J/Boats Unveils New J/122 in Paris

Salon Nautique Boatshow in Paris (Dec. 1-10) will mark the first public presentation of the newest design from J/Boats. The much anticipated 40' J/122 benefits from a continuing collaboration between J/Boats and French builder J/Europe that started with the now famous J/109 in 2001. With many new innovations and award winning SCRIMP construction the J/122 promises a high quality modern performance yacht with versatility that owners appreciate for both cruising and racing. Execution of the details brings this concept to reality and for the J/122 the hard work of the J/Europe team has resulted in a new performance yacht that will appeal to a wide range of sailors. In keeping with J/Boats design philosophy, J/122 will be fun to sail, forgiving, easy to handle, and perform at a high level.

Dimensions:
LOA 40.0' - LWL 34.6' - Beam 11.91' - Displ 14,900 lb - 100% SA 876 - CE Cat. A

In addition to the new J/122, the J/display at Paris will include a beautifully detailed dark blue J/100 with teak decks and varnished interior, as well as the popular J/109 and J/133. For J/122 details with US Specification please visit the newly posted web site and/or contact your local J/Boat Dealer. Visit us in Paris at Hall 1 G 59.

J/133, J/92S Lead IRC at Hamble

The Garmin Hamble Winter Series is underway and already four races are completed with J/Boats on top of the two largest IRC classes. Organized by the Hamble River Sailing Club, this series attempts 8 race days with two races per day within the months of October and November with a mid-series break for a charity pursuit race. Currently at the top of the 26 boat IRC Class 1 are two J/133s, Neil Martin's Jammy Dodger and Stewart Hawthorn's Jump with only one point separating them. At the top of the 26 boat IRC 3 class is Marie Claude & Paul Heys aboard their new J/92S Java Lite. There is lots more J/Action in the one design classes. J/80s, J/105 & J/109. Visit the event site for more details.

47,000 miles and We still love the boat!

Proving that J/Boats are indeed great cruising boats, Leslie & Dick York from Rowayton, CT. have been living the dream and are nearing completion of a three year circumnavigation aboard J/46 Aragorn. Many of you may have met the York's at last year's J/Boat Mid-Winter Rendezvous where they presented some great slides and spoke about the voyage with J/Owners at the Pearson factory in RI. With visits to the Galapagos, South Pacific, survival of the Tsunami in late 2004 and much more, the Yorks are in a class of their own when in comes to experienced offshore adventure cruising. Recently, Australian web site Sail-World caught up with Leslie and Dick for an interview. There are more details and photos of the trip at the Aragorn web site.

J's Finish 1-2 in Rolex Middle Sea Race

J/109 Artie and J/105 Slingshot finished 1st & 2nd in class and nearly overtook 86-foot Maxi Morning Glory on corrected time for overall fleet honors at the 2006 Rolex Middle Sea Race. The pair finished an impressive 2nd & 3rd overall in the fleet of 63 yachts. Other notable J/ finishes were J/133 Jam of Italy finishing 3rd in class and the former Middle Sea Overall winner Strait Dealer, a J/125 who this year took line honors for the first Maltese yacht to finish.

J/109 skipper Lee Satariano far exceeded his expectations by bringing his Artie home in second place overall, with the youngest crew in the fleet – average age of 25 years. “For us we were a very inexperienced crew, but what we did well was keep our motivation all the way through the race. We didn’t sleep for the last two days. We kept working even when we were stuck in no wind. We went out and enjoyed the whole race. Everyone works well together, I really enjoy the team we brought together for this race.”

J/105 Slingshot was sailed by a team of two, Britons Shaun Murphy and Ric Searle. Murphy feels that fewer crew brings many advantages, although he conceded: “What would have worked out better is if we could have sailed the first part of the race doublehanded and the last 36 hours fully crewed. We lacked the weight on the rail to be able to sail fast in the stronger breeze, and that might have been the difference between winning and losing." Complete details here...

Perry Wins US Match Racing Champs

Dave Perry from Pequot YC defeated defending champion Brian Angle (King Harbor YC) in the fifth and final race to win his second U.S.Match Racing Championship for the Prince of Wales Bowl. Sailed at the Fort Worth Boat Club in J/22s, Perry’s crew was Terry Flynn (the recently crowned J/22 NA Champ) and Chris Museler. The Petit Finals also went the limit as past champion Nathan Hollerbach (Bayview YC) defeated Benz Faget (New Orleans YC) for the third place spot. Results & Info.

J/122 - A Dual Purpose Winner

Under construction now at the J/Europe factory in France, and scheduled for display at the 2006 Paris International Boat Show in early December, the new J/122 is 40’ of sailing versatility. Like her famous stablemates, the J/109 and J/133, the J/122 promises to be an IRC-friendly racer/cruiser with competitive performance, a simple and balanced sail plan, great looks, high quality SCRIMP construction as well as complete accommodations. Several of her key features include:

- A generous rig with 108% LP headsail and below deck jib furling.
- Carbon fiber bow sprit and A-sail for short-handed performance ease.
- Low VCG 7.2’ (2.2m) keel with swept leading edge for short-handed stability.
- Low maintenance deck configuration with minimized use of wood, large protected cockpit with long seats and high backrests combined with floor mounted mainsail traveler, below-deck mainsheet system, and large diameter wheel steering for comfortable daysailing.
- Choice of three cabin/single head or two cabin/two head interior layout with full headroom for live-aboard cruising, complete galley, proper navigation station, opening ports for ventilation and plenty of storage.
- Removable dock box at transom for easy race/cruise conversion.

Following the Paris Show, the new J/122 will be displayed at the London Boat Show in early January. The first USA arrival is expected in early February. Contact your J/Dealer for the latest information ...

Storm Trysail Intercollegiate Regatta

A record 240 college sailors participated in the Storm Trysail Club’s 2006 Intercollegiate Offshore regatta at Larchmont Yacht Club. Three of four classes were sailed in J/one designs including the J/44, J/109 & J/105. STC runs the regatta to introduce college dinghy sailors to the team work of big boat racing and to give college sailors who prefer big boat racing to dinghies a venue to participate. Thirty-three boats raced in four one-design divisions making the racing extremely close. Class winners were: St. Mary’s in the six-boat J/44 division, Web Institute in the eight-boat J/109 division, Georgetown in the Level 72 division and California Maritime sailing in the 12-boat J/105 division. – Full story and results

108 Race Boston Harbor Islands Regatta

This low key 12 mile benefit pursuit race for the Island Alliance is sailed on a figure of eight course amongst the Boston Harbor Islands National Park and drew 108 boats this year (an increase of 27% over the 2005 inaugural)! With a pre-race dinner at the Boston Harbor Hotel and post-race Redbones cookout at the fort, the program has attracted many local boats which don't normally race. A J/109 won the overall spinnaker fleet for the second consecutive year. Top non-spinnaker boat was Bill Beckett's Tartan 33. Hingham YC won the EOEA Secretary's Bowl as the top Yacht Club Team and the Courageous Sailing Center took home the SetSail Yachts trophy as the top City Sailing Club. Diane Kane and Sara Das won the top Female awards while Don Kavanagh and Larry Cannon took the Windward Investment and Clarkeson Trophies for Masters (65+) in their respective fleets. The O'Loughlins and Daz/Kurz boats won Gross and Burns Bowls for all-family crews. Among the 3 skippers sailing their first race, Craig Rolfe on the Cal 33 FRENCH WHINE won the Harbor Visions Bowl, placing 18 of 55 in Fleet 2. The varnished yawl BAREFOOT, an International 600 built in 1952, won the Sharma Trophy as the top Classic Yacht. Complete details here.

Summer Fun with The J/100

J/Owner and enthusiast Pat Kabris sent us this photo of his J/100 'Hurricane Bar & Grill' docked at his one acre island on Lake of the Woods.

Located between northern Minnesota and Canada, Lake of the Woods is considered North America’s other Great Lake. With over 14,000 islands and more than 64,000 miles of shoreline the lake has evolved into a premier outdoor recreation area for anglers, hunters, boaters, sailors and nature lovers. Pat's kids refer to this particular building on their island as "The Yacht Club". The J/100 is not only the perfect foreground prop but also a favorite platform for summer fun on the lake. (click the photo to enlarge).

Zepher Dominates J-30 NA Champs

The J/30 North Americans were held at Cedar Point Yacht Club in Westport, Connecticut, with 17 boats participating in the annual championship for the 26 year old class. 7 races were held in conditions ranging from 25 knots out of the east with a huge chop, to 5 knot light air battles. Boats came from New Orleans, Annapolis, New Jersey, Chicago, and Connecticut.

The New Orleans boat, Zephyr with skipper Scott Tonguis, dominated with 4 bullets to win their fifth consecutive North American championships, followed by Bebop from Annapolis, Fuzzy Wuzzy from New Jersey, Big Kahuna from Annapolis, and finally Smiles from Westport rounded out the top five. Racing was extremely close and competitive, with 10 boats scoring finishes in the top five. Complete details at http://www.cedarpointyc.org/

J/105 Best Series Yacht in RORC IRC

The J/105 has once again proved why it is the most successful mid-sized keelboat in the world. The J/105 has continued its success in the 2-handed RORC series during 2006 and has beaten fully crewed boats both on the water and on handicap. The championship winner for 2005 of the Psipsina Trophy, Slingshot (Shaun Murphy) has once again been crowned 2-handed champion. This year the J/105 has been even more successful as it finished 1st Overall IRC and 1st IRC Class 2, adding the Jazz Trophy and Grenade Goblet to the silver cabinet.

The J/105 was awarded the Serendip Trophy for the Best Series-Produced Yacht in IRC by RORC for 2006 and Slingshot won the Somerset Memorial Trophy for outstanding achievement of a 2-handed yacht and was named 2006 Yacht of the Year.

With over 650 boats sailing, the J/105 is not a new design, first touching the water in 1992, however it is thoroughly modern and offers a great blend of sailing performance. Designed for non-overlapping headsails she has a simple sail plan, which provides the performance without the costs. A retractable carbon bowsprit and asymmetric spinnaker provide the power downwind.

The J/105 is on display at the Southampton Boat Show on the “try a boat” stand and J-UK will happily arrange a demo sail and show the benefits of the boat that is RORC Best Series-Produced Yacht 2006.

Kerry Klingler Wins J/80 NA's

J/80 Fleet One hosted a fleet of 29 boats for the J-Jamboree 2006 J/80 North American Championship Regatta held on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire on September 8, 9 and 10. Friday’s racing was cancelled due to lack of wind, but breeze slowly arrived on Saturday and less so on Sunday to make for some challenging racing. Kerry Klingler of “Lifted” took first place overall with 8 points, followed by Blake Fleetwood of “USA 352” in second place with 9 points and Les Beckwith of “FKA” in third place with 19 points.

At the awards ceremony winners were presented granite trophies in the shape of New Hampshire, along with other J-Jamboree items. Bob Knowles was commended with a plaque for his leadership of the event. Bob thanked the attending boats and praised the volunteers who helped make the event a success. www.j-jamboree.org

Terry Triumphs at J/22 NAs

Terry Flynn of Texas added another J/22 championship to his collection as he prevailed over 58 other teams at the 2006 J/22 North American Championship. With a total score of only 15 points spanning seven races, Flynn’s consistency dominated the regatta despite very puffy and shifty conditions on Lake Minnetonka. Flynn’s previous list of victories in the J/22 includes a World Championship in 2001 and North American Championships in 1998, 1996 and 1995. The 1996 event was held also held on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota. Additionally, he won the 2003 and 1998 Midwinter Championships.

J/22 Fleet 1 hosted the regatta from September 13-15 at Wayzata Yacht Club, although the first day of racing was abandoned due to a lack of wind. The two days of racing that occurred featured breezes ranging from 7-18 knots. Chris Doyle of New York won the award for top amateur sailor, finishing with 42 points and two bullets. Complete results may be found at http://www.j22northamericans.com

The 2007 North American Championship will be hosted by Cleveland Yachting Club in Ohio from September 18-23.

J/92S to Make Fall Boat Show Debut

The new J/92S will be making its US fall boat show debut at the Newport Boat Show (Sept 14-17), followed by the Annapolis Boat Show (Oct 5-9). Owners are raving at the speed and stability of this 30 foot sprit model. In just its first year of sailing, the 92S has already logged impressive results, with a 1st Place in IRC-3 at the 2006 Obelix Trophy, 2nd in IRC-3 at 2006 Spi Ouest, and winner of IRC-1 in the Royal Southampton Double-handed Regatta. If a family oriented, performance sprit boat with weekending accommodations sounds appealing, we invite you to visit us at one of the upcoming boat shows.

The J/92S will also be on display at the Southampton Show (UK) Sept 16-24 and the La Rochelle Show (FR) Sept 20-25.

J-UK Reports: The 2006 Season, So Far

J/Sailors are enjoying a banner year of successes and milestones throughout Europe and more specifically the UK and Ireland. J/133 Owners posted wins at the Hamble Winter Series, Round the Island Race, St. Pete Port Double, and the Blenheim Triangle Race to date. And recently, Stewart Hawthorn’s ‘Jump’ just narrowly missed a first place class win at Skandia Cowes Week in IRC Class 2. In J/105 action the class one-design circuit is starting to fire on all cylinders with renewed enthusiasm for class racing at Deauville International Week in June, the J/105 UK National Championships in July, the just completed Skandia Cowes Week & later in August, J/Cup. J/105 Owners are also posting some impressive wins in RORC series events. In the J/109 group, it is not unusual for twenty or more boats to now enter most major class events. Of the 300 J/109s worldwide that are sailing, over 65 are located in the UK and Ireland... With the introduction of the new J/92S, the J/100 daysailor and continued success of the J/80 class, we expect the year to continue to please J/Owners. For more of the latest J-UK news visit http://www.j-uk.com

J/109 North Americans

The inaugural J/109 North American Championships lived up to its billing as the pinnacle event for the rapidly growing J/109 class, as 19 boats from 8 states competed in a 10 race, no discard series during the New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport. Jon Halbert and his all-Texan crew (Dallas, TX) aboard VITESSE aced the last race to end up on top, ahead of Al Minella's RELENTLESS (Greenwich, CT) and Ted Herlihy aboard GUT FEELING from South Dartmouth, MA. The competitors saw the full range of conditions as Tropical Storm Beryl produced large swells for the first two days. In other race week action, Tom Coates and MASQUERADE topped a competitive 22 boat J/105 fleet, with Phil and Wendy Lotz on INDEFATIGABLE and Joerg Esdorn on KINSCEM finishing 2nd and 3rd. http://nyyc.org

Darden Wins J/80 Worlds

Texas is famous for having the biggest and best of many things. Now they can add J/80 talent to the list. After 10 races and four days of racing at Corpus Christi Yacht Club, Glenn Darden emerged as the 2006 world champion, out gunning fellow Texans John Kolius, Scott Young and Rick Schaffer plus the rest of the international fleet. Windy conditions prevailed for most of the event and the leaderboard was deep, with notable former class champions Kerry Klingler (USA), Ruairidh Scott (GBR) and Jay Lutz (USA) finishing up 5th, 7th and 9th respectively. http://www.j80worlds.com

J/109 NA's @ NYYC Race Week

New York Yacht Club at Harbour Court in Newport RI, will host the first ever J/109 North Americans as a part of NYYC Race Week (one design) which begins with registration on July 19 and runs from the 20-23. The championship event is presented by Rolex and will attract some very talented J/109 crews... With all but the final late entries to be counted, 20 J/109 teams have now registered and are currently preparing for the highlight regatta of the year. This is the largest fleet of J/109s ever assembled in the US and the first major championship for the rapidly growing US class. The J/105 class will also be well represented at the event. Please visit www.nyyc.org for regatta details.

J's Dominate Mills Trophy

J Boats cleaned up in this year's Mills Trophy Race, one of the oldest and most prestigious events in western Lake Erie. Frank Kern in his J-120 "Carinthia" was 1st in PHRF-A and 1st Overall in PHRF, winning the Mills Trophy, and took 2nd in IRC. Harry Bloom in "Dirty Harry - Do You Feel Lucky?" sailed hard on the 54 mile Governor's Course with only two other crew in his J-105 to take 1st in Class, 1st Overall and the coveted Budweiser Eagle Trophy for best corrected margin in the fleet. J-Hawker, a J-120 sailing JAM with 2 adults and the rest kids, took 1st in Class and 1st Overall on the President's course. Talk about a rout!!

The race was sailed in cold north winds that were steady in the 18-22 kt range shifting from NW to N. There were big waves that kept coming all night, a lot of wind chill, and a few gear casualties. On the 75 mile Mills course, the long 1st leg beat started in 12 kts and soon built to 22 kts. The equally long 2nd leg to Cedar Point was a blast reach. The shorter 3rd, 5th, and 6th saw jibs cracked-off and the 20 mile 4th leg was a dead beat into big Lake Erie waves that never seemed to end. Kites didn't go up until the final 12 miles of the race.

J/Fest Fun in Seattle & Annapolis

Reports from the recent J/Fest Seattle & J/Fest Annapolis are all positive. In Seattle, the two-day event held at Corinthian Yacht Club over the weekend of June 17-18 attracted 47 J/Boats in seven classes. While some light conditions on day 1 delayed the fun on the water, the party Saturday night went off without a hitch. Sunday began with light winds again but the sea breeze finally arrived to make it all worthwhile. In Annapolis, (June 30-July 1) the "skippers meeting" wine tasting event, by J/Vineyards, put everyone in the right mood for the fun non-spinnaker pursuit race to follow the next day. 33 J/Boats and 128 skippers and crew enjoyed a most beautiful Chesapeake Bay day with sunny skies and 10-15 knots of breeze. Several family crews were on hand for the low key race and the entire fleet finished within 10 minutes of each other. All in all...a great time. Thanks to all of the participants, volunteers and J/Fest sponsors! http://www.jfest.org/

Ullman Sails Long Beach Race Week

Up and down conditions at Long Beach provided for some exciting one-design racing as five J/classes including the J/120, J/109, J/105, J/29 & J/80 were on hand. In all J/Boats represented 32% of the 168 boat fleet.

Gary Mozer's ‘Current Obsession 2’ recovered from a Saturday mini-slump with a second place behind Lowell North to edge Dennis and Sharon Case's ‘Wings’ by two points in the 20-boat J/105 class - the largest class at the event.

North, sailing his new ‘Triple Play’, won the final race to prove he still has some of what it took to win four Star class championships among several other world titles. "It was a good regatta," said North, who was 10th overall. "The race committee did a good job, and the hors d'oeuvres afterward were especially good."

Mozer’s win was enough to help his LBYC Team 3 win the Yacht Club Challenge Trophy for the event. Chuck Nichols aboard ‘CC Rider’ took the J/120 class, Tony Whetherbee on ‘Commotion’ took first for the J/109s, Eric & Steve McClure aboard ‘Macs’ topped the J/29s and Roland Fournier on ‘Blue Moon 2’ won the J/80s. complete results.

J/s Win 12+ Trophies in Bermuda Race

June 26, 2006...J Boat owners and crew made the best of the challenging conditions by winning four divisions and earning 8 other top three divisional finishes in the 2006 Centennial Bermuda Race, one of the longest lasting races in event history. Even the 98 foot Maximus took over 4 days to complete the 636 mile course.

Only two classes, J/44s and J/42s, qualified for their own division starts, with 11 and 9 boats respectively. The first four J/44s crossed the line in a span of 10 minutes, with Dr. Eduardo Salvati’s Mabuhay II taking the ORR division trophy, while Scott Dinhofer’s Brown Eyed Girl won under IRC. The J/42 class was won by Henry Morgan on Dolphin.

J/120s dominated Class 6, with David Askew’s Flying Jenny V and John Niewenhous’ Loose Fish, taking 1st and 3rd under both ORR and IRC scoring. Other great performances include the J/130 Christopher Dragon (Andrew Weiss) winning Class 7 IRC, the J/133 Antidote (Ron Richman) capturing 3rd in Class 10 IRC; Gary Grant’s J/120 Alibi finishing 2nd in the Double-handed division; and Brad Willauer’s J/46 Breezing Up and James Brown’s J/133 Rumba finishing 1st and 3rd in the Cruising Class.

J/Crazy in Block Island

While most media attention focused on the slow going of the Centennial Bermuda Race, the fleet at Block Island Race Week enjoyed some great sailing conditions, managing 9 races in 5 days. J/Owners were out in force with over 60% of the fleet, including starts for both the J/105 & J/109 one-design classes.

Top handicap performances included PHRF division winners Tom Lee sailing J/120 RICOCHET, John Esposito on J/29 HUSTLER, and Kel Webber with his J/34c RASCAL.

In the J/105 Class, with16 boats entered, many well known East Coast boats were on hand including Savasana, Eclipse, Kincsem, Kima and Ghost. Brian Keane and the crew of Savasana took first for the week over Joerg Esdorn in Kincsem and Damian Emery in Eclipse. The top six finishers also happen to be the some of the most widely traveled boats around, having participating in events like Key West Race Week, Charleston Race Week and Block Island Race Weeks over the past several years.

In the 14 boat J/109 fleet, Ted Herlihy and his J/109 team of Gut Feeling built a comfortable lead after the first two days of racing, managing to hold off a five boat pursuit for the rest of the week. Six different owners won a race in this competitive class. The event was a warm up for the upcoming J/109 North American Championships in Newport on July 20-23 where as many as 25 J/109s are expected. See results at http://www.blockislandraceweek.org/

J Boats Shine at NYYC Annual

June 13, 2006, Newport RI. Strong westerly winds greeted the fleet for the New York Yacht Club’s 152nd Annual Regatta, presented by Rolex. A total of 132 yachts, including 33 J Boats, sailed in the event, which for the larger boats served as the last warm-up before the Newport-Bermuda Race.

John McLeod served early warning as he and his Canadian team aboard the new J/133 Hot Water took the 14 boat IRC Class 4 over Andrew Weiss’s J/130 Christopher Dragon. Len Sitar’s Vamp was the top J/44 in IRC Class #5 with J/44s taking the 2nd, 3rd and 4th places. The J/92S made its New England debut finishing 2nd in IRC Non-Endorsed class behind Bill Sweetser on the J/109 Rush. In J one-design action, Phil Lotz and Indefatigable topped the J/105 Class, as Pete DuPont sailing Miss Marvelous won the inaugural J/100 East Coast Championships, with Bob Johnstone on Tern and Michael Wallace on Astrid finishing 2nd and 3rd. www.nyyc.org

High Seas Battle of the Brands

Among the list of 274 Newport-Bermuda Race applicants as of June 5th, the world's two leading performance brands account for 32% of the Centennial Fleet with J/Boats (44 boats) and Swan (44) leading the pack. Among classes: J/44s (12) and J/42s (9) have earned their own starting divisions. J/120s (7) and J/133s (6) with asymmetric spinnakers and retractable bowsprits are close behind along with the Swan 45s(7) . The next five brands each have less than a 5% share, with Beneteau (12 boats) and Hinckley (8) next, followed by X-Yachts (7) , Baltic (7) and C&C (7) tied for the 5th spot. http://www.bermudarace.com/2006/entrylist.php

J/Activity ... Buzzin' in June

June 5, 2006… For the Centennial Newport-Bermuda Race a record 44 J/Boat teams are entered with class competition for both the J/44 and J/42 and the debut for the J/133 (6 entered) in this famous 600 mile offshore race. At the Rolex New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta, again it’s a big J turnout (with over 30 boats). J/105 and J/100 Class action is anticipated…To top things off, more J/Owners are currently entered for 2006 Block Island Race Week than all other boat types COMBINED with strong fleets for both the J/105 and J/109 classes… There are several more events for June including J/Fest Seattle, NOOD Regattas in Chicago & Toronto and more.... please check our J/Schedule for the latest dates & event links…. June 2006 promises some great J/Sailing, indeed!

Johnstone Wins Hospice Nationals

21 crews, all winners of qualifying Hospice Regattas throughout the USA during 2005, sailed in one-design J/105s, May 12-14 in Annapolis MD to contest the Hospice National Championship. The racing, conducted by the Storm Trysail Club, comprised 8 races with no throwouts, with each team sailing a different boat drawn by lots each day. The competing teams only had to bring 4-5 crew members. The local owner of the boat sailed as a member of the crew, could provide local knowledge and perform crew duties other than steering or trimming sails. Full Report & Results Here.

Sir Thomas Lipton Cup

San Diego YC (May 27-28) It may have been a small fleet, but all five entries were A-Fleet regatta winning teams vying to win the 93rd running of the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup Regatta... sailed for the past 5 years in J/105s... With Bill Hardesty at the helm of 'Wings', San Diego YC successfully defended its title with the help of an able crew: San Diego YC Commodore Betty Sherman, Stacey Szabo, Kel McKeown, Chad Hough, Kyle Clark and Eric Shampain. Congrats to SDYC and to all of the competitors! http://www.sdyc.org

Liberty Sailing Club

From Vice Commore Matthew Nocifore, Liberty Sailing Club... We are an active racing club in Philadelphia sailing on our fleet of six J/27s. With unlimited sailing (April - November) for crew at $700 and skippers at $1000 per year, we think we offer the best dollar value in J/Boat sailing in the world! Check us out! We typically have between 60 - 80 active members and you can see our boats racing in Center City Philadelphia from 5:30pm to sunset on Wednesday and Thursday nights, May through September! http://www.libertysailing.org ... Sail Fast!

J/24 US Women's Open Update!

From Bonnie Kirchner (May 30, 2006) ... We recently received fantastic news: that our Women's US Open is no longer a US Open, but a J/24 World Championship qualifying event! The winner will proceed to the J24 World's in Acapulco in 2007: http://www.j24mex.com/worlds2007.asp

We already have 25 teams signed up. If you know of anyone who has been thinking about our regatta and may want to charter a boat, they should get in touch with us sooner, rather than later. Also, housing could become a bit scarce the closer we get to July. www.j24womensusopen.com

J/120 'Alibi' Wins Block Island Race

LARCHMONT, NY (May 31, 2006) –While 103 boats started, only 15 finished the Storm Trysail Club's 61st annual Block Island Race, which began late Friday afternoon, May 26, on Long Island Sound. The annual distance race (185 nm) hosted one of its largest ever fleets of IRC- and PHRF-rated boats. Several of these were J/Boats including overall winner Gary Grant sailing his J/120 'Alibi' with his crew Steve Fisk in the double-handed division (the only boat to finish in class). J/'s topped the IRC 1 class finishing 1,2,3 with J/130 Christopher Dragon taking line honors ahead of two J/133s... http://www.stormtrysail.org

French Sweep J/80 Europeans

Benjamin Diouris and his crew of Nicolas Pauchet, Felix Pruvot and Thomas Le Breton, sailed a nearly flawless regatta to capture the 2006 J/80 European Championships held over the May 26-28 weekend in Brest, France. Representing the event host (ECOLE NAVALE), Diouris and team bested 37 boats from four countries (France, UK, Germany and Spain) in the 12-race, 2 discard series. Fellow countrymen Victor Lanier and Remy Arnaud took 2nd and 3rd place respectively, just ahead of Kevin Sproul of the UK. http://www.j80european2006.com/

Scott to Defend J/80 World Title

Ruairidh Scott, winner of the 2005 J/80 Worlds in Falmouth, UK will be on hand to defend his title during the 2006 J/80 Worlds coming up July 9-14 in Corpus Christi, Texas. It won't be an easy task, as strong US fleet is expected, including Glen Darden, Kerry Klingler, John Kolius, Jay Lutz and many more. Visit the regatta website at: www.2006j80worlds.com

J/160 - Around the World

Dr. Scott Piper and his adventures aboard J/160 'Pipe Dream' were recently featured in the April version of Southern Boating Magazine. Dr. Piper has been cruising his boat around the World for several years and has circumnavigated the globe three times with over 110,000 miles under her keel...