Sail a "J" 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 will 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 will 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, and J/112E. To sign up for a specific demo-time and model, please contact us here
Peninsula YC Boat Show- Discover Sailing a “J”!(Lake Norman, NC)- Taking place this coming weekend from May 14th to 15th is the Peninsula YC In-Water Boat Show! The local J/Dealer is hosting a Discover Sailing event in conjunction with the show!
Available for “discover sailing” demonstrations is a small J/Navy! They have two J/88's, a J/95 and two J/70’s, with volunteers to take people out for a sail on beautiful Lake Norman!
For additional information, please contact John Killeen at ph# 704-236-8303/ email- jkilleen@carolina.rr.com. For more PYC Boat Show information
Connecticut Spring Boat Show!(Essex, CT)- This coming weekend from Friday, May 13th to Sunday, May 15th, the Brewer Essex Island Marina is hosting a spring boat show. On display at nearby Essex Boat Works will be the J/70. No need to delay the start of your racing season; McMichaels Yachts will have a J/70 ready for you to sail today. McMichael’s also has a J/88 on order for July delivery.
Please contact McMichael at your earliest convenience to make an appointment to meet at the CT Spring Boat Show or to show you any of our new or brokerage yachts- call ph# 914-381-5900 or email- info@mcmyacht.com.
J/70 North Americans Preview(Seabrook, TX)- The 2016 J/70 North American Championships are being held on sunny, warm Galveston Bay southwest of Houston, TX. Hosted for the event is the amazing Lakewood YC, famous for being the host of the annual J/Fest Southwest! Forty-two boats are participating with teams from across the USA, Mexico, Japan, and Brazil. While the fleet may be more diminutive than past events, the quality of the fleet is truly world-class- with World, Pan AM and North American Champions in J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, Lightnings and Etchells 22s all in the mix.
Perhaps the most impressive group pound-for-pound may be the foreign contingent beating a path to the world’s largest “honky tonks” to do battle with many top notch sailors that call Galveston Bay home port. The two Brazilian teams from Rio de Janeiro (host of the 2016 sailing Olympics) include Mauricio Santa Cruz and Harold Solberg’s OCEANPACT and Phil Haegler’s CLOUD NINE. A past J/24 Japanese Champion and offshore TP52 World Champion that will be testing the waters against top J/70 teams will be Makeo Uematsu sailing ESMERALDA from Tokyo, Japan. The top Mexican team is back, with World Champion Julian Fernandez from Club Nautico Valle de Bravo near Mexico City, sailing on FLOJITO Y COOPERANDO with Etchells 22 World Champion and Rolex US Yachtsman of the Year Bill Hardesty on mainsheet/ tactics.
The host contingent from Texas will be fielding several well-known crews that have proven they can top the leaderboard, including three teams from Fort Worth Boat Club- Bruno Pasquinelli’s ascendant crew on STAMPEDE, J/70 Midwinter Champion Glenn Darden on HOSS and Rich Shaffer on USA 820; four from Lakewood YC- Jack Franco’s 3BALL JT, Jay Lutz’s ZOUNDS POWER BY NAUTALYTICS, Al Poindexter’s USA 98, and Doug Strebel’s BLACK RIVER RACING; and two from Austin YC- Matt Romberg/ Terry Flynn’s USA 175 and Bruce McDonald’s ROGUE WARRIOR.
From out West, three crews have made the trek across the Arizona and New Mexico deserts to compile more practice/ training time against top crews in preparation for the J/70 Worlds in San Francisco. Those crews include West Coast Champion Bruce Golison on MIDLIFE CRISIS from Alamitos Bay YC, Peter Vessella’s RUNNING WILD from St Francis YC, Bennet Greenwald’s PERSEVERANCE from San Diego YC, and Tracy & Christy Usher’s CHRISTINE ROBIN from St Francis YC.
The Midwest contingent is strong, well-represented by Bob Hughes’ HEARTBREAKER from Macatawa Bay YC in Michigan, Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT from Wayzata YC in Minnesota, Bob & Jess Willis’s IZULA from Columbia YC in Chicago, Jim Prendergast’s USA 167 from Chicago YC, John Trey Sheehan’s HOOLIGAN: FLAT STANLEY RACING from Put-in-Bay YC in Ohio, and Travis Odenbach/ Dave Kerr’s USA 364 from Edgewater YC in Ohio.
Despite the fact that Seabrook, TX is about 1,800 miles from many J/70 fleets on the East Coast, none of the top teams attending could possibly pass up the best Tex-Mex cuisine and awesome tequila/ margarita refreshments on offer in the southernmost parts of ‘Merica! On a more practical note, a vast majority of the teams are taking the opportunity to ship boats west via Houston as part of their plans to sail the J/70 Worlds in September on San Francisco Bay. Included in that group are three boats from Annapolis YC- Jenn & Ray Wulff’s JOINT CUSTODY, Tom Bowen’s REACH AROUND, and Kristen & Brian Robinson’s ZOMBIE; Dave Franzel’s SPRING from Boston; Brandon Flack’s TORQEEDO from Stonington; Dan & Gannon Troutman’s PIED PIPER from Virginia; Peter Duncan’s RELATIVE OBSCURITY from New York; Henry Brauer’s RASCAL from Marblehead; and Brian Keane’s SAVASANA from Buzzards Bay. For more J/70 North American Championship sailing information
J/105 Manhattan Regatta Preview(New York, NY)- If you thought the AC45 sailors participating in the recent America’s Cup World Series off the downtown Manhattan waterfront along the Battery Park esplanade had a tough time chasing windshifts, think about how real “local knowledge” can be put to the test with a large fleet of J/105s! In fact, a number of “locals” who watched the ACWS event commented on the fact that sailing on the Hudson River into the “Valley of Death” between the Jersey City towers to the west and the World Financial Center complex to the east is often fraught with massive holes and 70 degree windshifts- generally, a “no go zone” for racers who know the waters between lower Manhattan and the Verrazano Narrows Bridge to the south.
For those “in the know”, sailing in currents and shifty winds on the Hudson River has it’s benefits, like having some of the world’s most spectacular real estate on your front door step each day, Wall St, Freedom Tower and the Empire State Building to the north and the iconic Statue of Liberty literally in the middle of your race course.
Over the past few years, J/105 Fleet 10 out of Liberty Landing Marina, has continued to grow as a fleet and each spring they host The Manhattan Regatta. It will be sailed from May 21st to 22nd out of Liberty Landing Marina (Jersey City, NJ- where there’s plenty of safe convenient slips and parking for crew and friends). The slip fees are discounted from summer rates (just mention you are racing in the regatta). Eleven boats are currently registered (still not too late to jump in!).
The race course will be in the area east of the Statue of Liberty. Racing in this unique venue is challenging due to the strong currents and commercial traffic. The regatta occupies a relatively open part of the season schedule. It’s a week before Memorial Day weekend and two weeks before the Cedar Point One Design Regatta.
The annual event includes a sunset party on the Liberty Lightship that is docked at the marina. The lightship is one several surviving lightships that was originally stationed near Cape Lookout Shoals, NC. There’s also a convenient ferry that’s a 10 minute ride across the Hudson to Lower Manhattan- the Liberty Landing Ferry that departs the ferry terminal in front of the World Financial Center on the end of Vesey Street.
If you have no plans for the weekend, you can still join us! We promise you will have a lot of fun! Here’s the Yacht Scoring link for registration and scoring for the event. Please don’t hesitate to contact Dave Spence (david@windigodesign.com) or Paul Zajac (pzajac@ThemisTrading.com) if you have any questions. For more J/105 Class sailing information
J/70 Worlds Hosting Top International Talent35 boats, 12 countries already registered!
(San Francisco, CA)- Late September is more than four months on the horizon, but the St. Francis Yacht Club and the J/70 Class have already riveted their attention on the J/70 Worlds, which will unfurl on the waters of San Francisco Bay from September 24 to October 1, 2016.
Since it first splashed in March of 2012, the J/70 Class has enjoyed a meteoric rise, with more than 900 boats now sailing in more than 20 countries, making this speedy sportboat the most successful one-design keelboat since Rod Johnstone built the first J/24 in his garage in 1975. This year marks the third J/70 World Championship and the first on the West Coast. Registration is open and in full swing, and the St. Francis Yacht Club encourages sailors to sign up early to ensure a spot on the starting line.
To date, 35 boats from 12 countries (USA, Sweden, Italy, Monaco, France, United Kingdom, Mexico, Spain, Cayman Islands, Germany, Canada, Hong Kong) have entered the regatta, with many of the class’s fastest names represented, including Julian Fernandez Neckelmann (MEX), who won the 2015 J/70 World Championship in La Rochelle, France, and who aims to defend his title in 2016. While there’s no question that Neckelmann and his FLOJITO Y COOPERANDO teammates are world-class competitors, they will be up against some seriously fast guns with extensive local knowledge, including Shawn Bennett, Bruce Golison, Scott Sellers, Tracy Usher and Peter Vessella.
“The competition at the San Francisco Worlds will be fantastic,” said Neckelmann, who described San Francisco Bay as one of his favorite international racing venues. “I can think of six or seven European boats that will be in the hunt, seven North American boats that will be right up there, and two or three South American boats that should be contenders.”
While weather-driven events are impossible to accurately forecast four-plus months out, San Francisco Bay historically sees a prevailing westerly sea breeze in September and October, placing the J/70 Worlds solidly in the sweet spot for high-adrenaline racing. Fortunately, with nearly 90 years of experience hosting world-class regattas, the St. Francis Yacht Club can ensure that the race management and the shore-side events will be second to none.
“We can’t guarantee breeze, but we can guarantee a world-class race committee that will keep the racing smooth and tight,” said Susan Ruhne, who is serving as the Regatta Chairwoman for the 2016 J/70 Worlds. “We encourage top teams from around the world to experience fall sailing on the Bay and to celebrate the culmination of their racing season by lining up against the class’s top competitors. We have parties planned for each evening, and for those who want to explore our vibrant city, San Francisco offers countless great restaurants, bars and evening-entertainment opportunities.”
For teams that want to gather more local knowledge before the Worlds, the St. Francis Yacht Club’s Big Boat Series (September 15-18) is a perfect opportunity to learn the Bay (http://rolexbigboatseries.com/). Several leading J/70 teams are currently registered for the Big Boat Series, and this number is expected to swell as teams finalize their fall sailing plans.
Registration for the J/70 Worlds is open until August 15, 2016 (additional fees apply to teams that register after this deadline), and while there is no official entry cap, the J/70 Class and the St. Francis Yacht Club are aiming for 80 boats on the starting line. Sailing photo credits- Pressure-drop.us. For more J/70 World Championship sailing & registration information
Annapolis Leukemia Cup Regatta Announcement(Annapolis, MD)- Last year marked the 23rd anniversary of this wonderful event and Annapolis raised a record breaking $266,000 with the involvement of 103 boats. However, you don't just have to be a boater to get involved! The "Off the Water Fundraising Race" raised a total sum of $120,000. The regatta is co-hosted by Annapolis YC & Eastport YC and takes place on Saturday, June 4th.
John Dodge, Chair of the Annapolis Leukemia Cup Regatta for the last seven years, commented, “I have seen first hand the positive impact the J/Boat classes have had on our event. We are grateful for their contributions and encourage them all to embrace events like this as a unique way of giving back and making a difference within the sailing community.”
Join them for a fun and exciting Regatta weekend and raise money to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the fight against blood cancers. The Regatta Weekend includes four fantastic on and off the water events giving both Maryland boaters and residents a wonderful chance to join the cause and support the 24th Annual Annapolis Leukemia Cup. Register Your Boat, click "shop our store" to Purchase Rock the Dock Tickets, & Purchase Summer Gala Tickets.
The Regatta Weekend events include: the Summer Gala, the Off the Water Races, the Regatta Cup, and the Rock the Dock For a Cure Party. Whether you're a racer, cruiser, or just want to get involved with LLS there is something for everyone to participate in during this event packed weekend. Contact Corinne Mayers at (443)-471-1620 or corinne.mayers@lls.org for more information. For more Leukemia Cup Maryland sailing information
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
Over in Europe, the J/70 sailing leagues are starting to roll and most will be hosting events about every 2-3 week for the entire summer, leading up to the Sailing Champions League regatta hosted by YC Costa Smeralda, in Porto Cervo, Sardinia. This past weekend, the Swiss J/70 Sailing League held their Act II in Neuenberg, Switzerland, sailed on Lake Neuchatel. Not far away down in the Italian Riviera, the Italian J/70 class held their Act II of the Alcatel J/70 Cup in San Remo. Just around the bend along the northern shore of the Mediterranean, the Catalonia J/80 Championship was sailed off Barcelona, Spain with three former J/80 World Champions in the fleet! North of them, the French Naval Academy hosted their annual Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale off Camaret, France for J/22s and J/80s. Then, over in English Channel (La Manche), the RORC held their North Sea Race that saw fantastic performances by the fleet of J/105s, J/109s, J/111 and J/122s; especially the near dominance of the short-handed boats!Similarly, J/Teams just about swept every class in the Sloop Tavern YC Race To The Straits for teams on J/24s, J/80s, J/30, J/29, J/27, J/35, J/109, J/122 and J/125! Another fun short-handed race also took place on San Francisco Bay, the famous Great Vallejo Race hosted by Vallejo YC for a one-design fleet of J/105s, J/24s, J/29, J/30, J/80, J/88, J/35, J/120 and J/44.
Down island in the Caribbean, the Boatyard Cup Regatta took place off Barbados for the local J/24 Barbados fleet- very fun times were had by all!
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:
May 11-16- J/24 USA Nationals- Blue Point, NYMay 13-16- Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta- Scheveningen, Netherlands
May 13-15- The SHOE Regatta- Seabrook, TX
May 14-15- Danish J/70 Sailing League- Lundeborg, Denmark
May 14-15- J/22 Jackrabbit Regatta- Canandaigua, NY
May 14-15- May One-Design Regatta- San Francisco, CA
May 14- Vashon Island Race- Seattle, WA
May 20-22- Netherlands J/70 Sailing League- Roermond, Netherlands
May 20-22- Norway J/70 Sailing League- Oslo, Norway
May 20-22- Russia J/70 Sailing League- Moscow, Russia
May 20-22- Swedish J/70 Sailing League- Motala, Sweden
May 20-22- RORC Vice Admirals Cup- Cowes, IOW, England
May 20-22- Spanish J/80 Nationals- Barcelona, Spain
May 21-22- Manhattan J/105 Regatta- Jersey City, NJ
J/70 Events:
May 19-22- J/70 North American Championship- Seabrook, TX
July 22-24- J/70 Great Lakes Championship– Youngstown, NY
Sep 24-Oct 1- J/70 World Championship- San Francisco, CA
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
CALVI NETWORK Wins Alcatel J/70 Cup- Act IIL’ELAGAIN Leads Championship Series
(San Remo, Italy)- Forty teams from six different nations over the weekend sailed off San Remo, Italy. The fleet was treated to fairly strong winds from the east for all six races that were scheduled, sailed under the careful direction of the race committee chaired by Fulvio Parodi.
Carlo Alberini's CALVI NETWORK with tactician Branko Brcin took the victory for Act II of the Alcatel J/70 Cup series after a thrilling tussle with the L’ELAGAIN’s skipper Franco Solerio (with tactician Daniele Cassinari). Third place went to a beautiful new entry in the ranks of the Italian class J/70- the ENFANT TERRIBLE team of Alberto Rossi with Alberto Bolzan as tactician. Fourth, was the team on BEPPE ZAVANONE helmed by Andrea Magni with Lorenzo Bressani on tactics and in fifth place was Corinthian Spells (Zampori-Sommariva).At this stage, the Alcatel J/70 Cup championship series have counted ten races after two events, so the teams now have two discards each. As a result, Solerio’s L’ELAGAIN team is leading the overall standings by virtue of winning the Monaco Spring Cup a few weeks ago and placing second in the San Remo event. Completing the series podium for the moment is Alberini’s CALVI NETWORK as runner-up and third is MAGIE- Alex Zampori’s team that is also leading the Corinthians Division overall.
Impeccably organized both on land and at sea, the YC San Remo deserves a huge “thanks” from the competitors for a job exceedingly well-done- “bravissimo”! It was an exciting two days of racing and the sumptuous awards ceremony with delicious food and refreshing drinks was welcomed by all. Thanks also to the Italian J/70 class sponsors- Alcatel, Gill and Fitbit.The next round of the Alcatel J/70 Cup will take place in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, from the 3rd to 5th of June. The third leg of the circuit will be hosted by YC Costa Smeralda- host for the 2017 J/70 World Championship. Lightbay J/70 Sailing team video For more Alcatel J/70 Cup sailing information
Glass-outs & Reflections- The Race 2 the StraitsLanzinger’s J/125 HAMACHI Wins Overall! J/Teams Sweep Classes!
(Seattle, WA)- No question the rock stars of the Puget Sound offshore short-handed sailing community were in attendance for the famous Sloop Tavern YC Race to the Straits Regatta. As one might expect, depending on one’s experience, it was either “awesome” or simply a “tidal affair”, with emotions swinging to and fro depending, in particular, how they negotiated the truly infamous Marrowstone Point tidal gate.
The event takes place over a weekend. On Saturday the fleet heads north. After surviving the tidal shenanigans from Shilshole to Port Townsend, everyone enjoys a massive celebration that can last into the wee hours of the evening (next morning!). Sunday the fleet heads back down south, hungover or not, it’s always a challenge to get home.
For the thirty-six J/Teams entered (27% of the 134 entered), it was a formidable challenge on Sunday. Saturday’s racing was cancelled due to no wind, so the fleet powered north to the party and enjoyed a beautiful warm, sunset glow on Puget Sound. Sunday saw just enough breeze for the faster boats to blow through the tidal gates at several points to finish.
Here were some perspectives offered on SailingAnarchy.com:“Getting around Marrowstone Pt on Sunday morning was essential. I have always stayed close to the north side of Marrowstone Island and then close to the tip of Marrowstone Pt. I made it on my first try and consider myself fortunate as similar boats to mine were only 20 ft farther offshore and did not make it. It took a long time to finally clear the point sailing straight into the current.”
“Sunday was a trying but fun day. From the start there were challenges..sky'ed the dousing line for the spinnaker sock. At Marrowstone Point tried at least four times to cross the tide rip. Crazy scene with boats on starboard charging into the rip (with rights) and seeing the maneuvering required by boats on port trying to inch forward to the point in the tide rip. Anchoring would be been fun to get a front row seat to the madness. Whaddayagonnado.”
“Eventually made our way across to Whidbey and sailed in good wind up to Double Bluff with favorable eddies along Greenback lagoon, Bush Point and then a crabbed approach to and past the Double Bluff mark. From there stretched back across with Grey Wolf to catch the flood around Pt No Point. Decided on stay out in wind vs river along the beach. Had a odd 5' shift to SW for a few minutes near Edmonds creating all sorts of confusion.”
Then, PNW J/Dealer Ben Braden offered some commentary- “Speaking for myself, I love the challenge of dealing with the currents and wind and would hate to see the event changed to make it easier. To me, the idea of shorthanded sailing is to deal with adversity, both on and off the boat, and deal with it a way that isn't "normal" racing.If the winds had been as predicted Saturday, there would have been no issues. Yet, also, if those with slower boats or outboards recognized the situation, the currents and the distances they would have correctly began dropping out Saturday about noon, and then learned the currents for Sunday while motoring up towards the Port Townsend canal. That is just prudent seamanship, which takes precedence over attempting to finish a race.
Sunday’s race was a lesson for everyone that went out into the current at Marrowstone Point. If your boat isn't faster than the current, anchor - you will be faster than the boats that don't anchor. One boat was anchoring when we arrived, we tried to get around them twice but with the SW wind angle couldn't do it right on port tack, so we spun around and anchored- immediately, we began beating everyone else in our class. Blue Lullaby was not anchored with us, just Tuesday. We anchored for about 20 minutes, the wind switched to the SE, just as the 93 raters arrived and we then pulled anchor and joined them rounding the point. It wasn't hard sailing, it was patient sailing. The fact that so few sailors were patient enough to make it happen says more about our modern world than the difficulty of the race.We were the only boat in our class to finish- it wasn't easy, took a lot of patience, many good tactical calls and 20 minutes of anchoring (the bbq'ed chicken didn't hurt either), we had another 50 minutes to spare on the time limit. Boats in my class that did not finish reported dropping out near Keystone at 10:30am because they had played the current wrong. Don't change a thing, don't make the race easier. Bravo Zulu STYC!”
In general, it was clear J sailors relished the difficult choices made to get around the track on Sunday. While Saturday was a classic “glass-out”, with racing cancelled, Sunday’s conditions presented a unique combination of playing current versus winds to make both tactical and strategic gains. Taking the overall win by a proverbial country-mile was Fritz Lanzinger’s J/125 HAMACHI, winning overall on corrected time by 25+ minutes as well as taking their class win.
Fifth overall was Andy & Jaime Mack’s J/122 GRACE about a half hour back. Seventh was Kathryn Meyer’s J/105 JUBILEE, 9th was David Cohen’s J/105 INCONCEIVABLE, 10th was Matt Gardner-Brown’s J/105 DULCINEA, 11th was Stu Brunell’s J/109 TANTIVY, 14th Pat Denney’s J/29 HERE & NOW, 15th Henderson/ Barber’s J/105 DELIRIUM, 16th Mike Poole’s J/80 JOLLY GREEN, 19th Jim Geros’ J/105 LAST TANGO, 20th Leo Morales’ J/27 WIZARD, 21st Dennis Clark’s J/27 NUMBER LXIII and 25th was Tom Herr & Serhad’s J/33 CORVO. An absolutely amazing display of seamanship and strategy for these teams- 13 of the top 25!Here were the class breakdowns for the various J/teams, quite an impressive showing across the board!
- Class 2- Singlehanded Flying Sails- Dan Wieman’s J/35 GREAT WHITE took 1st and Kevin Callahan’s J/80 NAMASTE was 3rd.
- Class 4- Doublehanded Flying Sails- Lanzinger’s J/125 HAMACHI won.
- Class 5- Doublehanded Flying Sails- Mack’s J/122 GRACE won.
- Class 7- Doublehanded Flying Sails- Burnell’s J/109 TANTIVY won.
- Class 8- Doublehanded Flying Sails- Kerr/Serhad’s J/33 CORVO was 2nd.
- Class 9- J/105 Doublehanded- Meyer’s JUBILEE 1st, Cohen’s INCONCEIVABLE 2nd, Gardner-Brown’s DULCINEA 3rd.
- Class 10- Doublehanded- Denney’s J/29 HERE & NOW was 2nd.
- Class 11- Doublehanded- Poole’s J/80 JOLLY GREEN won
- Class 13- Doublehanded- J/teams swept- Morales’ J/27 WIZARD 1st, Clark’s J/27 NUMBER LXIII 2nd, Adrien Feloon’s J/30 CONRAD J 3rd, Theo Singelis’ TAKU 4th.
- Class 16- Doublehanded- Scott Galbraith’s J/24 FLYER won
- Jack & Jill Class- Mack’s J/122 GRACE was 3rd, Kathryn Meyer’s J/105 JUBILEE was 4th, Matt Gardner-Brown’s J/105 DULCINEA was 6th and Henderson/Barber’s J/105 DELIRIUM was 9th.
J/105 PANTHER North Sea Race Double Champion!J/122s Sweep IRC 2 Class!
(Harwich, United Kingdom)- The North Sea Race is 180nm offshore adventure from Harwich, UK to the Smith's Knoll Buoy off the North Norfolk Coast then east across the North Sea to Scheveningen, The Netherlands. Organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with the Royal Harwich Yacht Club, the East Anglian Offshore Racing Association and the Yacht Club Scheveningen.
How did the various J/Teams fair in this classic race? Amazing! Seven of top eleven Overall! And, five were double-handed teams!
This year’s event was blessed with summer-like conditions. After a beat to South Galloper Buoy, the fleet turned north for a long starboard tack reach to Smith's Knoll Buoy, followed by a port tack reach to the Netherland's coast and a beat to finish at Scheveningen. The high pressure that produced a light airs race suited the smaller yachts.
In IRC 1, racing Two-Handed was Bart Desaunois' J/133 BATFISH, taking the silver while fellow J/133 owner, Angus Bates, sailed ASSARAIN IV with a full crew to fourth in class.
In IRC 2, the top three yachts were all racing Two-Handed- all J/Boats in a sweep of the class! Chris Revelman & Pascal Bakker's J/122 JUNIQUE RAYMARINE SAILING TEAM was the winner. Robin Verhoef's J/122E AJETO was second and Chris Schram's J/120 MAVERICK was third. Seventh in class was the British Army Sailing Association’s J/111 BRITISH SOLDIER.
In IRC 3, Kees Mijs' J/109 ARETHUSA was the winner while fellow countryman Alain Bornet took fourth place in his J/109 JAI ALAI.
In IRC 4, taking second place in class and winning a tough IRC Two-Handed Class were Yvonne Beusker & Eric Van Vuuren with their J/105 PANTHER! Fellow J/105 skipper, Robert Nelson skippering BIGFOOT, also sailed double-handed and took 4th in class.
The IRC Two-handed class was, essentially, a clean sweep of the top J/teams. First was the J/105 PANTHER, followed by the J/105 BIGFOOT in third, the J/122 JUNIQUE RAYMARINE in fourth, the J/122E AJETO in fifth, and the J/120 MAVERICK in sixth!
Yvonne Beusker commented on her performance, ”My usual sailing partner for Team PANTHER is Edith Voskamp but she had shoulder surgery, so Eric was my partner for the race. He is our team coach and we did some of the Global Ocean Race together in a Class 40. Two-Handed racing has become very popular in the Netherlands and the North Sea Race is part of our National Championship. I believe our win was down to keeping each other sharp. It is difficult to stay alert in light winds but we made a big point of keeping each other focused, even after 30 hours with little sleep."
Here is the report from Chris Revelman on the J/122 RAYMARINE JUNIQUE:“As always, we focus on getting home fast! It was nice weather for sailing. The nights at sea were very cold, but you can dress you warmly, they were fantastic conditions!
After our winter break, these were our first two races for the season. We had not yet been out sailing or practicing! Our boat-handling was okay, and we were soon back in our usual routines.
The first race across to Harwich port from The Netherlands was good sailing for us. A great fight with IL CORVO and the J/133 BATFISH. Eventually, we finished 5th behind BATFISH and PANTHER. John and Robin’s new J/122E AJETO was first.
The North Sea race is one of our favorite races of the season. We had a very nice start and arrived at the first mark together with AJETO. From there, we set, alternatively, the A3 and Code 0 as the wind kept shifting. We kept changing places with BATFISH and AJETO for the 80nm across the English Channel to the other side near the Netherlands seacoast. At the next turning mark before heading to the finish line, MN-4, we chose to stay inside the group around us and made a big gain, allowing us to come out in front of BATFISH and AJETO.
The circumstances from that moment on were very mixed. The effects of a cold sea and a warmed-up land nearby produced big differences between the offshore gradient wind and the onshore breeze along the coast. Exactly as the time we were going around the mark, a vacuum formed between the two winds. Clearly, the land breeze was better.
With the speed and momentum that we had left, we headed straight ahead towards the beach for the land breeze until we can catch it and head towards the finish. That worked out even better than we had expected.
With "only" 5 miles to the finish line, after 32 hours of sailing, we are headed fast (relatively speaking) to the finish line. Beer is finally in sight!!
However, a massive hole was forming in front of us. We can see wind out to sea, so we gybed out to get it and then rode that new wind streak into the finish line! Wow, we finish the race as the third boat in the entire race on elapsed time! That beer tasted even better after the finish!
We win IRC 2 Class!! And, we were 7th overall in the standings. Two-handed sailing in this light and changing circumstances is hard enough, we are happy with our result!
Next weekend is the continuation of the Netherlands Two-Handed National Championship series. We're going for it during the inshores and we hope to be able to climb in the standings. The competition level within the shorthanded circuit is big, so there are several contenders. Now, it’s time to get some sleep!!” Follow the J/122 RAYMARINE JUNIQUE here on Facebook For more RORC North Sea Race sailing information
NAUTICA WATCHES Wins Catalonia J/80 Champs(Barcelona, Spain)- Former Olympic Medallist Jose Maria Van der Ploeg, sailing NAUTICA WATCHES, won his own version of his sponsor’s watches after winning four of the six races in the J/80 Nautica Watches Catalonian Championship.
Taking the silver and bronze in the regatta, respectively, were Carlos Martinez and Bribón-Movistar (Marc Antonio). Not often that three J/80 World Champions all finish “in the chocolates” and the most recent winner has to settle for a plastic Swatch (a joke gift from friends)!
The first day of sailing on Saturday was technically difficult for all of the participants. The interim leader was Van der Ploeg’s Nautica Watches with three straight victories. The day was characterized by enormous changes in the wind direction, with dramatic puffs punctuating the race course. After the second race, the wind increased far beyond 12 kts and became more uniform across the course.
On the second day, the race committee was also able to run three more races, albeit with some difficulty. The day started out with 12-15 kts of breeze that steadily deteriorated all day. In fact, the third and final race saw the second beat shortened dramatically so the fleet could count it. For more J/80 Nautica Watches Sailing Championship information
J/70 Swiss Sailing League- Société Nautique de Genève Wins!(Neuchatel, Switzerland)- Act II of the Swiss Sailing League just took place on the Neuenburger Lake, hosted by Cercle Voile de Neuchatel. Twelve races were run over the three-day weekend.
With nine wins in twelve races, it was clear the team of Société Nautique de Genève (comprised of Fabrice Rigot, Marc Stern, Nicolas Kauffmann, and Mathieu Fischer) was the class act of the regatta. Taking second with a relatively strong performance was the Regatta Club Oberhofen team (Stefan Seger, Matthias Fahrni, Jürg Aeschlimann, and Elianne Böni), managing three 1st and six 2nds in their score to just edge out the third place finishers by just one point- Société Nautique Rolloise (Olivier de Cocatrix, Marin Lauber, Sylvain Wenger, and Thomas Schutt).
Shortly before noon, a slight thermal breeze of 4-6 kts became established from the west. Race Officer Joel Broye responded immediately and started the first race of the day. Then, all the races happened in quick succession. The three leading teams were characterized by consistency, speed, good boat-handling and were thus, able to gain a significant points advantage.The differential between the teams, however, were always very small. Even a small mistake had an immediate effect on the standings. A team could find themselves in a leading position at one mark and then at the end of the field at the next mark!
For the rest of the weekend, the breezes remained light from Saturday until Sunday afternoon; the wind never exceeded 4-6 kts. Nevertheless, the CVN PRO Joel Broye did an amazing job, kept the pace fast, the teams rotating quickly on the water, and was able to run a total of twenty-four races over the whole weekend! Amazing! And, congratulations to the sailors and to Mr. Broye for their collective efforts to make it all happen. The next Swiss Sailing League event will take place on Lake Geneva. For more Swiss J/70 Sailing League information
Moriceau's SAILING 29 Tops J/80s @ GPENBotherel Dominates J/22s
(Brest, France)- The Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale (the French Naval Academy) hosted yet another popular edition of GPEN off the beautiful, undulating countryside of Camaret, France. A strong fleet of fifteen J/22s participated off the mouth of the river and the powerful fleet of forty-six J/80s sailed a bit further offshore.
Familiar teams topped the J/80 standings and the final outcome could not have been any closer- with the winner determined on a tie-breaker with 27 pts each. Simon Moriceau’s SAILING 29 team won the tie-break based on winning four races in the eight race series! Taking second was Eric Brezellec’s COURRIER JUNIOR, winning two races over the weekend. Third crew as Luc Nadal’s GAN’JA with 33 pts net and, ironically, was the most consistent boat in the top three- - the other crews both had at least two races in the big double-digits! Rounding out the top five was Charles Le Guil’s HOTEL MIRAMAR in fourth and Damian Michelier’s VITEL SAILING TEAM in fifth place. Top woman skipper was Maxime Rousseaux’ CN SAINT CAST GRAND OUEST ETIQUETTE in 12th overall and second woman skipper was Laura Simon sailing UNIVERSITY NANTES.
Winning the J/22 class after four races was Claire & Pierre Bothorel on PAPY J. Taking second overall was the Dutch team on BIGROLL TU DELFT BROACH BEAUFORT, skippered by Hylke Kooistra with crew of Tom Holewijn, Bern Laninga and Timen Petri. A past French J/22 champion, Patrick Huet, completed the podium in the bronze position, sailing EUROPEAN HOMES with Yannick Souron and Pierre Royne. Of note was that it may have been the first time in French J/22 class history that two woman skippered boats took 1st and 2nd in a national event! The balance of the top five included Guillaume Gallou’s MAJIC in 4th and the Verdoorn family from The Netherlands (Dirk Jan, Liselotte, Rosemarijn) and friend Sanne Uitentuis sailing JUT ET JUL into 5th place. For more Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale regatta sailing information
J/24 HAWKEYE Wins Barbados Boatyard Cup(Barbados)- In the far eastern parts of the Caribbean in late April, there are many ‘tings still happ’n ‘mon! Consider the 40+ year old J/24 class. It was the world’s first 5,000+ boat one-design keelboat. Ever. And, its passionate fanatics around the world continue to enjoy her attributes- easy to sail, smooth decks, comfy interior (an important feature for many women sailors!).
Barbados J/24 sailors are enjoying their pretty little jewel of an island in the eastern parts of the Caribbean. A Barbados J/24 “yacht club” was formed and they happen to be having a great time. Hard not for them to be lovin’ the amazin’ breeze that blasts across the island at a steady 15-25 kts in their easterly “tradewinds” (only their Kingston, Jamaica J/22 friends can claim higher winds- 20-30 kts steady mid-afternoon!). Yes, the conditions are amazing. Sunny. No clouds. 80F’s all day.
So, Team HAWKEYE won the 2016 Boatyard J/24 Regatta. Did that mean they won “free drinks” for friends and the team at Barbados’ #1 beach bar and restaurant- THE BOATYARD? Who knows?! Indeed, they celebrated. TEAM HAWKEYE’s crew included Colin Symes, Jaime Ward, Eddie Cheeseman, Charles Allen and Annika Povey. Not to be outdone by the HAWKEYE team was Burke’s IMPULSE crew, finishing just one point back in second place with 8 pts. Mayers’ ESPERANZA won the first race, but “faded to black” thereafter to hang on to third place with 9 pts.
So, how does the BOATYARD BAR & RESTAURANT/ SUZUKI MARINE/ CARTER’S FISHERMAN’S CORNER National Championship series look like going into the next series of races? Well, just so happens that BUNGA BUNGA’s Mr. Gloumeau is winning! While they trashed their Boatyard Cup results, their amazin’ performances in ‘da TIKI BAR and MASSY STORES Regattas are keepin’ ‘dem in ‘da’hunt!
With Gloumeau’s crew on BUNGA BUNGA currently leading by just 2 pts, it’s Mayers’ ESPERANZA in 2nd place. Behind them it's a cluster of "coconuts", with Povey’s HAWKEYE tied with Burke’s IMPULSE on 13 pts each and just one point back is Tindale’s COLLEGE FUND$ in fifth place. And, so it goes down island! For more Barbados J/24 Sailing information
The Great Vallejo Race- Fun Sailing on the Bay!(Vallejo, CA)- This not too often publicized event is hosted by the great, one and only, Vallejo YC. Where is that, one might ask? Click here- they are cool and they love to sail! They also host one of San Francisco Bay’s more notorious races and dock parties!
The race most often starts near the Berkeley Circle on Saturday morning, rounds a single weather mark near Alcatraz, and then heads to Vallejo, usually under spinnaker for the remainder of the race. The challenge is to maintain speed through the shadow of Angel Island, find the best combination of wind and current past the Richmond-San Rafael bridge and East Brother Light Station, and then avoid the mud shoals on the east side of the San Pablo Bay. Depending on the day, the passage can be a challenging breeze (intentional pun), or a miserable drifter, complicated - as always - by the currents, no matter its direction.
As the boats enter Carquinez Strait, they bunch together, making the turn into Mare Island Strait a nightmare for many boats. Because of the topography of Mare Island, as well as the fact that it sits at the mouth of the Napa River, local knowledge (or many years of sailing the race) can make the difference as the yachts maneuver toward the finish line on the Vallejo city waterfront. Winds vary from light to heavy, and becoming exceedingly shifty. By the time they enter the Strait, many of the crews are let's say "over-relaxed" by sun, surf, and suds. This is where the fun really starts! In the mad dash for the finish line, sharp crews can usually pick off several places with close attention to trim, wind, and current. Just be sure to check your charts and keep a close watch on your depth sounder! Yah! Good point. Since, touching bottom, often means you win! As one sage in the UK, who is quite familiar with similar strategies on the Solent, once declared (Bob Fisher to be exact), “you’re not winning until you’re dredging”!In this year’s version of the Great Vallejo dash, J/crews sailed quite well. In PHRF 2 Class, the J/44 VIAJANTE skippered by Bill Williams took 4th place. In PHRF 3 Class, the J/120 SAETTA helmed by Ludovic Millin was 2nd.
Gary Panariello’s J/88 COURAGEOUS won PHRF 4 Class, followed by Elvin Valverde’s J/35 JOKER in sixth and Bob Bloom’s J/35 JARLEN in ninth.
Tony Castruccio’s J/30 WINDSPEED took the gold in PHRF 13 Class and silver was taken by Grant Harless’ J/29 BAY LOON. Yet another J/30, Peter Jermyn’s IONE, was sixth and Chris Boome’s J/32 RHAPSODY was 8th. Finally, the J/24s crushed PHRF 16 class, with Darren Cumming’s DOWNTOWN UPROAR 1st and Jasper Can Vliet’s EVIL OCTUPUS in 2nd.
The big J/105 one-design class saw spirited competition, with BLACKHAWK (Kristin Simmons) winning followed by 007 (Justin Hersh) second and CUCHULAININ (Jim Mullen) in third. For more Great Vallejo Race sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* This weekend, the 40th birthday party celebration of the first launching of the J/24 RAGTIME will be taking place in Stonington, CT at Dodson’s Boatyard. Drop on by and say “Hi” or simply visit the Dogwatch Cafe and enjoy the wonderful atmosphere and absorb some J/Boats history along the way! Down in Algarrobo, Chile, the Navegantes TV program did a special on the history of J/Boats in South America. They interviewed J/Chile dealer Juan Eduardo Reid from Windmade Spa. It’s all in Spanish, but jump to 29.0 minutes on the timeline and you can hear how it all happened! Watch on Vimeo here.
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/
* 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!
* 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 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
The article in our WSJ Online December retirement report about eight years spent sailing the Mediterranean— "Retiring to the Open Sea"— prompted many questions and comments from readers. We asked William Stellin, who wrote the story, to answer some of the most common queries.WSJ- "What kind and make of boat did you use? Looking back, would you have picked a different boat?"
Bill- "In 1995-96, J/Boats of Newport, RI, came out with a new cruiser/racer model, the J/42. We bought hull No. 6 of this popular 42-foot sailboat and named it JAYWALKER. This was our fourth boat since beginning sailing in 1975.
Although long-distance cruising wasn't what we had in mind when we purchased JAYWALKER, it soon became apparent it had the ability to carry us easily and safely anywhere we wanted to go. Because the boat is light, it sails well in light winds, which means very little motoring is necessary.
People often ask (and argue) about what boat is best for cruising. Any boat that is strong, safe, fast, comfortable and easily handled by two people should fit the bill. One thing for sure, fast is fun—and important when trying to avoid bad weather."
READ MORE ABOUT BILL'S INSIGHTFUL COMMENTARY AND THOUGHTS ON WSJ ONLINE HERE
* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand. Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/
* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.
* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between. Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins?? Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).- Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun). Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".
- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com. Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA), then to the South Pacific and New Zealand. MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.
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