(Hamble, England)- The J/88 is celebrating its first win at a British
regatta! The J-Cup in Partnership with B&G, an event held annually
exclusively for boats of the J/Boats brand, took place from 24th– 26th
July hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club, Hamble. Amongst the
outstanding number of 65 entries, organizers were excited to see four
J/88s entered, a model that only landed in the UK towards the end of
last year.The J/88 teams raced in an IRC 2 class with two J/92s. The winner after seven races was JONGLEUR, owned by Stewart Hawthorn. Stewart is a long-time J/Boats sailor, having previously enjoyed many victories in his previous boat a J/80. JONGLEUR scored an incredible six wins and discarded one second place to take the IRC 2 Class title. In a regatta where nearly every race focused on seeking breeze, this was a superb result.
“We worked our way round the strategy that we had set ourselves – to make nice clean starts, get in to a good lane, then watch what was happening,” said Stewart. “The last race of the series was the highpoint I think as we managed to come from a really flaky start, being well down the fleet on the first beat, and from that get in to the lead. Very difficult and tricky conditions for everyone, but having sailed in the Solent for a number of years it wasn’t too much of a shock,” he added.
Boasting a sportsboat feel similar to the J/111 and J/70, the J/88 also features a carbon rig, sit in cockpit, overnight accommodation and an inboard engine. The J/88 will be in the water at Southampton Boat Show 12-21st September. For more J/88 family speedster sailing information
|
