J/Newsletter- December 2nd, 2020

This past week was a cause for celebration in some cases and a pause for reflection, sadly, on others.

On the positive side, the J/9 daysailer project is in full swing and interest is growing exponentially for the new line of daysailing boats by the J/Design team. The extraordinary enthusiasm for the J/9 has already resulted in production slots pushed out into the third quarter of 2021! 

Also, on a positive note, the Spanish J/80 Class managed to host their incredibly popular annual event called the Campeonato J/80 Mundialito in the famous sand spit encircled bay of Santander, Spain. The heavily talented fleet included three former J/80 World Champions! 

On the reflective aspect of our sailing and family lives is that fact that some of our good sailing friends pass along in their lives. Two very well-known members of the J/Community passed recently.  Eight Bells to David Irish from Harbor Springs, Michigan and Kevin Burnham from Miami, Florida....both avid J/Sailors, supporters, and enthusiasts over the past 40 years.
 

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J/9 Daysailer Created with Space-X Precision!

Awesome Symmetrix 5-axis CNC Makes Perfect Hull & Deck

(Newport, RI)- Exciting news! J/9 hull and deck plug construction has been completed by Symmetrix Composite Tooling in Bristol, Rhode Island. Symmetrix is the most advanced precision tooling company in New England and carved both the J/9 hull and deck plugs using the state-of-the-art CMS Poseidon 5-axis Machining System.


This machine has an overhead computer-controlled universal robotic cutter head that runs down calibrated tracks on top of the walls from one end to the other and can reach almost anywhere within the space. 


Symmetrix engineers analyzed the J/9 3D design models provided by J/Boats using the Siemens NX11 CAD/CAM software and ran a series of simulations to arrive at final machining instructions for the 5-axis milling machine.  The Siemens NX11 software is a quantum leap forward in delivering tooling not just quickly, but also accurately.


The same machine is used at leading edge, high-tech aerospace companies like Boeing, SpaceX, and McDonnell Douglas. The NX10 gives Symmetrix complete surface model control and simulation in full 5-axis machining instructions; it can achieve tolerance within 1 millimeter over a 26-meter surface and in a fraction of the time.

Then, the exciting part starts. First, the steel backbone frame with foam blocking is milled to within an inch or two of the final plug surfaces (all milled foam is recycled, BTW). Then, the plug and foam are encased by fiberglass/epoxy reinforcement. Finally, an epoxy milling paste is applied over the glass.  The part returns to the milling machine for a second and final precision machining operation to take it to the final surface.  Hand-sanding to 800 grit and buffing to a mirror shine then completes the effort.


Exciting times! J/9 hull plug on the move! 

From initial steel framing construction, to precision milling operations, to the final polishing, the process to build a complete mirror finish hull/ deck plug took just 7 weeks. Production molds are under construction at CCF Composites and thereafter the J/9 production begins after January 2021. Learn more about the exciting new J/9 daysailer here
 

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J/Gear HOLIDAY 20% OFF Specials!

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

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

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

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

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

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Sailing Calendar

Nov 28-30- Mundialito J/80 Regatta- Santander, Spain
Dec 1-6- J/70 South American Championship- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Dec 4-6- J/22 Jammin Jamaica Regatta- Montego Bay, Jamaica
Dec 4- Wirth M Munroe Memorial Race- Palm Beach, FL
Dec 5- Hot Rum Series III- San Diego, CA 
 

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MERCURY Crowned J/80 Mundialito Champion

(Santander, Spain)- Remarkably, the Spanish J/80 Class was able to host their annual J/80 Campeonato Mundialito on the gorgeous bay off Santander, Spain this past weekend. In the end, after four races sailed, it was Jaime Piris Turner's MERCURY that won the regatta counting just podium finishes.

On Saturday afternoon, two races were sailed in the bay, with a northeast wind of about ten knots. Starting fast out of the box, Piris- Turner's MERCURY team scored two bullets to throw down the gauntlet in front several notable J/80 World Champions. They were followed at day's end by Pablo Colvee's RAITAN in second with two 3rd places and by Daniel de la Pedraja's EDIFICIO CASTELAR in third with a 5-2 tally. 

Things looked good for the MERCURY team as Sunday dawned with less wind, though another beautiful day. The day started off with an hour postponement, and the RCN Santander PRO finally started the last two races in a northeast breeze of 6 to 8 kts. 

In the third race on Sunday, EDIFICIO CASTELAR prevailed, followed by MERCURY and Manuel Vidal de la Peña’s RACANO. By the end of the race, the wind nearly died off. However, within the next half hour rebuilt back to the 6 to 8 kts range. For the final race, J/80 World Champion Ignacio Camino Rodriguez's SOLITAL won, followed by another J/80 World Champion in second- Jose Maria "Pichu" Torcida's FREDO ESTRELLA DEL NORTE. Rounding out the final race podium was Jaime Yllera Secades' COMPESCA. 

As a result of Sunday's outcomes, it was the MERCURY team prevailing with a 1-1-2-11, winning with 4 pts net. Taking the silver on a tie-breaker of 8 pts net was Pedraja's EDIFICIO CASTELAR with a 5-2-1-9 tally. They won the countback over Pichu Torcida's FREDO ESTRELLA DEL NORTE with a 2-9-4-2 record. Rounding out the top five was Jaime Yllera Secades' COMPESCA in fourth and David Madrazo's ZONA FRANCA SANTANDER in fifth position.  For more J/80 Mundialito Santander Regatta sailing information
 

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J/Community

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

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


Beautiful 2006 J/133 available in The Netherlands. The ideal mid-40s length racer/cruiser…and a winner of The Sailing World Magazine Overall Boat of the Year, J/133 is a yacht with the stability for short-handed cruising, race winning speed under IRC & PHRF, durability for rough offshore passages. Add in the retractable carbon bowsprit and flying and handling the asymmetrical spinnaker becomes a breeze. Viewing is possible, by appointment.  Learn more about this J/133 here

* Eight Bells- Dave Irish

With both sadness and fond remembrance, we want to share that Dave Irish passed peacefully yesterday morning, at home, with his family.

As some of you know, Dave founded Irish Boat Shop in 1961 and over the past 60 years built the company into a successful, thriving business with three locations in Northern Michigan and a team of almost 100 employees.

Dave loved "messing around with boats"; he particularly enjoyed the company of people who owned and played with boats.

Dave was a competitor. His sailboat racing took him all over the world. He competed in numerous national and world championship events. He was valued and well-liked for his ability to think strategically, to lead, and to do anything, on any boat, in any weather. He loved Michigan's Mackinac Races and achieved Old Goat status in both Bayview and Chicago yacht clubs, signifying completion of over 25 Mackinac races on each lake. 

Although competitive, Dave was always willing to share his knowledge and bring others along. It was rare to see Dave racing without a “junior” on his team, often driving the boat. The list of young adults that grew up under Dave’s wing sailboat racing is long and includes many who have participated at the highest levels of sailboat racing. Of his long list of accomplishments, I think he would say bringing up young sailors was right at the top of that list.

Dave understood that sailboat racing depends on sailing schools and yacht clubs. A founding member of the Little Traverse Yacht Club, he helped purchase the first clubhouse in 1968. In 2019, he played a similar role helping the Charlevoix Yacht Club construct a new clubhouse on Lake Charlevoix. Both sailing communities benefited from his unflagging support for youth sailing, and Dave personally mentored many young sailors, several of whom became professional sailors. He served the sport's national governing body, US Sailing, for 25 years, then spent 16 years on the Offshore Racing Council which merged into the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), where he served for many years as a Vice President and Executive Committee member.

Service to community characterized his life ashore, too. Dave served Harbor Springs as a councilman and as mayor. An early environmental activist, Dave was a founding member of the Little Traverse Conservancy. 

Dave was an avid outdoorsman and competitive athlete. He was a snow ski instructor at Boyne Highlands, then Nub’s Nob in the 1960's, and prided himself on owning skis of every description. Throughout his life he enjoyed the ski league at Nub's Nob, Nordic ski racing, heli-skiing, and backcountry skiing. When not skiing or sailing, he was a cyclist, runner, and late-in-life triathlete.

Dave is survived by his wife Ann; sister Ann Wilderom; daughters Tracy (John) Texter, Susan (Gary) Stewart, Perry (Rich) Hodgson, and son Colin (Carrie Maxson) Irish; 11 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. 

Those who wish to honor Dave Irish's memory may do so by donating to the Little Traverse Conservancy, the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation, Little Traverse Sailors, or Sail Charlevoix (Lake Charlevoix Mariners).

* Eight Bells- Kevin Burnham

It is with great sadness that World Sailing reports the passing of Kevin Burnham, aged 63, on Friday 27 November 2020 after a long, courageous battle with pulmonary disease.

Burnham is a three-time Olympic sailor and a two-time Olympic medalist for Team USA. He won Athens 2004 Olympic Gold with Paul Foerster and a Silver medal with Morgan Reeser at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. Burnham and Foerster were named Rolex Yachtsman of the Year for their Gold medal performance and were nominated for Rolex World Sailor of the Year. Burnham also won a Gold medal at the 1986 Goodwill Games.

"The World Sailing community is deeply saddened to hear of Kevin Burnham's passing and on behalf of World Sailing, I extend our condolences to Kevin's family and friends," commented World Sailing President, Quanhai Li. "Kevin embodied the spirit of sailing with passion for competing and nurturing sailing talent worldwide. His energy and enthusiasm for the sport was unrivalled and he will forever be remembered for his kindness and outstanding achievements in the sport."

"On behalf of everyone at US Sailing, we are deeply saddened to learn about Kevin Burnham's passing and we send our condolences to the Burnham family during this difficult time," said Cory Sertl, President of US Sailing and Vice-President of World Sailing. "Kevin's accomplishments as a sailor are extraordinary and his Olympic spirit is iconic. We will remember the energy he had for coaching and teaching sailing. Kevin was an inspiration to so many and will be missed by all who had the pleasure to know him."

Burnham started sailing when he was eight and through to 18, he and his family went cruising every week and in the summer on a Columbia 22 and then a Morgan 30. Commenting in 2004, when he was nominated for Rolex World Sailor of the Year, Burnham said, "Initially, I was not interested in sailing. In fact, when I was 9, I used to sabotage the engine of the Columbia 22, so that we could not get out of the harbour and go sailing! I was more into surfing and tennis."

His focus and passion for sailing started to materialize in 1975 when he met Steve Benjamin at the Coral Reef Yacht Club in Miami, Florida. Burnham commented, "At this time, I did not even know that sailing was an Olympic sport. Steve indicated to me that my physique was ideal to be a crew in a 470 and asked if I was interested in going out for a sail with him. The next day we went sailing in 15 to 20 knots of breeze in the 470. This was my first day of sailing a dinghy - a lot more exciting than the Sunday sailing days on the Columbia!!"

From there on, Burnham was hooked and aside from his Olympic journey, he was versatile sailor who competed in various boats and different racing formats over his exciting career. In ocean racing events, he competed at the Sydney-Hobart Race, Rolex Transatlantic Challenge, Newport to Bermuda Race, and won the 1989 Worrell 1000 Mile Race on 18-foot catamarans. Burnham was an 11-time U.S. National Champion.

Later in his career, Burnham coached sailing athletes in the U.S. and around the world preparing them for the highest levels of international competition. He especially loved coaching youth and Paralympic athletes.

[Ed. Note- on a personal level, I also met Kevin at Coral Reef YC because he was sailing with mutual friend- Steve Benjamin- in the 470 Midwinters (I was sailing with then Tufts teammate Fran Charles- current M.I.T. University Sailing Director). Later, Kevin expanded his experiences to sailing in J/24s for well over a decade with many top teams. In recent years, Kevin was involved in the evolution of the popular J/70 class, having started coaching top teams in Key West, Florida in the first J/70 Midwinters. His passion and enthusiasm to help and watch people "grow" as sailors was perhaps Kevin's most endearing attribute- with such a big heart, he truly cared and wanted to see people succeed. Plus, it was always fun to enjoy a few "greenies" with "the Burn" (as he was known by close friends) and share a few sea stories along the way. Always an entertaining time. He will be missed.]

His overall positive presence, incredible optimism, and never give up attitude will always be remembered.

We all send our condolences to wife Elizabeth Kratzig, son Eddie Burnham, daughter Kyla Burnham, brother Greg Burnham, his father Bruce Burnham and his friends and extended family.
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J/Newsletter- November 25th, 2020

This past week marks the fourth Thursday in November and in America, that signifies the national holiday known as "Thanksgiving". The celebration marks the first good harvest by the infamous "Pilgrims", a group of people escaping religious persecution from the Church of England in 1621. The intrepid adventurers and "escapees” sailed an extremely cramped, slow sailing ship, across the treacherous North Atlantic Ocean and landed in what is now known as Plymouth, Massachusetts on the New England coastline. Survival was paramount and, remarkably, the Pilgrims managed to befriend the local Wampanoag native American Indian tribe. With their help, the Pilgrims lived through their first winter and the following fall, they celebrated the traditional Indian fall harvest with a long luncheon--- the first "Thanksgiving" in October 1621. Presiding over the event was also the first known Johnstone family ancestor, the first Governor of the Massachusetts colony- Gov. William Bradford. 

Given that we are all living and "surviving" the current covid-19 pandemic, it's particularly poignant to recognize that our forefathers in America also had to rely on friends, family, and other people to make it through particularly troublesome and difficult times. Giving "thanks" to others in this crazy, bizarre, pandemic year has never been more important...to appreciate and support one another an even more compelling scenario as we all explore another "new world" that no one ever imagined or contemplated in our recent past. 

To that end, sailors are particularly resilient. Being open-minded, thoughtful, innovative, humble, and compassionate, sailors work together as teams to persevere against the best and worst that Mother Nature throws at us. 

We continue to see such examples around the sailing world as this past week saw a few events that permitted more joyous (but safe & healthy) celebrations taking place on the water.  

Down in Mexico, the J/70 class held their 2020 National Championship in Valle de Bravo, that gorgeous mountain lake west of mile-high Mexico City; host was the Club de Vela La Peña Valle de Bravo. Then, out west in southern California, the San Diego YC hosted their second in the three-race Hot Rum Series offshore of the picturesque Point Loma, much to the delight of several silverware-winning J/Crews for the second race in a row!  Finally, a dozen-plus adventurous J/24 sailors got together to enjoy the annual King's Day Regatta in Jacksonville, Florida with sailing taking place on the river. 
 

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Offshore Doubles Celebrates Rapid Growth in its First Month: 1,600 Members from 66 Countries 

(London, England)- Offshore Doubles is pleased to announce at the end of its first month of operation we have 1,600 members from 66 countries with all six continents well-represented. 

Our Facebook page shows a video series featuring well-known sailors like Dee Caffari (GBR) and Kenny Read (USA), younger sailors like Erica Lush (USA) and Federico Waksman (URU) and the team of Jade Cole and Barney Walker (AUS). Each weekend with the help of World Sailing, we are featuring new stories of Offshore Doubles sailors from many countries and all continents. Next up is Croatia, then China, South Africa and more. Come to the Offshore Doubles Facebook page to see these amazing people and hear their stories.

The Olympic Event of Mixed Offshore Doubles is a pinnacle event of our discipline and it was proposed and ratified as the Olympic slate by World Sailing at the Annual Conference in Sarasota in 2018 and sent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2019. Over the next month the IOC is expected to make their final decisions on the slates proposed by all sports.


There have been some reported questions about security and cost of the Paris 2024 Olympic event. The security question has been solved by the French Navy’s assurance that they will provide security on the course. The operating costs of the event have been reviewed by the World Sailing and will be significantly lower than other sailing events because the Offshore Mixed Doubles Event is one race with a single start and finish. Other than the final short leg, all protests will be heard electronically using the 24/7 media and tracking during the event. Penalties will be assessed and taken before the last short leg to the finish and first boat across the finish line first wins.

In discussion with many of the teams, even from many smaller countries, the cost of the boat is not the big issue some claim. The boats in the event will be supplied without additional cost to competitors and the boats used for training can be any boat of appropriate size and configuration. These types of racer/cruiser boats represent 70% of sailing and hold their value well for resale. The World Sailing Equipment Committee is planning to produce a tender early in 2021 to solicit proposals for the Olympic event and there are 12 boats already proposed in a prior Request for Information.

Many countries have already started training for the event and Doubles are now a specific class in the most famous and long-established races like the Sydney Hobart, Fastnet, Round Gotlund, Bermuda and Transpac races. There are also many dedicated Doubles events and series now in Poland, Norway, Sweden, France, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, South Africa, Italy, USA and many other countries. The events list on the homepage shows 50 events currently and is increasing daily.

Larry Rosenfeld, President of Offshore Doubles, said, “Thanks to the many people that have helped us successfully launch including Matt Allen, Stan Honey and the rest of our very experienced Board of Advisors and organizations such as SYRF, ORC, RORC, CYCA, Storm Trysail Club, all the country rating offices and federations and many suppliers like North Sails, J/Boats, Quantum, World Sailing, The Magenta Project and many others for helping to spread the word. To our members and partners, we plan to introduce new features and ways of connecting in the coming months. Thank you for your donations, your guidance so far, and your continued input.”

About Offshore Doubles
Offshore Doubles is for everyone interested in double-handing offshore from couples and friends doing weekend races to Olympic athletes and serious programs globally. We all have much to learn and teach and it's our mission to bring this community together. There are more than 5,000 boats racing double-handed under rating rules and thousands in many strong one design fleets around the world, so we know the interest is there.

If you haven’t already done so, please come join us NOW at https://offshoredoubles.org! We need to continue to show the IOC that Doubles has broad global support. Don’t forget to invite your co-skipper and share with your friends!
 

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J/Gear HOLIDAY 20% OFF Specials!

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

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

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

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

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

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Sailing Calendar

Nov 28-30- Mundialito J/80 Regatta- Santander, Spain
Dec 1-6- J/70 South American Championship- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Dec 4-6- J/22 Jammin Jamaica Regatta- Montego Bay, Jamaica
Dec 4- Wirth M Munroe Memorial Race- Palm Beach, FL
Dec 5- Hot Rum Series III- San Diego, CA 
 

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Americans Sweep Mexican J/70 Nationals

(Valle de Bravo, Mexico)- As they often say, be careful of what you wish for when you invite World-class American sailors to your gorgeous lake high in the mountains west of Mexico City. Over a four-day regatta last weekend, the Mexican J/70 class held their 2020 National Championship in Valle de Bravo for a fleet of twenty-two teams. Host for the event was the Club de Vela La Peña Valle de Bravo.


After a nine-race series, the American team on PIED PIPER, led by skipper Gannon Troutman easily won the event. Starting out with three bullets on the first day of racing, they never looked back, and no one could seemingly challenge their supremacy on the race track. It certainly helped that Troutman had a world-class sail trimmer in the form of Venezuelan Victor Diaz de Leon on mainsheet and calling tactics.  The balance of their team included Tomas Dietrich and Roberto Escalante. The PIED PIPER's never had a finish out of the top four, such was their dominance over the regatta, finishing with just 16 pts.


Yet another American had a significant impact on silver medal winner- LA BALA. Also trimming mainsheet and calling tactics for skipper Yon Belausteguigoitia was none other than J/70 World Champion Bill Hardesty from San Diego, CA. The LA BALA team sailed consistently in the top ten to finish a distant second with 32 pts net. Their crew consisted of Yon and brother Ander, Hardesty, and Elaine Fierro. Notably, the LA BALA team was declared the "real" Mexican J/70 National Champion as the top Mexican team in the regatta.


Taking the bronze medal on the podium and also winning the Mexican Corinthian J/70 National Championship was Jorge Murrieta's FLOJITO Y COOPERANDO, sailing with crew of Jose Alfonso Gutierrez Frusch, Jeronimo Mariscal, and Pablo Rion. 

Behind the Corinthian J/70 Mexican Champions on FLOJITO was Hector Guzman Gonzalez's team on ESCIPION (Gerardo Lozano, Juan Pablo La Pena Guzman, and Mariana Guzman). Third went to Eduardo Oetling's AXOLOTL, with crew of Eduardo Oetling Jr, Ricardo Guzman, and Alfonso Aguilar. Thirteen of the twenty-two teams were Corinthians, over 50% of the fleet.  For more Mexican J/70 National Championship sailing information
 

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Hot J/Crews @ Hot Rum Series II

(San Diego, CA)- J/Boats continue to perform well in the competitive Hot Rum Series in San Diego, hosted by San Diego Yacht Club.  

Two J/145s are near the top of the overall results from the first two races. PALAEMON (Rudy Hasl) is 3rd and MORE MADNESS (Ernie Pennell) is 4th out of 124 boats registered. 

The competition within Class I is also very strong, with MORE MADNESS taking 1st place with 6 points and PALAEMON taking 2d with 8 points. The J/145s have been very competitive against famous offshore racing competitors such as Pyewacket, Stark Raving Mad, Blue Blazes, Staghound, Fast Exit, Volpe, Pendragon, and Compadres.

The J/120 CC RIDER (Chuck Nichols) has taken two bullets in Class 2 against some stiff competition. Also, very competitive is the J/125 NEREID (Standish Fleming) and a trio of J/105s- ZUNI BEAR (Vieregg/ Bermann), J-OK (Jim Dorsey), and SWEET KAREN (Jeff Brown).

The final race in the series will be on December 5. The conditions for the 2d race were very different from the windy in-bay first race. With many boats struggling to get off the starting line and dealing with light shifty winds for the beginning and at the end of the race. Fortunately, the offshore portion of the race saw steady winds in the 10-15 kt range and some fog.  For more San Diego YC Hot Rum Series information
 

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MAJIC Crowned J/24 Kings Day Regatta Champion

(Jacksonville, FL)- The Florida Yacht Club and J/24 Fleet 55 hosted twenty-one very enthusiastic J/24 competitors to a wonderful weekend of competitive sailing at the 2020 Kings Day Regatta November 21-22, 2020.  

The racing Saturday and Sunday had a total of six races sailed on the St. Johns River south of Jacksonville in the traditional fall breezes of Northeast Florida. It was a see-saw battle for the podium all weekend long as each time was trying to "dial-in" not just speed-mode in the flat water, but also getting into sequence in the shifty breezes.

Starting off with a 1-5-1 on the first day, Greg Griffin's MAJIC played their local knowledge to the max, ending the day with a strong lead. The other day's winner was Robby Brown's ANGEL OF HARLEM from Davis Island YC, gliding into second for the day. They were followed by Dan Borrer's JESUS LIZARD just one point behind.

The die was cast for the battle that would unfold on Sunday morning. The first race of the day saw all three teams struggling to even finish in a podium position as they covered and watched each other like hawks as they rounded the race track. However, it was Borrer's JESUS LIZARD that closed the regatta with an emphatic double-bullets to take the silver. Griffin's MAJIC hung in close and avoided disastrous races to take the win by a mere two points. Brown's ANGEL OF HARLEM crew was fast and consistent, but a Black Flag in the last race dispelled their chances for the overall win. Instead, the HARLEM crew had to settle for the bronze.

The winning team on MAJIC consisted of skipper Greg Griffin and crew of Will Newton, Skip Allcorn, Mike Reddaway, and Emma Newton. The silver medal crew on JESUS LIZARD was Dan Borrer driving, with team of Kelly Holleran, Steve Lopez, Barbara Gold, and Max Lopez. The bronze medal winners on ANGEL OF HARLEM were Robby Brown on the helm, with crew of Beau Delapouyade, Richard Shellow, Steve Lowery, and Kevin Ratigan. For Kings Day Regatta sailing results and information  For J/24 Fleet 55 information
  For more J/24 one-design class information
 

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J/Community

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

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


Race-ready J/121 in pristine condition available in New Orleans, LA.  
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J/Newsletter- November 18th, 2020

Last week saw widely disparate activity taking place across the globe. Down Under, a J/99 sailing doublehanded in Sydney, Australia had a very successful conclusion to a three-race offshore series, beating many larger fully-crewed boats in the process.

Then, over in the Caribbean, a few glimmers of hope are shining brightly on the island of St Maarten. The local St. Maarten YC held their first races of their 2020- 2021 Grant Thornton Winter Series on Simpson Bay. A fast, well-sailed J/70 had a good start to their season.

Finally, the SORC's first race of the season of the "Islands in the Stream Series" took place last weekend- the famous Miami to Nassau Cup Race. Participating were a J/109 and J/121 in the 178.0nm race criss-crossing the notorious, fast-flowing Gulf Stream.  
 

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NEW J/9 Day Sailer Announcement!
J/Boats' Most Comfortable Cockpit Ever??
(Newport, RI)- Responding to a growing need amongst sailors for a more comfortable, simpler and easy-to-own daysailer, J/Boats is excited to announce a sleek new 28-footer (the “J/9”) with perhaps the most comfortable cockpit and easiest-to-manage sailplan in this size range. 

“With the J/9, we set out to reimagine how to make sailing easier, more relaxing and more inclusive,” said Jeff Johnstone of J/Boats. “This is a boat you can sail by yourself in just a few minutes, or bring along the whole gang with plenty of room to spare. Escaping to the water and enjoying shared family adventure has never been more important, and the J/9 is the perfect platform.”


The J/9 cockpit has four great corner seats to nestle into and enjoy the day. With friends and family aboard, everyone can find the perfect place to relax.  And access aboard has never been easier.  A swim platform behind the cockpit allows walk-through boarding, and on those downwind sails home, you can cool off by dragging your feet in the water.


Sailing the J/9 is as easy as hoisting the mainsail and trimming the sheet.  Why make it any more complicated?  Look around on the water and you’ll notice 80% of the sailboats are sailing with only one sail. The answer is keep it simple!  One tiller, one sheet. The big difference with the J/9 is you will be sailing with one sail more comfortably and quicker than most others with two sails or under motor.  Ready for the afterburners? Simply unroll the jib and enjoy effortless, stable & smooth sailing from the comforts of the best J/Boats cockpit ever.  

The daysailing community has not benefitted from a dedicated design from J/Boats since the award-winning J/100 (33’), which remains one of the most sought-after J’s created. The NEW J/9 offers the cockpit comfort and sailing features of a larger boat, at a price most will find competitive to the best brokerage offerings. For more J/9 daysailer information.  Call your local J/Boat dealer for further information. 
 

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J/24 Kings Day Regatta Preview
(Jacksonville, FL)- The Florida Yacht Club and J/24 Fleet 55 have invited all J/24 competitors to a wonderful weekend of competitive sailing with great friends at the 2020 Kings Day Regatta November 21-22, 2020.  

Racing Saturday and Sunday will include top-notch racing on the St. Johns River south of Jacksonville in the traditional fall breezes of Northeast Florida. 

In addition to scheduled racing, Friday afternoon will include a North Sails Clinic hosted by Paul Abdullah, which will include tuning tips, practice races, and on the water coaching.


Friday evening will conclude with the famous Florida Yacht Club Low Country Boil (pandemic-compliant outside!) overlooking the beautiful St. Johns River featuring steamed oysters, shrimp and grits and more. After racing finishes Saturday, we will host a banquet in the ballroom featuring seafood, meat and vegetable pasta dishes, salad, and dessert. Both evening events are included in the registration fee and complimentary beer from one of our sponsors Bold City Brewery will be provided all weekend.

Needless to say, after months of living as couch potatoes, working or watching TV, J/24 sailors didn't need much coaxing to fire-up the old Suburban or pickup, toss all the stuff inside, and head down to JAX for some fun in the November sun! Twenty-five J/24 teams have answered the "call of duty" to "live and obey" that Siren's Song attraction of getting together on any puddle of water and have some good'ole J/24 sailing fun and camaraderie with friends from across the Southeast.

Who are some of the "who's who" showing up from the ranks of veteran J/24 sailors? Quite a few, to say the least. Notable teams include TEAM TARHEEL/ NEW ENGLAND ROPES headed up by Paul Abdullah, Robby Brown's famous team on ANGEL OF HARLEM from Davis Island YC, Nadia Daggett's notorious MUSTACHE RIDE, Amar Patel's ROUGE, Bill Winegrove's PIGS IN HIDING, and Erica Trejo's youth team from Chicago Corinthian YC on the "KELLY HOLMES-MOON Junior Boat Grant".  For Kings Day Regatta sailing results and information   For J/24 Fleet 55 information  For more J/24 one-design class information
 

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STC 29th Block Island Race Week presented by Margaritaville Announcement!
(Larchmont, NY) – The Notice of Race for the 29th Edition of the biennial Storm Trysail Club Block Island Race Week presented by Margaritaville has just been issued by Storm Trysail Club Rear Commodore and STC-BIRW 2021 Event Chair Ray Redniss. 


Redniss reports, “obviously, planning for a week-long regatta in the midst of pandemic uncertainty is a challenge.  So, we are thrilled Margaritaville is back to add even more fun and spirit to this event. We are also happy to report, based on the results of a survey of past competitors conducted this week, that interest from the fleet appears to be high.  Storm Trysail Club is confident that we can stage a safe and exciting event while continuing to monitor health guidelines, listening to our sailors, and adapting contingency plans as needed.”

On-the-Water Director for BIRW 2021 Dick Neville explains, “In the last edition in 2019, we expanded the number of racing formats to accommodate an even wider array of yachts – from world-class Grand Prix teams on Windward/Leeward courses to families and friends on cruising boats in daily navigator and pursuit style races. As a result, we had quite a number of first-time entrants, and look forward to welcoming more entries by expanding Double-handed and Plus1 opportunities.” 

Storm Trysail Club Block Island Race Week presented by Margaritaville typically offers four to five days of racing and when the weather doesn’t cooperate (which historically happens once per week), we have activities planned to keep even the most competitive sailors entertained onshore. The highlight of the week for many sailors is the Around Block Island Race in which the entire fleet circumnavigates the beautiful island off the coast of Rhode Island.

The biennial event was first held in 1965 after a number of Storm Trysail members participated in Cowes Week in England and were inspired to create an American version. In 2019, 122 boats competed across 13 divisions with close to one thousand participants, volunteers, and families descending on the island for the third week of June. 

Event Chair Redniss expressed cautious optimism regarding the usual shore side parties and social activities. “As befitting a Club that places a high priority on Safety, we will be very vigilant in ensuring that we adhere to all of the appropriate conditions and recommendations. While the tent parties are generally a centerpiece of the shoreside festivities, we are looking at other creative ways to preserve all of the fun in the event the tent is not feasible.” Sailing photo credit- Stephen Cloutier.  For more STC Block Island Race Week sailing information
 

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J/Gear HOLIDAY 20% OFF Specials!
(Newport, RI)- Believe it or not, it is just about time to get into the holiday spirit of things. The year-end is fast approaching and now is as good a time as any to give some thoughts to your holiday shopping for your crew, family, and friends.

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

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

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

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

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Sailing Calendar
Nov. 21- Hot Rum Series II- San Diego, CA
Nov 28-30- Mundialito J/80 Regatta- Santander, Spain
Dec 1-6- J/70 South American Championship- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Dec 4-6- J/22 Jammin Jamaica Regatta- Montego Bay, Jamaica
Dec 4- Wirth M Munroe Memorial Race- Palm Beach, FL
Dec 5- Hot Rum Series III- San Diego, CA 
 

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J/99 Scores More Stunning Victories in Australia
(Sydney, Australia)- The J/99 JEDI scored another stunning trifecta win racing offshore out of Royal Prince Alfred YC in Pittwater, near Sydney. The top mark was 8nm offshore, conditions were light 5-10 knots ESE. JEDI was one of two boats sailing doublehanded in the combined 18-boat fleet. JEDI finished 1st overall combined Div 1 and 2 fleets in ORC, and 1st ORC and IRC in Div 2. Remarkably, the J/99 was the smallest boat by far and still beating fully crewed 40+ footers on the water.

Delighted with their performance, skipper Ray Entwistle said, ”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.”  Learn more about the J/99 shorthanded offshore speedster here
 

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J/109 Wins Miami to Nassau Cup Race
(Miami, FL)- The 79th edition of the Nassau Cup Ocean Race, a 180 nm course from Miami to Nassau, leaving Great Isaac and Great Stirrup to starboard, is no longer possible due to current protocols in the Bahamas. Instead, an ocean race of approximately 178 nm was held starting in and returning to Miami.


Since 1934, some of the best offshore sailors in the world have battled for the prestigious Miami to Nassau Cup, including Ted Turner, Dennis Conner, Dick Bertram, and Ted Hood, aboard legendary boats like Running Tide, Windward Passage, Tenacious, and Boomerang.  Half a generation after World War II forced a short intermission, the race became part of the fabled Southern Ocean Racing Conference in the 1980s until the series’ dissolution in the 1980s.  Building on the race’s welcome rebirth in 2003, the new SORC, a group of race-veteran race managers, announced its management of the Nassau Cup Race in 2010. 
 
Starting in very light airs under Code Zeros, the fleet wandered their way across the Gulf Stream to the first mark, with the breeze steadily building all day. In the end, the J/109 HARM'S WAY sailed by Andy Westcoast won their ORC 3 class handily by over four hours corrected time.  Meanwhile, Ashley Maltempo & Bill Wiggins sailed the new J/121 WINGS to fourth place in ORC 2 Class, narrowly missing the podium by just minutes on corrected time.  For more Miami to Nassau Cup Race sailing information
 

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J/70 St Maarten Sailing Again!
(Simpson Bay, St Maarten)- The first Grant Thornton Keelboat Race of the new winter Caribbean 2020/2021 winter season saw an excellent turnout and sailing under idyllic conditions in Simpson Bay, St Maarten. Two classes were sailed with the faster racing boats in one and the smaller in a second. The final results saw Frits Bus and Team Island Water World taking the win. Second was Kick'em Jenny with Ryan Hope Ross at the helm with a team of younger sailors. FRANNY, the J/70 sailed by Garth Steyn, took third place and Caraibes Diesel sailed by Erwan le Normand the fourth place. The crews of all boats had to work hard to achieve success in the four short-course races that were sailed.


Garth Steyn's J/70 FRANNY is sponsored by IGY MARINAS and by coming in third overall beat the boat that won overall at the St Maarten Heineken Regatta this past March 2020 (remember that pre-pandemic event?)!

According to Garth, "this was good news for the J/70 versus our competitors. I believe we had good upwind and downwind boat speed, as well as a great crew. Our team was comprised of Rien Korteknie doing main and tactics, Iain Mobbs doing jib and spinnaker and our bow goddess Kippy Guilders doing the spinnaker hoists and drops, as well as keeping us men in check!"  For more J/70 one-design sailboat information
 

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


Race-ready J/121 in pristine condition available in New Orleans, LA.  


* Roble earns NYYC’s top sailor honor
Since 2008, the New York Yacht Club has annually presented the Mosbacher Trophy to the Club’s sailor of the year. The award, which is named for former Commodore and two-time America’s Cup champion Emil “Bus” Mosbacher, is the most coveted of the Club’s annual trophies and traditionally the last award at the Club’s Annual Awards ceremony in the Model Room at 44th Street.

Due to social distancing restrictions in New York City, the 2020 Annual Awards ceremony was held virtually last week.

This year’s winner of the Mosbacher Trophy is 49erFX sailor Stephanie Roble (East Troy, WI). While the COVID-19 pandemic canceled a large portion of the Olympic-class sailing schedule—and postponed the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by a year—Roble and sailing partner Maggie Shea (Wilmette, IL) were still able to achieve significant success in the women’s skiff class. Roble and Shea have also been active sailors in the J/22 and J/80 class, match-racing around the USA and Europe.  Furthermore, Roble has also been active in the J/70 class as coach and crew sailing with various teams on the J/70 winter circuit.

“I am extremely proud to award the 2020 Mosbacher Trophy to Stephanie Roble,” says Bill Ketcham, Commodore of the New York Yacht Club (himself owner of the famous J/44 MAXINE). “Since graduating from Old Dominion University nearly a decade ago, Stephanie has thrown herself into elite sailing, succeeding in keelboats, match racing, and now the 49erFX Olympic class.

“Stephanie and Maggie made the most of their limited opportunities to compete in 2020, and we look forward to following them on the road to an Olympic medal this coming summer. Stephanie is the youngest person and the first woman to win the Mosbacher.”

Roble and Shea started 2020 by winning the bronze medal in the 2020 49erFX World Championship in Geelong, Australia. It was first American medal in a 49erFX World Championship. That result also secured, by the narrowest of margins, Roble and Shea’s selection as the American representative in the class for the Tokyo Games.

Heading into the 2020 Worlds, which was the second of two international regattas used to select the American representative in the 49erFX class, Roble and Shea needed to finish four spots ahead of fellow Americans Paris Henken and Anna Tobias.

The regatta hinged on the final medal race, which Roble and Shea won to move into third in the overall standings. Henken and Tobias finished seventh in the medal race and seventh in the regatta. With the two teams tied on points for the Olympic berth, the tiebreaker went to whomever finished higher in the final regatta, awarding the berth to Roble and Shea.

The duo’s other result this year was a second at Kiel Week in Germany, which was postponed to September. A second place in that regatta confirmed Roble and Shea’s status as a serious podium contender for the Tokyo Olympics, which are scheduled for this coming summer.

“This is an incredible honor,” says Roble, who joined the New York Yacht Club in 2015. “It’s been quite the year, and we’re really excited about the results that we’ve had. It’s an absolute honor to represent the New York Yacht Club around the world. To be the first female to win this award is extra special.

“This award is a reflection of my team’s commitment and dedication to our goal of bringing home a Gold medal for Team USA. I would like to thank my teammate Maggie Shea and coach Giulia Conti for all of their hard work on and off the water.

“It’s exciting to think about the Olympics, about our dream of winning a medal, but we have to focus on how we can get better every day and hope that will be good enough for a medal come August.”

Previous Mosbacher Trophy winners include world champion one-design skippers such as J/70 World Champion Peter Duncan. 



* A J/120 Facebook group was recently started by Gareth Thomas, a passionate J/120 sailor. The name of the group is called- "J120 Sailboat". For those of you who love the J/120 or are interested in sailing on J/120s, please do not hesitate to join and contribute to the discussion on the group. Everyone and anyone is welcome! Come join us...see why so many sailors have loved their experience sailing on J/120s offshore and around-the-buoys. Be that Detroit's Lake Huron, Annapolis to Newport, Newport to Bermuda, or Marblehead to Halifax! Please join our J/120 Facebook group here.

* All Squalls Must Pass

Andy Green's entry in the 2019 Mirabaud Yacht Racing photo contest was a stunning one- a J/125 beating into a squall off Wales on the often-tempestuous Irish Sea.

About the image he wrote, "This was a cool shot of the J/125 JACK KNIFE from the IRC Regatta in Pwlhrli (Wales). It had been champagne sailing with blue skies and 20 knots of breeze. I could see a squall moving toward us, and within minutes, we were in 40+ knots of wind, heavy rain, and near-zero visibility. The fleet was being battered by the conditions. But, as soon as it came the squall lifted, we returned to blue skies and 20 knot winds!” 

[Ed. Note- Andy and his wife Nell Green and their children live in Newport, RI and have been fans of J/Boats for years. This photo is one of his most memorable images.]

* Eight Bells: Frank Butler
The world of sailing recently lost an iconic figure in the boat-building world. J/Boats family and sailors wish to honor the passing of Frank Butler, founder and CEO of Catalina Yachts in southern California.

Many members of the J/Boats family had their chance to meet and discuss with Frank the various attractions and love for the sport we all shared. For decades at the Annapolis Sailboat Show, Bob, Rod, Jeff, Al, Drake, Stu often ran into Frank, shared some beers with each other, gave each other good-natured ribbings for our respective roles and brands in the sailing world. As Stu J. often reminded Frank, we were his biggest cheerleader, as his Catalina sailboats were often the first sailboat many current J/Boat owners started with....the "Henry Ford of the sailing world to the BMW/ Mercedes of offshore one-design/ racing/ cruising aficionados." It truly was a symbiotic relationship between Frank and the Johnstone family. We are sad to see him go.

Catalina Yachts tribute to him:
A sailing icon and industry “king spoke”, Frank has introduced hundreds of thousands of people to sailing during his lifetime. Frank leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Catalina Yachts.

Born in California in 1928, Frank’s line of popular sailboats put more than 85,000 Catalinas on the water throughout the yachting world. His boatbuilding career began in 1962, when he contracted with a Southern California builder for a 21-foot daysailer. The builder was unable to finish the boat and gave Butler the tooling. He completed building the boat himself, found he enjoyed the process, and agreed to take over the company.

A few years later he founded Catalina Yachts, which has grown to become the largest builder of fiberglass production sailboats in the United States, a position it holds to this day.

A key to Butler’s success in the sailboat industry was his attention to Catalina customers. Handling warranty issues himself, owners were nearly always surprised and reassured to get a personal call from Frank to discuss their concerns.

In recognition of his support of the Congressional Cup, a premier-level Grade 1 match racing event in which Frank designed, built, and donated a fleet of 11 Catalina 37s especially for the event, Long Beach Yacht Club awarded him the Crimson Blazer.

A founder and lifelong member of the Westlake Yacht Club (Westlake, CA), Frank was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2013.

Following his graduation from Glendale High School, he served in the US Navy. He met his wife, Jean, at a school dance; they recently celebrated their 71st anniversary.

Frank is survived by Jean, their four daughters Deborah Reese, Mary Linn, Nancy Bear, and Karen Butler; three sons, David, Robert, and Steve; 20 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.

Awakening the joy of sailing for so many people in past generations, Frank Butler’s sailing legacy will certainly continue well into in future generations. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Newsletter- October 28th, 2020

This past week saw a lot of season-ending sailing activity taking place in Europe and eastern Europe.  Lots of J/70 sailing league events from Russia in the east to the United Kingdom in the west, northern Germany down to Italy/ Spain.  

Starting in the north, the originators of the sailing league concept held their final event in Hamburg, Germany on the gorgeous, downtown, Alster Lake.  It was the occasion for the J/70 DSL Cup for eighteen teams across Germany. 

Down to the south, the Spanish held their Villalia J/70 Open de Espana in Vigo, Spain. The Real Club Nautico de Vigo hosted eighteen teams for an amazing four-day event off western Spain on the Atlantic Ocean. Off to the east of them in northern Italy, the Italian J/70 Cup- Act 2 was held on the famous Lago di Garda, hosted by Fraglia Vela Malcesine on the eastern shoreline of Malcesine, Italy. A simply fabulous place to sail!

To the west, the Hamble Sailing Club in Hamble, United Kingdom hosted the J/70 One-design Championship on the Solent for an incredibly competitive fleet of boats. Off to the east, the Russian J/70 Class hosted their National Championship on the Klyazma River immediately north of Moscow. The eighteen-boat fleet was hosted by the Pirogovo Yacht Club in Pirogovo, Russia. 

Finally, in the middle of Europe, the EFG Swiss Sailing League Women’s Cup was hosted in Ascona-Locarno, Switzerland for the top Swiss women's sailing teams. The sailing conditions on the northern part of spectacular Lago Maggiore could not have been better. 

Big boat sailing has been taking place on the Solent as well in the U.K.  The Hamble Sailing Club started up their annual HYS Hamble Winter Series two weeks ago, much to the delight of a number of J/sailors! Check out the report below. 

Over in the Americas, sailing is still taking place in the warmer parts of the vast country.  On the east coast, it was Severn Sailing Association in Annapolis, Maryland that hosted the combined J/22 and J/24 East Coast Championships on the Chesapeake Bay. A fantastic turn-out honored the passing of a very much beloved Geoff Ewenson  [Ed. note- as a young boy, Stu & Drake Johnstone taught Geoff how to sail and race as the sailing instructors for Ida Lewis Yacht Club in Newport, RI. Geoff will be missed by many friends and sailors.]

Out in the Pacific Northwest, a paradigm-shift occurred amongst the local sailors. With the pandemic restrictions throttling just about any effort by the local sailing clubs to run events, the sailors took matters into their own hands. The very popular Seattle Yacht Club Grand Prix regatta was cancelled, so the sailors created the "Virtual Seattle YC Grand Prix Adventure!"

Finally, do not miss reading the amazing article and interview by Carol Cronin and SEAHORSE magazine about Rod Johnstone's epic adventure that resulted in the person and company you know today- J/Boats Inc.  Fun read, many amusing anecdotes Rod has not shared in recent memory! Even the editor learned a lot about Uncle Rod in this interview!
 

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Hot Rum Series Preview
(San Diego, CA)- The San Diego Yacht Club's incredibly popular Hot Rum Series will be starting on time again on November 7th, 2020. With nearly 100 entries, it proves the event is as popular as ever for Southern Californians, despite living in pandemic times. It's one of the most popular "pursuit style" races in America, where slowest boat starts first hours ahead of the biggest and fastest boats, whoever crosses the line first wins! Starting and finishing just off the western end of Shelter Island, the fleet heads out en-masse through the Point Loma passage to two buoys offshore and return to the same start line to finish the race just off Shelter Island.

Since it is consistently one of the world's largest PHRF "pursuit races", the little boats know they almost always have no chance of winning overall and simply enjoy the parade of beautiful large sailing yachts gliding past them in all their glory. The smallest, slowest boats (J/22s & J/24s) start well over an hour before the biggest boats- the J/145s and J/160s, for example.

In this year's edition, there will be two J/145s- Rudy Hasl's PALAEMON and Ernie Pennell's MORE MADNESS. In addition, participating will be three J/105s- George Scheel's SUN PUFFIN, Steve & Lucy Howell's BLINK, and Richard Collins' LUCKY DUCK. Joining them will be Seth Hall's J/124 MARISOL, Ed Sanford's J/111 CREATIVE, Chuck Nichols J/120 CC RIDER, Chuck Bowers's J/29 RHUMB RUNNER, and two J/30s (Tim Lynch's RUFFIAN & Bob Noe's MAD HATTER). Good luck to all on this upcoming event.  For more San Diego YC Hot Rum Series sailing information
 

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Fun J/99 DASH video sailing Pacific Northwest!
(Orcas Island, WA)- The brand-new J/99 DASH Racing recently went out in 20-35 knots a few days ago on West Sound, Orcas Island, Washington. 

Dash Racing is all about LIVING YOUR DASH! Based on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands, Stephanie and Ken race their J/99 racing sailboat throughout the Pacific Northwest.


As Ken said, "we got DASH out in 20-35 knots today on West Sound. Such a stable boat! Most challenging part of the day? In/out of the slip!".   Watch their J/99 DASH sailing video here   For more J/99 shorthanded offshore speedster sailing information
 

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Enjoy SAILING Champions League J/70 Video
(Porto Cervo, Italy)- Twenty-seven teams from thirteen nations sailed in the finale for the AUDI SAILING Champions League in Port Cervo, Sardinia. The host, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, and their race committee and media production teams provided the 300+ sailors the red carpet treatment. And the Weather Gods blessed everyone with epic sailing conditions all four days of the competition. Their media team produced a pretty cool video summary of the event.  Enjoy this J/70 SAILING Champions League sailing highlights video!
 

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J/Gear HOLIDAY 20% OFF Specials!
(Newport, RI)- Believe it or not, it is just about time to get into the holiday spirit of things. The year-end is fast approaching and now is as good a time as any to give some thoughts to your holiday shopping for your crew, family, and friends.

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

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

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

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

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Sailing Calendar
Oct 24- Witches Brew Race- Charleston, SC
Nov. 1- Hot Rum Series I- San Diego, CA
Nov. 14- Around the Island Race- Hong Kong, China
Nov. 21- Hot Rum Series II- San Diego, CA
 

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EFG Swiss Sailing League Women’s Cup Fun!
(Ascona-Locarno, Switzerland)- Congratulations to Horgen Yacht Club Women's team! Winners of the EFG Swiss Sailing League Women's Cup sailed in Ascona-Locarno, Switzerland on the northern part of spectacular Lago Maggiore.


The Horgen YC teams was comprised of Mara Bezel, Alexa Bezel, Viviane Mouron, Diana Otth, Milena and Leonie Matthys. Finishing second was the Bielersee Yacht Club team with Lea Tschudi, Ester Oggenfuss, Dominique Müller, Barbara Brugger and Florence Schibler. Just one point back, taking the bronze on the podium was the beautiful Zürcher Segel Club with Amrei Keller, Theresa Lagler, Zoé Staub and Franziska Glüer.


Congratulations to all 3 teams on the podium. The teams of Club Nautique de Versoix, Segelclub Cham and Club de Voile de Lausanne have positioned themselves very well.

Swiss Sailing League Association is looking forward to the 2021 edition of the Women's Cup, which will take place from August 20 to 22, 2021 in Davos.  Learn more about the Swiss J/70 Sailing League here
 

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J/24 & J/22 East Coast Champs- Fun on the Bay!
HONEY BADGER Tops 24s, HOT TODDY Blitzes 22s
(Annapolis, MD)- Over the weekend of October 17-18, Severn Sailing Association held the annual J/24 East Coast Championship in Annapolis, MD. Each year, almost every team on the East Coast looks forward to this long-standing regatta. The event attracts some of the very best in the Class. But, not only that, it usually supports one of the best parties in the J/24 Class as well. Here is the report from Travis Odenbach of the famous HONEY BADGER fame:


"Obviously, this year has been a little different to say the least. I was truly happy to see that 22 boats make the trek to participate. It was a breath of fresh air to see the J/24 family out in force. 

Everyone was safe and kept their distance for the most part. What SSA showed us is that we can run regattas safely and hopefully others will follow their lead. 

The racing was challenging as always. Annapolis provided us with a true Annapolis weekend. Light air with lots and lots and lots of power boat chop. The breeze ranged anywhere from 5-10 knots all weekend with 20-degree shifts thrown in there, just to keep it interesting. 

My team of Patrick Wilson, Chris Stocke, Wilson Stout and Collin Kirby did an excellent job at getting the boat around the race track. I truly would not have had success if it weren't for these guys. 


So, what did we learn this weekend while sailing in lump and light air? The first lesson to us came quickly on Saturday to focus on our own race. The third race, we port tacked the fleet and saw Tony Parker below us heading out right. We all agreed that with Tony being a local, we might as well keep going this way. Boy were we in for a surprise the further right we went. A massive left shift provided us with our excellent place in the back of the pack, and to make matters worse I decided to hit the mark. What a moron! But after a quick pep talk by Patrick, the team got back on track and decided to worry about our numbers and our speed. This allowed us to salvage a seventh and take away a big lesson going forward. Worry about your race, your gut feelings and stay on the lifted tack and out of trouble. Those are things you can really control in a race, and they seemed to keep us in the top after that race. 

The second lesson was a progression throughout the regatta. The winds were light and sometimes variable, so we had to set the boat up for max power. We ended up making sure we had enough headstay to power the genoa up, and we made sure to sail the boat as flat as possible unless going through a big chop. The key here is constant communication with your driver if you are a trimmer. The trimmer must let you know they are easing or that you have ups at all times so you never detach from the breeze and that you are always sailing as upwind as you can. I truly think we improved on this all weekend, and it was the difference maker in the end. 

At the end of the day, getting to sail with great friends and keeping it light was a joy and no matter the outcome it was nice to be around some great people. Just the mention of great friends and keeping it light and fun makes me reflect on one person in particular: Geoff Ewenson, who sadly and shockingly recently passed. 


Geoff was the HONEY BADGER's East Coast Championship tactician the last three out of five ECCs. Geoff passed away suddenly last week, and the entire sailing community around the country (and I am sure around the world) felt the loss of a man bigger than life. Finding out the news last week made me buckle at my knees and become overwhelmed with sadness. But, reading his wife's brief post helped me shed some light on the sad and heart wrenching situation. 

Geoff's wonderful wife Mary said that she was lucky to have shared the time she had with him and that hit a nerve with me. I have decided to celebrate his life with the amazing memories he has given me and so many others. 

One of those memories reverts back to the first East Coast Championship Geoff did with the HONEY BADGER team. I believe it was about three minutes to the first start, and Geoff dipped below. All of a sudden, I hear music blasting. I couldn't tell what kind of music it was, but it could have been reggae or The Clash most likely. I said, "Geoff what the hell are you doing? I can't concentrate." Geoff responded with a warm smile, "I noticed you are a little jacked up, so I figured some music will calm you down." 


All of us on the boat kind of chuckled, but I continued to explain that I would not be able to focus. At that, he stood up tall and pointed at me and said, "Look, I am going to play this music, and when you lose a race, I will shut it off." 

I just said "fine". Not willing to argue that point, we went with our starting process. Well, that music never shut-off until the awards. We laughed around the race course, and changed bands to listen to, and I think he even played some Chris Rock stand-up comedy! LOL! 

It was an amazing regatta and our first East Coast victory. Since this is a regatta report, I thought I would share that story with you. Because, not only was Geoff about having fun and keeping people entertained, but that is what the East Coast Championship has been about since I started sailing at the event. 

My heart goes out to Mary and Geoff's family, and to everyone at the East Coast Championships this last weekend...thank you for another amazing event!"  Thanks to Travis Odenbach for his report and honoring the loss of a close, heartfelt friend.  


In the end, the HONEYBADGER team crushed the competition...nearly lights out! The Rochester YC team posted a 2-7-1-1-2-1-2 record for a mere 16 pts. Second was, in fact, Tony Parker's BANGOR PACKET crew (Will Bomar, Zeke Horowitz, & Emma Mendenthal) and taking third was Aidan Glackin's MENTAL FLOSS crew (Patrick Fitzgerald, Kelly Fitzgerald, Mike Coe, & Meredith Jacob). 

Like their J/24 colleagues, the J/22s also saw a dominant team govern the top of the leaderboard. After a disastrous first race, Jeff Todd's crew on HOT TODDY posted a 7-2-2-1-2-1-2 tally for 16 pts to win by a country furlong.  The balance of the podium was, in fact, a huge battle between three teams, all finishing in the end separated by just 3 pts! Ultimately, the US Navy Academy's Jeff Petersen took the silver by one point over Chris Junge's THE CORNER OF SANITY & MADNESS. In turn, they were just two points clear of JR Maxwell's SCOOBY in fourth. For more J/24 and J/24 Eastern Championship sailing information
 

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Virtual Seattle YC Grand Prix Adventure!
(Seattle, Washington)- The Seattle Yacht Club Grand Prix regatta was cancelled due to the Covid restrictions. As a result, a group of passionate, determined sailors put together a virtual race.  "Virtual" being defined as not online, but "word of mouth" promotion to go sailing on the water, doing the same race because Seattle YC was not permitted by the State of WA to host it!  So, between social media and emails, there was online registration, course information and finish time input. The 17.0nm courses were set up for Saturday and Sunday with a start between a buoy and a painted rock on the Shilshole Breakwater. 


According to J/Northwest dealer Ben Braden, "it was amazing! We had 22 boats signed up for Saturday. But, the weather Gods didn't cooperate. Although a spectacular, beautiful day, it blew 30 knots. It was windy enough that just 5 boats raced; four of which were J/Boats! However, with much milder conditions on Sunday, just as beautiful and blowing 15 knots, TEN J/Teams showed up to get a chance to go for a sail amongst friends. Lots of camaraderie for all!" Thanks to J/Boats Northwest Ben Braden for this report. 
 

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NOTARO Team Triumphant @ Italian J/70 Cup
(Malcesine, Lago di Garda, Italy)- Like all other events this season, the Italian J/70 Cup series adapted as quickly as possible to the ever evolving covid-19 pandemic. As the epicenter of the initial massive growth of infection rate in northern Italy (and for the rest of Europe) back in March/ April, it was amazing to see the Italian J/70 class have the passion and determination to conduct their 2020 Italian J/70 Cup series. 

The second stage was conducted on the famous Lago di Garda, hosted by the Fraglia Vela Malcesine along its picturesque eastern shoreline...truly a storybook town. Thirty crews participated in this event this past weekend. Many of the hot Italian teams were in attendance, such as reigning J/70 European Champion Claudia Rossi on PETITE TERRIBLE and European Corinthian Champion Gianfranco Noe on WHITE HAWK. Here are the daily reports. 


Day One
The Peler wind, which remained strong throughout the day, slightly decreased during the afternoon. That traditional southern breeze made it possible to complete four consecutive races, much to the delight of all the sailors. 

The first victory of the day went to Federico Strocchi's CHEYENNE, sailing just his second regatta ever on the Italian J/70 Circuit. And, by winning the last race, closed the day in third overall. The second bullet of the day went to Luca Domenici's NOTARO Team, and the third win went to Mauro Roversi's J-CURVE. 

At the end of the day, NOTARO Team closed the day in first on the leaderboard with solid 2-1-2-6 finishes. Federico Leproux's ALICE was a distant second with a 5-9-7-3 tally. 


Day 2
Sunday's weather was windy, cold, intense, with a stronger than normal "peler" breeze from the south. Three more races were held. And, the domination of Domenici's NOTARO team continued unabated. 

"In Malcesine, we had days of strong wind and demanding conditions, which the crew has always been able to cope with well. There have been changes in the crew compared to 2019. So, initially we had to find some synergy on board. But everything went well. In fact, to the point that once again we managed to win. This victory brings great satisfaction to me, especially because it is shared with my family who was here with me. Thanks also to those who support me from home. Because, without their help I would not be able to be here to race," commented Luca Domenici. Luca's crew included Diegro Negri, Giorgio Tortarolo, Michele Mennuti and Francesca Gangi.


Second was J-CURVE crew led by Mauro Roversi, with team of Manuel Modena, Federica Salvà, Branko Brcin and Carlo Fracassoli. And third was ALICE, skippered by Alessio Peppu Marinelli and crewed by Vid Jeranko, Enrico Fonda, Nevio Sabadin and Livia Tarabella.


In the Corinthian category, the victory went to the ANIENE YOUNG team comprised of Luca Tubaro, Filippo Baldassari, Matteo Morellina and Andrea Ruffini. Second was Ludovico Fassitelli's JUNDA- BANCA DEL SEMPIONE (crew of Maximilian Kuester, Francesco Orlando, Davide Vignone, Alessandro Montefiore). Third was WHITE HAWK (Gianfranco Noè, Matija Succi, Giuliano Chiandussi, Barbara Bomben, Alexander Gabriel Harej).

The Italian J/70 fleet is preparing to leave Lake Garda to head to Sanremo, where the last two events of 2020 will, hopefully, be held for the 2020 season.  For more J/70 sailboat information
 

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AKHMAT Crowned Russia J/70 National Champions
(Pirogovo, Russia)- An eighteen-boat J/70 fleet from across Russia gathered together at the amazing Pirogovo Yacht Club on the Klyazma River immediately north of Moscow for an excellent four-day weekend of racing. With nearly perfect fall weather, the regatta PYC PRO managed to run fifteen races for the happy sailors.


The first day dawned sunny, warm with a 5-10 knots breeze flowing down the river that ultimately built to 1- to 17 kts of breeze. For the next two days, the weather hardly changed, with the same conditions blessing everyone with great racing conditions on flat water.


In the end, it was the AKHMAT TEAM that won with a very strong 48 pts in the fifteen races, for an amazing 3.7 average in 13 races counted.  A very familiar team took the silver, Valeriya Kovalenko's ARTTUBE RUS1 with a nearly similar scoreline for 52 pts. In fact, she just beat by one point a newcomer to the Russian J/70 circuit, the ELF TEAM.  Sailing Photo Credits- Valeria Isaenko   For more Russian J/70 Championship sailing information
 

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NOTICIA Dominates Villalia J/70 Open de Espana
(Vigo, Spain)- The Real Club Nautico de Vigo hosted this year's edition of the Villalia Open de Espana for an incredibly competitive fleet of eighteen boats, a fleet riddled with numerous Spanish Olympic, World, and European champions of various classes. It was an intense three days of sailing. As they say, the fleet experienced four seasons in one regatta! Rain, no wind, lots of wind, snow flurries, lots of sun, hail!  Winds from every quadrant of the compass.  


The teams came from all across Spain; from Valencia, Andalusia, Madrid, Palma in the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Asturias, Catalonia, Cantabria, Barcelona, Santander and from all of Galicia. 

After a fiercely fought nine-race series, it was pretty clear the class act of the regatta was a boat led by two former J/80 World Champions.  Needless to say, a seriously hard combination to beat when even Spanish Olympic Gold Medallists acknowledge they are some of Spain's best sailors.  Starting out by leading on the first day, the duo of skipper Jose Maria "Pichu" Torcida and tactician Rayco Tabares on Team NOTICIA never looked back and kept extending their lead. With such enormous talent, no one was surprised they were runaway champions. Their eight race counters consisted of all podium finishes, but only winning two races. Such consistency was indicative of their fast, but conservative approach to winning the regatta...no corner shots! Pichu and Rayco's team included Luis Martin Cabiedes, Francisco Palacio, and Pablo Santurde. 


For the balance of the podium and top five it was like a battle amongst equals. None of them had any particular advantage over the other. And, their scores reflected the "roller coaster" nature of sailing against very strong, equally matched teams. In the end, it was Luis Albert Solana's PATAKIN that grabbed the silver based on their very strong performance in the last two races. Solana's crew included Alfonso Domingos, Karlo Hmeljack, and Andre Kemp. Taking the bronze medal was Alfredo Gonzalez's EUROFRITS-AVIKO TEAM just one point back. His team consisted of Daniel de la Pedraja Yllera, Jon Larrazabal Lallana, Alberto Padron Torrent, and Alejandro Prego. 

Rounding out the top five was Luis Bagallo Arriola's MARNATURA 1. Starting out the regatta with two bullets, they could only manage top 10 finishes to take fourth place. Taking fifth position was Luiz Martinez Doreste's MERCEDES BENZ SAILING TEAM.  For more Spanish J/70 Championship sailing information
 

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EAT SLEEP J REPEAT Wins U.K. J/70 One-Design Championship
(Hamble, United Kingdom)- The J/70 Class had a cracking weekend of racing at their U.K. J/70 One-Design Championships, organized by the Hamble River Sailing Club. Beautiful winter conditions with a solid northwesterly breeze produced some electric action for the J/70 UK Class, competing in Round 4 of the J/70 UK Grand Slam Series.


Twenty J/70 teams enjoyed six races over two days. J/70 Open World Champion, Paul Ward’s EAT SLEEP J REPEAT, won the regatta. But it was far from easy with seconds deciding every race. The UK National Champion, Graham Clapp’s JEEPSTER, was second. JEEPSTER were in red hot form scoring no lower than fifth. Calascione & Peters racing CALYPSO won the last race to claim third. Martin Dent’s JELVIS won the penultimate race but was just a point off the podium in fourth. Nick Phillips’ CHAOTIC continues to impress as one of the exciting new teams in the class, winning Race 3 on the way to a regatta finish in fifth.


“The competition in the class is just getting stronger and stronger,” commented Paul Ward (pictured below). “The established teams are very hard to beat, and we have some outstanding sailors coming into the class. The first day of the regatta we had thrilling conditions, fully on the step, planing mode all day! The second day was more shifty and lighter air, so everyone was roughly the same speed and tactics really came into play. Well done to the Hamble River Sailing Club for giving the class a fantastic weekend’s racing.”


While there was no official Corinthian Class, there was a ding-dong battle for the top Corinthians boat. Doug Struth’s DSP came out on top, just two points ahead of the UK National Corinthian Champion, Charles Thompson’s BRUTUS. Corinthian World Champion Marshall King, on the stick of SOAK RACING, finished just a point behind Brutus.


A warm welcome to two new J/70 teams racing this weekend; Stuart Bethell’s JM7 and James Howells’ LIGHTFOOT. Also, John Greenland’s newly acquired J/70 WOOF!

The J/70 UK Grand Slam Series continues with Round 5 and the conclusion of the HRSC One-Design Championships, 24-25 October. Sailing photo credits- Paul  Wyeth/ PWPictures.com.  For more UK J/70 Class sailing information
 

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Norddeutscher Regatta Verein Blitzkriegs German J/70 DSL Cup!
(Hamburg, Germany)- Just one week after winning the championship of sailing clubs, the North German Regatta Club (NRV) also won the German Sailing League Cup DSL Cup in its home waters on the gorgeous Alster Lake in downtown Hamburg. 


With a 21-point lead over the second-placed Württemberg Yacht Club and the Flensburger Segel-Club in third place, the North German club achieved a clear victory. Their performance on such a shifty, puffy lake was nothing short of astonishing...obviously, local knowledge plays a huge role on the lake! Winning nine of 12 races outright, their worst finish was a single third place! Yes, one might call that performance a virtual white-out!


“We are really happy! Last week the Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga championship and this week the DSL Cup - it couldn't be more beautiful,” said Tobias Schadewaldt, helmsman from NRV, happy about the top performance of his team. He attributes the success to the common spirit on board, “we concentrate on the positive things and on the parameters that we can influence. This constructive attitude, which we all share on board, carried us to victory."


In addition to the trophy, the regatta was also about staying up in the league and advancing to the 2nd sailing league for many teams. For the Westphalian Yacht Club Delecke and the Sailing Club Ville as the second division at risk of relegation, it was about staying up, which they secure with sixth and ninth places for the coming season. The Salzgitter Sailing Club and the Regatta-Segler-Neuruppin move up to the second sailing league for the first time with places seven and eight.  Sailing Photo credits- DSBL / Lars Wehrmann   Watch this German J/70 DSL Cup highlights video- sweet!  For more Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga sailing information
 

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Hamble Winter Series Report
(Hamble, England)- The Hamble River Sailing Club worked with local and national authorities in the United Kingdom to ensure that sailing events could take place on the Southampton Water and the infamous Solent while adhering to the covid-19 pandemic guidelines.  As a result, they were able to start up their annual Hamble Winter Series, albeit with a bit of a delay. Here are the quick reports for J/Sailors around the world. 


Saturday saw the start of racing for the two days of the Hamble IRC Autumn Championship. Fifty-eight teams went out over the weekend, including a twenty-five strong Class 1, who were also battling for the Hamble Star Trophy for the best" Big Boat." That world-renowned photographer from the Isle of Wight, Paul Wyeth, declared it was "The best turn out all season."

Conditions looked tricky for all concerned from the forecast’s light winds from the NE on Saturday and three fifths of sod all on the Sunday. The CV Condor went to East Knoll to start Race 1 on Saturday and laid a couple of windward marks and a couple of leeward marks to allow for the predicted shift in the wind.


This turned out to be the best breeze of the weekend and the 25 strong IRC 1 fleet had a great first race and finished in a big bunch with the top four separated by only 1 minute 30 seconds on corrected time.  Michael O'Donnell's J/121 DARKWOOD was second. 

In IRC 2, the battles between the two J/109's of Simon Perry and Mike & Susie Yates, were quickly re-joined. Mike & Susie's JAGO made the most of the first beat by staying south of the North Channel. They arrived at the windward mark first only to be interrupted by a wine glass, in the spinnaker that is, not the cockpit. This meant they spent some time going down tide allowing Simon Perry's JIRAFFE to slip through and gain control of the race. JIRAFFE finished 1st.

The failing breeze meant that only Class 1 managed to finish the second race on Saturday.


As already stated, the forecast for Sunday did not look positive. PRO Peter Bateson was determined to give it a go, if at all possible, and his Saturday night WhatsApp enthused "We are going to try. It only needs a couple more knots of breeze and we'll get some racing." The Race Team went out on time and at 09.13 the message was "We currently have 4-5 knots of breeze from the North. Suggest boats come out and join us." Peter set up a short 0.8-mile course of loops to keep the fleet close for the expected failing breeze, not to mention the start of the spring tide ripping in the wrong direction. As it turned out every class was shortened by radio Amendment 3, which allowed at least some of them to have a race.

IRC 1 spoiled the plan to get everyone away quickly, by forcing a general recall. "A crucial loss of 10 minutes!" was the only printable comment from those classes waiting patiently behind them. The upshot of this was that in IRC 3, only four boats managed to finish. David Greenhalgh's J/92 J'RONIMO finished a comfortable first. J'RONIMO managed third overall due to 13 retirements on the last race.

In IRC 2, Race 3 started with the J/109s JIRAFFE, JAGO and one other boat OCS. Although this call by the Race Team was hotly disputed on JAGO, they duly returned with JIRAFFE and set about recovering the situation. They repeated their tactics from the first race, this time without any spinnaker trouble and came home first.  Mark Stevens J/105 JACANA was second and JIRAFFE was third. 

With the benefit of going first, eventually, IRC 1 with their greater speed managed to get 16 boats to the amended finish. The overall positions for the IRC 1 Autumn Championship saw Cornel Riklin's J/111 JITTERBUG take third place!

Peter Bateson and the Race Team are to be congratulated in getting three races run in such trying conditions.   Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth    For more Hamble Winter Series sailing information
 

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J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* SEAHORSE had the opportunity to speak with one of J/Boats co-founders, Rodney Johnstone, as part of the "innovators" series in the sport of sailing. Thanks to writer Carol Cronin and SEAHORSE for this awesome interview!

The most broadly successful performance yacht designer of the last 35 or so years has achieved that status through a laser-like ability to lock onto the requirements of a target market and then deliver the ideal product for it — and which also works off the shelf.   Carol Cronin unravels the creative force that is Rod Johnstone.
 
SEAHORSE: We all know the story: a budding yacht designer builds a race-winning boat in his garage, then teams up with his marketing-savvy brother to create a family business— which just entered its fourth decade. So, any profile of Rod Johnstone, co-founder of J/Boats, should focus on less well-known details. Childhood, design inspirations, favourite boats? Seated on the properly distanced cockpit seats of Rod's brand-new J/99, I spent two hours enjoying a wide range of stories — too many to fit in here. 

There was the time he fell in the water at six months old — an inauspicious start to a sailing career. The 1970s races he can still recount, tack for tack. Chasing his future (second) wife all the way across the country, just to drag her back to Stonington. Each golden thread led to another worthy tale, because there's much more to this guy than just J/Boats.  So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you Rod Johnstone — mostly in his own words. 


Childhood sailing:
Rod was born in 1937 and spent childhood summers in Stonington — where, after World War II, "every family had a Lightning". He claims the home-built Johnstone Lightning class sailboat was the heaviest: "The old boats were fir plywood decks with canvas over them, but you couldn't get regular plywood — it was all used up by the US Navy. So, what did my father get? Masonite, which is like three times as heavy! And that's what we sailed on from 1947 until I went away to college." (Rod graduated from Princeton- Class of 1958.) 

Nevertheless, despite its weight, Rod credits that Lightning with instilling an early love of sailing in him and his two brothers. "My father was so much fun to sail with, because he had the right attitude. He was the best sailor around here, but his ego never showed; he was always very humble about it. That environment really influences you a lot when it comes to what you like to do." 

Learning and teaching: 
Rod majored in history at Princeton, though he says math’s might have been the better choice. "Math’s was a total bore to me; that was the problem. My parents always wanted me to be well rounded. So, I took that to mean that I was supposed to not be bad in anything. I love studying history, but I'm a really slow reader. If I'd been brave, majored in math’s, it sure would have been a lot easier." 

As a member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), Rod spent six months after graduation at a field artillery school in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. "That's the furthest west I'd ever been until I went out to get Lucia and bring her back to Stonington in 1971. But that's another story..."

When I asked how he met his first wife, Franny, whom he married right after college, he pauses for one of the baritone chuckles that foreshadows another fond memory. "I was a member of the Tiger-tones, a singing group at Princeton. In March of 1957, we were hosting a girls' singing group and I was responsible for making sure they had accommodation somewhere. I also had the option of assigning blind dates. So, I did a little advance research, and fixed myself up with my first wife and the mother of all my children!" He laughs again. "That worked out pretty well." 

After the Army Rod and Franny moved to upstate New York, where Rod taught history at the Millbrook School. "I really loved that job. That's where Jeff and Phil [Johnstone] were born." (Jeff is now President of J/Boats, and Phil is the company's legal adviser.) But, now Rod also started fiddling around with boat designs, which made him realize he needed more education. 

He signed up for the Westlawn School of Yacht Design's correspondence course, though he never officially completed the curriculum. (However, they would eventually award him an honorary degree.) 

Once kid number three was on the way (Al, J/Boats VP and designer), the family moved back to Stonington. Rod ran a brokerage office and they had two daughters, but the marriage broke up in the late 1960s. 

Then in 1971, at a yacht club party, his sister pointed out a cute girl and suggested he introduce himself. "I am totally chicken about stuff like that, so I went up and got myself a cup of coffee. She was sitting with her parents. So, I said, "Hi Tessie, how are you doing? They weren't about to introduce me. They knew I had five kids... and I wasn't married." 

He soon retreated to his own table, but the very next night, thanks to a boat engine that wouldn't start, Rod and Lucia met up at a cocktail party. After three weeks "where I didn't let her out of my sight", Lucia (with two kids from her own previous marriage) went back to her 
assistant headteacher's job in California. 

"I said, I'm coming out to bring you back to Stonington on October 15th. "`She didn't say for sure that she was coming [back], because I don't think she was sure that I was going to come out there. But I just kept making plans, told her when my plane was gonna arrive."  They married in November 1971, three months after that first yacht club meeting.
 
Honeymooning on a 505 In Bermuda:
After the wedding Rod spotted a brand-new Parker 505 and talked the owner into inviting them out. First, the guy Rod describes as "an archetype of an RAF pilot, handsome guy with a moustache" and he invites Lucia to put on the trapeze harness. "She takes off with this sailor and I was thinking, 'Am I making a huge mistake here? I'm standing on the dock and my new wife is going off with this handsome Englishman!'" 

After the 505 returned the owner then crewed for Rod — a test. "He said, 'You'll do, you can take the boat.' Lucia had never been on a trapeze before, but she took right to it." 

Back home they bought a cheap kit boat and drove it to regattas. There were plenty of husband & wife teams in the 505 class, though probably no others with a blended family of seven kids. Rod says they had a wonderful time but were always too small to be competitive. 

At one of their first regattas they capsized in very cold water. But, thanks to brand-new wetsuits, they could self-rescue and continue racing. "But, on the next leg the race committee came out and said, 'We'll give you your points for last.'"

All these years later, Rod's voice still conveys a mix of disbelief and disgust. Finishing last was not in Rod's DNA, so they sold the 505 and bought a 470.

But now they were too heavy for the top of that fleet. After a very hot and light CORK Regatta (and a bad gybe that prompted Rod to call Lucia an "elephant"), "we're all taking our boats apart, everybody smiling and having a good time, like they do at regattas. Lucia's smiling, too. But, between gritted teeth she tells me, "Rodney, I'm never going to get on this goddamn f#$%ing boat again!" 

Rod admits now he was privately pleased. So, he quickly signed on 14-year-old, 90 1b son Jeff as crew. Father and son did well together. "The most memorable sailing events were when my kids were my crew." 

But Lucia still wanted to race, too. So, Rod decided to build a boat they could compete on as a family. That was the genesis of the fabled J/24. They launched their little 24-footer RAGTIME in May 1976 and immediately started winning all over the Off Soundings Club summer series. When someone asked to buy it, Rod realized other families wanted to sail together, too. Then, brother Bob came sailing, and the rest is J/Boats history. 


Early designs:
Before RAGTIME, Rod had already designed "a couple of small boats". First, he reminisces about a 9ft dinghy that he built with 10-year-old Al. "That's the boat Al started sailing, and he won a few races. It swept away in a storm off our dock; who knows where it went, but it wasn't going to sink because it had so much flotation!"

Next, he mentions an 11-footer that "you might call to be loosely classified as a Moth," designed while he was teaching at Millbrook. "The building of that boat is what made me realize I needed to take a course. I won't say too much more about it; it sailed perfectly well but looked like hell and I knew that I wasn't doing it right. I knew what I wanted; I just had to learn to draw the lines of a boat." 

Erasers, calculators, planimeter:
Early on Rod says, "I went through a lot of erasers. It was all pencil drawings. No computers, not even a hand calculator — not until after I'd designed the J/24. I think one of the reasons I did so well was I could do a lot of that stuff in my head. Everybody else was on their slide rules."

His most useful tool was a gift— and a piece of history. "My first wife's mother gave me a planimeter; it was her father's, and he'd been an engineer. Crosby Steam Gauge and Valve Company, 1888, it says right on it. I didn't even understand what it was until I started taking the Westlawn course and they said, 'You've got to have one of these because it makes everything so easy." 

"This one was really sophisticated; you could read the results in either inches and feet, fractions, or..." his voice drops, reverently, into a bass register, "millimeters. It was the key instrument to get the areas of irregular enclosures. Now they've got electronic planimeters... AutoCAD basically." 

When I ask how long it took to design RAGTIME, Rod shakes his head. "Many years. I actually built a model, 24in long, in 1965. I hollowed it out and made a sailing model. Guess who I made it for?" Jeff, I guess. He nods, grinning. "And, he probably doesn't even remember!" 


Design process:
For any new design, Rod starts with "how long the waterline is going to be. For the J/24 I wanted something that was as big as I could build in my garage — and at least 23ft 9in because that was the minimum length for entering the Off Soundings Yacht Club's races!

"It's a numbers game," he continues. "You can't just eyeball it, right? You can't. Guys used to start with a shape they would do by eye, but at some point, somebody has to determine how the boat's going to float and visualize the three-dimensional shape. Otherwise, it's going to take you a lot longer than it should. The most important thing is to know how long the waterline is going to be, plus what the maximum section of the hull is going to be. Just think of the boat going through the water," he continues. "The thing that the water has to get around. How is the water going to get there most efficiently, and then how can it get away most efficiently?"

Sailing well upwind was his first priority, because "a barn door with a bedsheet on a pole will sail downwind." 

The next decision is "what kind of heel angle are you going to tolerate? And when you heel over, your whole hull has to have fewer wave-making characteristics. Wide-ass boats (that look like big wedges of cheese) that go around the world, they're not designed to go upwind — and they don't. They go like hell downwind, but they don't go upwind. So, you have to decide the variables." He shrugs. "That's how I design, anyway. For me it's easy. I've always figured that out from my experience sailing." 

I ask how long it took to design a new model, and Rod has to think about that out loud. "Well, I could design something quick and dirty and have it to you by... maybe not tomorrow, but pretty close. If I don't have to please anybody else, they go a lot quicker. All the research... if I were doing nothing else, I could probably do it in four months. Before computers, more like six months. The lofting and the drawing, so somebody can build it, that takes a lot of time. I spent three weeks on my hands and knees to loft the J/30 in 1977!" He says laughing. [Ed. note- today, son Al prints it out on mylar sheets in less than an hour]! 


Favorite design: 
Forty of Rod's designs have been built since J/Boats started. Asked for his favourite, he quickly names the J/105, because it's simple and can be raced well and cruised well. "You can just handle it with fewer people. That's what really prompted the asymmetric spinnaker, because people were complaining about the J/35s. Most J/35 owners had to have 10 people on the rail to be competitive." 

The advent of carbon tubing then made the retractable sprit possible. He adds, "made out of aluminum or wood or fiberglass, it would be just too much weight.:

The 105 started the J/Sprit revolution, but the original priority was price. In the early 1990s a US tax on boats over $100,000 had put a major dent in the new boat market. "We definitely had to come up with our luxury-tax beater."


What turned the boat into one of J/Boats' bestsellers, though, was that asymmetric spinnaker. "You could race with half the number of people, that's what really sold it.' A harder sell was the PHRF committees, who thought the new asymmetric spinnakers should be the same size as symmetricals. "You needed a 20 per cent bigger area to have the same efficiency as a symmetrical chute. You get more efficiency reaching, and not as much running. It took a while to convince them we weren't trying to hornswoggle them." 

After years of dealing with local handicapping, Rod has developed a theory. "If you're really a good sailor, you're better off having a well-established production boat with a rating that they can't possibly change. Right now, that's the best boat for PHRF racing." The last J/105 Rod owned was a 2008 boat that he and Lucia cruised to Maine. Add a boom tent, open the hatches and Rod claims 7.0 ft headroom. "for two people, that worked really well. It's a great sailboat." The only reason he hasn't bought another one is the class restriction on professionals. But, as he's explaining he realizes, "I'm actually not a professional anymore!" (He stepped away from a paid J/Boats position in 2015, though he still consults.) I could almost see the thought-cloud forming above his trademark wide-brimmed hat. 

Regrets:
Even with so much success Rod still has a few regrets. He designed an incredible forty-two 12-Meters for the America's Cup. But, "not a single one ever got built, and I never published anything. I wish I could have been a part of that." 

[Ed. note- Rod also designed a few dozen AC 75's.  Truth be told, between Rod J and Angus Melrose and his famous International 14 naval architect friend Ian Howlett, they were the first team to create the super-long, super-narrow, giant-rigged AC 75 designs that ultimately won the America's Cup in 1995. Guess who that beneficiary was?  

Peter Blake! Because, when Rod and Peter were discussing Whitbread/Volvo Race designs in 1992, Rodney was also explaining to Peter how to make a faster AC 75 boat. Well, for you students of America's Cup history, you may recall that Team New Zealand showed up in San Diego, CA for the 1990 America's Cup with a wide, short, dinghy-like design from Bruce Farr. It did not do well. In fact, it got killed.  

Peter asked Rodney if he could take those design ideas with him. As a very honorable person (backed up I am sure by Pippa Blake, Peter's wife) Peter had asked Rodney's nephew, Stuart Johnstone, at the time if he could remove himself from the nascent J/65 Team Whitbread/Volvo project and take on the role of Team New Zealand syndicate Chief in 1993. Stuart said "yes", of course. Guess who was the beneficiary of that research? 

The American yacht designer Doug Petersen and Team New Zealand. Peter's collaboration with Rod, Ian, and Angus for the "new" super long waterline, maximum lead bulb keel, giant-rigged AC 75 became the new standard of AC 75 design...the net result?  Team New Zealand's Peter, Rod J- influenced, Petersen design called BLACK MAGIC crushed Dennis Conner's USA-designed YOUNG AMERICA in five straight races. The irony of that match was Stuart's good friend Kevin Mahaney, a J/24 World Champion from Northeast Harbor, Maine had the closest boat to Rod J's concept. But, still not extreme enough! The rest is history.... New Zealand's BLACK MAGIC won 5-straight races with margins averaging over FIVE MINUTES! The largest winning margins in modern America's Cup history! That's how the America's Cup went Down Under to New Zealand. Thereafter, J/24 World Champion Ed Baird teamed up with Team ALINGHI and won it for Switzerland! Funny how the world works...but Rod J. definitely had a hand in winning the America's Cup, whether he knew it or not! And, ironically enough, another J/24 World Champion- Terry Hutchinson- is spearheading the New York Yacht Club's current American Magic campaign! Yet another J/24 World Champion leading the world of sailing!]

Rod also wishes he could have been more involved in the aforementioned Whitbread/Volvo Race. The closest he got was working on a one-design class ahead of the 1993 race. "The idea was to build eight boats, and Peter Blake was going to put the teams together and put them through their paces. He was one impressive guy... so knowledgeable, and very good at managing people. You could just tell by sitting in the same room.  Peter gave me all of his proprietary wind matrices from the 1989 race, when he won on STEINLAGER 2. But we never got to build it. In 1991, there was a huge recession in Europe and the USA, plus the luxury tax. Too bad, because it would have been great fun. It was going to be like a big J/70, without the lifting keel. The entire structure built around a frame for the keel, lead on the bottom. We even had talks about whether we should make the sprit retractable!" 

When I ask what he's most proud of, he assumes I'm still talking about boat designs and runs down a list. "The J/90, that was an incredible boat. I owned mine longer than any other J/Boat, five years. It was fun to sail, and we had lots of adventures! The other designs I'd be the proudest of are the J/35, J/44, J/80. And, of course, the 160." 

I rephrase the question: how about life-wise? And then I spoon-feed him the most predictable answer: building a family company. "No, take one step backwards," he says firmly, holding up a hand like a stop sign. "Just building a family. That's what I'm proudest of, if you're talking about everything. I've been lucky in a lot of ways," he continues. "I'm lucky because I love sailing with all my kids. Even my daughter Pam, who was never really into sailing." 

She asked me recently, "Dad, when are you going to take me sailing?" He laughs. "We all have a lot of fun together."


Next adventure:
Two hours go by in a flash, and as we wind up our conversation, Rod checks the dock for his nephew, Clay Burkhalter. Clay (an off-shore veteran) is prepping the J/99 (seen above L-R: Rod, Jeff, Al J.) for an offshore adventure to Bermuda, to deliver an owner and his friend to his 65-footer that got stuck there. "Then, Clay and I will sail this boat back." A Bermuda 4-2, I joke. "Yeah, a 4-2 is much more fun than a 1-2. Also, when you can pick your weather between here and Bermuda, that's always nice." He pauses until he's sure he has my full attention, then adds, "I never get tired of this. That's why I got this boat." As I turn the recorder off and we stand up from our cockpit seats, Rod's still sharing memories. Even though it's time to go and my brain is full. "You should write a book," I tell him. "You underestimate your influence on the sport!" Because, there's definitely a lot more to Rod Johnstone than a 24-footer that barely squeezed out through a standard garage door. And, all those designs that followed. Thanks again for Carol Cronin's amazing Rod J interview for SEAHORSE magazine! 
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