Sunday, December 25, 2011

Happy Holidays- The J/Team- December 25th, 2011

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes in New Year from J/Boats

The J/Team

Al, Bob, Drake, Jeff, Kendra,

Laura, Paul, Peter, Phil, Rod and Stuart

J/70 Speedster- Sailboats Made In America!

"Made In America"
The J/70 speedster tooling has arrived in America. The J/70 will be made in America for the North American marketplace.  2012 production begins early 2012 with two sets of molds to meet the unprecedented demand for the new "baby J". The J/70 "twins" will be hatched in early Spring on Narragansett Bay off Newport. Contact your J/Dealer for all the details.





J/70 Speedster- Made In Europe in France


"Made in Europe"
J/70 tooling will be heading Trans-Atlantic in the New Year and production will commence in France at J Composite late spring with first deliveries anticipated mid-summer (July) in time for the fall boatshows.







Wednesday, December 21, 2011

J/70 Speedster Excitement Growing!

J70 one-design speedster- the sailboat for sailing enthusiasts (Newport, RI)- In the next few weeks, several announcements will be forthcoming that will simply knock those cozy holiday socks off your collective feet! 

The J/70 train is starting to build up steam, in fact with so much momentum building, it's a possibility the J/70 may eclipse any known sales records for the introduction of a new "J" class in history.

Watch this space next week.  The first announcement coming within a fortnight will have an enormous impact on American J/70 fleet development and with a commensurate impact on European J/70 class development, too.   For more J/70 sailboat information

J/80 Coupe de France- A Vintage Year

J/80 France- Interface Concept sailing in Worlds INTERFACE CONCEPT Wins, Three Women's Teams in Top Ten!
(Paris, France)- It was truly a vintage year for the J/80 class in France.  Strong turnouts at all major events.  And, the total number of French teams participating in this year's Coupe de France J/80 exceeded all expectations- 189 boats sailed, up 17% from 2010!  That's a remarkable performance given the economic and political times we live in today.  To provide you some context, the International J/80 is by far the largest European circuit of one-design keelboats- larger than all other sportboats combined!  And, it is the only national one-design keelboat circuit that has women's teams competing at the highest level of sailing in the sport- women's boats took three of the top ten in this year's circuit!

J/80 Ecole Navale sailing in Coupe de France 2011The 2011 Coupe de France included the following eight events:  Spi OUEST France, Valle des Fous Regatta, Grand Prix Ecole Navale Regatta, Grand Prix Crouesty, Deauville Open J/80, Pornic J/Cup, Telegramme Lorient Regatta and Nationals St Cast.

After sailing in a wide variety of weather conditions in a broad and spectacular array of sailing locations, the creme'd'la'creme of French J/80 sailors would surely rise to the top of the standings.  It takes talented teams that can weather the good, the bad and the ugly in terms of starts, mark roundings, wind shifts, currents, boat-to-boat tactics to do well in these types of series.

At the end of it all, Eric Brezellec sailing INTERFACE CONCEPT 2 proved his fantastic performance in this year's J/80 Worlds in Copenhagen, Denmark was no fluke.  Eric's team has been sailing consistently and it's clear the French J/80 sailing teams, in general, have stepped up their game to a world-class level.  Perhaps the motivation of a J/80 Worlds in Weymouth, England and the next worlds in France are helping the teams sail faster and smarter!  Nevertheless, congratulations are due to Eric's IC2 team winning and the rest of the top ten players:

J/80 fleet sailing off French coast2. CN ST CAST GRAND OUEST ETIQUETTES- Maxime Rousseau- 1st women's team
3. J'ILE DE RE- Christine Briand- 2nd women's team
4. VOILERIE ALL'PURPOSE- Sylvain Pellissier
5. ECOLE NAVALE CG29- Patrick Bot
6. CHARLY- Pierre Metais
7. INTERFACE CONCEPT- Jean-Charles Moriceau
8. GAN'JA- Luc Nadal
9. MARINE LORIENT TRI-UGENT- Gwénolé Bernard- 3rd women's team
10. BABY J- Jean-François Guionet

For more Coupe de France J/80 sailing information

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

ECC VIVIENDAS Wins "El Mundialito"

J/80 one-design sailboat- sailing off Santander, Spain BANCAJA and GO FIT Complete the Podium
(Santander, Spain)- This year's "Mini-Worlds" (as El Mundialito refers to) held each fall in Santander, Spain almost always seems to live up to its billing, hosted by Federacion Cantabra de Vela.  It is an event that attracts some of the top one-design/ keelboat talent in all of Spain.  Who can argue with the turnout, thirty-one J/80s and about 140 crew, with some of Spain's best sailors in the mix-- J/80 World Champions, TP52 Champions, Olympic Champions and friends of the Martinez's (one of them, Iker Martinez, is now racing the Volvo 70 TELEFONICA in the Volvo Race), amongst others.

This year, Cantabria hosted a new edition of its traditional 'Mundialito' fleet that has been hosted for the last six years in the J/80 class- one of the the largest and highest quality International One-Design keelboats fleets worldwide. Top sailors are invited as "guests" to participate as both skippers and crew with the J/80 owners.  Two races were held on Saturday in the interior bay of Santander with a Northeast wind between 8 and 10 knots, sadly no racing on Sunday for this fun-loving, highly competitive bunch of sailors due to no wind.  Perhaps a good thing since Saturday night many sailors had fun to dawn on Sunday?  It is the way the Spanish play, love the sailing, dinner and dancing late, wake up late and do it again-- so far, so good, a few J/80 Worlds title holders from Spain attest to the fact their formula works!

This year, the winner of the competition was Pichu Torcida's familiar ECC VIVIENDAS, sailing with "guest sailor" Ariane Mainemare Malaga.  It was hard for the other teams to match their speed and cleverness, posting a 1-2 to once again be "the best on the bay"!  Just behind them in second was BANCAJA, sailed by Javier Lopez-Vazquez, Alvaro Alfonso Madrid Mazarrasa and Colon de Carvajal, which also had a fantastic weekend with a 2-3 record. Behind them, it was a hard-fought contest for third place.  In the end, GO FIT sailed by David Madrazo and Ignacio Triay combined forces, with Triay skippering to a 6-4 snatched the third spot on the podium.  That's an awesome performance for Triay along with another famous shipmate, Ignacio Postigo (creator of the Cantabrian MedCup TP52 Circuit).  This trio beat out the current J/80 World Champion on a tie-breaker, Ignacio Camino on NEXTEL ENGINEERING. Camino and friend Armando Gutierrez sailed to a 5-5, but had to be content with fourth place finish.  Just off the pace and sailing well was RAITA sailed by Rafa and Jesus Gonzalez Maliach Colvee, with Canarian tactician Susana Romero called the shots, their 4-9 securing them fourth place. Another regatta favorite, the CROCS TEAM sailed by Javier Aguado of Menorca (2nd in Copa del Rey) and Laureano Wizner, finally took 6th place after sailing to a 9-6.

Yet another fixture in "El Mundialito", Jaime Rodriguez-Toubes, accompanied by good friend Toño Piris on YATES & COSAS,  finished a creditable seventh. The FONESTAR Team with Jaime Borras at the helm took the honor of winning the second race from start to finish to finish in eighth position. Ninth was MAQUECHE sailed by Rafael Pascual Alfonso Esposito, who had as sailing guest Javier Polanco.  Rounding out the Top Ten was LOUPE sailed by Alberto Padron and Cesar Obregon.

It is important to mention the presence of Galician Malal Bermúdez de Castro sailing aboard SOLVENTIS, which was third in the first race but boomed the second race to finish 11th overall.  Also,  Italian J/80 Champion Max Rama finished in the middle of the fleet in his first major test against to top Spanish teams in their home waters, not bad!  The defending champion, SOLUCIONES CINQUA, sailed by Alejandro Diaz was not so lucky and ended up in the middle of the fleet, too.  Many other top sailors and Spanish champions were sailing, however, "El Mundialito" is a weekend designed to bring together representatives of the top offshore and one-design fleets in Spain-- the end result is not important, and indeed there is no award.  Nevertheless, the sailors love having fun and competing at the highest level in the world.  The success of the event is due to the enthusiasm and generosity of the owners of the J/80 fleet at the Real Club Marítimo de Santander.  An extraordinary event, a model for other top sailing clubs and countries to follow as they introduce more people to the sport of sailing.   For more J/80 Mundialito Regatta sailing information

French Team Wins J/22 Euro League

J/22 one-design sailboat- sailing Europe A Vintage Year for European J/22s
(Paris, France)- The International J/22 class enjoys a "boutique" class of events throughout Europe during the course of every summer.  With fleets in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Italy, the J/22 sailors have a broad range of experiences available to them for sailing every summer-- they sure have fun sailing on a lot of Europe's more picturesque lakes and bays.

Over the past few years, the J/22s created their version of what the J/80s have enjoyed in France (their Coupe de France) by conducting their J/22 "Euro League", counting a number of regattas towards the overall count.  The Euro League consists of the following four events- the Championnat de France, EC Travemunde Woche, the German Masters Championship and the Delta Lloyd J/22 Championships.  This year had a record turnout of forty-eight participants in the League.

J/22 Happy Holidays from Germany J/22 Class!This year's winner of the J/22 Euro League was, for the first time, the French team on J/22 #1444 sailed by Reinier Brockerhoff.  Congratulations to Reinier's team!  That is quite an awesome accomplishment for the French J/22 fleet. Perhaps this is indicative of the strengthened training program for some French J/22 teams preparing for their J/22 Worlds in June 2012 held in Crouesty, France.  Good news for French sailors, but watch out for the Dutch, Germans, South Africans and American J/22 teams!

The balance of the leaderboard for the J/22 Euro League includes Rheinhold Gross sailing GER 1513 in second, a great showing for one of the top German teams.  The third position Ronald Veraar's NED 1450, the top Dutch team.  Fourth was Woulter Kollman on NED 1591 and fifth was Ivo Kok on NED 1600.  For more French J/22 sailing information.

J/22s Getting Busy Sailing In South Africa!

J/22 one-design sailboat- sailing in South Africa (Capetown, South Africa)- The 2011 sailing season was a very busy and active one for the J/22 class in South Africa.  Like their J/Sailing comrades in J/22s and J/80s in Europe, this was also a "vintage year" for the J/22s racing in some of South Africa's most spectacular sailing venues- lakes, oceans, bays.

The four main regattas held each year are the J/22 Nationals, Mpumalanga Championship, Northwest Championships and Interclub Youth Championships.  Here are the reports from each event.

J/22 one-design sailboat- sailing off South African coastAmtec J/22 Nationals
The Nationals officially opened at a cocktail party hosted by the sponsor Amtec where Mike Hayton drew the winner of the new Amtec branded main sail won by Werner Hautmann on MOONSHADOW. Dave Rushton, having arrived from Durban announced that racing would begin at 0900 the following day, and those having sailed with Dave as the Race Officer knew he would be ready to start at 9 sharp if the winds were in his favour. The wind was in his favour so it was all systems go in wind of 18 knots for 5 slick and well run races.

J/22 South Africa- Hakahana sailing regattaHAKAHANA now skippered by Ewald Sternagel, crew Steven and Donavan Kruger set the pace from the start always in sight of the top positions. Their worst results were a 6th, 8th and 9th so with 2 discards this made them the boat to watch. AFTER DARK sailed by Jessica Lenz and her crew of Lara Wood and Herbie Karolis were placed 2nd in the first race and continued to be seen in the top finishers with a final place of 7th.  CELL C had only 2 “bad days at the office” during the whole regatta in the 8th and 13th race finishing 21, races they would probably rather forget.  US'N'J had a good first day racing with 2 firsts, their worst result being an 8th that day. VOODOO, the PYC entry skippered by Luke Wagner, crew J George and Siya Vato took their first in the 4th race. Paul Thompson (who became synonymous with his scarf) on ALPHA ROMEO managed a 1st and two 3rd’s his worst result being a 15th for the day. Tired and wind swept, some more than others, all 24 boats were very happy to head for home in the late afternoon to enjoy some liquid refreshments!

J/22 Alfa Romeo sailing on South African lake regattaThursday saw another early start with great races in good winds. The results made it evident that any one of the top 6 boats could be a winner depending on what transpired in the two remaining days. Dave Rushton pushed the races as the forecast was that the winds would decrease with little or nothing forecast for Saturday. The close and competitive racing heard several shouts, of varying degrees of insistence and volume, for water, starboard boat, windward boat keep clear and all the other regularly used terms used in similar circumstances. The protest committee dealt with the infringements quickly and efficiently but this still did not show a clear cut winner.

Friday racing was just as hard and competitive with the anticipation of no sailing on Saturday due to the weather forecast. Remarkably, just one more race was squeezed in by the Race Officer.

It was great to see PAGURO back on the water with Dirk Manten, Dylan Emmett and JJ van Niekerk who finished 4th overall. Local knowledge was a much debated advantage but the local J/22 LAUGH A MINUTE finished in 6th place. All the junior sailors showed their commitment and determination to make their presence known. It was great to see the juniors Oliver Cribb on JAY WALKER, Alice Martin on JAY BEE, Jolene Tofts on BLUE JAY and JABBERWOCKY sailed by the locals Steffan Botha, Donovan Martinson and Devan Mathews on the water. These are our J/22 champions of the future.

With a total of 14 races with two discards the deserved winner was HAKAHANA (4 wins, three 2nds) skippered by Ewald Sternagel crew Steve and Donovan Kruger.  Second was Graham Baker on US'N'J with Sean and Barry Gurnell, third on the podium was Richard Wiederholdt with Greg Plunkett and Rob Edwards.  Our sincere thanks to all the Witbank Aquatic Club and the dedicated team who worked all hours of the day and night to make it the event it was.  Mike Hayton of Amtec without whose sponsorship and love of sailing made it a regatta never to be forgotten and hard to beat.

J/22 sailboats- sailing under spinnaker in South AfricaMpumalunga Championships
From 10h00 on Easter Friday the grounds of Witbank Yacht & Aquatic Club became a hive of activity in preparation for the Amtec J22 Mpumalanga Provincial Championships.  Life was made easier for the registration team as most of the information had been collected prior to the event.  Witbank Yacht Club had pulled out all the stops with the facilities and infrastructure ensuring a well run and organised event.  With boats and crew prepared, the winners of the Amtec sponsored spinnaker, the team on PAGURO IV, knew that their chances had just improved.

The first race on Saturday started with winds of 8-10 knots, an organised RC had a course laid and a prompt start for the fleet of 21 J/22's commenced at 11h00. No one boat held the first place consecutively as the competition was close and fierce. In the first three races a maximum of 8 minutes separated the first and last boats. A quick turnaround between races ensured that a total of 6 races were completed.

J/22 baby blue sailing in South African regattaThe Durban entry, VOODOO skippered by Luke Wagner and crewed by Jean and Siya showed they were a team to be reckoned with achieving two firsts, two seconds, a third and a fourth. The steady wind which calmed slightly after three races did nothing to deter the boat skippered and crewed by the Youth team. They were as competitive as their experienced senior counterparts as proved by Donovan Kruger on HAKAHANA rounding the mark first in the 6th race and ultimately finishing 7th. As the sound signals for the 6th race were heard there were some tired bodies but the focus was ever present with five minutes separating the first and last boat.

Sunday saw a lighter breeze but four evenly matched races completed the regatta on 10 total races! Prize-giving acknowledged Donavan Kruger, with his team of Jared, Steven Kruger and Justin Botha being the first placed Youth skipper. Third place saw US'N'J skippered by Graham Baker with Barry and Shaun Gurnell with 28 points, second VOODOO with Luke and his team with 25 points and first place to Richard Weiderholdt on CELL C with his team of Greg Plunkett and Rob Edwards on 18 points. Special thanks went to Mike Hayton of Amtec for his sponsorship, time and effort as well as all Witbank Yacht Club ensuring a fantastic regatta was held by all.

J/22 South Africa Youth Sailing teamsInterClub Youth Championships
The Aruba Networks 2011 J/22 Interclub Youth Championship was well-attended with nine teams all sailing an incredibly competitive regatta, sailing seven races with one discard.

At the end, it was hard to hold back the HAKAHANA team from TYC, sailed by Oliver Cribb, Riccardo Suttner-Scalco and Rudi van Velzen.  Their record of 1-3-1-1-3-1-5 for a net of 10 pts was hard to beat.  Behind Oliver and crew it was a tight battle for 2nd and 3rd, with three boats all in a virtual tie for second.  Winning the tie-breaker and finishing second was Megan Eccleston skippering JOKER TOO with her crew of Jacob Bester, Zak Bester and Tyrone Smith to a 3-4-2-7-6-3-1 record for 19 pts.  Third was Donovan Kruger on US'N'J sailing with crew Jared Kuger, Alex Nicolakos and Jolene Tolfs to a 2-2-3-4-2-9-6 record for 19 pts.   Watch out for these teams in the future, they're sailing fast and furious and know how to get a J/22 around the course smartly.  Perhaps some of them may sail in the J/22 Worlds in Crouesty, France next year?

J/22 sailboat- sailing upwind in South AfricaNW Championships
The TYC's NW Champs saw an excellent field of twenty entries sailing in both Gold and Silver Fleets.  All four race sailed were scored as counters for the regatta, no toss races.

It seemed that Team HAKAHANA were on a roll as Donovan Kruger's team managed to win this regatta with three 1sts and a 6th!  Second was John Bruckman's LAUGH A MINUTE with a 3-2-3-3 for 11 pts.  Third was Graham Baker's US'N'J with a 1-3-14-2 for 20 pts, they were feeling the pain of an OCS in the third race-- otherwise they'd been in the running to win against their buddies sailing HAKAHANA!  For more South African sailing information.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

JJ PALMENSIS Lanzarote Island Cup J/80 Champion!

J/80 one-design sailboat- sailing off Lanzarote, Canary Islands (Lanzarote, Canary Islands)- For a fleet of twenty-five boats, it's hard to beat some of the world's best J/80 sailors in the windy, wavy conditions you often see for even the evening beer can racing off the Canaries.  Blessed with "super San Francisco" conditions- 15-30 knots, sunny, clear azure blue waters, it's hard not to like racing in these conditions, especially planing off the wind in clouds of spray.

Gustavo Martinez and team on JJ PALMENSIS found the racing and the conditions very much to their liking, they're proclaimed Champions and Kings of the J/80 World in the Canary Islands! They worked hard to earn the top of the podium over three weekends of sailing, ultimately, beating out past J/80 World Champion Rayco Tabares sailing the famous GRAND HOTEL ISLAS CANARIAS.   For more Lanzarote Island Cup sailing information.

J/92 MOJITO Lighting It Up in Hong Kong!

J/92s offshore sailboat- sailing in Hong Kong, China regatta (Hebe Haven YC, Hong Kong, China)-  The sailing reports from some of our J Sailors from across the world are always an entertaining, fun read.  Recently, Simon Blore sailed his J/92s MOJITO in the eight race Hebe Haven YC Winter Series from late October to early December.  Here's Simon's report:

"Rating at 0.994, the J/92S MOJITO was the lowest rated (slowest) boat in the IRC division, up against its main rival the X35 Vixen, plus a new lightweight GP26, with a rating at 1.053. At various times the Millennium 45 Surfdude joined the fray, as did the Holland 38 RB and King 40 Blondie. Recognizing the need for a bit more light air power, MOJITO added a larger light air #1 North 3DL sail in to their inventory in the autumn, with a new #2 3Di also included, to take over the headsail duties from 10 kts and above.

J/92 sailing downwind off Hong Kong waterfront in ChinaThe light air #1 was used for all of the first 6 races, with winds rarely much above 10 kts, but the new grunt provided by the specialist light air jib allowed some improved performances, and top 3 finishes to put MOJITO one point ahead of the light air specialist boat the X35 with two final races remaining.

On the final day it was still all to play for, and with Vixen only a point behind, the X35 looked in supreme form pre-race with a good spinnaker run in 17-20 kts of breeze, meanwhile we were struggling to get our no3 headsail to work, and only just had our no2 ready for the start sequence.

In the race proper though, MOJITO was honking along in the strong winds with the new 3Di, and on the first run, Vixen unravelled with a botched gybe and a trapped kite making them retire, meanwhile the J/92S sailed a bit more conservatively with the smaller A2 kite to post a strong time.

In Race 2, again the pressure was on the X35, and with gusts regularly in the mid 20's, MOJITO was matching Vixen's pace upwind and down, and eventually on the second run, another bad gybe by Vixen saw her dropping her kite again, and MOJITO came through to just beat her on the line, and take the handicap win with ease. Also out on the final day was the new McConaghy 38 Tornado 2, with the factory works team, and this boat (rating at 1.260) lit up the race course with impressive pace, but at the final prize-giving, the little J92S crew were delighted to record two victories over the Mc38, and post a 1 and a 2 for the day, and so seal the series win by 4 pts!"

GO FIT Leads J/80 Trofeo IMPREDIGITAL

J/80 Go Fit sailing off Spain (Santander, Spain)- The Federacion Cantabra de Vela hosted the Trofeo IMPREDIGITAL for a big fleet of 27 J/80s with over 100 sailors on the starting line-- an excellent turnout for this event.  The racing was marred by some controversy as five of the top ten boats were disqualified for OCS violations.  Nevertheless, for most of the fleet is was a great day of sailing.

The wind started out of the West and kept veering to the Southwest in an oscillating-persistent wind shift, making for challenging, tactical racing.  Furthermore, with a strong adverse current whistling down the shoreline, it was also important to short-tack the beach to gain tactical advantage on the boats around you.  The racing started near the beach of Magdalena and the windward mark was near FCV yacht club.

In the end, GO FIT sailed by David Madrazo won, followed in 2nd by Tonio Piris sailing YATES & COSAS, 3rd was Jesus Amaliach on RAITA, 4th Luis Arrarte on ROGUE and 5th Pichu Torcida on ECC VIVIENDAS.   For more Trofeo ImpreDigital sailing information

Friday, December 16, 2011

JING JING King's Cup Update

J/130 JING JING sailing Kings Cup off Kata Beach Resort, Phuket, Thailand (Kata Beach, Phuket, Thailand)- 2011 was the 25th anniversary of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. The event attracted the largest fleet in the competition’s history with 91 keelboats and over a thousand sailors from 33 countries across the globe. Conditions have been good for much of the week, and comments centered on the enjoyable racing and spectacular beach-side parties each evening.

While the regatta proved challenging for them against a fleet of relatively new IRC 40 footers, Rick Pointon's team on the J/130 JING JING from Hong Kong, China hung in the top ten and got in some great racing, even managing a fourth in one of them.  In the end, the more professional teams prevailed while the corinthian sailors had an enjoyable time in the spectacular sailing conditions-- a far cry from last year's storms, rain, wind, waves that saw some wreckage on the beaches in front of the gorgeous Kata Beach Club Resort. Rick is hoping a few more J Sailors join him for next year's event!   Sailing photo credits- Guy Nowell.   For more Phuket King's Cup Regatta sailing information.

Happy Holidays- Help Introduce Sailing to Friends!

J/22 one-design sailboat- sailing off SailNewport* HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  HAPPY SAILING?  Why not?  Help Introduce Sailing to Friends and Colleagues- Now is as good a time as ever to Consider a gift to your local sailing community or yacht club programs.  Here in Newport, we give as much support as we can to SailNewport- renowned not just for hosting regattas for the America's Cup World Series in the AC45 cats next June, but hosting regattas for kids in Optis, 420s, Vanguard 15s and adult evening sailing in J/22s.  It is a "community sailing" program open to all.

For example, gifts from fellow sailors and friends who support public access to sailing provide vital funding source for Sail Newport. You can continue to provide sailing opportunities for all ages and skill levels and help chart the course of the future for the sport of sailing.  Learn more and donate online.

SailNewport youth sailing programDoes someone you know want to learn to sail, or, learn to sail better? Give a gift that will inspire, teach and provide a healthy sport! We have gift certificates available for memberships, sailing lessons and rentals for those who already know how to sail. For information on sailing certificates.

For those J Sailors from across the Americas and other parts of the world, consider doing something similar for your local community sailing programs (or yacht club/ sailing club programs who have similar offerings)!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

The Perfect Gift For People Who Love Sailing!

J-Sailing Calendar 2012NEW 2012 J/Calendar (Newport, RI)- For 2012 we've created another beautiful calendar for J sailors who love the joys of sailing a J in some of the most spectacular harbors and waters of the world.  Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will  transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in far away places. Enjoy the color and excitement of J sailing with these gorgeous photos. The J/Sailing Calendar features photos of a J/44 powering upwind off Key West, a flying J/24 on the Chesapeake, J/125s dueling on San Francisco Bay, surrealistic scenes of J/80s off the Cantabrian and Brittany Coasts, a J/120 and J/95 playing in the azure waters of the Caribbean and J/105s parading past Alcatraz in a pastel of colors.  A great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew!  See the 2012 J/Calendar and order now.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Texas Team SAIL Best Around Buoys Winners!

J/22 SAIL Best Around Buoys Winners- Glaze/Scott (Boston, MA)- A Texas-based crew, comprised of Ryan & Jana Glaze and brothers Max & Jake Scott, sailing J/22s, Vanguard 15s and Melges 24s from Rush Creek YC in Dallas, Texas won SAIL’s 2nd annual Best Around the Buoys (BAB) competition, earning them free entry in the J/80 class at Quantum Key West Race Week 2012, January 15-20.

The Glazes and Scotts beat out approximately 80 other entries based on their one-design record in 2011.  Among other successes, the team took 12th in the recent 2011 J/22 Worlds on FAST LANE held at Southern YC in New Orleans, LA against 64 boats (even winning a race!).  On a regional/national basis, the Glaze's took first in the Vanguard 15 class in the Galveston Bay Championship Regatta and 8th out of 30 at the Vanguard 15 North American Championships.  On a local Dallas fleet level sailing on Lake Ray Hubbard, the Glaze/Scott team took first in the Melges 24 Black Tie Regatta and RCYC's Fleet Championship.

SAIL Best Around BuoysRyan first got into sailing at the age of 8, when his father decided to buy a Catalina 27 for his 40th birthday. He and the Scott brothers all grew up together on Lake Ray Hubbard and have sailed together on everything from Optis to Laser 2s, J/22s and a J/105.

“Max, Jake and I have special bond. Not only did we grow up sailing together, we grew up doing everything together--- from playing football or basketball in the driveway as kids [to being] groomsmen in each others weddings,” Ryan says. “We all love to race sailboats, and we love racing with each other even more.”

Ryan describes Quantum Key West Race Week as a “bucket list regatta” he’s long been interested in. “Beautiful location, great atmosphere and even better competition: it says something about an event when a boat owner sets his build schedule for a custom racer based on getting there in time for Key West Race Week, or teams pull together their resources in order to be a part of it year after year.”

As the winning crew of this year’s BAB contest, the Texas crew will receive free use of a J/80 from J/Boats with a new set of canvas from North Sails. Harken will outfit the crew in full racing kit, while Quantum Key West Organizer Premier Racing will provide accommodations and waive all entrance fees. Additional support will be provided by US Sailing. In 2011, the Cleveland-based crew of the J/105 IT! took first place in their division racing the J/111 KONTIKI V in the inaugural SAIL BAB competition, so the pressure is on!

J/111 JAKE Thunders Down Under!

J/111 JAKE sailing off Sydney, Australia (Sydney, Australia)- The Australian J/111 JAKE owned by Ray & Sandra Entwistle has been busy competing in two offshore series since her launch at the Sydney International Boat Show in July.  The Short Offshore Pointscore Series is 7 race windward/leeward series held just off Sydney Harbour Heads.  The Ocean Pointscore series is a 6 race series of passage races north out of Sydney Harbour towards Pittwater and south towards Botany Bay and Cronulla of around 50nm.  Here's Ray's report about the thunder they're generating Down Under:

"The J/111 is one of the smallest boats in these highly competitive IRC Division 1 Sydney fleets.  The two fleets in the two events have included boats from Beneteau First 40s, 45s, 47.7s,  Cookson 12s, DK 43s, one off 50 footers, Corby 49, Transpac 52s, Kerr 40, Sydney Kerr 43, Swan 60, to name a few.  A Volvo 60 even joined in the fun for few races.

J/111 JAKE sailing downwind off Sydney, AustraliaThe weather was a real mix from drifters to over 30 knots, clear sunny days to complete fog "white-outs", but the J/111 showed no vices in any wind or sea state. She just reveled right through the range often beating much larger boats on the beat and on the water. Off wind she is an absolute dream and we have seen speeds of over 18 knots.

Bang for buck the J/111 has really gone head to head with much more expensive programs. She has proven beyond doubt this new 36 footer can mix it up with highly professional crewed boats. The crew and many visitors have complimented how easy she is to sail, and really enjoy that adrenalin rush that is missing from so many models these days.  The J/111 really responds to every tweak and change in trim.

JAKE finished 2nd on IRC in both series.  We know we still have a bit more to learn about her, and can’t wait for the next series to start so we can work to claim first prize."  For more J/111 sailboat information.

INVICTUS Wins J/80 Hong Kong Nationals

J/80 Hong Kong sailboat fleet- sailing off Royal Hong Kong YC (Middle Island, Hong Kong, China)- The J/80 class in Hong Kong were treated to "chamber of commerce" conditions-- sun and gorgeous 12-15 kt Easterlies- for the first J/80 Hong Kong Class Championship.  Hosted by the gracious Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, the highly competitive fifteen boat fleet were treated to some great racing over the first weekend in November sailing in the waters off Lamma Island.

The regular fleet racers we're pleasantly surprised to see three bullets of the four-race first day go to Tristan Stewart on JAVELIN, they were sailing in only their second regatta outing with the J/80 - well done guys! Other notable results for the day was a 1 and a 2 for Peter Backe on INVICTUS, a 2 in the first race for Rob Tanner on his new boat EPEKWIT'K and a third for Lucinda Ho on MOZZIE.

J/80 one-design sailboat- sailing Hong Kong ChampionshipFrom the dock, Sunday looked very soft at first but the forecast held and the fleet enjoyed a building breeze throughout the day. After two general recalls in the first race, the RHKYC's PRO sent up the black flag and, not surprisingly, the sailors held back and saw a much more conservative start.  Louie Perfectua in JELIK 7 took the first race, with Andrew Moore & Lionel Welch on TIGRINA in second.  JELIK 6, helmed by Rafael Buitre took third.

With the whole fleet suitably warmed up there were some very crowded mark roundings and finishes for the rest of the day. Race 6 was especially close at the first top mark with the majority of the fleet approaching on port lay and plenty of slaloming to avoid boats already around the mark with kites on their way up or made.  Peter Backe on INVICTUS won race 6 and 8, and Tristan Stewart on JAVELIN was back on form to take the bullet in Race 7.

At the end of the day, "Congratulations" are on order to Peter and his crew on INVICTUS for the overall win, Louie on JELIK 7 in second, and Tristan on JAVELIN for third.  Sailing Photo Credits- Ris Sattinasiri Wood   Full results: http://www.rhkyc.org.hk/J80Results.aspx   J/80 Hong Kong Class Association: http://www.facebook.com/J80HKG

J/120 CARINTHIA Wins Epic Wirth Munroe Race!

J/120 sailboats- offshore racer cruiser sailing boats at Palm Beach, FL (Palm Beach, Florida)- This year's fleet in the annual Wirth Munroe Memorial Fort Lauderdale to Palm Beach Yacht Race got a bit more than they bargained for.  To say the least, race conditions were challenging, with 20+ knot ENE winds gusting to 30 knots and sea conditions considered “sporty” as the northbound Gulf Stream built waves to 8-12 feet, many with breaking wave-tops.  For some of the modern ocean-racing machines (TP 52s and similar stuff), it was a bit too much as once the fleet got out of the southbound "flat water" just off Fort Lauderdale and they hit the current wall (a.k.a. "the conveyor belt") only a few miles offshore, the wave conditions made even the hardiest of San Francisco Bay or Solent sailors stand up and take notice-- these were ginormous, vertical-walled waves that often broke across the bows and down the deck in a wall of water, doing their best to wash crews down the deck and over the side.  Epic conditions, indeed! But also scarily spectacular.  The northbound Gulf Stream running 2-4 nm offshore was screaming, making the water look like a monstrous washing machine. As a result, several competitors abandoned racing and arrived at Palm Beach's Lake Worth Inlet under power, although no one reported injuries or damage.

Reveling in the tough conditions were the tough hombres from Lake St Clair, Michigan, all experienced Mackinac Race veterans who've seen far worse stuff than what the Stream was throwing at them.  Frank Kern's cracker-jack team aboard his J/120 CARINTHIA smashed through the massive waves and proceed to take 1st overall in PHRF Division on corrected time, taking the Sailfish Club/ Cruising Club of America's silverware back to Detroit for safe-keeping!  Just behind them in third place was David Bond's well-sailed offshore team aboard the J/105 LOKI and finishing a respectable fourth was Bob Kirkman's J/120 HOT TICKET.

In the IRC Class, Jim Bishop’s J/44 WHITE GOLD also cleaned out the trophy shelves at the Sailfish YC, taking the "First CCA Yacht to finish" and "First Sailfish Club Yacht to finish".  

Here's some commentary from Frank's CARINTHIA blog on the race- "Carinthia has done this race now a number of years so it was very close to the conditions we have seen before. As part of the southern circuit Hot Ticket again joined us for the "race to the buffet". She was late getting to the start for which was explained to us later.

Fort Lauderdale bridgeApparently a crew member who was late delivering a sail caused HT to miss the 9am opening of the Fort Lauderdale 17th street bridge to reach the Atlantic Ocean. After much discussion the decision was made that they would be able to clear it.  Except a scary moment occurred when the radio antenna on top of the mast scraped the bottom of the bridge and navigation lights on the spans in spite everyone sitting on the end of the boom to tilt her.

To make things worse after arriving in the starting area their #3 genoa went up incorrectly and had to be taken down minutes before the start. With all that distractions we were the first boat to the ocean side of the line at the gun with the J105 Loki a little behind and to our leeward. HT was noticeably late on the shore side of the line. We decided that we would start with our #1 with the wind speed in the high teens close hauled and from the northeast. In the first 10 to 15 miles Hot Ticket managed to match speed with us, but we made every opportunity to point as high as we could so we could sail into the gulf stream. Loki soon fell back and we were the farthest right in our fleet. We started getting lifted and continued to get out farther right. About 20 miles up we were heavy in the Gulf Stream with the miserable 8 foot pounding waves that accompanied it. On the conveyor we got nearly a 2 knot kick that catapulted us ahead of everyone in the PHRF fleet including Ticket. By the time we reached the end of the 40 mile course the other J120 was nearly 4 miles behind us. At the end we were headed but made the finish line without tacking. The boats behind had to tack 4 times to stay off the beach."
  
Of note, the Wirth Munroe Memorial Yacht Race has been held each of the last 55 years on the first Friday in December, co-sponsored by The Sailfish Club of Florida and the Cruising Club of America.  First raced in 1957, the invitational competition was organized by Richard Bertram (famous for creating the Bertram Yachts line of powerboats) to remember Miami-based yacht designer Wirth Munroe, whose renowned craft included "Comanche" (the Columbia 33) and the 30’ Sea Sailer class. Originally contested from Miami north to Palm Beach as a warmup to the SORC, the course has now been shortened to start from Fort Lauderdale. Over the years winners of the race have included Ted Turner, the billionaire CNN cable news media mogul-- also famous for racing the 12 meter COURAGEOUS in the America's Cup and winning his first SORC on the Ranger 37 MUNEQUITA.    Read more on CARINTHIA'S blog here.   For more Wirth Munroe Race sailing results.