J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
A lot of sailing was taking place in close proximity in the Great Lakes this past week. For starters, the J/111 World Championship concluded last week for an incredibly tight fleet of twenty-three boats. The regatta was hosted by Chicago YC and sailed on Lake Michigan. The weather Godz threw everything imaginable at the fleet over the four-day event, from calms to storms, sunny skies to lightning-riddled skies! In addition, on Lake Michigan, the Great Lakes J/22 Championship was hosted by Tawas bay Yacht Club in East Tawas, Michigan. After the J/111 Worlds, the Verve Inshore Cup Regatta was hosted by Chicago YC for one-design fleets of J/70s and J/24s. It was the Great Lakes J/70 Championship and also a 2020 J/70 Worlds Qualifier for that event in Long Beach, CA. Moving over to Lake Erie, a fleet of J/Crews sailed the annual Sandusky Night Race, a triangular offshore race that sends the fleet from the Sandusky Yacht Club starting line offshore around a few rocks and islands before returning to the SYC finish line. A J/29, J/34, J/92, and other J’s had a successful outing, to say the least!Out in New England, the J/109 North Americans was sailed on Buzzards Bay and hosted by New Bedford YC for an eleven-boat fleet. Nearby, the USA J/24 Nationals were held on Lake Ontario, hosted by Rochester YC, with a fantastic turnout of forty-six teams. Just north of that event, the annual Ted Hood Regatta was sailed off Marblehead, MA and was hosted by the famous trio of clubs on Marblehead Harbor- Eastern YC, Corinthian YC, and Boston YC. Sailing were one-design fleets of J/70s and J/105s as well as ORR Handicap divisions that included a J/124, J/122, J/111, J/112E, J/33, and J/40. Then, in the Deep South, a small armada of J/Teams sailed the fun-loving Low Country Hook Ocean Race- a distance race from Hilton Head Island, SC to Skidaway Island, GA. Skidaway Island Boating Club and The Yacht Club of Hilton Head presented the race; sailing were J/24s, J/105s, J/30s, and a J/100.
The blast furnace is at glass-melting temperatures in the United Kingdom, as the international J/70 class is feeling the heat of fierce battles on the Torbay race track last weekend. The J/70 U.K. National Championship was held on Torbay for a fleet of thirty-five teams, hosted by Royal Torbay YC. The mostly light-air affair served as the J/70 “Pre-Worlds”, as the J/70 World Championship will be sailed one week later in the same venue. Over in Ireland, the Irish J/24 Nationals had a great gathering of the Irish clan on Lough Erne, a gorgeous lake in the middle of the country. Hosting the enormous thirty-two boat fleet was Lough Erne Yacht Club.
Finally, a fast, trophy-winning, J/121 offshore speedster sailed the Visbypokalen Offshore Race on the Baltic Sea, a 100.0nm race that finished off Sandhamn, Sweden.
J/111 World Champion-> SPACEMAN SPIFF!
(Chicago, IL)- Twenty-three J/111s competed from August 20-23 at Chicago Yacht Club for the 2019 J/111 World Championship that included teams from the USA, Australia and Switzerland. It was an event that was marked by incredibly challenging weather conditions for the duration of the event. In fact, the first day of the regatta was canceled due to a massive line of thunderstorms and squalls rolling across the plains of the Midwest, dumping tropical rains, squally winds in the thirties, interspersed with moments of complete calm. Thereafter, the fleet was treated to a range of breezes that started with SW to W winds of 6 to 19 knots on Wednesday, shifting to the NE to E quadrants for the next two days, producing nearly perfect, sunny, sailing conditions in shifty, streaky winds of 8 to 19 knots.
In the end, the Ruhlman Family from Cleveland, OH, spearheaded by family patriarch and skipper Rob, ultimately were crowned 2019 J/111 World Champions on their famous SPACEMAN SPIFF. The SPIFFER’s team included Rob (Dad), son Ryan, daughter Abigail, daughter Maegan, and a cast of characters that included Marty Kullman, Doug Moose, Jim Sminchak, and Mark Wiss. Many of the Ruhlman family and friends crew have sailed together for decades. They won the Worlds in much the same fashion as they won the previous weekend’s Verve Offshore Cup Regatta. Starting out the first day of the regatta with two bullets, they also closed with a pair of bullets to win the Worlds. It was a great performance and one that was seemingly pre-ordained to see them rise to the top of the sailing world! Here is how that all came about over the three days of sailing.
Day Two- Gorgeous Opening Day
Following storms that rolled through Chicago on Tuesday, the fleet had to wait a bit longer still on Wednesday. Race one was abandoned due to lack of breeze and a severe shift. However, winds eventually amped up to 12-14 knots, allowing three races for the hungry teams. Despite a pair of bullets by the Ruhlman’s SPACEMAN SPIFF, it was Andrew and Sedgwick Ward’s BRAVO that ended the day at the front of the pack. The BRAVO crew from Shelter Island, NY only placed in the top three once, but their scoreline of 7-3-5 for 15 points put them one ahead of SPACEMAN SPIFF that added a 14 for 16 total. Peter Wagner’s SKELETON KEY snuck into third place with tallies of 6-8-4 for 18 points total.
SPACEMAN SPIFF earned the first victory of the Championship in the day’s opening, and lightest, affair. Jeffrey Davis’ SHAMROCK and Richard Witzel’s ROWDY followed. Swiss sailor Jorg Sigg’s LALLEKONIG outdid the fleet in the middle race, with Douglas Curtiss’ WICKED 2.0 and Ward’s BRAVO close behind. The Ruhlman family closed Wednesday the same way it started, trailed by Martin Roesch’s VELOCITY and Rod Warren’s Australian crew on JOUST.
Day Three- Rocking & Rolling Northeaster
The large choppy seas on Lake Michigan were heaving and breaking on Thursday, as was the leaderboard. Roesch’s VELOCITY shot up to the top position, posting a 1-4-6 on the day. Wagner’s SKELETON KEY maintained consistent scores in the top 10, inching them up to second place with 34 points, only one point behind Roesch. Ruhlman’s SPACEMAN SPIFF dropped to third but was still in the hunt with 38 points. Day one leader Andrew and Sedgwick Ward’s BRAVO suffered a 13th in the day’s final contest, leaving them in fourth place, one tick behind Ruhlman.
Roesch began the day victoriously, ahead of local boat MOMENTUS led by Kevin Saedi & Raman Yousefi and the Ward’s on BRAVO. Chicago Yacht Club’s Michael Mayer & Steve Henderson guided KASHMIR to success in the middle match, with Jorg Sigg’s LALLEKONIG and Witzel’s ROWDY next (LALLEKONIG was later DSQ’d for a windward/leeward infraction). Rod Warren’s JOUST prevailed in the final round, shadowed by Wagner’s SKELETON KEY and Sigg’s LALLEKONIG.
Day Four- Another Gorgeous Northeaster!
The Ruhlman’s SPACEMAN SPIFF took control of their own destiny on Friday, nailing both race wins to earn the title of 2019 J/111 World Champion. Coming into the final day, the Cleveland, OH-based team was in third overall, but Ruhlman and his crew ended with 25 net points in the eight-race series. Five points behind in second place was day-three leader Roesch’s VELOCITY. Former World Champion Peter Wagner’s SKELETON KEY came in third with 34 points.
It was another wild day on Lake Michigan. PRO Becky Ashburn, summarized, “Winds were around 15 knots. Waves were three to four feet with a sideways swell, which made it really choppy.”
Under a champagne shower in the harbor, Ruhlman smiled, “I’m not sure this has sunk in yet! We have a great team, a great family. The competition was outstanding. I’m thrilled to be a part of the J/111 Class.”
Rounding out the top five was the Mayer/ Henderson duo on KASHMIR, the top local Chicago boat in fourth place and Witzel’s ROWDY in fifth as the second Chicago boat.
There was a special gathering on the docks on Friday morning at 9:00 AM, the final day of the regatta. The women crew that were sailing on several J/111s gathered together for a “women’s power” team photo. Represented were women from these boats: Momentus, Lucky Dubie, Varuna, Pura Vida, Spaceman Spiff (two World Champions!), Rowdy, and Skull Cracker. Follow the J/111 Class on Facebook page here
For J/111 World Championship results
J/121 Wins Visbypokalen Offshore Race
(Sandhamn, Sweden)- Fredrik, owner of the J/121 JOLENE, remarked on their recent triumph in the annual Visbypokalen Offshore Race:
"I have just concluded a 100.0nm offshore race where we sailed approximately 80.0nm in 16-24 kts TWS at a TWA of 85-120 degrees. We sailed double-headed with the J0 and the J4 headsails. Top speed 21.0 kts! It was a great ride and we won our class. I had Peter Gustafsson's BLUR.SE crew on board for this race, so read more about it on Blur.se!” In fact, here is Peter’s article below.
“Our J/111 BLUR.SE was being sent to the Mediterranean so that we could do a few bucket list races, like the Rolex Middle Sea Race off Malta and around the famous rocks/ volcano’s around Sicily. So, we decided early on not to race in the second half of August. But, we still wanted to get some offshore training, and had heard that Visby Town would be a nice competition.
So many parts of the team (6 out of 9 of our crew- Peter, Pelle, Mattias, Simon, Jens & Pär) signed on with our friend’s J/121 JOLENE; together with owner Fredrik we hoped to have a fun time sailing fast offshore on the amazing J/121- a flat-out reaching offshore machine!
I had sailed the boat before, from Marstrand to Falsterbo. Back then, it was a brand new boat and untested. Nevertheless, we also had many discussions with Fredrik about sail configurations and other things.
Fredrik is a great sailor, was also down with us, and drove the Tjörn Runt last year on our J/111 BLUR.SE.
The delivery sail down from Bullandö to Nynäs was quite tough. And, even the start was in dull weather. A number of starts were run during Friday so that all boats would come to Sandhamn at about the same time.
Just before the start, it also became clear that we would run a shorter course.
After a short passage in light winds, we headed out to sea and could go from LM Jib to J0. And then, combine the J0 with a J4 on the inner forestay. Wow, that was a fast combination. The boat is nicely configured with both of these sails on a case-lock, and 1:3 gear on the tack line.
Here you see how the three sails are in relation to each other. Many good combinations…
In addition, this was a good opportunity for us to train for speed offshore; where you often have to drive the boat against your own boat speed target numbers. It was a good opportunity to collect data on different combinations of J0, jib and J4 in TWA 70-120.
After the rounding at Gottskär, it was basically the same sailing angles back north. This time on port tack. We knew the winds would drop and rotate further aft, so we chose to go low and fast initially. We managed to get a surf up to 20.7 knots! Amazing, full control, cool sailing!
We also had a chance to practice our offshore watch schedule, although it was a short race.
Our cockpit organization was a little bit messy, eh?? LOL!
We finished the race at 0237 am, a little over 11 hours of sailing. Fastest boat with full crew!
A completely free Saturday in Sandhamn is a luxury. Simon checks if it is possible to sleep in the storage compartment. Apparently, they did it on the J/121 BLUE FLASH that crushed their class in the 50th Transpac Race.
Big thanks to Fredrik for sailing with him on JOLENE! We are happy to do that again.” Thanks for contribution from Peter Gustafsson’s Blur.se site
LOKI Locks Up J/109 North Americans!
(South Dartmouth, MA)- It was an interesting summer for the J/109 fleet in the northeastern seaboard. Some teams slowly surged to the forefront of the fleet, while others faded to black. Consistency is hard to come by in this fleet. In particular, since it is a season that starts for many teams with the American YC Spring Series in May and works its way through several major regattas during the summer- like Cedar Point YC One-Design Series, New York YC Annual Regatta, Block Island Race Week, and so forth.
The 2019 J/109 North American Championship was hosted by New Bedford YC with sailing taking place on Buzzards Bay. The eleven-boat fleet had four good days of racing, with eleven races completed for the passionate and aggressive fleet.
David Rosow’s crew on LOKI had spent the entire summer fine-tuning their teamwork, strategy, and tactics to win the 2019 J/109 North Americans by the largest winning margin in recent history. Starting out the first day with a 3-1-4 to lead the fleet, they never looked back and managed to post only top four finishes in the eleven races. Dominating? Perhaps an understatement. Five 1st, four 2nds, a 3rd and 4th for just 20 pts total.
A distant second was Bengt Johnasson’s ZIG ZAG with 40 pts, third was Jon Rechtschaffer’s EMOTICON with 45 pts, fourth was Ted Herlihy’s GUT FEELING 52 pts, and fifth was John Greifzu’s GROWTH SPURT was 55 pts. For more J/109 North American Championship sailing information
EAT SLEEP J REPEAT Tops J/70 U.K. Nationals
USA’s WARCANOE Wins Open Fleet Overall
(Torquay, Devon, UK)- The 2019 edition of the Open J/70 U.K. Nationals had spirited, close competition as a result of thirteen of the thirty-five teams registered coming from the USA, Europe, Asia, Australia, or South America. Hosting the event was the Royal Torbay Yacht Club, with sailing taking place in the beautiful surroundings of Torbay. The fleet enjoyed two lightish days and one moderate wind days over the three-day event, with mostly sunny skies. Only six races were completed due to the waiting for sailable sea breezes to build on the lighter days. Winning the J/70 U.K. Nationals was Paul Ward’s EAT SLEEP J REPEAT. Here is the report on how it all went down in the principal J/70 “Pre-Worlds” event of the season.
Day One- Moderate Winds and Pretty Day!
Caribbean-style conditions on the first day had the J/70 fleet grinning form ear to ear, after three highly competitive races in the beautiful surrounding of Torbay, nicknamed “Torbados” but the J/70 fleet.
Calascione & Ripard's CALYPSO was the top performing boat racing for the J/70 UK National Championship. Second in the British pecking order was Doug Struth's DSP, and third was Wilson & King's SOAK RACING.
10-12 knots of breeze from the east, created light conditions with subtle shifts during the course of the day. A good start is always a winner in the J/70 fleet, especially so in light airs and with the caliber of teams racing at the J/70 UK National Championship.
“We have been working on our starts for quite a while,” commented CALYPSO’s skipper, Seb Ripard. “Today, the left was favored with lifts and acceleration coming from the land. Although the left was down tide, the better pressure on that side out weighed that negative. Downwind we always have our tactician looking back at the fleet, to see any changes to the situation but the big focus for us is to maximize our VMG and get to the bottom mark as fast as we can. All in all it was a good day for us, but we were a bit disappointed not to win the second race, having led at the top mark.”
“We started well today, choosing a slot about three in from the pin, which was slightly conservative but avoided the big fight between some well sailed boats at that end,” commented Doug Struth on DSP. “Once you get a good start, it is essential that you can hold your lane, and that is all about boat speed, which seemed to be on the money. We did get pretty deep in the fleet in the second race, but Geoff Carveth did a great job on the helm to get us back into the top part of the fleet.”
Top of the Open standings was Joel Ronning's CATAPLUT (USA). Michael Goldfarb's WARCANOE (USA) took a bullet in the last race to end the day second on countback from CALYPSO (MLT). Marcos Soares' HIGHLANDERS (BRA) won Race 2 but finished the day in fourth position. Alberto Rossi's ENFANT TERRIBLE (ITA) won the first race of the championship, but having been called over at the start of Race 2, ENFANT TERRIBLE scored a 28. ENFANT TERRIBLE came back to place third in the final race. Making the top ten in the open category after three races: Luis Albert's PATAKIN (ESP), Geoffrey Pierini's SURGE (USA), Claudia Rossi's PETITE TERRIBLE (ITA) and Renato Faria's TO NESSA (BRA).
Day 2- Light and Sunny
The second day was one to keep your head out of the boat. After a delay ashore, a sea breeze materialized producing super-light conditions for the international fleet. Avoiding the wind holes, and tuning into the breeze direction as it slowly shifted south, were the keys to a top performance. PRO Stuart Childerley and his race team were roundly applauded for providing three windward- leeward races in 5-7 knots of wind.
The stand out performer of the day was Paul Ward's EAT SLEEP J REPEAT, scoring the best score of the entire fleet with a 5-8-4 to take the lead for the teams racing for the J/70 UK National Championship. King & Wilson's SOAK RACING showed early promise to come with in a single point of EAT SLEEP J REPEAT after Race 5, but a poor result in the last race today put SOAK RACING in second place, 20 points behind the leader for the Open UK crown.
“What was important today was joining up the lumps of pressure,” commented Paul Ward, owner/driver of EAT SLEEP J REPEAT. “Yesterday we finished with a bad race so we came off the water feeling a bit miserable, but a good fish restaurant in Torquay seemed to sort out that! It was a day for keeping your head out of the boat, and Charlie (Cumbley) is very good at that, and we set up the boat so we were quick. We are very happy to be where we are in a very competitive fleet, but we have already scored our discard, and one bad race tomorrow and we will be off the top.”
In the Open Class, Michael Goldfarb's WARCANOE (USA) led, but only on countback from EAT SLEEP J REPEAT (GBR). Luis Albert's PATAKIN (ESP) is third, just two points from the top of the leaderboard, having finished the day with a 2-1 to come back strongly from a poor first race.
Eleven teams are competing in the Corinthian Class and the top three are all British. SOAK RACING had a seven-point lead for the Corinthian title. Calascione & Ripard's CALYPSO could not repeat yesterday's top performance and dropped to second for Corinthian Class. Doug Struth's DSP did not have their best day, but is still on the podium for the Corinthian Class.
Saturday’s races were won by Sergei Dobrovolskii's AMAIZ Sailing Team (CYP), Luis Albert's PATAKI (ESP), and Alberto Rossi's ENFANT TERRIBLE (ITA). Teams that scored podium finishes today included: Marcos Soares HIGHLANDERS (BRA), Renato Faria's TO NESSA (BRA), Henry Brauer's RASCAL (USA), and Jose Maria Torcida's NOTICIA ESP).
Day 3- More Light and Sunny conditions
For the final day, light airs conditions continued. The two races were won by the highly impressive Luis Albert's PATAKIN (ESP) and Peter Duncan's RELATIVE OBSCURITY.
Paul Ward was awarded the J/70 UK National Championship Trophy by UK Class Captain, Hannah Le Prevost. “A big thank you to Bob Penfold and the Royal Torbay Yacht Club for all of their hard work in hosting this event. I would also like to thank all of our friends from the international fleet, which have helped us Brits to go faster! I am sure I speak on behalf of all the competitors to congratulate the race committee led by Stuart Childerley for giving us great racing in difficult conditions,” commented Paul Ward. “Looking at the trophy, it dates back to 2013, when I was thinking about buying my first J/Boat. Since then, I have been lucky enough to get involved with a very good team, which really enjoys being together. We have spent a lot of time sailing together and that is paying off.”
Ian Wilson and Marshall King won the championship in 2017, and third in 2018. “We are back with a bang this year, and this is a special one with so many great international teams competing. It was brutal out there; you made a mistake and you dropped 10-15 places, just by being slow out of a tack,” commented Ian Wilson, who is also President of the J/70 International Class. “I brought the nationals and the worlds here because it is one of the hardest places to sail in the UK, if not the world – they don't play the US Open Golf at Augusta because it is a nice easy golf course, and so we have come to Torbay. This race area rewards those that keep their head out of the boat and it punishes those that don't.”
“We didn't know what to expect coming here for the first time,” commented Warcanoe's Michael Goldfarb, top team out of all 35 contestants. “The yacht club is fantastic and the race management has been very good. The conditions have been light but sailable, and we have had a great time sailing, and we are very excited for the giant turn out for the worlds.”
Rounding out the podium for the J/70 UK Nationals were Wilson & King’s SOAK RACING in second and Calascione & Ripard’s CALYPSO in third place.
Behind the American WARCANOE team in the Open J/70 UK Nationals, was EAT SLEEP J REPEAT taking the silver, and Dobrovolskii’s AMAIZ Sailing Team taking the bronze.
Racing at the Darwin Escapes 2019 J/70 World Championships, hosted by the Royal Torbay Yacht Club, will commence with a practice race on Sunday 1st September. Five days of world championship racing will follow, with the 2019 J/70 World Champions crowned on Friday 6th September. Follow the J/70 UK Nationals and J/70 Worlds on their Facebook page For more J/70 U.K. Nationals sailing information and results
30th Jammin J/22 Jamaica Regatta Announcement!(Montego Bay, Jamaica)- Montego Bay Yacht Club is proudly hosting the 30th edition of this yacht racing series, having been held every year since a year after Hurricane Gilbert all but destroyed the J/22 fleet.
Every year since 1989, through the generosity of local boat owners, visiting competitors are invited to come and race on the clear, aquamarine-blue waters of Montego Bay.
“2019 will be the largest, longest and best regatta since the series started. We have a wait list of teams to sail the available boats and this year, with the help of Seaboard Marine, we are importing two more boats specifically for the event,” said Richard Hamilton, the Jammin J/22 Race Chairman. "Seaboard Marine have really made the shipping easy; particularly compared to 2009 when a boat sailed from Cayman Islands just for the weekend.”
Hamilton continues to explain, “the J/22 is an internationally recognized 22 ft keelboat and raced by a crew of 3 or 4 people. Each yacht is identical and the winners are determined through team work, boat-handling skills, understanding the rules of sailing, and an appreciation of the wind. There are approximately 2,000 J/22s around the world with active fleets in the Cayman Islands, USA, Italy, Germany, France, South Africa, Canada and the UK. This year in Montego Bay, there will be 13 yachts on the start line, with teams from Cayman, USA, Canada and Kingston. And, maybe other countries, too! Mike Farrington, former Jamin J/22 Champion and past Commodore of the Cayman Islands Sailing Club had this to say about the challenging sailing condition in Montego Bay; “In Cayman, we have to deal with a short chop and big breeze. Montego Bay has the shifting winds and flat water inside the bay, as well as the swells of the open ocean to play with too. These are perfect conditions for this type of boat.”
Previous prizewinner from Cayman- Tomeaka McTaggart- said of a previous year’s event, “having never visited Jamaica before, I was hugely impressed with the quality and enthusiasm of the J/22 fleet. It was a great weekend of racing and I thank the volunteers for organizing a great regatta."
Sailing is a growth sport in Jamaica, with training boats recently being introduced to both the Royal Jamaica Yacht Club and Montego Bay YC with a full time instructor available. Jamaica has great potential for more Olympic sailors; these new boats are the start of an exciting future in Jamaican sailing!
The regatta will be the culmination of an active year of J/22 sailing at the Montego Bay YC, with the fleet having maintained a healthy interest and encouraged new people to experience the sport. Jamin J/22 Jamaica 2019 promises to be another great finale to the racing calendar!
More news about sponsor SEABOARD MARINE
Seaboard Marine is a premier ocean transportation company providing direct, regular service between North America, the Caribbean Basin, Central, and South America. With a fleet of over twenty-five vessels, serving nearly forty ports, Seaboard Marine is a trade leader in the Western Hemisphere. They can ship your sailing yachts and motor yachts anywhere in the Caribbean and American basin. Learn more about Seaboard Marine here. For more Jammin J/22 Jamaica Regatta sailing information
Welles Four-Peats USA J/24 Nationals!
(Rochester, NY)- Forty-six J/24 teams competed at the 2019 USA J/24 National Championship hosted by Rochester Yacht Club, with sailing taking place on the wild and tempestuous choppy waters of Lake Ontario. After an eight race series over the three days of sailing, there was quite a familiar face sitting on top of the podium for the fourth time- Will Welles and the BUCKAROO team were crowned the 2019 USA J/24 National Champions. Here are the daily reports on how Welles achieved his remarkable “four-peat” of the event, quite literally pulling the “rabbit out of the hat” to pull it together at the eleventh hour.
Day One- Light and Lumpilicious
Three races were run on the opening day in light and lumpy conditions. Reigning J/24 World Champion Will Welles kept up his hot streak on BUCKAROO, totaling 7 points on two seconds and a third. John Mollicone’s triumph in race three elevated team HELLY HANSEN into second place with 11 points. Travis Odenbach’s familiar HONEYBADGER suffered a 14th in the first match, but added a 1-3 for 18 points and third place.
William Bomar’s BANGOR PACKET started off the day with a bullet, with Welles and Ryan Lashaway’s RUMMING ON EMPTY on his tail. Local rock star- Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER- mastered the middle race, as both Bomar and Welles kept themselves in the top three. It was HELLY HANSEN’s turn to take the win in the closing contest, in advance of Welles and Odenbach.
Day Two- Light to Medium and Choppy Seas
The second day was a challenging one for the highly-amped J/24 teams. The scorecard lit up with U-Flag and Black-Flag penalties, as three more races went in the books (for a total of six) in winds of 5-7 knots and choppy seas. Welles’ BUCKAROO clung to the lead, despite a UFD in race five, which was his discard.
Current J/24 World Champion Welles was now counting scores of 2-3-2-3-5 for 15 net points (discarding the black flag). Bomar’s BANGOR PACKET put together a solid series so far that included two bullets for 19 points and second place. Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER maintained the third spot, but was tied on 26 points with the ANGEL OF HARLEM duo- Mark Liebel and Robby Brown from Davis Island YC in Tampa, FL.
Saturday’s initial competition was finished at the second windward mark due to a dying breeze. Bomar’s BANGOR PACKET didn’t mind as he claimed his second win of the Championship, shadowed by Evan Petley-Jones’ LIFTED and Welles’ BUCKAROO. The Japanese team SIESTA, led by Nobuyuki Imai, claimed the next victory following a brief on-water postponement, as Finn Hadlock’s BOREAS and ANGEL OF HARLEM also got in on the action. Following another AP, Daniel Cameron’s SHAKE’N’BAKE won the third race of the day, followed to shore by Aidan Glackin’s MENTAL FLOSS and Rossi Milev’s CLEAR AIR from Toronto, Ontario.
Day Three- Perfect, sunny, moderate breeze finale
Two more races were sailed on the final day and no one appeared up for the challenge of taking Welle’s crew on BUCKAROO down the proverbial mine shaft. Any of the top three teams could have done so, but only at their peril of wasting a podium finish in the end. The “Black Flag” hung like the grim reaper’s scythe over Welles’ head, but their team was not going to be denied, taking a 1st and 7th in the final two races to “seal the deal” and win the USA J/24 Nationals for the fourth time. Welles’ crew included crew Jeff Linton, Chris Morgan, Monica Morgan and Erik Rexford.
Last year’s USA J/24 National Champion- Robby Brown and Mark Liebel on ANGEL OF HARLEM- claimed the runner-up position with 38 points. Bomar’s BANGOR PACKET sailed an impressive regatta with a pair of bullets, putting them in third place with 41 points.
It was tight racing in the top five. Rounding out 4th and 5th were former J/24 North American and J/24 World Champions, just three point from 3rd place and 6 pts from 2nd! Winning that battle was Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER over Mollicone’s HELLY HANSEN.
Winning the Top Women’s Team Award was, yet again, Erica Beck Spencer’s SEA BAGS WOMEN’S SAILING TEAM from Portland, ME. Sailing photo credts- Tim Wilkes- http://www.timwilkes.com. For more USA J/24 Nationals Sailing information
Blustery Ted Hood Regatta
J/112E Dominates PHRF Class
(Marblehead, MA)- The Eastern Yacht Club hosted their annual Ted Hood Regatta in conjunction with their amazing local partners, the Corinthian YC and the Boston YC for a fleet of both one-design racers and offshore PHRF handicap sailors. The sailors enjoyed great camaraderie and fun ashore at Eastern YC. However, the weather was less than cooperative. Friday’s racing was light winds, followed by a beautiful day with very lumpy shifty northeast winds on Saturday. Then, the combination of a massive High over the Canadian Maritimes and a giant Low southeast of Cape Cod conspired to produce massive 8-10 foot waves and 15-30 kt winds on Sunday from the ENE, resulting in a complete cancellation of all sailing on Sunday.
The eight-boat J/70 class witnessed a blitzkrieg, appropriately enough, by a boat named SHRED; Stein Skaane’s crew scored four straight bullets. Second was Frank McNamara’s CHINOOK with a 2-3-2-2 for 9 pts, and third was Jim Raisides & Charlie Pendleton’s BAD HOMBRES’ with a symmetric 3-4-3-4 tally for 14 pts.
The seventeen-boat J/105 class saw a new force in the class show up at the top of the podium. Thoroughly dominating this tough class on their penultimate day was famous Houston sailor Bill Zartler, crushing the fleet with a 1-3-1 to take home the gold on his famous DEJA VOODOO from Lakewood YC. Just one point back was another famous J/105 sailor from Houston, Texas, Ken Horne’s FINAL FINAL. Then, as if the drum roll had not ended yet, Rolex Big Boat Series Champion Tim Russell and his famous crew on NE*NE (which includes Brent Draney J/105 champion tactician) took the bronze medal! That is a star-studded podium for the J/105 class!
In the ORR 1 Division, Fred deNapoli’s J/124 ALLEGRO MALVAGIO took third in class. They were followed by Gary Weisberg’s J/111 HEAT WAVE in fourth and Tom Mager’s J/122 GIGI in fifth place.
Chris Zibailo’s J/112E DOPODOMANI won the ORR 2 Division in dramatic fashion with three bullets in their scoreline!
Then, in ORR 3 Division, Ward Blodgett & Liz Smith’s J/33 SIROCCO sailed a solid series to nearly take the class win. They posted an exemplary 3-1-2-2 for 8 pts to take the silver.
In PHRF Non-Spinnaker Class, Sam Foster’s J/40 CAHOOTS from Marblehead, MA won their class! For more Ted Hood Regatta sailing information
NINE Over 70’s @ Verve Cup Inshore Regatta
(Chicago, IL)- The 2019 Verve Cup Inshore Regatta & J/70 Great Lakes Championship was held August 23rd to 25th. The J/70 fleet raced over three days while the rest of the fleets raced over two days. The regatta served as a J/70 World Championship Qualifier for the 2020 J/70 World Championship being sailed in Long Beach, CA.
The J/70 fleet had nine races for their Great Lakes Championship. Winning was Oivind Lorentzen’s NINE with crew of Lucas Calabrese, Ian Coleman, and Collin Leon with an astonishing record of six 1sts, one 2nd, two 3rds in nine races for a total of 14 points. It was a real battle for the balance of the podium between three boats. Winning that dogfight to take the silver was Sarah Renz’s BERTEAU GROUP with crew of Matt Clark, Andy Graff, Will Holz, and Michael Miller. Third was Martin Johnsson’s AQUAHOLIKS, fourth John Heaton’s EMPEIRIA and fifth John & Marisa Koten’s PLANET CLAIRE. Winning the Corinthians Division was Sarah Renz’s BERTEAU GROUP.
In the J/24s, Mark Soya’s 2XS won a duel over their friendly combatants- Eric Christenson’s BUBBLES- by a mere one point! Third was Dan Walsh’s GOLDRUSH. For more Verve Cup Inshore Regatta sailing info
J/Teams Sweep Low Country Hook Ocean Race
(Hilton Head, SC)- The Low Country Hook Ocean Race is a distance race from Hilton Head Island, SC to Skidaway Island, GA. The race was presented by Skidaway Island Boating Club and The Yacht Club of Hilton Head.
On August 23rd, the fleet started from Harbour Town to Skidaway Island, making the “hook-shaped” course in a fast time of approximately 3 hrs 45 mins. After the exhilaration of an ocean race starting at Hilton Head Island, sailing past Tybee Island, through Wassaw Sound, and a finish at Skidaway Island, sailors enjoyed drinks, dinner, and awards at Landings Harbor Marina.
The PHRF Spinnaker Class was simply swept by just about every member of the J/Tribe one can imagine over the 40-plus years of designs.
Winning appropriately enough, and paying homage to the J/Legacy, was Eric Gotwalts’s J/24 DIMARIAN. Second was Matt Self’s J/105 RUCKUS from Charleston Harbor YC; third Amar Patel’s J/24 ROGUE from Skidaway Island Boating Club; fourth James Thurlow’s J/24 FORTITUDE from South Carolina YC; fifth Gebel Seese’s J/105 HIGH VISIBILITY from Savannah YC; sixth Mike Foster’s J/30 RONIN from Savannah YC; and finally ninth was Paul Reddick’s J/100 BLU-J from Skidaway Island Boating Club.
That was quite a performance by enthusiastic, passionate members of the J/Tribe “south of the Mason-Dixon line” in the warm, somewhat humid months one often sees in Deep South Summers.
The J/105 took line honors in the 30.0nm race and finished 2nd on corrected time. The 2nd boat across the finish line was a J/105 and the 3rd was a J/100.
Of note, the South Carolina YC Youth Team that participated in the J/70 Youth Championship at the St Petersburg YC took fourth place in the club’s $531.00 J/24. No, that is not a “typo”. They sailed a $531.24 J/24 bought off CraigsList.com! LOL. Awesome! For more Low Country Hook Ocean Race information
Headbanger Finish at Irish J/24 Nationals
(Lough Erne, Ireland)- The fleet awoke on Sunday morning to a lake that looked like a sheet of glass and were none too optimistic as they headed to the race course on the final day of racing at the Irish J/24 National Championship.
But, as the morning went on, the wind started to build and by the time the fleet had made it to the race area a steady 10-12 kts had materialized. That enabled LEYC’s PRO Derek Bothwell and his team to lay marks and get racing off on schedule. With just five races completed out of a scheduled nine, the race management team were eager to get as many races in as possible and all racing for the day started with the “U” flag!!
Going into the final day’s racing, Cillian Dickson’s HEADCASE from Howth Yacht Club was lying in third place behind Darragh McCormack’s STOUCHE from Foynes Yacht Club in first and JP McCaldin’s EL RICCIO in second.
However, HEADCASE climbed their way back up, winning the first two races, but still needing to finish two places ahead of STOUCHE in the final race. That race was won by JANA from Sligo Yacht Club but HEADCASE’s third place ahead of STOUCHE’s fifth was enough for them to finish the event on level points and win on countback. Dickson’s crew included Sam O’Byrne, Cillian Dickson, Marcus Ryan, Ryan Glynn, and Louis Mulloy.
Tadgh O’Loinsigh on JANX SPIRIT from Tralee Bay Sailing Club sailed a superb series and is the new ICRA Under 25 J/24 National Champion. His crew included Hugh Stewart, Tadgh McSweeney, Brian Fox, and Donnagh O’Buachalla. He will receive a grant from ICRA to assist with his J/24 campaign, which will be presented at the ICRA National Conference later this year along with a presentation on the importance of supporting Under 25 programs.
Colm O’Flaherty’s JANA from Sligo Yacht Club won the Silver Fleet. Meanwhile, Conor Houghton’s JADE from Wicklow Sailing Club won the Bronze Fleet.
The band playing outside on the Saturday night was a little bit of magic and gave the event a festival feel and the racing finished on a high with three great races.
The Lough Erne YC would like to thank Brian and also Martin O’Reilly and Sinéad Enright who are also stepping down this year, for all their hard work and commitment to the association over the past few years. We would also like to wish newly elected President Mark Usher from Greystones Sailing Club the very best of luck and to welcome Tadgh O’Loinsigh from Tralee Bay Sailing Club as the Under 25 representative on the new committee.
The Lough Erne YC’s race manager had this commentary on the racing:
“The forecast said “ten knots, gusting close to twenty”, but as the fleet made its way to the race course it was clear that the “breeze was on” for Day 1.
The starts were hectic with twenty-eight boats fighting for front row positions, the fleet got away clean for three of the four races.
The upwind legs were a battle between finding flatter water and picking your way through the wind shifts across the broad Lough. There were gains to be made on both sides of race course, and all through the fleet, boats traded positions with only small margin making the difference of often multiple places.
The front half of the fleet was always still tightly packed as they approached the first windward mark, and with spinnakers hoisted and powerful gusts, the downwind legs in the first couple of races were fun and felt short. The leeward gate created opportunities as the fleet split each time for a second lap.
By the time the warning signal for Race 3 was raised, the breeze showed signs of dropping a little bit. At that point, about half the fleet made the change to their larger genoa headsail. On balance, those who stuck with Jib’s probably fared better during the next race and only by Race 4 had the wind moderated enough to make sailing with the J/24’s big Genoa really manageable.
With testing wind conditions, and a very competitive fleet, every place was fought for and as is so often the case in big fleets consistency was the key to success on day 1. After four races completed, and still no discard, the McCormack’s STOUCHE from Foynes Yacht Club managed to stay just ahead of Flor O'Driscoll's team in HARD ON PORT. Behind them, and still in the running to grab the National title, were the local team of JP Caldin on IL RICCIO and HEADCASE owned and sailed by the first graduates of the Howth YC J/24 “Under 25” development program.”
The Foynes YC U-25 Team had this to say:
“So glad to be out here in Enniskillen; what a fantastic venue to compete in. Our team’s first time racing here and it didn’t disappoint. While our results weren’t as good as we would have originally hoped, we had a great day on the water all the same. The PRO Derek Bothwell and his team set great courses that made for extremely competitive and nail-biting races for us all day long. We were met with testing conditions at the beginning of the day, which gradually eased. It took us a while to get the boat going but we dusted off the cobwebs and eventually got into the groove. We are happy to say our results improved as the day progressed. Hopefully, our performance will continue to improve tomorrow and the day after!”
Watch this great video of the Irish J/24 Nationals here:
https://youtu.be/H4zBk1kfr3Y
Squeals of Delight @ J/22 Great Lakes Championship
(East Tawas, MI)- The setting was perfect. The clear blue waters of Tawas Bay were left pretty much empty for the fleet of J/22’s to sail and play ball in beautiful sunshine, flat water and 10-15 knots of unpredictable shifty breeze!
Tawas Bay Yacht Club’s crack team of race professionals did an amazing job. That team included RC PRO Don Thwing, aided by William Coberly and Yohann Thwing. Mark Set 1- Rich Main & Ann Princing. Mark Set 2- Peter Veremis & Matt Haglund & Matt’s cousin. This group got off four great races in tough conditions. All of the sailors appreciate the hard work and the time commitment these fine people put forth in order for us to go sailing!
Racing was tight across the fleet and roundings were close. Said one skipper, “I personally have not experienced the amount of passing we saw this weekend, ever! The wind shifts were crazy and unpredictable. Rounding marks in first place meant nothing!”
In the end, a couple boats figured out how to finish the races better than the rest of the fleet.
Winning the event was an all-family affair- USA 454 SQUEALER. Mike Scott with his two sons Matt and Tim won the regatta. Congrats to the 2019 State of Michigan J/22 Champions who received a beautifully sand carved glass award from Award & Sports in Saginaw, Michigan! In a close second place, was Tom Barnes from the Charlevoix, Michigan fleet and his team sailing GREEN EGGS.
J/Crews Sweep Sandusky “Night Race Offshore”(Sandusky, OH)- Starting well within earshot of the excited screams from Cedar Point’s massive and colorful roller coasters, the race takes boats past sand shoals and the rock piles, into the open waters of Lake Erie. Crews navigate around an un-lit can at the north end of Kelly’s Island, then between the island and rocky shoals that can make the leg tricky if it’s to windward, down the west side of the island and back to the bay, once again avoiding the rock piles and the shifting sand shoals that border the channel (that seem to now look less familiar in the dark), to finish at the entrance of the Sandusky Sailing Club.
With just enough wind at the start to maneuver, the wind then mostly died, with small gusts appearing here and there, favoring, then punishing each boat in the now separating fleet until they slowly clawed their way to the open lake and more consistent wind. The nearly full moon rose, then became obscured off and on by clouds on a beautiful warm summer night, with the potential storms and rain never materializing and the wind holding out to allow a spirited beat to the finish.
The venerable J/29, Phil Dufresne’s QUADRIFOGLIO, captured first place correcting ahead of Bill and Judy Kellner’s J/92 JUMPSTART. Taking third place just two seconds behind was the J/34 IOR KNEE DEEP sailed by Brett Langolf and his family crew. The crew from QUADRIFOGLIO attributed their success to being able to fly the spinnaker on a somewhat close reach across the top of Kelly’s Island. Sailing at night can be magical, and the darkness adds an extra dimension to a distance race, especially on a J/Boat. Thanks for this contribution from Phil Dufresne.
Regatta & Show Schedules:
Aug 30- Sep 6- J/70 World Championship- Torquay, Devon, England
Aug 30- The Vineyard Race- Stamford, CT
Sep 4-8- J/105 North American Championship- Marblehead, MA
Sep 12-15- Rolex Big Boat Series- San Francisco, CA
Sep 13-15- German J/80 Championship- Glucksburg, Germany
Sep 13-15- Dutch J/22 Championship- Medemblik, The Netherlands
Sep 14-15- IRC Doublehanded Championship- Cowes, England
Sep 19-22- J/30 North American Championship- New Orleans, LA
Sep 22-29- J/70 North American Championship- Cleveland, OH
Sep 27-29- Canadian J/105 Championship- Toronto, ONT, Canada
Sep 28-29- J/Fest San Diego- San Diego, CA
Oct 11-13- China Coast Race Week- Hong Kong, China
Oct 11-12- J/80 Copa de Espana- Coruna, Spain
Oct 17-20- J/88 North American Championship- Rye, New York
Oct 18-20- J/105 Masters Regatta- San Diego, CA
Oct 19-26- J/24 World Championship- Coconut Grove, FL
Oct 19- Rolex Middle Sea Race- Gzira, Malta
Oct 25-27- J/24 East Coast Championship- Annapolis, MD
Oct 25-27- J/Fest Southwest- Lakewood, TX
Oct 25-27- J/105 Lipton Cup Regatta- San Diego, CA
Nov 1-4- French J/80 Championship- La Rochelle, France
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
J/70 World Championship Preview
(Torquay, Devon, England)- 79 Teams, 20 Nations, 5 Continents. On Monday September 2nd, racing will start at the Darwin Escapes 2019 J/70 World Championships, hosted by the Royal Torbay Yacht Club. This will be the sixth edition of the J/70 World Championship and the first to take place in the United Kingdom. Five days of windward-leeward racing are scheduled with up to 14 races in the stunning, yet tricky sailing grounds of Torbay.
American teams have reigned supreme at the J/70 Worlds, with skippers from the United States winning the open title on four occasions, and a largely USA crew winning with Mexican skipper Julian Neckelmann in 2015. Peter Duncan's RELATIVE OBSCURITY winner in 2017, and Joel Ronning's CATAPULT winner in 2016, will both be competing.
Italian teams have totally dominated the European Championship winning every year since 2014. Reigning J/70 European Champion, Claudia Rossi, and past European Champions from Italy (Alberto Rossi & Carlo Alberini), will all be competing. Can they overcome American dominance in the class? Time will tell…
British teams have never made the Open Division podium at the J/70 World Championship. Hoping to break that streak on home soil are two top contenders who showed their form in last week's J/70 UK National Championship, Open Division winner Paul Ward's EAT SLEEP J REPEAT and Corinthian Division winner King & Wilson's SOAK RACING. Doug Struth's Corinthian team racing DSP was British champion in 2018.
Spanish teams looking to win the Open Division for the first time include the 2018 J/70 Worlds Corinthian Champion, Luis Bugallo's MAR NATURA. Pichu Torcida's NOTICIA has a world-class crew with eight J/80 World Championship titles. On current form, is Spain’s Luis Albert's PATAKIN as one of the strong contenders.
J/70 teams from all over the world will be competing at the Darwin Escapes 2019 J/70 World Championships: Argentina, Australia, Bulgaria, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the USA.
The Darwin Escapes 2019 J/70 World Championships, hosted by the Royal Torbay Yacht Club, will have up to the minute coverage as the drama unfolds at Facebook here. For more Darwin Escapes 2019 J/70 Worlds sailing world information.
The Vineyard Race Preview(Stamford, CT)- Labor Day weekend's Vineyard Race is a classic American yachting event. The 238.0nm course stretches from Shippan Point through the swirling currents of Plum Gut past Block Island, and on to the light tower at the entrance to Buzzard's Bay. Once reached, sailors return by leaving Block Island to starboard en route to the finish in Stamford Harbor.
Begun in 1932, it has attracted the finest sailors and fastest boats for nearly 80 years, and its intricacies and challenges bring them back time after time. Those who are successful nearly always credit local knowledge of these tricky waters and a good deal of luck.
The Vineyard Race was described in Yachting Magazine as, "The greatest distance races of the world have several things in common - a challenging course, competitive fleets and an interesting array of famous yachts. By those standards, the Stamford Yacht Club's Vineyard Race rates close to the top. Like a miniature Fastnet, the Vineyard has a combination of coastal cruising, where currents play a big role, a stretch of ocean sailing, and a mark to round - the Buzzards Bay tower - before returning. Well over a dozen J/Teams will be participating in the classic Vineyard Race as well as the shorter “Seaflower Reef Race”.
Vineyard Race
Sailing the IRC 6 Doublehanded Class is Gardner Grant’s J/120 ALIBI and Mike Greene’s J/35 LOBLOLLY. In the PHRF 8 Class is American YC’s famous YOUNG AMERICAN J/105 team- a youth team comprised of mostly under-25 age kids. In PHRF 9 Class are three J/109s- Dan Nash’s MISTRAL, John Greifzu’s GROWTH SPURT, and Cao Deambrosio & Chris Nicholls’ RHIANNON III. Joining them is Jim Farrell’s J/35 SAPPHIRE. In PHRF 10 Class is Arthur Hanlon’s J/112E DAUNTLESS and two J/120s- Brian Spears’ MADISON and Rick Oricchio’s ROCKET SCIENCE. In IRC 11 Class are Don Dwyer’s J/122 BLUE YONDER and Len Sitar’s J/44 VAMP. Sailing in PHRF 12 Class are four J/111s- John Donovan’s LIBERTAS, US Merchant Marine Academy’s BLACK DIAMOND YCC, Bill & Jackie Baxter’s FIREBALL, and Abhijeet Lele’s VARUNA. Joining that ferociously fast and competitive quartet is Kevin Kelley’s J/122 SUMMER GRACE. Finally, in IRC 13 Class is Steve Levy’s J/121 EAGLE and in IRC 14 Class is Brian Prinz’s J/145 SPECTRE.
Seaflower Reef Race
Sailing in PHRF 4 Doublehanded Class is Greg Imbruce’s J/109 JOYRIDE. In the fully-crewed PHRF 5 Class are Frank Conway’s J/105 RAPTOR, Justin Scagnelli’s J/88 ALBONDIGS, and Todd Aven’s well-traveled J/92s THIN MAN. For complete Vineyard Race results For more Vineyard Race sailing information
J/105 North American Championship Preview
(Marblehead, MA)- The 2019 J/105 North American Championship will be sailed from September 5th to 8th off Marblehead, MA on the open waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. Hosting the event is Corinthian Yacht Club, along with title sponsor “The British Virgin Islands Tourist Board”.
The nineteen J/105 teams that are entered will also be happy to hear that VRSports.TV is providing photo and video coverage of all four days of racing. The UK-based film and editing crew has covered nearly every one-design event in the world and their founder and executive director- Simon Butterworth- will be joining his team to cover the event.
Many of the top teams come from afar. There are two teams from San Francisco (Bruce Stone & Nicole Breault’s GOOD TRADE and Tim Russell’s NE*NE); three teams from Texas (Bill Zartler’s DEJA VOODOO, Ken Horne’s FINAL FINAL, and Mark Masur’s TWO FEATHERS), one boat from Canada (Terry Michaelson’s THE USUAL SUSPECTS from Toronto), and the rest are from the northeastern seaboard of the USA. The top local boats include Mark Lindquist’s STERLING and Charlie Garrard’s MERLIN. For complete J/105 North American Championship results For more J/105 North American Championship sailing information
Rolex Big Boat Series Preview(San Francisco, CA)- The St Francis Yacht Club will be hosting their world-famous Rolex Big Boat Series from September 12th to 15th. The event is hosting one-design fleets of J/70s, J/88s, and J/105s. In addition, J/crews will be sailing in the ORR Handicap fleets.
As a qualifier for the 2020 J/70 World Championship in Long Beach, CA, the J/70 fleet of fifteen boats has most of the top West Coast teams participating. Some of those crews include Scott Sellers/ Geoff McDonald/ Harrison Turner’s 1FA, David Schumann’s BOTTLE ROCKET, Tracy & Christine Usher’s CHRISTINE ROBIN, John Brigden’s COOL STORY BRO, Mallory & Andrew Loe’s DIME, Chris Kostanecki’s JENNIFER, and Peter Cameron’s KANGAROO JOCKEY.
The six-boat J/88 class promises great competition in the Bay’s challenging conditions. Top teams include Gary Panariello’s COURAGEOUS and Steven Gordon’s INCONCEIVABLE.
The twenty-four boat J/105 class again promises some of the best racing on the Bay. Fresh off sailing the J/105 North American Championship in Marblehead, MA will be Bruce Stone & Nicole Breault’s ARBITRAGE and Tim Russell’s NE*NE. Top local teams that are always a factor on the leaderboard include Ryan Simmons’ BLACKHAWK, Rolf Kaiser’s DONKEY JACK, Phil Laby’s GODOT, Adam Spiegel’s JAM SESSION, Jeff Littfin’s MOJO, and Theresa Brandner’s WALLOPING SWEDE! Tough hombres, ALL of them! The question in this fleet is always, “who’s on first”? Who’s got the “mojo” to make it happen, put it all together on the Berkeley Circle morning windward/leewards, and the afternoon races that send the fleet home up the San Francisco waterfront to the famous downwind finish line off the St Francis YC RC deck!In the ORR B class, it is an amusing mix of “sportboats”. Two J/111s (Dick Swanson’s BAD DOG and Reuben Rocci’s SWIFT NESS) and Zach Anderson’s J/125 VELVET HAMMER will be taking on a mixed bag of M32s and an IC37.
The ORR C Class has three J/120s (Barry Lewis’ CHANCE, Steve Madeira’s MISTER MAGOO, & David Halliwill’s PEREGRINE) taking on another mixed bag of boats like a Swan 42, Sunfast 3600, and C&C 115.
For more Rolex Big Boat Series sailing information
Conanicut Round Island Race Preview
(Jamestown, RI)- It will be hard to top last year’s 100 boats lapping Conanicut Island once again this Labor Day Weekend. Maybe it was the perfect weather that brought out a quarter of all PHRF boats registered in Narragansett Bay, but the Race Organizers are looking to build upon that success once again this year.
"We want to provide an excellent opportunity for all sailors to capitalize on the last moments of summer," said ATI chairman Alan Baines. "Our goal is to couple a great regatta with a fantastic after-party to celebrate the season."
The 92nd Annual event will be held on Sunday, September 1st and take the competitors on an 21.0nm course around Conanicut Island followed by awards and dinner at Conanicut Yacht Club. The race begins at 1100 hrs just in front of the yacht club at the foot of the Newport Bridge on Narragansett Bay.
Speaking of the Newport Bridge, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the completion of the Pell Bridge, local artist Hillary Dutton, featured the Bridge as part of the regatta poster. These works of art have become collector items for the sailors and Jamestowners alike as Dutton has featured a different iconic landmark seen from the racecourse each year since her first design for the 84th CYC ATI nine years ago.
Depending on the wind speed, direction, and forecast, the Race Committee, led for the third year by Mark Grosby, will either run clockwise or counterclockwise. Shorter and longer courses are also available to accommodate bigger and smaller boats.
Over a dozen J/crews are participating in the fun, family-focused event. In PHRF A Class is Robert Iriye’s J/24 TENACIOUS. In PHRF B Class is Owen Harren’s J/40 EVENT HORIZON. The one-design PHRF C Class of J/22s includes Matt Dunbar’s DON’T TELL MOM, Peter Parsons’ CATCH, Jeff Westcott’s MACHBUSTER, Victor Oancea’s WHARF RAT, and Bill Fortenberry’s QUINN.
The PHRF D Class Spinnaker class includes Dan Borsutzky’s J/30 FLYING HIGH and three J/24s- Henry Lane’s FAST LANE, Mike Hill’s OBSTREPEROUS, and Paul Schmidle’s ALL IN.
The PHRF E Class Spinnaker class has two J/80s (Bill Snyder’s THE PARTY TREE and Victor Bell’s PHANTOM) and two J/30s (Chris Tate’s BLITZ & Dexter Hoag & Bill Porter’s ALTAIR).
The sportboat PHRF F Spinnaker class has two J/70s- Chris Murray’s LUCKY and Gordon Fletcher’s GIJIMA.
The sole J/crew in PHRF G Spinnaker class is Paul Grimes’ J/35 BREAKAWAY.
There is four-boat contingent of J/109s in PHRF H Class that includes Bill Kneller’s VENTO SOLARE, Brooke Mastrorio’s URSA, John Sahagian’s PICANTE, and Tom Sutton’s LEADING EDGE. Joining them are two J/105s (Charles Stoddard’s FALCON 2.0 and Matt Schmidt’s HARDTACK), plus Stu Johnstone’s J/99 AGENT 99, Dawn & Ben Hodgson’s J/100 GRIMACE, and EC Helme’s J/92S SPIRIT.
The high-test PHRF J Class includes Joe Brito’s J/121 INCOGNITO, Jack Gregg’s J/122 TARAHUMARA, and Mark Nannini’s J/120 SALACIA.
"The event is not just for sailors either," said Tor Holtan, CYC’s ATI media and marketing committee member. "We encourage friends, family, and the public to come out and watch these one hundred beautiful boats sail by iconic landmarks like Beavertail Lighthouse, Fort Wetherill, Fort Getty, and under the Jamestown and Newport Bridges."
Tickets for the after-party are also available to anyone who would like to join, but space is limited, so order your tickets early! As per the last few years, our sponsors, Berthon USA Yacht Sales and Latitude Yacht Brokerage, are providing free beer. For more Conanicut YC Round Island Race sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* Terry Hutchinson and AC 75 America’s Cup Updates. Yes, that is the same Terry that is a J/24 World Champion!Supporters of Sail Newport gathered for “Celebrate Community Sailing,” a fundraiser for the nonprofit organization. Sail Newport is a community partner of the Rhode Island-based America’s Cup entry NYYC (New York Yacht Club) American Magic, with sailors and representatives of the team attending the event on August 22, 2019.
The professional sailing team was there to encourage the several hundred guests to support Sail Newport’s public access programs philanthropically. “We’re here because of all of you who have supported us, volunteered for regattas, rented a sailboat or sent your children through our programs,” said Brad Read, executive director of Sail Newport.
“You are the reason we are doing so well,” Read said, crediting the Sail Newport supporters for the organization’s success. “We believe that sailing improves the quality of life for all ages and should be accessible to all ages.”
NYYC American Magic Executive Director Terry Hutchinson joined Read onstage and said, “Sail Newport is important to the future of the sport of sailing.” Hutchinson emphasized that opportunities for people to participate in sailing in the future will come from public sailing centers.
Families that don’t have a connection to the sport need access to sailing, and Sailing Newport is providing those opportunities to newcomers and to highly skilled sailors who want to pursue the sport for amateur competition and go on to pro sailing.
Hutchinson has strong ties to Newport as the leader of the Rhode Island-based team and an avid sailor who competed here for many years leading up to his pro career. He is a two-time College Sailor of the Year, a two-time Rolex Yachtsman of the Year and 16-time world champion. He sailed a J/24 and other one-design boats in Newport for many years, was J/24 Fleet #50 Champion a number of times, and also J/24 World Champion.
The event was a fundraiser for Sail Newport’s public access sailing programs. Read asked for donations to benefit people of all ages who want to participate in the sport. Sail Newport starts programs for children at age 5 and also offers programs for students as they progress in all skill levels.
Read noted that Sail Newport provides many programs for free, including the Pell Elementary 4th Grade Program, a sailing program for the East Bay Met School and other programs and sailing opportunities for area high schools, colleges, community groups and civic organizations.
Also, low-cost programs are available for adults through low-cost boat rentals, adult learn-to-sail programs, weeknight racing and a new program for seniors 65 years of age and older.
The NYYC American Magic team donated a unique visit of its compound for a private tour, ride on the team vessel during a training session on Narragansett Bay and the opportunity to meet sailors, designers and crew. The opportunity was auctioned off to raise funds for the Sail Newport programs.
The NYYC American Magic state-of-the-art 72-foot boat arrived in Rhode Island a little over a week ago and is due to debut on Narragansett Bay for training sessions soon.
The NYYC American Magic team plans to leave Rhode Island in late fall for its training compound in Pensacola, Florida. The team is then scheduled to travel Europe for the America’s Cup World Series in 2020, which culminates with a Christmas regatta. The 36th America’s Cup Challenger Series will take place in January and February of 2021, with the America’s Cup match following in March of that year.
“Sail Newport is very proud to bring sailing to an incredibly diverse population. Especially for people who have no other possible connection or access to the water,” Read said.
* More Kids Sailing in Sandusky, Ohio!
http://www.sanduskyregister.com/story/201908160026
Brett and Katie Langolf grew up on sailboats and see it as their responsibility to pass their passion to a younger generation.
They started with their own daughters, but are willing to take any youngster racing if they just show up at their boat, Knee Deep, which spends much of the summer in the Sandusky Sailing Club basin.
“Educating kids is my life,” said Katie Langolf, a literacy specialist at Cassington Elementary School in Bexley. “We’ve got an opportunity to teach everywhere and make an impact on kids’ lives. We firmly believe that the more positive adults kids have in their lives the better, and if we can be that positive adult in other children’ lives, so be it.”
“We take any kid who wants to go out racing,” said Brett Langolf, the vice president of client services for the marketing firm Sync Creative in Columbus. “We all learned to sail as kids and if the next generation of kids don’t learn from us, then the sport will basically die. That’s the attitude we have, so we load the kids up and go around the Great Lakes.”
Knee Deep is a J/34, a 34-foot keelboat used for racing and recreational sailing. They started with a J/24 and went to a J/30 before purchasing the Knee Deep as the family grew with the addition of Hadley, now 11, and Charlotte, now 9.
“Our kids have such enthusiasm for sailing that they’ve become advocates and bring along their friends,” Katie Langolf said. “Our 11-year-old brought two friends up this summer just to be on the water to sail and swim off the back.”
That has led to more kids coming along to sail.
“Some of our crew members who don’t have kids will bring along their nieces and nephews and neighbors,” Brett Langolf said. “In the last three years, we’ve probably put 25 kids on the boat who have never been on a boat or have never been racing or have never seen a spinnaker.”
The willingness to sail with kids also caught the attention of marine videographer Andrew Jowett, who filmed a video on the family and their willingness to welcome kids to sail with them.
https://youtu.be/iYBQfgNACMA
“He is paid to go on record-breaking boats, but he said he didn’t know any regular people in the sport and one of the guys on our crew told him he had some regular sailors for him,” Brett Langolf said with a chuckle. “He asked if he could do something with our family and now we’ve become very close. He’s gotten a lot of exposure over what he’s done and we’re very grateful because it’s like a digital scrapbook for our kids.”
Brett Langolf learned how to sail as a youngster in Port Huron, Mich., while Katie became a sailor with her parents, who hailed from the Detroit area. The two met while attending Michigan State University.
They continued to sail as best they could while living in Denver, but a job transfer back to Columbus about 13 years ago got the two looking for a place to dock their boat.
“I looked at Alum Creek in Columbus, but I grew up on the Great Lakes and I was not putting our boat into Alum Creek,” Brett Langolf said. “No offense to Alum Creek, but when you grow up in Port Huron, you’re not going to do something like that.”
Around the same time, a friend who sailed a J/24 out of the Sandusky Sailing Club was moving to the Detroit area and asked the Langolf’s for a recommendation on where to dock their boat.
“We asked them where we could put our J/34 and they highly recommended the Sandusky Sailing Club,” Katie Langolf said. “The following spring we left Columbus and went to Toledo and then came straight across and stopped in Sandusky for lunch and fell in love with the downtown. We loved that there were still hole-in-the-wall places and that it was not over-commercialized, and the accessibility to the islands.”
The Langolf’s, fresh off a third-place finish in their class at the Port Huron-to-Mackinaw race, are making plans for the Kelleys Island Moonlight race, which will be a first for their daughters and two junior sailors from the Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit.
“We used to put up posts for junior sailors if they wanted to sail. Our dock number is C23 and that we’d be there at 8 a.m.,” Brett Langolf said. “Honestly, not enough people take us up on it. We have a crew, so we’re not going out with seven 10-year-olds who don’t know what they’re doing. Our core crew interacts well with the kids. They try to pause and teach and try to help.”
“In a day and age with so much technology and distractions from the outside world at their fingertips, it takes a special setting to leave that all behind,” Katie Langolf said. “I definitely think the water and sailing is that special setting. This is what we do and it’s how Brett and I want to raise our family.”
J/Cruisers
J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers. Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained
in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.* The J/40 HERON REACH sailed by Virginia and Jerry participated in the Blue Planet Odyssey project from 2014 to 2015 over a seventeen month period.
Read their very well-done blog documenting their experience. In the Pacific basin, they traveled almost 15,000 miles from Bellingham to Tahiti and all points between. Check out what the cannibals great grandchildren thought of their ancestors, what it was like to trade for black pearls, the problem with the Great Garbage Patch, and how many days did it take to get through it, and much more! Learn more about their adventures and experiences on HERON REACH here.
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* The J/42 JARANA has sailed an epic voyage around the Pacific, the Atlantic, and now the Mediterranean. The crew consists of Bill and Kathy Cuffel, of Seattle, Washington. So far, their travels go way beyond Homer’s Odyssey! Their itinerary has included:
- 2009 - departed Seattle on a 3 year cruise of the South Pacific, sailing back from Hobart, Tasmania (Australia) in September 2012.
- The summer of 2014 they traveled north to Prince Rupert Island, crossed Hecate Strait to Haida Gwaii and had a glorious cruise down the west coast of Vancouver Island.
- 2015, after trucking the boat to Lake Ontario they traveled out the St Lawrence Seaway to the Canadian Maritime provinces and down the east coast of the USA, then out to the Bahamas.
- 2016 Winter they spent in the Bahamas, then crossing the Atlantic via Bermuda and the Azores to England and Europe.
- 2017 Winter they are in Lagos, Portugal, and in spring 2018 will be working their way into the western Med. Follow the Cuffel's and JARANA's adventures on their very well-documented blog here
* Bill and Judy Stellin, who sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years produced a series of entertaining reading in their blogs/journals- they can be found here.The earlier journals have been compiled into two self-published books that can be found at: http://www.blurb.com. Search for "SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing" by Bill Stellin or William Stellin." And, they were featured in Wall St Journal about how to "retire and enjoy life with adventure". Fun reading for those predisposed to the "ultimate escape-- sailing"!
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* John and Mary Driver sailed their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising from June 2010 to July 2013. John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal. Since then, they sailed from Portugal across the Mediterranean to Cyprus and explored the Turkish Coast. Read the latest news about SHAZAM's cruising adventures here.--------------
* Alan Fougere and family are back sailing their J/160 AVATAR. She will be in the Caribbean for winter 2018/ 2019, based at Proper Yachts in St John, US Virgin Islands.
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J/Boats News is a digest of worldwide events, regattas, and news for sailing enthusiasts and members of our J Community. Contributions regarding your racing, cruising or human interest stories on-board J's are welcome- please send to "editor@jboats.com". For you globe-trotting J cruisers, please keep us up-to-date with your travels- for examples to chronicle your adventures please see our J/ Community Cruising section below.
About J/Boats
Started in 1977, J/Boats continues to lead the world in designing fun-to-sail, easy-to-handle, performance sailboats that can be enjoyed by a broad spectrum of sailors. The International J/24 has become the most popular recreational offshore keelboat in the world with over 5,500 J/24s cruising the waves. The J/70 one-design speedster has become the world's fastest-growing sportsboat ever!
Today, there are 15,000+ J/Boats, ranging from the International J/22 to the J/65 and ranging in style from one-designs to racers, cruisers to daysailers and, of course, the ubiquitous J sprit boats- J/Boats' innovation in 1992 for easy-to-use asymmetric spinnakers and retractable carbon bowsprits.
J/Boats has the best track record in sailing for innovation and designs as evidenced by: 20 Boat-of-the-Year Awards; the SAIL Award for Industry Leadership; two American Sailboat Hall of Fame Designs; and five ISAF International One-Design keelboat classes (J/22, J/24, J/70, J/80 and J/111).
Counting crew, every year there are over 100,000 friends to meet sailing J's, populating the most beautiful sailing harbors and sailing the waters of 35+ countries around the world. Sailing is all about friends. Come join us and expand your social network everywhere! For more information on J/Boats.
Read Kimball Livingston's SAIL update on the J/Boats story- A Band of Brothers Add to Flipboard Magazine.
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