J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
Two more winter series concluded this past weekend, with sailing taking place on the Mediterranean for both events. Over in Monte Carlo, Monaco, the Yacht Club Monaco hosted the fifth event in their Monaco J/70 Winter Series. A big stone’s throw off to the west, the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona concluded their final Barcelona J/70 & J/80 Winter Series, sailed in the same waters as the sailing Olympics a few decades ago.Hopping across the Atlantic, the J/22 Midwinter Championship was sailed off Fort Walton Beach, FL, hosted by the Fort Walton YC. Then, going that same distance further west (e.g. the Atlantic Ocean is ~ 3,000 miles wide, as is the continental USA), two events were taking place simultaneously in Southern California. The HELLY HANSEN San Diego NOOD Regatta featured highly competitive fleets of J/70s, J/105s, and J/120s, hosted by the eponymous San Diego Yacht Club, with sailing taking place offshore of Point Loma as well as in South Bay inside San Diego Harbor. Meanwhile, a fleet of offshore racers started the Newport Beach to Cabo San Lucas Race and they are, universally, suffering from an extreme lack of wind…somewhat unusual for the giant Pacific High to pack it in and get pushed around by that insufferable Arctic Polar Vortex.
St Thomas International Regatta Preview
(Cowpet Bay, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands)- If your bucket list includes having a drink at one of the Favorite Yachting Bars in the Caribbean, then tick that box for the St. Thomas International Regatta. Announced in 2017, 50° North (creators of Wight Vodka) and Scuttlebutt Europe announced that the STIR-host (St. Thomas Yacht Club) won its annual contest in a special Caribbean category.
For those who have never visited, Cowpet Bay is a beautiful place to finish a race and the Club and its bar are located on the beachfront, literally. Plus, for those that are long timers, think back to your first Caribbean regatta and what a great experience it was. The club offers the same vibe year after year, with an emphasis on ‘simple fun and great sailing’. That’s why sailors love it!
There is no question many sailors are answering that siren call! For those that enjoyed Caribbean racing in the 1970s and 1980s – or heard the stories and wished you were there– this year’s St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR), set for March 21st to 24th, is the place to be!
A dozen boats are registered for the fourth annual Round the Rocks (RTR) race on Thursday. This one-day event, whose course is a 19 mile circumnavigation of the neighboring island of St. John, is a great way for teams to tune up for the main event starting on Friday. Boats sailing in the Round the Rocks race will start off St. Thomas’ east end off Cowpet Bay, sail counterclockwise around St. John, and finish off St. Thomas.
“By popular demand, we brought back the Round the Rocks race last year. This sprint around St John is both scenic and tactical. It’s a great way to kick-off STIR, especially with Rock City Brewing Company sponsoring the race and after-racing Happy Hour,” says regatta director, Bill Canfield.
CSA Spinnaker Racing class has four J/crews. Topping that pack is Pamala Baldwin’s J/122 LIQUID from Antigua. Joining them will be Peter Lewis’ J/105 WHISTLER, the recent winner of their CSA 4 class at Heineken St Maarten Regatta; Mackenzie Bryan’s J/100 BAD GIRL from St. Croix YC; and Mike Felerabend’s J/24 BRAVISSIMO from St John YC. For more St Thomas International Regatta sailing information
BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival Preview
(Road Town, Tortola, BVI)- Hosted by the Royal British Virgin Islands Yacht Club and sailed out of the spectacular Nanny Cay Marina, the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival, has grown back bigger than it has been in recent memory. It is a fitting tribute that a dozen boats showed up last year to go racing, including members of the J/Tribe that sailed on two J/122s, a new J/121, a J/111, and J/105s. The 48th edition of the regatta in 2019 will have 60-plus boats and the crews are excited to be sailing in sunny BVI. This year’s regatta runs March 25th to 31st.
The Race week schedule will include the traditional Round Tortola Race for the Nanny Cay Cup, followed by Scrub Island Invitational on day two of racing in the Sailing Festival. Then, three great days of racing follow for the 48th BVI Spring Regatta.
There’s plenty to love about Spring Regatta beyond the spectacularly blissful break it gives from the winter doldrums, especially the mix of international crew and range of boats that participate. The fleet includes owners and crews from USA, Germany, BVI, USVI, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, Canada, Antigua, Belgium, Barbados, Ukraine, Poland and Russia.
It’s also a guaranteed good time when many of the fleet is returning for their multiple BVISR events, including the four J/crews in CSA Spinnaker Racing class. Topping that pack is Pamala Baldwin’s J/122 LIQUID from Antigua and also Tony Mack’s British crew returning to sail the infamous J/122 TEAM McFLY/ EL OCASO! Joining them will be Peter Lewis’ J/105 WHISTLER, the recent winner of their CSA 4 class at Heineken St Maarten Regatta; and Mackenzie Bryan’s J/100 BAD GIRL from St. Croix YC.
“We are very open, very ready, and very excited to welcome sailors from around the world who are returning or making this their first BVI racing experience,” Judy Petz, Regatta Director said. “The energy and spirit of sailing in the BVIs takes more than category five hurricanes to keep people from coming back to sail and race here!” BVI Sailing Festival sailing information
J/70 Sevastopol International Cup Announcement!
(Sevastopol, Russia)- From September 19 to September 22, 2019, a brand new and grand sailing event will be held in Sevastopol - the first international regatta for J/70’s in Russia- the Sevastopol International Cup. The project organizers promise participation by international teams from Europe, Asia, and across the world. Simply apply to the National Sailing League in Moscow, see links below. You do not have to bring your own boat, just fly in with your crew!
Given the fact that the regatta will become the main part of the program of the Sea Festival known as the “Sailing Week of Sevastopol,” the event will be truly unforgettable. For those international teams interested, there will also be a serious prize fund for the event for the podium finishes as well as daily prizes. Winning teams can either keep the cash prizes or donate them to their favorite charities.
In fact, as a “sailing league” style event, the supplied J/70’s will be racing in the spectacular bay of Sevastopol, on the warm, azure blue waters of the Black Sea. There are several spectacular seaside spa resorts nearby for regatta participants- like Sevastopol Hotel & Spa or Aquamarine Spa & Hotel.
Note- the event will also be broadcast across Russia, Europe, and the rest of the world with “live” feeds over the Internet.
The sailing league is growing and growing, and now the National J/70 Sailing League has their blog on Russia’s national sports portal. As a result, all sailing news from the various regattas taking place in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Sevastopol, and Vladivostok can now be found on Russia’s largest sports resource. You can follow their rapidly growing fleet of J/70s at the links below!
Russian J/70 Sailing League on SPORTS.RU here Follow the Russian J/70 Sailing League here Russian J/70 Sailing League promo video (nicely done) The Russian National Sailing League site is here.
2019 J/GEAR Spring ShakeOut!
(Newport, RI)- Spring is just around the corner, believe it or not! While you are escaping or experiencing the crazy spring weather so far, it is high time to consider getting yourself and the crew ready for another fun summer of sailing on the high seas!
To help get you in full swing, J/Gear is offering to all J/Owners a 20% discount on all crew gear orders through April 2019.
Go here to J/Gear (http://jgear.vsport.biz/) and start shopping. Then, use the following discount code at checkout: JB2019st. Please note- 1/2 models and Custom J Prints do not qualify for the discount.
Regatta & Show Schedules:
Mar 22-24- St Thomas International Regatta- St Thomas, USVIMar 29-31- BVI Spring Regatta- Roadtown, Tortola, BVI
Mar 30- Apr 5- J/24 North American Championship- Valle de Bravo, Mexico
Apr 11-14- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 28- May 1- Antigua Sailing Week- English Harbour, Antigua
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
Not Fake News! BAD NEWS Wins J/22 Midwinters!
(Fort Walton Beach, FL)- Perhaps it was more like a story of “The Incredibles”! Three J/22 World Champions joined forces at the J/22 Midwinter Championship this year, and they didn’t need much luck of the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day to take home the title. On BAD NEWS, New York Yacht Club’s Mike Marshall, with crew Zeke Horowitz and Todd Hiller, never finished lower than fifth in the 30-boat fleet, and were able to hit the docks early to let their fellow competitors battle it out for the remaining places. Marshall won the J/22 World Championship in 2016 in Kingston, ON Canada with Hiller as crew, and Horowitz won as skipper last fall in Annapolis, MD. Their win was well-deserved against the remarkably hot competition in sunny southern Florida.
Day 1- Dead Heat Flippin’ Friday!
Thirty-one J/22s convened on the starting line for the J/22 Midwinter Championship at Fort Walton Yacht Club in Fort Walton Beach, FL. Three races took place on the inaugural day in winds between 6-12 knots.
Two teams dueled hard and both ended up at 8 points each, both logging identical finishes of a 1-2-5. Those protagonists were Kevin Doyle’s MO’ MONEY and Mike Marshall’s BAD NEWS. Needless to say, those two boats are quite familiar with each other and are often thrashing it out at the top of the leaderboard. Just behind was Jeff Todd’s HOT TODDY, resting in third with 14 pts. And, just five ticks back in fourth was Chris Princing’s Team Award & Sports/ Evil Dr. Pork Chop from the greater Midwest J/22 fleet.
Marshall got off to a successful start in race one, as did Chris Doyle’s THE JUG 4 1 and David Muller’s CALL THE BALL. Casey Lambert’s BLACKBURN MARINE RACING took line honors in the middle race, ahead of Kevin Doyle and Jeff Todd. Then, it was Kevin Doyle’s turn for the win, with Marshall and Todd on his tail.
Day 2- Shifty, Horizon-job Saturday
A shifty weather pattern that followed a cold front challenged the fleet. In winds between 10-15 knots Saturday, Karen Glass’ PAYASO opened triumphantly, with Mark Foster’s PRESSURE DROP and Doug Weakly’s HNL next. Marshall then earned his second of three bullets thus far, in advance of Doyle’s THE JUG 4 1 and David Muller’s CALL THE BALL. Closing out the day’s final top three were Marshall, Vincent Ruder and Jeff Todd.
Marshall’s BAD NEWS flourished in the conditions, posting a 4-1-1 on the day for 9 net points in six races, a horizon job in the last two races. Discarding a 5th from race two, the 2016 J/22 World Champion not only broke the day one tie for first place, but secured a HUUUGE (not fake news) 14-point advantage for BAD NEWS over their closest competitors— Todd’s HOT TODDY.
The balance of the top five were all within five points of each other, heading into the final day of competition on Sunday. Following Todd was Mark Foster’s PRESSURE DROP, whose solid day shot him into third place. Then, just one notch behind him was Lambert’s BLACKBURN MARINE RACING and Doyle’s THE JUG 4 1.
Day 3- Bad News Eclipses Fleet, Or Not?
The final day produced more good winds. That was good news! Taking advantage of their tactics, speed, and confidence, the three J/22 World Champions on BAD NEWS started the day with a 4-1, then sailed home knowing they had clinched the title. Todd’s HOT TODDY from Annapolis YC posted a 5-13-3 to secure the silver. Meanwhile, Lambert’s BLACKBURN MARINE RACING sailed a solid 9-2-4 to finish just three points back and take the bronze. While they were hot on the trail for a podium finish, Doyle’s Youngstown YC crew faltered on the last day, posting a 1-8-10 to finish fourth. Then, past J/22 World Champion (another one??) Mark Foster and his crew on PRESSURE DROP (with Rod “Caracas” Favela and Travis Odenbach as crew) from Corpus Christi YC rounded out the top five.
Marshall credited his team for doing “99 percent of the work.” He explained, “Zeke called stellar tactics upwind in a super shifty venue. Todd called breeze downwind and talked about how we were doing relative to other boats. So, I could change what I needed to if we were going slow or keep trying to do what I was doing if we were going fast.” Marshall said all the competitors would be happy to come back to Fort Walton Beach again, summarizing it was “great sailing, flat water, really shifty and a super inviting yacht club.” For more J/22 Midwinter Championship sailing information
Irish Luck @ Monaco J/70 Winter Series- Act V
Yacht Club Monaco Team Wins Overall!
(Monte Carlo, Monaco)– The 6th Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series held from October 2018 to March 2019 ended in style this weekend with the fifth and final Act taking place in spring conditions (sunshine and wind) to the delight of the J/70 contestants that set up their winter base in the Principality.
Organized by the Yacht Club de Monaco, in collaboration with technical clothing supplier SLAM, the regattas were important for J/70 one-design teams to prepare for the season. Already, many of the crews from Europe and the rest of the world are focused on the 2021 J/70 Worlds in Monaco. That was evidenced by all the foreign teams, some from across the Atlantic. Among the favorites in the J/70 fleet was the Brazilian sailing star Marcelo Ferreira, loyal teammate of Torben Grael, two-time Olympic gold Medallist and bronze Medallist in the Star class.
In the J/70 class, it was only fitting that on St Patrick’s Day, victory went to Marshall King’s Irish team on SOAK RACING, led by the International J/70 Class President. The team dominated the weekend with two race wins and always in the vanguard, despite determined Swiss opposition on CDE CH, helmed by Nicolas Anklin. Russian Sergey Sobolev on RUS 1271 took 3rd, although two poor results cost him dearly, as fewer than two points separated him from his pursuers all the way down to 7th place. Notably, SOAK RACING also won the Corinthian category, ahead of the Swiss armada.
For the fourth season, the YC Monaco Race Committee, managed by PRO Thierry Leret, managed twenty-nine races. Amazingly, they averaged nearly six races a weekend. It was a notable accomplishment by YC Monaco’s commitment to provide world-class sailing all winter long to their J/70 fleet. It was greatly appreciated by sailors across Europe, Russia, and the rest of the world. Can anyone imagine that the vision of YC Monaco’s yacht racing evangelists (including HRH Prince Albert- himself an active J/24 sailor for decades) four years ago would lead to sixty-one teams participating in the 2018-2019 winter series?
In the final overall ranking for the 2018-2019 season, it was clear that HRH Prince Albert and his team at YC Monaco are producing great outcomes supporting their sailors on the European and International J/70 circuits. Consistency and competitiveness paid off for Ludovico Fassitelli’s JUNDA BANCA DEL SEMPIONE. It was a successful return to the J/70 for the YC Monaco member, which bodes well for the J/70 World Championship in Monaco in October 2021.
Another YC Monaco member took 2nd place, Loïc Pompée’s ALLO III, who continues to progress and will be a team to watch out for in the next J/70 Europeans. The Swiss Corinthian team, Bruno Zeltner’s QUARTER 2 ELEVEN team, hung onto their 3rd place and 1st in the Corinthians after nearly 30 races.
Following the Swiss team in the Corinthians were two Russian teams; second was Dimitri Zaritskii (RUS 1271) and third was Andreï Malygin’s MARIA. Notably, MARIA had no worse than a 2nd in the middle two regattas of the series, winning both of them easily.
Dates have already been set for the 7th Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series with five Acts and more than seventy boats are lined up to participate.
- Act 1: November 7-10, 2019
- Act 2: December 5-8, 2019
- Act 3: January 16-19, 2020
- Act 4: February 6-9- 2020- (Primo Cup – Trophée Credit Suisse)
- Act 5: March 5-8 2020
ROSEBUD Tops San Diego NOOD Regatta!
(San Diego, CA)- The 2019 Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta San Diego was sailed from March 15th to 17th for the nearly 130 teams that were sailing for the weekend. As has been the case in past years, the J/Teams and their dozens of sailors predominated in the event that saw classic sunny San Diego conditions. Pamela Rose’s J/70 team on ROSEBUD from Chicago/ San Diego emerged as the top team in a talent-laden class and was selected as the San Diego NOOD Challenger for the Helly Hansen NOOD Caribbean Championship! Here is what happened over the three-day weekend.
Day 1- Picture Perfect Sailing
There was plenty to play for on the first day. Friday’s action was focused on the regatta’s San Diego Bay course with four races conducted by the Coronado and San Diego Yacht Club race committees.
In the J/70 fleet, typically laden with professional sailors, skipper Chris Raab’s team on SUGOI of amateur sailors from Long Beach, California, emerged as the top boat, winning two races to lead the 15-boat fleet by 2 points over Pamela Rose’s ROSEBUD.
Raab’s team includes close friends Rob Lindley, Kelley Jane Paradise and Erik Lidecus. With winds shifting throughout the day, Raab and his teammates had to focus on their competitors and their positioning on the racecourse.
“It was a pound the paint kind of day,” Raab said. “We had to sail through some lulls to get to the next puff. If we over-tacked the boat, it was a problem and the sides would tend to get us. We had to be patient, that’s for sure.”
Whenever an amateur team outshines professionals, it’s a sign of the fleet’s depth. As a winner of 43 national championships, Raab’s career has been nothing short of prolific, but he still leans on the professionals in the fleet for advice.
“[Pro sailor] Willem Van Waay was super helpful this morning,” Raab said. “He scrubbed the bottom of my boat and told me my rig was too loose, so we developed a new base setting and that speed difference was super helpful.”
Day 2- More Picture Perfect Conditions
Racing continued on the second day, with the addition of one-design keelboat fleets on the ocean course, there was plenty of action in the waters off San Diego. While competitors inside San Diego Bay continued their series from Friday, the San Diego Yacht Club race committee set its first race course 2 miles south of Point Loma, where classic Southern California sailing conditions provided an action-packed day of racing for six different classes.
Day 3- Regatta Photo Finish
The third and final day showcased plenty of tight racing across all one-design fleets. The regatta’s Ocean Course was set south of Point Loma and the two Bay Courses were set on South San Diego Bay. With light and shifty winds, racers had to stay focused throughout the challenging final day.
Going into the final race of the J/105s, a 2-point margin between the top-three boats produced a winner-take-all showdown. After two races, Chuck Driscoll and his team on JUICED emerged victorious.
“This win is important to us,” said Driscoll, of San Diego. “My partner, Tom Hurlburt, and I have been sailing this regatta for twelve years, and we’ve come second many times. This was the first time we’ve been able to put it together for a win.
"The Driscoll family has a long history with the San Diego Yacht Club. My grandfather was commodore here in 1939. My father won the Star Worlds in 1944 and was the skipper of Intrepid in the America’s Cup trials. My father also won the Lipton Cup, along with my brother and I. Our family has been involved in boating my whole life. We’ve been very fortunate.”
Rounding out the podium in the J/105s were Stewart Cannon’s J-OK with 16 pts in second position and Steve Howell’s BLINK in third place with 18 pts.
In the J/120s, John Laun’s CAPER took class honors with a near whitewash. They won five of six races to take class with just 7 pts total. Second was Chuck Nicholls’ CC RIDER with 15 pts and then Ernie Pennell’s MAD MEN secured third with 16 pts.
Pamela Rose’s J/70 team on ROSEBUD emerged as the top team in a talent-laden class and was selected as the San Diego NOOD Challenger for the Helly Hansen NOOD Caribbean Championship.
Each stop of the 2019 Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta series produces a challenger for the Caribbean NOOD Championship with Sunsail in the British Virgin Islands in late October. This year’s San Diego challenger is crew of Pamela Rose’s J/70 ROSEBUD. Sailing with Rose was Willem van Waay, who accepted the trophy on her behalf.
“I’ve had this regatta snatched away from me more times than I can remember,” said Van Waay, of Coronado, California. “Pam did a great job steering. The conditions were challenging each day, and consistency was key. We’re excited to head to the British Virgin Islands later this year and we should be competitive.”
Rounding out the top five in the J/70 class were Jeff Janov’s MINOR THREAT with 35 pts, easily posting the best record in the last six races with four 1sts in their tally. Third was Raab’s SUGOI, winning Corinthians as well. Fourth was Mexico’s Fabian Gomez-Ibarra’s VAGAZO and fifth was Steve Wyman’s NUNUHUNU.
The balance of the Corinthian Division podium included Tony Collins’ FLY and David Hochart’s TANGAROA.
In the NORTH SAILS RALLY, Tom Fisher’s J/105 VIGGEN took third place amongst a widely varying fleet of day sailors from across San Diego Harbor. Sailing photo credits- Paul Todd/ Outside Images.com. For more Helly Hansen San Diego NOOD Sailing Regatta information
Newport to Cabo Drift-A-Thon Update(Newport Beach, CA)- The 20th running of the 800.0nm Newport Beach to Cabo San Lucas International Yacht Race started this past week. So far, it has proven to be such an anti-climactic event, with such light airs, that nearly all of the last fleet to the starting line on Saturday (the Maxi’s and Super Maxi’s) have dropped out!! And, over a third of the rest of the fleet have done the same, “turning and burning” under their “iron gennies” to head back to home.
It is still a downwind race, with winds fluctuating from the northeast to northwest, as the fleet ever so slowly crawls down the Mexican coastline, literally! For the three J/Teams still on the race track offshore, they may be suffering anxiety attacks as each zephyr of wind rolls down from the heavens above to power them down, euphemistically speaking, to their ultimate destination in Cabo San Lucas. Those three boats are Scott Grealish’s brand new J/121 BLUE FLASH, Viggo Torbensen’s J/125 TIMESHAVER from Dana Point YC, and Seth Hall’s J/124 MARISOL from Newport Beach, CA. Live YB Tracking of the race here. For more Newport Beach to Cabo San Lucas Race sailing information
Russians Win Barcelona J/70 Winter Series
(Barcelona, Spain)- Sixteen boats sailed the 2018- 2019 winter series in Barcelona, Spain; the event was hosted by Real Club Náutico de Barcelona. The sixteen teams hailed from across Europe- Cyprus, Great Britain, Spain, Poland, Portugal, Russia, and Italy.
Winning the overall winter series was the Russian crew of AMAIZ SAILING TEAM with Egor Terpigorev, Sergey Dobrovolskiy, Victor Serezhkin and Slava Martynov from Cyprus Yacht Club. Their winning record was 5-1-1-4-1-1-10-7 for 20 pts.
Tony Hayward’s SERIOUS FUN from Great Britain, skippered by Mark Lees from Royal Thames YC, was DSQ’d in the last race to lose the regatta by just 1 point. For Hayward’s team, it was serious training for the 2019 J/70 World Championship that will be hosted in Torquay, England.
The balance of the podium and top five were all hot, fast Spanish crews. Third was Pablo Garriba’s RCN Barcelona team on TENAZ with 26 pts. Fourth was another Spanish crew on Luiz Martinez Doreste’s FORTY-FIVE with 30 pts. Fifth place went to David Marco’s Spanish crew on REBUFF from Real Club Nautico Barcelona with 36 pts.
In the J/80 Winter Series, Marc de Antonio's J/80 BRIBON MOVISTAR won the series handily. Taking the silver was MIKAKU, sailed by Rosa Artigas (also top woman helm) and Luis Corbella. Rounding out the podium in the bronze position was AKEWUELE, skippered by the second woman helm- Silvia Ravetllat.
For more Barcelona J/70 & J/80 Winter Series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.
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A third on the water development is the “Plus One” division. Designed to reduce crew logistics for owners with busy schedules, the Plus One concept promotes “right sized” crews by allowing one crew member per 10 feet of waterline of the yacht “plus one” more. We’ve found that jibes always go better offshore with one watch below, so don’t be surprised to see some crisp boat handling on this course, notwithstanding the need for fewer sandwiches and bunks (ashore or afloat)!
“We decided to perform our best in the Sochi J/70 Winter Series, to show the world that sailing in the Chechen Republic has not been forgotten! In fact, it is developing,” said the President of the Chechen Sailing Federation, Hassan Hajiyev. “The federation is very young, it is only 2.5 years old. The team is the innovation of Alexander Bozhko. Alex gathered our team together and he trained them. Now, our Chechen Sailing Federation is taking the first steps to develop sailing in Chechnya. So, we hope to encourage the young guys, the young girls in this beautiful sport, that includes not only physical exertion, but also the human intellect, it is like chess on the water. This is very important for human development. A yachtsman must know geography, physics, and geometry. Accordingly, the preparation of the children must be at the same level, we must begin to teach them from the beginning such intellectual challenges!”
