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(Newport, RI)- The largest boat show in New England and the "kick off" to the Fall boat show season in America, the Newport International Boat Show, is committed to furthering recreational boating by providing skilled and novice boaters with more opportunities than ever to learn about and experience boating while attending the show. The show takes place from September 12th to 15th at the Newport Yachting Center along Newport's downtown waterfront. J/Boats display will be at Dock N, spaces O to E, along the harbor.
This year's show features the debut of the new J/88 family speedster, the next generation of fun sailing and weekending in the 28-33 foot category of performance cruiser/racers. Recently launched in July, the J/88 has been well-received by experienced J sailors and the sailing industry press-- receiving many accolades for its spirited performance, light touch on the helm and extraordinary upwind and downwind speed.
In addition, the extraordinarily successful J/70 one-design will be on display along with the incredibly comfortable J/97 family cruiser-racer and the famous International J/111 one-design offshore speedster.
Furthermore, for the "Discover Sailing" program there will be an International J/80 One-design and the versatile J/95 shoal-performance cruiser available to introduce people to sailing. Throughout the four-day event, Sail America’s Discover Sailing program will offer free 45-minute sailing sessions, run by experienced captains in Newport Harbor, for families or individuals to experience the wonderful sailing lifestyle.
Please be sure to contact your local J/Dealer for more show information, to schedule an appointment or even a test sail. Or, please contact J/Boats at ph# 401-846-8410 or email- info@jboats.com. For more Newport International Boat Show information
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Sign-up NOW for J/70 & J/80 Midwinters!
(Key West, Florida)- Great news! Premiere Racing announced that registration is open for next year's 2014 Key West Race Week. This spectacular event presents world-class competition over five full race days. Entering its 27th year, race week offers exceptional racing and fun shoreside parties in wonderful Key West. The Florida Keys and Key West are the perfect southernmost vacation destination. Premiere Racing’s reputation for excellent race management and regatta organization promises to deliver another great regatta and ideal winter get-away for all sailing enthusiasts.
So far, the two largest fleets registered so far are the J/70s and J/80s, both fleets are hosting their Midwinter Championships at Key West. The J/70s have over fifteen boats registered already! Several top teams are planning to attend, including front-runners like Bennet Greenwald's PERSEVERANCE and Joel Ronning's CATAPULT. Also looking forward to sailing off the gorgeous Florida Keys are some foreign entries, including Chuck Millican's ELUSIVE from Bermuda and two Canadian teams- Andrew Papierz on DYNAMO and Rob & Sandy Butler on TOUCH2PLAY. Over fifty J/70s are expected to sail in the class's second Midwinter Championship.
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Come one, come all! Key West is certainly one of the best places in the world for sailing, especially as an escape from the chilly winters up north. With warm weather, plenty of sun and, more often than not, a wonderful trade-wind breeze from the southeast at 10-15 kts, it's no wonder many teams make Key West a fixture on their winter calendars every year! Sailing photo credits- Onne Vanderwal. For more Key West Race Week sailing information
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(Annapolis, MD)- Annapolis Race Week is one of the premier sailing regattas in the Mid-Atlantic Region. It's sailed annually over the Labor Day Weekend (this year from August 31st to September 2nd) off Annapolis. CBYRA is happy to announce that its tent party and regatta headquarters will be again held at Annapolis' City Dock. Utilizing the Susan Campbell Park as the shore-side venue has heightened visibility and attendance and by opening it up to the public, created a citywide festival type event oriented towards sailing!
There are more than fifty-seven J/Teams sailing out of eighty-three boats registered so far with J's representing the dominant brand at the regatta with over 70% of the fleet!
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(Chicago, IL)- For those J/111 sailors that competed in the inaugural J/111 North American Championships recently sailed off Chicago's spectacular waterfront, be sure to take a look at the on-line photo gallery for the event. There are many beautiful photos of J/111s sailing offshore with the fleet and individual boats juxtaposed against the dramatic backdrop of downtown Chicago skyscrapers and smoke trails from the acrobatic planes doing mind-blowing aerial tricks in the awesome Chicago Air & Water Show.
Sailing Photographer Meredith Block has loaded over 300 of her images to Exposure Manager; a high quality online order-and-print service. The photos are organized by team name and prints are available from small to poster size. Order a memento for your desk or art-size wall prints for your team or anything in between! You can also contact Meredith directly by email- meredith@blocksail.com with any questions. For more J/111 North American Championship sailing photos.
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The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
It has been a busy week for many sailors in the United Kingdom and Ireland! After an epic Cowes Race Week and a not so epic Fastnet Race, the flotilla of J's migrated westward to the sunny, warm climate of Plymouth for the fabulously fun B&G J/Cup where one-design fleets of J/70s, J/105s, J/109s, J/111s and IRC 1 and IRC 2 classes for J/92, J/97, J/133s competed for both class and overall honors. West of them teams were preparing for the J/24 World Championship in Howth, Ireland, renown for fresh breezes smoking off the Irish Sea. However, the reports so far indicate the sailors are still feeding Neptune more of his favorite red wine (or was it Guinness?) in order to turn on the fans and generate more wind! Over to continental Europe, the Swedes had a blast sailing their pursuit race on J/80s, J/70 and J/109 in their DataComm Cup sailed near Sandhamn. Just south, the French J/80 teams also had an amazing weekend of sailing off Pornic in the J/Cup Regatta.Across the big pond to the west, SAIL Canada hosted their Canadian Women's National Championship at Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron in Halifax, Nova Scotia on a fleet of nine matched J/22s. Similarly, the American's were hosting their Clifford D Mallory Trophy for the US Sailing Adult Championship in Rochester, New York- the first time ever conducted for both men and women- also in a fleet of eight matched J/24s sailing on Lake Ontario. Also sailing in the Great Lakes were fleets of J/70s and J/24s racing one-design on Lake Michigan in the Verve Cup Inshore Regatta hosted by Chicago Yacht club along Chicago's awesome waterfront.
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:
Aug 22-30- J/24 World Championships- Howth (Dublin), Ireland
Sep 9-14- J/70 EuroCup Regatta- Lago di Garda, Italy
Sep 19-22- J/24 North Americans- SailNewport- Newport, RI
Sep 20-22- J/22 Netherlands Championship- Brassermeer, Netherlands
Sep 20-22- J/22 Lake George Open Regatta- Lake George, NY
Sep 26-28- J/70 North Americans- Annapolis YC- Annapolis, MD
Sep 26-29- Rolex Big Boat Series (70, 105, 120)- St Francis YC- San Francisco, CA
Sep 27-29- J/Fest- San Diego YC- San Diego, CA
Sep 27-29- J/24 Changing of the Colors Regatta- Lake George, NY
Oct 1-5- J/22 World Championships- Newport, RI
Oct 5-12- J/24 European Championship- YC Monaco- Monte Carlo, Monaco
Oct 12-14- J/80 China Coast Race Week- Hong Kong, China
Oct 31- Nov 3- J/105 North Americans- Annapolis, MD
Nov 1-3- J/80 French Nationals- Cherbourg, France
Nov 1-3- J/24 East Coast Championships- Annapolis, MD
Nov 21-25- J/24 South American Championships- Buenos Aires, Argentina
Dec 6-7- Jamaica Jammin' J/22 Regatta- Montego Bay, Jamaica
Jan 19-24- 2014 Key West Race Week- Key West, FL
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
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(Plymouth, England)- With gusts close to 20 knots ripping through the race area in Plymouth Sound, the final day of the B&G J-Cup 2013, produced some ballistic action for the forty-five J/Teams that were in attendance. Hosted by the Royal Western Yacht Club, the J-Cup was also the venue for the Lifedge J/109 UK National Championship and the 2013 edition produced the closest finish in the 10 year history of the event. It was a fitting end to another fabulous weekend of sailing-- the sailors enjoyed near-perfect sailing conditions for most of the regatta, closing with an epic final day of sailing.
Day One Report:
The first day of racing could best be described as the "Champagne Opener". A building sea breeze, topping out at 15 knots provided great sailing for the 300+ sailors that competed in four races, inside and outside of the Plymouth Breakwater. With several one designs taking to the race course, there was plenty of thrilling boat-on-boat action.
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“The starts were absolutely the most important part of the day.” highlighted Jubilee's skipper, Tony Dickin. “Our goal is to win and become national champions but this is a great fleet and we have only had one day of racing; there is plenty more to come. We picked up a fifth in the first race trying to fight for the Committee Boat end but after that we really just concentrated on getting into clear air and our results were much better because of that. The courses were good especially the course length, we loved the windward leewards but the last race, with the line right in front of the Royal Western, was a great way to finish a fantastic day on the water.”
Led Zeppelin music fan, Stuart Sawyer, owner driver of J/97 Black Dog (named after a famous Zeppelin song), finished the day as top dog in IRC 2. The team from Cornwall must have been covered in pixie dust, scoring 4 straight bullets. Sawyer commented on their good fortune, “We all live near Falmouth and sail out of the Helford Sailing Club and the standard of the competition at the event is first class but we did a lot of things right today. In the last race, we made a big call, changing to the A3, as we approached the Plymouth Breakwater. We were right on the edge but we managed to carry it all the way and we really stretched our legs. It was a cracking day, proper champagne sailing.”
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“We weren't very consistent today but we were bloody determined and we made up very well from poor positions, especially downwind.” said Jamie Arnell. “The crew work today was excellent, typified by the penultimate mark in the last race. It was a spinnaker drop to harden up with a lot of tide and the maneuver went like clockwork, super-fast, that gave us that few vital seconds but tomorrow we will need to improve if we are to succeed. Well done to Tony (Mack), he has had a bit of bad luck at Cowes Week and the European Championship, so it was great to see him score so well today.”
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“It was a tricky day with a big range in wind speed and tuning the rig was made more difficult because of that,” commented Scott. “We started the day below our base setting (8 knots) and by the second race there were times when we should have had a stiffer setting but I always like to set the rig for the wind at the start. In one design racing, getting off the line in good shape is the key, it is easier to defend a lead than try and catch up and pass a competitor later in the race. The J/70 is a great little boat; simple but rewarding and compared to similar boats, the good thing about a J/70 is that it goes upwind quite nicely. The single spreader carbon rig is great for tuning but it is also forgiving as it is a stiff spar, so if you do get stuck on slightly the wrong setting the rig isn't going to break.”
Day Two Report:
Day two was perhaps the trickiest day for sailing on Plymouth Sound. In stark contrast to the previous day's sublime sailing conditions, racing was delayed by lack of breeze. Eventually, everyone got underway in the early afternoon, once a light and just race-able breeze stabilized. All classes got one good race in but the second was abandoned, as light rain killed off the gradient wind completely.
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In IRC 2, Stuart Sawyer's J/97, Black Dog scored yet another win but it wasn't easy for the Cornish team. Chaz Ivill's J/97, Jiggery Pokery led for most of the race but was eventually passed by Black Dog, which crossed the line just 15 seconds ahead. Andy Howe's J/92, Blackjack could only manage a 7th place today but was still lying third in class. Andy Roberts' J/105, Jin & Tonic scored their first podium finish of the regatta propelling them to fourth in IRC 2 and lead the J/105 Class.
“We had our share of luck today, especially as an anchored yacht made as tack, just at the right moment to get a good lead on the first beat.” Admitted Andy. “Well done to the race committee for getting a good race in, under difficult circumstances. We were over-joyed with our result today and we are thoroughly enjoying a great regatta.”
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“One Design racing is all about staying out of trouble and getting off the start line well.” said Tigh Solius II tactician, David Bedford. “We got a great start today but unfortunately got the wrong side of a wind shift and we had to dig deep to get back to fifth. The boat is going well and we still have another day racing and it's all to play for.”
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The final day of racing was filled with drama, with lots of anxiety faced by tacticians on how best to handle their blood-thirsty competitors in the 15-20+ kts of big breeze and big seas.
In IRC One, Jamie Arnell's J/111, Jeez-Louise finished the regatta in style, winning the last race to take the class title from Tony Mack 's, J/111, McFly. Jackie and Robert Dobson's J/133, Jeronimo reveled in the big breeze winning race seven and finished third in class.
In the J/70 Class, Ruairidh Scott's J/70 North Sails conducted a master class of sportsboat racing, winning the class with straight bullets and a race to spare. However, it was a highly rewarding experience for the entire J/70 Class as the North Sails team were happy to share their knowledge dockside after racing. Nigel Passmore's Apollo 6 finished second and the young team on Mike Flood's J7t won the last race of the day to secure third for the regatta.
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In an extremely close J/105 class, just four points separated the top three boats at the end of racing on Friday. A win for Chris Jones’ Journeymaker in the final race, their third bullet of the regatta, was not enough to beat Andy Robert’s Jin & Tonic, who never placed outside of the top two throughout the three days.
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In the last race, Iain Mackinnon's Tigh Solius II was over at the start and was disqualified and later in the race, Je Vante caught a spinnaker sheet around their prop, slowing their speed but even more drama was to follow. Tony Dickin's Jubilee led the race but David Rolfe's Shadowfax and Jumping Jellyfish were not far behind. It was too complex a picture to work out on the race course, as the leading yachts concentrated on boat speed to get through the finish line right outside the Royal Western.
Jumping Jellyfish hoisted a spinnaker in a last desperate throw of the dice to win the race but Jubilee took the gun, by just one second. It was sometime before Shadowfax crossed the line in eighth but after doing the mathematics, Shadowfax was declared Lifedge J/109 UK National Champions on count back. Literally one second had decided the result after three days of intense racing!!
David Rolfe was too shell-shocked to speak about the win but having been thrown in the marina by his crew he managed to stutter. “I really can't believe we've done it, we are all great friends that have sailed with each other for years and this is by far the greatest moment in all that time, thank you to the organisers and all of the competitors for making this such a fantastic regatta.”
The official prize-giving was held at the National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth with a fine buffet supper celebrating the B&G J-Cup 2013. Surrounded by the UK's biggest collection of marine life, the regatta came to a close and the organisers are not aware of anyone ending up in the shark pool! The organisers would like to thank the principle sponsors of the regatta; B&G, Fusion, North Sails, Fastnet, and Grapefruit Graphics. Thanks also to our supporting sponsors SLAM, Peters & May, Lombard, RS Divers, Ocean Safety, Lifedge and Harken. Thanks for story contribution from Louay Habib. J/Cup sailing video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9obIieub90w Sailing photo credits- Tim Wright/ Photoaction.com For more B&G J/Cup Regatta sailing information
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(Howth, Ireland)- The 2013 BMW J/24 World Championship is underway on the capricious waters off Howth, Ireland. While not known for light airs ever, that's what the fleet of forty competitors from ten countries are currently experiencing. The regatta was officially opened by the Mayor of Fingal Cllr. Kieran Dennison at a ceremony on Saturday evening attended by 200 sailors who were led by a piper on to the club forecourt in front of the podium. Organising Committee Chairman Derek Bothwell introduced the speakers - John Ives (Managing Director, BMW Ireland), Berchmans Gannon (on behalf of ISA President Niamh McCutcheon) and the Mayor of Howth, before welcoming individually each skipper by name.
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After the first days of racing, many of the favourites for the World title, including defending champion Mauricio Santa Cruz (Brazil), are amongst the top of the leaderboard. American crews led the way in both races on the first day.
After a two-hour delay for wind, the fleet finally got away for the first race in a light but testing easterly breeze. First blood went to Tony Parker and his BANGOR PACKET crew from Annapolis who experienced the Howth waters a week earlier at the Irish National Championship. Fellow American Keith Whittemore from Seattle, who also sailed in the Irish event, followed him home in second place while Mauricio Santa Cruz from Brazil finished third, ahead of leading UK entry Ian Southworth.
American crews again led the way in the second race, with line honours going to former North American Champion Travis Odenbach from Rochester, with Whittemore second again and Santa Cruz taking another third spot. Newport’s Tim Healy took fifth to make it three US boats in the top five.
After the first day, Whittemore led the overall rankings by two points from the Brazilians, with Britain’s Ian Southworth (with a 4th and 7th) in third position. Leading Irish boat is ‘Stouche’ (Darrer/Murphy) from the host club, whose 10th and 8th place finishes have put them 7th overall.
Sadly, the second day of racing had to be uncharacteristically abandoned. Lack of wind and strong tides played havoc on the sailors and the regatta's PRO David Lovegrove. A 6-knot north-westerly breeze allowed the third race of the series to be started eventually but once the boats rounded the windward mark, the wind dropped away and a north-flowing flood tide meant the entire fleet was left motionless, with no chance of a finish. After a delay of almost three hours, continued windless conditions forced abandonment for the day.
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Of note is the excellent performance from the leading Italian team, Ignacio Bonnano's LA SUPERBA team in sixth and the two German teams, ROTOMAN and JJ-ONE in 8th and 9th. Plus, septuagenerian Tony Parker is, again, showing up the "Energizer Bunny", showing the four decades of J/24 sailing means you only got more experience to show "the kids"-- starting with a 1st in the first race and hanging tough in the top 10 at 10th overall. Just two more days to go! Watch the J/24 Worlds sailing video introduction
Sailing photos by David Branigan - Oceansport Gallery For more J/24 World Championship sailing information.
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Soya's 2XS Takes the J/24 Crown
(Chicago, IL)- Hot, gusty winds led to challenging conditions and some tight competition as the Verve Cup Inshore Regatta wrapped up the last day of sailing at Chicago Yacht Club’s Belmont Station. Of the 86 boats registered, twenty were J/70s, an impressive turnout for the fleet’s debut year at Verve Inshore. Also participating were an active fleet of five J/24s.
“We had wind eight to 12 knots, typical Chicago southwester. This was the first offshore breeze we’ve had this summer on a race day, which was shocking, and the competition was good,” said Race Officer Janet Baxter. After a solid day of racing on Saturday, Sunday's variable winds made things interesting for both race committee and the competitors.
“We’d have 15 knots followed by seven knots, so it was a little bit challenging to figure out where the racers wanted to be sent – they were all kind of tired from yesterday,” said Race Officer Lynn Lynch. “I would’ve liked some more consistent breezes today, because not all of the runs were as square as they could have been. Yesterday was really, really solid racing – today we had a little bit more breeze, so that was more fun that way. I thought the competition was very tight in some of the fleets.”
“We’re very happy we have the J70 class for the first time,” said Race Co-Chair Jessica Jamieson. “I think the event went very well, we’re getting a lot of positive feedback.”
Taking first in the J/70s was class newcomer Dan Cheresh of Saugatuck, MI with the appropriately named EXTREME; they're extremely great record of 5-3-1-1-7-1 for 18 pts enabled them to run away with top honors in the J/70 class. What was remarkable about Cheresh's performance was that it came against some of the best teams in the J/70 class in the past six months. Taking second was multiple regatta winner Joel Ronning of Minneapolis, MI on the famous CATAPULT; their fast, regatta-winning start of a 1-2-2 followed by a 7-6-11 dropped them into second overall for the regatta. Rounding out third was CLOUDSOURCED, sailed by Ron Copfer of Cleveland, OH with a 3-1-7-5-13-4 record for 33 pts.
The amazing fact about the J/70 fleet was how many brand new owner/teams were amongst the top ten. From third place at 33 pts to tenth place at 54 points were just 20 pts, a race or two here or there would've made an enormous difference for all of these teams. Fourth was another new team near the top, Martin Johnsson's crew on AQUAHOLIKS with a 10-4-5-6-11-2 tally for 38 pts. Next was Joe Woods team from England aboard RED, sailing a consistently better series to score a 9-8-6-10-3-3 for 39 pts, just one point back from 4th. Sailing her heart out was Amy Neill on NITEMARE in her first major regatta ever, sailing in the top five after just four races with a 4-5-10-3 but fading a bit with some of the excitement (or anxiety) with a 12-10 to finish as top women J/70 skipper at sixth overall! Another remarkable statistic about the J/70 fleet one-design racing is that 13 of 20 boats (65% of the fleet) had top five scores in their overall records! Proof again that good starts, good conservative tactics could keep you in the hunt!
The J/24s were given a bit of a "schooling" by one of their colleagues. While no one anticipated a near "chicken scratch" record (e.g. all bullets), the boys on Mark Soya's 2XS nearly pulled it off with a 1-1-1-2-1-2 record. They could, of course, be forgiven for the two blemishes on their record for having a bit of waaaay tooo much fun Saturday night. Who can blame them-- "domination by ruin-ation". Yeah. So, second was Richard Graef's appropriately named DON'T PANIC with a 2-2-2-1-2-1 for a mere 10 pts. Third was Dan Walsh's GOLDRUSH, having to settle for just bronze this time with a 3-3-4-3-3-3 score for a third average for third place and third best record for third overall in the regatta at 19 pts-- were these guy's third all the time?? Next time, we can expect great things from GOLDRUSH! Sailing photo credits- Marc Anderson. For more Verve Cup Inshore sailing information
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(Rochester, NY)– The 2013 U.S. Adult Sailing Championship, hosted by the Rochester Yacht Club, came down to the wire in an epic finish on Lake Ontario Sunday. David Klatt's (Oxnard, Calif.) talented team pulled out the victory with a win in a climactic final race this afternoon to earn the Clifford D. Mallory Trophy.
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Similar to Saturday's conditions, the J/24 fleet raced in a light southeasterly. Rodger Voss (Albany, N.Y.) won Race 7, followed by Klatt and Toole. The table was set for an exciting finale.
Toole got off the line with great speed and Klatt was directly to the leeward side of the course. Klatt took the lead around the first mark and Dyer was second, followed by Fitzgerald and Toole. The wind picked up velocity throughout Race 8. Klatt and Toole were in a match racing duel in the course's final leg, which had been extended by the Race Committee. Toole needed to pull ahead of Klatt and put two boats between him and Klatt to win championship. However, Klatt pulled away for the dramatic win to seal the title.
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"I've been competing with these guys for years now," said Klatt, the 2004 J/24 North American Champion. "We also recruited some guys like tactician Garrett Baum."
"I'd like to race again at J/24 Worlds. I haven't raced at worlds since 2007. I'll be sailing J/24s for as long as I can," he added. Watch the J/24 Mallory Cup sailing video on YouTube. For more J/24 Clifford D Mallory Trophy/ US Sailing Adult Championship sailing information
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(Halifax, Nova Scotia)- The SAIL CANADA Women's Keelboat Championships are held annually at member clubs. The venue rotates around the country and is selected based on availability of a fleet of one design keelboats for use by competitors. For 2013, the regatta was co-hosted by Bedford Basin Yacht Club and the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. The three day Championship - sailed in J/22s - saw forty women participate from Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Ontario and Manitoba. From a historical perspective, it has been the most successful Women's Canadian Keelboat championships held to date.
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The results were close after the first two days of racing in Herring Cove with fabulous su
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Saturday night was considered "THE NIGHT" for most teams. The famously fun "HOPPING PENGUIN's" dance and celebration on the deck of the Royal Nova Scotia
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Light breeze and sunny skies on Sunday saw the last of nine races with the top three on the podium going to Cathy Shaw and team from RNSYS-- crowned as the new Canadian Women's Champion, second place to Michele Cimon of Nepean Yacht Club and third to Karen Fowler from BBYC. For sailing photos of the event by Sherri Christie check here! Sail Canada Facebook J/22 page For more Sail Canada Women's National Championship sailing information
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(Sandhamn, Sweden)- A number of J/80s and a J/70 participated in this year's fun-loving DataComm Cup, a pursuit-style race hosted by KSSS (Royal Swedish YC) that has the slowest boats start first and the fastest last with the winners being those who cross the line first! Sixty-six boats sailed under brilliant sunshine on Kanholmsfjärden. The wind forecast was northeast to east 3-5 m/s, however, that never materialized-- while there was a good breeze for the start, the wind slowly diminished to 2-4 m/s from the east.
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At the finish sixteen boats finished within 10 minutes starting at about 1440 hrs, which was slightly earlier than sailing the RC had expected. In fact, the entire fleet of crossed the finish within 30 minutes. Leading the J/80s home was Pontus Tornlund's HEAVY DUTY, beating the next J/80 by over four minutes. Second was Philip Karlberg's LUFFA followed by Johan Gransten's SEGEL & KAPELL NACKA in third. Sailing also on handicap was Anders Rosenberg's new J/70 DYNAMANT, just 55 seconds behind the top J/80 after 16.7nm of sailing! For more J/80 DataComm Cup sailing information
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(Pornic, France)- The French J/80 class continues the next stage of their season long J/Cup and this past weekend sixteen J/80s sailed the 11th edition of the Pornic J/Cup Regatta hosted by CN Pornic. The crews were treated to gorgeous conditions with plenty of sun and winds that ranged from 10 to 25 kts all weekend!
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The top women's team from Nantes, France was Catherine Lepesant sailing THIERRY IMMOBILIER, she was also seventh overall in the regatta! Taking second place was Marion Ledoux's crew from Pornic sailing CASA BOUBOU.
The "Family Award" goes to the Stonestreet's sailing AVEVA from Rochelais, France-- six of them aboard including Gauthier, Noemie, Thomas, Marie, Lucie and Odie! Proof that a family that lives together can also have fun sailing together! For more Pornic J/Cup Regatta sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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America’s Cup veteran and J/24 World Champion, Terry Hutchinson, commented about the closeness and tight one-design racing experience: “(Timing and teamwork) are directly related to each other. The better communicated the timing, the better the teamwork. If you are off, it’s amazing the impact it has on the overall performance of the boat. If the start is off by two or three seconds, the impact on the race is massive. I give a timing countdown to each maneuver because it’s so critical for everyone to start the job at the right time. Pretty much everything on the boat requires ultimate precision.” We wish them all well, it will certainly be a case of the smartest (or luckiest) with the least mistakes will survive to tell the tale!
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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
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Retiring on the Sea: Answering Readers' Questions
Advice about selecting a boat, ocean crossings, itineraries and safety
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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
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* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand. Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/
* 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/.
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- 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.