J/97 EuroCup One-Design!(Plymouth, England)- As the J/97 fleet continues to grow on either side of "La Manche", enthusiasm not just for offshore handicap racing in RORC events has increased, but the desire to sail more one-design racing has also emerged amongst the lovers of this easy-to-handle 32 ft family cruiser-racer. As a result, the J/97 EuroCup event has been announced as part of the 2013 J-Cup hosted by the Royal Western Sailing Club, Plymouth from 21st - 24th August. The UK J/97 fleet hope boats from Ireland, Scotland, France and Benelux regions join them for some great sailing after Cowes Week.
The fleet will enjoy eight races over three days, both inside and out of the Plymouth breakwater, with most races scheduled to finish within view of the sailing club and spectators on the Hoe and surrounding areas. The overall results will determine both the winner of The Lombard J/97 UK National Championship, and now the European Championship also. Both winners will be awarded some first-rate prizes for their success on the water.
The J/97 is the smallest cruiser-racer of the J/Boats range. Measuring 32 ft', it combines 6' of headroom and family cruising accommodation in a high performance, easily driven hull. Launched in 2009, a sizable fleet of J/97s has developed in the UK, enjoying both one design and IRC racing. The boat has proven its competitive ability under IRC time and again; in 2012 the J/97 was crowned champion at the IRC SW Championships, IRC Nationals, IRC2 Class at Dartmouth Week, Class 5 at Cowes Week, and finally, overall winner of the coveted Scottish Series.
The annual J-Cup regatta is exclusively for racing yachts of the J-Boats brand and all J-Boats models are eligible to compete. A different venue is selected each year, and the event returns to Plymouth for the first time since 2007. Sailing photo credits- Tim Wright- Photoaction.com. For more J/97 EuroCup and UK Nationals sailing information
Chile J/70 Promotion 2013(Santiago, Chile)- J/70s have arrived in time for Chilean sailors to get a taste of the great fun that American and European sailors have been experiencing with their boats; the Chileans are especially enthusiastic after seeing the reports and gorgeous photos of J/70s frolicking in the aquamarine waters off Key West during Race Week.
We recently got an update from Juan Eduardo Reid, the Chilean J/Dealer, regarding recent interest in the J/70, regatta participation and fleet development. Juan commented on those activities:
"This past weekend from Jan 27th to Feb 4th we had a very well-received exhibition of the boat at the Soto 40 Worlds in the emerald waters of Talcahuano Bay. We had many people requesting to sail the boat and we have setup demo sails on Vichuquen and Pangupulli Lakes in the near future, more on that in a moment.
We since participated in the the Frutillar Regatta on Llanquihue Lake last Friday-Saturday-Sunday. I sailed with 3 Chilean Naval Academy students/ midshipmen. We were 1st overall in the coastal Cruiser-Racer class! There where 5-6 coastal boats (Hunter 35, McGregor 26, Dufour 34, Bavaria 30) and nine J/24s. In fact, we plan to run the first J/70 Nationals in Chile next year in the same time period.For J/70 class development, we are providing boat tests on Monday and Tuesday, Feb 18-19, on Vichuquen Lake. Already sailing on this lake quite a lot since December 2012 is J/70 #75. Then, on Saturday and Sunday, Feb 23-24, we will be doing both racing and testing of the J/70s on Panguipulli Lake and we expect to have two more boats delivered by that date for more fun sailing in the Andes Mountains! For more J/70 Chile sailing information and demo sail, please email Juan Eduardo Reid
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
This coming week is perhaps one of the most important in any sailor's life, Valentine's Day weekend. What to do? For those loved ones, young and old, a tradition to simply express love and caring for one another perhaps most important of all. We would, of course, recommend that loved ones deserve a fun-loving, easy-to-sail "J" to go sailing on gorgeous sunset evenings or explore the wild-blue frontier on crystal-clear blue days with gentle sun and wind caressing our faces. However, just a hug and "love you honey" is perhaps the best and most genuine expression of all. Enjoy! Our friends in Europe, perhaps have trumped us all! How does one beat sailing a J/70 or J/111 in the Primo Cup- Credit Suisse on the spectacular, star-kissed, sun-kissed shores of Monte Carlo, Monaco? Clearly they had fun and could easily count as a Valentine's Day weekend "surprise". The J/70 sailors there reported having a simply amazing time sailing on the Mediterranean in a wide-variety of weather conditions-- including a crew with kids 7 & 11 yrs old!! On the European side we also see a long-time J/24 sailor finally finishing the Vendee Globe, Jean-Pierre Dick on VIRBAC-PAPREC 3, read more about his simply remarkable story below. And, along that same vein, it seems the J/24 crowd are both having fun and influencing how sailing as a sport and recreational activity continue to develop around the world. For one, there's a hotly contested regatta going on right now in Tampa, Florida at Davis Island YC-- the J/24 Midwinters that once started in Key West in 1978, remember?! Then, down in Argentina that J/24 fleet recently had a blast (almost literally) sailing in the "Cordoban Andes Mountains", racing on the fabulously spectacular lake of Lago San Roque. Finally, two veteran J/24 sailors, Dave Franzel (now a J/70 owner) and John Kostecki (J/24 World Champion) offered some valuable perspectives on sailing below. And, yet another World Champion J sailor, Greg Fisher in J/22s, explores his impact on sailing introducing college sailors to keelboat racing- both in J/22s at College of Charleston (a top-ranked college sailing team in America) and in offshore big boats.Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below has many entertaining stories and news about J/Sailors as well as cruising blogs about those who continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north. Check them out! More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page! Below are the summaries.
Regatta & Show Schedules:
Feb 15-17- J/70 St Pete NOOD Regatta- St Petersburg, FLFeb 16-24- New England Boatshow (70)- Boston, MA
Feb 28-Mar 13- J/22 Midwinters- Davis Is YC- Tampa, FL
Mar 2-10- Stockholm Sailboat Show (70)- Stockholm, Sweden
Mar 6-9- Bacardi Miami Sailing Week (70, 80)- Miami, FL
Mar 6-10- HISWA Amsterdam Boatshow (70)- Amsterdam, Holland
Mar 8-10- J/105 Midwinters- Lakewood YC- Seabrook, TX
Mar 13-17- Oslo Sailboat Show (70)- Oslo, Norway
Mar 15-17- San Diego NOOD Regatta- San Diego, CA
Mar 17-Apr 28- Warsash Spring Series- Warsash, England
Mar 28-Apr 1- SPI Ouest France- La Trinite sur Mer, France
Apr 11-14- Strictly Sail Pacific (70, 111)- Alameda, CA
Apr 18-21- Charleston Race Week (22, 24, 70, 80)- Charleston, SC
May 3-5- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
May 17-19- Seattle NOOD Regatta- Seattle, WA
Jun 7-9- Chicago NOOD Regatta (105, 109, 111)- Chicago, IL
Jun 7-9- New York YC Annual Regatta (111, 122)- Newport, RI
Jun 23-28- Block Island Race Week- (80, 35, 105, 109, 111, 44)- Block Island, RI
Jul 6-13- J/80 World Championships- Marseilles, France
Jul 13-15- Chicago Mackinac Race- Chicago YC- Chicago, IL
Jul 18-22- New York YC Race Week (105, 111)- Newport, RI
Aug 9-11- Verve Cup Offshore (109, 111)- Chicago, IL
Aug 14-18- J/111 North Americans- Chicago YC- Chicago, IL
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
FREMITO D'ARJA Wins J/70 Primo CupJ/111s Enjoy Windy IRC Racing
(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- “It’s been a long time since I had so much fun on the water” said a competitor at the Primo Cup – Trophée Credit Suisse about their full weekend of racing on the water in "fresh to frightening" breeze conditions, rather epic 4-8 ft Mediterranean seas sweeping into the bay and the mountainous principality swept by a combination of snow flurries and sun-kissed by the soft winter Mediterranean sun.
Monaco’s bay again delivered a varied regatta full of surprises. From bright blue skies on Friday to the scattering of snow on Saturday, not to mention the tail end of a Mistral, the weather conditions delighted the IRCs and the one-design fleets, including the enthusiastic J/70 class. Note that for the J/70s, voted “European Boat of the Year 2013” by the international press in the “Special Yacht” category, the Primo Cup – Trophée Credit Suisse was the first official regatta in the Med for this young class, which has only been available in Europe for six months. Even though conditions were not quite good enough to race on the Sunday, due to the centre of a depression in the Gulf of Genoa changing tack, five very enjoyable races were started over this second weekend compared to six last weekend. With fourteen nationalities present and a high level of competition, the Primo Cup – Trophée Credit Suisse confirmed its demanding reputation and quality for all yachts and hundreds of sailors.
A special note must also be made that makes the Primo Cup – Trophée Credit Suisse unique in its prize-giving for regattas around the world-- Credit Suisse Bank, appropriately enough, offers a 24 carat 99.999% Gold 1 oz. ingot to the winner of a drawing amongst the winners (a 1 in 6 chance)!! Plus, Slam Advanced Technology Sportswear is awarded to the first three J/70 crews and to the top three in IRC Class.
The first day of sailing was fabulous. It started with a steady 10 knots south-westerly wind, with beaming sunshine and calm sea, reaching 30 knots by the end of the day. Three races were started for the J/70s while the IRC class sailed two races. The J/70s had fun and fast sailing and this 7-meter keelboat has delivered on all its promises on the Monegasque bay. On the results side, the Italian crew of FREMITO D'ARJA sailed by Dario Levi, lead the day's race by two wins out of the three races, followed very closely by the Italian SPIN ONE team sailed by Pietro Saccomani and the Dutch HENRI LLOYD team sailed by Wouter Kolllmann, the three top crews only 5 points away from each others.For the second day of the regattas, the early starts of the morning saw spring sailing conditions. Then the weather Gods got a bit chaotic! Later races were replaced by snow falls and wind gusts reaching up to 20 - 25 knots of wind towards the end of the races, challenging the nerves and physical skills of the racing crews on their last legs. Two races were completed Saturday, allowing the Race Committee to count five races in total for the J/70 one-designs and four for the IRCs.
In the IRCs, the J/111s were sailing against 14 boats in a massively competitive fleet. Loving the conditions was the J/111 ESPRIT SUD sailed by Thierry Bouchard, finishing a well-deserved 4th place overall with a 7-5-3-3 scoreline and only missing the podium bronze by just two points. The other J/111, MERLIN sailed by Michel Buffet and Gilles Conte, finished in the top ten by gathering a record of 9-6-10-8 to finish 8th overall.In the end, the J/70s were swept by the Italian armada. The Italian crew on FREMITO D'ARJA dominated throughout, ahead of fellow countrymen aboard SPIN ONE and the HENRI LLOYD Dutch team. The winners received the J/70 Class Challenge Trophy awarded by J/Boats Italy, which from now on will be awarding the best in this series at future Primo Cups.
We received a great report from Paolo Boido, Chief of J/Boats Italy:
"We made it! Thank goodness. The J/70s were getting ready for the first European regatta in Monaco, mooring at "Quai d'Honneur" at Yacht Club Monaco. A total of seven teams have showed up for their first Primo Cup, it's a great honour for J/70 to be admitted at this prestigious event-- its attendance is generating a great interest for this lovely boat. Four Italian Teams, one Dutch, one Russian and one representing the YC Monaco burgee, an amazing international attendance for such a new class.Dario Levi with Andrea Casale from Quantum Italy playing tactician dominated all the races, winning the Credit Suisse Trophy and J/Boats Italy Challenge Trophy. Second was Piero Saccomanni with Nevio Sabadin as trimmer and tactician. Third was the Dutchman Wouter Kollmann, who was able to reach Monaco in a heavy snow storm across all of France!
The experienced Race Committee, with Thierry Leret Chairman, did a great job adjusting the sailing course according to frequent wind changes, from medium light up to strong blast over 30 knots in shifty conditions. The J/70s put on a great show in all weather conditions, sailing fast in light with big left-over storm waves on Friday and on Saturday surfing/planing full speed at 15.0+ kts and with great stability with puffs over 30+ kts.
Boat handling has been perfect and easy in all conditions. All the teams sailed four-up. One of those was a family team, Vittorio di Mauro who sailed with Filippo Domenicali and his two kids 7 & 10 years old!! They were quite competitive even in heavy air; but most importantly, this team shows the great stability of the J/70 and how safe it is boat-handling even with two kids on board!! 
It’s always a pleasure for boat designers and dealers to watch their owner's smile when they show happiness for their performances achieved with their boats. Here (pictured at right) Dario Levi’s smile showing his Velocitek displaying 17.8 kts reaching downwind in winds less than 20-23 kts!Championat Monégasque 2013- The J/70 Fleet has been invited to sail again in Monaco, sailing March 16-17 for the YC Monaco Championship! That is quite an honor for the new "baby J"! Therefore, in the next weeks J/Boats Italy will be offering demo sails of the J/70 in Monaco leading up to the up-coming event!
By the way, the new trailer design is working out quite nicely. Balbi Rimorchi & J/Boats Italy engineered and set-up the new trailer Model BD-1500. It's easy and light to tow with medium-size cars, this trailer is very stable thanks to the well proportioned body and wide axle. Independent suspension system and brakes. A custom-made GRP front hull support with GRP flat supports aft allow easy hauling/launching from a ramp." Thanks for Paolo's contribution. For more J/70 Italy/ Monaco information, please contact Paolo at "jboats@jboats.it".
Finally, the Primo Cup- Credit Suisse has already been set for the 30th edition which will take place February 7-9, 2014. Significantly, the regatta will have both J/70s and J/24s and will be the IRC Mediterranean Championship.
In the meantime, the YCM will soon host from 8th to 10th March 2013, a new Team Racing event in J/24s as well as the J/24 European Championship, organized from the 6th to 12th October 2013.
Sailing photo credits- YCM/ Carlo Borlenghi. For more Yacht Club Monaco and Primo Cup- Credit Suisse sailing information
Mollicone Leading J/24 Midwinters(Tampa, FL)- John Mollicone's HELLY HANSEN team has seized the lead after five races on the opening day of the J/24 Midwinter Championship. Beautiful conditions allowed the abundance of racing for the 20-boat fleet in Tampa Bay, Florida. Under sunny skies and temperatures near 80 degrees at Davis Island Yacht Club, winds began at 6-8 knots for the first three races.
Sailing with Tim Healy, Geoff Becker, Dan Rabin and Gordon Borges, Mollicone on board the might HELLY HANSEN from Newport, RI, they lead the regatta by one point after the first day of sailing three races. Mike Ingham from Rochester, NY is in second and three points further back is Will Welles team on COUGAR from Newport, RI.
On the second day, the 20 teams were postponed in the morning due to lack of wind, but the sea-breeze was worth the wait when it kicked in at 14-16 knots with puffs around 18. After six races, Mollicone's HELLY HANSEN continues to lead with Will Welles' COUGAR leaping into second overall and dropping Mike Ingham's team to third. Racing continues through Wednesday/ Thursday.
For more J/24 Midwinters sailing information and results
CARRER Takes Campeonato Centro de la Republica(Lago San Roque, Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina)- With twenty-one J/24s on the water of Lago San Roque from the provinces of Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Mendoza and Neuquen it was sure to be tough competition. With somewhat extreme conditions, the regatta's PRO managed to run three races overall for the four day event scheduled to sail from February 9th to 12th.
In the first day of sailing, PICANTE #5469 with Samuel Capeta steering was leading the fleet due to the most consistent record of a 3-3 with 6 pts. Just behind him by two points was a three-way tie for second; including CARRER #5458 owned by Juan di Francesco with Pablo Despontin at the helm with a 4-4 for 8 pts; Javier Moyaro sailing CALDO DE CIELO #4106 with a 2-6 for 8 pts; and RIMA #5499 sailed by the famous Nicolas Cubria with a 7-1 for 8 pts!
With so many good teams fighting for the top five, the last day of sailing was shaping up to be a tough one for all the crews. Finally, on Sunday, the fleet managed to complete a single race due to highly variable weather conditions that went from storm to calm and "Borneos" (adiabatic winds in those Andes!) of 180 degrees; the wind ultimately settled to a nice 8-10 kts wind. This time, the results of the race created the sailing version of the "chutes & ladders" board game; some teams went way up and some went way down. After the dust settled from the heat of battle, it was clear that CARRER #5458 owned by Juan di Francesco with Pablo Despontin at the helm, had a brilliant performance and with excellent local knowledge sailed well to lead the fleet home in the last race, so their 4-4-1 record would ultimately take the gold. Following behind them by one point with a 3-3-4 tally for 10 pts was PICANTE #5469 with Samuel Capeta steering, both of the top two boats were from the club YCC 400. Third overall was taken by Moyaro's CALDO DE CIELO with a 2-6-3 scoreline for 11 pts. Rounding out the top five were Despotin's INDIGO in 4th and Cubria's RIMA in 5th overall.
Everyone agreed it was a fantastic time sailing and very well organized by the Cordoba J/24 fleet with both CNC and YCC 400 fleet members. Incredible enthusiasm despite the heat of the race, so to speak. Plus, can't forget to mention how fun the regatta's "launch party" was to start the event, thanks to the hospitality of YCC 400 and the contributions of many sponsors. Another good party and regatta completed on the famous Lago San Roque. Until next time! For more J/24 Argentina sailing information
J/24 Sailor Fourth In Vendee Globe Race Around World(Les Sables d'Olonne, France)- This one happens to be an amazing story of a remarkable guy. Frenchman Jean-Pierre Dick sailing the massively fast and huge Open 60 called VIRBAC-PAPREC 3 finished the Vendée Globe 2012-2013 with no keel, and took fourth place in this amazing event. Several J/24 sailors in the UK and Europe competed against Jean-Pierre at many J/24 events in Europe in the 1990s, and they remember some very competitive tussles with "JP" particularly at the French SPI OUEST Regatta that is sailed in La Trinite sur Mer, France every Easter Holiday weekend.
It's been a long journey from the around-the-buoys, bashing and crashing around the race-track on J/24s to skippering these extremely fast, all-carbon, water-ballasted, swing-keel speedsters-- the modern incarnation of the "ocean greyhounds of old." Fresh off the press at the Vendee Globe site is great insight into Jean-Pierre's remarkable competitiveness, camaraderie with friends and sailors (notably starting with the J/24 class) and amazing display of seamanship to simply finish the race:
"French skipper Jean-Pierre Dick (a.k.a. "JP") crossed the finish line off Les Sables d'Olonne this afternoon at 15hrs 5mins and 40 seconds UTC/GMT to finish fourth in the Vendée Globe, the famous solo nonstop around the world race. His third participation has yielded his best ever result, despite having to race the final 2,650 nm without a keel on his IMOCA Open 60 Virbac-Paprec 3. JP's elapsed time for course is 86 days, 3 hours, 3 minutes and 40 seconds. He finishes 8d and 47m behind race winner François Gabart (MACIF).JP's average speed for the theoretical course of 24,393 nm is calculated to be 11.8 knots. In reality he sailed 27,734 nm on the water at an actual average speed of 13.4 knots.
Double-winner of the two-handed Barcelona World Race and three-times winner of the two-handed Transat Jacques Vabre, JP was one of the possible favourites to win the Vendée Globe but in the end had to give up his third place position he was holding when his keel snapped off on 21st January. He fought on to the finish after making a 48 hours stop in the north of Spain to let a strong low pressure system pass to receive a warm welcome today back in Les Sables d'Olonne.His finish in Les Sables d'Olonne put a full stop to one of the most engaging stories of this edition Vendée Globe. As he sailed to fourth place JP's race revealed an inspiring mix of human fortitude and endeavour, sporting excellence and technical achievement.
JP was on the hunt, lying in third place and still doggedly chasing the two leaders, François Gabart (MACIF) and Armel Le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire) who were nearly 400 miles ahead when his Virbac-Paprec 3 lost its keel at 2245hrs UTC on January 21st some 500 miles NW of the Cape Verde Islands.
To make the finish JP has sailed some 2,650 nm – a record - without the essential appendage which balances the boat against the force of the wind. It was a passage during which he lived life on a knife edge, constantly vigilant to make sure his IMOCA Open 60 was not knocked over. To sit out the worst of a low pressure system over the Bay of Biscay, JP made a short 48 hours stop on the Galician coast, mooring in Saint Cyprian between 0430hrs UTC January 31st and restarting in light winds on the morning of February 1st at 0720hrs UTC.
Until the accident effectively robbed him of third place on the podium, the French skipper who is originally from Nice, was one of the key players in the race. On the descent of the Atlantic he was in the top 5 at the Canary Islands. Then, just as he also lead during the 2008-9 Vendée Globe, JP took the lead and between the Agulhas gate and the Cape of Good Hope he was at the top of the rankings six times, leading the Vendée Globe fleet past the Cape of Good Hope. From there a pattern is set to Cape Leeuwin and beyond with a leading trio becoming well established, François Gabart, Armel Le Cléac'h and the skipper of Virbac-Paprec 3. But in the Pacific, JP lacked the power of key headsails because of damage to the head hook high up on the mast and he loses progressively more on Gabart. At one point he is 687 miles behind. But after several mast climbs to fix his problem he comes back strongly on the approach to Cape Horn, more than halving the deficit. On the ascent of the South Atlantic he got to within 100 miles of the leading duo just as their race-defining split took place.For JP, this fourth place is his best Vendée Globe finish yet. He finished sixth in 2004-5, arriving with no power, and in 2008-9 he had to retire into New Zealand after suffering rudder damage due to a unidentified floating object.
By comparison with the Breton 'inner circle' JP was a late starter to IMOCA Open 60 racing, and is not really a graduate of their traditional passage through the Figaro solo circuit. Instead, he arrived through sailing J/24s competitively in Europe, he won in the crewed Tour de France a Voile race. A qualified veterinarian with a masters business degree and years of a professional executive career under his belt before he turned to ocean racing, JP is a rigorous, thorough sailor who trains long and hard and embraces science and technology in every aspect, human and technical.JP has become renowned as something of a specialist in two-handed races. His best solo result remains his third in the 2006 Route du Rhum. JP has a reputation in the sport for being a tough, hard working gentleman who is supported by highly competent team. Read the report of Jean-Pierre’s experience
For more Vendee Globe and JP/VIRBAC-PAPREC 3 sailing information
Summary of Jean-Pierre Dick's VIRBAC-PAPREC 3 Vendee Globe race:
- Greatest distance covered in 24 hours: Virbac-Paprec 3 covered the second greatest distance over 24 hours in this edition of the Vendée Globe clocking up 517.23 miles on 10th December. Average speed: 21.6 knots.
- Speed/ distance covered on the water: 13,4 knots/27 734 miles
- Number of rankings as leader (5 rankings per day): 6 times
- Les Sables – Equator: 11d 00hrs 25mins (record held by Jean Le Cam since 2004-2005 race with a time of 10d 11hrs 28mins)
- Equator – Good Hope: 12d 02hrs 40mins (leading the fleet at that point)
- Good Hope – Cape Leeuwin: 12 d 13hrs25 mins
- Cape Leeuwin – Cape Horn: 18d 00hrs 12mins (new record)
- Cape Horn – Equator: 14d 5h 30mins
- Equator – Les Sables d'Olonne: 18d 5h 3mins
- 2011 - JP elected French Sailor of the Year
- 2011 Winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre (with Jérémie Beyou)
- 2010- 2011 Winner of the Barcelona World Race (with Loïck Peyron)
- 2010 4th in the Route du Rhum
- 2007-2008 Winner of the Barcelona World Race (with Damian Foxall)
- 2006 Route du Rhum, 3rd
- 2005 Winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre (with Loïck Peyron)
- 2004-2005 Vendée Globe, 6th
- 2003 Winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre (with Nicolas Abiven)
- 2001 Winner of the Tour de France Sailing Race
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* J/111 owners simply love their boats. Recently, we received a wonderful note from a long-time Canadian J/24 sailor from the past- Dave Connolly. He just started sailing his new J/111 STAMPEDER this past 2012 summer in Chester, Nova Scotia at Chester Yacht Club. Dave had this to say,
"We sailed a J/24 out of Toronto in the early 80's and I ran the Canadian J/24 Class association for several years. In 1986, I was moved to Calgary where there is really no water so we sold the boat and essentially gave up sailing! When I decided to retire early last year, one of the first things I did was order a boat through Jim Snair to get back into racing at our summer home in Nova Scotia. We love the boat! Our only complaint is that there aren't more J/111's in Nova Scotia. It's great competitive sailing though with PHRF." Here's a picture of them sailing and their happy, young crew!
* J/70 Interview- with Key West Corinthians Champion- Dave Franzel- just another nice guy from Boston. Brian Hayes recently had a chance to catch up with Dave Franzel to chat about his J/70 experiences in Key West, his first J/70 regatta (Dave in orange hat at right chatting with Dave Reed of SW fame). BH: "Dave Franzel, with his team of Greg Anthony, Chris Hufstatder and Eric Barreveld, sailing his new J/70 for the first time at Key West Race Week, consistently climbed the leader-board and finished the week 8th overall and as the top Corinthian team (all amateur). Dave is certainly not a newcomer to top flight competition having Sonar World and North American titles to his credit. The former owner of Boston Sailing Center, Dave was looking for a vehicle to renew his excitement for racing and perhaps found it in the J/70.
Dave, congratulations on a great showing at the first J/70 midwinters! 8th overall and 1st overall in the Corinthian is a great start. How did it come to pass that you ended up in a J/70?"
DF: "Thanks Brian! I became interested in sport boats last year after sailing a Viper a couple of times. But after seeing J/70s in Newport I asked Stu Johnstone to let me sail one and I found that as soon as we put the chute up and started going 12+ knots that I could not stop smiling. It is less prone to wiping out than a Viper and kinder on old knees."
BH: "How much time did you and your team have to practice before the event?"
DF: "We arrived Friday night, set the boat up Saturday and practiced for a few hours Sunday. The regatta started Monday. However, our approach was to use this regatta to learn the boat and hopefully begin to achieve competitive speed."
BH: "Tell us your impressions on the boat. What did you find worked well to get you up to speed so quickly?"
DF: "Well I'm a little embarrassed about this, but on the first windy day which was the second day of the event, I noticed that Tim Healy's forestay was very stable and ours was not even though I had the backstay cranked. I asked Tim about it after sailing and he patiently explained that the backstay has a course adjustment that gets it in range first, then the standard adjusting line. There was also a minor issue around the fact that I have never actually used a Loos gauge before, but the backstay discovery was the main thing that helped get me up to speed."
BH: "Do you have any tips you found worked well for you either upwind or downwind?"
DF: "Upwind I tried playing the traveler first, which turned out to not be as fast as vang-sheeting in the seaway we had. I'm going to guess that the trav will work better in flatter water. The class allows two of the crew to sit, legs out, so we had the big guys in the front of the boat do that and Chris trimmed the jib using the windward winch. It definitely seemed fast to ease the jib slightly in the big blasts and then trim back in. I did not feel fast enough downwind to offer any suggestions, yet."
BH: "You sailed with 4, as you have in the Sonar for years. How did the jobs fall into place on the boat?"
DF: "Upwind Greg and Eric are constantly looking for velocity and telling me about speed and point compared with nearby competitors. Chris is integrating the information as we discuss big picture strategy. That let me really focus on trim and speed which was a huge help. On the sets, Greg pulls the sprit out, then the tack line as Eric hoists. Chris trims sheet. In big breeze when we start to overtake waves and the bow digs in, Greg trims sheet and Chris stands behind me. Someone is always looking for the next puff. Downwind it was typical for our speed to range from 7 knots in the lulls to 14 in the puffs so catching every puff and getting on a plane is a critical part of sailing these boats downwind. We actually hit 16.7 knots once according to the Velocitek."
BH: "What was the best part about Key West Race Week (keeping in mind that this interview may reach a broad demographic!)?"
DF: "Very relaxed place, blue/green water, great breeze, excellent race management, 40 boat fleet, sun with temps in the mid 70s every day. And then of course there was always enough going on in Key West to keep the whole team entertained when we weren’t racing!"
BH: "Your team always has fun at every event you go to. Any funny stories from this one?"
DF: "Not so much a funny story, but this: After decades of racing with inordinate concern about outcome--which may be necessary to acquire skills--I'm not certain about that, I finally realized several years ago that you can have more fun and get better results by finding a way to be less invested in outcome and more present. I really enjoyed sailing with my team, sailing against excellent sailors and having the challenge of a new boat to figure out."
BH: "What’s next for the “SPRING” team?"
DF: "Miami, Charleston, Annapolis."
BH: "One word (or sentence) to describe the J70."
DF: "Good luck trying to wipe the smile off your face!!"
Hmm, that last one seems to be the natural outcome of having a blast sailing with your family and friends, as evidenced by Dave's J/70 colleagues doing the same in Monte Carlo, Monaco recently sailing the J/70s in the Primo Cup- Credit Suisse! For more on Dave Franzel's J/70 interview, please read more here.
* Diverse experiences like sailing J/24s and Sunfish made John Kostecki a better sailor (yet another, "what does a J/24 World Champion do for a career later in life", kind of story). Marin Magazine in San Francisco Bay area recently had a chance to catch up with John in between sailing that monster AC72 foiling catamaran named, simply, ORACLE:"American John Kostecki has made a career as a professional sailor, and can now be found as tactician for America's Cup defender Oracle Team USA. His trail to the top began on San Francisco Bay, with a notable marker in 1982 when both the J/24 World Championship and Sunfish World Championship were held on his home waters.
As an eighteen year old, John won the Sunfish title and came close to winning the J/24 title, too (editor's note- losing to John Kolius and later won the Sydney, Australia J/24 Worlds). John considers his diverse background as an important element of his success today, and would recommend it to children interested in the sport of sailing...
"Most importantly, have fun and enjoy it! There are so many classes out there, so find the one you love. I loved sailing from a young age, so I looked for as many opportunities as I could to get out on the water. I raced both dinghies and keelboats and learned every role on the boat. I'd go keelboat racing with my dad and his friends, then sailing in a junior program. I always tried to hang out with the older kids because they had so much more experience and I learned from them. I didn't focus on being the skipper, but rather on getting as many experiences as I could get..." For more on the Marin magazine John Kostecki sailing interview
* Past J/22 World Champion, Greg Fisher, has made it nearly a life-long endeavor to grow the sport of sailing, ensure those he sailed with, or taught how to sail, enjoyed the sport at every level-- day-sailing, racing, simply messing around, or just beer-can racing with buddies.Recently, Scuttlebutt's Craig Leweck, had a chance to catch up with Greg. As he explains, "West coast college sailing will take its annual leap from dinghies to keelboats next month with 10 teams from across the nation racing Catalina 37s in the sixth Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup/Cal Maritime Invitational Intercollegiate Regatta March 8-10. Among the fleet will be a bold newcomer to the game, the College of Charleston from South Carolina.
Charleston has one of the nation's top college sailing programs, ranked third in the country after the fall semester. But those events are mostly small boats, not the heavily crewed Catalina 37s otherwise seen in the Congressional Cup and other ocean racing events.
Greg Fisher, now sailing director for the College of Charleston, is working to expand the Cougars' sailing program for big boats because, Fisher says, "it's an important part of the sport. (Note- they have a fleet of J/22s to fleet race, match race, and learn basic keelboat sailing).
"So many sailors love the offshore races with a different type of technical skills required. The whole atmosphere is different. I see how important big boat sailing it to the sport in general.
"With dinghy college sailing there is unfortunately a size limitation. If you're too big it's hard to be competitive. A lot of our guys on our offshore team who are going out [to California] to sail the Harbor Cup are
excellent sailors, but they're bigger guys and would have a hard time competing with the guys on our dinghy team."
"The team is all fired up and working hard at it," Fisher said. "This has given us the segue to go to our athletic department and say, hey, this is an opportunity to develop a new part of our team and offer more sailing for kids to come to our college."
For College of Charleston's Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/CofCSailing
For more information about Greg's team at the College of Charleston- http://sailing.cofc.edu/
* J/160 AVATAR headed for the Caribbean, again! We LOVE these updates from our cruising J sailors that continue to criss-cross the Seven Seas. This one comes from Alan Fougere, sailing his beloved J/160 AVATAR. 
Alan sent us an email update commenting on their passage south this winter, "In mid-December AVATAR completed her sixth transit to her winter Caribbean home, Grand Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI (seen above) from her home port in Quissett (Falmouth), MA. A crew of three, Captain Alan (e.g. me), Crew Pablo Brissett and Mark Conroy, covered the 1,500 nm trip in in her best time to date- 7 Days 5 Hours, averaging 8.7 kts, that's about 208 nm per day! Amazing passage it was! Rainbow at right far offshore was some of the amazing phenomenon we experienced on this fast offshore passage.AVATAR will participate in the BVI Sailing Festival/Regatta again in 2013, where last year she won the Nanny Key Cup Cruising Class race around the Island of Virgin Gorda. Here are some photos for you to share with the J/Community at-large. Enjoy!"
Best, Alan Fougere/ AVATAR
* Bill & Judy Stellin recently had an interview about cruising on their J/42 in the Wall St Journal called "Retiring on the Open Sea". The Wall St Journal asked Bill to reply to dozens of questions that flooded into the WSJ's Editor desks. Here's the update:Retiring on the Sea: Answering Readers' Questions
Advice about selecting a boat, ocean crossings, itineraries and safety
The article in our WSJ Online December retirement report about eight years spent sailing the Mediterranean— "Retiring to the Open Sea"— prompted many questions and comments from readers. We asked William Stellin, who wrote the story, to answer some of the most common queries.WSJ- "What kind and make of boat did you use? Looking back, would you have picked a different boat?"
Bill- "In 1995-96, J/Boats of Newport, RI, came out with a new cruiser/racer model, the J/42. We bought hull No. 6 of this popular 42-foot sailboat and named it JAYWALKER. This was our fourth boat since beginning sailing in 1975.
Although long-distance cruising wasn't what we had in mind when we purchased JAYWALKER, it soon became apparent it had the ability to carry us easily and safely anywhere we wanted to go. Because the boat is light, it sails well in light winds, which means very little motoring is necessary.
People often ask (and argue) about what boat is best for cruising. Any boat that is strong, safe, fast, comfortable and easily handled by two people should fit the bill. One thing for sure, fast is fun—and important when trying to avoid bad weather."
READ MORE ABOUT BILL'S INSIGHTFUL COMMENTARY AND THOUGHTS ON WSJ ONLINE HERE
The J 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/
* 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/
