Round the Island Race Preview(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- Hold on to your hats, bloomers and knickers! This coming weekend the annual JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, organized by the Island Sailing Club is taking place. The one-day yacht race around the Isle of Wight, an island situated off the south coast of England, attracts over 1,700 boats and around 16,000 sailors-- making it one of the largest yacht races in the world and the fourth largest participation sporting event in the United Kingdom after the London Marathon and the Great North & South Runs (in other words, more sailors participate than any of the famous Harrod's department store sales in downtown London!).
Competitors come from all over the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe and as far away as America to sail the 50nm course round the Isle of Wight. Starting on the famous Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes, the fleet races "westabout" to The Needles, round St Catherine's Point and Bembridge Ledge buoy and back into the Solent to the finish line at Cowes.
Since 1990, the J's have always been factor in this famous race, often winning class or overall. It attracts the famous and not so famous and that's what's so fun about sailing the original "100 Guinea Cup" race course (e.g. the original infamous regatta where the yacht AMERICA "stole" the silver cup, took it home and renamed it the "America's Cup"-- using an entirely professional crew of sailors-- as our English sailing friends might say, "that's not cricket!").
One of the "not so clew-less" teams will be a J/24 called CLEWLESS (GBR4044). Her three co-owners met at a cricket match in the Ship Science department at Southampton University. They decided they needed a distraction from their studies so they bought a 31 year-old J/24!! She has had substantial refit work done over a number of years to reverse some years of neglect and is taking part in her 5th Round the Island Race! Good on ya mates!
The balance of the J/Teams will be spread across multiple IRC Divisions, sportsboat and one-design classes. At the top of the pack will be the IRC 0 Division with the two J/133's JERONIMO and JINGS sailing along with the American J/120 EL OCASO skippered by Rick Wesslund's Caribbean-dominating crew from Miami, FL. In IRC 1A with 28 entries are five J/111s including JITTERBUG, MUNKENBECK, DJINN, JEEZ LOUISE and McFLY plus the J/122 JACOBS LADDER. IRC 2A with 36 entries is nearly a J/109 division with seventeen boat sailing with most of the top boats participating and a lone J/39 XTREME hoping to keep them at bay. IRC 2B with 37 entries will be an interesting crowd since it has a mix of J/105s, J/109s and a lone J/35- BENGAL MAGIC from Ireland. IRC 2C has the J/105 KING LOUIE sailing by themselves in a fleet of 31 boats. IRC 2D is one of the largest classes with 47 entries, with a raft of J/92S's and J/97's sailing with most of the notable teams sailing. Two J/92's and J/32 are sailing the 42 boat IRC 3A division. In the "cruising" white-sails ISCRS 4B division with 46 entries are the J/120 ASSARAIN III, the J/122 SKY HUNTER, the J/109 SARDONYX IX and the J/92 JAMMIN. A trio of J/100s will be dueling for IRC 5B supremacy. Then, the classic J/24s have a trio hunting for silver in forty boat IRC 6C division. The fourteen boat IRC Sportsboat class has two J/70s and six J/80s sailing, all vying for "max speed, terminal velocity" on the largest breaking comber off the infamous St Catherine's Point bell. And, finally, an eleven boat J/80 one-design class will be sparring for who's got J/80 offshore bragging rights.
Good luck to all! Fair winds, clear skies and fair tide! For more Round The Island Race sailing information
J/70 North Americans Update(Annapolis, MD)- The inaugural J/70 North American Championship will be hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club from September 25th to 28th, 2013. The Notice of Race is available at the regatta website- http://www.j70nac.com. At this time, interest is so high that it looks like nearly 100 boats could be attending the regatta. However, because of space constraints and basic regatta management, registration will be limited to the first 90 boats that register (first-come, first-served).
Registration will open on June 1, 2013. If you have any questions, you can contact event co-chairs Kathy Parks (kathyparks10@gmail.com/ ph# 443-386-9057) or Will Keyworth (will@sales.northsails.com/ ph# 410-269-5662). Any questions about Annapolis YC should be directed to Regatta Manager Linda Ambrose (lambrose@annapolisyc.org/ ph# 410-263-9147 x106). Sailing photo credit- Onne Vanderwal. For more J/70 North Americans sailing information
J/70 New England Circuit(Newport/ Marblehead)- The J/70 fleets in Marblehead and Newport in New England are looking forward to their summer-time circuit and invite all J/70 sailors to join in on the fun. With two of New England's famous sailing venues on offer, the expectation is that sailors will be challenged by a wide variety of conditions in both Narragansett Bay and Massachusetts Bay.
Beginning with the Leukemia Cup Weekend on June 8-9, the sailors will be treated to a fabulous event hosted by New York Yacht Club in Newport on June 8th for the racing. Come join the festivities in the evening to support the battle against leukemia. Then, on Sunday the fleet will have top J/70 sailors from North Sails, Doyle Sails and Quantum Sails conducting a J/70 training/ tuning clinic on Sunday for all J/70 sailors! For more info- http://www.leukemiacup.org/ri/
The following weekend, the New York YC Annual Regatta will again host the J/70 sailors on a Narragansett Bay course north of the Newport Bridge from June 14th to 16th. For the more adventurous sailors, be sure to include the famous "Around Jamestown Island Race" on Friday-- the PHRF Division was won last year by a J/70 sailed by a double-handed team! Furthermore, rumor has it that NYYC's Sailing Master Brad Dellenbaugh may be the J/70 fleet P.R.O. for the regatta. Watch out, you may sail so many races so fast you may lose track of which leg on the "sausage courses" you're sailing! For more info- http://nyyc.org/yachting/racing/159th-annual-regattaThen, July 12th to 14th is the Bacardi Sail Newport Regatta held off Fort Adams. This is an enormous one-design regatta and an excellent turn-out is expected, especially with world famous host and Master of Ceremonies, SailNewport's Executive Director Brad Read, presiding over the awe-inspired masses. This regatta is renown for being a fun time, with great sailing and race management, excellent entertainment onshore in the evenings and, of course, the extraordinary support of Bacardi Rum all weekend long. For more info- http://www.sailnewport.org
Two weekends later, from July 26th to 28th will be the J/70 New England's/ Marblehead NOOD Regatta. Again, the red carpet will be rolled out for the J/70 fleet with tremendous support from the Sperry Topsider NOOD Regatta organizers and Sailing World sponsors, including Mt Gay Rum amongst others. Like its predecessors, this regatta has excellent race management and the social/ entertainment in the evenings is second to none. For more info- http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas/marblehead
For the Newport events, it's important to note that all J/70 sailors are welcome to rig and store their boats on trailers with "rigs up" at the Fort Adams Sailing Center and its parking lots. In Marblehead, a similar arrangement will be available. Please be sure to contact Morgan - fleetcaptain@j70fleet2.com.
J/24 Europeans Update(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- The Yacht Club Monaco recently sent out it's invitation to all J/24 sailors worldwide to participate in the J/24 Europeans, the first to be hosted in Monaco since October 1993 over 20 years ago. Say's the Secretary General at YC Monaco, Bernard d'Allessandri,
"It's our great pleasure to invite all J/24 sailors close and far afield to join us this coming October to the J/24 European Championship in the unique and charming Principality of Monaco.
This regatta will be unique in many ways. For those of you who have never been to Monaco, our Principality, wedged between France and Italy, will enchant you. You will discover a magical country with a unique character. Small enough to give you a village atmosphere, yet big enough to host some unique events from the Formula One Grand Prix to the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters or even the Yacht Club de Monaco’s very own classic yacht regatta, the Monaco Classic Week, which brings back centuries of traditional yachting to life ashore and afloat. All this while surrounded by super yachts, fast cars, gorgeous people and unique sights.
So what can you expect from the Monaco J/24 Europeans?
From the unique atmosphere of our “Port Hercules” harbour where you will find a mixture of traditional fishing boats mingling with the world's largest yachts, you will be mooring your J/24’s amongst some of the most exclusive super yachts in the world in a harbour where moorings are near impossible to obtain! Not to mention, of course, the warm welcome from the Yacht Club de Monaco where you will immediately feel at home (please note- Prince Albert notably sailed J/24s for years in the local fleet! As did his gorgeous sister's on occasion). For this high profile event, the Yacht Club de Monaco has assembled a very strong race committee to ensure smooth, fair and professional race management. Heading the Race Committee will be John Coveney, a veteran international race officer with excellent experience on the southern coastline of France!The gorgeous bay of Monaco will be your race area, right outside the harbour, literally on your door step. No tide, little current, mainly just plain deep water! No sand banks or shallow parts to avoid or escape too! Just one large expanse of water in which the race committee will lay the course. Miss the windward mark and your next stop is Corsica! In simple terms, the race area is a 2.5nm circle just outside the harbour, from dock to start line in less than 10 minutes! You simply can't beat that!
From the social events hosted by the Yacht Club de Monaco to those who wish to explore the Principality further afield, there are plenty of distractions! From dancing in the "Rascasse" with its live band, or visiting the local brewery, eating the Provencal delicacies from the "Condamine market", gambling and "people-watching" at the world famous "Casino", or visiting the internationally reputed Oceanographic Museum on the cliff edge, there are plenty of activities to entertain family and friends while not out on the water racing!
By the time you leave Monaco at the end of the regatta, you may be suffering from sensory overload, but you will certainly be able to recount amongst other memories that you towed your J/24 down the start/ finish line of one the world's most famous Formula One race tracks! How is that for bragging rights at the bar?" For those of you looking at the world of "bucket list" venues, that one may be one of the hardest one's to beat! For more J/24 Europeans in Monte Carlo, Monaco
J/Sailing NewsThe Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
Perhaps one word could characterize the past week's worth of sailing around the world-- "epic"! And, another phrase springs to mind- "Double's do it better"! With massive frontal systems sweeping North America and the European continent, the sailors had to contend with chilly, wet, windy conditions in many parts of the northern hemisphere. With temperatures hovering in the mid-40s Fahrenheit with rain and mist enveloping the fleets, no one would've been surprised in their semi-frozen hallucinatory state camped on the frigid weather rail to see pink woolly mammoths rambling across the horizon with stark naked, hairy Neanderthal men hunting them down with spears! Incredibly, despite such nasty conditions, double-handed J/Teams crushed it everywhere!In Europe, the J/80s sailed in the inaugural Cornerstone Cup and the weather Gods threw everything, including "the kitchen sink", at them over the course of their regatta sailed on the infamous Solent. The Cornerstone Cup is a new event for a four-way team race hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes, England. The J/80s and J/24s both held their Italian Nationals on the western coasts of Italy not far from each other, facing near Biblical conditions that might have given even hardy sailors like Homer in the Odyssey some pause. Also contending with the challenging conditions were the RORC Myth of Malham Race offshore teams sailing their "mini-Fastnet" training race from Cowes to Eddystone Light and back.
Facing somewhat similar conditions in America were three major spring-time events on both coasts. What are supposed to be regattas that mark the traditional beginning of summer turned into a game of survival at the extremes. On the windy, wet, cold, wild epic side of that coin were the two races in the Northeast, the Storm Trysail Club's famous Block Island Race that runs the length of Long Island Sound and the somewhat infamous, fun-loving FIGAWI Race-- the "pursuit-style" sprint race that goes from Hyannis, Cape Cod to the famous whaling island of Nantucket. At the opposite extreme, though still cold and wet was the renown "Driftsure" Swiftsure Race, a "four-in-one" event that is hosted by Royal Victoria YC and has teams starting in Victoria, British Columbia and racing to various marks up and down the formidable Straits of Juan de Fuca. The four races (Swiftsure Banks Race, Cape Flattery Race, Juan de Fuca Race and Inshore Race) all faced record DNF's due to the extraordinarily light winds and massive amounts of current.
Laughing all the way around the course and having a ball ashore was the growing J/24 fleet on Barbados down in the Caribbean. While many of their friends were suffering from "cold to the bone" weather further north of the Equator, the Barbadian J/24 sailors were suffering from a "Mt Gay Rum hurricane" on the beach in sunny breezy weather. Why? They just so happened to be sailing their annual Mt Gay Regatta with a record turn-out of J/24 teams!
Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below has many entertaining stories and news about J/Sailors as well as cruising blogs about those who 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:
Jun 7-9- Chicago NOOD Regatta (105, 109, 111)- Chicago, ILJun 7-9- New York YC Annual Regatta (111, 122)- Newport, RI
Jun 14-16- J/Cup Celtic Regatta- Pwllheli, Wales, UK
Jun 14-15- Off Soundings Regatta (105, 109, 120)- Watch Hill/ Block Is
Jun 15-16- Cleveland Race Week (70)- Cleveland, OH
Jun 19-22- J/24 US Nationals- Wayzata, MN
Jun 23-28- Block Island Race Week- (80, 35, 105, 109, 111, 44)- Block Island, RI
Jun 27-30- Kieler Woche (70, 80, 24)- Kieler Segeln Club- Kiel, Germany
Jun 27-30- J/22 Europeans- Zierikzee, Netherlands
Jul 4-7- J/24 UK Nationals- Plymouth, England
Jul 6-13- J/80 World Championships- Marseilles, France
Jul 12-14- Bacardi Newport Regatta (22, 24, 70, 80, 105)
Jul 13-15- Chicago Mackinac Race- Chicago YC- Chicago, IL
Jul 25-28- J/30 North Americans- Barrington, RI
Jul 26-28- J/70 New Englands/ NOOD- Marblehead, MA
Jul 27-28- Youngstown Level Regatta (70, 24)- Youngstown, NY
Aug 9-11- J/109 North Americans- Chicago YC- Chicago, IL
Aug 9-11- Verve Cup Offshore (109, 111)- Chicago, IL
Aug 9-13- J/27 North American Championship- Oakville, Ontario
Aug 14-18- J/111 North Americans- Chicago YC- Chicago, IL
Aug 22-30- J/24 Worlds- Howth (Dublin), Ireland
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
J/120 ALIBI Doubles Block Island Race J/Teams Sweep Double-handers, J/44s Crush IRC 2
(Stamford, CT)- For once, the forecasters were not very wrong. With a powerful frontal system of Biblical proportions sweeping North America, spawning horrific tornados, overwhelming floods, massive thunderstorms and thousands of lightning strikes, the navigators and strategists on Storm Trysail's 189nm Block Island Race knew they were going to be in for one condition- wet, wild, cold (45 degrees), rainy & drizzly and windy (20-30 kts from the Northwest). In short, the 2013 version of the BI Race became the fastest on record for the entire fleet.
Past J/24 sailors George David (and navigator Peter "Pedro" Isler) took the 90 ft RAMBLER down around Block Island and back in just over 13 hours, rounding Block Island at midnight, and setting a new course elapsed time record. A port gybe all the way down Long Island Sound, gybe around Block Island and starboard tack virtually all the way home to the Stamford finish line. RAMBLER's time also was improved by the navigational choice of exiting and entering the Sound through “the Sluice,” a narrow passage rarely used as an alternative to Plum Gut and The Race, two current-ridden passages notorious for making or breaking a team’s performance in the Block Island Race.
Gary Grant, skipper of the J/120 ALIBI, won the IRC Double-Handed Class and the award for Best Overall Performance, leading a "J" sweep of the IRC Double-Handed fleet. “This is the second time we’ve won both our division and overall for this race,” said Grant, whose crew was Steve Fisk (Westport). “The last time was 2006, when it was the slowest race on record, and we won because we were the most stubborn and didn’t drop out. This was probably the fastest Block Island Race on record, so we’ve proven ourselves now in both fast and slow conditions. We are very honored to have won.” Amazingly, this was the second time that J/Teams won both IRC Double and Best Overall Performance in the race, the previous double winner was Peter Rugg's J/105 JADED.
Though the temperature “felt like it was freezing,” it hovered around 45 degrees and incessant light rain with occasional showers added to what most called “miserable” conditions. “I purchased ALIBI when I lived in London and sailed it in the English Channel,” said Grant. “This race was much like it was there— cold, windy, rainy. But I guess you could say we were well prepared for that kind of race.” As predicted, various J/Teams have learned to master the course better than most-- one where keeping your "eyes wide open" and thinking "outside of the box" is an enormous help as the weather and current changes across the course.
The largest contingent of J's sailed the IRC Double-Handed class, also the largest class in the race. With eight of thirteen boats, it's not surprising the talented and experienced "J" double-handed sailors swept their class and took home all the silverware. With tough conditions both down the track and back, there's no question the sailors appreciated having solid, all-around sailboats that can perform in challenging conditions. Behind the J/120 ALIBI were a few Bermuda Race veterans (class winners, no less), with Hewitt Gaynor's J/120 MIREILLE taking second and Jason Richter's J/35 PALADIN in third. Newcomer to the BIR 2H fleet was Andrew Berdon's J/109 STRIDER taking fourth. Just missing out on making a clean sweep of the top five was also first time BIR 2H sailor Andrian Begley on his J/109 MAD DOGS & ENGLISHMEN. Eighth was Todd Aven's J/92 THIN MAN.Sailing as a one-design class, the five J/109s basically had a 189nm shoot-out. Tough racing made even more challenging with your closest competitors working hard on every puff and every wave to gain a foot on you, especially from midnight to the dawn patrol when the biggest gains are often made by top crews. Leading the fleet home was SKOOT (Jim Vos) taking the J/109 crown by only six minutes! Just behind was LOKI (David Rosow) in second and in third was PAX 3 (Bob Siegel).
While the J/44s were not sailing as a class, their veteran offshore sailors certainly left their stamp on the IRC 2 Division. Len Sitar's J/44 VAMP took class honors while "offshore newbies" Joerg Esdorn and Duncan Hennes sailing their J/44 KINCSEM quickly dispelled any notions they were still in training mode, sailing a solid race to take second overall. In fact, the two J/44s might as well have been tethered to each other on a rope they were so close around the entire track for 24 hours! Kudos to the KINCSEM gang for winning on elapsed time by four minutes, therefore bragging rights for being top J/44 on the water; they lost by 70 seconds to VAMP on corrected time (go figure!). The real question on the line may be "who bought who what" at the bar afterwards at American YC between these two boats? For more Storm Trysail Block Island Race sailing information
J's Dominate "Driftsure" Race J/160, J/105, J/30 Crush Fleets
(Victoria, BC, Canada)- Many said it couldn't be done, or was even possible in this year's Swiftsure, such was the forecast. Yet, again J owners have proven beyond any reasonable doubt that no matter what weather conditions are tossed at them, the combination of tenacity, experience and a bit of luck yields more than their fair share of silverware for J owners.
This year's Swiftsure Classic race (the four-in-one event) may well go down in the record books as the single most memorable "Driftsure" ever. With a record number of drop-outs and DNFs due to insanely challenging conditions, it was a wonder anyone finished. The difficult conditions made this year's event a race "down the mineshaft" to the insane asylum at the bottom- or was it to avoid having to cope with Alice's issues with the "Looking Glass" in that famous childhood fable. By late Saturday afternoon the winds went very, very light on the boats racing out the Straits of Juan de Fuca. The light winds, combined with strong adverse tides, made the job of keeping a sailboat moving in the right direction very difficult (if you look at some of the "tracking" information, you'll note most of the fleet was going backwards quite a bit of the time)!
In those kinds of conditions boats seek out every small puff of wind they can find. With 5 or 6 knots of breeze, a puff of 1.5 knots is a 25% increase in power. Finding those little zephyrs is what sends the winners ahead of the pack. On top of the difficulty of finding those zephyrs, is the challenge of keeping the crew motivated, and focused, in very frustrating and boring conditions. Each movement (particularly on a small boat) adversely affects sail trim as the boat rocks. The crew must be very still, watch for the puffs, and delicately trim the sails to take advantage of each puff. The helmsmen must steer carefully, because the rudder works like a big brake, dragging through the water. All this after 24 hours of sitting on the deck in wet weather, being cold to the bone, with minimum sleep-- could you do it? Apparently not for a vast majority of the fleet.
Nevertheless, there were some extraordinary performances by J/Teams in the fleet. For starters, the "big boys" in the Swiftsure Classic that sail out to the Swiftsure Banks and back, it was John McPhail's J/160 JAM that won the race in class and fleet! They happened to beat some of the best Pacific Northwest big boat offshore teams, including a Santa Cruz 70, Ker 46, Wylie 70 and Santa Cruz 52.Then, in the Cape Flattery Race, Lorenzo Migliorini's J/105 ALLEGRO VIVACE crushed it, with a 1st in class, 1st division and 1st overall. Without a doubt the toughest class with 59 entrants. Perhaps even more impressive was that fact that the whole race was light air with only five minutes of spinnaker work on a J/105-- yet they were still able to win overall!
In the Juan de Fuca Race, the J/30 CONRAD J sailed by Geoffrey Wolf won its class and division and was 4th overall!
Finally, in the Inshore F1 Division, the J/33 CORVO sailed by Tom Kerr managed a fourth in class and the J/35 INTREPID sailed by Bob McClinton sailed to a sixth overall. Sailing photo credits- Randy Beveridge (Flash in the Pan Photography- http://www.flashinthepanphotos.com) and Brenda Jacques (bjart@shaw.ca)/ . For more Swiftsure Yacht Race sailing information
J/109 Wins Myth of Malham Double Division
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The RORC Season's Points Championship continued over the May Bank Holiday weekend with one of the longest races of the season. Starting from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line, the teams sail a 230nm race from Cowes, round the Eddystone lighthouse and back to the Solent-- it's often seen as a "mini-Fastnet" training session for many boats.
After last year's extremely windy Myth of Malham Race, this year's edition provided a far more tactical race for the 120 yachts competing. Staying in the breeze and calculating the best route for tides made all the difference. The wind conditions ranged from zephyrs during the first night to 25 knot gusts on the last day of racing. Most of the fleet used the full complement of their sail wardrobe and, as many crews were exploiting the race route as a Rolex Fastnet qualifier, the Myth of Malham Race was a fine test of man and machine.
Prior to the start of the race, Todd Wells' J/109 JE VANTE observed, "The big entry shows that a lot of yachts are using the race as a significant part of training for the Fastnet. Depending on the weather, this will be a particularly sanitizing event for crews at all levels. Last year was incredibly tough but that is part of the attraction of offshore racing, you either talk about it in the bar or get on with it."
Another J/109 owner, John Allison sailing JUMBUCK, was sailing the race for the first time, though the vast majority of the crew are experienced offshore sailors. "In my honest opinion, the first 24 hours of any ocean race are easy, the next 24 the hardest, and then one normally settles into a pattern that gets progressively easier as each day passes. So maybe there is a case for saying overall, the Fastnet is not as hard as the Myth of Malham," commented John. "Having said that the race will be a good training exercise for the Fastnet, as it allows one to get familiar with that coastline in race conditions. As JUMBUCK is a new boat for us and for the race, it will bring the pleasure of bringing a crew and new boat up to speed, not just against other yachts, but also against weather and routing conditions."
As it was, the fleet set forth down the Solent from the Royal Yacht Squadron line and it was a choice between the island or the mainland shores to the Hurst Narrows to overcome adverse current. Then, between Start Point and Eddystone, the fleet faced more foul tide and the wind faded. Once round Eddystone some boats went inshore at Start Point on the way back and it worked for them, especially as the tide changed in their favor a little earlier than predicted. The run to the finish was dead downwind.
Richard Palmer's J/109, JANGADA TOO, was second in IRC Two and won the highly competitive Two-Handed Class. With Jeremy Waitt as co-skipper, JANGADA TOO won against a 22 strong IRC Double fleet containing many proven race winners in past RORC and Transatlantic races. "A very tough race, I doubt whether either of us got more than two hours sleep," admitted Richard. "The wind was so fickle that we were constantly raising and dropping the spinnaker and we didn't use the autopilot at all. The race was very stop-start and required a huge amount of mental concentration to work out the ever-changing scenario, especially with regards to the tide. It is great to get our first win of the series."
A terrific battle for third place was won by Rob Craigie's J/122 J-BELLINO. Nick Martin's J/105 DIABLO J was only seventeen minutes further back on corrected, good enough to take seventh in class. The next J/109 was JAMIRA sailed by Mark Tracey and David Pritchard, taking tenth just a half hour in arrears of the J/105 on corrected. The racing in the Two-Handed class was incredibly close with less than an hour, after time correction, separating 2nd place from 10th!
For IRC 2 Class, the top J/team happened to be Craigie's J/122 J-BELLINO, taking an amazing sixth overall against fully-crewed boats. Just minutes behind them on corrected time was the J/111 BRITISH SOLDIER, sailed by Henry Foster from the British Army Sailing Association. The SOLDIER's performance was a tremendous improvement over their initial outings on the Solent, in fact finishing 2nd boat-for-boat in this enormous class of 33 boats!
Like their compatriots in the 2H class, Palmer's J/109 JANGADA TOO led the fairly substantial J contingent home in IRC 3 Class, taking second overall. Behind them were a "rogue's gallery" of fast, experienced offshore J teams. With J's taking 11 of the top 20 positions, it was anyone's ball game from Eddystone Light back to the finish, especially having to deal with the Hurst Narrows passing the infamous Needles and again having to make wind versus current choices heading down to the finish line off the Yacht Squadron. Taking third in class was Robin Taunt's J/109 JIBE. They were followed by Tom Hayhoe's J/105 MOST HARMLESS in fourth, the J/109 JE VANTE (Todd Wells) in 8th, the J/105 DIABLO J (Nick Martin) in 9th, the J/109 JOLENE (Phil Nelson) in 10th, the J/109 J-T'AIME (Chris Palmer) in 11th, the J/109 INSPARA (Tor McLaren) in 12th, the J/109 JAMIRA (Mark Tracey & Dave Pritchard) in 14th, the J/109 JAZZY JELLYFISH (Kevin Armstrong) in 15th and the J/109 JUMBUCK (John Allison) in 17th. The level of competition in this fleet was equally as tight as the double-handers, with just over two hours separating the top fifteen. Thanks for contribution from Louay Habib. For more RORC Myth of Malham sailing information
JENIALE Three-Peats J/80 Italian's!(Sestri Levante, Italy)- This year's J/80 Italian National Championships hosted in Sestri Levante saw a good fleet of eleven teams participating from Italy, Poland and Germany. The three day regatta saw an enormous variety of weather conditions challenge the fleet, from 15 to 30 kt winds on the first day to freezing cold on the second day to epic, beautiful weather for the finale on Sunday.
Friday's racing saw southerly breezes gusting over 20 kts with tough conditions sailing upwind in the puffy winds, but fantastic planing conditions downwind for the fleet! After three races the fleet was exhausted. After the first day's racing, it was RAPISARDI skippered by Taito Sanchez that was leading, following by the Polish team on MOONRAKER and in third was BLUE 8 (their first regatta in J/80s). After all the heavy duty sailing, the crews retired to the nearby Yacht Club Chiavari for the evening for excellent local Italian food, delicious wines and evening entertainment.
The second day of racing was very special for many sailors. It was overcast, cold, with snow on the mountains in the hinterlands. And, the big waves/swell came from the southwest with 15-18 kt winds at approximately 300 degrees. In the end, it became a perfect day for sailing! Three races more beautiful and more competitive than the one before. The first race was won by JENIALE skippered by Massimo Rama, followed by RAPISARDI and the Polish team of Pawel Boksa. After three races, the team of Taito Sanchez was still leading, chased by a group of teams that included MOONRAKER, JENIALE!, J-BLUE 8 and MONTPRES PAUL MONTEDONICO. After the second day of sailing, the evening dinner on the promenade of Sestri for all crews was lots of fun.For the final day of sailing on Sunday, the Tigullio Bay was amazing- sun, waves, gentle southerly breezes of 10-12 kts. Perfect. The Race Committee started on time and managed to produce three races! In the end, JENIALE! managed to get three firsts to secure their third J/80 Italian Championship. Congratulations to Rama's crew with Anne-Soizic Bertin, Eva Gonzalez, Pier Giorgio and Cristina Matteini. Next step for the top Italians teams is the J/80 Worlds in July sailing in Marseille, France! For more J/80 Italian Nationals sailing information
Americans Win Epic J/24 Italian OpenRavioli's STOCKFISH Win Italian Championships
(Anzio, Italy)- The village of Anzio is a wonderful setting for the J/24 Italian Championships, famous for its micro-climate that often borders on the tropical, with plentiful sunshine, cool breezes blowing onshore and a gentle Mediterranean swell rolling into the golden beaches along the shores. However, this year's event was nothing like what anyone anticipated. As a monstrous frontal system swept across the Italian peninsula, it generated giant, breaking waves, 20-35 kt winds and plenty of cloud cover with chilly temperatures-- epic sailing for sure, testing the determination and limits of endurance for all the J/24 teams.
With forty-five J/24s attending this year's event, it was clear Italian sailors love their favorite sailing spots, creating one of the largest turnouts in years for the event. In the end, it was the American Keith Whittemore sailing FURIO that won on equal points with Luigi Ravioli in an epic battle on the high seas. As a result, Whittemore won the coveted "Open Championship" title and Ravioli sailing STOCKFISH wins the Italian J/24 Champs as first Italian.Finishing second overall was Avoltore, third was defending champions Ignazio Bonanno on LA SUPERBA, fourth was Mariolino Fraietta (Italian class President) and fifth was Peter Diamond.
"In the end, fortunately, we were able to compete in at least five races. It would really have been a shame to thwart the extraordinary efforts of all with fewer races. Conditions were about as bad as we've ever seen it in this magnificent town of Anzio", said Luigi Ravioli (past J/24 European Champion in 1999 and 3rd in J/24 Worlds in the United Kingdom). "With friends we began to prepare the boat (rather dated and with several problem areas) back in October 2012. We participated in the Winter Championship where we realized that we could be competitive and, above all, we had a great team spirit on board."
"It's been a great championship, challenging but very rewarding, with spectacular 10-15 ft waves, wind never below 20-23 kts, conditions that put a strain on all but now that it's all over, we can say we have enjoyed it all," said Massimo Mariotti. "I want to thank my crew for an amazing job!"
The sailors credited the local sailing clubs and the Italian Navy for a job "well done" despite the capricious conditions. In fact, the weather was so difficult, racing had to be canceled one day because the harbor mouth was virtually impassable due to breaking 15-20 ft waves and 25-35 kt gale-force winds. For more J/24 Italian Championship sailing information
MUTINOUS DOGS & DUCK SOUP Win Epic, Wet FIGAWI
(Nantucket, MA)- This year's famous FIGAWI race was perhaps one for the record books. It was wild, wet, cold, rainy and windy. The several thousand sailors in the race faced the same conditions as many of their sailing friends who were participating in the Storm Trysail Club Block Island Race just a bit further east of Nantucket-- powerful NNW winds of 15-25 kts and mountainous seas drove the fleet fast across Nantucket Sound from Hyannis to Nantucket in an epic, wet & windy roller-coaster ride. Of the 210 boats that registered, about 75% of them completed the race due to the crazy conditions.
The pursuit-style race with quartering seas and winds were fun conditions for most of the J teams planing and surfing like mad all the way across Nantucket Sound. Many of the teams performed quite well, especially the classic old J/24s! Winning their Division D by a landslide was an astonishing performance by the J/24 MUTINOUS DOGS sailed by Marc Holdaway. Also sailing like a "mad dog" in conditions only suitable for ducks, was Stephen Lipman's J/37 DUCK SOUP, taking their Division F Non-Spinnaker by a landslide.
The balance of J sailors all had fun, placing in many of their divisions. At the top of the heap was the J/44 BEAGLE with Phil Gutin at the helm taking 5th in Division A. Next was the J/40 JAZZ skippered by Kirk Brown, taking a 3rd in Division B. Also sailing fast and liking the conditions was the classic J/29 masthead SEEFEST sailed by Ira Perry, taking 2nd in Division C. The J/40 SMITTEN sailed by Bill Jones was 5th in Division G Non-Spinnaker.
Finally, in Division S were lumped all the fast asymmetric spinnaker sprit boats, essentially a J/class division with thirteen boats vying for being the "big banana" amongst the deck apes bragging at the Charity Ball. First boat home was the J/105 DARK'N'STORMY sailed by Andrew Reservitz. Second into the harbor was the J/120 M-SQUARED skippered by Bill Mack and third home was the J/111 PRAVDA 2 with Ed Kaye at the helm (proud of their inaugural effort in the FIGAWI). Fourth home was the J/105 BEAR SPIRIT sailed by Jonathan Bloom and, remarkably, the fifth boat home was the J/105 PRIMA sailed by the Nantucket High School Sailing Team and led by their skipper Diana Brown-- congratulations to all!
It was interesting sailing for the J sprit boats, after about 4.5 hours of sailing, less than fifteen minutes separated the top ten! That's close sailing and a pretty reasonable job on handicapping the boats in PHRF, too. For more FIGAWI Race sailing information
St Francis YC Dominates Cornerstone Cup(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The Cornerstone Cup is a new, prestigious team-race challenge sailed in matched, one-design J/80s on the famous waters known as "the Solent". It's a four-way international team racing event between the New York Yacht Club, St Francis Yacht, the Royal Yacht Squadron and Royal Thames Yacht Club.
Starting out strong the first day with a 3-0 record, the St Francis YC team never looked back, nearly sweeping the entire event from beginning to end. Here is the report from one of the St Francis YC team members, Nicole Breault:
"I am loving the tradition and plucky English sailing culture of the Isle of Wight. Our team came off today with three wins and no losses, after a long delay and a single flight of light air, rainy races. Shawn Bennett is driving our boat with me, Rolf Kaiser, and Ralph Silverman as crew and our other boat is skippered by Craig Healy, with Harrison Turner, Tom Ducharme, and John Collins as crew. Mark Ivey is coaching us, and just in time for racing today, our commodore Jim Cascino and his lady Lilly arrived to cheer us on. Standing in second is New York YC followed by the Royal Yacht Squadron and Royal Thames YC.We are sailing in the Bay of Oscar, just east of the harbor. There has been strong current making for tricky lay-lines and pass-backs, especially in the light air. Tomorrow slightly stronger winds are forecasted and the RC is planning to sail us an extra hour into the evening. Racing is tough and with point values increasing each flight, there is still much regatta competition to come."
Nicole continues here report for the second day of racing, "Today we were greeted by a 'brilliant' English morning. Brisk, blue sky with fluffy white clouds and birds chirping happily. We sailed out in a light easterly and then sat for several hours basking in the sun. Luckily, the westerly filled just as the ebb was establishing and we managed one flight of racing. StFYC finished 2-1 on the day, a long debrief afterwards on the call that cost us the race. The Royal Thames came on strong today with 2-1 and handed StFYC our first loss to win the day! Tomorrow wins are 1.5 points and the regatta is still up in the air. Forecast is for better wind, however, we fear the English rains will return with it. We are off to an evening of drinks on the Royal Yacht Squadron platform, then a carving station dinner in the pavilion out back. Having a great time, for sure!"In the end, despite best efforts by the local sailors on the Yacht Squadron and Royal Thames teams to engage the American's in "extended evening entertainment" at local pubs, the St Francis YC team went on to win in "classic Solent spring conditions", rain, wind and cool weather. For more Cornerstone Cup sailing information
J/24 Barbados Mt Gay Regatta Comes Up Roses(Barbados, The Caribbean)- The Barbados J/24 fleet continues to grow by leaps and bounds, springing from one success to another. This year's Mt Gay Regatta saw a tremendous, enthusiastic turn-out for the J/24 class with fourteen boats participating in the event, essentially all the J/24s in Barbados!
Sailing like a pro was Bailey's team on FULLY COVERED, taking the regatta counting three 1sts and three 2nds for 9 pts in the seven race regatta. Talk about a "schooling", seems to many they need to be handicapped! The dog fight for the balance of the top five made for some spirited racing within the fleet. Coming out on top was Povey's HAWKEYE with 23 pts to take second overall. Mayers's ESPERANZA finished third with 25 pts, Burke's IMPULSE took fourth with 26 pts and Sweeney's ATTITUDE took fifth. On the short end of that stick in the last race was Rostant's team on JABULANI, finishing 5th and losing an opportunity to finish on the podium. For more J/24 Barbados sailing informationJ/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* A women's perspective on sailing the J/70-- we asked Kathy Parks, proud owner of the J/70 SUNDOG from Annapolis, Maryland to offer her views on what it's like to sail the J/70. Here's her commentary:"I think it all started with the Rolex Women's International Keelboat Regatta in Annapolis in 2001. I sailed all season with a friend on her J/22 in preparation for the big event in September. Shortly after that regatta I realized I was hooked on big fleet one design racing and my husband suggested we buy a J/22. I raced it for 12 years including five more Rolex's, two world championships and numerous North American Championships. My husband, Paul, a great sailor in his own right has been a wonderful ground support for my sailing adventures.
Last spring I caught sight of the J/70 in the parking lot at Charleston Race Week and sailing around the harbor. I began daydreaming about the sport boat with the asymmetrical spinnaker. I had crewed for my husband on numerous sport boats we owned over the years but I was concerned that they would be too much boat for me. The J/70 seemed to be a great option-- speed, ease of handling yet more stability than usual in a sport boat. And, I loved the idea of sailing in a brand new fleet. The next thing I knew I was ordering a J/70 and was asked if I needed it by Key West Race Week. Guessing that it might mean I would get one sooner, I committed to KWRW which was a blast and provided a fast start to my learning curve.
I guess because I started out racing in a Women's Regatta I just kept on racing mostly with women over the years. Every once in awhile we'd fit a guy in without going over the weight limit on the J22 but typically I raced with four women. Now, the J/70 is "not your father's Chevrolet" and with no weight limit it requires bigger people. In Charleston I raced with my good friend Nancy Haberland who has been generous in assisting me in learning the boat and getting up to speed. Nancy is a former Olympic sailor and Offshore Coach at the Naval Academy and without her help I would have been overwhelmed. In addition I had Regan Weaver and Lisa Simpkins, two wonderful sailors who have raced with me for years. All three of my crew are fit, strong and competitive athletes (think "Triathlons"). They inspire me and I work out twice a week with a trainer at the gym just to keep up with them.
We showed up at Charleston Race week weighing a scant 565 pounds and hoping for light winds. In retrospect, it just doesn't work in heavy winds like we had. My crew handled the boat beautifully and we had literally no problems when others were crashing, losing chutes, rounding up, etc. Their strength, fitness and sailing talent was impressive throughout the regatta. The discouraging thing is that you just can't compete without more weight. Since my women crew are not interested in gaining 50 pounds each it was easy to conclude that I need to get some big guys on the boat.
Fortunately with such a fun boat as the J/70 it's suddenly easy to find crew! So, I've been adding one or two guys to the mix and we are all enjoying it. My husband has encouraged me to increase my racing to take my sailing to a new level. That is easy to do in Annapolis. I'm racing Wednesday nights with Annapolis Yacht Club and Thursday nights with J/World plus the weekend regattas which come fast and furious. With over 20 J/70's in Annapolis there are plenty of activities and lots of room for additional crew to fill out the schedule.
What I like the most about the J/70 is how well she handles in heavy air. In Annapolis we typically have lighter air during the summer so I never really got comfortable sailing my J/22 in big wind. This year between Key West, Charleston and some local heavy wind regattas I've had more experience than ever and the boat does amazingly well. For instance, one day at Key West before the first race we put that chute up and flew down the course in the heaviest air I had experienced under spinnaker. It was easy to control the boat and I felt both comfortable and exhilarated.
The J/70 is attracting lots of women skippers and one day there will surely be a women's championship regatta held in J/70's. Until then I plan to add big guys along with my women crew and I'm finding it's really fun!"
* The J/22 TEAM "IRON MAST" - NED 1455- from the Netherlands provided their report sailing the recent Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta. Here's their commentary:"It's Thursday evening, the NSR is finally beckoning at our door. The boat is properly prepared but we still have to make a few adjustments to the outhaul and, especially, our GoPro video attachment to the boat (must record all good deeds and bad deeds!). Around 1700 hrs we leave for Scheveningen, where we launch the boats into the water. The weather doesn't help, but for the real diehard sailors, this doesn't matter (note- it was raining and blowing like hell!).
Friday: The first race starts. Expectations were high, this puts a lot of pressure on us, especially since the North Sea waters are unknown to us. We do not know what awaits us. We sail out of the harbor mouth with an army of boats behind us in a beautiful spectacle. The waves are not so bad, they're not really high but this is nothing like sailing on our "flat water" lake! After some minor problems we still have a beautiful day for sailing, unfortunately our performance was not so beautiful! We had many problems with the currents and were very focused on the waves! It blew hard all day, so it cost us a lot of in terms of physical strength, we were quite tired and exhausted. But, we still managed to get eighth place for the day! Not bad for virgin ocean navigators on the high seas off the Netherlands!
Saturday: After the tough first day, we went back with good spirits on the water. It was quite helpful there was less wind. We learned a lot. It was a beautiful day with good and bad moments and finally, we maintained our position of 8th in the fleet-- a good thing for us!
Sunday: Sunday was a beautiful day. The sun was simply spectacular, and warm! This gave us a nice tan after three days of the North Sea's brutal weather. The sun helped us sail better! The first two races we were twice 5th. Then it began to blow harder, again this did not work in our favor as we slowly fell back in the field. In the end we were able to grab 7th place in the overall standings. This day was physically very tough for us.
Monday: After three hard days of sailing, we faced the final day of racing in Scheveningen with great courage and determination to do better! But, this time the wind completely failed us! We rigged the boat and went out hoping to race. When we were offshore, we found out to our surprise that we had some damage to the side of our boat-- apparently we had a collision with an object in the water on Sunday's sailing. Good grief! It was not too bad, but enough for Stephan on our boat to take a dip in the chilly North Sea to fix it with emergency repairs (tape). Sadly, there was no wind for the day, and with racing canceled we head for home.
Team IRON MAST finished 7th overall. We gained a mountain of experience that we can build on for the next challenge-- the upcoming J/22 European Championship. In the meantime, we'll have to fix the boat, fix our bodies, fix our brains and fix our bruised egos!" For more J/22 Delta Lloyd Regatta sailing information
* J/160 AVATAR headed for the Caribbean, again! We LOVE these updates from our cruising J sailors that continue to criss-cross the Seven Seas. This one comes from Alan Fougere, sailing his beloved J/160 AVATAR. 
Alan sent us an email update commenting on their passage south this winter, "In mid-December AVATAR completed her sixth transit to her winter Caribbean home, Grand Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI (seen above) from her home port in Quissett (Falmouth), MA. A crew of three, Captain Alan (e.g. me), Crew Pablo Brissett and Mark Conroy, covered the 1,500 nm trip in in her best time to date- 7 Days 5 Hours, averaging 8.7 kts, that's about 208 nm per day! Amazing passage it was! Rainbow at right far offshore was some of the amazing phenomenon we experienced on this fast offshore passage.AVATAR will participate in the BVI Sailing Festival/Regatta again in 2013, where last year she won the Nanny Key Cup Cruising Class race around the Island of Virgin Gorda. Here are some photos for you to share with the J/Community at-large. Enjoy!"
Best, Alan Fougere/ AVATAR
* Bill & Judy Stellin recently had an interview about cruising on their J/42 in the Wall St Journal called "Retiring on the Open Sea". The Wall St Journal asked Bill to reply to dozens of questions that flooded into the WSJ's Editor desks. Here's the update:Retiring on the Sea: Answering Readers' Questions
Advice about selecting a boat, ocean crossings, itineraries and safety
The article in our WSJ Online December retirement report about eight years spent sailing the Mediterranean— "Retiring to the Open Sea"— prompted many questions and comments from readers. We asked William Stellin, who wrote the story, to answer some of the most common queries.WSJ- "What kind and make of boat did you use? Looking back, would you have picked a different boat?"
Bill- "In 1995-96, J/Boats of Newport, RI, came out with a new cruiser/racer model, the J/42. We bought hull No. 6 of this popular 42-foot sailboat and named it JAYWALKER. This was our fourth boat since beginning sailing in 1975.
Although long-distance cruising wasn't what we had in mind when we purchased JAYWALKER, it soon became apparent it had the ability to carry us easily and safely anywhere we wanted to go. Because the boat is light, it sails well in light winds, which means very little motoring is necessary.
People often ask (and argue) about what boat is best for cruising. Any boat that is strong, safe, fast, comfortable and easily handled by two people should fit the bill. One thing for sure, fast is fun—and important when trying to avoid bad weather."
READ MORE ABOUT BILL'S INSIGHTFUL COMMENTARY AND THOUGHTS ON WSJ ONLINE HERE
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/
* 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).- 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.
J/Brokerage
J/65 MAITRI For SaleCustom build, sloop-rigged, J/65 is long and lean with low wetted surface, allowing the boat to be easily driven with a moderate sailplan in light airs. To make target cruising speeds of 9-10 knots, J/65 won't be as dependent upon auxiliary diesel power as most vessels in her category. A graceful sweeping sheerline and flared topsides allow for a sleek and purposeful silhouette and a dry, comfortable ride. The large, protected aft cockpit offers plenty of space to get comfortable as well as great protection offshore. MAITRI was built in 2006 and currently resides in San Diego, CA.
Contact: Jeff Brown- JK3 Nautical Enterprises. Work- 619-224-6200 or Cell- 619-709-0697
J/46 QUESTAR For SaleQuestar is an immaculate and extremely well maintained J/46 built in 2000. Commissioned for an avid and seasoned yachtsman, she is thoughtfully outfitted and well equipped and currently resides in San Diego, CA.
J/46 may be the only investment grade sailing yacht of its size not requiring professional crew to sail at designed performance levels-- or to maintain. Two people can easily manage her upwind and down to achieve the same 8 knot passage-making speeds under sail that is possible when motoring with 76hp diesel auxiliary. The joy of sailing the perfect boat is, after all, a goal we believe every owner ultimately seeks. To insure that good sailing days are spent sailing rather than scrubbing and varnishing, J/46 is designed to be virtually maintenance-free. Her exquisite joinerwork is protected from the sun-- belowdecks where it’s beauty can be preserved.
Contact: Kenyon Martin- JK3 Nautical Enterprises- wk- 619-224-6200 or cell: 858-775-5937
J/122 PENN AZEN For SaleOne of the world's most successful J/122s is for sale- hull #6 built in March 2007 by J/Europe.
PENN AZEN has been very successful since her launch in 2007:
- 2007 RORC IRC Class 1 season winner
- 2008 RORC IRC “Yacht of the Year”- plus 8 season’s awards
- 2009 Winner of UNCL Trophée Atlantique in class 1
- 2010 French Rolex Commodores Cup team and 2nd at Trophée Atlantique
- 2012 Cowes-Dinard race: 3rd in IRC Class 2 and 4th IRC Overall
Inside arrangement- 3 cabin version plus folding sea berths in the saloon – 10 berths in total
Deck/ Rigging includes- Varnished Hall spars high modulus mast and boom, Rod rigging and dyneema backstay on hydraulic adjuster, Tuff-luff Forestay and Carbon steering wheelSails- X-Voiles France- complete inventory for any offshore racing, including RORC Fastnet Race.
Electronics- Full set from NKE Electronics including carbon wind indicator, 3 mast displays and 2 cockpit displays, gyroscopic compass, gyro autopilot, plus Icom VHF with ASN and AIS receiver and Furuno GPS.
Please contact- Gwen THOMAS from Ouest Greement-
P: +33 (0)2 40 82 66 65
E: tgreementpornic@free.fr
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In 1987 the Figawi organizers decided they wanted to create a means of giving back to their home communities and what better way than to develop a charity ball. So they invited sailors, local businessmen, and friends to the first Figawi Ball. With around a seven hundred guests, money was raised with the commitment to support only local charities. Over the last twenty years the Figawi Charity Ball has become the largest single night of fund raising for local charities. Now each year, "THE BALL" attracts 1,200 passionate supporters and is considered to be the premier social event of the season. It's not only famous as a great night out (no need to elaborate here), but thanks to the generosity of sponsors and proceeds from raffles and the silent auction, Figawi Charities generates nearly $200,000 each year and has provided over $2.2 million in support to local organizations who would otherwise go without.
"Despite it being among the lightest ebbs of the month, the Aldo Alessio course was heavily tidal influenced, with typical city front conditions on Saturday. There was a pronounced counter-clockwise favored course - go outside upwind in the stronger ebb and hug the city front downwind in less ebb. You needed a good start and then tack immediately to get out the stronger ebb outside. There were significant passing opportunities downwind as some folks stayed tight inshore and missed shots of extra breeze just a bit out, while others jibed out for that breeze, missed it and ended up sliding back in the ebb - the typical arbitrage of wind and tide!
DOUBLE TROUBLE started her inshore series this past weekend with a "bang". With Peter Kreuger at the helm and his DOUBLE TROUBLE Big Boat Series 2012 winning crew all aboard, including tactician Jeff "Madro" Madrigali. DT was blazing fast using her new North 3DI Inshore sail Inventory.
Taking the third position on the podium was GER 5281 skippered by Jan Kahler. His crew of Roland Bohm, Tim Becker, Olaf Zeitz and Ole Harder sailed the best last three races for the entire fleet! However, their first race killed their chances for the top of the podium. They scored a 12-4-1-4 for 21 pts, to narrowly miss out taking the regatta overall.
