J/70 Marblehead Demos!(Marblehead, MA)- With the enthusiastic support of Hill & Lowden, Henry Brauer (owner of J/70 #48), Doug Morgan and other key sponsors, top Marblehead sailors welcome the newest and most versatile one-design racing fleet to New England-- the J/70 speedster!
Marblehead is one of the most dedicated one‐design racing harbors in America. This is a great opportunity for Marblehead’s sailors to be on the cutting-edge of one-design sailing and own a J/70- a manageable family racer/ daysailer that can easily be trailered anywhere and be ramp-launchable at a moments notice.
To present the J/70 to the Marblehead sailing community an “open house” has been scheduled on Sunday Nov 18, 2012 from 1:00 – 3:30 PM at the Marblehead Trading Company, and the offices of Atlantis Weathergear, 89 Front Street, Marblehead.
The J/70 will be on display from 1:00 to 2:00 PM. At 1:30 PM there will be a brief presentation introducing the J/70 by Jeff Johnstone, President of J/Boats Inc. Following Jeff’s comments, Bill Lynn of Atlantis Weathergear will describe his sailing experience on the J/70 at the recent NYYC Invitational in Newport this summer. Jud Smith will speak about Doyle Sailmakers sail development, and Will Welles will speak about North Sails J/70 sail development. The 2013 Marblehead J/70 racing schedule will be presented by Greg Wilkinson, Boston College head sailing coach.
Demo sails will be offered from 1:00 ‐ 3:30 PM, weather permitting. Refreshments will be served. The event is sponsored by Hill & Lowden, J/Boats, Doyle Sailmakers, North Sails, Harvey Rigging, and Atlantis Weathergear. For further information please contact: Henry Brauer: henry@hgbrauer.com or the J/Dealer George Lowden: hilllowden@comcast.net.
J/70 San Diego Demos!(San Diego, CA)- JK3 Yachting welcomes an exciting new member of the J/Boat family, the J/70 one-design speedster! Whether you're a veteran racer or daysailor the J/70 is the boat for you. Stable, fast, and fun to drive, the J/70 offers something for everyone.
The Annapolis fleet has 23 J/70s, and 18 boats have already signed up for Key West! Our goal is to build a strong J/70 class on the West Coast!
Join us with our friends from Ullman, Quantum, and North Sails in San Diego Sunday, November 18th, after the Hot Rum Race for J/70 Demo Day! There will be beer, drinks, food, and a chance to test drive a J/70 with your favorite sailmaker. To RSVP please go to http://ja6248.wix.com/socalj70 or contact Jeff Brown at JK3 Yachting in San Diego.
J/70 Dallas Demos!(Dallas, Texas)- The original programed Demo Day at Dallas Corinthian YC on November 11th has been blown away-- we had a little bit too much of a good thing. While Texas sailors rarely complain of having too much breeze, 25 kts gusting 35 kts may have been a bit OTT. Nevertheless, with wonderful stories of how J/70 sailors enjoyed their fast rides uphill and downhill in Annapolis, we're rarin' to go!
So, for many of you intrepid sailors from the greater Southwest, please come on down and go for a ride on a J/70! The J70 will remain at Dallas Corinthian YC and will be available for demo rides when the weather clears! Please contact Bob Sittel at 214-213-7197 to schedule a demo soon!
J/70 & J/80 UK Nationals 2013 Announcement!(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The 2013 J/80 UK National Championships and the inaugural J/70 UK National Championships will be hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes from Friday 14th June to Sunday 16th June 2013. The Royal Yacht Squadron is one of the most prestigious yacht clubs in the world, boasting a long and fascinating history-- especially as the summer sailing home for England's royalty, as the famous Cowes Week starting line and its role in the eponymous America's Cup. Key Yachting are looking forward to working with the Squadron, friends and sponsors on what will surely be a memorable and most enjoyable regatta.
The first of the weekend’s eight scheduled races is set to take place on the afternoon of Friday 14th June, followed by an opening drinks ceremony at the Royal Yacht Squadron. After four races on Saturday, competitors will enjoy a hearty supper at the club, and the prize-giving will take place on Sunday afternoon after the morning’s final two races.
Expectations for next year are high amongst the J/80 fleet following a stellar 2012 season. The J/80 World Championships came to the UK for the first time in seven years, and hosted an incredible seventy-six boats from nine nations including the USA and Hong Kong . Twenty-six boats then went on to compete in the J/80 UK Nationals in September. The trophy was taken by Nic Barnes and Rob Larke on J2X. The 2013 J/80 National Championships will provide a nice warm up for the 2013 World Championships in July, where more than 130 boats are expected to travel to host city Marseille on the gorgeous coast of southern France on the famous French Riviera.The J/70 UK National Championships will be the first UK one design regatta for J's newest sportsboat. J/70 crews will then be able to go on and sail one design at Cowes Week and at the famous J-Cup Regatta at the end of August.
The J/70 is the latest sportsboat design from market leaders J/Boats, and is already its fastest selling model ever. The slipway-launchable keelboat, which arrived on UK shores in July, has already received more than twenty orders here. Build slots have reached 250 in America and topped sixty in the first month of European production, leading to delivery dates for new UK orders being pushed back to March.
The alliance of these two formidable sportsboats will undoubtedly result in one of the most thrilling regattas of the summer. With incredible success stories and proven race performances behind them, no doubt shore-side enthusiasts will eagerly await the results from each race. The Notice of Race will soon be online at www.keyyachting.com and on the new J/80 class website- www.j-80.co.uk.
European Boatshow Update
(London, England & Paris, France)- With the holidays fast-approaching consider taking the time to visit some of Europe's more famous boatshows this winter season to see some of the latest boats the J/Team has to offer. It's a wonderful opportunity, in particular, to visit Paris in December and London in January to see their spectacular shows, visit "bright lights & big cities" and enjoy delicious international cuisine, evening entertainment and historical cultural attractions with friends and family!
SALON NAUTIQUE PARIS
From 8th December to 16th, the Salon Nautique Paris on the south side of Paris will again present one of the world's most spectacular sailboat shows. J/Europe will be displaying the J/70, the J/97 and the J/111. You will get a chance to speak to many top French sailors who've been trained on J/22s, J/24s and J/80s over the course of time. And, you'll get a chance to "talk shop" with winners of SPI Ouest, La Rochelle Race Week, RORC Fastnet Race and many others who are renowned in the French offshore sailing community. Furthermore, J/Europe is hosting cocktails & hors'd'oeuvres for J/111 owners and potential customers to discuss plans for the 2013 European J/111 Circuit. For more Paris Sailboat Show information
TULLET-PREBON LONDON BOATSHOW
After the New Year, it's time to make plans for two things: #1 is go sailing in Key West Race Week to get a tan, enjoy spectacular Carribean-style sailing off the Florida Keys and then #2 is go to the London Boatshow and catch up with all your European friends with a tan to-die-for and tell a few war-stories over a pint or so of Guinness! OK, maybe not for everyone, but it's a great idea?!
On display at the Key Yachting booth will be the newly "International J/111" (more news later) and the new J/70 speedster, J/Boats' latest entry to the sportboat world that is gaining healthy momentum quite quickly. Perhaps most significantly, the J/70 will be a new "SPITFIRE", supporting the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund. Featured will be the Royal Air Force SPITFIRE Team that is headed-up by Wing Commander Simon Ling. For more London Sailboat Show information
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
For the middle of November, it was a remarkably busy week of sailing J's around the world. Starting Down Under, the J/24s and others are ramping up their one-design and offshore campaigns in and around Sydney's famous harbor. The J/24s recently held their New South Wales State Championships with an excellent turn-out of boats. A bit north of them in the Pacific, the Hong Kong Police Sailing Club recently hosted the J/80 World Police Sailing Championships in Hong Kong, China. Also happening was yet another famous "Round Island Race', this one was the Tommy Bahama Around Hong Kong Island Race- a challenging 26nm event that had everything from racing/ rowing canoes to J/80 one-designs to a J/109 vying for fleet and handicap honors. Whistling back across the pan-EurAsian continent, there was more J/80 activity in Europe. The J/80s concluded their Coupe de France with massive participation across the board from their local J/80 fleets in this seven event series. Similarly, the Spanish weren't taking a siesta either, concluding their J/80 Spanish circuit called the "Circuito Montanes de Vela 2012"-- they only had several J/80 World Champions participating to keep the fleet honest. Just west of the Continent, the Garmin Hamble Winter Series started its second phase of sailing on the rugged, cool Solent with fleets of J/111s, J/109s and IRC racers like the J/122 and J/97 sailing at the front of their fleets. Finally, across the proverbial Pond and way out West, that famous SoCal sailing club- the San Diego YC- concluded their four-part series of J/105 regattas that started with the SoCal Champs, then the North Americans, then the International Masters, then ended with the prestigious Lipton Cup Regatta-- thirteen yacht clubs from around America sent their best teams to vie for an enormous piece of silverware first raced for back in 1907-- the result of Sir Thomas Lipton's enormous enthusiasm and generous support for the sport of sailing (or yachting, as it were). Sir Thomas may not have won the America's Cup, but he sure won the hearts and souls of sailors worldwide for his unwavering love of sailing and for those who wished to share his passion on the water.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:
Oct 6- Dec 2- Garmin Hamble Winter Series- Hamble, EnglandNov 14-18- J/24 North Americans- Jacksonville, Florida
Nov 29-Dec 2- St Petersburg Boatshow- St Petersburg, FL
Dec 8-16- Paris Boatshow- Paris, France
Jan 12-20- London Boatshow (70, 111)- London, England
Jan 19-27- Boot Dusseldorf Boatshow- Dusseldorf, Germany
Jan 21-26- Key West Race Week- Key West, FL
Jan 21-26- J/80 Midwinters- Key West, FL
Jan 21-26- J/70 Midwinters- Key West, FL
Jan 24-27- Strictly Sail Boatshow- Chicago, IL
Jan 24-27- San Diego SunRoad Boatshow- San Diego, CA
Jan 25-Feb 3- Seattle Boatshow- Seattle, WA
Feb 14-18- Miami Sailboat Show- Miami, FL
Feb 16-24- New England Boatshow- Boston, MA
Mar 6-10- HISWA Amsterdam Boatshow- Amsterdam, Holland
Mar 8-10- J/105 Midwinters- Lakewood YC- Seabrook, TX
Mar 12-17- Moscow Boatshow- Moscow, Russia
Apr 11-14- Strictly Sail Pacific- Alameda, CA
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
Cal YC Wins J/105 Lipton Cup(San Diego, CA)- This year's prestigious Sir Thomas Lipton Cup Regatta promised to be one of the most challenging editions ever in the 98 year history of the event. There were two signifiant milestones for the sailors that elevated the game for all competitors from around America. First and foremost, the San Diego YC's remarkable cadre of enthusiastic, supportive sailors decided to invest in twelve identical suits of J/105 sails from their local North Sails Loft (for those history buffs, this is the place where Lowell North, founder of North Sails, started his little business). Secondly, the SDYC Lipton Cup Committee also decided to open up the event from a SoCal "club championship" to one with broader national appeal, inviting three clubs to participate for this year's event- New York YC, St Francis YC and Southern YC. When the dust cleared from the field of battle on San Diego Bay, the "newcomers" gave it their all and nearly pulled off an upset, but it was California YC's "Peaches" Little and team that were crowned the 2012 Lipton Cup Champions.
The weather forecasts for the regatta initially looked a bit like the "fresh-to-frightening" variety, with a massive Low spinning out of the Gulf of Alaska and whipping up its fury as it spun towards the California coastline. One thing's for sure, the surfers were certainly excited about it-- with promise of 10-15 ft surf on their favorite surf breaks offshore. For the sailors, the prospect of big breeze, leaden grey skies and rain was nothing like what the San Diego Chamber of Commerce promised for "typical" San Diego weather conditions. 
While Friday dawned a bit grey, it soon cleared up to a partly cloudy, sunny day with good breeze from the "normal" sea breeze direction of 275-285 at 8-15 kts inside the San Diego Harbor-- amazing, the sailors were blessed beyond belief! As a result, the 12 boat fleet of J/105s enjoyed most excellent racing in the natural sailing amphitheater of San Diego Bay surrounded by three islands- Coronado Island, Shelter Island and Harbor Island. There was only one big hiccup to the proceedings on the first day, a significant "bumper car" situation at the first weather mark in the second race ended up having two boats becoming instantly OOC (out of commission). So, after racing two good races, the fleet was sent home to repair boat wounds and sore muscles. Tied for the lead after the first day were San Diego YC and St Francis YC with several clubs just behind them, including Coronado YC, Newport Harbor YC and Southwestern YC.
For the second day of racing, the Lipton Cup PRO wisely decided to start earlier by one hour due to the amazing forecast for Saturday's racing- 10-15 kts gusting to 20 kts from 275-285 (remember, this is the usual direction). And so it was. After five fantastic, incredibly close races, the sailors all returned home a bit worse for wear and tear. With 10-15 minute boat-swapping turn-arounds between each race that entailed sailing over to the "change-dock", unloading all your personal gear, spinnaker, tools, food/drink, then moving over to the new boat, sailing back to the start, re-attaching the spinnaker, storing all the gear, checking the wind, checking the jib-sheet leads and halyard tension, checking the mainsail setup and ensuring your spinnaker wasn't twisted by hoisting it temporarily, it was understandable that most crews were pretty exhausted by early Saturday evening. At the end of this marathon of four "sausages" (4 windward-leewards) and the one last 3-legger, the crews were quite ready to either sleep or find a massage therapist fast with a good dosage of pain-killing Advil tossed in for good measure. With seven races under their belts, the standings took a dramatic change as the wind blew hard for at least three races of the five. Standing out from the crowd with 3 bullets in the first three races was Coronado YC to take over the lead for the regatta. Another big mover was New York YC with two bullets in the last two races, enough to pull them within striking distance of the lead along with several other clubs, including California YC, San Diego YC, St Francis YC, San Francisco YC and Newport Harbor YC.
The stage was now set for the third and final day of racing. The weather forecast could not have been worse. A weak gradient from the ESE in the early morning hours was supposed to persist until noon, then slowly fill-in for what appeared to be a "drift-a-thon". Thankfully, the SDYC's PRO was blessed yet again. Mercifully, the wind died by mid-morning and the rapid heating of the Tijuana mountains to the southeast meant the proverbial NW breeze from 275-285 would develop with a range of 6-12 kts, enough to get in four final races on Sunday! The biggest determinant of performance in the first 2-3 races was how each team factored in the strong ebb current before it finally started to change mid-afternoon into a flood current along the Harbor Island shoreline. Local knowledge helped to some degree. But, again, good/bad starts and tactical calls would make enormous differences for each team as they struggled with the breeze lane along the "USS Carl Vincent" (a massive 1,100 ft, 20-story high nuclear carrier parked along the left (south) side of the course and the Harbor Island starboard lifts dropping into the course from the shoreline along the right (north) side of the course. In the end, it was Cal YC's Bob "Peaches" Little that avoided any big pitfalls race-to-race to win by just 3 pts. Second was local San Diego YC sailing champion Chuck Driscoll finishing with 49 points. After a fabulous day of sailing Saturday, the Coronado YC boys had rough going the last day, whatever "lucky charm" they had simply faded away, ending up third for the regatta with 55 pts. After being in a tie for the lead on the first day, it was yet another tale of "two days" for Russ Silvestri and crew aboard the St Francis YC team, finishing with 57 pts, narrowly missing the podium on the last leg of the last race. Rounding out the top five was the current J/105 North American Champion, Chris Perkins sailing for San Francisco YC with 66 pts.The Lipton Cup Regatta marked the end of the remarkable four weekends of J/105 sailing in San Diego. All four events were managed very well by San Diego YC's band of 100+ volunteers, excellent RC/PRO and it sponsors (including J/Boats dealer Jeff & Karen Brown's JK3 Yachting as both sponsors and Chairs of Committees for the various events). Kudos to all and a testimonial to what excellent planning and execution can do to make it a memorable series of events for many sailors from across America. If the chatter on the dock and the deck of San Diego YC was any indication of the fun and camaraderie amongst all the sailors, the future sure looks bright for the J/105 Masters and the Lipton Cup in 2013 and beyond! Sailing photo credits- Mark Albertazzi (www.kaimaka.com) For more J/105 Lipton Cup sailing information
Swiss Win World Police Sailing Championships(Hong Kong, China)- Imagine working "the beat" in your local city as a police officer on a daily basis wondering, hoping, wishing that nothing goes wrong so that as one of the chosen few in your police force you can travel half-way around the world to sail in J/80s off the magical island of Hong Kong! Wow, not only would it be a privilege to participate amongst the world's elite in law enforcement, but it would have to be one of the most thrilling experiences of a lifetime to earn your "credits/ stars" (or whatever is required) to be part of the four person team winging across the world's continents and vast expanses of oceans to sail amongst fellow enthusiasts who also love wind and water. To be sure, target shooting skills were NOT on the agenda, just sailing, fun, beer, cultural activities and a few parties tossed in to keep everything in balance. Who wouldn't want to participate in this event if you're on any police force anywhere on Planet Earth!? I guess the Americans didn't heed the call, their loss, as much is to be learned from their contemporaries around the world. Looks like the Swiss, Austrians, Germans, Dutch, English, Aussies, Irish, and Hong Kongers had a ball! In fact, the Swiss had so much fun, they decided to win it all, with the Switzerland (St Galler) team and the Switzerland (Lucerne) team taking 1st and 2nd, respectively, on the podium!
The hosts for this year's 12th World Police Sailing Championships was the Hong Kong Police Sailing Club. The event was held in the waters of Hong Kong Harbour and surrounding areas using the versatile J-80 Sailboats. The seven-day long event was epic, fun, gorgeous, amazing and the schedule of both sailing events and social entertainment each night ensured the sailors had lots of war stories to tell to their mates later. While the Hong Kong Police SC were the principal hosts, they could not have pulled it off without the enthusiastic support of the three primary sailing clubs in the area contributing their fleets of J/80s, including Royal Hong Kong YC (and usage of their Middle Island harbour facility), Hebe Haven Boat Club and the Aberdeen Boat Club.
The sailors were treated to an adventurous series of both passage races as well as windward-leeward courses over five days of racing. Monday saw four W/L's off Royal Hong Kong YC's Middle Island with drinks/dinner at Aberdeen Boat Club. Tuesday was a passage race from RHKYC to Hebe Haven YC with drinks at Hebe Haven BC and curry buffet dinner at Aberdeen BC on Middle Island. Wednesday offered the sailors three W/L races off Middle Island with an evening soiree at Hebe Haven BC. Thursday was Lay Day-- the crews needed it by now-- but the shopping was frenetic!! Friday saw one W/L race, then a passage race from Hebe Haven YC to Royal Hong Kong YC followed by drinks/ dinner at RHKYC. On Saturday, the last day saw a classic "Harbour Tour Race" with evening drinks, prize-giving at the Hong Kong Police SC HQ (courtesy of Carlsberg Beers!).
So, the natural question to ask is "how is it possible that anyone could combine so much sailing and entertainment in one week"?? Perhaps that question could be answered by veterans of some of the world's more renowned race weeks (like Key West, Cowes Week, SPI Ouest, Block Island, Capri, Newport, Rolex Big Boat, Palma and others). Nevertheless, some of the world's best police officers managed to sail fast, smart and kept themselves out of trouble (on the water, that is). Leading the pack home by a "squeaker" was the Switzerland (St Galler) team on the great yacht "JAILBREAKER" (appropriately, enough). Their team of Geisser, Rieser, Fritsche, and Pasche won by only one point after eleven races, dropping a 14th in the last W/L and a 7th in Race 2 and winning the last race to seal the deal over their countrymen in 2nd place. Easily sailing the most consistent score in the series was Switzerland (Lucerne) sailing JIVE with the team of Schumacher, Vogel, Koller and Oehen. Their low point score of 33 was not good enough, since after two drops their 19 pts was just one pt back from the gold. Third sailing JELIK 6 was the Netherlands (Team Amsterdam) team that consisted of Migchelsen, Sikkens, Derjik and Vanderveen with 23 pts. Rounding out the top five was the top Hong Kong Team #1 sailing JOSS that had Tait, Leung, Armstrong and Lau sailing aboard in 4th and in 5th was the top German Team #2 sailing JELIK 7 with Uden, Weissenbom, Knospe and Eden as team-mates. 
Congratulations to all thirteen teams that participated for making the effort to participate and travel so far to such an extraordinarily fun, exotic sailing adventure! Plus, great appreciation was expressed by all to the three sailing clubs- Royal Hong Kong YC, Hebe Haven BC and Aberdeen BC for graciously supplying their J/80 one-design class sailboats. Finally, kudos go to the Hong Kong Police SC's band of volunteers that helped organize the event. Everyone is looking forward to sailing next year, hopefully, with some Americans and South Americans participating, too! For more World Police Sailing Championship sailing information
J/122 JOULU & J/111 JDREAM Lead Winter Series(Hamble, England)- The Garmin Hamble Winter Series entered its second half of the series on Sunday with thick fog drifting down the Hamble river in the early morning. But competitors expecting wintry conditions were surprised by bright sunshine and a fluctuating, light and shifty breeze that offered big gains for those who kept in phase with the shifts.
A strong west-going tide at the start made time-on-distance calls important as the classes got clean away to beat their way from near Universal Marina buoy towards Hill Head and South Coast Sailing. As the tide turned, boats rounded their leeward marks and began a long beat against the tide and in a fickle breeze up the Hill Head shoreline towards the finish at Coronation. Gains were there for the taking for those with the confidence to stand on inshore and cheat the tide – and for those with well-calibrated depth sounders.
In IRC 0, Dr Ivan Trotman’s J/122 JOLOU continues to lead the fleet overall with an impressive scoreline of 1-2-1-3-2-1-1-2 for a total of 8 pts over a host of top British IRC boats like a Grand Soleil 46, Mills 43 and and Arcona 430.The IRC 2 class has two J/105s sailing against a thicket of IRC optimized beasts and at the end of the day, the J/105 guys are having fun, taking their good races with the difficult ones (e.g. all beating against tides). Currently, Chris Jones' JOURNEYMAKER 5 is sailing well and lies 5th.
The largest IRC class has traditionally been the toughest one to win. This fall's IRC 3 class sailing the Winter Series is no different. A J/97 and J/92 are racing against formidable competition. At this stage, Nick & Adam Munday's J/97 INDULJENCE has a steady record of 3-1-3-2-6-2-4, dropping out of the lead due to their last three races, but lying second with 11 pts just 4 pts back. The J/92 J-RONIMO sailed by David John Taylor has sailed consistently in the top five when they are actually out sailing on the race course. To date J-RONIMO lies 8th but is only 12 pts out of 5th with a long shot at even a 3rd place given their excellent sailing performance to date and taking into account some strategic drop races (like DNC's they don't want to count).
The J/109s were topped this week by a newcomer to this year’s series, Richard Hinde-Smith’s TIGH SOLIUS, which beat David McLeman's OFFBEAT in 2nd and Paul Griffith's JAGERBOMB in third. So far, JAGERBOMB continues to lead their standings with a string of top five finishes, counting a 1-3-1-1-4-6-3 for a total of only 9 pts. David's OFFBEAT and Owain Franks' JYNNAN TONNYX are tied for second with 14 pts apiece. Fourth is Todd Wells on JE VANTE with 18 pts and fifth is Roger Phillips on DESIGNSTAR. David & Kirsty Apthorp's JDREAM won another race in the J/111 class to now lead her class by just four pts, with a 2-1-2-3-3-1-1-1 scoreline for 8 pts total. French J/111 owner Cornell Riklin has been sailing like a madman, his team onboard JITTERBUG are sailing very well and have amassed a steady 1-3-1-2-2-3-3-3 for 12 pts to be within striking distance of the lead. Tony Mack's team on McFLY have sailed to a 1-1-2-2-2 in their last five races to get within striking distance of the two leaders just one point back from the French team. What is abundantly clear is that the J/111 teams are pushing each other so hard that had they been IRC handicap racing, their elapsed time finish positions would put them at or near the top of the heap in their IRC class. As usual, one-design racing forces teams to sail better, smarter, faster and make fewer mistakes than others they race against-- the results speak for themselves.
The day's sponsor was Andark, who provided prizes to the assembled crews in the HRSC clubhouse after racing. Sailors will be keeping an eye on the long-range forecast for next week to see if the warm, dry weather will put in another appearance, although the consensus in the clubhouse concluded that a little more wind would be nice. Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth- PWPictures.com For more Garmin Hamble Winter Series sailing information
PACEMAKER Takes J/24 NSW State Championships(Sydney Harbour, NSW, Australia)- The Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club hosted this year's 2012 NSW J/24 State Championships and, again, the club, its volunteers and RC/PRO did an amazing job running another great regatta. The very light breeze on Saturday slowly built during the day and overnight to a decent 15 kts by the end of Sunday. Consequently, all the sailors were delighted to get in six good races under gorgeous, clear blue skies and all round great weather! As Simon Grain (owner of CODE VIOLATION) commented, "To All NSW owners, we apologize that the Trophies again went to Victorians, Dave Suda and crew on PACEMAKER are hard to beat, but let's keep trying!"
"Many Thanks" to Janette Syme, skipper of the totally fab all-girl crew sailing on WHISPER, for contributing her version of events at the NSW J24 Championships. Here is Janette's awesome commentary:"Friday – the day before the regatta – boats arrive at RANSA from various points on Sydney Harbour, Victoria and one from South Australia. There is a mixture of crews, skippers, boats (owned, begged, borrowed, stolen – pieced together)! And, crew all keen– boats sleek, shiny and cleaned. Soon thereafter their launching, they were all ferried around to moorings outside RPEYC.
RPEYC has a magnificent aspect of the harbour at Point Piper. Essentially an historic building, oozing character, it was comfortable and welcoming. We all sat waiting for the wind on Saturday morning, perched on the verandah, or reading books in the lounge or feet up on the lawn (as you do at regattas!). After a couple of weeks of sea-breeze, southerly busters and generally plentiful wind, there was nothing, and grey clouds (think it must have been the Mexican Margarita's influence)!
Nonetheless off we all went at first puff and bobbed around within a couple of start line shifts until a reasonable Easterly settled in at 5-10 kts. So the first day, we only managed 2 races but it was hotly contested in the light airs. Dave Suda (Sandringham YC) in PACEMAKER secured a win as did Sean Kirkjian (RPEYC) in SAILPAC. The racing was set around mid harbour– across the channel– all windward/leewards. Sean Wallis (Perth ) sailing KAOTIC was first to the windward mark in race 1 only to hit it– they lost 4 places doing penalty turns. Creditable sailing from ACE (MHYC), VORTEX (MHYC) , KICKING BOTTOM (Sandringham YC) and EL FIDELO (SA CYC), CODE VIOLATION (Sandringham YC) and BY THE LEE (Sandringham YC) to fill the places.Sunday started with a 10 kts sea breeze from the NE– sun shining– the harbour littered with the usual power boats, ferries , speed bumps etc. Definite western shore lift and turning tide run out – affecting all boats up and down stream especially races 5 and 6. The wind lifted to 15-20 kts NE, perfect sea-breeze and great sailing. Downwind legs generally favoured the shoreline and boats mostly headed for the starboard gate. Ferries had a habit of splitting the fleet with many boats gaining or loosing a place because of a ferry or two. All in all, the series was predominantly clearly contested which is great to see.
So after 6 races I think we could all feel our arms, shoulders and hands and wore a generous amount of sea spray and wind burn. But for the most part everyone was smiling.
Congratulations to Dave Suda and the Pacemaker crew who deservedly won the NSW title again. To Sean Kirkjian and crew on SAILPAC a fabulous 2nd and Sean Wallis and crew in KAOTIC (Arthur Crothers) that rolled into third. Handicap winner was JAGGED EDGE (Leon Ratner REPYC), 2nd BY THE LEE (Brendan Lee Sandringham YC) and 3rd WHISPER (Janette Syme with fab all-girl crew from Manly-Man YC).
The NSW Women on Water trophy went to Sophie Kennedy for her continued support of the class, over the years racing on various boats from Sailpac, Kaotic, Wildfire and Whisper.
Many thanks to NSW committee especially Sean Kirkjian for organizing a great regatta – see you next year same time same place! Thanks also to Danny, AJ and James for your help with tenders and photos!" For more J/24 NSW Championships sailing information
NEXTEL Wins Spanish J/80 Circuito Montanes de Vela(Santander, Spain)- The Spanish J/80 sailing circuit this year comprised of three events starting in April and concluding in October-- all competing for top honors in the Circuito Montanes de Vela. A total of thirty-two J/80 teams sailed over the course of the year starting with the VIII Trofeo Autoridad Portuaria de Santander in April off Santander's gorgeous harbor and waterfront. During May, the teams sailed the Campeonato de Cantabria de Monotipos and then concluded their racing circuit sailing the VII Trofeo Presidente de Cantabria in October.
The series proved to be a hotly contested affair with the top three not being determined until the last regatta of the series. After a modest start getting a 5th place in the Autoridad Portuaria regatta, the NEXTEL ENGINEERING team led by Ignacio Camino sailed consistently in the last two events by securing 2nds in both the Campeonato Cantabria and Presidente Cantabria events to win with a series total of 9 pts, winning by four pts over the rest of the World Champion-studded field. After a strong start and strong finish, Pichu Torcida's ECC VIVIENDAS managed a 1-11-1 over the course of the three events for a total of 13 pts. Third was Tonio Piris skippering YATES Y COSAS with a 2-4-13 for 19 pts. Fourth was determined by a tie-breakers with Rafael Pascual Alfonso Esposito's MAQUECHE team winning the draw with a scoreline of 12-6-3 for 21 pts while fifth was Jaime Piris' FONESTAR team with a 11-5-5 also with 21 pts. For more J/80 Circuito Montanes de Vela sailing information
INTERFACE CONCEPT Wins J/80 Coupe de France(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- With over 190 participants, it can be said the J/80 Coupe de France is by far the most successful sailing circuit for one-design sailboats in the entire world. Without a doubt, the level of sailing overall in France has improved considerably since the introduction of the J/80 and the development of fleets on all three coastlines (Bay of Biscay to the west, Mediterranean down south and La Manche in the north). It is not without coincidence that this year's 2012 Coupe de France was taking on special significance since the next J/80 World Championships are being held in 2013 off Marseilles in July-- and the J/80 French Association are expecting well over 130 J/80s to participate.
The Coupe de France consists of seven events that starts with the famous "monster regatta" known as "Le Spi" (a.k.a. SPI OUEST France) that is sailed in April off the quaint seaside village of La Trinite sur Mer and ends with the Atlantic Telegramme Regatta sailed off Lorient. The series scoring is based on a "high point" basis that counts 4 of 7 events. Proving yet again they're the team to beat was Eric Brezellec's INTERFACE CONCEPT I, finishing the series with 359 pts and winning by a clear margin, most notably because of their exceptional performance at SPI Ouest. Fellow colleague Simon Moriceau also proved they're a rapidly improving team that is a force to be reckoned with for next year's Worlds, finishing 2nd overall with 306 pts due in large part to their strong showings at the Grand Prix Crouesty and the Atlantique Telegramme event in Lorient. Taking third only one point back was Luc Nadal's GAN'JA with 305 total pts. Fourth was Herve Leduc's J'ILE DE RE with 287 pts and fifth was Martin Le Pape's ARPEGE PROMOTION with 266 pts. For more J/80 Coupe de France sailing information
J/80 JASMINE Wins Hong Kong Round Island!(Hong Kong, China)- It's back! Hong Kong's largest and most inclusive sailing event featured 235 sailing boats, together with outrigger canoes and coastal rowing boats, that battled it out around Hong Kong Island. It is a capricious 26nm course that would create moments of breath-taking beauty, "shock & awe" and anxiety due to currents, whirlpools and remarkably variable winds-- as any veteran "round islanders" would say, "that's all part of the fun! Makes for great sea stories and camaraderie afterwards!"
It was the proverbial "game of two halves" for the sailors, as 235 boats of all shapes and sizes gathered in Victoria Harbour for the start of this year's Tommy Bahama Around The Island Race. With 7 knots of breeze prevailing for the first starts at 0830hrs, the Pandora and HKPN 1 fleets got clear away, but the breeze then dropped to less than two knots for the later starts, leaving a flotilla of boats drifting gently towards Lei Yue Mun on the tide.
Thankfully the breeze filled in through the morning, giving the fleet a lift through the notorious Lei Yue Mun gap and round through Junk Bay to Shek O and Cape D'Aguilar. The Around The Island Race is highly tactical and a boat's light wind sailing technique possibly influences its result more than any other skill. This was the case again today, however for a change, the sticking point was Bluff Head to Stanley, while the usual parking lot of Cyberport was enjoying 15 to 20 knots of northerly, with good breeze to carry the boats around Green Island and into the western harbour approaches.
The lead boat on the water was, unsurprisingly, Frank Pong's 72' JELIK (notably, an enthusiastic sponsor of several J/80s at Royal Hong Kong YC of the same name), who reached the Green Island Mark around 30 minutes ahead of Sam Chan's TP52 FREEFIRE. Given the conditions for the last 30% of the race, Race Officer Inge Strompf-Jepsen made the decision to allow the boats to go "all the way" and JELIK took line honours at RHKYC Kellett Island after 3 hours and 43 minutes, with FREEFIRE following home just under 25 minutes later. In all, 184 boats recorded a finish at Kellett Island before enjoying a well–earned beer on the famous RHKYC decks.
The Around The Island Race isn't only about who has the biggest and fastest boat, and the overall results are calculated on an RHKATI handicap, developed using the data from years of pursuit racing. After time correction, the results for IRC 2 Class saw Nick Southward's J/109 WHISKEY JACK avoid most pitfalls, but not all, to secure a 7th in their class. On the one-design front, the J/80s showed up in force with thirteen boats participating. Leading them all home was Ben Bulmer's JASMINE winning their class by a rather substantial margin of 6+ minutes! Second was David Fan's SEA BISCUIT, third was Henry Wong's FOOTLOOSE, fourth was Alex Cheung's FIGURE OF EIGHT and fifth was Karen Lam's MAY 13 (she was also first women skipper to finish). Thanks for the contribution from Guy Nowell at Asia Sail-World.comFor more Tommy Bahama Around the Island Race sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* J/70 South America "Numero Uno" Launches in Chile! Juan Eduardo Reid reports that J/70 interest in Chile is simply huge! Juan had the opportunity to assemble their first J/70 in their harbor SW of Santiago, Chile and take it out for a sail in moderate conditions. He reports there is strong enthusiasm for a boat that can trailered, ramp-launched and sailed in less than 20 minutes in these parts because mooring and dock space are at a significant premium. The J/70 promises to fill an enormous vacuum in the Chilean sailing marketplace. Watch this space! Juan is hoping they can create a J/70 South American Championships in the near future and create a series that includes Peru, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil!* Team-building and leadership development on J/80s on the sunny, warm Mediterranean? Yes, it can be done. Michele Rayneri at BLUEPROJECT SAILING ITALY has this to offer to fellow J/80 sailors and fellow J sailing enthusiasts in the corporate world:
"Dear J friends and enthusiasts, warm greetings from Michele Rayneri- At BLUEPROJECT, we are passionate about sailing and we have been in the business of getting people out on the water for many years. Our fleet is made up of nine J/80 one-design sailboats and our team is extremely experienced and has gained experience in very important international regattas.
BLUEPROJECT sees sailing as a vital corporate event and provides tailored programs: professional coaching, instruction, and innovative team building, incentive and leadership development programs.
We are dedicated to actively promoting sailing at all levels through clinics, lectures and events and, in particular, improving sailing performance on keelboats by sailing the J/80.
Our team teaches the basics of sailing whilst working as a team including: navigation, sail trimming, boat handling skills, how to work and communicate together whilst also providing team building games. Individually, each team member benefits with improving: decision making, communication, leadership skills, being part of a team, self-confidence the need to build a strong, competitive and winning spirit!
BLUEPROJECT is situated in Port of Lavagna (Genoa), but we can organize events with our J/80s all over the Mediterranean Sea. Lavagna is an ancient seaside village, a hidden treasure and great destination for everyone enjoying a yacht rental holiday along the Italian Riviera. Lavagna is situated in the wonderful Gulf of Tigullio, between Portofino and Sestri Levante and not far from Genoa, Montecarlo and France. It is one of the most beautiful gulfs in Italy and offers facilities and situation for excellent sailing.
The coast is a sequence of marvelous villages with their marinas, pastel-coloured houses, first-rate sports facilities and the fashionable atmosphere of "la Dolce Vita". The beauty of the seascapes, the intense blue of the sea and the green mountains are breathtaking.
In Lavagna there are good sea food restaurants, quality beaches and a medieval, charming town centre. A yachting vacation to the Italian Riviera can definitely be made much more enjoyable and a lot of fun with BLUEPROJECT. For more info please visit- http://www.blueprojectsailing.it Or, call mobile +39 335 8093904 or email- ivanaquattrini@concepteventi.it
The J Cruising Community
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/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/
* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years. Their blogs/journals can be found at- http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker. The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com. Search for "SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing" by Bill Stellin or William Stellin." UPDATE- Just a short note to update from Bill- "Our cruise began in May of 2000 and ended in May of 2008, some 8 years later. I have just finished and published my third and final book covering the last three or so years including our double handed crossing in 16 days and one winter in the Caribbean. Like the others, "Sea Trek- A Passion for sailing- Book III," can be found at www.blurb.com. Thanks, Bill and Judy"
* 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).
- SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).
- 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.* The J/109 GAIA (seen right in the Java Sea) was sailed by Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay around the world. In February 2011, their cruising adventures came to an abrupt, sad ending. As a tribute to them and their cruising friends worldwide, we hope their chronicles on their GAIA website remains a tribute to their warm-hearted spirits- read more about why many loved them dearly and will remain touched by their loving spirit forever- http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/
There are many strong teams representing the various clubs. The host club, San Diego YC, has J/120 champion Chuck Driscoll skippering their team with Star World Champion Mark Reynolds as part of the crew. San Francisco YC has recent J/105 North American Champion Chris Perkins skippering their team that include Tom & Melissa Purdy. Southern YC from New Orleans, LA has Tommie Meric and Kyle Smith leading their team. St Francis YC has Russ Silvestri skippering their team, an Olympic Medallist and champion sailor from San Francisco, along with Nicole Breault as tactician- a top women match race sailor and four-time All-American sailor at Yale. California YC has Bob "Peaches" Little skippering their team that includes Whit Batchelor and Bennie Mitchell, both champion offshore sailors. Newport Harbor YC from Newport Beach, California has Chris Raab skippering with Bill Menninger as their tactician, both National and North American champions in various classes. New York YC has Glenn Darden skippering along with Jim Brady and Stu Johnstone aboard, a formidable crew with multiple World, North American and Key West Championships to their credit. With sailing inside San Diego Bay, the racing will have the flavor of college-style tactics and strategy as the J/105s are maneuvered around the course by these top teams in remarkably shifty conditions. Plus, you can follow them LIVE on Kattack-LIVE!! For 
