Saturday, September 29, 2018

J’s Love Sloop Tavern YC’s Wild “Jack & Jill” Regatta

J/105 sailing double handed offshore (Seattle, WA)- The annual end-of-season Jack & Jill Regatta is hosted by the Sloop Tavern YC for a very enthusiastic fleet of “mixed doubles” crews.  Each team is comprised of a man/woman and you can only sail doublehanded. Consequently, there were over four dozen boats that made it to the starting line to race the 13.848nm course- a random leg affair this year that took the fleet around six marks from start to finish!

Said one of the STYC Committee members, “our J&J racers had a wild ride out on the water today! There was sun, rain, hail, sun, then rain again, then.. I lost track. There was also wind, lots of it and over 25 knots at points during the day! Wow! Wild stuff! Thanks to everybody who came out!”

Loving and reveling in the crazy conditions were several J/Crews participating in the event.  In the all J/Boats PHRF Class 5 FS, it was Leo Morales’ J/27 WIZARD that took class honors by only ONE SECOND! Yes, you read that right, literally winning by a nose!  Second was Phil Dean’s J/80 RUSH, while just 22 more seconds back on corrected time was Cindy Gossett’s J/30 OUTLAW.  Whew! Tough, close racing for those doublehanded crews- flying spinnakers, too!

Clearly at home in the wild conditions were the J/105s in the PHRF 6 FS division, as they swept the podium!  Winning was Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE, followed by John Aitchison’s MOOSE UNKNOWN in second, and Paul Viola’s PEER GYNT in third!

Also enjoying the rough and tumble affair was Reed Bernhard’s J/109 MOUNTAIN, winning their PHRF 7 FS division by the slimmest of margins- 5 seconds!  For more Sloop Tavern YC’s Jack & Jill Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.