J/70 & J/97 @ Jamestown Boat Show(Jamestown, RI)- Kick off the boating season at the Rhode Island Boat Show, Rhode Island’s largest in-water Spring Boat Show and Open House, running from May 3rd to 4th, 2014. The two-day event showcases a wide selection of sailboats, as well as the latest in marine accessories and services. Meet the experts, take a sailing lesson, try out a paddle-board, and sample some of the finest food from around Rhode Island.
Here are two more awesome reasons to attend the Jamestown boat show, both the J/70 and the J/97 will be on display. The J/70 fleet in Narragansett Bay continues to grow. Enthusiasm for J/70 racing this summer is augmented by the combination of the New York YC Invitational Cup Qualifiers and the first J/70 World Championships being held by the New York YC at its beautiful Harbour Court facilities. The J/97 is the "sleeper", a fun easy-to-sail offshore cruiser-racer the family can sail fast & competitively.
For boat buyers there are also three more good reasons to attend this Jamestown show:
- No Sales Tax on Boats! Rhode Island Has No Sales Tax on Boats & Marine Services. Also, No Property Tax on Boats! Buy it here, keep it here.
- Free Parking- Jamestown has ample free parking available.
- Free Admission- your entire family and all friends can enjoy your passion for boating for free! It’s a great way to introduce them to the sailing lifestyle. Stroll the waterfront, enjoy the activities and climb aboard the boats with your family all at no cost.
Annapolis NOOD Preview(Annapolis, MD)- Another epic Sperry Top Sider Annapolis NOOD Regatta is in the making this coming weekend on the Chesapeake Bay. What has now become an annual right of spring in the Bay area, the Annapolis YC, famous for being one of the most gracious and accommodating hosts clubs anywhere, somehow fits in over 200 boats at its various facilities. 157 J teams are sailing (79% of the fleet!). With three separate racing areas, eight one-design fleets of J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, J/30s, J/35s, J/105s, and J/109s are looking forward to a wonderful weekend of racing, great social activities and a chance to sit back, relax, and catch up with friends who’ve been buried in snow this past winter.
The forecast for the weekend looks promising. With the clearing out of the massive low-pressure front inflicting enormous damage with tornado’s, thunderstorms and hurricane force winds across the Midwest midweek, the sailors should benefit with cool, classic spring weather on the Chesapeake for the weekend. Breezes are forecast to be in the SW-NW quadrants from 5-12 kts all weekend long.
Starting off with the J/22s, a terrific turnout of twenty-six boats with many top sailors from the past few decades on the roster ensures both young and old alike in this fun class will have good competition. One of the “resurrected from the dead” boats must be Mike Marshall’s BAD NEWS TOO from Conanicut YC in Jamestown, RI. Don’t be fooled, she’ll be well sailed. Two excellent women skippers are sailing, including Jen Gaffney sailing COMMITTED form Eastport YC and Sandy Adzick on HOT TICKET from Severn Sailing Association. Amongst the top dogs in the class having a run at the silver are again the Lake Ontario “mafia” and the local “Naptown hotshots”. The local Napolitans include Jeff Todd’s HOT TODDY, Chris Junge’s CORNER OF SANITY & MADNESS, and Brad Julian’s THREEDORIES.com. The Rochester contingent is led by Chris Doyle’s THE JUG 4 1 and Vic Snyder’s MO’MONEY. A duo of Canadians have removed their ice skates and headed south to join the fun- Johan Koppernaes’s RAISED J from Ottawa, ONT and David Godin’s WON TON from Montreal, QUE.The seven boat J/24 class has Pat Fitzgerald’s RUSH HOUR and James McGinnis’s famous SWAG US 462 leading the charge. The J/30’s have a great nine boat class with some familiar top boats from past NOODs participating. Remember the immaculately prepared THE WHITE BOAT sailed by Dave Moss? They will be joined by George Watson’s AVITA, Bob Rutsch & Mike Costello’s BEPOP, Pam Morris’s BUMP, amongst others.
The J/35s are back in force with a very fun, competitive group of seven boats. Back for another lap around the track is the famous AUNT JEAN, sailed by Jerry Christofel & James Sagerholm. Stephanie Reuer’s DAKOTA GIRL will be giving the boys a run for the money, such as David Lange’s FATAL ATTRACTION, Peter Scheidt’s MAGGIE and the Masci-McGonigle duo on WINDEPENDENT.
As the largest fleet in the regatta with fifty-seven boats registered, the J/70 fleet again has many new faces in the crowd joining class veterans from the past year. Past leaders from the winter circuit in Tampa Bay, Key West, Bacardi Miami and Charleston are all present. As one of the last major regattas prior to the J/70 North Americans in Rochester, NY and the Worlds in Newport in September it will be a good test for many of the crews. With teams from fourteen states across America and even a team from Great Britain, the jury is out on how the top teams fair sailing the shifty breezes and tricky currents on the Chesapeake Bay.
The J/80s are also seeing an excellent fleet due to the fact the NOOD is the last big regatta prior to their World Championships sailed in the fall on the Chesapeake. Many leading teams are present including past NA and World Champions. Charleston winners Will & Marie Crump and Tom Klok are sailing RASH DECISION and will be up against past champs like Glenn Darden on LE TIGRE, Chris & Liz Chadwick on CHURCH KEY, Gary Panariello on COURAGEOUS, David Andril on VAYU and Martie Roesch on VELOCITY (owner of a J/111 by the same name).
With eighteen boats on the starting line, the J/105s are seeing two strong Canadian teams joining the fray against some very strong local Napolitan teams. The Canadians are past winners Jim Rathbun on HEY JUDE and Mike Mountfourd on LIVE EDGE, both from Toronto, Ontario- host of this year’s 2014 J/105 North Americans at Royal Canadian YC. Watch for top locals like the Gitchell’s TENACIOUS, Bob Reeves’s A-TRAIN and Andrew Kennedy’s BAT IV upholding local honors.
The J/109s half dozen boats have what may be the most competitive ratio of champions to registrants in the entire regatta. Between Gary Weisberg’s HEAT WAVE, Bob Schwartz’s NORDLYS, and Bill Sweetser’s RUSH it will surely be a Clint Eastwood-style shoot-out at the “OK Corral”. For more Sperry Topsider Annapolis NOOD Regatta sailing information
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
In the last week of April, we find the grand finale of the Caribbean sailing circuit taking place- the Antigua Race Week- a watershed event as it marks the end of the winter sailing season for many and the start of the “summer” sailing season.On the European side of the world, the J/70 Coppa Italia held their second stage of their series at San Remo, Italy in some beautiful sailing conditions. Over in the Netherlands, we get the report on how their leading J/111 sailed a great series in their season opener- the Van Uden Reco/ Stellendam Regatta. Across the English Channel, we also get the finale of the Brooks Macdonald Warsash Spring Series that had both IRC handicap fleets as well as one-design competition for J/70s, J/80s, J/109s and J/111s.
Across the Great Pond, many top northeastern sailing teams were participating in the American Yacht Club Spring Series held off Rye, New York. Debuting as the youngest and largest fleet, the J/70s had a wonderful time sailing on Long Island Sound. Fleets of J/105s, J/109s and IRC handicap enjoyed good weather over the weekend.
Finally, out West numerous J’s sailed the classic 125nm Newport to Ensenada Race in completely abnormal, “El Nino”-influenced sailing conditions. Ever start an “N2E” in a SE 10-17 kts breeze beating to Mexico?? Not. So was the case for sailors in Southern California.
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:
Mar 16- Apr 27- Warsash Spring Series- Warsash, EnglandApr 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
May 24-26- Swiftsure Race- Royal Victoria YC- Victoria, BC, Canada
May 27- Jun 9- Delta Lloyd North Sea Week- Scheveningen, Netherlands
May 28- Jun 1- J/22 Europeans- Cameret-sur-Mer, France
May 29-Jun 2- Italian J/24 Nationals- Tirano, Italy
May 30- Susan Hood Trophy Race- Mississauga, ONT, Canada
May 31- Delta Ditch Run- Stockton Sailing Club- Stockton, CA
Jun 6-8- Chicago NOOD Regatta- Chicago YC- Chicago, IL
Jun 6-9 Norseewoche- Heligoland, Germany
Jun 9-15- Normandy Sailing Week- Le Havre, France
Jun 13-22- Cleveland Race Week- Cleveland, OH
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
CALVI NETWORK Wins J/70 Italia Cup II(San Remo, Italy)- The Yacht Club San Remo organized the second stage of the "Coppa Italia J/70”, a national circuit of six events that takes place throughout the summer season across Italy. So far, the series has achieved great success and it is generating a lot of interest in this new international one-design class.
Over the April 25th to 27th weekend, eight races were completed in winds and waves that varied from light airs to breezy, puffy conditions— exactly the type of weather where the J/70 has demonstrated its potential and performance.
It was a tough struggle for the leading positions, with different winners in each race. There is no question the Italian J/70 sailors are learning fast, with good competition and are having fun sailing the J/70. There is a nice mixture of young and old alike on the teams along with increasing participation by women.
Carlo Alberini, skippering CALVI NETWORK, won the second stage of the Coppa Italia J/70. Following them in second was MAGIE sailed by Mr Grisoli from Soldano and in third was PENSAVO PEGGIO sailed by Mr Magni from Tortarolo.At one point on the third day TERIBLE, sailed by the newest entry in the Italian J/70 class- Claudia Rossi from Negri, remained in the fight for the podium during the course of the entire event. However, a difficult last race cost her a chance for a top three position, having to settle for fourth overall. Rounding out the top five was SPIN ONE with skipper Mr. Saccomani from Eulisse.
After Alassio and San Remo, the Italian Cup now moves to double weekends of sailing at Scarlino Marina (10/11 May & 31 May/2 June) and finally Riva del Garda (26/27 July & September 23/27).
This last weekend will complete the Italian J/70 Circuit and will be considered the J/70 European Championship 2014, the first in the history of J/70 class. For more International J/70 class sailing information
J/Crews Thrive in Stormy Newport-EnsenadaJ/125 TIMESHAVER 2nd Overall, J-ALMIGHTY Wins J/120s
(Newport Beach, CA)- Humongous swells, whipping wind and overnight rain met sailors competing in the 67th annual Newport to Ensenada Race that that is usually a calm jaunt down the coast to Mexico. For many it was the first time anyone had seen squally conditions going down the 125nm race track from Newport Beach, CA down to Ensenada, Mexico on the Baja Peninsula.
The weather forecast for this year's N2E had a lot of promise, but with a few wrinkles thrown into the mix. For several days, many models showed an unusual micro-low (a “mini-me” of a cyclone) circulating just offshore of Los Angeles, producing breezes in the southerly quadrant. The big question was how long would it last on Friday morning before the start, how strong the wind would be from the SSE and how quickly would it dissipate when the huge depression from the NW rolled in with the promised gales offshore and 15-25 kts winds along the coast.
As one might imagine, whatever was forecast was going to be completely wrong. Indeed it was off by at least 50%. The basic scenario played out but not like what many experienced navigators on SoCal races expected. With the wx report models all over the place, it was creating a certain amount of anxiety for many of the top boats in the fleet.
As the first classes took off around 1100 hrs with visions of “margaritaville and umbrella drinks” dancing in their heads, the weather was spectacular, southerly breezes with sunny, clear skies and puffy white clouds scudding across the horizon. As the afternoon wore on, the breeze continued to pick up from the SSE (125-130 degrees or so); the micro-low just offshore produced 10-17 kt SSE winds for the first 5 hrs of the race.
The vast majority of the fleet took off on port tack, anticipating the new frontal shift moving into the WNW quadrants in the mid-afternoon. As the fleet pounded to windward in a huge swell with wind-driven chop on top, it was clear that many boats were anxious to get onto starboard tack and head down the coast. By mid-afternoon, many boats were tacking when the breeze was still around 145-150, still left of the "closest tack angle" to the finish line. The forecasted gradual shift never happened, the wind died completely early evening with huge NW swell generated by the incoming front with an overlay of southerly chop making for a "washing machine" effect. The whole fleet stopped, particularly inshore boats. It seems the smart money was to go offshore until the wind direction hit 150-155 degrees, going from port tack favored VMC to the finish at Ensenada (bearing about 148 degrees) over to the newly favored starboard tack. While most of the fleet tacked far too early, the top boats all waited until TWD was around 155 degrees or greater. Ultimately, the outside boats were getting the new, veering breeze much earlier and far longer than boats inside. By around 1700 hrs, the new WNW breeze line filled under a long band of clouds (aligned SSW/NNE) as the front moved ever so agonizingly slowly onto the course area. For those boats 10+nm offshore or more, the very long delayed shift into the 260-280 deg quadrant filled in, it started blowing 10-15 kts and increased into the 12-20 kts range under certain cells moving through the course.
Taking advantage of the changing winds was the uber-fast team sailing the J/125 TIMESHAVER with owner/ skipper Viggo Torbensen. Their outstanding performance earned them a 2nd in PHRF 1 class and 2nd PHRF overall, missing the class and overall win by mere minutes! One of the earlier boats to tack off onto starboard, the J/125 DERIVATIVE sailed by Mark Surber, finished in 4th over an hour behind them. Taking 6th in class was the J/160 INNOCENT MERRIMENT sailed by John Lyon. In PHRF B class, the J/122 T.K.O. sailed by John Raymont took fourth in class.
In PHRF C, the one-design fleet of six J/120s had a duel for top honors that wasn’t settled until crossing the finish line off Ensenada. In the end, it was Mike Hatch’s J-ALMIGHTY that won class by a mere 70 seconds over Gary Winton’s SHENANIGANS after 125nm of smashing, bashing, flopping and surfing all the way down the coast.
In the nine boat PHRF D Class Seth Hall’s beautiful navy blue J/124 MARISOL took 2nd. In the twelve boat PHRF E Division, John Shulze’s J/109 LINSTAR took third and fellow J/109 PATRIOT sailed by the duo of Jon Turner & Don Albrecht took sixth place. Finally, the seven boat PHRF G class Juan Lois’s J/105 ROCINANTE took second place. For more Newport to Ensenada sailing information
AYC Spring Series Starts Strongly(Rye, New York)- Counting their blessings that the weather forecast would hold and produce suitable winds, the seventy-eight boats participating in the American YC Spring Series were not disappointed. After two days and six races, the various fleets couldn’t have been more pleased with the performance of AYC’s excellent RC work.
In IRC world, the IRC 2 class saw three J/122s and a J/133 vying for class honors. A familiar name was at the top of the heap after the weekend, the J/122 WINGS was lying in second, just one point out of first. Next in line amongst the J/122s is John Pearson’s RED SKY.
The J/44 One-Designs saw a remarkably strong performance from Jeff Willis and gang aboard CHALLENGE IV. It’s rare to see one boat dominate the 44s since all boats are so close in performance. Jeff’s wizards are counting a 1-3-1-2-2-4 for 9 net pts after the drop race counted. They’re currently holding a six point lead over Don & Dick Rave’s RESOLUTE. In turn, RESOLUTE is in a tie-breaker with Bill Ketcham’s MAXINE and both of them are just one point above that wily fox Jim Bishop and the GOLD DIGGER boys.
As anticipated, the J/109s were going to have an amazing battle just to get onto the podium due to the fact so many good teams are participating. At this stage, Adrian Begley’s MAD DOGS & ENGLISHMEN is leading with just seven pts. Four points behind them tied at 11 pts each are Bob Schwartz on NORDLYS and Jonathan Rechtschaffer skippering EMOTICON. Then, only 4 pts back from them is Steve Chronert’s ZUMA.
The J/105s also share a similar scenario with the 44s and 109s. They have a clear leader in the form of CONUNDRUM (Harald Edegran & Jeremy Henderson) who’ve managed to score three 1sts and two 2nds for just 7 pts net. Trailing them in a tie-breaker at 14 pts each are Carl Olsson on MORNING GLORY and Paul Beaudin on LOULOU.
The largest fleet is also the youngest and also marks its debut in the AYC Spring Series! With fifteen boats registered, the J/70s saw spirited competition across the board. Currently leading is class newcomer David Murphy sailing COOKIE MONSTER to an amazing five 1sts in a row! Just behind them is John Brim’s RIMETTE only five pts back. Lying third is Scott Furnary on NONAME YET. Dave Florence in BUZZZ is 4th and Carrie & Ed Austin sailing CHINOOK are sitting in 5th.
Next weekend may see an entire flip-flop in these standings, especially in the one-design classes. A change in the weather, a new moon blooming, Mars ascending over Venus, just about anything can influence the karma of the leading teams. Check the standings after next weekend here, could be an eye-opener! For more American YC Spring Series sailing information
J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER Topples Van Uden Reco/ Stellendam Regatta(Stellendam, Netherlands)- Considered to be the principal opening regatta of the Netherlands/ Benelux sailing season, the Van Uden Reco Stellendam Regatta opened the first day of sailing with a spectacular day. It was a windy day, very shifty and gusty and in the afternoon the sun broke through and it made for a great start to the season.
"It was high time that we once again enjoyed sailing competition after such a long, nasty winter,” says a satisfied IRC 1 sailor on the side while enjoying a ham sandwich. “This weekend was almost perfect.”Strong winds on Sunday
On Sunday, a stiff breeze provide for yet another spectacular day on the water. Breezes were strong enough to cause a few torn sails, broken egos and sail-handling issues in the corners of the course. Nevertheless, most crews came away with a big smile as they came ashore after another amazing day of sailing.
The RC worked over-time to provide double-scoring for both IRC and ORC for all the 115 boats sailing in the various handicap classes.
Leading the way home in ORC 1 scoring was John Van der Starre’s famous J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER, scoring a 2-1-2-3-1 for 9 net pts to win by a substantial margin of 5 pts in just five races scored. Under the IRC 1 class scoring, the “RIPPER” took second.In the one-design world, the largest class at the entire regatta were the J/22s with eleven boats participating. With six 1sts in eight races, Mr Verdoom’s NED 1295 walked off with the regatta. Taking second was Ms Nijdam’s BIG ROLL- TU DELFT BEAUFORT with 18 pts. Third was Mr Rieckborn’s JAG’D with 37 pts. The leader in the J/80 class scoring was Mr van Veen’s NJOY with straight bullets for just six pts. Sailing photo credits- Anton van de Koppel For more Van Uden Reco sailing information
Warsash Spring Series Grand Finale(Warsash, England)- After the Easter break, the closing races in the Brooks Macdonald Warsash Spring Series and Spring Championship took place over 26th/27th April 2014. Having had no problems with gales or flat calms, the event has been a great success all round, with new entries joining week by week as the weather became warmer, especially for the open sportsboats. Over the eight race days, the 100 plus team from Warsash Sailing Club has run over 170 separate races and each week title sponsors Brooks Macdonald have welcomed competitors back to the Club with champagne prizes for the lucky class winners.
Saturday- Spring Championship Day 3
This was an exhausting but exhilarating day, especially for the sportsboats in White Group which experienced gusts to 33 knots and lulls at 18 knots. Understandably, there were a number of broaches. Boats.com (Ian Atkins – J/70) shredded her spinnaker during Race 2 but fortunately had a spare and still managed to win their race. Whilst most of the J/80 fleet stayed out for four races, several eventually stuck to white sails rather than risk using, and possibly losing, a spinnaker. Some in the J/70 classes decided, having worked so hard for the first two races, to call it a day.
The Black Group committee boat set up station initially east of East Bramble and the North Channel, then as the tide dropped moved to near Bart’s Bash buoy. The southerly breeze ranged from 16 to 22 knots with gusts to 25 knots. Four varied windward/leeward courses were designed. The first two had a leeward spreader leg to get boats back up-tide and to keep the beats and runs as true as possible.
Jubilee (Tony Dickin) also scored two wins in the J/109s chased by Stalker in the first race which went on to win the third. Jeez Louise (James Arnell) had a highly successful day in the J/111s with four straight bullets.
The RAF-crewed J/70 Team Spitfire RAFBF clinched a win by just one second from Django (Malcolm and Tristan Jaques) in the first race, the remaining contests going to Ian Atkins’ Boats.com. Betty (Jon Powell) took two wins in the J/80s; Jester (Michael Lewis) and Rock and Roll (Gillian Ross) coming up trumps in the others.
Sunday- Spring Series Day 6/ Spring Championship Day 4Sunday morning found the breeze had dropped to 16/20 knots. By the end of the morning the rain cleared and crews finished the day wearing sunglasses. Two races were scheduled for Black Group, starting with a two hour course for Race 1, reduced to 45 minutes for Race 2. The design was principally windward/leeward with beats south-easterly against the tide which continued to build during the day. Race 1 used the area between Ryde Middle and East Knoll banks and Race 2 to the east of the North Channel. All classes, except IRC4, started at East Knoll with an initial windward leg to Bart’s Bash followed by an exhilarating sleigh ride downwind. During this leg some chose to make a speedy swap for bigger headsails, ready for the next beat, to power more easily through the Solent chop. This being the final day of racing, many competitors needed to cover others, thinking about their placing overall as well as in individual races.
The race committee lost no time in getting the final race underway with a six mile course for IRC1 and IRC2 classes. The J/109s and IRC3 still had three legs to complete and started 30 minutes later. IRC3 and IRC4 shared a windward/leeward course with IRC4 getting away after a general recall. In IRC3 having taken the first race Induljence (Nick and Adam Munday) was disappointed with a poor start which dropped them to sixth and lost them the Series. Several leading J/109s had difficulty getting spinnakers down at one mark and had to sail on, letting the last two through to head the pack. At the line Just So (David McGough) and Jagerbomb (Paul Griffiths) took the flag.
The White Group committee boat had a busy time when one boat picked up a laid mark and started dragging it along. A replacement mark was deployed but that too was caught and removed by another boat; the two giving the impression of an unexpected “gate” on the course! In the confusion, the race was abandoned and restarted. Boats.com took the first race in the J/70s by 24 seconds from Team Spitfire but dropped to sixth place in the second race when Django was the winner. In the J/80s, Betty has performed consistently very well and this year wins both the Spring Championship and Spring Series. She finished with an eight second win over Juicy in Race 1 and was runner-up to Aqua-J in the remaining races.
CRO White Group Peter Knight commented that this was the first time in his memory of the event that the Black Flag has stayed firmly below decks for the whole Series. He puts this good starting discipline down to an increasing number of boats having invested in new electronics to mark the start line.
When all the points were calculated, the J/111s had an incredibly competitive series for both the Black Group series as well as the Black Championship event. Winning the Black Championship over the two weekend series was class newcomer Louise Makin & Chris Jones on JOURNEYMAKER 11 with 32.5 pts total. Past champion Duncan Mcdonald sailed SHMOKIN JOE to a solid series to grab second with 36 pts and just squeaking into third was David & Kirsty Apthorp’s J-DREAM.
For the Black Group series sailed only on Sundays from the start, it was the Apthorp’s J-DREAM taking top honors, followed by Makin/ Jones’s JOURNEYMAKER 11 in second and Cornell Riklin’s JITTERBUG in third. In fact, the outcome of this spring-long series was pretty much determined by the last day’s racing, that’s how close it was!
The J/109s saw Paul Griffiths’s JAGERBOMB edge ahead of David Mcleman’s OFFBEAT for the Black Group Series win and David Mcgough’s JUST SO followed them taking third. In the Championship series, Tony Dickin’s JUBILEE took the gold with Ian Mackinnon’s TIGH SOLIUS in second and David Mcgough’s JUST SO in third.
Things were close in IRC3 with Nick & Adam Munday’s INDULJENCE one point adrift from the lead after their less than stellar last race (snatching defeat from the jaws of victory?). Nevertheless, as the only boat with three bullets on the board and missing Race# 3, there’s was a tremendous performance against teams that sailed every single race.
The J/92 J’RONIMO sailed by David Greenhalgh in IRC 4 took class honors, a wonderful accomplishment for one of the long-standing J-sprit boats on the Solent.
For the two sportsboat classes sailing in the White Group, it was a tale of two worlds for the J/70s and J/80s. JOYRIDE skippered by Ian Wilson took the J/70 spring series with a total of 65 pts. Taking second in the series was Malcolm & Tristan Jacques on DJANGO with 78 pts and third was Simon Cavey’s JUST4PLAY with 85 pts. In the J/70 Championship series, it was clear that Ian Atkins’s team on BOATS.COM had benefitted from their experiences sailing in Key West Race Week, taking ten 1sts in fourteen races to win overall. Second was Simon Ling’s RAF SPITFIRE crew with 34 pts, just one point ahead of Malcolm & Tristan Jacques DJANGO in third.
The J/80s saw past class champion Jon Powell’s BETTY sailed a very consistent series, finishing with 22.5 pts net. Patrick Liardet’s AQUA-J took a comfortable second with Ali Hall’s BOYSTEROUS grabbing third. On the Championship weekend regatta, BETTY continued her winning ways, followed again by AQUA-J and Allan Higgs’s JUICY.
The final weekly champagne prizes were presented by Brooks Macdonald Director John Wallace, accompanied by his daughter Eleanor. The SLAM jacket went to Brian Moreton of the J/70 Jukebox. Sailing photo credits- Tim Wright/ Photoaction.com For more Warsash Spring Series sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* Here is the “insiders” report of the N2E Race from Ullman Sails’ Keith Magnussen. “K-Mag” sailed on the J/125 TIMESHAVER. Here’s what he had to say, “Everyone knows by now that the J/125 is my favorite boat to sail, especially in breeze. This years Newport 2 Ensenada was calling for some good wind and we were ready. We have been dialing the boat in for the past few years and have been working hard on the sail inventory. It is crucial to have the right spinnaker up in the right conditions to take advantage of what this boat has to offer. We pushed the boat hard and ended up Second in Class and Second Overall missing out by less than three minutes.Here is how it went down for the crew of Timeshaver- myself, Viggo, Jack Bazz, Jack Maranto, Blake Hamilton and Charlie Underwood:
We start on port tack with 80% of the other boats and get moving in what proves to be a strange year for Ensenada. We have our #3 up and are trying to go fast to get to the new pressure that is forecasted offshore. Below us are our main competitors Horizon (SC-50) and Derivative (J-125). Horizon and Derivative battle it out and Derivative eventually pinches off Horizon forcing Horizon to go bow down and eventually go below us too. Within the next 30 minutes we do the same to Derivative but they decide to tack, and that was the last we saw of them. At this point we are in about 15kts of wind and just trying to stay with Horizon who are bow down and fast. We go the high lane and when we finally all start to tack it is close. Horizon crosses a few boat lengths ahead and we extend a bit further and tack onto starboard (this was actually lay line for the finish).
The next few hours are back and forth with the breeze going lighter. Lightest we saw was about 7kts for just about an hour. Our goal at this point was to stick close and wait for what we were hoping was going to be a shift and J-125 wind. It eventually clocked around and we threw up our 3A and staysail and started going fast. Horizon followed suit and went for their 2A (pole forward I assume). We had waypoints outside Coronado about 5 miles or so and were hopeful of going over the islands. Wind Gods said no and we kept getting headed. As we got to the Coronado’s we were moving. Top speed 18kts at like 140TWA fully powered up. Jack Bazz, who had never been on the boat, made the comment that it was like Mr Toad’s Wild Ride… yes it was. Waves coming from every direction and us bouncing around from planning to launching off waves coming from the south. Fun stuff as I would almost lose my footing behind the wheel. All of us on deck were laughing our heads off as waves crashed over the front and kept of 15kts of boat speed for extended periods. Horizon’s light was falling further behind and we were quickly ramping up on a big boat in front of us. As we got close they had some kite trouble and we quickly passed to leeward. I think it was Elixir.The party was crashed by the land. We were moving quickly towards the shore and had to take our kite down about 1.5 miles from the coast. Back to Jib reaching (or SC-50 Weather). There was just to much of this for us and we could see the light behind moving closer. Eventually we got back into the spinnaker with a 5A and started reaching down and back in front of the boat that had caught up. At this point I did not know it was Horizon. Or maybe I did not want to believe it. We crossed the finish line at around 1:30am with no gybes and one tack. As I watched for the boat behind I got a glimpse of their spinnaker— Horizon.”
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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The weather promises to be epic, with winds starting in the 7-12 kts range for the early starts and then building into the high teens or low 20s by evening. The latest weather model runs (NAM, GFS, ECMWF) have moved the breeze build-up earlier by several hours so maybe that trend will continue and there will be lots of pressure earlier than currently anticipated. As it stands the fastest boats should finish around 8pm if they sail the best course possible. The breeze is forecast to stay up all night and even the slowest boats should be in by mid-morning. The sea state could be challenging for unprepared crews, but many boats will revel in the conditions. 
Day 1 Report- On the first day, Gustavia’s Quai General de Gaulle was abuzz with competitors. With nine classes separated into four starts, the fleet was sent off in a light southeasterly breeze of about 8-10 knots, sailing courses of 21nm. The light breeze made for a long day for most, though no one was complaining given the otherwise ideal conditions. With the breeze forecast to build throughout the week, all boats proved, ultimately, they would have a chance to revel in their best conditions.
Day 3 Report- After enjoying the regatta’s traditional lay day on Thursday at Nikki Beach (does anyone remember them serving “rose’ wine”?), which gave crews a chance to indulge in the French island’s onshore charms, it was time to get back out onto the race course. Many regattas no longer feature such a break in the racing, but Les Voiles has maintained a five-day format (four days of racing with a mid-regatta break) since its inception five years ago, and it has proven to be a draw. In fact, more than 400 of the thousand or so sailors racing gathered at Nikki Beach on Baie Saint Jean for lunch and some organized team sports, including water polo, stand-up paddle-board races and petanque matches.
After the day’s racing, Stark Raving Mad took a win to pose a threat to Lazy Dog’s dominance in Spinnaker Racing Class 1. Daniela De Luca, Italian crew member on the J/109 Les Voiles au Féminin in Spinnaker 4 class said, “I belong to the all-women's crew from Saint Barthélémy. Our association is called “Les Voiles au Feminin”. It was created two years ago to promote the sport of sailing among women on the island, as all women must have access to this sport. We therefore have acquired a sailing boat, a J/109 that we bought in Saint Tropez, after Les Voiles de Saint Tropez. Our skipper, Sophie Olivaud sailed the boat across the ocean during the ARC Challenge two years ago. Ever since, we've sailed as many regattas in the Caribbean as we possibly could. Our crew is a mix of experienced sailors, and newbies. It works out very well, as the atmosphere onboard is excellent. This does not mean that we don't feel any apprehension at the start of each race, just like any male sailor, I guess. It is very exciting to sail during Les Voiles, as we get to see great sailors and fantastic boats. We feel very fortunate.”
A special note- there was an extraordinary team of life-long “J” sailors and college champions aboard the 56 footer WHITE RHINO in Class 2. Skipper-in-charge was Steve Cucchiaro (M.I.T.) sailing with a cast of characters, including Jack Slattery (Boston University), Stu Johnstone (Tufts), Cam Lewis (Univ. Rhode Island), and Brian Thomas/ Mark Laura (Univ. Washington)- in total this gang have amassed 11 College All-American awards, one College Sailor of the Year award, two J/105 North American Championships, at least one each of J/24 World, North American and West Coast Championships, two Finn Gold Cup World Championships, the first Trophee Jules Verne Record holder (breaking the famous 80 days record around the world), a second in the 470 Olympic Trials 1980, and many other awards too numerous to mention. With that deeply talented team, they managed a second place after losing a tie-break on identical records with their arch-rival AFFINITY (each boat had two 1sts and two 2nds!). The winner in that epic battle? Jack’s brother Bob Slattery (Boston Univ.) sailing as tactician (yet another College All-American)! Small world.
We are members of the Hopetown Sailing Club, which this year celebrated its 50th anniversary. During this past winter season, the club sponsored eight well organized non-spinnaker club races. Handicaps are determined by a combination of PHRF and Portsmouth, and then performance adjusted. The fleet averages a dozen and a half boats. Good wind and weather allowed for all scheduled races and a lot of smiling faces.