Texas Team SAIL Best Around Buoys Winners!(Boston, MA)- A Texas-based crew, comprised of Ryan & Jana Glaze and brothers Max & Jake Scott, sailing J/22s, Vanguard 15s and Melges 24s from Rush Creek YC in Dallas, Texas won SAIL’s 2nd annual Best Around the Buoys (BAB) competition, earning them free entry in the J/80 class at Quantum Key West Race Week 2012, January 15-20.
The Glazes and Scotts beat out approximately 80 other entries based on their one-design record in 2011. Among other successes, the team took 12th in the recent 2011 J/22 Worlds on FAST LANE held at Southern YC in New Orleans, LA against 64 boats (even winning a race!). On a regional/national basis, the Glaze's took first in the Vanguard 15 class in the Galveston Bay Championship Regatta and 8th out of 30 at the Vanguard 15 North American Championships. On a local Dallas fleet level sailing on Lake Ray Hubbard, the Glaze/Scott team took first in the Melges 24 Black Tie Regatta and RCYC's Fleet Championship.
Ryan first got into sailing at the age of 8, when his father decided to buy a Catalina 27 for his 40th birthday. He and the Scott brothers all grew up together on Lake Ray Hubbard and have sailed together on everything from Optis to Laser 2s, J/22s and a J/105.“Max, Jake and I have special bond. Not only did we grow up sailing together, we grew up doing everything together--- from playing football or basketball in the driveway as kids [to being] groomsmen in each others weddings,” Ryan says. “We all love to race sailboats, and we love racing with each other even more.”
Ryan describes Quantum Key West Race Week as a “bucket list regatta” he’s long been interested in. “Beautiful location, great atmosphere and even better competition: it says something about an event when a boat owner sets his build schedule for a custom racer based on getting there in time for Key West Race Week, or teams pull together their resources in order to be a part of it year after year.”
As the winning crew of this year’s BAB contest, the Texas crew will receive free use of a J/80 from J/Boats with a new set of canvas from North Sails. Harken will outfit the crew in full racing kit, while Quantum Key West Organizer Premier Racing will provide accommodations and waive all entrance fees. Additional support will be provided by US Sailing. In 2011, the Cleveland-based crew of the J/105 IT! took first place in their division racing the J/111 KONTIKI V in the inaugural SAIL BAB competition, so the pressure is on!
"Manly-Man Mini" Festival of Sailing(Sydney, Australia)- Seriously, prove that you're a "monly mon" sailing for a Mini? Yes, you can WIN a car-- a BMW Austin MINI! Crawl, walk, run, fly as fast as you can and join in the only regatta in the WORLD in which the CREW can win a car! J/24s, J/111s and so on are eligible, even "classic J/35s"!
The "Manly Mini" Festival of Sailing will be held over two days on January 21-22, 2012 at Manly Yacht Club, Sydney and there are no less than SIX, yes SIX, BMW Austin MINI's up for grabs!!
This "Manly Mini" regatta is open to all monohull yachts whose length overall is greater than 6m and less than 11m, so join the "Manly Mini Festival of Sailing" and prove for once and for all, that size doesn’t matter, it’s "what you do with it" over a series of sensually, serendipitous, windward-leeward serpentine-like races in northern Sydney Harbour, that counts!
It’s from such humble beginnings that many of the worlds’ greatest regattas are born. This one will for sure go down in the record books as one of the best ideas ever. Too long the rock-stars and the owners of their 500m yachts have been hogging the airwaves. Way too many owners have driven away in the car the crew won. If you have a modest yacht, then sail over, belly-up to the bar and be counted amongst the greats of this inaugural sailing festival where each member of the crew can walk away with a car prize!
As well as the cars, there is an overall prize of 2 Nights at Pittwater YHA up for grabs along with the coveted (and, most important) "Horses Ass Trophy" and a variety of crew prizes such as the hotly contested "Tea-Bag Award" for the best "foredecky"-- guys may not be eligible. But, best of all is the opportunity to sail into the history books as one of the founding entrants of the "Manly-Man-Mini" Festival of Sailing.
If you want to be able to say-- "I was there when it all started"-- then fill out the entry form as soon as possible and send it in to Manly Yacht Club. There is a "mini-entry" fee of $35.
Notice of Race can be found here. A good-ole-fashioned "shrimp/ steak/ fish/lobby on the barby" will be held after racing on Saturday at the "manliest-man" of places on Planet Earth, the Manly Yacht Club-- if you're "manly-enough" to be eligible, some prizes may be available after racing on Sunday. For queries or further information contact the race director Chris Stockdale on info@manlysailing.com.au.
NEW 2012 J/CalendarThe Perfect Gift For People Who Love Sailing!
(Newport, RI)- For 2012 we've created another beautiful calendar for J sailors who love the joys of sailing a J in some of the most spectacular harbors and waters of the world. Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in far away places. Enjoy the color and excitement of J sailing with these gorgeous photos. The J/Sailing Calendar features photos of a J/44 powering upwind off Key West, a flying J/24 on the Chesapeake, J/125s dueling on San Francisco Bay, surrealistic scenes of J/80s off the Cantabrian and Brittany Coasts, a J/120 and J/95 playing in the azure waters of the Caribbean and J/105s parading past Alcatraz in a pastel of colors. A great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew! See the 2012 J/Calendar and order now.
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
Moving into the second week of December in the north has the coincidental, and paradoxical, parallel universes of shorter days (meaning less sailing) but increasing expectations amongst friends and family members to celebrate the past year and roll-out the red carpet for thousands of "Holiday Parties" for just about every reason and every occasion. In the north, there are some holiday-themed regattas, like San Diego YC's "Hot Rum Series" held after Thanksgiving and the first two weekends of December and also Santa Barbara YC's "Holiday Regatta" held on the first weekend in December. Then there are the "Winter Championships" held in Spain in J/80s in at least four fleets and in Italy in J/24s in four fleets, too! Perhaps the biggest of these just concluded this past weekend in England, the Garmin Hamble Winter Series sailed on the Solent from October to December every fall/winter- leading that charge were some J/109s, J/97s and a J/111. Finishing off the northern parts, The Sailfish Club and the Cruising Club of America just hosted their annual dash north up the Gulf Stream "conveyor belt" this past weekend, hosting the Wirth Munroe Memorial Race from Fort Lauderdale to Palm Beach, Florida with a J/120, J/105 and J/44 walking off with a truckload of silverware. In the "better late, than never" category, a quick recap on the J/35 North Americans held in late summer in Toledo, Ohio is below for followers of that "classic" J/35 class. Over in the Asian theater, the King's Cup in Phuket, Thailand was starting to gather some steam sailing off Kata Beach Resort with a J/130 in attendance. Just north, Royal Hong Kong YC had concluded their first J/80 Hong Kong Championships. And, Down Under in the land of Oz, J/24s were performing miracles, again. While the J/24 fleet there continues to resurrect and grow, as evidenced by a newly popular "Twilight Series" (a.k.a. "beer can racing" to most Americans) in Sydney, another brave group of J/24 sailors were performing Search & Rescue to save fellow sailors (see their story in J/Community section). Finally, the J/111 in Sydney, Australia continues to amaze those who sail her and those who race against her.Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north. Check them out! 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:
Dec 5-14- Salon Nautique (J/97, J/111, J/122)- Paris, France- http://www.salonnautiqueparis.comJan 5-13- London Boatshow (J/80, J/111)- London, England- http://www.londonboatshow.com
Jan 15-25- Key West Race Week- Key West, FL- http://www.premiere-racing.com
Jan 15-25- J/80 Midwinters- Key West, FL- http://www.premiere-racing.com
Feb 11-15- J/24 Midwinters- Davis Island YC- Tampa, FL- http://www.diyc.org/
Feb 16-20- Miami Boatshow- Miami, FL- http://www.miamiboatshow.com/
Feb 17-19- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Pete, FL- http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas
Feb 23-26- J/22 Midwinters- Houston YC- Houston TX- http://www.j22mw.com/
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
J/111 JAKE Thunders Down Under!(Sydney, Australia)- The Australian J/111 JAKE owned by Ray & Sandra Entwistle has been busy competing in two offshore series since her launch at the Sydney International Boat Show in July. The Short Offshore Pointscore Series is 7 race windward/leeward series held just off Sydney Harbour Heads. The Ocean Pointscore series is a 6 race series of passage races north out of Sydney Harbour towards Pittwater and south towards Botany Bay and Cronulla of around 50nm. Here's Ray's report about the thunder they're generating Down Under:
"The J/111 is one of the smallest boats in these highly competitive IRC Division 1 Sydney fleets. The two fleets in the two events have included boats from Beneteau First 40s, 45s, 47.7s, Cookson 12s, DK 43s, one off 50 footers, Corby 49, Transpac 52s, Kerr 40, Sydney Kerr 43, Swan 60, to name a few. A Volvo 60 even joined in the fun for few races.
The weather was a real mix from drifters to over 30 knots, clear sunny days to complete fog "white-outs", but the J/111 showed no vices in any wind or sea state. She just reveled right through the range often beating much larger boats on the beat and on the water. Off wind she is an absolute dream and we have seen speeds of over 18 knots.Bang for buck the J/111 has really gone head to head with much more expensive programs. She has proven beyond doubt this new 36 footer can mix it up with highly professional crewed boats. The crew and many visitors have complimented how easy she is to sail, and really enjoy that adrenalin rush that is missing from so many models these days. The J/111 really responds to every tweak and change in trim.
JAKE finished 2nd on IRC in both series. We know we still have a bit more to learn about her, and can’t wait for the next series to start so we can work to claim first prize." For more J/111 sailboat information.
INVICTUS Wins J/80 Hong Kong Champs(Middle Island, Hong Kong, China)- The J/80 class in Hong Kong were treated to "chamber of commerce" conditions-- sun and gorgeous 12-15 kt Easterlies- for the first J/80 Hong Kong Class Championship. Hosted by the gracious Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, the highly competitive fifteen boat fleet were treated to some great racing over the first weekend in November sailing in the waters off Lamma Island.
The regular fleet racers we're pleasantly surprised to see three bullets of the four-race first day go to Tristan Stewart on JAVELIN, they were sailing in only their second regatta outing with the J/80 - well done guys! Other notable results for the day was a 1 and a 2 for Peter Backe on INVICTUS, a 2 in the first race for Rob Tanner on his new boat EPEKWIT'K and a third for Lucinda Ho on MOZZIE.
From the dock, Sunday looked very soft at first but the forecast held and the fleet enjoyed a building breeze throughout the day. After two general recalls in the first race, the RHKYC's PRO sent up the black flag and, not surprisingly, the sailors held back and saw a much more conservative start. Louie Perfectua in JELIK 7 took the first race, with Andrew Moore & Lionel Welch on TIGRINA in second. JELIK 6, helmed by Rafael Buitre took third.With the whole fleet suitably warmed up there were some very crowded mark roundings and finishes for the rest of the day. Race 6 was especially close at the first top mark with the majority of the fleet approaching on port lay and plenty of slaloming to avoid boats already around the mark with kites on their way up or made. Peter Backe on INVICTUS won race 6 and 8, and Tristan Stewart on JAVELIN was back on form to take the bullet in Race 7.
At the end of the day, "Congratulations" are on order to Peter and his crew on INVICTUS for the overall win, Louie on JELIK 7 in second, and Tristan on JAVELIN for third. Sailing Photo Credits- Ris Sattinasiri Wood Full results: http://www.rhkyc.org.hk/J80Results.aspx J/80 Hong Kong Class Association: http://www.facebook.com/J80HKG
CARINTHIA Wins Epic Wirth Munroe Race!(Palm Beach, Florida)- This year's fleet in the annual Wirth Munroe Memorial Fort Lauderdale to Palm Beach Yacht Race got a bit more than they bargained for. To say the least, race conditions were challenging, with 20+ knot ENE winds gusting to 30 knots and sea conditions considered “sporty” as the northbound Gulf Stream built waves to 8-12 feet, many with breaking wave-tops. For some of the modern ocean-racing machines (TP 52s and similar stuff), it was a bit too much as once the fleet got out of the southbound "flat water" just off Fort Lauderdale and they hit the current wall (a.k.a. "the conveyor belt") only a few miles offshore, the wave conditions made even the hardiest of San Francisco Bay or Solent sailors stand up and take notice-- these were ginormous, vertical-walled waves that often broke across the bows and down the deck in a wall of water, doing their best to wash crews down the deck and over the side. Epic conditions, indeed! But also scarily spectacular. The northbound Gulf Stream running 2-4 nm offshore was screaming, making the water look like a monstrous washing machine. As a result, several competitors abandoned racing and arrived at Palm Beach's Lake Worth Inlet under power, although no one reported injuries or damage.
Reveling in the tough conditions were the tough hombres from Lake St Clair, Michigan, all experienced Mackinac Race veterans who've seen far worse stuff than what the Stream was throwing at them. Frank Kern's cracker-jack team aboard his J/120 CARINTHIA smashed through the massive waves and proceed to take 1st overall in PHRF Division on corrected time, taking the Sailfish Club/ Cruising Club of America's silverware back to Detroit for safe-keeping! Just behind them in third place was David Bond's well-sailed offshore team aboard the J/105 LOKI and finishing a respectable fourth was Bob Kirkman's J/120 HOT TICKET.
In the IRC Class, Jim Bishop’s J/44 WHITE GOLD also cleaned out the trophy shelves at the Sailfish YC, taking the "First CCA Yacht to finish" and "First Sailfish Club Yacht to finish".
Here's some commentary from Frank's CARINTHIA blog on the race- "Carinthia has done this race now a number of years so it was very close to the conditions we have seen before. As part of the southern circuit Hot Ticket again joined us for the "race to the buffet". She was late getting to the start for which was explained to us later.
Apparently a crew member who was late delivering a sail caused HT to miss the 9am opening of the Fort Lauderdale 17th street bridge to reach the Atlantic Ocean. After much discussion the decision was made that they would be able to clear it. Except a scary moment occurred when the radio antenna on top of the mast scraped the bottom of the bridge and navigation lights on the spans in spite everyone sitting on the end of the boom to tilt her.To make things worse after arriving in the starting area their #3 genoa went up incorrectly and had to be taken down minutes before the start. With all that distractions we were the first boat to the ocean side of the line at the gun with the J105 Loki a little behind and to our leeward. HT was noticeably late on the shore side of the line. We decided that we would start with our #1 with the wind speed in the high teens close hauled and from the northeast. In the first 10 to 15 miles Hot Ticket managed to match speed with us, but we made every opportunity to point as high as we could so we could sail into the gulf stream. Loki soon fell back and we were the farthest right in our fleet. We started getting lifted and continued to get out farther right. About 20 miles up we were heavy in the Gulf Stream with the miserable 8 foot pounding waves that accompanied it. On the conveyor we got nearly a 2 knot kick that catapulted us ahead of everyone in the PHRF fleet including Ticket. By the time we reached the end of the 40 mile course the other J120 was nearly 4 miles behind us. At the end we were headed but made the finish line without tacking. The boats behind had to tack 4 times to stay off the beach."
Of note, the Wirth Munroe Memorial Yacht Race has been held each of the last 55 years on the first Friday in December, co-sponsored by The Sailfish Club of Florida and the Cruising Club of America. First raced in 1957, the invitational competition was organized by Richard Bertram (famous for creating the Bertram Yachts line of powerboats) to remember Miami-based yacht designer Wirth Munroe, whose renowned craft included "Comanche" (the Columbia 33) and the 30’ Sea Sailer class. Originally contested from Miami north to Palm Beach as a warmup to the SORC, the course has now been shortened to start from Fort Lauderdale. Over the years winners of the race have included Ted Turner, the billionaire CNN cable news media mogul-- also famous for racing the 12 meter COURAGEOUS in the America's Cup and winning his first SORC on the Ranger 37 MUNEQUITA. Read more on CARINTHIA'S blog here. For more Wirth Munroe Race sailing results.
J/109 OUTRAJEOUS Wins Hamble Series(Hamble, England)- Winter finally came to the Garmin Hamble Winter Series in time for the final race, to show crews just how lucky they’ve been throughout the unseasonably warm event. A brisk, cold westerly wind that fluctuated between 10 and 25 knots gave the assembled sailors a challenge when it came to choosing sails, not to mention working out how to make their boat go quickly upwind in a nasty chop. The regular finishing positions in many classes were turned on their head as boats came from behind after a windy series’ practice to beat the top-placed boats.
In many classes, the overall series winner has been obvious for some weeks now – and in these classes the real battles were for the remaining podium places. Trying valiantly to close the gap to second place was the J/133 JINGS! sailed by David Ballantyne and crew. JINGS! posted another fourth to secure third overall for the series in IRC 0.
In IRC 1, the see-saw battle amongst the top ten boats continued with a few surprises in the final results. Ivan Trotman's J/122 JOLOU reveled in the tough conditions, posting a 3rd to jump back into fourth overall for the series, a fitting finale for this devoted and successful team. Perhaps the biggest surprise was the rapid ascent of the J/111 JENGA VI sailed by Chaz Ivill, a 2nd on the final day elevated JENGA VI into second place overall!
In the J/109 class, David Richards’ JUMPING JELLYFISH won the final race, with overall winner, Richard and Valerie Griffith’s OUTRAJEOUS finishing sixth. In the final tally, OUTRAJEOUS won with 10 pts, followed by David and Mary McGough's JUST SO in second with 22 pts and Paul Griffith's JAGERBOMB in third with 27 pts. Rounding out the top five in this competitive group was David Jobson's AUDAJIOUS in fourth with 34 pts, winning on a tie-breaker over David McLeman's OFFBEAT. In IRC3, Mike and Jamie Holmes' J/97 JIKA-JIKA simply sailed their fleet off the Solent, winning by counting all 1sts for a total of 8 pts! Five J/97s were racing in IRC 3, following JIKA-JIKA is Nick and Adam Munday's INDULJENCE, 2nd in J/97s and 5th overall and third in the J/97s was Gillian Ross' INJENIOUS. The two J/92s' sure had a fight on their hands with their stablemates. Nevertheless, the J/92s sailed very well, with David Greenhalgh and John Taylor's J-RONIMO sitting in 6th and Andy Howe and Annie Kelly's BLACKJACK in 7th just two points back.
And, as ever it was a match between the J/80 JESTER sailed by Mike Lewis and the Hunter 707 in the Mixed Sportsboat class, with JESTER taking the day’s race, but not enough to take the overall class prize, missing the first four races didn't help their case so Mike's JESTER team had to count two DNC's in their eight counting races! Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth. For more Garmin Hamble Winter Series sailing information
J Sailors Enjoy Last Hot Rum Race III(San Diego, CA)- This year's San Diego YC's Hot Rum Series could be deemed a "classic" Hot Rum Series, sun, fun, gentle sea-breezes and laid-back sailing. Basically, you just start off the Piers near SDYC, beat out in a lightish Southwest 5-8 knot breeze, tacking up under the Point Loma shoreline, making sure to not run over any incredibly curious sea-lions, avoiding the US Navy submarine pen tucked under the Loma cliffs (currently nurturing an old "boomer"--one of those monsters of the deep that lurk beneath the surface of the world's oceans for a century armed to the teeth with a gazillion MIRV'd nuclear warheads), turning left to go offshore to a marker way south of Coronado Island, then reach/fetch back to the finish and head home. Easy. Simple to follow the directions. And, hundreds of sailors love to do it as their fall (or early winter) right of passage just before the Christmas holiday shopping spree often lubricated with a bit of "cinnamon-spiced hot rum cider"!
This year's event seemed to be skewed to the much larger boats- the 50 to 70-plus footers that were roaring around the course with their towering rigs. Nevertheless, amongst the J/125s in PHRF 1, Jim Madden's crew on STARK RAVING MAD led the pack of J/125s and ended up 9th in class. From there, the standings flip-flopped for the other three 125s. Second J/125 in the class was Viggo Torbenson's TIMESHAVER with the unusual paint job (white topsides with a PINK bottom paint!). Third was Tim Fuller's RESOLUTE and fourth in the 125s was Mark Surber's DERIVATIVE.
Because of throw-outs, the PHRF 2 Class also saw a complete jumbling of their standings. Local ring-leader Chuck Nicholl sailing his famous J/120 CC RIDER dropped to 4th in class and first in the J/120s. John Laun's J/120 CAPER was next, finishing 5th in class and 2nd J/120. Third J/120 was Mike Hatch's J-ALMIGHTY sitting 9th in class. Top J/109 was Daylen Teren's GREAT BALLS OF FIRE, lying 12th in class. And, top J/124 was Seth Hall's MARISOL in 18th class, just ahead of Tom Barker's J/124 GOOD CALL finishing 19th in class. This was a huge class, with 38 boats sailing on ONE starting line! 
The J/105s sailed very well in PHRF Class 3, with Dennis and Sharon Case's WINGS leading the pack, finishing 2nd in class and top J/105. Jumping up into 3rd in class, 2nd J/105 was Dave Vieregg's TRIPLE PLAY with a second on the last race. Third J/105 was Team Fisher/ Dagostino on VIGGEN, also sailing well on the last day grabbing a third, but not enough to win the tie-breaker over their classmate TRIPLE PLAY. A good performance was turned in by Herb Zoehrer's J/35 Z-FORCE, finishing 9th in class.PHRF 4 Class had David Cattle's J/27 BLACKADDER hanging tough to finish 9th in class ahead of J/classmate Steve Worcester's J/32 RHAPSODY at 14th class.
The epic battle for Hot Rum braggin rights in PHRF 5 resulted in a few of the J "classics" melting down while others soared like Phoenix's rising from the ashes. Mary Snow's J/24 BOGUS secured third overall by virtue of their 1-3 in the first two races, not even sailing the last race and tossing her DNC! Amazingly, by doing so she lost a three-wayY tie for second-- huge bummer. Bob Noe's J/30 MAD HATTER was the third leg of that stool, losing the three-way tie and ending up fourth despite having the overall best record of the three boats-- sailing a solid 2-2-4 for the series! Next time, Bob, next time you'll get that keg of hot rum! Shala Lawrence's cute J/22 NOTHING DRIVES LIKE A RENTAL sadly didn't sail the last race, so had to score a 5-DNF to slide into 7th. Sailing photo credits- the infamous Sir DA-Woody (a.k.a. Dennis St Onge). For more San Diego YC Hot Rum Series sailing information
JING JING Loving King's Cup(Kata Beach, Phuket, Thailand)- The 25th Anniversary edition of the Phuket King's Cup Regatta is underway and the huge fleet has so far been blessed with remarkably nice weather conditions despite prognostications to the contrary. Despite grim weather forecasts early in the week, a light North Easterly flow has arrived each morning and lasted into the afternoon for the first two days. Such idyllic conditions allowed the race committee to choose the 27 mile passage race to the SE of Phuket for the Racing classes, 10-12 kt winds was enough for the yachts to stem the strong out going tide and by short tacking along the islands make their way to the turning marks. Although the wind faded on the run back the assistance from the current
carried the yachts in the direction of the finish. The third day of racing set sail in the best weather conditions of the week so far, with winds up to 16 knots providing some exciting sailing for many boats.While the first two days have proved challenging for them, Rick Pointon's team on the J/130 JING JING from Hong Kong, China are hanging in the top ten so far with a few days left of racing in their IRC Class 1. Like last year, things can change pretty fast in this competitive fleet. Here's to hoping JING JING gets some breaks and makes a good run at the top five overall! Sailing photo credits- Guy Nowell. For more Phuket King's Cup Regatta sailing information.
ROCKIN & GROOVIN Wins Holiday Regatta(Santa Barbara, CA)- The end of the Santa Barbara YC Summer Series is the Holiday Regatta held on the first weekend of December. Sailed over two days, five races are generally planned and there was no question that fresh on everyone's mind was whether or not the hurricane-force Santa Ana winds that had been blowing mid-week would prevail. For days, Santa Barbara (as well as others in the general Los Angeles region) were fighting to keep electrical power flowing to their cities as all kinds of debris, including entire trees, were getting ripped out by their roots and flung hundreds of yards.
The forecast for the weekend kept changing rapidly over the last few days of the week. In the end, the weekend's sailing was a bit anti-climactic. In fact, there was so little wind the chastened Santa Barbara YC PRO and RC were fighting tooth and nail to just get enough races off for a series. A series of mistakes (like marks losing anchors and chain) led to having most all racing Saturday called off for most fleets, leaving Sunday to run as many races as possible in the light-medium flukey conditions. Sunday's sailing saw a 7 knot southerly blow in that backed left into an Easterly for some decent racing. Apparently, it was a bit tough sailing downwind in the short, steep westerly chop, but upwind the following seas made it interesting to see what crews/ skippers could dial themselves in to nearly surf upwind.
The J/105 fleet made the most of the difficult conditions and had some good racing against one another. In the end, "Johnny D" appears to be on a roll. First was John Demourkas on ROCKIN & GROOVIN with a 2-1 for 3 pts. Second was Ken Kieding sailing his "new" ADVANCE" to a 1-3 for 4 pts-- Ken is sailing Bernie Girod's old ROCK & ROLL with a new paint job and graphics. Third was ESCAPADE with a 3-2 for 5 pts.
In PHRF B, past J/24 North American Champion Pat Toole and team on their J/24 THREE BIG DOGS took third with a 3-3-5-3.7 for 14.7 pts. Just behind was one of SBYC's champion offshore sailors, Larry Leveille racing his J/29 RUSH STREET to fourth in class with a 5-4-3-4 for 16 pts. The Tunberg's J/24 BULLET rounded out the top five sailing to a 4-5-7-5.3 for 21.3 pts. For more Santa Barbara YC Holiday Regatta sailing information
Twilight J/24 Series Raging Success(Sydney, Australia)- Whilst the Saturday keel boat fraternity wandered back to their pens and the bar after a long day around the sticks the entertainment out front of the club was just beginning. The critics in the bar were "oooing and awing" as the fleet of eight J/24s performed perfectly choreographed starts and mark roundings for them. Some with binos and most pausing their drinks as the J/24s sailed a four race set right in front of their eyes. With the start line not much more than 100m off the edge of the bar and a brisk southerly blowing in, the crowd sat on the edge of their chairs as the gladiators performed.
Saturday afternoon turned on some of the best weather we’ve seen this summer and the J’s turned on the action for the first ever J/24 Saturday twilight racing series. Racing was delayed slightly while we waited for the boats racing in the Club Marine series to get back to the club, but once they were all up in the bar they were treated to some seriously close racing in top end genoa and jib conditions.
Race Officer Glenn Taylor set a short course of windward leeward races inside number 4 mark only metres from the shore!! The brisk southerly ensured plenty of action with commentary from Luke Matthews giving a blow by blow description keeping all in the bar and deck area patrons enthralled. The rolling four race format was fast and furious with any mistakes made costing race places in a blink.
With a fleet of eight boats, racing was always going to be tight and after the first two races, the lead was tied with Hugo Ottaway on BRUSCHETTA VI and Kirsty Harris on HYPERACTIVE both scoring a first and a second in both races. Hugo, finding his groove stepped clear in the third race, going a point clear of the girls on HYPERACTIVE. For the last race HYPERACTIVE needed to not only beat Hugo, but put a boat between them, so it was always going to be tough. Cat and mouse in the last start saw both boats start at the back of the pack after an OCS call. However, Hugo ended up getting the upper hand, leaving Kirsty in his wake.
Third in the first two races was the ever present Brendan Lee sailing BY THE LEE, who was always nipping on the leaders heels. This all being said, one of the most exciting moments went to the thrilling victory in the last race by Steve Aulich holding out a fast finishing Hugo to snatch his first race win in J’s.
The competitors loved it, needless to say the spectators LOVED it, too! The first of hopefully many such events highlighting the fun a “J” has to offer.
The fleet is now looking forward to the next installment on 4th February, so make sure you are there with your big eyes and a calming drink! Thanks for the contribution from Simon Grain. For more Australian J/24 Twilight Series sailing information
J/35 FALCON wins J/35 North Americans! (Toledo, Ohio)- Congratulations to Ed Bayer and the crew of FALCON, 2011 J/35 North American Champions. This year's regatta was proudly hosted by North Cape Yacht Club on the Michigan shore of Lake Erie on August 26-28, 2011.
With the help of our title sponsor Toledo Beach Marina and all our other sponsors, the event was a huge success. Race tracking replays, analysis, results and photos are being posted, with links on the www.j35.org homepage.
Thanks to the teams of FALCON, MR. BILL'S WILD RIDE, MAGIC, MAN-O-WAR, TIME MACHINE, WHIPLASH and SCREAM for your participation and competition. Here are some J/35 NA photos- Friday photos; Saturday photos; Sunday photos. J/35 Facebook site links. J/35 NA's website here. J/35 Class Association site.
J/24 Italy Winter Championships(Anzio & Nettuna/ Cagliari/ Taranto/ Cervia, Italy)- The J/24s continue to see a strong, and growing, resurgence of sailing across Italy. Perhaps a throwback to fun times in the past, or a recognition of the ease and fun of finding one cheaply and sailing it with family and friends, focusing on good times, not simply winning at all costs. Whatever the secret ingredient, it's increasingly apparent the Italian J/24 contingent, much like their Australian friends and Argentinean friends (now World Champions), that simply going out, having fun and messing around in boats is a great thing. With a few thousand J/24s to tap into, it's pretty easy to get fleets rolling for next to nothing in terms of cost and effort.
At this stage, there are four "winter championships" taking place in Italy in various parts of the country. In Anzio & Nettuna, just south of Rome along the western coastline of Italy, they've had their third weekend of sailing with TWENTY NINE boats, including several from Hungary and Chekovia! Luke is winning the series so far, followed by Marco Vincenti in second and Paulo Perinelli in this, Massimo Mariotti in fourth and a women's team led by Manuela Santarcangelo in fifth!
In the Puglian J/24 fleet, they enjoyed a gorgeous SSW 13 kt breeze this past weekend, allowing the SEVENTEEN teams to have three excellent races on the port of Taranto, hosted by the Sailing Club Ondabuena. Currently, JEBEDEE sailed by Antonio Macina leads the fleet after five races. In second is DOCTOR J sailed by Team Sandro Negro, third is MATI LTD sailed by Angelo Lombardo, fourth is LUMACHI sailed by Carlo D'Errico and fifth is MARBEA skippered by Marcello Bellacicco.
"The J24 fleet in Puglia was born in the 90's when our monotype experienced the greatest spread in Italy and worldwide, with about 5,400 boats produced at the turn of the twenty-first century, while nationwide it sold 450 boats in Italy! The races were frequent and professional sailors took turns in the leadership role to drive about seventy boats that once trod the fields of every race. Then the birth of more and more new monotypes led to a decrease in the number of boats. But, the timeless J/24, a solid boat with good performance in all conditions, was slowly brought back to new owners and crews, so that now you go back to J/24 regattas with over fifty boats! The Pugliese J/24 fleet follows the trend with a crescendo of followers from 2008 to present-- today, many events are concentrated in some areas, but it's expanding again!", says the Chief of the J/24 Fleet in Puglia, Nino Soriano. Nino also mentioned the creation of a new website for the fleet- please visit http://flottadipuglia.altervista.org
In addition to the growth and developments of the J/24 fleet in Puglia, over in Cervia they were recently hosting the Pirini Stefano Memorial Winter Championship with SEVENTEEN boats! This past weekend they saw everything- too much wind, fog, no wind, rain on the first day. But, the second day was glorious- sun, fresh mistral of 12-14 kts and calms seas, good enough for three races. At the moment, CAPTAIN NEMO is winning sailed by Dominic Bright. Second is KISMET sailed by Antonio Antonelli and third is Joc Fabio sailing APOLLONIUS SOCIETY TRIESTINA. "A special 'Thanks' to the Friends of the Nautical Club de Cervia, they know how to organize and run a great event and 'Thanks' the sponsors Slam and North Sails who provided gadgets and discount coupons," commented Guido Earnings.
Finally, on that island nation many call Sardinia, the Winter Championships Cagliari were taking place for the Trofeo Ciabattai, hosted by the YC Cagliari. An excellent FIFTEEN boat turnout for the Sardinian J/24 fleet saw an unusual, but fun, sailing conditions on the island- strong westerlies from 265 degrees blowing 15-20 kts in flat seas off Marina Piccola. Amongst the leaders of this event are VINEYARDS SURRAU, BOTTA STRAIGHT, LIBARIUM, LYBISSONIS and "Armadillo Racing". There are great expectations for the last weekend of J/24 in Cagliari, December 17 to 18 when six races are planned and, hopefully, the champion will be determined! For more Sardinia Island, Italy J/24 sailing information For more Italian J/24 sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* Sail22 is excited to announce a new affiliation with J Boats to further support all of our clients who own J/Boats. Sail22 has been supporting racing teams since 2007 with the Sail22 Support Trailer. The trailer is fully stocked with rigging, cordage from New England Ropes, Ronstan and Harken parts, custom designed parts, gear and accessories from Gill, as well as, tools for teams to use at regattas. Sail22 is also working with J/Boats Dealer, Stearns Boating, to support J/Boats owners and teams in the Midwest region for their service needs, rigging and gear. As the J/Boats Mobile Resource Team, Ed and Becky Furry have over 25 years of combined racing on J/Boats and will work with teams on a one-on-one basis for their needs.Look for the Sail22 Support Trailer this winter season in Key West, Miami and Fort Lauderdale. The trailer will be stocked with all of your J/Boats needs to make your boat faster and provide service for any repairs or rigging. A video tour of the Sail22 Support Trailer will give you an even better idea of what you can expect to see at upcoming regattas. For the J/Fest Winter Series, the Sail22 J/Boats Mobile Resource Team will be located in Truman Annex and will be available starting the week before Quantum Key West Race Week 2012. Until Key West and after, the trailer will be based at Shake-a-Leg Miami and will head to Fort Lauderdale for both of the Winter Series events, J/Fest Dead President's Regatta and the J/Fest Super Lucky Regatta at the Bahia Mar. To cap off the end of the winter season, the J/Boats Mobile Resource Team will be in Charleston for Charleston Race Week 2012.
Feel free to contact Sail22 with any of your J/Boats Resource Team questions or needs at info@sail22.com or 574-889-0022. Sail22 is proud to be part of the J/Boats family and looks forward to meeting and working with more J/Boat sailors.
* Lucky It Was A J! How A J/24 Rescued A Boat and Saved Lives At the Lipton Cup(Port Philip, Australia)- The 2011 Lipton Cup was sailed in true Port Philip conditions, from a 10 knot North Easterly through to 30 knot South Westerly on Saturday. Mix this with blinding rain that persisted all day and you have conditions that test the best of us. Fortunately the weather improved on the Sunday, however, most of the fleet stayed on shore, as the previous day was enough.
Simon Grain and Lisa Simonov won the regatta with 4 straight wins, their J/24 MAKE MY J was quick, well sailed and when required picked shifts that pulled them up through the fleet to win yet another race.
However, something else took place that day that saved a sailor's life. Here's Hugo Ottoway's account from aboard his J/24 BRUSCHETTA VI- "There was another event that took place that day that made me feel glad that (1) our crew competed (as we only decided to sail the previous day) and (2) that I sailed such a great boat as a J/24!
In the third race the wind had turned to the South west and kicked in at recorded 30 knots. After a screaming downwind run with the spinnakers Simon and I rounded the bottom mark together, back on the wind, we sailed lower and both boats were about ten boat lengths apart on port tack with Simon slightly astern and to windward.
My crew alerted me that there was a boat from another division that was on starboard and hardly moving, we bore away and as we passed astern we could see that the boat was a mess with her headsail half-furled and two crew occupied with something going on in the open cockpit. The boat’s crew shouted “we have a man overboard”, which sent a shock right through the whole of our crew, we replied “where”, one pointed directly downwind. Through the blinding rain we could just see a tiny black shape about 200 meters away.
Jack on the bow tripped the jib, and kept his eyes firmly on the MOB, whilst Matt eased the vang and Michael readied the life ring, the MOB was waving his arm and as we approached we assured him and asked him to keep calm.
Our first pass was too quick and we felt that the wind was too strong to throw the life ring as it would never have made it. Our second pass, much slower allowed the MOB to swim to the windward side of the J where it took all three of my crew to get him on board.
The rescued person, Dominic, was ash white, shaking and exhausted, we put him down in the cabin where Jack kept a eye on him. It was only then that I looked around to see that through the rain the only other boat I could see was the stricken yacht, no one else was in sight. The stricken yacht had managed to bare away and was able to run downwind some distance away, we both headed to the nearest harbour at RYCV.
Dominic advised us that there was a injured crew on the other yacht and that the events that caused his injury had caused his fall from the boat. I estimate that Dominic would have been in the water for a minimum of ten to fifteen minutes, we were concerned that he might be effected by shock so I got Jack to keep eye on his condition all the whole way home.
J/24′s are great to sail in heavy windy conditions, their low free board made getting Dominic on board much easier, and the speed in which we could do a second pass, took some of the panic out of the situation. Had we been in a much bigger boat, this MOB rescue would have been much harder and taken a lot longer, of that I am sure.
When we entered to harbour, the stricken yacht managed to get assistance from a rescue boat who rushed the injured crew to a waiting ambulance. After we had docked we were met by the crew of the other yacht who thanked us and advised us that they could never have been able to pick up Dominic.
On reflection, my crew and I agreed that we had all had a rewarding and special day, as no one else knew Dominic was out there until we reported what had happened when we came ashore. We later learnt that the race was shortened due to the wind strength and reduced vision of 100 meters.
A very, very special "Thanks" to Jack Crawford, Matt Weston and Michael Lewenhagen, my crew on BRUSCHETTA VI."
Note from Simon Grain- "Hugo’s actions quite probably saved Dominic’s life on Saturday. The visibility was terrible with heavy driving rain, rising seas and lots of spray making looking to windward almost impossible and painful. This might have meant that no other boat would have seen him in the water. This is a very sobering thought, as losing a crew member overboard can happen in the blink of an eye to any of us on the water in these conditions. Make sure you practice your man overboard retrieval in all kinds of weather. Hugo was awarded redress and scored an equal first place in this race and came second overall in the Lipton Cup." For more J/24 Australian fleet sailing news.
The J Cruising Community
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.* 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." UPDATE- Just a short note to update from Bill- "Our cruise began in May of 2000 and ended in May of 2008, some 8 years later. I have just finished and published my third and final book covering the last three or so years including our double handed crossing in 16 days and one winter in the Caribbean. Like the others, "Sea Trek- A Passion for sailing- Book III," can be found at www.blurb.com. Thanks, Bill and Judy"
* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary 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).
- 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!
- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com. Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA)
, then to the South Pacific and New Zealand. MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.* The J/109 GAIA (seen right in the Java Sea) was sailed by Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay around the world. In February 2011, their cruising adventures came to an abrupt, sad ending. As a tribute to them and their cruising friends worldwide, we hope their chronicles on their GAIA website remains a tribute to their warm-hearted spirits- read more about why many loved them dearly and will remain touched by their loving spirit forever- http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/
Featured Boats
J/108 Ready To Cruise in Florida!J/Boats' modern new shoal performance cruiser/ racer, the J/108, had a great introduction at the Annapolis Boat Show and is now available for demo sails in Florida along it's fabled West Coast near Naples and San Marco Island.
To learn more about the J/108, J/Boats' latest high-performance 35 foot shoal-draft cruiser, please contact: Craig Crossley @ CrossCurrent Marine- cell 401-330-6135 or email- craig@crosscurrentmarine.com to schedule an appointment and learn more about this stunning new J - luxuriate in her Ultra-Leather interior, enjoy her enormous cockpit and find out how you can broaden your cruising horizons with just 4.0 feet of draft! Plus, you'll love her lively performance.
To learn more about this particular J/108, please take a look at the listing here on Yachtworld.com. Sailing photo credits- Billy Black
