J/95 @ Annapolis Sailboat Show (Annapolis, MD)- After nearly two years of sailing in many of the world's most enjoyable shallow cruising grounds and "gunkholes", the J/95 (like her big sister the J/108) has far surpassed the expectations of its lucky owners. In many respects, the J/95 set the standard for the new breed of shoal-performance daysailing and cruising boats.
The stories to date are legion. J/95s sailing on Swiss Lakes have brought great joy to her owners, both as daysailing boats as well as the occasional evening "wine/cheese" race (as opposed to American beer-can races!). And, whether racing in Key West Race Week, daysailing off Naples, around the Chesapeake or off Harbor Springs, MI, J/95s have had more than their fair share of stories to tell. Just recently, in fact, Justin Palm was racing their family's J/95 off Harbor Spring and recounted how much fun it was to sail through the anchorage, into shoal waters where no one else could get into (under 4 feet!), stayed out of the current and in stronger wind, and was able to win an evening beer-can race! While we didn't' exactly have this idea in mind as a design criteria, it does illustrate the strength of the concept and how well the J/95 performs both upwind and downwind. When you need to dial-up some upwind performance, the 5.5' draft with board down assures you of sparkling VMG's to windward, a near impossibility with competitive shoal-draft cruisers. Be sure to visit the J-booth at Annapolis to see this revolutionary J cruiser and daysailer.
Also featured at the show will be the new J/111 one-design speedster, the boat that has been taking the offshore world by storm; the International J/80 One-Design (the world's largest sprit sportboat class); and the J/108 shoal-performance cruiser.For more J/95 information- http://www.jboats.com/j95
For more J/108 information- http://www.jboats.com/j108
For more J/111 information- http://www.jboats.com/j111
For more J/80 information- http://www.jboats.com/j80
J/80 North Americans Preview(Larchmont, NY)- This weekend Larchmont YC is hosting the J/80 North American Championship from September 28th to October 2nd. Twenty-seven teams from across the country are sailing in what may be one of the most competitive J/80 fleets assembled in awhile. While the recent J/80 Worlds in both Newport, RI and Copenhagen, Denmark were tough fleets with upwards of seventy boats, this shoot-out on Long Island Sound will have four J/80 World Champions, five J/80 North American Champions and several Key West Race Week Champions across multiple classes- J/80s, J/105s and PHRF! That's what one might call a "stacked deck"!
Expect to see amongst the leader-board teams like Kerry Klingler (NA and World Champion) from Long Island, NY; John Storck sailing RUMOR (Key West and 2010 NA's winner) from Long Island, NY; Glenn Darden/ Reese Hillard sailing LE TIGRE (Key West, NA's and World Champions) from Fort Worth, TX; Brian Keane skippering SAVASANA (Key West J/105 Champion) from Buzzards Bay; Curt Johnson helming AVET (J/80 Pacific Coast Champion) from Los Angeles, CA; Gary Kamins/ Jay Lutz sailing FIRED UP (Key West, Worlds and NA Champions) from Houston, TX/ Los Angeles, CA; and Bruno Pasquinelli skippering TIAMO (NA and Buzzards Bay Champion) from Houston, TX. For more J/80 North American Championship sailing information
Women Superstars @ Santa Maria Cup(Annapolis, MD)- One of the favorite events on the Women's International Match Race Association (WIMRA) tour has always been racing the fun-to-sail J/22s in the Santa Maria Cup sailed in Annapolis, MD. Hosted by Eastport YC, the EYC members and Maryland's capitol city of Annapolis roll-out the red carpet to welcome top women's match race teams from around the world, an invitational-only event.
While the match racing begins on Wednesday, September 28, Tuesday the 27th is filled with Santa Maria Cup excitement. The Boatyard Bar & Grill PRO-AM pits regional challengers from industry, sailing clubs, colleges and high schools against the Santa Maria Cup women super-stars in fleet-racing. What fun, eh?? Afterwards at the Opening Ceremonies on the City Dock, Eastport Yacht Club Commodore Rick Jackson and Annapolis Mayor Josh Cohen welcome the women's teams to Annapolis and proclaim "Celebrate Women's Sailing Week".
Then, on Wednesday the racing begins in earnest. Top billing goes to recent Rolex Women's Sailor of the Year, Anna Tunnicliffe and her team who are also fresh from finishing 2nd in the Rolex Women's Worlds in Rochester, NY. Also a clear favorite, despite a currently low WIMRA ranking, is Liz Baylis, she was the Santa Maria Cup winner in 2003. Also factoring into the leader-board will be Silja Lehtinen from Finland, she should prove tough to beat and her current #11 ranking in WIMRA means she will be a factor on the race course. Likewise, one of the top women match race sailors from France, Julie Brossard, ranked #12 in WIMRA will also be in the hunt for the Finals on Sunday. Sailing photo credits- Fried Elliott/ Friedbits.com For more Santa Maria Cup sailing information
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
Fall in the northern hemisphere is a special time of year. A time for reflection from summer-time activities. A time to plan for the New Year. For some, time to survive a few hurricanes, floods and monsoons! Just as Spring flourishes fast and furious Down Under, the northern hemisphere's fall is a time to celebrate change, to watch autumn leaves turn into a spectacular rainbow of orange, red, yellow, purple. Perhaps the first of those regattas to truly enjoy that visual kaleidoscope of colors is the J/22 Northeast Championship on Lake George, NY- that incredible venue hidden high in New York's Adirondack Mountains with deep, cobalt blue waters and eye-popping mountain-tops punctuating a clear, razor-sharp blue sky. Yet to enjoy such fall colors are the sailors participating in the first weekend of the American YC Fall Series sailed off Rye, NY. And, just down the street, so to speak, the same fleet enjoyed excellent racing the previous weekend off Riverside YC in Riverside, CT sailing the IRC/ PHRF Long Island Sound Championships. Three thousand miles away, way, way out West, SoCAL J sailors enjoyed the widely popular J/Fest San Diego hosted by the San Diego YC. And, just to their North sailing off California's "elbow" (a geographical feature), were the J/105s sailing their Fall Championship at Santa Barbara YC. If the American side of the world was content to enjoy their fall sailing, so were their European counterparts in J/24s, J/80s and offshore boats. In Italy, the J/24s sailed their Italian Cup Open Championship in the beautiful seaside town of Anzio just southwest of Rome. Over on the Bay of Biscay side of France, the J/80s sailed their l'Atlantique Championships in Lorient, as did the IRC fleets. Finally, as mentioned earlier, our Down Under friends are having fun with their sailing. Most especially the gang in Sydney, Australia, as they're still learning how to fine-tune the "speed dial" and have yet to find the "warp factor" button sailing their J/111 JAKE!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:
Sep 28-Oct 2- J/80 North Americans- Larchmont, NY- http://j80.org/j80usa.phpOct 1-2- Compass Regatta- Houston, TX
Oct 1—7- China Club Match Challenge- Wuyuan Bay, Xiamen, China
Oct 6-10- Annapolis Sailboat Show (J/111, J/108)- Annapolis, MD- http://www.usboat.com
Oct 9-15- J/22 Worlds- Southern YC, New Orleans, LA- http://www.j22worlds.com/
Oct 13-16th- Harvest Moon Regatta- Houston, TX
Oct 14- Greenport Ocean Race- Greenport, Long Island, NY- http://www.greenportoceanrace.org/
Oct 14-16- J/80 China Fall Regatta- LiuZhou, GuangXi, China - http://www.cnmcr.com/
Oct 29-30- J/Fest Southwest- Houston, TX
Oct 29- Nov 6- Hamburg Boat Show (J/108, J/80)- Hamburg, Germany- http://www.hanseboot.de
Nov 4-7- Xiamen Boat Show (J/80)- Wuyuan Bay, Xiamen, China
Nov 11-19- J/24 Worlds- Buenos Aires, Argentina- http://www.j24worlds2011.org.ar/
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
J/111 JAKE Impressive in Sydney Offshore(Sydney, Australia)- The boys (and girls) down under are full-on into their early summer Sydney Offshore Points Series with many of the top offshore boats in the greater Sydney/ Melbourne region participating. Many use the Sydney Offshore series as a warm-up/ tune-up program for the boat, sails and crew for the famous Sydney-Hobart Race that starts on Boxing Day in December.
As owner Ray Entwistle describes, the "J/111 continues to prove her form even in light airs offshore! In a stark contrast JAKE's first offshore race a few weeks ago, where it was gusting to 30 knots and JAKE's boat speed was up to 18 knots, JAKE proves herself in complete opposite conditions. In the Short Ocean Pointscore race a few race weeks ago we had big winds and a fantastic kite ride heading north. This week’s 30nm race headed south to Port Hacking with the wind only averaging 8 knots, 30 degree wind shifts and a sloppy seaway. A mixture of beating and just cracked sheets really tested the boat and crew and being the smallest boat in this division in these conditions has to be the most challenging (we were up against the larger boats including Corby 49, Sydney 47 and other much larger boats in Division One). However, we are delighted with the J/111’s performance. We were looking forward to the ride back to Sydney, planning to set the A2 asymmetric, heating it up and pulling some distance back on the 50 footers when mother nature changed the plans. The wind swung from ESE, to SW, then back to ESE again! Due to the shape of the coastline we were back to beating and just cracked sheets again, it wasn’t until Maroubra 5nm south of Sydney harbour that we were able to just hang onto the code 0, then set a larger kite to get into Sydney Heads then drop it again to beat back into Rushcutters Bay for the finish line.
In summary, for the six hour long race we only had the spinnakers up for approximately 1 one hour! We were the 4th boat over the line on the water and finished 3rd on IRC, leaving a bunch of 40 to 45 footers behind us! For a 36 ft yacht this is one incredible boat."
SoCAL J/Fest Awesome Sailing(San Diego, CA)- Last weekend J/Boats from all over Southern California convened at the San Diego Yacht Club for J/Fest 2011. In light but steady conditions, the RC was able to get 5 races in over the weekend. J/Fest is known as a regatta marked by protest-free racing, camaraderie and awesome giveaways, and this weekend was no exception. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, the J/Fest party consisted of finding creative ways to give away thousands of dollars’ worth of SWAG. Needless to say, the cookout dinner (by the skipper/ owners!) was always a hit and the music and dancing afterwards provided the fun and icing on the cake for the crews.
Competition amongst the fleets was as keen and fun as ever. In the "big boat" class, the J/120s had seven boats sailing a very nice series. But, past champion Chuck Nichols on CC RIDER kicked up their heels again and showed the fleet their transom for more than their fair share of races, accumulating a 1-1-2-1-1 for 6 pts. John Laun's CAPER hung tough to amass a 2-2-1-3-3 for 11 pts. And, the good news was that MELTEMI's Peter Zarcades sailed consistently enough to get a scoreline of 5-3-3-4-4 for 19 pts to secure the last spot on the podium!
The five boat J/109 fleet has always been a tough fleet with as spirited competition as their larger counterparts in the J/120 class. But, in the end, it was ELECTRA's Tom Brott that sailed a bit more consistent than most to secure a 3-2-2-1-1 for 9 pts to win. Second was Daylen Teren on GREAT BALLS OF FIRE, starting off slow, but catching up too late to catch Tom's team with a strong finish, their 4-5-1-2-2 for 14 pts enough to just secure their position. Just behind these two was John Schultze's team on LINSTAR, their 1-3-3-4-4 tally good for 15 pts and third overall.
J/105s continue to enjoy excellent one-design racing in San Diego, in particular because some of their traveling teams (like their buddies in Santa Barbara) have been exposed to fast regional and national competition. With thirteen boats, it was amazing to see that the top six were nearly all tied going into last race! By virtue of winning the last race, Bennet Greenwald on PERSEVERANCE won by both "perseverance" on a "squeaker", his 4-4-2-7-1 for 18 pts just beating out Steve and Lucy Howell's BLINK! Steve and Lucy sailed well and only had to finish within five places of PERSEVERANCE to win! Alas, such was not to be the case, a 7th in the last race cost them the title. Third was past champion WINGS sailed by Dennis and Sharon Case. Fourth was TRIPLE PLAY skippered Dave Vieregg and, incredibly, fifth was SANITY sailed by Rick Goebel--- now famous (or, infamous) for attempting to drag Blossom Rock Buoy off its moorings in San Francisco Bay with a new move- the "takedown, shrimp, gybe, fly from the masthead, gybe, retrieve from Davy Jones Locker" play-- yes, with the same blue chute they sailed in San Francisco now sailed again in San Diego-- incredibly, it's the miracle of miracles!!
With nearly as much drama as their J/105 counterparts, the J/80s had very close racing for the top five amongst the nine boat fleet. The regatta was settled by two tie-breakers AFTER the last race. Sailing clear, and "drama-free", was Curt Johnson's AVET, their 2-3-1-3-1 for 10 pts clearly put them in a class by themselves. However, 2nd to 5th was not so clear, perhaps "clear as mud". Surviving the dog fight was John Steen's team on UNDERDOG, their 8-4-2-1-2 for 17 pts winning the tie-break for 2nd place over SLEEKIT's Robert and Nick Caldwell (1-7-4-2-3 for 17 pts). Fourth place was settled the same way just 3 pts further back! In this case, MONKEY SHOULDER's Dan Gribble managed a 5-1-3-5-6 scoreline for 20 pts, beating NUHUNU's Steve Wyman 3-2-7-4-4 for 20 pts! All in all, it was a fun regatta. Sailing photo credits- Joysailing.com Facebook- Joysailing For more J/Fest San Diego sailing results
A DAZZLING J/22 Northeast Championship(Lake George, NY)- Dazzle or be DAZZLER'd! Such was the operative phrase on that spectacular venue high up in New York State's Adirondack Mountains- Lake George. Surrounded by magnificent mountains, the spectacular "changing of colors" during the fall providing a back-drop of dazzling reds, burnt oranges, vibrant yellows and verdant greens, it's hard not to be dazzled by the Van Gogh-like landscape surrounding the fleet as they dash around the race course.
And so it was. Really. The Lake George Club is known to be a wonderful host. In fact, like the lucky J/24 sailors who have secretly enjoyed the Changing of the Colors Regatta for decades, the J/22s have also been able to grow their presence enough to command their own weekend of racing! Forty J/22s on a gorgeous fall weekend of sailing makes for lots of fun sailing and even better social events and parties later at the Club, starting in the infamous "Cave" (or Dungeon, or Grotto). A star-studded cast of J/22 sailors couldn't wait to enjoy another Lake George reunion for more fun and games. This time, yet another "newbie" showed up and stole the show.
Al Ternhune, Mike Coe and Jim Barnash simply dazzled everyone with their incredibly fast starship (er, J/22) called, appropriately, DAZZLER! Their 1-8-1-2-3 record for 15 pts outclassed the fleet by six points. The fight for second place came down to the exciting, dazzling, last race between the recent J/22 Rolex Women's Worlds winner Cory Sertl sailing LUCY (with husband Mark Sertl and Mike Marshall) and Chris Doyle steering CLAUDIA JEAN (with sailing rock-star Will Harris and Adam Burns). In the end, Doyle's CLAUDIA JEAN won the last race to take second, beating Sertl's LUCY by one point! Fourth was the top Canadian team sailed by Stephen Jones (sailing with Breck McFarlane and Chris Hobbs). Fifth was another J/22 and J/24 Champion, Travis Odenbach racing INSTIGATOR (sailing with Bill Farmer and John Newell). For more J/22 Northeast Championship sailing information
IC2 Wins J/80 Atlantique Regatta(Lorient, France)- As if winning two previous regattas and sailing in the top ten at the recent J/80 Worlds in Copenhagen, Denmark was not enough, Eric Brezellec and crew on INTERFACE CONCEPT 2 continued their winning ways this season sailing the French J/80 Circuit. With 35 boats sailed by many of the top teams in France, it was quite remarkable to see Brezellec sail to 4-3-6-6-1-rdg for 14.4 pts, not having to sail the last race to win!
Second to Eric's team was yet another IC boat, the team of INTERFACE CONCEPT I sailed by Jean-Charles Moriceau. Their 6-1-14-3-6-1 record for 17 pts was not enough to overcome IC2's dominant sailing. Lying third was J ILE'DE'RE sailed by Olivier Guillemin, their 2-bfd-1-7-3-4 for 17 pts losing the tie-breaker (their BFD unfortunately came at a bad time for them, taking them out of contention for the lead). Fourth was ATLANTIS sailed by another renowned French sailor Laurent Sambron, learning the ropes and angles of Lorient waters very quickly to garner a 8-7-6-1-4-6 record for 24 pts. In fifth was another top J/80 sailor, Sylvain Pellisier sailing VOILERIE ALL PURPOSE with flashes of brilliance, but inconsistent, record of 1-13-23-4-5-2 for 25 pts. For more J/80 Atlantique Regatta sailing information
AYC Fall J/Fest SeriesNeeded: ANTIDOTE!
(Rye, NY)- The forecast was not good. Cloudy, drizzly Saturday. ESE nothing, building to nothing. Sunday, clearing slowly, from the WSW nothing, building to almost nothing. Seems it was true for most of the East Coast. Except for those areas that can build sea-breezes from nothing into something, like Newport and Buzzards Bay! And so it was.
For the 59 J's sailing in a fleet of 90 boats (60% of the fleet), it was an exercise primarily in frustration with the weather Gods. This time it had less to do with the "classic Long Island Sound" weather conditions producing nothing, but more to the point that wind gradients and weather systems were stalled, pouring buckets of rain on those who needed it the least (already flooded out, mind you)!
Undaunted, the huge turnout of J/Teams nevertheless produced good racing for the ONE race that was conducted all weekend long. Ouch. The J's sailing in the "handicap racing world" had their work cut out for them in the challenging conditions in both IRC and PHRF.
In the IRC 3 Division, the J/133 ANTIDOTE sailed by Ron Richman won their class with the J/111 ANDIAMO sailed by Paul Strauch finishing 5th and David & Maryellen Tortorello's J/111 PARTNERSHIP in 8th. It was a true "toss-up" of a race, so we hope there's more semblance of order next week.
In IRC 5 Division, the J/122s showed up "en masse" and with five of them entered, it was certain that many would be amongst the leaders of the class. Sure enough, the J/122s finished 2-3-4-5, led home by Andrew Weiss's family team aboard the famous CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, followed by Mike Bruno and Jim Callahan on WINGS, then Stephen Furnary on PATRIOT and Barry Gold on SUNDARI.
For the PHRF World, it just seems the Esposito Brothers are intent on establishing global domination in western Long Island Sound, not having ventured very far from the safety of that warm cocoon of water. Nevertheless, they've proven to be nearly unbeatable in most all weather conditions in their redoubtable J/29 HUSTLER! Finishing 2nd in the first race in crazy conditions is a good thing for John and Tony and crew on the great yacht HUSTLER. Just behind was a pretender to the PHRF throne of J/29 mastery and domination, Matheus Hovers on his J/29 KATOENDRA. Back in 6th was Christian Uecker's J/92 HOUND DOG.
On the One-Design side of the Sailing World, the nine J/44s sailing had a great showing with nearly all of them crossing the starting line in near perfect formation (at least close enough!). After a spirited sparring match around the race-track, the top three ended up being Don and Dick Rave's RESOLUTE in first, Bill Ketcham's MAXINE in second and Jeff Willis' CHALLENGE IV in third. One can only make this sage observation, "you've trained them well, Gentleman Jim (of GOLD DIGGER fame)
Amongst the J/109 one-design contingent, Jack Forehand's STRATEGERY broke free and led the pack home with some degree of bravado! Bob Schwartz's NORDLYS was second and third was Intergalactic J/109 Champion Rick Lyall's STORM. Watch out for next week, not always that Rick's team can be held back for long.
The J/105 one-designs showed up with the largest fleet in the regatta with nineteen "wanna-be" winners and only a few that could taste the elixir of the winning champagne glass. As in the other fleets, the magic of the "roll of the dice" was factor. Nevertheless, Damian Emery on ECLIPSE continues to prove his "wizardry" works (most of the time) and pulled off a first in the first race! George and Alex Wilbanks on REVELATION were second and another J/105 Champion, Joerg Esdorn and Duncan Hennes hung tough to snag third. Nathan Boylan on JOYSEA was fourth and fifth was Jordan Mindich on SHAKEDOWN. It was nice to see some new faces amongst the leader-board!
As a "warm-up" for their J/80 North American Championships, a number of teams were hoping this weekend would shake-out a few cobwebs, get team and sails fine-tuned for the upcoming "Battle of J/80 Champions" the following week. Unfortunately, the weekend was wiped out from that perspective. Rising to the top of the pack was Chris Bulger on GOOSE, finishing first. GOOSE was followed by Kerry Klingler on US 352 and Tim Pitts on the infamous PORTSMOUTH PRINCESS. For more AYC Fall Series sailing information
PUNTO J Wins J/24 Italian Open Championship(Anzio, Italy)- Over the past weekend, the town of Anzio (south of Rome on the Mediterranean coastline) turned into a festival of sailing: one hundred and twenty sailors, sailing enthusiasts and many, many curious passers-by enjoyed the summer-like weather.
The competition was strong and the excellent turnout of twenty-two J/24s made for a lot of fun and many lead changes! After seven races, it was clear that Ignazio Bonanno on PUNTO J sailing for Centro Velico Marina Militare won in a convincing fashion with a 2-1-2-1-2-5-4 scoreline for just 12 pts. Second was Fabio Delicati on DJKE from Sezione Velica Anzio (the local sailing club) with a 4-3-4-ocs-4-1-2 for 18 pts. Fabio was a contender for the regatta lead until their unfortunate OCS in Race 4. In third on the podium was Francesco Cruciani steering AVOLTORE from Vela Club Tarkna sailing to a 1-4-5-3-1-11 for 19 points. Francesco basically lost any chance of wining the regatta or getting second by bombing their last race. Instead, they just won out on a tie-breaker to get third, beating Pietro Diamanti racing JAMAICA that sailed to a 7-8-3-2-3-3-1 scoreline also for 19 pts. Fifth was Paolo Rinaldi on AMERICAN PASSAGE with 35 pts.
During the Awards ceremony the "Prize Cruciani" went to the crew that got the best finish in four events that constituted the Italian J/24 Circuit (Spring Trophy Argentario, Pasquavela, National Championship and Italian Cup)- the winner was Francesco Crucianin on AVOLTORE
The Race Committee, composed of Riccardo Maurizi, Luciano Crocetta, Stefano and Paola Rizzo Piozzi, managed to run seven races in three days despite the wind never exceeded 7 knots! "The presence of a large turnout of J/24 teams for the Italian Cup and the meticulous checks by the J/24 class measurer, Cesare Cislaghi, contributed to the prestige of the event," said Paul D'Aloisio. Furthermore, sailed Paul, "Anzio has now become one of Italy's most important spots for racing in one design and collaboration between the J/24 Class and the Italian Navy League in Tiber, Remo and Rome means many more J/24 sailors can join in the fun! Next season we expect thirty boats! This is a great signal and shows how important this class is still alive in Italy and that does not matter the age of things but the ability to make them be alive." We could not have said it any better than that, in Italian, Spanish, English, Russian, Chinese or French! For more J/24 Italy Cup sailing information.
Demourkas Wins J/105 Fall Championship(Santa Barbara, CA)- In one of the more competitive one-design fleets in America, the Santa Barbara YC's sailors have proven time and again they can more than meet their match in most National or North American Regattas in various one-design classes. Larry Leveille's J/29 RUSH STREET is a champion offshore and J/29 sailor; John Demourkas is a champion Farr 40 and Farr 30 sailor (including, of course, his wife Deneen who just won the Farr 30 Worlds in San Francisco); Bernie Girod is J/105 Class President and a champion J/105 sailor; John Ziskind was a world-class America's Cup sailor on BMW/ORACLE and on the World Match Race Cup pro-circuit; and recent J/24 North American Champion Pat Toole on his J/24 THREE BIG DOGS is always at the top of the class. At some point or another over the course of a season, many of these top sailors hop aboard J/105s during regattas or the Wet Wednesday Series to have some fun and enjoy spirited, very close, one-design sailing around the kelp beds, pods of curious seals and negotiating capricious offshore currents in the chilly Santa Barbara Channel.
While not all of them sailed in this year's J/105 Fall Championship, nevertheless the competition was tight. SBYC Race Director Brad Schaupeter said, "it was an awesome regatta and amazing racing, a great day for sure for everyone!" It was clear that "Johnny D's" recent experiences battling for the lead with his wife, Deneen, in the Farr 30 Worlds meant that John was going to give no quarter to nobody! Racing ROCKIN & GROOVIN, "Johnny D" and the gang sailed hard and fast to amass an unassailable 2-4-1-1 record for 8 pts. Local rock-star Larry Harteck took REPEAT OFFENDER into second overall with a solid 1-5-2-3 tall for 11 pts. Rounding out the podium and lying third was Mark Noble on ESCAPADE, sailing one of his better regattas in awhile with a 6-1-4-2 record. Fourth was a real sailing rock-star, John Ziskind, steering PERFECT TIMING 2 to a bit less than perfect 4-2-5-4 tally for 15 pts. After sailing both the J/105 Marblehead NOODS (which he nearly won) and the J/105 North Americans (where he finished a respectable 9th), Bernie Girod on ROCK & ROLL can be forgiven for perhaps relaxing and enjoying the Santa Barbara sunshine and ambience, collecting a 3-6-3-5 for those efforts to finish fifth. For more Santa Barbara J/105 Fall Championships sailing information
J's Sweep LIS IRC/PHRF Championship(Riverside, CT)- At host Riverside YC and Storm Trysail Club this past weekend, there was quite a remarkable display of corinthian sailing by J sailors across the spectrum, from the tippy top of the IRC racing spectrum to the "classic" PHRF warhorses that have proven time and again they're good, competitive sailboats. J/Team's swept first place in FOUR of the five classes sailing in the 2011 Long Island Sound IRC/ PHRF Championships! The sailors were all treated to spectacular easterlies with 10-17 knots and clear skies on Saturday's racing.
Standing at the top of the throne was Tom Carroll’s J/133 SIREN SONG, named as the Overall winner of the US-IRC Long Island Sound Championship. Carroll’s team scored four bullets in five races in breezy conditions to win the IRC 2 class, as well as the Shearwater Trophy for best overall performance.
In IRC 3, Tom Boyle's WINGS won with three 2nd, a 1st and 3rd. Andrew Weiss’s J/122 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON won the first two races on Saturday to place second in the IRC-3 division. Third was Jim Bishop's J/44 GOLD DIGGER winning the last two races to finish just one point out of second.
In IRC 4, Mark Parry and Lawrence McGrath's J/35 BLUE MOUSE sailed a fabulous series to win with a 3-2-2-12 for 10 pts, beating some very-well sailed J's like Rick Lyall's J/109 STORM (4th in class) and Jack Forehand's J/109 STRATEGERY (5th in class).
In PHRF 80-115, Randy Bourne's J/105 STRANGE BREW walked off with class honors, garnering a 1-1-2 for 4 pts to smoke his competition. Sailing photo credits- Daniela Clark/ photoboat.com For more Long Island Sound sailing information
IRC Atlantique Regatta
(Lorient, France)- Concurrent with the J/80s sailing one of their French J/80 Season Series, the offshore boats were racing one of their premiere fall regattas on the offshore French sailing circuit- The Groupama IRC Atlantique Regatta. Sailing in IRC 1 were a range of J's including Jean Marie Patier's J/122 ILE DE FRANCE, Yves Lanier's J/120 LES QUATRE VENTS BREST (a.k.a. the "four winds of Brest"), Stephane Blanchard's recently launched J/111 LE JOUET and Alain Rouaults' veteran offshore team on the J/133 JIVARO just back from the Rolex Fastnet Race.
After a series of races that saw all forms of weather thrown at them, it was Patier's J/122 ILE DE FRANCE that managed to capture a fourth place in fleet with a 5-7-3-9-1 score. Just two points behind them was Lanier's J/120 LES QUATRE VENTS BREST with an 8-4-4-6-5. In one of their first tune-up regattas of the season, Blanchard's J/111 LE JOUET managed 9th overall. For more IRC Atlantique Regatta sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* One for the "This Is Very Cool" Department- women sailor Shana Bagley just had a chance to sail with cousin Brad Van Liew on the Open 60 LE PINGUOIN. Trying to come to terms with the dark, cold months ahead with no great sailing on the near horizon? Do what Shana Bagley did and jump aboard an Open 60 with the only American to race solo three times around the world, longtime SA’er Brad Van Liew. There are precious few programs that offer what this one does, so check out BVL’s site for the latest availability for upcoming trips. Here's Shana's commentary:"I am 43 from Walnut Creek, California, formerly of Rockville, MD (if that helps), and a Deputy Attorney General for the State of California.
I have been having some "re-entry" issues after returning last summer from six months at sea. Racing in San Francisco Bay was just not enough. I rabidly followed Brad Van Liew's victories in the Velux 5 Oceans, so when I heard about his Summer Tour, I didn't waste a second to sign up for the chance to sail on an Open 60 with a legend - an American legend at that.
Americans are glaringly missing from the international solo racing scene. The more exposed we are to these amazing sailors and their sailboats, the more interest we can generate for an American fan base, American sponsors, and for American competitors. The Van Liew Summer Tour [and now the Winter Tour –ed] is a great way to increase that exposure and it will be amazing to be a part of it.
I am looking forward to improving my sailing skills, pushing my limits, seeing the brilliant stars from the middle of the ocean, and to spending time with an accomplished and respected solo racer. No deadlines, no ringing phones, just the elements and the sounds of the boat racing through the water. It just doesn't get much better than that, really.
NASA's Space Shuttle Program may be shut down, but rockets are still firing full blast on LE PINGUOIN! Lucky for me, I have a ticket to ride." - Shana
For more LE PINGUOIN Winter Tour, once-in-a-lifetime sailing experiences:
http://www.oceanracing.org
* IF Mayan prophecies come true in 2012, could it be true this might be the last J/24 Worlds on Planet Earth? Probably not, since even the Mayans themselves didn't' make it-- if they were so smart, why aren't they around today?! Many sailors are looking forward to the epic 2012 J/24 Open Worlds in Rochester, NY-- the first ever OPEN J/24 Worlds! Could there be a world-record set for J/24s (or any one-design ISAF keelboat) racing in a World Championship? Perhaps. PRO Hank Stuart thinks it will be "no problem, we'll just keep setting more 'mid-line' boats equipped with low-intensity lasers that burn holes in jibs as a simple means of "branding" teams pushing the line too hard." Ooops. Don't want too many of those tattoos, some jibs may look like Swiss Cheese! :) So, for more entertainment value, have a look at this YouTube video for the Argentine J/24 Worlds (it is amusing, to say the least).J/24 Worlds promo- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5EVfzg-Oq0
* Former uber J/24 World Champion Ken is at it again. It's hard to believe that Ken Read, at 50 years old, is headed out to the open seas again on the Volvo 70 PUMA Mar Mastro. Guess that famous poem, "Sea Fever" by John Masefield, must be beckoning again-- the "call of the running tide is a wild call, a clear call, that may not be denied!" We wish him luck and God Speed. Here's a quickie report from Ken as he participates in what many offshore sailors might call "the head-bangers ball"-- beating upwind for 800nm in 8-15 foot waves and 15-35 kts breeze. Reports Kenny on the first day out: "After a pretty successful Transatlantic Race, we took a right turn and sailed downwind in the trades all the way to the Puerto Calero Marina. It's a fairly secluded marine facility on one of the windiest islands I have ever been to. Every day you get up to what sounds like the roof of your apartment being blown off. "Here we go again," I would say to myself day after day - now I know what all the boys felt like that did the America's Cup in Fremantle in 1987. The wind every day just wears you out, but it was exactly what we needed.
So, now we are paying for that fantastic downwind sail all the way to the Canaries. It is upwind for about 800 miles, against the trades and into the Mediterranean to Alicante, Spain, for the start of the Volvo Ocean Race.
By rule we have to be there I believe by the third of October, one month before the start. If everything goes according to plan, we should be there a couple days before. We may actually take our time as well and do some more testing. You never know out here, and having a plan that can change literally with the wind is important.
The thing is, once you get to Alicante, the testing is over. Then, it is on to boat measurement, all the pre-race seminars we have to attend, the press, the public, simply all the distractions - and essentially anything but testing! There may be a couple more quick tweaks to the boat, but surely the pre-race prep phase is for the most part over.
The most commonly asked question? "Are you guys ready?" Ha, ha! The truth is nobody is ever really "ready." We are what we are. We are as prepared as we can be, and now its time to see whose plan had the most merit leading up to race time. All of the competition went about their pre race planning a bit different. We have been pretty quiet this time and just went about our business. Day after day, trying to tick off boxes that we felt were important in the grand scheme of things. I like where we are at, but at the same time it would be great to have about another year to prepare. You are never perfect, but "we are what we are" and it does feel like we are paying for that sleigh ride south in July. Just another brutal reminder of how glamorous offshore sailing can be!
For more Puma Ocean Racing VOR 70 sailing information:
http://www.puma.com/sailing
http://www.facebook.com/PumaOceanRacing
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. 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
J/42 Bluewater Offshore CruisersHill & Lowden have on offers two excellent examples of J/42s. One boat is called MAGIC, and is grey-blue. She is a standard J 42 (regular V-berth forward and a centerline drop-leaf table), with an all cherry interior and aluminum mast. The boat is loaded with electronic goodies and has many factory options.
The other boat is a J/42 L version called MARIAH. She is a white hull with carbon fiber mast, full cherry interior and fold-up table to the main bulkhead. She has both racing sails and cruising sails, multiple spinnakers and headsails. She has done some offshore racing to Halifax and Newport-Bermuda and has a long list of ORC Category III Offshore safety gear.
Both of these listings are in essentially “new” condition, having been stored indoors in heated sheds and maintained by Burr Bros in Marion, MA.
J/42 MAGIC:This J/42 has a great layout with two double sleeping cabins, two heads with showers. Main cabin has very large working galley. Exceptionally well-organized and equipped Navigation station with new Icom SSB, and new Icom VHT, older Garmin GPS/Chartplotter, Stereo CD with Bose speakers both below decks and waterproof speakers in cockpit. There are two deluxe settee berths in the main cabin plus a centerline dining table. Good storage in cubbies and bookshelves. Classic interior finish with white laminate bulkheads and solid varnished teak trim. Very bright and airy. New cushions including custom-made Temper-pedic memory foam mattresses in the two sleeping cabins. Electronics are top-of-the-line: new B&G Electronics; B&G Quadrant mounted Autopilot; New Raymarine C-80 big screen color GPS/Chartplotter/Radar mounted at steering pedestal. She also has a new Dodger w/ side bar handrails, New Furlex Roller furling system and New Engine-driven Sea Frost refrigeration. All new electrical & battery power system, over 350 Amps of storage capacity. Engine start battery, plus 3 house batteries. Microwave oven can be run off inverter at sea. Force 10 Propane stove and oven.
J/42-L MARIAH:This J/42 is equipped to sail offshore. The hull is white (good color for the tropics). She's a fast, solid cruiser, loaded to go offshore cruising. She has been well loved and cared for and has tons of upgraded, new (2007 to 2008) equipment. She has a liferaft and is loaded with all the electronic equipment needed. The North sail inventory (6 sails) is excellent for cruising, and includes storm sails and a Gennaker w/ snuffer. The mast is Carbon Fiber by Hall Spars and has a Tides Marine sail track for ease of raising the North mainsail. For simplified "gunkholing" and anchoring, there is a stainless steel bow roller, anchor mount and Lewmar Electric windlass with a working anchor (a 45 lb plow).
For more information, please call George Lowden or Rich Hill at cell# +1-617-678-8164 or email-hilllowden@comcast.net
- Harvest Moon Regatta- October 13-16- hosted by Lakewood YC in Houston. This is a 120 nm race from the Galveston Bay jetties to Port Aransas. It's the "Texas Chicago-Mac". Last year there were 250 boats, racing everything from Grandma's old bathtub to the latest racing machines, J/105s to J/44s. Like the Chi-Mac, it's the voyage that counts, so you can tell the story at the party later! Is their a "Pink Pony" in Port Aransas? 
J/Sailing News
A major factor in the event's success was the generous sponsorship from BMW Ireland whose displays added immensely to the occasion. BMW's contribution was huge, not just in financial terms but also by way of support in several other key areas. The Race Management team, led by Principal Race Officer David Lovegrove, deservedly received countless plaudits for completing the 10-race schedule despite severe weather conditions preventing two full days of racing. The quality of the courses and the efficiency of the race management were also applauded.
* Friend, 470, J/24 and J/105 sailor- Terry McLaughlin along with fellow friend, J/24 sailor John Hele (owner of DARING), won the NYYC Invite Cup on Swan 42s. In fact, the entire top FIVE finishers in the NYYC Invite Cup were all comprised of top J sailors in various J classes. Besides John and Terry, Ken Colburn and Phil Lotz were champion J/105 sailors themselves racing for NYYC; Peter McChesney and friends from Annapolis YC in third were champion J/22 and J/24 sailors (many in the crew); Billy Lynn and friends from Eastern YC in fourth were champion J/22, J/24 and J/105 sailors; and in fifth was Jim Madden from Newport Harbor YC of STARK RAVING MAD fame (J/125) and BRAND NEW DAY (J/65 Bermuda winner). Apparently, unless you had some form of "J/One-Design" experience, you were "toast" in this event-- the evidence is clear and unmistakable. 
For Terry Mclaughlin and John Hele, it was a "redemption" regatta. In a reversal of fortunes from the inaugural event two years ago, they cleaned-out their competitors starting from the very first day. Terry/ John and crew sailed a nearly flawless series with seven top five finishes out of eleven races. In races where they were deep in the fleet, they inevitably overhauled the boats ahead. Terry said, “I think we came back quite well this series. It's important because you can’t get off the line in great shape or get around the first mark in great shape for eleven races in a row.”
* The J/22 HOT TICKET Report- A Refreshing POV from the Rolex Women's Worlds- from Sue Mikulski and Sandy Adzick:
