J/70's Sailing Primo Cup(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- With nearly 1,000 sailors coming from all over Europe, representing some 15 nationalities, the Primo Cup- Trophee Credit Suisse organized by the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM), is one of the most important winter events in Europe, marking the start of the international sailing season.
The regatta is sailed over two weekends in the beginning of February Feb 1-3 and Feb 8-10, with a primary focus on one-design sailing and youth sailing. For the first weekend, included amongst the classes are the European J/80 and J/24 fleets. Amongst the J/24s will be the Swedish entry from YCM and Marstrand SS- Marianne Schoke and Stu Jardine from the UK sailing SWE 330 JULIA! Also sailing are Alessandro Pedone from YCM sailing ITA 455 BEL COLP JESTER; longtime local sailor Dennis Frederiksen sailing MON 5452 PAGET for YCM and fellow club member Anne Rodelato sailing the famous MON 24 JOKER.The second weekend marks the introduction of the new J/70 Class for the Primo Cup, and also the first major J/70 one-design event in Europe. The YCM are thrilled to have the J/70 class sailing and it looks like over a dozen boats will be participating from across Europe- so far, teams are coming from Italy, The Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland, Monaco, England and Russia! Amongst the teams will be a top J/22 Worlds team (2nd in 2012 in France), Woulter Kollmann from the Royal Dutch Sailing Association from The Netherlands, they will be sailing HENRI LLOYD. Also participating are Pietro & Giovanni Saccomani from Diporto Velico Veneziano from Venice, Italy!
The Primo Cup attracts a lot of good sailors from across Europe to sail in the prestigious venue of Monaco. Not hard to imagine why, since Monte Carlo is one of the coolest places to sail on the Med, plus Monaco is tres'chic! The YCM has the support of the famous royal family- the Grimaldi's- a sailing family for generations. Monaco's Prince Rainier collected his bride Grace Kelly by yacht from the deck of the USS Constitution, the ship she had travelled aboard from America. And, it was on the same yacht, "Deo Juvante II", that he and the new Princess Grace spent their honeymoon cruising the Mediterranean. In other words, salt water and sailing were in their blood.
Prince Rainier founded YCM in 1953 with the aim of promoting yachting within the principality-- starting with the old Société des Régates. In 1984, his son Prince Albert became its President (seen here at far right) and today the harbour is a seasonal focus of the international super yacht fleet. Although a social venue par excellence, racing will always occupy a major role in the club’s activities, the Primo Cup in February being the season’s opener. Youth and one-design sailing are a vital element of the club social life. Prince Rainier founded the YCM Sailing School in 1970 for young people- it now uses a fleet of Optimists, Lasers and Picos. The club also hosts fleets of one-designs, including the J/24's which saw Prince Albert sailing for nearly two dozen years! Perhaps the J/70s will be the next fleet for YCM's club activities!
One of the great attractions will be YCM's new clubhouse, designed along the lines of a super yacht! With its magnificent setting overlooking Port Hercule and the Med, it promises to be a superb showcase for Monaco, reinforcing its position as the Mediterranean's "capital of yachting". Designed by the world famous architect Lord Norman Foster, the new YCM building will contribute to the vitality of life in Monaco and the prestige of the Principality. It's an ambitious and symbolic project, check out this YouTube video of the new Yacht Club de Monaco-- pretty amazing-- J/70s can easily sail in the pool! For more YCM Regatta and sailing information For more YCM Primo Cup sailing information
Announcing J/160, J/46, J/42 North American's 2013!(Portland, Maine)- Over the past few summers, a very nice high-end event has been held in mid-August on the gorgeous Penobscot Bay in Maine-- truly one of the world's prettier cruising grounds and often referred to as "God's Country". This year's Penobscot Bay Rendezvous will be held from August 15th to 18th and will feature the North American Championships for J/160s, J/46s and J/42s! Plus, there are also classes for single-handed, double-handed, cruising canvas and two PHRF classes - all of which were swelled by J participation (40% of the fleet in 2012)!
Last year's edition had the "J/160 Worlds" and attracted five boats-- like the serious racers pictured here! The racing was all based on sailing with main and 100% blade jib only to keep crew requirements to mostly husband and wife with a raft of kids or some friends - and the only handicapping was six seconds a mile for deep draft.
This year, with the New York YC and Cruising Club of America Cruises both in Maine in August, the ability for J/160, J/46 and J/42 owners to have an extended cruising/ racing program for August provides a great way to also catch up with far-flung friends and family from around the world. The NYYC and CCA events frequently have sailors participating from across the America's, Europe, Australia, NZ and Asia.
The Penobscot Bay Rendezvous is co-hosted by Wayfarer Marine and Lyman Morse - over the top in every way! For more information, please be sure to contact Tom Babbitt at email- tom@ecys.com or work phone- 207-236-8656. For more Penobscot Bay Rendezvous sailing information
J/70 Wins Yachts & Yachting Best Performance Award(Southampton, England)- The winners of the Yachts & Yachting Awards 2013 have just been announced and we are delighted to confirm that the J/70 has been voted the "Best Performance Boat under 30 feet". The Yachts & Yachting Awards celebrate the very best in what was a fabulous year for sport and for sailing. Readers of the Yachts & Yachting Magazine and web users were asked to vote for their preferred "winner" in each of ten categories and then these "reader" votes were added to the votes of the official judging panel. The award for "Best Performance Boat Under 30 feet" is sponsored by Garmin.
The commentary from Y&Y Editors was, "This was a clear winner. Arguably a boat on which the hopes of many sailors are resting – it fills a hole in a sector of the market that has been waiting for the next new thing for several years. J-Boats has almost 40 years of success with one-designs of this size, and this design brings the concept bang up to date. It’s a lightweight boat that planes readily in moderate breezes and is therefore great fun to sail in its own right. Add in one-design racing and you have a recipe that’s proven to make owners and their crews very happy.
The J/70 is also well-mannered, easy to sail and to look after, minimising hassle and maximising sailing time. The lifting keel format that makes it launchable from a slipway is also one of a number of factors that helps to minimise annual running costs. It’s easy to see why the boat has been so successful just months after its launch, with almost 200 already built." Read more about Y&Y's Awards here.
The team at Key Yachting would like to thank everyone who voted in the competition; this prestigious award ensures a cracking start to 2013 for the J/70 Class and one more accolade for the boat, which has also been voted Sailing World Magazine’s "2013 Boat of the Year".
Both the J/70 and the J/80 will be on display with Key Yachting at London Boat Show, 12th - 20th January (http://www.londonboatshow.com/2013/home.aspx). And, for Pacific Northwest sailing enthusiasts in America, the J/70 will be on display from January 9th to 13th at the Portland Boat Show in Portland, Oregon (http://www.otshows.com).
Never Too Late- Get The 2013 J/Calendar Today!
(Newport, RI)- It's not too late to grab the gift that lasts all year-- the 2013 J/Calendar. Whether you're a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, you'll love the stunning sailboat photographs from around the world. The sailing calendar features photos (pictured here-) of a dramatic J/111 powering upwind off Newport; a fleet of J/24s off sunny Tampa; surrealistic scenes of J/80s off Santander, Spain and flying downwind off Marseilles, France; a fleet of J/120s rocking downwind under spinnakers on San Francisco Bay; J/70s flying along under spinnakers; J/22s starting in the Rocky Mountains; and a J/97, J/109 and J/122 sailing in sunny Solent conditions. A great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew! Order your 2013 J/Calendar today, click here.
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
As the new year begins to unfold, the sailing calendar is slowly developing for a lot of J sailors around the world. Like the announcements above, one of the major events on the European offshore circuit is the classic Rolex Fastnet Race that starts off the fabled Royal Yacht Squadron line off Cowes and sends the wide-eyed crews down around Fastnet Rock to finish in Plymouth Harbor, England. The event attracts sailors from around the world and, so far, it looks like the entries are over-subscribed! And speaking of Cowes and the Royal Yacht Squadron, the entries are also now open for the J/80 and J/70 UK Nationals in Cowes @ RYS. Seemingly, "the royals", as they're known in yachting circles, have also taken on some great "classic one-designs", too, with the J/24 Europeans and a new Match Race Monaco (modeled on Royal Thames YC's Cumberland Cup sailed on J/80s) that will be sailed on J/24s in Monte Carlo, Monaco at YCM's famous club. Speaking of "royalty" and "fame", check out the amusing note from a San Diego J/27 sailor below. Finally, the Australian J/24 class have been conducting their Nationals in Sandringham Bay in Sydney Harbour with lots of new, fresh blood sailing. Next week sailors will be preparing for the internationally famous Key West Race Week, led by an enormous fleet of J/70s and some of the world's top sailors! Plus, the Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race also features many top contenders in that classic "feeder race" down the Keys to Key West. More news and previews soon next week!Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below has many entertaining stories and news about J/Sailors as well as cruising blogs about those who 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:
Jan 6-10- J/24 Australian Nationals- Sandringham, NSW, AustraliaJan 9-13- Portland Boat Show (70)- Portland, OR
Jan 12-20- London Boatshow (70, 80, 97, 111)- London, England
Jan 19-27- Boot Dusseldorf Boatshow (70)- Dusseldorf, Germany
Jan 21-26- Key West Race Week- Key West, FL
Jan 21-26- J/80 Midwinters- Key West, FL
Jan 21-26- J/70 Midwinters- Key West, FL
Jan 24-27- Strictly Sail Boatshow (70, 111)- Chicago, IL
Jan 24-27- San Diego SunRoad Boatshow (70)- San Diego, CA
Jan 25-Feb 3- Seattle Boatshow (70)- Seattle, WA
Feb 11-15- J/24 Midwinters- Davis Is YC- Tampa, FL
Feb 16-24- New England Boatshow (70)- Boston, MA
Feb 28-Mar 13- J/22 Midwinters- Davis Is YC- Tampa, FL
Mar 6-10- HISWA Amsterdam Boatshow (70)- Amsterdam, Holland
Mar 8-10- J/105 Midwinters- Lakewood YC- Seabrook, TX
Apr 11-14- Strictly Sail Pacific (70, 111)- Alameda, CA
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
J Teams Sailing Fastnet Race(London, England)- The infamous Fastnet Rock off Ireland has its fanatical, passionate followers. It's a bit like British mountaineer George Mallory's famous quote about why he climbed the ginormous, challenging Mount Everest in Tibet (29,029 ft or about 5.5 miles above sea-level)-- he said, "because it's there"! J/Teams love, even thrive, on the "call of the running tide" and the challenge of weather that often confronts the fleet in this 608nm classic. Its reputation as the most grueling and tactically challenging of the classic offshore races is due to its course along England's southwestern coastline and criss-crossing the southern Irish Sea twice-- the boats go from the start line off Cowes, Isles of Wight, sail towards the Fastnet Rock off southwest Ireland (rounding it to port), then sail back around the outside of the Scilly Isles off southwest England (leaving them to port) and on to the finish line in Plymouth, facing massive current gates and gigantic whirlpools (literally) along the way.
For this year's 2013 edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race, all 300 yachts "registered" in an astonishing 24 hours! The good news, is that a bunch of hot J sailors are in the mix, including the J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER from The Netherlands. Looks like "the boys" are going to chase the Double-handed crown, again. John van der Starre and Robin Verhoef are not to be denied. Who can blame them?? For most of the Fastnet Race in 2011, they were winning the Double-handed Division by days (OK, maybe hours), and were one of the top boats overall in ALL IRC Divisions. However, the RIPPER couldn't make it through the final wind/current gate literally a "stone's throw" from the finish-- having to wait nearly seven hours for the winds/current to re-build for their finish. Imagine that!! Hard to believe they didn't go simply, stark, raving, mad! Kudos to them for hanging tough knowing they'd be back for another go of it all. Watch out, the RIPPER is much, much faster this time around having learned a lot about the best wind/ sail/ angle combinations.
Along with them will be a fair number of fellow J/Colleagues racing everything from J/133s and J/122s down to J/109s, J/105s and J/97s. And at both ends of the spectrum these teams are known to be tough competitors, having fun while collecting silverware on the podium! For more RORC Fastnet Race sailing information
KAOTIC Winning J/24 Australian Nationals(Sandringham, NSW, Australia)- The J/24s in Australia continue to grow their fleets, have fun (most importantly) and are getting a lot of people out on the water who've never before experienced sailing or racing a J/24. Down Under there are a lot of J/24s to be had for a relatively small investment, so it's easy to get racing quickly and be competitive. As a result, this year's J/24 Australia Nationals being held in "Sandy" have attracted an excellent fleet of around two dozen boats from up and down the southeastern seaboard of Australia- sailors of various ilk coming from as far north as Brisbane (north of Sydney), to way down west of Melbourne (Adelaide), to the far south off the island of Tasmania (the Tazzie's).
So far, it looks like the KAOTIC team skippered by Ben Lamb are liking the conditions in Sandringham Bay and are leading the event. Starting off slowly in the first race (a 15th), the KAOTIC gang have amassed several 1sts and 2nds to be on top. Behind them in second place is Sean Kirkjian's team on SAILPAC, winners of various J/24 Oz events over the years. And lying third is Stephen Girdis' CONVICTS REVENGE. The top three "locals" from Sandringham YC are Adam Evans on SDM followed by Simon Grain on JET and Hugo Ottoway on the old BRUSCHETTA VI (a past World Champion's boat from Brazil- Mauricio Santa Cruz). More news and photos after the regatta finishes this week. Meanwhile, check out Sandringham YC's webcam-- they've had spectacular weather. For more J/24 Australian Nationals sailing information
J/80 & J/70 UK Nationals- Register Now!(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- J/UK and the UK J/80 and J/70 Class are pleased to announce that J/80 and J/70 owners can now submit their entries for their UK National Championships hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes. Registration at the regatta will commence on Thursday 13th June, with racing from Friday 14th June to Sunday 16th June. The overall prize-giving will take place after the final race on Sunday.
As the championships will fall on the same weekend as Isle of Wight Festival, we are advising our customers to book their accommodation as soon as possible, and to transport crew to the island via their J/70 or J/80 as opposed to the ferries, which can become very stacked up during this period. To enter the UK National Championships and to view the Notice of Race, please visit the event website:
2013 J/80 and J/70 UK National Championships.
J/24 Europeans & Monaco Match-Race Championship
(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- More great news from Prince Albert's sailors at Yacht Club de Monaco! Twenty years after welcoming the J/24 European Championship to the Principality for the first time, the YCM will host the J/24 Europeans in Monaco once again, uniting the international elite of this series, considered to be of the world’s most important events for the J/24 Class. The regatta will be held from October 5th to 12th at the spectacular, new clubhouse of the YCM situated on Monte Carlo's Port Hercule.
Also, from March 8th to 10th, the YCM is organizing a new Monaco Match Race Regatta. The event is a collaboration with Bruce Hebbert and Ian Ilsley, who's very active and successful on the European Team Racing circuit-- getting on the podium on many occasions, including the Cowes Team Race (since 2006) and second during the Cumberland Cup in 2010 (Royal St George Yacht Club taking the victory).The Cumberland Cup was organized by the Royal Thames Yacht Club of London, England and now the key challengers from that event are coming together again for the edition organized by Yacht Club de Monaco. The YCM Match Race Regatta is open to "Twinned" and "Reciprocal Clubs" of the YCM. The primary focus of the regatta is not individual performance and winning, but instead on overall team’s performance and learning. This highly tactical contest in J/24s will bring together ten Yacht Clubs comprising two teams each including at least three women (a requirement). For more J/24 Europeans and Monaco Match Race sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* David Cattle, owner of the J/27 BLACKADDER in San Diego, California, loses to FAME! Seriously. "FAME". The man, the boat, the designer, the legends. This time it was in the form of Dennis Conner (Mr. America's Cup and J/105 owner) on a completely revitalized and gorgeously re-built schooner, called "FAME". She's from "turn of the century days"- back in 1910 when gorgeous J/Class yachts of 130+ feet were racing for the America's Cup! Conner picked up the 40-foot BB Crowninshield-designed gaff schooner FAME in 2009. The yacht was the winner of many Great Lakes races, but she had seen better days. Conner bought FAME for $17,000 and had her sailing the summer of 2010, her centenary year. FAME is a 1910 Long Island Sound gaff-rigged schooner that was designed and built by BB Crowninshield for his personal use. He wanted to create "the largest and fastest boat he could handle and take care of alone."
David commented on his experience of being beaten by two legends, "It was a fun day, though it got colder and we were forced to put jeans on at the end of the race. We had Dennis for two-thirds of the race, then he made a great tactical move, avoided current and got a great shift and angle to the leeward mark. And with his waterline and a long reach leg back into the finish, he got us!FAME is gorgeous. Look at the difference in size in the picture here. My crew were complaining she has two spinnakers to our one, each of her's are bigger than ours!
DC was about 300 yds away from us in this pic." We wish you "Good Luck" next time, DC's a hard man to beat in his home waters!FAME and BLACKADDER sailing photo credits- DA-Woody (Dennis St. Onge)- himself another local legend in that funny little yellow car and giant American flag flying off the back.
* Tim Wright at PHOTOACTION.com was recently on assignment in one of his favorite places in the world-- the Caribbean- and sent along some shots of the J/122 OOJAH arriving at the ARC finish in St. Lucia.The recent ARC Rally had some fabulous boats sailing amongst a fleet of nearly 300 boats racing 2,700nm from Las Palmas in the Canary Islands to St Lucia. Amongst them were the J/109 we reported on last week, Sophie Olivaud's ALBACOR IV- the first women skipper to finish and first double-handed boat to finish (which BTW Tim got a picture of finishing, too). The next J to finish was the J/122 pictured here in full-on race-cruise mode-- LOVE that bimini over the wheel in the back! That's styling' baby! I wonder what the IRC penalty is for that-- adds lots of horizontal sail area off-the-wind?!
Sailing Photos courtesy of Tim Wright/ Photoaction.com
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). Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".
- 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/
