Get Ready for Spring Boat Shows!(Newport, RI)- There are a number of boat shows to visit in the northern hemisphere that can provide you not only a break from the crazy weather that has been criss-crossing the Americas, UK & Europe, but also an opportunity to “talk shop”, dream about sailing on sunny, warm days, and learn about some of the latest offerings from the J/Boats design team.
J/88 @ Boston Boat Show
Boston J/Dealer Hill & Lowden will be displaying the new, award-winning, J/88 at the New England Boat Show that is held along the Boston’s SE waterfront at the Convention & civic center. The J/88 will be on display from February 22nd to March 2nd at Booth# 1838. Please be sure to contact George Lowden at cell# 617-678-8164 or visit their website at http://www.HillLowden.com For more New England Boat Show news and information
J/70 @ Stockholm Show
Peter Johansson and the Marstrand Yachts team will be attending the Stockholm Boat Show with the new J/70 on display from March 1st to 9th. For more information on the J/70, please be sure to contact Peter Johansson at ph# +46 (0)735 430 800 or email- peter.johansson@marstrandyachts.com or Skype: peter.r.johansson. For more Stockholm Boat Show news and information
J/Teams @ Border Run Party!(San Diego, CA)- Starting on February 22, the “come one, come all” Border Run Race is the first, point to point, international ocean race of the 2014 Southern California offshore yachting season. Part of the Ullman Offshore Series, the Border Run is for experts and beginners alike. With three courses to choose from, starting from Newport and sailing to Dana Point or San Diego, the Border Run offers sailors of all skill levels a great time. The Border Run has always been about inclusion, fun and competition.
In order to ensure that all members of the family, from the sailors to kids and friends alike, are having a wonderful time, the BRR makes every effort to be inclusive of everyone ashore, too! Three Parties are an integral part of the camaraderie of the event: the Newport Send-Off Party; the Dana Point Trophy Party; and the San Diego Trophy Party.
While sailing and having fun is the underlying theme, there is a “higher calling” for those sailors so inclined during this event for “matters of the heart”. In the last three years, the sailors of the Border Run have raised over $75,000 for LLS, City2Sea and the Craig Williams Memorial Fund. This year the teams will be helping to raise money to help another worthy cause!
J/Teams are participating in two of the three courses on offer to the sailors. On the San Diego course there are 50 boats sailing including the following J sailors:
In PHRF Light B Division, competing for silver are the J/111 STAMPEDE sailed by Glenn Griley from King Harbor YC and the J/133 FORGIVENESS skippered by Joe Simpkins. In the PHRF Light C Division, there are two J/124s dueling for class honors include Seth Hall’s famous MARISOL and Tim Harmon’s CIRRUS.
Taking the Dana Point course with 42 other boats is the J/120 ADIOS sailed by Peter Bretschger. Everyone is hoping the “Pineapple Express” weather systems that have started to bedevil the West Coast don’t materialize with big breeze and tropical downpours of blinding rain! For more Border Run International Race sailing information
RORC 600 vs J/374(English Harbour, Antigua)- The sixth edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 may be proving irresistible to yacht racing teams from all over the world as they head to the starting line on Monday, February 24th. With 65 entries, a record entry for this “young” event, the fleet has an excellent combination of characters and deeply talented sailors partaking in what may become one of the “new” classics of offshore sailing.
Amongst the fleet of boats flying the flags from at least eleven different countries are 374 meters of J/Boats that will be sailing against some of the worlds best super-yachts, Mini-Maxis, and good Lord knows what else, all crewed by passionate amateurs and world-famous sailors.
The northern hemisphere is currently experiencing some of the worst winter weather on record but well over 500 sailors are rubbing their hands together, relishing the prospect of racing around 11 Caribbean islands against highly competitive opposition.The Caribbean is, without doubt, one of yacht racing's most exhilarating playgrounds as warm trade winds and Caribbean swell provide superb sailing conditions. The RORC Caribbean 600 course, starting and finishing in Antigua, is designed to provide a challenging, high speed racetrack and its popularity has grown, year on year, since 2009. And, three J/Teams are ready to “throw down the gauntlet” and enjoy sailing around one of the most gorgeous race-tracks on the planet. Can’t beat taking in some of the world’s most poshest “play-pens” as marks of the course!
Leading the assault on division and overall honors may be Chris Dowling’s J/145 ACE, she was last seen taking silverware with designer Rod Johnstone aboard during the PalmaVela Regatta in Palma Mallorca, Spain a few years back.
While she may have changed hands from that famous gang from Miami, the J/120 EL OCASO is going to be sailed by the “600nm Club” which, as mysterious as they wish to be, will be unveiled soon! They are a crew not to be short-changed at Ladbroke’s Betting Parlour on this race. Finally, the proverbial “sleeper” in this race could easily be the highly regarded French team of women sailors led by the avant-garde captain, Sophie Olivaud, on her J/109 ALBACOR IV. As a double-handed team, Sophie has won numerous offshore contests in France and the Caribbean and she’s determined to demonstrate her crew are up to the task of “the 600”, too! For more RORC Caribbean 600 Race sailing information
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
The midwinter sailing circuit north of the equator continues to be be-deviled by the crazily meandering jet-stream (perhaps it has its own “crazy Ivan” mode) while those “down under” continue to enjoy relatively benign sailing conditions. J/24s are getting ready for the second half of their summer season in Australia and J/70s and J/24s in South America all have significant upcoming regattas in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Peru and Chile! Busy place that is for “sud-Americanos”!In Central America, the J/24 sailors on Valle de Bravo, that gorgeous mountain lake an hour west of Mexico City, are gearing up for the upcoming J/24 North Americans in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Their recent regatta, Triple Cup Scappino, was recently hosted by Club Nauticos Valle de Bravo this past weekend.
Not so far NNE, the J/22 Midwinters were hosted by Southern YC in New Orleans, LA on the wonderfully choppy and shifty Lake Ponchartrain. Across the Gulf of Mexico from them, the Sperry Top-Sider St Petersburg NOOD Regatta was being sailed on Tampa Bay and hosted by St Petersburg YC. Numerous J/Teams were sailing in J/24s, J/70s and in PHRF handicap divisions.
In the “that’s amazing” department, a growing fleet of J/80s in Chennai, India recently co-hosted a “water show” with the Indian Coast Guard Service, promoting sailing to thousands of children and conveying the message that sailing is a “green, eco-friendly” family activity.
Finally, don’t miss in the community section some of the amazing photos taken by the famous photographer, Carlo Borlenghi, of the Flying Russians! Not on trapezes at the Moscow Circus or with Rudolf Nureyev jumping around in the Moscow Ballet, but the waterborne variety!
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:
Feb 19-23- J/24 Midwinters- Coral Reef YC- Coconut Grove, FLMar 7-9- J/105 Midwinters- Lakewood YC- Seabrook, TX
Mar 6-9- Bacardi Miami Sailing Week (70,80)- Coconut Grove, FL
Mar 14-16- San Diego NOOD Regatta- San Diego YC- San Diego, CA
Mar 16-21- J/24 North Americans- Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Mar 16- Apr 27- Warsash Spring Series- Warsash, England
Mar 28-30- Quantum J/70 Winter Series- Davis Island YC- Tampa, FL
Apr 10-13- Charleston Race Week (22, 24, 70, 80, PHRF)- Charleston, SC
Apr 17-21- SPI OUEST Regatta- La Trinite-sur-Mer, France
Apr 26-May 3- J/22 World Championship- Deneysville, South Africa
May 2-4- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis YC- Annapolis, MD
May 16-18- J/22 North Americans- Annapolis YC- Annapolis, MD
May 16-18- Seattle NOOD Regatta- Seattle, WA
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
FATS Crushes J/22 Midwinters(New Orleans, LA)- The famous and extremely gracious hosts at Southern YC really did provide the J/22 sailors with classic, southern-style, red-carpet treatment. Ordering up a bit of sun for all three days along with reasonable breezes, the 22 sailors couldn’t have asked for a better experience! Sailed over the Valentine’s Day weekend, from February 14th to 16th, the Wells Fargo Advisors J/22 Midwinters saw some great racing amongst the fleet of twenty-six teams from across America. And, as anticipated, several teams with championship pedigree ruled the roost.
Snagging the lead on Day One and, seemingly, never looking back, was local hotshot Benz Faget sailing FATS (e.g. the short name for world-famous New Orleans jazz musician- “Fats Domino”) with crew Devon Sweeney (cockpit) and Randall Richmond (bow). They must’ve been blessed by Fats himself since they could do no wrong, sailing to top four finishes in all four races on the first day and continuing an excellent performance to be crowned the 2014 J/22 Midwinter Champion.
On the first day, the teams took to the waters of Lake Pontchartrain in puffy breezes that began around 10 knots and increased throughout the day to 18. Competitors experienced 10 degree shifts, ratcheting to the right. Faget’s team on FATS recorded a line of 3-2-4-1 for 10 points. Terry Flynn’s TEJAS also kept their scores in the top four with a tally of 2-4-2-4 for 12 points, and Chris Doyle’s “THE JUG 4 1” was just one point behind in third place with 13 points.
The top three in Friday’s races were constantly shifting among the same few boats. Chris Doyle started the regatta with a win, followed by Flynn and Faget. Chris Doyle took another bullet in race two, with Faget in second and Kevin Doyle in third. It was Chris Doyle again winning race three with Flynn in second and Chris Wientjes in third. Faget moved to the top spot in the day’s final contest, trailed by Canada’s Ron Harris and Kevin Doyle.On the second day of racing, the FATS boys retained their lead after some tough sailing. Winds began at 10-12 knots, but slowly declined over the next few hours to 4-6 kts. The Race Committee attempted to start a third race, but were forced to abandon as the wind died, sending teams to shore in advance of the competitors’ evening party in the truly infamous “French Quarter” in downtown New Orleans.
The locals excelled in Saturday’s first race, as Dwight Leblanc’s DL III took top honors, with Zak Fanberg’s WILD TCHOUPITOULAS and David Loeb’s LA JOLIE VIE rounding out the top three. Faget captured victory in the day’s only other contest. Kevin Doyle’s MO’MONEY placed second, and Leblanc third.
Faget’s FATS placed eighth in race five, but was able to toss that score. He won race six, leaving him with a line of 3-2-4-1-1 for 11 points, three ahead of second-place Chris Doyle’s “THE JUG 4 1”. Terry Flynn’s TEJAS dropped to third with 24 points.For the last day of racing on Sunday, the conditions on Lake Pontchartrain on Sunday featured light breezes, between 5-6 knots. The local competitors ruled the day, as David Loeb’s LA JOLIE VIE took victory in Sunday’s first race. Richard Heausler’s FAST COMPANY was second, and Faget third. Chip Carpenter’s WIZARD snagged the win in the next contest, trailed by Faget and Dwight Leblanc’s DL III. Faget closed out the championship with a bullet, as Dale Currie’s SUPPER CLUB and Fanberg followed.
In the end, Faget said about his championship performance, “these guys are a good team together and there’s nothing like sailing in your own backyard!” He also attributed their consistent performance to more time on the boat, including last year’s J/22 World Championship in Newport, RI.
Behind FATS in the overall standings was Chris Doyle’s “The Jug 4 1” from Youngstown, NY and another New Orleans local, Zak Fanberg, sailed well to grab the bronze with his team on WILD TCHOUPITOULAS. Rounding out the top five were Kevin Doyle (49 pts) and Terry Flynn (50 pts). For more J/22 Midwinters sailing information
CATAPULT Launched @ NOODBUCKAROO Kicks J/24s, J/29s Sweep PHRF 2
(St Petersburg, FL)- The sailors at this year’s Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta were blessed with good sailing conditions for two of the three days on Tampa Bay. Over the long Valentine’s Day to President’s Day weekend, the forty-five J’s sailing were treated to a well-run regatta by host St Petersburg YC. After an on-shore postponement the first day, the breeze picked up for a nice afternoon of sailing. Breezy, shifty conditions made for a great second day on the water on the Bay. Unfortunately, the third day was a total “glass-out” all day.
Starting with the world of sailing classic J/24s, the twelve boat fleet saw extremely competitive racing with a surprising outcome from the perspective of the local hotshots— the sailors “who came in from the cold” of the Great North trumped highly regarded American J/24 teams!
While many expected the pre-regatta favorite Robby Brown on USA 799 to be one of the top boats overall, not many were expecting “the Canadians” to thaw out quick enough and sail hot and fast in sunny southern Florida. After winning three of five races, compiling a record of 3-1-1-4-1 for 10 pts, Dave Odgen and his merry bandits from Toronto, Ontario aboard BUCKAROO certainly deserved their win. Brown’s team from St Petersburg, FL sailed well, perhaps a bit shell-shocked by the Canadian’s performance, and managed to amass a 4-2-3-1-3 tally for 13 pts, good enough for second overall. Taking third was another Canadian team, this time from one of the eastern provinces. Ben Maloney’s crew on LIFTED, hailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia, started off fast with a bullet, then sailed consistently to capture the last spot on the podium with a 1-7-4-2-5 record for 19 pts. The balance of the top five was Tom Kane’s Chicago, IL crew on HONEY BADGER taking fourth on a tie-breaker over Dave Mendelblatt’s team on FAT LADY from St Petersburg, FL.In the PHRF handicap arena, the trio of J/29s swept their class, dueling for class supremacy all weekend long. Ray Mannix on SEMPER FI from Largo, FL took the honors with a stunning five straight bullets! Just behind them it was a battle for second and third overall for the other two J/29s, both with all finishes in the top three! The Mui/ Kennalley/ Davies trio from Chicago, IL on MEATLOAF/ FAMILY CIRCUS outlasted their colleagues, taking the silver with a 3-2-2-3-2 record for 12 pts. On the losing end of the fight was local Tampa Bay guru Harvey Ford sailing WILDKAT to a 2-3-3-2-3 scoreline for 13 pts.
A fleet of twenty-eight J/70s participated in this year’s ST PETE NOOD, a collection of teams that have sailed both the Key West J/70 Midwinters and the Quantum Winter Series at Davis Island YC just across Tampa Bay. The J/70 class emerged as this year’s most competitive by far. The 28-boat fleet was the regatta’s largest and saw dramatic jockeying atop the leader board. The day began with Jud Smith and crew aboard AFRICA leading the class, however three consecutive first-place finishes to start Friday’s racing launched Minneapolis-based skipper Joel Ronning into the lead. Ronning and crew, on the aptly-named Catapult, sprung into the class’s top-spot by making quick, tactical decisions and flawlessly executing their sailing strategies in choppy waters.After the dust settled, it was pretty obvious that Joel Ronning’s team on CATAPULT had not only another gear upwind and downwind to sail fast, but they used that ability to get themselves out of trouble to win the regatta by ten points. Ronning’s crew amassed a 2-1-1-1-2 record for 7 pts; they were followed by Jud Smith’s AFRICA in second with a 1-2-6-2-6 score for 17 pts and third was Mark Ploch’s SUGAR DADDY with a steady 3-3-3-3-8 line for 20 pts. Will Welles’s RASCAL was fourth and Martie Kullmans’ TOUCH2PLAY was fifth.
Sailing aboard Ronning’s team was a crew that consisted of Bill Hardesty calling tactics, Willem van Waay as cockpit and “guest star” Meredith Powlison from SAILING WORLD magazine. Meredith was a last minute recruit and wrote a blog report about her experience and “lessons learned” on the winning boat. She provided some good insight on what it took win the regatta.
Here’s Meredith’s report on Day One:
“‘I’d rather work on boats peed than takedowns,’ Bill Hardesty says the day before racing. ‘If you’re ahead of everyone, the takedown will just happen.’
We’re talking about our plan for the day ahead at the 2014 Sperry Top-Sider St. Petersburg NOOD Regatta. A few hours earlier, Hardesty and Joel Ronning pulled me aside at registration and asked if I could sail for the weekend on Ronning’s J/70 Catapult, as winter storm Pax has cancelled the flight of their fourth crew.
So we sort out the specifics of the day ahead, and how to get me up to speed fast in a boat I’ve never spent significant time in.
But Hardesty’s words ring true when the AP is lowered the following day, in mid-afternoon, and we head out to the course for the one and only race of the day. The breeze builds to 5-10 knots as we get out to our circle, and the guys take the time to sail upwind as Willem van Waay locks in our rig tune. We discuss the jib car location and then spin back down to grab our starting sequence.With a clean lane and our bow out off the start, we find our boat speed and get far away enough from traffic to play the shifts. We round the windward mark in the top five, and then take starboard jibe out to the leeward layline. With a good header, we jibe, round the favored gate, and head back upwind.
The leader’s too far ahead to catch, but we make our move to solidify second place by playing the righthand side of the course.
It’s a nice calm race to start the regatta with, and a good reminder that no matter who you’re sailing with, if you can get around the course faster than the other boats, you’re set up for success.”
For Day Two, Meredith exclaimed, “patience was a virtue in St Pete”:
“As we reached a lull on the right side of the course, with most of the fleet to weather and lifted, our race looked grim. We wondered whether the left shift was persistent, whether we’d missed our chance and would be putting more points on the board than we’d have liked to.
In the 28-boat J/70 fleet at the Sperry Top-Sider St. Petersburg NOOD, consistency was paying off. Joel, Bill, Willem, and I posted three first-places finishes on this second day of racing. Boat speed, good starts, and staying in phase in the shifty, puffy 10-15 knot conditions were key.
The first beat of this fourth and final race of the day was not ideal. We’d started near the boat and tacked onto port, the lifted tack, soon after. As the fleet to weather of us tacked and continued to be lifted, however, we held on to the right and continued to work to find the next shift.
As the breeze started to oscillate and head us farther up the course, we breathed a collective sigh of relief. “I wasn’t going to tack and go behind 15 boats,” says Hardesty.
It paid off to stick to our guns and stay in phase, looking upwind for the next shift.
By the top of the beat, we’d caught up to second place and held that position to the end. Even though our race was looking ugly, it paid off to stick to our guns and stay in phase, looking upwind for the next shift.”
After the final day of racing, Meredith asked Hardesty for their Five Key’s to success at St Pete:
“As we waited for breeze that never filled in on the third day at the 2014 Sperry Top-Sider St. Petersburg NOOD, I took the opportunity to consider what made our weekend so successful on board the J/70 Catapult. Skipper Joel Ronning, Bill Hardesty, Willem van Waay, and I sailed a consistent, smart regatta that led to a win for the weekend. With Hardesty’s help, I came up with five keys to success in the 28-boat fleet in yesterday’s puffy 10-15 knot conditions.
Keep it boring: Communicate your plan clearly and early. From picking which side of the course you want in the pre-start, to deciding on a gate, to knowing whether to launch the spinnaker at the windward mark or offset, make it clear so there are no surprises. As Hardesty says, “Keep it boring.”
Options off the line: After the start, we always had the ability to either hold our lane and continue on starboard, or tack if we wanted to, rather than having others dictate the first portion of the beat. We never tried to win an end of the starting line but instead found clean lanes toward the end that was favored. With our options open, we could head toward the favored side and start to leg out with speed--watch the video from our second race for more:
Choosing modes downwind: With puffy, shifty conditions on the second day, we alternated between planing and displacement mode. In the puffs, we’d be hiking with the jib out. In the lulls, we’d move forward and to leeward, and furl the jib up. Whenever conditions were on the edge, we discussed what the best mode would be and then committed to that.
Communicate the big picture: Hardesty asked van Waay and I to give big-picture input to him and Ronning whenever we could— things like: “Three minutes to the next wind line.” In addition to our calls on puffs, chop, and boat speed, these big-picture items ensure that everyone’s on the same page, and that you won’t tack short of the next pressure line.
Boat speed first: This tip is so crucial that it bears repeating. As Hardesty said the day before the regatta, “I’d rather work on boat speed than takedowns. If you’re ahead of everyone, the takedown will just happen.” We made sure our settings were just right before the race and then used our speed to get away from the pack and sail our own race. While Ronning, Hardesty, and van Waay were dialed in with the crew mechanics, I was learning on the fly for my first J/70 regatta. Pulling away from the fleet gave us that extra wiggle room to ensure that no major errors were made around the marks.”
Here is a sailing video of CATAPULT from race 2- it’s a great sequence of teamwork at the start, windward mark, chute set, gybe, take-down, and final mark-rounding. Sailing Photo credits- Daniela Clark- http://www.photoboat.com For more Sperry Top-sider St Pete NOOD sailing information
Club J/80 Promotes Chennai Waterfront Festival(Chennai, India)- Located in Chennai, the Royal Madras Yacht Club (RMYC) was the first sailing Club in the South of India. It was founded in 1911 by the then Chairman of The Madras Port Trust– Mr. Francis Spring. Now, a century later, you will find that RMYC is still pursuing the ideals laid down at the very beginning. The Club’s primary purpose is “to promote the sport of sailing” in all its aspects. The RMYC members pride themselves in being an active, inclusive and family-friendly Sailing Club, working together to encourage participation in the sport— old or young, experienced or novice they welcome all those whose aim is to have “fun” on the waters.
Recently, members of RMYC created CLUB J/80 and put on a show with the Indian Coast Guard Service and the Tamilnadu Marine Police during the Chennai Waterfront Festival. The messaging was- to promote sailing as an “eco-friendly, green boating activity”.Each of the J/80s participating took up to ten people aboard, including family and friends. There were thousands lined up on the marina beach to enjoy the spectacular J/80s sailing back and forth on 16th Jan 2014.
These are some of the pictures taken from a helicopter hovering around the J 80s, with the setting sun and the city in the background.
The report from the Hindu Times.com follows:
“On Thursday, as people thronged the beach, some may have noticed a number of specks on the sea, close yet far out of reach.
A chopper circled overhead, a hovercraft periodically went up and down the sea, and a couple of sailboats and Coast Guard boats bobbed on the waves, keeping watch on the bay. There were also a few divers on the shore waiting to grab that errant person who managed to venture into the sea through the makeshift barricades.The Coast Guard began its vigil of the coast a little after mid-day and continued until midnight, along the Marina and Elliot’s beaches in Chennai. Smaller boats patrolled the sea in Puducherry, Karaikkal, Tuticorin and Mandapam,” said S.P. Sharma, Commander, Indian Coast Guard (east).
The Coast Guard’s patrol boats sliced through the waves, while two J/80 class sailboats with Coast Guard and RMYC (Royal Madras Yacht Club) logo’s printed on the sail propagated the Coast Guard motto: “To maintain a pollution-free, green ocean.”
Mr. Sharma said, “The seeds were sown on February 1, 1977, when the Coast Guard began policing the sea. Their association with RMYC would help build the character of the youth when they sailed the seas and understand its behavior,” he said.
“The State, with its well-prepared Coast Guard patrol team, had not lost any fisherman to the spate of cyclones that rocked it last year,” said Mr. Sharma.
Recently, the Coast Guard added two more Dornier aircraft to the existing three. The State government had also allocated 50 acres to create an air station for the Coast Guard with the aim of making it easy to patrol the northern parts of the Indian Ocean.
The Coast Guard is in the process of acquiring the land. “When that happens, we will be able to reach the Gulf of Mannar (region) faster. It now takes a long time to reach from Chennai,” he said.
“The water-jet-propelled patrol boat, AADESH, which was recently commissioned at Cochin shipyard is expected to arrive soon and will be stationed in Tuticorin to patrol the Gulf of Mannar,” said Mr. Sharma. Thanks for contribution from “The Hindu”.
For more information about sailing J/80s in India as well as the Royal Madras YC sailing program (http://www.rmyc.in/), please contact- Sunil Lobo- lobosunil@hotmail.com
Porter Wins Triple Cup Scappino
(Valle de Bravo, Mexico)- Over this past weekend, the large fleet of J/24s sailing on Valle de Bravo enjoyed a nice weekend of sailing in the “Triple Scappino Cup”. For many in the eighteen boat fleet, it served as a “warm-up” and training program for their crews as the focus on the J/24 North Americans being held in the middle of March in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Club Náutico Valle de Bravo hosted and organized the Triple Cup Scappino. They were blessed with decent weather conditions on the the lake with winds between 6-7 knots, gusting 10 to 14 knots for most of the weekend.
Taking the overall win was a familiar team at the head of the pack, TEAM S, with skipper Kenneth Porter and crew of Kenneth Porter Jr., Gerrit Gentry, Luis Vázquez Mota and Luis Vázquez Mota Jr. Giving them strong competition both days was the second place team on TA’LENTO, helmed by Luis Alvarez and sailing with his mostly family crew of Sharon Alvarez, Patricio Alvarez, Walter Porter and Andrew Alvarado. Taking the last spot on the podium was TRINQUETTE sailed by Javier Velásquez, Mirsha Herrera, Emigdio Jimenez, Genaro Ozuna and Infanzón Ramirez.
The Valle de Bravo J/24 fleet also was to “congratulate” and “welcome back” Hugo Martínez, Rafael Villasante , Alfonso and Victor Serrano and Victor to the fleet!
For more Mexican J/24 sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* The Flying Russians! Not on trapezes in the Moscow Circus or Rudolf Nureyev leaping about in the Moscow Ballet version, but the waterborne version!! Sailing in this year’s YC Monaco Primo Cup- Credit Suisse Regatta were two Russian J/70 teams.The “veterans” of the Primo Cup were Grigory Aksenov and Dmitry Zaritckii sailing on their now famous J/70 MOJO. If you recall, last year Grigory and Dmitry picked up their J/70 at J/Composites European boat-building headquarters in Les Sables d’Olonne, France and drove to Monte Carlo, Monaco for their first J/70 regatta ever. In fact, they were un-packing the boat and learning how to piece everything together as they rigged MOJO to go sailing for their first time! TEAM MOJO loved their experience at the Primo Cup Regatta and promised to return.
In the meantime, Grigory and Dmitry drove the 1,100 miles back from Monaco to Kaliningrad, Russia, at the easternmost reaches of the Baltic Sea— in a snow storm! If that weren’t enough travel for one month, this dynamic duo then took the mighty MOJO to display the J/70 in the Moscow Boat Show! It was, in fact, the first time a J/Boat has ever been displayed in the Moscow Show. As they left Moscow, it was only appropriate they create another “first” for the J/70 and proceeded to befriend the local Moscow Police and took a “tour” of the famous Red Square and took photos of MOJO in front of the Kremlin!! With a successful year of promoting J/70s in Russia, Dmitry hitched up MOJO again and took her down to Monaco for their second appearance in the Primo Cup. TEAM MOJO sailed well and managed to finish eighth. Perhaps equally as important is that Igor Raspopov, Founder and CEO of the MARC Sailing Club in Russia, chartered a J/70 to also participate in this year’s Primo Cup.
According to Raspopov, “We’re really proud to be a part of the worldwide J/70 sailing family! More than that, we are doing our best with friends to develop the J/70 class in Russia and to invite fellow Russians to sail J/70s in Russia and throughout Europe.
We founded a Russian-Italian sailing club called M.A.R.C. (http://www.marcsail.com) that is based on Lake Garda in Italy and I have been working closely with my friend Dimitry from Kaliningrad. As we participate in upcoming J/70 events in Europe and Russia, we will provide you reports about our team’s activities!
We also sail J/80s and will organize an amateur Match Race event from April 2nd to 6th at Riva del Garda with the support of Fraglia Vela Riva del Garda, together with the other J/80 events during the year on the French Riviera and Italy.
Also, we plan to participate in some IRC regattas like Giraglia Rolex Cup in St Tropez, France and San Remo, Italy and Copa del Rey in Palma Mallorca, Spain on a J/109 and J/122. Such events enable us to give to give our MARC Sailing Club beginners a unique opportunity to try sailing J/Boats. This is our goal! Growing sailing in Russia has been fun and people LOVE it once they discover how fun it can be!”In the end, both Russian J/70 teams can bring back memories of an absolutely epic sailing experience on the last day, with “fresh to frightening” conditions with ginormous 10-12 ft waves and 15-25 kt winds. Those memories have been forever captured by “the Master”, Carlo Borlenghi, the world renown yachting photographer who was on-hand shooting photos for YC Monaco. Also on hand were Team MOJO’s friend “Elena”, she captured some poignant moments of Team MOJO in the yacht harbour. Sailing photo credits- YC Monaco/ Carlo Borlenghi and Elena Otekina- https://www.facebook.com/elena.otekina.
Please contact Igor Raspopov to learn more about Sailing Club MARC and their sailing programs. Contact Igor at email- gorazionelson@gmail.com
* For many J/Sailors and friends in the New England area, we offer our “best wishes” & condolences to those who knew Paul deNapoli well. A life-long sailor from Marblehead, MA, Paul passed away in his sleep on 15 February, 2014 due to complications from Alzheimer's, at the age of 89. Beloved husband of the late Phyllis C. deNapoli, and the late Katherine V. deNapoli, Paul leaves behind his son Paul (“Fred”) deNapoli, his daughter Dyan deNapoli, his sister Ann Regan, his loving companion Ann Hawthorn-Bouras, along with dozens of nieces and nephews. A veteran of World War II, Paul served in an Army Air Force Combat Cargo unit operating in India and Burma, maintaining aircraft flying over the infamous “hump” of the Himalayan Mountains. He graduated from Northeastern in engineering and quickly rose to prominence, being promoted to chief engineer at Hayden Harding & Buchanan at a very young age. He went on to found Costello Lamasney & deNapoli in Manchester, N.H., where he collected several Engineering Achievement of the Year Awards. Outside of work, Paul was an accomplished sailor with an extensive resume of both blue water and one design racing. He was instrumental in the founding of Marblehead’s Ensign, Soling, and Etchells classes, very nearly winning the J/30 North American championships, raced to Bermuda and Halifax, worked as a professional instructor for both Colgate and J/World sailing schools, coached blind sailors at the Courageous Sailing Center in Charlestown, taught celestial navigation at local community colleges, and served as Commodore of the Corinthian Yacht Club in Marblehead.
Paul was an equally accomplished skier. He cut his teeth on Cannon Mountain, working as a volunteer running races on the Taft Trail in the late 30’s. He went on to ski most areas in New England as well as Colorado, Utah, and Switzerland, turning the boards until he was well into his 80’s. A memorial service will be conducted at the Old North Church, Washington Street, Marblehead, at 1pm on Sunday, 16 March, followed by a reception at the Boston Yacht Club, Front Street, Marblehead.
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.
|
