Wednesday, April 1, 2015

J/Newsletter- April 1st, 2015

J/88 sailing Puget SoundStrictly Sail Pacific Boat Show Preview
(Alameda, California)- Be sure to keep your calendar free for the weekend of April 9th to 12th! J/Boats San Francisco dealer “Sail California” looks forward to hosting all J/Sailors and friends at this year’s Strictly Sailboat Show!  On display at Jack London Square in Oakland, California will be the J/88 family speedster and the J/70. They will be located at the Inner Basin at Slip# S64 and the J/70 will be on land next to it.

Momentum continues to grow for the J/Clan in the San Francisco Bay area. The latest one-design fleets to develop on the Bay are the J/70 and J/111.  The J/70s are over two dozen boats and have an active one-design regatta circuit, plus they are looking forward to hosting the 2016 J/70 World Championships at St Francis Yacht Club!  Now is the time to hop aboard the #70 train to the Worlds! 

In addition, the J/111s are approaching a “baker’s dozen”; they’ve had fabulous one-design racing on the Bay, including the Rolex Big Boat Series as well as astonishing success in offshore in events like the Windjammer Race, the Farallones Double, the Three Bridge Fiasco and the Spinnaker Cup.

Strictly Sail is the West Coast’s largest original all-sail boat show. Whether you are a “newbie” or a seasoned sailor, this four day boat show spectacle is the place to immerse yourself in the world of sailing, check out new sailboats, talk to experts, participate in hands-on seminars, get on the water and have fun.  Be sure to contact any of Sail California’s J experts- Pat Nolan, Norm Davant, or Drew Harper- call ph# 510-523-8500 or email- norman@sailcal.com 

Furthermore, please be sure to read the J/88 Northwest Yachting review.  Sailing Editor Bruce Hedrick took the J/88 from Sail Northwest out for a spin in early February on Puget Sound on a gorgeous sunny day— as only the PNW can enjoy in the middle of winter!   For more Strictly Sail Pacific sailboat show information

J/80s sailing SPI Ouest Intermarche- La Trinie sur Mer, FranceSPI Ouest France Preview
(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- The 37th SPI Ouest France Intermarche Regatta is taking place this weekend from April 2nd to 5th, with four days of racing planned on Quiberon Bay.  Over 300 boats are sailing and, again, the J/80 class will be by far the largest fleet (one-design or handicap) with 70 boats expected on the starting line.  This year’s event also marks the second time the J/70 class has participated; the big news is that the J/70 fleet has nearly doubled in size over last year’s event.

The J/70 continues to gain momentum in Europe; J/Composites has built over 450 units alone for the European market.  The advent of the enormously popular sailing leagues, the Europeans hosted by YC Monaco, and the Worlds hosted in La Rochelle continues to create strong demand for the fun, easy-to-sail and trailerable sportboat.

On the starting line for this year’s J/70 fleet is a strong international contingent.  The local French teams include top sailors like Le Havre’s Ludovic Senechal sailing LULU NANTAISE and Laurent Sambron skippering HEMON CAMUS (a multiple winner in major J/80 events in France).  In addition, other top contenders include the United Kingdom’s Ian Atkins driving BOATS.COM (UK National Champion); top J/22 sailor Wouter Kollman from the Netherlands sailing PLAJ (J/22 European Champion); multiple World Champion Hugo Rocha from Spain sailing NEW TERRITORIES; the Laser SB20 World Champion Geoff Carveth from the United Kingdom; and Charles Esse steering DARWIN PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, also from the U.K.

J/80s sailing off FranceThe large J/80 class will have many top teams sailing with past Nationals Champions hoping to gather more silverware for their trophy cabinets.  Leading the top French boats will be Luc Nadals’ GANJA (2nd 2013 J/80 Worlds); Matthieu Salomon from EV Cataschool skippering CHARIOT PLUS- VANNES UTILITAIRES (J/80 European Champion); VOILERIE ALL PURPOSE- Sylvain Pellissier; CO-PILOTES (Maxime Mesnil); Eric Brezellec skippering COURRIER JUNIOR (J/80 European and French Champion); PIERRE OCEANE (Herve Leduc); and another top women’s team- LE HAVRE- LADIES NORMADIE with Sophie Riot on the helm.  For the J/80 fleet, SPI Ouest will be a good warm-up for the top teams looking to attend the J/80 World Championship in early July at Kiel, Germany.

In the IRC handicap racing world, there are J’s sailing in virtually every class.  Starting with IRC 1, there are two J/122s sailing in the 19-boat fleet, including JOLLY JOKER (R Marchais) and INNOVATIONS BLEUES (P. Roynette).  Also sailing in the crazy mix of boats that includes TP 52s is the J/111 J4F (P. Guennal).

IRC 2 class has a mix of 35-40 footers, including the beautifully maintained J/120 RHAPSODIE V sailed by JJ. Godet; they famously were leading the 2013 Fastnet Race overall and in class for quite some time before getting caught in the light airs, current trap off the Plymouth, England finish line.

Several 30-35 ft J’s are sailing in the large IRC 3 class and hoping to sail clean and not get caught up in bad “lanes” sailing upwind and having to live with dirty air too long.  Included in this group are two J/105’s- BO GOSS (P. Allain) and J-SQUARED (Jf. De Premorel; the J/97 MISPICKEL VI (B. Fagart); and the J/109 FRANJPANE (P. Mouret).

IRC 4 class was going to be so big and unmanageable for the Race Committee PRO that it was split into an “A” and “B” grouping.  Sailing in IRC 4-A are twin duos of J/97s and J/92s’s.  The J/97s are HALIOTIS (P. Mabo) and HYDRACHEM (Jc. Moriceau) and the J/92s are DR JEKYLL (T. Bidon) and SABOT (M. Demazure).

Sailing the OH-1 Class for the first time will be the J/88 J-LANCE 11 skippered by Didier Le Moal from S.R. Rochelaises.  They will be challenged by a strong group of teams in the 17-boat class that also includes the J/109 CNP1 J’VOLE helmed by P. Barouch, the J/92s KINETIK (Jm. Loirat), the J/105 MISS J (F. Guillemot) and the J/111 ALPHALINK (A. Nicaise).

The OH-2 Class also has 17 boats participating, including a flock of four J/24s- JINETTE (C. Gury), INSULARIS (A. Garcia), EL NINO (B. Le Marec) and HORS’J (L. Madeline).

The weather looks promising for the weekend, the sailors are hoping the forecasts hold true.  Thursday and Friday may be cloudy with WSW breezes in the 8-12 kts range, with rain late afternoon and evening on Friday as a Low front passes by.  That is followed by clearing Saturday morning with a sunny day in the 60s F with a 9-15 kt NNE winds.  For Easter Sunday, everyone should wake up to a smiling sun and 60s F with warm breezes shifting East at 10-15 kts.  The Weather Underground forecast for La Trinite is here.
For more SPI OUEST France Intermarche sailing information

J/122s sailing Caribbean offshoreBVI Sailing Festival- Stunning Courses, Fabulous Festivities
(Roadtown, Tortola, BVI)- Sailors from all over the world have gathered at Nanny Cay Marina for the three-day BVI Sailing Festival (Mar 30-Apr 1), the pre-cursor to the BVI Spring Regatta which offers the international fleet the opportunity of tune-up races for the main event. The Festival courses are designed to showcase the stunning tropical islands and feature fabulous parties along the route.

The weather forecast for the BVI Sailing Festival is promising a delight for the participants. Trade winds are due to veer to the south east giving a gentle start to racing, but should also provide shifty conditions to keep the tacticians on their toes. Racing starts on Tuesday 31st March with the Round Tortola Race for the Nanny Cay Cup. The Veuve Clicquot Island Invitational is scheduled for Wednesday 1st April and racing at the Festival concludes with the VP Bank Tortola Sloop Spring Challenge on Thursday 2nd April.

“There are so many wonderful places in the BVI and the Sailing Festival is a great opportunity to not only see the islands, but also to visit them,” commented BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival Race Director, Judy Petz. “This year, the Veuve Clicquot Island Invitational will be a pursuit race to Jost Van Dyke, which will be a fantastic experience. The course will pass Sandy Cay, one of the most photographed locations in the Caribbean. After racing, the famous Foxy’s Beach Bar on Jost Van Dyke will be the venue for fun and games with music and a beach barbeque.”

J/111 sailing Caribbean regattasNearly a dozen J’s are participating in this wonderful sailing “festival”.  Not surprisingly, the ten boat CSA Racing 2 class is loaded with talent and a number of excellent teams are participating.  The two J/122s will be at it again towing each other around the picturesque islands of the Virgin Islands.  The previous regatta, the St Thomas International Regatta, the two boats were nearly inseparable around the race track.  Expect more of the same, but this time Rupert & Jan Thouron’s DUNDER will be facing a new team on EL OCASO- Team McFly led by Tony Mack’s top-rated J/111 team from Royal Southern YC in the United Kingdom.  Both boats again face the J/111 SPIKE sailed by Sam Talbot, the local talent from Roadtown hoping to have a better showing in local waters.  Joining them will be Marcus Cholerton-Brown’s J/120 SUNSET CHILD from New York.

The eight boat CSA Racing 3 class has a cast of characters racing the division.  The local knowledge in this group is Pat Nolan’s J/33 BOOMERANG.  Their main competition may be the J/105 SOLSTICE sailed by Jordan Mindich of Huntington, New York- a top J/105 sailor from the famous Long Island Sound fleet.  Expecting to ratchet up their game several notches will be Paul Davis’ J/27 MAGNIFICENT 7; though not happy with their St Thomas performance, they know the BVI side well.

The “kids” will be sailing the J/36 PALADIN with the help of “adult supervision” in the form of owner Stanford Joines from St Croix YC in the USVI.  Yet another StCYC member, Dave Tomlinson, will be sailing his “classic” J/24 EL SHADDAI II.  Speaking of J/24s, the IC-24 modders will be racing as a fleet, with 8 teams showing up for this event. Sailing photo credits- Christine Thompson  For more BVI Spring Regatta sailing information.

J/109 sailing Hong Kong, China and San Fernando RaceSan Fernando Race Preview
(Hong Kong, China)- From its inception in 1977, when a group of sailing enthusiasts cruised down to San Fernando and raced back, this event has had a special place in the hearts of those who have taken part, not only for challenge of the offshore race itself but because they have enjoyed the warmth and camaraderie that surrounds it. It has also through the support of the children’s home in San Fernando been more than just a race.

The race starts April 1st and is a very challenging 480nm Category 1 Offshore Race from Hong Kong, China to San Fernando, Philippines.  The fleet will be dealing with the remnants of Typhoon xxx, so they will expect choppy, confused seas on their way across the western Pacific to the Philippines.

The race has been a popular one for the Hong Kong/ China offshore community; especially since the warm reception at their extraordinary yacht club on the water also doubles as an enormous charity/ benefit for the children!  Participating in this year’s race are Paul Leese and David Mitchell’s J/145 REDEYE in IRC Racing 1 and Nick Southward’s J/109 WHISKEY JACK sailing IRC Racing 2.   For more Royal Hong Kong YC San Fernando Race sailing information

J/111 sailing Edgartown Round Island RaceEdgartown Race Weekend Announcement
(Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard, MA)- Regularly attracting entrants from the Eastern Seaboard and beyond, Edgartown Race Weekend delivers exceptional racing opportunities for IRC, PHRF Spinnaker, PHRF Non-Spinnaker and HPR handicap divisions (specific classes for Double-Handed, One Design, and Classic yachts are added when at least three entries are entered for each), with ‘Round-the-Buoy Races on Thursday and Friday (July 23-24) and a 56 nautical mile ‘Round-the-Island Race, which circumnavigates Martha’s Vineyard, on Saturday (July 25).

A Welcome Reception on Wednesday night (July 22), the Mount Gay-sponsored “Jump-Up” Party on Friday night, and award ceremonies on both Friday and Sunday (July 26) round out the schedule for competitors who are entered in one or the other, or both, of the racing sessions. (Sailors can also compete for trophies in just one or the other of the two ‘Round-the-Buoy days.)  For more information, go to the Round Island Race site here or contact EYC Race Admin here via email.

J/70 Spring Tune Up Weekend: June 20
The one-day event, organized by North Sails and Edgartown Yacht Club, invites the J/70 class to participate in a variety of dockside and on-the-water clinics to help prepare for the summer racing season. For more information, visit the EYC site here.

The Edgartown Yacht Club Annual Regatta: July 16-18
In its 92nd year, the Annual Regatta welcomes competitors to Edgartown Yacht Club for a weekend of buoy racing on Nantucket Sound. The three-day event is open to one-design classes, including J/70s. For more information, visit the EYC site here.

RaceQs 3D tracking and analysis softwareFREE 3D Race-tracking & Analysis
J/22, J/24, J/70, J/80, J/105, & J/111 avatars!
(San Jose, California)- Relive your sailing adventures with RaceQs' free, 3D, animated race replays. Record one boat or an entire fleet and watch the replay to evaluate your performance in 3D. You don't need any special equipment to get started, just a GPS or a smart phone. Give it a test drive today and change the way you race.

RaceQs 3D race tracking and analysis appTo sail fast, we should learn from our mistakes and gain experience.  Sailboat racing is fun and consistent performance improvement enables you to sail more competitively; perhaps even winning a race! The beauty of this sport is that you can always get better.

Boat owners spend “mucho dinero” each year on sails, electronics and boat improvements in their search for that elusive “edge”. But, they often neglect to address the most critical factors: efficient boat handling, winning tactics, and cohesive crew work.

RaceQs is a set of technology products designed to improve on the “human factor”, while sharing the joy of sailboat racing among the crew, club mates and competitors.

RaceQs.com interview- Allan Terhune- Quantum SailsHere is a good example.  Allan Terhune takes us through a recent race aboard his J/70 "Dazzler". He walks us through his tactics and gives some trim tips for the J/70. Allan Terhune is a National and World champion in several classes, and is the Global One Design Director for Quantum Sails. http://raceqs.com/podcast/28-racing-the-j70-with-allan-terhune/

Recent events tracked with RaceQs.com were the J/22 Midwinters, the Quantum J/70 Winter Series and, soon, the Russian J/80 Spring Championship on Lake Garda, Italy in two weeks.  Also, the J/105 class has adopted use of RaceQs, starting with Seattle fleet and followed by Toronto, San Francisco and San Diego.  Get on board now and setup your J/Class event for race-tracking and fun post-race analysis- - it’s always humbling (and a learning experience) to hear one of your top competitors explain a bad race or “not so worthy” tactical moves.  For more RaceQs.com information and App download.

J/24s sailing Easter Regatta in Lake Calhoun, NCEaster Regatta Preview
(Columbia, SC)- Columbia Sailing Club is hosting the 49th annual J24 Easter Regatta! Come down for three great days of sailing and shore side fun at the regatta you know and love! This year's regatta is offering several new options, such as adding the J/70 fleet!

Charleston Race Week is conveniently two weeks after the Easter Regatta so this is always a great time to scrape off the ice and get some practice in!

Everyone likes good food right? Diimmlers catering and special events are bringing some slammin' food again this year! Friday night we will have pulled pork BBQ with rice, hash, and green beans. To finish off such a great meal peach cobbler will be our desert. Saturday night we will be eating fried flounder and popcorn shrimp with a side of coleslaw and macaroni and cheese. As if that isn't good enough, banana pudding will be our desert! If anything, you'll want to come down for the great food.

What do you remember being the best part about Easter Regatta? The Barn? Barbara Gold serving shots off the Ice Luge? Or the beer slide?  Here’s the Easter Regatta Facebook site for incriminating photos.   For more Easter Regatta sailing information

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

It has been a busy week around the world for the J/Tribe.  Down in the Caribbean, the fun never stops as the next major event on their winter circuit took place off St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands- the TAG Heuer St Thomas International Regatta.  A number of top J/Teams participated, including two J/122s, a J/120, a J/111, twin J/105s, and a J/27. This coming week the next most fun event is taking place (as noted above) for many of this fleet at the BVI Sailing Festival.

Just west of the Caribbean, the J/22s were enjoying a well-run Midwinter Championship in Ridgeland, Mississippi and hosted by the Jackson Yacht Club.  Not far down Interstate 10 along the southern coast was the first stop of the J/24 Texas Circuit sailed near Houston, Texas on Galveston Bay and hosted by the Galveston Bay Cruising Association.   Heading due northwest over to Seattle, Washington, we find a passionate fleet of J/Crews (J/145, J/120, J/88, J/105 fleet, J/35, J/29, J/27, J/30) sailing the Three Tree Point Race on Puget Sound, hosted by Corinthian YC of Seattle; it was a fitting end to a challenging Center Sound Series.

Next stop Europe, on the far side of the pond.  The big news was the enormous turnout of J/70s for the first act of the J/70 Alcatel OneTouch Italian Trophy and Spring Cup at Yacht Club de Monaco in Monte Carlo.  They were blessed with amazing weather and hospitality that is even more extraordinary.  Just northwest of them, a trio of J’s (J/22, J/80, J/92s) sailed the “COUPE DUO ASSURANCES BRU”, a double-handed race that’s sailed around Arcachon Bay in Arcachon, France.  Then, further north in Germany, like all the way north, there was another J/70 Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga training weekend #2 on the beautiful Alster Lake in Hamburg, Germany hosted by the enthusiastic members of Norddeutscher Regatta Verein.

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:

Mar 30- Apr 5- BVI Spring Regatta- Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Apr 1-6- San Fernando Race- Hong Kong, China
Apr 2-5- SPI Ouest Intermarche Regatta- La Trinite sur Mer, France
Apr 3-5- Easter Regatta (J24 & J70)- Columbia, SC
Apr 4-6- J/22 French Open- Nantes, France
Apr 4-6- J/24 Pasquavela- Santo Stefano, Italy
Apr 13-18- Les Voiles St Barth- Gustavia, St Barthelemy
Apr 16-19- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 18-19- J/Fest San Francisco- San Francisco, CA
Apr 24- May 2- EDHEC Sailing Cup- La Rochelle, France
Apr 26- May 1- Antigua Sailing Week- Falmouth, Antigua
Apr 30- May 3- J/80 Palmavela- Palma Mallorca, Spain
May 1-3- Annapolis NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
May 1-3- Mexican J/24 Nationals- Valle de Bravo, Mexico
May 1-2- San Diego Yachting Cup- San Diego, CA
May 12-25- Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta- Scheveningen, The Netherlands
May 14-17- Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale Brest- Brest, France
May 16-17- Cedar Point One-Design Regatta- Cedar Point, CT
May 20-24- J/24 USA Nationals- Berkeley, CA
May 22-25- Grand Prix du Crouesty- Crouesty, France
May 22-24- J/80 Copa de Espana- Aguilas, Murcia, Spain

Boat Shows:
Apr 9-12- Apr 9-12- Strictly Sail Pacific- Oakland, CA- J/70, J/88, J/111

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.

J/70 winners- Alcatel OneTouch Italian Trophy- Yacht Club de MonacoVikings Triumph in Monaco
(Monte Carlo, Monaco)– The J/70 Alcatel OneTouch Italian Trophy Italian Championship kicked off in fine style this weekend in Monaco where the first of five acts took place, the others being scheduled for Sanremo, Cervia and Lake Garda.

Twenty-eight teams were out on the water at the instigation of Italian J/70 Class President, Vittorio di Mauro, in collaboration with the Yacht Club de Monaco and the J/70 Monaco Class Association, headed by Jacopo Carrain.

J/70 Fleet Captains- Monaco and Italy“It is thanks to my friend Jacopo Carrain that Monaco has without a doubt the biggest concentration of J/70s in Europe, while the YC Monaco is one of Europe’s most dynamic clubs, having organized the five-act J/70 Sportsboat Winter Series that started in October, the Primo Cup J/70 class and not forgetting the J/70 European Championship in October. So it seemed only natural that we should launch our Italian championship here in Hercules Bay and we hope to continue this collaboration in the years to come,” said Vittorio di Mauro.

The YC Monaco’s Race Committee, led by Olivier Roinson, managed to run five races in spring conditions with sunshine, a calm sea and a 6-14 knot breeze over the two days.

These were ideal conditions for racing with everyone jostling for position on the start and arriving in groups within three minutes, a perfect illustration of how intense the competition is in this one-design class which continues to grow strongly.

J/70s sailing off Monte Carlo, MonacoJust back from the Bacardi Miami Sailing Week, the Swedish team on ROCAD RACING, led by Ingemar Sundstedt won the event with two race wins, although only two points separated them from Luca Dominici’s NOTARO Team in second.  These two teams dominated the competition and look like serious contenders for the European Championship which will be held in Monaco on 12th to 17th October 2015.

One final light air race concluded the regatta. On the final day, when collective hopes of any racing were quite low after a long on land postponement, a light breeze finally materialized.  The J/70 fleet enjoyed the last race where, strong from the start, Alessio Marinelli’s UJI UJI blistered the course, with ROCAD RACING and NOTARO TEAM challenging them all around the race track.  Finally, Marinelli took his first win, followed by Sundstedt and Domenici in 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

A heated battle for third through the fifth positions raged between Franco Solerio on L’ELEGAIN, Pierluigi Orsoni on INTOXICA and Jacopo Carrain on CARPE DIEM.  In the end, Solerio took the bronze followed by Orsoni and the top local boat- Carrain’s CARPE DIEM in fifth.

Congratulations to Pelle Nihlmark on REDEDGE who won the Corinthian Prize for the 100% amateur team, while the Masters Prize (average age +49 years) was won by the Monegasque team on JALAPENO (Ian Ilsley). Team LEVANTE, helmed by Guillaume Holin from the YCM Sports Section, took the Juniors Prize (Under 25 years)!

J/70 Alcatel OneTouch Italian Trophy regattaTo experience the people, the regatta and the venue, please be sure to check out this YouTube sailing video of the J/70 Alcatel OneTouch Italian Trophy:

The J/70 teams now prepare for the next events of the J/70 Alcatel OneTouch Italian Trophy at Sanremo, Italy on 25th/26th April and 16th/17th May 2015. The 17 teams from Monaco are already confirmed, their goal is to prepare for the J/70 World Championship in La Rochelle in July where ten Monaco teams are already signed up.

For more Alcatel OneTouch Italian J/70 Series sailing information, please contact:  Veronica Tondelli (vtondelli@gmail.com) Press agent for the J/70 Italian Class (http://www.j70.it).

J/22s sailing Midwinters- Ridgeland, MSFlynn Flies @ J/22 Midwinters
(Ridgeland, Mississippi)– Terry Flynn, with crew Mark Foster and Matt Romberg, earned the J/22 Midwinter Championship at Jackson Yacht Club. All nine races were completed, and the League City, Texas helmsman on TEJAS scored 22 points. Flynn is no stranger to J/22 Championship trophies, including the World Championship, North American Championship and Midwinter Championship. Allan Terhune’s DAZZLER (another J/22 World Champion) came in second with 36 points, and John Dyer’s AQUAVIT third with 49 points.

J/22 Midwinters- sailing upwindThe Championship marked the first time for the J/22 Class to hold its Midwinters at the Ridgeland, MS club. Flynn and his fellow competitors praised the first-class treatment provided by Jackson Yacht Club. The inland lake proved very tricky for the 37 teams, as Flynn confirmed, “It’s very trying conditions because it’s so shifty. There are just not a lot of patterns.” After the opening four races on Friday, TEJAS was in third place overall but jumped to a 10-point advantage on Saturday. “There was a little more breeze on the second day, which we were more comfortable with,” Flynn explained. “It was a little easier to see the puffs and holes, and we got off the line very well. Once we figured it out, we stuck to the same game plan.”

J/22s sailing fast at Midwinters 2015On the first day of the regatta, sunny skies, temperatures around 60 and breeze between 6-8 knots greeted the 37 boats on Friday morning. Dyer’s AQUAVIT took line honors in the opening bout, however an OCS gave the top position to Faget, followed by Robert Muller’s CALL THE BALL. Terhune won race two, as Mike Farrington of the Cayman Islands and Flynn completed the top three. Familiar names dominated the third contest: Faget, Flynn and Terhune. Following FATS closing the day with another win were RJ Moon’s AXE WOUND and Keith Zars’ BABY  LIPS. Winds had increased by the end of race three to 12-14 knots.  At the end of the day, it was quite evident that Benz Faget took a strong step at defending his J/22 Midwinter Championship scoring three victories in four races, to start out with a seemingly unassailable lead. Terhune’s DAZZLER and Flynn’s TEJAS stood 2nd and 3rd overall for the day.

J/22 Midwinters winners- TejasFor the second day of racing on Saturday, the teams were postponed on the water during the morning hours, waiting for the breeze to settle in. When Saturday’s racing got underway in winds around 4 knots, Flynn took the bullet, trailed by Sean Clare’s WHITE TRASH and Terhune.  AQUAVIT won the next duel as the breeze increased up to 12 knots. Macho Slavich on BAD DOG placed second, and Flynn third. By the day’s final battle, winds backed off to 7-9 knots. Dyer again snagged victory as Flynn and Chris Wientjes rounded out the top three.  With seven races now completed, a new leader had emerged- Flynn’s TEJAS!  Notching a 1,3,2 in Saturday’s three contests, the Texan launched to a 10-point lead heading into the final two races on Sunday. DAZZLER remained in the silver position with 26 points, while Faget’s FATS dropped to third with 27 points. As the throw-out race came into effect, Flynn was able to drop a 14 in the regatta’s opening race. Day 1 leader Faget wasn’t able to match his prior dominance and lodged a 6,14,8 today (dropping the 14).

On Sunday, Mike Farrington got started with a victory in 8-10 knots of breeze, followed by Moon’s AXE WOUND and Flynn. David Muller’s JTT Racing won the final race, with Steve Willits and Flynn closing out the top trio. As a result, the final tally was Flynn’s TEJAS win with 22 pts, followed in second by Terhune’s DAZZLER with 36 pts, third was Dyer’s AQUAVIT from Wayzata, MN with 49 pts, fourth was Faget’s FATS with 52 pts and fifth was Moon’s AXE WOUND from Rochester YC in New York with 53 pts.
Sailing Photos are available on the J/22 Class Facebook page.   For more J/22 Midwinters sailing information

J/111 sailing St Thomas regattaJ’s Lovin’ St Thomas Regatta
The J/105 DARK STAR Eclipses Her Class
(Cowpet Bay, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands)- According to renowned international yachting journalist, Bob Fisher of Lymington, England, “if racing sailors could choose. . . it would be for consistent wind of 20-22 knots, sunshine and courses that are not of the repeated windward/leeward variety and occasional natural hazards.

Those attending the TAG Heuer St. Thomas International Regatta had exactly that on Friday. The natural hazards struck hard with some – beach catamarans upside down are difficult to right and shortage of water close to the shoreline is there for everyone to see and some took no notice and paid the price, but in general there were smiles on the faces of the sailors as they headed for the Bar at the yacht club.”

The first day of racing takes the fleet out of Cowpet Bay, around the heads to the east, then head south down, mostly downwind on port tack to the port of Charlotte Amalie.  After a midday break, the fleet then raced back to Cowpet Bay mostly upwind on starboard tack.

J/122 El Ocaso sailing St Thomas regattaIn CSA 2, the J/111 SPIKE skippered by Sam Talbot found the conditions much to their liking, popping the big kite to surf and plane away to an easy class win in the opening race.  However, on the way back it was the two J/122s, Rupert & Jan Thouron’s DUNDER and Mitch Padnos’ EL OCASO, that led the fleet over the line 1st and 2nd but dropping back to 4th and 3rd on handicap.

The leader of CSA 3 after the first day was Jonathan Lipuscek’s J/105 DARK STAR with a 2-1.  They beat their classmate Bryan Coon’s J/105 SOLTICE who took second.

For day two on Saturday is was more of the same, perhaps better.  According to “the Fish”, “so, the powers that control the meteorological conditions at regattas decided, rightfully, that they had achieved near perfection on the opening day, and maybe because they decided the behavior at the subsequent party was exemplary, to tweak it and in so doing, made it close to perfect.  They had reduced the top end of the wind range to 20 knots maximum and eliminated the broaching and capsizing for many boats in the fleet.”

With more of a balance of reaching, upwind and downwind work, the J/122s in CSA 2 reigned supreme with DUNDER thundering off to a 1-2 for the day followed by EL OCASO gathering a 2.3-3 to finish 1-2 on the day.  The J/111 SPIKE got spiked, somehow, dropping way off the pace to a 7-9.

J/105 Dark Star sailing St Thomas regattaUnfortunate for some in CSA 3 class, it was clear they were getting “eclipsed” by the J/105 DARK STAR boys that managed to pull off two bullets for a huge class lead both for the day and the regatta.  Their fellow classmates on the J/105 SOLSTICE also had an excellent day posting a 3-3.

The stage was thus set for the final day of racing with simply “more of the same” spectacular, gorgeous sailing conditions.  While the J/122 DUNDER had a shot at the lead in CSA 2 class, a 6-3 closing tally quickly eliminated those grandiose dreams.  Instead, they settled for a well-earned 2nd overall.  Their friends on the J/122 EL OCASO, Mitch Padnos and gang from Lake Michigan grabbed 3rd position.  Meanwhile, Talbot’s J/111 SPIKE barely hung on to 5th position, narrowly avoiding a 4-way tiebreaker for fifth!

If they had not learned by now they were getting “schooled” on how to race J/105s in the Caribbean, then it is highly likely they are never going to know any better— - that was the way of the world according to the J/105 DARK STAR in CSA 3 class.  Lipuscek’s team simply ran the table, collecting four 1sts and two 2nds enroute to a dominant class win with just 8 pts.  Fellow J/105 SOLSTICE, skippered by Bryan Coon J/122 Dunder sailing St Thomas regattanarrowly lost out a good chance to get onto the podium, finishing in 4th just one point back.

Meanwhile, in the world of IC24 racing, the Puerto Rican’s ruled the roost, with Marco Teixidor on CACHONDO winning with five 1sts and four 2nds in his scoreline of 12 races— a total of only 32 pts they counted.  Second went to Ramon Gonzalez’s SEMBRADOR with 54 pts and third went to the first US Virgin Islands team, Tyler Rice on BILL T.

For many of these J/Teams, they will be gathering together again for the following week to sail in the BVI Sailing Festival sailed out of Nanny Kay Marina in Roadtown, Tortola in the British Virgin Island.   Sailing photo credits- Christine Thompson   For more St Thomas Regatta sailing information

J/145 sailing Three Tree Race- Seattle, WABreezy Three Tree Point Race
(Seattle, Washington)- Great breeze and three weekends in a row! Over 30 knots for Scatchet Head, 20’s the next weekend for the Islands race and in the 30’s for the final Snowbird off Shilshole and then finishing off the Center Sound Series with upper teens and low 20’s for the Three Tree Point race.

What an incredible spring to be out racing sailboats on Puget Sound! In a race where the fleet generally worries about simply making it to the mark down in the East Passage off the south side of Three Tree Point, it was a pleasant for everyone to NOT see the CYC race committee motoring by them to shorten the course at the halfway mark! A miracle it was, quite honestly.

Those Old Norse jokers, those pesky wind Gods, had some fun with the fleet and things didn’t play out as predicted. By the time classes 5 and 6 had finished their beat through Shilshole bay and approached West Point the first big westerly shift blew across the sound. If you had been working up the favored inside by the breakwater you quickly found yourself bow down, aimed at Skiff point, and your competition on the outside simply tacking over to starboard, easily crossing your bow, hero to zero on one simple shift!

J/88 sailing Three Tree Point race- Seattle, WAA few minutes later things were back to the SSE breeze everyone had found at the start, but what this told a select few was that the wind was going to really go west as they approached the south end of Bainbridge Island and they better get their booties over there to the west and take advantage of it. “From a line drawn due west from West Point to a line drawn due east from Restoration Point you had to play the shifts as they came through,” reports Bruce Hedrick in his NWYachting.com blog. “It didn’t work to try and get over to the west if you were sailing away from the mark. The reason was that the puffs from the WSW came in and worked their way across the Sound. So, if you were sailing on port tack you needed to tack and sail south immediately. When the puff rolled through and you were headed on starboard you needed to tack back to port to get back in phase with the shifts. You headed west again until the next WSW puff came and then you tacked to starboard to find yourself high of the mark at TTP. Once you got through the transition zone into the area off of Rich Passage and the north end of Blake Island the breeze stayed out of the SW to WSW direction and it was time to hook up the barber hauler and start reaching holding a course about 10° high of TTP.”

The J/88 hit the west side hard, tacking on the puffs as they rolled through. It was painful to watch the east side fleet working towards the mark with a better-looking VMG.  However, once they reached the area off the mouth of Eagle Harbor and tacked over to starboard it was off to the races, the west boats never tacked again and even began cracking off their sheets and slamming down the throttle as they jib reached towards Three Tree Point.

J/105 sailing Three Tree Point race- SeattleBelow them, as they crossed the entrance to Colvos Passage, the monster trucks began working through the fleet to leeward. The big old pride and joy of the chicken coup, the SC70 Neptune’s Car, was having a stellar beat with the long starboard tacks and was holding pace with the modern quick TP52 coming into the mark neck and neck. Chutes set after rolling around the point the two big spinnakers were pulling hard, bows went up and they took off in the puffs, the TP52 just a few knots faster and began pulling away from the big grey Santa Cruz 70.

As the east side boats began tacking up around Three Tree Point the small group that worked down the west side of the Eastern Passage came screaming in with a J/120 passing on the reach and rounding first for the west side group. A few of the faster boats that sailed the eastern course snuck in with the group, a J/145, and then the J/88, J/35 and Soverel 33 finished the west side rounding and the mark was left to the crowds that were tacking around Three Tree Point and readying themselves for the tight 15km port reach to the finish.

And tight it was with the westerly breeze. Perfect angles for the Asym boats flying down the middle of the sound.

J/105 fleet sailing Three Tree Point raceIt’s now absolutely beautiful out, not a cloud in the sky; winds are gusting over 20, mountains showing all around and even a few good wipeout/roundup action shots to watch in the fleet around you. The J/88 and Farr 30 Patricia battled it out surfing and planning along on the low road; the J/105 one design fleet was flying along behind them, rounding up, hanging on and running it out in the puffs. The Asym set up had the advantage, running the shorter course to Alki and across towards West Point, but wouldn’t you know it, the winds were still Southerly towards the finish and as the Sym boats began squaring off and the Asym’s began reaching up the advantage switched. Patricia then slipped right by the J/88 they had been slowing reeling in on the long reach and charged towards the finish on the shorter course.

The Sail Northwest J-88 took second by exactly five minutes on corrected time. This was interesting because the J-88 was able to carry their kite all the way to the finish, unlike some other boats that had to drop and reset just to make it to the finish line.  It was a “play the angles and catch the changes” kind of day, and each boat excels at a slightly different angle.

J/27 sailing to win in Three Tree Point raceIt was a good day all-around for most J/Boat owners on the Sound.  Class 2 saw the J/27 True North take second. Class 3 had the well-sailed J/29 Here & Now also in second. Class 4, the J/105 class, was sailed away with by Jerry Diercks and crew aboard #272 DELIRIUM. Finishing second, some 9 minutes back was #475 USAWI leaving third to #114 JUBILEE.

Class 5 had the Sail Northwest’s J/88 take second. Class 6 saw the J/35 Tahlequah in second and third went to Commodore Burnell’s J/109 Tantivy. Class 7 had a tight battle going with the big boys duking it out correcting just seconds apart. In the end, the J/120 Time Bandit took second (just 7 seconds shy of winning!), leaving third to the J/120 With Grace.  Thanks for the contribution from Ben Braden at Sail Northwest.   Sailing photo credits- Jan Anderson   For more Three Tree Point Race sailing information

J/24s sailing Galveston Bay- Houston, TXMISS CONDUCT Crushes GBCA Performance Cup
(Houston, Texas)- The first circuit stop of the J/24 Texas Circuit was hosted by GBCA (Galveston Bay Cruising Association) during their Performance Cup Regatta from March 20-22.

Twelve J/24s representing two yacht clubs, Dallas Corinthian Yacht Club and Austin Yacht Club, competed in Galveston Bay during the two-day racing event.

On Friday, with the weather forecast looking ominous and rainy for Saturday, all competitors were prepared to participate in some wet racing. What we were not prepared for was a full day of non-stop raining. At times, the downpour was so hard that you could not see a quarter mile ahead of your boat. However, with temperatures around 71 degrees and winds holding steady between 5 and 8 knots from the North to NNE, racing was a go. The race committee was able to complete three races and was ready to run a fourth before the fleet collectively decided to head to shore to dry out.

J/24s sailing Galveston Bay, Houston, TXSunday the competitors were treated to a warm and dry day with temperatures around 75 and winds between 10 and 12 knots mostly from the WNW. Two races were completed on Sunday.

There were several newcomers to the Texas Circuit as it continues to grow with new competitors. One of our fairly new competitors, James Freedman on MISS CONDUCT, made his presence known by finishing with 3 bullets, a second and third to clinch the win for the J/24 fleet and the overall GBCA Performance Cup. Finishing in second was Natalie Penner on GIGGLES, and third was Kelly Holmes-Moon on BAD MOON. Winning the tiebreaker for fourth place was David Broadway on SUPERMAN, with John Parker on CHUPACABRA in fifth. Full results can be found on the J/24 Texas website- http:/www.j24texas.com.

A huge thank you goes to GBCA and the Seabrook Shipyard for hosting this event, and to the competitors who traveled to compete in the first J/24 Texas Circuit stop of 2015.  Thanks for contribution from Tonja Holmes-Moon.    Sailing photo credits- John Lacy

J/22 sailing Arcachon, France double-handed raceJ/Teams Top Double-handed Arcachon Race
(Arcachon, France)- J/Teams had a sweeping performance in the “COUPE DUO ASSURANCES BRU”.  It’s a double-handed race sailed around Arcachon Bay in Arcachon, France.

J/22 sailor Olivier Saint Martin, skipper of the J/22 MARLOTTE V reported, “please take a look at the result of the "DUO BRU" last Sunday in Arcachon.  You will find three J/Boats in good place during this double-handed race around the bay in a rainy and windy 20-25 knots weather! JBoats’ teams took 3 of the top 5 overall!”   The J team results were the following (you can find the race results here):
  • Group 1- 1st class, 3rd overall- J/22 MARLOTTE V- Olivier Saint Martin & Phillipe Del Galzain
  • Group 2- 2nd class, 2nd overall- J/80 J-EAU- Olivier Soule & Christophe Degang
  • Group 3- 1st class, 5th overall- J/92 SAPAJOU- Christophe & Stephan Rochereau

J/70 Deutsche Sege-bundesliga sail training in Hamburg, Germany- Alster LakeJ/70 Segel Bundesliga Training #2
(Hamburg, Germany)- The report from Sven Jürgensen at Mittelmanswerft Gmbh in Germany (the J/Dealer for Germany) indicates that many of the leading Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga J/70 teams are doing well and are fine-tuning their team’s capabilities.

According to Sven, “it was another good training session this past Saturday and Sunday. The weather cooperated nicely with a partly cloudy day with 6-12 kt winds on Saturday and rain with 10-18 kt puffy, shifty winds on Sunday.

We had six clubs participating in the program on Alster Lake, thanks to the support of the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein sailing club.  The six clubs in attendance included the host team plus Flensburger Segel Club (they brought two boats), Segelkameradschaft Wappen von Bremen,  Seglervereinigung Itzehoe, Blankeneser Segel Club, and Entdecker-und Seefahrerfördervereinigung.

J/70s sailing in Germany- Hamburg's Alster LakeThe teams sailed both days in the “league format”, short windward-leeward races with two jury boats on the race course.  Each day we had two rounds of three hours of sailing each, with a brief break in between for lunch and team reviews by the coaches.  Each team often changed crews to give more sailors a chance to find new team members that could make a contribution for the season long series.  Even the skippers were swapped out!  For Example: Blankeneser Segel Club had Claas Lehmann (the J/70 Primo Cup Winner) sail a few races, then swap out with another skipper.

Segler Vereinigung Itzehoe have Christian Soyka sailing with a very young crew. One new crewmember was Stella Mau- interestingly, she sailed in the 2008 J/80 World Championship in Kiel, Germany with J/Boats President, Jeff Johnstone.

Most of the teams feel they are well-prepared for the first Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga event sailing from May 1st to 3rd on the Starnberger See off Tutzing, Germany.”    Sailing photo credits- Sven Jürgensen Fotografie    For more Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga sailing information
 

J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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J/125 flying downwind in Cabo San Lucas race* The Cabo San Lucas Race last week saw Viggo Torbensen’s J/125 TIMESHAVER post-up an awesome performance (like a 9.1 kts average boatspeed over 810nm!) despite a few self-imposed “handicaps” along the way.  Keith Magnussen from Ullman Sails Newport Beach provided this report on their experience:

Watch their YouTube J/125 sailing video here.

“The NHYC Cabo San Lucas Race concluded last week and thanks to a big swell I have spent my time surfing and not sailing or writing.  My arms are like jelly and I am finally back in the USA.  By now most people have heard the stories from many boats.  Perhaps we have all moved on to the next big thing, but hey!  I have not told our story yet.

J/125 genoa staysail trimOnce again the boat is the J-125 Timeshaver and once again I have the pleasure of sailing with good friends Viggo Torbensen, Blake Hamilton, Jack Maranto and Charlie Underwood.  Also in the mix was a hired hand from the Netherlands, land of the Orange, Amsterdam and the wonderful Dutch personality. Jochem came on board as the electronic, expedition expert and navigator.  How would he like the Timeshaver way of doing things?  Always fun to have new people on board.

Day one: Race starts in light air, we are a small mast and have a tough time getting away.  Horizon with USNB employee Erik Shampain hoisted the new headsail at the start and absolutely sailed away from the fleet.  There was some forward thinking in this design and it transferred through the gears with power and speed.  For a 50 foot boat offshore this is the way to go.  We managed good speed with our own 155% genoa and new genoa staysail.  This combo kept us in the game and when we put the 1A up it got even better.

Night one: Simple to explain, light air and typical Southern California conditions.  Outside won for Lucky Duck but we managed good things with the new 1A and passed some boats.  All is well.

J/125 sailing fast on Cabo raceDay two:  This is where it gets good!  I am sleeping on my off shift and we are pleasantly moving along when it happens.  The starting battery has been drained and we are no longer able to charge.  We are off Ensenada so time to make a decision.  We have power stored for running lights, VHF and a handheld GPS that is perfect for hiking in Laguna.  You know what Captain Ron says, “The only instrument Columbus had to get him to the New World was his compass!”

So we go and decide to send it.  No instruments, no boat speed, no Expedition (I don’t mind that), no compass light and no mast head light for night.  No worries I know how to sail this boat and keep the dirt on the left.  We are near Flaca at this point and as the wind comes up we start to motor away.  In the space of the afternoon we put them on the horizon with the Horizon (SC-50) and my buddy’s the Hippie and his son Erik Shampain.  Good.

Wind builds and builds.  We go 4A to 3A to reefed main to fully submerged submarine in the middle of the night.  Sending it boys!  No crashing, full control, but scary shit.  Some of the most legendary sailing I have done.  Were doing somewhere in the mid 20's all night, no lights!  Real soul sailing.  I asked someone if he wanted to drive and he said he could not see anything.  What did he think I was looking at?

Here is the lesson: Learn how to sail your boat with no instruments, no wind angles, no wind speed and no lights blinding you.  It is an amazing feeling especially when you nail it.  You know… Just Go And Sail people!

J/125 sailing fast on Cabo RaceDay Three:  A little less wind but still we are ramped up.  4A up and we are still feeling good, just not knowing how we are doing.  We have Lucky Duck in our view and are pulling away.  They are deeper but we are faster.  Check out the tracker off Mag Bay.  We finally fire up the computer and get a report. 1st in Class 2nd overall.  Lucky Duck is second.  We do our best to stick close but eventually they slip through our grasp.

The end: Yes the end was rapidly approaching.  Shift change and a different philosophy come into play. We decide to split away and because we are not running any navigation we are in the dark.  This really gave us a huge handicap.

In the end our effort fell a bit short and we ended up second.   Great job by Lucky Duck and nice to finish in front of my close friend on the SC50!

Man of the match: Bowman Jack Maranto for his good attitude, exceptional effort and putting up with everything that is thrown at him.  My favorite moment was wrangling in the 4A in 30kts of wind to put up the 5A.  Bow is gnarly at night with no lights, I will stick to the back of the boat please.

There is so much more to say at this point that was left out, but you will have to buy the book, or find me on the streets and ask me, that seems to be a popular thing to do these days.”  K-Mag out.

J/70s sailing off USCGA Jacobs Rock*  US Coast Guard College J/70 Regatta- Jack Neades, the USCGA Sailing Team Offshore Director, commented on the weekend’s sailing, “The regatta went well this past weekend. Saturday was cold and snowing. Sunday was just cold, but it did get sunny. The boats worked out as well as we could have hoped for. The breeze stayed out of the north all weekend, which was a big help, as it gave us the most race track to work with.

USCGA J/70 sailors having fun!The kids all did well and handled the boats just fine. Everyone who competed definitely enjoyed themselves. I think these boats are going to work out well for us over the long haul.”

J/70s sailing at USCGA regatta in snow!This past weekend, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy hosted their first intercollegiate keelboat regatta with their J/70 fleet.  Teams sailed one-design J/70s with four person crews on the Thames River.  The format was short course, college-style sailing with double windward-leewards.

The USCGA’s facility at Jacob’s Rock is one of the nicest sailing facilities anywhere in college sailing.  Built over Jacob’s Rock and accessed by a 300-yard long pier, it offers the sailors, coaches and spectators an extraordinary venue to watch and enjoy the sport of sailing.
If you have any questions about USCGA Sailing or their J/70 cadet offshore sailing program, please contact Jack Neades at email- jack.l.neades@uscga.edu.   For more USCGA Sailing team information
 

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.
*Giant whale breaching in front of J/160 SALACIA off  Australia's Whitsunday Islands 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!

J/42 cruiser- sailing across Atlantic Ocean* 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 sailing offshore to US Virgin Islands- rainbow over ocean* J/160 AVATAR headed for the Caribbean, again!  We LOVE these updates from our cruising J sailors that continue to criss-cross the Seven Seas. This one comes from Alan Fougere, sailing his beloved J/160 AVATAR.   Alan sent us an email update commenting on their passage south this winter, "In mid-December AVATAR completed her sixth transit to her winter Caribbean home, Grand Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI (seen above)  from her home port in Quissett (Falmouth), MA.  A crew of three, Captain Alan (e.g. me), Crew Pablo Brissett and Mark Conroy, covered the 1,500 nm trip in in her best time to date- 7 Days 5 Hours, averaging 8.7 kts, that's about 208 nm per day!  Amazing passage it was!  Rainbow at right far offshore was some of the amazing phenomenon we experienced on this fast offshore passage.

AVATAR will participate in the BVI Sailing Festival/Regatta again in 2013, where last year she won the Nanny Key Cup Cruising Class race around the Island of Virgin Gorda.  Here are some photos for you to share with the J/Community at-large.  Enjoy!"
Best, Alan Fougere/ AVATAR

Bill & Judy Stellin- sailing J/42 Jaywalker* Bill & Judy Stellin recently had an interview about cruising on their J/42 in the Wall St Journal called "Retiring on the Open Sea".  The Wall St Journal asked Bill to reply to dozens of questions that flooded into the WSJ's Editor desks. Here's the update:

Retiring on the Sea: Answering Readers' Questions
Advice about selecting a boat, ocean crossings, itineraries and safety

Wall St Journal interview- Stellin's Offshore cruising/ sailing retirementThe 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/.

J/130 sailing ARC Rally arrives Portugal- leave a message on the sea wall!* 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.