J's Racing Pacific Cup
(San Francisco-Oahu- July 5th)- Distance racing West Coast style means either going north-south up and down the California, Oregon and Washington coasts or going east-west from those states to that beautiful island chain known as the Hawaiian Islands. Every area has its classic distance race: On the east coast of America, the storied Newport-Bermuda commands the loftiest perch of all American offshore races; England has its Rolex Fastnet Race; the Med has the Rolex Middle Sea or Giraglia Cup races; Australia its Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race; but on the West Coast there are offshore racing traditions as well. Being shy of an island that's "only" 635 nautical miles offshore, left-coast sailors have to race a bit further, but when the destination is Hawaii, it's hard to complain.
As far as Hawaiian races go, the biennial Transpacific Yacht Race (held on odd years) may be the most prestigious, but two other races, each held on even years, also vie for participants- the Pacific Cup (from San Francisco) and the Vic-Maui Race (from Victoria, BC). The 2,070 nautical mile Pacific Cup (San Francisco to Hawaii) draws boats that are based up north, or that are interested in a friendlier, fun-focused race. The Pacific Cup started on July 5 from San Francisco's St. Francis Yacht Club, and while these sailors historically take less of an upwind drubbing, they too are no doubt preparing for a few days of serious upwind sailing. But once the kites come on deck, the party starts--- it immediately becomes obvious why west coast sailors enjoy prolonged surfing and planing for days on end. Sailing in this year's Pacific Cup are Shawn Ivie's J/30 FRICTION LOSS (currently in 1st), Jim Brainerd's J/35c BRAINWAVES, Sean Mulvihill's J/120 JAMANI, Scott Campbell's J/46 RIVA, Scott Dickinson's J/42 TIKI J, and John Macphail's J/160 JAM (the team pictured here). We wish them fair winds and fair weather. Follow them on the tracking page at the event site. For more Pacific Cup sailing and tracking info. Photo credit- Erik Simonson- pressure-drop.us
J's Racing Lake Ontario 300
(Port Credit, Ontario, Canada)- The Lake Ontario 300 is nearing capacity again this year as over 189 boats have already registered. Demand for offshore racing in Lake Ontario continues to grow with record participation in The Susan Hood Race and LOSHRS shorthanded racing. There is a large contingent of J's sailing. The winner of the Susan Hood Trophy Race, Murray Gainer's J/109 LIVELY (which won IRC Fleet overall), Bob Eckersley's J/109 BLUE STREAK (third overall in IRC Fleet), and John Trumpener's J/105 THE USUAL SUSPECTS (second in PHRF Fleet overall) will be joined by Malcolm Little's J/92s LITTLE PENGUIN, Geoff Clarke's J/105 CASUAL ELEGANCE, Mike Pietz's J/35 SHORTHANDED, Paul Martini's J/105 ENDEAVOUR, Leszek Sieks' J/35 JAEGER, Sheila Smith's J/109 PHOENIX and Richard Huczek's J/92s MAX SAND to vie for class and overall honors.Competitors from over fifty different yacht clubs representing the northern and southern shores of the lake from Hamilton to Quebec in Canada and Ohio to Rochester in the United States will converge at Port Credit Yacht Club on July 17th for the start of the race. The Lake Ontario 300 yacht race course is a circumnavigation of the lake that starts at Port Credit Yacht Club, heads east and rounds Main Duck Island, then heads south to Oswego NY where it turns east along the south shore to the Niagara River mark before heading to the finish line at Port Credit Yacht Club. The race is a test of preparation, teamwork, navigation and perseverance. This year’s race will feature new tracking technology from Kattack. Go to the event website to see how they're doing. For more Lake Ontario 300 Sailing and tracking info.
Large J Turnout for SailNewport Regatta
(Newport, RI)- A large contingent of J one-design sailors are showing up at the Coastal Living SailNewport Regatta for key events in their summer sailing "tours". For the J/105s, this regatta marks the beginning of the three-event Narragansett Bay Championship Tour which culminates in the West Passage Regatta in Wickford on August 7-8. Past J/105 class leaders and champions like Joerg Esdorn on KINCSEM, Damian Emery on ECLIPSE, and current J/105 NA Champion Bruce Stone on POWER PLAY will be vying for honor along with fifteen other boats.
In the twenty-three boat J/80 class, multiple North American and World Champions will be competing for the honors of winning the USA Tour, including Kerry Klingler, Jay Lutz on FIRED UP, Glenn Darden on EL TIGRE (pictured above winning at Key West), John Storck on RUMOR and class newcomer Brian Keane (J/105 NA Champ) on SAVASANA. The event also provides an opportunity for many of the top USA boats to practice for the upcoming J/80 Worlds in Newport later in October.
Not to be outdone by anyone is the powerful Newport J/24 class, with eighteen boats showing up to fight tooth and nail for all the silverware. Sprinkled amongst the fleet are several J/24 World and North American champions, including Charlie Enright on WATERLINE SYSTEMS, Tim Healey, Jens Hookanson on SALSA and Peter Levesque on MOOKIE (World Team Race Champion), to name a few veteran one-design gladiators. Take that one-design sailors! Still one of the strongest one-design classes in existence worldwide. For more Coastal Living SailNewport Regatta sailing info.
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
After the recent "island" and "race week" editions, perhaps this week is the "offshore cruising edition". J sailors are cruising the Seven Seas as well as racing single and double-handed, often with cruising in-between. Can you imagine two tack beats of nearly 1,125 miles each? While not "cruising" per se, the "other Transpac" races are started, including the Pacific Cup from San Francisco to Hawaii, the West Coast version of "champagne sailing", sliding down waves forever at 10-20 knots with kites up and a few stars to steer by. The Canadians are having their "longest freshwater race" soon, starting with the warm-up event, the Susan Hood Trophy Race and ending with the Lake Ontario 300. On the European side, while last week the Spanish Armada invaded Italy to command the J/80 European crown, this week it was the Dutch J/22 Navy that snatched the J/22 Worlds crown. And, with typical French savoir-faire, gaelic style and perseverance, several French J sailors led the fleet home over their British counterparts in the RORC Cowes-St. Malo race. 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.Regatta & Show Schedules:
Jul 8-11- J/80 Spanish Championship- La Coruna, Spain- http://j80campeonatoespana2010.comJul 9-11- SailNewport Regatta- Newport, RI- http://www.sailnewport.org
Jul 17-25- Rolex NYYC Race Week- Newport, RI- http://www.nyyc.org
Jul 22-25- Marblehead NOOD Regatta- Chicago, IL- http://www.sailingworld.com
Jul 24- Chicago-Mackinac Race- Chicago, IL- http://www.chicagoyachtclub.org
Jul 29-Aug 2-Sydney Boat Show- Sydney, Australia- http://www.sydneyboatshow.com.au
Aug 1-7- Cowes Week- Isle of Wight, England- http://www.cowesweek.co.uk
Aug 6-8- J/30 North Americans- Boston, MA- http://j30.us/na2010/
Aug 6-8- J/80 USA Tour/ Buzzards Bay- Marion, MA- http://www.j80.org
Aug 13-20- J/24 Worlds- Malmo, Sweden- http://www.j24class.org
Aug 17-22- J/22 North Americans- Buffalo, NY- http://www.j22.com
Aug 20-22- Verve Cup- Chicago, IL- http://www.chicagoyachtclub.org
Sep 9-12- J/80 North Americans- Marion, MA- http://www.j80.org
Sep 14-19- J/24 UK Nationals- Cornwall, England- http://www.royalcornwallyachtclub.org
Sep 15-18- J/105 North Americans- Chicago, IL- http://www.j105.org
Sep 16-19- Rolex Big Boat Series- San Francisco, CA- http://www.big-boat-series.com/
Sep 18-19- J/Fest Newport Beach- Newport Beach, CA- http://www.balboayachtclub.com
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar
Dutch Sweep J/22 Worlds
Bol's Quantum Racing Holland Is Champion
(The Hague, Holland- July 5)- Yesterday the Henri Lloyd J/22 Worlds The Hague came to an end. Only 1 missed race on the last day because of light winds on Saturday morning. It was a beautiful series with a happy champion. Nic Bol and his crew Dennis Goethart, Janneke Hin and Marije Kampen of the Quantum Racing team had a great series. Here is their story about the last race day:
"After four days of excellent racing, close competition and no single race behind schedule, Saturday morning turned out to be different. With two more races to go, the starting vessel kept us in the harbour after reporting zero knots of wind on the North Sea. When the first breeze appeared, the fleet was towed out the harbour and the committee began the starting sequence for race 13 as soon as possible. For us, leading number two in the fleet by only three points, the nerves began to grow. Starting in these light conditions was for sure the least wanted option. No way we could control anyone in the race, we just had to sail our own and be positive we would end it well. With the wind dying within ten minutes before the start, the race committee called the race off to wait for better wind. And it came. About 8-9 knots of breeze helped us through the last and decisive race of the Henri Lloyd J22 Worlds 2010. Ever since we were black flagged on the first day of the championships, we held back on the starting line avoiding any risk. But today, with our opponents so close behind us, we had to do a little bit more. Our margin was a top 13 finish and no more than two places behind the team of Eelco
Blok, who was currently ranked 2nd. We decided to put pressure on his team and start close to him so we would start the race in the same area. The teams of John den Engelsman (3rd) and Ronald Veraar (4th), as well as Eelco's team all chose the left side of the starting line. With the current coming from the right, we stayed above the others and we could see in the race how rich the right people got and how poor the boats on the left. This was also due to a shift to the right. We stayed sort of in the middle, stealing the goodies from the right but for sure stay in close contact to the left side of the course where our opponents were. At the top mark we were placed 13th with only the team of John den Engelsman three boats ahead of us. We were in control of the title, though on the very edge. We started focussing more on our own race and gained little by little. We came in 8th at the second top mark and we only had a reach towards the finish line ahead of us because of the strong current coming form the side. YES! YES! YES! We started breathing again and immediately after the finish Nic jumped overboard, celebrating his long wished J/22 world title. Looking back, we had a terrific week of sailing with 13 beautiful races. We would like to thank the race committee, the J/22 organization and J/22 class for their perfect job. As for us, we have enjoyed the races very much. They were both exciting and challenging due to ever changing conditions and a great competitors fleet. Last but not least, congratulations to the team of Michel Miltenburg who won the final race."
Second overall was Eelco Blok sailing TEAM KESBEKE with 56 points and third overall was John den Engelsman sailing HENRI LLOYD with 56 points. Top French boat was Patrick Huet sailing EUROPEAN HOMES in 19th and top German boat was Christian Rieckborn sailing JOLLY JUMPER to 21st overall. For J/22 Worlds sailing results Sailing Photo credits: De Venster
J's Win RORC Cowes-St. Malo
J/122 & J/133 Revel In Tough Going
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- This year's race to St Malo proved to be a light airs affair but that is something that can happen in any yacht race (it's a 164 nm race course that takes you from Cowes, England to Casquets to Les Hanois and finish in St Malo, France). As British Racing Team coach, Jim Saltonstall, pointed out: "Whether you are sailing in big waves with 40 knots of wind or ghosting along in light airs, you need to sail to the best of your ability to get the results that you wish for. In very light conditions, sailors really need to concentrate on maintaining their focus. Boredom can create mental apathy and the bottom line is that concentration levels have got to be 100% in light airs, just as much as at any other time."The French teams appeared to have enormous amounts of focus and managed to eclipse their rivals in the two largest IRC divisions- IRC Zero and IRC One.
IRC Zero was won by Yves Grosjean's J/133, JIVARO, by nine minutes on corrected time from last year's overall winner, Hugues Riche's Grand Soleil 44, Spineck. JIVARO also finished third overall in the IRC fleet behind the two TP 52s.
In IRC One the first eight boats on corrected time were all from France. Francois Lognone's J/122, NUTMEG IV, was the winner and took home the Yeoman Trophy. Philippe Reminiac's J/133, BLACKJACK finished third in class. NUTMEG IV sailed well enough to finish fifth overall in the IRC Fleet and BLACKJACK was tenth.
The IRC Two David McGough's J/109 JUST SO hung in there in the tough light air going to finish 5th in class. For more RORC Cowes-St Malo sailing info
J/109 LIVELY Wins Susan Hood Trophy
(Port Credit, Ontario, Canada)- The race was another classic Susan Hood that offered a little of everything except the traditional freeze at 2AM. The first leg varied from a close to a beam reach under an amazing lightning show from the surrounding storms. There was some healthy rain along this run and at times very heavy rain. By the time the majority of the fleet reached Burlington weather mark the wind was gone as a result of the storm front moving south. Some boats were becalmed for well over 1 hour. The wind did pick from the north west and provided an excellent spinnaker run down to Niagara under a star filled sky. From Niagara Mark back to PCYC was a close reach with winds gusting up to 25 knots which tapered off in the afternoon.The course takes you from Port Credit YC to the Burlington Weather Mark, to Niagara Falls R2 and return to PCYC. There were 77 boats competing this year, which is a huge increase from the 50 boat average over the last 3 years. Of special note was the very high level of competition in both IRC and PHRF 1. There were also a higher than normal number of first time competitors, which is always a great sign of things to come. As the warm up race to the Lake Ontario 300, this year’s Susan Hood is a strong indication that the Lake Ontario O300 on July 18th is shaping up to be a very exciting event.
Leading the fleet home on handicap honors were a number of well-sailed J's. The winner overall and taking home the Susan Hood Trophy is Murray Gainer's J/109 LIVELY, they also won IRC Fleet overall and IRC2 Class. In the IRC1 class, Bob Eckersley's J/109 BLUE STREAK finished second and was third overall in IRC Fleet. Finally, John Trumpener's J/105 THE USUAL SUSPECTS was second in PHRF1 and second in PHRF Fleet overall. For more Susan Hood Trophy sailing results.
J/80 UK East Coast Championship
(Suffolk, England)- Nigel Theadom reports from way, way East on the British Isles: "The weekend of the 4th and 5th of July saw the first ever get-together of the growing East Coast J/80 fleet and competitors travelled from as far afield as Kent and Cambridge to race at the inaugural J/80 East Coast Championship. The event was run under the auspices of the well established Felixstowe Regatta and was sponsored by Haven Gateway, Adams Brewery and Musto. Run out of the beautifully situated Suffolk Yacht Harbour all visitors received a friendly welcome and full shore service, including 'instant' crane-age on arrival.Saturday dawned hot with some cloud that eventually cleared the way for a bright sunny day. However, with the gradient breeze and the sea breeze in opposition it made for a difficult day for both PRO Ewen Stampe and also the competitors with some big shifts and holes to watch out for on the race course. However, by the fifth race on Sunday, the breeze piped upwards of 20 knots, making for a strong finale with the regatta leaders dueling for the top four spots.
With the wind at a steady 20 knots and gusting more, it was DOUBLE JEOPARDY's race from start to finish. With the tide pushing the fleet up to the committee boat and a starboard line bias it was amazing that the fleet started cleanly. Certainly more than one crew had a longer look down the tailpipes of the 50' Sunseeker committee boat than would have been comfortable! The West Mersea boys clearly revel in the heavy stuff and SURF N TURF crossed the line in second. Simon Jacklin and his team on STRUMPET pushed WHITE LIGHTNING hard for the third spot and eventually pipped them on the line.
At the close of the regatta there were just six points separating the top four boats. A close championship and a great weekend. It was also a mighty fine start to a fixture that will surely grow as the East Coast fleet grows. We wait to see whether the softies on the South Coast will rise to the challenge in 2011!
Amazingly, WHITE LIGHTNING, SURF N TURF, and STRUMPET all sailed the 20 miles back to West Mersea straight into 30 knots of breeze! They breed them tough on the East Coast!!" For more J/80 UK sailing information
Used Boat Notebook - J/105
The July issue of SAILING MAGAZINE provides a look at the J/105 in its monthly feature 'Used Boat Notebook' by John Kretschmer. The J/105 class consistently provides some of the biggest fleets and best competition across North America, making it a strong contender for anyone shopping for a boat in its size range. This report should assist those making this consideration: "If you just go by numbers, the J /105 is an unqualified success, a runaway best-seller in an industry that hasn't had enough best-sellers in the last 20 years. With nearly 700 hulls launched, it is one of the most successful big boat one-design classes of all time. There are well-organized fleets around the world and many regattas have a separate J/105 class. And the most impressive number of all is 18 - the number of years the J/105 has been in continuous production. But that's the funny thing about the J/105: It's really not a numbers boat at all. Ask anyone who sails a 105 what they like best about the boat and they will tell you the same thing: It's just a flat-out sweet sailing boat. And that's the reason, of course, that the numbers are so impressive.
Designed by Rod Johnstone, the J/105 broke new ground when it was introduced in 1992. It fused the West Coast fast-is-fun philosophy with an East Coast ethic of simplicity and clean lines. It was the first keelboat to feature a retractable sprit and true pole-free spinnaker sailing. The cockpit is comfortable and manageable - there's just a single set of primary winches. And while the boat offers great performance, especially off the wind, it doesn't have a hint of squirrellyness in its DNA. It's easy to sail, fun to sail and at times downright exhilarating to sail. Those are traits that you can't define by numbers. This review will primarily look at the older J/105s, those selling for less than $100,000, and there are plenty of them on the used boat market. It's not a stretch to say that the success of the J/105 may have sparked the daysailer revival of the late 1990s and early 2000s. This boat features many of the same design characteristics sans the elegance. Of course that means sans the exorbitant price tag too. It's not to say that Js are cheap, as you can expect to pay around $100,000 for a 10- to 15-year-old J/105 in excellent condition.
The J/105 is a boat that's easily sailed by two and rewarding to sail for an afternoon. You don't have to be a serious sailor to own a J/105. Many are set up with roller-furling headsails; in fact, furling gear is part of the class rules. But it's also a great boat to campaign seriously both as a one-design and, as the Brits say, a handicapper, and you don't need to have deep pockets to be competitive. True crossover designs are the hardest to make work, but when they do they usually become trendsetting, and that's the case with the J/105." Read more at Sailing Magazine's Used Boat Notebook on the J/105.
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* Russell Coutts has sailed all kinds of boats, including match-racing in J/44s and J/105s. This past week the America's Cup was on a tour of the East Coast of the United States, with stops at the White House, NASDAQ, CBS Early Show and finally to the former home of the America's Cup, Newport Rhode Island.In the afternoon, the Russell and the BMW/Oracle team entertained upwards of 400 youth sailors from the Narragansett Bay sailing community. The boys and girls, ranging in age from 8 to 16, were welcomed by Coutts, a past youth world champion. As Russell explained:
"You don’t have to be a good Optimist sailor to be a good sailor. When I was growing up in New Zealand I used to read about the races in Newport, but never thought I’d get the chance to compete. I also never dreamed of visiting the White House and meeting the President of the United States. It just shows what you can accomplish with hard work and dedication, and how broad our sport is." Read more on the Sail-World.com site.
* Jim Madden, owner/skipper of the J/65 BRAND NEW DAY, had some interesting insights as to the challenges and experiences of sailing to Bermuda-- one might call it "The Joy of Proper Yachting": "The Newport to Bermuda Race was an exciting and challenging event. For most of the fleet, the 635 miles was a fetch / beat through winds varying from 'triple 0s' to gusts well over 30 knots. Other than a Code 0, very few boats saw spinnakers.This year's Gulfstream added some serious challenges to navigators. Several meanders and eddies along the stream's path proved quite difficult to locate and when found, often created surprising results - quite the opposite of those expected.
Thought the race is officially scored under ORR by the Cruising Club of America ('CCA') and Royal Bermuda Yacht Club ('RBYC'), the number of entries with IRC certificates increased substantially from the 2008 event.
In fact among most of the large boat Divisions, virtually all boats produced IRC certificates and chose for dual scoring. The biggest, fastest boats in the race were an impressive group of mostly IRC racers including 'Speed Boat', a Volvo 70, 'Rambler', 'Bella Mente', 'Genuine Risk', 'Titan', 'Ran', and 'Vanquish'. Though no records were set in 2010, the big fastest boats all arrived in less than 48 hours.
In the St. David's Lighthouse ('SDL') Division eight, all 12 big boats had IRC, and the results between ORR and IRC were quite consistent with only one two boats swapping second and third under each rule. Division eight was the big boat class in the amateur division ('SDL') and had some dramatic differences in size and type of Boats.
The Class ranged from a classic McCurdy & Rhodes 69 to a Custom 40 footer, and it included boats as diverse as a Reichel Pugh 66' racer, a Swan 601, a J65, and a Santa Cruz 70. 'Gracie', the McCurdy & Rhodes 69, and perhaps the oldest boat in the Class, was the class winner under both ORR and IRC proving that older big boats can be quite competitive under IRC.
For the J/65, 'Brand New Day' ('BND'), it was a relatively short three-day event - finishing on Monday, June 21st at 8:24pm ET. For most of the race, 'BND' and 'Gracie' were within ten miles of each other. Scoring under IRC, BND took a second, and a third under ORR. BND and Gracie managed to beat all the big, fast racers under IRC.
The ride to Bermuda on the J/65 was a very comfortable venture. The air conditioning in each of the cabins, heads, galley and salon kept the interior of the boat at a constant 68 degrees. This made for some strange, but very satisfying, sensations when coming off watch from the hot stickiness of Gulf Stream weather to a chilled interior. Hors d’ouevres were served promptly each evening at 5pm. The cooked dinners of lasagna, pork, and chicken were accompanied by white and red wine.
One of the most interesting highlights of the trip was post race - motoring through the North Channel in Bermuda after finishing. This is a very narrow, jagged channel from St. George's (east end of Bermuda) to Hamilton.
Boats were advised to stay overnight in St. George's and only continue to Hamilton during daylight hours. Ignoring the recommendation, BND did the 16 miles overnight in calm seas with three navigating below, and all others on deck. No problems, but many scenes reminiscent of 'The Hunt for Red October'.
BND is now back in Newport, Rhode Island, awaiting some serious cruising this summer and a few more races under IRC." For more information on sailing the J/65.
* John and Mary Driver have been sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary will have just finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam. You can get updated on their exploits over the last 18 months by checking http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/. BTW, the "sailblogs.com" website is a great way for cruising sailors to stay in contact and includes photo gallery, email, blog and location updates for friends and family.* We recently got news from Ted Denny, cruising his J/42 PAX seemingly all over the world. Ted's J/42 recently completed a double-handed 2,275 mile, 15 day 20 hour 15 minute crossing from Nawiliwili harbor on Kauai to the west end of Santa Catalina Island in Southern California. PAX has been in Hawaii for several years where Ted single handed all through the islands and as far away as Palmyra and Fanning Islands. As Ted described it:
"We left Kauai on Monday June 14th at 9:45 PM and stayed on starboard tack for 1,150 miles which might be a record for a J/Boat on a single tack. We then tacked onto port for the remaining 1,125 miles. No, this was not a lay line call, we were simply following the weather options that were being offered and thought we were fast enough to get under the North Pacific High. The usual route is over the high which adds 5 or 6 days to the trip.
The J/42 is an awesome passage maker. We were on the wind for the whole trip and sailed 98% of the way. We only used 23 gallons of diesel mostly to charge the batteries and keep the fridge cold. Pax is a fully loaded cruising boat with 85 gallons of diesel, 110 gallons of water etc. We averaged nearly 6 knots for the whole trip with winds on the nose of 15-21 for the first 1,000 miles. Our worst day was 101 miles when the North Pacific High dropped down on us. The sky that day was the brightest blue you have ever seen with waves of about a foot and this is 1,000 miles offshore. The only thing positive that day is that we saw a green flash at sunset and took that as a positive omen. We headed south to escape the high, tacked and sailed back into an approaching low to catch the breeze and stayed in the low for the next 1,125 miles. Our best day was 3 days out of our "finish line" when the wind was blowing a constant 24-26 with gusts in the low 30s. We were close and beam reaching with a reefed main and the No.3 up and did 191 miles VMG. Not bad for a cruising boat. PAX is fast and stable and a lot of fun to sail.
I cannot think of many cruising boats capable of that kind of comfortable performance with all the amenities that a J/42 offers."
According to PAX crew member, Bob Musor, "Just a great trip. Kudos to Ted for having his well prepared boat ready to go. We are claiming the unofficial J Boat record from Nawiliwili, Kauai to Lands End on Santa Catalina Island. It would be fun to know if others have made this trip that quickly." NOTE- Bob is skipper/owner of the J/130 SCEPTRE!
* More on the J/42 JAYWALKER and Bill Stellin's cruising adventures around the globe. In a recent note from Bill, he said, "Stuart: here is an excerpt from one of my journals which I wrote over the 8-9 years we were cruising. It is called SEATREK. And many of the later blogs/journals can be found at: http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker. The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com. Search for "SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing" by Bill Stellin or William Stellin. Best, Bill."Bill's excerpt: "Casablanca, where did this stop come from? We know it was never in our plans, but nevertheless, here we is. The reason is horrible weather on route to the Canaries. ( Named after very large dogs that were found on the islands, Latin for dog is canis). Now back to the weather. As we were sailing, motoring, sailing, motor-sailing, whatever, we had a line of very high clouds to the west of us for over a day. At night they were lit up with as intense lightening as we've seen in a long time. A little scary when it kept up for hours on end. The line never moved, but the lightening would race along the line from horizon to horizon. By morning, the clouds were still there but now the wind and seas kicked up from the southwest, directly on our nose. Cloud tops so high they are in the clouds. This line ran along side of us for 175 miles. At night they were filled with lightening.
The wind was moderate and sailable, but the seas started coming from every direction and they were huge. Swells sometimes were 12 feet or more and wind waves breaking onto the bow as well as the beam. We were getting the you know what kicked out of us but good. We decided to alter course for Madeira to the west, (500 miles) but then we were headed for the cloud line with rain and higher winds under them. Finally we changed course again more on a southerly heading for Casablanca. We had no pilot book on this port and no paper chart. Our electronic chart plotter did have detailed cartography on the port and it was still daylight so we felt confident to enter. Trouble came when we closed with shore, a rainstorm hit and made visibility poor at best. When we got inside the break-wall, I radioed Casablanca radio and told them we needed a berth. Harbor control told me it was impossible because there were no facilities for private yachts, only monster commercial ships. This came as no surprise as I was expecting only commercial ships could enter so I already had rehearsed a reply which if need be would include hysterical crew who were afraid of the sea. I had already told Judy of my plans, so if need be, start crying if they tell us to leave. She was game for it and was already dabbing her eyes in preparation. My reply was, "find something because we were treating the port as a harbor of refuge". It worked and they directed us to a commercial wharf if we promised to leave the next day...." Read more on Bill's blogs or SEATREK. Very entertaining and informative reading.
* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between. Anyone for Georgia and penguins?? Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above). SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com). Susan Grun and her husband on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun). Note- this is a "wish you were here" photo courtesy of SALACIA!! :)
Featured Boat
Gorgeous J/109 In Houston
One of the best examples of a J/109 sits in Houston, TX ready to roll for the summer season and Key West in 2010. She's a 2006 J/109 Hull #261. Every factory option along with heat and A/C are installed. She's priced well below J//109's comparably equipped. It has an excellent sail inventory of Quantum sails: Spinnakers(5)- 06 07 08 108sqm class; 06 08 121sqm PHRF; Headsails(5)-06 07 08 class jibs, 06 08 PHRF (155); Mains(2)- 06 08-- All sails are kept in climate controlled storage. For more information, please contact Scott Spurlin at J/Boats Southwest- cell +1-512-423-2179 or e-mail- Scott@JBoatsSouthwest.com or go to http://www.JBoatsSouthwest.comAbout 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: 15 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!
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