J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
A lot of sailing activity was taking place this past week in Europe. For starters, the largest annual offshore keelboat regatta in France kicked off the summer sailing season in La Trinite sur Mer, France- the famous, fabulous, huge, SPI OUEST France Regatta. The regatta is a magnet for everyone in the French sailing community, from one-design keelboats to the largest offshore IRC handicap racers. As usual, the J/80s had the biggest fleet, with J/70s growing quickly, and the French offshore establishment witnessed the successful debut of the evolutionary, fast, short-handed speedster- the new J/99. Off to the north, the Dutch sailors also enjoyed their huge season-opening event; the Van Uden Recco Regatta sailed off Stellendam, The Netherlands.Then, down in the Caribbean, the penultimate event of their winter circuit was the Les Voiles de St Barths sailed out of Gustavia Harbour. A duel of J/122s led to rather amazing results overall.
Newport to Ensenada Race Preview(Newport Beach, CA)- Southern California offshore sailing teams are looking forward to their second major event of the season. After the famous (and light) Cabo San Lucas race, the fleet is expecting “fast forward” downwind sleigh rides in this year’s Newport to Ensenada Race- one of the world’s largest international yacht races, with a legendary 125nm course that starts off the piers at Newport Beach, CA and heads south down the California coastline to a finish inside Toto Santos Bay off the lovely Hotel Coral & Marina in Ensenada.
Starting on April 26th, the fleet of 180+ boats will look forward to their 72nd annual edition of the race. Answering that seductive call to the sea- the “song of the sirens”- are nearly a dozen J/crews from the Southern California region.
Rudolph Hasl’s crew have “up-scaled” their ride for his race; leaping from their J/120 HASL FREE to the J/145 PALAEMON in the PHF ULDB A Class. Sailing in the PHRF ULDB B Class will be Scott Grealish’s J/121 BLUEFLASH and Viggo Torbensen’s J/125 TIMESHAVER; that will be an interesting duel to watch! Then, in PHRF ULDB C Class, Seth Hall’s J/124 MARISOL will be up against Doug & Jack Jorgensen’s J/111 PICOSA. Finally, in PHRF ULDB D Class, Brian Kerr’s J/92 DOUBLE DOWN will do battle with two J/105s (Juan Lois’ ROCINANTE and Dan Murphy’s CUCHULAINN).
The PHRF A fleet will see two J/120s dueling for class honors; Terri Manok’s POLE DANCER and Jack Rose’s PRIVATEER II. For more Newport to Ensenada Race sailing information
American YC Spring Series Preview
(Rye, NY)- Spring sailing in the northeast of America is always a fickle thing; just ask those Solent sailors in the U.K. that are on the receiving end of the goofy weather patterns experienced over North America that happen to make their way across the North Atlantic in due course and slam into Scotland, Ireland, and the rest of the United Kingdom.
Remarkably, the forecast for the first of two weekend’s of sailing in American Yacht Club’s annual Spring Series Regatta looks reasonably good for two solid days of sailing.
There are a total of seventy-five entries overall in the event in One-Design and PHRF fleets. Six boats are racing IRC (obviously, not popular in the USA). Eighteen boats are racing PHRF; not exactly a ringing endorsement of YRA Long Island Sound PHRF is it?
What is remarkable, is that fifty-six participants in the AYC Spring Series are J/Crews- 75% of the fleet are racing one-design! Those classes include One-Design classes for J/70s, J/80s, J/88s, J/105s, J/109s, and J/44s.
Starting with the “big boat” J/44 One-Design Class, we find New York Yacht Club Commodore Bill Ketcham racing MAXINE with his family crew. They are hoping to lead some old familiar names, as well as new ones, in what could be called the “Gold Digger Division” (in honor of the late Jim Bishop whom pioneered the development of the J/44 class). Chasing Bill will be none other than Len Sitar’s VAMP, Don & Dick Rave’s RESOLUTE, and class newcomers like Bill Mooney’s KATANA, June & Amanda Kendrick’s PALANTIR 5, and Tom Blackwell’s BREAKAWAY.
The ten-boat J/109 class will see their usual suspects of class leaders on a national level participating in their first major regatta of the season. The real question will be “who’s showing up on first base” with a well-oiled machine? Likely, no one. However, all will be focused on fine-tuning their teamwork and boatspeed for their J/109 North Americans later in the year. Notable leading teams should include Carl Olsson’s MORNING GLORY, Jon Rechtshaffer’s EMOTICON, John Greifzu’s GROWTH SPURT, David Rosow’s LOKI, and Bob Schwartz’s NORDLYS. OK, well that is half the fleet! Well, that is often the case in the J/109 class; anyone can win given that magic combination of starts, speed, and crew work!
As the largest class in the regatta, the fourteen J/105s are certain to see great competition as the event will mark the first regatta on the road to the J/105 North American Championship to be held by Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead, MA this coming September 2019. Watch for an eclectic selection of crews to be amongst the leaderboard; such as Paul Beaudin’s LOULOU, John Koten’s GRAY MATTER, Jeremy Henderson & Harald Edegran’s CONUNDRUM, the kids on the YOUNG AMERICAN, and Max Kalehoff’s LAURA BEA.
The seven-boat J/88 class will be HOT off the trails of the recent Charleston Race Week that took place two weeks ago in Charleston, SC. There, Mike Bruno’s team on WINGS won a very closely fought battle over Justin Scagnelli’s ALBONDIGAS, with Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION just off the pace in fourth. Watch for the same trio to have another dust-up over the next two weekends on Long Island Sound.
The octet of J/70s will be enjoying fun, fast racing on their near-shore race course. Familiar names that will factor into the leaderboard will be Marshall Saffer’s LET IT RIP, Carrie & Ed Austin’s CHINOOK, Dan Goldberg’s BAZINGA, Alex Meleney’s TRUCKIN, and the White Rhino Racing team on J-RHINO!
A half-dozen J/80s will be participating with various crews from the Hudson River Community Sailing program. The lone private boat will be Jason Viseltear’s UPSETTER from Huguenot YC.
In the world of PHRF handicap racing, there are three divisions. In PHRF A Class, the Kings Point US Merchant Marine Academy is sailing the J/111 BLACK DIAMOND; Scott Devine is skippering the J/112E REVIVER, and Ron Richman will be helming the J/133 ANTIDOTE. Then, in the PHRF Cruising division, Charles Taus is sailing his J/33 SIRIUS. And, in the PHRF Plus-ONE Division is Steven Levy’s J/121 EAGLE from Indian Harbor Yacht Club. For more American YC Spring Series sailing information
Antigua Sailing Week Preview(English Harbour, Antigua)- More than 100 boats are registered from 30 countries worldwide and crews from many more will be taking part in a nine-day festival of racing and shoreside events that is Antigua Sailing Week, the Caribbean’s longest running regatta.
Fifty-four yachts will be racing in the CSA Racing Classes and winning skippers will be competing for the famous Lord Nelson Trophy.
The CSA racing fleet has a huge variety of professional and Corinthian sailors, young and old. Of those, six are J/Crews from across the constellation of experience. Those teams include Ben Jelic’s J/120 JAGUAR from St Maarten; Pamala Baldwin’s J/122 LIQUID from Antigua’s Jolly Harbour (the recent winner of her class at Voiles de St Barths); a Peruvian crew on the J/122 INKA TEAM/ EL OCASO skippered by Diego Aguirre from Lima, Peru; Roger Gatewood’s J/145 KATARA from Davis Island YC in Tampa, FL; Tanner Jones’ J/30 BLUE PETER/ CARIBBEAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE from Jolly Harbour, Antigua; and Jonty & Vicky Layfield’s J/11S SLEEPER from St Phillips Bay, Antigua.
Racing kicks off with the stand-alone Peters & May Round Antigua Race, followed by six days of Antigua Sailing Week. While racing always comes first at Antigua Sailing Week, the shoreside fun is very much part of the regatta.
Competitors gather after racing for the daily prize giving each day, with featured rock & roll and reggae artists each evening. The Final Awards Ceremony & Party is always a memorable occasion and the fun doesn’t stop there, with Dockyard Days and the Dickenson Bay Beach Bash closing the regatta. For more Antigua Sailing Week sailing information
Inviting J/Sailors to Marblehead-Halifax Race
(Marblehead, MA)- Plans are moving ahead, and registrations are already building for the 38th biennial Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race on Sunday July 7. The 363.0nm international ocean race will leave Marblehead on July 7 headed for Halifax, Nova Scotia.
“With sixty boats signed up, we have a strong early enrollment and expect to have 80 boats on the starting line," said Vice Commodore David Bows, of the Boston Yacht Club, who is Co-Chairman of the event.
To date fourteen J/Boats (already 25% of the fleet) have signed up to compete and more are expected. “We have always had a strong showing from the J/Boat fleet,” says Tom Mager, Rear Commodore of Boston YC. Mager has entered his J/122 GIGI in this year’s race. It will be his first Halifax Race.
First sailed in 1905, the Marblehead to Halifax Race is the premier ocean race in the northeast. It is co-sponsored by the Boston Yacht Club and the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. Sailors from the United States and Canada will converge on Marblehead over the Fourth of July for a round of social events highlighting the summer racing season.
Race Directors Anne Coulombe and Richard Hinterhoeller plan to configure the starting line so that spectators can view the start of the race from such vantage points as Castle Rock and Crocker Park. “It worked well in recent years, so we’re hoping the weather will cooperate and we can do it again this year”, they said. For more Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race sailing information
Exciting J/24 European Champs In The Making!
(Patra, Greece)- There are almost fifteen days left before the first official race of the J/24 Class European Championship, organized by the Sailing Club of Patra, in collaboration with the Hellenic and International J/24 Class and the Hellenic Sailing Federation.
Some 175 sailors and thirty-five crews from all around Europe have already arrived or are expected to arrive in the city of Patra, the third largest city of Greece. Patra is well known for its annual carnival and is surrounded by some of the most magnificent, well-known archaeological sites of Greece.
Preparations are well on the way, with official races commencing on May 7th. Prior to that, measurements, registration and a practice race will be held from the 4th to the 6th of May 2019. All boats will moor at the pier of Agios Nikolaos in the old northern harbor of the city. Racing will be taking place just outside of the harbor, providing spectators with the possibility to observe a magnificent view of all J/24’s racing around the course. Besides the sailing, the Sailing Club of Patra has planned an exciting program of social events for all the participants.
Following a very successful J/24 World Championship in Italy with ninety participants, the city of Patra is ready to host another exciting event for the world’s largest keelboat class. The European J/24 Championship is open to anyone; and last minute registrations are welcome! We have a few more J/24 charter boats available for these last minute crews who would like to participate. Follow the J/24 European Championship on Facebook here For more J/24 European Championship sailing information
Regatta & Show Schedules:
Mar 17- Apr 28- Warsash Spring Series- Warsash, EnglandApr 26-28- Newport to Ensenada Race- Newport Beach, CA
Apr 27-28- American YC Spring Series- Rye, NY
Apr 28- May 3- Antigua Sailing Week- English Harbour, Antigua
May 3-5- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
May 3-5- Yachting Cup Regatta- San Diego, CA
May 4-10- J/24 European Championship- Patras, Greece
May 4- RORC Cervantes Cup Race- Cowes, England
May 9-12- SAILING Champions League- Palma Mallorca, Spain
May 10-12- Grand Prix de St Cast- St Cast, France
May 10-12- RORC Vice Admiral’s Cup- Cowes, England
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
J/99s Debut @ SPI Ouest France Regatta
(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- Last weekend, the Societe Nautique de La Trinite sur Mer hosted their annual SPI Ouest France Regatta. The event was simply huge and, as anticipated prior to the regatta, the competition was fierce in certain classes in what was predominantly a very light air regatta- far, far lighter than what has been the historical average for this Easter Weekend regatta.
The 2019 edition had 398 keelboats on the water, of which 98 were a veritable navy of J’s (25% of the total fleet) that included J/70s, J/80s, J/92s, J/97s, J/99s, J/105s, J/109, J/111, J/120 and J/122E.
The most exciting news for J/sailors was watching the debut of the quartet of new J/99s racing in their first major event since launching the first boat early March in the United Kingdom. In short, despite having virtually zero time to tune-up, debug, fine-tune rig settings, adjust sails, and train the crew, the J/99s in both the IRC B Class and the IRC Doublehanded class closed the regatta on the final day with podium finishes or outright dominant victories!
We received a report and commentary from Fred Bouvier fresh after the awards ceremony on Monday:
“We launched J-LANCE 14 just two weeks before SPI Ouest and Olivier Grassi’s boat was launched just 48 hours before the regatta and managed to sail just four hours prior to the first day of racing!
There were four J/99s participating in the regatta, three were in IRC B class and one in the IRC Double class. Two boats had double rudders and the other two had single rudders. All boats had symmetric spinnakers, ‘short’ bowsprits with long spinnaker poles, and flat keels for optimized IRC rating trim. The three boats in IRC B class had carbon rigs, only the IRC Doublehanded class boat had the standard aluminum mast.
It was very difficult sailing for the regatta. It was very light winds all four days- ranging from 4.0 to 8.0 kts. Plus, we were fighting moon tides that were producing very strong currents.
Perhaps the most important lessons learned were that each boat did better race after race; everyone was learning how to tune the rig, then set the sails better, and the crew work and racing tactics/ strategies improved, too.
What we discovered is that the J/99 is very fast downwind, as fast or faster, than most 11 to 12 meter boats in class (36 to 40 footers). Perhaps the most enlightening aspect of the boat is that it is very stiff; we were very fast upwind.
Our biggest issue in the windward-leeward races was that we were stuck in a 26-boat class that had a good half-dozen very well sailed 36 to 41 footers; so keeping clear from their bad winds was of paramount importance.
In the third coastal race around buoys and islands, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong for us on J-LANCE 14! We had a bad start, bad tuning, bad tactics, and sailed into several holes. It was definitely a ‘big boat’ race, but our mistakes killed us.
However, by the last race, we got it all together and finished right on the transom of the J/122E MUSIX that got on the podium with the bronze medal! We were quite happy with that outcome! Similarly, Olivier Grassi in the IRC Doublehanded Class not only beat most of the 52-boat class overall on elapsed time, beating many bigger boats, but won by a lot on handicap time! A great way to finish the regatta for both boats!
When we discussed how the boat sailed with the various skippers, it was pretty clear that for the longer reaching legs, the twin rudders were better, it had lighter feel on the helm offshore. However, if sailing W/L courses most of the time, it appeared the single rudder may be better for both VMG upwind, but more importantly, for VMG downwind.
We are also pleased to report that of all the new 28 to 32 footers introduced at SPI Ouest, the J/99 was viewed as the most comfortable and versatile as a weekend family cruiser, too! All other competitive boats (like the JPK 1010, 1030, 1080, Sunfast 3200, 3300, 3600) were seen as simply race boats only, with no room or comforts down below.
With a little more time to fine-tune the rigging settings, the sail trim, and sail selection choices, we believe we will have a good showing at an overnight double-handed event in La Rochelle in two weeks.”
In the end, it was Phillipp Baetz’s J/122E MUSIX from the host club SN Trinite sur Mer that took the bronze in IRC B class with a 5-12-3-6-7 record for 21 pts net. Just one point back was Didier LeMoal’s J/99 J-LANCE 14 with a 8-7-18-4-3 tally for 22 pts net. Notably, in the last race, the two J/99s (Andrew Algeo’s Irish team on JUGGERKNOT 2 and the French J-LANCE 14) finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively, on handicap time and also beat all but one of the 35 to 40 footers in the entire class boat-for-boat! And, that included crushing two very famous French offshore teams; the JPK 1080 RAGING BEE and the JPK 1010 FOGGY DEW (the overall RORC Fastnet Race winners)!
The 50-boat IRC Doublehanded division was considered to have some of the fiercest offshore competition in the regatta, with many French solo/double stars sprinkled amongst the various boats; many of which are full-time professional sailors. Up against such a formidable contingent of French superstars, Olivier Grassi’s J/99 GRASSI BATEAUX started off slowly but steadily improved every race, posting a 11-5-5-1 scoreline to secure the bronze, just 2 pts from the silver and 3 pts from the gold! An amazing performance for a boat that was just “float-tested” less than 48 hours before their first start!
In their fourth and final race, GRASSI BATEAUX felt they were finally getting a good feel for their boat. After a nearly three hour race, they were third boat across the line on elapsed time, just 1 min 30 sec behind a 34 footer and ahead of all the 36 to 40 footers; an astonishing achievement in a brand new boat (literally!), all things considered in such a hot, competitive fleet. The rest of the fleet was a who’s who of the French offshore shorthanded establishment; all sailing in these boats- Sunfast 3600 (9), Sunfast 3200 (9), Sunfast 40 (1), JPK 1080 (6), JPK 1010 (8), and A35 (4).
Racing in the thirteen-boat IRC A class was Patrice Vidon’s J/111 J4F from Societe Nautique Baie St Malo. In the end, their 8-6-7-9-4 tally for 25 pts net was good enough for 6th overall, just 7 pts from a podium finish.
In the twenty-five-boat IRC C class, the two J/92s sailed well. Matthieu Visbecq’s NAVARCHSOFT took sixth place while Thierry Bidon’s DR JEKYLL from CN Lorient placed eighth.
The French version of the American PHRF class is called the Osiris Habitable handicap rule. In the OSH 2 Class, Samuel Blevin’s J/109 JOKE sailed a very nice regatta and their crew hopped onto the podium in the bronze position.
The seventeen-boat J/70 class saw very competitive racing for most of the top ten, except the winner! Walking off with the convincing class win was Russian Alexei Semenov’s NEW TERRITORIES team (including Spanish Olympic Medallist Hugo Rocha as trim/ tactics); they essentially crushed the fleet with five 1sts and three 2nds in ten races to win by a twenty-point margin! Taking the silver was Frenchman Laurent Sambron racing HEMO-CAMUS with a 37 pts net total. Third was Damian Michelier’s SAGE ENGINEERING SAILING TEAM with 42 pts net. Rounding out the top five were Francois Lenart’s MECENAT CHIRURGIE CARDIAQUE in 4th an Phillippe Guigne’s VIRTUAL REGATTA 70 in 5th position.
With sixty-six boats, the J/80 class was, again, by far the largest class at SPI Ouest France for at least ten years in a row, maybe more. The regatta produced a few surprise results due to the very light air conditions. Winning was Frenchman Pierre Laouenan on COURRIER ECOLE NAVALE, producing an astonishing tally of 15-1-3-2-1-1 for 8 pts net to win by a large margin. Taking second was another surprise fleet leader, the Spanish crew of Almandoz Iker sailing GRUPO GARATU with a 1-4-4-4-2-19 record for 15 pts net. Third was a familiar face on the podium, Frenchman Sylvain Pellisier’s INTUITIVE SAILS with a 4-35-2-1-8-11 scoreline for 26 pts. net. Rounding out the top five in this tough class was Luc Nadal’s GAN’JA in 4th and Corentin Kieffer’s GRAND OUEST ETIQUETTES in 5th place.
Here is an interview with the winner- Pierre Laouenan.
SPI: Pierre, what memory will you keep from this 41st Spi Ouest-France?
PL: Obviously a very good memory, since we win! Overall, we showed a good level, we were fairly regular. It was a recovery for this crew; it was two years since we had not done a J/80. We also discovered the Courrier École Navale boat. Our goal is the world championship, this year in Bilbao, in July. It was therefore important for us to make a good recovery, to take the boat in hand.
SPI: You had a complicated departure ...
PL: Yes, we start with our worst race, taking the fifteenth place. Then, we go on the podiums: three races being first, another being second and finally a third place. It is a real satisfaction, there was also a strong competition.
SPI: You are not at your first attempt on the Spi Ouest-France?
PL: No, I do not count the number of Spi Ouest-France I made, but it is my third victory in J/80, and the fourth SPI Ouest I win in all. It is always a nice race, especially when you run with nice conditions like that, with sun and a little wind.
SPI: The wind was still a little slow?
PL: Over the last two days it was very soft it is true, but we still managed to sail, the committee was doing well and we could all run a few runs even if it was not always easy. There were also strong currents, and therefore an important part of strategy in navigation. We managed not to make too many mistakes, and we are really satisfied with this edition. Sailing photo credits- Jean-Marie Liot For more SPI Ouest France sailing information
J/122 LIQUID Crushes LVSB X Edition
(Gustavia Harbor, St Barths)- Pamala Baldwin, owner of the J/122 LIQUID from Antigua, frequently races the Caribbean circuit, but until this regatta, she and her young Skipper Jules White hadn't quite cracked the top of the podium.
She added Mike Giles as tactician and coach to complement the young talented team, and according to Baldwin, “it was the final piece we needed to complete the winning puzzle. My heart is filled with joy!”
LIQUID’s skipper, Julian White, age 25 of Lymington, England is also the racing yacht's manager and according to Baldwin, "Jules is someone the racing world needs to keep an eye on...he maneuvered LIQUID through this entire season. We competed in every Caribbean Regatta, including the RORC Caribbean 600, with consistent podium results."
Giles has raced almost every Les Voiles in the Maxi class, and really enjoyed his time in the smaller CSA 4 fleet. ”In this fleet there are no ‘gimmies’, it's an incredibly competitive class with close racing," the native South African said. "The racing is just as tough, if not harder, than when I'm sailing in the Maxis."
Baldwin remarked, “my entire crew of ten are under age 30, competing against seasoned pro’s. You have no idea of my pride, knowing LIQUID is providing a platform for their future racing careers! Challenging and exhausting, but to sweep the entire CSA classes during Les Voiles 10th prestigious regatta with bullet after bullet is as exhilarating, as it is rewarding! It doesn't get better than this!”
Enjoying the conditions equally as well was Chris Body’s J/122 EL OCASO, posting a 3-5-3-2-4-2 for 19 pts to take the bronze, just missing a podium 1-2 sweep of the CSA 4 Class by the J/122s.
The tenth edition of the Voiles de Saint Barth provided the fleet of fifty-five offshore racing thoroughbreds a remarkable week of racing. “Sailing in St. Barth’s is never easy,” said Luc Poupon, Race Organizer. “There is much to navigate around with the rocks and it’s not as simple as it seems to negotiate. Clearly, knowing the nuances of sailing around St. Barth helps, and every day the competitors had to deal with the multiple wind shifts.” For more Les Voiles de Saint Barth sailing information
J/Crews Dominate Battles @ Van Uden Ecco Regatta(Stellendam, Netherlands)- The first major offshore regatta of the Dutch offshore sailing season took place this past weekend off Stellendam, The Netherlands on the North Sea. In general, J/Teams did quite well across the board in the challenging, somewhat light to medium sailing conditions (the same massive High pressure system that caused the cancellation of the RORC’s Easter Regatta off Cowes, England).
The first of the season-long Dutch Doublehanded Series started with this event. Not surprisingly, the top Dutch crew of John van der Starre and Robin Verhoef started off the 2019 season in first place on their J/122E AJETO. In fact, J/Teams nearly dominated the top five. Taking third was Chris Revelman & Pascal Bakker’s J/122 JUNIQUE, followed by Michel Hof’s J/122 AMBITION in fourth place and Ad Lagendijk’s J/109 IMAJINE in 5th place.
In the ORC 1 Class, it was Paul van Driel’s J/111 SWEENY that posted a 5-3-3-1-1 to take the silver with 8 pts, just one point shy of first overall!
In the ORC 2 Class, the J/109s occupied half of the top seven. Taking fourth was Rutger Krijger’s JACK RABBIT, followed by Alain Bornet’s JAI ALAI in 5th, and Arjen van Leeuwen’s JOULE in seventh position.
In the one-design world, the J/70 class has grown considerably in the Netherlands. This year’s regatta saw the fleet double in size from last year. Winning this year’s event was Wouter Kollmann’s PLA J with a 1-2-3-1-1-1 for 6 pts net. Grabbing the silver was John den Engelsman’s MR HENRI with a 3-5-1-2-3-3 for 12 pts net. Then, Jan Wanders’ KIND OF MAGIC took the bronze with a 2-3-2-6-2-5 for 14 pts net.
The J/22 class was won by the French crew on JAZZY, led by Reiner Brockerhoff; it was a “nip & tuck” fierce fight all weekend with Dirk Jan Ver Doorn’s Netherlands team on JUT EN JUL. The JAZZY team took it all in the last race, ending up with a 1-2-1-5-4-1 for 9 pts net. Losing that proposition was JUT EN JUL with a 2-1-2-1-9-4 for 10 pts net. Rounding out the top three was Melina Dinter’s JAG’D from Germany with a 7-3-4-2-1-3 for 13 pts net. For more Van Uden Reco Regatta sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* Juan Reid from J/Boats Chile provided this report regarding a recent J/80 clinic on Lago Llanquihue (a lake just north of Puerto Montt, about 900 miles south of the capital of Santiago):“Sixteen people from Frutillar and Puerto Varas meet at Cofradía Náutica de Frutillar on March 30th for a J/80 clinic that was led by Stu Johnstone from J/Boats in Newport.
The J/80 class has four active boats on Lago Llanquihue. It is a very enthusiastic fleet that participates in many regattas; such as the non-stop around Lago Llanquihue race (e.g. “Vuelta al Lago”) and also the Semana de La Vela races from 19 to 26th of January.
We met at 10:00 AM for a theoretical tuning discussion and then the group split onto the two J/80’s that were available- "Cumberland Yacht Charter" and "Domingo Siete".
The weather could not have been more spectacular and beautiful. It was a sunny day, light winds of 5 to 8 kts from the south. We had great views of the three famous volcanos across the lake (Osorno, Puntiagudo and Calbuco). It was simply perfect scenery for our sailing clinic.
We ran several windward-leeward legs for the two teams. Stu J and I were on a RIB giving instructions to the two teams regards sail trim, boat trim, and boat-handling maneuvers.
After three hours of sailing, the sailors headed back to the yacht club to enjoy lunch (awesome BBQ and local wines) and a good conversation about the lessons on the water.
The clinic was great input for the J/80 class on Lago Llanquihue. They need as much knowledge as possible!”
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