J/108 Launched, Spectacular Sea-trials

(Les Sables d'Olonne, France)-  Launched this past week, the J/108 fulfilled lofty goals to continue the tradition of legendary J performance in a shoal-draft cruising boat.  The combination of the J/108's twin rudders and unique keel/ centerboard design have proven so far to exceed performance expectations.  In moderate to strong breezes and enormous three meter swell running from North Atlantic storms into the Bay of Biscay, the J/108 performed admirably, easily sailed upwind by two people (see photo) in what could be described as "difficult" conditions for shoal-draft boat going to windward.  Reports from the builder Didier LeMoal and J/Boats' Florida dealer, CrossCurrent Marine's Craig Crossley, were that upwind "she steers like a dream, the twin-rudders permit you to point the 108 anywhere you want, instantaneously, with no lag in response to the wheel- a remarkable attribute of this particular shoal-draft design".  Like her smaller twin-sister, the 108 can do a "hockey-stop", turning 90 degrees within half a boat-length.  And, going backwards under power it's easy to "parallel-park" onto a dock or back into a slip with ease, inspiring enormous confidence in maneuvers that cause many anxiety.

The J/108 will be spending time in Florida and Key West during Race Week at the Galleon Resort.  Learn more about it now, contact your local J Dealer or J/Boats- ph# 401-846-8410 or info@jboats.com.  For demos you may also contact Craig Crossley at CrossCurrent Marine- craig.crossley@gmail.com or phone +1-401-330-6135.   For more J/108 sailboat information.   

J/111 Wins SW Boat Of The Year

(Middletown, RI)- Sailing World magazine recently announced this year's winners of their annual Boat-Of-The-Year contest.  This year, the J/111 won the SW BOTY "Best One-Design Keelboat" Award.  Selections were based on extensive inspections and sea trials of all the boats.  Comments during the review process were prophetic: "Excellent sailing," said each judge afterwards. "That’s definitely a contender. Maybe the best boat from J Boats yet— even better than last year’s J/95. It’s definitely a frontrunner..."  

See the gallery here.    For more Sailing World Boat of the Year information

  

Heaven In '11- The J/Calendar

Give The Gift That Lasts All Year!

(Newport, RI)- Impress your friends and families with spectacular images and gorgeous scenery 24x365 all year long.  Give them the 2011 J/Sailing Calendar and watch them break out into a huge grin and wonder why they're not sailing a J with you!  

Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in exotic places worldwide. The 2011 J/Calendar features more photos of flying J's slicing and dicing waves around the world.  Or, just cruising past some of the most spectacular scenery this little "green" planet has to offer.  For those who love the sailing lifestyle, it's the ultimate sailing gift for your friends and family.  Get them now before it's too late for the Holidays!  We ship everywhere-- Europe,  UK/ Ireland,  Australia/ NZ,  USA/ Mexico, Canada.  For more 2011 J/Sailing Calendar information.

  

J/111 ISAF Offshore Certification

(London, England)- All new monohull yachts with a age and series date after January 2010 participating in a Category 0,1,2 race under the ISAF Offshore Special Regulations (OSR) now require an ISAF plan review certificate.  J/111 gains first production plan review certificate that meets or exceeds ISO and old ABS Standards for "Offshore Racing" certification.

The backbone of the new scheme is the newly published parts of the International Standard ISO 12215, these are used as the minimum structural standard to which boat designs are reviewed against. The standard is gaining increasing international acceptance as it replaces the previously used, but no longer supported ABS guide. The review is undertaken by ISAF recognized notified bodies, these are organizations that are able to carry out assessments and issue CE certificates for the European Recreational Craft Directive (RCD) and have also been recognized by ISAF.

Jason Smithwick, Head of ISAF Technical & Offshore Department comments "It is a significant step forward in the program now ISAF have issued it first custom certificate to the TP-52 built for TEAM ORIGIN and its first production certificate to the J/111."

The scheme is gaining acceptance with the first certificates being issued by notified bodies; Germanischer Lloyd (GL) and International Marine Certification Institute (IMCI) respectively and ISAF is aware of other Notified Bodies with further boats in the process of achieving OSR plan review.

ISAF have been taking an increasing role in the development of ISO standards and have for the last couple of year been a consultative member within the ISO organization. ISAF in partnership with the European Boating Association have been especially involved in pushing the development of part 9 of the standard related to keel structure. ISAF will continue to work with its members nations and classes who are users based membership organization in the development of International Standards and Regulations.

Foe more ISAF Offshore certification information.

  

2011 J/22 Championship Package

(Newport, RI)-  In recognition that the two most prestigious J/22 events in the world are both coming to America in 2011, US Watercraft and J/Boats are pleased to announce a special Championship Package available for a limited number of new 2011 J/22s.

The Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship returns to Rochester Yacht Club August 29 – September 1 and will showcase the top women's teams from around the globe.  One month later, the 2011 J/22 World Championships will be hosted by Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans October 9-14.  Both events expect big turnouts and J/22s will be hard to find.

The Championship Package includes a 2011 model J/22 with anodized mast and boom, an epoxy finished bottom and keel, class required safety gear, Triad trailer, and an upgraded New England Ropes running rigging package; all for $38,500.  The package is available through your local J/Boats dealer or US Watercraft and is limited to 12 boats, with priority given to boats that will sail (or be chartered) in either or both events.  This offer will expire March 31, 2011.  Please contact your J Dealer or J/Boats at ph# 401-846-8410 or info@jboats.com.

  

J/24s @ Bacardi Sailing Week

(Miami, FL) – Following a successful inaugural year, Bacardi Miami Sailing Week will return to Coconut Grove in Miami, FL, from March 6-12, 2011. For the J/24 fleet that participated, they were treated to some remarkable, beautiful conditions.  The hospitality was considered "unbelievable, gracious, extraordinary, groovy, awesome".  Wanna have some fun?  Go for it. J/24s.  Miami.  South Beach.  Coconut Grove.  Biscayne Bay.  Hard to miss.  Great follow-up to Key West and Miami offshore events.  Weather is awesome.

The event will be a six-day experience that will gather national and international sailing classes together in a fun-filled week of regattas, awards ceremonies, parties, and cultural exhibits. The racing begins on March 7, with events scheduled daily through March 12. The prestigious Coral Reef Yacht Club will coordinate on-water activities in collaboration with Biscayne Bay Yacht Club and Coconut Grove Sailing Club. The US Sailing Center and Shake-A-Leg Miami will also support the event. Racing will be held on three separate courses on Biscayne Bay.    More information on Miami Sailing Week.

  

J's Dominate Lauderdale-Palm Beach

(Ft Lauderdale, FL)- The 54th Annual Wirth M. Munroe Memorial Ft. Lauderdale to Palm Beach Race was sailed on Friday, December 3, 2010. This race is co-sponsored by the Cruising Club of America and The Sailfish Club of Florida.

Conditions for the race were beautiful, northerly winds, 15-20 kts with 4-8 foot seas, blasting up the shore and the Gulf Stream.   Go "stream-hunting" to the edge or stay left and pick off the lefty puffs coming off the Florida shoreline?  The long beat to windward was to the liking of the various J's sailing in the race, with two of them winning their IRC and PHRF divisions overall.

In IRC Class, Jim Bishop's J/44 WHITE GOLD walked off with 1st place overall, winning the coveted Wirth-Munroe Trophy.

In PHRF A, Frank Kern's J/120 CARINTHIA from Detroit's Bayview YC won their PHRF Division in class and overall.  Just behind them was LOKI, a J/105 sailed by David Bond was fourth.  For more Lauderdale-Palm Beach Race sailing info.   Sailing photos from John Payne Photo.

  

J/80 China Winter Series

(Xiamen, China)-  There was light air this weekend, but no lack of turnout again for the second week of racing.  With 8 boats on the water and over 50 people attending to help with committee or sail, things have been going very well.  Since the overall participants in many cases have not sailed J/80's before, the first two weeks of light air have allowed teams to start to figure out the best ways of handling the asymmetrical spinnaker sets, jibes and take downs.  

We had two races and tried to get a third but lack of wind lead to abandoning the last race.  Boat #6 driven by Jacky Chen showed consistent first place finishes to win the day.  I must say that it is great to see so many kids joining the sailing.  Last week we had Laura and Phil Harvey with 4 small kids on board and this week we had Alain and Sacha Vermeulen and Pieter van der Plas sailing with their kids.  You will notice from the photo that the kids are driving when they got 2nd in the first race.  

I am glad to see that everyone is having a great time.  We have changed the schedule a little to help with the holiday travel schedule.  We will be racing Dec. 19th, Jan. 9th, Jan 16th, Jan. 23rd and finishing on Jan. 30th.  We are keeping track of the overall score but it is good for people to realize that this is just for fun and that we are all out just bettering out sailing ability.  I look forward to seeing everyone this weekend, We will be trying to get the first start off at 1:30pm sharp if we have breeze this weekend so don't get too far from the starting area.   

The J/30 Kids Win It- YouTube Celebrities

Celebrities they are now!  Check this one out.  If you recall in a previous J/News, Whitney Kent, skipper of the J-30 RAFIKI and a senior in high school, collected the SSYC Corinthian Yacht of the Year award. As a follow-up to this award, they managed to do their own video production of a weekend race, racing in footsie "fuzzy" pajamas--- comfy so long as you can leap around the deck and it's not too wet!  Enjoy...pretty bloody amusing if you ask me.  Fun video of having fun sailing with buddies, GFs, BFs and Mom, Dad and friends.

  

J/111 & J/97 At London Show

(London, England)- The new J/111 and the J/97 will be starring on the Key Yachting stand (H69) at the London Boat Show which runs from Friday January 7th 2011 to Sunday January 16th. The J/80 Sportsboat will be on berth M15 of the indoor boardwalk feature.  The new J/111 makes her European debut at the London show and you can expect this new 36 footer to be one of the biggest draws. The momentum behind the launch of the J/111 has been astonishing, with 50+ boats ordered just 6 weeks after hull number 1 was launched! For the UK and Ireland things look promising with six boats already sold and there is tremendous interest from prospective owners and their crews. The J/111's first North American Championship will be held at Key West in January 2012 and the first European championship at Cowes in August 2012.

In the two seasons since the launch of the J/97 she has proved herself, time and time again. Fifteen J/97s have been sold in the UK in just under a year and 2011 will see the launch of the J/97’s UK Class One-Design Regatta Series, with the inaugural J/97 UK National Championships scheduled to be held during the 2011 J-Cup in Guernsey in July. Full standing headroom, a proper galley, chart table and every other creature comfort one would need and all in a J with a proven track record! BTW, the forepeak is a "romper room" for those so inclined!   For more information contact Paul or Becci at Key Yachting at +44(023)-8045-5669, info@keyyachting.com or visit www.keyyachting.com.

  

J/108 & J/97 At Paris Show

(Paris, France)- Ready for a quick, romantic, fun trip to Paris?  Surprise your significant other and take a quick trip to the enchanted city on the Seine.  From now until 13th December, take a peak at the new J/108 shoal-draft performance cruiser, the latest in a series of performance sailboats aimed at the "other" 90% of the Earth's sailing surface.  Find out why you can cruise in comfort, enjoy legendary J performance and sail in just 4.0' feet of water....where parrot fish go hunting for your toes!  

And, for those inclined for a spot of racing mixed in with cruising, find out what's causing quite a stir on the race courses in France and England this past summer-- the J/97 has won just about every major regatta it has entered in Europe.  After competitive sailors look at the interior of the J/97, the response is nearly always the same, "wow, we can't believe you kicked our butts with all that furniture, you beat us fair and square with Mums living room!".  Learn more about why this family rocketship at the Paris Show is such a "sleeper".  For more J/108 info (http://www.jboats.com/j108) and J/97 info (http://www.jboats.com/j97).

  

Heaven In '11- The J/Calendar

The Only Sailing Calendar That's "Green" Worldwide

(Newport, RI)- Impress your High Street friends, or just those who live around the corner in the "hood".  Give them the 2011 J/Sailing Calendar and watch them break out into a huge grin and wonder why they're not sailing a J with you! Other than a pint of Guinness or their favorite vintage wine, the easiest recruiting tool in the world to get them sailing with you!  

Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will transport you and your buddies to wonderful sailing experiences in exotic places. The 2011 J/Calendar features more photos of flying J's slicing and dicing waves around the world.  Or, just cruising past some of the most spectacular scenery our little "green" planet has to offer.  For those who love the sailing lifestyle, it's the ultimate sailing gift for your friends and family.  Get them now before it's too late for the Holidays!  We print and ship locally (to be very "green" and eco-friendly)-- Europe,  UK/ Ireland,  Australia/ NZ,  USA/ Mexico, Canada.  The world's lowest carbon footprint for a paper-produced sailing calendar.  For more 2011 J/Sailing Calendar information.

  

J/111 Owners Having Fun!

San Francisco Bay Debut + The Ultimate 111 Sailing Experience (So Far)

(San Francisco, CA)- First, Erik Simonson reports, "Sometimes good things come to those who wait. In this case, the arrival of hull number 4 off the J-Boats Production line to the West Coast has proven to be the case. Frank Slootman has enjoyed his J-90 immensely, it’s lines, rating and performance did all he could have hoped. What it was lacking was accommodations and a little luxury which would make his better half happy....The rumors of a newer production racer-cruiser from J-Boats had begun, which were right in the target range of 36-38 foot. After talking with J-Boats and reviewing the drawings, Frank was convinced the boat would "provide the thrills of a pedigree along with some of the creature comforts" he sought. Soon, SANTA delivered a new sleigh to the Slootman residence in the form of INVISIBLE HAND fresh from Bristol R.I."   Read more, see more photos and watch the video here on Erik's H2OShots.com site about Frank's INVISIBLE HAND interview.

Second, what may surprise a few sailors out there, perhaps, is that a 72 year old Canadian (actually, a Nova Scotian) who's sailed a variety of J's over time is taking delivery of 111 #23, after an exhilarating, adrenalin-pumping, get yer "ya-yas-out", 20+ plus knot ride on 111 #5.  Really?  Skeptics be damned.  Anyone of any age can sail the 111 with finger-tip control and feel confident sailing it upwind or downwind, light air or with breeze on.  Check these videos out.  Real People.  Real Men.  Real Women.  Real Fun.  Exotic, too, in French and English!  The Ultimate 111 Sailing Experience in Nova Scotia.

  

J/111 Skating Into England

(Hamble, Southampton)- On a wing and a prayer, the J/111 arrived in Felixstowe on the NW side of England as deck cargo on a snowy, icy day.  Next step, go sailing in 3 days? Shades of the infamous launching of the famous J/44 J-HAWK a decade or so ago.  The 111 ARABELLA landed with some degree of both anxiety and anticipation.  It didn't take long to determine the 111 was one hot boat.  On its first time out on the Solent she didn't disappoint.  

On a shifty 10-15 knot breeze on the Solent, ARABELLA quickly made its presence felt.  ARABELLA (1.091 TCF), sailed by Niall Dowling and John Cunningham, won by 5 minutes corrected time in IRC 0 class over a Ker 11.3 (1.159 TCF), Arcona 430 and a Comet 41s on a shortened course!  

Here's the report from Paul Heys-  "J/111 #6 arrived here in Hamble, after dark on Thursday night, following a 7 hr road trip from the Liverpool shipping port, England was covered with 6" of snow.

First light Friday saw a small army at work on the boat in a snow covered boatyard: Desty Marine installed the keel and rudder, HME fitted the BG sailing instruments, Stuart Miller and Jerry Eplett dressed and stepped the mast. The hoist and crane guys at Hamble Point Marina gave us great service. The boat and rig went together beautifully, many thanks to the boatbuilders at CCF and the team at Hall Spars."

By 3 pm that afternoon having had the Yanmar engine PDI inspected, we were motoring up the river calibrating the instruments, with proud owner Niall Dowling at the helm. We met up with James Knight and Jeremy Robinson from North and bent on the main and checked the jib for fit, just as daylight ended.

Saturday saw us out sailing for 4 hrs in 2 sessions of light winds and very cold rain, all went well.  Sunday 8 am, off the dock for our maiden race, the final one of the Garmin Hamble winter Series.

Niall was on the helm and had brought 2 of his crew, the rest of the crew was from J/Uk and the sailmaking and commissioning team. Conditions were flat water, with a 6-8 knot Northerly breeze. Sailing around pre start we found that the wind was shifting through 40- 50 degrees.

The PRO set a 3 lap windward leeward. Off the start line the tide dictated an immediate tack onto port, we were one of the first to go. We could see that the J/111 was powering up earlier than the heavier Arcona 43, First 44.7 and Comet 41. The high aspect rig seems very efficient.  Scratch boat in the fleet is the Ker 11.3 Paragon that rates 60 IRC points more than the J/111. Paragon was the only other boat that seemed powered up in the 8 knot gusts. Paragon led us to the top mark, by a minute or so, this delta quickly reduced as the J/111 sailed faster downwind.  Thereafter, the Ker and J stepped away from the rest of the fleet, with the Ker’s lead extending and contracting dependent upon who had the best pressure.

With a mist rolling over the course and a softening of the breeze, the race was shortened at the 3rd windward mark.  The J was 1 minute 20 behind the Ker and a long distance ahead of the third boat. After IRC handicaps had been applied, ARABELLA had won her maiden race by 5 minutes.  In short, a bit of luck, plus it never hurts to have all the bits and pieces come together."

  

Foggy Hamble Winter Series Finale

JIKA-JIKA and J-DREAM Co-Winners Overall?

(Hamble, England)-  While some dry-sailed boats were trapped ashore after last week's snow and ice, those crews that ventured out for the final day of the 2010 Garmin Hamble Winter Series had not only to deal with fog, but also a gradually dying northerly breeze. Even the steadily falling temperature failed to dampen the enthusiasm of both Black and White fleet competitors, intent on securing a good result in the overall standings.

Poor visibility meant that Race Director Jamie Wilkinson and his team aboard Tony Lovell's 'Bonney' were unable to see the outer distance mark so a RIB was despatched to the midpoint to create a split start line for the Black Fleet. Meanwhile Philip Gage aboard 'Knight's Challenge' at the pin end had switched on his radar to detect OCS boats.

Thankfully these were few in number and all seven classes got away first time, with the Fastnet Insurance and East Bramble buoys as windward marks, before returning downwind through the fierce ebb tide to leeward marks on the Ryde Middle. Despite the tidal offset in the course some boats lost out by not making enough easting early in the run, and this was made worse by the light breeze that was sometimes down to 2 knots.

Responding to the slow pace of the racing, all classes had their courses shortened, and once more the technology aboard Knight's Challenge was being put to use. By then the fog had cleared but some boats were being identified using AIS as they approached the finish line and before their sail numbers became visible.

Although the overall winners of most classes had been settled the previous week, as expected the front-runners for the Garmin Yacht of the Year Award were out again to consolidate their results.  Of the other contenders David and Kirsty Apthorp's J-DREAM slipped to second place behind Richard and Valerie Griffith's OUTRAJEOUS in the J/109 class, while Mike and Jamie Holmes JIKA-JIKA in IRC3 took a 20% penalty dropping her to fifth, and providing an opener for others to gain on them.

Overall, J-DREAM won the J/109 class with 11 points.  David McLeman on OFFBEAT finished 2nd with 25 points, third was Richard's and Valerie's OUTRAJEOUS, 4th ARIA's Luca Rubinelli with 32 points and 5th ME JULIE's Dom Monkhouse.

As many of you know by now, IRC Class 3 was dominated by the J/97 JIKA-JIKA (seen here) sailed by Mike and Jamie Holmes, they finished with eight 1sts and a 3rd for 11 pts!   Sailing a nice series and not far off the pace lying 5th is the J/110 SHADES OF BLUE sailed by Ed Holton.  In the 12th and final race of the series, Bill Blain finally got his J/97 BATFISH IV rolling and sailed well to get a 3rd, sistership JIKA-JIKA won the race but was assessed a 20% scoring penalty.

In the White Fleet, despite the shifty breezes, the J/80s managed to behave respectably and get off 3 quick races.  Sweeping all three were John Cooper's OI!, thus affirming their grip on the top of the podium.   Overall in 2nd was AQUA J- Patrick Liardet and 3rd is SWALLOW- Gordon Craigen.

Over in IRC Class 2, there have been four J/105s racing and they are 7-8-9-10 in class dueling with one another for one-design "Top Dog". In the fray are JACKPOT sailed by Vernon Bradley in 7th, JOS OF HAMBLE skippered by Professor Roger Williams in 8th, JOURNEYMAKER 5 sailed by Chris Jones in 9th and JOLENE with Ivan and Peter Trotman leading the charge lying 10th.  In fact, in the 12th and last race of the series, the J/105s nearly swept the top 5, getting 1st- JACKPOT, 3rd- JOURNEYMAKER 5, 4th- JOLENE and 5th- JOS OF HAMBLE.

Given the fact that both the J/97 JIKA-JIKA and the J/109 J-DREAM both sailed solid series in two of the largest and most competitive classes, it will be hard to determine the Garmin Yacht of the Year at the overall prize giving on Saturday December 11th.  Report contributed by Jonty Sherwill.  Full sailing details of the 2010 Garmin Hamble Winter Series.  Sailing photos courtesy- Paul Wyeth/ PWPictures.com.

  

Australian J/122 Wins Silver Again!

(Sydney, Australia)- A bit like the infamous "Energizer Bunny" on American TV, the J/122 is seemingly indomitable and indefatigable on the world's Seven Seas.  And nowhere can it be much harder to bring home the silver than to compete in Australia's offshore circuit with lots of custom IRC designs that are all designed to act like Aussie 18s offshore and plane away to Cape Horn way, way, way, way East at 100 knots.  As one might expect, at some point you have to "turn the corner".  That's when "real sailboats" designed with realistic "balance" come into their own.  The J/122 sailing in Sydney has bee there, done that.

Like last year, Ray Entwistle's J/122 JACKPOT has finished the CYCA’s Spring Short Ocean Point Score series in the silverware again.  Following on from JACKPOT's previous SOP’s series results of two firsts and a second they again finished equal 1st on points with a Swan 60 and a Beneteau 45. "The J/122 is amazing, she just keeps bringing in the results," said a very pleased Entwistle after Saturdays spring series finale. "At forty feet she is definitely  at the smaller end of this highly competitive Division 1 Sydney  fleet but  takes on all comers.  She continues to punch way above her weight with constant top 3 finishes and surprises everyone how well up the fleet she finishes on the water. The added benefit of this incredible boat is the interior.  In  a few minutes we can remove the racing sails, top up the tanks and fridge, add the dodger and go cruising in opulence. We wish all our crew, competitors  the very best for the festive season and thanks to the staff of the Cruising Yacht of Australia, Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron and Middle Harbour Yacht Club who take it in turns week on week to run this competitive offshore series," says Ray.  "JACKPOT will be back for the Autumn Point Score series starting in January and if you would like to taste victory in this highly competitive div one racing then get yourself a J/122 and join us for some fun at the top of the fleet. If racing is not your thing then go cruising, this boat does both in complete style.  Happy Christmas from the J/122 JACKPOT crew"

  

Xiamen J/80 Winter series

(Xiamen, China)- The first annual J/80 winter series started this past weekend.  Nine boats are participating in a 7 week series in Xiamen, China.  The event starts each week with a 30 minute lesson followed by boat assignments and then first race at 1:30. No starts after 3:30.  This is open to anyone that would like to join each sunday until the end of January (Space Limited). 58 people showed up for the first event.  Too many for the nine J/80's, but with support boats available everyone was able to have a great time.

There were three races to start the series with each being won by a different boat.  There was a tie for second place and winning the day was David Zhou with 2-1-2.  Current was a major factor in this days racing and consistent starts played a big role with the current pushing most competitors over the line early at least once during the day.  Reports Jim Johnstone, "We look forward to a fun series and the sailors are all quite happy to be on the water regularly in this new series."

  

Kings Cup Phuket

J/133 JING JING Having Fun!

(Phuket, Thailand)- The 24th Phuket King’s Cup didn't exactly start out in postcard, Chamber of Commerce conditions.  The practice day was a bit soggy.  But, the forecast for day one of the King’s Cup is for a west-north-west breeze anywhere between six and 10 knots.  As Tracey Johnstone reported, "Overcast sky, with a hint of rain and no wind greeted the sailors as they headed out onto the race course. Thankfully, a light Northerly filled in enough for the race officers on both courses to get all the classes away on Race 1. Some competitors were a little to keen to get started, with IRC 1 having a general recall and several other classes having multiple individual recalls. This comes with the territory when competitors are pushing to the absolute limit. With the wind direction flicking through forty degrees and fluctuating in intensity, choosing the side of the course and sail selection, which would yield the best results, became a tacticians nightmare. After rounding the top mark the boats that went right were looking famous, that is until the boats that gybe set the spinnaker and went left, picked up the incoming breeze first and crossed in front of the early leaders. The next time around the opposite occurred and as the fleet played snakes and ladders, this is reflected in the final results. PRO Jerry Rollin managed to complete three windward/leeward races for the racing classes, in between intermittent rain showers and the cruising classes completed there one scheduled race in area B to successfully get the regatta underway.  After surviving a general recall and then an individual recall, Rick Pointon's Chinese crew on the J/133 JING JING held on for third overall.

By the second day, the King's Cup weather has returned to its traditional light airs where knowing the local conditions, studying the tides and keeping your head out of the boat were all important factors on the first day.  With a postponement flag flying on both courses the Phuket King’s Cup fleet of 106 boats waited patiently this morning for a race start.  Soft breeze, an outgoing tide and heavy cloud made for a difficult start.  Then a rain squall passed over the land and moved out to sea. There was hope some more breeze would come with it, but that didn’t eventuate.   In IRC1 the postponement flag was up briefly while the start line was re-laid, then the 15 boat fleet were off. Three boats were recalled. At the bottom mark first time around, Rick Pointon’s J/133 JING JING executed well to finish in the top five.  In the next race, the wind was equally as shifty, but JING JING hung in for second!  In short, it was a day of costly tactical calls, protest flags and changes in the leader board in the second day racing.  The forecasted 10 plus knots and thunderstorms didn’t eventuate today. Instead the course had low cloud, shifty breezes and at places, two knots of current. All the makings of an interesting day of racing.

By the third day, IRC1 Class had two races. First was a windward/leeward and the second was a long race offshore around the cans.  The long race start was delayed for a short time as the race committee re-set the start line in response to a slight wind shift. Rick's J/133 JING JING was OCS at the start, but recovered well as the fleet headed south. A costly tack to make the mark hurt some boats, including JING JING. Currently, JING JING is in third place with 15 points-- perhaps a chat with Buddha atop the mountain might provide divine inspiration (seen here at right).  Phuket Kings Cup Sailing Photo credits- Guy Nowel.    For more Phuket Kings Cup sailing information.

  

Hot Ice Cup Action

(Stockholm, Sweden)- The J/92s Match Race Center fleet in Stockholm raced their infamous Ice Cup last week.  Jonas Magner took some great photos of the people, the ice, the ice-picks and the action going on in front of their club.  The first order of the day was getting rid of all the ice and snow on deck before the crews could get rolling for the day in just -10 degree C weather.  As we said last week, no question these Vikings are hardy souls, warm at heart, and love to have a great time.  Jonas kindly provides us with some great photos, check out the link here: http://persept.se/IceCup10/

  

Storck's Win Scuttlebutt's "Sailing Family of the Year 2010"

Amazing, fellow Jumbo sailors at Tufts (the kids) and enthusiastic J/80 sailors, win Scuttlebutt's first Sailing Family of the Year Award for 2010!  That's cool! Huge! Awesome!  Simply fantastic as far as the J/Community sees it.  The Storck's not only get a commemorative SFOTY trophy (not that they need any more), but they'll get outfitted in gear courtesy of award sponsor Atlantis WeatherGear, Camet International and Harken.

As Scuttlebutt Editor, Craig Leweck, describes, "This is the inaugural year for this award, and based on the sheer number of submissions, this type of recognition is long overdue. During the review process, it quickly became evident that determining a winner would not be the mission of the judges, but rather to recognize one family this year, and to look forward to recognizing many more in the future.

The Storck family received wide spread support though numerous submissions.  One nominee considered them "probably sailing family of the decade".  Another nominee remarked, "As soon as I read the description for this (award), the first family that jumped to mind is the Storck family." A third said, "This is a total no-brainer. Super sailors across the board and nice people. What else could you ask for?" And on and on it went.  We at J/Boats couldn't agree more.

While success in the sport was not a vital component of the award, there is a lot of success in this clan. Whether sailing together, like they did winning the J/80 North Americans and finishing 12th in the World Championship, or following their individual pursuits, the Storck family is
bonded by the sport.

John Storck Jr., has said on many occasions that it is truly a blessing that his four children have taken to sailing with such enthusiasm. However, it is no accident that John III, Erik, Kaity and Ian Storck have come to love sailing as much as their father. All four were introduced to the sport in a positive environment that fostered a passion. He has watched their collective sailing experiences define their individual personalities and the relationships among them. "It's because of the sailing that they're all very close," he says, "and it's because of the sailing that they have the utmost respect for each other, on and off the water."

John and wife Colette brought each child aboard the family cruiser-racer Jonrob, when they were babies. The kids learned the basic fundamentals of sailing while cruising Long Island Sound aboard the Ericson 39, and were later introduced to the competitive side of the sport as crew
for their father when he raced in local events sponsored by Centerport Yacht Club or Lloyd Harbor Yacht Club. "Our kids literally grew up on the Jonrob doing summer cruises and were able to experience sailing in its purest form," Storck said.

All four children attended sailing school to further hone their skills, learning how to steer and trim in the Optimist dinghy and Club 420 classes.  During those years, John Jr and Colette were the absolute antithesis of the infamous "helicopter parents", who push their kids to compete and focus solely on results. "When my kids were junior sailors, I rarely ever went to the regatta unless I was working on the race committee," Storck said. "If John and Erik were doing a big regatta, I would take Kaity and Ian to the zoo. My wife and I never wanted to put any pressure on the kids."    Read more about the 2010 SFOTY - The Storck family.

  

J/80 Class Growing- 2011 Package Deal!

New 2011 J/80 Special Package
(Newport, RI)- You know a class is strong when two months after a World Championship you can't find a used boat.  The J/80 Class momentum keeps building with the next stop Key West, Florida.  New production is back-logged to February-- still time to get a boat for the 2011 season! For J/80s ordered in the next 60 days (prior to February 1st), the special program is: 2011 Model US Watercraft J/80 for $53,900 USD with a Waterline Systems faired keel and Triad tandem axle galvanized trailer.  For more J/80 Special Package information.  Contact J/Boats at P- +1-401-846-8410 or email at info@jboats.com.  Sailing Photo credit- Allen Clark/ photoboat.com

  

Gorgeous 2011 J/Calendar

(Newport, RI)- This year's beautiful 2011 J/Sailing Calendar is for sailors who love the joy of sailing a J in spectacular harbors and waters around the world.  Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in far away places. The 2011 J/Calendar features more photos of flying J/22s and J/80s, a J/122 powering upwind, serene scenery off the Spanish Balearic coast, J/105s and J/120s dueling in the Rolex Big Boat Series, J/24s crowding a start on Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta, and some gorgeous shots of J/109s and a J/30 on sun-splashed seas.  There are two formats this year- the standard size (11.5" W) is perfect for home, school or office where space may be limited and the large, wide format (17.5" W) is a spectacular feast for your eyes! For those who love the sailing lifestyle, it's the ultimate sailing gift for your friends and family.  Sailing photo credit- Paul Todd/ Outside Images.  For more 2011 J/Sailing Calendar information.

  

Unique J/24 Prints

(Newport, RI)- Just in time for the holiday season, WG Sofrin Fine Prints of Newport, RI is pleased to announce the introduction of a customizable J/24 sail and lines plan print.

This print was developed in conjunction with the J Boats design team using the original design data from Rodney Johnstone. This classic keepsake is perfect for any office, home or club.

The print is produced using archival inks on acid-free select print stock.  WG Sofrin Fine Prints specializes in customizable print services.  Sofrin's work is collected around the globe, and his original work can be viewed upon prior appointment at the MIT Museum in Boston, MA.  Visit http://www.willsofrin.com for all the details or email will@willsofrin.com.

  

Wintry Hamble Winter Series

JIKA-JIKA and J-DREAM Contending for Overall Title!
(Hamble, England)-  A week to go in the series with one or two interesting battles to watch, and as mentioned below even those who have already won their classes will be gunning it to improve their chances of winning the overall trophies, the Garmin Yacht of the Year and Garmin Sportsboat of the Year. These are not just lowest points trophies, but also factored against size of class and a competitiveness factor, and worked out by Race Director Jamie Wilkinson.  At this stage, the J/97 JIKA-JIKA and the J/109 J-DREAM are vying for overall honors.

With the air temperature barely climbing above zero degrees on this penultimate day of the Garmin Hamble Winter Series, thankfully the north-easterly breeze never got much above 10 knots. Even so it was shifting widely, and enough to delay the Black Fleet starts by ten minutes while the committee re-laid the start line near the Sunsail racing mark on the Ryde Middle.

Having picked Fastnet Insurance buoy as a first mark the IRC and one-designs were set windward leeward courses, but with a breeze that was gradually dropping, and mindful of the many pairs of cold hands, the race committee made a popular decision in shortening the races after 100 minutes of sailing.

The J/109s had a very tactical race Sunday.   The Black Fleet committee boat was on station on Ryde Bank and gave the preceding classes a long race of windward/leewards with an initial beat almost all the way to the north shore, followed by a good down wind back to Ryde Bank.  When the J/109 Class course was announced with similar legs to the earlier starts, it was obvious that the day was going to be dominated by tidal tactics.

The fleet headed upwind with an even split on port and starboard only to converge again at the windward mark.  This mark rounding saw OUTRAJEOUS (Richard & Valerie Griffith) judge the tide perfectly to lead from ARIA (Luca Rubinelli), JAGERBOMB (Paul Griffiths), RED ARROW (Marcus Wilson), DESIGNSTAR 2 (Roger Phillips) and last week’s race winner, OFFBEAT (David McLeman). Season leader J-DREAM (David and Kirsty Apthorp) was buried back in the pack.

A spinnaker run of nearly two miles saw many position changes as OUTRAJEOUS extended her lead from ARIA and J-DREAM pulled through to third.  RED ARROW with her new crew were delighted to be in the pack and determined to protect their position.

Halfway up the next beat ARIA was overhauled by J-DREAM and within metres of the mark OUTRAJEOUS ducked J-DREAM, who was on starboard.  Another long run back across the Solent saw OUTRAJEOUS take better advantage of the tide to round the leeward mark first.

The leaders had an uneventful leeward mark rounding, buy the majority of the fleet arrived at the mark at the same time.  A starboard rounding had thrown some and with strong tide, there were a few interesting calls for mark room.

The final beat saw J-DREAM once again lead at the windward mark and as they did not repeat the mistake of the previous downwind leg, OUTRAJEOUS was unable to pass.  A beat back to the finish saw J-DREAM extend the lead from OUTRAJEOUS to take the win by 30 seconds, their seventh victory of the series.

ARIA retained 3rd place, whilst some of the fleet rounded the leeward mark and set off for the wrong finish line.  JAGERBOMB and DESIGNSTAR were losers in this maneuver, whilst RED ARROW benefitted to finish 4th —only 9 seconds off 3rd and 5 seconds in front of OFFBEAT in 5th.  Overall, the results still are: 1st- J-DREAM (David & Kirsty Apthorp), 2nd- OFFBEAT (David McLeman) and 3rd- ARIA (Luca Rubinelli).  What's interesting to note is that in the 11th race, all top five took all top five places!  Now that's tough racing!

In the White Fleet, racing in the relative shelter of the mainland shore, an amended windward leeward course was in use to reduce time between the three races. With the finishing committee boat near the start line it worked well, with the J/80s getting three start sequences cycled in two hours. Despite a soft breeze and some huge wind shifts, plus one black flag start in the J/80s in race 2, the fleet was heading for the crane by 12:45 pm after a 35-minute final race.  Overall, the results still are 1st OI!- John Cooper, 2nd AQUA J- Patrick Liardet, and 3rd is SWALLOW- Gordon Craigen.

Over in IRC Class 2, there have been four J/105s racing and they are 7-8-9-10 in class dueling with one another for one-design "Top Dog". In the fray are JACKPOT sailed by Vernon Bradley in 7th, JOS OF HAMBLE skippered by Professor Roger Williams in 8th, JOURNEYMAKER 5 sailed by Chris Jones in 9th and JOLENE with Ivan and Peter Trotman leading the charge lying 10th.

IRC Class 3 has simply been dominated by the J/97 JIKA-JIKA  (seen here) sailed by Mike and Jamie Holmes, they have seven 1sts, a 3rd and two 4ths!  Tough "hombres" these guys might be called in Texas/ Spanish slang.  Call it a "schooling" or simply a good old-fashioned "spanking", but Mike and Jamie simply set a new standard of performance with their well-sailed J/97 in this year's Winter Series.  Proof positive it's a tough boat to beat, often sailing as fast as the J/109s in lighter conditions downwind! Sailing a nice series and not far off the pace lying 4th is the J/110 SHADES OF BLUE sailed by Ed Holton-- just one point out of 3rd!

The series concludes next Sunday, December 5th, and day sponsor will be Elvstrom Sails.  One race for the Black Fleet and three races for the White Fleet are scheduled, and as well as finalizing the points series for the ten classes these results will help determine the Garmin Yacht of the Year and Garmin Sportsboat of the Year that will be awarded at the overall prize giving on Saturday December 11th.  Report contributions from Jontey Sherwill.  Full sailing details of the 2010 Garmin Hamble Winter Series.  Sailing photos courtesy- Paul Wyeth/ PWPictures.com.

  

J/92 Ice Cup Sweden

A Snow-Filled Fun Fest
(Stockholm, Sweden)- Photographer Oskar Kihlborg covered the 10th edition of Ice Cup in Sweden (aka "Viking Cup") and provided a quick report for frost-bite, snow-loving sailors.  As Oskar reminds us all, "It was -10 degrees C but the snow was not a big problem for the 120 Vikings who turned up for the start.  However spinnakers were not allowed due to too much ice on foredecks and winch handles were used to hack off ice from deck.

The 25 teams raced in J/92 boats and on Sunday six teams contested the final. The normal coin flipping between 'Dream Team' and Australian Tim Shuwalows 'Sweden Racing' was decided in a saucer or sledge race down the snowy slope to the water. Tim won that race but overall winner of the final was Team Tham.
J/92 Ice Cup Sailing Photo credits- Oskar Kihlborg   

ECC VIVIENDAS Wins J/80 Autumn Championship

(Santander, Spain)- The Spanish J/80 teams are at it again.  No matter how many J/80 World Champions they have, their fellow J/80 sailors are simply having fun getting out on the water and thrashing around the buoys before retiring after the race for some great Spanish paella and vino rojo.

The wavy conditions and good southwest 10-20 knot winds, combined with the flexibility of the Race Committee, allowed three good sets of races to play out on Santander Bay for the weekend.  It was fortunate that three sets of six races were completed, it's been a nasty few weeks for storms that have lashed the coastline.  The winner Pichu Torcida on ECC VIVIENDAS sailed to a very consistent 3-3-5 score.  Second place went to NEXTEL ENGINEERING sailed by Ignacio Camino and Armando Gutierrez and bronze was won by the BANCAJA-AVIVA, raced by Javier Lopez-Vazquez and Alvaro Mazarrasa.  Rounding out the top five were MABLE in 4th sailed by Alberto Padron and Jose Miguel Oriol, winning on a tie-breaker over Jaime Piris on FONESTAR (5th overall).     For more J/80 Autumn Championship sailing information.  Sailing photos courtesy of Chapifoto.com

  

J/80 Sailor- Torcida Awarded As Spanish National Sports Hero

(Santander, Spain)-  In the Cantabrian region there are many excellent, world-class sportsmen.  Many are cycling, soccer and basketball stars that win medals at an Olympic level or play professionally on such teams as Real Madrid or Barcelona.  In that rarified air is none other than Pichu Torcida.  A jury of the board of the Sports Press Association of Cantabria (APDC) and the heads of the major sports media in the region, selected eleven winners across a range of sports.  Pichu's team is recognized as the "Best Team of Cantabria 2010" for their victory in the J/80 Worlds in Newport, RI.  The entire team won the award, including his team-mates Carlos Martinez, Javier de la Plaza and Juan Gonzalez of Real Club Maritimo de Santander.  For more info on Pichu's awards for sailing.

  

Santander J/80 Mundialito Regatta

SLAM RACING's Gorostegui Wins

(Santander, Spain)-  Last Saturday it was a freezing cold November day, but the sailors were undeterred. They headed out for their version of a "mini-J/80 Worlds" (e.g. "mundialito").   Hosted by the Real Club Marítimo de Santander, the event is a traditional friendly and festive trophy "Mundialito" which brought into Cantabria many renowned Spanish sailors.

On Saturday afternoon the race committee sent the 27 teams around windward-leeward courses for a series of good, tactical racing.  By Sunday morning, the PRO's instead ordered a special tour and unusual hitch, starting with coastal stretch down the coast and back and finishing off the RCMS after a final double windward-leeward laps halfway between Santa Marina and Camel Beach. The conditions were tough, because a strong hailstorm struck the sailors when sailing against upwind to the first mark.   It was in this race that SLAM RACING took control of the regatta, winning by a comfortable margin.  Unfortunately, one of the contenders in the race, current J/80 World Champion Pichu Torcida, had to retire due to some painful muscle injuries in the difficult weather conditions.  Overall, the results were SLAM RACING in first sailed by Tonio Gorostegui and Harry Lavin, 2nd was Fernando Rita and Jaime Piris sailing the picturesque FONESTAR, 3rd was Ignacio Camino racing his familiar NEXTEL ENGINEERING, 4th was a new face amongst the leaders, Chuny Bermudez de Castro sailing COMPESCA and tied for 5th were Jesus Amaliach on RAITA and Angel Herrera on GROUP RHIN, the latter getting 6th on the tie-breaker.    For more J/80 Santander sailing information.  Sailing photo courtesy of Chapifoto.com

  

J/80 Sailor Bruno Trouble- Announces Louis Vuitton & AC34 Partnership

* Louis Vuitton Cup For AC34- Bruno Trouble (J/80 sailor extraordinaire from France), Russell Coutts, Yves Carcelle, Richard Worth, and Pietro Beccari celebrated their new partnership between Louis Vuitton and the 34th America's Cup!  Amazing, from the ashes a Phoenix yet rises again-- gotta hand it to Bruno, brilliant man and a French gentleman who knows how to get the job done.

Continuing its 30-year long association with the America's Cup, the Paris-based fashion house will present the prize, the Louis Vuitton Cup, to the winner of the America's Cup Challenger Series, as well as serve as Official Timing for the 34th America's Cup. "We are thrilled to announce today the continuation of our 30-year partnership with the America's Cup. Having met with the team several times, we believe that the 34th edition will be the best America's Cup yet," said Yves Carcelle, Chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton Malletier.   

Nicole Scott- Budding OZ photographer

* Chicks dig it, especially Nicole Scott and Kitty Logan-- remember this photo?  Of the J/24 J-SPOT in Sydney Harbour, Australia dragging one of its crew members who'd fallen overboard for a few yards (they luffed head to wind shortly thereafter and pulled him aboard)?  See more about how this happened-- they love the J/24 fleet down in Sydney.  Nicole and Kitty started SailingImages.net and ply their trade with a "network" photographers in Australia.  There's a cute story on the infamous Sailing Anarchy site about Nicole and her friend Kitty.  Another Scot Tempesta "SA InnerView"- "Sailing is one of the great sports, it is has grown to encompass all walks of life and is one of the rare recreational pursuits that is not age or gender specific. In particular so many women are now so intricately involved, not only in the sailing but in associated marine trades. A group that you will be seeing a lot of are Nicole Scott, Kitty Logan and the team at Sailing Images.net. These girls spend most weekends plying their trade of marine photography on Sydney Harbour and at all the major sailing events. They will go to any length to get the ideal angle, hanging out of boats and constantly striving for the magic shot for your office or mantelpiece.

This company in its short life has already made a significant impact with its photographs featured on international websites and magazines. It is expanding quickly and notably with acquisitions of the highest order. Two more Sydney based female photographers, Beth Morley and Michele Rogers have joined the team along with Greg Maunder in Victoria, Aaron Goldwater in Canada/US, Lisa McMenamin Personal Assistant and Daryl Hill, the chase boat driver. All this is the space of three months!

The birth and success of this company is a testament to the drive and dedication of Nicole Scott. She has had to overcome personal loss of the highest order. Three and a half years ago she lost her partner to a rare form of aggressive Leukemia. Her life was turned upside down overnight and the ensuing stress and emotional turmoil took its toll. However out of this difficult time came a new zest to live life to the fullest. She embraced her favorite pastimes, photography and nature, her 10th birthday was a milestone in her life with the gift of her first camera and she was clicking the shutters from that day."  Continue to read more about Nicole's adventure here on SA.   

Glenn Gustaffson on Caribbean 1500

*  Glen Gustaffson is sailing his J/46 this year in the Caribbean 1500.  He says, "There are two J/46's and I believe one J/44 in the event, which has a record turnout this year.  We are pumped up and looking for a fast ride to the Islands.  I'll see if I can get a story together on the J's in the event, and send it on after we reach Tortola.  There is live tracking on the website- http://www.carib1500.com.  Here's the latest update from Glenn- "Three J/Boats participated in the Caribbean 1500 this year.  Our boat, WINDARA, a J/46 owned by Glenn & Elsa Gustafson of Chicago, SKITTERY GUSSETT a J/46 owned by Chris Holm of Wayzata, MN and ZAFU a modified J/44 owned by Mike Scott of Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

The Caribbean 1500 is a "rally" that runs from Hampton, VA to Tortola, BVI. This year was the 21st running of the event. 66 boats participated this year, 27 in the "rally class" which means they were being timed, and 39 in the cruise group, which means they were not being timed.  Being a rally, you are allowed to run your engine in gear in the light stuff, with your engine hours added to your time.

After a weather delay for Hurricane Tomas to decide where it wanted to go, we finally left Hampton on November 8th.  Weather was dominated by a large offshore atlantic low to that was slowly moving in a southwest direction toward Bermuda.  As a result, we had strong winds from 20 to 35 during the first 5 days of the event, as we raced south trying to stay ahead of the really big swells further north.  The J/46 was really in her element, surfing down the 10' to 15' swells at speeds up to 14 knots at times, using a poled out 100% jib and full main or single reefed main when it piped up over 28 to 30 knots. Never saw any nasty weather, just a few rain squalls with +5 knots of wind and some rain.

6 days of downwind sailing was a blast.  We averaged 220 miles a day for the first 5 days, with our largest day being 239 NM. The wind lightened up to less than 10 knots  the last 2 days so we flew the Asymmetrical and heated up a little from rhumb line to keep the speed up.

We ended up second in Class 2, 4 hours behind a Leopard 46 cat, and with the 6th fastest elapsed time in the fleet.  Avg speed was 8.4 knots and averaged over 200 nm per day for the entire trip.

After a day to unwind, we took the crew to the Baths and Virgin Gorda before they headed back home.  All in all, we had a terrific time.  Plan to spend the winter in the Caribbean, and will head south from the Virgins in another week or two.  Best Regards, Glenn"   

J/111 Wins SAIL's 2011 Best Boats Award

Command A Rocketship with Finger-tip Control!
(Boston, MA)- "There’s a lot to like about the new J/111— an aggressive rig, racy good looks, a hull form that loves to be driven- and tying it all together is one of the best production-boat cockpits we’ve seen. J/Boats has had decades to improve on the simple trench it carved out of the aft deck of the J/24, and it hit the ball out of the park on this one."  And, "to those lucky sailors who will have the opportunity to crew aboard a J/111 in the years to come: have fun, and make sure you get a chance to drive this beauty. It’s an experience not to be missed." Contact your J/Dealer for more information or a demo today.  Out West, Jeff Brown at JK3 Yachts in San Diego or Norm Davant at Sail California in San Francisco have 111s in the water for those who dare venture into the twilight zone of joy, happiness and peace-of-mind at 20+ knots surfing offshore.  Contact Jeff at jeff@jk3yachts.com (SoCal) or Norm at norm@sailcal.com (NorCal).   Read more about SAIL's Best Boat Awards selection of the J/111. 

  

Hamble Winter Series 6th Weekend

JIKA-JIKA and J-DREAM Bidding for Overall Title!
(Hamble, England)-   With two more weekends to go in the 2010 Garmin Hamble Winter Series most classes will be fighting it out all the way, but in the IRC3 and J/109 classes two boats are  dominating. With another win on Sunday Mike and Jamie Holmes’ J/97 JIKA-JIKA looks set to clinch their points series, as does David and Kirsty Apthorp's J-DREAM in the J/109s. If this form can be maintained they should both be strong contenders for the "Garmin Yacht of the Series" award for the best overall performance of all Black Fleet classes!

12-18 knots of cold north to north-easterly breeze coupled with a strong west-going tide made it a challenging day for both competitors and the race committees. The Black Fleet courses were cascaded down tide across the entire width of the Solent from a start on the Ryde Middle, while inshore the White Group was set a full trapezoidal course with a separate finishing boat, to cycle the three races with minimum delays.

The White Fleet points battle resumed after last week’s abandoned racing, with a small but keen fleet of J/80s braving another cold day.   The J/80s continued to have a competitive series.  Through race 14, the leader continues to be OI! sailed by John Cooper with 16 points after winning two more races.  Second is AQUA-J skippered by Patrick Liardet with 26 points after getting two 2nds.  Just 4 points shy is Gordon Craigen's SWALLOW with 30 points.  The Royal Air Force team on SPITFIRE are lying fourth with 58 points. Mike Lewis' JESTER is hanging in fifth with 78 points.

In race 10 of the J/109s, J-DREAM skippered by Kirsty and David Apthorp reaffirmed their leadership at the top of the standings with a convincing win.  Second was OUTRAJEOUS sailed by Richard and Valerie Griffith and third was ARIA sailed by Luca Rubinelli.  Overall, the Apthorp's J-DREAM continues to strengthen lead with just 9 points followed in 2nd by Dave McLeman's OFFBEAT with 24 points, 3rd is OUTRAJEOUS sailed by the Griffiths with 29 pts, 4th is ARIA led by Luca Rubinelli with 32 pts and 5th AUDAJIOUS skippered by David Jobson with 45 pts.

In IRC Class 3 the J/97 JIKA-JIKA sailed by Mike and Jamie Holmes again crushed the competition and grabbed another victory over tough competition.  Currently, the Holmes' J/97 has only 10 points for the series and leads by 12 points over the next closest boat.  Hanging onto 4th place is Ed Holton's J/110 SHADES OF BLUE.

The series continues on November 28th with one race for the Black Fleet classes, while three races are scheduled for the sportsboats in the White Fleet.  Report contributions from Jontey Sherwill.  Full sailing details of the 2010 Garmin Hamble Winter Series.  Photo courtesy- Tim Wright- photoaction.com

  

Japan Wins Gold Match-racing J/80s

(Guangzhou, China/ Shanwei Sailing Center- Nov. 20th)- Japan won the Gold Medal in Open Match Racing of Sailing at the 16th Asian Games in co-host city Shanwei. This is a tribute to the long-term focus of the Japanese Sailing Team in the match-racing arena, no doubt helped by the presence of Peter Gilmour and his influence on the Japanese America's Cup programs over time. A surprise Silver Medalist was the Indian team skipper by Balraj Balraj.  Third was Korea getting the bronze led by Sungmin Cho.  Here are the standings for the Asian Games Sailing medalists and their crew:

1. Gold- Japan- OKAMOTO Yasuhiro- skipper, SAKAMOTO Wataru, WADA Daichi, YOSHIFUJI Hiroaki

2. Silver- India- BALRAJ Balraj- skipper, HELEGAONKAR Trunal, SINHA Atool, TARAPORE Farokh Fa, YADAV Shekhar Sing

3. Bronze- Korea- CHO Sungmin- skipper, KIM Sungwok, LEE Dongwoo, NAM Yongjin, PARK Gunwoo

Read more about their in the Sailing section here on the Asia Games 2010 site.   

Rough and Tumble Hot Rum Series

J's Hanging Tough On Nasty Saturday

(San Diego, CA- Nov. 20th)- Saturday dawned grey, cool, hazy and wet.  Intermittent showers and a nasty WNW wind gusting from 8 to 25 knots was the order of the day.  San Diego postcard sailing weather?  Not. More like what Seattle's Puget Sound is renowned for with grey days and frenetic breeze.  With a ginormous swell pounding the surf beaches around Point Loma, the SDYC PRO wisely kept the fleet "inside".  For the uninitiated, that simply means blasting around the inner San Diego Harbor, getting huge wind bends (or mind bends), massive hell-holes created by monster cruise ships and even more massive US Navy aircraft carriers and avoiding a strong outbound ebb current up to 1.5 knots to further spice things up a bit.  Sounds like fun?  Sure, for those not intimidated by a 1,001 port starboard situations and moving packs (sidewalks) of spinnakers entangled en'masse downwind squeezed along the shoreline trying to stay out of the current.

After two races, the J/105s again proved they're hard to beat in these crazy "pursuit-style" races, where the slowest start first and the fastest last.  First boat across wins.  By virtue of where they start, the J/105s often get "launched" on the rest of the fleet and this is reflected in their consistent placings near the top of the fleet.  Overall J's have 8 of top 15 spots.  The J/105s are 3rd, 5th, 7th and 11th.  J/120s are 6th and 13th.  And the J/125 9th and J/111 10th so far.  Leading the J/105s in Class 3 is WINGS sailed by Dennis and Sharon Case.  Second in J/105s is Dave Vieregg's TRIPLE PLAY and third BLINK! sailed by Steve and Lucy Howell.  In Class 2, the J/120 CC RIDER sailed by Chuck Nichols is leading Jeff Brown's J/111 by 2 points.  Class 1 has the J/145 BAD PAK and a bunch of J/125s battling it out in the top 10.  For more San Diego YC Hot Rum Series sailing information.

  

Bacardi National Keelboat Championship

J/105 MAYHEM Repeat Winners
(Bermuda- Nov. 22nd)-  The Bacardi National Keelboat Championship was completed this past weekend for the J/105 class. The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club was the host club for the annual Bermuda Sailing Association (BSA) event. Winds eased throughout the day on Saturday forcing the sailors to continue to change gears and adjust equipment to deal with the constantly changing conditions. Defending National Champion Jon Corless and the crew of MAYHEM prevailed by a slim margin and were re-crowned National Champions. Sailing with Corless were Jen Quinn, Rebecca Roberts, Craig Scott, Jeff Roach and Jordan Smith. All six of Bermuda's fleet of J/105s made it out to the Great Sound. MAYHEM edged out her nearest rivals by two points, leaving a tie-breaker to determine second place. James Macdonald's PASSION ended up taking second while Chuck Millican and his crew onboard ELUSIVE were third.  For more J/105 Bermuda Fleet sailing information.   

Happiness Is The J/24 Circus Regatta

(New Braunfels, Texas- Nov. 19-21)- The last stop of the Texas Circuit took place on November 19-21, 2010 at Lake Canyon Yacht Club in Canyon Lake. It was a triumphant win for the "happy" gang on-board Bob Harden's MR. HAPPY.  They not only won the last regatta, they won the whole bloody season and join the ranks of other famous Texas sailors like John Kolius, Scott Young, Jay Lutz who've preceded them as winners of this epic, season long series held at some of the best watering holes in Texas.  Ever popular, this year's J/24 Texas Circuit continues to see strong, competitive fleets and rarely does the same boat win successive events-- must be too much tequila and salsa during the previous victory celebration that might have something to do with that issue.

While Bob and crew won, it was not without a strong challenge from Bryan and Vicki Dyer on RUMLINE.  They started out strong with a 1-2-4, throwing down the challenge to the others to match them.  However, they could not keep up the pace, falling off the proverbial cliff in the last two races with a 5-3 to drop them out of content for the series against the HAPPY crowd.  Third overall was Stuart Lindow racing TROPICAL AGGRESSION, finishing strong with a 2-2 to cement their claim to the bronze.  Fourth was Doug Weakley sailing AMBASSADOR with 26 points and fifth was J/24 Southwest Champion Kelly Holmes-Moon racing BADMOON with 32 points.   For more J/24 Texas Circus Regatta sailing information.   

Cleveland SAIL Team Ready for Key West.

* The Cleveland SAIL BAB Team Ready To Roll at KWRW 2011- Skipper Jim Sminchak of Cleveland’s Lakeside Yacht Club and the crew of his J/105 IT prevailed over a strong field in SAIL’s 2010 Best Around the Buoys (BAB) contest and will be heading to Florida in January to take part in 2011 Key West Race Week.

Team IT received the nod based on its outstanding performance this past year in a number of regattas on the Lake Erie, including the Mentor Harbor Yachting Club Regatta; the Lakeside Yacht Club Regatta; the 73rd Annual Falcon Cup, organized by the Mentor Harbor and Cleveland yacht clubs; and the offshore portion of Edgewater Yacht Club’s Cleveland Race Week. In each case, it took first place in its PHRF division and, in all but Cleveland Race Week, won first overall as well.  The crew also competed in a number of one-design events, including ILYA Bay Week and the Detroit NOOD regatta. In both cases, it took first.

According to SAIL publisher Josh Adams, the crew of it won out over the other 70 entries in this year’s BAB due to a combination of its performance on their local racecourse and its cohesion over the years. “With Best Around the Buoys, we aimed to reward a team for its local PHRF racing performance with a berth on the national stage at Key West Race Week,” Adams said. “Jim Sminchak and crew stood out as a winning team committed to performing around the buoys in their region. Their success and the impressive volume and quality of entries to BAB serve as a testament that PHRF racing is alive and well across the United States.”

Adams added that the BAB selection panel was particularly impressed by the team’s involvement and success in a wide range of events, including handicap racing, one-design racing and point-to-point races. Over the year’s, team it has also competed aboard a number of different boats, including a Tartan Ten, a J/22 and a Farr 30. Sminchak said his crew’s wins are no accident, but come as a result of “countless hours of practice, boat preparation and team bonding. Our training has us ready to compete at any regatta”.

Sminchak said he’s been sailing on Lake Erie all his life, after being introduced to the sport by his parents. He added that he and his crew are doing the same with their kids to keep the tradition alive. “Most of the crew has been sailing with us for more years than I can think of. We think of our group as family and we are competitive, love to sail and most importantly like having fun,” Sminchak said. “We take our kids or other young sailors along as much as possible, as we do believe that we need to show or teach them the world of keelboat sailing.”  As for Key West, Sminchak said he and his crew are looking forward to the opportunity, but know they have a lot of work to do. “We will get to grips with [the regatta] in the next couple of weeks when I know of all the plans. With the J/111 being so new, we will have a hill to climb in learning what will make it go,” he said.  Photo courtesy of David Mathias.   For more information on the SAIL BAB winner.