Wednesday, April 27, 2016

J/Newsletter- April 27th, 2016

Women's J/70 sailing team
Women’s World Keelboat Championship Update
(Portsmouth, RI)– The American Yacht Club in Rye, N.Y. will host the new International Women’s Keelboat Championship in provided J/70 class sailboats from August 14-20, 2016. Twenty-four teams from around the world will be invited to compete, with the intention of an even ratio of North American and intercontinental teams. Teams representing eight countries have already submitted applications. There will be a $250 discount on the entry fee for applications received by Sunday, May 1st, 2016!!  Register here now!

More than ever, this championship will offer women keelboat and offshore sailors high quality racing on the international stage without the need to provide their own boats or sails. To ensure a fast and competitive racing format, additional changes have been made to speed up the action. The format consists of fleet racing with a twist. The championship features two flights of 12 boats each with teams rotating after every two races. Each team will race an equal number of races against the others. Races will be approximately 15 minutes in duration. Host clubs will ensure quick rotations and on-the-water judging, in addition to an improved viewing experience for spectators.

Sally Barkow- Team SCA Volvo RaceThe Magenta Project will host a clinic led by three-time International Women’s Keelboat Champion, Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, and Olympian, Sally Barkow on Monday 15 August. Barkow will host a presentation on her experience as a competitor on TEAM SCA in the 2015 Volvo Ocean Race that same evening. The Magenta Project aims to increase the participation of women at the highest level of sailing and promote inclusion, diversity and positive female role models in society at large.

Learn more and submit your application to race at the 2016 International Women’s Keelboat Championship.  Please contact Liz Walker/ Championships Director @ ph# +1-(401) 682-2951 or email- lizwalker@ussailing.org.  Or, visit the event website at US Sailing.com.

J/70 sailing Bacardi sailing week regattaBacardi Newport Sailing Week- Register Now!
(Newport, RI)- The J/70 class is again invited to participate for three days of racing in the Bacardi Newport Sailing Week.  The event will take place from June 24th to 26th and hosted by Newport Yacht Club.  Leading the Newport YC Race Committee team will again be PRO Eric Langley.

The regatta in 2015 was great sailing, first-class race committee work, and very entertaining.  The NYC runs the J/70 class just north of the Pell Newport Bridge, inside of Gould Island.  The racing is fast & furious and no race lasts for more than 30-40 minutes at most.  Virtually, college-style sailing with fast turn-arounds between races and very little waiting time.  As one might expect, it’s very tactical sailing and puts a premium on good boathandling, all excellent training for any J/70 crew!

The social events at the NYC Bacardi Tent are nicely done, beautifully catered, and with plenty of food!  In fact, more food than the fleet could consume!  Plus, adult refreshments were excellent, as one might expect from the largest privately held, family-owned spirits & wine company in the world, founded in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba in 1862 and now spanning 200 brands/labels (on tap were beer, wine, various rums, Bombay Sapphire Gin and Grey Goose Vodka)!

Registration takes place Thursday evening at NYC.  The J/70s may base themselves at Fort Adams Alofsin docks and piers.  For more regatta information, please contact Gabriele Pedone, the Event Chair, at ph# (305) 373-6671 or email- info@studiomilano.com.  For more Bacardi Newport Sailing Week information and get onto Yachtscoring registration here.

J/80 sailing in EuropeJ/80 Danish Open Invite!
(Taarbaek, Denmark)- The Danish J/80 Class Association wishes to invite one and all J/80 sailors from around Europe (even Americans and Russians who wish a European vacation!) to join them for the National J/80 Danish Open Championship.  The regatta will takes place at the beautiful seaside town of Taarbaek at the Taarbaek Sejlklub (just north of Copenhagen) from August 27-28 2016.  Racing takes place just offshore on the western parts of the Baltic Sea, an ideal place to be sailing in the middle of August with all the beautiful Scandinavian people frolicking along the seashores and on the water!

J/80 charter boats are available on request.  Please be sure to contact the President of the Danish J/80 Class Association for more information- Jens Harsaae- jens@harsaae.dk.   Sailing photo credit- Tim Wright/ Photoaction.com.  For more Danish J/80 Class sailing information

J/70s sailing Annapolis 
Annapolis NOOD Regatta Preview
(Annapolis, MD)- The end of April has traditionally marked the start of the long racing season on Chesapeake Bay and the principal event that sailors look forward to after a long winter is the Helly Hansen Annapolis NOOD regatta, hosted by the trio of clubs around Annapolis- Annapolis YC, Eastport YC and Severn Sailing Association.  As has been the case for years, a veritable J/Navy invades for the weekend to enjoy the warm southern hospitality on offer from the local denizens in downtown Annapolis as well as at the various clubs.

Not surprisingly, the popular event attracts teams from far and wide, Chicago to Maine and upstate New York to Florida.  194 boats will be taking to the water, 146 of them (75% of the total fleet!) spread throughout JBoats’ eight classes (a record number of classes ever in one event!)- J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, J/30s, J/35s, J/105s, J/111s and PHRF teams (J/109s, J/42, J/110, J/29).

A rather benign weather forecast indicates the sailors may enjoy the rum squalls under the tents more than what happens on the water.  The Wunderground.com weather service indicates a light, rainy east/southeast breeze on Friday; a partly cloudy day on Saturday with a strong northerly in the morning, quickly dying and shifting east; and then a nice sunny day on Sunday with a light southeast wind- temps in the high 50s to mid 60s all weekend.  Not bad, but let’s hope those ivory tower weather gurus are wrong!
Annapolis weather
A new feature for this year’s Helly Hansen Annapolis NOOD Regatta is the advent of the Helly Hansen Junior Crew team.  Sailing is a pastime that doesn’t discriminate based on age. It’s a competitive outlet where young sail with, against, and alongside elders, as well their peers. And, whereas many youth sports segregate kids to the field of play and adults to the sidelines, sailboat racing does not. Sailing is the ultimate lifetime sport. Ask the outstanding youth sailors selected to be members of Helly Hansen’s Junior Crew, which will compete at the 2016 Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta in Annapolis in May.

“There’s small hole in the pipeline of our sport where kids can fall out after junior sailing,” says Dave Reed, Editor of Sailing World, which owns the 26-year NOOD Regatta series. “They come back eventually, but miss out on great years of keelboat team sailing. This initiative will prove the value of having young sailors on the team. They bring infectious curiosity and energy to every race.”

J/105 youth sailors at Annapolis NOODThese five sailors, aged 14 to 17 will compete in the J/105 class, against national champions and highly experienced teams, putting their dingy skills to use in the big keelboat:

Annabelle Hutchinson, Age 17
Born and raised in Annapolis, Annabelle Hutchinson comes from a big sailing family. She has raced competitively on the St. Mary's High School sailing team since freshman year, and while she loves dinghy sailing, she is very excited to get more experience on keelboats.

Andrew Hiller, Age 14
Andrew Hiller has been sailing as long as he can remember, mostly in Optis and a local J/70 fleet on Wednesday nights. He also plays Water Polo for Navy.

Kate Riley, Age 16
Kate Riley has been sailing dinghies (420s and Optis) since she was about six years old and has been racing on her high school's sailing team since 8th grade. She has had some experience with sailing keelboats, but she hopes to have more opportunities to do so as her sailing career advances.

Ben Podlich, Age 15
Ben Podlich has been sailing since he was a little kid, and has been racing at the high school level for the past couple years. He loves sailing in dinghies, but gladly takes any opportunity he can get to sail keelboats, as they are the future in terms of sailing as an adult.

Liam Kennedy, Age 17
Liam Kennedy has been sailing since Optis in 2008 at Eastern YC, has competed in two previous NOOD regattas on J/70s, the AYC Sunday frostbite series on J/88, and sailed J/22s and J/24s on and J/70s in various local fleets. He is excited to sail in the 2016 NOODs here in Annapolis.

They’re not old enough, yet, however, to be given the keys to the Cadillac. Rather, Annapolis YC’s Sailing Director Jane Millman, will oversee the campaign. She will be on board to ensure the safe return of Dr. Alexander’s J/105 MORE COWBELLS!

“I chose sailors who I feel represent what the sport of sailing is about, a Corinthian spirit and willingness to learn in any situation,” says Millman. “By bringing different ages and skill levels together, we will have success in continuing to instill and foster a passion for keelboat sailing at a young age.”

The Helly Hansen Junior Crew is an initiative of the NOOD’s partner, Helly Hansen, which has been making gear for sports and work on the ocean and in the mountains since 1887. They dress world-class sailors, skiers and adventurers with full-protection gear, with the understanding that if you’re not comfortable, you’re not performing at your best. This is especially true on raceboats, so to be sure the Junior Crew are focused on sailing fast and competitive, they will be outfitted with proper Helly Hansen gear.

J/105s sailing AnnapolisWho will the kids be up against in the hot, nineteen-boat J/105 class on the Chesapeake Bay??  A rogue’s gallery of past NOOD regatta winners and podium finishers, that’s all!  Familiar names will be dueling for class honors, including Mark & Jolene Masur’s TWO FEATHERS from Fort Worth Boat Club in Texas, Jack Biddle’s familiar RUM PUPPY from Annapolis YC, Jim Konigsberg’s INIGO, Don Santa’s SANTAS REIGN DEAR, Carl & Scott Gitchell’s TENACIOUS and Andrew Kennedy’s BAT IV.

One of the J/105 skippers from Bermuda offered his perspective on the regatta. “We have learned to enjoy subjecting ourselves to the vagaries of the Chesapeake Bay,” says Bermuda-based skipper James Macdonald. “It’s always a challenge to sail well.”

Macdonald, skipper of the aptly-named, Bermuda-flagged J/105 DISTANT PASSION admits that the class isn’t as active as it once was, but maintains that there are still hotspots for regattas, including Annapolis. In Bermuda, says Macdonald, he generally races between six and eight other boats in their weeknight and weekend racing series. “In Annapolis, we see nearly twenty boats,” he says. “Those twenty are of high caliber as well. When it blows here, the racing gets interesting. When it’s lighter, the J/105 can be underpowered, but that’s when the tweaking and tactics come into play.”

After sailing his first J/105 from Bermuda to Key West Race Week and not enjoying the long haul, Macdonald purchased a second J/105 in 2009, DISTANT PASSION, exclusively for sailing events in North America, like the Annapolis NOOD. When not competing in Annapolis, Block Island, or even Ontario, DISTANT PASSION sits on a trailer in Annapolis, what Macdonald calls a good “jumping off point” for northeast regattas. Conveniently, then, the boat is already in place for this weekend’s competition.

The NOOD is a perfect event for he and his crew, says Macdonald, because the three-day event structure gives them enough time to make the trip worthwhile. Macdonald’s tactician, Jon Corless, also runs his own J/105 program in Bermuda, but the two combine forces for faraway regattas. They bring a variety of crew every year, another option made available by the characteristics of the J/105. “It’s easy to sail in some ways,” says Macdonald. “There are still enough controls for great variation among the fleet, but overall it’s a great way to get new keelboat sailors comfortable with the bigger boats.”

J/70 Wild Child sailing AnnapolisWith forty-three boats on the line, the J/70s will again be the largest fleet sailing in the regatta.  The top foreign team will be none other than 4x J/24 World Champion Mauricio Santa Cruz from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, sailing BRUSCHETTA.  He will be facing a formidable array of local talent as well as visitors from around the eastern seaboard.  Top teams like J/22 World Champion Al Terhune will be racing DAZZLER, along with other Chesapeake Bay area talents like Jenn & Ray Wulff’s JOINT CUSTODY, Jim Allsopp’s MOXIE, Geoff Becker’s PAPA WHEELIE, Dan & Gannon Troutman’s PIED PIPER, Tom Bowen’s REACH AROUND, Peter McChesney’s TROUBLE, and Henry Filter’s WILD CHILD.  Noteworthy out-of-town crews include Brian Keane’s MOJITO/SAVASANA (Buzzards Bay), Heather Gregg & Joe Bardenheier’s MUSE (Boston), Marty Mckenna’s RARITY (Youngstown), John Brim’s RIMETTE (Fisher’s Island), Will Welles (Maine/ Newport), Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE (Forth Worth) and Nick & Bodo von der Wense (Wayne, PA).

J/22 sailing Annapolis NOODAlways a popular local fleet is the twenty-six boat J/22 class.  Having been on a winning streak lately, Mike Marshall’s BAD NEWS hopes to keep their podium finishes rolling.  Chasing them hard all weekend in the shifty stuff where their circle is located will be Jenn Gaffney’s COMMITTED/ PIRATE PRINCESS RACING TEAM, Julie  Mon’s HOT TICKET, Jeff Todd’s HOT TODDY, past J/22 World Champion Terry Flynn (Houston), Chris Doyle’s THE JUG 41 (Youngstown), and Brad Julian’s USA 677.

With seven boats, the once super hot J/24 class has dwindled in numbers but they still enjoy fun racing on the Bay.  Virtually all are local teams from Severn Sailing Association or Eastport YC, such as Peter Rich’s BUXTON, Bill Davenport’s JABB, Pat Fitzgerald’s RUSH HOUR or Pete Kassal’s SPACEMAN SPIFF.

Showing a resurgence in class activity in recent years has been a loyal group of local J/30 owners. Many of the boats have been spruced up quite nicely and look virtually good as news with fresh paint jobs, refinished interiors and new sails.  The refrigerators will be filled with cold “cervezas”, but the gloves will be off as the fleet goes to battle over the three days.  Several crews have had a go at each other over the years, including George Watson’s AVITA, Bob Rutsch & Mike Costello’s BEPOP, Pam Morris’ BUMP, Ron Anderson’s INSATIABLE and Tristan & Sheila Keen’s INFECTIOUS SMILE.

J/35 sailing Annapolis NOOD Another old classic that has seen a revival at previous Annapolis NOODs are the J/35s, with a nice half-dozen boat fleet led by a perennial class leader- Jim Sagerholm & Jerry Christofel’s AUNT JEAN.  Who will knock them off the top of the podium this year??  Certainly giving it a try will be Chuck Kohlerman’s MEDICINE MAN, Bruce Artman’s T-BONE and Masci/McGonigle’s WINDEPENDENT.

A strong showing of twenty-two J/80s will produce tight racing and tough mark roundings for this popular Bay class.  Participating will be a top five crew from the 2014 J/80 Worlds- Will & Marie Crump sailing R80 from Annapolis.  They will be chased by other Worlds Top 20 teams, like David Andril’s VAYU, John White’s USA 1162, Ken Mangano’s MANGO, Bert Carp’s ELEVEN, Chris & Liz Chadwick’s CHURCH KEY, Les Beckwith’s FKA and Bill Blank’s BLIND SQUIRREL.

J/111 Velocity sailing Annapolis NOODAfter braving wild conditions off Charleston Harbor for the Charleston Race Week Regatta, seven J/111s are looking forward to the “billiard-table-flat” waters of the Bay (at least compared to Gulf Stream-type breaking 10 footers offshore!).  The top three boats could very well include local champion Martie Roesch’s VELOCITY, Bennet Greenwald’s PERSEVERANCE crew from San Diego, CA, and Doug Curtiss’ WICKED 2.0 team from Buzzards Bay.  However, some stalking horses that could upset that apple cart may be David McCreight’s DARK HORSE or Jim Connelly’s SLUSH FUND.

The world of PHRF offshore racing includes the PHRF 50-75 fleet that looks more like the ninth J one-design class since it has four J/109s in a five-boat class!  So, without further ado, the J/109s are all fast boats, including Bob Schwartz’s NORDLYS from Long Island Sound, Francis Albert’s RESOLUTE from Manassas, VA, Rick Hanson’s ROSALITA from Avondale, PA and multiple class champion Bill Sweetser on the famous RUSH!

The North Sails Rally Race take place on Saturday only and they will be praying for breeze!  Hopefully, the big norther hangs around for a while.  Since it’s a pursuit race, the earlier starts may enjoy a bit of an advantage.  Nevertheless, all will certainly have fun on their “Bay Tour”.  Looking forward to that adventure are Paul & Sue Mikulski’s J/42 FULL CIRCLE, Bob Dymond’s J/29 GABRIELLE and Joe Laun’s J/110 LADY GREY.  Sailing photo credits- Paul Todd/ Outside ImagesSailing photo Spinsheet.com credits- Dan Phelps.  For more Helly Hansen Annapolis NOOD Regatta sailing information

J/105s sailing Yachting CupYachting Cup Preview
(San Diego, CA)- San Diego Yacht Club’s signature spring regatta, the Yachting Cup, will be sailed for the 44th time April 29- May 1 and many prominent sailors are eagerly awaiting and training for the event. There are eighty-eight boats participating, with thirty-three J/Teams (38% of the fleet) competing in offshore PHRF handicap and four one-design classes (J/70, J/80, J/105 and J/120).

Many of those registered for the 2016 Yachting Cup have a history with the event, including Curt Johnson from California Yacht Club, skipper of the J/80 AVET.  “This is probably our tenth or twelfth Yachting Cup we’ve competed in. The spring conditions in San Diego, in addition to the stellar competition and race management, make it a ‘must do’ event for us. SDYC often adds a new element to keep the regatta fresh and interesting, whether it’s a new format for Friday racing or a new social activity. This all adds up to a terrific experience that keeps us coming back year after year.”

The event will feature three days of racing. One design and handicap racing fleets compete on courses in the ocean or in San Diego Bay, usually in ideal sailing conditions normal for this time of year. After racing, crews gather at race parties at SDYC’s beautiful Club facilities for socializing and planning the next day’s strategies.

Many previous winners of Yachting Cup have their goals set high, especially the regatta’s 2013 winner, Tim Fuller on the J/125 RESOLUTE. "The Yachting Cup is the premier fleet racing event in San Diego, and the Resolute crew will do all they can to fly the winners flag."

J/120 CC Rider sailing Yachting CupSDYC Staff Commodore John Laun, winner of the 2012 Yachting Cup and owner of the J/120 CAPER, is also registered for this year’s race. “The level of competition is typically been very high, in fact, J/120 class winners have been named the overall winners of the Yachting Cup for all classes competing 3 times since 2006. As a SDYC signature regatta, it’s always one we aim for on CAPER every year, and this year will be especially fun and focused since it is essential that we win to be in the hunt for the overall series championship. We always look forward to the close competition and excellent camaraderie in the J/120 fleet.”

Another SDYC Staff Commodore and past winners, Chuck Nichols’ CC RIDER, will be chasing CAPER around the track along with John Snook’s JIM, Ernie Pennell’s MAD MEN and Rudolph Hasl’s HASL FREE.  Missing is the Manok’s POLE DANCER since they just completed the Ensenada Race.

J/105 SANITY sailing Yachting CupThe J/105s have nine boats on the starting line and they will be missing some of their friends from the Los Angeles area.  Nevertheless, in the last event, the San Diego NOOD Regatta, it was a duel to the finish in the final race for Rick Goebel’s SANITY and Dennis Case’s WINGS.  Watch for them to get all tangled up again this weekend.  Meanwhile, other fast teams can slip through the fireworks and score some good races, like Steve Howell’s BLINK or the Hurlburt/ Driscoll duo on the bright safety orange-colored JUICE!

Like the J/105s, there could be some “wash, rinse, repeat” scenarios in the J/70 class after the SD NOODs. With several more new teams showing up on the starting line, veteran teams like Dave Vieregg’s SOGGY DOLLAR, Bruce Cooper/ Shawn Bennett’s USA 32, Jeff Janov’s MINOR THREAT and Eric Kownacki/ Tom Jenkins’ DFZ are hoping to stay in contention for a podium finish.

J/70 sailing Yachting CupFinally, as outlined above, the J/80s will no doubt have a tough time with Curt Johnson’s super-fast AVET, but Suzuki Yusuke on SAVAGE and Wayne Zittell’s J/WORLD I are looking forward to their three-way cage fight for first!

In the offshore PHRF categories, the dueling J/125s, Tim Fuller’s RESOLUTE and Mark Surber’s DERIVATIVE, will spar with one another for handicap honors along with the J/46 ANONA sailed by Fred Hawes in the big boat class.  In the mid-sized PHRF class, two 35-footers will be at it hammer and tong, the classic J/35 RIVAL (David Boatner) vs. the J/109 GERONIMO (Gene Pitkin).

The awards ceremony will be held at San Diego Yacht Club after the completion of races on Sunday, May 1 where prizes will be awarded by class.

The Yachting Cup would like to thank its sponsors: Pirates Lair, Ballast Point, SunBum, Helly Hansen, North Sails, North Sails Graphics, SD Boatworks, Tesla Motors, Anchor Gloves and Lemon & Lime.   For more SDYC Yachting Cup sailing information

J/70s sailing German sailing leagueGerman J/70 Sailing League Act I Preview
(Starnberg, Germany)- On a beautiful lake in Bavaria, 25 kilometers southwest of Munich, will begin the 2016 season for the Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga (DSBL).  The fifth largest lake in Germany, it is most notorious for the scandalous drowning death of King Ludwig II in 1886.  While this bit of trivia may be lost on the sailors, there is no question the 36 teams and nearly 200 sailors participating in DSBL’s inaugural 2016 event will try to avoid tragic performances themselves as they all seek the coveted silver plate, emblematic of the Overall DSBL Championship.

The long weekend starts with a qualification series from April 27th to 28th for six teams on the DSBL’s matched fleet of International One-Design J/70 class sailboats.  The pressure is immense since it is the only time these teams can hope to participate in the “premiere” division of the DSBL- League I.

J/70s sailing German Sailing LeagueThe Düsseldorf Yacht Club (13th), the Segelkameradschaft (14th place) and the Yacht Club Berlin-Grünau (15th place) want to confirm their status in the Bundesliga I. Their competitors from the Bundesliga II division want to replace them!  That includes the Hamburger Segel-Club (No. 4), the club at Rupenhorn (No. 5) and the Blankeneser Sailing Club (6th place).  Every point will count and no one will give a millimeter as the teams fight to either stay in, or climb into, League I.

The Hamburger Segel-Club (HSC) is a “repeat offender” for the start of the season.  For the second year in a row, the club from Alster Lake is in the qualification round and has to fight for the rite to be in League I. The second time, they hope, things should finally work out:

J/70 German sailing league start"We have trained hard on the Alster Lake and, yet, we are completely relaxed. I think we have a good chance in light winds. Since we have two league newcomers to the Starnberg qualifiers, we will still need for better coordination in our crew, but we are getting better. This past weekend, we practiced one last time our maneuvers.  Now, it’s time to get serious. We know that the other clubs have also trained and at the end, little things will decide how we place. It is an intense competition, a fight to the end that will be exciting and something we look forward to,” said HSC skipper- Silke Basedow.

The qualification races start on Wednesday, 27 April at 1100 hrs in front of Munich YC in on Starnberg Lake. Twelve races are planned. The minimum number of five races must be completed to ensure the qualification to be officially valid. If there is no official rating, the table from last season remains.  Thursday, April 28 is scheduled as a make-up day, just in case.

Then, from Friday through Sunday, the League I teams will be sailing as many races as weather permits!  Truly, the “horses will be on the track” working hard and hoping to establish an early pecking order amongst the top sailing clubs throughout Germany.

The Sailing Instructions, the schedule and, most importantly, LIVE SAP SAILING Analytics Tracking can be found here.   For more Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga sailing information

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

The third week of April was a busy one both in Europe and in the Americas.  On the west coast, two significant events took place off California.  The annual springtime offshore classic, the Newport to Ensenada Race had truly epic, record-breaking weather conditions.  The 125nm dash down the southern California coast from the Los Angeles basin to the quaint seaside fishing village of Ensenada along the northwestern Mexican coastline will be seared into the memory banks of many ecstatic sailors.  Then, north of them in San Francisco Bay, the Singlehanded Sailing Society (SSS) held their Round the Rocks Race for both single and doublehanded crews.  The sailors enjoyed an enormous turnout, with over 100 boats participating in this challenging race around the Bay.  Light air and current, in general, is not a good recipe for good Bay sailing. Nevertheless, teams of J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, J/105s, J/111s, J/120s and J/92 made the most of the difficult conditions to collect a lot of silverware!

Heading east to the Caribbean, the ultimate winter regatta- Antigua Sailing Week- is currently taking place, hosted by Antigua YC in English Harbour.  Several J/crews are participating in both the Around Antigua Race that already took place as well as sailing week itself; much fun for J/24s, J/30, J/105, J/36, J/120s and J/122s.

Hopping over the big pond, we find the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series and the Crewsaver Spring Championship concluded last week, sailed out of Warsash Sailing Club, with racing taking place on the Solent for one-design fleets of J/70s, J/80s, J/109s and IRC handicap fleets that included J/92s, J/88s, J/97s, and J/111s.  Then hopping across the English Channel (La Manche), we see the J/22s held their Spring Open Championship at the Van Uden Reco Regatta in Stellendam, The Netherlands.  Concurrently, the J/111s held the first of their summer long series that concludes with the Benelux J/111 fleet participating in the J/111 World Championship hosted by the Island Sailing Club in Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom.

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:

Apr 23-29- Antigua Sailing Week- English Harbour, Antigua
Apr 29-May 1- Annapolis NOOD– Annapolis, MD
Apr 27-May 1- German J/70 Sailing League- Starnberg, Germany
Apr 29-May 1- Annapolis NOOD– Annapolis, MD
Apr 30-May 1- Cinco de Mayo Regatta- Santa Barbara, CA
Apr 30- RORC Cervantes Trophy- Cowes, IOW, England
Apr 30-May 1- Yachting Cup- San Diego, CA
May 5-7- GPEN Open France- Brest, France
May 6- RORC North Sea Race- Cowes, IOW, England
May 6-8- Swiss J/70 Sailing League- Neuenberg, Switzerland
May 7-8- ALCATEL J/70 Cup- San Remo, Italy
May 7-8- Catalonia J/80 Championship- Barcelona, Spain
May 7-8- Race to the Straits Regatta- Seattle, WA
May 11-16- J/24 USA Nationals- Blue Point, NY

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.

J/120 Pole Dancer sailing Newport Ensenada RaceJ/Teams Crush Epic, Record-breaking Ensenada Race
(Newport Beach, CA)- For decades, one of southern California’s most popular offshore races has been the annual 125nm blast down the SoCal/ Mexico coastline from Newport Beach to Ensenada.  It is a marquee event in SoCal offshore circles for many reasons:  the downhill sleighride more often than not is loads of fun flying spinnakers most of the way; and the pre-race “send-off” party and the post-race awards party have gone into notorious folklore status for many boats and crews, good, bad, or otherwise!  It is truly a classic event for those who’ve experienced the traditions of SoCal offshore sailing.  Organized and hosted by the Newport Ocean Racing Association, the beloved N2E is an eclectic mix of serious sailors campaigning multi-million dollar yachts racing alongside recreational cruisers.

This year, the weather forecasters promised a somewhat benign event, a light start with a building breeze from the north to northwest in the overnight hours.  What no one anticipated was that a bizarre El Nino-influenced setup for weather systems would accelerate the strength of the breeze on a clear evening into the low 20 kts all night long!  The consequence was that records for this 125nm sprint were simply eviscerated!  The multihull record set by a MOD 70 was blown away, and the monohull record that stood for 20+ years was also obliterated.  What this meant for most of the fleet was an epic sleighride downhill into Ensenada of near Biblical proportions guided by the stars and the moon into the finish line!  It was an experience to be memorialized for the scrapbooks!

For starters, read these two stories below, one from the J/88 BLUE FLASH and the other from the well-known J/125 TIMESHAVER to get a flavor of how much fun this record-breaking race was for the crews.

J/88 Blue Flash sailing Newport Ensenada RaceJ/88 BLUE FLASH Report
Sailing the J/88 BLUE FLASH was Scott Grealish from Portland, OR from the Pacific Northwest. Scott bought the gorgeous flag blue, impeccably prepared boat from the famous radio talk-show host, Dr. Laura from Santa Barbara, CA.  His goal was to have fun sailing in warm waters with his son and friends.  To say that he is well on his way to reaping the rewards of that choice would be nothing short of an understatement.  Who knew that a bunch of guys in INTEL-land could race boats even faster than they blast down the famous nuking 20-30 kts Gorge River, which is mostly flat water but blows “dogs off chains” every day!  They are no strangers to pushing boats to their absolute limits.  Here is Scott’s commentary:

“I won’t remember the 2016 Newport Ensenada for the record setting pace, the perfect breeze that veered and built, letting us nearly sail the rhumbline and never set a jib, or the sunny warm day turning into a crystal clear full moon night with that same “just right” wind in the low 20’s at just the right angle to gybe and finish before shutting down on the boats behind solidifying our class win and 4th place overall in a solid 200+ boat fleet.

My memories will be all about coming together as a team and sailing to our potential after a “disappointing” Islands Race the month before where an epic wipeout during a 30 knot gust with the big kite up left us with our new boat speed record of 18.5 knots- - plus, a shredded kite and staysail.  We still had a six mile lead, but in trying to play it “safe”, we throttled back too far and ended up second in division.  As a skipper, I did some serious reflection afterwards and as a crew, we rallied around our strategy for the next race:  Be safe, be totally prepared, keep everyone focused on their roles, but keep pushing the boat!!

Summary of N2E 2016?  It was awesome, and everything the Islands should have been for us.  The main difference?  Great boat preparation and bow work from Andrew Coates at SD Boatworks, great navigation and weather calls from fellow Portlander Andrew Haliburton, and fast driving in the waves split between myself, my long time friend Kerry Poe from North Sails Oregon and my 17 year old son Sean.  We all know the boat well, and driving at speed in waves was uneventful this time.  No wipeouts, no drama, just hours of surfing between 10-16 knots boat speed.   We found the class kite to be quick and actually easier to drive than our bigger kite.  With a full moon, it was possible to keep pushing all night, and just when we saw a burst of 17.5 knots on a big wave and thought about “backing off”, the breeze eased just enough keep us comfortable with boat speeds in the low teens.

Overall, the whole race had perfect conditions for the boat, with the big zero up at the start, then the breeze built and veered as expected so we went to the A4, then finally the A2 all the way to the end, while we stayed pretty much on the rhumbline throughout.  But, as the breeze got above 18 kts, rather than follow an exact “route”, we mostly drove to catch waves like sailing a Laser in our home waters of the Gorge.  The boat really comes into it's own with either zero conditions or surfing conditions, and we were lucky to have both!

At the finish, we had no idea where we had placed in the absence of trackers, but when we docked in with some 50 foot boats and saw all the open slips in the marina reserved for race boats, we had a feeling we had placed well!  But more importantly, we knew we had sailed well as a team, and that was an even better feeling.  But, what was the best feeling?  Well, we have a little string of blue LED lights inside the boat that give a cool effect at night.  They have always brought us luck, but for the Islands Race they didn’t work.  Bad juju.  I’m not superstitious, but I tested them the night before N2E just to be sure...and, at the finish, we celebrated in the blue glow of the cabin!  The “Flash” was back!

J/125 Timeshaver sailing Newport Ensenada RaceJ/125 TIMESHAVER Report
The J/125 TIMESHAVER is pretty well-known in the SoCal offshore circuit.  Owner Viggo Torbensen has campaigned her for years and, more often than not, they “finish in the chocolates”!  No strangers at collecting their fair share of silverware, Viggo often has some of the leading edge sailors in his neighborhood sailing with them. One of them happens to be Eric Shampain from Newport Beach. He’s done the race multiple times and won class and overall twice on the Santa Cruz 50 Horizon.  Said Eric about this year’s event, “it was an amazing race! Maybe my personal fastest finish at just a hair over 12 hours elapsed on the mighty J/125 TIMESHAVER. So fun, so fast. Not a bad streak as well! Insanely, we got 3rd class, 3rd overall PHRF monohull! In other words, our class crushed it! The crew consisted of owner Viggo Torbensen, Tom O'Keefe, Jack Maranto, Blake Hamilton, and my dad Jon Shampain!”

Erik continues to explain; “It had been a while since I sailed a J/125 so I was looking for my fix. The 2015 Transpac doublehanded on Tim Fuller’s RESOLUTE was my last J/125 sail to be precise. When Viggo from Dana Point asked if I would do the Ensenada Race along with the following series of races that comprise the California Offshore Race Week, I had to say yes! I figured that the light air battle that is generally the Ensenada Race would be well forgotten by the time we got the boat in its element offshore down the central California Coast!

Our intel had it being a good race. It ended up being a great race. While it never got extremely windy, it did blow a solid 19-22 kts for an extended period of time making the overall race time quick. With the changing wind speeds and directions, I believe we did 6 or 7 spinnaker peels, each better then the last.  The driving was great fun as we hit 16-17 knots consistently. One of the highlights was late in the evening as we gybed into the moonlight on port. The seas lined up and the boat was humming with figure tip control.

We finished just past 12:12am for an elapsed time of just over 12 hours on the 125nm course. The next morning, we awoke and went to the host hotel to find out that we were 3rd in class and 3rd overall PHRF! Not too shabby for having a fleet of around 142 PHRF entrants. 212 counting all the multihulls and various cruising classes.

After that blast, I am really looking forward to the California Offshore Race Week, which is comprised of three legs starting in San Francisco, and stopping in Monterey, and Santa Barbara, before finishing in San Diego.”

The epilogue?  TIMESHAVER was fastest boat down the track on elapsed time in the winningest division- Class C, crushing Shampain’s former SC50 Horizon ride by nearly 45 minutes!  The winner corrected at 12:32:26.  TIMESHAVER corrected at 12:35:24, e.g a delta of just 2 minutes after 125nm!

While the J/88 and the J/125 had amazing runs down the track, a number of other J/Teams also faired incredibly well.

J/120 sailing Newport Ensenada RacePeter Bretschger claimed two trophies for his J/120 ADIOS, for Best Corrected PHRF-D and Best Corrected J/120. “I couldn’t be more elated for my crew,” said Bretschger. One of which is only 14 years-old. “It was our fastest race ever. 15 hours!” he said. In 17 years racing N2E, he’d only placed second one other time.  Rudolph Hasl’s J/120 HASL FREE from San Diego YC took third in class.  In fifth place was the J/122 TKO, sailed by John Raymont from Balboa YC.

Then, the J/120 POLE DANCER skipper Terri Manok, took home the Caroline Starr trophy back to Oceanside Yacht Club. Many of her all-women crew dedicated the race to veteran sailor Sue Senescu, who died unexpectedly last year. “I learned a lot from her,” Manok said and called her crew, “my dream team, the best I could have ever hoped for. The team agreed they were in great company while reviewing all the names of groundbreaking women sailors etched onto the side of the trophy!”

J/145 Radio Flyer sailing Newport Ensenada RaceIn the big boat world in PHRF A, John Lyon’s J/160 INNOCENT MERRIMENT from San Diego YC dueled with classmate Carolyn Parks’ J/145 RADIO FLYER from Santa Barbara YC the entire race.  On elapsed time, the two big J’s were just over 7 minutes apart and docked at virtually the same time in Ensenada!  However, on handicapped time, Lyon’s INNOCENT MERRIMENT took third in class while Parks’ RADIO FLYER took fifth.

The lone J/105 on the race track was Juan Lois’ ROCINANTE from Santa Barbara, taking 4th in PHRF H Class.  Another team from Santa Barbara took fourth in PHRF J Class, Stephen Mcdonough’s J/30 EGGEMOGGIN and Scott McKenney’s cute J/32 cruiser BETTY sailed with determination to grab fifth in class, much to the surprise of her classmates!   Sailing photo credits- Tom Walker   Sailing Photo credits- Leslie Richter.  Sailing photo credits- Ultimate Sailing/ Sharon Green.  For more Newport to Ensenada Race sailing information

J/70s sailing Warsash Helly Hansen Spring seriesGrand Finale- Warsash Spring Series & Championship
(Warsash, England)- According to one observer out on the Solent race track, it was “synchronized broaching on the final weekend of the Crewsaver Warsash Spring Championship!”  Perhaps it was not that bad, but it certainly was marked by a bitter wind chill, sunshine and cloud, shifty winds and some cracking racing!

The wind remained in the north similar to last weekend but this time a NNE on the Saturday with around 10-15 kts of wind. The forecast for Sunday had been a NNW veering north but it was in fact close to a NNE backing N that made course setting quite a challenge for the race committee. Gusts of up to 20 kts became a challenge for the competitors, with many significant broaches and trawling of spinnakers and asymmetrics seen during the days racing (no update on the flounder and oyster count yet off Bramble Banks!).

There were few surprises in the results with those boats leading their class at the end of the first weekend of the Championship further consolidating their lead this weekend to finish overall winner in their class.

The Black Group classes were started near South Ryde Middle with four windward / leeward races on part laid courses with some use of fixed marks when they served our purpose. The first General Recall of the Championship (and in fact the Spring Series as well) was for IRC2 in the first race of the weekend but all boats were away cleanly at the second attempt.

White Group starts were laid at the Jonathan Janson mark with courses running diagonally into the Meon shore.

J/111 sailing Spring Championship in Warsash, EnglandCREWSAVER SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP
Peter Bateson, Series and Championship Chairman, summed up the Championship saying, "Each year I think that the Spring Championship can't get any better, and each year it does. With 110 boats and around a thousand people taking part there has been a real buzz to the event and some really exciting racing out on the Solent. So far, the feedback has been positive so we are really pleased. A big thank you to Crewsaver and race partner Rolly Tasker for their continued support of the Spring Championship."

In IRC 2 Championship, the J/88 EAT SLEEP J REPEAT sailed by Paul Ward managed a fifth place after twelve races and fellow J/88 crew SABRIEL JR skippered by Dirk Van Beek placed seventh.

Despite not having sailed the first weekend and taking all DNS’s, the J/35 BENGAL TIGER just about thrashed her IRC 3 Championship class on the last weekend, posting an amazing 2-2.5-1-1-4 to win the day by an Irish country furlong!

Finally, the J/109 Championship fleet saw Supercalifragilistically-close sailing between Robert Stiles’ DIAMOND JEM and David McGough’s JUST SO.  After 12 races, just one point separated them with DIAMOND JEM taking the crown followed by JUST SO.  Third was Simon Perry’s JIRAFFE.  The balance of the top five was Chris Copeland & John Smart’s JUKE BOX and past class winner, Owain Franks’ JYNNAN TONNYX in fifth place.

J/70 Team RAF Spitfire- with Simon Ling, captainThe J/70s produced a winner that was not too surprising to the locals.  As winner of the J/70 World Championship Corinthians Division, Simon Ling’s TEAM RAF BENEVOLENT FUND SPITFIRE won their class with room to spare after posting five 1sts after an awfully slow start in their first race- a 10th place.  Taking second and sailing lights out was Russell Peters on BOB (a past I-14 World Champion and former West Kirby Sailing Club Commodore, famous for the World Championship Team Race Regatta- the Wilson Trophy).  Third in this talented class was Ian Wilson’s GILL RACE TEAM (the skipper is an SB20 World Champion himself!).  Fourth was Jonathan Calascione’s HARLEQUIN and fifth was Allen Higg’s ESF ENERGY.

According to Simon Ling, captain of the RAF SPITFIRE TEAM, “The second and final weekend of racing at the Warsash Spring Championships was amazing. 24 J/70s battling it out over two weekends and twelve races. Some fabulous racing in a very competitive and talented fleet. Team RAF Benevolent Fund Spitfire scored 1,2,3,2,1,1,1,3,2,3 and, in so doing, won the Championships. This is the first event of our 2016 campaign that will culminate in San Francisco in September for the J/70 World Championships. Great start for Team RAF BENEVOLENT SPITFIRE that includes myself, Ian Southworth, Craig Burlton and Tony Hanlon!”

J/111 Jitterbug sailing Warsash spring seriesHELLY HANSEN WARSASH SPRING SERIES
The final Sunday (24 April) of the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring proved to be a tricky day's racing when the wind ignored the forecast and dished up between 5-20 kts plus, with massive, cold microbursts that switched direction up to 30 degrees; dumping more than one crew's legs in the water!

The start for race one for the Black Group was near S Ryde Middle, courses with a 2-mile first beat to a laid mark just inshore of the North Channel and then triangles and windward / leeward legs between there and the Ryde Middle Bank before a finish between the East Bramble and Hill Head buoys.

The first windward mark was carried away by a boat in the first class to race was then left drifting! The next two classes managed somehow to round it as it blew rapidly downwind before it was spotted by the race committee and replaced in position with new ground tackle; the final two classes were delayed whilst this was done.

The second Black Group race start was near Deloitte Sailing Club mark; 6-7 mile courses with a first windward leg up to hamblewinterseries.com mark, then one or two windward / leeward legs before a spinnaker reach to a laid mark near Kilchoman and a short beat back to the same finish.

As a result of their incredibly strong leadoff to their series, Cornel Riklin’s J/111 JITTERBUG walked off with the Black Group IRC 1 Class championship.  Paul Griffiths’ JAGERBOMB managed a sixth in class despite missing the first two races.

J/88 sailing Warsash spring seriesThe Black Group IRC 2 division was a tough one, but in the end Paul Ward’s crew on the J/88 EAT SLEEP J REPEAT were up to the difficult task of taking a non-IRC boat up against IRC-rule-beaters and busting their bubble through superior tactics, boat-handling and just plain-old boatspeed when it counted.  They took third in their grouping.

Just about leading from the start in IRC 3 division was David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’RONIMO. However, they were put to the test on the last weekend but managed to close and win their class by one point.  Andy Howe’s J/97 BLACKJACK II took fourth in a closely fought group.

J/109 sailing Warsash spring seriesAnother closely fought series took place in the Black Group J/109 Class; the last two races of the series determined that outcome.  In contention were David McGough’s JUST SO and Simon Perry’s JIRAFFE.  However, when “the pedal meets the metal”, you begin to separate “the wheat from the chaff” as they say in America.  In this case, the intense pressure of firewalling their team led to the JUST SO crew blasting two bullets in the last two races to take the class win.  Meanwhile, wilting under the nuclear winter was JIRAFFE, closing with a 2-7 to just eke out a second place on a tie-breaker, much to their surprise!  The points scenario going into the last weekend for the leaders was “clear as Lymington mud” (just ask Bob Fisher what than means!).  Nevertheless, JIRAFFE took second over Owain Franks’ JYNNAN TONNYX on the tie-breaker based on number of firsts.  Fourth in class was Chris Burleigh’s JYBE TALKIN and fifth David Richards’ JAZZY JELLYFISH.

J/70 Spinnaker Wealth Management sailing Warsash seriesIn the White Group, it was anything but obvious who was going to win the J/70 fleet.  But, an experienced former J/80 sailor who knows the Solent better than the color of his socks each morning took the J/70 sailors to task over the entire spring series.  Local knowledge is a good thing.  Patrick Liardet and his J/70 COSMIC crew were truly “on”, or at least beyond, the B52’s Planet Claire and perhaps to “the future and beyond”, according to Buzz Light-year!  In short, after a 1-3-1-2 at the start of the series, it was their’s to lose and they did not squander that position, winning the series by 12 pts.  The huge surprise was the great performance by J/70 class newcomer, Steve Venables’ crew on INJUNCTION, taking second overall. Third was taken by a J/Class veteran, Andrew Barraclough’s JENGA VIII.  The balance of the top five was Nick Denney’s JALAPENO in fourth and Nigel Evans’ SPINNAKER WEALTH MANAGEMENT in fifth position.

For the J/80 class, it was a whitewash by Jon Powell’s BETTY, taking eleven 1sts on their way to a class win by 15 pts.  Second was Mike Lewis’ JESTER and in third was Rachel & Robert Hunt’s JUMBLESAIL.  For more Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series sailing information

J/105 sailing SSS Round Rocks RaceJ’s Romp In SSS Round Rocks Race
(San Francisco, CA)- 106 intrepid short-handed boats signed up for this years Singlehanded Sailing Society Round the Rocks Race. An in the Bay, 19.3 nm event that originates on the Berkeley Circle just off Richmond YC, leaves Alcatraz to starboard, Harding Rock to starboard, The Brothers to starboard, Red Rock to Port and on to finish in the Point Potrero Channel next to Richmond YC.

Light winds at the start left some boats drifting on the flats while others we able to ghost their way up towards Treasure Island into a slight westerly. However, unusually soft, lightening winds and a steady, stubborn 2-knot flood was too much for the fleet. The winds, for what they were worth, seemed to stay on the left side of the course, paving a way for the sportboats to work their way above the mark, with a generous over stand in Harding Rock in the middle of the Bay.

The lucky few on the initial pulse that rounded Harding then rode the flood for all it was worth straight east, some setting kites and some not. Initially it looked liked either method proved equally effective. Some of the early rounders set their kites, leaving Point Blunt well to port and went right to the edge of the flats to stay in favorable current and milk what little breeze their was.

Harding Rock bell- San Francisco BayAs the morning turned into early afternoon, a second, more populous pulse of boats, tangled with the Harding Hole, riding high over the top after observing the fate of their predecessors, many choosing Raccoon Strait as a path to the North Bay. Why not? With the flood and expected westerly, it made sense. Until it didn't. The Raccoon can be stubborn as well, and what appeared to be a short cut turned into a park up for many, who saw their sails go limp as they swirled about in the current, making some easterly VMG, but not much. Slowly, the westerly filled from the back of the fleet and a tight parade of boats spilled into the North Bay.

The big slug of boats fanned out quickly across the North Bay as the majority slipped past Red Rock. It was gonna be a slow speed drag race to the finish right off Richmond YC!  Thanks for contribution from Chris Ray at Pressure-drop.us!

J/Teams faired incredibly well in these challenging conditions.  In Class 4- Singlehanded Spin, Chad Peddy’s J/24 IRISH BLESSING got her blessing, taking 2nd in class after sailing the 19.3nm course.  As he has done in the past more than once, Bob Johnston’s J/92 RAGTIME took the Class 4-Singlehanded Spin class by over 6 minutes.  In Class 9 Doublehanded Spin, Tony & Maureen Castruccio’s J/30 WIND SPEED managed a 5th place while the two dueling J/32s finished next to each other- Luther & Robert Ismirian’s PARADIGM over John Riley & Larry Weinhoff’s LA DOLCE VITA, in 7th & 8th position, respectively.  Yet another J/24 enjoyed shorthanded racing success, in this case it was Jasper Van Vliet & John Pytlak’s CAN’O’WHOOPAS commanding the bronze in Class 10 Doublehanded Spin.  The big J’s had great success in Class 11 Doublehanded, with Ludovic Millin & Dave Corbin’s J/120 SAETTA winning class with Richard Leute & Ken Grayson’s J/44 ACEY DEUCY in third position and Reuben Ricci & Nesrin Basoz’s J/111 SWIFT NESS completing the race track in eighth place.  Just off the pace was Timo Bruck & Fraser Novakowski’s J/120 TWIST in eleventh.  Finally, in Class 12 Doublehanded Sportboat, Morgan Paxhia & Dave Roach’s J/70 PENNY PINCHER took fourth overall.  Thanks for report contribution from Pressure-drop.us.   Sailing photo credits- Rockskipper.com and Pressure-drop.us   For more SSS Round the Rocks Race sailing information

J/111 sailing Van Uden Reco regatta- NetherlandsJ/111s Loving Benelux Series!
(Stellendam, The Netherlands)- Last weekend saw the start of J/111 One-Design Racing in the Benelux region at the Van Uden Reco Regatta in Stellendam.  And, what a great start it was!!

The conditions on Saturday were very tricky, to say at the least. The conditions saw very tight, close racing, demanding everything from everybody on the boats; resulting in some very exhausted crews at the end of the day.

But, what great racing! Three races, three different winners with the top three boats (Zwijnenburg’s SWEENY, Sigg’s LALLEKONIG and Vroom’s RED HERRING) all in a three-way tie on equal points!  As a result, that meant the racing on Sunday was going to be anyone’s game to play for. Both de Liedekerke’s DJINN and Burkert’s TOP JOB were playing “catch-up”, learning a lot every turn around the course and getting closer and closer to the top 3.

J/111 fleet sailing Benelux seriesOn Sunday, the wind kicked in like a hammer, beating the boats with brutal force all day long. This ended up with TOP JOB (broken Jib#3.5) and LALLEKONIG (injured person on board) needing to retire before the racing actually began. Thankfully, they are both in good shape and will be ready to resume racing at the next J/111-event in two week’s time.

The two races sailed that day had two different winners: Zwijnenburg’s SWEENY and Vroom’s RED HERRING.  The outcome again left both boats on equal points, tied for the lead.  However, as ISAF-rules apply (best result in the last race is decisive), this made Vroom’s RED HERRING the winner of the first event. De Liedekerke’s DJINN showed great progress that day by catching up on the two leaders to take third overall.

All owners and crews were very enthusiastic and looking forward to the next J/111 Benelux One Design event- the North Sea Regatta in Scheveningen from May 13th to 16th.  Then, all participating boats in the races in the Benelux countries will also participate in the J/111 World Championship in Cowes (UK) in early August!  Thanks for the report from Paul Gladdines!   For more J/111 Benelux Van Uden Reco sailing information

J/122 sailing Antigua Sailing WeekAntigua Sailing Week Update
(English Harbour, Antigua)- There were near perfect conditions for the two stand-alone long distance races prior to Antigua Sailing Week. Following the Guadeloupe to Antigua Race, a record fleet of 42 yachts took part in the Round Antigua Race and it turned out to be a race that one young up-and-coming Antiguan sailor will never forget.

15-20 knots from the southeast produced a fast race, threatening the monohull race record that has stood for six years. The fantastic weather is forecast to remain for the entire regatta, providing thrilling racing for teams from all over the world. With warm trade winds, deep blue ocean and a festival atmosphere ashore, Antigua Sailing Week is the place to be.

J/11S sailing Antigua Sailing WeekThe 52 nautical-mile, Round Antigua Race was held on Saturday 23rd April and attracted 42 yachts; nearly twice as many as the 2015 race. Race Officer Stuart Childerley, officiating at his first race for Antigua Sailing Week, got the fleet off to a flying start from Fort Charlotte outside English Harbour. “We had beautiful conditions for the race with 14 knots, just south of east and every start was very competitive. The breeze built up throughout the day and there were reports of up to 20 knots of wind later during the race,” commented Childerley.

In CSA 2, Chris Body’s J/122 EL OCASO team comprised of an all United Kingdom team was second over Pamala Baldwin’s J/122 LIQUID crew that was an all-Antiguan race team!

The Round Antigua Race Prize Giving was preceded by a cultural parade starting from Antigua Yacht Club to Nelson’s Dockyard including Iron-Band percussion, stilt walkers and local drummers to get the party started. It was followed by the Antigua Sailing Week Welcome Party with the Hon. Asot Michael, Minister of Tourism, Economic Development, Investment and Energy of Antigua and Barbuda and the former Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Denzil Douglas.

Historic Nelson’s Dockyard was buzzing and crews were ready to be entertained by “DJ Nez” and live music from sensational Antiguan cover band “1761.” Racing at Antigua Sailing Week started Sunday 24th April with as many as nine races scheduled for the Week and concludes on Friday 29th April.  Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth/ PWPictures.com.  For more Antigua Sailing Week information

J/22 Bigroll sailing Van Uden Reco regattaJ/22s Huge at Van Uden Reco Regatta
“Two-peat” by Lisanne Nijdam!
(Stellendam, The Netherlands)- With rain, hail, sun and a lot of wind, the Van Uden Reco Stellendam Regatta was a spectacular season opener for the more than 100 registered sailing race teams.

The two days of competition were spectacularly produced by OnAir Media, photographer Lawrence Morel, On-Board Reporter Klaas Wiersma and the teams themselves!

Martine Fox, president of the Holland Regatta Club is very proud of the teams that participated in the event- they ranged in age from 16 to well over 50. Martine commented, "It is a special mix of young and enthusiastic sailors, ambition and years of experience. During the day, they sail very tight, close matches and in the evening, they make up a party! I'm really proud of that!”

J/22 sailing NetherlandsThe sponsors Van Uden Reco and the Marina Group look back with pride on their first regatta in the Netherlands that attained the Sailors for the Sea Clean Regattas Certificate!

Enjoying the camaraderie both on and, especially, off the water was the largest class at the regatta- the Benelux J/22 Class.  With nineteen participants, racing battles were happening on every part of the racecourse, from the starts, to mark roundings, to the finish in every race!

The J/22s saw their first “two-peat” winner in quite some time. Lisanne Nijdam on TU DELFT/ BIG ROLL won last year by one point. This year, the BIG ROLL winning gap was much larger, winning by 10 pts!  Her record of three 1sts, a 2nd and two 3rds was significantly more consistent than her erstwhile competitors, plus she was top women skipper in the entire regatta!  Her TU DELFT/ BIG ROLL 2 colleagues led by Grundeman as skipper took the silver by just one point over van der Beek’s RSZJ.  Fourth in class was Verdoorn’s JUT & JUL and fifth was Rieckborn’s JOLLY JUMPER.   Sailing photo credits- Laurens Morel/ Saltycolours.com   For more Van Uden Reco Regatta sailing information
 

J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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Sailor/ write Nick Hayes*  “‘Sailing for Good’ and ‘Sailing, for Good,’ are what keeps us coming back,” so says Milwaukee-based sailor Nick Hayes (who sometimes sails on J/30s on Lake Michigan with family & friends).  Nick continues his commentary on “why”:

“I'll admit to obsessing about why we sail. What drives us to be cold, wet and often bored, and yet still go sailing? Is it the camaraderie? The challenge? The adventure? The competition? Promoters and advocates will often boil it down to the premise that sailors sail because it is fun, and, by inference, don’t sail when it’s not. Logic would suggest that as long as sailing is fun, more people will do it, but the numbers don’t support it. We all know that sailing can be a blast, but search Google trends for the word “sailing” and you’ll see that sailing struggles for relevance in the online world. Offline, I would suggest, sailing is far more than just fun; many are Sailing for Good.

It’s one of the most significant trends in sailing. What is Sailing for Good? I see at least four adaptations on the theme.  

The most apparent: the merging of cause-fundraising with a sailing race, regatta or rally. These events are everywhere boats and crews gather. For example, sailors have raised more than $50 million dollars to help find a cure for Leukemia while sailing in regattas held all over the country. In my town, thoughtful sailors got together a decade ago to create a fun fall race called Louie’s Last Regatta to raise money for a local pediatric hospital. Louie’s has since grown into a year-round spectacle of sailor parties that raises more money for the hospital than any other independently organized event. At clubs all over the country, sailors pass the hat at parties for good local causes like youth fleets, sailing schools and school trips. After a hurricane slammed Haiti, sailing clubs rallied to send donated sails to the Red Cross to be used as roofs for temporary shelters. It’s widely assumed that the more free rum available at one of these events, the more money will be raised. Call this “Sailing for Feel-Good.”

Another adaptation: The idea that teaching sailing is, in fact, the teaching of many other vital life skills, and can therefore be good in ways more meaningful than fun. It’s an old idea that is catching on in modern, substantive ways. What was once a path on which a mentor might set a crooked kid straight is now a widespread movement. Youth sailing schools will often say that they’re in the business of leadership or resilience training. Sailing organizations teach from lesson plans integrated with subjects like physics, climatology, and biology. Colleges are expanding their extracurricular sailing teams owing to the life-skills taught by travel and teamwork. Some call it “expeditionary learning,” but we might also call it “Sailing for Social Good.”   Read more here at SAILING Magazine.net

J/70- Tim Healy gybing under spinnaker* Tips for Gybing Asymmetrical Spinnaker- Tim Healy (North Sails) offers some tips on the two types of gybes for the asymmetrical spinnaker on the J/70:

Conventional Gybe
This gybe is performed in the lighter wind conditions (5-10 knots). Another indicator is the angle you are sailing downwind. If you are sailing a low angle (almost running dead downwind), then this style of gybe is best. When performing this style of gybe, you do want your jib furled during the maneuver.

The end goal with this gybe is to reduce steering through the maneuver. This allows the boat to keep consistent speed through the gybe and allows you to stay in a narrow wind lane, if needed. A clear indicator of doing this gybe correctly is if the spinnaker rotates around the headstay before the main crosses the boat.

To do this, steer down slowly while the crew overhauls the new spinnaker sheet as the boat approaches dead downwind. During this time, the crew rolls the boat, the new sheet continues to be trimmed until the spinnaker fills and the main is pulled across the boat. Once the sails are filled on the new side, the crew should use their weight to flatten the boat. As the boat is flattened, the main should be trimmed to the higher exit heading and the spinnaker should be eased because the spinnaker is over trimmed during the gybe.

Blow-Through (or Skiff) Gybe
We like to use this style of gybe in 12+ knots of wind. During the Blow-Through Gybe, the jib stays out and plays a factor in the maneuver. The end goal with this type of gybe is to achieve maximum speed going into the maneuver and then regain your speed as quickly as possible after the maneuver (spinnaker filled, proper angle of heel).

Again, we do not over-steer the boat. You have to be slow and smooth, especially now that the boat is reaching high speeds. We count down the gybe: “Gybing in 3, 2, 1”. On the 2 count the helmsperson slowly turns down. On 3 the spinnaker trimmer will begin to trim in about five feet of sheet. The forward crew will trim the jib hard creating a wall at the fore triangle of the boat. When the trimmer trims in, the clew gets pulled down which is what you want. The forward crew then grabs the clew of the spinnaker and holds it for about 1.5 seconds, all the while the boat is being steered through the gybe slowly.

The trimmer then calls “CUT”, meaning release the clew. The spinnaker then backwinds into the jib and the fore triangle of the boat. The spinnaker trimmer pulls the new sheet and, with some timing practice, the boat will exit the gybe at an angle where only 2-3 pulls on the new sheet will fill the spinnaker after the gybe.

Key indicators after the gybe: If you come out of the gybe over-heeled, then you oversteered through the process. If you come out of the gybe too low -the spinnaker will need to be over-trimmed to fill. The boat will be slow and flat in the water. Practice these!
 

J/Cruisers
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.

* The J/40 HERON REACH sailed by Virginia and Jerry is participating in the Blue Planet Odyssey project and have recently joined them in the Marquesas Islands in the Eastern Pacific.  Learn more about their adventures and experiences here- http://heronreachodyssey.blogspot.com/
Giant whale breaching in front of J/160 SALACIA off  Australia's Whitsunday Islands* J/160 SALACIA has been sailing in Australia in the Whitsunday Islands.  Guess who decided to throw themselves across their bow as they cruised comfortably to their next destination?  A giant whale!  Look at this amazing photo!

J/42 cruiser- sailing across Atlantic Ocean* 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, for 2015/ 2016!  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 regards their various improvements and refit to the boat (see above).  They will again be based at Proper Yachts in St John, US Virgin Islands.

Bill & Judy Stellin- sailing J/42 Jaywalker* Bill & Judy Stellin were interviewed 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

Wall St Journal interview- Stellin's Offshore cruising/ sailing retirementThe 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/.

J/130 sailing ARC Rally arrives Portugal- leave a message on the sea wall!* 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.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

J/Newsletter- April 20th, 2016

J/112E at J/Boats Demo Day in May
J/Boats Demo Day- May 21st!
(Newport, RI)- Please join us as we usher in the 2016 sailing season with a day of J sailing in scenic Newport, Rhode Island.  We’ll have several J models on display at Sail Newport’s Volvo Pier at Fort Adams State Park (free parking) from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.  We’ll then take to the water in the afternoon for hourly trial sails until 5:00 pm.

Try one boat or sign up to sail on several!  What a perfect opportunity to sail the J you’ve always wanted!  The current line-up of boats include:  J/70, J/88, J/97E, J/109, J/111, J/112E and J/133.

To sign up for a specific demo-time and model, please email (info@jboats.com) or call us (+1-401-846-8410)!

J/70 sailing league startPremiere Sailing League Debuts in Detroit
(Detroit, MI)– The Premiere Sailing League USA (PSL USA) announces that Grosse Pointe Yacht Club (GPYC) as the first official “stadium” for the sport’s first American-based sailing league. The inaugural demonstration event will take place from September 10th to 11th at Grosse Point YC in their brand-new fleet of six matched J/70s.  Founded in 1914, GPYC is one of the country’s premier yacht clubs and a prominently visible landmark located on Lake St. Clair, less than 30 miles from downtown Detroit.

“We are looking forward to hosting this event for the Midwest,” said GPYC Commodore Thomas Lauzon.  “The partnership with Premiere Sailing League USA will not only help promote the growth of youth sailing in the greater Detroit area, but also serve as a symbol of the economic revitalization of our region.  Our fleet of J/70s is creating tremendous enthusiasm within our membership as well as encouraging other Detroit area clubs, like Bayview YC, to join in on the fun!”

Grosse Pointe YC hosting J/70 sailing league“Grosse Pointe YC is doing an amazing job with their youth and high school programs and will make good use of their boats in between sailing league events,” said Benjamin Klatzka, the President of PSL USA.  “Integrating with the programs of our partner sailing clubs is one of the important concepts PSL USA will implement to further support the sport.”

As a long-time supporter of sailing on the Great Lakes, Wally Cross, President of Ullman Sails Midwest, is excited about the PSL USA program. “This sailing league program will get the kids involved big-time and help us grow sailing as a family and school activity in the region.”

Grosse Pointe YC and PSL USA are inviting yacht clubs and community sailing programs from across the greater Midwest to participate in the exciting sailing league format.  Eighteen club teams, comprised of four crew each, participate in a college-style sailing format with teams rotating through six boats.  Teams are invited to participate from: Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. If you wish to participate, please contact Ben Klatzka at cell# 617-480-8775 or email here.   For more information about the Premiere Sailing League USA

Newport to Ensenada Race Preview
(Newport Beach, CA)- One of Southern California’s most popular offshore races is about to start this weekend from Newport Beach, CA.  The annual Newport to Ensenada Yacht Race is a 125nm race that has challenged SoCal sailors since 1948.  The race famously starts with a massive “send-off” party on Thursday and ends with yet another amazing shindig down in the fun-loving city of Ensenada on the Baja Peninsula of Mexico.  And, to make it even more fun, more often than not ‘ole Mother Nature promises to delivery yet another downhill sleigh ride with dozens of porpoises frolicking in boat wakes and ginormous whales leaping like lizards out of the enormous Pacific swells.

Organized and hosted by the Newport Ocean Racing Association, the beloved N2E is an eclectic mix of serious sailors campaigning multi-million dollar yachts racing alongside recreational cruisers.  In order to accommodate the realities of our modern day economy, where time is of the essence for skippers and crew, NOSA has introduced a new “short course” that starts in San Diego Bay and ends up with the Newport Beach boats in Ensenada.

It has been a popular event for J sailors over the years, starting with J/24s and J/30s up to J/120s, the famous J/125s and the majestic J/65. The 2016 edition will have a broad range of offshore-loving J/Crews.  In the big boat world in PHRF A, John Lyon’s J/160 INNOCENT MERRIMENT from San Diego YC will be dueling with classmate Carolyn Parks and her fire-engine red beauty- the J/145 RADIO FLYER from Santa Barbara YC. 

The lone wolf in PHRF C class is the Puerto Vallarta Race division winner- the J/125 TIMESHAVER sailed by Viggo Torbensen and crew from Dana Point YC.  Just behind them is a virtual one-design offshore class comprised of four J/120s- Peter Bretschger’s ADIOS from Balboa YC, Rudolph Hasl’s HASL FREE from San Diego YC, Terri Manok’s POLE DANCER, and John Snook/ Ron Masterson’s JIM from Long Beach YC.  They will be joined by the Rolex Big Boat Series winning J/122 TKO, sailed by John Raymont from Balboa YC.

Seth Hall’s pretty flag-blue J/124 MARISOL will be sailing under the flag of the Cortez Racing Association in PHRF E class.  They will be chased hard by a trio of J’s in PHRF F class that includes the offshore-winning team on the J/88 BLUEFLASH skippered by Scott Grealish from Willamette SC in Portland, OR.  Along with them will be two J/109s, Milton Santos’ LINSTAR from Balboa YC and Jack Mayer’s ZEPHYR.

The lone J/105 on the race track will be Juan Lois’ ROCINANTE from Santa Barbara sailing in PHRF H.  Finally, PHRF J class will see Stephen Mcdonough’s J/30 EGGEMOGGIN and Scott McKenney’s cute J/32 cruiser BETTY competing for class honors.   For more Newport to Ensenada Race sailing information

J/11S sailing AntiguaAntigua Sailing Week Preview
(English Harbour, Antigua)- Antigua Sailing Week started in 1968 when a group of friends got together to hold a regatta.  A number of the friends were hoteliers and part of their objective in creating the regatta was to extend the winter season by getting people to stay in Antigua a little longer – or to come specifically to participate in the event that would in turn extend the end of the current season.

Therefore, in 1968, the Antigua Hotel Association sponsored the very first Antigua Sailing Week that was held from the 8th through the 15th of June with participating boats from the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.  Festivities included a three-day ‘Lord Nelson Regatta’ with sailing yachts of up to 135-feet in length, power boat races, deep-sea fishing and Sunfish sailing contests.  There was also a two-day race among Antigua’s workboat fishermen whose boats had been freshly painted in bold Caribbean colors specifically for the event.

The Antiguan Government and Antigua Sailing Week Committee went to great lengths to welcome visitors and ensure they had a good time.  For those not on the water but looking for a way to be part of the action, there were beach and verandah parties from which the events could be observed.  Then, there was the truly infamous final awards party taking place in Nelson’s Dockyard with the Lord Nelson Costume Ball held on Saturday, June 15, 1968.

The inaugural Antigua Sailing Week was such a huge success that it was repeated for the following 47 years. The dates eventually changed and it became tradition for Antigua Sailing Week to officially begin on the last Sunday in April every year.

Recognized as one of the best sailing locations in the world, Antigua is bracing itself for an influx of sailors and yachts from at least 22 two different countries. The largest number of yachts by country will be Great Britain joined by crews from Antigua, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, St. Maarten, South Africa, Sweden, Trinidad and the United States of America. Over 1,000 sailors will be making the journey to the mecca of Caribbean sailing for a week of superb racing and fantastic parties.

A full week of racing starts on Sunday, April 24 and concludes Friday, April 29. Racing takes place around laid marks and point-to-point courses in the world famous sailing grounds off the south coast of Antigua. Daily prize givings are held at the Presidente Beer Garden at Antigua Yacht Club, which provide great opportunities for sailors to meet other teams. The Final Awards Presentation and after party is held in the historic surroundings of Nelson’s Dockyard. Wednesday, 27 April is the Presidente Lay Day Beach Party with fun and games on Pigeon Beach.

The regatta has always attracted the big entries, and this year’s current list includes 28 competing yachts at 50 feet and over. The entry list is bristling with proven winners including 2016 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta winner EL OCASO, the J/122 sailed by Rick Wesslund’s team from Miami.  For Antigua, EL OCASO will be sailed by a hot crew from the United Kingdom- Chris Body’s team from Royal Southern YC on the Hamble.  Joining them in CSA Racing 5 division will be another J/122- Pamala Baldwin’s LIQUID from Jolly Harbour YC.  In addition, two other U.K. crews will be on the starting line; David Ballantyne’s J/133 JINGS! from the Royal Ocean Racing Club on the Isle of Wight and Andy Middleton’s J/120 PERFORMANCE YACHT RACING “SUNSET” from Cowes, I.O.W.

CSA Racing 6 division has a trio of J/Teams up against a dozen other contenders, Jonty Layfield’s new J/11S from Antigua YC, Robbie Ferron’s J/39 MICRON 99 OSSENFEFFER from St Maarten YC, and Joe Da Ponte’s J/44 ZAFU 444 from Vancouver Rowing Club in West Vancouver, BC.

A classic J/35 is sailing in CSA Racing 7 class, Remco van Dortmondt’s SUNBELT REALTY DASH from Willemstad, Curacao and in CSA Racing 8 will be the famous J/30 BLUE PETER sailed by Tanner Jones from Jolly Harbour YC on Antigua.  Sailing photo credit- Tim Wright/ Photoaction.com.  For more Antigua Sailing Week information

Mexican J/24 Nationals YucatanMexican J/24 Nationals in Yucatan!
(Yucatan, Mexico)- Hold on to your hats!  A soon to be famous sailing venue is being championed by none other than the J/24 class off the famous old fishing village of Yucatan.  Now a famous resort, but even more incredibly, a fantastic place to be sailing literally on the edge of the cobalt-blue Gulf Stream that goes whistling by offshore less than a mile from the harbor entrance.  With spectacular tradewinds that start pumping hard in late spring, early summer, the J/24 sailors from across Mexico, the USA and Europe will revel in the wavy, windy, warm weather conditions on offer in this special place in the world.  Truly, it is an undiscovered, under-appreciated place to hold major regattas!

Register NOW for the Mexican J/24 Nationals and, better yet, get a crew organized and ask J/24 Yucatan Fleet Captain Jorge Ojeda for a borrowed boat to go sailing on for a week!  Contact Jorge here- j24yucatan@hotmail.com/ www.j24yucatan.org/ Facebook J24 Yucatan.

The regatta takes place from June 30th to July 3rd, hosted by Club Marina Sureste in the main harbor of Yucatan.  They are supported by the Mexican Federation of Sailing, the Yucatan Tourism Office and supported by sponsor Sherwin Williams Paint.  Up to three windward-leeward races are planned each day starting no earlier than 1100 hours.  A throwout race occurs after five races sailed.
                            
According to Jorge, “we have beautiful sand and weather, but, especially a solid wind all the year, so its a great place for sailing!!  We expect at least 25 J/24s.  The three top Mexican teams are planning to attend and we hope to attract some American, Canadian and European teams, too!  Please contact me, we have good boats available to sail!”   For more Mexican J/24 Nationals sailing information

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

As spring continues to evolve, the weather is getting better in Europe, finally!  Over the weekend, the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series and the CrewSaver Spring Championship were blessed with good sailing conditions and lots of racing for one-design J/70s, J/80s and J/109s.  The J/88s and J/111s were all moving up in the classes while one J/111 continues to predominate.

Down across the mid-Atlantic to the tropics, the normally spectacular sailing at Voiles de St Barth was anything but that!  Nevertheless, the J/teams made the most of it, including a J/30, J/109, J/111, J/120s and J/122s.  

There was lots of sailing action spanning the American continent.  On the East Coast, what is now the largest sailing regatta in America took place in South Carolina- the Sperry Charleston Race Week for 250 boats. It was an epic event punctuated by huge breezes! The largest contingent by far were the various classes of J/Boats- 53% of the regatta!  Those included one-design classes for J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, J/80s on the inshore courses and offshore were one-design starts for J/88s and J/111s.  In addition, J/122s, J/105s, J/30 and J/27s sailed in PHRF handicap classes.  On the West Coast, Seattle sailors enjoyed the Puget Sound Spring Regatta hosted by Corinthian YC of Seattle; a one-design class of J/105s had fun and in the PHRF racing, J/80s, J/29s, J/109s, J/30 and J/35 all had fun on a gorgeous weekend for the Pacific Northwest.  Then, down south in San Francisco, a big fleet of J/crews sailed the J/Fest San Francisco; participating were J/24s, J/70s, J/105s, J/111s and J/120s.

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:

Apr 11-16- Les Voiles de St Barth- Gustavia, St Barth
Apr 16-17- J/Fest San Francisco- San Francisco, CA
Apr 16-19- Charleston Race Week– Charleston, SC
Apr 23-29- Antigua Sailing Week- English Harbour, Antigua
Apr 29-May 1- Annapolis NOOD– Annapolis, MD

Apr 22-24- Newport to Ensenada Race- Newport Beach, CA
Apr 23-29- Antigua Sailing Week- English Harbour, Antigua
Apr 27-May 1- German J/70 Sailing League- Starnberg, Germany
Apr 29-May 1- Annapolis NOOD– Annapolis, MD
Apr 30-May 1- Cinco de Mayo Regatta- Santa Barbara, CA
Apr 30- RORC Cervantes Trophy- Cowes, IOW, England
Apr 30-May 1- Yachting Cup- San Diego, CA
May 5-7- GPEN Open France- Brest, France
May 6- RORC North Sea Race- Cowes, IOW, England
May 6-8- Swiss J/70 Sailing League- Neuenberg, Switzerland
May 7-8- ALCATEL J/70 Cup- San Remo, Italy
May 7-8- Catalonia J/80 Championship- Barcelona, Spain
May 7-8- Race to the Straits Regatta- Seattle, WA
May 11-16- J/24 USA Nationals- Blue Point, NY

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.

J/111s sailing JFest San FranciscoShort & Sweet J/Fest San Francisco
(San Francisco, CA)- On April 16 and 17, the St. Francis Yacht Club welcomed hundreds of sailors to San Francisco Bay for J/Fest, an annual regatta that featured J/24s, J/70s, J/105s, J/111s and J/120s. After a two-hour postponement on Saturday, the breeze filled in and competitors enjoyed two fantastic races. “We had Chamber-of-Commerce conditions,” said regatta chairman Norman Davant. “I have never seen water that clear come into the Bay. You could see the bottom from the Yacht Club.” With the tide flooding, boats stayed in the favored current along the Cityfront, making for great viewing from shore. All five fleets got in two races in 12-15 knots.

Sunday also began with no wind and flat calm water. The Sailing Instructions dictated that no races were to start after 1530, so when the breeze had still not filled in by 1330, the Executive Race Committee called the regatta. At the Awards Ceremony, there was still only a hint of a northerly.

J/70s sailing JFest San FranciscoThus, it was a short regatta, but it was a sweet regatta. “The Js came out en masse,” said Davant. The J/70 fleet was particularly active, and also hosted a clinic on Friday afternoon. “These guys are revving up for J/70 Worlds, which will be hosted by StFYC this September, so we’re starting to see some out-of-towners come in to get a feel for the Bay,” said Davant.

Peter Cameron swept the J/70 fleet with two bullets on PRIME NUMBER while second place was shared by Frank Slootman on LITTLE HAND (2-5) and Justin Kromelow on LOOSE LUCY (3-4).  Rounding out the top five Tracy & Christy Usher’s CHRISTINE ROBIN in fourth, just one point from a three-way tie for second place and in fifth was Chris Kostanecki’s JENNIFER.

The J/24s enjoyed close racing as well.  The big EVIL OCTOPUS sailed by Jasper Van Vliet from Richmond YC took the top spot with a 2-1 followed by Darren Cumming’s DOWNTOWN UPROAR with a 1-3.  Third was Val Lulevich’s SHUT UP & DRIVE, fourth Randall Rasicot’s FLIGHT and fifth Paul van Ravenswaay’s FERAL ROOSTER.

It was the mighty big BAD DOG in the J/111s that won class with double bullets, led by their fearless leader Richard Swanson.  With deux deuces, it was Nesrin Basoz’s SWIFT NESS in second, followed by Gorkem Ozcelebi’s DOUBLE DIGIT in third place.

J/120s sailing JFest San FranciscoThere were some rapid ascents and descents in the J/120 class.  Surviving their game of chutes & ladders was David Halliwill’s PEREGRINE to take a 2-1 and the win.  Barry Lewis’ CHANCE nabbed a 1-3 to seal the deal for the silver while Stevie Madeira’s magnificently green (like Maine forest colors) MR MAGOO settled for the bronze.

While most fleets saw some boats predominate, that was not the case for the extremely competitive J/105 class.  Here’s Phil Laby’s J/105 class report (with contributions by Toné Chin and Pat Benedict).

“We had a strong fleet showing of twenty-five J/105's, the best this year and especially good for a mid-season event.  With strong midday ebb transitioning into early flood later in the day, and with light breezes predicted, a premium could be expected on good starts, working the currents, and finding lanes for breeze.

Saturday’s start was postponed several hours and the fleet watched from the St. Francis Yacht Club (largely in summer attire) as the Lightship Race drifted through their starts, struggled to avoid obstructions, and made due with a light easterly wind or otherwise were induced by the strong ebb out the gate.  At about noon a westerly finally appeared building to around 10-15 knots for the rest of the day.

J/105s sailing JFest San FranciscoIn the first race, stronger ebb out in the bay favored several boats starting at the committee boat and who tacked immediately to port.  Arbitrage nailed the start at the committee and tacked out first, followed by Advantage3, then Jabberwocky, Godot, and Wonder with the rest of the fleet following suit.  The ebb made for a fast beat and Godot's strategy called for an earlier tack shy of the lay line to avoid the possibility of over-standing.  However, those that continued farther (Arbitrage and Advantage3) gained additional lengths by the weather mark.  The fleet tightened while heading downwind along the beach for tide relief.  Godot sailed below a group on starboard and jibed shy of the beach, finding more wind off shore and moved into 4th. After one more loop, featuring a jibing dual between leaders Arbitrage and Advantage3, the latter got its bow out at the finish line to earn the bullet. Wonder found the boat side favored to finish just ahead of Godot for the 3rd spot.

Simon Bell, tactician aboard Advantage3, had this to say of the exciting finish in race one: "Being overlapped with Arbitrage at the finish line… with both spinnakers pulling, the crew really pumped up, and winning less than 2 seconds ahead will be unforgettable!"

J/105s starting at JFest San FranciscoFor the second race, the starting line was set significantly port side or pin favored to attract some starters from just ganging up at the race committee and heading out into the remaining ebb.  Godot decided to set up a third back from the pin end for a position to quickly tack after the start.  A header occurred during the final moments allowing for an easy execution of this tack at the gun.  Recounted Toné Chin on the bow of Godot, “With my keen eyes, I waved the skipper to go full speed… this allowed us to take fully take advantage of the skewed line.  At the gun, we flopped over to port and managed to clear the whole fleet.”  A drag race ensued with 007, the pin boat off the line that also crossed on port, to the right corner of the course.  Towards the top of the course 007 crossed close ahead of Godot several times.  The early flood had already begun at the mark and Godot managed to arrive first, closely followed by 007, both several lengths ahead of the next boat.  Godot led the rest of the way, playing the shifting current and wind at the top of the next beat that offered the fleet enabling passing opportunities.  At the finish line, Godot was followed by Roxanne, Jam Session, Advantage3, and Blackhawk.

J/105 spinnakers at JFest San FranciscoSunday’s racing was canceled with the absence of breeze. In the end, Godot scored the win followed by Advantage3 in a tie breaker, both with 5 points.  The next three spots were filled by Roxanne, Arbitrage, and Blackhawk, respectively, in a three-way tie breaker with 12 points each.

The skipper of Advantage 3, Pat Benedict, acknowledged outstanding crew work as integral to his success. At one leeward gate rounding, he was amazed that his team was “able to jibe, pull out the jib, do a leeward take down, and round the mark within 4 boat lengths of the starboard buoy.”

The skipper of Godot, Phil Laby, reflected, ‘There was some amazing work done by the foredeck team of Patrick Haywood (pit), Matt Skafel (mast), and Toné (bowman extraordinaire).  The trimmers of Drew Cannon (spinnaker) and Will Lowe (main) also did well.  This crew have been racing together for only five days, so we're happy with the results so far.’”

What the regatta may have lacked in breeze, it made up for in entertainment. The Saturday night regatta party was great fun and included dinner, a live band, free-flowing Mount Gay and a massive raffle for sailing swag.  Sailing photo credits-  Chris Ray Photo  and  Erik Simonson   For more J/Fest San Francisco sailing information

J/88s sailing Charleston Race WeekFabulous, Epic Charleston Race Week
(Charleston, SC)- Event Chairman Randy Draftz says that nature smiled on the fleet for Charleston Race Week’s 21st birthday.  “This is a dream forecast with our strongest group of sponsors, supporters, and competitors ever, and it’s fitting that our birthday present is the same thing that made Charleston such a world famous sailing destination: Great wind.”

With three courses in Charleston Harbor and one outside the jetties, Sperry Charleston Race Week welcomed competitive sailors of all skill levels, from the highest ranks of Olympic and America’s Cup crews to the newest jib-and-main racer looking to get their toes in the water.  Skippers and crews hailed from some 27 nations, while boats ranging from 19 feet to 84 feet raced in seven mixed/handicap fleets and 11 one-design racing classes.

J/70 sailor Terry HutchinsonTerry Hutchinson was one of those America’s Cup stars, and he said there are few things better than April on the water in Charleston. “I don’t get to come to Charleston every year, but when I do, it starts the whole season off perfectly,” said Hutchinson, who raced aboard Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT in the 72-boat J/70 fleet. The former ARTEMIS Racing skipper and his team arrived early enough to put in two extra days of practice, which Hutchinson said would be essential for his team to do well in Charleston. “The competition level in the J/70 class is no joke, and this will probably be the biggest J/70 regatta all the way until Worlds in 2016. We could use even more practice, but we’re ready to get out there tomorrow and make good things happen.”  Those were prophetic words coming from a J/24 World Champion and two-time College Sailor of the Year.

With high-levels of competition in both the offshore handicap and one-design world, it is notable that the top two most prestigious trophies in the regatta went to J/crews.  Winning their fourth Palmetto Cup, the perennial trophy for best overall handicap racing performance, was Robin Team and the family-filled J/122 TEAMWORK program. As a result, they became the winningest boat in Sperry Charleston Race Week’s 21-year history. Then, on the one-design front, Julian Fernandez’s J/70 FLOJITO Y COOPERANDO, producing a “two-peat” performance, took home the Charleston Race Week Trophy for the best overall performance in a one-design class.  Here is what happened over the weekend.

J/80s sailing Charleston Race WeekFriday
The first morning came on like a winter blast, with cold, driving rain and a brisk northeasterly breeze greeting the more than 2,000 sailors ready to do battle for the day. With dangerous surf at the harbor’s edge and a building wind forecast, all offshore racing was canceled before 8:00am.  Event Director Randy Draftz said that while he hated to see the big boats lose a day, it wasn’t a difficult call.

“After looking at wind readings and wave reports from private boats and the US Coast Guard, and consulting with our Race Officers, we decided safety was far more important than racing, especially in potentially boat-breaking waves,” Draftz said. “There was definitely relief on most of the skipper’s faces after we called the offshore racing off.”

Meanwhile, the shelter of Charleston Harbor meant the inshore fleets – eight of them on three separate courses – had powerful but very manageable conditions, with all classes finishing three or four races in winds under 18 knots.

J/70 sailor Gannon Troutman on Pied PiperJust under 70 teams were racing in the J/70 class, with more America’s Cup, Olympic, and Championship racers than one can easily count. After three races, no professionally driven and crewed boat was beating 13-year old Gannon Troutman on PIED PIPER, whose crew includes his Dad- Dan. “We put a lot of time into getting faster and progressing over the winter, and it’s definitely showing this week,” said Troutman, who said his biggest focus when he’s out on the race course is— - - focus!

“I work on keeping distractions to a minimum and doing my job– driving– the very best I can, all the time,” said the teen, who added that he’s rarely intimidated even when being shouted at by sailing superstars. “They’re just trying to mess you up, so it’s best to ignore them and just sail fast,” he said, with wisdom far beyond his age.

Molly and John Baxter sailing Vineyard VinesTroutman’s youthful confidence may be brimming, but there’s another, far younger J/70 sailor looking to put a dent in the 13 year-old’s game plan; Connecticut couple Molly and John Baxter were racing their J/70 VINEYARD VINES at the regatta, despite expecting their new baby in just four months. “It’s early in the regatta, but we hope to have the first prenatal Charleston Race Week Champion crowned on Sunday,” Molly said!

Youthful exuberance abounds in the J/70 fleet, while experience and tradition filled the J/24 fleet– a Charleston staple. Local racer Mike Palazzo and his team on JO’MAMA sat in 10th place after three races, and he was all smiles in the afternoon, even before his first Gosling’s Rum Dark-n-Stormy. “We had a middle-of-the-pack day, but it was still a ton of fun out there racing in the best place there is. Everyone started the day with blade jibs, and the smart guys transitioned to bigger headsails for the second and third race when the wind dropped. Unfortunately, we didn’t make that move, and paid for it,” said Palazzo.

J/80s sailing Charleston HarborSaturday
Friday’s wintery conditions were barely a memory after Saturday’s picture-perfect Day 2, with 15-20 knots of wind inshore and over 20 kts outside the jetties. The conditions allowed for racing across all the courses despite seas that ranged from ‘bumpy’ to ‘scary’ according to crews returning from the offshore race course.

Sailing in handicap racing Class B, Frickie Martschink and Bill MacKenzie’s crew on board their J/105 RUM FRONT out of Charleston said the racing was great. “The ride out was pretty rough, but once on the course, conditions were not easy, but good for racing,” said Martschink, who said the highlight of his day was rounding the top mark and setting the asymmetrical spinnaker. “Once we got that set, we were smoking, and what a blast- - - well, until we had a little issue getting the kite down.”

Among Martschink’s competition in the 10-boat class was his brother Miles, who helms an identical J/105 named SKIMMER.  “We’re going to make sure our crew work is clean and quick tomorrow so we can be sure to beat my brother,” said Martschink.

Overhead waves against the tide caused problems for even the most seasoned sailors, but it was the crew of the Circle 5 Race Committee boat that faced the biggest challenge on Saturday.  After the first race of the day, a huge wave launched the 36-foot offshore fishing boat into the air, seriously injuring two crew. With transfer to a safety boat impossible in the rough water, the race officials were forced to return to shore, ending the day for Circle 5 after one race.

Meanwhile, on the inshore course in the biggest class ever assembled at CRW, 13 year-old Gannon Troutman continued to lead the huge J/70 fleet despite blowing up a spinnaker.  “A little hole at the top mark held until the very end of the last race, and it tore to pieces in seconds,” said Troutman. “We still got first place, though,” he said.

J/70 winners- Flojito y Cooperando at CharlestonSunday
Certain boats seem to thrive in Charleston’s breezy, tide-wrought conditions, and this year provided the perfect weather for them. Perennial favorites and past champions battled adversity to rise to the top once again, while new faces joined the podium in several classes.

For the third straight day, the wind provided plenty of power for the nearly 250 boats racing out of Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, and in the biggest and most competitive class– the 67-boat J/70 fleet – 13-year-old Gannon Troutman was poised to wrap up an amazing victory after leading this tough fleet all week. From Mexico City, helmsman Julian Fernandez Neckelmann – the reigning J/70 World Champion – had other ideas for his crew on FLOJITO Y COOPERANDO. In what turned out to be the final race of the series for their flight, it was a battle for the top five all race.  After rounding the weather mark first, Brian Keane’s SAVASANA rounded the leeward gate even with FLOJITO.  On the next weather leg, it was nip and tuck with FLOJITO leading and Troutman’s PIED PIPER passing boats to move into third position.  At the windward mark, FLOJITO rounded first and took off on starboard gybe, J/70s sailing Charleston Harboronly to get into a relative hole of wind of less than 12 kts (displacement mode) in the middle of the course.  Rounding in second was Keane’s SAVASANA, who immediately gybed onto port into a massive string of 18+ kt puffs to ultimately plane around FLOJITO to win the race at the downwind finish.  Meanwhile, FLOJITO’s crew nervously gybed back to the left hand side of the course to protect their lead over PIED PIPER.  In the end, FLOJITO took second in the race and edged out Troutman that took third in the race.  As a result, the duo tied at 21 points after nine races. By virtue of Fernandez’s number of first-place finishes, the youngster from Fishing Bay Yacht Club lost the tiebreaker, but neither Troutman nor his parents seemed disappointed at all.

“We just tied for first in big breeze against the guy who won this regatta last year, and he’s also the World Champion, with his full World Championship crew. We’re feeling pretty good about that,” said Gannon’s proud Mom. FLOJITO’s team not only won their class, but also took home the Charleston Race Week Trophy for the best overall performance in a one-design class.

Rounding out the top five for the J/70’s were an amazing performance by the Baxter family- John + Molly + new kid almost on the block!  As winners of the Quantum J/70 Winter Series in Tampa Bay, Team VINEYARD VINES were one of the few crews that had yet to sail against a comprehensive set of the top competitors in the class.  They proved to be up to the task, at one point winning two races in a row and finishing only 3 pts out of first!  Fourth was the formidably-talented team on Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT with multiple World Champion and Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Terry Hutchinson on board.  Fifth was Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE team with yet another College Sailor of the Year aboard- Morgan Reeser.

Stephanie Roble sailing J/70 Rimette with John BrimIn the “Master’s Division” of skippers over 60 yr old, it was Joel Ronning winning, with John Brim’s RIMETTE in 2nd place with Steph Roble on board as tactician (a Rolex Yachtswomen of the Year winner).  Third in Master’s was Peter Cunningham’s POWERPLAY Racing from the Cayman Islands with yet another multiple Collegiate All-American onboard- Tony Rey from Newport, RI.  As Tony remarked after racing on Saturday, “I’ve never sailed in a regatta that had as many College Sailors of the Year in one event- Terry Hutchinson- 2x, Bill Hardesty- 1x, Morgan Reeser- 2x, Stu Johnstone- 1x. Peter was more than pleased to feel competitive in such company to take an 11th in his first regatta, particularly after having raced his J/29 POWERPLAY for years and more recently his TP52 POWERPLAY! By the way, he loves sailing his J/22 at Cayman Islands Sailing Club!”

In the “Corinthians Division”, it was Rob Britts crew on HOT MESS that sailed a solid series to win by a significant margin, proving that practice makes perfect after having sailed the entire Quantum J/70 Winter Series in Tampa.  Second was Jack Jorgensen’s LAYLA. Third was Andrew Fisher’s team on BUTTON FLY with the B-SQUARED gang of Bryan Cameron & Bryan Elliot in fourth, followed by Alex Meleny’s TRUCKIN’ in fifth place.

J/24s sailing at Charleston Race WeekIt’s a testament to the level of competition in the fleets that tiebreakers would decide other titles as well.   The J/24 fleet was just as close as local Charleston skipper Scott McCormick’s GIGGTY held off a late charge for the second straight year from Aidan Glacken’s NY-based MENTAL FLOSS to take the back-to-back class win on equal scores.  Third was Carter White’s SEABAGS SAILING TEAM from Portland, ME.  Chris Stone’s VELOCIDAD was fourth and Ron Medlin’s BASH fifth.

On the same race course were the J/22s and J/80s.  In J/80s, Gary Panariello’s crew on COURAGEOUS proved their ORC Handicap win in Quantum Key West Race Week over Farr 280s was no fluke.  Posting virtually straight bullets, they won class quite handily.  Perhaps the heartwarming story of the week on the family front (other than the Gannon’s in the J/70s) was the successful performance of father Bill Lockwood crewing for his skipper daughter- Shannon.  That combo proved quite formidable, taking second overall in J/80s. Third was Vince Kalish’s WHITE LIGHTNIN’, with Alex Kraus’ COOL J in 4th and Senor MANGO in 5th- Ken Mangano and crew.

J/22 Warrior Sailing Team at Charleston Race WeekThe J/22s saw John Mossman’s CYC crew win with Dan Lawless’s SLIPPERY WHEN WET take second for the series.  However, the “winners” for all J/22 crews concerned was the nice performance by the WARRIOR SAILING TEAM’s first major regatta of the year.

Skippered by Sammy Lugo, a handicapped American war veteran, they managed to prove those with disabilities can be competitive.  Coached by Ben Poucher, the team members arrived a little late to the awards party and Poucher was immediately waylaid by a reporter from Charleston’s Post & Courier. The team had been attracting local media attention all weekend, but he didn’t mind it at all, because they were on hand to collect their third-place trophy in the J/22 Class. “We’re all going up on stage,” said Poucher, referring to skipper Sammy Lugo, and crew members Scott Ford and David Carras.

“Today turned out to be our best day at the event for both of our crews,” said Poucher. “The guys really jelled and had the boat going well. It’s gratifying to see them do so well.” And gratification is what local sailing organizer Guy Mossman offered when he took the stage at the awards presentation to acknowledge the third place finish by the Warrior crew. “The Warrior Sailing Program is such an admirable initiative,” said Mossman to the crowd. “It introduces injured and ill veterans and active service personnel to the sport of sailing. These are people we should all be grateful to. They make up less than one percent of our population, but they defend this nation all over the world, and allow us all to live free.”

On the offshore side of things, it was getting a bit fraught. Fortunately, there was a very, very cool solution to the issue.  With no end to the brutal wave conditions offshore, Event Director Randy Draftz and his principal race officers decided early in the day to bring the Circle 5 fleet inside the harbor, but where would they go? “It’s tough to find space with 200 boats already racing in the harbor, but with the help of the Harbor Pilots Association and the US Coast Guard, we came up with a solution that seemed to work,” said Draftz.

That solution was something never before tried at Sperry Charleston Race Week – a fourth inshore course inside the Wando River. “We weren’t sure it would work, but thanks to great communication between all the local agencies, every offshore boat got in three good races in perfect conditions in the river,” Draftz added. One offshore racer, Phil Garland who crewed aboard Steve Thurston's second place J/29 MIGHTY PUFFIN, said that sailing north of the Cooper River Bridge was "just like frostbiting in Barrington. River sailing with current and tide just like back home– we all thought it was pretty cool.”

As a result, after counting only one race offshore on Saturday, the offshore divisions may have, ultimately, decided en’masse to only sail Charleston in the Wando River from now on end after sailing three quick, tight, extremely competitive races.  After all, the thermals are strongest in the river and when it’s from the north, it’s also fun and much shiftier.  Plus, many crews were heard to say, it was so much more fun to think of the possibility of having breakfast with their friends before sailing at a Caribbean-like 11am start!  Hmmm.  Interesting possibilities for the future.

J/111s sailing Charleston Race WeekTaking advantage of that inshore situation were crews accustomed to short, tight, tactical scenarios with strong current.

Scenario #1- J/111s.  Peter Wagner’s supremely talented crew on SKELETON KEY from San Francisco, CA that won Quantum Key West Race Week simply ran the table with straight bullets.  In a battle for second was Bill Smith’s WOOTON from Chicago, IL and Rob Ruhlman’s SPACEMAN SPIFF from Cleveland, OH.  That duel was settled by tactical, closed-course strategies- advantage WOOTON.  Fourth in the fleet was Bennet Greenwalds’ PERSEVERANCE and fifth was Marty Roesch’s VELOCITY.

Scenario #2- J/88s.  After posting an offshore 1st, Rob Butler’s crew were going to have to deal with a talented short-course crew on Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION.  After a 1-1-2 on Sunday, it was clear Iris’s crew were loving her ability to get off the starting line, steer fast, and hit the shifts.  Hanging tight despite a few miscues was Butler’s TOUCH2PLAY RACING with a 5-2-3 on the last day.  The “big mover” happened to be the DNF on Saturday’s racing- Doug McKeige’s JAZZ.  Their final day posting of 3-4-1, with an emphatic final race win, was good enough for the bronze.  Mike Bruno’s WINGS Key West Race Week winning team took 4th place in the challenging conditions and Brian O’Malley’s crew on BLUE were fifth position.

Robin Team's J/122 Teamwork wins CharlestonWinning PHRF A and the Overall Offshore Palmetto Trophy was Robin Team’s extraordinary crew on his J/122 TEAMWORK. Taking 4th in class and struggling a bit on the inshore course was Paul Milo’s J/122 ORION.

In PHRF B, it was an extraordinary performance for J crews, ultimately taking five of the top six! Tops was Rick Moore’s J/120 MOOSE DOWN in 2nd, followed by Fred Martschink’s J/105 RUM FRONT in third, Willy Schwenzfeier’s J/35 ARROW in fourth, John Keenan’s J/120 ILLYRIA in fifth and Miles Martschink’s J/105 SKIMMER in sixth.

Ultimately, in PHRF D it was a matter of attrition by several top boats.  However, in the end it is pretty damn hard to beat a well-sailed J/29 masthead boat.  Steve Thurston’s MIGHTY PUFFIN pulled off their class win with a 1-2-1-2 tally.

The Pursuit Racing Division had two races around the inside of Charleston Harbor while the “offshore boats” had to deal with contentious conditions.  In Pursuit Race Spin 1, Bill Hanckel’s J/120 EMOCEAN took third overall and Bob Musor’s J/130 SCEPTRE was fifth place. In Pursuit Race Spin 2, Bob Key’s J/27 AUDACIOUS was 4th.  In the Pursuit Race Non-Spin division, Mark Swatta’s J/30 LAS BRISAS was 6th.
J/70 weather mark video   More CRW sailing video here   For more Charleston Race Week sailing information

J/111 Jitterbug sailing Warsash seriesWarsash Spring Series IV Report
(Warsash, England)- Competition in the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring continues over the past few weekends.  Here are the latest reports.

April 10th weekend
Crews and skippers alike had their work cut out with a SE to ESE wind of 19-24 knots, gusting 28-29 knots and a big spring tide in the Solent, the fourth day of the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series.

Black Group classes, except for IRC4, started racing near mark 'Deloitte Sailing Club' and followed a largely windward leeward pattern to and from the Ryde Middle Bank and then up the North Channel for further legs before finishing at East Knoll.

In IRC1, Cornel Riklin’s J/111 JITTERBUG was the only one of the three boats leading the class to finish the race. JITTERBUG finished first, with Simon Bamford’s J/111 KESTREL taking second.

In IRC2, the J/88 EAT SLEEP J REPEAT sailed by Paul Ward loved the heavy weather conditions and won her first race in the series.

In IRC3, David Greenhalgh's J/92 J’RONIMO took second by just three seconds and continues to hang on to second overall.

J/109 sailing Warsash Spring seriesFor the J/109 class, it was David McGough’s JUST SO taking the win over Owain Franks’ JYNNAN TONNYX in second and Chris Copeland & John Smart’s JUKEBOX in third place.

Racing did not go ahead for the White Group because of the conditions. Some competitors were seen hoisting their spinnakers as they headed back to the River Hamble, only to find themselves sailing horizontally.  One boat broke their mast and they had to be assisted into port. Back at the clubhouse, Chief Race Officer for White Group Peter Knight was heard to say that he was 'comfortable' with his decision!

Hats off to the Spring Series race officers out on the committee boats where conditions at anchor were less than comfortable!  WSC Commodore Nigel Russell presented Champagne and prizes.

April 19th
It was tight racing for the first weekend of the Crewsaver Warsash Spring Championship; 110 boats were competing with around 850 people on the water!

A NNW wind dominated in the Solent over the weekends racing. Saturday was largely grey and cold with the wind generally 8-10 knots, dropping away for a time during race three to 5-7 knots and coming up to 12-15 knots at the end of the afternoon. Sunday bought sunshine but a very light breeze from between the W and NNW. Fluky and between 3-7 knots.

J/88 sailing Warsash seriesBlack Group start area was towards the eastern end of the Ryde Middle bank near the 'Roger Swinney' buoy. The four races on Saturday and two on Sunday were mainly windward / leeward courses around laid inflatable marks for the six classes; Fast 40+, IRC1 to IRC4 and the J/109. The race course was swung for each race to suit the prevailing conditions; lots of work for the four people on the two mark laying RIBs!

The J/109 class had several new boats all sharing the lead in a three-way tie on 11 pts each; Robert Stile’s DIAMOND JEM, David Richards’ JUMPING JELLYFISH and Simon Perry’s JIRAFFE!  Sitting 5 pts back is David McGough’s JUST SO and another 4 pts further back is Owain Franks’ JYNNAN TONNYX.

The IRC 1 Class saw stiff competition, with Chris Jones & Louise Makin’s J/111 JOURNEYMAKER II posting all top five scores to hang on to 5th position.

IRC 2 saw Paul Ward’s J/88 EAT SLEEP J REPEAT take a fourth position.  Ward said of the weekend's racing: "Courses were all very good and the four race format is exactly what we need to get the boat handling sharpened up at the start of the season. With the wind up and down and swinging around there were a lot of decisions for the race team and from what we could see you got them right and gave us all a really good and challenging day on the water".

J/70 RAF Spitfire sailing Warsash seriesWhite Group saw the first Black Flag of the year raised when the 24 strong J/70 class was too eager to start in the third race and the middle of the fleet pushed out over the start line. The Group raced four races on Saturday but the faltering wind meant only one race could be run on the Sunday despite moving the start inshore from Hamblewinterseries.com to the Royal Southern buoy.  Russell Peter’s BOB is leading the J/70 class with just 13 pts, winning two races in the process and having all top five finishes.  Second is the J/70 Worlds Corinthian Champions, Simon Ling’s TEAM RAF BENEVOLENT FUND SPITFIRE and third is Ian Wilson’s GILL RACE TEAM.  Rounding out the top five is Jon Calascione’s HARLEQUIN in fourth and in fifth is Nick Phillips’ CHAOTIC.

Mike Lewis’s JESTER is leading the J/80 class, followed by Rachel & Robert Hunt’s JUMBLESAIL, third is Terence O’Neill’s AQUA-J.

Peter Bateson concludes, "Next weekend is the last of both the Series and the Championship. If the advance weather forecast of force 3-4 breezes proves correct, there should be some great sailing conditions to make a climax to this year's event."

April 19- Part 2
For the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series, Peter Bateson, Series Chairman, commented that, “the competition in some of the Black Group classes has really heated up now with many boats which had been leading the series in their class finding themselves in second place this week. The points are really tight between the boats and so it's all to play for as we head into the final races of the Spring Series next weekend".

J/111 Jitterbug - Cornel Riklin sailing Warsash seriesThe weather had provided a complete reversal of racing conditions in the Solent from last week leaving competitors searching for wind on day five (Sunday 17 April) of the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series.

The forecast NNW wind of 5-10 knots shifted around 105 degrees extreme to extreme, causing the first race - and in the end the only race- of the day for White Group to be AP'd as the wind had shifted dramatically to the left.

Black Group's start area was around the eastern end of the Ryde Middle Bank with windward / leeward courses laid by inflatable marks. IRC4, which normally starts with the White Group, was moved into the Black Group start area due to the light winds.

In IRC 1 class, Cornel Riklin’s J/111 JITTERBUG has maintained her overall series lead with an astounding 10-point gap to second place. However, JITTERBUG sustained some damage in an incident with another competitor and was not able to race on the Sunday. Hopefully, she will be out next Sunday.

J/88 spinnaker reach at Warsash seriesPaul Ward’s J/88 EAT SLEEP J REPEAT continues to climb the ladder for the series in IRC 3 Class and now sits in third overall.  Richard Cooper’s J/88 JONGLEUR has been doing the same, is tied for fifth place, and has a good chance for a top five finish.

David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’RONIMO is now leading IRC 3 Class with 11 pts.  Meanwhile, Andy Howe’s J/97 BLACKJACK II took a 2nd in her last race and has an excellent chance of hopping into 3rd overall with a good finish next week.

The J/109s still have the same top three boats leading the class, McGough’s JUST SO in 1st with 9 pts with Franks’ JYNNAN TONNYX in 2nd with 11 pts and Perry’s JIRAFFE in 3rd with 12 pts.  Who beats who in the last weekend will determine the final outcome of this trio?  Chris Burleigh’s JYBE TALKIN’ is 4th with 22 pts and David Richards’ JAZZY JELLYFISH is 5th with 33 pts.

J/70 sailing reach at Warsash seriesThe White Group course was moved inshore from a start at Hamblewinterseries.com buoy to a start from Royal Southern buoy and the racing was able to finally got underway. But with the wind dying steadily competitors found themselves struggling around the windward mark because of the strong tide. Nevertheless, the racing was tight, with the three J/80's rounding the gate mark within three boat lengths of one another.

BETTY (Jon Powell) continues to lead the J/80 class with a sizeable 16-point lead over JUMBLESAIL (Rachel & Robert Hunt) in second place with 26 pts.  Third for the series is Terence O’Neill’s AQUA-J with 34 pts.

In the J/70 class, COSMIC (Patrick Liardet) is holding on as series leader with just 15 pts in 9 races counted.  INJUNCTION (Steve Venables) is holding onto second place after posting three bullets in three of the last four races.  Andrew Barraclough’s JENGA 8 is sitting tenuously in third position with 34 pts, just 4 pts clear of Nick Denney’s JALAPENO in fourth.  Fifth overall is Doug Struth’s DSP.

Annabel Shove presented Champagne and prizes from Rolly Tasker Sails who have provided the winner's champagne throughout the Series.   For more Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series and CrewSaver Spring Championship sailing information

J/111 JBoss at Voiles de St BarthJ/Sailors Cruise Les Voiles de St Barth
(Gustavia Harbour, St Barths)- From the 11th to 16th April, the beautiful French island of St Barths played host for the 7th edition of Les Voiles de St. Barth.  This year’s event was notable for what it lacked, namely plenty of wind!  Unusual conditions prevailed for the sailors as much lighter winds than forecast jinxed the fleet, making for an exasperating week of sailing for most boats.  One day was even canceled due to no wind!  While the beach parties raged, other prayed for breeze to round out the week, but it never happened.

J/105 sailing Voiles de St BarthIn CSA 3, Eddy Chalono’s J/111 J-BOSS from Martinique managed to post a strong comeback after taking an 8th place in their first race, sailing fast & furious to post two deuces and take the bronze in class.  Similarly, the J/120 JAGUAR sailed by Vladimir Kulichenko from Moscow, Russia also had a slow start in race 1 with a 9th, but came back with a 3-5 to finish a respectable 6th overall on a tie-breaker over Pamala Baldwin’s J/122 LIQUID team from Antigua.

Like their classmates in CSA 3, the J/109 POCKET ROCKET skippered by David Cullen from St Barths/ Ireland took 4th in CSA 4 class with a scoreline that showed improvement every race.  Peter Lewis’ J/105 WHISTLER from Barbados sailed consistently to take 6th in class.   For more Les Voiles St Barth Regatta sailing information

J/105s sailing Seattle Puget Sound seriesGorgeous Puget Sound Spring Series!
(Seattle, WA)- It was one of those rare weekends that everyone dreams about sailing on Puget Sound.  The famous local sailing photographer, Jan Anderson, commented about the weekend, “first, the wind forecast helped us choose which day to show up, and then Mother Nature delivered a gorgeous weekend! And hey, those that came out sailed their hearts out … what fun! Hope you enjoy these images!

J/109 sailing Seattle Puget Sound seriesHosted by Corinthian YC Seattle, the sailors came out in droves to experience a sunny weekend with nice breeze both days.  The J/105 class had a great turnout and it was Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE crew that took class honors with three 1st and two 2nds in their scoreline.  Second was Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO with two 1sts, two 2nds and a 3rd.  Jerry Diercks’ team on DELIRIUM were, indeed, delirious with glee winning the last race to snag third overall.  The rest of the top five included Chris Phoenix’s JADED in 4th place and David Cohen & Lance Rummel’s INCONCEIVABLE in 5th position.

In the PHRF handicap world, we find Stu Burnell’s J/109 TANTIVY place third in Class 2 with Jerry Woodfield’s J/109 SHADA taking 5th position.  They were followed by Brian White’s classic J/35 GRACE E in 6th place.

In PHRF Class 5, it was the battle of the “29s” yet again!  This time, it was Patrick Denney’s J/29 HERE & NOW taking the silver just one point back from first place! Fourth was the Kaplan/ Erickson/ Moynihan/ Sandler crew on the J/29 WINGS.  Four J/80s were sailing, with David Schutte’s TAJ MAHAL snaring 6th and Lek Dimarucot’s UNDERDOG in 7th place.   Sailing photo credits- Jan Anderson/ JanPix   For more Puget Sound Spring Regatta sailing information

J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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Bob Johnstone* Bob and Rod Johnstone to be honored by the Mystic Seaport Museum this October 22nd!  Mystic Seaport will present its 2016 America and the Sea Award to Bob and Rod Johnstone – J/Boats. Given annually by the Museum, the prestigious award recognizes individuals or organizations whose contribution to the history, arts, business, or sciences of the sea best exemplify the American character.

The Johnstone’s will receive the award Saturday, October 22, at a gala dinner held in their honor at Mystic Seaport. The gala will be the first and only dinner held in the Collins Family Gallery of the new Thompson Exhibition Building prior to its ongoing use to display exhibits. The Rod JohnstoneAmerica and the Sea Award Gala is the single largest fundraising event for the Museum. Proceeds from the event benefit the mission of the Museum to inspire an enduring connection to America’s maritime heritage.

“Over the past 39 years, the Johnstone family and their company have influenced American yachting and sport of sailing in incomparable ways. They have established a record of accomplishment that few will ever challenge, and they have instilled in countless Americans a passion for enjoying time on the water with family and good friends aboard good boats,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport. “For these reasons and many more, Mystic Seaport is proud to bestow its America and the Sea Award to Bob and Rod Johnstone – J/Boats.”

To purchase tickets or a table, or to inquire about corporate sponsorship or dockage for the event, please contact- advancement@mysticseaport.org or call 860.572.5365.  More information on Mystic Museum website here.

J/46 Bravo sailing Caribbean* J/46's cruising all over the Caribbean!  According to Tom Babbit, the happy owner of BRAVO (J/46 #24), “after a raucous offshore leg to the Caribbean, we have encountered no fewer than six J/46s that are down here for the "season”!  Holy Smokes!  What fun!  Great folks and great celebrations everywhere we go, one of the major benefits of being part of the J family!  We look forward to reconnecting with at least some of these folks this summer in Camden!  Please contact me at- bravoj42@gmail.com”

According to Tom, those enjoying the steady sun and breezes include:
  • Rob and Melanie Shaw on #14 Jazolo (UK)
  • Glenn and Elsa Gustafson on #25 Windara (Michigan)
  • Herni Van Miele on #40 Jent (Dutch)
  • John and Anne Burnett #43 Folie a Deux (San Francisco)
  • In Nanny Cay, #23 (USVI)
  • Tom & Jane Babbit, Bravo, #24 hailing from Camden, Maine
J/46 crew of Bolero sailing Pacific!* Speaking of J/46s and long-distance sailing!  The J/46 BOLERO with crew of Tom Perry, Eric McClure and Jorge Morales (owner) left Dana Point, CA on Wednesday, April 20 to participate in the Pacific Puddle Jump.

According to Eric, “we are participating in the Pacific Puddle Jump which is supported and sponsored by Latitude 38.com.  Jorge is a member of Dana Point YC, he is a four-time Transpac veteran and has many ocean races to his credit.  Eric has owned a J/24, a J/29 and currently has a J/35 and has done five Transpac’s and many offshore races, too.  Eric is member of Alamitos Bay YC.  Tom is rock star crew with many years of racing to his credit.  The boat has been impeccably prepared to do this voyage. We plan to sail to the Marquesas Islands and cruise those islands and then sail to Tahiti!

J/46 sailing south PacificBy the way, after leaving on the 20th, our voltage regulator to the stove wasn't working properly so we stopped in to San Diego to fix it. As you can see from the stern of the boat, we have all the comforts of home!  So far, the boat speed is pretty amazing, in 19 knots of breeze, were reaching along doing 9.5 knots all day!

Also, we are leaving about the same time from San Jose del Cabo in Mexico is the J/130 ITAJIME from San Francisco, CA with owner Alan Robin and friends.”

And, here’s a timely note we just received from Alan Robin, the proud owner and skipper of the J/130 ITAJIME, hull #29, also sailing the Pacific Puddle Jump! 

J/130 Itajime sailing south PacificAlan said, “I am the third owner of #29 and am preparing to leave from San Jose del Cabo to cross to  French Polynesia. I thought that you would be interested in knowing that although this is my first Pacific Crossing, it is Itajime's third. #29 was first purchased by John Moore and commissioned as Breakin' Wind in the San Francisco Bay and sailed through the South Pacific to New Zealand. Robert and Kim Milligan purchased #29 in New Zealand, renamed her RAM and sailed and raced it throughout Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific sailing back to the SF Bay in 2012.

I purchased her in January, 2014 renamed her ITAJIME and have been actively sailing her up and down the Pacific Coast and am now preparing to cross again in the next day or two.

I love ITAJIME and continue to be blown away by her performance, stability, and comfort. Unlike many cruisers, she is a joy to sail and very comfortable. I love passing other sailors with my sails up while they are motoring muttering about the lack of wind. She is truly a sailor's cruising boat. You can follow us on our blog at itaji.me  Thank you for designing and building such a lovely, durable and fun boat!”

Please be sure to follow along with BOLERO and ITAJIME on their great adventure across the South Pacific- more information here!

J/22 Warrior Sailing Team at Charleston Race Week*  The Warrior Sailing Team participated in the J/22 class at Charleston Race Week.  Here’s a nice story from Grace Raynor at The Post & Courier newspaper in Charleston.

“Upon first glance, Ben Poucher knows it’s not obvious. Another sailor would physically have to peel his or her eyes off of the racing course ahead and actively look into the Warrior Sailing Team’s boat in order to fully see the difference.

Even then, Poucher said, there’s still a chance it’s not noticeable.

“We have two amputees and a blind guy and myself on a boat,” Poucher said. “So that would be four people, six legs and six eyes.”

Poucher is the director of Warrior Sailing, a program that first began in 2013 and was created to teach ill, injured or wounded military members — active or retired — about sailing. And on Sunday, the final day of Sperry Charleston Race Week, Poucher and three veterans finished third in their division, sailing a J/22.

Poucher, the coach, was joined by Scott Ford, David Caras and Sammy Lugo.

Ford, who served in the Navy for eight years, worked the mainsail. He’s been legally blind since 2005.

“I got a vaccine for Japanese encephalitis,” he said. “And had a reaction.”

Caras, an above-the-knee amputee, and Lugo, a below-the-knee amputee, were in charge of operating the jib and steering the boat, respectively. Caras flew in helicopters for the U.S. Coast Guard for more than two decades, while Lugo served in the U.S. Army for nearly nine years.

“I got injured in Iraq in 2007 — IED explosion,” Lugo said. “I’m a below amputee on the left and I have multiple fractures, so I have a bunch of hardware in my right knee and I had a patella replacement.”

The trio of veterans all realize they’re different physically, but with Poucher’s help, they’ve mastered the art of sailing in a manner that caters to each of their strengths.

The result is a well-oiled machine, where everyone has a specific job and each teammate is expected to help the others along the way.

Ford relies heavily on his hearing when he operates the main sail, as well as his lower half, which allows him to discern which way the boat is angled.

“The heel of the boat is critical in making the boat go straight forward as opposed to sliding sideways,” he said. “Hearing the waves, the sound of the waves on the sound of the boat (helps).”

Caras has figured out a way to hang on the sides and the rail of the boat for balance purposes, without falling overboard himself.

“I’m a lot more mobile now and comfortable with my balance,” he said.

And Lugo serves as the eyes of the team, making sure it stays on course as he steers.

Ford said there’s a part of Warrior Sailing that reminds him of being back in the unit — the camaraderie, the teamwork and the sense of outspokenness are all present on the boat, just as they were when he served in the military. Political correctness goes out the door and other people’s feelings aren’t a factor when it’s race time.

“In the military, it’s really, ‘Who cares about your feelings?’” he said. “‘Let’s get the job done.’”

His hope is that those who see the Warrior Sailing team are inspired — realizing that a physical disability is something that can be conquered. The group has no plans to slow down anytime soon.

“My response to that is even though you have a disability, you can overcome it and you can be out on the water enjoying the air and adventurous experience of sailing,” Ford said. “We got knocked down three or four times this week and that was pretty incredible.”
 

J/Cruisers
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.

* The J/40 HERON REACH sailed by Virginia and Jerry is participating in the Blue Planet Odyssey project and have recently joined them in the Marquesas Islands in the Eastern Pacific.  Learn more about their adventures and experiences here- http://heronreachodyssey.blogspot.com/
Giant whale breaching in front of J/160 SALACIA off  Australia's Whitsunday Islands* J/160 SALACIA has been sailing in Australia in the Whitsunday Islands.  Guess who decided to throw themselves across their bow as they cruised comfortably to their next destination?  A giant whale!  Look at this amazing photo!

J/42 cruiser- sailing across Atlantic Ocean* 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, for 2015/ 2016!  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 regards their various improvements and refit to the boat (see above).  They will again be based at Proper Yachts in St John, US Virgin Islands.

Bill & Judy Stellin- sailing J/42 Jaywalker* Bill & Judy Stellin were interviewed 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

Wall St Journal interview- Stellin's Offshore cruising/ sailing retirementThe 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/.

J/130 sailing ARC Rally arrives Portugal- leave a message on the sea wall!* 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.