J's Take Four of Top Five in a Spring NW classic (Portland, OR- May 15-16)- Every May, the Corinthian Yacht Club of Portland sponsors the Oregon Offshore Yacht Race from Astoria, OR to Victoria, BC. The conditions in the Northwest at this time of year can range from tempestuous to downright placid and billiard table flat. This years edition served up good winds in the first part of the race diminishing towards the end nearly thirty-plus hours later for most boats.
Twenty boats started this years race and it was pretty clear the J's were going to do very well indeed. At the end of it all, Scott Campbell's J/46 Riva was first in class and first overall. She was followed in close succession by the J/122 Anam Cara raced by owner Tom Kelley, getting a second in class and second overall. Just off the pace was Bob and Barb Brunius's J/120 Time Bandit picking off fourth in class and fourth overall. A cruiser/racer classic, Tom Keffer's J/42 Velocity followed her larger, faster stablemates into the finish to get a respectable fifth in class and sixth overall.
In addition to Scott Campbell on the J/46 Riva, the crew included local North Sails Rep Kerry Poe, Steve Ackerman, Davis Moran, Charles Turner, Nelson Rolens, Bob Martin, Dale Diets and Ray McCormack. The J/122 Anam Cara, Gaelic for "Soul Friend", is Tom Kelly's 5th boat in over 30 years of racing. Tom says she is his "dream boat". He is a long-time competitor in the Oregon Offshore and plans to do the Swiftsure Race in 2 weeks and then do the Van Isle Race, a race around Vancouver Island this summer. The crew has been described as "geriatric" by Tom, but it contains a number of excellent sailors with many sea miles. The crew includes John Copper from West Marine, local Portland sailors Brian Marske and Jim Madden. Out of town sailors include Bob Ross, the broker and Manager of Whidby Island Race Week for many years and Scott Boys and Sally Hawkins from Friday Harbor. Other members of the crew are Lane Brown and Patrick Cummings. The J/42 Velocity's skipper is Tom Keffer. Assisting Tom as crew are Bill and Kathy Cuffel, Robert Henry, Gil MacGregor and Carl Hosticka. The J/120 Time Bandit from the Seattle area, carries a crew of 10. Skipper Bob Brunius and his wife Barb, John Sheppard, Tim Cleary, Tom O'Hara, Bob Conrad, Mark Lincoln, Troy Donaldson, Joshua Siegel and James Doane. For more commentary, visit the Oregon Offshore Blog.