J/Fest is Just Around the Corner

J/Fest Regatta Series kicks off on April 14-15 in San Francisco and J/Owners this year return to St. Francis Yacht Club for what should be some fun sailing on the bay.

It's all about getting out there and having a great time sailing J's and for 2007 we look forward to lots of fun on the water. It's an open invitation for J/Boat owners, the only prerequisite is you have to sail on a J/. For 2007 we are pleased to welcome Longboard Vineyards as the new national J/Fest sponsor. You'll get to sample their creations at the parties so don't miss out! Also Ullman Sails has join us with their support this year and it is no secret that they know how to make some very quick sails. We also welcome back Sail Magazine, Hall Spars, B&G, and North Sails.

For dates, links and info please visit jfest.org.

J/109 Wins Overall in Hong Kong

In their first season of racing in Hong Kong, Chris Meads and his crew on Halcyon Daze, J/109 hull no. 259, recently won 1st Overall IRC and 1st Overall HKPN in the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s 2006-07 Uin-na-Mara Series, and 1st IRC Division A and 1st Overall IRC in the Hong Kong Cruiser Owner’s Association 2007 Lunar New Year Macau Race.

The Uin-na-Mara series was so-named in honor of Hector and the late Phyllis Ross’ yacht in recognition of their contribution to Hong Kong cruiser racing. The 2006-07 Uin-na-Mara series comprised ten races between October 2006 and March 2007. Meads' record in IRC was four wins, four seconds and two thirds.

The Halcyon Daze racing calendar continues next with a 480 mile Cat 1 San Fernando race, between Hong Kong and Philippines over Easter. As one of the two smaller boats in the fleet, Meads and his crew are hoping to spring the odd surprise on their larger competitors in this classic Asian offshore race…. series results

J/80 Class Growth Explodes in Europe

Spi-Ouest Regatta in France will serve as the official European kick off for 2007 J/80 one-design racing season and (as of this post) has registered over 77 boats, a record for the class and an explosive 40% growth rate over the fleet at the event last year. Needless to say this will be the largest class at the event for the second year in a row.

J/80 demand is on the rise in a major way with over 100 new J/80s being built this year alone and production set to resume in the USA at Pearson Composites. J/80 is the official Royal Yachting Association training and match race keelboat, the choice training boat of the French Naval Academy, the latest new fleet in America’s Cup host nation, Spain, with a newly established J/80 one design fleet now in Italy. It is also the training boat of choice for J/World Sailing Schools around the world. J/80 is coming of age and 2007 promises to be a great year! more on the J/80.

Acadia Headed For ‘07 Mini Transat

Clay Burkhalter, of Stonington CT recently wrapped up a winter sail training schedule in Flordia aboard his state-of-the-art 6.5m carbon fibre Acadia and is now busy packing the boat for shipping to Europe to compete in the 2007 Mini Transat Race. Clay’s uncle Rod Johnstone, a familiar name to J/Boat sailors, designed the mini for the “proto class” and Clay has spent the last three years building, sailing and optimizing the boat in order to qualify and compete in this challenging event.

Clay will sail Acadia in a series of warm-up races this spring and summer in Europe leading up to the main event which starts in La Rochelle, France on Sept. 16. The Mini Transat is a 4240 mile solo offshore trans-Atlantic race from France to Brazil in open 21’ keelboats and this year will celebrate it’s 30th anniversary. Acadia is one of two boats representing the USA in a fleet of 84 that have successfully qualified.

Please support Clay’s effort and follow his progress at www.teamacadia.org. All donations to Team Acadia are tax deductible.

New J/UK Web Site Goes Live

J-UK, the dealer and distributor for J Boats throughout the UK and Ireland are delighted to announce their new look website which has undergone a thorough re-vamp and update.

Marie-Claude Heys of J-UK said ‘We feel that the new design makes the site far easier to navigate than it was before and it certainly has a fresher feel to it; more in line with the J Boats brand image. We have been able to include more photographs and the specifications for each of the models in the range are quicker to download. The brokerage section which features the second hand boats that we have for sale is a huge improvement.’

Plenty of other useful information can be found at the site including the regatta schedules for all of the J models, the one-design class rules and all other news and updates from J-UK. www.j-uk.com

Santa Cruz is J/24 Champ – Again!

(March 1-10) Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico - Brazil’s Mauricio Santa Cruz and his team on Bruschetta are winners of the 2007 UBS J/24 World Championship for the second year in a row! Bruschetta led the boat parade through Nuevo Vallarta Harbour to cheers and horns on the final day of what everyone is calling “The Best Worlds Ever.”

Sitting in top spot all week, in a 70 boat fleet, SantaCruz went into the final day needing only to hold off the three USA boats that had been chasing him since Day One. Mike Ingham’s Brain Cramp finished in second place with Mark Hillman (28-4) driving WIP in third. Chris Snow on Bogus, in the top four most of the week, dropped to 8th place after 36-8 finishes on Day Five.

SantaCruz retired after race nine, the Championship in hand after his 18th place finish. Complete results here

J Owners Catch Spring Fever

The arctic weather that had embraced the northeastern US for most of February broke just in time for the 10th J Boats Midwinter Rendezvous, held at Pearson Composites, in Warren, RI on March 3rd. Over 300 J owners and sailors ushered in the sailing season with a fun day of seminars, factory tours, and the first stateside look at the new 40’ J/122. The Rendezvous, open to all J owners, offers a rare opportunity for owners to speak with designers, engineers, craftsmen and major equipment providers for their boat; all in a casual, low-key setting. “It’s as much social as it is educational, with owners reconnecting and coordinating summer cruising and racing plans; like a family reunion every March,” said Jeff Johnstone, J Boats president. Workshops were led by Hall Spars, Edson Int’l, Harken, North Sails, Mack Boring and J Boats. Pearson Composites performed a live SCRIMP molding demonstration and the Cohen family shared their insights on family cruising. The 2008 J Boats Midwinter Rendezvous is slated for Saturday March 2, 2008.