J/122 “E” Model Announcement (Newport, RI)- The J/122 has been one of the most successful 40 footers worldwide for the past five years, compiling a record no other 40 footer can match-- winning major events on three different continents in both double-handed and fully-crewed events.
However, what has always set the J/122 apart from other performance boats has been its twin appeal as an all-around family cruiser. That attraction has grown dramatically with the recent unveiling (at the La Rochelle Show) of the J/122 "E"-- a fully restyled J/122 with new cabin port layout, hull ports and beautiful interior, designed to enhance the J/122 cruising qualities while still delivering the same race-winning performance of its predecessors.
Both the "E" and "Classic" version of the J/122 will be offered for 2014 in both the 2 cabin and 3 cabin arrangements. For more J/122 “E” sailing information
J/88 Sailing Videos!Learn More About This New J/Speedster!
(Newport, RI)— Since the J/88’s debut in July 2013, numerous test rides and sailing media reviews have produced some fun videos of the J/88 sailing in a variety of modes from Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay to waters far and wide. Outlined below are selected video “summaries” from these various sources that may help you better understand the tremendous fun sailors are having with their J/88s already!
Richie Stearns, the Midwestern J/Dealer based in Chicago, had a chance to sail the J/88 in Newport on a gorgeous summer day in late July on Narragansett Bay. With a sharp, crisp NNW breeze blowing 12-20 kts, Richie took her for a spin and managed to hit 13.8 kts boat speed sailing doublehanded! Please view this nice intro and explanation of the J/88!To further whet your whistle, Terry Spurlin’s most recent video creation involving their J/88 #007 at J/Boats Southwest can be enjoyed for your couch-potato viewing pleasure. Terry did a nice overview of the boat with explanation of its features for family daysailing and cruising.
During the summer, the North Sails Team that included Chuck Allen, Kimo Worthington, Andreas Josenhans and others took the J/88 for several sail-design testing sessions. Here’s a nice segment of the J/88 sailing downwind on Narragansett Bay off Fort Adams.
During August, the team from Boats.com with renowned yachting journalist John Burnham (Editorial Director at boats.com) had a chance to take their rodeo ride onboard the J/88 and find out what the excitement was all about with Jeff Johnstone from J/Boats. Here’s their boats.com test ride video summary.
Even later in the summer, SAIL Magazine with Adam Cort and crew hopped aboard the J/88 to determine whether or not the boat was actually living up to its hype and was able to sail as the designers (Al & Rod) were expecting for their “next generation” 29er! Here’s the outcome of that amazingly fun test sailing experience. While there were several dozens “test sails” by customers & dealers from July to September, here’s a sample of the experience of sailing the J/88 in moderate breezes while planing under spinnaker in
remarkably benign conditions.J/88 Gybe J/88 Downwind
Finally, don’t forget Peter Gustafsson’s BLUR.SE review of the J/88 in late June. A thorough overview of the boat that started on a foggy day off New York YC’s Harbour Court that ultimately turned into a spectacular day of sailing on Narragansett Bay as the fog cleared and the mighty southwest sea-breeze blew in for a perfectly sunny sail offshore.
J/70 World Class Developments(Newport, RI)- As the J/70 class continues to expand worldwide at a frenetic pace, easily the fastest growing sportboat ever, there are even more exciting developments to look forward to headed into 2014.
So far, American J/70 sailors have established nineteen fleets spread across the country, with representation in virtually every major sailing center. The likelihood of fleets developing in places like Edgartown YC in Martha’s Vineyard and in Stonington/New London, CT with US Coast Guard Academy sailors participating is quite certain; pushing the total fleets over 20+ for 2014. More news on these fleets and others as they develop. The larger fleets so far happen to be on Chesapeake Bay (Annapolis, Richmond and Fishing Bay- over 50 boats); in the Great Lakes (Chicago, Rocky River, Canandaigua, Erie, Youngstown & Rochester- over 50 boats); on the Pacific Coast (Seattle, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Newport Beach, San Diego- over 40 boats); and in the Northeast (Marblehead, Edgartown, Fishers Island, Ridgewood, Southampton and Newport- over 50 boats). Southwestern USA is growing fast with fleets established in Forth Worth and Houston, Texas— nearly two dozen boats!
The European scene is catching up quickly with fleet development already taking place in virtually all major sailing centers across the UK and continental Europe. While the strongest fleet so far has been the Solent-based J/70 sailors in the UK, their cross-Channel colleagues are creating enormous momentum. J/70s enjoyed excellent fleet growth in Italy, hosting the first EuroCup on Lago di Garda for sailing teams from Germany, UK, Monaco, Netherlands, France and Russia. Expect to see fleets growing in the Benelux/ Netherlands region, France, Germany, Monaco, Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, Denmark) and Russia. The German J/70 fleet has generated significant interest due to their Deutsche Sailing Bundesliga (watch real-time Berliner finals this weekend here). Perhaps the most exciting development may be taking place on Lake Constance (the Bodensee). There, fifty-five sailing clubs that border it’s picturesque shoreline (Germany, Switzerland, Austria) have agreed, as part of the Lake Constance Sailing Association, to grow the J/70 one-design class on the lake— more news on this exciting development soon!Looking out further across the world of J/70 sailing, a number of J/70s are already sailing in South America (Peru, Chile, Brazil) and Australia (Sydney). Perhaps the most exciting developments are taking place on the Asia/ Pacific Rim; it appears that multiple fleets with dozens of boats are organizing in China, spearheaded by their provincial Ministers of Sport & Tourism to help catalyze the lifelong sport/ recreation of sailing across Asia! More news soon!
J/70 sailors themselves have been documenting the extraordinary amounts of fun they’re having with their boats. Perhaps one of the coolest 70 sailing videos to date comes from Annapolis photographer Sara Proctor, practicing her skills as a videographer at the monstrous J/70 North Americans recently held on the Chesapeake Bay with nearly 90 boats! Sara’s “music sailing video” includes nice choreography with ALT-J’s popular BREEZEBLOCKS tune (the Leeds, England–based trio that fittingly has a new album called “AN AWESOME WAVE”- postmodern pop that mines the best elements from folk-rock, garage rock, dub-pop, indie rock, vintage cinema scores, and a-cappella harmony before constructing layered, angular arrangements with sonic overtones). Sweet!! Watch Sara Proctor’s sailing video tour’de’force here.There are several other J/70 sailing videos for your couch-potato viewing pleasure, including:
- Team JUGADOR Sailing the British J/70 Nationals- just your basic 12-15 kts of sailing on “cruise-control” with bursts to 17-18 kts plus!
- A J/70 sailing San Francisco Bay- extreme upwind sailing in 25+ kts of breeze.
- Matt Romberg’s J/70 speed-sailing trials on a beautiful, windy day on Lake Travis- sailing with his Dad and Jon Baker and featuring a nice wipe out in the middle of the segment.
- Peter Winkelstein recently sailing on the Niagara River on a beautiful fall day in October. It’s on-board video of the J/70 EOWYN approaching the mouth of the Niagara River during a beautiful Fall race.
- Alex Watters sailing a J/70 in the Bras d’Or Narrows- a 15 mile northwest arm of the lakes- it was very shifty with huge puffs. Says Alex, “We need to get to the left side of the narrows to honor a navigation mark, all the while being swept straight seaward by a 3-4 knot current (meanwhile, we’re flying the Code 0). At exactly the wrong time we get slammed by a huge blast, which was also a knock, making this one of the messiest roundings ever...but we made it!! Yeah, mon!! Our class was the last start, like 30 min after the first class, and we are leading the 40 boat fleet at this point as the smallest boat in the race (biggest was a Swan 48)!!.” Pretty amusing video seen here! Sailing photo credits- Erik Simonson/ Pressure-drop.us
J/Sailing NewsThe Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
A busy week marks the start of November for sailing enthusiasts. Really? Late fall north of the Equator is often marked by late hurricanes and snow-storms in the European Alps or American Rocky Mountains. Neither was the case. In Europe, the French enjoyed solid, windy fall conditions off Cherbourg, France for their J/80 Nationals. And, the J/24s off western Ireland had a great time competing for the famous “Rinevella Plate” off Limerick, Ireland, hosted by their Royal Western YC.Over in the America’s, there was plenty of activity tempting fate with the weather Gods in the fall. Most got away with great sailing like their French counterparts, other than facing a gale or two in the interim. Down south, the J/Fest Southwest regatta at Lakewood YC hosted fleets of J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, J/105s and J/PHRF with their fair share of breeze! On the East Coast, the J/24s hosted their East Coast Championships at Eastport YC while the J/105s hosted their North American Championships at Annapolis YC on the Chesapeake Bay. Speaking of J/105 one-design activity, the SoCal fleet hosted the eponymous 99th Sir Thomas Lipton Cup at San Diego YC for SoCal teams.
A bit further south in the Americas, the J/111 CHALLWA sailed yet another Peruvian offshore series with great success against the strongest Latin American offshore teams, read their report of the Copa del Pacifico Regatta sailed off Lima, Peru.
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:
Nov 21-25- J/24 South American Championships- Buenos Aires, ArgentinaDec 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.
Canadians Win J/105 North AmericansRathbun’s HEY JUDE Just Made It Better & Better!
(Annapolis, MD)- Like their boat’s name-sake, HEY JUDE just let them into their hearts and simply made their world better & better all the time! Jim Rathbun of Toronto, Ontario led after day one of the J/105 North American Championship and never relinquished his advantage, winning the three day event quite handily. With crew Mark Robertson, Dave Jarvis, Andrew Van Nostrand, Ian Richardson and Scott Collinson, HEY JUDE tallied 6-3-1-1-1-4-5-2 for just 23 points in the eight-race series winning by 16 pts! Damian Emery’s ECLIPSE of New York placed second with 39 points after closing with a flourish on the last day with 2-1-1 finishes. And taking bronze on the podium was local Cedric Lewis on MIRAGE with 45 points.
The event was hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club in Maryland and Regatta Chairman Chris Groobey ensured their local fleet and club members rolled out the red carpet treatment for the twenty-seven teams from Bermuda, Canada and the USA that competed in the event. One of the most popular events was the Friday evening dinner party for all the teams hosted at AYC’s amazing facilities overlooking Annapolis Harbor.The first day of racing saw a number of teams posting some great scores; in fact, the standings could not have been much closer. The winds on the Chesapeake Bay were between 12-14 knots, shifty out of the SSE, with some gusts and a 2-foot chop.
Just four points separated the top five after three races were completed on Thursday. Rathbun’s HEY JUDE helds the top position with scores of 6-3-1 for 11 points. Bruce Stone’s LOULOU trailed by one point in second place after tallying a 4-4-3. Stephen Phillips’s LE RENARD was in third with 12 points, earned from an 8-2-2 performance. Ken Colburn’s GHOST netted 13 points for fourth place, and Cedric Lewis’s MIRAGE had 14 points for fifth.
Colburn’s GHOST won the opening race of the championship in somewhat dramatic fashion as Lewis’s MIRAGE and Damian Emery’s ECLIPSE completed the top three. GHOST simply started first, went left, and increased their lead around every single mark! Emery’s ECLIPSE topped the fleet in race two, with Phillips and Rathbun behind him. Rathbun won the day’s final bout, with Phillips again in second and Stone in third.
Friday’s sailing couldn’t have been more different. Teams were postponed onshore until noon, waiting for a massive line of storms to pass through the area. Once they did, the fleet was sent out for two races. The first race was started in about 5 knots of breeze that died quickly as the boats went up the first beat. When the wind filled in, it shifted left and settled in at 6-8 knots for the rest of the day. Divining the breezes the best, by far, was Rathbuns’ HEY JUDE team. They won both races to open up a 10-point lead on day two of the event; as a result, they now had three consecutive bullets, succeeding a sixth and third in the initial races on Thursday, for a total of 12 points. With a pair of fourth-place finishes, Lewis’ MIRAGE moved into second overall with 22 points. The next two boats were tied at 24 pts; Colburn’s GHOST and Phillips’ LE RENARD. Following HEY JUDE Jude in Friday’s opening race were Chuck Lawrence’s FROYA and Emery’s ECLIPSE. In the second race, behind Rathbun came Hugh Bethell’s JESTER and LE RENARD.After racing was cancelled on Saturday due to lack of breeze, conditions allowed for three races on Sunday in winds between 12-16 knots that swung from NW to NE during the day— to say that it was spectacular fall sailing conditions on the Chesapeake would certainly be taken as an understatement by all the sailors on the course— quite frankly, it was breath-taking to see the gorgeous fall colors of varying hues of green, orange, yellow and red beautifully lit by the bright sunshine. Jim Konigsberg’s INIGO won the opening contest, trailed by ECLIPSE and LE RENARD. Emery moved up to first in the next race, with Bruce Stone’s LOULOU in second and Chris Groobey’s JAVA in third. Emery again took the bullet in the final bout, followed by Rathbun and Stone.
In a talented fleet, it was remarkable that Rathbun’s HEY JUDE team sailed so consistently in very shifty, challenging conditions. Their win was a popular one, especially since they hosted a Canadian Molson’s Ale beer night at Annapolis YC (they’re hosting the J/105 North American’s in Toronto, Ontario in 2014 at Royal Canadian YC)! Behind the top three finishers (HEY JUDE, ECLIPSE & MIRAGE) were Bruce Stone’s LOULOU from San Francisco, CA in fourth place, narrowly beating out local sailor Jack Biddle on the infamous RUM PUPPY in fifth. For more fabulous sailing photos, please visit Dan Phelps/ Spinsheet.com website. For more J/105 North Americans sailing information
PELLISSIER Tops Stormy J/80 French NationalsYouths Challenge Leading Coupe de France J/80 Teams!
(Cherbourg, France)- Ultimately, fifty-seven J/80 teams descended upon Cherbourg all with the intent to be crowned the 2013 Champion for France while others also had their eyes set on taking the overall Coupe de France J/80s for the overall season championship. There were many of the top French teams participating, including those who participated and finished in the top ten in the recent 2013 J/80 Worlds Marseilles. Both women’s and youth teams were well represented, both making their marks in this year’s edition of the French Nationals.
In the end, the extremely demanding weather conditions with breezes often in the 15-25 kts range meant that physically fit teams that could maintain their mental sharpness tactically and still execute on boat-handling and mark-roundings would do well. Fittingly, it was the ascendant “younger” teams that crowded the podium after three days of hard fought racing with six races complete on the fierce seas off Cherbourg. Crowned as French J/80 National Champion was Sylvain Pellissier skippering VOILERIE ALL PURPOSE with a steady 1-6-6-2-2 record for 17 pts net. Taking the silver was Gael Jaffrezic leading his HEMON CAMUS IMMOBILIER Team to an impressive 5-4-1-6-4 record for 20 pts net. Bronze was awarded to Quentin Ponroy’s COURIER DUNKERQUE 5 with a 4-7-1-8-3 tally for 23 pts net. It was a closely fought event for this trio of teams atop this year’s podium!
The first day of sailing looked fabulous, with 12-15 kts southwest winds with relatively flat seas and partly cloudy skies. The RC PRO was intent on making the most of it and announced that at least three races could be sailed for the day. As a prognostication of things to come, Pellissier’s VOILERIE ALL PURPOSE started fast, led the fleet first around the windward mark and took control of the championship from the kick-off! The racing was very challenging for the teams as the breeze was oscillating dramatically, with long “wind lanes” developing which created tremendous changes in fleet positions from leg-to-leg. Taking advantage of the conditions in the second race was Luc Nadal on GAN'JA taking the gun followed by Solomon’s EV CATASCHOOL in second. Ponroy’s COURIER DUNKERQUE managed to win the third and last race of the day with Alexander Jongh on TEAM VENDEE in second with Solomon’s EV CATASCHOOL in third. After day one, EV CATASCHOOL had the three best races with a 3-2-3 and led the overall standings with 8 points. COURIER DUNKERQUE 5 (12pts) was in second and VOILERIE ALL PURPOSE (13pts) third.
With gale warnings in the forecast for Saturday’s racing, it was decided the fleet of 57 boats should leave early, like 0830 hours(!), to try to get in at least two, if not three races before the monster front passed in the late afternoon. As the fleet left the harbour, the sky was dotted by heavy dark clouds interspersed with “jesus rays of sun” and plenty of breeze— at least 15-20 kts from the southwest and getting puffier by the time the fleet started the first race. To say the competitors were entertained and excited could best be described by Brieuc Oger’s twitter before the start- "Beautiful day @ NatJ80_2013 with the @ EspoirJ80 . It's days like this that make us both love sailing and boats! " The day was marked by enormous puffs of wind, "it's been awhile since we had sailed in over 30 kts of breeze in a J/80 championship,” says Gwenn Joulier! For the fourth race, the fleet was greeted by a huge rain squall and gusts well over 20 kts of breeze from the southwest. At the finish of the race 4, and surviving to tell the story, was Jaffrezic’s HEMON CAMUS IMMOBILIER taking first, followed by Pellissier’s VOILERIE ALL PURPOSE in 2nd and Nicolas Lunven’s GENERALI in 3rd. Then, things got a bit more complicated for the fleet. Between the first two races, one boat breaks a boom and another injures a teammate who gets med-evac’d to the hospital. Then for race 5, the unruly fleet has three re-starts, the last under black flag before completing the fifth race in nasty sailing conditions. BASSSE NORMANDY CHANNEL 1, led by Maxime Cherbourg Mesnil, won the race followed by VOILERIE ALL PURPOSE in second and COURRIER DUNKIRK 5 taking 3rd; only 40 teams finished this race of the original 57 boats.
For the final race on Saturday, the skies continued to darken the the puffs get more violent. As the front approached the fleet, it was well in excess of 2o kts TWS for the first leg, with the wind shifting strongly left up the course. On the first run, everyone sets spinnakers, but a violent rain squall hits with winds blowing 30+ kts TWS and gusting over 35 kts with rapidly building seas. Visibility in the sheets of rain and wind drops nearly to zero! In this race, the “zero to hero” rule applied, with champion teams like Eric Brezellec’s champion INTERFACE CONCEPT 1 team winning quite easily, followed by Clement Commagnac’s ST CAST VITEL FENETRE in second place and taking third was Derand Mathieu’s LE HAVRE MATCH THE WORLD. Sadly, the first day leader, Salomon’s EV CATASCHOOL was dismasted and took a DNF for the sixth race.
As the last day of racing dawned on Sunday, it was quite evident there would be little chance of sailing based on the weather reports. By decision time at 0800 hrs, the RC PRO wisely cancelled racing for the day, it was already blowing a steady 25-28 kts from the west and gusting hard over 30+ kts! Waves were bursting over the dike in front of the harbor and passage to the eastern bay of Cherbourg would’ve proved nearly impossible for the fleet— it was a wise move!
The closing ceremony was hosted by the French Navy and the Mayor of Cherbourg, Jean-Michel Houllegatte. Besides the top three teams, the balance of the top five included Luc Nadal’s GAN’JA in fourth and Alexandre Jongh’s TEAM VENDEE in fifth. Plus, two special prizes were awarded: “Best Female Crew” was given to LA HAVRE- LADIES NORMANDIE team skippered by Marie Corson (19th overall) and the “Best Master’s” skipper was awarded to Pierre Follenfant (22nd overall) sailing TBS.
The French J/80 Nationals in Cherbourg was declared a success, despite the risky weather over Halloween weekend and the limited number of days for competition. The sailors all expressed their warm “thanks” to the organization, RC volunteers and PRO for their efficiency on the water to conduct six great races.
There were some great sailing videos of this year’s J/80 French Nationals, please view them here:
Day One Sailing Day Two Sailing Day Three Sailing
For more J/80 French Nationals Cherbourg sailing information
San Diego YC Crowned Lipton Cup Champions!(San Diego, CA)– The 99th edition of the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup hosted eight yacht club teams representing California and Louisiana, competing in equally matched J/105s for three days (Nov. 1-3) of fleet racing inside San Diego Harbor and hosted by the San Diego YC. As promised by the SD Chamber of Commerce, the fleet was treated to classic SoCal weather conditions; a bit of fog (marine layer) in the morning, clearing by lunch-time so the amazing armada of SDYC volunteers could layout a 0.7nm race course off the impressive San Diego city waterfront and permit the visiting teams to sail multiple windward/leeward legs four times around each day.
Over the course of the three day event, it was clear the “local talent” led by SDYC’s Brad Rodi would have their hands full fighting for fleet honors against defending champions Bob Little from California YC, Scott Harris from Coronado YC and Dustin Durant from Long Beach YC. After the first day of sailing, Harris’ CYC team led the pack with 9 pts, followed by SDYC and LBYC. In fact, the top five were all within three points of each other! 
By the final day of the regatta, it was clear the defending champion Cal YC was unable to overcome their first day black flag penalty, falling short of winning this year’s Lipton Cup by only one point! In fact, the entire top five was essentially determined by their finish positions in the eighth and final race— what a cliff-hanger, with just 7 pts separating five boats! Cal YC’s principal competitors, the local SDYC gang, nearly blew the regatta in the last race with a 6th place! Nevertheless, the winning SDYC team that included Brad Rodi (skipper), Chris Busch, Andrew Campbell, Steve Hunt, Al Pleskus, Molly Pleskus, and Chuck Sinks could finally breath a sigh of relief afterwards! Taking third was Harris’ Coronado YC team just one point back with a final race 5th for 30 pts. Fourth was Payson Infelise’s Newport Harbor YC team with 4th in the last race to finish with 34 pts, just one point in front of fifth place finisher Durant representing Long Beach YC that won the last race to complete their results with 35 pts! Some tactician’s “heads had to be exploding” and skipper’s had to be “sweating bullets” on the final leg of the last race! Sailing photo credits- Bronny Daniels/ Joysailing.com For more J/105 Lipton Cup Challenge sailing results
Peruvian J/111 Offshore Report(Lima, Peru)- Since July 2012, the J/111 CHALLWA (means “fisherman” in the native Peruvian language), has being sailing and racing in Peru’s and Ecuador’s offshore racing circuits under the ORC handicap rule. Their latest event, the Copa del Pacifico Regatta, belongs to a series of races between Peru and Ecuador that is held annually. This particular event is sailed in Paracas Bay 150 miles south of Lima- the capital of Peru.
German Fuchs, sailing aboard CHALLWA, reports the following about their experiences in this year’s Copa del Pacifico: “We had a series of eight windward-leeward races and two offshore- one of 32nm and the other 28nm. The fleet was quite competitive with teams from Peru, Chile and Ecuador. We sailed in ORC Class A against a new Soto 48R, Sydney 46, Swan 45R, two Grand Soleil 42R’s and a Soto 42R. Most of our races were sailed in 15-20 kts TWS, except one W/L was sailed in 6kts TWS. Our best results on the J111 were in light winds and running or reaching in 16-22 kts TWS.
For this regatta we opted to set a bigger spinnaker of 157sqm instead of the J/111 one-design class size of 130sqm. This change for ORC handicap racing gave us very good results in light winds and we were able to get the boat into “planing-mode” (like the J/70) in just 16 kts TWS for best VMG downwind! In fact, we reached average 15kts boat speed with just 22kts TWS running downwind- this monster kite cost us only 1 sec/mi in GPH, that is nothing compared with the benefits gained!From the racing perspective, we had great success against some of the top offshore teams in South America. We managed to win both long distance races in ORC Class A and two W/L in light winds in Class A2. We also managed to finish 4th in Class A and 2nd in Class A2 for the Regatta Series. It sure helped to have Wally Cross and Kerry Klinger from Quantum Sails onboard to race with us, especially after their experiences in winning the J/111 North American Championship in Chicago! By the way, we’re planning to race the 2014 Chicago-Mackinac Race in a J/111 as a preparation for the Galapagos 2014 Race that will be held in October 2014 here in Peru! Looking forward to see other J/111 sailors soon in America! Best, Germán”
Parker Wins J/24 East Coast Championship!(Annapolis, MD)- The 35th annual Hillman Focused Advantage Fund J24 East Coast Championship was held on November 1-3, 2013 in Annapolis MD and hosted by Fleet 8 Annapolis and Severn Sailing Association. The three day event saw an unpredictable forecast, breezes between 5 and 20 knots, 30 degree shifts and tricky conditions that left most of the 31 boat fleet scratching their heads.
But in the end it was Tony Parker’s BANGOR PACKET with a daily score of 2, 2, and 1 on the last day for a total of 17 points that won the regatta and anointed him as the 2013 Hillman Focused Advantage Fund J24 East Coast Champion. Tony has sailed all 35 J/24 East Coasts and it is his third win. Tony also won Top Amateur for the event, beating out many top names in the class.
Will Welles on COUGAR took second place with a total of 24 points. Travis Odenbach on HONEY BADGER finished in third with 39 points. Mike Ingham on USA 5443 finished in fourth with 43 points and Ron Medlin Jr. on BASH had a very nice event rounding out the top five with 47 points.
Day 1 began with 40 kts of breeze from the west and a driving rain which forced an hour and a half on-shore postponement. The weather pushed thru and the 31 boats headed out on water to what was to be a predicted 25 kts breeze. The fleet however was met with 10 kts of breeze from the south and a strong tide flood up the bay. Race 1 had sailors deciding whether to go right for tide relief or left for more pressure. With a split fleet, it was the left that won out. Downwind was tricky with a dying breeze but it was John Wilsey on Panceta Doble working the left on both beats that won the first race. Race 2 saw the wind die even more. 5 kts wind, with a 1 kt current made it for another tricky first beat where getting out to the right and out of adverse current seemed to be the key. However a big left shift change that strategy. By the end of the first run, the wind had died to just a few knots and once rounding the crowded gate, everyone could barely make progress against the tide. But sailing fast and consistent through all that was Al Constance in Blitz taking the win. Principal Race Officer Juliet Thompson wisely sent everyone back to the docks where sailors were met by the two-time National Oyster Shucking Champion George Hastings and his fresh Virginia blue point oysters, along with homemade Maryland crab soup made by Bill, and Pat Fitzgerald and the crew of Rush Hour and a wide variety of fresh beers on tap.
Day 2 saw another decent forecast of 15 kts from the north never materialize and leaving no wind and no races. The thermal which tried to make its way filled in too little too late. Fortunately there was a Dark and Stormy Rum party with home-brewed ginger beer and a buffet dinner of pork loin, Jamaican jerk chicken and Cuban black beans and rice catered by SSA’s own John Miller and Real Food, LLC. Dinner was accompanied by the previous day’s daily awards and the raffle featuring a J24 skirted deck cover sponsored by North Sails One Design.Day 3 was met with a complete lack of trust in the forecast but the skepticism was soon dismissed with rustling leaves blowing thru Eastport and a cool brisk NW breeze. The 20 kts puffs, lulls, and shifts off the shore between the antennas and the bay bridge on the way out to the course did not disappoint. Race 1 was tricky for the RC to set a course and a line with wind shifts of 20 degrees or more. By the start all 31 boats with a blade, saw a considerably favored committee end but left would turn out to pay out big with a left shift and flatter water. Will Welles and Tony Parker were a good deal ahead of the fleet from wire to wire with Welles taking the gun. Race 2 was still shifty, but the wind had dropped. Some boats switched to the genoa but the genoa/jib trade off was about equal with the lulls and puffs on the course. The left shift from Race 1 was hardly existent and did not pay off on the left corner this time. Tony Parker again finishes 2nd behind Will Welles. Race 3 saw the wind drop to 15 kts and the fleet switched to the genoa. The wind had gone right a little more, and through that leg, shifted approximately 30 degrees right. There was no recovery from the left. Big shifts and holes made for huge gains and losses! The final race is taken by Tony Parker along with the crown. Teams were met on land with a BBQ of burgers and brats put on by Jay Mcginnis and his crew aboard SWAG with the Daily and Final awards ceremony for the top 5 boats. The mid fleet award sponsored by Atlantis Weathergear was awarded to Pat Fitzgerald and his crew on Rush Hour. Sailing Photo Credits- Dan Phelps/ Spinsheet.com. For more J/24 East Coast Championship sailing information
J/24 DJANGO Knighted With “Rinevella Plate”!(Limerick, Ireland)- As one of their last events in the fall sailing season, the Irish J/24 fleet convened off Limerick, Ireland to compete for the Estuary's most historic prize— the “Rinevella Plate”. Adrian O'Connell, Racing Captain at the host Royal Western Yacht Club, says “that piece and its relevance to sailors in Ireland is steeped in enormous amounts of history!”
First won in 1832 by the Knight of Glin, the coveted Rinevella Plate has become a much sought after prize amongst the sailing community on the West Coast of Ireland and its pride of place remains at the County Limerick Castle. Hand crafted from Limerick silver, the plate depicts the many historic elements associated with maritime traditions on the Shannon Estuary and right up the west coast.
The Rinevella Plate, which resides on the dining room sideboard at Glin Castle, was first won by the then Knight of Glin at the Galway Regatta when the family commissioned the unique piece for a once-off regatta. Given to the then Galway Yacht club as prize for the winner, the winning boat owner staked their claim on the piece as the family sought to increase interest and participation on Irish waterways.
From the archive Mr O'Connell notes, "On the Shannon Estuary, with the Knight of Glin's encouragement, the numbers of commercial sailing trading vessels were growing apace, with the establishment of towns and sea-going trade along the Estuary. It soon became an established fact of life during the summer months, that interested groups decided to organize at each small port regattas for all the types of craft to be found on the Estuary.”Limerick yachts and sailors he said, “accounted for almost a quarter of the club's membership and with prizes like the Rinevella Plate up for grabs, interest, like in the mid 1800s, is growing again today! In the modern era, interest in the waterways is experiencing somewhat of a resurgence as more take to the water. Clubs in the region are noting an increase in membership.”
Despite only having the plate in their possession for a few short hours, winners leave the West coast club in Kilrush with the honour of adding their names to a long list that is almost 180 years old.
Like many years before, the Royal Western Yacht Club of Ireland hosted the October series to determine the winner of the priceless Plate cast in Limerick silver. More importantly, the competition lived up to its history and its roots!
The “DJANGO Hyundai Ireland” J/24 team sailed their mighty yacht for the Rinevella Plate and took the overall title this year after winning the IRC Class 1 over the series of six races! Crewed by Martin MacNamara, Thomas Whelan, Andrew Carey, Charlie Glynn and Diarmuid Whelan, the 2013 winners said they were honoured to take the title amongst stiff competition.
Limerick boats from Foynes YC, together with Disaray sailing out of Tralee Bay Sailing Club, and Kilrush-based yachts made up the tough competition to decide the winners of this year’s historic plate regatta. Needless to say, “good times” were had by all after raising a multitude of toasts to all over several dozen pints of the best ales from County Limerick!
Windy J-FEST SW Regatta
(Galveston, TX)- Lakewood Yacht Club's annual J-Fest Southwest Regatta enjoyed some of the most amazing sailing conditions they’ve enjoyed in years. Sailed over the November 2nd and 3rd, the sailors were treated to Northerly winds in the 20-25 kts range on Saturday, producing the usual “monster chop” renowned for Galveston Bay. Then, on Sunday's “easy-going” breezes in the 16-20 kts range made for somewhat better conditions for the fleet of fifty J’s assembled for this year’s hugely popular J/Fest Southwest!
Starting out with the J/22s, their seven boat fleet produced a runaway winner in the “big breeze”. No question, it was Casey Lambert and crew on BLACKBURN RACING that had the conditions wired, taking all firsts in six races to win by a “Texas-mile”. Second on the distant horizon was Dov Kivlovitz with 13 pts and rounding out the podium was Chris Morlan’s TILT with 17 pts.
As the largest fleet in the regatta, thirteen J/24’s enjoyed a nice resurgence, showing up to lay it all on the line for Texas domination of the one-design world. They enjoyed some close competition, but it was clear that Bryan Dyer’s RUMLINE had everyone’s number in the breezy conditions, finishing 1st with just 13 pts. Second was TROPICAL AGGRESSION sailed by Stu Lindow with 17 pts. Happily finishing in 3rd overall was HAPPY DANCE skippered by Bill Worsham with 19 pts; taking the tie breaker over GIGGLES sailed by Natalie Penner.
As the “new kid on the block” and one boat shy of the largest fleet, the J/70’s twelve boat fleet also proved to be one of the most competitive fleets at the regatta and, given the windy conditions, clearly the ones that had the most fun going into “planing mode” all over the Galveston Bay race course hootin’ and hollerin’ like cowboys at a stampede! Appropriately enough, the winner by a comfortable margin was STAMPEDE, Bruno Pasquinelli’s team from Fort Worth Boat Club with a total of 10 pts. While STAMPEDE has enormous experience sailing in a variety of highly competitive J/70 regional & national regattas, the balance of the top five was extremely tight! Runners-up was GB sailed by Chris Lewis from Lakewood YC with 18 pts. Following them in third was JBoats SW sailed by Scott Spurlin from Austin YC with 21 pts. They just nipped fourth place finisher Sean Nunes from Austin YC with 22 pts. A wind shift or two made the difference for 5th place finisher AKULA sailed by Rick Bell from Corpus Christi YC with 27 pts.
J/80s had a very competitive fleet of seven boats participating with several world and regional championship teams participating. Topping the fleet, un-surprisingly, was GC/ QUANTUM RACING sailed by the team of Terry Flynn & David Whelan, representing Fort Worth Boat Club. Against such formidable talent, it was a duel for the balance of the podium with PARSONS PROJECT skippered by Luke McAllum from Houston YC taking second with 18 pts. They narrowly beat out third place finisher HENDRIX sailed by Kurt Vanderwall from Dillon YC with 19 pts.
The eight boat J/105 class enjoyed close racing all weekend long. In fact, the last two races of the regatta completely turned the standings upside down. Closing with a strong 1-2, it was INFINITY’s Uzi Ozeri from Lakewood YC that took class honors with 18 pts total. Starting slowly with an 8th in the opening race, BLUE FLASH’s Matt Amo from Fort Worth Boat Club dialed in two bullets in the middle races, but was insufficient to overcome the strong closing of Ozeri’s crew, taking second overall with 20 pts. Sailing perhaps the most consistent regattas was JB Bednar’s STINGER from Lakewood YC with a total of 22 pts.
Over in PHRF handicap world, the J/PHRF Sym fleet saw Chris Aik’s FOOTLOOSE from Galveston Bay Cruising Association take first overall with 5 pts. Second was Glenn Stromme’s PRESS TO MECO from the Seabrook Marina Association with 12 pts. Taking third was TOCCATA’s Gary Trinklein from Galveston Bay Cruising Association.
The J/PHRF Asym fleet had a diverse fleet of seven boats. Taking first was the J/92 sailed by Kevin Hayes & Mike McGaugh from GBCA with 11 pts. Albrecht Goethe’s Lakewood YC team onboard the J/109 HAMBURG took second with 16.5 pts. Making its debut was the J/88 IT’s A THRILL sailed by J/Boats designer Rod Johnstone with 19 pts. For more J/Boats Southwest sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* J/24- The Grad School For World Championship Sailors? Ask Will Harris from Waterline Systems. Says Will, “In some circles, it’s cool to trash the J/24 “because it is hard”. Yep, it’s hard all right. It’s supposed to be.
With 35 years of tuning guides written by the likes of Dave Curtis, Vince Brun, Kenny Read, Terry Hutchinson, Ed Baird, Mark Ploch and Tim Healy, everyone can get the boat set up right. From there, it just boils down to sailing really, really well.
Tacking the genoa is hard, but the guy next to you is going to tack it perfectly. Getting five guys all in synch on maneuvers is hard; but again, the guy next to you is doing it. Crawling under the boom on tacks is kinda hard, but if I can do it- well just shut up.
It is no wonder the J/24 class has been the starting point for many sailors getting to the ISAF and US Sailing Hall of Fame!
Racing this past summer at the J/24 North Americans was a great reminder of the value of this class. When Mike Marshall of North Sails asked me to sail with him in the Newport event, I jumped at the chance. I was particularly psyched because I’d get to sail with a bunch of young guys – some of whom were not alive when I won my first NA’s. Mike, Tom King, and Mike Nicoletti are all in their 20s, while Nick Sertl was playing hooky from high school to sail the event.
Me – well let’s not talk about my five decades on Planet Earth— doh!
If I had to choose one word to describe a high level J/24 regatta, I’d suggest “relentless”. If you make any little mistake, you lose boats – every time. A bad start puts you in the “wayback” and the guys in front aren’t making mistakes. Even when you are way back, you can’t give up. Even the best guys are having those kinds of races occasionally. Every boat you can claw back is going to make a big difference in the point total at the end.
It is truly a game of inches in this class. If you are looking for an easy class to jump into and win with minimum effort, then I’d suggest that the J/24 class might not be your best choice. You’ll get killed! Try a Viper, Melges 20 or some other “easy” class.
That’s why I like sailing with the young dudes so much. Guys like Mike or Travis could probably crush in many classes. They are looking at the long game — scratching and clawing up the J/24 ranks is like grad school for sailors. Yup, not just a Masters, but a pHD in sailing if there were any in the world of sailing today!”
* J/111 Germany- PIRANHA Speed Sailing on Baltic Sea! The Piranha Department of Autobahn Speed presents its latest small cruise of the season 2013. Crazy Germans are we?! You bet. We LOVE sailing as fast as we can drive our cars (your basic Porsche, BMW or Mercedes) down the Autobahn in Germany, especially in the sinuous, windy curves of the famous Black Forest. Nevertheless, we digress! Recently, we had the opportunity to hop aboard the PIRANHA and take here “for a cruise” in the Baltic Sea, just your cool breeze howling out of the Northeast with 1-2.5 meter breaking waves and winds around 7 m/sec— really just your average small gale. It was a spectacular day of sailing for the PIRANHA crew! Record speed: 22.64 knots!! Yah! We are still learning how to sail this speedster faster. Any tips for us?? Please see our J/111 PIRANHA website to contact us. Here’s the sailing video of the J/111 PIRANHA on “cruise-control” in the Baltic Sea.
* Back to Work on North Sound- British Virgin Islands? Think about Will Harris’ comments above about J/24s. “The 11th Annual Scuttlebutt Sailing Club Championship, sponsored by GILL at the Bitter End Yacht Club, was just about as good as it gets in this sport we all love so much. Immodest? Of course, but methinks few (if any) would disagree,” said Scuttlebutt founder Tom Leweck (long-time J/Boats sailor).
After enjoying a layday on Wednesday, it was ”back to work” today on the North Sound. Five double sausage races were sailed in rock-solid Caribbean trade-wind conditions in five perfectly matched IC-24s (modified J/24s) – the same boats used for the BEYC’s Pro Am Regatta. The five skippers were BEYC resort guests who came to the BVI to crew for the rock star skippers in the Pro Am Regatta. This was their turn to shine. Each had qualified earlier in the week by racing Hobie Waves, Hobie Escapes, and Lasers.
The competition could not have been closer. After five races, the championship was decided by less than half a boat length. Defending Champion, I-14 sailor Ron Boehm from the Santa Barbara Yacht Club in California, nicked former Scuttlebutt Sailing Club Champion George Huntington, from New York’s Manhasset Bay Yacht Club, by a single point. Both Ryan Raber and John Paul Bilodeau from Maine’s Portland Yacht Club had qualified for the championship, but elected to team up and race an IC24 together. They finished in third place.
Earlier in the day the pros completed their final four Pro Am fleet races with the BEYC guests rotating through the crew spots on their boats. Match racing for the championship, based on the fleet racing standings, that began on Friday.
Standings after 12 races:
1. Zach Railey, 40
2. Alec Anderson, 46
3. Dave Ullman, 48
4. Dave Perry, 53
5. Paul Cayard, 58
6. Brad Dellenbaugh, 59
7. Stephanie Roble, 63
8. Taylor Canfield, 64 (World #1 in match race rankings!)
In spite of the fact that Alec Anderson had been named as a collegiate All-American in 2011, in 2012, and in 2013, many of the resort guests arriving at the Bitter End Yacht Club for the Pro Am Regatta were not familiar with his name. Well – they all know him now. Anderson has just become the BEYC’s 2013 Pro Am Champion.
Racing in a matched fleet of IC24s with guests of the BEYC rotating in and out of the crews of the eight invited pro skippers, Anderson took second place in the 12-race fleet racing qualifier – just four points behind former Olympic Silver Medallist Zach Railey. That was more than good enough to move him into the four-boat Semi Finals, where the format switched to match racing.
The recent graduate of sailing powerhouse Roger Williams University from Rhode Island had not done a lot of match racing in college, but was a quick study. In two very close races against Dave Ullman, he went 2-0, and advanced to the Finals. Now, the only thing standing between him and the championship was match race expert Dave Perry, who had just dispatched the fleet race winner Zach Riley, 2-1.
Once again, Anderson was flawless – defeating Perry 2-0 to become the youngest-ever Pro Am Champion. Perry had to settle for second place with Zach Railey capturing third by defeating Dave Ullman 2-0 in the Petit Finals. In the consultation round of match racing, Paul Cayard was 2-0 against Stephanie Roble to finish fifth overall.
What’s next for Anderson? He recently teamed with Chris Brockbank to campaign a 49er with hopes of representing the BVI in the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Remember the name Alec Anderson. No doubt you’ll hear it again.
The elite skippers (and Scuttlebutt founder Tom Leweck) at the 2013 ‘Fantasy Camp’:
- Alec Anderson, native BVI islander- 3-time College All American
- Taylor Canfield- World #1 ranked match racing, College All-American
- Paul Cayard- America’s Cup fame, Star World Champion
- Dave Perry- match racing and rules guru- Congressional Cup winner
- Zach Railey- Olympic medalist in the Finn
- Stephanie Roble- US #1 ranked match racing, College All-American
- Dave Ullman- too many accomplishments to list- National, European, World Champion 470s/ J/24s/ Melges 24s
Pro Am Facebook group. Bitter End YC sailing website.
* Sailors, Middies and “What Does the Fox Say”?! So, who is it to say that talent can’t be developed from the most remarkably goofy and crazy places amongst our friends and families around the world? OK, well not exactly AMERICAN IDOL, this crew at the US Naval Academy (along with help from their USNA Sailing Team) certainly have sufficient creative and innovative production capabilities to pull off one of the better take-offs from the wildly popular, remarkably viral, “music video” known worldwide as “What does the fox say”. For your weekend amusement, you have to see the original and the US Naval Academy “derivative” music video— perhaps one of the best “take-offs” ever (other than an F-18 catapult off a US Navy nuclear aircraft carrier!!). The original Finland production of “What Does the Fox Say”? The US Naval Academy Un-Official Sailor Middies Production (Editor’s Note- we do not know anyone in this video).
With 35 years of tuning guides written by the likes of Dave Curtis, Vince Brun, Kenny Read, Terry Hutchinson, Ed Baird, Mark Ploch and Tim Healy, everyone can get the boat set up right. From there, it just boils down to sailing really, really well.
Tacking the genoa is hard, but the guy next to you is going to tack it perfectly. Getting five guys all in synch on maneuvers is hard; but again, the guy next to you is doing it. Crawling under the boom on tacks is kinda hard, but if I can do it- well just shut up.
It is no wonder the J/24 class has been the starting point for many sailors getting to the ISAF and US Sailing Hall of Fame!
Racing this past summer at the J/24 North Americans was a great reminder of the value of this class. When Mike Marshall of North Sails asked me to sail with him in the Newport event, I jumped at the chance. I was particularly psyched because I’d get to sail with a bunch of young guys – some of whom were not alive when I won my first NA’s. Mike, Tom King, and Mike Nicoletti are all in their 20s, while Nick Sertl was playing hooky from high school to sail the event.
Me – well let’s not talk about my five decades on Planet Earth— doh!
If I had to choose one word to describe a high level J/24 regatta, I’d suggest “relentless”. If you make any little mistake, you lose boats – every time. A bad start puts you in the “wayback” and the guys in front aren’t making mistakes. Even when you are way back, you can’t give up. Even the best guys are having those kinds of races occasionally. Every boat you can claw back is going to make a big difference in the point total at the end.
It is truly a game of inches in this class. If you are looking for an easy class to jump into and win with minimum effort, then I’d suggest that the J/24 class might not be your best choice. You’ll get killed! Try a Viper, Melges 20 or some other “easy” class.
That’s why I like sailing with the young dudes so much. Guys like Mike or Travis could probably crush in many classes. They are looking at the long game — scratching and clawing up the J/24 ranks is like grad school for sailors. Yup, not just a Masters, but a pHD in sailing if there were any in the world of sailing today!”
* J/111 Germany- PIRANHA Speed Sailing on Baltic Sea! The Piranha Department of Autobahn Speed presents its latest small cruise of the season 2013. Crazy Germans are we?! You bet. We LOVE sailing as fast as we can drive our cars (your basic Porsche, BMW or Mercedes) down the Autobahn in Germany, especially in the sinuous, windy curves of the famous Black Forest. Nevertheless, we digress! Recently, we had the opportunity to hop aboard the PIRANHA and take here “for a cruise” in the Baltic Sea, just your cool breeze howling out of the Northeast with 1-2.5 meter breaking waves and winds around 7 m/sec— really just your average small gale. It was a spectacular day of sailing for the PIRANHA crew! Record speed: 22.64 knots!! Yah! We are still learning how to sail this speedster faster. Any tips for us?? Please see our J/111 PIRANHA website to contact us. Here’s the sailing video of the J/111 PIRANHA on “cruise-control” in the Baltic Sea.* Back to Work on North Sound- British Virgin Islands? Think about Will Harris’ comments above about J/24s. “The 11th Annual Scuttlebutt Sailing Club Championship, sponsored by GILL at the Bitter End Yacht Club, was just about as good as it gets in this sport we all love so much. Immodest? Of course, but methinks few (if any) would disagree,” said Scuttlebutt founder Tom Leweck (long-time J/Boats sailor).
After enjoying a layday on Wednesday, it was ”back to work” today on the North Sound. Five double sausage races were sailed in rock-solid Caribbean trade-wind conditions in five perfectly matched IC-24s (modified J/24s) – the same boats used for the BEYC’s Pro Am Regatta. The five skippers were BEYC resort guests who came to the BVI to crew for the rock star skippers in the Pro Am Regatta. This was their turn to shine. Each had qualified earlier in the week by racing Hobie Waves, Hobie Escapes, and Lasers.
The competition could not have been closer. After five races, the championship was decided by less than half a boat length. Defending Champion, I-14 sailor Ron Boehm from the Santa Barbara Yacht Club in California, nicked former Scuttlebutt Sailing Club Champion George Huntington, from New York’s Manhasset Bay Yacht Club, by a single point. Both Ryan Raber and John Paul Bilodeau from Maine’s Portland Yacht Club had qualified for the championship, but elected to team up and race an IC24 together. They finished in third place.
Earlier in the day the pros completed their final four Pro Am fleet races with the BEYC guests rotating through the crew spots on their boats. Match racing for the championship, based on the fleet racing standings, that began on Friday.
Standings after 12 races:
1. Zach Railey, 40
2. Alec Anderson, 46
3. Dave Ullman, 48
4. Dave Perry, 53
5. Paul Cayard, 58
6. Brad Dellenbaugh, 59
7. Stephanie Roble, 63
8. Taylor Canfield, 64 (World #1 in match race rankings!)
In spite of the fact that Alec Anderson had been named as a collegiate All-American in 2011, in 2012, and in 2013, many of the resort guests arriving at the Bitter End Yacht Club for the Pro Am Regatta were not familiar with his name. Well – they all know him now. Anderson has just become the BEYC’s 2013 Pro Am Champion.
Racing in a matched fleet of IC24s with guests of the BEYC rotating in and out of the crews of the eight invited pro skippers, Anderson took second place in the 12-race fleet racing qualifier – just four points behind former Olympic Silver Medallist Zach Railey. That was more than good enough to move him into the four-boat Semi Finals, where the format switched to match racing.
The recent graduate of sailing powerhouse Roger Williams University from Rhode Island had not done a lot of match racing in college, but was a quick study. In two very close races against Dave Ullman, he went 2-0, and advanced to the Finals. Now, the only thing standing between him and the championship was match race expert Dave Perry, who had just dispatched the fleet race winner Zach Riley, 2-1.
Once again, Anderson was flawless – defeating Perry 2-0 to become the youngest-ever Pro Am Champion. Perry had to settle for second place with Zach Railey capturing third by defeating Dave Ullman 2-0 in the Petit Finals. In the consultation round of match racing, Paul Cayard was 2-0 against Stephanie Roble to finish fifth overall.
What’s next for Anderson? He recently teamed with Chris Brockbank to campaign a 49er with hopes of representing the BVI in the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Remember the name Alec Anderson. No doubt you’ll hear it again.
The elite skippers (and Scuttlebutt founder Tom Leweck) at the 2013 ‘Fantasy Camp’:
- Alec Anderson, native BVI islander- 3-time College All American
- Taylor Canfield- World #1 ranked match racing, College All-American
- Paul Cayard- America’s Cup fame, Star World Champion
- Dave Perry- match racing and rules guru- Congressional Cup winner
- Zach Railey- Olympic medalist in the Finn
- Stephanie Roble- US #1 ranked match racing, College All-American
- Dave Ullman- too many accomplishments to list- National, European, World Champion 470s/ J/24s/ Melges 24s
Pro Am Facebook group. Bitter End YC sailing website.
* Sailors, Middies and “What Does the Fox Say”?! So, who is it to say that talent can’t be developed from the most remarkably goofy and crazy places amongst our friends and families around the world? OK, well not exactly AMERICAN IDOL, this crew at the US Naval Academy (along with help from their USNA Sailing Team) certainly have sufficient creative and innovative production capabilities to pull off one of the better take-offs from the wildly popular, remarkably viral, “music video” known worldwide as “What does the fox say”. For your weekend amusement, you have to see the original and the US Naval Academy “derivative” music video— perhaps one of the best “take-offs” ever (other than an F-18 catapult off a US Navy nuclear aircraft carrier!!). The original Finland production of “What Does the Fox Say”? The US Naval Academy Un-Official Sailor Middies Production (Editor’s Note- we do not know anyone in this video).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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