J/Newsletter- February 28th, 2018

J/Boats News is a digest of worldwide events, regattas, and news for sailing enthusiasts and members of our J Community. Contributions regarding your racing, cruising or human interest stories on-board J's are welcome- please send to "editor@jboats.com".  For you globe-trotting J cruisers, please keep us up-to-date with your travels- for examples to chronicle your adventures please see our J/ Community Cruising section below.  February 28th, 2018 New J/121 Cover Girl on SAILING- March 2018 issue! (Port Washington, WI)- The J/121 has garnered tremendous attention since she first debuted at the Newport International Sailboat Show September 2017.  Since then she has won numerous awards, like SAIL’s Best Boats- Performance category and SAILING WORLD’s Boat of the Year- Offshore 40’+. Here is the latest accolade coming from the most followed magazine in the Midwest- SAILING.  Interestingly, the popular large-format magazine has been family published since inception by the Schanen Family of Port Washington, WI.  They also happen to be great fans of J/Boats and currently sail their bright-red, race-winning J/145 MAIN STREET on Lake Michigan.  Read more about the SAILING overview here.  For more information on J/121 offshore speedster   Heineken St. Maarten Regatta Preview (Simpson Bay, St. Maarten)- The four-day Heineken St. Maarten Regatta kicks off on Thursday, March 1, 2018 with the Gill Commodore’s Cup. On Friday, the fleet embarks on the event’s 26 nautical mile Around the Island Race before taking on a series of windward-leeward races on Saturday and a single coastal race on Sunday. Each day of racing is rounded out with serious shore-side entertainment, including concerts and parties. In 1980, the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta started as the St. Maarten Regatta with a modest 12 sailboats participating. In 1983, Heineken became a major sponsor of the St. Maarten Regatta; as a bonus, the competitors received ice-cold Heineken beers from a passing powerboat while they were racing!  After the involvement of Heineken, the event grew fast. The Commodore’s Cup was added in 2005. Set in the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean, powered by the cooling northeast trade winds and run by an experienced, innovative and friendly race team, the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is four days of world-class racing in idyllic conditions appealing to a broad range of tastes. The four race committees provide custom-tailored racing for the thousands of sailors from more than 35 countries that come to race. Starting with the one-day Gill Commodore’s Cup and continuing with the three days of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, sailors are offered a mixture of races with a combination of windward-leeward and coastal races blended together into an irresistible cocktail of racing chosen to suit each class. As the racers savor the prospect of eight races over four days with windward-leeward races on two days and two longer coastal races testing both boat handling and tactics, it’s easy to understand why the regatta attracts a large competitive group of classes. Serious Fun Parties With Heineken as a long-standing sponsor, you would expect the parties to be exceptional… no one leaves ever disappointed! With parties at varied locations around the island there are fantastic opportunities to experience the legendary nightlife for which the island is famous.  St. Maarten Heineken Regatta has a well-earned reputation for hosting amazing artists like the Black Eyed Peas, UB40 featuring Ali, Astro & Mickey, Akon, Wyclef Jean, Shaggy, The Commodores, and Red Foo and the Party Rock Crew, for the parties so that tired but happy sailors can party with an ice-cold Heineken in their hand and the sand between their toes as they watch the sun dip below the horizon. Gill Commodore’s Cup The Gill Commodore’s Cup will take place on March 1, 2018 as pre-event of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. The Gill Commodore’s Cup will maintain individual results, allowing sailors to practice and perfect their racing without influencing their main event results. With 90 entries, the Gill Commodore’s Cup is ranked among the top five largest regattas in the Caribbean. Winners of the Gill Commodore’s Cup will be awarded Gill gear during the prize ceremony, which will take place on Thursday evening, March 1st. A number of strong J/crews are participating in this fun-loving, but quite competitive event.  In CSA 3 Class, is the new J/121 APOLLO sailed by Don Nicholson; she arrived just in time last week from her delivery from Palm Beach, FL to Simpson Bay, St Maarten.  Her inaugural regatta in the Caribbean will be up against a formidable duo of J/122s- a true test of the J/121’s offshore capabilities.  The best-known boat is EL OCASO (two-time past Heineken winner), returning with a winning family crew from the United Kingdom led by Chris Body.  They will be up against their nemesis, Pamala Baldwin’s LIQUID ANTIGUA, winner of last year’s Voiles de St Barth.  Then, given the wind and wave conditions, watch out for Sam Talbot’s J/111 SPIKE to provide a tough fight, especially in the lighter airs with reaching or running.  Then, there’s a hot offshore crew from Australia on the J/120 (custom) JAGUAR, led by skipper John Annet. A similar scenario is playing out in CSA 4 Class.  Past winners of most all Caribbean regattas will be present with a trio of J/105s dueling for class honors with a J/30!  Those teams include Peter Lewis’ J/105 WHISTLER from Barbados, Jordan & Shannon Mindich’s J/105 SOLSTICE from New York, and Remco Van Dortmondt’s J/105 JENK from Curacao.  None other than Tanner & Shari’s J/30 BLUE PETER/ CARIBBEAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE from Antigua and Barbuda will be giving the 105s a good run-for-the-roses!  Should be fun for all despite the challenging weather forecast!  For more Heineken Regatta sailing information   40th J/24 Midwinters Championship Preview (Miami, FL)- Back in 1978, no one could have ever guessed that 40 years after the inaugural J/24 Midwinters in Key West, Florida that the J/24 class would be going as strong as ever in 2018!  Around the world, the class has demonstrated its appeal to a cross-section of sailors, young and old alike.  Now quite inexpensive, boats can be bought from $5,000 up to $15,000 (depending on your appetite for “fixer-uppers”) and you can be competitive against some of the worlds best sailors in the USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Chile, United Kingdom, Argentina, Uruguay, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Mexico, Japan, Greece and Ireland, to name a few locations where the class has strong local fleets. This year’s Midwinters is being hosted by Coral Reef Yacht Club in Miami (Coconut Grove), FL.  It’s essentially “40 for 40” (boats & anniversary) and a number of North American, Midwinters and World Champions will be pointing their bows across the starting line on Thursday.  The four-day event goes until Sunday afternoon, sailing on the warm, inviting, choppy waters of Biscayne Bay. The betting parlors would have a field day trying to handicap this fleet.  Teams are competing from across the USA, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.  Top Americans should be Robby Brown’s ANGEL OF HARLEM from St Petersburg, FL; Mark Laura’s BABA LOUIE from Seattle, WA; Tony Parker’s BANGOR PACKET from Washington, DC; Will Welles’ BOGUS from Newport, RI; Travis Odenbach’s HONEY BADGER from Pittsford, NY; Aidan Glackin’s MENTAL FLOSS from Huntington, NY; Ernesto Mendoza’s MUY MUY from Miami, FL; and Chris Stone’s VELOCIDAD from Middletown, NJ. There are three women’s skippers in the event, including Erica Beck Spencer’s famous SEA BAGS WOMEN’S SAILING TEAM from Falmouth, ME; Natalie Harden’s GIGGLES from Austin, TX; and Elaine Haher’s A GOOD HAIR DAY from Atlantic Highlands, NJ.   The Mexican J/24 National Champion should be a contender- Kenneth Porter’s MONSTER FISH.  The Puerto Rican team is Gilberto Rivera’s URAYO from Guaynabo and the Canadian crew Nathan Bresett’s WOODJCHUCK from Belleville, Ontario.  For more 40th J/24 Midwinters sailing information   Puerto Vallarta Race Preview (San Diego, CA)- Held bi-annually, anticipation has been building for the 2018 Puerto Vallarta Race as race day approaches this coming Friday at 12 pm Pacific time. Hosted by San Diego YC, the 1,000 nm race has been famous for two elements- the classic spinnaker-driven sleigh ride down the Mexican coast to the end of the Baja Peninsula, then a left turn at Cabo San Lucas across the Sea of Cortez, to the finish line off Punta Mita, Nayarit, Mexico that is at the opening of Bahia de Banderas (Banderas Bay). The race has always attracted J/sailors of various stripes and experience over the course of time.  This year, two veteran offshore racing teams will be going at it hard in a 1,000nm dog-fight for class supremacy in Division 6.  The two protagonists are well-known in SoCal racing circles; the two J/125s are Mark Surber’s DERIVATIVE from San Diego YC and Viggo Torbensen’s TIMESHAVER from Dana Point YC. While the stripped-out racing machines like the 125s and TP52s will be flying along at breakneck speed, the J/65 GOOD CALL, sailed by Tom Barker from Omaha, NE, will be sailing in Division 4 and will have the benefit of air-conditioning, a wine/ beer cooler, hot & cold pressure water, fresh water maker, and a number of other creature comforts that would make any racing sailor envious of such power, speed, and comfort all rolled into one boat!  For more Puerto Vallarta Race sailing information   Banderas Bay J/80 Clinic and J/80 Regatta (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)- The annual J/World Banderas Bay Clinic and Regatta is filling up fast, and is not one to be missed! Every year, J/World hosts a three-day racing clinic aboard their J/80s in Puerto Vallarta, followed by (coached) participation in the Banderas Bay Regatta!  This year it will take place from March 19th to 24th. If you want a way to combine advancing your sailing and racing skills with a fun vacation, look no farther.  Bring your crew, your family, or just yourself and get ready for a fantastic event! The Banderas Bay Regatta is a special event held every March at our Puerto Vallarta Sailing Center.  Participants range from flat-out racers, to cruising vessels that have sailed the seas to enjoy the wonders of Banderas Bay.  The regatta represents the culmination of the month-long “Festival Nautico” in Puerto Vallarta, and has become a favorite of locals and visitors. J/World, the Performance Sailing School, offers sailors the opportunity to come play (and learn) during this special event.  They host a three day racing clinic prior to the regatta, which will include boathandling, sail handling, strategy, tactics, rules, etc. etc…  all the elements which will contribute to a successful regatta. Then it is test time…  and they have the ultimate test:  a real regatta!  The event is a perfect blend of positive attitudes, friendly competition, and ideal weather.  Participation in the event of course includes participation in all the land-based activities that the Vallarta Yacht Club has planned. Each of the J/80s will have teams of three to four students plus one coach per boat.  Everyone aboard will rotate through all the positions while getting the positive insights of one of their renowned J/World instructors. The host facility, the Paradise Village Resort, also offers great room rates for regatta participants, so bring the friend and family along for a fun vacation.  For more J/World Banderas Bay Regatta sailing & course information   J/Gear Winter-Spring Special- 20% Off! (Newport, RI)- J/Boats’ sailing gear licensee V-Sport is pleased to offer all J/Boats owners and crew their 2018 Winter-Spring Special. The Special Offer is good from now until April 4th, 2018 (please not 1/2 models, J/Photo Prints and J/Battleflags are excluded from the offer). To place your order and enter the 20% discount code- “JB2018SP”- please visit the J/Gear website.   J/Sailing News The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide There was an amazing diversity of sailing taking place last week.  For starters, there was the 5th annual J/70 Midwinter Championship that was hosted by Coral Reef YC in Miami (Coconut Grove), FL with sailing taking place on Biscayne Bay.  Sixty-one boats enjoyed amazing sailing over the three-day regatta with near postcard-perfect racing conditions.  Then, a J/109 and J/120 had a fun time sailing the Miami to Havana Race hosted by Coral Reef YC and the Southern Ocean Racing Conference- a race to the famous fort off Marina Hemingway in Havana, Cuba. Over in India, sailing in the Indian Ocean was a fleet of J/80s enjoying the first J/80 Afton Cup hosted by the Royal Madras YC in Chennai, India. Then, in Europe the J/70 Vigo Winter Series, hosted by Real Club Nautico de Vigo, completed their five-month long series in Vigo, Spain.  For offshore sailors, a J/11S sailed the TransQuadra Race as a doublehanded team from Lorient, France to Madeira Island, then down to Martinique in the Caribbean. 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: Mar 1-4- Heineken St Maarten Regatta- Simpson Bay, St Maarten Mar 2-4- J/24 Midwinters- Coconut Grove, FL 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. Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick, Jack Jumped Over the 70 Stick! Franco Crowned 5th J/70 Midwinter Champion! (Miami, FL)- The first Midwinter Championship for the J/70 class to take place outside of Key West was hosted by the enormously capable Coral Reef Yacht Club in Miami (Coconut Grove), FL.  As was anticipated, the CRYC members, PRO, and volunteers rolled out the red carpet for the J/70 sailors and welcomed them with warmth and graciousness.  In addition, the weather Godz were in cahoots, offering up a steady diet of easterly breezes in the 8-18 kts range over the three days that would satisfy any sailor.  Postcard perfect conditions?  Yes.  Great race committee work to get in nine races?  Yes.  It would be hard to script it much better. In the end, winning the regatta was a veteran of the college sailing and team racing wars from the 1980s- Jack Franco and his incredibly talented crew on FLOJITO 3 BALL JT.  Growing up in Newport Beach, California, this talented sailor ended up in Texas because of business and family commitments.  He got into the J/70 class due to friends like Chris Raab (from Newport Beach) and others.  After getting his feet wet, Jack jumped in with both feet and pulled together a winning crew- Bill Hardesty (main trimmer), Rob Lindley (bow) and Allan Terhune (headsail trimmer).  Yes, on the surface that might be perceived as an “odd-coupling” of people and talent, but it proved to work on the final day when it counted most.  Here is how it all went down. Day 1- Postcard Perfect Start Among the 61 teams at the J/70 Midwinter Championship were multiple J/70 World Champions and those from other classes. One of those Champions was Joel Ronning on CATAPULT, who leapt to the first day’s advantage. It was a gorgeous day on Biscayne Bay, with breeze in the mid to upper teens, sunshine and temperatures in the 80s. 2016 J/70 World Champion Ronning, sailing with John Kostecki, Christopher Stocke, and Patrick Wilson, opened with a bullet and added a pair of thirds for 7 points in three races. Bruce Golison’s MIDLIFE CRISIS started with a 4-5, then won the last contest to hold second overall with 10 points. Jack Franco’s 3 Ball JT was third with 13. Jim Cunningham’s LIFTED team of Dave Hochart, Tyler Sinks, and Jon Ziskind led the 24-boat Corinthian division. Ronning’s Catapult earned the initial victory of the event, with Franco and James Prendergast comprising the top trio. Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE got the race two win, shadowed by Prendergast and Ronning. Golison ended Friday on a positive note, along with Pasquinelli and Ronning, as 1,2,3. Day 2- More Picture-perfect Conditions It was yet another amazing day on Biscayne Bay.  However, it was clouded for several of the teams who bore Black Flag penalties. Golison’s MIDLIFE CRISIS survived to take over the top spot after six races. By way of a 3-1-5, the California-based skipper and his team of Steve Hunt, Jeff Reynolds, and Erik Shampain tallied all top-five finishes and therefore able to drop a 5 for just 14 net points.  Ronning’s CATAPULT, the day one leader, dropped to second overall after adding a 15-9-2. Tossing the 15 leaves CATAPULT with 18 net points. Also in the mix heading into the final race day tomorrow was US Sailing’s 2017 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year- Peter Duncan- and his RELATIVE OBSCURITY team that moved up to third with 22 net points. Andrew & Melissa Fisher’s BUTTON FLY led the 23-boat Corinthian division. With sunny skies and warm temperatures, the winds were again in the mid-teens for the Championship hosted by Coral Reef Yacht Club. Black Flag penalties were scattered through the fleet in each of today’s races. The BFDs didn’t hamper Duncan who kicked off his solid day with a victory in the opening battle, trailed by John & Molly Baxter’s TEAM VINEYARD VINES. It was Golison earning his second bullet of the event in the next race, ahead of Brian Keane’s SAVASANA and Duncan. Jud Smith’s AFRICA took a turn in the lead position in race 6, as Ronning and Jack Franco’s FLOJITO 3 BALL JT completed the top three. Day 3- Cliff-hanger Finale The regatta saw a different leader on each day. But, Jack Franco’s FLOJITO 3 BALL JT was on top when it counted. Going into the day in fourth place, they secured a 5-2-4 to leap over a couple of J/70 World Champions for the victory. Although Ronning’s CATAPULT won race 8, an 11th in the final contest left him in the silver position overall with 41 points. Duncan’s RELATIVE OBSCURITY also had a bullet, but followed with a 29-7 to land in third overall with 42 points. “We just tried to be consistent with solid starts and minimal mistakes,” summarized Franco. “We won the regatta without winning a race. At the last weather rounding of the last race, we were fourth and wanted to be defensive. We are not speedy off the wind since we’re a little heavy.” FLOJITO 3 BALL JT held their fourth position, which was enough to secure the Championship. Franco credited Hardesty, who he has known since Hardesty was eight years old. “He is the king of tacticians!” Jenn & Ray Wulff’s JOINT CUSTODY (with crew of Nikki Medley, Fletcher Sims, and Brady Stagg) bested the 23-boat Corinthian division, with Jim Cunningham’s LIFTED and Nancy Glover’s WINTERWIND rounding out the top three.  Sailing photo credits- Marco Oquendo/ imagesbymarco.com and Chris Howell   For more J/70 Midwinters V sailing information Facebook J/70 sailing videos https://www.facebook.com/J70Class/videos/961718807313139/ https://www.facebook.com/J70Class/videos/962858523865834/ https://www.facebook.com/J70Class/videos/961882200630133/   Indian J/80s Love Afton Cup (Chennai, India)- The Royal Madras Yacht Club (established 1911) is located inside the Chennai harbour and has been producing international and national Medallists for years.  It is a great source of pride for Royal Madras YC to produce many of India’s best sailors. The Club is the first one in South India to be recognized as an Accredited Training Centre for India’s sailing governing body- Yachting Association of India. The Club has many classes of sailing boats and regularly hosts sailing regattas. The RMYC is the only Club in India having a fleet of four J/80s and they hosted the first AFTON CUP J/80 Regatta on 10th and 11th February 2018. AFTON is a well-known brand in the health and fitness equipment industry in India. Today’s generation is very health conscious and sailing is an eco-friendly and exciting sport promoting fitness. AFTON was excited to sponsor the first J/80 sailing regatta, sending a strong message that fitness and sailing have a common goal in promoting good health and endurance. Sailors practiced the whole of the preceding week under Chinna Reddy (International gold Medallist and YAI Instructor).  Ayesha Lobo (International gold Medallist and RYA Senior Instructor and YAI Senior Instructor) arrived a few days before the event and supervised the tuning of boats. Both of them decided on the course and the race formats. Four teams signed up for the regatta and each team was comprised of eight sailors. Any given race each team had 4 to 5 sailors on the waters. Boats were allotted by draw. The plan was to sail 4 races from noon onwards. The course was a triangle followed by a loop. The finish line was after the leeward mark so that the boats finished on a beat (e.g. the classic Olympic course). Day 1- Gorgeous Blue Day The weather was blue skies with blue waters and winds just under 10 knots. LOBO SAILING Team won the first 2 races pretty easily with some superb helming by Aahan and Maulin with Ayesha on the gennaker. There was some fierce competition between AVIATORS Team and the AFTON Team for the second place. The competition heated up for the next 2 races and at different points in time a different boat was in the lead. The 3rd race was a gun for LOBO SAILING and the 4th race was won by AFTON. At the end of 4 races, LOBO SAILING was firmly in the lead followed by AFTON and AVIATORS. Day 2- More Gorgeous Sailing The course remained same and four races were held with one discard out of a total of eight races. Again, the weather was gorgeous- sunny skies with medium waves and winds around 10 knots with gusts of 15 knots. The teams had developed enough experience that all boats were bunched at the start line and also at the windward mark and the leeward mark roundings. There was lot of action at the windward mark with teams screaming for water, starboard etc. The kites were hoisted quickly and there was no snagging of the kites. It was a majestic sight with the gennakers hoisted on all four J/80s. With 4 boats gybing it was a wonderful scene as they jostled for water at the leeward mark, dropped the kites, rounded the mark and immediately hardened up on to a beat. Each team had a gun. A protest was made by LOBOS SAILING against AFTON for double fouls at the start line.  The jury heard the protest and AFTON paid a heavy price. This outcome changed the standings quite dramatically in such a close contest.  The final results saw LOBO SAILING win, followed by the AVIATORS in second place and AFTON holding on to the bronze. The J/80 Regatta Night and awards presentation was held at the Navy Beach. With a live band playing, the gentle waves flowing ashore in harmony, the stars lighting the skies, it was a truly a sailors night with unlimited dark rum on the house and a sumptuous dinner spread. The music and dancing continued past midnight until the now tired and happy crews polished off the last drops of rum.   J/11S Loves TransQuadra Race (Martinique)- The race is billed as “the 40th anniversary offshore race for amateur” sailors. The event links Atlantic and Mediterranean short-handed sailing teams with Doublehanded and Singlehanded categories.  The first legs are short “sprints” from Lorient, France to Quinta do Lorde, Madeira and from Barcelona, Spain to the same finish line- a spectacular, mountainous island several hundred miles west off Morocco off African coastline.  From there, the race goes from Madeira west-southwest across the eastern Atlantic across the Atlantic to Le Marin, Martinique.  The fleet experiences sailing in well-known “trade wind route” breezes that flow off the Bermuda High, starting from the northerly quadrants at the start and swinging to the easterlies commonly found in the Caribbean at the finish line. The J/11S JATAKA took 3rd overall (boat-for-boat) in the Duo Lorient Class of 54 boats.  She was sailed by the doublehanded team of Phillipe Girardin and Gwenael Thomas from France- sailing the course in 13 days 12 hrs 41 min 20 sec. The team triumphed over many famous offshore teams and boats that are renowned in RORC offshore events- like JPK 1010s, JPK 1080s, SunFast 3200s, SunFast 3600s, and others. YellowBrick Tracking here   For more TransQuadra Race sailing information   NOTICIA LEADS Vigo J/70 Winter Series (Vigo, Spain)- For the past four months, J/70s have been sailing off northwestern Spain hosted by Real Club Nautico de Vigo. It has been a hotly contested series for the teams entered because it provides a basis for training and speed improvements leading into the European J/70 Championship hosted in the same venue later this summer! After five events from December to February, the Spanish NOTICIA team, representing the Real Club Nautico de Santander, skippered by “Pichu” Torcida and owned by Luís Martín Cabiedes, is leading the series overall on a tie-breaker. Although tied with NOTICIA, the runner-up crew on the MARINA RUBICON TEAM (consisting of Jáuregui, Almandoz, Alfredo González) from the RCR of Alicante and the Nautical Club of Hondarribia lost the tie-breaker on 21 pts each. The RC Nautico de Vigo team on MARNATURA (Jose Luís Freire and Luis Bugallo) took third place, just 4 pts back. Fourth and fifth, respectively, were ABRIL VERDE (Luis Perez Canal) and SOGACASA (Pablo Iglesias), both from RCN Vigo. The individual winners of the three races played on Sunday were: First place for Marnatura, second place for Sogacasa, and third place for the Fermax Sailing Team, of Martínez Doreste and Panei, from the Nautical Club of Jávea. With this result, the Noticia is consolidated at the front of the general classification, followed by the Marnatura and the Fermax Sailing Team. The day dawned cold, with little wind in the estuary. It was necessary to wait until noon, when the north wind woke up, that with 12 knots of intensity and fixed in the 20 degrees of axis of direction, they were able to validate up to three races. The sixth and final event for the Linde Sogacsa Trophy J/70 Winter Series will be held at the end of February, on the 24th and 25th.  For more Vigo J/70 Winter Series sailing information   J/Sailors Enjoy Miami to Havana Race (Havana, Cuba)- Coral Reef Yacht Club and the Southern Ocean Racing Conference, proudly hosted the third annual Miami to Havana Race for a determined group of sailors from across America and the Caribbean.  The sailors were greeted by record-breaking, near-perfect sailing conditions from their start off Miami, FL, across the notoriously tough and lumpy Gulf Stream to Marina Hemingway in Havana, Cuba. The raced started on Valentine’s Day- February 14, 2018, just south of the Miami harbor entrance. It was a gorgeous day, breeze on; everyone headed fast SSW to Havana.  A long-time J/sailor (J/24s, J/35s, J/105s, J/70s recently), Steve Benjamin and his wife Heidi sailed their TP52 SPOOKIE to an elapsed time record. Meanwhile, in PHRF B Class the J/109 AFTERTHOUGHT sailed by Craig Wright took the bronze on the podium.  They were followed by the J/120 TAMPA GIRL skippered by William Terry, his crew included Andrew Kranz, Oscar Rivas, Michael Gold and Wesley Shaw.  For more Miami to Havana Race sailing information   J/Community What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide ----------- * Pamala Baldwin, owner of the J/122 LIQUID based in Antigua, gave us a report on her epic experience sailing the RORC Caribbean 600 Race two weeks ago.  Baldwin is a 60-year-old recruiter from New Jersey specializing in executive recruitment for remote five star resorts and private island estates worldwide.  Needless to say, she is living her dream sailing on her J/122. “Last night at Antigua Yacht Club my team and I were honored at the 10th anniversary of the RORC CARIBBEAN 600 to win RORC IRC’s ‘Caribbean’s Highest Performing Yacht’ in IRC Class 2 Racing following the 600 and 3rd in Class. Conditions were grueling over the 600nm course, presenting the competitors with unexpected and dangerous conditions...constant winds of 25-30 knots with gusts to 41 knots and 4 meter sea states and endless squalls with record low temperatures. Of the 85 competitors, 40 retired.  There was a man overboard, a sinking and helicopter rescue, about a dozen medical emergencies and endless squalls. Commenting during this perilous yet high adrenaline ordeal, ‘my team is relentlessly teasing me about offering up cappuccino during a perilous squall with little visibility’. We were wet 24 hours a day and cold; we were all physically punished so hard it felt as if we were in a train wreck, pushing our limits with shear grit.  And, to think pre-race we opted to fly our cruising sails and not our 3Di’s…thank goodness, that was a blessing. My team was skippered by 33-year-old Nico Dillingh from The Hague, Holland- his first race as skipper. Last season Nico was on the crew and showed solid potential.  When the Caribbean regatta season wrapped up, Nico  sailed Europe’s racing season, including the Fastnet. Lymington UK based Julian White is our co-navigator, foredeck, and is an up and coming star on our team. As our winter season unfolds, Team LIQUID is sailing the famed Heineken Regatta in St Maarten, St Thomas International Regatta, British Virgin Islands Race Week, Voiles de St Barth, and wraps up with Antigua Sailing Week. Add to Flipboard Magazine.