J/70 Speedster Update(Newport, RI)- The family pocket rocketship is nearly ready to launch! The new "baby J" is looking sleek, sweet and sexy. Sweeping, curvy lines. Powerful, firm buttocks. Knife-like entry to part the seas. More than enough room to accommodate a crew of three in the cockpit. What's not to like about this ramp-launchable, trailerable sailing machine? J/70 has something for everyone-- easy-to-store, easy-to-launch anywhere there's a driveway and a boat ramp; comfortable cockpit with lifelines for safety; small cabin with enough room below for seating and even a roomy v-berth (caravanning & camping anyone?); stiff and fast upwind; lights-up downwind, blazing a smokin' wake of foam in its after-burners. Guaranteed it will be hard to wipe that cheshire-cat grin off your face after a quick tour on this sweet little ride.
The first two J/70s are quickly taking shape at CCF Composites and all systems are "go" for launching and sea-trials later this month. Work begins shortly on a second set of production molds and the production schedule is on track for subsequent hulls to complete starting in mid/late April. European tooling is on its way across the northern Atlantic to Les Sables d'Olonne, France.
J/70 customer demo sails can be booked now through your local J/Dealer. Starting April 14th we will be offering customer demos in Rhode Island on J/70 #1. Meanwhile J/70 #2 heads south for display/ demonstration at Charleston Race Week, April 19-22. Don Trask (djtboats@aol.com or ph#704-799-1830) is leading this charge and all J/Dealers are encouraged to invite clients who are attending CRW to check out the J/70 on site. Next on the calendar is the Annapolis NOOD Regatta May 4-6, where Northpoint Yacht Sales will be displaying the J/70, contact Ken Comerford (ken@northpointyachtsales.com) or Dave Malkin (David@northpointyachtsales.com) or ph#410-280-2038 for more details. For more J/70 Speedster sailing information
J/24 Regata Copa Mexico Preview(Riviera Nayarit, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)- With over 60+ J/24 teams showing up for the second edition of the biennial Regata Copa Mexico, the competition from around the world is sure to be having not only a lot of fun in this remarkable regatta, but also see some fantastic sailing competition.
Sailing from March 2nd to 10th, nearly a dozen countries are represented sailing with top notch J/24 teams. From America, you have multiple J/24 champions participating, including Chris Snow from San Diego YC in California, Mike Ingham from Rochester YC in Rochester, New York and Kelly Moon. The local hosts from Mexico also have many of their top teams participating, many from the lake on Valle de Bravo west of Mexico City. These teams include Peter Weigandt, a top executive at DELL Mexico (and also event sponsor), Jorge Castillo Martinez and five teams from the Mexican Navy (since El Presidente de Mexico is a J/Sailor, good thing they're here). The next largest contingent are the Brazilians, this time without their World Champion present, but top Brazilians teams such as Alex Luiz, Eduardo Ribas and Claudio Ruchel will be present. Other J/24 teams of note from the Americas include the Puerto Rican skippered by Manuel Aviles. From the European side of the Atlantic, you have the Italian team led by Giovanni Campi; a team from Yacht Club Monaco led by Dennis Frederiksen; a Swedish team skippered by Max Hoelzer; and a top German team led by Jan-Marc Ulrich. Check for J/24 Regata Copa Mexico daily race photos at Jen Edney's sailing photo website. For more Copa Mexico J/24 sailing informationGILL Partners with J/80 France
(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- The J/80 Class France has announced a partnership with GILL and twelve of GILL's dealers-- reserved solely for J/80 sailors, a selection of the latest GILL technical products. All these products display the colors of the J/80 Class France and are offered at exceptional prices.
By partnering with the J/80 Class France this iconic brand of sailing confirms its commitment to those that sail throughout the year in the Basque Country through Dunkirk and Brest, but also in the Mediterranean, as well as in the J/80 Cup circuits both offshore and in Match Racing. This initiative demonstrates the desire of the J/80 Class France to offer even more to those who sail in J/80, please learn more about the three collections offered by GILL France (1- Race/ 2- Keelboat Racer/ 3- Dinghy)- http://www.gillmarine.com/fr and for the J/80 Class France clothing especially designed for J/80 sailors- please visit- http://www.classej80france.com/Services/vetements.php
Last note- for those who wish to have their J/80 GILL delivered in time for SPI OUEST France, you must place your order no later than Saturday, March 3 at one of the GILL dealers selected as partners!
J/29 NA's Sailing Nova Scotia!(Halifax, Nova Scotia)- Following the success of the 2011 J/24 North American Championships hosted by the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, the J/29 Class has selected the Lunenburg Yacht Club to be the host venue for their 2012 North American Championships.
Long recognized as the premier offshore one-design class in Atlantic Canada, the Atlantic J/29 fleet (now numbering nearly 50 boats!!) will now have the opportunity to compete against their American colleagues for North American supremacy (a show-down worthy of the Montreal Canadiens versus the Boston Bruins in Lord Stanley's Cup?). The event is scheduled for August 10th–12th and organization is already well underway. With title sponsor Halifax BMW already onboard, Principal Race Officer Andreas Josenhans (that famous North Sails guy who has sailed J/24s, Stars, FDs, Lasers and other things of some repute with some guys named Paul or Hans) and a committee of dedicated volunteers who are hard at work to ensure an event with top quality race management, organization and camaraderie (note- we go BIG on this stuff here in Scotia!).
More information on the event can be obtained from the regatta website (http://j29northamerican2012.com), the Atlantic J/Class Website (http://atlanticj.wordpress.com), or the Lunenburg Yacht Club Website (www.lyc.ns.ca). Love to see all you J/29ers north of the border (no worries, no Polar Ice-cap and no Mayans anywhere near where we are). BTW, if you don't have a J/29, show up anyhow, we welcome all J/Sailors regardless of nationality or boat affiliations.
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
This coming week there are a number of important developments taking place. While you've read about the advent of the J/70s and their imminent debut sailing in Narragansett Bay and the association with the New York YC for the Invitational Cup USA Qualifying Series and their debut in Charleston and in Annapolis, what may be the most exciting "un-announced" development so far is that 6-8 J/111s will be sailing one-design at this year's Sperry Topsider Annapolis NOOD Regatta. True (just happened today)! Speaking of one-design activity, the J/22s had their Midwinter Championship this past week in Houston, Texas at the wonderfully hospitable Houston YC. Out West, a J/125 is making a bold attempt to be the spoiler in the 1,000 nm Puerto Vallarta Race starting from San Diego, California this weekend. Down island, the extreme "fun" event known as "the Heineken Regatta" (a.k.a. the Heineken St Maarten Regatta) is just starting and has participating a very strong group of J/Teams, including J/122s, J/125, J/120s, J/95 and J/35! Just west a bit in Mexico's "Riviera" are a bunch of world-class competitive J/24s teams sailing in the Regata Copa Mexico- a soon-to-be "bucket list" event for many a wanna-be J/24 sailors-- trust me, the parties alone are worth the price of admission (not unlike St Maarten). Across the Atlantic pond, the J/80s in Italy are continuing their Winter Championships like their J/24 friends nearby. And, way Down Under the J/24s are mobilizing forces to contend for class honors in two major Sydney Harbour events in Australia.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:
Mar 2-10- J/24 Regata Copa de Mexico- Puerto Vallarta, Mexico- http://j24mex.com/copa_mexico/Mar 8-10- Bacardi Sailing Week (J80s, J/24s)- http://www.miamisailingweek.com/
Mar 9-11- J/105 Midwinters- Lakewood YC- Houston, TX- http://www.j105mw.com
Mar 9-12- J/24 Australian Nationals- Adelaide, South Aus- http://j24australia.com.au
Mar 15-18- J/22 Invitational- Cayman Islands Sailing Club- http://www.sailing.ky/html/events.html
Mar 16-18- San Diego NOOD Regatta- http://www.sailingworld.com/nood_regatta.jsp
Mar 18-Apr 29- Warsash Spring Series- Warsash, England- http://www.warsashspringseries.org.uk
Apr 12-15- StrictlySail Pacific (J/111)- Oakland, CA- http://www.strictlysailpacific.com/
Apr 19-22- Newport Beach Boatshow (J/111)- Newport Beach, CA- http://newportinwaterboatshow.com
Apr 19-22- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC- http://www.charlestonraceweek.com/
Apr 22-27- Bermuda Race Week- Bermuda- http://www.biirw.bm/
May 4-6- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- http://www.sailingworld.com/nood_regatta.jsp
May 4-6- J/22 East Coasts- Annapolis YC, Annapolis, MD- http://www.sailingworld.com/nood_regatta.jsp
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
Doyle Wins J/22 Midwinters(Shoreacres, Texas) - Thirty-five teams gathered from around the country for the annual J/22 Midwinter Championship graciously hosted by the magnificent Houston YC, renowned for its extraordinary southern hospitality. The madding crowd of sailors were not disappointed. With great food, great drink and plenty of wind and sunshine, the J/22 sailors sailed to a solid six race series out of the nine scheduled. Only a slow Saturday (no wind) put a slight damper on the proceedings, but the spirits were high and everyone seemingly had a blast.
For the first day of racing, the winds were howling on Galveston Bay in the morning with a cold front and sustained breeze in the high 20s with gusts into the 40s. After on-shore postponements, racing got underway just after 3:00 p.m. For the two races sailed, winds were blowing 15-18 knots. Chris Doyle of Kenmore, NY swept the first day. Sailing with Will Harris and Jason Suitor, the team won race one in a tight match with the runner-ups Travis Odenbach on INSTIGATOR and Terry Flynn on TEJAS. In the second race, Doyle developed and kept a strong lead over Texans Ruthie Lambert on OUT OF SIGHT and Chad Wilson on GREEN FLASH who finished in second and third place.
After Saturday's cancellation, the outcome of the event was going to put an enormous amount of pressure on the top teams, particularly with many championship sailors breathing down there necks. On Sunday, the weather was glorious on Galveston Bay. The sun returned, and breezes started around 5-7 knots, increasing to 10-15 as it moved right. In the day's first race, Flynn earned the top spot, followed by Allan Terhune on DAZZLER and Doyle. Travis Odenbach on INSTIGATOR won Sunday's second race, as Terhune lodged another second and Nick Turney on FREE ENERGY came in third. Eric Faust sailing NEIGHBOR OF THE BEAST took honors in the next race, trailed by Flynn and Chad Wilson. Terhune won the closing race, with Flynn and Doyle behind.Ultimately, Chris Doyle of Kenmore, NY won in a tie-breaker over local Terry Flynn. The two teams battled during all four races on Sunday, both ending the regatta with 12 points. Doyle, sailing with Will Harris and Jason Suitor, won the championship thanks to two bullets on day one, counting a 1-1-3-3-4 versus Flynn's 3-4-1-2-2. Travis Odenbach rounded out the top three with 18 points based on finished os 2-4-1-6-5. Rounding out the top five were Allan Terhune in fourth with a 4-2-2-14-1 for 23 pts (a DSQ in Race#2 and a bomber in Race#5 killed his chances of winning) and Scott Young from Austin YC scoring an 8-7-5-3-6 for 29 pts. For more J/22 Midwinters sailing information
J/125 TIMESHAVER Sailing Puerto Vallarta Race(San Diego, CA)- One of the classic West Coast long distance races is starting Thursday, with Division 3 starting at 12pm Pacific time. In this class is the J/125 TIMESHAVER sailed by Viggo Torbensen from Dana Point Yacht Club. Viggo and crew are hoping the predominant NNW to NNE winds prevail in the 15-25 knots range, prime surfing/planing weather for the J/125 offshore speedsters. The weather forecast from Pedro Isler looks promising, the question is not whether there will be wind, but more like "how much wind" is in store for the fleet. The caveat, of course, is that no matter what the predictions are at the start, "it's never what it's supposed to be"!
The Puerto Vallarta Race started many blue moons ago and originally went from San Diego all the way down to Acapulco, Mexico. Over time, it has been adjusted for a variety of reasons, but now it has settled on a 1,000nm course from San Diego, down the Baja Peninsula, past Cabo San Lucas off the tip, across the Sea of Cortez to a seaward finish off the point of Punta Mita at the opening of Bahia de Banderas. This finish was ultimately selected because of its proximity to the open ocean and to avoiding the predictable night time parking lot for boats trying to traverse the 12 miles across Banderas Bay to the PV’s harbors.
For the seventh time, Vallarta YC and Riviera Nayarit will be the gracious hosts of the SDYC Vallarta Race (which has previously sailed to Acapulco, Manzanillo, and Mazatlan).
Other J/Sailors of note, the STP 65 "BAD PAK" (the former "Bella Mente" now managed by Cal Maritime), is being sailed by J/145 BAD PAK owner Tom Holthus and crew-- hoping for a fast ride to PV! Also, J/Lover Dr. Laura Schlessinger is NOT racing her J/100 (nor J/125), but instead her custom 47 footer KATANA. Best of luck to all! Cheer on Vigo and the gang on the J/125 TIMESHAVER, you can follow them on YellowBrick For more Puerto Vallarta Race sailing information
J's Lovin' Heineken St Maarten Regatta(St Maarten, Netherlands Antilles)- It all began in 1980 with a modest 12 entries and has steadily climbed to over 200 boats and in the last year has drawn web traffic from over 160 individual countries! "The Heineken Regatta" is a unique blend of International sailing, with boats from as far away as Russia and Brazil, and musical talent the likes of the Black Eyed Peas, the Marley Brothers, Maxi Priest and Wyclef Jean to name a few. Nowhere else in the world will you find such an event, each day brings new finish locations, new and unique party atmospheres and bands from around the world.
The 2012 St Maarten Heineken Regatta will kick off on March 1st with the pre-event GILL Commodore's Cup and will end on Kim Sha Beach Sunday March 4th. Four days of world-class racing and four nights of fun-filled Heineken parties will take place and offers something for everyone. Participants and guests enjoy great food, ice cold beers and international music performers each night. Regional music acts headline the stages from Thursday through Saturday giving everyone a taste of the Caribbean life. With the official slogan being “Serious Fun” it is no wonder people come from over 25 countries to attend this one-of-a-kind regatta.
On the sailing side of things, many of the 141 current entrants are familiar St. Maarten Heineken Regatta veterans, who are drawn to the mix of great competition and sensational parties year after year. Among these sailors are Rick Wesslund's team on the J/120 EL OCASO from Miami's Coral Reef YC; Sergio Sagramoso on the J/122 LAZY DOG from Ponce Yacht & Fishing Club- Puerto Rico; Jim Dobbs on the J/122 LOST HORIZON from Antigua YC; Tanner Jones and Shari Potts on the famous J/30 BLUE PETER; and recent enthusiast Tom Mullen from New Hampshire on his J/95 SHAMROCK VII. In addition to this veteran crew are Ben Jelic on the J/120 ISLAND WATER WORLD JAGUAR, the J/125 AUNT JESSIE sailed by Jordan Mindich and the J/35 SUNBELT REALTY skippered by Remco van Dortmondt.
The GILL Commodore's Cup on March 1st will once again give the participants of the St Maarten Heineken Regatta a great day of warm-up races for those flying spinnakers. This pre-event, which is sponsored by GILL, has become a staple of the regatta weekend and makes for a great practice race. Participants that enter this event won’t be disappointed, as windward-leeward courses give them lots of great racing and a chance to size up the competition for the coming weekend of racing. Sailing in this "warm-up" regatta are the J/125 AUNT JESSIE, the J/120 EL OCASO, the J/122 LAZY DOG, the J/95 SHAMROCK VII and the J/35 SUNBELT REALTY. Sailing Photo credits- Tim Wright- Photoaction.com. For more Heineken St Maarten Regatta sailing informationJ/80 Winter Championship Santa Margherita Ligure
(Santa Margherita, Italy)- Just down around the corner of the famous little harbor called Portofino lies the cosmopolitan town called Santa Margherita. Some may think it's renowned for that Italian pizza called "pizza margherita" (tomato, basil and mozzarella), but it is perhaps more famous for some of the great sailors that have come out of this corner of Italy. Locally, the J/80 class has grown over time and have a loyal, highly devoted, following of sailors who often enjoy their winter sailing as much as their summer sailing. Winter offers LOTS of wind, for the most part better sailing versus the rather sybaritic, laid back sailing often seen in the summers.
After the first of their series of Winter Championship races, which has seen everything one might imagine for weather, the J/80 teams still turn out to have some fun! Perhaps the best part is that after going around the course for the last race of the day, the teams finish off the Grand Hotel Miramare and retire for great food and drink afterwards. One can only imagine. Pizza margherita? Maybe. Calzone, better. Delicious chianti red wine, much better. Toss in some locally, fresh caught, spicy calamari-- the best!
So far, JOCONDA sailed by Paco Rebaudi is leading the fleet, followed by J-BES GARIBOTTO skippered by Enrica Bertini and in third the most famous, long-distance traveler, JENIALE RAMA. For more Italian J/80 Winter Championship sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* J/24s Sailing Sydney Harbour Regattas! Yes, for both locals and visitors visiting Sydney (we don't care where you come from, the farther the better- Sri Lanka, Tokyo, Newport, Cowes, McMurdo Sound, Ushuaia, Ken Read's favorite- Tristan da Cunha!), make sure to book a crew slot on a J/24 in 2 great regattas before the Australian J/24 Nationals!Getting J/24 divisions together in Sydney is never easy and we have two great events coming up for you to enter and be part of the fun on Sydney Harbour. We constantly hear you want more one-design racing-- so here goes:
Sydney Harbour Regatta- 10 & 11 March
We encourage all boat owners in Sydney to enter the Sydney Harbour Regatta on 10 & 11 March – we currently have a small J/24 Division and would love to make this a worthwhile event. http://www.shr.mhyc.com.au
RPEYC Classic Regatta- 25 March & 1 April
Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club are hosting a Classic Regatta over two Sundays – with a special division for J/24′s. Enter!! This will be a great event and skippers will be receiving more details individually soon!! One design racing, great prizes on offer – and a function on Sunday 25th March after racing at the Edwards for J/24 sailors – we need your support to make this happen!! Contact Paula on 0404 39176 for more information.
* Sailing for Hope Regatta 2012- May 18-20- Why: “Because no child should die in the dawn of life” Danny Thomas. Sailing for Hope 2012 is a charity regatta benefiting St Jude Children's Research Hospital. Sail in our popular mixed class distance race on Saturday May 19 or choose to sail with the J/22 South East Circuit in a windward/leeward course on May 19 & 20. Pre race skipper meeting and party May 18th on the beach at Lighthouse Landing, our host marina. Trophies will be awarded in all classes at the post race dinner.
The Regatta is sponsored by Kentucky Lake Sailing Club and is held on Kentucky Lake, part of the Intra-Coastal Waterway and the largest man-made lake in the eastern United States. Simply some of the best inland sailing east of the Mississippi! The area has many hotels, marinas and camping facilities to accommodate sailors and their crew.
For more sailing information- Kentucky Lake Sailing Club website http://klsc.net or if you can't make it check out http://sailingforhope.com to see how you can still "get on board" and support the children of St Jude. For more information contact: Elizabeth Owens/ Sailing for Hope Chairman- elizabeth.owens@stjude.org
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). Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".
- 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
Famous J/133 CHESTRESS-2 For SaleMediterranean Winner in Italy & France
CHESTRESS-2 is a 2005 J/133 with only one owner that has sailed her with passion and with extraordinary success in the Mediterranean. She has been professionally, impeccably maintained by her captain for six loving years. And, it shows. CHESTRESS-2 is in mint condition, with no defects or damage, she is ready for cruising, club racing or serious offshore campaigning anywhere in the world-- Phuket, Auckland, Sydney, Newport, Cowes, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Stockholm, Sardinia, Cabo, Cape Town, Punta or Ilhabela.
The sail and equipment lists are extensive. She's a 2 cabin/ 2 head arrangement- a gorgeous interior with extraordinary "fit and finish". Her racing inventory of sails is primarily NORTH SAILS 3DL. Her cruising sails include Elvstrom-Sobstad gennakers and snuffers. The equipment list includes: Autohelm B&G ACP1 complete with: display unit FFD, Acp2 processor, feed-back sensor, linear hydraulic Ram; Raymarine C80 chartplotter; VHF Raymarine with DSC + external repeater; stereo hi-fi 2 speaker internal and 2 external (new 2011); 2 extra hi load batteries with energy management system; Hi power inverter for ac 220v; Extra engine filter for water/dirt separation; anchor support with roller; Lewmar electric anchor raise winch; Delta 12kg anchor + 50m chain (+ extra racing anchor 10kg); Self-inflating emergency life-raft certified for 8 people; Additional water tank (200+160 lt); Hi capacity american frigor; electric WC in aft toilet; Sunbrella mainsail shade; Original Sprayhood Sunbrella; original external cushions in cockpit and aftseat; External hot/cold shower; Cockpit table; Outboard engine wooden support and more!Please contact Enrico Malingri. For more J/133 Chestress-2 sailing information
J/Sailing News
This year there were thirty-five of some of the best SoCal offshore yacht racers. 33% of the fleet were J's sailing. And, most astonishingly, not only taking the top two spots overall, but six of the top eleven boats. In other words, 50% of the top eleven! That's quite a showing for a broad cross-section of the J-Fleet. Fleets of J/125s and J/120s showed up to experience the blast around the beautiful Channel Islands offshore.
With an ebb running in the morning, the most popular course strategy was to knock off Blackaller Buoy first (near the Golden Gate), then beat up to Red Rock (near the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge), then run down past Treasure Island and on to the finish. But Three Bridge fleets are renowned for their contrarian thinking, so even with the ebb, many boats were seen crossing the starting line heading 'upstream' (east). Up at Red Rock, the armada split in two, half leaving the island to port, half leaving it to starboard. And back behind Yerba Buena Island the light air traffic jam lived up to the event's name. For those headed to the Gate, a half hour after the start of the smaller boats, the breeze clocked a bit, allowing a rare spinnaker reach to the Gate. Even later in the day, although there were holes in the North Bay wind, most boats had a pleasant, sunny ride down to Treasure Island, occasionally interrupted by upwind traffic.
* Is the J/24 Italian Team Ready to Race J/24 Copa Mexico? It looks like TEAM BERGAMO racing ITA 479 are getting ready to go to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and try their hand against some of the best in the J/24 class. This year John Fields, President of the Yacht Club Città dei Mille, will represent Italy. They will be up against 64 J/24s teams from over 20 countries! The Italian J/24 representatives are counting on the support of Bergamo Filtes International - Technical Yarns, OSMI Sro - Oil & Gas and some other partners-- more information at 
* SLEEPER Challenges Caribbean 600- The 4th RORC Caribbean 600, started at 1100 on Monday 20th February. There's a proverbial "jump up" going on at Antigua Yacht Club as over 500 competitors fly in to the magical island of Antigua from all four corners of the world - Falmouth Harbour is filled to the brim with astounding yachts. There can be few sporting events that can boast such a worldwide appeal with sailors taking part from all over the world including: Antigua, Australia, Austria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Croatia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Puerto Rico, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey and America.
This astounding diversity of nationalities is matched only by the astonishing array of yachts and personalities. The largest yacht competing this year is the magnificent Hetairos with a waterline length of 200' (seen here), the world's largest carbon composite sailing yacht (for the moment). While at the other end of the scale is a true "sleeper" of a competitor, none other than Jonty and Jack Layfield's J/39 SLEEPER sailing in IRC 3 and IRC Doublehanded divisions on of the smallest yachts in the fleet. This father and son team, Jonty and son Jack are both RORC members and hale from Brighton, UK. Last year with a full crew, Jonty's J/39 SLEEPER won class at Antigua Sailing Week.
Past J/24 European Champion, now RORC Chief Executive, Eddie Warden-Owen believes that the RORC Caribbean 600 is especially attractive to larger yachts, however the ethos of the club maintains equal status to every participant. "A wide spectrum of yachts and competitors has decided that this is an event that is not to be missed. The club is delighted that people from all over the world want to take part. There is a mixture of world class sailors and Corinthian enthusiasts, but they all have one thing in common, a passion for offshore racing." For example, pictured here is world-famous sailor/navigator Christian Ripard from Malta, recent winner on his J/122 of the Rolex Middle Sea Race.
What's the key to the race? Said one veteran navigator, "It's unlike any other offshore race in that the average leg is only about 40 miles and for a navigator there is a lot to consider. Normally, a race is all about the weather and strategy but in addition to all that, this race takes you back to the basic problem of navigating around so many rocks and islands. Looking through all the legs, there is a broad mixture of sailing angles; there is a fair bit of reaching, but it is wrong to think that is not a challenge, especially with the speed sensitivity of modern high-performance boats. The course is more like a whole stream of complex coastal races."
The downwind leg to Nevis is usually not too tactical but it is especially worth looking out for squalls. I remember on Region Guadeloupe we overtook ICAP Leopard there because we got the right side of a squall and they didn't. Significant gains and losses can be made in squalls. Look at the cloud formations as you approach Nevis. If the clouds are moving briskly that is a good sign of breeze, but if they are static the signs are there is a big wind shadow and it is probably best to head further west before turning the corner. In general, the best policy is to stay a bit offshore around the back of Nevis and St.Kitts, then try and lay Saba in one tack.
The approach to Guadeloupe is a key area of the race. There is typically a significant wind shadow on the north west corner of Guadeloupe, especially at night. Having said that, during the day you can actually experience a westerly sea breeze there. It is so variable that it is best to look at the clouds over the island and also keep a watchful eye. I always get my binoculars out before approaching Guadeloupe to see how other yachts are sailing up ahead. I have been trapped in an area of no wind, north west of Guadeloupe and watched as 30 knots was blowing through the channel, just two miles away. Many yachts may choose to put someone aloft to take a good look, but a good overall strategy is to stay well off, keep your distance maybe five miles offshore, sail a quarter of the way to Dominica so that you can lay Les Saintes.