J/70 Sailing World Awards Ceremony(Bristol, RI)- J/Boats and CCF Composites were honored in Bristol for earning recognition in Sailing World magazine’s "Boat of the Year Awards" this past week. Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee and United States Senator Jack Reed joined the state’s civic and marine industry leaders to celebrate J/Boats' national and worldwide recognition.
“The annual Sailing World Boat of the Year Awards are much-anticipated by the marine industry and consumers,” said the spokesman for the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association (RIMTA). “An independent panel of experts puts new designs launched the previous year through rigorous inspection and sea trials before announcing an authoritative pick of overall and category winners.” The J/70 from J/Boats and builder CCF Composites earned overall honors from the magazine.“If you look at a map of our state, it’s not hard to understand why the marine trades have always been one of Rhode Island’s premier economic assets. They are among our state’s oldest and proudest industries, and this legacy continues to the present day with outstanding companies such as J/Boats and CCF Composites,” Rhode Island's Governor Chafee said. “I offer my congratulations and my thanks for helping to maintain Rhode Island’s reputation for excellence in the marine industries.”
With 400 miles of coastline and its compact size, Rhode Island is a magnet for marine businesses. Traditional and modern boat builders, sailmakers, hardware and component manufacturers, riggers, marinas and other services together form a manufacturing continuum that has created a significant center of expertise.
Joining the Senator and the Governor as speakers were Peter Van Lancker, who spoke on behalf of RIMTA; David Reed, Editor of Sailing World magazine; and George Brengle, Director of Marketing for Sailing World; and Jeff Johnstone, President of J/Boats to recognize the company teams behind the award-winning J/70 one-design speedster. Amongst the dignitaries and sailing industry leaders present were North Sails President Ken Read of Newport, Rhode Island; most recently renown for his Volvo Ocean Race exploits aboard PUMA Mar Mostro winning the Inshore Series of the event and, miraculously, nearly winning the event overall despite an unexpected "vacation" in Tristan da Cunha (a lovely island in the middle of the South Atlantic with a golf-course laid out by the mythical unicorns).
Bacardi Miami J/70 Preview(Miami, FL)– It's less than a week before the fourth annual running of BACARDI Miami Sailing Week. A hot list of competitors, great race management and the impossible-to-top winter sailing destination of Biscayne Bay combine with the hospitality Bacardi is known for to put on an outstanding event for one-design sailors from 13 nations who will compete in five classes, including the debut of the J/70 class now taking the world by storm!
After the Quantum Key West Race Week and the Sperry Topsider St Petersburg NOOD Regatta it's pretty self-evident the J/70 class is flying down the learning curve, both linearly (for some) as well as exponentially (for most). Yes, for those near the top of the fleet it's a process of refinement and for those on the "exponential learning curve" it's a quick education on how to sail a very, very simple boat faster.
For many, it's boiling down to the basics, how to start effectively, sail a reasonable windward first leg, set the chute the first time without shrimping it, then staying in pressure to get down to the first downwind mark while making trade-offs between "planing mode" versus "soak mode". The jury is still out on this one, but even one-design sailing guru David Ullman from ULLMAN SAILS says soak vs plane mode is about 11-14 kts of TWS, "all depends on the wave train and angle."
For the Bacardi, there are many teams that can be considered contenders, with J/22, J/24, J/80 World Champions amongst the group, e.g. some of the world's best sailors. One then can't forget those who've learned how to sail fast offshore and translate those experiences onto the short course. It's quite a remarkable cross-section of sailing experience that will be present for this year's J/70 debut in the Bacardi Regatta Miami.For starters, there's "Tito Bacardi's favorite son"- Dick Stearns- a former STAR World Champion and Havana's "King of Sailors" and family. A long time ago, when you could travel to Havana, Cuba, a little kid named "Richie" followed in his Dad's footsteps and wished he could sail there, too. This coming week, Richie will be sailing with Amy Neill, of Chicago's NITEMARE fame (Melges 24, Melges 32, Farr 40, Santa Cruz 70), on their J/70 in one of the most dynamic one-design classes ever created.
Challenging them will be a "rogues gallery" of extraordinary competitors from across the spectrum of sailing from national to world champions in some of the word's most competitive classes. For starters, Joel Ronning from Minnesota aboard CATAPULT will be hoping to defend his first outing in the J/70 class at St Pete's NOOD Regatta. Then, you have a J/24, Melges 24/32 champion in the form of Joe Woods from Torquay, England sailing RED taking a swing at the brass ring. Not far behind them will be a couple of rascals in the form of past J/24 World/ National Champions Tim Healy and Will Welles sailing together on RASCAL. Giving the first two J/70 regatta winners a "run for the money" will be the following championship teams: RELATIVE OBSCURITY sailed by Peter Duncan and Tom Blackwell with Jud Smith (Etchells 22 World Champion); SAVASANA skippered by Brian Keane (J/80, J/105 Key West Champ and College All-American & Singlehanded champion); SPRING sailed by Dave Franzel (Corinthian's Champion at Key West Race Week); STAMPEDE sailed by some Texas guys who really know how to sail- the Loring/ Pasquinelli team (4th Key West and are J/80 North American champions); SUGAR DADDY sailed by Mark Ploch and Mike Bruno (Mark was first J/24 Midwinters Champion in 1978 and Mike is J/122 North American champion in 2009); and TORQEEDO has Rolf Schmidt and Juergen Waldheim showing up from Germany (famous one-design sailors from Berlin). During the event sailors will enjoy the hospitality lounge, BACARDI Rum tastings, as well as the daily prize giving for the top-three finishers and the final awards dinner. The prestigious Coral Reef Yacht Club will coordinate on-water activities in collaboration with Biscayne Bay Yacht Club and Coconut Grove Sailing Club. The U.S. Sailing Center and Shake-A-Leg Miami will also support the event.
What it's like to sail a J/70 in a moderate breeze For more Bacardi Miami Sailing Week information
Santa @ J/105 Midwinters!And a "Horny Toad" with a "Distant Passion" for sailing, too!
(Seabrook, TX)- One can never have enough fun with boat names and while the J/24 class for years reigned supreme as the one class worldwide that had some of the craziest, goofiest names ever, the J/105 gang can't be too far behind. A strong Texas contingent will be participating in the 2013 J/105 Midwinters being sailed again this year in Houston, Texas, hosted by the gracious members at Lakewood Yacht Club on the shore of Galveston Bay.
With fourteen boats, the event promises to deliver solid competition due to the fact there are several strong teams participating, some from as far away as Annapolis, New York and Bermuda. Amongst the Texas leaders will be some familiar faces like Bill Lakenmacher's RADIANCE, Bill Zartler's SOLARIS, Uzi Ozeri's INFINITY and Mark Masur's TWO FEATHERS. From Bermuda comes Jim MacDonald sailing DISTANT PASSION for Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and from New York will be Paul Beaudin and crew sailing AVICI for the Harlem Yacht Club. Finally, there is indeed a "Santa" sailing in the regatta, Donald Santa's SANTAS REIGN DEAR from Annapolis Yacht Club in Annapolis, Maryland!
So far, the J/105 Midwinters fleet may be blessed with nice sailing conditions on Friday and Saturday as a massive front passes by to the East, drawing in NNW winds 10-20 kts both days. Then Sunday may be questionable, starting light and shifting SSW with another impending front ready to roll in and challenge the fleet. For more J/105 Midwinters sailing information
J/22s Sailing Women’s Keelboat Champs!(Marblehead, MA)- This year the Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead, Massachusetts will be hosting the International Women’s Keelboat Championship (IWKC) from September 2–7, 2013. Inaugurated in 1985 sailing J/24s in Newport, RI, the "Women’s Keelboat Champs" quickly became the premier women’s sailing event in America and worldwide. Held biennially, the event provides women keelboat and offshore sailors high-quality racing and an opportunity to compete with top national and international sailors. The 15th edition of this Championship will be raced in the International J/22 class keelboat, suitable for four-person teams.
Previous competitors have included Olympic medalists, America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race veterans, World Champions and US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtswomen of the Year, in addition to women of all ages with varying levels of racing experience. This event regularly attracts both the Who’s Who and the up-and-coming of women’s sailing. Former IWKC Champions include Betsy Alison, Sally Barkow, Anna Tunnicliffe, Cory Sertl and JJ Fetter.
The regatta does not require qualification for entry, only that each team becomes a member of its country’s national governing authority for sailing. The fee for entries completed by July 15 is $595 USD per boat and includes admission for all social activities for competitors. For more International Women's Keelboat Championship sailing & registration information
J/70s Southern Bay Race Week InvitePlus, J/24 Match Race Challenge
(Hampton, VA)- This year, the Southern Bay Race Week is inviting the J/70 class to join them. This event has been a full-blown, long standing, large regatta (around 100 keel boats) that traditionally includes one-design racing for J/24s and J/105s. Racing is on the southern Chesapeake Bay (Hampton Roads waters); regatta Headquarters is Hampton Yacht Club, Hampton, VA; and the dates are from May 31 to June 2, 2013. It's a nice "fit" after the Annapolis NOOD and summer events in Newport!
Later in the summer, from August 3-4, 2013, the Hampton YC also hosts the Third Annual Match Race Challenge sailing in J/24s. This is a “bring your own boat, race your own boat with your own crew” format. The event is fully umpired, has lots of racing, and no one goes home early-- if you know what I mean! Plenty of social events on the schedule as these Virginian sailors certainly know how to roll-out the red carpet and provide some good'ole Southern hospitality.
Regatta Chair Lin McCarthy commented, "We make a concerted effort to keep racers’ costs down for both of these events – free rafting, free launching, free trailer storage, special rates at nearby waterfront hotel, etc. And, we really do work at making all the racers, their families, and friends comfortable at the regatta. Great racing and Southern Hospitality are our trademarks!!" For any questions regarding these events, you may contact Lin at mcbear@earthlink.net or ph# 757-850-4225. For more Southern Bay Race Week sailing information For J/24 Match Race Challenge - Hampton YC sailing information
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
The end of February marks the start of the Caribbean sailing circuit, with the completion of the MoBay Race, the San Juan Regatta and the RORC 600 race. Kudos must go out to a crew with extraordinary resolve to sail fast and have fun in their J/39 in the RORC 600 Race this past week. The same might be said for their compatriot J sailors Down Under in Australia, with a cruising-equipped J/122 simply blowing out the light-bulbs of many pro-sailing programs in an Australian offshore race that started in the famous Sydney Harbour. Speaking of Down Under, the Chilean sailors in South America were treated to multiple demo-sails and races with the J/70 both offshore (e.g. Pacific) as well as on their spectacular lakes surrounded by the gorgeous, verdant Andes Mountain chain. Just north of all this is J/22 one-design class activity taking place in the Cayman Islands, not such a bad place to be considering their average temperature is 75 F and winds at 10-20 kts TWS in the middle of the Caribbean. Finally, our Russian friends are having a great time sailing their J/70, starting in Monte Carlo, Monaco and are "hell-bent-for-leather" to change Russian yachting with the J/70 being the featured boat on their westernmost outpost located on the Baltic in Kaliningrad (e.g. most southeastern part of the Baltic geographically)! Most importantly, these guys are having fun and so are those who have jumped aboard the J/70 already in Russia-- Moscow Boat Show coming soon! Speaking of boat shows, don't forget the Stockholm Boat Show and HISWA Amsterdam Show coming up soon!Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below has many entertaining stories and news about J/Sailors as well as cruising blogs about those who continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north. Check them out! More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page! Below are the summaries.
Regatta & Show Schedules:
Mar 2-10- Stockholm Sailboat Show (70)- Stockholm, SwedenMar 6-9- Bacardi Miami Sailing Week (70, 80)- Miami, FL
Mar 6-10- HISWA Amsterdam Boatshow (70)- Amsterdam, Holland
Mar 8-10- J/105 Midwinters- Lakewood YC- Seabrook, TX
Mar 12-17- Moscow Boat Show (70)- Moscow, Russia
Mar 13-17- Oslo Sailboat Show (70)- Oslo, Norway
Mar 15-17- San Diego NOOD Regatta- San Diego, CA
Mar 17-Apr 28- Warsash Spring Series- Warsash, England
Mar 28-Apr 1- SPI Ouest France- La Trinite sur Mer, France
Apr 11-14- Strictly Sail Pacific (70, 111)- Alameda, CA
Apr 18-21- Charleston Race Week (22, 24, 70, 80)- Charleston, SC
May 3-5- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
May 17-19- Seattle NOOD Regatta- Seattle, WA
Jun 7-9- Chicago NOOD Regatta (105, 109, 111)- Chicago, IL
Jun 7-9- New York YC Annual Regatta (111, 122)- Newport, RI
Jun 23-28- Block Island Race Week- (80, 35, 105, 109, 111, 44)- Block Island, RI
Jul 6-13- J/80 World Championships- Marseilles, France
Jul 13-15- Chicago Mackinac Race- Chicago YC- Chicago, IL
Jul 18-22- New York YC Race Week (105, 111)- Newport, RI
Aug 9-11- Verve Cup Offshore (109, 111)- Chicago, IL
Aug 14-18- J/111 North Americans- Chicago YC- Chicago, IL
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
J/122 MARTA JEAN Loves Sydney-Newcastle Race(Sydney, Australia)- There are times when the obvious is not so obvious, even in sailing. Even for our amazing sailing friends Down Under in Oz. And that is, how does a "cruising spec" J/122 even feel a need to compete, for starters. Then, secondly, how does it then go about deciding to do a race, then crushes the fleet!? Just seems to be one of those remarkable traits of the J/122-- yes, the obvious, not being so obvious, indeed a "wolf in sheep's clothing" as so many of its owners have attested to over the course of time.
Here's a wonderful story of the J/122 MARTA JEAN and the crew who sailed on her for the Sydney-Newcastle Race recently. "It’s becoming a recurring story in Australia when a J/owner decides to compete in a offshore race and puts together some friends, family and a few ring inn’s at short notice. This particular story is from one of those rings inn’s and tells how the J/122 MARTA JEAN in complete cruising trim shone in the recent 70 mile Sydney to Newcastle Race on 16th Feb 2013.
It all started when Steve Rae, the owner of MARTA JEAN, rang me and said asked whether I was available to do the race. Any way this is how it went-
We had a conservative start not far from Clark Island in Sydney harbour dogged by fluky wind, lulls and light airs but we managed to pick the shifts and by the time we hit the open ocean we had already passed 4 or 5 boats. With the 155 sq meter running spinnaker now pulling we started to extend even further on the boats passed in the harbour. Keeping close to the rhumbline and risking the edge of the EAC (Eastern Australian Current) running from half to over knot against us in places, MARTA JEAN was moving well with good VMGs so that even the larger competitors were not catching us. By the time we reached Pittwater over 25 miles north of Sydney in this great 70 mile dash, MARTA JEAN had already consolidated a good position in the competitive fleet consisting of Sydney's top offshore race boats, some 50 footers, First 40s, X 43, Santa Cruz 50’s, DK 43’ and Cookson 12s to name a few.
By the halfway mark with the large running kite still pulling MARTA JEAN at over 10 knots at times we were able to work the small variable wind shifts. A major consideration was to change modes to cover the fleet behind us, therefore enabling us to consolidate and steadily extend our lead on some of the competition.
Close to Newcastle the wind shifted to the north a little and we had to drop the big running kite. By this stage we knew we'd done OK as one of the Cookson 12s was in hailing distance and they owed us a lot of time. Turning West to head down Newcastle estuary and again with the large running kite up, MARTA JEAN surged towards the finish line in her home port and a great reception from the club as the first Newcastle boat home! We were very pleased to learn we had won on PHS by 13 minutes and finished 4th on IRC.
All in all a great days racing with a great bunch of people, thanks to Steve and his wife Maude for another great race on their superb J/122 MARTA JEAN!" Thanks for the contribution from Ray & Sandra Entwistle from Sydney.
J/39 SLEEPER VIII Wins RORC 600 IRC3 Class(English Harbour, Antigua)- A good event just keeps getting better and better. While 50-odd boats is nothing to brag about in the greater scheme of things (compared to the RORC's legendary Fastnet Race with 350+ boats), it is significant that such a "young race" has grown by leaps and bounds and, most importantly, that anyone who has sailed it simply LOVES the race. Q.E.D.
While "brother" Peter J's gang of GUNBOATS have amassed a significant presence in the event with an orange and silver boat or two, J/Teams have been taking up the challenge as well. Last year, a J/122 and J/39. This year a very well-sailed J/39 in the form of Jonty Layfield's SLEEPER VIII. As an avid J/Boats sailor, Jonty was the proud owner of two J/39’s- the old YES/ASSASSIN which he won Cowes week with and one in St Thomas that he bought and keeps in Antigua!In between racing his J/39’s, Jonty won a Cowes Week race in August 2012 helming a J/70. He sails with his wife Vicky son Jack and daughter Amy. Here's Jonty's report from the Caribbean.
"Just to let you know we won our class in the RORC 600, amazingly enough! Toughest race we have ever done, steady 25 knots, massive 3-4 m seas and we got soaked at the start and remained soaked the while way around, though the boat is 22 years old she never let us down, well done to J/Boats, we beat a `Swan 44, 46 and a 48 in our class.
We were 5th overall down at Guadeloupe 15 miles offshore then stopped for 4 hours. We then had a bloody awful 60 mile beat up to the Saints. We then ripped the main at the reef clew and could not reef for the rest of the race which made the race even harder. Nevertheless, a great outcome for IRC Class3! Cheers, Jonty". For more RORC 600 Race sailing information
Russian J/70 Racing is Family & Friends Affair!(Kaliningrad, Russia)- Over the past several years, the Russian sailors have become increasingly visible on the international sailing circuit and they're developing their local sailing talent quite quickly. Having sailed the J/80s in Lanzarote, Canary Islands for their Russian Federation Sailing Championships, the Russian sailing teams are not only learning fast, they've taken a few "plays" from the Spanish and French "playbook" on how to develop better, faster, smarter sailors! This past year JBoats in Europe was pleased to announce the creation of "J/Russia" with partners Grigory Aksenov and Dmitrii Zaritckii.
We had a chance to catch up with this dynamic duo recently after their participation in the J/70 class at the Primo Cup in Monaco. Here's Dmitrii's commentary,
"For starters, we just picked up MOJO, the first J/70 in Russia and Eastern Europe, she just arrived to Kaliningrad, South Baltic, Russia! As you know, already much has been written about Primo Cup Monaco before. So, we will add our $0.02 about our experiences so far as J/Russia!
The big news is that the J/70s just had their first regatta in Europe, debuting at the Primo Cup at Yacht Club Monaco. We have sailed in the Primo Cup before, so know it well and love it! This is a good event to start the European sailing season, with good organization, comfort and the social part is especially great, if not fantastic! How can you not like Monte Carlo!? Unfortunately, the weather in the Bay of Monaco was a real challenge, due to the proximity of the mountains. The wind was not stable coming offshore from the North, constantly changing direction and strength. But, the high level of competition and sailing new one-design J/70s made this regatta very interesting for us. We will definitely go to Primo Cup Monaco again next year!!We were happy to see the tremendous interest and focus on the J/70s by Yacht Club de Monaco. There were dozens of participants who came up to us and asked us our opinion of the J/70s! Needless to say, we enjoyed ourselves sailing the J/70, it's quite easy to steer, easier to control the sails and easier to crew relative to other types of sailing boats. Just so you know, for a basis of comparison, we've had a lot of experience of racing against top Europeans and Russians sailing J/24s, Platu 25s, J/80s and SB20s. But, we like the J/70 more than anything else! It's a fun, amazing boat! We think many Russian sailors will like it, too.
After the race in Monaco, we drove across France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Poland and arrived to Kaliningrad, Russia. We drove with the J/70 on a trailer for more than 4,000km, but the road-trip did not seem very difficult for us and our Nissan Qashqai 2L passed the test very well. On the road we were traveling as a normal passenger car, the overall weight of the car and the boat was a little more than 3 metric tons. On toll roads, we also paid as a regular passenger car, this is also good news! Easy to trail in Europe and economical!
We live in Kaliningrad, our sailing club is based here and we plan to create the Russian J/70 Fleet here, too. Kaliningrad is the best place for sailing in Russia (and ex-USSR nations) - we have a lot of water (the Baltic Sea) and two huge bays with good breeze. From Kaliningrad, in one day you can get by car to the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, and can quickly go by ferry to Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway. At the same time, the one day trip to the East means you can quickly reach the Baltic states, Belarus, Ukraine and St. Petersburg, Russia. Moscow is a bit far, but only 2,000km away-- a long, long day's drive!
We plan to buy a few J/70s and open a J/Sailing School here in Kaliningrad, holding regattas and taking part in other regattas in Europe and ex-USSR countries. We hope to see all European J/70 sailors again soon! Best, Dmitrii and Grigory. Sailing photo credits- Irina Belousa Irina also photographed the Russian Federation Championship sailed in J/80s off Lanzarote, Canary Islands this past November 2012.
J/22s Cayman Islands Regatta(Cayman Islands)- As they have done over the past several years, the Cayman Islands Sailing Club have invited J/22 sailors from around the world to come down for some winter sailing on their gorgeous Caribbean aquamarine waters blessed with 10-20 kt trade winds each and every day you're there along with more sun-kissed, cloudless sailing than you can possibly imagine! Teams from the United States, Bahamas, Jamaica, Germany, Netherlands have all participated in the past.
This year, Team Nefeli (GER 1328) will be starting in the Cayman Islands SC Winter Series on their borrowed boat. They will be participating in the Race Cayman Regatta from March 15th to 17th, 2013. The team is comprised of members from the Sailing Club Rheingau in Germany, including Peter Karrie, Falko Brown, Gina Hess and Chrissi Böhnke.
For more J/22 Race Cayman Regatta sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* J/70 Sailing in Chile- We recently got an updated report from our friends "down under" in South America regarding J/70 fleet development. Juan Eduardo-Reid sent us a report and photos of demo-sailing on the spectacular Panguipulli Lake nestled into the western part of the Andean Mountains during their summer! Juan's commentary follows:"We have finally had the chance to show the J/70 in four different places this summer:
- Talcahuano- along the Pacific Coast where the Soto 40 World Championships were recently sailed by some of the world's best sailors. We only exhibited the boat since we were still waiting for our sails!
- Ranco- it's a very big lake and sailing area, small sailing activity, but we sailed the boat four days there! Great interest because it was so easy to sail!- Frutillar- we went racing the 8th to 10th of February there and have the J/70 in a very good position at the club, with the J70 winning most of the time!
- Panguipulli- this is where I rigged and sailed J/70 #156 with the customer and also sailed with 5 or 6 potential customers there. In Panguipulli, it's the lake with the greatest potential as there are over twenty J/24 sailing teams and another group of good sailors, too.
We're focusing on bringing in new people to sailing on the lakes and so far the effort is bringing nice results! More news in the near future. J/70 is a very nice solution for Chile, easy to tow behind a car, easy to ramp launch-- very, very important here in Chile-- we have no hoists!"
* J/160 AVATAR headed for the Caribbean, again! We LOVE these updates from our cruising J sailors that continue to criss-cross the Seven Seas. This one comes from Alan Fougere, sailing his beloved J/160 AVATAR. 
Alan sent us an email update commenting on their passage south this winter, "In mid-December AVATAR completed her sixth transit to her winter Caribbean home, Grand Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI (seen above) from her home port in Quissett (Falmouth), MA. A crew of three, Captain Alan (e.g. me), Crew Pablo Brissett and Mark Conroy, covered the 1,500 nm trip in in her best time to date- 7 Days 5 Hours, averaging 8.7 kts, that's about 208 nm per day! Amazing passage it was! Rainbow at right far offshore was some of the amazing phenomenon we experienced on this fast offshore passage.AVATAR will participate in the BVI Sailing Festival/Regatta again in 2013, where last year she won the Nanny Key Cup Cruising Class race around the Island of Virgin Gorda. Here are some photos for you to share with the J/Community at-large. Enjoy!"
Best, Alan Fougere/ AVATAR
* Bill & Judy Stellin recently had an interview about cruising on their J/42 in the Wall St Journal called "Retiring on the Open Sea". The Wall St Journal asked Bill to reply to dozens of questions that flooded into the WSJ's Editor desks. Here's the update:Retiring on the Sea: Answering Readers' Questions
Advice about selecting a boat, ocean crossings, itineraries and safety
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.WSJ- "What kind and make of boat did you use? Looking back, would you have picked a different boat?"
Bill- "In 1995-96, J/Boats of Newport, RI, came out with a new cruiser/racer model, the J/42. We bought hull No. 6 of this popular 42-foot sailboat and named it JAYWALKER. This was our fourth boat since beginning sailing in 1975.
Although long-distance cruising wasn't what we had in mind when we purchased JAYWALKER, it soon became apparent it had the ability to carry us easily and safely anywhere we wanted to go. Because the boat is light, it sails well in light winds, which means very little motoring is necessary.
People often ask (and argue) about what boat is best for cruising. Any boat that is strong, safe, fast, comfortable and easily handled by two people should fit the bill. One thing for sure, fast is fun—and important when trying to avoid bad weather."
READ MORE ABOUT BILL'S INSIGHTFUL COMMENTARY AND THOUGHTS ON WSJ ONLINE HERE
The J Cruising Community
J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers. Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand. Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/
* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.
* 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).- SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).
- Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun). Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".
- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com. Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA)
, then to the South Pacific and New Zealand. MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.* The J/109 GAIA (seen right in the Java Sea) was sailed by Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay around the world. In February 2011, their cruising adventures came to an abrupt, sad ending. As a tribute to them and their cruising friends worldwide, we hope their chronicles on their GAIA website remains a tribute to their warm-hearted spirits- read more about why many loved them dearly and will remain touched by their loving spirit forever- http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/
J/Brokerage
J-46 STREGA For SaleThe J/46 STREGA was one of the last J/46s built (hull #39) and shows in "new boat" condition. She has many options including J-Boats installed supplemental refrigeration, power SSB and cruising packages.
Her features include a 76 hp Yanmar diesel, a Mastervolt 7.7 kw generator, 630 amp house batteries, two zone air conditioning, primary power winches, a three cabin cherry interior, two heads, hot and cold pressure water, 120 gallons of water, 88 gallons of fuel, 19” television, varnished rails, Raymarine electronics and Doyle sails.
Extras include an automatic engine compartment fire extinguisher, six person Avon life raft, 9’4” Zodiac dinghy, storage box for dingy fuel tank, Radio/CD/DVD player, propane grill and numerous other custom features.
Typical of all J-Boats, STREGA sails beautifully and handles well in all weather conditions. Boat yard maintained and stored indoors STREGA is a must see for anyone interested in a mid-40s cruising sailboat.
For more information, please call Bruce Taymore at 617-529-3991.
"We made it! Thank goodness. The J/70s were getting ready for the first European regatta in Monaco, mooring at "Quai d'Honneur" at Yacht Club Monaco. A total of seven teams have showed up for their first Primo Cup, it's a great honour for J/70 to be admitted at this prestigious event-- its attendance is generating a great interest for this lovely boat. Four Italian Teams, one Dutch, one Russian and one representing the YC Monaco burgee, an amazing international attendance for such a new class.
It’s always a pleasure for boat designers and dealers to watch their owner's smile when they show happiness for their performances achieved with their boats. Here (pictured at right) Dario Levi’s smile showing his Velocitek displaying 17.8 kts reaching downwind in winds less than 20-23 kts!
With so many good teams fighting for the top five, the last day of sailing was shaping up to be a tough one for all the crews. Finally, on Sunday, the fleet managed to complete a single race due to highly variable weather conditions that went from storm to calm and "Borneos" (adiabatic winds in those Andes!) of 180 degrees; the wind ultimately settled to a nice 8-10 kts wind. 
"French skipper Jean-Pierre Dick (a.k.a. "JP") crossed the finish line off Les Sables d'Olonne this afternoon at 15hrs 5mins and 40 seconds UTC/GMT to finish fourth in the Vendée Globe, the famous solo nonstop around the world race. His third participation has yielded his best ever result, despite having to race the final 2,650 nm without a keel on his IMOCA Open 60 Virbac-Paprec 3. JP's elapsed time for course is 86 days, 3 hours, 3 minutes and 40 seconds. He finishes 8d and 47m behind race winner François Gabart (MACIF).
Double-winner of the two-handed Barcelona World Race and three-times winner of the two-handed Transat Jacques Vabre, JP was one of the possible favourites to win the Vendée Globe but in the end had to give up his third place position he was holding when his keel snapped off on 21st January. He fought on to the finish after making a 48 hours stop in the north of Spain to let a strong low pressure system pass to receive a warm welcome today back in Les Sables d'Olonne.
Until the accident effectively robbed him of third place on the podium, the French skipper who is originally from Nice, was one of the key players in the race. On the descent of the Atlantic he was in the top 5 at the Canary Islands. Then, just as he also lead during the 2008-9 Vendée Globe, JP took the lead and between the Agulhas gate and the Cape of Good Hope he was at the top of the rankings six times, leading the Vendée Globe fleet past the Cape of Good Hope. From there a pattern is set to Cape Leeuwin and beyond with a leading trio becoming well established, François Gabart, Armel Le Cléac'h and the skipper of Virbac-Paprec 3. But in the Pacific, JP lacked the power of key headsails because of damage to the head hook high up on the mast and he loses progressively more on Gabart. At one point he is 687 miles behind. But after several mast climbs to fix his problem he comes back strongly on the approach to Cape Horn, more than halving the deficit. On the ascent of the South Atlantic he got to within 100 miles of the leading duo just as their race-defining split took place.
By comparison with the Breton 'inner circle' JP was a late starter to IMOCA Open 60 racing, and is not really a graduate of their traditional passage through the Figaro solo circuit. Instead, he arrived through sailing J/24s competitively in Europe, he won in the crewed Tour de France a Voile race. A qualified veterinarian with a masters business degree and years of a professional executive career under his belt before he turned to ocean racing, JP is a rigorous, thorough sailor who trains long and hard and embraces science and technology in every aspect, human and technical.
"We sailed a J/24 out of Toronto in the early 80's and I ran the Canadian J/24 Class association for several years. In 1986, I was moved to Calgary where there is really no water so we sold the boat and essentially gave up sailing! When I decided to retire early last year, one of the first things I did was order a boat through Jim Snair to get back into racing at our summer home in Nova Scotia. We love the boat! Our only complaint is that there aren't more J/111's in Nova Scotia. It's great competitive sailing though with PHRF." Here's a picture of them sailing and their happy, young crew!
* J/70 Interview- with Key West Corinthians Champion- Dave Franzel- just another nice guy from Boston. Brian Hayes recently had a chance to catch up with Dave Franzel to chat about his J/70 experiences in Key West, his first J/70 regatta (Dave in orange hat at right chatting with Dave Reed of SW fame). 
* Diverse experiences like sailing J/24s and Sunfish made John Kostecki a better sailor (yet another, "what does a J/24 World Champion do for a career later in life", kind of story). Marin Magazine in San Francisco Bay area recently had a chance to catch up with John in between sailing that monster AC72 foiling catamaran named, simply, ORACLE:
* Past J/22 World Champion, Greg Fisher, has made it nearly a life-long endeavor to grow the sport of sailing, ensure those he sailed with, or taught how to sail, enjoyed the sport at every level-- day-sailing, racing, simply messing around, or just beer-can racing with buddies.