STC Block Island Race Preview“Distance Racing is What We Love to Do”
(Larchmont, NY)– Most racing sailors are familiar with the Storm Trysail Club’s (STC) penchant for running world-class races across the country, and it’s safe to say New England sailors particularly prize the organization’s Block Island Race, which starts on Friday, May 27 at 1400. In its 71st year, this 186nm race for IRC and PHRF boats starts at The Cows off Stamford Harbor (Conn.), runs down Long Island Sound, around Block Island (R.I.) and back to Stamford. (A Plum Island Course of 125 nautical miles is a shorter option for PHRF, and doublehanded classes are hosted on both courses.)
“Offshore distance racing is what the Storm Trysail Club is all about; it's what we love to do,” said STC Vice Commodore Lenny Sitar (Holmdel, NJ), who will skipper his J/44 VAMP with a mostly New Jersey crew and several STC members aboard, including STC Rear Commodore and Vamp Watch Captain AJ Evans (Atlantic Highlands, NJ).” It's one of the club's most iconic races primarily because of the sailors' interest and repeat entries every May. We've never won it overall, but we've had a few class wins, some decent overall places, and quite often, a good time.”
According to Evans, who will serve as one of VAMP’S watch captains, the Block Island Race course poses unique challenges. “Its complexity with different ‘lanes’ in and out of Long Island Sound (Connecticut shore, middle, or Long Island shore), and then out and back through either the Race, Gut, or Sluiceway provide numerous opportunities for positions to change,” he said. “It's a race course of opportunities, even when you're behind, right up to the end. We've seen leads change in the last moments of the race near The Cows. It's not just a parade.” Joining VAMP in IRC 3 is another J/44, Norm Schulman’s CHARLIE V.
Ray Redniss, PRO for the event over the past 17 years, also noted that the Block Island Race “is just long enough not to be a sprint, and not too long that it kills the whole Memorial Day three-day weekend.” Most of the fleet –currently 74 strong – finishes overnight on Saturday, and with the awards scheduled for Sunday afternoon, the sailors still have Monday to spend with family.
From the Doublehanded group, Gary Grant (Westport, Conn.) will be back for his 13th Block Island Race on the J/120 ALIBI. His team has won the doublehanded division twice (2006, 2013) and in both years also won the Harvey Conover Memorial Trophy for Best Overall Performance. “The Doublehanded fleet is very strong this year,” said Grant. “Perennial top competitors are Lora Ann and Mireille, who have both sailed this race and won more times than any other boats in the fleet. Three new boats to the division (Helios, Inigo Montoya and Oakcliff) are of newer and more cutting-edge design and threaten to upset the old order. It will be interesting to see how the old guys in the old boats do against the speedy newcomers.” Joining Grant in the IRC DH group will be Chris Hall’s J/122 WILEY SILVER FOX from Darien, CT. In other classes are a number of hot teams with proven performances in offshore events like the Block Island Race. In PHRF 3 Class is the J/105 RAPTOR sailed by Frank Conway from Hudson Cove YC. In the IRC 4 class, we find Brian Prinz’s J/125 SPECTRE up against their stablemates on the J/133 MATADOR sailed by Dale & Mike McIvor from Pequot YC.
Sailing the Plum Island Race in PHRF-PI class is the Larchmont YC Junior Offshore Team on the J/105 PRIVATEER.
The Block Island Race was first held in 1946 and is a qualifier for the North Ocean Racing Trophy (IRC), the Double Handed Ocean Racing Trophy (IRC), the New England Lighthouse Series (PHRF), and the Gulf Stream Series (IRC). It is also a qualifier for the Caper, Sagola, and Windigo trophies awarded by the YRA of Long Island Sound and the ‘Tuna” Trophy for the best combined IRC scores in the Edlu (40%) and the Block Island Race (60%). Last year's Tuna Trophy was won by Christopher Dragon with first place finishes in both events. Sailing photo credits- Rick Bannerot. For more Storm Trysail Block Island Race sailing information
Corpus Christi Surfin’ Safari Announcement(Corpus Christi, TX)- The 2016 Surfin' Safari is scheduled for June 11-12, 2016 at the Corpus Christi Yacht Club. The CCYC has hosted many national and world-class regattas over the years and is a fantastic sailing venue.
If you are looking for a regatta with strong breeze and some waves to surf, then you need to make the trip to Corpus Christi, Texas for this regatta. The wind down on the bay averages between 15-20 knots and on a good day can hit 30 kts and will be t-shirts, shorts and shades weather!
This year, Mount Gay Rum is one of the sponsors for the regatta. A limited amount of the famous red hats will be available to competitors, giving preference to early registrations!! Please join us for this fun regatta. Invited J classes include J/22s, J/24s, J/70s and J/80s! Competitors may register here.
Sailing League Extravaganza Eclipses Europe!(The Hague, The Netherlands)- This coming weekend marks the start, and continuation, of several prominent sailing leagues across Europe and Russia. For those of you who love the idea of sailing in evenly-matched one-design boats, it’s the best type of sailing you can experience anywhere in the world. Eighteen sailing clubs show up to rotate into six J/70s with identical tuning and sails. You only have to show up with a team of four people and battle with brains and boat-handling with other top sailors in your league. Youth, women and men sailors comprise the teams and it is an amazingly “social” event, with teams commiserating and chatting about their experiences on-shore while they wait to get back into the boats again in yet another rotation.
For armchair sailors, be sure to fire-up your web browsers and following in real-time these sailing events with real-time “live” trackers and systems provided by SAP Sailing Analytics (http://www.sapsailing.com). Here is the current schedule for this weekend’s sailing leagues from May 20th to 22nd:
- Netherlands J/70 Sailing League- Roermond, Netherlands
- Norway J/70 Sailing League- Oslo, Norway
- Russia J/70 Sailing League- Moscow, Russia
- Swedish J/70 Sailing League- Motala, Sweden
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
It was yet another busy weekend in April, with major sailing events taking place the USA and Europe. In the Americas, the J/24 USA Nationals were held at Sayville YC on Great South Bay, a special little spot on the southern side of Long Island Sound. A lot was happening in the western parts of America, with the Vashon Island Race taking place in Puget Sound, a part of Seattle YC’s Tri-Island Series in the late spring for offshore sailors. The inaugural J/Stop Regatta, hosted by St Francis YC, took place on San Francisco Bay for one-design fleets of J/105s, J/111s and J/120s. Then, in the southern parts of Texas, Lakewood YC in Seabrook, TX hosted the famous SHOE Regatta for J/24s, J/70s, J/105s and J/109s.Over in Europe, things were hopping. The first of the Danish J/70 Sailing League series took place in Lunenburg, Denmark for League II participants. And, just off The Netherlands in the southern parts of the North Sea, the Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta had strong, competitive sailing for J/22 and J/111 classes and the next act in the Netherlands Doublehanded Nationals. The Yacht Club du Crouesty hosted the Grand Prix du Crouesty in Crouesty-Arzon, France for a combination of one-design and offshore IRC handicap classes. The brand new J/112E sport cruiser had an exciting outing, exceeding the expectations of everyone on board! Just across the English Channel (La Manche), the RORC hosted the next event in their offshore season series, the De Guingand Bowl Race, that saw many J teams rising to the top of the standings.
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:
May 20-22- Netherlands J/70 Sailing League- Roermond, NetherlandsMay 20-22- Norway J/70 Sailing League- Oslo, Norway
May 20-22- Russia J/70 Sailing League- Moscow, Russia
May 20-22- Swedish J/70 Sailing League- Motala, Sweden
May 20-22- RORC Vice Admirals Cup- Cowes, IOW, England
May 20-22- Spanish J/80 Nationals- Barcelona, Spain
May 21-22- Manhattan J/105 Regatta- Jersey City, NJ
J/70 Events:
May 19-22- J/70 North American Championship- Seabrook, TX
July 22-24- J/70 Great Lakes Championship– Youngstown, NY
Sep 24-Oct 1- J/70 World Championship- San Francisco, CA
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
J/112E Wins Grand Prix du Crouesty(Crouesty-Arzon, France)- Over the past weekend, the YC Crouesty de Arzon hosted their annual Grand Prix du Crouesty for both one-design and offshore classes. Sailing in the IRC class was the brand new J/112E sport cruiser. Here is the report from Fred Bouvier at J/Composites, a crew on-board the J/112E:
“This past weekend we were racing in Le Crouesty (Brittany / France). The weather forecast was predicting a light and sunny weekend. Our crew was our usual base along with new crew coming from friends and family.
We were in a decent fleet that had a wide cross-section of top French offshore teams. In fact, we ended up racing in a combined IRC 1 and IRC 2 fleet start. In the end, this was a highly competitive fleet as all the podium winners in the offshore classes from famous Spi Ouest France were here. This would be a challenge for us as we would be sailing the J/112E in IRC 2 class, but we would be sailing in the turbulence of the bigger boats in our starting line.
The first day of racing was comprised of three W/L races. We had a very successful day fighting the bigger boats; we had a record of 2-1-1 for our finishes! Perhaps what was most impressive about our performance is that we were racing in real-time with the back of IRC 1 fleet which included two new fast IRC 40 class prototypes, two Grand Soleil 43s and a Ker 39.
The following day we started with a coastal race due to light and shifty conditions. We had a terrible start, taking about 3 minutes to cross the line, but we came back nicely to catch back up to the leaders on corrected time during the race. The best IRC 1 boats were able to extend their lead, but we were still under control on corrected time. The second race was a windward-leeward course, which was great for us. On the first windward leg in 8 knots of wind, we missed crossing ahead of the first IRC 1 class boat, the Ker 39 with an Olympic Medallist calling tactics, by just one boat-length! In the end, we finished in real time in the middle of the fleet of IRC 1 with the IRC fleet 2 being half a leg behind!
This was a very nice week for our J/112E team, having a fun time in the evening with friends and a lot of fun on the water! Finally, racing with the middle of the IRC 1 fleet has been a great chance for us to test our performance! This was element was unexpected, but it created an extra challenge that we were pleased to have successfully passed! For more Grand Prix du Crouesty sailing information
Welles Crowned J/24 National Champ!(Blue Point, NY) – Thirty-nine teams were competing in the 2016 J/24 US National Championship, hosted by Sayville Yacht Club in Blue Point, NY; including entrants from various areas of the United States as well as Argentina, Canada, Chile and Mexico. There were three solid days of racing, starting out with light winds and wet weather and concluding with near gale force conditions and massive Great South Bay chop on the last day. After starting out in first place after the first day of racing, Will Welles and his team (Chris Morgan, Monica Morgan, Jeff Linton and Todd McGuire) were crowned this year’s J/24 USA National Champs! Here is how it all went down for Welles’ crew and the rest of the fleet.
Coincidentally, for the ever-superstitious Welles, Friday the 13th brought massive amounts of good fortune to his team. Enduring light breeze (4-8 knots) and overcast/wet conditions, Welles recorded two bullets and a second for just 4 points in the three races. Carter White shadowed him with 10 points (including the day’s other race win). Then, Canadian Michael Howarth’s second-place in the final contest pushed him into third overall with 22 points.
Behind Welles in the first race were Christopher Stone (who took a 20% penalty) and Nicolas Cubria of Argentina. The leaders jumbled in race two as White defeated Welles and Cubria. Welles returned to the top in the last contest, tailed by Howarth and John Mollicone.Saturday’s racing weather improved a bit. The Great South Bay provided some welcome sunshine and breeze that began at 8-10 knots and built to 10-12 kts by the end of racing. You know you’re having a successful regatta when after seven races, you are able to discard a third place! Such was the case for Welles team. At the end of race day two, Carter White was still in second place and Nicolas Cubria of Argentina was sitting in third with 27 pts.
Cubria was the victor in Saturday’s first race, as Welles and Alfred Constants completed the top trio. Then Chile’s Matias Seguel bested the fleet, tracked by White and Welles. Travis Odenbach and White watched Welles cross the line first in race six, while Cubria bookended his bullets for the day by winning the last contest (Seguel and Welles followed).
The last day proved to be a formidable challenge for the J/24 crews. With sustained winds in the mid-20s, gusts in the low 30 kts range and large waves by the day’s third and final race, some of the crews were getting pretty tired and gybing the spinnaker was becoming a bit of a gymnastics exercise for some crews.
Fortunately for Welles, they were already back on shore, able to discard their 10th race score after wrapping up the title by then with 22 points. However, the balance of the top five battled tightly until the end with Carter White earning the silver position (43 points), Chile’s Matias Seguel the bronze (47 points), with John Mollicone in fourth (48 points) and Argentina’s Nicolas Cubria in fifth (52 points). The race winners today were Cubria, Mollicone and Travis Odenbach. For more J/24 USA Nationals sailing information
J/Doublehanders Crush North Sea RegattaJ/111s and J/22s Flying in Fresh Conditions!
(Scheveningen, Netherlands)- The Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta is the largest sailing event hosted in The Netherlands each year. With dozens of classes and over 400 boats, there is something for everyone racing out of the port of Scheveningen. For the J contingent, there was one-design J/22 and J/111 class racing along with offshore handicap racing courses for IRC/ORC rated boats.
The newest innovation for this year’s North Sea Regatta was the on-going series for the Dutch National Doublehanded Championship. After the two offshore races the previous weekends, the fleet assembled for their most difficult challenges yet, around-the-buoys racing double-handed on a close course! A recipe for either pre-eminent success or a peremptory lesson to avoid disasters. For many J crews, they excelled in the windy, wavy conditions that prevailed for most of the weekend.
Erik van Vuuren, teammate with Yvonne Beusker on the J/105 PANTHER, explained, "I find this sailing the finest. It is fantastic that some of the shore teams come help us put PANTHER to bed tonight!” Erik cannot believe his luck and chats enthusiastically about their experiences of day three of the North Sea Regatta, "Gee, I still such a happy man, so lucky to have an accomplished woman sailor like Yvonne at my side! The last spinnaker ride into the finish was amazing! Full on surfing! Wow, wow, that was great!! Sailing doublehanded is beautiful, what a fantastic thing to do together and, personally, I find it fascinating and exciting because I can use my experience on all fronts in the struggle! Together, you are responsible for everything, and therefore, requires a lot of knowledge.""In the first race, we were felt we were leading when the race was canceled. So, after a brief moment of frustration, it was time for a quick recharge for the next race. Pop against the waves, go hard, with PANTHER charging through the waves, we were sailing with our competitors over 2 meters longer,” explained Erik. "Everything for us, therefore, had to be better tactics and more efficient maneuvers, that is why we did very well. We were always very happy with second place! Tomorrow is all or nothing and that is how the championship will be decided. Cool, right? I find this sailing the best! Along with Yvonne, we will try to get them!"
In the end, Erik’s estimate of the level of competition was absolutely spot-on! It was a massive battle on the last day, but in the end the ONK Doublehanded winner was the brand new J/122E AJETO! sailed by John van der Starre and Robin Verhoef (famous for their previous boat- the J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER). Their ascendancy to the top of the podium was marked by a constant reshuffling between AJETO! and PANTHER (Erik and Yvonne). In fact, it was the very last windward beat that determined the championship. As John van der Starre explained, "It was hard work this weekend, Erik and Yvonne had the good offshore races, so they started with a lead. However, we succeeded to win it this weekend, so we are very happy! Congratulations to our friends Erik & Yvonne, too, great sailing!”While there was an epic battle for the top of the podium, J teams ended up taking 5 of the top 7 placings in the ORC Doublehanded division. Finishing fourth overall was the J/122 JUNIQUE RAYMARINE SAILING TEAM with that dynamic duo of Chris Revelman & Pascal Bakker- they are one of The Netherlands most talented offshore duos. In sixth place was the team of Bart Desaunois & A. van Amstel/N. van Dijk on the J/133 BATFISH. Then, in seventh overall was the J/120 MAVERICK sailed by the team of Chris Schram & Raymond Roesink/ Ken Parsons.
In the IRC 2/ ORC 2 Divisions, it was the J/109 JAI ALAI skippered by Alain Bornet that won IRC 2 Division results and placed second overall in the enormous ORC 2 Division class of twenty-seven boats. J crews took five of the top fifteen places. Behind JAI ALAI were A van Leeuwen’s J/109 JOULE in ninth place and Arnout Jorritsma’s J/109 MAJIC in twelfth place.
The J/111s had a strong showing in the North Sea Regatta. Today, in The Netherlands, it is the biggest boat that is sailing one-design as a class. J/111 Class President, Paul Gladdines, is proud that they have succeeded: "It is truly a unique class in the Netherlands and everyone is super excited! In the run-up to the J/111 World Championship in England this summer, the North Sea Regatta has been a major training session for our teams. They were sailing with similar conditions as in Cowes (UK), where the World Championship is being held.
The racing was very tight amongst the five boats racing in the J/111 class. Wouter Kollmann’s crew on LALLEKONIG had a 1-DNS-1-1-3 record going into the last race. Meanwhile, Egbert Vroom’s RED HERRING was sailing a strong, consistent series, posting a 2-1-3-3-2 record to be leading the series going into the last race. A very, very windy, wavy, tough last race for everyone. In that final battle, LALLEKONIG got the better of their friends on RED HERRING, winning the final race, dropping their DNS as a result, and winning with 7.5 pts net. Vroom’s RED HERRING scored a 4th in the last race that became their drop race thus scoring 12.5 pts net to take the silver. Third overall was Paul van Driel’s SWEENY, the boat with the wild blue/orange graphic down its topsides.
Meanwhile, over on the J/22 one-design class race course, the fleet experienced a complete “white-wash”. Seven bullets? Yikes! But, that is what the team on that amazing J/22 called FRAPORITA scored for their last seven races. What happened in their first race DNS?? As explained skipper Jean-Michel Lautiere, "We needed to replace our shredded spinnaker that ripped on our first practice set before the race. So, we immediately returned to the dock to get a replacement spinnaker." After they recovered from that initial shock, they ran away with the top honors in the J/22 class. The three gentlemen on FRAPORITA (Jean-Michel Lautier, Giuseppe d'Aquino, Denis Neves) have lived and worked in The Hague and have been flying for a year. They decided to celebrate time-off by sailing the North Sea Regatta. But, this is not their first rodeo, as they say! Last year they also won and hope to have a good shot at sailing the J/22 World Championship in their "home waters” in 2017.Behind FRAPORITA was the first women skipper in the J/22 class, Anne van der Beek sailing RSZJ with crew of Lotte B, Niels de V, & Roelien W2. Third were the BIG ROLL/ TU DELFT BROACH crew led by another woman skipper- Hylke Kooistra and her crew of Thomas Holewijn & Bern Laninga. Rounding out the top five was ELAINE FACILITY SERVICES (Ivo Jeukens, Steyn Schiltkamp, & Danny Struij) in fourth place and BIG ROLL/ TU DELFT/ BARENT team (Daan Grundeman) in fifth. For more Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta sailing information
RORC De Guingand Bowl Race ReportJ/105 Jumps Into RORC Season Points Lead!
(Cowes, IOW, England)- The Royal Ocean Racing Club's offshore racing season continued this past weekend with the 4th race of the RORC Season's Points Championship. Designed to last 24-36 hours, the De Guingand Bowl Race starts and finishes in the Solent and is a flexi-course allowing the Royal Ocean Racing Club to design a bespoke course.
"Without the constraint of finishing the race in a totally different location, we concentrate on the weather and tidal conditions to decide the course," explains RORC Racing Manager, Nick Elliott. "We try to get all of the fleet to finish the first leg in the same tidal vector, so as to avoid a tidal gate early in the race and that is often why we start the slower yachts first. After that, wherever possible, we try to set turning marks that give tactical options to yachts during the race, although trying to predict exact wind speed and direction can be difficult. The race should last over 24 hours but the breeze looks to be changing over the weekend and that will be a factor in what is possible with the course."
This year’s DGB Race was held in the Solent and South Coast of England in highly changeable conditions. During the course of the race, the wind direction swung to every point on the compass and the wind strength varied from zephyrs to 16 knots. Keeping your head out of the boat for the changes and pre-empting and correctly adapting to them was the key to success. RORC racing manager, Nick Elliott, chose a longer course of 123nm for the faster yachts and a shorter course of 105nm for the smaller and slower boats, with the overall result being decided on average speed.
In IRC 2 Class, the Army Sailing Association's J/111 BRITISH SOLDIER took third place. In IRC 3 class, James Chalmers' Weymouth team racing the J/35 BENGAL TIGER was third in class and fifth overall in fleet! Proof that you cannot keep a good’ole fast classic off the podium for very long!
In IRC 4, Robert Nelson's J/105 BIGFOOT was fourth in IRC 4 and fourth in IRC Two-handed division, which was enough to put the Two-handed team in first place overall for the RORC Season's Points Championship! Just behind them was Nick Martin’s J/105 DIABLO-J in 5th place.
The Royal Ocean Club's Season's Points Championship continues on Saturday 28th May, over the May Bank Holiday with the Myth of Malham Race. The 256 nautical mile Cowes - Round Eddystone - Cowes course is weighted 1.2 for the championship and a highly competitive fleet is expected to be racing. For more RORC De Guingand Bowl Race sailing information
Win The SHOE Regatta? Get New Flip-Flops!(Seabrook, TX)- Lakewood Yacht Club’s Race Committee Chairman Larry Rogers was looking forward to hosting the 34th Annual Shoe Regatta. The regatta was held over the weekend of May 14-15th. Bay Access, a not-for-profit organization that supports amateur racing, is the organizing authority of the races.
The Shoe Regatta, which is open to the public and raced on Galveston Bay, is a favorite among local racers because, in the past, each crew member of the winning boat in each class was awarded a certificate for a pair of Sperry deck shoes; hence, the name of the event- “the SHOE Regatta!” This year, every crew member of the winning boat of every class received a pair of premium Musto Sailing Shoes with exceptional grip for the serious sailor! That’s why Mr Rogers was so excited; he was hoping to get his own pair of Musto’s!
The Shoe Regatta is for one-design, handicapped offshore sailboats. The one-design classes sail as many races as conditions permit, the J/22s and J/70s both sailed seven races while the J/105s & J/109s sailed six races. The PHRF Spinnaker buoy racing class also managed to sail six races.
On Saturday, the racing was postponed on shore because of no breeze. However, the fleet went out by noon to a light breeze that built quickly to 15 kts- much more than predicted. Lots of good racing, the J/22s and J/70s both got off four races in quick succession.
The largest class in the regatta was the up and coming class in Texas- the J/70s. What may have supported the fourteen boat turnout was the fact a fair number of out-of-town teams were likely practicing for the upcoming J/70 North Americans to be held at the same club and in the same waters in Galveston Bay. Winning class was Bennet Greenwald’s PERSEVERANCE from San Diego YC, taking class by just two points. Winning the tie-breaker at 29 pts each was Matt Romberg’s USA 175 over Lakewood YC’s own Doug Strebel on BLACK RIVER RACING. Fourth on two more pts back was another LYC team, Chris Lewis’ GB and in fifth was Glenn Darden’s HOSS from Fort Worth Boat Club (the current J/70 Midwinter Champion in St Petersburg, FL).
The next biggest class was the J/22s, with eleven boats in the fleet. The fleet has “re-exploded” on Galveston Bay, with 34 race-ready boats! Stuart Lindow’s SOUTHERN BELLE took class honors will all top four scores- winning class with 19 pts. Taking the silver was Mike McGagh’s USA 388 with Vincent Ruder’s USA 365 in third. The balance of the top five was Robert Allen’s CLASSY WITH K in 4th and Larry Blankenhagen’s PARROT TALES LIGHT in 5th.
Winning five races on their way to a class win was JB Bednar’s J/105 STINGER. No one else came close to that performance. John Barnett’s VICI took second followed by Uzi Ozeri’s INFINITY in third place.
The J/109s saw a nip and tuck battle taking place between the top two boats all weekend long. However, it was the last race that determined the final standings, with Albrecht Goethe’s HAMBURG winning the race and the J/109 title. Second was Tom Sutton’s LEADING EDGE and third was David Christensen’s AIRBORNE. LEADING EDGE could not overcome blowing a jib on race 1, earning a DNF or they may have stunned the J/109 Galveston Bay World with a win over Hamburg!
JD and Susan Hill’s gorgeous J/122 SECOND STSR dominated PHRF with 5 straight bullets after a first race 3rd place to take the big trophy with 8 points. For more Musto SHOE Regatta sailing information
YC Furesøen Triumphs in Danish J/70 Sailing League Debut(Lundeberg, Denmark)- This past Saturday marked the Danish J/70 Sailing League's third season kick-off in Lundeberg; the Oure schools in Lundeberg hosted this year's first double event.
The second division began with races on Saturday and Sunday (May 14 to 15). Then, next weekend (May 20 to 22) the first division starts, where Skovshoved Sejlklub hopes to embark on their title defense.
The Danish Sailing League offers two significant innovations this year. Both were put in to sharpen the drama and intensity - while strengthening the league as a spectator sport.
The latter is about the finish line consistently brought as close as possible to the quay, regardless of the wind direction. This gives the crowd lots of melodrama served a few meters away, which hopefully inspires even more people to be engaged in boating.
"In the final at Langelinie last year, we had a day with the finish line very close to the quay. It created a special experience with the audience; their loud cheering gave the sailors the extra incentive to work hard in the final meters of the race. That is the effect we want to have featured in our Sailing League this year," explains project manager for the league, Peter Wolsing.
The other significant feature in 2016 is the introduction of the "Final 6” for the League I teams. It is a final format inspired by the Olympic classes Medal Race. In the league, all racing will be completed by Sunday at 1400 hrs after the latest full flight. Then the boats in the top six continue on to race as the “Final 6”, with three more races to determine the ultimate winner.
"We want to see the best against the best for last. So, podium will be settled in direct duels on the water. It puts extra fire into a melodramatic finish for everyone, and it puts pressure on the sailors to perform when it counts. The biggest beneficiaries will be the spectators, the high voltage finale should get them pretty amplified and charge up," explains Wolsing.
Media-wise, all teams will be tracked in all races- it can be followed on SAP Live Center. Furthermore, there will be live video coverage of the Final 6 races on 22 May.
Yacht Club Furesøen Win League IIMeanwhile, youngest crew ever to win a league event took place this past weekend in the second division tournament in Lundeberg.
Three young skiff boys and an experienced woman match race sailor joined together as a team for YC Furesoen- the team consisted of Daniel Nyborg, Jacob Emil Pjetursson, Lærke Ilsøe Nørgaard and Kasper Bech as skipper.
YC Furesøen (YF) got to an excellent start with their victory in Lundeberg, winning a three-way tie-breaker for first place, with each team sitting on 46 pts each! As a result of the tie-break, YCF end up with just 18 points and a provisional first place in Sailing League's second division. The event confirmed clearly the old sports cliché that it pays to fight for every meter. Both Silkeborg Sejlklub and Gilleleje Sejlklub could have won the tournament by simply having snatched a single point more along the way.
Behind the YCF team, Gilleleje SK took second and Silkeborg SK completed the podium in third. The tie-break was based on number of firsts, with YCF winning six races, GSK five and SSK four. It simply could not have been any closer, talk about anxiety and drama!
"It has been fun. We've had some wild tight races with Kasper’s heart in his throat," says Lark Ilsøe Nørgaard. "We have focused on making good maneuvers- in good time- and to communicate, so it was only the necessary things that had to be said for us to succeed," she says about the background of their successful league debut.
The plan was that the second league would have tried the new Final 6 format where the six best clubs sailing against each other at the end of a finale flight over three races. Unfortunately, Saturday's wind conditions were insufficient to permit all eight flights to finish by the Sunday deadline. For more Danish J/70 Sailing League information
Tactical J/Stop Regatta Debut(San Francisco, CA)- The St Francis YC hosted the inaugural J/Stop Regatta this past weekend for one-design fleets of J/105s, J/111s and J/120s. The format was short courses between either the club start line or off the western face of Alcatraz Island with weather marks up near the Golden Gate Bridge.
Twenty-one J/105's competed in the inaugural J/Stop. The sailors really enjoyed the innovative format featuring more racing with shorter courses so there could be more action for skippers and crews. An added bonus was a lower entry fee due to just enjoying a keg on the dock instead of a catered event inside the Club.
"We tried this out a few years ago at the Wickford YC in Rhode Island, with 9 races, and it was a major success. Most of the J/105 owners reported it was the best weekend of racing they had ever had,” reported regatta organizer Bruce Stone, Past President of the J/105 Class and owner of Arbitrage #116.
Stone continued to describe the weekend’s action for the 105s, ”While we usually have 5 races on the weekend, the St. Francis and PRO John Callahan agreed to try out 8 races. John set us up with the same long beat as the four J/111s and five J/120s so we could get some separation going into the windward mark, and a separate set of leeward gates so the downwind leg and the second upwind beat were shorter.
We were rarely mixing it up with the other fleets...though, of course, being J/105s there was a lot of action among ourselves at the windward and leeward marks. With the stronger ebb in the middle of SF Bay, the RC favored the shoreside pin end of the line by a little over 10 degrees to attract some customers, and in a few races the winning move was to start at the pin, flop immediately to port and cross the fleet, well-executed by Phil Laby's team on Godot, #44, who won three races and finished second. Arbitrage won two races by starting at the other end, at the committee boat, and tacking to port to foot out to the strong mid-bay ebb. Ryan Simmons' Blackhawk, #40, took fewer risks, was almost always on the starting line with speed, and won the regatta without actually winning a single race.
Tom Kennelly's Wonder, #266, turned in a strong last day with a bullet on the final race to move up to third, edging out Arbitrage.
Back at the docks, teams intermingled, blenders appeared on several boats, and competitors reported how wonderful it was to actually get a chance to match up faces with boats. With a low entry fee of just $80, or $10 per race, our expectation is that this less formal format will be tried again."
In the J/120 class, it was clear that Barry Lewis’ crew on CHANCE were not going to take a chance and blow their early three bullet lead on the first day of racing. The second day saw them sail a bit more conservative and post a 2-3-2 to win class with 10 pts total. Behind them it was a battle royale between two long-time protagonists in the 120 world- David Halliwill’s PEREGRINE and Stevie Madeira’s MR MAGOO. After the first day of racing, the MAGOO monsters posted a 3-2-2 to have a solid hold on second place. Meanwhile, the PEREGRINE flyers started well, but slid down the roller coaster with a 2-3-4 tally for 9 pts. However, either the entire crew went to church Sunday morning and prayed for a more IQ points, or they found a huge can of “whupass” and drank all of it! Indeed, their turn-around in the first two races Sunday was epic- two bullets, and easy ones at that! They closed with a third in the last race to win their tie-breaker on 14 pts each with the MAGOO crew. Fourth was Tom Grennan’s KOOKABURRA and fifth was Timo Bruck’s TWIST.Peter Wagner’s crew has been on a bit of a tear lately in the J/111 class. Having won Key West Race Week and Charleston Race Week, they now add to their collection of silverware the J/Stop J/111 class win. Like their winning J/120 counterparts, Wagner’s TOPSY TURVY crew triple bulleted their first three races on Saturday. They followed up with a conservative 3-1-4 on Sunday to win with 11 pts. Richard Swanson’s BAD DOG won two races and took two 2nds on their way to securing second overall for the weekend. Third was Gorkem Ozcelebi’s DOUBLE DIGIT with 17 pts overall. Results for all three fleets can be found here For more J/Stop Regatta sailing information
J/Teams Lovin’ Vashon Island Race(Seattle, WA)- The Seattle YC hosts a very popular offshore racing series in late spring called the Tri-Island Series. The racing takes place bi-weekly and the teams sail races that can easily be completed by midnight given the right conditions. The trio of events are the Smith Island, Vashon Island and the Blake Island Races. This past weekend, the Seattle offshore fleet raced the Vashon Island on May 14th.
In Class 1, Tom Huseby’s J/145 DOUBLE TAKE is now standing 5th in the Tri-Island series after taking a 4th in class in the 46.54nm long course, covering the race in 9:51:30.
In Class 2, Ron Holbrook’s J/133 CONSTELLATION is sitting on 3rd in the series after taking a 7th in the Vashon Race to complement their 1st place in the Smith Race earlier in the season. John Murkowski’s brand new J/122E JOY RIDE is now sitting in 5th place for the series after their 3rd in the Vashon Island Race. Both boats are just two points from second place, so the Blake Race finale will be an important factor in the overall standings— anything can happen in that race, too!Class 3 has a pair of J/120s that are doing well in the series. Mark Liffring & Chris Johnson’s J/120 WITH GRACE is leading the class after winning the Vashon Race with Jim Hinz’s J/120 HINZITE sitting in third for the series after getting a 2nd in the Vashon race.
The J/105s are enjoying great one-design racing in Class 6. Currently, Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO is leading after winning both the Smith and Vashon Island Races. Sitting is second overall is Lance Rummel’s INCONCEIVABLE with a 3-2 scoreline in the two races. Third is Jerry Diercks’ DELIRIUM.
Although sitting in sixth overall at the moment, Leo Morales’ J/27 WIZARD has a very good mathematical chance of finishing in the top three in Class 7, even with their current record of a 4-7. Here’s why, the fleet has been way up and down the standings in the first two races and third place currently has 8 pts. So, a wizard-like performance in the Blake Islands Race could easily land them in the top three.
After sailing the Cruiser/Racer course for the past two races, Bill Boyeson’s J/42 JIMINY is counting a 3-3 to hold on to third in Class 8. For more Tri-Island Series and Vashon Island sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* This weekend, the 40th birthday party celebration of the first launching of the J/24 RAGTIME will be taking place in Stonington, CT at Dodson’s Boatyard. Drop on by and say “Hi” or simply visit the Dogwatch Cafe and enjoy the wonderful atmosphere and absorb some J/Boats history along the way! Down in Algarrobo, Chile, the Navegantes TV program did a special on the history of J/Boats in South America. They interviewed J/Chile dealer Juan Eduardo Reid from Windmade Spa. It’s all in Spanish, but jump to 29.0 minutes on the timeline and you can hear how it all happened! Watch on YouTube here!
* The J/46 BOLARO is cruising the South Pacific- Eric McClure’s latest update on their adventure is explained here: “As you see, we made it to the Marquesas Islands. The J/46 Bolaro made the trip from San Diego to South Pacific in 16 days 19 hours. In other words, around 17 days. It is 2,800nm and we sailed about 3,200nm. After talking to other boats in the Marquesas, only catamarans do that speed. At night we do not fly the spinnaker, so we can sleep with one person on watch. After all, we are cruising 9 to 10 kts, and we very commonly hit 16.9 kts, but it did not last long.”J/Cruisers
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/40 HERON REACH sailed by Virginia and Jerry is participating in the Blue Planet Odyssey project and have recently joined them in the Marquesas Islands in the Eastern Pacific. Learn more about their adventures and experiences here- http://heronreachodyssey.blogspot.com/
* J/160 SALACIA has been sailing in Australia in the Whitsunday Islands. Guess who decided to throw themselves across their bow as they cruised comfortably to their next destination? A giant whale! Look at this amazing photo!
* Jim & Heather Wilson just completed a circumnavigation of our "blue planet Earth" in June 2013 on their J/42 CEOL MOR. Said Jim, "The odyssey of CEOL MOR is over, for now. We completed our circumnavigation on our J/42 when we crossed our outbound track in Britannia Bay, Mustique. We were, however, still 2,000 nautical miles from home. So we continued on through the Windwards, the Leewards, and then through the British Virgin Islands. After a farewell 'Painkiller' at the Soggy Dollar, and a last meal at Foxy’s, we made the 1,275 nautical mile passage to the Chesapeake and completed our port-to-port circumnavigation when we arrived in Annapolis on June 28, 2013. We had been away 1,334 days, completed 259 days of ocean passages, and sailed 30,349 nautical miles (34,925 statute miles). Read more about their adventures in their well-documented blog here: http://www.svceolmor.com/SVCeolMor/Welcome.html* J/160 AVATAR headed for the Caribbean, again, for 2015/ 2016! 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 regards their various improvements and refit to the boat (see above). They will again be based at Proper Yachts in St John, US Virgin Islands.
* Bill & Judy Stellin were interviewed 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/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).- 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.
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