Easter Regatta Preview(Columbia, SC)- The annual Easter Regatta hosted by the Columbia Sailing Club will be taking from April 13th to 16th on Lake Murray in the northern parts of their state. It is a beautiful setting; a wide-open fresh water lake, surrounded by trees and rolling hills, pretty homes, and a yacht club that truly rolls out the red carpet for the crews that participate in their famous spring-time event. There are twenty-four J/24s and seven J/70s that are sailing in the event. Several notable teams are participating from across the northeast.
The J/24 class has top crews like Mike Ingham’s USA 5443 from Rochester Canoe Club; Cory Huseby’s BORK BORK BORK from Wayzata YC in Minnesota; Mike Palazzo’s JO MAMMA from Charleston YC; Steve Wood’s TASMANIAN DEVIL from Sail Newport in Kingstown, RI; Andrew Carey’s MR HANKEY from Portland YC; and Paul Abdullah’s TEAM TARHEEL from the Florida YC in Jacksonville, FL.
In the J/70s, the small fleet includes well-known crews like Dave Betts’ INSTANT KARMA from Sag Harbor YC; Hunter Davidson’s LOONATICTU from Fishing Bay YC; Don Trask’s SMOKIN J from St Francis YC; Holly Graf’s SPICE from Fishing Bay. For more J/70 & J/24 Easter Regatta sailing information
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
This past week has seen a fairly broad cross-section of primarily buoy-racing taking place in Europe and the Caribbean. In Monaco, the YC Monaco hosted the first of the European Match Race Tour events in their fleet of J/70s off Monte Carlo in the Bay of Hercules. It was close racing amongst some of the world’s top match racers, with good breezes in the beginning and lightish airs towards the finale.Close by, the Italian J/24 fleet continued their busy schedule with races taking place in Marina di Carrara and Valmadrera, Lago di Como- one of the spectacular lakes at the base of the Italian Alps in the north.
Northwest of these events, Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series and Spring Championship weekend took place on a decidedly warmer, light and hazy days for the large fleet of J’s (J/70s, J/80s, J/88s, J/109s, J/111s) sailing on the swiftly flowing Solent.
Across the Atlantic, we find the 8th edition of the Les Voiles de St Barth taking place with a fleet of ten J/teams competing in CSA Racing Classes 3 & 4, including J/122s, J/120s, J/111, J/105, and J/88. The event has completed two races in their week-long event and Thursday was “lay day” for the fleet, enabling the crews to enjoy the infamous “Nikki Beach Party” on Bay of St Jean, next to the famous Eden Rock Hotel (a rock-star palace), and jeroboams (gallons) of rose’ wine.
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:
Apr 10-15- Les Voiles de Saint Barth- Gustavia, St BarthelemeyApril 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.
Bertheau Untouchable @ J/70 European Match Race(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- The Yacht Club de Monaco delighted sailing enthusiasts as it hosted two unusual regattas in the Principality to set the pace for the summer. With eight J/70 teams competing in a stage of their European Match Race Tour, a total of some 50 sailors from seven nationalities were on Quai Louis II.
This year marks the return of the America’s Cup that puts the spotlight on the match race format, nail-biting one-on-one duels that rewards strategy by seasoned sailors. It’s a discipline that was popular with the YCM which is renewing ties to its past by hosting this stage of the Grade 3 European Circuit during which 24 races were run. The event was held aboard J/70s made available by members of the Yacht Club de Monaco, which has a total of 17 boats grouped under the J/70 Monaco Class Association presided by Michel Boussard.
With six wins under his belt, Simon Bertheau, French Youth Match Race Vice-Champion won the first day, having kept his adversaries in his sights and having total mastery of his boat.
Alongside Pierrik Devic and Max Bulley, who finished 6th, the Philippe Buchard-François Brenac (two-time champion on the French circuit) pair also from Monaco, snatched 2nd place after some tight tactical battles.A regular at international meetings, the young Rocco Attili showed his hand on the second day to move up into 3rd, a spot he held onto on the final day.
The four-time Austrian Match Race winner, Max Trippolt, ranked 25th in the prestigious World Sailing ranking, failed to bounce back after a loss of form mid-regatta and finished 5th.
As a result, the final ranking of the European Match Race Tour Act I has Simon Bertheau from France in 1st, Philippe Buchard from YC Monaco in 2nd, and Rocco Attili from Italy in 3rd. For more YC Monaco J/70 European Match Race Tour sailing information.
J/105 SOLSTICE Leads Class @ Les Voiles de St Barth(Gustavia, St Barthelemy) – Perfect Caribbean conditions offered the backdrop for the stacked competition that took to the starting line for day one of racing at Les Voiles de St. Barth. The 65 boats, split into nine classes, were sent on coastal courses, ranging from 24 to 31 nautical miles, tracing the western and northern coast of the island, all starting and finishing in the port of Gustavia in St. Barth.
Event newcomers, Jordan and Shannon Mindich’s J/105 SOLSTICE, with Bruce Stone skippering, shook up the competition in CSA 4, taking the lead after day one from last year’s class winners Credit Mutuel.
“We felt pretty good about our general speed and performance,” said Nicole Breault, a USA Women’s Match Race Champion, who calls the tactics onboard SOLSTIE. “This is my first time here and it’s spectacular, warm and really beautiful. I’m not that familiar with sailing on handicap, so we’re trying to sail like there are no other boats out there and just keep the boat going.”
For the second day of racing, it was not just a different day, but also a very different story from a weather perspective. Shiftier breeze and a change in the direction and design of the race course, in comparison to the day before, forced many competitors to shift gears and that dynamic yielded a mixed bag of results for the event’s nine classes. The fleet of 65 boats battled while navigating the rocky coast and its strong currents on courses, between 26 and 32 nautical miles, around the eastern side of the island.“It was tough today because the wind was very erratic, initially blowing between 15 and 17 knots and then dropping off to around eight and ten knots,” said Hervé Hejoaka who helms Crédit Mutuel, which dropped from second to third place in CSA 4 after today. An event veteran, the team won its class here last year. “From there it became difficult to advance the boat because of the state of the sea and especially the large surf on the east side of the island. We fought like crazy and during the descent toward the Grenadines, we chose to stay close to the coast because it was smoother. This allowed us to climb back up a bit.”
Their top competitors, the J/105 SOLSTICE, stole a march on them by placing 2nd on the day to lead the class by one point over PASCO’s JAGUAR, a Salona 38.
In CSA Racing 3 Class, the two J/122s are having quite a battle. After the second day of racing, Pamala Baldwin’s LIQUID is sitting in 2nd place with a 4-2 record for 6 pts and tied with them is sistership BETTER THAN/ EL OCASO with a 3-3 record. These two boats are having quite a battle and everything will be up for grabs over the next two days. For more Les Voiles de St Barths sailing information
Hazy Lazy Day @ Spring Series(Warsash, England)- Another day of varied racing conditions on the fifth weekend of the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series saw a light and hazy day for crews, but certainly not lazy.
A sunny spring day, 10 knots of SE breeze, swinging right to SW and increasing a couple of knots was the forecast, and as the committee boats arrived on station SE with up to 10 knots of breeze was what they found.
On the inshore White Group line IRC4 was sent away cleanly to their first windward mark, however the J/70 start was a much more eager affair and with the fleet firmly over the line on the gun, a general recall ensued. To persuade the fleet there were other places to start rather than the inshore less-tide pin, race officer Peter Knight put more bias into the line and got the fleets away for an hour of close racing, with the numerous J/70 fleet in particular enjoying exciting times through the leeward gate.
During the second race, however the wind hesitated, so due to the dying wind, the decision was taken to shorten the course and the fleets were shortened to 2 or 1.5 laps, but still got a finish. When the breeze did fill in again it had moved to a SW sea breeze of 12-15 knots, the committee boat moved inshore to start race 3.
Again, the J/70s were over eager and had to be recalled, but the use of the black flag installed discipline, and they restarted ok, other classes got away with individual recalls and enjoyed three short sharp laps with a steady sea breeze. In the White group, Betty (J/80 Jon Powell) led the J/80 fleet. Meanwhile, Offbeat (J/70 David McLeman) led the J/70 fleet.As a result, the White Championship J/70 fleet has Simon Ling’s TEAM RAF SPITFIRE in 1st with 8 pts; Marshall King & Ian Wilson’s SOAK RACING in 2nd with 12 pts; and Jonathan Calascione’s CALYPSO in 3rd with 17 pts.
For the White Group J/70 fleet spring series, after twelve races, it’s David Mcleman’s OFFBEAT leading with 73 pts; Patrick Liardet’s COSMIC sits 2nd with 76 pts; and third is Marshall King & Ian Wilson’s SOAK RACING with 88 pts.
The White Championship J/80 fleet has Jon Powell’s BETTY leading with six 1sts! Second is Nick Haigh’s SLIGHTLY STEAMY with four 2nds and third is Mike Lewis’ JESTER with 15 pts.
For the White Group spring series, after twelve races, Powell’s BETTY is leading with 13 pts, followed by Mike Lewis’ JESTER in second with 26 pts, and Terry O’Neill’s AQUA-J in third with 32 pts.
The Black Group started near Hillhead with a South Easterly breeze that started at 5-6 kts, building at times to 10 kts. For the various classes a 5 to 8nm race was set with a final beat to QXI international and a fetch to the finish at Deloitte Sailing Club buoy. For the majority of the fleets this worked well, but as the wind died, some boats in IRC1 and IRC2 and the J/88 fleet, didn't get around QXI against the tide and couldn't make the time limit.
The J/109s and IRC3 fleet were stranded between East Knoll and QXI international and some boats gained places (or didn't lose them!) by kedging - not a skill you often see practiced in a Spring Series race. A few boats ventured south of the Bramble bank, either looking for breeze or carried down there by the tide, and eventually breaths of wind started easing in from the South West.The two fleets together with some J/88s, then parked up in a long line abreast wafting towards the mark, then drifting back in the hot sunshine, until the new South Westerly breeze got tired of this game and suddenly just filled in - this left the fleets all trying to round the mark almost simultaneously, but due to courtesy and common sense there appeared to be no collisions, and after a short beat to the finish the committee boat had the task of recording every finisher in a two minute window.
During a day's racing like this, some boats have good days and some are bound to have bad days, but our sympathy goes out to the J/88 with the lime green spinnaker who used it to lasso the windward mark!!
With the breeze now filled in, the Black Group committee boat moved to a new position near Jonathan Janssen buoy, and in the limited space and time available set a short windward leeward course as the breeze freshened to around 12 knots, and all classes enjoyed a short but sparkling final race.
The J/88s had TIGRIS (Gavin Howe) win the first race with J-DREAM (David and Kirsty Apthorp) 2nd and SABRIEL JR (Dirk and Dianne van Beek) third. In the second race J-DREAM got to the front with SABRIEL JR second and EAT SLEEP J REPEAT (Paul Ward) in third. Overall J-DREAM leads from TIGRIS and SABRIEL JR.
The J/109s had their ranks swelled this week with boats coming out for the championship weekend, giving good competitive racing. In race 5, JIRAFFE (Simon Perry) won from JUKEBOX (John Smart) and JYBE TALKIN (Christopher Burleigh). In race 6, JUKEBOX posted a well-sailed first from JIRAFFE second and JUMPING JELLYFISH (David Richards) 3rd. Overall JIRAFFE leads from JYNNAN TONNYX (Owain Franks) and JAGO (Mike and Susie Yates) in equal second place.In IRC 1 class, Simon Bamford’s J/111 KESTREL had her first win of the series, after a string of thirds, with Paul Griffiths’ J/109 JAGERBOMB second. As a result, KESTREL is biting at the heels of the leader and lie in a close second.
In IRC 3 class, 1st is Rachel & Robert Hunt’s J/97E JUMBLESAIL2 with 5-1-2-4-1 for 13 pts and 2nd is Andy Howe’s J/97 BLACKJACK II with a 2-2-1-5-7 for 17 pts.
For the highly competitive J/109 class, 1st is John Smart’s JUKEBOX with a 4-1-1-2-1 for 9 pts; 2nd is David Richard’s JUMPING JELLYFISH with a 3-3-5-4-3 for 18 pts; and 3rd is Simon Perry’s JIRAFFE with a 5-9-2-1–2 for 19 pts.
Not to be outdone by their one-design compatriots, the J/88 class is seeing a bit of stratification amongst the fleet. As a result, the leader is David & Kirsty Apthorp’s J-DREAM with all five 1sts! Taking 2nd is Paul Ward’s EAT SLEEP J REPEAT with all 2nds! And, in 3rd is Tim Tolcher’s RAGING BULL with all 3rds!Consequently, in IRC 3 Class, third is David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’RONIMO with a 25-1-7-1-3-6 for 18 pts and in 4th place is Rachel & Robert Hunt’s J/97E JUMBLESAIL 2 with a 4-3-6-3-5-3 for 18 pts.
For the J/109 spring series championship, the leadership is beginning to be well-defined. First is Simon Perry’s JIRAFFE with a 4-3-2-1-1-2 for 9 pts. Second is Owain Franks’ JYNNAN TONNYX with a 1-1-1-8-4-8 for 15 pts. Third is Mike & Susie Yates with a 2-2-3-2-6-6 for 15 pts.
For the J/88s series, there is no question that David & Kirsty Apthorp’s J-DREAM with a 4-3-1-1-2-1 for 8 pts has a good lead. In second place is Gavin Howe’s TIGRIS with a 5-1-2-6-1-4 for 13 pts, and in 3rd Dirk & Dianne Van Beek’s SABRIEL JR with 3-4-3-2-3-2 for 13 pts.
Nothing is set in stone in rest of the classes as we head into the last two Sundays of the Spring Series, and see the start of the Crewsaver Warsash Spring Championship on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th April continuing after Easter on 22nd and 23rd April. Sailing Photo credits- Close Hauled Photography For more HELLY HANSEN Warsash Spring Series sailing information
Italian J/24 Fleet Spring Report(Rome, Italy)- The Italian J/24 fleets have been running various championship series over the past few weeks. In Marina di Carrara, they completed their spring series and in Valmadrera, located on the southeastern “fork” of Lago di Como, one of the beautiful mountain lakes in the Italian Alps, they completed their winter series. Here are their latest reports.
Marina di Carrara
With the last six races taking place on Saturday and Sunday, the final weekend of races for the Marina di Carrara Spring Championship saw ten teams competing for class honors on the “Gulf of Poets”.
This time, ITA 215 owned by Vincenzo Mercuri and skippered by James Del Nero won four races, that allowed them to close with event with the overall win with just 16 pts in 12 races.
In second place was ITA 212 JAMAICA skippered by Pietro Diamanti with 21 pts. Following in third place, was ENG 202 TALLY HO owned by Roberta Banfo and skippered by Luca Macchiarini with 30 pts total. Fourth overall was ITA 449 RAZORBILL sailed by Giuseppe Simonelli and fifth was ITA 173 VIOLENTE
Valmadrera- Lago di ComoAt the end of the first five races held between Saturday and Sunday, the provisional standings saw ITA 503 KONG GRIFONE, skippered by Marco Stefanoni leading the event with three bullets and just 5 pts in 5 races! Sitting in second place is ITA 469 BRUSCHETTA skippered by Sergio Agostoni just two points back. And, 5 pts further in arrears in third place is Mauro del Lario Benfatto on his ITA 352 PILGRIM with 10 pts.
"I want to thank the sponsor, the Circolo Vela Tivano and all owners for the two wonderful days of sailing on Lago di Como,” commented del Lario Benfatto. “We are looking forward to a great series with seven more weekends of sailing this summer!” For more Italian J/24 Class sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* Handing Over the Keys to the Future. The first annual J/70 U.S. Youth Championship will take place August 11-13 in Newport, RI. The event is open to 11 teams that had advanced from one of the 11 regional qualifiers, with the goal of the event to promote youth keelboat sailing across America.
Porter Kavle, Will Comerford, Jake Vickers, and Leo Boucher of Annapolis, MD hope to compete in the championship and will be participating in the next qualifier - Charleston Race Week on April 21-23 - thanks to Kristen and Brian Robinson who are loaning them their boat.
“They have helped us out tremendously by introducing us to supporters for the regatta as it is a big undertaking for a bunch of teenagers,” Kavle said.
With Ullman Sails donating the sails to the effort, Kristen Robinson likes their chances. “They’re going to race competitively. I think they are excellent sailors. They could be the team to beat.”
Robinson, now the vice president of USA J/70 Class Association, called Kavle in October 2016 to gauge his interest in competing in the J/70 Corinthian Nationals that was held in Annapolis. With the loan of Ed Furry's boat, Kavle, Comerford and three other juniors placed 12th in a crowded field of 45 entries.
“It was a huge learning experience,” Kavle said. “Lots of big breeze and a large fleet.”
A chance meeting with Robinson in December sparked Kavle’s venture to Charleston. Kavle agreed that he should assemble a team for CRW, with the only issue being he had no boat to sail at the regatta.
“She said that wasn’t a worry as she would loan us her boat for the regatta,” Kavle said. “I thanked her profusely and we got the ball rolling in January to put together a crew.”
If the foursome advances from Charleston, success at the J/70 Youth Champs would provide payback, as the winning team will get usage of a fully equipped J/70, free of charge, for their club - Annapolis Yacht Club - and its membership for twelve months.
“The boat can be used for practice and to train other sailors who are looking to be more competitive in big boat racing,” Kavle said. “We are really excited.”
While loaning their boat to the team for Charleston may seem risky, Robinson is not worried. "I don’t care about the boat — it can be fixed,” she said. “It’s more important to help our sport and foster these kids.”
* Friends Become Rivals in Biennial Classic! Annapolis Yacht Club members Richard Born and Jimmy Praley grew up sailing on big boats with their fathers. Both began by racing on the Chesapeake Bay during elementary school and then graduated to offshore racing as teenagers.
After a lot of dinghy racing in high school and college, Born and Praley eagerly returned to big boat racing and became indispensable crew members for their fathers.
Now, things have come full circle as Born and Praley will each skipper entries in the 2017 Annapolis to Newport Race starting June 2 and 3. The two longtime friends will become competitors in the same class as both will be leading J/120 racing programs.
“My father wants to take a backseat on this one,” Praley said. “He’s not sure how many offshore races he has left and wants me to gain a better understanding about all the logistics in terms of organizing the crew and prepping the boat.”
This will be the sixth Annapolis to Newport Race for Praley, who debuted in 2007 as crew aboard the Santa Cruz 70 Donnybrook. He has served as a watch captain for his father aboard the J/120 Shinnecock for the past four editions of the 475-nautical-mile passage.
“Annapolis to Newport has always been one of my favorite races,” Praley said. “It’s a very challenging, very tactical course. It’s like three races rolled into one because you have the Chesapeake Bay portion, the Atlantic Ocean portion and the Block Island-to-Newport portion.”
Born will never forget his first Annapolis to Newport Race, which came in 1997 aboard the family’s J/35 Grayling. He was 15 years old and was thrilled by his first experience going into the Atlantic.
“Obviously, I really liked it because I’ve been doing offshore racing ever since,” said Born, who completed his first Newport to Bermuda Race in 1998. “Ocean racing isn’t something you can read a book (about). You have to go out there and gain experience.”
Born’s father and namesake bought a J/120 in 2003 and ever since they have been entering A2N in odd years and Newport to Bermuda in even years.
“The old man is backing off a bit,” said Born, who was skipper of Windborn in the 2015 A2N race. “He doesn’t want to be responsible for prepping the boat for going offshore anymore.”
Born and Praley fully understand the importance of proper preparation in advance of an offshore passage. Each is diligently working through the checklist in terms of safety gear and electronics equipment.
“We’re all set in terms of safety features,” Praley said. “We go above and beyond what is actually required. We make sure the majority of the crew has attended the Safety-at-Sea seminar and we have a personal AIS transponder for everyone.”
Praley has already met with his sailmaker to select Shinnecock’s inventory for A2N and has been researching housing in Newport for the crew. His father taught the importance of choosing the crew.
“I think the most important element is making sure you have a group of sailors aboard that get along,” Jimmy Praley said. “You have seven or eight people crammed into tight quarters for three or four days so it’s critical to have good chemistry and a cohesive group.”
Praley, a Key School graduate and four-year varsity letterman with the Tufts University sailing team, admits to feeling the weight of responsibility that comes with holding the title of skipper.
“Ultimately, you’re responsible for safety and well-being of the entire crew so it’s definitely an eye-opener,” he said. “I’m fortunate that my father has been a great teacher over the years. Up until this point, he has been the final decision-maker. Now that job falls to me. Like my father, I’ll always seek out and value the input of others.”
Born, 35, and Praley, 32, are shining examples of the evolution that serves as lifeblood for a respected institution such as Annapolis Yacht Club, graduating from junior members to active adult members. They each have represented AYC in team racing events all over the U.S. and United Kingdom.
Born and Praley were fortunate their fathers encouraged them to pursue ocean racing. Organizers of A2N established the Youth Challenge Trophy to encourage the next generation of offshore competitors. Skippers interested in vying for the trophy must race with a crew that includes a minimum of three sailors under 25 years old at the race’s start. Service academy entries are not eligible for this challenge.
Testing Life, a Tartan 46 skippered by Brian Mulhall of Ocean City, N.J., was presented the inaugural Youth Challenge Trophy following the 2015 Annapolis to Newport Race.
“That was our most important trophy,” said Mulhall, who had his 19-year-old son Cameron and a pair of St. Mary’s College students aboard. “We run a program with Ten Commandments, and right at the top is that we are always looking to introduce young people to the sport of sailboat racing.” Thanks for contribution from Jake Linger at Annapolis YC.
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. Add to Flipboard Magazine.
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