The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
This past week saw several significant events taking place around nearly opposite sides of the world. Down Under, our friends in Australia are continuing to enjoy sailing their J/122s off both east and west coasts- Sydney and Perth. Their offshore racing exploits continue as they keep garnering more and more silverware for their trophy dens! Meanwhile, on the west coast of the USA, the Singlehanded Sailing Society held their version of the pandemic-influenced Three Bridge Fiasco. While not the usual 300-plus boats selecting which way to round the three bridges (clockwise or counter-clockwise), this year's version was singlehanded only. The big winner was...drum roll please....a J/70!In the J/Community section, we had a chance to catch up with Ryan and Maggie McKillen and interview them about their experiences sailing and racing the J/70 at the Bacardi Winter Series a fortnight ago. If you recall, skippering their own boats- SURGE and MAGATRON- they went 1-2 overall! Then, your editor pays tribute to a long-time supporter of J/Boats and sailing in general- Bob Fisher. Read on!
Monaco J/70 Winter Series Act II Preview
(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- The Monaco J/70 Winter Series continues this weekend, hosted by the Yacht Club de Monaco in Monte Carlo. Thirty teams are registered for the event with most participating from Monaco, but including enthusiastic teams from Italy, France, Switzerland, Russia, Sweden, and Netherlands.Look for the following teams to be in the hunt at the top of the leaderboard; Claudia Rossi's PETITE TERRIBLE- ADRIA FERRIES, Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio's G-SPOT, Roberti Stefano's PICCININA, Cesare Gabasio's TINN J70, Ludovic Fassitelli's JUNDA- BANCO DEL SEMPIONE, and Tom Studer's JERRY. The event is a schedule for three days, starting Friday and ending Sunday in Neptune's Bay.
For more Monaco J/70 Winter Series sailing information
2021 Ida Lewis Distance Race Announcement
(Newport, RI)– The 17th edition of the Ida Lewis Distance Race starts Thursday, August 19, 2021 and will keep its expanded format from last year to give competitors more options while the country continues to deal with changes brought about by the COVID 19 Pandemic. The schedule consists of:• REGISTRATION and SKIPPERS MEETING conducted by host Ida Lewis Yacht Club on Thursday, August 19.
• TRADITIONAL OFFSHORE DISTANCE RACES (Between 112 and 169 NM) for ORC, PHRF (Aloha and Coronet divisions), ORC Double-handed and PHRF Cruising Spinnaker classes starting on Friday, August 20.
• IN BAY DISTANCE RACE (33 NM) for PHRF (Aloha and Coronet divisions), PHRF DoubleHanded and PHRF Cruising Spinnaker classes starting on Saturday, August 21.
The start for the OFFSHORE RACES will be in the East Passage of Narragansett Bay on Friday, August 20th with the first Warning Signal scheduled for 1100. The start for the IN BAY Race will be in the East Passage of Narragansett Bay on Saturday, August 21st with the first Warning Signal scheduled for 1000.
Race headquarters will be located at the Ida Lewis Yacht Club, Wellington Avenue, Newport, R.I., and manned throughout the time of the races.
The offshore portion of the Ida Lewis Distance Race has become a popular late-summer racing tradition, enjoyed by veteran offshore sailors as well as those trying the “overnight sprint” for the first time. It begins off Fort Adams and ends just inside Newport Harbor where Ida Lewis volunteers can site the finish line from their clubhouse on Lime Rock before greeting each team on the water with a congratulatory bottle of Prosecco.
Unique to the Ida Lewis Distance Race, the Race Committee considers weather forecasts to decide from among four courses that range from 112 to 169 nautical miles. The goal is to get all teams back to the dock within 18-24 hours. The courses – incorporating some of the most iconic cruising grounds in New England – are named “The Montauk”, “The Block Island”, “The Point Judith”, and “The Buzzards Bay Tower”.
Classes are for boats 28 feet or longer and include IRC, PHRF, One Design, Multihull, Double-Handed, and, new for this year, Mixed Double-Handed (to debut at the 2024 Olympics). The race also Includes Youth and Collegiate Challenge categories.
The Notice of Race has been published at https://bit.ly/3sz0ccb. For questions, contact Race Chairman Pat Kennedy, Distancerace@ilyc.org. Sailing photo credits- Stephen R. Cloutier. For more Ida Lewis Distance Race sailing information
February Special- Marmot Jacket!
(Newport, RI)- The J/Thermo Jacket is by Marmot and is a stuffed lightweight, highly compressible and enviably warm Primaloft ® Black insulation — a synthetic insulation made with 60 percent recycled fibers that boasts warmth without bulk and a soft feel — the outer is from a durable nylon ripstop fabric. Elastic hem and cuffs keep the jacket in place and Angel-Wing Movement™ allows you to move without the jacket riding up. Zippered pockets offer a warm place for your hands to rest. Wear under a shell or on its own. Perfect for packing and stylish for cool weather. Click here to enjoy a 20% discount on this gorgeous Marmot jacketSailing Calendar
Feb 4-7- Monaco J/70 Winter Series- Monte Carlo, MonacoFeb 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/122’s Continue Offshore Domination in Australia
(Sydney, Australia)- Our friends "Down Under" have been enjoying sailing their J/122s for the past few seasons. For the 2020/ 2021 summer season from October to April, the J/122s are, yet again, throwing down the gauntlet against their fellow offshore competitors both on the eastern and western coastlines of Australia. Here's the latest report from Ray Entwistle, the J/Australia distributor."In Queensland on the east coast of Australia, J/122 JAVELIN skippered by Sally Crowley, won the Kingfisher Bay Night race, sailed on Moreton Bay off Brisbane.
There were 21 entries overall for the approximately six-hour race, with JAVELIN 1st in IRC class and 1st in AMS class.
Sally commented on her performance, “JAVELIN enjoyed a magnificent afternoon and evening of sailing in Race 3 of the Kingfisher Bay night series. The forecast for 10-15 kt easterlies was mostly accurate and made for a comfortable race.
Following a bit if excitement at the start, we set off on a work around the bottom of Mud Island and across to the Moreton Island Sandhills yellow buoy. We rounded in the leading group, then settled in for the 14.0 nm run to North Reef, off Scarborough. Without the favored kite for the conditions (blown during the last race) we couldn’t run the angles we would have liked and gave away some time to the symmetrical boats, but "ciest'la'vie".
A lovely sunset accompanied us heading south to Brisbane Rhodes and a spectacular moonrise welcomed us around the Coffee Pots and back to the start/finish.
Thanks as always to the race control volunteers for allowing us to compete in this wonderful series.“
The series consists of four afternoon/evening passage races, designed to be reasonably challenging and are a lead up to the Brisbane to Gladstone race. They are held each month from October through to February and sponsored by Kingfisher Bay Resort, Fraser Island, Queensland (Qld). Organized by Wynnum Manly Sailing Club with support of Royal Qld Yacht Club, Qld Cruising Yacht Club and Moreton Bay Boat Club.
Meanwhile, over on the west coast in Perth, the J/122 JOSS is continuing her impeccable race record.
Saturday was Ocean Racing WA’s (ORWA) first race in the New Year, organized by Hillarys Yacht Club, the 41.0 nm “Pot of Gold” from Fremantle around Rottnest Island and finish at Hillarys.
After 5.5 hours of racing JOSS was 1st Division 1 IRC against a great fleet of 40 footers; the King 40 “Checkmate” was 2nd, Farr 395 “Giddy Up” 3rd, and the J/122 LITHIUM was 4th (LITHIUM also won on PHS Handicap).
The sail back to Fremantle on Sunday was a Hillarys Yacht Club event. While a smaller fleet, JOSS was 1st IRC combined fleet & took line honours after a great duel with “Alfresco” (a Bakewell 39 pure racing boat) and “Surfer Rosa” (a Pogo 12.50). For more J/122 offshore cruiser racer sailing information
J/70 Crushes Three Bridge Fiasco!
(San Francisco, CA)- The annual Singlehanded Sailing Society Three Bridge Fiasco Race- Pandemic Edition, returned to its roots over the weekend. Because of California Covid-19 guidelines, this year's edition was open only to singlehanded competitors. The reason being, the SSS board members decided a smaller regatta would be better than no regatta. If you have been paying attention over the years, the races usually draw well north of 300 entries, with the vast majority as doublehanded entries.
Originally conceived for singlehanded sailors, the numbers of those percentage wise has been dwindling over the years and the SSS thought 125 entries would be more than enough. Boy were they wrong! After the announcement of open entries, the regatta sold out in a big hurry and had a lengthy standby list!
With a series of storms hitting San Francisco Bay in the week prior, the forecast for Saturday improved. Ultimately, sunrise dawned on Saturday, the conditions were glorious, with a sun cloud mix, a nice flood and gentle south westerly to get things going!
Ultimately, the fleet split, as they are likened to do, and optimism ran high. Things would get warmer and sunnier and, well a little less windy and ghosting was an understatement for a while! But as you will see, good things come to those who wait, and indeed they did!In the end, several J/singlehanders had an amazing day. Winning the whole enchilada was Scott Sellers, sailing his J/70 IFA to a 1st to finish monohull victory, as well as Class 10 Sportboat Division win with a 15:37:21 elapsed time! In Class 1 Non-Spin PHRF, Tom Struttmann's J/105 ARRIVED took 5th place. In Class 5 Spin, Adam Spiegel's J/105 JAM SESSION took 6th, Tim Roche's J/92 ZAFF was 8th, Jim Hopp's J/88 WHITE SHADOW finished 10th, and Eric Patterson's J/105 KESTREL crossed 12th. In Class 9 Spin, we find Alex Alderkamp's J/24 BLUE JAY take 3rd on the podium! Finally, in the novel Class 16 "Power-assisted" fleet, it was Ben Mercer's J/100 EIGHT BALL winning class!
We asked Scott Sellers, the winning skipper on his J/70 1FA, to provide some color commentary on how he managed to pull off his most excellent performance. Here is his report:
"The Three Bridge Fiasco held in late January is the largest sailboat race on San Francisco Bay every year with over 300 doublehanded and singlehanded entries. The 21.0 nm pursuit race allows competitors the choice to round the 3 bridges in any order they want. First boat to finish wins.
Due to COVID restrictions in California, entries were limited to singlehanded this year and capped at 125 boats. I have done the race numerous times doublehanded on my J/70 1FA, but this would be my first time attempting to race the J/70 singlehanded. I rigged up some bungee cords to the tiller that I could control while launching the spinnaker up front that worked pretty well.Based on the wind and tide conditions, I chose a counterclockwise course of Bay Bridge, Richmond Bridge and then Golden Gate Bridge. By the time I got to the Richmond Bridge, I had passed all the smaller boats that started earlier including a gaggle of Moore 24s and Express 27s. I was briefly passed by a Wylie 39 on the beat to the Golden Gate but passed them back on the run to the finish to win the 100-boat monohull division. In the light to moderate conditions that we had, the J/70 was an easy boat to singlehand upwind and downwind!"
Thanks to Presure-drop.us and Scott for the sailing photos and stories. Pressuredrop.us Sailing photo & story contributions Sailing photo credits- "Slackwater" on Flickr
J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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McKillen Family J/70 Interview
We had an opportunity to speak with the Bacardi J/70 Winter Series II regatta winners- Ryan and Maggie McKillen. Here is their interview with Stu Johnstone, J/Newsletter publisher/ editor.STU: For starters, congratulations on your 1-2 finish last weekend in the J/70 Bacardi Winter Series! I believe that's the first time in the history of yachting that a husband/wife took the top two spots, steering their own boats, in a major one-design class international event! That's cool! Ryan, your SURGE team had a 1-5-4 and, Maggie, your MAGATRON had an 8-2-1. Please tell us how that took place?
RYAN: Well, that was not an easy regatta for anyone, including us. My team of John Wallace, Lucas Calabrese, and Sam Loughborough did a great job! They got me off the line and into good lanes. For the most part, the left paid off for the one and only day we sailed on Saturday. We won the first race, so we sailed the next two smart and conservative, covered boats when we needed to and didn’t seek too much leverage.
The last race was hard for us. The start saw us lose our Vakaros GPS unit, lost our pings, lost the start clock. It just so happened Maggie's MAGATRON team was next to us near the boat end. We yelled over to give us the time...no such luck, right? For too long they said nothing, then we got chirpy and they gave us a 20 count. We managed a great start, closed the lane on Maggie (sorry, honey), and took off. I'll let Maggie explain what she did (he says laughing)!
MAGGIE: Well, we had a fun regatta. Amazing fleet, great sailors, lots of depth and talent. Wow, still amazed we accomplished what we did. My crew of Orrin Starr, Brian Kamilar, and Jareese Finch are awesome! I owe everything to them! We were thrilled to get a second in our second race! But, the last race was sooo exciting; winning a race in that fleet with all those World Champions?! Never thought that would happen!
So, thanks to my husband, we had no lane at the start of the last race! We hung in there seeking height on starboard as long as we could, then tacked away and cross a few boats. After a minute, we tacked back onto starboard. Then, we saw more wind coming in right. We were so excited. Brian was trying to keep me calm and focused. The wind kept going further right, we rounded the first weather with a big lead! We kept our composure, thank goodness, and stretched our lead. What an amazing way to end the regatta.
STU: Where did you first learn how to sail?
RYAN: I guess it all began when I was living and working in San Francisco and could see lots of little white triangles sailing all over the Bay. As a software engineer cooped up inside an office building with a window on the Bay, it makes you dream wistfully of doing it yourself. The Bay is such a beautiful place to sail.
So, back in 2015 I did some research and decided to take the ASA (American Sailing Association) basic keelboat course. I then took the cruising course and got certified to charter boats. I was so excited I could do that. I chartered a Catalina 37 and brought along several friends. Needless to say, that didn't go so well. As an inexperienced Bay sailor, on a windy day, things can get crazy quickly. We made it to Alcatraz and turned around as quickly as possible to get back. I think my friends were so terrified, they'll never set foot on a boat again.
MAGGIE: (giggling) oohh, that's easy. I was not a sailor when I met Ryan. When we started dating in 2018, I loved going to the places where he was racing his J/70. Biscayne Bay is gorgeous in the winter, pretty water, nice weather, it’s nice to be outside. So, I jumped on the chase boat and watched the racing, intrigued to listen to the play-by-play from the coach- Tony Rey. Every bone in my body is competitive, so competitive racing fascinated me. I love playing tennis and love to run. As an adult, I could see sailing is for anyone, any age, any experience. So, poor Tony was getting peppered with a million questions as we watched Ryan sail around the course.
Then, when Ryan and I were in Charleston in summer 2020 for a wedding, a friend asked, "what's she doing on the chase boat?" A couple of guys, friends, persuaded me to try it. But, I had to learn how to sail first! Ryan and Tony got a hold of Brian Kamilar, a great college sailor, local pro, who also coaches high school sailing in Miami. I took 6 or 7 lessons with Brian, he treated me like his high school students, starting from scratch and teaching all the basics.
STU: How did you get into racing J/70's?RYAN: After moving back east, I ended up in Miami, FL and Newport, RI. In 2017, I started to do research on a daysailer to have in Miami and bring it to Newport in the summers. I decided to get an E-33, designed by Robbie Doyle, and built by Lyman-Morse in Maine. I called Robbie and spoke to him about the boat and my relative lack of experience in sailing.
Robbie then exclaimed to me, "if you wanna learn how to sail, you gotta race!" I laughed and wondered if he was really being serious. Robbie then said, "why don't you come sail with us on PROTEUS, a Maxi 72. Next month we are going to Antigua to do the RORC Caribbean 600 Race". Not knowing what a maxi boat or the 600 was, how could I not take up the opportunity? Off I went, eyes wide-open, not knowing what to expect next. The 600nm tour around thirteen Caribbean islands was amazing, well before it was time to turn up around Saba and having blown up most of the sails and fried the electronics in a storm, we decided to retire. I’ll never forget how calm the pros on the boat were in the midst of so much chaos. That's what led to meeting Mark Mendelblatt, tactician on PROTEUS. We hit it off as friends and spoke about how to sail better. He suggested I get into the J/70 class, citing it was an easy boat to learn, get up to speed, had great talent, and was a fun fleet to sail in. So, I bought Jud Smith's World Champion boat called AFRICA- USA 179.
My first regatta was three years ago- Sail Newport 2018. Mark sailed with me and he recruited John Wallace as our trimmer- another All-American college sailor. After a year of sailing, John suggested we get a coach to help improve our game; Tony Rey from Newport got involved and our learning curve remained steep. Then, my buddy Sam Loughborough, who I first got to know at the Proteus crew house, asked to join the boat. We are now sailing with Lucas Calabrese as tactician, an Argentinean Olympic Silver Medalist in the 470 class.
Last year I got a Laser to better learn "balance" and the dynamics of sailing a dinghy, learning how to steer with feel, trim my own main and keep the boat fast downwind. The reasoning was simple, top dinghy and Laser sailors are fast helmsman on keelboats, because you become more sensitive to how a boat moves in waves.
Well, I am learning how to handle a boat better and better! With the Laser, I've been swimming a lot in Biscayne Bay (he says laughing)! I specialize in "death rolls". But, I am improving, thank God the water's warm!
MAGGIE: As I was saying earlier, a few friends, Ryan, and others persuaded me to try racing J/70s. For the same reasons explained to Ryan...easy and simple to sail. We convinced Brian to sail with me because Ryan was always impressed with his results on the race course. He's been great, he had been sailing with Henry Brauer on his J/70 RASCAL.
So far, I've had about 35 days on the water sailing J/70s! I love it. I love to be competitive with my husband and new friends we've found in the class. I've been waiting for something like this to come into my life!
STU: Do you sail for fun? Daysailing or cruising? Favorite places?
RYAN: Yes, that's how I started. After the ASA learn to sail and charter courses, I got the bug. Notwithstanding my charter experience on San Francisco Bay (haha), I wanted to have a boat to go daysailing. That's why I bought an E-33. It’s been a fun couple of years. First launched in San Francisco, then in Miami last season. She’s having a few upgrades performed now in Maine, but next spring Maggie and I will sail her to a new home in Newport! We’re excited to see the amazing coastline of Maine!
STU: What are your future plans for sailing?
RYAN: We are having fun sailing the J/70 class. Good people, great competition, and you can race them all over America and Europe. We look forward to those experiences. Now, we are campaigning for this year's J/70 Worlds in L.A. I also just got an M32 catamaran, my next experience sailing in Newport this summer!
MAGGIE: I'm looking forward to as much racing as I can get in, daysailing and local events in Newport! As for J/70s, we're currently planning on sailing at Davis Island, Charleston, and Annapolis this spring. As for the future, it will be about a balance between family and sailing and kids. We're looking forward to exploring more experiences in sailing for sure!
A Tribute for dear friend Bob "the Fish" Fisher
Your publisher/ editor of J/News has known "Fish" since 1981, sailing together in the SORC that year on a J/36 called BLUE BAYOU. Decades later, we sailed again on J/105s in the Master's Regatta in both San Francisco and San Diego, CA. Since the inception of the J/24 in the United Kingdom, Fish was always a big fan and supporter of J/Boats; having raced one himself out of Royal Lymington YC. Here are some funny, happy memories of his lasting legacy in yachting.Like many others in the sailing world that have been touched by "Fish's" passion and enthusiasm for the sport of sailing, I'm sad to see him go. So many fun, happy memories of sailing with him and enjoying a beverage or two at famous watering holes around the world. Perhaps, the most hilarious one being the "Silver Cloud" karaoke bar on Lombard St. in San Francisco (http://silvercloudsf.com/)! It was Fish's self-declared favorite bar ever! No question, mutual friend Phil Lawrence can attest to those fun times!
I first met Fish in 1981. The owner of the J/36 BLUE BAYOU (Dick Johnson from the US Virgin Islands) wanted to race his boat in the 1981 SORC (Southern Ocean Racing Circuit). The ring leader was another character- Mark Ploch from Clearwater, FL. Mark helped organize the team and managed to convince both Bob Fisher and Tim Jeffery (cub reporter at the time and much later Chief Communications Director for Larry Ellison's ORACLE USA America's Cup program) to not only crew but provide race-by-race updates of our exploits as well as the other famous offshore racing yachts of the time (all IOR boats). Both Fish and Tim had never sailed the famous SORC offshore series before, so it took them little convincing to make the trip!There were several memorable moments in that 1981 SORC series.
The first was having Bob and Tim as roommates at the local seedy hotel in St. Petersburg, Florida. Imagine this picture for a moment, waking up at 5:00am in the morning, both Bob and Tim would get up with t-shirts and underwear on (yes, true story), get onto their Radio Shack TRS-80 pocket computers (see below), hook up the modem to the telephone line, and send their stories back to Yachts & Yachting editors and various British newspapers. Hilarious! Young Stu J. (23 yrs old) at the time gave them endless grief for the whole process. It may have helped that we all had few too many at the famous St Petersburg YC bar the night before; that was when I first learned about Fish's penchant for regaling all within earshot of all kinds of crazy stories that had most everyone dying with laughter!
The second and third most epic events took place as the result of one race- the epic St Petersburg to Fort Lauderdale Race. Just 465.0 nm down around the bottom of the Florida Keys, leaving the Rebecca Shoals buoy to port, then head north with the fast-flowing Gulf Stream to the finish off the Ft. Lauderdale sea buoy.
So, the day dawned with a gorgeous bright sunny day with the Southwest wind blowing a solid 15-20 kts for the start. The wave pattern was truly bizarre, as it can be on Tampa Bay; it was a very steep 2-3 foot "chop" that made our 36-footer bounce around like a cork...a bad thing for weak stomachs or hungover sailors. The first casualty, amazingly enough, was Mark Ploch...running back to the stern rail to leeward and losing his breakfast. Not long after it was Fish's turn. Then Tim, and the rest of the crew; except me, the lone survivor of the entire crew. That would work against me later.
After a bit of clean-up, off to starting line. Mark was on the helm, we took off on port tack at the start, fetching the Egmont Key sea buoy, our first left turn on the race track. By the time we got there, the strong Southwester was starting to die off, as predicted by NOAA at the time. The forecast was for a very strong, classic cold front to drop across the Gulf of Mexico with northwesterly breezes starting at 15 to 25 kts, then building! Ouch! Sure enough, while fetching Rebecca Shoals buoy about 40.0nm out, it's pitch black, the wind swung around quickly before the front.
We dropped the headsail, quickly put up the 1.5 oz heavy spinnaker, and took off on starboard gybe, hitting 10-13 kts constantly. Just before we got to Rebecca Shoals buoy, lightning bolts blazing across the skies behind us, we could see (even at night) another line of breeze headed towards us from the northwest (thanks to all that lightning). Mark and I looked at each other wondering what would happen next. We decided to gybe earlier than we expected, pulling it off without too much trouble in 25 kts of breeze (remember, these were end-to-end pole gybes using lazy guys, flying the spinnaker off the sheets). Then, the s**t hit the fan. The first puff hit around 30 kts, taking us flying past Rebecca around 15-16 kts boatspeed. Halfway down the 12.0 nm leg before we turned left for Lauderdale, the next puff hit around 40 kts. The J/36 just about lifted out of the water-- I think we topped 21.6 kts. At that point, Mark and I felt that was enough stress on everyone. Using the lazy guy to leeward, we did a simultaneous blow the guy to port, winch in the lazy guy to pull the spinnaker behind the main and blow the first 20 feet of the halyard. Thankfully, it worked.
Next up was putting up a #4 jib. That took place without too much trouble. Though it took a few minutes, it probably didn't matter since we were planing under main alone. Then, it was up the Keys on a port tack reach, slowly edging out into the northerly-flowing Gulf Stream.
By early morning, as the sun rose off to the East over the Bahamas, the conditions were horrific. With such a fast-moving front, the breeze was due north by the time we got into the heart of the Gulf Stream. Waves were steep and breaking, often up to 12 ft high, with no backs behind them, just a cliff. So, steering proved to be quite a challenge to avoid launching the boat going upwind in 25-35 kts, gusting 40, reefed main and #4 jib flying. Around 10:00 am, our electronics and Loran GPS went out. Not good! We had to start the engine to charge the batteries. Click, click, click. Nothing happened. Mark and I spoke and we realized we had an air lock in the fuel flow. Ouch. That was no easy fix. In short, Mark "volunteered" me to help bleed the system in the bowels of the boat to get fuel flow (everyone else was still battling fatigue from early sea sickness). So, unhooking the hose from the engine, and sucking diesel into the hose to ensure we had fuel flow, spitting it out into a bucket. Then, flipping the valves on the diesel, and thankfully firing that damn diesel engine to work. Needless to say, we made it to Lauderdale in one piece. And, the party that ensued in Lauderdale, later in Miami, and later again in Nassau, Bahamas was even better. We all survived to tell the story. Trust me, Fish and Tim never forgot that experience.
Later in life, I didn't run into Fish again until I went over to the UK and Europe to start J/Boats Europe in 1990. The first person I called for advice was Fish, of course. Because of him, I ended up in Lymington, Hampshire. For those "in the know", Lymington is a sleepy little town on the western end of the Solent that is home to many of the UK's leading sailors. The most amusing part of that experience was having Fish sail with me on my J/44 J/HAWK on evening "beer-can races" off the Royal Lymington Yacht Club. As he often reminded me, our near-shore mark roundings were often an exercise in "plowing" through the mud/silt in order to continue the race...or, sometimes not!
A decade+plus later, I saw Fish and friends in Valencia for the America's Cup. I was there for three weeks. Fun and games as always, after "work" (if you could call it that), going to their favorite pub just off the traffic circle near the bases with characters like Peter Montgomery (New Zealand), Tim Jeffery (then ORACLE Communications Director), and Angus Phillips from the Washington Post.
After getting back to the USA, it wasn't until the summer of 2007 when I get an email from Fish asking if I'd participate with him and friend Phil Lawrence, sailing the International Masters Regatta on J/105s, hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club. That was a no brainer, the answer was "yes", of course. To make a long-story short, we had a fantastic time. Perhaps the most entertaining part was a nightly swing by what became our favorite watering-hole, the famous karaoke bar called "Silver Cloud" on Lombard St. We sailed together again in 2008. Thereafter, the world economy tanked in 2009-2010, so the Master's regatta was canceled.
Working with its founder, Don Trask, the San Diego YC offered to restart the event in the sunny, warm, friendly waters of southern California. After all, San Diego is the favorite retirement community for the "old guard" of the US Navy- plenty of Admiral-level types in the neighborhood. The idea was enthusiastically received with the support of St. Francis YC themselves.
Sure enough, I got another invitation from Fish in 2013 to sail and rub elbows with some of the world's sailing glitterati. Fish was in his element, of course, relishing the chance to see dozens of his friends he'd written about for years- like Dennis Conner, Don Trask, Vince Brun, etc.
We sailed together for three straight years from 2013 to 2015, each regatta presenting its unique challenges and chances to catch up with sailing friends from around the world.
Bob's crew- L-R: Brent Draney, Stu Johnstone, Julia Johnstone, Fish, Phil Lawrence
Again, sitting on the wide-open decks of San Diego YC in the evening, Fish reflected for a moment, "you know, I've sailed a lot of regattas. But, this one has to be the most fun I've ever had. Great people, great club, great crew!" We toast and clink glasses to yet another day of fun with the Fish doing what he loved best, sailing with friends and enjoying the moment. That's what he loved to do most.
2014 participants- L-R: Chuck Nichols, Augie Diaz, Jon Andron, Dennis Durgan, Jon Wright, Tom Ehman, Gary Jobson, Bob Fisher, Dick Enersen, Don Martin, Don Trask, Bob Munro.
When Fish was sailing the Masters, his competitors read like a "who's who" of yacht racing, many of whom were subjects of Fish's columns over time in the British yachting press. Those sailors included Hans Fogh, Don Trask, Ron Holland, Rod Johnstone, David Irish, Stan & Sally Honey, Augie Diaz, Gary Jobson, Tom Ehman, Dick Enersen, Malin Burnham, John Kilroy, Bill Menninger, Doug Rastello, Dick Tillman, Robert Mosbacher, and John Jennings, just to name a few.
We will miss Fish, to be sure. But, his infectious, enthusiastic fun-loving spirit is imbued in all of us. That was his special gift to all that enjoyed his friendship. Sail on my friend, see you someday soon.
Sailing photo credits Bronny Daniels/ Cynthia Sinclair Donations in Bob Fisher’s memory are welcomed to the Sir Thomas Lipton Foundation. Messages are welcome on Bob Fisher’s Facebook page
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