J/70 Speedster Smokin Hot! (Newport, RI)- J's first ramp-launchable keelboat - the 22.75 ft J/70 Speedster- is ready to launch a deliciously hot fiesta of fun-in-the-sun. It's fine-entry bow and beautifully curving, flared hull shape ends in a powerful transom that simply defines speed, fun and control (sweet curves, eh!). Speed on all points of sail- that J-trademark capability to sail equally as well upwind as well as fly off-the-wind. J/70's pedigree follows the new 111's powerful all-around performance, with similar horsepower to weight and wetted surface ratios. A Southern Spar all-carbon rig package (mast/spreaders, boom, sprit) ensure high performance and righting moments.
The J/70 master hull plug is finished and hull molding is underway. The hull form was initially cut with an extremely precise 5-axis robotic milling machine and then faired and long-boarded to match hull fairing templates. The master hull plug has been mirror-finished to millimeter tolerances, assuring sailors of strict, international one-design sailing. The project timeline has two J/70's sailing before the end of 2011. Full production is expected to begin by January 2012 with the first shipments to North America and Europe arriving by late February/early March. Due to overwhelmingly interest worldwide, plans are already in place to build additional tooling to assist with the ramp-up as well to fast-track a European start-up in 2012 for additional international sailing events. Be sure to speak to your J/Dealers soon. J/70 is on-track to take the world by storm in 2012, a boat that is easy-to-sail, high performance and exciting to sail. Yet, a stable enough sailboat for family and friends weekend and beer-can sailing. Most importantly, it's built to last for high R.O.I. on your sailing dollar. For more J/70 Speedster sailing information and latest developments click here.
International One-Design Schedule(Hamble, England)- The International J/111 One Design Regatta Schedule for 2012 is announced today, with six one-design regattas planned for the UK and Ireland. The one-design events detailed below will be governed by and raced according to the International J/111 Class Rules which are due for ratification and publication by ISAF by January 1st 2012.
The J/111 has already achieved phenomenal race results under IRC and PHRF handicap systems including class wins at the Round the Island Race, Cowes Week, Key West Race Week and Annapolis Race Week. However, the intention has always been to launch an International One-Design Class Rule as soon as a viable number of J/111s had been sold and were out on the water racing. This point has now been reached: seventy J/111s have been sold and fifty of these are already sailing!
The J/111 Class has been created as a strict one-design Class where the true test when raced is between crews and not boats and equipment. The fundamental objective of these class rules is to ensure this concept is maintained and "fun" is maximized by its owners and sailors. J/111 hulls, appendages and rigs are only produced by a licensed manufacturer and all J/111 sails will be measurement controlled under the ISAF In-House Certification system using a "sail tag" program, although the choice of sailmaker is open.
Prior to the Class being formed with suitable By-Laws with 50 active owners, J/Boats and Key Yachting will take the initial position of the Class Association and the Executive Committee. Outlined below are J/111 Class events for the near future. For more information on the J/111 or the International J/111 Regatta schedule detailed below, please contact Becci Eplett at Key Yachting Ltd (becci@keyyachting.com).
The 2012 International J/111 One-Design Event schedule for the UK and Ireland follows (best four count overall):
May 18-20- Vice-Admiral's Cup
Jun 09-10- Royal Southern Yacht Club 175th Anniversary Regatta
Jun 30- JP Morgan Round the Island Race
Jul 07-13- CORK Week
Jul 25-28- J-CUP 2012
Aug 11-18- AMM Cowes Week
Other International J/111 Regattas:
2012- Jan 16-20- J/111 Winter Championship, Key West, FL
2012- Jun- J/111 Atlantic Coast Championships, Newport, RI
2012- Jul- J/111 North American Championship, Newport, RI
2012- Sep- J/111 Pacific Coast Championships, San Francisco, CA
2013 J/111 European Championship, France
2013 J/111 World Championship, USA
2014 J/111 World Championship, UK
J/80 Special Race Package(Newport, RI)- For the Fall Boatshows, there are a select number of J/80s available on a Fall promotion special of $51,900 including Triad Trailer and Waterlines faired keel! Have fun in one of the world's strongest International One-Design keelboat classes. At this fall's boatshows, learn why the J/80 has taken Europe by storm (Spain, France, England, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Italy) and strong one-design J/80 fleets in America, Hong Kong and China. A strong class leadership and passionate sailors around the world make for great sailing on three continents. Contact your local J/Dealer or J/80 Class leader (http://www.j80.org).
J/Fest Galveston Bay
(Houston, TX)- Tired of 100 degree days in Texas?! Want some fun with friends and family in the local honky tonks and friendly environs of Galveston Bay?? Then, step right up and doff that ten-gallon hat at the door, rip off them jeans and rhinestone shirts and throw on the cool sailing gear for some fun on da' water!
Don't believe it? Registrations now over 100 boats! This will be the first time in a LONG time that there has been a 100 + event in Texas! J/Sailors-sign up and be a part of what is shaping up to be a great Regatta! HYC has both cranes working. The weather looks to be breaking, with forecasted highs in the mid-80's! Ideal sailing conditions on the bay!
The Saturday social is not to be missed! Great food and beer on tap! Great music, great bands! Total J/Boat count thus far is at 39! Currently the J/22's have 15 boats registered, followed by our re-energized J/80 fleet with 12, 8 J/24's and 4 J/105's. Come on down and make history! Could be a "J'Hoe Down" of epic proportions! We should be able to get 20 boats in each of the J/22, J/24, and J/80 fleets! If your favorite owner cannot make the event-grab their boat and come! Let's show the Southwest and the nation that sailboat racing is alive and kicking in America (or just plain anywhere else!). For more information on the Houston YC Fall Regatta (aka J/Fest G'Bay)
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
After the start of the "Down Under" sailing season in the form of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, it's time to get rolling in the Australian spring/ summer series off Sydney. Making it's second race debut, starting the first races of the Sydney Offshore Points Series, the J/111 JAKE had a nice, memorable outing against some of the hotter boats sailed off "The Heads". Headed a bit further north of the Equator, the Europeans are still racing a full schedule of races, including the current J/24 Europeans being sailed in Dublin, Ireland (several J/24 champions in attendance), the J/80 Spanish Open in La Manga with a star-studded cast of past/current J/80 World/National Champions and the J/22 German Masters Regatta in Mohnesee, Germany. Over in America, the famous St Francis YC Rolex Big Boat Series took place in what could be best described as "epic" conditions- yes, that "fresh to frightening, bashing and crashing" against big wind, big waves in big boats made for a lot of fun tall tales (sea tales, perhaps) at the Grill Bar after the races. Check out Andy Costello's interview with Erik Simonson in the J/Community section regarding his adventurous J/125 DOUBLE TROUBLE adventures. Speaking of epic, that's how sailors described their experience in this past weekends' J/24 Downeast Regatta in Portland, Maine. Finally, the J/80s had some fun up in Lake Winnepesaukee, New Hampshire sailing their J/Jamboree.Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below 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:
Sep 14-19- Grand Pavois Boatshow (J/111, J/108)- La Rochelle, France- http://www.grand-pavois.com/Sep 15-18- Newport Boatshow (J/111, J/109, J/95)- Newport, RI- http://www.newportboatshow.com/
Sep 16-18- J/30 North Americans- Annapolis, MD- http://www.j30.us/na2011/
Sep 16-25- Southampton Boatshow (J/97, J/108, J/111)- Southampton, England
Sep 24-25- J/Fest San Diego- San Diego, CA- http://www.sdyc.org/
Sep 28-Oct 2- J/80 North Americans- Larchmont, NY- http://j80.org/j80usa.php
Oct 6-10- Annapolis Sailboat Show (J/111, J/108)- Annapolis, MD- http://www.usboat.com
Oct 14- Greenport Ocean Race- Greenport, Long Island, NY- http://www.greenportoceanrace.org/
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
J's Sweep Epic Big Boat SeriesJ/105, J/120s, J/125s Swamp Podium
(San Francisco, CA)- True story. J sailors "veni, vidi, vici" in this year's Rolex Big Boat Series. Indeed, they came, they saw and they conquered. In perhaps the most challenging conditions anyone who's ever sailed "Big Boat" can remember. J/Teams simply dominated the podium at this year's event, sailed in epic weather, nuclear breezes and massive square waves that seemed to dominate the four days of sailing on San Francisco Bay. Of 81 teams entered, 40% of the fleet were J sailors! And an awesome display of sailing it was for those don't know why so many people have fun sailing their J's in everything from drifting matches to the "fresh to frightening, bashing and crashing" conditions (35+ knots) on the Bay. When some one-design classes were canceling races (like the Farr 30s during their Worlds) and other "big boats" were blowing up bits & pieces everywhere, the entire fleet of amateur (corinthian) J/105, J/120 and J/125 sailors flew around the Bay having the time of their lives planing all over the place in complete control. It was perhaps one of the most remarkable displays of having fun and sailing easy-to-handle seaworthy boats one has ever seen-- no wonder there were so many proud J/Owners in St Francis YC's Grill Room after the races telling "war stories" about planing for miles across SF Bay at speeds upwards of 18+ knots!
At the end, the big winners were the following: Andy Costello's J/125 DOUBLE TROUBLE led a sweep of IRC C "Fast Forties" class, blowing away the new Farr 400 "sportboat" boat-for-boat (and on handicap) with a perfect score of seven firsts, the only boat to do so in the entire regatta! In fact, the J/125s swept the top four in IRC C class. In IRC D class, Don Payan's J/120 DAYENU sailed to a near equal performance to Andy's team, showing a tough group of competitors why the J/120 class is so tough-- one-design excellence taught all Don needed to know to crush this class. In the J/120s themselves, it was Barry Lewis's CHANCE that took home the silver. Meanwhile, the J/105s had a controversial regatta. By day two, one of the J/105 regatta leaders, last year's Rolex Big Boat Series winner, Bruce Stone's ARBITRAGE, was DSQ'd on a questionable protest and by day three the ultimate regatta winner, Scooter Simmons on BLACKHAWK was awarded two 2nds for redress while having started last and was fouled while in 15th place or worse (the top ten in fleet were about 1/3 nm in front)! Nevertheless, Scooter's team nearly squandered a 12 pt lead to win by a small miracle. Read more below on how it all happened, the trials, the tribulations, the triumphs in this year's epochal event.
Day One- Ties Everywhere:If two- and three-way ties for first are indicative of heated competition, many classes set the stage in today’s opener for some fiery showdowns over the next three days of competition. A total of 81 boats took to San Francisco Bay. “It was a perfect day,” said Barry Lewis (Atherton, Calif.), skipper of the J/120 CHANCE, which finished 3-1 today to tie in overall scoring with John Wimer’s (Half Moon Bay, Calif.) 1-3 on DESDEMONA and Stephen Madeira’s (Menlo Park, Calif.) 2-2 on Mr. MAGOO. “It was the typical 10-14 knots in the morning; then it blew up to 18-20 in the afternoon, with a nice ebb tide to play all day.” Lewis said that in the first race all boats converged at the marks simultaneously, and multiple lead changes were the status quo; no one jumped out ahead. In fact, four of the six lead boats were within 20 seconds of each other at the finish. “It was very tight--that’s why it’s so much fun,” said Lewis. “The second race, on the city front, was three laps, so it was longer and gave us a chance to separate out.”
Event Co-chair and Principal Race Officer Kevin Reeds explained that IRC boats sailed on the “City Course” in the morning and switched places with the one-designs to sail the “North Course” in the afternoon. Both courses are designed to highlight San Francisco’s ampitheater-like qualities and enticed no less than four television stations to trek to the St. Francis Yacht Club waterfront to gather colorful close-to-shore footage for their on-air reports. “It was a crystal clear, perfect start to the regatta,” said Reeds, acknowledging a chilly wind but sunny skies that only occasionally succumbed to the famous low ceiling of San Francisco fog.In J/105s, there also were two boats tied on point scores at the top of the scoreboard. BLACKHAWK (Belvedere, Calif.), with Scooter Simmons driving, and DONKEY JACK, owned by Edward Conrads/Rolf Kaiser/Shannon Ryan (San Francisco), finished 4-1 and 1-4, respectively. “We had decent starts, and in the first race we were sixth at the first mark, then made up some boats and were able to hold them off until we were passed at the finish by Donkey Jack.” Simmons added that the third-place boat, Bruce Stone’s ARBITRAGE, is also one not to discount. It is only four points behind in the 21-boat fleet. “They won the season and this event last year; it’s all a top notch group, but we are here to win it,” he added with a sly smile (not knowing, of course, he'd be granted a "gift" later by the Jury!).
Day Two- Fast Friday:We’re done with day two of the Big Boat Series, and once again, the wind was tremendous. Again we saw puffs to around 30 on the course, with a crushing ebb tide producing 4-foot square waves throughout the afternoon. Two more days of big wind are in the forecast, and the riggers and sailmakers are working serious hours to keep up . We saw at least 4 shattered kites today in our small piece of the racecourse, though considering all the crews hoisted in the rigging both on water and at the docks, it’s a safe bet there were another few dozen repairs to do on Friday night.
The Big Boat Series this year was scheduled one week earlier than usual, and the one week difference makes it seem more like the Big Breeze Series than recent years. One person said, “It’s nice to finally have a really windy Big Boat Series. This is by far the biggest wind we've had in at least 6 years and this is what we love."
It is the practiced crews who prevail in this weather. In the J/120 fleet, many of the boats have had the same crews for years, and it shows. Chance broke this morning three-way tie today with a 2,1 score. Skipper Barry Lewis explained. “It's always about preparation, but moreover this year I have to say our main trimmer (Scott Kozinchik) has figured out the boat, the rig and how to easily change gears. All of our team does a great job, and there's no one on the boat who's been here for less than 6 years."
In a continually tough TP52 battle in IRC-A, Mayhem and Vesper are fighting for the top spot, while the guys from Power Play continue to threaten. Tony Rey put the Power Play program together for owner Peter Cunningham, who sold his company last year and wanted to do some real big boat sailing, starting his campaign with a blaze when their chartered mini-maxi Titan burned in Antigua earlier this year. Cunningham has settled in comfortably to the smaller 52. "Believe it or not, it really does feel small in comparison, yet I go a lot faster from Crissy to Blossom (near Treasure Island) than I used to in my J/29 here," Cunningham said. "It may look easy, but it's not. I like the feel of the One Design racing - you can see your competition all the time." Cunningham is interested in keeping it fun and will race the Great Pumpkin regatta in San Francisco, and then head down to the Caymans for some J/22 and model boat racing with the entire crew before getting back into the tropical winter racing circuit."It's rough out there, like a washing machine," was how the conditions were described yesterday. Gusts up to 30 knots, even up to 35 on the North Course set the scene for carnage on the water in the wild second day of racing in the 2011 Rolex Big Boat Series. Most of the carnage consisted of round-ups, round-downs and broaches, some boats reported damage enough to cause them to drop out, and at least two crew members with injuries were carefully led ashore. One crewman went to the hospital for stitches after getting hit in the head with a boom.
The whole strategy on Friday was to just keep the boats under control. And with a full weekend of racing still to go, it just may be that 2011 becomes one of the most memorable, if not physical, years in the competition’s 47 year history.
“It was a 20-25 knot day today, gusting close to 30,” said Andy Costello (Pt. Richmond, Calif.) aboard the J/125 DOUBLE TROUBLE, which leads IRC C class and is the only team with a perfect score line after four races, two of which were held today. “We were hitting (boat speeds) in the 17 and 18s off the breeze, but we were fully under control.” That wasn’t true for many of the class’s other sport boats, which were all in the 40-foot range and collectively referred to as the “fast forties.” Some wiped out and others struggled not to, while Costello sailed smoothly with his crew of seasoned dinghy sailors aboard.“They feel the boat, and their response is quicker,” said Costello, explaining that his mainsail trimmer Trevor Baylis (Santa Cruz) is an Aussie 18, International 14 and 505 class world champion, while another crew member, Matt Noble (Pt. Richmond), is also an International 14 world champion, not to mention that his tactician Will Baylis (Tiburon), Trevor’s brother, is an Olympic silver medalist. “The J/125 is only 8600 pounds and 57% of that weight is in the keel; it has a spinnaker that’s 1900 square feet, so that’s big for a 40-foot boat.”
Costello was delighted that no less than three other J/125s are also sailing in IRC C, and they are filling the next three spots on the score board as well. “Boat-for-boat, Resolute (in second and skippered by Tim Fuller of Murrieta, Calif.) is our best competition. They are fast upwind, but our attributes are in planing downwind--that’s where we excel over the other boats.”
Maintaining their leads from yesterday were the J/125 DOUBLE TROUBLE, skippered by Andy Costello (Pt. Richmond, Calif.) in IRC C; the J/120 DAYENU, skippered by Donald Payan (Hillsborough, Calif.) in IRC D; BLACKHAWK, skippered by Scooter Simmons (Belvedere, Calif.) in J/105 One-Designs; and CHANCE, skippered by Barry Lewis (Atherton, Calif.) in J/120 One-Designs.
Day 3- Nuclear Saturday- Big, Epic, Huge, GinormousSailors sensed it was going to be a difficult day when they showed up at the St. Francis Yacht Club this morning and it was already blowing dogs off chains. For the last two days it had taken at least until an early fog lifted for the wind to reach its peaks in the 20s, but this morning it blew 20-25 right out of the box, with gusts nearing 28 even before the first race start at 11 a.m. The result of it never letting up was a good amount of carnage on the race course and some losers as well as winners in the battle between man and Mother Nature.
The first boat back to the dock with damage was Scooter Simmons’ (Belvedere, Calif.) BLACKHAWK, which was leading the 21-boat J/105 fleet going into today; the boat was t-boned after a classic port/starboard crossing went awry while they were in the very back of the fleet (having fouled and already done a 360 turn). “WHISPER (skippered by Marc Vayn of San Francisco) was on port and looked to be ducking us, but I guess his mainsheet got stuck or something and he couldn’t avoid hitting us,” said Simmons, nodding to the port-side gash in his hull topped by a tumble of stanchions. “Our goal is to seek redress for both of today’s races and get this fixed before tomorrow.” Redress was later granted, and Blackhawk added a 2-2 to its score, having turned in finish positions of 4-1-2-1 over the last two days. The team still sits atop the scoreboard with Jason Woodley/Scott Whitney’s (Tiburon, Calif.) RISK in second, a full 12 points behind.
Donald Payan (Hillsborough, Calif.) likened today’s racing to a “heavyweight boxing match.” He came out swinging and threw the last punch to finish 1-2 today in IRC D class aboard his J/120 DAYENU. “We finished 1-2 yesterday, and the first day we turned in two firsts,” said Payan, who now has a five-point lead over the fleet. “Not too bad; if we can keep it up tomorrow, we can win.” Payan won this event last year, sailing in the J/120 one-design class and decided to try his luck in IRC this year. “I wouldn’t have done it if there hadn’t been enough J/120s here to make a class without me. I’ve raced in one-design for ten years, so I thought I’d try a different fleet...for the sense of adventure if nothing else. It has been a punishing three days, but the J/120 is very stable, and when you get it in the groove going to weather in north of 16 knots, it does very well.” Payan said knock-downs are uncharacteristic for his team, but he endured some disastrous jibes today that he thought would have cost him. “I thought we were doing so badly, but then I turned around and saw that everyone else was having trouble just the same as we were.”But despite the chaos on the Bay, things sorted out just fine on the scoreboard for Andy Costello’s (Pt. Richmond, Calif.) DOUBLE TROUBLE. The team turned in another perfect 1-1 score today to continue leading the IRC C class. Barry Lewis’s (Atherton, Calif.) CHANCE still lead in J/120 class, with a 1-3. “They definitely got more than they paid for out there today,” said Event Co-Chair and Principal Race Officer Kevin Reeds. “It was big, big wind, big waves; the Rolex BIG Boat series.”
Day 4- The Final Classic, Gorgeous, Play Day on the Bay- "The Bay Tour":After enduring yesterday’s high wind survival conditions, the hundreds of sailors on 81 teams at the 47th annual Rolex Big Boat Series would no doubt agree that handling today’s 14-22 knots on San Francisco Bay was a piece of cake. And rich was the cake’s icing: sunshine unobstructed by fog, with temperatures that had warmed by double digits to 68 degrees. A single “Bay Tour” distance race showed all classes the four corners of San Francisco Bay, visually anchored by the Golden Gate Bridge to the west, Alcatraz Island in the middle, and Treasure Island and Bay Bridge to the East, while an eighth class (Farr 30) topped off its world championship with four feisty races on the “North Course” that was their racing home for the regatta’s entire four days.
Spectators, too, were treated to the true beauty, emotion and power of sail when, before racing, all boats paraded in honor of 9/11 victims, and for the finish, a colorful lineup of spinnakers roared past the stretch of land closest to Crissy Field, triggering cannon fire from the uppermost decks of nearby St. Francis Yacht Club where later six perpetual trophies as well as Rolex Oyster Perpetual Stainless Steel Submariners would be awarded to winners in six of the classes.
Richard Rheem Perpetual Trophy – IRC C: Andy Costello’s (Pt. Richmond, Calif.) J/125 DOUBLE TROUBLE was the only boat to turn in a perfect score for the series, which meant it won all seven races. The crew was cool, the crew was smart. Lock in the Baylis Brothers and go for broke-- it worked! :) Read more about this "most excellent adventure" below- the H2oshots.com/ pressuredrop.com interview with Erik Simonson.
Keefe-Kilborn Perpetual Trophy – IRC D: Last year, Donald Payan (Hillsborough, Calif.), won the J/120 class skippering DAYENU, but this year he took the same boat and entered IRC, wondering how it would go. The performance of both his boat and team proved the gamble paid off, though Payan called the days before today punishing due to the physical demands made by the conditions. In the end, he deduced that his decision had been very gratifying. “One-design sailing is more of a chess board situation,” said Payan, “whereas IRC is more like a rally— you are competing against yourself.”
Commodore’s Cup – J/105: Even after a collision rendered it unable to race yesterday’s two races, Scooter Simmons' (Belvedere, Calif.) BLACKHAWK looked solid going into today with a full 12 points (helped by granted redress of second-place for yesterday’s two missed opportunities, even though they were in 15th place or worse(!) when the incident happened) over Jason Woodley/ Scott Whitney’s (Tiburon, Calif.) RISK, which stood in second. The lead wasn’t too comforting, however, when BLACKHAWK jumped the start gun and had to restart. “We had to make up 12 boats, and then we chose to go to shore for relief from the current and that was the wrong decision,” said Simmons. “The wind clocked right, and by the time we got to the city front, we were so deep it was the most discouraging thing in the world. Then we knew we had to rope in 10 boats. My crew is just so good that we were able to do it, but it’s not the way you want to win a regatta.” After a tenth today in the 21-boat fleet, the largest here, Blackhawk’s lead over Risk was seven points. Simmons said that since his first Rolex Big Boat Series (he has sailed six of them in three different boats), his goal has been to win a Rolex watch. “It is the epitome, the trophy we all want.”J/120 Class: Mathematically, Barry Lewis’s (Atherton, Calif.) Chance only had to finish today clean (i.e. with no letters such as DSQ or DNF in their score) to win, but they finished fourth for good measure. Crew member Matt Dingo (Portland, Maine) explained how his team decided not to play “the cone” at Alcatraz, which was the right decision over reaching across to the city front early, but it put them on the outside of some shifts. “It was a little flukier on the side we chose, so we had to step on the gas,” he said, “but that’s what makes the Bay Tour legendary: it’s about what’s going on all over; you’re not retracing any of your steps during 24 miles; it’s only at the Rolex Big Boat Series, and it can be a make it or break it race for a lot of teams.”
Sailing photos courtesy of:
Daniel Forster/ Rolex- http://www.regattanews.com
Christophe Favreau- http://christophefavreau.photoshelter.com/
Sharon Green/ Ultimate Sailing- http://ultimatesailing.photoshelter.com/
Erik Simonson/ H2OShots.com- http://www.H2oshots.com
Steve Buckingham/ NorCal Sailing- http://www.norcalsailing.com
Watch Rolex Big Boat Series sailing videos:
J/120s day one- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW1lCGj2mK4
J/120s day two- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxI9vOAcF-U
J/105s day two- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlsEBxstoYo
J/105s- day one, race 2- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evVq1p1a5HY
J/105s- day three- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-cHiTvEDLM
J/105s- day three- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgbXOPO1BlM
T2P.TV video summary- http://t2p.tv/player/bbs2011/index5.html
J/111 JAKE Flying in Sydney Offshore Series(Sydney, Australia)- The day finally dawned for the start of the Spring racing series for the new J/111 JAKE in Sydney. For those of you who have been to this side of the world, the spring weather is usually glorious, with clear blue skies, temperate 23 degrees C, and gentle winds, and this is what we had been experiencing for the 2 weeks up to our first race. But as luck would have it, winter decided to take one last bite, and the Saturday race from Sydney to Lion Island (out the heads and 25nm up the coast and back), was held in 25-30knot cold SSW winds, with a sloppy 2-3m easterly swell rebounding off the coast line.
We had a pretty good start. We were the smallest boat in Div 1 and with such a mix of boats up to 60foot on the start line a clean start was paramount. Out of the heads and with the wind on our quarter we set the #3 asymmetric and had the time of our life!. The J/111 just took off - she has such acceleration in the gusts it was exhilarating, and yet not overwhelming. She rode the waves and skipped over the crests, the backstay humming along like a V8 engine.
The conditions took their toll on a number of yachts. The new Sydney GTS 43 did a remarkable maneuver for their maiden race, pirouetting next to us just as we got out of the Heads (we had been going boat-for-boat, if not faster than them most of the way to the Heads). We figured they must have lost someone overboard, but in fact their rudder had snapped in half, and they had to be towed home. The J/111 just reveled in the conditions.
We wanted to leave the kite up and just keep going but we were heading too far east, so had to drop it and head up towards the Island under #4 jib and full main. Even under just jib & main we were hitting 17.4 knots at times. What a remarkable machine. Around the Island, and back to Sydney. We thought the bigger boats would have the advantage over us on the way back. The wind had swung more south so it was one long tack with slightly cracked sheets all the way back home. The J/111 held her own though, and no one took any time from us. We came in 2nd on IRC in the Short Ocean Series. Not bad for our first offshore against the large Division 1 boats.
BMW J/24 Europeans Update(Dublin, Ireland)- To date, the J/24 Europeans have seen real, honest-to-goodness, nuclear gale conditions. The first day fell victim to the weather (Monday 12th September), when winds in excess of 30 knots and gusts over 50 knots left the Principal Race Officer David Lovegrove with no option other than to abandon racing. The event has attracted 42 boats from nine countries, which include the national champions of Ireland, Britain, Germany, Italy and Greece.
After losing the first day's racing to the weather, day two at Howth (Tuesday 13th) saw one race completed in fresh and gusty south-westerly winds and witnessed a win for the defending champions (and current British champions) 'Serco' (Bob Turner) with Nathan Batchelor on the helm.
The 42-boat fleet got away at the second time of asking in winds touching 30 knots and it was the right-hand side of the course which was favored, with 'Serco' leading around the windward mark. The downwind leg proved precarious for several boats who struggled with spinnakers in the gusty conditions, with sail damage forcing a number of retirees.
By the end of the second beat, another British boat, 'Il Riccio' (David Southworth/Chris McLaughlin) had taken over the lead but as a shredded spinnaker put paid to their chances of victory and dropped them back to 5th. 'Serco' took the gun ahead of another British entry 'Madeleine' (McCarthy/Phelps), with German boats filling the next two spots, with 'Max Bahr' (Stefan Karsunke) and 'Rotoman' (Kai Mares) 3rd and 4th respectively.Four German boats finished in the top eight while 9th place went to the highest-placed local boat, Irish champion Flor O'Driscoll and crew on 'Hard on Port'.
With winds forecasted to increase later in the day, the fleet was sent ashore and a subsequent decision by the Race Officer David Lovegrove and his team confirmed that the conditions would not allow any further racing on the day.
It is hoped to run up to five races back-to-back on Wednesday (14th). At the moment, the top five are 1st- SERCO, Bob Turner, GBR; 2nd- MADELEINE, McCarthy/Phelps, GBR; 3rd- MAX BAHR, Stefan Karsunke, GER, 4th- ROTOMAN Kai Mares, GER and 5th- IL RICCIO, Southworth/McLaughlin, GBR. For more J/24 Europeans sailing information
Doreste Triumphs At J/80 Open Spain(La Manga, Spain)- As part of their efforts to grow tourism in La Manga, Spain, the local Chamber of Commerce and tourism authorities created the Open J/80 Championship La Manga to attract an international clientele of sailors and sporting enthusiasts. The Director General of Sport and Physical Activity, Antonio Peñalver, helped start the International Open J80 La Manga del Mar Menor to be held from 7 to 10 September. Peñalver noted the importance of these events that "enhance the image of the Mar Menor as a tourist destination while presenting its waters as the most suitable for water sports."
Attending the event were a "who's who" of Spanish J/80 sailors and other International sailors. These sailors included the Spanish contingent- Carlos Martinez, Rayco Tabares and Hugo Rocha, plus Glenn Darden (top USA team), Massimo Rama (top Italian team), Mikael Lindqvist (top Swedish team), Vitalli Tarakanov (top Russians team).
From this star-studded cast, whom might emerge as the ultimate winner sailing against some of the world's best J/80 sailors? Incredibly, it was Canarian sailor Gustavo Martinez Doreste sailing the equally tongue-twisting UNA MOSCA EN MI SOPA (A Fly in my soup) to an impressive 24 pts after nine races, just under a 3rd average in this fleet of champions. Second was Hugo Rocha on TURISMO DE ALGARVE sailing to 28 pts. Third was Javier Aguado on CROCS with 31 pts. Fourth Rayco Tabares on HOTEL PRINCESA YAIZA and fifth was Carlos Martinez on MAPFRE. The Americans Glenn Darden on LE TIGRE were 8th, the Swedes Mikael Lindqvist were 9th and the Russians Vitali Tarakanov were 11th. For more J/80 Open La Manga Regatta sailing information
White Wins J/24 Downeast Regatta(Portland, ME)- One word to describe the weekend EPIC! Another one? Yes, on the East Coast of America, instead of San Francisco Bay! In all 42 boats made it to the starting line during the 25th Anniversary Downeast Regatta in Falmouth Maine hosted by Portland Yacht Club and J24 Fleet 43. Two thirds of the fleet was from out of the State of Maine as far away as Florida, Wisconsin, Maryland, New Jersey, and Nova Scotia Canada.
Conditions were excellent given that there was a full moon and left over surge from Katia creating a decent current around and through the islands of Casco Bay.
On Saturday the fleet sailed in a north easterly breeze of about 8 to 12 knots with decent 10 to 15 degree shifts and even current over the course. It was difficult to pick which side of the course would pay out, when as both sides seemed to work a different times. Bad Apple skippered by Bruce Morse from Falmouth, Maine picked the right side at the correct time in race two to take the gun in a great race. However Bill Fastiggi, from Burlington VT, skippering USA 5357 Beauty picked all the correct sides all day and finished with two firsts and a second to lead day one.
On Sunday the competitors were met with flat water and no wind around 9am on the waterfront. However by 11am the southwesterly prevailing wind filled to 10 to 12 knots and started to build to 15knots by the end of the day. Again strong currents were a factor and played into a prevailing right course side favor in both in-coming and out-going tide, which perplexed even some of the locals. Tony Parker sailing USA 58 Bangor Packet, currently hailing from Washington D.C. won the day with two firsts and a third. Tony is a "honorary" Maine local having started his J24 career way back in the late seventies and early eighties and has won the State of Maine Championship on a couple of occasions.Overall, consistency on both days paid as USA 2785 AL, skippered by Carter White and crewed by owner Mark Klein, Tom Hall, Scott Thomas and Molly White won the regatta and the State of Maine Championship for best Maine boat. They never finished worst than sixth and averaged 3 points to win the event by a narrow margin (3 points) over Bangor Packet.
Rounding out the top five were Beauty placing third, Dogfish skippered by Bob Kinsman from Newport RI placing fourth and Bubbles skippered by Taylor Neff from Wayzata Yacht Club in Wisconsin placing fifth.
There was a fleet award presented to the top J24 Fleet from outside of the local Fleet 43. Calculated using the scores of the top three boats from each fleet the Fleet award the prizes went to Fleet 50 in Newport Rhode Island. The top three boats that helped them win were Dogfish, On the Beach skippered by Lee Buress and Tasmanian Devil skippered by Steve Wood. J/24 Maine State photos- Ann Blanchard For more J/24 Maine State Championships sailing information
Chameleons Win J/80 Jamboree(Lake Winnepesaukee, NH)- Congratulations to the crew of Angry Chameleon, overall winners of the 2011 J-Jamboree! As one of the members from Sailing Anarchy put it- "home from the J Jamboree in New Hampshire. We had two days of excellent racing (even if the breeze only let us get one race in yesterday). It was a classic example of how a regatta should be run; easy-going registration, free beer, nice people at the yard launching and hauling the boats, and a good party on both nights. Oh yes, and excellent race management! I think PRO Gregg Anthony had the most challenging job out there, trying to keep legs and lines square and attempting to find a steady breeze during 180-degree shifts on Sunday. The racing was spectacular in gorgeous surroundings, even if the wind was a bit fickle at times.
Kristen and Brian on Angry Chameleon got some lucky breaks calling the breeze for a win in race two. Then they were lucky in race three and won. And they were lucky and got first in the next two races, too. OK, maybe it was brilliance combined with blazing boatspeed. And they won the party, as well." Can't argue with that one! After all, winning both the races AND the party is something akin to the "Holy Grail"?? Congratulations to a job well done by the ANGRY CHAMELEON crew! For more J/80 Jamboree sailing information
J/24 Ugotta Regatta Announcement!(Wayzata, MN)- On October 8th and 9th the Wayzata Yacht Club will be hosting the J/24 Great Lakes Championship on Lake Minnetonka as part of the Pig’s Eye Brewing Company U-Gotta Regatta, a Great Lakes Championship. Yes, we’re serious about that title sponsor, and that’s one more reason to come.
The U-Gotta has always been a wonderful event. The hospitality of the fleet and members of WYC are second to none. 2011 will be no exception. We encourage any and all J/24’s to attend this great event, and here’s the rub: If you are a J/24 Class Member, and you’re looking to sail the 2012 J/24 Worlds in Rochester, this is the final event of the year that will get you qualified. Remember – Rochester’s Worlds is the first “Open” J/24 Worlds in about a J/24s century, and the only qualification is to sail at least one major event in 2011, and this is the last of them! All you have to do is show up with your boat and race. We will wash the road grim off, help you launch and get you back on your way, and by the way…the entry fee for out-of-town boats is FREE (and we may even be able to provide you with housing).
As if that isn’t enough, it’s fall. You will be treated to a beautiful back drop of colorful trees, and if it’s anything like the last few years, BREEZE! Saturday night will be awesome with a $50.00 per-out-of-town-boat fee for the famously tasty Shrimp Boil provided by Uncle Bernie and his lovely assistant Matt. Oh yeah, and the famous E-Scow bar will be here serving up the libations. We also welcome back Pig’s Eye Brewing Company as our presenting sponsor.
Get on up here! P.S. We have women. Lots of women. And, they serve you drinks from the E-Scow boat bar (like the one pictured here). That’s gotta be worth something! Trust us, it's worth the trip! We could even give you a J/24 if you're nice to us! For more J/24 Ugotta Regatta sailing information
French Win J/22 German Masters By A Whisker!(Mohnesee, Germany)- Hosted by Yacht Club Mohnesee on a gorgeous German lake, thirteen J/22s from across Europe sailed four in a wide variety of conditions (typical for most Alpine lakes!).
To say the competition was tight would not even begin to describe what happened amongst the top four boats. In short, they nearly all finished in a tie for first! Just one point separating first from fourth and all four positions determined by a tie-breaker. At the end, the French team of Reiner Brockerhoff, Christophe Declercq and Charlex Michaux sailing FRA 1444 won with a 1-4-5-1 record. Second was the GER 1562 team of Thomas and Christian Rieckborn and Helge Wolpers with a 2-1-3-7, losing the 6 pt tie-break. Third was Peter Karle, Falko Braun and Gina Hess Chrissi Bohnke on GER 1328 sailing to a 4-2-1-5 record. Losing the tie-break, finishing fourth was Reinhold Groh, Thomas Hanf and Dirk Sundermann on GER 1513 with a 8-3-2-2. Fifth was Thomas Roth, Klaus Dressgacker and Jan Roth on GER 1439. For more J/22 German Masters sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* J/125 Andy Costello Interview- by Erik Simonson at H2oshots.com/Pressure Drop.com with Andy Costello, owner of the J/125 DOUBLE TROUBLE.Sometimes things just happen to go your way. A few months ago, that wasn’t the case for Andy Costello and his crew on the J-125, Double Trouble. Having just started the Trans Pac in Division 4 the day before, DT had moved into 7th overall in the fleet in short order, and begun to crack off and plan away from the much large boats when things went south in a hurry. 300nm from shore, the boat suddenly developed cracking noises and the rudder loaded up, followed by water in mild amounts seeping in. The starboard rudder support strut had pulled free and the load was now transferred to only the deck and hull. Andy was forced to make the gut wrenching decision to turn back to shore and abandon what might have been, the race of a lifetime.
Double Trouble, on the West Coast for its second tour of duty was purchased by Andy a few years ago and has done exceedingly well in offshore events. Prepping of boat and crew building had centered on that Transpac, and since then, things had gone quiet at Camp Costello. Keep in mind the J-125 doesn’t get very favorable rating in handicap around the can racing, but does magical thing in a breeze off wind, DT doesn’t compete in a lot of buoy races, but somehow things changed dramatically in the days leading up to the 2011 edition of Big Boat Series. Now sporting a brand new Rolex after his last minute pick-up crew helped Double Trouble to a perfect 7 bullets in the newly established Fast Forty division of the RBBS, we got Andy to give us the lowdown on how this instant campaign got off the ground and did so convincingly well!
PD: You managed to pull together an impressive crew on short notice with some big names, some who have sailed with you before and some not. Can you provide crew list, their jobs and prior DT experience?
AC : “I was really not planning on BBS after our disappointment in the Transpac. In the end I really ended up doing it for a few reasons. One, the J125's came all the way from So Cal and Lake Tahoe, no easy feat and the St Francis Yacht Club had gone through the time to make a fair class we could compete in. I didn't think it would be fair for my boat to sit by the way side as prepped out as she was to do well in Transpac and not at least give it a shot. I also thought Tim Fuller "Resolute", Vigo "Time Shaver", Richard Ferris "August Ice" deserved the competition they came up for. Gilles Combrisson, owner of GC Marine put a lot of work into my boat prepping it for Transpac and he and I were especially bummed after putting a years worth of work into DT. He said "Andy We should do BBS we need to try to end the season on a good note" That got my competitive juices flowing.""Then I got a call from Jody McCormack a few weeks before BBS asking me if I was going to be racing DT. She offered me any help prepping the boat and help putting a crew together and capped it off with "It would be a blast." My next call was to Trevor (Baylis) who I had to email as he was cruising with is family up in the Pacific Northwest . I wanted him to call tactics, however he replied “How about I trim main and strategize and we ask my brother for the boat to boat stuff? ".
"Will was my next call: His reply was "I’m IN". Now I was getting super stoked.
Jody had a few 18 foot skiff sailors form Auckland still in town . Nick Keatley and Josh McCormack, both are super rockstars. Extremely strong, light on their feet and killing it for the team and always with a smile! "After our first tack at practice the Sunday before the Regatta I knew we would be a threat . These boys were tacking the 150 genoa like it was a freaking 95%. Will and I looked at each after that tack and were like "Holy shit"! Matt Noble was also in town and is always on the top of my list when trying to get a crew together so I rang him up. I’ve always loved sailing with him and Trevor does too!"
"Matt and I sailed together in earlier days back when I had a Sydney 38 he helped me win a Santa Cruz open in 30 knots of breeze, something I hadn’t forgot. He has gone on to way bigger things as I’m sure you are aware (that’s why you don't see him a lot on DT) but was he was taking a much needed break from his schedule but was happy to join the team.
"Next on the list was Jonny Goldsberry, another guy I’ve sailed with over the years, including that same Santa Cruz open with Matt. I still remember handing this kid the wheel to my Sydney 38 with Jay Crum calling tactics in the final race of that regatta. We were one of the only Sydney 38's still on our feet and we had a couple clutch 30 knot jibes to the finish for the win, I knew I was going to wipe out and it was super gnarly but he pulled it off ! He also brought along his crew from their 49er campaign , Charlie Smyth. Charlie’s a total gentleman and super competent. Unfortunately, Jonny got really sick the day before BBS and was instructed by his doctor not to race, but enlisted Kevin Moon as his own replacement.""It worked out to be my Dream Team, I don’t think this will ever get topped for me."
The Crew:
- Will Baylis Tactician- "Brilliant and he makes what he does look way to easy" and we know it’s not !
- Trevor Baylis: Main Trim and Strategist- "Never satisfied with speed there is always another way to make the boat go faster"
- Matt Noble- Primary Trimmer Up wind and Down Wind- "Super strong and super low key"
- Josh McCormack- Off side Trim- "Can tail like nobody else"
- Jody McCormack- Pit and Team Leader “she kept the boys motivated and focused key to our success”
- Nick Keately- Mast- “rang the bell on every hoist”
- Gilles Combrisson: Mid Bow and boat prep- "our first day work list was long but it translated to upwind speed from day to on and he got it done"
- Charlie Smythe- Bow- “Made not one mistake all regatta handled everything the after guard asked of him in crazy conditions with little time especially when your blasting into leeward marks at 20 knots
- Kevin Moon- “Floated as we needed more weight to keep up with the other 125's up wind, he is capable of way more but that’s what we needed and he got it done"
- Tommy Pastalka- “His first BBS and was our squirrel and trimmed the stay sail down wind , his first BBS and 7 bullets as his J105 ride bailed at the last minute. He told this will be hard to top”
PD: A lot of 18' and skiff sailors in the group, how did the no fear factor play into pushing the boat in marginal conditions?
AC: "There was no fear factor on our boat. Just focus.We pushed DT to her limits on every run. Two years of offshore experience and having Trevor Baylis to teach you where they are helps you learn to play drive the edge. In big breeze there are HUGE gains on the 125 if you can play that limit and succeed."
PD: Most memorable moment(s) for you during the regatta?
AC:
1. “The Teams focus dedication and each ones contribution to the win!”
2. “The perfect set of conditions for a 125 breeze wise”
3. ”Looking forward to blasting by the competition on the runs”
4. “Rounding the windward mark just behind the Far 400 hoisting and blasting by them on a plane and then holding them off for most of a 25 to 30 knot downwind run ( Farr 400 prepared or not, this was cool)”
PD: You got the Baylis brothers together on the same boat, the 1st time we have seen that in quite some time...Did they get along? (tic)
AC: “They got along great! It was seamless! Trevor would say “ what do you want to do Bro” ? They discuss the situation and then Trevor would give Will input and Will would make the decision. Trevor and Will both know their strengths and rely upon each others best attributes. Trevor knows his down wind jibe angles from skiffs. Will knows his boat to boat tactics and they both see the Bay , in my opinion, like nobody else. It’s in their family genes..I can’t explain how good they are, as its on too many levels.”
PD: You had some disappointments earlier in the season including having to pull out of the Transpac, does this victory make up for some of that?
AC: “No, the victory doesn’t make up for Transpac, which was always the goal. However the experience of sailing with this BBS team, building it on short notice, and succeeding as a team and learning from Trevor and Will during the series more than makes up for it!!!”
PD: The Fast 40' class seems like a great idea on paper, but for the most part ended up being the J-125 class drag race, where have all the other 125's been hiding?
AC: “So Cal”
PD: Are they coming back for more?
AC:”I hope so”
PD: It would have been nice to see the J-111's on the course, and a little more practice time for the Farr 400, what's the talk on the dock for continued contest possibly involving these and other Fast 40's listed early in the promos?
AC: “The talk on the dock from anyone who knows is Dee Smiths team didn’t have enough time in the boat to win this class. There is no doubt the Farr has a ton of untapped potential and I’m sure the BBS results would be far different next year if they have a year to develop the boat and have a crew that was more familiar with the boat. It’s taken us 2 1/2 years to get DT up to speed. When we started racing her 2 years ago there were certain race boats we couldn't touch up wind, now they can’t touch us. It takes development and we’re always looking for ways to make the boat go faster. That’s not to say the J125 is not a weapon, she was way ahead of her time.She's not a Farr 400 but you can’t say she is not stiff competition 12 years after inception!”PD: Other classes not in attendance you would like to see in the Fast 40’s?
AC: “J-111's, The three carbon sprited turbo 1D35's “
PD: Plans for Double Trouble in the future?
AC: “DT has some unfinished business with a race to Hawaii. Pac Cup 2012 is on the horizon!”
Sailing photo credits- Sharon Green- Ultimate Sailing- ultimatesailing.com
* Rolex Women's Worlds on J/22s- this event had a lot of good media products going on from various teams. In particular, check out the summary music video by T2P Productions. There are additional links below for your video enjoyment and pleasure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_wrogto2No
Rolex Womens Worlds- J/22s Recap-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og2CKMssvKM&feature=related
Rolex Womens Worlds- J/22s- 2nd day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m98fwE_ErzU&feature=related
Rolex Womens Worlds J/22- 3rd day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ohiSsMKU7c&feature=related
Rolex Womens Worlds J/22- 4th day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb32YLBQIzo&feature=related
* J/24 Worlds champ Ed Baird is now racing the TP52s in the Audi MedCup. He had some perspectives on Audi TV, skipper of the T/P 52 Quantum Racing talks a bit about the last Med Cup coastal race at Cartagena:
http://www.medcup.org/audimedcuptv/#/12274/cartagena_-_day_4_-_ed_baird_eng
The J Cruising Community
J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers. Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand. Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/
* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years. Their blogs/journals can be found at- http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker. The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com. Search for "SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing" by Bill Stellin or William Stellin." UPDATE- Just a short note to update from Bill- "Our cruise began in May of 2000 and ended in May of 2008, some 8 years later. I have just finished and published my third and final book covering the last three or so years including our double handed crossing in 16 days and one winter in the Caribbean. Like the others, "Sea Trek- A Passion for sailing- Book III," can be found at www.blurb.com. Thanks, Bill and Judy"
* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between. Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins?? Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).
- SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).
- Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun). Check out there recent travels- now past Fiji!
- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com. Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA)
, then to the South Pacific and New Zealand. MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.* The J/109 GAIA (seen right in the Java Sea) was sailed by Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay around the world. In February 2011, their cruising adventures came to an abrupt, sad ending. As a tribute to them and their cruising friends worldwide, we hope their chronicles on their GAIA website remains a tribute to their warm-hearted spirits- read more about why many loved them dearly and will remain touched by their loving spirit forever- http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/
Featured Boats
J/42 Bluewater Offshore CruisersHill & Lowden have on offer two excellent examples of J/42s. One boat is called MAGIC, and is awlgripped “Stars & Stripes “ blue. She is a standard J 42 (regular V-berth forward and a centerline drop-leaf table, with an all cherry interior and alu mast. The boat is loaded with electronic goodies and has many factory options.
The other boat is a J/42 L version called MARIAH. She is a white hull with carbon fiber mast, full cherry interior and fold-up table to the main bulkhead. She has both racing sails and cruising sails, multiple spinnakers and headsails. She has done some offshore racing to Halifax and Newport-Bermuda, thus has a long list of extra safety gear.
Both of these listings are in essentially “new” condition, having been stored indoors in heated sheds and maintained by Burr Bros in Marion, MA.
J/42 MAGIC:This J/42 has a great layout with two double sleeping cabins, two heads with showers. Main cabin has very large working galley. Exceptionally well-organized and equipped Navigation station with new Icom SSB, and new Icom VHT, older Garmin GPS/Chartplotter, Stereo CD with Bose speakers both below decks and waterproof speakers in cockpit.
There are two deluxe settee berths in the main cabin plus a centerline dining table. Good storage in cubbies and bookshelves. Classic interior finish with white laminate bulkheads and solid varnished teak trim. Very bright and airy. New cushions including custom-made Temper-pedic memory foam mattresses in the two sleeping cabins.
New B&G Electronics, B&G Quadrant mounted Autopilot. New Raymarine C-80 big screen color GPS/Chartplotter/Radar mounted at steering pedestal, New Dodger w/ side bar handrails, New Furlex Roller furling system. New Engine driven Sea Frost refrigeration. All new electrical & battery power system, over 350 Amps of storage capacity. Engine start battery, plus 3 house batteries. Microwave oven can be run off inverter at sea. Force 10 Propane stove and oven.
J/42-L MARIAH:This J/42 is equipped to sail offshore. She has a 1 year old Liferaft. The boat is loaded with all the electronic equipment needed and most all of it is not more than a year old. The North sail inventory (6 sails) is excellent for cruising, and includes storm sails and a Gennaker w/ snuffer. The mast is Carbon Fiber by Hall Spars and has a Tides Marine sail track for ease of raising the North mainsail.
There is a stainless steel bow roller and anchor mount and a Lewmar Electric windlass. The working anchor is a 45 lb plow.
The hull is white (good color for the tropics). The current owner sailed her to the BVI's from Massachusetts in November of 2008 where it spent the winter. It has just recently arrived home, averaging 160-200 miles per day on the delivery. This is a fast, solid cruiser, loaded to go off cruising. she has been well loved and cared for and has tons of upgraded, new (2007 to 2008) equipment.
For more information, please call George Lowden or Rich Hill at cell# +1-617-678-8164 or email-hilllowden@comcast.net
About J/Boats
Started in 1977, J/Boats continues to lead the world in designing fun-to-sail, easy-to-handle, performance sailboats that can be enjoyed by a broad spectrum of sailors. The International J/24 has become the most popular recreational offshore keelboat in the world with over 5,400 J/24s cruising the waves. Today, there are 13,000+ J/Boats, ranging from the International J/22 to the J/65 and ranging in style from one-designs to racers, cruisers to daysailers and, of course, the ubiquitous J sprit boats- J/Boats' innovation in 1992 for easy-to-use asymmetric spinnakers and retractable carbon bowsprits (J/80, J/92, J/95, J/105, J/109, J/110, J/120, J/122, J/130, J/133, J/125, J/145, J/160).J/Boats has the best track record in sailing for innovation and design as evidenced by: 15 Sailing World/ Cruising World Boat of the Year Awards in 14 years; 2 SAIL Awards for Industry Leadership; 2 American Sailboat Hall of Fame Designs (J/24 & J/35); and the three largest ISAF International One-Design keelboat classes (J/22, J/24, J/80).
Counting crew, every year there are over 100,000 friends to meet sailing J's, populating the most beautiful sailing harbors and sailing the waters of 35+ countries around the world. Sailing is all about friends. Come join us and expand your social network everywhere! For more information on J/Boats.
Read Kimball Livingston's SAIL update on the J/Boats story- A Band of Brothers<
