Tuesday, October 11, 2016

J-Jamboree- OktoberFest Celebration!

J/80s sailing J/Jamboree
(Lake Winnipesaukee, NH)- This year’s J-Jamboree was held on Lake Winnipesaukee from September 23rd - 25th.  The event once again delivered great racing and memories for all participants; with nine teams from Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.  On Friday, teams registered and attended a great welcoming party at the Lake Winnipesaukee Sailing Association Sailing Center.  Racers enjoyed J-Jamboree chili, a few beverages and chitchatted about sailing around the world- the taller the tales, the more beverages were consumed!

J/80 sailing J/Jamboree in New HampshireRacing began on Saturday morning.  The day brought classic New England fall weather. Participants enjoyed sunny weather with temperatures in the 60s. The wind quickly filled in to 12–18 knots with gusts around 20 knots. The Race Committee fired off 6 races.  With great planing conditions, boats rocked up and down the race course.  At the end of Saturday, FKA (Les Beckwith) and More Gostosa (Connor Hayes) were tied for first place with 14 points.  Argo III (Jason Blais/Casey Nickerson) close behind with 19 points. Saturday evening the J-Jamboree party was held at the Lake Winnipesaukee Yacht Club. Participants enjoyed the Texas Traveling Barbeque with lots of food, drinks on hand, and smiles on every face.

J/80s sailing upwind- J/Jamboree- Winnipesaukee, NHSunday morning dawned cool and blustery with winds 15-20 knots with gusts over 25 knots. The RC fired off 4 more races.  Strong winds made for exciting and challenging conditions for all the racers.   In the end, the Saturday standings remained.  With a great day on the water and in exciting conditions, Les Beckwith’s boat FKA brought home 1st place. Close behind was Connor Hayes’ More Gostosa in 2nd with Jason Balis & Casey Nickerson in Argo III rounding out the top three places.  The awards ceremony was held in the yard at Fay’s Boat Yard.  All the teams received awards, including bags from Quantum Sails and bottles of rum!

Big “Thank you” to the following: all the teams, particularly those who traveled, all the volunteers (we could not do this without you), Lake Winnipesauke Sailing Association, Lake Winnipesauke Yacht Club, Fay’s Boat Yard, White Mountain Fiberglass, Quantum Sails and the North American J/80 class.  For more J-Jamboree sailing information