OFFSHORE DOUBLES CELEBRATES RAPID GROWTH

 

(London, England)- Offshore Doubles is pleased to announce at the end of its first month of operation we have 1,600 members from 66 countries with all six continents well-represented. 

Our Facebook page shows a video series featuring well-known sailors like Dee Caffari (GBR) and Kenny Read (USA), younger sailors like Erica Lush (USA) and Federico Waksman (URU) and the team of Jade Cole and Barney Walker (AUS). Each weekend with the help of World Sailing, we are featuring new stories of Offshore Doubles sailors from many countries and all continents. Next up is Croatia, then China, South Africa and more. Come to the Offshore Doubles Facebook page to see these amazing people and hear their stories.

The Olympic Event of Mixed Offshore Doubles is a pinnacle event of our discipline and it was proposed and ratified as the Olympic slate by World Sailing at the Annual Conference in Sarasota in 2018 and sent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2019. Over the next month the IOC is expected to make their final decisions on the slates proposed by all sports.


There have been some reported questions about security and cost of the Paris 2024 Olympic event. The security question has been solved by the French Navy’s assurance that they will provide security on the course. The operating costs of the event have been reviewed by the World Sailing and will be significantly lower than other sailing events because the Offshore Mixed Doubles Event is one race with a single start and finish. Other than the final short leg, all protests will be heard electronically using the 24/7 media and tracking during the event. Penalties will be assessed and taken before the last short leg to the finish and first boat across the finish line first wins.

In discussion with many of the teams, even from many smaller countries, the cost of the boat is not the big issue some claim. The boats in the event will be supplied without additional cost to competitors and the boats used for training can be any boat of appropriate size and configuration. These types of racer/cruiser boats represent 70% of sailing and hold their value well for resale. The World Sailing Equipment Committee is planning to produce a tender early in 2021 to solicit proposals for the Olympic event and there are 12 boats already proposed in a prior Request for Information.

Many countries have already started training for the event and Doubles are now a specific class in the most famous and long-established races like the Sydney Hobart, Fastnet, Round Gotlund, Bermuda and Transpac races. There are also many dedicated Doubles events and series now in Poland, Norway, Sweden, France, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, South Africa, Italy, USA and many other countries. The events list on the homepage shows 50 events currently and is increasing daily.

Larry Rosenfeld, President of Offshore Doubles, said, “Thanks to the many people that have helped us successfully launch including Matt Allen, Stan Honey and the rest of our very experienced Board of Advisors and organizations such as SYRF, ORC, RORC, CYCA, Storm Trysail Club, all the country rating offices and federations and many suppliers like North Sails, J/Boats, Quantum, World Sailing, The Magenta Project and many others for helping to spread the word. To our members and partners, we plan to introduce new features and ways of connecting in the coming months. Thank you for your donations, your guidance so far, and your continued input.”

About Offshore Doubles
Offshore Doubles is for everyone interested in double-handing offshore from couples and friends doing weekend races to Olympic athletes and serious programs globally. We all have much to learn and teach and it's our mission to bring this community together. There are more than 5,000 boats racing double-handed under rating rules and thousands in many strong one design fleets around the world, so we know the interest is there.

If you haven’t already done so, please come join us NOW at https://offshoredoubles.org! We need to continue to show the IOC that Doubles has broad global support. Don’t forget to invite your co-skipper and share with your friends!

Stephanie Roble earns New York YC’s top sailor honor

(Newport, RI)- Since 2008, the New York Yacht Club has annually presented the Mosbacher Trophy to the Club’s sailor of the year. The award, which is named for former Commodore and two-time America’s Cup champion Emil “Bus” Mosbacher, is the most coveted of the Club’s annual trophies and traditionally the last award at the Club’s Annual Awards ceremony in the Model Room at 44th Street.

Due to social distancing restrictions in New York City, the 2020 Annual Awards ceremony was held virtually last week.

This year’s winner of the Mosbacher Trophy is 49erFX sailor Stephanie Roble (East Troy, WI). While the COVID-19 pandemic canceled a large portion of the Olympic-class sailing schedule—and postponed the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by a year—Roble and sailing partner Maggie Shea (Wilmette, IL) were still able to achieve significant success in the women’s skiff class. Roble and Shea have also been active sailors in the J/22 and J/80 class, match-racing around the USA and Europe.  Furthermore, Roble has also been active in the J/70 class as coach and crew sailing with various teams on the J/70 winter circuit.

“I am extremely proud to award the 2020 Mosbacher Trophy to Stephanie Roble,” says Bill Ketcham, Commodore of the New York Yacht Club (himself owner of the famous J/44 MAXINE). “Since graduating from Old Dominion University nearly a decade ago, Stephanie has thrown herself into elite sailing, succeeding in keelboats, match racing, and now the 49erFX Olympic class.

“Stephanie and Maggie made the most of their limited opportunities to compete in 2020, and we look forward to following them on the road to an Olympic medal this coming summer. Stephanie is the youngest person and the first woman to win the Mosbacher.”

Roble and Shea started 2020 by winning the bronze medal in the 2020 49erFX World Championship in Geelong, Australia. It was first American medal in a 49erFX World Championship. That result also secured, by the narrowest of margins, Roble and Shea’s selection as the American representative in the class for the Tokyo Games.

Heading into the 2020 Worlds, which was the second of two international regattas used to select the American representative in the 49erFX class, Roble and Shea needed to finish four spots ahead of fellow Americans Paris Henken and Anna Tobias.

The regatta hinged on the final medal race, which Roble and Shea won to move into third in the overall standings. Henken and Tobias finished seventh in the medal race and seventh in the regatta. With the two teams tied on points for the Olympic berth, the tiebreaker went to whomever finished higher in the final regatta, awarding the berth to Roble and Shea.

The duo’s other result this year was a second at Kiel Week in Germany, which was postponed to September. A second place in that regatta confirmed Roble and Shea’s status as a serious podium contender for the Tokyo Olympics, which are scheduled for this coming summer.

“This is an incredible honor,” says Roble, who joined the New York Yacht Club in 2015. “It’s been quite the year, and we’re really excited about the results that we’ve had. It’s an absolute honor to represent the New York Yacht Club around the world. To be the first female to win this award is extra special.

“This award is a reflection of my team’s commitment and dedication to our goal of bringing home a Gold medal for Team USA. I would like to thank my teammate Maggie Shea and coach Giulia Conti for all of their hard work on and off the water.

“It’s exciting to think about the Olympics, about our dream of winning a medal, but we have to focus on how we can get better every day and hope that will be good enough for a medal come August.”

Previous Mosbacher Trophy winners include world champion one-design skippers such as J/70 World Champion Peter Duncan. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/70 St Maarten Sailing Again!

 

(Simpson Bay, St Maarten)- The first Grant Thornton Keelboat Race of the new winter Caribbean 2020/2021 winter season saw an excellent turnout and sailing under idyllic conditions in Simpson Bay, St Maarten. Two classes were sailed with the faster racing boats in one and the smaller in a second. The final results saw Frits Bus and Team Island Water World taking the win. Second was Kick'em Jenny with Ryan Hope Ross at the helm with a team of younger sailors. FRANNY, the J/70 sailed by Garth Steyn, took third place and Caraibes Diesel sailed by Erwan le Normand the fourth place. The crews of all boats had to work hard to achieve success in the four short-course races that were sailed.


Garth Steyn's J/70 FRANNY is sponsored by IGY MARINAS and by coming in third overall beat the boat that won overall at the St Maarten Heineken Regatta this past March 2020 (remember that pre-pandemic event?)!

According to Garth, "this was good news for the J/70 versus our competitors. I believe we had good upwind and downwind boat speed, as well as a great crew. Our team was comprised of Rien Korteknie doing main and tactics, Iain Mobbs doing jib and spinnaker and our bow goddess Kippy Guilders doing the spinnaker hoists and drops, as well as keeping us men in check!"  For more J/70 one-design sailboat information

J/109 Wins Miami to Nassau Cup Race

 

(Miami, FL)- The 79th edition of the Nassau Cup Ocean Race, a 180 nm course from Miami to Nassau, leaving Great Isaac and Great Stirrup to starboard, is no longer possible due to current protocols in the Bahamas. Instead, an ocean race of approximately 178 nm was held starting in and returning to Miami.


Since 1934, some of the best offshore sailors in the world have battled for the prestigious Miami to Nassau Cup, including Ted Turner, Dennis Conner, Dick Bertram, and Ted Hood, aboard legendary boats like Running Tide, Windward Passage, Tenacious, and Boomerang.  Half a generation after World War II forced a short intermission, the race became part of the fabled Southern Ocean Racing Conference in the 1980s until the series’ dissolution in the 1980s.  Building on the race’s welcome rebirth in 2003, the new SORC, a group of race-veteran race managers, announced its management of the Nassau Cup Race in 2010. 
 
Starting in very light airs under Code Zeros, the fleet wandered their way across the Gulf Stream to the first mark, with the breeze steadily building all day. In the end, the J/109 HARM'S WAY sailed by Andy Westcoast won their ORC 3 class handily by over four hours corrected time.  Meanwhile, Ashley Maltempo & Bill Wiggins sailed the new J/121 WINGS to fourth place in ORC 2 Class, narrowly missing the podium by just minutes on corrected time.  For more Miami to Nassau Cup Race sailing information

Eight Bells: Frank Butler

The world of sailing recently lost an iconic figure in the boat-building world. J/Boats family and sailors wish to honor the passing of Frank Butler, founder and CEO of Catalina Yachts in southern California.

Many members of the J/Boats family had their chance to meet and discuss with Frank the various attractions and love for the sport we all shared. For decades at the Annapolis Sailboat Show, Bob, Rod, Jeff, Al, Drake, Stu often ran into Frank, shared some beers with each other, gave each other good-natured ribbings for our respective roles and brands in the sailing world. As Stu J. often reminded Frank, we were his biggest cheerleader, as his Catalina sailboats were often the first sailboat many current J/Boat owners started with....the "Henry Ford of the sailing world to the BMW/ Mercedes of offshore one-design/ racing/ cruising aficionados." It truly was a symbiotic relationship between Frank and the Johnstone family. We are sad to see him go.

Catalina Yachts tribute to him:
A sailing icon and industry “king spoke”, Frank has introduced hundreds of thousands of people to sailing during his lifetime. Frank leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Catalina Yachts.

Born in California in 1928, Frank’s line of popular sailboats put more than 85,000 Catalinas on the water throughout the yachting world. His boatbuilding career began in 1962, when he contracted with a Southern California builder for a 21-foot daysailer. The builder was unable to finish the boat and gave Butler the tooling. He completed building the boat himself, found he enjoyed the process, and agreed to take over the company.

A few years later he founded Catalina Yachts, which has grown to become the largest builder of fiberglass production sailboats in the United States, a position it holds to this day.

A key to Butler’s success in the sailboat industry was his attention to Catalina customers. Handling warranty issues himself, owners were nearly always surprised and reassured to get a personal call from Frank to discuss their concerns.

In recognition of his support of the Congressional Cup, a premier-level Grade 1 match racing event in which Frank designed, built, and donated a fleet of 11 Catalina 37s especially for the event, Long Beach Yacht Club awarded him the Crimson Blazer.

A founder and lifelong member of the Westlake Yacht Club (Westlake, CA), Frank was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2013.

Following his graduation from Glendale High School, he served in the US Navy. He met his wife, Jean, at a school dance; they recently celebrated their 71st anniversary.

Frank is survived by Jean, their four daughters Deborah Reese, Mary Linn, Nancy Bear, and Karen Butler; three sons, David, Robert, and Steve; 20 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.

Awakening the joy of sailing for so many people in past generations, Frank Butler’s sailing legacy will certainly continue well into in future generations.Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/99 Scores More Stunning Victories in Australia

 

(Sydney, Australia)- The J/99 JEDI scored another stunning trifecta win racing offshore out of Royal Prince Alfred YC in Pittwater, near Sydney. The top mark was 8nm offshore, conditions were light 5-10 knots ESE. JEDI was one of two boats sailing doublehanded in the combined 18-boat fleet. JEDI finished 1st overall combined Div 1 and 2 fleets in ORC, and 1st ORC and IRC in Div 2. Remarkably, the J/99 was the smallest boat by far and still beating fully crewed 40+ footers on the water.

Delighted with their performance, skipper Ray Entwistle said, ”we've been lucky enough to experience the J/99 in many different wind and sea states and the results have been just as impressive. The first race in 8-15 knots and lumpy seaway, second race in 15-25 knots and very rough seaway, third race in light conditions and fairly flat seas. The J/99 has performed outstandingly well in this wide range of conditions, is incredibly easy to manage, and a real joy to sail.”  Learn more about the J/99 shorthanded offshore speedster hereAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

All Squalls Must Pass- J/125 Battling the Elements

Andy Green's entry in the 2019 Mirabaud Yacht Racing photo contest was a stunning one- a J/125 beating into a squall off Wales on the often-tempestuous Irish Sea.

About the image he wrote, "This was a cool shot of the J/125 JACK KNIFE from the IRC Regatta in Pwlhrli (Wales). It had been champagne sailing with blue skies and 20 knots of breeze. I could see a squall moving toward us, and within minutes, we were in 40+ knots of wind, heavy rain, and near-zero visibility. The fleet was being battered by the conditions. But, as soon as it came the squall lifted, we returned to blue skies and 20 knot winds!” 

[Ed. Note- Andy Green and his wife Nell and their children live in Newport, RI and have been fans of J/Boats for years. This photo is one of his most memorable images.]Add to Flipboard Magazine.

STC 29th Block Island Race Week presented by Margaritaville Announcement!

 

(Block Island, RI) – The Notice of Race for the 29th Edition of the biennial Storm Trysail Club Block Island Race Week presented by Margaritaville has just been issued by Storm Trysail Club Rear Commodore and STC-BIRW 2021 Event Chair Ray Redniss. 


Redniss reports, “obviously, planning for a week-long regatta in the midst of pandemic uncertainty is a challenge.  So, we are thrilled Margaritaville is back to add even more fun and spirit to this event. We are also happy to report, based on the results of a survey of past competitors conducted this week, that interest from the fleet appears to be high.  Storm Trysail Club is confident that we can stage a safe and exciting event while continuing to monitor health guidelines, listening to our sailors, and adapting contingency plans as needed.”

On-the-Water Director for BIRW 2021 Dick Neville explains, “In the last edition in 2019, we expanded the number of racing formats to accommodate an even wider array of yachts – from world-class Grand Prix teams on Windward/Leeward courses to families and friends on cruising boats in daily navigator and pursuit style races. As a result, we had quite a number of first-time entrants, and look forward to welcoming more entries by expanding Double-handed and Plus1 opportunities.” 

Storm Trysail Club Block Island Race Week presented by Margaritaville typically offers four to five days of racing and when the weather doesn’t cooperate (which historically happens once per week), we have activities planned to keep even the most competitive sailors entertained onshore. The highlight of the week for many sailors is the Around Block Island Race in which the entire fleet circumnavigates the beautiful island off the coast of Rhode Island.

The biennial event was first held in 1965 after a number of Storm Trysail members participated in Cowes Week in England and were inspired to create an American version. In 2019, 122 boats competed across 13 divisions with close to one thousand participants, volunteers, and families descending on the island for the third week of June. 

Event Chair Redniss expressed cautious optimism regarding the usual shore side parties and social activities. “As befitting a Club that places a high priority on Safety, we will be very vigilant in ensuring that we adhere to all of the appropriate conditions and recommendations. While the tent parties are generally a centerpiece of the shoreside festivities, we are looking at other creative ways to preserve all of the fun in the event the tent is not feasible.” Sailing photo credit- Stephen Cloutier.  For more STC Block Island Race Week sailing information

New J/120 Facebook Group- Join Us!

A J/120 Facebook group was recently started by Gareth Thomas, a passionate J/120 sailor. The name of the group is called- "J120 Sailboat". For those of you who love the J/120 or are interested in sailing on J/120s, please do not hesitate to join and contribute to the discussion on the group. Everyone and anyone is welcome! Come join us...see why so many sailors have loved their experience sailing on J/120s offshore and around-the-buoys. Be that Detroit's Lake Huron, Annapolis to Newport, Newport to Bermuda, or Marblehead to Halifax! Please join our J/120 Facebook group here.Add to Flipboard Magazine.

NEW J/9 Day Sailer Announcement!

 

J/Boats' Most Comfortable Cockpit Ever??

(Newport, RI)- Responding to a growing need amongst sailors for a more comfortable, simpler and easy-to-own daysailer, J/Boats is excited to announce a sleek new 28-footer (the “J/9”) with perhaps the most comfortable cockpit and easiest-to-manage sailplan in this size range. 

“With the J/9, we set out to reimagine how to make sailing easier, more relaxing and more inclusive,” said Jeff Johnstone of J/Boats. “This is a boat you can sail by yourself in just a few minutes, or bring along the whole gang with plenty of room to spare. Escaping to the water and enjoying shared family adventure has never been more important, and the J/9 is the perfect platform.”


The J/9 cockpit has four great corner seats to nestle into and enjoy the day. With friends and family aboard, everyone can find the perfect place to relax.  And access aboard has never been easier.  A swim platform behind the cockpit allows walk-through boarding, and on those downwind sails home, you can cool off by dragging your feet in the water.


Sailing the J/9 is as easy as hoisting the mainsail and trimming the sheet.  Why make it any more complicated?  Look around on the water and you’ll notice 80% of the sailboats are sailing with only one sail. The answer is keep it simple!  One tiller, one sheet. The big difference with the J/9 is you will be sailing with one sail more comfortably and quicker than most others with two sails or under motor.  Ready for the afterburners? Simply unroll the jib and enjoy effortless, stable & smooth sailing from the comforts of the best J/Boats cockpit ever.  

The daysailing community has not benefitted from a dedicated design from J/Boats since the award-winning J/100 (33’), which remains one of the most sought-after J’s created. The NEW J/9 offers the cockpit comfort and sailing features of a larger boat, at a price most will find competitive to the best brokerage offerings. For more J/9 daysailer information.  Call your local J/Boat dealer for further information. 

GREG FISHER JOINS SAILING INC. / EVOLUTION SAILS

 

Another long-time J/Sailor and has gone full circle in the sailing world. First having sailed Lightnings and working for Bill Shore at Shore Sails. Later, helping develop J/24 sails for Shore Sails, Greg Fisher notably took over College of Charleston's sailing program and turned it into a college sailing powerhouse. Now, he's back to sailmaking again!

Universally liked in the sport, Greg Fisher helps people enjoy sailing, and now will be taking his talents to the Sailing Inc. / Evolution Sails team (Sailing Inc is a J/Boats dealer in Ohio). Here’s their announcement:

Sailing Inc., a trusted provider of premium sailing and marine products, services and support, welcomes Greg Fisher as the Evolution Sails Loft Manager for the Sailing Inc. Charleston (SC) location.

Fisher, a Collegiate All-American, has won 25 National, North American or World Championships in 7 different one design classes and is an acclaimed expert in the sailing community for over 40 years. Fisher will head up our Sailing Inc. / Evolution Sails team in Charleston (SC) while working closely with locations in Cleveland (OH), Sandusky (OH), and St. Petersburg (FL).

Fisher will lead the administrative and business development functions of Sailing Inc. and Evolution Sails in Charleston, and help support the further development of the research, design and production of the Evolution Sails product lines. His extensive knowledge as a sailor, sailmaker and coach will grow Sailing Inc.’s capacity to provide expert level service and professional support across the United States.

Fisher will focus on building a stronger relationship between the sailor and the sailmaker, leveraging Evolution Sails championship-caliber sail design and production teams to deliver high-performance, long-lasting cruising and racing sails built by one of the world’s most innovative sailmakers.

“I am enthused to return to my sailing career ‘roots’ with my new position at Sailing Inc. / Evolution Sails,” said Fisher. “Sailmaking is where I started almost 45 years ago! To be able to pursue this new chapter with such a talented and passionate team at Sailing Inc., who share a strong customer focus is exciting.”

Fisher continues, “I’ve sailed with new sails from Evolution and am impressed with the high-performance design and superb quality of construction. I look forward to helping sell and promote this exceptional brand right here in Charleston and across the US. I am fired up to join the Sailing Inc. / Evolution Sails team effort to support all of Charleston’s sailing community!”

Fisher has been active in the sailing industry for over 40 years, starting with his own brand, Fisher Sails, in the late 1980s, and using that early success as a springboard to an accomplished 20-year career with North Sails One-Design.

Fisher spent 8 years as the Director of Sailing at the College of Charleston, where his teams collected Four Fowle Trophies for the “Best all-around sailing team in the Country”. He also presided over 39 All-Americans and Honorable Mentions and 10 Academic All-Americans.

He has long been supportive in the development of One-Design sailing within the United States and served on the Board of US Sailing and was chair of the One Design Class Council. Fisher was the former Chief Operating Officer of Olympic Sailing for US Sailing.

“We are, of course, very excited to have Greg joining the team,” said Rob Ruhlman (owner of the J/111 and J/88 SPACEMAN SPIFF). “Having literally grown up with Greg on and off the race course, I know his competitive spirit, work ethic, and knowledge of the industry. That experience combined with Sailing Inc/ Evolution Sails commitment to excellence will be a great benefit to the sailing community.”

Please reach out to Greg and welcome him to our team! Contact Greg here- email: greg.fisher@thesailinginc.com / cell: (410) 212-4916.Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Beautiful J/121 For Sale- New Orleans, LA

 J/Net Brokerage Specials! Check out our exciting new site for lovingly-owned J/Boats from around the world here:  https://jnet.jboats.com/

Race-ready J/121 in pristine condition available in New Orleans, LA.Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/24 Kings Day Regatta Preview

 

(Jacksonville, FL)- The Florida Yacht Club and J/24 Fleet 55 have invited all J/24 competitors to a wonderful weekend of competitive sailing with great friends at the 2020 Kings Day Regatta November 21-22, 2020.  

Racing Saturday and Sunday will include top-notch racing on the St. Johns River south of Jacksonville in the traditional fall breezes of Northeast Florida. 

In addition to scheduled racing, Friday afternoon will include a North Sails Clinic hosted by Paul Abdullah, which will include tuning tips, practice races, and on the water coaching.


Friday evening will conclude with the famous Florida Yacht Club Low Country Boil (pandemic-compliant outside!) overlooking the beautiful St. Johns River featuring steamed oysters, shrimp and grits and more. After racing finishes Saturday, we will host a banquet in the ballroom featuring seafood, meat and vegetable pasta dishes, salad, and dessert. Both evening events are included in the registration fee and complimentary beer from one of our sponsors Bold City Brewery will be provided all weekend.

Needless to say, after months of living as couch potatoes, working or watching TV, J/24 sailors didn't need much coaxing to fire-up the old Suburban or pickup, toss all the stuff inside, and head down to JAX for some fun in the November sun! Twenty-five J/24 teams have answered the "call of duty" to "live and obey" that Siren's Song attraction of getting together on any puddle of water and have some good'ole J/24 sailing fun and camaraderie with friends from across the Southeast.

Who are some of the "who's who" showing up from the ranks of veteran J/24 sailors? Quite a few, to say the least. Notable teams include TEAM TARHEEL/ NEW ENGLAND ROPES headed up by Paul Abdullah, Robby Brown's famous team on ANGEL OF HARLEM from Davis Island YC, Nadia Daggett's notorious MUSTACHE RIDE, Amar Patel's ROUGE, Bill Winegrove's PIGS IN HIDING, and Erica Trejo's youth team from Chicago Corinthian YC on the "KELLY HOLMES-MOON Junior Boat Grant".  For Kings Day Regatta sailing results and information   For J/24 Fleet 55 information  For more J/24 one-design class information

CHED PROCTOR INTERVIEW- by Dave Powlison at SAILING WORLD

 

[Ed. Note: Ched has known the Johnstone family for nearly four decades. First meeting was in Pewaukee, WI when Bob & Mary J. and Stu & Drake J. started sailing 470s in 1973 in Chicago, IL. At that time, Ched had just gotten a job working with the famous Finn Olympic Medallist, Peter Barret, at the North Sails loft in Pewaukee. Things were small back then, as the North Sails loft was actually part of the Harken Yacht Equipment building, as well as Harken's boat-building operation. Ched spent a lot of time with Peter and Olaf Harken. And, the Johnstone's spent a lot of time with Ched (and fellow Hingham, MA friend Chuck Millican) tinkering on 470s, learning how to make them go faster at various venues across the Midwest and Northeast, the most popular regions for 470s back in the day. In due course, once Bob and brother Rod J. co-founded J/Boats in 1977 with the J/24, Ched had also moved back to the northeast working for North Sails. In the first year of its existence, Ched was tasked with being the one-design guru for the J/24 class, as well as Vince Brun out West, and later five-time J/24 World Champion Kenny Read. Ched continued to work closely with the Johnstone clan with every new one-design product introduction since, including the J/22, J/70, and J/80- four of the world's largest one-design offshore keelboat classes.]

Herewith, Powlison's interview with our dear friend Ched:

With nearly a half-century of small-boat one-design racing and sailmaking in his wake, Ched Proctor is set in his ways, and his ways are fast.

In 1964, Ched Proctor had a serious case of the slows. He was 14 and competing in Turnabouts in Scituate, Massachusetts, just southeast of Boston. “I remember coming in to the dock and being very frustrated,” he says. There was Bill Mattern, high school teacher, part-time garage sailmaker and unofficial mentor for the junior racing crowd. Proctor asked him what he thought of his sail. Mattern studied it and quickly confirmed the young sailor’s suspicion.

Seventy-five dollars later, with a new sail in hand, Proctor headed for Quincy Bay Race Week. Though he hadn’t been that competitive in his local fleet, he mustered the courage to sign up for the championship division—and won it. With that victory came an epiphany—at least for a 14-year-old—that would determine the trajectory of his life: “I learned then that a sail with the right shape makes the boat go faster.”

Professionally, Proctor would go on to work almost 50 years with North Sails, taking him to lofts in Wisconsin, Australia, Germany and Connecticut. Competitively, he would roll up an unparalleled list of one-design North American and National titles, notching 17 major victories in the Lightning class alone, including that class’s 2018 and 2019 North American Championships. A lot of the one-design sails North Sails sells today were designed by Proctor.


The family sailing unit has always been tight with the Proctor clan, Ched and Judy Proctor and their sons Thomas and Charlie.

Proctor is a waterman who grew up on a bay in Weymouth, just south of Boston. He remembers, around age 5, spending time in an old, derelict rowboat in the backyard. “I pretended to row it using a couple of brooms,” he says. “It got to the point where I wore out the ground under the brooms and wore the bristles right off them. About that same time, my father tried to teach me how to sail and steer a boat upwind. I just couldn’t do it.” There’s a subtle shrug and hint of disappointment in his voice as he tells that story, and then concedes, “It seems that 7 is more the right age to learn that sort of thing.”  Read the rest of the article here at Sailing World:Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/CREWS SWEEP CLASSES IN HOT RUM SERIES I

 

J/105s Eclipse Top Seven Overall!

(San Diego, CA)- The first weekend of San Diego Yacht Club's famous Hot Rum Series took place last weekend for a remarkably large fleet of boats, with 114 boats registered for the event. All across the board in a number of divisions, J/Teams had remarkable outcomes, with many dominating the podium.

Rudy Hasl, skipper and owner of the J/145 PALAEMON, had this to say, "it was an amazing day for the J/Family in San Diego. J/Boats finished 1st, 2d, and 3rd place in Division I of the first race of the Hot Rum Series in San Diego. We were thrilled!"

In fact, Rudy's J/145 PALAEMON won their Division I in the spectacular sailing conditions, with winds ranging from 12 to 25 knots inside of San Diego Bay! Flat water, with reaching, running and beating home to the finish. Taking second was Standish Fleming's J/125 NEREID and third went to another J/145- Ernie Pennell's MORE MADNESS. 

In Division 2, it was perennial winner Chuck Nichols' J/120 CC RIDER taking the honors, with Ed Sanford's J/111 CREATIVE finishing in 5th place. 

The so-called "J/105 class" sailing in Division 4 saw them leading a sweep of the top seven! Winning was Jim Dorsey's J-OK, followed by Jeff Brown's SWEET KAREN in second, and George Scheel's SUN PUFFIN in third to round out the podium. In addition, Steve & Lucy Howell's BLINK! took 4th, the duo of Vieregg/ Bermann was 5th, and Bill Quealy's J-RABBIT SLIM was 6th. Next in 7th place was Chuck Bowers' J/29 RHUMB RUNNER. That was quite a tour'de'force for J/sailors in a fleet of 21 boats.

In the overall results, the J/105s nearly swept the top five spots. Winning the J/105 fleet parade was Dorsey's J-OK, with Brown's SWEET KAREN in 3rd, Scheel's SUN PUFFIN in 5th, the Howell's BLINK in 6th place, and the Vieregg/ Bermann duo's ZUNI BEAR in 7th position.  Sailing photo credit- Mark Albertazzi   For more SDYC Hot Rum Series sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

ARTTUBE RUS-1 WINS TENZOR CUP BY PROYACHTING J/70 CHAMPION SERIES

 

(Sochi, Russia)- For the 2020 sailing season, PROYachting partnered with TENZOR Consulting Group to launch a new series that gathered together the best Russian sailing teams in the J/70 class. The regatta was run along the lines of the notable sailing leagues in Russia and across Europe. The event was composed of matched J/70 one-designs with new sails, professional refereeing, convenient locations, and of course the best sailors in all of Russia dueling for top honors. The series started in Moscow at the Royal Yacht Club, thereafter to the Konakovo River Club, then to Pirogovo, and then the finale in the famous Black Sea resort of Sochi.


After five races, winning the finale in Sochi was the DC Team, followed by Team ARMORED in second and Valeriya Kovalenko's familiar ARTTUBE RUS-1 Team in third. 

As a result, the ARTTUBE RUS-1 team of Ms. Kovalenko and crew of Sergey Avdonin, Igor Lisovenko, and Denis Rozhkov were declared the overall winners for the TENZOR CUP by PROYachting series! The team performed great at all four stages and deservedly took the overall championship. Congratulations! 


For the balance of the podium, taking the Silver was the DC Team skippered by the ever-competitive Denis Cherevatenko. And, taking the bronze was Team BARS skippered by yet another top Russian woman- Karen Stepanyan.  For more J/70 one-design class sailing information.  For more Russian J/70 Class sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

J/80 TROFEO MRS SEGUROS DE CRUCEROS SERIES STARTS

 

(Santander, Spain)- The Real Club Maritimo de Santander (RCMS) is hosting the 2020 edition of the Trofeo MRS Seguros for the Spanish J/80 class off Santander, Spain. Long a hotbed of J/80 talent, it's not surprising to see some of that local talent atop the series lead after the first weekend of sailing in the three-weekend series.

The fleet sailed in westerlies ranging from 275 to 295 all weekend long. Sailing the most consistent regatta so far is multi-J/80 World Champion Jose Maria "Pichu" Torcida with a 2-1-3-2 tally for 5 pts net.  Fellow club members of RCMS are currently filling up the podium. Sitting in second is David Madrazo with a 6-4-5-3 record for 12 pts net. And, rounding out the podium is Jaime Yllera Secades with a 3-7-6-5 scoreline for 14 pts net. 

More racing will take place for the extremely competitive fleet of a dozen boats from the greater Cantabrian region. For more J/80 one-design class sailboat information.  For more J/80 Trofeo MRS Seguros de Cruceros Series sailing information.Add to Flipboard Magazine.

CHANGES FOR SORC "ISLANDS IN THE STREAM SERIES"

(Miami, FL)- The SORC (Southern Ocean Racing Circuit) winter plan for the 2020-21 Islands in the Stream Series in south Florida and the Bahamas has evolved due to COVID-19 restrictions. The event has seen growing popularity amongst enthusiastic offshore sailors in the J/Family. Over the past few seasons, a J/121, J/122, J/109, J/92, J/105, J/30, J/44, J/111, J/120, and J/130 have participated in some or all of the series.  Please see updates below.

2020-21 Islands in the Stream Series

• November 12, 2020: (REVISED) The 79th edition of the Nassau Cup Ocean Race, a 180 nm course from Miami to Nassau, leaving Great Isaac and Great Stirrup to starboard, is no longer possible due to current protocols in the Bahamas. Instead, an ocean race of approximately 178 nm will be held starting in and returning to Miami.   www.nassaucuprace.org

• December 5, 2020: (REVISED) The Wirth M Munroe Palm Beach Race, known as the “Race to the Buffett” to Sailfish Club of Florida’s legendary party, feast and awards presentation, is now a course from Lauderdale to Palm Beach and back.  www.sailfishclub.com/munroe

• January 21, 2021: The series then heads south for some "island time" with the Ft. Lauderdale to Key West Race. The tropics in January provide the perfect spot to unwind with the Conch Grinder Race, and to enjoy the treasures and pleasures of Key West before the awards party at First Flight Island Bar and Restaurant (formerly Kelly’s Caribbean).  www.keywestrace.org

• February 17, 2021: It all wraps up with another trip to the Bahamas with the 2nd annual Eleuthera Race, starting off South Beach, Miami and finishing at the Cape Eleuthera Resort and Marina.  www.eleutherarace.org   For more SORC Island in the Stream Series sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

J/35 DOMINATES HONG KONG ROUND ISLAND RACE!

(Hong Kong, China)- Hong Kong’s biggest annual celebration of sail, Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s annual Around the Island Race, a 26.0nm circumnavigation of Hong Kong Island, took place last weekend with an impressive entry list of 227 boats from 14 classes including 7 one-design classes, Sportsboats, HKPN, IRC, dinghies and beach catamarans.

Principal Race Officer David Norton set two start lines off of Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club's Kellett Island Clubhouse with the line closest to Kellett Island used to start the one design boats and the outside line for HKPN, IRC and beach catamarans divisions. The race course took the fleet sailing around Hong Kong Island to starboard (clockwise).


The first start was at 0830 hrs with the Pandoras and HKPN Monohulls which set off in an easterly breeze varying 4 to 11 kts and there was a race start every five minutes until 1100hrs.

Before a majority of boats could get out of the harbour, a weak northerly breeze was blocked by Kowloon Peninsula leading to a huge fleet of yachts parking up at Lei Yue Mun gap due to the incoming tide. But, later the fleet was greeted with a northeasterly breeze of 8 kts near Shek O. As the fleet made their way around Stanley Head, it was a colorful sight to behold with hundreds of kites on the horizon and the breeze had built to 10 kts at the southern side of Hong Kong Island. 


As the day progressed, the wind softened by noon and the breeze was again blocked by Hong Kong Island and another wind hole developed around Ape Lei Chau. PRO David Norton noted that two HKPN boats were well ahead of the main fleet and it was a tough decision then as to whether or not to shorten the course. Norton said, ＂two fast boats started relatively early and were well ahead, so that limited our choices. By noon, we recorded good wind at Green Island so we made a risky decision to finish at Kellett Island so sailors could do a full circumnavigation.” 

The J/145 REDEYE, sailed by David Mitchell Paul Leese, took the silver in IRC 1.040-1.119 Class. They were followed by the J/122E JINN sailed by Nico Cohen-Addad in fourth place. Then, Steve Devlin's J/111 JUGGERKNOT finished 9th place. 


HKPN Overall winner and HKPN 1151-1220 Class winner was J/35 NO ONE ELSE sailed by Wing Hung Ng; they won by a considerable corrected time margin on the entire fleet.

In the Sportboats class, the J/70 DAZIBAO sailed by Andrew Ellis took the bronze.


Trouncing the sixteen-boat J/80 Class, by far the largest one-design keelboat class in the race, was the trio on JAMMIN- A. Segaud M. Dubreuil/ J. Ten Berge. Their round-island time was nearly an hour faster over the second place team- Alain Choi's POIEMA. However, it was a battle behind the JAMMIN team for the top five; all separated by less than seven minutes after 26.0 nm of racing.  Third went to Henry Wong's FOOTLOOSE, fourth to Claude Wong's JELIGNITE, and fifth to the duo of Fraser Boyd & Pete Lake on JOSS. A good showing was had by all.   Sailing photo credits- Guy Nowell/ Sailworld.com and Vivian Ngang.  For more Royal Hong Kong YC Round Island Race sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

TRANSFORMING INTEREST IN OFFSHORE SAILING

 

(London, England)- J/Boats has long supported shorthanded sailing in its various forms since 1977, starting with the introduction of the J/24. Designer Rod Johnstone's most favorite form of sailing and racing has been doublehanded, either with his wife- Lucia- or nephew Clay Burkhalter. Rod has done numerous events offshore on Long Island and Block Island Sounds or doing the Bermuda One-Two event multiple times. To that end, virtually all designs at J/Boats have taken into account the desire to make J's easily sailed singlehanded or doublehanded by young and old alike and by men or women.  With the advent of the Olympics 2024 Mixed Doublehanded Offshore event, J/Boats has been supporting the efforts by World Sailing to promote shorthanded offshore sailing. 

Here's a recent interview with Matt Allen; currently the Vice-Chair of World Sailing’s Oceanic and Offshore Committee and a respected person in offshore sailing.

The Australian, who has raced in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 30 times, winning on three occasions, provides insight on how Offshore Doubles is growing and why offshore sailing is thriving:

WS: Give some insight on the scope of your committee’s work?
MA: The Oceanic and Offshore Committee at World Sailing brings together many of stake holders in the world of offshore sailing. The Committee assists in coordinating the calendar of events of all the major oceanic races such as the Vendée Globe and The Ocean Race.

We are the final approval body for safety regulations for offshore sailing. This is an extremely important role, especially as we review major incidents and as technology allows improvements to safety outcomes.

Bringing standardization of measurement of a yacht for rating has been an important development. Much of our work in the last year has been focused on bringing mixed double handed sailing into the Olympic Games in 2024 and beyond.

WS: What evidence is there to suggest that Double Handed offshore sailing is growing so fast?
MA: Both global rating systems, namely ORC and IRC, have seen enormous interest and growth in their double handed certifications. Many of our races, including the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race here in Australia, have included double handed divisions into their races.

New boats are being designed and built and I see some very good yachts coming into this area over the next two years.

WS: What can we expect from the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race this year with regards to double handed participation?
MA: At this stage I understand that 25% of the entries are double handed. I think this percentage for the first year is underlying how popular this form of sailing might be in years to come.

WS: Mixed Offshore will feature at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. What can we expect from that event?
MA: To bring offshore sailing into the Olympics will be a sensational event for showcasing sailing as it will be the only event to go through the night-time over three days and two nights. It will be a live event in the natural environment, pushing people to the limit of sleep deprivation.

To bring an offshore race with a female and male onboard into the viewing public will transform interest in offshore sailing and create strong growth in our sport. Thanks for contribution from World Sailing.