J/Newsletter- June 3rd, 2009

J/95 Cruising To Its Own Tune

Three Weeks of Sailing Leads to Sprit Fest Appearance

(Sag Harbor, Long Island, NY)- After sailing around the eastern end of Fisher's Island Sound and the outer reaches of The Race off the end of Long Island Sound for the better part of May, it was time to see how the J/95 matched up with the other thoroughbreds in the J stable. When Rod took his J/95 Banjo up against the benchmark J/105 at the Black Seal Sprit Fest Regatta, it was apparent that his hope for a good "bench test" would be met. Rod's remarks were telling- "in the 10-14 knot conditions it was clear we had very good straight line pace upwind, and on a few occasions were even able to squeeze off boats to windward. We forgot to lower the centerboard on one upwind test and were later surprised at how well we did considering the reduced draft (from 5.5’ to 3’). Off the wind under the asymmetric spinnaker we also had good pace. We’ll have Banjo out at Block Island for Off-Soundings the weekend of June 13-14 where we will have numerous other J’s to sail with. We’ll be docked at the Block Island Boat Basin and look forward to welcoming sailors to look at the boat.”  For more info.

"STOP PRESS! J/80 Worlds 130 Boats!

J/80s Expect Record Fleet For Worlds in Santander, Spain

(Santander, Spain)- Seemingly impervious to the tilting windmills blown over by the winds of economic change, the J/80 International Class seems to be hell-bent on breaking all previous records for attendance of ISAF one-design keelboat class world championships. The average number of attendees for the last three J/80 Worlds has been over 110 boats!! This year promises to be equally as epic an event with multiple World, European and National Champions in attendance. Plus, the weather in Santander ought to make it as challenging as the 2007 Worlds in La Trinite Sur Mer, where 124 boats sailed in nearly a 20 knot average wind speed with large swell and foaming crests on top of huge chop!! More news soon as this is certain to continue being a very significant event on the international racing circuit. For more J/80 info  For more J/80 Worlds Info.

J/22 Worlds Sailing on Romantic Lake Garda

44 Entries from Six Countries Will Enjoy Breathtaking Scenery

(Riva di Garda, Lake Garda, Italy)- Not to be outdone by the J/80's in Spain, the J/22's are hosting their World Championships this year on the spectacular location of Lake Garda deep in Italy's famous northern Lakes District. Renowned for gorgeous cobalt blue waters, strong adabatic winds gusting up and down the mountain valleys, enormous rock and mountain formations thrusting skyward precipitously along the lakeshores and simply extraordinary Italian home-style hospitality, it's hard to imagine how anyone of the forty-four boats entered to date are going to have a bad time! Toss in a fair dose of great Italian wine, fresh bread, some extraordinary northern Italian cuisine and you have a recipe for a gastronomic World Championship--- nearly to rival the sailing itself! We wish all competitors fun, fair winds and many a splendid evening along the shores of the sybaritic, romantic waters of Lago di Garda.  For more J/22 International Class Info.  For more J/22 Worlds Info.

J/100 One-Design Sailing Opportunities!

Three fun regattas for lovers of slim, fast, pretty boats.

For those J/100 owners who have a penchant for taking a run around the buoys every once in awhile, there are three opportunities in the New England region to get together and share your passion for this unique J design.  Henry Brauer of Marblehead and Northeast Harbor has suggested the following events may be of interest to J/100 owners:

* The first is the new Mount Desert Island Summer Series which will be held July 18-19, in Northeast Harbor, ME. Day one is the traditional Maine Hospice Regatta and Day two is a regular MDI series race. They've put the two together to offer a 2 day series with both day trophies and overall regatta trophies. There is a lobster bake on Saturday night in Southwest Harbor and a Raft up Sunday after the racing. We have 4 active J/100's in Northeast and hope to attract some more to have offer a one-design division.

* The second opportunity for J/100 one-design is Downeast Race Week which is scheduled for August 7-9. Again, there already 3 J/100's registered for the event and a chance to attract several more boats will provide some great one-design competition. DERW has a new format this year and will be only 3 days long starting on a Friday and ending on Sunday so it is easy to plan for crew. More information is available on the DERW web site.

* The third opportunity is at the PHRF-New England Championship which is scheduled in Marblehead August 28-30. There are 10 J/100's in Mass Bay and with a commitment of 6 or more boats PHRF will provide a one- design start for the class.
For more insights on J/100 class sailing, please contact Henry Brauer.

J/24 Asia - Pacific Championships in Australia

25 boats to race in first AsiaPac regatta

(Adelaide, Australia- June 6-8)- The Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia will host the first J/24 Asia - Pacific Championships. With resurgence worldwide in the J/24 class, Asia is one of the last areas on the globe to have an active international circuit for the class. Five Australian states as well as Singapore and Korea will be represented at the Regatta. This Regatta will have a tremendous depth of talent with multiple Australian Championship winners Sean Kirkjian - NSW and Sean Wallis - West Australia, challenging to take out the first Asia - Pacific title. Hugo Ottoway from Victoria, also a past National Champion, will be joined by David Suda and three other teams from Victoria, with four times SA State Champion Alyn Stevenson heading a strong local contingent, including the much travelled Hi team skippered by Peter Stevens. The Aussies won't have it all their own way as Singapore National Champion Vladimir Borstnar, a specialist light air sailor, is likely to get eight knot breezes in June. The field is completed with Korea fielding a team from different continents, to be skippered by Park Ki-Cheol.

The South Australian fleet has provided eight loaner boats for the event and is hosting five teams. 'It's time to turn the clock back and run low cost regattas' according to regatta Chairman Alyn Stevenson. With the regatta being held off the North Haven Marina in Gulf St Vincent during 6th to 8th June, competitors are likely to encounter 6 to 12 kts during the event. There will 10 races sailed over three days ensuring plenty of tired bodies come Monday. The Cruising Yacht club ran the J24 Nationals in January and should produce another excellent event with Race Officer Stuart Ross at the helm.

J/Regatta News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Racing Worldwide

Summer is accelerating molto rapido! It was very busy on the J calendar this past week. European summer kicked into high gear at the end of May in France (Trophee Atlantique), England (Vice- Admirals Cup and RORC North Sea Race) and Italy (J/24 Italian Nationals). In America, Detroit had something to lift their spirits despite dismal automotive news-- the Sailing World NOOD Regatta was an unqualified success with great weather and the women finished the BoatUS Santa MariaCup. Internationally, two long distance offshore events kept J sailors busy- starting with the Swiftsure Race from Seattle to Vancouver and the famous OSTAR Race from Plymouth, England to Newport, RI. Read on!  More importantly, if you have more regatta news, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page!  Below are the summaries.

J/122 Pen Azen Victorious at Grand Prix du Crouesty

The Grey-blue French Rocketship Continues Domination of French IRC Offshore

(Crouesty, France- May 30-June 1)- The third major event of the French UNCL/ FFV offshore sailing season had excellent representation from passionate J owners from France, in particular. The Yacht Club du Crouesty Arzo hosted a wonderful event; the J's represented 50% of the fleet of the Grand Prix du Crouesty and forty one J/80s were present to do battle; not far behind in attendance were the J/22 and J/24 classes.

In the J/80's, Sylvain Pelissier won in a highly competitive fleet. In IRC1, the J122 Pen Azen again confirmed their supremacy over IRC1 competitors, beating stablemate J/122 Damacle with the renowned Christine Briand on-board as tactician. Also doing well was the J/109 Poulico, 3rd in IRC2 (beating three very competitive Archambaut A35s).  For more info.

Pen Azen Wins Trophee Atlantique/ 46th SIV Habitable Regatta

The UNCL/ FFV IRC1 French Championship Dominated by J/122s

(Port des Minimes, La Rochelle, France- May 21-23)- The hosts at Société des Régates Rochelaises- Yacht Club Les Minimes put on a splendid regatta for the competitors vying for honors at the SIV Habitables Regatta and for the ultimate honor of winning the UNCL/ FFV Trophee Atlantique- emblematic of the French offshore spring championship series. With eighteen entries in IRC Classes 1, 2 and 3 it was not going to be a walk-over for any of the competing teams at this highly regarded event. Nevertheless, Philippe Delaporte and team on his J/122 Pen Azen again managed to sail a solid series, winning by one point over fellow J/122 Damacle with the world-renowned Christinne Briand as tactician. Both boats easily dispatched two very competitive Archambaut 40s (Batistyl and Stamina3) who finished third and fifth behind them, respectively. For more info:

SLAM J/24 Italian Nationals

Casale Wins, Followed by American Keith Whittemore

(Riva del Garda, Italy- May 29-June 1)- Steady southerly winds made for great racing during the third day of J/24 Open Italian Championship. The race committee at Fraglia Vela Riva Yacht Club managed to run three great races for the fleet of thirty-two J/24s. Andrea Casale, helmsman of Fiamme Gialle, reigned supreme with 2 first-place finishes and 1 second. Onboard with Casale: Vittorio Rosso as tailer, Ernesto Angeletti as tactician, Fabio Montefusco as bowman and Enzo di Capua on halyard and mast. American Keith Whittemore (USA 5399 - Furio), who won the second race, surpassed the German crew steered by Mares Kai (GER 5420 - Rotoman), to finish second overall. Keith is originally from Seattle, WA having cut his teeth racing against other veterans of the J/24s in the Pacific Northwest like Jonathan and Charlie Mckee and Carl Buchan.
Sponsors of the J 24 OPEN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2009, organized by the Fraglia Vela Riva and the Italian J 24 Class Association, are SLAM and Trentino SpA.  For more info.

RORC North Sea Race

Stop and Go Driving For Fleet- J/109s 2nd and 3rd

(Harwichport, England- May 22-24)- Five J/109s participated in the RORC North Sea Race over the Bank Holiday weekend 22/24 May 2009. This race of approximately 210 miles is organised by RORC in association with the Royal Harwich Yacht Club. EAORA, Yacht Club Scheveningen, Royal Maas Yacht Club, Noordzee Club and the Royal Dutch Navy Yacht Club.

The race was started in 12 knots and sunshine before the conditions became more difficult. Gusts in excess of 20 knots were seen, before the first “park-up” occurred about midnight. The wind dropped even further by dawn, resulting in a virtual restart of the event. Light and variable winds through the shipping lanes kept the fleet on their toes. Jaguar of Burnham (Adrian Lower) managed to keep moving (just) and located the new breeze ahead of the fleet to finish in 2nd place whilst the J/109 Yeti (Paul van der Pol/Suzanne Hen) was third.  For more info.

Vice Admirals Cup

Champagne Sailing for the J/109 Fleet

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England- May 29-31)- To quote Solent sailing legend Kelvin Rawlings- "On a day like this there's nowhere I'd rather be racing than the Solent" - and for the competitors at this year's Vice Admiral's Cup, hosted by the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, Cowes from 29-31 May, it was certainly a weekend of champagne sailing.

The four fleets enjoyed three days of hot competition in glorious sunshine and excellent winds under the auspices of Race Officers Bob Milner, running racing for the Classes 0 and 1, and Robert Lamb, running racing for the Quarter Tonners and J109s.

For Class 3 – the J109s – it was confidently won by David & Kirsty Apthorpe’s J-Dream with five firsts, two seconds and a discarded sixth. Speaking after sailing David put their success down to simple time on the water. “Going into the event Zelda and Jambhala looked like our closest competition, but we’ve sailed more than they have recently and put a lot of time in on the water which makes a big difference.” There was some controversy in the class when it was noted that Jambhala, owned by Gill Ross and Richard Sainsbury, had sailed the first day without either owner aboard which contravenes class rules. As soon as Gill and Richard realised their error they immediately did the honourable thing and retired from Friday’s races dropping them from third to tenth overall. Jambhala’s loss was to be Zelda’s gain and Ben Richard and Mike Ewart Smith were delighted to unexpectedly find themselves moving up into third place overall. Second place went to fleet newcomer Martin Miller sailing Jouster/Velvet Elvis who was thrilled to have done so well.  For more info.

Sailing World Detroit NOOD

Frank Kern Wins J/120 Class!

(Detroit, MI May 29-31)- The host Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit, MI had 191 boats competing in 20 classes. Frank Kern's Carinthia, took a seven-boat J//120 class by 3 points over second and six points over third. Five of seven boats won races in the J/120 class, six of seven recorded a top-two finish.

The assessment of the competition for the J/120s at "Day-twaah" was insightful: "In spite of the large spread of the J/120 class IRC ratings, these boats are very close in speed and any one of them can win the NOOD based on tactics and crew ability. Jerry Bresser of Flyin' Irish comes in from his 2008 one-design victory in the Bayview Mackinac. Don Hudak's Capers returns from his overwhelming 2008 victory of the J/120 class in Harbor Springs. Henry Mistile Night Moves will be defending his 2008 NOOD victory, which he won in the last race. Marv Ihnen's Ihnsanity will be returning with his first place success in the DYRA series on Lake St. Clair. Bob Kirkman's Hot Ticket, although he didn't claim any bullets in 2008, will be returning with a veteran J/120 crew and is always in the thick of competition. Frank Kern's Carinthia did not race in last year's NOOD, but will be coming back with a class triumph in the Chicago Race to Mackinac class and winner of the J/120's Great Lakes Trophy. Competition in this class is very competitive and these veterans of the J/120 class should have another close battle for victory." Ultimately, Frank and crew prevailed. For more info.

Swiftsure Lightship Classic Race

J's Win, Place and Show Again Across the Fleet

(Victoria, BC- May 29-31)- Just a 139 mile race from Victoria, BC to Swiftsure Bank mark and return. Over 150 boats compete in five race courses. But, it's anything other than an easy race. Rugged, exacting, colourful and international in competition. Or a boring "Driftsure", sometimes accompanied by fog and drizzle. Every year, the Swiftsure International Yacht Race is a major community event - the premiere long distance sailing race in the B.C. and US Pacific Northwest area and a festival on shore. It is a race in which cruising yachts capable of adventure in exposed waters are encouraged to compete and crews to test their skills.

Swiftsure has drawn boats and sailors from California, Hawaii, New Zealand and even Russia. The nature of the course and the potential variety of sailing conditions provide an exacting review of good seamanship. Swiftsure is now actually six different races over four separate courses, plus the unofficial "Sookesure" start. Therefore, it offers wide appeal to the experienced amateur sailor who takes pride in his or her boat, big or small. The skipper and crew must be willing to test their collective knowledge and sailing experience to maximize their overall performance.

The races may look glamorous, especially if there is a downwind spinnaker start, but the Swiftsure International Yacht Race demands a combination of a great deal of hard work, and a bit of luck. One needs endurance but strategy is also a major factor. Yacht racing is not only about going as fast as possible; it also requires much thought about how to take the most advantageous course, given the wind and the tides, and lots of concentration, especially in light airs and at night. The winners in each race are often the skippers who guessed best where to sail in order to pick up the most useful winds.

The roster of J/Boats' owners is legendary that have taken on this classic over the course of time. Nevertheless, J's sailing in the 2009 event included a: J/30, J/32, J/33, J/35, J/105, J/37, J/124, J/125, J/42, J/109, J/122 and J/160. The outcomes were pleasing for most of these owners who prevailed in this northwest classic.

In Class 1B PHRF- John McPhail raced his J/160 JAM to 2nd overall. In Class 3I, Bob Brunius took his J/120 Time Bandit to third overall. In Class 3J PHRF, William Wong won with his J/109 Harwar and just off the pace was Don Leighton in his J/35 Tahlequah. In Class 3K, Mike Pearson sailed his J/105 BiFrost3 to first overall. For More info.

BoatUS Santa Maria Cup

Top International Women Match Race on J/22s in Annapolis

(Annapolis, MD -May 27-30) - Enduring a week of brutally light and fickle winds, the women’s world top ranked match racing champion Claire Leroy (FRA) conquered the field to win the ISAF Grade 1 BoatUS Santa Maria Cup women’s match race event. Following the first three days, the event had yet to complete a single round robin schedule of nine races. For the fourth and final day on Saturday, the light winds permitted a 9am start to complete the round, but with time now running short, the second round robin series was scratched, and the top four teams advanced to the semi-final round.
By virtue of their round robin scores, the semi-finals saw top-seeded Leroy blank fourth seed Elizabeth Baylis (USA) 2-0, while second seed Genny Tulloch (USA) also dispatched third seed Katie Spithill (AUS) 2-0. It wasn’t until after four o’clock that the Final/Petit-Final Knockout Series commenced with Leroy vs Tulloch in the Finals and Spithill vs Baylis in the Petit match. Leroy cleanly defeated Tulloch in the first match, with Tulloch unable to overcome two penalties in the second. With time running out, Spithill defeated Baylis in the single Petit match to determine the final scores.

Peter Howson commentary: It's been a rough season for marquee sailing events in Annapolis so far this year. It seems the weather has been one week off on the wind every time and the Boat US Santa Maria Cup was no exception. After a spectacular Memorial Day weekend and the cancellation of the pro-am (sponsored by a local lingerie shop: awesome) because of too much wind, the racers have endured several days of barely enough wind to race. Today was another drifter. The press boat left the dock at 11:00 and hit the race course just in time to wait for a good 3 hours before the breeze picked up. Three hours of floating around watching boats full of women sunbathe... for once waiting out a calm didn't totally suck. In fact I'm sure once "Mr. Clean" (Sailing Anarchy) sees the photos he'll be putting this regatta on his schedule even if it is in Annapolis again. This is an impressive fleet by any standards. The big guns according to the media guide are Genny Tulloch, #1 match racing skipper on the US Sailing Team Alphagraphics, Liz Baylis and the San Francisco Match Women's Racing Team, Katie Spithill ranked #7 in the world by ISAF, and last but certainly not least, #1 in the world (again, according to ISAF) Claire Leroy of France. There are also 6 other women fielding teams from five different continents, all of whom could knock your ass off the racecourse without breaking a sweat. The day started with Liz Baylis and Claire Leroy tied for first with 6 wins each and Baylis had beaten Leroy in a prior flight. RC finally set a course and they got off a full flight of races. With wind blowing just barely 5 knots most of the time, these races were all won at the start. With a short course it was pretty tight quarters and there were some challenges at the windward mark when some boats misjudged the set of the current and had to tack a couple of extra times putting them smack dab in the middle of the following race. Leroy picked up another win and Baylis dropped one to that Spithill girl so Liz was down one at the end of the day. Genny Tulloch came away with the only US win against Ramires of Portugal.

Regatta Debrief: Genny Tulloch, currently ranked as the top women’s match racing skipper on the US SAILING Team Alphagraphics, provides a recap from last week’s ISAF Grade 1 BoatUS Santa Maria Cup women’s match race event: “The Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis was unfortunately not shined upon by the wind gods, and we had four light air days where the breezes were fighting with each other rather than cooperating on our behalf. Sadly I had caught a pretty bad cold on the flight to Annapolis, so while many of the other teams were sunbathing in bikinis, I was still in a jacket, sneezing anytime a zephyr of 2 knots came through.  “We knew the weather was bad when we were told Thursday night (after 2 days) that the Santa Maria Cup had never been this far behind in races before, and then we went out and were only able to get one race the next day. We finally finished the first round robin, racing its final race on Saturday, which left us ranked second on a tie-break, as we had beaten both Katie Spithill (last year’s Match Racing World Champion), and Liz Baylis (last year’s second place in World Champs) in the round robin races.  “The breeze then died again and we sat out there for about 6 hours as our Northerly gradient fought the Southerly seabreeze, neither one staying long enough to actually get a start off for our semi-finals, though the other match raced one race with three different 180 degree shifts—kites up on the downwind, then sailing upwind on the downwind leg and kites back up for the upwind leg, etc. We were happy not to have raced in that. They finally moved us straight to the finals matches at four, so we were up against Claire Leroy (currently ISAF ranked #1 Women’s Match Racer) to see who would get the win.” Event website.  Further info.  Photo credits: Sarah Proctor.

2009 OSTAR

Plymouth to Newport Classic Currently Led by J/105 and J/122

(Plymouth, England- May 25 start)- As if local racing around the Solent, French Bays and Italian Islands wasn't enough to satisfy some J owners, the long distance classic of 2,800 miles from Plymouth, England to Newport, Rhode Island known as the OSTAR would certainly provide the J's an extraordinary test of a different kind. Not to be undaunted by difficult and often capricious conditions, two intrepid J owners outfitted their boats, a J/105 and J/122, respectively, to cope with the extreme range of conditions tossed at them by the North Atlantic Ocean. The J/105 King of Shaves is sailed by the youngest competitor in the event, Oscar Mead from England, who is only 18 years old-- his father is Lawrence Mead, a well know Hong Kong based Etchells sailor. The J/122 J-Bellino is sailed by Rob Craigie from England.

Crowds gathered to see H.R.H. Prince Philip start the race from aboard the Trinity House vessel, Galatea. After months of preparation and anticipation the skippers, ranging in age from 18 years to 68, are facing strong, prevailing winds; an adverse Gulf Stream; hazardous icebergs (south of the Sea of Labrador); and dense fog as they each battle to reach their destination. With international competitors from Austria, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, the USA and the United Kingdom, the whole world will be watching their progress.
Trackers have been fitted on each boat and their progress can be seen via the OSTAR 2009 race website. Regular news updates and weather forecasts will also be available. The skippers are leaving regular blogs on popular website- www.blogstar.org.uk.

June 3rd Update: Who is Winning? The leader on the water is Jan Kees Lampe sailing the Open 40 La Promesse. Chasing him hard and catching up is Rob Craigie in the J/122 J-Bellino which has been reveling in the downwind conditions and has taken over the lead of IRC 1 on handicap. IRC 2‘s positions are more difficult because the J/105 King of Shaves tracker is not working. However, input from daily reports giving lat/lon indicates that King of Shaves is leading IRC2 on the water and is probably leading on handicap as well. For more info

OSTAR Blog Updates from Oscar Mead

* Monday at 0700- Its freezing out here, I am wearing my full Musto drysuit, loads of thermals and I have the hatches shut to keep the waves out and the warmth in. still windy though, I had just over 30 knots in the night and am sailing with a reef and the jib top doing 10 to 12 knots all the time and making great long surfs at up to 21 knots on the waves. I have never sailed in this sort of condition before and it’s half scary and half exciting. Slowly getting used to it but this seems like a very small world on a J/105. I am bit more apprehensive for some reason so trying to stay positive and focused.. A fair bit of water in the boat and no chance of sleeping, you can rest but there is no deep sleep. My main sat phone got soaked last night so that has given up the battle and I am now using my spare but with my old sim card.. Battered and bruised from being thrown all over the boat. Anthony the Autopilot is struggling but has managed to cope so far. Using a quicker response level in these conditions so using more power but need to in order not to get knocked around too much by the waves. Still absolutely hoooooning along...... Position at 0700 hours Monday N49 15 180 W 29 30 439 Steering 255 (ish) at 14 knots.

* Tuesday morning- This is "King of Shaves" reporting. It is still windy, still wavy, still wet and we are still flying along. I have been in throttle back mode all night as I had had a great 36 hour run and with the wind on the beam and the waves pretty massive I wanted to give Anthony a break and make sure that I didn’t blow it all up and spin out on a corner after having got myself right up there in the race.

It was always going to be that I lost ground while we were beating at the start, would make some up while we were reaching (if that ever came along which thankfully it did in a BIG way!) and, then, assuming we are in the race at the Grand Banks, then the results will be decided on the 800 miles down the coast. I got the positions from 8am and I am really happy with my position, I am further west than all but four bigger boats so that can't be bad. I may be a bit too far north but right now you can only sail where the waves allow and this is the angle I need to sail. Flying along though, still surfing at 14 knots regularly even with only a double reefed main up.

I spent a lot of time down below overnight, was up and down to check sail plan / wind and waves but I had a good night with the boat, I have sailed her enough to know a bit about what she is telling me and I have an agreement with Anthony about how hard he can be pushed and when it’s too much he lets me know and I re-balance the boat to take some strain off him. So far so good on all those fronts.

I will put the 4 back up now and as the breeze is supposed to drop I will increase sail all day it seems. Mind you, the GRIB weather files are ALWAYS 5 to 8 knots under reading so maybe not!!! Nobody said anythung about 45 knots on the first night!  Breakfast of oats and fruit today, so off to eat some yummy food…it’s funny how out here very plain food tastes awesome. Mind you the view is spectacular…

J/Community

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

* J/35 sailor, Tom Amory, completed his circumnavigation of the northern Atlantic Ocean on May 14, 2009. Tom had just arrived in Camden Harbor at 5 AM on his 24-year-old J/35 Flash of Beauty, having tied the knot on his Atlantic Circle voyage of some 13,000 miles, which he completed in 50 weeks. And yes, on the prior abysmal evening, Tom was single-handing the final leg across the Gulf of Maine.

Tom has been characterized by one of his myriad friends as “so tough, he keeps his socks up with thumb tacks.” Indeed, Tom has done the Bermuda One-Two Race twice on the Flash and did his Atlantic Circle with varying crew compliments, ranging from zero to two extra hands on board. His voyage started in Camden, Maine, last June, and after a chilly but quick crossing of the North Atlantic, he made his first landfall in Scotland, followed by Scandinavia, England, Germany, France, Portugal, the Caribbean, Bermuda, Newport and back to Camden to complete the adventure. On various legs, the crew consisted of a variety of friends and family, all richer for the experience.

If you consider Tom to be an intrepid adventurer, his beloved Flash of Beauty has proven herself equally well. How do six trips to Bermuda, four transatlantics, plus one each sortie to Newfoundland and the Caribbean sound? Highest mileage J under 40 feet, ever?
Specially modified for shorthanded sailing, the Flash is actually 34-1/2 feet long, with her transom having been truncated to fit into a smaller class for the OSTAR race some years ago. Water ballasting was also added and, of course, windvane steering and redundancy all around (three autopilots) are just some of the features of this amazing J/Boat.

What was Tom’s biggest asset on this voyage? Simply put, a supportive and loving family who let him pursue his dream of circumnavigating the Atlantic Ocean, almost guilt free. His wife of 34 years, Mary, and his three daughters—Rachel, Lucy, and Alice—crewed, cooked, cajoled, and gave Tom their unqualified support.
Tom Amory summed it up nicely in his final blog: “Home looks great, and Mary, wife, looks even better. The Flash and I sailed for two weeks short of a year and 200 miles short of 13,000. She is still my favorite boat, but not my favorite girl.” Read Tom's blogsite.

* QUANTUM RACING' s Terry Hutchinson (former J/24 World Champion) is having another rocky, but seemingly successful start on the MedCup TP52 Circuit. Another former J/24 Champion, Morgan Larson, is making sure he's heading in the right direction as Terry's tactician--- most of the time. 8-) This time, they've started the series from the middle of the fleet instead of the sewer and can see daylight in front of them! Hallelujah! Progress. Sometimes minor victories like these have meaningful consequences for the future. Clearly, time in the boat and time in the Med gel for the Quantum Racing Team....seemingly an inevitable progression leading to a podium finish.

* PUMA's Ken Read (6x J/24 World Champion) Seeks Redemption Again! Good on ya mate! The VOR Inshore Race at Galway was another feather in Kenny's cap. Thank Goodness. PUMA won the in-port race series in Galway after two races were held on Galway Bay. This is the first time that PUMA has been on top of the podium for the Volvo Ocean Race and it brings her closer to second place in the overall standings. Telefonica Blue maintains second place overall, but only by one point and Ericsson 4's disappointing performance shaves her overall lead from 14.5 points to 13 points. Bummer. Can you imagine, Kenny, what a podium finish on the Atlantic Leg and Boston Inshore would've done to overall points? Our hearts are bleeding. Crushing the comp to Sweden will be yet another chapter in ultimate redemption. Cape, remember that it will take some strong out-of-the-box thinking to get that sticky wedge of cheese you're sailing to bypass the Swedes. Good luck, fair winds from the J/ World.  For more info.

* ALINGHI's Ed Baird (former J/24 World Champion) and Peter Holmberg (USVI J/24 Champion) are still training on bicycles or tricycles?? Hmmm. The world awaits the debate and rumors. Last seen watching and coaching his son at Noroton Yacht Club in Optimists at the Opti 2009 Team Trials (with friends Peter Johnstone and Regatta Chairman Bill Crane observing with a fair degree of caustic wit) it remains distinctly unclear the direction that Ed's bosses are headed. Thank goodness Ed has sailed Lasers, Hobie Cats, J/24s and other boats that float, otherwise his boss Ernesto Bertarelli might be at a distinct disadvantage.

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This J/46 is the cleanest and best equipped that we've seen. All of the cruising conveniences one could imagine, immaculate condition, always stored inside in heated space after only seasonal New England use, she has been maintained to almost new standards with consistent and intelligent upgrades. Sail handling systems are such that the two senior citizen owners have daysailed her single handed extensively when not engaging in the occassional race or luxurious cruise. Attractively priced at $449,000, contact Tom Babbitt at East Coast Yacht Sales. 207 236 8656 or tom@ecys.com for more information.

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 in 35+ countries around the world. Sailing is all about friends. Come join us and expand your social network everywhere!  For background info.