J Boats Responds to Farralones Incident

INSPECT YOUR KEELS
A Notice to J/80 and all J/Boat Owners from J Boats
We learned this morning that a 1994 J/80, racing offshore in a rough Double-handed Farralones Race off San Francisco lost its keel about 8 miles from the finish. Thankfully, both crewmembers were safely rescued by the Coast Guard.

In the absence of a specific incident such as a collision, hard grounding or drop from a crane, a failure of this kind is highly unusual without some kind of warning sign. In the only other keel loss incident among 1,150 J/80s worldwide, the composites surveyor judged the boat to have had significant longitudinal crazing visible at the exterior hull fairbody/ keel sump juncture that predated the failure by a substantial period of time.

No sailboat is going to last forever without some updating and repairs, particularly if campaigned hard. We do not know what factors over its 15 year life may have led to the failure on J/80 hull #45. But we strongly urge all J/80 owners, indeed all J/Boat owners, to routinely inspect keel stringers and keel sump areas, both internally and externally with frequency and most importantly prior to entering an offshore race. Owners should specifically look for any longitudinal (fore/aft) cracking that appears on the outside of the hull and/or on the turn of the bilge, as well as any issues with the fiberglass tabbing attaching the stringers to the hull. Any compromise to the stringer tabbing, due to any number of reasons, can severely weaken the overall sump system. If you find cracks, do not assume that it’s OK, without confirmation from an expert surveyor.

For all boat owners, the keel sump and stringers, along with other high stress areas, such as rigging attachments, chainplates, rudder pintles, mast step, mast partners and primary bulkheads should be inspected at least once per year. As this unfortunate incident reminds us, one can not be too vigilant. Pro-active inspection of the key structural elements of the boat are part of keeping oneself, family and crew safe.

Owners should contact their local J representative if they need assistance.

J/105 WINGS - Overall NOOD Champ

by Stuart Streuli, Sailing World
(Mar. 23, 2009) - Dennis Case isn't the most famous D.C. that sails out of the San Diego YC. But with a consistent crew and a well-run program, he's had Dennis Conner-like success in the J/105 fleet. Dennis and Sharon Case don't exactly agree on the secret to retaining good crew. But they certainly agree on its value. "People fail to understand that [sailing] is really a team sport like basketball," says Dennis Case, a semi-retired real estate investor from San Diego who took the overall win at the 2009 Sperry Top-Sider San Diego NOOD Regatta in his J/105 Wings.

The Cases have been sailing together since before they were married 22 years ago. Jim Dorsey and Dave Loysen, main and spinnaker trim, respectively, joined the team 16 years ago. Bob Capita and Dan Aeling round out this crack crew, which handled Saturday's light and shifty conditions just as smoothly as it did Sunday's big waves and gusts to 24 knots... more

J/122 hits the Jackpot in Australia

Ray and Sandra Entwistle’s J/122 ‘Jackpot’ is turning heads in Sydney’s IRC racing circuit. ‘Jackpot’ tied for first place in the Short Ocean Point Score Series, a six race series sailed off the Sydney coast and run by the CYCA. Sandra shared this report:

The first race in the series was the 173rd Australia Day Regatta, the oldest continuously-conducted sailing regatta in the world, held on January 26, the day the City of Sydney was founded in 1788. We had a great day sailing, a perfect 28c and 15-20kt breeze for the 35nm mile race to Botany Bay and back. This was our first serious race, and the J/122 behaved just as we had hoped, a smooth beat down the coast, and an effortless but exciting run back with the 155m2 kite. We came 3rd on IRC in this race, but couldn’t believe it when we found we had missed 2nd place by 1 second in the 4 ½ hour race. The fleet of 35 yachts were the cream of Sydney’s highly competitive racing circuit, attracting TP52’s, Swan 60, 47.7’s, and a trio of Cookson 12’s to name a few.

The rest of the series were windward-leeward courses and the boats performance improved as we fine-tuned the stock J/122. Our local sail maker ‘Ian Short Sails’ did a superb job on the sail wardrobe, particularly the running kite allowing us to sail at 165 TWA.

Our worst result was a fourth, and the last race was down to the wire with 4 yachts within 1 point of each other. It was a nail-biter from start to finish with some exciting tactical racing and all the yachts performing at their peak to try and take the top prize. In the end ‘Jackpot’ scored equal first in the series with a professionally skippered Swan 60.

We are extremely pleased with the J/122, and like our prior J/109 she has proved to be exceedingly competitive out of the box. We are now looking forward to fitting the dodger and taking her cruising over the Easter holiday break whilst we decide which winter race series to enter.

ACADIA Joins Mystic Seaport Fleet

ACADIA, a 21 ft solo transatlantic racing sailboat, raced successfully by Clay Burkhalter in the 4,200 mile France to Brazil 2007 MiniTransat, and designed by J/Boat co-founder Rod Johnstone, joins the Seaport fleet. Burkhalter sailed the course in 25 days, crossing the finish line in 12th place. He was only the fifth American to have completed the race, which has been running since 1977.

"ACADIA'S innovative design and construction was realized right here in Stonington, Connecticut," said Mystic Seaport president Steve White. "With this acquisition and our building relationship with Clay, Mystic Seaport is embracing today's sailing technology - just as the CHARLES W. MORGAN stood for innovation in its day." full article...

J/109 Class Invited to Vice Admiral's Cup

The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club Cowes will host the fifth Vice Admiral's Cup regatta from Friday May 29-31, 2009. Each year the Vice Admiral's Cup organizers extend a special invitation to a fourth class to join the event. For 2009 that class will be the well established J-109 Class.
Fifteen to twenty J-109 teams are expected to compete including all of the top UK boats. "The J-109 Class is thrilled to be invited to take part in the Vice Admiral's Cup. This is a prestigious event and as such the phenomenally successful J-109 class will have much to offer the Vice Admiral's Cup in terms of quality of competition on the race track. We are looking forward to an outstanding weekend of racing." Commented J-109 UK Class Chairman Matt Boyle. NOR & Entry info

Stark Raving Mad IV Wins Cabo Race

Jim Madden's J/125 Stark Raving Mad IV officially crossed the finish line at 5:14:07 AM PST 3/10/09 to take line honors, a first in class and first in fleet at the '09 Newport Beach to Cabo San Lucas International Yacht Race!

After the race, SRM owner Jim Madden shared this brief message: “What a blast. The boat was easy to handle, fun to sail, and blazingly fast. The 790 miles down the Baja passed by quickly with speeds frequently at 15knots or more. We also managed to enjoy ourselves with some very nice amenities like Bordeaux’s and barbecued swordfish and steaks"... now that's winning in style! Results & more

J/95 Share the Joy Closer to Home

For the first time, many sailors will be able to keep a good-looking performance keelboat in front of their homes. J/95 has the capability of broadening a day’s sailing range by 5-10 miles thanks to her keel/centerboard configuration. That includes venturing safely outside of inlets into open water... even staying dry and comfortable when a 20-knot sea breeze kicks in. J/95’s large cockpit, the privacy of its enclosed marine head and the convenience of returning home under power if the wind dies, make picnic day sails more appealing to family and friends. Sailing is at its best when the joy can be shared. J/95 has the versatility and the qualities to optimize your sailing experience over a longer season, closer to home...

Download the new J/95 brochure to learn more...

J/100, J/122 and Wind at Heineken '09

It was breeze on at the St Maarten Heineken Regatta ’09, with 40 knot puffs on day 1, settling down to the lower 20s out of the northeast for the rest of the weekend. The conditions gave owner Robert Armstrong and his experienced crew yet another opportunity to prove that J/100 Bad Girl can win against pretty much any boat in any conditions. Conceived as a daysailor, this tricked up J/100 proved her pedigree against a group of single purpose sportboats in the heavy wind and sea conditions. The competition included a Melges 32, some Melges 24s, Mumm 36, and other sportboats, the Bad Girl team scored a 1,2,1,2 to handily win the spinnaker class 6.

In Spinnaker 4, it was the forty foot J/s dominating the standings with James Dobbs’ J/122 Lost Horizons defending his 2008 crown scoring straight bullets over four races and Rick Wesslund & Mike Caldwell’s J/120 El Ocaso scoring straight seconds. The J/109 Pocket Rocket finished forth. http://www.heinekenregatta.com/

J/42 'Crisis Mode'

A short email came across the J/Boat news desk recently and reads as follows:

“Just finished a 13 month circumnavigation on my J/42. The boat has served me well in all sorts of conditions. Thanks for a great boat!”

This understated note is from owner Todd Hybels and follows a great achievement and cruising adventure covering 29,000 nm in 18 months across the Pacific, Indian, and Altantic Oceans. Congrats to Todd and his crew and friends Jeremiah Dodson, and Joe Hays.

Now temporarily based out of Leverick Bay in the British Virgin Islands Todd and his extended family are celebrating Crisis Mode's successful voyage before setting sail in a few weeks for his home port of South Haven, MI. ... For some great stories and photos of the adventure please visit http://www.crisismode.org