J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
There was epic offshore racing taking place both in Europe and in America this past week. Taking place in the notorious North Sea and the English Channel was the RORC North Sea Race; it was a fast & furious affair for the seventy-nine-boat fleet, with most excellent performances by J/122s and J/109s, especially in the IRC Doublehanded class. On the same weekend, the Royal Thames YC hosted the 2019 J/70 Southern Area Championship on The Solent, off Cowes, Isle of Wight, England for a fleet of eighteen J/70s. Off to the east on the continent, the Swiss J/70 Sailing League took place off Lucerne, Switzerland for eighteen sailing clubs from across the country on the Urnersee Lake. Nearby in France, the Grand Prix Ecole de Navale took place off Brest, France for a competitive fleet of twenty-nine J/80s.Across the Atlantic to the eastern seaboard of America, the Cedar Point YC hosted their annual One-Design Regatta for fleets of the J/70s, J/88s, J/105s, and J/109s on Long Island Sound. Then, Port Credit YC on Lake Ontario hosted the Susan Hood Trophy Race for IRC/ PHRF handicap divisions that had a J/122, J/120, J/35, J/92, plus a singlehanded division that had a J/112E and J/109. South of them, Hampton YC in Hampton, VA hosted the Southern Bay Race Week for PHRF handicap racing that included J/111, J/109, J/29, J/30, J/24 and J/70 one-design fleet. Off to the Midwest, Columbia YC in Chicago, IL hosted the Skyway COLORS Regatta for one-design fleets of J/88s, J/105s, J/109s, J/111, and J/112E and J/120 in PHRF Handicap. Out on the West Coast were three epic events. The California Offshore Race Week concluded its three race series that started in San Francisco Bay; it was comprised of the Spinnaker Cup (San Francisco to Monterrey), the Coastal Cup (Monterrey to Santa Barbara), and the SoCal 300 (Santa Barbara to San Diego). A J/125 had a thrilling finale! While the J/125 was “hanging ten”, the California YC hosted their annual Cal Race Week and provided great racing for the J/24, J/70, and J/109 one-design classes. Finally, another downhill sleigh ride took place on San Francisco Bay, the Delta Ditch Run- a 65.0nm dash from Richmond, CA to Stockton, CA, was hosted by the Stockton Sailing Club; a J/70 had an amazing run!
Landsail Tyres J-Cup Announcement(Hamble, England)- The Landsail Tyres J-Cup, organized by the Royal Southern Yacht Club, by invitation of Key Yachting UK, is set to be a special event. The 2019 edition will run alongside the J/70 UK Class Training Event, incorporating the UK Grand Slam Series, part of the build up to the first J/70 World Championship to be held in the UK. Racing action is expected to be exciting and highly competitive, especially in the J/109 and J/88 Classes, which will decide their respective UK National Championships. From July 18th to 20th, up to nine races are scheduled on tight Solent courses over three days of scintillating action and legendary parties.
A Welcome BBQ on the eve of the regatta will be followed by daily video debriefs from experts at North Sails, along with daily prize givings for boats of the day, and crew suppers. The grande finale will be the J-Cup Gala Dinner on Saturday 20th July held at the Royal Southern YC Clubhouse, on the banks of the Hamble River, with live music from the Soul Lounge Band!
Early entries for the J/111 Class include three teams from the host club, the Royal Southern YC; Louise Makin & Chris Jones JOURNEYMAKER II (J/111 UK National Champion), Tony Mack's McFLY, and Simon Grier-Jones' SNOW LEOPARD. They will be joined by Jan van Berne's RED HERRING from the Haarlemsche Yacht Club, Netherlands.
The J/109 UK National Championship has provided some of the closest racing in the J-Cup. Mike & Susie Yates JAGO and Simon Perry's JIRAFFE will be racing for the host club. Christopher Preston's JUBILEE will be flying the burgee of the Royal Yacht Squadron, and Andi Radburn's RED ARROW will be representing the RAF Sailing Association.“The J-Cup is the National Championships for the J/109 class and a fantastic opportunity to enjoy being part of the extended J-Boat family,” commented Simon Perry. “We love the rapid fire windward/leeward racing and are expecting to follow that with dock parties and of course the class Annual General Meeting. It’s the high point of the J/109 Calendar and we’re hoping for strong participation. It is always a great event with a very special atmosphere.”
In the J/92 Class, Robin Stevenson's UPSTART returns having won last year by a single point from NIGHT JAR, which will also be racing this year, sailed by Penny Jeffcoate. Alan Macleod's SAMURAI J, representing the Cove Sailing Club, will travel over 500 miles to take part. Six teams are currently entered for the J/92 Class.
2018 J/97 National Champion, Bob and Jon Baker's JAYWALKER, returns to action. Early J/88 entries include Dirk & Dianne van Beek's SABRIEL Jr and Gavin Howe's much travelled TIGRIS.
All J/Boats are invited to attend the Landsail Tyres J-Cup to race in the one-design fleets or under IRC. For more Landsail Tyres J-Cup sailing information
J/46 Rendezvous Announcement
(Camden, Maine)- There must be some magic alchemy in the combination of one of the worlds greatest cruising destinations (Camden, Maine on Penobscot Bay), the spectacular Camden Classics Cup Regatta, and a bunch of enthusiastic J/46 owners.
Last year’s event organizer, Tom Babbitt (Party Master in Chief), while thinking deep thoughts on his J/46 BRAVO in Antigua, suggested to some J/46 friends by email back in 2018 that they gather for the Classics Cup and race one design, with a modest handicap for deep draft boats. When BRAVO arrived back in Camden from the Caribbean on May 21st, there was a one-design fleet registered consisting of four boats. It was a fabulous series, with great racing and very special after race parties and activities.Word spread fast after last year’s J/46 Rendezvous and this year, months before the 2019 event, TEN J/46 s are already registered!
On registration day July 25th, we will meet at 1630 at Lyman Morse at Wayfarer for a J/46 Owners Forum. It will be a “meet and greet” to discuss our favorite modifications, repairs and enhancements as well as reach out for solutions to unsolved mysteries. After each race, we will attempt to have a Skipper’s Debrief where all can share their brilliant and not-so-brilliant decisions on the water.
The one-design rules, taking into account that J/46 owners are cruisers (first and foremost), are as follows:
- Suitable anchor and chain in the bow
- Dodger up
- #3 jibs only, no spinnakers
- autopilots, electric winches permitted
- outboards, biminis, bikinis, and grills on the stern rail are not required, but encouraged
- single handed, doubled handed, or a whole gang of crew- all good
- shoal draft boats favored by 9 seconds per mile handicap
- no other rating penalties
Chicago NOOD Regatta Preview
(Chicago, IL)- The 2019 Helly Hansen National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta series returns to Chicago Yacht Club with more than 130 teams competing in 13 separate fleets, beginning an action-packed summer of sailboat racing on Lake Michigan. The regatta is one of the highlights of the summer for one-design classes of J/70, J/88, J/105, J/109, J/111, and PHRF handicap racing for the North Sails Rally.
In the J/70 fleet, John Heaton (Wilmette, IL) is looking to use the Chicago NOOD Regatta to shake off the winter rust and get back to racing. The J/70 is one of the hottest classes in the world, and serves as the perfect platform for new and experienced sailors to race in large, competitive fleets. Heaton’s normal crew isn’t available for this event, so he’s enlisted professional sail makers and world champion sailors Tim Healy and Zeke Horowitz to continue to work on his boatspeed.
“We always use the NOOD as a way to keep learning the boat,” says Heaton. “There’s so many good sailors in the fleet that you have to keep pushing yourself. Tim [Healy] has already taught us a lot about these boats, and we’re excited to get him back on the water to keep plugging away.”
Heaton was one of the first Chicago-area owners to purchase a J/70, which debuted in 2012 and has witnessed the rapid growth of the class worldwide. “We’re still building the local fleet in Chicago,” says Heaton. “It’s great getting the out-of-town boats coming in for a three-day event right here in our backyard. It's a very well-traveled fleet, so we’re excited to get some national-level talent out on Lake Michigan.”Other top teams that will be challenging Heaton’s recent success will be Steve Knoop’s AMERICAN FLYER, Mark & Sarah Renz’s BERTEAU GROUP, Amy Neill’s NITEMARE, Leif & Laura Sigmond’s NORBOY, Pam Rose’s ROSEBUD, and Buddy Cribb’s VICTORY.
For Len Siegal (Chicago, IL), the NOOD will serve as the start of what promises to be a busy season of racing in the J/111 fleet. “Since the NOOD comes so early in the season, it makes everyone get ready for a major one-design event right off the bat,” says Siegal. “It’s good for building enthusiasm early on, and for us, it will be a warm-up for the other big events this year.”
Many teams from the Chicago-area J/111 fleet will also be competing in Chicago Yacht Club’s Race to Mackinac in July, as well as the Verve Cup and the J/111 World Championship in August. “It’s going to be a big year for us,” says Siegal. “I didn’t sail that much last year, so I’m looking forward to getting back into it this year. We have some new crew onboard, so it’s great having a regatta like the NOOD to get everyone up to speed.”
Siegal’s LUCKY DUBIE team will be facing a very strong contingent of teams for the J/111 podium, such as past winners KASHMIR (Mike Mayer & Steve Henderson), Kevin Saedi & Raman Yousefi’s MOMENTUS, Rich Witzel’s ROWDY (winner of the COLORS Regatta last weekend), and Jeff Davis’ SHAMROCK (a J/111 Midwinter Champion).
The J/88 class will have a number of hot teams vying for one-design supremacy, including Andy & Sarah Graff’s EXILE (winner of the 88 class in the COLORS Regatta), Tod Patton’s BLONDIE 2, Ben Marden’s BANTER, and John & Jordan Leahey’s DUTCH.
The J/105 class will most likely see a battle royale between a trio of boats; Clark Pellett’s SEALARK, Gyt Petkus’ VYTIS, and Jon Weglarz’s THE ASYLUM.
With ten-boats, the J/109 class is out in force with a number of familiar names that will certainly be a factor at the top of the leaderboard. Those teams include Jim Murray’s CALLISTO, Peter Priede’s FULL TILT, Robert Evan’s GOAT RODEO (Chicago-Mac winner), Scott Sims SLAPSHOT II, David Gustman’s NORTHSTAR, and Jack & Jim Tolliver’s VANDA III.
Over in the handicap world, PHRF 2 Class will see two J/35’s do battle for the top spots, Rick Stage’s ALPHA PUPPY and Dan Leslie’s NOMATA. In the North Sails Rally PHRF Division are four J/crews; Ben Lumpkin’s J/112E MARY GAIL, Frank Giampoli’s J/120 JAHAZI, Rick Reed’s J/35 OB LA DI, and Jay Butler’s J/44 CHEEP N DEEP II. In the North Sails Rally ORR Division are three J/crews; David Hughes’ J/100 BARRACUDA, Jim Gignac’s J/130 SALSA, and Mitchell Weisman’s J/35 FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER. For more Chicago NOOD Regatta sailing information
Bermuda One-Two Race Preview
(Newport, RI)- Hosted by Newport Yacht Club in Rhode Island and the St. George’s Dinghy & Boat Club in Bermuda, the 635.0nm Bermuda One-Two Race is one of the premiere shorthanded races in the USA. For the twenty-nine-boat fleet, the race starts on June 8th at 11:00 AM in Narragansett Bay. The first leg is singlehanded out to Bermuda, the second doublehanded leg back to Newport starts on June 20th.
Three J/Crews are participating in the event. There are two J/120s, Josh Reisberg’s ABILYN (with crew of Sam Cox) and Thomas Amory’s FLOW (with crew of Robert Patenaude). Also sailing is David Southwell’s J/121 ALCHEMY (with crew of Scott Meier). Go to the website, track them, and cheer them on! For more Bermuda One-Two Race sailing information
Farallones Race Preview
(San Francisco, CA)- The San Francisco YC and YRA of San Francisco Bay are hosting their annual Farallones Race for both full and shorthanded crews this coming weekend. The 65.0nm sprint from a start inside the Bay out around the infamous Farallones Rocks will see seventy-five teams on the starting line Saturday morning. Ten J/crews are participating in the race from a J/88 up to a J/160.
There are five J/120’s that will be going head-to-head for PHRF class honors, including Timo Bruck’s TWIST, Mike Clarke’s SHENANIGANS, Steve Madeira’s MR MAGOO, Sean Mulvihill’s JAMANI, and David Halliwill’s PEREGRINE. They will be joined by Mario Wijtman’s J/105 J-TRIPPER sailing Doublehanded, Zach Anderson’s J/125 VELVET HAMMER (recent Cal Offshore Week winner), Kevin Mills’ J/36 DAWNS EARLY LIGHT, Steve Gordon’s J/88 INCONCEIVABLE, and Doug McClafin’s J/160 HANA HOU sailing Singlehanded. For more Farallones Race sailing information For more San Francisco YC sailing information
Lady Liberty Cup Regatta Preview
(New York Harbor, NY)- The first Lady Liberty Regatta was held at Manhattan Yacht Club in 1989. The original event name was the “Betsy Ross Bowl” and it was held in conjunction with the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Week. In 2019, Manhattan YC has relaunched this great tradition of women’s teams racing in front of one of the world’s most famous icons, the Statue of Liberty.
There are a total of a dozen teams sailing in the regatta in Manhattan YC’s fleet of matched one-design J/24s. Those teams include a range of top women sailors that have National, North American, and World Championship credentials. Here are the extraordinary women’s teams that will be lining up this weekend:
- Danielle Gallo, Jennifer Taylor, Sandy Krasovec, Amy Elliott, Jeanine McHugh from Manhattan YC
- Katie Morgan, Linda Kaiser, Andrea Sengara, Deiane Abajos, Tricia Lynch, Lainey Battiston from Manhattan YC
- Michele Cimon, Cathy Shaw, Amanda Bolle, Emma Mendenhall, Anna Huebschmann from Nepean Sailing Club- Ottawa, Canada
- Jess Harris & Erica Beck Spencer, Karen Renzulli Fallon, Hillary Noble, Kim Calnan, Barbara Gold from Portland YC- Portland, ME
- Natalie Harden, Rachel Loziuk, Molly MacMillan White, Sally Lloyd, Chandler Self, Eliza Price from Austin YC- Austin, TX
- Lee Ann Zaretsky, Lois Breen, Linda Bowen, Leah Bourne, Emily Fisher, Shelly Strachen from Rochester YC- Rochester, NY
- Ginjer Yachechak, Kaci Yachechak, Valerie Bucholtz, Melanie Edwards, Ashli Slawter from CYC Seattle- Seattle, WA
- Florence Rodriguez, Rebekah Holmes, Brigette Croke, Megan Roach, Cay Rose from Houston, TX
- Casey Firth, Lyzz Schwegler, Colleen Roney, Molly Houston from Tred Avon Yacht Club- Washington, DC
- MacKenzie McGuckin, Kara Troxler, Lisa Kennedy, Robyn Philip-Norton, Sophie Delacourt from Seawanhaka Corinthian YC- Oyster Bay, NY
- Robin Van Vliet, Jennifer McKenna, Melissa Litwicke, Lisa Kitchin, Diedre Collins from Richmond Yacht Club- Pt Richmond, CA
- Katie White, Bethanie Maples, Laura Levy, Gaby Ververs, Kathleya Afanador from St. Francis YC- San Francisco, CA
J/24 Starts Race 2 Alaska!
(Vancouver, BC)- “June's arrival in the Pacific Northwest is a special time thanks to the area's unique sailing scene that includes events such as the Van Isle 360 (odd-numbered years), the Victoria to Maui International Yacht Race (even-numbered years), and the annual Race to Alaska (R2AK), the latter of which began yesterday (Monday, June 3) on the waters off of Port Townsend, Washington. While the former two races are exciting, the R2AK's rules add a significant level of commitment by forbidding competitors from sailing with engines. And we're not talking the honor system here: to be eligible to compete in the R2AK, a boat cannot carry auxiliary power, irrespective of the rocky and remote lee shores (sometimes populated with grizzly bears) that are part of the R2AK experience.
The first obstacle to overcome is the Johnstone Straits (yes, same family/ relative). A foreboding, long, narrow, body of water everyone must transit heading north, famous for powerful, gusty winds rolling off towering snow-capped peaks and even stronger currents with a few tidal whirlpools thrown in.
Then, after going north past the Johnstone Straits, there's the even more formidable Seymour Narrows. This is a very narrow channel just north of the British Columbian fishing town of Campbell River, where tidal swings can generate up to 15 knots of current, and where even whales are said to wait for favorable waters to make their passage!!
So, it's fair to say that travelling to Alaska under human power (R2AK rules allow for paddles, peddle-driven propellers and sails) adds a significant complicating factor to the race while also testing each competitor's commitment to the dream with ample exposure to cold water, notoriously fickle winds, and plenty of hard-won local knowledge.
Then there's the obvious: cold, hypothermia-inducing water, wilderness coastlines, wild-card weather, and a serious need for self-sustainability.
On Thursday, June 6 at 12:00pm, the fleet will begin the 710 nautical mile leg to Ketchikan, which is first marked by the all-out sprint to make it through Seymour Narrows before the tidal window shuts and the current machine forces boats to circle above the whales. Then comes the dash for the $10,000 cash prize (and Ketchikan).
Amongst the fleet will be a team of young men sailing on a J/24, a first for this race. In the 40.0nm “qualifier”, Team MBR (McGuffin Brothers Racing) finished just 2 hours behind the fastest 30-foot trimaran. Last year’s winners, the all-women Sail Like A Girl M32 team finished just 45 minutes ahead (they finished 7th). It was a gear-buster, people-buster of a race, with winds gusting to 35 kts on the nose and big seas. The weather was so bad, that over half the fleet did not even “start” on the first day, as you had 36 hours to make the crossing across the capricious Straits of Juan de Fuca.
Who is Team MGR? It was founded by twin brothers living on Saltspring Island, B.C. and racing out of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club. Cianan McGuffin, Finn McGuffin, Callum McGuffin, and Duncan Macdonald comprise the four-person team. Powered by the wind and oars, they will fight on in the grand tradition of the race to discover more about themselves, their inner souls, their tenaciousness, and the world around them. We wish them well.” Thanks for contribution from Sail-World.com’s North American Editor- David Schmidt. Follow TEAM MBR’s exploits on Instagram here Here is Team MBR’s website For more R2AK sailing information and tracking information
Regatta & Show Schedules:
Jun 7-9- Helly Hansen Chicago NOOD Regatta- Chicago, ILJun 7-15- Rolex Giraglia Cup Regatta- St. Tropez, France
Jun 8- Bermuda One-Two Race- Newport, RI
Jun 8- Farallones Race- San Francisco, CA
Jun 8-9- Lady Liberty Cup J/24 Regatta- New York Harbor, NY
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
J/122s Crush Fast & Furious RORC North Sea Race
J/Domination in ORC 1, IRC 2 and ORC/IRC Doublehanded Classes!
(Harwich, England)- Fine weather and solid breeze provided fast downwind and reaching conditions for the fifth race of the RORC Season's Points Championship. The 180.0nm race from Harwichport, England to Scheveningen, The Netherlands was a very closely fought race as there were not many places to hide, just set it and forget it and go like hell!
The seventy-nine-boat fleet started at 1100 BST on Friday 31 May. Hosted by the Royal Harwich Yacht Club, the North Sea Race started outside Harwich and meandered around the Galloper wind farm before heading north to Smith’s Knoll Buoy and across English Channel to the famous sailing city of The Hague and the Scheveningen Yacht Club.
Close to a dozen J/teams are participating in ORC/ IRC and the Doublehanded divisions in the race, including most of the top Dutch and Belgian teams that won their Benelux doublehanded championships in 2018. Many of them reveled in the fast-sailing conditions.
IRC Two and IRC Double Handed was won by the J/122E AJETO, sailed by Robin Verhoef (NED) & John Van Der Starre (NED). The Dutch duo scored a memorable victory in IRC Two finishing ahead of the fully-crewed, all-pro, JPK 11.80 Courrier Recommande, sailed by the famous French offshore champion- Gery Trentesaux (FRA). Third was yet another J/122 duo on JUNIQUE/ RAYMARINE SAILING TEAM, also sailed Two-Handed by Chris Revelman (NED) & Pascal Bakker (NED). AJETO also scored a notable win over one of the Netherland's top short-handed sailors, Erik van Vuuren (NED) racing the new W36 Hubo. Fifth in IRC 2 was Wim van Slooten’s J/109 FIRESTORM.
“Gery Trentesaux and Erik van Vuuren are two of the world's best. However, that will not stop me telling my grandchildren about this victory,” smiled AJETO’s John Van Der Starre. “As always, we pushed AJETO really hard together. It is wonderful to race with Robin; the atmosphere when we sail together is just fantastic. We will be racing in our fifth Fastnet later this year. It will be a really tough competition, but win or lose I know we will both enjoy the challenge.”
In the ORC Doublehanded Class, the J/teams nearly swept the class. Winning was the J/122E AJETO, followed by the J/122 JUNIQUE/ RAYMARINE SAILING TEAM in 3rd, Michel Hof’s J/122 AMBITION in 4th and the J/109 FIRESTORM in 5th. In the ORC 1 Class (both full-crew and doublehanders), the J/122E AJETO took 2nd, the J/122 JUNIQUE 3rd, the J/122 AMBITION 5th. In ORC 2 Class, the J/109 FIRESTORM was 2nd and Rutger Krijger’s J/109 JACK RABBIT was 4th. Then, in ORC Overall, the finished in the same order, but taking 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 7th, respectively. For more RORC North Sea Race sailing information
J/125 Hammers Fast Coastal Cup Race
(Santa Barbara, CA)- The 2019 Coastal Cup was the fastest race in the recent five year history of the event, with new elapsed time, ORR corrected, and ORRez corrected times established by three different boats. In fact, the first 15 finishers all eclipsed the previous record from 2017. But, for those that didn't finish by about 1100 on Tuesday, the wind shut down and the last few boats struggled to reach the line despite the excellent racing over 90% of the course.
Prior to 2015, the race was started in San Francisco and had finishes in Santa Barbara and Catalina. Then, five years ago, the race was changed to start in Monterey to fit into the CA Offshore Race Week.
Zachery Anderson and the crew of J/125 VELVET HAMMER continued their excellent race week by setting the ORR corrected time record for the Coastal Cup at 17h 25m 23s, well below the Catapult's 2017 time by more than 5.5 hours. VELVET HAMMER currently leads the CA Offshore Race Week standings in class and overall. They will line up in an 11-boat class for the SoCal 300 and try to continue their success down to San Diego starting Thursday.
Santa Barbara Yacht Club opened their doors to competitors on a normally closed-to-business Tuesday and the sailors warmed up from a cold night on the ocean on the sunny deck of SBYC. Next up is the In-Port Wednesday night racing hosted by SBYC, a BBQ dinner on the beach with music and awards for the Port race and the Coastal Cup. Sailing photo credits- Sharon Green/ Ultimate Sailing For more California Offshore Race Week sailing information
J’s Cruise in Armen Race
(La Trinite sue Mer, France)- The Societe Nautique de La Trinite sur Mer hosted their annual Armen Race, a 210.0nm offshore “sausage-style” course that starts off La Trinite, heads out into the Bay of Biscay, and rounds a mark off Cape Finisterre at the entrance to the English Channel (La Manche) and return to the finish off La Trinite. It can be a grueling course and this year it took most of the 35 to 40 footers around 60 to 65 hours to complete the course- approximately a 3.45 kt average (no wonder there were a lot of DNF’s in the race!).
Over a dozen J/Teams participated in the race, with most finishing the difficult and challenging weather conditions. In the end, there was an excellent showing in IRC B Class. Winning was the J/122E MUSIX, skippered by Phillipe Baetz from the host club SN Trinite sur Mer. A fellow club member took the silver, the J/120 HEY JUDE, skippered by Phillipe Girardin. Not far off their pace was the J/120 LADY JANE, skippered by P. Tostivint from CN Pornic, ending up in 7th place. For more SNTM Armen Race sailing information
J/125 Wins SoCal 300, Wins CORA Series
(San Diego, CA)- The SoCal 300 was created in 2015 as a race hosted by Santa Barbara Yacht Club and San Diego Yacht Club to provide a long coastal race with differing and challenging conditions. Now in its 5th year, the race is as popular as ever with a record 38 boats having competed in 7 classes in 2019. Many Southern California boats use the race as a Transpac Race qualifier (must sail a 150nm race or passage in year prior to Transpac with a specified number of the same crew on board). Additionally, teams from Northern California make their way through the CA Offshore Race Week and conclude the series with the SoCal 300.
SDYC's Manny Gomez has been the race chairman for the SoCal 300 for two years, and was excited to see such a great turnout in 2019.
"I am so proud to have welcomed 28 teams to SDYC for the 5th running of the SoCal 300 and the inaugural CA 500. I want to thank SDYC for supporting our idea with the CA 500 and continuing to support the SoCal 300. Each of the teams found the race challenging in the beginning, and lighter towards San Diego. I wish all the best to all of the teams who used this race as a Transpac warm up and wish them well to Hawaii,” commented Gomez.
Zachery Anderson’s J/125 VELVET HAMMER had an incredible week competing in the full 3 race series and winning the overall CA Offshore Race Week title. They were in the series class against Maverick and Alive, chasing them down the coast all week long. In the end, the title was theirs as they had the best corrected time in the SoCal 300 of all series participants.
“The whole race week was ideal,” commented Anderson. “Each race of the series provided different challenges and conditions. It was special to leave the San Francisco Bay and sail down the coast with the whales. For us, Coastal Cup was the highlight. The conditions were perfect for the J/125. We were up on the step for hours. It was spectacular to have sustained boat speeds in the teens and twenties all night. For the SoCal 300 we transitioned to 5 crew in the prep for our Transpac run this summer. The race was like a mini-Transpac, big breeze and reaching off the coast, then a nice downwind run. We went into this race as a tune-up for Transpac and the first major offshore racing we have done on the J/125. I am so proud of the Velvet Hammer crew was able to win the CORW. We are going into Transpac with a full head of steam.”
The SoCal 300 is unique in the way it is scored using 3 separate legs, plus the full start to finish being the 4th leg for scoring purposes. The original idea was to take the differing conditions of the race from SB to the islands, the run down to the turning buoy and the race to the finish and score the competition as 3 legs plus the 4th leg being the full start to finish of the race (worth 1.5 points). So a “perfect” score would be 1 + 1 + 1 + 1.5 = 4.5 points. Many competitors enjoy the leg scoring concept, seeing how they perform on different legs with their unique conditions and racing lines, so expect to see this scoring concept continue.
One way that this scoring is made possible is the technology of the YB Tracking race trackers. All four races in the Race Week were tracked live with 15-minute updates and can be replayed here: https://yb.tl/corw2019.
San Diego Yacht Club has been working with YB Tracking for almost a decade, providing race trackers for all boats racing in the Island Race, SoCal 300, and Puerto Vallarta Race. The trackers have the ability to ping a boat’s crossing of a GPS line, so all scoring uses the location and timing pings from a boat’s tracker to determine the leg finish/start times. The competitors are asked to document their own perceived crossings for verification and backup in case there is an issue with the tracker on board. Over the last few years, the concept has been proven successful and will continue to allow offshore racing to dial in the courses including virtual finish lines farther out to sea, rather than relying on marks or buoys.
SD Boatworks’ David and Julie Servais were integral in creating the SoCal 300 in 2015 on behalf of San Diego Yacht Club, and continue to support the event as a sponsor in 2019. SD Boatworks will also be supporters of the Transpac Race this summer.
“We are so thrilled to see the SoCal 300 continue to grow,” said David Servais. “From its inception in 2015, to its incorporation into Offshore Race Week, this race is quickly becoming a world class event. As a lead in to the Transpac Race, there is no better way to test your equipment and your crew. This year is truly special give the huge entry list for Transpac. We are pleased to announce that in order to better support the racers making this journey we will be on station in Rainbow Harbor from July 5-13. We will have our SD Boatworks mobile rig shop, featuring Marlow Ropes and hardware from Harken and Spinlock on site right in front of Gladstone’s restaurant." Sailing photo credits- Sharon Green/ Ultimate Sailing For more California Offshore Race Week sailing information
SOAK RACING Eclipses J/70 Southern Areas
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- Eight races were held in champagne conditions for eighteen J/70 teams in The Solent. Bright sunshine and a huge range of wind conditions provided spectacular racing with fun-filled social events all organized by the Royal Thames Yacht Club. 2017 UK National Champions, Ian Wilson & Marshall King's Soak Racing scored all podium finishes including five bullets to win the regatta and lift the Myosotis Cutter Cup.
“To be honest, the results flattered us,” commented Ian Wilson. “The J/70 UK fleet is getting faster and smarter, which is great to see. I think it is very important for the leading UK teams to race in the Solent because it does bring on the competition, and that pushes everybody on for a better performance. The Royal Thames event is a great won to win because it means you go to the their end of season prize giving, it took me two days to recover after the last one!”
In second place was John Greenland's J-DOG, flying the colors of the Royal Thames, the team was racing one of the J/70s owned by the RTYC, four of which are available for charter. Despite not winning a race, Greenland's team was only out of the top five in one race during the eight race series.
Graham Clapp's JEEPSTER representing the Royal Southern YC started the regatta with a bullet and went on to score two more podium finishes, and no worse than eighth in the series resulted in third for the regatta.
In addition to the top three teams, six more teams made the race podium during the regatta. Finishing fourth was Niklas Zennstrom's RAN, his first-ever major regatta in a J/70, the same team that has won the Maxi 72 and TP52 World Championships. Fifth place went to Joshua Flack's ELIZABETH, 6th to Patrick Liardet's COSMIC, 7th to Simon Cavey's JUST-4-PLAY, 8th to Tara Gill-Taylor's RTYC Academy, and 9th to Phil Rys' BRYN.
The 2019 J/70 UK Grand Slam Series continues 18-20 July with Round 5- the J/70 UK Class Training Event, organized by the Royal Southern Yacht Club. For more information. For more UK J/70 Class sailing information
SNG Tops Swiss J/70 Sailing League- Act II
(Lucerne, Switzerland)- The Urnersee lived up to its reputation as a windy sailing area, providing the best sailing for the Swiss J/70 Sailing League season so far with up to 20 kt winds over the weekend of racing for the eighteen teams in attendance.
The Société Nautique de Genève team (skipper Nicolas Anklin, with crew of Bryan Mettraux, Mathieu Fischer and Alexis Mégevand) dominated this second round of the National Sailing League. The Geneva team won 6 of their 9 races. The duel for second place was won the Regattaclub Oberhofen team (skipper Stefan Seger and crew of Simon Brügger, Elianne Böni and Jürg Aeschlimann ) with a runaway victory in their last race, enabling them to beat the third place team of YC Bielersee.As undisputed winners of this great sailing event, SN Geneve team also take over the lead for the overall Swiss J/70 Sailing League series in a tie-breaker at 31 pts each. Now sitting in second overall on the tie-breaker countback is Bordée de Tribord - La Neuveville, with Regattaclub Bodensee in third with 35 pts.
For more Swiss J/70 Sailing League information
COURRIER ECOLE NAVALE Smoke J/80s @ GPEN(Brest, France)- From May 30th to June 2nd, the Grand Prix Ecole de Navale took place in the spectacular Atlantic waters off Brest, France. Twenty-nine J/80s took to the starting line and, after three thrilling days of racing, managed to sail eight races.
Winning the regatta was Pierre Laouenan’s COURRIER ECOLE NAVALE with crew of Eric Brezellec, Christian Ponthieu, Jean Queveau, and Tiphaine Ragueneau. Winning five of their eight races, Laouenan’s crew proved dominant, taking the series by six points with a total score of 12 pts net. Taking the silver on the podium was a familiar top French crew, Simon Moriceau’s ARMEN HABITAT, with crew of Vincent Guillarm, Paul Medinger, Nicolas Le Berre, and Titouan Le Dem. Rounding out the podium in the bronze medal position was top French woman skipper Anne Phelipon and her crew on NAVIGATLANTIQUE (Christine Briand, Thomas Haddouche, Loig Leon, and Celine Adam). The rest of the top five included Luc Nadal’s GANJA in 4th and Remy Hurdiel’s SPORT BUSINESS CLUB LA MOBILERY in 5th position.
On Friday, the crews experienced a delay due to a persistent fog. It was a chance for some crews to reflect on why they enjoyed sailing their J/80s.
According to French Naval Admiral Philippe Coindreau, renowned for his long military career, “it's always frustrating to be aboard and stay at the dock. But, such things happen. This is the 12th edition of GPEN that I have sailed. I really enjoy racing my J/80, it is a great class. I enjoy the pleasure of competition in the J/80. This is a strict monotype, which is very nice because it allows you to fight on equal terms. Over the years, we find on the circuit the same teams and we establish strong links between us."
This team spirit and fraternity can also draw parallels between the world of sailing and that of the Navy. "It is not without reason that the French Navy decided to make sailing one of its favorite sports. The qualities that are necessary for the sailors are similar to those of the Navy members; the ability to work as a team, toughness and endurance. And then, there is the absolute need for humility. It's undeniable, in regattas, we all learn to be humble,” remarked Admiral Coindreau. At the end of the first day, his J/80 team on HARIS was sitting in a humble 14th overall. For more Grand Prix Ecole Navale sailing information
Great Sailing Action @ Cal Race Week(Marina del Rey, CA)- As their signature event of the summer sailing season, California Yacht Club's Cal Race Week managed to provide the passionate and enthusiastic sailors with two good days of racing and from 5 to 6 races per fleet. For the assembled masses of J/sailors, that meant great racing for the J/24, J/70, and J/109 one-design classes.
Dominating the fourteen-boat J/70 fleet was Bruce Golison’s MIDLIFE CRISIS (as past J/70 West Coast Champion); Bruce had mentioned that it was going to be great practice for the 2020 J/70 World Championship that will be held in Long Beach, CA. If the Midlifer’s record of four bullets in six races is any indication of how serious Golison is taking his “pre-Worlds” practice, watch out! Joining them on the podium was Terry Layton’s TERREAWAY from San Francisco in second and Jeff Janov’s MINOR THREAT from the host Cal YC in third. Rounding out the top five were Jim Cunningham’s LIFTED and Jim Murrell’s HUCKLEBERRY in 4th and 5th, respectively.
In the J/24 class, Deke Klatt’s JADED left no stone unturned in their somewhat dominant performance in the series, counting just first places to win the class. Second was Susan Taylor’s TAKE FIVE, one of the top woman sailors on the west coast. Then, holding onto the bronze was Claudia Gottstein’s WITHIN REACH, another emerging, talented woman sailor.
There was yet another dominant performance in the J/109 class, with Heinz Butner’s RAPTOR from Long Beach YC winning four races enroute to taking the class title. Second was Peter Nelson’s SPRAY from host California YC and third was taken by Jack Mayer’s ZEPHYR from Del Rey YC.
Doing some serious damage to their competitors in the PHRF handicap world were three J fanatics. In PHRF C Class, David Boatner’s J/35 RIVAL (a past overall winner of the event!) posted straight bullets to win by a country furlong.
However, things were not so clear-cut in PHRF D Class. Jon Haney’s J/105 JOYRIDE ended up winning class on a tie-breaker at 15 pts each. Then, just one point back to take the bronze was Lenny Gordon’s J/92 SUNSHINE. Sailing photo credits- Sharon Green/ Ultimate Sailing For more Cal Race Week sailing information
Challenging Cedar Point One-Design Regatta(Cedar Point, CT)- No question, sailors from the northeast enjoyed that awesome and elusive combination of fun, serious sailing, and great camaraderie ashore. The Cedar Point Yacht Club’s One-Design Regatta provided up to seven races for most of the J/Classes participating- the J/70s, J/88s, J/105s, and J/109s- that represented 82% of the event.
Oivind Lorentzen’s NINE, counting three bullets in their five-race record eclipsed the eleven-boat J/70 class. Second was Josh Goldman’s BUILDING A and third was John & Molly Baxter’s TEAM VINEYARD VINES. Rounding out the top five were John & Marisa Koten’s PLANET CLAIRE and Eddie Keller’s KEY PLAYER, finishing 4th & 5th, respectively.
It was a duel by two long-time class stalwarts in the eight-boat J/88 class. In a regatta that came down to the wire, it was Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION edging out Mike Bruno’s WINGS by just one point to take the class win. Third was Kevin Marks’ VELOCITY.
An epic struggle evolved in the eight-boat J/105 class for the top five teams, with all of them finishing within one point of each other and having to survive TWO tie-breakers. After six races, three teams were tied on 14 pts each for the podium, a near mathematical improbability. That trio of boats were Harald Edegran & Jeremy Henderson’s CONUNDRUM, Frank Latawiec’s ATARAXIS, and Max Kalehoff’s LAURA BEA; on countback, they finished in that order on the podium! The balance of the top five was also a tie-breaker on 15 pts each; Randy Bourne’s STRANGE BREW and Gardner Horan’s CUSH, finishing in that order for 4th & 5th.The enormous eighteen-boat J/109 class was treated to a good-old-fashioned butt whipping by a cast of characters from the Chesapeake Bay. Known by many for their past heroics, Bill Sweetser’s RUSH lived up to her reputation, sailing nearly lights out all weekend long, never finishing below 4th in this incredibly competitive class! In the end, they won with just 13 pts net.
Behind the RUSH crew, it was a tough duel to the finish, with the outcome for the balance of the podium determined by the last race. Jonathan Rechtschaffer’s EMOTICON and Julia O’Dowd’s TBD were tied at 20 pts each, with the nod on countback going to the elated EMOTICON crew. Rounding out the top five were Will Rogers’ BIG BOAT in 4th and Bengt & Marie Johansson’s ZIF ZAG in 5th position. For more Cedar Point One-Design Regatta sailing information
J/Singlehanders Win Susan Hood Trophy Race(Port Credit, Ontario)- The 2019 edition of the Susan Hood Trophy Race, presented by driveHG.ca, and hosted by Port Credit Yacht Club saw the majority of the fleet get around the race track in a relatively quick 13 to 15 hours for the 30 to 40 footers. The J/Crews that participated garnered a fair amount of silverware in their various classes.
In the seven-boat IRC Division, Bruce Pierce’s J/122 HOOLIGAN II take the silver, missing their class win by just 12 minutes.
Crushing the PHRF Singlehanded class were Ard Van Leeuwen’s J/112E HIGH TEA and Kim Piller’s J/109 LIVE WIRE, taking the top two spots on the podium!
In the PHRF Racing 1 class, Graham Tom’s J/120 THE CAT CAME BACK took the silver. Then, in PHRF Racing 2 class, Mike Pietz’s J/35 SHORTHANDED won by just over three minutes in a close finish. Also, taking a silver in the PHRF Racing 4 class was Andrew Sharp’s J/92 SWITCH. For more Susan Hood Trophy sailing information
Skyway COLORS Regatta Report(Chicago, IL)- Because of the rather challenging weather conditions in the season-opening regatta on the Chicago lakefront, the Columbia YC’s COLORS Regatta, the sailors were happy to get in even a handful of races by the end of the long weekend. There were a number of notable performances by some of the top J/Teams participating in the event.
The half-dozen J/88s were simply eclipsed by Andy & Sarah Graff’s EXILE, a result of their winter season series down in St Petersburg, FL and sailing Charleston Race Week. Starting off with a 3rd, the EXILE crew turned on the jets and closed with four bullets to win quite handily. Second was John & Jordan Leahey’s DUTCH and third was Ben Marden’s BANTER.
The J/105 class saw Jon Weglarz’s THE ASYLUM simply blitzkrieg their fleet with all bullets to take an easy class win. Similarly, following in their footsteps in every race for all deuces was Gyt Petkus’ VYTIS to earn the silver. Third was a new face in the crowd, Judith & Ross McLean’s ESPRIT d’ECOSSE.
The surprising big winner in the J/109 class was a reunification of a former top team, George Miz and friends on SMEE AGAIN, posting three bullets to win by a country mile. Second was Jim Murray’s CALLISTO and third was Keith Eickenberg’s BLACKFIN.
With seven-boats, nothing ever comes easy in the J/111 class, as all boats are well-sailed and are highly competitive. The winner was determined on a tie-breaker at 6 pts each between Rich Witzel’s ROWDY and the duo of Mayer/ Henderson on KASHMIR. Both teams posted identical scores of 1-1-2-2, but ROWDY won the last race, so won the countback! Third was John Kalanik’s PURA VIDA with a 4-4-3-3 tally for 14 pts.
In the PHRF 1 Class, Ben Lumpkin’s J/112E took 4th with Frank Giampoli’s J/120 JAHAZI in 5th and Arne Fliflet’s J/120 MAZAL TOV in 6th.
In the PHRF Singlehanded Class, two J/105s sailing nearly smoked their fleet. Winning was Brian Crabb’s SEA-U, with Mark Gannon’s GANGBUSTERS taking the silver. For more SKYWAY COLORS Regatta sailing information
J/Crews Sweep Southern Bay Race Week
(Norfolk, VA)- Southern Bay Race Week is always the weekend after Memorial Day, so early season excitement runs high and preparation is key for the usual 90- 100+ boats that come to race on the Southern Chesapeake Bay. Regatta headquarters is Hampton Yacht Club in Hampton, VA, the event trademark is southern hospitality coupled with great racing for three days in the Hampton Roads area of the Chesapeake.
After two days of struggle to get in races in spite of cranky winds and threatening thunderstorms, Mother Nature bestowed a beautiful final day upon the racers of solid racing breezes and sunshine- life was good and competition intense. When all was said and done, J/Crew took six of the top spots in the 11 classes spread over 3 divisions.
Ian Hill from Chesapeake, VA / Hampton YC, brought his J/111 SITELLA in first in the PHRF SUPER A class.
In the PHRF A1 class, Craig Wright’s J/109 AFTERTHOUGHT, sailing out of Fishing Bay YC, took first convincingly by 5 points over the second place boat.
Ben Weeks & Michele Cochran on their J/29 RUMBLE from Yorktown, VA/ Hampton YC, were familiar faces on the podium as they picked up the first place for PHRF B1.
Taking third place in PHRF B2 Fleet was the J/30 COOL CHANCE skippered by Rusty Burshell.
Sailing in the PHRF C class and taking first place was Alan Bomar in his J/24 ROUNDABOUT from Ft Monroe, VA / Hampton YC.
The J/24 BLUE BUS, skippered by Christian Johnson from Virginia Beach, VA was winner of Cruising B fleet; he was sailing with a crew of his wife Morgan and 2 young sons ages 4 and 5 yrs old!
In the J/70 One-Design Division, Ron Gorman brought SURRENDER TO THE FLOW home first in class. Ron hails from Suffolk, VA/ Hampton YC. Filling out the rest of the podium was Steve Quiriconi’s HOTTY TODDY and Arielle Darrow’s HYC LADY VORTEXES all-women’s crew. All in all, it was an astonishing performance by J/Teams across the board. Congrats to all! For more Southern Bay Race Week sailing information
J/70 Loves Delta Ditch Run(Richmond, CA)- The 29th annual Point Richmond to Stockton Race, known infamously as the “Delta Ditch Run”, is a course of approximately 65.0nm. The start is in San Francisco Bay, between the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and the Brothers Islands, and the finish line at the Stockton Sailing Club.
A number of J/Teams participated in this fun-loving adventure, a truly awesome, crazy, over-the-top downwind blast going past buoys, islands, and sand bars in an endless “chicane” from start to finish.
In the end, taking the silver in PHRF Light+2 Class and finishing in a time of 7 hrs 27 min 49 secs was Mark Thomas & Peter Cameron’s J/70 KANGAROO JOCKEY. That is a very quick 8.9 kts rhumbline S.O.G. average against a 0.5 to 1.5 kts current! For more Delta Ditch Run sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* J/70 Crew Work- Peter Duncan’s RELATIVE OBSCURITY crew, which includes Bill Hardesty and Willem van Waay from San Diego and Will Felder, show you what it takes for team work to get a J/70 around the race track. This is a very instructive video on boat-handling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_ZI3Jzkadc
* Eight Bells- Lowell North
Lowell North, founder of North Sails, passed away June 2 with his wife Bea by his side in San Diego, CA. He was 89 years old.
Lowell was an early supporter of the J/105 Class in San Diego, CA, owning J/105 #3 that is now called NE*NE and currently resides in San Francisco Bay. Lowell was an active participant in the famous International Masters Regatta, pioneered by his close friend Don Trask in San Francisco Bay, with sailing taking place first in J/24s and later in J/105s.
Born in Springfield, Missouri, North was 14 when his curiosity led to him re-cutting the mainsail of his Star boat. A year later (1945), Malin Burnham, one of San Diego’s hottest sailors, asked the young North to crew for him in the World Championships. They won. “It wasn’t me Malin wanted,” North had said. “It was my mainsail.”
North went on to win four world’s championships as skipper in this elite class. Nearly as impressive, he finished second in the world’s five times. He brought home a gold medal in the 1968 Olympics, prompting Starlights, the Class magazine, to call him “the perfect Star sailor.”
North had won another Olympic medal (bronze) in the Dragon class (1964). He was known for rigs so refined that occasionally something would let go. Shortly before one race, the main halyard parted. North and his crew, Peter Barrett, lowered the mast while on the water, threaded the mains’l into the groove, and raised it in time to make the start.
Obsessed by the shape of speed on the water, North applied his degree in engineering to sail making. He opened his first North Sails loft in San Diego in 1957. From the beginning, his was a scientific approach. He was among the very first sail makers to embrace computer modeling. He hired other champion sailors -- “Tigers,” he called them -- to demonstrate and sell his products. He figured anyone who could make a sailboat go fast could also be a good businessman.
Lowell sold North Sails in 1984 and retired from sailmaking. He continued to sail, racing his boat Sleeper for many years, as well as cruising the Pacific. In 2011, he was inducted into the inaugural class of the US National Sailing Hall of Fame.
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