J/Newsletter- October 7th, 2020

The American boating week ends with yet another Category 2 hurricane wandering around the Gulf of Mexico and slamming into the Louisiana coastline. Hurricane Delta follows on several other storms of the season. It seems as if Mother Nature's "global warming" is ensuring every resident that borders the Gulf of Mexico is as miserable as possible. It has truly been a difficult summer/ early fall season for our sailing friends in that part of the world, we wish them well and pray they all survive in good shape.

Meanwhile, the severely shortened sailing season in Europe is still producing opportunities for the European J/70 sailing leagues to run abbreviated, yet nearly full seasons, to complete their 2020 schedule.  In Russia, the Russian J/70 Sailing League was able to reschedule their season to have six events. The fourth regatta just took place in Sevastopol, Crimea for 15 teams. There is no question that having two Black Sea locations at the same relative latitude as the Mediterranean helps the Russian sailing league complete their compressed season. 

As for the Russian's Scandinavian neighbors off to the west, they have few alternatives other than scheduling at least one event. Perhaps the saddest, but also the happiest, outcome of the 2020 pandemic sailing season happened to be in Norway. The Norwegian J/70 Sailing League was canceled for the season.  However, unlike their counterparts in the J/70 class in other parts of the world (notably the USA), the Norwegians decided to hold an Olympic-inspired doublehanded mixed crew event! Once the announcement went out to sailing clubs and J/70 class members, the event was over-subscribed. Eighteen mixed-gender teams sailed the inaugural Norway Doublehanded J/70 Regatta off Oslo, Norway. Too much fun was had by all!

The other Scandinavian victim of the pandemic was the Finnish J/70 Sailing League. They, too, thought their season would be dashed completely. However, determined to wait until the last possible opportunity to run at least one event; after all, it is the "land of the Midnight Sun". The Finnish sailing league managed to hold one event- their Finnish J/70 Sailing League Championship off Mariehamn (Helsinki) for twelve enthusiastic teams!

Over in central Europe, the Swiss J/70 Sailing League has been able to reschedule their events in compliance with Swiss government pandemic protocols (understandably, some of the most conservative in Europe). Nevertheless, the Swiss are an "island unto itself", and with closed borders, a diligent population, they have been able to run a few events. Their third event took place for eighteen teams over a three-day weekend at Neuchatel, Switzerland. Two more events are scheduled in October/ November on Lago Maggiore.

Perhaps the most exciting, and pioneering, event that saw a massive increase in participants was the Annapolis Yacht Club's Annapolis Doublehanded Offshore Race. Modeled on the format of the prospective 2024 Paris Olympics Mixed-gender Doublehanded Offshore Race medal event, the Annapolis YC held their 92.2nm race for a very competitive one-design fleet of J/105s, and an ORC handicap fleet that included "medal-winning" performances by a J/120, J/35, and J/105.

The venerable New York Yacht Club was determined to host their annual regatta for the 166th edition off Newport, RI. The NYYC Annual Regatta featured great performances from a J/44, J/109, J/111, J/133, and J/121.

Not to be outdone by anyone, the St Petersburg Yacht Club Championship was held on their fleet of J/70s; it was a family affair including the Baird's, Mendelblatt's, the Shakespeare's, and the Hicks'. Read on!
 

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SAILING Champions League Finale Announcement

(Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy)- Next week the grand finale for the SAILING Champions League will be taking place off the magnificent emerald coastline of the Costa Smeralda.  Hosting yet again, for the sixth time, will be the iconic Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo, Sardinia. Again, long-time partners AUDI and the ONE-Ocean Foundation are on board as sponsors.

The racing will be broadcasted #LIVE by SailTracks on 17 October from 12:00 PM CEST and on 18 October from 11:00 AM CEST on Facebook.

Thirty-three teams will be participating, including past champions such as YC Costa Smeralda from Italy and Norddeutscher Regatta Verein from Germany. Nineteen countries will be represented, including Austria (2), Czech Republic (1), Denmark (1), Estonia (1), France (1), Germany (9), Italy (2), Lithuania (1), Norway (1), Poland (1), Portugal (1), Russia (1), Slovenia (1), Spain (1), Sweden (3), Switzerland (3), United Kingdom (1), and Ireland (1).  For more SAILING Champions League regatta information
 

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Offshore Doubles Association Announcement!

(Newport, RI)- With double-handed sailing making its debut as an Olympic discipline in Paris 2024, this year has seen a record number of entries around the world for double-handed events. To represent the fast-growing DH segment of our sport around the world, a new non-profit sailors association called OFFSHORE DOUBLES has just been formed: www.offshoredoubles.org

This group is for everyone interested in double-handing offshore including couples or friends doing weekend races to Olympic athletes and serious programs globally. The mission is to bring the DH community together and provide an on-ramp for those interested in getting into DH sailing.

The call to action is that the World Sailing meetings in two weeks will determine if the Offshore Mixed Doubles Event will continue to be on the slate for Paris 2024. 

NOW is the time to show the Olympic committee that DH sailing has broad global support.

PLEASE JOIN TODAY (at no charge) at www.offshoredoubles.org and spread the word to J/Sailors in your area.

 

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German J/70 League Finale Preview

(Hamburg, Germany)- Who will be the Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga Champion for 2020 in the season-ending showdown on the Alster Lake in Hamburg, Germany, hosted by the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein?  Eighteen teams will be vying for the coveted title in the matched fleet of a dozen J/70s on the fun, but tricky wind conditions in the downtown lake.  

Looking to defend their current league leading position will be the Hamburg hosts- NDRV. The newcomers on the ONE Kiel Team are in second place, followed by the Hemelingen Water Sports Club in third.


For the first time in eight years, the NDRV at the top of the leaderboard have not yet won a regatta all season. But, thanks to their consistently good placements, they are close to their fifth championship title in eight years of participating in the German Sailing League. 


Perhaps most impressive is the rapid ascent of the newcomers from the ONE Kiel Team. They have already celebrated two regatta wins this season and are only in second place because of one outlier (e.g. a "down the mine shaft performance"); with a 15th place finish in the third regatta. Like their NDRV colleagues, the overall title is within reach - an exciting season finale seems guaranteed between these two protagonists!

On Friday and Saturday, the races will be broadcast live on Facebook, YouTube and Sportdeutschland.TV from 12:00 p.m. Central European time.  Sailing Photo credits: DSBL / Lars Wehrmann  For more Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga sailing regatta information
 

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J/Gear HOLIDAY 20% OFF Specials!

(Newport, RI)- Believe it or not, it is just about time to get into the holiday spirit of things. The year-end is fast approaching and now is as good a time as any to give some thoughts to your holiday shopping for your crew, family, and friends.

We are offering a 20% discount on all orders excluding the following: J/Models, J/Prints and J/Calendars.

The discount code is- JB2020XS.  It will be effective October 1st through November 28th, 2020.

Attention J/Boat owners- because of the demand for customization, we encourage "early ordering" in an effort to meet holiday gift dates. 

NOTE- The J/Class logo of your choice can embroidered on the front. We can also customize with your detail. Perfect for the whole crew!  For more information and to buy now.
 

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Sailing Calendar

Oct 10-11- J/Fest Southwest- Lakewood, TX
Oct 17- Rolex Middle Sea Race- Gzira, Malta
Oct 24- Witches Brew Race- Charleston, SC
Nov. 1- Hot Rum Series I- San Diego, CA
Nov. 14- Around the Island Race- Hong Kong, China
Nov. 21- Hot Rum Series II- San Diego, CA
 

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Smyth/Persson Crowned Annapolis Double-Handed Distance Race Champions!

(Annapolis, MD)- The second annual Double-Handed Distance Race on October 3rd and 4th attracted thirty-seven teams from across the USA, more than doubling the number of teams from the inaugural year in Annapolis, MD.

Inspired by the new Mixed Two-Person Offshore Keelboat Olympic event announced a year and a half ago, Annapolis Yacht Club committed to offering events to support shorthanded sailing.

The 24-hour, 92.2nm course on Chesapeake Bay provided a varied test for the fleet. There were seventeen mixed-gender teams, the vast majority of them were the eleven-boat J/105 one-design class.  


The RC set a course which took the fleet north of the Bay Bridge to a mark off the entrance to Baltimore Harbor and then south down the bay to a mark just north of the Power Plant.....early going was light and fickle with a strong ebb making just getting past the Bay Bridge a full tilt adventure in itself. The reward both for the sailors and this photographer was the spectacular sunset and sunrise punctuated by a just past full moon.

Randy Smyth and Christina Persson topped the J/105 class sailing WIPFLY/ BAT IV. Congratulations to them on a race well-sailed! Randy is a 2x silver medalist in the Tornado at the 1984 and 1992 games, was a sailor in the 1988 America's Cup, and was recently inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2017.


Christina is an accomplished Laser and F-18 sailor but found her true love in the Nacra 17 which led her to joining the US Sailing Team in 2018.

Randy is Christina’s seasoned Olympic coach, but the two discovered they love sailing together and gave the double-handed distance discipline a shot. They secured their win with an impressive lead.

Taking second in the J/105s was the duo of Fred Salvesen & Molly Wilmer on MIRAGE, third was Patrick Gavin-Byrnes & Cole Brauer on BETTER MOUSETRAP.  Rounding out the top five were Christina & Justin Wolfe on FIREBRAND in 4th and Will Bomar & Bri Grenier on PEREGRINE in 5th position. 


Sailing in the ORC Handicap classes were seven J/Teams. Not surprisingly, taking the silver in ORC 1 Class was Richard Born & Guillaume Seynhave on the very well-known offshore winner, the J/120 WINDBORN. Born has won class in the Annapolis to Newport Race as well as the Bermuda Race, a very experienced offshore race he is! 

Similarly, taking silver in the fourteen-boat ORC 2 Class was Roger Lant & Mike Wellins' J/35 ABIENTOT, followed by Arthur & AJ Libby's J/105 DOGHOUSE securing the bronze.

Annapolis YC PRO Dick Neville is to be commended for tailoring the race course to the difficult, changing weather conditions as forecasted just before start.  Good fun was had by all! Sailing photo credits- Will Keyworth.  For more AYC Double-handed Distance Race sailing information
 

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ZID ART Team Wins Russian J/70 Sailing League- Act IV

(Sevastopol, Crimea)- Traditionally, Russia's National Sailing League competitions in their swiftly growing fleet of J/70s (now 36 in three locations!) consist of six stages, including the Grand Finale generally held in Sochi, Russia on the Black Sea. However, like just about everyone else around the world, the 2020 season was heavily affected by the pandemic.  The regatta schedule was adjusted to the same number of events but compressed into just three months and just two locations- Sevastopol, Crimea and Abrau-Durso, Russia. Both are southern locations on the Black Sea and, generally, have comfortable weather and sailing conditions, even in the late fall season. Here is the report from Act IV held in Sevastopol. 


Day 1- Light and shifty
Fifteen teams from different regions of Russia are participating on the spectacular waters of Sevastopol Bay; including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Krasnodar, Tuapse, Grozny and, of course, Sevastopol.

The first day of racing did not begin until noon, as the wind in the water area was constantly shifting and oscillating in pressure. However, the race committee still managed to start ten races during the afternoon.

“We waited for the wind until half past twelve,” said Chief Judge Anna Deyanova. "By the end of the day, the wind increased in gusts to 12 knots. In the morning, a west wind was blowing, but in the evening, it shifted into the east."

From the first races, the Moscow ZID art Sailing team took the lead. The ZID ART Sailing Team skippered by Zoran Paunovic scored only 11 points in six races, winning three of them.

“We were worried, because this is not really our weather,” said Zoran Paunovic. "We have a very well-coordinated team, we have been working together for a long time, and today we just waited for our moment."

“Master of the Sail-ASIA” was just three points behind, which had only five races. The crew of Sergei Musikhin celebrated only one victory for the day.

“At this stage, there are just three very competitive teams racing,” says Sergei Musikhin. "We are just adapting to this situation. The shifty wind only adds to the difficulty!"

Another contender for the medals was Kirill Frolov's Bronenosec crew from St. Petersburg. The team from the northern capital managed to score 16 points in six races, including three victories.

The closest pursuer of the virtual medalists was Moscow's X-FIT. At this stage, Boris Kucherenko is at the helm of the team. The team is separated from the third position by only 6 points. The top five is rounded out by the Academy of Sailing of the Yacht Club of St. Petersburg. The crew, led by skipper Anna Basalkina, scored 27 points in seven starts.


Day 2
Contrary to all forecasts, the wind died by noon, but then filled back in with a gentle sea breeze. The racing committee managed to get 12 more starts, so the regatta had 22 races completed.

“The day was very productive, we used all the time allotted for the races," said Chief Judge Deyanova. "A distinctive feature of today was the parade of Russian Navy ships. We have never seen such a number of huge ships crossing our fleet! The people on the beach were also happy to see the show."

For Saturday's racing, the ZID ART Sailing team broke away from their rivals by a crushing number of points - 21 pts total. Zoran Paunovich's team never finished below third place in seven races.

Nevertheless, a new slate of teams was able to adapt to the variable conditions on Sevastopol Bay, some gained significantly, while the previous day's leaders tumbled down the ladder. 

The St. Petersburg team, led by Anna Basalkina, gathered strength. Having started the second racing day with a victory, the “Academy of Sailing of the Yacht Club of St. Petersburg” confidently finished the day in second place overall.  

“It cannot be said that the sea conditions are strong, as the wind often came from the shore, so it was not easy,” said Anna Basalkina. "At this stage, we have an updated line-up for our team. The races are very tight, it's tough sailing! ZID art gives no mercy to anyone, but everything will be decided for us in the last races."

Two teams are fighting for the third step on the podium; Akhmat and Calipso sailing teams. The national team of the Chechen Republic, the AKHMAT Sailing Club, had a new crew under the leadership of Christian Chech. They got accustomed to the sailing conditions and rallied fast, climbing five places after fourteen races! They are racing neck-in-neck with the team from Tuapse; Maxim Taranov's CALIPSO crew, they also adapted to the conditions, taking first three times!


Day 3
On the final day of racing, the Crimean wind again was unstable in the first half of the day. The sailors had to wait for more than an hour for the wind to become steady enough to resume the races. Again, the race committee managed to get 8 more good races in to complete the regatta; 30 races in three days, and each team had 18 races to count!

“In the morning, the wind was blowing along the bay, its direction was completely incomprehensible,” said Chief Judge Deyanova. "In the afternoon we got a great wind from a completely opposite direction, which gave us tight starts and interesting finishes. Thanks to Sevastopol for these great conditions!"

Sunday's races helped some teams catch up with their rivals and rectify the situation for the past two racing days.

After a hard start, the 2019 League champion AKHMAT Sailing Club was still able to climb several positions. The new crew from the Chechen Republic, skippered by Christian Cech, did not quite reach the podium, just eight points shy, but enough to take fourth place. 

The Sailing Academy of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club managed to garner the bronze medal. Anna Basalkina's crew, replenished with new members, was able to climb onto the podium with steady sailing.


“We are glad to have the bronze medal, because we were still fighting for second position,” said Anna Basalkina. "We had serious shortcomings; it was hard to fight through them. This weekend did not go as I expected. We will arrive at the next stronger, for sure!  I hope it will be easier for us."

This event was hard for the CALIPSO team from Tuapse, which tried to adapt to the difficult waters of Sevastopol Bay on Friday. Then, on Saturday, their team gathered strength and earned six victories in two racing days. As a result, the elated and relieved CALIPSO team took home the silver medal.

“In the last race, we had to finish no lower than fifth place," said Maxim Taranov. "Starting the last downwind leg, we were sixth, everywhere we went, we got into difficulties. On the last run, the smart ones went to the right, the other ones to the left, and we stayed in the middle. We chose our path, and it turned out to be the correct one! We arrived first to the weather mark, then finished first, and dashed Anna Basalkina's hopes for second place. Thankfully, Lady Fortune smiled on us!"

There was no equal in Sevastopol to the ZID ART Sailing team. From the very first day, the Moscow team began to break away from their rivals. By the end of the third racing day, the gap between first and second place was 20 points. With seven victories to their credit, Zoran Paunovic's crew won the gold in the Upper Division for the first time.

“This is my first win in the Premier League. Of course, I am very happy," said Paunovich. "Standing on the stage, I recalled our victory here last year in the Sevastopol International Cup. By comparison, I don't know when it was more difficult, then or now. This time I was more worried, as we are a heavy team, and the forecast did not promise a strong wind. As a result, we have shown that it's not in vain that we have been sailing with such a line-up. The crew understands each other perfectly."

Thanks must go to the following supporters of the Russian National J/70 Sailing League:

• the Government of Sevastopol
• the Sailing Federation of Sevastopol
• Gazprom AG
• Nord Stream AG with the Nord Stream Race project
• the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping
• the federal network of X-FIT fitness clubs.
• communications: Down-the-line.com, Ocean TV, Yachting magazine.

Follow the Russian Sailing League on Facebook here.  For more Russian National J/70 Sailing League information
 

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Herud/ Kolstand Duo Triumph @ Norway J/70 Doublehanded Regatta

(Oslo, Norway)- If there was a sailing league that truly got "deep-sixed" by a combination of the pandemic and the Covid-19 "social guidelines", it had to be the Norwegian J/70 Sailing League. Comprised of at least a dozen clubs, sailing their six J/70s, the league has seen most excellent competition amongst the clubs. This year, the anticipation and expectations, sadly, were all but eviscerated with a complete cancellation of the 2020 sailing league season. Despite that fact, it did not dampen the spirit and enthusiasm for Norwegian sailors to get on the water once the "lockdowns" were reduced or eliminated.

One idea that "flew" with the government regulators was a "double-handed" J/70 sailing regatta. It met all of the strict limitations, so it recently took place in Ulabrand, near Oslo, Norway in the fleet of a half-dozen J/70s! Enthusiasm was strong for the event and when the announcement went out, it was quickly over-subscribed, with a number of teams relegated to being spectators to cheer on their friends. In total, a dozen teams sailed on Saturday as a qualifier, with Sunday being the final for the top six teams. 


It was a fantastic weekend for sailing. After two days of lots of great sailing, the worthy winners were Celine Herud and Thomas Kolstad from Royal Norwegian Sailforening. It was a super exciting finale that was not decided before the last boat crossed the finish line. You can't get a more exciting finish! 

Thanks to everyone who helped create a great, spontaneous event around the new concept- J/70 Double-handed Mixed Racing. There is definitely going to be more of it; especially since it's a proposed Paris 2024 Olympics Mixed Double-handed Offshore medal event!

Finally, a big "Thank You" to those who made this event possible: Kongelig Norsk Seilforening, Grundig Sailing Cup and Norsk Seilsportsliga / SailLogic. We need to do more of this!! Fun to work with so many talented people!  Sailing photo credits: Thomas Nilsson / SailLogic  For more Norway J/70 Doublehanded Regatta sailing information
 

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Esbo Segelförening Wins Finnish J/70 Sailing League 2020

(Mariehamn, Finland)- Of all the sailing leagues in Europe, perhaps it was the Scandinavian countries that were affected the most by the effects of the pandemic and the "social distancing" guidelines issued by their respective countries. With the most "open", and no doubt riskiest, policies, only Sweden managed to sail more than two events. In the case of Finland, their league managers could only pull off a single event before the rising and setting sun all but disappeared in regions of the Arctic Circle! Nevertheless, the dozen teams from across Finland enjoyed an exhausting twenty races over two days.


Fast out-of-the-blocks was Esbo Segelförening (ESF) winning five of their first nine races on the first day! They were never challenged after that opening gambit, handling winning the event despite averaging 4.5 pts in their last four races. As a result, ESF was declared champion of the Finnish Sailing League 2020. 

"We’re feeling great. We’ve been training for this for a couple of years on the J/70, and this year we managed to sail much more consistent races”, said ESF skipper Lucas Karlemo. His crew consisted of Victor Mesterton, Anton Eklund, and Emil Lindblom.


The silver medals were awarded to the regatta host Åländska Segelsällskapet (ÅSS 1), their team consisted of skipper Daniel Mattsson, Mathias Dahlman, Staffan Lindberg, and Jasper Karlsson. Amazingly, despite 15 podium finishes out of 20 races, they still could not close the gap on ESF!

Earning the bronze medal in a very tightly fought battle was Brändö Seglare (BS 2). It was not until the final race that skipper Ville Korhonen and his crew of Edi Bremer, Tusse Tallberg, and Jari Bremer overcame the strong challenge from the team sailing for Nylandska Jaktklubben; only beating them by one point!  Sailing Photo credits: Pepe Korteniemi / Suomen Purjehdusliiga 2020  For more Finnish J/70 Sailing League regatta information
 

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Swiss J/70 Sailing League Act IV Challenge Finale

(Neuchatel, Switzerland)- From October 2nd to 4th, club teams from all over Switzerland participated in the Swiss Sailing League Challenger Finale. The teams made it exciting, with practically every race being won by a different team. The three-day event ended with strong winds from the west; making for an exciting, fast & furious final day of sailing. The Cercle de la Voile de Neuchatel was host for the event and provided excellent, professional race management all weekend-long. 

In the end, the Club Nautique de Pully (CNP) with Kilian Wagen (2020 Swiss Olympic 470 Champions), Louise and Anne-Sophie Thilo, Leo Totaz, and Romain Herzog sailed excellently and secured the undisputed victory in Act IV off Neuchatel. 


As a result, CNP was able to move up to second in the Challenge Series. Meanwhile, Club Nautique de Versoix (CNV) placed 2nd, thus securing overall victory in the Swiss Sailing Challenge League 2020. The team with helmsman Romain Defferrard, Victor Casas Benjamin Delaloye, Benoit Leuenberger, Romuald Hausser and Nelson Mettraux sailed consistently, tactically clever, and controlled every race. Surprising some teams was the Yacht Club Luzem (YCL); they competed confidently and doggedly for every meter on the last day to take third place. The outcome of Act IV and the overall series assured that Club Nautique de Pully, Club Nautique de Versoix, and Yacht Club Luzem will be elevated to the Swiss Super League series for 2021.

There are two more events to go to close out the 2020 Swiss Sailing League season:

• Oct 7-10- Swiss Super League Finale- Ascona, Lago Maggiore
• Oct 15-18- Swiss Sailing League Women's Cup- Ascona, Lago Maggiore

For more Swiss Sailing League regatta information
 

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J/Crews Sweep New York YC Annual Regatta

(Newport, RI)- Ultimately, North America's oldest annual regatta featured three great days of racing including the separately scored Around-the-Island Race on Friday, October 2. Competition took place in ORC/ PHRF handicap classes and the focus of this year's event was getting back on the water and sailing. 

Attracting nearly 100 Boats, New York Yacht Club Commodore William P. Ketcham (Greenwich, Conn.) was committed to running the 166th edition. “That is why we kept delaying the event rather than canceling it outright. It was a challenge, but we finally got to a point where we could run it based on Rhode Island’s COVID-19 guidelines and our own Club policies on safety. The enthusiasm on the water, both this weekend and at last weekend’s Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex, was tremendous. Our team on MAXINE packed basically our entire sailing season into two weeks, and we couldn’t have had more fun.”


With 11 points in four races, Ketcham’s J/44 MAXINE placed second in ORC 3. At the head of the class was Tom Sutton’s J/109 LEADING. While Sutton hails from Houston, Texas, where he lives and sails in the cooler months, Newport has become a second home.

With most multi-day sailing regattas in 2020 were canceled, the LEADING EDGE team cobbled together a summer of weeknight and one-day races in and around Narragansett Bay.

“We raced every race on Tuesday night and did the weekend regattas,” says Sutton. “We went to Block Island with the Twenty Hundred Club, we raced around Prudence Island two times, Conanicut Island four or five times. We’ve gotten in more sailboat racing than in most years. But we miss racing around the buoys. That’s what we really like.”


All that time on the water paid off this weekend with wins in the Around the Island Race on October 2 as well as the Annual Regatta around the buoys. Sutton was quick to share the credit, singling out his wife Diana for her work off the water and on the foredeck and the team’s tactical brain trust of Tom Meeh and Alex Crowell.

“My guys work as hard or harder than anybody,” says Tom Sutton. “We’ve sailed together since 2014 and everybody a great time this year. We’re all looking forward to coming back next summer.”

As it turns out, J/Teams lead a sweep of the top five in ORC 3 Class. Third step on the podium went to Ken Luczynski's J/44 VAMP, fourth to John & Sue Sutherland's 19th NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, and fifth place to Bill Kneller's J/109 VENTO SOLARE. Job well done to all! 


Winning PHRF 1 Class was Bob Manchester's J/133 VAMOOSE, followed by Joe Brito's J/121 INCOGNITO in fourth place. 

In past years, the Annual Regatta would signal the start of the Newport sailing season, with competitors looking forward to Race Weeks in Newport or Block Island, or a long thrash to Bermuda. This year, however, it closed out the racing season.

The summer of 2020 wasn’t what anyone expected, but those fortunate enough to participate in the 166th Annual Regatta will head into winter with fresh memories of competition and camaraderie. The 167th edition of the New York Yacht Club’s Annual Regatta is scheduled for June 11 to 13, 2021.Sailing photo credits- NYYC/ Rolex/ Daniel Forster. For more New York YC Annual Regatta sailing information
 

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J/Community

What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide

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* J/Net Brokerage Specials! Check out our exciting new site for lovingly-owned J/Boats from around the world here:  https://jnet.jboats.com/


Beautifully maintained, immaculate J/120 cruiser for sale. Price reduced and seller will entertain a smaller J/Boat - J105, J/80 or J/70 in trade. CIELO is a cruise/race version shoal draft 5'11", with carbon mast, and cruise-equipped that has had only 2 owners since new. The current owner purchased CIELO in May of 2012 and was on Lake Norman NC until August of 2017. CIELO was then trucked to Deltaville, VA to start the cruise that took it to the Bahamas and then back to the Chesapeake via the intracoastal waterway from West Palm Beach to Annapolis. CIELO has extensive upgrades and is great condition. She is on the hard in Annapolis, winterized, and ready to show. More J/120 cruiser information and extensive photos here.



* The Great Baird Family Truckster rolls along! What does a J/24 World Champion, National Sailing Hall of Famer, and America's Cup Champion do for a home-rule yacht club championship?  Crew as bowman/ big-wave-blocker on a J/70?  Yikes. Scary movies, for sure! You can hear it now, "so Dad, can you get the damn chute down....like now!?"


Well, that is exactly what Ed Baird did this past weekend at the St Petersburg YC Sailing Championship. Yes, indeed. Ed crewed for his son Nic Baird and cockpit uber-Goddess Isabelle Rossi de Leon. To be sure, the trio is not lacking for credentials in the sailing world. Aside from Dad Ed, son Nic was a College Sailor of the Year and Isabelle was a Yale Sailing Team College All-American. Not exactly a bunch of hacks. Not sure what their StPYC Club Champ competitors expected, but certainly they were the dominant team, taking four bullets in five races.

Ironically, there were a few more College Sailing All-Americans that finished second, taking three deuces in the first three races, but finally getting their act together and winning the finale to punctuate a fun day of racing and throw down the gauntlet to the Baird family "truckster" they may not get away with another runaway win the next time around! That crew included David Mendelblatt, Bill Icely, and Chad & Emma Shakespeare. Rounding out the family theme for the event was the third place crew; skippered by Matt Braun, with crew of Trevor & Heidi Hicks, and Paul Danielson.  For more St Petersburg YC Club Championship sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Newsletter- September 2nd, 2020

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.
 

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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
 

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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
 

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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
 

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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
 

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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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J/Gear September 20% OFF Special!
(Newport, RI)- The J/Ladies Gravity jacket is a rugged flexible shell that provides stylish design with endurance function. Marmot built with thermo and wind resistant characteristics. Perfect for competition on the bay.

Features and specifications include:

• 88% nylon, 12% elastane
• Windproof, water-resistant and breathable soft shell
• Laser-drilled sleeve pocket
• Adjustable velcro cuff
• Zippered handwarmer pockets
• Elastic drawcord hem

The J/Class logo of your choice is embroidered on the front. We can also customize with your detail. Perfect for the whole crew!  For more information and to buy now.
 

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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
 

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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
 

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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
 

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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
 

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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
 

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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
 

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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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