Sailing World BOTY- Best Crossover Award- J/121!(Newport, RI)- “Simply put, the J/121 is a bucket-list boat, designed to tackle adventure-style races where it’s more about the experience than winning,” commented Dave Reed from Sailing World.
He goes on to say that, “as if on cue, in the midst of our Sailing Wolrd Boat Of The Year dockside briefing with J/Boats’ Jeff Johnstone, a middle-aged gentleman appears in the companionway, out of the blue. Johnstone introduces him as an owner, from Portland, Oregon, who is trading in his J/46 for a yet-to-be-built J/121. He climbs down the companionway stairs, interrupts the judging team’s Q&A session, and then promptly cites all the races he intends to enter when he takes ownership of Hull No. 14: the Swiftsure, the Oregon Offshore, the Van Isle 360, and even the Pacific Cup from San Francisco to Hawaii. Moments earlier, Johnstone had explained this very concept: The J/121 is a bucket-list boat. This guy is Exhibit A.
“We saw that signature events were attracting record fleets — the Fastnet Race, the Three-Bridge Fiasco in San Francisco, the Chicago-Mac, for example — all these types of short-handed, adventure-style races where it’s more about the experience than winning,” says Johnstone. “We thought that if we could eliminate half the crew on a 40-footer that’s purpose-built for point-to-point racing, but still pass the beer-can and daysail test, we’d have people interested.”Their research led Johnstone and his brother, Alan, to a design concept built around a crew of five. As for rail meat? No need. That’s what the water ballast tanks are for.
Extra hands to get sails up and down? No need there either. There’s an impressive quiver of headsails, most on roller furlers. With the entire inventory hanging from the rig on halyard locks, and sheets and furling lines spilling into the cockpit, the boat could be easily mistaken for a Class 40 — albeit, one that actually goes upwind.” Read on here… Sailing photo credits- Walter Cooper
Read more here on Sailing World.com
https://www.sailingworld.com/best-crossover-j-121
Dreaming About Summer Moonlight Sailing? Visit Winter Boat Shows!(Newport, RI)- With old man winter rearing his ugly head after the holidays, the USA/Canada and Europe are beset by a series of ferocious winter storms. It’s a great time to dive indoors to a large, warm, exhibition hall and visit J/Boats dealers participating in winter 2018 boat shows to get the latest information and scoop on the newest offerings from J/Boats. Here is a list of them to add to your future travel plans!
January 10 to 14- London EXCEL Boat Show
For next week, take the opportunity to swing by the London Boat Show at the EXCEL Center and get a chance to speak to J/UK representatives about the exciting new, revolutionary J/121 Offshore Speedster. And, get the inside story on the evolution of the new “E” series of sport cruisers- the J/97E, J/112E, and J/122E. J/UK team members were on the winning J/112E DAVANTI TYRES in the Hamble Winter Series- also crowned the “Yacht of the Series”. Also, on display will be the world famous J/70 one-design speedster (http://www.jboats.com/j70). The show takes place from 10th to 14th January 2018 (the J/Owners party is Thursday, 11th January). For an appointment, please contact Paul Heys at mobile# +44 7802 264141 or email- paul@keyyachting.com J/UK & Key Yachting will have their display at Stand LD100 at the EXCEL LONDON Pavilion. For more show information- https://www.londonboatshow.com/exhibitors/key-yachting
January 10 to 14- Chicago Sailboat Show
From January 10th to 14th, Chicago and Midwest J/dealer Richie Stearns from Stearns Boating will be on-site in Booth S2021 to talk about 2018 summer sailing season plans on Lake Michigan. Chat with him about prospects for the J/121 offshore speedster on the Great Lakes and the development of several one-design classes locally- like the J/70, J/88 and J/111. For an appointment, contact Richie at ph# (312) 994-9153 or email- rich@stearnsboating.com. For more Chicago Boat Show information- http://www.chicagoboatshow.com/
January 20th to 28th- boot Dusseldorf Boat Show
On Display are J/97E, J/112E, and New J/121
With over 300 sailboat related exhibitors, there is no question the world’s largest sailboat show in the heart of Europe is an exciting place to visit. Das boot, the boat show in Dusseldorf, Germany, takes place from January 20th to 28th, 2018.
On display in Hall 15/ Booth B21 will be three choices for J/Tribe aficionados. For those into performance, the new J/121 Offshore Speedster will be making her European boat show debut; learn why she was chosen SAIL Best Boat- Performance Over 30 feet Award and SAILING WORLD’s Boat of the Year- Best Crossover Award.
And, check out those new fast, comfortable sport cruisers- the J/97E and the J/112E. The next-generation sport-cruisers, the “E” series of the J/97E and J/112E, are proving to be quite popular in Europe. At the Paris Boat Show, the J/112E had an enthusiastic reception with sailing families seeking to combine the “joy of sailing” with lots of expansive comfort on deck and down below in the sunny interior. For more Boot Dusseldorf show information.
January 26th to February 3rd- Seattle Boat Show
For a week, you get a chance to escape the lovely grey, drizzly weather in the Pacific Northwest and pretend it is always sunny, warm, and pleasant by going inside the pavilion at the CenturyLink Field Event Center. Visit Booth WEST 4 to see the easy-to-sail 31 foot sport cruiser that has been taking the European offshore buoy events by storm- the lovely and incredibly roomy J/97E. On hand to help you chat about the 97E and the latest in the J/Boats range (like the new J/121 Offshore Speedster) will be the team from SAIL Northwest. For an appointment, please call Bob Ross at SAIL NORTHWEST- ph (206) 286-1004 or email- bob@sailnorthwest.com. For more Seattle Boat Show information
SAILING Champions League Launches Youth & Women’s Divisions!(Hamburg, Germany/ Paris, France)- Less than four years ago, the SAILING Champions League was little more than an idea. But, since then the inter-club competition format has taken off like wildfire. In early December, the International Sailing League Association (ISLA) met in Paris where representatives of 12 of the 17 member nations gathered to make ambitious plans for expansion into even more territories for the coming year.
In 2017, Sailing League events took place in 17 countries. For 2018, the goal is for 20 countries. President of ISLA, Peter Wolsing, is looking forward to expanding the format and creating special Leagues to attract more youth and women participation. “As an umbrella organization of the national Sailing League, it is our job to promote the exchange and experience of league sailing between countries and to develop new, innovative formats along with the SAILING Champions League. In 2018, we are launching the Youth SAILING Champions League and the Women SAILING Champions League. Together, these initiatives are another big step towards bringing league sailing to a wider group of sailors. In addition, it also makes the SAILING Champions League events more attractive and inclusive for our sponsors.”
The meeting in Paris was an opportunity to share ideas, from country to country, and to cross-fertilize the best of those ideas so they can be adopted throughout the Sailing League world. Founder of the SAILING Champions League, Oliver Schwall, commented, “The SAILING Champions League and ISLA has proven to be an excellent innovation in the world of sailing. In the past year, 17 nations and 300 yacht clubs followed the format and enjoyed great success in their respective regions. However, the next step in securing the future of League sailing is to bring more standardization of the format, unified rules, and guidelines for optimal logistics.”
One such example of standardization is to develop a “Call Book” for race management and umpires, and create this in conjunction with World Sailing.
At the same time, ISLA recognizes that different nations have different sailing cultures and what works for one region may need to be tailored and altered for another. Not all countries move at the same speed, but it’s clear that the League concept has captured the imagination of sailors and sailing clubs around the world. Oliver Schwall concluded, “This movement has the potential to create a long-lasting transformation in our sport of sailing.”
The ISLA - Facts & Figures
- 17 nations represented in 2017
- Most countries have more than 5 Sailing League events per year.
- Between 12 to 20 clubs take part in league sailing in each country, and usually they have a team of 10 +/- people involved in their club sailing project.
- 4 countries have more than 36 clubs participating in their national league.
- All ISLA nations are very active on social media.
Quantum J/70 Winter Series Act II Preview(Tampa, FL)- Looking forward to a warm, sunny winter break for those north of the “Mason-Dixon Line” will be dozens of J/70 sailors that will be happy “escapees” from the crazy winter weather; especially those that can travel Friday down to Tampa from the northeast coast that have experienced what amounts to a “winter hurricane”.
Imagine that, winter storm “Grayson” starts off Jacksonville, Florida on Tuesday, drops to a near record “low” pressure of 28.02 inches (about 955 millibars- way deeper than most tropical hurricanes), races up the eastern coastline, expands in size from the Bahamas Banks to north of Labrador (a breadth of 2,500+ miles), and lays waste to all maritime related states and provinces of North America. Right now, heading down to Florida’s sunny southwest coast is lookin’ pretty good to those J/70 sailors!
Will Brian Keane’s Boston-based SAVASANA crew actually dig out and escape from the northeast in time to defend their first regatta win in the Quantum J/70 Winter Series? No question, all those from the south are hoping they arrive late, dazed, and confused from shoveling too much snow!
Hoping to challenge the SAVASANA team over the January 6th to 7th weekend on Tampa Bay, an event hosted by the Davis Island YC, are at least a dozen strong crews. Those crews that may possibly challenge their hegemony on the race track might be Doug Strebel’s BLACK RIVER RACING from Texas; Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT from Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota; Jacko Franco’s FLOJITO 3 JT from Texas; Rob Britts’ HOT MESS from the local club (past Corinthian’s winner); Jeff Janov’s MINOR THREAT from California; Kevin Downey’s MR PITIFUL from Seattle, Washington; Bennet Greenwald’s PERSEVERANCE from San Diego, California; Peter Cunningham’s POWERPLAY RACING from Cayman Islands; Will Welles’ SCAMP from Newport, RI; and Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE from Texas.
In the Corinthians Division, only the good Lord knows how this division will play out over the weekend and much depends on weather conditions. There are several very competitive crews from across the spectrum that will factor at the top of the leaderboard, such as Andrew & Melissa Fisher’s BUTTON FLY (last year’s winners), Frank McNamara’s CHINOOK, Rob Britts’ HOT MESS, Forbes Durdin’s MOJITO, and Al Poindexter’s USA 241 from Houston. For more Quantum J/70 Winter Series sailing information
Winter J/80 Cyprus Sailing Announcement(Limassol, Cyprus)- The winter J/80 Cyprus Championship is an annual series of regattas hosted by SailFirst Sailing Club at St Raphael Marina in Limassol, Cyprus. Participation is open for both experienced sailors and novices as existing crews or individuals. Teams have often come from Cyprus, Russia, Ukraine and across Europe as this gorgeous “destination resort” is popular amongst eastern Europeans.
The regatta is run in three “acts” from January to March using the club’s fleet of a dozen J/80 one-design sailboats. The first event is January 21st, the second is February 18th, and the third is March 25th. All events have intermediate “training days” available for individuals or crews. The costs for sailing in this eastern Mediterranean resort are incredible reasonable- 350 EUR for an entire crew or just 70 EUR for each person on a boat for each stage. All-in for all three events is only 1,050 EUR for a crew or 210 EUR for a single crew person. NOTE- this is far less cost than chartering a J/22, J/24, J/70, or J/80 in any event in the USA or Europe.
The fees include two training days, all racing and coaching, referees on the water and all boat maintenance.The St Raphael Marina is an official port of entry for Cyprus. It’s located at the eastern edge of Limassol on the south coast of the island of Cyprus. St Raphael Marina has long been a recognized landmark in the town’s history and is located close to the major inter-city highway network, linking St Raphael Marina to both Larnaca and Pafos international Airports. For more information, please contact SailFirst Sailing Club- ph# +357 7000240/ email- info@sailfirst.com
Watch this AnyWayAnyDay Cup Cyprus sailing video here to get a flavor of what it’s like to sail off Cyprus in the eastern Med. To learn more about Cyprus as a resort destination, watch this video here to get an understanding of the extraordinary beauty of this island nation. Learn more about J/80 Cyprus Championship here
Forgot Friends & Family Over the Holidays?? (Newport, RI)- Shame on you!! However, you can make up fast!! Order the 2018 J/Sailing calendar now- a great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew.
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 2018 sailing calendar features the most popular as well as latest creations from the J/Design team sailing in many of the worlds most popular sailing areas- Cowes, Newport, San Francisco Bay, Russia, France, Italy, Monaco and French Polynesia in the Pacific! See the 2018 J/Calendar photo gallery and order here
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
Happy New Year to the “J/Tribe” around the world!The New Year starts off with a bang in North America. In Newport, we are experiencing the effects of one of the most powerful winter storms ever recorded. Winter “storm” Grayson, as it is euphemistically called, started off Florida late Tuesday, then quickly became a “super depression” in less than 24 hours. Starting off like a steam engine train, it slowly built up its pressure gradients and by Thursday midday had descended into the range of 28 inches/ 955 millibars offshore- an unheard of low pressure for a winter storm and, certainly, far lower than many Category Five hurricanes in the tropics. The span of the system was also unprecedented, ranging from the mid-Bahamas latitude north to middle of Greenland/ middle Hudson Bay- a range of
2,500+ miles! So far, Newport has only seen about a half meter of snow (1.5 feet thereabouts), but with upwards of 40-60 mph winds, huge drifts up to 4-5 feet in some places.Meanwhile, sailing must go on, it’s part of the “J/Tribe’s” DNA. And, the New Year ushers in a series of regattas in Florida, Monaco, Europe, South America, Australia, and southern California that are all taking place in the immediate future. Hang on to your hats! The fireworks have only just begun to another fun year for J/sailors around the globe!
As a sad sidelight to the start of 2018, we need to remember those who have contributed to our joy of sailing over time. In this case, it is the passing of two significant members of the J/Community. In one week, we lost both Everett Pearson (founder of TPI and builder of thousands of J/Boats) and Jeff Trask (son of Don Trask and also builder/ distributor of J/24’s in California/ West Coast of America). Please see their stories below.
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 pag Below are the summaries.
Regatta & Show Schedules:
Jan 5-7- Quantum J/70 Winter Series- Tampa, FLJan 19-21- J/Fest St Pete- St Petersburg, FL
Feb 9-11- Quantum J/70 Winter Series- Tampa, FL
Feb 15-18- St Pete NOOD Regatta- St Petersburg, FL
Feb 17-18- SCYA Midwinter Regatta- Long Beach, CA
Feb 19- RORC Caribbean 600 Race- English Harbour, Antigua
Feb 23-25- J/70 Midwinters- Coconut Grove, FL
Mar 1-4- Heineken St Maarten Regatta- Simpson Bay, St Maarten
Mar 7-11- Bacardi Cup J/70 Invitational- Coconut Grove, FL
Mar 16-18- San Diego NOOD Regatta- San Diego, CA
Mar 22-25- St Thomas International Regatta- Red Hook Bay, St Thomas, USVI
Mar 29- Apr 1- Easter Regatta- Columbia, SC
Apr 12-15- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 8-14- Voiles de Saint Barth Regatta- Gustavia, St Barth
Apr 26-29- J/70 Corinthian Nationals- Ft Worth, TX
Apr 28- May 4- Antigua Sailing Week- English Harbour, Antigua
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
J/88 One-Design Report(Rye, New York)- The J/88 USA Class President, Iris Vogel (owner of DEVIATION), provided a highlight of J/88 class activity in the USA for 2017 and an overview of what will be happening in 2018.
Iris commented, “2017 has been an amazing year for the J/88 class. We had more than ten one-design events in Long Island Sound and all over the country. Here is the list of each event and number of boats in attendance:
- Key West Race Week- Key West, FL- seven boats
- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC- five boats
- American YC Spring Series- Rye, NY- seven boats
- Larchmont YC Edlu Distance Race- Larchmont, NY- five boats
- Cedar Point One Design Regatta- Cedar Point, CT- nine boats
- East Coast Championship/ Block Island Race Week- Block Island, RI- seven boats
- J/88 North American Championship- Youngstown, NY- twelve boats
- YRA LIS Championships- Riverside, CT- five boats
- Storm Trysail Club Vineyard Race- Stamford, CT- four boats
- Storm Trysail Club Championships- Riverside, CT- seven boats
- American YC Fall Series- Rye, NY- nine boats
There is still time to enter the J/Fest in St. Petersburg, FL on Jan 19-21; St Pete NOOD on February 16-18; and Charleston Race Week April 12-15. The DEVIATION crew is also doing the J-Cup in Cowes, England on May 25-27; we expect that should be great fun!!
The great thing about a J/88 is the travel regattas that you can attend, the boat is incredibly easy to rig up/ take down, trailer anywhere, and launch using most yacht club 3-ton cranes. So, if you need help with boat deliveries or logistics, contact me and I will make it happen!
Wishing you and your families all the best for the Holidays and New Year!” Cheers, Iris Vogel
For more J/88 family speedster/ one-design sailing information.
Sea of Dreams: 2017 Audi J/70 World Championship- Featured in The Virginia Sportsman Magazine(Alexandria, Virginia)- As part of the 2017 AUDI J/70 World Championship hosted by YC Costa Smeralda off Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy, the renowned yachting journalist, Louay Habib from the United Kingdom, wrote an article about the experience and how various Virginia yachtsmen/ sportsmen featured in the event.
To read this most excellent article in The Virginia Sportsman, please click here and open up the Acrobat PDF file.
PELLE NERA Leads Anzio Nettuno Winter Series- Act V(Anzio & Nettuno, Italy)- On a day characterized by weak and variable winds coming from the North and large residual waves from the storm of the previous day; the sailing conditions put a strain on tactics and helmsmen. The fifth round of the 43rd J/24 Winter Championship of Anzio-Nettuno took place with twenty-two crews of the Roman J/24 fleet.
The fifth regatta was won by ITA 416 NUVOLA skippered by Ignazio Bonanno from the Italian Navy. In second place was ITA 40 ALBA CHIARA skippered by Stefano Venturi, followed in third by ITA 447 PELLE NERA owned by Paolo Cecamore and skippered by the Hungarian J/24 Champion Farkas Litkey, now at home in the waters of Anzio.
As a result of the final event in 2017, PELLE NERA from Nettuno YC is leading the Winter series with just 6 pts in the provisional standings. They are followed in second ITA 210 CESARE JULIO skippered by Pietro Massimo Meriggi sitting on 15 pts total. Then, in third position with 19 pts is ITA 487 AMERICAN PASSAGE sailed by Paolo Rinaldi. Rounding out the provisional top five are ITA 428 REDS (Gianni Riccobono) and ITA 358 ARPIIONE (Michele Potenza) in 4th and 5th, respectively.
The second part of the Roman Anzio & Nettuno Winter Series will take place on January 14th & 28th, February 11th & 25th, and will end on Sunday March 11th. For more Italian J/24 Class sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* The New York YC Annual Awards Feature Top J/70 Sailors! The top Corinthians sailors at the recent J/70 North Americans included Heather Gregg’s MUSE and Jenn & Ray Wulff’s JOINT CUSTODY; both received awards from NYYC Commodore Phil Lotz. In addition, current J/70 World Champion Peter Duncan received the Mosbacher Trophy.What do the current J/70, Etchells and Farr 40 World Champions have in common? They're all members of the New York Yacht Club. The competition for the Club's 2017 Mosbacher Trophy, the Club's “Sailor of the Year Award”, couldn't have been closer.
As impressive as it was, Peter Duncan's win in September's 162-boat J/70 World Championship merely earned him a seat at the finalists' table. What tipped things in his favor was a track record of strong finishes in two other classes. Duncan also had a strong year in the Etchells, including a third in the Atlantic Coast Championships and a third overall in the 2016- '17 Biscayne Bay Winter Series, and he was sixth in the Melges 24 National Championships. Here is Stu Streuli’s interview with Peter after the celebration at the 44th Street club event.Reportedly, you attended the awards under a misapprehension? Did you really not know you were up for the Mosbacher?
I knew a little bit before it was announced. I was thinking that I was going to watch my sister, Peggy Comfort, receive an award. That's why I was going here. But I figured it out when I realized she was getting on a plane to go to Europe.
What's your reaction to winning the award, especially since you do so much sailing in western Long Island Sound, where Bus Mosbacher forged his legend more than half a century ago?
He was one of the greatest sailors who ever lived, and this is just an incredible honor. It's truly a hell of an accomplishment. To see the quality of the other nominees this year; it's unbelievable what the membership did this year. I'm still in a little bit of shock that I received the award. I'm most appreciative.
Did you ever meet him (Bus)?
I did when I was much younger, at an event at American Yacht Club. I don't remember an awful lot. But I was in awe. He was of a different era, a tremendous success on the water and in the business world. That's been a great example for me to live by.
Your capstone achievement was a win in the J/70 Worlds in Sardinia, where you beat 161 boats. How do you go best that large a fleet?
The fleet was split into four different groups, and in the qualifier series we raced against each of the other groups, so you only had 80 boats on the staring line. I enjoy sailing in big fleets and starting on big starting lines. It was very exciting, and you can get buried rapidly if you make a mistake.
Why are you so comfortable in such big fleets?
Because I've raced Etchells for a number of years. I think the most Etchells we ever had on a starting line was 103 up in Marblehead, back in '98, which we did really well in. I'm kind of used to it. Now the J/70 class is getting very large numbers on the line. Earlier last year, we did a Melges 24 regatta that had about 85 boats on the starting line. In addition to the size of the fleet, the weather played a role, with mistral conditions cancelling the first two days of a four-day event, leaving just one day for qualifying and one day for the finals. It worked out well for us because it was a little more compact and we came out of the blocks as quickly as we did. You had to be on your toes in all moments in that event.
What have you found to be the secrets to success in the J/70?
You've got to work the boat all the time; you have to be very active. The helm is very neutral, so they're sometimes very hard to steer. It's just a matter of really working the boat always. That was something that we tried to excel in last year.
Does cross training really benefit you in sailing?
So many sailors specialize in one class at a time. I think it's always good to sail against different people and in different classes to get a general sense of how other people look at things. [The Etchells and J/70] in particular are different. We also sailed the Melges 24 Worlds and Nationals last year, which were a great help as well. The more sailing you can do, the better off you are. We took it to the extreme last year; we were on the water a lot
Any particular reason you were able to sail so much in 2017?
It was due to a confluence of things working out, and having a really nice family that afforded me the opportunity to take that much time off.
Aside from the Worlds, is there anything else that stands out?
The thing that really got us very jazzed up what when we won the Italian J/70 Nationals in late July. We sailed against a lot of the top boats that were going to sail in the J/70 Worlds, and we won the last race on the last day and that was very satisfying.
After this year, with the J/70 World title and the Mosbacher, has your sailing bucket list gotten any shorter?
I'm not sure. We're going to be out there pounding away again. Just to let everybody know that we're still around. We're going to be doing a significant amount of both Etchells and J/70 sailing this year, just like we did last year, and focusing on the Worlds like we did in each of the classes.
* Eight Bells: Everett Pearson“Here’s a life to really celebrate! Neither I, nor J/Boats, nor sailing in America would be where we are without him. Everett Pearson may be the grandfather of production auxiliary fiberglass boatbuilding, selling 17 Pearson Tritons at the 1959 New York Boat Show. But, he was Rod’s and my “third brother” that made J/Boats happen.
Rod had a design, I had $20,000 and a marketing plan, but it was Everett investing in the tooling and start up costs at two plants in Fall River MA and Warren RI, starting from scratch in 1977, to be building 36 J/24’s per week by May 1978.
Everett was “all-in” for what he believed, racing the boats he built, continually looking for new ways to build them. For example, the J/80 was the first boat mass-produced with the “SCRIMP” process.
He loved a challenge. Most memorable was when a J/130 was T-boned by a 95 footer during a New York YC regatta, with a big v-shaped wedge carved through the topsides all the way to the cockpit. Back in the harbor, after racing his J/120, Everett hopped on the damaged boat (this was Tuesday PM with Wednesday a layday), analyzed the problem, then got his shop foreman to start laying up new pieces of the damaged sections of hull and deck that night. The J/130 was on the NYYC starting line for the very next race on Thursday, like nothing had happened. Amazing!
A “can-do” inspirational leader and team player. To appreciate the impact Everett had on sailing in America, consider this; of 26 boats in the American Sailboat Hall of Fame, Everett built 5 them. The Triton, Ensign, J/24, J/35, and Freedom 40. Doubtful anyone will ever match that. Bon Voyage, my friend. Thanks for the ride! Save me a place on your crew up there.” Thanks to this celebration of Everett’s life from Bob Johnstone.Everett A. Pearson, age 84, of Warren, RI and Estero, FL, passed away Sunday, December 24, 2017, in the Hope Hospice Center in Providence surrounded by his loving family. He was the husband of Virginia Bourne Pearson, to whom he had been married for 62 years.
Born in Pawtucket, he was the son of the late Peter S. and Elin M. (Larson) Pearson. Everett was a graduate of Pawtucket East High School, received his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics in 1955 from Brown University, where he was Captain of the Football Team and later a member of the Brown University Athletic Hall of Fame.
* Eight Bells: Jeff TraskFrom Sailing Anarchy- Scot Tempesta
Sail on Jeff. We are saddened by the news of the passing of So Cal sailor Jeff Trask. Along with his dad Don, they put J/Boats on the map here in So Cal. We worked with Jeff on a number of boat/sail packages over time and always loved hanging with Jeff. Funny, good natured, honest, and a good sailor, we had a number of fun nights at San Diego YC back in the day. Fond memories, so sad to see him go so young...…
From Scuttlebutt- Craig Leweck
The California sailing community lost a significant contributor far too early when Jeff Trask passed away following a two year battle with pancreatic cancer on December 28, 2017 in Tustin, CA. He was 58 years old.
Jeff grew up in the Northern California Bay Area, and alongside his legendary father, Don Trask, was instrumental as builders and brokers in expanding the J/Boat brand, helping countless sailors get the most out of their boats. After many Pacific Ocean adventures, he found his way from the boat cockpit to the cockpit of a race car and it was there that he began a lifelong passion of driving way too fast.
Following 30 years in the boat business and a professional racing career that spanned almost 20 years, he shifted his focus full time to the Porsche racing car community. The solid foundation of a unique and quirky group of car enthusiasts allowed him to lead a fulfilling career that kept him in close contact with his dearest friends and favorite cars, vintage Porsches.Whether it was at home with his family or among rows of classic cars, Jeff’s witty humor and warmth permeated through everyone present. He passed away in the presence of his loving wife, Tracy, and three sons; Andrew, Jonathan and Christian. He is survived by his father Don and two sisters, Katie Worthington and Jillian Mack.
A celebration of life will be held at 10:00 am on January 6 at Bridge Community Church, 710 S. Cambridge, Orange, CA 92866. Donations can be submitted to a dedicated gofundme page:
https://www.gofundme.com/jeff-trasks-family-support
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