J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
Happy New Year and Best Wishes and Success in 2020 to J/Crews all over the world. May fair winds carry you comfortably to wherever you go, be that day sailing, cruising, or racing offshore.Already, the New Year is starting off well for a few J/Teams. For our friends Down Under, there was cause for celebration for a J/133 that sailed the famous Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, starting off Sydney, Australia on Boxing Day (December 26th) and finishing in Hobart, Tasmania. We also got a report from a highly successful outing for a pair of J/99s that raced in last year's French Duo Cat-Amania event for fifty doublehanded teams off Le Crouesty, France. Finally, we also got a fun report of more sailing off Melbourne, Australia regards a J/111 racing against many of Australia's top offshore teams. Enjoy!
VOTE Now for J/99 European Yacht of the Year!
(Dusseldorf, Germany)- The German Yacht.de magazine and a number of professional boat reviewers and journalists tested the J/99 last fall as part of their 2020 European Yacht of the Year Awards program.
Now, YOU can also vote now for the J/99 as the "People's Choice European Performance Yacht of the Year"! Please take 5 seconds to vote, click here now- https://www.surveylegend.com/s/1ya1
Please share this link on your social media- Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram too!
NOTE- if you clear your web browser's history and data, you can vote multiple times!
Learn more about the J/99 shorthanded offshore speedster here.
J/99 Pacific NW Debut at Seattle Boat Show!
(Seattle, WA)- Make your plans now to view the brand new, triple-award winning, 32' Offshore Speedster- the J/99! Sail Northwest in Seattle will be showing their boat indoor at the Seattle Boat Show, Century Link Field Event Center. The Seattle Boat Show goes from January 24th to February 1st, 2020.
The J/99 is the newest addition to the J/Sport range, combining headroom and comfortable interior accommodation with the tiller-driven responsiveness of a sport boat. The sail and deck plan are optimized for easy handling with fewer crew and incorporate the latest developments from the award-winning J/121 and the new Offshore Sailing World Champion J/112E. The interior features twin aft cabins, a proper sit-down forward facing nav station, an L-shaped galley, and a private forward head with sail locker. For more J/99 shorthanded offshore speedster information For more Seattle Boat Show information and tickets
J/Crew Calendar SPECIAL- Save 25%!
(Newport, RI)- Did you forget a few friends, family, or crew these past holidays? Well, here's a great way to go from naughty to nice in one simple gesture! Buy the J/Crew Calendar SPECIAL now and pass them out to your deserving crew! It's just $12.95 each until January 17th, 2020 (plus postage & handling)!
For 2020, we have created another beautiful calendar for J/Sailors who love the joys of sailing a J in some of the most spectacular harbors and waters of the world. Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in faraway places.
The 2020 sailing calendar features some of the most popular J's sailing in many of the world’s most picturesque sailing venues- Palma Mallorca (Spain), St Barths (Caribbean), Chicago (Lake Michigan), Lake Garda (Italy), Frutillar (Chile), Lake Thun (Switzerland), Torquay (England), and Valle de Bravo (Mexico).
Remember, it's just $12.95 until January 17th, 2020! That's a 25% savings. See the gorgeous 2020 J/Calendar photo gallery here ORDER the J/Crew Calendar SPECIAL here now!
J/80 Worlds Fleet Special!
(Newport, RI)- The J/80 World Championship returns to Newport, Rhode Island in September 2020 for what promises to be another epic event. J/80 sailors are still talking about the last Newport-hosted Worlds in 2010.
The demand for charter boats this year is high, so J/Boats is offering a limited number of new J/80s on a pre-order Worlds Fleet Special. The new fleet will be commissioned in Newport, RI and sailed during the J/80 Worlds by international teams (September 28 – October 3) and then available for pick-up by owners following the event.
J/80 Worlds Fleet Special:
- 2020 Model J/80 with standard specifications including:
- AG+ mast and boom
- Profurl R250 New Gen roller furling system
- Lewmar winches and Harken deck gear
- Triad Trailer - galvanized, double-axle lift off trailer
- Companionway spinnaker bag.
- Safety Gear package – anchor, chain & rode, bucket, bilge pump, first aid kit, two fenders, two docklines.
- 3.5hp Outboard motor (TBD) with padded engine bag.
J/133 Dominates Sydney-Hobart Race Class!
(Hobart, Tasmania, Australia)- Congratulations to Jason Close's Sandringham YC team on the J/133 PATRIOT! They had a remarkable performance in the 2019 ROLEX Sydney-Hobart Race.. winning IRC 5 Class (IRC Overall 9th) and winning ORC 4 Class (ORC Overall 10th).
Jason's team included Lex O'Connor (navigator), Greg Coutts, Jordan Sunkel-Lozel, Stu Shafer, Cathy Furey, Graeme Smith, Pete Chalkley, Brett Averey, Stu Moseley, Andy Mcgrath, and Marissa Chalkley. The crew are members of Sandringham Yacht Club, with four of them having lots of International 14-foot skiff experience.
Clearly, their skiff experiences helped on this fast-reaching race... the J/133 PATRIOT was the only production boat in the top 14 overall; all the rest were flat-out, carbon-fiber racers that were professionally-sailed; TP52s went 1-2-3 (8 total in top 14), and the others were all 62 to 69 feet extreme carbon machines. Not bad company for a 15-year-old boat!
Here is the commentary from owner Jason Close on their race-winning performance:
"Our Rolex Sydney-Hobart campaign started with the Sydney-Gold Coast race in July. We had a good result, placing in both our divisions and we had a good look at our opposition.
Our race plan was to sail at, or as close to, 100% polars for the entire race and leave nothing in the tank.
With our fantastic pre-race routing and forecasting prepared by weather and climate expert Jess Sweeney, we set off confident of a good result.
After a great start, we exited Sydney Heads with two Farr 40s and were at the front of our division.
The first night consisted of some solid downwind sailing, which the J/133 really excelled in, and it enabled us to put a big break on our division and work through boats 2 or 3 divisions higher!
We found ourselves pretty well match-racing with an extremely well-campaigned Cookson 12 named Sail Exchange. We both pushed each other up the fleet and well into the overall IRC contention.
We had a number of challenging navigational decisions around Gabo Heads, with the strong current, in particular. But, we stuck with our pre-race strategy and made some significant inroads on the fleet.
The next night, we saw 20-25 knots of breeze downwind, with a very confused sea state, but the boat cut through it like butter with the assistance of some high-quality helming by the team... the skiff sailors loved it, diving from trough to trough as long as they could!
The next phase of the race was challenging, with many wind transitions to deal with. We managed to keep the boat moving and got through the wind transitions well. Unfortunately, from our perspective, the TP52 carbon racers at the front of the fleet (all the guys that won their class and overall) did not encounter the light weather that we did, so they all put a fair amount of time on us.
Coming into Storm Bay with the Cookson still hot on our tail, we had another light period before catching a decent sea breeze. Thankfully, the moderate sea breeze carried us through to the finish and allowed us to keep our nose in front of our opposition, at least in our class. However, that sequence of light patches, getting becalmed, and waiting for the seabreeze to build cost us a shot at the overall title.
To win both ORCI and IRC in our divisions was what we set out to do, and we were extremely happy we achieved this. Nevertheless, to finish 9th IRC Overall and 10th overall in ORCI in a big boat race against fully professional outfits in our production J/133 was nothing short of remarkable. It was a credit to our great team and our awesome boat! This was one for the little guys!!" Sailing photo credits- ROLEX/ Kurt Arrigo For more Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race sailing information
Doublehanded J/99's Triumph in Duo Cat-Amania!
(Crouesty, France)- The Duo Cat-Amania, the premiere doublehanded offshore regatta in France, was hosted by the Yacht Club Crouesty Arzon (YCCA). An amazing fleet of fifty doublehanded teams participated in the event. The regatta is a combination of round-the-buoys plus point-to-point offshore racing legs. The 2019 edition started in Crouesty and headed to Quiberon. Then, from there they headed to Lorient. Next leg was then to Concarneau. Then, the fleet returned to Morbihan, with a stopover in Locmiquélic, then La Trinité-sur-Mer, then back to Le Crouesty for the finish and the awards party!
The J/Team contingent was well-represented in the week-long regatta. The winner of the 2018 edition, Philippe Girardin, was putting his title at stake on his J/120 HEY JUDE. The winner of the 2019 Armen Race, the duo of Philippe Baetz and Yves Chuberre on the J/112E MUSIX was anticipating a competitive outcome. Then, the two J/99's, both new entrants to the race, were hoping to match the competitiveness of their "J" stablemates.
In the end, the J/99 J-LANCE 14 sailed by Frederic Bouvier and Benjamin Dutreaux took the silver, while the J/99 GRASSI BATEAUX sailed by Olivier Grassi and Frederic Duthil took 5th place, then the Baetz/ Chuberre duo on the J/112E MUSIX ultimately finished 8th, counting a bullet and a deuce in their scoreline. Girardin's J/120 HEY JUDE managed a 13th in the tough fleet, bracketing their six-race regatta with a 1st in the initial race and a 4th in the final race. In short, it was an amazing performance across the board for the J/Teams. Here is how it went down over the six-day regatta.
Day 1
The first stage sent the fifty teams on a 38.0nm course from Le Crouesty to Port-Haliguen, Quiberon. It was a gorgeous day for sailing, with 15-20 kts of breeze under clear and sunny skies. Reveling in the conditions was the 2018 Duo Cat-Amania winner, Girardin's J/120 HEY JUDE, winning the initial race quite comfortably.
Jean-Philippe Cau, President of the UNCL, commented, "It was a super pleasant day. We left on time, with perfect conditions and a perfect course. There were boats everywhere in Quiberon Bay that we have crossed several times. Going to La Vieille on such a day is really great. These are real beautiful images, regattas like this one we would like to do more often. Clearly, my friends on the J/120 loved the conditions and managed to fare well. The teams paid dearly for just the slightest error in this kind of fleet."
Day 2
The second stage between Quiberon and Lorient was a very light air affair. Due to a complete "glass out" in the morning, the AP postponement flag was flown and the fleet was forced to motor under engines from Port-Haliguen for 40.0nm to just outside the harbor of Lorient. At that point, the PRO waited for a seabreeze to develop and around 1500 hrs, a wind of around 5.0 kts arose to permit the Race Committee to setup a basic 9.0nm course between Isle Groix and Lorient. As a result of a 5-4 after the first two days, the duo of Bouvier/ Dutreaux on the J/99 J-LANCE 14 were sitting in second place.
Day 3
The third leg of 38.0nm from Lorient to Concarneau was sailed in a light, but stable wind around 10 knots. There were a few surprising changes in the standings on what appeared to be a somewhat simple tactical/ navigational leg. The race proved to be the undoing of the J/99 J-LANCE 14 duo, posting their worst race of the regatta with a 20th. Nevertheless, they still managed to hold onto the bronze position at this stage of the regatta since everyone else was having an even harder time to maintain any degree of consistency.
Day 4
After a general recall, the competitors sailed another 44.0nm race in very light winds around 5 knots. It was a test of patience for virtually all of the teams as they made a loop around the Glénan archipelago and sailed under spinnaker to Guidel, where the Race Committee shortened the original 50.0nm course and sent them directly to Locmiquélic. The day was long and the competitors arrived at the port at the end of the day just before sunset!
Crushing the fleet was the Baetz/ Chuberre duo on the J/112E MUSIX. On elapsed time, they beat everyone home by more than thirty minutes and on handicap time won by a comfortable margin.
Commenting on their good fortune, owner/skipper Baetz said, "today was my day! We made good choices that paid off and we made a huge gain in the middle of the course. The boat is doing very well this season, after a podium finish at SPI OUEST-France and a victory in the ArMen Race in IRC B, I am delighted. With Yves (Chuberre), we never train as a doublehanded team, but he is part of the crew. After a few days of racing, we are taking automatic steps and no longer make the mistakes of the first days. Fortunately, there are a few days like this!"
Maintaining their position on the leaderboard was the Bouvier/ Dutreaux team on the J/99 J-LANCE 14, posting a well-deserved 4th to stay in contention for overall fleet honors.
Day 5
The fifth stage was sailed from Locmiquélic to La Trinité-sur-Mer. Under a strong sun and in a wind passing from very light in the morning to 20 knots by the end of the day, the duos completed a course of 46.0nm.
Taking advantage of these ideal conditions, the Race Committee sent them to do some sightseeing. A true tour of the splendors of the Morbihan coasts: a tour of the islands of Groix, the Birvideaux, the Foals at Belle-Ile, and finally the Béniguet, before reaching the finish line at La Trinité-sur-Mer.
Quiberon Bay proved to be a challenge for the J/99 J-LANCE 14 duo of Bouvier/ Dutreaux. Nevertheless, they pulled off a 3rd place by the finish line to hang on to 2nd place overall.
Day 6
After six days of racing along the Morbihan and Finistère coasts, the teams were ready to head back to the starting point of the regatta- Le Crouesty. Leaving Friday morning from La Trinité-sur-Mer, the fleet completed a 16-mile course in Quiberon Bay in around ten knots of wind. It was a beautiful finale, sunny, moderate breeze, and a nice way to close out the regatta.
Perhaps the most joyous celebration was that of the Bouvier/ Dutreaux duo on the J/99 J-LANCE 14; winning the final race by a comfortable margin! Finally, all that practice during the regatta paid off! As a result, the J-LANCE-14 J/99 team took home the silver. Also celebrating their final race good fortune was the Baetz/ Chuberre duo on the J/112E MUSIX, taking second place and making it a sweep of the top spots by J/Crews on the final day! That result enabled MUSIX to finish in 8th place. The other J/99, Grassi/ Duthil's GRASSI BATEAUX sailed a very consistent regatta after their first race debacle of 28th place, closing out the event with a 12-3-6-8-7 for 64 pts and taking 5th place!
Bouvier commented on their successful regatta. "All the races counted in the general classification," explained Fred. “Despite one bad decision in one race- a 20th- we always finished in the top 5 in front of larger sailboats than ours. In medium wind conditions, which normally favor large boats, we were successful and we managed to keep a good pace. Our second place reaffirms the versatility of the J/99 at all wind speeds and in all weather situations. The J/99 is a well-designed sailboat that is fully in tune for doublehanded sailing. The level of competition was extremely high in this year's Duo Cat-Amania. We are also delighted with the fifth place of another J/99, Olivier Grassi and Fred Duthil's GRASSI BATEAUX."
Perhaps most significantly from a competitive standpoint, this quartet of J/Duets beat out a number of "professional factory teams" from the following camps- JPK (960, 1010, 1030, 1080), Beneteau (Figaro 2s) and Jeanneau Sunfast (3200, 3300, 3600). For example, finishing in 6th place behind the two J/99s was the much-vaunted Daniel Andrieu design, the new Jeanneau Sunfast 3300 SAPRISTI (Daniel was sailing with Nicolas Andrieu- both professionals). And, another much-acclaimed boat in European offshore circles, the JPK 10.30 LEON (winner of the huge IRC 3 Class at SPI Ouest), was raced by her builder/co-designer Jean Pierre Kelbert (Mr. JPK), managing only a 9th place. In short, the all-around J/Boats designs were simply superior on every point of sail in a wide variety of weather and sailing conditions.
The Crouesty Arzon Yacht Club thanked its partners and volunteers for their commitment and support which made the regatta a great success. For more Duo Cat-Amania Regatta sailing information
J/111 PLAYLIST Triumphs in Australia
(Melbourne, Australia)- While Australian brush fires were burning north to south, east to west, due to the obscenely hot temperatures inland and the very hot, dry airs whistling across the barren landscape, a number of Australian sailors made it out to sea to enjoy some clean fun on the azure waters of the Tasman Sea.
On December 26th (Boxing day), Matt Powell's J/111 PLAYLIST entered the 34.0 nm “Cock of the Bay” race from Melbourne (St. Kilda) to Blairgowrie. This is a pre-curser and a solid "training run" for the Melbourne to Hobart race that started at the bottom of the bay on December 27th.
It was a good sailing day with a SSW breeze from 10 to 20 knots. The line was set with a definite port-end bias and the PLAYLIST team worked this perfectly, crossing the line first and closest to the pin.
For the first 30 minutes, they were leading boat-for-boat in the 72-boat fleet. Once they got settled, the race came down to consistent good boat speed and picking the shifts as they headed southwards down toward the Peninsula. Although they were racing their entire division, the J/111 PLAYLIST often found themselves competing with a Hick 40 and two First 40’s.
In the end, PLAYLIST finished 11th over the line, 1st on PHS handicap, 2nd on AMS and 3rd on IRC in Division 1. The race was basically a 34.0nm windward beat from start to finish, crossing the line in an elapsed time of 5 hours and 46 minutes.
Commenting on their performance, Powell said, "all in all, we were very happy with how the J/111 performed against these bigger boats and we felt if there had been more downwind breeze, we would have really tested our competition. Once we got closer to the Peninsula towards the end of the race, the sea state really flattened out, and in those conditions, the J/111 really holds its own against the bigger boats."
Powell goes on to say, "although the race was a beat the entire way, and therefore minimal work for the bow crew, they all agreed that the race was a lot of fun. I think it is always fun when you get good results!" Plus, they got silverware in all three divisions- PHS, AMS, IRC- a trifecta!!
Their next regatta is the Australian J/111 Nationals in Geelong, Victoria at the “Festival of Sails” at the end of January. Thanks for this report from Matt Powell, owner of the J/111 PLAYLIST.
Regatta & Show Schedules:
Jan 10-12- J/70 Davis Island Winter Series II-Tampa, FL
Jan 23- STC Lauderdale to Key West Race- Fort Lauderdale, FL
Jan 23-26- J/Fest St. Petersburg- St Petersburg, FL
Jan 25-26- J/70 Bacardi Winter Series II- Miami, FL
Jan 26-31- Grenada Sailing Week- St Georges, Grenada, West Indies
Feb 7-9- J/70 Davis Island Winter Series III-Tampa, FL
Feb 14-16- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Petersburg, FL
Feb 20-23- J/70 Midwinter Championship- Miami, FL
Mar 4-7- J/70 Bacardi Cup- Miami, FL
Mar 5-8- St Maarten Heineken Regatta- Simpson Bay, Saint Maarten
Mar 5- Puerto Vallarta Race- San Diego, CA
Mar 6-8- St. Croix International Regatta- Christiansted, St. Croix, USVI
Mar 10- SORC Miami to Eleuthera Race- Miami, FL
Mar 17-21- St. Augustine Race Week- St. Augustine, FL
Mar 20-22- San Diego NOOD Regatta- San Diego, CA
Mar 26-29- St. Thomas International Regatta- St. Thomas, USVI
Mar 30- Apr1- BVI Spring Regatta- Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Apr 12-18- Les Voiles de St Barth Regatta- Gustavia, St Barthelemy
Apr 17-25- EDHEC J/80 Sailing Cup Regatta- Port du Crouesty, Arzon, France
Apr 23-26- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 26- May 1- Antigua Sailing Week- English Harbour, Antigua, West Indies
May 1-3- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
May 27-31- J/24 North American Championship- Blue Point, NY
Jun 11-14- Helga Cup Ladies J/70 Regatta- Hamburg, Germany
Jun 12-14- Chicago NOOD Regatta- Chicago, IL
Jun 20-21- J/70 East Coast Championship- Cape May, NJ
Jul 26-Aug 1- J/70 World Championship- Marina del Rey, CA
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
J/70 Davis Island Winter Series II Preview
(Tampa, FL)- Fresh off their winter holidays, who will it be that gets themselves back into the groove first and sails consistently enough to leap to the top of the leaderboard in the second act of the Davis Island Yacht Club J/70 Winter Series? Will it be Brian Keane's SAVASANA that won the first regatta? Or, will it be other teams from the top of the leaderboard back in December like Will Welle's BRIBONA, John & Marisa Koten's PLANET CLAIRE, or Bruno Pasquinelli's STAMPEDE?
One thing is for sure, the competition from January 10th to 12th is heating up considerably since a number of teams that sailed the Bacardi Miami J/70 Winter Series in December will be joining the Tampa regatta. That means, the 48 boats from act one at the DIYC series will be seeing 7 new crews from across Florida's Everglades Swamp. Yes, making that brave trek on I-75 across the infamous "Alligator Alley" will be fresh faces like Joel Ronning's World Championship team on CATAPULT and the dynamic duo of Jack Franco and Bill Hardesty on 3 BALL JT-- neither one of these crews are "shrinking violets"! Quite the contrary, do not be surprised to see both of these teams vying for the top spots on the podium when the smoke clears on Sunday afternoon! For more Davis Island Winter Series sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* J/42 Rendezvous 2020 Announcement!
In 2019, the J/46 One Design Class totaled 9 boats on the starting line of the Camden Classic Cup. It was a wonderful showing and fun time on the water. However, a J/42 fleet could be larger! Who wouldn’t want to cruise in one of the world’s greatest cruising destinations (Camden, Maine on Penobscot Bay), participate in the spectacular Camden Classics Cup Regatta, and hang out with bunch of enthusiastic J/42 owners? Remember - July is wonderful in Maine.
Make your plans now to cruise the coast and enjoy two fun days of racing with fellow J/42 skippers and crews. Mark your calendars now- July 23rd, 24th and 25th in Camden, Maine!
In addition to the Camden Classic Cup events, the J/42 fleet will have an Owners Forum “meet and greet” and a post regatta skipper’s race debrief.
The one-design rules, taking into account that J/42 owners are mostly cruisers first, racers second, will be as follows:
- #3 jibs only, no overlapping sails, spinnakers or drifters – keep it simple
- Suitable anchor and chain in the bow
- water tanks and fuel at cruising levels
- dodgers and Biminis up
- autopilots, electric assisted winches permitted
- outboards and grills on the stern rail are encouraged
- single handed, doubled handed, or a whole gaggle of crew- whatever works for you!
- One-design ratings: shoal drafts rate 96 and deep keels rate 88
- no other rating penalties or adjustments
* J/160 AVATAR Back to the Caribbean for 2020 Winter Season! We just got a report over the holidays from owner Alan Fougere talking about his beloved J/160 AVATAR:
"Happy Holidays to the extended Johnstone family! Just wanted to let you know, we love our AVATAR. She is a great boat, offshore she's just a rocket! We have completed many upgrades and try to keep her in "Bristol" condition. I have a new power plant ready for installation next summer. This is our 14th season with her, and I hope to keep her for another 14, if I am still walking the planet!
We get many other boaters who swing by and compliment her lines. And, when they see her powered-up, with a bone in her teeth, then they are really impressed!
Recently, AVATAR averaged 17 knots all the way from Newport, RI to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Yes, we took the easy way out, we loaded her aboard a transport ship. She has had her winter haul, new clear coat on the topsides, and bottom paint over at BVI Painters @ Nanny Cay Marine Tortola. She is now back in the water and back at her winter home on St. John U.S. Virgin Islands, again at Proper Yachts. She is now a 20-year-old lady, just getting into her prime... built in 1998!
We do normally sail on offshore delivery passages. Last year, in the spring 2019, we sailed San Juan, Puerto Rico to Bermuda. It was an incredible passage! 965.0nm in just over four days! Over 200 nm each day! All white sails the whole way, 100% Jib and double-reefed main. It was truly four days of perfect offshore weather and sailing!"
