Jen Edney Photography- she did a magnificent job of shooting the J/24s in the recent Regata Copa Mexico event in March.  She dropped us a quick note since some of here girl friends in the area also started sailing on J/24s in Valle de Bravo, Mexico.  Said Jen, "I had the incredible opportunity to photograph two amazing female athletes. Both Olympians, Tania Elias Calles and Lisa Ross. A top Mexican sailor, Tania  just recently achieved a new Guinness Record for distance by sailing by wind alone in a laser sailboat from Los Cabos to Riviera Nayarit. Her next step is to sail from Cancun to Puerto Progreso in 2011, as part of her route to the Olympic Games in London in 2012. After competing in the 2004 Olympics in Athens and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Lisa is currently sailing and training full time, working towards the goal of representing Canada at the 2012 Olympic Games. Their coach, Rosie Chapman is an incredible athlete herself and is the new Nova Scotia Sailing Team Coach. Rosie, is from the UK where she was a member of the Great Britain national Sailing Team and has a number of years of coaching experience. Cheers ladies!"

To see some cool photos of the girls sailing Lasers and more of the J/24s in Bahia de Banderas, Mexico, please go to- http://jenedney.wordpress.com/  

J/80 Champion Racing IMOCA 60 New York-Barcelona

J/80 champion Spanish sailor, Antonio ("Toño") Piris from Santander, is skippering in the New York-Barcelona Race in IMOCA 60s.  You'll have seen his name frequently pop up in reports of the extremely competitive J/80 fleet racing off Santander, especially in this last Winter Series.  Great training to keep you sharp offshore in a 3,000 match race!! Toño began sailing in the Optimist class and soon moved on to the Laser, becoming runner-up in the Spanish national championships in 1981, and later winning in the youth category , as well as taking part in the Junior IYRU Laser World Championships in Portugal. He has sailed on boats across many different classes, such as J/24s, J/80s, IOR, IMS, IACC, TP52, as well as having taken part in the building process of many of them: Hispania, Galicia Pescanova, EF Education y EF Language, España 92, Rioja de España, Bravo España, Caixa Galicia and Iberdrola.  Read more about this epic assault on a Trans-Atlantic record with two IMOCA 60s racing.  http://www.ny-bcn.org/en/index.jsp   

US Armed Forces Sailing Team Sailing J/24s

Six U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Sailors comprising the U.S. Armed Forces Sailing Team competed in a J/24 Match Racing event against representatives from 21 countries at the 44th World Military Sailing Championship March 13-21. Hosted for the first time by the Kingdom of Bahrain, the World Military Sailing Championship was hosted by the International Military Sports Council, which is headquartered in Belgium and boasts 122 military member nations worldwide.  The main mission of the International Military Sports Competition is fostering friendship through sport and enhancing military-to-military ties.

The U.S. team is part of the Department of Defense (DoD) Armed Forces Sports Program, which promotes goodwill and a positive image of the armed services through sports, encourages physical fitness by promoting a highly competitive sports program and provides the avenue for military athletes to participate in national and international competitions.  The U.S. team spent five days practicing in J/24 sailboats at J World in Key West, FL, prior to the match races at the Bahrain Sailing Club's Al Jazayir beach.  The Team finished #15 out of 21 with Italy, Russia and Turkey taking the top three places.

Team Members: CAPT Eric Irwin, USN - Senior US Military Delegate-  Newport RI; CDR Jay Cavalieri, USN - Team Captain/Skipper, San Diego CA; LT Nicole Auth, USCG-  Pearl Harbor HI; LTjg Brittani Koroknay, USCG-  Hampton Roads VA; LTjg Abby Lafond, USCG- Portland, OR; AN Michael Fleck, USN-  Boston, MA.  The team members, who had been selected earlier this year by submitting resumes to the DoD Armed Forces Sports Program, had never met before their first practice on March 5.  To learn more about opportunities to participate in the U.S. military's sports program, visit the Web site at http://www.armedforcessports.com   

J/44 Cruising in Greece

Christos Patsavos sent us a recent note and photo of his J/44 from Athens, Greece- "I am a happy owner of a J/44 based in Athens, Greece and I am cruising, day sail or racing occassionaly.  I wonder if I could get in touch with other J/44 owners in US and would appreciate to have your advice about this possibility. Kind regards, Christos!"  For you J/44 owners, you can reach Christos at email- "patsos2002@yahoo.gr"   

Australian J/122 Sails Maiden Voyage off Sydney

Australian J/122 MARTA JEAN Sailed Her Maiden Voyage recently from Sydney to Newcastle.  Here's a report from Ray Entwistle - "For the start of this story we’ve borrowed the tune from an old Billy Joel song– see if you can pick it..... Its 9am on a Saturday, the south-easterly breeze is kicking in, We’re sailing up to Newcastle, the maiden voyage of the J/122 - ‘Marta Jean’.  Lah de dah, de de da’ah..........  That’s the extent of our combined creative talent, so it’s back to our usual narrative.  The Rae family’s pride and joy ‘Marta Jean’, a new J/122, left Greenwich Flying Squadron, west of Sydney Harbour Bridge with water and fuel tanks half full and the dockbox fitted holding the inflatable, for her maiden voyage up to her new home base, Newcastle, about 70nm north of Sydney.  She had spent her first couple of months at Greenwich, nestled close by to 2 other J/122’s, Lithium and Jackpot.

We motored under Sydney Harbour Bridge, past the Opera House and hoisted the mainsail in the lee of Watsons Bay.  After a quick radio check reporting into Sydney Marine Rescue, 3 on board, destination Newcastle, zeroed the speedo and a few minutes later we sailed through Sydney Harbour Heads. A couple of 44 footers were half a mile ahead also heading north. Good, something to chase, even though we were in full cruising mode.  ‘Marta Jean’ dipped her bows into the Tasman Sea swell and with the wind now at 16 knots over the starboard beam  we surfed down the first big wave and hit 12.4 knots, with the owner Steve on the helm grinning from ear to ear and commenting “it really does what it says on the label“. We knew it was going to be a nice days sailing. Manly and Dee Why beaches soon slid past and within the hour we were clearing Long Reef  - the other two larger yachts we had passed were already specks in the rear view. Twenty five miles further north we radioed to Gosford Marine Rescue, it was almost midday and we were making great time. We tested the auto pilot in the two metre swell but not for long, we were having too good a time surfing down the waves at the wheel.

Averaging over eight knots, we soon found ourselves checking in with the chirpy Swansea Marine Rescue on the shores of beautiful Lake Macquarie, as we continued to surge north. We were already 75% through our journey.  We were now sailing through all the gigantic coal ships which were at anchor waiting for their turn to be called into port to take their precious loads to all parts of Asia.  We were also pushing 2 knots of the Australian eastern current but with the wind dropping to 12 knots and swinging a little more south we hoisted the spinnaker and sped towards Nobby’s Head beach.  Nobby’s Head was made famous when the giant coal carrier “Pasha Bulker “made global news when she grounded on the beach in a huge winter storm in June 2007. After gybing a few angles we dropped the spinnaker and sailed into Newcastle Harbour on a twenty knot squall hitting 12.3 knots and being amused by the fact that we had finished as we started. We found ‘Marta Jeans’ new pen and checked our watch and instruments. We covered the 70.8 n.miles in eight and a half hours averaging 8.35 knots. Ten minutes later we were sat in the new Newcastle Yacht Club with a well earned beer in hand and watched a rain squall cover the harbour, wondering how far back the other two boats were that started their journey just ahead of us from Sydney.   

Benelux J80 Winter Series

Ms. Vroon's JOIE DE VIVRE Wins!

(Belgium)- After 18 races, divided over 6 racing days, the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg) J80 winter-trophy goes to the JOIE DE VIVRE sailed by Laura Vroon.  Racing took place at the Grevelingen, Zeeland, a salty formed sea branch, closed off by the sea with a dike, with fair weather, smooth water and a moderate to fair breeze.  Up to the last racing day on March the 14th, the number one and two positions were uncertain. Before the last day Faber Munker from Twan Hanse was in the lead with only a few points difference with her closest contender.

So, on this last racing day of the winter series, stakes were high.  Not all the contenders fully applied the racing rules during the starts but no protests were fought out in the Jury rooms.  Port side of the course had a more favourable wind angle and the starboard side more pressure with hardly any noticeable advantage for either side.  After all, FABER MUNKER took place three, JALAPENO place two.  JOIE DE VIVRE took first convincingly with the three first places, and won the daily prize, too. That just did the trick for her to come out of this winter series as the glorious winner.  Third place overall was for Erik Scheeren's JALAPENO.

In total 18 boats have joined this winter series. After being launched only three years ago, the J/80 class in the Benelux shows a steady growth, in terms of fleet size as in the level of sailing.  For more info on J/80 one-design sailing.  

Close Racing in Warsash Spring Series

J/97  JIKA-JIKA Racing Fast!

(Hamble, So'ton, England)- The third week of Warsash Sailing Club's Spring Series saw the first south-westerly breeze of the season. The wind stayed true in direction with the strength varying from 10 to 14 knots, providing near ideal sailing conditions if still cold. Despite the clocks going forward, competitors were out early for practice with new entries joining the fleets.

The Black Group committee boat anchored near Hamble Yacht Services buoy and used Air Canada, close to the Bramble Bank, as the first windward mark with a finish at East Knoll. Adjustments were made to the lengths of the courses with IRC1 completing 15 miles and IRC3 12.5 miles. IRC4 used a White Group start line but also finished with the other Black Group boats at East Knoll after a course covering over 10 miles. High water occurred during the start sequence, so competitors had the favoured combination of beats with the current and runs against it. Tacticians kept careful watch of the depth to benefit from or dodge the tide.

The number of "Big Boats" competing in IRC1 has increased as their Spring Championship after Easter approaches. In IRC1 the J/122 JOLLY JELLYFISH sailed to an uncharacteristic 7th, but still remained in second overall in the standings.  the J/133 JAMMY DODGER raced by Neil Martin sailed a great race to get a third to move into fifth place overall.

In IRC3, the J/97 JIKA-JIKA sailed by Mike and Jaime Holmes again made another jump up in the standings from this past week to move into second overall!

For J/105s, there was an unprecedented three-way tie for first place last week.  And, in short, they're still only separated by a point.  Chris Jones JOURNEYMAKER 5 is now first one point ahead of a tie for second between Paul Griffith's FAY-J and Rob Dornton-Duff's JAVA.  Bet everyone's relieved to not have to race Easter Weekend!

The J/109s saw Kirsty and David Apthorp's J-DREAM start to separate themselves from the pack by winning this weekends race to be ahead by two points.  James Arnell's JEEZ-LOUISE is now second and moving up the standings with a well-deserved third place was David McGough's JUST SO.

The J/92s continue to have very tight class racing amongst the top competitors.  The trio of Andrew, Matt and Peter Campbell sailing JAMMIN are now in second, just behind Dominic Horner's JEKYLL.  Rory and Cathy Staunton on JAYA and Bill Howard's team racing WIZARD are just off the pace.

The J/80s seem to have a new class standard to live up to since the leader by a wide margin is Terri Palmer on JUST DO IT with twenty one points after nine races, just over a second average!!  The fly-boys on TEAM SPITFIRE are now solidly in second with thirty three points and John Cooper's OI! has dramatically risen in the standings with three firsts this past weekend to jump into third place with forty five points.    Full results on the Warsash Website.  Photo by Eddie Mays- http://www.eddiemays.com.  

J/22 Sundance Cup Regatta- Girlz Rule!

Annie Get Yer Guns!

(Fort Worth, Texas- Mar 16-20)-  Long-time J sailor Annie Gardner Nelson recently attended the Sundance Cup racing J/22s out of the Fort Worth Boat Club.  Here's here amusing report: "The 2010 Sundance Cup was hosted by the St Worth Boat Club and sailed on the club's fleet of matching J/22's.  This year the event was preceded with a 2 day clinic run by WIMRA (Women's International Match Racing Assoc)  Director Liz Baylis and assisting her was Kirsten Lane of Sausalito, CA.   Baylis did an excellent job of balancing drills with chalk talks and on the water coaching.

Skippers were invited based on ISAF ranking and/or resume and 7 teams from across the country and Canada attended with many teams using at least one Texan to fill the boat.  My team was all Texan other than me and boy did I learn some funny jokes and accents!  Anyone who was there will fondly remember my bowchick Kritter who wore camouflage pants, hockey shirts, and had us all in stitches at meetings and on the water.

Race day one was extremely light and the FWBC they were only able to complete 4 flights.  Day 2 the storm was coming and by mid day the wind increased with puffs to 20 so the no spinnaker rule came into play.  Even without kites the racing was fun and intense as match racing is always about constant action. Day three a snow storm was close by, and with wind gusts hitting 29 knots the RC and OA decided to abandon any further racing. The results went back to the round robin scores, and the winners were Maegan Ruhlman 1st, Katy Lovell 2nd, and Liz Hyorth 3rd.  With a day off, the girls went shopping and watched as the snow flurries hit the ground.  The awards dinner saw several crews wearing cowgirl hats which stayed on all the way through the night while we rode bulls and danced to Travis Twitt at his concert at the famous Billy Bobs's in downtown Ft. Worth.  Texas will never be the same! Yeehaw!  Annie Nelson"  Photo Credits: Cindy Cady  

J/44 PATRIOT Wins In "Islands Race"

PATRIOT Third Overall in Fleet!

(Newport Beach, CA- March 10-13)- It was billed to be a fun new race around the islands off the southern California coast.  "Great parties, an offshore overnight race of 130 nautical miles taking us around our own beautiful Channel Islands Catalina and San Clemente, wind (if it will be windy anywhere it will be offshore in March), a course that will test various points of sail and fun class racing."  The promise held true to form with good conditions and a great turnout of forty one boats.  J/s were prevalent in Divisions 1, 2 and 3.

Paul Stemler's J/44 PATRIOT won Division 2 with Seth Hall's J/124 MARISOL finishing in third.  PATRIOT also sailed well enough to garner third overall in fleet, missing the overall win by only twelve minutes!

In Division 3, the J/92s STING sailed by Charlie Underwood from MWYC was third and just behind in the venerable J/35 PREDATOR were Tom and Terri Manok from OYC.   For more Islands Race information  

International Rolex Regatta- J/122 LOST HORIZON Wins!

J/122 LOST HORIZON Wins Spinnaker Racing Class

(St.Thomas, USVI- Mar 26-28)- The three-day event, hosted by St. Thomas Yacht Club, has a track record - spanning 37 years - for delivering the goods when it comes to racing and island-style hospitality.  This year, it delivered again.  With sixty-nine teams competing in four divisions (IRC, CSA, One-Design IC 24s and Beach Cats), the forecast of 12-17 knots over the three sunny days, and plenty of Caribbean parties, music and cuisine to fill any time not used up by racing, there's no question this year's International Rolex Regatta completely delivered a getaway to remember!

"This year we arranged for some races to snug up next to St. John, so competitors could expand their horizons and our sister island could share in some of the excitement of seeing the spectacle of the fleet racing," said Regatta Co-Chair John Sweeney. "For the same reasons, we had the IC-J/24s racing off the beachfront at the Ritz Hotel on Saturday, and later that night, hundreds of sailors, organizers, volunteers and townspeople took part in a giant reggae music concert and food festival at Yacht Haven Grande, where some of the event's larger boats are berthed. All to say, everyone really enjoyed getting around to different places on the island and out on the water."

Last year he lost this event in the final races on the last day, but this year at the 37th International Rolex Regatta (March 26-28), Puerto Rico's Fraito Lugo had built some good padding into his score line over two days and followed form on the third, today, to win the IC/24 class and a Rolex timepiece (which he awarded to his trimmer Milton Gonzalesz) as proof of his team's prowess shown over 17 races. Lugo now can claim eight International Rolex Regatta victories in a variety of classes.  The IC/24s kept with short round-the-buoy races after the event's opening "town races" on Friday, while their counterparts in six other classes (IRC, Spinnaker Racing 1 and 2, Non-Spinnaker Racing, Spinnaker Racing/Cruising and Beach Cats) took to the more scenic winding courses through and around the cuts, cays and islands off the east end of St. Thomas, USVI, where host St. Thomas Yacht Club is located.

Another winner of a Rolex timepiece was James Dobbs' (Antigua) J/122 LOST HORIZON in Spinnaker Racing/Cruising Class. "I knew which boats had a chance of winning before the race," he said, referring to a tight group at the top of the scoreboard that included second-place finisher Three Harkoms, a Beneteau 442 skippered by James Hudleston (Yarmouth, UK). "I've sailed against them before, and they are serious about racing, as we are."  Just behind them finishing third was Rick Wesslund's crew on EL OCASO, the very well sailed J/120 that has won Key West Race Week in the past.  Not to be missed was the beautiful J/46 MISS MAGIC, sailed by Jim Baus, finishing a well-deserved sixth overall.

In IRC class, Bill Coates' J/122 OTRA VEZ consistently sailed in top three handicap overall during the three days.  However, two bomber finishes in the fourth and sixth races hurt their opportunity to get a Rolex Submariner!  After sailing well enough to be second at one point, they fell off the podium to finish fifth overall.

 Yet another proud winner of a Rolex watch was Tony Sanpere.  For CSA Non-spinnaker Racing, it was all CAYENNITA GRANDE, the J/36 sailed by Tony and friends and family.  They won with straight firsts in five races!  'It's my crew's fault,' deadpanned Antonio Sanpere (Christiansted, VI), who handily won both races on the last day with his J/36 CAYENNITA GRANDE in CSA Non-Spinnaker Racing Class. 'No matter how I tried to screw up, they made it right.' In the following easterly at the start of the first race, Sanpere launched his 120% reacher to easily pass to port of natural navigational obstacles that others had to come 'way up' to avoid. That was the start of his winning moves, which have enabled him to win this regatta four times before as a skipper.  For more Rolex Regatta sailing information
http://www.rolexcupregatta.com  

J/125s Crush in Balboa-Cabo San Lucas Race

WARRIOR, RESOLUTE Finish 1-2 Overall

(Coronado del Mar, CA- March 31)- Balboa Yacht Club’s 2010 Corona del Mar to Cabo Race started this past Friday and Saturday with a fleet of thirty six boats. All competitors were focusing on the extremely competitive Class D fleet with four J/125’s and three Farr 40’s racing one-design as well as for class and overall corrected time.  Their fears of getting blitzkrieged by this group were not unfounded.

The seven J's sailing the race were all highly competitive, mostly placing in both Class D and E.  In Class D, the four J/125s, WARRIOR, RESOLUTE, DERIVATIVE and REINRAG2 finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th in class and 1st, 2nd, 4th and 6th overall!

CONGRATULATIONS to all of you, great job Dr. Laura- owner/skipper of WARRIOR!

To give  you an idea how competitive it was, REINRAG2 has won or placed in several TRANSPACs and is an extremely well sailed boat.  We bet that Jim Madden wished he'd brought his J/125 STARK RAVING MAD into the fray to have some fun class racing!  Just off the furious pace set by the J/125s in Class D were the two J/133s, PICANTE and TANGO.  In Class E, the J/120 ADIOS sailed a good race to post a third class and 26th overall.    For more information:  http://www.balboayachtclub.com/  

SPI OUEST Starts With 430 Boats

Monster J/80 Class with 93 Entries

(La Trinite Sur Mer, France)-  A cast of thousands have descended upon the quaint, beautiful seaside village of La Trinite for this Easter weekend.  Renowned not only for its premiere sailing event but also for its soothing thassolotherapy spas along the seashore, La Trinite will serve up yet another fantastic weekend of sailing for some of the top sailors in France and the rest of Europe.  The J/Fleet is enormous. Of the 430 boats racing, over one-third- about 125- are J's ranging from ten J/24s to ninety-three J/80, a smattering of J/92s to J/97s and over twenty J/105s, J/109s and J/122s.  Sailing on Circle B will be the J/105, J/109 and J/80 classes (only J/Boats- a first in French sailing) and on Circle C will be the three IRC Classes- 1-2-3. More than ten nationalities will be represented with crews from Germany, England, Spain, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Russian and Sweden.  Within IRC1 with 32 boats starting on the line will be 5 J/122s, including last year's winner Philipe Delaporte's champion PEN AZEN.  For more SPI OUEST Sailing information.  

Race Charter J/80s At J/World San Diego

J/80 North American and J/80 World Championships are just around the corner right here in the US and J/80 sailing is gearing up from Coast to Coast. J/World San Diego recently entered four J/80s into the San Diego NOOD Regatta, adding to the class totaling 12 competitive boats. Bring your crew to San Diego and tune up for the season and big races this fall. Yachting Cup 2010

is coming up the first weekend in May. J/World San Diego is offering individual positions as well as full boat charters for the regatta. Contact us for more information at info@jworldsandiego.com or http://www.jworldsandiego.com  

J/Fest NW Celebrating 27 years

Sail Northwest would like to invite all J Boat owners and their crew to join us at the 27th annual J/Fest Northwest regatta June 19th and June 20th hosted by Sail Northwest and Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle.

Fleets expected this year are J/22, J/24, J/80, J/29, J/30, J/105, J/35, J/109, J/PHRF and J/Cruising.

The J/Cruising Class, J/28, J/32, J/35c, J,37c, J/40, J/120,  J/42, J/130, J/44, J/46, J/160, and any other J that wants to do a casual one day race on Saturday.  PHRF ratings will be assigned for flying sails and no flying sails.  Last year the J/Cruisers had a great time joining in on the festivities and we expect a large turnout this year.

Saturday evening will be the ever popular J/Fest dinner and door prize give-away.  Join us to make this 27th J/Fest one you won’t want to miss! For more information you can call Sail Northwest at (206) 286-1004 or email us at sales@sailnorthwest.com or go to http://www.sailnorthwest.com  

BMW Sailing Cup 2010 in J/80 One-Designs

BMW Wins Sports Marketing Award

(Munich, Germany)- BMW won this years Sports Marketing Award in Munich with the BMW Sailing Cup Series on J/80s,  one of the most coveted prizes in the sports business industry.  It is quite an honor for BMW to be the winner of this award in Europe's biggest sports business conference- the Congress of ISPO SpoBiS held this year in Germany.  BMW decided earlier this winter to continue the series with the International J/80 One-Design fleet.  As a result, BMW will prepare their eight J/80s for the new season that starts in May with 14 events at different locations all over Germany in 2010.

The project, known last year as "SAILING CUP 2009", by the Bavarian car maker BMW has now established itself as the world's largest amateur regatta series.  According to the results of the online vote in Germany, it has BMW demonstrating that its marketing efforts with J/Boat's International J/80 Class in Germany is an ideal way to combine the positive images of the yachting experience with sales/CRM measures that measure impact on auto sales.

Manfred Bräunl, Marketing Manager for BMW of Germany: "We are delighted with the award. We are, with the BMW Sailing Cup, on a successful path and our commitment to yachting continues in the future. In the field of yachting, BMW can take the opportunity to demonstrate our technological competence and we can also share common values such as teamwork, innovation and high-tech to be experienced. Sailors and sailing enthusiasts are already looking forward to sailing the J/80s in the BMW Sailing Cup 2010."

The BMW Sailing Cup, which goes into its fifth season in 2010, has been an inspiration to the sailing community around the world.  Promoted under the slogan "pleasure is sailing" it has attracted sailors from around the world, including teams from Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain.  BMW has established with the BMW Sailing Cup Regatta series for a sport boaters. Every year more than 1,200 sailing enthusiasts are participating in the event.  BMW has a long tradition in yachting and is a premium partner and presenter of major sailing events: Since 2002, BMW has been involved actively in international yachting and the America's Cup as a partner in the Team BMW ORACLE Racing.

For this year's qualifying regattas, the BMW Sailing Cup is handled by a combination of the local BMW dealer organization and a local sailing club.

TOUR CALENDAR 2010
May 1-2- Leipzig, Cospuden, Leipzig branch
May 8-9- Hamburg, Elbe, Office Hamburg
May 15-16- Northeim, Northeim Big Lake, Autohaus Leinetal
May 29-30- Munster, Lake Aa, Autohaus Hakvoort

For more BMW and J/80 Sailing Cup information.

  

Environmentally, Safety-Conscious LEDs

Although they’re clearly a superior technology, LED lights haven't become mainstream because they’ve been too expensive, too "blue" and too dim compared to incandescent bulbs. While we can't yet offer you a jumbo-tron 60" LED HDTV flat screen (yet),  current J/122 owner JD Hill is the factory agent for a new generation of LEDs that are as bright as the halogen bulbs on your J/Boat, but use only 1/10th of the electricity!!  HOLY SMOKES Robin, get to the Bat Cave now and change all those bulbs, we need those carbon credits now!! What's even "cooler", they don't get hot, are fully dimmable, color correct and will last for the lifetime of your J -- guaranteed.  Reducing the strain on your J/Boat’s electrical system will also prolong battery life!  As well as our liferaft- EARTH!  For more information, please visit: www.rejex.com/LED.html or call 469-583-9218. Replacements for your cabin lights retail for approximately $15; mention you’re a fellow J/Boat owner for a discount.  

World Match Race Champions Racing J/80s

Current World Match Racing Champion, Kiwi Adam Minoprio, will be racing J/80s in the Match Race France Regatta from April 6-11 in Marseilles.  Adam's signed on to Team New Zealand as understudy to Dean Barker.  It's Adam's unflappable nature that has earned him the call up from Grant Dalton to be Dean Barker's side-kick in Team New Zealand's two-boat development programme for the next America's Cup. "For Adam it's how fast is he, because you can be able to match race, but on these boats Dean's instinctively fast, there's only a few that are fast," says Grant Dalton.  "I'd like to think I'm fast enough. I've been sailing a long time, I'm always learning and I think I've got what it takes to make one of those Cup boats go fast," says Minoprio. At 24, Minoprio is the reigning world match racing champion, set to defend his title on the eight month long World Match Racing Tour circuit with his team Black Match Racing. First event is Match Race France in Marseille to be held in J/80s on April 6 - 11, 2010."  Time to prove you can beat the world's best on a J/80.  A boat that is sailed fast by many, many people worldwide- French, Spanish, Germans, Belgians, Americans, British.  Good on ya mate...master these like other J Champions before you (Ken Read, Ed Baird, Terry Hutchinson, Chris Larson, Dave Curtis, Brad Read, Eddie Warden-Owen, Francesco D'Angelis, to name just a few) and the "big ride" could be yours! Good luck!   

J/24 World Military Sailing Championship

Italians Beat the Russians!

(March 22, 2010) - Bahrain Sailing Club hosted this years 44th edition of the World Military Sailing Championships.  Imagine  that!  Just after Woodstock's famous rock and roll festival in New York that rocked the world, the boys in dress blue were chomping at the bit to determine who were the leaders in the Cold War World.  After a period of time, contestants included ALL sailors in ALL militaries around the world who simply wanted to get together and have a great time sailing against one another.  Without getting into too much detail (embarrassing perhaps to some countries), it's clear everyone has had a fantastic time at these events.  J/Boats have been a significant sponsor and supporter of the World Military Sailing Championships over times, having supported them with J/22s, J/24s and, of course, the European Military Sailing de-facto one-design sailboat, the J/80 International Class.

This year's event was hosted by another one of the renowned United Arab Emirates, Bahrain.  It was clear the kingdom was prepared to put on a remarkable show for ten days and no one was disappointed.  With great sailing conditions (yes, Ernesto and Ed Baird we do believe you) the teams and spectators were treated to 100+ races on the Gulf.    The week-long championship got underway with 21 teams, including six Arab countries - Oman, UAE, Tunisia, Qatar, Libya and hosts Bahrain. The remaining countries were Italy, France, Russia, Pakistan, Canada, India, Poland, US, Norway, Brazil, Turkey, Finland, Austria, Denmark and Spain.

Teams were divided into three groups of seven squads. The first stage featured round robin races and the top four teams from each group qualified for the second round.  The second round also featured a single round robin battle, with the best four countries reaching the semi-final knock-out stage.

At the end of the amazingly civil proceedings (after all, this IS the military), ITALY defeated RUSSIA to clinch the 44th World Military Sailing Championship which concluded recently at the Bahrain Sailing Club premises near Al Jazayer Beach, Zallaq.  It was a perfect finale to the 10-day event, organised for the first time in the Middle East with top sailing teams from across the world in the fray.

The final was held in strong winds starting from 15 to 20 knots and reaching up to 25 knots.  But it was the ITALIANS who proved the better side in the final race. The ITALIANS were coached by Ercole Petraglia and comprised of Romolo Emiliani, Fabio Montefusco, Pierlulgi Fornelli, Paolo Emilio Ciam and Giancarlo Simeoli.  RUSSIA, coached by Kanov Sergey, were spearheaded by Andrey Arbuzov, Sergey Budanov, Alexey Krylov, Vyacheslav Kaptyukhin and Petr Kochnev.  TURKEY, comprising Kemal Mujlubas, Kaan Ozooneng, Metin Yasamali, Mert Koseoglu, Baris Bilge and coached by Kani Vardar, finished third.  FRANCE were fourth, followed by NORWAY in fifth place, FINLAND sixth and DENMARK seventh.

Bahrain Maritime Sports Association (BMSA) president and organising committee member Shaikh Khalifa bin Abdulla Al Khalifa witnessed the final day's action with Italian Ambassador Enrico Padola and his Russian counterpart Ambassador Victor Smirnov.  Shaikh Khalifa thanked General Organisation for Youth and Sports president Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa for his support to sailing activities in Bahrain.  The BMSA chief also highlighted the significant role of companies and establishments which sponsored the event, adding that without their support it would have been difficult to have this championship here in Bahrain.

The event was sponsored by a star-studded group of regional supporters, including:  LURSSEN YACHTS, Trafco, Abu Dhabi Ship Building, Alba, Bapco, Batelco, MBDA Missile Systems, Banagas, Bahrain International Travel, Dadabai Travel and Yateem Air-conditioning.  Other sponsors included Jawad Group, Al Safeer Travel and Tours, Nadia Travel Agency, Turkish Airlines, AJM Kooheji Group, House of Travel, Bahrain Kuwait Insurance, GPIC and A A Bin Hindi.  For more World Military Sailing information.  

Warsash Spring Series- J/122 Wins!

J/122 JOLLY JELLYFISH Wins IRC1

(Hamble, So'ton, England)-  The sunshine continued for the second week of Warsash Sailing Club's Spring Series on 21st March but in stark contrast to week one, the breeze was often elusive and tricky. The weather forecasts varied, with wind speeds ranging from 4 to 15 knots, but in the main agreed a north-westerly was due to back to the south-west or south.

The latest period of light airs had persuaded the Race Committee to shorten IRC1 at South East Ryde Middle and IRC2 at Browndown at the end of a run. There were only two finishers in IRC1 and this week's champagne went to the J/122 JOLLY JELLYFISH. The courses for IRC3, J/105 and J/92s were also shortened. Bill Blain's new J/97 Batfish was the first of the IRC3 boats to escape the doldrums at the bottom mark and had established a four minute lead by the time they reached the finish.

In IRC1 the J/122 JOLLY JELLYFISH put the pedal to the medal, sailed well, proving that you don't need a brand new McClaren $250,000 GBP F1 carbon sedan to dust-off your mates on the M-1 or M-25 roadways.  JOLLY JELLYFISH is just one point off the overall lead over the redoubtable Niklas Zenstrom on RAN and just behind Paul Turner's purely professional team on ARTEMIS.

In IRC3, the J/97 JIKA-JIKA raced up the standings to be lying third overall just one point out of second and four points from first place.  J/97 BATFISH showed everyone home by a country furlong in the one race they could complete.

For J/105s, there's an unprecedented three-way tie for first place!  Roger Williams JOS OF HAMBLE, Chris Jones JOURNEYMAKER 5 and Rob Dornton-Duff's JAVA are wrapped up in a scrum for next weekend's racing!

The J/109s are all in a virtual tie for the lead with only two points separating four boats.  Surprise leader this early in the series is Matt Boyle's SHIVA, just one point ahead of perennial class champ Kirsty and David Apthorp's J-DREAM.  Breathing down their necks in this four-way scrum are David Mcleman's OFFBEAT and Jim Arnell's JEEZ LOUISE tied at six points apiece.  Next weekend will surely move these positions around a bit?

The J/92s are having an equally good run for the money for win-place-show amongst the top competitors.  The trio of Andrew, Matt and Peter Campbell sailing JAMMIN are tied for first with Dominic Horner's JEKYLL.  Rory and Cathy Staunton on JAYA and Bill Howard's team racing WIZARD are just off the pace only four points back.

The J/80s as usual are having a helluva donnybrook.  Scrum?  Not really.  Just for second place.  The leader by a wide margin is Terri Palmer on JUST DO IT with twelve points after six races, a second average!!  The fly-boys on TEAM SPITFIRE are tied for second with Mark Baskerville and Steve Sault racing HOOLINGKAZAN.  TEAM SPITFIRE was HOT, tallying double-bullets in races 5 and 6 for the weekend-- a harbinger of things to come in this tight, competitive fleet?  Time will tell.  Full results Warsash Spring Sailing Series.  

SW NOOD San Diego- Huge J Fleet

JAVELIN Dominates J/105s

(San Diego, CA)- Fifty-one J's sailed this past weekend's NOOD in San Diego, over 50% of all offshore keelboat fleets!  The weather was spectacular.  Postcard perfect perhaps.  Great winds.  Good race management.  Great parties.  What's wrong with this picture?  Hmm, yet another great spring weekend in San Diego, CA.  Ever wonder why more US NAVY Admirals retire on Point Loma and Coronado Island?  Go figure, find out for yourself why guys like Dennis Conner, Malin Burnham and other notables can't ever be convinced there's a better climate to live in worldwide-- heck, they oughta know since they've sailed everywhere.  Although, too much sun can't possibly do the soul too much good, does it?

There were more J/Boats represented at the NOOD than any other boat manufacturer! With 18 boats the J/105s took the honors of being the largest class at the regatta with J/105 JAVELIN having a nearly perfect regatta with four bullets and one second place finish. JAVELIN, owned and sailed by Pam and Doug Werner, didn’t miss a shift and consistently lead the two day event in their home waters. JAVELIN crew SDYC Commodore Bill Campbell and wife Sherri thoroughly enjoyed being out in front with the two couple crewed JAVLEIN.  One of the big challenges for the crew was trying to keep up with the NCAA’s and Sherri’s alma mater Syracuse University’s game on Sunday.  Second was Dennis and Sharon Case sailing WINGS and third was Gary Mozer on CURRENT OBSESSION 2. The top five boats sailed remarkably well, taking all podium finishes for the series. 

J/World San Diego also came out in full force, hosting tune up races on Friday and adding four J/80’s to the racing in the 12 boat J/80. San Diego’s morning fog took a little while to burn off and the first race of the day kept the J/Sailors racing in less 150 -200 feet of visibility at times. After the fog burned off typical San Diego conditions replaced the fog revealing a beautiful day with the breeze consistently at 7 – 14 knots and sunny skies.  J/Sailors were surprised with candy and treats being delivered on the water between races by J/Concierge Amanda Denton. The twelve boat J/80 fleet was won by Curt Johnson on AVET with nine points, six points ahead of Gregg Kelly sailing MERKIN.  John Steen sailing UNDERDOG was tied for third with Steve Wyman on HUNU, but UNDERDOG won by virtue of not "who beat who" but by most 1sts, 2nds and 3rds! 

On Sunday the wind built to 12 knots, however racing proved to be challenging with constant shifts. In a great example of Sportsmanship to help his fellow fleet members Tom Brott, owner of ELECTRA and Fleet Captain of J/109 Fleet, stepped up to help Daylen Teren, new to the 109 fleet and the owner of GREAT BALLS OF FIRE in his first ever high point regatta by sailing with him during Sunday's races. Tom Brott's ELECTRA did, indeed, electrify their competition, winning with straight bullets- five firsts!  Second behind that ELECTRA-fying performance was Steve Carter's GERONIMO beating by just one point John Shulze's LINSTAR who finished third.

In the nine boat J/120 fleet, a repeat winner scored top spot on the podium. CC RIDER sailed by Chuck Nichols won with a 1-1-2-1-5 record for 10 pts to win by nine points over CAPER, raced by John Laun and JIM, raced by John Snook.  It was tight, solid racing with podium finishers amongst 8 of 9 competitors!

The J/24s as always had a great time.  After all, can't kill the spirit of a class that has survived the test of time over 30+ years!  Eight boats showed up and RUMBLEFISH with Peer Fischel won a closely fought series by a scant three points over Charlie Fox's MOURNING WOOD.  Just off the pace was Norman Hosford on SUPER STRINGS.  Susan Taylor put in a nice performance getting fourth overall with TAKE FIVE.  For more Sailing World NOOD San Diego information.  Photo credits- Tim Wilkes Photography  

J-UK Hosting a "J/Boat Open Day"

(Hamble, So'ton, England)- For those of you looking forward to experience "what a difference a J makes", please ramble down to the Hamble and have fun day!  Here's what's on in the Solent March 27th.  A J/Boat Open Day will take place in Hamble on Saturday March the 27th.  Anyone and everyone who is interested in finding out more about these asymmetric cruiser-racers and sportsboats, and perhaps wishing to try a J/Boat for themselves, are invited to attend.

J-UK, the distributor for J/Boats in the UK and Ireland, has arranged a series of short, informative talks to take place on Saturday morning in the comfy environs of the BANANA WHARF BAR in Port Hamble Marina. In the afternoon visitors will be invited to sail any of the J/Boats in the current range, including the new J/97 and the new J/95, which features a lifting centreboard. Guests will be able to establish for themselves precisely why these asymmetric yachts drive so much interest and excitement amongst racing and cruising sailors alike.  If you would like to join the J Boat Open Day on Saturday March 27th, please just email Emma Vaughton (emma@j-uk.com ) and let her know.  

Royal Hong Kong YC J/80 Fleet

(Hong Kong, China)- J/Boats Asia and HYM (Hudson Yacht & Marine) are running at full throttle this spring building J/80's for the newly formed Hong Kong J/80 fleet.  Currently, 15 J/80s are going to the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.  After a detailed look at competitive options in the market the J/80 was chosen because it was stable for the new sailors, but exciting enough for the experienced yachtsmen who wanted sportboat performance.

The long-term goal for the local Hong Kong and Chinese sailing clubs is to host the J/80 World Championships in 2015.  The buzz around the club is contagious, everyone is anticipating sailing the new J/80s in the fleet later this spring.  With the J/80 being built regionally in Xiamen, China, the club is also seeing the benefit of the factory support for hosting such an event in 2015 with the factory willing to supply 10 brand new charter boats for the 2015 J/80 Worlds.  You won't want to miss sailing in this exotic and exciting location!  

J Europe Dream Team Re-United!

(Les Sables d'Olonne, France)- We are pleased to announce that JB Composites in Les Sables d'Olonne, France will take over the J Boats building license from Kingcat. JBC principals Yves Roucher, Arnaud Ringeard and Didier LeMoal bring a wealth of boat-building, corporate and J Boats expertise to the company. This is a “dream team” come true for J Boats and a very exciting development for the entire J network.

Mr. Roucher, former president of Federation Industrial Nautique (French Sailing Industry), has owned several successful boat companies, including ALUBAT, a company he founded in 1970 and which later (in 1994) acquired the first license to build J's in France. Mr. Ringeard is president of FAST Groupe, a third generation, family-owned holding company with business interests across many fields including mass transportation, healthcare, eco-cars and even sailing charters. Didier LeMoal is well known to the J community for his 15 year involvement overseeing European J production and sales including project directing the successful launching of the J/109 and J/122.

The good news is the European economy is improving, leading to greater confidence for active J sailors and buyers, in particular.  Future prospects are bright and with the JB Composite team leading the charge, renewed energy has led to a significant backlog of orders for several models including the J/109, J/97, J/92s and J/80.  For more information, please contact J/Boats at ph# 401-846-8410 or info@jboats.com

  

J/111 Speedster Update

HOT and Getting Hotter

(Bristol, RI)- The J/111 first hull is molding and the deck plug is complete.  The project is on track for sailing in June. Interest continues to grow, with two dozen orders from Europe, New Zealand, America and China.  Perhaps more importantly, some of the key specifications have been determined to provide state-of-the-art performance and affordable racing for a grand prix one-design class. The J/111 will sport a carbon pre-preg Hall Spar.  The spar design and tube section make use of Hall Spars leading carbon technology-- it  promises a rig that is both stronger and lighter than comparable carbon rigs.  For superior lift, low VCG and maximum righting moment, the J/111 has a vertical L-shaped bulb keel comprised of a 316L formed stainless steel fin and an antimony-reinforced bulb attached to the hull with a broad SS flange.  The deck plan is ultra-simplistic for maximum ease-of-use for a crew of just six people.  The large 60" wheel affords superior visibility of wind, waves and the leading edge of the jib.  The interior for the American market has simple cruising accommodations, a functional galley and navigation station.  For more J/111 one-design sailboat information.  

J's At Strictly Sail Pacific Show

See the Extraordinary J/100, J/122 and the J/124

(Alameda, CA)- Sail California will have a booth and several J's at the docks at the Strictly Sail Pacific Show from April 15-18.  Be sure to stop by and learn more about these J's as well as the new J/111.  To help you with your choice of boats will be Norm Davant and his crew of experienced sailors.  If you'd like a special tour or a demo sail of one of the boats before/ after the show, please be sure to contact Norm at Sail California- phone# 510-523-8500, via email- norm@sailcal.com or website- http://www.sailcal.com  

J/80 European Circuit Update

J/80 European Events ready to roll with strong competition.  Less than three months away are the J/80 Europeans on the famous Lago di Garda.  Leading up to the Europeans are national events that are not to be missed!  Starting with France's SPI OUEST Regatta off La Trinite, you will be treated to excellent sailing and 100+ boat fleets.  Next up are the J/80 UK Nationals in Cardiff Bay where the hearty competition, 50+ boat fleets and "dogs blown off chains" wind conditions can test the heartiest of souls.  For some R&R, you can then relax after these two marquee events with a trip to the Costa del Sol in southern Spain for the Copa de Espana in Barcelona for some tapas, sangria and Latin-inspired flamenco/ salsa dancing to the wee hours of the morning. See below for appropriate links to each event.  

J/80 Best Practices – Part II

Since publishing J/80 Best Practices Part I, many J/80s have undergone the seven-step inspection recommended annually for the keel/keel floor area.  If you have not conducted this inspection, we strongly urge you to do so before the coming season. Part II documents the damage found on a 1994 J/80 as a result of this inspection as well as the subsequent repair.  The subject boat is a 1994 J/80 that was purchased by its current owner in the fall of 2008 after 14 seasons of sailing with at least two previous owners.  The boat was run through the seven-step inspection process at International Marine, in Bristol, RI.... link to rest of article.  

J/95 BANJO Wins Naples Winter Regatta

(Naples, FL- March 13-14)- J Florida dealer Craig Crossley teamed up with J/105 sailor, Jim Doane, to sail the J/95 BANJO in the Naples Sailing and Yacht Club Winter Regatta out in the Gulf of Mexico. Here's a summary of Jim Doane's commentary after racing: "My crew really enjoyed the opportunity.  The J/95 steers very straight downwind and you must turn the wheel more than typical to catch the waves. The J/95 with the board up has a tremendous potential to surf. As you can see, the main is easy to pump and the spin should be too with correct placement of the ratchets. On flat water, the boat still has a potential speed advantage as we saw in down to 10. But a bigger spin is a must. Keep the one you have for tighter reaches and 20+ breeze.  Upwind, the most obvious point is that this boat probably does not point that well on average relative to deep keel boats. Footing and speed and relative strategy and tactics are important to  maintain.  Overall, my crew and I really liked racing the boat and look forward to another opportunity to show her off!  I would suggest her purchase to anyone looking for an exciting and versatile 30 ft. ride!  For more J/95 sailing information.  

J/24 Copa de Mexico Regatta

Brazilian World Champs Win

(Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)- The fifty-three J/24 competitors enjoyed a very special treat sailing off Puerto Vallarta in Bahia de Banderas this past week. The weather held true to form with the midday westerly thermals of 220-240 degrees giving way to the afternoon thermals of 310 degrees most of the days.  The shifty, streaky winds kept tacticians busy.  But, perhaps most importantly, the Mexican Ministry of Tourism, the Presidente of Mexico- Felipe Calderon (a sailor himself sailing on the lake of Valle de Bravo) and the Mexican Navy did not hold back in their support and enthusiasm for supporting the J/24 Mexico sailors to conduct a world-class event.  It was beyond comprehension when you compare it to most sailing events worldwide.  With special events and parties each night, the sailors were treated to delicious foods indigenous to the region along with entertainment reflective of Mexico's rich, mixed culture of Spanish, Mayan/Aztec and European flavors.  Cowes, Key West, Spi Ouest, Sardinia, Phuket, St Maarten beware!  The Mexicanos joi'd'vivre is in a class unto itself when it comes to throwing a world-class event with chutzpah, fun and great sailing-- a cocktail that is indeed hard to pass up. 

Partaking with great gusto in the activities were the German, Italian, Mexican, Peruvian, Puerto Rican and, of course, the American and Brazilian teams.  It was pretty clear the winners of both the parties and the sailing were the beloved Brazilians.  Between the salsa dance-offs for DELL laptops, the spontaneous dance party on the party boats to and from Bahia Las Casetas dinner/entertainment evening and the ultra-Euro chic Puerto Vallarta resort in downtown with the live DJ/ disco, the Brazilians simply reclassified for all how to have fun and win a regatta. Kudos to Maurizio Santa Cruz and his crew for having fun and winning it in style and with class-- helped in no small part by long-time J/24 class stalwart and builder, Paolo Boido from Turino, Italy.  Remember, these are the same guys who taught Chris Larson a lesson on how to train and win another 24-footer's Worlds last summer in Annapolis, MD.

When the smoke cleared on the waters of Bahia de Banderas, it was pretty clear J/24 class veterans used to very tight, close quarters racing with an unmistakeable capability to make the best of really bad situations at starting lines, mark roundings and weather conditions were the ones whom ultimately prevailed.  The cream would rise to the top after such a long series of five days and ten races.  While Chris Snow from the USA sailing "S" won "college-style" on the water with the most consistent no-throw out scores, it was Maurizio Santa Cruz from Brazil sailing BRUSCHETTA who prevailed by four points by tossing two bad scores for an impressive victory over a talented and remarkably, deep fast fleet.  Just off the pace in the top three was Maurizio's Brazilian colleague, Claudio Ruschel racing A QUE SI, finishing a solid third.  The Mexican contingent are proving to be not only fast, but wily as coyotes.  They know their waters, are strong tactically and are a force to be reckoned with--- guess it doesn't hurt to race every two weeks in fifty+ boat fleets on Valle de Bravo for bragging rights as best sailors in Mexico! Both Jorge Murrieta on VIVO MEXICO and Ken Porter on MONSTER FISH COMEX sailed strong last days to finish 4th and 7th overall, respectively. Of note aboard Jorge's boat was Regatta Chairman Peter Wiegandt, DELL Computer's chief sponsor representative for the regatta.  The top ten shows the diversity of international talent in the world's largest one-design keelboat class; Brazilians were 1st, 3rd; Americans 2nd, 5th; Mexicans 4th, 7th, 10th; Germans 6th; Puerto Ricans 8th; and Peruvians 9th.    For more J/24 Copa Mexico sailing regatta information.  

J/22 Midwinters Won by Fisher

(New Orleans, LA- Mar 14)- Greg Fisher secured a victory at the J/22 Midwinter Championship, beating his closest competition by 10 points.  Sailing with wife Jo Ann, daughter Martha and Jeff Eiber, the team sealed the standings with a bullet in Sunday's first race.  They finished with 29 points, followed by John Loe (39), Max/Jake Scott (64), Chris Doyle and Glenn Darden (tied with 67).  Conditions on Lake Pontchartrain were beautiful for the regatta's conclusion, with winds about 7-8 knots, clear skies and warm temperatures.  After Fisher won the first race, Flip Wehrheim won the final race of the regatta. 

Greg Fisher moved to the front of the fleet on Day 2 of the J/22 Midwinter Championship at Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans, LA. With 25 points after seven races (one discard), Fisher leads second-place Jeff Todd (32 points), John Loe (33) and Max/JakeScott and Travis Odenbach (tied with 38). Sustained winds at 20 knots and large waves tested the 39 teams on Saturday. Multiple wipe-outs plagued the fleet on Lake Pontchartrain, including several equipment malfunctions and crew injuries. By the day's third race, nearly half of the fleet had returned to the dock. Conditions calmed down for the regatta conclusion on Sunday. Saturday's race winners were Max/Jake Scott who got two bullets and Jeff Todd who won the sixth race.  Full J/22 Midwinters results and sailing information.  

UK Warsash Spring Series

Perfect Start for J Sailors

(Hamble, So'ton, England- Mar 14)- Glorious sunshine and a steady breeze made for a perfect first day of this year’s Warsash Spring Series on 14th March. Competitors in the 170-strong entry list were out bright and early, some putting into practice lessons learned during a Jim Saltonstall training session organised by the Royal Southern Yacht Club the day before.  Black Group comprises four IRC classes plus one design starts for J/109, J/105 and J/92. The committee boat set up station between East Bramble and Universal Marina buoys.

The family of J/Boats in Black Group has increased this year by J/92s joining the J/105 start. Interestingly the finishing times of the two classes overlapped, showing that a better sailed small boat can keep up with the larger J/Boat design. The class wins went to JOS OF HAMBLE (Roger Williams) and JAMMIN (Andrew Campbell). In the J/109s David and Kirsty Apthorp continued where they left off last year by sailing J-DREAM to victory.  In IRC1, the J/122 JOLLY JELLYFISH sailed to a solid third overall.  Expect to see more competition in this class when Ian Matthew's J/122 JINJA, Neil Martin's J/133 JAMMY DODGER and Jackie and Robert Dodson's J/133 JERONIMO get cranked up for the series next weekend.

Following the successful pattern of the past couple of years, White Group is split into two separate courses. The J/80s area under the care of Jon Spencer. In the J/80s another trophy holder from 2009 was competing but sadly this time Charles Somerset in LOUDWATER had to retire from the final contest having gained third place in the preceding races behind Terry Palmer’s JUST DO IT and ELLE S'APPELLE helmed by Thor Askeland. Mark Baskerville and Steve Sault took the final victory on board HOOLINGKAZAN.

Back at Warsash Sailing Club after racing, the weekly class winners were presented with champagne whilst everyone enjoyed a well-earned rest and time to catch up with sailing friends at the beginning of the new season. The Warsash Spring Series runs on Sundays until 25th April, with a break for Easter. New entries are welcome and enquiries can be made to Warsash Sailing Club on 01489 583575, admin@warsashsc.org.uk or visit  www.warsashspringseries.org.uk.  

J/80 Grevelingen Cup

(Oosterschelde, Belgium- Feb 7)- The J/80s started off their 2010 season in Belgium.  Here's the regatta reports from Faber Münker on J/80 NED524:  "Sunday morning. The alarm rings at 5am. Three hours later, we’re onboard our J80, Faber Münker (NED524). On the way we see the wind turbines next to the Zeeland Bridge barely turning, the Oosterschelde has the appearance of a mirror, and the car thermometer marks 2.5°C. That does not promise well.

After we changed the halyard of the genoa, we chug from our home port Brouwershaven towards Port Zélande. A porpoise accompanies us from the exit of the port until we dock in the marina. A good omen? During the palaver we’re informed that we’ll be sailing three windward-leeward races, that we’ll share our race course with the First 31.7 fleet and that we’ll be starting at 11.40am us usual. So we have some time to reheat ourselves and share a cup of coffee with our fellow J80 sailors.

Prior to undocking, we tune the mast in light weather setting to generate enough power in these light conditions. A half hour before the warning signal, a 13 boat strong fleet is present. A new crew on board Jachtig is fully prepared to make things hot for the rest of us.

The wind is blowing steadily 6 knots (90-100°). After the more than 100 boats of the different tour and race classes have started and the 31.7s have shown us the way towards the windward mark, it’s our turn. A quick wind and start line check learns us that the pin end is slightly favored. We win the pin with speed and gain immediately several meters on our closest competitors. We round the windward mark in first place followed closely by Joie de Vivre, Jachtig, Jalapeño and Juul. We are able to establish a loose cover on our pursuers during the three windward-leeward loops and finish the race in first place.

The second race turns out to be identical to the first one. We get off to a good start. The unpredictable shifts seem to favour the middle of the race course. However, based on local knowledge, Jalapeño and Jachtig head for the left layline. Their gamble works out fine and they round the mark in front of us. Sailing downwind we try to sail as a team: we (try to) minimize the usage of the rudder by weight-steering the boat and everybody has his specific task to keep the concentration level high: the gennaker trimmer informs the helmsman on the pressure in the chute; the forward crew member looks back for puffs and keeps track off the closest competitors; the mainsheet trimmer looks forward and weighs the different tactical choices; and the helmsman steers the boat for optimal VMG based on all the information. During the final leg, we gain a few places and we obtain our second bullet. Jachtig ends in second place, followed by Jalapeño and Joie De Vivre. In the middle of the fleet, the fight is just as fierce. Yes, Juul and Jippie J all finish within 30 seconds difference.

For the final race, the committee decides to relocate the pin end and to restrict the number of legs to two due to the freezing conditions. An overeager start gets All Ears an individual recall. The rest of the fleet is clear to start. Jippie J together with Jachtig and Jalapeño lead the way toward the windward mark. A good mark rounding and quick hoist enable us to fight back to first place which we maintain until the finish line.  We close the day with several meat croquettes – a local delicacy- and beers in Le Bateau together with the rest of the J80 fleet. The highs and lows of the day are discussed and tips and tricks are shared.  Results of this race, which is part of an unofficial J80 Benelux winter championship can be found here.  

J/80 AVEGA TROPHY

(Santander, Spain- Mar 14)- With a spectacular sunny day and a strong east wind around 25 knots average, the twenty four J/80s simply flew around the course.  Continuing their leadership in the J/80 Santander fleet, ECC VIVIENDAS raced by Pichu Torcida and YATES&COSAS sailed by Tono Piris lead the overall standings tied at three points each. Tied for third overall with nine points are Ignacio Camino sailing NEXTEL ENGINEERING and Javier Lopez-Vazquez skippering BANCAJA.  Fifth lies Alberto Padron aboard MABLE V with thirteen points.  For more Spanish sailing information.  Photo credits- ChapiFoto  

Australian J/24s Race SA State Championships

Conyers' NO EYE DEER Wins

(Adelaide, SA, Australia- Mar 14)- We had Fun-- that was the motto. The SA states were held over the weekend of 13/14 March in Adelaide. With typical late summer soft winds and fine weather the sailing was a glamour and easy on the body.  Trevor Conyers in NO EYE DEER sailed an almost perfect series to win with five bullets and a second, from Alyn Stevenson sailing FUN 2.  Here is Simon Grain's report:

"Pete Stevens should have finished third but a small mistake in leaving the life jackets in the car on Saturday morning meant he was late to the starting line for the first race and scored a DNF and with no drops meant he had to carry that.  Instead he had to watch his old boat sail away into third ahead of him with me at the helm …. because we had ‘Fun’. Pete had invited us over, leant me the boat, given us a bed and as it turned out conceded to us the third he would otherwise have got. Sometimes it all turns out sweet … for us anyway.

Saturday and the weather was hot and sunny, wind around 8 knots from the south and flat water, you’ll be asking yourself why you didn’t come to this one. The CYCSA held the Great Southern Regatta in conjunction with the J States and did a very good job to get 3 races in – shortish courses with 2 or 3 times round and nice tight start lines to keep us on our toes. We had 10 boats on the line and plenty of talent in the field.  Competition was fierce around the track in all 3 races on Saturday with most of the fleet sailing the course and finishing in a tight pack.

Sunday and we had light westerlies with sun-blocking cloud – thankfully – once again the PRO did a good job to set up a tight line and course giving fair racing and tactical sailing. Trevor didn’t seem to have a lot more speed but with good sailing put himself in the right place each time and he moved through to lead each race by a small margin from either Alyn, Pete and in the last shortened race Simon.

Snapping at the transoms of the first 4 boats were VERTGO, GOOD COMPANY, SUCH IS LIFE and KAIZEN. Never far out of the picture, these boats are ready to jump you if you make a mistake. FOOLISH BEHAVIOR and COOKIE MONSTER rounded out the fleet.  The club and the State Association came together to put on a good regatta with many thanks to the PRO, his team and all the volunteers who made this happen.  Oh did I forget to mention we had the most amazing stroke of luck as I hadn’t even considered the handicap part of the series … but we took that out too.

As the only interstate boat we had a Fun time and were looked after by Pete Stevens in particular, but thanks to all who made us feel so welcome. Next time get on the blower and organise yourself a berth interstate, there is a cost but it is worth the effort and having class members organising billeting and help to get on the water makes this a great short holiday and a way to get to know your interstate friends better.

The next regatta is the Vic States on 17/18 March and if you haven’t already decided to come then have another thought about it. Melbourne in autumn is traditionally a carbon copy of the regatta above, warm and light and lots of fun.  For more J/24 Australia sailing information.  

J/24 SCOUT'S PRIDE Wins Bacardi Cup

(Miami, FL- Mar 14)- For the first time ever, the fabled Star class was joined by several one-design fleets for the expanded Bacardi Miami Sailing Week.  The J/24 Class had a small, but very competitive fleet.  The conditions were good considering the passage of some fronts, making it challenging to sail consistently over the six race series.  At the end, Patricia Walker sailed SCOUT'S PRIDE to four first to win by three points over Enrique Quintero, sailing SCOUT'S HONOR.  Six points further back was Gerd Pedersen sailing SUMMERTIME.   For more Bacardi Cup/ Miami Sailing Week information.  

Become Better J/80 Sailors?

If so, suggests Peter Sundelin, former Olympic medalist and experienced J/80-sailor, you sail Lasers four days at Svartlöga, Sweden! He says that sailing and boat-handling dinghies like Lasers are the foundation to be able to sail all types of boats. In a dinghy, you get immediate response when you are doing right and wrong. Training is intensive and provides quick results.

Says Peter, "On Svartlöga we have 10 top well-equipped Lasers. We lend any personal equipment you need, wet suit, hanging trousers, shoes, etc. Several J/80-sailors have also been with us at Svartlöga. Happy to hear from them, you'll hear what they thought about the workout!  On 17-20 June, we have a course that focuses on racing. You who want to participate on the course, must be comfortable with the laser. The situations we are experiencing on the track in a J/80 in a day, you will meet in half an hour in a Laser."

You can read more on Peter Sundelin's website - http://www.sundelin.org.

Or, for more J/80 Sweden sailing info.  

J/100 BAD GIRL Wins St Croix Hospice Regatta

Tony and Ellen Sanpere from St. Croix supplied this report: "We came in second in Performance cruising in my old J/36- CAYENNITA GRANDE. We also had J/27's in the race with one of them getting close to a podium finish. Also sailing was Bob Armstrong's J/100 BAD GIRL.   On the Buck Island Channel course, the J/100 BAD GIRL won the Spinnaker Racing class with an all-Crucian crew and six top three finishes. Though long-time J/24 sailor and helmsman Jens Hookanson was born in St. Croix, he has lived in the U.S. since age 16 and had never sailed in the annual SCYC regatta. He liked the race to Christiansted, followed by windward-leeward courses in the Channel. "Tactician Carlos Skov is key to the program," according to Hookanson. "Skov was especially touched by the win, as his mother was the first hospice patient on St. Croix, and Skov weighed in at eight cases of Cruzan Rum."  Armstrong and his J/100 crew also received an invitation to the National Hospice Regatta Championships, to be sailed in Rochester, NY in June.  

J/44 GOLD DIGGER Wins Miami Grand Prix

STARK RAVING MAD 3rd IRC Overall

(Miami Beach, FL- Mar 4-7)-  There was an interesting mix of IRC entries at Miami Grand Prix with the TP52 DECISION (Stephen Murray, New Orleans) and the J/105 GUMPTION (Kevin Grainger, New York) at opposite ends of the spectrum.  Meanwhile, in between were the two Jim's, Jim Bishop on the J/44 GOLD DIGGER and Jim Madden and his crew aboard STARK RAVING MAD who were eager to see how the J/125 performs in IRC.

“We always assumed this boat would have a poor IRC rating, but have discovered there are a few minor changes that can be made to get credits under the system,” said North Sails president Gary Weisman, tactician on STARK RAVING MAD. “So we are testing the waters and seeing how well the boat can compete under IRC.”  In retrospect, Weisman now wishes STARK RAVING MAD had entered IRC 2 class at Key West 2010 instead of PHRF 1, which it won in convincing fashion – finishing first in eight of 10 races. “This will be an  interesting regatta because there is such a wide spread in boat sizes and speed from the top to the bottom end of the fleet that it’s hard to gauge how things will turn out,” he said.

After ten races, sailed in mostly N-NW winds ranging from 10-15 knots, it was clear the outcome of the series. Jim Bishop completed a wire-to-wire win in IRC class with a first and a second in Sunday’s two races. The Rhode Island skipper steered his 20-year-old J/44 to victory in five races and finished no worse than second in totaling 19 points.  Jim Madden's J/125 STARK RAVING MAD was in second most of the series but just lost out the last day to finish third overall-- a remarkable achievement considering that it's a "pre-IRC" designed boat.

“It’s absolutely fabulous,” an ecstatic Bishop said of the victory. “We had an excellent crew and great preparation, and were fortunate to get the type of conditions that favor this boat. We need a breeze and it blew pretty strong for this entire regatta.”

“GOLD DIGGER is very capably sailed and does well in the moderate breeze,” Madden said. “We’d like to see winds that are either 18 knots or more so we can plane or less than 10 knots so our lighter displacement will be an advantage. This moderate breeze is challenging for us.”  STARK RAVING MAD normally sails PHRF and Madden’s team is using this regatta as a test for how the J/125 can perform under IRC. “It’s been a competitive class, evidenced by the fact only four points separate the second through sixth place boats,” he said. “While there is a wide range of designs here, the speed differences aren’t as great as you might think. We’ve seen a lot of other boats within our quadrant of the race course.”

Organizers with Premiere Racing had no trouble completing the 10-race series as winds rarely dropped below 10 knots and often reached the upper teens. Principal race officer Dave Brennan and team set terrific courses and it was notable that there was not a single protest. “South Beach once again delivered the conditions it’s known for, the competition in all three classes was tremendous and the race committee work was flawless as usual,” event director Peter Craig said following the awards ceremony at Miami Beach Marina. “Combine all those factors and that explains why there are so many smiling faces around here.”  For more Miami Grand Prix regatta information and sailing results  

St. Maarten Heineken Regatta

Successful J/95 Caribbean Racing Debut

(Simpson Bay, St. Maarten- March 7)- There can be few events in the world that match St. Maarten Heineken Regatta’s unique cocktail of fun and serious racing. Under the leadership of Robbie Ferron – St. Maarten Yacht Club commodore – who set up the regatta 30 years ago, this Caribbean classic continues to go from strength to strength and, if the positive buzz on the street is anything to go by, next year’s event is going to reach record levels.

With some of the world’s most talented sailors including the likes of many J/24 and J sailing veterans like America’s Cup legends Peter Isler, Peter Holmberg, round the world PUMA sailor Kenny Read and Olympic/America’s Cup skipper Andy Beadsworth, among the many high profile sailors competing here this week, it’s not surprising this event is fast becoming a Mecca for seriously fun winter racing.

The final race of the three-day St. Maarten Heineken Regatta may have lacked one special Caribbean ingredient – sun – but there was certainly no shortage of action for the 240-boat fleet in the extremely lively northerly breeze which allowed the big raunchy yachts the opportunity to really strut their stuff on the 27nm race from Marigot Bay back to Sint Maarten Yacht Club.

In what was arguably one of the most competitive fleets at the regatta, Spinnaker 5 class saw two J's vying for class honors, the J/120 EL OCASO and the J/122 LOST HORIZON.  The first day of racing was an auspicious one for Jim Dobbs J/122 LOST HORIZON.  Starting off with a 1-3 on the water, Jim later find out the first turned into an OCS.  Nevertheless, Jim and the LOST HORIZON crew dominated the rest of the regatta with three straight firsts over the next two days to get third overall.  Rick Wesslund's veteran Key West Race Week winning J/120 EL OCASO sailed a remarkably consistent series, with a 2-2-3-2-3 record, to finish second overall, just two points out of first.

Two J's sailed very well in Spinnaker 6 class to finish third and fourth respectively.  David Cullen's J/109 POCKET ROCKET finished third and the new J/95 SHAMROCK VII saw its Caribbean racing debut with Tom Mullen and crew sailing to a very respectable fourth overall in this large class-- not bad for a shoal-draft cruising and day sailing boat that draws only 3.5 feet!

Bob Armstrong's red-hot J/100 BAD GIRL that has been winning a number of the Caribbean events over the past few years managed to finish third in this year's St. Maarten regatta in Spinnaker 7 class.  Rumor had it the gang on BAD GIRL were really enjoying the festivities and reggae bands in apres-racing during the evenings.

After a relaxing afternoon prize-giving on Sunday at St. Maarten Yacht Club, competitors and guests were treated to an exuberant evening dancing the night away on the beach in the presence of International Reggae superstar Maxi Priest and his band who played classic hits of the last three decades, concluding yet another successful St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.  For more St Maarten sailing and regatta information.  

J/24 Copa de Mexico Regatta

Brazilians Winning After Two Days

(Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)- The fifty-three J/24 competitors are enjoying a very special treat sailing off Puerto Vallarta in Bahia de Banderas.  So, far the weather has held true to form with the midday westerly thermal winds 5-15 knots from 220-240 degrees giving way to the afternoon thermal breezes from 300-320 degrees.  The shifty, streaky winds make for challenging conditions and are keeping the tacticians on each team anxious to avoid significant mistakes going around the race track.

The current leaders include J/24 class veterans fighting it out for the podium separated by only three points after four races and two days of sailing.  It will be interesting to see if the top three can maintain the consistency they've managed to achieve so far with three more days of sailing left.  So far,  Maurizio Santa Cruz from Brazil, the current J/24 World Champion, is in first place sailing BRUSCHETTA to a 13-4-1-1 record.  After a slow start the first day, Maurizio and team were red hot the second day, getting two firsts in very tough sailing conditions.  Javier Arribas Leigh from Peru is second overall sailing PRIMERO to a consistent 1-8-4-8 tally.  Just one point back is Chris Snow, the current J/24 NA Champion, sailing "S" to a 10-1-5-6 record.  Chris and Javier were both in the top three going up the final leg of race four, leading the series until the wind got very shifty with puffs coming off the beach and down from the mountain ridges off Puerto La Cruz.  The top ten shows the diversity of international talent in the world's largest one-design keelboat class; Brazilians are 1st, 6th; Peruvians 2nd; Americans 3rd, 7th, 10th; Mexicans 4th, 9th; Puerto Ricans 5th; and Germans 8th.  

The sailing has been fun and challenging so far, but what a social event! Peter Wiegandt and Kenneth Porter have done a spectacular job for everyone to enjoy.  The Mexican Ministry of Tourism, the President of Mexico- Felipe Calderon (a sailor himself sailing on the lake of Valle de Bravo) and the Mexican Navy (with Optimist youth training programs at every facility) are all supporting sailing, the Regata Copa Mexico and the J/24 Class in particular.  And, the line-up of sponsors is extraordinary: MICROSOFT Office, Nyssen, Dos Equis XX Brewery, Nextel, Icon Vallarta, DELL Computers, Comex, Grey Goose, Coca Cola, Marival and Banamex.  The Marival Suites Hotel, an all-inclusive resort, has every amenity, activity, food and drink one could ever wish for in a beach-front complex- four pools, horseback riding, hiking in the mountains, sailing, surfing, paddling, shuffleboard, bocce ball pits, tennis, 18-hole golf course, world-class spa (mud baths, whirlpools), the list is endless.  Throw on top of that a spectacular sunset dinner on the beach and a Mayan-inspired evening show at the romantic and gorgeous Bahia Las Caletas on the luscious, mountainous south shore of Bahia de Banderas and you have a recipe for a fabulous event (read more about it below in an excerpt from SAIL's Kimball Livingston's blog).  For more Regatta Copa Mexico sailing information.