J/121 Offshore Speedster Update(Newport, RI)- We are pleased to share several updates as the J/121 project transitions from the tooling-only phase into the initial production of hull #1.
Tooling/Production Update
The hull mold was vacuum tested last week to ensure an air-tight fit - a critical component in the resin infusion molding process. The hull mold surfaces were then waxed in final preparation for the molding of the first hull. The boot stripes and flanges are shown being taped off in this photo earlier this week.
And presto, hull #1 begins molding! The light grey boot stripes were applied first, and then the white gelcoat sprayed into the hull molds. The two molds will be joined before the laminate and core is placed and the hull infused.
Once the hull is molded (upon “de-molding”), it will be placed into a special hull jig for the installation of the structural bulkheads. The “green jig” was recently built using the master hull plug seen in the background. This picture nicely shows off the J/121’s planing hull shape.Meanwhile, back in the prototype shop, the nonskid surface was applied to the deck plug. The finish is “sand-style” which will yield excellent traction on the final molded deck.
Southern Spars named J/121 Spar SupplierWe’re pleased to confirm that Southern Spars has been named the official J/121 spar package supplier. We’ve been impressed with the level of detail and expertise the Southern design and engineering team has brought to the initial phase of the
project and are very excited to have them onboard. BSI Global Rigging of Portsmouth, RI will be providing the standing rigging package.
One-Design Sail Package
Our team has been working with sail designers at leading sailmakers to develop the “J/121 Class inventory”- similar to the process we followed developing the J/70 sail program. The objective of the J/121 Class inventory is to:
- identify the core inventory of sails that every J/121 team will want no matter the kind of racing
- to meet the J/121 design mandate of creating a high performance, offshore-capable 40 footer that can be handled by 5 or fewer crew
- have all the J/121 programs start with the same core inventory so that owner/class events can quickly develop.
We are organizing a “turn-key” J/121 “class package” to be offered as a J/Boats option- to include the standard J/121 with the 5-sail class inventory, a Code 0 furler, an Inner jib furler, an A2 snuffer, a wet-sanded racing bottom job, an instrument prep package (pre-wire mast, install two thru-hulls and installed Jefa auto-pilot radial drive), and a starter docking/safety package. For more J/121 Offshore speedster sailing information
J/Fest New England Announcement(Newport, RI)- Event organizers are excited to announce that registration is open for the second annual New England J/Fest Regatta. The regatta is being hosted by Sail Newport the weekend of August 12-13th 2017.
North Sails is the Partner Sponsor for this exciting regatta that is limited to J/Boat owners and crew. Racing will take place in the beautiful waters of Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound. This will truly be a thrilling weekend of racing which will encompass a celebration of the 40-year anniversary of the J/24 class as well as the inaugural U.S. J/70 Youth Championship.
Sail Newport will host the regatta which will include two full days of One Design and PHRF racing along with the regatta party, dinner and award ceremonies. Registration is open now with no payment due until 14 July.
Information regarding the regatta including registration, logistics, mooring availability, barbeque signup and hotel accommodation are all located on the Regatta Website. Matthew Cohen Photography will be the official J/Fest photographer. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Please contact Bill Kneller, Regatta Organizer- email- jfest@j109.org.
J/22 Midwinters Preview(New Orleans, LA)- The spectacular Southern YC, located on the lovely waters of Lake Ponchartrain just east of New Orleans’ famous French Quarter, will be hosting the 2017 J/22 Midwinter Championship from March 23 to 26th. Thirty-three boats are registered for the event, hailing from across America and at least nine states from across Middle America to the East Coast. Many of the top dogs in the class will be on hand for another crack at being declared this year’s Midwinter Champion.
As usual, the posse from New York state are quite intimidating as they field crews that have won just about every major championship in the world of J/22s. This year’s rag tag gang of pirates intent on looting any silverware not bolted down in New Orleans include Peter Doyle & Jack Huebschmann on ESCAPE, Jessica Oswalt sailing MUSKRAT LOVE, Travis Odenbach’s SEA BAGS SAILNG TEAM, Chris Doyle’s THE JUG 4 1, and Adam Masters’ TRAINWRECK.
The local boys & girls (themselves all likely descendant of real pirates like the Johnstone family’s relative- the notorious Frenchman Jean Lafitte) will be intent on preserving their civic pride and obligations to keep the Midwinter crown (and silver) in NOLA! That contingent includes Zak Fanberg’s WILD TCHOUPITOULAS, Rick Heausler’s FAST COMPANY, Matt Jordan’s RACINE, Chip Carpenter’s WIZARD, Billy Marchaj’s WHISTLING IN THE WIND III, Chris Wientjes’ USA 754, Louise Bienvenu’s USA 320, Debbie Grimm’s CAYENNE, Tommy Meric’s USA 1024, and Dwight J Leblanc III’s WAVEMAKER (true Naw’leens royalty!).
Not to be outdone by their southern brothers, or northern haymakers, the “they make’em much bigger in Tejas” cast of cowboys will include notable rock stars like Terry Flynn’s TEJAS from League City, Mark Foster’s PRESSURE DROP from Corpus Christi YC, Keith Zars’ VOODOO BABY from San Antonio, Kevin Orff’s TRES LOCOS from League City, and two more Houstoner’s- Dov Kivlovitz and Anne Lee’s HELMS-A-LEE.
The enormous Annapolis fleet is noticeably absent, with just Zeke Horowitz’s UNCLE FLUFFY making the trip south from sunny Naptown. And, the same is true for the Lake Minnetonka monster fleet in Minnesota; perhaps they got frozen into a ginormous snow drift. Nevertheless, it looks like four Mini-tonker’s are headed south to enjoy good’ole Southern hospitality, grits, shrimp, cajun and stuff and hopefully, not receiving beaded necklaces for showin’ inappropriate stuff on Bourbon Street! That quartet includes Cris Cox’s HOT TUNA, Matt Thompson’s UNDERDOG, Mike Schmid’s EN FUEGO, and Kurt Taken-Holtze’s TURN DOWN FOR WHAT?! No doubt, the 30+ crews will find a way to have a fun time downtown, if not on the water this coming weekend! For more J/22 Midwinter Championship sailing information
St Thomas International Regatta Preview(St Thomas, US Virgin Islands)- For years, the grand-daddy of all Caribbean regattas was “the Rolex” in St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, proudly hosted by St Thomas YC in Cowpet Bay on the northeastern shoreline of USVI. It was not unusual to have fleets of well over 100 keelboats packed into the Bay and competing for that rarest of commodities, a dinghy tie-up at the club. Since that time, the regatta continues to maintain its strong heritage of hosting world-class sailing on the magnificent aquamarine waters off the eastern end of USVI. The trade-winds are almost always turned-on and the sailors look forward to a magnificent four days of sailing. What is fun and challenging about this event is that the StYC provides a range of courses for the fleet, from windward-leewards offshore to random-leg courses around the fabulously beautiful islands and rocks that grace the eastern part of the island chain.
This weekend, the fleet of forty-seven boats will be competing in one-design as well as IRC and CSA handicap rating rules. Other than the thirteen teams sailing the IC24s (the modded J/24), the biggest field of J/Crews will be in the CSA Spinnaker class of eleven boats. Leading charge around the track each day should be the famous J/122 EL OCASO, chartered by Bob Hiller from Lake Geneva YC. Chasing them hard on handicap will be the J/88 TOUCH 2 PLAY RACING, skippered by Canadian Rob Butler from Collingwood, Ontario; Jordan Mindich’s J/105 SOLSTICE from Huntington, NY; and Angle Ayala’s J/80 SUNBUM II from Carolina, Puerto Rico. In the CSA Non-Spinnaker division, Ben Jelic’s J/120 JAGUAR from St Maarten will be vying for class honors with six other teams.The weather forecast for this year’s regatta remains a bit mixed. While the sailors remain hopeful, it looks to be overcast to partly cloudy skies with occasional rain and light winds from the southeast from 5-12 kts. This is due to what NOAA describes as the following scenario:
Wednesday to Friday- an upper level ridge southeast of the area will continue to weaken as a trough pattern aloft builds from the west through the end of the week. At low levels, a prefrontal trough is forecast to move over the islands on Friday. As this trough pattern unfolds, moisture will continue to pool across the area and the intensity and coverage of showers and isolated thunderstorms will increase each day. From Friday to end of racing on Sunday- the Long wave trough across the western Atlantic is still forecast to deepen and extend southwards into the west and central Caribbean through the end of the week. As a result, a moist south to southeasterly flow should persist through Friday and into the weekend. All model guidance supports a very moist and unstable pattern across the region for the next several days with good tropical moisture advection. Bummer. In short, light winds and wet at times. For more St Thomas International Regatta sailing information
BVI Spring Regatta Preview(Roadtown, Tortola, British Virgin Islands)- The 2017 BVI Spring Regatta is shaping up to be nicely attended event, particularly with the enormous one-design fleets of charter boats from the various charter companies that operate in that part of the Virgin Islands archipelago. The regatta also benefits from being the second event in the Virgin Islands after S.T.I.R. in St Thomas.
The event will be hosted by the Royal BVI Yacht Club with boats based in Nanny Cay Marina in Road Town, Tortola. Racing takes place from March 28th to April 3rd in Virgin Gorda Sound. If the “racer’s regatta” is STIR in St Thomas, then the BVI Spring is definitely the “cruiser’s regatta”. BVI is decidedly more laid back and easy-going. There are plenty of reaching races and not a lot of hard work beating upwind.
There is a nice turnout for the CSA Racing Class, twenty-one boats will be going at it hammer & tong to determine who knows how to “reach through life”!! Many of the same players in STIR will also be participating in BVI along with a few more add-ons. Again, you will see the J/88 TOUCH 2 PLAY RACING on the line, along with the J/122 EL OCASO (this time chartered by the UK family crew led by Chris Body). Additional J/crews will include the J/122 LIQUID skippered/owned by Pamala Baldwin from Antigua; the J/111 SPIKE sailed by Sam Talbot from the local Royal BVI YC; the J/105 VUJA DE skippered by Remco Van Dortmondt from Kralendjik, Bonaire; and the J/120 SUNSET chartered by Andy Middleton from Cowes, United Kingdom. Hopefully, the weather will have improved from the St Thomas event and the giant long wave trough from the weekend will have dissipated and moved on so the classic sunny, windy trade winds kick back in!! One can only hope, otherwise the fashion show mid-week may become a wet t-shirt fiasco for everyone! Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth/ PWPictures.com. For more BVI Spring Regatta sailing information
Landsail Tyres J-Cup Announcement!(Torquay, United Kingdom)- Key Yachting Ltd. and the Royal Torbay Yacht Club are thrilled to announce that entry is open for the Landsail Tyres J-Cup 2017 in Partnership with B&G Electronics!
Incorporating the National Championships for the J/88, J/97 and J/109, the J-Cup is quite simply three days of serious competition coupled with not-so-serious shoreside entertainment, with one design racing for almost everyone. If you have a J/Boat, you're invited!
The J-Cup returns to glorious Torbay for the first time since 2009. Gemma Dunn from Key Yachting commented, “When Torbay was announced as the 2017 venue, more teams pre-registered than ever before, demonstrating the love our sailors have for the West Country. The J-Cup falls in-between the Fastnet Race and the Torbay and Dartmouth regattas, so there’s potentially a full programme on offer before the return to work and school in September.”
Up to eight races will be sailed, with daily prize-givings and “themed” dinners every evening, and, of course, the notorious prize-giving party on the final night- with local favourites “Joey-The-Lips” providing the amazing, tub-thumping, slam-dancing, disco-madness soundtrack!Bob Penfold, Commodore of the club said, “The club is looking forward to welcoming the J-Cup fleet to Torquay and to the fine sailing waters of Torbay. Truly, the world's best sailing for our friends sailing on a variety of J/Boats in every class!”
For any questions regards the event, please contact Gemma Dunn at Key Yachting Ltd- phone- +44- 2380-455669 or email- gemma@keyyachting.com. To enter the J-Cup, or for more information about the event click here.
U.K. J/80 Nationals Announcement!(Hamble, United Kingdom)- The Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble will host the 2017 J/80 Nationals from 16th-18th June, and entry for the event is now open. This is likely to be a hugely popular event, as it comes less than four weeks before the J/80 Worlds– also hosted by the Royal Southern– and two months before Cowes Week. So it’s an ideal opportunity for owners to hone their skills and gain valuable race winning experience on the Solent.
The entry fee of £150.00 includes crane for launching and lifting the boat, a berth in Royal Southern YC’s Prince Philip Yacht Haven during the event, and trailer storage.
Daily refreshments will be available post racing and the Prize-giving will be as soon as possible after racing on Sunday 18 June. The organizers anticipate a healthy showing of prizes, including the J/80 Class Open National Championship Perpetual Trophy that will be awarded to the overall winner.
For any questions regards the event, please contact Gemma Dunn at Key Yachting Ltd- phone- +44- 2380-455669 or email- gemma@keyyachting.com. For more UK J/80 Nationals Notice of Race, social tickets, etc, click here.
USA J/24 Class Offers Boat Grant to Young Sailors(Ruskin, FL)- The U.S. J/24 Class is pleased to announce the launch of the “Kelly Holmes-Moon J/24 Boat Grant Program.” This program is targeted toward sailors in their twenties who would like the chance to put a crew together and campaign a J/24 of their own, but do not have the means to purchase a boat.
The U.S. J/24 Class would like to offer a young skipper and crew a “race-ready” J/24, trailer, suit of sails and mentor for the 2017-2018 sailing season. This program is open to any team in the continental United States. For more information and details on the application process, please visit the J/24 U.S. Class website.
J/70 Stadium Sailing Hits Detroit Race Track!Four Sailing League Events @ Grosse Pointe
(Grosse Pointe Shores, MI)– For this summer, Grosse Pointe Yacht Club in Michigan has organized a series of three stadium-style regattas – scheduled May 20, June 23 and September 16 – and will host the Premiere Sailing League USA’s Freshwater Cup/ Great Lakes Challenge on August 12. All four competitions will be sailed in one-design J/70s, with the May 20 event promising “adrenalin-fueled action” at the club’s Great Lakes Boating Festival.
“The May event, like the others, is free, open to the public, and designed to capitalize on fast-paced sailing in close quarters that is thrilling for both competitors and spectators,” said Grosse Pointe Yacht Club Sailing Director Wally Cross, explaining that in a timeframe of four hours, 18 races will be sailed. Each race will have four legs and last between two and three minutes. Skippers and crews “sail nine, watch nine,” giving them an opportunity to interact with the shore-side crowds. “It’s based on the concept introduced by Premier Sailing League USA and tested with great success last Fall here at this club. Because of the fun factor, word has already spread and people are excited to get involved.”
There are approximately 20 J/70s that regularly sail in the Michigan area, and Cross says the club’s three-race series is open to anyone who owns or can get their hands on a J/70. Points will be cumulative, with the series winner determined at the final event in September. The Premier Sailing League USA event will be separately scored and slightly different. It will be a yacht club challenge open to all clubs on the Great Lakes, and each club (as many as 30 are expected) will be allowed to sail one J/70 in the one-day event. It also guarantees exciting action close to shore, with as many as 20 short windward/leeward races
“When the action is literally right out in front of the dock, where the dock is part of the course (meaning you tack to avoid it), people standing there really get a feel for it,” said Cross. “The J/70 is the perfect boat; it’s sporty but manageable and really fun to sail.”Because of the need for three marks to be constantly moving due to changing wind direction and length of course desired, Grosse Pointe Yacht Club and the Premiere Sailing League USA plan to test a new remote-controlled buoy system for the races.
“There are so many elements that make all this truly exciting, but the key thing is that it starts at one time and finishes at another, just like a basketball game,” said Cross. “Life today is all about justifying your free time, and if you can clearly say that from beginning to end something will last four hours, that our families can join in, and we’re going to have a lot of fun, it’s going to change the way people view the sport of sailing.”
Please contact Grosse Pointe YC Sailing Director Wally Cross for more information regards GPYC’s stadium sailing project- cell# 586-596-8854 or email- wcross@gpyc.org For more information about Premiere Sailing League USA For more information about the Great Lakes Boating Festival
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
While fall is getting quite blustery Down Under, the spring has not sprung in the northern parts either. Weird weather patterns everywhere. North America had a record warm February and, so far, a record cold March! Those trends are affecting sailing conditions all over the Blue Planet!Starting with our friends Down Under, it was abundantly clear that fall weather patterns spinning off the Roaring Forties are increasingly treacherous. Check out the story of the J/97E sailing in the recent Sydney Harbour Regatta and how they coped with the dramatic swings in conditions.
Moving north of the Equator, the participants in the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series had to break out their wellies and wet gear and fishermen’s hats! The one-design fleets of J/70s, J/80s, J/109s, J/88s had a helluva time navigating the Solent in gale-force winds and strong currents! Several sightings of “Windex dipping” and “bottoms up” were visible across the race track!
On the far side of the USA, there were two events that experienced bizarre conditions, too. Up north in San Francisco Bay, the intrepid double-handed adventurers on J/88s, J/105s, J/111s, J/125, J/92s, and J/120s sailed the Double Farallones Race- a 58nm jaunt out of the pearly gates to a rock about 25nm due west of the Golden Gate Bridge. The weather was uncharacteristically light. Then, down in sunny Southern California, they also experienced rather light breezes, even for a place that is famous for it- San Diego! The occasion was the Helly Hansen San Diego NOOD Regatta, hosted by San Diego YC for one-design fleets of J/70s, J/105s and J/120s.
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:
Mar 24-26- St Thomas International Regatta- St Thomas, US Virgin IslandsMar 27-Apr 2- BVI Spring Regatta- Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Apr 10-15- Les Voiles de Saint Barth- Gustavia, St Barthelemey
April 20-23- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 30- May 1- Antigua Sailing Week- English Harbour, Antigua
May 5-7- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
Smashing San Diego NOOD Regatta!Santa Barbara YC Qualifies for US J/70 Youths!
(San Diego, CA)- The masses attending this year’s Helly Hansen San Diego NOOD Regatta were not disappointed! As they have managed to accomplish in the past, the San Diego YC hosted another great event for the 500+ sailors that were participating in their annual spring bash on the San Diego Harbor and offshore of Point Loma.
The weekend marked the second major event in the Helly Hansen Sailing World NOOD events for the summer of 2017. Three large one-design fleets of J’s were sailing- J/70, J/105 & J/120.
The nineteen J/70s enjoyed great sailing, with ten races completed over the three-day weekend. Taking class honors was Jeff Janov’s MINOR THREAT; but it was not without some drama. Jeff couldn’t sail the first day due to business commitments, so he had his 14 year old son steer the first day- to lead the regatta with a 2-1-3 record! Then, as the weekend progressed, they maintained a consistently high score until they posted two uncharacteristically high scores- a 15th and 12th in the 8th and 9th races. However, by closing with a 1st in the last race, they sealed the deal to win class overall.Second in J/70s and also Top Corinthians crew was none other than Pat Toole’s 3 BIG DOGS of J/24 North American Championship fame from the talented Santa Barbara YC group of sailors. The Big Doggers sailed their best series to date in J/70s and are sure to be a contender in future major events. Just four points off the pace behind them was Jim Murrell’s HUCKLEBERRY. Rounding out the top five were Bruce Cooper’s USA 32 in 4th place and Dave Hochart’s USA 540 (also 2nd Corinthians). Of note, third Corinthians was Craig Tallman’s JAVA.
This event also marked the third regatta for US J/70 Youth Championship teams to qualify. In this event, there were three teams from across the spectrum of youth programs in Southern California. They included the HELLY HANSEN JUNIOR CREW skippered by Jack Reiter representing the host SDYC; Luke Pierce sailing CAKE, representing Santa Barbara YC; and Robert Garret skippering SLOOP JOHN B, representing Newport Harbor YC. For these three crews, it was a nip and tuck battle all weekend long. In the end, it was the Santa Barbara YC/ SB Youth Foundation crew of high-school kids on CAKE (Lucas Pierce (skipper), Ryan Eastwood (Tactician), Chris Kayda, Kris Ozolins, and Payne Donaldson) that qualified as the top youth team from the regatta for the US J/70 Youth Championship in Newport, RI this coming August. The SBYC/SBYF team has been supported by CAKE’s owner, Scott Deardorff- also the Rear Commodore of Santa Barbara YC. Here is Lucas’ commentary:“A couple of months ago, I was approached by Mr. Deardorff, to see if I had any interest in putting together a team to try to qualify for the J/70 Youth Championship. He offered to let us use his J/70. None of us have very much keelboat experience, but we were really excited to give it a shot!
We set up a practice schedule and worked mostly on our boat-handling. We were able to do one local regatta in really light air. But, other than that, we didn’t have any regatta experience in the J/70. Our plan was to try to qualify for the J/70 Youth Nationals this summer at the San Diego NOOD regatta, March 17-19.
We really enjoyed sailing against the high level of competition at this regatta and the two other junior teams. We know almost all of the kids on the other teams and we’re all good friends. We learned a lot over the weekend. Our starts improved a lot as we got a feel for when to unfurl the jib and how to set up. We felt really fast downwind the whole time, but learned a lot about how to sail faster upwind, like how to flatten the sails, the boat, and how to use the backstay.
We’re looking forward to practicing some more and seeing a lot of our old Opti, Laser and 29er friends in Newport this summer!”
The eleven J/105s had their dose of sanity fed to them from one of the West Coast’s top J/105 crews. There was no question the regatta was going to come down to the top three teams that have been leading the class the past few years- Rick Goebel’s SANITY, Dennis Case’s WINGS and Tom Hurlburt/ Chuck Driscoll’s JUICED. In the end, it was the SANITY crew skippered by Rick Goebel that walked off with class honors with an undeniably powerful, ego-crushing scoreline of all top three finishes- a 2-2-1-3-1-3 tally for just 12 pts total. Their compatriots in crime at the top of the leaderboard, nevertheless, made it a struggle for both Goebel but as well as themselves. WINGS won that battle by a whisker in the last race, hanging onto a 7th to secure second by one point over the jazzed-up JUICED crew! Rounding out the top five were Scott McDaniel’s OFF THE PORCH (happy to win the last race) to secure 4th place, and Stew Cannon’s J-OK in fifth (happy to win the first race!).
The J/120 class was probably grateful they were not white-washed by the insanely smart or fast (or both) crew on board John Laun’s CAPER. While they started off with a “less than zero” tally in their first race, a negative 6 pts, the caped crusaders on CAPER just put it all together and sailed away with a 1-3-1-1 tally for the gold! What was cooler than that performance? A new face in the crowd- the proverbial “new kids on the block”! A bunch of MAD MEN, no less. It was Ernie Pennell’s crew on MAD MEN that sailed an amazing regatta to get the silver by one point! Shockingly, it was Mike Hatch’s J-ALMIGHTY team that was on the short-end of that stick, settling for the bronze behind “the new kids”. Rounding out the top five was another surprise, Tim Hogan’s almighty lucky SHAMROCK was just one point back in 4th place and past multiple regatta champion, Chuck Nichols’ CC RIDER, had to settle for 5th place. Amazing how times are a-changin’ in the SD 120 world. Sailing photo credits- Paul Todd/ Outside Images For more Helly Hansen San Diego NOOD sailing information
J/Crews Sweep Double Farallones Classes!(San Francisco, CA)- For Saturday’s revamped BAMA Double Handed Farallones race, the lightish winds, flat seas, and changing tides meant the starting line could only be described as chaos. For the 0800 hrs start, there was an unexpectedly strong flood right along the shoreline. So, the BAMA RC officials postponed the original start, hoping for increased breeze to get the fleet off the line. To make matters worse, the RC were forced to delay starting sequences again after a snafu with the Class C start. Starting slower boats first can present additional problems if the smaller boats cannot make headway across the line in adverse currents; especially when starting faster boats later in the sequence! Hence the chaotic scenario just off the Golden Gate YC waterfront starting area.
The top boats were lucky to escape the clutches of the tricky start line. The key for the start was to flop onto port tack right away, separate from the mayhem, and head for the remnants of strong ebb flowing West towards the bridge in the middle of San Francisco Bay.
Once into the remnants of the ebb, it was like you’d been shot from a cannon and past the Golden Gate Bridge. From there, it was pretty much a rhumb line course to the first turning point on the northern side of the Farallones Rocks, first close hauled and then a close reach when the wind backed southeast. Some boats reported averaging over 10kts SOG for 1.5+ hours once past the bridge!The Class 10- DHF UBLD Farallones course- was one of the most difficult to gauge competitively since there were such a mix of super lightweight “classic” west coast ULDB’s up against a J/105 (not exactly a ULBD) and a J/88. In the end, Bill Woodruff & Mike Weinman’s J/1005 RUSSIAN ROULETTE took 5th place followed by Jim Hopp & Ben Burbridge’s J/88 WHITE SHADOW.
Taking the silver in the Class 12- DHG7 Weather Buoy course- was Steve & Zach Gordon’s J/88 INCONCEIVABLE.
The biggest and most competitive class in the entire race was Class 14- DHF ULDB Farallones Rocks course. Despite the strong turnout and experienced crews, the class saw a clean sweep of the top four and five of the top six places occupied by doublehanded J/teams! Winning was Mike O’Callaghan & John Verdois’ J/120 PEREGRINE from St Francis YC. Taking second was Rob Theis & Jennifer Cannestra’s J/111 AEOLOUS from Santa Barbara YC, third was Sean & Jeff Mulvihill’s J/120 JAMANI from San Francisco YC, fourth was Reuben Rocci & Nesrin Basoz’s J/111 SWIFT NESS from Richmond YC and sixth place was Rich Pipkin & Mary McGrath’s J/125 CAN’T TOUCH THIS. Most all of these top J/crews completed the 58.0nm course in just under 8 hours- a 7.25 kts average- not bad considering the ebb and the flow of the tides underneath the spectacular Golden Gate Bridge!Peter Jermyn’s J/30 IONE took class honors sailing Class 5- DHG7 Weather Buoy course.
Overall on the classic Farallones Rocks course of 58nm, the double-handed J/Crews did great! First J/team home boat-for-boat was the J/125 CAN’T TOUCH THIS sailed by Rich Pipkin and Mary McGrath, finishing in the elapsed time of 7hrs 43min 51sec; they also won First in Fleet honors (for keelboats, of course)! On a corrected time basis, four J’s finished in the top six, with the team of O’Callaghan/ Verdois taking 3rd on their J/120 PEREGRINE. In fourth was Theis/ Cannestra’s J/111 AEOLUS, fifth was the Mulvhill’s J/120 JAMANI and sixth place was Rocci/ Basoz’s J/111 SWIFT NESS. It was a great showing across the board for these intrepid duos!Afterwards, Chris Ray from Pressure-Drop.US caught up with Rob Theis who spent the day double handing his J/111 AEOLUS with Jennifer Canestra, teaming up for the first time together for a blast around the smelly rocks (world’s best fertilizer- guano!)- -
"We spent the pre-start time sailing up to the remaining ebb to measure wind and relief and made the decision to come in hot from the pin-end and then button hook the pin and the sail right back to the current,” commented Rob. "The wind was a bit better and there was still a knot or so of ebb working mid-bay, not a real wide ribbon but once you were in it, the relief was substantial!”"The ebb carried us out the gate in amazingly flat, calm water with enough pressure from the south for a steady, smooth tight reach out to the islands! We prepared for a set, but the wind stayed too SSE to launch until a few miles of tight reaching back towards the gate. Really pleasant sailing conditions in the 10-15 knot range,” said Rob. Unlike last year, when the humpbacks were seemingly everywhere, breach and tail slapping, marine life was described to be on the quiet side.
Rob and Jennifer worked their way along the southern side of the Golden Gate Strait, riding a 0.9 knot flood and worked their way around the South Tower expecting a nice slap down by the South Tower Demon. “I was very surprised when we sailed passed and gybed around the south tower with no repercussions,” he noted. “After the bridge, the wind got really westerly, as usual, but the water stayed flat. We gybed over toward Crissy Field along the beach, with just Class 40 CONDOR and the J/125 CAN’T TOUCH THIS ahead of us by a few minutes. We crossed the line at 17:33:20s flying the kite all the way towards Alcatraz, gybed, and enjoyed a really nice reach along the City Front, as an early evening pulse of breeze pushed through propelling us towards the barn in fine fashion. It was a really great day with a mix of clouds and sun, smooth seas and fun sailing, good times!”Here is the story from Mike and John’s ride on the mighty J/120 PEREGRINE:
“It was a glorious day with a soft southerly breeze and flat water all the way out and back – absolutely the most civilized DH Farallones Mike and I have ever sailed. If it was like this each year there would be 200 entrants instead of the 80 or so who showed up at the start. After a brief postponement in the starting sequence, we had a great start and got off the line and headed out to the ebb in the center bay – and then we were off sailing directly for the islands on a port tack. About three miles outside the Gate we switched from the 155 to our jib top – which we sailed with all the way to the rocks. Zero tacks, just a mild close reach powered up nicely and essentially on cruise control – trying to eek out as much speed as we could.
We tacked only once on the back side of the islands and set off back to the Gate – we were with a group of eight or so boats. Fairly soon, we set the A3 and not long after switched to the A2 which we carried all the way to the finish line, with maybe five jibes to plug into favorable current off Baker Beach and get around the South Tower. In retrospect, we should have brought the big class kite – but prudence and previous experience suggested that the class kite would be too much to handle doublehanded, but it would have been faster.Compared to last year's rounding the islands in 30+ knots of breeze - this weekend's race was more like going to a day spa. It was awesome to have a non life-threatening or nail biting Farallones experience – and great to sail the route with Mike again. I have lost count of how many times we have done this race, but I hope to continue the tradition in our geezerish years. All I know is that the best way to stay young is to ignore the birthdays and just keep doing it!”
Here is a short video of the J/120 JAMANI sailing across the finish line at 17:46:35. Story and sailing photo credits from Chris Ray/ Presssure-drop.us For more SF BAMA Doublehanded Farallones Race sailing information
J/97 KNOCKABOUT Takes Silver @ Sydney Harbour Regatta(Sydney, Australia)- The Sydney Harbour Regatta was this year run on 4th and 5th March. The SHR is an annual event organized by the Middle Harbour Yacht Club. It is a cooperative event and most of the major clubs in the Harbour region participate in the running of the racing, with fleets ranging from historic 18ft skiffs to ocean racers. Racing is conducted all over the harbour as well as offshore.
The Super 30 division’s racing was conducted by the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club. The usual SASC Super 30 fleet was bolstered by other entries and this year had 21 starters in the SHR fleet. The fleet included an MC 31, a C&C 30, several Flying Tiger 30s, and a Mumm 30 along with some other lightweight flyers.
The weekend did not provide the usual, sparkling weather we would normally expect on an early Autumn day in Sydney. Instead, a deep low had developed nearby in the Tasman Sea and the harbour was raked by gusty southerly winds pushing a steady procession of rain squalls across the city.
The Saturday racing consisted of two windward/leeward courses, each of three times around a quite tight course. The first race saw winds of 15-20 knots and most yachts were well rigged for the conditions. With 21 boats in the Super 30 Division, along with another, slower division sailing the same course, the main objective was to keep out of trouble and try to sail one’s own race. An interesting challenge presented itself at the last windward mark when the mark became quite mobile due to having a 30ft yacht attached to it. Fortunately, the situation sorted itself out without creating any further, major incident. Apart from getting buried at the start, Knockabout managed to keep clear of traffic for most of the race and we were pleased with how we went.
Half way through the second race the wind suddenly surged to 25+ knots. With the fleet rigged for much lower winds, and such short legs, things started to get a little hairy. There was no time to make sail changes and so on Knockabout we took the option to nurse the boat around the course and preserve it for the next day’s racing.
The Sunday racing was two, short, harbour courses. The rain had eased slightly but the wind was highly variable in both strength and direction. The wind was gusting anywhere between 10-20 knots. Based on experience from the first day Knockabout opted for conservative starts. This proved to be wise as the first start saw aggressive luffing at the line that lead to a four boat raft up right beside the committee boat. An added challenge with the course of the day was that the start/finish line was to the west of the main racing area. In both races, on approaching the finish, the strong southerly suddenly gave way to a weak westerly, turning the two sail blast reach into a slow beat! Just to add some interest to the situation, the southerly would send an occasional surge into this area, to the benefit of the boats crossing it at the time. Knockabout was fortunate to benefit from such a surge in the last race.
The J/97 was a pleasure to sail under these conditions, although maybe her crew was not always up to the tough conditions! Overall, Knockabout had two good and two not-so-good races. It is perhaps a testament to how difficult the conditions were that her scorecard of 2-9-11-3, with no drops, earned her second overall in the regatta! For more J/97E sport cruiser sailing information
Testy Warsash Spring Series- Act II(Warsash, England)- If patience was the key factor in Race 1, then endurance and good waterproofs (and wellies) were the key factors in Race 2 of the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series. The forecast for the Solent was SW 20 knots gusting 30 knots, and when the RC committee boats arrived on station, the wind was varying around 20 kts. During the morning, however, the wind increased to 25 knots with gusts of 30 kts. So, after one successful race, the decision was taken to send the White Group back in.
With a lee going tide you might have expected the sea to be fairly flat, but this wasn't the case- it was lumpy making the foul tide beats a struggle to keep the boats in the groove when both wind and sea were determined to knock them out of it.
Starting at the “Darling Boy buoy” (formerly Meon), the White Group fleet got away cleanly, with a good starting discipline; possibly due to the strong foul tide. The skill level in the fleet was high, with spinnakers being flown and few broaches considering the conditions. The lead J/80 was laid out flatter than a cow-pie during a spectacular broach letting the chasing J/70 in second place through, before recovering.The J/70 SOAK RACING (Marshall King and Ian Wilson) leads the J/70s and the combined White Group, with BETTY (J/80 - Jon Powell) and JEEPSTER (J/70 - Graham Clapp) in equal second place. For the series, Powell’s BETTY leads the 80s, with Terry O’Neill’s AQUA-J in 2nd and Mike Lewis’ JESTER in third. For the 70s, SOAK is leading with Andrew Barraclough’s JENGA 8 tied for 2nd with Graham Clapp’s JEEPSTER.
In Black Group J/109 fleet, the first beat saw some boats with full mains and No 4s up and others with one reef and a No 3, but the upwind speeds between the boats remained very remarkably similar. On the first foul tide beat to Prince Consort from the start line near “Kilchoman buoy” on the tail end of Bramble Bank, JYNNAN TONNYX (Owain Franks) left the rest of the fleet beating up the tail of the Bramble Bank and decided to beat up the island shore instead. Despite the dreaded "Norris Naggers" sailing in flatter water, the decision paid her handsomely. She then led the fleet round to win with JAGO (Mike & Susie Yates) following in second, and JIRAFFE (Simon Perry) in third.In the J/88 one-design class, it was TIGRIS (Gavin Howe) winning for the day with JONGLEUR (Richard Cooper) second and J-DREAM (David and Kirsty Apthorp) in third. As a result, JONGLEUR leads the series with TIGRIS 2nd and J-DREAM tied with Dirk & Dianne van Beek’s SABRIEL JR at 7 pts each.
The IRC 3 Class was won by J’RONIMO (J/92 - David Greenhalgh) with JUMBLESAIL 12 (J/97 - Rachel and Robert Hunt) third. In the big boat IRC 1 Class, it was JITTERBUG (J/111 - Cornel Riklin) second and KESTREL (J/111 - Simon Bamford) in third. For more HELLY HANSEN Warsash Spring Series sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* Brad Willauer lives in Prouts Neck, Maine and is the current Vice Commodore of the Cruising Club of America. He is one of the more experienced veterans of the Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race. He has been participating since he was a teenager, usually working the foredeck on someone else’s boat. Now, after participating in MHOR at least ten times, he will be skipper of his own crew for the first time in this event in July. And he has a few strategies in mind that have proven successful in other offshore races.Willauer purchased his first boat large enough to participate in the race in preparation for his retirement from the financial industry back in 2004. Since then, he has been cruising and racing for extended periods of time in the Caribbean each winter including participation in the Newport to Bermuda, and the Marion Bermuda Races. BREEZING UP, a J/46, is back in New England and he plans to be on the start line of the Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race 2017 with a family crew.
The Willauer’s take it as a matter of pride their ten-member crew is “all in the family”.
“They are all good sailors and well-experienced. Four of them are members of the Cruising Club of America and we also have a couple who are licensed coast guard captains,” said Brad. Willauer’s own sailing resume includes racing in the Caribbean, Transatlantic (Bermuda to Spain) and cruising in the Mediterranean, Thailand and British Columbia.
His crew includes his children Ben and Tori Willauer, a son-in-law, Tony Fitch, nephew Charlie Willauer and his three sons Cory Cramer, Charlie Willauer Jr, and Pete Willauer plus nephew Langley Willauer and his daughter Nora. The Willauer’s claimed podium finishes in four Newport to Bermuda races including first in the Cruiser division in last year’s race. The dedication to making sailing a family experience has also won the Willauer’s the William Glenn Family Participation trophy in the Newport to Bermuda Race on two occasions.Willauer believes the younger crew know the most about the boat and the technology on board and they are eager to do more sail changes, which is why he likes a mix of ages on board. “They know everything!”
His own confidence about the boat and its capabilities are strong. He lived aboard BREEZING UP for extended periods of cruising in the Caribbean, so he is confident to make the call about which sails should be up and what boat speed they can hit, depending on the conditions.
“We have a lot of fun, we have a great time together. Our family is close in general, anyway. They all work hard. They don’t drink anything and they pay attention!”
Willauer has adopted a practice that no doubt makes everyone sit up and pay attention. All crew members steer the boat with the helm changing every half hour!! “This practice makes for a happy ship.”
He says he remembers sitting on the rails of other people’s boats in 10 or 12 prior Bermuda Races, knowing him and other younger sailors on board could likely do a better job than the old guard, who often held onto the helm for long periods of time.
“Finding the groove is a special skill, keeping her in the groove requires intense concentration,” according to Willauer. “That’s why everyone knows they should only speak to the driver on business, no chatting.”
“Some are better than others in handling the job, but we don’t make note of that in any way.” He admits some severe conditions cause him to alter this routine– such as driving with a chute on the upper limits of apparent wind or near gale conditions.
Another tried and true strategy- they all share the cooking, including the skipper. They have all learned how to cook for offshore sailing for one simple reason: “Good food is important for morale,” says Willauer.
It isn’t just this generation of the Willauer’s that devote their time to sailing. “Sailing is what we did as kids. My older brother Peter and my father were very good sailors and I learned from them.”
His brother Peter competed in national championships and later founded the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School in Maine. The family has a deep connection to the summer community at Prouts Neck, Maine where his great-great uncle, Winslow Homer, had his painting studio. BREEZING UP is Willauer’s third boat named in honor of Homer’s famous painting. “Breezing Up” is in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, which describes it as “one of the best-known and most beloved artistic images of life in nineteenth-century America." The Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race is a 363-nautical mile offshore race sponsored by the Boston Yacht Club and the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. The 37th biennial race starts in Marblehead on Sunday, July 9th following a course across the Gulf of Maine and along the coast of Nova Scotia to Halifax.
One of Brad Willauer’s memories of past Marblehead to Halifax races involves some winning insight by his brother Peter.
“He won the race with a boat called MADCAP. He realized that he could pick up a thermal along the shore of Nova Scotia. There was a high-pressure system and most of the fleet was flopping around with no wind. For about 60-80 miles, he sailed close to the Nova Scotia shore and that extra bit of wind made the difference.”
“I have great memories of my visits to Halifax, especially early on, crewing on Salmagal III, a boat built by Arthur B. Homer, the chairman of Bethlehem Steel. “I have really fond memories of going down into the Arm and receiving the warm hospitality from people like Sally Norwood, once we came ashore. I didn’t get to stay long in those days… I would usually head to the airport for the first flight back to Boston. But the reception was really terrific!” In earlier times, individual Squadron members volunteered to act as hosts to each arriving crew.
The fog used to be extremely challenging, especially coming into the finish line at night.
“One memory I have is from the 1970’s. I was working on navigation and we were coming in to finish in thick fog at night. We had the spinnaker up for the last ten miles and were making between 8 and 9 knots. There was no radar on the boat but we knew where we were going. We had passed Chebucto Head. In those days, we were running exact courses and timing with a stop watch. But the noise was tremendous so we decided we needed to douse the chute so we could slow down the boat and hear the signal that we had actually finished the course. And in fact, that’s what happened, we slide across the line and we heard the signal boat, but it wouldn’t have happened without pulling down that sail. Modern navigation makes all these things so much easier!” Thanks for the contribution from Kathy Large. For more Marblehead to Halifax Race information.
* Sailors Andrew and Melissa Fisher are no strangers to the J/70 Class, racing their boat BUTTON FLY. What’s inspiring about Andrew’s team is the dynamic they impose on their competition.The BUTTON FLY program predated Andrew’s Paralympic campaign, where he competed for a spot to represent the USA in the Rio Olympics. Andrew has since chosen the J/70 Class because there are a lot of boats that compete and he finds it to be sporty and manageable for him and his wife, Melissa.
Andrew truly has the best of both worlds sailing with his Corinthian team Button Fly, and having fun with the ones he cares about most. This is truly what it’s all about. Without Corinthians, the sport of sailing wouldn’t be what it is today.
We caught up with Andrew and Melissa after their big win to share their excitement and passion for sailing and find out what it means to them.
CH: Melissa and Andy, congratulations on your 1st Corinthian Division win at the 2017 J/70 Midwinters. It was a tricky regatta featuring nearly every condition. What were some of the keys to helping you to the victory lane?
AF: Thanks. The J/70 is a very competitive fleet. Due to the crazy conditions during some races, luck played its part more than usual. That said, our team has sailed the J/70 together for over two years and has put in quite a bit of time training and learning what makes this boat go fast.
CH: The Button Fly program started a few years back when Andy was on the US Paralympic Team competing for a spot to represent the USA in Rio. Why did you guys decide to get into the J/70 at that point in your sailing career and do a “defacto” two-boat campaign?
AF: The Button Fly program predated my Paralympic campaign, going back to bigger boat racing. The J/70 is a downsize for us. Melissa and I love racing together. We looked at other Classes of boats but decided on the J/70 due to its popularity and a good balance of sportiness without being overly athletic. Managing a four-person team is far easier, and the fleet is big enough that there are usually plenty of boats at the regattas for great competition. I had the luxury of having enough time to spend time doing both.
CH: Melissa, you have been the one constant on your program as a key crew member. What makes J/70 sailing so much fun for you and how has it helped your sailing?
MF: I sail the boat with my husband. Evolving to the smaller, four-person program has been a great learning experience in that everyone plays a bigger role in getting the boat around the race course. In addition to loving the racing, the social aspects of the Class make going to regattas special.
CH: It seems every team has a style and adjusts their program to maximize their strengths, so when you are working on tuning and trimming style, how much do you deviate from the “standard” tuning guide settings and performance articles you read? Are there any things you have found that work with your team that stands out as a performance “game changer?
AF: Our program is somewhat unusual, in that I have disabilities that we need to work around. We spend a bit of time figuring what we need to do to minimize my weaknesses, and practicing the weakest ones. Our boat tuning is very close to standard; however, we’re very conscious of thinking forward to our set up for expected conditions. For example, before one race at Midwinters, we noticed that the wind vs. tide current made it appear that there was more breeze up the course than there was, so we adjusted our rig accordingly. In the end, the biggest “game changer” is quality practice.
CH: A few years back, you guys dedicated yourselves to sailing Corinthian and have really locked into a great team with the Burke brothers on board. Tell us how that came together and what Steve and Shawn have brought to the Button Fly team.
AF: Steve and Shawn have sailed with us for over 10 years. They both have been racing their whole lives, and, while their careers don’t involve sailing, they view racing as their primary pastime. Melissa and I are lucky to have them want to sail with us. In addition to being good sailors, the consistent time we’ve put in sailing the J/70 together has really allowed us to develop our race course dance and improve.
CH: If you could share any advice for other Corinthian teams to move up in the standings, what would you tell them?
AF: It’s far tougher to field a good Corinthian team than one with pros. By definition, they have more to juggle to be able to make the events, so once you find your guys, treat them well. Consistency is key.
CH: USA 501 has become a staple at many of the J/70 circuit events. What is on your calendar for the rest of 2017 and what are the long term plans?
AF: We (went to) Miami for the Bacardi Cup, then Charleston is on our way back to the Northeast. Our goal is to peak for the North Americans this fall at our home club in Rye, NY!
J/Cruisers
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/40 HERON REACH sailed by Virginia and Jerry is participating in the Blue Planet Odyssey project and have recently joined them in the Marquesas Islands in the Eastern Pacific. Learn more about their adventures and experiences here- http://heronreachodyssey.blogspot.com/
* J/160 SALACIA has been sailing in Australia in the Whitsunday Islands. Guess who decided to throw themselves across their bow as they cruised comfortably to their next destination? A giant whale! Look at this amazing photo!
* Jim & Heather Wilson just completed a circumnavigation of our "blue planet Earth" in June 2013 on their J/42 CEOL MOR. Said Jim, "The odyssey of CEOL MOR is over, for now. We completed our circumnavigation on our J/42 when we crossed our outbound track in Britannia Bay, Mustique. We were, however, still 2,000 nautical miles from home. So we continued on through the Windwards, the Leewards, and then through the British Virgin Islands. After a farewell 'Painkiller' at the Soggy Dollar, and a last meal at Foxy’s, we made the 1,275 nautical mile passage to the Chesapeake and completed our port-to-port circumnavigation when we arrived in Annapolis on June 28, 2013. We had been away 1,334 days, completed 259 days of ocean passages, and sailed 30,349 nautical miles (34,925 statute miles). Read more about their adventures in their well-documented blog here: http://www.svceolmor.com/SVCeolMor/Welcome.html* J/160 AVATAR headed for the Caribbean, again, for 2015/ 2016! We LOVE these updates from our cruising J sailors that continue to criss-cross the Seven Seas. This one comes from Alan Fougere, sailing his beloved J/160 AVATAR. Alan sent us an email update regards their various improvements and refit to the boat (see above). They will again be based at Proper Yachts in St John, US Virgin Islands.
* Bill & Judy Stellin were interviewed about cruising on their J/42 in the Wall St Journal called "Retiring on the Open Sea". The Wall St Journal asked Bill to reply to dozens of questions that flooded into the WSJ's Editor desks. Here's the update:Retiring on the Sea: Answering Readers' Questions
Advice about selecting a boat, ocean crossings, itineraries and safety
The article in our WSJ Online December retirement report about eight years spent sailing the Mediterranean— "Retiring to the Open Sea"— prompted many questions and comments from readers. We asked William Stellin, who wrote the story, to answer some of the most common queries.WSJ- "What kind and make of boat did you use? Looking back, would you have picked a different boat?"
Bill- "In 1995-96, J/Boats of Newport, RI, came out with a new cruiser/racer model, the J/42. We bought hull No. 6 of this popular 42-foot sailboat and named it JAYWALKER. This was our fourth boat since beginning sailing in 1975.
Although long-distance cruising wasn't what we had in mind when we purchased JAYWALKER, it soon became apparent it had the ability to carry us easily and safely anywhere we wanted to go. Because the boat is light, it sails well in light winds, which means very little motoring is necessary.
People often ask (and argue) about what boat is best for cruising. Any boat that is strong, safe, fast, comfortable and easily handled by two people should fit the bill. One thing for sure, fast is fun—and important when trying to avoid bad weather."
READ MORE ABOUT BILL'S INSIGHTFUL COMMENTARY AND THOUGHTS ON WSJ ONLINE HERE
* 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 and points further around the Blue Planet Earth. Here is their latest update (December 2016) from Bill & Kathy:“We completed a three year tour of the south pacific and sailed from Hobart Tasmania back to Seattle in the fall of 2012. After two seasons of local cruising, we decided to truck the boat to Rochester NY. In the summer of 2015, we sailed out the Saint Lawrence seaway and down the east coast of Nova Scotia and the US, with a few months in the Bahamas that winter. This past summer, we crossed the Atlantic with stops in Bermuda and the Azores, making landfall in Falmouth, UK. We have worked down the coast of France, Spain and Portugal and are now in Lagos Portugal. We plan on passing through the Straits of Gibraltar and spending a couple seasons in the Med.”
Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/
* 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).- 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.
J/Brokerage
J/122E JUJU For SaleProfessionally maintained since being commissioned in the UK in 2016, the beautiful navy-blue Awlgripped J/122E JUJU was shipped directly to the British Virgin Islands, where she was delivered to her owner in Port Louis Marina, Grenada (Caribbean).
She offers an extensive equipment inventory, including B&G electronics, Raymarine autopilot, Fusion AV7050 stereo system, and North Sails. The white interior has been customized to the owner’s requirements and makes for an ideal and practical performance cruiser.
This J/122E has barely been used by her owner and is in like new condition. Asking 295,000 GBP, ex-VAT.
For more information, please contact Paul Heys at J/Boats U.K., Hamble, England- Tel. +44(0)2380-455669/ paul@keyyachting.com
J/122 AUGUST WEST For SaleThe ex-Christopher Dragon, one of the fastest J/122s in the US, is back on the market. She’s an incredibly well equipped and ready to go racer-cruiser. She is easily capable of winning any offshore race and her sistership’s performances are legendary in events like the Fastnet Race, Chicago to Mackinac Race and Bermuda Race.
Continuously updated cosmetically and mechanically by a very knowledgeable and conscientious owner, including electronics and a major inventory of sails, running rigging - even a new water maker.
It's also ready for family cruising w/new furler and completely updated refrigeration system.
If you are looking for the ultimate 40' racer/cruiser in excellent condition that's ready to win races or take the family cruising, this is the real deal. Replacement cost for this boat is well over $400k! Buy a proven winner that's ready to go. Asking $299,000 USD.
Please contact Rick Fleig of McMichael Yacht Brokers at Cell# (401) 743-6318 or email- rickf@mcmyacht.com
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. The J/70 one-design speedster has become the world's fastest growing sportsboat ever!
Today, there are 13,500+ J/Boats, ranging from the International J/22 to the J/65 and ranging in style from one-designs to racers, cruisers to daysailers and, of course, the ubiquitous J sprit boats- J/Boats' innovation in 1992 for easy-to-use asymmetric spinnakers and retractable carbon bowsprits (J/70, J/80, J/88, J/92, J/95, J/105, J/109, J/110, J/111, 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 designs as evidenced by: 20 Boat-of-the-Year Awards; the SAIL Award for Industry Leadership; two American Sailboat Hall of Fame Designs; and five ISAF International One-Design keelboat classes (J/22, J/24, J/70, J/80 and J/111).
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
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