Showing posts with label benelux. Show all posts
Showing posts with label benelux. Show all posts

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.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

J/Newsletter- May 13th

Rolex promo with J/88 sailing in Seattle
Rolex J/88 Video
(Seattle, Washington)- Recently, a J/88 sailing on Seattle’s Puget Sound became a “star” in a Rolex promotional video.  Cleverly emphasizing the Rolex Submariner, the promo explores why “time” is an important element of a shared “experience” with family and friends.  More importantly, the clip captures the essence of “why we love sailing” and sharing it with others!  Enjoy.  Watch & Share it with friends!
For more J/88 sailboat information

J/70 Alcatel OneTouch World Championship- Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy2017 J/70 Worlds @ Sardinia!
(Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy)- As the J/70 continues to gain momentum worldwide, it’s clear that Europe continues to grow at an accelerating pace due in large part to a combination of one-design class circuits (like the Monaco Winter Series and the Italian Alcatel OneTouch Series) and the increasingly popular “sailing leagues” first manifest in Germany’s Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga and spreading like wildfire to other countries such as Russia, Sweden, Denmark, United Kingdom, and Italy.

As a result, the IJCA just announced that J/70 World Championship IV will be sailed from September 12-16, 2017, in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy and hosted by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda!

“We are absolutely grateful and delighted with the decision to award Italy the honour of hosting the J/70 Worlds,” said the J/70 Italian Class President Mauro di Vittorio.

J/70s sailing Alcatel OneTouch Italian championship“After the success of the last J/70 European Championship, we campaigned for the bid knowing that we can deliver a superb World Championship, putting crews and owners at its heart.  Now, we have the opportunity to deliver on that promise and to give an enormous boost to the National class,” added Paolo Boido, J/Boats dealer for Italy and Class Secretary of the Italian J/70 Class.

The J/70 class is, indeed, rapidly growing in Italy and this year its J/70 ALCATEL ONETOUCH Italian Open Championship has been attracting competitors from as far away as Sweden. “It gives us encouragement to see more top sailors join the class and we will continue on this path leading up to the 2017 World Championship,” commented Di Vittorio.

Porto Cervo, Sardinia- site of J/70 World ChampionshiphIn addition, Porto Cervo itself will ensure a successful event, renowned for beautiful azure waters, temperate climate, plentiful sunshine, and gorgeous attractions. The unbeatable combination of great sailing waters, top class race management and YC Costa Smeralda's amazing hospitality will all be celebrated during the club’s 50th anniversary— its members are enthusiastic to host a memorable fourth edition of the J/70 World Championship.  Click here for more details on the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.

Please note that many of the top Italian teams are sailing this weekend in San Remo for the third act of their J/70 Alcatel ONETOUCH Italian Championship series.   For more J/70 Alcatel ONETOUCH Italian Championship sailing information

Sailboats in Delta Lloyd North Sea Week sailing past The Hague, The NetherlandsDelta Lloyd North Sea Regatta Starts!
(Scheveningen, The Netherlands)- This next week is going to be a hot-bed of sailing activity across the North Sea and off the seacoast of Scheveningen, The Netherlands.  Hosted by Jachtclub Scheveningen, the 110-mile Vuurschepenrace from Scheveningen to Harwich, England is the opening of the Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta. After a rest day in Harwich, the IRC and ORC classes sail the RORC North Sea Race back to the Netherlands.

Thereafter, those offshore yachts join thousands of other sailors sailing dozens of one-design classes in one of the largest regattas in Europe. It is truly a sailing festival as the entire town is taken over by sailors. Several disciplines participate in the event, big yachts, Olympic classes, catamarans, open boats, and kite boarders. Next week, the J/22s and J/80s will join the fun.

Vuurschepen Race course and fleetThe Vuurschepenrace Race to Harwich started on Tuesday afternoon.  After the start off Scheveningen, the fleet had a reach north along the coast to the first mark (NAM 22), just offshore of the seaside village of Katwijk.  After turning left, the fleet was facing westerlies in the 10-15 kts range overnight going to the mid-channel mark in a WNW direction.  In short, the entire fleet was hard on the nose, very tightly packed together, hoping to make headway in the many ships passing in the night - English Channel!choppy channel that is loaded with ships everywhere (here’s the AIS map- vesselfinder.com- of the channel as 0200 hours on Wednesday!).

The “fetch” to Harwich on starboard may or may not be easy depending on how the winds hold up, plus there’s lots of current to take into consideration crossing the channel.  You can watch the live/ recorded tracking of the fleet on Yellow Brick’s website- http://yb.tl/vuurschepen2015.

Sailing in the IRC 2 Class is the J/105 HARPOEN skippered by Harry Rek.  In ORC 2 division, a duo of J/109s are racing, MAJIC (Arnout Joorritsma) and JAI LAI (JC Bornet).

J/111 Xcentric Ripper sailing North Sea Regatta/ Vuurschepen RaceThe big “news” is the new Dutch Double-handed Nationals series that starts with the Vuurschepen Race.  In ORC 2H are seven very well-sailed and prepared J/Teams, many of whom have won previous RORC offshore races and the Delta Lloyd Regatta.  Those teams include the J/133 BATFISH (Bart Desaunois/ Gerard de Boer), the J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER (John van der Starre/ Robin Verhoef), the J/122 JUNIQUE RAYMARINE SAILING TEAM (Chris Revelman/ Pascal Bakker), the J/120 MAVERICK (Chris Schram), the J/109s FIRESTORM (Wim van Slooten/ Jochem Hamstra) & ARETHUSA (Kees Mijs) and the J/105 PANTHER sailed by the women’s team of Yvonne Beusker/ Edith Voskamp.

The North Sea Regatta this year has a special edition for the two-person sailing teams. For the first time in Dutch history, but also internationally, there is a national championship for Two-Handed sailors.  The organizers are the Shorthanded Dutch class organization, the North Sea Club and the Royal Yachting Association.  The Vuurschepenrace, the North Sea Race and the North Sea Regatta 2015 are designated as the first official Dutch Championship for duets! The explosive growth of Two-Handed teams in the North Sea Regatta shows that one-third of the fleet is now manned by pairs!

J/105 women's double-handed sailing team- Panther in the Netherlands“The class organization for Two-Handed sailors is ready”, says a proud Yvonne Beusker.  Yvonne’s responsible for the new competition format and is a proud J/105 owner/ skipper.  She adds, "The first event is anything but simple, with two long range offshore races and four days of inshore racing off the coast Scheveningen. We already have 22 die-hard sailors! Quite a few duos, including Junique, Maverick, Panther and Xcentric Ripper (all JBoats teams) will continue the fight after the North Sea Regatta, with everyone preparing for the Rolex Fastnet Race in August!”  The photo here is of Yvonne and co-skipper Edith Voskamp on their J/105 PANTHER.  Follow their activities on social media Facebook sailing page.
For more North Sea Regatta sailing information.

J/80 sailing off FranceGrand Prix de l'Ecole Navale Preview
(Brest, France)- La Marine Nationale (the French Navy) and l'École Navale (French Naval Academy) have always been intimately linked to the sailing world. Indeed, sailing is one of the pillars in the academy's training and the Navy has been an ocean racing partner for many years.  The French Navy have long recognized the value of teaching their midshipmen how to handle small keelboats in a wide range of weather and sailing conditions as it fosters better teamwork, decision-making and responsibility.

J/80 sailing in planing mode off FranceIn 2002, the Naval Academy expressed the wish to take advantage of its exceptional stretch of water along the Bay of Biscay and decided to create its own regatta with the help of private partners- G.P.E.N.  Over more than 10 years, more and more competitors have joined the event, leading to greater success and notoriety. The event attracted 200 competitors and 60 boats in its first edition and has now grown to more than 900 competitors and 190 boats.  Following the 2009 edition, the President of la Fédération Française de Voile (FFVoile, French Sailing Federation), Jean-Pierre Champion, decided to entrust the organization of le Championnat de France Monotypes Habitables(CFPMH, French Championship) to the Naval Academy. This choice enhanced and strengthened the ties between FFvoile, the French Navy and the Naval Academy.

Happily enjoying the benefits of their successful efforts have been the French J/22 and J/80 classes.  This year, an enormous fleet of fifty-two J/80s (the largest in the regatta) are ready to compete for the honors of being named a “Championnat de France Monotypes Habitables”. There are at least nine women skippers in the event, nearly 10% of the boats!  Notable women skippers include Sophie Riot sailing LE HAVRE LADIES NORMANDIE, Laura Simon skippering UNIVERSITY NANTES, Maxime Mesnil steering CO-PILOTES, and Maxime Rousseaux on CN ST CAST/ GRAND OUEST ETIQUETTES.

In addition to the women’s teams, there are several top teams that should be in contention, including Luc Nadal’s GAN’JA, Herve Leduc’s PIERRE OCEANE, and Eric Brezellec’s COURIER JUNIOR.

The J/22s have a compact but competitive group that includes Patrick Huet’s EUROPEAN HOMES, Herve Despres’ JINGLE and Grando Phillipe’s SOFFE.  For more Grand Prix de l'Ecole Navale sailing information

J/111 sailing on SolentVice Admiral's Cup Preview
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK)- The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club’s annual Vice Admiral’s Cup regatta takes place from Friday 15th to Sunday 17th May. Since its introduction, the event has gone from strength to strength with its simple close-racing format and fun social program making it enjoyable for the competitors.

This year there will be a maximum of seven classes taking part in the event and among them will be strong fields for the J/111 Class and J/109 fleet.  Both classes have become a regular fixture of the regatta in recent years.

As always, racing will take place in the Solent with committee boat starts and up to eight races scheduled over the three days. The race format will be predominantly windward/leeward with the option for Solent "round the cans" courses too.

J/111s sailing under spinnaker on SolentThe J/111 fleet has seven teams, most of whom saw action at last year’s J/111 Worlds sailed on the Solent and hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron.  Familiar names that are racing include Tony Mack’s McFLY, Andrew Christie’s ICARUS, Cornel Riklin’s JITTERBUG (Warsash Spring Championship winner), Chris Jones & Louise Makin’s JOURNEYMAKER II, Stu Sawyer’s BLACK DOG and Martin Dent’s J-ELVIS.  Sporting the amazingly cool sail number GBR 7111, the new trio of Scholefied, MacDonald & Thomas (barristers in the City?) will be guiding the mighty MUSTIGO against some of the big guns in the class.

With strong performances in the Warsash Spring Series J/109 Class (Black Group & Championship), it remains to be seen if the quartet of JAGERBOMB (Paul Griffiths), JUKE BOX (John Smart & Chris Copeland), JOLLY JACK TAR (RNSA) and JYNNAN TONNYX (Owain Franks & Jean Lockett) can maintain that knife edge of performance, perfectly executed boat-handling and incisive decision-making to stay atop this rambunctious fleet.  With eleven boats battling it out around the cans, it would not be surprising to see others like JELLY BABY (Ian Nagle), ME JULIE (David Rolfe) or INSPARA (Tor Mclaren) throw a monkey wrench into other’s aspirations for a podium finish.  Sailing photo credits- Rick Tomlinson. For more Vice Admiral’s Cup sailing information

J/109 Rush sailing upwindCedar Point One-Design Regatta Preview   
(Cedar Point, CT)- As one of the newest regattas on the late spring sailing circuit, the Cedar Point YC One-Design Regatta has continued to grow significantly year over year.  For their 2015 edition, running from May 16-17 to May 30-31, sixty-five boats across seven classes are looking forward to the extraordinary hospitality displayed by members of Cedar Point YC.  A long-time hot-bed of J one-design sailing, it’s not surprising that 48 teams of J sailors (J/70s, J/30s, J/105s, & J/109s comprise nearly 75% of the fleet) have made their spring pilgrimage to Cedar Point for fun sailing and even better social activities.

The J/70s have attracted a diverse and talented number of crews from Connecticut, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Minnesota and South Carolina.  The fleet of twenty boats has more than their fair share of Midwinter, North American and World Champions in their midst; and virtually all of them are incredibly generous with their thoughts on tactics, tuning, boat-handling and equipment ideas— just ask them!  Chief amongst them may be Allan Terhune racing the electrifying DAZZLER from Annapolis.  He is joined by other top teams like Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT (#2 at the 2014 J/70 Worlds), Noel Clinard’s LOONATICTU from Nantucket, Kerry Klingler’s MENACE (J/80 World Champion), Tom Bowen’s REACH AROUND from Charleston and Ted Johnson’s VITAMIN J from Marblehead.

Amongst the J/30s, a famous team led by Carl Sherter will be guiding the equally famous FAT CITY across the choppy waters of Long Island Sound.  They’re joined by Stefan Jans skippering PALE RIDER and John McArthur’s SMILES.

Looking at the 35 footers that are slowing migrating from Western Long Island Sound, to Eastern LIS, then Newport, then Block Island Race Week, we find both classes (J/105 & J/109s) have a slew of champion teams ready to pony up to the starting line.  The ten boat J/105 class will be featuring recent Edlu Distance Race leaders, Za & Libby Jelliffe on ARETE from American YC.  They will have to take all that practice and hope to stay in contention with teams like ECLIPSE (Damian Emery), LOU LOU (Paul Beaudin), STRATOS (Marcus Wunderlich) and SHAKEDOWN (Jordan Mindich).

On a per foot basis, the massive 17 boat J/109 fleet will be thundering across the starting line with many hoping to keep free air for the first sixty seconds into the race!  With a herd like that, having to tack off and duck transoms soon after the start is not a pretty picture!  The 109s have undergone a renaissance of sorts with new owners jumping into the fray after having sailed J/105s, J/30s and what not over the years.  And, the veteran teams are still having fun sparring with one another even as the racing gets tighter and tighter.  Sure to be a battle that has been repeated over the years will be Bill Sweetser’s RUSH from Annapolis against Rick Lyall’s STORM from Long Island Sound.  Both have won more regattas than Heinz has pickles!  Wannabes to the throne include boats that are easily capable winning, such as Jonathan Rechtshaffer’s EMOTICON, Adrian Begley’s MAD DOGS & ENGLISHMEN, Bob Siegel’s PAX 3, Jim Vos’ SKOOT and Jack Forehand’s STRATEGERY.  It will be fun & games for this band of merry rogues!
For more Cedar Point One-Design regatta sailing information

J/70s sailing San Francisco Bay fast!J/24 Western Regionals Preview
Plus, SFYC Elite Keelboat Regatta
(Belvedere, CA)- The beautiful San Francisco Yacht Club, situated on Belvedere Cove facing the famous Raccoon Straits inside of Angel Island, is hosting their annual Elite Keelboat Regatta and the J/24 Western Regional Championship from May 16 to 17.  The racing takes place on the Berkeley Circle just off the Berkeley city waterfront.  Infamous for raging currents, howling breezes and simply gigantic boat-crunching chop, the sailors will always find it a challenge to sail a consistent regatta on the notorious “circle”.

Founded in 1869, The San Francisco Yacht Club is the oldest club on the Pacific Coast. The original anchorage and clubhouse were located in San Francisco near Mission Rock, but inadequate depth of water and increasing industrial growth in the area resulted in a move to Sausalito. Later, increasing ferry traffic and congestion contributed to a decision to move again in 1926. One group, headed by Commodore Clifford Smith, felt that Belvedere Cove would be an ideal location. Another group felt that the Club should move back to San Francisco and lease land from the City on the Marina.  One group stayed with the club at its current Belvedere site, those who opposed the move resigned and formed St. Francis Yacht Club!

J/24s sailing San Francisco BayOther than the classic Knarrs, the famous “woodies” that have graced the Bay for generations, the J/24s and J/70s are the biggest fleets in the regatta.  As a Worlds Qualifier regatta, the J/24s have an excellent turnout of nearly a dozen boats.  Visitors have come from all over California and the Pacific Coast.  Headliner for the class should be Pat Toole’s Santa Barbara YC team on 3 BIG DOGS, past J/24 North American Champions.  Not giving an inch will also be the top caliber team of TREMENDOUS SLOUCH from Corinthian YC in Seattle, WA led by Scott Milne.  While these top contenders may have their evil eyes focused on each other, don’t count out Jasper Van Vliet’s EVIL OCTUPUS, Darren Cumming’s DOWNTOWN UPROAR, Valentin Lulevich’s SHUT UP & DRIVE nor Paul van Ravenswaay’s FERAL ROOSTER.

With an eight boat class consisting of SF Bay boats that have all sailed well and placed in one event or another, it’s a bit of a challenge handicapping the group.  Nevertheless, amongst the leaders should be Chris Kostanecki’s JENNIFER, Peter Cameron’s PRIME NUMBER and Chris Anderson’s PERFECT WIFE.  Sailing photo credits- Chris Ray and Pressure-drop.usSailing photo credits- Chris Ray and Presssure-drop.us.   For more Elite Keel/ J/24 Western Regionals sailing information

J/105s sailing San Francisco BaySwiftsure Regatta Preview
(San Francisco, CA)- While their friends and colleagues on the north side of the Bay are hosting the Elite Keel and the J/24 Westerns, the St Francis YC will be playing host to the Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Regatta, an event named in memoriam to a highly regarded member and contributor at StFYC.  The regatta will be sailed from May 16th to 17th on the western end of the Bay between Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge- a.k.a. “the city front course.”

Three J classes are participating, the J/105s, J/111s and J/120s. Many of the usual suspects in San Francisco’s famous J/105 fleet will be on hand to pay their respects to Phyllis, but also enjoy some great racing and camaraderie.  With a tremendous degree of parity being displayed in the fleet, many of the teams are keeping a watchful eye on how to gain even a nanosecond of advantage as their teams prepare for the upcoming J/105 North American Championship on September 17-20 (held in conjunction with the Rolex Big Boat Series on the Bay).  The class leaders include a raft of good boats such as Ryan & Scooter Simmons’ BLACKHAWK, Bruce Stone’s ARBITRAGE (with trophy-winning wife Nicole Breault calling tactics), the DONKEY JACK trio (Shannon Ryan, Rolf Kaiser, Ken Turnbull), Adam Spiegel’s JAM SESSION, Jeff Litfin’s MOJO and Jason Woodley/ Scott Whitney’s RISK.

J/111s sailing San Francisco BayGaining new adherents all the time is the SF Bay J/111 class, it’s exhilarating to watch a fleet of 111s screaming across the Bay at 15-18 kts in the classic 18-25 kts afternoon Bay breeze.  Newcomers ready to do battle include Peter Wagner on a brand new boat- USA 115- as well as Bennet Greenwald’s San Diego YC crew on his new PERSEVERANCE.  Happy to provide tuning and speed tips will be class leaders such as Dick Swanson’s BAD DOG, Gorkem Ozcelebi’s DOUBLE DIGIT, Dorian McKelvy’s MADMEN and Nessrin Basoz’s SWIFT NESS from Richmond, California.

J/120s sailing San Francisco BayThe grand dame of the J classes on the Bay are the J/120s.  The fleet continues to enjoy their friends and family racing on a boat that easily doubles as an incredibly comfortable weekender to cruise up the Delta or around the Bay.  The latest addition to the fleet is Tom Grennan’s KOOKABURRA.  Given that class veterans may have at least a dozen years under their belts, Grennan’s crew may do well to increase their bar tube budget to soak sail trimmers on other boats for all their tips and tricks.  Nevertheless, like their J/105 amigos, on any given weekend anyone can win, including Barry Lewis’ CHANCE, Steve Madeira’s MR MAGOO, Dave Halliwill’s PEREGRINE or Timo Bruck’s TWIST.  For more St FYC Swiftsure Regatta sailing information

CYC POD Regatta infoPNW One Design Preview
(Seattle, WA)- Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle presents the First Annual POD Regatta (Pacific NW One Design).  This two-day sailing event is open to One Design, PHRF, and IRC Fleets of all experience levels. Round the buoys races start off Shilshole Bay at 11 am each day, varying distance depending on conditions.  The CYC clubhouse is open after racing for great parties serving food and drinks.  Awards presentation follows racing on Sunday.

Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle is one of the oldest and largest yacht clubs in the Pacific Northwest. With more than 1000 members, CYC plays a leading role in sailing activities in the region. The club’s activities at Shilshole Bay Marina on Puget Sound and Leschi Marina on Lake Washington are focal points for major one-design and handicap racing events throughout the year.  With more than 1,000 starts annually, CYC is one of the most active clubs in the country.

J/105s sailing SeattleThe social activities for this regatta are sure to set a new standard for sailors in the Pacific NW.  Here is what’s on each day:
  • Thursday (evening), May 14:  The Center for Whale Research will be presenting an educational program on Puget Sound Orca whales.
  • Friday (afternoon), May 15: There will be an informal practice with coaching and video. Come get a look at the competition and develop winning strategies with the top sailors.
  • Friday (evening), May 15: POD Regatta Chalk Talk: The CYC welcomes Carl Buchan for the weekend chalk talk!  Carl is an Olympic Gold Medallist and Offshore Champion.  The bar & food open at 6:00pm, the talk begins at 7:00pm.
  • Saturday & Sunday: Bring your team and entire family to share the sailing community. CYC clubhouse will be open all weekend for drinks and $5 dinner(!) prepared fresh by Chef Jeromi. Saturday after racing will feature sea stories, dancing and kids activities. Sunday awards presentation after the best sailors have proven their skills and tactics.
So far, one of the strongest fleets to sign on to this promising event are the J/105s.  Just about all the top boats will be present to thrash around the cans and swap sea stories later.  Those teams include Erik Kristen’s JUBILEE, Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO, Jerry Diercks’ DELIRIUM, David Cohen’s INCONCEIVABLE, Robert Blaylock’s USAWI and Dave Pengelly’s AVALANCHE.  For more CYC PNW One-Design sail information

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

With the Volvo Ocean Race in town, it’s been a rather hectic week in Newport- the sailing capital of the world.  The town has been swamped with sailors from every point of the compass on at least six continents.  The SailNewport/ Volvo Ocean Race Village numbers have been compelling, with over 50,000 people strolling through the “sailing festival” on the end of Fort Adams.  It’s a pretty impressive sight and an even more amazing program that is essentially promoting the sport of sailing to the masses.  Ongoing “demo sails” have been taking place every day with hundreds of “rides” already given by SailNewport’s fleet of a dozen J/22s!  With such a circus in town, it inevitably attracts dozens of friends that drop by the J/HQ on Thames Street as they trek out to the Fort on the far side of Newport Harbor.  Fun and games and plenty of socializing!

While sailors and tourists overrun Newport, some intrepid adventurers hopped aboard their boats and sailed the Edlu Distance Race hosted by Larchmont Yacht Club in New York. It’s an offshore event held on Long Island Sound that had J/92, J/100, J/105, J/109, J/120, J/122 sailing and the skippers had a choice of the long or mid-distance course.  There were some amazing performances, especially by some of the “millennial” sailing generation!  In the far west northwest, the Oregon Offshore took place in perhaps the lightest, slowest conditions ever for a fleet that included a J/42, J/46, J/120 and J/122- there is a reason why some races in the Pacific NW have been dubbed “the driftsure”.

Over in Europe, there was plenty of activity taking place on the Mediterranean.  The J/80 Blue Project participated in the TAG HEUER VelaFestival hosted at Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy, just around the corner from Portofino.  It truly was a “sailing festival” for those involved in the event- part boat show, part intro sailing, part racing.  Along similar lines, the famous Tour de Belle Ile Race took place for 417 boats sailing from La Trinite sur Mer, France out around the famous summer community on the spectacular island of Belle Ile, leaving it and all other islands and rocks to port before returning back to La Trinite sur Mer across Quiberon Bay.  Enjoying themselves immensely were packs of J/70s, J/80s, J/105s, J/97, J/111 and a J/120.

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below has many entertaining stories and news about J/Sailors as well as cruising blogs about those who continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north.  Check them out!  More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page!  Below are the summaries.

Regatta & Show Schedules:

May 12-25- Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta- Scheveningen, The Netherlands
May 20-24- J/24 USA Nationals- Berkeley, CA
May 22-25- Grand Prix du Crouesty- Crouesty, France
May 22-24- J/80 Copa de Espana- Aguilas, Murcia, Spain
May 29-30- Susan Hood Trophy Race- Mississauga, Ontario
May 29-31- Southern Bay Race Week- Hampton, VA
May 30-31- Cal Race Week- Marina del Rey, CA
May 30- Jun 2- Italian J/24 Nationals- Cala Galera, Italy
Jun 3-6- J/80 Campeonato de Espana- Sotogrande, Spain
Jun 5- RORC de Guingand Bowl- Cowes, IOW, England
Jun 6-8- Cronulla J/24 Short Course Regatta- Sydney, Australia
Jun 6-13- J/24 Europeans- Arzon, France
Jun 11-13- J/Cup Regatta- Cowes, IOW, England
Jun 12-14- NYYC Annual Regatta- Newport, RI
Jun 12-14- Cleveland Race Week- Cleveland, OH
Jun 12-14- Chicago NOOD Regatta- Chicago, IL
Jun 12-14- Italian J/70 Alcatel OneTouch #3- Cervia, Italy
Jun 15-19- J/111 World Championship- Newport, RI
Jun 21-26- Block Island Race Week- Block Island, RI
Jun 21-26- J/109 North Americans- Block Island, RI
Jun 25-28- Kieler Woche- Kiel, Germany
Jun 26-Jul 5- Delta Week 2015- Grevelingen, The Netherlands
Jun 26-28- Long Beach Race Week- Long Beach, CA
Jun 27- JP Morgan Round Island Race- Cowes, IOW- England

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

AYC Junior Offshore sailing teamThe “Kids” Win Edlu Race!
J/Teams Predominate In Class/ Overall
(Larchmont, New York)- They have done it again facing the most extraordinary odds; and they overcame all manner of challenges to pull off yet another stunning victory in their class and overall.  If you may recall, the American Yacht Club Junior Offshore Team have seemingly made the extraordinary seem ordinary.  After winning the Stamford Vineyard Race on a club member’s J/122 PATRIOT last year (seen here), they can now add 1st in PHRF 2 Class and 1st PHRF Overall sailing their J/105 YOUNG AMERICAN in the Edlu Distance Race.  As a result, they also picked up the Commodore Wilfred Kluss Trophy for the PHRF yacht with the best-corrected time.

Larchmont Yacht Club’s 60th Annual Edlu distance race was held on Saturday May 9, in pea soup fog with visibility of only about one-quarter mile. Thirty-seven yachts from fourteen yacht clubs competed in six divisions of IRC and PHRF ratings. The course for the IRC and PHRF spinnaker boats was approximately 32 miles to Buoy 11B off Eaton’s Neck/Stamford. The non-spinnaker division sailed a 16.4-mile course to the red bell off Lloyd’s Neck. The first start went off at 0911 in an easterly breeze of 8-10 knots with a flooding tide. The final boat crossed the finish line off the Larchmont breakwater just a few minutes before the time limit of 7 p.m. to hearty cheers from the Race Committee.

In this year’s race, the fog was the real challenge – several boats withdrew after reporting to the Race Committee that they had rounded the wrong mark due to poor visibility.  According to sailmaker Butch Ulmer from UK Sails, “Navigation became the key since every boat was sailing in a 200-yard bubble with no sense of what was going on around them!”

According to Doug Mckeige, the “adult supervision” on board the J/105 YOUNG AMERICAN, “the kids really had a fun time sailing the race.  It was quite a challenge for them, especially working on their charts, navigation, currents and strategy. My son Will was on board along with a bunch of his junior sailing buddies- Hector McKemy, Richard O’Leary, Malcolm, TJ and Chris.  We mixed up the roles along the race to ensure everyone had a hand in trying the various roles on the boat. In the end, Will and Hector did most of the driving. It was tough on anyone wearing glasses to be peering through the thick fog for so long!”

Whether they knew it or not, the YOUNG AMERICANS had another J/105 hot on their tail for most of the race, Za & Libby Jelliffe’s ARETE, finishing only two minutes behind them to take 2nd in Class/ 2nd Overall!  Other J/Teams did well in PHRF 2 including George & Alex Wilbanks’ J/105 REVELATION in 5th, Ken Hall’s J/100 NEVERMORE in 6th, Bill Komaroff’s J/100 TEXAS ROSE in 7th and Russ Stokes’ J/88 BLUE FOR YOU in 8th.

Former LYC Commodore Carl Olsson won first place in PHRF 1 Class in his new J/109 MORNING GLORY.  He also won the AYC Spring series in his first outing in the new boat.  Dr. Olsson has won the Edlu trophy twice, in 2005 and 2013. They were followed by another J/109, Paul Steinborn’s 3 CHEERS in 3rd place.

In PHRF Double Handed division, half the class was J duos.  Sailing another good race was Todd Aven’s J/92 THIN MAN, taking the silver.  Only 47 seconds back on corrected time and placing third in class was Marcus Wunderlich’s J/105 STRATOS, Two more J/105s filled out the top five, including Marc Berkowitz’s CLEAN SLATE in 4th and Charlie Cannam’s ENGARDE in 5th.

PHRF Non-Spinnaker had a nice fleet of boats and Chris Roe’s J/32 ECLIPSE managed a 3rd in class.

The IRC Division saw just nine boats sailing. Making the most of “flying blind” at 9 kts was John Pearson’s J/122 RED SKY, taking 4th in class.  Feeling their way through the “pea soup” and getting home safely to tell a few sea stories was Cory Eaves J/109 FREEDOM in 7th place.  For more Edlu Distance Race sailing information

Tour de Belle Ile 
Fast, Gorgeous Tour de Belle Isle
(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- What is the essence of the “grand tour” of Belle Ile?  Perhaps the panorama above gives you that feeling of majestic beauty and romance of sailing that captures us all.

Created in 2008, the Tour de Belle Ile was meant to be just that— a tour that started from the heart of the Bay of Quiberon, just off La Trinite sur Mer, and sail on a beautiful circumnavigation around Belle-Ile-en-Mer. The fascinating contrasts and variety of stunning landscapes enrich this exceptional course.

The idea for participating was also simple.  So long as you had a boat over 6 meters, you could sail. Small or tall ships, whether professional or amateur sailors and cruise enthusiasts, everyone is invited to participate. And, all types of boats have looked forward to their tour each year, Maxi trimarans like Groupama and Banque Populaire, many famous IMOCA 60s from Vendee Globe, Route du Rhum and so forth, as well as legendary boats like Eric Tabarly’s PEN DUICK IV and even the America’s Cup 12 Meter FRANCE I.

Tour de Belle Ile
Here’s the most fun (or craziest) part of the event.  Everyone has the same starting line that is 3 kilometers long!  That is the essence of the Tour de Belle-Ile.  More than 500 boats lined up in the majestic Bay of Quiberon, what a sight!

With so many small boats joining this sailing festival on the water, the organization created two courses, the Grand Tour (start/finish off La Trinité-sur-Mer, leaving Belle Ile and various rocks/ islands to port for a 42nm course) and Le Petit Tour (start/finish La Trinite sur Mer, but instead round a series of marks on the inner coast (east side) of Belle-Ile for about 37nm).

J/70 sailing Tour de Belle IleMany J/Teams participated in this year’s event including J/70s, J/80s and J/92s on the Le Petit Tour and on the Grand Tour were the offshore J’s.  In IRC 2, the famous J/120 RHAPSODIE V sailed by Jean Jacques Godet from SR Rochelaises managed a 4th in class.  In the IRC 3, it was the J/97 MISPICKEL VI sailed by Thibaut Fagart from SR Rochelaises that took 3rd in her class.

In the HNB A class, the J/111 J4F sailed by Pierre Guennal with Nicolas Troussel, twice winner of the Solitaire du Figaro, won their class!  They were followed in 4th overall by the J/88 J-LANCE XI skippered by Didier Le Moal from SR Rochelaises (also President of J/Composites in France).  Just behind them in 5th overall was the J/105 MISS J sailed by Frederic Guillemot.  For more Tour de Belle Ile sailing information

J/42 VELOCITY sailing Oregon OffshoreOregon Offshore Driftsure!
(Astoria, Oregon)- Light winds on the Washington coast for the extent of the race became an exercise in patience, then ultimately disappointment for many racers, as the time limit made the finish line out of reach.  One boat managed to finish the course in the allotted time.  As a result, the RC notified the racers they could complete a “shortened course” to Duntze Rock.  Imagine what the RC at CYC Portland was thinking, gotta give out all those trophies somehow!

In PHRF A, the J/42 VELOCITY sailed by Tom Keffe from Hood River, Oregon showed extreme tenacity, gutting it out to complete the shortened course before the time limit and securing 2nd place in her class and 2nd Overall.  Only one other boat completed the course and all others dropped out and motor-sailed to Victoria, British Columbia.

Every May, the Corinthian Yacht Club of Portland sponsors the Oregon Offshore Yacht Race from Astoria, OR to Victoria, BC. The event has been a classic "feeder" race, taking enthusiastic offshore sailors from the friendly confines of Portland, Oregon up to the Seattle/ Victoria, BC region for some excellent sailing in the summers-- e.g. Vic-Maui, Seattle NOOD, Swiftsure Race and so forth.  The race goes 193 nm race, starting off Astoria, Oregon at the mouth of the famous Columbia River, then head north up around Cape Flattery (the NW tip of the spectacular Olympic Peninsula), then head down ESE through the notorious Straits of Juan de Fuca to the finish line at Victoria, BC, Canada.  That was the plan.  However, this year the race officially became the slowest ever Oregon Offshore on record.  Next up the “Swifter” Race!!  And, next year will be the 40th edition of the Oregon Offshore.  For more Oregon Offshore sailing information

TAG Heuer J/80 VelaFestival awardsFun J/80 TAG HEUER Vela Festival!
(Santa Margherita, Italy)- The Blue Project, an Italian J/80 sailing club with a fleet of nine J/80s, recently attended the TAG HEUER VelaFestival in Santa Margherita/ Portofino from the 7th to 10th of May.

The VELAFestival is an event sponsored by TAG HEUER for sailing lovers, amateurs and professionals to showcase the sport and also introduce people to sailing not only with a harbor “boat show”, but also a series of regattas taking place just offshore in view of everyone at the festival.

J/80 Blue Project fleet at TAG Heuer VelaFestivalBlue Project not only exhibited at the VelaFestival but also contributed its fleet of nine J80s at the main pier, promoting the class and sailing activities.

On Saturday, all Blue Project teams competed in the Vela Cup.  The racing was very close for all teams, especially with 150 boats registered and many big names in Italian sailing enrolled in the regatta.  The top J/80 crew was TEAM SPACE COWBOYS, sailing well to place 17th overall of 150 boats and also taking 1st in the J/80 class.

J/80 TAG Heuer VelaFestival winnerOn Sunday 10th, Blue Project and its J/80 fleet conquered the local racing scene, showcasing the last match of the Winter Sailing Series in front of Santa Margherita Ligure.  The winners of the Winter Sailing Series 2014-2015 were the VELAMARE TEAM consisting of Ms Fiore Baruffi, Matteo Soppera, Matteo Colombo, and Andrea Rizzato.

Blue Project awarded the determination and perseverance of VELAMARE TEAM with a huge prize- - - the free use of a J/80 during the next Winter Championship Series in 2015/2016!  Ms Baruffi was simply shocked by the amazing prize (seen here in photo on the right)!  She thought a TAG HEUER watch was nice enough for 1st place!

The event and the Winter Sailing Series ended in a friendly and enthusiastic atmosphere with a champagne party on the VIP Terrace of the TAG HEUER LOUNGE overlooking the beautiful waterfront.  All the participants were very satisfied with Blue Project’s organization and have already registered themselves in the next Winter Series that will be held in Chiavari (GE).

Blue Project has moved its headquarters and fleet to Yacht Club Chiavari on the Portofino Coast where they will organize many sailing activities at a very high level.    For more TAG HEUER VelaFestival sailing information.   For more J/80 BLUE PROJECT sailing information, please contact Ivana Quattrini / mobile- + 39 335 8093904/ ufficiostampa@blueprojectsailing.com
 

J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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Stepanie Roble- J/70 sailing* Stephanie Roble, Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and USA Women’s #1 Match Racer, has been sailing for the past two years with John Brim on his J/70 RIMETTE.  John loves sailing his boat and he has assembled a fun, easy-going, and extremely talented crew.  Steph has been helping John and the crew sail faster, get better organized, and focus on teamwork.  Here are some of Steph’s pearls of wisdom after sailing in the Helly Hansen Annapolis NOOD Regatta:

“I had a great time with Team Rimette (John Brim (driver), Collin Leon (trim) & Dave Wright (tactics/bow)) at the Annapolis NOOD present by Helly Hansen. This was my first time sailing the NOOD in Naptown and first time sailing in the “non college sailing” venue. We arrived two days early for some practice where we focused on upwind speed and boathandling. The team sailed in the Wednesday night race against about 20 other boats, it was super fun and a great pre-regatta reminder of pre start processes. Despite a light air event with minimal races, we had a great event, finishing 8th overall.  Here are some take-aways from Team Rimette:

- Be consistent with pre start homework & dock off time: For an 11 am start, we left the dock at 9:30 every morning. This gave us enough time to cruise by some crab pots on the way out to confirm the current. A big goal for us this event was to develop upwind speed, so we also left plenty of time to get the rig dialed in and made an effort to always be lining up with the same, fast teams each day. With the strong current and light air we often kept our engine on the back until we knew we were going into sequence. Also, with the current, we made several time runs at the line so we could understand how the current would affect our approach with angle and speed. This was super helpful and hard with the adverse current the last day!!

- Raking back was a positive move for our rig: In Charleston, we had our rake set at 5’ 6 ½” (with North Sails). We consistently felt stuck in a lower/faster to lower/same mode and the driver had minimal helm. So, we raked back to 5' 6 3/4" in hopes of finding a higher groove and we did! We still used the North Tuning guide as a base for the rig. However, with the rig further back, we had to be conscious of headstay tension, which was a combination of lower tension, and mainsheet tension. In general, the event was pretty light so we generally found headstay sag to be fast. But, in the puffs when everyone was on the rail and we were slightly overpowered, I would put on slight amount of backstay, little bit of vang and just gave the mainsheet a bump to keep the boat under us.

- Speed kills: With a light air event, we focused a lot on proper weight placement fore/aft as well as side to side. If it was super light, we had weight together and forward as much as possible. When the puffs came up, we were very quick to get weight on the rail so the driver didn’t have to pinch up in the puffs & lose speed. Overall, John and I focused on creating good target numbers UW and in the super light stuff we made fast target numbers and made a team rule of absolutely never going slower than that (which is hard!). Downwind, we are super fast because Collin is constantly communicating pressure in the sheet to John and we try to focus on using weight to turn the boat rather than the rudder.

- Be consistent with communication: I run the starts on our boat and I have been focusing on developing consistent communication with the team and John. Starting with 60 boats in light air in adverse current is super stressful for everyone onboard and around us. So we find that we can calm down and create all around the best start when we revert back to the communication we have developed. All around the course Dave was very good at saying “if this, then that” which kept things cool on the boat. And downwind Collin’s communication is clear and concise to keep the boat moving.

- We love our water filter! Collin purchased a water filter that hooks up to the hose on the dock. It is extremely handy! We fill 4 Nalgenes on the dock each morning and 1 gallon jug. Easy to move the weight around and obviously less use of plastic bottles. Definitely worth the investment and pays itself off pretty quickly!

* Both Sally Barkow and Charlie Enright were happy to arrive in Newport after completing their long leg in the Volvo Ocean Race from Itajai, Brazil to Newport.  Sally (a J/22 and J/24 sailor and top woman Match Racer from Neenah, Wisconsin) is sailing as one of the skippers on Team SCA and Charlie (J/24 champion and Fleet #50 champion) is sailing as skipper of Team ALVIMEDICA.  We had a chance to chat with them at the New York YC Harbour Court Commissioning Ceremony, presided over by Reverend Mary Johnstone.

Sally Barkow- SCA SailingBoth sailors are completing a weeks worth of festivities in Newport, RI and are preparing for their assault on the last long distance leg of the 2014/ 2015 Volvo Ocean Race.  Both have credited the discipline and focus they learned as one-design sailors against the world’s best competition as a solid base on which to build their offshore capabilities.  Both are sailing on teams that are relative novices at the offshore racing game, at least compared to the considerable talent arrayed against them on boats such as Abu Dhabi Racing and Dong Feng Racing teams.

Charlie Enrght- Volvo- Alvimedica Sailing teamIronically, it’s another champion J/24 sailor from the United Kingdom, Ian Walker, who is capitalizing on his experience both in one-design and offshore to be the current fleet leader as the skipper of Abu Dhabi.  It seems that both Abu Dhabi and Dong Feng both have “third gears” that no one else have seemed to discover when any of the boats are in a “close reaching/ power beating” scenario.

As Charlie himself commented, “when we have VMG upwind or VMG downwind on any leg we seem to have the right modes and sail cross-over choices.  At least we can hang with the leaders.  However, in just plain jib/ J1/ C0 reaching situations, we just bleed miles away.  We are still learning how to use the ‘reaching strut’ on the clews and to double or triple slot the headsails.”  Sally pretty much echoed Charlie’s perspectives, except to say that, “we are on a HUGE learning curve and on the last leg there were several times we felt like we were in the hunt! It’s tough out there, but we’re lovin’ it!”

More news soon as they head off onto their Saturday Inshore Race in Narragansett Bay and their start off Fort Adams to begin their journey across the Big Pond to Portugal.
 

J/Cruisers
J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers.  Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.

* The J/40 HERON REACH sailed by Virginia and Jerry is participating in the Blue Planet Odyssey project and have recently joined them in the Marquesas Islands in the Eastern Pacific.  Learn more about their adventures and experiences here- http://heronreachodyssey.blogspot.com/
Giant whale breaching in front of J/160 SALACIA off  Australia's Whitsunday Islands* J/160 SALACIA has been sailing in Australia in the Whitsunday Islands.  Guess who decided to throw themselves across their bow as they cruised comfortably to their next destination?  A giant whale!  Look at this amazing photo!

J/42 cruiser- sailing across Atlantic Ocean* Jim & Heather Wilson just completed a circumnavigation of our "blue planet Earth" in June 2013 on their J/42 CEOL MOR.  Said Jim, "The odyssey of CEOL MOR is over, for now.  We completed our circumnavigation on our J/42 when we crossed our outbound track in Britannia Bay, Mustique. We were, however, still 2,000 nautical miles from home. So we continued on through the Windwards, the Leewards, and then through the British Virgin Islands. After a farewell 'Painkiller' at the Soggy Dollar, and a last meal at Foxy’s, we made the 1,275 nautical mile passage to the Chesapeake and completed our port-to-port circumnavigation when we arrived in Annapolis on June 28, 2013. We had been away 1,334 days, completed 259 days of ocean passages, and sailed 30,349 nautical miles (34,925 statute miles). Read more about their adventures in their  well-documented blog here:  http://www.svceolmor.com/SVCeolMor/Welcome.html

J/160 sailing offshore to US Virgin Islands- rainbow over ocean* J/160 AVATAR headed for the Caribbean, again!  We LOVE these updates from our cruising J sailors that continue to criss-cross the Seven Seas. This one comes from Alan Fougere, sailing his beloved J/160 AVATAR.   Alan sent us an email update commenting on their passage south this winter, "In mid-December AVATAR completed her sixth transit to her winter Caribbean home, Grand Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI (seen above)  from her home port in Quissett (Falmouth), MA.  A crew of three, Captain Alan (e.g. me), Crew Pablo Brissett and Mark Conroy, covered the 1,500 nm trip in in her best time to date- 7 Days 5 Hours, averaging 8.7 kts, that's about 208 nm per day!  Amazing passage it was!  Rainbow at right far offshore was some of the amazing phenomenon we experienced on this fast offshore passage.

AVATAR will participate in the BVI Sailing Festival/Regatta again in 2013, where last year she won the Nanny Key Cup Cruising Class race around the Island of Virgin Gorda.  Here are some photos for you to share with the J/Community at-large.  Enjoy!"
Best, Alan Fougere/ AVATAR

Bill & Judy Stellin- sailing J/42 Jaywalker* Bill & Judy Stellin recently had an interview about cruising on their J/42 in the Wall St Journal called "Retiring on the Open Sea".  The Wall St Journal asked Bill to reply to dozens of questions that flooded into the WSJ's Editor desks. Here's the update:

Retiring on the Sea: Answering Readers' Questions
Advice about selecting a boat, ocean crossings, itineraries and safety

Wall St Journal interview- Stellin's Offshore cruising/ sailing retirementThe article in our WSJ Online December retirement report about eight years spent sailing the Mediterranean— "Retiring to the Open Sea"— prompted many questions and comments from readers.  We asked William Stellin, who wrote the story, to answer some of the most common queries.

WSJ- "What kind and make of boat did you use? Looking back, would you have picked a different boat?"

Bill- "In 1995-96, J/Boats of Newport, RI, came out with a new cruiser/racer model, the J/42. We bought hull No. 6 of this popular 42-foot sailboat and named it JAYWALKER. This was our fourth boat since beginning sailing in 1975.

Although long-distance cruising wasn't what we had in mind when we purchased JAYWALKER, it soon became apparent it had the ability to carry us easily and safely anywhere we wanted to go. Because the boat is light, it sails well in light winds, which means very little motoring is necessary.

People often ask (and argue) about what boat is best for cruising. Any boat that is strong, safe, fast, comfortable and easily handled by two people should fit the bill. One thing for sure, fast is fun—and important when trying to avoid bad weather."

READ MORE ABOUT BILL'S INSIGHTFUL COMMENTARY AND THOUGHTS ON WSJ ONLINE HERE

* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand.  Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/

* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.

J/130 sailing ARC Rally arrives Portugal- leave a message on the sea wall!* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between.  Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins??  Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).

-  Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun).  Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".

- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com.  Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA), then to the South Pacific and New Zealand.  MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.