New J/121 Offshore Speedster Update(Newport, RI)- The shape of offshore speed continues to evolve at the Symmetrix facility in Bristol, Rhode Island. If you recall, their amazing 5-axis CNC milling machine took just 2.5 days of actual “carving” to produce the sweet lines of the J/121 hull plug to the initial tolerance of 0.1mm (100 microns)! You can revisit that time-lapse video here.
The next step in the process was coating the hull with fairing epoxy for yet one more pass with the CNC 5-axis head, a finish that is equivalent to #36 grit sandpaper. The next step was spraying the hull with the black “finish” epoxy; this will get hand-sanded and buffed to #800 mirror-like smoothness. Then, the hull plug is prepped to make tooling for the boat. Stay tuned!
The excitement is building for the most innovative 40 footer yet from the J/Design team. Nearly a dozen enthusiasts have committed to getting their 121 to sail in many of the world’s famous offshore races- Fastnet, RORC 600, Bermuda, Chicago-Mackinac, Transpac, Halifax, Pineapple Cup and so forth. The concept of “less is more” for crew is resonating with many experienced offshore sailors! Learn more about the innovative J/121 Offshore Speedster here
Order Your 2017 J/Calendar Today!
(Newport, RI)- A sailing calendar is a great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew. Order yours today and get it in time for the New Year!
For 2017, we have created another beautiful calendar for J sailors who love the joys of sailing a J in some of the most spectacular harbors and waters of the world. Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in far away places.
The 2017 sailing calendar features J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, J/88, J/105s, J/111s, J/112E and J/65 sailing in many of the worlds most popular sailing areas- Cowes, Newport, San Francisco Bay, The Netherlands, France, Italy, Monaco and French Polynesia in the Pacific! See the gorgeous photo gallery and order your 2017 J/Sailing Calendar here.
Helly Hansen NOOD Regattas Announcement(Newport, RI)– In 2017, Sailing World magazine’s annual racing circuit, the National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta Series, will revisit the country’s top sailing destinations for another five-stop series, culminating in a tropical championship regatta.
For the third consecutive year, HELLY HANSEN— a global leader in technical sailing apparel with more than 135 years of experience protecting professionals on the water— will continue as title sponsor for the elite sailing series. The Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Series will return to:
- St. Petersburg, Fla.: Feb. 17-19, St. Petersburg Yacht Club
- San Diego, Calif.: March 17-19, San Diego Yacht Club and Coronado Yacht Club
- Annapolis, Md.: May 5-7, Annapolis Yacht Club
- Chicago, Ill.: June 9-11, Chicago Yacht Club
- Marblehead, Mass.: July 27-30, Corinthian Yacht Club
“Helly Hansen is excited to continue its partnership with a regatta series as strong as the NOOD Regatta,” said Brian Leslie, Watersports Sales Director at Helly Hansen. “The events are a major way for us to connect with sailors, and seeing the fleets grow—as well as youth participation with programs like the Junior Crew— is great.”
Operating since 1988, Sailing World’s National Offshore One Design Regattas, known as the “NOODs,” are the longest-running and most popular sailboat racing series in North America. Thousands of sailors aboard hundreds of race boats competed in the 2016 NOOD season; a vast majority of them are J sailors that participate in J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, J/88s, J/105s, J/111s, J/120s and more in the PHRF divisions.
Every NOOD regatta attracts regional, national and international talent to compete against the local community on their home waters. Registration opens approximately two months prior to each race. For more HELLY HANSEN NOOD Regatta sailing information
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
As we approach the end of the calendar year 2016 and the holidays, we still find some intrepid adventurers out on the water enjoying the best the sea has to offer. In Europe, some practice racing is taking place in J/80s in the Netherlands and Germany. Down on the Mediterranean, those lucky souls who are smart enough to head south from northern Europe have found epic sailing conditions, often with sun, lots of breeze, big waves and lots of opportunities to socialize with friends. The Italian J/24 winter series had several events across their peninsula- from Trieste in the east to several in the west- Elba (Portoferraio), Taranto and Marina di Carrera (yes, that famous marble place!). Off to their west, the YC Monaco hosted the second act of their J/70 Monaco Winter Sportsboat Series for a huge fleet from across Europe.Over in the Americas, the first of the three Quantum J/70 Winter Series events took place at Davis Island YC on Tampa Bay. For the first time in recent years, the fleet was treated to two most excellent days of sailing!
Further south in the Americas, they are not sailing “winter” series! In fact, the Chilean J/105 crews had lots of sunshine, breeze, and huge waves! They sailed their final regatta of their Spring Series off Valparaiso, Chile, the second largest city in the country, located about 70 miles NW of the capitol city of Santiago. Valparaiso is famous for its funiculars, wildly creative street art, and an artist colony that has created very colorful neighborhoods of pastel-colored houses perched high on seaside cliffs!
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:
Jan 7-8- Quantum J/70 Winter Series II- Tampa, FLJan 15-23- Quantum Key West Regatta- Key West, FL
Feb 4-5- Quantum J/70 Winter Series- Tampa, FL
Feb 10-12- J/24 Midwinters- Indian Harbour Beach, FL
Feb 17-19- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Petersburg, FL
Feb 23-26- J/70 Midwinters- St Petersburg, FL
Mar 9-11- Bacardi Miami Sailing Week- Coconut Grove, FL
Mar 17-19- San Diego NOOD Regatta- San Diego, CA
April 20-23- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
May 5-7- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
Battle Royale @ Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series II(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- The final day of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series regatta was intense with the J/70 fleet completing four races. Now in its fourth season, this series of regattas organized from October to March by the Yacht Club de Monaco, in collaboration with clothing supplier SLAM, have been given new impetus with the arrival of the massive fleet of European sailors participating in the J/70 class- the world’s fastest growing and largest sportboat class.
In this dynamic international class, where women and men, young and old alike, compete on an equal level, thirty-four teams from eleven nationalities saw a wide open battle for the top of the leaderboard, with only five points separating the first six boats!! Monaco continues to smile on the Italian Luca Domenici (skipper of the NOTARO Team), crowned European Champion at YC Monaco in 2015. Domenici was fast out of the starting blocks, posting a 4-1 on the first day and led the fleet going into Sunday’s racing. However, their feverish pace diminished somewhat as their 6-9 tally at the conclusion of racing gave them just a one point win!
“The Russians are coming, the Russians are coming!” That amusing refrain was part of a Cold War movie comedy about Americans reacting to a beached Russian submarine off the fishing village of Gloucester, MA. In the case of the J/70 class at the Monegasque winter series, it’s not only the Russians coming ashore, it’s the Swiss, British, Germans, Italians and Brazilians that are flying around in waves of brilliant sailing! Perhaps the most remarkable story evolving at this year’s event is, in fact, about a Russian! A Russian woman, at that! For the second Act running, the top women sailor was Russia’s Valerya Kovalenko, skippering her ARTTUBE into second overall. In fact, after three races, her smokin’ hot 3-3-1 record was leading the fleet. Unfortunately, her team took an uncharacteristic 14th place in the last race to lose the regatta by just one point; but, more importantly, it was good enough to break a tie-breaker over Charles Thompson’s British crew racing BRUTUS- the winners of the last race! Valerya certainly did not make it easy on herself, but apparently was quite elated with the outcome! Starting off slowly on the first day, Thompson’s British team were pretty far down the leaderboard at the start of Sunday’s racing. Nevertheless, after sailing an amazing 3-1 to wind up the series, Team BRUTUS from Royal Southern YC were ecstatic with nearly pulling off a bid for the overall win!
With three different nations representing the top three, it’s fitting two more rounded out the top five. What is notable is that “sailing league” participants in the dozen-plus European countries are going up a very, very steep learning curve. Evidence of that were the Swiss team performances; with Fredrik Hedlund’s AGERA 3 from Buchillon YC sailing to an extremely consistent scoreline of 5-6-7-5 for 23 pts, the only boat to have all single-digit finishes in the entire fleet. Fellow countryman, Stephane Meylan from Société Nautique de Geneve, sailed CER 3 APROTEC into 6th overall, just 2 pts back! Taking fourth place was the Brazilian team on MANDACHUVA, skippered by Mario Soerensen-Garcia from YC Rio de Janeiro.
The 2015 European Vice-Champion, Stefano Roberti’s PICCININA, was the leader of the Monegasque armada (comprising 11 entrants) by finishing 8th place. The top German team was Jan Nurnberger’s Bayerischer YC crew on UNITED DOMAINS, taking 13th place.
The next Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series regatta is 13-15 January 2017. For many, their New Year’s resolutions for 2017 will be to secure top step of the podium at the famous Primo Cup-Trophée Credit Suisse (2-5 February 2017). For more YC Monaco Winter Sportsboat Series sailing information
Kullman Dominant @ Quantum J/70 Winter Series I(Tampa, FL)- Fifty-four J/70 teams traveled to Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, Florida for the first event of the 2016-2017 Quantum J/70 Winter Series on December 10th and 11th. Basking in sunshine and breeze between 10-18 knots for seven races, Marty Kullman and Tom Bowen’s REACH AROUND finished strong with three straight bullets to secure the weekend victory with 13 points.
It was a tough fleet and the forecasted breezes, surprise surprise, actually filled in on the notoriously fickle Tampa Bay for most of the weekend. The Davis Island YC’s PRO took full advantage of their good fortune, pumping out seven quick races with speed and surgical precisions. The sailors were enthusiastic, raced hard, and virtually every mark rounding, as has become customary in tight J/70 class racing, saw teams living with “snakes & ladders” mark rounding positions every race.
There were several “storybook” performances in this event, notable for yet another top woman skipper’s performance, but also for the number of new faces from across the American landscape that finished at the top of the leaderboard. Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE crew from Fort Worth, TX was the only team to sail all top 7 races to take 2nd overall. The top women helm was Darby Smith’s AFRICA from Eastern YC in Marblehead, MA, taking third overall. A Chicago-based team that sails on Lake Michigan took fourth place, Mike Whitford’s RIP RULLAH from Columbia YC. Then, David Kerr’s crew from Edgewater YC in Cleveland, OH took fifth position. 
The winner of the “Old Man of the Sea” Award (top skipper over 60) at the 2016 J/70 Worlds in San Francisco, CA, the Cayman Islands Sailing Club’s Peter Cunningham, sailed his POWERPLAY into 11th overall in the talented fleet, posting a 3rd in one race Saturday and a 2nd in the last race Sunday! The 23-boat Corinthian division was topped by Andrew Loe’s TBD from Seattle YC with 84 pts. Second was Bryan Cameron’s B-SQUARED from Sayville YC and third was Rob Britts’ HOT MESS from host Davis Island YC. The balance of the top five included Andrew Fisher’s BUTTON FLY in 4th and Frank McNamara’s CHINOOK in 5th.
The next events for the Quantum J/70 Winter Series are January 7-8, 2017 and the finale is February 4-5, 2017. For more Quantum J/70 Winter series sailing information
GRAND SLAM Crowned J/105 Chilean Champion(Valparaiso, Chile)- The 2016 Chilean J/105 National Championship was sailed at Higuerillas Yacht Cub, located in Con-Con Bay, from November 26 to 27th. It was a significant milestone for HYC to host the event! Back in August 2015, the HYC was heavily damaged in a storm that was originally forecasted to be a minor gale, but instead spun-up into hurricane-force winds that mercilessly pounded Chile’s Pacific shoreline with massive 15-20 foot waves. The Valparaiso/ Con-Con area was devastated, virtually destroying all buildings at the yacht club, including many boats on moorings and on-shore. Three 40 footers sank that day and one 54 foot sport fishing boat was totally destroyed by waves on the rocky shoreline.
What a metamorphosis to behold! After a year and a half, the Higuerillas YC is standing again! The club members welcomed the big fleet of twelve J/105s with open arms and red carpet treatment that went above and beyond everyone’s expectations. Six teams were from Algarrobo and six came from the Valparaíso/ Higuerillas area.On Saturday, the fleet was treated to four races, with winds up to 20 kts from the south. The crews worked hard in the tricky, shifty winds to sail consistent and fast. Downwind, the teams had fun surfing down ginormous 10-12 ft waves! Big grins and “war-whoops” were heard on every downwind run!
On Sunday, the sailor’s prayers were answered, but a bit too much of the famous Chilean “vino rojo” must have been offered to Neptune and the Wind Gods! The teams woke up Sunday morning to even more ginormous waves and even stronger winds! With steady breezes in the 25-30 kts range, gusting higher (and forecast to get even stronger), plus waves cresting over 15 feet, the fleet realized it was going to be impossible to sail any race. As is Chilean tradition, a fabulous Sunday brunch and awards presentation took place instead, much to the delight of the many kids that were sailing and Mom’s and Dad’s that were looking forward to well-deserved R&R after the four tough races on Saturday!
The clear winner was declared, with Chile’s National Champion J/24 sailor, Patricio Seguel, guiding the appropriately-named GRAND SLAM to a comfortable win with a 1-3-1-1 record for 6 pts total. They were chased hard around the race track by yet another Chilean J/24 champion sailor- Vernon Robert skippering ARCHIMEDES. Robert won the second race, but simply could not match the combination of speed, crew work and brilliant tactics on GRAND SLAM; settling for the silver with a 2-1-3-2 tally for 8 pts. While the top two boats were battling for the overall lead, just behind them it was “clear as mud” who was going to grab the final spot on the podium. It was a three-way slam-dancing contest between Miguel Perez’s RECLUTA, Martin Baeza’s UTOPIA, and Jose Manuel Ugarte’s SCIMITAR. After the dance floor was cleared, the teams were just three points apart. Starting out strongly with a 3-2 was Perez’s RECLUTA in a bid to be at the top of the heap overall. However, their last two races clearly saw both mental and physical fatigue set in, as their 4-9 closing tally was just enough to score the bronze medal with a total of 18 pts. The other two teams were riding their own roller-coaster up and down the standings. In the end, both posted top three scores in their records, but it was Baeza’s UTOPIA that finished with 19 pts to Ugarte’s SCIMITAR with 21 pts to round out the top five.
The Chilean J/105 fleet now prepares for the central circuit that will be run from February 22 to 28th. Fifteen boats are expected for the summer’s final week of racing! That is an amazing turn-out for their final regatta in Puerto Montt- the largest fishing village/ town that is closest to the famous Cape Horn at the tip of South America. It also enjoys being the jumping-off point for many cruising boats that explore the extraordinary Chilean Archipelago of Patagonia!
Italian J/24 Winter Series Reports(Rome, Italy)- The Italian J/24 class continues to enjoy a loyal following in many of the Peninsula’s famous seaports on the Mediterranean. Fleet activity takes place in Trieste and Cervia on the east coast on the Adriatic; in Taranto on the “heel” of Italy on the south coast; on the west coast are Anzio & Nettuno (Rome), Porto Rotondo (Sardinia), La Maddalena (Sardinia), Portoferraio (Elba), Livorno (Tuscany), Marina di Carrara (Tuscany, famous for marble!), Porto Santo Stefano (Tuscany), Portofino (Genoa); and, finally, in the “Lakes District” in the north are Mandello del Lario (Lake Como and home of Moto Guzzi motorcycles), Lecco (Lake Como), Lago di Caldonazzo (Trento), and Castelletto di Brenzone (Lake Garda). Here are the latest updates in some of those winter series.
TARANTO
Three good races marked the second event of the Winter Championship in Taranto. The races were well-organized out in the bay by the Ondabuena Academy Sailing Cub; Molo Sant’Eligio assisted them from the local Italian Navy base.
"By the second event, the Winter Championship in Taranto came alive! Joining the fleet were Massimo Ruggiero’s CANARINO FEROCE and Leonardo Cappelluti’s crew,” commented Nino Soriano, skipper of JEBEDEE. “It was perfect weather conditions, a sunny day with a fresh northeast wind around 11-12 kts. The regatta PRO was smart and provided the fleet short courses in the shifty winds blowing offshore from the mountains to the north of us.”
After sailing three fairly tight races, it was Thomas De Bellis Vitti’s FIVE FOR FIGHTING J that established an early lead on the fleet and never relinquished their position. As a result, after five races in the Taranto winter series, they are leading by two points over Soriano’s JEBEDEE. Sitting in third for the series is Marcello Bellacicca’s MARBEA.
PORTOFERRAIOOn the beautiful island of Elba, the J/24 fleet sails out of the historic port of Portoferraio on the northeastern side of the island. The second event of the Elba Winter Cup was a fun one, a challenge for the crews as the course consisted of a 7.0nm windward-leeward course, sailing out of the Bay and out to a sea-buoy and back into the finish line. Participants included teams from several historical seaports, including Marciana Marina and Porto Azzuro.
According the organizers, “Despite the light and shifty winds, it was a great show to see the boats sail between Scoglietto and the Gulf offshore, the fleet was visible from the promenade in front of the fortress all day. Simply beautiful! We hope everyone had a wonderful time socializing and enjoying our wonderful wines at Restaurant PIER G!”
Once again, it was Enrico Gambelunghe’s BE-BEEF that led the fleet home after their gorgeous sail. Marco Cardenti’s STELLA POLARE in second place and Marco Marmeggi’s ZIO CELESTE in third position followed them home.
MARINA DI CARRARA
After the opening round was lost due to the complete absence of wind, the Club Nautico Marina di Carrara in collaboration with the Circolo della Vela Marina di Massa, were really hoping to deliver a nice weekend of racing for the ten J/24 crews that were in attendance. In the end, the PRO managed to run two windward-leeward races on Saturday in the light northerly winds that had started at 8 kts in the morning and slowly diminished all day. Sunday was not much better, with just one more race completed.
Race victories were scored by Pietro Diamanti’s JAMAICA (he is the Italian J/24 Class President) and Italian Navy sailor, Vetrugno Carmine, who skippered EUTERPE.
The provisional rankings for the weekend showed that JAMAICA was leading with 4 pts, followed by EUTERPE in 2nd place with 6 pts, Giuseppe Diamanti’s SON OF RABBIT in 3rd position with 8 pts, Roberta Banfo’s TALLY HO in 4th with 9 pts and the young woman skipper, Eugenia De Giacomo, placing 5th skippering TAKE IT EASY.
TRIESTE
The Italian Navy Sailing Club (Trieste section) hosted the XII International Christmas J/24 Match Race regatta in Trieste this past weekend. Teams from nine countries (Italy, Russia, England, Estonia, France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia) participated for a weekend of racing in a Grade 3 World Sailing match race event aboard J/24s.
The President of the Italian Navy Sailing Cub Trieste, Pierpaolo Scubini, pulled together a strong team to manage and conduct the event. The world-class race committee included the Slovenian David Bartol as PRO and the Chief Umpire was the Frenchman Jean-Pierre Cordonnier. Their teamwork was almost flawless in its execution. Over 19 flights of races were run in very demanding weather conditions over three days, with two Semi-final round robins and the Finale on Sunday.
The first day of racing on Friday was tough on everyone. The wind was oscillating between 3 to 5 kts and the wind direction kept changing significantly. In the end, just two flights were held that day.
Saturday dawned with much better conditions. With a north to northeast wind at 5 to 10 kts, the PRO managed to “catch up” the entire rotation and rounds for everyone.
Sunday’s sailing ended with a typical “Borino” breeze between 6 and 10 knots, which allowed the event to complete the semifinals and finals.
In the finale match, it was champion Austrian sailor, Christian Binder, that had the boats and the breeze figured out. Using his skills as a tactician in the extremely competitive RC44 circuit, Binder overcame Frenchman Simon Bertheau to win the overall title. Third place went to the Italian team of Rocco Attili and fourth position went to the Slovenian Bojan Rajar.
A special feature of this 12th edition of the regatta was that all races were run with the “New” match racing rules that will take effect in 2017.
Pierpaolo Scubini commented, “This was a beautiful event. The competition was outstanding amongst the field of eleven crews from eight European nations. For us, it was great satisfaction to be able to see sailors come from Russia, England and other countries and enjoy the tight combat of match racing in one-design J/24s!”
“We are very happy to be here in Trieste and win this XII International Christmas J/24 Match Race. We have been here before and we knew how difficult it was to race in this regatta. On Friday, we were lucky to not lose the field, because the light winds were difficult for us to manage. On Saturday and Sunday, we sailed well and we closed with this victory. I really like Trieste and the club and its volunteers run an amazing event,” exclaimed the winner- the Austrian Christian Binder. For more Italian J/24 class sailing information
Italian 2017 J/24 National Circuit Update(Rome, Italy)- While many Winter Championships are providing J/24 crews across the peninsula some great racing, the Italian J/24 class is beginning to outline the stages of the 2017 National Circuit.
The proposed circuit will be divided into seven stages from late March to mid-November. Several new innovations will be incorporated into the series in terms of dates and locations. Here is the schedule:
- Mar 31- Apr 2- Trofeo Golfo Anzio & Nettuno- Nettuno/ Roma- YC Nettuno
- Apr 23-25- Regata Nazionale- Livorno- Lega Navale Livorno
- May 25-28- Campionato Nazionale- La Maddalena- Lega Navale di La Maddalena
- Sep 16-17- Regata Nazionale- Brenzone- Circolo Nautico Brenzone
- Oct 14-15- Regata Nazionale- Cervia- Circolo Nautico Amici della Vela
- Oct 28-29- Interlaghi- Lecco- Canottieri Lecco
- Nov 18-19- Coppa Italia- Taranto- Lega Navale Taranto
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* What are the ingredients for one-design class success? Here is Terry McLaughlin’s commentary on why the J/105 has been fun to sail for him, his family and friends. Terry has earned his place at the pinnacle of Canadian sailing: Olympic medalist, Pan American Medalist, World Champion, Canada’s Cup winner, America’s Cup skipper, and so on. When Terry goes racing today, you’ll find him in the J/105 class. Why? Read on:J/105: This North American Championship had one of the highest attendances in many years. What keeps a 25-year-old boat like the J/105 relevant in 2016?
TM: I often comment that the J/105 is a great and comfortable boat to sail. Unlike a lot of boats, I find it very nice to race on whether you are at the back of the boat, in the middle or up front. I like the fact that you can go down below and comfortably sit or lie down when waiting for races to start. It is not a modern foiling multihull, but speeds between boats are similar and that provides close racing.
J/105: The breeze was on for all seven races. In those circumstances, what is the most important factor during the start? Upwind? Downwind?
TM: In the NAs this year, we had good breeze and big waves on the first day and then quite strong, gusty winds with less waves on the weekend. On Friday, there was little wind, and we didn’t quite complete the one race that was started. In the breeze and current, having a good idea of exactly where the starting line is was key. It was important to have a bowman who was good at getting transits on land and being able to use those transits in the large fleet. We also put a lot of emphasis on getting good pings with our Velocitek ProStart. This always gave us a good idea of how far back from the line we were. Upwind in the breeze, it was important to have the headstay as straight as possible, and when necessary move the jibs leads back enough so that we didn’t lose the mainsail. Downwind in the puffy conditions, it was important to move the crew weight fore and aft depending on whether the puff was on or not, and always have someone with a hand on the vang, especially coming out of a gybe. As we learned in race six, it is also important not to allow both spinnaker sheets to wrap themselves around the same winch in a heavy air gybe!!
J/105: You also won the North Americans in Toronto two years ago, which was more of a light air regatta. What are the ideal conditions for a J/105?TM: The J/105 is more of a challenge in the light air, as it is somewhat of an underpowered boat. The first thing we did when we bought Mandate is to switch over from wheel to tiller steering. I think there is much more feel in the light air with a tiller. When the breeze is on, the boats come alive. The good thing is that, as the fleet proved in Larchmont, most crews can handle the boat in 20-30 knots of wind.
J/105: Many Classes seem to struggle with attracting youth and women sailors. What can the J/105 Class do to better appeal to those demographics?
TM: We might not be the best example of a coed crew. Perhaps it is the name of our boat that keeps us usually as a male crew. There are quite a few women in the fleet in Toronto, including two woman skippers. The Class crew weight limit promotes lighter crew members on boats when the crew includes some big guys. Lighter can often mean female or youth, both of which are good for the Class. In Toronto, it is the most competitive one-design fleet, so that does attract younger sailors.
J/105: Do you prefer to have a throw-out race when a certain amount of races has been completed? Why or why not?
TM: It is my belief that in a lengthy series like the NA’s where 11 races were scheduled, having a throw-out after six or seven races have been completed makes sense. It is one thing to reward consistency, but having your regatta score ruined by one breakdown, OCS or just an off race can leave a bad taste in one’s mouth.
J/105: The J/105 Class has detailed Rules limiting sail tag purchases and professional sailors. Did that play a role in why you got involved with the Class? Do these Rules sustain the Class or are they restricting it?
TM: I think the sail restriction and Category 1 rules are good for the Class. They both assist in controlling the cost of campaigning a J/105. I am not sure that my boat partner Rod Wilmer and I would have bought into the Class if we thought it was going to be any sort of an arms race to be competitive! We Canadians have to make every dollar work without losing our shirts, you know? If Stu J just bought more Dubarry boots for his lovely wife Julia, we could afford more sails (or beer)!”
Choose from prints of the world's top regattas or select a digital download and use a D.I.Y. print and frame. You'll be a star this holiday season, with images from Sharon Green and Ultimate Sailing- another famous Canadian sailor!
J/Sailors get 30% OFF prints and digital downloads. Please use coupon code- PHOTO30 - at checkout.
Recent regattas that feature Sharon's extraordinary shots of J/Boats include:
- J/70 Worlds- San Francisco, CA- click here
- Rolex Big Boat Series (J70, J88, J105, J111, J120, J125)- San Francisco, CA- click here
- New York YC Annual Regatta (J105, J109, J44)- Newport, RI- click here
- Key West Race Week (J70, J80, J88, J111, J122)- Key West, FL- click here
* Brett Langolf’s J/34 IOR “KNEE DEEP” has been crushing it on L
ake Erie sailing a variety of events during the summer of 2016. KNEE DEEP was awarded the Deadman’s Flat Yacht Club “Boat of the Year”!! A great season for a 31-year boat built for a different rating system (IOR) that performed around the buoys, offshore, light & heavy air.
According to Brett, “Here is the final tally for the year. We raced the local series in the Bay and KNEE DEEP was winner of the overall SSC Sunday PHRF Series. We also traveled throughout The Great Lakes and placed
Top 5 in every race! Here is how did.”
- Commodore Perry - 4th
- Mills Trophy Race - 2nd
- Cleveland Race Week - 1st overall
- Port Huron to Mackinac - 3rd
- Funday Race - 5th
- Green Island Race - 1st
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 and points further around the Blue Planet Earth. Here is their latest update (December 2016) from Bill & Kathy:“We completed a three year tour of the south pacific and sailed from Hobart Tasmania back to Seattle in the fall of 2012. After two seasons of local cruising, we decided to truck the boat to Rochester NY. In the summer of 2015, we sailed out the Saint Lawrence seaway and down the east coast of Nova Scotia and the US, with a few months in the Bahamas that winter. This past summer, we crossed the Atlantic with stops in Bermuda and the Azores, making landfall in Falmouth, UK. We have worked down the coast of France, Spain and Portugal and are now in Lagos Portugal. We plan on passing through the Straits of Gibraltar and spending a couple seasons in the Med.”
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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“The” Retro Party
About Jamin
Ha’yuuuge, ginormous “Thank You’s” to the following cast of characters and supporters that make this event happenin’ mon!
An approaching cold front confounded the weather forecasters, but the fleet was able to start with light NW winds and rain showers but with a good heading taking them out to the Gulf Stream. At mid-day, the fleet, while spread out, sailed into a windless hole with a choppy sea while drifting north at 4 kts. Once the front cleared the predicted North-northeaster filled in at 15-20 kts and the race began again with boats tacking north to remain in the Stream before exiting on the starboard lay line to the finish.
It was another fantastic regatta on the J/30 SUDAKA. The crew consisted of Captain Carlos Mandiola (Coldwell Banker) with his crew Greg Mandiola (Stearns Weaver), Tom Bremen (Bremen Sails), John Green (Chairman of the YC adult sailing program), Manuel Balbontin (United Airlines), Theodore Holloway (Council Member Village of Key Biscayne), and Ashley Sullivan (Daughter of our reminded friend and mentor Ray Sullivan). 
