CORK Week Preview(Cork, Ireland)- Sailing came to Cork Harbour in the early 1700s and since 1978 Volvo Cork Week has proudly born the standard of this tradition. The locals say that Volvo Cork Week only happens every other year so that the town of Crosshaven can recover, and for those who have witnessed the passion and hard work of the Royal Cork Yacht Club, and its a volunteers, it is easy to believe.
Between July 10th to 15th, the Royal Cork Yacht Club will fling open its doors to over a thousand visitors, for a tremendous warm welcome to the oldest yacht club in the world. Competitors from The Netherlands, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, and France, will savor the atmosphere ashore and relish the opportunity to race in one of the world’s largest harbors and the stunning barren coastline of the Atlantic Approaches. After racing, expect the party to start immediately, live music will greet the teams as they come ashore and the Royal Cork Bar will be full of sailors rubbing shoulders and recounting the day’s stories.
Volvo Cork Week has never been afraid to take the initiative with innovative changes to the format of Ireland’s longest running regatta. This year has particular significance, as Volvo Cork Week will stage the first ever IRC European Championship. More than a dozen teams from the UK and Ireland will contest the inaugural Beaufort Cup, in which at least 50% of a team’s crew must be active members of services such as; Navy, Coast Guard, Army, Airforce, Police and Emergency Rescue Services. Volvo Cork Week has also put feeder races in place from Falmouth, UK hosted by the Mylor Yacht Club and from Dun Laoghaire to Cobh, hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club. The latter re-enacts the Kingstown to Queenstown Race first run in 1860. For competitors that are new to sailing, or prefer to sail shorthanded, the non-spinnaker and Coastal Classes are ideal and for one-design adrenalin junkies the sportboats provide the perfect thrill.“The Royal Cork Yacht Club welcomes all our competitors and visitors to Crosshaven for Volvo Cork Week 2016,” commented Kieran O’Connell- Chairman Volvo Cork Week 2016. “We are looking forward to the great quality and variety of racing on the water that Volvo Cork Week has become internationally synonymous. Shoreside, we have once again put together an unrivalled mix of entertainment to suit all tastes and especially look forward to Friday night’s performance by The Frank and Walters followed by a fantastic firework display.
My sincere thanks go to our major sponsor Volvo who has taken the lead in sailing event sponsorship throughout Ireland; we are delighted to be part of this undertaking. Words of thanks must also go to our other sponsors as without them this event would be difficult to run and last but by no means least a big THANK YOU to all our volunteers who donate an immeasurable amount of time and effort. I wish you all a safe and fun filled week both ashore and on the water. Enjoy!”
Sailing in the IRC Coastal Class 1 is the brand new J/112E sport cruiser- AQUELINA- owned and skippered by Sheila & James Tyrrell. They will be up against a veteran team in the form of Chris & Patanne Power Smith’s J/122 AURELIA.
Sailing in the Beaufort Cup class is Stuart Southwick’s J/88 JUNGLE DRUM and three J/109s- including the Royal Engineers YC TROJAN OF UPNOR, the Irish Defense Forces B team on JOKER 2 and the Irish Defense Forces C team on JUSTUS. The balance of the J/109s are all racing IRC Class 2, including John Allison’s JUMBUCK, Pat Kelly’s STORM, Tim & Richard Goodbody’s WHITE MISCHIEF, Ronan Harris’ JIGAMAREE, Ian Nagle’s JELLY BABY and Michel Hiesweiller’s VRIJGEZEILIG from Cardiff Bay. What promises to be one of the battles of the regatta will be in the J/109s. Royal Irish skipper Richard Goodbody, sailing White Mischief with his Irish Olympic son Tim, will come up against Ian Nagle’s Royal Cork team racing Jelly Baby, winner of the 2015 J/109 UK Open Championship.
In IRC Class 3 are Patrick Beckett’s J/92 JOSTLER and Ronan Fenton’s J/35 SKYHUNTER. Then, in IRC Class 4 are two J/24s- Cillian Dickson’s IRELAND’s EYE KILCULLEN and Dave Lane & Sinead Enright’s YA GOTTA WANNA. Finally, in the IRC Mixed Sports boat classes are two J/80s- Dominic Baxter & Ernie Dillon’s RIOJA and Fergus Coughlan’s JEDI. For more CORK Week sailing information
Bayview Mac Race Preview(Port Huron, MI)- The annual traditions for two of the largest cities on the Great Lakes is about to commence over the next two weekends- the “Mac Races” that start from Detroit/Port Huron and from Chicago. This year, the Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race starts first, as is the case in even-numbered years (odd-years’, Chicago starts first). There are 220 boats registered and they have to choose one of two courses: the Cove Island Course of 259nm and the Shore Course of 204nm.
For the first time in its seven-year history, the Pro-Team Challenge at the Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race, known unofficially as the “race within the race”, will be recognized officially as a class. The announcement was made at a media event in June where celebrity representatives from the Detroit Lions, Detroit Pistons, Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers participated in a blind draw to choose four Michigan boats to represent them in the famed race to Mackinac Island that is hosted by Bayview Yacht Club and begins its 92nd edition on Saturday, July 16.
The Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association, working with Bayview Yacht Club and Detroit’s four professional sports teams, started the race in 2010. Since then, the competition has become a favorite among sailing crews. The chosen owners and crews each plan a visit to their respective team and are outfitted in team gear and given flags to fly during the race.“Six years ago, when we were brainstorming this concept, we never could have thought it would become so popular with the sailors and Detroit’s pro sports teams,” said Bill Harrington, Officer, Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association. “I was a bit surprised at the competition between the teams and the pride they take in winning. Everyone has really embraced this competition.”
This year’s Pro-Team Challenge also will include representatives from Set Sail for Autism as honorary team members, giving them the opportunity to participate in all activities associated with the program, including the pro-team visit. Set Sail for Autism, a program to help young adults with autism reach their full potential, benefits Oakland University’s Center for Autism and is a community partner of the Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race.
Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race Pro-Team Challenge contenders for 2016 include Ed Vermet & John Hughes’ J/120 NAUTI BOYS, representing Bayview Yacht Club/ Detroit Yacht Club/ Detroit Pistons on the Cove Island Course.
The Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association presented a plaque recognizing all the past winners of the Pro-Team Challenge and the pro team they represented. The team with the best overall finish in its respective division will be declared winner of the Pro-Team Challenge.
The largest fleet of J’s is sailing the longer “Cove Island Course”- from the start off Port Huron, the fleet heads NNE to Cove Island just off Canada in northern Lake Huron, then boats head practically due west to the Mackinac Island finish line. It can be a brutal course since the last 100nm or so can be a punishing beat into 15-25 kt westerlies (the prevailing breeze) with mountainous “chop” to pound through for over 24 hours. Class B has Chris Saxton’s J/145 VORTICES from Bayview YC. Class C is the J/120 One-Design class with eleven boats entered, including class cheerleader Frank Kern and his merry bandits aboard the long-distance traveling CARINTHIA, Fleet Captain Charlie Hess’ FUNTECH RACING, Mike & Bob Kirkman’s HOT TICKET, Dave Sandlin’s JAYHAWKER and Henry Mistele’s NIGHT MOVES.Class D has J/111s, J/109s, J/105s and a J/88. Sailing this class is Tim Clayson’s J/111 UNPLUGGED, Port Sanilac Marina’s J/88 SARALYSIA, three J/109s- CHASE (Charles Schroeder), PHOENIX (Bill Hamilton), TOA (Jim Mitchell & Bruce Danly), and three J/105s- GOOD LOOKIN (Mark DenUyl), PTERODACTYL (Mary Symonds), WINDSHADOW (Jim Murphy).
Class E has one J/42 entered, Gary Gonzalez’s DOS MAS from Grosse Pointe YC. Class F Cruising sails has one J/35 registered, Gary Warner’s DYNOMYTE from Grand Traverse YC
Class G is essentially a Level 35 class that has eight J/35s and one J/33 in their midst along with two Thomas 35s. Most of the top J/35 teams in the Great Lakes are participating, including Ed & John Bayer’s FALCON, Bill Wildner’s MR BILL’S WILD RIDE, and Gregg Whipple’s WHIPLASH. The lone J/33 is Dick & Dan Synowiec’s SHENANIGANS.
Four J/teams are sailing the shorter “Shore Course” (a.k.a. the easy cruising course since it’s virtually always reaching). That fleet starts off Port Huron and basically goes straight north along the eastern Michigan shoreline until you can take a slight left and finish in the Straits off Mackinac Island. Included in the fleet are Brett Langolf’s J/34 IOR- KNEE DEEP, John Stromberg’s J/92 KOHATSU, Lyndon Lattie’s J/29 PATRIOT and Tom Day’s J/30 CONUNDRUM. For more Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race sailing information
J/70 West Coast Championship Preview(Santa Barbara, CA)- Being held in conjunction with the 10th annual Fiesta Cup at Santa Barbara YC, the J/70s will be competing for their 2016 West Coast Championship off the beautiful harbor of Santa Barbara from July 15th to 17th. Traditionally, the sailors are treated to luau-styled barbecue that caps off the racing on Saturday- it’s lots of fun, with a BBQ on the beach, a fun band, and a margarita bar that serves all kinds of delicious refreshments.
The fleet of eleven J/70s comes from the West Coast and Mexico; many teams are using the event to continue to refine their boat speed, crew work and tactical challenges for the upcoming J/70 World Championship in San Francisco. Eduardo Saenz’s DESTROYER crew from San Diego YC and Club Nauticos Valle de Bravo in Mexico will be facing a cadre of top West Coast sailors. For starters, former J/24 North American Champion Pat Toole will be racing THREE BIG DOGS and is a formidable local talent. These two teams are joined by Scott Deardorff’s CAKE, Steve Hendricks’ MONKEY HOUSE, Ken Kieding’s SMOKE & MIRRORS 3, Bob Garrett’s SLOOP JOHN B and Steve Wyman’s NUNUHUNU, amongst others. For more J/70 West Coast Championship sailing information
Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge Preview(Solomons Island, MD)- Since 1993, the Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge has been a racer’s favorite regatta. A regatta run by “sailors for sailors”. It is held every July, in the middle of the summer, in the middle of the beautiful Chesapeake Bay, near Solomons Island, Maryland.
The event opens on Thursday, July 14, 2016 with Check-in and Skippers Meeting at regatta headquarters located in the Holiday Inn Solomons Island. Racing, parties, and awards will be held Friday, July 15 thru Sunday, July 17th. And, lots of awards are given out!! It is a favorite amongst J sailors over the years and this year is yet another great turnout by J/teams from J/70s, J/80s, J/109s, and J/111s.
The half-dozen boat J/70 one-design class has teams participating from every corner of Chesapeake Bay, including Eddie Sierra & Scotty Roland’s ANTAGONIST from California, MD; Mike Karn’s INCONCEIVABLE from Richmond, VA; Larry Ray’s J-RAY from Annapolis, MD; Holly Graf’s SPICE from Fishing Bay, VA and Gregg Zurmuhlen’s SPORT from Eastport, MD.
Sailing in PHRF B class are two J/80s- Clarke McKinney’s FAMILY TRUCKSTER from Solomons Island, MD and Mark & Robin Witte’s RAKALI from Leonardtown, MD. In the PHRF Non-Spinnaker division is Dan Shannon’s J/29 THE DOGHOUSE from Southern Maryland Sailing Association.
In PHRF A1 Racing are four fast J/teams, Craig Wright’s J/109 AFTERTHOUGHT from Fishing Bay YC and three J/111s- Jim Whited’s BAD CAT, Dave McCreight’s DARKHORSE and Marty Roesch’s VELOCITY. Sailing photo credit- Alan Clark/ Photoboat.com For more Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge sailing information
J/80 UK Nationals Announcement(Lymington, England)- The J/80 UK Class Association is delighted that their 2016 Nationals will be hosted by the Royal Lymington Yacht Club. The racing will take place in Christchurch Bay, which is a great open water venue with minimal tidal influence. Courses will be laid by the highly experienced race team in the Bay with the option to race in the more sheltered Western Solent in the event of inclement weather.
The Club is very enthusiastic about welcoming visiting J/80 sailors to join its newly expanded J/80 fleet for some great racing. Racing will take place from Saturday 27th August to Monday 29th August, with a total of 10 races planned for the Championship.
The Royal Lymington Yacht Club is pleased to welcome even more sponsorship for the J/80 UK National Championship being held 27-29 August. Skyscanner have generously agreed to support the main social events, Amis Productions will provide aerial and rib-based video coverage of the races and Helly Hansen will be providing very generous Goody Bag kits and Prizes.These latest sponsors join the existing group of Berthon Marina, Seahorse Magazine, North Sails, Nick Cox Chandlers and Lymington Yacht Charters. We thank them all for their generosity.
A full shore-based programme has been arranged for the Championships. Both events include a free drink, pay bar and live music. Subsidized tickets can now be purchased for the two main social events by visiting here.
Royal Lymington YC’s Rear Commodore Sailing, Stuart Duffin, said, “The Club is delighted to be hosting the J/80s for their National Championships. We hope everyone will take the opportunity to enjoy our Club and make use of its facilities. Lymington is proving an attractive destination for this year’s entrants: with over 20 already entered. We are sure that our visitors will enjoy racing here as much as we do”. Sailing photo credit- Paul Wyeth @ PWPictures.com For more J/80 UK Nationals sailing information
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
For J/Sailors, the offshore action is hot on the eastern side of the Pacific Ocean! Two famous offshore races are taking place with J/crews all pointed towards the magical Hawaiian Islands. One started from Victoria, BC- the Vic-Maui Race- featuring an experienced two-handed team on the J/109 MOUNTAIN sailing in the Double-handed Class headed to Lahaina YC on Maui. The other race started in San Francisco Bay- the Pacific Cup Race- with a J/46, J/124, J/42s, J/109 and J/35 all headed over 2,300nm to Kaneohe (Oahu) Hawaii. On the eastern seaboard, the Sail Newport Regatta off Newport, RI took place for one-design fleets of J/88s and J/70s. Then, off Martha’s Vineyard on Vineyard Sound, the Vineyard Cup for PHRF handicap racers had great sailing despite somewhat grey weather for J/70s, J/100s and J/105s.Across the Atlantic Ocean, there was yet another weekend of outstanding offshore performances by J/Crews! This time it was the RORC Cowes-Dinard-St Malo Race with J/133, J/111, J/122E, J/109, J/105, and J/97s racing a right-triangle course into the famous walled city of St Malo, France. On the Continent, yet more J/70 sailing leagues took place, including the second German Junior J/70 Sailing League sailing in Rostock, Germany and the Netherlands J/70 Sailing League sailing in Aalsmeer, Netherlands.
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:
Jul 16-18- J/111 European Championship- Hamble, EnglandJuly 22-24- J/70 Great Lakes Championship– Youngstown, NY
Jul 22-24- J/70 Pacific Coast Championship- San Francisco, CA
July 22-24- CanAm Challenge Regatta– Youngstown, NY
Jul 27-31- Travemunde Race Week- Travemunde, Germany
Jul 28-31- Marblehead NOOD Regatta- Marblehead, MA
Aug 1-4- J/111 World Championship- Cowes, England
Aug 4-7- J/80 North American Championship- Toronto, ONT, Canada
Aug 5-7- J/27 North American Championship- Oakville, ONT, Canada
Aug 6-13- AAM Cowes Week Regatta- Cowes, IOW, England
Aug 13-14- J/FEST New England- Bristol, RI
Aug 13-19- J/24 European Championship- Plymouth, England
Aug 14-20- Women's J/70 World Keelboat Championship- Rye, NY
Aug 19-25- J/22 World Championship- Kingston, ONT, Canada
Aug 19-21- J/120 National Championship- Detroit, MI
J/70 Events:
Jul 22-24- J/70 Great Lakes Championship– Youngstown, NY
Jul 22-24- J/70 Pacific Coast Championship- San Francisco, CA
Sep 15-18- J/70 Rolex Big Boat Series/ Pre-Worlds- San Francisco, CA
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/133 PINTIA Crushes Cowes-Dinard-St Malo Race In Rare Four-Peat!(Cowes, England)- The Royal Ocean Racing Club's Season Points Championship continued this past weekend with ninety-seven yachts competing for a magnificent trophy. Over 700 sailors made up of teams from France, Great Britain and the Netherlands including World record breakers, passionate Corinthians and young aspiring sailors participated in the RORC’s Cowes-Dinard-St Malo Rae.
Starting from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line, Cowes at 11:00 on Friday 8th July, the course took the competing yachts out of the Solent and across the English Channel where the fleet must left all of the Channel Islands to port including the Casquets and Les Hanois lighthouses, encountering strong tidal streams and rocky coastlines but avoiding the notorious tidal gate that is the Alderney Race. After Les Hanois the fleet turned south skirting the edge of Les Minquiers before finishing outside the ancient walled city of St. Malo. Without question, the race is one of the most important in the annual calendar, pre-dating the Royal Ocean Racing Club by almost 20 years. The overall winner is awarded the impressive, gold plated, King Edward VII Cup, which was first presented by the British monarch to the Club Nautique de la Rance at Dinard in 1906.
It was a tough race this year for a number of reasons. It was a beat all the way to Guernsey with the wind getting up to about 20 knots and then the wind just died at the moment needed to tack around the islands, so that was frustrating for many teams. However, the wind came back up to about 10 knots which was enough for most to finish at a good speed, so long as you were vigilant about massive wind holes that could materialize quickly.
In IRC Two Class, Gilles Fournier's J/133 PINTIA enjoyed their rare fourth class win of the season; that is, four wins in four races entered so far! Quite an impressive accomplishment and, maybe, one for the records books in RORC offshore yachting history! In fact, she nearly won the entire race overall, missing that honor to hold the coveted King Edward VII Cup by a mere 12 minutes corrected time! Behind PINTIA, Chris Daniel’s new J/122E JUNO placed 5th in class and 11th overall. The IRC 3 Class had a raft of J/109s racing, dominating the top ten placings along with JPK 10.80s. The 109s were led by David McGough’s JUST SO in 3rd place, followed by Trevor Sainty’s JELENKO in 5th, and Pure Racing’s PURE JOY in 6th. Nic Martin’s J/105 DIABLO-J placed 7th in class.
IRC Doublehanded Class saw a terrific battle with Chris Frost and Elin Haf Davies sailing their J/120 NUNATAK against Chris Schram's J/120 MAVERICK. For most of the race, MAVERICK was leading NUNATAK boat-for-boat and looked like they had the race victory well in hand. However, MAVERICK sailed into a massive wind hole near Les Minquiers and watched the others sail around them. As a result, NUNATAK took second in class while MAVERICK settled for third, about 12 minutes back on corrected time. About an hour further back on handicap was Trevor Sainty’s J/109 JELENKO and in 8th place was Robert Neilson’s J/105 BIGFOOT and in 9th was Nick Martin’s J/105 DIABLO-J.
With enough races now counting for the RORC Main Series Overall honors, many boats are now just counting their top five scores of six or more races sailed. Even then, Fournier’s J/133 PINTIA now sits in fourth place overall counting only four races she has entered. Nelson’s J/105 BIGFOOT is still in contention, sitting in 5th place. And, the British Army Sailing Association’s J/111 BRITISH SOLDIER is now hanging on to 7th overall.
On a class basis, the picture changes completely as the teams are being scored within their classes, too. In IRC 2, J/teams are dominating, holding six of the top ten places. The J/111 BRITISH SOLDER is currently leading the provisional rankings with Fournier’s J/133 PINTIA in 2nd place. Then the Davies/Frost J/120 NUNATAK is 4th, Schram’s J/120 MAVERICK 6th, Andy Theobald’s J/122 R&W 8th and Daniel’s J/122# JUNO in 9th.
For IRC 3 Main Series overall, Martin’s J/105 DIABLO-J is again near the top of the leaderboard, currently sitting 4th. Meanwhile, Palmer’s J/109 J’T’AIME is 6th.
RORC Season's Points Championship continues with the Channel Race starting on the 30th July from Cowes around marks in the English Channel and back to a Solent finish off the Royal Yacht Squadron line, the race will be between 100-140 miles (dependent on wind/ current considerations). For more RORC Cowes-Dinard-St Malo Race sailing information
Fantastic Sail Newport Regatta!JAZZ Leads J/88s, HELLY HANSEN Tops J/70s
(Newport, RI)- One of the biggest one-design regattas held all year long in the famous seaport of Newport, RI is the SAIL NEWPORT Regatta. Hosted by its Executive Director Brad Read and the army of Sail Newport volunteers, the regatta runs for three days from July 8th to 10th with all sailing taking place in Narragansett Bay. Two J classes participated- J/70s and J/88s.
In the J/70 class, it was a “real-time” clinic on “go-fast” all weekend long. Consider that a combined five J/24 Worlds, three J/22 Worlds, overall & Corinthian winners of J/70 Worlds and at least five Key West winners (J/70, J/111, J/105) along with major offshore races (Stamford Vineyard, Block Island Race, etc) were in the fleet of nine boats! That was a very deep, talented fleet!
The first race of the weekend on Friday would set the tone for the regatta. Leading for most of the race, Jamestown resident Hannah Swett, sailing her first J/70 regatta, knew exactly where to go in the races that started in Potter Cove. Current was a major factor, as was the wind streaks funneling off Gould Island. However, on the final run, Heather Gregg & Joe Bardenheier’s MUSE team planed by them in a massive puff to win the race, Swett holding on for second place. In the next race, MUSE was leading the race up the beach when they managed to find an uncharted rock and crushed it- so much for their chances for the regatta, retiring from the rest of the races on Friday. Al Terhune’s DAZZLER (with local knowledge tactician onboard- Moose McClintock) went on to win the next two races to be leading with a 3-1-1 at the end of the day. Second was Tim Healy’s HELLY HANSEN with a 5-4-2, third was Dave Franzel’s SPRING with a 7-2-3, fourth Swett with a 2-7-4 and fifth Will Welles’ SCAMP posting a 6-3-5.
Saturday brought a grey day with east/southeast winds of 6-12 kts, with shifts funneling past the Newport Bridge abutments and from Coasters Harbor YC, adjacent to the Naval War College. The shifts came fast and furious and getting the right formula was not easy. Nevertheless, in the first race, it was a fight all the way around the track between the newly-repaired MUSE and HELLY HANSEN, with Healy’s crew taking the gun. At the end of the day, MUSE closed with a bullet to create a three-way tie for 4th place, with Healy now leading the regatta followed by Swett and Terhune (who had an exasperating day).The finale on Sunday showed some promise for better weather. However, the light northerly was very streaky, somewhat unpredictable, and virtually all the top boats were shooting corners, with no exceptions in the top four! It made for crazy tactics, with nary a consistent strategy in sight! Winning the first race of the day was Welles’ SCAMP, followed by Terhune’s DAZZLER winning the last race- both corner shots! However, even Healy hit a deep corner to win the regatta, going from 7th to 2nd in one beat! As a result, Healy’s HELLY HANSEN won followed by a cluster of boats from 30 to 36 pts total for the balance of the top five. DAZZLER finished 2nd, followed by Swett in 3rd, Welles’ SCAMP in 4th and Gregg/ Bardenheier’s MUSE in 5th place.
Finally, the J/88s used the Sail Newport Regatta as a warm-up for the upcoming J/88 New England Championship in Newport, RI. It was a big battle between JAZZ and WINGS all weekend. Doug McKeige’s JAZZ won four of the six races to win with 6 pts net. Second was the Key West Winner- Mike Bruno’s WINGS. Third was Doug Newhouse’s YONDER, winning race three to keep everyone guessing as to what would happen next week.
According to JAZZ skipper Doug McKeige, “Good starts, good speed, good boat handling, and a fun team was our formula. We managed to stay under the pressure upwind and downwind. Excellent racing out in the ocean and excellent race management!”
The WINGS skipper, Mike Bruno, echoed those positive thoughts, “Very nice conditions-- far better than forecasted-- 4 races day 1 and 3 races day 2, with a 4th abandoned most the way through when the breeze shut down. Awesome Race Committee work all weekend-- wonderful event. Doug McKeige was the star of the 88 class, sailing a near perfect regatta. Hope we get a far bigger J/88 turnout next year, as it was a really terrific regatta. Thanks Sail Newport for doing virtually everything right!!” For more Sail Newport Regatta sailing information
WV Almere Centraal Triumphs in Netherlands J/70 Sailing League Act III(Aalsmeer, The Netherlands)- The third round for the Dutch Sailing League was held last weekend in Aalsmeer. For the first time this year the Dutch Sailing League sailed all 45 scheduled races in 15 flights. The eighteen participating clubs were treated to good winds every day: on Saturday it was almost a full storm. The "WV Almere Centraal" team of Willem Jan van Dort, John den Engelsman, Rikst Dijkstra, Francois van Vliet and Rinse Ubbink set out from the start with 11 wins in their 15 races and took the overall win with 24 points. "WV Giesbeek" was second and the "VWDTP" team from Groningen sailed an impressive regatta to take third.
A crew member on-board Giesbeek, Hidde Veeneman, said about their success, "Our secret is good communication on board. Good trim of the sails and we take the time between every match to evaluate how to do better. We now have a heavy weight team! We benefited from a lot of wind. We use as much as possible risk-averse tactics. We practice for hours. We notice that it pays. We train three times a week. And, we have an analyst who monitors the process, which can helps our self-analysis."For the season standings, Almere Central improved their lead by winning this regatta. The KWS from Sneek remains second in the battle for the Premier League Sailing 2016. The sailors from Scheveningen are now third in the Premier League Sailing. Giesbeek is now fourth and fifth is Groningen. For more Netherlands Sailing League information
Württembergische YC Takes German Jr Sailing League Act II(Rostock, Germany)- The second event of the German Junior National Sailing League, taking place alongside the Warnemünde Week (2 - 4 July), was a huge success. There were three days of tight racing close to the shoreline, which was packed with throngs of cheering spectators every day. Euphoria, fun and pure joy greeted the victorious "Württembergische Yacht Club", who won on a tie-break from "Düsseldorf Yacht Club" in second. This ensured that both teams qualify for the grand final of the German Junior National Sailing League, to be held in Hamburg at the end of October. The next generation of league sailing is unstoppable, that's for sure!
The teams with league experience dominate the table; they occupy the first seven places. However, looking at the leaderboard, it is clear there are just five points between first and eighth place- that is close racing! Therefore, it is anything but a cakewalk for the league clubs. Those without sailing league experience League continued to improve dramatically virtually every race and did not give up. Interestingly, many top three results in individual races went to the underdogs. The best non-League club was the local hero, the Rostock Regattaverein. The team led by Lennart Kiss, Paul Arp, Anton Wolff and Luca Leidhold occupied eighth place (with only one point difference between 6th and 7th place)."We are totally satisfied with our result, the whole regatta was pretty cool," explains Paul Arp. “Our young team has never sailed on a J/70 before and we only had one day of training on the boat. However, we are learning fast and going faster! Watch out for the next event, we are coming after you top clubs!”
For highly motivated junior crews, the next DJSL event takes place from 27 to 28 August 2016 on the Wannsee next to Berlin, Germany. For more Junior J/70 German Sailing League information
Vineyard Cup Fun & Games!(Vineyard Haven, MA)- The 25th Anniversary of The Vineyard Cup- hosted by Sail Martha’s Vineyard, began 11 years ago, the event brings in the revenue to afford their sailing programs that have expanded to reach more than 400 kids each year for summer sailing program alone. J/Boat owners from across the cruising and racing spectrum helped to support the organization this past weekend.
In the PHRF Non-Spinnaker Class, Phil & Rob Hale’s J/100 TANGO from Vineyard Haven nearly pulled off a win in their class, missing that goal by only one point. Tom Welch’s J/100 ESCAPE from Oak Bluffs placed fifth in class.
The PHRF Spinnaker Class saw John Ryder’s J/70 AMONINI become the David vs. Goliath in their class, taking second overall against boats up to 42 feet! Fourth were Matt & Lisa Schmitt’s J/105 HARDTACK and Ed Lobo’s J/105 WATERWOLF placed sixth. For more Vineyard Cup sailing information
Pacific Cup Race Update(San Francisco, CA)- The "FUN Race to Hawaii" from San Francisco to Kaneohe (Oahu) Hawaii has started for the first five divisions. So far, the weather for the starts have been spectacular, with sunny skies and strong westerlies blowing through the Golden Gate Bridge on San Francisco Bay- just 2,300nm to go!
The first members of the J/Tribe to head WSW out of the gate on Tuesday, July 12th were the boats sailing in the Weems & Plath Division B- Ray Sanborn’s J/109 ALOHA from Kaneohe YC in Hawaii; Karl Haflinger’s J/35 SHEARWATER from Corinthian YC Tacoma in Washington; Scott Dickinson’s J/42 TIKI J from Coyote Point YC in San Mateo, CA; Tom Keffer’s J/42
VELOCITY from Portland YC in Hood River, OR; and Bill Williams’ J/44 VIAJANTE from Richmond YC in San Francisco, CA.The second set of J/crews sailing in the Pasha Hawaii ORR Division D started on July 14th, Thursday- Graham Ellis’ J/124 ALBION from Encinal YC in Alameda, CA and Scott Campbell’s famous J/46 RIVA from Portland YC in Portland, OR.
Follow these teams on the YellowBrick tracker and you can even cheer them on in the blogs the teams are updating during the race! Sailing photo credits- Leslie Richter/ Rockskipper.com. For more Pacific Cup Race sailing information
Vic-Maui Race Update(Victoria, BC, Canada)- The biennial Vic-Maui Race started and the fleet of forty boats are making good headway on their 2,308nm journey across the Pacific to the beautiful island of Maui. Hosted by the Royal Vancouver YC and Lahaina YC, the fleet started off Victoria Harbor in British Columbia. The fleet is on about the same latitude of Coos Bay, Oregon (43.28 N/ 128.14 W).
Picking up immediately where he left off after winning ORC Division I in the Swiftsure Lightship Class is Reed Bernhard’s J/109 MOUNTAIN from Sloop Tavern YC in Seattle, WA. Reed is racing the Double-handed Class and as of Wednesday at 1010 hrs EST, they are leading the ORC Doublehanded Class and are sitting 4th in ORC fleet overall! They have 1,900nm to go traveling at 6.8 kts. For more Vic-Maui Race sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* J/111 owner, Martin Dent from the United Kingdom, was sailing his boat JELVIS in the JP Morgan Round Island Race last weekend. Here is his commentary on that epic ride around the famous 60nm race track:“On this year’s Round the Island, we discovered a whole new level of love for the J/111. The beat to the Needles was good, sending it at 15–20 knots under the A3 from the Needles to St Cats was better, and then being fully arced up under the A4 at 20+ knots, from St Cats was orgasmic! I did wonder a few times what was going to happen next, like when one second we’d be doing a steady 18 knots and then we’d suddenly accelerate to 23 knots. Or, when we’d be properly launched off the top of a wave and there was nowhere to go except piling the bow into the next one, I wondered would the bow actually come back up? Or, on the several occasions when we did wipe out I was just waiting for the inevitable gear failure. And yet, every time, she answered the question with the right answer. She’d get back on her feet and start ripping again! We had a great team together on the boat. As we begin our preparations for the Worlds in August in Cowes, everybody sailed well. There was nothing but smiles the whole way round the island, and as we arrived back in Cowes Yacht Haven to a virtually empty marina it capped off a great day! What a great boat!”
* J/24 sailing in Okinawa, Japan? You bet! Adam Johnston, skipper, and Shingo Kazuko, participated in the 39th annual Race to Zamami Island in Okinawa's Kerama Islands. It is a truly spectacular part of the worlds, especially in the western Pacific. The name of their boat is SCARLETTE, a 1985 Nissan-built J/24 (the red boat at the start above). Here is their story as told by Adam:“Two J-24s competed in one of the longest running yacht races in Japan on July 2 as 40 different types of boats raced from the Okinawan “mainland” to a locale in the Kerama Islands chain; specifically Zamami Island.
Hensa (Okinawan for Eagle), a 1986 Nissan-built J/24, with it’s crew of four finished the overall race in eighth place and Scarlette, with a crew of two, finished the overall race in twenty-third.The “Race to Zamami” is one of Japan’s longest running yacht races. The competition, according to the “Zamami Times,” draws competitors from around Japan as they race in three different classes with handicaps from Okinawa Island to Zamami Island.
Teams usually take three to six hours to sail the 28nm route (approximately 50km or 31 statute miles) that winds through the Kerama Islands. Hensa, captained by Takumi Hanashiro, with crew Takahiro Higa, Chris Matsuda, Kaiki Yamashiro, finished the race in 4 hours, 32 minutes and 6 seconds. While Scarlette, captained by Adam Johnston with Shingo Kazuko as crew, clocked a finish time of 4 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds. Next year will mark the 40th annual event, it will more than likely be scheduled in early July 2017.”
* J/160 PIPE DREAM update- from RoseAnn Vineberg and Mike D'Errico: “We spent The Fourth of July docked at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. Fireworks were a little skimpy, but what do you expect when the British lost! Today, July 5th, we sailed from Hamilton to St.George's, and will clear customs in the morning and head directly to sea. It will be 4-5 days to the Bahamas, depending where we choose to put-in. The weather looks good.While here in St. George's, docked next to the super yacht, "Altair," a man came over to Pipe Dream. His name is Roddy Hearn. I first met him on a remote beach in Western Mexico! His parents are CCA members from Seattle. In Mexico they all asked to share our beach party fire in exchange for some fish they caught that day. Since then, I have seen them in Seattle, St. Lucia and Scotland! It is a very small world, indeed!
As I write this, it is a very nice night here. The tree frogs are singing loudly. However, I am looking forward to being in the ocean tomorrow. More soon on this most amazing adventure!”
* Johnstone brothers honored in 2016 National Sailing Hall of Fame (NSHOF)!- Today, it was announced that nine people will make up the 2016 class of inductees in the NSHOF: America’s Cup winning helmsman Ed Baird (St. Petersburg, Fla.); legendary sailing champion (Star Worlds, Congressional Cup and America’s Cup) Bill Ficker (Newport Beach, Calif.); husband and wife sail training pioneers, adventurers and authors Irving and Electa “Exy” Johnson (Hadley, Mass.); brothers and J/Boats co-founders, Robert Johnstone (Newport, R.I.) and Rodney Johnstone (Stonington, Conn.), respectively, marketing guru and boat designer; yachtsman and sailmaker Dave Ullman (Newport Beach, Calif.); as well as America’s Cup sailor and Star World Champion Malin Burnham (San Diego, Calif.) and the innovator behind the modern square rigged Superyacht “The Maltese Falcon”, Tom Perkins (Belvedere, Calif.), each of whom is being recognizing with a Lifetime Achievement Award.These nine members of the class of 2016 will join 48 previously-recognized individuals as the National Sailing Hall of Fame continues to fulfill its mission by drawing recognition to Americans who have made outstanding contributions to the sport of sailing.
“The achievements of this year’s group of inductees – whether on-the-water, at a drafting table, or in teaching and coaching others to succeed in the sport – have at their root a joy of sailing that has inspired and affected countless competitive sailors and recreational boaters,” said Gary Jobson, President of the NSHOF. “The NSHOF is proudly preserving the history of the sport and its impact on American culture while inspiring the next generation of sailors by recognizing these contributors and sharing their stories.”
Following a two-month period this spring during which sailors from all corners of the country nominated their choice for induction, a selection committee – made up of representatives from US Sailing, the sailing media, the sailing industry, community sailing, a maritime museum, a previous inductee, and the NSHOF Board – reviewed the broad spectrum of nominations.
Inductees are American citizens, 45 years of age or older, who have made significant impact on the growth and development of the sport in the U.S. in the categories of Sailing, Technical/Design and Contributor (coach, administrator, sailing media). Nominations of non-citizens were also considered if they influenced the sport in the U.S., and posthumous nominations were also accepted. The undertaking to recognize Americans who have made outstanding contributions to the sport of sailing is central to the mission of the NSHOF that was formed in 2005 and has completed phase one of its plan to establish a permanent facility on the historic waterfront of Annapolis, Maryland.
The Lifetime Achievement Award inducts an American citizen, 55 years of age or older, who has had consistent involvement in sailing for a majority of his or her life and had success in the sport while also becoming successful and achieving noteworthy stature in a non-sailing career.
The 2016 class of inductees will be formally celebrated on Sunday, October 30th, 2016. The invitation-only Induction Ceremony will be held at the St. Francis Yacht Club (San Francisco, Calif.) and is sponsored by Condé Nast and Rolex Watch U.S.A. Additional support is provided by Anchor Steam, Dream Yachts, Hawkstone Vineyards, Mount Gay Rum, and Volvo Penta. The NSHOF will dedicate the 2016 Induction to the AmericaOne Foundation. AmericaOne was a finalist in the challenger selection series of the 2000 America’s Cup, representing St. Francis Yacht Club. Since then, the AmericaOne foundation has been supportive of sailing on many levels, including Olympic Sailing, disabled sailing and exposing underprivileged youth to sailing.
For more on the Sailing Hall of Fame Inductees, please visit: * J/111 BLUR sailing Round Gotland Runt Race- echoing Martin Dent’s joy in sailing a J/111 in a wide-variety of very blustery conditions in the JP Morgan Round Island Race, Peter Gustafsson’s J/111 BLUR has a wonderful Vimeo of their experience on a beautiful sunny, windy day: https://vimeo.com/174445368
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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