Southampton Boat Show- Displaying J/70 and J/112E(Southampton, England)- Key Yachting Ltd will be exhibiting the J/70 and the new J/112E sport-cruiser at the Southampton Boat Show from 16th September. Step aboard these boats on marina berths 431-435, the show runs until Sunday, the 25th of September.
The Famous J/70 Sportsboat
The J/70 is J/Boats’ first slipway-launchable keelboat- designed to fulfill the growing need for an easy-to-own, high-performance one-design, that is exciting to sail, stable enough sailboat for the family, and built to last. A natural evolution of its J pedigree, the J/70’s 7m of sailing length with high aspect, all carbon rig and deep lifting keel, provides spirited performance and stability that feels like a much larger boat.
There are now 70 boats sailing in the UK, with an active class association and one design programme. 25 boats are sailing Cowes Week. Plus, there are now over 1,100 J/70s built worldwide. Learn more about the J/70 speedster here.The Spirited J/112E Sport-Cruiser
The J/112E is the newest addition to J/Boats’ “E” range of versatile performance sailing yachts. At our most popular size of 36 feet, the J/112E features a spacious two-cabin, aft head accommodation plan and a comfortable, ergonomic cockpit. She is as well-suited for the annual family cruise as she is racing under IRC or sailing short-handed through rough weather. Like the new J/122E, the 112 benefits from significantly more natural light by way of large port lights and optional hull ports. The varnished walnut finish adds just the right proportion of classic, wood accents without taking away from the incredible sense of space.
The J/112E joins her sisterships, the J/97E and J/122E, as an exceptional upwind performer. V-shaped bow sections provide superior directional stability and reduced slamming in waves. Freeboard forward and topside flare help to keep the deck dry. A long waterline combined with a low vertical centre of gravity results in a smooth, sea-kindly motion– more like that of a 40 footer. Learn more about the J/112E sport-cruiser here. For more Southampton Boat Show information please contact Key Yachting on +44-02380-455669 or email info@keyyachting.com.
J/70 Women’s Worlds Preview(Rye, New York)- The American Yacht Club in Rye, N.Y. will host the new International Women’s Keelboat Championship in provided J/70 class sailboats from August 14th to 20th. The IKWC Committee Chair for the event is Carolyn Longbotham Russell and the Event Chair is Hilary Davidson.
The championship will offer women keelboat and offshore sailors high quality racing on the international stage without the need to provide their own boats or sails. To ensure a fast and competitive racing format, additional changes have been made to speed up the action. The format consists of fleet racing with a twist. The championship features sixteen teams from the USA, New Zealand, Germany and Canada, with each team rotating boats after every two races. Each team will race an equal number of races against the others. Races will be approximately 15 minutes in duration. The AYC, in cooperation with US Sailing, will provide on-the-water judging. The event will be hosted immediately offshore of the AYC peninsula that thrusts into Long Island Sound, it should provide a great viewing experience for spectators.
On Monday, August 15th, the “Magenta Project” will host a training clinic led by three-time International Women's Keelboat Champion, Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, and Olympian Sally Barkow. A native of Wisconsin, Barkow will host a presentation on her experience as a skipper/crew on the all-women’s TEAM SCA in the 2015 Volvo Ocean Race that same evening.
The two Canadian teams are Isabella Bertold from Vancouver, British Columbia and the other is Elizabeth Hjorth, currently living in Marina del Rey, CA. The German team, lead by Mareike Weber from Munich, has an experienced crew of J/24 sailors. The Kiwi team from Auckland, New Zealand is led by skipper Melinda Henshaw.The American crews come from six states from across the country, notably California, New York, Washington, South Carolina, Connecticut and Rhode Island. As recently as last weekend Megan Ploch’s crew finished tied for first in the YRA Long Island Sound Championship and will be sailing in her home waters. Similarly, Suzie Leech, a top woman J/70 skipper from Jamestown, Rhode Island, will have Long Island local knowledge expert, and former America’s Cup skipper, Dawn Riley on her crew as tactician. Also, hoping that knowledge of western Long Island Sound conditions will help are Morgan Wilson’s team from Port Washington, NY, Danielle Gallo’s crew from New York, NY, Emily Maxwell’s team from New York and Clematis Everett’s team from the host club AYC in Rye, NY. Coming from the south is Elaine Parshall’s team from Hartsville, SC, with a top women J/70 sailor aboard- Holly Graf from Fishing Bay YC.
A significant contingent is participating from the west coast, including three teams from California- Giselle Camet Nyenhuis (with Molly Vandemoer aboard) from San Diego YC, Ashley Tobin (with Melinda Erkelens as tactics) from San Francisco, and Allie Blecher from Long Beach. Two crews are participating from Seattle, Washington- Liesl Mordhorst and Kathryn Meyer.
Inaugurated in 1985 at the instigation of US Sailing's Women’s Championship Committee, of which Helen K. Ingerson was a long-time Chair, the International Women’s Keelboat Championship quickly became the premier women’s sailing event in the U.S. and worldwide. Held biennially, the event provides women keelboat and offshore sailors high quality racing and an opportunity to compete with the top national and international sailors. For more Women’s Worlds sailing information
J/Fest New England Preview(Bristol, RI)- The first New England J/Fest is shaping up to be a popular one! With forty-one boats already registered and more planning to attend, the weekend of August 13th to 14th should provide exciting racing in upper Narragansett Bay. Host for the regatta is Bristol YC and racing will be provided on two circles. There is one-design racing for J/22s, J/70s, J/30s, J/105s and J/109s. And, for the rest of the boats there will be PHRF handicap racing for J/88s, J/29s, J/35s, J/92s, J/100s, and J/97.
On Friday evening, August 12th at 6:30pm, there will be a “Local Knowledge Briefing and North Sails Happy Hour”, featuring local experts- North Sails President Ken Read and J/24 Champion and Volvo Race veteran Charlie Enright- for all competitors prior to the skippers meeting at Bristol YC. Get in the know and hit the water with speed for the weekend's racing!! The "Happy Hour" is courtesy of your North Sails crew!
Furthermore, North U. Regatta Services sailing team is offer a “Practice Day with North U.” on Friday afternoon, August 12th. There will be on-the-water practice clinics for all competitors. Please RSVP to Chuck Allen (chuck.allen@northsails.com) to make sure the North U. crew finds you!
Coming off their well-attended J/109 North American Championships at New York YC’s Race Week in July, the J/109s will have the largest class at J/Fest with nine teams participating. Notable crews include Bill Kneller’s VENTO SOLARE, Brooke Mastrorio’s URSA, and past NA Champion- Ted Herlihy’s GUT FEELING from New Bedford YC.
The J/105s will have a strong showing as well, with seven boats on the line, including past J/105 NA Champion Bruce Stone & Nicole Breault sailing GOOD TRADE from St Francis YC. They will be sailing against a number of good teams from across New England, including Mark Lindquist’s STERLING from Beverly YC, Fred Darlington’s TONTO from East Greenwich YC, Ed Lobo’s WATERWOLF from Low Tide YC, and Charlie Stoddard’s FALCON 2.0 from Barrington YC.
With eight boats on the starting line, the J/22 fleet boasts teams from as far as Kaneohe, Hawaii! Ken Kaan’s crew from Kaneohe YC are looking forward to test the waters of the Bay against teams like Bill Porter’s CONUNDRUM from Conanicut YC, Nick Cromwell’s DIRT DOG from Bristol YC, Matt Dunbar’s WHARF RAT from Conanicut YC and David Wehr’s SHAKE & BAKE from East Greenwich YC.
The first ever cruiser-racer from J/Boats, the famous J/30, will feature five boats from around the Bay, including Chris Tate’s BLITZ, Dan Borsutzky’s HAM & CLAM, Jim Hilton’s KAOS from Tiverton YC, Bob Rude’s MMMM from Bristol YC and Mark Rotzky’s NEMESIS from Bristol YC.
The leading J/70 teams include Scott Dinse’s MARGARITAVILE from Youngstown YC in New York, Chris Murray’s LUCKY from Ida Lewis YC and Gordon Fletcher’s GIJIMA from Wickford YC.
The nine boat PHRF Division will be a study in contrasts from the old classics like the J/29 and J/35 to the newest off the drawing boards of the J/design team- the J/88 and the J/97. In fact, the “battle of the 30 footers” includes two J/88s (Jeff Johnstone’s ELECTRA and Doug Newhouse’s YONDER), two J/29s (Charles McCooy’s HAWK and Steve Thurston’s MIGHTY PUFFIN), plus EC Helme’s J/92 SPIRIT and David Russ’ J/97 SEA BEAR. Joining them will be another battle of the 34-35 footers; Lanny Goff’s J/35 ICON, Carol Scanlon’s J/100 MOXIE and Kevin Dakan’s J/110 MEMORY. For more J/Fest New England sailing information
Sailors For The Sea Sails the Sustainable J/88(Newport, RI)- “The electric J/88 leads the way to 21st Century Solar Sailing,” says Max Williamson, a Sailors for the Sea Board member. Max continues his commentary and perspective on sailing the J/88 ELECTRA, “The wind is solar-powered. Quite literally, wind is convection currents created by sun heating the earth. Now 21st century solar technology allows sailors to harness the sun, as well as the wind, to move us through the ocean."
"J-Boat’s sleek J/88 day sailor is a leading example of a growing trend in integrating alternative energy technology into boatbuilding. We recently had the pleasure of test-driving the J/88 in Miami," comments Max. Here are his perspectives below:
Oceanvolt Electric Drive
"Imagine having a quiet conservation on board when powering to the marina after a relaxing day sail, instead of revving up the internal combustion engine. Imagine no more choking on diesel exhaust going downwind, no more gasoline fumes in the bilge, no more fuel dock runs. The J-88’s solar package, built around an Oceanvolt SD6 6kW 48vdc propulsion system and UK Sailmakers SolarClothSystem® solar panels on the mainsail and bimini, opened our eyes to those possibilities. With these innovations, fossil fuel propulsion may soon be a relic for "classic boat" aficionados.
The Oceanvolt drive is indeed quiet. While not Hunt for Red October silent, the electric drive is a huge improvement over the diesel experience. When motoring at five knots we actually had to ask whether the electric drive was on. Down below one can hear the drive humming when engaged, and there is of course the mechanical churning of the prop thru the water, but the contrast with diesel systems was striking. With some sound proofing around the engine compartment, the sound might be reduced to nil. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the electric drive was the brawny torque and “bite” on the water on acceleration or going into reverse. The electric drive ramps seamlessly from a standstill to full power like a Tesla Model S, much more smoothly than a mechanical drive system.
Minimizing our Environmental Impact
Sailing is already relatively clean, but the solar sailing package reduces our remaining environmental footprint dramatically. No “stinkpot” fumes will get in the way of enjoying nature, no fuel spills, and no greenhouse gases to worsen climate change and ocean acidification.
Solar and Hydro ChargingThe electric drive is powered by an integrated system of Valence U24 lithium phosphate batteries and a 600W solar panel array. The solar panels are laminated right into the mylar sailcloth in the mainsail, which charges while sailing, and bimini for charging at anchor or dockside. In the J-88 configuration that we tested, the mainsail had 9 solar panels on each side, and the bimini has a zip-in 6-panel array. The thin-film solar panels are as flexible as the sail itself, shape smoothly when hoisted and flake easily over the boom. The panels can be placed in the lower third of the main for racing configuration, or in the mid-third for a cruising main to allow for reefing while keeping the panels in the sun. Thin wires run down the luff along the mast into battery bank, similar to wiring from wind instrumentation.
Of course, the battery system can also be charged conventionally with shore power as well with a 5-6 hour recharge time from empty. Apart from the solar charging, the electric drive can actually power itself – it you have enough wind to cruise at 6-7 knots under sail, the prop will freewheel backwards to charge the batteries, serving as an actual underwater generator.
Practical Sailing
The challenge of solar-electric propulsion has been range. But the new technology is a breakthrough. On a full-charge there is enough battery power to motor up to 20nm with no sail or solar power support depending on wind and sea state. In theory, on a sunny day, with the solar panels charging and 3-4 knots of wind for the sails, the J-88 can motor-sail at a cruising speed of 5 knots all day long! And, even gas or diesel runs out eventually. We motored in Miami for almost an hour and the battery charge dropped scantly from 93% charge to 86% with no solar charging. In any event, most recreational sailing is coastal and easily within the electric drive’s range. J-Boats and other manufacturers are also looking at adapting highly efficient and clean fuel cell technology (which generates electricity from propane or natural gas) for sailors who need blue water cruising range.
The electric propulsion system is fully integrated, with high-tech power draw monitoring and other data systems.
The solar sailing package, being innovative technology, does cost more than a conventional diesel engine, adding 10 to 15% to the purchase price for a full solar-sailing package. But, the cost is coming down rapidly and, interestingly, there are savings that one would not think of at first, such as not needing a muffler or fossil-fuel storage system.
The J/88 itself is a sporty day sailor with a nice mix of ease-of-sailing and race-ready performance-- but others will write about that. What gets Sailors for Sea excited is J-Boat's integration of several new cutting-edge products into a green and clean energy package.” Thanks for the review from Max Williamson - a member on the Board of Directors of Sailors for the Sea. For more J/88 Oceanvolt solar-sailor information
ALCATEL J/70 Worlds UpdateALCATEL Announced as Title Sponsor!
(San Francisco, CA)- St. Francis Yacht Club and the International J/70 Class are pleased to announce ALCATEL as the title sponsor of the 2016 Alcatel J/70 Worlds, which will take place on San Francisco Bay from September 24 to October 1, 2016. By integrating the company’s mobile devices, tablets and virtual reality technologies into this international sailing event, ALCATEL will enhance the regatta for sailors and spectators alike.
ALCATEL devices, which include smartphones, tablets and wearables, are sold in more than 170 countries worldwide. The company, which is a mobile brand of TCL Communication, puts an emphasis on delivering experience-rich value to its customers and is currently the fourth largest mobile handset manufacturer in North America.
“St. Francis YC is thrilled to have ALCATEL on board as the J/70 Worlds title sponsor,” said Lynn Lynch, Race Director at St. Francis Yacht Club. “Much like the J/70 class and the St. Francis Yacht Club, ALCATEL is a forward-thinking company, and we’re already seeing an exciting energy develop between the brands. I’m confident ALCATEL’s title sponsorship will take what was already going to be a great regatta and help turn it into a world-class event.”
With ALCATEL as title sponsor, each participating boat will receive an award-winning Alcatel IDOL 4S smartphone that will double as an on-board tracking device via a mobile application, offering spectators a fully integrated viewing experience. To take it a step further, ALCATEL will have on display its virtual-reality goggles that can plug into an IDOL 4S to display a skippers-eye view of J/70 Worlds. Thanks to 360-filming technology that interplays seamlessly through Alcatel’s phones and goggles, those ashore will be able to virtually experience the thrills of being on the water.
“As a J/70 sailor myself, it is very exciting to see the IDOL 4S bring a whole new suite of experiences to this World Championship,” said Vittorio Di Mauro, Senior Vice President of TCL Communication and President of the Italian J/70 Class.
Steve Cistulli, President and General Manager for ALCATEL North America added, “I cannot wait for participants and fans to experience IDOL 4S and the J/70 Class VR content we’ll showcase exclusively during this event that will bring a more immersive view of J/70 racing.”
To date, there are 74 boats registered to sail from 16 countries, including returning aces such as Julian Fernandez Neckelmann (MEX) and his Flojito Y Cooperando teammates, who owned the podium at the 2015 J/70 World Championship. Still, given other national and international contenders— such as Tim Healy, Jud Smith and Claudia Rossi— Neckelmann and company will have their work cut out. In fact, several world-class competitors have extensive local knowledge, including Shawn Bennett, Bruce Golison, Scott Sellers, Chris Raab, 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 lay of the Bay. Forty-seven J/70s 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. For more ALCATEL J/70 Worlds sailing information
J/22 Montego Bay Invitational Announcement(Montego Bay, Jamaica)- In the winter of 2016, anyone who answers “Yes” to any one of the following statements is required to book now for the annual J/22 Jamin' Jamaica Invitational regatta December 2nd to 4th, 2016, hosted by the warm and gracious crew at Montego Bay YC on beautiful “Mo’Bay”. The invitation is “open” to one and all J/Sailors from around the world- from J/22s to J/65s!!
Here is the deal that you simply cannot pass up:
- race a J/22 with no boat rental charge and nominal entry fee (amazing!)
- be home hosted by fabulous hosts (if you wish),
- enjoy the sun and fun in Jamaica (mandatory!),
- sail in 20 knot trade winds in the blue Caribbean sea all day (simply gorgeous!)
Does any of this sound in the slightest bit challenging? No!!! Book now to avoid disappointment! It is on a “first-come, first-served” basis!This year we hope our Cayman Island J/22 fleet comrades will bring their own boats to compete- so even more boats available for others!
The focus on land-based fun for non-sailing visitors will continue, schedule available on request. Please contact Richard Hamilton for more information- ph# 876-524-5040 or “jaminj22@mobayyachtclub.com”. The J/22 Jamin’ Jamaica Notice of Race here. Learn more about MoBay YC here
J/24 Europeans UK Preview(Plymouth, England)- The J/24 European Championships are back in Plymouth for the first time since 1997, when they were won in style by Frenchman Benoit Charon. Thirty-seven teams are entered from eight nations (England, Germany, Italy, Sweden, France, Ireland, Netherlands & Japan), so the fleet will be of the highest quality.
The event is being run by a great team from the R.W.Y.C. headed by Neil Dunkley. The Race officer is David Lovegrove from Ireland who supplied us with some fantastic racing at the Howth World and European Championships. The international Jury is headed up by another J/24 class regular Margriet Pannevis.
Will the Italian team of JOC (ITA 371), skippered by the Captain of the Garda J/24 Fleet, Fabio Apollonio (with crew of Adriana Rosa, Alessia Bellotti, Renzo Marini, Tom Fusato and President of Italian J24 Class, Pietro Diamante) fly the Italian tri-color flag as 2016 J/24 European Champions? Time will tell. The prestigious event, organized Royal Western Yacht Club of England, in collaboration with the International J/24 Class Association, will be held in English waters off Plymouth from Saturday to Friday, August 13th to 19th."For a number of reasons, it would have been impossible for me to take part in the J/24 Europeans with my boat- JAMAICA,” commented Diamante. “As soon as Fabio told me he had a free place on his crew, I immediately took advantage of the wonderful opportunity... and here I am on board JOC, ready to participate in this important event with an enthusiastic and determined crew!"
The program begins this Saturday and Sunday, with team registration, crew weight and boat measurement. Then, the opening ceremony will be held Saturday and a practice race on Sunday at 1430 hrs. The championship gets underway on Monday at 1100 hrs with the first three races (with the possibility of a fourth). Racing continues in the same manner until Thursday. Among the social events that are planned include the opening ceremony (Saturday) and close ceremony/awards (Thursday) at the Royal Western Yacht Club of England; fireworks on the evenings of Tuesday and Wednesday; a dinner Monday night; and many other surprises.
Last year, the European Open J/24 Championship, organized in the waters of the French Atlantic coast off Le Crouesty by Yacht Club du Crouesty Arzon, had thirty J/24 teams (representing France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Great Britain, Brazil and the United States). After seven races held over three days, the Open winner was USA 5443 skippered by Mike Ingham followed by the English team- GBR 4265 MADELEINE skippered by Duncan McCarthy- the European title winner for 2015. Silver (and third place) went to the German team- SG POWER SOLUTIONS helmed by Daniel Frost followed by compatriots HENK (skipper Frank Schonfeldt). For more J/24 Europeans sailing information
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
The first week of “August Holiday” for Europeans is fraught with travel, logistics, and Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week! Yes, that perennial event that attracts nearly 8,000 sailors, 1,500+ boats, and zillions of “racer-chasers” all wishing they could be sailing on all those magnificent “yachts” in the Solent (yes, some are just 18 ft long, but who cares)!?. The J/70s just completed their “Short Series” on Wednesday, but the rest of the fleet of J/80s, J/105s, J/109s, J/111s, J/122Es, J/97s, J/92s, etc, the fun all ends on Saturday- so much for the Pimms Tent and several million gallons of that classic British dark beer- Guinness Stout Ale! Off “to the west”, the Irish sailors enjoyed their J/24 Western Championships on the gorgeous lake known as Lough Ree, hosted by Lough Ree YC nearly due north of Dublin. In the previous weeks, the J/22s in Germany had also finished their Masters Regatta and the J/22 German Open Championship during the Travemunde Race Week in Travemunde, Germany.Over in the Americas, the Canadians hosted two eponymous championships in the world of J’s- the J/80 North Americans in Toronto, Ontario that was hosted by National YC and the J/27 North Americans off to the west of Toronto in Oakville, Ontario- hosted by the Oakville Yacht Squadron. Then, in the eastern Canadian provinces, the Chester YC is hosting their infamous Chester Race Week just nearby to Halifax, Nova Scotia for fleets of J/24s, J/29s, J/92, J/105s, J/35s, J/70 etc.
Down South of those wonderful Canadian hosts, the 44th Buzzards Bay Regatta, hosted by Beverly YC in Marion, MA was the J/24 Northeast Regional Championship and they also hosted a one-design fleet of J/80s, plus PHRF Racing for J/111s, J/109s, J/105s and J/44. Southwest of them, the YRA Long Island Sound Championship was hosted by American YC in Rye, New York for one-design J/70s plus PHRF classes for J/111s, J/109s, J/105s, J/35s, J/88s, J/92 and J/80. Then, in the far west, the Little Traverse YC in Harbor Springs, MI on Lake Michigan hosted their little Ugotta Regatta for everything from J/70s up to Maxi 70s!
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:
Aug 6-13- AAM Cowes Week Regatta- Cowes, IOW, EnglandAug 13-14- J/FEST New England- Bristol, RI
Aug 13-19- J/24 European Championship- Plymouth, England
Aug 14-20- Women's J/70 World Keelboat Championship- Rye, NY
Aug 19-25- J/22 World Championship- Kingston, ONT, Canada
Aug 19-21- J/120 National Championship- Detroit, MI
J/70 Events:
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.
AAM Cowes Week Regatta UpdateTEAM RAFBF SPITFIRE Wins J/70 Short Series!
(Cowes, IOW, England)- This year’s Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, hosted by the Cowes Combined Clubs (Royal Yacht Squadron, Island Sailing Club, Royal Ocean Racing Club) has been providing competitors a wide-range of sailing conditions- mostly of the “shorts & shades” variety with plenty of wind and lots of sun!! Who said the Solent can’t be a slice of heaven in mid-August! Racing has been taking place starting on Saturday, August 6th and continues until Saturday August 13th.
The J/70’s completed their “Short Course Series” on Wednesday, with Simon Ling’s TEAM RAFBF SPITFIRE handily winning the class with four 1sts in their tally. Second was JUST IN TIME (Gordon Nickel, Morten Nickel, Nils Färber, Nick Schlomka) with 7 pts, third ELIZABETH skippered by Claire Lasko with 18 pts, fourth J-CURVE skippered by Ali Hall and fifth YETI helmed by Jack Davies (who are currently leading the Under 25 Trophy for all of Cowes Week!). Here are daily summaries from the first half of the week.
Day One- SaturdayBright sun and tight racing in a glorious 14-16 knot sea breeze, with occasional stronger gusts, made for fabulous racing on the opening day of Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week.
Racing got underway after a two-hour postponement to allow the breeze to build and by the first start of the day, for the J/70 class, it had filled in across the course at a consistent 10-12 knots from the west-south-west. By this time, the strong east-going flood tide was starting to ease and the west-going eddy close inshore off the Royal Yacht Squadron was well established in a narrow band close to the shore.
With the inner distance mark for the White Group classes starting on the RYS line approximately one boat length on the course side of the line, the first seven classes all had a handful of premature starters, but there was no need for a general recall. However, it was a different matter for the Black Group yachts starting on the Bramble line, where the new FAST40+ class was subject to two general recalls before the fleet finally got away under a black flag.
In the J/70 class, many boats were over the line in the last 45 seconds before the gun. While some were able to dip back to start correctly, six boats were recorded as being OCS. Gordon and Morten Nikel’s Just in Time, Jack Davies’ Yeti and Claire Lasko’s Elizabeth initially looked best placed at the very inshore end of the line, while Nick and Adam Munday’s J7T, along with Richard Jordan’s Juke Box, were the most offshore boats, around half way out along the line towards the outer distance mark.
This closely matched fleet saw frenetic action as they short-tacked past the Grantham Rocks and along the Green, with a number of close port and starboard incidents. There were also rushed tacks as boats ran short of depth, while most boats heading offshore on port tack were forced to duck big groups of starboard tack competitors. Five minutes into the race the Locke Family’s J7O had established a tenuous lead on Ali Hall’s J Curve, with the fleet now starting to spread out a little.
At the finish Simon Ling’s Team RAF Benevolent held a 39 second lead on Nick Phillip’s Chaotic, with Yeti in third place, ahead of J Curve. Along with the SB20 class, the J/70s have a mini series with eight races over the first four days of the regatta. Team RAF Benevolent won the second race, which was run from a committee boat start, ahead of Just in Time and Elizabeth.
Day Two- SundayCompetitors enjoyed a second day of sunny, stunning conditions today. The early starts saw the wind gusting an adrenaline pumping 25 knots, before the breeze settled down to 16-20 knots for the rest of the morning.
The larger Black Group yachts predominately sailed in the western Solent where they enjoyed sparkling conditions,
“It was just a great day at the races,” smiled one of the Black Group skippers. “We had a tough beat upwind, all the way to Hurst Castle. Then after over an hour of beating, we were rewarded with sensational downwind sailing. Sunshine, 20 knots of wind and close competitive racing. It was a very rewarding day on the water.”
The dayboats in White Group had a challenging downwind, down-tide start heading towards the east from the Royal Yacht Squadron line. Each fleet in turn congregated in the strongest favorable stream close to the outer distance mark, but different teams – and indeed different fleets – varied in their attitude to the risk of being swept over the line early. The first few starts, particularly the J/70s had a strong breeze that peaked with 25 knot gusts that saw them fly down the their first leg at double-digit speeds.
By 1055, the wind had moderated to 10-15 knots ahead of the tail end of a weak cold front that crossed the race area, before the skies cleared to once again bathe the Solent in bright sun. Thirty seconds before the start the fleet was mostly well back from the line and heading away from their first mark. With 20 seconds to go the first group of boats started turning downwind, with the first spinnakers being hoisted 10 seconds before the gun.
In Sportsboat Div 1, David and Kirsty Apthorp’s J/88 J-Dream took third place.
Day Three- MondayThe Solent delivered a classic conditions, with a north-westerly breeze that varied from eight knot lulls to 25 knot gusts, giving varied conditions to challenge the 8,000 sailors on the water.
The Black Group yachts starting on the Bramble line first, headed to the east on a tight spinnaker reach. With the tide carrying competitors over the line there was much excitement at many of the starts, including a collision near the committee boat in the J/109 fleet.
The wind was down to 10 knots for the start of the 25-strong J/109 class; a fleet that has proved it remains capable for producing very close racing, with numerous entries throughout the fleet separated by only a few seconds at the finish. Jamie Sheldon’s Jolene had a good start, pulling away from the pack, with Robert Styles’ Diamond Jem overlapped to leeward and Nick Southward and John Scott’s Jynnan Tonnyx a couple of lengths astern. Diamond Jem slowly pulled further ahead in the early part of the first leg to create a useful lead. However, they had slipped to third place by the finish, crossing the line 17 seconds behind Neil McGrigor’s Boo. Nick Burns’ Team Mandrake won the class, by a margin of only 26 seconds over Boo.
By the time of the start of IRC Class 5 patchy cloud was moving in across the Solent, accompanied by stronger gusts, bigger lulls and a temporary wind shift into the north-northwest. As a result, there were plenty of thrills and spills on the first leg, with a number of boats broaching on their boisterous first leg to East Bramble buoy.
Robin Stevenson’s J/92S Upstart was first away from the line and quickly pulled away from the pack thanks to a slick spinnaker hoist. By the finish, Bob and Jon Baker’s J/97 Jaywalker took third place both on the water and on corrected time.
The White Group day boats, starting on the Royal Yacht Squadron line initially faced a very different challenge, short tacking against the tide along the Island shore. This led to a number of boats grounding on Grantham Rocks.
Monday was also UKSA Charity Day, with the activities of the regatta’s official charity, and associated fundraising drive, in the spotlight. The Cowes based organization is seeking £80,000 to enable more young people to change their lives through its ground-breaking youth development programs for disadvantaged and disaffected young people and young offenders.
Day Four- TuesdayToday was one of civilized sailing in bright sun in an unstable and gusty north-northwesterly wind that produced gusts of 17 knots for the early starts, but also dropped to as little as 6-10 knots at times.
The conditions created a serious challenge for teams to judge time and distance on the fixed start lines. With the wind further into the north than yesterday the Black Group yachts starting from the Bramble line had a fast reach to East Bramble, their first mark. The boats equipped with Code 0s had an advantage over those who only had more conventional nylon spinnakers in their inventory.
In IRC 0 Class, it was one of the lowest rated boats in the class, Christopher Daniel’s J/122E Juno that earned a first place on corrected time, ahead of Alan, Bruce and James Douglas’ J/133 Spirit of Jacana.
The J/111 one design rules don’t allow for a Code 0s, so all boats opted to start under main and jib, rather than risking an asymmetric spinnaker. Dutch entry Paul van Driel’s Sweeny led the fleet into a perfect start, hitting the line at speed two lengths clear ahead of Simon Grier-Jones’ Snow Leopard, with Tony Mack’s McFly and Martin Dent’s Jelvis, the latter winner of the world championship in Cowes last week, in hot pursuit.
McFly led for much of the race, but Jelvis played the wind shifts well on the fourth leg and moved into the lead that they stretched to four minutes by the finish. “We have been enjoying really close nip and tuck racing all week, finishing within seconds of each other,” said Dent. “It really has been fantastic one-design racing. Today we got lucky, managing to pick up a lucky shift and snatch the lead from Tony Mack’s team on McFly.”
For the White Group, there was generally less wind closer inshore on the Royal Yacht Squadron line, where the White Group day boats also had a reaching start, albeit heading west against the tide.
The J/70 class completed their seven-race mini-series today. It was an emphatic win for RAF Benevolent Fund Spitfire, ahead of Just in Time by a single point. Fourth place today for Claire Lasko’s Elizabeth put her in third place overall, two points ahead of another top woman skipper- Ali Hall’s J-Curve.
The J/80s start at 1045 coincided with a lull in the wind. Wally Walters’ Wild Wally was perfectly positioned, almost stemming the tide with her bow next to the outer distance mark, at the gun. She then accelerated away to take a one-length lead a little to windward of Kevin Sproul and Chris Taylor’s JAT. At the end of the first race JAT held a 105 second advantage on Jon Powell’s Betty, with Chris Body’s Mocking Jay taking third place one minute later.
Today was also “Slingsby Gin Ladies Day” at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, which celebrates women in sailing. On the water 80 women helms across varied classes raced for the Royal Southern Yacht Club’s Ariel Trophy. Emma Toman (skippering the J/109 Judgment Day) took second place! Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth/ PWPictures.com. For more AAM Cowes Week Regatta sailing information
White Crowned J/80 North American Champ(Toronto, ONT, Canada)- The J/80 Class Association held the J/80 NA’s for the first time ever outside of the USA on Lake Ontario, hosted by the ever gracious National Yacht Club in Toronto. The four–day event featured a North Sails clinic on day one along with a very well attended reception sponsored by the J/80 class organization. Fantastic on-land hospitality was enjoyed throughout the event thanks to NYC and the local fleet volunteer organizing committee.
“With a total sixteen boats competing (six USA - ten Canadian) we had three days of windward leewards racking up 12 close quarter races,” said Lawrence Alexander, J/80 Class Vice President. A well-informed fleet, courtesy of Commanders Weather, saw great sailing on Humber Bay. A variety conditions starting with a gusty easterly with 1 m chop on Friday to two days 10 - 15 kts from the NW with a fairly flat race course. Janet Geisberger – PRO wasn’t surprised with the 180 that presented itself between race two and three on Sunday thanks to a strong thermal sea breeze. Janet and her team ran a flawless regatta.
Only 11 pts separating first and third made for an exciting rally between the leaders. In the end, John White’s USA 1162 took the regatta along with crew Jonathan Bartlett, Debbie Gosselin and Shane Zwingelberg. “NYC ran a great J/80 NA’s really doing an awesome job,” said John White.Second place was handily secured by CAN 1007 Double Oh with local sailors Richard Reid, Rossi Milev, James Niblick and Gayle Gray. Gary Panariello on USA 1313 Courageous along with Jeff Jordan, Mike Coe and Ashley Love comfortably secured a third overall.
Rounding out the top five was top Canadian woman skipper, Trudy Murphy, on FEISTY and in fifth place was the American team of COOL J led by Alex Kraus.
Generous sponsorships from Helly Hansen, North Sails One Design, FOGH, Slam, Steam Whistle Brewing, Creemore Springs Brewery, Mount Gay Rum, The Source, Commanders Weather, Cell Trade, Ontario Yachts and the J/80 class org. helped make this years championship a great event.
The J/80 class continues to grow, as sailors of all skill levels want to join in this competitive and inclusive fleet as it refocuses as a North American success. It's a terrific all-around boat for one-design racing and a perfect fit for local fleet development says Alexander. Watch a nice J/80 NA’s sailing video from Ashley Love at T2P.TV here on YouTube For more J/80 North Americans sailing information
MISS TRIXIE Tops J/27 North American Championship(Oakville, ONT, Canada)- Not much farther west on Lake Ontario from the J/80 NA’s, a strong fleet of nine J/27s had assembled for their North American Championship, hosted by the Oakville Yacht Squadron. Like their stablemates, the J/27s enjoyed great RC/PRO committee work from the OYS volunteers, sailing 11 races with 9 counters (two to toss!). Winning was long-distance travelers from Metarie, Louisiana- Patrick Ryan’s MISS TRIXIE!
Dueling all weekend from August 5th to 7th were two long-time rivals in the J/27 class, Andrew Riem’s CURVED AIR and Andre Breese’s MESSING ABOUT. It was neck-n-neck for these crews, fighting for every advantage possible; after eight races, they were essentially tied on points with a throw-out. However, the “wheels came off the shopping trolley” for Riem’s CURVED AIR crew in final races; posting a 6-4-5 to Beese’s 3-2-3. Consequently, the silver medal was awarded to the MESSING ABOUT crew with Riem’s team taking the bronze.
The balance of the top five was made up of Jason Wilson’s TENACIOUS crew with 32 pts net to take fourth place and in fifth position was Doug Hawksworth’s DIOMEDEA with 42 pts net. For more J/27 North Americans sailing information
Chester Race Week Update(Chester, Nova Scotia)- Four days, four courses, sixteen fleets, 33 trophies, 123 sailboats, and 1,200 sailors! No question, Chester Race Week is Canada’s largest annual keelboat regatta! So far this week, Chester YC has seen strong winds and heavy seas for the start of the regatta.
According to Rod Johnstone, sailing on Gary Bennett’s J/35 J’AI TU, “The first day at CRW on the "alpha" course provided picture perfect race conditions with 15-20 knot SW winds for our J/35 class. Two great race courses were set by PRO Ken Legler (the Tufts University Sailing Team Head Coach). The conditions were definitely challenging for us on J’AI TU, with mostly an eager young crew new to "big boat" sailing with an old guy on both ends of the boat- Arturo Pilar and me. The first race was a 4-leg W/L with 1.2 mile legs. Thane MacDonald and his crew on J-HAWK were launched at the start and never looked back. We were tightly bunched at the first windward mark with three others and finished within seconds of the third and fifth place boats.
Race two was a middle distance race around the Islands of about 15nm. We barely led after a 2.7 mile beat, but were quickly passed on the long run around Great Tancook Island by Andrew Child's HELOC, whose crew proved adept at changing headsails during the race. After a long jib reach into the Bay, a four-mile beat then a run to the finish rewarded those who changed down to #3 jib on the beat. Having enough beef on the rail helped too!” Andrew Child’s HELOC is tied for first with Thane MacDonald’s J-HAWK with Ann Petley-Jones’ HARRIER in third. Currently, sitting fourth is the Bennett/Johnstone crew.
So far, in the PHRF Alpha 3 class, Rory Macdonald’s J/105 McMAC is leading with Colin Mann’s J/92 POOHSTICKS in third place. In the J/120 class, Ron Stewart’s SLICE from Stratford, Prince Edward Island is atop the fleet, followed by Richard Calder’s BRILLIANCE and Stu McCrea’s DEVIATION.
Over on the Bravo Course area, it is a three-way tie for first place between Terry Schnare’s HEAD GAMES, Don Williams’ PARADIGM SHIFT and Chris MacDonald’s SCOTCH MIST IV in the closely fought J/29 one-design class. In the PHRF ToT division, the J/70 RE-DEMPTION (Bill Adams) is sitting in third place. Finally, in the J/24 one-design class, David Wedlake’s BARELY LEGAL is atop the leaderboard with Chris Veinot’s HYPEWAVE in second and Nick Hamblin’s JAMMING in third place.
There is a lot more racing still to go in this fun event off Chester’s gorgeous archipelago of islands and pine-tree studded shorelines! For more Chester Race Week sailing information
Kilcullen Irelands Eye J/24 Westerns Champion(Lough Ree, Ireland)- Ten boats and fifty competitors turned out for the two day event sailed on the gorgeous lake of Lough Ree. Boats came from Howth, Dun Laoghaire, Sligo and Lough Derg in Tipperary; all travelled to Lough Ree Yacht Club (LRYC http://www.lryc.ie/)- the world’s second oldest Yacht Club!!
The on-site crane lifted all ten boats into the lake on Friday evening in perfect summer conditions. As the ten crews set about rigging their craft, the Club staff fired up the BBQ and the scene was set for a very sociable event. As light faded, the crews made their way up to the Club House and settled in to renew old acquaintances and to discuss the challenges of the next two days on the lake.
There was a 9am briefing the following morning. Once the briefing ended, the Race Committee and mark boats set off for the race area that was located north of Athlone, opposite The Hodson Bay Hotel. Six races were scheduled with four to be held on Saturday and the final two on Sunday.
Lough Ree is the perfect location for an event like this. The J/24 fleet experienced winds in excess of 30 knots on Sunday morning and were still able to race! If this wind strength was experienced on the open sea, there was a good chance that the race would have been abandoned. The four races on Saturday were held in very blustery conditions; southerly winds reached speeds of 22 knots with gusts of 26 knots.
The Principal Race Officer- Vincent Rafter- and his team worked hard to fit in four races on Saturday, conscious that the conditions might deteriorate to a point where racing might be abandoned on Sunday.
A J/24 Class Dinner followed the racing on Saturday for all competitors and the race committee (thanks Liz!). The diners were entertained by the classical Duet of Ellen Gogly on cello and Eva Barry on violin. Their mix of Classical and traditional music soothed the frayed nerves of some very fatigued sailors.Of the two races planned for Sunday, only one could be held due to deteriorating conditions. Gusts of 35 knots were being recorded and this wind strength can cause structural damage to the boats and potentially injure crew.
There was one stand out performance. The team on board KILCULLEN IRELANDS EYE, helmed by Cillian Dickson, scored five 1st places and finished on an impressive 4 pts net (including one discard)! A local Lough Ree YC team on board JAVELIN, led by Stan Bradbury (LRYC), finished in 2nd place on 10 points. Flor O’Driscoll and his team on board HARD ON PORT came in 3rd on 13 points. Alex Shackleton on board JOHNNY BRAVO finished 4th on 16 points. And, Ronan Armstrong on CRAZY HORSE from Sligo finished 5th on 17 points.
The Prize Giving took place in the clubhouse shortly after all boats were craned out onto their trailers. All boats were on the road home to their respective home towns by 4pm.
We have two J/24 teams travelling to Plymouth in the UK to compete in the J/24 European Championships, KILCULLEN IRELANDS EYE and JOHNNY BRAVO. The J/24 fleet wishes Cillian and Alex and their crews the best of luck in the event and we will be watching the scores on line– no pressure!!
The J/24 association of Ireland would like to extend their thanks to Waterways Ireland for their Sponsorship of this event. The next event is the J/24 Nationals in Dun Laorighe on the 2nd to 4th of September. It promises to be a great event and a super way to finish off the J/24 season in Ireland for 2016! For more Irish J/24 Class sailing information
Brilliant Buzzards Bay Regatta!PIPE DREAM Wins J/24 NE’s & PEARLY BAKER Wins J/80 Tie-breaker
(Marion, MA)- The 44th Buzzards Bay Regatta, presented by Mozzone Lumber featuring Marvin Windows and Doors, was held from August 5th to 7th at the Beverly Yacht Club in Marion, Massachusetts. The BYC Principal Race Officers for the event were as follows- Spyder Fortier on the PHRF Course and Charlie Cooper on the One-Design Keelboat course. The PRO’s were blessed with absolutely classic Buzzards Bay sailing conditions, for the most part, sunny, windy and choppy; permitting them to run up to ten races for some classes over the three-day weekend!
The 2016 BBR served as the J/24 Northeast Regional Championship, with Mike Marshall’s team from Jamestown, RI sailing PIPE DREAM into a scant one point lead over Carter White’s SEA BAGS SAILING TEAM from Portland YC. Taking third behind the dueling leaders was Matt & Kevin Coughlin sailing RISKY BUSINESS from East Greenwich YC. The rest of the top five included Chris Stone’s VELOCIDAD from Atlantic Highlands YC in 4th place and Lee Buress’ crew sailing ON THE BEACH in 5th position.
The J/80s also had some great racing with the top five determined by two tie-breaks! The top two boats ended up on 19 pts each with the tie-break going in favor of Jamey Shachoy’s PEARLY BAKER from Beverly YC and Dan Cooney’s AMERICAN PRAYER getting the short end of that stick! Yet another tie-break determined the bronze; with Peter d’Anjou’s LE TIGRE taking that split on 27 pts each over Nick Kotsatos’ WARRIOR from Beverly YC. Fifth place all alone was Scott Miller’s NEXT ADVENTURE.PHRF Race I division had five J/crew participating. Top dog amongst them was Mark Verville’s J/120 ISURUS from host Beverly YC, winning class by a country furlong, counting three 1sts and two 2nds for a mere 7 pts net. Second J/team and 6th in class was Doug Curtiss’ J/111 WICKED 2.0. Third J/crew was Ted Herlihy’s J/109 GUT FEELING.
PHRF Race II division had six J’s racing in a class of ten boats. Winning was Tom Sutton’s J/35 LEADING EDGE, the same crew that also won the New York YC Round Island Race during the NYYC Annual Regatta in mid-June! Good sailors those Texans are from Lakewood YC on Galveston Bay! Matt Schmitt’s J/105 HARD TACK from Buzzards YC was third in class. Eric Wagner’s J/105 DARK’N’STORMY was fifth.
In the PHRF Cruise division, it was Richard Fontaine’s J/44 SPIRIT taking third place. For more Buzzards Bay Regatta sailing information
Stunning Ugotta Regatta!(Harbor Springs, MI)- Every year the Little Traverse YC hosts their “Ugotta Regatta” after the infamous Mac Races (Chicago-Mac and Bayview-Mac). It does not matter which race is first, the “ugotta-go” to a regatta after the Mac Island finish is paramount to having closure to your offshore season on the Great Lakes. It is a tradition that has only grown over time for many a J/Team in both races.
Harbor Springs is a little village that is seemingly torn out of a pulp-fiction novel, replete with its own intrigue, old summer families from Chicago and Detroit inter-mixing on the water and off the water, lots of sailing and one helluva lot of fun! The Ugotta Regatta in recent years has acted as a catalyst to bring the larger world around them to their door-steps, for better or for worse. In most cases, it has been a resounding success; especially with Dave Irish’s Boat Shop handling most (if not all) the hosting duties for the regatta, including the famous t-shirt giveaway/ extravaganza. Plus, breakfast in the morning down at the boatyard before sailing starts is not half-bad- just ask former J/World rock-star- Mike Esposito who runs the place!!
Sailing news? Oh. Why? The Social Stuff is Far More Impo'tent in THE Springs than that, right? OK. Well, maybe not for those Chicago folks intent on stealing all the silverware for back home and trading it on the trillion dollar exchanges they all seem to run! CBOE, CME, CBOT, NYSE, NASDAQ, be damned! Sure. For a few nano-seconds in the Harbor Springs summer. In such an environment, it was time to have fun on their J/Boats come hell or high water first. Then, ice-cold wine spritzers and Italian snow-cones (or gelatos) on the "high street" were next!
Enjoying their time in ORR B Class was Geoff Brieden & Jeff Clark’s J/120 SCOUT, posting a 2-3 to take second overall. Third was another J/120, Curt Kime’s VICTRIX 3 with a 5-2 to win the tie-breaker for third place.
Perhaps the most demanding class was PHRF A with three J/122’s racing against a Sydney 41, a modded Farr 40 extreme and an Archambault 40 custom. In the end, it was Robert Mampe’s J/122 GOTTA WANTA that really “wanta’d” winning class with a 2-2. Third was Matt Songer’s J/122 EVVAI with a 1-5, losing a tie-breaker on 6 pts. And, just one point back was Chicago-Mac overall winner in 2014- Mitch Padnos’ SUFFICIENT REASON.
In PHRF C Class, it was famous St Louis, MO venture capitalist Carter Williams’ J/105 CREATIVE DESTRUCTION that took 3rd in class. Bill Petzold’s J/105 GREEN FLASH was next up J/105 in 7th place.
PHRF Non-Spinnaker again saw a runaway victor. It was the globe-girdling crew on Bill Stellin’s J/42 JAYWALKER that took class honors with a basic 1-1 for total class domination.
The MONSTER fleet at the Ugotta Regatta was the J/70 class. Nineteen boats overall and twelve teams were Corinthian! Cool. Winning was a Texas guy- Rick Shaffer’s NASTY BABY, counting four 1sts in their scoreline. Second was Stan Edwards’ LICKITY SPLIT with 27 pts, third place went to Corinthians Winner- Polk Wagner on ESCAPE. Fourth was Scott Sellers’ TRES BURRITOS (2nd Corinthians) and fifth place was John Arenshorst’s 20/20 (3rd Corinthians).The J/111 one-design class had very close competition amongst the five teams. While local hero Dave Irish and his crew on NO SURPRISE were the eventual winners, it was clear as mud who were the ultimate podium winners behind them. In the end, it was Tracy Brand’s SOLUTION that won a tie-breaker over Carl Hanssen’s VARIANCE, both sitting on 15 pts each. Fourth was Brad Faber’s UTAH only one point back! Fifth was the trio of George Miz, Peter Dreher and Mark Hatfield.
YRA Long Island Sound Champs Fun 4 All!J/Teams Dominate PHRF Classes, MENACE Wins J/70s
(Rye, New York)- The American YC in Rye, New York hosted the 12th Annual YRA Long Island Sound Championship Regatta for PHRF handicap and the J/70 One-Design classes over the weekend of August 6th and 7th. The AYC PRO’s coordinated with area yacht clubs to host the event on two courses in western Long Island Sound. The weather cooperated enough for the RC teams to run up to six races for some fleets.
Winning the dozen boat J/70 fleet on a tie-breakers was Kerry Klingler’s MENACE over Madeline Ploch’s USA 644, sitting on just 9 pts each after six races! Third was Scott & Alex Furnary’s ANY COLOUR with 16 pts, followed by Scott Bursor’s SLINKY in fourth place with 23 pts and Dan Goldberg’s BAZINGA in fifth position with 27 pts.
In the world of PHRF handicap racing, MaryEllen Tortorello’s J/111 PARTNERSHIP took 4th in her PHRF I class. The PHRF II division was a battle for J/crew honors in the top five. Winning was Carl Olsson’s J/109 MORNING GLORY, followed by a trio of J/88s- Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION in second, Kevin Marks’ VELOCITY in third, Ken & Drew Hall’s NEVERMORE in fourth; and Mark Parry’s J/35 BLUE MOUSE in fifth place. Winning PHRF III was Christian Uecker’s J/92 HOUND DOG with Randy Bourne’s J/105 STRANGE BREW in fifth place. Finally, Jason Viseltear’s J/80 UPSETTER won PHRF IV! A great weekend in PHRF for J/crews overall! For more YRA Long Island Sound Championship sailing information
J/22 Germany Report(Travemunde, Germany)- Ines Herbold was sailing on the J/22 GER 1450- TEAM MOJO in this year’s 127th Travemunde Week in Travemunde, Germany this year. Here is her report from the front lines of competition on the southwestern Baltic Sea.
“Last year, I had the chance to sail on a J/22 for the World Championship in Travemünde for the first time. We finished in 6th place, a very successful World Cup for us! So, I was happy when TEAM MOJO asked if I wanted to sail with them in 2016! Basically, yes! But, the regatta calendar was already tightly scheduled, not only with me, but also with Steffi Schweder and Svend Hartog, both actively sailing in the J/70 Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga.
However, TEAM MOJO’s participation in early July was affected when Dirk Fischer injured his shoulder so that he would not be fit to race again for the rest of the summer. Fortunately, we were able to find Kim Brandt to handle the spinnaker/ jib position.
That was all the more important, of course, since we had previously sailed together and we could work through the maneuvers and could use Wednesday for training. One thing was clear, even if the number of entries with 15 boats was rather low, the competition was fierce!
On Thursday we met at 9am for the skipper’s meeting. The first start of nine scheduled races was at 11am on Course Charlie. Unfortunately, the weather did not bode well, with a lot of light shifting winds.And, so we spent the morning and afternoon, waiting for wind until 1500 hrs. Then, with a steady, developing sea breeze, our race director Ralf Maier gave the signal to start a race. We then sailed 3 races in a steady sea breeze. Thankfully, our race officer had canceled the scheduled Travelodge Race in favor of buoy races!
In the evening, we could be more than satisfied with our performance, because although we had a false start in the first race, we still adjusted, so we still lay 2nd place overall, behind Reiner Brockerhoff.
However, it was clear that the cards would be reshuffled because Martin Menzner and his crew also had a false start, and were currently ranked 10th.
On Friday, we were able to start on time at 1100 hrs with fresh wind and we sailed to a second place in the fourth race. Unfortunately, no other race on Course Charlie was started because we were scheduled for the afternoon to be sailing in the “media course” near shore, so we had a scheduled start time. When we got there, the fleet in front of us had just started their second race, so we would be delayed for a lot of time! Ugh!
We did not start until 1400 hrs. We started in difficult conditions, Martin Menzner won with Reiner Brockerhoff (2nd place) and we were third place. In the sixth race, Maik Westfehling and crew showed where to go and won by a mile! For now, we could only count a 5th place in the 5th race!On Saturday, two exciting races were sailed and Martin, Frank and Christian proved once again how to win! For us, the MOJO crew, it was, again, a really strange ending to the regatta. Frank Lammerskitten and crew had us on their heels and we closed the regatta with a second place in the last race. That brought us a lot of blood, sweat and arithmetic! In the end, it was enough! With two points, we secured the bronze medal!
We thank all participants for fair and exciting races and congratulate Martin, Frank and Christian to win the German Open 2016! And Reiner, Christophe and Charles for taking the runner-up position in the J/22 class in Travemunde! Until next time!” Thanks to Ines Herbold for her contribution.
Of note, in J/22 Masters Regatta earlier in the month, it was clear the “die may have been cast”. Winning was the crew of Martin Menzner / Frank Lichte/Christian Drews; taking second place was Reiner Brockerhoff/ Christophe Declerque/ Charles Michaux; and finishing third was Svend Hartog/ Stefanie Schweder/ Kim Brandt/ Ines Herold. For more German J/22 sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* Practice Makes Perfect! Doug Newhouse and his team on the J/88 YONDER won the 2016 New York Yacht Club Race Week, posting three firsts and three seconds over the eight race series. North Sails U. coach Chuck Allen caught up with Doug to collect some words of wisdom and reflection on racing.What conditions did you encounter at this event and how prepared were you and your team?
DN- “The Race Committee really gave us the full range of sailing experiences—a stadium course, round the island, racing up the bay, and racing in the open ocean. The breeze was strong for most races, including a driving rainstorm—but in the strangest race, the breeze changed from a 10-12 knot southerly on the first four legs to zero on the fifth leg, and then to an 8-10 knot northerly in about five minutes! Our tactician wisely realized that even though we had just dropped the kite we needed to hoist it again; his quick thinking plus great crew work allowed us to win that crazy race.”
What was the biggest contributor to your success in winning this regatta?DN- “It all starts with the team. We have a good core group and almost everyone is a twenty-something ex-college racer. They provide energy and are excited to have fun on a new boat like the J/88. Importantly, we participated in the Sail Newport one design regatta the weekend before Race Week, and we were able to work out some issues.”
Everyone is talking about your incredible downwind speed. How did you guys go so fast downwind?
DN- “We need to give a salute here to North Sails. Last year we had a first generation kite, and when we switched to the newest North design it made a huge difference. The shape and overall performance was a game changer. Also the crew works the weight aggressively, like a dinghy, which allows me to keep a calm tiller and focus on keeping the boat balanced.”
How did you set up the boat?
DN- “North Sails tuning guide all the way!”
Can you give us three things that you and your team would do to make your boat go fast?
DN- “It's important to keep a balanced boat—heel angle makes a big difference. Crew consistency. Practice, practice, practice…”
Tell us about your team; they always looked to be well positioned on the boat.DN- “Most of the crew comes from smaller boats. They are always trying to give us the best boat balance. Hopefully everyone is choreographed and can handle every situation.”
As the owner, driver and skipper; can you tell us how you interact with the crew during a race?
DN- “No yelling! It adds stress and is counterproductive. Before we go out every day, we have a team meeting to discuss every issue that might come up. I ask everyone their opinion, starting with the youngest. After each race, we debrief if time permits. Also everyone has a defined role and mine is to drive—I don't call tactics, I don't trim sails, I only try to focus on moving the boat forward in the most efficient manner.”
What do you and your team plan to work on for future events?
DN- “We need to get better. Our competitors are really great sailors and every race is up for grabs. We need to go faster—great tactics are easy with great speed. We want better sail shapes—always working to refine the sails. Crew work is always ongoing. Lastly, better starts—we were never over early but seldom first. The playbook is never finished!!”
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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