J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
Last week, one of the most popular offshore races on the Pacific coast of America, the Newport to Ensenada Race, encountered similar conditions that many of the boats experienced a few weeks earlier in the famous 800nm Cabo San Lucas Race— light airs! Nevertheless, while slow in the beginning, as the “sprint race” progressed down the coast from California to Mexico, the breeze finally kicked in with most boats finishing with a sunny, warm windy day.Over in the Caribbean, the 100+ boat fleet sailing the Antigua Sailing Week have enjoyed simply “Supercalifragilistic” fantastic sailing conditions all week. Good breezes, plenty of sun, and amazing parties every evening, what’s not to like about that “bucket list” event that marks the end of the Caribbean winter sailing season?
Further north, the American Yacht Club hosted the first weekend of their two-weekend annual AYC Spring Series for fleets of PHRF/ ORR handicap boats as well as one-design fleets of J/70s, J/80s, J/88s, J/105s, J/109s, and J/44s.
Over on the Eurasian continent, the Warsash Spring Series concluded their Spring Championship Weekend event and continued with their Black/White Group series for IRC racers and one-design fleets of J/70s, J88s, and J/109s.
Finally, the Russian National J/70 Sailing League has concluded their second set of “stages” for their various series- the Supreme, Premiere, and Qualifying series for a total of FORTY sailing teams/ clubs from across their vast Federation.
Annapolis NOOD Regatta Preview(Annapolis, MD)- The first major regatta of the 2019 Chesapeake Bay sailing season is ready to roll this coming “Cinco de Mayo” weekend- the Helly Hansen Annapolis NOOD Regatta hosted by Annapolis YC. As one of the largest of Sailing World’s NOOD Regattas held nationwide, the Annapolis event also ranks as the one perhaps most dominated by the various J/One-design classes- 130 J’s in an overall fleet of 178 boats (or about 73.0%)! Sailing one-design will be J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, J/30s, J/35s, J/105s and J/111s.
The twenty-one boat J/22 class always promises great competition on Chesapeake Bay. Several class veterans are participating, including notables like Sandy Adzick’s HOT TICKET, Chris Doyle’s THE JUG 4 1, Cate Muller’s THUNDER CHICKEN, and Chris Wilson’s LIL’PUFFY.
The J/24s have a seven-boat field that includes Tony Parker’s famous BANGOR PACKET, Pat Fitzgerald’s RUSH HOUR, and Pete Kassal’s SPACEMAN SPIFF.
With thirty-one boats on the starting line, the J/70s have the largest fleet at the regatta. Leading teams may include Geoff Becker’s HELLY HANSEN JUNIOR CREW, Travis Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER, Glenn Darden’s HOSS, Ray Wulff’s JOINT CUSTODY, Bruce Golison’s MIDLIFE CRISIS, Brian Keane’s SAVASANA, and three Brazilian teams from Rio de Janeiro (Mario Sorensen Garcia’s MANDACHUVA, Pedro Camargo’s MANCHA NEGRA, Flavio Andrade’s OCEANPACT).At twenty-three boats, the J/80 class is seeing one of its best turn-outs in recent years. Watch for these teams to be amongst the leaders; Bert Carp’s ELEVEN, Les Beckwith’s FKA, Tom Kopp’s KOPP-OUT, Mike Hobson’s MELTEMI, and David Andril’s VAYU.
There are a dozen-boats sailing in the J/30 class; an amazing turn-out for this historical class (the 2nd design ever by designer Rod Johnstone!). The leading teams include Bob Rutsch & Mike Costello’s BEPOP, Jim McGinnis’ BLITZ, Pam Morris’ BUMP, Rob & Beth Lundahl’s RAG DOLL, and Heidi Frist’s SUZIE Q.
The third oldest class in the regatta is the J/35s, with a seven boats ready to do battle for class honors over the three days of sailing. One wonders, will it be a “wash, rinse, repeat” from past years? The infamous duo of Jim Sagerholm & Jerry Christofel’s AUNT JEAN defending their title in four previous events over good teams like David Lange’s FATAL ATTRACTION and Bruce Artman’s T-BONE? Watch this space!
With one of the largest J/105 fleets in the world, the Chesapeake J/105 fleet will again see eighteen boats pointing their bows towards the starting line. This year will see a diverse, strong group of teams from across the spectrum of 105 teams, including two from Texas! Those crews that should factor on the leaderboard are Andrew Kennedy’s BAT IV, Ben duPont’s CTRL ALT DEL, Bill Zartler’s DEJA VOODOO, Peter McChesney’s DOG HOUSE, Donald Santa’s SANTAS REIGN DEAR, Scott Gitchell’s TENACIOUS, and Mark Masur’s TWO FEATHERS.Eight J/111 teams from across the country (San Francisco, New York, Cleveland, Buzzards Bay) will be vying for class honors. J/111 World Champion Peter Wagner and crew on SKELETON KEY from St Francis YC will again be challenged by several hot teams. The top “locals” include Marty Roesch’s VELOCITY and Jim Connelly’s SLUSH FUND (3rd at the 2017 Worlds). The two-times J/111 Midwinter Champion Rob Ruhlman and crew on SPACEMAN SPIFF from Cleveland, OH will also be looking forward to engaging those top teams. As well, two leading northeastern teams, both Block Island Race Week Champions, will be participating- Sedge Ward’s BRAVO and Doug Curtiss’ WICKED 2.0.
In the North Sails Rally that takes place on Saturday will be two boats- Dan Leonard’s J/100 FLASHPOINT and Nicholas Illiff’s J/105 MUSKRAT. Sailing photo credits- Paul Todd / Outside Images. For more Helly Hansen Annapolis NOOD Regatta sailing information
RORC Cervantes Trophy Race Preview
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- 115 yachts have entered the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Cervantes Trophy Race, with more than 600 sailors registered to take part. The 110nm to 160nm race from the Solent to Le Havre will start from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line on Saturday 4th May at 0900 BST. Spectators can watch the spectacle from the Cowes Parade and The Green, and also follow the progress of the fleet via the RORC website. Competitors will receive a warm welcome at Société des Regates du Havre, founded in 1838; it is the oldest yacht club in continental Europe.
The opening European fixture of the 2019 RORC Season's Points Championship, is the third race of the world's largest offshore racing championship, with in excess of 600 yachts expected to take part over the course of the season. The majority of the teams racing are Corinthian sailors, who will be taking on some top professional teams during the series. More often than not, an amateur team, with the skill, tenacity, and determination to succeed, wins the championship.
Teams will be racing for the Cervantes Trophy for the best-corrected time under IRC. Gilles Fournier and Corinne Migraine's J/133 PINTIA will be attempting to win the Cervantes Trophy for the fourth year in a row. The race to Le Havre is a special one for PINTIA; Gilles has been a member of the Société des Regates du Havre for over 60 years.
“We really do not know if we will win, but we will compete for sure,” smiled Gilles Fournier. “We have a good crew and we will do our best, but we know that the competition will be very good. It is wonderful to hear that so many sailors will be racing to Le Havre, and we hope that many of them will enjoy the facilities at the club.”
In the fifteen-boat IRC 1 Class will be two J/121s, Mike O’Donnell’s DARKWOOD and Nick Angel’s ROCK LOBSTER. They are up against a formidable contingent of the offshore European wars, such as the custom Ker 40s Keronimo and Hooligan VII.
The eighteen-boat IRC 2 Class features Fournier’s J/133 PINTIA as well as two J/111s- Simon Grier-Jones’ British crew on SNOW LEOPARD and Patrice Vidon’s French team on J4F.
The very large IRC 3 Class of thirty-three boats features a cast of villains and characters in both the French and English offshore community. Six J/109s are ready to do battle (such as Christopher Preston’s JUBILEE, the Royal Air Force RED ARROW, and Chris Burleigh’s JYBE TALKIN’) as well as two J/105s (Tom Hayhoe & Natalie Jobling’s MOSTLY HARMLESS and Ross Farrow’s JACANA).
Similarly, the also very big thirty-six boat IRC 4 Class has just Robert Nelson’s J/105 BIGFOOT hoping to carry the day for J/sailors…which they have done before, winning class in the past!
The third class with 30+ entries includes the IRC Doublehanded class of thirty-five boats. J/duets include Chris Preston’s J/109 JUBILEE, Alistair Doughty’s J/109 JELENKO, Jerry Freeman’s J/105 JULIETTE, and Robert Nelson’s J/105 BIGFOOT. Sailing photo credits- Rick Tomlinson / Paul Wyeth For more RORC Cervantes Trophy sailing information
Yachting Cup Regatta Preview(San Diego, CA)- San Diego Yacht Club is proud to host the 2019 Yachting Cup, scheduled for Friday, May 3rd to Sunday, May 5th. Buoy Racing will take place on the Coronado Roads ocean venues, South San Diego Bay, and random-leg handicap racing in San Diego Bay. Not surprisingly, the passionate and enthusiastic J/sailors are looking forward to their next major venue on their Southern California yachting calendar.
The weather in “SoCal” has not been normal, to say the least. Maybe there is something to the “climate change” scenarios unfolding across our little blue-green pinball in the midst of the intergalactic ocean of space dust, super novas, random asteroids, and a few gazillion planets.
The three J/one-design classes are always competitive in this event. In the nine-boat J/105 class, watch out for Jon Dekker’s AIR BOSS, Steve & Lucy Howell’s BLINK, Driscoll/ Hurlburt’s JUICED, and Stew Cannon’s J-OK to be somewhere near the top of the leaderboard.Similarly, it’s always a question of “who’s on first” for the first major regatta of the season for the J/120 class. Some are well-practiced, some are not. Some will be on their game, other’s not. In any event, the protagonists in this Shakespearean drama should be John Laun’s CAPER, John Snook’s JIM, Ernie Pennell’s MAD MEN, and Chuck Nichols CC RIDER; all have won something major over the years!
The nine-boat J/70 class has enjoyed strong competition over the past few years. Those guiding lights include Steve Wyman’s NUNUHUNU, Jeff Janov’s MINOR THREAT, and Pat Danly’s BOONDOGLE. For more Yachting Cup San Diego sailing information
J/24 European Championship Preview
(Patras, Greece)- This coming week the Sailing Club of Patras will be hosting 175+ sailors and thirty-five crews from all around Europe for the 2019 J/24 European Championship. Participating teams come from Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Hungary, and Italy.
The leading crews may include Stefan Karsunke’s SCHWERE JUNGS and Jan Kahler’s UNITED 5 from Germany, and Paolo Rinaldi’s AMERICAN PASSAGE, Fabio Apollonio’s J-OC ALCE NERO, and Ignazio Bonanno’s LA SUPERBA. Follow the J/24 European Championship on Facebook here For more J/24 European Championship sailing information
Regatta & Show Schedules:
Mar 17- Apr 28- Warsash Spring Series- Warsash, EnglandMay 3-5- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
May 3-5- Yachting Cup Regatta- San Diego, CA
May 4-10- J/24 European Championship- Patras, Greece
May 4- RORC Cervantes Cup Race- Cowes, England
May 9-12- SAILING Champions League- Palma Mallorca, Spain
May 10-12- Grand Prix de St Cast- St Cast, France
May 10-12- RORC Vice Admiral’s Cup- Cowes, England
May 17-18- J/121 Spring Tune-Up- Newport, RI
Jun 8-9- Lady Liberty Cup J/24 Regatta- New York Harbor, NY
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
J/Crews Collect Newport to Ensenada Race Silver!
(Newport Beach, CA)- Remarkably, the second major event of the Southern California offshore season also started off with a whimper. This year’s Newport to Ensenada Race was not the “fast forward” downwind sleigh ride of year’s past. Instead, it started off quite light, especially overnight, but then as the fleet made their way down the coastline the onshore sea breezes and northerly flows kicked in for a sunny, breezy finish for most boats.
The legendary 125nm “wind sprint” that starts off the piers at Newport Beach, CA is a simple race course; after the start, just head south down the California/ Mexican coastline to a finish inside Toto Santos Bay, off the lovely Hotel Coral & Marina in Ensenada.
The 72nd annual edition of the race was perhaps most frustrating for the “maxi’s and the fleet of ULDB 70s. However, for the mid-size boats in the 35 to 45 foot range, it all worked out quite well on handicap scoring; in particular, for many of the dozen J/Teams.
One of the leading navigators described this year’s event: “the race was tricky as heck, but we just looked to sail the shortest possible course, going just outside the Coronado’s for a bit, then jibed into shore and staying left. VMG all the way and just drive.”
For many in the light winds race, finding VMG (Velocity Made Good) was the difference between winning or ending up experiencing VNDG (Velocity No Dang Good) instead.
Commenting on their second place finish on their second offshore outing on the brand new J/121 BLUE FLASH was owner Scott Grealish:
“We knew we had a bad start. And, it's obvious we were slow the first hour. I think the combination of being short handed with two new guys affected us; so, we were not quick off the line, setting the zero, etc. Plus, we are still learning how to trim that setup. We improved and gained over the next few hours with no real condition changes.
In the end, we took second in class to the Andrews 40 by four minutes corrected. They beat us in the Cabo Race, too (first overall), so we respect their program.
Our eleven-boat class sailed in light 0-10.0 kts TWS and all Code Zero/ A1 spinnaker sailing conditions. We all finished within 2% on our elapsed times! Incredibly, a pretty well-sailed offshore fleet!
We sailed with four and found the water ballast very useful on the small zero at 8.0 kts TWS, 80-105 TWA. We think the staysail under the Code Zero is slower at 6-8.0 kts TWS. But, we never got more wind to really test this combination further.
There was a “Catalina Eddy” sailing condition during the night. That meant there was a periodic phasing of colder, stronger breeze forward from offshore; followed by warmer, lighter gradient veered breeze (60 degrees!)! So, we sailed the A1 spinnaker in both VMG mode and hotter sailing angle modes (the phases were too quick to merit gybing with two on deck, but fully crewed we would've). During daylight, we got to two boat test-sail against the Farr 40s, trying both modes.
Our take-away was that the J/121 can be fast sailed deep on the A1 (TWA 148-152, TWS 6-8 kts) with all weight forward and two crew to leeward. Paradoxically, this reverses at TWS 9-10 kts, where hotter angles are better.”
Meanwhile, Terri Manok’s all-female team on the J/120 POLE DANCER also had a successful offshore experience on their way to Ensenada. Her crew members were American, Irish, Canadian, and a New Zealander. They won the Caroline Starr Trophy for Best Corrected All Female Crew as well as the Carlos Avila Escoto Trophy for the Best Corrected J/120.
“We stayed out of the fray and got a good start,” said Manok. “It was a long race, but had a wonderful group of ladies to sail with. And, we had fun!”
“The girls” on Manok’s POLE DANCER persevered, stuck to their guns, and pulled off a podium finish against a large class of veteran offshore racers, taking the bronze in the PHRF A Spinnaker class, just 20 minutes from silver! You go girls, great sailing!
Rudolph Hasl’s crew from San Diego YC sailed their J/145 PALAEMON in the PHRF ULDB A Class and, despite the light, shifty, streaky winds, pulled off a 4th place in a fleet filled with all-carbon offshore racers- mostly super-fast TP52s.
Then, in PHRF ULDB C Class, Doug & Jack Jorgensen’s J/111 PICOSA got on the podium by taking 3rd in class, while Seth Hall’s J/124 MARISOL took fourth. That was a great result for both boats in the 24-hour sprint down the Mexican coastline.
In PHRF ULDB D Class, Juan Lois’ J/105 ROCINANTE won class honors while fellow stablemates, Brian Kerr’s J/92 DOUBLE DOWN took the silver; a great celebration was had by these two J/teams at the top of the podium!
In the shorter Newport to San Diego Race (the “sunset sail”), Robert Pace’s J/145 ANDIAMO 2 took the bronze in the PHRF A class of fifteen boats, the largest of any class in the entire event!
In the even shorter Newport to Dana Point Race (the “day sail”), it was a near clean sweep of the top five by J/Crews! Winning was Jock McGraw’s J/22 TEKEELA, followed by Charles Brewer’s J/124 HEARTBEAT 4 in third place, Marty Henehan’s J/92 FIREWATER in 4th place, and taking 6th place was the Newport Harbor YC’s youth team on the J/70 SLOOP JOHN B, skippered by Tom Garret. Sailing photo credits- Tom Walker Jeff Granberry For more Newport to Ensenada Race sailing information
American YC Spring Series- Weekend I
(Rye, NY)- American Yacht Club hosted the first weekend of the 2019 Spring Series, a two-weekend regatta, which included competitors from across the East Coast with over seventy boats. Competing in this year's regatta were nine separate boat classes-- IRC, PHRF, J/44, J/109, J/88, J/105, J/70 and J/80. The J/105s featured the largest fleet with 14 boats. Three races were held in all divisions.
Sunday racing brought a light to moderate 5 to 15 kts breeze from the north/ northeast that made for a great day of sailing after heavy winds prevented racing on Saturday. Both courses started races on time and, despite the cool and drizzly conditions, the gentle breezes helped make for a great day of sailing.
David Rosow’s J/109 LOKI, Daniel Goldberg’s J/70 BAZINGA and Jason Viseltear’s J/80 UPSETTER all mastered the South Course with three first-place finishes each and wrapped up the weekend atop their Class standings. Past AYC Commodore Mike Bruno sailed steadily on his J/88 WINGS and ended the weekend in second place following a first-place finish in Race 3.
In the J/109 Class, behind Rosow’s LOKI is Robert Schwartz’s NORDLYS in second place and John Greifzu’s GROWTH SPURT in third.
Elizabeth Barry’s team on the J/88 ESCAPE has sailed strongly and her 1-1-2 tally leads the J/88s by a good margin. Second is Bruno’s WINGS, tied on points with Kevin Marks’ VELOCITY.
Paul Beaudin’s J/105 LOU LOU has a commanding lead in the J/105 class with a 2-1-2. Second is David Willis’ SOLUTION with a 7-2-6 while “the kids” on the YOUNG AMERICAN Team won the first race and closed with a 7-10 to sit in third in a three-way tie. Tied with “the kids” is Jeremy Henderson & Harald Edegran’s CONUNDRUM with a 9-8-1 and John Koten’s GRAY MATTER with a 5-10-3.
In the J/70s, behind BAZINGA is Carrie & Ed Austin’s CHINOOK with a 2-2-4 record in second and White Rhino Racing sailing J-RHINO to a 3-5-2 to hold on to third place.
The East Course saw Commodore Ketcham take a commanding lead in the J/44 fleet, while enjoying beautiful big boat sailing conditions and stable wind from the north and northeast. Behind them are Len Sitar’s VAMP in second and Don & Dick Rave’s RESOLUTE in third place.
In the PHRF Racing division, Ron Richman’s J/133 ANTIDOTE is sitting in second place. And, in the PHRF Plus One division, Steve Levy’s J/121 EAGLE took a second place.
Sunday also featured many junior sailors on a variety of big boats. On one J/70, four 13-year-old girls enjoyed their first J-sailing racing experience aboard Marshall Saffer's LET IT RIP.
Overall, it was a successful and fun day on the water. A big thank you to the AYC Race Committee for running excellent races and the safety and rescue teams for helping keep everyone safe on the water. Racing will continue next weekend and AYC looks forward to seeing sailors back for more racing, great food and cold beer! For more American YC Spring Series sailing information
Antigua Sailing Week Report
J/122 LIQUID Wins Round Island Race!
(English Harbour, Antigua)- More than 100 boats from 21 countries worldwide have been sailing in the nine-day festival of racing and shoreside events that is Antigua Sailing Week, the Caribbean’s longest running regatta.
Fifty-four yachts are sailing in the CSA Racing Classes and, so far, silverware is already being collected by top J/Crews.
In the 53.0nm Round Antigua Race, Pamala Baldwin’s J/122 LIQUID continues on a roll after their victory in Voiles de St Barths. They placed second CSA Racing overall in the fleet of thirty-five yachts and easily won CSA 2 class ahead of two well-sailed teams.
“We didn’t really sail to our potential, but we came in first place for our class,” noted Baldwin. “There is plenty to come from Liquid because it’s a great crew. We have come in on podium the whole season and we are definitely here to sail hard this week, work her really hard on our home at Antigua Sailing Week!”
Day 1- Perfect Start for Sailing Week
After the Round Island Race, the fleet was greeted with brilliant sunshine, solid trade winds and Caribbean surf; a perfect way to start the week. The cocktail of heaven-sent conditions was very apt for English Harbour Rum Race Day. The six CSA racing classes were on the Windward Course enjoying some epic downwind legs straight off the front of the brochure!
In CSA Racing 4 class, Baldwin’s Antiguan J/122 LIQUID took second place, while her sistership, the J/122 TEAM INKA from Peru (skippered by Diego Aguirre) took third.
In CSA Racing 5 class, Jonty Layfield’s J/11S started off with a 2nd place, followed by Ben Jelic’s J/120 JAGUAR in 6th position.
The Daily Prize Giving is a big feature of Antigua Sailing Week, it’s where sailors from six continents mingle after racing at Antigua Yacht Club to applaud the day’s winners and watch the video action. Live music from The Climax Band and English Harbour Rum giveaways made for a perfect end to a cracking start for the Caribbean’s most famous regatta!
Day 2- More Perfect Sailing
The second day of Antigua Sailing Week was Fever-Tree Race Day, with the impressive fleet mixing it up in gorgeous weather on the south, east and west coast of Antigua. The Bareboat fleet, Double-Handed and Club Class started off Windward Beach with fresh trade wind in the high teens. The six CSA racing classes raced off Rendezvous Beach on tight round the cans courses with more sheltered but gusty conditions in a packed out race area.
Red-hot racing in CSA 4 continued. Pamala Baldwin’s Antiguan J/122 LIQUID, skippered by Jules White, won both races by the narrowest of margins to take the class lead by a single point.
In CSA 5, Jonty and Vicki Layfield’s J/11s SLEEPER scored two bullets today to lead the class by a single point.
“It is just amazing racing with Sleeper– we hit 15 knots of speed today!” smiled Shannoy Malone, the 11-year old Antiguan who has been racing with the Layfield’s since he was seven and will be competing at the Optimist World Championship to be held in Antigua this summer. “The crew are so friendly and helpful. I am learning so much and racing the boat is a lot of fun. I will never do 15 knots in my Opti, so that was a first for me.”
Day 3- Just Doesn’t Get Better
20 knots of trades powered up the action on Reggae in the Park Race Day at Antigua Sailing Week. Two races were held for most classes– the CSA Racing Classes were launched with a full on foam-up on the Windward Course. The Bareboat Classes and Club Class raced short, sharp, windward-leeward courses off Rendezvous Bay.
In CSA 4, a tie for first place exemplified the intensity of racing in the class, after time correction, between Baldwin’s Antiguan J/122 LIQUID, skippered by Jules White, and another 40 footer. After five races, LIQUID sits in second.
In CSA 5, Layfield’s Antiguan J/11s SLEEPER racked up two more race wins today to lead the class by three points. Then, after scoring a 3-3, Jelic’s St.Maarten J/120 JAGUAR is challenging the podium.
After a memorable day racing at Antigua Sailing Week, sailors will join thousands of revelers for the big party night. The UNESCO World Heritage Site, Nelson’s Dockyard has been transformed into a mind-blowing open-air concert theatre. Reggae in the Park is a big-time celebration for the 10th edition of the legendary concert. Nelson’s Dockyard will be alive with headline artist Christopher Martin, performing alongside Junior Kelly. After the big night, what better way to recover than Lay Day at Pigeon Beach tomorrow Wednesday 1st May. Two more days of racing are left with the regatta concluding on Friday. Sailing photo credits- Ed Whiting/ Paul Wyeth. For more Antigua Sailing Week sailing information
Warsash Spring Series- Weekend VI Report
(Warsash, England)- Over this past weekend, the Warsash Sailing Club that has been hosting their annual Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series, was besieged by the enormous Storm “Hannah” that whipped up a frenzied “foam-up” on Saturday. With winds gusting well into the 30+ knots range, all racing was canceled. However, as Sunday dawned, it was clear it was still quite windy, but it had calmed down enough for the fleet to enjoy great racing on the Southampton Water and the Solent. The weekend marked the completion of the Black & White Championship Weekend.
Black & White Championship Report
In the IRC 1 Class, Tony Mack’s J/111 McFLY took third place while Chris Jones & Louise Makin’s J/111 JOURNEYMAKER II took sixth. Then, in IRC 2 Class, Simon Perry’s J/109 JIRAFFE took the silver, with Mike & Susie Yates’ J/109 JAGO securing the bronze, with David Richards’ J/109 JUMPING JELLYFISH taking fifth place.
In the J/109 Class, it was Perry’s JIRAFFE in first, Richards’ JUMPING JELLYFISH in second, and the Yates’ JAGO in third.
Ian Wilson & Marshall King's SOAK RACING started the J/70 UK Grand Slam Series in style and never looked back, winning the class by a significant margin. Second was determined on a tie-breaker at 31 pts each. Winning that countback was Doug Struth’s DSP, with third place taken by Paul Ward’s EAT SLEEP J REPEAT. Rounding out the top five was Phillip Rees Bryn’s GBR 1290 in fourth and the Calascione/ Ripard duo on CALYPSO taking fifth place.
Black & White Group Report
In IRC 1 Class, the Jones/Makin duo on the J/111 JOURNEYMAKER II is currently sitting in fourth place.
In IRC 2 Class, Charles Ivill’s J/112E DAVANTI TYRES has risen like a rocket into the top of the leaderboard and now sit in first place after eight races. Just one point back is Simon Perry’s J/109 JIRAFFE. Sitting in fifth place is Chris Burleigh’s J/109 JYBE TALKIN.
Despite not having sailed races 3 & 4, David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’RONIMO is now sitting in third place in IRC 3 class.
With six races, the J/88 Class continues to see Gavin Howe’s TIGRIS topping the class with all bullets for 5 pts. Now that “toss races” are factored in, Dirk & Dianne Van Beek’s SABRIEL JR still hold on to 2nd place, while Richard Cooper’s JONGLEUR hangs on to third position.
The J/109s have eight races counting. Simon Perry’s JIRAFFE continues to lead with 7 pts, winning their fifth race last weekend. Chris Burleigh’s JYBE TALKIN stays in second with 22 pts. However, jumping up into third place is John Smart’s JUKEBOX with 39 pts.
Continuing to lead the J/88 class is Gavin Howe’s TIGRIS with all 1sts in eight races, tossing out two 1sts. Wow! Second is Dirk & Dianne Van Beek’s SABRIEL JR. with 12 pts. Then, third is Richard Cooper’s JONGLEUR with 83 pts.
The J-Sprit class still sees Howe’s J/88 TIGRIS leading. SABRIEL JR continues in 2nd, but Adrian Johnson’s J/109 FLAWLESS J is now sitting in third place.
The J/70s continue to see Paul Ward’s EAT SLEEP J REPEAT leading the class with just 15 pts. Second is Philip Chandler’s BLACKJAX and third is Graham Clapp’s JEEPSTER. Sailing photo credits- Andrew Adams/ CloseHauled Photography Follow the Warsash Spring Series on Facebook here For more HELLY HANSEN Warsash Spring Series sailing information
Russian J/70 Sailing League Report
(Sochi/ Tuapse/ Konakovo, Russia)- The Russian J/70 Sailing League has already started off their 2019 sailing season and over the past two weeks it is in full swing! Over 45 teams from all over Russia have been sailing in the Supreme Division and the Premiere Division; on famous Black Sea resorts in Sochi and Tuapse. In addition, a Qualifying event was held at the Konakovo River Club, northwest of Moscow.
Tuapse Supreme Division- Stage II
Twenty-three teams entered the battle for the title of the Russian Sailing League Champion; Burevestnik Sailing Team (ex. Leviathan) (steering Vadim Yakhinson), ArtTube RUS1 (Valeria Kovalenko), Calipso (Maxim Taranov), Sailing Academy of the Yacht Club of St. Petersburg (Anna Basalkina), PIRogovo (Yuri Morozov), Sail Lord— ASIA (Vyacheslav Yermolenko), Sail Lord– EUROPE (Andrey Ryzhov), NAVIGATOR Trem (Alexandra Peterson), Rocknrolla Sailing Team (Irina Sorokina), X-Fit (Vladimir Silkin), RUS7 (Sergey Shevtsov), Region-23 (Evgeny Nikiforov), CSKA (Mikhail Poslamovsky), Black Sea (Andrey Malygin), Komatek (Vyacheslav Frolov), OSK (Edward Skornyakov), East-West (Andrey Zuev), ZID art Sailing team (Evgeny Neugodnikov), Parusnik74.ru (Edward Podshivalov), Winner Sailing Team (Karina Teljyants), Matryoshka (Natalia Kravets), Akhmat (Alexander Bozhko) and the guest team “AMP of the Black Sea” (Nikolai Egorov).
Tuapse provided the sailors what could only be described as completely non-April weather and variable wind. A combination of rain, sun, clouds, and highly variable winds in both direction and velocity.
“The strength of the wind was constantly changing: from complete calm to 10-12 knots,” said Chief Judge Nikolai Yushkov. “I can only imagine how hard it was for the racers. What was important was not so much knowledge as luck, a sense of wind, and much good fortune!”
As a result, eleven races were sailed on the first race day. Fifteen teams had four starts, six teams had three races each and two teams had five each.
After the first race day, the undisputed leader was the BLACK SEA Team skippered by Andrey Malygin with an impressive 1-1-1-4 record. They were followed by NAVIGATOR TREM helmed by Alexandra Peterson with a 2-4-1-2 tally. RUS7 Team led by Sergey Shevtsov was sitting in third place with a 5-2-2-1. Having a rough time in the variable weather off Tuapse were the leaders after Stage I; Alexander Bozhko’s crew from the Chechen Republic on AKHMAT finished the day in 6th place, while Valeria Kovalenko’s crew from Pirogovo on ARTTUBE RUS1 sat in a very uncharacteristic 10th place.
At the end of the regatta on Sunday, the PRO managed to run only ten more races. As a result, it was Malygin’s BLACK SEA Team that managed to hold off a hard-charging AKHMAT Team skippered by Alexander Bozhko to take the top two spots on the podium. Meanwhile, Petersen’s NAVIGATOR TREM Team lost a bit of their edge from the first day to drop into the bronze position. Rounding out the top five were ZID ART Sailing Team (Evgeny Neugodnikov) in fourth and RUS7 (Sergey Shevtsov) dropping down the standings to fifth place after day one.
Konakovo Qualifying Division- Stage I & II
The Konakovo River Club northwest of Moscow will be hosting the first qualifying stage event for the Russian Sailing League’s “entry” division in their fleet of J/70s next weekend.
These competitions are only a great opportunity to meet other sailing teams from around Russia, but also an opportunity to qualify for the next division higher in 2020- the Premiere Division.
This year, two qualifying stages will be held in the fleet of J/70s at the Konakovo River Club. Nine teams will take part in each of the two qualifying stages, and the top four of each event will take part in the 2019 Russian Championship regatta.
Recall that last year 24 teams took part in the Russian J/70 Sailing League Championship, which took place in Pirogovo. For 2019, the championship will take place in Sochi from October 25th to 27th, hosted by Sochi Grand Marina by the Burevestnik Group.
Tuapse Premier Division- Stage II
Last weekend, the second stage of the Premiere Division took place in Tuapse. Fourteen teams participated in the regatta from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Voronezh and Yekaterinburg.
Over the three-day event, the organizers managed to hold twenty-one races. Unfortunately, a gentle wind prevented the fulfillment of the entire planned program. On the first day, the wind reached 10 knots. However, for the next two days, the breezes barely pushed up to 5 kts! As a result, most of the starts- 11 - were raced on the first day of the regatta.
Friday's victor was the SAIL & SEA Team skippered by Vasily Harabardina. The crew from St. Petersburg sailed very well, posting three 1sts, two 2nds, and a 4th. Ending the day tied for second place were Ekaterina Stolbneva's DOBRYNA Team with a 4-1-6-2-3-2 tally and PEC: SPORT YOUTH Team led by Dmitry Popkov with nearly identical scores of 2-3-6-3-1-3.
On the second day, only five races were held. The leader of the first day, the SAIL & SEA Team, was unable to hold their position; two 5ths and one 3rd in three races drove the crew down to second place. Leaping into first place was Dmitry Popkov’s PEC: SPORT MOLODEZHKA Team after posting a 1-1-2 for the day. Then, moving into third place was Alexey Lesnikov’s B-TEAM (they were the winners of the first stage).
On the third and final day on Sunday, the wind “officially” died. “In the morning, the wind reached 5 knots, so we managed to hold two races,” said Daniil Dejanov, the main judge of the regatta. “We caught every breath of wind, but unfortunately, we couldn't get more than four races on Sunday.”
As a result, Popkov’s PEC: SPORT MOLODEZHKA Team failed to hold onto the top line after posting a 4-3-3 for the day, ultimately having to settle for the bronze medal in Tuapse. “For the second time in a row, we were winning after the second day,” said Mikhail Filatov, the helmsman of PEC: SPORT MOLODEZHKA. “First place was not far away! But, we made a few mistakes on the last day.”
Second place went to the UGAR Crew team. Two victories on Saturday and one on Sunday enabled the crew of Ruslan Yakupov to climb the podium for their first time in the Premier Division!
The winner was Vasily Kharabardin’s SAIL & SEA Team. After leading the first day, then dropping off any podium position on the second day, it was a strong comeback for the team on the last day to take back the lead.
“I liked the race in Tuapse,” said Kharabardin. “The weather was different, but although the wind was not very strong, the judges and organizers managed to hold a good regatta. The fight to get on the podium was sharp and highly competitive. We were very worried when on the second day we failed so badly! But, we were happy to be lucky on the last day.”
Sochi Supreme Division- Stage I
Sochi Grand Marina by the Burevestnik Group hosted the first event for the Supreme Division’s 2019 sailing season. Over the three days, the fleet was challenged by a wide variety of weather and solid breezes. Twenty-eight races were completed for the twenty-four top sailing teams in the Russian National J/70 Sailing League.
In the end, it was the champion Chechen Republic skipper Alexander Bozhkov on ACHMAT that won the regatta in convincing fashion, garnering more than his fair share of 1sts and podium finishes. Taking second was a colleague of his, Valeria Kovalenko’s ARTTUBE RUS1 Team from Pirogovo. Bozhkov can be seen frequently crewing for Kovalenko when she sails the larger J/70 open events across Europe and around the world- a fast, smart combination those two are! Third in the opening Sochi event was RUS7 skippered by Sergey Shevtsov. Rounding out the top five were BLACK SEA Team (Andrey Malygin) and NAVIGATOR TREM (Alexandra Peterson), fourth and fifth, respectively. For more Russian J/70 Sailing League information
J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* Enjoy this sailing video of a J/88 flying across Long Island Sound. The American Yacht Club was hosting the first weekend of its annual AYC Spring Series. However, on a sunny day blowing 20-30 kts-plus from the West/ Northwest, and temps hovering in the high 40s/ lows 50s (water temp at 45 deg!), racing was canceled for the day. Instead of heading home or to the bar, as most teams did, Bruno’s crew on WINGS “sent it” down the Sound; hoisting the A3 black spinnaker and pushing the boat up to 20.8 kts in a 28 kt gust!* Warrior Sailing had twenty-one U.S. military veterans sailing at Charleston Race Week; some on larger keelboats and almost half of them sailing on College of Charleston’s fleet of one-design J/22s.
Warrior Sailing takes graduates from basic level sail-training through certification, and directly supports “beyond camp experiences” for the veterans. One of the most impactful events of the year is Charleston Race Week.Twenty-one graduates from the sail-training program were selected from a pool of applications to attend the 5th consecutive year of participation in the event. The group traveled in style with new gear from Zhik, and the support is always felt from the sailing community at the largest keelboat regatta in the country.
Eight Warrior Sailors, five coaches, and three College of Charleston collegiate sailors were onboard the J/22’s. A highly competitive inshore fleet of 9 boats took to the water each day with most of the Warrior’s flying spinnakers for the first time during the training session on Wednesday. The intention is always based on instruction and gaining valuable experience onboard, but earning some hardware is also a bonus.
Warrior Sailing J/22’s took 1st (Sammy Hodges), 3rd (Corey Hall), and 4th (Jacob Raymond) in the J/22 one-design class. Congratulations to everyone and a very special thanks to the coaches and leadership at College of Charleston for their time and effort to teach Warriors what it means to race inshore and compete in this large regatta.
MAKE A DONATION AND CHANGE A LIFE
A special “Thank You” to the Charleston Race Week Foundation for their support. Portions of each registration for Charleston Race Week goes to supporting worthy causes participating in the Charleston area. Warrior Sailing was selected to receive a grant to support making this an expense-free experience for the participants. “Thank You” to Randy Draftz and the CRW Foundation for your continued support!
We are so grateful for everyone who turned up to party with a purpose at the “Container Bar” during Charleston Race Week. Thanks to a great turnout, Warrior Sailing raised over $4,600 to support veterans participation in future training camps and events.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to all sailors for your generous support. As a donor to our organization, you’re a part of what makes Warrior Sailing so special; you’re a part of our community. YOU make everything we do possible.
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From the start inside San Francisco Bay alongside the Golden Gate Yacht Club, the fleet heads out to sea and around the Southeast Farallones Island, leaving it to port, and then to the finish- a distance of approximately 58.0nm. 
