J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
This past week two popular winter series held their finales with various J/Crews enjoying the fruits of their good performance. In Great Britain, the Hamble River Sailing Club had their final weekend of the HYS Hamble Winter Series with sailing taking place on the Southampton Water and the current-laden Solent. There were a number of hotly contested classes that included J/109s, J/88s, and J/92s.Over in America, the San Diego Yacht Club held their third and final race of the highly popular Hot Rum Series on San Diego Harbor and on the Pacific Ocean off Point Loma. The pursuit-style PHRF race saw the big boats (e.g. over 50 feet) predominate in the top ten overall standings. However, in the classes, there were good performances by J/120s, J/70s and J/105s. In the southeast, Shake-A-Leg Foundation hosted the first of the Bacardi J/70 Winter Series on Biscayne Bay for a very competitive fleet of top U.S. J/70 teams.
Further east in the Caribbean, the season “opener” was held over a three-day weekend, the Course de’Alliance Regatta. It is a port-to-port event that starts in Saint Maarten, goes to St Barth, then to Anguilla, and back to Saint Maarten. A J/105 team enjoyed the sailing and the relaxed ambience at each of the three spectacular islands.
Finally, we get a report from our friendly “ex-convicts” on the far side of the blue planet, more “thunder from Down Under”! A J/122 is wrecking havoc in the offshore community of Western Australia, sailing out of the famous America’s Cup port of Perth.
J/99 World Debut @ Paris Show
(Paris, France)- The much anticipated introduction of the extraordinary J/99 shorthanded offshore speedster will be taking place at the famous “Salon Nautique”- a.k.a. the Paris International Boat Show- this coming week from December 8th to 16th at the Port de Versailles on the south side of Paris. The J/99 will be on display in Hall 1/ Stand 1 G62. For more Salon Nautique Paris boat show information
Learn more about the J/99 Offshore Speedster here
Order Your Gorgeous 2019 J/Calendar Now!(Newport, RI)- A sailing calendar is a great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew.
For 2019, 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 2019 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- St Petersburg (Russia), British Virgin Island, St Barths, Chicago, France, Italy, Chile, Ireland, Germany, and Spain. See the gorgeous photo gallery and order your 2019 J/Calendar here
Davis Island J/70 Winter Series Preview
(Tampa, FL)- Like its counterpart in Monte Carlo, Monaco, the Davis Island YC has been running its winter series since the inception of the International J/70 class. It has been a popular series from the beginning for J/70 sailors across America; this year at least 50 entries will be participating in one of the three events.
One of the most popular elements of the regatta is that all sailors are treated to an on-going “seminar/ training” program every day, held Friday afternoon before the regatta starts. As an “upside down” club, the coolest part of DIYC is the fleet congregates upstairs around a massive central bar that is surrounded by an enormous covered porch. With giant 60” plus TV screens everywhere in the ceilings, it is a multimedia extravaganza that is all turned over to sailing when needed (of course, football takes precedence at certain times of the day!). Many famous sailmakers from DOYLE, NORTH, QUANTUM and ULMAN Sails have contributed to the post-race de-briefs that include white board sessions as well as video/ photo analysis.
Not surprisingly, many J/70 crews look forward to participating in the DIYC J/70 Winter Series because it is a great training program for the skippers and crews. There are many top J/70 teams from across the country that are participating again this year. Some of those teams include; Doug Strebel’s BLACK RIVER RACING from Texas, Andrew Fisher’s BUTTON FLY from New York, Rob Britts’ HOT MESS from Tampa, Kevin Downey’s MR PITIFUL from Seattle, Will Welles’ NEW WAVE from Florida, Doug Clark’s POLAR for US Coast Guard, Bill Draheim from Texas, and Kevin Morgan’s WILD CARD from Rochester. Notably, there is a well-attended fleet of thirteen Corinthians teams.
The one major variable for the weekend’s racing will be Winter Storm Grace that is battering the USA’s West Coast on Thursday and is due to swing south across the Texas Panhandle region and across the top of the Gulf of Mexico Saturday evening and Sunday midday. Forecasts for Friday and Saturday show great breezes from the ESE feeding that frontal system; but Sunday may see anywhere from 15 to 35 knot winds from 6am to 1pm. Sailing on Sunday T.B.D. For more Davis Island YC J/70 Winter Series sailing information
Wirth Munroe Memorial Race PreviewPalm Beach, FL- The Wirth M. Munroe Memorial Yacht Race (a.k.a. the “Race to the Buffet”) is held on the first Friday in December. First sailed in 1957, the race begins the winter ocean racing circuit in South Florida. The course presents challenging conditions, as yachts must consider the vagaries of the Gulf Stream and the passing of the season’s first frontal systems.
In 1957, members of the Florida Station of the Cruising Club of America, led by Dick Bertram (famous as founder of Bertram Yachts), decided to sponsor a race from Miami to Palm Beach and to hold it in early December as racing yachts from the north had arrived by then in preparation for the Southern Ocean Racing Conference held in January and February.
In the 1960’s the Sailfish Club of Florida became a co-sponsor of the race and now hosts the well-known awards party following the finish- e.g. the “race to the buffet”- upon finishing the race, there is dockside cocktails and live music. Racers finish the evening with a world-class awards banquet at the Sailfish Club of Florida.
In 2016, the Club partnered with the Storm Trysail Club and decided to extend the course back to the Miami, FL. This year’s race will see the addition of a second course, from Fort Lauderdale to Palm Beach, catering to racer-cruisers, cruisers, and smaller racing yachts. The new course, called “The Sprint”, will be 40.0nm, and will complement the existing 60.0nm Miami to Palm Beach track, known as “The Classic”.
There are several J/Crews that have taken up the challenge for this year’s event, about 4x the number that had participated in the previous years. In the ORC Class are the J/109 HARM’s WAY (Andy Wescoat from Houston, TX), the J/92 HILLBILLY (Brad Stowers from Melbourne, FL), and the well-traveled J/44 KENAI (Chris Lewis from Seabrook, TX). Then, in the PHRF Class will be the J/88 LOOSE CANNON (John Kearns from Jupiter, FL).
The forecast for ESE winds in the 10-20 kts range promises a fast race for all boats and both courses; a fast reach off into the Gulf Stream flowing north at 3-5 kts, then giant A2 spinnakers to fly north up the Stream to the Palm Beach finish line. For more Wirth Munroe Race sailing information
Regatta & Show Schedules:
Dec 8-16- Salon Nautique Boat Show- Paris, FranceDec 1-2- Bacardi J/70 Winter Series I- Miami, FL
Dec 8-9- Davis Island J/70 Winter Series I- Tampa, FL
Jan 5-6- Davis Island J/70 Winter Series II- Tampa, FL
Jan 19-20- Bacardi J/70 Winter Series II- Miami, FL
Jan 24-27- J/Fest St Petersburg- St Petersburg, FL
Jan 26-28- Festival of Sails- Geelong, Vic, Australia
Feb 9-10- Davis Island J/70 Series III- Tampa, FL
Feb 15-17- Helly Hansen St Petersburg NOOD- St Petersburg, FL
Feb 21-24- J/70 Midwinter Championship- Miami, FL
Mar 6-9- Bacardi Cup- J/70 Winter Series III- Miami, FL
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
Pierini Tops Bacardi J/70 Winter Series I(Miami, FL)- Biscayne Bay was open again for business as the inaugural three event Bacardi Invitational Winter Series kicked off December 1-2 in Miami, FL. The event is an off-shoot of the perennial Bacardi Invitational Regatta now run in conjunction with the legendary Bacardi Cup every March.
Despite light winds allowing only three races on day one and no racing on day two, the J/70 Class was extremely tight in the top five positions, with a different crew winning each race. Day one was as predicted. As it progressed, the breeze lightened, so did the chop. The left side continued to be favored, making starts difficult since everyone wanted to go the same way.
Many teams from across the USA and Europe arrived early for the regatta and took advantage of the Miami weather to get in some practice. On day one, sailors awoke to an overcast sky, a westerly breeze of 8–11 knots, and moderate Biscayne Bay chop. The Key Biscayne Yacht Club Race Committee set up a windward--leeward course of two laps.
In race one, the entire J/70 class went left on the upwind, so a strong start was essential to being in the top of the fleet. Henry Brauer's RASCAL and Joel Ronning's CATAPULT led neck and neck at the first mark. The two boats battled closely throughout the race with CATAPULT victorious in the end. Trey Sheehan's Team HOOLIGAN sailed a near perfect second race, winning with a generous lead for such light conditions.
For most of the day, boats that got out in front, stayed in front. The day ended with Geoff Pierini winning the third race. His team kept their pace in the dying breeze and seemed to glide effortlessly around the race course. Pierini and his team were hyper-focused on maximizing their speed and making the smallest of gains on every little puff.
Pierini's J/70 team had three great starts that gave them the freedom to continue left as long as they wished and not be held out to the layline.
The breeze was relatively stable and pressure moved slowly down the course, so it was difficult to make major gains on the upwinds. Gains were sometimes made on the downwinds by teams taking a risk to jibe away from the fleet early. The majority of the J/70 fleet straight set on the downwinds and gybed only when they arrived near the layline.
The J/70 winner, Geoff Pierini, attributes much of his win to his crew, US Olympian Thomas Barrows, keeping them in the pressure on the downwinds. That helped them work the boat lower than their competitors, giving them the chance to gybe out when the opportunity presented itself. Timing was everything in the tight fleet.
Sunday's weather forecast proved over-optimistic. Despite the patience of the Race Committee and the competitors, the day's racing was called just after noon. The breeze never filled.
The J/70 sailors headed back to shore by motor. Smiles abounded later in the afternoon as the sailors found themselves again with Bacardi cocktails in their hands and surrounded by the hospitality of the folks at Shake—A-Leg, the regatta venue.
After the three races, the top of the leaderboard was quite tight. Pierini led with 6 pts, followed by Ronning’s CATAPULT in second with 8 pts, Sheehan’s Team HOOLIGAN- FLAT STANLEY in third with 9 pts, Brauer’s RASCAL in fourth with 11 pts and Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE in fifth with 13 pts. The Top Corinthian J/70 Team was Joey Kolisch. Thanks to Kathleen Tocke for the contribution.
The series consists of three events, the next two are scheduled as follows:
Jan 19-20- Bacardi J/70 Winter Series II- Miami, FL
Mar 6-9- Bacardi J/70 Winter Series III- Miami, FL
For more Bacardi Winter Series sailing information
Hamble Winter Series Finale(Hamble, England)- After last week's brief return of “the Beast from the East”, the forecast for Week 8 of the HYS Hamble Winter Series 2018, was for 12-30 knots WSW, with low water in the Solent at 12.30 pm. "Quite interesting conditions!" as PRO Kathy Smalley put it. Or, as one competitor was heard to mumble, "A witch from the West!"
There were two options to find a decent opening beat, move the Bramble Bank or head south of the bank to Goodall Roofing (4W) which is where the HRSC PRO took up station. The windward destination would be Prince Consort, followed by a "sheltered" broad reach to Norris to keep the first boats round the windward mark away from those still approaching it. A sort of health and safety spreader leg if you like.
There was a return to the “War of the Roses” in IRC 1 Class, when Chaz Ivill (Red) and Rob Bottomley (White), turned out for the final race showdown. It was the J/112E DAVANTI TYRES (Chaz Ivill and Paul Heys) who were cooking their hotpot with gas; taking their fourth win of the series and the overall title for IRC 1 Class. The J/112E DAVANTI TYRES closed with four 1sts and four 2nds to win by a convincing margin over the best 36 to 41 footer IRC teams in all of the Solent and southern Great Britain. Not surprisingly, this built upon the J/112E’s extraordinary 2018 season of sailing; winning the IRC Europeans overall and in class on the Solent and also winning the Offshore World Sailing Championship (IRC/ ORC) sailed off The Hague, The Netherlands.
The on-going battle between the J/109's continued between JIRAFFE (Simon Perry) and JAGO (Mike and Susie Yates). Perry commented that Yates was “quite good at match racing today!" This was probably because JAGO (second on the water) beat JIRAFFE (third on the water) and, unless JIRAFFE did something really quite silly, they had the series sewn up. Notably, JAGO had 14-year-old Cameron Yates on the mainsheet on Sunday, as he has been all series! A new record? His Dad Mike fell on the wheel during the race and bent it, but don't worry his wife Susie is getting him a new one for Christmas! Rounding out the top five in class were two J88s; Gavin Howe’s TIGRIS in fourth and Kirsty & David Apthorp’s J-DREAM in fifth place.
In Class 3, the Greenhalgh family effort (Dad- David and daughter Libby) on their J/92 J’RONIMO leapfrogged into third position after the double toss races came into effect. Thereafter, they won the final race in dramatic fashion and sealed their bid to take the bronze position on the podium!
Meanwhile, the J/88s saw a duel to the finish for class honors. Winning by one point was Gavin Howe’s TIGRIS over David & Kirsty Apthorp’s J-DREAM. Taking the bronze was Dirk van Beek’s SABRIEL JR.
A number of competitors were impressed by two club stalwarts, Rupert Smalley and Peter Baines, who manned the pin end boat, Obsession, as it bounced up and down during the windy start sequence. Rupert had a slightly different point of view, “it was nice and flat until all those race boats started to thrash around." He also felt it would be better if crews did not "ping" the port pin mark until it had actually been laid!!
Back in the HRSC Clubhouse, Paul Heys of Key Yachting presented the day prizes. He managed to avoid one awkward moment by quickly passing the Champagne and chocolates for the IRC 1 class winner to Chaz Ivill.
The Series prizes were presented by Lee Pollock of Hamble Yacht Services. Simon Perry’ J/109 JIRAFFE won “Yacht of the Series”. He thanked the Race Team and volunteers. "It was a fantastic series,” said Perry. “We will definitely be back again next year." Thanks for contribution from Trevor Pountain. Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth For more Hamble Winter Series sailing information
Hot Rum Series III Finale(San Diego, CA)- The third and final race of the San Diego YC Hot Rum Series took place this past weekend off San Diego’s beautiful harbor and Point Loma peninsula. In the end, the results were a mixed bag of outcomes for various J/crews.
The one shining beacon of performance, not surprisingly, was the large turnout of J/105s and J/70s that were all lumped into PHRF Class 4. J/Class honors flipped back and forth over the two weekends and, in the end, it was Dennis Case’s J/105 J-OK that took the silver, just barely losing overall honors in the last race. Third was Steve Wyman’s J/70 NUNUHUNU, fourth Erostino Dagfish’s J/105 VIGGEN and fifth Dave Vieregg’s J/70 SOGGY DOLLAR. A commendable performance to all, four of the top five in class! For more SDYC Hot Rum Series sailing information
J/105 Flies at Course de’Alliance Regatta(Saint Maarten)- The Course de’Alliance Regatta is a port-to-port event that is raced between three magnificent islands in the Caribbean- St Maarten, St. Barth, and Anguilla- over a three day weekend. For those that love sailing in the spectacular aquamarine waters of the Caribbean and enjoying the 15-25 kt trade winds, you cannot get much better than racing to those three amazing islands!
In the Racing Class, there was an epic battle between the J/105 SOLSTICE (skippered by Jordan and Shannon Mindich) and the M24s. In the end, SOLSTICE was 1st on the leg from St Maarten to St Barths, 4th place on the downwind leg from St Barths down to Anguilla, then 2nd on the beat/reach home to St Maarten. In the end, SOLSTICE took 2nd overall.
According to Jordan Mindich, “the conditions were spectacular, including a two hour tight spin reach up the north side of Saint Maarten. It was interesting racing, including a last minute capsize by Gill less than 100 yards from the finish - giving us 2nd overall! Loads of fun!!”
“This really is my favorite regatta. It is the season opener, and a great chance for the crews from the different islands to meet and socialize in beautiful locations. But, though the atmosphere is friendly, the competition is fierce, and it was great to see such tight racing amongst such good teams,” says Race Officer Paul Miller.
“The racing was hot, and still the participants had energy left to enjoy the socials in St Barth and Anguilla. That’s why this event is so popular, the concept of racing to 2 other islands and then enjoy the finest of the Caribbean is golden. We thank the St Barth Yacht Club & Sailing School and the Anguilla Sailing Association for their assistance with the event, the cooperation is vital for the Regatta’s continuation and success,” commented Leonde Vermeulen, Event Manager at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club, organizer of the event.
Organizers like to thank sponsors Moorings, Fiji Water and Mount Gay Rum for their contributions to the event. “Not only do our sponsors help to reduce costs, they add significant quality to the event. They are not only appreciated by the organizers, but by the participants as well. We are grateful for the ongoing support,” explained Vermeulen. For more Course de’Alliance Regatta sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* More “Thunder from Down Under!” Ian Clyne’s J/122 JOSS recently won the 140.0nm 2018 West Coaster Ocean Race off Perth, Western Australia. Here is the report from Tony Bewsher, crewing aboard the J/122 JOSS.“A very competitive fleet took part in the West Coaster 140nm overnight race on the weekend of the 24/25 November, including our J/122 JOSS.
The course was westerly from Fremantle, around Cape Vlamingh (the western end of Rottnest Island), then a 65.0nm northwards leg to a virtual mark set just of the historic coastal fishing town of Lancelin, and finally back south to the finish in Fremantle.
The race started in 8-10 knots SSW winds with the fleet jostling for position on the 1.0nm upwind beat to the first mark. JOSS rounded in 3rd position behind “Dirty Deeds” & “Weapon of Choice”, then the fleet sailed off on a broad reach out to the Western Windmills Fairway mark off the SE corner of Rottnest Island followed by an upwind beat in a dropping breeze along the south side of the island to Cape Vlamingh (the most westerly tip of the island and extremely exposed to the full forces of the Indian Ocean).
As the fleet approached Cape Vlamingh, the winds almost dropped out completely, making the rounding a slow frustrating affair. With an ever-growing cloud line slowly building on the horizon, the fleet edged westwards in our search for stronger more consistent breeze.Big Sails help win big races, and as the clouds built overhead, the wind grew sufficiently for everyone to hoist their biggest spinnakers.
JOSS hoisted our big “Bright Green” A1.5 Spinnaker for this 65.0nm downwind run. The wind built steadily throughout the afternoon to 15-18 knots. We found ourselves dueling all the way to the Lancelin mark with “Obsession” (Mat1180) and “Weapon of Choice” (FB35). We even managed to pass these higher IRC rated boats midway along the track, only to have them battle back to lead us by a few hundred metres around the virtual top mark off Lancelin at approx. 2100 hrs Saturday night.
With a stunning full moon lighting up the ocean, we sailed for Fremantle in a more moderate breeze, maintaining contact with the 4 faster & lighter Div 1 yachts ahead of us. At sunrise we witnessed a beautiful Western Australian dawn with JOSS leading the fleet in both IRC & YAH, and eventually crossing the finish line at Fremantle at 0700 hrs Sunday morning in a time of 21:35:37.
Our winning margin on IRC was an impressive 27 minutes to the second placed boat “Obsession”, and 45 minutes to the 3rd placed boat “Alfresco”.
It was 22 hours of perfect sailing conditions for JOSS with fluctuating winds between 8-18 knots and moving from an early light southerly on Saturday morning, swinging west and building until sunset throughout Saturday, then moderating over night to finish in an easterly land breeze.The 140nm “WestCoaster” was a much more enjoyable sail compared to the recent similar distance overnight race, the “3 Ports Race” being knocked down 3 times during the night by 60-70 knot winds!!!
In sailing, winning is often a combination of great sailing by the boat & crew, and an equal measure of the “sea gods smiling on you”. There were many smiles over this weekend.
“Joss” has started the 2018/19 ORWA Offshore Season in strong form with 2 wins in Div 1 IRC, a 2nd, & a 5th, and 3 wins in Div 1 YAH & a 5th place.
With the lowest rating in the Div 1 Fleet in Western Australia, JOSS is proving how competitive J/Boats are against a very competitive fleet of top teams here in the West.”
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