J/88 SAIL Boat Review(Boston, MA)- Recently, Adam Cort from SAIL Magazine in Boston, MA had a chance to complete an in-depth review of the new J/88 family speedster. Sailing off Newport in a moderate breeze on a spectacular day between the famous Fort Adams, Clingstone House and Castle Hill Inn on the Eastern Passage of Narragansett Bay, Adam and crew had the perfect opportunity to evaluate the pro's and con's of this fun offshore sailboat. Adam's commentary follows:
"Years ago, I spoke with a young naval architect who was critical of J/Boats, because of the fact that all their boats tended to look the same. The only way to tell them apart, he said, was by counting the port-lights in the cabin trunk.
Fair enough: there’s no denying a strong family resemblance among the many models currently making up the company’s product line. However, this criticism completely misses the point that they are all still very different boats—- not to mention, damn good looking!
Take the case of the new J/88, which comes hard on the heels of the J/70 and J/111. Although the newest of these three boats shares very similar lines—- including a plumb, or nearly plumb stem and stern; minimal sheer; a truncated but purposeful-looking cabin trunk; a large open-transom cockpit; and, of course, a trademark J/Boats retractable sprit—- the boat still has its own, distinct personality.
For example, whereas the J/111 is beginning to venture up into “big boat” range with its 9,300 lbs DSPL, 36.5 ft LOA and 663 ft2 of SA, the J/88 remains refreshingly nimble with its 4,990 lbs DSPL, 439 ft2 SA and LOA of just over 29 ft.
Similarly, while the 22.09 ft J/70 is almost dinghy-like, with its lifting keel and minimal cuddy cabin, the J/88 feels dramatically more substantial, with 6ft 4in settees in the saloon, a fixed head, an inboard 14hp auxiliary, and a kind of “micro nav station” to starboard just after of the forepeak.
The result, like the J/29 that preceded it, is a boat that is as versatile as it fun, a seaworthy little sloop that is as comfortable muscling its way through a seaway when it’s blowing stink as it is taking the kids out for a sunny daysail." Watch the J/88 SAIL Magazine test video here. Please read the rest of Adam's SAIL Magazine review here.
J/70 Genoa Boat Show Report"A Charming Little Princess"
(Genoa, Italy)- The J/70 was exhibited last week at the 2013 Boat show in Genoa. According to Paolo Boido, "The 23 footer won the interest of the public and the honor of being a winner on stage. J/Boats Italy showed up with two J/70's, one in the Stand and one ready for sea trials-- special thanks to Quantum Italy who supplied sails and assistance for the sea trials.
In five days we sailed fifty-seven times with all kind of sailors, most of them unknown and in all types of weather conditions; including the last two days when it blew up to 30-35 kts! It didn't take long for us to record some nice reports from the enthusiastic J/70 sailors:
- a Genovese university professor of foreign languages wanted to go for a test sail. She was very embarrassed, admitting that she never gone sailing in her life! But, when she saw the J?70, she decided to give it a try. She was not properly dressed for sailing, soon she was totally wet in a cold afternoon with 25-27 kts of breeze. Remarkably, she loved the experience and enjoyed sailing the J/70 so much we had a hard time convincing her to sail back!
- a business executive showed up for a test sail properly dressed for a day at the office with suit and tie! When he got back to the dock, he showed us the new Velocitek he just bought in the show. He explained that he turned it on at the beginning of test sail-- it showed an average speed downwind of 17.8 kts in winds of just 15-25 kts. At first, he looked at the numbers in disbelief, thinking that he just bought a new instrument that was wrong and was planning to make a warranty claim and get a new one! He showed it to the Velocitek guys, they tested it and said it was fine! The man's jaw dropped in disbelief-- 17.8 kts average downwind!
- a Star Boat sailor friend of mine decided to take a test sail with his 11 yrs old daughter who's an active Optimist pram sailor. The little girl, all of 60 lbs of her, was allowed to steer in 30+ kts breeze and she didn't want to give back the tiller to her Father! In fact, she sailed very fast downwind under spinnaker!
The J/70 demonstrated once again the versatility of the boat for all ages groups and experiences-- it was a great show of power, stability, speed, safety, performance, and easy handling! Thank you Alan and the J/Boats design team! Amazing boat!" Regards, Paolo. For more J/70 one-design speedster sailing information
J/80 2014 "Worlds" Circuit Announcement(Annapolis, MD)- Greetings sportboats fans! The 2013 ECC's (East Coast Championships) are fast approaching. The regatta will be held at Eastport Yacht Club in Annapolis, MD. EYC is the site of the 2014 J80 Worlds! What a great way to get an early look at the worlds venue! The regatta will be sailed from October 25th to 27th, with boat launch, crew weigh-in and social Friday evening. There is also a crew dinner Saturday evening!!! Registration and info are here.
Meanwhile, the J/80 USA Class Association Board wishes to provide all J/80 owners the plans leading up to the 2014 J/80 Worlds, being held at Eastport Yacht Club in Annapolis, MD from September 28th to October 5th, 2014. The J/80 Class leaders have been working hard to solidify the 2014 World Circuit and believe there's a great slate of events to promote practice and familiarization for crews planning to sail on the Chesapeake Bay!
The 2014 J/80 Worlds Circuit is as follows:
- Jan 19-24- Key West Race Week- Key West, FL- the J/80 Midwinters
- Mar 6-8- Bacardi Cup Miami- Miami, FL
- Mar 21-23- Davis Island YC Regatta- Tampa, FL
- Apr 10-13- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
- May 3-5- Annapolis NOODs- Annapolis, MD
- May 30- Jun 1- J/Jamboree- Annapolis, MD
- Aug 30- Sep 1- J/80 East Coast Champs- Annapolis, MD
- Sep 10-14- J/80 North Americans- Annapolis, MD
- Sep 28- Oct 5- J/80 World Championships- Annapolis, MD
Says J/80 USA Class Secretary, Chris Chadwick on USA #59 CHURCH KEY, "Depending on interest, the Class hopes to make Bacardi Cup work, so please let us know if you are interested in this event so everyone can plan accordingly!"
There will be an Overall Circuit Champion and Runner-Up Award. Boats need to compete in at least 50% of the races to qualify. Finishes will be weighted in accordance with regatta class size to keep it fair. Please let us know your thoughts! We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you on the water!
Quantum Key West Race Week registration is "live", so hurry up and sign-up NOW, pay later! The revised venue is great, the sailing fantastic, and the drinks-- cold! We will be forwarding boat launch and water storage info soon, so stand by! That’s it for now. Sail fast, have fun, and keep the cooler full." For more J/80 sailing information
Top Universities Sailing J/80s- Student Yachting World Cup(Pornic, France)- The Student Yachting World Cup, an annual sailing competition organized by students of the École Polytechnique, a French engineering school, will have the world’s best student sailing teams confront each other in the International J/80 Class sailboats! The 33rd edition of SYWC is October 14-19 in Pornic, France, with teams from Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Norway, Scotland, Switzerland, Ireland and USA vying for the 2013 title. Representing North America will be Dalhousie University (CAN) and the US Naval Academy (USA).
The SYWC is an event organized every year in France by students for students. Created in 1979 under the name of Course de l'Europe, the Cup was just meant to include participants from Western Europe. But, as time went by, more and more Eastern European countries joined the Cup. That's why the Course de l'Europe changed its name to become the SYWC.
Now, any country can take part at this annual event. For now, one country is represented by only one team, who represents its university (or school), too. The university winning the SYWC is granted a "free pass" to take part in the next edition to defend their title.
The regatta lasts for one week in France and includes about 150 competitors, representing 15 countries from all around the world. During the week, the atmosphere is both fun, sporting and multicultural. The first night, every team has to participate at the crews' dinner by bringing some dishes or some beverage representing their country. This way, the students have an opportunity to meet and discover other cultures before the cup begins. Each night, students can also meet at the dining room and have a nice time with members from other university teams. But, don't forget that every morning, the teams are ready to sailing on their boat to fight for the Cup! For more J/80 Student Yachting World Cup sailing information
e-Regatta J/70 Game App(Kaliningrad, Russia)- "e-Regatta" is an interactive real-time sailing race simulator with an addictive game-play. It's intended for any player regardless of sailing and racing experience. Join the game if you dare!
In order to take part in the race, you create an account on http://www.e-regata.com, download "e-Regatta" app and install it on your smartphone (Android or Apple iOS) or PC/ Windows machine. After that you get access to the game server presuming you have an Internet connection.
The winners are determined every week after a series of races and awarded with real prizes that are provided by our partners. At the close of the year we summarize the total rating and publish it.
The game engine contains the implementation of hydrodynamic and aerodynamic laws (the basic physics of sailing), wind shadows, environmental turbulence, wind oscillation and polar curves for the J/70 one-design speedster-- it's the base model for the game!The regattas are conducted according the ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing 2013-2016. All decisions on "protests" are submitted in real-time. Just like the America's Cup 34 on NBC-TV/ YouTube.com! Real-time graphics and outcomes!
Have you never taken part in sailing races? Have you missed the Olympic games? This virtual regatta will give you an opportunity to start from the scratch and become a champion. If you're a regatta fan, if you dream about yacht racing, "e-regatta" is your way to enjoy the world of sailing-- virtually.
For any questions, please contact Grigory Aksenov at Kitira LTD- mobile: +7 909 157 69 24 or email- aksenov.grigory@gmail.com. Learn more about the J/70 E-Regata.com on-line sailing game.
J/Sailing NewsThe Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
The fall sailing season is well underway both "up above" and "down under". It's quite remarkable how much activity is actually taking place worldwide at this "cross-over" time regards seasonal temperature and weather changes. The Down Under crew, including Australians, Kiwis, South Africans and South Americans are getting ready for their summers of sailing after a somewhat windy spring. The Argentineans just ran the Buenos Aires Race Week on the Rio de la Plata in J/24s.In the northern parts, there was plenty of activity! Particularly in Europe. For starters, J/24 sailors were busy in Greece and Hungary in the eastern part of the continent. In Greece, J/24s sailed the Gazi Cup off the sublimely gorgeous island of Crete. In Hungary, an equally enthusiastic J/24 fleet sailed their Hungarian Open/ Nationals on the picturesque Lake Balaton. Heading west across the Med, several J's sailed in the bacchanalian sailing festival known simply as "Les Voiles des St Tropez". Enough said? Perhaps. Traveling north, we find J/80s sailing the 24 Heures de Netherlands race, the German Open in Flensburg and the French Open in Lorient. Hopping across "La Manche", the first weekend of racing started in the famous fall regatta called the Garmin Hamble Winter Series sailed on the Solent in southern England.
Across the "pond", North American sailors were busy sailing the J/22 World Championships in Newport, RI. Up north across the border in Canada, the J/24 sailors there had lots of fun sailing their Canadian Nationals-- apparently the scores included "go-karting"? South on Long Island Sound, J sailors completed the second part of the American YC Fall Series in two challenging days of sailing in the western parts between Rye, NY and Oyster Bay NY.
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:
Oct 5-12- J/24 European Championship- YC Monaco- Monte Carlo, MonacoOct 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.
DAZZLER Glitters @ J/22 Worlds XXX(Newport, RI)- Allan Terhune and the DAZZLER team won the first race of the J/22 World Championship and never looked back. His crew of Katie Terhune, Kristine Wake and Marcus Eagan are now the 2013 J/22 World Champions (sponsored by Fidelity Investments and hosted by Sail Newport). Seventy-one teams from Canada, the Cayman Islands, South Africa and the USA competed in the five-day event, marking the 30th anniversary of the J/22.
After dropping a 19th in race nine, Terhune's remarkably consistent scores of 1-2-3-9-2-2-1-4-4 for 28 net points in 10 races kept the DAZZLER gang in the lead. Brad Julian’s THREEDORIES.COM, with Matthew Schubert and Colin Robertson, made an impressive attempt to take over DAZZER with four consecutive bullets, but wound up six points shy and in the silver position with 34 points. Mark Foster with Brian Babbitt and Matt Romberg on TEJAS collected third place with 54 points.
“I had an awesome team. It was a total team effort,” commented Terhune. “Marcus was great on trimming and keeping the boat pointed in the right direction. Katie and Kristine were awesome at boat handling, keeping the mood light and getting everything done.” He also praised the host location, saying, “There’s nowhere better than Newport. Brad Read, Anderson Reggio and the whole SailNewport team are awesome!! We had great sea breezes, we had some Northerlies, we had shifty races, we had a little bit of everything, and that’s what makes it so fun. It was spectacular!”Only one race was completed on the last day due to light winds. Julian’s THREEDORIES.COM continued a hot streak from Friday by tallying a third-straight bullet in race 10. Foster's TEJAS trailed in second, and Martin Kulman’s NEW WAVE in third. “I’m really excited for Brad and his team,” commended Terhune on his fellow Annapolis-based team. “They sailed a great event and didn’t make it easy on us at the end. They sailed well and fought to the end.”
The first day was notable for light, unstable winds which postponed racing and led to the abandonment of one race. The 71 teams had trouble starting too, with the Z-Flag coming out for both completed races. Despite the conditions, Terhune posted a 1-2 to lead the field. After Thursday's pair of races, Terhune’s DAZZLER kept up the momentum and had accumulated just 11 points including a first and a second. THREEDORIES.COM, helmed by Brad Julian, held second place with 31 points and Chris Doyle’s THE JUG 4 1 stood two points further back in third. After two more races were completed Friday, Julian’s THREEDORIES.COM knocked out two bullets to make a move toward the Championship crown. Terhune’s DAZZLER acquired a fourth in race eight but had to settle for a 19 in race nine, leaving them with 24 net points. Julian stood at 33 points. In third place, Chris Doyle’s The Jug 4 1 had tallied 50 points. Saturday's final race day was marred by a light, unsteady breeze. In the end, Terhune's DAZZLER team were declared J/22 World Champions. They were followed by Julian's THREEDORIES.COM in second and Mark Foster's TEJAS from Corpus Christi, TX in third. Rounding out the top five was Doyle's THE JUG 4 1 from Rochester, NY in fourth and Benz Faget's FATS team from New Orleans, LA in 5th.
Top women's team was Rochester, NY/ Jamestown, RI native Cory Sertl sailing LUCY with Amy Moran, Meg Myles and Annemarie Cook. Sailing photo credits- Paul Todd/ Outside Images. For more J/22 World Championship sailing information
Smokin Hot Hamble Winter Series Rolling!A Case of the Tortoise & The Hare All Weekend
(Hamble, England)- From the long-range forecasts over the past week it was clear that there wasn’t going to be much wind for the first weekend of the Garmin Hamble Winter Series, incorporating the first of two MDL Hamble Big Boat Championship weekends.
So it was a relief to find that the forecast had improved during Friday night, predicting 8-10 knots by late afternoon on Saturday. With an oscillating breeze that swung between 260 and 310 degrees, racing started on time at 11am for an 18-strong fleet that included many of the Solent’s top racing yachts in IRC 0, IRC 1 and J/111 classes.
In race 1, David & Kirsty Apthorp's J-DREAM topped the J/111 fleet, ahead of William Naylor’s BRITISH SOLDIER. The light breeze held up for race 2 with Richard Barnes’ BIELA-MUNKENBECK topping the J/111 class. The 10 knots promised by late afternoon failed to materialize, and the third race got underway as the breeze began to die, with a course comprising fixed Solent windward marks and an inflatable leeward mark. In the J/111s, BIELA-MUNKENBECK again took line honours.
Sunday’s forecast was never looking good, but the race committee headed out into the Solent just in case, followed by most of the 70 + boats. Unfortunately, the wind steadfastly refused to build above 2-3 knots and racing was abandoned for the day at noon.
In the MDL Hamble Big Boat Championships, that meant BIELA-MUNKENBECK heads the J/111 class, tied on points with J-DREAM. That all leaves much to play for in the second weekend of the MDL Hamble Big Boat Championships, held in a fortnight’s time.
Next weekend hosts the second Garmin Hamble Winter Series race day as well as the first of two Doyle Sails Hamble One Design Championships weekends. Day Sponsor is Hudson Wight. Here’s hoping for some more breeze – see you then! Thanks for contribution from Ben Meakins. Sailing photo credits- Malcolm Donald. For more Garmin Hamble Winter Series sailing information
CLEAR AIR Dusts J/24 Canadians(Montreal, Quebec, Canada)- What matters most for this year's epic J/24 Canadian National Championships hosted by Port Credit YC!? After the first day's racing, the party was going on at PCYC with Shane Murphy’s band and a nice BBQ dinner! That's what was happening. Of course, it could be said that all twenty-one boats were having a blast and some crews were finding new ways to rig their spinnaker poles! You can say, you saw it all here! No question, Canadian J/24 sailors know how to have fun-- maybe even "professional grade" entertainment compared to their colonial American "J/24 cousins" to the South!
The opening day of racing presented the possibility that four races could be sailed in the 10-15 kts NE breezes. The tactics were tricky and DRIVERS WANTED sailed by Mississauga superstar Ted Bartlewski got the 1st day winner's trophy. Race 1 was won by local boat BAYGULL driven by Nicolas Mabboux. John Whynacht's Nova Scotia clan on STICKY FINGERS got Race 2 and Bartlewski's DRIVERS WANTED closed the day with 2 bullets. Tom Barbeu's NAVTECH.CA was the bridesmaid in second place.It wa
s a crazy weekend for sailing conditions. While Friday's forecast was calling for very light wind, the fleet ended up sailing four races in 10-15 knots. On Saturday, the fleet was expecting 7-10 knots fading out to 6 kts during the day. The fun continued: this time it was again in the same tricky north east wind! In the end, two races were sailed in lighter airs. After a few attempts to get in a third race, the RC wisely decided to send the fleet back to the harbour. It was now time for the "Go-Karting Challenge"!! See http://www.st-zotiquekarting.com/web/html/Welcome.html. Everyone met at the PCYC Clubhouse at 4pm and ALL disappeared to go racing go-karts at 5pm! Insane evening of zipping around the track and more parties later. Did anyone mention the fact that Canadian J/24 sailors know how to have fun??After two days of light conditions, the forecast was calling for 15-20 knots. This time, the fleet was treated to steady 16 kts with some nice puffs. As usual, the fleet split between the two schools of thought in marginal 16-18 kts TWS conditions: genoa or jib, was the question!? Rapidly, most of the fleet adopted the jib.
In race 7, Rossi Milev's CLEAR AIR team dominated the game, followed by Thomas B (NAVTECH) and Greg B. (ADRENALINE RUSH). About half way to the finish, boats in 4th and 5th (ANGRY SQUIRREL & BAYGULL) both went down in ghastly broaches because of a nasty shifty gust. STICKY FINGERS passed in 5th position to limit their losses.In Race 8, the wind and waves kept building and Milev's CLEAR AIR again pulled out a bullet, in front of Nic Mabboux (BAYGULL), followed by DRIVERS WANTED.
In Race 9, first overall was still "in play", so was the entire podium for that matter! After one lap, BAYGULL was in the lead until the last leg, where Rossi's CLEAR AIR passed to get the last point they were missing to get the title. What a comeback! Impressive, almost "Oracle-like" sailing-- yeah- the Canadian version of a "phoenix from the ashes" returning to glory and silverware!
For those who were not there, you missed an epic event blessed by the Wind Gods and Party Animals-- yeah, not one to miss! This was a warm, friendly and extremely challenging regatta, in the spirit of the J/24 Class. See you next year in the Atlantic! What an event! For more J/24 Canadian Nationals sailing information
Troussel Dominates J/80 French Open(Lorient, France)- With forty-three boats sailing with many of the top French teams participating, it was clear that the RC led by Jean Coadou would have their hands full having to manage a very aggressive fleet that included many of the top French Teams in J/80 sailing. In the end, Nicolas Troussel skippering PL YACHTING sailed one of his best J/80 series to date to win with a 2-4-10-2-4 record for 12 pts net, well clear of the rabid dogs fighting it out behind them by eight points.
The first day of racing was run in a wind of 10-15 knots. However, numerous general recalls did not allow Coadou's RC to run more than two races! It was a remarkably aggressive fleet, with more than a dozen BFDs in the fleet! Nevertheless, Troussel's team took command of the regatta with a consistent 2-4 finish.
The second day of sailing was slightly delayed by the lack of wind. Despite those odds, the RC managed to get in three races in the 5-10 kts sea-breeze conditions. It was a great battle for all the races sailed under the bright sun! Perfect sailing for everyone! The leaders excelled in these conditions throughout the day, very tactical conditions where the left side of the was most often favorable. Troussel and crew maintained their lead ahead of Jerome Croyere's RUBAN VERT and Eric Brezellec's INTERFACE CONCEPT! Amazing performance! The dinner and "winner's roast" in the evening was remembered for the "salsa bar", delicious mixed drinks and wonderful music!The third day dawned with a bright sun with no wind. Sadly, there was nothing that Coadou's RC crew could muster to get the "OverLord Neptune" to produce wind, no amount of delicious bordeaux or Chateaux Montrachet burgundy French wine, voluptuous nymphs, nor old red socks! Racing was canceled for the day due to the "glass-out" conditions. As a result, the final standing stood at Troussel winning, followed by Croyere's RUBAN VERT and Eric Brezellec's famous INTERFACE CONCEPT in third. Fourth was Sylvain Pellissier's VOILERIE ALL PURPOSE and fifth was Maxime Rousseaux's GRAND OUEST ETIQUETTES.
Top winners for 40+ year old sailors was FRA 639 Naval Academy GC 29 sailed by Frédéric HAUVILLE. The first women's skipper and crew award went to PRINCE DE BRETAGNE FRA 1338 sailed by Pauline CHALAUX!
For more J/80 French Open sailing information
PIKE Spikes J/80 German Open!(Flensburg, Germany)- The J/80 German Open this year had several notable highlights both for the class and for sailing. First, it looked like summer never left, with fantastic weather, warm, sunny and with good breeze! Second, the German J/80 class should be proud to have produced twenty-three boats on the line-- cheers to all who made that happen! Finally, in addition to the usual suspects, there were many new faces both young and old in our fleet-- that's good news and healthy for the class!
In addition to the pleasant temperatures, the sailing conditions were typical for Flensburg-- with large round hills along the shoreline, the surrounding forests affect the wind a lot-- very shifty with gusts coming from everywhere, over hills and across the fields! So, the wind was going to keep tacticians heads "smoking" from too much electrical activity on the brain! It sure makes for fun, exciting racing! Just like they say about operas, "it's not over until its over"-- something about "fat lady divas", right?!
After eight races and three days of amazing sailing, Martin Menzner and his PIKE crew sailed into a comfortable lead in first place. Taking second was Soren Hadeler's VIVACE DIVA who had an exciting match race with Sven Vagt's CAMPAIGN, winning in the end by just one point by virtue of scoring a 1-2 in the last two races. Fourth was Bjorn Beilken's PROCEDES DIVA and fifth was Hauke Kruss's TAK FOR TUREN. Top boat from Denmark was Flemming Djernaes's PROJECT 2 in eighth overall. For more J/80 Germany sailing information
Dramatic, Misty AYC Fall Series Finale!(Rye, New York)- The classic fall offshore sailing series on Long Island Sound got off to a spectacular start on its first weekend. But, the luck was not going to hold with gigantic swings in the weather and the USA's ginormous budget-busting battles full of hot-air down in Washington, DC-- no question that amount of "hot air" was surely going to have its affects as far north as Wall Street and their favorite playground- Long Island Sound! No question, the DC goons were "raining on everyone's parade" this past weekend. What could've been a brilliant weekend for Saturday and Sunday turned into a goofy day of racing on Saturday and a wet, foggy, misty easterly on Sunday. Heck, if you were a betting man (or trading guru) you would've shorted the markets worldwide Monday at dawn, such was the gloom! But, a few Mt Gay & tonics and local micro-breweries tempered the atmosphere to simply a dull roar for the awards Sunday afternoon.
The American YC RC took their time on Saturday (much to their chagrin) to get in only one race on the East Course while the West Course guys got in two races. But, both AYC RC's took the bit in their teeth to get the ball rolling on Sunday to get in two solid races for all.
Winning IRC B was the J/122 WINGS sailed by Mike Bruno and crew, posting a 1-2-2-1-3-2-2-2 score for 12 pts. Just behind them in third was stablemate J/122 PATRIOT helmed by Stephen Furnary (the same boat that won with all the AYC Juniors in the recent Stamford-Vineyard Race!)- they posted a 2-1-1-3-4-3-3-4 for 17 pts. Lying fourth after the weekend's sailing was Ron Richman's J/133 ANTIDOTE with 12 pts.
PHRF A class had three J/111s sailing and Paul Strauch's crew on ANDIAMO started out the series on the first weekend as top dog amongst the 111s, continuing their great performance this summer at Storm Trysail's Block Island Race Week. However, in the end the ANDIAMO gang "kissed" a rock on the way into Mamaroneck Harbor Saturday afternoon and withdrew from Sunday's sailing. Only one point back after the previous weekend, the PARTNERSHIP team led by David and Maryellen Tortorello sailed fast and smart and posted a 2-3 on the last Sunday to take over 3rd spot for the series!What happened in PHRF C Division? The one with all the 30 footers? The usual suspects all occupied the top spots led by the famous father/son team of John & Tony Esposito on their J/29 HUSTLER. However, giving them a serious "run for the money", perhaps for the first time in decades, was Tom & Julie Sinatra's J/29 SMOKIN'J, taking second by just a mere 3 points after the smoke cleared on the race course. Do we smell a "rubber match" here between these two teams?? Hmm, could be possible. Third was Christian Uecker's J/92 HOUND DOG and fifth was Aleksandr Tichter's J/29 AKULA.
The cool, classic cruiser-racers, the two decades old J/44 one-design class, had yet another amazingly tough battle for leadership in the class. At the end of the day, it was a fantastic turnout of nine boats, kudos for Jim Bishop (Jamestown, RI/ New York, NY) and friends for keeping this extraordinary class rolling along with fun competition. This time, Bill Ketcham's MAXINE took three straight bullets on the first weekend to overcame Jim Bishop's GOLD DIGGER two 1sts on the last day to take the overall J/44 crown! With MAXINE in first and "the DIGGER" in second, Len Sitar's VAMP narrowly edged out the balance of the competition for third overall. Fourth was Jeff Willis's CHALLENGE IV and fifth was Joerge Esdorn & Duncan Hennes's J/44 KINCSEM (notably getting their first 1st place in class in the 6th race of the series)!
The J/109s had ten boats participating with some new names at the front of the fleet. The early leaders on the first weekend were Jim Vos's SKOOT in first, Bill Rogers's BIG BOAT in second and Jack Forehand's STRATEGERY in third. However, over the course of the second weekend of racing, there was no way to hold back perennial J/109 Class champion, Rick Lyall sailing STORM. Compiling three 1sts and a 2-4 in the last five races permitted the STORM crew to scream up the finish ladder to win the regatta by 7 pts! Others who had been in the top five were not so fortunate. Forehand's STRATEGERY also sailed fast the last weekend to grab second overall. After some forgettable races in the last six starts, Vos's SCOOT dropped to third overall, losing the tie-breaker at 34 pts each with STRATEGERY. Fourth was Adrian Begley's MAD DOGS & ENGLISHMEN and fifth Rogers's BIG BOAT.The J/105s had a great turnout with nineteen boats, great racing and some new rising stars in the fleet. By simply sailing in the top three all series long, Sean & Susan Doyle's KESTREL led the fleet home with a remarkably consistent scoreline of 2-3-4-2-2-4-2-2-3-3-2 for 25 pts net. George & Alex Wilbanks's REVELATION held on tight to their position in second from the weekend before to take the silver. The same was true for third place, taken by perennial class champion Damian Emery sailing ECLIPSE. In fact, the entire top five finish positions from the first weekend never changed! Imagine that?! What are the odds of that ever happening in any fleet of this size. Consequently, Paul Beaudin's LOULOU took fourth and fifth was Jeremy Henderson's CONUNDRUM. Sailing photo credits- Tom Young/ American YC
For more American YC Fall Series sailing information
J'Taime Les Voiles de St Tropez!J/97, J/109 & J/111 Win The Party!
(St Tropez, France)- For its 15th edition, from 28 September to 6 October 2013, Les Voiles de Saint Tropez offered thousands of sailors, skippers and owners of sublime yachts an idea, a state of mind, a certain experience of yachting, that was colored by the unique convivial atmosphere synonymous with the gathering of seafarers far and wide. It's the "history" and the "future" of yachting side by side in Saint-Tropez. A dizzying, intoxicating mixture of fashion, parties, gorgeous people and fabulous sailing (usually) in the beautiful azure waters off the picturesque village of St Tropez.
The autumn’s major festival of international yachting lived up to its expectations for the sailors doing battle in the Gulf of Saint Tropez and the waters off Pampelonne Beach in front of the infamous Cub 55 (where beach clothing is often optional). A festival on shore, a sporting celebration at sea, it's a proven recipe for success that is synonymous with "la dolce vida" or, perhaps, "la vida loca" (as in Rio's Festival or New Orleans' Mardis Gras)!Boasting Modern and Classic boats alike, the 300+ yachts brought the Baie of Saint Tropez to life. As always, Les Voiles brings the magical spectacle of yachts hitting the water that represented over a century of yacht design and aesthetics. After sailing, the heart of the event was the "Les Voiles Village"-- the event’s hub where sailors from across the yachting world and locals gathered ashore to enjoy evening festivities.
The sailors were greeted by an extraordinary mix of weather this year. From fierce storms that swept down from the northwest bringing 30-45 kt gales to sublime, gorgeous days of westerlies with 10-15 kts-- perfect for a day's sail with friends after a long evening of entertainment with friends in the village of St Tropez or dancing at the Club 55 disco on the Pampelonne beach until dawn!In the end, the event was declared "Unforgettable", according to Bruno Troublé, Louis Vuitton Cup master-mind and long-time J/80 owner and sailor in J/80 French, European and World Championships. It was a week full of contrasts, indeed, with a quiet start in calm weather, culminating with two fantastic sailing days on Wednesday and Saturday-- mostly remembered for excellent sailing conditions under a blazing sun. The 15th edition of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez proved once again the place to be and put an emphatic exclamation mark to the end of a great sailing season!! Good times ashore, with parties on board, and the great musical atmosphere of the Village were only rivaled by the excellent sailing on the spectacular Gulf of Saint-Tropez.
And, Saint-Tropez attracts the stars, both human and sailing machines. Many of them J sailors past and present (J/24s, J/80s, J/109s)-- Sébastien Col, Jan Dekker, Peter Holmberg, Jean-Pierre Dick-- they were all there, most sailing anonymously and enjoying one of the world’s greatest sailing festivals. J/Teams had great fun sailing in the wide variety of conditions. IRC D class had 40 boats participating and taking 6th was the J/111 MERLIN sailed by Michel Buffet, finishing just 8 pts from second. The IRC E class had 36 boats sailing. Taking 10th was the J/109 JEDI skippered by Patrick Gouedart, 12th was the J/109 JAVA BLUE III helmed by Eric Bardaille who, in turn just beat by one point the 13th place team- the J/97 NO LIMIT led by Pascale Barbier. Sailing photo credits- Gilles Martin Raget/ Marseilles, France. For more Les Voiles des St Tropez sailing information
CARRERA + MENDIETA Tied @ J/24 Buenos Aires Race Week(Buenos Aires, Argentina)- It would be fairly certain that no one could've foreseen the outcome of this year's J/24 Buenos Aires Race Week hosted by the famous YC Argentino. Sailing was ferociously close for the top three contenders at this year's event. The fleet was blessed with gorgeous sailing conditions on the Rio de la Plata, sailed just offshore in front of the picturesque, bustling metropolis of Buenos Aires.
By winning the first three races in a row, everyone apparently concluded that Matias Pereira and crew on CARRERA were simply a "runaway" and could never be caught. So, the rest of the fleet resigned themselves to racing for the remaining podium spots. However, while no can explain exactly how it happened, but either Pereira and some of his crew (like the tactician?) suffered temporary amnesia or perhaps they all had a few too many cervezas the night before. Nevertheless, their last two races were a complete meltdown, posting two 6ths to nearly lose the regatta to Francisco Van Avermaete on MENDIETA. To their credit, MENDIETA sailed a steady series with all finishes scored in the top three. Both boats tied on points with 9 apiece, with CARRERA crowned as BARW champion due to their three firsts.Behind the top two boats was another close battle for five boats in all, in fact it was an anxiety-ridden "nail biter" until the very last race. After the dust settled on the battleground, it was Alejo Rigoni's CHUCHA NO SOY McCENROE taking the third spot on the podium with 13 pts. Fourth was Nicolas Cubria's RINA with 16 pts. Fifth was Sergio Pendola's CACIQUE with 18 pts, beating Pedro Garra's EXTASIS on a tie-breaker. And seventh in this group was Fernando Montes's COCOON with 19 pts! For more J/24 Buenos Aires Race Week sailing information
PEUGEOT Wins J/24 Hungarian Open & Nationals(Budapest, Hungary)- Lake Balaton was the scene of the recent Hungarian J/24 National Championships. A gorgeous setting on one of the prettiest lakes in Central Europe, it often serves up capricious winds that can be very puffy and shifty or simply benign with sun-burnt days and gentle breezes.
This year's championship saw eighteen boats participate and the level of sailing amongst the top five was extremely close. While the first day of racing was canceled due to a light offshore breeze, the second day dawned with the long-awaited NW breeze of 14-16 knots. Four exciting races were completed. Litkey Wolf sailed "lights out", taking three 1sts and a 2nd on his boat PEUGEOT/ LITKEY SAILS. Second place for the day was Michael Filo's ZULU with a 1-2-3. Attila Nagy's GARFIELD/ QUANTUM SAILS took third for the day. Also showing good form was Gabor Makai's NORD TELEKOM and Erik Hercsel's SAIL FOR YOU. 
The third day was going to push the teams even harder to the edge. Some considered genoas, but most opted for 100% jibs in the conditions. The wind was a bit stronger than forecast, blowing 17-19 knots from the NW. The teams fought bravely in the waves and strong breeze, enjoying some great racing and surfs on Lake Balaton! The Wolf's PEUGEOT "express" continued their excellent performance and after eight races had the championship won. The club's PRO tried to get in one last race, but the weather simply would not cooperate as the breeze had died towards the end of the day.So, the championship was decided in eight races. A gold medal to Litkey Wolf and his team, who defended their championship titles. The silver medal goes to Michael Filo on ZULU and the bronze to Nagy's GARFIELD/ QUANTUM SAILS. Rounding out the top five we find that fourth was Antal Szekely's COMPASS and fifth was Nagy's NORD TELEKOM.
As a result of this regatta, the Hungarian J/24 Season Championship also goes to Wolf's PEUGEOT/ LITKEY Sails team, followed by Makai's NORD TELEKOM in second, Nagy's GARFIELD/ QUANTUM in third, Hercsel's SAIL FOR YOU in fourth and Dr Thomas Wolf's J'KORSZAK in fifth.
Congratulations to all Hungarian J/24 sailors! Thank you for supporting the sponsors who contributed to the high level of competition all season long- Bernhofer Hotel, Compass Magazine, Manézs Bistro, Corner Merchandise, Site Talk In EyeWind, pontráérek.hu, The Body Shop, Porthole, Quantum Sails & BFYC. For more J/24 Hungary Sailing information
KIKA Sweeps J/24 GIZA CUP
Great Sailing in J/24 Pan-Hellenic Cup Series
(Greece)- This past weekend, a fleet of seven J/24s sailed in the beautiful azure waters on the Bay of Pantanassas, just off the famous island of Crete in the Mediterranean. The Gazi Cup Regatta is the second event in the Pan-Hellenic series that is organized by YC Gazi-Crete.
The fleet was treated to simply classic Med-sailing conditions with north-northeast winds all weekend long with boat-loads of sunshine. Saturday's sailing saw idyllic NE 8-12 kts wind with four races sailed from 1300 to 1700 hrs. Sunday was no different, in fact, nearly "postcard perfect" sailing and a repeat of Saturday's wind but a bit more breeze.
After the eight races were completed over the two days, the final rankings for the teams were as follows:
- 1st- KIKA skippered by Angel Psomopoulos and crew of John Pachaki, Christina Garaki, John Voulgaris and John Dialektaki.
- 2nd- MINOAN SPIRIT sailed by Mars Pallikaris and crew of Nikos Kampitakis, Nikos Petroulaki and Karyotakis Stavrakakis.
- 3rd- SIMERA sailed by George Lyroni and crew George Makridakis, Peace Syngelakis, Stella Lenakaki and Katerina Maragaki. For more J/24 Class Greece sailing information
J/80 Flies In 24 Hrs Race(The Netherlands)- Every year, a popular race continues to get even more popular. Wonder why? Because it's different! It's NOT a windward-leeward. It rewards fun, perseverance and a bit of luck. You go sailing in a 24 hour race that measures how you perform against yourself and others-- based on an index of "100" (+/-). Plus, like the San Francisco SSS (Single-handed Sailing Society) "Three Bridge Fiasco" sailed every February on San Francisco Bay, you get your choice of starting venues and how to round each mark!
The J/80s NJORD and and QUICK & DIRTY prepared and worked very hard for their 24-hour race on the "great lakes" in the Netherlands. In the past, the small and large J's always scored well and that is, of course, mainly due to the favorable sail area / weight ratio of the J's. The NJORD looked well poised to do well with an enormous Code Zero on board. But, the Q&D TEAM had a dream team on-board, including the infamous "Janpiet" as speed coach! Nevertheless, as the crews always know, everything will always be decided on the water!
How did it all turnout for the teams? Well, as good as it gets for 24 hours of sailing on a J/80! On the Q&D, the team began Friday afternoon with a well-filled pasta salad prepared by Coach JP-- who is a good speed coach, but maybe a better chef!! The first leg for Q&D was amazing-- yes, the spinnaker also works well in the dark and one of the finest, fastest legs for Q&D was from racing marks "KG" to "SPORT-A"-- a leg of around 15nm. Amazingly, they covered that leg on Friday night in around an hour or two with an average speed of 12-13 knots!! The NJORD started in Kornwerderzand and Q&D in Muiden-- but, the results were very close together. Both boats sailed an average of 102.6% and 103.9% of their predicted VPP's, respectively!! Cool! J/80 teams had fun, yet again on this great race! For more J/80 Netherlands 24 Hours Race
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* Victoria's Secret J/24 Foiler!? Yes, you can say the Australian's are getting a bit punch-drunk about having a new Australian AC35 America's Cup Challenge from Hamilton Island YC. Says one of the J/24 crews at Sandringham YC:"We are on the trail of something big at Sandy. With the approaching summer season rapidly coming at us here in Melbourne, we believe testing with the new J/24 foiler has been going on over the winter. The skipper is reported as saying that they have been able to get the boat foiling once they get surfing on a wave and can sometimes keep it on the foils long enough to get onto the next wave and doing that they have been able to actually skip forward overtaking the wave crests. ‘The AC is safe for the moment’ is the joke going about down on the hardstand but there are some very serious faces around this project where the foils remain covered away in a padlocked cover to keep prying eyes out (shades of Ben Lexcen). The skipper went on to say that “where we have made real gains though, is reaching, traditionally the J has been a very poor reaching boat due to it’s short waterline length, now we are blasting along like a skiff”. Apparently the lead in the keel keeps the boat much steadier than a foiling moth or Laser when it is up on the foils. The normal righting moment of the lead keel would tend to confirm this. Tests continue on foiling upwind which although reported has not been verified by anyone reliable yet. The only picture released so far is a rather poor quality shot showing the boat up on its foils whilst surfing a wave off Sandringham YC. We note that the name has been airbrushed off the hull to mask that actual test boat and the sail number has been blocked out. More when we can break through the security surrounding this amazing breakthrough."
* American Brian Porter on FULL THROTTLE recently won the Melges 24 Worlds on San Francisco Bay to finally lay claim to the title he has been trying to win for many years. Brian and his brother John Porter are both very successful sailors hailing from the Chicago area (Winnetka, IL) with summer homes on Lake Geneva, WI. For years, Brian and his brother fine-tuned their one-design skills sailing the J/24 in the Great Lakes, North American and World Championships (including the Capri J/24 World's won by Italian Francesco d'Angelis). They also sailed and have won numerous E-Scow and A-Scow Blue Chip and National Championships. Congratulations to Brian, Andy Burdick and crew! Job well done! Also participating were a number of other J/24 stars, including Terry Hutchinson, past J/24 World Champion sailing with some friends and finishing in the top ten. Terry and crew had a more successful outing in the Rolex Big Boat Series, winning the M24 class in that event in another closely fought contest.
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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