This past week, many of the premiere regattas traditionally sailed in late spring/ early summer took place around the USA, plus there were some new ones! For starters, the Helly Hansen Annapolis NOOD Regatta was sailed off Annapolis, MD with an enormous contingent of J/Teams participating in J/70s, J/80s, J/24s, J/105s, J/35s, and J/30s. It was truly an astonishing turnout, with J/Teams accounting for 77% of the entire regatta (in terms of boats) and well over 90% of the fleet in terms of sailors...a de-facto "J/Fest Annapolis"! Simultaneously, up in Marblehead, MA, the traditional date held for the ever-popular memorial event called the Ted Hood Regatta. Hosted by Storm Trysail Club in coordination with Marblehead's famous trio of clubs (Eastern YC, Corinthian YC, & Boston YC). As usual, a large fleet of J/105s sailed along with a range of J/Boats in the ORC & PHRF classes.
Also, taking place on Long Island Sound was Stamford YC's Stamford Overnight Race; a popular event for offshore sailors looking to do some training and a "warm-up" to this weekend's famous Stamford- Vineyard Race.
Out in the Midwest, the first ever, hatched in the middle of the pandemic, J/Fest Chicago took place on Lake Michigan off Montrose Harbor, hosted by Chicago Corinthian YC for one-design fleets of J/88s, J/105s, and J/111s.
Out west, we get a report from Nicole Breault and her first-hand experience as a doublehanded sailor with her husband Bruce Stone, sailing their J/105 ARBITRAGE in the brand-new, pandemic-inspired Pandemonium Regatta hosted by Corinthian YC in San Francisco Bay.
Across the North Atlantic, the Royal Torbay YC hosted their annual Royal Torbay Regatta with J/70s sailing in their Sportsboat class.
Finally, in the J/Community section, we got an update from the owner of the J/133 PATRIOT in Sydney, Australia, providing a hopeful report that sailing gets back to a "new normal" Down Under.
Vineyard Race Preview
(Stamford, CT)- Hosted by Stamford YC, Labor Day weekend's Vineyard Race is a classic American yachting event. This 238-mile course stretches from Shippan Point through the swirling currents of Plum Gut past Block Island, and on to the light tower at the entrance to Buzzard's Bay. Once reached, sailors return by leaving Block Island to starboard en route to the finish in Stamford Harbor.
Begun in 1932, it has attracted the finest sailors and fastest boats for nearly 80 years, and its intricacies and challenges bring them back time after time. Those who are successful nearly always credit local knowledge of these tricky waters and a good deal of luck.
The Vineyard Race was described in Yachting Magazine as, "The greatest distance races of the world have several things in common - a challenging course, competitive fleets and an interesting array of famous yachts. By those standards, the Stamford Yacht Club's Vineyard Race rates close to the top. Like a miniature Fastnet, the Vineyard has a combination of coastal cruising, where currents play a big role, a stretch of ocean sailing, and a mark to round- the Buzzards Bay tower- before returning." There are several dozen J/Crews participating in this year's race. And, they are scattered amongst the three race tracks.
VINEYARD RACE (longest distance)
Racing in PHRF 7 Double Class is David Rosow's J/109 LOKI and the Young American AYC team on their J/105 YOUNG AMERICAN. Sailing in PHRF 8 Double Class is Sara & Josh Reisberg's J/120 ABILYN. ORC Class 10 includes John Greifzu's J/109 GROWTH SPURT. The twelve-boat PHRF 11 Class is loaded with well-sailed J/Teams; including Arthur Hanlon's J/112E DAUNTLES, a trio of J/120s (Brian Spears's MADISON, Mark Nannini's SALACIA, & Charles Murphy's TRUANT), and a trio of J/109s (Don Dwyer's GUARDIAN J, Dan Nash's MISTRAL, & Cao Deambrosio & Chris Nicholls's RHIANNON III). The nine-boat PHRF 12 Class has a trio of J/111s racing (Bill & Jackie Baxter's FIREBALL, John Donovan's LIBERTAS YCC, & Pito Chickering's THE ROOST) and a duo of J/122s sailing (Dan Heun's MOXIEE & Kevin Kelley's SUMMER GRACE). Finally, in ORC 13 Class are two very fast-reaching boats, Steve Levy's J/121 EAGLE and Len Sitar's J/160 COUGAR.
SEAFLOWER REEF RACE (medium distance)
Participating in PHRF 4 Double Class is Robert Pogue's J/92 NEVER SETTLE. Then, in the eight-boat PHRF 5 Class are a number of J/Teams, including Justin Scagnelli & Tim Price's J/88 ALBONDIGAS, a duo of J/105s (Frank Conway’s RAPTOR & David Spence's SYNERGY), and Todd Aven's hot J/99 THIN MAN!
CORNFIELD POINT RACE (shortest distance)
Sailing in the PHRF 1 Class is James Weil's J/92 VIXEN. They will be competing for overall handicap honors with Blaine Davis's J/30 BOUREE in PHRF 2 Class. For more Vineyard Race sailing information
Landsail Tyres J-Cup UK Update
(Cowes, England)- Fifty J/Boats have entered the Landsail Tyres J-Cup and the sizable fleet had a thrilling start to the three-day regatta with a fresh south-westerly breeze gusting over 25 knots. The RORC Race Team, led by PRO Stuart Childerley, completed one race for all classes before the tide changed, stirring up an already agitated Solent. Class winners on the opening day were Gavin Howe’s J/88 Tigris, David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’Ronimo, Tony & Sally Mack’s J/111 McFly, Simon Perry’s J/109 Jiraffe and Paul Ward’s J/70 Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat.
In IRC One, three former J-Cup winners filled the podium for the first race of the regatta. Gavin Howe’s J/88 Tigris won by just 22 seconds on corrected time from David & Kirsty Apthorp’s J/88 J-Dream. Chaz Ivill’s J/112E Davanti Tyres was third.
“I am delighted with the team’s performance today,” commented Gavin Howe. “The race was very competitive. In the conditions we decided not to hoist are spinnaker on the downwind leg and J-Dream decided to go for it and passed us. However, Tigris fought back to win, which was delightful.”
In IRC Two, David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’Ronimo reveled in the conditions to take line honours and the race win after time correction by nearly three minutes. Nick Munday’s J/97 Induljence was second and Becky Walford’s J/92 Brenda’s J was third.
Volvo Ocean Race sailor Libby Greenhalgh is navigator and tactician for her father driving J’Ronimo. “We went for an early reef on J’Ronimo and sailed the course that suited our boat rather than following the fleet,” she commented. “Our overall strategy was to minimize tacks and race in flat water, rather than use the tide.”
In the J/111 Class, Tony & Sally Mack’s McFly opened their defense of the J/111 UK National Championship with a solid performance taking the race win. Chris Jones’ Journeymaker II was second and Tim Tolcher’s Raging Bull 2 was third.
In the J/109 Class, also their UK National Championship, Simon Perry’s Jiraffe was today’s race winner. Mike & Susie Yates’ Jago was second and David Richards’ Jumping Jellyfish was third.
Paul Ward’s Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat won a high-speed encounter in the J/70 Class. Nick Phillips racing RTYC Charter boat Chaotic, only racing in a J/70 for the second time, was runner up. Tim Collins racing EV Experts was third.
The daily prize givings were held at the RORC Clubhouse. Dividing the fleet for social distancing, the J Boat family enjoyed complimentary pasta and a bottle beer and applauded today’s prize winners. Racing continues tomorrow, Friday 4th September, with lighter winds forecast for the Landsail Tyres J-Cup.
Key Yachting and the Royal Ocean Racing Club have been hard at work to maintain safety of all involved, both ashore and afloat. The sailing instructions include details of COVID-19 procedures. There is also a no spinnaker/gennaker wind limit designed to work with reduced crew numbers. All Competitors are welcome at the RORC Cowes clubhouse during the event.
The most coveted award at the Landsail Tyres J-Cup is the J-Cup itself, which will be awarded at the Prize Giving Dinner on Saturday 5th September. Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth For more J/Cup UK Regatta sailing information
Round the Island Race- Jamestown Preview
(Jamestown, Rhode Island)- In a summer of social distancing, getting out on the water has been a release for many local sailors. Conanicut Yacht Club's Annual Around-the-Island Race on September 6th aims to continue to be that respite. The 93rd edition, held annually on the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend, may look a little different this year but will still be a celebration of the New England summer sailing season winding down.
Typically attracting around one hundred boats, competitors start at 11 am in separated divisions then circumnavigate the 18.0 mile course around Conanicut Island. Usually, this is followed by the popular post-race party and awards ceremony at the club. However, the pandemic rules haven’t allowed us to do that part of the day’s activities.
"We are proud and grateful for how flexible and patient the sailing community has been this summer," says race chairman, Alan Baines. "We delayed opening registration until we knew more about how we could operate safely for everyone and of course, decided to not host a post-racing party. However, as regulations are always changing, we do ask for your continued cooperation. So please keep an eye out for any late special instructions or changes over the coming weeks."
Despite the cancellations or modifications of other local regattas, many race boats have still been sailing as much as possible. They have adapted to the "new normal" by following the safety recommendations from the State of Rhode Island by limiting crew or just sailing with family. Face masks or buffs have become a part of the sailors' gear bag as much as the lifejacket, hat, and sunglasses.
Many J/Crews are participating in what is generally the most popular long-distance race sailed on Narragansett Bay every summer. The Sunday marine weather forecast is looking pretty epic, sunny and in the 70's F, S-SW winds 10-15 kts most of the day and with a high tide at 11:08 AM the Bay will be ebbing all day long. As a result, the fleet will be pushed upwind at a 1-2 kts clip...making it a very fast race on a handicap basis for the smaller boats.
Participating in the seven-boat PHRF C Class- Non-Spinnaker- is Owen Harren's J/44 SINGULARLY. In the nine-boat PHRF D Class are Noah Simmons's J/22 QUINN and a duet of J/24s (John Stokes's FRAMBOSE & Mike Hill's OBSTREPOROUS). In the nine-boat PHRF E Class is Colin Miller's J/27 SPLASH TANGO and a trio of J/30s (Chris Tate's BLITZ, Dexter Hoag's ALTAIR, & Dan Borsutky's FLYING HIGH).
One of the largest classes in the race is the thirteen-boat PHRF F Class. Leading the charge should be EC Helme's talented local knowledge team on his J/92S SPIRIT. They will be pressed hard by Sam Sylvester's J/29 MEDDLER, a trio of J/70s (Gordon Fletcher's GIJIMA, Hannah Swett's SPARKLE, & Stu Johnstone's J-HAWK), and a duo of J/80s (Conor O'Neil's THE PARTY TREE & Eric Bell's PHANTOM).
The thirteen-boat PHRF G Class has a well-known trio of winning J/109s flying around the race track; including Bill Kneller's VENTO SOLARE, Tom Sutton's LEADING EDGE, and Bo Eaves’ FREEDOM. They will be chased hard by FJ Ritt's J/35 SHAMROCK. For more Conanicut YC Around the Island Race sailing information
Red Fox Regatta Preview
(Charlevoix, MI)- The Red Fox Regatta weekend is a three-day event starting with the NuCore Triangle race on Friday evening, ending with a two-day race from the top of Lake Charlevoix on Saturday, and back again on Sunday afternoon. With an excellent family-friendly event planned for Saturday evening, it's been a cherished event for many racers, crew members, and their families for many years. This year, despite all odds conspiring to prevent the event from taking place, the Charlevoix YC has been able organize and run the event within the State of Michigan's pandemic guidelines. Many J/Crews are looking forward to their first real sailing outing for summer 2020!
Sailing in the eight-boat PHRF 2 division is Colin Texter's J/70 SISTERSHIP. The six-boat PHRF 4 division sees Chicago-Mackinac Race champion Robert Evans sailing his J/109 GOAT RODEO. Joining him is Jane Enterline's J/105 GREEN FLASH and Rob Lovell's J/92 KNOCKOUT. Sailing in the seven-boat PHRF 6 division are a duo of J/111s (George Golder's TERRIER and Carl Hanssen's VARIANCE). PHRF 7 division has the newly powered-up J/121 LOKI sailed by Robert Christoph.
The seven-boat J/22 one-design class includes two Warrior Sailing Teams along with Chris Shadek's BACK IN ACTION and Abigail Barnes's RUM PLUS. For more Red Fox Regatta sailing information
Tri-State Fly-By Race Preview
(Chicago, IL)- In days past, the traditional Labor Day Weekend Tri-State Race (a 3-day event) would start in Chicago, head over to Michigan across the southern parts of Lake Michigan, stay overnight, then race down to Indiana, stay overnight and party-hardy again, the race home to Chicago. However, due to all kinds of multi-state guidelines on pandemic guidelines, the race is now simply a long-distance triangle race. Starting in Chicago, over to the St Joseph, MI harbor entrance buoy (a fly-by), down to Michigan City, IN harbor entrance buoy (another fly-by), then back to Chicago. What is surprising is the strong interest in the race, especially by the double-handed and singlehanded entries.
In the PHRF Double class, four J/105s are participating; including Mike Sheppard's notorious FLYING PIG, Mark Gannon's GANGBUSTERS, Mike Hettel's GLOBAL NOMADS, and Ralph Krauss's YUKON. Joining them is John Kalanik's J/111 PURA VIDA and Ron Otto's J/110 TAKEDOWN 2. In the Singlehanded class are duel J/105s (David Pierce's CAUGHT IN TRAFFIC and Brian Crabb's SEA-U).
In PHRF SPIN 3 class is Andy Graff's race-winning J/88 EXILE along with Judith & Ross McLean's J/105 ESPRIT d'ECOSSE. Sailing PHRF SPIN 2 class is the J/99 RAMBLER along with Mitch Weisman's J/105 FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER. PHRF Spin 1 Cass features two J/111s (Boyd Jarrell's HEADROOM and Kevin Saedi & Raman Yousefi's MOMENTOUS) and Tom Papoutsis's J/133 RENEGADE. For more Tri-State Fly-By Race sailing information
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Sailing Calendar
Sep 5-6- Danish J/70 Sailing League- Skovshoved, Denmark
Sep 11-13- J/80 Atlantic Telegramme Regatta- Lorient, France
Sep 11-13- Swiss J/70 Challenge League- Spiez, Switzerland
Sep 12-13- RORC Doublehanded IRC Nationals- Cowes, IOW, England
Sep 18-20- J/Jamboree- Lake Winnepesaukee, NH
Sep 24-27- J/Fest San Diego- San Diego, CA
Sep 24-27- Sevastopol J/70 International Cup- Sevastopol, Crimea
Oct 10-11- J/Fest Southwest- Lakewood, TX
Oct 17- Rolex Middle Sea Race- Gzira, Malta
Thrilling Annapolis NOOD Regatta
(Annapolis, MD)- Even a self-described “punch in the nose” couldn’t stop Will Crump and his teammates aboard R80 from winning the J/80 fleet at the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Annapolis today. The feat also earned them an invitation to the British Virgin Islands—as the regatta’s overall winner—to represent Annapolis at the Helly Hansen Caribbean NOOD Championship, scheduled for 2021.
“John [White – friend and rival on board J/80 USA 1162] must have heard me say I was going after him in the starting sequence today,” Crump said jokingly. “Well, he won that round in race one today when he came after us right away, ‘punched us in the nose,’ and we finished fifth.
“Then we traded, and I got him in the next race,” Crump said. “It was another really fun day, very challenging and shifty. The fleet continues to be super competitive so winning is very rewarding.”
Behind the two leaders was a well-known world-class Naptown sailor- Mike Hobson on MELTEMI, securing the bronze on the podium with a win in the first race and posting five more races in the top three to finish with 31 pts. Top woman skipper Sarah Alexander on MORE COWBELLS took 4th place and Derick Lynch's OUTLAWS ended up 5th.
The final of three days of racing treated sailors across 78 teams to cooler temperatures, sun and moderate (but signature Annapolis shifty) winds for the final two to three races among the two divisions and 10 fleets.
In the largest fleet of the event, sixteen J/105s battled it out with co-owners Cedric Lewis and Frederik Salvesen winning the class by 24 points with their family and friends aboard MIRAGE.
Lewis and Slavesen met during high school sailing and have sailed together for 35 years. “It was nice to have a bit of normalcy in this age of Coronavirus and get out racing,” said Lewis. “Our team has been dealing with adversity so sailing together was great.”
He credits flawless crew work as a major key to their success. “Today we finished up strong with a 2-1-1,” he said. “The breeze was all over the place and we saw pretty hefty shifts. We would start with a plan and stick to it. No freaking out if we fell behind.”
The MIRAGE team compiled an impressive record, winning 7 of 9 races for a total of 12 pts, an unheard-of record in the usually extremely competitive Annapolis J/105 fleet. A distant second was Andrew Kennedy's BAT IV with 36 pts and taking the bronze was top woman skipper Sara Morgan Watters on CRASH!
First-time Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Annapolis competitor John Heaton on his Chicago-based Empeiria adapted quickly to Annapolis’ tricky sailing conditions, winning the 11-boat J/70 fleet by 17 points over Cate Muller-Terhune on Murder Hornet.
“Hats off to Annapolis; wow, what a challenging place. You can see why sailors here are very good tactically; it’s just so shifty,” said Heaton. “It’s a great venue and we’re thrilled with how much racing we got in. It was fun to sail against other, new boats here.”
According to Heaton, Sunday was a day of transitions, with special attention paid to crew movement as the wind strength went up and down. “Our first race today started a bit slow; I think we rounded the top mark in 8th, but we just focused on sailing the boat well and grinding boats down,” he said. “We ended up second, holding off two boats right at the end. A really fun, super competitive race and I was really proud of us to keep our heads up and sail hard.”
Another big surprise for the J/70 fleet, aside from a Chicago "outsider" winning, was top woman helm Cate Muller-Terhune sailing MURDER HORNET. She won two races along the way to earning a solid second place...it may have helped her to have someone like Alan Terhune on mainsheet- a past J/22 World Champion. Rounding out the podium was a familiar team on the J/70 circuit, Henry Filter's WILD CHILD took the bronze while, simultaneously also winning the Corinthians Division. Second in the Corinthians was the trio of Bowe/ Jenner/ McNamara on TEA DANCE SNAKE and third was Peter Firey's PHOENIX.
With just three days practice under their belts, the J/22 U.S. Naval Academy entry won the J/22 fleet, breaking yesterday’s tiebreaker with J/22 veteran Jeffrey Todd on Hot Toddy. Taking third place was Zander King's RYTHMIC PUMPING.
USNA Skipper Jeffrey Petersen, from Santa Ana, Calif., is a plebe in his first two weeks at the U.S. Naval Academy, but he has raced internationally as a youth match-racing sailor. That experience helped today as he said the unstable and shifty wind created opportunities for them to do more maneuvers. Otherwise, Petersen said, “In a straight line, Mr. Todd’s speed was incredible. My team did an incredible job putting the boat in the right spot,” he said. “I really do owe it to them, especially as I shift out of my match-racing hat and into fleet racing.”
In a Herculean effort to get his dismasted J/35 Abientot to the starting line of this weekend’s Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Annapolis, Roger Lant went to extreme measures.
“I actually bought another J/35 last week,” Lant said. “We pulled the mast out of it, stripped it and then sent it to the junkyard. It was everything I had in me to get to the starting line. But, today went very well so I am absolutely thrilled."
He credits his crew’s tenacity and great teamwork for their solid performance in the four-boat J/35 fleet to secure three first-place finishes and one second in shifty, challenging conditions on Chesapeake Bay. “It was very tough sailing out there, but also a lot of fun.”
The breeze, which peaked at 10 to 15 knots with large wind shifts, kept the committees on their toes to deliver three to four races across the 10 fleets and two circles.
The quartet of J/35s saw a very strong battle for the top of the leaderboard. Sure enough, Jim Sagerholm's AUNT JEAN and Roger Lant's ABIENTOT traded off 1st and 2nd over the course of nine races. First team to blink was, amazingly, Sagerholm's AUNT JEAN, suffering defeat in the fourth race and having to post a 3rd on his scoreline. As a result, Lant's inspired crew on ABIENTOT with their "new" mast pulled off the unthinkable, beating AUNT JEAN to the top of the podium! Third was Jim McNeely's MAGGIE.
The J/30s had great racing amongst their fleet of eight boats from all over Chesapeake Bay. Surprising many, a smoking hot TOTALED MAYHEM sailed by Doug & Amy Stryker's basically decimated their class, posting all top 2 finishes in the nine races sailed, finishing with just 15 pts. Also sailing a solid regatta was Bruce Irvin's SHAMROCK, collecting four bullets along the way, to finish with 21 pts. Third was top woman skipper Heidi Frist, sailing SUZIE Q on to the bronze step on the podium. Heidi started the regatta strongly with a 1st and 3rd, leading the fleet. Thereafter, she closed the first day in 2nd place with an additional two 4th place finishes. Sunday was another story for her team, faltering in a few races but nevertheless still earning a well-deserved bronze medal.
The half-dozen J/24 class saw another case of getting "schooled" on how to get around the race track. Winning his first six races before taking a breather, Pat Fitzgerald's RUSH HOUR won handily with a tally of seven bullets in eight races for 10 pts. In a tight battle for the balance of the podium were Kent Bartlett’s SPACEMAN SPIFF and Jim Bonham's SISU. Their battle went down to the wire on the last day with the SPIFFERS closing with a strong pair of deuces to take the silver, with SISU taking the bronze.
Annapolis NOOD Overall Winner Crump, selected from among individual class winners, summed up the weekend, saying “I’m really grateful for winning, and very grateful that we were even able to have an event this year. This is the only event we are doing all year,” he said. “It felt great to get out and sail and sort of pretend the world is the way it’s supposed to be, even for a short amount of time.
“We’re definitely looking forward to going to the Caribbean. Our team was lucky enough to get down there in 2011, and now that we know what it’s like we can’t wait to go back.” For more Annapolis NOOD sailing information
Awesome Royal Torbay Regatta
(Torquay, England)- Organized by the Royal Torbay Yacht Club, the Torbay Royal Regatta is normally a three-day festival of competitive racing over the August bank holiday weekend. Given the circumstances this year, there were doubts about any event at all, but when restrictions were eased at the end of July, Sailing Secretary Bob Penfold decided to try and run a reduced regatta.
Penfold commented, “we decided to go for two days only, on August 22nd and 23d. Part of the purpose of this was to cut the number of volunteers we needed, because three of our five Race Officers are currently shielding (locked down at home), and quite a lot of others who normally operate RIBs are not able to do so at the moment. By sticking to yachts and sportboats only, we could minimize the number of support people required out on the water; we had just two people mark-laying, distanced on the RIB and wearing face coverings, and they had to do just one tow-in. We also reduced the number of people on the committee boat to five, including one couple, and again, they were all distanced.”
The organizing team ran no registration, so avoiding the need for people to sit opposite each other, and there was just a limited race office, with reduced hours, all done through the club’s main office with a screen between participants and those at the desk. Sailing instructions and the Notice of Race included clear referrals to both government and RYA covid-19 online guidance.
The weather for the event was good, with gusts of over 25 knots on the Saturday. As a result, there was a full weekend of racing, and it was very competitive, especially in the sportsboat classes. There were eight entries in the cruiser fleet, following the SWYTC handicap system, eight entries in the IRC yacht fleet, and 11 sportboats. Some were crewed by "family bubble" teams, while others, being larger, were socially distanced and, where necessary, using mitigation such as masks according to the guidelines. Participants were largely club members, though there were a few boats from further afield.
In the end, Paddy Bettesworth's crew on the J/70 BEWITCHED took the bronze medal in the Sportboats class. The team was grinning from ear-to-ear at the end of racing on Sunday, reveling in the spectacular sailing conditions all weekend long.
Prize-givings were in the terraced garden of the club with people well spaced-out and a one-way system. Prizes were sponsored by Maintain South West (Sportsboats), Westaway Sails (IRC class) and Teign Metal Finishes (Cruiser Class).
Members were very happy with the event, commenting extremely positively. One crew messaged afterwards: “We had the most amazing weekend sailing. It’s such a treat to see all of you again after such a prolonged time off the water. Thank you to everyone involved with the organizing for all their efforts – it’s hugely appreciated, especially with the extra challenges to navigate this year. Well done!” For more Royal Torbay YC Torbay Regatta sailing information
J/Fest Chicago Celebrates Sailing Again!
(Chicago, IL)- Following Chicago's pandemic guidelines, the Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club was able to host Chicago's first one-design keelboat regatta for just J/Crews- the inaugural J/Fest Chicago! The event took place August 29th to 30th, sailing out of Montrose Harbor, with racing taking place on the gorgeous azure blue waters of Lake Michigan. Three one-design classes participated in the event- J/88s, J/105s, and J/111s.
In the largest class, the six-boat J/88 class saw a great battle unfold between one of Chicago's premiere offshore teams- Ben Marden's BANTER and a fast-learning Scandinavian crew- Jorgen Christiansen's NORSE. Winning the first race, Christiansen's team posted all podium finishes of 1-3-1-2-3 for a total of 10 pts to win the class. Uncharacteristically, Marden's team posted a 6th in the first race, but closed with three bullets and a deuce for 11 pts total to take the silver. Tim Wade's WINDSONG rounded out the podium in the bronze position, scoring a pair of deuces and a pair of threes for 15 pts total.
The J/105 one-design class had a closely fought battle for first, with the top two boats tied at 11 pts with identical records of 1-1-2-2-2-3! In the end, by winning the last race, Josh Lutton's KINSHIP won the gold, while Mike Sheppard's crew on FLYING PIG slipped to 2nd. Rounding out the podium taking the bronze was Richie Stearns's GLIDER IV.
In the J/111 one-design class, it was a match race duel all weekend between the two boats. In the end, it was John Kalanik's PURA VIDA winning over their colleagues on MOMENTUS (Kevin Saedi & Raman Yousefi).
Thanks to regatta sponsors/ supporters such as MarkSetBot (the fully autonomous mark setting miracle), Stearns Boating, Evolution Sails, Skyway Yacht Works, and SAIL 22.com. For more J/Fest Chicago sailing and registration information
Fast & Furious Stamford Overnight Race
(Stamford, CT)- Stamford YC hosted their popular Overnight Race last weekend on the waters of Long Island Sound for a fleet of PHRF offshore teams. It's fun, fast overnight race and is often used by teams as a "warm-up" and training session prior to this weekend's famous Labor Day Stamford Vineyard Race. For the first time, the event featured a large PHRF Doublehanded class.
In the "big boat" PHRF A Division, Bill and Jackie Baxter's J/111 FIREBALL took the silver in their class. Then, in the PHRF C Division of nine-boats, Greg Imbruce's J/109 JOYRIDE took the silver. In fourth was Dan Corcoran's J/109 STRIDER, fifth was Cao Deambrosio & Chris Nicholls's J/109 RHIANNON III, seventh was Jim Well & EJ Haskell's J/92 VIXEN, and ninth was Chris Hynes's NAVIS BONA.
In the PHRF D Doublehanded Division, Arthur Hanlon's J/112E DAUNTLESS managed a fifth place, followed by Barry Purcell's J/27 LUCIDA. For more Stamford Overnight Race sailing information
Fun-loving Beaver Island Race Weekend
(Harbor Spring, MI)- Little Traverse YC annually hosts their popular 68.0nm Beaver Island Race Weekend towards the end of summer. This year was different than past races, due to the pandemic guidelines they had to adhere to from the State of Michigan. Nevertheless, the race must go on! And, they did! It is a straightforward weekend regatta, comprising of two legs of 34.0nm each: a round-trip from a start off Harbor Point Light in Little Traverse Bay, out into Lake Michigan, across to Beaver Island, finishing off St. James Light. Stay overnight on anchor or mooring, then race back.
On the outbound race to Beaver Island, winning that first leg was Bob Matthews's J/105 GRYPHON, with Scott Sellers's J/111 NO SURPRISE taking second. On the return, Sellers's NO SURPRISE too 2nd again while Matthews's GRYPHON dropped to fourth place. For the combined results, the J/111 NO SURPRISE lost the tie-breaker to take the silver overall, while the J/105 GRYHPON took the bronze. A great outing for these two determined competitors. For more Little Traverse YC Beaver Island Race sailing information
Ted Hood Regatta A Resounding Success
(Marblehead, SC)- As befitting a regatta named after the multi-faceted Ted Hood – sailmaker, yacht designer, inventor, yacht builder, and America’s Cup-winning skipper, designer, sailmaker and builder – the Storm Trysail Club’s Ted Hood Regatta had a wide variety of courses, sizes and types of yachts. The forty-five participating boats included everything from a Rhodes 19 one-design fleet, to larger keelboat one-designs (J/105’s), inshore course ORRez big boat classes, PHRF racers, a Double-Handed ocean racing class and an ocean race!
The THR (as it’s affectionately known) ran a total of 8 inshore races over the course of three days (August 21-23); four races Friday, and two on both Saturday and Sunday, plus the ocean race on Friday night for the Double-Handed and Ocean Race entries.
While the pandemic did not dampen the enthusiasm for the race, the usual shore-side festivities were eliminated entirely, and other precautions were put into place.
“The Storm Trysail Club is historically focused on safety. Usually that means on-the-water safety training and race equipment requirements, but with COVID-19 we have been additionally focused on health and safety as it relates to the pandemic. Clarke and his team worked tirelessly to bring off this event safely and responsibly. And, I think it is fair to say that the sailing community around the North Shore are grateful for their efforts,” explained Storm Trysail Club Vice-Commodore Ed Cesare.
The usual Skipper’s Meeting before the regatta was held via Zoom, and a COVID-19 release form had to be completed every day by all racers, all race committee members, and every volunteer. Each boat was then required to sail by the committee boats and verbally confirm that the release forms were executed each day. Furthermore, those forms are to remain onboard the boat until October 15th.
Three days of around-the-buoy racing began Friday in perfect conditions. Winds 10-14 knots allowed all three racing circles to get in four very competitive races. Saturday’s winds were much lighter, and, after a postponement of 1.5 hours, conditions had improved to seven knots of breeze. Although it was shifty, the committees worked hard so that all three circles were able to get in two races.
Sunday saw an AP fired at 1200 hrs, but the seabreeze filled in an hour later. The fleet enjoyed 16 knots, providing a great end to the regatta with several boats battling right to the last finish line to win their classes.
For Friday night’s ocean racing portion of the regatta, the Race Committee was concerned with the very light winds that were forecast for Saturday morning. With course options ranging from 64nm to 127nm, the RC chose to send the Double-Handed class (which consisted of boats generally smaller/slower than their Fully-Crewed counterparts) on the shortest course, while the Fully Crewed group sailed the medium distance (90nm) course.
In the Double-Handed group, the J/109 HAFA ADAI, was under the command of another local sailor, Eliot Shanabrook. (“Hafa Adai” is a greeting used in the Mariana Islands that is roughly the equivalent of “Aloha” in Hawaii.) This was Eliot’s first THR, and he raced in the Double-Handed division with his son Reid. Eliot describes how he and his son divvy up the load: “Reid makes 66% of the sail and boat-handling decisions and I make 66% of the tactical/navigation decisions. The last third of each generally features some ‘lively’ father/son discussions!” What would he say to others who might be considering entering the race for the first time as he did? “Do it! Whether it’s one-design, big boat day races, crewed or DH overnight races, there’s something for everyone.”
As the biggest fleet in the regatta, the J/105s saw a complete "whitewash" of the fleet. BROUHAHA, a J/105 skippered by Ric Dexter, had an almost perfect record marred by a “mere 2nd”. “There were several maneuvers that we were able to pull off in at least 1/2 of the eight races that put us in winnable positions and kept our lanes clear,” describes Rick. “Many tight tacks and jibes made a big difference overall. The crew was on their game the whole weekend. The lines and courses were square and well-managed. Short races were appropriate for the conditions and we got in lots of races. I cannot remember a regatta where we actually got 8 races in 3 days!”
Two handicap rules were utilized for the inshore racing; ORRez and PHRF, with ORRez divided into two classes. SCIROCCO, a J/33 captained by Ward Blodgett and Liz Smith, won Class 2 on a tie-breaker!
Event Chair Clarke Smith was well-pleased with the regatta. “COVID-19 really complicated our planning for the event. We had shifting guidance and a dynamic – to say the least – situation, but we were extremely happy with the turnout under the circumstances, and the regatta came off without a hitch. Putting on a regatta, even under normal circumstances, takes a substantial amount of time and resources, most of which happens behind the scenes. This year was especially challenging. I’d like to thank PRO Alan McKinnon, Jason Mahar – Chief Judge, Cutter Herlihy – Sponsor, and Race Committee Member, and Committee Members Joel White and Jamie Noyes. Also, Henry Brauer for the use of his RIBCraft, and Gifted of Larchmont for getting us the trophies while they endured the recent blackout down in Connecticut.”
“Also, regattas like this one would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors: Safewaters Underwriting Managers, Goslings Rum, East Regiment Beer Company, North Sails, Herlihy Electric, Sudbury Products, and Phil Smith Photography. I’d also like to specially thank Marblehead Animal Hospital. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of a veterinary clinic sponsoring a regatta, but they provided all the hand sanitizer for the participants and graciously offered their very sterile facility as a Protest Room. Thankfully no protests were filed. I’m used to hearing a lot of barking in a protest hearing, but this would have been a little different!” For more Ted Hood Regatta sailing information
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* J/133 PATRIOT Sailing Again Down Under
We received an update from J/133 owner of PATRIOT from Sydney, Australia- Jason Close:
"We have had little sailing since Sydney- Hobart due to our state Victoria’s unbelievably harsh restrictions due to Covid 19 (which we are still in lockdown after 6 months!)We did manage to race in the Sail Peninsula regatta in February and won the overall measurement rating division out of 21 entrants (which included a new J/121, which we had some great racing with). This was a good result for us after our solid Hobart campaign.
Here are photos of us on the water in the passing Tasman Island and entering Storm Bay in the final stages of the Sydney Hobart Race. The other photo is our team shot on the dock at Hobart.
We are yet to make immediate future racing plans due to our restrictions, but hopefully, we can finalize things in the upcoming weeks, fingers crossed!" (Editor's Note- we mistakenly attributed Jason's PATRIOT class win in the 2019 Sydney Hobart to another colleague's J/133. Apologies to all). :)
* "Loving ARROWHEAD, our J/42 hull #62. She has 35,000 miles on here. 8 Newport to Bermuda Races. 4 Marblehead to Halifax Races, and the 2015 Transatlantic race. A lot of miles under her bottom, great boat sailing offshore," commented owner Steve Berlack. Steve is the Men's Ski Team Coach at the famous Burke Mountain Academy in East Burke, Vermont. The Academy is famous for turning out some of America's top ski racers on the FIS Tour and Olympic Medallists.
* Sailing the Bay in an Entirely Other Way- by Nicole Breault
It seems like many of us are finding silver linings here and there as our lives wrestle with the dangers of the pandemic. One of these for me has been exploring the challenges of a whole new type of sailing: double-handed distance racing.
Since the announcement of the new Olympic event slated for the 2024 Games, the notion of trying this adventurous type of racing has been seeping into the sailing community. In fact, my husband Bruce has been angling for us to campaign together since last winter, even enrolling us in a Safety at Sea Seminar and applying for a J/88 charter as part of the special double-handed class that was meant to compete in this summer’s Chicago-Mac as a qualifier for the World’s in October offshore Malta.
To be honest, I’ve been quite the realist about undertaking this kind of challenge. You can’t just throw around that “O” word lightly, as anyone who’s dabbled in campaigning will attest. Not to mention that Bruce and I can be described well as fully programmed inshore buoy racers who enjoy the creature comforts of evening après-racing as much as being on familiar waters with our full crackerjack crew while duking it out with friendly competition. Let’s say we hammer down and learn the skills of short-handed sailing and sophisticated navigation, and even convert our aged bodies into athletic machines that can operate efficiently in the middle of the night while sleep-deprived, then we’d be facing off with medal-obsessed competitors who actually built a life around this kind of sailing and have track records of round-the-world, transoceanic racing that was their starting point in the quest for 2024 glory.
Yeah right. So, this was my impression and my prejudicial respect for the game, and I was dragging my feet all the way. Until a pandemic hit, and suddenly, Bruce was the only person I could go sailing with safely under the 'shelter in place' orders. Now, I am not saying I am fully on board with an Olympic effort, but at least I could sample the endeavor with some local racing on San Francisco Bay (assuming I could sleep in my own bed at night).
As it turns out, there is a deep roster of short-handed sailors who race in San Francisco Bay and into the Pacific Ocean. The Single-handed Sailing Society runs events for soloists and double-handed teams several times a year. As August approached and virtually every J/105 and match racing event on my calendar toppled to the realities of COVID-19, the SSS offered us a chance to feed our passion for racing while giving us a taste of the vogue mixed-crew, double-handed discipline. Its "Round the Rocks" race attracted 122 entries, 80% double-handed and the remaining folks their traditional single-handed clientele. We finished third in a hotly contested eight-boat J/105 fleet that was led by Ryan Simmons in Blackhawk, followed by Pat Benedict in Advantage3. This was followed by Richmond YC’s "Island Tour Regatta" with 80 entries, (9 single-handed and 71 double-handed – including 6 J/70s) – we skipped that one because it was PHRF. Instead, we raced the following day in the double-handed, one-design 2020 Pandemonium Regatta, hosted by Corinthian Yacht Club, with 37 double-handed boats, including a solid eight-boat J/24 fleet, eight J/105s and four J/88s. We finished 2nd in a terrific duel all the way around the course with Bill Woodward’s recently rebuilt Russian Roulette.
The amazing aspect is that’s a total of over 200 double-handed boats crossing the starting line in August! The Single-handed Sailing Society is de-facto becoming the Double-handed Sailing Society.
ROUND THE ROCKS RACE- the perspective from J/105 ARBITRAGE
Here's a recap of the Round the Rocks on August 8th. Huge turnout indicative of the pent-up demand for racing – 122 registered. We rallied the J/105 fleet and got 8 entries and our own one design start.
SF Bay delivered classic midsummer conditions with a heavy marine layer ushering in prevailing westerly wind in the upper teens to mid-twenties throughout the day.
Despite my underlying goal to simply survive the race and get safely home, competitive instincts awakened as I realized I was responsible for getting both jib and main set off the start line.
Starting deep in the Bay at the Berkeley Circle, leg one was a starboard beat/tight reach to Blossom Rock, a central navigation marker in the triangle of the SF City Front, Alcatraz and Treasure Island. The drag race that emerged was all too familiar, with rival Blackhawk charging hard to windward while Bruce and I managed Arbitrage’s speed and point to stay leeward and ahead.
We prevailed, rounding Blossom in 1st, but then proceeded to play the wrong hand up the City Front against the flood tide to Blackaller near the Golden Gate Bridge. There is really nothing more demoralizing than arriving to the City Front way down by Pier 39 only to find minimal current relief, knowing you must short-tack something like 4 miles – and you’re the only crew on a J/105. A few boats followed us to their chagrin, while others went with Blackhawk to the current relief in the cone of Alcatraz, enjoying much longer tacks in doing so, before hitting the shore. They were far ahead when we came back together again. We had slipped to 4th and I was very tired.
We regrouped mentally and played the second part of the beat well, recovering to 2nd at Blackaller. Blackhawk rounded first with a comfy lead, but we had much more sailing ahead and anticipated chances when passing through tricky waters off Tiburon. With the flood tide ripping by now, the trip across the Golden Gate called for a jib reach. Once we passed the blast off the westerly and hit the windbreak off Sausalito, we set the chute for the run through Raccoon Strait. The winds were swirly behind the headlands and light in the Strait, so we were focused on exploiting the race compression to maybe regain the lead, but of course, anxious about the boats threatening from behind.
Having little experience with the strategic considerations of the Tiburon shore, our logic turned out wrong and Advantage3 found the corridors of pressure to blaze past us into second while we wallowed in the oddly protracted hole between Tiburon and Richmond. Oh, the secrets I learned on that spinnaker leg! Apparently, there develops a harbor hurricane off Paradise Cay. And there are important techniques for safely dropping an asym kite on a tight reach once you escape the lee of Marin and meet the northerly-slanted piping pressure… and you are double-handing. While we doused our chute the ‘normal way’ you would with a full crew, we witnessed extra-long tack-blowing letterboxes happen around us and some using a spinnaker snuffer.
We chased Blackhawk and Advantage 3 around the Brothers Islands just north of the Richmond Bridge, and fended off One Trick Pony as we fought the flood back to the finish line inside Potrero Reach, home of the Richmond YC. Was I relieved the spinnaker stayed below for the remainder of the race.
So, there are people who specialize in this kind of racing! They do it all the time, and they are amazing sailors! This was my main take-away from the Round the Rocks race that saved me from my endless landlubber summer, locked down in our house, our refuge from COVID and the foul air due to raging forest fires around the Bay. Being out sailing felt great.
PANDEMONIUM REGATTA- the J/105 ARBITRAGE EXPERIENCE
The SSS Round the Rocks race fueled Bruce’s fire for mixed gender double-handed racing, too. Apparently, there are local races like this popping up in places like Annapolis, Oyster Bay, and Newport, addressing the hunger for racing while complying with the constraints of COVID-19 household-only restrictions.
Bruce decided SF Bay needed an event geared just like this and organized one with the Corinthian Yacht Club, calling it the 2020 Pandemonium Regatta. This was organized expressly for one-design fleets and attracted a lot of J/24s, Alerions, Cal 20s, J/88s and J/105s. A special Panda trophy was awarded to mixed gender crews.
The regatta was held last Sunday, August 30, and became my second foray into short-handed racing. This time my goal was to avoid injury and not yell so much at Bruce. Again, the competitive juices kicked in at the start and the focus became winning.
With the start off the west face of Angel Island into a dying flood tide, we made a hard play to the Sausalito shore along Yellow Bluff for early ebb. Arbitrage took an early lead in the 8-strong J/105 class, but we played the shoreline too hard and Russian Roulette slipped by on the stronger outside pressure as we got the Golden Gate bridge. The course called for us to race out to Point Bonita, then back into the Bay to Red Rocks up in the Bay near the Richmond Bridge, then back through Raccoon Strait to finish off the Corinthian YC race deck.
Calamity visited as we headed outbound, favoring the north shore for relief from the flood. While short-tacking the Marin Headlands near Pt Diablo, an override locked the starboard jib sheet as we approached the rocky shore! It’s enough to do all this work to crew the boat when everything is going well, much less have these stressful challenges pop up. Panicked scrambling yielded to the simple solution of tacking slowly to reduce pressure on the sheet, but it cost us our comfortable margin over two boats, Strangelove and Jam Session, who came into striking position, and we lost the benefit of our hard working in grinding down Russian Roulette. We don’t usually race in waters beyond the Golden Gate Bridge, so while doing all this work we enjoyed the views and the challenge of different tidal patterns.
Russian Roulette hoisted first and headed toward the south shore, seeking tidal relief from the beginning ebb. We later learned that was also to avoid extra jibes! We chose a more direct route to the Golden Gate Bridge, almost laying south tower, and closing the gap given the wind was so southerly. Positions stayed the same all the way as the wind built to mid-20s enroute to Raccoon Straits where the wind went light. As trailing boats stayed on a plane and compressed with us, Strangelove’s kite exploded and we didn‘t expect to see them again. We initiated in a jibing dual and caught the leader by heading to the rocks for tide relief at Pt. Stewart on Angel Island. However, as we gained an inside overlap and ran out of sea room, Bruce turned a bit too quickly and we wrapped the kite. This gave Russian Roulette the advantage they needed to continue in the lead the rest of the way to Red Rock and back to the finish. Kudos also go to Justin Oberbauer who was able to clean up the mess on Strangelove, hoist a backup kite and dig back in to gain a third place, just ahead of Jam Session in fourth.
After heading home and de-rigging the boat, we were exhausted – and it was just a 24-mile race! What will happen when we ramp up to the 100 milers and then eventually 300+ that’s envisioned for the Olympics? Got to start training now, and we’ll propose some longer routes to Corinthian Yacht Club, who have graciously supported this effort to expand the opportunities for double-handed one-design distance racing. Sailing photo credits- Denise Kramer
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