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.