J/121 Offshore Speedster @ Annapolis Sailboat Show!(Annapolis, MD)- The 2018 U.S. Sailboat Show will be taking place from October 4th to 8th in Annapolis, MD along the historic city front. Located opposite the famous Pusser’s Bar and Restaurant, the J/Boats waterfront booth will include the race-winning J/121 short-handed offshore speedster, the wildly popular International J/70 One-design class, and the incredibly family-friendly J/88 one-design/ offshore racer.
The J/121 has proven to be popular amongst veterans of the offshore world. After winning her class in the 2018 Newport to Bermuda Race in the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division, J/121 owners have enjoyed other silverware-garnering performances. Notably, in her debut race, the Japanese crew on CRESCENT IV won class and 2nd overall in the classic Conanicut YC Round Jamestown Race in August- a 21.0nm blast around Narragansett Bay against a fleet of 100+ boats. And, a J/121 won the Doublehanded Division in the Ida Lewis Distance Race in August. Learn more about the J/121 here.
The J/88 has proven beyond any reasonable doubt it has great all-around potential, both offshore as well as sailing as a one-design class. The recent J/88 North Americans in Chicago, IL had seventeen boats vying for class honors with teams from across the country; easy-to-do for this lightweight 6,500 pound high-performance yacht that can be towed behind your basic pickup truck or large SUV. The boat on display has sailed the Chesapeake Bay circuit as well as the Florida Circuit and raced to Havana, Cuba!! Other J/88s have won the Ensenada Race in California and crushed their class and 2nd Overall in the Chicago-Mackinac Race! Learn more about the J/88 here
Finally, the ubiquitous J/70 International One-Design Class continues to grow in popularity around the world. With 1,500+ boats and counting, the J/70 class has attracted the world’s best sailors (pro and Corinthians alike), as demonstrated by the extraordinary depth of talent in this year’s J/70 World Championship in Marblehead, MA. Learn more why any sailor, young or old, women or men, beginners or experienced, are flocking to the easy-to-sail, easy-to-ramp-launch J/70 speedster for their fun-loving beer-can sailing or testing the waters against the world’s best one-design sailors. Sailing photo credits- Sharon Green/ UltimateSailing.com. Learn more about the J/70 one-design here For more US Sailboat Show information
J/Class Intercollegiate Offshore Preview(Larchmont, NY)- The I.O.R. for college sailors wishing to experience offshore racing has been run by Storm Trysail Foundation, in conjunction with the Larchmont Yacht Club, since 2004. The event has grown every year and last year was able to accommodate almost 400 college sailors. Thanks to sponsors, private donations, and the generosity of participating boat owners, Storm Trysail Foundation and Larchmont Yacht Club are able to run this regatta at no cost to the schools' sailing teams!
This year’s event will run from October 6th to 7th sailing on the waters of western Long Island Sound. Included are one-design fleets of J/105s (12 teams), J/109s (9 crews), & J/44s (5 crews), as well as PHRF handicap fleets. What has been significant about this event is the extraordinary generosity of J/Boats owners that have given their boats to college teams for free to sail in the event- the only caveat being that an owner-representative is onboard.
Perhaps what is most remarkable is the overwhelming majority of sailboat owners donating their time (and the boat) are J/Boat owners. The simple breakdown shows that of 49 boats participating, the majority by far are the 35 J/Boats owners (about 71.4% of the fleet).
In the wild conditions of 2017, ranging from moderate winds to pea-soup fog and rain and 20 kts-plus winds on the final day, Boston University took home the overall honors and the “Paul Hoffmann Trophy” in the hotly contested J/105 class on “Young American,” with four bullets and a second place in the second largest class in the regatta. Will they repeat that command performance? Time will tell.
Perhaps the experience alone is the principal take-away from the event. Erica Vandeveer, Captain of the victorious Virginia Tech squad, is a Behavioral Psychology Major and sees the relevance of big-boat sailing; “Communication is critical to being successful on the race course. We had some challenges, but we were able to talk and work through them to win.”
Juliette Joffre, captain of the Club Voile EDHEC Business School team who came all the way from Lille, France commented, “this is a big, serious and very competitive regatta.”
Marianne Pierres, another member of the EDHEC crew, described how offshore racing is similar to business, “the starts were really exciting, and so was the broach! But, you have to manage and keep calm; you have to understand roles and do your job.”
Juliette continued, “there is a lot of pressure to perform at your best, but I know that the team is much closer now because of this experience.” This was their first time at the IOR, and they had to win an international student regatta in France for the right to come to the IOR with an all-expenses paid trip through a partnership between the Storm Trysail Foundation and the EDHEC Sailing Cup.
In the J/44s, it will again be the service academies racing for seafaring honors- SUNY Maritime, US Coast Guard Academy, Mass Maritime, US Naval Academy, and the US Army Teams.
Thanks to the following individuals for their efforts on behalf of all college sailors:
- Charles Ulmer- Event Chairman- Intercollegiate Regatta
- John Fisher- Chairman- Storm Trysail Foundation
- Howie McMichael- STC IOR Official Photographer
Hamble Winter Series Announcement(Hamble, England)- Hamble Yacht Services (HYS) and the Hamble River Sailing Club (HRSC) announce a three-year partnership for the HYS Hamble Winter Series. Well over 1,000 sailors will be taking part in the UK's most popular winter series, all of which will benefit from the long-term partnership.
The 2018 HYS Hamble Winter Series will be the 37th edition run by the HRSC, the event is organized by a very experienced team, led by PRO Kathy Smalley, and supported by around 40 dedicated volunteers every race day.
“Organising racing for the series requires resources, and whilst we have the tremendous support of enthusiastic volunteers, the partnership with HYS gives us the financial support to keep entry fees low. The Hamble River Sailing Club is delighted that HYS is sponsoring the series, and we would encourage all of the teams to support HYS, so that our partnership will continue for years to come,” commented Steph Merry Commodore of HRSC.
HYS is a professional full-service open yard on the River Hamble with comprehensive facilities, and a reputation for excellence and expertise. Many of the teams racing in the HYS Hamble Winter Series are already customers of Hamble Yacht Services.
“Supporting the HYS Hamble Winter Series helps the organizers to provide good race management, which is for the benefit of everyone involved. We have a great community spirit at HYS, sponsoring the series is very much part of that ethos,” commented HYS Director, Bertie Bicket.
The 2018 HYS Hamble Winter Series will run from the 6th October to 2nd December 2018. Teams will be racing in IRC Classes and One Designs. The action pack program will feature the IRC Autumn Championship, the Performance 40 Series, the Hamble Big Boat Championship, the Hamble One Design Championship, and 2019 J/70 World Championship Qualifiers that will be sailed in Torquay, U.K. in the “west country”. For more information about Hamble Yacht Services For HYS Hamble Winter Series sailing information
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
The past week was a stunning one for the sailing world. How many World Championships are won with a 10.5 place average over ten races?? Not many. Or, perhaps more mind-blowing, how many Worlds are won with just THREE top ten finishes!? Perhaps none in recent history. Nevertheless, that is exactly what happened in the 2018 J/70 World Championship that was recently held in Marblehead, MA, hosted by Eastern YC for 91 boats from 19 nations. Off in the Great Lakes, the J/111s sailed their North American Championship for seventeen boats off Macatawa Bay, MI, hosted by the Macatawa Bay YC; they had an epic finale. Also in the Midwest, Wayzata YC on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota hosted the US Adult Sailing Championship on a fleet of matched J/22 one-design sailboats. Off to the east, the American YC concluded their annual Fall Series in sunny, light winds on western Long Island Sound for fleets of J/44s, J/109s, J/105s, and J/70s. Then, not far north in New York, the J/24s enjoyed their 40th annual Colors Regatta on Lake George, NY hosted by the always-accommodating Lake George Club.Over in Europe, the Italian J/70 Sailing League series concluded their event in one of the most famous sailing/ watering holes in the world- Porto Cervo, Italy. The YC Costa Smeralda had eighteen teams compete for the honor of Italy’s “top sailing club” for the 2018 sailing season racing a round-robin series on their fleet of matched one-design J/70 sailboats.
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:
Oct 4-8- US Sailboat Show- Annapolis, MDOct 5-7- Dutch J/70 Sailing League- Veere, The Netherlands
Oct 5-7- Italian Junior J/70 League- Trieste, Italy
Oct 5-7- Swiss J/70 Super League Finale- Versoix, Switzerland
Oct 6-8- German J/22 Open Regatta- Berlin, Germany
Oct 6-8- Storm Trysail Club Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta- Larchmont, NY
Oct 10-14- J/109 North American Championship- Larchmont, NY
Oct 12-14- China Coast Race Week- Hong Kong, China
Oct 12-14- German Youth J/70 League- Attendorn, Germany
Oct 13-14- Puget Sound Sailing Championship- Seattle, WA
Oct 18-21- Annapolis Fall Regatta- Annapolis, MD
Oct 18-20- German J/70 Sailing League Finale- Hamburg, Germany
Oct 19-21- French J/80 Sailing League Finale- La Rochelle, France
Oct 19-21- J/105 Masters Regatta- San Diego, CA
Oct 19-21- Swiss Youth J/70 League- Tenero, Switzerland
Oct 20-21- J/70 Fall Brawl- Annapolis, MD
Oct 20-21- Puget Sound Fall Regatta- Seattle, WA
Oct 20- Rolex Middle Sea Race- Gzira, Malta
Oct 26-28- J/24 East Coast Championship- Annapolis, MD
Oct 26-28- J/105 Lipton Cup Regatta- San Diego, CA
Oct 27-28- Swiss J/70 Women’s Cup- Tenero, Switzerland
Oct 27-28- J/105 Chesapeake Bay Championship- Annapolis, MD
Oct 27-28- The Great Pumpkin Regatta- Richmond, CA
Nov 1-4- French J/80 National Championship- Pornic, France
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
AFRICA Crowned J/70 World Champion!(Marblehead, MA)- The 2018 edition of the J/70 World Championship, sponsored by WEST MARINE, was hosted by Eastern YC in Marblehead, MA for a fleet of ninety-one teams from around the world. It was the most unprecedented assemblage of world-class talent ever gathered together in a single one-design regatta in history- keelboat or dinghy. Teams traveled thousands of miles, from as far away as Australia, Germany, Mexico, Canada, Italy, Great Britain, Japan, Monaco, Russia, Spain, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden and Turkey. Plus, J/70 competed from all over South America including; Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay.
After an eleven-race series that was cut short by a no-wind finale on Saturday, it was local “home-boy” rock-star Juddie Smith that was crowned the 2018 J/70 World Champion with his incredibly capable crew on AFRICA- Lucas Calabrese (main/ tactician), Will Felder and Marc Gauthier. There’s was not an easy win by any stretch of the imagination, considering that they averaged 10.5 pts per race over 10 races counted, never won a race, had only four top 10 finishes in 11 races, and included a tally of 14-11-22-15-13-35 in their scoreline. In fact, their win was determined by the outcome of the final race on Friday, when their 10th was enough to eke out a 1 pt victory over Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE crew (Max Skelley, Eric Doyle, & Nathan Wilmot) that took a 7th and just 3 pts above Jack Franco’s crew on 3 BALL JT (Bill Hardesty, Lior Lavie, & Al Terhune) that took an 8th!!
How deep and talented was the fleet? Well, Paul Goodison from the United Kingdom sailed as main/tactics on Vincenzo Onorato’s MASCALZONE LATINO team (Paul is an Olympic Gold Medallist in Lasers and 2x Moth World Champion) that included fellow top pro’s like Flavio Favini from Italy. After the first day, they had two 1sts and a 13th- just one point off the lead. However, from there on end, their “flash-in-the-pan”, near “runaway shopping trolley” went out of control, never garnering much above the mid-thirties and remaining the only boat in the fleet with two bullets! Nevertheless, that merely earned them an 18th place… The same held true for many other deeply-talented teams in the incredibly competitive fleet. Consider the tale of the two famous Wilmot brothers from Australia- Nathan and Jeremy. One finished second sailing on Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE, the other finished 16th sailing on the Troutman’s PIED PIPER.
Then again, other past J/World Champions and famous team-pairings faired not much better. Tim Healy and John Mollicone’s NEW ENGLAND ROPES USA 2 managed a 9th place (first J/70 Worlds 2014, 4x J/24 World Champs). Glenn Darden and Jonathan McKee’s HOSS were 14th (J/80 World Champ, J/105 NA Champ, and Olympic Gold Medallist). Peter Cunningham and Chris Rast’s POWERPLAY were 17th (Chris was multiple Farr 30 and M24 World Champs). Doug Clark and Geoff Becker’s POLAR were 19th (Geoff is Lighting World Champ). Joel Ronning and John Kostecki’s CATAPULT settled for 20th (J/70 World Champions and J/24 World Champ). John Brim and Taylor Canfield’s RIMETTE were 22nd (Offshore Storm Trysail Club Champ, 3x Match Racing World Champ, 2x Congressional Cup Champ). And, the list goes on….For the third year in a row, it was top Italian woman sailor Claudia Rossi on PETITE TERRIBLE that won the top Women’s Skipper Trophy for the Worlds- the Helen Johnstone Memorial Award.
The winners of the Corinthian Division were Luis Bagallo’s MARNATURA from Spain, with crew of Enrique Freire Faria, Gerardo Prego Menor, Alberto Basadre Lopez, and Jorge Lorenzo Roman. Second was Jim Cunningham’s American crew on LIFTED (Mikee Anderson-Mittering, Jon Ziskind, and Dave Hochart), and third was Aldo Centaro’s PURA JODA from Punta del Este, Uruguay (Bruno Centaro, Marco Centaro, and Mauro Leite).Some interesting facts on fleet depth for 91 boats total:
- How many boats had top 3 podium finishes? 21 total (23%), lowest finisher was 62nd
- How many boats had top 5 finishes? 30 total (33%), lowest finisher was 62nd
- How many boats had top 10 finishes? 41 total (45%), lowest finisher was 62nd
SKELETON KEY Dominates J/111 North Americans(Macatawa Bay, MI)- Sixteen teams competed over the three-day event for the 2018 J/111 North American Championship title hosted by Macatawa Bay Yacht Club in Holland, MI. The fleet was treated to a broad range of sailing conditions, from flat waters and light airs in the beginning, then concluding with 18-25 kt winds for an epic “blowing dogs off chains” finale in huge, steep seas from the southwest. Continuing their success in major J/111 events, it was Peter Wagner’s SKELETON KEY from San Francisco, CA that was crowned the 2018 J/111 N.A. Champion.
Day 1- Light, Tricky WindsLight winds greeted the fleet on the first day, a breeze with a lot of streaks and lulls in between. Jim Connelly’s Slush Fund figured out the conditions in the pair of races, posting a 2-1 on the day for the lead at 3 points. Just two ticks behind in second place is Jeffrey Davis’ Shamrock, who recorded a solid 3-2 for 5 points. Peter Wagner’s Skeleton Key started the day with a bullet but added a sixth for 7 points and third place.
Following 2017 J/111 World Champion Wagner in the opening match were Connelly and Davis. Then Connelly and Davis each moved up a notch in race two, taking first and second ahead of Bradley Faber’s Utah.
Day 2- More Moderate WindsWagner’s Skeleton Key had a near perfect day on Thursday to move into the lead. Good breeze allowed three races, two of which were won by 2017 J/111 World Champion Wagner. Skeleton Key also had a second in the middle contest, ending with 11 net points in the no-discard series. Jim Connelly’s Slush Fund stumbled in the last race of the day, dropping to second overall with 23 points. The consistency of Bradley Faber’s Utah put them in third with 27 points among the 16-boat fleet.
Chasing Wagner in the initial race were Richard Witzel’s Rowdy and Connelly. Then, it was Connelly back in the driver’s seat, beating Wagner and the Andrew and Sedgwick Ward team on Bravo. The final battle went to Wagner again, as Witzel earned another second and Tracy Brand’s Solution took third.
Day 3- Epic Breeze for FinaleWagner’s Skeleton Key improved his J/111 resume by adding the 2018 J/111 North American Championship to his 2017 J/111 World Championship title. With crew John Collins (bow), Nick Gibbens (headsail trimmer), John Hayes (mast), Dave Lyons (spinnaker trimmer), John Pernick (main trimmer), Cory Schillaci (pit) and Seadon Wijsen (tactician), the St. Francis Yacht Club member recorded no scores lower than a sixth in the no-discard, eight-race series. Skeleton Key ended with 18 points, including three bullets. Jim Connelly’s Slush Fund secured the silver position with 36 points, just one ahead of Bradley Faber’s Utah and Rob Ruhlman’s Spaceman Spiff that tied on points at 37 for third and fourth, respectively.
In breeze sometimes sustained over 20 knots, Friday’s race winners were Faber’s Utah, Jeffrey Davis’ Shamrock and the trio of Karl Brummel, Steve Henderson and Mike Mayer on Kashmir. However, race 6 was later abandoned due to an improper action by the Race Committee.
The top five teams were SKELETON KEY first, Connelly’s SLUSH FUND second, Faber’s UTAH third, Ruhlman’s SPACEMAN SPIFF fourth, and Davis’ SHAMROCK fifth. For more J/111 North American Championship sailing information
ILYA Crushes US Adult Sailing Championship
(Wayzata, MN)— Michael Hanson (Wayzata, Minn.) and crew turned a 56-year drought on its ear this past weekend when they won the 63rd U.S. Adult Sailing Championship sailing on a fleet of matched J/22 one-design class sailboats. They didn’t just turn it on its ear, they sailed consistently enough to take 16 podium finishes in 20 races!
Hanson, Tim Siemers (Maple Grove, Minn.) and Mark Swift (St. Paul, Minn.) dominated the regatta, posting the low score of 53 points to win the coveted Mallory Trophy. They won six races and finished outside of the top three only three times in 20 races for an incredibly low average score of 2.7.
The Mallory Trophy has a mixed history of close finishes and blowouts. The past two years have been more on the blowout side, with victories by 11 and 13 points, and Hanson continued that trend. His 16-point margin of victory is the largest since a 21-point victory in 2011. Hanson and crew won the first four races and never looked back.
“We had great teamwork all weekend,” said Hanson. “Mark on the bow and Tim in the middle were rock solid. It was shifty all weekend, so you had to stay in phase.
“Our game plan was to not make any big mistakes,” Hanson continued. “We came out guns blazing and won the first four races. We kind of kept the pedal to the metal on Day 2 and then played it a bit more conservatively the last two days. All in all, it was awesome.”
Benz Faget (Metairie, La.) of the Gulf Yachting Association, who was aiming for a record-tying fourth championship, finished second with 69 points. Third-placed Paul Wilson (New York, N.Y.) of the Southern Massachusetts Sailing Association finished with 86 points. (Wilson overtook Ryan Lashaway (Rocky River, Ohio) of the Inter-Lake Sailing Association when Lashaway was disqualified from Race 20, the first race of the final day. Lashaway finished fourth with 90 points.)
The winning trio represented the Inland Lake Yachting Association. An association of some 51 clubs across 10 states and the District of Columbia, the ILYA won the Mallory Trophy four years in a row, 1959-’62, with the legendary Harry C. “Buddy” Melges, an America’s Cup winner and Olympic Gold and Bronze medalist, winning the first three of those titles.Although the ILYA hasn’t won since 1962, 28 years before the 28-year-old Hanson was born, he wanted to represent the ILYA to stem that drought. Hanson was “well aware” of the ILYA’s history and in particular Melges’ victories, whom he views as an idol.
“I’ve heard stories of Buddy looking back on those victories as a springboard to his career,” Hanson said. “He’s a bit of an idol in the ILYA and I can only hope that this victory has a similar effect on my career.”
Hanson, who grew up sailing scows, is building an impressive résumé. He was part of the winning crew for the 2018 ILYA A Scow Championships and last year sailed aboard a Sydney 38 in the Sydney-Hobart Race where they placed first in Class C under the ORCi rating system and fifth under IRC. He has taught sailing in Australia, California and locally as Race Director at the Lake Minnetonka Sailing School. Now he shares his name on two trophy placards with Melges.
“When I was 14 years old, I won an X-Boat regatta that Buddy had won,” Hanson said of the popular one-design that is raced on lakes. “It’s an honor seeing my name on a trophy with his.”
The championship regatta was hosted by the Wayzata Yacht Club in Wayzata, Minn., just outside the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area, and was sailed on Lake Minnetonka. The race committee ran a total of 22 races, with each of the 11 teams getting two byes in the series. Races were held on a windward/leeward course with the breeze ranging from today’s low of 6 to 8 knots to yesterday’s gusty, 20 knots.
While the race committee ordered no spinnakers for the final race, Race 17, on Saturday, today the regatta was welcomed by 40-degree (F) temperatures, prompting many to add yet another layer.
“We had a little bit of everything,” said Hanson. “We were a little under weight in the heavy winds yesterday and were sort of just hanging in there.”
At the final awards ceremony, the teams representing the Sailing Association of Intermountain Lakes from Colorado and the Hawaii Yacht Racing Association were together awarded the Staton J. Peele Sportsmanship Trophy, as voted by their regatta peers.
The HYRA crew was skippered by Maddy Kennedy (Honolulu, Hawaii), who grew up in the Wayzata area, and Robin Jackson (Littleton, Colo.) skipped the SAIL crew. Both teams were praised by their peers.
The two teams were commended for their great attitudes, fun-loving approach, regatta spirit, and friendliness. Both teams also demonstrated great sportsmanship on the course in some difficult situations, and while assisting the jury with protest resolution.
The Hawaii team was also recognized for having traveled the greatest distance.
The regatta organizers at the Wayzata Yacht Club put forth a fantastic event, one that will be remembered on many levels.
“Overall, the U.S. Adult Sailing Championship went about as smoothly as we could have expected,” said Odell Tuttle, Communications Chairman for the Wayzata Yacht Club. “The level of competition did not disappoint. The spectators and volunteers were excited to watch the battle for the top three spots, and were very impressed with the hometown team from ILYA as they captured the top spot.
“Our volunteers and staff really exceeded expectations. We owe them a big thanks,” Tuttle said. “We also thank the competitors for the camaraderie, competitive spirit, sportsmanship, and tolerance of the cold temperatures.” For more U.S. Adult Sailing Championship sailing information
CCVB Crowned Italian J/70 League Winner(Porto Cervo, Italy)- Over the September 28th to 30th weekend, the Italian J/70 Sailing League’s fifteen teams completed 45 races to determine the ultimate winner of their season-long sailing season. Hosting the event was the YC Costa Smeralda in its fleet of matched J/70s on the gorgeous waters off Porto Cervo, Sardinia.
Winning the overall series was the Club Circolo della Vela Bari (skippered by Simone Ferrarese, with crew of Valerio Galati, Corrado Capece Minutolo, Leonardo Dinelli). Eight points behind the winner in second place was the crew of the Italian Air Force (Giancarlo Simeoli - captain, Niccolò Bertola - helmsman, Marco Balbi, Giovanni Bannetta), they were followed in third by the team of the Società Canottieri Garda Salò (Diego Franchini - captain, Carlo Fracassoli - helmsman, Pietro Corbucci, Mauro Spagnoli).
"The Circolo Della Vela Bari is the new Italian Champion of the Italian Sailing League,” said Simone Ferrarese, helmsman of the Circolo Della Vela Bari. “We are very happy to thank our crew, Valerio, Corrado and Leonardo who gave me the today, as high as a month and a half ago in St. Moritz, where we also managed to win the International Championship of the SAILING Champions League, who knows how it will go next year, we can not wait to return!"
Commodore of YC Costa Smeralda Riccardo Bonadeo said, "We are delighted to have closed the YCCS sports season with the national final of the Italian Sailing League circuit, three intense days with a competition format that has given us exciting challenges. And, Thank You to our partner Audi, not only for the collaboration in the success of the event, but also for the support of our One Ocean initiative, promoting the principles of Charta Smeralda. Thank you also to the Race Committee, the Jury, Umpire, YCCS staff and all the teams that embody the spirit of Club.”"It was a busy day,” commented the President of the Italian Sailing League, Roberto Emanuele de Felice. “The crews were the best in Italy, the fast and dynamic formula of the LIV regattas requires concentration and great harmony. The clubs have brilliantly demonstrated the outstanding performance of the Circolo della Vela Bari, which won 10 of 15 races. The collaboration with the YCCS, whose efficiency has allowed us to complete such a high number of races, confirms once again the great synergy of the staff, both at sea and ashore."
"The Italian Sailing League circuit,” declared Francesco Ettorre, FIV (Federation Italiano de Vela) President, “is an event the FIV has supported from the beginning because we believe it is an important opportunity both for the clubs and for the sailors; the format is the right one, fun and fast, in line with what is the new way to go boating outside of the Olympic classes. Here in Porto Cervo, we are experiencing great sailing. The crews have a great enthusiasm in participating in this format. Thank you to the whole board of LIV for the work you are doing, also towards our young people who represent the future of our sailing and our Club."
Watch Italian J/70 Sailing League video highlights here
https://www.facebook.com/legaitalianavela/videos/296914417803397/
https://www.facebook.com/legaitalianavela/videos/586563615133739/
Follow Italian J/70 Sailing League on Facebook here For more Italian J/70 Sailing League information
Challenging AYC Fall SeriesJ/105 GOOD TRADE Awarded Overall Zilph Trophy
KENAI Crowned J/44 North American Champions
(Rye, NY)- For two weekends in succession, the American YC hosted their annual Fall Series Regatta for IRC and PHRF Handicap fleets as well as one-design classes for J/44s, J/109s, J/88s, J/105s, and J/70s. Racing was held on Western Long Island Sound just south of Rye, New York from September 22-23 and September 29-30. After promising winds and leaden grey skies in the first weekend, the last weekend ended up being sunny but with light airs.
After last weekend, the South Course had already held seven races and the East Course held six races. Coming into this weekend two boats were tied for first place in the IRC and PHRF Divisions on the East Course, while the South course had tight competition in the J/70 Division.
Saturday (Sep 29) racing started off slow with little wind, but beautiful weather otherwise. In total, the South Course was able to get two races in. In the J/88 Division, ESCAPE skippered by Elizabeth and Matthew Barry had a perfect day winning both races to move up to first place, tying with Douglas Newhouse’s YONDER.The neck and neck competition between Daniel Goldberg’s BAZINGA and Alex Meleney’s TRUCKIN carried on in the J/70 Division, as BAZINGA ultimately pulled ahead of TRUCKIN by one point.
David Rosow’s LOKI continued a steady performance finishing fourth and eighth in the two races to maintain the lead in the J/109 division. Also in the same division, ZIG ZAG skippered by Bengt & Marie Johansson had a strong day on the water finishing first and second in the two races, as a result, moving up to fifth place.
At the end of Saturday, GOOD TRADE, skippered by Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault, remained in the lead of the J/105 Division. CONUNDRUM helmed by Harald Edegran and Jeremy Henderson continued to gain ground behind them, finishing first and second in both races to stay in second place. Unfortunately, the East Course did not race due to lack of wind.
After racing, sailors were provided a presentation in the American Yacht Club ballroom by Tucker Thompson. Tucker was the official host of the Volvo Ocean Race and returned to AYC to give expert commentary on what was the closest race in the history of the event. His presentation included stories, analysis, and a look at details of life aboard the VO65. Tucker also gave the attendees a sneak peek at the next Volvo Ocean Race. The presentation, sponsored by Volvo, was a great way to finish off the day after food and drinks on the front lawn.On Sunday (Sep 30), the light wind continued along with beautiful blue skies. On the East Course, Chris Lewis’ KENAI finished first place in today’s race to take the division and, in turn, win the J/44 North American Championship, which was held in conjunction with this year’s Fall Series. Rounding out the top five were Len Sitar’s VAMP in second, Ketcham’s MAXINE in third, Don & Dick Rave’s RESOLUTE in fourth and Tom Blackwell’s BREAKAWAY in fifth position.
Like the East Course, the South Course also held one race on Sunday to conclude the regatta. LOKI finished second in the one race held to secure the J/109 Division after outstanding sailing on both weekends. Bill Rogers’ BIG BOAT ended up second, Carl Olsson’s MORNING GLORY third, Bengt & Marie Johansson’s ZIGZAG fourth and John Greifzu’s GROWTH SPURT fifth place.
The J/88 Division came down to a tiebreaker with YONDER finishing first and ESCAPE locking down second. The rest of the top five included Bruno’s WINGS in third, Justin Scagnelli’s ALBONDIGAS in fourth and Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION in fifth.
GOOD TRADE won the J/105 Division, the largest division of the regatta, after holding the lead throughout both weekends. GOOD TRADE also won the Zilph Trophy for best performance in level rating classes. The balance of the podium included Harald Edegran and Jeremy Henderson’s CONUNDRUM in second and George Wilbanks’ REVELATION in third. The balance of the top five had Jon Rechtshaffer’s RAPTOR in fourth and Thom Hering’s TRIFECTA in fifth.And finally, Goldberg’s BAZINGA came through to finish one point ahead of Meleney’s TRUCKIN to win the J/70 Division. Third was Carrie & Ed Austin’s CHINOOK, fourth was Marcus Wunderlich’s STRATOS in fourth and Ernest Bourassa’s ALTHEA was fifth.
Sailors reconvened on the front lawn to enjoy food, drinks, and live music by Cover Story. After a wonderful awards ceremony, the sun set over the New York City skyline for sailors to enjoy a picturesque view ending two great weekends on the water. Follow AYC Fall Regatta on Facebook here For all AYC Fall Regattas Yachtscoring For more American YC Fall Series sailing information
HONEYBADGER Squeaks J/24 Colors Victory(Lake George, New York)- The 40th annual Changing of the Colors is now on the books. Light and variable conditions on Saturday (winds 0-11, prevailing from NW) afforded the 29-boat fleet three races on Saturday. Sunday brought cloudy skies and steadier breeze from the South, and 4 races were sailed. Lots of shake-ups in the standings and pin-end pileups created plenty of excitement and uncertainty leading up to the final race. Nevertheless, it was yet another gorgeous, picturesque weekend on the gorgeous Lake George, with racing hosted by the Lake George Club.
In the end, the two protagonists that started out the first day essentially tied, ended up that way at the end of the regatta. No question, it was a titanic duel between long-time J/24 legends in the class- Travis Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER crew from upstate New York and Carter White’s YOUREGATTA.COM crew from Portland, ME. Between the two boats, they took 11 podium finishes of a possible 21 total. Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER crew got the better of them, winning the regatta by just one point over White’s YOUREGATTA.COM team.A country mile behind them on points it was yet another battle for the balance of the podium and the top five. In that four-way battle, it was Alfie Merchant’s WITCH WAY, Ed Rees’ A+SALT, David Kaye’s ELLE, and Mike Quaid’s ICE CUBE. In the final tally, it was WITCH WAY that took the bronze with 39 pts net.
They were followed by Rees’ A+SALT in fourth and Kaye’s ELLE in fifth (winning the tiebreaker at 49 pts net each over ICE CUBE). Follow the J/24 Changing of the Colors Regatta on Facebook here For J/24 Changing of the Colors Regatta scorelines For more J/24 Changing of the Colors Regatta sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* J/24’s sailing in the arid Arizona deserts? You bet, on a gorgeous body of water northwest of downtown Phoenix, it’s actually a huge lake- called Lake Pleasant. For years, the past Commodore of the Arizona YC, Victor Felice, has been promoting sailing of all kinds on the lake- ranging from J/24s to J/80s to Hobie 16s and anything in between.
Recently, we find that Victor’s “Tiller and Kites- Exceptional Sailing” program has continued to gain passionate, enthusiastic sailors to the lake. His latest recruit is the sweet, attractive Brooke Miller from downtown Phoenix, AZ. Here is a sailing video of Brooke’s recent sailing escapades, skippering one of the “pink” J/24s around the lake!
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Our congratulations to Didier LeMoal, Fred Bouvier and the J/Composites team for organizing a great campaign with J/LANCE 12- capturing both the IRC European Championship and the IRC/ORC World Championship (with Netherlands J/Dealer Gideon Messink skippering).
Koninklijke Nederlandse Roei en Zeilvereniging Muiden, Koninklijke Antwerpse Watersportverenging SRNA and the Royal Netherlands Yachting Union (RNYU).
In the end, Tim Russell’s NE*NE won the countback on a tie-breaker for first place with Ryan Simmons’ BLACKHAWK. NE*NE was consistent from the start and faltered a bit in the end, posting a 4-1-1-2-8 for 16 pts. BLACKHAWK had a 3-3-2-7-1 tally to nearly pull off the class win, also finishing with 16 pts. Just out of the money was Bruce Stone’s ARBITRAGE, posting a roller-coast tally of 1-6-3-6-3 for 19 pts total to just hang on to third place. Fourth went to Ian Charles’ MAVERICK with a 6-7-4-1-2 record for 20 pts. Then, fifth place was Doug Bailey’s AKULA with a 2-2-6-4-10 for 24 pts total. In short, had AKULA won the last race, they could have won the regatta! And, that was apparently the case for the rest of the teams in the top five! 
Throughout the week, all four one-design fleets were extremely competitive, moving as one through their courses. It takes an extra edge to lead a fleet where all the boats are essentially identical. Doing exactly that in the J/105 class was Sean McDermott and Rory MacDonald’s McMAC, winning the class counting all bullets in five of six races. Counting virtually all 2nds was Jim Mosher’s MOJO to take the silver with 10 pts in 5 races. And, rounding out the podium was Barry Eisner’s BUZZ with 13 pts.
Andrew Childs’ J/35 HELOC led a sweep of Distance 2 Class. Second was Larry Creaser’s J/100 YOUNGBLOOD, third went to Rod Johnstone (yes, the designer) and Gary Bennett’s J/35 J’AI TU. The balance of the top five included Thane MacDonald’s J/35 J-HAWK in 4th and Peter Traves’ J/35 CRACKERJACK in 5th position.
With the championship complete, attention turned to the prize giving. There were multiple changes in positions in the fleet after the final two races. In Gold, Royal Cork Yacht Club’s Stefan Hyde on MAURICE JOHNSON & PARTNERS became the new Irish J/24 National Champion for 2018. The new Under 25 Irish National Champion is Harry Cronin and his SCANDAL team from Howth Yacht Club.
Winds were light from the southwest at the start of the race, allowing the J/105 and J/109 to fly their asymmetrical spinnakers. The J/30 had chosen to use their 163% genoa, which allowed her to keep up with the asymmetrical spinnakers. The J/100 attempted to fly their symmetrical spinnaker with the pole at the lowest position on the mast and all the way forward just off the head stay.
in 4th, Reddick’s J/100 BLU J 5th, and Amar Patel’s J/24 ROGUE from Skidaway Island Boat Club in 6th position.
* Alison Kent- The making of a sailmaker- how did she get from Milwaukee, Wisconsin (the cheese state and brewery home of Schlitz, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, Miller High Life, and Rhinelander, amongst others) to Auckland, New Zealand (the land of sails)?! For starters, Alison sailed with family and friends for what seemed forever on their J/30, winning many races on Lake Michigan, and even competing as skipper in the J/30 North Americans as a teenager.
* Nine boaters survive massive boat collision on Chesapeake Bay- J/105 vs. fishing boat!
Kearney did not know what charter service operates The Hunter.
Eye witness account from fishing boat- The Hunter:
Washington Post's Article- as reported by Martin Weil & Reis Thebault