(Torquay, United Kingdom)- Not surprisingly, the weather forecast for
this year’s Landsail Tyres J/CUP UK was “a sticky wicket” at best, as
they say in the U.K. Storms, lotsa winds, then some sun!!?? Well, it
is a British summer. Surprised?? It can range from hail, to
Fastnet-like 70 kts “lows” (in other parts of the world your basic
hurricane), to the glorious “5th” with tea and crumpets and a benign
breeze of 8-12 kts from the west-southwest- your classic “shorts &
shades” conditions. Well, for the J/CUP UK 2017, the modus-operandi for
the event was to keep rolling with the punches from the weather Gods-
clearly, Neptune was not pleased and instead served forth some
outrageous sailing conditions.
Day One- Tough Competition
Thrilling close racing was in the DNA of J/crews!! With no less than
four National Championships, the competition was incredibly close, for
the first day. Spotting the shifts, and extra breeze, were keys to
winning performances, with 15-20 knots of solid pressure coming off the
land. The planing, asymmetric J’s were romping around Tor Bay having a
great time! The Royal Torbay YC set two excellent WL courses, with
three races completed by all classes.
For the J/88 UK National Championship, the competition was intense, the
biggest winning margin was 21 seconds, with four teams within a point of
pole position after three races. Paul Ward's Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat, was
tied on points at the top, with David & Kirsty Apthorp's J-Dream.
Reigning J/88 UK National Champion, Gavin Howe's Tigris, won the last
race of the day, to claim third, tied on points with Tim Tolcher's
Raging Bull.
“It was a cracking good day, great courses, great racing and a lot of
fun,” commented Paul Ward. “The standard in the J/88 fleet just keeps
going higher and higher. We are changing places three or four times
every race. Make one mistake and you drop a place or two, get a good
shift and you make it back again. Everybody is sailing really well, we
have got half of a nose in front, and it is all to play for!”
The
reigning J/97 UK National Champions, Andy & Annie Howe's Blackjack
II, opened their defense in style, winning two races. However, Bob
Baker's Jaywalker was just a point behind, having won the last race of
the day. George Rock-Evans, skipper of J/97 Juno, scored three podium
places to finish the first day, third in class.
For the J/109 UK National Championship, three teams are tied at the top
for first place, but only one of them actually won a race today. Robert
Stiles' team racing Diamond Jem won the last race of the day, to secure
pole position on countback from Simon Perry's Jiraffe, and David
Richards' Jumping Jellyfish. Race winners in the J/109 Class included,
Steve Berry's Blue Jay, and Stuart Hills' Jenesis. Mike Yates' Jago, and
David McGough's Just So, also made the podium.
For the J/111 UK National Championship, Tony Mack's McFly, continued
their impressive form exhibited at Cowes Week, to lead the class after
three races. However, Marco Van Driel's Dutch J/111 Sweeney, showed
championship winning from pushing McFly in every race. Paul Griffiths'
Jagerbomb scored two podium finishes to claim third.
“We
come all the way from Holland because we know we will get a great
competition.” commented Marco Van Driel, owner of Sweeney. “The British
J/111s are ahead of us, and we like to measure ourselves in a real
competition, after a lot of effort and training back home. We did a good
job today, we decided to go for it from the first start, to be keen and
go for it. One thing that we really love about the J/111 Class, is that
all of the other teams are so helpful, we are so happy because they
make us feel incredibly welcome!!”
In the IRC Class, Chaz Ivill's brand new J/112E Davanti Tyres, helmed by
Marie-Claude Heys, scored three straight bullets, to take a commanding
lead in the class. By comparison, Andy Roberts J/105 Jin Tonic is second
and William Newton's Jelly Baby is third. In the Handicap Class, J/70
Mjölnir, helmed by Rob Larke, leads after winning two of today's races,
but it was far from easy, with Ralph Mason's J/92 Jaberwock just 3
seconds in Race 2, and Richard Puddifoot's J/70 Jibba Jabba less than a
minute behind in today's first race.
Day Two- Stormy and Wet!
Thirty-knot squalls interspersed with beautiful sunshine and flat water,
produced a testing race course for six classes. At times, the fleet
disappeared upwind into the raging tempest, to return downwind, in a
halo of bright sunlight. The bizarre weather tested boat handing skills,
and stamina, considering the teams had now completed six races in two
days.
For the J/88 UK National Championship, all guns were blazing with three
different teams scoring race wins in the feisty conditions. David &
Kirsty Apthorp's J-Dream won the first race of the day by 35 seconds to
take the lead in the championship. Paul Ward's Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat,
fought back winning Race 5, to regain the lead for the national title.
The last race of the day was won by Tim Tolcher's Rajing Bull, by just 7
seconds. Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat lead the class going into the final day.
The reigning J/97 UK National Champions, Andy & Annie Howe's
Blackjack II, still lead the class after winning two of today's races.
However, the competition was hard on their heels. Bob Baker's Royal
Lymington team, racing Jaywalker, was North Sails boat of the day, after
finishing every race on the podium. Royal Torbay YC member George
Rock-Evans, scored his first National Championship win, and Nick
Barlow's Jeopardy II, scored two podium finishes.
“We have our mascot, Blackjack Davy, strapped to the back of the boat,
and he kept us all safe today. There was a lot of breeze and plenty of
water below us and falling down from the sky.” smiled Blackjack's Andy
Howe. “Our boat handling kept us in it today, and kept us in front.
Torquay holds a special place for us. We did our first J-Cup here and it
is great to come back. It is a great place to sail. We are in a good
position but we need at least one good result tomorrow, and the fleet
are not far behind us, it is still all to play for.”
For
the J/109 UK National Championship, there is a new leader. Steve
Berry's Cardiff Bay YC team, racing Blue Jay, scored three keepers
today, and now lead the championship after discard. Simon Perry's
Jiraffe had a day of ups and downs but two good races means that the
Royal Southern YC team retain second place, just a single point off the
lead. “Laugh rhymes with Jiraffe, hence the name.” commented Simon
Perry. “We race hard but we love to enjoy our sailing as well, and the
J-Cup has the right balance of fun and great racing.” David McGough's
Just So, scored two good results and then won the last race of the day,
to climb to third, just two points off the lead. “This is definitely the
most competitive racing I have done.” Declared David Gough. “This is an
exceptional regatta.”
For the J/111 UK National Championship, Paul Van Driel's Dutch J/111
Sweeney was in scintillating form today. The team from Breskens showed
excellent boat-handling skills in the brutal conditions to win all three
races and take the lead in the championship. Sjaak Haaman's Dutch team,
racing Red Herring, scored well, as did Tony Mack's McFly. The British
owner driver was also spotted wearing a pair of frogman's goggles,
ripping fun at the wet weather!
In the IRC Class, Chaz Ivill’s J/112E Davanti Tyres, helmed by
Marie-Claude Heys, has now scored a perfect six bullets, securing the
class win with a day to spare. The battle for second is a very even
contest between two J/105s, both from the Royal Lymington YC. Andy
Roberts Jin Tonic holds the upper hand, by two points, but failed to
finish the last race, William Newton's Jelly Baby is two points behind.
Mike Wallis' J/122 Jamali, scored a 4-4-2 today, to challenge for the
podium.
Day Three- the Finale
The last day was blessed with champagne conditions in beautiful Tor Bay.
However, as we all know, when you pop a champagne cork it doesn't
always all end up in the glass. A southwesterly breeze oscillated 20
degrees left and right during the day, and with tight racing in one
design fleets, and closely matched handicap classes, getting the wrong
side of a shift proved costly. The Royal Torbay Yacht Club produced two
well-managed windward leeward courses, as the club has done for the
entire event, and two races were held for all six classes.
The
intensity of racing in the J/88 fleet was exemplified by the fact that
the winner only won a single race out of eight starts. Every mark
rounding and wind shift became important with teams swapping places on
many occasions. Richard Cooper's Jongleur and Tim Tolcher's Rajing Bull,
both made the podium during the regatta, and 2016 National Champion,
Gavin Howe's Tigris, finished in style, winning the last race. However,
two teams battled for three days to take the prize. David & Kirsty
Apthorp's J-Dream, scored three bullets over three days of top class
racing, but victory went to the new J/88 UK Open National Champion; Paul
Ward's Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat.
“Awesome racing, it was really really close. The J/88 is a fast cool
boat and lots of great people race in the class, who enjoy a drink and a
get together after racing.” explained Paul Ward. “We were just in front
when we started the last race, and it was very quiet on board - game
face on. In the pre-start J-Dream came and had a little play, and we
managed to defend that, and sailed our own race. This year the same team
has sailed together for the whole of Cowes Week, and the whole of this
regatta, and we really won this yesterday, when the boat handling in
tough conditions was spot on.”
Torquay is a special place for Annie and Andy Howe; the Blackjack II
team was formed at the 2009 J-Cup, which was held in Torquay. Back then
the team's best result was a third, fast-forward to 2017, and Blackjack
II has retained the UK National title for the J/97 Class. Bob Walker's
Jaywalker was a worthy runner up, proudly representing the Royal
Lymington YC, and local hero, George Rock-Evans, representing the Royal
Torbay YC, was third.
“Eight years ago we came to Torquay, and we picked up a few sailors here
and there and we didn't do very well, but we started dreaming of
winning,” commented Annie Howe. “It has been an amazing adventure since
then, and we have been getting better and better, and our dream has
come true, we have had the most amazing time racing J/Boats. It is
brilliant to back in Torquay, and come full circle, it is just so
emotional and fantastic to come back and win, and it means a huge
amount.”
One
of the most competitive J/109 Nationals for many years was played out
in Torbay with ten boats scoring podium finishes during eight races. The
winner came from behind, taking the championship in the very last
encounter, having not won a single race. There is no finer example of
the attitude - never give up.
Before the last day, David Richard's Jumping Jellyfish was lying
mid-fleet, but after gaining redress for a Race 6, the team moved up to
fourth, and scoring a second place in Race 7, Jumping Jellyfish was
leading the championship by 0.4 of a point from Simon Perry's Jiraffe.
Steve Berry's Blue Jay was third. In the last race, Jumping Jellyfish
held their nerve to score a fifth place, enough to win the J/109 Open UK
National Championship. Blue Jay was runner up, and Jiraffe third.
“It was an amazing win, unbelievable,” commented David Richards. “It was
about never giving up, we thought we had an opportunity, and we took
it. I have been racing J/109s since 2004, and that was probably the
hardest ever, because there was no stand out boats, and winning was all
about consistency, not making rash calls and trying to be a hero. Of the
top three boats, only one got a bullet. This means absolutely
everything to me; I have been trying to win this competition for 12
years. We came within an ounce of winning it three years ago, and we are
a team of good sailors and great friends.”
Paul van Driel's Dutch J/111 Sweeny is the new Open UK National
Champion, after an impressive performance in Tor Bay. Sweeny scored five
race wins out of eight, to lift the title. Tony Mack's McFly kept the
championship alive with a win in Race 7, but Sweeny won the last race,
to make no mistake. McFly was runner up for the championship, with Dutch
team Red Herring, skippered by Sjaak Haaman in third.
“It is unbelievable to beat the top British guys in British waters,”
smiled Paul van Driel. “We have trained so hard for this, and I am
incredibly proud of the crew. We have really put a lot of effort into
this, everybody is so dedicated, they are second to none, and that is
why we have won. Our feeling was to focus on McFly, they are the fastest
boat in the fleet, and we were on them from the start, and we like
strong wind, and it came good for us on the second day. On the last day,
McFly was on us, and we were defending, and that worked out, but we had
to be careful, because the other boats were coming good as well, and we
were like two dogs fighting for a bone.”
In
the Handicap Class, Rob Larke helming J/70 Mjölnir, scored a fifth race
win in the last race to secure the class, and Ralph Mason's J92
Jabberwock won a keen contest for runner up, from Richard Puddifoot's
J/70 Jibba Jabba. Rob Larke's win was all the more amazing as he had
undergone neck surgery, and was told by his doctor and his wife, that
sailing was out of the question. However, Rob Larke was not going to
miss the J-Cup!
A total domination in the IRC Class was complete with Chaz Ivill's
J/112E Davanti Tyres scoring eight straight bullets. Helmed by
Marie-Claude Heys, the brand new design showed a great turn of speed at
all angles of sail. The J/112E has now been unbeaten in 2017 in major
regattas in France, and was also a class winner in this year's Round the
Island Race. Key Yachting's Paul Heys was racing on board, as
co-skipper.
Key
Yachting Sales Director, Hannah Le Prevost, took to the stage to
announce the winner of the Landsail Tyres J-Cup. “Paul and Marie Claude
Heys have been running the J-Cup for 18 years, and supporting J/Boats in
the UK, and many other places. Always going above and beyond what was
asked of them. They have raced at every J-Cup and have never walked away
with the trophy. The new J/112E is a new boat, they have put together a
team that have not sailed together before and made it work. If any team
here was to make a score line of all bullets, we would be handing them
the J-Cup. Paul and Marie Claude said they were not going to have it,
that it was not for them. They have always given so much of themselves
to other people, so perhaps this is a good time to give them the J-Cup.”
Chaz Ivill's J/112E Davanti Tyres, helmed by Marie-Claude Heys and
co-skippered by Paul Heys, was declared the 2017 Landsail Tyres J-Cup
winner. Three hundred guests at the Landsail Tyres J-Cup party gave the
Davanti Tyres crew a standing ovation, followed by a superb set from
Britain's best ten-piece soul-funk band- Joey the Lips. The party lasted
well into the night, with the J-Cup family fully letting their hair
down.
North Sails UK video footage.
Sailing photo credits- Tim Wright/ www.photoaction.com
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(Helsinki, Finland)- By winning eleven of their fifteen races sailed,
the remarkably fast and smart crew on the Åländska Segelsällskapet 1
Team walked off with the honors at their most recent Finnish sailing
league event in Helsinki.
(Southampton, United Kingdom)- Fashion and Lifestyle Entrepreneur,
Millie Mackintosh, will headline Britain’s biggest festival of boating
this year. Often found out on the water herself, Millie will be
officially opening the Show on Friday 15 September at 11am, helping to
kick off 10 days of incredible fun at one of the world’s premier
nautical events. 
1st Sailing League Report
(San Francisco, CA)- On a day that started grey and not particularly
windy, the St Francis YC hosted their annual Aldo Alessio & Phyllis
Kleinman Swiftsure Regattas for boats LOA >35' or holding an
ORR-fully measured certificate.
The
KNS team did not have one of their better performances in the regatta
series. The team sailed into a 13th place in Larvik and, thus, bring so
many points into the final that it is in no way given that they fit into
the finale in Moss.
(Sandusky, OH)- The J/24 Districts took place on Lake Erie two weekends ago.
We got a quick report from Brett Langolf, crewing for his J/24 friends
while not sailing his famous light-air flyer- the J/34 IOR KNEE DEEP!
Said Brett,
