Wednesday, November 27, 2019

J/Newsletter- November 27th, 2019

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

As we head into the final weeks of the 2019 sailing season, things have wound down quite a bit in the northern hemisphere sailing schedule, while it is slowly ramping up in the "Down Under" regions of the world.

In the USA, the third annual U.S. J/70 Youth Championship was held in St Petersburg, FL, hosted by the St Petersburg Yacht Club.  The PRO Todd Fedyszyn managed to run eleven races over the three-day weekend regatta for the 11 teams from across the country (representing CA, CT, FL, GA, MA, MD, MI, NJ and SC). Out west, the San Diego Yacht Club hosted their annual Hot Rum Series, the fleet sailing the second of three weekends in the series.

Then, three emancipated colonial countries from the former British Empire all hosted various fun-loving events for J/sailors around the globe. Starting with Bermuda, the J/105 Bacardi Keelboat Regatta was hosted by the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club in Hamilton, Bermuda for 7 teams comprised of "locals" and International sailors.

Next is Hong Kong. There, the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club hosted their annual, insanely popular, Round Hong Kong Island Race. Over 200 boats participated, including a highly competitive class of twenty J/80s.

Finally, in the not to be forgotten colonial class way, way Down Under, the Australian sailors across their vast continent are heating up their schedule substantially. Recently, a J/122 sailed the West Coaster Ocean Race of 100.0nm, hosted by Freemantle Sailing Club. Needless to say, in the challenging condition they encountered, they were quite pleased with their performance.
 

2020 J/Calendar
Gorgeous 2020 J/Calendar Hot off the Press!

(Newport, RI)- A sailing calendar is a great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew.

For 2020, we have created another beautiful calendar for J/Sailors who love the joys of sailing a J in some of the most spectacular harbors and waters of the world. Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in faraway places.

The 2020 sailing calendar features the most popular, as well as latest creations, from the J/Design team sailing in many of the world’s most popular sailing areas- Palma Mallorca (Spain), St Barths, Chicago, Lake Garda (Italy), Frutillar (Chile), Lake Thun (Switzerland), Torquay (England), Valle de Bravo (Mexico).
See the gorgeous photo gallery and order your 2019 J/Calendar here
 

J/Gear Special Holiday Offer
J/Gear Holiday Special
Order J/Gear for your special J/Crew and receive a 20% discount. Make sure to check out the new J/Gear items— shirts, caps, outerwear, accessories, bags, belts, etc…lots of great stuff that make great gifts!

Enter Code as you finalize your order- JB2019sp

Please note J/Boat 1/2 models and Custom “J” Prints are exempt from this offer. Allow extra time for custom orders. The offer is good through Nov 24, 2019.   Start Shopping NOW- click here!
 

J/70 Youths 
San Francisco/Annapolis Team Wins U.S. J/70 Youth Championship
(St. Petersburg, Florida)- Eleven teams vied for the third annual J/70 U.S. Youth National Championship, hosted by St. Petersburg Yacht Club in St. Petersburg, FL from November 22-24. The weekend was dominated by the teams of San Francisco Yacht Club/Annapolis Yacht Club, led by James Golden, and Cal Maritime, led by Kyle Collins. Although they were tied on points heading in the 11th and final battle, it was Golden’s team who earned the victory by four points, with crew of Luke Koerschner, Hannah Sellers and Caleb Yoslov. They ended with 23 points to Collins’ 27. Golden and Koerschner are from Annapolis YC; Sellers and Yoslov from San Francisco YC. The Cal Maritime team consisted of Collins, plus crew of Justin Zmina, and brothers Brock & River Paquin.

J/70 Youth winners- San Francisco/ Annapolis
Light winds prevented racing on Friday, but conditions allowed all 11 intended races to be completed over the next two days.

The goal of this event has been to help develop and build leading-edge junior keelboat sailing programs across America. Youth teams (representing CA, CT, FL, GA, MA, MD, MI, NJ and SC) competed on provided J/70s with class sails. Boats were identically rigged and tuned at base settings recommended by the sailmaker.

J/70 Youths St Petersburg, FL
As teams gathered on Thursday for a practice race, local J/70 expert Marty Kullman conducted on-water coaching and classroom lessons at SPYC. Each youth team was permitted up to five crew, age 20 or younger as of December 31, 2019.

These were the eleven teams that participated in the event:
  • Augusta Sailing Club (Georgia)- Nathan Bowen skipper, with crew of brother Mike Bowen, Isabel Smith, and sisters Ellie & Lucy Spearman
  • Brown Sailing (Rhode Island)- Jack Murphy skipper, with crew of Blaire McCarthy, and siblings Chase & Julia Reynolds
  • Cooper River YC (New Jersey)- Zack York skipper, with crew of Sean Groskoph and friends
  • Eastern YC (Massachusetts)- Haley Andreasen skipper, with crew of Jack Dalton, Phil Jeffries, Anders Kearney, Anna O'Conner
  • Lauderdale YC (Florida)- Joey Meagher skipper with crew of Garret Dixon, Sam Juskiewicz, and Bobby Rielly
  • Little Traverse YC (Michigan)- Trip Wagner skipper, with crew of Caroline Grin, Maren Matthews, Jack Miller, and Kate Moran
  • Mudratz Youth Team (Connecticut)- Lily Flack skipper, with crew of Jack Derry, Dylan Flack, Jonathan Gardner, Tanner Kelly
  • San Francisco YC (California)- Jim Golden skipper, with crew of Luke Koerschner, Hannah Sellers, and Caleb Yoslov
  • South Carolina YC (South Carolina)- James Thurlow skipper
  • St Petersburg YC (Florida)- Heather Kerns skipper, with crew of Emily Allen, Heidi Hicks, and Emma Shakespeare
  • TS Golden Bear (California)- Kyle Collins skipper, with crew of Justin Zmina, and brothers Brock & River Paquin.
For more U.S. J/70 Youth Championship sailing and results information
 

J/122 sailing off Fremantle, Australia
J/122 Wins 100nm West Coaster!

(Perth, Western Australia)- The J/122 JOSS from Perth is starting the new season the way they finished the last – winning!  Last weekend’s race was 10.00nm West Coaster Ocean Race from Fremantle to Yanchep and return, the race was hosted by Fremantle Sailing Club (FSC).

J/122 Joss sailing off Australia
100.0nm may not sound too bad, nor terribly challenging. However, with very light winds forecast, a very "un-Perth-like Freemantle Doctor", the race turned into an endurance contest. The race took 23hrs 55mins, which meant the focus was on endurance, concentration and keeping the boat moving.

100nm race off Fremantle, AustraliaOwner Ian Clyne commented, “JOSS had a long, at times frustrating, but very rewarding FSC West Coaster Ocean Race.  There were huge holes along the route, so the focus was to just keep moving. The J/122 keeps going even in 5 knots of wind, so we knew we were in with a chance, and were very happy with the result. Knowing the forecast was for light winds, we were conscious of crew weight, and kept the sail wardrobe to a minimum. The A1.5 kite is just a brilliant sail as well as the Code Zero.

The race started in North Fremantle and headed due west to pass to the south side of Rottnest Island. Then, we headed north to round a virtual turn mark at Yanchep, then a zig zag SE, North, SE back to Fremantle.

On the final leg, there was zero wind along the beaches and zero wind off Rottnest Island, but a small line of breeze in the center, so the crew took full advantage and tacked back and forth to keep within the narrow breeze band. JOSS finished a clear 37minutes ahead of the competition on IRC."

JOSS is currently leading the Blue Water season point score.
 


AIRFORCE Four-peats J/105 Bacardi Keelboat Regatta!
(Hamilton, Bermuda)- The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club once again hosted the Bacardi Keelboat Regatta from November 21st to 24th.  The J/105 fleet participation is at the invitation from the local J/105 fleet. The J/105s raced with a combined Bermuda and Overseas crew to compete for a Bermuda, Overseas and Overall series. Over the three-day series, up to ten races can be sailed by the tams.

In the end, the fleet of Bermudian and International sailors were rewarded with great sailing conditions, with all ten races being sailed.

While they may have "four-peated" the regatta win, their fourth win did not come easy for the AIRFORCE duo of Peter Bromby and Cheryl Harvey. Starting off red-hot, the AIRFORCE crew had all-podium finishes in the first 7 races.  However, a disastrous 8th race saw the team scrambling to avoid even more grievous errors in the subsequent races.

Starting off slow was the James Macdonald & Bill Lackenmacher duo on PASSION. Third after the first day, they climbed back into contention over the next two days to nearly snatch the regatta win.  In the end, AIRFORCE finished with 26 pts to take the gold, with the PASSION team closing with 29 pts for the silver.  Third was another slow starter, the MORNING GLORY duo of Glen Astwood & Hasso Plattner. Sitting in fifth place after day one, the MORNING GLORY team rose like a "phoenix from the ashes" to close with by far the hottest record of the entire fleet in the last five races- a 3-3-1-2-2 to snatch the bronze medal on the last day of racing!

Rounding out the top five was MAYHEM (Jon Corless & Jason Owen) in fourth place and WINDFIRE (Keith Chiappa & Paul Beaudin) in fifth position.

At the awards ceremony, the International Team Trophy, sponsored by the Bermuda Tourism Authority, went to Team MAYHEM's Jason Owen.  The Bermuda Teams Trophy, sponsored by Goslings Rum, went to Team AIRFORCE's Peter Bromby. And, the Bacardi Keelboat Overall Trophy, sponsored by XL, was awarded to the Overall winner, Team AIRFORCE yet again.  Follow the J/105 Bermuda fleet on their Facebook page  For more J/105 Bacardi Keelboat Regatta sailing information
 


J/80 FOOTLOOSE Tops Class in Slow Around Hong Kong Island Race
(Hong Kong, China)- Over 200 boats turned up for the 26.0nm Solaris Yachts Around the Island Race under a perfect blue sky. Given the sheer number of boats, Race Officer David Norton set two start lines off of Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club's Kellett Island Clubhouse with the line closest to Kellett Island used for starting the one-design boats and the outside line for HKPN, IRC and beach cat divisions.

The first start was at 0830hrs with the Pandoras and HKPN Monohulls setting off in an easterly breeze of around 4 to 7 kts and the last division to set off at 1030hrs were the Big Boats hoping to make up their lost time in this pursuit-style race.

Unfortunately, the wind softened in the afternoon and a wind hole developed around Middle Island. The majority of the fleet were sailing slowly downwind at the southern side of Hong Kong Island and in the end, just one third of the participating yachts could not reach Kellett Island before the cut-off of 1700hrs.

In the J/80 class, Henry Wong's FOOTLOOSE was the big winner, starting at 9:10am with his colleagues and simply smoking them around the track, winning by nearly a half hour. Second was top woman helm Belinda Ng on JENA PABE.  Rounding out the podium in third place was the duo of Antoine Segaud & Jasper Ten Berge's JAMMIN.  For more Royal Hong Kong YC Around the Island Race sailing information
 

 Slow San Diego Hot Rum Series II
(San Diego, CA)- The second race of the Hot Rum Series took place last weekend in more classic San Diego fall weather conditions.  Starting light in the morning, the winds gradually built into NNW in the 7-12 kts range.  It was a day of resurrection for a number of J/Teams from their previous weekend's disappointing performances.


In PHRF 1 Class, we find three J/crews clustered together in the 5, 6, 7 positions. Leading that group is Standish Fleming's J/125 TIMESHAVER with a 6-7 for 13 pts. Second is Rudy Hasl's J/145 PALAEMON with a 5-10 for 15 pts. Then, third in that group is Robert Pace's J/145 ANDIAMO2 with twin 8ths for 16 pts.


In the PHRF 2 Class, John Laun's J/120 CAPER is never ever held back for long, this time posting a 1st place to race up the ladder to 4th place. Chuck Nichol's also was on the comeback trail, posting a second after his first race 13th to leap into 8th overall.


The PHRF 4 Class still sees three J/crews occupying three slots in the top five.  Leading is Dennis Case's J/105 J-OK with an 11-1 to be leading a three-way on 12 pts each.  Second is Tom Garret's J/70 SLOOP JOHN B with an 8-4. Then, only one point behind in this crazy horse race is Jeff Brown's J/105 SWEET KAREN with a 4-12. Seventh is Steve & Lucy Howell's J/105 BLINK, Chuck Bowers' J/29 RHUMB RUNNER is in 8th and George Scheel's J/105 SUN PUFFIN is lying in 10th place.

Finally, in PHRF 5 Class, Tim Lynch's J/30 RUFFIAN is just two points off the bronze position on the podium with a 3-8 scoreline.  Sailing photo credits- Bob Betancourt   For more San Diego YC Hot Rum Series sailing information
 

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Oct 5- Dec 1- Hamble Winter Series- Hamble, England
Nov 23- Hot Rum Series II- San Diego, CA
Nov 30- Dec 1- J/80 Mundialito Regatta- Santander, Spain
Dec 6-8- J/22 Jammin’ Jamaica Regatta- Montego Bay, Jamaica
Dec 7- Hot Rum Series III- San Diego, CA

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.

 30th J/22 Jammin’ Jamaica Regatta Preview
(Montego Bay, Jamaica)- It is a momentous weekend for the J/22 JAMMIN' JAMAICA Regatta, it is celebrating its 30th anniversary from the 6th to 8th of December.  First started by the local J/22 fleet, the Royal Montego Bay Yacht Club has been hosting the regatta from the very beginning. Similar to the J/105 Bermuda Invitational, the "locals" from Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, invite international sailing teams to participate and are given a boat for a nominal fee.  Bring your own sails, bring your own crew, and whatever is missing will be filled in by the local J/22 fleet. It has proven to be a popular event, particularly as it is held just three weeks prior to the December holidays.

A record thirteen boats are participating in this year's event with teams representing Canada, the USA, Jamaica, and Cayman Islands. The two Canadian teams are Michele Cimon's JIM SCREECHIE from Ottawa, ONT and Tracy Snow's NINA from Halifax, Nova Scotia. The four USA boats include famous J/22 Class President Galen Freeman racing CALYPSO from Nashville, Walter Caldwell's ZIPPER from Texas, Drew Mutch's FACEY WHITE HOT from Annapolis, and Bruce Berner's AWESOME from Indianapolis.

The Cayman Island contingent, though not large, is quite formidable in their talents. Led by homeboy Mike Farrington's ADJUSTED, they will be a force to contend with (Mike has gotten a 3rd in the J/22 Worlds). The other top crew is Bruce Johnson's YAHOO.

The hometown boys are well-represented with a few past winners in their midst. Leading them should be Richard Hamilton's RENEGADE, with Mike Morse's AYAHSO, PJ Gibson & Capt. Hernault's TSUNAMI, Jim Wilson's DEFENDER, and Steve Cooke's GERONIMO in hot pursuit for class honors.  For more J/22 JAMMIN' JAMAICA Regatta sailing information
 

J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide

* This past summer, an all-women's team sailed on the J/92 KNOCKOUT with owner/ skipper Libby Tomlinson from Quantum Sails in Traverse City, MI. They had a very successful season sailing on Grand Traverse Bay.... here is Libby's report on the fun times and the challenges they face...

J/92 women's team
"I’m excited to share that our J/92 KNOCKOUT was named Yacht of the Year at Grand Traverse Yacht Club, in Traverse City, Michigan! The all-women crew of KNOCKOUT came together seven years ago after the husband of a good friend of mine recognized that his wife wanted to get more involved in sailing but felt uncomfortable being the only woman on the boat (typically).  So, we got to talking, and Rob suggested that we go in together on a boat, “for the girls”, and we decided a B-25 would suit the needs and budget nicely.  The name KNOCKOUT came after a long, hilarious, democratic process to name an all-girls boat.

J/92 all women's crew
During the six seasons on the B-25, we enabled over 25 women to get out on the water for Wednesday night racing, a little cruising, and some weekend short-distance events.  At the start of it all, only myself and my foredeck, Petra, knew anything about sailing!  Coaching from the helm, while driving and trimming main, and Petra coaching from the bow, we managed to get everyone up to speed in their positions.  Our first season was also our most successful, being named Yacht of the Year and winning our Intermediate level fleet.

J/92 women's team kids
Being a Knockout crew is something special, and everyone onboard has become part of the team by asking to be there.  We’ve never recruited.  Nonetheless, we’ve grown over the years a bit, in numbers and skill level, and Rob and I both have had children who we wanted to introduce to sailing on a more family-friendly boat.  That led us to wanting a J/92.

I joined the forum and kept watch for boats coming up for sale.  One day last fall, the opportunity came:  Bob Johnston on San Francisco Bay listed his beloved J/92 RAGTIME, hull #18.  I jumped, and about a week later, after a glowing survey, she started the journey across the country from San Francisco to Michigan.  Yes, fall isn’t the best time to buy a boat in Michigan!  She went into heated storage, amongst the area’s most prized auto collectors’ treasures, presiding high.

Come to find out, hull #18 has some special history.  Originally owned by Rod Johnstone himself and named RAGTIME! Yes, the co-founder of J/Boats had sailed her for two summers in the Stonington, CT sailing circles, Off Soundings, Block Island, etc.

Bob Johnston bought RAGTIME in November 2002.  She was in Marion, MA and owned by a former J/24 sailor, Joe Moore.  Joe was/is an engineer and meticulous.  Being in the Northeast, the boat (then called Acrobat) was kept inside for 5 months every year.  Joe sent many photos of every bit of the boat and they had some good conversations, such that Bob bought the boat sight-unseen.

Bob and RAGTIME had many great adventures in their 16 years together, including double-handing to Hawaii once, and single-handing 4 more times!  Besides the Hawaii races, Bob and "Rags" have been the singlehanded season champions in the SSS (200 members), won the local ocean series (most recently singlehanded in 2016 and doublehanded in 2017), and had success in many other races on San Francisco Bay and the coast.

J/92 boat owner- Libby
So, we on the KNOCKOUT crew had a bit of a legacy to live up to!  Our season started out slowly, learning the changes needed to our crew work and positions, adjusting to the bigger loads and honing our teamwork, and getting our rig tuned for our new suit of Quantum sails.  The boat was a delight to sail from the get-go.

We attended every Wednesday night race all summer, finishing the Spring series in second and the Summer series in third.   About mid-season we seemed to hit our stride with a string of bullets in August.  Our biggest competitor, an Express 34 fitted with a bowsprit, had been leading the season and we were quickly coming from behind.  It came down to the final race of the year, winner-take-all, and we managed to take line honors that night!  We also enjoyed a fun race mid-season and dressed up like Rosie The Riveter(s).  And our kids really enjoyed it all. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

J/Newsletter- November 20th, 2019

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

The past weekend, the Hamble Winter Series resumed for the sixth weekend of their eight-event series hosted by the Hamble River Sailing Cub. Just two more weekends of racing left on the Solent and Southampton Water! So far, it has been a donnybrook of a battle in IRC 1 Class for the famous J/112E DAVANTI TYRES, going from leading to just one point off the lead with up to four more races left in the series.  The J/88s are seeing a runaway winner, while the J/109s are dominating IRC 2 Class.

In the Americas, a famous American football and sailing rivalry took place this past weekend. In this case, it's the storied rivalry in the San Francisco Bay area between CAL (University California Berkeley "Golden Bears" and STANFORD ("Cardinal"). The sailing event is called "The BIG Sail", it was the 16th running of the rivalry on San Francisco Bay. The format is 5 divisions (Varsity, Masters, Adult, Women, and Youth), matching racing J/22s in a 2 of 3 format.  Then, over in the southeast, a J/34C sailed the 39th annual Sarasota Invitational Regatta; enjoying a successful outing in their PHRF Pursuit style race.
 

J/99 sailing on a reach 
J/99 Nominated for Multiple Performance Yacht of the Year Awards
(Newport, RI)- For the first time in recent history, a newly introduced "J" has been nominated for a record number of five "Performance Yacht of the Year" awards across the USA, the United Kingdom, and Europe.

European Yacht of the YearEuropean Yacht of the Year 2020- J/99 in the Performance Cruiser Category!
The European Yacht of the Year Award is the most important, influential, and most widely communicated boatbuilding prize worldwide. Often referred to as the "Oscar" of yachting.

Initiated by German sail magazine YACHT, it was first presented at boot Düsseldorf in 2004. Today, twelve magazines from all over Europe make up the jury, each of them the leading voice in their respective countries and respected beyond national borders. The announcement of the winners will take place during the Boot in Düsseldorf January 18th-26th 2020. Here was the commentary of the J/99 nomination:

"Even before being unveiled, the new offshore speedster by J-Boats sold in the dozens. And the J/99 was an instant success not just commercially– she also showed strong results on race courses right from the beginning. Available with single or twin rudders, symmetric or asymmetric spinnaker setup, she can be tailored to her owners' likings. While she may look rather modest compared to flashier new designs and weighs more than some of her direct competitors she is nonetheless right up there in the mix– including a relatively modest pricing compared to industry standards."  For more European Yacht of the Year Award information

SAIL Best Boats 2020SAIL Magazine Best Boats Award- Performance Monohulls
J/Boats have won numerous SAIL Best Boat Awards over the course of time, in fact since the very beginning that SAIL magazine created the awards!  Here is their commentary on the J/99 nomination:

"Following up on the J/121, which won a SAIL Best Boat’s award in 2018, the new J/99 is similar in concept, with a deck layout and rig optimized for smaller crews in the interest of addressing the increasing interest in shorthanded racing both in the United States and abroad. Beyond that, the 33ft J/99 is vintage modern “J”. with its plumb ends, slippery “SCRIMP” infused hull, deep high-aspect rudder and similarly deep fin keel lead “shoe,” the latter designed to get the boat’s center of gravity as low as possible. As is the case the with the rest of the J/Boats fleet, the cockpit is a functional work of art, with plenty of room for trimming sail."  For more SAIL magazine Best Boats Award information

Sailing World Boat of the Year awardSAILING WORLD Boat of the Year
For the first time since inception, the Sailing World Boat of the Year was reduced to a single category with a dozen boats selected for their 2020 Award- e.g. a single boat will win.

Dave Reed, Editor of Sailing World, hopped aboard the J/99 immediately after the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland. Sailing on a particularly nasty weather day, the Sailing World evaluation team that included Dave, Greg Stewart, and Chuck Allen experienced 10-20 kt ENE winds, driving rain squalls, and a classic short, steep Chesapeake Bay chop. One reviewer commented, "wow, the J/99 has a beautiful feel on her helm upwind and she's stiff...maybe that's why we're going 7.1 kts upwind!"  Another commented downwind after a half-dozen gybes with the large A-sail up, "this boat is on rails downwind, cannot believe we just hit 13.0 kts in a 19 kts puff?! This boat will be fun offshore!"  For more Sailing World Boat of the Year Awards information

Cruising World Boat of the Year awardCRUISING WORLD Boat of the Year- Performance Cruiser Category
Cruising World magazine announced its roster of nominees for the 2020 Boat of the Year awards. Like their sister publication (Sailing World), testing for the awards took place after the U.S. Sailboat Show. The J/99 has been nominated in the "Performance Cruiser" Category.

Twenty-four boats – 17 monohulls, 6 catamarans and a trimaran – have been nominated for the 2020 Boat of the Year prizes. The annual awards, selected by an independent judging team, recognize the best new production cruising boats and multihulls laid out and equipped for coastal and offshore sailing and voyaging. This year’s judging panel is comprised of systems expert Ed Sherman of the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC); Ralph Naranjo, a veteran cruising sailor and author; and well-known technical writer and cruiser Dan Spurr.

"This is a deep and highly diverse fleet, ranging in size from a compact 30-footer, to a full-sized 67-foot cruiser", said Herb McCormick, Cruising World Boat of the Year director. "It promises to be a very competitive contest, and our judges will certainly have their work cut out to determine the winning entries."  For more Cruising World Boat of the Year Awards information

British Yachting AwardsThe British Yachting Awards- Racing Yacht/ Sportsboat Category
For the first time this year, Sailing Today teamed up with presenting partner MUSTO and sister magazine Yachts & Yachting to bring you the British Yachting Awards, truly a celebration of every aspect of the sailing world – from Caribbean cruising to high-tech racing.

In the Racing Yacht/ Sportsboat Category, there were a half-dozen boats under consideration. The selection team commented on the J/99 nomination:

"The J/99 has proved an instant hit, with 30 boats ordered, mostly off plan, within a few weeks of the prototype’s first sailing trials. Although clearly aimed at the burgeoning short-handed scene, the boat is also set up to be raced fully crewed, suitable for amateurs and professional teams."  Learn more about the British Yachting Awards 2019 here   Learn more about the J/99 Speedster here
 

2020 J/Calendar
Gorgeous 2020 J/Calendar Hot off the Press!

(Newport, RI)- A sailing calendar is a great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew.

For 2020, we have created another beautiful calendar for J/Sailors who love the joys of sailing a J in some of the most spectacular harbors and waters of the world. Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in faraway places.

The 2020 sailing calendar features the most popular, as well as latest creations, from the J/Design team sailing in many of the world’s most popular sailing areas- Palma Mallorca (Spain), St Barths, Chicago, Lake Garda (Italy), Frutillar (Chile), Lake Thun (Switzerland), Torquay (England), Valle de Bravo (Mexico).
See the gorgeous photo gallery and order your 2019 J/Calendar here
 

J/Gear Special Holiday Offer
J/Gear Holiday Special
Order J/Gear for your special J/Crew and receive a 20% discount. Make sure to check out the new J/Gear items— shirts, caps, outerwear, accessories, bags, belts, etc…lots of great stuff that make great gifts!

Enter Code as you finalize your order- JB2019sp

Please note J/Boat 1/2 models and Custom “J” Prints are exempt from this offer. Allow extra time for custom orders. The offer is good through Nov 24, 2019.   Start Shopping NOW- click here!
 

J/88s sailing Hamble Winter Series
Hamble Winter Series Weekend VI- Zephyrs and Streaks!

(Hamble, England)- The famous Hamble Winter Series continued on the Solent and Southampton Water, hosted by the Hamble River Sailing Club. The classes include IRC handicap as well as a one-design fleet of J/88s. This past weekend marked the sixth weekend of sailing in challenging fall weather conditions...only one race was sailed due to a very light, shifty, and streaky northerly breeze blowing offshore.

The battle in IRC 1 Class continues. Falling off the pace a bit in the trying conditions was Chaz Ivill’s J/112E DAVANTI TYRES, posting a 5th place to fall one point back from first place after two discards were counted. A major tactical blunder sent them down the mineshaft quickly, never able to fully recover in the short 1.5-hour race.

The IRC 2 class looks to be a runaway for Simon Perry's J/109 JIRAFFE, having never finished worse than 3rd place in the entire series to date. Currently, the JIRAFFE team are throwing out an amazing 2-3 to count just 8 pts in eight races- e.g. all firsts! Ten points behind them is Gavin Howe's J/88 TIGRIS with 18 pts net; feeling better about winning the 10th race of the series in the light stuff.  In fourth overall is Dirk van Beek's J/88 SABRIEL JR and in fifth place is Mike & Susie Yates' J/109 JAGO.

The famous Greenhalgh family boat, their J/92 J'RONIMO, is not likely to overcome their massive beginning of series deficit of three DNC's in a row to win IRC 3 Class like they have in the past. However, there is a reasonable mathematical chance they can, hopefully, hop on the podium in the bronze position as they are just 8 pts out of contention in a fleet that has proven to take nosedives on occasion.

Finally, in the J/88 class, Howe's TIGRIS is leading that grouping, followed by Van Beek's SABRIEL JR in second, and Richard Cooper's JONGLEUR in third place.   Shaun Rosters pictures can be found here.   Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth/ PWPictures.com   For more Hamble Winter Series sailing information
 

J/80 sailing off Hong Kong
JAMMIN Leads Royal Hong Kong YC J/80 Winter Series

(Hong Kong, China)- The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club's J/80 fleet continues to grow annually and has gained a loyal following that is the envy of not just Asian-based one-design keelboat fleets, but others one-design groups in the rest of the world. Fostering a family-oriented vision and having fun over blood-thirsty competition, the RHKYC's J/80 fleet has seen amazing participation in the 2019/2020 Winter Series program.  Starting in October and ending in February, there have been twenty J/80 teams scored in the nine-race series so far.

J/80s sailing off Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club
Leading the series is Antoine Segaud & Jasper Ten Berge's JAMMIN with a remarkably low net score of 15 pts net after two discards. Sitting in second is Henry Wong's FOOTLOOSE with a 19 pts net scoreline.  Then, currently holding on to the bronze step on the podium is Romain Le Chevallier's JELIGNITE with 21 pts net.  Currently, rounding out the top five are Fraser Boyd & Peter Lake's JOSS in fourth, with Tam Nguyen's JAHOO in fifth place.  For more J/80 RHKYC Winter series sailing information
 

J/34c sailing off Sarasota, FL
J/Cruiser Tops 39th Sarasota YC Invitational

(Sarasota, Florida)- The Sarasota Yacht Club 39th Annual Invitational Regatta was held from November 1st and 2nd for a fleet of 140+ boats on Sarasota Bay.

The weekend began with a Friday night Opening Night Party/Skipper's Meeting with live entertainment, lite bites, and keg beer. Saturday was a full day on the water, where even non-boating members can get a front row seat of the action aboard the Spectator Fleet. Participants enjoyed the electric post-race atmosphere on Saturday evening featuring Chef Anthony's spectacular Pig Roast Dinner, the Regatta Awards Ceremony, and live entertainment.

J/34c MOJO sailing off Sarasota
According to J/34C MOJO owner and skipper Mauro Harto:

"November 2nd was setting up to be one of those days that only a Southwest Florida fall day can be; a picture-perfect chamber of commerce kind of day. The temperature, winds, and stars all aligned.

The crew of MOJO matched the day with a perfect race. All shifts, tacks, and tactics fell into place. When you compete in a pursuit race with 14 other PHRF boats, it’s a bit tough watching 11 of your competitors sail away from you as you await your start time. The crew of MOJO (Tom Beames, Gary Denton, Todd Rippy and owner Mauro Harto) took it in stride. One by one, MOJO picked off the boats in front of her.  As the wind built in the late afternoon, she really fell into her zone. On the last downwind leg, the crew felt MOJO slow a bit more than expected. As they looked behind them, 40+ boats were stretched out stealing her wind. The crew dropped the pole, headed up, and shot for the committee boat end. It was a fantastic day of sailing on Sarasota bay. MOJO bested the PHRF cruising fleet. It was extra special for the crew as they each landed a coveted Mount Gay red hat!"
 

J/22s sailing The BIG Sail
CAL Dominates The J/22 Big Sail

STANFORD Wins Varsity Division
(San Francisco, CA)- One of the pillars of college football’s identity is its rivalries. Think UCLA vs. USC, Michigan vs. Ohio State, Alabama vs. Auburn, Minnesota vs. Wisconsin. Other sports have rivalries, but a rivalry shapes the history of the programs involved in a college-football feud.

Winning the rivalry game can salvage a team’s entire season.

The rivalry game between the California Golden Bears and Stanford Cardinal has a 127-year history, and for the 16th year the two sailing teams have joined in, holding The Big Sail each November on the Tuesday before “The Big Game” which this year takes place on Saturday, November 23.

The Big Sail consumes St. Francis Yacht Club (San Francisco, CA) with bands and cheerleaders from both schools, alongside the membership with deep roots in both schools. For a club perched on the edge of the race course, it is a scene like no other.

The 2019 Big Sail featured five divisions: Varsity, Women’s, Young Alumni, Masters Alumni, and Grandmasters Alumni, and is raced in a fleet of one-design J/22s provided by St. Francis Yacht Club. Each division match-races on short courses for the best two out of three races.

For the student teams, it’s hardly a fair fight as the Bears are a club team compared to the massive varsity team budget at Stanford. But, after Cal won all but the Varsity match, a school fan publication was not above taking a jab at the Cardinal team’s involvement in the college admissions scandal. Aren’t rivalries great?

Stanford wins Varsity division
First, here is Stanford student paper's report:

With a 2-0 win in the Varsity Division, the Stanford sailing team captured its 15th-straight Big Sail win against Cal. The event concludes the sailing team's fall season, and they will start back up in the spring.

Stanford sailing captured the Big Sail trophy for the 15th consecutive year after the varsity boat swept Cal in their best of three races at the St. Francis Yacht club in San Francisco on Tuesday afternoon.

The Cardinal got off to a rocky start at the annual rivalry event. The event is composed of five total divisions: grandmasters alumni, masters alumni, young alumni, women and varsity. The Golden Bears started by sweeping Stanford in the first four divisions. Given that last year the Cardinal beat Cal in every division except for the master’s alumni, the initial few losses at this year’s event may have furrowed many Stanford brows.

However, as they always do, the Cardinal prevailed over the Golden Bears when it mattered most. Behind junior skipper Jack Parkin, junior Victoria Thompson, senior Jacob Rosenberg, and sophomore Wiley Rogers, the Stanford varsity boat handily swept Cal, making the Cardinal victorious in the Big Sail for the 15th consecutive year.

The event marked an exciting end to what has been a successful autumn season for the sailing team. Parkin in particular has become a force to be reckoned with at skipper, as highlighted in the prowess he showed against the Golden Bears on Tuesday. Earlier this month, he also served as skipper of the varsity boat at the Match Race National Championship, an event which he and his crew won.

The sailing team will be back in action this spring when they start racing in the remaining three categories of competition held by the Inter-collegiate Sailing Association. Women’s and men’s single-handed as well as match racing are conducted in the fall, while women’s dinghy, co-ed dinghy and team racing are raced in the spring. Look for Stanford to continue the success it has had this fall when the new season starts after this winter.

J/22s sailing the BIG Sail in San Francisco, CA
Secondly, here is Cal's student paper "tongue-in-cheek" report:

Tuesday marked the first time when the Cal and Stanford Sailing teams have faced each other in a head-to-head match-up since the College Admissions scandal broke earlier this year. An estimated 1,000 spectators, the Cal and Stanford Bands, and the schools’ respective cheerleaders were in attendance for the regatta in front of the St. Francis Yacht Club on San Francisco Bay.

Cal beat Stanford 4–1, with the only loss coming in the Varsity division (current students); and Cal swept the races in the four winning divisions, each in a best-of-three format. The race results, however, are only a part of a larger story—namely, the impact the college admissions scandal has had on the Big Sail and collegiate sailing.

In March, the college admissions scandal was made public, charging 51 individuals with conspiring to influence undergraduate admissions decisions at elite American universities. John Vandemoer, the former head coach of the Stanford Sailing Team, was one of the first coaches to be charged after evidence produced alleged that the team had received more than USD 610,000 in bribes from Rick Singer, the organizer of the scheme. Singer had offered the bribes to Vandemoer in exchange for having his clients—prospective Stanford Students—apply to the University as sailing recruits, significantly increasing their chances of being accepted.

Vandemoer was arrested in March of this year, subsequently fired by the University, and then sentenced on June 12, 2019 to one day in prison for racketeering conspiracy, in addition to a USD 10,000 fine and two years of supervised release. According to the New York Times, Vandemoer now lives at the vacation home of a Stanford University benefactor and coaches privately with his wife at a Club just a few hundred yards from the Stanford Sailing facility in Redwood City. Importantly, Vandemoer did not personally profit from Singer’s donations to the program.

The Big Sail traces its roots back to at least the 1940s, when the event was originally hosted by the Berkeley Yacht Club. While race records are not readily available, the original trophy from that iteration of the series now permanently resides at the Stanford Boathouse, a 16,500 square foot state-of-the-art facility which boasts a multi-story indoor boat garage, locker rooms, laundry facilities, and offices.

The Big Sail regatta is formatted as a series of best-of-three match races. A match race is when one boat from each team goes head-to-head, with rules that are slightly more complex than those of traditional racing. Sailors compete across five divisions: Varsity (current students), Women’s (female Alumni), Young Alumni, Masters, and Grand Masters (all based on year of graduation). Cal has consistently done well in the Alumni divisions. However, Stanford has now won the last 16 consecutive Varsity contests. In national events, Stanford has routinely qualified for the coed national championships, while Cal and other Pac-12 schools qualify on a more sporadic basis.

The recent disparity of Varsity results can be largely explained by the team structures and finances. Sailing is a Varsity sport at Stanford, meaning that the team is completely funded by the school’s $26.5 billion endowment USD, of which the sailing portion was partially contributed to by Singer and Vandemoer’s arrangement.

The Stanford Sailing Team’s budget in 2017 was $182,000 USD, the second highest of any collegiate program nationally (second to Boston College) and more than double that of national championship programs Yale and Georgetown. It is also important to note that this figure does not include equipment and facilities, with the program spending upwards of $120,000 USD on new boats every 5–8 years, giving the Stanford team a considerable advantage over its West Coast competition in terms of equipment. As a result of being well-funded, Stanford is able to recruit the best sailors on the West Coast, as it is currently the only fully-funded program not on the Eastern Seaboard.

The Cal Sailing Team is a student-run organization and is designated a “Club Sport” by the University. Since there is no varsity sailing program supported by the Cal Athletic Department, the Cal Sailing team represents the University as a varsity team at events around the country, including events on the East Coast and in Hawaii. The team is entirely student-led and student-run, with occasional coaching assistance from volunteers who themselves are former collegiate sailors.

The team operates on a budget of less than $10,000 USD annually, and is funded by the students on the team, generous donors, and sponsors such as Berkeley Research Group, when in 2015 the Emeryville-based firm donated a new boat to help compete against Stanford’s 18 new boats. The Cal Sailing team has historically done well against other club teams and there is hope for future improvement, as US Sailing announced in 2018 that it will be opening a cutting-edge Olympic training facility at the Treasure Island Sailing Center—the current Cal Sailing practice venue.

The two teams, while geographically and competitively close are structural and financial opposites. One is a private, heavily bureaucratic institution with generous donors, a high tuition price tag, and a corruptible system seeking to raise significant funding to bring a national championship to a non-revenue generating athletic program. The other program, which is far more common and historically recognizable, is about a group of students with a common passion and the desire to organize and pursue that passion while balancing school, and often multiple forms of employment to support their passion.

The differences in the teams raise the question about the role of collegiate athletics: should athletic programs primarily be vehicles for pursing passions and learning life lessons or programs for refining technical ability and winning championships? They certainly could be utilized to pursue all the above, but to which degree will certainly be a topic of debate for some time to come. Thanks for a special contribution from Craig Leweck/ Scuttlebutt News.  For more The BIG SAIL regatta information
 

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Oct 5- Dec 1- Hamble Winter Series- Hamble, England
Nov 23- Hot Rum Series II- San Diego, CA
Nov 30- Dec 1- J/80 Mundialito Regatta- Santander, Spain
Dec 6-8- J/22 Jammin’ Jamaica Regatta- Montego Bay, Jamaica
Dec 7- Hot Rum Series III- San Diego, CA

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.

U.S. J/70 Youth Championship off St Petersburg, FL
3rd annual U.S. J/70 Youth Championship Preview

(St. Petersburg, Florida)- The 2019 edition of the U.S. J/70 Youth Championship will be taking place from November 22nd to 24th on the sunny, warm waters of Tampa Bay.  Hosting the top J/70 youth teams from across the country will be the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, in St. Petersburg, FL.

The regatta will be sailed in supplied J/70s from StPYC’s Junior Sailing Center.  The goal of this event is to help develop and build leading-edge junior keelboat sailing programs across America. Selection for this year's event was done by application for the ten spots, with skippers and crews submitting their sailing CV's to the U.S. J/70 Youth Selection Committee.

Like the inaugural event held last year in Newport, RI by SAIL Newport, the youth teams will be sailing in a round-robin format and short-course racing of less than 20 minutes each.  The action should be fast and furious and will be held just off the beautiful St Petersburg city waterfront.

J/70s sailing U.S. Youth Nationals off St Petersburg, FL
The following teams have qualified for the event:
  • Augusta Sailing Club (Georgia)- Nathan Bowen skipper, with crew of brother Mike Bowen, Isabel Smith, and sisters Ellie & Lucy Spearman
  • Brown Sailing (Rhode Island)- Jack Murphy skipper, with crew of Blaire McCarthy, and siblings Chase & Julia Reynolds
  • Cooper River YC (New Jersey)- Zack York skipper, with crew of Sean Groskoph and friends
  • Eastern YC (Massachusetts)- Haley Andreasen skipper, with crew of Jack Dalton, Phil Jeffries, Anders Kearney, Anna O'Conner
  • Lauderdale YC (Florida)- Joey Meagher skipper with crew of Garret Dixon, Sam Juskiewicz, and Bobby Rielly
  • Little Traverse YC (Michigan)- Trip Wagner skipper, with crew of Caroline Grin, Maren Matthews, Jack Miller, and Kate Moran
  • Mudratz Youth Team (Connecticut)- Lily Flack skipper, with crew of Jack Derry, Dylan Flack, Jonathan Gardner, Tanner Kelly
  • San Francisco YC (California)- Jim Golden skipper, with crew of Luke Koerschner, Hannah Sellers, and Caleb Yoslov
  • South Carolina YC (South Carolina)- James Thurlow skipper
  • St Petersburg YC (Florida)- Heather Kerns skipper, with crew of Emily Allen, Heidi Hicks, and Emma Shakespeare
  • TS Golden Bear (California)- Kyle Collins skipper, with crew of Justin Zmina, and brothers Brock & River Paquin.
For more U.S. J/70 Youth Championship sailing and results information
 

J/105 sailing off Bermuda
J/105 Bacardi Keelboat Regatta Preview

(Hamilton, Bermuda)- The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club is once again hosting the Bacardi Keelboat Regatta from November 21st to 24th.  The J/105 fleet participation is at the invitation from the local J/105 fleet. The J/105s race with a combined Bermuda and Overseas crew to compete for a Bermuda, Overseas and Overall series. Over the three-day series, up to ten races can be sailed by the tams.

The participating local J/105 fleet boats include the following: AIRFORCE (Peter Bromby), BACK IN BLACK (Ed Faries), ELUSIVE (Bill Pollett), MAYHEM (Jon Corless), MORNING GLORY (Hasso Plattner), PASSION (James Macdonald), and WINDFIRE (Keith Chiappa).

J/105s sailing off Hamilton, Bermuda
After the "round-the-buoys" portion of the regatta, the last race is a fun "distance race" from the race area in the Great Sound, back through the islands to a finish line just off the Royal Bermuda YC docks!  Most often, the race sends the teams on a tour of the Great and Little Sound’s, before working down Granaway Deep back to RBYC.

At the awards ceremony, the International Team Trophy is sponsored by the Bermuda Tourism Authority.  The Bermuda Teams Trophy is sponsored by Goslings Rum. And, the Bacardi Keelboat Overall Trophy, sponsored by XL, is awarded to the Overall winner.   Follow the J/105 Bermuda fleet on their Facebook page  For more J/105 Bacardi Keelboat Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Friday, November 15, 2019

J/Newsletter- November 13th, 2019

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

It was a relatively calm week of sailing activity around the world last week for J/sailors. The most popular event in the Americas was certainly the San Diego Yacht Club's famous "Hot Rum Series", the kick-off of the three-weekend event taking place last weekend for a fleet of 100+ boats! J/Crews faired well overall in this fun "pursuit-style" race and many took silver in their respective classes.

Down in South America, the Argentine J/24 National Championship was sailed at Villa Carlos Paz, Cordoba, Argentina. The regatta for the twenty-boat fleet was organized by the Club Nautica Cordoba.

Over in Europe, German J/aficionados had a fun time sailing in the Vaeterchen Frost Regatta for one-design classes of J/22s, J/24s, and J/70s in Hamburg, Germany. The Hamburger Segel Club hosted the regatta on the beautiful Alster Lake for over 50 boats total and 250 sailors!!

Southeast of them, the annual J/24 Anzio & Nettuno Winter Championship was taking place in Rome/ Anzio-Nettuno, Italy. It was the start of the 45th Winter Championship of Anzio-Nettuno, organized by the Circolo della Vela of Rome, by the Reale Circolo Canottieri Tevere Remo, and by the Italian Naval League of Anzio. The sailing is taking place from the Nettuno Yacht Club for a fleet of twenty J/24s.
 

J/Gear Special Holiday Offer
J/Gear Holiday Special
Order J/Gear for your special J/Crew and receive a 20% discount. Make sure to check out the new J/Gear items— shirts, caps, outerwear, accessories, bags, belts, etc…lots of great stuff that make great gifts!

Enter Code as you finalize your order- JB2019sp

Please note J/Boat 1/2 models and Custom “J” Prints are exempt from this offer. Allow extra time for custom orders. The offer is good through Nov 24, 2019.   Start Shopping NOW- click here!
 

J/105 off San DiegoJ/Sailors Love San Diego YC Hot Rum Series I
(San Diego, CA)- The San Diego Yacht Club's incredibly popular Hot Rum Series started this past weekend for the 133 entries, proving that the event is as popular as ever for southern Californians. Starting and finishing just off the western end of Shelter Island, the fleet heads out en-masse through the Point Loma passage to two buoys offshore and return to the same start line to finish the race. Since it is consistently one of the world's largest PHRF "pursuit races", the little boats know they almost always have no chance of winning overall and simply enjoy the parade of beautiful large sailing yachts gliding past them in all their glory. The smallest, slowest boats (J/22s & J/24s) start well over an hour before the biggest boats- the J/145s and J/160s, for example.

For the first time in a while, several J/Crews cracked the top five overall, an amazing feat for them! Rick Goebel's J/105 SANITY took second place, while Nico Landuer's J/34 MARLEN took fourth (a beautifully refurbished J/34 IOR boat that is all white and seriously fast in the lighter airs).

In the PHRF 1 class, Rudy Hasl's J/145 PALAEMON placed sixth, while Standish Fleming's J/125 TIMESHAVER settled for seventh. Yet another J/145, Robert Pace's ANDIAMO 2 placed ninth. All boats that placed ahead of these J's were all highly customized boats in the 44 to 60-foot range.

Then, in PHRF 4 class, Rick Goebel's J/105 SANITY won class (garnering his second trophy for the day!), with Nico Lindauer’s J/34 MARLEN in third.  Sixth to eleventh was all J/crews, including Steve & Lucy Howell's BLINK! in sixth, Ryan McCrillis' J/80 HAKA in seventh, Tom Garrett's J/70 SLOOP JOHN B in eighth, Chuck Bowers' J/29 RHUMB RUNNER in ninth, Jeff Brown's J/105 SWEET KAREN in tenth, and Dennis Case's J/105 J-OK in eleventh.

Finally, in PHRF 5 class, Tim Lynch's J/30 RUFFIAN took home the bronze for the day. Similarly, in PHRF 6 Cruising class (white sails only), Bill Engle's J/160 LIBRA pulled off the bronze, too. For more San Diego YC Hot Rum Series sailing information
 

J/24s sailing Cordoba, Argentina 
CARRERA is Argentine J/24 National Champion 7x!
(Villa Carlos Paz, Cordoba, Argentina)- Organized by the Club Nautica Cordoba, Leo Rivas and a seasoned team were in charge of the regatta and run eight races in two amazing days of sailing on the lake called- "Lago San Roque". It is a beautiful place to sail, high in the Andes Mountains, with snow-capped peaks ringing the lake (see here- https://bit.ly/33Jsbca). The twenty J/24 crews from across Argentina sailed their 38th edition of the Argentine J/24 National Championship in simply epic conditions, starting off with 13-18 northeast winds on Saturday, and ending with more northerly winds from 18-22 kts!

Matias Pereira's CARRERA (Club Nautica Olivos) and his team comprised of Andrés Guerra, Hernán Suarez, and Joaquín Delgado, again managed to win the Argentine J/24 Championship! This his seventh consecutive year as Argentine Champion, winning five of eight races, an astonishing record!
J/24s in Argentina
Pereira was accompanied on the podium by Nicolas Cubria's RINA (C.N. Olivos) taking the silver, with crew of Hernan Cubria, Federico Bertrand, and Nico Gorelik Mazur. Then, attaining the bronze medal position was the top local boat, Ezequiel Despontin's U2 (Club Nautico Cordoba) with crew of Pablo Aguirre, Alejandra Zicovich, and Daniel Distefano.

Rounding out the top five was Javier Moyano's GRAN CARAJO in fourth place with crew of Adrian Berelejis, Angeles Mensa, and Francisco Agusti.  Taking fifth was Sebastian Halpern's MORRUCHO with crew of Gaston Jaren, Gabriel Miralles, and Roberto Monetti.

The "Long Distance Award" went to the fun-loving Uruguayan crew sailing MARIA MARIA, skippered by Guillermo Pla with crew of Fernando Castro, Paola Rapela, and Ismael Caballero- all from YC Uruguay in Montevideo (see- https://bit.ly/2OeOqAa).

Remember, this event also scores in the "Triple Corona Series 2019-2020". It was the first of 3 events to be completed, the next two are the "West Championship (February 22 to 25)" and the "Central Republic Championship (from April 02 to 05). For more Argentina J/24 Class sailing information
 

J22 netherlandsAwesome Vaeterchen Frost Regatta for J/22s, J/24s, & J/70s
(Hamburg, Germany)- Over a three-day weekend, the Hamburger Segel Club in Hamburg, Germany hosted their annual fall extravaganza on the famously beautiful and quaint Alster Lake. With flat water, shifty breezes, and streaky puffs, it is a tactical nightmare for some and an amazingly entertaining, fun, challenge for others that revel in the wildly erratic sailing conditions.

The 2019 edition had near record entries for this late fall regatta for one-design fleets of J/22s, J/24s, and J/70s. The racing was hot, fast, and furious and extremely competitive. No one dominated any of the classes, as each winning team had roller-coaster finishes in the light and fickle winds; only four races were sailed over the two days.

Winning the seventeen-boat J/70 fleet was Gordon Nickel's GER 3 team, posting a 4-1-2-1 for 4 pts net.  Carsten Kemmling's GER 928 managed to overcome an OCS in race 2 to finish with net scores of 2-1-4 for 7 pts net. Then, rounding out the podium was top woman skipper from the host HSC club, Christina Schober's GER 978 with a strong tally of 1-2-7-6 for 9 pts net.  The balance of the top five included Ulf Plessmann's GER 966 with 10 pts in fourth and another top woman skipper from Flensburger Segel Club, Tania Tammling on GER 1416 placed fifth with 12 pts.

In the seventeen-boat J/24 class, it was Jan Kaehler's GER 5281 that took a tie-breaker at 7 pts each over Hauke Kruess's GER 5073. Ascending to the third step on the podium after starting out with a devastating Black Flag in race one was Fabian Damm's GER 5316 with 9 pts, winning two of the races!  The rest of the top five included top woman skipper Lynn Wolgast (Muehlenberger Segel Club) on GER 5266 in fourth place with 13 pts. Then, fifth position went to Stefan Karsunke's (Bayerischer Segel Club) GER 5381 with 17 pts.

The winner of the J/22 class was also determined by a tie-breaker at 7 pts each. Taking the countback win was Andreas Dillmann's GER 1141 with a 1-OCS-1-5 scoreline for 7 pts net. Second was Dagmar Hilcken's GER 1445 that sailed to a 6-3-3-1 score, also for 7 pts. The bronze was also determined by a tie-breaker! That countback went to Tom Loesch's GER 1640 that had a 5-1-6-2 for 8 pts; having to settle for fourth was Tom Lau's GER 1541 with a 3-2-4-3 tally.  Fifth place was taken by Christian Greving's GER 1343 with a 4-6-2-7 scoreline for 12 pts. For more Vaeterchen Frost Regatta sailing information
 

J/24 women sailor 
ENJOY 2 Leads J/24 Anzio & Nettuno Winter Championship
(Rome/ Anzio-Nettuno, Italy)- The 45th Winter Championship of Anzio-Nettuno, organized by the Circolo della Vela of Rome, by the Reale Circolo Canottieri Tevere Remo, and by the Italian Naval League of Anzio. The sailing is taking place from the Nettuno Yacht Club off a prominent cape on the shores of the Mediterranean, southwest of Rome. The event is a series divided into five weekends, one a month (16 and 17 November, 14 and 15 December, 18 and 19 January, 15 and 16 February, 29 February and 1 March).

The second weekend welcomed the Roman J/24 Fleet crews with a nice Sirocco wind around 15 knots with a rolling cross-swell.  Chairman of the NYC RC- Mario de Grenet- was able to run two good long races for the fleet.

The day was dominated by Ita 428 PELLE ROSSA skippered by Gianni Riccobono. Their two bullets enabled them to climb up to third place in the series standings.

Second in both races was Luca Silvestri's Ita 458 ENJOY 2.  As a result, they now lead the overall ranking after four races.

After starting strong in the first weekend with two bullets, Paolo Cecamore’s ITA 447 PELLE NERA bombed out their second weekend with a 7-5 to drop into second place overall.

Currently sitting in fourth position is Ita 399 MOLLA skippered by Massimo d'Eramo. They are followed by Ita 487 AMERICAN PASSAGE SAILED by Rome J/24 Fleet Captain Paolo Rinaldi.

The day ended with the usual favorite- the wine and pasta party on the terrace of the Circolo della Vela of Rome!! For more Circolo della Vela of Rome club information   For more Italian J/24 Winter Championship sailing information
 

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Oct 5- Dec 1- Hamble Winter Series- Hamble, England
Nov 9- Hot Rum Series I- San Diego, CA
Nov 9-10- J/22 Vaterchen Frost Regatta- Hamburg, Germany
Nov 16- Around Hong Kong Island Race- Hong Kong, China
Nov 23- Hot Rum Series II- San Diego, CA
Nov 30- Dec 1- J/80 Mundialito Regatta- Santander, Spain
Dec 6-8- J/22 Jammin’ Jamaica Regatta- Montego Bay, Jamaica
Dec 7- Hot Rum Series III- San Diego, CA

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.

Hong Kong Round Island startHong Kong Round Island Race Preview
(Hong Kong, China)- The annual Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club Around the Island Race is one of the biggest inshore events in Hong Kong. It is a 26.0nm race around Hong Kong Island involving Big Boats, One-Design Classes, Dinghies and even Beach cats!  It is a complete free-for-all as the start takes place off the RHKYC starting line in front of the magnificent, skyscraper laced, Hong Kong city waterfront. The average entry list is 200+ boat entries, with more than 1,500 participants.

Around Island Race courseThe race is popular amongst J/Teams in southeast Asia and amongst the local Hong Kong offshore community.  In the Big Boat Class there is a good turnout of J/Aficionados. At the top of that group is the J/122E JINN skippered by owner Nicolas Cohen-Addad. He is joined by the J/111 JUGGERKNOT (Kanev Pavel), the famous race-winning J/109 WHISKEY JACK (Nick Southward), the J/35 NO ONE ELSE (Wing Hung Ng), and the J/105 LEGENDE (Pascal Martin).

There is a large J/80 one-design class going out for their circumnavigation of Hong Kong, fourteen-boats to be exact. Some of the leading boats could be Henry Wong's FOOTLOOSE, Ben Bulmer's JASMINE, Andrew Blank's JAVELIN, Belinda Ng's JENA PABE, Lonny Chen's MAY 13, and Richard Johnston's UNKNOWN PLEASURES. The lone J/70 sailing the race is Andrew Ellis's DAZIBAO. Good luck to all!  For more Royal Hong Kong YC Around the Island Race sailing information
 

J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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J/105 Doublehanded class - Annapolis Doublehanded Offshore Race
*
The recent Annapolis YC Doublehanded Offshore Race
featured a large seven-boat one-design class for the “Mixed Crew One-Design” division. Randy Smyth & Christina Persson won the J/105 division in MIRAGE. Meanwhile, two classic older designs from the J/Design team both won medals in the ORC Division. Roger Lant & Mike Welin’s J/35 ABIENTOT was the first boat to finish in fleet, but corrected to the silver spot just 15 minutes off the lead in the 23-hour race. Then, John Loe & Matt Schubert’s J/33 HORNET took the bronze. Notably, these 30+ year old designs beat two of the latest “shorthanded” boats from France- the Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300 and the Beneteau Figaro 3 (both boats are dog slow upwind).

Here is a nice summary of that race, called “Testing the New Olympic Mixed Doublehanded Event,” from the world-famous Gary Jobson from Annapolis, MD. Enjoy watching the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbrKfXQkDME

J/24 sailing off Miami
* Winner's debrief- J/24 World Champion Keith Whittemore, skipper/ owner of FLORIO, from Seattle, Washington.

Here is an interesting interview/ debrief with North Sails expert Mike Ingham...there are a few good tips that can help any J/24 teams sail better, faster, smarter... Enjoy...

Mike explained, "I trained with Keith’s team leading up to the Worlds, and we were both pretty quick. So, a few days after his win I called to ask him how they posted such a consistently impressive scoreline over conditions that ranged from go-below light air to sailing with the small jib hiked out hard.

Keith explained three key factors to their success:
  1. team (the right balance of skill and attitude)
  2. preparation (a well prepared boat, and a solid training plan)
  3. speed (he is a fanatic about sails, rig tune, and trim)
Winning Team
Keith spoke highly of his team’s skills and attitude, beginning with tactician Brian Thomas. “Brian and I have been sailing together for 40 years. We get along great, and I totally trust him.”

Trimmer Willem van Waay is a newer addition to the team, and Keith says he brought some big regatta winning experience and a great attitude.

Shelby Milne is on mast. “She has been with the team for two years and is great at her job, reliable, hardworking, and a ton of fun.”

Mark Rodgers mans the bow; “He is damn fun to be with, 100% reliable up there, and salt of the earth.”

J/24 Florio sailing off Miami, FL
Winning Speed
Keith had confidence in his sails, “they were perfect out of the bag—every time.”

Curious why he chose the San Diego genoa instead of the Newport model (DX-7TT), I asked him for his thoughts. He feels there is no speed difference between the two genoas and advises picking one and getting to know it well; “don’t switch between the two.” The San Diego model has won every single Worlds since 2013 when the designs were refined, so his advice seems sound.

Genoa Details
While training with Keith, we spent a lot of time looking at the genoa. As the driving factor on the J/24, getting it set up and trimmed just right is huge. The San Diego Genoa is a little flatter, so you have to be spot-on powering it up. The Newport is a little fuller, so at the top end you have to focus on getting that power out and make sure not to over-trim.

Keith offered a few additional speed tips:
“Unroll a brand new genoa for the first race of the first day of racing. It’s good to break in the main, jib, spin for a day or so, but there is nothing like a nice crisp genny for race one!”

Set Up for the Lulls
“If you tune up with your rig at 24/21 and you are always off on your backstay, wishing you had a bit more power, ease off your rig. Even with a front row start, the wind goes over that picket fence of 80 boats and we start in lighter wind, always—so err on powering up.”

Live Through the Puffs
“In the bigger puffs, or if the wind increases during the race, you need to get good at de-powering the boat. The idea of setting up the rig for the lulls is to excel in the lulls (big gains), But that means you have to learn to hang in there for the puffs with a soft rig. Play backstay, cunningham, boom vang, genoa halyard, and pinch as much as you can (less in waves). Last resort is to ease the genny sheet. No matter what, keep the boat mostly flat and the helm balanced.”

Jib Luff Tension
“To help make the genny work from 1 to 20 knots through flat water and waves, be super aggressive with the halyard and jib cunningham. If it is light, sail with scallops between the hanks. But if you make the halyard too loose, the scallops bunch in the middle- that is not good. As the wind increases, the halyard gets tighter and tighter and eventually at the top end it is stretched. The halyard has to be right for the trends, then fine-tune with the jib cunningham.”

Jib Leads
“In flat water, we set the leads to touch-touch (when over-trimmed, the genoa touches the chain plate and the spreader simultaneously). In the chop, we moved it forward a hole to round out the bottom and power it up. That may not seem like a lot, but since the lead is so close to the clew, it makes a big difference. When the waves were on the side on one tack and on the bow for the other, we would only power up on one tack.”

Team Furio have been sailing the J/24 for a long time, and they plan to keep it up. They have a 25-boat local fleet in Seattle, and they’ve made friends all over the world.

“That is something really special about the J/24 class,” Keith points out. “There’s a sense of community and friendship. Of course we want to do well, but really we do this because we sail with people we like to spend time with. We ran into a lot of friends in Miami from all over the world, it was a blast...winning was just icing on the cake!”


* One of the Australian women that sailed on the Australian TWO DOGS team in the recent J/24 World Championship- Megan Aulich- wrote a great report about her experience with her team, the event, a harrowing experience on the final day, and the fun of sailing their J/24.

Australian J/24 flag bearer
Megan sailed with Jack Fullerton on TWO DOGS and she was the flag-bearer for Australia during the opening ceremonies! Here is her account:

“Sometimes in sailing (and life) everything is easy, and things fall into place. This tends to happen when you get a great start, pick the right side, lead the pack to the top mark and stay there by protecting your position.

For team Two Dogs, unfortunately this was not one of those regattas! LOL! It would be easy to show you the highlight reel from this campaign, but I thought I’d share the challenges, too.

For a summary, check out the highlights below. If you want all the gory details read on.
  • All the training in the world can’t save you from bad luck
  • Lawson played chicken with a car on his bike on Beach Road on the day he was due to fly out. He lost… Lesson 1 - Wrap your crew in bubble wrap a month before the event.
  • Make sure charter agreements includes a clause guaranteeing the boat will pass measurement!!
  • Apply sun screen every 2 hours at a minimum. Miami sun is vicious + humidity means you sweat it off before it soaks in.
  • When acting as flag bearer, be less enthusiastic in flag waving to get some decent photos
  • “Back up” before each race to eliminate weed from the rudder and keel! OMFG, disaster!
  • Our self-governing sport is not always self-governing and sometimes protesting is essential.
  • Remember that reading clouds in the northern hemisphere is backwards!
  • It’s not over until the boat is on the trailer.
  • Check the condition of your keel bolts and NEVER stand under a boat on the crane. Ooops.
  • Build a team of great people, so that when things don’t go to plan, they will help you to rebuild and laugh it off!
Our experience at the J/24 World Championships in Miami was mixed. We had some highs and our fair share of lows. We met so many amazing people! The competition was fierce and the organization of the regatta- both on and off the water- was second to none.

We might need a year off to rest, but we will be back.

In the 6 months leading up to Miami, we trained every weekend at Sandringham Yacht Club through the brisk Melbourne winter with an impressive ability to schedule training during the rain. Character building stuff at 9am on a Sunday morning when you’re drenched from above and below from the waves and the rain. Through these targeted sessions we developed a sense of resilience and pride that we were doing everything we could to build our team for Worlds.

In addition to the sailing training, we also worked with fellow sailor and Exercise Physiologist Madeleine Linton every Thursday. We built our strength through punishing circuit routines at The Osteo Collective Cheltenham. We were stronger than we had ever been, and it was great fun to train as a team on land as well as water with plenty of banter, planks, wall sits, weights and everything in between.

At SYC we are lucky to be able to draw on the knowledge of fellow sailors. We tapped into that resource with sessions from Barney Walker and Dave Suda in the lead up.

We also had a nice new set of Doyle Sails Victoria, lovingly crafted by our very own Lawson Shaw!

Come the start of October we felt we had done everything we could to prepare ourselves for the upcoming challenge. Our team led by Jack Fullerton comprised Ramzey El Hila, Tony Moore, Lawson Shaw and me.

Cue upset number one.
On the morning he was flying to USA, Lawson was on his daily cycle along Beach Road when a car pulled out in front of him resulting in a broken collarbone and shattered plans for Worlds. Our team meeting that night was not a happy one. There was no chance of Lawson competing with us. We would be flying out without our tactician / sailmaker / back up trimmer and friend.

Within hours we had phone calls to friends and friends-of-friends all over the world trying to find someone to fill Lawson’s place. One of the best things about the sailing community is the network of friends and the knowledge that you can draw on these friendships when in need. Luckily for us, Anssi Paatero, a fellow J/24 sailor and competitor in the 2018 J/24 Worlds was able to rearrange his planned Finnish holiday and fly across the Atlantic to complete our team.

We were back to a team of 5 with some serious training and recalibrating of our crew dynamic to come in the following days.

Our two training days in the lead up to the regatta were great. We had 0 to 18 knots and were able to get a taste of Biscayne Bay in a variety of weather conditions. We were still working on the reassignment of tasks on the boat but that was always going to take time.

One of our biggest wins of the regatta has nothing to do with racing. We were incredibly lucky to be welcomed as guests to the Coral Reef Yacht Club. We were able to keep our boat with a handful of others from the club rather than trying to raft up with the other 75 J/24’s at Shake-A-Leg. This yacht club was amazing. They had a big pool, beautiful facilities, rooftop bar, big Opti fleet and incredibly accommodating members, particularly Andres Martinez, Sharon and Gerry Bourke. We look forward to seeing you all at Sandringham Yacht Club in the future!

On Friday 18th October, our boat was in for measurement. “Erika II” was rebranded with the Two Dogs logo and we started the very long measurement process. We had almost made it through and were about to crane the boat into the water when a very prolonged discussion between the boat owner and measurement officials over the weight of bulkhead hatches took place. Short answer is that we did not need to add any lead despite prepping it (with shitty power tools – thanks Ramzey).

Measurement day is by far the biggest hurdle for boat owners and those chartering boats. A number of boats didn’t measure at all, meaning crews missed out on the regatta altogether. I cannot imagine the disappointment of missing out due to technicalities.
Luckily for us it was all smooth sailing for the next few training days prepping for the regatta. We felt that we had good boat speed (thanks Doyle Sails) in training and spent the time focusing on crew maneuvers with the new team.

Australian J/24 teams at J/24 Worlds
Racing commenced on Monday with the Practice Race. The Race Officer very wisely provided us with the opportunity to complete three practice starts prior to commencing this race. This was an invaluable initiative for all boats and gave Jack and the team a very quick lesson in big boat starts. They’re bloody tricky! The practice race was to be the template for most of the races to follow with long 1.6 nautical mile legs plus 5-leg courses. The length of race and the final upwind to the finish proved a big challenge for our team, requiring everyone to focus for that additional leg. Although it doesn’t seem like a big deal, this was a big psychological hurdle and I believe it influenced our racing at the beginning of the regatta. Interestingly, most competitors chose not to complete the final leg of the practice race. As a matter of principal, and with respect for race committee and volunteers running the races, we completed the race.

My number 1 learning of the day is that that Miami sun is vicious. The Practice Race was our first day of full sun and despite applying 50+ sun cream three times over 7 hours, my legs were burnt to a crisp. Still not exactly sure why this happened, but I think it has something to do with the high humidity, and not allowing enough time for the sun cream to soak in before racing. Either way, full length pants became a staple for all future races.

On Monday evening the Opening Ceremony was hosted at Shake-A-Leg with all teams cheering as their respective national flags were paraded on the stage. I was incredibly privileged to be nominated as the Australian flag bearer for the event and will remember that moment for a long time to come. The Opening Ceremony was also our first experience of the infamous American “free-pour”. With Bacardi as a sponsor, we quickly learnt that three drinks in America is very different to 3 drinks in Australia. There were a few sore heads the following day to prove it!!

Come Tuesday morning, the real racing was upon us. Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas and racing was postponed for 2 hours ashore due to lack of breeze. Racing commenced as predicted at 1300 hrs in around 5 knots of wind. Of all the days of the regatta, race day 1 was the one that nearly cracked team Two Dogs. We were seriously slow, frustrated with the light winds and as we later ascertained, had been trawling a significant amount of Biscayne Bay weed with us through each race. Big lesson in always checking your rudder and backing up before each race. We also discovered that due to the mast being taller than required, we had a rig tension that was well in excess of that required for such light conditions. We were schooled that day and it hurt.

To be fair, the competition was pretty fierce. Anything less than perfect would see you falling back in the fleet. Participants included 5 J/24 World Champion helmsmen, plus countless Continental and National Champions from 21 countries! My God it was a competitive fleet!

On Wednesday, the weather gods gave us another chance to prove that we could sail in light breezes with the right rig settings sans weed. It was another long day with 2 5-lap races in under 8 knots. Thankfully, our results were an improvement on the previous day, which did wonders for morale.

When organizing a regatta, the number one rule is to ensure that all racing is fair. Huey made absolutely sure the regatta was fair with 20+ knots all day on Race Day 3 (Thursday). One of the most interesting things about racing in Biscayne Bay is that the maximum depth is around 3 metres. When the wind picks up instead of big rolling waves that we are so used to in Port Phillip, there was short sharp chop which lacked consistent direction. We thought that we were good at sailing in chop after a winter with lots of westerlies, but this was something entirely different.

We found the clear air and rounded the first mark in 5th position in Race 5. Unfortunately, we couldn’t maintain that position, but it was a pretty amazing sight seeing the whole fleet rounding behind us. After the first race of the day we had the long downwind trip back to the start line. Regrettably for me, whilst sitting in the cockpit and applying sun cream the boat was too low and being moved around by the chop. We did an accidental gybe which I caught with my head… Cue “boom” + adrenalin and concerned crew members. Following the knock, I was able to regroup for the next race, albeit a little shaky. Tony was in pit for the day and took over tactics for me in the final race. There were clouds around and he was channeling his ocean racing experience in calling the shots with a good result.

Two Dogs finally got our mojo back and registered two solid results of 60 and 58 (out of 79 boats). We also lodged two protests from two separate incidents where other competitors had blatantly infringed on the rules. One was successful in arbitration and the second was drawn out, involved 3 boats, and ultimately thrown out. It made for a long day waiting for the protests to be heard. There were 5 very sleepy pups that evening.

On Friday we were again in the 20+ knot wind range and we were feeling good following the solid results from the day before. We cracked the elusive “top 50” result in the first race of the day, placing 49th and 58th respectively. There were black flags aplenty and lots of boats looking to improve their position following the first two ultra-light race days.

Saturday was the final day of racing with wind in the more comfortable 15-20 knot range. Due to some ongoing injuries obtained the day before, we started with a jib. While this was OK if we had clear air, the minute we were in secondhand breeze we really suffered. There was a speedy jib to genoa change during the first downwind thanks to Ramzey. The “lighter” conditions made for a considerably more pleasant day on the water, particularly downwind with the smaller chop.

Interestingly, as happened in the practice race, a handful of boats did not complete the final race of the regatta, instead opting to retire part way through. The cynic in me thinks they were just trying to get to the crane first to pack up their boats. The volunteer in me was disappointed that boats chose not to complete the course.

As Two Dogs completed the final race, we let out a collective sigh of relief and proudly stated that we were the only Australian boat to complete all the races and return the charter boat in one piece. At the time the statement was true. In a few short hours it was not.

We delivered the boat back to the US Sailing Centre (next to Coral Reef Yacht Club) to strip down our fittings and lines and hand back to the owner. There was a queue of 5 boats waiting to be lifted in front of us, so we were totally de-rigged and ready to put the boat on the trailer and head to presentation by the time it was our turn. Many of the crews before us were nervous with the crane, with little experience operating them. At Sandringham Yacht Club we crane our boats in and out of the water every sailing day, so we were confident and efficient in connecting the boat to the crane for the final hoist out.

I was operating the crane and the rest of the crew were pushing the boat out over the water as the wind was pushing it over the dock slightly. As I was lifting the boat about 3 metres above sea level, there was an almighty crack. The boat seemed to hover mid-air for a moment and then crash down into the water, catching the edge of the dock at the same time. The lifting strop still attached to the crane flung forward and ripped one of the shrouds from its socket.

And there we stared in shock for what felt like forever, failing to register what had just happened. As we too came back to Earth, we rushed forward to secure boat and ascertain the damage. I was the first one there and once someone else held the boat, I jumped downstairs to check the hull. Externally there were two prominent holes where the boat dropped onto the uprights of the hardstand. Inside the boat, there appeared to be no damage to the hull. By some miracle the holes were above the waterline and hadn’t punctured all the way through.

With time, we came to realize that the real miracle is that no one was hurt in this incident. As we walked away from the boat, it dawned on each of us that we had been incredibly lucky that the boat dropped over water rather than on land where it could have injured any or all of us. It was a pretty sobering afternoon. The boat owner was understandably in shock, devastated about the boat but grateful that there were no casualties. It broke our hearts to return the boat in it’s now less-than-perfect condition but at the end of the day the bolts were going to snap, and it was just unlucky it was on our watch.

It wasn’t the end of the regatta that we had hoped for. The biggest takeaway from the whole event is the importance of building a team of people who have your back no matter what.

The biggest thanks from the team goes to our skipper Jack. You did a superb job running the campaign, motivating the team, organizing the trip and racing in your first World Championships. For someone who didn’t know how to sail 6 years ago, that is a very impressive feat." Add to Flipboard Magazine.