The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
With spring-time peeking around the corner in the northern hemisphere, and sailors are getting accustomed to living and playing within the pandemic guidelines in various regions, more and more events are braving the elements to get a real 2021 sailing season underway. In the coming weeks, one hopes the European "third wave" is quelled quickly so that schedules for a number of one-design and offshore classes can get underway soon.Over in the Americas, the season is starting off slowly but surely. Down south, the J/105 Midwinters was just sailed on Galveston Bay, hosted by Lakewood Yacht Club for a very eager group of sailors. Likewise, a fleet of twenty-two J/70 sailors took to the beautiful waters of Biscayne Bay to sail the Bacardi Invitational, hosted by Biscayne Bay Yacht Club and Shake-A-Leg Foundation in Miami, FL. Out west, the first J/105 fleet in the world hosted their inaugural "Pi" Race on San Francisco Bay for doublehanded sailors.
Not to be outdone, the nascent efforts of the J/80 one-design class in India continues to grow year-by-year. This past week saw their first "offshore" race of about 80.0nm in the Bay of Bengal in south India. The event was called the UNIFI CAPITAL J/80 Offshore Race based in Chennai, India.
Finally, in the J/Community section below, learn about the Storm Trysail Club Offshore Symposium that was hosted virtually in November 2020 with leaders in all aspects of seamanship, racing, military, expeditions, and so forth... it has numerous lessons about leadership and safety offshore that's well-worthwhile to watch- it includes a 70-minute YouTube video.
J/22 Midwinter Championship Preview
(New Orleans, LA)- From March 18th to 21st, the gorgeous new Southern Yacht Club will be hosting the J/22 Midwinter Championship on the challenging, choppy waters of Lake Ponchartrain. The thirty teams from across the country should be blessed with spring-like windy conditions with breezes forecast to start in the northwesterly quadrant and slowly, persistently shift right all weekend.
The entry list has many class leaders participating; all eager to get on the water and enjoy the fresh air on the water, the wind in your hair, and the sun on your face. Some of the notable teams with Midwinter, North American, and World titles in various classes include Benz Faget's FATS, Tommy Meric's CARNIVAL TIME, Dwight LeBlanc's WILD TCHOUPITOULAS, Travis Odenbach's HONEYBADGER, Glenn Darden's BABY DOLL, Mark Foster's PRESSURE DROP, Chip Carpenter's WIZARD, and Casey Lambert's BLACKBURN MARINE RACING.
The Southern YC welcomes all teams with open arms and will surely provide their famous red-carpet treatment for their guests. The regatta promises to be epic given the depth of talent, the often-challenging choppy waters of Lake Ponchartrain, and the very shifty puffy winds shifting from NW to NE over the three days. For more J/22 Midwinter Championship registration & sailing information
San Diego NOOD Regatta Preview
(San Diego, CA)- The first of the famous HELLY HANSEN Sailing World NOOD Regatta series will be taking place in San Diego, CA this coming weekend. San Diego Yacht Club will play host for the event from March 19th to 21st for one-design fleets of J/24s and J/105s and an offshore North Sails Doublehanded Race.The J/24 class features teams like Brian Dolan's CALAMITY from Tucson, Arizona (the long-distance traveler award!); Christian Seidel's CYGNET 2, Bill Ramacciotti's GREENBACK BOOGIE, Ryan Jurkowski's IRIE, and Dave Wethereit's SUPERDRY.
The always highly-competitive fleet of eight J/105s will see a number of the class stalwarts participating for their first time in over twelve months! Those teams include Steve & Lucy Howell's BLINK!, Stew Cannon's J-OK, Scott McDaniel's OFF THE PORCH and Bill Quealy's J RABBIT SLIM.
Looking forward to the challenge of sailing large boats doublehanded offshore is Stephen Driscoll's J/105 JUICED and Rudy Hasl's J/145 PALAEMON. Should be fun to watch these teams wrestle their boats around the track off Point Loma. Sailing photo credits- Bronny Daniels/ JOY Sailing.com. For more San Diego NOOD Regatta sailing information
NHYC Cabo Race Preview
(Newport Beach, CA)- On Friday midday, a fleet of eighteen offshore racers will be pointing their bows across the starting line set by the host Newport Harbor Yacht Club and will soon be headed 800.0nm south from Newport Beach, CA down to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. It is a famous race, a famous challenge, and anything can happen. Often the most significant decisions are which teams have chosen between hugging the Mexican coastline or heading offshore to steadier winds...it's often a roll of the dice.Looking forward to that challenge are two thoroughbreds in the J/Design stable. Racing in ORR Class C are Standish Fleming's J/125 NEREID and Roger Gatewood's J/145 KATARA. Both are well-prepared, well-sailed boats with strong tactical/ strategic navigational teams on board. Furthermore, both boats have demonstrated the ability to win more than their fair share of silverware as well! With solid breezes forecast from the north, the fleet should have a reasonably quick sleighride down to the famous ocean resort of Cabo San Lucas! For more Cabo Race sailing information
San Diego Yacht Club's Yachting Cup is a Go!
(San Diego, CA)- After a full year of limited racing, postponed regattas, and socially distanced sailing, it seems like the world of competitive racing is finally getting back on course. In October 2020, San Diego Yacht Club hosted a postponed edition of the Yachting Cup, one of their most popular signature regattas. Thirty-seven boats came out as restrictions on boating eased - an event that typically hosts over 100 boats. A mere six months later, and the Yachting Cup is working to get back on course as well, returning to the weekend at the beginning of May where it’s been held in years past- May 1-2, 2021.While the event might not be ramped up to its typical pre-Covid model, it is clear what the main attraction of the Yachting Cup really is: the sailing. SDYC Waterfront Director Jeff Johnson says it best, “The success of the event has been and will be being able to get out on the water. It’s an event for all of those that are looking to sail, and that’s why we do it - for the competitors. It’s not about the food and free drinks or fancy awards. It’s just to sail. And that’s what we’re doing.”
The 2021 Yachting Cup begins at 1200 on Saturday, May 1 and will be held on two ocean courses on the Coronado Roads. Competitors will be divided into one design fleets or Handicap Divisions (PHRF, ORR, ORR-ez).
Always one of Yachting Cup first entrants is SDYC Staff Commodore John Laun’s J/120 CAPER, who hasn’t missed a Yachting Cup in 20 years before last October’s regatta. Similar to many competitors, this will be his first opportunity back on the water. “This will be CAPER's first regatta in 16 months!! I’m excited to reunite with the crew. We’ve been together for over 10 years, some as long as 20. My crew is full of great friends and skilled sailors,” explained Laun.
Another J/120 skipper ready to get back out on the water after an injury last fall is SDYC Staff Commodore Chuck Nichols, sailing on CC RIDER. “I’ve raced in almost every Yachting Cup since the early eighties. The best racers in Southern California show up for the Yachting Cup. Everyone knows they will participate in good competition with good Race Committee work,” he started. “Between major regattas, we try to sail races that are similar to the types of courses we are going to see in the near future. Continuity of crew is critical to our success. They all know their jobs well and we work hard to get them out for every race on our calendar. Our crew is a fun-loving bunch who really enjoy joking around, but they also know when to hang up the hijinks and get down to racing.”
Back for another year to chair the event is Patrick Murray. “As we’ve endured an extremely long year dreaming of the things that we love to do, it’s time to get back at it and get back out racing. We’re excited to be hosting an event that will be building on the 2020 Yachting Cup as we work our way closer to a new normal,” he started.
“As with the 2020 edition, we’ll be focusing on the water and high-level racing on both courses. We expect to have extremely tight one design racing in the J/105 one-design fleet while we’ll have the bigger boats going head-to-head on the far course. One thing is for sure, you can count on all the teams bringing their A-games as the competition is always tight! We’ve had an active weather pattern here this spring, and that’s a good sign that we’ll get really nice sailing condition. We’re looking forward to having a great regatta! See you on the water," finished Murray.
Safety precautions are in place to ensure a healthy event such as socially distancing and wearing face coverings. SDYC is strictly following the protocols set forth by the County and the State. Due to continuing restrictions on gatherings, there will be no post-race socials on Saturday or Sunday evening. This year’s Yachting Cup will continue to feature a Skipper’s Meeting via Zoom. Awards will be announced at the Post Race Debrief after racing on Sunday, May 2. Awards will be available for individual pick-up or delivery.
Sailing photo credits- Bronny Daniels/ JOY Sailing.com. For more SDYC Yachting Cup regatta and sailing information
Still, the race organizers are managing expectations that 2021 won’t be exactly like past Race Weeks. The logistics of hosting a large regatta on an island demands months of preparation and - as one of the first major events to be held among so much uncertainty - a variety of necessary measures to keep sailors, volunteers and local families safe and healthy will be implemented. What those policies look like is still being determined.
“We meet each week as a team and are in constant contact with local businesses, a variety of experts, and our vendors,” says Redniss. “We know our sailors come for the fun, camaraderie, and competition, and our goal is still to deliver all that at the highest level, albeit safely.”
Regards J/Teams participation, so far here are the amazing numbers:
The event was scheduled in June at the Royal Danish Yacht Club. Please see the revised Notice of Race that will be posted in the coming days. It's the hope of the KDY Organizing Committee to be able to host a great and “normal” regatta with activity at the harbor, socializing and great racing later this year
For more J/70 European Championship regatta information
Mar 19-21- San Diego NOOD Regatta- San Diego, CA
Mar 19- NHYC Cabo Race- Newport Beach, CA
Mar 25-28- SAIL 22 J/70 Invitational- Coconut Grove, FL
Mar 26-28- St. Thomas International Regatta- St. Thomas, USVI
Mar 29- Apr 4- BVI Spring Regatta- Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Apr 2-4- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Petersburg, FL
Apr 8-11- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 30- May 2- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
Apr 30- May 2- J/111 North American Championship- Annapolis, MD
May 9-15- J/70 North American Championship- Annapolis, MD
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
The twenty-two boat J/70 fleet was simply blessed with classic, amazing Biscayne Bay sailing conditions all three days of the event. Starting off with two days of planing conditions in northerly winds, the smiles painted onto everyone's faces was palpable...pure joy as teams loved the good breeze, sunny weather, and turquoise waters of the Bay!
An incredible nine races were run by the Biscayne Bay YC Race Committee and PRO team, helping out that process was the quick mark reset capabilities of the tres-cool MARK-SET-BOT buoys of the windward marks and gates!
In the end, the most remarkable performance came from the well-known cast of characters from upstate New York; winning with style and grace was Travis Odenbach's HONEYBADGER team that consisted of Andy Horton, Geoff Becker, and Danny Lawless. They eclipsed a truly star-studded fleet that was deeply laden in talent, leaving multiple World, European, North American Champions in their wake. On their way to the top of the podium, they collected an outstanding record of four 1sts, two 2nds, and two 4ths to count only top five finishes for 16 pts net.
For the third straight time, it was Ryan McKillen's SURGE crew of Jeff Reynolds, Lucas Calabrese, and Sam Loughborough that took the silver. They put up a good fight but could not match the sheer consistency of the HONEYBADGER gangsters. Like their colleagues, they also posted all top five finishes, including two race wins, to end with 22 pts net.
Rounding out the podium was World Champion Joel Ronning's team on CATAPULT that consisted of Jud Smith (another J/70 World champ), Kris Stoke, and Patrick Wilson. Winning two races and taking three 2nds, they were virtually tied for the lead with just two races to go in the series. However, a lighter air, shiftier day for the finale proved to be their undoing, posting an uncharacteristic 9-8 to close out the regatta and dropping to the bronze step on the podium. Rounding out the top five were John Brim's RIMETTE in fourth place and Vernon Robert's Chilean crew on MORENITA.
Winning the Corinthians Division was Zach Segal's USA 1154 with crew of Ashton Hamerlin, Enrique Quintero, and Blake Cabasa. Second was the Brazilian crew on CLOUD NINE with Toribio Tedin as skipper and team of Emilio Miguel, and Javier & Enrique Dillon. Sailing photo credits- Bacardi / Mattias Cappizano. For more Bacardi J/70 Invitational Regatta sailing information
After the first day it was abundantly clear that one team must've consumed several spinach cans of Popeye's "whupass", flexed their muscles, and completely smoked the fleet. Starting first and never looking back. the DEJA VOODOO team left everyone in their wake as they peeled off all bullets on the first day. The second and third day of racing never saw them take their foot off the gas, keeping it "firewalled" and reeling off a bunch more bullets. In the end, Bill Zartler's team on DEJA VOODOO may have been surprised at their own incredible record, counting all bullets after tossing a 2nd place in the eight race/ one-drop series...just 7 pts net!
The Vice-champion of the last J/105 North American Championship in Marblehead, MA- FINAL FINAL- was put into the unenviable position of playing chase the entire regatta. Accumulating five deuces and the only bullet not taken by DEJA VOODOO, Ken Horne's team on FINAL FINAL sailed to a clear second place with 14 pts net.
Completing the podium in the bronze position was Uzi Ozeri's BONBON, they closed with a 3-5 on the last day for all top ten finishes and 32 pts net.
Rounding out the top five was John Barnett's PESTO with 35 pts net in fourth position and Mark Smith's EAU LA LA took 5th with 36 pts net. For more J/105 Midwinter Championship regatta sailing information
The event was the first offshore Regatta in India complying with OSR Cat 3 requirements and was organized by Royal Madras Yacht Club under the authority of the Yachting Association of India, the apex sailing body. The Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy provided support and logistics for a safe event. World renowned sailors consented to participate in the event to get the press and media interested. Commander Abhilash Tomy, the first Indian to complete a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the world in a sailboat and Lt. Cdr Vartika Joshi, the naval officer who captained the all-women team which circumnavigated the globe.
Event organizer Capt. Vivek Shanbhag said that for the first-time satellite trackers were used for continuous coverage. The website was given wide publicity for tracking the race in real-time on smart phones and laptops.
The first leg had VCS leading from the beginning. Over the next 8 hours as the sun was setting, VCS was about 500 meters ahead of INWTC and about 3 kms behind were EMESA leading by a km over PSA. The race was a close reach with calm seas and 10 knots SW winds. Being a new moon, the sky was bright with a million stars and boats had to keep watch over the many fishing boats dotting the seas. In the last 2 kms the winds dropped to 4 knots and VCS was trying to spot the race committee vessel at the finish line among the numerous fishing boats with similar lights. Meantime INWTC hoisted their kite and narrowed the margin and got a slim lead over VCS. By the time VCS hoisted their kite, the winds dropped further, and the boats moved in slow motion with INWTC finishing 3 minutes ahead. Similarly, PSA bringing the rear managed to pip EMESA by a minute at the finish line. After 14 hours racing the finish was an absolute thriller!
After a good, long nights sleep, the next day saw the fleet prepare to sail the return leg to Chennai. The second leg had a wind change and was 10 knots from NE with the boats sailing a long beat to windward. VCS tacked and headed deep into the sea, with the other three teams hugging the coast. INWTC managed a comfortable lead of about 90 minutes over the next 10 hours and the next three boats finished within 4 minutes of each other! VCS, which was lagging behind by a huge margin of 5 kms, managed to continuously trim their sails and finished second. The last boat took about 16 hours. It was yet another nail-biting finish, an event rarely heard of in offshore racing.
As a result, the cumulative results of the two legs saw INWTC win with two bullets, followed by VCS with two 2nds, and a tie for third place between PSA and EMESA!
"The wind was uncharacteristically from the south, around 8-10 kt, so the PRO set us on a reaching course from the Golden Gate YC's X Buoy against the 2-3 kt flood tide out to Pt. Bonita buoy and back.
We had an ultra-cautious start (not our usual, of course). We were a bit late at the start, as we decided to hoist the big asym spinnaker before the gun and allowed a generous amount of space so as to not risk being over-early.
Most of the other boats started ahead of us and then jib-reached up along the shore to avoid the flood and what appeared to be lighter air.
By contrast, we felt the extra sail area would allow us to plow ahead on the rhumb line, and that proved to be the winning formula against the adverse current. We were in much more breeze and we were well-ahead by the time the others hoisted their spinnakers.
We then nearly stopped dead when passing the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge and running into both its wind shadow and a 4-5 knot flood...reducing our VMG to around 1.5 kt! We persisted and poked through to some relief.
We were then knocked toward the north shore of the entrance channel, but did not mind that as we expected early ebb, which proved to be true. As we got closer to the lee shore (on the north side of the channel), we were headed some more and dropped the kite, but then lifted back up to the mark and benefited from the ebb.
After passing Pt. Bonita, we were still way ahead of the fleet. However, we couldn't locate the mark! We suspect it had been pulled for maintenance!! Oops!
We called our competitors on the radio and asked if any of them could find the mark. We then suggested they should round our spot (GPS coordinates) and race to the finish. Everyone agreed, and we then turned for a pleasant close-reach and then a beat home to the finish. It was notable that two of the teams, RUSSIAN ROULETTE and AKULA, had young crew on board. Nicole had baked some fruit pies and awarded them to the second and third place finishers, AKULA and AQUAVIT." Sailing photo credits- Don Weineke.
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* Learn about the Storm Trysail Club Offshore Sailing Leadership Symposium
The Storm Trysail Club Released its Offshore Sailing Leadership Symposium Report Detailed Report, including a 70 Minute Video Recap of November 2020 Event. Read the report here- https://stormtrysail.org/reports/osls2020/
Last November, the Storm Trysail Club Seamanship Committee virtually gathered 90 accomplished leaders from within - and outside - the sailing world for its Offshore Sailing Leadership Symposium. World-class sailors, military officers, mountaineers, Merchant Marine officers, public health experts, and business executives worked together to better understand and promote a culture of safety and leadership in offshore sailing and to recommend improvements to Safety at Sea training and education. Their collective achievements include America’s Cup campaigns, summiting Mount Everest, commanding a US Navy nuclear submarine, solo and crewed circumnavigations, and combating Ebola and Covid-19.
“Until recently, the concept of ‘Leadership’ has been largely ignored while the use of safety-related equipment and specific maneuvers - such as recovering crew overboard - have been emphasized. Yet, Leadership is the glue that holds it all together,“ explained Event Chair Rich du Moulin. “Good leadership minimizes the chance of a dangerous situation, and when something does go wrong offshore, good leadership maximizes the chance for a satisfactory outcome. This comprehensive analysis includes observations and recommendations for leadership that have terrific applicability to handling challenges in business and other non-sailing situations.”
Principal findings coming out of the seminar include:
Add to Flipboard Magazine.
Another J/120 skipper ready to get back out on the water after an injury last fall is SDYC Staff Commodore Chuck Nichols, sailing on CC RIDER. “I’ve raced in almost every Yachting Cup since the early eighties. The best racers in Southern California show up for the Yachting Cup. Everyone knows they will participate in good competition with good Race Committee work,” he started. “Between major regattas, we try to sail races that are similar to the types of courses we are going to see in the near future. Continuity of crew is critical to our success. They all know their jobs well and we work hard to get them out for every race on our calendar. Our crew is a fun-loving bunch who really enjoy joking around, but they also know when to hang up the hijinks and get down to racing.”
Back for another year to chair the event is Patrick Murray. “As we’ve endured an extremely long year dreaming of the things that we love to do, it’s time to get back at it and get back out racing. We’re excited to be hosting an event that will be building on the 2020 Yachting Cup as we work our way closer to a new normal,” he started.
“As with the 2020 edition, we’ll be focusing on the water and high-level racing on both courses. We expect to have extremely tight one design racing in the J/105 one-design fleet while we’ll have the bigger boats going head-to-head on the far course. One thing is for sure, you can count on all the teams bringing their A-games as the competition is always tight! We’ve had an active weather pattern here this spring, and that’s a good sign that we’ll get really nice sailing condition. We’re looking forward to having a great regatta! See you on the water," finished Murray.
Safety precautions are in place to ensure a healthy event such as socially distancing and wearing face coverings. SDYC is strictly following the protocols set forth by the County and the State. Due to continuing restrictions on gatherings, there will be no post-race socials on Saturday or Sunday evening. This year’s Yachting Cup will continue to feature a Skipper’s Meeting via Zoom. Awards will be announced at the Post Race Debrief after racing on Sunday, May 2. Awards will be available for individual pick-up or delivery.
Sailing photo credits- Bronny Daniels/ JOY Sailing.com. For more SDYC Yachting Cup regatta and sailing information
Block Island Race Week Update
(Block Island, RI)- With just under 100 days left until Race Week, 150 teams have already joined Block Island Race Week presented by Margaritaville (seventy are J/Boats = 47%)! This is the highest number of early registrations in over a decade for the biennial Storm Trysail Club event. “We cannot underestimate the motivation for sailors and their families to return to doing what they love together,” says Event Chair Ray Redniss. “With increased vaccine rollouts and lower case numbers, we are cautiously optimistic that our 2021 event will be a great success.”Still, the race organizers are managing expectations that 2021 won’t be exactly like past Race Weeks. The logistics of hosting a large regatta on an island demands months of preparation and - as one of the first major events to be held among so much uncertainty - a variety of necessary measures to keep sailors, volunteers and local families safe and healthy will be implemented. What those policies look like is still being determined.
“We meet each week as a team and are in constant contact with local businesses, a variety of experts, and our vendors,” says Redniss. “We know our sailors come for the fun, camaraderie, and competition, and our goal is still to deliver all that at the highest level, albeit safely.”
Regards J/Teams participation, so far here are the amazing numbers:
- ORC 2- five J/121s and two J/122s
- J/44 class- seven boats
- J/88 class- five boats
- J/109 class- thirteen boats
- J/105 class- sixteen boats
- PHRF 1- six J/111s and two J/122s (J/111s will get one-design start)
- PHRF 2- a J/99, J/33, J/35
- PHRF 3- a J/24, two J/29s, two J/80s
- PHRF Cruise 1 Spin- a J/120, J/95
- PHRF Cruise 2 Spin- a J/120, J/125, J/133
- PHRF Cruise 3 Spin- a J/29
J/70 European Championship Postponed
(Copenhagen, Denmark)– The Royal Danish Yacht Club (KDY) Organizing Committee and the International J/70 Class Association met to review the Danish governments pandemic restrictions and decided to move the Championship to late August this year. Registration/inspections will start on August 27th, 2021 and the prize-giving ceremony will conclude the Championship on September 4th, 2021.The event was scheduled in June at the Royal Danish Yacht Club. Please see the revised Notice of Race that will be posted in the coming days. It's the hope of the KDY Organizing Committee to be able to host a great and “normal” regatta with activity at the harbor, socializing and great racing later this year
For more J/70 European Championship regatta information
J/Gear March 20% Off Special!
(Newport, RI)- The Marmot zip top model #9276 has a 20.0% discount for March! The simple lines and full-on function of the J Stretch Fleece 1/2 Zip makes layering on and off the water a practical solution. The warm polyester stretch fleece with a comfortable flat-locked seam construction allows liberal movement. Marmot quality and durability throughout. It's perfect partner for all seasons. In black, marine blue, or red. Order your beautiful Marmot 1/2 zip top hereSailing Calendar
Mar 18-21- J/22 Midwinter Championship- New Orleans, LAMar 19-21- San Diego NOOD Regatta- San Diego, CA
Mar 19- NHYC Cabo Race- Newport Beach, CA
Mar 25-28- SAIL 22 J/70 Invitational- Coconut Grove, FL
Mar 26-28- St. Thomas International Regatta- St. Thomas, USVI
Mar 29- Apr 4- BVI Spring Regatta- Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Apr 2-4- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Petersburg, FL
Apr 8-11- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 30- May 2- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
Apr 30- May 2- J/111 North American Championship- Annapolis, MD
May 9-15- J/70 North American Championship- Annapolis, MD
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
HONEYBADGER Crowned J/70 Bacardi Champion
(Miami, FL)- This past weekend, the Bacardi Invitational for the J/70 class took place on Miami's Biscayne Bay, hosted by the Shake-A-Leg Foundation, with race management conducted by the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club.The twenty-two boat J/70 fleet was simply blessed with classic, amazing Biscayne Bay sailing conditions all three days of the event. Starting off with two days of planing conditions in northerly winds, the smiles painted onto everyone's faces was palpable...pure joy as teams loved the good breeze, sunny weather, and turquoise waters of the Bay!
An incredible nine races were run by the Biscayne Bay YC Race Committee and PRO team, helping out that process was the quick mark reset capabilities of the tres-cool MARK-SET-BOT buoys of the windward marks and gates!
In the end, the most remarkable performance came from the well-known cast of characters from upstate New York; winning with style and grace was Travis Odenbach's HONEYBADGER team that consisted of Andy Horton, Geoff Becker, and Danny Lawless. They eclipsed a truly star-studded fleet that was deeply laden in talent, leaving multiple World, European, North American Champions in their wake. On their way to the top of the podium, they collected an outstanding record of four 1sts, two 2nds, and two 4ths to count only top five finishes for 16 pts net.
For the third straight time, it was Ryan McKillen's SURGE crew of Jeff Reynolds, Lucas Calabrese, and Sam Loughborough that took the silver. They put up a good fight but could not match the sheer consistency of the HONEYBADGER gangsters. Like their colleagues, they also posted all top five finishes, including two race wins, to end with 22 pts net.
Rounding out the podium was World Champion Joel Ronning's team on CATAPULT that consisted of Jud Smith (another J/70 World champ), Kris Stoke, and Patrick Wilson. Winning two races and taking three 2nds, they were virtually tied for the lead with just two races to go in the series. However, a lighter air, shiftier day for the finale proved to be their undoing, posting an uncharacteristic 9-8 to close out the regatta and dropping to the bronze step on the podium. Rounding out the top five were John Brim's RIMETTE in fourth place and Vernon Robert's Chilean crew on MORENITA.
Winning the Corinthians Division was Zach Segal's USA 1154 with crew of Ashton Hamerlin, Enrique Quintero, and Blake Cabasa. Second was the Brazilian crew on CLOUD NINE with Toribio Tedin as skipper and team of Emilio Miguel, and Javier & Enrique Dillon. Sailing photo credits- Bacardi / Mattias Cappizano. For more Bacardi J/70 Invitational Regatta sailing information
DEJA VOODOO Eclipses J/105 Midwinters
(Seabrook, TX)- The J/105 Midwinter Championship returned to the calendar this year as twelve teams competed at Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, TX from March 11-14. Over the three-day regatta, the fleet enjoyed truly amazing Texas-style hospitality and pretty amazing sailing conditions- warm, breezy, and moderately choppy waters on Galveston Bay.After the first day it was abundantly clear that one team must've consumed several spinach cans of Popeye's "whupass", flexed their muscles, and completely smoked the fleet. Starting first and never looking back. the DEJA VOODOO team left everyone in their wake as they peeled off all bullets on the first day. The second and third day of racing never saw them take their foot off the gas, keeping it "firewalled" and reeling off a bunch more bullets. In the end, Bill Zartler's team on DEJA VOODOO may have been surprised at their own incredible record, counting all bullets after tossing a 2nd place in the eight race/ one-drop series...just 7 pts net!
The Vice-champion of the last J/105 North American Championship in Marblehead, MA- FINAL FINAL- was put into the unenviable position of playing chase the entire regatta. Accumulating five deuces and the only bullet not taken by DEJA VOODOO, Ken Horne's team on FINAL FINAL sailed to a clear second place with 14 pts net.
Completing the podium in the bronze position was Uzi Ozeri's BONBON, they closed with a 3-5 on the last day for all top ten finishes and 32 pts net.
Rounding out the top five was John Barnett's PESTO with 35 pts net in fourth position and Mark Smith's EAU LA LA took 5th with 36 pts net. For more J/105 Midwinter Championship regatta sailing information
Successful UNIFI CAPITAL J/80 Offshore Regatta!
(Chennai, India)- The Unifi Capital Offshore Regatta, was held from the 11th to 14th March 2021 with a race between Chennai and Puducherry which are 160 kms apart in the Bay of Bengal in South India. Four J/80 class sail boats competed with teams- INWTC from Indian Navy, EMESA from Indian Army, VCS from Royal Madras Yacht Club and PSA from Pondycherry Sailing Association.The event was the first offshore Regatta in India complying with OSR Cat 3 requirements and was organized by Royal Madras Yacht Club under the authority of the Yachting Association of India, the apex sailing body. The Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy provided support and logistics for a safe event. World renowned sailors consented to participate in the event to get the press and media interested. Commander Abhilash Tomy, the first Indian to complete a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the world in a sailboat and Lt. Cdr Vartika Joshi, the naval officer who captained the all-women team which circumnavigated the globe.
Event organizer Capt. Vivek Shanbhag said that for the first-time satellite trackers were used for continuous coverage. The website was given wide publicity for tracking the race in real-time on smart phones and laptops.
The first leg had VCS leading from the beginning. Over the next 8 hours as the sun was setting, VCS was about 500 meters ahead of INWTC and about 3 kms behind were EMESA leading by a km over PSA. The race was a close reach with calm seas and 10 knots SW winds. Being a new moon, the sky was bright with a million stars and boats had to keep watch over the many fishing boats dotting the seas. In the last 2 kms the winds dropped to 4 knots and VCS was trying to spot the race committee vessel at the finish line among the numerous fishing boats with similar lights. Meantime INWTC hoisted their kite and narrowed the margin and got a slim lead over VCS. By the time VCS hoisted their kite, the winds dropped further, and the boats moved in slow motion with INWTC finishing 3 minutes ahead. Similarly, PSA bringing the rear managed to pip EMESA by a minute at the finish line. After 14 hours racing the finish was an absolute thriller!
After a good, long nights sleep, the next day saw the fleet prepare to sail the return leg to Chennai. The second leg had a wind change and was 10 knots from NE with the boats sailing a long beat to windward. VCS tacked and headed deep into the sea, with the other three teams hugging the coast. INWTC managed a comfortable lead of about 90 minutes over the next 10 hours and the next three boats finished within 4 minutes of each other! VCS, which was lagging behind by a huge margin of 5 kms, managed to continuously trim their sails and finished second. The last boat took about 16 hours. It was yet another nail-biting finish, an event rarely heard of in offshore racing.
As a result, the cumulative results of the two legs saw INWTC win with two bullets, followed by VCS with two 2nds, and a tie for third place between PSA and EMESA!
ARBITRAGE Circles Fleet in J/105 "Pi" Doublehanded Race
(San Francisco, CA)- J/105 Fleet #1 continues to have fun organizing their own one-design doublehanded racing on San Francisco Bay. With races easily started and finished just off Golden Gate Yacht Club, and with a few hundred navigational buoys to choose from on Bay charts, it's easy to tailor a race course to the forecasted breezes and tides for the day. Here's Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault's report from aboard ARBITRAGE on the inaugural "Pi" Doublehanded Race held on 3.14.21 (get it? LOL)."The wind was uncharacteristically from the south, around 8-10 kt, so the PRO set us on a reaching course from the Golden Gate YC's X Buoy against the 2-3 kt flood tide out to Pt. Bonita buoy and back.
We had an ultra-cautious start (not our usual, of course). We were a bit late at the start, as we decided to hoist the big asym spinnaker before the gun and allowed a generous amount of space so as to not risk being over-early.
Most of the other boats started ahead of us and then jib-reached up along the shore to avoid the flood and what appeared to be lighter air.
By contrast, we felt the extra sail area would allow us to plow ahead on the rhumb line, and that proved to be the winning formula against the adverse current. We were in much more breeze and we were well-ahead by the time the others hoisted their spinnakers.
We then nearly stopped dead when passing the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge and running into both its wind shadow and a 4-5 knot flood...reducing our VMG to around 1.5 kt! We persisted and poked through to some relief.
We were then knocked toward the north shore of the entrance channel, but did not mind that as we expected early ebb, which proved to be true. As we got closer to the lee shore (on the north side of the channel), we were headed some more and dropped the kite, but then lifted back up to the mark and benefited from the ebb.
After passing Pt. Bonita, we were still way ahead of the fleet. However, we couldn't locate the mark! We suspect it had been pulled for maintenance!! Oops!
We called our competitors on the radio and asked if any of them could find the mark. We then suggested they should round our spot (GPS coordinates) and race to the finish. Everyone agreed, and we then turned for a pleasant close-reach and then a beat home to the finish. It was notable that two of the teams, RUSSIAN ROULETTE and AKULA, had young crew on board. Nicole had baked some fruit pies and awarded them to the second and third place finishers, AKULA and AQUAVIT." Sailing photo credits- Don Weineke.
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* Learn about the Storm Trysail Club Offshore Sailing Leadership SymposiumThe Storm Trysail Club Released its Offshore Sailing Leadership Symposium Report Detailed Report, including a 70 Minute Video Recap of November 2020 Event. Read the report here- https://stormtrysail.org/reports/osls2020/
Last November, the Storm Trysail Club Seamanship Committee virtually gathered 90 accomplished leaders from within - and outside - the sailing world for its Offshore Sailing Leadership Symposium. World-class sailors, military officers, mountaineers, Merchant Marine officers, public health experts, and business executives worked together to better understand and promote a culture of safety and leadership in offshore sailing and to recommend improvements to Safety at Sea training and education. Their collective achievements include America’s Cup campaigns, summiting Mount Everest, commanding a US Navy nuclear submarine, solo and crewed circumnavigations, and combating Ebola and Covid-19.
“Until recently, the concept of ‘Leadership’ has been largely ignored while the use of safety-related equipment and specific maneuvers - such as recovering crew overboard - have been emphasized. Yet, Leadership is the glue that holds it all together,“ explained Event Chair Rich du Moulin. “Good leadership minimizes the chance of a dangerous situation, and when something does go wrong offshore, good leadership maximizes the chance for a satisfactory outcome. This comprehensive analysis includes observations and recommendations for leadership that have terrific applicability to handling challenges in business and other non-sailing situations.”
Principal findings coming out of the seminar include:
- The Skipper/Owner is Ultimately Accountable
- The Implications of Leading with High Character
- Insights on Selecting and Training the Team
- Critical Processes for Planning and Preparation
- Methods of Ensuring Clear Roles and Responsibilities
- The Effects of Ego on Teamwork
- Positive Impacts of Open Communication
- Error Chain Recognition and Maintaining Situational Awareness
- Benefits of Adjusting Goals and Plans as Conditions Require
- The Importance of Remaining Calm in an Emergency
- How Maintaining Optimism is Key to Positive Results
- Never Giving Up!
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after the awards ceremonies and dinner to celebrate the end of the event (no worries, the wind was blowing hard offshore!)!
The team was mixed, four men and four women. Hank Stuart (skipper), Mary Stuart, Mark Sertl, Annemarie Cook, Michael and Kristin Carbone, Michele Villani and Peter Pape. US Naval Academy Midshipman Evan Scott completed the crew.