin J/22 Match Race report.
Russian National Championship in J/80s"The Russians Are Coming, Hang On To Your Hats!"
(Lanzarote, Canary Islands)- Yes, the Russians are coming! And, they're learning fast and having fun. Taking a few pages out of top European and American "play books" on how to sail fast, the Russian Sailing Federation is ramping up their sailing programs step-by-step. You've seen a few shining lights in that effort already, like the SYNERGY Sailing Team and some others on the WMRT Match Race Circuit- like world #8 Evgeny Neugodnikov on the Men's Tour and Women's Tour #6 Ekaterina Skudina- who was once again announced to be the Russian Yachtswoman of the Year for 2010 (picture below).
Oscar Konuhov, the executive director of All-Russian Sailing Federation, said "The idea to unite professional sportsmen and amateurs into a national regatta managed by the All-Russian Sailing Federation and its partners means we can have great competition for participants in Russia. The distinctive feature of Lanzarote here in the Canary Islands is constant presence of wind. If we add fantastic local landscapes and perfectly equipped marina and excellent boats like the International J/80 class, we can say with confidence that the initiative of holding the competition here is doomed to success." With a big smile on his face, he added, "I'm coming back next time for sure!"
Boris Boltyansky, the representative of Russian Business Regatta organizing committee commented on the event, saying "I’m sure, the project will have a long life. It is great to prolong Russian yachtsman’s racing calendar and race in the Atlantic ocean on monotypes. We are glad to see here well-known sportsmen, members of the national team, as well as beginners. Surely, it will be interesting for everybody to compete. There are a lot of famous competitors here-- Masters of Sports, yachtsmen of the Olympic level, members of professional racing teams, they are all ready to compete. But according to the regatta rules, there is a beginner or two in each crew, which means every one gets a chance to learn from some of the world's best sailors."
Roman
Terekhov, skipper, Master of Sports in Russia said, "We have a real
national team represented here from Russia: sailors from Kemerovo, St
Petersburg, Moscow, Novosibirsk. We didn’t succeed in everything today,
but we are trying hard. The boat is very good, the feelings are
fantastic. I used to race on different quarter-tonner sailboats, but
this sailing is worlds apart. The J/80 gathers momentum instantly,
reacts to all the maneuvers quickly. The J/80 is amazing!"Igor Cherepanov, Taganrog commented on the J/80, "From my first experience, I can say that the J/80 is well balanced and responsive. The sailing area is fantastic, the wind is regular and the current is slight. This water is known to be rough but we haven't faced it yet. Speaking about the contenders, you know, they are all dangerous competitors. They are rather serious: Georgiy Shaiduko, Sergey Borodinov, Sergey Shevtsov, Igor Lisovenko, Igor Skalin, Anna Basalkina, Kyril Podolsky, Sergey Dzhienbaev, Alexander Ezhkov and the others.
Anna
Basalkina, sailing TEAM RUS-7 ACITER, commented on the event- "The
decisive day of the Championship of Russia sailed in the J/80 class
turned out to be one of the most psychologically difficult days of all.
According to the results of the previous days at least four crews had a
claim on a general victory and three of them had the equal points! For
them the Championship of Russia seemed to begin from the very start. But
there were only two starts remained and there may have been no time to
correct the mistakes.In fact, by the time the fleet got going out of Puerto Kalero Marina the weather had changed to the worse, so much so that everybody considered the races not to take place that day. Since the very morning the sky had been covered by clouds, later it was pouring and there was no wind. The crews took cover in small restaurants and cafes nearby.
After
an hour the rain stopped and the wind started to gain in strength
quickly. Time to go racing! Two races were to be held on the last day.
The distance of the first one almost completely repeated yesterday's
windward-leewards and the favourites reached positive results. After my
first place finish and the second for Georgiy Shajduko, other
participants seemed to give up. But, before the start of the second race
the wind, as it had often happened here earlier, changed direction
approximately 20 degrees. As a result, the lay lines passed too close to
fishing nets and oyster beds marked by buoys. It caused some excitement
for sure!"In the end, Sergey Tarakanov and his team were victorious, beating everyone on the last race and last leg! Just one point back in second was the crew from PIROGOVO. Memories of their surprising victory in yesterday's coastal race are still fresh and again good luck was on their side. One point further back in third was Anna Basalkina on RUS7-ACITER. Georgiy Shajduko's team won the 4th place.
At
the awards ceremony, it was announced the 2011 Championship of Russia
will again be sailed in the J/80 class in November, 2011. Lanzarote is
looking forward to hosting the Championship again. And, Puerto Kalero
Marina will be supplying thirty (30) J/80s for the Russian teams!According to one of the main sponsors, anywayanyday.com's Kyrill Podolsky, "I am satisfied with the way the competition was organized, the work of the referees and the coastal program. Surely not worse than the World championship in the TP52 class. As a whole the regatta has proved to be a success: great J/80 one-design fleet, day races in the ocean, interesting wind conditions and a great competition between these Russian yachtsmen. Anywayanyday.com is going to sponsor future events of this kind."
Anna Basalkina from the RUS7-ACITER team said, "I liked the Championship very much. Next year, I will come together with my family - a support team. I’m sure that everybody who had had an intention to come but couldn’t, I mean Rodion Luka, Edward Skornjakov and others – will take part in the championship next year. We are already making plans now to be there!" For more Russian Sailing Team information.
J/80 Italian Winter Championship(Santa Margherita, Italy)- On the first weekend of sailing the J/80 Winter Championship- Santa Margherita (on the same Bay as Portofino), the weather forecast was not promising. However, almost suddenly, magically, the clouds disappeared, the sun came out and a beautiful breeze filled in from the south.
Fresh from their earlier J/80 winter sailing on the lakes, JENIALE JACONDE was a bit too aggressive on the first race start and was burned with an OCS. Nevertheless, the rest of the fleet sailed a few good windward-leeward races with good breeze and good competition.
However, at the end of the day, a new "scirocco" was brewing, blowing down hard from the Italian Alps and fighting the nice sea-breeze. The fleet was lucky to get in one last race. The final tally for the day saw ORSO J first, followed by MONTPRES, HATAMURI J, GARDA and fifth JBES.
The next weekend for the Santa Margherita Ligure winter series will be sailed on the 12th-13th of March. For more J/80 Italian Winter Championship information.
J/92 Sailors in Dubai Rescue(Dubai, United Arab Emirates)- Holy smokes, you have to read this story that just came in across the wires from Matt Britton, owner of J/92s #2 called PRIVATEER and member of the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club.
"Hi Guys, just thought I would share our experience of 2 weeks ago on a benign day in Dubai. We were sailing in one of the club commodores cup series in about 10 to 15 Knot working our way offshore up wind. The forecast was matching reality and it was a lovely sail. We were flying Full main and our 138% number 1, 5 crew on board but not a great amount of experience. The sky darkened to windward and we were expecting the typical 5 minutes of 20 to 25 Knot squall we get in these parts. Usually enough to luff your jib a little and ride it out till the Squall passes and carry on racing. I will point out that we also usually have a big hole behind our squalls so retaining the sail for the 5 mins as it comes through is well worth it. The first notice of something different was the beneteau 34.7 200m to windward splitting its jib in two. Then all Hell broke loose. I had from this point on a lot of other things to look at, but from the rest of the fleet in the bar later, we had wind readings of 54+ knots!! Needless to say we let everything fly. But, the boat was still healing to the point where water was entering the cockpit. We started to furl the head sail just as it was about a metre from being in the furling line went (we later found out it had pulled out of its fitting as we had reached the end, the sail being furled so much tighter than usual). So back over she went. Life jackets and harness lines on!! I checked the GPS we were traveling 6 knot over ground but only 0.2 Knots forward (e.g.. all movement side-ways!). The distance to the big breakwater wall was diminishing to fast for comfort.
I then started the engine to try to help her up to windward to help with the dropping of the jib. This made no difference. Still no forward movement and therefore no answering helm that much head sail up. Clipped in I sent crew on to the foredeck to get the jib down, which they did after a little time. She then came under a little more control and I was able to force her through a tack by slowly sheeting in and using the trusty 19 year old Yanmar. This meant we were no longer heading towards the breakwater wall and my heart started to beat again (nobody likes mentally working out abandon ship procedures for a 5 metre high rock wall to leeward while trying to stay calm for the crews sanity). Main down next and everything started to feel a little calmer despite the wind still being up in the mid 40's. We started to slant our way home riding the short horrible chop as best we could. After about 10 mins the crew spotted a flare which had just ignited about 20m before hitting the water. It was level with us about a mile away so we started to motor across the swell towards the spot the guys had seen it. 10 minutes of anxious motoring later one of the crew spotted a man in the water about 100 metres to leeward (we had almost sailed right on by, only the fact that he turned up wind so we saw the life jacket meant we saw him despite every body looking out.) We picked him up which was a little worrying in that swell and got him safe on board. Then tried to get hold of his boat on the VHF, a 10 minute job due to lots of Arabs over-talking on channel 16 here, the channel is used by the locals for general chat!! He had been in the water for maybe 20mins about 4 miles offshore) due the fact that as he fell overboard (due to a guard wire snapping at the rope connection) he had taken the jib sheet with him which had gone straight into the prop of his boat who had already had to cut their main from her mast so had no way of getting back to him. We then headed home. The wind was still up at 35+ knot when we reached home 2 hrs after the 1st gust. The boat that had lost Murph into the water was about 2 miles in front doing 5 knots under bare poles heading back in, they had gotten our message of rescuing Murph. The Cost? We shredded our jib, the main has a big tear from the action of a reefing ring and a batten pocket set close together and the pre-feeder had gone from the roller furler. But, thank goodness the whole fleet made it in safe with no major injuries.
Lessons learned:
1. I am so glad we do not go super light for ORC regulations, we carry all the relevant safety kit including a decent anchor and warp (to many boats are changing there levels of kit after this)
2. M.O.B. practice is worth its weight in gold when it all goes wrong and the s#@$t hits the fan!
3. Life jackets on early calms things down a lot.
4. I will carry my storm jib always from this point onwards.
5. I will be giving my crew training on how to let off a flare.
6. More line on the furler drum to allow for a very tight furl.
All in all a busy and expensive day!!" To read more about J/92s sailboat and other sailing heroes in the J/92 class
J/109 Wins Boat of the Year(Raleigh, NC)- Tinka Albert from Raleigh reports the exciting news that the J/109 AFTER THOUGHT, owned and sailed by Craig and Suzy Wright of Raleigh, NC, won the North Carolina Offshore Boat of the Year Award in the Spinnaker Division. The BOTY Spinnaker division award is calculated on a boat’s finishing positions in six area regattas plus their overall result in the annual Winter Series. It is AFTER THOUGHT's second BOTY win, they also won in 2007. It's quite an achievement and saw them perform well in a wide variety of conditions, particularly offshore in some demanding weather, proving again the strength of the J/109 to be a solid, all-around racer-cruiser for family teams! For more J/109 sailboat information.
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* Donna McCartney is an author writing a children’s book series called, "NAUTICAL MILE".
The first book in the Nautical Mile Series is set to be released the
summer of 2011. A campaign for a national coloring contest is already
underway, set to roll out the beginning of next school year. Donna had a
sweet comment for J sailors, "I was just reading an article written by
Jeff Johnstone about the creation of the J/24 class. I realized that my
husband is probably right, our 1977 J/24, which is the backbone for the
creation of my series and is the oldest J/24 boat we’ve ever
encountered, comes from the very first production run of the J/24
series!! I just thought I'd tell you that the boat is alive and well
and still in use after all these years-- and still creating magic. If
you would like to see a few pictures, I have a couple out on our blog
about my book and coloring contest at
http://nauticalmileseries.blogspot.com - Please let others know about
our coloring contest- Many Thanks, Donna McCartney- ph# (804)-462-5019
or email- mommccartney@gmail.com 
* Congratulations to Stan Honey and Anna Tunnicliffe, US Sailing's Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year!
Anna has done a lot of Laser sailing and also match racing in J/22s.
In fact, amongst her accomplishments earning her USS Rolex YOY was a
third in the Boat-US Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis, MD sailing in J/22s.
Stan has been a friend (and navigation mentor) for the Editor since
college days, having first discussed the merits of Polynesian "stick
navigation" in 1978 on a calm day waiting for sailing to start at Yale
Corinthian YC (YCYC) in Branford, CT and in later years discussing the
merits of leading edge audio/video compression technology for satellite
transmission on moving platforms (e.g. KVH). Said Stan about his award,
"It's a humbling experience to be included on this Rolex Yachtsman of
the Year list of legends and a tribute to all transoceanic sailors and
navigators in our sport. I also think it is a unique characteristic of
sailing that we can pursue it throughout our lives and be honored, at
age 55, with an award like this." More about Stan and Anna at US
Sailing- http://www.ussailing.org
* Hospice Regatta- St. Croix- a report from Antonio Sanpere
sailing his beautiful J/36- "We just finished the Hospice Regatta in
St. Croix. We had a J-27, J-24, J-36, and hull number 1 J-95. The J-95
could have won except for a DSQ. The J-36 (mine) could have won except
for a DNF for sailing the wrong course and then breaking the main
halyard and having to race both days with a reefed main. We temporarily
rigged a block above the exit box for the genoa halyard and used the
old halyard to raise the main to where we could put in the reef!
Amazing. We had to remove the solid vang to get the boom low enough. It
was fun never the less!!"
* J/24 One-Design Expertise Helps! Past J/24 World Champion John Kostecki (right)led the Farr 40 Worlds fleet home sailing on TRANSFUSION. Another former J/24 Champion Chris Larson
(left) was doing the same further down the ladder. Great story,
consistency is King, as they say in tight, college-style fleets. In
race nine Transfusion's crew were coughing dust for the first upwind leg
and appeared to lack boat speed while defending champion Nerone was
sailing hotter angles out in front on the first downwind run.
Transfusion's US tactician, John Kostecki, now a three-time 
winner
in the Farr 40 Worlds, lived up to his reputation as one of the world's
best as the local boat clawed its way back to finish second behind
Nerone, and win the title! While five different boats won races during
the series, Transfusion won only once, but never dipped below a seven.
Consistency pays. Start sailing any one of the large International
J/One-Design classes- J/22 (http://www.j22.org), J/24
(http://www.j24class.org), J/80 (http://www.j80.org)- and you'll learn
darn fast! Or, why do you think top women sailors have a hard time
winning the Rolex Women's Worlds sailed in J/22s or many of the top USA
skipper/ tacticians and European or Australian skipper/ tacticians often
started in the middle of the pack of J/22, J/24, or J/80 fleets at some
point in their life learning how to sail better, faster, smarter?
Takes practice to get good, lots of it.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." UPDATE- Just a short note to update from Bill- "Our cruise began in May of 2000 and ended in May of 2008, some 8 years later. I have just finished and published my third and final book covering the last three or so years including our double handed crossing in 16 days and one winter in the Caribbean. Like the others, "Sea Trek- A Passion for sailing- Book III," can be found at www.blurb.com. Thanks, Bill and Judy."
* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary 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!
- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com. Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA)
,
then to the South Pacific and New Zealand. MANDALAY is back in San
Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered
charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.
* The J/109 GAIA (seen right in the Java Sea) was sailed by Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay around the world. In February 2011, their cruising adventures came to an abrupt, sad ending. As a tribute to them and their cruising friends worldwide, we hope their chronicles on their GAIA website remains a tribute to their warm-hearted spirits- read more about why many loved them dearly and will remain touched by their loving spirit forever- http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/
Featured Boats
Race-ready J/105 San Diego
Buy it now! Sail The 2012 North Americans in San Diego!
Hull #130 is essentially a brand new J/105 with every imaginable upgrade completed in September of 2009. Everything has been done to the highest standard, and within class rules for J/105 one design racing. The owner has spared absolutely no expense to make this J/105 better than new in all aspects. Hull #130 has undergone a complete and meticulous overhaul from the top of the mast to the bottom of the keel. From its Fitzgerald Grand Prix bottom job (completed prior to the 2009 refit) to the complete stripping and painting of the deck and nonskid and new deck hardware, this 105 is the most perfect 105 conceivable. It is hull #130, making it a very competitive hull to begin with and the upgrades ensure that it is the fastest 105 out there. The full specs include only the work that has been done this year, and even the extensive list does not do justice to the perfection of this boat. An absolute must see. For more information, view the complete listing on Yachtworld.com. Or contact Jeff Brown jeff@jk3yachts.com 619 224-6200. Photo is of sistership.
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.
