Now that we are approaching the midpoint of January, it is hard to believe that next week would have marked the start of the famous international "Woodstock" of sailing- Key West Race Week sailed off Key West, Florida. For sailors around the world, it marked the beginning of the sailing season sailing on the sunny, warm waters off the Florida Keys, and enjoying the warm breezes, heavily influenced by the 85 F degree Gulf Stream flowing north at 4 to 6 kts just a mile or two offshore.
However, all is not lost in this pandemic mayhem we have all been living with for nearly one year now. Perseverance combined with safe practices has resulted in two events that will be taking place in Key West this year! For starters, the next event in the SORC Islands in the Stream Series is the famous Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race! Thereafter, the passionate J/111 class organized the first full set of regattas to take place in Key West in three years- the J/111 Key West Series will be starting up this weekend! Then, across the Atlantic, the famous Yacht Club de Monaco will be hosting their first Act in the eighth annual J/70 Winter Series held off Monte Carlo, Monaco on the Mediterranean Sea.
Meanwhile, the J/99 fleet is growing in South America and the latest boat has landed in Chile, read the report below from Juan Reid in Algarrobo, Chile. Also, the San Francisco J/105 Fleet continues to innovate and run their own winter series, safely sailing as doublehanded teams on San Francisco Bay. The fleet rendezvous at a specific mark, and off they go around government marks! Simple, sweet, and easy to administrate. This past week a big fleet of doublehanded J/105s enjoyed the inaugural "Bittersweet Chocolate Race", honoring "bittersweet chocolate day" last weekend! Guess what the awards were? Read on and find out!
J/111 Key West Winter Series Preview
(Key West, Florida)- The inaugural 2021 Key West Winter Series will take place January 16-18 and then March 5-7, 2021. And, if you want to go, you need a J/111! Our hats off to Ryan and Rob Ruhlman and the entire team at SAILING INC (with J/Dealerships in Ohio and South Carolina) for pulling this together.When the difficult decision was made not to hold Key West Race Week in January 2018, it was a harsh blow to passionate, enthusiastic sailors from across the USA and the rest of the world that loved the amazing Caribbean-like tropical weather. It is hard to forget the roosters running amuck, the raucous night life, the amazing restaurants, and key limes in everything you eat or drink. Determined to overcome the lack of any sailing event in Key West, the Ruhlman family and SAILING INC. from Cleveland, OH decided to do something about it. Here's an interview from Scuttlebutt Sailing Newsletter to give you a perspective.
Where did the idea come from?
Rob Ruhlman: Key West Race Week had an epic 30 year run and being part of nearly every one of those years made it more than an annual event but a way of life. It was what January was dedicated to every year. The opportunity to reignite that flame, albeit on a much smaller scale, is worth pursuing in the hope that when properly fanned and fed the fire will once again burn brightly. The J/111 class has gotten together to organize an event this year and with the support we have and a little bit of luck, we can use this as a starting point for bigger and better events going forward.
Why Key West and not somewhere else?
Ryan Ruhlman: Key West is a signature destination in the United States, an honest-to-God tropical paradise. The opportunity to race on blue water, experience the island culture, and reconnect with our friends during the cold winter months is just too good to pass up.
Key West had become less accommodating when KWRW ended. Has that changed?Karl Felger: The City of Key West has graciously signed off on the event, and we’re going to have a lot of help from our friends and sponsors. The majority of the organized activity will be on-the-water, with our social gatherings leveraging some of the best spots in Key West. We appreciate the City of Key West’s cooperation and are happy to help support the local community and economy.
There is no infrastructure in Key West... how do you pull this off?
Karl Felger: Our goal is to provide a grand prix racing experience, while planting the seeds for the future. Our focus is on offering multiple great races each day over the two-weekend format, leveraging resources provided by the J/111 owners, and with the help of a world class PRO. We have secured the services of a full-service marina, allowing the fleet a venue to launch, haul-out, and store their boat between two events. Boat owners then have an option for dockage at any marina of their choosing.
Answering that siren song to participate across the J/111 world are the following teams; Andrew & Sedge Ward's BRAVO from Shelter Island, NY; Rod Jabin's RAMROD from Annapolis, MD; Ian Hill's SITELLA from Hampton, VA; Rob Ruhlman's SPACEMAN SPIFF from Cleveland, OH; and Marty Roesch's VELOCITY from Annapolis, MD. Follow the J/111 class on Facebook here For more information regards Key West Winter J/111 Series, presented by SAILING INC.
J/70 European Championship 2021 UPDATE!
(Skovshoved, Copenhagen, Denmark)- The Royal Danish Yacht Club is looking forward to hosting the J/70 European Championship in 2021 from June 4th to 12th, 2021. Please note the updated dates!The event will take place at Rungsted Harbour approximately 15 km north of downtown Copenhagen. This harbour is one of three stations that Royal Danish YC manages.
The RDYC has been a strong supporter of the growth of the Danish J/70 Sailing League and their efforts have led the way for well over eighteen sailing clubs to participate. As a result, the level of competitiveness for Danish sailors has improved considerably in the J/70 class. The KDY/ RDYC have been able to achieve strong success in the SAILING Champions League in the past few years (finishing in the top 10 every year out of 36 teams); an event that has been held at the YC Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy and St. Moritz Sailing Club in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
As in years past, the KDY/ RDYC are anticipating over 100 J/70 teams will be participating in the J/70 European Championships on the Baltic Sea in early June. For more J/70 European Championship sailing and registration information
Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race Preview
(Fort Lauderdale, FL)- While nowhere near the record fleets of 100+ boats of the past, the remarkably strong turnout of twenty-seven keelboats for the 2021 pandemic edition of the SORC Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race is sure to be a fun time! The weather forecast looks promising, with a frontal passage promising 15-20 kts winds from the N/NW. That could mean an amazing starboard tack sleighride down around the Florida Keys reefs, right-turn signal blinking the entire way!
A fleet of twenty-seven keelboats will be starting on Friday afternoon hoping to pop their Code Zeros or spinnakers as they head south down the Florida coastline. The largest class is the nineteen-boat ORC Class. Participating will be the J/121 WINGS sailed by Ashley Maltempo & Bill Wiggins from Johns Island, SC; Chris Lewis's J/44 KENAI from Seabrook, TX; the J/109 HARM'S WAY skippered by Andy Wescoat from Galveston Bay, TX; and the J/92 HILLBILLY sailed by Brad Stowers from Melbourne, FL. Have fun! Thousands of J/Sailors will be dreaming of their virtual sleigh ride, too! For more SORC Key West Race sailing information
J/70 Monaco Winter Series Act I Preview
(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- For the start of its eighth season, the Monaco J/70 Winter Series will have around 20 boats on the water this coming weekend. Due to the current pandemic health situation, the teams present at this first official meeting of the race season will mainly comprise local teams. Virtually all the teams will be focused on preparation for the 37th Primo Cup – Trophée Credit Suisse organized by the Yacht Club de Monaco from March 4th to 7th, 2021.Among the favorites for Act I of the winter series will be the leaders that started their winter season with the Christmas Regatta in December 2020. Winning that event was Ludovic Fassitelli's JUNDA- BANCA DEL SEMPIONE. Challengers should include teams like Stefano Roberti's PICCININA, Herve Maino's SOPWITH CAMEL, Jeremy Moutot's LOKOMOTIV, and the French team on Guillaume Charon's KISS & FLY. For more YC Monaco J/70 Winter Series sailing information
January Special for a J/Duffel!
(Newport, RI)- Ronstan has been in the performance sailing business for years and they have designed a quality duffel that is perfect for racing or cruising. Ample space in the 24"x12"x12" dimension with wide grip carry strap. Inside wet pouch keeps the dry clothes separate. Rugged stitching and large top loading flap. Embroider with your class logo, boat name, and sail number. We are offering a 21% discount for the month of January! Click here to order now!Sailing Calendar
Jan 14-17- Monaco J/70 Winter Series- Monte Carlo, MonacoJan 16-18- J/111 Key West Winter Series- Key West, FL
Jan 21- STC Lauderdale to Key West Race- Fort Lauderdale, FL
Jan 22-24- J/70 Bacardi Winter Series II- Miami, FL
Feb 4-7- Monaco J/70 Winter Series- Monte Carlo, Monaco
Feb 17- SORC Miami to Eleuthera Race- Miami, FL
Mar 4-7- J/70 Primo Cup- Trophee Credit Suisse- Monte Carlo, Monaco
Mar 5-7- J/111 Key West Winter Series- Key West, FL
Mar 5-8- St Maarten Heineken Regatta- Simpson Bay, Saint Maarten
Mar 10-13- J/70 Bacardi Cup- Miami, FL
Mar 19-21- J/70 Davis Island Winter Series III- Tampa, FL
Mar 19-21- San Diego NOOD Regatta- San Diego, CA
Mar 26-28- St. Thomas International Regatta- St. Thomas, USVI
Mar 29- Apr 4- BVI Spring Regatta- Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Apr 2-4- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Petersburg, FL
Apr 11-17- Les Voiles de St Barth Regatta- Gustavia, St Barthelemy
Apr 8-11- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 24-30- Antigua Sailing Week- English Harbour, Antigua, West Indies
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
J/99 Chile Update
(Algarrobo, Chile)- In July 2019 Eduardo Capdeville was very interested in the new J/99 when it was first introduced. He was looking for a boat that his family could enjoy, one that he could race with them, and have the ability to do some doublehanded coastal sailing.As a result, Eduardo decided to visit the J/Composites factory in Les Sables d'Olonne, France. He wanted to see how the boat was built and to take a test sail. Thanks to the efforts of Fred Bouvier, a day of sailing and taking a J/Composites factory tour was organized for Eduardo and friends.
One year later, in June 2020, Mr. Capdeville placed an order for J/99 hull #60 (pictured skippering with family crew).
After the confirmation of the order, the J/Boats dealer in Chile- Juan Eduardo Reid- started the process of organizing all the details and logistics for Mr. Capdeville to complete the boat in France, ship the boat from France to Chile via the Panama Canal; and commission the boat in Algarrobo, Chile.
The optional equipment was finalized, including the big wheel J/111 pedestal option. ONE SAILS were selected for the entire set of sail, the first J/99 worldwide to have them. Additional items included a 12" chart plotter for the wheel pedestal, a long list of West Marine safety equipment, covers, cradle, mooring, proper anti-fouling bottom paint and so forth. As Juan exclaimed, "I soon realized I was configuring this boat like it was for me, but keeping the customer's desire in mind for all things onboard.
The boat arrived safely on November 22nd, 2020 and, amazingly, we were ready to go sailing on the 9th of December with very light winds!"
As Juan described the occasion, "I wanted to make it a real sea trail for our owner. So, I got together with a famous and very experienced South American sailor- José Muñoz- and we did some test sailing on January 10th, 2021 as the weather would be the right ones.
The conditions were perfect- 12-14 kts, sun, and gentle rolling swells from the southeast (e.g., storm swells from the Roaring Forties down by the Antarctic Ocean).
"During the current pandemic, with the daily cases going up again, going to sail a brand-new J/99 with a great sail inventory and my friend José with the perfect sunny and windy day, was kind of a miracle", commented Juan. "Also, we got Yanko to film with his DJI Drone and Choncho to rent his nice FE 580 RIB. Sailing was perfect! The IFS A4 asymmetric spinnaker fit and performed perfectly, as well as the rest of the ONE Sail inventory. Flavio Formosa from design and Slovenian Loft
did a great job."
Juan continues describing their experience, "the J/99 is amazing. The wheel is sensitive and transmits the sensation from the rudder perfectly. With 14 kts of breeze, the boat was going 6.8 to 7.1 kts with no crew on the rail. Very stable, similar to the J/105. And, the hull going through the waves was smooth and strong... hard to describe, but easy to understand for a J/Boats owner. The V shape section and the good hull, sail plan, foils and ballast make the whole combination perfect and the boat just flies through the water."
He added, "downwind, we were making 8 to 9 kts, with a breeze of just 12 to 14 kts. There was no planing condition, but you can see that the boat will go planing very easily with winds over 15 to 16 kts. Very stable, very easy. Nice, nice, nice.
Other aspects that surprised us was the nicely appointed interior, nice headroom (almost 1.8 meters) and simple, but good distribution. This is a big step ahead of the J/105, a boat that we are very used to in Chile, with a fleet of thirty boats.
For the J/99, another really nice aspect is the nice aluminum mast with an integral mainsail luff track (for sliders), that makes mainsail handling very easy. Also, the trimming system for the jib (with up- down and in-out) makes it very easy to tune the jib shape to any wind/wave condition. This gives you the opportunity of having only one all-purpose jib, as we did for "Lady Chopper II", with Harken furler and vertical battens.
Congratulations to Al Johnstone for the nice design, J/Composite for the good construction, and the entire J/Boats team to achieve more than 60 J/99's built to date. We are happy to have two already in South America; one in Chile and one in Perú.
Now, we look forward to racing doublehanded regattas in IRC, a TCC of 1.005 is very promising.
And, we are also looking forward to sailing the bigger brother of this boat, the new J/45. We see in both models the same design considerations; we believe the J/45 will be a rocket in the water; an easy to sail, soft, stable, well-built, comfortable rocket offshore." To learn more about the J/99 shorthanded offshore speedster
"Bittersweet Chocolate" J/105 Doublehanded Race Report
(San Francisco, CA)- On Sunday, January 10th, nine J/105s gathered informally near Golden Gate YC’s X buoy for some fresh air and double-handed sailing in what has become a monthly event for the fleet. The occasion for this past weekend was the National Bittersweet Chocolate Day; therefore, the inspirational name for the race (the kicker, of course, was the awards were Bruce & Nicole's bittersweet chocolate brownies!).With a 4-7 kt northeasterly and a few knots of ebb, expected to build significantly, several skippers wondered whether we could even make it around the course. The current was strongly flooding INSIDE SF Marina’s West Harbor and drove Bruce Stone’s J/105 Arbitrage sideways into the corner of the guest dock, earning a severe scrape of the hull. After Co-owner (and spouse) Nicole Breault applied a healthy amount of duct tape, the team headed out to the starting area.
With the wind starting to clock north just before the start, and the windward mark being YRA 8 (channel marker R “4”), most boats started at the wind-favored X buoy, while Akula, skippered by Doug Bailey, started on port at the Wave Organ, the shoreside end of the line, in less adverse current. Akula heading along the shore all the way to Pier 39, and looked way behind, especially when the wind shifted further north and both Ne*Ne and Arbitrage were able to set their spinnakers while still on the first leg. With most of the fleet gaining current relief by passing Alcatraz to the north, Akula seemed to be a mile behind. The northerly then ramped up to 12 kts and the “leaders” were sailing on a tight spinnaker reach, barely under control since they were missing 800 pounds of crew! All of a sudden, Akula poked out into the ebb exiting from South Bay and achieved a massive VMG as he headed north toward the mark, arriving there a half-mile ahead of Ne*Ne, Russian Roulette, Arrived! and Arbitrage rounding together in that order. Akula then headed southwest (with the westward flowing ebb) in a fast close jib reach to Blackaller, and the next four boats traded places behind her. It was quite tactical as Ne*Ne and Russian Roulette sailed high so they could reset their spinnakers, while Arbitrage sailed low with the jib barber-hauled to the rail and Arrived split the difference. Approaching Blackaller for the final rounding to finish at Golden Gate YC, Arbitrage moved up to third by passing Roulette and Arrived!, while Ne*Ne held on for second behind Akula in first.
Race winner Doug Bailey on AKULA describes their experience:
"Racing on The Bay in winter is always a crap-shoot with respect to the wind. Sometimes it shows up, and sometimes it doesn’t. The forecast for Sunday did not look promising, with a high-level Northerly flow in relatively stable air, leading to predictions of just 5kts max across the race course. Couple that with a vicious ebb, and I was in half a mind to stay home, cook brownies for myself, settle down on the couch and watch the wildcard games in comfort. There’s nothing worse than hanging out at the Wave Organ for 2 hours in just enough wind to get to it, but not enough to poke your nose out into the current and pass it. Been there, done that. As this was an informal race, Bruce communicated the course – X (start) to Red 4 to Blackaller to X (finish); my crew Roberto Giramonti and I discussed our options.
As luck would have it, we were blessed with 4 kts wind at 11:00 AM and what looked like better air out in the central part of the bay. However, I was not sure that there was enough breeze to overcome the central bay ebb and I was particularly concerned about the wind shadow of Angel Island because of the northerly component. I wanted to try to get our nose out into the long fetch down the bay quickly to avoid parking or worse, getting washed backwards to Harding and beyond. We decided to take the long way around and hide from the ebb along the city front, before making the call to cross the (stronger, but shorter distance) ebb flow to relief at the back of TI.
Surprisingly, no-one came with us, and by the time we figured that out, there was no way to get to the boats that were already well out into the wind line – we were stuck with our plan. It did not look good for a while as we made 0.1 kts SOG past Ft. Mason. The breeze in there was very light – I speculate that it was coming undisturbed at 4kts or less down the bay and the laminar flow was lifting up over the land leaving us with just zephyrs to use to make progress in the more or less slack water behind Aquatic Park. What kept us motivated was the flags flying strongly on Pier 39 – we were pretty sure that if we could make it past the ebb on the marina wall and into the next section of relief, we would be in good shape.
The money decision was when to head out into the current and go for the mark. It was already easily “fetchable” in the absence of current and so the decision rested on the relative strengths of the wind and current on the run up to Red 4. In the end, it was clear that we stayed on the city-front too long – we never had to go above 40 degrees apparent on what turned into a fast white sail reach past Blossom and Red 2. We saw the central bay fleet coming fast carrying kites (and staysails in some cases) at fine angles, but we were pretty sure that we would get to Red 4 with plenty of gap, which is what happened. At that point it was simply a matter of covering the fleet on the way back out to Blackaller and home to X. We had a kite ready to go and we were watching to see if anyone took a flyer south of Alcatraz, but no-one did, and we felt that the guys that did launch would not be able to catch us. We elected to keep it simple and reduce the risk of a mistake by holding our kite in its bag. We won with a few minutes to spare, followed by Ne*Ne, Arbitrage and Arrived!
Bruce handed over our prize – the eponymous Bittersweet Brownies, much better than I would have made if I’d stayed home. A delicious, but nerve-wracking and somewhat lonely, day on the Bay.”
Next up will be the Valentine’s Day Race on February 14th.
J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
-----------* J/Net Brokerage Specials! Check out our exciting new site for lovingly-owned J/Boats from around the world here.
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The J/160 combines excellent offshore performance with extremely comfortable accommodations in a four-cabin layout. This boat has an extensive inventory and is ready to cruise the Caribbean now! She's available for viewing in the water today and the owner is asking just $349,000 USD! Learn more about J/160's here. Learn more about this newly listed J/160 here and contact the broker
* Load Data is Key When Margins Are Tight Racing One-Design
One-design racing is all about those tiny margins when gaining and losing positions in a race. A skipper that knows this better than most is Tony Mack who retained the J/111 National Championship and was awarded the J-Cup at the helm of McFly back in September last year. Cyclops Marine proudly sponsored the event and gifted the winner of the J-Cup a SmartTune load sensor.Cyclops were excited that Tony should be the recipient of the device, not just as a worthy winner after his crew’s performance, but because they knew that he was a competitor who would get the most out of it. The owner of McFly is well respected not just for being fast on the water, but for the effort and diligence put in in preparation and fine tuning.
“As with our J/111 one-design class the margins are very close, technology that can help us go a little faster can be invaluable”.McFly leaves nothing to chance, because their skipper knows what all the best do: that you can always get faster, tighten those margins and know more about your boat – that resting on your laurels is the first step toward letting your upper-hand slip.
“Last year we lost a Cowes Week race by just 12 seconds after almost 5 hours sailing. Having been able to test SmartTune we can already see that it is an essential product that will provide us with the next competitive edge”.
Easily swapping in for existing turnbuckle (forestay/backstay/shrouds/diagonals), the device sends live l
oad data to your phone via the SmartFittings manager app, and to existing on-board displays, allowing you to learn your fastest settings, set up to match them, make real time adjustments to conditions, and see immediate results in the numbers – finding that winning gear time and time again.The app also logs data integrated with GPS, ready for export to sailing analytics software – maximizing the value of time spent in training and taking post-race analysis to new levels of detail. (Unsurprisingly) this excited McFly’s owner:
“During the winter we are looking forward to developing our base setting numbers and continual improvement through the 2021 race season to hit our fast numbers quicker and more reliably.” Learn more about the SmartTune Load sensor here. Add to Flipboard Magazine.
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