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(Newport, RI)- The first J/70s are just starting to roll down the production line in Bristol, Rhode Island. The hulls, decks and molds are simply breath-taking-- a synthesis of handmade craftsmanship and the most modern 5-axis CNC machines to produce perfectly symmetrical boats with perfectly fair lines. It's exciting to see the new "baby J" unfold in front of our eyes- the boats look sweet! Everyone is waiting with breathless anticipation to go sailing the "twin speedsters" in March- get ready for some "mano-a-mano" combat to see who can go higher and faster and plane the fastest at lowest TWA!
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The recent announcement by New York Yacht Club to host the NYYC Invitational Cup USA Qualifiers in the J/70 has generated significant interest in this new "trailerable one-design speedster"-- learn more about this fantastic event being hosted at Harbour Court, Newport, Rhode Island in September. For more J/70 one-design speedster sailing news
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(Darmouth, England)- SLAM UK has this week confirmed major sponsorship support for the 2012 J/80 World Championship, which will now be "Powered by SLAM". The regatta will take place between the 9th and 15th of June and will be jointly hosted by the Britannia Yacht Club, the Royal Dart Yacht Club and the J/80 UK Class Association. Both the Opening Ceremony and the Prize-giving Ceremony for 2012 J/80 World Championship Powered by SLAM will take place at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon.
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Chris Ducker explained his passion for SLAM and his commercial desire to be involved at a grass roots level with the J/80 Worlds: ‘I am delighted to have an opportunity to work with the Key Yachting team and for SLAM to sponsor the 2012 J/80 Worlds; this will certainly be a fantastic event on and off the water. I look forward enormously to sailing and socializing in the J/Community throughout the 2012 season.’
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Entries for the 2012 J/80 World Championship are rolling in at serious pace now. The online entry system at http://www.j80worlds2012.com is easy to use, the entry fee represents real value for money and Brittany Ferries has offered discounted pricing for J/80 teams traveling to the UK from the continent. February may be frosty but the competition in Dartmouth in June is looking hotter than ever.
For those of you who may not be familiar with SLAM's participation in sailing, their mission is to conceive, test, and produce advanced technology sportswear in order to improve the performance of sailors and to create a nautically-inspired sportswear collection for everyone with a passion for the sea. Selected by many of the world's top sailors and competitive racing teams, SLAM sailing gear not only protects against the worst of the weather but, at the same time, allows for maximum comfort and freedom of movement. You can learn more about SLAM's sailing products here- http://www.slamuk.com
For more information on the J/80 Sportsboat or the 2012 World Championship Powered by SLAM, please contact Becci Eplett of the J/80 UK Class Association at becci@keyyachting.com.
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(Davis Island YC, Tampa, FL)- There are twenty-six plus J/24 teams headed down to "The Sailingest Club in the South", Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, Florida, to do battle for honors of J/24 Midwinter Champion 2012. As the world's largest one-design keelboat class, the International J/24 routinely develops some of the world's best sailors-- many of whom have won (or are about to win) events like the America's Cup, the Volvo Ocean Race, Fastnet Races, Transpac Races, and far too numerous National and World Championships in other one-design classes to name here.
Today, with used J/24s running from $3,000 "garage specials" to fully kitted-out $40,000 ready-to-win racers, there's a "weapon of choice" for anyone from just about any walk of life- from the 1 per centers to the 99 per centers. Some J/24s have "cold taps" installed for casual-to-serious racing in weekday beer-can events to others that have nano-sphere micro-polished hulls and blades where even water molecules fear a close-encounter with such perfection! No matter the expectations or level of playing field one chooses, you're bound to see all types at a J/24 event anywhere in the world-- all having fun!
Amongst the better teams attending the J/24 Midwinters in Tampa are some National and World Champions in the class. Look for Mike Ingham from Rochester, NY, a past World Champion, to be on the leader-board as well as class veteran Tony Parker sailing the famously-named BANGOR PACKET from Annapolis YC, Annapolis, MD. Also factoring amongst the leaders will be John Mollicone sailing 11th HOUR RACING from SailNewport, Newport, RI and Travis Odenbach steering HONEY BADGER from Rochester, NY. Most likely winning the "Long Distance" award already is Ken Johnson, an Englishman hailing from Club Nautico de Olivos, Buenos Aires, Argentina-- a recent participant in the J/24 Worlds 2011 in Buenos Aires. For more J/24 Midwinters sailing information.
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(Yarmouth, England)- In 2012, the intention is to raise the bar for J/105 one-design class sailing teams and organise some dedicated class racing that will encourage J/105s based outside the Solent and from northern Europe to come and race together.
2011 was a RORC Fastnet Race year and there were several J/105s from Europe sailing in the UK for the offshore series and for Cowes Week. Keeping this in mind, the J/105 EuroCup in 2012 will take place over 2 weekends – partially offshore and partially inshore. The first weekend’s racing will incorporate the Round The Island Race [over 60 miles around the Isle of Wight] on 30th June with the following weekend [7th/8th July] comprising 5 inshore races at Yarmouth that would include at least one day’s racing in Christchurch Bay and the second day within the West Solent.
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Of note, there is no clash on dates with the J-Cup being staged on the Solent from the 25th to 28th July– indeed it is anticipated the J105 EuroCup will be a natural feeder for boats to stay in the Solent for more fleet racing later in the month. On shore facilities will be based out of the Royal Solent’s new Clubhouse that is presently under-going a complete face lift over the winter; a huge marquee will be in place for the event plus live music and dinner on the Saturday evening.
For more J/105 EuroCup sailing information, please email- sailing@royalsolent.org or contact Becci Eplett (becci@keyyachting.com) at J/UK Key Yachting Group in Southampton, England.
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(Newport, RI)- Three weeks into the entry process for the 48th Newport Bermuda Race, applications for entry for the 2012 race continue to roll in at a rapid rate for the 106-year-old biennial ocean-racing classic, with expectations of another large fleet.
Brin Ford at the Bermuda Race Organizing Committee, commented, "As of February 3rd, the rate of entries was exactly on pace with the 2010 race with 105 boats having submitted Applications for Entry (AFE)." The Newport Bermuda Race is an invitational event, so skippers must submit an application and receive an invitation before completing the registration process. The 2010 race was the third largest ever, with 183 boats. The only bigger fleets were 264 in the 2006 Centennial Race and 198 in 2008.
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The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
With Valentine's Day just around the corner, many sailors may be struggling what to do as a most thoughtful and appropriate Valentine's Day gift. Why not buy a J/70 in your spouse or GFF/BFF's most favorite color? After all, it's easy to customize the J/70 graphics in hot pink, rascal red, lucky leprechaun green, polka dot blue, lemon yellow or orangey orange! On that note, perhaps another way to kick-in the New Year and be a winner on Valentine's Day is to roll-out the proverbial red carpet down at the Grenada Sailing Festival, a laid-back event for those who like to take a "pinch of racing" with a large dosage of fun and entertainment-- some lucky J sailors did exactly that on a J/122, J/105 and J/24! Along those lines, HRH Prince Albert II of Monaco (a long-time J/24 sailor) ensured his royal subjects (meaning sailors, too) had yet another fabulous time enjoying his little principality while racing in the Primo Cup hosted by the Yacht Club de Monaco. Also in Europe, enjoying somewhat the same cooler weather as Albert's royal sailing subjects, were the brave crew sailing the Southampton YC's Frostbite Series on Southampton Water in England- the action was HOT on the water for the J/111, J/97, J/92 and J/80s. Finally, down in the South Pacific, the J/111 JAKE continued to confound their sailing buddies in Sydney, Australia-- the 111 thunder keeps rolling Down Under!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:
Jan 27- Feb 5- Seattle Sailboat Show- Seattle, WA- http://www.seattleboatshow.comFeb 4-12- Gothenburg Boatshow (J/108)- Gothenburg, Sweden- http://www.batmassan.se
Feb 11-15- J/24 Midwinters- Davis Island YC- Tampa, FL- http://www.diyc.org/
Feb 11-19- Boston Boatshow (J/111)- Boston, MA- http://www.neboatshow.com/
Feb 16-20- Miami Boatshow- Miami, FL- http://www.miamiboatshow.com/
Feb 17-19- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Pete, FL- http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas
Feb 23-26- J/22 Midwinters- Houston YC- Houston TX- http://www.j22mw.com/
Mar 2-10- J/24 Regata Copa de Mexico- Puerto Vallarta, Mexico- http://j24mex.com/copa_mexico/
Mar 9-11- J/105 Midwinters- Lakewood YC- Houston, TX- http://www.j105mw.com
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
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
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(Sydney, Australia)- Following the great success of the Sydney-based J/111 JAKE in the offshore summer series, JAKE headed back to the harbor to compete for the first time with Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. In keeping with their remarkable performances to date, the Ray and Sandra Entwistle have this to report from their recent escapades flying around Sydney's gorgeous harbor.
"On Saturday the 4th February, JAKE was joined by two other casual entries to boost the Division One fleet to 19 boats. The fleet consisted of a wide variety of boats including a Sydney 60, Jutson 50, Lyons 49 to name a few plus the regular spread of Beneteau 45s, 40s, Sydney 36s, Elan 350 RP, Farr canting-keel and other high performance one-offs.
It was looking like a potential glass-out (no wind) just 30 minutes before the start but then the wind began to fill the course with a shifty 8 to 13 knot southeaster. JAKE was buried on the start by some of the larger boats so took an early port tack out of the traffic into more favorable tide and wind heading up Sydney Harbor from Kirribilli to Neilson Park. It was then a short run to Taylor's Bay followed by another beat to "Sow and Pigs" buoy. We thought the criss-cross harbour course which included some legs which were simply power reaching under jib would be detrimental to the J/111 amongst the larger boats, but she held her own admirably with the much bigger boats in town.
It wasn’t until the last spinnaker reach the Jutson 50 “Braveheart” managed to ease past JAKE and went around the Kirribilli bottom mark for the last time, dropping spinnakers just 10 seconds ahead. The last beat back up the harbor was a case of keeping out of the 50 footers dirty air as he covered our every move. JAKE powered through the line just one minute forty seconds 40 behind him and enjoyed a wonderful sight behind as most of the fleet were still on the last spinnaker run. It was amazing to see some 40 to 50 footers behind us on the water with some of the other similar sized boats up to 15 minutes behind, JAKE's crew knew they had done well.
JAKE scored a first on IRC by four minutes 22 seconds and a first on PHS by four minutes 34 seconds in its first harbor sail at Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, proving like here European and American sisterships the J/111 is as devastatingly quick inshore as she is offshore." For more J/111 sailboat information
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(Southampton, England)- It was a cold overcast day with 10-12 knots of wind from the NNE swinging by 10-15 degrees. While snow had been a possible forecast the fleet were fortunate; it remained dry with 35 boats braving the conditions. The committee boat set up south of Deans Lake and set a course cascading up Southampton Water for race 5 of the Frostbite Series.
With minimal tide all classes had good starts with the first leg to Hovercraft 1. Conditions near the Netley shore were challenging with lighter and variable wind in pockets. Several positions changed here. For race 6, the wind dropped to 6-8 knots and the direction was generally NNE but varying by as much as 30°. Temperature had also dropped and the race committee made the decision to use a shorter cascade course. The line was also reset. Although tide was minimal for the majority of the race it had started to ebb by the finish and with wind pockets appearing across the course the conditions were very challenging with positions changing as the holes were wrongly read.
Class 1 was won by Kirsty and David Apthorp’s J/111 J-DREAM. Their record of 3-1-1-1-3 is giving them a clear lead in Class 1 division, leading by four points so far.
Class 2 winner was Nick and Adam Munday's J/97 INDULJENCE finding the lighter conditions to their liking and rapidly climbing the learning curve in Southampton Water, an often tricky place to sail since winds are always shifty coming off the shore and current is a key consideration from a tactical and strategic standpoint. Their two bullets raced them up the ladder to have them just 2 pts off the podium in a four-way tie for fourth!
In Class 4- J/Class, it was the J/80 J'AI DEUX AMOURS owned by Stewart Hawthorn who took two bullets, making their tally of 1-2-1-1-1 look even stronger than last week, increasing their lead over the fleet to fourteen points! The J/92s J'RONIMO has leapt into second place over the weekend by virtue of scoring a 2-3 and are winning over a tie-breaker on 20 pts with another J/92 JUST ENOUGH. The J/92 BOJANGLES has now dropped to fourth with a score card of 4-1-6-5-6 for 22 pts. For more Royal Southampton Frostbite Series sailing information
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(Port Louis Marina, Grenada)- More fun in the sun! SAILING’s Contributing Photographer photographer Bobbie Grieser was on assignment, along with Contributing Editor Betsy Crowfoot, capturing the action at Grenada Sailing Festival this week. The event is a colorful four-day regatta drawing entrants from the Caribbean, Europe and North America to race in the area’s strong breeze by day and gather to enjoy delicious Spice Island fare and festive Caribbean music at night.
In 1994 when organizers named the island’s first international yachting event the ‘Grenada Sailing Festival’, it was for a very good reason: to highlight its unique blend of great sailing and great Grenadian hospitality. The 19th Festival lived up to all of its promises to keep up this tradition with some of the most challenging racing in the southern Caribbean plus some of the best parties.
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Having a ball in CSA Cruising 2 Division was Robbie Yearwood and crew sailing their shiny blue-black, groovy-lookin' J/24 called DIE HARD-- an appropriate name for this crew and their decades-old J/24! Good looking crew and one that may have had dibs on winning the party after the four day event! On the water, they certainly deserved to be crowned champions with a scoreline of six 1sts and one 2nd to win by over ten points! For more Grenada Sailing Festival sailing information
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(Monaco)- For almost 30 years, the European elite has been gathering in Monegasque waters at the beginning of February to take part in the Mediterranean yachting season’s biggest event in terms of the number of participants. With almost 1,000 sailors coming from all over Europe, representing some 15 nationalities, the Primo Cup – Trophee Credit Suisse organised by the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM), is one of the most important winter events in Europe, marking the start of the international racing season in Europe and the Med.
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In the 2012 edition, it was good to see the “southerners” clinch victory in the J/24s after several past series have been dominated by the “northerners”. The crew from ST ANDREWS SECURITIES, with François Brenac as tactician, fought off the attacks by the Swede Marianne Schoke and her team sailing JULIA. “I’ve been competing regularly in the Primo Cup for the last seven or eight years with members of the Yacht Club de Monaco. The Primo Cup is a fantastic event to kick-start the season and prepare for the big regattas later in the year. And, I am delighted to learn that Monaco will be hosting the J/24 European Championship from 6 to 12 October 2013,” said Marianne, who is also president of the J/24 European Class Association.
TOPO TOO, helmed by Claude Rodelato, finished third but the skipper was very satisfied with the result. He had a totally new team who came together specially for the Primo Cup, as his brother Jean and Blandine Medecin are currently among the leaders of the Transquadra Double-handed Transatlantic Race between Cascais (Portugal) and Le Marin (Martinique). For more J/24 Monaco Primo Cup sailing results
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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The J Cruising Community
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* 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"
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* 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)
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* 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
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Mediterranean 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.
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Please contact Enrico Malingri. For more J/133 Chestress-2 sailing information