J/70 North Americans PreviewA Modern Day "Woodstock of Sailing" Happening!
(Annapolis, MD)- With the extraordinary 2013 Key West J/70 Midwinters and the mind-blowing Charleston Race Week behind them, the J/70 class has since been expanding their influence quite rapidly around the world. More to the point, recent J/70 European events taking place like the fabulous J/70 EuroCup on Lake Garda, the J/70 UK Nationals in Cowes, the J/70 Primo Cup in Monaco and the Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga on Hamburg's Alster Lake (with many of Germany's top Olympic & World Champion sailors participating), means that J/70s are destined to become THE one-design sportboat of the current millennium. Attractive to both young and old, men and women, and easy-to-sail fast by all kinds of sailors it's not hard to imagine 100+ boat J/70 sailing events across the world on all five continents in the coming years.
As host of the first HC/MAX J/70 North American Championships, the Annapolis YC J/70 N.A. Co-Chairs, Kathy Parks and Will Keyworth, knew they would have their hands full to meet the extraordinary demand for participation. Their hopes and expectations were confirmed when the 90-boat limit for registration was met in LESS than 48 hours! There has never been a one-design keelboat event in the world that has ever seen such a remarkably fast "sell-out", with a waiting list of over a dozen teams!
The J/70 N.A.'s has quickly taken on the feeling of the "Woodstock of Sailing". Many formidable teams have registered from a cross-section of America, as well as international teams too. There is participation from Bermuda, Mexico and every major region in the USA. Starting with New England there are over a half-dozen teams that have proven their capabilities in various regattas, including Kerry Klingler from Norwalk, CT; Dave Franzel from Boston, MA (Corinthians winner at Key West); Mike Sudofsky from Marion, MA; Brian Keane also from Buzzards Bay (sailing with Stu McNay); Tim Healy sailing HELLY HANSEN from Newport, RI (Key West Champion & current J/24 World Champion); Brandon Flack from Stonington, CT sailing with Geoff Ewenson; Heather Gregg-Earl sailing MUSE from Boston, MA (Corinthians winner at Charleston Race Week); and designers Rod & Al Johnstone from Stonington, CT.
Sailing from Rochester, NY will be the Corbishley family (Corbo, Killian & Donna) and attending from Rye, NY along Long Island Sound is Peter Duncan sailing with Juddie Smith (past Etchells 22 World Champion).
The local Annapolis contingent will be making good use of their local knowledge of the fickle winds and currents of Chesapeake Bay. Top locals include Henry Filter sailing with Moose McClintock; Cole Allsopp; Peter McChesney; Mark Hillman and Eric Reinke sailing from Bethesda (Mark's company HILLMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT is primary sponsor of this year's event); and John Aras. Just south, an awesome team has jointed together from Charlotte, NC that includes John Killeen and John Lovell (Olympic Silver medallist in Tornados).
The Florida crews have the recent Great Lakes Championship winner participating, Martie Kullman from St Petersburg, FL. Joining them will be Peter Vessella from Miami, FL sailing with Phil Trinter and John McCausland (past Star World Champion).
The Great Lakes crowd also has an impressive field sailing, including Joe Colling from Bath, OH (and J/70 Class President); Rich Nesbett from Rocky River, OH sailing with Nick Turney; John Heaton from Wilmette, IL; Joel Ronning from Minneapolis, MN sailing with Willem van Waay and local Annapolis star Chris Larson; Jim Sminchak, Doug Moose and crew from Cleveland, OH (they won the SAIL Magazine trip to Key West, winning on the J/111 KONTIKI V in 2010); and Bob Hughes from Ada, MI sailing with Morgan Reeser and Brian Janney (former Farr 40 Champion).
The Texans always think big and do things big in that big state. Tops amongst their teams attending will be Bruno Pasquinelli from Dallas, TX and the trio of Doug Strebel, Jay Lutz and son Jody Lutz also from Dallas, TX.
West Coast participants making the 3,000 mile trans-continental trip include several past World and North American Champions in other one-design classes. Having won several J/70 events so far on both coasts is Bennet Greenwald from San Diego, CA. Joining him are Dave Ullman from Newport Beach, CA (multiple 470 and Melges 24 World Champion); Jim Cunningham from Tiburon, CA; and John Brigden from Menlo Park, CA sailing with Chris Snow (past J/24 North American and Mexico champion).
International teams attending include Chuck Millican and Steve Cucchiaro from Hamilton, Bermuda and Hector Guzman from Valle de Bravo, Mexico (a past J/24 Mexican champion and J/145 offshore winner).
Finally, there will be awards for the top Women's teams. All of them are capable of top ten performances overall, including Heather Gregg-Earl from Boston, MA; Kathy Parks from Annapolis, MD; Jen Wulff from Annapolis, MD; Suzy Leech from Jamestown, RI and Catherine Evans from Annapolis, MD.
With a good forecast for warm weather, sunny days and generally good winds mostly from the southerly quadrants, the 90 boat fleet should enjoy some awesome racing! For more J/70 North Americans sailing information
Rolex Big Boat Series Preview(San Francisco, CA)- The 49th edition of the Rolex Big Boat Series will take center stage on San Francisco Bay as the first sailing event succeeding the 34th America’s Cup, and spectators will once again have front row seats to watch some thrilling racing action. Running from September 26-29, the event is hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club and this year serves as the HPR National Championship, the J/120 North American Championship and the IRC West Coast Championship, as well as marks the debut of the J/70 one-design class.
“This year’s Rolex Big Boat Series is shaping up to be the sport boat regatta of the year,” said St. Francis Yacht Club Commodore Jim Cascino, who has owned and raced a J/120 at prior Rolex Big Boat Series events but will skipper his new J/70 EOS this time. “You could say that much of the ‘big’ in Big Boat Series for 2013 is about big fun and big speed coming in small (boat) packages.”
Regatta Chair Norman Davant pointed out that sailboat racing as a whole there has seen a migration from one-off designs in the 50-60 foot range to smaller one-design boats and light displacement production boats. For almost five decades, the Rolex Big Boat Series has embraced new developments in the sport while continually working to expand the diversity of its fleets.
“There is still plenty of ‘big’ in the Rolex Big Boat Series, even though several smaller classes have been invited this year,” said Davant, explaining that the minimum boat length at the Rolex Big Boat Series traditionally has been 30 feet, but with the America’s Cup racing filling up the bay with so much activity in August and September, lots of sailors with smaller boats have been feeling “squeezed out.” “There’s only so much racing runway out there,” said Davant, “and we felt it was the right time to allow these fleets to join our event and do what they love: race in San Francisco. We’ve developed new courses based on computer-generated models to provide the sport boat fleets challenging racing that will also give spectators fantastic viewing.”
A dedicated spectator-friendly race track has been set up for the J/70s. “It will be fast, exciting, racing along essentially the same track as the America’s Cup race courses, with the starts and finishes in front of the club and major viewing areas,” said Davant, adding that the regatta’s two other popular courses have undergone a complete overhaul, featuring a mark just outside the Golden Gate Bridge and another starting area off of Alcatraz Island.
Recognized as one of the premier West Coast regattas, the Rolex Big Boat attracts professional and corinthian sailors from around the world. With 75 boats currently registered, over 100 boats are expected to compete in the 2013 event. The four-day regatta includes daily prize givings for all classes, and six coveted awards--accompanied by Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner timepieces for skippers--are given for best performances in specific classes.
Sailing in the IRC/ HPR Big Boat division are four J/125s and a J/120. The J/125s have enjoyed very close, one-design type of racing against one another. Peter Kruegers' DOUBLE TROUBLE has "three-peated" the regatta, so it will be interesting to see if they're on pace to repeat again! Chasing them hard will be Richard Ferris's AUGUST ICE from Lake Tahoe, CA; Greg Slyngstad's HAMACHI from Seattle, WA and Tim Fuller's RESOLUTE from San Diego, CA. The lone J/120 sailing is David Halliwill's PEREGRINE from New York, NY.
The eight J/70s have a diverse fleet with teams from across California. In addition to Commodore Cascino's EOS, the San Francisco Bay contingent includes Chris Kostanecki (JENNIFER), Frank Slootman (LITTLE HAND), Mark Howe (RED), Mark Nelson (SUGOI) and Chris Andersen (THE PERFECT WIFE).
As they have for over twenty years, the J/105 class has shown up "en masse" for the RBBS with twenty-two boats sailing for yet another Rolex Submariner watch. Many familiar faces as well as some new ones continue to pace the fleet. Scooter Simmons's BLACKHAWK, Bruce Stone's ARBITRAGE, Shannon Ryan/ Rolf Kaiser/ Steve Kleha's DONKEY JACK, Phil Laby's GODOT, Adam Spiegel's JAM SESSION, Jeff Litfin's MOJO have all been amongst the class leaders over the years. Which team will pull it all together this year? No matter what happens, they will have great one-design racing short-tacking the city-front or working the downwind angles for current advantage.
The J/120 North Americans are being held as part of this year's RBBS. A solid six boat fleet is sailing, all of whom have either won or placed on the podium over the years in this regatta. It's not unusual to see all six boats finish within seconds of each other after 8-12 nm of racing around the Bay. Just about every boat sports "local knowledge" experts, so it's hard to escape since most everyone knows the "SF Bay playbook". In any event, the six players are Barry Lewis (CHANCE), John Wimer (DESDEMONA), Dick Swanson (GRACE DANCES), Steve Madeira (MISTER MAGOO), Timo Bruck (TWIST) and the "Chicago Trio" - Woodworth, Sickler and Polcyn sailing PAKA'A.
The fleet should be treated to exceptional San Francisco Bay sea-breeze weather for all four days-- 70s during the day, sunny, windy (15-20 kts) and with plenty of tactical opportunities based on wind shifts and current "cones". For more Rolex Big Boat Series sailing information
J/Fest San Diego Preview(San Diego, CA)- The San Diego J/Fest boasts a long history of being one of the most fun and well attended regattas in Southern California. And, it's exclusively for J/Boat owners! The regatta is open to one-design classes as well as a J/PHRF fleet!
Hosted by San Diego YC the J/Teams will enjoy three day of competitive, fun buoy racing from September 27th to 29th. Friday is the fun, casual race around set marks and government marks, followed by two days of course racing on Saturday and Sunday. Inside the bay will be the smaller boats (like J/22, J/70 and J/80) and offshore will be the larger boats (the J/105s, J/109s and J/120s).
While the sailing is always nice in sunny San Diego, J/Fest is perhaps most renown for its onshore festivities. Saturday evening is the traditional J/Fest Party, basically a giant cook-out on the lawn with live music and lots of awesome swag and giveaways from the sponsors. The fun factor is a key element of the event, a reason why over fifty boats have attended every year.
The J/105s have yet another great turnout with most of the top local teams sailing, including Chuck Driscoll's BLOW BOAT, Steve & Lucy Howell's BLINK!, Rick Goebel's SANITY, Dennis & Sharon Case's WINGS, Rich Bergmann's ZUNI BEAR, Jon Dekker's AIR BOSS and Gary Mozer's CURRENT OBSESSION 2 fro Los Angeles.
The J/120s have traditionally offered very tight competition with a modest-sized fleet. Again, a number of local favorites are sailing and should be factors at the front of the fleet. Familiar faces like John Laun's CAPER, John Snook's JIM, Chuck Nichols' CC RIDER, Gary Winton's SHENANIGANS and Mike Hatch's J/ALMIGHTY have all had their fair share of great performances in J/Fest.
The J/109 class will see past local and regional champions sailing again, including Gene Pitkin's GERONIMO, Rex Butler's JD, John Shulze's LINSTAR and Daylen Tercen's GREAT BALLS OF FIRE!
The J/70s will debut as a class and their six boat fleet should present a lot of fun racing on San Diego Bay. Having been traveling to the last three major J/70 events on the West Coast, Dan Gribble's GO-RILLA, Eric Kownacki/ Tom Jenkins' DFZ, Karl Pomeroy's ZERO TO 60 and Craig Tallman's JAYA may have a leg-up on the fleet. Nevertheless, 70 sailors have proven they're climbing the learning curve fast in this simple boat, so expect to see good competition from Hugh Bennet on CHEETAH CUB and Sean O'Keefe on DECOLORES 3. For more J/Fest sailing information, please be sure to contact Joanne O'Dea at joanne@jk3yachts.com. Or, go to the San Diego YC website.
J/Sailing NewsThe Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
While fall weather is providing some amazing sailing in the northern hemisphere, others have enjoyed some fabulous times down in the Caribbean already. With major events taking place for J/22s, J/24s and J/80s across the board it's clear the fall sailing schedule has been ushered in with a "bang" and the next week or three promises more interesting outcomes in the world of one-design sailing.Starting in Europe, the J/80s in Spain just completed their J/80 National Championships in Puerto Sherry on the western Atlantic coast of Spain in difficult sailing conditions. Of course, having numerous World, National and European Champions in the mix only means the competition could only be that much more difficult for anyone to win. The news, by the way, was not unsurprising! Not far away was the J/22 Dutch Open Championship sailed off the Brassermeer in the Netherlands with a very competitive fleet of boats.
Hopping across the Atlantic, the J/24s had a magnificent event hosted by SailNewport in Newport, RI for their J/24 North American Championships. There were several amazing performances and some, just simply, expected by a number of top teams. Over in New York, the famous Lake George Club hosted their J/22 Lake George Fall Regatta with a fantastic turnout of teams to enjoy what has to be one of the prettiest lakes to sail in the world.
Down towards the Equator, the Caribbean sailors saw the Cayman Islands J/22 Governor's Cup Regatta take place and, most notably, have her highness, the Governor of the Cayman Islands, present on the Race Committee boat to partake in the actual regatta! Cool! Just went of them, the Mexicans hosted their J/24 Nationals at another most famous lake high in the mountains west of Mexico City at Valle del Bravo-- if you have no idea what it looks like, check it out-- a very "bucket-worthy" place to go sailing!
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:
Sep 26-28- J/70 North Americans- Annapolis YC- Annapolis, MDSep 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 19-20- Harvest Moon Regatta- Lakewood YC- Seabrook, TX
Oct 25-27- Ole Man of the Sea Regatta- Ft Worth Boat Club- Ft Worth, TX
Oct 31- Nov 3- J/105 North Americans- Annapolis, MD
Oct 31-Nov 1- J/Fest J/World Clinic- Lakewood YC- Seabrook, TX
Nov 2-3- J/Fest Southwest Regatta- Lakewood YC- Seabrook, TX
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.
Mollicone Two-Peats J/24 North Americans!(Newport, RI- John Mollicone's team sailing HELLY HANSEN outlasted 45 other teams to become the J/24 Sea Bags North American Champion. With Tim Healy (tactics), Collin Leon (mast), Geoff Becker (trim) and Gordon Borges (bow), team HELLY HANSEN totaled 50 points in the 10-race series to narrowly edge out a hard-charging Matias Seguel of Chile on SEMI-PRO by two points. Nicolas Cubria of Argentina sailed ELVIS to third place with 62 points. The event was hosted by Sail Newport and J/24 Fleet 50.
“We did a really good job grinding back,” commented Mollicone about their last race on the final day. “We found ourselves in a lot of tough spots but were able to slowly chip away and pass boats.” He gave the credit to his team’s boat handling, crew work and tactics, saying “Everyone stayed really calm and cool, even if we were deep.” One such occasion was when they were OCS in a race, but still made the top 10. He added, “Today, things weren’t looking good for a while, but we just kept our composure. A lot of that is all of us sailing together a lot.” Mollicone won the 2012 North American Championship last November with the same crew.
It didn't start out that easy for this fast crew, most of whom had just won the J/24 World Championship two weeks earlier in Howth, Ireland. Leader after day one was Peter Bream’s Team TARHEEL, taking a 3-1 to start the regatta with just 4 pts. The Florida-based team topped competitors from Japan, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Canada and the USA. At that point, HELLY HANSEN was two points back with 6 pts, and Matias Seguel on SEMI-PRO was third with 8 points. The fleet was treated to a spectacular opening day with sunshine, warm temperatures and winds Southwest 12-15 with a 1.5 foot swell. Kris Werner of New York got the event started with a win for his team on STICKS, with Mollicone and Bream rounding out the top three in race one. Bream took the bullet in race two, with Seguel in second and 2011 North American champion Travis Odenbach on HONEY BADGER in third.On day two, the fleet had another beautiful day with winds ranging from 6-8 knots early on, increasing to 12 kts by the last race. Mollicone and team made their big move, utilizing his hometown "local knowledge" advantage to leap into first place with just 12 net points after five races (including one throw-out). At this point, HELLY HANSEN led Chile’s Matias Seguel on SEMI-PRO by 6 points. Day 1 leader Peter Bream on Team TARHEEL dropped to third with 21 points. Mollicone sailed to victory in the day’s first race, trailed by Will Welles on COUGAR and Steven Kirkpatrick on BUCKSHOT. Argentina’s Sergio Pendola triumphed in the next contest on CACIQUE, with Michael Marshall’s PIPE DREAM in second and Seguel in third. The racing closed out with another Argentinian in front as Nicolas Cubria’s ELVIS took the bullet. Chile’s Robert Vernon racing GRINGA followed in second, and Pendola in third.
On the third day of racing on Saturday, the competitors were again greeted by superb conditions as temperatures remained in the low 70s with winds 10-12 knots and gusts to 14. Three races were held, bringing the total to eight overall. Mollicone’s team continued their consistent performance to take an 11-point advantage into the final day of competition. The reigning North American champion tallied a line of 2,4,1,5,7,8,(9),5 for 32 overall points. Nicolas Cubria’s ELVIS amassed 43 points for second place, and Matias Seguel's SEMI-PRO was in third with 47 points. International teams dominated the day. Argentina’s Sergio Pendola on CACIQUE snagged another victory in Saturday’s opening contest. Sumio Shimoyama’s SOKOKUMARU of Japan placed second, and Chile’s Raul del Castillo on LA BANCA third. Local Will Welles’ COUGAR captured a win in the next battle, with two Argentina teams behind him— Cubria and Guillermo de Martis’ TWIN. Shimoyama ended the day successfully, with Castillo in second and Travis Odenbach's HONEY BADGER in third.The final day dawned cool and overcast with light winds around 6-8 knots, which dropped during the first race to about 4 knots by the time teams crossed the finish line. Conditions turned around by the next start as the clouds dissipated, the sun returned and the breeze increased to 8-10 kts. For the first time during the event, the course was moved inside to Narragansett Bay on Sunday. “It was really tricky with lots of outgoing current,” Mollicone explained. “The breeze was unstable so it was really difficult sailing. In the last beat of the last race, we went from mid-20s to what we thought for a while was top three. That’s how shifty it was!” Local Will Welles on COUGAR won his second race of the regatta in Sunday’s initial battle. Seguel’s SEMI-PRO took second, and another local— Bob Kinsman on DOGFISH third. In the final race of the championship, Taylor Neff’s BUBBLES, from Lake Minnetonka, MN, claimed the top spot, followed by Canadian Michael Howarth’s MISTER H and Seguel. Mollicone praised the conditions during the four-day event, especially the three days on the outside course. “That’s what Newport is known for— waves, solid breeze, southerly direction.” For more J/24 North Americans sailing information
Rocha Wins J/80 Spanish Nationals!(Puerto Sherry, Spain)- It would seem that Portuguese sailor Hugo Rocha is on a roll! After winning this year's J/80 World Championships in Marseilles, France, Rocha can now add the crown of 2013 Spanish National Champion to his list of victories! In doing so, Rocha beat out another J/80 World
Champion, Jose Maria "Pichu" Torcida sailing AILA for the top spot. Taking third was Paul Arrarte on NEXTEL-TIPSA. Twenty-four teams took part in the nine races sailed over three days on the waters off the beautiful harbor of Puerto Sherry on Spain's Atlantic (west) coast. The wind conditions remained fairly light for most of the regatta, making tactics even more difficult in the notorious tides and currents in the Bay-- even the
"locals" were having a difficult time figuring out the best strategies, as reflected by their roller-coaster finishing scores. Nevertheless, Rocha seemed to have a good handle on the conditions, taking the regatta lead on the second day to never relinquish it, gathering five 1st places along the way to win by 7 pts. Early regatta leader, Arrarte on NEXTEL-TIPSA fell on hard times in the last four races, dropping into the third position. Filling out the top five were Carlos Martinez on DELTASTONE taking fourth and Juan Luis Paez taking fifth.The top women's team award went to the Andalusian ladies, led by their very experienced and very fast skipper- Julia Vallo Arjonilla. Sailing photo credits- Luis Fernández For more Spanish J/80 Championship sailing information
Lautier Is ONK J/22 Champion(Brassermeer, Netherlands)- The 'Delta Lloyd Open Dutch Championships' is an enormous one-design dinghy and keelboat regatta held every year in the early fall on the Brassermeer in the Netherlands. 210 boats sailed in 15 different classes, including fourteen J/22 one-designs. The three day event saw nice warm weather but fairly light winds for most of the time.
For the first day, many teams in the J/22 class had varying degrees of success. Sanne Crum-Simons and Dimitri van den Berg withdrew in the second race which put them back in sixth place. However, they were still within a shot at the lead if five more races could be sailed.
The second day of racing had shifty breezes of 5-6 knots at the start of the day, but ended up with 12-15 kts at the end. For the J/22 class, it was quite clear who the winners were for the day-- Jean-Michel Lautier, Guiseppe d'Aquino and Denis Neves opened up a comfortable lead on the fleet. There large margin was mainly due to some bad races posted by their competitors, like Sanne Crum on NED 514, Nico Van der Kolk on NED 1455 and Frenchman Charles Michaux on FRA 1444.
The final day of the championships closed with a sunny ceremony. While enjoying snacks and drinks, the sailors got their well-deserved celebration for another fun regatta. Some J/22 sailors even ended traditionally in the water!! In the end, the Dutch team on NED 1273 (Jean-Michel Lautier, Giuseppe d'Aquino and Denis Nevez) simply sailed away from the fleet, winning convincingly, counting three 1sts and three 2nds in their eight race scoreline! Taking second overall despite retiring in Race #2 and counting two bad races (a 10th & 7th) was NED 514 sailed by the team of Sanne crum, Dimitri Simons and Van den Berg. Third was NED 1455 sailed by Nico Van der Kolk, Julius Jansen and Stephanie Peulen. Fourth was the Verdoorn family (Dirk, Jan and Rosemarijn) sailing NED 1295. After starting with a DNF, DNC, the French team on FRA 1444 (Charles Michaux, Christophe DeClercq and Reinhold) sailed very well to capture fifth overall, in fact winning two races and having the best record for the last six races other than the winners. For more J/22 Dutch Open Regatta sailing information
J/22 Governor's Cup Report(Cayman Islands)- Her Excellency the Governor, Helen Kilpatrick, was at the Cayman Islands Sailing Club at the weekend to meet sailors before heading out onto North Sound to start the first race of the 23rd annual J/22 Governor’s Cup regatta. The two day regatta is the traditional start of the J/22 season and is always closely competed.
“I am not a sailor myself” said Mrs Kilpatrick, “but I have learned a lot today from Peta Adams and her Race Committee and am delighted to be part of it. It was especially pleasing to meet the youth sailors”.
The light winds were unusual for this event and added a different flavor to the racing as strategy became all important. Mike Farrington, who has won the last four Governor’s Cup regattas, was out in front early but did not enjoy the dominance that they have become used to. Simon Farrington, skippering “Sunshine” was close behind with his awesome Stingray spinnaker close on his brother’s stern serving as a warning that this year would not be a runaway event. Tomeaka McTaggart was also challenging hard and the Youth Team aboard “DMS”, who had very little spinnaker experience but were sailing well enough to mix it up with the best.
On the second day of racing the winds started out too light to race and after a two hour delay the fleet ventured out onto glassy seas. Race Committee had however got it right and the breeze picked up enough to run two more races. Pablo Bertran and the youth team showed they had learned quickly the mysteries of the big baggy sail and led for most of the first race being just beaten by one second at the finish line by Mark Edmunds. They were at it again in the second race showing no fear of their adult competitors but could not quite beat off Mike Farrington who finished comfortably in first place ahead of Simon and Tomeaka.Commodore Farrington was quick to praise the youth team. “The light conditions favored the lighter crews and the youth took full advantage showing that under the coaching of Ralph Harvey they have really upped their sailing skills across the board. We hope they will now challenge us at every J22 event if they can find the time away from their Youth Olympic campaign”. For more J/22 Cayman Islands Governor's Cup sailing information
Doyle Trumps J/22 Lake George Regatta(Lake George, NY)- In a borrowed boat and without a 'bad" race, Chris Doyle of Youngstown, NY scored a 1-2-2-4-3 for 12 points in the five race series to top 26 teams in the 2013 Lake George Open/ Northeast District Championship, held September 21-22 at The Lake George Club, Diamond Point, New York. Chris' tally was half that of his closest competitor, RJ Moon of Rochester, NY who sailed an excellent series of 2-3-5-12-2 to finish in second place. RJ is formerly from Lake George, and many of us in Lake George Fleet #61 know him well and are really pleased to see him do well in several recent J/22 events. Rounding out the top five are Stephen Jones, Toronto, 4-1-18-2-1 who might have won save one unfortunate race in third, past champion Jed Hoffer, Marion, MA, 6-6-8-1-5 in fourth, and David Godin, Verdun (Montreal), Quebec, 3-5-7-3-9 in fifth. Other award winners were Ellen Cantrell, Lake George, Top Woman Skipper (20), Tom Linville, Lake George, Best Local Boat (7), and Robert Miller, Lake George, the annual "Grab Bag" prize (22).
Race conditions were at both extremes. Two races were held on Saturday with south winds in the 15-20 kts range. The RC went out in the afternoon trailed by about half the fleet to see what the wind strength was, and after anchoring measured winds above 25 and gusts over 30 kts. They cancelled further racing for the day. The J/22 is a tough little boat, but those on board are not so tough, and we didn't want to risk any injuries. On Sunday morning, the wind was light, 5-7 kts, out of the southwest-- not the predicted gusty northwest wind. The first race was rather short and the wind strength was consistent. However, the second race was longer, and the southwest breeze began to die and veer to the west and northwest, confounding the competitors, particularly those at the front. The ones who figured it out and went west did the best, while those who stayed east paid the price. The RC did a great job of moving the windward mark and realigning the course. For the third and last race of the day, the predicted NW wind kicked in with a nominal 12-14 kts and higher gusts. So, while we couldn't hold as many races as desired, there was plenty of action and good sailing. Add that to the beautiful venue, usual outstanding hospitality of The Lake George Club, fine regatta organization under Chair Joe Favero, and competent RC work under Dave Dougall, and you have another successful not-to-be-missed annual fall J/22 event. Please plan on coming in September 2014!! Thanks for the contribution from Tom Linville- J/22 Fleet 61.For more J/22 Lake George Regatta sailing information
GOOD VIBES Wins Mexican J/24 NationalsA.k.a.- "La Regata de la Independencia"
(Valle de Bravo, Mexico)- The J/24 class in Mexico continues to enjoy vibrant, healthy racing in their three hotspots of activity, namely Valle de Bravo, Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta. This year's Mexican J/24 Nationals were hosted by the Club Nautico Valle de Bravo, thirty boats showed up to compete for the honor of being crowned the 2013 Mexican National Champion.
Valle de Bravo is a spectacular lake located about an hour's drive west of Mexico City, high up in the mountains. Surround by large peaks and long valleys, the mountain winds can be very tricky, especially when it blows hard. This year the fleet was treated to nearly every imaginable weather conditions, light winds, rain, sunny days and enormous microbursts wreaking havoc on the fleet. Saturday's sailing saw little wind, blowing just 4-8 kts with occasional gusts to 10 with rain clouds interspersed with the breeze. Sunday's was more difficult for the RC, managing to get in only one race after spending hours on the lake waiting for breeze. Finally, on Monday the fleet had a great race going, but got blown out by massive gust of breeze lasting well over ten minutes, forcing cancellation of the races. In the end, the RC managed to only squeeze in three of the planned eight races.While the racing is always fun and competitive, perhaps the biggest attraction to the regatta is "Mexican Night" on Saturday even. Awesome Mexican home-cooked food, massive fireworks display on the lake, aquatic games, a mechanical bull to challenge your crew with, lots of dancing and a spectacular "Grito de Independencia" keeps the crews extremely entertained all night long-- for some a bit too entertained!
With all the festivities and sailing behind them, it was the GOOD VIBES team that were crowned champions, led by skipper Xavier Murrieta and crewed by Julián Fernández, Bernardo Minkow, Hugo McCarthy and Alejandro Murrieta.
Taking the silver on the podium was MAR II sailed by Miguel Arroyo and his crew Alan Benitez, Tito Benitez, Manuel Benitez and Javier Benitez.
Third was a past Mexican champion Kenneth Porter sailing with a family crew of Kenneth Porter Jr., Gerrit Gentry, Gerrit Gentry Jr. and Daniel Baños on the mighty yacht "S"! Thanks for this contribution from "Rosalia", Mexican J/24 Class secretary. For more J/24 Mexican Nationals sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* Dan Phelps from SPINSHEET.com in Annapolis, Maryland, sent us this report on the recent Hospice Cup Regatta held on Chesapeake Bay:"There are some great charity regattas in Annapolis, but one of the longest running, at 32 years, is the Hospice Cup Regatta which helps support Hospice programs in local communities around Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. To date sailors competing in the Hospice Cup have helped to raise more than $7 million in support of these programs.
Last weekend, sailors were met with 18-22 kts of breeze, building ahead of a massive cold front that stretched from Montreal to the Gulf of Mexico. J/105s and J/35s were representing well. Of course, beyond the weather being perfect for these sailors to come out and support a great cause, that breeze also made for great photos. More here: http://spinsheet.smugmug.com/SpinSheet/2013-Events/2013-Hospice-Cup.
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.
* Jim & Heather Wilson just completed a circumnavigation of our "blue planet Earth" in June 2013 on their J/42 CEOL MOR. Said Jim, "The odyssey of CEOL MOR is over, for now. We completed our circumnavigation on our J/42 when we crossed our outbound track in Britannia Bay, Mustique. We were, however, still 2,000 nautical miles from home. So we continued on through the Windwards, the Leewards, and then through the British Virgin Islands. After a farewell 'Painkiller' at the Soggy Dollar, and a last meal at Foxy’s, we made the 1,275 nautical mile passage to the Chesapeake and completed our port-to-port circumnavigation when we arrived in Annapolis on June 28, 2013. We had been away 1,334 days, completed 259 days of ocean passages, and sailed 30,349 nautical miles (34,925 statute miles). Read more about their adventures in their well-documented blog here: http://www.svceolmor.com/SVCeolMor/Welcome.html
* 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/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.
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Marina di Loano's unparalleled facilities sit right in the middle of the Italian Riviera, bordered on the west by San Remo and the east by Varazze. Nestled between a spectacular seascape and the lush countryside, Loano and the surrounding territory are blessed with mild winters making it possible to go boating virtually year-round.
Since that time, she's done the trans-Atlantic crossing twice. She got caught in Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and sadly got badly holed-- 5 holes in hull and she was dismasted at the second spreader. I took her over from my brother, lifted and repaired her, renamed her to the original name JAZZ and sailed back to the UK!
* Canadian J sailors are doing it again! Well, if John Whynacht's crew on the J/24 STICKY FINGERS from Halifax, Nova Scotia surprised everyone the week before by winning the J/24 Downeast Regatta in Portland, Maine (see photo here), then Terry McLaughlin's come-from-behind victory celebration may have surprised no one after they rattled off five bullets in a row to again win the New York YC Invitational Cup this past week. Interestingly, the skipper/tactician combination on John Hele's Swan 42 DARING are both 
veteran J/24 sailors (McLaughlin skippered while Hele was tactician) and, in fact, McLaughlin is a current J/105 owner sailing quite actively in Toronto and on Lake Ontario this summer. McLaughlin's J/105 won their first offshore event this year, the 76 nm overnight race called the Susan Hood Trophy Race held on Memorial Day/ bank holiday weekend and hosted by Port Credit YC. McLaughlin and co-owner Rod Wilmer on the J/105 MANDATE from Royal Canadian YC in Toronto won their division with a finishing time of 0:12:35:29 over 30 minutes ahead of the next J/105-- making them this year's Susan Hood Trophy Race Cup Overall Winners! Good practice for the New York YC Invitational Cup Regatta, eh? Gotta stay cool for 76nm straight at 98% of target boatspeed!