J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
The beginning of the New Year is often highlighted by major boat shows that feature major product introductions. From a J/Boats perspective, this coming week features three quite significant shows across major continents. The world's largest indoor show is the boot Dusseldorf Boat Show in Germany, a show attended by nearly 300,000 boaters. In Canada, their Toronto Boat Show is also the largest indoor show in North America! Then, out in the Pacific Northwest is the Seattle Boat Show, the largest in the entire northwest of the United States.Meanwhile, sailing is taking place all over the blue planet Earth....but, some places were a bit smokier than most. Remarkably, the Australian J/24 National Championship took place off Sydney, despite the extraordinary bush fires the country has been experiencing. The weather could not have been better, as mostly onshore breezes kept the weather clear and the fleet managed to sail twelves races over the four-day event.
Also, in the southern hemisphere, the Chilean J/70 class held their National Championship off Algarrobo, Chile for three days of amazing sailing conditions.
Then, in the Americas, an all-star fleet of sailors assembled in Tampa Bay, Florida for the second event of the Davis Island YC's J/70 Winter Series. For the fleet of fifty-plus boats, it was an amazing weekend of sailing. Perhaps most amazing, was the performance of the leading team that seemed to have the course "dialed-in" and win a few too many races (at least, according to their friends)!
Visit boot Dusseldorf Show Extravaganza- see J/70, J/99, J/112E!
(Dusseldorf, Germany)- The massive, world-famous, Boot Dusseldorf Boat Show is taking place from January 18th to 26th in Dusseldorf, Germany at the sprawling Messe Conference & Exhibit Center.
With over 300 sailboat-related exhibitors, there is no question the world’s largest sailboat show in the heart of Europe is an exciting place to visit.
Renowned as one of the major “arts” centers in Europe, Dusseldorf is both a cultural attraction along the gorgeous Rhine River as well as an amazing boat show to attend- truly one of those cultural events the entire family can enjoy!
On display in Hall 17/ Booth A22 will be the latest J/99 shorthanded offshore speedster, the World Champion J/112E sports cruiser, and the world’s most successful sportsboat- the International J/70.
In Germany alone, the most significant impact on sailing sport has been the evolution of the J/70 Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga, with over 80 sailing clubs participating and thousands of sailors across Germany enjoying fun, tight club racing. Then, across Europe, there are 14 national SAILING Champions League series that use fleets of 6 to 12 J/70s to ensure close, fair racing- it's a boat that can be sailed by anyone in your sailing community- young and old alike, women, children, and 8 to 80 yrs old! Learn more about the J/70 here.
The premiere next-generation sport-cruiser, the J/112E, is proving to be quite popular in Europe. The J/112E has been enthusiastically enjoyed by sailing families seeking to combine the “joy of sailing” with a comfortable, spacious, sunny interior. Learn more about the remarkable performance of the J/112E the past two summers in European racing circles- repeating as IRC/ ORC European Champion as well as expanding on her IRC/ ORC World Championship performance in 2018. Learn more about the J/112E sport cruiser here.
Finally, winning enormous accolades across the spectrum of sailors is the latest edition to the J/Sport range, the J/99 offshore speedster. Learn more why she has already been awarded SAIL's Best Boats- "Best Performance Boat", SAILING WORLD's Boat of the Year- "Best Crossover", and British Yachting Awards- "Racing Yacht/ Sportsboat of the Year". Learn more about the J/99 here. For more Boot Dusseldorf show information and to get on-line tickets.
J/99 Pacific Northwest Debut at Seattle Boat Show!
(Seattle, WA)- Make your plans now to view the brand new, triple-award winning, 32' Offshore Speedster- the J/99! Sail Northwest in Seattle will be showing their boat indoor at the Seattle Boat Show, Century Link Field Event Center. The Seattle Boat Show goes from January 24th to February 1st, 2020.
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. For more Seattle Boat Show information and tickets
J/99 Debuts @ Toronto Boat Show
(Toronto, ONT, Canada)- Visit the Toronto International Boat Show, North America’s largest indoor boat show and is the preeminent selling venue for Canada’s recreational boating industry! The show is celebrating 62 years and runs from January 17th to 26th at the Enercare Centre, Exhibition Place, in downtown Toronto.
Making her 2020 Canadian boat show debut will be the exciting J/99 offshore speedster! You can find her at Stand B2 & B3. Presenting the J/99 will be Pat Sturgeon Yachts from Mississauga, ON. For more J/99 visitation information, please contact Pat Sturgeon at phone- 905-278-5100 or email- pats@patsturgeonyachts.com. For more Toronto Boat Show information and tickets
J/Crew Calendar SPECIAL- Save 25%
(Newport, RI)- Did you forget a few friends, family, or crew these past holidays? Well, here's a great way to go from naughty (or bad) to nice in one simple gesture! Buy the J/Crew Calendar SPECIAL now and pass them out to your deserving crew! It's just $12.95 each until January 17th, 2020 (plus postage & handling)!
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 some of the most popular J's sailing in many of the world’s most picturesque sailing venues- Palma Mallorca (Spain), St Barths, Chicago, Lake Garda (Italy), Frutillar (Chile), Lake Thun (Switzerland), Torquay (England), and Valle de Bravo (Mexico).
Remember, it's just $12.95 until January 17th, 2020! That's a 25% savings.
See the gorgeous photo gallery here ORDER the J/Crew Calendar SPECIAL here now!
J/80 Worlds Fleet Special!
(Newport, RI)- The J/80 World Championship returns to Newport, Rhode Island in September 2020 for what promises to be another epic event. J/80 sailors are still talking about the last Newport-hosted Worlds in 2010.
The demand for charter boats this year is high, so J/Boats is offering a limited number of new J/80s on a pre-order Worlds Fleet Special. The new fleet will be commissioned in Newport, RI and sailed during the J/80 Worlds by international teams (September 28 – October 3) and then available for pick-up by owners following the event.
J/80 Worlds Fleet Special:
- 2020 Model J/80 with standard specifications including:
- AG+ mast and boom
- Profurl R250 New Gen roller furling system
- Lewmar winches and Harken deck gear
- Triad Trailer - Galvanized, double-axle lift off trailer
- Companionway spinnaker bag.
- Safety Gear package – anchor, chain & rode, bucket, bilge pump, first aid kit, two fenders, two docklines.
- 3.5hp Outboard motor (TBD) with padded engine bag.
NEW WAVE Wins J/70 Chilean Nationals
(Algarrobo, Chile)- Fresh off sailing the recent J/70 South American Championship in Punta del Este, Uruguay, a number of teams headed back across the formidable Andes Mountains range back northwest to Algarrobo, Chile for the 2020 J/70 Chilean National Championship, hosted by Cofradía Náutica del Pacífico.
Twenty-six teams participated in the regatta and many them participated in the training program provided by the Doyle Sails Team. Running the sailing clinic was non other than J/70 World Champion Jud Smith from Marblehead, MA. After the pre-regatta full-day training program that included an onshore debrief, the competitors continued to learn even more about Smith's "speed secrets" during the course of the regatta. Juddie was on-the-water all three days of racing and provided post-race day debriefs at the yacht club for any of the sailors.
The sailors were treated to a fairly typical cross-section of wind and wave conditions off Algarrobo. Friday's racing was light and shifty winds for most of the day. Then, on Saturday and Sunday, the fleet enjoyed 10-18 kts of breeze, increasing on Sunday to 15-20 kts...making for a few fun, full-out planing races downwind.
Day 1
In the lighter breezes on the first day, the right side of the course upwind paid off the best. However, late in the day, the seabreeze affect started to pull the breeze left with a little more pressure. The strongest performance of the day was the Herman brothers on NEW WAVE, they had great starts, solid tactics and very good speed to post a 3-3-2 to sit atop the podium at the conclusion of racing. Not far behind was Matias Seguel's crew on TEAM VOLVO with a 7-1-5 and in third was Vernon Robert's MORENITA team that had just finished 6th in the J/70 South Americans in Punta, posting a 2-2-10 for the day.
Day 2
On Saturday, the wind built a little more and some of the stronger teams took advantage of the wind and wave angles, particularly downwind. The Ducasse family onboard TSUNAMI posted the best record for the day with a 6-9-1. Meanwhile, the regatta leaders on the Herman's NEW WAVE posted a 3-11-4 to hold on to their lead. Meanwhile, Seguel's Team VOLVO also held on to their 2nd spot with a 4-12-2.
Day 3
The stronger wind conditions on the final day certainly played into the hands of the more experienced teams. Dominating the final day and closing out the regatta with a strong performance was the Herman brothers on NEW WAVE, posting a 2-1-4 for a 22 pts net (after one discard); that gave them a 13 pts winning margin. This was the second J/70 Chilean Nationals the Herman brothers have won, taking the first event in 2015 at Lago Panguipulli onboard CAROLINA.
Taking the silver was Seguel's VOLVO team, closing the regatta with a 3-5-8 for 35 pts net. Then, rounding out the podium was the Ducasse family on TSUNAMI. Their final day was a bit of a disappointment, as they had been in the running for the overall lead with VOLVO and NEW WAVE. They started off the day winning their second race in a row, but suffered an OCS in Race 8 and, therefore, ruining their chances to win the regatta. They closed with a 2nd to take the bronze.
After an uncharacteristically bad fourth race- a 21st place- Robert's MORENITA crew demonstrated why they are one of South America's best J/70 teams, closing the gap very quickly on the leaders to finish just 7 pts from second place! In fact, they posted the best record of any team in the last five races- a 1-3-6-2-1, winning the last race by a big margin and securing fourth place. Rounding out the top five was Alejandro Perez's team on PELIGRO.
Winning the Corinthians Division was young Alfredo Urzua on LA NEGRA, second went to Cristóbal Pérez's IL MOSTRO, and third was José A Jimenez and family on DARK SIDE.
Franco's 3 BALL JT Smokes J/70 Davis Island Winter Series II
(Tampa, FL)- Fresh off their winter holidays, fifty-three J/70 teams savored spectacular conditions on Tampa Bay for the middle part of the 2019-2020 J/70 Winter Series at Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, Florida. With record high temperatures in Tampa, winds were ripping on Saturday, starting at a sustained 16 knots with gusts in the 20s. Four races were completed, as the wind slowly backed off. Sunday saw about 8 knots, dying throughout the day, when two more races took place.
Reveling in the spectacular sailing conditions was Jack Franco’s 3 BALL JT. His all-star cast of Bill Hardesty, Alec Anderson and Rob Lindley, ruled the six races, posting five bullets and an eighth for just 5 net points. Brian Keane’s SAVASANA placed second on the weekend with 26 points, but leads the overall ranking (with the final of the Series to come). Darby Smith’s AFRICA took a second in Sunday’s final contest, moving her into third for the weekend with 28 points. Rounding out the top five was a tiebreaker at 31 pts each, winning the countback was the duo of Mark Foster and Travis Odenbach on HONEYBADGER while the duo of Josh Goldman and Allen Terhune took the fifth.
Bob Willis’ RIP RULLAH Team of Matt Clark, Michael Whitford and Patrick Hitchins, topped the 23-boat Corinthian division. They were followed by Peter Firey's PHOENIX in second and Tod Sackett's FM in third.
Each Friday of the Series, SAIL22 leads the "Porch Series', which includes a North Sails debrief. Mike Marshall was this week’s coach. Practice races were run, followed by a debrief and prizes. The Series concludes February 7-9. For more Davis Island Winter Series sailing information
CHECKMATE Crowned 2020 Australian J/24 National Champion
(The Spit, Mosman, NSW, Australia)- The 2020 Australian J/24 Championship was sailed over four days of racing in a variety of sailing conditions. Race Officer Steve Tucker and the Middle Harbor Yacht Club Race Management Team completed the full schedule of twelve races with two days of north-easterly winds and two days of cooler southerly breezes on Sydney Harbour. It was a closely-fought battle for the top of the leaderboard, but in the end, it was the 2019 J/24 Australian Champion that managed to defend their title in 2020- Brendan Lee's team on CHECKMATE from Sandringham, Victoria. Here is how it all went down for the sixteen teams in the four-day, twelve-race, two-discards regatta.
Day 1- Light and Shifting
The first day saw racing on The Sound of Sydney Harbour in a light south-easterly that became moderate in the afternoon. It was a gentle start to four days of racing, with wind strength and temperature forecast to rise as the event progressed.
In the first race of the day, Lee's CHECKMATE was third behind Steve Wright’s TINTO (Cronulla SC), the runner-up for last year’s championship, but thirty seconds ahead was Middle Harbour sailor John Crawford and the crew of INNAMINCKA. In race two, CHECKMATE took a narrow win from David West’s Ace (MHYC) and TINTO was third.
For the final race, Race Officer Steve Tucker signaled for three laps of the windward-leeward course running from south of Cannae Point out through the Sydney Heads, where the breeze held steady around 130 degrees throughout the afternoon and kept the fleet clear of the ferry lanes. David McKay’s STAMPED URGENT, the Cronulla team who placed third at the 2019 Nationals, were first home ahead of Simon Grain’s JET (Sandringham YC) and CHECKMATE.
At the end of day one, CHECKMATE led the series score by 3 points with TINTO (Steve Wright) second and INNAMINCKA (John Crawford) tied for third with STAMPED URGENT (David McKay).
Day 2- Moderate and Pretty Day
As the morning southerly slowly turned east, and then northeast, and freshened, the smoke haze cleared over Sydney Harbour to provide some good racing conditions. The MHYC race management team set a course between Middle Head and North Head for another three races.
Race 4 was completed in an unsettled breeze with TINTO the winner by 11 seconds from CHECKMATE and VORTEX. The breeze had increased slightly for Race 5 but it was still fluky close to the top mark. STAMPED URGENT made the best of the conditions to finish ahead of Middle Harbour’s David West on ACE and TINTO in third.
Race Officer Steve Tucker “tweaked” the course for Race 6, but there was some excitement on the start line with a number of boats making contact. CALYPSO (Paul Donnelly / RMYC) and PHOENIX (Joanna Lecka / CYCA) both suffered damage; with PHOENIX later sinking on Clontarf Beach within sight of the Middle Harbour Yacht Club marina! The boat was eventually re-floated and hoped to be back for the following day (nothing a lot of epoxy cannot fix!). Back on The Sound this afternoon, TINTO claimed another win, this time ahead of Warren Slater’s JAB and CHECKMATE.
Two wins for the TINTO crew moved them to the top of the series table, one point ahead of CHECKMATE and eight points clear of the top local boat ACE.
Day 3- HOT and Great Breeze
With the mercury rising to the mid-thirties C (that's HOT!), humidity around 40% and the breeze topping 20 knots, it was an exhausting third day for the sailors.
Three windward-leeward races were completed on a course set between the Sow & Pigs Reef and North Head with an axis of 025 degrees for the first two. INNAMINCKA was fast out of the blocks, claiming their second win of the series in Race 7 ahead of STAMPED URGENT and CHECKMATE. The breeze freshened to 18 knots in Race 8 and TINTO was back at the front, leading STAMPED URGENT and CHECKMATE to the line. For the final race of the day, the breeze had backed to 015 degrees and was 20-plus knots. Grain'S JET crew loved the conditions and scored their first win, with TINTO in second and INNAMINCKA third.
After nine races, TINTO had a four point lead over CHECKMATE in the championship series score; meanwhile STAMPED URGENT was another seven points adrift in third.
Day 4- Epic Finale!
The final trio of races on the fourth day started in a moderate to fresh southerly with the course moved out of The Sound and set between Obelisk Bay and Neilson Park in search of flatter water. Shockingly, regatta leader TINTO posted their two worst results in races 10 and 11 (an 8th & 7th), handing the series lead on a silver platter to the CHECKMATE crew that had posted another steady 2-1 tally. In short, with just one race left, the CHECKMATE could have DNF'd the race and went home delirious with their good fortune and celebrating with a few dozen "tinnies"; however, that was not the case. The story gets better, or worse, depending on which boat you were on.
With the wind building to 20-25 knots, things got very interesting for the final Race 12. It took two General Recalls before the last race got underway. After getting completely flumoxed and frazzled in the first two races to give away the Championship, the TINTO team managed to collide with the Committee Boat in the final pre-start...adding insult too injury, as one might say. As a result, they were slow off the line and 11th at the first leeward rounding, half-way through the W2 course. Meanwhile, CHECKMATE was having issues of their own! At the same half-race leeward gate, they managed put their spinnaker in the water (yes, a full-on shrimping mates!), and the resulting tangle caused them to retire and take a DNF! Meanwhile, STAMPED URGENT, the boat placed third in the series, was following INNAMINCKA in the lead at the first leeward rounding, and held on to post a handy second. A shocking outcome to all, to say the least! It was a "rumble in the jungle" in the blustery finale, the final tally showed a much closer finish and a complete re-shuffling of the leaderboard as a result of several fiascos in that last race!
At the conclusion of four day’s racing, Brendan Lee and the CHECKMATE crew of Daniel Abbas, Daniel Cave, Will Shears, Keren Reynolds and Belinda Christie were declared the Australian J/24 Champions for 2020. While CHECKMATE was able to drop their DNF score and finish on 25 points, Steve Wright’s TINTO had a disappointing day posting 8-8-7 to slide back from series leader into third place behind McKay’s STAMPED URGENT.
MHYC’s Vice Commodore of Racing, Geoff Charters, presented the J/24 National Championship awards and J/24 Australia Class President Ron Thomson presented the Handicap Prizes. First on handicap was PHOENIX (Joanna Lecka), second BAILE DE LUNA (Adam Keyes-Tilley) and third KAOTIC (Geoff Pearson). A special award was made to David McKay for an incredible effort getting the sunken PHOENIX back on the race track the following day.
While there were no red flags on the final day, the protest committee were kept busy with eight protests and hearings held on each of the first three days. It took two hearings to unravel the facts of the start line incident in Race 6 involving four boats which saw two with significant damage and one sinking at Clontarf Beach before reaching the safety of the MHYC Marina.
Many thanks to the Middle Harbour Yacht Club race management volunteers, the protest panel and NSW J24 Association volunteers for enabling the Championships to run so smoothly, and to Marg Fraser-Martin for the great photography. For more J/24 Australian National Championship sailing information:
Regatta & Show Schedules:
Jan 23- STC Lauderdale to Key West Race- Fort Lauderdale, FL
Jan 23-26- J/Fest St. Petersburg- St Petersburg, FL
Jan 25-26- J/70 Bacardi Winter Series II- Miami, FL
Jan 26-31- Grenada Sailing Week- St Georges, Grenada, West Indies
Feb 7-9- J/70 Davis Island Winter Series III-Tampa, FL
Feb 14-16- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Petersburg, FL
Feb 20-23- J/70 Midwinter Championship- Miami, FL
Mar 4-7- J/70 Bacardi Cup- Miami, FL
Mar 5-8- St Maarten Heineken Regatta- Simpson Bay, Saint Maarten
Mar 5- Puerto Vallarta Race- San Diego, CA
Mar 6-8- St. Croix International Regatta- Christiansted, St. Croix, USVI
Mar 10- SORC Miami to Eleuthera Race- Miami, FL
Mar 17-21- St. Augustine Race Week- St. Augustine, FL
Mar 20-22- San Diego NOOD Regatta- San Diego, CA
Mar 26-29- St. Thomas International Regatta- St. Thomas, USVI
Mar 30- Apr1- BVI Spring Regatta- Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Apr 12-18- Les Voiles de St Barth Regatta- Gustavia, St Barthelemy
Apr 17-25- EDHEC J/80 Sailing Cup Regatta- Port du Crouesty, Arzon, France
Apr 23-26- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 26- May 1- Antigua Sailing Week- English Harbour, Antigua, West Indies
May 1-3- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
May 27-31- J/24 North American Championship- Blue Point, NY
Jun 11-14- Helga Cup Ladies J/70 Regatta- Hamburg, Germany
Jun 12-14- Chicago NOOD Regatta- Chicago, IL
Jun 20-21- J/70 East Coast Championship- Cape May, NJ
Jul 26-Aug 1- J/70 World Championship- Marina del Rey, CA
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* VOTE Now for Rolex Yachtsman & Yachtswoman of the Year 2020!
Two well-known J sailors are in the final running for the 2020 Rolex YoY Awards for men and women sailors.
VOTE now for Willem van Waay and Nicole Breault for the People's Choice Award for Rolex YoY in their respective categories! Click here.
Willem Van Waay Profile:
Hailing from Coronado, California, Willem proved his wide array of skill sets again in 2019 for several teams across many events and various classes. The tactician’s year was highlighted by a win at the J/24 World Championship in Miami with skipper Keith Whittemore aboard Furio. Van Waay and crew outlasted the fleet of 79 to claim the first-place prize by 16 points through 10 races. They won two races, including two of the last three of the regatta, and posted six top five finishes. The stacked fleet featured five former J/24 World Champions. In addition, Willem has also been J/70 World Champion as trimmer and in 2019 was the winning tactician in the J/70 Midwinters, the Rolex Big Boat Series J/70 Class, the San Diego NOOD J/70 Class, and the Marblehead NOOD J/70 Class.
Nicole Breault Profile:
Sailing most of her year on the famous San Francisco Bay, renowned match racer Nicole has always been a well-rounded and versatile sailor. Her skills as a tactician aboard Good Trade were on full display at the 2019 J/105 North American Championship, held last September in Marblehead, Mass. at the Corinthian Yacht Club. Breault and the crew on Good Trade defeated the fleet of 18 teams. They posted 18 points over eight races and won by an eight-point margin. They won three races, including the final race of the regatta, and never placed outside the top five. Plus, she won the U.S. Match Racing Championship Women's Division racing J/22s and also too the silver in the Nation's Cup Match Racing Championship Women's Division, emblematic of the Women's Match Racing Worlds.
* J/70 South American Update: Fastest Growing One-Design Class in South America
Just after North Sails swept the podium at the J/70 Chilean Nationals at the end of 2019, we sat down with Torkel Borgstrom to talk about class growth across the continent. He says the J/70 is growing in a very similar way to how the J/24 grew, thirty-plus years ago. With boats built in Buenos Aires, “It is becoming one of the most important and competitive classes in South America. And most of the sailors here use North Sails, including the top ones, because they perceive that it’s an advantage in terms of performance.” The first South American country to build a fleet was Chile, about seven years ago. “Right now there are probably 30-35 boats, and the numbers are stable.”
Uruguay has another 30-boat fleet, he continues. “And Brazil was one of the first countries that started with a J/70, but due to some restrictions on importation, they only have around ten boats. But every time they participate internationally, they do well.” Add in another 35 boats from Argentina, and it’s easy to see why Torkel says the J/70 “has become one of the strongest and most interesting one design classes. The regattas are very, very competitive, and normally there are a lot of boats participating.”
In Brazil, a lot of professional sailors have moved into the J/70 because the competition is so good. In the rest of South America, Torkel explains, the approach is more like in the US; most sailors are either amateur or people work in the industry, but don’t specialize in J/70s.
The J/70 South Americans in Punta del Este had great conditions but only 32 boats participated, which surprised Torkel—though he wasn’t surprised to see a Argentinian tie for first. “Most of the sailors are new, and so when you put together a good crew like the one Guillermo Parada has, they normally will win most of the events.” As for the disappointing turnout, he blames it on the current political instability, particularly in Chile but also in Argentina. “Every time we have elections here, things get a little bit unstable. So I believe this is the reason why we haven’t seen more boats.”
Based on what he’s seen so far, Torkel is excited about the future of the class. “In January, we have the Rolex Atlantic Circuit regatta, which is one of the most important ones here. I expect to see more boats sailing in that event.” Longer term, “the good sailors ended up sailing in the J/24s, and the same thing is going to happen with the J/70s. So you will see more people from South America, Argentina especially, going into the international events and starting to do much better every year. We foresee that in the next five to eight years, we’ll continue growing slowly, and continue improving in terms of competitiveness.” Sailing Photo Credits- Matias Capizzano
* Warrior Sailing Update for 2020The Warrior Sailing organization has steadily expanded over time to better serve the needs of America's war veterans. It is a noble effort to get those veterans an on-the-water experience that helps them better cope with both themselves and a team of people. A large part of the Warrior Sailing experience makes use of standard J/22s and handicap-equipped J/22s at various sailing organizations across the USA. From the West to the East and the Great Lakes to Florida, thousands of war veterans have had the opportunity to learn more about the benefits of sailing on J/22s everywhere. Here is the current Warrior Sailing schedule for 2020:
- Mar 13-17: Charleston, SC, Certification Course
- Apr 22-27: Charleston, SC, Charleston Race Week Regatta
- May 14-18: Fort Worth, TX, Basic Training
- Jun 8-12: San Diego, CA, Basic Training
- Jun 19-20: Great Lakes Basic Training
- Jun 26 to July 27: Warrior Sailing Great Lakes Tour
- Aug 17-21 Certification Course (Park City, UT)
- Sep 12: Newport, RI- Sail For Hope
- Sep 21-25: San Diego, CA- National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic
- Oct 12-16: Annapolis, MD- Basic Training Camp
- Nov 30 to Dec 4: St Petersburg, FL, Basic Training Camp
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The first race would become a repeat of what was going to happen for the balance of the weekend. The top two boats in the race jumped out to a substantial lead on the first leg. At the top mark, NINA rounded first, sailed by the Newport USA team of Stuart & Julia Johnstone (sailing with Jamaican father & son crew of Stephen & Krystian Dear). But, not soon after, the TAKE 5 Cayman crew led by Farrington demonstrated superior downwind speed and took the lead around the bottom mark, ultimately taking the win. For the next three races on Saturday, similar scenarios would play out but with Farrington’s TAKE 5 crew proving unbeatable with a 1-2-3-1 scoreline to lead the day with 7 pts. Sitting in second on the day, just one point behind, was the Johnstone & Dear crew on NINA with a 2-1-1-4 record for 8 pts. Third on the day was another Cayman Island team, Bruce Johnson’s crew on AWESOME posting a 4-6-2-2 for 14 pts. 
“Escaping to the sea!? Yes! On Saturday (Nov 28) I’ll be heading off across the Atlantic as part of the RORC Transatlantic yacht race. Eight years exactly since I last set off across the big pond in a little rowing boat.
December 7th
December 9th
* 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: 
The 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.
* 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).