Discover the Joy of Sailing a J!(Newport, RI)- With fall boatshow season starting in full-swing, it's a wonderful opportunity to visit one of many boatshows around the world to experience the latest in the J line-up of fun-to-sail boats that can be enjoyed by your family and friends. Here is a quick boatshow guide of current shows and see the show schedules below for others coming up soon!
Cannes Boatshow- September 11 to 16- Cannes, France- J/Composites is exhibiting the new J/111 speedster for those who wish to have fun on the Med, not just daysailing off the quaint harbors in the Rivieras of France or Italy, but sailing fast around the archipelagos of Greece and the islands of the Adriatic. Visit Grigory Aksenov at Pontoon QML121 to see the high-performance J/111 and discover why it's been such a world-beater on many of the world's most demanding offshore races. Please contact Grigory for an appointment to see the J/111- email- aksenov.grigory@gmail.com or mobile- +7 909 157 69 24.Newport Boatshow- September 13-16- Newport, RI- As part of the "Discover Sailing" program offered by the Newport Sailboat Show and J/Boats, anyone attending the show can sign-up to sail the brand new J/70 speedster, International J/80 One-Design and the fabulous shoal-water performance cruiser/ daysailor- the J/95! Please be sure to contact your J/Dealer now for an appointment and a demo sail soon! For more Newport Sailboat Show information - http://www.newportboatshow.com/
Southampton Boatshow- September 14-23- Southampton, England- Key Yachting Ltd is exhibiting five J/Boats, including the new J/70 Speedster which will be making its UK debut. Other J's on display are the International J/80 one-design, J/109 IRC offshore cruiser/racer champion, the latest J/111 offshore speedster (recent IRC Benelux Champion) & J/122 IRC offshore benchmark for cruiser-racers in the 41 foot sailboat range. For more Southampton Boatshow information, please contact J/UK Key Yachting at "info@j-uk.com".
US Women's Match Racing Championship PreviewTop Women's Teams Sailing J/22s @ St Francis YC
(San Francisco, California)- The 2016 Olympic Games may have eliminated the Women's Match Race event, but the beat rocks on this week at the 2012 U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship (Sept. 13-16). Six teams from across the United States have come to San Francisco to compete for the title in J/22s at the St. Francis Yacht Club. Typically strong winds are forecast for the event and the teams will be tested not only by each other but by the conditions on the City Front. Furthermore, the US Sailing Championship is a Qualifying Event for the 2012 ISAF Nations Cup Regional Finals.
This year’s roster is highlighted by Genny Tulloch (San Francisco, Calif.), a two-time U.S. Women’s Match Racing Champion skipper. Tulloch finished just short of winning her third consecutive U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship at least year’s event on Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans. She lost a thrilling Final match to Sally Barkow, 3-2. Tulloch will be sailing with US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider teammates Jennifer Chamberlin (Washington, D.C.) and Stephanie Roble (East Troy, Wis.), who finished fourth as a skipper at last year’s event. Margaret Shea (Wilmette, Ill.) will also be crewing for Tulloch. She was a crew for Roble last year.
Three-time Rolex Women’s Match Racing Champion Sandy Hayes (Scituate, Mass.) is in pursuit of her first U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship. She will be joined this week by teammates, Cindy Olsen (Scituate, Mass.), Ivy Binns (San Mateo, Calif.), and Krista Paxton (Detroit, Mich.).
Giving these top teams a run-for-the-money will be local StFYC sailors Nicole Breault, Evan Brown, Casey Williams and Julie Servais. Nicole has won the J/22 SoCal Match Racing circuit and her familiarity with the boats and the local San Francisco Bay conditions will prove to her liking. For more US Women's Match Racing sailing information
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
September sailing continues on a roll with the famous Rolex Big Boat Series headlining this past week's events taking place around the world. The fleets of J/105s and J/120s continued to enjoy extremely close racing on San Francisco Bay and the trio of J/125s simply smoked around the Bay again. Speaking of smoking hot sailing, the J/22s had a large, competitive fleet sailing their J/22 North American's at Tawas Bay, Michigan in some spectacular sailing conditions. The J/111 up in Nova Scotia finished up their season on a high-note in the Prince of Wales Cup off Halifax. Across the Big Pond, yet another J/111 also ended up on a high-note in the Dutch IRC Championships. Plus a J/33 had nearly as much fun as their fellow Dutchmen in the same regatta! Off in northeastern Germany, the J/80s had their German Open in Flensburg. And across "La Manche" (the English Channel) the J/80s also had a great regatta on the Solent, hosted by Hamble's Royal Southern YC.Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north. Check them out! More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page! Below are the summaries.
Regatta & Show Schedules:
Sep 11-16- Salon Nautique Cannes (111)- Cannes, FranceSep 12-16- J/35 North Americans- Erie, PA
Sep 13-16- Newport Boatshow (70, 80, 95, 97, 111)- Newport, RI
Sep 14-23- Southampton Boatshow (70, 80, 109, 111 & 122)- Southampton, England
Sep 13-21- J/24 Worlds- Rochester, NY
Sep 19-24- Grand Pavois Boatshow (70, 97, 111)- La Rochelle, France
Sep 27-30- Lido Yacht Expo (70, 65)- Newport Beach, CA
Oct 4-8- Annapolis Boatshow (70, 95, 108, 111)- Annapolis, MD
Oct 18-21- J/30 North Americans- New Orleans, LA
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
J/125s Dominate Big Boat SeriesThe DONKEY Kicks 105s, DESDEMONA Takes 120s
(San Francisco, California)- San Francisco, a city well-versed in the excitement of fast-action sailing, lived up to its billing as being one of the world's most challenging places to sail this past week. "It's big-breeze, short-course racing in the greatest place you can possibly imagine sailing," said Norman Davant, the local-knowledge strategist and J/Dealer. "It's unique here because we are surrounded by land, and whether it's a flood or an ebb current, you're going to have boats sailing close to shore."
Spectator friendliness has long flowed through this regatta's veins, as a "North Course" race area offers a start off Berkeley Pier and runs close to Point Blunt on Angel Island and a "City Front" race area brings the action close to shore, just as its name implies, after a start off Treasure Island. Sailors set out each morning to one or the other course, depending on which class they are in, and then alternate to the other course for the afternoon's racing, which features the bonus spectacle of all boats finishing within 50 feet of the Race Deck at host St. Francis Yacht Club.
Traffic was heavy on the first day of sailing Thursday on the Bay, with the usual suspects--cargo ships, kite surfers and AC 45s— joined by 66 boats taking on their first day of competition at the Rolex Big Boat Series. The 48th edition of the annual four-day tradition kicked off in conditions that blended sunshine and 60-degree temperatures with chilly winds of 16-20 knots. “Everyone should be very happy with what they got,” said Event Chair Kevin Reeds about the two hour-and-a-half long races held for each of the event’s eight classes (four IRC, three one-design and one for the catamarans). “There was plenty for them to work with.”
Posting victories in both races Thursday were Peter Krueger’s (Reno, Nevada) J/125 DOUBLE TROUBLE in IRC C class and John Wimer’s (Half Moon Bay, Calif.) DESDEMONA in the J/120 class. Wimer, who has competed in the event for 20 years and last won it in 2003, considered the conditions “not too windy, since the J/120s like wind in the teens” and described a narrow lead of only a boat length or two at the finish line in his first race. “For the second race, two boats behind us— our longstanding rivals CHANCE and Mr. MAGOO — began fighting with each other and we widened the gap with a win by 10-12 boat lengths. It helps to start with two bullets, but it won’t be over until the last day. The fleet is very tight, with really good sailors; you have to really stay on your game.”
For Jason Woodley and Scott Whitney’s (Greenbrae, Calif.) J/105 RISK, the 2-1 they posted in their one-design class was not easy to come by. It took some real maneuvering, especially in his second race on the “City Front” race course, where Alcatraz Island’s “cone” came into play. “The island cuts the current like a rock in a river,” said Woodley, “so you get in behind the rock to hide from the current. Then at the west face there is actually an ebb tide pushing you out, so you hook it and basically ride it as far as you can. We were in fifth or sixth at Alcatraz, so it was challenging, especially in the flood tide.” Woodley says he faces tough competition from “a lot of great boats,” but if he had to put money on a couple, they would be BLACKHAWK and ARBITRAGE. “What makes this regatta special is that everyone brings their A-game,” says Woodley, who counts a second as his best finish here in the five years he has competed. “This is the season playoffs; this is the regatta everyone puts their new sails up for, the one you want to win out of every other regatta on the calendar.”
On the second day of racing on Friday, Peter Kreuger’s J/125 DOUBLE TROUBLE continued dominating in IRC C, a class that is comprised of the event’s “fast forties,” which were introduced to the Rolex Big Boat Series in 2011 and are being dual-‐scored under a new HPR rule this year. "This is my first time really looking at the HPR and evaluating it when I'm sailing along and looking at boats to see how fast they go,” said Double Trouble’s tactician Jeff Madrigali (Whidbey Island, Wash.), a 1996 Olympic medalist who grew up sailing here. “It seems like a better shake, really, for a lot of these boats that don't have a chance to do well with IRC ratings." One of those boats is Bernard Girod’s (Santa Barbara, Calif.) Farr 400 Rock & Roll, which is second to Double Trouble in HPR but sits in fourth under IRC (Bernie used to own a J/105 by the same name for years in Santa Barbara).In J/120s John Wimer’s (Half Moon Bay, Calif.) DESDEMONA also maintained its edge. And in the J/105s, Phillip Laby’s (Oakland, Calif.) GODOT moved into the top three and to the top of the leaderboard.
Sailing on day three Saturday saw a chill in the air most of the day, but it did nothing to lessen the heat on the race course. The die is now cast for Sunday's final race- the famous “Bay Tour” race, which traditionally covers 20 or more nautical miles, and solidifies who takes home class honors. While some teams have dominated their classes since day one, especially the J/125 DOUBLE TROUBLE in IRC C, the decks have been shuffling in both the J/105 and J/120 classes.
The J/105 Class, the largest at the regatta, has been hosting a different leader every day of the event. DONKEY JACK, co-owned by Rolf Kaiser/Shannon Ryan/Steve Kleha (San Francisco, Calif.), took the top spot today with finishes of 7-1, moving yesterday’s front-runner GODOT, skippered by Phillip Laby (Oakland, Calif.), down to third place. DONKEY JACK and second-place finisher BLACKHAWK, skippered by Scooter Simmons (Belvedere, Calif.), share the same point score, with GODOT only one point behind, so Sunday's race was going to be a gun fight. “Different people are winning every race, and there are still three or four boats that can actually win the regatta,” said Kaiser, who skippered the boat. “Today we were really focused on boat speed and tried to make some changes to how we were attacking the races. We’ll go out tomorrow and do our best and see what happens.”Also seeing a change of fate was the J/120 Class’s defending champion CHANCE, skippered by Barry Lewis (Atherton, Calif.), which ousted John Wimer’s DESDEMONA from the first-place position it has held all week. “In our fleet, it is like this during every Rolex Big Boat Series,” said CHANCE's tactician Doug Nugent (San Francisco, Calif.). “It always comes down to the last race, and it’s always a battle.” Chance’s mainsail trimmer Scott Kozinchik (Fairfax, Calif.) explained that his team’s mission tomorrow is fairly straightforward: “We have to beat DESDEMONA. We’re one point up on them, and they are going to come at us hard. If they were to win and we come in second, we would tie, and they would win on the count-back (tiebreaker).”
On the fourth and final day of the 48th annual Rolex Big Boat Series, had quite a showdown for the two competitive J/105 and J/120 classes. Starting with IRC C, Peter Kreuger’s J/125 DOUBLE TROUBLE, which last year won this class with Kreuger’s boat partner Andy Costello skippering, added a victory today to four more it had garnered over the previous six races and finished a full five points ahead of its closest competition, RESOLUTE, another J/125 skippered by Tim Fuller (Murietta, Calif.). The class, reserved for light-displacement boats in the 40-foot range, is commonly referred to as “fast forties,” and was dual-scored using the IRC as well as the new HPR (High Performance Rule). DOUBLE TROUBLE was the dual winner in both systems, with RESOLUTE taking third in HPR. “It was a great race today,” said DOUBLE TROUBLE's tactician Jeff Madrigali (Whidbey Island, Wash.), a 1996 Olympic medalist who grew up sailing here. “We had a light-air start, but the wind built really fast and the fleets were all intermingled and boats were flying. It was fun. The week has been great, with really good weather, great race management and a wonderful group of people to sail against.”
The J/105s had a tough battle. When DONKEY JACK's skipper Rolf Kaiser (San Francisco, Calif.) said yesterday that there were still three or four boats that could actually win in the largest class here at the regatta, he undoubtedly was including among them today’s race winner GODOT, skippered by Phillip Laby (Oakland, Calif.). GODOT was only one point behind DONKEY JACK going into today, and now it shares the same point score, though DONKEY JACK wins on a tie breaker after finishing fourth in today’s race. “The J/105 fleet is one of the most competitive one-design fleets on San Francisco Bay,” said Donkey Jack’s main trimmer Steve Kleha (San Francisco, Calif.). “Our tactic going into today was to win the race. Right off the line we scooted off past BLACKHAWK to clinch that part of the battle. After that, our spinnaker trimmer told us to go underneath Alcatraz, which earned us two places ahead of MOJO and JUJU.” Defending champion Blackhawk, skippered by Scooter Simmons (Belvedere, Calif.), finished third overall.
The J/120s perhaps had the most dramatic conclusion of the Rolex Big Boat Series. John Wimer’s DESDEMONA redeemed itself today, after it lost its lead yesterday to defending champion CHANCE, skippered by Barry Lewis (Atherton, Calif.). With only one point between the boats going into today, DESDEMONA had to finish ahead of CHANCE, which it did by posting a second to Chance’s fourth and edging the team out by one point overall. “We knew that CHANCE was who we had to beat, but we also couldn’t afford to just let the rest of the fleet go, so we just needed to get a decent start and sail smart,” said Wimer, who has competed in the event for 22 years. “Our expectations are always to do well and to have a challenge; this fleet has all really good sailors and it always comes down to the last race in the regatta. That is what it came down to today.”Similar perspective were shared by some of the other sailors in the regatta. On Bruce Stone's ARBITRAGE, it was clear the competition and tactics along the waterfront were critical to success. Said Bruce, "We were leading the regatta after the third race. In the fourth race, the City Front course (starting to west of Treasure Island), we had a great start at the pin end of the line and lead our group on starboard tack but somewhat pinned out from tacking to port and learned to our chagrin the port tack was highly favored tide-wise, heading to the cone of Alcatraz, as the tide charts were way off-- we played for more wind pressure to the southern side of the course but the flood was more than forecast, making it essential to dive for the cone, and all those boats who got off the line onto port were a half mile ahead by the time we could tack to port. I actually considered going all the way to the city front once I saw the immediate battle was lost, but decided to stick with it and we actually clawed our way back to 8th by the windward mark at Presidio Shoal-- however, when we hoisted our kite it blew out to leeward – Bob had not taped the shackle! After recovering the sail we dropped the jib, used its halyard to hoist the kite, had to drop it early to get the jib up etc – not too efficient, and we ended up 17th in that race – and out of the regatta. We went from 1st to 9th in the regatta. It was the same situation in the last race, the Bay Tour. Our fleet started on the North Course. The guys who flopped to port immediately at the start and aimed for Angel Island got relief from the flood, while those of us on starboard tack were a half mile behind within
5 minutes. The lead in the regatta changed in every race, and it came down to the last race. It was well sailed by everyone in the top 8-10 boats so that is great news for the fleet because it shows that skill levels have climbed and we’ll have a great fleet in the coming season!"On the winning boat, DONKEY JACK, Shannon Ryan (right) was overwhelmed with joy, this being her first Rolex Submariner watch win!! "That was the longest three hours of my life!," rejoiced Shannon, one of three co-owners from J/105 Donkey Jack. They came into the day tied for first place with GODOT and didn't win the day, but beat GODOT and won the regatta on the countback!! What a cliff-hanger for her and the team. Sailing photo credits- Rolex/Daniel Forster. Ellen Hoke/ http://www.ellenhoke.com Sharon Green/ Ultimate Sailing For more Rolex Big Boat Series sailing information
J/111 Dutch IRC 2 Champion!J/33 QUANTUM RACING Wins IRC 3
(The Hague, The Netherlands)- It was a banner year for the J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER sailing in a combination of RORC Offshore events in the RORC season series as well as sailing the top IRC events in the Netherlands. In the end, the hard work and effort paid off in a victory for the J/111 in the IRC Dutch Championships. Here's the report from the J/Benelux Team that included Robin Verhoff and the tactician John van der Starre:
"It is supposed to be the top-regatta of the year and so we looked very much forward to it. The ONK (open Dutch Championship) IRC, also the final race for the overall Dutch Championship of the year in IRC 2. After winning the same series with our J/109 Xcentric Ripper in 2010 and a third place with our new J/111 last year, we were very keen on revenge and victory.
During our preparations we did everything to avoid unpleasant mistakes. So after the Commodores’ Cup, the boat went straight on its cradle in order to improve some details as fairing the keel and super polishing the hull, keel and rudder. Some sails needed adaption and experience picked up during the Commodores’ was applied.
Being a tactician, you try to get a full picture of depth, current and possible courses. So I have been putting all possible buoys in our tactical program Expedition and I made a mini plastic current view of the region “Vlakte van de Raan” so we could use it during the race on deck. The weather predictions showed various conditions, neither one was to be sure. Sure, in the previous week we had a look at the weather forecast every day and had a look at the entries. We were happy that two other J/ 111’s enlisted. This could become a small one design race.
Friday morning, this first day, all hell broke lose. The meteo predicted 40 kts + winds with 3.5 – 4 m swell outside in the starting area. Starting there would be no option. During the briefing at 09.00, Roy van Aller confirmed this and he choose for a middle long inshore course, 2 rounds around the Westerschelde banks. This would appear to be a sensible decision. Everybody could sail a nice race in heavy air, without too much chance on damage.For us, the race developed very favorable, a good downwind start. We hoisted the A5 straight away and planed away from the field. A gennaker drop in a very narrow channel is very awkward, because you don’t have the space to go down, but we managed. Upwind and against the tide, we kept staying ahead by tacking in shallow waters close to the banks. By the time we got into the second round, our positions was so solid, we decided to go into a tactical safe mode. Tactics during a long distance race is always different to the normal up-wind down-wind races. It is not distractible and gives more weight in points, so there is much more impact on the scoring. Very happy with our first place, we headed back to port.
On Saturday, the second day, it was a very different story. Expected winds 7-10 kts, so light settings on mast and rig trim. Though we were very excited, had most of us had a restless night, we realized that today was the day to make our point. Ok, boat handling is faultless, everybody is focused and we all want one thing and that is winning the race. The first race we had a reasonable start, we took no big risks. I preferred the right side of the course because of the current and the to the right veering wind. So after the start we tacked to the right. We had to go behind some starboard sailing boats, but deliberately took this loss to go to the right. This payed out well and went around the upwind mark in first position. Downwind we had to find gusts, pressure was everything! The lead on the French A35 “Dunquerke Plaissance” did not appear to be enough at the finish and we became 2 nd on corrected time by 11 seconds. Race 2 and 3 were excellent on boat handling, speed, tactics, all went as it should go.Sometimes there are those days that everything matches, well; Saturday was one of those days. Two first places in these two races with more than 5 minutes left on corrected time, were the result.
On Sunday, the last day, Roy arranged some nice winds, 13/14 kts, so we got all condition on a plate this weekend. Mast and rigging were set on “base” and in a good spirit we went to the starting area. Our lead on number two, Dunquerke Plaissance, was 11 points with a second place as a worst. Normally spoken you cannot give victory away with only 2 races left. Maybe because of that, we started a bit reckless on the first race of the day. At the start we were not in the most optimal position and were forced to the starting line a bit too early. After the starting signal, we were not sure of having started too early together with the field. Were we too early or not? We decided to continue sailing and wait for the committee to call the early starters through the VHF. It took at least 45 seconds before the committee started this and finally after 6 boats being mentioned, we were the last one. A quick gibe and back to the starting line. This seemed to take ages against the current. Would this cost us the championship? Then a catching-up race. The field was half way the up-wind buoy. We decided for an extreme tack to the right to keep free winds and shallow waters and to get favored by the early tidal change. All or nothing! At the up-wind mark, we caught up some boats and looked for freedom after a gibe set. Eventually, we finished 3 rd, but became 10 th on corrected time. Pfff, nice unnecessary set- back. Another one like that and we are dead.
In the final race we try to get our focus back and make no stupid mistakes. Fortunately for us, at the end of this up-wind down-wind race there was a nice desert for us, finishing at Breskens. The course from the committee vessel to the finish looks like a nice reach course, ideal for a J/111. Here we can build distance to the field. For me the tactical aim is to go into this reach first and then take profit on the rest in minutes. Good start, nice tacks to the up-wind mark, getting around first.” Havoc” follows second and appeared to go very fast downwind today. With their symmetrical spinnaker they could go much deeper and had lots of advantage with the current. Near the bottom mark, being the committee boat Barracuda, they came very close. We could position ourselves as the inner yacht in the rounding and gibe, so we could go into the reach freely. Immediate we hoisted the stay-sail for more power. What we hoped for happened, the distance to “Havoc” became bigger, and our little boat went like hell!Finally we had a 1.45 minute lead at the finish, enough for the first place. We could distract the sour 10 th place and became Dutch Champion. “Dunquerke Plaissance” became a very good 2nd and “Havoc” 3rd in our class, IRC 2.
Of note, the J/33 QUANTUM RACING sailed by Jeroen van der Velden took first place in IRC 3! Congratulations to all.
LARCHMONT Wins NYYC USQSEpic Final Race In J/70s
(Newport, RI)- After a seeding series on Wednesday and Thursday advanced the top twelve teams to the Gold Flight of the U.S. Qualifying Series, this group was now being thoroughly vetted in the new J/70s to see who would be among top three teams to advance to the amateur 2013 Invitational Cup presented by Rolex, hosted next year by NYYC in Newport.
After seven races on Friday, the final day on Saturday delivered 12-17-knots, setting the landscape for a litany of some "crash & burns" for some teams and plenty of penalty turns for those squeezing into places they shouldn't be going into! In the end, the last qualifier for the Gold fleet, Larchmont Yacht Club, climbed to the top as Seattle and San Francisco yacht clubs held on to gain the final two spots and berths for next year's event.
"We struggled in the qualifying round, but really started to feel comfortable finally today," said Danny Pletsch, skipper for Larchmont. "The left side of the course was heavily favored today so we started there, then began starting at the boat to be more conservative near the end."
For the top three in the Gold fleet, preparing for the Invitational Cup is potentially more intimidating than facing the tooth-and-nail racing each day this week. "They'll probably be shocked to find out we qualified," said Shawn Bennett, skipper of third place San Francisco Yacht Club. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for the club." Bennett, who has experience preparing for national and world championships, said that he is sure the members will step up the training for next year's event.On Day 1, the sailing had a fast start but ended with a whisper of breeze. What started with 15-18-knot planing conditions for the quick J/70s came to an end when the final rain squall killed the breeze by mid-afternoon. What did not change throughout the day at the U.S. Qualifying Series was Newport Harbor Yacht Club's grasp on the top spot of the red fleet. One point ahead of San Francisco and Seattle yacht clubs, Payson Infelise and his crew of Chris Raab and John Fuller have put up nearly all top-five finishes save a ninth in the sixth and final race of the day. The red fleet started the day in Sonars and swapped with the blue fleet after four races to end the day in the J/70s.
One of the most impressive performances of the day was given by the gentlemen from Jacksonville and the Florida Yacht Club. Posting a 3,2,6,2,2,1, skipper Greg Griffin and teammates Andy Culver, Will Newton and David de Camp were fast in both fleets of boats. Two points behind is the team from Indian Harbor Yacht Club.
"The first half of the day we just played the pressure on the left," said red-fleet leader Payson Infelise of Newport Harbor Yacht Club. Defending that side allowed them to stay in the top five until a focus on current caused them to falter in the last race. Infelise's tactician added that their ninth place in race six reminded him that they can't be too confident. "You should never be a frontrunner in this event," said Chris Raab, referring to US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Bora Gulari and his Bayview Yacht Clubs fall from grace after dominating the first half of the 2010 Qualifier Series. "Anything can happen. We're happy we had a good day today."After the end of the second day of racing, the Championship Series teams were selected. The story of day two was not the dominant performances put in by The Florida Yacht Club and Seattle Yacht Club but more the way the last Championship series qualifiers clawed their way back from poor starts and bad breaks to maintain a chance at attending the 2013 Invitational Cup.
Today's results split the fleet into a Championship and Consolation series. When protests were resolved after sunset, the scores showed two points separating fourth through sixth in the red fleet. A third place in the last race of the day allowed Larchmont squeak into the Championship series after a day that typified the tooth-and-nail competition seen throughout both fleets.
"Half way down the run of race 10 we were pretty depressed thinking we were in the consolation series," said Larchmont tactician Clay Bischoff. He said that the team needed the first day to get used to their individual roles on the boat. And though they had few shifts go their way, the team is working to keep their confidence after the last race. "We were over-thinking it yesterday," said Cardwell Potts, "and today we just kept things simple."
The race committee waited until a seven-knot, shifty sea-breeze filled in at 2 p.m. to start the first race of the day. As it turned out, shifts did go some teams' way. Florida was over the line in a race, came back, had to make a penalty circle and wound up second. Youngstown Yacht Club, a team that narrowly missed qualifying for the Championship series, was over in two races in a row and ended up with a 1,2 score line.
Pequot Yacht Club ended up four points out of qualifying but their coach, two-time Olympian Stuart McNay, testified to the complexity of the race course on Narragansett Bay. "The breeze was very uncertain today," he said, adding that that the shifts were rarely seen on the water. The strong current going upwind and shallows on both sides of the course added to the challenge, but McNay said that the competition was top notch. "Everyone was sailing as hard as they could and it was fun to watch."
In the blue fleet, Fort Worth Boat Club made a run after a last in the first race today with a series of top three finishes to move up one place to fourth overall, two points ahead of Indian Harbor Yacht Club. A highlight of the day for spectators was watching the other position changes around Fort Worth live on the online TracTrac while the racing was unfolding on the water.
The third day was simply spectacular racing for the first round of Championship series sailing in the equally matched colorful fleet of new J/70s. After seven races in a brilliant sunlit sea breeze, preliminary scores show little light between the top seven teams in the Gold fleet vying for three Invitational Cup slots. Though Seattle and San Francisco yacht clubs had been distancing themselves from the group in the first five races, each swallowed a bottom half score in the last two races to allow the fleet to catch up. St. Francis had been tied for second until a DSQ in race five dropped them to fourth.Beneficiaries of the top group's misfortune were Larchmont, the winners of the final race of the day moving them into third, and Texas Corinthian Yacht Club, a team that was finally on the positive side of the subtle shifts and strong current lines on Narragansett Bay Course ending with a 1,5,5 score line. There is no throwout for the Gold and Silver series, putting more pressure on each race.
For fellow Texans in the Gold fleet, Fort Worth Boat Club, just one too many bottom half places put them at the bottom of the fleet despite several top five finishes. Only ten points separated them and the next four places, roughly the same difference between first and seventh. "It's a very tight fleet and you can't make any mistakes," said Fort Worth skipper Glenn Darden after the long day of racing. "They're all good and somebody is going to get a twelfth in each race."
The last day of sailing dawned clear and windy with predictions for breezes to hit 20-25 kts in front of an impending Low blowing in from the West. If the previous days of sailing were any indication, all the skippers knew Saturday was going to be the toughest day. With a perfect 12-17-kt sea breeze punctuated by puffs in excess of 23 kts, the top seeded Gold fleet teams faltered from broaches (boat-handling mistakes) and penalties allowing hope for the lurking pack close behind. In the end, the last qualifier for the Gold fleet, Larchmont, climbed to the top as Seattle and San Francisco yacht clubs held on to gain the final two spots and berths in the 2013 Invitational Cup presented by Rolex.
Larchmont is in the enviable position of being the first name on the Resolute Cup, a re-dedicated New York Yacht Club trophy that dates back to 1915. U.S. Yacht Clubs represented this week include American Yacht Club, Bay Head Yacht Club, California Yacht Club, Carolina Yacht Club, Eastern Yacht Club, Edgartown Yacht Club, Fishing Bay Yacht Club, Florida Yacht Club, Fort Worth Boat Club, Grand Maumelle Sailing Club, Grand Traverse Yacht Club, Indian Harbor Yacht Club, Larchmont Yacht Club, Little Traverse Yacht Club, Nantucket Yacht Club, Newport Harbor Yacht Club, Pequot Yacht Club, San Francisco Yacht Club, Seattle Yacht Club, Southern Yacht Club, St. Francis Yacht Club, Storm Trysail Club, Texas Corinthian Yacht Club and Youngstown Yacht Club. For more New York YC USQS sailing information
J2X Wins J/80 UK Nationals(Hamble, England)- Following on from the very successful J/80 World Championship held in Dartmouth this June, the J/80 fleet returned to the Solent on the weekend of the 8th September for the The MIQ Logistics 2012 J/80 National Championship. Hosted by Hamble’s Royal Southern Yacht Club, the event was included in the final weekend of their summer series. Sponsors MIQ Logistics, SLAM clothing and Coast Graphics continued their support from the World Championship.
The fleet of 27 boats was just one less than the previous highest total for the UK Championship. There was a very broad speed of ages competing, from the hugely experienced senior statesmen through to a handful of boats being sailed by students and other young teams. The generosity of owners who had loaned their boats had facilitated this.
Day one dawned with a lack of wind in the morning increasing to 8-10 knots in the afternoon. Race officer Dermod O’Malley made the wise decision to postpone ashore for two hours. The program got under way just before 1pm in a 6-8 easterly, in flat water conditions and warm sunshine. The hottest helm on day one was Rob Larke sailing J2X. Rob and his team achieved a perfect score of three bullets which converted into a six point overnight lead. Second best for the day was Nick Haigh sailing Slightly Steamy, a very tidy two seconds and a fifth were the proof that Nick’s transition from his last boat, a 46 footer, had been a success. The late start, combined with a breeze that softened as the ebb tide increased, saw the third race shortened and the fleet sent home at 5 o’clock. Allan Higgs’s Juicy completed the podium on the first day.Saturday night saw the liveliest of the fleet mixing with the rest of the Royal Southern Yacht Club’s September regatta sailors, at the appropriately titled "Best of the Eighties Party".
A further three races were scheduled for Sunday. With the easterly breeze once again established, the program got under way on time and finally saw J2 X beaten as Stuart Hawthorn’s J’ai Deux Amours struck gold in race four. Second was Mark Baskerville’s Mistral, third place went to Jon Powell’s Betty. The race team now signalled a postponement prior to race five, the easterly was waning and intelligence from the West of the race course indicated a new weather system was about to arrive. Sure enough after an hour a nice South Westerly of 10 knots kicked in, which built to a solid 20 throughout the afternoon. Race five saw the fleet in full planing mode and if this was to be the last big event of the summer it truly was a great day to remember. Rob Larke managed to claw back the lead from Patrick Liardet’s Aqua J to score his fourth bullet. Aqua J followed home in second with Mark Lees’ boats.com in third. In the sixth and final race J2X achieved an incredible fifth bullet. Boats.com took second and J.A.T took their second bronze of the weekend.
At the prize-giving, Rob Larke’s J2X was crowned the MIQ Logistics 2012 J/80 National Champion. Nick Haigh’s Slightly Steamy took a very solid second, Jon Powell’s Betty was third. A stellar performance from the team of 420 sailors on Chris Taylor’s J.A.T saw them sweep fourth.
Next year the National Championship is bound for England ’s East Coast for the first time in the class’ 15 year history. The 2012 J/80 World Championship will be held in Marseille, France in June with a forecast 150 boat entry, this will eclipse the previous record of 131 in Santander, Spain! For more J/80 UK Nationals sailing information
J/111 BLAST Wins Tri-fecta (Halifax, Nova Scotia)- Hat's off to Mark Surrette's J/111 "Blast" for their remarkable season sailing in Nova Scotia's major offshore regattas this summer. BLAST completed the perfect "tri-fecta" by winning the Prince of Wales trophy on Saturday at Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron (this trophy is older than the America's Cup trophy) and by placing second on Sunday they won the weekend.
Some of their competition included Farr 11's, a Soto 40, a J/120, 3 C&C 115's, a J/109 and 2 Mumm 30's. All well-sailed boats and tough competition for the J/111.
Of note, Mark's team on BLAST also won Chester Race Week Alpha 1 class and the RNSYS Opener in June!
Doyle Wins J/22 North Americans(East Tawas, MI)- The 31-boat fleet that sailed in this year's J/22 North American Championship at Tawas Bay Yacht Club in Michigan were in for an unexpected treat- fabulous sailing on the gorgeous Carribean-blue waters of Lake Erie's western shore! The sailing conditions were quite a bit better than initially forecast, especially because the Midwest has been living with in sufferable heat and light winds all summer long.
After the first day of racing, Lee Sackett of Edgewater Yacht Club in Cleveland, OH held the lead. Winds started light and shifty, but increased during each race to around 12 knots in Race 3. Sunny skies and temperatures around 70 degrees made for a gorgeous day on the bay. Three races were completed with Lee scoring a consistent line of 2,3,5 for 10 points, and Allan Terhune of Arnold, MD and Terry Flynn of League City, TX were tied for the next position with 12 points. In the day's first race, Richard Hallagan of Canandaigua Yacht Club took top honors, followed by two teams from the Cleveland area- Lee Sackett in second and his father Tod in third. In Race 2, Brad Julian of Severn Sailing Association grabbed first, with Chris Doyle of New York and Lee Sackett next. Terhune rounded out the day with a victory. Chris Doyle trailed in second, and Flynn in third.Chris Doyle took over the lead on day 2. With stellar scores on Tuesday of 1,2,1, the team launched into first after Race 6 when the throw-out took effect and they dropped their 22 from Race 1. Chris Doyle had 8 points heading into the final day of the regatta. Allan Terhune trailed in second with 16 points, and Terry Flynn was just one point behind him. The J/22 teams reveled in the Tawas Bay wind and waves throughout Tuesday, with breezes between 10-18 knots and surf-able waves.
After the racing completed on day 3 Wednesday, it was pretty clear that Doyle's team had finally gotten their boat in gear and were sailing both smart and fast. With crew Will Harris and Adam Burns, the team ended the nine-race regatta with just 16 points, after dropping a 22 from Race 1. During the other eight races, they had all top three tallies. Behind Chris Doyle was Brad Julian of Annapolis, MD with 28 points and Terry Flynn of League City, TX with 29 points. Tod Sackett of Edgewater Yacht 
Club in Cleveland, OH got the day started off with a victory, with Julian and Chris Doyle behind. In the next race, Allan Terhune of Arnold, MD earned the win, Chris Doyle second and Julian third. Flynn ended the regatta with a victory, ahead of Julian and Chris Doyle. Conditions were ideal again on Tawas Bay with breeze between 8 knots at the beginning of the day, and building to 16 with gusts to 18 by the last race with 2-4 foot waves. The top 10: Chris Doyle (16 points), Brad Julian (28), Terry Flynn (29), Allan Terhune (31), Lee Sackett (38), Marvin Beckmann (43), Chris Wientjes (54), Tod Sackett (65), Jeffrey Todd (69), Nick Turney (86). For more J/22 North Americans sailing information
PIKE Dominates J/80 German Open(Flensburg, Germany)- This past weekend nineteen J/80s from Germany, Denmark and Poland sailed in the J/80 GERMAN OPEN 2012 off Flensburg, Germany. The GER-614 "PIKE" with helmsman Martin Menzner celebrated an outstanding title defense- with 6 bullets in 8 races (3-1-1-1-1-1-7-1 = 9 pts net)! This performance equalled their triumphant victory in Kieler Woche earlier this season. PIKE was the leader for all 3 days of the J/80 German Open championship, dominating in all conditions from 4 to 22 kts of breeze. With this win the team continues to maintain their #1 position for J/80s in Germany. So far, PIKE has enjoyed an excellent record sailing in the J/80 German sailing circuit, in six years of campaigning their J/80, they've won four German Opens and five Kiel Week titles!
Giving PIKE tough competition all year long were the second placed PROCEDES DIVA (1-2-2-10-2-4-5-4 = 20 pts net) and CAMPAIGN (4-5-5-2-DNF-2-1-8 = 27 pts net). For more J/80 German Open sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* Sailing and Teamwork- After the Stamford-Vineyard Race, it was quite clear an interesting discussion was taking place aboard the class-winning J/145 SWEET LORRAINE, owned by Mark Hansen from Larchmont YC. On board were a cast of characters, including J/109 STORM owner Rick Lyall, Quantum Sails Kerry Klingler, a J/42 and a J/100 owner and some other smart guys, including occasional sailor Albert Wenger. Albert Wenger graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College in economics and computer science and holds a Ph.D. in Information Technology from MIT. He also occasionally sails, and based on his comparison of boating and business, we might all want to tune up our resume. Here's Albert's account of the race and some thoughtful perspectives on sailing, team-work and business management:
"Last Friday to Saturday I had the good fortune of being invited to crew on my friend Mark Hansen's boat Sweet Lorraine (a beautiful J-145) in the 2012 Vineyard race. The course starts near the Stamford Harbor, goes up to the Buzzard's Bay Light Tower and then returns south of Block Island all the way to Stamford for a total length of about 238 nautical miles.
The crew consisted of extremely experienced and successful sailors including several national/world champions in their respective boat classes. I on the other hand have very little race experience and even my total sailing experience was a tiny fraction of that of the rest of the crew. Everyone on board was super generous explaining things to me and being patient when I took a bit longer to get the hang of something or outright screwed up (e.g., over-trimming the spinnaker). As a result I learned a ton! I also really came to appreciate the many lessons about team work from sailing with such a great group.
First, it is tremendously useful to check your ego at the gate (the opening in the lifelines for getting aboard). Despite their tremendous individual accomplishments everyone did whatever was needed at the moment to help move the boat forward. On a boat that often includes cleanup, such as coiling lines so that they don't obstruct movement and also can run out easily when needed. High performing teams at work take a similar approach where every team member takes responsibility for the quality of the operation (and isn't above picking up trash in the office when that's needed).
Second, a clear division of labor makes everyone on the team effective. On a crew everyone has a position at any one time (positions may rotate). The responsibilities for each position are well defined. I have encountered many teams in the workplace where people were not sure what they should be working on which results either in duplication or in gaps with work that doesn't get done.
Third, communication is the lifeblood of a team. There is a nearly constant flow of information on the boat that enables team members to make the right local decisions. For instance at one point the wind was quite gusty and one team member announced incoming gusts letting both the helm and the sail trimmers adjust accordingly. I think too often in work teams there is an assumption that others have the information already when that's not in fact the case. -- Read on: http://continuations.com/post/30934037724/sailing-and-team-work
The J Cruising Community
J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers. Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand. Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/
* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years. Their blogs/journals can be found at- http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker. The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com. Search for "SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing" by Bill Stellin or William Stellin." UPDATE- Just a short note to update from Bill- "Our cruise began in May of 2000 and ended in May of 2008, some 8 years later. I have just finished and published my third and final book covering the last three or so years including our double handed crossing in 16 days and one winter in the Caribbean. Like the others, "Sea Trek- A Passion for sailing- Book III," can be found at www.blurb.com. Thanks, Bill and Judy"
* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between. Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins?? Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).
- SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).
- Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun). Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".
- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com. Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA)
, then to the South Pacific and New Zealand. MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.* The J/109 GAIA (seen right in the Java Sea) was sailed by Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay around the world. In February 2011, their cruising adventures came to an abrupt, sad ending. As a tribute to them and their cruising friends worldwide, we hope their chronicles on their GAIA website remains a tribute to their warm-hearted spirits- read more about why many loved them dearly and will remain touched by their loving spirit forever- http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/
