Wednesday, December 23, 2009

J/95 SAILING WORLD Boat of the Year Overall Winner

J/95 Sailing World Boat of the Year- BOTY- shoal draft cruising racing sailboat

J/95 Overall Boat-of-the-Year

Christmas came early for the J sailing community! The newest issue of Sailing World magazine arrived with an action cover shot of the J/95 sailing upwind, and a feature article announcing the J/95 as the OVERALL WINNER of Sailing World's Boat of the Year for 2010!  Three pages later, the J/97 is announced as the winner of the Best Club Racer.  This is the first time in J history that two different J designs have won BOTY in the same year; and much appreciated recognition for the huge effort by the whole J network to bring these models to market in 2009.

Here are a few excerpts from the Sailing World website/ press release:  “Rodney Johnstone, the J/95's designer, has been designing boats for decades, and when he says this is his best boat yet, he's not kidding,” says Dave Read, Sailing World's editor and Boat of the Year director. “The judges were struck by how well it sails and how well it's built. But what cemented the J/95's selection was its versatility. It's a 31 footer that sailors of all skill levels will love to race.  And because of its clever centerboard keel and twin rudders, it can be raced or daysailed virtually anywhere – shallow bays, lakes, or the open ocean.”

"It's a radical change for J/Boats," says Boat of the Year Judge Chuck Allen, a professional sailmaker at North Sails.  'You can do anything with this boat, and do it well.  They hit a homerun."

Thanks to CCF and International Marine for their expertise and hard work on the J/95 tooling and production.  Read more about the J/95 Sailing World BOTY Award

Win a Free APPLE iPod Touch!

J Sailnig Anarchy Calendar Contest- Apple iPod Touch

Sailing Anarchy and J/Boats have partnered to provide you a fun contest for the holidays.  Take the challenge to identify the boats, the place and the month in the new 2010 J Sailing Calendar and compete to win some sweeeet swag.  Apple iPod Touch 8 GB, VISA Gift Cards, Hoodie sweatshirts, Polo shirts, sailing T-shirts, sailing caps and more.  All you need to do is read the contest rules, register and complete the contest questionnaire.  The contest ends Friday, January 15th, 2010.  Winners will be announced at the J/Tent during Key West Race Week, January 18th, 2010.  Learn more about the J/Sailing Anarchy Contest

J/97 SAILING WORLD 2010 Boat of the Year Winner

J/97 Sailing World Boat of the Year- BOTY- IRC racing- cruising- one-design sailboat

J/97 Wins Best Club Racer

In the words of the Sailing World Editors- "The J/97 sails beautifully and has the volume, look and feel of a 40 footer.  Somehow in the populated J/Boat world, designer Alan Johnstone has found himself a sweet spot between the more racing oriented J/105 and the cruise-able J/109 and J/122.  “This is a really versatile boat,” said Chuck Allen, who was most impressed with its simplicity and comfort.  “The perfect sort of boat for taking to an out-of-town regatta.  You could stay on it and race it.  It definitely feels bigger than it really is.”"

Thanks to J Europe for the successful introduction of the J/97, which is currently a finalist in the European Boat of the Year awards (being announced next month).  Read more about the  J/97 Sailing World Award

J/111 Project Update

J/111 Ultimate Racing Cruising One-Design Sailboat- For Sailors Who Love Sailing!

The hull plug is rapidly taking shape at CCF in Bristol.  The hull plug and production mold will be complete in January 2010 with first hull molding in February 2010.  The next available hull is #18.

J/111 Class Rules are presently in draft form and include a Owner/ Non-Pro driver rule; factory weight certificate issued with each boat; fairing restriction on foils (like the J/122 class); sail limit of main, two jibs and two kites; crew number limit for low-key events plus crew weight limit for championship events.  Learn more about the J/111

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Win a FREE APPLE iPod Touch!

J Sailing Anarchy calendar contest- apple ipod touch

Sailing Anarchy and J/Boats have partnered to provide you a fun contest for the holidays.  Take the challenge to identify the boats, the place and the month in the new 2010 J Sailing Calendar and compete to win some sweeeet swag.  Apple iPod Touch 8 GB, VISA Gift Cards, Hoodie sweatshirts, Polo shirts, sailing T-shirts, sailing caps and more.  All you need to do is read the contest rules, register and complete the contest questionnaire.  The contest starts December 16th, 2009 and ends Friday, January 15th, 2010.  Winners will be announced at the J/Tent during Key West Race Week, January 18th, 2010.  Learn more about the J/Sailing Anarchy Contest.

J/95 Wins CRUISING WORLD'S BOTY Awards

J/95 sailboat- cruising- racing- sailing- shoal-draft

"Best Weekender" and "Best Domestic Boat of the Year"

(Middletown, R.I. - Cruising World magazine announced the winners of its 17th annual Boat of the Year awards. Topping this year's list of winners for the most anticipated awards in the sailboat industry was the J/95. The J/95 won the Domestic Boat of the Year award and the Best Weekender of the Year.

Four other boats also won awards from an independent panel of experts who inspected and tested 18 nominated boats following the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, earlier this year. Decisions were based on extensive dockside inspections and sea trials of the boats. All of the winners, along with the rest of the 2010 BOTY nominees and several other boats reviewed by the magazine's editors, are featured in the January issue of Cruising World.

J/95 sailboat- shoal-draft- cruising- cruising world boat of the yearIn addition to claiming the Domestic Boat of the Year award, the J/95 was also named Best Weekender. "The judges were impressed with the J/95's sailing performance, functional accommodations, and shoal-draft keel/centerboard," said Cruising World senior editor Bill Springer. "At a time when many families are cruising waters closer to home, it's the ideal weekender for nearby bays, and it'll be up to longer coastal cruises when time permits."  Learn more about sailing the J /95 at CRUISING WORLD's BOTY Review.

J/95 Wins SAIL 2010 Best ‘Performance Sailboat’ Award

J/95- sailboat- sail best boat 2010- shoal draft cruising- sailing

(Boston, MA)- The brand new J/95 is the first model from J Boats in thirty-two years of production to feature a shoal draft lead keel with a lifting centreboard and twin rudders. She will make her European debut at the London International Boat Show in January.  Key Yachting will be exhibiting the J/95 on stand N021T at the show, along with the J/97, winner of the Black Group at Cowes Week earlier this year.

The J/95 is clearly a new concept for J Boats. However, in terms of the technical execution of the concept, the build quality and the overall performance of this sleek and pretty thirty-one footer, J Boats seem to have hit the market with the right product at the right time, again.

J/95 sailboat- sail best boats 2010- cruising- sailingFor creek hopping in shallow, tidal harbours or for enjoying a picnic off the beach the J/95 features a bronze centreboard that pivots and fully retracts up into a slot in the fixed lead keel. When lowered, the centreboard projects below the keel, giving a draft of 1.68 metres; with the centreboard retracted, the draft of the J/95 is reduced to just 91 centimetres, allowing the J/95 access to some of the most beautiful and secluded sailing waters of our coast, otherwise untouched by other performance sailboats.

To optimise steering control during shoal draft operation, the J/95 is specified with tandem rudders. Previously, boats with single shoal draft rudders have tended to suffer from crippling weather helm, especially when close reaching in a breeze. The twin rudders and wheel steering of the J/95 offer superb balance and control and there is plenty of room in the cockpit too. Below decks, she is comfortable and well thought out. She has two full length settee berths, a private heads, an optional double v-berth in the bow and designated locations for a microwave, grill and cooler.

Being a J Boat, the J/95 is designed with performance as a priority.  This smart little boat not only looks great but she also is built to ISO CE Mark Category ‘A’, which is defined as a vessel capable of crossing oceans. And of course she sails beautifully! With her optional masthead spinnaker and retractable bowsprit, she is perfectly capable of double-digit downwind speeds, and upwind, whether in ‘deep draft’ or ‘centreboard up’ mode, she will happily track along at 6.5 knots and outpoint most race boats.

The future for the J/95 in the shallow, estuarine waters of the UK coastline is bright; she represents a new and potent sailing package from J Boats, a shining star for the new season. No surprise then that the J/95 has just won SAIL Magazine’s 2010 Best Boats ‘Performance Sailboat’ Award.   Learn more about sailing the J/95 at SAIL's Best Boats Review.

J/30 TEAM FUZZY Crew Views on NA's

J/30 sailboat- team fuzzy wuzzy- sailing regatta

Thanks for this story from Jon Eberly and Kelly Robinson who raced aboard FUZZY WUZZY: "Obviously, when you win the NAs, you are likely to feel pretty good about the regatta.  For “Team Fuzzy”, 2009 was certainly as good as it gets.  Our win in 2008 was terrific, but as shown in the on-line poll before the 2009 regatta, it wasn’t clear that we were anyone’s favorite!  We hadn’t sailed against Zephyr since they crushed the fleet in 2006—also at Cedar Point and sailing the same boat they used this year (Bayou Bleu).   Smiles and Fat City had both beaten us in the  One Design Regatta at Cedar Point earlier this year.  Furthermore, we were missing a couple of our long-time crew, including our tactician from last year, Bob Matthews.

Going into the regatta with such strong competition, we knew that every race would be critical and require total focus. Based on the forecast possibility for wind cancellation on Sunday, we also knew that regatta standings Saturday afternoon could be key to taking home the hardware. Our all-amateur crew brought a lot of experience to the course—five out of seven are boat owners and racing skippers, and everyone is a driver. On the water, we kept chatter to a minimum with everyone focused on their role (and watching for shifts, of course!)...."  A lot more to read on this story on the beautiful and newly revamped J/30 website.

Brothers Piris Dominate J/80 ECC Trophy

J/80 sailboat- santander, spain- sailing regatta

(Santander, Spain)-  The Piris brothers sailing their J/80 YATES & THINGS, skippered by Antonio, and FONESTAR, with James at the helm, took the top two positions in the first weekend for the ECC Trophy over a twenty five boat fleet.  With a light easterly wind on Saturday with a lot of current and a shifty 18-25 knot breeze on Sunday, the fleet was put to the test to stay out of trouble and in contention for the top five.

After a "black flag" Sunday,  which jumbled the standings considerably, the two Piris brothers, Antonio and James, dominated the regatta.  Following behind them were Alberto Padron on MABLE IV in third place and Ignacio Camino ni NEXTEL in fourth.  Champion sailor Torcida Pichu didn't have such a great weekend and managed fifth on ECC VIVIENDAS.  For more regatta information.

J/97 Race Results Update

J/97- IRC racer- cruising- sailboat- sailing upwind

The J/97 JENGA had a remarkably successful debut racing season in UK waters this year.  Congratulations are in order to Paul and Marie-Claude Heys for their wonderful performances over a broad spectrum of weather conditions that are typical in the summer sailing season in England.  As a demonstration of its remarkable diversity, the J/97 won in drifting conditions with nary a ripple in sight to gale force, blowing dogs off chains, conditions with huge breaking waves.  Here was JENGA's record for 2009:
  • 2nd in class and 27 overall out of 1779 starters, at the JPMorgan Round the Island Race
  • Winner of Black Group Overall at Cowes Week – 6 race wins
  • Overall Winner of Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta – 6 race wins
  • Winner of J-Cup – 9 race wins
  • Winner of RNLI Eastbourne Lifeboat Regatta – 4 race wins
  • Learn more about sailing the J/97

J/24 Copa de Mexico Update

J/24 sailboat- mexico- sailing one design

Wow, check this regatta out!

(Cabo, Mexico)- Jorge Castillo reports- "We are still three months away from the event and already have 52 boats with paid registration. We have crews registered from Brazil, Germany, Monaco, El Salvador, USA, Puerto Rico, Peru, Italy and Mexico! All preparations are going as expected, charter boats available are being assigned by Kenneth Porter this coming week and hotel accommodations are already posted on the website (we will send updated registration codes for discounted rates shortly). The competitor's villa has been designed to gather all participating classes; Offshore, J24, Kite surf. Optimist  and Windsurf during the two weeks of celebration. The title sponsor will be Nextel.  For more regatta information.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

J/24 Australian Championships

J/24 sailboats, one-design, offshore sailing boat

(Sandringham, Australia)- The resurgent J24 one design keelboat class, with expanding fleets in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia, will be holding its national title regatta at the stunning new $12.75m Sandringham Yacht Club from 2 to 8 January 2010. These are the first nationals to be hosted by SYC since building was completed in October 2009.  Oover 20 boats and 100+ c ompetitors are expected, including some of the finest sailors in the country. Sean Wallis, Sean Kirkjian, Doug McGain, David Suda and Hugo Ottaway will provide the competition for the most fiercely competitive Australian titles for some years. Added to these illustrious names are the all women's crew on HYPERACTIVE which last year won two heats in the same event.  First place immediately qualifies for The J/24 World Championships in Sweden, September, 2010    Learn more about the J/24 Australian Championships.

J/35 SOUNDTRACK Wins IRC 3 Off Sydney

J/35 offshore sailboat- sailing off Australia, Sydney

Father/son Team Lead CYCA Spring Series

(Sydney, Australia- Dec. 5th)-  The J/Boats are really making an impact around the Sydney racing circles in this year's 2009/2010 summer sailing season.  The J/35 SOUNDTRACK sailed and owned by Tim Cox, and sailed by his son Edward, finished first in Division 3 in the final race of the CYCA Short Ocean Pointscore Series, thereby winning the Spring Series.  Even though she is one of the older J/Boat designs, this race series proves she is still a very competitive boat.  Congratulations to Edward and his crew.

Of note-  Across the harbour at Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Tony Coleman is busy getting his J/133 EUPHORIA up to speed.  As Tony and crew  get to know the boat better, they're beginning to score firsts, seconds and thirds on IRC over the past weeks.  More news on them soon.

J/122 JACKPOT Wins IRC Sydney Series

J/122 offshore sailboat- Jackpot Winning in Australia

Entwistle's Team Takes CYCA Short Ocean Series Down to the Wire

(Sydney, Australia- Dec. 5th)- The final race of the 6 race Short Ocean Pointscore Series was held on Saturday 5th December.  It was going to be a nail biter because the first 3 yachts were tied on points for first place, so the final race would decide the winner.  The way the drops were working the J/122 JACKPOT sailed by Ray and Sandra Entwistle needed to win by 2 places to secure the series for IRC Class 1.  That was a tough call given the skill level of the competition.

The fleet awoke to a glorious Sydney summer day, about 25 degrees C, and a soft 8-10 knot E/SE breeze.   The seas outside the Sydney heads had abated, with only a slight swell remaining after the southerly from the previous night.  They were also racing for the ‘David Burke Memorial Trophy’.

With a combined fleet of 22 yachts on the start line ranging from 40 footers to 60 footers - the J/122 at 40 feet was amongst the smallest.  According to Ray,  "Our initial concern was not to be buried at the start by the larger yachts in the fleet.  We stayed back a little at the start which allowed us to come in at the committee boat end and tack into clean air.  We had a pretty clean beat to get out of the heads, and then our tactician Ian picked the wind shifts perfectly to the top mark which was about 6nm offshore. The course was windward / leewards so we popped our 155sq.m asymmetric running kite for the downwind legs, and with first-rate trimming by Hedgey we ran just as square as the symmetric rigged boats. The design work on the asymmetric kites by ‘Ian Short Sailmakers’ is excellent.   After 3 laps around the course we had maintained our lead.  The finish was a kite run/broad reach back through Sydney Harbour Heads, then a quick gybe and a reach down Sydney H arbour to the committee boat at Watson's Bay.  We just simply had a great days' sailing.  The crew worked seamlessly and our J/122 JACKPOT just revelled in the conditions. We came in 1st in IRC, and most importantly, the required 2 places ahead of our main rivals that enabled us to win the series in Division 1."

Ray's perspective on the J/122 after a season's worth of sailing is helpful for those of you considering a great all-round racer-cruising yacht- "The main thing about the J/122’s performance is her consistency.  Our worst result over the 6 race series was third, and given that the series had all types of wind conditions from 6-8 knots up to 30-35 knots, and from windward/leeward courses to 40nm return passage races, there is a lot to be said for her consistent performance.  Her accomplishments are no fluke – this is the same series in which JACKPOT finished equal first in the Australian Autumn, just after she was commissioned.  She just doesn’t have any vices."

"Special thanks to our crew – Ian, Hedgey (Glen), Darren, James, Emmy, Cassandra and Caroline for their consistent effort and skill which really made this race series a lot of fun" said Ray and Sandra Entwistle.

J/92 Wins Dubai-Muscat Race

J/92 sailboat- offshore sailing Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Matt Britton's PRIVATEER Wins Big on Arabian Gulf

(Dubai, United Arab Emirates/ Muscat- Dec 6th)- While the boys playing in the America's Cup sandbox continue throwing exploding bricks at one another, the real sailors that use real gear to sail real sailboats (like J's) were having a great time taking in the best that the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman have to offer-- interesting vistas, gorgeous water, spectacular sunset and sunrise and often times a beautiful breeze.

Matt Britton and his merry bandits from the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club walked away (some say stole) the overall Division 2 prize in the 360 nautical mile Dubai to Muscat Offshore Race.   Sailing PRIVATEER, "the old bird of the J/92 fleet i.e. Hull # 2", as Matt describes her, they set out for Muscat from the Dubai Offshore sailing club on the 26th of November.  Basically, you start in Dubai (part of the United Arab Emirates) and sail down the Arabian Gulf, turn right around the cape that forms the infamous 25 mile wide Straits of Hormuz (between Iran and the Emirates) and head down through the Gulf of Oman to Muscat.

Matt's account of their race was quite amusing: "The start was not exactly what you would call text book and being the smallest boat in class we watched the fleet disappearing over the horizon on the first night. Fickle winds and lots of sail changes lead us up to the straits of Hormus and we were pleased to hear our main rivals rush Knot checking in with the Oman coast guard as we went for “The Gap” meaning we were still in touch.  The usual course of the race is to round the top and reach or run the remaining 200 miles. Not this year ! We stayed close hauled most of the way choosing to stay offshore and declining the invitation of potential land breezes. This proved to be the decisive in staying with the breeze.  Despite sitting outside Muscat for a frustrating seven hours we pulled into Marina Bander Rowda in Muscat not only IRC Handicap winners  for division 2 but first over the water in our division-- a fleet that included a Seaquest 32, Beanteau 36.7 and a Fast 42. We also managed 4th place overall in IRC.  A Big "Thanks" to the crew Who included Matt  Britton (owner and Skipper), Ryan (sundowner) Bray, Caroline (pooh sticks) Lassen , Teagan (Pasty) Rowlands and Josie (on Deck) Walsh."

NEW Interactive J Sailing Event Calendar

To help keep you apprised of events, boat shows, seminars, regattas going on worldwide in the J/Community, we have created two very user-friendly formats on the J website to help schedule yourself, friends and crew for your future sailing plans.  We offer both the standard "calendar grid" that displays events by day, week or month and, for hosts and organizers of such J class events.  We will also offer the "table format" (coming soon) for an easy method to post and organize your events.   Please visit the new interactive J Sailing Calendar for events, seminars, regattas.

Start 2010 With The Creme de la Creme

J Sailing Calendar- the Ultimate Gift for Sailors

Give the gift they'll love for 365 days a year.  Enjoy the beautiful photos from eight wonderful sailing photographers who've captured J's  doing epic wave-jumping upwind, to blazing a frothy wake planing downwind, to enjoying tranquil moments in romantic settings.  Get yourself organized for the New Year and treat yourself, family and friends to the new 2010 J/Sailing Calendar.  Don't forget the crew, too-- we have six-pack specials for them!  Learn more about the J/Sailing Calendar.

J/97 @ Salon Nautique de Paris

J/97- Racer cruiser sailboat designed for sailing offshore

For J sailors on the Continent or the British/ Irish Isles, jump onto the fast trains and head for Paris for a fun weekend touring the magnificent Paris Sailboat Show.  J/Europe has the J/97 on display, the highly acclaimed new IRC 31 foot cruiser-racer.  The J/97 proved itself this past summer in European waters by winning its IRC class in the RORC Around Island Race, winning its IRC class in the J/Cup and winning its IRC class in Cowes Week-- quite a stellar beginning!  Learn more about the Paris Sailboat Show.

NEW J/111 Speedster Info

J/111- the Ultimate Sailboat- Racing, One-design sailing, cruising

Specs and Pricing - Dec 15th

For those of you eagerly awaiting the latest news on the J/111 project launching in late spring 2010, please be sure to contact your J/Dealers for pricing and specifications later next week.  Worldwide interest continues to grow stronger and several sailing areas are already in formative discussions about J/111 One-Design fleets.   Learn more about the J/111 One-Design Speedster

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

The J/42 EIGHT BELLS Great Adventure

J/42 cruising sailboat sailing in Mexico Dr. Paul McDonough wrote about his experience on the J/42 EIGHT BELLS cruising somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle in the Sargasso Sea.  "So, there you are sitting around on yet another woolen, gray, Sunday afternoon in New England in November.  And, as you’re thumbing through the travel section, you stumble across the full-page color glossy ad for the Willauer Cruise Line’s annual romantic passage on Eight Bells from the “Pink sand beaches of Historic St. Georges in Bermuda to the soothing tropical paradise of the Virgin Islands”.  Before you get all jiggy and succumb to the toe-tapping refrain of “ooey, ooey, baby” of Sam Cooke or Jimmy Buffet’s attitude change, which might begin to sound between your chilly ears, read on.

Having read bits of Carol’s e-mails, I said to myself “Boy, am I glad I wasn’t on that trip!”  Then, I realized, I had been and it occurred to me that both sailing and childbirth had an essential component of amnesia.  Otherwise, there would be no human race and the western hemisphere would be unfettered by marauding Eurocentric, phallocentric, christo centric, smallpox bearing interlopers, and to this day would have its indigenous peoples carrying on their traditional, quaint rituals of human sacrifice, infanticide, cannibalism and sweat lodges awaiting the end of the world on December 21, 2012, without ever having celebrated a single Thanksgiving or even seeing one episode of Monty Python. 

Every great saga of the sea from Homer, Coleridge, and Melville ends.  Some end positively, with a buoyant, uplifting, happy finish, like the iceberg that brought Harvard a new library in 1912, or Melville’s launch of the “Save the Albino Handicapped Cetacean Movement”.  Others, though, end sadly, even tragically, like the cancellation of Gilligan to reruns, after a mere 7 seasons.  Ours, too, ended.  Not, however, before the following occurred:

Let’s begin with the weather.  There was some.  In fact, there was all of it. It seems our friend, Ida, didn’t quite behave as expected, baffling and inspiring Aeolus, the other weather Gods and us.

Like most major cruise lines, the Willauer Line, which might more appropriately be named the “Don’t Stop the Carnival Cruise Line”, had a 24-hour, all-you-can-eat buffet.  It was vastly over-hyped.  The standard was set when the sommelier, Jeff, said “Drink the water and try to keep it down”, and “how do you want your saltine?”  Dinner on Tuesday was another mega-feast when we gingerly tried a peanut butter cracker.  Wednesday was the banana.

The cruise was a bit like a cross between Outward Bound, absent the Canyon Ranch pampering, food, or, for that matter, character-building and my Great (times 5) Grandfather Kunte O’Bama McDonough’s maiden voyage from the Old Country on the Middle Passage cruise on the Proto Luxury liner, Good Ship Amistad.

It was a bit like being a Turducken.  Why a Turducken, you might ask?  Well, it was like being in a washing machine on the cycle that miners use for their coal dust bibs, marinating in diesel fuel, food scraps, metal filings, fish scales, laundry which never made it to the laundry with the ingredients that gave it the title “soiled” in the first place, all sorts of girl chemicals and devices from Carol’s locker, stuffed into the belly of a mechanical bronc at Gillies in Pasadena, Texas and all put inside the mid-ship of a Trojan Horse to be left for a week in the unventilated convection oven of the 17th latitude.

There was no need for naturalist on board since over the 6 days we saw no, that is no sign of life beyond the unfortunate, soggy examples on board.  No birds, no fish, no bugs, no nothing.  Empirical confirmation of Darwin’s correctness and our position on the wrong side of the long-term survival equation.

It was a week of notable milestones during the maelstrom.  First, our trusty vessel celebrated her passage of 50,000 miles of voyaging throughout the World; although 40,000 or so of those happened since we left Bermuda.  And, second, Conor celebrated his 33rd birthday, expressing the hope that all future birthdays would be similarly festive.

It was also a week of green flashes.  A meteorological refraction version of which occurred on Thursday, but they began on Monday with Conor’s basil complexion, continuing with the split pea soup and, finally, with the multi-grain science project on Saturday. 

There was no need for a lecture in cultural anthropology on board, since we had Andrew.  There is nothing like a 20-year old, barely post-adolescent to pinpoint the lowest common denominator of conversation.  With 24 hours to work with, he was able to squeeze in more than an ample supply of 2nd grade poopy talk, egged on and aided by, fellow dude, Dr. McDonough.

Despite all the unpleasantness we had a great crew, talented experienced mariners.  Peter rose to every challenge and there were many.  Jeff and Andrew were superb sailors and companions.  When they find our notes in the bottles and the Navy Seals assault team comes, we wish no harm for our captors.  There’s a Stockholm syndrome aspect to our situation.

I don’t want to paint an overly negative portrait of our voyage.  It certainly could have been worse.  After all, we could have been out in fair weather playing golf."

J/80 Palma Otonocon Trophy

J/80  Santander Spain- sailboat, sailing, one design

(Palma, Majorca- Nov. 28)- Palma's fleet continues Otoñocon Trophy celebrating the fourth day. On Saturday 28th of November they played two more races of the championship. For the time being leading the fleet is 'Portcall' by Jose Carlos Frau, followed by 'Jose Luis Ferrer Winery' Roses Antonio about unreachable 23 points of difference. Close on the podium is 'Expresso' by Jaime Fiol and Eduardo Horrach.  For more sailing and regatta information.

J/80 MUNDIALITO CUP

J/80 Sailboat- sailng in Palma, Spain

Pichu Torcida's ECC VIVIENDAS Wins

(Santander, Spain- Nov. 29) - This trophy is hosted each year in Santander with many of Spain's best sailors invited to climb in different boats and spend a weekend with their Cantabrian friends and sailors.  This year, Pichu Torcida continued his winning ways racing ECC VIVIENDAS and winning over the twenty four boat fleet.  His VIP "luxury guest" was Malaga Mainemare Vivi and rounding out his crew were Alex Muscat, Pure Ruigómez and Charly Martinez.

The weekend of racing started out with a postponement on Saturday as winds were gusting upwards of forty knots.  On Sunday morning, the sailors enjoyed a beautiful day, with two closely contested races, especially between ECC VIVIENDAS and MAGNIFYING GLASS. The winds were very shifty and puffy and, along with high tide, permitted the boats to play the shores and the beaches for tactical and strategic advantage.

While ECC VIVIENDAS won, Cesar Obregon and David Marazo sailed to a regatta-winning combination of 1-2 on Sunday but were disqualified for inadvertently touching the mark with their boom.  Of note were some good performances from the "guest" sailors.  YATES & THINGS, with Toño Piris at the helm and Vicente Tirado as a guest had a 4-11.   PROPERNOR led one race with current World Junior Champions  Tara Pacheco and Berta Betanzos on board.

After ECC VIVIENDAS in second place was  SPACE 10 sailed by Chuny Bermudez de Castro.  And, in third overall on the podium was FUNDESTIC sailed by Antonio Gorostegui.  For more sailing and regatta information

Windy, Stormy Garmin Hamble Winter Series

Garmin Hamble Winter Series- J/122 Sailboat, Sailing, Upwind

J/109, J/105 and J/80 Fleets Thrashed in Squalls

(Solent, Hamble, England)- Driving rain and vicious squalls marked the final day of the 2009 Garmin Hamble Winter Series on November 29, and with around 25% of retirees it was clearly a demanding day. A rapidly changing low pressure system had made for a tough early morning call, and with both Black and White Fleets cleared for racing in what initially seemed acceptable conditions, it soon became clear that the sports boats could not race safely in the increasing gusts.

For the Black Fleet, the committee laid a start line near Fastnet Insurance buoy and two separate courses were set for the seven IRC and one-design classes. With a wind direction of 200 degrees and a west-going tide the DAKS race buoy was chosen as the first windward mark for all classes.

The J/105 class had a short course finishing at Air Canada. Visibility was changing constantly as each rain squall hit the fleet, and but for some spectacular broaches and spinnaker failures the day was a testament to the good seamanship displayed throughout this competitive series. Even if some were hating the conditions, there were others who called up the race committee with thanks for a great day out as they crossed the finish line. With seven races completed in the Black Fleet series, one race result could be discarded. Overall results in the J/105 fleet: Paul Griffiths on Fay-J is first with 11 points, followed by Simon Curwen on Voador (14) and Chris Jones on Journeymaker 5 (15).

The J/109 class saw class leaders David and Kirsty Apthorp win in J-DREAM with six points followed by Luca Rubinelli in ARIA with fifteen points and OUTRAJEOUS sailed by Richard and Valerie Griffith in third with seventeen.

The J/80s had some spectacular sailing with some wildly planing legs.  The survivors amongst that group included John Cooper sailing well to win on OI! with nineteen points.  Ian Atkins hung in there for second place onboard BOATS.COM with thirty one points and coming in third was Thor Askeland racing ELLE SAPPELLE.  Photo Credits- Paul Wyeth/ PW Pictures    For more sailing and regatta information

Give The Gift That Lasts All Year!

J/Sailing Calendar 2010- J Sailboats, J Sailing Wall Calendar

The new 2010 J/Sailing Calendar will bring enjoyment and inspiration to your friends and family.  It's a beautiful and useful calendar for sailors who love and appreciate the ultimate joys of sailing a J in some of the most spectacular harbors and waters of the world. Whether you are a cruising, competitive or armchair sailor, the stunning photographs will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in far away places- from thrilling rides surfing downwind in the Pacific to tranquil, romantic, sunset anchorages off St. Tropez.  For those who love the sailing lifestyle, it's the ultimate gift for your family and friends.  Learn more about the J/Sailing Calendar