J/Newsletter- December 9th, 2009

December 9th, 2009

NEW J/111 Speedster Info

Specs & Pricing - Dec 15th

For those of you eagerly awaiting the latest news on the J/111 project launching in late spring 2010, please be sure to contact your J/Dealers for pricing and specifications later next week.  Worldwide interest continues to grow stronger and several sailing areas are already in formative discussions about J/111 One-Design fleets.   Learn more about the J/111 One-Design Speedster

J/97 @ Salon Nautique de Paris

For J sailors on the Continent or the British/ Irish Isles, jump onto the fast trains and head for Paris for a fun weekend touring the magnificent Paris Sailboat Show.  J/Europe has the J/97 on display, the highly acclaimed new IRC 31 foot cruiser-racer.  The J/97 proved itself this past summer in European waters by winning its IRC class in the RORC Around Island Race, winning its IRC class in the J/Cup and winning its IRC class in Cowes Week-- quite a stellar beginning!  Learn more about the Paris Sailboat Show.

Start 2010 With The Creme de la Creme

Give the gift they'll love for 365 days a year.  Enjoy the beautiful photos from eight wonderful sailing photographers who've captured J's  doing epic wave-jumping upwind, to blazing a frothy wake planing downwind, to enjoying tranquil moments in romantic settings.  Get yourself organized for the New Year and treat yourself, family and friends to the new 2010 J/Sailing Calendar.  Don't forget the crew, too-- we have six-pack specials for them!  Learn more about the J/Sailing Calendar.

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Dec. 5-13- Paris Sailboat Show/ Salon Nautique de Paris
Dec. 12-13- J/22 Dutch Midwinters- Netherlands
Jan. 2-8- J/24 Australian Championships- Sandringham YC
Jan 8-17- London Sailboat Show- London, England
Jan. 18-22- Key West Race Week- Key West, FL
Jan. 18-22- J/80 Midwinter Championships- Key West, FL
Feb. 6-10- J/24 Midwinters- Davis Island YC- Tampa, FL
Feb. 14- St. Pete NOOD- St. Petersburg YC- St. Petersburg, FL
Mar. 11-14- J/22 Midwinters- Southern YC, New Orleans, LA
Apr. 8-11- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC

NEW Interactive J Sailing Event Calendar

To help keep you apprised of events, boat shows, seminars, regattas going on worldwide in the J/Community, we have created two very user-friendly formats on the J website to help schedule yourself, friends and crew for your future sailing plans.  We offer both the standard "calendar grid" that displays events by day, week or month and, for hosts and organizers of such J class events.  We will also offer the "table format" (coming soon) for an easy method to post and organize your events.   Please visit the new interactive J Sailing Calendar for events, seminars, regattas.

J/Concierge for Key West Race Week

As the New Year begins, the premiere racing event will kick off the season in Key West January 18th - 22nd. Once again, J/Boats will be there supporting our teams! There is premium dock space available once again this year at the Conch Republic Seafood. Individual slips (no rafting), easy in & out of the bight, short walk to the race tent and dock side drink service make this location a favorite. We will also be coordinating a diver service. For more information and to make a dock or diver reservation, please contact Karen Yingling, J/Concierge at karen@jconcierge.com or ph# (619) 665-5815

J/Regatta News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

The summer sailing season is driving into higher gear Down Under.  The Australian offshore regatta circuit has some keen competition with a J/35, J/109, J/122 and J/130 leading the pack.  Proving many America's Cup pundits wrong, several J Sailors in the Middle East (Dubai Offshore Sailing Club) blitzed around the Straits of Hormuz in the Dubai-Muscat Race.  The winter Carribean sailing season is just getting underway, grateful that no major hurricanes wiped out some of the world's better watering holes.   Read on!  More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page!  Below are the summaries.

J/92 Wins Dubai-Muscat Race

Matt Britton's PRIVATEER Wins Big on Arabian Gulf

(Dubai, United Arab Emirates/ Muscat- Dec 6th)- While the boys playing in the America's Cup sandbox continue throwing exploding bricks at one another, the real sailors that use real gear to sail real sailboats (like J's) were having a great time taking in the best that the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman have to offer-- interesting vistas, gorgeous water, spectacular sunset and sunrise and often times a beautiful breeze.

Matt Britton and his merry bandits from the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club walked away (some say stole) the overall Division 2 prize in the 360 nautical mile Dubai to Muscat Offshore Race.   Sailing PRIVATEER, "the old bird of the J/92 fleet i.e. Hull # 2", as Matt describes her, they set out for Muscat from the Dubai Offshore sailing club on the 26th of November.  Basically, you start in Dubai (part of the United Arab Emirates) and sail down the Arabian Gulf, turn right around the cape that forms the infamous 25 mile wide Straits of Hormuz (between Iran and the Emirates) and head down through the Gulf of Oman to Muscat.

Matt's account of their race was quite amusing: "The start was not exactly what you would call text book and being the smallest boat in class we watched the fleet disappearing over the horizon on the first night. Fickle winds and lots of sail changes lead us up to the straits of Hormus and we were pleased to hear our main rivals rush Knot checking in with the Oman coast guard as we went for “The Gap” meaning we were still in touch.  The usual course of the race is to round the top and reach or run the remaining 200 miles. Not this year ! We stayed close hauled most of the way choosing to stay offshore and declining the invitation of potential land breezes. This proved to be the decisive in staying with the breeze.  Despite sitting outside Muscat for a frustrating seven hours we pulled into Marina Bander Rowda in Muscat not only IRC Handicap winners  for division 2 but first over the water in our division-- a fleet that included a Seaquest 32, Beanteau 36.7 and a Fast 42. We also managed 4th place overall in IRC.  A Big "Thanks" to the crew Who included Matt  Britton (owner and Skipper), Ryan (sundowner) Bray, Caroline (pooh sticks) Lassen , Teagan (Pasty) Rowlands and Josie (on Deck) Walsh."

J/122 JACKPOT Wins IRC Sydney Series

Entwistle's Team Takes CYCA Short Ocean Series Down to the Wire

(Sydney, Australia- Dec. 5th)- The final race of the 6 race Short Ocean Pointscore Series was held on Saturday 5th December.  It was going to be a nail biter because the first 3 yachts were tied on points for first place, so the final race would decide the winner.  The way the drops were working the J/122 JACKPOT sailed by Ray and Sandra Entwistle needed to win by 2 places to secure the series for IRC Class 1.  That was a tough call given the skill level of the competition.

The fleet awoke to a glorious Sydney summer day, about 25 degrees C, and a soft 8-10 knot E/SE breeze.   The seas outside the Sydney heads had abated, with only a slight swell remaining after the southerly from the previous night.  They were also racing for the ‘David Burke Memorial Trophy’.

With a combined fleet of 22 yachts on the start line ranging from 40 footers to 60 footers - the J/122 at 40 feet was amongst the smallest.  According to Ray,  "Our initial concern was not to be buried at the start by the larger yachts in the fleet.  We stayed back a little at the start which allowed us to come in at the committee boat end and tack into clean air.  We had a pretty clean beat to get out of the heads, and then our tactician Ian picked the wind shifts perfectly to the top mark which was about 6nm offshore. The course was windward / leewards so we popped our 155sq.m asymmetric running kite for the downwind legs, and with first-rate trimming by Hedgey we ran just as square as the symmetric rigged boats. The design work on the asymmetric kites by ‘Ian Short Sailmakers’ is excellent.   After 3 laps around the course we had maintained our lead.  The finish was a kite run/broad reach back through Sydney Harbour Heads, then a quick gybe and a reach down Sydney H arbour to the committee boat at Watson's Bay.  We just simply had a great days' sailing.  The crew worked seamlessly and our J/122 JACKPOT just revelled in the conditions. We came in 1st in IRC, and most importantly, the required 2 places ahead of our main rivals that enabled us to win the series in Division 1."

Ray's perspective on the J/122 after a season's worth of sailing is helpful for those of you considering a great all-round racer-cruising yacht- "The main thing about the J/122’s performance is her consistency.  Our worst result over the 6 race series was third, and given that the series had all types of wind conditions from 6-8 knots up to 30-35 knots, and from windward/leeward courses to 40nm return passage races, there is a lot to be said for her consistent performance.  Her accomplishments are no fluke – this is the same series in which JACKPOT finished equal first in the Australian Autumn, just after she was commissioned.  She just doesn’t have any vices."

"Special thanks to our crew – Ian, Hedgey (Glen), Darren, James, Emmy, Cassandra and Caroline for their consistent effort and skill which really made this race series a lot of fun" said Ray and Sandra Entwistle.

J/35 SOUNDTRACK Wins IRC 3 Off Sydney

Father/ Son Team Lead CYCA Spring Series

(Sydney, Australia- Dec. 5th)-  The J/Boats are really making an impact around the Sydney racing circles in this year's 2009/2010 summer sailing season.  The J/35 SOUNDTRACK sailed and owned by Tim Cox, and sailed by his son Edward, finished first in Division 3 in the final race of the CYCA Short Ocean Pointscore Series, thereby winning the Spring Series.  Even though she is one of the older J/Boat designs, this race series proves she is still a very competitive boat.  Congratulations to Edward and his crew.

Of note-  Across the harbour at Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Tony Coleman is busy getting his J/133 EUPHORIA up to speed.  As Tony and crew  get to know the boat better, they're beginning to score firsts, seconds and thirds on IRC over the past weeks.  More news on them soon.

J/24 Australian Championships

(Sandringham, Australia)- The resurgent J24 one design keelboat class, with expanding fleets in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia, will be holding its national title regatta at the stunning new $12.75m Sandringham Yacht Club from 2 to 8 January 2010. These are the first nationals to be hosted by SYC since building was completed in October 2009.  Oover 20 boats and 100+ c ompetitors are expected, including some of the finest sailors in the country. Sean Wallis, Sean Kirkjian, Doug McGain, David Suda and Hugo Ottaway will provide the competition for the most fiercely competitive Australian titles for some years. Added to these illustrious names are the all women's crew on HYPERACTIVE which last year won two heats in the same event.  First place immediately qualifies for The J/24 World Championships in Sweden, September, 2010    Learn more about the J/24 Australian Championships.

J/Community:

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

* GEL (Group Experiential Learning)  has become the official supplier of "Leadership Development and Team Building" for US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG). As part of their program, they're organizing a number of events for AlphaGraphics and other clients on J/80's where the participants will be racing with Olympians and current Olympic-hopefuls who are members of USSTAG. 

Founded by Jay Palace from San Francisco, he had this to say about why he started GEL- "I'm a long time J/Boat sailor and a former J/World Annapolis and J/World San Francisco Instructor.  I run a company called Group Experiential Learning, (GEL) and what we do is create high end sailboat-based leadership development programs across the country and in select international locations.  Our very first partner organization was J/World Annapolis, and we work frequently with both JWA and J/World San Francisco.  We also organize events on J/22's in Chicago and Newport and on J/24's in San Francisco and New York City.  Personally I own a J/22 called LOST & FOUND which I keep and race in Paradise Cay, Tiburon, CA.  To learn more about Jay's GEL program for "building high performance teams via active sailing experiences". 

*  2nd Annual Carlos Aguilar Match Race - Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands- Sailing with crew that has had years of experience sailing J/24s and the converted IC 24s, Peter Holmberg, Maurice Kurg, Morgan Avery and Ben Beer (ISV)  defeated Taylor Canfield, Max Nickbarg, Tyler Rice and Chris Rosenberg (ISV) in an all US Virgin Islands final at the 2nd Annual Carlos Aguilar Match Race. Holmberg took Canfield down with two straight wins in the best of three finals in the Grade 3 Match Race in which junior sailors and locals went head to head against America's Cup skippers and sailors who have reached the top of the match race standings in their careers.  Racing in the beautiful natural amphitheater of St. Thomas' harbor, the sailors enjoyed 4 perfect days of sailing in the double round-robin, semi and finals event. Consistent trade winds of 10-15 knots, sunshine and warm weather treated the racers to some of the best sailing in the world. In the Women's division, the #1 Women's Match Racing team in the world, Claire Leroy, Eladie Bertrand, Clarie Pruvot, and Marie Riou (FRA) defeated the US Women's Match Racing Champion and the defending Carlos Aguilar Match Race Champion, Genny Tulloch and her team, which included Sally Barkow, Alana O'Reilly and Amanda Callahan in two matches in the first to two wins final.  Claire Leroy (FRA) and Genny Tulloch (USA) dispatched their Semi-Final opponents by winning three straight against Katy Pilley-Lovell (USA) and Julie Bossard (FRA), respectively.  Learn more about this regatta.

Featured Boat

J/109 Race-ready for 2010

A 2005 freshwater J/109 ZEITGEIST is a proven winner.  She has only raced in the big events in Chicago/ Lake Michigan. The record speaks for itself- First in Sailing World NOOD Regatta- 2007, 2008, 2009. First 2007, 2008 Chicago-to-Mackinac Island Race. Third Overall 2009 North Americans. ZEITGEIST is in perfect condition. Looks like new, good updated sail inventory. For more information, please be sure to contact Rich Stearns at Stearns Boating- rich@stearnsboating.com/ ph- 847-446-5610

About J/Boats

Started in 1977, J/Boats continues to lead the world in designing fun-to-sail, easy-to-handle, performance sailboats that can be enjoyed by a broad spectrum of sailors.  The International J/24 has become the most popular recreational offshore keelboat in the world with over 5,400 J/24s cruising the waves. Today, there are 13,000+ J/Boats, ranging from the International J/22 to the J/65 and ranging in style from one-designs to racers, cruisers to daysailers and, of course, the ubiquitous J sprit boats- J/Boats' innovation in 1992 for easy-to-use asymmetric spinnakers and retractable carbon bowsprits (J/80, J/92, J/95, J/105, J/109, J/110, J/120, J/122, J/130, J/133, J/125, J/145, J/160).

J/Boats has the best track record in sailing for innovation and design as evidenced by:  11 Sailing World/ Cruising World Boat of the Year Awards in 14 years; 2 SAIL Awards for Industry Leadership; 2 American Sailboat Hall of Fame Designs (J/24 & J/35); and the three largest ISAF International One-Design keelboat classes (J/22, J/24, J/80).

Counting crew, every year there are over 100,000 friends to meet sailing J's, populating the most beautiful sailing harbors and sailing the waters of 35+ countries around the world.  Sailing is all about friends.  Come join us and expand your social network everywhere! 

For more information on J/Boats:
http://www.jboats.com/intro.htm