The J/112E is SAIL Best Boats Winner!
(Boston, MA)- The December issue of SAIL is just hitting the newsstands and we’re pleased to share that the J/112E was named the “Best Performance Boat Over 30 ft.” This follows up the November issue that featured the J/112E on the cover and an article about last summer’s Chicago-Mac Race. Here is what the Best Boats judges wrote:
“The third in J/Boats’ “E” series, in which the “E” stands for elegance and evolution, you’d think the J/112E would know how to behave with a little more dignity. During this past summer’s stormy Chicago to Mackinac race, though, the J/112E clocked boat speeds of 16-plus knots under spinnaker on its way to a second-place finish in its class. Now is that any way for a self-respecting “family” sailboat, as J/Boats calls the J/112E, to be carrying on?In all seriousness though, J/Boats knows that good all-around race boats are also good to their crews. And the J/112E is very good to its crews, indeed, thanks to its easily driven hull, high-aspect underwater appendages, low center of gravity, long waterline and trademark ergonomically friendly cockpit. The boat is equally slippery in light air, and thanks to its well-balanced rig, is perfectly happy sailing under main alone when, say, maneuvering through a crowded mooring field.
Below decks, the J/112E is well-laid-out, with settees that double as excellent sea berths, plenty of storage, a seagoing L-shaped galley and a little extra joiner work to make the saloon that much more warm and inviting. There is even a pair of hull windows to admit some additional ambient light. Topsides, the boat features a springy sheer that, in addition to helping keep the foredeck a bit drier, makes it a real looker. Do not be fooled though. When this “looker” is in the mood, she goes like a bat out of hell.” Read more about SAIL magazine’s J/112E review in the Best Boats 2017 article here. Learn more about the J/122E sport cruiser here.
2017 J/80 World Championship Announcement(Hamble, United Kingdom)- The Royal Southern Yacht Club (RSrnYC) is delighted to announce that online entry for the J/80 World Championships in 2017 is now open! The Championships are open to the Members of the J/80 Class as defined by the J/80 Class Rule (C3.3) and entries will only be accepted via the event website: https://www.royal-southern.co.uk/J80-Worlds-2017/Enter-J80. The closing time and date for entries is 23:59 on Friday 12th May 2017.
“It is very exciting for the UK fleet that the J/80 Class will have its first Solent-based World Championship next year and we are looking forward to great racing against some of the world’s best sailors,” said Kevin Sproul, a 5-times J/80 UK National Champion.
Claire Montécot, owner of French J/80 Startijenn, sits on the French Class Committee and is working with the UK J Boats agent Key Yachting to help promote the event in France.
Claire said: “At the recent J/80 Nationals in France, Joe Lacey and I presented at the Class dinner to make sure everyone was aware of the Worlds in Hamble next year. We also shared a video about the Royal Southern YC and handed out flyers to all competitors. I was delighted to hear that a lot of French sailors are planning to come and I will be keeping them updated on both the Worlds and French J/80 class websites.”The Royal Southern YC, based at Hamble, which is organizing the Championships in conjunction with the J/80 UK Class Association, has published the Notice of Race (NoR), which is available for download, along with information on accommodation, travel, etc, on the event website. Regular updates will be posted to the site, which has already had more than 300 visitors with more than 55 expressions of interest being received.
The organizers are always grateful for the support of sponsors and are particularly pleased to accept the early commitment from Grapefruit Graphics and Brittany Ferries.
Grapefruit Graphics is a sports branding company, offering a broad range of services from sail graphics to hull wraps. They are world leaders in vinyl application and will support the Championship event by providing race decals and some terrific prizes for competitors. In the run up to the regatta, teams who have submitted their entry will automatically be entered into a draw to win bespoke branding for their boat, in a bid to be the best looking J/80 at the Worlds!
Brittany Ferries are offering competitors a reduction of 20% from the public fare at the time booked for travel on their Cross Channel services on daytime crossings only for the period June 30-July 19 2017. Brittany Ferries has created a unique landing page for customers wishing to take advantage of this discount offer by clicking here.
The Championships take place from 8-14 July. Those wishing to charter or for more information on the J/80 Worlds, contact: Sailing@Royal-Southern.co.uk or please visit the J/80 World Championship website.
European J/70 Winter Series Announcements(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- While North American sailors have a well-established J/70 winter series program, their European counterparts are going from strength to strength and building upon their strong participation rates in national, regional and sailing league series programs to develop a series of winter programs across the entire Continent. There are three “winter series” programs for European sailors- Russia’s in Sochi on the Black Sea, YC Monaco’s events in Monte Carlo, Monaco, and the latest addition- Portugal’s events in Vilamoura, the Algarve (a famous resort/ beach community). Here is the breakdown for the European J/70 sailing teams.
Monaco
Venue- Yacht Club Monaco, Monte Carlo
Nov 11-13- J/70 Monaco Sportsboat- Winter Series Act I
Dec 9-11- J/70 Monaco Sportsboat- Winter Series Act II
Jan 13-15- J/70 Monaco Sportsboat- Winter Series Act III
Feb 3-5- J/70 Monaco Sportsboat- Winter Series Act IV
Mar 3—5 J/70 Monaco Sportsboat- Winter Series Act V
For more J/70 Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series information
Portugal
Venue- Club Internacional da Marina de Vilamoura, Vilamoura, Portugal
Nov 19-20- SAILING J/70- Portugal Winter Series I
Dec 10-11- SAILING J/70- Portugal Winter Series II
Jan 14-15- SAILING J/70- Portugal Winter Series III
Feb 11-12- SAILING J/70- Portugal Winter Series IV
Mar 11-12- SAILING J/70- Portugal Winter Series V
For more Portugal J/70 Winter circuit information
Russia
Venue- FGBI South Sports, Sochi, Russia
Nov 18-20- J/70 Winter Series MONTE CARLO RADIO I
Jan 27-29- J/70 Winter Series MONTE CARLO RADIO II
Feb 24-26- J/70 Winter Series MONTE CARLO RADIO III
Mar 17-19- J/70 Winter Series MONTE CARLO RADIO IV- Finale
For more Russian J/70 Winter circuit information.
College Match Racing Nationals Preview(San Diego, CA)- The 2016-2017 College Sailing Match Racing Championship will be held November 18-20 in San Diego, CA. Hosted by San Diego Yacht Club, ten teams representing the seven college conferences will compete in SDYC’s matched fleet of one-design J/22 sailboats. Previously a fleet racing event in keelboats (mostly J/24s and Shields), this is now the eighth running of the match-racing format for the Shields Trophy.
The first winner of the event was Taylor Canfield (Boston College) who is now the #1 ranked match racer in the world. Nevin Snow (Georgetown) won the event twice, and has gone on to medal at the Youth Match Racing World Championship, win the Governor’s Cup twice and is the current reigning U.S. Match Racing Champion.
Reigning nationals champion Christophe Killian (College of Charleston), who has won the U.S. Youth Match Racing Championship twice, and represented the U.S. in the 2016 Youth World Match Racing Championship, will be defending his title. The list of participating teams includes the following:
SAISA (South Atlantic)
• College of Charleston: Christophe Killian '18, John Thompson '18, Laura Masterson '20, and Howard Meyers '17
• University of South Florida: Sean Cornell '18, Brendan Feeney '18, Scott Ewing '18, and Mandi Dickie '18
NWICSA (Northwest)
• University of Washington: Kate Flanagan '17, Rachel Cohen '19, Athena Ebert '17, and Hayden Potter '20
MAISA (Middle Atlantic)
• Hobart and William Smith Colleges: Greiner Hobbs '18, Sam Hallowell '16, Noah Barrengos '18, and Maya Weber '20
• Georgetown University: AJ Reiter '17, Meaghan MacRae '18, Sean Segerblom '20, and Roger Dorr '18
MCSA (Midwest)
• University of Wisconsin: Charles Bocklet '17, James Sitter '17, Benjamin Witman '16, and Indigo Leslie '17
SEISA (Southeast)
• Texas A&M Galveston: John Hanna '19, Haley Walker '18, Ian Beck '19, and Jonathan Sager '20
PCCSC (Pacific Coast)
• University of Southern California - Matthew Hecht '16, Melissa Schem '18, Paul Chyz '18, and Peter Wong '18
NEISA (New England)
• Boston College - Scotty Sinks '18, Erika Reineke '17, and Peter Lynn '19
• Dartmouth University - Charles Lalumiere '17, Nathaniel Greason '17, and Rebecca McElvain '19
Report courtesy of Craig Leweck/ Scuttlebutt. For more College Sailing Match Race Nationals information.
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
The “super moon” hysteria has now finally subsided and the world can now wait until November 2034 for the next event that will wreck havoc on tides and the insane currents sailors were experiencing over the last fortnight or so. On the Solent, in particular, English sailors were contending with ultra-high tides and what seemed to be currents flowing about a knot or so higher around the infamous Brambles Bank! The sixth weekend of sailing took place for the Hamble Winter Series- hosted by Hamble River Sailing Club for the J/88 one-design class and fleets of J/111s, J/109s, J/97s, and J/92 sailing in the three IRC classes. A week earlier, the J/24 class at Parkstone Yacht Club hosted the MAGENTA PROJECT Ladies Day, ushering in a new way in which to enjoy “ladies tea”! In Germany, they had also sailed their J/22 Germany 2K Team Race at Hamburg Sailing Club on the Alster Lake in downtown Hamburg, Germany- a unique 2-on-2 format where not finishing last wins! Finally, the fabulously incredible YC Monaco in Monte Carlo, Monaco hosted the first weekend of their Monaco J/70 Winter Sportboat Series for a large fleet of thirty-three boats.Down in the Caribbean and Central America, quite a bit of J/24 activity was winding down for their seasons. In Barbados, the J/24 National Championship took place off the beautiful beaches of Bridgetown on the southwestern point of the island in typically gorgeous Caribbean trade winds. Then, over in Mexico, the Copa Mexico J/24 National circuit, just completed the fifth of their six event program at Club Marina Azul for the XXII Copa ScotiaBank regatta- their finale will be the Mexican J/24 Nationals on Valle de Bravo at Club Campestre. Meanwhile, the Mexican J/70 class just hosted their Nationals at the same venue on Valle de Bravo.
Finally, way, way south of the border, the YC Argentino completed their second weekend of their prestigious Buenos Aires Week for Argentinean J/24 sailors on the Rio de La Plata. Next up for them is the Argentinean J/24 Nationals, also at YCA, then the South American J/24 Championship in Punta del Este, Uruguay in December.
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:
Nov 12- J/22 Turkey Bowl- Annapolis, MDNov 17-19- Bacardi Bermuda Keelboat Invitational- Hamilton, Bermuda
Nov 19- Hot Rum Race II- San Diego, CA
Nov 19-20- J/22 Jamaican Nationals- Montego Bay, Jamaica
Dec 3- Hot Rum Race III- San Diego, CA
Dec 3-4- J/22 Jammin’ Jamaica Regatta- Montego Bay, Jamaica
Dec 10-11- Quantum J/70 Winter Series I- Tampa, FL
Jan 7-8- Quantum J/70 Winter Series II- Tampa, FL
Jan 15-23- Quantum Key West Regatta- Key West, FL
Feb 4-5- Quantum J/70 Winter Series- Tampa, FL
Feb 10-12- J/24 Midwinters- Indian Harbour Beach, FL
Feb 17-19- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Petersburg, FL
Feb 23-26- J/70 Midwinters- St Petersburg, FL
Mar 9-11- Bacardi Miami Sailing Week- Coconut Grove, FL
Mar 17-19- San Diego NOOD Regatta- San Diego, CA
April 20-23- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
May 5-7- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
A "Pied Piper" Wins Mexican J/70 National Championship(Valle de Bravo, Mexico)- Twenty teams sailed in the J/70 Mexico National Championship, held November 11-13 in Valle de Bravo, Mexico. After ten races, American Gannon Troutman’s PIED PIPER took the title, edging out Julian Fernandez (MEX) by four points. Fernandez was the top Mexican team. Meanwhile, winning the Corinthian title on a tie-breaker was Ignacio Perez (MEX) over the top Women skipper- the American Mandi Hardesty!
The fleet enjoyed three days of racing on the lake. It was light at times, but good breezes always seemed to materialize, permitting the Club Campestre’s PRO to run ten races for the enthusiastic sailors! After five races, it appeared, again, that Julian Fernandez’s FLOJITO Y COOPERANDO was going to run the table, posting a 2-3-1-1-2. Not far off the pace was the young American skipper, Gannon Troutman, sailing PIED PIPER to a scoreline of 1-5-2-2-1. Hanging in there was famous Mexican offshore yachtsman, Lorenzo Berho, sailing PELIGROSO “mini-me” to a strong 4-1-3-6-7 tally for third position. Meanwhile, Danel Belausteguigoitia’s PURA VIDA, with a 5-4-7-3-3 tally, was only one point back in fourth place after five races.However, the remaining five races produced hangovers for just about everyone! What goes up, must come down. And, vice versa. Talk about a wild game of “snakes & ladders”, everyone in the top five just about swapped positions! In the end, Troutman’s crew on PIED PIPER sailed the most consistently to win the regatta. Fernandez’s FLOJITO Y COOPERANDO was second. Third was Von Belausteguigoitia’s BULLET. Fourth was PURA VIDA. And, fifth was Berho’s PELIGROSO. The Top Women skipper and tied for 1st in Corinthian fleet was Mandi Hardesty’s OHANA with her amazing crew of Jon Pinckney, Justin Law, and Joe Markee! For more Mexican J/70 Nationals sailing information
Fassitelli Leads J/70 Monaco Winter Series(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- After the success of the 3rd edition, which last year attracted 30-plus J/70 teams, the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series 2016-2017 is back to liven up the waters off the Principality this winter. Divided into five Acts scheduled once a month from October 2016 to March 2017, these regattas are designed to give experienced professional and amateur crews a chance to prepare at the highest level for the upcoming season’s big meetings.
Beautiful weather greeted the 150+ J/70 sailors competing in the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series, organized by the Yacht Club de Monaco in collaboration with technical clothing manufacturer SLAM. The J/70s put on a show worthy of a big regatta. The thirty-three teams consisting of Brazilians, Turks, Russians, Italians, Norwegians, Austrians, Germans and French all fought hard all weekend-long in the wide variety of weather conditions that ranged from light to moderate breezes to fresh onshore winds with enormous swells.
In the end, the Monegasques know their race area well and wasted no time demonstrating that to other contestants. Leading after the first weekend of racing with an astonishingly consistent record of 2-2-1-2 was TEAM JUNDA- BANCA DEL SIMPIONE- their skipper is Ludovico Fassitelli from the YC Monaco. Russian sailor Valeriya Kovalenko was not only the Top Women skipper, but she and her crew were 2nd overall on ARTTUBE and were the only team to post two 1sts, scoring a 5-1-4-1 for 11 pts! In a first for the J/70 class, Emir Icgoren’ AMEERA JET from Turkey sailed fast and consistent, posting a 4-8-2-3- for 17 pts to hold on to third place.
Rounding out the top five in this highly competitive group were Mario Beraha’s SASAH GREY from YC Chiavari in Italy with 23 pts and sitting in fifth place is a very famous Italian offshore sailor- Vincenzo Onorato’s MASCALZONE LATINO (renowned for being a top Italian J/24 sailor, Farr 40 World Champion, Melges 32 Key West Champion, and America’s Cup contender). Watch a beautiful YC Monaco introductory sailing video for their Winter Series here For more J/70 Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series sailing information
Hamble Winter Series VI Report(Hamble, Great Britain)- The Hamble Winter Series continues and the hardy souls taking a swing out into cool Solent waters were able to get in their 10th race of the series in six weekends of sailing on the incredibly capricious waters of the Solent. Last weekend was marked by ultra-high tides, causing insane currents and tide lines moving swiftly around the Brambles Bank and the Southampton Water.
IRC 1 saw Christopher Daniel's J/122 JUNO sail another good race to take fourth in class. And, Simon Bamford’s J/111 KESTREL managed a 6th place. As a result, with just two races left in the series, these two boats are literally neck-and-neck in the standings, with KESTREL sitting in 6th overall and JUNO in 7th position. With two good races left, there is still a good mathematical possibility for Bamford’s KESTREL to crack the top five, sitting just five points back from fourth position.
The “J/109 division”, e.g. IRC 2 class, has seen very close racing between the top boats. After posting yet another third last weekend, Simon Perry's J/109 JIRAFFE still lies in second overall, still three points back from the lead. The second J/109 is Chris Burleigh’s JYBE TALKIN and the third is Rob Cotterill’s MOJO RISIN, respectively.
Robin Stevenson’s J/92S UPSTART continues to sail brilliantly in IRC 3 class. Their 3rd place this past weekend kept them in the overall lead, 3.5 pts clear of the next boat. Still lying in fourth place is David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’RONIMO with 27 pts. However, just a half-point back sitting in fifth overall is Annie & Andy Howe’s J/97 GBR 97X- BLACKJACK II! A lot can happen with the top five in the next two races if the crews are not careful about their race strategies!
Finally, the three musketeers that have been leading the J/88 class continue to got at it hammer-and-tong! Making their bid for the top of the leaderboard was Paul Ward’s EAT SLEEP J REPEAT, winning the race in convincing fashion. They are now 3 pts back from the series leaders- Kirsty and David Apthorp's J-DREAM. Gavin Howe's TIGRIS scored a third, so they are now three points back from Ward’s ESJR. Who will be the spoiler next weekend? Stay tuned.
It is still all to play for with two races left to sail in the series in these four classes! Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth/ pwpictures.com and Hamo Thornycroft For more Hamble Winter Series sailing information
Parkstone Yacht Club Ladies J/24 Day!MAGENTA PROJECT Breaks the Mold on Ladies Tea!
(Parkstone, United Kingdom)- Watch out traditional ladies days! The high heels and questionable dress codes of Ascot, Cheltenham and Goodwood, and all of the yacht club teas called “ladies days” are getting the rules rewritten- by the amazing women leading The MAGENTA Project!
Annie Lush and her team at the MAGENTA Project are using their experiences on the Olympic circuit, Volvo Ocean Race, M32 World Match race series and GC32 Extreme Series to prove that ladies are not just supporting men sailing, but doing it themselves, so no excuses for the Parkstone Yacht Club “ladies.” For many years, the Club, under the cheerful guidance and enthusiasm of member Nigel Pearce, has had a large group of ladies racing and training in a variety of single-handed boats from Picos to Lasers. Annie, a Parkstone member, organized a highly acclaimed and enjoyable day introducing 31 women and 8 youth sailors to keelboat sailing. The local J/24 fleet kindly lent eight boats with their owners, and Kate Macgregor (London 2012 Olympian and Team Magenta match racer) and Abby Ehler (twice a Volvo Ocean Race sailor and Magenta project director) joined Annie as on-the-water coaches.The day started with a dockside introduction to the J/24, and as the new teams motored out in bright sun and zero wind, the Magenta Magic started with a warm southerly gently increasing through the day. Learning to tack and gybe (encouraged by coaches and owners) was quickly followed by various drills, with the crews rotating positions, and ended with a pre-lunch race. The Club hosted a lunch whilst the Magenta girls entertained the children, relieving the fathers of baby-sitting duties for a while, with tales of racing and sailing.
The girls were joined by two-time Paralympic medalist Alex Rickman. Top job was being medal monitor as Alex kindly let the children hold her medals, guaranteeing some disbelief in various Poole schools show-and-tell sessions. Lunch was followed by Saturday J/24 racing, and the new crews volunteered to join the owners and some of their team for the race. The wind increased to a strong breeze as the rain lurked over the Purbeck hills, but the race officer shortened the course just in time so the J’s were safely back in the marina before the skies opened. The happy teams returned to the Clubhouse for a Magenta tea party and prize-giving.Thanks to the J/24 owners, the Club’s super supportive Commodore Bryan Drake, Roam photography, and Spinnaker Watches, Musto and Team SCA for great prizes. A women’s team has already formed to race next year on the J/24 ZAPHOD, and another team is keen to use one of Parkstone’s three Club-owned J/24s for evening racing. The J/24 Class has a great resource of good new crew, and everyone enjoyed the teamwork and new skills (no shouting, no tears, just huge smiles). Well done Magenta! You have to come back and make this an annual event. Sailing photo credits- ROAM Photography
Britain Wins J/22 Germany 2K Team Race(Hamburg, Germany)- From the 21st to 23rd October, The Hamburg Sailing Club (HSC) set up an internationally 2K team race for the fourth time. Seven teams with sailors from England, the Netherlands, Italy, Finland, Bavaria and from Northern Germany took part.
Although there was not a lot of wind all weekend, the HSC PRO Stefan Roth was able to run almost 40 races until Sunday noon. The sailing for the 2-on-2 format took place on one-design J/22 class sailboats. What is unique about this form of team-racing is that “last place loses”, so the incentive is to “fight back” all the time!
It was a beautiful event, organized by Manuel Huensch and supported by Hansestadt Hamburg (the sports group based in Hamburg) and many volunteers on land and on the water.In the semi-finals on Sunday, the British Team Serpentine and the Italian Team Banana, were clearly a level above the rest in terms of their boat-handling, tactics and strategies. In the Grand Finale on a beautiful autumn day in downtown Hamburg, it was the British Team Serpentine that won 2 races to 1 over the Italian Team Banana. The winner of the Petite Finale was Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, claiming the third spot on the podium. Sailing photo credits- Pepe Hartmann For more J/22 Germany 2K Team Race sailing information
CARRERA Crowned Buenos Aires Week J/24 Winner(Buenos Aires, Argentina)- Over the first two weekends of October, the Buenos Aires fleet in Argentina hosted their friends from Chile, Uruguay and Brazil in their prestigious and traditional Buenos Aires Week hosted by Yacht Club Argentina. Eleven teams were participating with many looking forward to sailing the Argentinean Nationals at the beginning of November and the J/24 South American Championship at Punta del Este, Uruguay.
The first weekend of racing saw six races conducted over the two days, a total of ten are scheduled for the entire series. It was readily apparent to everyone that Matias Pereira’s CARRERA was light years ahead of the fleet all weekend, posting six straight bullets to establish a big lead for the series. Doggedly pursuing them was the Uruguayan team lead by Pedro Garra on PANTERA; their scores of 2-6-2-2-2-5 kept them in the hunt. Just behind them was Sebastien Halpern’s MORRUCHO with a 3-5-3-3-3-2 tally.
The “song remained the same” for the following weekend. It was truly a battle for the top three podium positions, but it was again clear that Pereira’s CARRERA had the upper hand on their competitors. In the first race on Saturday, Pereira picked up where they left off the previous Sunday by winning the first race quite handily. The big disappointment was for Garra’s team, posting a 6th, while their arch rivals, Halpern’s MORRUCHO, took a 2nd. Then, in the second race of the day (the 8th of the regatta), it was Garra’s turn to win a race while Halpern’s crew faltered and posted a 7th! The drama continued in the next race and the anxiety level could not have been higher for Gara’s and Halpern’s crews. In race nine, CARRERA won and locked up the regatta, not having to sail the last race. Meanwhile, Halpern took 2nd with Garra in 4th, leaving them tied going into the final 10th race. However, that would not take place until Sunday! The final day dawned beautiful and bright with a nice wind. CARRERA stayed ashore, celebrating their good fortunes. Meanwhile, it was a grueling match race between Halpern and Garra to determine the silver and bronze positions on the podium. In the end, Halpern got the upper hand, posting a 4th to Garra’s 5th to seal the deal for the silver. The top of the leaderboard in the last race saw a complete “flip-flop” of the fleet; winning was Alejandro Rossi’s SHARK AMANSO RELOADED with Federico Weidemann’s SEX SYMBOL in 2nd and Guillermo Aporszegi’s CALA in 3rd. For more J/24 Buenos Aires Week sailing information
BANKS ESPERANZA Top Barbados J/24 Nationals(Bridgetown, Barbados)- It has been a busy year for the Barbados J/24 sailors, by far the largest fleet on the Caribbean island and also by far their largest yacht/ sailing club! The 2016 Barbados J/24 National Championship saw spirited competition amongst the fleet of nearly a dozen boats.
In the end, it was Ian Mayers’ BANKS ESPERANZA- BAR 4396 that were declared the winners of the 2016 National Title! Here is the photo of Erving Rosario and Paul Croney, representing the lead sponsors Suzuki Caribbean Marine and Carter's Fisherman's Corner, presenting Ian’s crew with the championship trophies.
In a great team effort with a lot of renewed energy, Charlie Gloumeau led his enthusiastic crew on SCOTIABANK BUNGA BUNGA- BAR 2420 into “the chocolates” as well, taking the silver medal for 2016!Rounding out the podium in the bronze position was WILLIAMS INDUSTRIES HAWKEYE- BAR 3145, led by Robert Povey. Perhaps the big surprise of the regatta was that the winner of the LUCKY HORSESHOE Regatta back in June, Robbie Yearwood’s DIE HARD, did not make podium!
Finally, SCOTIABANK BUNGA BUNGA was voted as the “Most Improved J/24 Team” for their outstanding performance during the year, finishing no lower than fourth place in any regatta! For more Barbados J/24 sailing information
Copa Mexico J/24 National Circuit Report(Valle de Bravo, Mexico)- The J/24 sailors in Mexico have always enjoyed their Copa Mexico J/24 National Championship circuit. The series is comprised of six events, the Dia de la Marina at Club Nautico Avandaro, the Regata de Independencia at Club Nautico Valle de Bravo, the Copa San Gaspar at Club San Gaspar, the Oktoberfest at Club Nautico Avandaro, the XXII Copa Scotiabank at Club Marina Azul, and the Mexico Nationals at Club Campestre on Valle de Bravo. The circuit is based on low-point scoring, not high-point (which would reflect higher scores for more participants- like the RORC Season Points Series).
At the current time, the clear leader is Roberto Himmelbauer’s YAMBO with a 1-3-2-5-3 tally for 68 pts total. Roberto’s team is the only boat to have placed in 4 of 5 events. Holding onto a strong second place is Manuel Romero’s CAPITAN ALATRISTE with a 5-5-1-2-3 for 80 pts. Rounding out the podium is Candida Velazquez’s LA FRAGATA with a scoreline of 6-6-3-3-5 for 107 pts.
The two teams that could “upset the apple cart,” so to speak, are Ken Porter’s COMEX and Luis Alvarez’s TA’LENTO. In the two regattas they entered so far, Independencia and Oktoberfest, Porter’s COMEX won with nearly all firsts. Similarly, Alvarez’s TA’LENTO placed 2nd and 1st in their two counters- Independencia and Scotiabank. It’s all to play for in the Nationals, coming soon to a website near you!
For more Mexico J/24 fleet sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* Way, way Down Under, the spring flowers are blooming, winter series have wound down and summer series are on the verge of winding up! In Melbourne, New South Wales, on the southeastern cape of Australia, the J/111 JOUST is enjoying fresh late spring conditions. Owner Dr Rod Warren provided a quick report on their latest outing offshore:“We were racing in 30-plus knots on a choppy Port Philip Bay this past weekend. Our J/111 JOUST hit 22 knots to cross a Beneteau 45 and claim line honors at the Club Marine Interclub Regatta! Needless to say, the
crew was jubilant and high-fives were celebrated all-around!!We were using the techniques we learned on the Solent this past summer at the J/111 World Championship from our pit boss- Stu J! We matched the big boats upwind (something we had never done before) and smoked them off the breeze, hitting 20-plus knots under a full Main, J4 and A2 kite. Big wind, big sails!! And, big grins all around!”
* Don Dwyer & J/109 “GUARDIAN J” were featured in WindCheck's September 2016 issue- On Watch section. He talks about sailing his J/109 Guardian J with family, crew, and friends. Read the original article from WindCheck Magazine at this link.Don Dwyer isn’t exactly new to sailing, although his path to becoming an avid sailor is somewhat unique, as is his approach. “I grew up in Cheshire, Connecticut, only 20 minutes from the water, but somehow sailing was never something I thought about,” says Don. Having lived in the Midwest for 20 years, he and his family returned to Connecticut a few years ago and settled on the shoreline. “We live in Guilford and keep our J/109 Guardian J at Brewers Bruce & Johnson’s Marina in Branford,” says Don, who is enjoying his fourth boat, three of which were purchased in succession over the past three years!
“It’s funny it took so long to become a sailor,” Don continues. “We actually bought a Capri 14.2 in 1989 when we lived here, but then I got transferred. The only time that boat got wet was when it rained trailering it whenever we moved! We finally auctioned it off at a charity event. We didn’t think about becoming sailors until we moved back. My oldest son Doc suggested we learn to sail. We always enjoyed sports together, such as skiing, golf, climbing, running and flying [Don is a co-owner of Guardian Jet, one of the larger corporate jet brokerages in the world, based on the Green in Guilford, CT.] He wanted to sail, so he, my son Chris, my wife Jan and I took a weekend of lessons together. Doc and I bought a Hunter 27 because we thought we needed a boat to accelerate our learning. Doc and I were flight instructors at one point in our careers, and we were amazed at the lack of structure to the learning process. After a weekend of poor instruction, it was basically: buy a boat and have at it.”
Looking for ways to make their learning experience as efficient as possible, Don and Jan signed up for a week at J World in Key West. “When we started, we felt like we had to be proactive in searching solutions for our desired pace of learning,” he explains. “I know now there are a ton of resources out there but it wasn’t apparent or even clearly defined for us when we started.”
“It was great starting the first year with an older boat because with the minimal investment it was okay to bounce it off docks as we all learned. The second year, we bought a Pearson 33.2. It was a great boat, but whenever we raced we’d do well at the start and watch all the other boats walk away from us.”
“Our big leap came when I met [WindCheck Contributing Editor] Joe Cooper at a Safety at Sea seminar. We had sailed for a season, and had just bought the Pearson, and were thinking of racing. Joe came on board to get us up to speed on safety first, then taught us the skills to participate in regattas. Our goal was to get ready for last year’s Block Island Race Week. We trained all spring and early summer with Coop, and competed in the regatta. Coop is still our coach. I consider him a great sailor but more importantly, a gifted teacher, good friend and trusted advisor.”
After Block Island Race Week last year, we started looking for a boat better suited to racing. The J/109 is perfect for us. I can race with a full crew, and it’s an easy boat for Jan and me to daysail or cruise. A good light wind boat is not a bad idea for our part of the Sound, so we got the 109 just in time for the Vineyard Race last year and we are having a ball with it.”
“When I wanted to get into ocean racing, I joined Essex Yacht Club and was lucky enough to meet Frank Flores, who has done seven or eight Bermuda races on his Alden 44 Checkmate. Frank invited me to race with him to Bermuda. He is a great skipper and program leader. His love and devotion to seamanship is contagious and I have learned tons by being a part of his crew. We trained through the winter and spring, either by working on the boat, sailing Ideal 18s for crew coordination or sailing Checkmate. We were one of the 50 or so boats that pulled out on the day of the race because of the forecast, but the training was one of the best experiences of my life.”
“Currently, I race with my extended family. We are extremely lucky that they live nearby, and Jan and I are taking full advantage. The racing community is very supportive. We feel welcome everywhere we go. The Wednesday night league in Branford is a ball, and if I have a question there are a bunch of skippers who jump in and help. We have also enlisted the help of North Sails since buying the J/109. Jack Orr [a member of the sales team at North Sails East] has been fantastic in getting the boat to go fast, setting it up, and teaching us how to trim. My only excuse now is my ability!”
“For me, the most important lesson so far is to be the architect of your experience. If you are open and honest about your experience level, it is amazing how many people in this sport and industry will help,” says Don. “I’m not big on giving advice, but I would say to someone looking for a way to keep doing stuff with the family, racing sailboats is amazing. If I said to the kids, who all have very busy lives, ‘Let’s go sailing Sunday,’ I’m not sure who would show up. But racing means we get together a lot.”
Don recounts, “We had friends visiting from Kansas who did the Essex Rum Challenge with us. I was sitting on the rail with my buddy, who remarked about how much fun I was having. I looked around the boat, and the entire crew was my extended family and friends. That’s the best part!”
* J/30 North Sails Interview- Scott Tonguis and team ZEPHYR won four of the seven races at the 2016 J/30 North American Championship in Annapolis, MD. North Sails spoke with him shortly after the event.1. What conditions did you encounter at this event and how prepared were you and your team?
ST- We saw winds of 3-20 knots. We were armed with new North Sails designed by Benz Faget. We were the top fundraising team in the nation for the Leukemia Cup Regatta series (we raised $127,000), so the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and North Sails awarded Zephyr a 25% discount, which helped us purchase a great set of sails from Benz.
2. What was the biggest contributor to your success in winning this regatta?
ST- Great sails along with proper rig tuning. Having a least seven loaner boat J30 NAs under our belt. Our past experiences have proven that you can take a boat that may not have seen the race course in quite a while and clean the bottom, check the rigging, tune the rig, host some new North Sails, and go give ‘em a hand full. So, we were confident that we would be in the hunt.
3. What was the most important part about your boat set up?
ST- Making sure the rig tuning was close to optimum so the sails could do their magic. If the rig tune is right, then the sails are working great. If the sails are working great, then the boat is going fast. If the boat is going fast, then the crew can get their heads out of the boat to look around the racecourse for wind shifts and fleet management. If you are going fast, you can keep your lane. If you keep your lane, you can go to the side of the course you think will be favored.
4. Name three things that you and your team did during the races that proved to be fast.
ST- here is what we focused on:
– Rig tuning
– Due to the shifty winds, we seemed to sail most of the regatta with our bow down trying to speed across the course to the next shift. Whenever we were fortunate enough to find ourselves on the inside of a lift, we would press the bow down to speed to the next shift. Most of the time it worked out quite well.
– The J30 does not really like to accelerate, so while sailing downwind you want to make sure you use some of a header to build boat speed before turning a little deeper. Do not get it slow!
5. How long have you been sailing in the J/30 class?
ST- I cannot believe it has been this long: 30 years, 3 decades! I was a senior in high school when my family purchased the original Zephyr, which was destroyed in Hurricanes Katrina & Rita. We hope to have a 30 year Zephyr reunion in late Oct. 2017 down in New Orleans, in conjunction with the J30 NA’s on Lake Pontchartrain at New Orleans Yacht Club. It is quite humbling to realize the Zephyr program is still very relevant after thirty years. I guess we are doing something right. I have been blessed to meet some wonderful people along the way, many of whom are my best friends and mentors.
6. What were your strengths on the racecourse? Which leg did YOU favor the most?
ST- I know the strengths and weaknesses of the boat. I guess that is where thirty years of experience on the boat comes into play. If you are able to keep the boat out of its areas of weakness, you are usually able to avoid a bad situation on the racecourse.
7. What was your most memorable moment of the regatta?
ST- I can tell you my least memorable moment, the first start, it was bad! Luckily, we were able to tack to port just after the start and rumble over to the right side. Great boat speed along with a little righty got us back in the race.
Otherwise, my most memorable moment was catching up with friends! I no longer live in New Orleans, so I do not get a chance to spend too much time with my good friends who just happen to be my crew. Traveling to the NAs is special for us because everyone is away from the distractions of home, work, and family—a four-day hall pass to hang with the boys.
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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