FALSE ASSURANCES: The Next Sailing Movie?
As seen in The Hollywood Reporter: Spyglass Media Group optioned the rights to bring FALSE ASSURANCES to the big screen. The novel, written by lifelong sailor Christopher Rosow, opens on a doublehanded J/111 competing in the Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race.

Bob Johnstone, of eponymous J/Boats fame, enthuses that FALSE ASSURANCES and sequel THREAT BIAS “are the two most engaging thrillers I’ve read in a long time,” adding, “it’s more than just a reading experience… it’s like plunging in, sometimes deep enough to come up gasping for air.”

Read the story that shot to #1 on the Amazon Kindle, Wall Street Journal fiction e-book, and Apple Books lists (and reached #6 on the Amazon combined print/e-book chart). Available from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/False-Assurances-Ben-Porter-Book/dp/1734714700), Apple Books (https://books.apple.com/us/book/false-assurances/id1510652247), and your local bookseller.

Hollywood Reporter:
Spyglass Picks Up Thriller Novel 'False Assurances' From First-Time Author (Exclusive)
 Christopher Rosow's book was published in May and became a No. 1 Amazon Kindle best-seller.

Spyglass Media has optioned the rights to False Assurances, the debut novel from Christopher Rosow.

Since publication in May, the novel — actually part of a two-book debut from Rosow — has become a No. 1 Amazon Kindle best-seller; a No. 1 Apple books best seller and a No. 1 Wall Street Journal fiction e-book. A third book is in the works.

The first book has political hook, with a plot involving the president and terrorists. The story is set in motion when the FBI Boston field office gets a hoax call, with a man claiming his sailboat was hijacked and used to smuggle weapons and terrorists into the United States. Despite the far-fetched nature of the claims, a presidential visit to Boston that night requires an investigation, and the FBI dispatches admin staffer Ben Porter, a laid-back millennial and the opposite of Jack Ryan in almost every way, to the scene. Rosow is an avid and competitive sailor and was inspired to write the story while on a race in the Atlantic.

“Christopher has written a gripping suspense thriller with fast-paced storytelling and dynamic characters,” said Spyglass’ president of production, Peter Oillataguerre. “Ben Porter is a whole new brand of ‘hero’ that will take audiences on a captivating ride.”

Oillataguerre and Chris Stone, VP production and development, will oversee the project on behalf of Spyglass.

The pickup shows that Spyglass has more on its mind than just mining its library, which, as a partnership between Gary Barber and Lantern Entertainment, includes many titles that were made by Miramax. So far, it is those titles that have grabbed the most limelight as the company develops its slate, which includes the reboots of horror franchises Scream and Hellraiser.

Rosow was repped in the deal by Hotchkiss Daily & Associates. Thanks for these contributions from Scuttlebutt Sailing Newsletter and from THE Hollywood Reporter.

Was FLYING CLOUD the Inspiration for Sea Fever?

(Boston, MA)- Perhaps. In the early days of the California Gold Rush, it took more than 200 days for a ship to travel from New York to San Francisco. Remember those were the days before the Panama Canal. It was a long hard voyage of more than 16,000 miles.

It was a treacherous voyage that included going around Cape Horn, and subsequently some of the most dangerous waters known to mankind. Yet, in 1851, a clipper called the Flying Cloud made the same journey in only 89 days. It was a headline-grabbing world record which the Flying Cloud itself beat three years later.

The Flying Cloud, America's most famous clipper ship, was the masterpiece of Donald McKay, the foremost marine architect and shipbuilder of his time.


Clipper ships were born in the shipyards of Baltimore around 1820 and represented the zenith of the age of sail. They had completely new and original naval design characteristics, still emulated today by marine designers.


These included a long and narrow hull, a narrow cutting bow, low freeboard, a streamlined stern, and a deep draft. They were especially renowned for carrying large amounts of sail relative to their displacement and were capable of remarkable speed. The Flying Cloud could be seen racing into port before the wind, her acres of sail flashing in the sun.

An ordinary sailing ship would lift her bows and plunge with the seas. But not this one, as her sleek, jet-black hull sliced through the swells, the only visible motion was the white curl at her bow and an occasional toss of spray. She seemed to skim the waves like a gigantic black and white bird.

The Flying Cloud was built in East Boston, Massachusetts, and intended for Enoch Train of Boston, who paid $50,000 for her construction. She was launched in East Boston in 1851, just at the time of the California "Gold Rush", when travel and transport between East Coast ports and California was best undertaken by ship.


The Flying Cloud acquired a reputation for sailing faster than any other ship of her time. Within six weeks of launch, the Flying Cloud sailed from New York and made San Francisco 'round Cape Horn in 89 days, 21 hours under the command of Captain Josiah Perkins Creesy. Then, in 1853, she beat her own record by 13 hours.

All the more remarkable of her amazing exploits was one oft-forgotten fact....her record setting performance was all the more unusual because her navigator was a woman, Eleanor Creesy, who had been studying oceanic currents, weather phenomena, and astronomy since her girlhood in Marblehead, Massachusetts. She was one of the first navigators to exploit the insights of Matthew Fontaine Maury, most notably the course recommended in his Sailing Directions. With her husband, ship captain Josiah Perkins Cressy, she logged many thousands of miles on the ocean, traveling around the world carrying passengers and goods

Read the entire story here, written by Tom Correa, famous for his blog- The American Cowboy Chronicles.

Dramatic Finales @ Marblehead NOOD Regatta

(Marblehead, MA)- The 2019 Helly Hansen National Offshore One Design Regatta at Marblehead Race Week took place this past week in Marblehead, MA, July 25 to 28. Boston Yacht Club hosted more than 150 teams across 14 fleets. J/One-Design classes included J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, and J/105s. Here are the daily reports on what took place amongst the J/crews.

Day One
Light winds and shifting currents had teams battling for top honors and a chance to earn a trip to the British Virgin Islands in late October for the NOOD Caribbean Championship sponsored by Sunsail.

Erica Beck Spencer helmed her boat SEA BAGS WOMEN’S SAILING TEAM to a pair of bullets to lead the J/24 fleet after the first day of racing. “Jess Harris and I put the team together after the 2014 Worlds in Newport, RI, where we were frustrated to only see two all-female teams competing,” says Beck Spencer (Portland, ME). “It’s been such a great journey for us, and being sponsored by Seabags makes it all possible.”

Four crew members aboard the SEA BAGS WOMEN’S SAILING TEAM are from Maine. They are in their fifth season sailing together and aim to peak at the J/24 World Championships in Miami later this year.

“There was a moment today when we realized how much we’ve learned,” says tactician Hilary Noble (Newport, RI). “We take something away from each race, which is why we love the sport and love sailing with each other.”

Bill Zartler (Houston, TX) and his crew lead the J/105 fleet with a pair of wins of their own. With a veteran team, it’s easy to come out swinging on the first day of an important event. “Our team has been sailing together on and off for 15 years in a bunch of different boats,” says Zartler. “We’re all good friends who’ve been sailing together for a long time.”

Zartler and crew are preparing for the J/105 North Americans in Marblehead in September. Sailing in the NOOD will prepare them for the unique winds and challenging current this sailing area is known for.

“Today we had light air, but it was pretty steady,” Zartler says. “There was current, but it wasn’t as bad as Annapolis [Maryland], where you get it in a bunch of different directions. The wind went right all day, but it still paid to be on the left side of the competition, so we were kind of scratching our heads about that one.”

Zartler has been sailing in the NOOD Regatta series since the early 1990s, and competed in the Annapolis NOOD in early May. “It’s great competition out here,” says Zartler. “The first three boats are just a couple of points apart so it’s going to be tight racing. Hopefully we get a little more breeze out there tomorrow.”

Day Two
Three additional fleets joined the racing to bring the total number of fleets competing to 13. With stronger winds and a rolling sea-state, competitors had to work harder to earn top finishes.

Joel Ronning (Excelsior, MN) leads the J/70 fleet on CATAPULT. This particular J/70 fleet includes three past world champions, including Peter Duncan, Jud Smith, and Ronning. “There’s a lot of good sailors out here,” says Ronning. “It isn’t the biggest fleet, but the quality of racing is outstanding. These boats are so dynamic, and our team is getting to the point where things happen automatically.”

Ronning is supported by a veteran crew that continues to strive for excellence. The CATAPULT team is using this weekend’s NOOD Regatta to train for the J/70 World Championship in Torquay, UK, in late August. “We’ve boiled down our communication onboard to the point where everyone knows what the guy next to them is thinking,” says Ronning. “Since we’ve been sailing with each other for so long, the vibe onboard is great. There’s a lot of good banter, that’s for sure.”

In today’s more challenging conditions, Ronning kept his sails powered up to get through the steep chop. Once he got his boat moving fast, he was able to focus on positioning his boat on the crowded racecourse. “Whenever we were in doubt,” says Ronning, “we put the bow down and just went faster.”

In the J/80 fleet, Sam Cushing (Newport, RI) leads Brian Gibbs (Rowley, MA) by 2 points. “This is our second year sailing together,” says Cushing. “Our whole crew sailed at the University of Rhode Island together, and after graduation we decided to partner on a boat.”

Cushing and crew have since undertaken a full restoration of their hull, which was the third boat built when production began in 1992. “It’s been quite the process putting the boat together, but we just completed most of the major repairs and now we have new sails, which has helped a lot.”

Day Three
The final day reached a dramatic conclusion across multiple fleets. With lighter winds and a strong cross-course current, the opportunity for both gains and losses presented trying circumstances for hundreds of one-design sailboat racers.

The J/70 fleet saw a stacked leaderboard, with three past world-champions in contention on the final day. After three final races, Peter Duncan emerged victorious with his team on RELATIVE OBSCURITY. “There were four or five boats that could have won this event,” says Duncan, “so we were really happy to come out on top.”

After suffering a bad result early in the regatta, Duncan and team put together an outstanding score sheet for the final two days of the event, never finishing out of the top three. “It’s awesome coming here to Marblehead,” Duncan says. “Having the NOOD as part of Marblehead Race Week is a great thing. The hospitality here is always superb, and the racing is top-notch, especially when there’s wind.”

Duncan has been sailing with crew Willem Van Waay for the last couple of seasons, but this year, he added heavy-hitters, Will Felder and Bill Hardesty to the lineup. “This was a really important regatta for us leading to the J/70 Worlds in September,” says Duncan. “There isn’t much on the J/70 schedule in August, so our goal was to get out and compete against some stiff competition. With the talent in this fleet, we were obviously able to achieve that.”

Rounding out the podium was Ronning’s CATAPULT in second and John & Molly Baxter’s VINEYARD VINES in third.

One of the most dramatic storylines of the day came out of the J/105 fleet, where Bruce Stone (San Francisco, CA) and Bill Zartler (Houston, TX) were tied going into the final race. Stone and his wife, Nicole Breault, are both match-racing veterans. However, they opted to start clean and sail fast in order to beat their competition, a strategy that ultimately paid off. Zartler ended up in foul trouble with another boat, resulting in him being disqualified from the day’s second race.

Stone’s win at the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta at Marblehead Race Week is part of a larger rivalry between the two boats. Stone edged out Zartler at the J/105 North Americans in Harbor Springs, MI, last year, so Zartler will be looking for revenge at the North Americans in September in Marblehead. “The boys from Texas always sail well,” says Stone. “We were happy to come away with the championship this time, but we know we haven’t seen the last of those guys.”

Behind Stone’s GOOD TRADE in first, was Ken Horne’s FINAL FINAL, sneaking into the silver after Zartler’s DEJA VOODOO crew had to count a 16th in the last race.

In the J/24s, Beck Spencer’s SEA BAGS WOMEN’S SAILING TEAM took the win for the all-women’s team. Second was Martin Gallagher’s SHIFTY took the silver, while John Wells’ SHELDON J took the bronze.

Things changed around a bit in the J/80 class. Winning was Sam Cushing’s THE PARTY TREE, followed by Brian Gibbs’ BLIND FITH just one point back. Rounding out the podium in the bronze position was Jason Viseltear’s UPSETTER.  For more Helly Hansen Marblehead NOOD Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Marblehead NOOD Regatta Preview

(Marblehead, MA)- The 2019 Helly Hansen National Offshore One Design Regatta at Marblehead Race Week returns to Marblehead, MA, July 25 to 28. Boston Yacht Club will host more than 150 teams across 14 fleets. J/One-Design classes include J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, and J/105s.

Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, Jud Smith (Swampscott, MA), won the 2018 Marblehead NOOD and the 2018 J/70 World Championship in the same venue. “It’s a new year,” says Smith, “And, a lot of good boats are registered. We have three past J/70 World Champions in the fleet, including myself, Peter Duncan, and Joel Ronning, so the top end of the fleet is going to be stacked.”

Training and preparation were vital to Smith’s past success, and this season he plans to share his knowledge as a coach and mentor. Smith notes the importance of working out the kinks throughout the season so teams can peak at the right time.

“The best method I’ve seen is to do a regatta every month or so, with intensive training in between,” shared Smith. “With the wind and currents in Marblehead, the NOOD will serve as a perfect training platform for the World Championships in Torquay [England] later this season. Marblehead is one of the top ocean venues in the country, and with the NOOD Regatta coming here each year, it keeps the area at the forefront of one-design racing. It’s the biggest regatta of the season for many of us in New England, so everyone gets really excited to go out and compete.”

Joining these world-class competitors in the 25-boat J/70 fleet are Dan Goldberg’s BAZINGA, Travis Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER, Bill Lynn & Ed Keller’s KEY PLAYER, Sam Altreuter’s LEADFOOT, Henry Brauer’s RASCAL, Brian Keane’s SAVASANA, David Franzel’s SPRING, John & Molly Baxter’s TEAM VINEYARD VINES, and Nancy Glover’s WINTERWIND.

The J/80s will have good racing with top crews like Peter d’Anjou’s LE TRIGRE, Sam Cushing’s THE PARTY TREE, Jason Viseltear’s UPSETTER, Brian Gibbs’ BLIND FAITH, and Fred Baker’s BLUE SKIES.

On a roll in the J/105 class is Bruce Stone & Nicole Breault’s GOOD TRADE. Having had much practice in their hometown J/105 Fleet #1 in San Francisco Bay. Fifteen J/105s are expecting to learn more about the tricky Marblehead offshore sailing conditions, as it is also the site for the 2019 J/105 North American Championship in September. Hoping to give GOOD TRADE a run-for-the-money are teams like Bill Zartler’s DEJA VOODOO from Houston, TX; Bennet Greenwald’s PERSEVERANCE from San Diego, CA; Mark Lindquist’s STERLING from Buzzards Bay, MA; and Mark Masur’s globe-trotting TWO FEATHERS from Fort Worth, TX.

The Marblehead NOOD, hosted by Boston YC, with race committee support from Eastern and Corinthian yacht clubs, will produce the final entrant for the Caribbean Championship sponsored by Sunsail in the British Virgin Islands on October 27 to November 1, 2019.  For more Helly Hansen Marblehead NOOD Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/122 Wins Marblehead to Halifax Race

(Halifax, Nova Scotia)- The Boston Yacht Club and the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron hosted the 38th Biennial Marblehead-to-Halifax Ocean Race this past week. The race started on Sunday July 7th 2019 off Marblehead, Massachusetts, and finished in about 58 to 62 hours for most yachts in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The big winner was in the ORR 2 division. Tom Mager’s J/122 GIGI won in grand style, eclipsing her fleet on corrected time by over an hour! The ORR 4 division saw Eliot Merrill’s J/42 FINESSE take 4th while Fred Allardyce’s J/40 MISTY placed sixth.

The PHRF 1 Racing division saw a near sweep by J/Teams; Stu McCrea’s J/120 DEVIATION took the silver, while Keith Amirault’s J/130 DRAGONFLY also managed a podium finish by taking the bronze. The US Merchant Marine Academy’s Ken Luczynski steered the J/111 BLACK DIAMOND YCC to a sixth in class.

The PHRF 2 Racing division also had good performances for members of the J/Tribe, with Eliot Shanabrook’s J/109 HAFA ADAI taking the silver and Paul Conrod’s J/42 CASTANEA placing sixth.  Marblehead to Halifax Race results  For more Marblehead to Halifax Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/24 Frostbite Racing Announcement

(Boston Harbor, MA)- The Boston Sailing Center is kicking off their 26th year of Frostbite Racing J/24s in Boston Harbor! With an anticipated seventeen J/24’s on the line again this season, there is space for a new team in this often sold out program. BSC supplies the J/24’s, so all racers have to do is supply the crew!

Fleet racing begins on Saturday, November 4th and runs until March 24th, and includes two days of match racing at the end of the season. The post-race gathering back at the Riverboat features video highlights and a debrief of the day's racing, along with hot, spicy chili to warm you up after a long day of racing. A great way to keep your sailing skills sharp over the winter!

There are always opportunities to crew, so let BSC know if you’re looking to get a spot on a team, or just sail for a Saturday or two. BSC maintains an extensive crew list to help fill in spots for this long sailing season.  For more information, call the office at 617-227-4198 or email info@bostonsailingcenter.com.
More details on the Frostbite Program including pricing, please click here Add to Flipboard Magazine.

JELVIS Triumphant @ Epic J/111 Worlds

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- It was apparent from the performance by a number of teams at the J/111 Pre-Worlds, hosted by Royal Southern YC in the Hamble, that the die was cast for the four-day J/111 Worlds on the Solent that was hosted by Island Sailing Club on Cowes.

Starting off where they left the Pre-Worlds, Peter Wagner’s SKELETON KEY from San Francisco, CA and Martin Dent’s JELVIS from Cowes, England were trading off the lead on the first day.  Amazingly, as the protagonists for this year’s 2016 edition, they were “trading places” at the front of the fleet after two races, both posting 1-2 finishes.  Ultimately, it was Dent’s young crew on JELVIS (pictured here) that won the regatta by just four point after nine races in what can only be described as an epic week of sailing in 15-30 kt winds from the WSW nearly every day!

The fourteen-boat fleet featured seven nations, with six teams from the host country, plus two from the USA, two from the Netherlands, plus teams from Australia, Switzerland, Belgium and Germany.  Here is how the regatta went down with reports generously provided by famous UK journalist/ photographer- Louay Habib from Cowes.

Day One- Three Winners Today!
The first day produced close one-design racing and the first day did not disappoint, with three different winners, with all races decided by less than 30 seconds.

The event started with three windward-leeward races in the Eastern Solent. The weather was more like the 1st of April than the 1st August, with a cold front arriving in the afternoon, bringing persistent rain and squally conditions. For the first two races, 8-10 knots of wind with a easterly going tide gave a smooth sea state, but the breeze was tending to shift south in the gusts, favoring the left hand side of the track. However, by the third race, the tide had turned and the right hand side came into play and a short Solent chop changed the mix. Principle Race Officer, Bob Milner elected to alter the course and his team did an excellent job of squaring the course after the shift.

Martin Dent's British team racing JELVIS finished the day with a 1-2-2 to lead the regatta; two points clear of Peter Wagner's American team racing SKELETON KEY. Tony Mack's McFLY won the last race of the day to finish in third.  Dent commented on their performance, “It was a tricky day today: a cross tide, plenty of shifts and pressure changes. The JELVIS team has put in a lot of training over the last month and so I am pleased with today's results, especially as all the boat handling went well: tacks, gybes, sail changes and a gybe set etc. There were multiple lead changes today and it was yet another day of close, tight one-design racing at its best.”

Tony Mack's McFLY had a great 2015, but 2016 has not been the best year for the team based in Hamble. However, after winning the last race of the day, the highly experienced skipper had a twinkle in his eye.  “We have not had a good season so far, a bit of a Mclroy,” commented Tony Mack, referring to the out-of-form golfer. “However today, we just seemed to get things right and, especially, the last race. We rounded the first top mark third and decided to gybe away, which really worked but we still had to work hard, especially with the two course changes. There are a lot of very good sailors in this fleet and we haven't seen all of them perform yet, so I expect there to be a lot of position changes during this regatta. We are pretty happy with our performance today and we hope we can build on that.”

Day Two- Flying Dutchmen win on Big Tuesday!
Full on conditions made for some exciting racing on the second day of racing. Gusts of wind topping out at close to 32 knots, and a building sea state, created highly challenging conditions. The Eastern Solent was frothing up all morning and by race-time a full on foam-up created thrilling downwind action for the World Championship fleet. There were broaches a plenty as the teams pushed themselves to the limits.

The Race Committee fired off two windward-leeward races in 20 to 32 kts winds and enormous 3-5 ft chop, conditions that pushed the J/111 crew to their absolute limits.  Without question, the best J/111 of the day was Paul van Driel's Dutch team racing SWEENY, who won both races, and were enjoying a pint of Dutch beer in the Pier View Pub in Cowes.  “We are so happy today, the big reason for our success was our downwind speed,” commented Paul van Driel. “We carried the A2 and really kept in good control, even at 17 knots, so that was the big difference and big fun as well. Upwind the mainsheet trim was first class, we had good height and speed and the crew really hiked well, especially through the gusts. We have sailed in conditions like this before, which obviously helps. The J/111 worlds is the big deal for us, we have been training all year. There are some fantastic teams here, but nobody beat us today! There is still a long way to go, but we are enjoying the regatta.”

Prior to the start, over night leader, Martin Dent's JELVIS, blew out a spinnaker and having consulted the Jury, returned to shore for a replacement, missing the first race. Paul Griffith's JAGERBOMB suffered a similar breakage during the first race of the day, which put them out for both races. Peter Wagner's SKELETON KEY put in a consistent performance with a 5-2 to lead after the second day. Tony Mack's McFLY scored a 2-4 to move up to second place and JELVIS dropped to third.

“Today we had fun, but challenging conditions.  We definitely wanted to enjoy the weather while avoiding a disaster and, thankfully, we managed to do that,” commented Wagner. “Once in a while we get that sort of weather in San Francisco, but today was the very high end of the range, probably the most wind that we have ever sailed the boat in. It gets choppy back at home but this was steeper and tighter than we are used to. It was another competitive day with great racing, a lot of boats put on some good performances. Our boat-handling was not the best today, but hopefully we can get that together. We are halfway through the regatta and we are still in the hunt with two more days to race. We want to put our best foot forward and see if we can finish it well. It is tight racing and that is what you want to see at a World Championship, there are a number of boats that have won races, SWEENY had a great day today and they are not the only team that are sailing very well.”

Apart from a proper soaking and a few bumps and bruises, all crew returned to shore safe and sound. You know it's windy when the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute) Lifeboat tows in the Race Committee boat(!), after the engine was submerged for some time. Praise must go to the Island Sailing Club Race Team, for laying on two superb races in atrocious conditions.

Day Three- Leaders Start to Emerge
With the wind speed in the 20 knot zone, it took Bob Milner's Island Sailing Club Race Committee three attempts, and a Black Flag, to get the fleet away for the first race. Peter Wagner's SKELETON KEY unlocked the door to first place with a win in Race 6. In the second race, the wind speed was well into the red zone. A southwesterly buster put the J/111s back in the 30-knot wipe out arena. The last race of the day was a three-hour coastal and despite the strong winds and vicious short chop, less than three minutes separated second from tenth in the race!  “Epic” could be the only description for the sunny, windy, very wavy 21nm race.

After seven out of the scheduled nine races, Dent's JELVIS rocked the house with a comeback in Race 7 to take the win and the championship lead from SKELETON KEY. Tony Mack's McFLY took a second on the last race to finish the day in a solid third for the regatta and there was a podium finish for the Chicago trio of Brummel, Henderson and Mayer racing KASHMIR.

Day Four- JELVIS Crowned Champion
The final day of racing delivered two windward-leeward races in a southwesterly gradient breeze. Once again, enhanced by thermal breeze the wind speed piped up to 24+ knots, giving thrilling conditions to the fleet. In the pre-start to the penultimate race, SKELETON KEY engaged JELVIS, with the two combatants weaving through the fleet. However, SKELETON KEY misjudged the line and arriving early, had to bear away. It was a position that the American team found hard to recover from, ending the race in 10th, which was discarded. Race 8 was won by Mike Mayer's KASHMIR. The team from Chicago became the fifth team to score a bullet. The intensity of the competition saw nine teams out of fourteen make the podium!

JELVIS had a five-point cushion going into the last race, but a poor first beat left JELVIS in 7th while SKELETON KEY took the lead. However, McFLY and KASHMIR, who were both in front of JELVIS, almost simultaneously ripped their spinnakers, and both BLACK DOG and the Australian KESTREL crashed with wraps in their spinnakers halfway down the run, allowing JELVIS to climb the necessary places on the leaderboard to win the Worlds!

“I would like to thank our competitors, the locals we race against all the time, and to all the foreign teams that have come from so far away to compete, especially SKELETON KEY, who pushed us so hard,” commented Dent. “It has been great racing against SKELETON KEY, who never gave up, right until the end and raced so well. A big thank you to my own team, on the boat and off the boat. You have all put a lot of work in and it has paid off!”

Behind the two leaders (JELVIS and SKELETON KEY), third place was taken by Tony Mack's McFLY English crew (above), fourth was the Chicago trio on KASHMIR (Brummel, Henderson, Mayer) and fifth place was the Dutch crew on Paul van Driel's SWEENY.

SKELETON KEY’s Peter Wagner (at right) spoke at the end of the Prize Giving about next year's J/111 World Championship. “This has been a great regatta, some of the crew have sailed here once or twice before but we have all had racing in Cowes on our bucket list. There are only a handful of places like this in the world and San Francisco Bay is one of them. Put August 24th in your diaries, the next J/111 Worlds is in San Francisco Bay, hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club, and on behalf of all of the J/111s in North America, we encourage you to come and join us. This year was great racing, and our thanks to the Island Sailing Club RC for that and, hopefully, we can put on as good an event, where it will be a lot sunnier!”   Follow the J/111 Worlds on Facebook   For more J/111 Garmin World Championship sailing information

Winter Sailing: Keep It Simple and Sweet!

(Boston, MA)- Yes!  The Boston Sailing Center sails their J/24s in a winter-long Midwinters series!  For most of North America, racing during winter months is a bit of lottery. Consistency and tolerable conditions is no lock. If this is your sailing venue, you can only limit the risk and hope for the best.

Keeping it simple and sweet is the idea behind the J/24 Frostbite Racing in Boston Harbor. Now in its 24th year, the concept centers around Boston Sailing Center and their fleet of 18 boats. Entry fee includes the boat charter, and racing extends from early November to late March in Boston’s Inner Harbor.

With racing just minutes from the dock, the first race is at noon and boats are typically back to the dock before 4pm. Post-race wrap-ups feature video review of the day’s racing and a de-brief with race committee or guest speakers, along with spirits and chili. Simple and sweet.

Living in regions with real winters, keeping skills sharp is the challenge, as is limiting any boat maintenance and storage issues. Leveraging the assets of a community sailing center, which are likely less used in the winter, is a brilliant solution.

Ken Leger report-
We had snow on February 7 and ice on February 14. Conditions both days were good for racing, about ten knots SW and ten knots SE. When the wind backed to ESE the ice on the East side of the harbor drifted onto the race course. It was a slushy ice so you could sail through it but at a reduced speed.

Frostbite Racing-
Keep your sailing skills sharp in the off season. We offer J-24 fleet racing Saturday afternoons from 12 to 3pm. There will be 18 boats on the line from November 7, 2015 through March 26, 2016. Post race wrap-ups feature video highlights of the day's racing and along with spirits and chili. The match racing eliminations and finals will be held on the last two days of the season.

If you are near Boston and want to get involved, or if this sounds like something that might work in your region, check out the information here.

J/88 Speedster @ Boston Boat Show!

(Boston, MA)- Get out of the frigid weather and enjoy the warm and friendly environment of the Boston Convention Center, home of the New England Boat Show.  The show continues from February 13th to 21st!  The J/88 family speedster is sitting pretty at her stand #1328, courtesy of Hill & Lowden in Boston, MA.  To make an appointment, please contact George Lowden at ph# 781-631-3313 or email- HillLowden@aol.com.   For more New England Boat Show information.

J/88 Key West sailing video summary
Watch this “home-brew” by Bill Heintz of a variety of drone videos and stills from many of the famous photographers at Quantum Key West Race Week- nicely done!



J/88 Oceanvolt Solar Sailer Video
Watch this sailing video to learn more about the ideas and concepts behind the J/88 Oceanvolt option and how J/Boats pioneered the world’s first “solar sailer” keelboat- a boat that can run all day long on just solar energy!


For more J/88 Oceanvolt sailboat information

McKinnon Starts Paralympic Sailing Campaign

(Boston, MA)- Maureen McKinnon first began sailing on J/22's and J/24's in Marblehead, Massachusetts. After an unfortunate accident that left her physically as a paraplegic, she maintained her passion as a sailor and wished to get back out on the water again. 

Not soon after, she discovered the Paralympic circuit and special boats she could sail.  Ultimately, she teamed up with Nick Scandone to sail a SKUD 18 (a mini-sportboat type boat).  After a lot of trials and tribulations, they not only won the US Paralympic Sailing Trials with straight bullets, but they won the Olympic Gold Medal in the 2008 Qingdao Olympics in China!  Sadly, six months later, her teammate, Nick, passed away from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

Maureen is now on a new mission.  Having overcome such difficult life experiences, she’s continued to sail a variety of boats.  She’s even sailed on J/105s as the middle person/ pit in local Marblehead beer-can races.  Perhaps some “J” sailors may wish to help her in her goal to again represent the USA for the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil.

Maureen commented that, “I have continued to sail part-time on the Paralympic circuit over the past 6 years since our Gold medal win in China. In November 2014, I began practicing with a talented college sailor from San Diego, California and I am back in the SKUD18!

We have just returned from a World Cup event, our first racing together as a team. My new teammate, Ryan Porteous, and I secured the second place SKUD 18 spot on the Sperry Top Sider US Sailing Team, one year prior to the upcoming Paralympic team selection for Rio Games 2016. We are just two points behind the other US team.

The US Paralympic Sailing Team has a long history of Paralympic medal achievement in the 3 sailing disciplines. Since the sport's inception in 1996, the US has won 3 Bronze, 3 Silver and one Gold for our country. We are very proud to make the US Sailing Team in this critical year, just before the 2016 Rio Games in Brazil.

It will take a lot of practice, training days, good regatta performances and public support over the next year to win the US Trials.  The Marblehead community (especially the sailing community) really got behind us for my last bid in 2008.  I hope to rally up the support we need to bring MORE gold back to our proud sailing community! The Olympic stipends provided to serious Rio campaigners falls well short of the fundraising needs of any team.

Our schedule will include two expensive overseas regattas and two boat charters for this year. We also have 4 local New England regattas (Newport & New York), and we are hoping to be granted a SKUD 18 start line for the 126th  Marblehead Race Week this summer.” Here’s a biography/ backgrounder of Maureen on the US Sailing Team site.  If you wish to help her efforts, please contact Maureen McKinnon’s email- mcktucker@gmail.com

New England Boat Show Time!

Go Now!  Better Than Home In a Blizzard!
(Boston, MA)- The boat show is located at Boston’s enormous waterfront Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and will be featuring the J/88.  The show runs from February 14th to 22nd.

Make sure to keep your loved ones in mind for Valentine’s Day!  What better gift from the heart than a J/88 or J/70 wrapped in a giant red bow with roses!  Also, tell them that "Stu" sent you and it's worth a "free beer"!

Ask J/Boat Dealers Rich Hill or George Lowden how you can make that happen, contact them at ph# 781-631-3313 or email- hilllowden@aol.com.   For more New England Boat Show information.

New England Boat Show!

(Boston, MA)- The boat show is located at Boston’s enormous waterfront Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and will be featuring the J/88.  The show runs from February 14th to 22nd.

Make sure to keep your loved ones in mind for Valentine’s Day!  What better gift from the heart than a J/88 or J/70 wrapped in a giant red bow with roses!

Ask J/Boat Dealers Rich Hill or George Lowden how you can make that happen, contact them at ph# 781-631-3313 or email- hilllowden@aol.com.   For more New England Boat Show information.

Boat Show Update!

(Newport, RI)- In addition to the Seattle boat show taking place this week, be sure to pencil these dates to go see more of the coolest sailboats in the J/Boats line-up in Gothenburg, Sweden and Boston, MA.  

Here is what’s happening at each boat show:

Gothenburg Boat Show- Jan 31- Feb 8
From January 31st to February 8th, the J/70 will be on display at the Gothenburg Boat Show in Sweden.  Like the rest of Denmark and Germany, the J/70s are gaining tremedous momentum throughout Sweden as dozens of new sailors have fallen in love with it!  Plus, talk to Peter at the show about the upcoming Swedish Sailing League in J/70s!  For helpful information, please contact Marstrand Yachts- Peter Johansson at mobile# +46-735-430-800 or email- peter.johansson@marstrandyachts.com.  For more Gothenburg Boat Show information.

Seattle Boat Show- Go Now!!
It’s the last weekend!  Hightail it down to the indoor exhibition center and check out the spectacular new navy blue J/122E and the mucho rapido J/88 family speedster!  The J’s are comfortably indoors at CenturyLink Field.

Plus, Friday night is “Sails & Ales” Night of Craft Beers! Show-goers can taste and toast the very best in craft beers while shopping for the J/Boat of their dreams or wandering the three acres of accessories exhibits. Free beer with a boat deposit!  Contact Bob Ross (bob@sailnorthwest.com) or Ben Braden (ben@sailnorthwest.com) at Sail Northwest in Seattle, WA.  More Seattle boat show information here.

Boston/ New England Boat Show- Feb 14-22
The boat show is located at Boston’s enormous waterfront Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and will be featuring the J/88.  The show runs from February 14th to 22nd.  Make sure to keep your loved ones in mind for Valentine’s Day!  What better gift from the heart than a J/88 or J/70 wrapped in a giant red bow with roses!  Ask Rich Hill or George Lowden how you can make that happen, contact them at ph# 781-631-3313 or email- hilllowden@aol.com.   For more New England Boat Show information.

“Home Boys” Dominate Marblehead NOOD

Smith Tops 70s, Denman 24s & Dexter 105s
(Marblehead, MA)- Not surprisingly, the Marblehead contingent of “home boys” took all the top honors in the 125th running of Marblehead Race Week that wrapped up on Sunday with 158 boats competing.

This years’ Race Week, officially known as the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta at Marblehead Race Week, drew competitors from as far away as Texas, as a result of the event’s reputation, not to mention the historic Marblehead yachting traditions.  While Friday’s sailing was nice, Saturday was superbly wet, drenching, somewhat “thundery”, and decidedly crappy (same for sailors in the always sunny Newport, too!).  Sunday was at least a reprieve on the theme with some nice sea-breezes late in the day.

For the J/105 fleet, it turned out to be a down-to-the-last race finish that was eventually won by the CIRCE’s CUP of Marblehead, skippered by Ric Dexter. They accumulated 19 points, beating out Fred deNapoli sailing ALLEGRO SEMPLICITA, who finished with 20 points.

At one time during the regatta, one of the top boats hailing from Texas and owned by Mark Masur, TWO FEATHERS, had a chance to take it home to the Lone Star State, but Marblehead’s sailing talent prevailed to take the top two spots, while the Texan finished third with 21 points.

"The J/105 fleet in Marblehead is really strong. We can race here three times a week if needed, and this helps keep the fleet intact. It’s just great to be racing here this week," Dexter said.  For second place finisher Fred deNapoli, it was tough racing all the way through.  "They got us by one point," he said. "So, it was actually possible that five boats could have won it. We were covering one of those boats, the Texans, and while we were covering them Circe’s Cup got out in front and [secured] the win."

Another not so surprising outcome in the J/24 fleet was the fact that if they were “on their game” the AIRDOODLE gang led by John Denman would totally dominate their friends in the J/24 Worlds of light air “go left” MarbleDead.  Yup, in fact, they did.  Chris Clancy’s LITTLE MARTHA could do nothing to overcome AIRDOODLE’s fabulously smart, insightful, sailing, happy to take second with such a remarkable display of the art of sailing.  Huh?  Check out the next chapter in this soliloquy if they ever show their feathers at the J/24 Worlds in Newport.  Third was Mike Taber’s XINGU.

Perhaps what was most interesting in the world of one-design J/70 sailing was to see the battle for the top five in the fleet.  While the “Smith family” on AFRICA took first quite easily with four 1sts, two 2nds amongst their nine-race scoreline, the balance of the top five was nothing but normal based on recent regattas.  Second was Stein Skaane on SHRED, starting out tied for the lead after the first three races, but settling into a comfortable second place.  Third was the Bill Lynn Matt Hooks team on SCAMP, narrowly beating Will Welles on RASCAL with 31 pts.  Fifth was Tyler Doyle’s crew on USA 245.  Sailing photo credits- Sir Leighton O’Connor   For more Marblehead NOOD Regatta sailing information

Get Ready for Spring Boat Shows!

(Newport, RI)- There are a number of boat shows to visit in the northern hemisphere that can provide you not only a break from the crazy weather that has been criss-crossing the Americas, UK & Europe, but also an opportunity to “talk shop”, dream about sailing on sunny, warm days, and learn about some of the latest offerings from the J/Boats design team.

J/88 @ Boston Boat Show
Boston J/Dealer Hill & Lowden will be displaying the new, award-winning, J/88 at the New England Boat Show that is held along the Boston’s SE waterfront at the Convention & civic center.  The J/88 will be on display from February 22nd to March 2nd at Booth# 1838.   Please be sure to contact George Lowden at cell# 617-678-8164 or visit their website at http://www.HillLowden.com  For more New England Boat Show news and information

J/70 @ Stockholm Show
Peter Johansson and the Marstrand Yachts team will be attending the Stockholm Boat Show with the new J/70 on display from March 1st to 9th. For more information on the J/70, please be sure to contact Peter Johansson at ph# +46 (0)735 430 800 or email- peter.johansson@marstrandyachts.com or Skype: peter.r.johansson.  For more Stockholm Boat Show news and information

J/88 Speedster @ New England Boat Show

(Boston, MA)- Boston J/Dealer Hill & Lowden will be displaying the new, award-winning, J/88 at the New England Boat Show that is held along the Boston’s SE waterfront at the Convention & civic center.  The J/88 will be on display from February 22nd to March 2nd at Booth# 1838.

In addition, the special “SailFest” section is back bigger and better than ever! Shop more than 100 booths of sailing related products and services including sailmakers, canvas, sailboat hardware, cordage, marine electronics, rigging equipment and services, sailing schools, foul weather gear, sailing gear, clothing.  There will be daily seminars for sailors and boaters, from the beginner to the advanced.

Please be sure to drop by and chat with the Hill & Lowden team. For appointments, you may contact George Lowden at cell# 617-678-8164 or visit their website at http://www.HillLowden.com   For more New England Boat Show news and information