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 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 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 Magazine Best Boats Award- Performance MonohullsJ/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 YearFor 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- Performance Cruiser CategoryCruising 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
The British Yachting Awards- Racing Yacht/ Sportsboat CategoryFor 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
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
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!
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
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.
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/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.
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!"
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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We 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!
