J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
Things were getting busy and competition was hotting up last week in the European theater for J/Sailors. The ever-popular Hamble Winter Series started for enthusiastic J/Crews, hosted by the Hamble River Sailing Club. There was amazing racing with an unexpected windy, sunny Sunday for the one-design fleet of J/70s and IRC handicap for a J/92, J/97E, J/109, J/112E, J/111s, and J/122E. Off to the east, the Dutch J/70 Sailing League concluded their season series with the finale taking place in Muiden, The Netherlands for eighteen teams from across their country. The Swiss J/70 Sailing League also had their finale in Neuchatel, Switzerland for their eighteen teams in their Super League. Then, the 6th stage of the Italian J/24 National Championship series was the Italy J/24 Cup, sailed off Mandello del Lario, Italy.Over in the Americas, the J/80 North Americans was held in Winnipesaukee, NH for a fun-loving fleet of teams from across the northeastern seaboard, hosted by the Winnipesaukee Sailing Club. Just south of them, the American Yacht Club Fall Series concluded after 11 to 12 races for one-design classes of J/70s, J/88s, J/105s, J/109s, J/44s, and PHRF handicap racing for a J/111, J/112E, and J/100. Out west, the USA J/22 Match Racing Championship took place in San Francisco, CA, hosted by the eponymous St. Francis Yacht Club.
Sail a J/70 in Florida this Winter!
(Newport, RI)- There is nothing like escaping the winter freeze for some fun, competitive one-design racing in the warm waters of Florida. Even better when there’s a choice of events and venues to choose from. The J/70 class has it covered- from the Davis Island Winter Series on Tampa Bay to the Miami Bacardi Winter Series on Biscayne Bay, the J/70 Midwinters in Miami, and Charleston Race Week.
Discover why the J/70 is called the sportboat with stability- a blast to sail upwind and downwind, and one of the few modern designs that can be sailed by three-generations competitively- from 7 to 70!
There has never been a better time to buy a J/70- the 2020 J/70 Fall Package Special is available until October 15th, 2019 and includes:
- 2020 Model J/70 with standard equipment
- Selden carbon mast and boom
- Harken Snubbair low-profile winches
- Cross-sheet jib cleats and vang cheek blocks
- Galvanized, single-axle, float off/lift off trailer
- Companionway spinnaker bag
- Safety Gear– anchor, chain & rode, bucket, bilge pump, first aid kit, two fenders, two dock lines.
Epic Sailing for American YC Fall Series!
(Rye, NY)- The two weekends of racing in the famous American Yacht Club Fall Series had the usual cross-section of weather conditions. With a solid 15-25 kts of breeze, the AYC PRO and Race Committee were able to run six races over the first two days, giving the sailors more than they bargained for in their first weekend of racing. The second weekend of racing saw more great sailing breezes and the fleets were, for the most part, able to sail six more races; one of the best two weekends of AYC Fall Series racing in years. The 2019 edition of the American YC Fall Series had big one-design fleets of J/70s, J/88s, J/105s, J/109s, and J/44s participating, as well as an offshore PHRF Fleet.
The eight-boat J/70 fleet saw John Gochberg’s team on USA 551 take an enormous lead over the fleet and they never relinquished their lead; posting an amazing eight 1sts and four 2nds (discarding a 2nd) to win with just 14 pts net. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy Team on YOGI sailed a fantastic two-weekend series, also recording a very steady record of all podium finishes; two 1sts, four 2nds, and six 3rds for a total of 25 pts net. Rounding out the leaderboard was Manuel Cadarso’s EOLO with 39 pts net. The top five included Gibbons Sinclair’s HALF MINE II in 4th and Ghislain Descamps’ GRINS in 5th place.
Continuing their domination from the first weekend of racing, John Sommi’s CLOUD 9 won the class in a runaway victory. With the upcoming J/88 North American Championship looming over the horizon on western Long Island Sound at Larchmont, it is not surprising the eleven-boat J/88 class was going to see several teams using the AYC Fall Series as a “pre-NA’s” tune-up. Sommi’s CLOUD 9 ran away with the regatta with ten 1sts and two 2nds for 12 pts net…a mind-numbing, somewhat shell-shocking outcome for the rest of the J/88 fleet. Continuing to challenge the CLOUD 9 team were the class newcomers on Andrew Weiss & Larry Cutler’s ONE TOO MANY; ultimately, taking the silver with 35 pts and counting all top 5 finishes. Climbing her way back into contention on the second weekend was Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION crew, closing with a strong 2-2-3 record on the last day to take the bronze with 42 pts net. Rounding out the top five were Paul Strauch’s ANDIAMO and Tim Sweets GIVE’R from Canada in 4th and 5th place, respectively.
The fourteen-boat J/105 class had a good mixture of racing in their twelve races. Rising to the top after so many races was none other than past Long Island Sound Champion Paul Beaudin skippering his veteran LOULOU team to victory; they concluded the series with 27 pts net. Having a somewhat difficult weekend the second weekend was the early regatta leader, Dwight Greenhouse’s SKIPPERDEE; closing with a 7-DNF in the last two races to drop to second place. Arising like a “phoenix from the ashes” was David Willis’ SOLUTION; closing out the series with an impressive, consistent, 3-1-2-3-3 in the last five races to leap onto the podium in the bronze position. Rounding out the top five was John & Marisa Koten’s GRAY MATTER in 4th and Jeremy Henderson & Harald Edegran’s CONUNDRUM in 5th place.
The thirteen-boat J/109 fleet also saw one boat stand out from the pack for the entire series. David Rosow’s talented crew on LOKI sailed a very consistent series that included six 1sts in 12 races to win with just 21 pts net. Hanging on to second place after the first weekend was Trevor Roach’s INCENDIARY with 31 pts net. Taking the third step on the podium was Jonathan Rechtschaffer’s EMOTICON with 38 pts net. The balance of the top five included Bud Rogers’ BIG BOAT with 39 pts net and Bengt & Marie Johansson’s ZIG ZAG with 63 pts in 4th and 5th, respectively.
The big-boat J/44 one-design class had a half-dozen boats sailing, with four boats sitting within five points of each other after six races! One-design sails supplied by the class ensured extremely close racing. In fact, in the final results the top four boats were only separated by one point; with the podium determined by tie-breakers! Coming on strong in the second weekend was Don & Dick Rave’s VAMP, closing the series fast and furious with a 1-4-1-2-2 tally to take the win on a tie-breaker at 23 pts each. Losing that countback was Don & Dick Rave’s RESOLUTE to take the silver. The bronze was determined on a tie-breaker at 24 pts, with Bill Ketcham’s MAXINE winning the countback over Tom Blackwell’s BREAKAWAY.
In the PHRF handicap world, we find Bill & Jackie Baxter’s J/111 FIREBALL taking fourth in PHRF 1 Class. And, in PHRF 2 Class, Scott Devine’s J/112E REVIVER produced nearly all podium finishes to take the silver in class. Fourth place went to the Landy/ Soohoo duo on their J/100 SANGUINE. For more American YC Fall series sailing information
Windy Start to Hamble Winter Series
(Hamble, England)- The famous Hamble Winter Series has started on the Solent and Southampton Water, hosted by the Hamble Sailing Club. The classes include IRC handicap as well as one-design fleets of J/70s in southern United Kingdom.
It all started quietly enough on Saturday, with PRO Kathy Smalley announcing at 11:04 hrs on the WhatsApp group that they were “waiting for the wind". Later, she then announced, “still waiting" at 13:04 hrs. The prospects for the first day of the 38th HYS Hamble Winter Series looked bleak. Then, a glimmer of hope from the East. Barney Smith on the One-Design CV reported that, “the wind is coming", and so it did. One-design Race Officer Ian Bullock had suggested patience would be required and he was quite right. The team on CV Flightwing wasted no time starting two races for the J/70s in the Hamble One-Design Championship, the second one starting just before the 15:00 hrs cut off. Out on the IRC start area, in the vicinity of 4W (Goodall Roofing), by 13:00 hrs a light 6-10 knots from the East gave the boats in the Autumn IRC Championship one race. There were cautious starts all round and no recalls.
Over on the One Design Course, the Bullock/Robinson Race Committee PRO Team won all the plaudits by getting through four races on the day and having a complete series. The J/70's were particularly impressed by this. They placed the start line where they were when the water pump packed up on CV Flightwing. As the wind increased the view from the CV became rather exciting. There was a good deal of discussion as to what constituted "in the normal sailing position" when finishing. Did the top of the mast qualify as the front part of the boat during a broach?
Marshall King in SOAK RACING was able to discard a third and count only one second place for an amazing six points to win the J/70 Class. Tim Collins’ EV EXPERTS was five points back in second. Thor Askeland & Rob Larke’s MJOLNIR came third with 20 points. Rounding out the top five was Jack Davies’ YETI in 4th and Simon Weeks’ MIMI’S in 5th place.
In IRC 2 Class, Simon Perry’s J/109 JIRAFFE, a serial winter series winner, took the bullet followed by David Richards’ J/109 JUMPING JELLYFISH in 2nd and John Smart’s JUKEBOX in 3rd in what already looks like a J/109 benefit regatta. In IRC 1 Class, Chaz Ivill’s J/112E DAVANTI TYRES took second place.
With a nice steady west northwesterly forecast, but low water, the two RC PRO’s Kathy Smalley and Peter Bateson took the IRC Classes out to Ryde Bank for Race Day 2. The plan was to run a short cascade of windward-leeward courses, starting at one end of the Ryde Bank, and finishing at the other end.
"Everyone was very civilized on the start line with no recalls, best not to risk anything with a Smalley at each end of the line,” laughed Kathy.
The plan for the second race was to finish closer to Hamble, where beer and cheesy chips were the order of the day. However, as is often the case, the wind Gods had a surprise up their sleeves. Suddenly, the wind was up in the 20's with gusts closer to 30 knots. A number of teams radioed in to say thanks for the first race, but they were now off home! Nevertheless, many others loitered in the start area, as if they wanted a second race. The race committee was ready to provide it. With an increasing wind a simple course was set to West Ryde Middle, back to South Ryde Middle, then up to West Ryde Middle, and so to the finish.
Now the fun really began, and those with memories of Cowes Week could put their recently acquired heavy weather skills to the fore. There was even a suggestion from Lis Robinson that there was an RYA Directive stating that all events must have wind in excess of 25 knots to be considered “proper sailing” events. Be that as it may, the stronger conditions made for entertaining viewing from the CV committee boat.
"Boats were rocking all over the place downwind, many broaching wildly,” said one of the race team. Adding that, “it is slightly unnerving on an anchored committee boat seeing a boat with a bowsprit broaching straight at you!!”
Chris Daniel’s J/122E JUNO, leading IRC 1 Class overall, was unfortunately hit by a Sigma 38 in a port/starboard incident when the mainsheet jammed on. The subsequent hearing gave redress to JUNO, allowing her to win class by two and a half points.
Perry’s J/109 JIRAFFE won IRC 2 Class with a 1-2-1 series. Third was Smart’s J/109 JUKEBOX, followed by Richards’ J/109 JUMPING JELLYFISH in 4th and Roger Phillips’ J/109 DESIGNSTAR in 5th place. In the J/109 sub-class, those four boats finished in the same order. Also, amongst the J/88 sub-class, winning was Gavin Howe’s TIGRIS, followed by Dirk van Beek’s SABRIEL JR in 2nd and Tim Tolcher’s RAGING BULL in 3rd place.
In IRC 3 Class, Ralph Mason’s J/92 JABBERWOCK finished tied for third place, losing the countback to finish fourth in class. More great pictures of Sunday's action can be found on Paul Wyeth's website. For more Hamble Winter Series sailing information
Potts Two-peats USA J/22 Match Race Champs
(San Francisco, CA)- The 2019 edition of the US Sailing Match Race Championship was hosted by the St Francis Yacht in San Francisco, CA. After 28 races, the clear winner was Pearson Potts from Newport, RI taking an unprecedented two-peat for his team. In some respects, it was a three-peat since he won it the previous year as well.
Day 1- Gorgeous Sailing
Skipper Pearson Potts and crewmember Robert Savoie made up half of the winning team at the 2018 U.S. Match Racing Championship at Chicago Yacht Club, under conditions that reinforced the stereotype of the City of Broad Shoulders’ other, weather-related nickname.
When Potts, Savoie and their 2019 teammates Lucas Adams and Tim Siemers arrived in Baghdad by the Bay (the late columnist Herb Caen’s nickname for his beloved San Francisco) to defend the USMRC crown, they encountered stereotypical conditions for October here. It’s nice. Sometimes too nice to run a match race.
Patience, however, was a virtue. When racing began at midday Friday in San Francisco Bay after a two-hour delay, Team Potts posted six victories from seven matches, returning to the docks of host St. Francis Yacht Club with the lead after Day 1.
“We’re happy to be where we are, but we’re more concerned with how we finish rather than how we start,” Potts said back at the clubhouse. “We have yet to sail the perfect race and until we do, we will keep marching.”
Patience was also a virtue for the Race Committee, led by StFYC Race Director Graham Biehl. “October in San Francisco can be a little bit more challenging in terms of the regular wind conditions,” Biehl said. “And we were patient and let the breeze fill in…we set our course quickly and got racing going.”
The regatta thus began in a strong current, an increasing flood, and marginal hiking conditions. More interactive and aggressive match racing took place later in the round-robin as the teams gained comfort with the Bay and the courses. Team Potts, sailing the 52nd USMRC under the moniker of Guardians of the Monohulls, posted four wins before taking a loss to skipper Peter Holz and the Chicago YC group. “[Our] mindset was, ‘Hey, we’re not the underdog anymore; we’ve been at the top before and we can do it again,’” Potts added.
The victory for Holz, who posted a 5-2 mark to end Day 1 in second place, over Potts amounted to a small measure of revenge. Potts knocked out Holz last year in the quarterfinals.
By virtue of winning their matchup in Flight 1, San Diego YC’s Chris Nesbitt stands in third place ahead of St. Francis YC’s Nicole Breault; the two ended the day with identical 4-3 records. Breault demonstrated her knowledge of her home course with some nifty maneuvers around marks, and won her Flight 7 match over Jeffrey Petersen of Balboa YC, who could not recover from a penalty served during that race.
The bottom half of the table lists Bayview YC’s Ryan Seago, who took fourth last year in Chicago; Petersen; Allie Blecher of California YC; and Cabrillo Beach YC’s Cameron Feves. Earlier in the season, Blecher succeeded Breault as the U.S. Women’s Match Racing Champion; Breault had held that title three years running before vacating it to compete elsewhere during the USWMRC.
Day 2- Earthquake Shattering Day!
Shortly before the Saturday morning competitors’ briefing at the Kilroy Realty U.S. Match Racing Championship, the San Francisco area experienced a 3.5-magnitude earthquake. That little morning jolt portended a day of racing at St. Francis Yacht Club that also featured its share of faults and tremors from the eight competing boats.
After a spirited Second Round Robin that kept the race umpires busy, four sailors advanced to Sunday’s knockout stage of the 52nd USMRC: Peter Holz, Jeffrey Petersen, Nicole Breault and defending champion Pearson Potts.
While many skippers can list two or more USMRC titles on their résumés, a Potts victory here would make him only the third skipper in the history of this regatta to repeat as the winner. Mason Woodworth lifted the Prince of Wales Bowl three straight years from 2000-02, and Ed Trevelyan captured back-to-back titles in 1976 and 1977.
Of note, Potts (Boston; Guardians of the Monohulls) is already attempting a “three-peat” of sorts as the reigning two-time national champion. David Storrs hoisted the Prince of Wales Bowl at the 2017 event by defeating Potts in the finals—an achievement Storrs, who passed away in March, cherished—but Potts was named the U.S. champion because Storrs competed with an international crew.
As they did Friday, Potts and his crew sailed to a 6-1 record on Saturday, with a loss to Petersen the only blemish. In fact, Petersen (Santa Ana, Calif.; Balboa YC) didn’t lose to anyone today. He and his crew ran the table to surmount their 2-5 mark after Day 1.
“We made a huge change to our pre-start routine,” Petersen said when asked about the turnaround. “We just said, ‘Look, we are going to get the start that we want and we’re gonna be more aggressive in forcing other people’s hands in the pre-start,’ and I think that was the key to today.”
Petersen’s final victory to complete the Saturday sweep came against Breault (San Francisco; St. Francis YC), who has already achieved her best-ever result at the USMRC by reaching the semifinals. “I am so psyched,” said Breault after learning she had clinched the semis berth. “This was my goal going in…I’m very happy. And that’s gonna take some pressure off my shoulders and hopefully I just come out to play. And it’s anyone’s game, really.”
The home-girl Breault, who went 4-3 both Friday and Saturday, has estimable experience with teammates Dana Riley Hayes and Hannah Burroughs. Yet, here in a national championship, she is sailing with the other crewmember Jack Barton for the first time. “We’ve never sailed together before,” Breault said, and Barton “brings a totally awesome energy to the team. When you’re starting off new against [opponents] like this, it can be challenging—you have to do a lot of communication and talk through things.”
Meanwhile, Holz from Chicago, IL has bested his quarterfinal finish at his home club last year, and credits his crew for their overall 10-4 record in the round-robin. “We got around the track relatively cleanly, which I think was the biggest component to our success,” he said. “Today was a bit more [about] boat speed than yesterday, being a bit breezy.”
The small-by-California-standards quake, centered four miles off the coast of neighboring Pacifica, came about five hours before racing began. Participants sat through a three-hour delay to wait for the breeze to arrive, compared to a two-hour holdup on Friday. At the first start, the Bay featured light flooding conditions with wind at 8 knots, conditions that persisted throughout the afternoon.
The faster track contributed to several pileups, near-misses and disputes, which made for compelling viewing from the St. Francis Race Deck, where spectators could eavesdrop on a good portion of the competitors’ dialogue. Noting a shift in the current, the Race Committee adjusted the courses for the final few flights of Day 2. “You could not ask for a better breeze,” Petersen added. “I mean, the current’s always tricky here, but you just had beautiful 10 to 12 knots out of the west.”
A wind delay is again anticipated for the final day of racing, with temperatures possibly flirting with the 80-degree mark. If the semifinals, petite finals and finals follow the narrative of the round-robin, then viewers can expect to see close-in skirmishes tight around marks when these four elite sailors reconvene here on Sunday.
Day 3- Glass Out, Game Over
In a regatta shortened by windlessness, an unusual scenario for San Francisco Bay, Pearson Potts and his crew claimed the Prince of Wales Bowl and the U.S. Match Racing Championship for the second year running.
The Kilroy Realty U.S. Match Racing Championship in San Francisco Bay started with two days of long postponements that yielded what chief umpire Glenn Oliver termed “champagne conditions.” The scheduled 28 total matches over two round-robins went as planned. Nevertheless, with no significant winds to permit the start of semifinal racing, Sunday at St. Francis Yacht Club turned into a “lay day” that nobody wanted. Not even Pearson Potts, the chief beneficiary of the cancellation.
Potts, who sailed to a 12-2 record over the Friday and Saturday sessions to take first place in the round-robin, thus successfully defended his national championship. After racing was called off, Potts raised the Prince of Wales Bowl as he did in Chicago last year, and the Boston resident has been named U.S. champion for the third year running. With the victory, Potts also earns a berth in next April’s Ficker Cup at Long Beach YC.
“We came in to defend; we never really saw ourselves [that way],” Potts said. “So, we tried to win rather than defend. Any time you come to St. Francis… there are so many currents and variables.” Potts and his crew of Robert Savoie (now also a repeat champion), Lucas Adams and Tim Siemers sailed the USMRC under the name Guardians of the Monohulls, a nod to the incumbent, classic America’s Cup design.
Peter Holz (Chicago YC) ran second to his close friend Potts with a 10-4 mark over the two days, for the best USMRC finish of his career. By going 7-0 on Saturday to finish 9-5 for the weekend, 17-year-old Jeffrey Petersen is thought to be the youngest skipper in USMRC history to stand on the podium, finishing in third. The other semifinalist Nicole Breault ended up in fourth, also the best USMRC finish of her decorated match-race career.
“We love going against Potts,” said Holz, who skippered a USMRC entry for the fourth time in five years. “We’ve got a pretty even record against him over the years, and it’s always a good battle, so it’s pretty disappointing that San Francisco didn’t turn it on today.” Holz’s Windy City Racing crew included IG Schottlaender, John Hammond and Ellis Tonissi.
“When I come up to these regattas, I want to show that youth sailors can do just as well anyone else in the room,” said Petersen, who in 2017 set the mark for youngest-ever skipper at this championship, when he sailed to ninth place as a 15-year-old. “I’ll tell you this,” Petersen added, “I’m gonna try to be the youngest winner of the [Prince of Wales] Bowl in the coming years.” His Cricket Racing crew this week consisted of Max Brennan and Ken Sherb, both 18, and Daniel Pegg, 16.
“I feel good about our results. I know we made mistakes, and I wish I could get those races back, because they ended up counting a lot,” said Breault, who competed with longtime Vela Racing teammates Dana Riley Hayes and Hannah Burroughs, and with Jack Barton, who was sailing with Breault for the very first time.
“For two days, we had very challenging conditions but excellent boat handling and highly competitive teams. The seawall came into play and some teams played it very, very well,” said Event Chair Bruce Stone, who also noted the significance of both a female skipper and a youth crew among the final four. “This is a very difficult place to sail—anywhere else in the country, they would have been able to get a race off, but we have some current here and we had some unusual wind direction today because of the excessive heat, so we couldn’t really race across current and set a fair racecourse.”
That said, Stone was quick to praise the Race Committee, headed by St. Francis Race Director Graham Biehl, match umpires and the rest of the organizing team for running the best races possible. “I think they did a phenomenal job. I mean, the wind and tide lined up perfectly on the first two days of racing, so we were racing into a flood. The ebbs picked up at the end of each day and we were able to readjust the racecourse pretty quickly without losing any time. The mark boat team are very accomplished at that and I think we have a great group of volunteers here making it happen.”
Behind the Potts team and the Holz crew were Jeff Petersen’s Balboa YC team in third, Nicole Breault’s St Francis YC team in fourth, and Chris Nesbitt’s San Diego YC team in fifth place. For more U.S. J/22 Match Race Nationals sailing information
AEGIR Crowned J/80 North American Champion
(Winnipesaukee, NH)- Twenty-two teams battled unusually light-air conditions across three days before a champion could be crowned. Hurricane Humberto stalled a high-pressure system over Lake Winnipesaukee and the host Winnipesaukee Yacht Club for a three-day stretch of sunny but fickle breezes.
Cam Tougas got his name on the J/80 North American Championship perpetual trophy for the second straight year, this time as helmsman aboard the winning boat AEGIR representing Beverly Yacht Club in Marion, MA. Last year Tougas, 24 and a graduate of URI, crewed aboard Chip Johns winner Cavitica from BYC when the event was held in a blustery Marion venue on Buzzards Bay.
This time Tougas and his band of twenty-something friends had to hit the road and change to light air mode with a 2-9-2-1 score to win the championship.
From left to right, the youthful team of Matt Coughlin (tactician), Henry Tomlinson (bow), George Luber (trimmer), and Cam Tougas (helm), won the 2019 J/80 North American Championship aboard AEGIR #487 on Lake Winnipesaukee September 22, 2019.
Long waits between races did not dull the appetites of the competitors, who travelled from as far away as Seattle and Austin Texas for a taste of lobster and New England hospitality at Winnipesaukee Yacht Club, home to J/80 Fleet 1.
Ten travel teams from all over North America, including Canada came expecting the typical heavy air sailing usual at this time of year. One team claimed they changed the rig tune three times before a race was in the books. Breezes in the 3-5 knot range, included huge shifts in direction, made for challenging racing.
Class Stalwarts Bill and Shannon Lockwood, on the left finished second overall. On the right is PRO Carter White, who did a great job, despite the conditions.
Henry Tomlinson borrowed his dad's boat to bring himself and his sailing buddies to win the Championship. The trophy presentation was done in typical Fleet 1 style at Fay's boat yard as the travel boats were placed on trailers for the ride home.
Rounding out the podium was Lek Dimarucot’s USA 175 in third, losing a tie-break on countback at 22 pts each with the Lockwood’s SHENANIGANS.
The balance of the top five included Kevin Hayes & Jeff Kirchoff’s MORE GOSTOSA in 4th and Les Beckwith’s FKA in fifth place.
Doyle wins Quantum Sail Raffle!
In a raffle to raise money for the up coming J/80 World Championships to be held in Newport RI Sept 28-Oct 3, 2020, David Doyle from Toronto Canada Fleet 20 was the lucky winner and proud recipient of a Quantum Main and Jib. Congratulations David!
J/80 North American Class President presents sails to David Doyle during the J/80 North American Championships in New Hampshire last weekend. J/80 North Americans sailing results here For more J/80 North American sailing information
WSV Giesbeek Win Dutch J/70 League Finals
(Muiden, The Netherlands)- Under strongly changing circumstances, all 45 races of the Eredivisie Sailing were sailed off the coast of Muiden this weekend. Until the last races on Sunday, there were seven teams that had mathematical possibilities of making the podium. In the end, it was the youthful team from WSV Giesbeek that finally won the title. Rounding out the podium in second and third, respectively, were Almere Centraal and WV de Meeuwen.
The hosts on the Muiden for the weekend were KNZ & RV. Chairman Michiel Dis said this about the weekend of racing, “We are very happy that we have been able to host the Eredivisie and that it has been so successful. The level was very high and the differences in points very small. I think we have demonstrated that we can give the Eredivisie Sailing teams an excellent regatta. The continuity of this format therefore appears to be guaranteed. We are most happy with that."
Hard Training Paid Off Big
WSV Giesbeek was the team that had by far the most hours in the J/70, and that effort paid off big time. Last year they were the Dutch J/70 National Champions, now they also won the Dutch J/70 Sailing League overall, an amazing performance!
Team member Koen Sibbel commented on their efforts over the weekend, “We sailed extremely hard and well all weekend. The teams are very close together. We have trained a lot in the past year and that paid off. The tactic was to stay out of trouble and to limit the damage with bad starts. We did not have to run a penalty round this entire weekend and, that of course, makes a big difference. At the end, we made it a bit difficult for ourselves by sailing an OCS. We are very happy that we succeeded!”
Tough Competition At Top of the Leaderboard
The other two teams on the podium also agree on the fun, sportiness and excitement of the competitions. Gosse de Boer from WV de Meeuwen commented, “what a pleasure to sail such a wonderful event! It was a great battle on the water with strong teams and good organization. We are happy with our qualification for the Champions League and look forward to a continuation of the Eredivisie next year.” Follow the Dutch J/70 Sailing League on Facebook here For more Dutch J/70 Sailing League information
S.V. Kreuzlingen Win Swiss J/70 League Title
(Neuchatel, Switzerland)- It was a terrific victory for the S.V. Kreuzlingen Team in the Swiss J/70 Sailing League finale in Neuchatel, Switzerland. It was wonderful sunny, windy sailing weather all weekend long for the last regatta of the season and the eighteen teams that were participating in the finale.
After a solid performance in the penultimate event in Neuenberg, the S.V. Kreuzlingen (SVKr) with Tom Rüegge, Stefan Stäheli, Michael Herrmann and Jens Lichtblau were nearly unbeatable in the fourth and final act of the Swiss J/70 Sailing Super League in Neuchâtel.
After 28 demanding races with strong winds exceeding 30 knots at times, the SVKr not only claimed the victory in this final act, but was also in the overall standings. The biggest surprise of the season was the ascension of the two Bordeaux de Tribord teams- La Neuveville and the Société Nautique de Bordeaux. Both teams were competing with the Societe Nautique Geneva team all season long. In then end, the S.V. Kreuzlingen team took their first Swiss league title. Perhaps, even more remarkably, the Bordeaux de Tribord- La Neuveville team took second place in the overall results, making it the most surprising team of the season to leap onto the podium. Co-driver Lorenz Kausche and his team finished just one point ahead of the season favorites- Société Nautique de Genève (SNG)- which had Guillaume Girod at the wheel. A prior Swiss champion, the Regatta Club Bodensee (RCB), had improved a lot during the regatta in Neuchâtel after some bad early races, but did not make it onto the podium. Follow the Swiss J/70 Sailing League on Facebook here For more Swiss J/70 Sailing League information
LA SUPERBA Three-peats Coppa Italia J/24 Regatta
(Mandello del Lario, Italy)- The sixth stage of the 2019 Italian J/24 National Series took place in Mandello del Lario, Italy. As usual, the competition was intense and very close for most of the regatta. Nevertheless, there was a familiar team sitting atop the podium when the dust had settled from the battles on the field, the famous Italian Navy team aboard LA SUPERBA- skippered by Ignazio Bonanno with crew of Simone Scontrino, Vincenzo Vano, Francesco Picaro and Alfredo Branciforte. Their team won quite convincingly with a record of 1-2-1-1 for three points net!
Second place went to Pietro Diamanti’s well-known ITA 212 JAMAICA, with crew of Fabrizio Ginesi, Paolo Governato, Edoardo Ghirlanda and Giuseppe Incatasciato. They finished comfortably second with a tally of 5-1-2-2 for 5 pts net. Third place went to ITA 371 J JOC ALCE NERO owned and skippered by Fabio Apollonio with crew of Giuseppe Diamanti, Lorenzo Marini, Tommaso Fusato and Alessia Bellotti.
"We are very pleased to have won, after the Italian and European Championships, also the 2019 Italian Cup. Above all, because it took place on the lake and not on the sea, which is a race course more suitable for us,” commented LA SUPERBA’s skipper Ignacio Bonanno. “We would like to thank, as always, the Italian Navy, U-Sail our technical sponsor, and Mandello's LNI for hosting us."
"The Lario club provided fantastic organization and hospitality and has certainly won a stage of the National Circuit 2020,” commented Fabio Apollonio.
“It was very nice to see club members coming down to support the regatta both on the water and on land. The welcome by LNI Mandello was appreciated by all,” said a satisfied Mauro Benfatto, the local Lario J/24 fleet captain. For more Italian J/24 Class sailing information
Regatta & Show Schedules:
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/80 Copa de Espana Preview
(Coruna, Spain)- This coming weekend, the Spanish Cup begins in Coruña, the second act of the Abanca Week at the Real Club Náutico de La Coruña. Sailings are twenty J/80 teams from different points of the peninsula; Galicia, the Cantabrian and the Basque, Catalan, Andalusian and Valencian. The regatta is the finale of the Spanish J/80 season series. Eight windward-leewards of about six miles each are scheduled.
The great oceanic veteran, the Vigués Javier de la Gándara, is apriori the best prospect for the Galician J/80 fleet for absolute victory. No one can miss that the “Okofen” of the Monte Real Yacht Club is one of the powerful teams in the class. They complete the southern representation; along with Luis de Mira’s NAMASTE, Nano Yáñez’s CANSINO, PAZO DE CEA and MIUDO.
The strongest from the Galician region is ATLANTIC 3D PRINTING from the Royal Yacht Club of La Coruña. Other top crews from the same club include MAXIMINO, SINGING BOY, GALERA, and PUNTA HERMINIA.
Iñigo Jáuregui is sailing on board ENBATA 80. The SIEMENS GAMESA team of Lourdes Bilbao is sailing with an all women crew, one of the top teams from the Basque region.
There will be three J/80s from Euskadi and three other Cantabrians: Peru Mujica at the helm of the HATUEY, Alex Diez’s FREDO ESTRELLA DEL NORTE from the Royal Maritime Club of Santander, and Castro Urdiales’ MATRAKO from Real Nautical Club of Castro Urdiales. For more J/80 Copa de Espana sailing information
J/88 North American Championship Preview
(Rye, New York)- The 2019 edition of the J/88 North American Championship will be hosted by Larchmont Yacht Club in Larchmont, New York for a fleet of fifteen teams from across the country. The racing will take place from October 17th to 20th on western Long Island Sound in classic fall weather conditions. At this time of year, the transition from summer doldrums to fall gales is a customary scenario. However, the past two weeks have seen a massive shift in weather conditions that are somewhat unprecedented, with enormous Atlantic depressions (Lows) forming offshore and spinning N/NE winds in the 15-25 kts range, sometimes even 45 kts with massive 8-12 foot waves.
Many top teams from across the USA will be vying for J/88 NA Class honors. The previous two weekends have seen one team simply whitewash the fleet in what most consider being a “Pre-J/88 NA’s”- the American Yacht Club Fall Series. Winning with nearly all bullets over two weekends of racing was John Sommi’s CLOUD 9. A clear favorite, they will be challenged by a number of veteran J/88 teams that have won previous J/88 NA’s, J/88 Midwinters, and other major events over time. Those teams include Gary Panariello’s COURAGEOUS, Justin Scagnelli’s ALBONDIGAS, Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION, Elizabeth Barry’s ESCAPE, Laura Weyler’s HIJINKS, Andrew Weiss/ Lawrence Cutler’s ONE TOO MANY, Bill Purdy’s WHIRLWIND, and Brice Dunwoody’s YONDER. For more J/88 North American Championship sailing information
STC Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta Preview(Larchmont, NY)- Initially established in the early 1970’s by “The Corinthians” who ran the regatta until 1999, the collegiate offshore regatta was then picked up by Storm Trysail Club. The invitational regatta is held annually out of Larchmont Yacht Club, who is a co-organizer of the event in addition to the Storm Trysail Club and Foundation.
For the 2017 regatta, “The Corinthians” transferred to the Storm Trysail Foundation the original four perpetual trophies: “The George G. Crocker Memorial Race Trophy”, “The Edward S. Moore III Memorial Trophy”, “The James C. Jacobson Memorial Trophy”, and “The Foster Tallman Memorial Trophy”. In addition, Larchmont Yacht Club donated two trophies including one belonging to the late Thomas Carroll, a member of Larchmont Yacht Club. The “Paul Hoffmann Trophy”, named for the long-time Storm Trysail member famed for his success on a series of yachts named “Thunderhead”, presented by his son Binky Hoffmann, is given to the team that had the best overall performance. The “Ed du Moulin Trophy”, named for the man who was involved in the management of more America’s Cup campaigns than anyone in the Cup’s history, presented by his son, Storm Trysail Club Past Commodore Richard du Moulin, to the boat owner of the overall regatta winner.
For the 2019 edition, the regatta will be taking place from October 12th to 13th for forty-eight college teams from across the country. Of those 48-boats donated by owner/sponsors, fully thirty-nine of them are J/Boats owners (81% of the fleet). In short, it is a J/Boats College Offshore Regatta due to the amazing generosity and passion for sailing from J/Boats owners.
The J/100 Class includes Kelley James’ TEXAS ROSE- GEORGIA, Tom Moncombie’s SANGUINE- HEC MONTREAL, Mary Bush’s AVOCET- MIAMI OF OHIO, Andrew Hakopian’s GALATRONA- OHIO STATE, and Zack Leonard’s BLACKCOMB- YALE University.
The large J/105 class of a dozen boats includes leading college teams like Stanley Schreyer’s RAVEN- BOSTON UNIVERSITY, Ned Goss’ YOUNG AMERICA- COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON, and Doug Clark’s GRAY MATTER- US COAST GUARD ACADEMY.
The nine-boat J/109 class has Antoinette Martin’s GROWTH SPURT- GRAND VALLEY COLLEGE, Ken Legler’s FREEDOM- TUFTS UNIVERSITY, Moose McClintock’s EMOTICON- UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND, and Natalie Lovelace’s ZIG ZAG- VIRGINIA TECH.
In the J/44 Class, there will be several good teams, such as Taylor Martin’s BREAKAWAY- MAINE MARITIME, Regina Trejo’s PALANTIR V- SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY, and Ken Luczynski’s VAMP- KINGS POINT USMMA.
The quartet of J/88s include Natalie Jones’ OH JEE- University of Maryland, Emmanuel Bourret’s WHIRLWIND- Polytechnique MONTREAL, and Brian Pribe’s YONDER- University of Toledo.
In the PRHF handicap fleet are Conner Baker’s J/112E REVIVER- MICHIGAN STATE, Tucker Hersam’s J/124 TENEBRAE- FORDHAM University, Patrick Sawyer’s J/133 ANTIDOTE- MICHIGAN TECH, and Geoff Loffredo’s J/92S BLUZER- SUNY STONY BROOK. For STC Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta scores. For more STC Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* J/99 Excitement and Perspectives from the Q/Team
The new J/99 is a hot topic in the sailing community, and Quantum is no exception when it comes to sharing the enthusiasm. The J/99 is an incredible addition to the J/Boat lineup that is filling a growing demand for short-handed racer/cruiser platforms that perform as well buoy racing as they do offshore.
Our designers were able to create high-performing and versatile sail plans that bridge the gap between competitive racing and cruising in comfort. Quantum's J/Boat sail designer Kerry Klingler and sail consultant Kris Werner worked with RCR Yachts to create a fast set of sails with a racing-first focus that can easily transition into a performance cruising setup.
The lofts class experts worked directly with clients to develop the best sail plan possible, designing every sail on the J/99 to fit the individual needs of the owner, be it racing, cruising, or something in-between. A sail with perfect shape on the first hoist that retains shape after repeated hoists was a testament to the team’s design process and product.
"We designed the sails to be versatile, easy to trim, and structured for a long life," explained Klingler about his approach with RCR Yachts. "One of the keys to our business is an understanding that these sails need to be adjusted for each client's needs and wishes," he adds. Kris Werner reinforces this customer-centric approach: "We discussed and researched all the best possible options, while keeping some level of cost and investment in mind. This is the type of detailed service and support that we intend for every client at Quantum." Read more here about the “Q” approach on the J/99 here
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