Vice Admiral's Cup Regatta- J/111 & J/109 Classes(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The eighth edition of this hugely popular regatta will feature classes for 44-46' series production boats (minimum 4 produced) with a maximum IRC rating of 1.240 and a max SPA of 181.5 sq meters, the J/111 Class, the J/109 Class and two other classes.
In addition it will provide the inshore element for the 2012 GBR Team trials for the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup (the offshore element being the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Morgan Cup Race on 5 May). The RYA's Selection Committee will be using the regatta to help them identify three teams of three boats with IRC Endorsed ratings of between 1.020 and 1.230 with the proviso that only one boat in the team may rate 1.150 or above.
Racing will take place on two separate courses in the central Solent with Class 0 (Commodores' Cup trialists), Class 1 (44-46') and the J/111s racing on one course and the J/109s and two classes on the other. The courses will be predominantly laid windward-leeward format with up to eight races scheduled over the three days of racing. Sailing photo credit- Paul Wyeth- pwpictures.com For more information about sailing the 2012 Vice Admiral's Cup or contact Jo Chugg email- jo@rcyc.co.uk
J/One-Designs @ SCYA Midwinters(Long Beach, CA)- The Southern California Yachting Association’s 83rd Midwinter Regatta is gearing up for the weekend of February 18 and 19, 2012. The Midwinter Regatta is the largest and most unique regatta held anywhere in North America.
This Regatta will be held at over 25 individual SCYA Clubs from Channel Islands, south to San Diego, all ports in between, and east to Arizona. This Regatta allows individual Yacht Clubs to feature specific races and to give the sailors from their area the opportunity to race in a combined, quality regional regatta against the best sailors in Southern California and beyond. The goal for the 2012 SCYA Midwinter Regatta Committee is to provide a high level of competition and quality racing for sailors throughout Southern California and Arizona.
Along those lines, Scuttlebutt Editor Craig Leweck paid a visit to some local bars/ restaurants on the simple basis that man does not live on bread alone and sailors like more than cheeseburgers. To that end, the sailor's hang-out (a.k.a. "watering hole") of choice apparently is Gladstone's in Long Beach. They not only have rum and king crab, but calamari as well. Gladstone's is renowned for being the creators of Maui's "Best Mai Tai" and voted "Best Seafood" by Press Telegram readers-- you can learn more about Gladstone's here.
As for the sailing, the various J's will be divided up over three primary sailing areas (of the six that on stage for the event). Sailing out of Dana Point YC (south of Newport Beach) are the J/24s. The J/80s will be racing at both Arizona YC (Lake Pleasant) and Cal YC up in Marina Del Rey. The J/105s are beginning to gear up for their 2012 North Americans in San Diego, so watch for a highly competitive fleet vying for class honors in San Diego. Also racing out of San Diego YC will be the J/109s and J/120s. For more SCYA Midwinters sailing information.
J/22 Midwinters Preview(Houston, TX)- Next weekend, the Houston Yacht Club and J/22 Fleet 6 will be hosting the 2012 J/22 Midwinter Championship Regatta from February 23-26. With thirty-four boats registered so far, the sailing promises to be closely fought amongst some of the top teams attending, many of them coming from the local Texas fleets.
The Annapolis contingent will be well represented by some top women teams, including Sandy Adzick from Haverford, PA and Kathy Parks from Annapolis, MD on SUNDOG. In addition, Al Terhune sailing DAZZLER from Arnold, MD will hold up the guys side of the equation for "Naptown" sailors.
The Texas gang rides hard and fast and with two World and North American Champions in their midst, it will be tough to beat these gringos. Too close to call this horse race, but you have Terry Flynn sailing TEJAS from Houston, TX and Scott Young from Austin, TX ready to joust when the flags drop.
The Rochester Mafia has always had a strong group of teams sailing J/22s over time. They will be well represented by Travis Odenbach sailing INSTIGATOR from Webster, NY and Chris Doyle teamed up with Will Harris from Kenmore, NY. Either team can be considered top contenders.
Lone wolf and very capable competitor from Ohio is Nick Turney on FREE ENERGY from Lakewood YC in Lakewood. Returning for some more "22 Love" is past J/22 Class President Galen Freeman on HOT RUDDERED BUM from Brentwood, TN. Should be a fun event with this firepower amongst the top of the fleet. For more J/22 Midwinters sailing information
St Petersburg NOOD Preview(St Petersburg, FL)- This year's Sperry Topsider St Petersburg NOOD Regatta promises to have competitive fleets of J/24s and J/80s sailing on the waters of Tampa Bay.
Last February, Todd Fedyszyn turned a win in the J/24 class at the St Pete NOOD into a free charter in the British Virgin Islands. On Feb. 17 to 19, on Tampa Bay, Fedyszyn will once again be aiming for that elusive overall championship. Standing in his way will be more than 100 other skippers, in 10 classes. But Fedyszyn won't have to look far to find some tough competition. The J/24 class, which will feature sixteen entries from as far away as Massachusetts and Illinois, is always one of the most hotly contested classes at each NOOD regatta stop. Local sailor David Mendelblatt is one to watch. As is Travis Odenbach from Webster, NY fresh off a highly competitive J/24 Midwinters the previous week also held on the capricious waters of Tampa Bay.
The J/80s have a good group of eight boats competing. They will have to all contend with the "Middies" from the Naval Academy Sailing Squadron all competing in J/80s- a trio of sailors including Dave Manheimer on BEAR INSTINCT, Stephen Vincent on WILLY T and Jeff Jordan on EMOTIONAL RESCUE.
The warm weather and great sailing conditions on Tampa Bay are a big draw for out-of-state sailors, who usually make up over 50% of the fleet. In 2012 the regatta will feature sailors coming from as far away as New England, Michigan, and Ontario, Canada. The event also draws PHRF sailors, including Bill Terry's J/120 TAMPA GIRL sailing in PHRF 1.
Of note, the St Pete NOOD is welcoming aboard as Sapporo, the oldest beer brand in Japan, as the "official beer"-- since 1876 Sapporo has been a favorite among beer lovers for its crisp and clean taste and is the #1 selling Asian beer in the United States. For more St Pete NOOD Regatta sailing information
24 Teams Sailing NYYC Invitational Cup Qualifiers(Newport, RI)- Twenty four of the leading American yacht clubs have accepted the invitation of the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) to compete in the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup U.S. Qualifying Series (USQS) to be sailed in Newport, RI from September 4-8, 2012.
Returning to the event are American in Rye, N.Y.; Carolina in Charleston, S.C.; Eastern in Marblehead, Mass.; Fishing Bay in Deltaville, Va.; Forth Worth Boat Club in Fort Worth, Texas; Indian Harbor in Greenwich, Conn.; Larchmont in Larchmont, N.Y.; Little Traverse in Harbor Springs, Mich.; Newport Harbor in Newport Beach, Calif.; Pequot in Southport, Conn.; San Francisco in Belvedere, Calif.; Seattle in Seattle, Wash.; Southern in New Orleans, La. and St. Francis in San Francisco, Calif.
The event has generated considerable interest, and 10 yacht clubs new to the event have accepted invitations: Bay Head in Bay Head, N.J.; California in Marina Del Ray, Calif.; Edgartown in Edgartown, Mass.; Florida in Jacksonville, Fla.; Grand Maumelle Sailing Club in Roland, Ark.; Grand Traverse in Traverse City, Mich.; Nantucket in Nantucket, Mass.; Storm Trysail Club; Texas Corinthian in Kemah, Texas and Youngstown, in Youngstown, N.Y.
The complement of clubs represents a cross section of the country with three clubs from the Northeast, four from Long Island Sound, two from the Mid Atlantic, four from the Southeast, three from the Great Lakes, four from California, one from the Pacific Northwest and two from Texas. Storm Trysail comes to the event with a nationwide membership.
The top three U.S. yacht-club teams will join host New York Yacht Club, Royal Canadian Yacht Club, of Toronto, Canada, the winner of the 2011 Invitational Cup, and some of the most prestigious yacht clubs in the world to compete for the 2013 NYYC Invitational Cup presented by Rolex September 7-14.The USQS will continue the successful format from 2010 in which teams will compete in two fleets of one-design keelboats. An initial qualifying round will advance the top-12 teams into a gold fleet competing for the top-three spots, while the bottom-12 teams will be competing for an invitation to the 2014 USQS. The NYYC will be utilizing the J/70, a modern high-performance planing keelboat 22.7' in length with an asymmetrical spinnaker along with the 23' Sonar with its symmetrical spinnaker. For more NYYC USQS sailing information, please contact the NYYC Sailing Office- saillingoffice@nyyc.org- or NYYC website
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
With Valentine's Day behind us it is hoped that there were many "Happy Valentine" J sailors enjoying some beautiful, thoughtful expressions of friendship, companionship or love! On the American side, J/Teams were playing in the warmer southern climate of Florida or Southern California. The J/24 Midwinters on Tampa Bay, Florida recently finished mid-week. Out West, match-racers were enjoying racing the California Dreamin Series sailed in J/22s in San Diego, California. And, just to the north of Los Angeles, the "Santa Barbarians" saw the J/105s simply smoke their Hot Rum series in Santa Barbara, CA. Way Down Under, in Australia we saw for the first time two J/100s dueling in Sydney Harbour. And a bit further south of them saw a J/24 sailing the 174th Royal Hobart Regatta and surprising quite a few people with all sorts of modern offshore machines. Finally, the French J/80 teams have been getting in some good J/80 training in La Trinite sur Mer as they prepare for the 2012 sailing season.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:
Feb 11-19- Boston Boatshow (J/111)- Boston, MA- http://www.neboatshow.com/Feb 16-20- Miami Boatshow- Miami, FL- http://www.miamiboatshow.com/
Feb 17-19- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Pete, FL- http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas
Feb 23-26- J/22 Midwinters- Houston YC- Houston TX- http://www.j22mw.com/
Mar 2-10- J/24 Regata Copa de Mexico- Puerto Vallarta, Mexico- http://j24mex.com/copa_mexico/
Mar 9-11- J/105 Midwinters- Lakewood YC- Houston, TX- http://www.j105mw.com
Mar 18-Apr 29- Warsash Spring Series- Warsash, England- http://www.warsashspringseries.org.uk
Apr 12-15- StrictlySail Pacific (J/111)- Oakland, CA- http://www.strictlysailpacific.com/
Apr 19-22- Newport Beach Boatshow (J/111)- Newport Beach, CA- http://newportinwaterboatshow.com
Apr 19-22- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC- http://www.charlestonraceweek.com/
Apr 22-27- Bermuda Race Week- Bermuda- http://www.biirw.bm/
May 4-6- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- http://www.sailingworld.com/nood_regatta.jsp
May 4-6- J/22 East Coasts- Annapolis YC, Annapolis, MD- http://www.sailingworld.com/nood_regatta.jsp
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
Bream Crowned J/24 Midwinter Champion(Davis Island YC, Tampa, FL)- A two-peat! After the first day of racing defending champion, Peter Bream, of Jacksonville, Florida led the fleet and, remarkably, never looked back, holding his lead every day for over four days to win with a solid 9 pt lead and tossing out his worse race- a 5th!
Hosted by "The Sailingest Club in the South", Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, Florida, and it's RC/ PRO teams did a wonderful job hosting the event in challenging conditions ranging from light to medium winds and the notorious Tampa Bay chop.
On the first day, the 28-boat fleet completed four races in beautiful 10-12 knot conditions under sunny skies. The remains of Saturday’s strong cold front brought cool temperatures and 20 degree oscillations, which made staying of the lifted tack the rule of the day. Bream, aboard TEAM TARHEEL, found the weather to his liking and posted four top-three finishes to take a commanding 13 point lead. Everyone else had a "bomber" of a race, including Mike Ingham of Rochester, New York in second and John Mollicone of Newport, Rhode Island in third.
The second day of racing was tough on all crews. It was pretty clear after the dust settled from the battlefront on the Bay that TEAM TARHEEL were not to be dissuaded from their ultimate mission of dominating the competition. Who knew? Sure, Peter and the boys won last year, but you have rock stars like past J/24 World Champion Mike Ingham breathing down your neck and John Mollicone on 11th HOUR RACING/ SAILORS FOR THE SEA and Tony Parker on BANGOR PACKET throwing in a few upper cuts and jabs for good measure to keep them honest. Bream, the sailed to a solid fifth place finish in the day's only race, held in a perfect 10 knot breeze under sunny skies. But as forecasted the wind gradually shifted to the south and died as the remnants of a cold front finally pushed through the area. The day's race winner, Tony Parker of Annapolis, Maryland, moved up to second place overall.
For the third day of sailing on Tuesday, the fleet was finally greeted by "classic" Tampa Bay weather. Warm and sunny. And, after a brief morning postponement, the sea breeze filled as expected and three races were completed. The sailors were treated to perfect sailing conditions with 10-15 knots southeast winds. In the day’s first race, Travis Odenbach of Rochester, New York played the final run perfectly to just edge out John Mollicone for the win. Mollicone responded by winning the next race in convincing fashion. In the day’s final race, defending champion and regatta leader, Peter Bream, snuck past Rochester’s Kris Werner to take the bullet. As a result, after eight races Bream still topped the leader board ahead of John Mollicone of Newport, Rhode Island in second and Tony Parker of Annapolis, Maryland in third place overall. Back on shore, the hosts at the Davis Island Yacht Club once again pulled out all the stops with a pig roast and bluegrass band on the schedule.
The final day ended up being a bit anti-climactic. So long as Peter and the TEAM TARHEEL boys simply didn't "blow it", the regatta was their's in hand. In the end, the weather cooperated from the TARHEEL gang's perspective. Only one race was completed in light 4-6 knot winds on the final day. Bream’s consistent top-five finishes through 9 races allowed him to cruise to victory, finishing with a 9 point margin over John Mollicone of Newport, Rhode Island in second overall. Third place overall went to Tony Parker of Annapolis, Maryland. Both Mollicone on 11TH HOUR and Parker on BANGOR PACKET surely must've been lamenting in their beers the decisions that forced them to take deep toss races-- Mollicone's 10-10 to start the regatta hurt their chances (sailing to the best record for the last seven races) and Parker's 13th in Race 4 and 7-6-7 in the final three dropped them out of the running.Thanks go out to the great team at the Davis Island Yacht Club, Mount Gay Rum and all the other regatta sponsors. The J/24 Midwinter Championship again returns to DIYC in February, 2013. For more J/24 Midwinters sailing information
J/80 French Teams- Sportboat + Training Regatta(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- The J/80 teams in France are starting to dial-up their training programs for 2012 with a focus to get all boats up to speed in time for the early start of the J/80 Worlds in Dartmouth, England in June.
For the second weekend of training, seven enthusiastic teams showed up for a combined weekend of training on Saturday with a Sportboat Regatta on Sunday.
Saturday's sailing was simply fabulous. Under a wind veering north-northeast from 6-12 knots, flat water and glorious sunshine, the fleet practiced sailing maneuvers and then worked on various starting situations. At the end of the session, the skippers and crew met for a debrief with their coach and speaker Walter Arnaud (winner of a Spi Ouest France in J/80). A video of the day is available on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlblKR75rlQThe Sportboat Regatta on Sunday was excellent training for all the crews. Three windward-leeward races were held in a wind veering north-northeast 4-10 knots under sunny skies. In the end, the top three J/80s were 1st SENJI, 2nd J-VENTURE and 3rd GREEN RIBBON. To learn more or participate in the final training weekend email- arnoskipper@yahoo.fr For more J/80 Challenge Sportboat Regatta sailing information For more J/80 France Sailing Photo galleries
Team Breault Crushes J/22 California Dreamin Opener(San Diego, CA)- Nicole Breault and team simply dusted off some of California's top match racers in San Diego, winning her maiden voyage in the first weekend of the three part California Dreamin’ match racing series racing in J-22s. Here's the report from Nicole on how it all went down:
"We had pretty solid wind (for San Diego) from the west, 7 to 12 knots. The competition was great! Some of the teams had minor boat and sail handling issues the first day, but those issues disappeared the second day and we had to fight hard in every race.
We had some trouble winning starts on the second day, and in our early wins we had to come from behind. We lost to Nick Dougdale and David Storrs back to back and had to rally as a team to overcome the slump and win our last two races. We nailed our start against Dan Aeling and sailed away for the first of those wins. That pumped us up big time!
Our last race was against Dustin Durrant's team for overall winner of the regatta. We split off the line, and in the duel up the first beat we prevailed and rounded the top mark first. The course was a bit skewed and we gambled that the pressure was better to the left looking upwind and gybed first. It was a mistake, the breeze dropped off, and Dustin rolled up to our lee stern and pinned us above layline. We slowed to make the 17 overlap, got it, flagged, he did the double gybe, pinned us again, we reestablished a 17, flagged and he got a penalty (perhaps should have been a red flag penalty). We rounded behind him and trailed closely up the beat. On the second run, he made a fatal mistake dropping his chute to come attack us on white sails with to big a gap between the boats. We just sailed away to win! He lost the lead and had to re-hoist his chute to chase us down, but we were already gone." Nicole and the other teams are continuing the next step to participate in the US Match Racing Championship Area GHJL Quarter-finals and Semi-finals, sailing all three events (if they qualify) in J/22 one-design class sailboats. The dates are April 14-15 at St. Francis Yacht Club (StFYC); May 12-13 at San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC); and the Semi-Finals on June 2-3 at San Francisco Yacht Club (SFYC) in J-22s! Sailing Photo Credits- Kirsten Stahl. For more J/22 Cal Dreamin sailing information.
J/24 Dominates 174th Royal Hobart Regatta(Hobart, Tasmania)- The Royal Hobart Regatta is second only to Sydney's Australia Day Regatta in longevity, celebrating its 174th anniversary on a perfect late summer's day in the capital of the island State of Tasmania.
Regatta Day has been a public holiday since 1838 when the then Governor, Sir John Franklin, declared it a day of recreation and fun afloat and ashore for the citizens of the then small Hobart Town on the banks of the River Derwent.
Sir John and Lady Franklin led a sail past to the regatta grounds, still used today, and with a benevolent gesture, turned on free beer and food for the populace.
Tasmania's current Governor Mr Peter Underwood AC arrived by water, too, on the historic launch Egeria, but his Government House budget no longer runs to providing drinks and food for the citizens of this city of now some 250,000 people.
Apart the summer of the horrific bushfire of 1967, the Royal Hobart Regatta has been held continuously since 1838, not far behind the Australia Day Regatta which on 26 January this year celebrated 176 years of unbroken continuity.
This year's epochal event saw the 23-boat fleet in perfect sailing conditions, a constant 14-16 knot south-easterly sea-breeze, gusting to 19 knots. The winner of the historic Lipton Trophy, decided on PHS handicaps, was the smallest boat in the fleet, Greg Rowling's J/24 ANOTHER TOY! Congratulations to Greg and crew, yet another "David & Goliath" story to add to the J/24's long list of extraordinary achievements. Thanks for the contribution of Peter Campbell.
J/105s Smoke Santa Barbara Hot Rum Series(Santa Barbara, CA)- Like their counter-parts down south in San Diego, the Santa "Barbarians" have their version of a Hot Rum Series that lasts over three weekends and has also proven to be popular with the locals and anyone who wants to enjoy some sybaritic sailing in the greater Los Angeles sailing basin. It's a classic "pursuit-style" event sailing under PHRF where the small/slower boats start first and biggest/fastest boats last, whoever crosses the finish line first is declared the winner. It's a popular format since you get to see all kinds of friends, whether you're sailing by them or you're watching them sail past you!
However, this year, the fleet was in for a surprise! Not your usual light-medium airs from the WNW onshore. Instead, over the past two weekends, the fleet has been treated to powerful Scirocco-like offshore winds blowing from the NNE ranging from 20 to 40+ knots! These weekends have been nearly perfect J/105 weather, blowing "dogs off chains" with the 105 sailors relishing every minute of the windy, puffy conditions. For Hot Rum #2, the J/105s went 1st and 2nd, led by Larry Harteck's REPEAT OFFENDER followed by Ken Kieding's ADVANCE. Mark Noble's J/105 ESCAPADE was 4th and "the little engine that could", the littlest boat in the fleet, Dale Bryers' and Brian Green's J/22 MISBEHAVING snagged a 5th! And, rising up to the challenge was none other than Dr. Laura Schlessinger on her J/100 PERFECT, having a near perfect day and at least finishing in the spectacular conditions in 6th. More than half the 30-odd boat fleet retired due to torn sails, bruised egos or broken equipment (or all of the above).
On the final weekend of racing for Hot Rum #3, the J/105s again went 1st and 2nd in just as windy conditions as the previous weekend, winds howling offshore from the NNE blowing 20-35 kts-- perfect J/105 weather again! Repeating again as Captain Bligh mercilessly driving his crew to "trim that gosh darn sail again-- faster" was Larry's gang on REPEAT OFFENDER (pictured at right), followed closely by Ken's crowd on ADVANCE. In that order, the J/105s took first and second for the series. Fifth in the last race was Mark's ESCAPADE, enabling them to grab 4th for the series. Other than their slow start on the first weekend of racing Hot Rum #1 (a hard-to-swallow 17th in a no-toss series), Byers and Green on their J/22 MISBEHAVING could easily have been the spoiler in the whole event, notching a 6th place on the last day to climb into 7th for the series. Other notable performances came from the bright red J/145 RADIO FLYER sailed by Carolyn Parks (Dr Laura's old boat), getting a 5th on the first weekend and Larry Leveille's perennial champion J/29 RUSH STREET hanging tough with fellow 29 footer, the J/92 BLUES CREWS sailed by David Baxter, finishing 9th and 11th respectively.Kudos to the race "survivors" and the winners. As one person describes it, "it was a great trophy party, great food and lots of free rum for all whom could make it to the bar." For more Santa Barbara Hot Rum Series sailing information
J/100s Duel at Greenwich Flying Squadron Twilight Series(Sydney, Australia)-This past Wednesday the two J/100s that have been enjoying the spectacular sights and vistas day sailing around Sydney Harbour had an opportunity to sail against one another over a friendly wager of a pint of beer-- aahhh, in the grand tradition of Harold Vanderbilt and J.P. Morgan, the famous America's Cup iconoclasts! Here's their report from Down Under.
"After meeting recently and sailing a few informal blasts up and down Sydney Harbour, the 2 J/100s, JOHN JERVIS (Ralph Hillman) and SOPHIE X (Tom Havas) decided it was time to try their hands at racing. They both joined as casual entries into the Greenwich Flying Squadron Wednesday twilight race. Renowned for its high turnout of boats, up to 65 starters in 5 divisions, tight navigable sailing area and shifty winds it was all going to be a challenge. Neither Tom or Ralph were familiar with the area or the courses.
In a fading 7-12 knot breeze which was shifting from the nor’east to the east and back again the 2 J/100s set about the task in hand with eager zest. Soon after the start JOHN JERVIS took the lead of green division with SOPHIE X close behind, it became very clear this was already a J/100 match race. Reaching to the first mark, Cockatoo Island both crews were getting to grips with the constant wind shifts and tidal vagaries of sailing around small islands on what is called by locals "the Dark Side" (west of Sydney Harbour bridge). The J/100s were neck and neck with JOHN JERVIS taking the first point of the island just a little too wide. Too late! SOPHIE X was in the gap and took a slim lead.
Continuing west and leaving Cockatoo & Snapper islands to starboard approaching the next mark called Spectacle Island, JOHN JERVIS picked a beautiful wind pattern and surged to leeward of SOPHIE X gibing around Spectacle first. By this time the remainder of green division were nearly 200 metres behind. After Spectacle the 2 J/100s settled into the beat towards Sydney Harbour bridge and the next mark – Goat Island to starboard. With the outgoing tide it was important to track in the centre of the channel and play the wind shifts. Both boats were equally matched with standard non-overlapping jibs and easing away from the rest of the green division boats. Then an overzealous tack on particularly big knock by JOHN JERVIS cost them a boat length and SOPHIE X was in the lead again. Around Goat Island and running /reaching back towards to the club for the finish the tight race continued, trying avoid wind holes and vying for any advantage. With whispers of pressure filling in from behind it allowed some of green division to make up a little distance.
However the damage was done, SOPHIE X crossed the line 5 seconds ahead of JOHN JERVIS in a nail biting finish. The two Sydney based J/100s with novice crews had made their mark. The remainder of the division finishing between 1.5 and 12 minutes behind. During the prize giving ceremony the two visitors were complimented on their domination of green division, and joked that consideration may be given to put these two giant slayers with the 40-plus footers next time. Comments from the crews were- 'That was a lot of fun and we all enjoyed it-- why would anyone buy anything but a J/100! The boat is so stable and easy to sail, we never expected to be so quick against all the other boats. Can’t wait to do it again.'" Thanks for the contribution from Ray and Sandra Entwistle, Tom Havas and Ralph Hillman.
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* It is always amazing to see where J's end up around the world-- like the J/41 One-Tonner that has been modified to be an ultra-cool racer-cruiser sailing in Thailand and Malaysia by a Frenchman- Jean Rheault or the fire-engine red J/35 resurrected from the ash-heap of history cruising Mexico and Central America. Recently, one of the J/133s changed hands and it's new owners continue to race successfully (e.g. when they're not cruising!). The Canadian purchaser of RUM FUNNY in 2011 re-named her PALADIN (seen here). With the addition of carbon sails, PALADIN just won the Vallarta Cup in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! Cool stuff. Thanks for this report from Bud Suiter.* J/105 Manhattan YC Regatta! Check this one out. This regatta is being hosted by J/105 Class Fleet 10 and Manhattan Yacht Club (located in the famous North Cove Marina) in one of the coolest, and most challenging, places to sail in the world. Zipping around New York Harbor while dodging the Staten Island ferries, cruise ships and the fleet with the Statue of Liberty and Wall Street as a back-drop can be simply breathtaking-- plus the Manhattan skyline at sunset is spectacular. Put this event on your "Bucket List"-- awesome evening entertainment (heck, Greenwich Village, Little Italy and China-town are practically walking distance!) and "just for fun" sailing is what makes this a "gotta do it" regatta. If you're flying into New York on business, why not hop aboard for a ride!
This is an event dedicated solely to the J/105 class. Last year there were eight boats on the starting line. This year we expect to see at least a dozen. Courses will be primarily windward/leeward under the watchful gaze of the Statue of Liberty and multiple support boats. Social events include an outdoor barbecue aboard Liberty State Park’s lightship and an awards party at North Cove Marina on Sunday after racing. Bring family and friends to watch the action. Never far from the shores of either New york or New Jersey, the race provides spectators and tourists alike with the site of big boat racing. Probably one of the few local sailing events where spectators can watch a regatta without ever leaving land. For more J/105 Manhattan Regatta sailing information.
* This past week, Johnstone cousin Brad Van Liew sailed with Giovanni Soldini and his crew onboard the Volvo Open 70 MASERATI and set a monohull time reference for the 3,884 nm Cadiz-San Salvador route of 10 days, 23 hours, 9 minutes and 2 seconds. They left Cadiz on 2 February, traveling 4,632 statue miles at an average speed of 17.6 knots. The team, which includes 2010-11 VELUX 5 Oceans race winner American Brad Van Liew, will carry on without stopping to Charleston, South Carolina, where it will be completely overhauled. After the work, the team will attempt to beat the 24-hour speed record. Click here for the full sailing report.
It all began in Waterbury, Connecticut when friends Alexander 'Al' Bryan and Cortlandt 'Cort' Heyniger (the Al and Cort in Alcort) put a sail on a surfboard, and by 1951 created the Sunfish as we know it today. It became the most popular sailboat ever built worldwide with over 300,000 built to date.
For a brief period, Bob Johnstone ran AMF Alcort in Waterbury, CT helping to re-energize Sunfish marketing from 1975 to 1977. When AMF didn't want to build the J/24, Bob J and brother Rod J decided instead to start J/Boats in 1977! But there's more. Later, after AMF sold off their sailboat division to Pearson Yachts, brother Peter bought it out of bankruptcy and merged it with Laser to create Sunfish-Laser in 1991 with funding from North Marine Group (the parent company of North Sails owned by Terry Kohler) and Gary Jobson, amongst others. Later in March 1987, Peter and North Marine Group sold it off to Vanguard Sailboats based in Portsmouth, RI.
When the Sunfish reached Lake Michigan, the Sunfish sailors in Lake Bluff, Illinois wanted organized racing, which led to the founding of Lake Bluff Yacht Club in 1962. They hosted the first Sunfish North American Championship held in 1963. This summer the Sunfish North Americans and Lake Bluff YC will celebrate their golden anniversaries, and in conjunction with the Waukegan Yacht Club, will mark the occasion by hosting the 50th Sunfish North American Open Championship. The regatta will be sailed in the fresh waters of Lake Michigan off the beach in Waukegan, Illinois from August 2 to August 4, 2012. The Youth North American Championship will also be sailed in Waukegan from July 30 to August 1, 2012. Sailing photo credits- Onne Van der Wal Learn more about the Sunfish Class and North American Championship sailing informationThe 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). Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".
- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com. Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA)
, then to the South Pacific and New Zealand. MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.* 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
Famous J/133 CHESTRESS-2 For SaleMediterranean Winner in Italy & France
CHESTRESS-2 is a 2005 J/133 with only one owner that has sailed her with passion and with extraordinary success in the Mediterranean. She has been professionally, impeccably maintained by her captain for six loving years. And, it shows. CHESTRESS-2 is in mint condition, with no defects or damage, she is ready for cruising, club racing or serious offshore campaigning anywhere in the world-- Phuket, Auckland, Sydney, Newport, Cowes, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Stockholm, Sardinia, Cabo, Cape Town, Punta or Ilhabela.
The sail and equipment lists are extensive. She's a 2 cabin/ 2 head arrangement- a gorgeous interior with extraordinary "fit and finish". Her racing inventory of sails is primarily NORTH SAILS 3DL. Her cruising sails include Elvstrom-Sobstad gennakers and snuffers. The equipment list includes: Autohelm B&G ACP1 complete with: display unit FFD, Acp2 processor, feed-back sensor, linear hydraulic Ram; Raymarine C80 chartplotter; VHF Raymarine with DSC + external repeater; stereo hi-fi 2 speaker internal and 2 external (new 2011); 2 extra hi load batteries with energy management system; Hi power inverter for ac 220v; Extra engine filter for water/dirt separation; anchor support with roller; Lewmar electric anchor raise winch; Delta 12kg anchor + 50m chain (+ extra racing anchor 10kg); Self-inflating emergency life-raft certified for 8 people; Additional water tank (200+160 lt); Hi capacity american frigor; electric WC in aft toilet; Sunbrella mainsail shade; Original Sprayhood Sunbrella; original external cushions in cockpit and aftseat; External hot/cold shower; Cockpit table; Outboard engine wooden support and more!Please contact Enrico Malingri. For more J/133 Chestress-2 sailing information
