(Mykonos, Greece)- Rod Johnstone's original J/36 JAZZ has now found a new home after traveling around the world for over 34 years! JAZZ is now living in the Mediterranean in the lovely crystalline blue waters off Greece. Her latest owner, Norman Curnow,
is proud to have her and he reports that she continues to collect lots
and lots of silverware! Here is Curnow's heart-warming report from
Greece:"If I recall, Rod J's own J/36 from 1980, won the Block Island Race Week and a few other races, as well BVI Week and other events in the Caribbean.
JAZZ then went through a name change to "Cassiopeia Beta" and was registered in 1981 by her new owner in the United Kingdom-- Jon Adamsthwait, a former J/24 owner in the UK.
Later, she was purchased by my brother in the UK in 1986. She was sailed back to New York via the Caribbean (taking the old trade-wind routes south from England past the Canary Islands off Portugal). She covered most of the Caribbean Islands, including Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Since
that time, she's done the trans-Atlantic crossing twice. She got
caught in Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and sadly got badly holed-- 5 holes in
hull and she was dismasted at the second spreader. I took her over from
my brother, lifted and repaired her, renamed her to the original name
JAZZ and sailed back to the UK!I then raced across "The Channel", doing the RORC Channel Race and winning double-handed. Also won the Plymouth Offshore Race; won the Plymouth Inshore Series; and won the Around Scilley Isles Race!
In all, the reconditioned J/36 JAZZ has won 55 trophies, from 2005-2013, in Plymouth Yardstick and IRC events. I've sailed her to the Mediterranean twice single-handed! And, for now, I'm in Greece enjoying every moment with her!
I often wonder if the old JAZZ is one of the best-scoring, most trophy-winning J/Boats ever in the Johnstone family of boats? She's had just three owners in 34 years of sailing, won 60+ trophies overall, and sailed well over 100,000nm offshore! Amazing boat. We hope to have many, many more happy days sailing our J/36 JAZZ! Cheers to all, Norman Curnow." Great story! Love to hear how some of the old warhorses never die and just "keep on ticking"!
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