J/Newsletter- September 15th, 2010

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J/111 TriState Race Debut

(Chicago, IL)- With great anticipation a crowd gathered around the dock at Chicago YC on Friday afternoon September 6th to take their first peek at the recently arrived J/111.  Like a powerful stallion pulling at its reins in nervous anticipation of a quick trip around the race track, the J/111 was waiting to gives its crew a fast flight across the fresh water of Lake Michigan.

Expectations were not unfounded. After the first leg of the Tri-State Offshore race was canceled due to gale force winds, the J/111 instead went sailing on Saturday with a number of prospective 111 one-design fleet owners.  In the puffy westerly winds blowing 10-22 knots and a large swell running in a southerly direction, the stage was set to test the performance of the 111 in Lake Michigan's notorious chop.  The boat left the dock, set the smaller 111m2 asymmetric spinnaker and took off on a couple of 18+ knot puffs.  By the afternoon, with a number of skeptics on board loaded with handheld GPS's, there was no question the 111 was easily planing off the wind and hitting 16+ knots in 22 knots of wind.  One owner was told by a crew member that he better wipe the smile off his face or it would kill him!

Sunday's racing dawned with a forecast for 10-20 knot winds from the S-SW for the 35 mile leg from Chicago to Michigan City, IN-- basically a drag race under spinnaker headed at Michigan City's power plant stacks.  The 111 started with the large 130m2 kite, sailed off below its competitors and established a lead less than three miles after the start over a Grand Soleil 44 IMS/IRC racer, Mumm/Farr 36s, J/120s, J/109s and a Sydney 38. The wind varied from 85 to 110 apparent with the large A-sail for half the race. The wind moved further south and increased slightly in velocity into the 15+ knot range, moving the apparent wind to 65-90 degrees, necessitating a change to the smaller 111m2 kite.  The tighter reach also proved to the liking of the boat and by race end, the J/111 crossed the line 4th boat for boat, behind a RP 66, a TP 52 and an RP 46 and winning on corrected time.

Labor Day Monday dawned grey and cool with a brisk breeze blowing in from the S-SW 10-20 knots with a short, steep nasty chop.  Like the day before, the forecast suggested a rhumbline route, a drag race for 35 miles pointing at Chicago's Sears Tower from the Michigan City's starting line just off the long jetty.  The leg was a 32 mile "power beat" with jib just inside or just over the lifelines.  Only in the last 3 miles did the bigger boats have the wind temporarily free-up to set code zero's or spinnakers.  The 111 started at the RC boat end, to leeward of all competitors.  Stacked to windward basically dead even were the two J/120s, two Mumm/Farr 36s, the Grand Soleil 44 and the Sydney 38.  What surprised everyone was the fact that the 111 managed to just stay ahead of the 36-41 footers in these conditions, slicing into the waves, accelerating rapidly off wave-tops and rarely ever pounding.  Even in these conditions, the 111 was hitting 7.7 to 8.5 knots "power beating".  The GS-44 is a powerful boat and as expected, powered away from the fleet to win boat-for-boat on what was essentially a "waterline" race.  With good management of their sail selection and better playing of the late race wind shift, the J/120 and the Sydney 38 caught the 111 in the last five miles of the race.  As a result, the 111 finished 4th on elapsed and 2nd on corrected, the J/120 winning the class on this leg.  Overall, the J/111's 1-2 for the weekend meant that she "unofficially" won her class for the shortened "Bi-State Race".  For more J/111 sailing news and information.

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J/95 Key West Available To Race!

(Key West, FL)- The perfect holiday present -- race ready, willing and able -- J/95 number one is seriously for sale and committed for delivery to Miami by year end for sailors wanting to make her the fifth boat planning to attend the first J/95 one-design gathering this January at Key West Race Week. The most extensively equipped J/95 built, she is capable of kicked back shoal draft daysailing or happily, quickly romping around the buoys. Please contact Craig Crossley at 401-330-6135, craig@crosscurrentmarine.com for more information.

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J/105 North Americans Preview

(Chicago, IL)- Over twenty J/105s are conducting their final preparations at the Chicago Yacht Club for this year's J/105 North American Championship. Teams from throughout the U.S. and Canada will compete Thursday through Sunday with three races planned each day.

Competitors traveled from as far as Santa Barbara, CA and Dallas, TX. Two teams also came south from Canada. The PRO is Vickie Matthews.  Local favorites include Don Wilson, founder of the Chicago Match Race Center, racing CONVEXITY; Tom Petkus on VYTIS and Dorin Candea on MESSY JESSY--- notably all were in the top three in the SW NOODS Chicago in June.  Also a factor will be Carter Williams on CREATIVE DESTRUCTION; Canadian Jim Rathbun on HEY JUDE! (second in the 2009 J/105 NA's); a couple of warhorses from Fort Worth, TX in the form of Lee Smith and Ken Young on JOKER; and J/105 Class President Bernie Girod on ROCK & ROLL from Santa Barbara, CA.  For more J/105 North Americans sailing information

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Rolex Big Boat Series Preview

(San Francisco, CA)- With racing set to start this weekend, the 46th annual Rolex Big Boat Series, hosted by California’s St. Francis Yacht Club, is playing host to 97 boats, including 26 IRC entrants.  An innovative twist will be the inclusion of an IRC light displacement--read super-fast--sport boat class-- like the notorious J/125s! The balance of the fleet is comprised of one-designs with J's representing two of the larger classes- the J/105 class with 24 entrants followed by J/120s with 8 entrants.  Total J's participating, including the two J/125s AUGUST ICE and DOUBLE TROUBLE, means 36 J's of 98 boats entered in this year's RBBS- nearly 40% of the fleet!

For the J/120 class, one of the expected leaders may be Barry Lewis's CHANCE, last year's winner of the Rolex BBS.  But, CHANCE will most certainly be challenged by John Wimer's DESDEMONA from Half Moon Bay, California.  Last year, the outcome of the last race determined the overall winner of this very competitive class.  2008's winner MISTER MAGOO sailed by Steve Madeira will surely be a contender as will Don Payan's DAYENU that finished third last year.  BTW, the J/120's are the J/Calendar's 2010 Rolex BBS September "poster childs" (see http://www.jboats.com/sailing-calendar).

Returning to defend their title in the J/105 class will be Chris Perkins' GOOD TIMIN.  Also contending for the top spot will be 2009 J/105 North American Champion Bruce Stone sailing ARBITRAGE (2nd in RBBS 2009).  Both of these class leaders will be challenged by other podium finishers in past RBBS's, including, Jeff Littfin's and John Case's MOJO, Rolf Kaiser's DONKEY JACK, Scooter Simmons BLACKHAWK, the Spiegel's JAM SESSION and the Laby/Pipkin team on board RACER-X.  For more Rolex Big Boat Series sailing information.

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J/Regatta News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

The fall season appears to be kicking into high gear around the northern parts while the Aussies and others Down Under are just beginning to get rolling in their spring season!  The UK is prepping for their renowned Fall Series in the Solent.  And, in the Americas classes like the J/80s held their North Americans which are seen as a prelude of things to come for the J/80 Worlds in Newport  Concurrently, the Irish held their J/24 Nationals, the J/109s held their US East Coast Championships and Sailing World held another one of their popular SW NOOD Regattas in Larchmont, NY.  Read on! More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page!  Below are the summaries. Don't forget to visit the J/Cruising Community section below.

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Regatta & Show Schedules:

Sep 14-19- J/24 UK Nationals- Cornwall, England- http://www.royalcornwallyachtclub.org
Sep 15-18- J/105 North Americans- Chicago, IL- http://www.j105.org
Sep 16-19- Newport Sailboat Show- Newport, RI- http://www.newportboatshow.com/
Sep 16-19- Rolex Big Boat Series- San Francisco, CA- http://www.big-boat-series.com/
Sep 18-19- J/Fest Newport Beach- Newport Beach, CA- http://www.balboayachtclub.com
Sep 15-19- Seattle Boat Show- Seattle, WA- http://www.boatsafloatshow.com/
Sep 16-19- Newport Sailboat Show- Newport, RI- http://www.newportboatshow.com/
Sep 16-19- Rolex Big Boat Series- San Francisco, CA- http://www.big-boat-series.com/
Sept 18-19 - J/22 East Coast Championship - Annapolis, MD- http://www.j22.org
Sep 25-26- American YC Fall Series- Rye, NY- http://www.americanyc.org Oct. 3-9- J/80 Worlds- Newport, RI- http://www.j80worlds2010.org/
Oct 7-11- Annapolis Sailboat Show- Annapolis, MD- http://www.usboat.com/us-sailboat-show Oct 16-17- J/Fest Southwest- Houston, TX- http://www.lakewoodyachtclub.com
Jan 17-21- J/80 Midwinters- Key West, FL- http://www.j80.org
Jan 17-21- J/105 Midwinters- Key West, FL- http://www.j105.org
Jan 17-21- J/95 Midwinters- Key West, FL- http://www.jboats.com/j95
Jan 17-21- Key West Race Week- Key West, FL- http://www. premiere-racing.com
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.

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Storck Family Wins J/80 North Americans

(Marion, MA)- Vene, vidi, vici.  Five strong.  The Jackson Five they're not, but they sure put on quite a show.  The Storck family team again prevailed as J/80 North American Champions with a dramatic finish over a very strong fleet that saw competitors from Canada as well as from far-away places like Denmark, Hong Kong and Japan! It was an extraordinary event hosted by Beverly Yacht Club and superbly run by PRO Sam Vineyard.  Three great days of sailing, thirteen races and in wind conditions that varied considerably, providing a tremendous test for all forty-four teams.  And, it certainly proved to be an excellent "training" event for all teams participating in the J/80 Worlds happening in Newport, RI in early October.  Perhaps what was most remarkable about the quality and depth of the fleet was the fact that EIGHT different boats won over the course of thirteen races!  Boats were loaded with talent with National, North American, World Champions, college All-Americans and College Sailors Of The Year spread across the top fifteen boats.

The fleet was blessed with blustery N-NW winds on Friday.  Upwards of thirty degree shifts swept across the course varying in intensity from 5 to 18 knots...nowhere near what was forecast for the day (less).  With a course laid out across the easternmost portions of Buzzards Bay, the starting line was set just shy of the Cape Cod Canal shipping channel and weather mark set in the general vicinity of Converse Point. It was clear the Storck's (Dad- John III, sons John Jr and Eric, daughter Katie and Kayla Johnson) threw down the gauntlet early and were not to be denied, winning the first race in their well-known boat RUMOR, followed by Glenn Darden of Fort Worth Boat Club in second sailing LE TIGRE, Jay Lutz/ Gary Kamins from California YC sailing FIRED UP in third and Jeff Johnstone from Ida Lewis YC racing LITTLE FEAT into fourth.  This race proved to be a premonition of things to come, as three of the top four in the race took the top three overall!  The fleet continued to be treated with great racing conditions all day and PRO "Sam the Man" Vineyard simply told any competitor that inquired, "we're racing all day".  He wasn't kidding, managing to pull off five races by 5pm... a fun but exhausting 9+ hours of sailing!  In addition to the teams mentioned above, one of the better performances of the day was turned in by Ben Schwartz from New York YC, sailing his LUCKY FROG to a 5-8-8-3-6 record to be amongst the early regatta leaders.  Everyone else seemed to have one throw-out race already accounted for on the first day!

By the second day, the fleet continued to see a northerly gradient wind flow with N-NE winds forecasts up to 15 knots at midday and diminishing to 5 kts.. very atypical for Buzzards Bay, more renowned for its powerful San Francisco Bay-like sea breezes than for multi-day northerlies.  How wrong those computer weather models were again!  By the start of the first race the winds were gusting well in excess of 15 knots from the Northeast and for the rest of the day winds blew in excess of 23 knots at times, creating some carnage on the race course with torn spinnakers, blown up spinnaker poles, bent stanchions and bruised egos. But for most, a blast to sail downwind as the 80s simply took off on fast planing angles.  At this point, the early regatta leaders began taking their steps to cement their positions atop the leader board.  Like the first day, the left side of the course continued to pay most of the time because of the geography (instead of Converse Point, this time it was Butler Point).  The Storck's RUMOR managed to avoid the one BAD race and sailed to a 9-8-7-2-8 score for the day; Darden's LE TIGRE really did have a tiger by the tail and got the day's best tally at 7-2-3-1-4; and Johnstone's LITTLE FEAT sailed nearly as well with a very consistent 4-6-5-4-5 record.  Sailing strongly on this day was New York YC's Henry Brauer and Will Welles on RASCAL, making their bid for a phoenix-like comeback with a 3-4-6-8-10 score, but had to take a DSQ for their 6th.

Sunday dawned with lots of low-level flying clouds with high-level cirrus layered above and another not so promising forecast with winds pegged to be in the 5-13 knot range from the NE and diminishing during the day.  Following the same theme of wrong forecasts as the previous two days, the fleet was treated to another excellent day of sailing with NE-ENE winds in the 8-17 knot range.  With the course setup so the windward mark was in the general vicinity of Bird Island south of Butler Point, one might have guessed that sailing off into the Cape Cod Canal shipping channel with favorable current in the morning races might help.  It didn't.  The first two races still saw a strong play to the left side of the course.  Not until the last leg of the last race did the "giant right-hand" shift kick in as all models kept forecasting to favor those who could see the black puff rolling across the Bay from Cape Cod.  With the regatta on the line, it was clear the top five boats were very aware of their placement relative to one another.  Johnstone's LITTLE FEAT drew first blood, opening the first two races with a 1-2 followed by Scott Young's and Terry Flynn's QUANTUM RACING Team from Austin YC (TX) with a 5-3 and Chip Johns' CAVITICA from host Beverly YC with a 3-5.   The Storck's started the day slowly, getting themselves in trouble with a 16-6 while Darden started with an 8-7.  The result of these finishes were that Darden's LE TIGRE could win the regatta if they could press Johnstone's LITTLE FEAT below 20th in the last race and simply hope that the Storck's RUMOR wouldn't get anything higher than a 2nd--- for the most part a pretty good bet.  Darden succeeded in preventing Johnstone from getting a 20th or better but he could do nothing but watch the Storck's sail an incredibly dramatic race to win the last one, the biggest one, to take the regatta, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat right at the finish line!  Nearly six boats all crossed the line in less fifteen seconds for the final race!  At the end, the top three were the Storck's RUMOR, Darden's LE TIGRE and Johnstone's LITTLE FEAT.  Fourth was Scott Young/ Terry Flynn's QUANTUM RACING and fifth was Kerry Klingler and Robert Miller's LIFTED.

Special thanks to BYC Commodore Chip Johns and to Karen Manning, the regatta chair, and her team of volunteers for delivering a fantastic regatta.  As usual, the Beverly Yacht Club were terrific hosts, great volunteers and had amazing support from the local Marion community. The racing was excellent, with great courses and the pace of the racing kept everyone on their toes with little time to waste between each races.  Barden's Boat Yard also chipped in, and deserves special "thanks", for providing all the hauling/ launching for all J/80s for the event, including having an entire team of crane operators, bobcat drivers for moving trailers and cherry pickers for picking masts on Sunday (their day off!)-- now that's service with a smile!   For more J/80 North Americans Sailing information.    Sailing Photo Credits- Spectrum Photo/ Fran Grenon

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O'Driscoll Earns Irish J/24 Title

(Dublin, Ireland)- An exhibition of how to win sailing races on the second day of the Irish J/24 Championships saw Flor O'Driscoll and his crew from the Royal St.George YC on HARD ON PORT deservedly win the national title by the impressive margin of 19 points at Howth Yacht Club near Dublin, venue for the 2011 J/24 European Championships.

Three bullets on day two, including one which required coming from behind to outfox former champion Stefan Hyde by the final leeward mark, was sufficient to give the pre-event favourite the championship. O'Driscoll's cause was certainly helped when overnight leader and defending champion Mickey McCaldin on MURDER PICTURE (LEYC) was one of five boats 'black-flagged' on the first race start after PRO David Lovegrove imposed the penalty following a couple of general recalls.

That effectively ended the Ulster crew's challenge and it was followed by two other poor results which ultimately dropped them to 6th overall. The black flag decision also had a significant impact on other overall results, with another Lough Erne entry, Diarmuid O'Donovan's SAYONARA jumping four places to earn the runners-up spot, thanks to two second places and an 8th. It was enough to edge past clubmate and J/24 Class President Robin Eagleson who wasn't as effective as on the first day but did more enough to justify 3rd overall and also first in the silver fleet for the older boats.

The 17-boat fleet, one of the biggest J/24 fleets in recent years, augurs well for the J/24 Europeans at Howth next year, with around eight nations already confirming their intention to compete.  Final results were HARD ON PORT first with a regatta dominating 13 points, followed by O'Dononvan's SAYONARA with 32 points and Robin Eagleson's LUDER TOO in third with 34 points.  Just off the pace by a tack or two was Fergus O'Kelly's JIBBERISH in fourth with 35 points and incredibly only one more point back was Andrew Mannion's JEB STUART with 36 points in fifth.   Could've bet more than a few points of Guinness on that one as to who was the luckiest Irishman of the bunch, eh?!  Great regatta to all...watch out to all those arriving next year for the Euro's!    Sailing Photo Credits- FotoSail    For more Irish J/24 Nationals sailing information.

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RUSH Wins J/109 East Coast Championships

Team RUSH Also Take Larchmont NOOD Overall

(Larchmont, NY)- Some regattas just get a bad rap. It only a takes a drifter or two before a place gets an undue reputation for being a no-wind racetrack. Fair enough for Long Island Sound in the summertime, where the old-timers say it just doesn’t blow like it did back in the day. (Something to do with all the development on nearby “Lawng Island.”   However, there was no idle time this weekend in Larchmont. For the final event of the 2010 Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta series, 70-something entries in nine classes sailed two race-packed days: one with brilliant sunshine and mind-bending windshifts, and one with a 20-knot easterly pushing in big swells and steep chop. There was plenty of current, too. Just to make things interesting.

While the lighter winds and shifts of Saturday rewarded those with their collective heads out of the boat, Sunday was all about speed through the waves, and finding the stronger winds. Many competitors reported the left side of the course as the place to be early in the day, but the right side came into its own toward the end. The middle, more than few unhappy crews told me, was not the place to be. But, isn’t that always the case?

Even with the rougher conditions, which will usually separate the cream, there was plenty of tight-pack racing and battles for points.   The sixteen boat J/105 fleet were mixing it up as usual, and when it was all said and done, Joerg Esdorn’s KINCSEM, eeked out the class win again with a single point to spare over Kevin Grainger’s GUMPTION. KINCSEM's win wasn’t pretty, but it’s solid proof that consistency is no easy accomplishment in the J/105 class, no matter how long you’ve been at the helm-- their record was 4-1-2-2-11-5 for 25 points.  GUMPTION sailed to a 7-5-1-9-2-2 for 26 points.  Third was the New England Circuit winner, Damian Emery's ECLIPSE with a 1-8-7-1-3-7 for 27 points, just two points off first!

The J/109 entourage were sailing their East Coast Championship at the Larchmont NOOD, and with 2009 overall winner, Rick Lyall’s STORM from Annapolis YC, in attendance, we figured it was going to be a full-spirited battle among the top-three boats in this eight-boat fleet. But that was before the close of business on Saturday, when Bill Sweetster’s RUSH sailed into Larchmont Harbor with three bullets notched on the results sheet. They followed form Sunday, winning the first race, and finishing second in the other two to secure the class win, and the overall regatta title-- their record was 1-1-1-1-2-2 for 8 points! The “overall,” of course, earns them a berth at the Caribbean NOOD Championship in November where they’ll take on winning teams from the other eight NOOD Regattas.  As fast as team RUSH appeared on the water, they were even quicker once they hit the dock--— off they rushed to catch flights back to their hometown Annapolis, unaware they’d won.  Second was Rick Lyall's STORM from Cedar Point YC with a 4-4-2-2-1-4 record for 17 points.  Adrian Begley's MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN from Atlantic Highlands YC was third with a 6-7-4-3-3-1 record for 24 points.

The J/122s had a small fleet but strong competition amongst them.  This time around, it was Andrew Weiss's CHRISTOPHER DRAGON from Indian Harbor YC slaying the 122s with a solid 1-1-2-1-2-1 record for eight points.  Second was Tom Boyle racing WINGS from American YC with a 2-2-1-2-3-2 record for twelve points.  Steve Furnary's PATRIOT from American YC rounded out the top three with a 4-4-4-3-1-3 record.  Good class racing with everyone getting a chance to win a race!   For more Sailing World NOOD sailing information.

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J/Community

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

* J Sailors and friends dominate the U.S. Qualifying Series for New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup.  Surprised?  The regatta saw Eastern Yacht Club's team, skippered by Bill Lynn (Marblehead, Mass.) and crewed by his son, Peter Lynn, and Rick Myers (both Marblehead) and Alden Reid (Bedford, Mass), besting 24 other prominent U.S. YC's for the right to compete in this coming year's New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup.  During the first two days of racing on Narragansett Bay, in which 24 of the nation’s foremost yacht clubs were split equally into fleets designated Red or Blue, the competitors sailed half of each day’s races in either NYYC’s Sonars or Sail Newport’s J/22s.

Said Lynn of the regatta: "There's so many good sailors here it's ridiculous. If you miss one shift you lose five boats, and you look around and all of a sudden you're in 11th and there are 12 boats. It's really close racing. There’s so many good sailors here it’s ridiculous. If you miss one shift you lose five boats, and you look around and all of a sudden you’re in 11th and there are 12 boats. It’s really close racing.

Lynn also noted that, "Winning is not the objective. Not losing is the objective."  But win he did after six races on the final day in which Eastern Yacht Club placed no worse than fourth to end the series with 40 points.

"It was a nice day of sailing, pretty shifty," said Lynn shortly before the awards presentation at Harbour Court, the NYYC Clubhouse. "We were tied for first going into the day, and we didn’t blow it more than anything else. We stayed consistent, stayed in the top-five. Our goal for the week was to just qualify the club."

Annapolis Yacht Club was second overall in the Gold fleet standings with 50 points. Skipper Peter McChesney, with Shane Zwingleberg and Scott Snyder (all Annapolis) as crew, was a fan of the conditions that had stymied some teams.  "The current was good for us when it was strong at the starting line because we had good starts. On the Chesapeake we’re used to current and some of the lake people [competing here] are not. We were up on the line, and other people were getting pushed back. It was helpful for us."  McChesney felt that it would not be an easy feat to be one of the U.S. teams that qualify because there were so many great sailors participating.  "Our mantra was ‘first is third and third is first’ for this regatta. We’re very pumped to be where we are. The competition is fantastic. Racing is extremely tight, and the whole philosophy of the regatta is fantastic. It’s an honor to come to this regatta," he concluded.

Taking third place in the Gold fleet standings with 67 points was the team from Newport Harbor Yacht Club skippered by Payson Infelise (Newport Beach, Calif.). "It’s tough out there," Infelise said at the end of the final day of the event. With Chris Raab (Long Beach, Calif.) and Reid Vitarelli (Newport Beach) crewing, Newport Harbor won the first race of the day and struggled a bit before closing the series with another win.  "I had a little trouble getting off the starting line today which was uncharacteristic of me, but we pulled through with some good tactics and boat handling and were able to pull off top-three and that’s what we’re here for. We were thrown out of race 10, which we had won, after we crossed a buoy line next to the Naval War College. Unfortunately we weren’t really paying attention at the time. We were all racing to get to the right hand side ‘cause that was definitely favored to get out of the current and that’s the way it turned out."

Although Infelise had sailed Sonars at NYYC during a championship in 2007, he was surprised by the current. "The last time I sailed here it wasn’t as big a factor. But it’s definitely tough racing out there, definitely a tough competition. Most of my sailing has been as the middle/tactician, so driving is kind of new to me; I think we surprised some people."

The event consumed its fair share of internet bandwidth over its four-day run. Newport Harbor Yacht Club kept fans at home up-to-date via Twitter (NHYCsail), while Fishing Bay Yacht Club posted regular updates to their Facebook page, Kattack followed the racing in real time, and Brad Dellenbaugh, NYYC’s sailing director, posted regular updates to the event blog from the race course.

The New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup U.S. Qualifying Series is sponsored by Sperry Top-Sider and Jaguar North America, with the support of Sailing World, Shumway Marine, J/Boats and Team One Newport.
For more NYYC Invite Series sailing information.
http://nyyc.org/2010USICQualifying/

* Dave Ullman- A lengthy and distinguished career has afforded Dave Ullman formidable insight into both the art and business of sailing.  As a direct result of his many achievements, Dave has a genuine interest in ensuring that future generations have access to the experiences and learnings of the past.  "Ullie" as he's affectionately known by close friends, has known the J family since 1972 sailing in 470s. By 1977, the introduction of the J/24 meant that it was simply another fractionally-rigged, keelboat version of the 470 to Ullie.  Experience in "fracs" led to an early jump for Ullman Sails in leading the J/24 class down the path of simply faster sails.  While Ullie simply knows the co-founders of J/Boats as Bob and Rod, he and Peter Harken know Bob's next generation as simply "the goddamn kids" (more on that story some other day...includes notables like Peter Barret and current Tufts University President Larry Bacow and MIT colleague Alan Spoon).  Here's the rest of the story in Sail-World

"So then. Let's actually start with his significant and distinguished past. Dave was born and raised in Newport Beach, California. He came from a sailing family, where his induction to the water was certainly dramatic. ‘Dad was very adversary; we went to Catalina Island a lot, which was 20 miles away, nearly every other weekend. He had a Pram dinghy and when I was about three years old, he would tie a line on the Pram and send me off sailing out the back of the family vessel. When it was lunchtime, he'd pull me in. That's how I learned to sail', was how Dave described it.

This wasn't enough to turn Dave off the sport. On the contrary, clearly it actually engulfed him. ‘I started racing when I was six. There was an adult group who sailed boats called Balboa dinghies. They were like an early version Sabot with one sheet of eight-foot plywood as the main part. They asked me if I'd race with them, to which I said, ‘Sure'. At six years of age, most of the other kids around weren't sailing at all', he said.

The local junior racing program ensued from there and when he was around 14 years of age, Dave got serious with the International Snipe class. Now as a result of that, the first of his international campaigns had been born. ‘It seemed like it was something I could do. I did a lot of surfing at the time, too."  Read more about "Ullie's" experience here.

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The J Cruising Community

J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers.

* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand.  Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/

* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years.  Their blogs/journals can be found at- http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker.  The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com.  Search for "SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing" by Bill Stellin or William Stellin."  Fun reading when rocking back in a chair watching your storm-lashed windows take a beating in the gale roaring outside and listening to the crackle of a roaring fire.  It is winter "down under" you know.  The Argentineans are freezing.

* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary will have just finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.

* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between.  Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins??  Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).  SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).  Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun).

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Featured Boats

J/65 at the Newport International Boat Show

If you have a passion for speed and comfort, the J/65 BRAND NEW DAY is in a league of its own.   The J/65 is the flagship passage maker in the J Boat line-- the ultimate private sailing yacht for sailing enthusiasts. The J/65 has exceptional performance under non-overlapping headsails, double-handed ease of operation, minimum on-deck maintenance, luxurious accommodations, stunning aesthetics, and great value. Finishing 2nd in IRC in the 2010 Newport – Bermuda Race, sailing with air conditioning and wine with each meal, the J/65 is a yacht that performs exceptionally well and in style and comfort. For more on the race experience, visit this sailing blog.  Brand New Day will be at the Newport International Boat Show September 16 – 19 in Newport, Rhode Island. To arrange a viewing, contact Jeff Brown at email- jeff@jk3yachts.com

J/95 #1 Available in Florida!

J/95s are on a roll in the southeast with five boats sailing in the area by this fall (at least four planning to participate in the January Key West Race Week). Sarasota Yacht and Ship is the brokerage side of the J/Southeast dealer CrossCurrent Marine, and they are thrilled to have landed the first brokerage listing for this wonderful shoal draft performance daysailer. Boat is fully optioned with carbon sails, mast, V boom and sports an extension electronics suite. Please contact Craig Crossley at 401-330-6135 craig@crosscurrentmarine for more information.

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About J/Boats

Started in 1977, J/Boats continues to lead the world in designing fun-to-sail, easy-to-handle, performance sailboats that can be enjoyed by a broad spectrum of sailors.  The International J/24 has become the most popular recreational offshore keelboat in the world with over 5,400 J/24s cruising the waves. Today, there are 13,000+ J/Boats, ranging from the International J/22 to the J/65 and ranging in style from one-designs to racers, cruisers to daysailers and, of course, the ubiquitous J sprit boats- J/Boats' innovation in 1992 for easy-to-use asymmetric spinnakers and retractable carbon bowsprits (J/80, J/92, J/95, J/105, J/109, J/110, J/120, J/122, J/130, J/133, J/125, J/145, J/160).

J/Boats has the best track record in sailing for innovation and design as evidenced by:  15 Sailing World/ Cruising World Boat of the Year Awards in 14 years; 2 SAIL Awards for Industry Leadership; 2 American Sailboat Hall of Fame Designs (J/24 & J/35); and the three largest ISAF International One-Design keelboat classes (J/22, J/24, J/80).

Counting crew, every year there are over 100,000 friends to meet sailing J's, populating the most beautiful sailing harbors and sailing the waters of 35+ countries around the world.  Sailing is all about friends.  Come join us and expand your social network everywhere!    For more information on J/Boats.

J/Newsletter- August 25th, 2010

Newport Sailboat Show- J/111 Introduction

(Newport, RI)- Be sure to mark your calendars to view the J/111 at the Newport Sailboat show, open from September 16th to 19th.  Also featured will be the J/95 (the cool, shoal-draft centerboard cruiser); the J/100 with sprit option; the J/22 and J/80 at the Waterlines booth; the J/80 and J/105 on the Discover Sailing docks on the waterfront next to the J/Boats in-water docks; and the gorgeous J/65 BRAND NEW DAY (more info below) in the brokerage section.  For more Newport Sailboat Show info.

J/111 Carbon Nanotube Technology

What does it have that BMW/Oracle 17 & C-Class Cats Don't?

(Newport, RI)- In the world of composite materials there are always the issues of trade-offs in terms of cost/ performance/ durability and the practical limits of production.  Witness the recent advances made in engineering/ design to construct BMWO's massive wing sail.  Or, follow the thread in Sailing Anarchy's multihull forum on C-Class cats that describe "monster garage technology" used to create state-of-the-art C-Class cats capable of sailing at near ice-boat wind speed multiples~ 3x faster than the wind.  These boats are built to the extreme limits- sail to win one regatta and if it breaks afterwards, you won the engineering arms race.

In the case of the J/111, Zyvex approached J/Boats and Hall Spars regarding their ground-breaking use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in both flat panel and tubular composites.  Much of Zyvex's work has been the usual cloak-and-dagger stuff of spy novels, such as ultra-lightweight unmanned surveillance craft, reinforced with carbon nanotubes, (see www.piranhausv.com) operating 24x7 over certain Middle Eastern/ Asian theaters.

Military applications aside, here are the simple facts for our commercial world --Zyvex's carbon nanotubes are hollow, extremely lightweight tubes 5 nanometers in diameter and about 30 nanometers long (e.g. a smaller "framework" than the 32 nanometer process used in INTEL Corp's latest Itanium "Tukwila" microprocessor designs with over 2 BILLION transistors).  These tubes have a special coating ("Kentera") which forms a bridge between the CNTs and the epoxy resin. The epoxy resin/CNT mix is then squeezed under 200 psi of pressure into a carbon fiber pultruded fabric called Arovex.  This "pre-preg Arovex" is then wrapped onto a Hall Spars mandrel, then autoclaved cured at 90 psi at 250 F. degrees.  At these pressures, epoxy has the viscosity of alcohol and the carbon nanotubes naturally disperse into the recesses between the carbon fibers in the laminate (e.g. providing connections along the "load lines" of the carbon fiber itself).  Remember, a single carbon fiber thread is about 0.5-1.0mm (500 microns), or about 10x the thickness of human hair (which is 50 microns or 50,000 nanometers thick on average).  So, you can fit a LOT of carbon nano-tubes into the "empty/ dead" space between the fibers- displacing a lot of "dead epoxy" resin unnecessary to maintain the matrix of the carbon threads in the pre-preg fabric (see picture depicting this process). 

The result?  The J/111 spar is built with the most advanced carbon fiber technology known today in the sailing world- more advanced than the materials used by BMW/Oracle 17 engineers and the current state-of-the-art in the C-Class cat world.

According to Mike Nemeth, Chief of Commercial & Defense Applications for Zyvex, "At the same weight of another laminate schedule, our materials demonstrate a 10% improvement in fracture toughness and 25% greater flexural modulus. For further comparison, our military hulls weigh 30% less than traditional carbon fiber laminates when designed to the performance capabilities of our materials."  For more J/111 sailboat information.

 

J/Regatta News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

This past week has been a fascinating one worldwide.  Celebrating the old while ushering in the new.  Old technology and design versus the latest in ultimate sailing performance and aerospace technologies.  The launch of the J/111 has caused quite a stir amongst the sailing cognoscenti.  Meanwhile, passionate J sailors who have sailed some J classes over 30 years are having a great time with friends and the larger "J/family" at continental and world championships- such as the J/22 Northamericans in Buffalo, NY;  the J/24 Canadians in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and the J/24 Worlds in Malmo, Sweden.  At the same time, J/105s and J/109s had great class racing in Chicago's Verve Cup and in Southern California.  Plus, a J/100 in Chicago proved yet again it's tough to beat in double-handed racing.  Finally, don't forget to read the J/Cruising Community section below.  Read on! More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page!  Below are the summaries.

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Sep 9-12- J/80 North Americans- Marion, MA- http://www.j80.org
Sep 10-19- Southampton Boatshow- Southampton, England- http://www.southamptonboatshow.com
Sep 11-12- Larchmont NOOD Regatta- Larchmont, NY- http://www.sailingworld.com
Sep 11-12- J/109 East Coast Championships- Larchmont, NY- http://www.sailingworld.com
Sep 14-19- J/24 UK Nationals- Cornwall, England- http://www.royalcornwallyachtclub.org
Sep 15-18- J/105 North Americans- Chicago, IL- http://www.j105.org
Sep 16-19- Newport Sailboat Show- Newport, RI- http://www.newportboatshow.com/
Sep 16-19- Rolex Big Boat Series- San Francisco, CA- http://www.big-boat-series.com/
Sep 18-19- J/Fest Newport Beach- Newport Beach, CA- http://www.balboayachtclub.com
Oct 16-17- J/Fest Southwest- Houston, TX- http://www.lakewoodyachtclub.com

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.

Team 11th Hour-Sailors For The Sea Win J/24 Worlds

Or, Why "The Moose Is Loose" Is a Winning Formula

(Malmo, Sweden - August 18th)- Well Moose, it took just a few years to get there (e.g. it couldn't have been a better outcome for one of the nicest guys sailing on the planet).  Nevertheless, with a crackerjack team skippered by Tim Healey, Team 11th Hour-Sailors For The Sea took the coveted prize- "World Champions of the World"- a.k.a. J/24 Worlds 2010 gold.  It was not easy.  As described in "The Moose Reports" on SA (Sailing Anarchy), it nearly became "stealing victory from the jaws of defeat."  Apologies to all, but it's great reading, so here's the unabridged versions from Scot and friends at SA's "The Moose Is Loose Reports": 
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August 19th- Today was a good day- "Finally, good starts and good finishes, and deserved.  At least a little bit. Gordy stepped up in a big way and got us right on the line both starts (first raced we started bow to chainplate with Ingham who was BFD), we were able to use some speed (and I'd like to say smarts but it's still too early to talk about stuff like that) to pop a 1,2.  And no rain.

Both races were tough. The first race started with small jibs (though we knew we should have been in the big jib), we hooked a good start and were able to tack right into the great current (cool thing here, the current is all based on where the highs and lows are, the current flows from low to high, the high went south last night so instead of the northerly current of the last week, it went south), we were able to overcome about 10 degrees of pin bias to come across the left side and round first.  We did a quick change to the big jib in the way downwind, as did most of the fleet, and though there were a lot  of anxious moments downwind (I'll stop whining at some point) and a tricky beat where we hooked to the right again for current, though slightly out of phase, we managed to maintain ahead of Tony Parker, who came with us to go from 5 to 2 on the beat.  Good day for the ugly Americans.

The 2nd race was nerve wracker, we missed a little trying to be smart and were pinned going to the left, away from the good current.  We weren't quite able to hang with Ian Southworth, who popped out form a pretty good start from the left side, though we weren't able to quite hang with him we both did some fancy swerving to get around a group from the right, Ian rounded right behind a Japanese team in first, we slid into 3rd (don't ask how, stuff happens), we both rolled the Japanese and then we followed Ian around for 2nd.  It was a particularly tough race for both Ingham and Parker, they were stuck left and never recovered.  Casale, who was probably lying around 2nd gong into that race, also fell victim to the squirrelly breeze which leaves Southworth in 2nd, I think.

I haven't looked at results yet, that superstitious thing I've told anyone that asks that I've been in far bigger collapses, I hope we can hold on.  Tomorrow is forecast to be light and weird, I hope that's not right, we go well in breeze, in light stuff we have to think a lot more and that's where things go bad.  Hopefully I'll give you a good report soon."
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August 21- Moose tells you how to Close The Deal- "Well, we didn't make it easy on ourselves but we held on.  Ian Southworth sailed extremely well over the last three races to make a full charge at us, we helped him out a lot by hacking up the first race today, losing three boats on the run to the finish to put the end result in doubt. You may have seen our report from the second day, when I talked about losing three boats at the weather mark.  I call this points left on the course.  Points you had that you blew.  We could have sailed in after our poor first race today as champions, instead we left the whole thing up in the air.  For anyone that sails a lot, this is an incredibly important lesson: even in a long series, there are little points that you say coulda, whoulda, shoulda, those are the points that will make the difference down the road.  Don't give up on any points you've gained, keep pushing all the time, EVERY point makes a difference.  If we had only lost two boats the second day we could have sailed in.  If we'd only lost two boats on the run the first race we could have sailed in.  Frustrating.

Enough ranting, anyone that sails with me knows I whine incessantly, for better or worse (and you can guess which one it is, though most still want to sail with me).  Tim did an unbelievable job, total calm within the storm (anyone that sails with him knows there isn't a whole lot of noise from the back of the boat), very fast and particularly high upwind, great concentration and effort.  We used a chartered Italian boat from builder Paolo Boido (a truly class guy, deal with him if you can, if not go straight to Dunes) that was very comfortable all the way around the course, having confidence in the boat helps in a lot of decision making.  John Mollicone in cockpit made the comment- "who would have ever thought I'd  win a Worlds trimming?"

Well, he did, very capable upwind getting the genoa (and jib in the breeze) in better than almost everyone (after never doing it), and calling all the shots downwind (while, as expected, I whined about what he was doing, catching the theme?).  Gordy Borges, our bow guy (and former World Champ with Brad Read) was the glue that held the package together, the guy that does the bottom, makes the sandwiches, does the rig, all the crap that no one wants to do, and always with a smile (I think).  Dan Rabin, a Lightning stud and newer member to the team, joyfully sat below in all the rain (though today it was sun all the way around) and light air (porn not included), never complained and soaked up the experience (if not the sunshine), the perfect complement for a bunch of guys that sail the boats way too much.

For the rest of the fleet, there was  a mish-mash of results.  Former champion Andrea Casele, though quick, had a couple bad races but held on for third overall.  Maurizio Santa Cruz, defending champion, won two races but struggled for consistency.  Tony Parker was always fast but suffered a BFD in the last race to drop him to 6th after entering the day 2nd, a tough finish but a testament to Tony and his team for sailing a strong series.  Mike Ingham also fell victim to the black flag, he had moments of pure brilliance but consistency was not in the books and he ended falling out of contention today.  Overall, though, a good showing from almost every country represented.

I'm really glad this came together, not so much for me, because I have been lucky enough to sail with really good teams and have had success, but for the rest of the guys on our team.  I love the whole crew aspect, gathering diverse people and getting the most out of the mix.  We were fortunate; we sailed very well for several days and had success.  This doesn't always happen, I've finished 2nd three times (in the J/24 Worlds) and the bitter pill is tough to swallow. These guys busted their asses, they got the results.  I'm really proud, and glad, to have gotten the chance to sail with them."  Thanks to SA for The Moose Report- http://www.sailinganarchy.com    For more J/24 Worlds sailing results   For Sailing Photo Credits- Magnus Grubbe

Mercedes J/22 North Americans

Fisher Wins Again!

(Buffalo, NY)- This past weekend, over 50 teams from across the United States and Canada sailed on the waters of Lake Erie in the Mercedes-Benz 2010  J/22 North American Championship, hosted by the Buffalo Yacht Club in Buffalo, NY.  In the end, J/22 class leader Greg Fisher from Annapolis, MD again proved beyond any reasonable doubt that he's one of North America's most versatile one-design class sailors.  Greg and his team of Jeff Eiber, Jo Ann Fisher and Martha Fisher, on their J/22 Team WHAT KINDA GONE finished the event with 30 points over five races.  It certainly didn't start out that way for Greg and crew.  On the first day, they were in a three-way battle for second. 

Chris Doyle of Kenmore, NY dominated day one.  Team SOLID LAYER finished the day with just 12 points over four races. A three-way battle ensued for the next spots between Todd Hiller, Greg Fisher and Jim Barnash (28 points). Competitors experienced winds starting around 12 knots, building to 15-20 with large waves.  Todd Hiller kicked off the event by winning race one, followed by Canadian Champion Gordon McIlquham and David McBrier. In race two, Terry Flynn took the top spot, trailed by Chris Doyle and Greg Fisher. Chris Doyle had a strong showing in race three, besting John Loe in second and Fisher in third. In the day's final race, Flynn returned to the first position, followed by Fisher and Kevin Doyle.

By the last day Sunday the tables had turned on the top three completely, looking nothing like the first day of sailing.  No racing was completed on the final day of the regatta due to a lack of consistent winds. After a rare score of 20 in the first race of the event, Fisher tallied two third-place finishes and two second-place finishes. Following Fisher in the silver position is Jim Barnash with 35 points, then Rochester favorite Chris Doyle with 36.  For more J/22 North American sailing and results information.  Sailing Photo Credits- Tim Wilkes Photography.

YERTLE (the turtle) Wins J/24 Canadian Nationals

(Halifax, Nova Scotia)-  Just days after the J/24 Worlds finished in Sweden, the Canadians were conducting their 2010 J24 Nationals. The win by Ian Dawson and Craig Noake's YERTLE was a remarkable result, considering that YERTLE emerged from a three-way tie for first winning on the strength of three first place finishes in individual races. It was a crazy scenario...if this has ever happened before, I have my doubts. Here's the story by "Dr. Zeus":

"YERTLE had to win the last race and did so by overtaking Lisa Ross in JAMN'IT on the final leg of the last race. Ian and Craig needed Peter Wickwire to finish no better than third, which Peter, in fact, did, fully aware that if Lisa could hold on his SUNNYVALE would win the regatta. Both required Johnny Whynacht in STICKY FINGERS to finish eighth or worse (i.e. a drop), which he unfortunately did by coming in tenth for his worst race in what was otherwise a very consistent series."  Incredible. Stupendous.  Unbelievable. What other words can you possibly use here (or would the competitors use)!?!?

The event closed with a first class lobster supper and prize giving in the Squadron's Spar Loft attended by more than 150 sailors and officials. Class President Dale Robertson, who did a spectacular job recruiting sponsors, distributed the largesse of Sperry Topsider, Slam clothing and gear, Jackson-Triggs, and others to the countless volunteers who supported the event as well as to top finishers and notable also-rans (e.g., Best Dressed Lisa Ross and Best Comeback Eric Koppernaes). Plaques were distributed to all crew members of the top five boats along with many sponsor-provided items. The event concluded after the YERTLE crew collected their trophy and participants were told to look under their chairs for tags that indicated they had won prizes such as Sperry shoes or Henri Lloyd clothing provided by The Binnacle. A melee ensued and we can only hope that everyone left with shoes and jackets that fit.

By the time the band Big City was warming up for the finale, I have to admit I was too dog tired. It was nice, though, to see Tom Taylor from St. Catherines, who I used to sail with in Kingston, Ontario, and who brought his boat, A1, farther than any other competitor at the event. Tom was hoping for more wind than we provided this time but acknowledged that you couldn't knock the sun, which is usually harder to find in Halifax than breeze.

I got a second wind, myself, when Big City kicked into their version of "Suspicious Minds." I lasted long enough to get a few dances with my wife, Lorna, while the young women of BLACK JACK cut a "vicious rug."  Next August, when the J/24 North Americans come to town, we'll see if we can't come up with a shorter line up for measurement, no fog, a touch more breeze, equally comfortable temperatures, and the same good times and terrific competition."  So, now Dr. Zeus can relax and go to bed!  For more Canadian J/24 Nationals sailing information

J/105 SEALARK Wins Overall Verve Cup

MOMENTOUS Wins J/109s

(Chicago, IL)-  The 2010 Verve Cup Offshore Regatta kicked off on a beautiful sunny day in Chicago, with decent winds and all three circles getting at least three races in for the day. Racers did have some challenges with shifty wind conditions, navigating between the lake breeze and the winds from the shore.

"The challenge on Saturday for the sailors was an offshore southwesterly about 12 knots was battling a lake breeze of about 8-10 knots," explained Chris Bedford, meteorologist for Sailing Weather Service. "Shifts of 20-30 degrees between the two breezes were common. Depending on if you were on the correct side of the shift, you were a winner or a loser."

Circle B was dominated by the 17-boat J/105 Fleet, led by STRIKING, owned by Blane Shea. Close behind are SEALARK and VYTIS who are all within 1 point of each other. The J/105s are tuning up for their North Americans which will be held at Chicago Yacht Club in September.   After two bullets and a second place, MOMENTUS leads the J109s also with a great first day.

Nevertheless, with Sunday's sailing under their belts the class leaders in the J/105s had a lot of turnover amongst the leaders.  At the end it can only be best exclaimed by eventual regatta winner Clark Pellet on the J/105 SEALARK.  "Holy crap", exclaimed Clark, upon realizing he'd not only won first place in the J/105 fleet, but also the prestigious honor of the Overall Verve Cup trophy. The Overall Verve Cup trophy is awarded to the winner of the most competitive fleet in the Verve Cup Offshore regatta.

"As we say in the J/105 fleet, there's always someone waiting to steal your lunch. And they will," Pellet of Chicago said about the great sailing during the series.  "This is a great regatta, the Chicago Yacht Club and Race committee does such an outstanding job, we couldn't be happier."  The crew of SEALARK also includes, bowman Shane Montgomery, tactician Russ Radke, mid bowman John Schussler and headsail trimmer Ned Sher.  SEALARK scored 33 points to take first place, followed by Dorothy Mietz's LATIS with 42 and Team Weerwing/Mathis's LANE 4 with 43 points.  Pre-regatta favorites like Tom Petkus's VYTIS ended up fourth, just two points from second!  And Don Wilson's CONVEXITY sailed a very strong series and were easily amongst the leaders by virtue of their three firsts but a DNF and DSQ on their score-card dampened any ability to be in the top three.

The J/109s had a very competitive regatta amongst the seven participants.  Kevin Saedi's team on MOMENTUS took the gold and walked off with five first and a second and third to win by six points.  George Miz and team on-board VALOR sailed very well (their second regatta on a J/109 other than racing the Chicago-Mackinac Race) to finish in second, nicely bracketing their regatta with firsts in the first and last race.  Third was Peter Priede's FULL TILT with 33 points, just beating out David Gustman's NORTHSTAR in fourth with 35 points.  In fact, NORTHSTAR came on strong the last day with second best record of the day behind the regatta winner MOMENTUS.

In the handicap world, the J/125 JEANINE sailed by John Roeser took second in PHRF 2.    In PHRF 5, the two J/35s gave everyone fits...again.  The J//35 BOZO'S CIRUCS sailed by Bruce Metcalf was second and in fourth was the J/35 AFTERSHOCK skippered by William Newman.  PHRF 7 was dominated by the resurgent, fun-loving J/30 giants in the greater Midwest.  The J/30 AWESOME- Team CHI NOLA won; their worst race was a second! In second was the J/30 PLANXTY sailed by Kate and Dennis Bartley.  Third was the always competitive J/27 TRUE NORTH sailed by Dan Arntzen.  For more Verve Cup sailing information.

Team Swiss Wins Dennis Conner Challenge!

(New York, NY)- The New York Harbor Sailing Foundation held its annual Dennis Conner International YC Challenge over the weekend, in New York Harbor.  It is the fourth running of this remarkable event designed to promote fun, camaraderie and international relations amongst all sailing clubs worldwide--- pioneered by founder of Manhattan Sailing Club founder Mike Fortenbaugh and renowned America's Cup Champion Dennis Conner from San Diego Yacht Club in San Diego, California.

It is both a historical event as well as a fun event.  "Doubting Thomas's" aside, it's a first class program that includes taking in all the wonderful sites and events that New York City has to offer as well as a fabulous social program for the four days of the event.  Mayor Bloomberg eat your heart out-- perhaps next year he'll sail, too!  For you Newporters, thank goodness the blockade in the War of 1812 by the British worked-- they just took a few bits of pine lumber from those quaint Newport cottages to repair their lumbering, slow warships and ultimately left.  Meanwhile, Narragansett Bay was shut down...the beneficiary was "New Amsterdam" (e.g. New York) which became the "new" trading port for the colonies.  The rest is history...most amusingly when an ancient Dutch Johnstone "ancestor/farmer" (non-sailor we might add) swapped 1,477 acres of the southern tip known today as "Manhattan's Wall Street" for a farm further inland near another town now called "Princeton" (Wall Street used to flood too much back in the 17th century, not conducive to growing crops).

First place went to Societe Nautique Rolloise (Switzerland) with 14 pts, in second was the fun-loving, Mardi Gras-loving, beads wearing gang from Southern Yacht Club (USA) with 15 points.  And, not to be outclassed by any measure were the lucky Leprechauns in 3rd from the Royal Cork Yacht Club (Ireland) with 17 pts.  Sixteen yacht clubs from around the world participated in the 4-day regatta raced on J/24s on the Hudson River-- lots laughs and many tears of joy and happiness as all departed to the seven seas around the world.  Next time, join us!!  For more J/24 Dennis Conner International YC Challenge.

J/122 PUGWASH Wins New York YC Cruise

(Camden, ME)- This year's 154th Annual New York YC Cruise in Maine had over 100 yachts. How cool is that?  Well, it was more like 60 sailboats and 40 motor yachts as support/ mother-ships.  Fun stuff.  The social calendar is nearly as important as the sailing calendar...some think the former is way, way more important than the latter (where was JP Morgan and The Queen?). 

The Queen's Cup, a marquee event of the Annual Cruise, saw Dave Murphy's J/122 PUGWASH (pictured above sailing off Key West) finish second overall by 20 seconds (but winning class)! Two days later, on August 10, Dave's J/122 PUGWASH also finished second overall in the equally iconic Astor Cup by 22 seconds (but winning class)!  Ouch!  That hurts...two huge chunks of silverware lost were it not for some lobster pots on rudders, a few slow tacks and a better spinnaker take-down.  Nevertheless, the PUGWASH gang, like George Washington forging across the Delaware River, persevered against all odds and took first overall for IRC 2 for the Squadron Runs.  For more New York YC Cruise sailing information.

J/105 SoCal Championship

Gary Mozer wins with solid team

(Long Beach, CA)- After posting three first-place finishes in a row on Saturday, local favorite Gary Mozer's J/105 CURRENT OBSESSION 2 hung on Sunday to take first place honours in the second annual J/105 SoCal Championship hosted by Long Beach Yacht Club and sponsored by Ullman Sails, North Sails, West Marine and JK3 Nautical Enterprises.

In the final two races, Mozer finished third and sixth keeping a four point spread between himself and second place finisher Dennis and Sharon Case's WINGS.  With consistent winds of 10-14 knots throughout the weekend, the competitive 17 boat fleet enjoyed long legs, lots of passing opportunities and tight racing.  "Today we enjoyed a much deserved victory," Mozer said. "Twice in the last nine days I've been in the hospital with sciatica and in a lot of pain. It was my team that deserves the credit."

Mozer's team of John Busch, Robert 'Peaches' Wittle, Whit Batchelor, Peter Isaac and Liz 'Tinkerbell' Tran kept the boat in the fight after he began to have severe back and muscle pain near the end of the day Sunday.  "My back was hurting so bad I had trouble concentrating," said Mozer, "but the key was the years of teamwork we have had together and our consistency. We also had a little help from someone you may have heard of.  Dave Ullman went out with us earlier in the week during one of our practices and his coaching helped us a lot."

A good part of the fleet is from the San Diego area and, two years ago, a call from fleet member Dennis Case started the ball rolling to create this event. Long Beach Yacht Club found a date for the regatta and it has now enjoyed two years of great racing and great racing conditions.  The reason they wanted to race in Long Beach?

"Well, there are two reasons we chose Long Beach," explained Case. "The first reason is that Long Beach is pretty much the center of the West Coast J/105 fleet. We figured boats coming from either down south or up north would have to come about the same distance. The second reason is the great sailing conditions. The wind is reliable and we race inside the breakwater in fairly flat seas that allow us to enjoy close, fast racing. We are delighted with what we experience here and couldn’t ask for anything better."  With his second place in the regatta Case feels he and his team did quite well in the local conditions.  "We tried to slow him [Mozer] down a bit," said Case. "I held him down as much as possible on the starts, but by doing that it put us in a world of hurt for boat position on the fleet. He was untouchable on Saturday so we tried to catch up today by staying ahead of him."

Local sailing legend Barney Flam and his boat FLAMBUOYANT sailed to third place in the regatta with his equally skilled son Steve calling tactics and handling main sheet duties. "It was consistency in that last race that helped us a lot," Flam said. "The race was well run and the race committee work was very good."

At the end of the two-day event, there was a three-way tie for fourth place. The tie-breaker was the first place finish in race five by San Diego's Chuck Driscoll and Tom Hurlburt's boat BLOW BOAT. "We tightened the rig and did a few things which helped us to sail better," Driscoll said. "Saturday we were weren't quite right and after the adjustments we were able to finish first in the last race today.  We never sail in really good breezes like this and we worked on getting good starts this weekend."

Giving a final comment on their success this weekend Mozer said, "It's all the little details and consistency that wins races."  For more J/105 SoCal Championship sailing information

J/100 & J/105 Win There & Back Race

(Chicago, IL)-  The annual Belmont Yacht Club's "There and Back Race" were won by J/Boats, reports the Herer's from Chicago.
The J/100 WHAT'S UP, sailed by Paul and Sue Herer won the Double Handed Division.
What is even cooler that another J, Mark Gannon's J/105 GANGBUSTERS, won the Single Handed Division!

J/Community

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

* While Steve Buzbee's BLUE MEANIE crew was winning the J/30 Northamericans, other friends on the water did their own version of SA's "On-the-water-Anarchy".

Check out this amusing video of the J/30s racing off Marblehead, MA- hosted Boston Yacht Club.  It was clear this team was determined to have fun-- powered by Corona Extra Light, it's a great on-board video.  See it on YouTube.

* The boys from Down Under sailing Australian-built J/24s had two of their own sailing in the J/24 Worlds in Sweden (one pictured here in blustery conditions near the beginning of the week).  In addition, Fleet Captain Simon Grain unearthed two articles from renowned Australian Sailing journalist, Bob Ross, from 1979 and 1982 describing his first experiences sailing J/24s with yet another renowned Australian, Rob Mundle.  Read more about the story here on their J/24 Australia website.

The J Cruising community

These passionate J sailors continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers.

* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand.  Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/

* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years.  Their blogs/journals can be found at- http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker.  The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com.  Search for "SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing" by Bill Stellin or William Stellin."  Fun reading when rocking back in a chair watching your storm-lashed windows take a beating in the gale roaring outside and listening to the crackle of a roaring fire.  It is winter "down under" you know.  The Argentineans are freezing.

* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary will have just finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.

* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between.  Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins??  Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).  SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).  Susan Grun and her husband on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun).

Featured Boats

J/65 at the Newport International Boat Show

If you have a passion for speed and comfort, the J/65 BRAND NEW DAY is in a league of its own.   The J/65 is the flagship passage maker in the J Boat line-- the ultimate private sailing yacht for sailing enthusiasts. The J/65 has exceptional performance under non-overlapping headsails, double-handed ease of operation, minimum on-deck maintenance, luxurious accommodations, stunning aesthetics, and great value. Finishing 2nd in IRC in the 2010 Newport Bermuda Race, sailing with air conditioning and wine with each meal, the J/65 is a yacht that performs exceptionally well and in style and comfort. For more on the race experience, visit this link.  Brand New Day will be at the Newport International Boat Show September 16 – 19 in Newport, Rhode Island. To arrange a viewing, contact Jeff Brown jeff@jk3yachts.com

J/95 #1 Available- Owner Buying Bigger J!

J/95s are on a roll in the southeast with five boats sailing in the area by this fall (at least four planning to participate in the January Key West Race Week). Sarasota Yacht and Ship is the brokerage side of the J/Southeast dealer CrossCurrent Marine, and they are thrilled to have landed the first brokerage listing for this wonderful shoal draft performance daysailer. Boat is fully optioned with carbon sails, mast, V boom and sports an extension electronics suite. Please contact Craig Crossley at 401-330-6135 craig@crosscurrentmarine for more information.

About J/Boats

Started in 1977, J/Boats continues to lead the world in designing fun-to-sail, easy-to-handle, performance sailboats that can be enjoyed by a broad spectrum of sailors.  The International J/24 has become the most popular recreational offshore keelboat in the world with over 5,400 J/24s cruising the waves. Today, there are 13,000+ J/Boats, ranging from the International J/22 to the J/65 and ranging in style from one-designs to racers, cruisers to daysailers and, of course, the ubiquitous J sprit boats- J/Boats' innovation in 1992 for easy-to-use asymmetric spinnakers and retractable carbon bowsprits (J/80, J/92, J/95, J/105, J/109, J/110, J/120, J/122, J/130, J/133, J/125, J/145, J/160).

J/Boats has the best track record in sailing for innovation and design as evidenced by:  15 Sailing World/ Cruising World Boat of the Year Awards in 14 years; 2 SAIL Awards for Industry Leadership; 2 American Sailboat Hall of Fame Designs (J/24 & J/35); and the three largest ISAF International One-Design keelboat classes (J/22, J/24, J/80).

Counting crew, every year there are over 100,000 friends to meet sailing J's, populating the most beautiful sailing harbors and sailing the waters of 35+ countries around the world.  Sailing is all about friends.  Come join us and expand your social network everywhere!

For more information on J/Boats.