J/133 ‘Best Series Produced Yacht’

The RORC recently announced the Annual Challenge Trophies & Special Awards for the 2007 Offshore Series and what a year it was for J/Owners. Charles Ivill’s J/133 JB3 has won both the Overall IRC award and the Serendip Trophy for Best Series Produced Yacht in IRC after a fantastic season. Philippe Delaport’s new J/122 Pen Azen has been named the IRC 1 champion and Best Overseas Yacht in IRC with an impressive racing record, and J/105s topped the 2 Handed IRC Division for the second season with Mike West’s J/105 Juneau in first and Nick Martin’s J/105 Diablo J placing second. The J/109 RORC trophy will be awarded to Jean-Eudes Renier/Patrick Baune aboard Jee-Raft. All trophies and medallions are to be awarded at the upcoming RORC Annual Dinner on Friday 2nd November 2007. Congratulations to these and all participating J/Owners for a great season! Press Release

J/Fest Weekend in San Diego

This weekend (9/28-30) J/Fest San Diego 2007 will be hosted by the San Diego Yacht Club and sponsored by Longboard Vineyards and JK3 Nautical Enterprises, Inc. Nearly 50 J/Boats are expected including J/24’s, J/80’s, J/105’s, J/120’s and J/109’s. It should be fun for all with great racing, seminars and parties.

After the traditional warm up race on Friday afternoon come visit us for the annual wine tasting party hosted by our good friend Robert with Longboard Vineyards. On Saturday morning we'll kick off the day with a seminar by B&G and then it’s off to the races!

Upon the return to the dock the festivities will kick into high gear! We’ll be raffling off tons of great stuff and tossing a few hats! This event is always the best of the year with lots of food, fun & friends. Look forward to seeing you all there! Complete Regatta Info Here.

J/122 & J/105 win at Big Boat Series

Dave Kirby of Manhattan Beach, CA, skippered his brand new J/122 “TKO” to victory in the IRC C class at the Rolex Big Boat Series last weekend to capture both the Keefe-Kilborn Memorial Trophy as well as a Rolex submariner watch. TKO excelled in the windy San Francisco Bay conditions that saw 112 boats competing in 10 IRC and One-design divisions. In the 34 boat J/105 fleet, Chris Perkins and his crew from San Francisco were awarded the Commodore’s Cup for winning the largest one-design division. This was the fifth time in seven years that Perkins and GOOD TIMIN have won. The J/120 fleet also saw tight action with Steve Madeira on MR. MAGOO edging out Barry Lewis on CHANCE in the final race. The 2008 Rolex Big Boat Series will be held September 11-14 at the St. Francis Yacht Club. Results

J/Boats... Number One in IRC!

Among the 566 boats on file with US Sailing in 2007 with endorsed IRC certificates, J/Boats is the number one brand, with twice the participants of the next closest brand. Here's the tally:

(1) 108 - J/Boats - 19.0%
(2) 53 - Swan - 9.4%
(3) 49 - Beneteau - 8.7%
(4) 34 - Farr - 6.0%
(5) 18 - C&C - 3.2%
(6) 15 - X-Yachts - 2.7%
(7) 8 - Tartan - 1.4%

These 7 brands account for 285 boats, or better than half the total.

Not only are J Boats more fun to sail, easier to own, in constant demand, and more likely to hold their value over time, but the world is beginning to discover (thanks to the extraordinary race results being posted under IRC by the latest J series of racer/cruisers: J/109, new J/122 and J/133) that J Boat designs are excelling in a domain previously dominated by custom boats. US IRC List.

J/109 'Tastes Like Chicken' wins NOOD

In sailboat racing there are two degrees of quickness: there's fast and then there's blazing fast. Ask Stephen Tedeschi where his J/109 team fell in that range at the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta in Larchmont and we guarantee he has no qualms confessing that his Tastes Like Chicken is plenty fast: fast enough, that is, to earn the regatta's overall trophy and a trip to the British Virgin Islands for the Caribbean NOOD Championship in November! 58% of the entries for the regatta were J/Boats, with plenty of J/one-design action in the J/27, J/30, J/105 & J/109 classes… report & results here.