Team IT Are SAIL "Best Around Buoys" WinnersA Rainbow Coalition of Sailors in Cleveland Having Fun- Ready to Race New J/111!
(Newport, RI)- The "Best Around the Buoys" Competition is SAIL's grass-roots initiative to reward PHRF sailors for their team's performance at the local racing level and encourage racers to set a goal of sailing on the national level at events like Key West Race Week.
The catalyst of the idea was rooted in a discussion with Nicholas Hayes, renowned for his "Saving Sailing" book that was published recently. In it, Nick's call to action to all those involved in sailing-- whether they may be individuals, organizations, communities, boat builders, internet newsletters, websites, forums or publishers and NGOs-- to recognize that all organizations need a constant assessment and re-thinking of their model that contributes to the development of the recreation and sport of sailing. For those involved at the "main street" level, this means considering things like shared fleets designed for inter-generational use (7 to 70), schedules that can fit into a family’s complicated schedule and a social network so parents can start developing colleagues and support networks and understand that they’re not the only ones out there (e.g. mentoring). See the recent article by SAIL Interviews with Nicholas Hayes on Saving Sailing- or just get Nick's book to begin to appreciate the challenges we all face as sailors to both maintain and grow the activity we love.
Answering this call, the team at SAIL led by Josh Adams created the SAIL Best Around the Buoys program designed to encourage "community-level" local and regional sailors to compete for a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity to jump aboard a hot race boat and show the world they can be competitive and have fun with a good "club team" at an event like Key West Race Week. The Best Around the Buoys Highlights for that one lucky team are as follows:* The winning team earns regatta entry, housing, dockage and entry in Key West Race Week
* A new J/111 speedster, well-equipped by industry partners, as their rocketship around the cans
* A new suit of North Sails racing sails to turbo-charge the 111.
* A go-fast bottom job supplied by Pettit Marine paints
* Hardware and sailing gear by Harken Yacht Equipment
The 70+ entries came from across literally every corner of America. Name it and you can come close to having an entry from that mud puddle, bay, lake or famous sailing harbor somewhere near you- desert, mountain, ocean or elsewhere. The stories crossed the spectrum of human experience (and tragedy), many were heart-warming and emotional, some both extraordinary and unbelievable, others mind-blowing, some saddening but inspirational. In all, it would be hard to say there were really any losers, because in the eyes of those who've lived similar experiences, they were all winners in both life and in the game of sailing.
In the end, the most difficult part was up to SAIL's selection panel which was comprised of experienced, knowledgeable sailors, each with at least 25+ years of sailing/ racing experience. However, one team seemed to epitomize the essence of what the competition was all about- team spirit, having fun with family and friends, engaging local sailors to join them and learn about sailing, including kids and women in all facets of their sailing program to enjoy sailing in their community. Plus, it helped that a strong track record (despite sailing with a cast of thousands) ensured the "rainbow coalition" of sailors on TEAM IT, Jim Sminchak and crew, were the ultimate winners sailing on the waters of Lake Erie off Cleveland, Ohio. Congratulations to Jim and his team! More SAIL Best Around Buoys information here.
Never a dull moment if you're a J sailor, whether you're an armchair sailor chillin up north, or you're a frostbiter points east or west, or hanging on for dear life in a southerly buster Down Under. This past week saw plenty of hot action in Europe with the continuation of the Hamble Winter Series on the Solent on the southern coast of England; the J/80 World Champion teams continuing to get better in Spain while supporting charities; and the Italians enjoying a sublime Winter Championship on their J/80s. Over in Asia, the Chinese National Sailing Committee are hosting the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou on the south coast of China in near perfect "Corpus Christi-like" conditions. In the Americas, a bunch of Canadians and Americans sailed the classic Round The County Race in the Seattle/ Vancouver area, subjecting themselves to gorgeous eye candy-- the spectacular mountain ranges surrounding the Sound and the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Just south are the Southern California surfer dudes and dudettes going for a spin on their J's off San Diego in the on-going Hot Rum Series! 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! Some great updates on their various cruising blogs, too!
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.
Hamble Winter Series 5th WeekendJ/109 OFFBEAT Wins on Remembrance Day
(Hamble, England)- A cold calm morning marked the restart of the 2010 Garmin Hamble Winter Series with a two-hour wait for racing to get underway. This long postponement was broken at its halfway point by two guns, these marking either end of the two-minute silence to observe Remembrance Sunday.
By midday the expected breeze filled in from the north, and with seven Black Fleet classes to start these were combined into three groups to shorten the sequence. A single course was set for all classes, with the Fastnet Insurance and North Ryde Middle buoys as the first two marks of a six-mile course, with East Bramble as the finish. As the shifting breeze steadily backed and built to over 20 knots by the finish what had been conceived as a windward leeward course soon turned into power reaches and provided some exciting moments for the concentrated fleet.
Despite the challenging conditions most of the front-runners maintained their form, with David McLeman's J/109 OFFBEAT taking their first win with the all-conquering J-DREAM slipping to 9th in class and in IRC Class 3 the J/97 JIKA-JIKA sailed by the corinthian team led by Mike and Jamie Holmes again crushed the competition and grabbed yet another victory over Kevin Sproul's professional team on the Beneteau First 30. The J/97 JIKA-JIKA is proving time and again that a solid all-round design will always beat purpose-built "wedges of cheese" around the track- anywhere. Currently, the Holmes' J/97 JIKA-JIKA has 9 points for the series and leads by 11 points over the next closest boat.
The J/80s continued to have a competitive series. Through race 11, the leader continues to be OI! sailed by John Cooper with 14 points. Second is AQUA-J skippered by Patrick Liardet with 23 points. Just 3 points shy is Gordon Craigen's SWALLOW with 26 points. The Royal Air Force team on SPITFIRE seem to be lacking in the "gatling gun" department, pulling up a bit short on their ability to decimate the competition, lying fourth with 58 points. Ian Atkins' boats.com is hanging in fifth with 69 points.
The J/109s continue to set the pace for large offshore one-designs in England. It's not coincidental that certain teams continue to hang in the top five despite what are obviously challenging conditions. A good measure of fleet depth but also the capabilities of certain teams. Near the top in most events happens to be J-DREAM, Kirsty and Dave Apthorp's team are clearly not relying on "bangers and mash and Guinness" to power them to victory. "Pasties" for sure are not part of their lexicon. Nevertheless, there's is a story of remarkable consistency over the course of time. This past weekend was an exception, finishing 9th and staring at a few transoms they've never seen before-- "who are those blokes?" was a refrain overhead a few times.
In race 9 of the J/109s, Dave McLeman's team on OFFBEAT sailed well to claim the coveted winner's thorny wreath to wear down at the pub after the races. Second was J2EAU sailed by Steve and Jody Maine, third ME JULIE raced by Dom Monkhouse, fourth was AUDAJIOUS captained by David Jobson and fifth was DESIGNSTAR skippered by Roger Phillips. Overall, the Apthorp's J-DREAM continues to lead with just 8 points followed in 2nd by Dave's OFFBEAT, 3rd is OUTRAJEOUS sailed by Richard and Valerie Griffith with 27 pts, 4th is ARIA led by Luca Rubinelli with 29 pts and 5th AUDAJIOUS skippered by David Jobson with 37 pts. The series continues on November 21st with one race for the Black Fleet classes, while three races are scheduled for the sportsboats in the White Fleet. For more sailing information of the 2010 Garmin Hamble Winter Series.
J/80 FUNDESO Charity Regatta(Bilbao, Spain- 13th Nov)- A wonderful charity regatta was recently hosted at Real Club Maritimo de Abra in Bilbao, Spain. However, this year after waiting for more than two hours on land the committee decided to suspend sailing for the day because of wind gusts up to 45 knots. A wise decision despite the fact that a number of J/80 World Champions in attendance said they had just sailed in conditions nearly as severe in Newport a month earlier!
Nevertheless, the Spanish J/80 sailors fun-loving approach to life and sailing were not going to hold them back. Salsa and flamenco dancing on tables anyone? Another rendition of Frank Sinatra for the ladies? Or, something more sublime like a seminar about tactics, strategies, how to sail better and tuning? The latter did take place during the day and some of the other happened to take place in the night as a show of solidarity to those supporting FUNDESO!
During the evening in the halls of RCMA and CSR the "III Dinner FUNDESO" brought together supporters, friends and supporters of this humanitarian organization to the delight of many. "The foundation works to build a more just and more humane society through development programs involving comprehensive and sustainable strengthening of civil society in Latin America, Africa and Asia. FUNDESO also carries out projects to raise awareness to Spanish society of inequalities in life around the world. FUNDESO was founded in 1995 by Rafael Guardans Cambo after years of pursuing such endeavors himself." How seriously do the Spanish sailors take such humane efforts? Well, in their act of solidarity to those in need, several World Champions and Olympic Medallists in sailing co-signed and dedicated a photo for auction for FUNDESO- including Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez, Gold and Silver in Athens and Beijing, triple World Champion and three-time European Champion in the 49er Class; Jose Maria "Pichu" Torcida, the two-time J/80 World champion; and the indefatigable Peter Rossi, the 2009 TP-52 World Champion and 2010 runner-up on MATADOR and winner of Copa del Rey in 2009 and 2010. The J/80 Bilbao fleet thanks everyone for their generous collaboration and contributions! You can learn more about them and why the Spanish J/80 teams support them at http://www.fundeso.org. For more J/80 Bilbao sailing information.
Italian J/80 Winter Championship XXXV(Tigullio, Italy)- The fourteenth of November. 1400 hours. On a lake in Italy. Mediterranean climate. Warm. Sunny. Gentle warm breeze. Anything wrong with this picture? Not if you live in Italy. Or, you live someplace else driving a desk and wish you could be there!
The beginning of the Winter Championships in Tigullio started this past weekend in Italy. For those of you so inclined, they still have room on some of their boats for refugees from America and northern Europe to join them for the next few weekends! They promise an enormous amount of generous, warm-hearted, real-Italian hospitality, fabulous food, extraordinary wines, delectable truffles, deliciously yummy breads and tasty cheeses and a lot of love to spread around to any fun-loving J/80 sailors!
The PRO managed to run two splendid races on the first day. Only a mild "scirocco" with 10-12 knots, warm, mild, dry air gracing one's skin, beautifully replenishing the strains of a weeks worth of abuse driving a desk at the office. As our Italian friends say, the Tigullio is no longer the "Gulf of Nesci" and continues to give an "elixir" for anyone taking days of sailing and racing for the benefit of their well-being. Out on the water it just so happens that JENIALE crushed the faithful with MONTPRES in second and OLD SPIRIT third. In the second race, JENIALE walked away again (next time feed them more red wine at dinner!), second was J'BES and third OLD SPIRIT. While these are just the first rounds of sailing, the next are on November 28. Still time to book Alitalia or British Airways and join them! Sailing Photos by F. Prandini. For more J/80 Italian Winter Series sailing information.
Asian Games J/80 Tour de Force(Guangzhou, China)- South China's host city of the Asian Games is one of the top ten cities in China. For most Westerners this may mean nothing. However, taken in the context of most cities around the world, Guangzhou is in the world's top 20! Or, perhaps for many of you, a more sobering thought taken in the context of history, over half of the world's top 20 cities are in China-- and Beijing is not the biggest!
Taking place on the water off the Shanwei Water Sports Centre is a remarkably well-organized and efficiently run regatta with a fabulous technical tour'de'force of media employing every imaginable means of technology to bring it home to the Chinese masses- live on-water video, helicopters, remote control drones doing live video and so forth. Nothing is spared to ensure the event is brought to the living rooms of those in the Asian/ Middle Eastern World. Remember, the "Golden Triangle" comprised of Japan to China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and points in between comprise over $20 trillion USD in GDP today....hmmm, a bit more than America.
Sailing in this event are an Olympic cross-section of classes, including Lasers, Optimists, and Hobie 16s. Plus, J/80s for match racing. So far, the Malaysian Team is doing quite well in the J/80s match racing. Not far off the pace are the Singapore and Chinese teams. The list of teams competing in the event include China, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, Bahrain, Singapore, Malaysia and India. According to Jim Johnstone in Xiamen, China "we got the J/80s ready for the Asian Games this past week. The list of countries participating in the event will someday read like a "who's who" for top Asian sailors. The event so far has been very good, the area that they are sailing in is quite windy this time of the year. Best compared to American sites like Corpus Christi, Texas where it blows 20+ knots each day and it's relatively warm. The teams have had two brand new 3/4 oz conventional spinnakers blow-up and one T-bone, but we are dealing with those things. Since there are only 8 teams it is not hard to pull two boats out of the rotation and switch on the dock." 
The 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, opened in dramatic style with a ceremony which drew on Guangzhou's rich maritime history, held in a purpose built arena, located on a small island on the Pearl River. Sailing is one of the 42 sports in this multi-sport event, held every four years in Asia, allowing athletes from all over the Asian continent to compete.Perhaps most remarkable about this event is the degree to which national sailing authorities (NGO's) in Asian nations take national pride and success in such endeavors as seriously as they do. It does not take one to scratch the tablets of world history very deeply to appreciate their perspectives in the age of discovery and exploration in the 16th century onwards. Asia was at the cross-roads of powerful commercial interests and sailing ships, captains, navigators, navies were integral to their successes or failures over the course of time. Seems to many that they're learning from such experiences fast and accelerating quickly past many of their friendly Western friends not only in the sport of sailing, but in business and culture, too.
Indicative of this change is how sailing is perceived by leaders in the Middle East and Asia and how strongly, in fact, they support sailing as a sport and activity for their growing middle classes. Leading up to the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, a number of sailors and their sponsors in these countries issued some very interesting statements supporting such endeavors. Read more about their sailing initiatives in the Sailing section here on the Asia Games 2010 site.
Round the County RaceShowdown at Peapod Rocks
(Seattle, WA- Nov. 19)- In 1790, Francisco Eliza, captain of the 16-gun Spanish pacqueboat, Saint Carlos, sailed around a complex of islands in what was to become Washington State, naming the islands the ‘San Juan Archipelago’. 197 years later, the Orcas Island Yacht Club took the same approach as Captain Eliza, sailing around the archipelago— now San Juan County— and called it the Round the County Regatta. In its 23rd running, Round the County has become one of the most popular end-of-the season races in the Pacific Northwest.
Round the County starts at Lydia Shoal off Obstruction Pass, which separates Obstruction and Orcas Islands, two of the fabled San Juan islands. This year the race went clockwise; other years it has gone counterclockwise. Either way, the racers overnight at Roche Harbor, once the home of a limekiln, which supplied that key ingredient for tons of cement, used to rebuild San Francisco following the big one of 1906. After a quiet night at the now posh Roche Harbor, the fleet sails around the other half of the County, finishing at Lydia Shoals.
The race always falls on the first or second weekend in November. The day temperature in early November is in the low to mid 50s (Fahrenheit) and the winds can be light and variable to howling. The race also highlights the Northwest’s long-standing allegiance to the PHRF handicap.
73 boats registered for this year’s race despite a forecast for the weekend for - yes, rain (what else would you expect?)- but also light and variable southerly wind. Predicting the weather in the Pacific Northwest is difficult. Much changes as the Pacific fronts collide with the mountainous terrain of western Washington State and the long rocky shore of Canada’s Vancouver Island. This Round the County proved that point.
Three starts were scheduled at Lydia Shoal in Rosario Strait between the sprawling, mountainous Cypress Island to the east and Orcas and Blakely Island to the west. Rain seemed written on the underside of the solid blanket of low hanging gray. Strong current ebbed south through Rosario. The wind was, as predicted, an underwhelming two knots from the southeast.
The small boats were away at 0840 hours. They hugged the steep-sided, Blakely Island shore. Chris White’s blue-hulled J-80 CRAZY IVAN took the early lead ghosting under a big asymmetric chute, white against the dark green mass of Douglas Fir blanketing the steep hillside. Mid-sized boats were off at 0850 hours, with the majority on port tack. A few spoilers, coming in on starboard, caused mayhem at the committee-boat end, forcing a phalanx of port-tackers to go wide, with some having to tack to starboard in the light air. The boats fanned out across the current driven waters of Rosario Strait. Fingers of wind reached into the jumbled fleet beckoning, with the fickleness of a wickedly beautiful woman, first one boat forward only to drop it in favor of another. The rain did not fall. After the first hour, the maddening fingers of southerly breeze settled into a slowly building southeasterly. The current was with the fleet, adding about 2.5-3.0 knots of VMG to a boat’s hull speed.The first turn for the fleet is Davidson Rock, situated at the southeastern tip of Lopez. This is the point where the race turns west, out the Straits of Juan de Fuca, keeping the shores of Lopez and San Juan Islands to starboard as it steadily arcs toward the north where San Juan Island becomes the eastern shore of Haro Strait.
The wind held steady from the southeast. Strategy and tactics began to play out on the chess board of Juan de Fuca Strait. Some boats turned west not long after passing Davidson Rock, but others carried straight south seeking stronger wind and a gybe angle to keep them off the islands’ lee shores. With eight knots of southeasterly breeze, and favorable tide, the fleet makes the half way point Salomon Bank Buoy with ease. A race committee boat noted times in case the race had to be called before its 1800 hours limit.
Not long after Salmon Bank, the steady southerly—quickly and unpredictably—swung round to the northwest. Poled-out spinnakers were suddenly against the forestay. Jibs and genoas went up as spinnakers were snuffed below. Tacking up the shore became the strategy, although constant care was needed to avoid perilous wind holes or tangles with the kelp. That's how it ended for the first day of racing on Saturday.
For Saturday night, the fleet stayed at Roche Harbor, which had plenty of open slips this time of year to dock the fleet. Overnight a 35-knot front blew through, but the morning dawned clear. Sun sparkled the water as the fleet checked in for the start of racing on Sunday. The wind was light; the tide ebbed in Spiden Channel as the boats reach across toward Stuart Island’s aptly named Turn Point, home to one of the most beautiful lighthouse settings in the San Juans. The southerly breeze continued to build as the fleet rounded Turn Point heading northeast up Boundary Pass, Canada is on the port side. The big boats legged-out as the breeze rose to 14 knots. At 19 knots of true wind, at least one spinnaker was turned to long, ineffective ribbons. The sun was warm. White caps pocked the sea, and the air was clear and clean as only it can be in the Northwest. Alden Light, on Patos Island, was the halfway mark and the turning point to the southeast for the day’s 34 mile leg. To escape the hard current, a number of boats tucked behind Patos popping into the current at the last moment as they rounded rocky Alden Point.
The real showdown came at Peapod Rocks just off the east shore of Orcas not far from the fleet’s southerly turn around the island’s eastern most Point Lawrence. The current was pounding north up Rosario Strait. The old adage warns never go inside Peapod, but the tack carrying a boat beyond Peapod put her broadside to the sweeping current with little breeze apparent all across the Strait. A few brave tacticians venture across the flooding tide while the majority of boats tack the eastern shore of Orcas, inside Peapod Rocks, working hard to keep out of the current,
The wind was fading as boats, having pealed down to light number ones, broke from the Orcas shore on their last tack out toward the Lydia Shoal line. Only then did they witness those boats that went wide of Peapod Rocks, mad with delight, on a steady southeasterly lifting right to the Lydia Shoal Buoy.
A number of J's took part in this classic Northwest event, savoring the gorgeous scenery and the extraordinary camaraderie that is unique to sailors in this part of the world. In Division 0, Bob Brunius's J/120 TIME BANDIT took 5th and Lynn Adkins J/124 TINETTE sailed nicely to stay out of trouble and get 8th. In Division I, the J/109s were seemingly match racing around the track both days. In the end Adam Korbin's J/109 ASTRAL PLANE finished 2nd and Dave MacLean's J/109 ILLUSIONIST was 3rd. Like the J/109s, there were to well-sailed J/33s in Division II that are strong competitors in the light conditions often seen in the Sound and Straits. Todd Koetje's J/33 HRAVN finished 4th and not too far behind, other than a few tactical errors, was Tom Kerr's J/33 CORVO in 7th. Early race leader in this division, Chris White's J/80 CRAZY IVAN, ended up struggling in some of the lighter patches against the bigger boats and finished 8th. Finally, in Division III, Jim Bottles beautifully maintained J/30 CELEBRATION sailed strongly to get a 4th! Article contributed by Stephen Orsini. For complete Round The County sailing results.
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* What do you do when you are near the finish line and a crew member falls overboard? Tell them to hang on and keep racing!! Ouch! Can't imagine J/24 racing in New South Wales, Australia is that competitive?! In Saturdays fantastic MHYC Race on 13th November, the J fleet comments are that a lot of fun was had – blue skies, good solid breezes, dolphins on the start line, shrimp on the barbie, lots of cold tinnies. However, probably not so much fun for the wet crew member off the J/24 J-SPOT!! Post race comments from Skipper Adam were along the lines of telling him they were only 20 miles from the finish line so he better hang on! Tall story for sure--- eye witnesses report it was more like 150 meters. The picture says it all. Photo courtesy of Nicole Scott- for more pics go to http://www.sailingimages.net.au More interesting J/24 tidbits below, though one hopes many kept their crews on board most of the time!
* A long-time J/24 ace and supporter of the class, Mike Ingham, recently joined North Sails to help them on their one-design programs in general. Mike is a past J/24 North American and National Champion. In addition to his North American and National titles in the J/24 class, he has placed second in the J/24 World Championship and is an East Coast and Great Lakes Champion. Mike will continue working out of his home in Rochester, NY, where he lives with his wife and three children. Another long-time J/24 expert and champion, Vince Brun (btw he sailed in the first J/24 Midwinters in 1978 in Key West!!), had this to say about Mike, “he will be a wonderful addition to our team of J/24 class experts and will give us the opportunity to reach out to even more J/24 sailors nationwide.” In addition to many victories on the race course, Mike has coached at Cornell University, the University of Rhode Island and Yale University. He has been a personal coach and training partner for many successful sailors and has won numerous awards and including being named an All-American at Cornell University in 1986. Photo is J/24 North American Champion, Pat O'Toole using North Sails.
* An avid supporter and sailor in the J/80 class, Kerry Klingler, was recently appointed J/Boat Team director at Quantum Sails. Kerry is a past J/80 World and North American Champion. Quantum Sail Design Group has established a new J/Boat Division, which will focus on expanding the company’s line of J/Boat sails and providing support for J sailors worldwide (photo here of Nextel Spanish World Champion team). Another expert J/24 and J/Boat sailor, Ed Reynolds, President of Quantum Sail Design Group says the focus reflects the company’s commitment to serving one of the largest and most active sailing communities in the world. “We recognize the loyalty J/Boat owners have for their brand and their interest in high-performance sails backed by the greatest level of expertise and support. We believe J/Boat owners deserve this level of dedication to their sailing needs and with our already strong track record we are uniquely positioned to provide it.” Noting Klingler’s experience in sail design for J Boats, Reynolds adds, “Kerry’s designs have been very well received and highly successful; he will be bringing this expertise to the Quantum family, helping us expand our product offering. We already have an incredibly talented J/Boat team with reps who are very active and successful in the J/Boat one-design classes. This year, Quantum sails have won the J/22, J/24 and J/80 World Championships. Under Kerry’s leadership, we will have even more product depth, a stronger support focus and a greater presence on the water.” In addition to Klingler, this Division includes Terry Flynn (Quantum Seabrook), Tim Healy (Quantum Newport) Scott Nixon (Quantum Atlantic) and Nic Bol (Quantum Holland), all winners of multiple J Boat National and World Championships. Klingler says he’s excited about the opportunity to collaborate with this team of J/Boat experts noting, “Quantum has assembled an accomplished group of J Boat sailors and has great technological resources." Klingler’s J/80 sails have won three of the last four North American Championships. Klingler’s sail designs in the J/105, J/109 and J/122 classes have also enjoyed great success including the J/109 North American Championship, the J/122 IRC National Championship and top finishes in seven major J/105 regattas this season.
* What do Ed Baird and Terry Hutchinson have in common with Mike Ingham, Ken Read, Chris Larson and several other noteworthy (perhaps famous) sailors? A J/24 World Championship. Not to beat their drum for any particular reason, but Quantum seems to be targeting a lot of good talent that are coming out of the world's largest offshore one-design keelboat classes- the J/22, J/24 and J/80s. Recently, Terry is taking a deep breath and jumping in with both feet to be Captain Fantastic (e.g. helmsman) aboard the great yacht ARTEMIS in the America's Cup 34th rendition, sailing super-fast, incredibly dangerous 72 foot carbon fiber catamarans powered by enormous carbon wing-sails. As a result, Terry is leaving his duties as helmsman aboard the TP-52 QUANTUM RACING. Jumping into the driver's seat is yet another J/24 ace, Ed Baird, formerly skipper of ALINGHI in AC33 in Valencia, Spain! Ed Reynolds, President of Quantum, says Baird’s expertise as both a sailor and coach make him a great fit for the team, which clinched the Audi MedCup TP-52 World Championship title earlier this month. "Ed is an 11-time world champion, has sailed with many of the guys on our team and is very much committed to our program, which is as much about product development as it is winning races. Ed’s accomplishments both on and off the water are impressive and his analytical approach to sailing is a real asset. We’re very excited to bring him on board and will value his expertise as we work to put a new boat, rig and sails on the water."
J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers. Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.
* 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. A recent update from Bill and Kathy- "Hello, all! We have safely arrived in Opua, New Zealand from Tonga. It was a remarkably fast passage. Some statistics: Time: 6 days, 3 hours. Total distance: 1023 miles. Distance sailed: 1020 miles. Distance motored: 3 miles. Average speed: 7.0 knots. Fuel used: 3 gallons (12 hours of engine idling for power generation). Best memory: sailing into the Bay of Isles, hand steering in 25 knots of breeze, watching the sun rise behind us, lighting Cape Brett up in a warm red glow. Next is 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 after completion of their ARC Rally. 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). A recent excerpt- "Stephen and Ross were enthralled by Roger's "Willies 1942 WW2 American jeep". Both boys took it for a burn and one is now at the top of Stephen’s wish list. When Roger was restoring it he was delighted to find a genuine WW2 American Hard hat under the back seat...."- 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 travels- now past Fiji! A recent excerpt- "Things Unplanned Run Amuck in Tahiti- Boats have feelings, don’t you know? They do not like to be left alone, unattended and seemingly unloved. This is a fact of which both The Captain and The First Mate are well aware, but given their lifestyle, they have no choice. Avante must go it alone every once in a while, and they know they eventually will have to deal with nautical hurt feelings and the consequences which follow." The rest of the thread is both humorous and quite educational- many lessons learned!
* Long-distance cruising communications advice for those who wish to be connected beyond a cell phone/ WiFi connection (10 miles) anywhere on the planet- try SailMail.com- a remarkable SSB communications network good for up to 5,000 nautical miles of connectivity! How cool is that! Founded by renowned superstar navigator Stan Honey and friends, here's good info for long-distance datacomm fanatics. Stan says, "SailMail has worldwide coverage, but as with any HF propagation, you have to be knowledgeable about selection of which station to use, what time of day, and what frequency. The only holes in coverage worldwide would be a very noisy marina where battery chargers on nearby boats prevent SailMail use. In those situations most folks use WiFi or GSM anyway, and use SailMail when they are at sea, or in most remote anchorages. There is lots of information on the website at www.sailmail.com about SSB choice and modem choice. The Icom M802 radio and AT140 tuner are currently the best choice."
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 day sailers 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.
