Showing posts with label j95. Show all posts
Showing posts with label j95. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

J/Newsletter- March 10th, 2021

Sunset Bahamas 

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

March 10th, 2020. A day that will live in infamy. The day when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the world was in a coronavirus pandemic scenario. In Rhode Island, we were locked down at home except for doing essential errands like go to the drugstore or the supermarket. Of course, with Newport surrounded by the ocean and blessed with amazing beaches, Ocean Drive, and state parks, going for a walk in fresh air was a God-send. Others were not so fortunate, which is why it seemed that Newport was soon overrun by escapees from the concrete canyons of big cities up and down the northeast coastline.

With the infamous St. Patrick's Day celebrations just a week away, don't be surprised to see thousands of merry-makers out and about clearly suffering from cottage fever! C'est la vie, c'est la guerre. One hopes a "third wave" of the fearsome "mutants" doesn't wreck the party (as is happening today in Germany & France). A sobering thought to contemplate.

On an upbeat note, several one-design classes and offshore organizations have figured out how to run events and comply 100% with suggested guidelines for covid-19 mitigation.  The Yacht Club de Monaco hosted their popular Primo Cup- Trophee Credit Suisse last weekend on Hercules Bay, just off the famous port of Monte Carlo. The J/70 fleet had a great time racing over the weekend. 

Over in the Americas, the Long Beach and San Diego Yacht Clubs hosted their increasingly popular "Islands Race", an often-challenging offshore sprint going out around San Clemente Island. Enjoying the moonlit, starry night were a few J/crews. 
 
J/99 doublehanded off France

Strong Worldwide Growth for J/99 Speedster!

(Les Sables d'Olonne, France)- Announced July 2018, international debut in Paris Boat Show in December 2018, then launched in January 2019 in Southampton, United Kingdom, the J/99 has garnered more than her fair share of accolades from the world's yachting press, the most prestigious "Best Boat" awards from various magazines, and most importantly, dozens of testimonials from her passionate owners from around the world.  

J/99 boating awards winner
After just two sailing seasons (including the highly abbreviated 2020 pandemic summer), the worldwide reach of the J/99 is somewhat astonishing- now sailing in 22 countries on four continents! Hull #100 should be building later this year! There are five or more J/99s in the following countries: France (12), Italy, Spain, Australia, Netherlands and USA (14). Here is the list of countries: 
  • Antipodes (Australia, New Zealand)
  • North America (USA, Canada)
  • South America (Chile, Peru)
  • Europe (Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom)
  • Asia (Hong Kong, Japan)
If you recall, the accolades just kept rolling in from the world press from professional offshore sailors that know a thing or two about offshore single and doublehanded sailing.  Here are a few excerpts:

J/99 sailing on Solent, UK
Pip Hare/ YACHTING WORLD review
According to Pip, “the J/99 is all thrills, no frills on board the versatile 32-foot offshore speedster.... within ten minutes our demure departure was all but forgotten as we came bursting out of Southampton Water, our senses assaulted from all angles by the bitter north wind and our 100m2 dayglo yellow spinnaker. As the sun rose, everything about the day and this little powerhouse of a boat became bright, sharp and dynamic. I don’t know what the rest of the world was doing at 0800 on that January morning, but we were having a blast.

The eagerly awaited J/99 directly targets a growing demographic of sailors who enjoy the fantastic short-handed racing scene available all across Europe.... from the first moment I stepped into the cockpit, this boat struck me with its no-nonsense approach. Sail handling is simple, the cockpit clean and well laid-out, the helm dynamic and responsive. Just cruising down the river, the boat felt light and seemed to directly translate every puff of wind into increased speed. Compared to the Class 40s I have spent much of the last two years racing, the J/99 felt like a go-cart – a promising combination of agility and power.”  Read more of Pip's YACHTING WORLD review here

Andy Howe/ SAIL magazine review
"This boat is gonna create more temptation in sailors’ minds than one could possibly imagine. She’s been touted as a "market disruptor" by SEAHORSE Magazine and "versatile & exciting" by YACHTING WORLD as she sits proudly on their April 2019 magazine cover.   
   
The all-new J/99, from J/Boats, checks more boxes than any boat they’ve produced in over 30 years, period.... the J/99 packs a lot of performance and versatility into a manageable size and budget.”  Read more of Andy's SAIL review here

J/99 sailing Pacific Northwest
SAIL NORTHWEST Review
Some perspectives from Ben Braden after a San Francisco Bay sail on the 99. 

"I was able to do a demo sail on San Francisco Bay awhile back on the first boat Sail California brought in to the West Coast.

That demo sail was great! From the east Bay in Richmond, CA, we went upwind around Angel Island, leaving it to port. We got some good puffs up by the bridge, then set the chute for the run back downwind towards the northeast Bay.  She maneuvered well and reacted to the puffs, but not so much that you had to scramble to blow something.  

She dug in and sped up in the puffs rather than dropping the deck down and spinning to weather.  This is when I first thought "rails", she's stiff, like being on "rails", she just accelerates forward.

Pop the chute in 16+ kts of wind and she will slide off downwind, pushing 10 kts boatspeed easily.

The J/99 is simple to drive and smooth to recover when the new guy driving gets excited with things and stops paying attention.  

Cool boat, stiff and responsive was my first impression."   Read more of Ben's review here

J/99 Duo Cat-Amania silver medal winner
J/99s Race-winning Performance in DUO CAT-AMANIA
The Duo Cat-Amania, the premiere doublehanded offshore regatta in France, was hosted by the Yacht Club Crouesty Arzon (YCCA). An amazing fleet of fifty doublehanded teams participated in the event. The regatta is a combination of round-the-buoys plus point-to-point offshore racing legs. The regatta started in Crouesty and headed to Quiberon. Then, from there they headed to Lorient. Next leg was then to Concarneau. Then, the fleet returned to Morbihan, with a stopover in Locmiquélic, then La Trinité-sur-Mer, then back to Le Crouesty for the finish!

The J/99 J-LANCE 14 sailed by Frederic Bouvier and Benjamin Dutreaux took the silver, while the J/99 GRASSI BATEAUX sailed by Olivier Grassi and Frederic Duthil took 5th place.

Bouvier commented on their successful regatta. "All the races counted in the general classification," explained Fred. “Despite one bad decision in one race- a 20th- we always finished in the top 5 in front of larger sailboats than ours. In medium wind conditions, which normally favor large boats, we were successful, and we managed to keep a good pace. Our second place reaffirms the versatility of the J/99 at all wind speeds and in all weather situations. The J/99 is a well-designed sailboat that is fully in tune for doublehanded sailing. The level of competition was extremely high in this year's Duo Cat-Amania. We are also delighted with the fifth place of another J/99, Olivier Grassi and Fred Duthil's GRASSI BATEAUX."

Perhaps most significantly from a competitive standpoint, the J/99s beat out a number of "professional factory teams" from the following camps- JPK (960, 1010, 1030, 1080), Beneteau (Figaro 2s) and Jeanneau Sunfast (3200, 3300, 3600).   Read more of Fred Bouvier's commentary sailing the DUO CAT-AMANIA

Pascal Fan and J/99 crew
KING OF BLUE Views on Winning IRC E- Les Voiles de St. Tropez
Owner Pascal Fan of the J/99 KING OF BLUE sailed "Les Voiles" with a largely family crew. Their performance was all the more remarkable considering they were up against a number of French offshore "factory teams" in their rather large division. Here's Pascal's commentary:

“We are very happy with our races at Les Voiles. This year has been very special for us. We bought the J/99 at the beginning of the year, before the Covid-19 crisis. We were only able to sail on board in regattas in the spring.  In fact, during the Sémac Trophy, we were fortunate to have finished 3rd overall!

It is with great pleasure that we’ve participated in this 2020 edition of Les Voiles de St Tropez.  We are so happy and so grateful to participate as a family and friends.  During the various coastal races, we were around 3rd or 4th on the downwind tracks and 1st on the upwind tracks. Our J/99 KING OF BLUE is the real bomb! We were all delighted to sail on board! You really have to try it to enjoy!"  Read more about the KING OF BLUE experience here

J/99 sailing in Australia
AUSTRALIA Offshore Doublehanded Domination
Sailing out of Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club in Pittwater (Sydney), Australia, our J/Dealer Ray and Sandra Entwistle have been sailing their J/99 JEDI as a doublehanded team.

After their first 20.0nm race, Ray commented, "...the J/99 is so easy to sail, perfectly balanced, highly versatile and comfortable. She was also very dry considering the lumpy seaway and simply carved her way through the swell. The race was tactically challenging as we had to keep out of as much dirty air as possible with so many larger boats around us. We popped the A2 for the return run, Sandra cross sheeted the kite sheets and enjoyed the ride home...”

Then, in their next trio of races, skipper Ray offered this view, ”...we've been lucky enough to experience the J/99 in many different wind and sea states and the results have been just as impressive. The first race in 8-15 knots and lumpy seaway, second race in 15-25 knots and very rough seaway, third race in light conditions and fairly flat seas. The J/99 has performed outstandingly well in this wide range of conditions, is incredibly easy to manage, and a real joy to sail.” 

J/99 sailing off Austrlia doublehanded
A Woman's Doublehanded Perspective
After a season of sailing the J/99 JEDI, Sandra Entwistle offered her perspectives.

"We’ve been practicing two-handed racing in our J/99 while joining in with fully-crewed fleet from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC) Short Offshore Point Score (SOPS) series.  While Ray and I have sailed together for many years, we haven’t seriously raced two-handed since 2008 when we owned our J/109 Sweet Chariot.  

By no means am I a professional sailor or have any aspiration to enter the Olympics, I’m just keen to get out there and enjoy sailing.  The J/99 is perfect for us as she can be easily sailed by two, large enough to race fully crewed plus has enough creature comforts down below for some family cruising.

Actually, in all honesty, I prefer racing two-up as I get to do a bit of everything – from tactics to jib trim to kite trim to steering and all the tasks to make that happen. Paradoxically, I find it less stressful with just two on board, the reason being that we ensure we are organized and prepared for what’s going to happen next, I know what Ray is going to do and vice versa."

Sandra goes on to exclaim what happened after a 2 hour upwind leg and rounding the mark.. "after hoisting the kite, we immediately got a gust and scooted down the swell doing about 17 kts – woo hoo!  The J/99 is so stiff and balanced, at no time were we out of control or concerned. Speed is your friend when going downwind as there is less sheet loading. 

...at then end of the run, we opted for a letterbox drop where the kite is dropped between the mainsail and boom and down the main hatch. That technique is by far the safest, easiest spinnaker drop for any shorthanded sailing team."   Read more of Sandra's experiences and lessons-learned here

There are several entertaining and instructive sailing videos on J/99s on YouTube.  Here's the latest from Chile.

J99 Chile sailing video
Chile J/99 video on YouTube

If that video didn't get you excited enough to get on the water, enjoy this J/99 sailing videos playlist on the J/Boats YouTube channel   For more J/99 shorthanded offshore speedster sailing information
 
J/70s sailing off Miami, FL

J/70 Bacardi Invitational Preview

(Miami, FL)- This coming weekend, the Bacardi Invitational for the J/70 class takes place on Miami's Biscayne Bay, hosted by the Shake-A-Leg Foundation, with race management conducted by the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club.

The twenty-four boat J/70 fleet has multiple teams with impressive pedigrees in this highly competitive class. Past J/70 World Champion Joel Ronning on CATAPULT has to be a front runner with back-to-back wins in 2019 and 2018, although he dropped to 4th last year. 

In 2020 and 2019, Ryan McKillen and his team on SURGE had to settle for second place and will hope to improve upon that this year. Their target is firmly in sight, with a win at the recent Bacardi Winter Series 2, with new crew on board in the form of Olympian Lucas Calabrese, who may be the component to secure an upgrade. 

Always sitting high up the leader board is Brian Keane and his SAVASANA team. He previously placed 7th and 3rd as well as securing top five finishes at the J/70 Worlds. 

Pamela Rose and her team on ROSEBUD have been steadily advancing up the leader board, rounding out Bacardi Winter Series 2 in 3rd place, and clearly have the skill to stake their claim on the podium. 

During the Bacardi Cup there will be a special tribute to honor the life and legacy of James ‘Ding’ Schoonmaker who passed away on January 19, 2021. It was the special friendship between Ding, Tito Argamasilla Bacardi, and Frank Zagarino who in 1962 brought the Bacardi Cup to Miami from Cuba, thus saving this unique and special regatta.  For more Bacardi J/70 Invitational Regatta sailing information 
 
J/70 Worlds off Torquay, England

Back to Racing for J/70 UK Class

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The J/70 UK Class is looking forward to an exciting season of racing for 2021. Following the UK Government announcement of the roadmap to cautiously ease lockdown restrictions in England and following guidance from the RYA. The J/70 UK Class will have some coronavirus protocols in place, and we are planning a full season of racing from April through to October.

The 2021 J/70 UK Grand Slam Series will feature seven events with the best four to count, the J/70 UK Nationals will be a non-discard event and Grand Slam winners will be in both the Corinthian and Open Classes. Seven clubs will be hosting the J/70 UK Class: Warsash SC, Royal Thames YC, Royal Southern YC, Parkstone YC, Cowes CC, Royal Yacht Squadron, and the Hamble River SC.
 
The 2021 UK Grand Slam Series is expected to be the UK J/70 Class Qualifying Series for the 2022 J/70 World Championships in Monaco. Further details on the 2022 Worlds and UK Qualifying are expected from the J/70 International Class  
 
Charles Thompson’s BRUTUS will be defending their win in the Corinthian Class for the J/70 UK Nationals and J/70 UK Grand Slam Series.
 
“I am sure I speak for everyone involved that it is fantastic to be looking forward to a full season of racing in the J/70 UK Class,” commented Charles Thompson. “Also, the training events organized by Marshall King are a great initiative, and the new sprint series is also designed to improve performance right through the fleet.”

The J/70 UK Sprint Series is a new and exciting edition to the 2021 calendar. Two days of weekend racing, hosted by the Royal Southern YC, will run from May through to September. With five short, sharp races per day, the series is designed to test raw speed and boat handling. The Sprint Series will also allow on the water coaching to add another dimension to the racing.
 
J/70 UK Class Chairman Paul Ward commented: “We are looking forward to welcoming all of the J70 fleet for this new race series format where the focus will be on improving our racing and sharing knowledge with all of the fleet. Working together to enjoy our racing and time on the water. “
 
With the J/70 UK Class craving to get out on the water, a big turn-out is expected for all of the events. 
Follow J/70 U.K. Class on Facebook here   For more J/70 UK Class information, including boat charter opportunities
 

Sailing Calendar

Mar 10-13- J/70 Bacardi Cup- Miami, FL
Mar 11-14- J/105 Midwinters- Seabrook, TX
Mar 18-21- J/22 Midwinter Championship- New Orleans, LA
Mar 19-21- San Diego NOOD Regatta- San Diego, CA
Mar 19- NHYC Cabo Race- Newport Beach, CA
Mar 25-28- SAIL 22 J/70 Invitational- Coconut Grove, FL
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 8-11- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 30- May 2- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
Apr 30- May 2- J/111 North American Championship- Annapolis, MD
May 9-15- J/70 North American Championship- Annapolis, MD 

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
 
J/70s sailing off Monaco

G-SPOT Crowned Primo Cup- Trophy Credit Suisse Champion

(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- The 2021 pandemic version of the famous Primo Cup- Trophee Credit Suisse took place on the storied waters of Hercules Bay in front of Monte Carlo, Monaco. Hosted by the eponymous Yacht Club de Monaco, the fleet of twenty local J/70s enjoyed two-straight days of nice sailing. Here are the reports of what happened over the three days of competition.

J/70s sailing off Monte Carlo
Day 1- Gorgeous Easterly
A 6-7 knot easterly wind blew in across the Bay all day long. That enabled the J/70 class to complete three races in nearly ideal conditions. At the conclusion of the day's racing, it was Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio's G-SPOT that came out on top ahead of the crew on CER-APROTECT and Loïc Pompée's SAILING RACING TEAM. In the Corinthian (amateur) category, Cesare Gabasio’s TINN J70, Stefano Roberti PICCININA and Thomas Studer's JERRY comprised the podium after this first day.

J/70s sailing off Monte Carlo
Day 2- Awesome Big Wave Planing Conditions
It was a fantastic day for competitors with a 15-knot easterly gusting to 25 knots with a slight chop, optimal conditions for completing three races back-to-back.
 
Leading the J/70s after day one, the men on G-SPOT kept up the pace and by evening they maintained their top ranking, just two points ahead of Ludovico Fassitelli's JUNDA-SUMU CAPITAL. Pompée's SAILING RACING TEAM remained in a provisional 3rd place. In the Corinthian category, Gabasio's TINN J70 topped the table ahead of Roberti's PICCININA.

Day 3- Fade Away Sunday
After two great days of racing, the easterly finally blew itself out as the front continued to move off to the eastern part of the Mediterranean. As a result, all races were canceled on Sunday despite an attempt to get the fleet mobilized.  

“This year is very different, but it was important for us to maintain the link with members and keep some of our activities going, particularly as we prepare to host the J/70 World Championship next year,” explained Yacht Club de Monaco General Secretary Bernard d’Alessandro. “I also think it’s important for our young people to have an activity and maintain social ties. That is really essential for our club.”
 
As a result of Sunday's cancellation, the standing from Saturday evening stood. G-SPOT winning, followed by JUNDA-SUMUS CAPITAL and SAILING RACING TEAM. The Corinthians saw TINN J70 take the honors, followed by PICCININA. 

PETITE TERRIBLE- ADRIA FERRIES Wins Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series
In the interests of fair play vis-a-vis the international teams who normally descend on Monaco for this regatta, results of the Primo Cup-Trophée Credit Suisse did not count towards the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series. Therefore, the only results that counted overall were from Act 1 (14-17 January) and Act 2 (4-7 February). 

Consequently, after 14 races, the redoubtable Italians on PETITE TERRIBLE- ADRIA FERRIES (skippered by Claudia Rossi) won the series quite handily. Rounding out the podium were two YC Monaco teams; Serena di Lapigio's G-SPOT taking the silver and Fassitelli's JUNDA-BANCA DEL SEMPIONE securing the bronze.
For more YC Monaco Primo Cup- Trophee Credit Suisse sailing information
 
J/111 sailing Islands Race

J/111 Flies Around Islands Race

(San Diego, CA)- A full year ago in Spring 2020, Newport Harbor Yacht Club and San Diego Yacht Club hosted the Islands Race with a just a hint of the Covid-19 influence over our lives, one of the last “normal” regattas before the pandemic took over. A few weeks later as the 2020 Puerto Vallarta Race sailed down to Mexico, the US fully embraced the initial Covid-19 lockdown and sailing hasn’t been the same since. But with patience and planning, this year’s Islands Race brought 32 teams to compete in the 142-mile coastal race from Long Beach, around Catalina and San Clemente to San Diego. And for those on the racecourse at night, the offshore racing experience and competition were back in all its glory.

Many teams have not had the chance to compete in this way in over a year, so the Islands Race served as its own competition and also training and preparation for teams set to compete in the 600+ mile race to Cabo in March, and the 2225nm Transpac Race in July. Fifteen of the Islands Race teams will sail the Cabo Race, and 20 will sail in Transpac this year.

Other than a half moon rising late in the night, the conditions were perfect. Conditions were nearly ideal for racing with a WNW breeze most of the day and evening. These conditions sent the fleet surfing quickly past the backsides of both Catalina Island and San Clemente Island. All boats were around the southwestern corner of San Clemente (Mark 3) by midnight. The sea state was also nice with mostly 6’ running swells and the occasional ‘growler’ in the night (a breaking wave astern that ‘roars’ ominously, especially loud when you can’t see them). From the turn at Mark 3, it is 71 miles to the finish, and it is a race with the sun. As soon as the sun rises, the wind across the 15-20 or so miles of ocean next to the coast tend to evaporate. Boats not finished by 6 am tend to struggle until the thermal breezes restart to fill that void around noon.

J/111 sailing offshore
Every year, it is a challenge to coordinate the course around San Clemente Island with permissions from the US Military. You might not know it, but there are dozens of charted exclusion zones which the military deploy like a playbook in order to run specific training exercises all around S. Sometimes they are “on,” sometimes they are “off.” With the help of Range Schedulers, we wait until two weeks prior to the race to see if the exclusion zones are going to require a 3-mile, 10 mile or 20+ mile zone. This year was ten miles. For a wide-open ocean, it sure seems crowded sometimes!

The most notable performance by a J/Team was Doug Jorgensen's J/111 PICOSA. Enjoying the fast surfing and planing conditions at times, the flew around the track in 17 hr 37 min to correct out to 2nd place in ORR 4 Division. Then, in ORR 3 Division, Standish Fleming's J/125 NEREID took fifth place. Sailing Photo credits- Bronny Daniels/ JOYSailing.com.  For more Islands Race sailing information
 

J/Community

What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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J/Net Brokerage Specials! Check out our exciting new site for lovingly-owned J/Boats from around the world here.  

J/95 brokerage for sale

2016 J/95 Shoal Draft Cruiser For Sale

PRICE JUST REDUCED! This J/95 is a rare find, a nicely-equipped, fresh water, used J/95. 

The boat has been sailed only on Lake Winnipesaukee, with its short summer seasons, and crystal-clear water. The boat has been very lightly used, is well equipped, and found in perfect condition. 

The only way to find a J/95 in better condition, would be to find a new one. The boat has only been sailed 3 years, and never raced. This is a unique find and includes a custom Hall Spar carbon rig!
Learn more about this cool J/95 shoal-draft cruiser here

J/24 Italy sailboat

J/24 Lake Garda - a Phoenix Arising from the Ashes

Here is an amazing "Throwback Thursday" story for you armchair sailors.  

J/24 ITA-85 was built in 1982 by J/Boats Italy in La Spezia, the super yacht building capital of Italy just southeast of Genoa.

In September 2017, this particular J/24 sank on Lago di Garda in a huge storm that produced hurricane force winds of 70 knots in nearly an instant...your basic "microburst". It was a wall of water and wind whistling down out of the famous Italian Alps and ripping down the lake with great ferocity.

The fleet of J/24s racing on Lake Garda were caught nearly without any warning. Most of the fleet got knocked down and got their sails down. But, ITA 85 was caught with their mainsail up and their spinnaker flying.  Not surprisingly, getting hit by a 70-knot microburst would flatten any boat.  

The J/24 went down in over 240 meters (770 feet) of water with its mainsail "flying" and spinnaker still rigged on deck and spinnaker pole on the mast...exactly as it was set before the sinking.  Thankfully, the crew was safe and were immediately rescued.  

The boat was salvaged by deep-sea recovery specialists using sophisticated sonar and a submersible ROV (remotely operated vehicle). 

Here is the YouTube video of that J/24 rescue.

J/25 ITA 85 owners
In short, once the boat was found and marked on GPS, the team waited for a calm day to do the rescue effort. The ROV went down with two ropes with large hooks attached.  The ROV's articulating arm attached each hook (one to the forestay and another to a rope loop) and slowly pulled the boat to the surface. Once the mast breached the surface, divers attached inflatable bags all around the boat, inflated them to get the deck above water and pumped her out. Soon after, with mainsail still flying, the boat was towed back to the harbor. After a bit of a clean-up, she was good to go again and is still sailing on Lago di Garda!  A true "phoenix arising from the ashes"! 

According to J/Boats Italy founder Paolo Boido, "Thanks to Bob and Rod Johnstone who designed such a strong and lovely One-Design boat.

J/24 ITA 85 salvage crew and owners
Also, thanks to my team at J/Boats Italy who built the boat, so well-built and strong, able to survive the heavy water pressure in depths of more than 240 mt (770 feet). That's about 23 ATM (atmospheres at sea level) or 341 PSI.

Amazingly, there was no damage to the mast, all shrouds were fine, the turnbuckles all worked, so did all the Harken blocks and even the Harken winches! We were shocked there wasn't more damage. It seems the ice-cold fresh water on Garda acted like a "preservative". The owners were so grateful to the salvage team and love sailing their beloved ITA-85 today!"
Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

J/Newsletter- November 15th, 2017

J/121 offshore speedsterJ/121 Awarded SAIL Best Boats- Performance!
(Boston, MA)- SAIL Magazine has announced the winners of SAIL’s 2018 Best Boats Awards. If there’s one word that sums up the Best Boats Class of 2018, it would have to be “performance.” The boat review team at SAIL magazine determined the new J/121 offshore speedster was SAIL’s choice for Best Boats- Performance 30 to 40 feet. Here is their commentary:

“The J/Boats team are obviously good designers and boat builders. Their record in this area stands for itself.

However, ever since the advent of Rod Johnstone’s iconic J/24 in 1977, they have also shown an uncanny ability to discern what exactly it is sailors are looking for in their next boat: think the J/105 and its then cutting-edge retracting bowsprit in 1991, or the phenomenon that is the J/70 sportboat- eclipsing all other similar designs to date- in just four years!

The latest in this long line of outside-the-box designs is the new 40 foot J/121, a boat specifically tailored to appeal to skippers who are 1) tired of having to round up eight to 10 people to go racing and 2) are looking for something other the usual windward-leeward “sausage” courses that now dominate inshore racing.

To this end, the boat carries a “five-sail” rig that includes a main, jib and removable staysail (like the IMOCA 60 class), to make shifting gears with a crew of as little as five a snap, whether sailing inshore or off soundings. (A Code 0 or A-sail—sails #4 and 5—can be flown off the boat’s retractable sprit). To keep the boat on its feet, designer Al Johnstone has also included an easy-to-use water ballast system that can shift 104 gallons of water (880 lbs. worth) from side-to-side; the equivalent of four bodies worth of rail meat that’ll never call in sick or have scheduling conflicts.

With respect to promoting innovative, fun racing, J/Boats is championing something called “Open Course” racing- middle distance events that offer the best of both inshore and distance events (think the famous Three-Bridge Fiasco regatta on San Francisco Bay). The boat would also be perfect for shorthanded offshore racing, whether it be a shorter event like the Ida Lewis distance race or the Marblehead-Halifax. Oh, and did we mention the boat sails like a dream and is a stunner to boot? A winner in every sense of the word.”   J/121 offshore speedster video here.   Read more about the J/121 SAIL Magazine Best Boats award

J/121 offshore speedster off Newport
European Winter Boat Show Time!
On display, latest J/Cruisers and J/Racers!
(Newport, RI)- With the holidays arriving over the next few weeks, now is the time to be thinking about visiting very cool cities in Europe and checking out some of the latest thinking from the J/Design team!

SALON NAUTIC- Paris, France
Starting in the first week of December, from December 2nd to 10th, 2017, J/Composites will have on display in their booth (Pavilion 1/ Stand 1-G-35) the amazingly fast and competitive J/112E Grand Prix- the latest sport-cruiser from the J/Boats design team.  This latest evolution of the very fast J/112 hull is the one that eclipsed a number of regattas in Europe this past season and is currently running away with the overall lead in IRC 1 class in the famous Hamble Winter series.  Learn more what makes her so fast and so incredibly comfortable at the same time, her finely appointed interior is an eye-opener!  For more Salon Nautic Paris show & ticket information  For more J/112E sport cruiser information

J/112E sport cruiserBOOT DUSSELDORF- Dusseldorf, Germany
At the end of January, from January 20th to 28th, 2018, J/Composites and J/European dealers will have on display the J/97E, the J/112E, and the new J/121 offshore speedster at their booth (Hall- 15 / Stand- B21).  In addition to the J/112E sport cruiser, her smaller sistership, the J/97E will amaze you with her new spacious cockpit (about as large as the 112E’s), large diameter wheel for finger-tip steering response, and her luxurious, open, airy interior that will keep you family and friends coming back for more après-sailing parties on your mini-yacht!   For more J/97E sport cruiser information

Then, be one of the first in Europe to see first-hand the new J/121 offshore speedster- one of the most innovative offshore racing yachts ever in the famous line of J/performance yachts. Her rakish looks, her enormous cockpit, the twin carbon wheels, the novel water-ballast system, all evoke a feeling of “Performance & Speed!”

In fact, on her last offshore voyage from Annapolis to Newport, double-handed by two experienced offshore sailors, she exceeded 18 kts quite easily with her full main and A4 asymmetric spinnaker in up to 23 kts of wind- and she was averaging 14 kts, that’s cruising!   Sailing photo credits- Paul Todd/ Outside Images.com.  For more J/121 offshore speedster information  For more BOOT Dusseldorf show & ticket information

J/122 sailing CaribbeanSt Thomas Regatta Update
BYOB – Bring Your Own Boat! Or, charter!
(St Thomas, US Virgin Islands)- Registration is open and a number of good teams are already signing up for one of the all-time “classic” regattas in the Caribbean, St. Thomas International Regatta, March 23-25, 2018, held in Cowpet Bay off the eastern tip of St Thomas.  It is no wonder it is a popular regatta, St Thomas YC truly rolls out the red carpet treatment, making you feel like family, and offer simply gorgeous yachting offshore in their emerald green/ turquoise waters between Cowpet Bay and St John island across the channel. It is an idyllic sailing venue that is easy to get to and also easy to find comfortable places to stay.

If you can’t bring your own boat, charter! The St. Thomas Sailing Center is making repairs to its IC24 fleet and these highly-competitive one-design keelboats (based on the original J/24) are available for teams to charter. In addition, if you want to up your racing game, the Center is holding two North U Racing Clinics – January 31- February 4 and February 28- March 4. Condos and villas are available nearby at the Anchorage, Cowpet Bay and Elysian on “VRBO.com” or “Airbnb.com”

Or, check out the charter operators in the Caribbean and Europe that have some swift-sailing vessels available. For example, “Caribbean Races” in St. Maarten offer their J/120 JAGUAR.

Or, you could sail NOISY OYSTER, a highly competitive J/122 offered by Swiss-based J/122 Experience.  And, if needed she’s available with a First Mate that knows how to sail her fast!

Finally, Caribbean Yacht Racing in the U.S. and St. Maarten has its J/122, the very famous EL OCASO for charter- that boat with the amazing NASCAR-like paint job of turquoise blue and flowing racing stripes of orange & yellow down the topsides. Any more J/122’s? Three or more entries can get their own one-design class!

Register now! Pay only US $250 for entries received and paid in full by 5 p.m. AST on January 31, 2018. From February 1 to March 20, the entry fee is US $400.  Questions?  You may contact them directly at email- stycisv@gmail.com or cpessler@hotmail.com or call- +1 (340) 642-3204.  For more St Thomas International Regatta sailing information

J/122 sailing upwindCaribbean Sailing Update
(Lanzarote, Canary Islands)- Each year at this time a mass migration of boats from the continental USA and Europe heads to the Caribbean through numerous rallies and races for sailors that seek a warmer climate.

The two largest events are the “ARC” races (really cruises in company) that are organized by World Cruising.  One leaves the USA from Portsmouth, VA and heads to Nanny Cay in the British Virgin Islands.  The other event, the “granddaddy” of them all is the ARC Europe rally that leaves from the Canary Islands and heads to St Lucia.

ARC Caribbean 1500
The ARC Caribbean 1500 began on November 5th from Portsmouth, VA at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay with eighteen boats sailing 1,500nm to Nanny Cay in Tortola, British Virgin Island.  Included in that fleet is the J/42 MERLIN sailed by Pete Watkins from Boise, Idaho.

The ARC Europe
The ARC + Cape Verdes left Gran Canaria on November 5 and the ARC direct to St. Lucia leaves Las Palmas on the November 19. In all, nearly 200 boats will join the fleet.

The ARC is a ‘must do’ for many sailors, and attracts over 200 boats and 1,200 people every year to sail 2,700 NM across the Atlantic from Gran Canaria to Saint Lucia.

The ARC is for everyone; families with children, tough racers, cruising couples, big boats and modest boats. Crossing the Atlantic together, but having their own adventures. More than just a boat race, the ARC is about friendships made ashore in the two weeks of pre-departure activities continued over the radio net at sea. It’s about arriving in Saint Lucia to be met on the dock with a rum punch and a chilled beer, knowing you have achieved something fantastic - crossing an ocean on a small sailboat.  Participating in this year’s event is the Dutch J/133 JACKY X owned and skippered by Gerard Feenema.  For more ARC Rally sailing information

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

The second week of November saw hot racing take place down in the Mediterranean.  YC Monaco hosted the second Act of its Monaco Winter Sportboat Series for a large fleet of J/70s, with a lot of close racing taking place on Hercules Bay off Monte Carlo, Monaco.  Then, off to the northwest, the Hamble River Sailing Club held yet another good set of racing on Sunday for their famous Hamble Winter Series sailed on the Southampton Water and the Solent for one-design classes of J/88s and IRC divisions with J/92s, J/97s, J/109s, and a new J/112E Grand Prix team.

Across the big pond to the Americas, we find that St Petersburg YC in St Petersburg, FL hosted the Mallory Cup Trophy- emblematic of US Adult Sailing Championship- in their matched fleet of twelve J/70s.  Then, out west, what is reputed to be the “best race in America” took place north of Seattle- the 30th annual Round the County Race hosted by Orcas Island Yacht Club and the Friday Harbor Sailing Club- it’s about 76nm of racing on Saturday and Sunday with an overnight stay in Roche Harbor, San Juan Island.  Several J/crews that know their way around the islands and the capricious currents took home lots of silverware!  Then, down south in California, the first weekend of the San Francisco Winter Series took place- hosted by Sausalito YC- for one-design fleets of J/24s, J/70s, J/105s, and J/120s.

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below has many entertaining stories and news about J/Sailors as well as cruising blogs about those who continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north.  Check them out!  More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or  upload onto our J/Boats Facebook pag  Below are the summaries.

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Nov 18- Hot Rum Series II- San Diego, CA
Dec 2- Hot Rum Series III- San Diego, CA
Dec 9-10- Jammin Jamaica J/22 Regatta- Montego Bay, Jamaica
Dec 8-10- Quantum J/70 Winter Series- Tampa, FL
Jan 5-7- Quantum J/70 Winter Series- Tampa, FL
Jan 19-21- J/Fest St Pete- St Petersburg, FL
Feb 9-11- Quantum J/70 Winter Series- Tampa, FL
Feb 15-18- St Pete NOOD Regatta- St Petersburg, FL
Feb 17-18- SCYA Midwinter Regatta- Long Beach, CA
Feb 19- RORC Caribbean 600 Race- English Harbour, Antigua
Feb 23-25- J/70 Midwinters- Coconut Grove, FL
Mar 1-4- Heineken St Maarten Regatta- Simpson Bay, St Maarten
Mar 7-11- Bacardi Miami Sailing Week- Coconut Grove, FL
Mar 16-18- San Diego NOOD Regatta- San Diego, CA
Mar 22-25- St Thomas International Regatta- Red Hook Bay, St Thomas, USVI
Mar 29- Apr 1- Easter Regatta- Columbia, SC
Apr 12-15- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 8-14- Voiles de Saint Barth Regatta- Gustavia, St Barth
Apr 26-29- J/70 Corinthian Nationals- Ft Worth, TX
Apr 28- May 4- Antigua Sailing Week- English Harbour, Antigua

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

J/70 mallory cup winnersSAIL MAINE Crowned Mallory Cup Champion!
(St Petersburg, FL)- The action was fast and furious on Tampa Bay this past week. Twelve teams in J/70s representing their respective Regional Sailing Associations (RSA) across America enjoyed the speedy and highly entertaining racing format, as well as the spectacular weather and racing conditions at the 2017 U.S. Adult Sailing Championship, hosted by St. Petersburg Yacht Club.

Sailors enjoyed a variety of conditions throughout the week, including light air and sunshine to big breeze and rain. Thirty-eight races were completed throughout the weekend.

Sailors were greeted with rain, wind and waves for the final day of racing at the U.S. Adult Sailing Championship for the Mallory Trophy. Seven races were completed to round off the championship series. Great work by the St. Petersburg Yacht Club’s waterfront team who were quick on their feet to repair breakdowns throughout the weekend and keep sailors racing.

In the end, it was Carter White (Portland, Maine) and his team composed of sailors from Sail Maine representing the Northeast Sailing Association, who came out on top in an exciting finish on Sunday. White’s team included Michael McAllister (Portland, Maine), Henry Cole (Freeport, Maine) and Fiona Gordon (Portland, Maine).

Carter and company were ranked fifth after two round robins. They avoided the qualifying repechage round by one spot, as the bottom six teams dueled it out over four races with the top six teams advancing to the championship round and the last two teams being eliminated from contention. The Sail Maine team saved their best for Sunday afternoon as they dominated the 10-team championship round and won by 11 points through 10 races.

“We sailed almost 40 races over four days. It’s pretty crazy,” said White. “I had never skippered a J/70 before so it was a lot of fun. The four of us have never sailed before as a team. Mike and I sail a lot together on the J/24.”

“We had a lot of breeze today, at times, and changing conditions throughout the event from 6 knots to 20 knots. There was a little bit of everything for everyone and the race committee did an excellent job.”

The win for White and his team earns them an entry to represent the U.S. at the Sailing Champions League World Qualifier.

David Loring’s team from Charleston, S.C. representing the South Atlantic YRA placed second. This team featured Jeff Woodard, Amy Woodard and Patrick Wilson.  Finishing third was Trey Sheehan (Chagrin Fall, Ohio), Wilson Stout (Annapolis, Md.), Brad Boston (Sarnia, Ontario, Canada), and Curtis Florence (Lakewood, Ohio). They represented the Inland Lake Yachting Association.

The Championship got underway on Thursday under light breeze. Most of the day was spent under postponement. Racers experienced a Northwest building breeze at 5 to 8 knots later in the afternoon and the fleet managed to complete two races in the first round robin series. Local knowledge paid off for skipper David Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla./Florida Sailing Association) who won both races to take an early lead.

Friday’s conditions were improved, as sailors experienced a Northeast breeze of 6 to 10 knots. The fleet tallied 16 races. Chris Raab (Huntington Beach, Calif./YRU of Southern California) took command of the leaderboard on Friday and had a six point lead through the first round robin and a five point lead through six races of the second round robin series.

On Saturday, sailors finished the second round robin, completed four races in the repechage round and the top ten teams sailed three races in the championship round. Sailors enjoyed a variety of conditions from medium breeze to start the day, to lighter breezes mid-day and ideal conditions for the start of the championship round. Raab and crew maintained a five point lead over Pat Toole (Santa Barbara, Calif./Southern California YRA) through the second round robin.

Teams qualified by competing at a high level in their respective RSA events. Teams consisted of both men and women sailors.

The league racing format offered sailors quick and competitive races, on-the-water umpiring, no discards, and an improved viewing opportunity for spectators. Every race counted, so consistency was a major factor. Races were approximately 15 minutes in duration. Some of the competitors have likened the format to college sailing in big boats.

First place team was presented the Clifford D. Mallory Trophy and received entry as the U.S. representative at the Sailing Champions League World Qualifier. The top three teams received US Sailing medals – Gold, Silver, Bronze. Teams representing the Southern Yacht Club, Edgewater Yacht Club, and James Island Yacht Club earned the Staton J. Peele, Jr. Trophy for sportsmanship.

Sportsmanship Notes:
  • Southern Yacht Club: Following racing Thursday evening, members of the Southern Yacht Club team de-rigged their J/70 and then assisted the St. Petersburg Yacht Club junior sailors by hauling 20+ Optimist prams out of the water.
  • James Island Yacht Club: Thank you to the sailors from the James Island Yacht Club for assisting in the measuring and tuning of the J/70s Saturday afternoon, prior to the start of the championship round.
  • Edgewater Yacht Club: Thank you to the sailors from the Edgewater Yacht Club for assisting in the measuring and tuning of the J/70s Saturday afternoon, prior to the start of the championship round. In addition, on Sunday sailors from the team came in off the water to assist in the replacement of a forestay; they even offered their personal forestay to the event.
For more U.S. Adult Sailing Championship/ Mallory Cup Trophy sailing information

J/70 sailing off MonacoARTTUBE Leading Monaco J/70 Winter Series
(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- The Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series attracts sailors from very diverse circuits and backgrounds. This weekend the J/70 class had several star-studded sailors in their midst.  Olympic champion and three-time Laser World Champion Paul Goodison was on Vincenzo Onorato’s MASCALZONE LATINO, while the recently crowned European Vice-Champion in the Star class, Diego Negri, was also present in his capacity as coach. Other well-known names such as Sébastien Col, Match Racing and America’s Cup expert, who has done two seasons on the GC32 Malizia helmed by Pierre Casiraghi (HRH Prince Albert’s brother-in-law), was also in the Principality for the occasion.

However, in the end, no amount of super-star power on any of the J/70 teams could overcome the quick hand and fast sailing by Russia’s top woman keelboat sailor- Valerya Kovalenko skippering ARTTUBE.  She not only won her second regatta in a row, she now has a commanding lead in the overall Monaco Sportboat Winter Series.  Here is how it all happened off Monte Carlo in Hercules Bay.

J70 Monaco winnersDay One
Forty crews returned to the heart of the Principality this past Friday to kickoff the second act of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series. Like the first meeting of the 2017/2018 season, the huge, competitive J/70 fleet was again in the spotlight over the weekend.

In contrast to the first act dominated by Russian crews, this second meeting took place under the sign of change with the presence of a large number of Monegasque crews on the water. The cards were re-distributed after the three races; a day largely characterized by light to medium winds and a short chop on top of a rolling sea.

On board Vincenzo Onorato’s J/70 MASCALZONE LATINO, the British sailor Paul Goodison, Gold Medalist at the Beijing Olympic Games and triple Laser World Champion, was among the forces involved pointing them in the right direction as mainsheet trimmer and tactician. At the end of the day’s racing, there were in first place out of 27 competitors. They were followed by the infamous Russians on ARTTUBE skippered by Valerya Kovalenko, winner of the first Act.  Just behind them in third was Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio skippering G-SPOTTINO from the host club YC Monaco.

j70 sailing off MonacoDay Two
It went down to the wire for the top three on the last day in the enormously talented J/70 fleet. The leader after the first day, YCM’s Onorato on MASCALZONE LATINO had to concede victory to his closest rival, the tenacious team on ARTTUBE, helmed by their very talented skipper- Valerya Kovalenko.

The Russians from Moscow won the previous Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series and have now gotten off to a good start this season by winning Act 1. Peter Harrison from the United Kingdom, skippering SORCHA J, completed the trio at the top, clinching 3rd place. Enjoying the SSW winds that blew 10-12 knots all three days, Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio’s crew on G-SPOTINO was consistent throughout the regatta to finish 4th, just three points adrift of a podium finish.

At the end of two regattas and after 14 total races, Kovalenko’s ARTTUBE tops the leader board for the 2017/2018 YC Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series, a full 43 points ahead of the Italians on SPORT CUBE, followed by YC Monaco member Stefano Roberti on PICCININA.

The next regatta for the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series is December 8th to 10th.  For more J/70 YC Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series sailing information

J/120 sailing off SeattleJ/Teams Cruise Seattle’s Round the County Race
(Seattle, WA)- The Orcas Island Yacht Club and the Friday Harbor Sailing Club their 30th annual “Round the County” sailboat race this past weekend on November  11th & 12th. As usual, it provides the sailors with spectacular views of the enormous snow-capped mountains surrounding the challenging waters of San Juan County Washington. The race is approximately 76 miles with an overnight stop in Roche Harbor, San Juan Island. Due to the great venue, the better winds of November, and the overnight stop in Roche Harbor, the race has become one of the more popular events in the Pacific Northwest.  And, for the dozen-plus J/crews participating, it provided yet another great experience and an opportunity to close out the 2017 season with a few more “pickle dishes & silver” for the “man cave” and trophy room in the basement.

One boat, in particular, celebrated their 20th Round the County Race this year- Bob Brunius’ J/120 TIME BANDIT.  The “banditos” have won their class multiple times (2006, 2009, 2015, 2017) and placed 2nd three times!  Here is Bob’s account of their experience winning this year’s race in PHRF 1 division:

“While many of the regattas in the Pacific Northwest have been seeing a gradual decline in participation over the years, the Round the County has been growing since it's humble beginnings 30 years ago. The race was the concept of local marina owner and past Orcas Island Yacht Club Commodore Betsy Wareham.  This year the race had 123 participants enter. What makes the race unique is the two starts - one on Saturday and one on Sunday with an overnight at Roche Harbor on San Juan Island.  The race finishes on Sunday afternoon at the same place it started on Saturday morning and it runs clockwise around San Juan County on even years and counterclockwise on odd years.

The race is long enough to let the fastest boats in the area stretch their legs and still let the slower rated boats finish the full course most years. With 8 divisions, the rating spread is tight and the fleet sizes are big. The venue is really beautiful and boats often get an escort of Dall's porpoise - or on other occasions kelp! Playing the tidal current is a big part of the strategy and can favor those with lots of RTC experience, or the lucky.  Early November is a bit of the sweet spot on the calendar between the doldrums of summer and the frequent storms of December and January. It all adds up to make a very popular event. Results are based on combined times from Saturday and Sunday.

This marked the 20th year that Barb and Bob Brunius raced their J/120 TIME BANDIT in the event. Most of the boat's race crew are in their second decade of racing the boat and they do understand how to make it go. They were tickled to place 1st in DIV I and 6th overall in the 100 boat PHRF fleet. HINZITE, also a J/120 sailed by Jim Hinz & Peter Dorcey, finished right on the Bandito's heels both days and only 20 seconds behind on combined time!

Our J/120 is still the consummate race boat. TIME BANDIT has been spending more time carrying kayaks and cruising the waters of the PNW in recent years! The design does well at both duties.”  Thanks to Bob for this report.

J/29 sailing Seattle fast!Furthermore, we have a great report from the RTC team from Orcas Island YC and Friday Harbor SC:

“Round the County – America’s Greatest Sailboat Race – yeah, you know, it probably is America’s greatest sailboat race.  There are some cool ones out there that bring in the numbers, the Mac, or the races to Mexico and Hawaii and I’m sure some others as well but as an admittedly biased Pacific Northwest Sailor there is just something special about braving the short days of November to tackle the challenging current riddled swirly wind waters around the San Juan Islands at a time of year most people in America are hunkering down for winter or waxing up their snowboards and making plans for their winter trip.

118 boats were entered by race day and something like 100 of em’ were signed up within 72 hours of registration opening.  So there I am thinking about this, stuck in Everett traffic on Friday heading up to A-town.  My eyes drift up and I’m looking at the bow of my boat in the rear-view mirror and pondering about all the boats delivering to the San Juan’s from every direction imaginable – on their keels and on trailers – from the Pacific Northwest, Portland, Hood River, the Great Lakes and more. The draw for this race is amazingly diverse.  Top level sailors on stripped out high performance rockets on down the line to family and friends on heavy cruising boats to old wooden schooners and crazy fast multihulls; Round the County brings em all out, and you know what, depending on how the conditions align, each type of boat has a chance at the podium.

In years past the party was Saturday night in Roche Harbor but as the entry list has increased and the party wore out its welcome in the now posh marina of Roche Harbor, the revelry seems to have switched to Friday night leaving everyone especially chipper and ready to race come dock call Saturday morning – for many it’s shoving off at 6am to make it to Lydia Shoals for the 8:30 start.

This year’s forecast was for an OK Southeasterly on Saturday with the currents looking like they will line up well and a bit more breeze forecast for Sunday.  So there we are, ready for the start with our bow pointed 180 degrees from the start line, nose into the current waiting to jibe around at just the right moment and swing up across the line on the moderate Southeasterly.  Two minutes, wait for it, 1:45, 1:30…Ok, helms over, jibe around and come up directly into the new Northeasterly breeze!  That’s how it works back there around Orcas Island, one minute a southerly and the next a northerly…it’s all about the timing.

J/92 sailing off Seattle, WAOff everyone went, to weather now in a light northeasterly, the current behind us – mostly – running the front of the flood past the Peapods and off towards the Sisters and Clark Island.  Little elevators of flooding current pushing random groups of boats out into the lead until the big fast ORC boats began working through the fleet of early starters moving so fast that they sucked the wind along behind them and pulled the southeasterly back onto the race course and the pretty colored sails popped up across the bay.  Boats lined up across the waters from Clements Reef out towards the mainland looking for wind and positive current to give them that simple little edge on their competition.

As we came into Patos Island, now sitting somewhere mid-fleet, we watched the Santa Cruz 33 Muffin do a crazy round up away from the island with their chute flying high at the end of their sheets.  When we arrived at the same spot we noticed the depth coming up and saw the rocks over the side in the clear water – so this is why they rounded up!  Up and around it we went, no issues for us, but later, after the race, I learned that Muffin wasn’t as lucky and had actually hit the rock hard causing the roundup and had quickly found themselves scrambling towards safe harbor to deal with and assess the damage.

Rounding the halfway point at Patos Island brought everyone into Boundary Pass and what looked to be a nice little drag race to Turn point. Pole forward, wind over the port beam at 6 knots, fire up the bbq and have some lunch type of drag race.  But that’s not how the San Juan’s work.  About halfway down Boundary with the upwelling’s of the new ebbing current starting up the winds decided to crap out and we were back to the light weird winds and current elevators that had boats 100 yards from you shooting forward down the course – sometimes on both sides!

The fleet then stacked up again around Turn Point and it was decision time for everyone. Tack over and get into the bay towards Danger Shoal or lay hard on the starboard bow and hold out into Haro Strait and hope for the building ebb to push you along.  Of course by this time the big fast boats had been tied up for an hour or so while their crews were enjoying the hot tub but us common folk were still out there trying to figure out how in the heck to get to the finish line inside Battleship Island with the building ebb on the nose coming out of Spieden Channel.  Many worked up towards Danger Shoals in the now dying southeasterly while a smaller group sailed down Haro to Henry Island before tacking back in along the island and working the eddy and small puffs back North towards Battleship Island, shooting the gap between McCraken Point and Battleship then sneaking across the line in the now surprisingly strong ebbing current.

A bunch of boats made this work well.  Stories went around Saturday night of attacking botmarks, finishing in the wrong direction and dodging current line debris but at the end of everything the days challenges left a smile on most everyone’s faces (except the poor Muffin’ers) as they dropped their heads on their pillows wherever they were staying on San Juan Island.

Sunday dawned much simpler for everyone.  The delivery to the starting area is minimal, the winds looked to be a solid 20 knots out of the Southeast and all everyone has to do is find a lane out of the wind shadowed starting area and push their boats hard around the south end of the islands before popping the chute for the epic run up Rosario to the finish.  Sounds perfect right?  What are odds this will happen in the San Juan’s?

So, off we went with the fleet taking two distinct tactics as they worked south into the building flood current.  Most chose to short tack along San Juan Island in the eddies, tough work with all the traffic but I’m sure it kept the crew warm and excited.  A few in the fleet decided to take it easy and lay on port tack from the starting line until they had to decide between tea at the Empress or tacking over to starboard towards the halfway finish line and on toward Iceberg Point.  Did you catch that – one tack after the start at Snug Harbor and then lay Iceberg Point on the south end of Lopez.  Now those crews were sitting there cold, legs falling asleep, minds and conversations drifting off towards work and that summer vacation they had in Mexico but you know what?  That was the right way to go.  As the legendary Master Bezwick is fond of saying “It ain’t a flyer if it’s the right way to go.”

Catch the last of the ebb on the Canadian side of Haro Strait and then turn left into the eastward flooding current of the Straits of Juan De Fuca.  There they were, this little red Chicken Coup Special Blade Runner, sailing out where they shouldn’t otherwise be – ahead of some much bigger and faster boats.  Yet like everything else in San Juan Island racing it’s all about the timing.  The J/120’s were able to run this move all the way to podium finishes while other boats made it just as far as Lydia Shoals before the wind crapped out and they waited, waited, and waited…  Changed sails, changed again, changed back, waited, found the current building against them and then see a little red chicken coup special ghost in behind them – crap – then look up and see a damned Moore 24 reaching in towards the pin from the right and with their momentum coast in around the pin, jibe and sail off into the building darkness of the east literally hours after they had arrived at the finish area.  The emotions, the challenges, the ups and downs, the friends and foes, the conditions at 48 degrees North in November – put it all together and you have the Greatest Race in America.

Thank you Orcas Island Yacht Club for coming up with this crazy idea of racing around the Islands in November and then actually doing it and sticking with it over all these years.  Each year is different, each year is challenging, each year a different boat has the conditions they need to step up on the podium.  See you all next year.”

With regards to the class results, the top J in ORC Division was the J/160 JAM in 4th place. Taking 6th place in PHRF Division 0 was the J/122 GRACE.  The J/120s went 1-2 in the PHRF Division 1, TIME BANDIT and HINZITE, respectively. The Petersen’s J/109 LEGACY took fourth in the same division.  In PHRF Division 2, the J/35 ALTAIR took 7th place.  The PHRF Division 3 saw a clean sweep by J/crews, led by the J/105 JADED, with the J/92 ZAFF in 2nd and the J/105 LAST TANGO in 3rd place.  The J/33 KEET took 5th place in the same class.  J/29s faired well in PHRF Division 4, with HERE & NOW taking a 2nd and CRAZY SALSA placing 4th.  Sailing photo credits- Jan Anderson- JanPix.com   Follow Round County Facebook page here   For more Round County Race sailing information

J/70 Christine Robin- women's sailing crew!J/Crew’s Chillin’ in Frisco
(Sausalito, CA)- The annual San Francisco Bay One Design Winter Series kicked off last weekend thanks to Jeff Zarwell's REGATTA-PRO race management and Sausalito Yacht Club. The local San Francisco Bay fleet of J/70s, J/120s and J/105s enjoyed sunshine and mild breeze on the first race day of the weekend series that sails on the second Saturday of each month- from November thru February.  The San Francisco Bay summer wind and fog machine has turned off for the winter and unless it's a storm front, conditions on the Bay can be delightfully balmy on the Berkeley Circle as they were this past weekend. Jeff provided this report on the first weekend of racing:

“It was typical fall weather, the forecast was for no wind in the circle until 12:30-1:00 when a westerly was to come in with 12-15 kts of breeze.  So, it was no surprise at 11:00 that an un-forecasted northerly (310 at 4-5 kts) was coming down San Pablo Bay, unforeseen by meteorologists.

The RC was in a quandary as to what to do.  With a westerly forecast in an hour and a half, there was good reason to believe any race started at 11:30am could very well end up abandoned as the northerly typically shuts down before the westerly comes in.

In postponement, Zarwell was driving around the bay looking for signs of a westerly developing ANYWHERE.  At the same time, everyone seemed to be sailing well in the light northerly with almost no current.  Looking up San Pablo Bay there were no signs of the northerly breaking down any time soon either.

J/70 women's sailing team- San Francisco, CARealizing the natives might be getting restless, the RC decided to roll the dice and get everyone sailing in the northerly, with expectations of having a 90 degree course change at some point during race 1.  All the fleets were started and the breeze was still holding.

Ultimately all six fleets had two challenging, yet pretty fair races with a northerly that never broke down.  That is until 3:30, well after the last boat had finished.  At that point, it did not shut down; rather it made a graceful swing over to the west.

All in all, it was a beautiful day, reasonably warm, flat water and that fall lighting that lets you know summer is over.

Looking forward to the next race in the series on December 9th. Let’s see if we can get more of you out there in December for some challenging light air racing!  It’s the best time to train new crew and keep you on your game during the winter months.”

According to Christy Usher, skipper of the J/70 CHRISTINE ROBIN, “two of the five J/70s that signed up for the series raced this past Saturday. As a result, it was a fun match-race between Tom Thayer's RAMPAGE versus my all-women crew on CHRISTINE ROBIN (Terre Layton, Dana Riley and Jessica Chase).  After sailing a few short races, both teams traded wins in the light and tricky conditions.”

And, Tom Thayer had this to say about the day’s racing:

“The day started out cool and over cast with a discouraging glassy look to the water.  So, after we rigged the boat, we got at the Torqeedo and slowly headed toward the racing area.  Our conversation on board was mostly jokes about the lack of wind.  But half way out the wind started to fill in, building to about 8 knots allowing us to practice our jibes and wind-on-wings on the way.  The racing was on!

Once we got to the race area, we searched for other J/70s, but could not find any.  So now, the jokes were about finishing first and last at the same time, port tacking the fleet, and general recalls. Fortunately, Christine Robin made an appearance just before the scheduled 11:30 first gun.  While it would have been great to have more boats, with two boats we could use the races to continue to refine our rig tune, trim settings, weight placement and driving technique in the light air.

The Regatta Pro/ Sausalito YC team, under the direction of Jeff Zarwell, did their usual great job of setting up a course.  Given the light air, we were given ¾ mile legs.  But the short legs allowed for more boat handling with course 4 (double sausages) for each of the two races.

J/105s sailing San Francisco BayRampage got a good start in the first race.  We were able to use a high mode to force Christine Robin to tack for clear air.  But that was a mistake on our part because as soon as they were free to sail their own race.  Christy Usher and her crew found a fast, high mode that was devastating.  They went on to win the race by a large margin.

But we continued tweaking or boat, going to a sloppy loose rig setting for the second race as the wind died down.  We also got more power from the jib with a little less halyard tension.  And, we got even more aggressive with our weight placement.

The result of all of this was that we could come closer to hanging with Christine Robin in the second race.  They still beat us around the first windward mark, but we were closer.  They jibed soon after the mark rounding.  By doing so, we thought they were going the wrong way.  Despite our intent of staying with them to maximize the opportunity for two boat testing, we couldn’t resist the temptation to separate on starboard.  By the time we reached the leeward gate, we had made a substantial gain, that we were able to hold onto for the rest of the race.

So a successful day for both boats.  Christy had little experience at the helm before, and had to have gained considerable confidence with the excellent way she had the boat performing.  Rampage was able to continue up the light air learning curve, especially with our weight placement and luff tension adjustment.  And both boats ended up with a 1st and 2nd place finish (or is that first and last?)!”

The J/105s have the largest fleet registered with sixteen teams.  Leading after the first weekend was the duo of Colin Miller and Peter Baldwin on BIG BUOYS  with a 2-2 tally for 4 pts.  Sitting in second with a 1-6 for 7 pts is Sergey Lubarsky’s RUSSIAN ROULETTE.  Then, rounding out the top of the leaderboard is Phil Laby’s GODOT with a 7-3 for 10 pts.

Like the J/70s, there are five J/120s registered, but only two showed up for the first weekend.  It was a match race between Steve Madeira’s big green machine- the mighty MR MAGOO- and Timo Bruck’s white wonder- TWIST.  After two races, the Magoo Maulers took two bullets to start off their series well.

Similarly, the J/24s had a match race scenario between Jasper Van Vliet’s EVIL OCTOPUS and Richard Stockdale’s FROGLIPS.  It seemed the Froggers kept leaping ahead of the twisted up Octopus, taking two bullets to start their series.  For more San Francisco Winter Series sailing information

J/97E sailing on SolentMore Winter Sailing @ HWS
(Hamble, England)- Competitors for the sixth weekend of the Hamble Winter Series enjoyed more racing with the Hamble River Sailing Club, supported by OneSails.

In IRC One, Chaz Ivill's J/112E DAVANTI TYRES scored their fifth bullet of the series, and was yet again the fastest boat around the track in any class after IRC time correction. They are now leading their class by the considerable margin of ten points.

In the J/88 Class, Avia Willment’s team are sailing remarkably well, scoring a sixth bullet for the series.  They, too, are leading their class by an enormous margin of ten points. As a result, Gavin Howe’s TIGRIS is holding on to 2nd place with 16 pts net. They are followed by Richard Cooper’s JONGLEUR in third place, just three points adrift.

In IRC Two, Simon Perry's J/109 JIRAFFE continues to sail fast and consistent.  Despite missing three races, their blistering pace of three 1sts and a 2-3 have them now sitting in third place just 2.5 pts away from the silver.

In IRC Three, Annie & Andy Howe’s J/97 BLACKJACK II have two drop scores after ten races sailed, giving them a comfortable leading margin of 5 pts.  Second is Robin Stevenson’s J/92S UPSTART with 16 pts net.

Racing at the Hamble Winter Series continues with weekend #seven on Sunday 19th November.  For more Hamble Winter Series sailing information
 

J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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J/95 cruising* J/95 (hull no. 15) owned by Paul Eckel has won both the Bird Key Yacht Club and Sarasota Yacht Club first in class and first overall trophies. Continuing a string of victories, "Encore" sailed by Doug Fisher and Paul Eckel took home the Sarasota Bay Cup by finishing first in class and first overall racing in the Mote Marine Laboratory Regatta in April.

Last week the J/95 Encore finished first in class and first overall to take the Sarasota Yacht Club 2017 Invitational and is now inscribed on the perpetual trophies in both clubs. Thanks for this contribution from J/95 owner Al Agachinsky from Sarasota, FL.

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

J/Newsletter- July 6th, 2016

J/70s sailing San FranciscoRolex Big Boat Series One-Design Update
(San Francisco, CA)– The early entry deadline is less than one month away for the 52nd Rolex Big Boat Series hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club. Of the 47 boats currently entered to race September 15–18, there is a strong showing of emerging one-design classes including the J/70 Class. Additional one-design classes invited to compete include the J/111s, J/120s and J/105s. The regatta will also conduct starts for boats racing under a variety of rating rules.

“The J/70 Class has become popular because of its ease of use. It’s easy to trailer, easy to launch and requires only a crew of three or four to race,” said Rolex Big Boat Regatta Chair- Susan Ruhne.  Because the J/70 Class World Championship follows this year’s Rolex Big Boat Series by one week, Ruhne expects more of the popular 23-footers to enter.

J/70s sailing Big Boat SeriesChris Kostanecki, owner of the J/70 JENNIFER, has already signed up and expects up to forty J/70s will be on the line at the world-renowned regatta.  “I think this year will be particularly dynamic and exciting,” said Kostanecki. “The J/70 Class is using the Rolex Big Boat Series as a warm-up for Worlds, so all of the top teams should be there.”

Kostanecki says the varied conditions of San Francisco Bay make the regatta a unique challenge. “It’s so much fun; it’s different than any other race,” said Kostanecki. “You’ve got racing along the City front, and the conditions can be gnarly. Sometimes they work against you and sometimes to your advantage, but it’s what makes it such a unique regatta. It’s always one of my favorites of the year.”

All J/Boat owners are encouraged to enter by the August 1 early entry deadline. Entries received after August 1 will be subject to a late entry fee. For more information, please visit the Rolex Big Boat Series website.  For more Rolex Big Boat Series sailing information

J/105s sailing San DiegoJ/105 Lipton Cup Announcement
(San Diego, CA)- Since 1903, the Lipton Cup has been the most prestigious trophy contested in Southern California and one of the most coveted on the West Coast. The event places America’s best yacht clubs to compete against one another using evenly-matched J/105 class one-design sailboats.  The 2016 edition on October 28-30 brings together 12 teams from California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and New York; those clubs include from the West Coast (California YC, Coronado YC, Kaneohe YC, Long Beach YC, Newport Harbor YC, San Diego YC, San Francisco YC, Southwestern YC, and St. Francis YC) and from the East Coast (Eastern YC, Larchmont YC, and New York YC).

The racing will be held in the San Diego Bay in a round robin fleet race format using equalized J/105s provided by San Diego YC and the incredibly gracious owners of the San Diego J/105 fleet.

Host San Diego Yacht Club won last year’s Lipton Cup, but will be pressed by recent winners St. Francis Yacht Club (2014) and California Yacht Club (2012). Eastern Yacht Club (MA), Kaneohe Yacht Club (HI), Larchmont Yacht Club (NY) and New York Yacht Club (NY) will be vying for their first win of the trophy.  For more Lipton Cup sailing information

J/70 Vineyard Vines/ Vineyard Cup RegattaVineyard Cup Preview
(Vineyard Haven, MA)- This year marks the 25th Anniversary of Sail Martha’s Vineyard! The Vineyard Cup, begun 11 years ago, brings in the revenue to afford our programs that have expanded to reach more than 400 kids each year for our summer sailing program alone. The educational offerings have grown as well, with Maritime Studies and scholarships at the high school level and courses, licenses, rowing, films and lectures to serve our youth well into adulthood.

Walter Cronkite was a founder of Sail Martha’s Vineyard, an Honorary Director, and was there to help Sail MV over the years. He attended many a Seafood Buffet and Auction. He was the Honorary Commodore at the first Vineyard Cup, in his yacht ‘Wyntje’. He had always said that Sail MV was a quintessential Martha’s Vineyard organization, home grown and home supported, and that Sail MV was preserving our maritime culture through the education of our children, endowing them with the knowledge and skills for their lifetime.

Helping to support that cause by participating in the Vineyard Cup are several J owners from across the cruising and racing spectrum. In the PHRF Non-Spinnaker Class are two beautiful J/100s- Tom Welch’s ESCAPE from Oak Bluffs and Phil & Rob Hale’s TANGO from Vineyard Haven.  In the PHRF Spinnaker Class is John Ryder’s J/70 AMONINI, two J/105s (Matt & Lisa Schmitt’s HARDTACK & Ed Lobo’s WATERWOLF) and Stephen Besse’s J/120 APRES.  For more Vineyard Cup sailing information

J/70 sailing upwindSail Newport Regatta Preview
(Newport, RI)- One of the biggest one-design regattas held all year long in the famous seaport of Newport, RI is the SAIL NEWPORT Regatta.  Hosted by its Executive Director Brad Read and the army of Sail Newport volunteers, the regatta runs for three days from July 8th to 10th with all sailing taking place in Narragansett Bay.  Three J classes are participating, including J/24s, J/70s and J/88s.

In the J/70 class, there are a number of leading teams that may be just having a “real-time” clinic on “go-fast” all weekend long.  Consider that a combined five J/24 Worlds, three J/22 Worlds, overall & Corinthian winners of J/70 Worlds and at least five Key West winners (J/70, J/111, J/105) along with major offshore races (Stamford Vineyard, Block Island Race, etc) are in the fleet of nine boats!  Who are these players in the world of offshore/ one-design sailing?  None other than John Brim’s RIMETTE, Heather Gregg’s MUSE, Brian Keane’s SAVASANA, Tim Healey’s HELLY HANSEN, Al Terhune’s DAZZLER and Will Welles’ SCAMP! Two women’s skippers will be vying with Heather for top women skipper, Hannah Swett’s USA 311 and Suzy Leech’s JUNKANOO. In addition, Dave Franzel’s SPRING and Gordon Fletcher’s GIJIMA will keep everyone honest!

In the J/24s, another women skipper hopes to make her mark on the proceedings!  Erica Beck Spencer’s crew on SEA BAGS WOMEN’S SAILING TEAM will hope to replicate some of their top performances, like winning the Marblehead NOOD Regatta J/24 class.  Rob Lambert’s BARFLY will be one of the featured crews in the leaderboard.

Finally, the J/88s are dialing up their activities this summer in Newport.  While next week is New York YC’s Race Week, representing the J/88s New England Championship, a number of crews are racing this weekend as part of that warm-up.  Key West Winners, Mike Bruno’s WINGS, will be up against an ever faster, smarter crew on Doug McKeige’s JAZZ and also Doug Newhouse’s YONDER.  For more Sail Newport Regatta sailing information

J/42 sailing Pacific CupPacific Cup Race Preview
(San Francisco, CA)- The "FUN Race to Hawaii" runs every even year from San Francisco to Hawaii.  Started in 1980, the race has been enjoyed by thousands of racers sailing well over a million miles in total.  The 2016 Pacific Cup will start the week of July 11, 2016, and includes well-prepared boats that race to the warm, welcoming shores of Kaneohe Bay, Oahu.

Before the race, participants attend safety and preparation seminars and social events including the very popular Bon Voyage party the weekend of July 9.  Of course, the accent is on preparation.  In addition to seminars, the race organizers maintain an online repository, a "knowledge-base" of information, about ocean racing in general and the Pacific Cup, in particular.  This information is available without charge to any ocean voyager, whether cruising, TransPac, Coastal Cup, or other race.

Underway, after a challenging reach down the coast to find the best weather, participants will turn toward Hawaii, for day after day of incredible downwind sailing, culminating in the thrilling Tradewinds, with steady, firm breezes driving them toward the finish.

After seven to fourteen days (depending on the size and speed of boat), the finish is off the windy north coast of Oahu, near Kaneohe Bay.  The members of Kaneohe YC mount an incredible welcoming effort, starting with a finish line committee and escort boat to bring the tired crews to the KYC harbor.  The "Leis and Trays" committee greets each arrival with wearable and consumable tokens of welcome to these friendly islands.

J/35 sailing Pacific CupAfter the finish, the boats are all provided with a mandatory social calendar provided by Kaneohe YC members, that includes parties and just lounging by the pool, in the bar, or in the "Long House" sharing stories and waiting for the next boat to arrive.  Near the end of the week, the evenings light up with a spectacular “luau”, followed by a Mount Gay party the next evening, and culminating with the awards party and the handing out of trophies.  Many participants in the past have said it takes yet another week to recover not from the race, but from the post-race social festivities!

Who in the J/Tribe are going this year?  A number of fast, well-sailed, well-prepared boats, that’s for sure!  Sailing in the Weems & Plath Division B are Ray Sanborn’s J/109 ALOHA from Kaneohe YC in Hawaii; Karl Haflinger’s J/35 SHEARWATER from Corinthian YC Tacoma in Washington; Scott Dickinson’s J/42 TIKI J from Coyote Point YC in San Mateo, CA; Tom Keffer’s J/42 VELOCITY from Portland YC in Hood River, OR; and Bill Williams’ J/44 VIAJANTE from Richmond YC in San Francisco, CA.

Cruising fast towards the beautiful islands in the Pasha Hawaii ORR Division D will be Graham Ellis’ J/124 ALBION from Encinal YC in Alameda, CA and Scott Campbell’s famous J/46 RIVA from Portland YC in Portland, OR.  For more Pacific Cup Race sailing information

J/105s sailing offshoreWhidbey Island Preview
(Whidbey Island, WA)- In the northwestern parts of America, adult sailors from Seattle northward look forward to what amounts to a real vacation sailing in some of the nicest parts of the islands north of the famous Puget Sound.  For many, it’s called Whidbey Island Race Week, but is also known as an “R&R” week for those escaping the pressures of working for the likes of Microsoft and Boeing- a form of an “adult sailing camp”.  A time to blow-off steam, a time to reflect, a time to socialize and enjoy friends and family in spectacular setting- fragrant pines, gentle breezes, snow-capped mountains in the distance, brats and burgers on the barbie with refreshingly cold locally made craft beers.  For those reasons and more, that is why “the Whidbey” attracts scores of sailors annually, for decades.

Running from July 11th to 15th, there is a veritable J/Navy participating in this fun-loving event.  There is a one-design class of J/105s and a fleet of PHRF handicap racers.  In the thirteen boat J/105 class, by far the largest in the regatta, many of the top dogs in the PNW are sailing, including Jerry Diercks’ DELIRIUM, Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO, Bob Blaylock’s USAWI, and John Weil & Kent Sisk’s TROUBLEMAKER.

In the world of PHRF handicap sailing, there are “symmetrical” and “asymmetrical” divisions.  Interesting.  In short, the older J/classics sailing in the 28-boat PHRF Sym are Jim McAlpine’s J/24 LUCKY JIM, two J/29s (Pat Denny’s HERE & NOW and Nelson & Johnson’s SLICK), two J/30s (Rex DuPuis’ GADZOOKS and Adrien Felon’s CONRAD J), and Tim DuMontier’s J/100 BRILLIANT.

Many of the usual local suspects are sailing in PHRF Asym class, a cast of characters to be sure.  Such crews include Chris Johnson’s J/120 WITH GRACE, Tom Kelly’s J/122 ANAM CARA, Ed Pinkham’s J/109 JEOPARDY, and one of the rare J/90s- David & Vernice Cohen’s EYE & EYE.  Here is a nice Whidbey Island Race Week promo sailing video, featuring the J/105 class and others.  For more Whidbey Island Race Week sailing information

J/109 sailboatJ/109 North Americans Preview
(Newport, RI)- From July 12th to 16th, the New York YC will be hosting the J/109 North American Championship for a fleet of nineteen teams.  As one of the highest turnouts in recent years, the J/109 fleet is enjoying resurgence in class activity, a tribute to the boat’s versatility as a family cruiser-racer.  How can you argue with a massive stand-up shower and head and a full-blown navigation station to house all those toys of the trade- Microsoft Xbox and huge 24” LED HD screens for playing Minecraft, Game of Thrones and the regular nav-stuff.  Plus, there is a “play-pen” in the bow.  While most of the electronics is focused on “family activities”, it really is time to get down to serious business to determine who has the fastest 35 ft sailing playpen on the planet.

There are many familiar actors in this Shakespearean drama.  Most of the class leaders from the past decade are still having fun; many are North American, East Coast, and Long Island Champions.  The cast of characters include such teams as Carl Olsson’s MORNING GLORY, Don Filippelli’s CAMINOS, Ted Herlihy’s GUT FEELING, Dave Rosow’s LOKI, Adrian Begley’s MAD DOGS & ENGLISHMEN, Bob Schwartz’s NORDLYS, Bill Sweetser’s RUSH, Jim Vos’ SKOOT, Jack Forehand’s STRATEGERY, Doug Evans’ TIMEOUT, Brooke Mastrorio’s URSA, and Bill Kneller’s VENTO SOLARE.  Virtually all of these teams have won some big event over the course of time, so handicapping them for a leaderboard is pretty much out of the question- should be fun racing!  For more J/109 North American Championship sailing information

J/88 sailing upwindNew York YC Race Week Preview
(Newport, RI)- The second-half of the New York Yacht Club Race Week is focused on one-design classes and IRC/ ORC offshore handicap classes.  The primary one-design events are the J/105s participating in the second part of their New England Series as well as the J/88s doing the same after their Long Island Sound series (AYC Spring Series and Cedar Pt One-design Regatta).

While the NYYC Race Week features sailing for “Classics” in the first part along with a fleet of Gunboat catamarans, the second part is intensely focused on a combination of “round-the-buoys” and “random-leg” racing.  In the IRC 3 Class, we find an amazing mixture of J/crews on designs that range from 1983 to 2010- J/35s to J/44s to J/111s!  It will be an interesting, eclectic regatta based on weather conditions.  Starting from the most recent lines off the J/design team, we find Sedgwick Ward’s J/111 BRAVO up against two J/44s (Jim Bishop’s GOLD DIGGER & Bill Ketcham’s MAXINE) and the NYYC Annual Regatta Round Jamestown Island Overall Winner- Tom Sutton’s J/35 LEADING EDGE from Houston, TX!  Also, in the ORC Club Spinnaker handicap world is Tom Wacker’s J/105 TRADING PLACES.

From a one-design perspective, the J/105s are fielding a strong fleet, with past J/105 North American Champion and Rolex Big Boat Series Champion Bruce Stone & Nicole Breault’s GOOD TRADE potentially leading the fleet. However, they will be heavily contested at every start and every corner of the race course by Mark Lindquist’s STERLING, Fred Darlington’s TONTO, Mark Masur’s TWO FEATHERS from Fort Worth Boat Club, and Jonah Israelit’s PIECES OF EIGHT.

Similarly, the J/88s will see spirited competition from an incredibly talented suite of sailors.  In no particular order, since they are all potential teams that could occupy the podium, are Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION, Jeff Johnstone’s ELECTRA, Doug McKeige’s JAZZ, Mike Bruno’s WINGS, and Doug Newhouse’s YONDER! Sailing photo credits- Sharon Green/ UltimateSailing.com.  For more New York YC Race Week sailing information.

J/120 racingJ/120 Nationals Update
(Detroit, MI)- As many J/Sailors know, the J/120 fleet in the greater Detroit region in the Great Lakes is one of a kind.  They regularly get twelve boats on the line every Wednesday and Saturday for level racing in the Detroit River Yachting Association events.

It is a talented and competitive group of skippers and crew. What the Detroit J/120 sailors are doing with their boats may be one of the best one-design keelboat sailing groups in the country. For example, their last “beer can” evening race had eleven boats competing with the top 3 finishing within 30 seconds of one another after a 7.0nm random leg buoy course.  Friends at Bayview YC and Grosse Pointe YC would be more than happy to introduce you to their incredibly laid-back form of sailing with family and friends.  Learn more here & join the J/120 cruiser/ racers here.

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

For sailors in Europe, last week was a busy one with events taking place across the Continent as well as in the United Kingdom.  For starters, there was an incredibly competitive J/80 Worlds at Sotogrande, Spain, sailing in the waters off Barcelona.  Even more J/80s were sailing the Pornic Cup in Pornic, France- part of the Coupe de France Series.  Up north, the J/24s and J/80s also completed their participation in the famous Kieler Woche regatta held off Kiel, Germany.  Then, still further north was more J/80 fleet sailing activity; this one took the form of the Women’s International Match Race Series sailed off Helsinki, Finland in a fleet of matched J/80s using symmetrical chutes on spinnaker poles. Finally, across the English Channel, the JP Morgan Round Island Race took place off the famous Royal Yacht Squadron starting line off Cowes- sending the fleet on a 60nm race that would go into the records books- roaring tides and epic winds in the 20-30 kts plus range made for some fast rides, a few sinkings, a few broken rigs and lots of shredded dacron, nylon and carbon fiber sails!

Over in the Americas, we get an update on the start of the Vic-Maui Race— a J/109 entered in the doublehanded division is doing quite well in the early stages of the race.  And, on Lake Michigan, the South Shore YC and St Joseph YC hosted their mad-dash across the lake called the Queens Cup Race, a distance of 78.4nm with some great results for various J/teams.

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below has many entertaining stories and news about J/Sailors as well as cruising blogs about those who continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north.  Check them out!  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:

Jul 8- RORC Cowes-Dinard-St Malo Race- Cowes, England
Jul 8-10- Vineyard Cup Regatta- Edgartown, MA
Jul 9-10- Sail Newport Regatta- Newport, RI
Jul 11- Pacific Cup Race- San Francisco, CA
Jul 11-15- Whidbey Island Race Week- Whidbey Island, WA
Jul 12-16- J/109 North American Championship- Newport, RI
Jul 12-16- New York YC Race Week- Newport, RI
Jul 16-18- J/111 European Championship- Hamble, England
July 22-24- J/70 Great Lakes Championship– Youngstown, NY
Jul 22-24- J/70 Pacific Coast Championship- San Francisco, CA
Jul 27-31- Travemunde Race Week- Travemunde, Germany
Jul 28-31- Marblehead NOOD Regatta- Marblehead, MA
Aug 1-4- J/111 World Championship- Cowes, England
Aug 4-7- J/80 North American Championship- Toronto, ONT, Canada
Aug 5-7- J/27 North American Championship- Oakville, ONT, Canada
Aug 6-13- AAM Cowes Week Regatta- Cowes, IOW, England
Aug 134-14- J/FEST New England- Bristol, RI
Aug 13-19- J/24 European Championship- Plymouth, England
Aug 14-20- Women's J/70 World Keelboat Championship- Rye, NY
Aug 19-25- J/22 World Championship- Kingston, ONT, Canada

J/70 Events:
Jul 22-24- J/70 Great Lakes Championship– Youngstown, NY
Jul 22-24- J/70 Pacific Coast Championship- San Francisco, CA
Sep 15-18- J/70 Rolex Big Boat Series/ Pre-Worlds- San Francisco, CA
Sep 24-Oct 1- J/70 World Championship- San Francisco, CA

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

J80 world championship off Sotogrande, SpainTabares Three-Peats J/80 Worlds
French COURRIER JUNIOR Team takes Silver
(Sotogrande, Spain)- The Spanish skipper, Rayco Tabares and the HOTEL PRINCESS YAIZA TEAM won the J/80 Marina Sotogrande World Championship and became the only crew to win the triple crown of the J/80 class! The top French team that had been leading the regatta from the first day, Erik Brezellec’s COURRIER JUNIOR, finished second.  Then, another past two-time J/80 World Champion, Ignacio Camino’s Barcelona-based crew on BNFit took the third podium position.

For the finale, the Race Committee had to wait a couple of hours in order to have wind conditions stable enough to start a race that would decide the World Championship. There was a lot of tension and premature starts that did not affect the French crew on COURRIER JUNIOR, or the Spanish (Canary Island’s crew) on PRINCESS YAIZA, who both sailed flawlessly.

J/80 World ChampionshipRight after the start of the last race, PRINCESS YAIZA was leading the front group off the starting line, sailing their own race. Meanwhile, the regatta leader, COURRIER JUNIOR, was fighting hard after a bad start to stay in front of the second big pack of boats off the starting line. In the end, it was Tabares’ team managed to secure a 3rd place in the final race and were watching with tremendous anxiety how the finishes would end up behind them.  In a large clump of boats coming into the finish line was Brezellec’s COURRIER JUNIOR.  However, it was not to be a triumphant finish for the embattled French crew.  With seemingly the World Championship waiting on a silver platter for them to take home to France, their chances slipped away in the waning few meters in the final race, taking 10th and losing victory by just two points!  Clearly, Brezellec’s crew was disappointed.  Conversely, it was pandemonium for Tabares’ crew.

Commented Tabares after arriving to shore, “Since yesterday, looking at the scores, we knew it was very difficult to win; the French crew on COURRIER JUNIOR were very fast and to get six boats between us was going to be complicated. The only way to win was to sail our own race. We were very nervous in the last downwind leg, because if they finished seventh, they would beat us, but it was a superb finish. We are very, very happy to have achieved our third world title!”

Tabares writes a new page in the history of the International J/80 class as the first skipper to win three world titles in this hotly contested class. “To take the “triple crown” is an honor; this class is very difficult and the fleet is very competitive. For now, we are the only team to achieve a triple crown, but for sure we won’t be the only ones, but I also hope to increase it!” said Tabares.

Behind Tabares and Brezellec were Ignacio Camino in third, Eivind Melleby’s Norwegian team HIGH SEAS in fourth and Marc De Antonio’s BRIBON—MOVISTAR (the 2015 J/80 World Champion) in fifth.  For more J/80 World Championship sailing information

J/109 sailing Round Island RaceJ/Crews Sweep Epic Round Island Race
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- Nervous anticipation was building a couple of days before the race, with a forecast of 20 to 30 kts of breeze from the west, the fleet of 1,000+ sailboats that range from twin-keel 21 foot “mudders” to state-of-the-art 100 footers and insanely fast MOD 70 trimarans all knew they were going to have their hands full round the back (southern side) of the infamous Isle of Wight.  The race track is simple- start at dawn (or thereabouts), head west out past the famous Needles Lighthouse, turn left around St Catherine’s Point, sail eastward to Bembridge Ledge, left around the Forts and back west up the Solent to the finish- a quick’n’easy 60nm race for most of the J/Tribe.

J/111 sailing Round Island RaceThe morning came and the forecast was true, holding steady at 27kts, still windy but it all seemed manageable for most crews. Getting out toward the Bramble Banks in the western approaches to the Solent, things were starting to hot up a bit, wind against tide made for square-walled 5 to 8 foot waves with boats pounding themselves to pieces in the tough conditions.  After passing the dangerous Needles Lighthouse, the fleet took off on a fast reach, most under jibs and reefed mains.  However, the big tactical consideration was when to pop the kite approaching the first turning point downwind at St Catherine’s Point.  Some did, most did not.  Those who did pop kites, took off like a rifle-shot in 25-30 kts breezes, hauling the mail down the backside of the Isle of Wight, with many crews experiencing some of the most amazing planing rides in their lifetimes on a brilliant, sunny day!  After rounding the Forts/ Bembridge Ledge at the eastern end of the Solent, it was a beat against the tide up the beaches off the Ryde Sands in flat water to the finish line off the Royal Yacht Squadron.

Round Island fleetFor many J/Teams, it was one of the most memorable Round Island Races ever.  Big breeze, big waves, uphill, downhill, and long, planing sleigh-rides made for simply spectacular conditions.  In such scenarios, the J’s excelled, sweeping several divisions in the process.  For starters, the IRC Division 1A saw a complete domination by J’s, with J/111s sweeping the podium, only to be joined by two J/133s to complete the top five!  Winning was JELVIS (Martin Dent), followed by JITTERBUG (Cornell Riklin), JOURNEYMAKER II (Chris Jones & Louise Makin), the J/133 ASSARAIN IV (Angus Bates) and the J/133 BLACKJACK (Eric Gicquel from France).  JELVIS completed the course in 6:12:26, surely to be a record to stand for a long time for a 36 ft cruiser-racer!

Similarly, the J/11S SYNERJ (Ian Wilson) won her class in IRC Division 1B by over 5 minutes. Her sistership, the J/11S SLEEPER (Jonty Layfield) placed sixth in IRC Division 1C.

J/133 Pintia sailing the JP Morgan Round Island RaceWith such conditions lending themselves to planing hull designs, it was amazing to see the J/35 KNIGHT BUILD LTD take 2nd in IRC Division 2A ahead of a raft of J/109s hot on their heels.  The J/109s took fourth (DIAMOND JEM- Robert Stiles) and fifth (BOO- Neil Mcgrigor).

Perhaps the most remarkable performance by any class/ brand of boats were the J/105s and J/109s in IRC Division 2B.  Of the top 31 boats, 24 were J/crews.  Plus, it was nearly a clean sweep of the top ten- J’s were the top six teams and nine of the top ten!  Winning in such heavy weather conditions were the J/105s, taking the first four positions- JELLY BABY (Bill Newton), JIN TONIC (Roberts/Edgerley), NEILSON REDEYE (Neilson Holidays/ Peter Tyler), JESTER (David Cowell).  Fifth was the J/109 BOTEZ COAT IV (Yves Dervieux).

J/88 sailing JP Morgan Round Island RacePerhaps the stunner of the entire race was the performance of the J/95 in IRC Division 2D.  The J/95 is a shoal-draft, twin-rudder, wheel-driven boat, focused on basic day-sailing in coastal waters.  So!?  One might ask.  Well, JUST IS (Graham Chase) smoked all kinds of daysailers and coastal cruisers to take tenth in her class.  Ahead of her was the J/92 JABBERWOCK (Ralph Mason) in 3rd, the J/97s ALAMARA B III (Ole Bettum) in 5th, BLACKJACK II (Andy Howe) in 6th and MAB AVEL (Herve Devand/ St Malo, France) in 8th.  Behind them were the J/97 JET in 11th and the J/92S WIZARD in 12th.

A somewhat similar scenario played out in IRC Division 3A.  Three J/92s occupied the top of the class, with J’RONIMO (Libby Greenhalgh) in 3rd, WILDEBEEST V (Craig Latimer) in 4th and JACKDAW (Rob Salter) in 6th.

In the world of one-designs, the J/80s had a scream.  Winning their dozen boat division was Chris Body’s MOCKINGJAY, with Chris & Hannah Neve’s NO REGRETS 2nd, Amber Brown’s SEAFIRE 3rd, Andrew Hurst’s FIDUCIAL 4th and Robert “Wally” Walters’ WILD WALLY 5th.

For the overall “J/Boats Trophy”, the top three boats were Martin Dent’s J/111 JELVIS, Bill Newton’s J/105 JELLY BABY and Roberts/Edgerley’s J/105 JIN TONIC.   Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth   For more JP Morgan Round the Island Race

J/80 sailingSambron Victorious @ J/80 Pornic Cup
(Pornic, France)- Twenty boats were treated to beautiful, easy-to-sail weather conditions all weekend long off Pornic, France.  When the weather is nice in Normandy, it’s quite simply gorgeous and on the first day of racing the 10-12 kts of breeze provided extremely close racing.  After four windward-leeward races, the top four boats were only separated by two points- with JOLINE, EJP, J-FEED and NUMERO-J trading off occupying most of the podium spots in each race.

The same four teams continued to do battle on Sunday, but only two races were run in the force-5 winds.  At the conclusion of racing on Sunday afternoon, the leaderboard flip-flopped completely, with some leaders taking a nose-dive and others climbing to the top.  Winning was Laurent Sambron’s EJP TEN, with Remi Rabbe’s CNP AKAJOULE in 2nd, Alex Cottron’s APCC YOUNG GEOLEAN Team in 3rd, Ludovic Vest’s NUMBER-J in 4th and Francois-Xavier Drogou’s FEED-J in 5th.  For more J/80 Pornic Cup sailing information

J/88 sailing under spinnakerQueens Cup Race J/Crew Domination
(Milwaukee, WI)- The South Shore YC on the southern part of the Milwaukee Harbor breakwaters hosts their ever-popular Queens Cup Race, a mad-dash straight across Lake Michigan to St Joseph, MI of exactly 78.4nm at a heading of approximately 131 degrees.  It could not be a simpler race course- from the starting line, sail straight and finish just offshore of the Michigan shoreline.  However, therein lies the sheer maddening insanity of the race itself; the race is never what it appears and the weather forecasts for it always seem to be wrong, not by a little, but by a LOT!  A classic enigma for most race navigators, but that is what keeps crews coming back for more each year.  This year’s race was a test of skill, patience, and endurance- imagine that a TP52 takes over 15 hours to sail 78.4nm?? That’s an average speed of 5.2 kts- OMG how painful.

Nevertheless, no matter how good or bad the sailing is across the lake, the event is famously notable for the enormous parties at the start and end of the race.  For starters, South Shore YC throws down the red carpet treatment, so to speak, for sailors on Thursday with their famous Pig & Chicken Roast.  That’s accompanied by music & dancing featuring “Generation Z”, whatever that means!?  Then, on the far end after the race, the St. Joseph River YC (now located in the Historic Light House Depot) hosts an even better party at the conclusions of the race (at least, that is their claim!).

This year’s Queens Cup Race had a great turnout for J/105 one-design class and J’s sailing in the PHRF handicap classes.

In PHRF 8 Division, Ben Wilson’s J/88 RAMBLER crushed their class, proving yet again that a J/88 on the Great Lakes is a weapon of mass destruction, especially on any reaching point of sail.  Taking third was Ron Otto’s J/110 TAKEDOWN 2.

In PHRF 6 Division, Larry Schell’s J/35 TOUCH OF GREY walked off with the bronze in their class.

The J/111s, yet again, had a field day in PHRF 4 Division, with Richard Hobbs’ HOBGOBLIN taking 1st, followed by Tom Roop’s KASHMIR in 4th and Mark Caliban’s NO QUARTER in 7th.  In 8th place was Fran Giampoli’s J/120 JAHAZI.

In PHRF 3 Division, Bob McManus’ J/130 EDGE placed 4th in class and Jim Richter’s J/44 CHEEP’N’DEEP II took 7th place.

The big boats in PHRF 2 Division saw the mighty J/145 MAIN STREET sailed by Bill Schanen and their family crew win class! The Schanen family are well-known in the Midwest for being the publishers of the popular large format magazine- SAILING! They were followed by one of their colleagues, Bob Klairmont’s J/133 SIROCCO 3 in second place.

In the eight boat J/105 class, Mark Gurney’s BUZZ won class by over ten minutes elapsed, followed by Stuart Boekeloo’s ATTITUDE in second, Mark Stoll’s PEREGRINE in third, Jon Weglarz’s THE ASYLUM in 4th and Mike Ludtke’s SMOKIN’J in 5th.  For more Queens Cup Race sailing information

J/24s sailing off AustraliaKiel Week Fun For J/24s & J/80s
(Kiel, Germany)- The world’s largest sailing regatta, Kieler Woche hosted by Kiel Yacht Club, not only played host to the nearly 100 J/70’s sailing their European Championship, but it also hosted the Open German National Championships for both the J/24s and J/80s later in the week.

The twenty-five J/24s from Sweden, Germany, Monaco and the United Kingdom enjoyed great racing over four days of racing, despite the somewhat stormy conditions that befell them at the beginning of the regatta.  In the end, it was Tobias Feuerherdt’s TEAM ROTOMAN crew (Jan-Marc ULRICH, Lukas FEUERHERDT, Justus Fritz Kellner & Tobias PETERS,) that won the regatta after eleven races were sailed, with just nine counting (two races could be discarded).  As a result, Feuerherdt counted all top three finishes- 1-2-1-3-2-3-1-1-1 for a total of 15 pts net!  Taking second was the American skipper Travis Odenbach sailing with a British crew on HITCHHIKER (Andrew TAYLOR, Iain STRINGER, Paul WILLIAMS, & Izzy SAVAGE), posting all top seven scores to take the silver with 26 pts net.  Third was Stefan Karsunke’s German crew on SULLBERG (Tim HABEKOST, Carsten KERSCHIES, Christian CARSTENS, & Malte GIBBE) with all top ten finishes for 35 pts net.  The top Swedish team was Per-Hakan Persson’s crew sailing FRONT RUNNER in sixth place with 47 pts.

After just nine races with one discard, the nineteen J/80s from Germany and Denmark were treated to a virtual eclipse provided by fellow countryman Martin Menzner; his Kieler YC crew on PIKE (Mika ROLFS, Frank LICHTE, & Nils BELTERMANN) posted all 1sts and 2nds to with just 10 pts net!  Behind Menzner’s team is was a much closer battle for the silver.  After nine races, it was a close battle between Soren Hadeler’s THE BEAST IS BACK crew (Guido UNGER, Ole WINTERBERG, & Nils WINTERBERG) and Hauke Kruss’s TAK FOR TUREN team (Ole SARTORI, Marco STANISCHEWSKI, & Jens TSCHENTSCHER), with Hadeler counting all top four finishes to take the silver with 20 pts net over Kruss’s team with 29 pts net. For more Kiel Week sailing information

J/109 sailing Vic-Maui RaceVic-Maui Race Update
(Victoria, BC, Canada)- The biennial Vic-Maui Race ha started and the fleet of forty boats are heading out on a 2,308nm journey across the Pacific to the beautiful island of Maui.  Hosted by the Royal Vancouver YC and Lahaina YC, the fleet started off Victoria Harbor in British Columbia.  The fleet is now sailing northwest out the Straits of Juan de Fuca.

The time allowances for the fleet are calculated from the ORC velocity prediction program, the Vic-Maui Weather Matrix, and a course length of 2,308 nautical miles.  This will result in a single time allowance for each boat for use in the 2016 Vic-Maui Race.

Picking up immediately where he left off after winning ORC Division I in the Swiftsure Lightship Class is Reed Bernhard’s J/109 MOUNTAIN from Sloop Tavern YC in Seattle, WA.  Reed is racing the Double-handed Class and as of Saturday at 1800 hrs EST, they are leading both their Class overall as well as the entire ORC fleet overall! In fact, they are currently first boat-for-boat!  You can check in and following them on YellowBrick Tracker “live” for the next 10-14 days!  For more Vic-Maui Race sailing information

J/80 match raceSweden’s Östling Conquers J/80 Women Match Race Helsinki
(Helsinki, Finland)– The first event of the 2016 Women’s International Match Racing Series (WIM Series) was hosted by Nyländska Jaktklubben (NJK) – the yacht club that brought the exciting sailing discipline of match racing to Finland 25 years ago. The women sailed matched J/80s using symmetric spinnakers and poles.  The teams came from Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, France, Netherlands and Ireland.

Former World Champion (2014) Anna Östling of Sweden ruled the Finnish waters when the Helsinki Women’s Match rounded up Friday. Winning this opening event of the 2016 WIM Series, also takes her to the top of the Series’ leader board: “It was so nice. We felt absolutely unstoppable today,” the Swedish skipper says with a broad smile, praising her crew Malin Källström, Marie Berg and Annika Carlunger.

The final day of the Helsinki Women’s Match, the opening event of the 2016 Women’s International Match Racing Series, started off in the morning with some sunshine in-between the clouds, but flat water and very little breeze off Hernesaari (Ärtholmen).

As winner of the round-robin, Dutch match-racing ace Renée Groeneveld picked Pauline Courtois (FRA) as her semifinal opponent, a choice Groeneveld may have regret later. In a very exciting semifinal series, which went all the way to five thrilling matches, the French skipper finally secured her first spot ever in a WIM Series event final: “Obviously we found a speed advantage against Renée, who was a little bit slower,” Courtois analyses.

“Boat speed was the key today, and unfortunately we didn’t have much of it,” sighs Groeneveld, not happy at all with her semifinal result.

Scandinavian sparring partners World #1 Camilla Ulrikkeholm Klinkby (DEN) and Anna Östling fought each other in the second semi final, won by the latter 3 – 1: “We had a slightly poor starting sequence against Camilla in the third match, but except for that we sailed just fine,” the Swede says.

“Some small mistakes in tactics and boat handling ruined our day. In this competition you can never afford even the smallest mistakes,” Ulrikkeholm Klinkby reflects.

Due to lack of wind and time, the Race Committee had to shorten the final and the petit final to “first scoring 2 points” instead of the “first scoring 3 points” that was initially scheduled. Immediately after that call, a little more pressure filled in over the racecourse, allowing fair racing, but still in rather light conditions under a bright sun from a clear blue sky.

In the final Östling took command already in the pre-start duels, controlling her French opponent as they both struggled to get the advantageous starting position. In the second race, the Swede even forced Courtois to a premature start. When Courtois had turned around the leeward buoy and back over the starting line, very slowly in the light wind, Östling was already a couple of boat lengths up the first beat, and with good speed ahead.

The Swedes won second final match triumph with apparent ease, the victory in the Helsinki Women’s Match also puts them in the top spot of the 2016 WIM Series leader board:  “Such a great feeling! Everything fell into place and we had perfect flow in the boat. We’ve done everything better each day, exactly according to plan. To be the best crew on the last day is what counts,” Anna Östling said grinning from ear to ear.

“We really didn’t expect anything, but I’m very disappointed on our pre-starts in the final matches. My feeling is that we never gave it a chance. But on the other hand, we never gave up either,” Pauline Courtois explains.

Renée Groeneveld from the Netherlands defeated Camilla Ulrikkeholm Klinkby from Denmark 2 – 0 to finish on the podium.  For more Women’s International Match Race Series sailing information
 

J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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*  J/160 PIPE DREAM- Bermuda CCA Cruising, then Bahamas Bound!  Here is the latest report from the fun-loving crew aboard Dr. Scott Piper’s beautiful J/160 PIPE DREAM:

“Sally Browne flew in as scheduled, joining us at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. There are 3 teams here training for the "America's Cup" which will be held here next year.  The Japanese "Soft Bank" has one Japanese on board, but we believe is training another; she is skippered by Dean Barker. "Team Oracle" is skippered by Jimmy Spithill, an Australian. Sweden's "Artemis" has two boats here. Soft Bank's chase boat is skippered by Jason's friend from New Zealand, so Jason put our dinghy in the water to watch and schmooze after the practice races. And, as there are no restrictions, later Pipe Dream also got the opportunity to be among the fleet. You will love Mary's video and photos which are attached. What an exciting opportunity to be so close!

The CCA Cruise literally circled Bermuda taking a total of 5 days. There were 11 boats, and approximately 44 people mostly from the Boston and New York yacht clubs, a great group.

Mary loved "the Bermuda shorts outfits" they wear here for dressed up occasions.  Our Bermuda Yacht Club Cruise Chairman, Rear Commodore Stephen Kempe, injured his leg on the 1st day, requiring surgery, so his son Somer Kempe took over, and did a bang-up job, keeping us all literally "in-line". His demeanor, responsibility and organization was amazing. He made his mom and dad proud and kept the 11 boat fleet safe. His experience and local knowledge was an absolute must as the entire south shore is a mine field of coral heads. Some marked with posts but the majority are not. There are no marked channels. We ate ashore every night at interesting and popular taverns.

We cruised to The Dockyards for our reception dinner that was held at "The Commissioner's House" on the veranda of the Bermuda Maritime Museum.

The next day was a tour of the "Casemates Prison".  Monday we sailed to Mangrove Bay and anchored out.  We were transported ashore for cocktails at the home of the Bermuda Station Secretary, Andy and wife Sarah Burnett-Herkes with a rum tasting presentation and history of Gosling’s Rum!  Did you know, Gosling has made special rum for The America's Cup?

Following this, we took a short walk to the Village of Somerset for a pub dinner at the "Country Squire".  Tuesday we sailed to Castle Harbor via the west end and anchored out near NonSuch Island, home of the Cahow bird, where people took a nature tour.  That evening we were transported ashore for dinner at "Tom Moore's Tavern,” the oldest restaurant in Bermuda where a past commodore, Ralph Richardson, serenaded us with trumpet and island songs and sing along.

On Wednesday, we went for hors’de’oeuvres at a beautiful home on Smith Island at a new Bermuda CCA member, husband and wife, Mark Soares and Dr. Annie Pinto for a "Swizzle Party".

We returned to St. George in time for dinner at the "Tempest Bistro". We toured St. George's and visited St. Peter's, the oldest Episcopal Church in the Western Hemisphere.

We ended the cruise back at the Royal Bermuda YC with a farewell dinner. Acknowledgements of appreciation and accolades were heartfelt and well-deserved. The cruise was a big success.

Lloyd and Sally will fly out tomorrow and Georgie and Jason will take a couple of days off to explore Bermuda by motorbikes. Thus, Mary and I will have Pipe Dream to ourselves at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club before we head out for the Bahamas in a couple of days.

J/70 sailing upwind*  Tim Healey’s Tips For When You Need "Height"- There are times where you may find yourself struggling to either keep your upwind lane, or just can’t get that height to pinch off a boat to weather. So what do you do?

First off, speed creates point, so the faster you go, the more lift your keel or centerboard will create to give you better height, point, and VMG. That said, there are still times when you think you are doing it all correctly and still aren’t matching your competitors.

Here are a few “tips” that Tim Healy from North Sails has picked up sailing a variety of boats through the years that he found has helped him. Try one or more of the following tips on your boat next time you are looking for better pointing.

Check your backstay.
Is it pulled on in light air? If so make sure it is loose. Also, check to see if you may have too much pre-bend in the mast. Prebend helps your mainsail match it’s designed shape in lighter air but a mast that is set with a lot of prebend will make for a sail that may end up too flat for your sailing style. Less prebend will make your mast straighter which will make the main deeper and can help create the power needed to point higher so try a slightly straighter mast to push some depth into your main and create a more powerful shape.

Did you pull your outhaul too tight?
Try easing it some to get some depth in the bottom of the main. A “slightly” looser outhaul will add depth to the lower part of the main and create more depth in the back of the sail down low which will add a little “kick” and help with some height. Just be careful not to ease it too much as the sail can get too deep quickly and add a lot of drag. Less than an inch can make a difference..

Where is your traveler set?
Try moving the traveler a little higher on the track and concentrate more on where the end of the boom is and not where the traveler car or block is on the track. Most sloop-rigged boats can sail upwind with the boom on centered, or even a few degrees higher, in light to moderate wind without creating too much drag. Setting the traveler so the end of the boom is as much as a “boom width” above centerline can help balance the boat and make it want to sail closer to the wind.

Are your jib leads too far back?
Sometimes we don’t think of the jib lead position as helping to point higher but it certainly can keep you from pointing higher so making certain that the leads are set far enough forward will make for a fuller jib and can help create the power needed, especially in choppy conditions, to increase forward drive and allow you to sail closer to the wind.
 

J/Cruisers
J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers.  Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.

* The J/40 HERON REACH sailed by Virginia and Jerry is participating in the Blue Planet Odyssey project and have recently joined them in the Marquesas Islands in the Eastern Pacific.  Learn more about their adventures and experiences here- http://heronreachodyssey.blogspot.com/
Giant whale breaching in front of J/160 SALACIA off  Australia's Whitsunday Islands* J/160 SALACIA has been sailing in Australia in the Whitsunday Islands.  Guess who decided to throw themselves across their bow as they cruised comfortably to their next destination?  A giant whale!  Look at this amazing photo!

J/42 cruiser- sailing across Atlantic Ocean* Jim & Heather Wilson just completed a circumnavigation of our "blue planet Earth" in June 2013 on their J/42 CEOL MOR.  Said Jim, "The odyssey of CEOL MOR is over, for now.  We completed our circumnavigation on our J/42 when we crossed our outbound track in Britannia Bay, Mustique. We were, however, still 2,000 nautical miles from home. So we continued on through the Windwards, the Leewards, and then through the British Virgin Islands. After a farewell 'Painkiller' at the Soggy Dollar, and a last meal at Foxy’s, we made the 1,275 nautical mile passage to the Chesapeake and completed our port-to-port circumnavigation when we arrived in Annapolis on June 28, 2013. We had been away 1,334 days, completed 259 days of ocean passages, and sailed 30,349 nautical miles (34,925 statute miles). Read more about their adventures in their  well-documented blog here:  http://www.svceolmor.com/SVCeolMor/Welcome.html

* J/160 AVATAR headed for the Caribbean, again, for 2015/ 2016!  We LOVE these updates from our cruising J sailors that continue to criss-cross the Seven Seas. This one comes from Alan Fougere, sailing his beloved J/160 AVATAR.   Alan sent us an email update regards their various improvements and refit to the boat (see above).  They will again be based at Proper Yachts in St John, US Virgin Islands.

Bill & Judy Stellin- sailing J/42 Jaywalker* Bill & Judy Stellin were interviewed about cruising on their J/42 in the Wall St Journal called "Retiring on the Open Sea".  The Wall St Journal asked Bill to reply to dozens of questions that flooded into the WSJ's Editor desks. Here's the update:

Retiring on the Sea: Answering Readers' Questions
Advice about selecting a boat, ocean crossings, itineraries and safety

Wall St Journal interview- Stellin's Offshore cruising/ sailing retirementThe article in our WSJ Online December retirement report about eight years spent sailing the Mediterranean— "Retiring to the Open Sea"— prompted many questions and comments from readers.  We asked William Stellin, who wrote the story, to answer some of the most common queries.

WSJ- "What kind and make of boat did you use? Looking back, would you have picked a different boat?"

Bill- "In 1995-96, J/Boats of Newport, RI, came out with a new cruiser/racer model, the J/42. We bought hull No. 6 of this popular 42-foot sailboat and named it JAYWALKER. This was our fourth boat since beginning sailing in 1975.

Although long-distance cruising wasn't what we had in mind when we purchased JAYWALKER, it soon became apparent it had the ability to carry us easily and safely anywhere we wanted to go. Because the boat is light, it sails well in light winds, which means very little motoring is necessary.

People often ask (and argue) about what boat is best for cruising. Any boat that is strong, safe, fast, comfortable and easily handled by two people should fit the bill. One thing for sure, fast is fun—and important when trying to avoid bad weather."

READ MORE ABOUT BILL'S INSIGHTFUL COMMENTARY AND THOUGHTS ON WSJ ONLINE HERE

* 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/

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

J/130 sailing ARC Rally arrives Portugal- leave a message on the sea wall!* 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).

-  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).  Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".

- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com.  Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA), then to the South Pacific and New Zealand.  MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.