J/97E In Control!(Newport, RI)- For many, the elegance of sailing with a simple wheel allows maximum cockpit space and comfort, plus allows the kiddies to steer whenever they want to. Famous for transforming the “feel” and “touch” of wheel-based systems, J/Boats has pushed the envelope for self-aligning rudder bearings so that nothing is sacrificed for that magical touch of the tiller.
The new J/97E features not only the super-comfortable cockpit pioneered by the J/111, but also its amazingly touch-sensitive steering. Check it all out at the fall boat shows this year- Newport and Annapolis will both have the amazing new, spacious, open, airy J/97E- experience how it brings the “outdoors in”! Learn more about the NEW J/97E family cruiser/ racer.
J/88 Fall Regatta Extravaganza!Winter 88 Storms Brewing!
(Long Island Sound, CT/NY)- What better way to “thank” your crew for sticking it out through a long hot July and August “dog days” of summer sailing than six fantastic weekends of cool, awesome Fall Sailing on Long Island Sound!! The J/88s in the Northeast are getting themselves organized for fun, fall sailing. Here is their schedule:
Northeast Fall 88 Series
- Sep 19-20- Long Island Sound Championship- Riverside, CT
- Sep 26-27- American Yacht Club Fall Regatta- Rye, NY
- Oct 3-4- American Yacht Club Fall Regatta- Rye, NY
- Oct 9-11- J/88 Northeastern Championship- Greenwich, CT
- Oct 17-18- Manhasset Bay Fall Series- Port Washington, NY
- Oct 24- Manhasset Bay Fall Series- Port Washington, NY
- Jan 17-22- J/88 Midwinters Key West- Key West, FL
- Feb 19-22- Miami 88 Series- Miami Beach, FL
- Mar 11-13- Miami 88 Series- Miami Beach, FL
There are now over THIRTY+ J/88s east of Chicago that can go sailing in these events. And, the winter circuit is next!! Starting with Key West- and even Havana, Cuba!! If you want to learn more about the fast, exciting, J/88 family trailer-sailor, please be sure to contact your local J/Dealer or J/Boats at ph# 401-846-8410 or email- info@jboats.com. Sailing photo credits- Don Finkle/ RCR Yachts. For more J/88 family speedster sailing information
J/70 SAILING Champions League Qualifiers(Porto Cervo, Italy)- The concept for “sailing leagues” has continued to grow dramatically across Europe. From the initial idea first proposed by two-times World Tornado Champion Oliver Schwall and J/Boats’ Germany representative, Mittelmans Werft GMBH, the Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga has mushroomed into the SAILING Champions League across many countries on the continent.
For 2015, the first 16 clubs from eight countries have been nominated for the 2nd annual SAILING Champions League event in September in Porto Cervo- the regatta will be hosted by YC Costa Smeralda from Sept 17-20th in their brand new fleet of eight matched International J/70s. Three clubs from Germany, two from Italy, two from Switzerland, two from Russia, two from Poland, two from Norway and one from the Netherlands are eligible to participate in the regatta on Sardinia. Furthermore, two wild cards have been allocated to the hosting YC Costa Smeralda from Porto Cervo and to the 2014 Champions- the Kongelig Dansk Yachtklub from Copenhagen, Denmark.The clubs that have been invited include:
- Club Canottieri Roggero di Lauria- Palermo, Italy- 1st Italian Sailing League 2015
- Deutscher Touring Yacht-Club- Tutzing, Germany- 2nd German Sailing League 2014
- Kongelig Dansk Yachtklub- Copenhagen, Denmark- Overall Champion 2014
- Kongelig Norsk Seilforening- Oslo, Norway- 1st Norwegian Sailing League
- NAVIGATOR Sailing Team- Moscow, Russia- 1st Act 2 Russian Sailing League 2015
- Norddeutscher Regatta Verein- Hamburg, Germany- 1st German Sailing League 2014
- Pirogovo Yacht Club- Moscow, Russia- 1st Act 1 Russian Sailing League 2015
- Regattaclub Oberhofen- Oberhofen/Thun, Switzerland- 1st Swiss Sailing League 2015
- Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano- Trieste, Italy- 2nd Italian Sailing League 2015
- Société Nautique de Genève- Geneve, Switzerland- 2nd Swiss Sailing League 2015
- Stavanger Seilforening- Stavanger, Norway- 2nd Norwegian Sailing League
- Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee- Berlin, Germany- 3rd German Sailing League 2014
- WaterSportVereniging Almere Haven- Amsterdam, Netherlands- 1st Dutch Sailing League
- Yacht Club Costa Smeralda- Porto Cervo, Sardinia– Hosting Club
- Yacht Club Sopot- Sopot, Poland- 1st Polish Sailing League 2015
- Yacht Klub Polski Szczecin- Szczecin, Poland- 2nd Polish Sailing League 2015
Conch Republic Cup Announcement!(Havana, Cuba)- What is the “Conch Republic Cup”? Well, it’s none other than the 8th Edition of Key West-Cuba Race Week! For the first time in history, American sailors can now have a blast sailing 90nm from Key West to Cuba and enjoy several days of sailing in just the most stupendously beautiful, unspoiled, Caribbean waters you will ever see. Plus, for those sailors “in the know”, namely Europeans, South Americans, and some Americans, the Cuban sailors sure know how to host and throw a party! The Commodore of Club Nautico de Havana, Jose Miguel Diaz Escrich, is extending a warm welcome to all that can make it to Marina Hemingway this year!
The event is scheduled right after Quantum Key West Race Week finishes in the end of January. So, boats that are planning to continue their Florida winter getaway can add this one to their “bucket list” of fabulous regatta itineraries. And, for those boats contemplating heading further east into the Caribbean for the sextet of famous winter regattas (RORC 600, St Maarten, St Thomas, BVI, St Barths, Antigua); this week would be a natural one to start the winter-long celebration of fun-in-the-sun! Here is the current schedule of five (5) races total:
- Jan 27- Wednesday- Captains Meeting and party at Key West
- Jan 28- Thursday- Key West to Veradero, Cuba Race
- Jan 29- Friday- Veradero Awards and party
- Jan 30- Saturday- free day
- Jan 31- Sunday- Veradero Offshore buoy race- Awards/ party after
- Feb 1- Monday- Veradero to Havana Race- Marina Hemingway
- Feb 2- Tuesday- free day
- Feb 3- Wednesday- Havana’s El Malecon Parade Race- awards/party @ Marina Hemingway
- Feb 4- Thursday- free day
- Feb 5- Friday- Havana to Key West Race
- Feb 6- Saturday- Key West awards/ party
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
Once every two years, the top offshore sailors in Europe and from the R.O.W. gather together during the famous Cowes Race Week on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom of Sailing to socialize and begin preparations for the legendary, infamous grand-daddy of all European ocean races- the Rolex Fastnet Race. It’s not exactly the world’s easiest 605nm of racing; especially given the fact you have to round a pile of rocks with a lighthouse sitting on it just off the ever-inviting Irish coastline full of ravishing sirens and lucky leprechauns beckoning you to leave the race for the warmth of a cozy, dry fire and an ice-cold, locally brewed pint of satisfaction! Nevertheless, it’s a challenge how finely you slice your prosciutto for sandwiches on the second, third, or even fourth day of sailing- a bit of misty salt spray just adds that bit of zest that may have been missing from your cook’s recipe! Never mind the navigator (navi-guesser?) is doing his level best to keep you heading in the right direction; an update for armchair tacticians provides perspective below.While Euro-offshore sailors were enjoying a Long Island Sound-like experience on the Celtic Sea (e.g. Irish Sea), others across the big pond were relishing the fresh breezes on offer from massive fronts crossing America. On the East coast, the Ida Lewis YC’s Distance Race around Rhode Island Sound and Buzzards Bay had fantastic conditions; and it included a Youth Challenge Trophy for teams of youth sailors. The week before, the Lakes Yacht Racing Association hosted their annual LYRA Regatta at Sodus Bay YC in New York- much fun was had by all. Then, in that frontier town out West called California, the San Francisco YC’s Summer Keelboat Regatta for J/105s and J/120s had more of that good’ole, smokin’hot, almost blowin’dogs’of’chains, sailing conditions on San Francisco Bay— oh by the way, shirts and shades and 70s weather with lots of sunshine. So, why are we sailing the Fastnet Race today in drizzly fog and random fingers of wind, some might ask??
To throw a curve-ball at all sailors worldwide, the Australians were enjoying a bit of a “dust-up” at AUDI Hamilton Race Week in the Whitsunday Islands situated in that pretty body of water called the Great Barrier Reef. What was the problem? A wee bit too much wind upset the “brolly drinks” on serve by noon on the passage of the first day’s racing. My goodness, such is “afternoon tea” in the land of OZ. As it was, a few “round-ups” and “round-downs” were accidentally introduced into the repertoire— certainly not what was promised in the chamber of commerce brochure from friends Sir Rob Mundle and Sir Bob Oatley— thank goodness the cases of vintage vino didn’t capsize! Expect a J/24 & J/70 invasion next year- perhaps a mini-Wild Oats- “Bitty-Oats”?!
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:
Aug 21-23- Irish J/24 Nationals- Lough Derg, IrelandAug 28- Sep 4- J/24 World Championship- Boltenhagen, Germany
Sep 4- RORC Cherbourg Race- Cowes, Isle of Wight, England
Sep 10-13- J/24 North Americans- Portland, Maine
Sep 10-13- J/70 Alcatel OneTouch Italian Nationals- Riva del Garda, Italy
Sep 11-13- J/24 Italian Nationals- Genoa, Italy
Sep 12-13- J/80 German Open Nationals- Glucksburg, Germany
Sep 12-13- J/24 Regata de la Independencia- Valle de Bravo, Mexico
Sep 17-20- J/105 North Americans- San Francisco, CA
Sep 17-20- Rolex Big Boat Series- San Francisco, CA
Sep 18-20- J/22 Dutch Open Nationals- Medemblik, The Netherlands
Sep 18-20- J/70 SAILING Champions League- Porto Cervo, Italy
Sep 19-20- The HOOD- Houston Open One-Design Regatta- Houston, TX
Sep 21-27- J/70 North Americans- San Diego, CA
Sep 24-27- J/30 North Americans- Marion, MA
Sep 25-27- J/105 Canadian Championships- Toronto, ONT, Canada
Sep 25-27- J/80 Atlantique Telegrame- Lorient, France
Sep 25-27- J/FEST San Diego- San Diego, CA
Sep 30- Oct 4- J/22 North Americans- Houston, TX
Oct 9-11- J/80 North Americans- Seabrook, TX
Oct 10-11- J/FEST Southwest- Seabrook, TX
Oct 12-17- J/70 European Championships- Monte Carlo, Monaco
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
Rolex Fastnet Race Update(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The Sunday start on the Solent was a “drift-a-thon” for most of the fleet trying to float across the line in the westbound current. Big crowds packed the Cowes and Western Solent shoreline in the afternoon as the record-sized fleet of 356 set off on the 90th anniversary Rolex Fastnet Race, organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club. With a complete lack of wind in the central Solent, the boats ghosted across the start line starting their 605nm voyage to the Fastnet Rock and on to Plymouth with a whimper.
The six IRC fleets set off in ascending size order with IRC 4 first and IRC Z and the canting keel class last at 1340 BST. For the most part, the boats at the island end of the line got away best, but had to make a costly tack across towards the mainland shore. The boats that started at the mainland ‘pin’ end, found themselves punching flood tide in no wind. As an indication of the misery the faster boats faced in the first few hours- at Hurst Narrows, the leading IRC 4 boats were hanging on to the IMOCA 60s and Class40s!!
While the forecast remained largely light, according to navigator Ian Moore, it improved slightly. A localized area of high pressure was now sitting over Cornwall. This was due to move south on Wednesday by which time, Moore says southwesterlies would be building along its western to northern perimeter.
By Monday, the fleet had made some progress overnight with the majority of the fleet having been lured out into the middle of the Channel following the temptation of stronger winds. At the time, the southerly lobe of an area of high pressure was extending across Cornwall and south into the Channel. Consequently, the forecast for Monday was not good with the lobe of high pressure due to expand creating a windless zone between the Scilly Isles and the Lizard and perhaps further southeast.
For the IRC fleet, the first issue was getting around the first Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) box, keeping the fleet away from the thousands of ships that ply the Channel each day. A lack of wind meant some boats even kedged to stop going backwards as they made their way around the TSS Channel box’s northern perimeter.
The next issue was getting by the two enormous “tide gates” that were forming into the overall strategies off Start Point (Dartmouth) and Land’s End (boatspeed/ VMG dependent, of course). The boats that gained the most gybed and went inshore for localized breezes and tide/current relief. Once there, most boats crept along the coastline as they meandered there way out to the hair-raising currents that boil in massive whirlpools off Land’s End. By Tuesday morning, the weak, dying front across southern Ireland and the Celtic Sea combined with an absence of isobars anywhere in the UK made it a most frustrating night for crews. The GRIB files for the race area showed winds of no more than 5 knots between the Fastnet Rock and Start Point and a large hole in the breeze to the west of the front and another hole between the Scilly Isles and the Lizard.
However, while the race has largely been light so far, there was light at the end of the tunnel for competitors. A southwesterly breeze is forecast to fill in from the southwest in the Celtic Sea late Tuesday afternoon ahead of a front. By the early hours of Wednesday morning 20 knot southerlies are forecast at the Fastnet Rock, spreading across the race track over the course of the morning.
Leading the charge amongst the J/Teams after the first two days were the J/111s BLUR (Peter Gustafsson) and XCENTRIC RIPPER (John van der Starre & Robin Verhoef, also sailing double-handed). They were closely linked with the J/122s that kept trading places with them; Chris Revelman & Pascal Bakker’s JUNIQUE RAYMARINE SAILING TEAM (a double-handed entry) from the Netherlands, Alain Catherineau’s LORELEI from France, Clive Mile’s new J/122E JANGLE, and Scott Miller’s RESOLUTE (top American double-handed Bermuda 1-2 champion). The three J/133s kept “rubber-banding” with this grouping as well depending on which wind patch they were in- Angus Bates’ ASSARAIN IV, Dave Ballantyne’s JINGS or Gilles Fournier’s PINTIA from France. Also, lurking amongst the fleet leaders were the amazingly well-sailed J/105 JESTER, skippered by the double-handed team of Kelvin Rawlings and Stuart Childerley. Nearby to them were a gaggle of J/109s- Paul Griffiths’ JAGERBOMB, Alain Bornet’s JAI LAI and also the top J from the 2013 Fastnet- the J/120 RHAPSODIE V skippered by Jean Jacques Godet from France.Only time will tell how it all shakes out in one of the more tactical Fastnet Races in recent history. Christian Ripard, four-times winner of the famously light air race- the ROLEX Middle Sea Race- offered his inputs to the various J/Teams:
“You can win or lose in light winds so I teach my crew when it goes light this is where you win the race. Everybody can sail in a good wind but you have to strive very hard to make sure you perform well in the light. If the boat is going just a fraction of a knot more than a competitor, you get ahead and when the breeze does kick in, that lead multiplies. In the light, we can sail 5 or 10% better than the opposition and that is difficult to achieve in a true wind.Patience in light weather is the key with very few movements of the crew on board and even off-watch; you have to be aware of where to put your weight. Sail selection and development is a key area. For example using a wind seeker, which is actually a very small sail, but keeps its shape well and keeps the boat steering a course.
Spotting wind on the water is very important. If we see a gust, we sail for it, regardless of heading and sail from gust to gust. At night, I use normal binoculars and with a trained eye, you can see the zephyrs coming down. It is much easier if there is little swell during. Contours, ripples and dark patches in the water are the telltales of wind.
After dusk, I don't allow any light on board except for the navigational lights. I have been on boats that light up the sails for the trim but I can't steer like that and it has got to be dead quiet, just one guy calling the breeze. However the real skill is simply patience – it is easy to concentrate for two hours, but all night takes patience. Picking a nearby boat and competing with it, also keeps the crews adrenalin level up.“ Let’s hope the 48 J/Teams sailing in the race are mindful of Christian’s pearls of wisdom— after all, he had to put these ideas to good use winning the Middle Sea Race twice on the J/122 ARTIE! Sailing Photo Credits- ROLEX/ Kurt Arrigo. For more Rolex Fastnet Race sailing information
J/111 ODYSSEY Two-Peats Ida Lewis RaceJ/111 EAGLES DARE Wins Double-handed Class
(Newport, RI)– The Ida Lewis Distance Race, a popular sailing overnighter hosted by Ida Lewis Yacht Club in Newport, R.I., wrapped up its 11th edition this weekend with the entire 36-boat fleet finishing within the time limit – a stark contrast to last year when many entries had to retire due to inclement weather.
The race started Friday (August 14) at 12:30 p.m. off Fort Adams, near the mouth of Newport Harbor, with a steady breeze and calm seas that remained consistent on two courses: the 153-nautical mile Block Island Course for the IRC Class and the 121-nautical mile Point Judith Course for PHRF and Doublehanded Classes.
Although the fleet was divided on two courses, all boats had to incorporate an approximately 37nm upwind leg from Buzzards Bay to Montauk Point off the eastern end of Long Island, New York. The “tricky beat” called for teams to decide whether to head right or left around Block Island; most boats chose the left because of the wind angles.
The Youth Challenge saw a repeat victory with Fred Van Liew’s (Middletown, R.I.) J/111 team aboard ODYSSEY winning the Arent H. Kits van Heyningen Trophy for the second year in a row. When asked about how her experience on ODYSSEY differed this year compared to last, 18-year-old Kate Nota (Newport, R.I.) said, “We definitely approached racing with a different mindset. Last year, the wind was pretty crazy. With calmer conditions this year, we were able to focus on all the little details and make every second count. It’s good to have different conditions to test us as sailors and build up our experience.”
The Youth Challenge was developed by the race organizers nine years ago as a stepping stone for junior sailors interested in transitioning into offshore racing. This year, the Youth Challenge hosted five teams. (To qualify, more than 40% of the crew had to have reached their 14th birthday but not turned 20 prior to August 15, 2015.)
Nota added that the ODYSSEY team consisted of seven junior sailors and two adults: Van Liew and David Brodsky. “We had a few junior sailors on our team that were new to the event and one who had never sailed in an overnight race before, so it was fun to go through the experience with them and see how excited they were.”
In the PHRF A Division, the J/109s URSA (Brooke Mastrorio) and VENTO SOLARE (Bill Kneller) took 3rd and 4th place, respectively. Just behind them, Paul Grimes’ J/35 BREAKAWAY placed fifth and was the 2nd Youth Challenge team overall. Then, in 7th place was Doug Mckeige’s J/88 JAZZ with a Youth Challenge team that took the 3rd spot in that group.
The PHRF B division had six J/Teams, basically 60% of the class. Taking 2nd was Jack Gregg’s J/122 TARAHUMARA, followed by Greg Leonard’s J/120 HERON in third position. Yet another J/120, Bob Manchester’s VAMOOSE took 6th, followed by Dan Heun’s J/122 MOXIEE in 7th.
Finally, in the PHRF Doublehanded division, the J/111 EAGLES DARE skippered by Jonathan Green from Wakefield, MA took class honors.
Starting Line Sponsors for the 2015 Ida Lewis Distance Race include Bluewater Technologies, the City of Newport, Helly Hansen, New England Boatworks and Newport Shipyard; Contributing Sponsors are DYT Yacht Transport, Flint Audio & Video, Gosling’s Rum, Mac Designs, Toni Mills Graphic Design, Triton Insurance, North Sails, Rig Pro Southern Spars and Stella Artois. Sailing photo credits- Megan Sepe/ Newport. For more Ida Lewis Distance Race sailing information
A Good Old Fashioned LYRA Regatta(Youngstown, NY)- “For those unfamiliar, the Lake Yacht Racing Association (LYRA) has been around since the 1880s. Over that span, they have hosted annual regattas at various clubs throughout the LYRA area, which encompasses Lake Ontario, eastern Lake Erie and surrounding waters. One of the beauties of the LYRA Annual Regatta is that it moves every year to a different host club. This means the flavor of the event changes with the venue, adding interest and variety. The makeup of the fleets varies also, as the location impacts those attendees beyond the regulars who go every year regardless of venue. This year the Sodus Bay Yacht Club in Sodus Bay, NY hosted and it was one of the most enjoyable LYRAs we have yet been to.
I was telling my son Tim that there are two types of regattas these days, it was his first LYRA so he was not sure what I meant until he experienced it for himself. Mostly we have been doing the major events where the racing is the most important thing, and frankly sometimes, the shoreside activity can be pretty lame. On the other hand, you have regattas such as the LYRA, where the racing is maybe half of the reason people attend. It becomes an old home week where you see all of your friends, visit places where you sailed as a kid, and generally have a good time. The shoreside activity is not lame; it sure wasn’t in Sodus Point this year. There tend to be many more stories created at LYRAs than at your typical championship regatta.
SBYC did a fine job this year, mostly because of their hospitality and welcoming attitude. A smile and willingness to assist can cover up for the inevitable shortcomings that come with any event; the bigger clubs would do well to keep that in mind. The location in a small summer resort town just added to the fun as you could easily walk to the various establishments within a few blocks of the clubs for meals, supplies, nightlife, etc. It appeared that maybe the bars in town were a little too convenient judging by the look on the faces of some of the sailors each morning.
Next year LYRA moves the regatta to Whitby YC on the north shore of Lake Ontario, and then the following year to Rochester, where RYC and GYC will jointly host. If you have not been to an LYRA before you are missing good racing and good fun. Your crew will thank you for it.” Thanks for this contribution from Don Finkle.
My First LYRA- by Tim Finkle
“I’m not sure why I never did a LYRA in the past. Possibly, because the Level Regatta was always the week before or maybe I just wasn’t invited? I’d always heard stories about it (mostly the parties) and hoped that I’d have a chance to attend at some point. When Jim Egloff mentioned that he might want to take the J/88 down to Sodus, I thought that it would be a good opportunity. I’d done a lot of J/70 big fleet one-design regattas over the past two years, so a “big” boat PHRF regatta sounded different and fun. It was also an opportunity to crew instead of drive and really get a better sense of what the J/88 can do on the race course.
Before registering for the regatta, we needed to get an updated PHRF certificate and see what rating we’d be given. The original PHRF number when the boat came out was 87, however we sailed at 81 last season on Lake Ontario due to the 6 second “protect the fleet” penalty. Now, one year later, we expected the number might stay the same or even go up a bit given we had some data to work with. I was a bit surprised to find out that we actually dropped down to an 80 PHRF number…ouch. I won’t get into all of that now, but it just meant that we would need to sail well to compete at that number.
We were placed in PHRF 1 with all the fastest PHRF boats including a J/124, C&C 115, two Beneteau 36.7’s, and two J/35’s. This meant that we would be the smallest and technically the slowest in the fleet and although the boats owed us time, it also meant that we would have some challenges to deal with. In a one-design regatta, you know if you are going fast or not because the boats should be equal. That is not the case in PHRF. Also, tactics change from one design to PHRF and at times it can be frustrating because your plan often gets foiled when a bigger faster boat sails right past you or from under you or over top of you. In other words, you get dictated more than you might care for. We knew that upwind we would have some issues holding lanes, sailing as high or fast as some of the bigger boats with their genoas. We knew that some conditions would favor us and some would favor them. It was about staying patient, especially upwind, and staying close enough at the windward mark in order to catch them downwind. We were also the only asymmetrical spinnaker out there which meant our downwind angles would be quite different.
Luckily, we had a good crew with Jim Egloff driving, Kris Werner calling tactics, Justin Hays trimming (both from Quantum Sails Rochester), Nick Egloff on bow and myself trimming main. We felt that our boat handling would be above average, our boat and sails were new, and we had done our preparations to be ready to race. My Dad told me before the regatta that in PHRF “every dog has its day” and it’s a long regatta so just make sure you do well when the conditions favor your boat and when they don’t, try to minimize the damage.
Day 1 was extremely tricky as the light breeze hit pretty much every degree on the compass and the courses weren’t always square. In both races, we battled back from tough spots and ended up winning both of them, one boat for boat and the other finishing second over the line but correcting to first over Wind Chill, the B36.7. We saw that our downwind speed was excellent in the light air and we passed a bunch of boats on those legs. We held our own upwind but with the small jib compared to genoas on other boats but our weapon was the big asym kite downwind.
Day two called for big breeze and we were licking our chops to see what the boat could do. A WNW wind brought big waves and wind speed in the upper teens to 20 knots. We debated for a bit on the boat whether to use the big or small kite, but in the end Kris made the call to go with the smaller one knowing that we only had 5 people aboard, it would be a long day, and we could maneuver better. As it turned out, the breeze filled in even stronger and we’d have been tripping over ourselves with the A2 spinnaker. We got three really solid races in and got better as the day went on finishing the day with a 2-1-1. The last race sticks out because we lead wire to wire and had some amazing surfing/planing rides down the waves. Jim did an excellent job driving through the waves and we saw our speed increase upwind as the day went on. Downwind, we sailed the boat like a big J/70 and worked the waves and breeze to speeds in the 12-14 knot range. It was a fun day to say the least.
The last day was light and very shifty. We knew we had a close battle going with “Wind Chill” and with only a 5 point lead going into the day anything could happen. They sailed an excellent final day winning both races. We had a throw out after 6 races, so we knew that we needed just one solid race to secure the win. We had a second in the first race and dropped a 4th in the last race to hold on.
Overall, the J/88 performed well and held its own against much bigger boats. We ended up winning our PHRF 1 fleet and finishing 3rd overall after combining all PHRF fleets. It is a testament to the design that it can be a great one design boat, a PHRF boat, or simply a day sailing boat. In fact, our delivery crew raved about how well the boat sailed when they delivered it from Youngstown to Sodus.
So, in the end, LYRA was a success on the water and ashore as Dad’s article points out. Sodus Bay YC did a fine job hosting and we will be back the next time LYRA rolls through town. Thanks to the organizers and race committees who worked hard to put on a great regatta! Also, congrats to all the other division winners who take home those really cool classic perpetual trophies. We rarely see those kinds of trophies at regatta anymore, just one more neat thing about LYRA. My favorite part was looking at all the name plates from years and years ago and recognizing names and boats from when I was a kid.” Sailing photo credits- Don Finkle/ RCR Yachts. For more LYRA at Sodus Bay YC sailing information.
Delicious AUDI Hamilton Race Week(Hamilton Islands, Australia)- The Audi Hamilton Island Race Week is one of Australia’s favourite yachting events and a firm fixture on the international sailing calendar. Competitors, family and friends come together to enjoy the convivial atmosphere and unique camaraderie of the event’s on-water and off-water carnival. Every August, spectators and “yachties” from around the globe descend upon Hamilton Island for “the week”- Australia’s largest offshore keelboat regatta.
Perfectly situated on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef, amongst Queensland's seventy-four Whitsunday Islands, Hamilton Island offers an experience like no other: glorious weather, azure waters, brilliant beaches, awe-inspiring coral reefs, fascinating flora and fauna, fine food and wines, and activities almost too numerous to mention.Hamilton Island’s CEO, Olympic and World Champion sailor Glenn Bourke, said Race Week organizers were justifiably proud of the fact that 202 yachts had entered this year. “This great fleet confirms that Audi Hamilton Island Race Week continues to stand as Australia’s premier offshore regatta, and undoubtedly one of the best sailing events in the world,” Bourke said. “From our
side, we are well aware of the effort all participants, their families and friends, put in, just to be with us each year. It’s this commitment on their part that causes us to work even harder so every Audi Hamilton Island Race Week is bigger, better and more fun.”Brilliant sailing conditions on day one of the IRC Australian Championship inflated adrenaline levels and threw the less practiced straight into the deep, briny end of the fleet, whether they wanted to be there or not. Cool 20-knot SSE tradewinds and breeze against tide for the Dent Passage spinnaker start on Sunday, August 16 put the sail trimmers on high alert and the photographers in a clicking fury.
Two of the larger J models are participating in this year’s fabulous event. One is the J/130 RAGTIME sailing in IRC 4 Class- the owners, Chris & Bernadette Morgan, acquired her and base her at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron. Since then, RAGTIME’s first major win was the 2014 Brisbane to Keppel race. At this stage of the regatta, RAGTIME is lying mid-fleet.The other team sailing is the J/133 EUPHORIA, skippered by Anthony Coleman, in EHC Racer-Cruiser class. EUPHORIA had raced extensively in both the USA and United Kingdom. She arrived into Australia in 2009 and races regularly with the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron on Sydney Harbour. In 2011, she won Performance Racing 2 Division at Hamilton Island Race Week. With a solid crew on board, EUPHORIA is currently sitting tight on her 2nd place position and hopes to improve that to #1 soon! For more AUDI Hamilton Island Race Week sailing information.
PERSEVERANCE Tops Summer KeelboatCHANCE Trumps J/120 Class
(San Francisco, CA)- The San Francisco YC on the northern part of San Francisco Bay hosted their annual Summer Keelboat Regatta for one-design classes. Featured again this year were the J/105s and J/120s. For some perspective on how it all went down, here’s the commentary from a J/105 team that has never won a regatta before- Steve Kent and his merry bandits on-board PERSEVERANCE.
“After moving to SF a little over a year ago and buying PERSEVERANCE to race in Fleet 1, we won our first regatta at the SFYC Summer Keelboat event this past weekend. Without a doubt this is one of the most competitive fleets I've had a chance to sail in.
As we expected, over the last year we struggled to learn the boat, assemble a team, figure out the rig, etc. We tore up some gear making the transition from SoCal relatively light air sailing to the breeze on The Bay. What a great experience!!! Guys from the top of the fleet like MOJO, DONKEY JACK, and ARBITRAGE were generous with advice and a new jib and main from Quantum have all helped us improve.
A couple things made all the difference this weekend. We forgot about 'winning' the start and instead focused on being at full speed with a hole to leeward anywhere on the line. We also worked hard at a 'quiet boat', not something easy for me, but Alex Steele was a great coach on this aspect.
In the end, it was a close regatta with Bruce Stone’s ARBITRAGE team just two points back (after two bullets on Sun) and Ryan Simmons’ BLACKHAWK team challenging at every mark in third.
Looking forward to the J/105 North Americans at StFYC Rolex Big Boat Series next month and a full 4 days of racing against the best! A photo of the happy team here!”
Filling out the top five was Shannon Ryan & Rolf Kaiser’s DONKEY JACK in 4th, just beating out Phil & Ken Laby’s GODOT by 3 pts, who took fifth place.
Amongst the J/120s, Barry Lewis’ CHANCE crew from St Francis YC rattled off three straight bullets to easily win their division- an amazing “lights out” performance. Taking second overall and fighting for their life to do it was Dave Halliwill’s PEREGRINE crew. Only one point back in third was Timo Bruck’s TWIST Team. For more San Francisco YC Summer Keelboat sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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* Yachts & Yachting interviewed 49er World Champion Stevie Morrison, who was sailing on the J/111 JOURNEYMAKER II at Cowes Race Week, about his sailing experience at Cowes. Stevie is the current skipper of the Oman Air Extreme 40 catamaran, an Olympic 49er sailor at both Qingdao 2008 & London 2012 and former World Champion in both Fireball & 49er classes.Mark Jardine: So Stevie, you're over here for Cowes Week, what are you sailing on and how are things going?
Stevie Morrison: I'm here for a couple of days with some people who support me in the 49er, a company called BTG, and they've got a J/111 called JOURNEYMAKER II. They are very keen sailors from Hamble. We've got some of the guys from the company coming to experience it, and hopefully helping Louise [Dame Louise Makin] and Chris who sail the boat move on to the J/111 Worlds here next year. They've got a good programme going forward to that. It's great for me, usually sailing dinghies, I get a chance to experience this side of sailing. It's all far too serious - I love it for what it is - but this [Cowes Week] is the essence of sailing. When you look in London, or anywhere, you find people who see sailing as Cowes Week. To me it's about getting people excited about sailing, and obviously Cowes Week does that. It lets the normal guy, who's maybe trying sailing, come and race against some of the best guys in the world. Terry Hutchinson's here somewhere and other guys like that are kicking around Cowes, and they are some of the very best sailors in the world. For me 
it's great to see them, and hopefully for other guys it's even better to see them. It is a unique experience and I'm glad to be here.Mark Jardine: As well as life on the water, how are you enjoying the social side of Cowes Week?
Stevie Morrison: It's fantastic. We've come along to the beer tent after sailing with some of the staff of BTG who have sailed for just two days. I think we were first J/111 today and these guys are four out of eight crew on the boat, so they had big roles to play. So, they are very excited about the fact we were first in our class. Then I bumped into some of the guys from the British Sailing Team, bumped into you, bumped into Ben Vines. I love it, it's an environment which encapsulates sailing under one roof. There's a lot of people here and it's really nice for me to bump into old friends. Sailing photo credits- Rick Tomlinson & Paul Wyeth/ Pwpictures.com. Read more of Stevie’s AAM Cowes Race Week J/111 experience here.
* How Sailing Can Save the World! John Arndt, the Editor of Latitude 38 in California and founder of “Summer Sailstice”, often has some thought-provoking perspectives on sailing. Here’s his latest on why sailing matters and how we can save our “Liferaft Earth”:“I am always puzzled when I encounter concern about the cost of sailing. As the world becomes increasingly urbanized and technical, I get more concerned about the cost of not sailing.
You can ‘follow’ the Volvo Ocean Race and the America’s Cup, and you can ‘watch’ the virtual wind and ‘see’ the ocean currents, but is that the same as having your hand on the tiller as you try to get around a ledge with an adverse current and fading breeze? No, the only way to understand sailing, and gain an appreciation and respect for our waters, is to actually be on them, and cost needn’t be a hurdle.
Three years ago, my brother bought a Hobie 16 with sails and a trailer for $500 (what’s your cell and cable costs/month?). When my brother and I were sailing it last summer, it started sinking after we flipped it. We hopped a tow from a passing lobster boat, got the boat to shore so we could drain it, and then sailed it back to where we could goop up the holes. Great stories followed!
This year it was my nephew’s turn who sunk the boat when a new leak occurred. But he got the boat back, and later dug out the long crack in the hull deck joint, mixed up some epoxy and relaunched. For those in New England this week, Tuesday was a rainy, nasty day, and he and a friend launched again in big breeze to rip around the bay. What a riot!
Finding a leak, mixing epoxy, launching and rigging a Hobie and sailing in a rain storm … all character and confidence building stuff.
In an era where people are cultivated to lust after image-defining stuff like cars and homes, sailing can look positively cheap. Then, when you account for the stories, experiences, and thrills generated by sailing, its value becomes priceless. And who knows, if our fitness and sanity improved by time on the water, we might even reduce the cost of health care.
With Craigslist filled with affordable boats like the Hobie, the cost of sailing is a good investment. I know my nephew and friend will be lusting for a new Hobie long before a new kitchen appliance, making for an important trend to strengthen the marine industry.
Maybe sailing can save the world. Bringing families together, overcoming obstacles with solutions, and connecting with our environment… all the time giggling and memory-making. Can a body-idling iPad do that?” Thanks for contribution from Craig Leweck/ Scuttlebutt Newsletter.
* Recently, a good friend from back in our Midwest days (e.g. as kids growing up sailing off Chicago and Wisconsin’s various lakes), was named to be the Ullman Sails “Sailing Ambassador”- his name is Skip Novak. For starters, kudos to Skip and to Dave Ullman and friends at Ullman Sails for bringing Skip on board to help promote the experience of sailing worldwide. Skip has sailed just about everywhere, starting with dinghies in Chicago, then a Chicago-Mac Race, then a Whitbread Race on the Swan 65 KINGS LEGEND (with a beloved, now long lost, friend- Greg Tuxworth), then some J/24 stuff here and there with friends, a few Cowes Race Weeks, now adventuring in a 70 foot schooner/ketch called PELAGIC II (funded by mostly Chicago sailing friends) and based out of Tierra del Fuego doing charters/ eco-adventures! Read on! Skip is a great person and the ultimate sailing ambassador for anyone; plus he was recently honored with the prestigious Blue Water Medal by the Cruising Club of America for his many years of cruising and exploring the Antarctic. Read more about Skip’s interview and background here. Thanks for contribution from Ullman Sails/ Newport Beach.
* J/Dreaming some days? So, what is the common denominator between these four world-renowned sailors?? Ken Read, Jimmie Spithill, Ben Ainslie, Samantha Davies (L-to-R)?? Sailing J/Boats, of course. Specifically, J/24s, J/80s, J/105s, J/109s— at match-racing, team-racing, fleet racing on national, continental and World Championship levels. The four sailors were assembled together thanks to the Royal Yacht Squadron's Bicentenary Regatta held on the Solent.As many of you know, Ken won six J/24 World Championship titles, amongst many others. Ben has raced Ken in J/24 modders down at Bitter End Yacht Club in the British Virgin Islands- in that “Ben & Ken Show” a few decades ago, Ben won (I think). Nevertheless, after winning a few Olympic Gold Medals in Finns, Ben has also been on the Solent sailing J/80s and J/109s of various ilk with friends as well as supporting sponsors.
Then, when Ken was winning J/24 Worlds, little Jimmie Spithill was in diapers growing up in Australia sailing circles and rumor has it that he also had some J/24 sailing under his belt with some of the locals (changing diapers, too!). But, perhaps more importantly, now that Jimmie is grown up (according to friends), married and living in San Diego with his wife and kid(s), he bought Dennis Conner’s J/105 #3 (Lowell North’s old J/105 before D.C. got it), renamed it lucky number “17”, and keeps it at San Diego YC (he’s now a newbie member there)! “17” was also sailing as part of the J/105 Masters Championship and may be there again this year!
Finally, “Sam” Davies is certainly no shrinking violet, even amongst this talented crowd. She, too, has had quite a bit of experience sailing J/80s, J/109s and what not on the Solent as part of her experiences growing up racing in the United Kingdom.
Just goes to show that Ben, Ken, Jim, Sam got someplace with some determination. So, you can start somewhere, someplace and someday become something somewhere else!?! Play your cards right, kids, and you, too, can be somebody, somewhere, famous, sailing or otherwise!!
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! 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 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
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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The Rolex Fastnet Race is also one of the most popular events in sailing: the original limit of 300 boats racing for the overall handicap prize under IRC was increased to 340 in 2013 due to the increased demand. This is more than twice as many places as the next most popular of other 600 mile races held elsewhere the world and still, when registration opened in January, all 340 places were filled within just 24 minutes! In addition to this group is the 'non-IRC' fleet, including many top grand prix race boat classes such as the IMOCA 60s, that compete in the Vendee Globe singlehanded non-stop round the world race, and the Class 40s.
Left gasping for air in the vacuum left behind the speedy POLAROID team were several Spanish J/80 World Champions! Taking second was the trio of Rafael Esposito, Pepequin Orbaneja and Javier Padron Torrent sailing MARBELLA TEAM with 37 pts net. Regatta sponsor’s HERBALIFE TEAM, sailed by Alex Diaz and Jesus Amaliach from Real Club Nautico Palma, took third overall with 41 pts net. The balance of the top five was made up of two World Champions; Marc de Antonio’s BRIBON-MOVISTAR take 4th place and Jose Maria van der Ploeg’s NAUTICA WATCHES place 5th.
