Introducing J/108- A 35' Shoal-draft Performance Cruiser(Les Sables D'Olonne, France)- Imagine, comfortable cruising on a 35 footer with legendary J performance to go sailing just about anywhere on 98% of the Earth's surface-- anywhere you have 4 feet of water. Does that "float your boat"? Four feet is all it takes, in the Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean, Mediterranean, English Isles, Bahamas, or the Normandy coast. With it's twin rudders and J/95-type centerboard, you get extraordinary sailing performance upwind, delightful speed off the wind, and the joy of sailing when others are resorting to the "iron genny". Just launched on the Brittany coast of France by JB Composites, the first J/108 will be in Florida and Key West during Race Week at the Galleon Resort. Learn more about it now, contact your local J Dealer or J/Boats- ph# 401-846-8410 or info@jboats.com. For more J/108 information.
NoCal SoCal AnyCal On J/111Join Us For 111 Calorie-Free, Adrenalin-pumping Days
(San Francisco and San Diego, CA)- Two high-octane J/111s are now sailing on the West Coast. One in San Diego and one in San Francisco. If you're predisposed to having a bit of fun sailing, getting your "ya ya's out" with some friends and don't mind planing or surfing for days on end with finger-tip control at 20+ knots in some SoCal offshore classics like Transpac, Ensenada, Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, then belly up to the table and get yourself and some friends or family out for a little spin. For the Bay gang, it's all about getting uphill to turn the corner, pop the big one and go for a hugely pleasure-inducing, hootin'n'hollerin blast down the Bay past Alcatraz, just remember to get kite down before you hit Treasure Island or Berkeley! We promise you'll have a hard time wiping the grin off your face. If you thought the J/125s were having all the fun, think again. For NorCal Bay fanatics, please contact Norm Davant at ph# 510-523-8500 or norman@sailcal.com. For SoCal surfers, be sure to contact Jeff Brown at ph# 619-224-6200 or jeff@jk3yachts.com. To get you amped before you go, watch the J/111 Nova Scotia "flat water planing" YouTube video....enjoy.
J/80 Worlds Coffee Table book(Auckland, NZ)- Paul Todd's Outside Images is pleased to announce the publication of the J/80 World Championship 2010 Coffee Table book. This book is a memento to sailors and everyone involved with the J/80 World Championship held in Newport, Rhode Island October 2010. There are over 200 images through out the book and each chapter relives some of the awesome sailing and how close the regatta was between the American and Spanish teams.
The book will make a great holiday gift for crew and skippers alike, it opens to extraordinary double page spreads that are 26 inches wide. This book will look great just sitting on the table for everyone to browse through and get a real taste for the action that played out in Newport between the teams and crew. Take a sneak peek and place your order for the book. Your family and friends who love sailing will love you even more for such a thoughtful gift! View the J/80 Worlds Coffe Table Book here.
Also you can order any images in the book as prints or digital downloads or any image taken at the regatta. There is also coupon offers for 3 or more images 25% off ( J80worlds3 ) and for 5 or more 40% off ( J80worlds5 ) It can be applied at the "checkout" stage of purchasing prints or digital downloads at www.outsideimages.com. There are over 500 high-resolution images on the web site. Follow the link to see images from each day's racing: Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
Winter gales and fronts are starting their inexorable march across the northern hemisphere at this time of year. England, France and parts of Europe have been pounded by nasty weather, horizontal rain. Nothing unusual for Gaelic fishermen. Nor is it for those plying the Grand Banks for cod, tuna, lobsters and assorted tasty crustaceans. All that's left on the northern sailing scene are just the warm-hearted, fun-loving types encased in oilskins, lanolin-infused home-spun sweaters and woolly socks and hats that do frostbite sailing up North. However, "points South", which miraculously includes SoCal and Florida as well as the Antipodes Down Under, many J sailors are spinning up their sailing activities at a feverish pace. In Australia, the J/122 continues to confound the radical IRC racers- how can a comfy boat with "furniture" be so darn fast? The "friendlies" in the J/24s in Victoria and New South Wales also continue to have a ball and further confound "the locals"-- why they're having so much fun in OZ (their secret? The glam girls love it!). Up North, the J/80s in France had a huge turnout for their final event of the season in Nantes- families, kids, grand parents, uncles, aunts, posers all showed up! Even further North, the Germans had a HOT BMW Sailing Cup series off Hamburg-- one of the coolest cities on the planet. Across the pond going westward, Americans in the sunny southwest had their J/24 Southwest Champs in that chili-infused, fire-breathing salsa Texas Circuit that has made many America's Cup professional sailors notoriously good (or bad!). And way, way out West, the SoCal surfers kicked off their winter program with the Hot Rum Series in San Diego. 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. Don't forget to visit the J/Cruising Community section below- some of the best offshore sailors we know!
Regatta & Show Schedules:
Oct 9-Dec 11- Hamble Winter Series- Hamble, England- http://www.garminhamblewinterseries.co.uk
Nov 6-Dec4- Hot Rum Series- San Diego YC, San Diego, CA- http://www.sdyc.org/
Jan 10-14- J/24 Australian Nationals- Sydney, OZ- http://j24australia.com.au/
Jan 17-21- J/80 Midwinters- Key West, FL- http://www.j80.org
Jan 17-21- J/105 Midwinters- Key West, FL- http://www.j105.org
Jan 17-21- J/95 Midwinters- Key West, FL- http://www.jboats.com/j95
Jan 17-21- Key West Race Week- Key West, FL- http://www. premiere-racing.com
Feb 12-16- J/24 Midwinters- Davis Is YC, Tampa, FL- http://www.diyc.org
Feb 24-26- J/22 Midwinters- Davis Is YC, Tampa, FL- http://www.diyc.org
Mar 9-11- J/30 Mardi Gras Midwinters- New Orleans YC, New Orleans, LA- http://j30.us/blog
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
J/122 OZ Style- Winning Again!(Sydney, Australia)- The Australian J/122 JACKPOT continues to lead Sydney’s Short Ocean Pointscore Series amongst a seriously big boat Division 1 Fleet. A David amongst Goliaths. Seems to be the J/122 story. In the Chicago-Mac Race, both J/122s reported sailing past Santa Cruz 70s in 3-5 knot winds while using their Code Zeros. Then, in long beats to windward, while many modern 50 footers with table-tennis wide transoms are struggling in 4-8 foot chop where "square waves" are common (e.g. not a wave) and most boats simply stop, the J/122 simply behaves like the notorious Energizer Bunny and just keeps on knifing through the maelstrom known as "hell" at a ferocious pace.
"In a dying ESE breeze and a very lumpy seaway it was always going to be a big boat race today", said Ray Entwistle, skipper of JACKPOT. Furthermore, he said "The J/122 finished second on IRC to the Swan 60 helmed by a ringer-of-a-skipper, the world famous Gordon Maguire from the motherland known as England. The only other 2 boats that finished ahead of us on the water were also much bigger. However, when we looked back and saw what we had beaten on the water its still incredibly impressive. JACKPOT is a standard alloy-rigged J/122 with some cruising options added, so when you see boats like DK 46s, DK 42s, Ben. 44.7s, X-442’s, King 40s, Cookson 12s, stripped out Ker 11.3 behind us on the water its hard not to fully appreciate just how good the J/122 is. Her performance across the full spectrum of wind and sea conditions is outstanding. For the last 2 seasons the boat has never been out of the top three and continues to consistently impress." What are you waiting for? Style, comfort, speed, trophy winner anywhere you go. A boat the entire family can enjoy. Shorthanded. Fully-crewed. Read some more news about what makes the J/122 a special boat for those who love its multiple-personalities. For more J/122 Sailing News and Information.
Superb J/80 Pornichet French National Series(Nantes, France- Oct 30-31)- With sixty-six participants, under optimal conditions, perfect organization both on water and on land, a good atmosphere and sailors thrilled to be racing, what more could one ask for in the penultimate event of the French National J/80 Series. Great sailing for the large fleet and challenging conditions all four days.
The crew of ATLANTIS, skippered by Laurent Sambron was untouchable for four days. Their composure and consistency enabled them to climb the top of the podium for the third time (they're winners in 2006, 2007). One notable performance was that of the SPANISH GOLD Sailing crew, comprised of Almandaz Iker, Sanchez Inigo, Borja Ponte, Jaunegi Inigo-- their long journey was rewarded with a second overall! They are part of the top 5 best teams in Spain (the other four went to America to show Americans how to sail J/80s downwind). Third was INTERFACE CONCEPT II sailed by Yannick Le Clech, Xavier Haiz, Gildas Mahe and Ronan Dreano.
On the last day of racing, the whims of the wind Gods forced a delay for the race committee. Originally scheduled for 10 am, the racing didn't start until 11 am. Even then, with wind oscillations of 45 degrees every fifteen minutes, the PRO was having a difficult time setting a good course. Nevertheless, a race was launched at 11:30am with a change of course during the race. The "traditional" general recall, the black flag, had to be used on the aggressive fleet. It's almost a custom for the J/80 class! But again, it was a very good race under a bright sun and mild temperatures for the season. No one was arguing since it was such a gorgeous day. After the races, everyone went home happily, feeling it was one of the best regattas all year in the French National Series. It's worthwhile to note the excellent job performed by the race committee team and the PRO from the Metropolitan Club Nantes- Saint Nazaire (APCC). M.I.A. was dear friend Bruno Trouble on COYOTE/ JURASSIC PARK, perhaps still nursing some strained muscles and some good vintage California (and Newport) wines after the J/80 Worlds (seen here to the right having a ball off Newport!)-- the Clarke Cooke House Candy Store evening after the J/80 Worlds Awards was lots of fun! For more French J/80 sailing results. Photo courtesy of Paul Todd/ Outside Images.
J/80 BMW Sailing Cup FinalsGermans Compete For Match Race Supremacy In Hamburg
(Hamburg, Germany- Nov. 6-7)- How's this for a headliner- "BMW Yachtsport 2010. BMW ORACLE Racing wins the America's Cup, while the BMW Sailing Cup, the largest international amateur regatta series, enters its fifth season". The BMW Sailing Cup has evolved over the past 5 years, according to BMW Yachtsport, into "the biggest amateur sailing event in the world. A sporting challenge, team spirit and joy in sailing are just a few reasons why the BMW Sailing Cup is enjoying increasing popularity. Six J/80 sailing yachts are made available to amateur crews and each event can take up to 90 sailors in 18 equal strength teams for each regatta on the circuit." Add in world famous, gorgeous, sexy, Der Spiegel tabloid star and Olympic Gold Medal figure skater Katarina Witt, and you have an amazing feast for the eyes to savor over a few days of sailing on the famous Hamburg harbor.
Before the Germany Final got underway on Friday, Hamburg was visited by several celebrities and professional yachtsmen. After three races, TEAM NORD with Ulrike Schumann, Niko Mittelmeier and Phillip Buhl were able to celebrate their victory over Markus Weiser while stars like ultra-hot ice-skater Katarina Witt were enjoying their first experience out on the un-frozen water. The biggest winners, however, were the children-- 10,000 Euros were raised for the World Childhood Foundation! That's a cause for celebration and kudos to BMW Yachtsport Team for supporting such an wonderful program!A noteworthy prelude to this event was Germany's Championship of Champions held the week before, the winner was- Markus Wieser. Germany's sailing elite met in Hamburg the previous weekend for the 31st Championship of Champions. Only German, European and world champions in Olympic and international classes are invited to this exclusive and historically unique regatta. European Dragon champion Markus Wieser and his crew of Matti Paschen and Eberhard Magg defeated 35 other teams on Hamburg's Alster to win the Championship of Champions for the first time.
In the finale, which featured the top three teams, the BMW Yachtsport Ambassador (Markus Weiser) and his crew produced two immaculate races to leave the opposition in their wake: second place went to the team skippered by Denmark's Sten Mohr, who was part of the afterguard in the BMW ORACLE Racing team for the 32nd America's Cup and was at the helm of the then Challenger of Record in the semi-final of the Louis Vuitton Cup. German match race champion Stefan Meister came third."It is fantastic to win this important regatta for the first time," said Wieser. "We produced the best sailing in difficult conditions and with little wind, and were deserved winners. We won all the starts and always led coming to the first buoy. The fact that our crew is used to sailing in various boat classes, as well as in match and fleet races, really paid off. This versatility was the key to our success." Despite their good performance in Berlin, Wieser ran into the chainsaw of a top-class field in Hamburg; the most important sailing regatta in the capital region all year. For more BMW Yachtsport German sailing information English version of BMW Yachtsport.
San Diego Hot Rum SeriesDozens of J's Ready to Roll
(San Diego, CA)- The first weekend of the four weekend infamous Hot Rum Series, hosted by San Diego YC, started up last weekend in typical San Diego conditions, although with a few wrinkles thrown in on the race course to throw a few locals into confusion. There's a large turnout of J's for the event, with a J/24, J/27, J/29, J/30, J/32, J/35, J/80, J/111, J/124, J/145, two J/125s, eleven J/105s, three J/109s, and seven J/120s.
In Class I, featuring twenty boats rating from -114 to 21 PHRF, there's a 135 second differential from top to bottom in the class- offshore 70 foot sleds down to Farr 40s. Thrown into the mix are the J/145 and J/125s. The J/125 RESOLUTE sailed by Tim Fuller managed a 5th. The J/145 BAD PAK sailed by Tom Holthus and Pittman/ Engles' J/125 WARRIOR both got OCS's to start off the series a bit slow.
In Class II, it's a closely fought group of thirty-eight boats, ranging from 27 to 69 PHRF. Thrown into this mix are the J/120s, J/111, J/109 and J/124. The J/120s sailed by Chuck Nichols on CC RIDER and Peter Zarcades on MELTEMI sailed well to get 2nd and 3rd, respectively, followed by Jeff Brown on the J/111 getting 5th.
Class III is simply dominated by the 35 foot J's with the J/105s and J/35s taking the top nine of the top 11 spots. Leading the way home were three J/105s, Steve and Lucy Howell's BLINK!, then Bill Logan's PHOLLY, then Rick Goebel's SANITY to sweep the top three spots.
The smaller offshore boats were having fun in Class IV, with the J/80, J/27 and J/32 fighting it out with an eclectic group of boats. John Steen's UNDERDOG managed to claw there way back into 5th for the first race, the other guys got buried and never made it back into contention.
The stalwarts of the J range, the J/24 and J/30 were battling in Class V for all the gold. Robert Noe's J/30 MAD HATTER got a fourth while one of the J/24s hung in there for sixth, Jasson Hemmi from SWYC. For more San Diego YC Hot Rum Series sailing info.
J/24 Australia YachtiesGotta Go To Geelong- Vic Race Week!
(Geelong, Victoria, Australia)- The boyz and gurlz Down Under as usual are having a ball on their J/24s going to some cool events, Simon Grain again has a bloody amusing report about an upcoming event that all J "Yachties" ought to know about (in case any of you are so inclined after freezing your buns off up North). "The annual Geelong Audi Victoria Week regatta over the Australia Day weekend is amazing! And, what a glam regatta it will be, again."
In the past, we had Terry Wise down from Sydney, Karl Chappell from Adelaide, both of whom are keen to come back. Call them and ask them about what a good time they had! Hmmmm, maybe that had a lot to do with all those girls on my boat (see photo)?! Actually, there is lots of everything. Lots of boats– around 600, lots of yachties– around 3,000, lots of cool refreshing drink (didn’t count), lots of bands playing lots of music (more than I could listen too) and, well, lots of girls, the sailing ones too! I guess I should point out to the sailing girls– there are lots of guys too, but you knew that already. In fact, if you can’t get a sail and a cool drink in Geelong then you are definitely not trying. Its one giant party and it’s been going for 166 years.
Last year there were around 25,000 people that visited the annual Geelong Week Regatta and Festival (yes, it is that big), it turns Geelong inside out. The weather was great and, of course, will be again. The Melbourne J/24 fleet is planning to make a big showing this season at Geelong and negotiations are underway to have our own division and prizes.
The week is ideally placed after our Nationals at the end of January and usually involves a race down the bay to Geelong and then a couple of days of round the buoys racing in mixed fleets at Geelong followed by a relaxing sail home to Sandy. Let me say it is a big event and you will feel like you have been through the wringer by the end of it but you won’t want to miss the next one once you have discovered what a blast it is. This is like no other regatta in the Southern Hemisphere.
For boats returning to Adelaide after the Nationals (or, coming from Sydney) – bring your boats back through Melbourne and we will store them for you and then launch them at Sandy before the racing. If you want to borrow or charter a boat from our fleet – get in early as there may not be many available, my guess is most will be going to the party. Or, maybe you just want to fly in and be a ROCKSTAR– do it, but get a crew spot early!
So the racing will be hot and if you’re coming from interstate, you will be racing against the likes of Dave Suda and Hugo Ottaway, or relative newcomers like Ron Thomson and Adam Evans, skippers that are dying to knock the best off their pedestals. Of course, you will have to race with the rest of the fleet too, now around 13 boats.
So this is a party not to be missed and you need to plan ahead. If you want to talk to us in Melbourne about sailing to Geelong then give us a call. Call Luke Mathews on 0403 233 589 or the other bloke Simon Grain on 0413 870 046. For more information on Audi Victoria Week Also, more information on J/24 Australia Class site
SAILPAC Wins J/24s At Balmain Regatta
(Sydney, Australia- Oct 30-31)- The Balmain Regatta is one of Sydney’s oldest sporting events, and has a long history with our waterways. It was first held in 1849 and continued until 1934, when sadly it was discontinued. It was revived in 1994 by the Wooden Boat Association, and Balmain Sailing Club participated in the Balmain Regatta in 1995 and 1996 as one of its Spring Series races.
In 1997, it was run as a separate event, jointly organised by the Balmain Sailing Club and the Wooden Boat Association. Today it is run by Balmain Sailing Club, in association with other sailing clubs and community organizations, and is a real celebration of Balmain, the harbour and our maritime heritage. The event attracts over 150 vessels on the water, making it one of the great annual spectacles around Balmain.
A couple of months ago Simon Grain was contacted by Neil Hamilton from the Race Committee and asked if they could get a J/24 fleet together as they would like to give them their own division – after a lot of phone calls there's a fleet of 6, enough to race! Wildfire’s Brett Hudson is always keen to race, as is KAOTIC – both sailing down from Middle Harbour. FUN, newly owned by Paul Baker and David Lamb will just be wherever you tell them to be, MADDER'N'BADDER have the one design racing bug since coming to the NSW State Championship and local entry MARITIME TRAINING SCHOOL made up the fleet, joined by the new crew on SAILPAC.
A Spinnaker start in a 10-15 Northeasterly winds soon splits the fleet with MADDER'N'BADDER getting away, KAOTIC not far behind them and then a match race for the next 20 mins between SAILPAC and WILDFIRE. FUN and MARITIME TRAINING SCHOOL not far behind! Shifty winds and shadows from all the islands and headlands around make it a tactical race with a mix of works, kite runs and reaches.
Tim Briggs, steering SAILPAC in only his fourth race is going well. Further around the course, we see Janette, steering Arthur Crothers’ KAOTIC, sail into a hole and as we come around Goat Island – with only MADDER'N'BADDER in front of us a shy kite gets us where we want to be – in the lead. Holding that lead is the key, and finishing in front of KAOTIC and MADDER'N'BADDER, it was an absolute joy to see Tim steer a J over the line first – a huge confidence boost for a new owner!
Balmain Sailing Club doesn’t disappoint, with fun and festivities on the water front – a great regatta atmosphere, life raft demos, rowing, BBQ and raffles. A few wines later…the only thing sending people home on a glorious Sunday afternoon was the 6pm tropical downpour – a delightful days racing. We were also definitely in good company, hearing J/24 Legends Gary Geitz and Ian Bashfords names dropped in post racing story telling!! Well done BSC! Hopefully with a larger fleet, we will definitely be there next year. Overall the finishes were first, SAILPAC (Tim Briggs), second KAOTIV (Janette Syme) and third MADDER'N'BADDER (Chris O'Neill). For more Balmain J/24 Regatta sailing information.
BAD MOON Rising Wins J/24 Southwest Championship(Dallas, TX)- Congratulations to Kelly Holmes-Moon and Team BAD MOON crew members Chris Rousseau, David Haslip, Phillip Carroll and Dana Marxen for winning the Southwest Championship at Dallas Corinthian Yacht Club. Their win qualifies them to compete in the J/24 Worlds taking place November 11-19th, 2011 at the Yacht Club Argentino, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The BAD MOON gang sure didn't shoot straight in the first race. The crew on RUMLINE, sailed by Bryan Dyer, took off from the fleet and won the first race, while the BAD MOON gang was sucking on their exhaust pipe, finishing 5th. MR HAPPY sailed by Bob Harden got a 2nd and 3rd was Stu Lindlow's TROPICAL AGGRESSION. From there on end, the BAD MOON band got its act going and tore off a few bullets to bring home the bacon. However, the last race turned into duel match races, one for first and one for third overall. Winning by just one point over the hard-charging MR HAPPY team steered by Captain Bob was Kelly's BAD MOON. In the other pairing, Bryan's RUMLINE crew settled for third overall 5 points back, just one point ahead of Stu's TROPICAL AGGRESSION. Watching all the histrionics and fireworks from the cheap seats was Jim Mitchell's FLYING CIRCUS, collecting 35 points for 5th place. More sailing info at J/24 Texas Circuit site.
J/120s Place In ORR Great Lakes Series(Detroit, MI)- This past week, the ORR Owners Association announced the winners of the 2010 ORROA Great Lakes Championship Series. Amongst J/Owners, congratulations to Ken Brown and his J/120 JAY HAWKER Team that finished in third place overall for the season! Furthermore, credit must be given to Frank Kern, ex-Commodore of Bayview YC, leader and catalyst to spearhead this inaugural series on the Great Lakes. For those of you with short memories, Frank's the fun-loving, highly successful skipper of the beloved J/120 CARINTHIA from Detroit.
This racing series was open to yachts holding a valid 2010 ORR certificate that entered in a minimum of 2 of the following races: Queen’s Cup, Lake Huron International, Bayview Mackinac Race, Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac Race, Little Traverse Yacht Club 50th Annual Regatta, and Sheldon Clark Regatta. In addition, each yacht must have competed in one of the Mackinac races in order to qualify. Races in which the ORR rule was used, those results were used with the yacht entering the ORR class. One design yachts competed in their own class. In races where the ORR rule was not used, an ORR overlay was used with yachts entering those races under their NOR.51 yachts were entered in the series.
The 2010 Great Lakes Championship Series was the inaugural year AND inaugural series for the newly created Offshore Racing Rule Owners Association. ORROA, in cooperation with the Offshore Racing Association (ORA) and Offshore Racing Rule (ORR), developed this series for Great Lakes sailors and hopes to offer more racing series in other parts of the USA in 2011. The organization welcomes sailors and race organizers interested in giving boat owners of all types a fair and level playing-field. ORROA hopes that by encouraging the use of a common, objective rule, participation in regattas will increase across the country. For more information, please contact: Frank Kern, Offshore Racing Rule Owners Association, Ph: 248-210-3150, info@orroa.org, or go to http://www.orroa.org
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* J/133 PATRIOT Sailing Rolex Sydney-Hobart- PATRIOT was purchased by owner, Tony Love in February this year, having previously been campaigned on the Great Lakes of USA. She is the second US built J/133 to be imported into Australia. A number of her European sisters have performed successfully in RORC races and the Fastnet Race. She will be sailed competitively by an experienced crew and, with a favorable rating a top result is possible, given the right conditions. Applications to enter this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race have officially closed with 102 yachts nominated for the great race south and a thrilling battle for overall honours on the cards. Organising club, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, and sponsor Rolex are delighted with the roll-call which includes numerous legends and luminaries and plenty of newcomers as well as the regulars now synonymous with the legendary blue water race. The CYCA anticipates a final tally of 90-95 yachts will be on the dual Sydney Harbour start line at 1pm on December 26 with the largest in the fleet launching off the front row and the rest from the second line, allowing all boats clear passage to Sydney Heads before crews knuckle down for the tough 628 nautical mile passage to Hobart. For you armchair J Sailors, be sure to bookmark this link and cheer on PATRIOT past the heads, past the extraordinary "Hornpipes" formation off Taz Heads to the finish- http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/
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* The Girl Wins It All- What? Offshore? Great Lakes? Yes, you're not dyslexic. Milwaukee area sailors gathered last Saturday to collect awards for the summer of 2010 and to crown their season champion. And a kid, a teenage girl, won it all! Awesome story, read on.Indeed, Whitney Kent, skipper of the J-30 RAFIKI and a senior in high school, collected the SSYC Corinthian Yacht of the Year award. Whitney and her team, sister Alison, Mom Cheri, step-dad Eric and friends, out-sailed the adults on Milwaukee Bay. Whitney had the helm in every race. But this award isn’t just for scoring well in races. Bay-area skippers vote for the recipient of this award based on both on- and off-the-water leadership. Whitney was the clear winner.
Consider that the J/30 RAFIKI just hit the water this summer, having sat neglected in a yard for many years. Whitney’s family made a low ball offer and spent most of last winter and spring rebuilding the boat. Whitney missed most of the spring youth sailing season so that she could spend more time in the boat yard sanding and painting.
Nobody expected the boat to get to the starting line. Then RAFIKI won the PHRF Section 3 season series even though they missed the first two regattas readying the boat. And while Whitney led her inter-generational RAFIKI team to the series title, she demonstrated sailing leadership in many other ways:1) Whitney trounced the adult sailors, winning the double-handed series with her sister Alison (17) and daughter Kate (16) as alternating crew.
2) Whitney led an all-kids team to an 8th place among 70 division boats in Louie’s Last Regatta while raising money for Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. And they took 2nd in the costumes competition by wearing those goofy footy-pajamas under lifejackets (in October on Lake Michigan- cute picture, eh?).
3) A special, all-girls, all-teens RAFIKI J/30 team is the one to beat in Division 2 in the Milwaukee Bay Women’s Sailing Series.
If you are lucky to meet Whitney, she’ll help you if you need it. She’ll work as hard as anyone on the team. She’ll smile into the teeth of a storm. She oozes contagious, authentic enthusiasm for sailing. Congratulations to Whitney Kent and the family and friends who make up the RAFIKI J/30 Team, and more importantly, for reminding us why sailing isn’t just for adults. Or kids. It’s for both adults and kids. Contributed by Nicholas Hayes, Author of Saving Sailing on Sailing Anarchy.
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* J/35 OUTRAJEOUS- "Skip" Baldwin from England bought an old J/35 they found living a life of benign neglect in Liverpool and resurrected it- it is a VERY amusing story (about as good, if not more remarkable than the J/30 RAFIKI story). And, one that ANY boat owner can empathize with. You can read about their travails of really living the "phoenix from the ashes" experience on their website. Here's an excerpt of their first major event this past year. As Skip explains- "Bank Holiday weekend, we decided to sail "The Bank of England Regatta", how appropriate. It was all smiles in the land of OUTRAJEOUS as the midweek forecast read sun and warm winds from the south west 10-15 mph. Fantastic we thought, ideal conditions for our first regatta of the season, weather to break us in to the new season gently. Oh how wrong we were....In our first race, the winds continued to build...this was "Gucci sailing". The boats now in view were boats that had started 45 minutes in front of us. Looking at the anemometer the wind was now 30-35 knots (that to the non-seafaring readers out there, means it was blowing dogs off chains!) the kite was full to bursting and we were on fire - 9 knots, 10 knots (Samantha Mumba's), 11 knots, 12 knots finally topping out at 13.7 knots... YAHOOOOOO!!!! The old Girl was smoking..the mark was approaching quickly, very very quickly in fact and the wind was constantly shifting 20-25 degrees, now all we need to do is get the kite down, simple? Well maybe not so simple, the wind shifted and we broached violently, the 30+ knot winds pinning us to the sea, the guy got wrapped around a window catch so could not be released, the halyard too had jammed, we were nailed to the Solent harder than cheap shuttering to a broken window... Moments before this, Skip in his infinite wisdom had gone to steer from the leeward side, better vision into the mark, great! Unfortunately the leeward side by now was underwater, along with him.. eventually the kite exploded and we were able to haul in the shattered remains..." Read more about OUTRAJEOUS's tales of delight and disaster, for anyone who's ever owned a used sailboat, you'll die of laughter! I promise. :) More outrageous sailing stories of the J/35 OUTRAJEOUS here.
J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers.
* Glen Gustaffson is sailing his J/46 this year in the Caribbean 1500. He says, "There are two J/46's and I believe one J/40 in the event, which has a record turnout this year. We are pumped up and looking for a fast ride to the Islands. I'll see if I can get a story together on the J's in the event, and send it on after we reach Tortola. There is live tracking on the website- http://www.carib1500.com
* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand. Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/
* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years. Their 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." Fun reading when rocking back in a chair watching your storm-lashed windows take a beating in the gale roaring outside and listening to the crackle of a roaring fire. It is winter "down under" you know. The Argentineans are freezing.
* John and Mary Driver are 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. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.
* 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 Cape Horn 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).
- Bill and Susan Grun 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). Check out there recent travles- now past Fiji!
J/95 #1 Available in Florida!
J/95s are on a roll in the southeast with five boats sailing in the area by this fall (at least four planning to participate in the January Key West Race Week). Sarasota Yacht and Ship is the brokerage side of the J/Southeast dealer CrossCurrent Marine, and they are thrilled to have landed the first brokerage listing for this wonderful shoal draft performance daysailer. Boat is fully optioned with carbon sails, mast, V boom and sports an extension electronics suite. Please contact Craig Crossley at 401-330-6135, craig@crosscurrentmarine.com (or craig.crossley@gmail.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: 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! For more information on J/Boats.
Read Kimball Livingston's SAIL update on the J/Boats story- A Band of Brothers.
