J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
The big news for the sailing world this week has been the epic battles that have been taking place on Torbay in the southwest coastline of the United Kingdom. A fleet of seventy-nine teams have been battling all week long, starting on Monday, racing hosted by Royal Torbay YC in Torquay, England. Racing concludes on Friday, and with two more races in big breezes with shifty winds, it will be difficult for current leaders to stay atop the podium. Currently leading is Paul Ward (GBR) EAT SLEEP J REPEAT, followed by Pichu Torcida (ESP) racing NOTICA. Also, with a great chance of winning the title are Alberto Rossi (ITA) ENFANT TERRIBLE, Joel Ronning (USA) CATAPULT, and Claudia Rossi (ITA) PETITE TERRIBLE.In the previous weekend of sailing, a dozen women’s teams from across the Alpine nation of Switzerland, hosted their annual J/70 Swiss Women’s Cup on Lake Zurich, with racing taking place just south of the very picturesque Zurich city waterfront.
Over in the Americas, the J/105 North American Championship is currently taking place in Marblehead, MA for a modest fleet of eighteen boats from the USA and Canada. Currently leading is Bruce Stone & Nicole Breault’s GOOD TRADE. Then, south of them this past weekend, the famous Conanicut YC 21.0nm Round the Island Race was hosted in challenging, changing breezes. Leading three of the classes in the tough, tricky winds were a J/121, J/99 and J/35. Meanwhile down in Long Island Sound, the Stamford YC hosted their annual Labor Day weekend tradition, the Vineyard Race- a 238.0nm race from Stamford, out around Block Island to starboard, and back to the finish line in Stamford, CT. A number of J/Teams lead sweeps in 6 of 9 divisions they raced in
J/70 World Championship Update
(Torquay, Devon, England)- 79 Teams, 20 Nations, 5 Continents. On Monday September 2nd, racing started 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.
J/70 teams from all over the world are 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 United States of America. So far, the racing has been extremely challenging, tricky, and have tested the skills of the world’s best J/70 sailors. Here are the reports from the first four days.
Day One- Shifty, Puffy, & Streaky Offshore winds
The Worlds kicked off on Monday with three races in Torbay. Big wind shifts and changes in wind speed tested the 78 teams competing as well as the Race Management team led by Stuart Childerley. In the Open Class, Joel Ronning (USA) racing Catapult, leads the championship after three races. Second is Claudia Rossi (ITA) racing Petite Terrible, which recovered from a 28th place in Race 1 to post two podium finishes. Andrey Malygin (RUS) racing Maria, is third. In the Corinthian Class Patrick Liardet (GBR) racing Cosmic leads by just one point from Doug Struth (GBR) racing DSP. Wilson & King (IRL) racing Soak Racing completes a trio of British boats leading the championship for the Corinthian title. There were race wins today for Pichu Torcida (ESP) racing Noticia, Reg Lord (AUS) racing Juno, and Nelson Mettraux (SUI) racing CER Aprotec - Ville de Genève.
Joel Ronning (USA) CATAPULT
“It was a very anxious series of races and we had a lot of fun. It was very shifty, very puffy and you have to find a lane, which was incredibly important downwind because if you didn't find a vein of breeze or gybed the wrong way you were a loser. Consistency is going to be very important, we have a bet on the boat in terms of the average score for the winner, my number is 9, and we are all about that range. This is a very tricky venue, and we expect variable results but we are prepared for that, we know we will bring in some real shockers but we are looking forward to tomorrow, this is a lot of fun.”
Patrick Liardet (GBR) COSMIC
“We had a great day, the conditions were fantastic for us, 9-14 knots is a good for us, and we have practiced a lot in that range. It was very exciting to be out there with 78 boats on the line racing amongst some of the top keelboat teams from all over the world. The worlds is really testing and competitive, and we were really on the pace today, the team on board performed well, and we enjoyed it.”
Pichu Torcida (ESP) NOTICIA
"The first race was fantastic we went for the left and winning the race made us feel very happy. The rest of the races proved more difficult, in the second race, we went right and the left won, and in the last race, we were going well downwind for the finish but a very big shift caught us out. This championship is very long, so to finish the first day in fourth is okay. The Noticia team are good friends, we all do a very good job. Torquay is a tricky place to sail but we enjoy being here and tomorrow we will try to do our best.”
Murray Jones (AUS) JUNO
“The start line was really packed with everyone pushing the line really hard. Getting a bullet at the worlds was a good feeling. We were about 25th on the water up the first beat but we managed to slowly chip away, had a good second downwind to slide into the lead at the end and it felt good. Last race of the day, we managed to find a pretty clean end of the line but it was the wrong end and we got buried. We don't get many big fleets in Australia, here there is much more boat on boat action, which puts on the pressure.
Day Two- Brilliant & Breezy
The breeze for Day Two started with a stable 10 knots from the southwest, but backed south after the first race building to a 18 knots, with brilliant sunshine providing spectacular condition for the international fleet. With the wind direction and speed fluctuating, today's results were far from stable.
After six races there are new leaders for both the Open and Corinthian classes. Alberto Rossi (ITA) racing Enfant Terrible, acknowledged as one of the best in Europe if not the world, moves up to pole position for the Open Class, after posting 1-16-2 today. Joel Ronning (USA) racing Catapult, drops to second, three points behind the leader. Boat of the day was Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat raced by Paul Ward (GBR) propelling the team to third just a point off second. Pichu Torcida (ESP) racing Noticia is only one point off the podium. In the Corinthian Class, Doug Struth (GBR) racing DSP, is the new leader. Wilson & King's Soak Racing (IRL) discarded a Black Flag infringement in Race 5, to place second for the amateur status class, as did Denis Cherevatenko (RUS) racing Joyfull. All results are provisional pending protest decisions. There were race wins today for Alberto Rossi (ITA) Enfant Terrible, Andrey Malygin (RUS) Maria, and Peter Duncan (USA) Relative Obscurity.
Henry Brauer USA RASCAL- Past President J/70 International Class and Vice Commodore Eastern YC- host of the 2018 J/70 Worlds, commented: “The folks at the Royal Torbay YC, led by Bob Penfold, are doing a great job, this us a tough regatta to organize with a lot of volunteers and a lot of moving parts, and it has been seamless, and they are doing a fantastic job. On Rascal, we are getting it together, a bit better every day. The competition is world class and the sailing conditions are challenging, you have to keep your head out of the boat and keep on your toes. The last race today was the stand out, things didn't work out upwind and we rounded the top mark pretty deep, but our tactician Brian Kamilar called for a quick gybe, and we got a great puff and moved up into the top ten, so it paid off in spades. Tomorrow the weather man says we will have more breeze, but Torquay seems to have its own micro-climate with its spectacular topography of climbing cliffs, I think Torquay does what Torquay wants to do!”
Doug Struth GBR DSP- 2018 J/70 UK National Champions for both the Corinthian and Open Classes.
“So far it has ben very good but we have had tricky sailing conditions, unlike the conditions we normally get in the Solent. Everyone is having the same issues with the shifty wind and awkward chop but for us so far so good. The team has been together for nearly a year and a half, it has always been the worlds that we have been building towards, and we have been refining our roles. As with all teams, we have our moments but it is all beginning to click together. I think we are better than last year, and we are pretty happy with our results so far.”
Day Three- Big Wednesday
20 knots of breeze piping in from the north created full-on battle conditions for the 20-nation fleet on Day Three of the Darwin Escapes 2019 J/70 World Championships. For the third consecutive day, the Open and Corinthian leaders have changed, with teams from nine nations occupying the top ten places. There were thrills and spills as the wind speed reached close to the top end of the wind speed for the class but with flat warm water, it was a day to remember for the J/70 fleet.
In the Open Class, Paul Ward’s EAT SLEEP J REPEAT scored a 1-4-15 to take the overall lead. Pichu Torcida (ESP) racing Noticia has climbed to second after scoring a 5-17-6. Joel Ronning (USA) racing Catapult, drops to third after scoring 14-14-10. Yesterday's leader Alberto Rossi (ITA) racing Enfant Terrible, started the day well posting 9-8 but a 28 in the last race after broaching out drops Enfant Terrible to fourth.
In the Corinthian Class, King & Wilson Soak Racing (IRL) is the new leader after posting 2-34-9 today. Doug Struth (GBR) racing DSP drops to second place. Denis Cherevatenko (RUS) racing Joyfull retains third but is under pressure from a top performance today by Charles Thompson (GBR) racing Brutus. There were race wins today for Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat, Henry Brauer (USA) Rascal, and Carlo Alberini (ITA) Calvi Network.
Paul Ward GBR EAT SLEEP J REPEART
“The conditions today were exactly like we expected for Tor Bay – shifty, difficult to sail, and hard to find the right way to go. We managed okay and had an absolute blast out there. Leading the championship is terrifying, there are some really good sailors and we have a long way to go, and we will see how it all rolls tomorrow.”
Ian Wilson (GBR) SOAK RACING
“It is really difficult to track the boats in the Corinthian fleet because we are all out on one race course and we are racing against the pros and we can give them a really good run for their money but we do keep an eye out for our mates from Hamble, DSP, if we are in front of them, we know we are doing well. It was brilliant today, blowing 20 knots, wind all over the place, a great day out with boats planing all over the place - just great fun. We are hoping for more of the same tomorrow, big breeze and great racing in Tor Bay.”
Carlo Alberini (ITA) CALVI NETWORK
“We are very happy to be in Torquay but today we had a black cloud with the first race when we were just one second over the line before the start, and we were disqualified. We won the last race in the sunshine, so we were so happy. Today those conditions were good for us, we specialize in strong wind, and I hope we will do better over the last five races.
Day Four- More Breeze, More Shifts
The penultimate day was blessed with beautiful conditions in Tor Bay. With the breeze coming from the land once again, shifts and puffs of breeze made for tricky conditions with snakes and ladders right across the race course. Three windward leeward races were held in a shifting northerly breeze oscillating 45 degrees, the mean wind speed was about 12 knots with occasional 20-knot gusts.
In the Open Class, Paul Ward (GBR) EAT SLEEP J REPEAT retains the lead having scored a 6-8-30 today. However, Pichu Torcida (ESP) racing NOTICA has shortened their odds on winning the worlds posting an 11-9-11, finishing the day just four points off the lead. Realistically these two teams will battle for the Open World Championship in a double-header of racing tomorrow. Still in with a chance of winning the title are Alberto Rossi (ITA) ENFANT TERRIBLE, Joel Ronning (USA) CATAPULT, and Claudia Rossi (ITA) PETITE TERRIBLE.
In the Corinthian Class, Doug Struth (GBR) racing DSP has regained the lead but only just, Denis Cherevatenko (RUS) racing JOYFUL had a great day on the water and move up to second just 4 points off the lead. Yesterday's leader King & Wilson SOAK RACING (IRL) drop to third after three mid-fleet finishes. There were race wins today for Reg Lord (AUS) racing JUNO, ENFANT TERRIBLE, and Luis Bugallo (ESP) MAR NATURA.
Luis Bugallo (ESP) MAR NATURA
“Today the conditions were a bit easier, especially as there was less chop but it was still difficult to work out which way to go. This is a difficult place to sail but it is the same for everybody. We are looking forward to the last day of the regatta, we have a lot of teams in front of us but we are a young team looking to improve, and just like every day, tomorrow there will be lessons that we can learn.”
Tom Grimes (AUS) JUNO
“Today the shifts were shorter and more manageable and we had a much more enjoyable day. We just have to keep it together and avoid any big mistakes. It is a really big thing for us to come and race here, as we only have a few J/70s in Sydney Harbour, so to shake it up with this big competitive fleet is a lot of fun. Tor Bay is a lot like racing on Lake Macquarie where a lot of the crew grew up sailing.”
Ludovico Fassitelli (MON) JUNDA-BANCE DEL SEMPIONE
"We scored two podiums today so that was really good, Tor Bay is a big surprise for us, we were expecting big ocean waves but this is like sailing on a beautiful lake with very strong winds! We are in sixth position and tomorrow we want to stay in there and maybe get up the leaderboard. To race in this beautiful place with 80 boats is great, and we expect to have all of these boats in Monaco 2021 for the J/70 World Championship."
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
J/Teams Dominate Vineyard Race
(Stamford, CT)- The 2019 edition of the Vineyard Race was a relatively fast race, with many J/crews covering the track in over a 6.6 kts average. 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. The shorter Seaflower Reef Race is run entirely within Long Island Sound.
Vineyard Race
Leading the sweep of the top two spots in IRC 6 Doublehanded Class was Gardner Grant’s J/120 ALIBI and Mike Greene’s J/35 LOBLOLLY took the silver!
The PHRF 9 Class was swept by three J/109s- John Greifzu’s GROWTH SPURT was 1st, Dan Nash’s MISTRAL took 2nd, and Cao Deambrosio & Chris Nicholls’ RHIANNON III placed 3rd. Jim Farrell’s J/35 SAPPHIRE ended up sixth. Brian Spears’ J/120 MADISON won PHRF 10 Class, while Rick Oricchio’s J/120 ROCKET SCIENCE took the bronze.
In IRC 11 Class, Len Sitar’s J/44 VAMP took the silver, while Don Dwyer’s J/122 BLUE YONDER finished fourth. Two J/111s swept the top two spots in PHRF 12 Class. Winning was Bill & Jackie Baxter’s FIREBALL, with John Donovan’s LIBERTAS taking the silver. Finally, in IRC 13 Class, Steve Levy’s J/121 EAGLE placed fifth.
Seaflower Reef Race
Winning the PHRF 4 Doublehanded Class was Greg Imbruce’s J/109 JOYRIDE! Then, in the fully-crewed PHRF 5 Class, Justin Scagnelli’s J/88 ALBONDIGAS led a sweep of the podium by J/Crews. Second was Frank Conway’s J/105 RAPTOR and third place went to Todd Aven’s J/92 THIN MAN. For complete Vineyard Race results For more Vineyard Race sailing information
J/105 North American Championship Update
(Marblehead, MA)- The 2019 J/105 North American Championship started on September 5th 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 eighteen teams from across the USA and Canada enjoyed spectacular early fall sailing conditions, with winds starting clear, cool from the Northeast, and saw winds shifting into the Southeast by late afternoon. The Corinthian YC PRO managed the conditions well, getting off three races in a breeze that persistently shifted right all day, as forecasted.
Leading the regatta after the first day is Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault’s GOOD TRADE from San Francisco, CA with a 2-2-1 record for 5 pts, in a no-throw out up to 12 race series. Second is Ken Horne’s FINAL FINAL crew from Houston, TX with a 3-1-6 tally for 10 pts. Third is hometown local hero Charlie Garrard’s MERLIN with a 6-4-3 scoreline for 13 pts. Rounding out the top five are Tim Russell’s NE*NE crew from San Francisco, CA with a 8-3-4 scoreline for 15 pts and Terry Michaelson’s Canadian team on THE USUAL SUSPECTS with a 1-8-8 score for 17 pts.
In the first race, Terry Michaelson’s THE USUAL SUSPECTS banged the left corner hard on the first leg to lead the race at the first mark, followed by Stone/Breault’s GOOD TRADE. Those two boats finished in that order, followed by Horne’s FINAL FINAL. In the second race, a similar scenario played out, with Stone/Breault’s GOOD TRADE leading around the first leeward gate, but with Horne’s FINAL FINAL splitting from the fleet all alone into the deep left corner and rounding the second weather mark in first, holding on for the lead at the finish; GOOD TRADE second again, and Russell’s NE*NE passing two boats on the final run to take third place. In the final race, GOOD TRADE took off from the port end of the line, tacked and crossed the feet, and led around the first mark, the first boat to lead from wire-to-wire in the racing on Thursday. Second was Steven Goldberg’s AIR EXPRESS and third was Garrard’s MERLIN.
Good racing is expected on Friday prior to Hurricane Dorian upsetting things a wee bit on Saturday (possibly no racing). And, there should be great racing on Sunday post-hurricane Dorian. For complete J/105 North American Championship results For more J/105 North American Championship sailing information
J/121 & J/99 Class Winners @ Conanicut Round Island Race
(Jamestown, RI)- Sunday dawned with partly cloudy skies and a gentle northerly breeze wafting down Narragansett Bay. The forecast was for the gradient winds to swing into the east/ southeast by late afternoon and only build into the 5 to 9 kts range. The course selected was “X”, a counter-clockwise race starting north through the Newport Bridge, leaving all marks to port. After the first four classes started at 1100 hrs, the Conanicut Yacht Club PRO wisely decided to postpone all following starts for over an hour. The northerly winds had died and the powerful ebb tide of 1.5 kts was pushing the first four classes backwards across the starting line! Soon, the forecasted southeaster seabreeze slowly filled in and the rest of the fleet was sent off on their 21.0nm circumnavigation of Conanicut Island (Jamestown).
It turned out to be a “big boat” race on an overall basis, as the big, tall rigs were powering the 50-plus footers down the eastern passage to the finish line in the fickle southeast breeze. The smaller boats had to deal with variable winds from the Beavertail Point bell buoy, down past Clingstone bell, to the finish.
Nearly 100 boats sailed the race. Winning the PHRF H Division was Stu Johnstone’s J/99 AGENT 99 with his “Big Chill” crew of 60-somethings; many were members of past J/24 World Championship and J/24 North American Championship campaigns three decades ago. Third in their class was EC Helme’s J/92 SPIRIT, fourth was Matt Schmitt’s J/105 HARDTACK, fifth was Tom Sutton’s J/109 LEADING EDGE, sixth was Bill Kneller’s J/109 VENTO SOLARE, and seventh was John Sahagian’s J/109 PICANTE.
In the one-design PHRF C Class of J/22s, winning was Bill Fortenberry’s QUINN, followed by Jeff Westcott’s MACHBUSTER in second place, and Peter Parsons’ CATCH in third position. Rounding out the top five were Matt Dunbar’s DON’T TELL MOM and Victor Oancea’s WHARF RAT, in 4th and 5th, respectively.
J/24s dominated the PHRF D Class Spinnaker class. Winning was Henry Lane’s FAST LANE, followed by Mike Hill’s OBSTREPEROUS in third.
Winning the closely fought PHRF G Spinnaker class was Paul Grimes’ J/35 BREAKAWAY; his team are multiple Round Island Race class winners.
Finally, winning the high-test PHRF J Class was Joe Brito’s J/121 INCOGNITO. Not too far behind them in fourth place was Jack Gregg’s J/122 TARAHUMARA, and Mark Nannini’s J/120 SALACIA placed eighth. For more Conanicut YC Round Island Race sailing information
Zurich Segelclub Top Swiss J/70 Women’s Cup
(Zurich, Switzerland)- The 2019 edition of the Swiss Sailing Women’s Cup enjoyed two glorious days of sailing, with a south wind in the 5 to 10 kts range. It was a great atmosphere on the lake for the fifteen teams from all four corners of Switzerland. In total, twenty races were sailed.
Saturday started windless. Towards midday, an initial breeze blew across Lake Zurich and the wait came to an end. But, after just an hour of sailing, the heat dominated again, and another postponement kicked in; an opportunity for more swimming and chilling in the lake. Late in the day, a beautiful south wind with 5-9 kts enabled Race Director Rolf Frey to fire off a few more races to complete the day.
On Sunday, the south wind welcomed the sailors, and after some passing rain dampened the euphoria, the south wind was back, the sun was starting to show, and like the proverbial Swiss watch, races were run in perfect precision.
The sailors offered thrilling sailing, and the fight for victory between YC Horgen and the Zurich Sailing Club (ZSC) remained exciting to the end. The ZSC team with Amrei Keller, Theresa Lagler, Zoé Straub, Annika Pellegrini won the duel- almost a match race- against YC Horgen with the Top Match Race sailor Alexa Bezel at the wheel
The third podium place was hotly contested between the CV Lausanne and the sailors of the SV Thalwil. Lausanne took the third podium place tied, but took the bronze based on their victory in the last race.
Even though the winning teams clearly dominated on points- the two winners scored only victories and second places- the course was very close and exciting. Between victory and defeat were often only a few boat lengths. For this great and fair sailing, we congratulate all participants!
The Women's Cup was also a successful party on land. The paella on Saturday night was just as "WoW" as the wind on the water. Wonderful what the kitchen crew and the members of host ZSC served up, from the aperitif to the dessert.
It’s gratifying to see that more and more women are actively involved in taking the helm into their own hands. The success of this event shows that women's sailing is on the rise. The initiative "WoW - Women on Water" is intended to motivate new teams as well as organizers to enter the women's sailing. We look forward to more WoW events and the Swiss Sailing Women's Cup 2020. Sailing Photo Credits- Felix King For more Swiss J/70 Women’s Cup sailing information
Regatta & Show Schedules:
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.
German J/80 Championship Preview
(Glucksburg, Germany)- The Flensburger Fordewoche is playing host to the 2019 German J/80 Open Championship, hosting is Flensburger Segelclub. The eleven-boat fleet includes most of the top boats from across Germany.
Certain to be the top contender on the leaderboard is Martin Menzner’s PIKE, a previous German J/80 Champion. Giving them a “run for the roses” should be Torsten Voss’ FRIDA, Arne Wilcken’s DIVA, Hauke Thilow’s POLLUX, and Inken Braunschmidt’s JOY TOY. For more German J/80 Championship sailing information
Dutch J/22 Championship Preview(Medemblik, The Netherlands)- The 17th edition of the Open Dutch Sailing Championships, hosted off Medemblik, The Netherlands, will see an enormous flotilla of dinghies (29ers, 49ers, Contenders, Finns, F18s, Lasers) and keelboats such as the J/22, Star, and Yngling.
The event also marks the Open Dutch J/22 Championship for 2019. The lone German team is Thomas Loesch’s GER 1640 with crew of Emmanuoela Filippidi and Lenskaya Ektaerina. The top Netherlands crews include Suzanne van Iterson’s NED 1223 with crew of Anne Rietveld and Frans Dijcksmeester; Dirk Naj Verdoorn’s NED 1295 with crew of Anneloes Krikhaar, Rosemary & Liselotte Verdoorn; and Merlin Rutten’s NED 1500 with crew of Alexandra Siebels, Floor de Boer, and Janine de Groot. For more Dutch J/22 Championship sailing information
IRC Doublehanded Championship Preview(Cowes, England)- The RORC’s IRC Doublehanded Offshore Championship is comprised of two components. The Offshore event is this coming weekend’s Cherbourg Race, an 80.0nm dash across the English Channel (La Manche) from Cowes nearly due south to Cherbourg, France. The second event is next weekend’s two days of around-the-buoys racing on the classic Solent random-leg courses off Cowes, Isle of Wight.
Participating in the IRC Doublehanded event at two J/109s (Chris Preston’s JUBLIEE and Mike Yates JAGO), Jerry Freeman’s J/105 JUILETTE, and Chris Miles & Mike Sellers’ J/97 HIGH JINKS. This quartet of boats will be up against all the top doublehanded teams from the 2019 RORC summer sailing season. For more RORC IRC Doublehanded Championship sailing information
US Sailing’s Mallory Trophy Preview
(Marion, MA) – Regional Sailing Associations (RSA) from around the United States will be well represented this week by a talented group of sailors competing for the historic 2019 U.S. Adult Sailing Championship, hosted by the Beverly Yacht Club.
Thirteen teams will be fleet racing for the Mallory Trophy in the J/80 over four days on Buzzards Bay. Competition for this legendary trophy gets underway on Thursday, September 5 and wraps up on Sunday, September 8, 2019.
Returning to defend the 2018 title is Michael Hanson (Deephaven, Minn.) of the Minnetonka Yacht Club and his team representing the Inland Lake Yachting Association and Area K. Hanson and his team dominated the regatta, hosted by the Wayzata Yacht Club (Minn.) and raced in the J/22, posting the low score of 53 points to win the coveted Mallory Trophy.
They won six races and finished outside of the top three only three times in 20 races for an incredibly low average score of 2.7. His 16-point margin of victory is the largest since a 21-point victory in 2011. Hanson and crew won the first four races and never looked back.
Returning to crew for Hanson from the 2018 team is Mark Swift (St. Paul, Minn.), along with newcomers Maclean Potts (Hopkins, Minn.) and Judson Koehn (Minnetonka, Minn.).
Hanson is not the only returning champion competing this week. Charles Quigley (Winthrop, Mass.) of the Boston Yacht Club won this title in 2002 and 17 years later, he hopes to capture a second Mallory Trophy.
Quigley and his team representing the Mass Bay Sailing Association and Area A includes David Bryan (Boston, Mass), who won with Quigley in 2002, Kay VanValkenberg (Boston, Mass.), and William Colehower (Marblehead, Mass.). Johns is representing the Southern Massachusetts Sailing Association, Area A, and is a member of the Beverly Yacht Club.
Another local standout sailor will be on hand to challenge Hanson and the rest of the fleet. The 2018 J/80 North American Champion, Chip Johns (Mattapoisett, Mass.), will be a major contender for this year’s Championship. Johns will be sailing with Alex Gryska (Marion, Mass.), William Godfrey (New York, N.Y.), and William Marvel (Marion, Mass.). Gryska and Marvel sailed with Johns as part of the winning J/80 North American Championship team.
This Championship will be sailed using league racing, a fast and competitive format, featuring two flights with teams rotating every two races. Each team will race an equal number of races against the others. Races are approximately 15 minutes in duration. The host club ensures quick rotations and on-the-water judging, in addition to an improved viewing experience for spectators.
“We will be tested in conditions that we don’t regularly sail in,” said Hanson. “The J/80 is a new platform for us, with very few of them around the Twin Cities area. We managed to find one to practice on over the past few weeks, so we will be coming into the event as prepared as possible.
“One thing we like about the event format is the small courses and the fast-paced nature of the racing. It is a format I’m used to from both college sailing and match racing, so we look forward to bringing the smackdown on our competitors when things get tight.”
To drive more participation in the event and to improve diversity overall for the Championship there are several requirements per boat. Sailors under 30 make up 25% of the team and female sailors make up at least 25% of the team. A bonus is provided if a female is a helm.
The Mallory Trophy, a magnificent sterling silver tureen trophy, has a long and colorful history that dates to the Battle of the Nile in 1798. Racing for the Mallory Trophy was first held in 1952 as the U.S. Men’s Sailing Championship and transitioned to an open event in 1993.
Since then, it has become a more open and inclusive regatta, allowing female skippers and all-female crews. In reflection, the regatta was renamed the U.S. Adult Sailing Championship in 2013.
“It’s great to see so much enthusiasm here at the Beverly Yacht Club in anticipation of hosting this historic regatta,” said Jack Gierhart, CEO of US Sailing and Commodore of the Beverly Yacht Club.
“The Beverly Yacht Club has a longstanding tradition of hosting major national and international regattas, including many US Sailing National Championships and Olympic Trials, and the club will add to its legacy by hosting its second U.S. Adult Sailing Championships this week on Buzzards Bay. I know the club is excited to welcome these talented sailors to this spectacular sailing venue.”
US Sailing medals will be awarded to the top three teams. The first place team will be presented the Clifford D. Mallory Trophy. The Staton J.Peele, Jr.Trophy voted upon by the sailors may be awarded for sportsmanship. For more US Adult Sailing Championship information
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* Royal Canadian team driven for NYYC Invitational Cup
With two victories and a second place under his belt, no one knows better how to succeed in the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup than Terry McLaughlin, helmsman for the Royal Canadian Yacht Club entry in the sixth edition of this premiere Corinthian championship. Terry is also a three-time J/105 North American Championship winner over the past few years.
But, anyone looking to extract a shortcut to victory from all that experience will be disappointed. “What do we need to do well to succeed?” he says. “Pretty much everything from getting off the line in good shape, keeping the boat going well in all conditions and gelling on crew work at the corners. Sorting out the communications will be very important for us.”
In other words, you need to put together a group of good sailors, make good decisions and work well as a team. If only it was as simple in practice as it is in theory.
Led by McLaughlin, an Olympic and Pan Am Games silver medalist and former America’s Cup skipper, the Royal Canadian Yacht Club was as close to a dynasty as the Invitational Cup has seen in the first five editions. The team from Toronto finished second to the host New York Yacht Club in the inaugural event in 2009 and then won back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2013.
“It’s good to be back at the Invitational,” says McLaughlin (at right, sailing with the RCYC team in 2015). “We missed 2017, but speaking for myself, the new boats sort of intrigued me. We wouldn’t be attending this year if it was not for the support of many members who have contributed to our effort. Like in past years, we will have a good group of RCYC members in Newport for the regatta.”
As the event has evolved, so too have the methods used by yacht clubs to select their representatives. For 2019, the RCYC opened up the selection process to all members knowing that the in-house competition would only make for a stronger team.
“This is the first year that we had a selection trials at RCYC,” says McLaughlin. “There were five teams in the event in early May that was sailed in Sonars. John Millen, Andrew McTavish and I were fortunate to come out on top. Along with John and Andrew, our team includes some veterans who have sailed with me for, dare I say, decades, as well as four younger members who I have not sailed with that much.”
McLaughlin and his teammates, including tactician Lance Fraser, did what they could to get some insight into the new IC37. But like many teams, they will aim to climb the learning curve quickly during the upcoming practice days.
“I was able to gain some sailing time in June and July on an IC37, though not as a helmsman,” he says. “I did learn that they are very different from the Swan 42. The biggest difference is downwind where they get up and go. I don’t recall as many crew members running to the back of the boat in the Swans when the puff came in. I think the competition should be just as tough as in previous years, but a little more hairy downwind.”
While much of McLaughlin’s success of late has come in displacement keelboats such as Swan 42s, J/24s, J/105s, and 12 Metres, his first major international victories were in planing dinghies such as the Flying Dutchman. Should things get a little “hairy”, as he says, during the course of the 2019 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, he’ll be right at home.
The Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup is a biennial regatta hosted by the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court in Newport, R.I. Twenty teams from 14 countries and five continents will compete in the 2019 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, which will be held at the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court, September 7 to 14.
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