Wednesday, May 30, 2012

J/Newsletter- May 30th, 2012

J/70 sailing off Newport, RIJ/70 New Jersey Tour
(Cape May, NJ)- The J/70 will be available for viewing and sailing in New Jersey from June 1st to 8th. The first official stop of the New Jersey Tour will kick off in Cape May this weekend.

If you wish to experience the extraordinary, exhilarating performance of the J/70, then simply contact Burt Geiges of Custom Offshore at 215-275-6159 (cell), 856-764-8181 (office) or burtus@gmail.com.  Burt and crew will be happy to give you a tour or book a test sail on the J/70. For more J/70 information, please call 401-846-8410 or email info@jboats.com.  Plus, J/Boats is happy schedule a sail for you in lovely Newport Harbor.  For more J/70 speedster sailing information

J/109s sailing offshoreJ/Sailors Racing Susan Hood Race
(Mississauga, Ontario, Canada)- A tradition at the Port Credit Yacht Club since the mid-fifties, the Susan Hood Trophy Race, is known as the beginning of the offshore racing season at the western end of Lake Ontario. For 2012, racers' enthusiasm for the event appears to be taking the event back to it's glory days with nearly 100 yachts registered and eager to get to the start line.

Starting this weekend, there will be a strong fleet of J's sailing the event spread across both IRC and PHRF Divisions.  In the IRC 1 group, Geoff Cornish is racing his J/124 ROULEUR for Royal Canadian YC.  Also sailing is Jonathan Bamberger's J/145 SPITFIRE for National YC.

In IRC 2 will be some past race winners, including the J/109 BLUE STREAK sailed by Robert Eckerseley from Toronto.  Other J/109s sailing are Denys Jones' CARPE VENTUS, Murray Gainer's LIVELY and Sheila Smith's PHOENIX.  Two J/35s are also entered, local Port Credit YC sailor Leszek Siek's JEAGER and Stephen Trevitt's CRIME SCENE.

In PHRF 1 will be Geoff Clarke's J/105 CASUAL ELEGANCE.  In PHRF 2 will be three J/105s, including Ed Berkhout's ALI-CAT, Bill Bevan's ENDEAVOUR and Bjug Borgundvaag's VOODOO MAGIC.  In PHRF 3 is Andre Beese's J/27 MESSING ABOUT. IN PHRF Cruising 1 is Wendy Northcotte's J/30 NORTH CAUGHT.  For more Susan Hood Race sailing information

J Teams sailing- sunset sail off Melbourne, AustraliaJ/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

The end of May marks the start of many offshore sailing seasons across the northern hemisphere, in particular, North America.  While the European sailors are well into their offshore seasons, the Americans are only just starting in California, the Pacific Northwest, the Great Lakes and the Northeastern corridor.  Memorial Day in America is generally seen as the "kick-off" weekend for "outdoor grilling and lots of steak and shrimp on the barbie with copious malted liquids" as well as lots of fun re-uniting with friends in the sailing community after a long winter off the water.  Out West, several events took place simultaneously. In the Northwest, the famous Swiftsure Lightship Classic Race was sailed in challenging, cold, windy weather, starting off picturesque Victoria, British Columbia and racing around the infamous Straits of Juan de Fuca.  South of them, the famously fast Spinnaker Cup Race, starting in San Francisco Bay and finishing in laid-back Monterey Bay ran in near ideal weather conditions with one J/125 team seeking a "hat trick" for the event.  Then a bit further south in sunny, cool, gorgeous weather was the fun Around Catalina Island Race off greater Los Angeles, a blast around the track from Newport Beach to Dana Point YC's, leaving Catalina Island to port.  Out East, the offshore sailors enjoyed a reasonably nice Block Island Race that starts off Stamford, CT, goes out the end of Long Island Sound towards the east, rounds Block Island to starboard and finishes back off Stamford.  North of them hoping for the proverbial Nantucket Sleighride were a raft of J sailors racing in the famous FIGAWI Race from Hyannisport, MA on Cape Cod to Nantucket Island.  Not to be left out of the fun, the J/24s were sailing on that gorgeous island of Sardinia having the Italian J/24 Nationals on the northern coast off Arzachena.  Their friends further to the north concluded The Netherlands largest regatta of the season, the Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta sailed off The Hague and Schveningen.

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:

May 25-Jun 3- J/24 European Championships- Sardinia, Italy
Jun 1-3- J/22 Canadians- Vancouver, BC- http://www.j24can.com/
Jun 1-4- J/24 UK Nationals- Poole, England- http://www.parkstoneyachtclub.com/
Jun 8-10- Chicago NOOD Regatta- Chicago, IL- http://www.sailingworld.com/sw_nood.jsp
Jun 9-15- J/80 Worlds- Dartmouth, England- http://www.j80worlds2012.com/
Jun 15- Newport-Bermuda Race- Newport, RI- http://www.bermudarace.com/
Jun 16-23- Kieler Woche- Kiel, Germany- http://www.kielerwoche.de/
Jun 24-30- J/24 US Nationals- Dillon, CO- http://www.dillonyachtclub.com/
Jun 26-29- J/22 Worlds- Le Crouesty, France- http://www.j22-france.com/world%202012/index.htm

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.

J/105 sailing offshore in Seattle Puget SoundJ/Teams Factor in Epic Swiftsure Race
J/109s Crush Juan de Fuca, J/80s Win Inshore
(Victoria, BC)-  This year's running of the "Swiftsure" was another epic, challenging race, with all types of weather thrown at the sailors as they criss-crossed the Straits of Juan de Fuca seeking advantage over their fellow competitors.  For many the race really starts once they past "Race Rocks", a symbolic, but not official mark of the course. The iconic black and white stripped lighthouse is the divide between the Juan de Fuca strait and the costal waters off Victoria and it’s where the true strategy and tactics of Swiftsure begin. The sailors then face open ocean swells, stronger currents, and hopefully, more wind. On the return trip back to Victoria, Race Rocks is the “almost there” point when the city lights of Victoria come into view.

Unusually, the weather conditions were close to what the Canadian weather services were predicting-- a steady wind filling in from the West with a high-wind warning for the Strait of Juan de Fuca with winds in excess of 25-35 knots overnight.  Remarkably, they got this forecast and more, some sailors reporting gusts to 40 knots and breaking waves.

J/122 Anam Cara sailing Swiftsure RaceThe race started off nicely enough, sunny, light winds, with the current pushing the fleet towards the first turning point, Race Rocks.  Thereafter, with a strong ebb, the top teams sailed upwind into the Northwesterly breeze playing large shifts and staying in the middle of the Straits to take advantage of a strong ebb current pushing the fleet to their faraway turning marks.  Most of the fleet ended up on the western shore about halfway up the Olympic Peninsula (that wild place where the famous "Sasquatch" man/animal lives).  By midnight, most of the fleet in the Straits were sailing in 20+ knots of breeze and by morning many were sailing downwind under spinnakers flying down the waves and trying to avoid a massive broach or "sending it down the mine" in a submariner's dive into the trough ahead.

In the classic Swiftsure Race division that goes out of the Straits of Juan de Fuca for 139 nm- the 24 boats participating from the start to Swiftsure Bank and return had to beat the "wind shutdown" that often happens at the opening of the Straits.  The big boats made it, the small boats didn't.  In the end, the gorgeous J/160 JAM sailed by John McPhail finished 5th in Class I and 6th overall.  And the speedy lightweight flyer, the J/125 WARRIOR skippered by Greg Constable finished 2nd in Class 2 and 8th overall!

The popular Cape Flattery Race division that goes for 103 nm had 75 boats going from the start to Neah Bay and return.  In the Unlimited Class, the J/145 DOUBLE TAKE sailed by Tom Huseby (his second J/145!) finished 3rd in class and was not far behind the leaders for the top of the podium.

The successfully campaigned J/122 ANAM CARA (Tom Kelly- from Portland YC in Oregon) sailed an incredibly good Cape Flattery Race despite breaking their boom in a 40 knot gust and gybe-broach downwind in the Straits with all the laundry flying!  Reports Bob Ross who was a crew member aboard ANAM CARA, "we were winning our class boat-for-boat and on corrected time with about 40nm to go to the finish, when we tried to do an 'inside gybe' on the A3 spinnaker down big waves and a big puff.  Broke our boom and broached.  Not a good idea.  It took awhile to wrestle in the mainsail after taking down the chute.  We proceeded in under a smaller chute and jib to the finish-- quite an amazing and unexpected outcome to get 2nd in Class and 2nd Overall!"  Always a top contender in class, and past winner, was the J/120 TIME BANDIT (Robert Brunius), sailing a great race to finish 4th in class and 6th overall.  Sailing in their inaugural offshore race was the new J/111 ADALGISA (Lynn Adkins), sailing to a 5th in class and 11th overall!

In the Cape Flattery Heavy division, the J/46 RIVA sailed by Scott Campbell sailed a great race and managed to finish 2nd in class and 4th overall.  Just behind them was the J/37 FUTURE PRIMITIVE sailed by Ron Mackenszie getting a 4th in class and 6th in fleet.

The Juan de Fuca Race division that goes for 80 nm had 44 boats sailing from the start to Clallam Bay and return to the finish off Victoria's waterfront.  The J/109 teams simply cleaned house.  Winner in class and overall in the Juan de Fuca Heavy Division was DIVA (Jim Prentice) followed in second by TIPPY (Peter McComb) and 4th was JEOPARDY (Ed Pinkham).

J/80s sailing offshore in Victoria, British Columbia, CanadaIn the Inshore Racing along the waterfront, the much vaunted battle between SWISH and JOYRIDE, a pair of J/80's, saw SWISH beating JOYRIDE by just under a minute on a 22 nm course with a wind ranging from 3 to 10 knots all day long.  Elapsed time for this pair was about 5 hours and 10 minutes.  As a result, in the Battle of the Sexes, Commodores (men) vs. Commodores Wives (women), the boys prevailed.  Congratulations to the Commodores from Royal Victoria Yacht Club (Jeremy Smith), Royal Vancouver Yacht Club (Guy Walters) and Seattle Yacht Club (Chuck Lowry) that raced SWISH.  And, "good on ya gals" to their wives- Tara Smith, Barbara Picton and Pam Lowry that raced JOYRIDE to a solid second in the large class of competitors!  For more Swiftsure Race sailing information on Facebook   For more Swiftsure Race sailing information

J/160 sailing Figawi Race to NantucketJ/Teams Snag FIGAWI Race Honors
J/105 Teams Sweep Class S2- J/111, J/29, J/37 Win Class!
(Hyannis, MA)- The 41st Annual Figawi Race Weekend, renown as one of the world's largest "pursuit" races, was blessed with nice weather conditions that permitted most all 240+ boats to finish in time at the Nantucket Harbor entrance to clean up, dress ship and attend a fabulous evening of entertainment and merriment-- a dramatic improvement over last year's event that saw 95% of the fleet motoring into the harbor due to lack of wind!

As is the hope for these pursuit style races, bunches of boats finish together at the finish line as both little and big vie for line honors, faster boats overtaking earlier starting slower boats and the little guys vainly trying to maintain clear air as the monsters from behind descend upon them at great rates of speed, massive bow waves boiling in their teeth.  For the Spinnaker Class cruiser-racers, the race committee sent them all sailing the longer course #7 that took them around a few buoys for 27.9 nm race to the finish line, it was indeed a spectacle at the end of the line.  Over a ten minute time period, twenty-plus boats in the Spinnaker and Non-Spinnaker Classes finished ranging in size from a Baltic 52 to J/24s!  The J/Teams clearly loved the course, with 10 J's placing in the Top 20 and winning 3 of the 6 Spinnaker Classes.  Amongst the winners were the J/29 SEEFEST sailed by Ira Perry from South Dartmouth, MA; the J/105 DARK'N'STORMY skippered by Andrew Reservitz from Easton, MA and the J/111 WICKED 2.0 sailed by Doug Curtiss from South Darmouth, MA.

It was a fun race for all, with a mix of jib-reaching and spinnaker reaching, much to the liking of the various J sailors racing a mix of J/24s, J/29, J/100, J/42, J/105, J/111, J/160, J/35, J/37c, J/120 and J/46 models.

The Spinnaker Classes were comprised of six divisions, two of which were Sprit Class I and Sprit Class II.  In the "big boat" Division A (PHRF ratings of -75 to 33), the J/46 VANISH sailed by William Jacobson from Boston, MA finished 3rd in class and 10th overall.  Fifth in class was Kevin McLaughlin's J/44 SPICE from Fairhaven, MA.

In Division B (PHRF rating of 51 to 81) the J/40 JAZZ sailed by Kirk Brown from Hingham, MA was 5th in class and 18th boat to finish overall.

In Division C (PHRF 84 to 117), the J/29s pre-dominated, with Ira Perry's SEEFEST from South Darmouth, MA finishing first by over eight minutes (!) and finishing 17th overall.  Third in class was Tom Zapini's APEIRON from Boston, MA.

Class D (PHRF 132-174) had the venerable, "classic yacht", the J/24 showing its stuff after thirty-five years of legendary performances.  Tops amongst the J/24s was Jonathan Wenderoth's DRAGIN-Z-BALZ from West Mystic, CT, finishing 2nd in class and 9th overall, just 6 minutes off the pace from winning the whole thing!  Next up was Rick Bishop's J/24 ZIPCODE SUPERSTITION finishing 4th in class and 12th overall!  Great showing for these two boats!

In the sprit divisions, the J/111 WICKED 2.0 won Class S1 and was fourth boat to finish overall! They were followed by the J/120 URSUS MAXIMUS sailed by Jim Maseiro from Sterling, MA, finishing second in class.  Fourth in class was Dave Follett's J/120 GLORY.  If there were about another 1-2 nm of "ramp" left in the race, it's likely the J/111 and J/120s may have won the whole race overall given how fast they were catching the boats in front of them, just 3 minutes ahead at the finish!

It was the J/105 teams in the Class S2 division that perhaps did the most serious damage to the trophy collection on offer for the race.  The J/105 sailors swept the top five in their class and four of the top 16 overall!  Leading them all home was Andrew Reservitz's DARK'N'STORMY just narrowly beating out the J/111 WICKED 2.0 right at the finish line to win Class S1 but also be third boat to finish overall!  Behind them was the Nantucket High School sailing team from Nantucket, MA sailing an amazing race to garner 2nd in class and 5th overall!  Cool.  Great offshore sailing experience for the kids, too!  Third in class was Lisa Schmitt from Bourne, MA sailing HARDTACK, also managing a 13th overall.  Fourth in class was Jonathan Bloom on BEAR SPIRIT from North Falmouth, MA, getting a 16th overall.   And fifth in class was Chris Lund sailing WHOMPER from South Dartmouth, MA.

In the Non-Spinnaker Classes, there were J's sitting on the podium in three of the classes!  In Division E, Alan Fougere's J/160 AVATAR from Pocasset, MA finished 3rd in class, followed by Rick Eagan's J/46 WINGS from Osterville, MA in fourth.  The winner of Division F was the J/37 DESTINY sailed by Andrew Davis from Groton, MA.  Finally, third in Division G was the J/40 SMITTEN sailed by Bill Jones from Marblehead, MA.  Good fun for all and an enormous haul of silverware for the numerous J/Teams both in Class and Overall.   Sailing photo credits- Blake Jackson    For more FIGAWI Race sailing information

LA SUPERBA Wins Italian J/24 Nationals
(Arzachena, Sardinia, Italy)- The great island of Sardinia, famous for its fabulous sailing conditions, gorgeous azure blue Mediterranean waters, and incredibly delicious hospitality simply delivered in spades for the four dozen J/24 teams sailing the J/24 Italian Championship.  In the end, the reigning Italian Champions, Ignacio Bonanno on LA SUPERBA won the event for the second year in a row.  Meanwhile, the American team of Mike Ingham on JULIA/ 11TH HOUR RACING and recent J/24 World Champion Brazilian Mauricio Santa Cruz on BRUSCHETTA finished 1st and 2nd in the overall Open competition.  Just behind them was American Keith Whittemore from Seattle, WA sailing FURIO to 3rd.

J/24s sailing off Sardinia, ItalyIt was tough sailing amongst the highly competitive teams participating in the four day event.  Half the fleet was comprised of Italian J/24 teams from all over the country vying for National honors, while the other half of the fleet were participating as part of an Open Regatta that was, in essence, a "pre-Europeans" for them-- great practice for the European Championship following the Italian Nationals.

After the first day of racing on Saturday, Alberto Gai's KIMBE led the Italian fleet and Brazilian Mauricio Santa Cruz sailing BRUSCHETTA was first amongst the Open fleet.  The fleet was treated to a nice northeast wind varying in intensity from 8 to 10 knots with gusts of 15 knots. For the most part, those who favored the left side of the course performed better than those trying to play the middle or right hand side of the windward legs.  "It was a good test for the crews" said Giorgio Battinelli, PRO of the RC.  Adding that, "races were very technical, difficult for the shifts, and it highlighted the qualities of the best sailing teams in the field."

J/24 Italian women's sailing team in SardiniaOn Sunday, the second day of sailing, the fleet had three good races.  The first race was the slowest of the day. With only 5 knots of northeasterly wind, the teams took over thirty minutes to get to the first windward mark. The air started to blow on the downwind leg at around 13 kts. The second and third races were conducted with a more constant wind, the same direction, but with an intensity of 7-8 knots. The fleet, in both cases, were clearly divided between those who had chosen the right side and left side of the race course. The two compact groups arrived at the windward mark in very tight formation, much to the delight of the many enthusiastic spectators who followed the race from the beaches of Arzachena.  The last race was the most beautiful of all, especially in the among the top four contestants, with the winners selecting the right side of the course.  After five races the standings saw the 2011 National Champion Ignazio Bonanno, representing Marina Militare Italiana, in first place with LA SUPERBA.

J/24s rounding windward mark in Sardinia, ItalyMonday's sailing, the third day of racing, saw the LA SUPERBA team continue to consolidate their position atop the leader board for the Italian J/24 Championship.  Two more races were sailed with Bonanno's team taking two more 1sts.  "We are quite pleased with the results obtained so far, given that we are racing against three of the world's strongest foreign boats. We had a little difficulty starting, the winds have been very shifty, but tomorrow, hopefully we have more good conditions. Foreigners are leading the overall standings, but we will not press on them, for now we try to defend the National title," said Francis Linares, a member of the LA SUPERBA team. Foreigners dominated the overall standings in both races. The first race of the day (race #6) started in a west wind around 14-15 knots. Always in the lead from the first beat was FURIO, skippered by Keith Whittemore, followed by the German team on ROTOMAN sailed by Kai Mares and the Brazilian Maurizio Santa Cruz on BRUSCHETTA.  In the second race (#7 overall), Ingham's JULIA/ 11TH HOUR RACING took line honors, followed by the Greek team on EVNIKI sailed by Athanasios Pachoumas in 2nd and Santa Cruz's BRUSCHETTA notching up another 3rd place.

J/24 women's sailing team at Sardinia, ItalyThe last day of sailing was simply "classic Sardinian" sailing conditions.  Two quick races were sailed in 12-15 knot Easterlies on the bay, making for nearly perfect sailing with a slowly oscillating wind.  In the end, LA SUPERBA dominated the Italian competition, winning the Italian J/24 Nationals quite handily.  Second on the podium was ALVOTORE sailed by Francesco Cruciani.  Third amongst the Italian teams was BOTTA DRITTA skippered by Pasquale Mario di Fraia.  Fourth was BOOMERANG sailed by Filippo Masia and rounding out the top five was the early regatta leader, KIMBE sailed by Alberto Gai.  Amongst the Open Regatta winners were American Mike Ingham on JULIA/ 11th HOUR RACING in 1st, Brazilian Mauricio Santa Cruz on BRUSCHETTA in 2nd and American Keith Whittemore on FURIO in 3rd.  Fourth was German Kai Mares on ROTOMAN and 5th was Greek Athanasios Pachoumas on EVNIKI.  There were two well-sailed women's J/24 teams sailing in the event, including one Italian and one German team.  Winners of the Top Women's Team were the German VEGA RAGAZZA team skippered by Stephanie Koepcke, leading her Italian sisters on EXPRESSIV sailed by Claudia Speziale.  For more J/24 Italian Championship sailing information.  Or, YC Arzachena sailing information.

J/122 sailing Block Island RaceJ/122 & J/35 Winners In Block Island Race
CHRISTOPHER DRAGON & PALADIN Repeat Winners!
(Larchmont, NY)- The 186 nm Block Island Race, which has been held annually for 67 years, is a staple on the calendar of many New England competitors starting their summer of offshore sailing. It is notorious for the “fork in the road” decision that Plum Island forces after 60 miles of sailing: competitors must decide to take either Plum Gut, “The Race” or even Fishers Island Sound while leaving Long Island Sound. This decision often determines the outcome of the race.  Then, after rounding Block Island to starboard (the normal course), it's back through the same "fork in the road" and a choice of which part of Long Island Sound to sail through, the Long Island shore, the Connecticut shore or simply rhumbline down the middle of the Sound. A total of 84 boats participated, with nine classes (seven IRC and two PHRF) sailing the traditional long course while a third PHRF class tried out this year’s new “all inside” Plum Island Course (126 nm) option.

J/44 one-design sailboats- sailing Block Island Race“The first two-thirds of the race was medium air so it provided good fair sailing for everyone,” said one skipper. “We even sent a guy up the mast looking for wind bands,” he explained. It's a trick learned long ago by the fast clipper ships when they sent crew up into the crow's nests, often for days near the tops of their masts.  Said another skipper, "it was all about calling the breeze, which was higher than expected but incredibly variable within even short distances.”  While typically this race is won or lost on making the correct call on exiting or entering Long Island Sound through either Plum Gut or “The Race” or even Fishers Island Sound, this was not so much the case this year.  “We kept extremely close to shore to minimize current on the way out (through the The Race),” said another navigator. “Coming back (through Plum Gut), the current was on the nose but just changing, so we really never had to worry about it. We 'parked up twice' because of no breeze.  Generally, it was nice sailing, but it was fairly miserable fog-wise, so it’s nice to have decent sailing when you have to endure those conditions.”

There were two excellent performances by J/Teams sailing the classic race around Block Island.  A repeat winner of the IRC 40 Class was the J/122 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON sailed by Andrew Weiss and his family crew from Mamaroneck, NY.  Finishing fourth in class was the J/120 ROCKET SCIENCE sailed by Rick Oricchio.

The other repeat winner was Jason Richter's J/35 PALADIN sailing in the IRC Doublehanded Class.  Also sailing well was Hewitt Gaynor's J/120 MIREILLE capturing a well-earned third place in this highly competitive division of twelve boats.  J sailors were 50% of the fleet! Filling out the top five was Mike Lachance's J/105 DARK'N'STORMY in 4th place.

The IRC 35 Class saw the J/42 cruiser GLIDE sailed by Tanner Rose of Palm Beach, Florida finish in third place overall.

The J/44 One-Design class had a nice turnout of five boats.  This time is was BEAGLE taking line honors for Phil Gutin and his team.  Second was CHARLIE V sailed by Norm Schulman and third was Len Sitar's VAMP.

In the IRC 45 class, the J/130 DRAGONFLY sailed by Colin McGranahan from Larchmont sailed a good race to land their first podium finish of the season with a third overall in the largest class in the race.

Finally, the J/109 DRAGONFLY sailed by Skip Young from Guilford, CT sailed a solid race to finish second in PHRF 2 Class.   For more Storm Trysail Club Block Island Race sailing information

J/111 Xcentric Ripper sailing North Sea RegattaJ/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER Wins North Sea Regatta
(Scheveningen, Netherlands)- The Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta in Scheveningen had a brilliant start on Friday, May 25 under a clear blue sky with more than 250 yachts ready to go racing. The sailing conditions were perfect, although the strong, gusty northeasterly played many tricks on the sailors. With gusts up to 27 knots, there was a lot of damage to several boats-- sails torn, genakers and spinnakers blown out, big shots broke booms and blocks ripped off decks!  Yes, a lot of carnage on day one, but a lot of fun sailing for those who could handle the spectacular, sunny conditions.  However, the perfect conditions persisted for just one more day, with the last day being "fogged out" with little wind for any of the fleets.  In the end, John Van der Starre's J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER dominated IRC 2/3 Class.  In the J/22s, it was Kolleman Wouter's team that ran away with top honors.  And, in the J/24 class it was Erik Jeuring's team that also ran away with the gold.

J/109 under spinnaker at markFor the first day on the IRC 2/3 course, the gang on the J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER made it known they were going to be a factor in their twenty-one boat class, by far the largest and most competitive offshore class at the North Sea Regatta.  XCENTRIC's skipper John Van der Starre immediately led the team to two bullets today. Co-captain Robin Verhoef said, "We had some dangerous situations at times.  We hit 13-15 kts at times as we simply flew away from the rest of our fleet.  We practiced a lot in April at the SPI Ouest Regatta in La Trinite-sur-Mer and learned a lot. There we sailed one-design class and we learned how to be more competitive and much faster sailing against other J/111s.  We discovered the very subtle differences, e.g. in the settings of the mast and the boat and sails to extract maximum performance.  It helped us a lot!"

J/22 one-design sailboat- sailing North Sea RegattaFor the J/22 class, it was a day with more and less wind pressure across the course. In a field of eleven J/22's, Kolleman Wouter's team ran the table, getting two first places.  It was difficult sailing, especially because sometimes the waves came from all sides. "It was a sloshing wave," says Kolleman. "This increased the difficulty. We do like a lot of wind, so we had no problems. But because he always had massive changes in wind strength, you had a lot of pressure and then suddenly no pressure. Usually we sail on inland lakes, but we are quite used to power sailing."

After the first day of sailing, it was quite the festive closing.  Entertaining musical performances by the bands "Kissing the Girl" and the "Crazy Pianos" with great spinning of disks by "DJ Ruben" later in the evening.  The sailors played late into the night enjoying the beautiful weather and a festive atmosphere.

J/109 class winnersThe second day of inshore races were characterized by nearly perfect sailing conditions.  There was less wind than the day before, so there was less damages too! During the day the wind averaged 5-15 kts and was very shifty.  For the offshore classes, the second day was traditionally an offshore course around the buoys.  But, with lighter wind conditions that could die-off, the RC decided to hold only inshore races around the buoys.

For IRC 2/3, the J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER continued to dominate their class.  And in the one-designs, the J/22s saw Wouter's J/22 team rattle off a few more firsts to also consolidate their lead.  And, in the J/24 class, Erik Jeuring also posted some more firsts to extend their lead in their fleet.

One of the highlights of the second day was the J-Class RAINBOW visiting Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta.  This forty-meter classic sloop went sailing Sunday, May 27th with guests from the Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta.

J/24 one-design sailboat- class winnersOn the final day of sailing, the shores were dense with fog hanging over the Hague without a breath of wind, forcing the RC to cancel sailing for the day.  As a result, the regata results for the first two days that included seven races counted for the final results.  Congratulations go out to the J/22 team of Wouter and the J/24 team of Jeuring for near perfect scores, winning their classes by significant margins.  Congratulations also go out to a phenomenal performance by the J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER team led by John Van de Starre and Robin Verhoef, winning the most competitive IRC division by a whopping 10.5 points, counting five 1sts in their scoreline.  Kudos also to the J/109 CAPTAIN JACK sailed by Bert Visser.  For more North Sea Regatta sailing information

J/125 Double Trouble sailing fast on Pacific CoastJ/125 "DT" Three-Peats Spinnaker Cup
(San Francisco, CA)- This year's annual running of the Spinnaker Cup saw another strong group of the "downwind flyers" that love to go ripping down the California coastline in a hurry from San Francisco to Monterey just 90nm south-- a day race for some!  Andy Costello's J/125 DOUBLE TROUBLE was sailing with the hope to be the first team ever to win three Spinnaker Cups overall in a row.  In addition, sailing in other divisions were the J/35c BRAINWAVES, the J/35 PEGASUS and the J/42 TIKI-J, all hoping to win-place-show in their respective classes.

For starters, here's a breakdown of what took place after H20shots.com founder Erik Simonson interviewed Andy Costello shortly after the finish.

As Andy described it, "The Spinnaker Cup continues to deliver. Three years in a row of just awesome sailing conditions. This race was a bit tricky, there were a lot of ways to exit the bay and we usually get it right but the conditions at the start were very shifty and we ended up on the wrong side of the bay. This was a tough way to start the day watching our competitors sail away. Usually we are the ones up front. Mark Howe's and his team on War Pony did an excellent job starting in the division behind us and beat us more than half way to R8 as the race committee had opted for course 2. I think a wise move given the conditions outside the bridge.

The slight hitch to R8 was pretty lumpy and the wind was gusting as high as 32. The breeze definitely had a punch to it and felt a bit denser than our usual wind the puffs came on hard and fast. Keeping the boat flat and rumbling was key. We sailed most of this leg with a reefed Main and # 3 jib.

At R8 we rounded third with Tai Kuai and Condor Ahead by maybe 10 minutes and 5 minutes, respectively, with Pony nipping at our heels. We set a Jib top with the reef in the Main and reached along for a good 8 or 9 miles until we were able to unleash the A5-- that's when DT started to show her stuff. We reeled Condor back in to even. It was important for us to stay with them as we knew it was boat for boat contest with us both rated at -12 for this race. As we progressed down the coat the breeze lightened back to the High teens to low 20s. Condor and us both peeled to larger kites for us this was our A4.

J/125 sailing out San Francisco Golden Gate BridgeTrevor (Baylis) was not happy with our exit of the bay and was not happy just sailing along next to the Condor and was going to find away to get us back up front so we could pull off the "Hat Trick" (three overall Spin Cups Wins in a Row on corrected time). He made the gutsy call to leave the competition & jibe back towards Ano Nuevo, hunting for more pressure as DT really hits her stride in 21 and up TWS. Leaving Tai Kuai and Condor to stay offshore and maybe give them the race. We were either going to win this or loose a ton on this next move. At least that's what was going thru my mind. If your going to trust somebody's judgement on racing down this coast I had the right guy making the call.

Jibing down the coast, blue water, sun and great wind pressure! What a place to race a sailboat. Inshore our breeze steadily increased as we sailed the rim of the marine layer, jibing back and forth as we followed the coast to Santa Cruz. Our ride across Monterey Bay was another epic one, 23 to 27 knots of breeze under full main, A4 and spin staysail. We were averaging speeds no lower than 18 and highs to a bit over 21 for the last 25 miles. I won't give all Trevor's secrets away, but he called our final jibe lay line from 22 or 23 miles out and we nailed it with the kite up all the way thru the finish, sailing at optimum polars the whole way.

Another favorite for me on this race is watching your competition as you blast across Monterey Bay, waiting to see who will get to the finish first. We saw Condor come out the fog from offshore and with 8 to miles to go we had gotten ahead-- they crossed behind us about 1 mile back, jibed and were essentially on our line for final approach. We continued to pull away from them and then we saw Tai Kuai, they crossed just in front of us on the opposite jibe with 5 miles to go. They sailed a bit more inshore before jibing on to there final approach to the finish.

Now it was on! A drag race between us and Tai Kuai for the last 5 miles to see who would take line honors. We were able to stay very close and in the end Tai Kuai beat us over the line by 4 seconds for first boat to finish!

Our team was very happy with our performance and we also knew we had accomplished beating Tai Kuai and Condor on corrected time. Now it was a waiting game to see if the Pony or a slower boat from the later starters would take us out on corrected. Pony ended blowing a kite with 8 miles to go or they may have won, or at least it would have been a lot closer than 8 minutes on corrected.

We put the boat away had an awesome dinner together laughing at all the little things that went well or didn't on the race down the coast. BTW, they have great food" at the MPYC.

J/125 sailing fast downwind in CaliforniaMy Crew was wet and tired but as always rocked it.  Matt Noble and Ben Landon were under water on the bow more than they were dry. I joked that next year I will just get them team wetsuits and a snorkels !  Jody Mc Cormack and Molly Robinson were awesome and did everything the boys could Grinding, Trimming, Packing Kites. They are both extremely athletic women who love the sport and are awesome to be around!  Trevor Baylis- what can I say? He's pretty good.  Shaun Hagerman- my Finance Director from the dealership who owns a J/105 and thought he had a fast boat. Talk about wide open eyes! I wanted him to see what Coastal Sailing can be like when you have the right boat, the right crew, great conditions, and awesome competition from some really good sailors with well prepped race boats!

On a safety note, I will have to say the "Low Speed Chase" incident definitely impacted our team. Our discussion for safety before the race was much more in-depth.  All of the team was clipped in at different points most of the day, even if the conditions didn't merit it. The team would just clip-in to clip-in. The bow guys never went forward not clipped-in. There was never a call to clip-in by me as the conditions were not that extreme except for the upwind portion. My boat program has always been very safety oriented. We push the DOUBLE TROUBLE to its limits and that's even more reason to make safety the number one priority. I'm extremely proud of my crew for making the effort to clip-in and wear their harnesses and tethers all day. On my program there is a point where a call is made by the skipper to clip in and it is mandatory to do so but this day was not one of those days. If we would have done this exact race before the Low speed Chase incident the crew probably would have been clipped-in unless I asked. The loss of friends has changed the way all these excellent sailors race with or without the skipper telling them too.  That's an awesome feeling.  Of course, when we docked in Monterey, who would be the first boat to be safety inspected?? DOUBLE TROUBLE, of course! We passed having carried more safety equipment than needed including a life raft. Thanks to SFYC and MPYC for another Awesome Spin Cup !!"

In addition to Andy's fast downhill sleigh-ride, others in the J/Clan were having fun, too!  Amongst them was the J/35c BRAINWAVES sailed by Jim Brainard. Jim's crew managed a 4th in Class C, just 5 minutes off a third place podium finish!  That must've been a bit frustrating.   Another fast J/cruiser was the J/42 TIKI-J sailed by Scott Dickinson, managing a well-earned 2nd in Class D!  Finally, going "two-up" in Class E Doublehanded division was the J/35 PEGASUS sailed by Mark Sykes and friend, getting a 3rd in class!  Congratulations to all!

For the NBC News Affiliate- KSBW Monterey, take a peak at this sailing piece of news reporting- shows Andy and crew on DOUBLE TROUBLE just getting nipped at the finish line by a few feet!

For more Spinnaker Cup sailing information and results  Sailing photo credits- Sharon Green/ Ultimate Sailing and Eric Simonson/ h2oshots.com/pressuredrop.us.

J/124 sailing past Catalina IslandJ/124 MARISOL Wins Catalina Race
(Long Beach, CA)- This past weekend the Long Beach YC to Dana Point YC "Around Catalina Race" was sailed in reasonably fast weather conditions with many J/Teams participating.  Here's a report from Seth Hall, owner & skipper of the J/124 MARISOL.

"The boat is a blast.  Too much fun all the time.  We have two J/124s in Newport  harbor and it looks like a 3rd might be on the way from Marina Del Rey which would be great for a little boat for boat racing.  Busy summer as we are racing harbor races, Catalina races and lots of random legs.

Our J/124 races a few times each week.  On Monday nights for the American Legion Races, we have a farm team on board for the crew.  Average age of the farm crew is 14.  Pretty cool as they all shift positions each week and the adults try to do as little as possible.    Just a testament to the versatility of the boat.

J/124 Marisol sailing crew membersRegards the Around Catalina Race, MARISOL was first to finish in our class and 2nd on corrected.  We sailed with a crew of eight, which came in handy soon after the start.  Winds were 15-20 kts in Long Beach harbor so we started with the #3 and a reefed main.  We then exited the "LA Gate" marks and tacked up the breakwater wall towards Point Fermin Buoy to take advantage of the current.

We then sailed out toward the West end of Catalina where we ultimately flushed the reef and changed to the Genoa for the 18 miles to the west end.  After round the top of the island, it was spinnaker reaching down the 23nm backside (west) and cleared the east end by Sunset.

To keep going fast, we then "stair-stepped" the lee shadow of Catalina until we could cut across to Dana Point. It was blowing 15 kts and when we hit the island's big shadow the winds dropped to 10 - time to jibe!  We had a few more sail changes as the breeze died down and became off-shore from Dana Point.   Crew was very active with all the sail changes and jibes.

J/125 sailing around Catalina IslandFor us, it was nice to finish right behind the incredibly fast, well-sailed J/125 TIMESHAVER at 3:00 a.m.  Our efforts weren't' all for naught.  The DPYC/CBYC are going to have a Perpetual J-Boat Trophy for this race and MARISOL was the first winner!! In addition to the trophy, the Marisol crew was very happy that we won a case of Mount Gay Rum.  Is this a great Race Committee or what?  Good stuff, eh? Seth".

One of Seth's crew members, John Drayton, also provided his perspective on the race for a local Newport Beach Newspaper-

"Over Memorial Day weekend I had the pleasure of racing around Catalina Island on Seth Hall’s J124, Marisol.  This is one of my favorite local races because it’s long enough to feel like you’ve gone somewhere, but you are typically back home and in your own bed the next day.

The “Around Catalina Race” is a 75-mile sprint that that starts in LA Harbor, runs around Catalina Island, and wraps-up with a finish just off the entrance of Dana Point Harbor.  This year’s race started off in LA Harbor with brisk 20-plus knot breezes, but there were still more than 40 boats out for this year’s event.

J/120 sailing around Catalina IslandWe started conservatively, with Marisol flying her No. 3 jib and a reefed mainsail.  About halfway across the Catalina Channel the wind started to drop off, so we shook out the reef and changed up to our bigger No. 1 jib.  After we rounded Catalina, the wind would continue to drop, but our crew worked hard to keep the boat moving and the bow pointed at Dana Point.  A midnight tacking duel also helped energize our crew as we repeatedly crossed tacks with Wes Selby’s TNT most of the way back from Catalina.

Based on our 2:59 a.m. finish, the final results show that we were second in Class B, and won the inaugural J-Boat perpetual for this event.  A half-model of Marisol is now being made to serve as a new perpetual trophy, and the Marisol trophy will be given annually for the first J-class boat in this event.

But the best part of the event is that even after a really fun 75-mile race, I was still back home in time to watch the sunrise."

Congratulations to Seth and crew, they've been having a very successful 2012 offshore sailing season, with more to come!    Sailing Photo Credits - Bronny Daniels/ JOY Sailing

J/Community

What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide

America's Cup 45 catamaran sailing series* Americas Cup World Series Celebration- Governor and Mrs Lincoln Chaffee and the ACWS Host Committee invite you to join them for a celebration of the ACWS Newport event on June 8th, 6:00 PM at Fort Adams- North Lawn.  It will be a fun, festive affair. Enjoy lots of hors d'oeuvres, cocktails and live entertainment. You can buy America's Cup sailing celebration tickets here.

The World Series races are being held in locations around the globe; Newport's race will be the final stop before next year's America's Cup in San Francisco. Newport last hosted an America's Cup event decades ago-- back in 1983.  The upcoming ACWS regatta at Fort Adams State Park features top international sailors competing in 45 foot all carbon catamarans with massive wing-masts.  As many of you probably know by now, many of the top America's Cup teams feature skippers, tacticians, team managers that have sailed J/22s and J/24s and won numerous World Championships over time.  Included in that group are John Kostecki (tactician on ORACLE), Terry Hutchinson (skipper on ARTEMIS), Francesco d'Angeles (manager of PRADA).  Plus, looking out for both the AC and Golden Gate YC's interests is Vice Commodore Tom Ehman (top J/24 sailor for years in the hot, local J/24 fleet in Newport!).

The event is scheduled for June 23 to July 1 and will include four days of exciting racing right between Ft Adams and Jamestown's Ft Wetherill across the Bay-- it promises to be extremely tight, thrill-a-minute racing. Skippers will be playing "rope-a-dope" as they challenge each other for maximum gains on every turn at NASCAR closing speeds!  For more ACWS sailing information.

Carbonautica carbon steering wheel* New Carbon Composite wheel exclusive for J-Boat Owners.  The J/111 has garnered a lot of attention in its first full year of sailing, and one of the most eye-catching features is the new composite wheel. This 60" Carbonautica wheel is made from carbon and glass fiber, is 60 per cent lighter than stainless, and is stiffer, stronger and feels better than other wheels.  A monocoque structure with no seams, joins or welds, was created exclusively for J Boats and has been tested everywhere from Finland to the Gulf of Arabia.

“With Proteus Marine, we developed the new Carbonautica wheel with an elliptical cross-section that’s more comfortable than most composite wheels to grip, and thereby less fatiguing on the driver.  The lighter weight also reduces inertia in the steering system – and further enhances the fingertip control our boats are known for," said Jeff Johnstone.

Proteus director Craig Dymock commented, “We’re delighted to have J-Boat's engineering, design and marketing support. We believe this wheel gives more precise feedback, so the helmsman is more likely to get the critical sail/rudder balance right most of the time.”  Delivered as standard in black, the Carbonautica wheel is available in custom colors and it can be retro fitted.  J-Boats dealerships have more details of the new exclusive steering wheel, available on J models over 36’ (11 meters).

J/97 sailing music video- Led Zeppelin*  For J/97 sailors in England- Led Zeppelin rules!  Falmouth, UK has been in the news in recent weeks with Ben Ainslie's domination of the Finns, so  here’s a video of a bunch of local Falmouth Anarchists on a typical club night from the same host club RCYC - we're not quite as glamorous as the Finn boys, we've got less hair and we're older and  wider, but heck we're just as keen - check out the goose wing kite action at 3:57 to earn our slot at  the mark. Music is all Led Zeppelin, as is the boat, a J-97 called BLACK DOG (Beware of the Growler), keep it coming SA and thanks for keeping us sane at work, when the first thing we log into is some Anarchy.  Signing out- elder Dog of the Dogs, Skipper Stuart Sawyer, Falmouth, UK.  See their amusing sailing video here courtesy of Sailing Anarchy.

The J Cruising CommunityJ cruising directions- roll the dice and go!  Sailing to anywhere, anytime! 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"

J/130 sailing ARC Rally arrives Portugal- leave a message on the sea wall!* 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)J/109 racer-cruiser sailboat GAIA- sailing off Java Sea cruising offshore, 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/

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

J/Newsletter- May 23rd, 2012

J/70 sailing off Newport, RIJ/70 Newport Sailing Demos
(Newport, RI)- For Memorial Day weekend and the balance of the Newport summer the J/70 will be ready to go speeding around Narragansett Bay and Newport Harbor for those interested in experiencing a fun, easy-to-handle sailing machine they can trail and launch anywhere off a boat-ramp with three feet of water. Kids love it. Girls & boys love it. Moms love it. What's not to like for Dad?  Volvo 70s hit 15+ kts in 20 kts TWS.  So do J/70s, in complete control.  Mom and the kids may just plane-away into the sunset they're having so much fun.  J/70 is a lovable, fast, easy-to-handle boat for family sailors. With 100+ owners to date that are ready to roll-- why not you?

If you wish to experience the extraordinary, exhilarating performance of the J/70, then simply contact us and setup a demo in Newport this summer.  Call 401-846-8410 or email info@jboats.com-- we'll happily schedule a sail for you in lovely Newport Harbor.  For more J/70 speedster sailing information

Swiftsure Lightship Classic- turning mark was a lightshipBig J Contingent in Swiftsure Lightship Classic
(Victoria, BC)-  The premiere race of the Pacific Northwest will showcase three overnight race courses (80, 103, and 139 nautical miles) and one long day race over the course of the Memorial Day Weekend.  With the start line off Victoria's beautiful waterfront, and racing in the Strait of Juan de Fuca with its beautiful coastline and challenging winds and currents, it is a must for all sailors young and old. It's a remarkable race that is steeped in local history and legend.

The famous sailboat "finish" to end all finishes- after 100 miles!The first recorded sailboat racing in the Victoria area was in the late 1850′s, between boats of the British Royal Navy and the early Colonists (about the same time the yacht AMERICA was eviscerating the Queen's fastest loyalists in the Around Isle of Wight Race- e.g. the 100 Guinea Cup-- a.k.a. America's Cup).  Interest in the sport grew in the following decades, and by 1930, a long distance race from Cadboro Bay around the Lightship on Swiftsure Bank, at the entrance to the Juan de Fuca Strait was proposed, and there were six entrants! By 1960, forty-five boats were entered in this now-classic race. In 1962, after considerable grumbling by skippers of boats that were too small to go to “the Bank”, Royal Victoria Yacht Club introduced a shorter-course race to Clallam Bay, some fifteen miles west of Port Angeles, and called it the Juan de Fuca Race. Later, with increased participation and faced with only two courses, one of 137 miles and the other of only 76 miles, the race organizers and many skippers found themselves in a dilemma. The solution was the introduction in 1988 of the Cape Flattery race, of 100 miles in length, halfway between the Swiftsure Bank and the Clallam Bay courses. This has proved to be a very popular race, attracting some of the very largest boats.  Imagine the Rolex RORC Fastnet Race today, it could have over 1,000 boats with a similar format!

Swiftsure sailing spectators- the world's best sailing spectatorsIn the earlier years of Swiftsure, Eaton’s Department Store major-display window at the corner of Douglas & View (the equivalent of HARROD's in London, England) in downtown Victoria was set up as “Swiftsure Headquarters”. A large map of the race course was installed, and the progress of the race was shown by moving miniature boats across the map. As the numbers of boats increased this became a daunting task. The event, and this way of graphically displaying progress, was very much appreciated by Victorians. “Thousands of people used to line the sidewalks, sit on the curbs. There was a feeling of excitement right there, in the middle of town”!  And, Ladbrokes betting parlor could not have been far away!

J/109 sailing the classic light air Swiftsure“Since the first radio broadcast from “Does crazy yotsmen” competed with the fisherman’s band to the outside world during the 1952 race, Humphrey Golby has been “on the air”. Media coverage expanded when Harold Elworthy’s Island Tug and Barge Company generously provided tugboats for the press. Radio station CKDA pioneered 'live broadcasting' of sailing with the limited ship-to-shore equipment of the day and ‘The voice’ was born.”  Needless to say, modern sailing coverage is just beginning to take light, thanks to friends like Stan Honey and others with a bit of Polynesian navigator experience and know-how inter-mixed with FOX Sports production capabilities.

J/80s sailing off Victorica, BC, CanadaWhat's unusual about this year's Swiftsure Classic? SWISH and JOYRIDE, a pair of J/80's, are the latest entries in 2012 Swiftsure. What's cool about these two boats is that a crew of Commodores will be racing one and their "First Ladies" will be racing the other. Yikes! Class warfare?  Warfare of the sexes?  The Battle of Haves vs HaveNots (Huguenots?).  Commodores of Vice (the girls) vs Commodores Ex (the boys)?  Hmmmm.  What it is-- the Commodores from Royal Victoria Yacht Club (Jeremy Smith), Royal Vancouver Yacht Club (Guy Walters) and Seattle Yacht Club (Chuck Lowry) will race SWISH.  Their wives- Tara Smith, Barbara Picton and Pam Lowry will race JOYRIDE.  Both boats will be skippered by a Smith-- how appropriate.  Good fun and games!  Please be forewarned, any "mushroom cloud" seen in the vicinity of Victoria BC is simply two J/80s having a simple "port-starboard altercation".  :)

Aside from the fun and frolic in the J/80s inshore off Victoria, there are 24 J's participating in the four different races, nearly 14% of the overall fleet and the largest brand sailing offshore in the Seattle/ Vancouver region in the event.

J/160 cruiser racer sailboat- sailing Swiftsure RaceIn the "Big Daddy" event- the original, classic Swiftsure Race division that goes out of the Straits of Juan de Fuca for 139 nm- there are 24 boats participating from the start to Swiftsure Bank and return.  Included are the gorgeous J/160 JAM sailed by John McPhail and the speedy lightweight flyer, the J/125 WARRIOR skippered by Greg Constable.

The incredibly popular Cape Flattery Race division that goes for 103 nm has 75 boats going from the start to Neah Bay and return.  This cast of characters includes the J/145 DOUBLE TAKE sailed by Tom Huseby- his second J/145!  It also includes the J/46 RIVA (Scott Campbell), the successfully campaigned J/122 ANAM CARA (Tom Kelly- from Portland YC in Oregon), the J/120 TIME BANDIT (Robert Brunius), the new J/111 ADALGISA (Lynn Adkins), the J/37 FUTURE PRIMITIVE (Ron Mackenzie), the J/105 LAST TANGO (Jim Geros), the J/35 TAKING OFF (Russell Engbrecht) and the J/42 VELOCITY (Tom Keffer).

The Juan de Fuca Race division that goes for 80 nm has 44 boats sailing from start to Clallam Bay and return to the finish.  Included in this class are a slew of J/109s and J/30s.  The J/109 teams are JEOPARDY (Ed Pinkham), TIPPY (Peter McComb) and DIVA (Jim Prentice).  The J/30 teams are LIMELIGHT (Martin Vachon), CONRAD J (Geoffrey Wolf) and RADIANT HEAT (Tony Brogan).   For more Swiftsure Race sailing information on Facebook   For more Swiftsure Race sailing information

J/105 sailing FIGAWI Race to Nantucket- Vineyard Vines specialJ-Normous FIGAWI Turnout
(Hyannis, MA)- The 41st Annual Figawi Race Weekend is recognized as a top sailing event not only on the East Coast but is known internationally as well. Figawi Race Weekend kicks off the the Cape Cod and Nantucket summer season in America.  Entries include sailors from several states, 240+ boats (including 30 power boats) and over 3,000 sailors and visitors.  It's one of the world's largest "pursuit" races-- depending on rating, slowest boats start first, fastest last and whomever crosses the finish line first wins!  Other events like it exist, like the infamous "Three Bridge Fiasco" in San Francisco Bay that are of equal significance on the West Coast.

J/42 sailing to Nantucket on Figawi sailboat raceThe weekend begins with a Kickoff Party at Hyannis Yacht Club on Friday. Then, early Saturday morning, crews begin gathering. Skippers and boat owners prepare their boats, gather their crews, and head out to the start line. The first boat officially begins at 10 am off the Hyannis Port Jetty. But beginning around 8 am, the parade of sailboats head out of Lewis Bay, pass by Kalmus Beach, and gather off Hyannis Port. The boats start from 10 am until approximately noon, depending on their handicapped start time. All boats in all divisions compete across Nantucket Sound, in various courses, to be the first one to reach Nantucket.

Why sail? According to Brad Mascott, recent owner of J/105 #209 TWO IF BY SEA for the past two years, "I just love this boat and love this race, wouldn't miss it for anything!"  Find out why for yourself.  Lots of fun, lots of laughs and lots of memories with friends and loved ones.  Many other J's are participating and seem to agree with Brad's perspective on this special Nantucket event.

J/160 Altantic- gorgeous grey-blue fast cruiserAt this stage, there are two J/24s, two J/29s sailing.  Dawson Hodgson's J/100 GRIMACE from Rhode Island is sailing, so are two J/105s from Nantucket Community Sailing Center.  A J/35 and Doug Curtiss's J/111 WICKED 2.0 from Marion, MA are in the line-up.  Two J/37c's are going for it, including Stephen Lipman's DUCK SOUP from Newport, RI and Andrew Davis' DESTINY from Groton, MA.  Three J/40s are cruising fast, including Kirk Brown's JAZZ from Hingham, MA; Bill Jones' SMITTEN from Marblehead, MA and Peter Stockus' PASSAGE from Canton, MA.  Two J/120's are doing the event, Jim Masiero's URSUS MARITIMUS from Sterling, MA and Dave Follet's GLORY from Boxborough, MA. Tony Iacono's J/42 AFFINITY from West Chester, PA and Kevin McLaughlin's J/44 SPICE from Fairhaven, MA may be in the hunt. Two J/46's are sailing, Dick Eagan's WINGS from Osterville, MA and Renee & Bill Jacobson's VANISH from Boston, MA.  Finally, two of the big, fast cruising J/160s- Alan Fougere's AVATAR from Pocasset, MA and Ben Blake's ATLANTIC from Stonington, CT- will be thundering into the finish line at a great rate of speed if the little guys in front haven't gotten there already!

Depending on the various conditions, the theory of the "Pursuit Race" format is that all competitors should reach Nantucket Harbor Buoy at around the same time. They finish at the entrance of Nantucket Harbor and parade into Nantucket Boat Basin.

Saturday night Figawi hosts a Competitor Party under the tent on Nantucket. Mt Gay, Budweiser, Hammer & Sickle, Vineyard Vines and French Rabbit join Figawi along with live entertainment to throw a great gathering where old friends meet up after a long winter, and new friends are made.

Sunday is a day to enjoy Nantucket Island whether visiting local shops, enjoying restaurants, or walking on the docks at Nantucket Boat Basin. Figawi hosts a Traditional Clambake under the Event Tent. Lobster, mussels, award winning chowder, chicken, steak, potatoes, and much more are included in the reasonable fee.  As the day winds down, the Prize Giving starts late afternoon where 97+ trophies are awarded.  After the Award Ceremony, it's time to change gears and prep the tent for the Sunday night party-- it's basically a repeat of Saturday night.

Monday morning, it is time to get back to racing. The newly formatted Monday Race dubbed "Redux" has been changed to encourage as many entrants as possible. The race now ends in a neutral location allowing skippers to head north or south towards home. The gathering at HYC in the later afternoon includes entertainment and one last time to enjoy the Figawi camaraderie until next year.    Sailing photo credits- Blake Jackson   For more FIGAWI Race sailing information

J/24s sailing downwind under spinnakerJ/24 Italian & J/24 European Championship Preview
(Arzachena, Sardinia, Italy)- With 51 teams already registered, the Club Nautico Arzachena on the spectacular island of Sardinia will have near record attendance for both the Italian J/24 Championship and the J/24 European Championship.  It's not surprising that sailors look forward to making a "pilgrimage" to the great island of Sardinia since it generally offers fabulous sailing conditions, gorgeous azure blue Mediterranean waters, and incredibly delicious hospitality.

Simply put, Sardinia is a favorite with sailors around the world. The weather and sea conditions and the spectacular landscape, from the Gulf of Arzachena and the archipelago of La Maddalena, make it a sought-after area for sailing competitions.  Not surprising.  So far, lovers of the Italian landscape and seascape include 29 Italian, 13 German, 2 Hungarian, 2 Greek, 2 Monaco, 1 Swedish, 1 Brazilian and 1 American team to date!  Included are the reigning Italian Champions on LA SUPERBA and recent J/24 World Champion- BRUSCHETTA, with Brazilian Mauricio Santa Cruz at the helm.

"We are pleased with the large number of participants, especially given the economic crisis that has forced many clubs to waive participation," says Tonino Chessa, president of the organizing committee, "we feared for the heavy costs of travel necessary to reach Sardinia. Fortunately, some shipping companies have guaranteed benefits on prices. This first result encourages us to continue to focus on these events, which I believe are the best tool for the dissemination of the economic development of our region and, especially, for the dissemination of the sport of sailing."  The races start with the practice race of the Italian Championship on Friday May 25.  For more J/24 Italian & European Championship sailing information

J Teams sailing- sunset sail off Melbourne, AustraliaJ/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

Starting off with our friends way Down Under, the sailing season off Western Australia wrapped up with the Rottnest Island Race; the J/122 LITHIUM from Perth, W.A. had a wonderful time this sailing season.  Having perhaps equally as much fun were the fifty-eight J/80s that sailed in the Grand Prix Ecole Navale off Presque Ile de Crozon, France.  Watch out, the French Navy are sailing much faster and much smarter! While the J/80s were having fun on the Atlantic side of France, friends on the northern coastline near Benelux were watching the RORC North Sea Race contenders in the form of fast J/105s, J/109s and J/111s flying into the finish line after a reasonably quick crossing of La Manche (The Channel) from Harwich, England.  Sailing within the friendly confines of the notoriously difficult Solent were one-design fleets of J/111s and J/109s in the Vice Admirals Cup sailed off the Cowes waterfront.  Heading West across the big pond, a strong fleet of J/105s sailed in the J/105 Manhattan Regatta- an awesome venue literally in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty and the new 1,776 ft Freedom Tower.  A bit further north in New York, the J/22s had a scream sailing on one of the gorgeous Finger Lakes- Lake Canandaigua- in their famously fun J/22 JACK RABBIT Regatta.  Taking a quick trip across the continent, the West Coast was seeing action from Seattle, WA down to San Francisco, CA.  The Seattle Sperry Topsider NOOD Regatta was a great success with remarkably good weather and winds for the one-design classes of J/24s, J/80s and J/105s.  Down south along the Pacific rim more J/105s were racing on San Francisco Bay in the inaugural Swiftsure Cup Regatta (the replacement for the Stone Cup Regatta).  Be sure to read below about preparations of the J/125 DOUBLE TROUBLE that are taking place for the 2,225 nm Pacific Cup Race (TransPac is odd, Pacific is even years).  Plus, we have a great report from Nicole Breault about the St Francis YC Team Race Invite on J/22s.

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:

May 15-28- Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta- The Hague, Netherlands- http://www.nsr.nl/
May 25-Jun 3- J/24 Italian/European Championships- Sardinia, Italy
May 26-28- Swiftsure Offshore Race- Victoria, BC, Canada- http://2012.swiftsure.org/
Jun 1-3- J/22 Canadians- Vancouver, BC- http://www.j24can.com/
Jun 1-4- J/24 UK Nationals- Poole, England- http://www.parkstoneyachtclub.com/
Jun 8-10- Chicago NOOD Regatta- Chicago, IL- http://www.sailingworld.com/sw_nood.jsp
Jun 9-15- J/80 Worlds- Dartmouth, England- http://www.j80worlds2012.com/
Jun 15- Newport-Bermuda Race- Newport, RI- http://www.bermudarace.com/
Jun 16-23- Kieler Woche- Kiel, Germany- http://www.kielerwoche.de/
Jun 24-30- J/24 US Nationals- Dillon, CO- http://www.dillonyachtclub.com/
Jun 26-29- J/22 Worlds- Le Crouesty, France- http://www.j22-france.com/world%202012/index.htm

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.

J/80s sailing Grand Prix Ecole Navale in FranceSpectaculaire Sailing Grand Prix Ecole Navale
Brezellec's INTERFACE CONCEPT I Smokes J/80 Fleet
(Presque Ile de Crozon, France)- This year's running of GPEN, as it's known locally, was near perfect.  Great weather.  Excellent Race Committees and PROs.  Monstrous J/80 class?  Yes, again, the largest class by a country furlong with fifty-eight teams participating.  Said Marc Bouvet, head of the FFV (the French Sailing Federation), "This is the third year that the Grand Prix Ecole Navale provides support to the championship of French one-designs. With 180 boats (J/80s nearly 33% of the fleet), the event is a major one-design event in France. With nine nations present, it's fast becoming a classic in European one-design sailing circles. Moreover, foreigners may well come away with a title, may the best man win! But mostly GPEN is just an extraordinary event with an exceptional stretch of water, a commitment to the French Navy and an exceptional organization thanks to Alain Daoulas and his team."  Bouvet's comments were spot on, great racing for all and the J/80 class was no exception- producing a dominant winner in the form of Eric Brezellec's team on INTERFACE CONCEPT I.  Here is how it all turned out for the teams that sailed on this gorgeous body of water along the Atlantic side of France.

J/80 Interface Concept I sailed by Eric BrezellecThe first day was busy with four races in the breeze for all sailors. The winds started at ten knots increasing to 20 knots early in the afternoon.  Eric Brezellec on INTERFACE CONCEPT I found the conditions to his liking, scoring a 1-4-3-5 to be leading after the first day.  Second was Luc Nadal on GAN'JA with a 3-21-4-1 and third was Nolwenn Lemaitre on ECOLE NAVALE I with a 6-6-5-3.

After an invigorating day on Friday where the race committees were able to run four race for all series, Saturday was marked by calm conditions. Blame the capricious wind. It was not until the end of the day the J/80s sailed in much cleaner winds with about 7 kts of breeze.  As a result, only one race was sailed.  Matthew Souben, tactician of J/80 QUANTUM, said "The GPEN brings together top national crews. The level of the fleet is very high. It has been three years since I sailed on the series and I see it growing from year to year.  The formula for J/80 works perfectly with a large fleet and a one-design boat. This morning we were sixth in the standings, four points behind the podium.  It has been fantastic racing."

J/80s sailing around mark- Presque Ile de Crozon, FranceSunday's forecast was significantly better, N-NW winds blowing 10-12 kts promised good racing and a wonderful finale to the GPEN event.  After four days of racing, it's been quite clear the series is becoming more competitive in the J/80 class, the largest in the GPEN regatta. The win goes again, as in 2010 and 2011, to Eric Brezellec and his crew on INTERFACE CONCEPT I.  Careful preparation, a set of sails developed by the skipper, training partners who join him on the podium-- all point to talent, work experience and above all three race wins that allowed them to dominate the Grand Prix. Very difficult to beat a scoreline of 1-4-3-5-1-1-3 for 13 pts net over a 7 race series-- an average below 2nd place!

J/80 Arpege Promotion sailing team at GPENBehind Eric's IC1 team, it was very close for the top five, only four points separating the next four boats.  Finishing in second overall was Martin Le Pape sailing ARPEGE PROMOTION to a 7-7-12-4-11-2-1 record for a net of 32 points.  Third was Nolwenn Lemaitre sailing the top Ecole Navale boat for the French Navy, ECOLE NAVALE I sailed to a 6-6-5-3-14-7-5 tally for a 33.6 net pts total.  Fourth in the fleet of 58 teams was Luc Nadal on GAN'JA with a 3-21-4-1-4-4-19 score line for 35 pts.  Fifth was Simon Moriceau on INTERFACE CONCEPT 2 with one of the most consistent scores in the top five- tallying a 4-8-6-9-3-bfd-6 for a 36 pts net- other than Brezellec, the only boat to score all top 10 finishes.  For more Grand Prix Ecole Navale sailing information

J/122 sailing off Perth, AustraliaJ/122 LITHIUM Wins Rottnest
Monkhouse Crew Top Off Great Season in Australia
(Perth, WA, Australia)- Fresh from winning the IRC Double-Handed Division in Perth’s 2011/12 Offshore Series the J/122 LITHIUM amended its IRC certificate to Class standard sails for the Festival of Sail Around Rottnest Race.  The IRC rating went from 1.058 in the double handed configuration (furling No. 3 headsail plus A5 spinnaker) to 1.086 with class standard sails.  The change in rating proved worthwhile for the 31 nm Around Rottnest Race which was sailed in light conditions.  The Race has a first prize of $2,000 and 26 of Perth’s top race boats lined up for the start.

Here's the report from LITHIUM's owner, Graeme Monkhouse- "We fluffed the first start, but there was a general recall. The second start was near perfect - boat end start with clear air and speed, on top of the larger boats, free to tack.

We picked the wind well for most of the race and as we rounded the west end of Rottnest we were a couple of hundred metres behind the overall leaders.  "General Lee" was still behind us, after breaking the start, and we were close to the Farr 40 and a few 52 footers.  Things were looking good.

A two knot wind provided slow work up the northern side of the island and saw us finish in a good position compared to similar size and larger boats.

As we motored into the anchorage, the wind increased in strength and the smaller yachts had a quick spinnaker ride to the finish. Unfortunately, the late wind change meant a smaller boat beat us on IRC handicap, dropping us to second place overall as we watched the scores trickle in.  Nevertheless, a great night unfolded at the "Quokka Arms" pub for the crews of 70 boats who took part in the weekend.  Our second place provided $1,000 for the crew to help celebrate.  We had a fabulous time and love the J/122.  Amazingly comfortable and fast boat!"

J's sailing off starting line J's Dominate North Sea Race
(Harwich, England)- Racing across the North Sea in May is not for the faint-hearted. However 58 yachts were on the start line in Harwich, England, on Saturday morning to race the RORC North Sea Race 210 miles to the beautiful resort town of Scheveningen in The Netherlands. Cold but bright sunny conditions prevailed with a moderate breeze, piping up to close to a stiff breeze at times.

Under IRC, Stan Fenton's J/105 FAY-J was just two minutes behind on corrected time IRC Overall and came out victorious in IRC Four.  FAY-J races extensively on the East Coast of England and Stan was very happy with their result.

"It was a tiring race but we are delighted with our result," smiled Stan Fenton. "We went very well between Smith's Knoll and MSP, we were slightly south of the rhumb line rather than most of the other boats who went north, which meant we were in slightly more tide to start with but we could set our kite for about half the leg and I think that is where we made a lot of time up. We do a lot of racing on the East Coast, next up for us is the Haven series race from Shotley to Burnham-on-Crouch and then East Anglian Offshore Series, including The Haughton Cup, so it is a pretty full season."

What's remarkable is that in IRC Overall, J's took 7 of top 10!! And, in fact, J's took 9 of top 15 places!  Just behind FAY-J was the J/122 JUNIQUE sailed double-handed by Chris Revelman, getting 3rd overall,  2nd in IRC2 class, Double handed 1st!  Winning IRC 3 class and 4th overall was the J/109 YETI sailed by Paul van der Pol.  Third in IRC 2 Class and 5th overall was the J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER, sailed by the dynamic duo of John van der Starre & Robin Verhoef (yes, the "Batman & Robin" of Dutch sailing).

Filling out the rest of the top 15 in IRC Overall for J's were the following boats-
7th- J/109 CAPTAIN JACK- Vert Visser- 2nd IRC3 class
9th- J/105 DIABLO-J- Nick Martin- 4th in IRC3 class, Doublehanded 2nd
10th- J/105 HARPOEN- Harry Rek- 2nd IRC4 class
13th- J/133 ASSARAIN IV- Angus Bates- 2nd IRC One
15th- J/109 ARETHUSA- Kees Mijs- 5th IRC3 class

Many of the competitors taking part in the North Sea Race will also be racing in the Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta during the Whitsunday weekend, from 25th to 28th May. Hundreds of boats compete in this, the biggest yacht, sportsboat, dinghy and catamaran regatta in Holland, including the yachts hoping to represent Benelux in the forthcoming Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup in July.  For more RORC North Sea Race sailing information

J/111s sailing upwind - Vice Admirals Cup- Cowes, EnglandJEEZ LOUISE Wins Vice Admirals Cup 111s
Steven Tapper's STALKER Trumps J/109 Class
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The weather may have been grey and murky on the Solent today, but the quality of racing at the opening day of the 2012 Vice Admiral's Cup was spectacularly vibrant. For the 71 teams in six classes the day brought light to moderate shifty winds of circa 6-12 knots combined with a strong ebb tide, giving tacticians and navigators plenty to think about.

Race Officer Bob Milner set up shop for Classes 0, 1 and 2 along the Ryde bank, whilst his colleague Robert Lamb took Classes 3, 4 and 5 up onto the Hillhead plateau.  All fleets were sailing windward leeward courses and the race committee succeeded in completing the three races scheduled for all classes.

J/109s sailing in formation - Vice Admirals CupAfter racing Jonathan Goring confirmed that his overall impression of the day was, "Incredibly shifty! The wind was veering right all day and there was a massive 90 degree shift just before the third race. Our boat is the highest rating in the fleet so we're constantly looking to pick our gap and find clear air. The tide played a crucial part too although at times, particularly in the first race, it was hard to decide what to do for tidal advantage. We got forced off to the right into more tide and expected to loose out, but at the first mark we'd gained on those who came up the bank! This is a crucial regatta for those of us hoping to be selected for the GBR Team and the Commodores' Cup so we're crossing our fingers for more breeze tomorrow."

In Class 2 for the J/111's David and Kirsty Apthorp's J-DREAM won the first and last races and came 4th in the second, while Jame's Arnell's JEEZ LOUISE scored 3-1-2 leaving the boats tied on six points overall with J-DREAM claiming the lead on count back. Duncan McDonald and Phil Thomas's SHMOKIN JOE sat in third place overall, two points being the leaders, thanks to a 2nd and two 3rd places.

J/109 one-design- sailing Vice Admirals Cup off Cowes, IOW, UKThe fifteen J/109s in Class 3 put on a great showing with some exciting racing that got so close at times that the Protest Committee had two protests to resolve after racing. Steve and Jody's Maine's J2EAU took the honours in race one from Christopher Palmer's J-TAIME with David McGough's JUST SO 3rd.   But it was Steven Tapper's STALKER that claimed the boat of the day prize thanks to a 4th in race one followed by wins in next two races. In the overall standings STALKER had a two-point lead over J2EAU while Jonathan Hearth's JAGERBOMB took 3rd place on 11 points with J'TAIME fourth on 16.

For the second day of sailing, the teams were delighted when day two brought sunshine and wind, albeit a shifty 6-10 knots from the west, enabling all six fleets to complete three more races - races 4-6 of the series. With more tricky wind and tide conditions to contend with and the discard in play there have been plenty of place changes on the leader boards and there's all to play for going into the final day on Sunday.

Race Officers Robert Lamb and Bob Milner took their fleets up onto the Hillhead Plateau with the race area for Classes 0 to 2 set to the south-west of that for Classes 3 to 5. The big boat fleets were able to get underway on time at 10.30, but the smaller boats, which were closer in to the mainland shore, had a postponement whilst they waited for the lighter and shiftier inshore wind to settle.

J/111 sailing upwind - off Cowes, IOW, EnglandThere were big changes for the J/111s where the normally ultra-reliable David & Kirsty Apthorp's J-DREAM had a shocker of a day finishing last in races four and five before recovering slightly to take 4th in race six. As a result they drop from first to fourth in the overall standings. James Arnell's JEEZ LOUISE moved up into the lead from second thanks to a 4-3-1 score. Ricardo Tavoncelli's MANIC finally found form winning races four and five but dropped back into last in the last race although it was enough to move them up into second overall on equal point with Duncan McDonald and Phil Thomas's SHMOKIN JOE. MANIC held second on count back.

J/109 sailboats- sailing on the Solent, Cowes, EnglandSteven Tapper's STALKER had a firm grip on the 16 strong J/109 fleet thanks to two further wins and a second place. They counted 6 points and had an 11 point lead over nearest rival J2EAU, owned by Steve and Jody Maine, who managed to hang onto second overall by adding 3-8-7 to their card. Six points behind them was Tor McLaren's INSPARA, who moved up from fifth, and fourth place was now held by Paul Griffiths' JAGERBOMB. STALKER's run of luck almost came to an end in the fifth race when their jib sheet snapped as the tacked onto the starboard layline for the first mark. Fortunately the crew's quick thinking saved the day and within a few seconds three of the team had hold of the flapping sheet tail and clew and they were able to sheet in effectively enough to allow them to continue towards the mark at almost full speed as their team mates rigged up a replacement sheet.

Arctic Tern- supervisor of mark roundings!The wind Gods smiled at last on the final day of racing, where the fleet enjoyed two final races in a 12-16 knot north-north-easterly. An ebb tide kept the sea relatively flat and conditions were near perfect for the final showdown.  Again the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club's Race Committee took their race courses up onto the Hillhead Plateau and with the stronger winds they were able to set longer windward leeward courses using a mix of laid and permanent marks.

Class 2 for the J/111s saw plenty of "thrust & parry" as the boats enjoyed the stronger breeze.  JEEZ LOUISE held their lead thanks to a win in the first race followed by a 5th, which they discarded to take the series by 8 points.  SHMOKIN JOE pulled up into second overall while J-DREAM hit their stride again after yesterday's misstep, jumping back up into third overall.

STALKER gave the J/109s of Class 3 a master-class (e.g. a "schooling") as this well-drilled crew took two further bullets to win the series by 22 points, the biggest margin of all the fleets. Although STALKER had first place sewn up the battle for second and third raged.  The Main's J2EAU put in a steady day to take second place leaving Mclaren's INSPARA and Griffiths' JAGERBOMB, vying for third.  JAGERBOMB put in a sterling effort but at the end of the day both boats were tied on 39 points with INSPARA taking third on countback.  Post-racing Steven Tapper commented, "It all came good for us really, we had our worst race first of all with very flukey winds and we didn't read it very well, but it then got better and better for us as the weekend went on."   Sailing photo credits- Fiona Brown   For more Vice Admirals Cup sailing information

J/24 one-design sailboats- sailing off Seattle, WAJ/24 TUNDRA ROSE Wins Seattle NOOD!
J/80 SKYE ROCKET & J/105  DELIRIUM Win Class
(Seattle, WA)- When Seattle decides to put on a show weather-wise, she is a gorgeous place: Mountains abound, Puget Sound and Lake Union and Lake Washington provide ideal racecourses. Sure, it's dark and stormy here in the deepest months of winter, but in the summer, Seattle simply can't be beat. Case-in-point- this past weekend's Sperry Topsider NOOD regatta. While Sunday ended up being a rainy day of sailing (drum roll for the stereotypes), Friday and Saturday were the stuff of sailing legend-  perfect breeze, more sunshine than most Seattleites know how to handle, and enough psyched sailors to create a great event.

Showcasing three-consecutive days of top-tier sailing in various weather and water conditions, J/24 Skipper Mark Laura and his boat, TUNDRA ROSE, was declared top overall boat at the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta in Seattle. As a reward for mastering the Puget Sound race course, Laura and crew won an invitation to compete in the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Championship Regatta in the British Virgin Islands at the end of the season to compete aboard Sunsail 44S against the other overall winners in the 2012 series.

J/24s finishing sailboat race off Seattle, WAWhat may have earned Mark's team the top-billing for the regatta was the fact that the top four teams all finished within three points of one another after seven closely fought races.  Mark's team started off with a bomber race- a 9th- but managed to rattle off a string of four 3rds and two 5ths to win by only 1 pt with no first places-- that's consistency!  Tied for second were PEARL and TREMENDOUS SLOUCH- accounting for three 1sts in the event.  Winning the tie-break with two of those 1sts was TUNDRA ROSE sailed by Mike Johnson's team on PEARL, their 3-1-3-7-11-6-1 for 32 pts was enough to secure second place.  Third was Scott Milne on TREMENDOUS SLOUCH, sailing to a 2-7-1-10-2-8-2 for 32 pts to snatch third overall.  Fourth was SELF ABUSE (Harry Dursch) and fifth was R.Y.L.A.H. (John Mason).

J/80s sailing Puget Sound off Seattle, WashingtonThe J/80 class had a tight, four boat fleet with well-sailed boats.  Just about all the boats won a race, indicative of how close the racing was overall.  And, there were no runaway winners.  Fun racing.  In the end, it was Bill McKinnon's SKYE ROCKET that won with just 19 pts.  Second was HEART ATTACK sailed by Joel Shapiro with 21 pts and third was David Schutte on TAJ MAJAL with 23 pts.

J/105s sailing off Seattle, WashingtonThe J/105s also had good teams returning from last year and it was clear that a trio of boats were having a heckuva regatta.  Like their J/80 counterparts, in this case five races were won by different boats over nine races-- a pretty equitable distribution.  Making fewer mistakes than most was Jerry Diercks' DELIRIUM, amassing a 1-4-6-1-2-2-3-3-3-3 for 25 pts.  The fun-loving "Italians" aboard Lorenzo Migliorini's ALLEGRO VIVACE were leading after six races but maybe had too much fun on Saturday night?  In the end, their record of 4-5-2-2-1-1-1-7-4 for 27 pts fell just short of snagging gold, having to settle for silver on the podium.  Third was Doug Schenk's FREE BOWL OF SOUP with a 2-1-5-6-5-3-4-1-2 for 29 points, nearly overtaking their friends on the VIVACE.  Fourth was Jim Geros' LAST TANGO and fifth was Erik Kristen's JUBILEE.   Sailing photo credits- Jan Anderson     Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes.  For more Sperry Topsider Seattle NOOD Regatta sailing information

J/109 sailing upwind on SolentJ/122 & J/109 On RYA Team GBR- Commodore's Cup
(London, England)- The GBR line-up for the Brewin Dolphin Commodores’ Cup 2012 has been completed with the announcement of four teams representing RYA Team GBR this July in one of the most prestigious events on the international yachting calendar.  The 11th biennial event gives crews the opportunity to compete for their country as part of a team event and is always an extremely competitive regatta. In 2008 RYA Team GBR won the Commodores' Cup and narrowly missed out to Ireland in 2010. This year, the RYA's selectors have sought to ensure the best possible combination of boats and crews to ensure victory this summer, and also help develop strength in depth for future years.

After the largest and most competitive trials in years, ranging from a challenging Morgan Cup race (5 May) in bitterly cold conditions to three days racing in the Vice Admiral Cup this weekend (18-20 May), the RYA Team GBR include the following:

RYA Team GBR White- Neil Kipling's JOOPSTER (J/122), Magnum III (Ker 40), Philosophie (Beneteau First 40.7) and RYA Team GBR Black- David Aisher's YEOMAN OF WIGHT (J/109), Cobra (King 40), Salvo (Corby 33).

Stacey Clark, Chairman of the RYA Council and Chairman of the Commodores' Cup Selection Committee, commented: “The selection trials have been extremely competitive with just seconds between the boats on both the inshore and offshore races.  We were very impressed by the standard of racing and have decided to enter four teams for the Brewin Dolphin Commodores Cup, the maximum number allowed.  The four teams will be very competitive against the other national teams and newly appointed team manager Nigel King will be working with the teams to try and ensure a GBR victory this summer.”

A tough mix of inshore and offshore racing, the Brewin Dolphin Commodores’ Cup 2012 is an intense seven-day event that will take place in and around the Solent from Saturday 21st July – Saturday 28th July 2012.   For more Vice Commodores Cup sailing information

J/105s sailing off Statue of Liberty- New York, NYGorgeous Manhattan Regatta
Doyle's KESTREL Dominates New York Harbor!
(New York, NY)- The 2012 racing season has officially started in New York Harbor with this past weekend’s 2nd Annual Manhattan Regatta. Eleven J/105’s competed in the event, between the watchful gaze of the Statue of Liberty and the awe-inspiring Freedom Tower. Beautiful weather provided the participants with two great days on the water.

Despite a strong current and shifty early afternoon wind patterns, the race committee was still able to send everyone on a variety of courses, including a couple of short sprints that never allowed crews to catch their breath.

Sean Doyle’s KESTREL took first place overall showing that a little current here and there couldn’t stop him from winning six of the seven races sailed in the two-day event. He finished second in the one race he didn’t win. Kevin Grainger (last year’s winner) finished second aboard GUMPTION3 and Paul Beaudin grabbed third on LOULOU.  Local favorite, Austin Fragomen, finished fourth on WARLOCK and Dennis Meichel was fifth on BIGAMY.

J/105s sailing - Freedom Tower in background in New YorkOn Saturday, as the late afternoon sun began to reflect off of the New York skyline, teams enjoyed the post-race party aboard Liberty Landing Marina’s Lightship with smoked BBQ and a keg of Belgian White. Everyone had a blast taking mug shots with The Digital Photobooth, which rolled out instant postcards that kept everyone laughing. A raffle sponsored by Landfall Navigation added to the good times.

On Sunday, after completing three races, the festivities continued on the New York side of the Hudson and concluded with the awarding of trophies aboard Manhattan Sailing Club’s floating Clubhouse.

The Manhattan Regatta is truly a unique racing experience for the J/105 class. The event offers challenging race courses, an iconic backdrop, and simply a fun post-race party Saturday night. Even the Lady Liberty trophies are a departure from the typical silver. As one of the only events in the New England area where boats can tie up together at docks instead of at moorings, teams have more time to prep or just hangout. And most importantly, the event is dedicated solely to the J/105 class, which means more races, more fun and clear air!!

If you would like to see what it’s all about, please check out the incredible sailing photos taken by Pim van Hemmen. You can also check out the crews having fun at Digital PhotoBooth.

Or better yet, join Fleet 10 next year, May 18 & 19 for the 3rd annual Manhattan Regatta. It's bound to be even better!   For more J/105 Manhattan Regatta sailing information

BLACKHAWK Flies To Victory
Scooter Simmons Wins J/105 Swiftsure Regatta
(San Francisco, CA)- On May 19-20, nineteen Fleet One J/105s participated in the St Francis Yacht Club's Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Regatta, a 6 race regatta which replaces the Stone Cup.  The weekend weather was beautiful and uncharacteristically warm with clear skies.  The breeze of around 15 kts in the mornings built to the low-to-mid 20’s, with gusts up to 31 kt on Saturday afternoon-- almost double the forecast.  The wind, plus the flood tide, placed a premium on superb starts, good crew work and lane planning when short tacking the City Front upwind for tide relief, and rewarded coordinated boat handling in the downwind planing conditions.

Going into the last race, any of the top six boats could have won the regatta. Scooter Simmon’s BLACKHAWK pulled out a race bullet after two upwind tacking duels and two downwind drag races against Bruce Stone’s ARBITRAGE, both boats hurtling across the Bay at sustained speeds of 16-18 kts, including a wild surf to the finish.  ARBITRAGE had entered the day in seventh, but with a 2-3-2 in Sunday’s three races, worked up to second, just a point behind BLACKHAWK.  RISK, MOJO and JAM SESSION filled out the top 5 places.  At the awards ceremony, there was a lot of chatter among people who said they had never gone that fast in a keelboat.   For more J/105 Swiftsure Regatta sailing information

J/22 sailboat- ready to sail on lake in New YorkTHE JUG 41 On a Roll!
Wins J/22 Jack Rabbit Regatta
(Canandaigua, NY)- Every year, the J/22 class on Canandaigua Lake race one of the great season opener regattas in the Northeast, the "Jack Rabbit" regatta, hosted by Canandaigua YC.  Many J/22s around the northeastern part of America include the Jack Rabbit part of their early season training, hopping into their trucks and making the annual migration in late spring to one of the prettiest lakes in northern New York state.  For the most part, the weather conditions are pretty well dictated by passing frontal systems, so nestled into some pretty mountain valleys, the lake sailors often have to contend with capricious breezes flowing off the mountain ridges and around the various bays.  Sailing can be spectacular, particularly if a strong NW'er front rolls through, kicking up white caps against the spectacular backdrop of lush, vibrant green mountain sides exploding with a rainbow of colors with all the spring flowers.  Besides the sailing, the evening entertainment is notoriously good (e.g. excellent!).

This year, Saturday was like a July Day-- with no wind. However, the company was good with great entertainment.  For New Yorkers, the cool thing is that the Preakness horse race was taking place, providing the excitement of the day with three happy winners.  Wildly popular amongst the crowd was the familiar refrain "I'll Have Another", the standard request for many fun-loving sailors who haven't had enough liquid refreshments on the race course, but made even more appropriate by the fact the winning horse's name was (drum roll, please) --- I'LL HAVE ANOTHER! Too funny.

After the evening's entertainment closed down, the twenty-four J/22 teams were prepared to go racing in just about anything Mother Nature would throw at them on Sunday.  The race committee was able to squeeze in two races with diminishing winds late Sunday morning.  In the end, Chris Doyle's team on THE JUG 41 hung in there to take a 1-2 and win with 3 pts.  Second was Mark & Cory Sertl's LUCY with a 3-1 for 4 pts.  Third was Victor Snyder on MO'MONEY, fourth was John Goller and fifth was Trevor Collins sailing ALTERNATIVE GIRLFRIEND.

A special "Thanks" go out to their Canadian friends who visited them for the first time and had a long drive-- "please come back by", as they say with a Southern-drawl.  For more J/22 Jack Rabbit Regatta sailing information

J/Community

What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide

J/125 Double Trouble sailing on San Francisco Bay* The J/125 DOUBLE TROUBLE sailed by Andy Costello from Point Richmond, CA (the Rolex Big Boat Series Fast 40 class winner) is preparing for an assault on the Pacific Cup this year and, perhaps, even the TransPac Race next year.  Both events sail the 2,225 nm race across the wild blue Pacific from California to Hawaii- often a fast, downhill sleighride perfectly suited to the J/125.  Recently, we got a report from Andy and crew on how things are progressing on that silver bullet you often see flying across San Francisco Bay--

J/125 Double Trouble Sailing Team- Rolex Big Boat Series Winners"Our Pacific Cup Team performed at top Level in the Farralon Islands Race (ED's note- DT won the race). Testing conditions but the boat and the crew were at 100%. I can't help but feel very lucky and blessed to still be here after the tragedy that struck our racing community with the loss of "Low Speed Chase" and 5 of their crew during the rounding at the Farralon Islands! I believe it could have been many of the racing yachts rounding that day and am feeling how vulnerable we all are today! I will remember the lost crew every time we go offshore-- God Speed!

This Memorial Day weekend is the Spinnaker Cup. DOUBLE TROUBLE will try to be the first boat since the race was created in 1998 to win three consecutive overall wins in the 90 nm sprint down the California Coast (DT won the race overall in 2010 and 2011).

The Spinnaker Cup is a joint effort by the San Francisco Yacht Club (SFYC) and the Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club (MPYC). Often fast and furious, this 90 mile downhill run pits sailors against each other as well as the elements and has provided many thrills for contestants."  If you want to keep up with the silver bullet, follow them on the Double Trouble Sailing Team blog/ website.    Sailing photo credits- Sharon Green/ Ultimate Sailing

Nicole Breault sailing J/22 St Francis YC team race invite* St Francis YC J/22 Team Race Invitational "insider's view"- we received a great report from Nicole Breault, one of the winning skippers from StFYC from their escapades the past weekend team-racing against some of California's best sailors from San Francisco down to San Diego.  Nicole said,

"Last weekend the St. Francis Yacht Club hosted a team racing regatta for some incredibly talented teams from west coast clubs including San Diego YC, Seattle YC, and Newport Harbor YC. Racing was held in J/22s on the famed waters of the Golden Gate, right in front of the clubhouse, and we experienced the notorious winds and current of the Bay.

Of the two StFYC teams in the event, ours was pieced together only a week before by Scott Sellers. He had lost his other two crackerjack skippers to scheduling conflicts, and replaced them with me and Shawn Bennett. Shawn and I are pretty fast sailors, and have match racing backgrounds, but the amount of team racing we each had done in the past 20 years was minimal. Nevertheless armed with a positive attitude and a bunch of very capable people crewing for us, we headed into battle together.

Spectators on both Saturday and Sunday were treated to exciting action. There were dozens of tactical mark traps and hi-low plays that kept the racing close for the most part. In addition, much to the dismay of Diego (StFYC’s J/22 bosun), we had several spinnaker-clad broaches, including a full-on death roll capsize by Shawn!

After three round-robins, the top four teams moved into semifinal, first-to-two-wins series. Racing was amazingly tight in both brackets with San Diego prevailing over Seattle and our StFYC team (Red) edging out the other StFYC team (Blue). We were having a hard time believing at this point that we had sailed into the finals. There were so many All American caliber sailors on the race course… no doubt any of these teams could have won the event!

Ultimately, we split wins against San Diego in the finals and the regatta win came down to the last race between us and San Diego. I will remember that last race for a long time! We were mixing it up around the top of the course, and one of their guys fouled and had to spin. We looked good down the run, but Brian Hayes had plans for us at the leeward mark! He was in the one and pulled of a mark-trap that left us in four, five, and six, chasing with just the last beat to go! Luckily, we had a strong, flooding current to extend the sailing time of the leg… and the wind was both puffy and shifty. Shawn and crew tacked around the leeward mark and scooted left up the beat, heading into a lefty on the shore. Scott and I, and our crews, headed right and hitched into solid right pressure at the top of the beat. Their guys were stuck in the middle trying to cover. In the end, all boats converged across the finish line within seconds of one another. My boat got the one, Shawn’s boat tacked at the pin and spectacularly shot the line for the two, and Scott’s boat photo-finished with the others! Incredible!

Our hats go off to all the teams we raced last weekend. The tough, friendly competition was fantastic! Looking forward to the next chance to play!"   For more J/22 StFYC Team Race sailing information

The J Cruising CommunityJ cruising directions- roll the dice and go!  Sailing to anywhere, anytime! 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"

J/130 sailing ARC Rally arrives Portugal- leave a message on the sea wall!* 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)J/109 racer-cruiser sailboat GAIA- sailing off Java Sea cruising offshore, 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 Boat

J/122 cruiser-racer sailboat- Gambler for saleJ/122 GAMBLER For Sale

GAMBLER is a 2008 J/122 that is ready to continue winning races, or go cruising!  If you are looking for a 40' dual purpose sailboat, GAMBLER can do it all!  There are very few J/122's with the winning pedigree that GAMBLER has and even fewer with the 3 cabin layout. GAMBLER has been optimized for racing with top notch bottom and foil preparation, she's a past J/122 North American Champion.  The sail inventory is all North and includes NEW 3Di sails!

Please contact Scott Spurlin at:  Scott@JBoatsSouthwest or Toll free at: 1-877-596-8430.