Showing posts with label boat show. Show all posts
Showing posts with label boat show. Show all posts

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.

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

J/Newsletter- October 2nd, 2019

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

Last week, J/70 sailors were treated to an amazing regatta on Lake Erie. The first J/70 North Americans to sail on the Great Lakes took place off Cleveland, Ohio, hosted by the Edgewater Yacht Club. The sailing conditions were truly epic, with two days of racing in 6 to 10 foot waves (more like giant chop) and 15 to 25+ kt winds with temperatures in the 70’s F and mostly sunny days. Also enjoying breezy conditions were a number of other regattas around North America. The J/105 Canadian Championships were held on Lake Ontario, hosted by the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. South of them on Long Island Sound, the American Yacht Club hosted the first weekend of their famous Fall Series for one-design fleets of J/70s, J/88s, J/105s, J/109s, J/44s and a PHRF fleet with J/111, J/145 and J/112E sailing in them. Still further south on the Chesapeake Bay, the Annapolis Yacht Club hosted the first Offshore Doublehanded Regatta for a one-design fleet of “mixed” J/105s and a PHRF handicap fleet with a J/35 and J/33. Out west, the fun-loving J/Fest San Diego hosted one-design fleets of J/70s, J/105s, J/120s, and a J/PHRF fleet that included a J/30, J/109, and J/145.
 

J/99 sailing off Newport 
J/99, J/97E & J/70 @ Annapolis Sailboat Show!
(Newport, RI)- It is that time of year, again! Time to plan a visit to one of the exciting sailboat shows in  the USA - the U.S. International Sailboat Show in Annapolis, MD.

J99 European Yacht of the YearJ/99- the seriously fast, comfortable, offshore shorthanded speedster
Making her Annapolis debut, the J/99 is the newest addition to the J/Sport range, combining headroom and comfortable interior accommodation with the tiller-driven responsiveness of a sport boat. The sail and deck plan are optimized for easy handling with fewer crew, and incorporate the latest developments from the award-winning J/121 and the new Offshore Sailing World champion J/112E. The interior features twin aft cabins, a proper sit-down forward facing nav station, an L-shaped galley, and a private forward head with sail locker. Plus, the J/99 has been nominated for European Yacht of the Year Award. For more J/99 sailboat information.

J/97E- the perfect dual-purpose family cruiser racer
The J/97E was the first J in over two decades under 32’ to combine headroom and family cruising accommodations in a high performance, easily-driven hull. With the handling ease of an asymmetric spinnaker and non-overlapping headsails, the J/97E has proven to be the most versatile design yet under 35’ to fit the needs of today’s sailing families, both young and old alike-- the ultimate combination of sailing performance and creature comforts for all!  For more J/97E sailboat information.

Come join us at the Annapolis Sailboat Show- the J/99, J/97E, and J/70 will be on display; from October 10th to 14th at Annapolis Cityfront MarinaFor more information.
 

J/70 sailing San Francisco Bay
Sail a J/70 in Florida this Winter!
(Newport, RI)- There is nothing like escaping the winter freeze for some fun, competitive one-design racing in the warm waters of Florida.  Even better when there’s a choice of events and venues to choose from. The J/70 class has it covered- from the Davis Island Winter Series on Tampa Bay to the Miami Bacardi Winter Series on Biscayne Bay, the J/70 Midwinters in Miami, and Charleston Race Week.

Discover why the J/70 is called the sportboat with stability- a blast to sail upwind and downwind, and one of the few modern designs that can be sailed by three-generations competitively- from 7 to 70!

There has never been a better time to buy a J/70- the 2020 J/70 Fall Package Special is available until October 15th, 2019 and includes:
  • 2020 Model J/70 with standard equipment
  • Selden carbon mast and boom
  • Harken Snubbair low-profile winches
  • Cross-sheet jib cleats and vang cheek blocks
  • Galvanized, single-axle, float off/lift off trailer
  • Companionway spinnaker bag
  • Safety Gear– anchor, chain & rode, bucket, bilge pump, first aid kit, two fenders, two dock lines.
The Fall Package Special is $46,900 (Bristol, RI) for orders placed prior to October 15, 2019.   Please contact your local J/Dealer or J/Boats for more information. Learn more about the world’s most successful sportboat- the International J/70 here.
 

J/70s sailing off Cleveland, Ohio 
J/70 North American Champs on Cloud NINE!
(Cleveland, OH)- The Edgewater Yacht Club hosted the 2019 edition of the J/70 North American Championship for the world’s largest and most popular sportboat class from September 24th to 29th. The thirty-five teams from five nations (Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico and USA) sailed an amazing regatta on the challenging waters of Lake Erie, famous for its severe chop and rapidly changing winds along their city waterfront. In fact, for many J/70 crews, it was an eye-opener to see gale-force type oceanic conditions with massive chop on one of the big freshwater Great Lakes.
J/70s sailing fast off Cleveland, OH
For the three-day event, the Edgewater YC PRO Mark Foster and his Race Committee pushed the sailors to their limits. The first day set the pace for the regatta. The fleet was greeted with postcard-perfect conditions, southerly breeze from 12-16 knots and gusts in the 20s meant perfect planing opportunities. Adding in sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s, everyone relished the three races to kick off the Championship. The second day dawned with grey, leaden skies that ultimately cleared for a spectacular sunny day of racing. As the front and skies cleared, a strong northwest breeze filled in blowing 15-20 kts, with gusts in the high 20s.  What made the day an epic experience were the monster waves (e.g. giant 6 to 10 foot chop) that made for some hair-raising, double-digit planing speeds on the downwind runs. After all that excitement in the first two days, the fleet had to contend with a finale that was anything but mind-blowing, concluding with just one light air race on Saturday.
J/70 NINE team
Oivind Lorentzen’s NINE team (Lucas Calabrese, Ian Coleman and Will Felder) started out the first day of the regatta in first place over a stellar, incredibly talented field; the top of the field had multiple World Champions on their boats as tacticians/ main trimmers. Consider that you had Olympic 470 Silver Medallist Lucas Calabrese on the lead boat; J/22 World Champion Allen Terhune on TEAM VINEYARD VINES; Golison’s MIDLIFE CRISIS with Erik Shampain as Etchells 22 Champion; Keane’s SAVASANA with College Sailor of Year Thomas Barrows; Ignacio Perez’s ZAQUERO with World Champion crew Willem Van Waay; Pam Rose’s ROSEBUD with World Match Race/ Congressional Cup Champion Taylor Canfield; Ryan McKillen’s SURGE with offshore World Champion Tony Rey; Haroldo Solberg’s VIKING with 4x J/24 World Champion Mauricio Santa Cruz from Brazil; John Evans’ AIRPLANE with J/88 and J/111 champion tactician Marty Kullman aboard; and Travis Odenbach’s famous HONEYBADGER with World Star Champion George Szabo and J/88 Midwinter Champion trimmer Michael Booker keeping it going fast. Not exactly a group of “shrinking violets” amongst that fleet of talented sailors, ALL capable of winning Continental or World Championships given the right team, boat and owner/skipper.
J/70s sailing downwind on Lake Erie
Against that backdrop, it was clear that winning this J/70 N.A.’s was not going to be a “walk in the park” for anyone, despite the small fleet size of thirty-five boats. In fact, there was no place to hide! The teams had to be on their game, as the small starting line, and incredibly sharp tacticians, meant you had to be fast, pick your spots, have great boat-handling, and minimize your mistakes that invariably creep into even the most professional programs. In short, with so many good teams, having just one bad race in the ten race series (with one discard) could be catastrophic.
J/70s sailing off start line
Going into the last day, NINE held a mere 0.7-point advantage over Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT heading into Saturday’s final competition. The main problem for the NINE team was a 18th in race 6, while CATAPULT had all top 6 finishes. The stage was set for the CATAPULT team to bury the NINE team and walk off with an easy, tactical win. Going into the final race, CATAPULT was one of only two teams without a double-digit finish and in a prime position to take advantage of that leverage on any competitors. However, lurking in the shadows with an ability to win overall was also Keane’s SAVASANA, the only other team with all single-digit finishes after nine races.
J/70 Team Vineyard Vines sailing
In the regatta finale, CATAPULT missed their opportunity, while NINE nailed it; earning a second-place finish (to CATAPULT’s 12th) to claim the 2019 title with a total of 26.3 net points. The 2016 J/70 World Champion- Ronning’s CATAPULT TEAM- captured the silver position with 31 points. John Brim’s RIMETTE gained a third in the day’s lone contest, leaping them up to third overall with 38 points. John and Molly Baxter’s TEAM VINEYARD VINES closed the Championship with a bullet, giving them fourth place on a tiebreaker (over Brian Keane’s SAVASANA) at 42 points.

Kevin Morgan’s WILD CHILD with crew Mike Sheehan, Caroline Sundman, Sarah Paisley and Mark Hassett topped the 13-boat Corinthian division. Following them were Martin Johnsson’s AQUAHOLIKS and Charlie Pendleton’s BAD HOMBRES.
J/70 sailing upwind on Lake Erie
“It’s very exciting for me because I’ve been working at this now for a few years,” beamed Lorentzen. “The level of competition makes it so rewarding. Having good crew makes all the difference in the world. The thanks really go to them.” Although Lorentzen has sailed in the Great Lakes before, he’s never done so in Cleveland. “The venue was a pleasure— the wind, the welcoming club. Hopefully, we do it again.”

Willem van Waay, racing on ZAQUERO, summarized this week’s conditions in Cleveland, “15-25 knots, 72-degree fresh water, 5-8 foot waves, 80+ degrees outside. San Francisco is awesome, but this place, this week, was at a different level. It’s like God built a perfect playground for us!”

Photos are available on the International J/70 Class Facebook page.  Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes   For more J/70 North American sailing information
 

J/105 Mandate team in Toronto, ONT, CanadaThe MANDATE Was A Whitewash? The Terry & Rod Show Win Canadian J/105 Championship
(Toronto, ONT, Canada)- By now, the J/105 class has become accustomed to the Terry & Rod Show. An amazing, smart, talented duo hatched on that infamous little island off the Toronto city waterfront that is home to the beautiful Royal Canadian Yacht Club. They have an amazing facility, but equally important, is that RCYC has been an incubator for some of Canada’s best sailors over the past few decades. This past weekend, two of those “alumni” cashed in on their experience to take home the pinnacle of the Canadian J/105 Class- the Canadian National Championship.

Starting off with a pair of bullets, and leading after the first day of racing, the duo of Terry McLaughlin & Rod Wilmer on their mighty MANDATE never looked back, as the rest of the fleet watched their transom most of the time disappearing over the horizon in front of them.  Never finishing worst than 2nd, the MANDATE crew posted six bullets and two deuces over eight races. Ouch, that was a spanking of everyone’s proverbial derrieres. Is anyone surprised? Well, the M&W MANDATE team are three-times past J/105 North American champions.

Did the rest of the fleet manage to stay in contention? None, really. However, Frank McLaughlin skippering STARCROSS was learning the “rope-a-dope” early in the regatta by taking a 2-3-7 in the first races to hang close to the MANDATE duo. Thereafter, McLaughlin’s STARCROSS posted a commendable record of one 1st, three 2nds, and a 3rd to hang on to a respectable silver medal behind the world-dominating MANDATE crew.

Another J/105 North American Champion took the bronze medal, Jim Rathbun’s HEY JUDE. After an incredibly difficult first race 12th, they clawed their way back into contention by posting mostly all podium finishes, e.g. all of them left over after the two McLaughlin’s took all the others!

Rounding out the top five were Peter Hall’s JAMAICA ME CRAZY in fourth place and Andrew Moor’s THUNDERSTRUCK in fifth place. For more Canadian J/105 Championship sailing information
 

J/105 sailing off San Diego, CA 
Fun, Beautiful J/Fest San Diego!
(San Diego, CA)- What no one expected, after a highly variable weather pattern over the past few weeks, was a simply gorgeous weekend of sailing in San Diego, CA. The occasion was the J/Fest San Diego Regatta for a fleet of J/120s, J/105s, J/70s, and a J/PHRF fleet.
J/120 sailing off San Diego, CA
In the legendary J/120 fleet in San Diego, it was the extraordinary team on John Laun’s CAPER that simply decimated their fleet. What is interesting about the San Diego J/120 fleet is that results are highly dependent on simple combinations of good skippers, tacticians, and sail trimmers. It is not a secret at all, put together the right crew with the right “karma” and off you go! Having good starts helps, as you go for the first shift ahead of the rest of the fleet. In the end, Laun’s CAPER crew won all five races!  Second was Chuck Nichols’ CC RIDER with a 2-3-4-2-2 tally for 13 pts. Then, taking  home the bronze was Scott Hogan’s SHAMROCK with a 4-2-2-4-4 for 16 pts.
J/120s off San Diego, CA
The equally famous J/105 fleet in San Diego also saw a near whitewash of their class. Chuck Driscoll’s JUICED won three races in their five-race series enroute to a dominating class win.  However, behind them it was a full-on battle for the balance of the podium. The three protagonists included Steve & Lucy Howell’s BLINK!, Stew Cannon’s J-OK, and Jeff Brown’s SWEET KAREN.  As each team enjoyed a roller-coaster ride up and down the standing in, literally, every race, it was the Howell’s BLINK! that took the silver. But, that was based on winning a tie-breaker over Cannon’s J-OK at 18 pts each. Rounding out the top five was Brown’s SWEET KAREN just one point back with 19 pts and still only 1 pt behind them was Rich Bergmann’s ZUNI BEAR with 20 pts! Close racing, indeed!
J/70s sailing off San Diego, CA
Unlike their counterparts in the 105s and 120s, the J/70s had a classic duel at the O.K. Corral! The regatta was a training event for many West Coast teams that are preparing for the 2020 J/70 World Championship at California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, CA. The final race determined everything for the closely fought leaders in what has become the world’s most competitive class. David Hochart’s USA 540 and Tony Collins’ FLY finished tied on points as a result of Hochart’s last race win! Losing the countback was Collins’ FLY. The final position on the podium was determined by a battle between Drew Belk’s KAWAU BAY and Curt Johnson’s AVET 2.01.  Belk’s lest than stellar 8th in the final race was enough to overcome Johnson’s 5th place to secure the bronze medal. Rounding out the top five was Steve Wyman’s NUNUHUNU with 26 pts.
J/120 CC Rider sailing off San Diego, CA
In the J/PHRF division, it was Robert Noe’s J/30 MAD HATTER taking class honors. Second was Gene Pitkin’s J/109 GERONIMO, while Robert Pace’s J/145 ANDIAMO 2 won every race on elapsed time, but ended up taking the bronze in class.  For more J/Fest San Diego sailing information
 

J/44s sailing on Long Island Sound 
Windy Start to American YC Fall Series
(Rye, NY)- The first of two weekends of racing in the famous American Yacht Club Fall Series took place with extraordinary weather conditions. With a solid 15-25 kts of breeze, the AYC PRO and Race Committee were able to run six races over the two days, giving the sailors more than they bargained for in their first weekend of racing. The AYC Fall Series has big one-design fleets of J/70s, J/88s, J/105s, J/109s, and J/44s participating, as well as an offshore PHRF Fleet.

The eight-boat J/70 fleet saw John Gochberg’s team on USA 551 take an enormous lead over the fleet, posting an amazing six 1sts and one 2nd to be leading with just 6 pts net.  Second was the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Team on YOGI, also recording an very steady record of all podium finishes; a 1st, two 2nds, and four 3rds for a total of 14 pts net. Rounding out the leaderboard is Manuel Cadarso’s EOLO with a 2-3-5-3-2-5-4 tally for 19 pts.

With the upcoming J/88 North American Championship looming over the horizon on western Long Island Sound at Larchmont, it is not surprising the eleven-boat J/88 class was going to see several teams using the AYC Fall Series as a “pre-NA’s” tune-up. The big surprise was a new team that took the fleet by storm; John Sommi’s CLOUD 9 ran away with the early lead, posting seven bullets in seven races for a net score of just 6 pts! Sailing fast in their first major event and challenging Sommi’s CLOUD 9 in most races was the duo of Andrew Weiss & Larry Cutler on ONE TOO MANY; their tally of five 2nds and a 5-7 puts them in second place with 15 pts net. The balance of the podium has William Purdy’s WHIRLWIND in third place. Notably, there are four teams within three points of third place, including Purdy’s WHIRLWIND, Tim Sweet’s GIVE’R from Canada, Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION, and Paul Strauch’s ANDIAMO.

J/105s sailing upwind on Long Island SoundThe fourteen-boat J/105 class had a good mixture of racing in the seven races sailed so far. A relative class newcomer is leading the series, Dwight Greenhouse’s SKIPPERDEE is on top with a record of 1-3-2-1-6-2-2.5 for 11.5 net pts. Second is a perennial Long Island Sound J/105 champion, Paul Beaudin’s LOULOU with a 9-1-3-2-1-1-9 roller-coaster tally for 17 pts net. Sitting in third with another roller-coaster experience is John & Maria Koten’s GRAY MATTER with 3-2-1-9-2-3-12 for 20 pts net.

The thirteen-boat J/109 fleet also saw one boat stand out from the pack. Not surprisingly, David Rosow’s talented crew on LOKI sailed a very consistently both days, producing four 1sts, a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th to post 9 pts net. Behind them, it’s a bruising battle for the next two steps on the podium.  Sitting in second is Trevor Roach’s INCENDIARY with 17 pts net, third is Jonathan Rechtschaffer’s EMOTICON with 21 pts, fourth is Bud Rogers’ BIG BOAT with 22 pts, and fifth is John Greifzu’s GROWTH SPURT with 28 pts. All of them are experienced teams and, in the end, with another weekend of racing in front of them there is no question anything goes in this competitive class.
J/44s sailing on Long Island Sound
The big-boat J/44 one-design class had a half-dozen boats sailing, with four boats sitting within five points of each other after six races! One-design sails supplied by the class ensure extremely close racing. Leading is Don & Rick Rave’s RESOLUTE with a 2-3-2-2-1-1 record for 8 pts net.  Second is Tom Blackwell’s BREAKAWAY with a 4-2-1-3-2-3 tally for 11 pts net, and in third is Len Sitar’s VAMP with a 1-4-4-1-3-4 record for 13 pts net. Tied with him is New York Yacht Club Commodore Bill Ketcham’s MAXINE with scores of 3-1-3-4-4-2 for 13 pts net as well.

In the PHRF handicap world, we find Bill & Jackie Baxter’s J/111 FIREBALL sitting in fourth in PHRF 1 Class, just five points out of 2nd place. And, in PHRF 2 Class, Scott Devine’s J/112E REVIVER is sitting in third, while sitting in fourth is the Landy/ Soohoo duo on their J/100 SANGUINE. In the PHRF Performance Cruising class, Charles Taus’ J/33 SIRIUS is sitting in fourth.  For more American YC Fall series sailing information
 

J/105s sailing off AnnapolisSmyth/ Persson Win Annapolis YC Doublehanded Offshore Distance Race
(Annapolis, MD)- The Annapolis Yacht Club hosted a new 24-hour distance race for mixed double-handed crews that started on Saturday, September 28, 2019 off the entrance to the Severn River. The inspiration for the event came from the announcement by World Sailing that the Olympic Games will host a mixed double-handed, long-distance competition beginning with the 2024 Paris Games in France.

The fleet took off on a race course designed to be sailed in about 24 hours across the vast expanse of the Chesapeake Bay. The AYC event featured two divisions: one for mixed gender crews in J/105s and a second division open to male or female teams in boats of 25 to 42 feet using the ORC handicap rule to score the different size boats.

The seven-boat J/105 fleet had several famous offshore sailors participating. Winning the race was Randy Smyth, a two-time Olympic medalist and winning America’s Cup sailor. He was paired with his friend Christina Persson on-board MIRAGE. Taking second was a U.S. Naval Academy Team comprised of Midshipman 2/C Donald Poirier and USNA Coach Nancy Haberland. Third was the duo of Bill Bomar and Bri Grenier on PEREGRINE. Rounding out the top five were RJ Cooper & Courtney Cumberland’s PRISCILLA/ TENACIOUS and Ethan Johnson & Cat Chimney’s OAKCLIFF SAILING/ RUM PUPPY.

In the ten-boat ORC Division, the two J/Duos racing; Roger Lant & Mike Welin’s J/35 ABIENTOT and John Loe & Matt Schubert’s J/33 HORNET, finished second and third, respectively. For more AYC Doublehanded Distance Race sailing information
 

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Oct 11-13- China Coast Race Week- Hong Kong, China
Oct 11-12- J/80 Copa de Espana- Coruna, Spain
Oct 17-20- J/88 North American Championship- Rye, New York
Oct 18-20- J/105 Masters Regatta- San Diego, CA
Oct 19-26- J/24 World Championship- Coconut Grove, FL
Oct 19- Rolex Middle Sea Race- Gzira, Malta
Oct 25-27- J/24 East Coast Championship- Annapolis, MD
Oct 25-27- J/Fest Southwest- Lakewood, TX
Oct 25-27- J/105 Lipton Cup Regatta- San Diego, CA
Nov 1-4- French J/80 Championship- La Rochelle, France

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

J/122s sailing on Galveston Bay, Texas 
J/Fest Southwest Regatta 10th Anniversary!
(Lakewood, TX)- The 10th annual edition of the J/Fest Southwest Regatta will feature many of the exciting and fun events that J/Sailors have enjoyed over the past decade. This year’s event will feature live music, a shrimp boil dinner, free beer, spectator boats (for family and friends), and lots of J/Sailors having a lot of fun! Hosting the event at their expansive facilities on Galveston Bay is the incredibly accommodating Lakewood Yacht Club. Participating are one-design fleets of J/22s, J/24s, J/70s and an ORC handicap class.

For the thirteen-boat J/70 fleet, the regatta serves as a 2020 J/70 Worlds qualifier that will be held in Marina del Rey, CA at California Yacht Club. Despite the relatively small size of the fleet, it is bursting with talent from many top southwest sailing teams. Watch for these teams to be factors on the leaderboard; such as Doug Strebel’s BLACK RIVER RACING, Mallory & Andrew Loe’s DIME from Seattle, WA, Glenn Darden’s HOSS, Forbes Durdin’s MOJITO, Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE, Mark Masur’s TWO FEATHERS, Al Poindexter’s USA 241, and Jay Lutz & Doug Strebel’s ZOUNDS.  Fun and games for that fleet!

The eleven-boat J/24 fleet also features a number of leading crews in the southwest.  Chief amongst them is Jack Franco’s 3 BALL JT, plus Stu Juengst’s VANG GO, Andrew Theismann’s YOUNG’UNS, and Gerald Rademaker’s YIKES!

The fourteen-boat J/22 fleet has a number of amusing teams participating. Who’s on first in this fleet? Who knows. But, it could be Casey Lambert’s BLACKBURN MARINE RACING, Jeff Jones’ GAS STATION SUSHI, Dan Pletsch’s SKETCHY, Gary Thies’ STUDENT DRIVER, or Kevin Orff’s TROUBLEMAKER. Wow, sounds like a bunch of refugees from the local mental asylum… anyone want to race against that crazy crew? For sure, they will have a lot of fun.

The J/105s have seven teams participating from around Galveston Bay. Based on their performance at the recent J/105 North American Championship, there is no question the outright favorite has to be Ken Horne’s FINAL FINAL team (the infamous boat with class illegal “no windows”). Who will challenge them? Perhaps John Barnett’s PESTO, Brad Robbins’ RUMPUS, Dennis Kokkinis’ SPITFIRE, or Albert Shannon’s WIKI WIKI V.

In the J/ORC Division are six teams that will be pointing their bows across the starting line. Those teams include the brand new J/99 USA 007 (another Agent 99!), Albrecht Goethe’s J/46 HAMBURG II, Andy Wescoat’s J/109 HARM’S WAY, J.D. Hills’ J/122 SECOND STAR, Jim Demarest’s J/46 SODALIS III, and George Cushing’s J/92 77. Included in this group is Richard Bell’s J/97E VESPER.  For more J/Fest Southwest sailing information
 

J/Community
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J/34 Knee Deep sailing Mac Race
* More Fun Sailing on Lake Erie! Here’s a report from the fun-loving sailing family- the Langolf’s from Cleveland, Ohio:


“Fresh off a 3rd Place finish in the Bayview Mackinac Race, the Langolf family crew got our J/34 IOR boat called KNEE DEEP off the trailer and back in the water. Now, it was time to coordinate our next adventures.

J/34 Knee Deep sailing upwindWe put the mast back up, dialed in the rig to our settings and coordinated with the crew to see how we could tackle the end of summer. In a five-week span, we were full-on weekend warriors. We took 4 kids (and 3 wives!) on their first overnight race (drifter!) aboard KNEE DEEP (taking 3rd). We cleaned up the boat by sunrise and fired up the diesel for a Sunday Funday Race in the Bay, victory again!

The next weekend was a wild ride in six-foot waves and #3 jib to a top-five finish at the annual Labor Day pursuit race; the 20 mile delivery home was even more fun.

The family then packed up the gear and headed east the following weekend to race with our friends on the J/105 FALL LINE. Winning the overall Cleveland Cup on Saturday, we also helped the FALL LINE team win the J/105 Boat of the Year on Lake Erie. We had a convincing J/105 class win around the buoys on Sunday. Better yet, the race was in the books before kick-off for the Cleveland Browns NFL football game!
J/105 young girl skipper
The next weekend, the regatta was canceled due to weather. However, that didn't stop us! We loaded five kids on our boat and took two other families sailing for the day.

J/24 sailing on Lake Erie
J/Boat September ended at the J/24 District Championships. Our family chaired the regatta and we jumped aboard BOOYAH! to take a second-place finish. We had two great days of racing in Sandusky Bay (host for the 2022 J/24 North Americans). Amusingly enough, most of our KNEE DEEP crew were dispersed among the top 5 boats!

Now, it’s time for a couple of October sails to the famous Cedar Point Amusement Park; over a half-dozen of the world’s largest and fastest roller-coasters are on the island. Let's hope the kid's lifejackets fit over their Halloween costumes.”  Thanks for this contribution from father Brett Langolf.
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