FUN & FROLIC FOR SSS CORINTHIAN RACE

 

(San Francisco, CA)- Last weekend, the Singlehanded Sailing Society of San Francisco Bay held one of their more revered races of the year- the Corinthians Race.  Answering that siren's call were 180 intrepid souls that are gleefully showed up in the early morning to take their stab at winning their respective classes. 

Starting and finishing off Golden Gate Yacht Club, the 15.5nm course rounds Blackaller Buoy to starboard, Southampton Shoal red bell to port, Little Harding green buoy to port, Blossom Rock green bell to starboard, then to GGYC finish on the waterfront. Basically, the course is criss-crossing the Bay in a circumnavigation of all the tourist sites! 

The two-plus dozen shorthanded J/Crews made the most of the light to medium, very challenging conditions on San Francisco Bay.  In PHRF C Doublehanded J/105s the winners were Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault's ARBITRAGE. Pushing them hard all race was the duo of Charles James & Panda Love's ROXANNE to take the silver. Rounding out the podium was Tom Struttmann & Joerg Esdorn's ARRIVED!  

In Class 6 J/70 Doublehanded, the fleet suffered a trouncing at the hands of the dynamic duo of Justin & Shar Foox on FLOTEK, winning by over a half hour on elapsed time.  Second was Peter Cameron & Ben Mercer's KANGAROO JOCKEY and third was Scott & Hannah Sellers' 1FA. 

The thirteen-boat PHRF H Doublehanded Spin class was a tough group. Taking five of the top seven were all J/duos.  Third was Ted Rogers & Tim Burks on the J/100 GRACE. They were followed by Barry Lewis & Scott Kozinchik's J/120 CHANCE in 4th, Nesrin Basoz & Reuben Rocci's J/111 SWIFT NESS in 5th, Tracy Rogers & Cris Sena's J/120 HOKULANI in 6th, and Timo Bruck & Elaine Scott's J/120 TWIST in 7th place. 

The seventeen-boat PHRF L Class Doublehanded Non-Spin saw Brian Richards & Ernie Baton's J/109 LA VIAJERA take fourth position.

Finally, the fourteen-boat PHRF P Class Singlehanded Non-Spin saw John Kalucki's J/109 LINDO take fourth place. Sailing photo credit- Will Keyworth.  For more SSS Corinthian Race sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

GORGEOUS J/100 FOR SALE

This J/100 is an elegant daysailer and is a modern classic with teak decks and navy hull. With a carbon Hall spars mast, North sails and Raymarine electronics, she has proven to be a very competitive boat. Having achieved first in her class (ISC Group 5) in the 2019 Round the Island Race, as well as 3rd in Cruiser div B in 2019 Cowes Week with an all-family crew.

TIDERACE has had 2 owners from new and has been very well-maintained. Specified with optional stanchions and double lifelines she is prepared for crewed racing. The J/100 is a versatile model that can also be day-sailed easily shorthanded. Please contact Key Yachting for a full video tour!Add to Flipboard Magazine.

GORGEOUS J/100 FOR SALE

This J/100 is an elegant daysailer and is a modern classic with teak decks and navy hull. With a carbon Hall spars mast, North sails and Raymarine electronics, she has proven to be a very competitive boat. Having achieved first in her class (ISC Group 5) in the 2019 Round the Island Race, as well as 3rd in Cruiser div B in 2019 Cowes Week with an all-family crew.


TIDERACE has had 2 owners from new and has been very well-maintained. Specified with optional stanchions and double lifelines she is prepared for crewed racing. The J/100 is a versatile model that can also be day-sailed easily shorthanded. Please contact Key Yachting for a full video tour Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/70 CRUSHES THREE BRIDGE FIASCO!

 

(San Francisco, CA)- The annual Singlehanded Sailing Society Three Bridge Fiasco Race- Pandemic Edition, returned to its roots over the weekend. Because of California Covid-19 guidelines, this year's edition was open only to singlehanded competitors. The reason being, the SSS board members decided a smaller regatta would be better than no regatta. If you have been paying attention over the years, the races usually draw well north of 300 entries, with the vast majority as doublehanded entries.


Originally conceived for singlehanded sailors, the numbers of those percentage wise has been dwindling over the years and the SSS thought 125 entries would be more than enough. Boy were they wrong! After the announcement of open entries, the regatta sold out in a big hurry and had a lengthy standby list!

With a series of storms hitting San Francisco Bay in the week prior, the forecast for Saturday improved. Ultimately, sunrise dawned on Saturday, the conditions were glorious, with a sun cloud mix, a nice flood and gentle south westerly to get things going! 

Ultimately, the fleet split, as they are likened to do, and optimism ran high. Things would get warmer and sunnier and, well a little less windy and ghosting was an understatement for a while! But as you will see, good things come to those who wait, and indeed they did!

In the end, several J/singlehanders had an amazing day. Winning the whole enchilada was Scott Sellers, sailing his J/70 IFA to a 1st to finish monohull victory, as well as Class 10 Sportboat Division win with a 15:37:21 elapsed time! In Class 1 Non-Spin PHRF, Tom Struttmann's J/105 ARRIVED took 5th place. In Class 5 Spin, Adam Spiegel's J/105 JAM SESSION took 6th, Tim Roche's J/92 ZAFF was 8th, Jim Hopp's J/88 WHITE SHADOW finished 10th, and Eric Patterson's J/105 KESTREL crossed 12th. In Class 9 Spin, we find Alex Alderkamp's J/24 BLUE JAY take 3rd on the podium! Finally, in the novel Class 16 "Power-assisted" fleet, it was Ben Mercer's J/100 EIGHT BALL winning class!


We asked Scott Sellers, the winning skipper on his J/70 1FA, to provide some color commentary on how he managed to pull off his most excellent performance. Here is his report:

"The Three Bridge Fiasco held in late January is the largest sailboat race on San Francisco Bay every year with over 300 doublehanded and singlehanded entries.  The 21.0 nm pursuit race allows competitors the choice to round the 3 bridges in any order they want. First boat to finish wins.

Due to COVID restrictions in California, entries were limited to singlehanded this year and capped at 125 boats. I have done the race numerous times doublehanded on my J/70 1FA, but this would be my first time attempting to race the J/70 singlehanded.  I rigged up some bungee cords to the tiller that I could control while launching the spinnaker up front that worked pretty well.

Based on the wind and tide conditions, I chose a counterclockwise course of Bay Bridge, Richmond Bridge and then Golden Gate Bridge.  By the time I got to the Richmond Bridge, I had passed all the smaller boats that started earlier including a gaggle of Moore 24s and Express 27s. I was briefly passed by a Wylie 39 on the beat to the Golden Gate but passed them back on the run to the finish to win the 100-boat monohull division. In the light to moderate conditions that we had, the J/70 was an easy boat to singlehand upwind and downwind!"

Thanks to Presure-drop.us and Scott for the sailing photos and stories.  Pressuredrop.us Sailing photo & story contributions   Sailing photo credits- "Slackwater" on Flickr

HOT J/CREWS @ HOT RUM SERIES II

 

(San Diego, CA)- J/Boats continue to perform well in the competitive Hot Rum Series in San Diego, hosted by San Diego Yacht Club.  

Two J/145s are near the top of the overall results from the first two races. PALAEMON (Rudy Hasl) is 3rd and MORE MADNESS (Ernie Pennell) is 4th out of 124 boats registered. 

The competition within Class I is also very strong, with MORE MADNESS taking 1st place with 6 points and PALAEMON taking 2d with 8 points. The J/145s have been very competitive against famous offshore racing competitors such as Pyewacket, Stark Raving Mad, Blue Blazes, Staghound, Fast Exit, Volpe, Pendragon, and Compadres.

The J/120 CC RIDER (Chuck Nichols) has taken two bullets in Class 2 against some stiff competition. Also, very competitive is the J/125 NEREID (Standish Fleming) and a trio of J/105s- ZUNI BEAR (Vieregg/ Bermann), J-OK (Jim Dorsey), and SWEET KAREN (Jeff Brown).

The final race in the series will be on December 5. The conditions for the 2d race were very different from the windy in-bay first race. With many boats struggling to get off the starting line and dealing with light shifty winds for the beginning and at the end of the race. Fortunately, the offshore portion of the race saw steady winds in the 10-15 kt range and some fog.  For more San Diego YC Hot Rum Series information

J/CREWS SWEEP CLASSES IN HOT RUM SERIES I

 

J/105s Eclipse Top Seven Overall!

(San Diego, CA)- The first weekend of San Diego Yacht Club's famous Hot Rum Series took place last weekend for a remarkably large fleet of boats, with 114 boats registered for the event. All across the board in a number of divisions, J/Teams had remarkable outcomes, with many dominating the podium.

Rudy Hasl, skipper and owner of the J/145 PALAEMON, had this to say, "it was an amazing day for the J/Family in San Diego. J/Boats finished 1st, 2d, and 3rd place in Division I of the first race of the Hot Rum Series in San Diego. We were thrilled!"

In fact, Rudy's J/145 PALAEMON won their Division I in the spectacular sailing conditions, with winds ranging from 12 to 25 knots inside of San Diego Bay! Flat water, with reaching, running and beating home to the finish. Taking second was Standish Fleming's J/125 NEREID and third went to another J/145- Ernie Pennell's MORE MADNESS. 

In Division 2, it was perennial winner Chuck Nichols' J/120 CC RIDER taking the honors, with Ed Sanford's J/111 CREATIVE finishing in 5th place. 

The so-called "J/105 class" sailing in Division 4 saw them leading a sweep of the top seven! Winning was Jim Dorsey's J-OK, followed by Jeff Brown's SWEET KAREN in second, and George Scheel's SUN PUFFIN in third to round out the podium. In addition, Steve & Lucy Howell's BLINK! took 4th, the duo of Vieregg/ Bermann was 5th, and Bill Quealy's J-RABBIT SLIM was 6th. Next in 7th place was Chuck Bowers' J/29 RHUMB RUNNER. That was quite a tour'de'force for J/sailors in a fleet of 21 boats.

In the overall results, the J/105s nearly swept the top five spots. Winning the J/105 fleet parade was Dorsey's J-OK, with Brown's SWEET KAREN in 3rd, Scheel's SUN PUFFIN in 5th, the Howell's BLINK in 6th place, and the Vieregg/ Bermann duo's ZUNI BEAR in 7th position.  Sailing photo credit- Mark Albertazzi   For more SDYC Hot Rum Series sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

Gorgeous J/100 For Sale- Maine

J/Net Brokerage Specials! Check out our exciting new site for lovingly-owned J/Boats from around the world here:  https://jnet.jboats.com/

The elegant "Amazing Grace" is the most recently re-fitted and upgraded J/100 on the market. The J/100 is proven both as a daysailer and for inshore racing. Now based in Falmouth, Maine, Amazing Grace was originally a freshwater boat until purchased and re-fitted as a dual-purpose sailboat in 2017. Her current owner is a highly experienced and successful cruising and racing sailor who knows how to keep a boat in top condition. However, due to a change in family circumstances, she has been used very little since being re-fitted and raced only once (a short club race that she won handily even without her new race sails). Here is a chance to own a true "gold-plater", a gorgeous example of the coveted J/100 daysailer.
Learn more here on J/NET BROKERAGEAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

J/100 Amazing Grace For Sale

 

The elegant "Amazing Grace" is the most recently re-fitted and upgraded J/100 on the market. The J/100 is proven both as a daysailer and for inshore racing. Now based in Falmouth, Maine, Amazing Grace was originally a freshwater boat until purchased and re-fitted as a dual-purpose sailboat in 2017. Her current owner is a highly experienced and successful cruising and racing sailor who knows how to keep a boat in top condition. However, due to a change in family circumstances, she has been used very little since being re-fitted and raced only once (a short club race that she won handily even without her new race sails). Here is a chance to own a true "gold-plater", a gorgeous example of the coveted J/100 daysailer.Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Annapolis Double-Handed Distance Race Preview

 

(Annapolis, MD)- With thirty-seven entries confirmed in three classes, the Annapolis YC’s Double-Handed Distance on October 3rd & 4th is the largest double-handed overnight race of the 2020 USA season. Its popularity after last year’s debut is impressive, having doubled in size in only its second year. With 18 J/Boats on the starting line, that's 50% of the fleet!

Driving this popularity are the favorable early Fall sailing conditions on the Chesapeake Bay and an accessible yet challenging format: an overnight race of 24 hours duration held on course options that vary from 95 to 100 miles in length.

The fleet includes the mandatory "mixed doublehanded" 11-boat J/105 one-design class. The class is full of highly-competitive offshore sailors and a few "newbies" on the block that are sure to be considerable factors over a long-distance offshore race. The Ladbroke's Betting Parlour favorite certainly has to be last year's winners- the duo of Randy Smyth and Christina Persson sailing BAT IV. Two teams would be odds-on bets to give them a run-for-the-money, the duo of Patrick Gavin-Byrne’s & Cole Brauer on BETTER MOUSETRAP and Christina & Justin Wolfe on FIREBRAND (top sailors from Seattle, WA). Don't count out the "Middies" from the US Naval Academy Sailing Team- they are well-practiced, well-coached, great navigators, know the Bay and its current stone cold, and know their J/105s very well; those teams include Don Poirier & Ashley Koenig on AVENGER, Katie Boyle & Matt Gillcrist on CONSTELLATION, and Paul Jervis & Grace Vandergrift on DREADNOUGHT. 

Sailing in the ORC Handicap classes are seven J/Teams. Three are sailing in ORC 1 Class; Richard Born & Guillaume Seynhave on the very well-known offshore winner, the J/120 WINDBORN; Keith Cole & John King's J/124 LUCKY EIGHTS, and Jim Demerest & Dobbs Davis on the J/46 SODALIS III (this is a "sleeper team"- watch out!). Sailing in the fourteen-boat ORC 2 Class are two J/105s (Arthur & AJ Libby's DOGHOUSE and Kyle McLaughlin & Raymond Bay's SMOKE'N'OAKUM), John Bell & Ryan Treat's J/100 HIWASSEE, and Roger Lant & Mike Wellins' J/35 ABIENTOT. 

Annapolis YC PRO Dick Neville is looking forward to the opportunity to tailor the race to the course and weather conditions for fair and transparent scoring; hopefully, with equals elements of beating, reaching, and running. For more AYC Double-handed Distance Race sailing information

Welcome Back Regatta A Smashing Success

(Lunenburg, Nova Scotia)- The Lunenburg Yacht Club held the first Welcome Back Regatta on August 21st to 23rd. The regatta had great attendance, all things considered, with just over 200 competitors and 36 boats across five classes. Due to Covid restrictions, the club’s property had a maximum of 250 people on-site, so sailors had to be limited for health safety reasons.

Jennifer Hall was the Regatta Chair and Colin Mann (J/92 owner of POOHSTICKS) was the Regatta PRO.

Winds on day one were 15-25 knots resulting in some boats retiring early. Saturday the racers were treated to a sail past by the 140’ Bluenose II. Sunday saw more manageable 10-15 knot breezes, making for exciting, close sailing. Several classes sailed up to eight races over three days.

PHRF A Class was won by Larry Creaser on the J/100 YOUNG BLOOD, racing extremely well against a fleet of hot 30-footers.


PHRF B Class saw yacht broker Chris Power in the J/29 JAEGER finish second in the 9-boat fleet, just ahead Bernd Hackstein's J/27 BUZZ and Don Williams J/29 PARADIGM SHIFT.

The six-boat J/105 class was won in a complete "whitewash" of the fleet by Rory Macdonald's McMAC; winning seven of eight races and throwing out a 3rd and a 1st to win with all bullets. Surviving that somewhat painful "schooling" was John Sapp's V-TACK and Richard Gerstenberger's AXIS finishing 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

This regatta was the first of its kind in Nova Scotia after Covid restrictions required the annual Chester Race Week to be postponed for the season. Sailing photo credits- Lunenburg YC Commodore- Janet Marie Snair.  For more Welcome Back Regatta information and results.Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Round Catalina Double-Race Produces J/Silver

(Newport Beach, CA)- Thirty-six boats sailed in South Shore Yacht Club's annual 90.0 nm Round Catalina Island Doublehanded Race. The annual event starts & finishes off the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach and only allows two sailors aboard. Club officials stated this was a record turnout! Yachts ranging in size from 24 ft to 72 ft LOA entered this classic Southern California Handicap Race. 

The J/124 MARISOL skippered by NHYC member Tom Pollack & American Legion Yacht Club member Rick Hancock were the 2nd boat to finish, 3rd in class & 3rd overall in the PHRF Fleet. The race started in 7.0 knots of breeze building to 27 knots on the back side of Catalina near the island's east end where a local venturi effect from the 1000' tall sheer cliffs accelerates the normal 15 knot westerly breeze.

It was near here that Marisol caught up to larger boats and managed to exit the local windless parking lot in the lee of the island to find the westerly breeze on the other side.  22 miles later at the Balboa Pier, Marisol put her bow across the finish line just 1 second ahead of the Choate 48' Amante in a 15 knot westerly wind that refused to die down at 1:40 am local time.

"Our big yellow asymmetrical spinnaker attached to a retractable spinnaker pole that owner Seth Hall added a couple years ago has made Marisol a much better downwind ride than when she was built 16 years ago," added Skipper Tom Pollack. "All we did was keep it simple and not tack or gybe much, just letting the fast J/124 do the work! She rides on rails!"

The race started at 11:00 AM in a 7-8 knots building westerly breeze taking the fleet 15 miles north on a long port tack. As the breeze built to 20 knots, "We just kept sliding the genoa lead aft, sheeting tighter and pointing higher," said crew member Rick Hancock. "Hoping to use the smooth water in the harbor to change to a #3 jib."

Marisol purposefully navigated to enter the Long Beach Harbor entrance and exit the harbor at Los Angeles Angels Gate.  

"What you take for granted on a fully crewed race boat, does not happen on a sailboat with only 2 crew" said Pollack. "It's how you plan ahead & manage that challenge that allows you to finish the race safely. With the Olympics in 2024 in Paris featuring sailboat racing with mixed crews of 2 people, it should be interesting to watch the video feed," noted Tom Pollack.

Taking 1st place in PHRF B Class & 4th overall was J/109 BLUE CRUSH skippered by Bob Little and Dan Milefchik from Alamitos Bay Yacht Club.

J-109 FUZZY LOGIC skippered by Jeff Shew & Bill Durant from Long Beach Yacht Club took 2nd in PHRF B & 6th Overall.

So, if you find yourself in July of 2021 in Southern California and want to try something different, try SSYC's Crew of 2 race.   For complete results of the Round Catalina Double Race Results.

J/105s Prevail in Dave Wall Memorial Race

(Marina del Rey, CA)- In one of the first sanctioned races in Santa Monica Bay in a long time, on June 13th the Pacific Singlehanded Sailing Association (PSSA) held its regularly scheduled single/ doublehanded “inverted start” from Marina Del Rey to Redondo Beach and back.

The 16.0nm course attracted what must be a recent record of thirty-two entries. The fleet included a pair of J/105s, a pair of J/92s, a J/29 and J/80. The Class 1 Singlehanded class had 12 boats, while the Class 2 Doublehanded class fielded 16 boats.

The fleet was blessed with a somewhat classical SoCal offshore day. Sunny, good breeze, and in the mid-70s F. In consistent wind of 14-16 knots that ranged from a beam reach to close hauled, Dan Murphy and Rob Dekker sailed their J/105 CUCHULAINN to the top of the leaderboard, more than two minutes ahead of their nearest competitor, the J/29 ZULU sailed by owner Caesar Berger and Ronald Augustsson. Just off the pace was the famous J/80 AVET, the duo of Curt Johnson and Paul Burnett took fourth place. Notably, working out their early season kinks to take an 8th place was Brian Kerr and Edwina Gillin's J/92 DOUBLE DOWN. 

Charles Spear in his J/105 TWELVE BAR BLUES finished second amongst the Class 1 Singlehanded boats.  

Edgartown Regatta Announcement

(Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard, MA)- The Edgartown Yacht Club’s Big Boat Racing Committee is excited to get started with the 2020 sailing season. The team has been working exceptionally hard over the past nine months to enhance Edgartown Race Weekend for this year, and future years, and is excited to welcome sailors to Martha’s Vineyard this summer.


While Edgartown YC unfortunately had to cancel the buoy racing segment of Edgartown Race Weekend, we will still be hosting the signature event - ‘Round-the-Island (“RTI”) Race on August 1, in addition to the shorter ‘Round-the-Sound Race the same day.


Despite the current situation, registration numbers are robust, drawing teams from all over the East Coast who see ‘RTI as the kick-off to the 2020 racing season. Remember, this is a 60.0nm race that rivals any in the world; such as Round Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom, Round Jamestown in Narragansett Bay, Round Hong Kong in China, or Sweden's Gotland Runt race midsummer. 


The entire team is looking forward to good racing this summer. Sailing Photo Credits- Stephen Cloutier. Learn more about the Edgartown Regatta here. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Navigating through the restrictions

(Manhasset, NY)- Sailboat racing is about dealing with variables, and despite health guidelines now to limit the COVID-19 spread, event formats can safely navigate through the restrictions. This is occurring on New York’s Long Island Sound as 20 entrants signed up for an informal “pick-up” race on May 16 organized by Adam Loory. Here’s his report:

"To observe social distancing, all boats were doublehanded. There was no race committee, no trophies, and no party, but there was a lot of fun as sailors pushed their boats as best as possible considering that most boats are rigged for full-crewed racing.

While the weather was beautiful for sun-bathing, it was a little difficult for sailing. An all-too-common mid-summer weather pattern made sailing challenging. A light northerly was in a battle to the death with a southerly sea breeze. Neither won, but both made their scant presence known at times.

Third place finisher Richard du Moulin called the conditions, “About as ‘Long Island Sound’ as it could be, but at least it was fun racing in close proximity with friends, except PHANTOM, which missed all the fun and won by a mile!”

To sail without a race committee, the pursuit format was used. The slowest boat in the fleet started first and rest of the boats started later based on how much time they owed the slowest boat. This way, the finish order is the results.

With a scratch sheet having start times for a long, medium and short course (click here), I announce on the radio which course we are sailing, and everyone can then see their starting time. Given the conditions, the call was for the short, 9.25nm course.

The race started with 8-12 knots out of the N-NE, and then did exactly what the weather forecast called for – it died. Most of the fleet set off on a close reach heading straight at the one turning mark a little over four miles away, but soon the boats on the rhumbline got headed and then the wind died.

For most of the fleet, the wind died away for nearly an hour just as the boats were reaching the turning mark at Matinecock Point. The fleet struggled to change sails, jibe and tack multiple times to eke out some forward progress; some jibed to the north and others worked their way south.

For a while, each looked good, until they weren’t..."

Enjoying a nice sunny day on the water was the J/88 ONE TOO MANY, the new J/99 THIN MAN, and others like the gorgeous J/42 ATALANTA. Thanks for contribution from Scuttlebutt. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Net Brokerage Specials- J/100

Check out our exciting new site for lovingly-owned J/Boats from around the world.


Here is another beautiful example of our popular 33 ft. day sailor- the J/100.  This J/00 shows in near new condition and is loaded with race and day sailing gear. She was completely re-fitted by her current owner in 2015 and has a number of great improvements on the boat; including a retractable carbon sprit, new standing and running rigging, full Grand Prix race bottom and keel fairing, and gorgeous new Awlgrip hull paint in Ice Blue. More information here. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Epic Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta For J/Crews

(Larchmont, NY)- Initially established in the early 1970’s by “The Corinthians” that ran the regatta until 1999, the collegiate offshore regatta was then picked up by Storm Trysail Club. The invitational regatta is held annually out of Larchmont Yacht Club, who is a co-organizer of the event, in addition to the Storm Trysail Club and Foundation.

For the 2019 edition, the STC Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta was hosted by LYC from October 12th to 13th for forty-eight college teams from across the country and Europe. Of those 48-boats donated by owner/sponsors, fully thirty-nine of them were J/Boats owners (81% of the fleet). In short, it is a J/Boats College Offshore Regatta due to the amazing generosity and passion for sailing from J/Boats owners.

The dozen-boat J/105 class was won by the U.S. Naval Academy team sailing on CONUNDRUM, skippered by Nick Walden with crew of Luke Gillcrist, Sam Hall, Jack King, Zach Medeiros, and Eddie Rankin. Second was Boston University sailing RAVEN, skippered by Stanley Schreyer with crew of Collin Alexander, Jim Collins, Liam Dwyer, Emily Garrard, Matt Hamelsky, and Teo Waalberg. Third place went to Stevens Institute of Technology sailing MAGIC, skippered by Matt Roleke with crew of Aidan McEnroe, Townsend Morey, Mack Totman, Jesse Stevenson, and Alex Wiggins.

The nine-boat J/109 class had close-racing amongst the top five teams. Winning was Jacksonville College on GUARDIAN J, skippered by Telmo Basterra with crew of Sam Baker, Telmo Basterra, Grace Benzal, Logan Brickhouse, Ian Hunter, Jarret Monroe, and Stephen Streater. Second was University of Rhode Island sailing EMOTICON, skippered by Cecilia Schneider with crew of Parker Colantuono, Peter Gunn, AJ Kozaritz, Aidan Naughton, Ryan Palardy, and Chris Pearson. Third place on a tie-breaker was the Virginia Tech University team sailing ZIG ZAG skippered by Linda Lovelace with crew of Gustav Berner, Jack Carroll, Allie Champion, Oscare Johansson, Jackson Livanec, and Reid Shanabrook.

In the J/44 Class, winning the James Bishop Memorial Trophy was the U.S. Naval Academy on MAXINE. Their team was comprised of skipper Hayden Kuzemchak with crew of Kaitlyn Boyle, Brett Eckert, Tim Forman, Zach Krause, Matt Malone, Kevin Navarro, and Phillip Smith.  Second was US Merchant Marine Academy on VAMP, with Ken Luczynski as skipper. Then, rounding out the podium was the Maine Maritime Academy on BREAKAWAY with Taylor Martin on the wheel.

Winning the PHRF Medium Class was the Fordham University Team sailing the J/124 TENEBRAE, with skipper Tucker Hersam with crew of Matt Alfano, Will Dumke, Eddie Harrison, Sam Johnson, Porter Kavle, Declan Lombard, and Scott McKenzie. Third went to Michigan State University sailing the J/112E REVIVER, skippered by Connor Baker with crew of Tim Dickey, Adeline Grootendorst, Brenna Hover, Corinne Nedeau, Charlie Parker, Teddy Prokop, Eva Rossell, Ella Wynsma, and Murphy Wynsma.

Then ten-boat PHRF Small Class was dominated by all J/Teams.  It was a formidable fleet with equally phenomenal competition. The top six boats all finished, essentially, in a massive tie-breaker. The podium was determined on a FOUR-WAY tiebreaker at eight points each! LOL! And fifth was determined on a two-way tiebreaker at nine pts each! Hokey Smokes Bullwinkle, I’m confuzzzed! Winning was Yale University on the J/100 BLACKCOMB with a 7-1 tally for 8 pts, skippered by Emery Wallace with crew of Jacob Asher, Chris Chaumont, Liv Mosnoi, Martin Tipton, and Adam Wolnikowski. Second was University of Toledo on the J/88 YONDER with 1-7 scores for 8 pts, skippered by Ethan Taylor with crew of Brandon Austin, Kaitlin Conner, and Eric Lynch. Third was University of Maryland sailing the J/88 OH JEE with a 6-2 record, skippered by Cole Daitch with crew of Mike Bisson, Chuck Cannon, Natalie Jones, Madelie Mulligan, and Rachel Prucnal.

Thanks to all the J/Boat owners and sailors that made this regatta possible. Lots of fun was had by all by the 400+ college sailors!  For STC Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta scores  For more STC Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

STC Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta Preview

(Larchmont, NY)- Initially established in the early 1970’s by “The Corinthians” who ran the regatta until 1999, the collegiate offshore regatta was then picked up by Storm Trysail Club. The invitational regatta is held annually out of Larchmont Yacht Club, who is a co-organizer of the event in addition to the Storm Trysail Club and Foundation.

For the 2017 regatta, “The Corinthians” transferred to the Storm Trysail Foundation the original four perpetual trophies: “The George G. Crocker Memorial Race Trophy”, “The Edward S. Moore III Memorial Trophy”, “The James C. Jacobson Memorial Trophy”, and “The Foster Tallman Memorial Trophy”. In addition, Larchmont Yacht Club donated two trophies including one belonging to the late Thomas Carroll, a member of Larchmont Yacht Club. The “Paul Hoffmann Trophy”, named for the long-time Storm Trysail member famed for his success on a series of yachts named “Thunderhead”, presented by his son Binky Hoffmann, is given to the team that had the best overall performance. The “Ed du Moulin Trophy”, named for the man who was involved in the management of more America’s Cup campaigns than anyone in the Cup’s history, presented by his son, Storm Trysail Club Past Commodore Richard du Moulin, to the boat owner of the overall regatta winner.

For the 2019 edition, the regatta will be taking place from October 12th to 13th for forty-eight college teams from across the country. Of those 48-boats donated by owner/sponsors, fully thirty-nine of them are J/Boats owners (81% of the fleet). In short, it is a J/Boats College Offshore Regatta due to the amazing generosity and passion for sailing from J/Boats owners.

The J/100 Class includes Kelley James’ TEXAS ROSE- GEORGIA, Tom Moncombie’s SANGUINE- HEC MONTREAL, Mary Bush’s AVOCET- MIAMI OF OHIO, Andrew Hakopian’s GALATRONA- OHIO STATE, and Zack Leonard’s BLACKCOMB- YALE University.

The large J/105 class of a dozen boats includes leading college teams like Stanley Schreyer’s RAVEN- BOSTON UNIVERSITY, Ned Goss’ YOUNG AMERICA- COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON, and Doug Clark’s GRAY MATTER- US COAST GUARD ACADEMY.

The nine-boat J/109 class has Antoinette Martin’s GROWTH SPURT- GRAND VALLEY COLLEGE, Ken Legler’s FREEDOM- TUFTS UNIVERSITY, Moose McClintock’s EMOTICON- UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND, and Natalie Lovelace’s ZIG ZAG- VIRGINIA TECH.

In the J/44 Class, there will be several good teams, such as Taylor Martin’s BREAKAWAY- MAINE MARITIME, Regina Trejo’s PALANTIR V- SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY, and Ken Luczynski’s VAMP- KINGS POINT USMMA.

The quartet of J/88s include Natalie Jones’ OH JEE- University of Maryland, Emmanuel Bourret’s WHIRLWIND- Polytechnique MONTREAL, and Brian Pribe’s YONDER- University of Toledo.

In the PRHF handicap fleet are Conner Baker’s J/112E REVIVER- MICHIGAN STATE, Tucker Hersam’s J/124 TENEBRAE- FORDHAM University, Patrick Sawyer’s J/133 ANTIDOTE- MICHIGAN TECH, and Geoff Loffredo’s J/92S BLUZER- SUNY STONY BROOK.  For STC Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta scores.   For more STC Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Teams Sweep Low Country Hook Ocean Race

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(Hilton Head, SC)- The Low Country Hook Ocean Race is a distance race from Hilton Head Island, SC to Skidaway Island, GA. The race was presented by Skidaway Island Boating Club and The Yacht Club of Hilton Head.

On August 23rd, the fleet started from Harbour Town to Skidaway Island, making the “hook-shaped” course in a fast time of approximately 3 hrs 45 mins. After the exhilaration of an ocean race starting at Hilton Head Island, sailing past Tybee Island, through Wassaw Sound, and a finish at Skidaway Island, sailors enjoyed drinks, dinner, and awards at Landings Harbor Marina.

The PHRF Spinnaker Class was simply swept by just about every member of the J/Tribe one can imagine over the 40-plus years of designs.

Winning appropriately enough, and paying homage to the J/Legacy, was Eric Gotwalts’s J/24 DIMARIAN. Second was Matt Self’s J/105 RUCKUS from Charleston Harbor YC; third Amar Patel’s J/24 ROGUE from Skidaway Island Boating Club; fourth James Thurlow’s J/24 FORTITUDE from South Carolina YC; fifth Gebel Seese’s J/105 HIGH VISIBILITY from Savannah YC; sixth Mike Foster’s J/30 RONIN from Savannah YC; and finally ninth was Paul Reddick’s J/100 BLU-J from Skidaway Island Boating Club.

That was quite a performance by enthusiastic, passionate members of the J/Tribe “south of the Mason-Dixon line” in the warm, somewhat humid months one often sees in Deep South Summers.

The J/105 took line honors in the 30.0nm race and finished 2nd on corrected time. The 2nd boat across the finish line was a J/105 and the 3rd was a J/100.

Of note, the South Carolina YC Youth Team that participated in the J/70 Youth Championship at the St Petersburg YC took fourth place in the club’s $531.00 J/24. No, that is not a “typo”. They sailed a $531.24 J/24 bought off CraigsList.com! LOL. Awesome!  For more Low Country Hook Ocean Race information

Conanicut Round Island Race Preview

 
(Jamestown, RI)- It will be hard to top last year’s 100 boats lapping Conanicut Island once again this Labor Day Weekend. Maybe it was the perfect weather that brought out a quarter of all PHRF boats registered in Narragansett Bay, but the Race Organizers are looking to build upon that success once again this year.

"We want to provide an excellent opportunity for all sailors to capitalize on the last moments of summer," said ATI chairman Alan Baines. "Our goal is to couple a great regatta with a fantastic after-party to celebrate the season."

The 92nd Annual event will be held on Sunday, September 1st and take the competitors on an 21.0nm course around Conanicut Island followed by awards and dinner at Conanicut Yacht Club. The race begins at 1100 hrs just in front of the yacht club at the foot of the Newport Bridge on Narragansett Bay.

Speaking of the Newport Bridge, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the completion of the Pell Bridge, local artist Hillary Dutton, featured the Bridge as part of the regatta poster. These works of art have become collector items for the sailors and Jamestowners alike as Dutton has featured a different iconic landmark seen from the racecourse each year since her first design for the 84th CYC ATI nine years ago.

Depending on the wind speed, direction, and forecast, the Race Committee, led for the third year by Mark Grosby, will either run clockwise or counterclockwise. Shorter and longer courses are also available to accommodate bigger and smaller boats.

Over a dozen J/crews are participating in the fun, family-focused event. In PHRF A Class is Robert Iriye’s J/24 TENACIOUS. In PHRF B Class is Owen Harren’s J/40 EVENT HORIZON. The one-design PHRF C Class of J/22s includes Matt Dunbar’s DON’T TELL MOM, Peter Parsons’ CATCH, Jeff Westcott’s MACHBUSTER, Victor Oancea’s WHARF RAT, and Bill Fortenberry’s QUINN.

The PHRF D Class Spinnaker class includes Dan Borsutzky’s J/30 FLYING HIGH and three J/24s- Henry Lane’s FAST LANE, Mike Hill’s OBSTREPEROUS, and Paul Schmidle’s ALL IN.

The PHRF E Class Spinnaker class has two J/80s (Bill Snyder’s THE PARTY TREE and Victor Bell’s PHANTOM) and two J/30s (Chris Tate’s BLITZ & Dexter Hoag & Bill Porter’s ALTAIR).

The sportboat PHRF F Spinnaker class has two J/70s- Chris Murray’s LUCKY and Gordon Fletcher’s GIJIMA.

The sole J/crew in PHRF G Spinnaker class is Paul Grimes’ J/35 BREAKAWAY.

There is four-boat contingent of J/109s in PHRF H Class that includes Bill Kneller’s VENTO SOLARE, Brooke Mastrorio’s URSA, John Sahagian’s PICANTE, and Tom Sutton’s LEADING EDGE. Joining them are two J/105s (Charles Stoddard’s FALCON 2.0 and Matt Schmidt’s HARDTACK), plus Stu Johnstone’s J/99 AGENT 99, Dawn & Ben Hodgson’s J/100 GRIMACE, and EC Helme’s J/92S SPIRIT.

The high-test PHRF J Class includes Joe Brito’s J/121 INCOGNITO, Jack Gregg’s J/122 TARAHUMARA, and Mark Nannini’s J/120 SALACIA.

"The event is not just for sailors either," said Tor Holtan, CYC’s ATI media and marketing committee member. "We encourage friends, family, and the public to come out and watch these one hundred beautiful boats sail by iconic landmarks like Beavertail Lighthouse, Fort Wetherill, Fort Getty, and under the Jamestown and Newport Bridges."

Tickets for the after-party are also available to anyone who would like to join, but space is limited, so order your tickets early! As per the last few years, our sponsors, Berthon USA Yacht Sales and Latitude Yacht Brokerage, are providing free beer.  For more Conanicut YC Round Island Race sailing information

J/Teams Sweep Chester Race Week

(Chester/ Halifax, Nova Scotia)- The one-and-a-half dozen J/Teams that were participating in the 2019 edition of Chester Race Week enjoyed good sailing conditions for their long weekend of sailing, with most fleets completing six races in the offshore courses of combined buoy-racing and random-leg offshore racing.

In the PHRF 1 Division, Stu McCrea’s J/120 DEVIATION sailed a solid series to take second place.  Another J/120, Richard Calder’s BRILLIANCE won the last race to boost their position to fourth in class.

J/Crews swept the top five places in PHRF 2 Division. Leading the pack were two J/100s, Larry Creaser’s YOUNG BLOOD won, followed by Terry McKenna’s DOG PARTY in second.  The next three places were taken by J/35s, with Andrew Childs’ HELOC taking the final bronze spot on the podium, then fourth was Gary Bennett & Rod Johnstone’s J’AI TU in fourth and Than MacDonald’s J-HAWK in fifth place.


Rod Johnstone interview with host Lisa Ross from Sail Halifax Project here.

Similarly, J/Crews swept the top three spots and four of the top five in PHRF 3 Division. Leading the pack was local hotshot Colin Mann on his famous J/92 POOHSTICKS. Second and third were two J/29s, Chris MacDonald’s SCOTCH MIST IV in second and Don Williams’ PARADIGM SHIFT in third.  Fifth went to yet another J/29, Ann Covey’s RUMBLEFISH.

Winning PHRF 4 class was Jesleine Baker’s J/30 JUST ADD WATER. She was followed by another J/30 in fourth place, Jordan MacNeil’s FLUX.

In the PHRF 3 Inshore class, twin J/29s battled in a bare-knuckled brawl to a tie after seven races, both teams counting only 1sts and 2nds! On countback, it was Jane Fibee’s PAINKILLER that took the gold, with Terry Schnare’s HEAD GAMES having to settle for the silver. Fourth place went to Don McAlpine’s J/80 HARPOON and fifth to Bernd Hackstein’s J/27 BUZZ.

The PHRF 4 Inshore class saw Karen Fowler’s J/22 CHEAP THRILL take the silver, while fellow J/24 sailor, Steven Countway’s WAVERUNNER.

The one-design J/105 class was treated to a “whitewash” of the fleet, with Sean McDermott & Rory MacDonald’s McMAC winning all seven races and tossing out a 1st to finish with 6 pts net. The balance of the podium was a dog fight for sure, with James Mosher’s MOJO coming out on top of Barry Eisener’s BUZZ by just two points.  Follow Chester Race Week on Facebook here   For more Chester Race Week sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.