June 4th, 2014

J/70 Midwinters @ Key West Race Week 2015!
(Key West, FL)- Capitalizing on a 60-boat J/70 fleet at the 2014 Midwinter Championship in Key West, FL, the J/70 Midwinter Championship will again be conducted as part of Key West Race Week in 2015. The 28th edition of the week-long event is scheduled for January 18–23, 2015, and this will be the fourth straight year that QUANTUM SAILS will serve as title sponsor.

Kathy Parks, owner of Sundog, shares the enthusiasm of many other J/70 owners, saying, “The Division 2 race committee gave us another great QUANTUM Key West Regatta. I love the five days of racing, which we rarely see anywhere else and we love the energy at the panels, party and awards.”

Tim Healy has won both previous renditions of the J/70 Midwinter Championship in America’s southernmost city, including “Boat of the Week” honors this past January. Who will be the first to challenge Healy in his domination of Key West so far? Perhaps many, time will tell. For more 2015 Key West J/70 Midwinters sailing information.

J/80 Women’s Match Race World Championship
Top Prize Money for Worlds Top Sailors Competing in Ireland
(Cork, Ireland)- This week, many of the world’s top women sailors are competing in the ISAF Women’s World Match Racing Championships hosted by Royal Cork YC in that famous harbour of Cork, Ireland. The women will be sailing a fleet of matched J/80s that are part of Royal Cork YC’s sailing program for children and adults.

The Women’s Match Racing Worlds will have a prize fund of 10,000 Euro to be allocated to the top sailors (the winner garnering 3,000 Euros!). Chairman of the event, Ronan Enright comments, “by having a prize fund shows the commitment this event has to attract some of the world’s best women sailors, it also shows how fortunate we are to have sponsors like Cork County Council and Port Of Cork without whom we could not run such events”.

Thirteen international teams are participating, including Danish Sailor Camilla Ulrikkeholm, World #1 in the Women’s World Matching Racing Rankings. The USA entry, Stephanie Roble with her team Epic Racing, are also in deep preparation for their trip to Ireland and has been practicing with the US Youth Squad and some of the top US coaches including Dave Perry and Taylor Canfield.

Great racing is expected with strong competition for the prize fund on offer. Spectators are guaranteed some nail biting sailing – all from the comfort of Camden Fort Meagher in Crosshaven. Not only will spectators be treated to breath taking views of Cork Harbour, enjoy a coffee from the Fort’s Cafe they will have unrivaled viewing point for the best racing to be seen in Cork Harbour this year.

Steph Roble, top USA women’s match racing sailor, had this to say regards their campaign, “the team arrived to Cork yesterday afternoon and busted out of our travel daze to get on the water for a few hours. Our focus was to become acquainted with the venue’s tides geographic features as well as smooth out onboard communications and timing. This afternoon we have the official practice day in the J/80s. We are looking forward to putting our hard work into play against some of the other teams and continue learning more quirks about the venue. The race area will be the north side of Cork Harbor where there is A LOT current and the surrounding hills will make for very shifty conditions. We are all set to go! We are feeling fresh and confident going into racing this week. We had two great days of training in Annapolis on the J/World J/80s against Nevin Snow’s team with coach Dave Perry and onboard coach Taylor Canfield.” You can follow Epic Racing’s Facebook daily updates here. Formore J/80 ISAF Women’s Match Race Worlds sailing information

Chicago NOOD Preview
(Chicago, IL)- The famous Sperry Top Sider Chicago NOOD Regatta is about to get underway this weekend for hundreds of Chicago area sailors. Hosted by the Chicago YC, racing takes place from June 6th to 8th on the gorgeous aquamarine fresh water of Lake Michigan. The CYC PRO’s do a terrific job of squeezing in races on the three separate courses they setup off the spectacular city skyline.

Of the 152 entries in this year’s event, 48 are J/Teams that are sailing across all classes- PHRF, ORR and One-Design (J/70, J/105, J/109, J/111). For the J/111’s, it will be a notable series to watch as some teams have re-calibrated their crews and are looking to improve on their performances in this year’s upcoming J/111 North Americans again being held on Lake Michigan, but this time in the tiny little hamlet of Harbor Springs at Little Traverse YC. Many usual suspects are racing this weekend; including the trio of Dr George Miz, Peter Dreher and Mark Hatfield aboard IMPULSE. The other trio- Karl Brummel, Steve Henderson and Mike Mayer- will be aiming to get back to the top of the fleet in their Mackinac-winning boat- KASHMIR- and hoping to repeat their win from last year. Two fast-learners from last year’s J/111 circuit will surely factor into the racing- Len Siegal’s LUCKY DUBIE and William Smith’s WOOTON that took 2nd last year. The dynamic duo of Dabrowski & Deman will be guiding the mighty NIGHTHAWK into contention hoping to improve on their 3rd place last year, as well Rich Witzel on ROWDY will be hoping to do the same.

For the J/109s, a similar scenario is shaping up for this fleet with a number of good boats showing up to play. Last year’s winner, Kevin Saedi’s MOMENTUS, is hoping to repeat their 2013 performance. Giving them a run for the roses will be Peter Priede’s FULL TILT (third in 2013) along with the rest of the fleet.

J/105s also see last year’s champion, Clark Pellett’s SEALARK, ready to do battle against a rapidly improving and more deeply talented fleet. Watch for other top five finishers like Vanessa Gates’s STRIKING, John Moore’s HERE’S JOHNNY, Tom & Gyt Petkus’s VYTIS and Sandy Curtiss’s ROCKING HORSE to make a play for the podium.

Making their debut in this year’s event are the J/70 class, not surprisingly, one of the largest fleets in the regatta with seventeen teams registered. Handicapping these horses are always tough, but there are familiar faces that have been at the top in other J/70 regattas around the country. Amongst those contenders may be two Macatawa Bay YC teams- John Arendshort’s 20/20 and Dan Cheresh’s X- up against a host of Chicago-based boats- Blane Shea’s GEMINI, Richie Stearns’s HOKEY SMOKE and Amy Neill’s NITEMARE. San Diego YC sailor Bennet Greenwald is joining the fun with PERSEVERANCE.

In the offshore racing world, we find two J/122s ready to duel for ORR 1 Class honors- Matt Songer’s EVVAI and Mitch Padnos’s SUFFICIENT REASON (the 2013 Chicago-Mac Race overall and class winner). In PHRF 1 we find Robert McManus’s J/130 EDGE taking on a nine boat class. In PHRF 2, two J/35s that have consistently led this division, and winning several times, are none other than Bruce Metcalf’s BOZO’s CIRCUS and Larry Schell’s TOUCH OF GREY.

Finally, the new NORTH SAILS Rally Race is taking place Saturday with a most excellent turn-out of boats, in fact the largest to date in any of the preceding NOOD Regattas. Eighteen boats are sailing the Racing Division, include John Madey’s J/92 CYCLONE, Frank Giampoli’s J/120 JAHAZI, Adam Messelman’s J/124 STILL MESSIN, Jim Gignac’s J/130 SALSA and Ben Wilson’s J/88 RAMBLER. In the Cruising Division, Dave Hughes’s J/100 BARRACUDA will be taking on all comers in their class. Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes.com For more Sperry Top Sider Chicago NOOD Regatta sailing information

J/22s @ US Sailing Adult Championships
(Ft Worth, Texas)- The upcoming U.S. Adult Sailing Championships for the Clifford D. Mallory Trophy will be sailed in J/22s from September 24–27, 2014 and hosted by Fort Worth Boat Club in Fort Worth, TX.

Each U.S. Sailing Area is eligible to send at least one sailor/team to compete in the regatta. Sailors race in one-design J/22s provided by US Sailing and the host at the event site to ensure the quality of the equipment and a level playing field.

A one day racing clinic led by US Sailing’s Junior National Coach will be held prior to the start of the championship. Coaches provide instruction on charter boat assignments, rigging and handling, starts, and practice races.

Questions may be directed to Event Chair Larry McCracken (cal230@att.net) or National Chair Linda Epstein (lf.epstein@verizon.net). Check out the Area Qualifiers website. Here’s a YouTube sailing video summary of the 2013 event

Nordseewoche Preview
(Heligoland, Germany)- Every year at Whitsunday, June 6th to9th, around 1,500 yachtsmen gather at Heligoland to be part of the “Nordseewoche“ event. The Nordseewoche is one of the major yacht racing events in Germany, hosting the only German offshore race series. This year’s 80th edition has 159 yachts registered with participants from Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland.

The Nordseewoche also offers the less experienced yachtsman a fantastic opportunity to get into the race scene. Next to the ORC races, the “Family-Cruiser-Cup” offers a relaxed atmosphere – sailing and winning without a rating certificate and without spinnaker or gennaker. In addition, all sailors catch up afterwards at the “boot Regatta party” to celebrate together. The main sponsors are the international boat exhibition “boot Dusseldorf” and the asset management company “Capital AG.” “The Nordseewoche is a mixture of party and racing. The parties are legendary and the atmosphere is just fantastic every year“, said Admiral’s Cup Winner and Nordseewoche participant Tom Ross.

A special challenge is the annual long-distance race Pantaenius Rund Skagen from Heligoland to Kiel or the Heligoland-Edinburgh Race. In 2014, the Nordseewoche will finish with the legendary Pantaenius Rund Skagen Race. This 510nm race course runs through extremely different seas: the North Sea, the Skagerrak, the Kattegat and the Danish islands to Kiel. Sailors will experience range of enormous tides and wind-induced currents in the Baltic Sea.

Taking up the challenge in this eponymous event are a range of J/Teams from across northern Europe.

In the Racing Division, we find a range of J’s sailing from the J/92 up to the J/125. In ORC 3 are two J/35s (Kai Brackmann’s ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS & Mike Wunderlich’s CHOSI 6) and Nils Lukat’s J/109 ELLIDE. They will be racing in a class of 26 boats that include a raft of X-99s, X-33s and Dehler 35s.

Perhaps sailing the most unusual (and craziest) division is Andreas Rose’s J/125 NEEDLES & PINS. We’re certain they will be on pins & needles sailing against two Pogo 40s and a Volvo 60!

In the ORC Cruisers Division we find Kai Kroger’s J/109 BAJAZZO sailing against 28 other boats that range in size from 30 to 44 feet. See the promo sailing regatta video here For more Nordseewoche sailing information

Best Practices Maintenance
For All J/Boats from J/22 to J/65
(Newport, RI)- The recent tragedy involving four British sailors lost in the Atlantic and their boat (the 40 foot sloop Cheeky Rafiki) that was found adrift without a keel, is a chilling reminder of the potential hazards of undertaking an offshore sailing passage. One can never be too careful when it comes to preparing for such a voyage.

We’d like to stress to all J owners the ongoing need to be vigilant in the routine inspection and maintenance of boats in the field.   Boats should be inspected annually, surveyed every 5 years, and key components should be specifically checked and replaced well before their expected life-spans are reached.

J/Boats first published a Best Practices Boat Inspection article in 2008 which has since been circulated several times via dealer bulletin, J/News, and on J websites, including the Technical Bulletin section of all boat models on jowners.org.   The document is also included in new Owner Manuals.   Last year, we additionally circulated a Best Practices Corrosion bulletin for models equipped with sail-drives.

Please refresh your memory by reading these important documents and sharing this information with your boat service providers.
–  Best Practices- Boat Inspection
–  Best Practices- Corrosion

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J’s Sailing Worldwide

What a week of sailing it was worldwide for J aficionados. The first week of June often has been a busy one for J sailors, but this year it was busier than it has been in the past. Starting with Europe, the first big offshore race of the sailing season for La Trinitains in France, the Armen Race, had startling performances from a J/111, J/120, J/109 and J/105s. The same could be said for the third RORC Season series race, the North Sea Race. An enormous IRC Double-handed Class had J/105s, J/122 and J/109s sailing at the top of their fleet and IRC also saw J/109s and a J/133 sailing well.

In the European one-design realm, the J/70 Danish Sailing League sailed their inaugural regatta in Rungsted, Denmark with eighteen sailing clubs participating! Then, more J/70s were sailing in a beautiful regatta off Scarlino, Italy, the third stage in their circuit before moving over to Lago di Garda. Then, in France, the GPEN (Grand Prix de L’Ecole Navale) took place off Cameret-sur-mer, Brittany with the J/22s sailing their European Championship, the J/80s sailing the 4th stage of their Coupe de France and J/70s participating for their first time. Also on the same weekend, the Italian J/24s happened to be sailing their Open Italian J/24 Nationals on beautiful Lake Como, Italy.

Hopping over the pond to the America’s, down in South America, the J/70’s sailed their inaugural regatta in Algarrobo, Chile, right on the Pacific Ocean. Their fleet is developing quite rapidly, one now in the Andean Lakes region and now one on the Pacific coastline, not far from the capital of Santiago.

In Canada, the Susan Hood Trophy Race, an offshore event sailed on western Lake Ontario had both IRC and PHRF handicap fleets with J/105s, J/109s and J/35s participating at the highest levels.

Across the USA, events took place from the right, to the middle, to the left coast all with one-design fleets racing. Out East, the Cedar Point YC hosted the Cedar Point One-Design Regatta on Long Island Sound for J/70s, J/30s, J/105s and J/109s. Down in Hampton, VA, the Hampton YC hosted the Southern Bay Race Week for J/70s, J/24s, and PHRF handicap classes. Over in Detroit, MI sailing off the city-front, the Bayview YC hosted their popular Bayview One-Design Regatta with a huge fleet of J/120s in attendance. Then, out West the famous “Delta Ditch Run” took place on upper San Francisco Bay and a huge fleet headed up the “Delta”, east up the tributaries of the Sacramento and San Clemente Rivers to Stockton, CA. A fleet of J/70s raced one-design along with a J/22, some J/105s and a J/120.

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:

Jun 6-8– Chicago NOOD Regatta- Chicago YC- Chicago, IL
Jun 6-9 Norseewoche- Heligoland, Germany
Jun 9-15– Normandy Sailing Week- Le Havre, France
Jun 13-22- Cleveland Race Week- Cleveland, OH

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

J/111 Dominates Armen Offshore Race
J/LANCE IX Takes IRC 1 and IRC Overall!
(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- One of the first big offshore events of the year for La Trinitains, especially for those who enjoy sailing the Bay de Quiberon and around Belle Ile, was the Armen Race hosted by Societe Nautique de La Trinite sur Mer.

The fleet was treated to reasonable breeze for the 195nm race that is essentially two loops around Belle Ile. The race committee P.R.O. decided to send the entire fleet on a second loop 97 miles around (route # 3 of the addendum to the sailing instructions) which meant rounding the buoy SN1 (off St Nazaire) then up around Belle Ile, and return to Birvideaux.

While the forecast originally called for 10-15 kts of breeze, the fleet was treated to more wind than expected on the first night out.

Relishing the tactical conditions and high-speeds achieved downwind, the J/111 J-LANCE IX sailed by Didier LeMoal won the fifteen boat IRC 1 Class by over a half-hour corrected time! They beat many of the hottest names in French offshore sailing onboard X-40’s, A40’s, and Pogo 40’s. In fact, boat-for-boat on elapsed time, the J/111 finished second overall behind a Volvo 60 racer!

The J/120 in IRC 2 Class, P. Tostivint’s LADY JANE, managed a 5th in class going against an armada of IRC-specialized boats like the A35’s, JPK 1110’s and Grand Soleil 37’s.

The IRC 3 had a couple of 105s and a 109 and all finished in the top seven! Taking third was Guillemot’s J/105 MISS J, just missing second by 15 minutes. Jomier’s J/105 J-SQUARED took fifth and Tourin’s J/109 BLUE JAWS took seventh. Replay the race and see how the J/111 won on Yellowbrick tracking For more SNT Armen Race sailing information

Danish J/70 Sailing League Commences!
Hellerup Sailing Club Takes Win at Rungsted
(Rungsted, Denmark)- When the Danish Sailing Association was first looking at ways to grow participation in sailing across all sailing clubs in Denmark, they knew their goal was to create an all-inclusive approach that permitted both young and old alike, women and children, World Champions and experienced club sailors to gather together in an experience where everyone could grow together.

“There are a number of good reasons why the J/70 is the obvious choice as the sailing league boat,” said Mads Kolte-Olsen, Secretary General of the Danish Sailing Association. “J/70 today is one of the world’s fastest growing boat classes and will in a few years have a significant market in Europe. It’s a boat that can appeal to both young and more experienced sailors, and it’s a boat with a high build quality, which is of great importance in relation to maintenance. In fact, absolutely crucial in choosing the J/70 was the success of the boat from the German Segel-Bundesliga.”

As part of growing sailing participation, the “Sejlsportsliagen” managed to secure ATEA as a primary sponsor. ATEA is a Danish IT solutions company that covers a wide range of disciplines- from basic cabling, data center design and network to complete IT infrastructure. The company employs approximately 6,600 employees in the Nordic and Baltic countries. In Denmark alone, ATEA has 1,400 employees. According to ATEA’s CEO Morten Felding, “The innovation of the Sejlsportsliagen is in line with ATEA’s ability to always be ahead of the future. In fact, there are many similarities between sailing and the discipline ATEA exercise every day. ATEA customers maneuver in unpredictable and complex situations where conditions can change in a split second. In order to constantly stay ahead of the next challenge, it requires that you have knowledgeable personnel and that equipment is tuned optimally, so there is profit to the strategic decisions. This is what creates winners.”

“We must make it visible! The League will be the new ‘lighthouse’, bringing together the sport of sailing in Denmark and show the world what sailing is all about. Therefore, we have emphasized that the league is simple in form and visible to all who want to keep up, “says Mads Kolte-Olsen. “The goal is for the Sailing League to create a renewed focus on the sport and eventually help reverse a downward spiral that characterizes the Danish sailing clubs’ membership in recent years.”

In fact, Thomas Jacobsen, sports manager of the Danish Sailing Association, sees Sejlsportsliagen as a potential lever for improving Denmark’s competitive capability at the international level in sailing on a broad front. “The Sailing League can give our young sailors- both in Olympic classes and offshore classes- some important tactical skills and train their ability to cooperate and communicate in the water. It will greatly benefit Danish sailors. Perhaps it could act as a springboard to a career at the top level!”

As part of the educational and outreach program, the Sejlsportsliagen team has focused on “live” tracking and commentating of the event. In this case, they’ve secured SAP’s sponsorship (the big German IT/ database company whose Chairman/ CEO is Hasso Plattner- an avid sailor that has in his fleet a J/100, J/105 and J/125!). “We are proud to have SAP for the provision of services and performance tracking. It gives us a great opportunity to expose the league to all electronic platforms. The races can be “the talk of the town” throughout Denmark, because all interested sailors and friends have access to a live experience,” explains Peter Wolsing, Danish Sailing Association’s project leader on the Sejlsportsliagen.

The 2014 Sejlsportsliagen season has four events planned:

May 31- Jun 1 Rungsted
Jun 20-22 Sonderborg
Aug 22-24 Hellerup
Sep 5-7 Aarhus

The first event in Rungsted saw eighteen leading Danish sailing clubs participating. The first day could not have started better, with clear skies, at least 10-20 kts winds and very shifty. It was clear one club had the J/70s figured out faster than anyone else. Hellerup Sailing Club, with skipper Mads Christensen, started off the first day with four 1sts! The regatta managed to get in ten races overall for all teams rotating into the line-up.

On the second day of sailing, the opening day’s fresh winds quieted down. The lighter winds took some stress off the crews, who for the most part were unfamiliar with the J/70s. The scoreboard showed that Hellerup SC with Christensen skippering stayed atop the fleet. After eight completed flights (equivalent to 24 races), in second were KDY (Kongelig Dansk YC) and third Silkeborg Sailing Club.

The final day on Sunday dawned with little breeze. In fact, only enough to get in two more races for each team. Despite the light airs, it was a day full of drama, a false start by HSC creating tension until the end. In the first race, KDY won with Lotte Meldgaard as skipper and Hellerup SC was overcoming an OCS and managed to scrap back to a third. At that point, KDY was winning the regatta. However, in the closing race, HSC managed to pull off a good result to win the first leg of the Sejlsportsliagen in Rungsted! Third was Silkeborg Sailing Club finished third with 40 points. SAP Sailing Analytics Sailing photos- from Jacob Møhl (DS sport) Facebook Sejlsportsliagen For more J/70 Danish Sailing League information

J/70’s Growing In Chile
(Algarrobo, Chile)- Back in 1992, the J/24s first arrived in Algarrobo, the famous seaport in Chile, and even to this day the fleet remains strong with more than twenty boats. Making history again is the J/70, debuting in their first regatta as a fleet in Algarrobo. The Cofradía Náutica Club hosted their first J/70 regatta along the Pacific Ocean this past weekend.

On Saturday, the J/70s raced one “long distance” race and one standard windward-leeward course. According to Juan Eduardo Reid sailing on one of the 70s, “the conditions were almost perfect for a winter day down here in South America- just 8 to 12 kt winds, sunny day, flat water! The most impressive and delightful thing was the similar speed of the boats and the quantity of women sailing- we had at least 1 or 2 per boat!”

The leading boat was BLACK JACK sailed by Rodrigo Solar, Pablo Amunátegui (famous J/24 and S40 sailor), Rodrigo Guzman and Victoria Novión. Taking second was ALLEGRO with Matías Seguel as skipper and wife Aranza Martínez, Juan Cristobal Lira and wife Magdalena González. Third was WINDMADE with Juan Reid and girlfriend Francisca Cordero, brother Andrés Reid and Santiago Lorca. Of note that in fourth was YALI sailed by Sergio Baeza and his wife Caroline Ecclefield, with Carlos Montes and Roberto Hernández in the crew. The fleet is having a great time, especially learning “planing mode” from “soak mode”!

The fleet now enters the winter period, but will be back on August 30rd in Algarrobo. In February 2015, the National Championship will be run again in Lake Panguipulli in the Andean Mountains. The Chilean J/70 Class is also proud to announce that Santander Bank is sponsoring the J/70 class for the 2015 season!

CALVI NETWORK Victorious- J/70 Coppa Italia IV
(Scarlino, Tuscany, Italy)- The fourth regatta in the Coppa Italia J/70 series was just completed in the beautiful, quaint seaside town of Scarlino, a gem in the Tuscany region of western Italy.

With nine races in three fantastic days of great sailing no one could complain. In fact, it was just about perfect sailing conditions for the J/70s; the typical Westerly breezes that grace the lovely gulf blew a very steady 20-25 knots all weekend!

Warm, wonderful hospitality was provided by the Scarlino YC and hosted by Claudia Tosi. The experienced RC Chairman Ettore Armaleo provided perfect courses and excellent organization.

The Italian J/70 class is seeing a tremendous increase in the fleet’s overall competitiveness. More experienced sailing teams are starting to participate in the class and the J/70s themselves put on a great show sailing well-balanced and fast upwind and were surfing/ planing at full speed down to the leeward mark. Continuous changes in positions and close-crossings at the finishing line made for exciting sailing for everyone.

Like they had in the previous regatta, CALVI NETWORK’s skipper Carlo Alberini combined with Olympic caliber tactician Karlo Hemlik to take the overall win due to very consistent scoring. Alberini’s Team is still leading the Italian J/70 National Circuit, but they had a much harder time competing in this past weekend’s fleet— everyone is learning how to sail J/70’s faster!

Second place boat was the newly launched WHITE HAWK, sailed by owner Igor Lah and sailing with tactician Michele Ivaldi- one of Italy’s best national sailors. In fact, in a unique show of “fair play”, they reported to the RC their mistake in crossing the finish in race 8 incorrectly, consequently taking a DSQ for the race.

In third place was SPREAD, sail by Paolo Boido, J/Boats Dealer for Italy and Class Secretary of the newborn J/70 Italian Class. Helmsman Juan Pablo del Solar from Chile, sailed for his first time on a very standard, just “out-of-the-box” J/70 fresh from the factory in France!

Andrea Magni, Chairman of the new J/70 Italian Class thanked YC Scarlino and promised the J/70 class will be back in 2015- a lovely place, a great sailing location and hoping that some foreign Teams will attend as well!

The Italian J/70 Fleet will now move to Riva del Garda for 5th regatta of the series on 26/27 July, a good opportunity for Teams who want to practice on this windy Lake before the 2014 European Championship- sailed from 23rd to 27th September at Riva del Garda. For more J/70 Italian Circuit sailing information

J/Teams Sweep North Sea Race
J/105 DREAM MACHINE Wins 2H & IRC 4, J/122 JUNIQUE 2nd IRC 1, J/109 YETI Wins IRC 3
(Scheveningen, Netherlands)- A fleet of 52 yachts entered the 180nm RORC North Sea Race, the fourth race of the RORC Season’s Points Championship. Starting from Harwich on the East Coast of England, the line was blessed with a 15 knot easterly wind, providing a true beat to the first turning mark of the course. The breeze was to fade during the race, which suited the big boats in general.

The J/105 DREAM MACHINE sailed by John Van Veen and Rob Vis were the overall IRC Double-handed Class winner amongst the fifteen teams competing from France, Belgium, Netherlands and the UK. Incredibly, after 36 hours of racing, they just edge out Chris Revelman & Pascal Bakker’s J/122 JUNIQUE by less than a minute on correct time!

John Van Veen, who sails every evening out of his home port in Enkhuizen, North Holland, was overjoyed to learn of the win. “When we finished the race, it was very nice to find out it was so close, we didn’t know but what a great feeling!” smiled Van Veen. “For a Dutchman to win class in the North Sea Race is absolutely fabulous. The race took us over 34 hours and was very tiring as we were constantly changing sails and concentrating on tactics all the time. Two-handed racing in Holland is getting more and more popular. When we started four or five years ago, we often raced with just two or three boats. We have a 50 mile race on Ijsselmeer, and now, this year, we had 70 boats racing two-handed! This is the biggest win ever and we are so happy with the result.”

Their archrivals in the races, the J/122 JUNIQUE sailed by Chris Revelman and Pascal Bakker, provided this report about their experience:

“We look back at two fantastic races. After 40 miles ofSunday delivery to Scheveningen for Vuurschepenrace, we were ready. After the start, we were well away with the J/133 Batfish and Il Corvo together with us.

Just before the NAM22 buoy (first mark of the course) the wind died. There was a lot of counter-current, so we anchored! After fifteen minutes or so, we were watching the breeze very slowly start to increase from the east. Quickly, we set the gennaker up and off we sailed. We retrieved the anchor just in time. Our focus still gave us a piece of the overall race lead on a number of other boats.

After the first NM4 buoy, we held a northerly course to stay in breeze. We regularly exchanged between the gennaker and Code Zero (our new weapon!). We are clearly still looking for the right sails to put up all the time. Further optimization off the sail “change-over” chart is high on the priority list. At the next marks, Mid NM4 and N Shipwash, we once again sailed south of the layline because we expected the wind would go out again.

Eventually, we found that the built-in margin of lead we had was not enough, as many boats behind us were caught in calms too. We fortunately had some “power-naps” so we could stay sharp. It’s tricky thing to do with double-handed sailing, but is very important. To the finish we caught some nice breeze and we finished 2nd in the IRC DH Class (double-handed) standings behind the J/133 Batfish. By the way, we also defeated the newly famous Volvo 65 Team Brunel!!

We then had a “day of rest” in Harwich, England- it was dominated by optimal preparation for The North Sea Race. We have two times in a row won the contest and were very keen on a 3rd victory. After the evening dinner, off we went to bed.

On the morning of the race, we had a great start after a “general recall”, hard to believe, isn’t it? A general recall for an offshore race?? Crazy! After starting, we went to the starboard side of the course as quickly as possible towards shallow water. We are just a little further over the shallows than the other competitors and that paid off in gaining meters overall.

Once at sea, we were not satisfied with our upwind speed. This year we are experimenting with our mast and settings that were too low for the wind. After experimenting for a while we made adjustments to the mainsheet and backstay, so finally we could sail to the target boat-speed.

After rounding Smith Knoll buoy, we immediately assumed starboard tack. The wind was forecast to turn to the north over the course of the day and to drop off. With this rate, we expect the decreasing wind were to continue with the gennaker to maintain speed. We stayed high of the fleet; this tactic worked out well for us. We got closer to the J/133 Batfish and were just behind at NM4 buoy/ turning mark.

Unfortunately for us, the smaller boats spent less time in the same windless period we had, so they got much closer to us on handicap time. It was a tough job for us to maintain sufficient distance ahead of them. We fought hard for the final stretch to grow our lead back, after 30 hours of sailing it was no picnic!! After finishing, it turned out that we corrected 58 seconds short of the first place! Moreover, that was after sailing for 32 hours on the sea with little sleep! In any event, we congratulated the J/105 Dream Machine team with their fantastic result!”

Taking fifth place in the IRC Double-handed class was Bart Desaunois’s J/133 BATFISH! A gr
eat outcome for these top three J/Teams sailing in a hyper-competitive double-handed fleet against some of the best British, French, Irish, Belgian and Dutch offshore sailors!

In addition to Revelman & Bakker’s J/122 JUNIQUE taking second in IRC 2 Class, the J/120 JAMEERAH from Great Britain, sailed by Richard Fawcett, took third overall on the podium!

The J team domination didn’t stop there. In IRC 3 Class, Paul van der Pol’s J/109 YETI took their class win over a well-known French JPK 1010 called So What. They not only beat them across the line boat-for-boat by nearly an hour, they corrected to a 20+ minute handicap win!

Finally, in addition to the amazing win by the J/105 DREAM MACHINE team in IRC 4, yet another J/105 took 4th place- Harry Rek’s HARPOEN from the Netherlands.

Looking at the IRC Overall results for all three fleets combined, these J/Teams accounted for 5 of the top 12, by far the dominant offshore brand in the race! The J/105 DREAM MACHINE took 5th, the J/122 JUNIQUE was 6th, the J/109 YETI was 7th and the J/120 JAMEERAH was 12th. Good show mates!

In the ORC 2 Offshore division, Floris Waller’s J/109 JETTJE sailed as well as her stablemates, taking third in class and 4th overall! For more RORC North Sea Race sailing information

J/22 Crushes Delta Ditch Run Race!
Massive Fleet of J/70s Duel to Finish
(Stockton, CA)- The 24th annual Point Richmond to Stockton Race, aka the “Delta Ditch Run,” was held on May 31, 2014. One hundred fifty five boats started in San Francisco Bay, following the perilous 67nm route inland through the Delta to finish at the Stockton Sailing Club, just minutes from Interstate 5. Winning the entire event overall (for PHRF rated monohull boats) was none other than Mike Hopper’s “turbo’d” J/22 MAJIC DRAGON, taking 1st in Class Light 2E and First Overall in the whole fleet! They beat all the J/70s, all the famous Express 27s, Moore 24s and Santa Cruz 27s to the final finish line! Simply amazing.

In the J/70 fleet, it’s pretty obvious when you look at the RaceQs.com 3D replay of the boats, that there were many changes taking place as boats bobbed & weaved down the narrow, winding course. In the end, DFZ (Eric Kownacki & Tom Jenkins- Monterey Bay YC) won the class in an epic battle. Taking second was 1FA (Scott Sellers & Geoff McDonald- St Francis YC), holding the honors for being first “local” boat. Perhaps the surprise performance of the race came from CAKE (Scott & Leslie Deardorff- Santa Barbara YC), sailing the “ditch” for their first time and grabbing third! Fourth was ZERO TO 60 (Karl Pomeroy- Newport Harbor YC) and fifth was ECLIPSE (Mike Drammer, Shaun Hughes, Andrew Nunn- Santa Barbara YC). In the end, the “visiting” teams from Santa Barbara, Monterey and Newport Harbor YC’s put on an excellent performance for “out-of-towners”!

As for the other J’s, the J/120 SAETTA skippered by Ludovic Millin took 5th in Heavy 1A division, now that’s a “big boat” to do the ditch race! In their same class, the two J/105s took 6th and 7th, BREEZE (Kurt Jordan & Peter Campfield) and SEA ROOM (Ralph Wessel), respectively.

For you armchair-sailing fans, checkout the new race-tracking “app” RaceQs.com (works on Android or iOS devices). Here’s a complete 3D replay of the Delta Ditch Run- http://raceqs.com/regattas/SSC-delta-ditch-run. Totally cool stuff. For more Delta Ditch Run sailing information

BEASTIE BOYS Crowned J/22 European Champions
Senechal Wins J/70s & Moriceau Tops J/80s
(Cameret-sur-mer, Brittany, France)- This year’s Grand Prix De L’Ecole Navale (GPEN), sailed over the Ascension weekend, from Thursday May 29th to Sunday June 1st 2014, was yet another well-organized and fun sailing event for the participants.

L’École Navale (French Naval Academy) and their Race Committee PRO’s conducted excellent racing across three racing sites- the bay of Crozon-Morgat, the bay of Camaret and le port du Château in Brest (Brest marina).

The J/22s were hosting their European Championship concurrently with GPEN. With sixteen entries from France, Germany and the Netherlands, the racing was apparently going to be close and competitive. However, one boat upset the proverbial apple cart, not only dominating the event after winning the first two races, but closing with nearly straight firsts in races 6 to 10. Standing tall were the BEASTIE BOYS team (skipper Jean Queveau with crew Damien Iehl, Pierre Laouenan and Elizabeth Ricaud), finishing with 14 pts net and a 15 pt winning margin! The race for silver and bronze behind them was fierce, with two past champion teams dueling for the positions. Charles Michaux’s JAZZY started slowly, but ultimately got their train rolling, too. The JAZZY crew (Michaux plus Christophe Declercq & Reiner Brockerhoff) sailed consistently in the top three to take second with 29 pts net. Even though they were the only other boat to win races (three in a row, in fact), the Andre family team onboard MAJIC (Bernard Andre, Pascale Andre, Thomas Andre & Remi Nobileau) had their hands full trying to beat JAZZY, settling for third place with 33 pts net. In fourth and fifth, respectively, were the Netherlands team on RANGER (Michiel Eijsink) and the German team of JOLLY JUMPER (Christian Rieckborn).

The nearly sixty-boat J/80 class, the largest at GPEN by far, saw many new and familiar faces finishing in the top five since this event was also part of the season-long series for the class- the Coupe de France. Simon Moriceau’s team on INTERFACE CONCEPT (Herve Corlay, Hugo Kerhascoet, Christian Ponthieu & Vianney Guilbaud) had their work cut out for them to hold off the hard-charging CHARIOT PLUS- VANNES UTILITAIRES team skippered by Matthieu Salomon. After sailing nine races, the INTERFACE CONCEPT team won their class with 31 pts net, just 3 pts ahead of CP-VU! Taking third on the podium was long-time class veteran Luc Nadal, skippering GAN’JA in a hard-fought fight battle over Maxime Mesnil’s CO PILOTE- NORMANDY ELITE TEAM (she was also top women’s skipper). Fifth was Gael Jaffrezic’s EJP X team from APCC Voile Sportive.

In the J/70’s, top boat was Ludovic Senechal’s team on LULU LA NANTAISE (Francois Loisel, Bertrand Maillard & Rodolphe Deschamps) winning with 12 pts net. Just two points back was Thomas Mellano’s team on LE HAVRE NAUTIC and in third was Philippe Delaporte sailing PEN AZEN. For more Grand Prix L’Ecole Navale (GPEN) sailing information

Whittemore Trumps Italian J/24 Nationals
MOLLICONA Crowned Italian Champion
(Tirano, Lake Como, Italy)- This year’s Italian J/24 Nationals were sailed on one of Italy’s more spectacular lakes- Lago di Como, north of Milan along the Swiss border. Host for the event was the President of Circolo Velico Tivano di Valmadrera, Giuseppe De Luca.

The regatta was sailed in the Bay of Pare Valmadrera in the southern portions of Lago di Como, a challenging location due to the fact that is “mountain lake” sailing, with shifty winds and an often strong “Breva Tivano” winds that develop in the afternoons.

After an amazing weekend of sailing ten races, the American team of Tom Whittemore was crowned the “Open” Italian J/24 Nationals Champion, winning by an incredible 15 pt margin (and not sailing the last race). Whittemore’s FURIO team from Seattle, WA is no stranger to sailing in Italy’s lakes and the Mediterranean, having won the event in the past.

Crowned as the Italian J/24 Champion was Giacomo Del Nero’s MOLLICONA team, taking second overall behind Whittemore with 45 pts. In third overall was Mario Di Fraia Pasquale sailing on BOTTA DRITTA, amassing 53 pts along the way. Fourth was a top Italian lakes sailor, Mario Mazzoni Fabio on the famous KONG GRIFONE with 57 pts. And, in fifth was Giovanni Bonzio sailing KILS with 71 pts. Past Italian Champion, Ignazio Bonnano on LA SUPERBA was, surprisingly, never a factor in the regatta after posting scores of 19-4-7-28 in the first four races.

Top three German teams were Feuerherdt Tobias’s MS EUROPA 2 in 7th overall, followed by Stefan Karsunke’s SULLBERG in 14th and Stefan Mais’s RUNNING MAN in 22nd. For more Italian J/24 Nationals sailing information

J/120 J-HAWKER Is Bayview One-Design Champ!
(Detroit, MI)- This year’s Bayview One Design was a light-wind regatta. For Friday and Saturday, the sailing conditions were similar. On most courses, the PRO’s we were able to sail one race in the mornings before the breeze shut off leaving most boats drifting around the weather mark and then resumed after 12p when the PRO was able to pull off 1 to 2 more races. Sailing conditions remained light and tricky, the fleets didn’t see anything past 7-8 knots and paying attention to the current was very important in the light breeze. According to Bryn Bachman, sailing on a friend’s boat in the regatta, “while we and other competitors were in a holding pattern for the wind, we could hear the Grand Prix cars qualifying on-shore in downtown Detroit!” She also commented that, “on Sunday, the wind came out of the Southwest with puffs over 9 knots and some serious shifts. The race course was tactically challenging and you had to follow those shifts! Bayview hosted an excellent after party with daily awards and the J/120 fleet was the hit of the party!”

Sailing on Lake St Claire in front of downtown Detroit is always challenging. Nevertheless, it makes for fun “sweetwater” sailing that, undeniably, has its attractions. The J/120s made the most of the situationon Saturday, creating a giant raft-up of all their boats and simply continued to enjoy themselves sailing in “day’twah”. After their Course B PRO managed to squeeze in six races, Dve Sandlin’s J-HAWKER counted a 1-1-1-3-2-6 tally to win with 14 pts. Just three points back was Henry Mistele’s NIGHT MOVES with a 2-4-4-1-1-5 record for 17 pts. Mike Kirman’s HOT TICKET was third with a punch-line of 3-9-6-2-4-1 for 25 pts. Rounding out the top five were Bill Bresser’s FLYIN IRISH and Charlie Hess’s FUNTECH RACING, in 4th & 5th, respectively.

In the world of PHRF Handicap racing, the trio of J/35s occupied most of the top five in PHRF 1. Top banana was Ed Bayer’s FALCON in 2nd, followed by Bill Wildner’s renowned MR BILL’S WILD RIDE in 3rd and Bill Jenkins’s DOUBLE SHOT in 4th.

Over in PHRF 2, Terry Stuck’s J/29 BARON took on the local S2 9.1 fleet and managed to finish second, just one point out of first. In fact, their division standings were all determine by where you finished in the last race! The top three were all tied on points beforehand! Sailing Photo Credits- Martin Chumiecki For more Bayview One-Design Regatta sailing information

J/35 JAEGER Leads Susan Hood Trophy Race
(Mississauga, Ontario)- Ninety-two boats took off from the starting line on Friday, May 30th not knowing what to expect in their annual “triangle” race on western Lake Ontario. Eleven J/Teams were sailing in the fleet across various classes and one of them had a fabulous performance! After fighting all night long to grow their lead, the J/35 JAEGER, skippered by Leszek Siek, took top honors in the IRC 3 Class.

Over in IRC 2 Class, a past winner of the race, Murray Gainer’s J/109 LIVELY, managed to secure a podium finish with a third overall.

The PHRF-LO Flying Sails I class saw Mike Pietz’s J/35 SHORTHANDED PCYC team from Brampton take 4th in class and the J/109 BLUE STREAK helmed by Bob Eckersley took 7th. For more Susan Hood Trophy Race sailing information

J/70 VORTEX Wins Southern Bay Race Week
J/29 RUMBLE wins PHRF B1, J/30 COOL CHANGE tops PHRF B2, ROCKET J rocks J/24s!
(Hampton, VA)- In addition to having fun participating in the “Blackbeard Pirate Festival” and the “Hampton Block Party” hosted by the City of Hampton, a fleet of eighty-nine boats were also sailing the Southern Bay Race Week this past weekend. The hosts, Hampton YC did a magnificent job to get in seven races for most fleets over the three days.

The J/70s had a highly competitive weekend of racing with the top three places not determined until the last race. Winning by just one point was Dave Wilbar’s VORTEX RACING, one of the top local boats. Their scoreline of 3-1-1-4-2-1-3 totaled 15 pts. Latane Montague’s FULL MONTY took second with a 1-2-3-2-3-3-2 tally for 16 pts. Third was Ron Thompson’s NONAME with a 2-3-2-1-4-2-4 record for 18 pts! Close racing indeed! Finishing out the top five were Clark Dennison on CAT’S PAJAMAS in 4th and Noel Clinard’s LOONATICTU in fifth.

In J/24 world, Francis Ford’s ROCKET J took top honors with just straight bullets? Goodness gracious, only 7 pts counted in seven races! A remarkable feat in any fleet. Bridesmaid to that booty-kicking performance was Mike Veraldi’s QUICKY. And, third was Alan Bomar’s ROUNDABOUT.

The regatta also hosted a fairly large PHRF handicap racing fleet this year. Taking second in PHRF A1 was Craig Wright’s J/109 AFTERTHOUGHT. Just behind them were Vernon Eberwine’s classic J/36 SEA STAR in 4th and Sam Mitchener’s J/109 DOUBLE EAGLE in 6th.

In PHRF A2, Phil Briggs’s J/36 FEATHER secured the silver on the podium while Don DeLoach’s J/105 SPECIAL K took 6th.

The big winner in PHRF B1 was Ben Weeks’s J/29 RUMBLE. Speaking of which, they absolutely rumbled (perhaps more appropriately, “steam-rolled”) their fleet, taking five straight bullets in the last five races to win by a country mile- 13 pts over their next competitor!

Also having a dominating performance over their hapless competitors was the J/30 COOL CHANGE, sailed by Rusty Burshell. They only had six firsts to win PHRF B2 class, but won by just an 8 pts margin.
For more Southern Bay Race Week sailing information

Cedar Point One-Design Regatta a Howling Success
SAVASANA Tops 70s, FAT CITY Crushes 30s, LOU LOU eclipses 105s, RUSH Nips 109s
(Cedar Point, CT)- With enormous one-design fleets of J/70s, J/30s, J/105s and J/109s, this year’s Cedar Point One-Design Regatta was destined to be a great weekend for racing for the J/Teams in attendance. Blessed with amazingly good breezes and fair weather, the fleets saw mostly 10-20 kt breezes on Saturday followed by a more benign 6-12 kt winds on Sunday. Most fleets managed to count six races over the two-day event, thanks to the expert RC PRO work from Cedar Point YC’s volunteers.

Brian Keane wins again?! Yes, it seems that Keane’s SAVASANA team has finally “broken the glass-ceiling” and instead of being a bridesmaid over several regattas in the past year sailing J/70’s, he’s now won another one! Keane’s crew started off winning the first race and never relinquished their grip on the fleet. By finishing far more consistently than any other team, their 1-3-1-5-3-2 score for 10 pts simply devastated the morale of his fellow competitors— they were untouchably consistent when others rode giant roller-coaster scorelines. Fifteen pts back in second was Jud Smith’s AFRICA crew from Marblehead, MA. They won the tie-breaker at 25 pts over Henry Filter’s WILD CHILD from Annapolis, MD. The balance of the top five was Tim Healey’s HELLY HANSEN in 4th with 30 pts and Doug Sabin’s SCHRED in 5th with 32 pts.

The J/30s saw a dominant performance as well, with Carl Sherter’s FAT CITY taking class honors with just 5 pts total, counting three 1sts in the scores. Second was John McArthur’s SMILES and third was Seth Shepard The IV’s DOW JONES.

Paul Beaudin’s J/105 LOU LOU also seems to be having several good regattas recently, they just nipped Damian Emery’s ECLIPSE by two points to take J/105 class honors. Behind them was a new face in the top three, Richard Swanson’s team on GHOST DOG, just five pts back from the leaders. The next two

spots were determined by a tie-breaker at 22 pts each; David Willis’s SOLUTION took 4th and George & Alex Wilbanks finished 5th.

Not surprisingly, the J/109s saw yet another masterful sailing performance by class leader Bill Sweetser on the famous RUSH. They, too, started off winning the first day to never relinquish their lead. Making every effort to beat RUSH’s streak was Jim Vos’s SKOOT, finishing only one point back. In yet another duel, Jon Rechtschaffer’s EMOTICON took third just one point in front of Adrian Begley’s MAD DOGS & ENGLISHMEN. Just off the pace in fifth was Matt Baker’s RELIANT. For more Cedar Point One-Design Regatta sailing information

J/Community

What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide

* The Danish J/70 Sailing League is being hailed as a “game changer” for Denmark. So says Chief Sport Manager for the Danish Sailing Association— Thomas Jacobsen. According to Thomas, “The Sailing League is a striking example of innovation. Pleasantly, the first event had lots of young sailors – they can learn a lot from league sailing.In May and June, we hit the peak season of events and activities in the sport of sailing. For my part, it was clearly pointed out in the past weekend (30.5.-1.6.).Friday, I worked with children with cancer in Middelfart. Saturday I was on the water at TORM’s Grand Prix in Vallensbæk to follow the sailors. From Saturday late afternoon and throughout Sunday I went to the Sailing League event in Rungsted – both to witness the new initiative and to take part in the attempt to raise even more capital for the project.Three days of sailing in very different scenarios – but still, in their own way, re-affirming activities. All of them are examples of how sailing can be used to push the limits on a personal level – whether it’s about overcoming oneself or overcoming competitors during a race.
It is gratifying when new initiatives come into the sport of sailing. Especially, when there are initiatives that stir up the way we do things- and thus boost new thoughts and ideas.
Right now, the Sailing League is the most striking example of innovation. I see the league as a formidable project for Danish sailing. Also, it’s an important evolution in relation to the talent and skills development for young sailors. I have had countless frustrations over the years, every time a young, talented sailor left sailing for whatever reason. Often, because he or she lacked something that was attractive and offered challenging racing.
It is a fact that we have a huge gap between the elite powerhouses and the next layer of sailors, many of which have lots of potential and desire to sail- but lacking a sailing format with the right sporting challenges.
I will not argue here that the Sailing League is the ultimate answer to our challenges. However, I note with great satisfaction that the Sailing League event in Rungsted was attended by quite a number of young sailors, many of which are among the biggest and best talents we have at the moment in Denmark.
I also note that some renegade young sailors were suddenly was back in the sport because they now had a new, bold challenge. And most importantly, I experienced how all sailors – without exception, I think – had a great experience that they took home with them and talk about in their clubs.
I have sailed match-races now for more than 15 years. It’s a discipline that resembles the sailing league on so many points. Every Tuesday I teach powerhouse sailors in the same discipline, and I also teach the local sailing league team at home in my own club, Middelfart.
What to recommend for the future of sailing in Denmark?
It is my BIGGEST recommendation for all to participate in the kind of sailing that the Sailing League has to offer. It’s fun and easily accessible. And, it gives the sailors some skills (including tactics, cooperation and communication), there is enormous “value-add” there. In addition, it’s a great outlet for sailors with Olympic ambitions.
I am excited to follow the energy of Rungsted, and hope that momentum is compounded over the next Sailing League events this summer. If that happens, the Sailing League will be a major “game changer” for the Danish sailing!” To read Thomas Jacobsen’s blog on sailing (in Danish).

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.

* 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 athttp://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.

J/News for June 4th, 2014

The Sun Never Sets on J’s Sailing Worldwide

Regatta & Show Schedules:

What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide