Cowes Week Preview(Cowes, IOW, England)- Traditionally, Cowes Week takes place after Glorious Goodwood and before the Glorious Twelfth (the first day of the grouse shooting season). Over the years, the event has attracted British and foreign royalty, and many famous faces. Around 8,000 competitors now participate, ranging from Olympic and world-class yachtsmen to weekend sailors. The spectacle that the racing provides, together with the vibrant festival atmosphere, attracts over 100,000 visitors to Cowes during the event.
The 2016 Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week is hosted by the Cowes Combined Clubs (Royal Yacht Squadron, Island Sailing Club, Royal Ocean Racing Club) and is taking place from August 6th to 13th.
In Sportsboat Div 1, a quartet of J/88s are racing against a gaggle of Farr 280’s and FarEast 28R. David & Kirsty Apthorp’s J-DREAM (past J/109 champions) are hoping their new steed will go fast against good teams like Paul Ward’s EAT SLEEP J REPEAT, David Cule’s MAI TAI and Dirk & Dianne van Beek’s SABRIEL JR.In the one-design world at Cowes Week, there are J/111s, J/109s and J/70s. The J/111’s have a half-dozen entries, including Simon & Oscar Bamford’s KESTREL, Tony Mack’s McFLY, Martin Dent’s JELVIS (current J/111 World Champion), Simon Grier-Jones’ SNOW LEOPARD, Paul van Driel’s SWEENY and the British Army’s Under 25 Team on BRITISH SOLDIER.
One of the largest one-design classes will be this year’s J/70 class with 25 entries. Leading the way may be teams like Phil Chandler’s BLACKJAX, Nick Phillips’ CHAOTIC, Patrick Liardet’s COSMIC, Nick & Adam Munday’s J7T, Andrew Barraclough’s JENGA 8, Simon Cavey’s JUST4PLAY, the French team of PAPREC RECYCLAGE, Ian Wilson and Marshall King’s SHIVER, Nigel Evans’ SPINNAKER WEALTH MANAGEMENT, Simon Ling’s TEAM RAF SPITFIRE, and Jack Davies’ YETI.The other large one-design class will be the 25-boat J/109 fleet. A few familiar teams are participating along with an entirely new set of crews ready to try their hand at close “mano-a-mano” racing. Sure to be making their bids for the leaderboard are Roger Phillips’ DESIGNSTAR 2, Robert Stiles’ DIAMOND JEM, Chris Brooks’ JINKS, Simon Perry’s JIRAFFE, David Richards’ JUMPING JELLYFISH, Chris Burleigh’s JYBE TALKIN, Owain Franks & Jean Lockett’s JYNNAN TONNYX, and some visitors from Hong Kong- Nick Southward & John Scott’s WHISKEY JACK!
IRC Class 1 has two brand new J/122E’s sailing, Chris Daniel’s JUNO and Clive Miles’ JANGLE plus the J/133 JACANA sailed by a family crew- Alan, Bruce & James Douglas.
IRC Class 2 sees two classic J/122s participating, Sergey Senchenko’s JOLOU and Alistair Laidlaw’s JOLLY JELLYFISH. IRC Class 3 has the lone J/11S SYNERJY sailing, skippered by Herman Bergshaven.
IRC Class 4 has three J/105s participating, including the trio of FLAWLESS J (Mike Garrett, Peter Sharp, and Adrian/Trevor/Neil); Arthur Freeman’s JAZZ II and Natalie Jobling’s MOSTLY HARMLESS.
IRC Class 5 has a slew of J/97’s, J/97E’s, J/92’s in the fleet. There is one J/97E sailing- Ole Bettum’s ALAMARA B III. They are joined by six J/97s, such as Andy Howe’s BLACKJACK II, Rachel & Robert Hunt’s JUMBLESAIL II, Bob & Jon Baker’s JAYWALKER, Jon & Louise Stevens’ WINDJAMMER and Matt Paskin & Rob Orr’s JACKAROO. Two J/92S’s are in the fleet, including Robin Stevenson’s UPSTART and John Greenway’s WIZARD. Three J/92s are competing, like past winner Libby & David Greenhalgh’s J’RONIMO, Rob Salter’s JACKDAW and Brian Malone’s BLUE DIAMOND DODJER. Interestingly, these fast 30 footers will be joined by Ed Holton’s J/110 SHADES OF BLUE and Chris Burbidge’s J/32 DOMAINE.IRC Class 6 has a lone J/24 sailing against an armada of Impala 28s, hopefully Edmund Gatehouse’s JUPITER can have fun against them and an old 8-Metre! Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth/ PWPictures.com. For more AAM Cowes Week Regatta sailing information
J/80 North American Championship Preview(Toronto, ONT, Canada)- The Fleet 20 J/80 class flag is up and flying for the 2016 season and they are looking forward to hosting the best North American Championship yet! For the first time ever, the NA’s will be hosted in Canada at National Yacht Club, right in the heart of downtown Toronto. Enjoy racing the world's best sport boat (yes, we're biased!) in great lake breezes followed by the friendliest après sailing parties. A twenty-two boat fleet with representatives from Canada and America promise close, competitive racing.
The schedule for the 2016 J/80 North Americans will include a tune-up clinic on August 4th followed by 3 days of course racing from August 5-7 including daily prizes and social events with the championship awards on August 7th.
As the center of the fastest growing J/80 fleet on Lake Ontario, National Yacht Club is excited to be hosting the 2016 J/80 North American Championship. The schedule will include a tune-up clinic on Thursday, August 4th, 2016 followed by 3 days of course-racing from Friday to Sunday, August 5th to 7th, 2016. Daily prizes and social events will take place throughout the regatta, with the championship awards on Sunday, August 7th, 2016.The leaders of the host Canadian contingent could be Mike McKeon’s DOUBLE OH, Dave Doyle’s INNOCENT BYSTANDER, Lawrence Alexander’s JIGGERS, or Bart Smit’s NAUTICAL SYMPHONY.
The USA boats include top crews like John White’s USA 1162, Chris & Liz Chadwick’s CHURCH KEY, Alex Kraus’ COOL J, Gary Panariello’s COURAGEOUS, Bob Yin’s DOLCE, Dave Smith’s EAGLES WINGS, Ken Mangano’s MANGO, Ramzi Bannura’s STACKED DECK and Vice Kalish’s WHITE LIGHTNING. For more J/80 North Americans sailing information
J/27 North American Championship Preview(Oakville, ONT, Canada)- From Aug 5th to 7th, the Oakville Yacht Squadron will be hosting a fleet of eight J/27s for their 2016 North American Championship to be sailed on Lake Ontario, just west of the famous downtown Toronto city waterfront.
Returning to defend his title is Andrew Riem’s CURVED AIR from the host Oakville YS. They will be chased hard by Canadian teams like Bob Kelly’s LINE DRIVE, Andre Beese’s MESSING ABOUT, and Rich O’Hare’s TAKE FIVE. The two American teams are Pat Ryan’s MISS TRIXIE from Metairie, LA (the long-distance traveler winner!) and Matt Sanderson’s AMETHYST from Geneseo, NY. For more J/27 North Americans sailing information
Chester Race Week Preview(Chester, Nova Scotia)- Just south of Halifax, Nova Scotia is one of the best “social/ party” race weeks on the North American calendar- Chester Race Week that is being sailed from August 10th to 13th and proudly hosted by Chester YC. The event is incredibly popular with dozens of J/sailors in the Canadian Atlantic provinces and for American sailors in the northeast. This year, the regatta features a one-design J/24 class and PHRF handicap classes for a J/44, J/27s, J/29s, J/30s, J/100, J/105s, J/35s, J/120s, J/88 and J/92. Thirty-eight enthusiastic J/crews are participating, over 1/3 of the entire fleet!
The Chester Race Week regatta PRO, Ken Legler (the famous sailing coach from Tufts University), reports that sailing promises to be fabulous, fog-free, sunny, 70s and wind blowing all week long from the ESE from 8-15 kts. Perfection (see picture at right)? Well, sure if you believe that pigs can fly! Nevertheless, Chester sailors have experienced those conditions over the course of time and everyone hopes that it’s not the converse that can sometimes plague the eastern reaches of Nova Scotia- namely, fog and no wind.The seven-boat J/24 class features many hot ‘Scotian sailors like Ben Rubarth’s DARK STAR, Casey LeBlanc’s LOWLIFE, David Wedlake’s BARELY LEGAL and Ross Romney’s RUSH HOUR.
Sailing in the twenty-three boat PHRF >99 Division is a range of classic J’s and new sportboats. Sam Lamey’s J/27 INCORRIGIBLE will be chasing the likes of seven J/29s, like Paul Dexter’s PAINKILLER, Don William’s PARADIGM SHIFT, Chris MacDonald’s SCOTCH MIST IV, and Carl Davis’ JAH MON. They will be joined by two J/30s- Jesleine Baker’s JUST ADD WATER and Bruce Moore’s RATTLE & HUM. As the little boats, Dale Roberton’s J/80 GOAT WHISPERER and Bill Adams’ J/70 RE-DEMPTION will have their work cut out for them to hang in with their bigger stablemates.
The thirty-two boat PHRF <99 Division has an enormous range of boats, from 29’ to 45’ overall. The class features Peter Bethune’s J/100 BABE, three J/105s (Richard Gerstenberger’s AXIS, Rory MacDonald’s McMAC, & Jim Mosher’s MOJO); five J/120s (Ross Leighton’s BLACK PEARL, Richard Calder’s BRILLIANCE, Stu McCrea’s DEVIATION, Mike Kennedy’s GRAND CRU, & Ron Stewart’s SLICE); six J/35s (Evan Petley-Jones’ HARRIER, Andrew Childs’ HELOC, Rod Johnstone/ Gary Bennett’s J’AI TU, Thane MacDonald’s JHAWK, Richard Oulton’s WHISTLER’S AIR & Peter Traves’ CRACKERJACK); Jim Snair’s J/88 DEEP BIGHT and Colin Mann’s J/92 POOHSTICKS.In the fourteen-boat PHRF ToT “white sails” division, is the J/44 AKUBRA skippered by Reginald Goodday from Halifax. For more Chester Race Week sailing information
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
The first week of August offered up seemingly epic weather conditions in various parts of the world; in particular, the gathering of sailing teams from seven nations participating in this year’s J/111 World Championship. The event was hosted by the Island Sailing Club at Cowes, Isle of Wight and was sailed on an incredibly windy Solent for four straight days- nearly 15-25+ kts winds each day! While their breezes were not nearly as forceful for the fourth act of the Russia J/70 Sailing League, they enjoyed sybaritic weather - the event took place for twenty sailing clubs on the Konakovo River at the Konakovo River Club just northwest of MoscowAcross the big pond to the West, the Helly Hansen Marblehead NOOD Regatta was hosted in Marblehead, MA by the Boston YC for one-design fleets of J/24s, J/70s and J/105s. Out off Cape Cod, the Edgartown Race Week and Round Island Races were hosted by Edgartown YC for a range of J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, J/100, J/105s, J/111s, J/120s, J/122s and so forth. We got a nice report from the Lake Ontario 300 and Scotch Bonnet Races that was hosted by Port Credit YC, with a number of J/105s, J/109s, J/35, J/29, J/30, J/44 and J/100 participating in the race. Then, out west the famous Santa Barbara to King Harbor Race of 81nm was hosted by Santa Barbara YC and King Harbor YC in Palos Verdes, CA; participants that enjoyed this downwind classic included J/111s, J/120s, a J/88, J/105s, J/145 and a trio of J/125s.
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 4-7- J/80 North American Championship- Toronto, ONT, CanadaAug 5-7- J/27 North American Championship- Oakville, ONT, Canada
Aug 6-13- AAM Cowes Week Regatta- Cowes, IOW, England
Aug 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:
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.
JELVIS Triumphant @ Epic J/111 Worlds(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- It was apparent from the performance by a number of teams at the J/111 Pre-Worlds, hosted by Royal Southern YC in the Hamble, that the die was cast for the four-day J/111 Worlds on the Solent that was hosted by Island Sailing Club on Cowes.
Starting off where they left the Pre-Worlds, Peter Wagner’s SKELETON KEY from San Francisco, CA and Martin Dent’s JELVIS from Cowes, England were trading off the lead on the first day. Amazingly, as the protagonists for this year’s 2016 edition, they were “trading places” at the front of the fleet after two races, both posting 1-2 finishes. Ultimately, it was Dent’s young crew on JELVIS (pictured here) that won the regatta by
just four point after nine races in what can only be described as an epic week of sailing in 15-30 kt winds from the WSW nearly every day! The fourteen-boat fleet featured seven nations, with six teams from the host country, plus two from the USA, two from the Netherlands, plus teams from Australia, Switzerland, Belgium and Germany. Here is how the regatta went down with reports generously provided by famous UK journalist/ photographer- Louay Habib from Cowes.
Day One- Three Winners Today!The first day produced close one-design racing and the first day did not disappoint, with three different winners, with all races decided by less than 30 seconds.
The event started with three windward-leeward races in the Eastern Solent. The weather was more like the 1st of April than the 1st August, with a cold front arriving in the afternoon, bringing persistent rain and squally conditions. For the first two races, 8-10 knots of wind with a easterly going tide gave a smooth sea state, but the breeze was tending to shift south in the gusts, favoring the left hand side of the track. However, by the third race, the tide had turned and the right hand side came into play and a short Solent chop changed the mix. Principle Race Officer, Bob Milner elected to alter the course and his team did an excellent job of squaring the course after the shift.
Martin Dent's British team racing JELVIS finished the day with a 1-2-2 to lead the regatta; two points clear of Peter Wagner's American team racing SKELETON KEY. Tony Mack's McFLY won the last race of the day to finish in third. Dent commented on their performance, “It was a tricky day today: a cross tide, plenty of shifts and pressure changes. The JELVIS team has put in a lot of training over the last month and so I am pleased with today's results, especially as all the boat handling went well: tacks, gybes, sail changes and a gybe set etc. There were multiple lead changes today and it was yet another day of close, tight one-design racing at its best.”
Tony Mack's McFLY had a great 2015, but 2016 has not been the best year for the team based in Hamble. However, after winning the last race of the day, the highly experienced skipper had a twinkle in his eye. “We have not had a good season so far, a bit of a Mclroy,” commented Tony Mack, referring to the out-of-form golfer. “However today, we just seemed to get things right and, especially, the last race. We rounded the first top mark third and decided to gybe away, which really worked but we still had to work hard, especially with the two course changes. There are a lot of very good sailors in this fleet and we haven't seen all of them perform yet, so I expect there to be a lot of position changes during this regatta. We are pretty happy with our performance today and we hope we can build on that.”
Day Two- Flying Dutchmen win on Big Tuesday!Full on conditions made for some exciting racing on the second day of racing. Gusts of wind topping out at close to 32 knots, and a building sea state, created highly challenging conditions. The Eastern Solent was frothing up all morning and by race-time a full on foam-up created thrilling downwind action for the World Championship fleet. There were broaches a plenty as the teams pushed themselves to the limits.
The Race Committee fired off two windward-leeward races in 20 to 32 kts winds and enormous 3-5 ft chop, conditions that pushed the J/111 crew to their absolute limits. Without question, the best J/111 of the day was Paul van Driel's Dutch team racing SWEENY, who won both races, and were enjoying a pint of Dutch beer in the Pier View Pub in Cowes. “We are so happy today, the big reason for our success was our downwind speed,” commented Paul van Driel. “We carried the A2 and really kept in good control, even at 17 knots, so that was the big difference and big fun as well. Upwind the mainsheet trim was first class, we had good height and speed and the crew really hiked well, especially through the gusts. We have sailed in conditions like this before, which obviously helps. The J/111 worlds is the big deal for us, we have been training all year. There are some fantastic teams here, but nobody beat us today! There is still a long way to go, but we are enjoying the regatta.”
Prior to the start, over night leader, Martin Dent's JELVIS, blew out a spinnaker and having consulted the Jury, returned to shore for a replacement, missing the first race. Paul Griffith's JAGERBOMB suffered a similar breakage during the first race of the day, which put them out for both races. Peter Wagner's SKELETON KEY put in a consistent performance with a 5-2 to lead after the second day. Tony Mack's McFLY scored a 2-4 to move up to second place and JELVIS dropped to third.
“Today we had fun, but challenging conditions. We definitely wanted to enjoy the weather while avoiding a disaster and, thankfully, we managed to do that,” commented Wagner. “Once in a while we get that sort of weather in San Francisco, but today was the very high end of the range, probably the most wind that we have ever sailed the boat in. It gets choppy back at home but this was steeper and tighter than we are used to. It was another competitive day with great racing, a lot of boats put on some good performances. Our boat-handling was not the best today, but hopefully we can get that together. We are halfway through the regatta and we are still in the hunt with two more days to race. We want to put our best foot forward and see if we can finish it well. It is tight racing and that is what you want to see at a World Championship, there are a number of boats that have won races, SWEENY had a great day today and they are not the only team that are sailing very well.”Apart from a proper soaking and a few bumps and bruises, all crew returned to shore safe and sound. You know it's windy when the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute) Lifeboat tows in the Race Committee boat(!), after the engine was submerged for some time. Praise must go to the Island Sailing Club Race Team, for laying on two superb races in atrocious conditions.
Day Three- Leaders Start to EmergeWith the wind speed in the 20 knot zone, it took Bob Milner's Island Sailing Club Race Committee three attempts, and a Black Flag, to get the fleet away for the first race. Peter Wagner's SKELETON KEY unlocked the door to first place with a win in Race 6. In the second race, the wind speed was well into the red zone. A southwesterly buster put the J/111s back in the 30-knot wipe out arena. The last race of the day was a three-hour coastal and despite the strong winds and vicious short chop, less than three minutes separated second from tenth in the race! “Epic” could be the only description for the sunny, windy, very wavy 21nm race.
After seven out of the scheduled nine races, Dent's JELVIS rocked the house with a comeback in Race 7 to take the win and the championship lead from SKELETON KEY. Tony Mack's McFLY took a second on the last race to finish the day in a solid third for the regatta and there was a podium finish for the Chicago trio of Brummel, Henderson and Mayer racing KASHMIR.
Day Four- JELVIS Crowned ChampionThe final day of racing delivered two windward-leeward races in a southwesterly gradient breeze. Once again, enhanced by thermal breeze the wind speed piped up to 24+ knots, giving thrilling conditions to the fleet. In the pre-start to the penultimate race, SKELETON KEY engaged JELVIS, with the two combatants weaving through the fleet. However, SKELETON KEY misjudged the line and arriving early, had to bear away. It was a position that the American team found hard to recover from, ending the race in 10th, which was discarded. Race 8 was won by Mike Mayer's KASHMIR. The team from Chicago became the fifth team to score a bullet. The intensity of the competition saw nine teams out of fourteen make the podium!
JELVIS had a five-point cushion going into the last race, but a poor first beat left JELVIS in 7th while SKELETON KEY took the lead. However, McFLY and KASHMIR, who were both in front of JELVIS, almost simultaneously ripped their spinnakers, and both BLACK DOG and the Australian KESTREL crashed with wraps in their spinnakers halfway down the run, allowing JELVIS to climb the necessary places on the leaderboard to win the Worlds!
“I would like to thank our competitors, the locals we race against all the time, and to all the foreign teams that have come from so far away to compete, especially SKELETON KEY, who pushed us so hard,” commented Dent. “It has been great racing against SKELETON KEY, who never gave up, right until the end and raced so well. A big thank you to my own team, on the boat and off the boat. You have all put a lot of work in and it has paid off!”Behind the two leaders (JELVIS and SKELETON KEY), third place was taken by Tony Mack's McFLY English crew (above), fourth was the Chicago trio on KASHMIR (Brummel, Henderson, Mayer) and fifth place was the Dutch crew on Paul van Driel's SWEENY.
SKELETON KEY’s Peter Wagner (at right) spoke at the end of the Prize Giving about next year's J/111 World Championship. “This has been a great regatta, some of the crew have sailed here once or twice before but we have all had racing in Cowes on our bucket list. There are only a handful of places like this in the world and San Francisco Bay is one of them. Put August 24th in your diaries, the next J/111 Worlds is in San Francisco Bay, hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club, and on behalf of all of the J/111s in North America, we encourage you to come and join us. This year was great racing, and our thanks to the Island Sailing Club RC for that and, hopefully, we can put on as good an event, where it will be a lot sunnier!” Follow the J/111 Worlds on Facebook For more J/111 Garmin World Championship sailing information
Awesome HELLY HANSEN Marblehead NOOD!SAVASANA Wins 70s, ALLEGRO SEMPLICITA Takes 105s, AIR BAGS Pops 24s
(Marblehead, MA)- Over the three-day weekend from July 28th to 31st, the sailors participating in the final event of the highly popular HELLY HANSEN NOOD Regattas were treated to a wide variety of conditions by Boston Yacht Club's experienced RC Committee and PRO's. There were three large J/one-design classes participating- J/70s, J/105s and J/24s.
An outstanding performance was put in by Brian Keane’s J/70 SAVASANA, which finished the series with a second and won by a slim 4 points. SAVASANA’s biggest move was made on Saturday, however, with three race wins. “[On Saturday] it was pretty consistent, the breeze was coming from the right and we worked hard to start up by the boat and actually were able to win the boat almost every race and then head over to the right. And everything happened from there.”On Sunday, he says, “We were consistent, we were quick. I think sometimes we got some lucky breaks but our boat speed was particularly quick this week. All of the NOODs are amazing events. Think about how many boats are here - and it’s not just that, but in the J/70 class there are national champions and world champions, so the competition is huge. Every NOOD that we’ve gone to is a must-go event because of the caliber of the competition. This was excellent.”
The rest of the 28-boat fleet were experiencing pretty wild “chutes & ladders” scorecards. In the end, consistency paid off for Jud Smith’s AFRICA to take second place with 29 pts net. Having to overcome an OCS in race 3, Will Welles’ SCAMP did well to win the last two races to shoot up the ladder into third position with 33 pts. Rounding out the top five was Dave Franzel’s SPRING, taking 4th place despite winning two races. Fifth place went to John Brim’s RIMETTE, also having to overcome an OCS in race three, but otherwise sailing a very consistent series.
Winning the Corinthians’ Division was Stein Skaane’s SHRED, at one point holding on to third place overall on the second day, but posting three double-digit races in a row shredded their ambitions for a top three
overall finish. Second in Corinthians was Alden Reid’s RASCAL and this was Dann Goedkoop’s LOCOMOTION.The sixteen-boat J/105 fleet saw very close racing between a past Marblehead NOOD Champion, Fred deNapoli’s ALLEGRO SEMPLICITA, and Mark & Jolene Masur’s TWO FEATHERS from Fort Worth Boat Club in Fort Worth, TX. Both boats counted double-bullets in their tallies, with deNapoli’s crew winning by three points. With Masur’s TWO FEATHERS in a solid second place, it was a battle for the rest of the top five. Third was Steve Goldberg’s AIR EXPRESS, fourth Ken Bowden’s KNOTLESS and fifth was Ernie Hardy’s JAGUAR.
It was a battle of the SEA BAGS in the J/24 class. For the first two days, Erica Beck Spencer’s SEA BAGS WOMEN’S SAILING TEAM as leading the regatta. However, a strong comeback on the last day of racing by Carter White’s SEA BAGS SAILING TEAM created a tie-breaker scenario with each team sitting on 16 pts each, with White’s crew prevailing over Spencer’s by collecting four 1sts. Third was Mike Taber’s XINGU with 24 pts, fourth John Denman’s AIRDOODLE winning a tie-break over Chris Keimig’s LITTLE MARTHA on 27 pts each. Sailing photo credits- Paul Todd/ Outside Images. For more HELLY HANSEN Marblehead NOOD Regatta sailing information
Moscow Museum Team Wins Russia League IV(Moscow, Russia)- The fourth act of the Russian J/70 sailing league took place on the Konakovo River northwest of Moscow’s famous Red Square and was hosted by the beautiful facilities at the Konakovo River Club. The regatta was attended by twenty-two teams from across Russia; 34 races in total were completed so that each team had a total of twelve races to count.
It was nearly a landslide victory at Stage IV for the Moscow Museum YC; in 12 races they had 9 wins! This is the second consecutive victory in the League for the crew of Alexander Ezhkova, Daniel Odintsov, Valentine Uvarkina, and Alexander Ekimov. At the earlier regattas in Sochi and Moscow, the Museum team was not so successful; however, they have now vaulted into the fifth position in the overall series after winning this past weekend.
Second overall for the weekend was the "Navigator Sailing Team” from Moscow Yacht Club. Igor Rytova, Valeria Zatsarinskogo, Anton Sergeev, and Konstantin Besputin had four race wins in the regatta; the result further secured their lead in the overall sailing league series. Third for the weekend regatta was the team from Yekaterinburg- "Lord of the Sail- Europe” with skipper Vyacheslav Ermolenko. The team from Espona, Russia had solid results in previous regattas and now lay fourth overall in the series.
As a result of their fifth place in Konakovo, the Ost Legal Sailing Team, skippered by Vladimir Lipavsky, are now hanging on to second overall for the series. The team of ARTTUBE placed sixth in Konakovo, but managed to preserve their third overall ranking in the series- their crew included Valeri Kovalenko, Alexander Bozhko, Igor and Sergei Lisovenko Avdonina. Many thanks to League general partner- JSC "United Shipbuilding Corporation”; Fitness League partner- national chain of fitness clubs X-fit; host yacht club - Konakovo River Club; general information partner- Championat.com; general radio partner- Radio Maximum; and the media partners of the project- Match TV, Forbes, Vesti.ru, Sport FM, Yachting Magazine and Vodabereg.ru! For more Russian J/70 Sailing League information
J/Sailors Lovin’ Edgartown Round Island!(Edgartown, MA)— Edgartown Yacht Club’s three-day Edgartown Race Weekend proved to be a solid test for the mix of friends-and-family teams who raced side-by-side with high-profile racers during two days of inshore ‘Round-the-Buoy Races that were followed by the ‘Round-the-Island Race. Weather conditions ran the gamut from sunshine and a nine-12 knot southwesterly breeze on day one, to drenching rain and blustery conditions on day two, and, finally, light air for the start of the 57-mile race around Martha’s Vineyard.
As one sailor described the racing, “we really liked the event, we got a little bit of everything except for heavy air. Every wind angle and some areas with a lot of current and some areas with no current, so we always had a different strategy depending on where we were. We were able to do many sail changes which was great practice, along with sets and douses which is exactly what we need to work on. The wind shifts made us work quickly and we had to be spot on. Since this was a long race for us, I really believe it was it was a great team bonding experience, which was awesome. Edgartown Yacht Club welcomed us in with open arms, and we can't wait to do it next year!”
The event organizers expanded the awards for the ‘Round-the-Island Race to recognize the first through third-place finishers, on corrected time, amongst all J/Boats in all classes. With a strong turnout of sixteen boats, Doug Curtiss’ J/111 WICKED 2.0, placed first among all J/Boats, followed by Eliot Shanabrook of Watertown, Mass., on the J/109 HAFA ADAI, and Stephen McManus of Annapolis, Md., on the J/120 SAYKADOO.In general, J/Teams sailed quite well in the classic Edgartown Round Island Race. In Class 4 PHRF A, taking 2nd was the J/111 WICKED 2.0 (Douglas Curtiss from New Bedford YC), third the J/120 SAYKADOO (Stephen McManus of Annapolis Yacht Club), fifth the J/120 APRES (Stephen Beese) and ninth the J/120 KINDRED SPIRITS (Butch Joy).
J/Crews nearly swept Class 5 PHRF B. Winning was the J/109 HAFA ADAI (Eliot Shanabrook of Marblehead Yacht Club), third was the J/109 RAPTOR (Ed Dailey from Beverly Yacht Club), fourth was the J/105 DARK’N’STORMY (sailed by the trio of Joyce/ Reservitz/ Wagner), fifth was the J/105 PRIMA (Chris Raymond) and sixth was Matt Schmitt’s J/105 HARDTACK.J/Teams swept the top two spots in Class 6 PHRF C. Winning was the J/29 SEEFEST (Ira Perry from New Bedford YC) and second was Steve Dahill’s J/35C RIVA from Beverly YC.
Finally, in the Class 7 PHRF White Sails class, it was Kent Nicholas’ J/42 PANASWA from Red Brook Harbor YC in fourth place and Wesley McMichael’s J/44 BALLYHOO from Beverly YC in fifth place. For more Edgartown Race Weekend sailing information
Fast Santa Barbara to King Harbor Race!(Santa Barbara, CA)- It is just 81.0nm from Santa Barbara to the King Harbor finish line just inside the breakwater near Palos Verdes Peninsula on the western point of Los Angeles. The race is quite simple, sail straight (somewhat) to the first turning mark in the race, the southernmost island in the Channel Islands chain- Anacapa Island. Then, turn left and head to King Harbor. In most years, the strategy is simple, no matter what the forecast tells you, head for Malibu’s Pt Dume promontory as fast as you can nearly due east, then bear off or gybe and go directly to the King Harbor entrance buoy just off Redondo Beach. Despite the apparent simplicity of the race, some can get it horribly wrong. Nevertheless, in most years there are a number of J/crews that manage to do quite well.
In the PHRF A class, we find that Carolyn Parks’ J/145 RADIO FLYER was sixth place. In PHRF B Class, Fred & Suzanne Cottrell’s J/33 TIGGER was third and Tom Cullen’s J/109 FUEGO was fourth, with Jack Mayer’s J/109 ZEPHYR in seventh. For PHRF C Class, it was Kris Helm’s J/30 EGGEMOGGIN that took fourth place.
For the ULDB A Class, it was a trio of the fast west coast flyers- the J/125s- that all finished together to round out the top five. Viggo Torbensen’s J/125 TIMESHAVER was third, followed by Mark Surber’s DERIVATIVE in fourth and Dr Laura Schlessinger’s WARRIOR placed fifth. Then, in ULDB B Class, Doug & Jack Jorgensen’s J/111 PICOSA was fourth place and Glen Griley’s STAMPEDE was ninth. For more Santa Barbara to King Harbor Race sailing information
J/Teams Dominate LO-300!J/33 WEE BEASTIE Crushes Scotch Bonnet Race!
(Port Credit, ONT, Canada)- This year’s Lake Ontario 300 Challenge proved to be one of the classic challenges in the history of the race. One of the slogans used to promote this race was a guarantee of high winds, low winds, head winds, aft winds, cross winds and no winds! And, in this year’s edition, hosted by Port Credit YC, that all happened to provide challenging conditions on both the Scotch Bonnet (200 nautical mile) and the Main Duck (300 nautical mile) courses. These conditions were matched with amazing night sailing, or drifting as the case may be, under a full moon and warm conditions.
Light winds at the start provided a long spinnaker run after rounding the Humberview Mark (the first mark after the start) that then proceeded to die after the sun set. Boats that followed meteorologist Ron Bianchi’s advice and staying in shore were blessed with slightly better winds and were rewarded. Sunday morning the winds slowly filled in from behind which kept the fleet relatively tighter than year’s before on both courses. As the day progressed and yachts on the Main Duck Course came up to Main Duck Island the storm front produced severe winds with some of the toughest waves possible on this lake. Scotch Bonnet Racers got hit with the bulk of the storm that came through late Sunday giving them high winds, waves and rain to round Scotch Bonnet Rock and head to Niagara. Sustained winds through Sunday evening and most of the day Monday meant long tacks into the Niagara R2 Buoy. As the day progressed the winds settled to easterly and the waves settled into a manageable rhythm that continued to settle into the evening. Boats in the middle of the lake and further back in the fleet were treated to steady winds. The return trip from Niagara to PCYC varied with the time of rounding, but winds came up out of the north and held overnight. Light winds.
The Scotch Bonnet fleet finished on Monday along with a few of the larger boats who were competing on the Main Duck Course. Most MDC course boats finished on Tuesday and some on Wednesday under brutally light conditions again. In general, J/crews did incredibly well in the race with such a wide variety of conditions.
The J/133 HOT WATER skippered by John McLeod won the Main Duck Island IRC 1 class by over an hour over some of the most respected offshore sailors on Lake Ontario. Similarly, in the MDC- IRC 2 Class, the J/35 JAEGER skippered by Leszek Siek took second in their class, just missing out on their class win by just 45 minutes. Murray Gainer’s J/109 LIVELY again won here class in MDC PHRF FC 1 by over three hours corrected time- a stunner of a win! Then, the sole J/crew sailing the Scotch Bonnet course, the J/33 WEE BEASTIE co-owned by Sean Matthews and Jim MacIntyre won SBC PHRF 1 Class and Overall! Here is the story from the WEE BEASTIE boys:
“With a short crew of just three, including fellow Highland Yacht Club member (Brad Dent) the J/33 formerly known as “Daybreak”, was put through her paces as she faced a variety of wind conditions including the most ideal lake breezes of 8-10 knots to absolute calm to gusting winds of 25-30 knots.
In the Non-flying Sails division, WEE BEASTIE III had to cover roughly 300nm non-stop around the eastern two thirds of Lake Ontario, starting at Port Credit Yacht Club, rounding a little stinky piece of bird guano-covered rock known as Scotch Bonnet Island off Prince Edward County, across the lake length-wise over to Niagara and back to Port Credit.Off the start at about 11:00 AM, Saturday, July 16, the winds were light to moderate, which WEE BEASTIE III just ate up and she was ahead of Sula Sula, a C&C 115 that rates roughly 20 sec/mile faster than her, during most of the transit to Scotch Bonnet Island. The wind completely died mid-morning Sunday but, thanks to wind and current updates and reports from shore team Bonnie Reib and Jennifer Overbury, WEE BEASTIE III was able to take advantage of a 1.5kn current and light breeze near shore that pushed her well ahead of Sula Sula.
Mid-morning Sunday, the rounding of Scotch Bonnet Island seemed to take forever and anyone who has sailed anywhere near the island will know very well of the horrible stench that wafts downwind from the bird-covered bit of rock. After finally getting clear of Scotch Bonnet, the trip over to Niagara saw continually building wind as the J/33 just cooked along the rhumb line at a steady 7-8 kts.
Then, a few miles east of the Niagara Buoy, the wind really picked up. Just after nightfall, a steady 20-25 kt wind filled in that had shifted to directly on the nose. On starboard, the newly building chop was manageable, being mostly on the beam, but port tack was madness as the boat slammed into waves that were straight on the bow and barely a boat length apart. It seemed to take forever to get to that mark. By now, the crew had reduced sail to just the #3 alone and the boat was still doing 5-6 kts upwind. If they could just get around the Niagara buoy, they could bear off and reach back across the lake to Port Credit. It seemed to take forever. By now, it was well into night, but an almost full moon at least provided enough light to see the really bad waves before the boat hit them. Still, not much to do but slam into them and hold tight. The crew had long since lost sight of their nearest competition, Sula Sula.
Finally, they rounded the Niagara mark and turned toward Port Credit. The wind was still a steady 22-25 kts and the boat was cooking along under just the #3 at about 7 kts. With the moonlight, the crew could see building clouds to the west. There had been forecasts of unsettled weather, as a low front was expected along with a strong jet stream. Sure enough, they started to see lightning. So, they just hoped that they could outrun the now-building storm as they headed north while the storm headed east. It was a big one. Lightning lit up the clouds from top to bottom as the J/33 flew across the lake. Fortunately, the storm skirted further south and helmsman Sean Matthews was saved from that ever-nagging, “What the heck do you do if that sucker comes right over you?”
At some point during the night, the wind had subsided to the point where the crew decided to hoist the main. In the meantime, a boat had crept up to their leeward quarter in the dark, but was now only able to hold her position once WEE BEASTIE III got the main up. So, who was this mysterious boat? None other than Sulu Sula! Sure enough, as daylight came up, the crew of WEE BEASTIE III could make out the unmistakable stripes along the side of the big C&C 115. The two boats now made a “bee line” for the finish, flying across the lake at a steady 7.0+ kts on a close reach.
Right up until the finish, about 48 hours after the start, WEE BEASTIE III fought a good fight with Sula Sula, but unfortunately gave up line honours in the last kilometre of the 300nm race. Nevertheless, the C&C 115 owed them plenty of time and WEE BEASTIE III took first in division and first in fleet for the Scotch Bonnet Race!” For more Lake Ontario 300 Race sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* J/88 Chicago-Mackinac Race report- One to Remember! “Veni, vidi, vici”! Read about how Scott & Sean Grealish from Portland, Oregon came, saw and conquered the Chicago-Mac race sailing their beautiful navy blue colored J/88- BLUE FLASH. Here is Scott’s report:“You never what you're going to get for weather in Chicago, except that if you don't like it just wait a few hours and it will change. In each of the seven days before the start our GRIB downloads were giving us a different forecast, with everything between drifters and breeze, sun and rain, and all compass points getting a fair shot at bringing wind to carry the crew of J/88 BLUE FLASH north on their first Chicago Mackinac race.
But if looking forward is unpredictable, so too is looking back. What will our team of two experienced" (older) and three teenaged sailors remember in 20 years about our "dream" Mac? It might be the attack of the moths at Grey's Reef in the fog, while ghosting under the Code Zero making wind speed at 2.8 knots. Or, maybe the inches of rain (per minute!) that gave new meaning to "letterbox" drop as the waterfall created by our loose footed main found the gap in my foulies, setting up the next 24 hours as an epically wet Mac Race for me personally (a sentiment shared by most of the fleet!). Surely, we won't forget the dramatic and perfectly executed rescue by the team of "City Girl" who took on all 10 crew from the sinking, rudderless One Design 48 in the Manitou Passage, under gusty 25+ conditions (photo here at right).For myself, a Chicago native returning home from the West Coast after 30 years to sail again in fresh water, I think the memories will be more of feelings than moments. There's the feeling of closing your eyes laying on a lumpy code zero in wet clothes after 38 hours awake, not really awake or asleep, just "taking a break". The feeling of accomplishment just sweating the details to make the start (and I mean literally drenched in sweat in the hot, humid and windless harbor getting the boat together). The feeling of having the support of so many: Pack the boat up for the Mac? SDBoatworks! Add XM weather for the thunderstorms, expedition, Sat phone, second battery? Artie Means! Trailer 2,000+ miles and put her together again? Ken Cox (Uship) and the guys at Crowleys! Replacing the kite we blew out in time for the Mac? Kerry Poe at North Sails Oregon!
The feeling of being home again, with my entire extended family sailing out of Belmont (thank you Chicago YC!) in the days before the race, remembering my father who gave me the greatest gift ever letting me find my own way in his old Cal 28 as a teen roaming all over Lake Michigan. The feeling of pride in our teenage crew who met the challenges with the energy and enthusiasm only reserved for the youth. Imagine this: 20+ sail changes, peeling kites, iterating from zeros to jibs to kites and round again? Sure! Sleeping on the rail in the pouring rain? No problem! Dodging thunderstorms all night surrounded by such intense lightning the mast was literally buzzing with static temporarily "frying" our wind instruments? Scary! But ready for that "letterbox" and all sail down! Surviving on bars, trail mix, Gatorade and freeze dried "food"? "Anyone else hungry?" " You just ate!" " Yeah, but...". Teenaged boys.The greatest feeling? How about surfing for much of the race, often 15+ knots without a single wipeout, nor a missed gybe? The J/88 is an incredible offshore boat!
But what about our crew? Amazing! What else is there to say when you can hand over the helm to someone like my longtime friend Kerry Poe (North Sails Oregon) in 20 to 25 kts with the big kite up and you just know he's going to make the boat go faster!
Not a missed gybe? Yeah, seriously. Our Portland-based kids included John Ped, heading to MIT next year, but "owning" the bow here and now! His right hand man was my nephew Nick DelGuidice, recruited days before the race, sailing the Mac as literally his first time on a sailboat!! Iron stomach as our "cook", handy with a fire extinguisher (OK, so the Jetboil setup was my bad, but hey who knew the overhead would be so fire resistant without a liner?), and able to memorize and copy moves at a glance on the fly (not the classic "see one, do one, teach one" but more "do one, do two, ask later what the heck we just did"). And, how about my own son Sean? The youngest crew, and soon to be part of Oakcliff Sailing in their Offshore program, he was truly my right hand man. A versatile sailor, he drove and navigated, during the race and in the weeks prior learned tons about Expedition software, weather, routing, polars, sail charts and more. Most important, he kept us just conservative enough that first night in the squally thunderstorms to stay in touch with eventual second placed J/88 Rambler who challenged us the entire race, yet avoid any drama.
Speaking of dramatic, how cool was it to be 12 hours into the 300 mile long Mac and still be sailing with all three J/88s, Rambler, Blue Flash, and Slot Machine in a row (photo at right)! Only the BBQ on Mac Island after the race beat that moment, as that is a fun group of sailors that know how to sail hard and throw a killer after party!!!The last word on my 2016 Mac has to go to the boat itself. Almost two years ago, I bought my J/88 thinking mostly about sailing with family for fun. Fast forward, and we have quickly had to clear more space on our mantle piece over the fireplace with wins in the Rum Runner and two Newport Ensenada Races, seconds in the Spinnaker Cup, Islands Race, and California Offshore Week, and now the big section win in the Mac! Knowing fully well my own limitations as a racing sailor only reinforces my belief that I've been lucky to race with terrific crew on a terrific boat!
The J/88 is slippery in the light and wicked fast once it hits 18+ kts TWS. It's just big enough to sail offshore, yet small enough to trailer behind a pickup. Our favorite strategy (besides sail fast fast in the right direction) so far is going upwind at 55mph (highway VMG is good stuff!) and downwind at 15 knots offshore! We've been fortunate enough to sail for wins, yet everything is small enough that we can take youth out and introduce them to offshore racing without worrying about the loads and safety issues. What more can I ask from a boat? Just that it keeps bringing us those great memories!”
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.
