This past week marks the fourth Thursday in November and in America, that signifies the national holiday known as "Thanksgiving". The celebration marks the first good harvest by the infamous "Pilgrims", a group of people escaping religious persecution from the Church of England in 1621. The intrepid adventurers and "escapees” sailed an extremely cramped, slow sailing ship, across the treacherous North Atlantic Ocean and landed in what is now known as Plymouth, Massachusetts on the New England coastline. Survival was paramount and, remarkably, the Pilgrims managed to befriend the local Wampanoag native American Indian tribe. With their help, the Pilgrims lived through their first winter and the following fall, they celebrated the traditional Indian fall harvest with a long luncheon--- the first "Thanksgiving" in October 1621. Presiding over the event was also the first known Johnstone family ancestor, the first Governor of the Massachusetts colony- Gov. William Bradford. Given that we are all living and "surviving" the current covid-19 pandemic, it's particularly poignant to recognize that our forefathers in America also had to rely on friends, family, and other people to make it through particularly troublesome and difficult times. Giving "thanks" to others in this crazy, bizarre, pandemic year has never been more important...to appreciate and support one another an even more compelling scenario as we all explore another "new world" that no one ever imagined or contemplated in our recent past.
To that end, sailors are particularly resilient. Being open-minded, thoughtful, innovative, humble, and compassionate, sailors work together as teams to persevere against the best and worst that Mother Nature throws at us.
We continue to see such examples around the sailing world as this past week saw a few events that permitted more joyous (but safe & healthy) celebrations taking place on the water.
Down in Mexico, the J/70 class held their 2020 National Championship in Valle de Bravo, that gorgeous mountain lake west of mile-high Mexico City; host was the Club de Vela La Peña Valle de Bravo. Then, out west in southern California, the San Diego YC hosted their second in the three-race Hot Rum Series offshore of the picturesque Point Loma, much to the delight of several silverware-winning J/Crews for the second race in a row! Finally, a dozen-plus adventurous J/24 sailors got together to enjoy the annual King's Day Regatta in Jacksonville, Florida with sailing taking place on the river.
Offshore Doubles Celebrates Rapid Growth in its First Month: 1,600 Members from 66 Countries
(London, England)- Offshore Doubles is pleased to announce at the end of its first month of operation we have 1,600 members from 66 countries with all six continents well-represented.Our Facebook page shows a video series featuring well-known sailors like Dee Caffari (GBR) and Kenny Read (USA), younger sailors like Erica Lush (USA) and Federico Waksman (URU) and the team of Jade Cole and Barney Walker (AUS). Each weekend with the help of World Sailing, we are featuring new stories of Offshore Doubles sailors from many countries and all continents. Next up is Croatia, then China, South Africa and more. Come to the Offshore Doubles Facebook page to see these amazing people and hear their stories.
The Olympic Event of Mixed Offshore Doubles is a pinnacle event of our discipline and it was proposed and ratified as the Olympic slate by World Sailing at the Annual Conference in Sarasota in 2018 and sent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2019. Over the next month the IOC is expected to make their final decisions on the slates proposed by all sports.
There have been some reported questions about security and cost of the Paris 2024 Olympic event. The security question has been solved by the French Navy’s assurance that they will provide security on the course. The operating costs of the event have been reviewed by the World Sailing and will be significantly lower than other sailing events because the Offshore Mixed Doubles Event is one race with a single start and finish. Other than the final short leg, all protests will be heard electronically using the 24/7 media and tracking during the event. Penalties will be assessed and taken before the last short leg to the finish and first boat across the finish line first wins.
In discussion with many of the teams, even from many smaller countries, the cost of the boat is not the big issue some claim. The boats in the event will be supplied without additional cost to competitors and the boats used for training can be any boat of appropriate size and configuration. These types of racer/cruiser boats represent 70% of sailing and hold their value well for resale. The World Sailing Equipment Committee is planning to produce a tender early in 2021 to solicit proposals for the Olympic event and there are 12 boats already proposed in a prior Request for Information.
Many countries have already started training for the event and Doubles are now a specific class in the most famous and long-established races like the Sydney Hobart, Fastnet, Round Gotlund, Bermuda and Transpac races. There are also many dedicated Doubles events and series now in Poland, Norway, Sweden, France, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, South Africa, Italy, USA and many other countries. The events list on the homepage shows 50 events currently and is increasing daily.
Larry Rosenfeld, President of Offshore Doubles, said, “Thanks to the many people that have helped us successfully launch including Matt Allen, Stan Honey and the rest of our very experienced Board of Advisors and organizations such as SYRF, ORC, RORC, CYCA, Storm Trysail Club, all the country rating offices and federations and many suppliers like North Sails, J/Boats, Quantum, World Sailing, The Magenta Project and many others for helping to spread the word. To our members and partners, we plan to introduce new features and ways of connecting in the coming months. Thank you for your donations, your guidance so far, and your continued input.”
About Offshore Doubles
Offshore Doubles is for everyone interested in double-handing offshore from couples and friends doing weekend races to Olympic athletes and serious programs globally. We all have much to learn and teach and it's our mission to bring this community together. There are more than 5,000 boats racing double-handed under rating rules and thousands in many strong one design fleets around the world, so we know the interest is there.
If you haven’t already done so, please come join us NOW at https://offshoredoubles.org! We need to continue to show the IOC that Doubles has broad global support. Don’t forget to invite your co-skipper and share with your friends!
J/Gear HOLIDAY 20% OFF Specials!
(Newport, RI)- Believe it or not, it is just about time to get into the holiday spirit of things. The year-end is fast approaching and now is as good a time as any to give some thoughts to your holiday shopping for your crew, family, and friends.We are offering a 20% discount on all orders excluding the following: J/Models, J/Prints and J/Calendars.
The discount code is- JB2020XS. It will be effective October 1st through November 28th, 2020.
Attention J/Boat owners- because of the demand for customization, we encourage "early ordering" in an effort to meet holiday gift dates.
NOTE- The J/Class logo of your choice can embroidered on the front. We can also customize with your detail. Perfect for the whole crew! For more information and to buy now.
Sailing Calendar
Nov 28-30- Mundialito J/80 Regatta- Santander, SpainDec 1-6- J/70 South American Championship- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Dec 4-6- J/22 Jammin Jamaica Regatta- Montego Bay, Jamaica
Dec 4- Wirth M Munroe Memorial Race- Palm Beach, FL
Dec 5- Hot Rum Series III- San Diego, CA
Americans Sweep Mexican J/70 Nationals
(Valle de Bravo, Mexico)- As they often say, be careful of what you wish for when you invite World-class American sailors to your gorgeous lake high in the mountains west of Mexico City. Over a four-day regatta last weekend, the Mexican J/70 class held their 2020 National Championship in Valle de Bravo for a fleet of twenty-two teams. Host for the event was the Club de Vela La Peña Valle de Bravo.
After a nine-race series, the American team on PIED PIPER, led by skipper Gannon Troutman easily won the event. Starting out with three bullets on the first day of racing, they never looked back, and no one could seemingly challenge their supremacy on the race track. It certainly helped that Troutman had a world-class sail trimmer in the form of Venezuelan Victor Diaz de Leon on mainsheet and calling tactics. The balance of their team included Tomas Dietrich and Roberto Escalante. The PIED PIPER's never had a finish out of the top four, such was their dominance over the regatta, finishing with just 16 pts.
Yet another American had a significant impact on silver medal winner- LA BALA. Also trimming mainsheet and calling tactics for skipper Yon Belausteguigoitia was none other than J/70 World Champion Bill Hardesty from San Diego, CA. The LA BALA team sailed consistently in the top ten to finish a distant second with 32 pts net. Their crew consisted of Yon and brother Ander, Hardesty, and Elaine Fierro. Notably, the LA BALA team was declared the "real" Mexican J/70 National Champion as the top Mexican team in the regatta.
Taking the bronze medal on the podium and also winning the Mexican Corinthian J/70 National Championship was Jorge Murrieta's FLOJITO Y COOPERANDO, sailing with crew of Jose Alfonso Gutierrez Frusch, Jeronimo Mariscal, and Pablo Rion.
Behind the Corinthian J/70 Mexican Champions on FLOJITO was Hector Guzman Gonzalez's team on ESCIPION (Gerardo Lozano, Juan Pablo La Pena Guzman, and Mariana Guzman). Third went to Eduardo Oetling's AXOLOTL, with crew of Eduardo Oetling Jr, Ricardo Guzman, and Alfonso Aguilar. Thirteen of the twenty-two teams were Corinthians, over 50% of the fleet. For more Mexican J/70 National Championship sailing information
Hot J/Crews @ Hot Rum Series II
(San Diego, CA)- J/Boats continue to perform well in the competitive Hot Rum Series in San Diego, hosted by San Diego Yacht Club.Two J/145s are near the top of the overall results from the first two races. PALAEMON (Rudy Hasl) is 3rd and MORE MADNESS (Ernie Pennell) is 4th out of 124 boats registered.
The competition within Class I is also very strong, with MORE MADNESS taking 1st place with 6 points and PALAEMON taking 2d with 8 points. The J/145s have been very competitive against famous offshore racing competitors such as Pyewacket, Stark Raving Mad, Blue Blazes, Staghound, Fast Exit, Volpe, Pendragon, and Compadres.
The J/120 CC RIDER (Chuck Nichols) has taken two bullets in Class 2 against some stiff competition. Also, very competitive is the J/125 NEREID (Standish Fleming) and a trio of J/105s- ZUNI BEAR (Vieregg/ Bermann), J-OK (Jim Dorsey), and SWEET KAREN (Jeff Brown).
The final race in the series will be on December 5. The conditions for the 2d race were very different from the windy in-bay first race. With many boats struggling to get off the starting line and dealing with light shifty winds for the beginning and at the end of the race. Fortunately, the offshore portion of the race saw steady winds in the 10-15 kt range and some fog. For more San Diego YC Hot Rum Series information
MAJIC Crowned J/24 Kings Day Regatta Champion
(Jacksonville, FL)- The Florida Yacht Club and J/24 Fleet 55 hosted twenty-one very enthusiastic J/24 competitors to a wonderful weekend of competitive sailing at the 2020 Kings Day Regatta November 21-22, 2020.The racing Saturday and Sunday had a total of six races sailed on the St. Johns River south of Jacksonville in the traditional fall breezes of Northeast Florida. It was a see-saw battle for the podium all weekend long as each time was trying to "dial-in" not just speed-mode in the flat water, but also getting into sequence in the shifty breezes.
Starting off with a 1-5-1 on the first day, Greg Griffin's MAJIC played their local knowledge to the max, ending the day with a strong lead. The other day's winner was Robby Brown's ANGEL OF HARLEM from Davis Island YC, gliding into second for the day. They were followed by Dan Borrer's JESUS LIZARD just one point behind.
The die was cast for the battle that would unfold on Sunday morning. The first race of the day saw all three teams struggling to even finish in a podium position as they covered and watched each other like hawks as they rounded the race track. However, it was Borrer's JESUS LIZARD that closed the regatta with an emphatic double-bullets to take the silver. Griffin's MAJIC hung in close and avoided disastrous races to take the win by a mere two points. Brown's ANGEL OF HARLEM crew was fast and consistent, but a Black Flag in the last race dispelled their chances for the overall win. Instead, the HARLEM crew had to settle for the bronze.
The winning team on MAJIC consisted of skipper Greg Griffin and crew of Will Newton, Skip Allcorn, Mike Reddaway, and Emma Newton. The silver medal crew on JESUS LIZARD was Dan Borrer driving, with team of Kelly Holleran, Steve Lopez, Barbara Gold, and Max Lopez. The bronze medal winners on ANGEL OF HARLEM were Robby Brown on the helm, with crew of Beau Delapouyade, Richard Shellow, Steve Lowery, and Kevin Ratigan. For Kings Day Regatta sailing results and information For J/24 Fleet 55 information
For more J/24 one-design class information
J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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