J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
For many sailors across the northern hemisphere, the Bank Holiday/ Memorial Day weekend marked the beginning of their intense summer sailing season. In Europe, at least nine major events took place spanning the Eurasian continent, from as far west as Scotland to as Far East as Tuapse, Russia. Starting in the United Kingdom, we find three events took place; the Clyde Cruising Club Scottish Series in Tarbert, Scotland for fleets of IRC teams that included J/92s, J/109s, J/122s, and J/133; the Thrilling Three Creeks Race for a J/111 team that was in Devon, Cornwall, United Kingdom (an event that offered both sailing and running races ashore); and the RORC Myth of Malham Race- an offshore race that goes from Cowes westward to Eddystone Light off Plymouth, and return (yet, another Fastnet Race "practice race").Over on the continent, heading eastward, we find the Danish J/70 Sailing League held their first event in Lynaes, Denmark, hosted by the Lynæs Sail & Kayak Club for eighteen teams. East of them, the German J/22 Class held their German J/22 Open at Haltern am See, Germany, hosted at Segelclub Prinzensteg for a fleet 14 boats. South of them, the Real Club Nautico de Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain hosted their 46th CaixaBank Trofeo Conde de Godó for fleets of J/80s and J/70s. East across the Mediterranean we find the SAILING Champions League second Qualifier was raced in J/70s off Porto Cervo, hosted by YC Costa Smeralda for twenty-four teams. Still further east on the Adriatic Sea, the Circolo Nautico “Amici Della Vela” hosted the Italian J/24 Championship off Cervia, Italy for a fleet of thirty boats. Then, the Russian J/70 Sailing League held their 2nd and 3rd events at Kazan and Tuapse for 14 teams from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Rostov-on-Don, Sochi and Konakovo.
Hopping across the Pacific, we see there was a lot of activity taking place on the West coast of the Americas. Up in the Pacific Northwest, the Royal Victoria Yacht Club in Victoria, B.C. hosted their famous Swiftsure Race for 200+ boats; this year it lived up to its reputation as “the Driftsure”. The overall winning J/105 in the Cape Flattery Race took over 40 hours for a 2.59 kts of “rhumbline” speed; however, in reality it was a slower average than that! Heading down to California, the Spinnaker Cup Race took place, a 100nm race from San Francisco Bay down to Monterey Bay. It is the first race in the California Offshore Race Week Series for PHRF racers like a J/125, J/120, and J/105. Going over to the East coast, there were three events that took place ranging from Florida up to Nantucket! The Hyannis Yacht Club hosted their famous Figawi Race, a 25.0nm daytime sprint of “pursuit-style” racing from Hyannisport, MA to Nantucket Harbor, MA, for a fleet that included a J/133, J/121, J/122, J/105s, J/100, J/40, and J/30, amongst others. Simultaneously, the Storm Trysail Club held their season-opening Block Island Race, a 186.0nm marathon race from Stamford out around Block Island to starboard and return for a fleet loaded with J/Teams in J/35s, J/105s, J/109s, J/111, J/121, J/122, and J/133. Finally, down in the Gulf of Mexico, the Davis Island Yacht Club hosted their 100.0nm winter-season-ending finale- the Tampa Bay to Fort Myers Race, a popular one for J/crews that included a J/112E, J/105, J/42, and J/30.
RORC North Sea Race Preview
(Harwich, England)- The next step in the RORC Offshore Season Points Series leading up to the 2019 Fastnet Race is the North Sea Race. The event has attracted 79 boats for the 1100 BST start on Friday 31 May. Hosted by the Royal Harwich Yacht Club in their fabulous modern clubhouse, the North Sea Race starts outside Harwich and meanders around the Galloper wind farm before heading north to Smith’s Knoll Buoy and across to the famous sailing city of the Hague and the Scheveningen Yacht Club. The majority of the teams come from the Netherlands, teams from Austria, Great Britain, Belgium, France and Germany. Fast downwind conditions are predicted providing exhilarating conditions for approximately 450 sailors racing across the North Sea.
The fleet sails one of two courses to Scheveningen, The Netherlands. The larger boats sail the long course of about 179.0nm, while the smaller boats sail the short course of 148.0nm. In either case, it amounts to heading NNE across the Channel to buoys in the southern parts of the North Sea, then turning right and heading back down to Scheveningen for the finish.
Close to a dozen J/teams are participating in ORC/ IRC and the Doublehanded divisions in the race, including most of the top Dutch and Belgian teams that won their Benelux doublehanded championships in 2018.
In the 11-boat IRC 2 Class is the Belgian team of Sebastien de Liedekerke Beaufort, racing the J/111 DJINN. They will be going head-to-head with three Dutch J/122s, all of whom have won various offshore RORC races; including Robin Verhoef & John van der Starre’s AJETO, Chris Revelman & Pascal Bakker’s JUNIQUE- RAYMARINE SAILING TEAM, and Frans Chappelle’s MOANA.
Sailing in the 15-boat IRC 3 Class will be three J/109s, including Arjen van Leeuwen’s JOULE, Alain Bornet’s JAI ALAI, and Wim van Slooten’s FIRESTORM.
Entered in the dozen-boat IRC Doublehanded Class are Revelman/ Bakker’s J/122 JUNIQUE- RAYMARINE SAILING TEAM, Verhoef/ Starre’s J/122 AJETO, and Slooten’s J/109 FIRESTORM.
Several of the same boats are also rated for ORC and racing in the ORC Class. In addition to the J/122s (AJETO, JUNIQUE, MOANA) and the J/111 DJINN, is Michel Hof’s J/122 AMBITION (making them the fourth J/122 sailing the race). The J/109s include JAI ALAI and JOULE. Then, add in Alexander Hardell’s J/105 MAJIC POTION.
Similarly, in ORC Doublehanded class are three J/122s (AJETO, AMBITION, JUNIQUE), the J/109 FIRESTORM, and the J/105 MAJIC POTION. It will be fascinating to watch how the IRC vs ORC scoring determines the outcomes of each class over the course of this race. For more RORC North Sea Race sailing information
Cal Race Week Preview(Marina del Rey, CA)- Cal Race Week is California Yacht Club's signature racing event to start off their summer sailing season in the Los Angeles basin. The event is two days of well-organized competitive racing. In fact, while many one-design classes have been invited, the Cal Race Week regatta has become a “de facto” J/Fest for the many passionate, enthusiastic, J/sailors participating in the J/24, J/70, and J/109 one-design classes.
The largest class by far is the fourteen-boat J/70 fleet. One of the reasons the entry has grown over the last few years is that the 2020 J/70 World Championship will be help on the west coast in Long Beach, CA, just a stone’s throw south of Marina del Rey in the L.A. area. Top teams include Bruce Golison’s MIDLIFE CRISIS (as past J/70 West Coast Champion), Jim Cunningham’s LIFTED, Patrick Toole’s 3 BIG DOG, Kurt Johnson’s AVET 2.01, Craig Tallman’s JAYA, Jim Murrell’s HUCKLEBERRY, and Jeff Janov’s MINOR THREAT. All of these teams are capable of finishing at the top of the leaderboard based on their past performances in the J/70 class at regional, North American, and Worlds events.
The J/24 class will see the return of Susan Taylor’s TAKE FIVE, one of the top woman sailors on the west coast. She will be challenged by another top woman skipper from Ventura Yacht Club up the coast, Claudia Gottstein’s WITHIN REACH; she’s an emerging talent that is developing quickly.
The J/109 class will have a three-way match race for the top of the podium as all teams are pretty evenly matched. The protagonists include Jack Mayer’s ZEPHYR from Del Rey YC, Peter Nelson’s SPRAY from host California YC, and Heinz Butner’s RAPTOR from Long Beach YC.
Doing battle in the PHRF handicap world are three J fanatics. Those teams are Jon Haney’s J/105 JOYRIDE, Lenny Gordon’s J/92 SUNSHINE, and David Boatner’s J/35 RIVAL (a past overall winner of the event!). For more Cal Race Week sailing information
Cedar Point One-Design Regatta Preview(Cedar Point, CT)- Over the years, sailors from up and down Long Island Sound have watched the evolution of various regattas that cater to their needs- a combination of fun, serious sailing, and great camaraderie ashore. As the first “unofficial” regatta of the summer, Westport, Connecticut’s Cedar Point Yacht Club created an event that has had particular allure to J/sailors on the Sound- the Cedar Point One-Design Regatta. This year, it has become quite literally a de-facto “J/FEST” regatta, with four of five classes present being J/classes- the J/70s, J/88s, J/105s, and J/109s- that represents 82% of the event.
The eight-boat J/70 class has a cast of characters that have been sailing some of the J/70 winter series events, Charleston Race Week, and are now easing into summer mode. Those teams include Dan Goldberg’s BAZINGA, Josh Goldman’s BUILDING A, Carrie & Ed Austin’s CHINOOK, Oivind Lorentzen’s NINE, and John & Molly Baxter’s TEAM VINEYARD VINES.
The J/88s are enjoying a great turnout for the event, with seven-boats registered to do battle leading into their J/88 North American Championship sailing in the same waters of Long Island Sound late in the summer. Some of the leading teams present in Cedar Point include Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION, Ken & Drew Hall’s NEVERMORE, Kevin Marks’ VELOCITY, and Mike Bruno’s WINGS.
Somewhat similar to the J/88s, the J/105s are slowly migrating east out of Long Island Sound for those wanting more competition leading up to the J/105 North Americans in Marblehead, MA. In the nine-boat J/105 fleet are contenders such as Harald Edegran & Jeremy Henderson’s CONUNDRUM, Max Kalehoff’s LAURA BEA, Richie Palmer’s TOLO, and Randy Bourne’s STRANGE BREW.
Speaking of eastward migrations out of Long Island Sound, the huge eighteen-boat J/109 class is basically migrating to their number #1 destination resort on Planet Earth- Block Island Race Week! The next stop on the way there is Westport, CT, how convenient! Virtually all the top J/109 teams will be present. The first major regatta of the summer for the J/109s provides each team a sense of where they are on the totem pole, and what needs to be improved upon before the next major event. Based on their recent performances in the American YC Spring Series, watch out for these teams to be fast “out-of-the-box”- William Rogers’ BIG BOAT, Jonathan Rechtschaffer’s EMOTICON, John Greifzu’s GROWTH SPURT, David Rosow’s LOKI, Carl Olsson’s MORNING GLORY, and Jack Forehand’s STRATEGERY. However, do not be surprised if some guys driving a boat named RUSH from Annapolis YC (Bill Sweetser) upset the cooks in the kitchen from Long Island Sound. Nor, do not be surprised if some old Navy guy from Newport aboard VENTO SOLARE (Bill Kneller) throws a boomerang at the fleet and ends up in the chocolates. In other words, watch this space…the popcorn is ready; it will be fun to watch. For more Cedar Point One-Design Regatta sailing information
Delta Ditch Run Preview
(Richmond, CA)- This year is the 29th annual Point Richmond to Stockton Race, also known infamously as the “Delta Ditch Run”. The course is from the starting area in San Francisco Bay, between the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and the Brothers Islands, to the finish line at the
Stockton Sailing Club, a distance of approximately 65.0nm. The scheduled first warning is at 10:25 A.M. on Saturday.There are a number of J/Teams that are participating in this fun-loving adventure, a truly awesome, crazy, over-the-top downwind blast going past buoys, islands, and sand bars in an endless “chicane” from start to finish. Those teams include Larry Levit’s J/105 ARCHIMEDES, Brian Mullen’s J/70 ORANGE YOU GLAD, Mark Thomas & Peter Cameron’s J/70 KANGAROO JOCKEY, Jack Vetter’s J/80 PEARL, and Andrew Bongiorno’s J/24 SOSEGA II. For more Delta Ditch Run sailing information
Susan Hood Trophy Race Preview(Port Credit, Ontario)- Since 1955, fully crewed yachts have been taking on the challenge of a spring offshore race- the 75.0nm Susan Hood Trophy Race on Lake Ontario. The 2019 edition of the Susan Hood Trophy Race is presented by driveHG.ca. Hosting the race is Port Credit Yacht Club and is scheduled to run on Friday, May 31, 2019 at Port Credit YC. Everyone is looking forward to decent winds that are forecast for this year’s race, due to the insane tornadic weather systems that have been crossing the American Midwest.
In the seven-boat IRC Division are Bruce Pierce’s J/122 HOOLIGAN II and John McLeod’s J/133 HOT WATER. In the PHRF Singlehanded class are Kim Piller’s J/109 LIVE WIRE and Ard Van Leeuwen’s J/112E HIGH TEA. In the PHRF Racing class are eleven J/teams, including Robert DeWitte’s J/100 PERSPECTIVE, two J/105s (Peter Wolniak’s ANOTHER HAZARD & Geoff Clarke’s CASUAL ELEGANCE), Murray Gainer’s J/109 LIVELY, two J/120s (Matt Emerson’s RED LEAF & Graham Toms’ THE CAT CAME BACK), Mike Pietz’s J/35 SHORTHANDED, two J/88s (Ed Berkhout’s ALL CAT & Tim Sweet’s GIVE’R), and Andrew Sharp’s J/92 SWITCH. For more Susan Hood Trophy sailing information- Entries/ results here Regatta site here
SKYWAY COLORS Regatta Preview(Chicago, IL)- COLORS has been Chicago’s shake-out-the-sheets event since 1995; e.g. time to dust off the tarps, raise the sails, and go sailing! More than 100 boats race annually during the first weekend of June. The strong one-design presence of J/Teams designates the event as a great tune-up for the season.
In addition to a weekend of buoy racing, the regatta has a distance race on Saturday. The distance race attracts the boats that are too large to go around the buoys, as well as, the more casual racers and even cruisers.
Racing is not the only factor that makes for a good regatta, though. The social side is equally as important, and Columbia is well-versed in having a good time. The big annual regatta party takes place on Saturday with tasty food, amazing libations and live band. It may be the closest thing the American Midwest has to the Heineken St Maarten Regatta’s “serious sailing, serious fun”!
The half-dozen J/88s include leading teams like Tod Patton’s BLONDIE 2, Ben Marden’s BANTER, John & Jordan Leahey’s DUTCH, Andy & Sarah Graff’s EXILE, Tim Wade’s WINDSONG, and Dan Floberg’s MISTY.
The J/105 class looks to be a three-way shoot-out from past winners of the regatta; Clark Pellet’s SEALARK, Gyt Petkus’ VYTIS, and Jon Weglarz’s THE ASYLUM.
Will it be GOAT RODEO (Robert Evans), SLAPSHOT II (Scott Sims- ex-Chicago Blackhawk), FULL TILT (Pete Priede), or CALLISTO (Jim Murray) that top the J/109 class this year? Time will tell with this very tight one-design class.
With eight-boats, the J/111 class is looking forward to several events this summer, leading up to the J/111 World Championship in Chicago. Top crews that should factor on the leaderboard are Tracy Brand’s SOLUTION, Kevin Saedi & Raman Yousefi’s MOMENTUS, the duo of Mike Mayer & Steve Henderson on KASHMIR, and Rich Witzel’s ROWDY.
In the PHRF Spinnaker class are Frank Giampoli’s J/120 JAHAZI and Rick Stage’s J/35 ALPHA PUPPY.
The PHRF Distance Race class has these J/Teams participating; Ben Lumpkin’s J/112E MARY GAIL, Arne Fliflet’s J/120 MAZAL TOV, and Mitch Weisman’s J/35 FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER.
The PHRF Singlehanded Class has two J/105s sailing; Mark Gannon’s GANGBUSTERS and Mike Hettel’s GLOBAL NOMADS. Sailing photo credits- Paul Todd/ Outsideimages.com. For more SKYWAY COLORS Regatta sailing information
Southern Bay Race Week Preview
(Norfolk, VA)- The first week of June marks the opening of the summer season for the southern Chesapeake Bay offshore sailing season. Hosted by Norfolk Yacht Club, the Southern Bay Race Week is enthusiastically supported by numerous J/Teams in the area for both PHRF Handicap racing and one-design classes.
The half-dozen J/70 class has crews like Arielle Darrow’s all-women’s team on LADY VORTEXES, Rob Gorman’s SURRENDER TO THE FLOE, Scott Dinse’s MARGARITAVILLE, and Mike Karn’s INCONCEIVABLE.
Sailing PHRF Super A Class is Ian Hill’s J/111 SITELLA. In PHRF A1 Class are Craig Wright’s J/109 AFTERTHOUGHT and two J/36’s (Phil Briggs’ FEATHER and Will Roberts’ REMEDY.
In PHRF B1 Class is Ben Weeks & Michele Cochran’s J/29 RUMBLE from Hampton Yacht Club. In PHRF B2 Class is Rusty Burshell’s J/30 COOL CHANGE. Then, in PHRF C
In the Cruising B Division are John Wandling’s J/28 PISCES and Christian Johnson’s J/24 BLEU BUS from Virginia Beach, VA. Sailing photo credits- Paul Todd/ Outsideimages.com. For more Southern Bay Race Week sailing information
Regatta & Show Schedules:
May 27- Coastal Cup Race- Monterey, CAMay 30- Jun 2- Gran Prix Ecole de Navale- Brest, France
May 30- SoCal 300 Race- San Diego, CA
May 31- RORC North Sea Race- Cowes, England
May 31- Jun 2- Southern Bay Race Week- Hampton, VA
Jun 1- Delta Ditch Run- Richmond, CA
Jun 1-2- Cal Race Week- Marina del Rey, CA
Jun 1-2- Cedar Point One-Design Regatta- Cedar Point, CT
Jun 1-2- Skyway Colors Regatta- Chicago, IL
Jun 7-9- Helly Hansen Chicago NOOD Regatta- Chicago, IL
Jun 7-15- Rolex Giraglia Cup Regatta- St. Tropez, France
Jun 8- Bermuda One-Two Race- Newport, RI
Jun 8- Farallones Race- San Francisco, CA
Jun 8-9- Lady Liberty Cup J/24 Regatta- New York Harbor, NY
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
Italians Win SAILING Champions League Q-II
(Porto Cervo, Italy)- After three days of champagne sailing, the One Ocean SAILING Champions League, hosted by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo, Italy, came to a surprising and uneventful end! During the three days of competition, 39 races were held, completing a total of 13 flights for the twenty-four teams from across Europe. The top seven teams qualify for the finale in St. Moritz, Switzerland from 15 to 18 August.
The One Ocean SAILING Champions League was blessed with spectacular weather the first three days with sunny skies, 10-18 kt winds, and choppy seas. However, Sunday’s racing had to be canceled due to pouring rains and near gale force winds of 20-35 kts. As a result, the leader after Saturday’s racing, the Italian club of Circolo Della Vela Bari, became the regatta winner. Here is how it all went down in the beautiful azure waters of the Mediterranean.
Day One- Thursday
At the end of the first day the fleet was tightly packed, with Swiss teams in the top two positions. Seglervereinigung Kreuzlingen, had three victories in four flights, were at the head of the leaderboard, four points clear of their nearest rivals. The second, third and fourth-placed teams at the end of the first day were sitting on equal points and were, respectively, Regattaclub Bodensee, the German crew of the Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee and the reigning champion, the only Italian team participating in this semi-final, Circolo della Vela Bari.
Tom Rüegge, skipper of the leading Swiss team said: "I can best describe today's weather conditions as 'champagne sailing'. Wind shifts and gusts made the day exciting and, as far as we are concerned, everything went well. We kept up a fast pace and now we are confident as regards the next few days."
To raise awareness and to get the sailors more involved in sustainability issues, every day on the way back from the race course some of the participants were interviewed, with questions aimed to test their level of awareness on marine pollution.
When asked how much plastic waste he thought was in the ocean, Kristoforas Akromas, skipper of Nauticus Sailing Club replied, "I am aware of the plastic islands and I believe that there is currently a lot of this type of waste in the sea. From Hawaii to the Baltic Sea you find plastic everywhere and it is sad, it is time to act to enable a positive change." Data confirmed in 2018 shows that plastic makes up more than 80% of all waste in the oceans for a quantity of more than 8 million tons.
Day Two- Friday
After a second busy day, the team from Switzerland's Bodensee Regattaclub led the provisional classification with two more days of racing due to be held.
Following an initial delay due to light winds, the competition on the water began at approximately 1 p.m. The arrival of the thermal breeze from east-southeast blowing at 5 to 7 knots allowed 15 races to be held today, thereby completing the 9th flight out of a total of 15 scheduled.
The Bodensee Regattaclub moved up the rankings, thanks to two wins and three second places and now stood on the top step of the podium, leaving its opponents seven points behind. The second and third-placed teams were on equal points, with a positive day unfolding for the Circolo Della Vela Bari, despite a penalty for crossing the starting line early in the sixth flight. They hold second place overall ahead of the German team from Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee in third.
Rene Ott, bowman for the Bodensee Regattaclub, commented, "We trained a lot in Switzerland in light wind conditions and so we raced well today. Reaching the final is our main objective and even if we are in the top seven positions our approach to the racing will remain the same. The success of our team is down to consistency, we will try to compete without taking risks."
The regatta is held in the name of One Ocean; during the event, all participating sailors are urged to reflect on the topic of marine pollution by answering targeted questions. When asked what actions she takes to avoid marine pollution, Dutch sailor Marieke Poulie of the KNZ&RV Muiden team commented, “first of all, by avoiding throwing things in the water when I sail, but even at home I am careful to properly recycle garbage, when I am ashore I try to collect plastic or objects that can be dragged and dropped into the sea by the wind. I think it's important to behave properly not only when we practice the sport of sailing, but each day in our everyday lives."
Day Three- Saturday
Once again, the teams gathered punctually at 10 a.m. on the race course off Porto Cervo to kick off the penultimate day of competitions, accompanied by a sirocco wind blowing at 10 knots. A further 12 races were held and a total of 13 flights have been completed in the event.
Proving that consistency pays off, the team representing Circolo della Vela Bari, who sat in fourth place after the first day, climbed the provisional rankings and claimed the top place overall thanks to two victories and two second places in Saturday’s flights. The Regattaclub Bodensee is just two points behind in second place, while holding firm in third place is the German team of the Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee.
Simone Ferrarese, helmsman for Circolo Della Vela Bari, commented: "Today's conditions were good as is usual in Porto Cervo and the guys did a good job. Now we're preparing for tomorrow, our goal is to get to the finals and to be ready for St. Moritz."
The question of the day on the topic of sustainability, which has been a feature of the entire event held in the name of the One Ocean Foundation, was: "As a sailor how important is the protection of the oceans for you?"
Atle Dreng of Norway's Larvik Seilforening responded, "I think it is crucial that companies, sailors and people around the world pay attention to the problem of plastic pollution. We all need to be aware of how much we are dependent on the state of health of our planet."
Day Four- Sunday
After racing was canceled late on Sunday morning, the teams gather together at lunchtime for the regatta’s prize-giving. As a result, the winner of the second qualifier in Porto Cervo was the Italian team representing the Circolo Della Vela Bari; skipper Simone Ferrarese with crew of Valerio Galati, Leonardo Dinelli and Corrado Capece Minutolo (they were also the 2018 SAILING Champions League overall winners in St. Moritz, Switzerland).
The Regattaclub Bodensee followed the Italians and the Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee in second and third place respectively. Completing the line-up of the first seven teams to qualify for the final are (in order): Seglervereinigung Kreuzlingen, Kungliga Svenska Segelsällskapet, Société de Regates Rochelaises and Yacht Club Breitenbrunn.
Ferrarese, taking time out of his 49er campaign to represent Italy at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, was delighted to have won in Italian waters: “The racing was incredibly close. I have never seen so many boats going around the windward mark at the same time. There were lots of penalties and lots of place changing, but we managed to come through and do well in most of the races. Nevertheless, it's a pity that we couldn't compete today, but the conditions were not safe. I have to thank the crew who were perfect, we had a great time. We now have the finals on the lake in St. Moritz, where the conditions will be different than in Porto Cervo, like last year we will do our best."
YCCS Commodore Riccardo Bonadeo commented, “we were delighted to have you all gathered here in Porto Cervo once again for the fifth consecutive year, and I want to thank all the participants, the Race Committee, the international jury, the staff of the YCCS and our partners. Thanks also go to the SAILING Champions League, we are pleased to host events such as this in which, besides a passion for the sport of sailing we also share a love of the sea. The regatta named after the One Ocean Foundation confirms these common values, we hope to see you in 2020 to work together again and continue to raise awareness of the importance of protecting the ocean." Day 1 highlights Day 3 racing Final day on Facebook
Final day on YouTube
Watch One Ocean SAILING Champions league video here
https://www.facebook.com/SailingCL/videos/298281431049324/
https://www.facebook.com/SailingCL/videos/828263264211414/
Sailing photo credits- SAILING Champions League/ Anya Semeniouk. Follow SAILING Champions League on Facebook here
Livestream and results by SAP
As with all SAILING Champions League events, SAP Sailing Analytics provides 24/7 additional statistics and data for sailors, fans, spectators and media like GPS tracking, real-time analysis, live leaderboard combined with 2D visualization. You find all results on http://www.sapsailing.com! For more One Ocean SAILING Champions League Porto Cervo sailing information
J/109 Crowned Scottish Series Overall Champion!
(Tarbert, Scotland)- The Clyde Cruising Club Scottish Series 2019 saw three different days of weather on Loch Fyne, challenging sailors with light to heavy winds, sunny to rainy skies, and just about everything in between. Winning IRC 2 Class and also declared Overall Winner of the Scottish Series was Andrew Craig’s J/109 CHIMAERA.
According to Craig, “this was my eighth Scottish Series. I am delighted to be part of the amazing winning team on our J/109 "Chimaera". We also got awarded "Boat Of the Week,” so we're thrilled. Thanks to Nevan Powell, John White, Eddie O' Rahelly, Brian Mathews, Nick Craig, Dave Cotter and Andrew Abbott for a great event. Well done everyone!”
In the IRC 2 Class, Jonathan Anderson’s J/122E EL GRAN SENOR took second place, while the Douglas family’s J/133 SPIRIT OF JACANA took 4th. Gordon Lawson’s J/122 MOONSTRUCK TOO rounded out the top five in 5th place.
The Makars Mash RC35 Class saw spirited racing in the biggest class in the event. Winning was the J/109 CHIMAERA, followed by Pat Kelly’s J/109 STORM in 3rd place and Brian & John Hall’s J/109 SOMETHING ELSE taking 4th position.
The IRC 3 Class saw Nicholas Marshall’s J/92 SATISFACTION grab the bronze medal, while Peter Doig’s J/92S JACK placed 5th. Follow the Scottish Series on Facebook here For more Clyde Cruising Club Scottish Series sailing information
Fast Block Island Race
(Stamford, CT)- The Memorial Day weekend classic offshore race for Northeast sailors is Storm Trysail Club’s Block Island Race. The event is an 186.0nm race from Stamford, east down Long Island Sound, out around Block Island and back to the finish off Stamford. The race started on Friday, May 24th at 1400 hrs and most boats finished before midnight on Saturday evening, that meant the boats lapped the race track in about 30 to 33 hours, an average of 5.6+ kts (a strong current influenced figure).
According to a J/121 CRESCENT IV team member, "from the start to The Race, the wind was good, a north strong wind (sometimes over 20 knots). Then, the wind goes down and we did a lots of tacking to make an approach to Block Island. Firstly, we try to get a breeze in the north part (close to the Block Island), but then, we decided to take the south side of the course, since the wind would gradually shift to the left hand side (a southerly shift). Between Block Island and The Gut, we picked a zephyr thermal and approached the Plum Island Gut. Then, the wind stopped again, 0 knots!! Only the 2 knot current pushed us westward through The Gut. Then, after we passed The Gut, and the wind picked up to 15-18 knots (south wind), we took off on a fast reach to the finish."
Racing the Block Island course were a dozen larger J’s. In IRC 2 Class, Len Sitar’s J/44 VAMP finished fourth.
In the IRC 3 Class, Dale & Michael McIvor’s J/133 MATADOR took third place, followed by Akimatsu Hirai’s J/121 CRESCENT IV (Japan) in fifth place.
The PHRF 3 Class had two J/105s, winning was Frank Conway’s RAPTOR and the American YC Youth team- the Young American’s took second place.
The PHRF 5 Class saw J/Crews take 4 of the top 6 spots. Top banana was Jeff Warren’s J/109 ARIEL getting the silver. Then, John Greifzu’s J/109 GROWTH SPURT placed 4th, Arthur Hanlon’s J/112E DAUNTLESS in 5th, and Mark Nannini’s J/120 SALACIA in 6th.
The PHRF 7 Class was dominated by J/111s. Top dog was Bill & Jackie Baxter’s FIREBALL, taking the silver. Joining them on the podium was John Donovan’s LIBERTAS. Then, rounding out the top five was US Merchant Marine’s BLACK DIAMOND YCC skippered by Alex Mueller in 4th and Abhijeet Lele’s VARUNA that took 5th place.
Finally, the PHRF 8 Class had Brian Prinz’s J/125 SPECTRE fly around the race track in 31 hours, missing their class win by a mere 13 minutes. For more Storm Trysail Club Block Island Race sailing information- Entries/ scores Race site
J/Crews Love The FIGAWI Memorial Day RaceJ’s Sweep PHRF S1 & S2 Classes!
(Hyannisport, MA)- The most popular offshore Memorial Day event in New England has to be the “The Figawi”. Saturday morning, the PHRF pursuit-style race started off Hyannis at 10:00am and sent the fleet off on a 25.0nm adventure to Nantucket. While it was a gorgeous day on Saturday, the wing Gods did not cooperate, making it a longer than normal cruise across Nantucket Sound to the finish line off the harbor entrance. Most boats took around 6+ hours to make the crossing, about a 4.2 kts average! Nevertheless, the breeze angles seemed favorable to a number of J/Teams.
Sweeping the podium in PHRF S1 Class were Chris Lund’s J/133 JUMP in first, followed by David Southwell’s J/121 ALCHEMY in second, and Jimmy Masiero’s J/122 URSUS MARITIMUS in third.
Similarly, J/Teams swept PHRF S2 Class, winning was Dwight Greenhouse’s J/105 SKIPPERDEE, followed by the trio on the J/105 DARK’N’STORMY (Joyce, Reservitz, Wagner) and Sam Cushing’s J/80 THE PARTY TREE, in second and third, respectively.
PHRF C division had Ira Perry’s J/29 SEEFEST take 4th, while Ben Hodgson’s J/100 GRIMACE placed 5th. In PHRF D division, John Ryley’s J/30 OTIS took fourth place. Then, in PHRF G division, Bill Jones’ J/40 SMITTEN got the bronze. FIGAWI Race sailing information- Entries/ results Regatta site
Dreary “Driftsure Race”!J/Crews Sweep Cape Flattery Race!
(Victoria, British Columbia)- Light winds, relentless rain, and unforgiving current was the theme for the 76th Swiftsure International Yacht Race on May 25, with only 16 of the 128 starters completing one of the six courses ranging from 79 to 138 nm that start and finish in Victoria, BC!! The winning J/105 averaged 2.59 knots of “rhumbline” boatspeed over their 101.9nm Cape Flattery Race course (notably, they did not sail rhumbline, read what they had to say below!).
Chuck Stephens, owner of the J/105 PANIC, had this to say about their adventure up and down the Straits of Juan de Fuca, “we had a rather successful Swiftsure 2019, winning The Cape Flattery Race overall. It was very much due to the teamwork of the crew lead by Iain Christenson. We likely did more (maybe twice as many) tacks, gybes, sets and take downs than in all of the twelve prior Swiftsure’s that PANIC has done since 2002! Here is a photo of the crew at the inspection dock after the race. We did well but getting a "Thank You" card from the Race Committee was very special.”
A quote from PANIC’s main trimmer Naomi Medley after the race, “the crew was great! How many people could you spend 40 hours with racing in light wind with several hours of drenching rain and be absolutely all smiles at the end?" 2.59 kts was the rhumbline race average for J/105 winner!!
Behind the winning J/105 in the Cape Flattery Race were a slew of J/Crews. Taking the silver overall was Chris Phoenix’s J/105 JADED, while Kirk Fraser’s J/109 ECLIPSE took the bronze. Taking 5th place was Chad Stenwick’s J/35 THE BOSS, and then Bob Hayward’s J/105 KINETIC took 6th. Notably, the three J/105s swept PHRF L3 Class, while the J/109 won PHRF L2 Class.
The Juan de Fuca Race had Ulf Gwildis’ J/30 IMPULSIVE finish the race, take 4th overall, and win PHRF L2 Class!
In addition, there is a “day race” called the Swiftsure Inshore Classic. Based on the wind conditions, the RC PRO chose Course #10, a random-leg 19.0nm course. In the top PHRF INF1 Division, Matt Dahabieh’s J/29 GODZILLA got onto the podium, taking the bronze. Then, Jim Bottles’ J/30 CELEBRATION took fourth place and Tom Kerr’s J/105 CORVO 105 placed 5th. For more Swiftsure Race sailing information
Speedy Spinnaker Cup(San Francisco, CA)- The 2019 California Offshore Race Week is hosted by Encinal Yacht Club, Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club, Santa Barbara Yacht Club and San Diego Yacht Club had its kick-off event take place this past weekend- the Spinnaker Cup Race.
Sailing the 100.0nm Spinnaker Cup Race from San Francisco down to Monterrey, CA were seven J/Crews. In PHRF B Class, Zachery Anderson’s J/125 VELVET HAMMER covered the course in a very fast elapsed time of 10:07:41 to take the silver.
In PHRF D Class, Michael Clarke’s J/120 SHENANIGANS from Richmond YC took second. Fifth place went to Timo Bruck’s J/120 TWIST. In the PHRF E Class, Charlie Abraham’s J/105 JAVELIN took the silver. Sailing photo credits- Chris Ray/ Pressure-drop.us. For more California Offshore Race Week sailing information
Rough & Tumble RORC Myth of Malham Race
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The Royal Ocean Racing Club's Myth of Malham Race, with 138 boats competing, produced a thrilling racing for the fleet. The race started off light, but in the second half of the 30-hour race, having rounded the Eddystone Lighthouse off Plymouth, the fleet took off on high-speed sleigh-ride in the strong downwind conditions heading back into the Solent.
In IRC Two Class, the J/133 PINTIA, sailed by Gilles Fournier & Corinne Migraine (FRA) was second by just a mere nine minutes on corrected time. The J/122 JUNO, sailed by Christopher Daniel (GBR) was third. Three other J/doublehanders finished in the top eleven boats; Chris Preston’s J/109 JUBILEE took 8th, Chris Miles’ J/97 HIGH JINKS was 10th, and Jerry Freeman’s J/105 JULIETTE placed 11th.
In IRC Three, the Royal Navy Sailing Association’s J/109 JOLLY JACK TAR took 6th place, while Neil McGrigor’s J/109 was 8th, and Chris Preston’s J/109 JUBILEE was 9th.
In the IRC Two-Handed Class David McGough’s J/109 JUST SO took fourth place, just 18 minutes from taking the bronze on the podium.
The Myth of Malham Race was the fourth of the 2019 RORC Season's Points Championship. As a result, in IRC 2 Class Season Championship, Fournier/ Migraine’s J/133 PINTIA is now leading the class after sailing two races. Similarly, in the IRC 3 Class Season, Preston’s J/109 JUBILEE is sitting in 5th place and the J/109 MOJO RISIN’ is hanging on to 8th. Preston’s J/109 JUBILEE is also sitting in 4th for the IRC Two-handed division for the season; just behind them in 6th is Freeman’s J/105 JULIETTE. For more RORC Myth of Malham sailing information
Thrilling Three Creeks Race For J/111 Team
(Devon, United Kingdom)- Many people have heard of the Three Peaks Yacht Race in Scotland, but for the past six years, Devon has been running its very own version and the stories of the west country delights are starting to get out. How hard do you need to look to find an excuse to spend a weekend on the South Devon coast, some sailing, some running and some celebrating!
Many teams in the event are based in the West Country, but there is now a well-established path for the intrepid to join from further afield. This year it was the J/111 JOURNEYMAKER II Team (Chris Jones & Louise Makin) from Royal Southern Yacht Club that made the trek.
Eleven years ago, the JOURNEYMAKER team won the Three Peaks Yacht Race and this was their first reunion event since then. An event that can be completed in a weekend, where you can get your boat home in a day rather than a week, and where you get to stop overnight seemed a fitting event for the reformation of the team that had an average age of 50 back in 2008.
The race, although delightfully compact, does set some pretty serious challenges. It starts with a row across Dartmouth Harbour by the runners before they set off on an 8 mile run that goes up every cliff and down into every cove around the coast path to the southeast of Kingswear. Once the runners rejoin their yachts in Darthaven Marina, there is a short sailing race to Salcombe.
“Normally, the sailing leg is a quick couple of hours, but making the tide gate was critical in the dying winds that we experienced this weekend,” said JOURNEYMAKER skipper Chris Jones. “A couple of smaller boats that were a bit slower ended up rowing for about an hour before they could drop off their runners, which is a tough way to finish the day.”
The clock stops when the runners return to the beach. Their challenge is a slightly less dramatic, but slightly longer run along the coast path to Prawle Point and back.
Having put the boats to bed, everyone gets to relax. The sailing instructions stated that the race would restart at 0600 hrs on Sunday morning, which everyone was trying to pretend they were looking forward to. Nevertheless, there was a definite sense of relief at the race briefing when this was changed to 0800 hrs. Everyone slept a bit longer and a bit better.
The race committee had reserved options to shorten the course if the forecast was very light. However, late on Saturday evening, the message came through that we were going to be sailing the full course from Salcombe out around the Eddystone Rock and back to finish in the Yealm, where the final running leg finish’s at the Newton Ferrers Yacht Club.
Class 2 boats sailed a shorter course, but the bright morning found the fleet gathered at Salcombe Bar, counting down to 0800 hrs. JOURNEYMAKER II got a good inside position with the Code 0 up and was leading Class 1 at the right turn exit from the Salcombe Estuary and it quickly became clear that their race was going to be with the 40ft Dazcat ‘HissyFit’.
“The heading out to Eddystone was full up wind and our 36 ft J/111 was able to keep up,” explained Louise Makin, the veteran JOURNEYMAKER navigator and returning Three Peaks Race runner. “We were delighted when HissyFit had to duck us on port on our final approach to Eddystone, but we couldn't match them on the beam reach back to the Yealm.”
The entrance to the Yealm has a sandbar that only has 1.5m of charted water at low tide, which is not an issue in a cat that drops off their runners by parking on the beach. A yacht drawing 2.4m needs to drop off their runners in a dinghy and row them ashore.
The run from Cellar Beach, just inside the bar on the south shore of the estuary, out to Lambside and back to the Yacht Club is the flattest and fastest of the three running legs and relished by the two thoroughbred JOURNEYMAKER runners, Iron Man Gordon Baxter and GB veteran triathlete Jeremy Cole. Local expert Adam Parry completed the JOURNEYMAKER crew for 2019 and will be back in running form for next year.
Having entered with a very realistic ambition of not being last by miles, the JOURNEYMAKER team ended up delighted with their second place. HissyFit, the easy winners had both the fastest runners and the benefit of parking on the beach and have now won the event several times.
Gordon Baxter, never short of words, summed up the weekend for the whole crew when he announced, “We’ll be back”!! Thanks for the story contribution from Chris Jones & Louise Makin.
Record Set @ CaixaBank Trofeo Conde de Godó
(Barcelona, Spain)- The prestigious regatta organized by the Real Club Nautico de Barcelona since 1974, the CaixaBank Conde de Godó Trophy, saw a new record set this past weekend. On the final day of the 46th edition of the event, the J/80 BRIBON-MOVISTAR of Marc de Antonio and Sofia Bertrand became the most successful team in the history of the event. It was the 16th victory for the BRIBON MOVISTAR team in the Conde de Godó, adding eleven titles in Offshore Racing and five in one-design classes.
While the J/80 Class saw domination from the BRIBON-MOVISTAR team, the team of Pepequin Orbaneja and Rafael Lasso on LES ROCHES- CRISANDKIM TRAVEL were hot on their heels for the entire regatta to take the silver. Third was the women’s sailing team on DORSIA SAILING TEAM, skippered by Ana Pujol Puyal with owner Natalia Via-Dufresne.
In the J/70 class, the Russian NEW TERRITORIES team of Alexei Semenov, with Spain’s Olympic Medallist Hugo Rocha on board, won with comfort, without having to do the last race. Second was the Spanish “G75 Team” skippered by G. Panei and Martinez Doreste (owner- Petter Fjellstad), and the Polish team on MOONRAKER, sailed by Pawel Boksa, won two races enroute to finishing in the third place.
Organized by the Real Club Nautico de Barcelona with the collaboration of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation and the Catalan Sailing Federation, the 46th CaixaBank Conde de Godó Trophy is sponsored by CaixaBank and supported by La Vanguardia, the City Council of Barcelona and the Generalitat de Catalunya. Collaborating companies are Gramona, Estrella Damm, Royal Bliss, VIP Style Magazine, Veri, Benfumat, Nordés and Mizuno. Follow the Trofeo de Vela Conde de Godo on Facebook here For more Trofeo de Vela Conde de Godo sailing information
Kalovig COBRAS Top Danish J/70 Sailing League
(Lynaes, Denmark)- The Danish J/70 Sailing League season started this past weekend at Lynæs Sail & Kayak Club. Eighteen of the country's best club teams in the 1st division were ready to go racing off the small town of Lynæs at the tip of Halsnæs.
With the entire fleet elevating their game and level of play, any small mistake was going to be expensive. Even for the ultimate winners, the Kalovig COBRAS, who started with five first places in Saturday's first 5 races, a 5th place in the 6th race contributed to the Aarhus team ending in a shared 1st place after Saturday's races with the Frederikshavn SEAHAWKS.
In the end, the Kalovig COBRAS won the regatta, closing out with a 3-1-5-1-1 to win by just 2 points. Their skipper, Lars Vilhelmsen, commented on their weekend victory, “we have been really excited about the start of the season this year. It was awesome to start out with a whole bunch of first places; we really felt that the training and the Champions League regatta had borne fruit. The weekend also showed that we are making few mistakes. However, they cost just as much more points than they might be! This means that we now have to go home and work to keep the high level.” The Kaløvig Cobras team consisted of Lars Vilhelmsen, Sophus Jarvig, Jesper Vogelios, Nikolaj Tidemann. The average age of the very young team was approximately 22 years old!
Rounding out the podium was Frederikshavn Sejlklub in second and Sonderborg Yacht-Club in third (winning a tie-breaker over Hellerup Sejlklub). Fifth was Bandholm Sejlklub. Follow the Danish J/70 Sailing League on Facebook here For more Danish J/70 Sailing League sailing information
Russian J/70 Sailing League Report
(Kazan, Russia)- The Russian J/70 Sailing League is well into the heart of their summer-long series that started back in late April in Sochi, Russia. Below are the two reports from the Act III in Kazan and Act II in Tuapse.
UGAR CREW Win Kazan Regatta- Act III
The thirteen teams sailed on the waters of Kazan- Lake Nizhny Kaban- for the first time in the history of the Russian National Sailing League (the lake is an offshoot of the Volga River about 510 miles (820km) to the east of Moscow). Those teams came from all over the country, such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Rostov-on-Don, Sochi and Konakovo. The teams included; B-Team (Milena Nikitina), Sail & Sea (Vasily Kharabardin), PEC: Sport Molodyozhka ( Dmitry Popkov), UGAR CREW (Ruslan Yakupov), Skolkovo Sailing Team (Elena Mukhametzyanova), PEC:Sport (Vadim Filatov), Khimgrad-Kazan (Roman Medvedev), Demidov Express (Vladislav Morozov), Vostok West 2 (Ivan Batrakov), Rosmorport (Ivanov Sergey), Lead IT! (Yuri Mishchenko), Dobrynya (Ekaterina Stolbneva), RBF Sailing Team (Alexander Mamyshev) and ZID Art Sailing team (Zoran Paunovich).
Day 1- Friday
On the first day, the bad weather from earlier in the week had cleared up, so the sailors were met by clear skies and a nice fresh wind gusting up to 20 kts. The RC PRO managed to run twelve races in total, six per team.
“We were lucky with the weather, there was a steady northerly wind of 8-10 knots, and during one of the races the gusts reached 20 knots,” says Chief Judge Albert Sadykov. “The races turned out to be dynamic and clean.”
Ruslan Yakupov’s UGAR CREW team started fast out-of-the-blocks and won their first three races, followed by a 5-3-2, to have a comfortable lead on the fleet. However, behind the UGAR CREW it was a tight struggle for the podium. All but two teams won races. The most successful in that battle was SAIL & SEA skippered by Vasily Kharabardina, posting a 4-3-3-3-2-1 tally for the day. Then sitting in third was Zoran Paunovich’s ZID ART Sailing Team, starting fast, but then having mixed results later in the day and ending up with a 2-1-5-2-8-3 record.
Day 2- Saturday
The fleet was greeted by more most excellent racing weather. On Saturday, another 12 races were held; thus, in the course of two days, there were 24 races, each team sailing 12 times.
The main breakthrough on Saturday was the ascent to the top of the leaderboard by ZID art Sailing team. After a not quite successful performance on Friday, the team from Moscow won four out of six races (1-3-1-1-2-1). Paunovich’s well-orchestrated ZID Art crew consisted of Sergey Volchkov, Daniil Banayan and Ilya Zaporozhets.
After posting a consistent 6-3-2-2-2-5 record, sitting in second remained the leader from the previous day, Yakupov’s UGAR CREW (Vyacheslav Ivanov, Inal Berbekov and Andrey Ignatenko). And, still sitting in third was Kharabardin’s SAIL & SEA team with a tally of 2-6-1-3-3-5.
Day 3- Sunday
On the final day of the regatta, the weather continued to delight both the organizers and the sailors. Despite the gusty winds, the race committee managed to provide 12 more starts. Thus, for the entire stage, 36 races were held, and each team sailed 18 times.
At the top of the standings, there was a change of positions. The winner of the Kazan stage Paunovich’s ZID ART Sailing team; eight wins in eighteen races is an excellent result. Congratulations to Zoran Paunovich, Sergey Volchkov, Daniil Banayan and Ilya Zaporozhts!
Gathering strength, Kharabardin’s SAIL & SEA team won four of the six races held on Sunday and recorded a 2-3 in the others! This phenomenal result allowed Kharabardin’s SAIL & SEA team (Vladislav Bondarenko, Mikhail Nechvolodov and Leonid Klepikov) to take home the silver medal.
Yakupov’s UGAR CREW did not perform as well on the final day, posting a 5-5-3-6-3-3 to drop into third place.
“There was a gusty wind, it often changed direction, and it was possible to run aground along the coast,” said Yakupov. “In general, we really liked the regatta. Both the city and the organizers did a great job of conducting the stage in Kazan. The capital of the Republic of Tatarstan is very beautiful, people are beautiful, friendly. Only positive impressions remained. If we talk about the secret of the success of the team, we will not disclose it ye …until the end of the season- for sure!”
SAIL & SEA Tops Tuapse Regatta- Act II
The second event for the Russian J/70 National League was held off a commercial port on the Black Sea- Tuapse- about 70 miles (100 km) NNW of Sochi. Fourteen teams came from all over Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Voronezh and Yekaterinburg) to fight for more medals in Tuapse. Those teams included B-Team (Alexei Lesnikov), Sail & Sea (Vasily Kharabardin), PEC Sport Molodyozhka (Dmitry Popkov), UGAR CREW (Ruslan Yakupov), Skolkovo Sailing Team (Sergey Shvilkin), PEK Sport (Vadim Filatov), Khimgrad-Kazan (Maxim Uvarov), Demidov Express (Evgeny Somin), Mossebo (Andrei Evstifeev), East-West 2 (Ivan Batrakov), Assol Home Companions (Igor Lipen), Rosmorport (Anton Timakov), Lead IT! (Maxim Krukelis) and Dobrynya (Ekaterina Stolbnev).
Unlike their first event off Sochi, Tuapse was blessed with almost perfect weather all weekend, but perhaps not enough wind!
Day One- Friday
"For the entire first day in Tuapse, for the first time there was a steady wind that did not change direction for the whole day," said Chief Judge Daniel Deyanov. “The wind was between 4.5 and 10 knots, beautiful sailing!”
Despite some delays caused by racing inside the fully functioning commercial port (like avoiding big ships transiting the channel into the harbor!), the race committee managed to start eleven races. As a result, half the crews managed to sail six races, and the other half- five.
The SAIL & SEA team of Vasily Kharabardin led after the first day of racing. The St. Petersburg-based team confidently finished in the top three throughout the day, with the exception of the last race, posting an enviable 1-2-1-1-2-4 record.
Sailing less consistently, but still right at the top of the standings was Ekaterina Stolbneva's DOBRYNYA team, hanging on to second place with a scoreline of 4-1-6-2-3-2. However, she was tied on points with Dmitry Popkov’s PEC:SPORT Molodezhka team that had a record of 2-3-6-3-1-3, with Popkov’s team sitting in third on countback.
The winner of the first stage in Sochi, Alexey Lesnikova’s B-TEAM could only manage fourth after posting a 3-2-5-3-6-1 tally. T
Day 2- Saturday
The second racing day had very scanty weather conditions from the beginning. Pretty day, sunny, but weak winds. The race committee managed to hold only six races, for a total of seventeen over two days.
“In the morning there was borderline weather, the wind was around 4.5 knots, sometimes falling to 4 kts,” said Chief Judge Daniel Deyanov. “We thought about canceling the races, but in the morning we still managed to get four starts. Later, the wind fell to zero and did not rise above 1 knot for five hours!”
The leader of the first day, the SAIL & SEA team did not win a single race (5-5-3) and gave up their lead to fall into second place. Similarly, Stolbneva’s DOBRYNYA team had an even more miserable day in the light to drifting conditions, posting a 6-7-2 to drop into fifth place
Meanwhile, Dmitry Popkov’s PEC:SPORT Molodezhka won one of his two races (1-2), which jumped them into the top of the leaderboard. Then, the second place team on the first day, the B-TEAM had 2-3-1 that kept them on the podium in third.
Day 3- Sunday
On Sunday, the Tuapse wind almost abated, but the racing committee still managed to hold four more races. As a result, twenty-one races were sailed so that half the teams sailed ten races and the others eleven.
“In the morning, the wind reached 5 knots, so we managed to hold two races,” said Deyanov. “We caught every breath of wind, but we couldn't get more than four races on Sunday.”
Popkov’s PEC:SPORT Molodezhka failed to extend their brilliant Saturday performance on Sunday, posting a 4-3-3 to drop down the standings and take the bronze medal.
Winning in the end was Kharabardin’s SAIL & SEA, the original leader after the first day. The collected their wits back together and closed the regatta on a strong note.
“I liked the race in Tuapse,” said Kharabardin. “The weather was different, but although the wind was not very strong, the judges and organizers managed to hold a good regatta. The fight was sharp and highly competitive. We were very worried when on the second day we failed! But, luckily, we managed to stage a strong comeback!”
Taking the silver for the regatta and perhaps making the biggest comeback of all teams was Ruslan Yakupov’s UGAR CREW team, leaping three spots up the leaderboard in just three races! Follow the Russian J/70 Sailing League on Facebook here For more Russian National Sailing League information
LA SUPERBA Crowned Italian J/24 Champion
(Cervia, Italy)- The Circolo Nautico “Amici Della Vela” hosted one of the highlights of their racing season this past week. The Cervian club hosted the 2019 edition of the Italian J/24 Championship for thirty teams on the gorgeous Adriatic Sea.
After three days of racing, a familiar grinning, happy face was sitting atop the podium, that of Ignazio Bonnano and crew from the winning LA SUPERBA (fresh from winning the J/24 European Championship!). Taking the silver was Eugenia de Giacomo & Roggero di Lauria’s FIVE FOR FIGHTING, and the British team of NOTIFY ME (Mauro Benfatto & Fabio Mazzoni) took the bronze medal.
This was the third time in a row that the team of LA SUPERBA (Ignazio Bonnano and crew Vincenzo Vano, Francesco Picaro, Alfredo Branciforte and Francesco Linares) was crowned Italian Champions. Notably, this makes it their sixth win in eight years!
The Regatta Committee was chaired by Stefano Boscolo Bragadin, assisted by Maurizio Martinelli, Franco Minotti, Claudio Brolli and Paolo Collina. Riccardo Savorani chaired the Protest Committee, with the collaboration of Edo Stramazzo and Bruno Cecchini.
"The Championship progressed very well,” commented Franco Minotti. “The very technical field and the demanding sailing conditions for the current, and the wind, contributed to making the races beautiful and engaging. It was a very impressive for the fleet of J/24s here in Cervia.”
The 39th Italian Open J/24 Championship was supported by the main sponsor Alce Nero- the brand of over a thousand organic farmers and beekeepers, committed, since the 1970s, in Italy and around the world. Other sponsors included XService, Orplast Packaging, AutoSica Citroen, and North Sails. For more Italian J/24 Championship sailing information
J/Crews Dominate Tampa Bay to Ft. Myers Race
(Fort Myers, FL)- The 2019 Tampa Bay to Ft. Myers Race included 30 teams for the 100.0nm coastal course along on the Gulf of Mexico. Hosted by the ever-welcoming Davis Island Yacht Club, the race dates back to 1946; it starts inside Tampa Bay just off the Davis Island YC in Hillsborough Bay and the fleet heads southwest out underneath the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, leaving Passage Key to port, and a straight blast down the coast to the finish off Ft Myers/ San Carlos Bay inlet buoy. It was a fast race this year, with most boats finishing in just over 13 hrs of racing- about a 7.5 kts average!
In the thirteen-boat PHRF Spinnaker Class, the J/Teams led a near sweep of the to five slots. Winning was George Cussins’ J/105 FIRE & ICE by over four minutes to Roger Gatewood’s J/42 SHAZAAM! in second place. Fourth was Harvey Ford’s new J/112E SILVER SURFER, and fifth place went to David Arata’s J/105 JHAWK! In the PHRF Racer-Cruiser Class, Renee Ben-Avraham’s J/30 THERAPY took the silver medal. For more Tampa Bay to Ft Myers Race sailing information
Brockerhoff Crushes German Open J/22 Regatta
(Haltern am See, Germany)- This past weekend, the Germany J/22 class held their annual Open J/22 Regatta on the Halterner Strausee lake, hosted by the Segelclub Prinzensteg. Fourteen teams from across Germany were looking forward to sailing on this picturesque lake 80.0 miles north of Dusseldorf in the Rhine Valley.
After a slow start on the first day, Reiner Brockerhoff’s GER 14444 team of Christophe DeClerque and Charles Michaux from Duisburger YC won four of six races to take the regatta by seven points.
The balance of the podium was determined by a closely-fought three-way battle, with just three points separating them in the end and the outcome being determined by the final race! Winning that fight to take the silver was the local SCP club team skippered by Hardy Kleinefeld and his GER 1181 crew of Dirk Glanzmann and Christian Raschke; their 4-4-1-8-2-5 tally for 16 pts net. Just one point back in the bronze medal position was Holger Schmitt’s GER 1390 team from Seglergemeinschaft Lohheider-See, crewing for him was Ingo Schmitt and Thomas Hanf. An OCS in race 5 marred their otherwise brilliant scoreline, counting races of 2-5-4-4-OCS-2 for 17 pts net. Another local crew just finished out of the chocolates, GER 1497 sailed by the 100% family crew of Daniel, Heike, & Marvin Lotzbeyer; their record of 7-2-6-2-5-4 was good enough for 19 pts net. For more German Open J/22 Regatta sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* PRO Yachting Moscow announces that the Moscow Royal Yacht Club will be starting a new series of evening regattas on their fleet of a dozen J/70s.
The Royal Yacht Club, located in the Dynamo Water Stadium just west of Moscow’s Red Square, will now provide more opportunities for sailing. The PRO Yachting Fun Race is designed for young teams, novice helmsmen, and novices to participant in evening races on the lake that is convenient to downtown Moscow.
“We decided to organize a series regatta, where it will be interesting for novice skippers to learn how to race, the only qualification being that you have to know how to sail. In addition, this will also be a good opportunity for absolute beginners to get acquainted with sailing in comfortable Moscow conditions on our flat water lake,” said Mikhail Kondratyev, General Director of PRO Yachting.
The regattas will be held every Thursday. Sailors should meet at the Royal Y.C. for the 1800 hrs skippers and team meeting, then the start of the first race will be by 1900 hrs. We will sail as many short races as we can get in by sunset! Learn more about PRO Yachting’s Evening Learn to Race Program on J/70s here
* J/70 Sail Development- A Perspective
Recently in San Diego, a group of one-design champions with 11 world titles between them came together for an intensive J/70 sail-testing session. The primary goal was to quantify whether new upwind sail designs would prove faster than the existing J/70 inventory, which has been on the podium at every class world championship so far. Tim Healy, President of North Sails One Design, explains it this way: “We wanted to look at some different concepts and either prove that we’re on the right track or cross some ideas off the list, to further advance the performance of our sails.”
A secondary goal, Tim says, was to better understand the existing designs and how tuning and trim plays into performance. “A sail design can be improved, but unless you understand how to trim and tune it properly, you’re not going to get the benefit. Our current designs are very good, but we also wanted to make sure we’re really getting the most out of the sails.”
With these goals in mind, Tim invited one-design experts from a range of competitive keelboat classes to go sailing and then brainstorm ideas for improvement. Mike Marshall put his own worlds-winning drive to work as the telemetry expert, coach, and debrief leader. “My goal is to not be the most vocal person in the room,” Mike says, “but to be the person who facilitates. Trying to get the best input out of every single person.”
How It Worked
Each morning before leaving the dock, the two J/70s were tuned to the same base numbers, and teams of four were carefully combined to be within ten pounds of each other. Tim Healy and Will Welles steered. The group sailed in both the flat water of South Bay and outside in ocean swells, in breeze that ranged from five to thirteen knots.
On each of the four days Mike ran a series of five-minute telemetry runs, using the proprietary equipment he helped to develop, which has set new standards for sail testing. Running up to twenty-two tests each day built an impressively large data set of accurate VMGs for each boat. Skip Dieball, who trimmed for Tim Healy’s team, had used the telemetry to prepare for his win at the 2015 Etchells Worlds. “It was incredibly valuable in determining the fastest setup and fastest equipment combination.”
Having world champions as rail meat, Tim says, was a lot of fun. “They are so competitive! On every test, everyone was doing everything they could to try to win the test. Then in the end, Mike would tell us who beat who.”
A Potent Mix Of Personalities
After sailing, the two teams got together for a debrief to share thoughts about the results. A discussion with so many champions led to surprising insights each day, Mike explains. “Put nine competitive sailors in a room together, and you come to a lot of really good conclusions. Everyone brings their own experience. Zeke Horowitz brings his Flying Scot and his J/22 experience. Eric Doyle brings his Star experience. Will Welles brings his many years of J/24 sailing and Skip Dieball, his Etchells and many other one-design classes success. Vince Brun has 40 or 50 years in this business, and he’s always got something very valid to say as well as always being an absolute pleasure to have around. Tim Healy brings his encyclopedia of knowledge of all the things that he’s won. It’s highly beneficial to get all the different opinions and thoughts and combine the various viewpoints.” Skip Dieball was also impressed with the debriefs: “World champions everywhere! It was fun to collaborate and discuss what we felt, how we set up the various designs.”
Tim agrees that the wide range of perspectives helped everyone improve. “Eric Doyle, for instance, is a hands-on guy. When it comes to manufacturing, it’s always great to bounce the idea off him: ‘Hey Eric, what do you think?’ Then he says, ‘We already tried that with this class. It didn’t work.’
“Mike is the technical guy,” Tim continues. “And Zeke is more of a seat-of-the-pants guy, so it’s refreshing to hear his point of view. They all shared different experiences with sail development programs, what’s worked and what hasn’t. There were so many different talents at that table that you could always find somebody to say, ‘I can help with that.’”
What They Learned
Sail testing is all about making better sails, and Tim says that, while looking at new shapes and more user-friendly construction techniques, they took the time to drill down to the tiniest of details: the shape of a telltale window, the placement of a tack grommet, how the webbing is attached to the head of the jib. “We could talk all day about batten pocket construction and come up with examples from another class.”
Both Tim and Mike agree that if they had the four days to do over again that they wouldn’t change a thing. Eric Doyle says the telemetry was so helpful that he would never go sail testing without it again, though it falls to Mike to explain why. “We’re constantly trying to improve our sails, but at the end of the day, how do you do that? With telemetry testing, you end up with a solid, concrete answer, an indisputable fact. 85% of the time, those facts are confirmed by what people feel on the boat. When they aren’t, you can look further into why.
“Of course, I have opinions about which sail is better and why,” Mike continues. “But the two-boat testing system keeps it scientific and organized. It really pushed our development path forward, giving us answers as well as new questions to ask.”
Tim agrees that the scientific approach left him confident about their conclusions. “The bottom-line goal is to prove that we’re making a better sail. We had some good concepts that we got more data from. And we now understand the tuning and the trim even better than before.”
A three-time World Champion himself, even Tim was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of expertise they gathered together. “I know these guys. I talk to them every day. But when you stop to think about it, the knowledge base is pretty impressive.”
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