J/70 Europeans- 96 Competitors!(Kiel, Germany)- More than three million visitors from all over the world will be diving into the colorful and multi-facetted life of Kieler Woche that takes place form June 21st to 26th. Kiel Week 2016, which is organized by the Kiel Yacht-Club in cooperation with the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, Hamburger Segel-Club and the Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee, offers many highlights in this year’s program. One of those is the 2016 J/70 European Championship.
Ninety-six crews from 15 nations (Denmark, Austria, Brazil, Chile, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, and Sweden) have registered for the J/70 Europeans that start on Wednesday at 7:30pm with the parade of nations from the Olympic fire to the Audi stage and an official opening ceremony. With 96 registrations, the number of participants is far more than ever expected. Apart from the European title, the winner will be given a watch from the official Kiel Week time-keeper TUTIMA as well as a Gennaker, clearly showing the winner. For the silver and bronze, there will be prizes from Liros.
The German contingent is simply enormous and quite enthusiastic about participating in their first major European J/70 regatta, sixty-nine teams alone from across the German republic. The sailors come from the top ranks of the J/22, J/24 and J/80 classes along with the leaders in the J/70s over the past three years. With so many new faces in their group, it’s difficult to assess how teams will fair. Nevertheless, there are some teams that should be factors in the top quarter of the leaderboard. For example, Pit Finis’ DRALION.DE has top match racer Karol Jablonski on his team. Then, you have Sven Ruggiesiek’s JUKEBOX with Phil Raabe in the crew; Yannick Hafner’s LED ZEPPELIN is fast; Jens Ahlgrimm’s crew with Stephan Molle on GRUN SOFTWARE AG is experienced; so is Klaus Schutt’s YES WE CAN; Christian Soyka’s VOICE OF ITZEHOE are World Offshore & One-Design Champions; TRE MAKRELLER has top skipper Class Lehmann; Jurgen Waldeheim’s ROSAROTER PENGUIN are a tough crew; and PROCEDES DIVA has Bjorn Beilken and Tobias Teichmann.
The next largest group of sailors is from Denmark, with eight teams participating; including SALLY (Jorn Pedersen), CHILI (Rene Nielsen), HOTEL SVENDBORG (Calle Sorensen), and CRACKER JACK (Soren Larsen).
Sweden and the United Kingdom are sending a half-dozen teams each. From England are several top boats, such as Nick & Adam Munday’s J7T, Charlie Esse’s BABY J, and Patrick Liardet’s COSMIC. Sweden’s leading crews include Oscar Lundqvist’s FANNY, Jonas Wibom’s ACE OF BASE, and Bo Johansson’s TYRA.
Some of the leading Italian teams are participating in their five boat contingent, including two-time Key West J/70 Midwinters Champion Carlo Alberini on CALVI NETWORK, Gianfranco Noe’s WHITE HAWK and Edoardo Lupi’s TORPYONE.
The four-strong Monegasque crews include Monaco J/70 Class President Jacopo Carrain on CARPE DIEM, Stefano Roberti on PICCININA and Pierrik Devic on FRASER YACHTS.
Other top European teams include Klaus Diem’s Austrian crew on PFANDER, Luis Bugallo Arriola’s Spanish team on MARNATURA, Remy Hurdiel’s French crew on VADK 3, Wouter Kollmann’s Dutch team on PLAJ, Egil Ronaes’ Norwegian team on LUCKY JACK, the two Russian teams (Sergei Ezihkov’s JUNO & Alex Markarov’s MAJIC), and Tom Studer’s Swiss team on REGATTA CLUB BODENSEE.
From South America are two top teams, including Brazil’s former J/24 World Champion, Mauricio Santa Cruz, sailing BRUSCHETTA and Juan Reid’s WINDMADE sailing with his Chilean team of Pablo Lorca, Felipe Robles and Santiago Lorca.
Top women sailors from Italy and Germany will be competing and at least two skippers have proven they have the ability to jump onto the leaderboard. One of Germany’s top women skippers and a long-time German Women’s Champion in J/24s will be sailing a new RAGAZZA, a brand new J/70- leading the charge will be Stephanie KÖPCKE’s crew of Nele-Marie BOCK, Amelie PANUSCHKA, Lydia KOPPIN, and Anke LUKOSCH. Having sailed a lot of Farr 40s, M24s and M32s, there is no question Italy’s Claudia Rossi sailing PETITE TERRIBLE with crew Matteo MASON, Simone SPANGARO, and Michele PAOLETTI will be tough customers to contend with on any starting line!
Here is a nice Kieler Woche sailing video summary on YouTube. For more J/70 Europeans at Kieler Woche sailing information
J/111 North Americans Preview(Chicago, IL)- For the third time, the J/111 North American Championship will be sailed on Lake Michigan and the host for 2016 will be Chicago Yacht Club, with the fleet of fifteen boats from five states across the country sailing out of Belmont Harbor. With four days of racing planned, the fleet could easily see over ten races sailed from Thursday to Sunday. The event is being held in conjunction with the HELLY HANSEN Chicago NOOD Regatta that is also taking place out of CYC’s facilities in Monroe Street and Belmont.
Notably absent from defending their honor for a historical “three-peat” is Dick Lehmann’s WIND CZAR, apparently having hung up his hat in favor of tackling the world of J/70s instead! Between the first two J/111 NA’s in Chicago, IL and Harbor Springs, MI there has not been one team, other than WIND CZAR, that has cracked the top five overall in both events; such is the degree of competitiveness within the J/111 class!
This year’s event features several new participating owners as well as many of the 111 class veterans from many Great Lakes campaigns. Last year’s Chicago-Mac winner, Richard Hobbs’ HOBGOBLIN from Naples, FL, is hoping the magic that prevailed in that race may help around the buoys in Chicago. Then again, the KASHMIR trio (Karl Brummel, Steve Henderson & Mike Mayer) are hoping their runaway win in the Goose Island Colors Regatta earlier this summer translates into some serious “mojo” for their performance this coming weekend! Having been second in the first NA’s, no question Len Siegal’s LUCKY DUBIE is betting on the fact that his crew can brew up yet another weed-whacker blender-ful of “whupass” and show everyone how it’s done! However, having a 1st and 2nd in Key West Race Week sailing J/111s, Rob Ruhlman’s SPACEMAN SPIFF crew from Cleveland, OH are no shrinking violets and are no strangers at winning regattas. Having placed 2nd in the Harbor Springs NA’s and also won the Chicago-Mac Race in 111s, Great Lakes legend David Irish from Harbor Springs, MI is hoping his crackerjack team on NO SURPRISE still have it in them to not only surprise themselves, but everyone else, too! Don’t forget that lurking within the top five in many major regattas are both Bill Smith’s WOOTON from Bay Harbor, MI and Brad Faber’s UTAH from Owosso, MI; 
either boat could be the dark horse of the event (note to self- on WOOTON is Alan Terhune- recent J/22 World Champion from Annapolis, MD).So much for the class veterans. Some of the “newer kids on the block” that have a season or two of racing J/111s are beginning to show they are moving up the learning curve quite rapidly. Perhaps the most eye-opening performances have been by long-distance traveler Bennet Greenwald from San Diego YC in California; his PERSEVERANCE crew are quick and smart. Past Great Lakes J/109 Champion, Kevin Saedi, is sailing a new MOMENTUS with a crew from Chicago. Rich Witzel’s crew on ROWDY will include past Etchells 22 World Champion Jud Smith to help on speed and strategy. Then, you have Mark & Colin Caliban’s NO QUARTER, John Kalanik’s PURA VIDA, Tracy Brand’s SOLUTION and Carl Hanssen’s VARIANCE, all sailing their first J/111 NA’s ever. Should be fun. And, it will be a challenge for all. Sailing photo credits- Cate Brown. For more J/111 North American Championship sailing information
Newport Bermuda Race Preview(Newport RI)– This year’s Newport Bermuda Race is the 50th running of the biennial offshore race, and the entry list is one of the largest the race has seen in its history. Included on the roster are internationally recognized syndicates, local favorites, historic offshore programs, neophytes, and imports from around the globe.
The action starts at 3:00PM EDT Friday, June 17 from Newport, Rhode Island. The 635-mile biennial Newport Bermuda Race is the oldest regularly scheduled ocean race, one of very few international distance races, and (with the Transpac Race) one of just two of the world’s regularly scheduled races held almost entirely out of sight of land. Founded in 1906, the Bermuda Race is held for the 50th time in 2016.
The purpose of the Bermuda Race was stated in 1923 by Cruising Club of America Commodore Herbert L. Stone: “In order to encourage the designing, building, and sailing of small seaworthy yachts, to make popular cruising upon deep water, and to develop in the amateur sailor a love of true seamanship, and to give opportunity to become proficient in the art of navigation”.
This year’s event is expected to be the third largest in the race’s history, with approximately 190 boats. The largest fleet, 265 boats, sailed in the centennial race in 2006. The second largest, 197 boats turned out in 2008.The race attracts sailors from across North America and the globe, with recent entries from Russia, Britain, and China, and always a large turnout of Canadians. The 2016 fleet is extremely diverse. A total of 23 countries are represented among the sailors, and 55 of the boats have at least one sailor from outside the United States. In addition, 41 US States are represented in this fleet.
The average crew has ten men or women, many from the same family. Typically, 25-30 percent of captains are sailing their first Newport Bermuda Race in command, but this year the proportion is about 35 percent. The race starts off Newport, R.I., in front of many spectators, on the third Friday in June. It takes more than two hours to get the fleet started. Boats are rated and handicapped under the Offshore Racing Rule, except for the Super Yacht Division.
Depending on the weather and the currents in the Gulf Stream, and the boat’s size and speed, the race takes two to six days. The first boat arrives at the finish line off St. David’s Lighthouse on Sunday or Monday, and the smaller boats arrive between then and Wednesday or Thursday.
The race is demanding. The rules say, “The Newport Bermuda Race is not a race for novices.” The course crosses the rough Gulf Stream and is mostly out of the range of rescue helicopters, and Bermuda is guarded by a dangerous reef. The race is nicknamed “the thrash to the Onion Patch” because most Bermuda Races include high winds and big waves (a combination sailors call “a hard thrash”), and because Bermuda is an agricultural island (notably in its old days for onions!). In fact, the weather forecast for this year's race has induced several teams to withdraw prior to the start as there are indications in various weather models that gale-force winds from the North-Northeast and massive 15 ft seas (with much steeper, worse conditions in the Gulf Stream) should be hitting the fleet about the time they are crossing the Gulf Stream.The race demands good seamanship, great care, and a boat that is both well-built and properly equipped. The boats must meet stringent equipment requirements and undergo inspection, and the sailors must also pass a review and undergo training in safety. The bonds formed by these sailors are strong. Numerous sailors have sailed more than 10 races, often with family and friends.
It is no wonder that over the past 30+ years that more and more Bermuda racers have put their faith and trust in high-quality, offshore performance sailboats produced by the J/Design team that are easy to sail in any weather conditions- from sybaritic to stormy as hell. In virtually every major offshore race around the world, J/Teams have prevailed in some of the nastiest conditions imaginable, and sailed home to win class or overall trophies. And, remarkably, many of them have repeated those winning performances over the course of time on their J/Boats. In this year’s 50th Bermuda Race, there are thirty-two J/crews ready to take on the challenges of the Gulf Stream meanders and rocky approaches to Bermuda. Not for the faint of heart, but the famous reception for all the crews at Royal Bermuda YC is well worth it!
In by far the largest division of the race, the St David’s Lighthouse Division, there are 109 entries of which 26 are J/Boats- nearly one-quarter of the entire field and easily the largest brand represented by a factor of 2.5! The smallest of the group is Doug Evan’s J/109 TIME OUT from Milwaukee YC and Dan Kitchens’ J/111 SKULL CRACKER from Chicago YC- both Midwest teams. One of the largest “one-design” classes to ever sail the Bermuda Race may be the NINE(!) J/120s doing the race; amongst them are past class winners as well such as Greg Leonard’s HERON, Jim Praley’s SHINNECOCK, and Richard Born’s WINDBORN. A trio of J/122s are participating that share previous Bermuda experience, like Jim Shachoy’s AUGUST WEST, Dan Heun’s MOXIEE and John Gregg’s TARAHUMARA. Brian Prinz’s J/125 SPECTRE is hoping to carry the torch for this legendary offshore racer and take home a prize. Two J/133s will be in the mix, such as Ray & Andrea Rhinelander’s BELLA J and Mike and Dale McIvor’s MATADOR.
Four “cruiser-racers” of the J/vintage that seem to have CCA pedigree are in the SDLD, including Will Passano’s J/37 CARINA, Fred Allardyce’s J/40 MISTY and two J/42s- Eliot Merrill’s FINESSE and Roger Gatewood’s SHAZAAM.
Finally, the famous J/44 one-design division will have a half-dozen boats on the starting line, including for the first time in the Bermuda Race’s hallowed history, a Chinese-flagged entry- the SPIRIT OF NOAHS. The Noahs Sailing Club in Shanghai, China has chartered the J/44 SPIRIT from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.Noahs Sailing Club built this team as the first racing crew with all Chinese members, from skipper and crew to sponsors. In addition to competing in the international fleet of top-level regattas, Noahs Sailing Club also stands as the messenger to promote world awareness of the Chinese spirit and sailing culture. They are based in the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, Shanghai.
Mr. Dong Qing is the captain for the SPIRIT OF NOAHS. He’s very experienced and started sailing in 2003. Mr. Chen Fulin will be the Navigator. He has been racing since 2014 and has years of offshore sailing experience. Both of them raced the team’s TP52 in the 2015 Sydney Hobart Race.
Qing said, “It will be a great honor for our young Noahs team to have this chance to sail in this large fleet with famous and respected sailors and their teams. In addition, we are sure that Noahs sailing team can also bring to the Bermuda Race the values of branding and promotion to our Chinese audiences.”
In the photo here is the entire Noahs Sailing Team from the left to the right are Dong Qing, Xu Chenpeng, Ma Cong, Shao Fenghai, Wang Xinjie, Lin Songmin, Lin Zhiwei, Zhang Minhang, Chen Fulin, Yi Xiaobin, Cao Zhongqiu, Yang Longshen, Zhu Bao, Xu Xiao, Yuan Shuai, Gao Kunpeng, Chang Yage.Skipper Qing and the SPIRIT OF NOAHS crew will have their work cutout for themselves. With some training and input from fellow J/44 sailors, they will hopefully have gotten far enough up the learning curve to be competitive against some of the most experienced offshore Storm Trysail Club members that anyone can imagine. They will be facing the US Coast Guard Academy’s GLORY for starters, a very well-sailed boat by experienced USCGA cadets. Then, they have Jim Bishop’s GOLD DIGGER and Lenny Sitar’s VAMP that will have their collective feet on the gas pedal the entire time!
In the Cruiser Division, Howie Hodgson’s graceful J/160 TRUE will be kicking up her heels on any “power beat” or “power reach” scenario against her erstwhile competitors. Similarly, Brad Willauer’s J/46 BREEZING UP will be chasing them hard and also reveling in those conditions.
Perhaps the most extraordinary performances found in the Bermuda Race are those that sail the Double-handed Division. Back for one more time, at least, is Hewitt Gaynor’s J/120 MIREILLE. A past podium trophy gatherer and, hopefully, winner in his division this time around! He’ll be facing Sharon Winkler & Noel Sterrett on their J/130 SOLARUS as well as Steve Berlack’s J/42 ARROWHEAD. For more Storm Trysail Club Newport to Bermuda Race sailing information
J/70 Sailing Leagues Update(Hamburg, Germany)- The enormous popularity of sailing leagues in Europe continues to grow and a number of them across the Continent are into their second and third Acts in various locations. This coming weekend, you can find regattas taking place in Norway, Switzerland and Denmark in their fleets of six to twelve matched one-design J/70s. Here are the dates and locations if you wish to watch “stadium sailing” at its best with a huge number of sailing clubs involved in each event:
- Jun 17-19- Norway J/70 Sailing League- Oslo, Norway
- Jun 17-19- Swiss J/70 Sailing League- Kreuzlingen, Switzerland
- Jun 17-19- Danish J/70 Sailing League- Juelsminde, Denmark
Chicago NOOD Regatta Preview(Chicago, IL)- The 2016 HELLY HANSEN Chicago NOOD Regatta, presented by SAILING WORLD magazine, will be taking place from June 17th to 19th. The regatta will feature over 157 boats and at least 1,000+ sailors that are racing on four racing “circles” across the magnificent Chicago waterfront, the recent site of the America’s Cup AC45 Regatta series. Sixty-eight J teams are racing on all four of those race courses, about 43% of the total fleet.
The largest fleet at the 2016 event happens to be the J/70 class, with twenty-two boats on the starting line, a first for the class in the HELLY HANSEN Chicago NOOD Regatta! A very strong group of teams are assembled from four states in this regional event. The past Farr 40 Great Lakes Champion will be racing with an eye towards refining their speed and strategy as they aim for the 2016 J/70 Worlds in San Francisco, CA this coming September; Bob Hughes’ crew on HEARTBREAKER are no strangers to Midwest sailors and their team from Macatawa Bay YC are hoping the regatta will prove fruitful for their long-term goal. They will face strong challenges from local knowledge boats like John Heaton’s EMPEIRIA, Blane Shea’s GEMINI, Rick Kaiser’s ELIXIR, Mark Davis on the HELLY HANSEN JR CREW/ TAIPAN, Amy Neill’s NITEMARE, Mark Teborek’s NORBOY, Bob Willis’ RIP RULLAH and Jim Prendergast’s USA 167.
Momentum continues to grow dramatically for the J/88s on Lake Michigan. Over the past 2 1/2 years, various J/88s have virtually eclipsed their classes and overall results in many local and regional offshore races, including the famous Chicago to Mackinac Race of 289nm. As a result, one-design interest has also grown since J/88s have made a conscientious choice to include both around-the-buoys courses as well as random-leg government buoys courses. As a result, the different types of racing challenges each team in a unique way, some favor W/L stuff while others favor offshore navigational strategies. It seems the idea has seriously caught fire locally, with seven J/88s sailing this weekend. It’s fair to say it would be a statistical “random walk” to identify leading boats; however, based on previous performances you should see Ben Wilson’s RAMBLER, Boyd Jarrell’s SLOT MACHINE, Stearns Sosa Racing’s HOKEY SMOKE and Craig Juel’s PAZZO in the mix. However, don’t count out Tim Wade’s WINDSONG, Andy Graff’s EXILE, or Tod Patton’s BLONDIE 2 from eclipsing the fleet and leaving them spinning in their wake!
With ten J/105s on a starting line, you know it’s always a prelude to a good party! That is at least 75-100 people, including family & friends that look forward to having a great time at one of Chicago’s signature regattas every year. It’s a bit of a coming home party and celebration for many. Joining in on the fun, again, will be Ken Ganch’s GONZO, Sandy Curtiss’ ROCKING HORSE, Clarke Pellett’s SEALARK, Vanessa Gates’ STRIKING, Jon Weglarz’s THE ASYLUM, and Gyt Petkus’ VYTIS, amongst others. At a half-dozen boats strong, the J/109s always enjoy good racing on Lake Michigan. Several of Chicago’s faster boats will be on the starting line this Friday morning, including Jim Murray’s CALLISTO, Peter Priede’s FULL TILT, Jack Toliver’s VANDA III, and Scott Sims’ SLAPSHOT (hockey player, awesome!).
In addition to the one-design classes, the Chicago NOOD has evolved with the times and offers both one-day “pursuit-race” rallies and also basic offshore PHRF handicap racing on a “random-leg” course basis. As a result, nice fleets have grown in 2016 for both categories. In the PHRF 1 Class, we find the J/130 EDGE skippered by Robert McManus and the J/111 WARLOCK helmed by Tom Dickson hoping to enjoy casual racing over the weekend. On a similar basis in PHRF 2, the J/35 NOMATA driven by Daniel Leslie is expecting a gorgeous weekend for sailing with family and friends.
In the “rally world”, it is simply mint juleps and flowery hats, gin fizzes and umbrellas in them, or espresso martinis and ultra-cool Ray Bans at “high noon”, or you don’t qualify! Just kidding. Even though it is a one-day event on Saturday, the “rally-ers” should expect benign weather for Chicago and have a wonderful day sailing their random-leg course. In the ORR 2 Rally, we find the beautiful J/100 BARRACUDA being sailed by David Hughes. Then, in the PHRF 1 Rally class are a bunch of big J’s, including the J/120 JAHAZI skippered by Frank Giampoli, the now famous J/133 RENEGADE skippered by Tom Papoutsis & family, and the J/130 SALSA helmed by Jim Gignac. On the same program in the PHRF 2 Rally course is the J/92 CYCLONE sailed by John Madey. One thing is for sure, on the “fun index” at the HELLY HANSEN Chicago NOOD Regatta, these crews will break the ringer on the bell in celebration! For more Chicago NOOD Regatta sailing information
2017 J/70 Worlds Announcement!(Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy)- “We are confident that with the beautiful sailing conditions we experience off Porto Cervo, the extraordinary setting of YC Costa Smeralda, together with our passion, we have all the ingredients to host an unforgettable 2017 J/70 Worlds next year! This event will be an important one to help grow the J/70 Class in the Med,” commented Italian J/70 Class President, Vittorio Di Mauro.
Please find here the YouTube link with the sailing video of the highlights of the 3rd event of the ALCATEL J/70 CUP in Porto Cervo- https://youtu.be/zXQMDoqIiDo. And, to fully enjoy the stunning, crystal blue colors of Sardinia's water, you can also download the hi-def video here- https://we.tl/rYdqiNBuNQ.
Sr. Di Mauro continued to describe the ALCATEL J/70 CUP event, “Quite frankly, we had a truly fantastic week-end with great racing conditions, outstanding hospitality by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (with a social event every night!), and lot’s of beachside fun for our accompanying friends and families. It was probably the best event organized by the J/70 Italian class so far.The weekend was also a live test for the 2017 J/70 Worlds (Sept 12-16, 2017). We are already working to prepare another great event for you (all of the above plus simplified logistics, group discounts on ferry boat transportation, hotels, food and entertainment).
We will present the full program of next year's event during the Italian Night we are hosting at St Francis Yacht Club in September during the 2016 J/70 Worlds in San Francisco. You are all already invited to participate! Thank you very much in advance and one thing for sure- - CAN’T MISS PORTO CERVO 2017!” For more 2017 J/70 Worlds sailing information
Cleveland Race Week Preview(Cleveland, OH)- The 36th edition of Cleveland Race Week will be taking place from June 17th to 26th over two weekend. The famously accommodating host is the Edgewater Yacht Club in Cleveland, Ohio. The format for the event is simple- the first weekend is just for “One-Designs” while the second weekend is all “Offshore” boat categories sailing under PHRF handicap. Starting this weekend, there will be fleets of J/22s, J/24s and J/70s.
A fifteen-boat fleet of J/70s promises great racing all weekend long on Lake Erie. With a forecast for good winds and clear skies, the sailors should have a good test of their capabilities. A number of crews should factor into the leaderboard, including Marty McKenna from Youngstown YC, Tim Finkle from YYC, Trey Sheehan from Put-in-Bay YC, Lee Sacket from Edgewater YC, and Matt Morin from Detroit, MI.
The J/24s will feature nearly a half-dozen boats with one of the teams traveling from Fishers, Indiana to compete against the big boys on the big lake- John O’Brien’s crew from Indianapolis Sailing Club. Joining him are two of the top local boats from Edgewater YC; Terry Bowdish from Solon, OH and David Sugerman from Moreland Hills, OH.The CRW has always been popular with the J/22 crowd around the Great Lakes and around the Northeast. That is reflected in the broad range of participants from across the region- New York, Ohio, Michigan, Ontario, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. The fleet is packed with championship caliber skippers and tacticians. Chief amongst them may be Mike Marshall’s crew from New York YC and Jamestown, RI. They will be up against a number of fun-loving, fast teams; like Mark Stuhlmiller from Buffalo YC; Chris Princing’s crew from Tawas Bay YC in Hemlock, MI; Tim Roberts and Chip Schaffner from Edgewater YC and Avon Lake, OH; and Darcy Fuller from South Port Sailing Club in Windsor, Ontario. For more Cleveland Race Week sailing information
Three Buoy Fiasco Preview(Seattle, WA)- The host for the highly popular Three Buoy Fiasco is not your ascot-wearing, martini-sipping yacht club. Far from it. Sloop Tavern YC in Seattle, WA was launched by a man without a boat, in his tavern, in the hope of cultivating a more respectable clientele than the barflies who would show up in the morning at opening time! But, despite its rather dubious beginnings, the Sloop Tavern YC is going strong 30 years later, one of Seattle’s best-kept secrets for sailors who are in it purely for the love of the sport.
The club’s genesis dates back to 1976, when Wayne Schmidt bought the Sloop Tavern, a slightly seedy watering hole not far from the Ballard locks. About half the bar’s regulars would show up early in the morning, and Schmidt began thinking about how to bring the clientele up a notch or two.
The STYC was founded by a group of live-aboard and free spirited sailors who wanted to create a yacht club the right way. From the club's inception over beers at the Sloop Tavern, not surprisingly (!), the STYC has been a special place that has attracted sailors with a sense of fun and adventure. The members adopted the motto- “Where Sailing is Fast, Fun, and Friendly!”The club has always been a wonderful place for those new to sailing and new to racing that's why they have always had non-flying sails races (even though we now include spinnaker classes for some events). You can race with a much smaller crew single-handed, in fact, when rounding the weather mark, all you had to do is just ease the sheets!
As a result of their free-loving spirit, the club has always been home to some of the finest sailors on Puget Sound. Its members have won great honors in events ranging from the Duck Dodge to Tri-Island, to Whidbey Island Race Week, to Swiftsure, to Victoria-to-Maui, to TransPac, and Pacific Cup. Which now leads to “why” the Three Buoys Fiasco. Well, in deference to another free-spirited organization in San Francisco Bay, the Singlehanded Sailing Society, the STYC created their version of the Three Bridge Fiasco, a race where you have to round marks in any order you want next to all three famous bridges in the Bay. Since STYC has no bridges, they instead chose three well-known buoys in Puget Sound (see map) for the fleet to round.
The Skippers Meeting will be Friday, June 17, 2016 @ 6:00PM at the Ballard-Eagleson VFW Post (just East of the Sloop Tavern). And, the well-attended Award Party will be immediately following the race in front of the main Shilshole building (North end). There will be beer and brats- a very popular food combo for 3BF sailors!
Who’s going in the J/tribe so far?? Lots of boats! Thirty-eight boats are entered into Flying Sails (includes spinnakers) and Non-Flying Sails (jib and main only). In the 32-boat Flying Sails division, there are eight J’s participating- exactly one-quarter of their class; including a famous J/105- Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO, two J/30s- Geoffrey Wolf’s CONRAD J and Ulf Georg Gwildis’ IMPULSIVE, a J/109- Jerry Woodfield’s SHADA, a J/80- Walker Lockhart’s JOLLY GREEN, a J/24- Mark Daniel’s ROSHAMBO, a J/27- Leo’s WIZARD, and a J/29- Jessica & John Aguilar-Kazaras’ RUBY.
In the Non-Flying Sails Division, we find William Daniel’s J/100 TOURIST from Seattle YC up against a Hunter 34 and Newport 28-2! Goodness gracious, hope the TOURIST team can fill us in on epic racing around the cans!
Quite an eclectic fleet of “classic” J’s that span several decades. For sure, FUN will be the overwhelming theme for the weekend of sailing! Sailing photo credits- Jan Anderson/ JanPix. For more Three Buoy Fiasco sailing information
Shelter Island Race Week Announcement!(Shelter Island, NY)- Brendan Brownyard, the regatta chair for the Shelter Island Race Week, has announced “that Shelter Island Yacht Club is hosting our new Race Week and it will be the premier Regatta on the eastern end of Long Island Sound. We are the J/70s from Boston/ Marblehead, Cape Cod, Narragansett Bay, and Long Island Sound to come join us! We are also inviting J/24s from across the Northeast to participate as well. There will be many other J/Boats in the PHRF handicap divisions!”
For more Shelter Island Race Week sailing information, please contact Brendan Brownyard at ph# 631-666-5050, Ext 102 or at email- BBrownyard@brownyard.com
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
It was beyond busy on the eastern seaboard in the Americas this past week. For starters, the New York YC Annual Regatta took place off Newport, RI with several different classes sailing, from IRC to PHRF to One-design. The resurgent J/105 class had a fun time, plus J/88s, J/120s, J/122s, J/111, J/33 and a J/35 enjoyed the beautiful weekend- in fact, it was an amazing performance by a gorgeously reconstructed J/35! A similar regatta took place on the Chesapeake Bay, the Annapolis YC Race Weekend, hosted by Annapolis YC for one-design fleets of J/22s, J/70s, J/80s, J/30s and J/105s and PHRF handicap fleets that included a J/88, J/30, J/80, & J/100s. Also happening on the Chesapeake was the start of the 753nm Annapolis to Bermuda Race that included a J/42, J/111, & J/110. Then, out West another famous offshore race was hosted by San Francisco YC, the fully-crewed Farallones Race- 58nm affair that rounds some notoriously rugged rocks offshore- the race had several notable performances from a J/125, J/44, J/124, J/100, and J/109.Over in the European theater of sailing, Royal Southampton YC in Hamble, England hosted the J/CUP UK for the J/88 UK Nationals, J/111 UK Nationals, J/97 UK Nationals, J/109 UK Nationals and J/70 and IRC classes for various J’s. Also taking place was yet another RORC Offshore Points Series race, the Morgan Cup Race- a 130-150nm raced that included top performances from J/105s, J/109, J/133, and J/122E.
The J/70 sailing leagues in Europe are in full swing as well. This past weekend, we saw the Swedish J/70 League in Ekerö, Stockholm, Sweden have three solid days of sailing. Then, the Netherlands J/70 League in Groningen, Netherlands was thankful to have two good days of sailing out of three. And, finally, the Danish J/70 League in Juelsminde, Denmark had riveting, close action all weekend long.
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:
Jun 16-19- J/111 North American Championship- Chicago, ILJun 17-19- Chicago NOOD Regatta- Chicago, IL
Jun 17-19- Cleveland Race Week- Cleveland, OH
Jun 17-19- Dallas Race Week- Dallas, TX
Jun 17- Newport Bermuda Race- Newport, RI
Jun 25-Jul 1- J/80 World Championship- Sotogrande, Spain
Jul 16-16- J/111 European Championship- Hamble, England
Aug 1-4- J/111 World Championship- Cowes, England
J/70 Events:
Jul 22-24- J/70 Great Lakes Championship– Youngstown, NY
Jul 22-24- J/70 Pacific Coast Championship- San Francisco, CA
Sep 15-18- J/70 Rolex Big Boat Series/ Pre-Worlds- San Francisco, CA
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.
J/CUP U.K. Extravaganza!(Hamble, United Kingdom)- Sixty-six yachts from the J/Boat range made up the highly competitive fleet for the Landsail Tyres J-Cup in partnership with B&G. This was the 17th edition of the J-Cup and four one-design fleets were racing for their UK National Championships. Of the thirty-four yachts vying for UK Championship honours, an incredible twenty-three of them made the podium. The racing right across the fleet was incredibly close, with seconds deciding winners over the three-day regatta. Thanks to our extraordinary colleagues and our hosts that helped make it all happen- the Royal Southern Yacht Club in The Hamble.
J/88 UK National ChampionshipGavin Howe's TIGRIS was the 2016 J/88 UK National Champion and was also awarded the J-CUP for the Best Performance at the regatta. TIGRIS had to hold off a spirited challenge from David Apthorp's J-DREAM, which finished runner-up and also the 2015 champion, Paul Ward's EAT SLEEP J REPEAT that claimed third. Paul Ward's team won the penultimate race to get right in the mix but a fifth in the final race had E.S.J.R. just holding off Dirk van Beek's SABRIEL JR and Richard Cooper's JONGLEUR. The competition in the J/88 Class was incredibly close, often with boats overlapped at mark-roundings and groups at finishes!
“The last race was all about making sure we were ahead of the immediate competition,” commented Gavin Howe. “Without being too aggressive, we knew that if we got ahead of J-DREAM and covered them, we would win the championship. I have to say that we have new sails on the boat and our speed is very good and the crew worked together extremely well. To win the J-CUP is amazing and completely unexpected and a lovely way to end a perfect regatta.”
J/111 UK National ChampionshipStuart Sawyer's BLACK DOG sealed victory for the J/111 UK National Championship with a race to spare, but it was far from easy for the team from Falmouth Cornwall. Marco van Driel's Dutch J/111 SWEENY finished the regatta in second place, with fellow Dutch team, RED HERRING skippered by Sjaak Haakman, finishing third. Last year's UK National Champion, Tony Mack's McFLY, finished in fourth place. During the three-day regatta six out of the eight teams made the podium, including Cornel Riklin's JITTERBUG and Chris Jones' JOURNEYMAKER II, who both won races.
“The introduction of the two Dutch boats, has really mixed it up, they are definitely on the pace. In Race 7, we matched race SWEENY all the way around and coming into the finish we were covering them, it was super close. The team have had to be very precise to come out on top, we have been getting out early, practicing our maneuvers, getting our transits, so that we could relax a bit at game time and enjoy our mantra of having fun. BLACK DOG will be going back to Falmouth and we will be back for the Pre-Worlds and the Worlds in Cowes. We will have American, Swiss and Australian teams joining the Dutch for the Worlds and that will bring another dynamic in as well. It is great to be National Champions and that has come from a big effort from all of the BLACK DOG team. Roger, our pirate, has done exceptionally well on tactics, he has been up here a few times now, and he is getting to know the water pretty well.”
J/97 UK National ChampionshipDefending J/97 UK National Champion, Andy Howe's BLACKJACK II, scored two more bullets on their last day, to dominate the class and retain the championship. Ole Bettum's ALMARA B III finished the regatta as runner up. Rachel and Robert Hunt's JUMBLESAIL 2, won the battle for third with Richard Sparrow's ONLY MAGIC.
Andy Howe and fiancée Annie Kelly know how to enjoy themselves and so do the BLACK JACK crew who are always the life and soul of the party. “We have had an absolutely amazing time at the regatta and we will have a big party tonight, but to win at the J-Cup you have to have a good team and sail well on the water. We have been learning and working well together for some time now. It is all the little tiny things in sailing that make you a little bit faster than everybody else. Keeping the same team and building our level of performance is the key to that success and we are very pleased.”
J/109 UK National Championship
Joe Henry's JOLLY JACK TAR finished the regatta with a 2-4 score line to take the win the UK National Championship. The team is all serving members of the British Royal Navy. Robert Stiles' DIAMOND JEM was runner up with David Richards' JUMPING JELLYFISH third. Newcomers to the J/109 fleet, Simon Perry's JIRAFFE had an excellent last day winning both races to finish the regatta in style. There were also podium finishes today for Rob Cotterill's MOJO RISING, Peter Nicholson's JUBILEE and the original J/109, now fifteen years old, Richard Marsden's JUDGEMENT DAY.
J/70 ClassWith only one race sailed on the last day, Jonathan Calascione & Seb Ripard's HARLEQUIN were unbeatable in the 20 strong J/70 fleet. The Maltese-British team, including Royal Southern's 420 World Champion Annabel Vose and Sebastian Ripard from Malta, were pushed all the way by Simon Ling's RAF BENEVOLENT FUND SPITFIRE, the reigning J/70 Corinthian World Champions, whose team include the current J/24 World Champion, Ian Southworth. Charlie Esse's BABY J was third, with a crew including multiple Sportboat world champion and J/70 EuroCup champion, Ruairidh Scott. Congratulations should also go to J/70 teams that made the podium against three notable adversaries; Steve Northmore's WATERJET PRECISION CUTTING, Clive Bush's DARCEY, Greg Hall's VALKYRIE and Allan Higgs EFS ENERGY.
IRC ClassDidier Le Moal's J/112 J-LANCE and Craig Latimer's J/92 WILDEBEEST V had a titanic battle for the class with half a point deciding the winner. J-LANCE won the penultimate race of the regatta and Robin Stevenson's UPSTART was second, heaping pressure on class leader WILDEBEEST V. J-LANCE won the last race but WILDEBEEST V was second, just enough to win the class. J-LANCE was second with UPSTART third. David Greenhalgh's J/92 J’RONIMO took third in the last race to place fourth.
“The Royal Southern has been the home for the J-Boat fleet for a long time,” commented Key Yachting's Paul Heys. “This year they have the great facility of the Prince Philip Yacht Haven with new walk ashore pontoons and the club is so efficient because they have hosted regattas so many times and they know exactly what we need. We have a great regatta marquee for our regatta gala dinner and we still have room for a proper dance floor and a top band and that is all part of J-CUP. We love to have a big hoe down at the end of the regatta and we thank the Royal Southern for hosting us and running such a fantastic event.”
The Landsail Tyres J-Cup was hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club, their excellent race team led by PRO Tony Lovell and Dermod O'Malley, provided 45 races in the Eastern Solent, and superb facilities from their waterside club house on the Hamble River. Over 300 owners, sailors and guests enjoyed the Saturday night gala prize giving dinner, held at the Royal Southern Yacht Club with 7-piece band “Groove Instinct” rocking the house.
The 2017 J-Cup will be held in Torbay, hosted by the Royal Torbay Yacht Club from the 17-19 August 2017.
For social media updates for the Landsail Tyres J-Cup: http://www.facebook.com/TheJCup/ and http://www.twitter.com/jukracing. For full provisional results, pictures and more visit here.
Fun-Lovin' NYYC Annual RegattaJ/Crews Sweep IRC 5 Class!
(Newport, RI)- For starters, the Friday Around Jamestown Island Race was epic, crazy, unusual, frustrating depending on which boat you were racing. Win, lose, or something in between, the first day of the 162nd New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta presented by Rolex was a day of sailing that few participants will soon forget. After nearly four hours of nip-and-tuck racing, a perfect storm of factors turned this race into one of the most interesting, unique and exciting race finishes of all time.
As has been the case for the 12 years, the 162nd edition of North America’s oldest annual regatta started with a 19-mile lap of Conanicut Island. When possible, the race committee starts the slowest boats first, allowing the fleet to sail largely in the same wind conditions and hopefully have everyone back on shore at a reasonably similar time. However, the plan was never supposed to work as precisely as it did today, with the majority of the 131-boat fleet finishing within a few minutes of one another and creating an extremely challenging situation for skippers and tacticians and the race committee, not to mention the jury which was called in to hear a number of protests.
Right in the middle of the maelstrom was a 32-year-old J/35 from Houston, Texas, called LEADING EDGE. To that point, the race had been a mixed bag for Tom Sutton’s team, which includes his wife, son and many close friends. They’d missed some shifts on the first beat, and fouled a boat at the first mark, leading to a penalty turn. But, they ground back when the breeze got extremely light toward the south end of Conanicut Island, and then made the right calls on the final leg, northbound through the East Passage of Narragansett Bay against a particularly tough ebb tide.“We knew that was a graveyard [on the Newport shore] so we stayed away,” said Sutton. “Then when we were coming in [to the finish line], we were coming in so fast, and all these guys ahead of us were so slow and these were big boats, 50-footers. So we took our spinnaker down 100 yards before the finish line and we had so much momentum we just drove it on in. You couldn’t dream of a race like that. And I’ve been in the nightmares before, where we’ve been doing really well and the guys came up like that and blew us away.”
The team’s persistence and grace under pressure appears to have resulted in a win in IRC 5, and an overall IRC win for the race, which would earn Sutton one of two Rolex watches that will be presented to the top performances from the 162nd Annual Regatta!! Both watches will be presented at the New York Yacht Club’s Annual Awards Dinner in November.
“That boat I’ve owned for 20 years,” said Sutton. “But this is a people deal. A boat is an inanimate object. People bring the boat to life. And we have great people. That’s what’s so fantastic about our sport. Yeah you can spend a lot of money on your boat, but if you don’t have a great crew it doesn’t matter how much money you spend. It’s a family crew and they’ve all sailed all their lives.”
COOL! A 30+ year-old J/35 design wins against the hottest offshore racers on the planet at the pre-eminent New York YC regatta all season long for the world’s top offshore racers. The story gets better, for fellow J sailors.
On Saturday, the fleet was forced to deal with a frontal system that was rolling in from the northwest, remnants of various tropical depressions that had been rolling up the eastern shoreline. The offshore and one-design fleets managed to squeeze in two races before the “rain front” squashed the breeze completely. Sunday was another story altogether. Regatta participants awoke on Sunday to find the sun shining and the breeze blowing pleasantly out of the southwest. Saturday's overcast weather and evening thunder storms were a distant memory, and it appeared as if North America's oldest regatta would end on a high note. Then, a cold front rolled through and the breeze shifted to the northwest and increased dramatically- like hugely! By the time the boats started, the wind was steadily into the low 20s with gusts approaching 30. One boat lost its rig before racing and there were plenty others who decided discretion was the better part of valor and either didn't race at all or withdrew before crossing the finish line.
In IRC 4 Class, it was complete domination by a “classic” J/44 from Houston, Texas- Chris Lewis’ KENAI blitzkrieg the fleet with a 4-1-1 to win by a country furlong. Putting in a great performance and snagging fourth in this ultra-competitive class was Sedgwick Ward’s J/111 BRAVO with a 2-4-8. Fifth was another top performer, Jamey Shachoy’s J/122 AUGUST WEST.
Perhaps the most extraordinary accomplishment of the entire regatta was the stupendous domination and clean sweep of three J/crews in IRC 5 Class. Continuing their on-going battle were two fantastically sailed J/109s- Carl Olsson’s MORNING GLORY and Bill Sweetser’s RUSH. However, giving them both serious medicine-inducing catatonic reactions was the J/35 LEADING EDGE skippered by Tom Sutton. In the end, it was MORNING GLORY taking straight bullets to win with a mind-numbing 3 pts with Sweetser’s RUSH compiling a 4-2-3 to just edge out Sutton’s LEADING EDGE with a 3-5-2!
J/105 Fleet 14 (Southern New England) held its inaugural 2016 season counter with the NYYC Regatta. While the J/105 fleet had a small turnout, skippers used it to try out some new crew and tune their boats for the upcoming season. The 22 mile race around Conanicut Island (Jamestown) was highly tactical and the lead changed several times between Sean Doyle’s KESTREL and Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault’s newly-launched GOOD TRADE, with Mark Lindquist’s STERLING and Mark Masur’s TWO FEATHERS close behind. Aside from deciding how close to hug the island to avoid the adverse current, each team had a lookout for overtaking maxi-boats and classic 12 meters which, while beautiful to see, cast a large wind shadow.Coming down West Passage from the Jamestown Bridge to Brenton Reef buoy at the southern tip of the island, GOOD TRADE managed to catch the last shift and made up the distance needed to lead with a comfortable spinnaker run to the finish- - only to run smack into 30 nearly-becalmed Gunboats, Maxi-72s, 12 meters, 8 meters, and a wide assortment of other classic yachts including Dorade, all trying to squeeze into a tiny finish line. Nicole pulled out her famous SF City-Front wing-on-wing maneuver with the kite out to starboard and the main out to port, with starboard rights, carried the dying Southerly right through the scrum to the finish, gathering a win for GOOD TRADE in its inaugural race, followed soon thereafter by KESTREL.
Saturday saw mellow stadium racing in flat water and 8-12 kt breezes off scenic Ft. Adams, between Newport and Jamestown, and GOOD TRADE notched two more bullets. Team Stone/Breault sealed the perfect score-line on Sunday with two more bullets on the ocean course, with large swells and 15-25 kt in the first race, followed by a sustained 29-31 kt in the final race. GOOD TRADE actually broke its bow sprit fitting in the first race and doused the kite, sailing to the finish once again wing-on-wing, without being passed. The crew were unable to make a repair, so they raced that way again in the second race, actually making 9+ kt downwind with a terrific VMG, staving off the hard-charging Sterling in both races.In PHRF handicap world, we find that Steve Levy’s J/120 EAGLE from Greenwich, CT sailed a great series to notch a silver for their performance. Likewise, Marcus Cholerton-Brown’s J/120 SUNSET CHILD managed a consistent series to take fourth overall.
The PHRF 2 Class of ten boats was destined to be a donnybrook between several top J crews. In the end, it was Doug McKeige’s J/88 JAZZ that smoked the fleet with two bullets to win their division. Taking second was Jeff Johnstone’s J/88 ELECTRA with two seconds. Fourth was Vincent & Kristina McAteer’s J/33 COCONUT TELEGRAPH, fifth Bill Kneller’s J/109 VENTO SOLARE, sixth Brian Kiley’s J/109 GAMBIT and seventh was EC Helme’s J/92S SPIRIT.
Notably, the winners of the enormous Rolex Cup for the two-boat IRC team with the best combined finishes in the Around-the-Island Race- was GO TEXAS TEAM, made up of the J/44 KENAI (Chris Lewis) and the J/105 LEADING EDGE (Tom Sutton). Sailing photo credits- Sharon Green/ Ultimate Sailing.com. For more New York YC Annual Regatta sailing information
Faaborg YC Wins J/70 Sejlsportsligaen Act II(Juelsminde, Denmark)- In an epic finale on the last day, the Faaborg Sejklub sailed with great uncertainty against the top six teams, posting a 3-6-3, losing their massive lead over Aarhus Sejklub to win by just one point! The FSK team was simply jumping for joy and relieved from all the pressure of the grand finale, while their comrades at ASK were a bit disappointed that their closing 1-2-1 record was not good enough for the win. Also having to overcome adversity on the last day and grabbing the last spot on the podium, also by a single point, was Hellerup Sejklub. The balance of the top five included Frederikshavn Sejklub in fourth and Kerteminde Sejklub in fifth.
The three-day weekend in Juelsminde produced great racing all three days in the matched fleet of one-design J/70s. The sailing clubs were blessed with mostly sunny days, winds in the 6 to 14 kt range, and a total of thirteen races before the grand finale for the top six teams- a three race anxiety-ridden, nail-biter! It was the Sejlsportsligaen’s second league event and also the most number of races held for all twelve teams (26 races total!). On the first day of racing on Friday in Juelsminde, Faaborg SK started off fast, posting two bullets in the first two races. The party had started for them, and the good times continued on Saturday and even more on Sunday up to the 13th lucky race, collecting six more 1sts and two 2nds along the way. The pre-regatta favorites- Hellerup and Frederikshavn- both had a rough time with the high-speed, flat-water conditions, everyone seemed to be going fast. Nevertheless, despite riding roller-coaster scorelines, they both qualified for the Final 6 showdown. At that point, Faaborg had an overwhelming lead of 10 points over Aarhus SK and 12 pts in front of Frederikshavn and KDY.
However, then uncertainty and anxiety suddenly hit the confident Faaborg SK crew ... something like “the wheels fell off the shopping trolley!”
“We took a beating in the finale. We made bad starts, which was unusual for us since we had started well throughout the regatta. We also had a couple of boat-handling errors in places where we were well into the top three," explained skipper Max Rohde. He continued to describe that, ”it was a bit exciting at the end, but it was great to be victorious.”
“We had not expected to get FINAL 6, but suddenly we were there- and with an OK lead. It was so great," commented Rohde’s teammate, Jakob Sorensen. The other two Faaborg crew- Søren Thomsen and Michael Rohde conceded there were a lot of nervousness in the final races. All four are experienced J/70 sailing league competitors.In the FINAL 6 grouping, it was Aarhus SK that was clearly the best with a superb 1-2-1 series. Behind them, Faaborg SK had to fight to the last meter to keep a narrow 4th place in the last race - just enough for overall victory. The Aarhus SK team was skipper Peter Warrer and a young team with Christian Tang, Carl Nielsen and Søren Kristensen.
As a result of the outcome in this last event, the Hellerup SK is still leading the overall series. The Hellerup SK team has skipper Trine Abrahamsen and includes four-time Olympic sailor Susanne Ward. They have a two-point lead over Frederikshavn SK, with KDY in third, Kerteminde YC in fourth and Roskilde SK in fifth. Here is a great sailing video summary of the Grand Finale (FINAL 6) last race. For more Danish J/70 Sailing League information
SNEEK Wins Netherlands J/70 League III(Groningen, Netherlands)- On the final Sunday of the Netherlands J/70 Sailing League (eredivisiezeilen.nl), the regatta PRO Alex Hoeve had to cancel racing for the regatta after nearly twelve hours of waiting for the breeze settle in on the pretty Gieseplas Gelderland lake in the rolling countryside of the Netherlands. Eighteen clubs were participating and 21 races in total were sailed on the water.
In the even, each team sailed seven races and the dominant crew this time around was Koninklijke Watersportvereniging Sneek- a.k.a. SNEEK; they managed four 1sts and two 2nds in their overall series of 7 starts. Second was Jachtclub Scheveningen with 14 pts and third was the Roermond Rowing and Sailing Club.
It was striking that the teams in the second round regatta were that much more aggressive and were racing that much closer together all around the race track. The differences are much smaller between the teams, there were more position changes, and the jury had to regularly take action on penalties. Also, the advance of Scheveningen Yacht Club and WV Breskens were also notable to mention in this context.Because of the weekend’s results, there is a new leader in the overall Dutch Eredivisie Sailing League in J/70s. In the first round, it was WV Almere Central that sailed an almost perfect series. This time, that same team finished fourth. That means SNEEK is counting a series 2-1 to lead overall followed by WV Almere Central in second with a 1-4, Roermond in third with a 3-3, Jachtclub Scheveningen in fourth with a 6-2 and WV Brassermermeer in fifth with a 4-11.
The skipper of SNEEK- Eric-Jan Westerhof- said: "It's really cool to win, last time we were second. Here we are very happy. High fives after every race we won. Our secret was to keep a cool head, good communication on board, and good starts!” For more Netherlands J/70 Sailing League information
Cape Crow YC Wins Tie-break In Swedish J/70 League Act II(Ekerö, Stockholm, Sweden)- It was not easy sailing on Lake Malaren. The regatta was sailed in the country near Stockholm and the wind was very shifty and very puffy- ranging between three and eight m/s. At times the sun shone generously on Jungfrusund Marina that was hosting the event. Thanks to the organizers, they had created a great setting and Jungfrusund Marina reminded one of a Volvo Ocean Race stop in miniature- with eateries, exhibitions and shopping. All credit to Ekerö Boat Club and Jungfrusund Race Week.
On the final leg of the Grand Finale race, the Cape Crow YC from Gothenburg salvaged victory from the jaws of defeat and, by beating KSSS (the Royal Swedish YC) by one point, managed to tie them on points for the overall regatta and win the tie-breaker!
On Friday, the Swedish J/70 Sailing League kicked off with great sailing- getting in eight races for each club. The best team on Friday were the dinghy sailors from JKV (Kapp Västerås) with a 2-1-1 record. Sailing an identical record was the Cape Crow YC team with a 1-2-1 to hold on to second on a tie-break at the end of the first day. On Saturday, Ekerö continued to deliver good races with tough sailing and shifting winds. Saturday offered many races and happy sailors and organizers. At the end of the day, Cape Crow YC was leading KSSS by just two points.
“After a rough start on Saturday, with a false start and trawling the gennaker, we pulled off three bullets in a row. Now we are second overall and just two points behind the leader Cape Crow,” said KSSS skipper Niklas Edler.
On Sunday, more good breeze and very tight, tactical racing. At the end of the preliminary rounds, it was KSSS in the lead by followed by Cape Crow YC. “We are pleased with the race, it has proceeded well and we have gotten to know the J/70 better and better,” said Patrik Sturesson skipper for Cape Crow YC. He continued to explain, “the Final race was exciting, we knew we were in with a good score and we could not lose second place, so it's nice to utilize our match racing skills. It was very fun!”
Real fun as it was for CCYC, it was not for the Royal Swedish Yacht Club - which, however, was satisfied with their weekend. “We made a mistake at the start of the last race and had to catch up during the race to try to get to past our competitors. But, we did not, unfortunately, get past Cape Crow and, thus, we finished second on the tie-breaker them,” said KSSS skipper Niklas Edler.At this stage, Cape Crow YC leads the overall series with a 1-2, followed by KSSS with a 3-2, in third is Segelsällskapet Kaparen with a 6-4, fourth is Ekolns Segelklubb with a 4-6 and fifth is Kullaviks Canoe & Sailing Club with a 1-12!
The Swedish J/70 League now takes a summer break and the two remaining races will be sailed in Malmö (12-14 August) before finishing in Gothenburg (2-4 September). Sailing photo credits- Tommi Rotonen For more Swedish J/70 Sailing League information
J/133 PINTIA Three-Peats; Wins RORC Morgan Cup!(Cowes, IOW, England)- The Royal Ocean Racing Club's Season's Points Championship continued this past weekend with the prestigious Morgan Cup Race, which finished in Dieppe for the first time since 2013. The 130-150 mile race marks the halfway stage in the championship. Dieppe is the mostly easterly destination of any of the RORC races starting from Cowes, with stronger tides adding an additional flavor to the strategic mix.
Highly changeable weather was forecast for the early part of the race, with a fresh westerly breeze anticipated in the latter. Competitors were looking forward to a warm welcome at the Cercle de la Voile de Dieppe (CVD) and Dieppe; a port well known for its superb seafood restaurants and the 17th century Chateau de Dieppe, now a museum with a strong maritime collection.
Racing under the IRC Rating System, a wide variety of yachts raced from Great Britain, France and the Netherlands.
In IRC Two, Gilles Fournier's French J/133 PINTIA continued their impressive form for the season by winning class for a third race in a row and placing third overall for the Morgan Cup Race. Christopher Daniel's British J/122E JUNO was second in class.
In IRC Four, nine teams competed, including second overall for the RORC Season's Points Championship, Rob Nelson's British J/105 BIGFOOT. In the race, Nelson took home the silver, further strengthening his position in the class and, as a result, also took a fourth in the IRC Doublehanded Class.
The RORC Season's Points Championship continues with Volvo Round Ireland Race, which starts on Saturday 18 June. Organized by Wicklow Sailing Club in association with the Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Royal Irish Yacht Club. At this stage, the Nelson’s J/105 BIGFOOT is putting their big fat toehold onto the overall season points championship, currently winning the series overall, the Two-Handed series overall, and IRC 4 class overall— an amazing “first” for a J/Team in RORC Seasons Points Championship history! Fifth is Fournier’s J/133 PINTIA with BRITISH SOLDIER in 9th place. In the Two-Handed series overall, Martin’s J/105 DIABLO-J is lying 5th. In IRC 2 Overall, the J/111 BRITISH SOLDIER is leading with the J/133 PINTIA in second. For more RORC Offshore sailing information
Beautiful, Benign Farallones Race(Belvedere, CA)- Amazingly, the 2016 edition of the fully-crewed Farallones Race hosted by San Francisco YC will go down in the books as not the fastest nor the must brutal. Instead, it will go down as one of the most beautiful experiences of sailing offshore of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, past the infamous Potato Patch and around the foreboding pile of stinky rock islands known as “the Farallones”. The race is 58nm from inside the San Francisco Bay, around the rocks and back into the Bay.
The forecast was a bit frightening and, in fact, convinced some sailors to abandon the start. The original forecast was for 30 mph wind at 1500 hrs - about the time many boats would be reaching the Island. Combined with high swells, this is a gear-busting forecast. Although there's danger on any sail around the Farallones, conditions like this make it even more so.
According to one veteran Farallones racer, the strategies for rounding the rocks are fairly sensible, “the counterclockwise route takes you along the North side of the island. You need to watch for the large break on the NW corner. If conditions are rough, you can see it from far away. Stay North of anything that looks like breaking water- that means staying away from the island (North) on the approach and until you are past the breaking seas. It's hard to get North of the off-island break if you're too close. Sometimes it looks like there's a calm path between the open water break and where the swells are breaking 60 feet up on the Island's cliffs, but that choice cost multiple lives a few years ago. In rough conditions, if you're not frightened when you round the NW corner, then I don't think you should be out there.Once you are clear of the island and the breaking seas, you need to decide where to jibe. Jibe too early and you can't clear the South side. Consider how to jibe in high wind and sometimes breaking seas. If the wind is NW you won't be able to get into the lee of the Island for the jibe.”
The crew on the J/109 JUNKYARD DOG said, “It was near perfect conditions, such a great day! We had decent position in the fleet rounding the island, saw a boat ahead of us round up, saw Javelin blow up a kite behind us which threw me into a cold sweat since we just blew up 2 kites during the Spinnaker Cup a couple weeks ago. Although we knew there would be a lift closer to SF we weren't convinced it would be enough so we held high for a while with white sails on the way back before setting the kite. One of those things where it seemed like a great idea until it turned into a terrible idea! You guys all really smoked us by going south, congrats and very well done! Live and learn I guess. We'll be back next year and, hopefully, give everyone a little more competition then. Post mortem autopsy of the Dog Pound's Farallones race on Junkyard Dog here if you're interested.” J/109 JUNKYARD DOG sailing video recap of the Farallones Race.According to another J/crew member, “The race around the stinky rocks was a great one! We kept a wary eye out for big wind and/or swell but none of it materialized for the Adrenalin Junkies. We even used the Middle Farallones as a sneaker wave indicator. We saw whales (who, thankfully, did not do a "Horizon job" on us), silly sunfish, sea lions, sea birds, and sunshine. It was definitely feeding time out there. The biggest swell we saw was around 8 feet and the wind hit around 15 knots. Smiles were had by all.”
A report from one of the southern-tracking sailors was, “that race was fun! Thankfully the forecast of 20-30 kts with big seas was a bit over blown (no pun intended). We clocked a 29-knot gust at some point during the day, probably just after we rounded the island and put up the 3/4 kite, and probably while we were falling off a swell that could have tainted the speed. When we put up the relatively light kite we were instantly doing 11's and about a minute later dropped the kite bald headed and went for a 1.5 shy kite which we carried all the way to mile rock on a head stay reach, where the lift we expected was actually in force. There was a weird wind shift near Bonita/mile rock and we did a peel back to the 3/4. A jibe on the Marin side and back on a head stay reach on the other side with wind in the mid teens all the way to the finish. 9-hour race, in the car in Berkeley by sunset, it does not get much better than that. We guessed the biggest seas we saw were 10-12 ft combined and as expected was right by the island. We took a very conservative line with a minimum depth of about 75'. All in all a delightful day, I'm glad the brochure (forecast) was wrong.”
The various J/teams enjoyed the race and collected some silverware along the way. In PHRF 1A class, the J/125 CANT TOUCH THIS skippered by Rich Pipkin took third in class with Graham Ellis’ J/124 ALBION in seventh and Bill Williams’ J/44 VIAJANTE in ninth.
In PHRF 1B class, Trig Liljestrand’s J/90 RAGTIME took second place, missing the class win by a mere 31 seconds! Ah, to think of having to surf just one faster wave on that rip-roaring slender rocketship!
Finally, in PHRF 1C class, the J/105s cleaned house with Doug Bailey’s AKULA winning class and classmate Sergei Podshivalov’s JAVELIN in second just 2 minutes behind on corrected time. Jim Goldberg’s J/109 JUNKYARD DOG took sixth in class. For more Farallones Race sailing information
J/42 Wins Annapolis Bermuda Race(Hamilton, Bermuda)- The “longest” Bermuda Race- 753nm- that takes place on a biennial basis seems to be the Annapolis to Bermuda Race, and is hosted by the Eastport YC and the Royal Hamilton Dinghy Club in Bermuda. You start in Annapolis, sail down the length of the Chesapeake, then sail straight across the Gulf Stream to Bermuda in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean; that’s farther than either the Newport Bermuda or Charleston Bermuda Races that are just a straight shot across the ocean to St David’s Lighthouse on the northern shore of Bermuda. The A2B was an epic race for most of the fleet with a broad range of conditions- mini-gales to flat calms and thunder squalls in the Gulf Stream to mix things up a bit. After the fleet exited the Chesapeake Bay around Sunday afternoon and evening, the weather conditions changed dramatically!
The Monday 4pm update from Brian Barone: “the fleet check in this morning seems to show that everyone got walloped for about 3 hours last night with gale force winds from 30 to 40 knots. Those conditions while bashing to windward would have made for a supremely uncomfortable night. Those conditions are a real test of the drivers because if they fail to take the right path though the waves, pretty much everyone knows about it right away with a heck of a bang. Imagine your bed being dropped onto concrete from 5 feet up. Tough on the boats and tough on the people.”
The Tuesday 8am update from Sr Barone continued to offer good perspective: “The forecast in Grid E is showing that the fleet has experienced diminishing wind today after a hammering last night. Winds should drop and range from 13 to 18 knots. That is a huge range of course, but those grids are big after all. They jump back to about 22 knots sustained building into tomorrow midday. However, remember, the gusts can be much higher as evidenced last evening when 40 knots was reported in places.
Fleet positions show the pack is spreading out and they must be seeing much lighter air or some strong counter currents because boatspeeds have dropped off dramatically. 8s and 9s are now 5s, 6s and 7s.
Most of the fleet is a little better than halfway, with leaders more than 3/4 of the way to the palm trees and Painkillers. No major changes in fleet standing.
So good night to these little boats on a big big ocean at the end of the fourth evening. For the family and friends we leave you with some famous words to ponder. The reasons we sail are varied and wide and in the end are all the same. John Masefield said it best, and every now and again, it bears repeating...
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
the wheel’s kick, the wind’s song, and the white sail’s shaking,
And a gray mist on the sea’s face, and a gray dawn breaking.
I must down go to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.
I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way, where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.”
Ultimately, finding some fair winds and collecting more pickle dishes for the trophy cabinets were familiar boats from the Chesapeake fleet of J/teams.
The PHRF Spinnaker 1 division saw James Whited’s J/111 BAD CAT finish 5th in class. Then, in PHRF Spinnaker 2 Class, the J/42 SCHEMATIC skippered by Robert Fox won her class followed by Lynn McClaskey’s J/110 CIMARRON in second. Congratulations to these teams for persevering in the difficult conditions to collect some well-earned hardware! For more Annapolis Bermuda Race sailing information
Another Fun-Filled AYC Race Week!(Annapolis, MD)- The Annapolis YC’s annual race weekend continues to be a popular event at the beginning of the Chesapeake Bay summer sailing season. This year’s event was incredibly well-attended across the board in both offshore PHRF handicap divisions as well as in the one-design fleets for J/22s, J/70s, J/80s, J/30s and J/105s.
The J/22s were won by Jeff Todd’s HOT TODDY with straight bullets, followed by Jason Ipe’s EKAS with straight seconds and Gunnar Gode’s USA 977 with straight thirds. So, only one guess as to what the records were for fourth and fifth place?! Ya’got the theme here? Sure enough, Scott Gelo’s VENTUS took straight fourths and Jason Goscha’s CALIENTE BILLETE took straight fifths. Wonder what the odds were at Ladbroke’s in the UK on that outcome??
In the J/70s, things were a bit more mixed up in the leaderboard, with Todd Hiller’s LEADING EDGE emerging victorious over Peter Firey’s PHOENIX in second and Gregg Zurmuhlen’s SPORT in third. The balance of the top five saw the trio of Todd Olds/ Tom Iseler/ Preben Ostberg take fourth in TSUNAMI and Will Keyworth’s PAPA WHEELIE finish in fifth place.
The J/80s had a nice turnout, but they also saw a clean sweep of the races by David Andril’s VAYU. However, the competition for the balance of the top five was simply ferocious and the finish order in the last race determined the outcome for the standings! Yet, another unusual wrinkle in this regatta! Second was Rick Harrison’s SOME RESPECT with 11 pts, third Alex Kraus’ COOL J with 12 pts, fourth Jim Praley’s GROMIT with 13 pts. Then, fifth place determined by a three-way tie-breaker with Derick Lynch’s OUTLAWS, Bert Carp’s USA 11, and Tom Walsh/ John Potvin’s WINDRIDER all sitting on 16 pts each! The OUTLAWS got the nod on that one.It was the mighty RAG DOLL skippered by Rob & Beth Lundahl that took home the gold in the J/30 class. Bob Rutsch’s BEPOP took second, followed by Ron Anderson’s INSATIABLE in third.
With a round dozen boats, the J/105 had the largest class in the event and it produced several surprises in the leaderboard. Winning was the Lewis/Salvesen team on MIRAGE with straight bullets, much to everyone’s amazement! Second was another upstart, John White’s ONE LESS BAD PERSON. Third was a familiar local team, Andrew Kennedy’s BAT IV. Slotting into fourth was Mark Elert’s WIND RIVER, another top five newcomer. Then, fifth was assumed by class veterans, Carl & Scott Gitchell’s TENACIOUS.
In the PHRF handicap offshore racing world, there were several good performances by J/crews. Winning PHRF A1 Class was Stephen McManus’ J/120 SAYKADOO. In PHRF A2 Class, Bill Walczak’s J/88 HORNET took a fifth place. In PHRF Shorthanded Spinnaker, J sailors swept the class, with David Powell’s J/100 LA FORTUNA winning, followed by Ramzi Bannura’s J/80 STACKED DECK in second and Dan Leonard’s J/100 FLASHPOINT in third! The PHRF Cruising Spinnaker Class saw the modified J/30 HURON skippered by Karl von Schwarz take fourth. For more Annapolis YC Regatta sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* The J/130 RAGTIME is continuing to enjoy her current home in Australia! According to her proud owners, Chris & Bernadette Morgan, RAGTIME was imported into Australia in 1994. And, she has continued to outperform her peers in cruiser-racer categories in offshore events w
ay Down Under! Said Chris, “we had a great season winning the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Division 1 Season Points and Squadron Championships (IRC, ORIC, & PBH). The best trophy we got was a half model of "Ragtime" presented to myself and my wife, Bernadette, by the crew!
* The classic old IOR beauty, the J/34 IOR design by Rod Johnstone back in the early 1980s can be found in a number of places still racing today. In the Cleveland, OH offshore circles on Lake Erie, the J/34 IOR KNEE DEEP is 
back at it again, taking 2nd in class and 6th overall in the famous Mills Trophy Race at Toledo Yacht Club last weekend in Lake Erie. Her owners are Katie and Brett Langolf, seen here at the awards at Put-in-Bay Yacht Club. Next up for them is Cleveland Race week where 2 J/34 IOR designs will go head to head!
* J/100’s continue to enjoy the spectacular natural beauty of San Francisco Bay. Jack Mithun from Santa Barbara, CA sent us this sweet note about his J/100 experiences:“I have crewed here in Santa Barbara a few times, but now I'm mostly active with my J/100 EGRET on San Francisco Bay. The boat is easy to handle single-handed and does well (with reefed sails) on
the windy Bay. The boat has sailed the waters of the Bay for over 10 years and seems to be right at home there.The J/100 was advertised as a day-sailor, and it does that job perfectly! The cockpit is large enough to have several guests on board. It's always fun for out-of-towners to go for a ride on the famous and beautiful Bay. It's always fun to take EGRET for a turn on the water. I keep her in the Sausalito Yacht Harbor and commute there by ferry from San Francisco. That is always a pleasure ride in itself.”
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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