TOOLE WINS J/22 MATCH RACING QUALIFIER

 

(San Francisco, CA)- St Francis Yacht Club members are witness to a remarkable variety of sail racing, but there is one type of sail racing that is distinct even to the casual observer - the intense head-to-head battle of match racing – right outside the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows of the famous Grill Room and its commanding views over San Francisco Bay. 

By way of background, US Sailing will hold its Match Racing Championship in Long Beach in October, after a series of seven qualifiers around the country.  On May 1-2, 2021, the St. Francis hosted the NorCal qualifier in its fleet of evenly matched J/22s, sailed by teams of four. With identical boats, this was a test of the tactical acumen of the skippers and the boat handling skills of the crew, sorely tested in the high winds of last weekend, gusting over 30 kt.  In fact, crew went overboard on both days during fast maneuvering or in broaches due to the high winds. The bosun boat was busy assisting with equipment repair or replacement, and swapped out one boat due to collision, a reflection of the speed and intensity of match racing on SF Bay.


Over the two days of round-robins, for a total of 12 matches, Team Toole and Team Breault came to the forefront and seemed evenly matched. In the end, Oliver Toole (StFYC) took a one-point victory over Nicole Breault (StFYC), finishing 11-1 compared to her 10-2.  When racing head-to-head they split, with Breault beating Toole on Saturday and the reverse on Sunday. The difference, in the end, was when Jack Barton (representing San Francisco YC) topped Nicole on Saturday.

The big story is that Toole, a two-time All-American sailor from Stanford and a team racing champion, came into the event without match racing experience. However, he and his wife Kelly have sailed together for over ten years and are quite familiar with the City Front and J/22s, having practiced team racing there many times and successfully represented the Club at the Baldwin Cup and Morgan Cup.  In addition to their brother-in-law Jack Ortell at bow, they were bolstered by Olympian Craig Healy on board as trimmer and tactician.  


“Though I graduated from Stanford in 2014, our team has stuck together. We were quite comfortable in the breeze, since our St. Francis group has practiced 4x4 team racing here in these conditions many times in recent years before we left to race elsewhere.  It was terrific having Craig on board with his immense match racing talent, and of course super fun to qualify for the national championship. We’re looking forward to expanding our circle with the right team for Long Beach’s Catalina 37’s, obviously a much bigger boat requiring different skills and some large people.”

Breault commented that, “we had some fresh new faces in this regatta and that bodes well for the match racing scene in California. Quite a few skippers asked me afterwards to set up some sparring sessions so we can keep playing the game and honing our skills!”  Her team consisted of Maggie Bacon (bow), Karen Loutzenheiser (trim), and Molly Carapiet (main/tactics).  

Brock Paquin, representing Cal Maritime, finished third, with crew of Justin Zimna, Kyle Collins, Lukas Kraak.

NEWPORT 2 ENSENADA RACE PREVIEW

(Newport Beach, CA)– Nearly 170 boats will cross the start line of the 73rd Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race, April 23rd off the Balboa Pier. Perhaps the cleverest element of the event is the race organizers- NOSA- have offered three courses to the intrepid adventurers that cannot wait to get out on the open, unrestricted, Pacific Ocean! Talk about "horses for courses", more than two dozen J/Teams are entered in all three ocean "sprints".  The classic race goes from Newport Beach/ Balboa Pier start line to Ensenada, Mexico and that start line has 120 boats doing the 125.0nm passage.  Twenty boats will take the day-race course down to Dana Point (about 25.0nm) and forty boats will take the mid-range course around the Coronado Islands and finish off Point Loma in San Diego.  

A big "thanks" to everyone for good behavior and helping to reduce COVID restrictions. And, an even bigger "thanks" to the Mexican Navy offering landing assistance so that sailors will be able to safely disembark and enjoy Ensenada.

Answering that "siren song" to go offshore seems innate and is a common bond for many sailors. In a 1962 America's Cup dinner given by the Australian Ambassador at the Vanderbilt family's former estate- The Breakers- then USA President John F. Kennedy made some prophetic remarks about that passion on September 14th, 1962. Listen to it here. He explained:

"I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it is because in addition to the fact that the sea changes, and the light changes, and ships change, it is because we all came from the sea. And, it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins, the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it, we are going back from whence we came."



Recently, when one person about to sail the race was asked "why sail the N2E", he commented:

"There’s a misconception about yacht racing, boat racing, in that some think it’s stuffy, blue-blazer-boring kind of stuff. But, in reality it's not. Sailing is a fun passion-based hobby, in which everyone has a story about overcoming adversity. Sailing is really about solving problems; things break as boats do and you figure it out. Perhaps the best part? It's sitting with a crew member at the helm in the middle of the night, 30 miles offshore, freezing, talking about life, watching the moon; man taking on machine and nature, the whole thing is magical.”


Sailing the classic N2E course are John Staff's J/111 OBSIDIAN, Scott Torrance's J/124 FORGIVENESS, Dave Gorney's J/105 NO COMPROMISE, Chuck Bowes' J/29 RHUMB RUNNER, and Brian Kerr's J/92 DOUBLE DOWN.

Taking the fast-track out and around the Coronado Islands to San Diego is the largest collection of J/145s ever- four of them- including Robert Pace's ANDIAMO 2, Roger Gatewood's KATARA, Ernie Pennell's MORE MADDNESS, and Rudy Hasl's PALAEMON. Joining them will be Tom Pollack's J/124 MARISOL, Dean Stanec's J/130 NIGHT'S WATCH, Derek Gaertner's J/27 PROJECT 53, Fed Hayem's J/46 MISTER J, and Mike McCarthy's J/88 BLUE FLASH. On a PHRF overall handicap basis, that will be one remarkably competitive division!


Another tough collection of J/Crews are sailing the Newport to Dana Point race. Talk about a wind-sprint! Taking a "swing for the fences" in this race are Joaquin Cobelo's J/109 MARIAH, Matt Campbell's J/120 ADIOS, Charles Brewer's J/124 HEARTBEAT 4, Jock McGraw's J/22 TEKEELA, Tom Garrett's youth team on the J/70 SLOOP JOHN B, and the duo of Richard Bennett & David Matthews on the J/92 FIREWATER. 

As pandemic restrictions have been lifted, options for social activities have increased. The annual Yachtsmen’s Luncheon and pre-race dinner at Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club, albeit without the infamous crowds, are being held. Plans for Sunday’s trophy ceremonies at the festive Hotel Coral and Marina are still being determined, pending the number of revelers, and in coordination with the host city’s guidelines. In light of Ensenada’s restrictions on large gatherings, Sunday afternoon’s awards ceremony, always joyful and celebratory, may be conducted in shifts.  For more Newport 2 Ensenada Race sailing information

On social media, follow all the action on these links:
Facebook.com/newporttoensenada
Instagram.com/newport_to_ensenada
Twitter.com/newsfromnosa
 Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/111 FLIES AROUND ISLANDS RACE

(San Diego, CA)- A full year ago in Spring 2020, Newport Harbor Yacht Club and San Diego Yacht Club hosted the Islands Race with a just a hint of the Covid-19 influence over our lives, one of the last “normal” regattas before the pandemic took over. A few weeks later as the 2020 Puerto Vallarta Race sailed down to Mexico, the US fully embraced the initial Covid-19 lockdown and sailing hasn’t been the same since. But with patience and planning, this year’s Islands Race brought 32 teams to compete in the 142-mile coastal race from Long Beach, around Catalina and San Clemente to San Diego. And for those on the racecourse at night, the offshore racing experience and competition were back in all its glory.

Many teams have not had the chance to compete in this way in over a year, so the Islands Race served as its own competition and also training and preparation for teams set to compete in the 600+ mile race to Cabo in March, and the 2225nm Transpac Race in July. Fifteen of the Islands Race teams will sail the Cabo Race, and 20 will sail in Transpac this year.

Other than a half moon rising late in the night, the conditions were perfect. Conditions were nearly ideal for racing with a WNW breeze most of the day and evening. These conditions sent the fleet surfing quickly past the backsides of both Catalina Island and San Clemente Island. All boats were around the southwestern corner of San Clemente (Mark 3) by midnight. The sea state was also nice with mostly 6’ running swells and the occasional ‘growler’ in the night (a breaking wave astern that ‘roars’ ominously, especially loud when you can’t see them). From the turn at Mark 3, it is 71 miles to the finish, and it is a race with the sun. As soon as the sun rises, the wind across the 15-20 or so miles of ocean next to the coast tend to evaporate. Boats not finished by 6 am tend to struggle until the thermal breezes restart to fill that void around noon.


Every year, it is a challenge to coordinate the course around San Clemente Island with permissions from the US Military. You might not know it, but there are dozens of charted exclusion zones which the military deploy like a playbook in order to run specific training exercises all around S. Sometimes they are “on,” sometimes they are “off.” With the help of Range Schedulers, we wait until two weeks prior to the race to see if the exclusion zones are going to require a 3-mile, 10 mile or 20+ mile zone. This year was ten miles. For a wide-open ocean, it sure seems crowded sometimes!

The most notable performance by a J/Team was Doug Jorgensen's J/111 PICOSA. Enjoying the fast surfing and planing conditions at times, the flew around the track in 17 hr 37 min to correct out to 2nd place in ORR 4 Division. Then, in ORR 3 Division, Standish Fleming's J/125 NEREID took fifth place. Sailing Photo credits- Bronny Daniels/ JOYSailing.com.  For more Islands Race sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

SAN DIEGO STARTS NOOD 2021 SERIES!

 

(Newport, RI)- For nearly three decades, the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta national series kicked off in St. Petersburg, FL, in February, but a shift in the 2021 calendar will put Southern California sailing front and center with the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta San Diego, March 19 to 21.

With experienced race management teams at co-hosts San Diego Yacht Club and Coronado Yacht Club, competitive sailors in the region can expect top-quality races on San Diego Bay for the regatta’s smaller boats, as well as the deeper waters off Coronado for larger keelboats. As the first major regatta of the SoCal spring sailing season, the annual event will be a draw for local and visiting teams keen to freshen their skills from the long offseason of 2020.
 
For Helly Hansen, the regatta series’ seven-year title sponsor, the San Diego stop is a welcome beginning to the new sailing year. While the usual after-racing social events will not be held, organizers are keen to provide the best possible experience on the water.
 
“At Helly Hansen we make gear for professionals to feel and stay alive, and that’s also true for all the sailors of the NOOD Regattas,” says Helly Hansen Watersports Marketing Manager, Jenny Daudlin. “While 2020 was a challenging year, Helly has continued to bring along innovative new styles. There were some cool pieces in 2020 that people didn’t get to see, so we’re looking forward to reconnecting with the sailors in different ways and providing them the best gear possible to enjoy their time on the water safely.”
 
One trend that emerged through 2020 was the popularity of day-race formats that require fewer crew members. This movement is also fueled by the expectation of a two-person offshore discipline being added to the 2024 Games. In response to this rising demand for shorthanded races, NOOD Regatta organizers, in partnership with North Sails, added the North Sails Doublehanded Distance Race on Saturday, March 20. This daytime challenge will send competitors racing a variety of boats on one long course spanning San Diego Bay and offshore near Point Loma.


Rudy Hasl, of San Diego, is one of the early registrants for the North Sails Doublehanded Race and says he’s looking forward to skippering his J/145 around the course— with the sole assistance of his long-time bowman, Anthony Garcia.
 
“I’m really glad they’ve added this race to the regatta,” Hasl says. “Doing the typical windward/leeward buoy races all day can be tough on the crew and the sails. So, I like this format, as it offers plenty of excitement for me.”
 
Hasl, 78 years young, raced doublehanded extensively when he lived in the Pacific Northwest. Now a full time SoCal resident, he says San Diego is just as challenging a venue to race, especially a boat the size of his J/145 PALAEMON.  
 
“We’re going to try our best to play it safely and carefully,” Hasl says, noting that he and Garcia will be using specialized sails that are easier for two people to handle. “This is the first time we’ll have doublehanded this particular boat. Anthony is a super bowman because he has his way of checking the lines are run correctly. The boat is set up in a way that I can tail halyards from the back while steering.”
 
Their biggest challenge, he says, may be keeping the boat’s massive spinnaker sail from ever touching the water. “We’ve sailed with it and I have a sense of what’s involved in the process and think we can control the beast,” Hasl says. “The key with doublehanded racing is just doing things slowly and deliberately.”

Joining them in the Doublehanded class is Steve Driscoll's J/105 JUICED!

So far, the two one-design classes are showing good participation. The J/24s have five boats entered and the J/105s are up to a dozen already! Sign up now and join in on the fun!  For more San Diego NOOD Regatta sailing information and registrationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

ISLANDS RACE PREVIEW

 

(San Diego, CA)- San Diego Yacht Club and Newport Harbor Yacht Club's Islands Race is making its way to the starting line on March 5th, 2021. Returning to the sea for its 11th edition running, this signature event is expecting over thirty boats to race from Long Beach, California, around offshore landmarks Santa Catalina Island and San Clemente Islands, and then to finish off Point Loma in San Diego. 

For many, the Islands Race kicks off the start of the 2021 Offshore Racing Calendar and doubles as a shakedown for the Newport Harbor Yacht Club Cabo Race or, on alternate years, San Diego Yacht Club's Puerto Vallarta Race. 

With the race only involving one night at sea, it works as the perfect opportunity to gain offshore experience.  Answering that call are a number of adventurous west coast J/Teams. In the seven-boat ORR-EZ class are two J/111s (Ed Sanford's CREATIVE and Doug Jorgensen's PICOSA) and Paul Stemler's J/44 PATRIOT. Then, in the five-boat ORR 3 Class is Standish Fleming's J/125 NEREID.  Sailing photo credits- Bronny Daniels/ Joysailing.com.  For more Islands Race sailing information

Bittersweet Chocolate Doublehanded Regatta Announcement

 

(San Francisco, CA)- The Bittersweet Chocolate Doublehanded J/105 Regatta will be on Sunday, January 10th, starting and finishing near Buoy X in front of Golden Gate Yacht Club. Come one, come all! Borrow a boat! Already, four boats have signed up.  Here's the link to register:  https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/21659#_docs

No entry fee, and the top three boats win some of Bruce's freshly baked bittersweet chocolate brownies, delivered on the water right after racing.  Note- that for all regattas going forward, both the NOTICE OF RACE and SAILING INSTRUCTIONS are important to download!!

Especially note the following in the NOR.  This is a "B" level event with the following exceptions:

• doublehanding- either of the crew can helm
• anyone can borrow/ charter a J/105
• the driver can move anywhere on the boat
• a spinnaker retrieval tack line is allowed. 

These exceptions change Fleet One Rule 3.1 and J/105 Class rule 7.5.

By allowing anyone to borrow/ charter a J/105 and come out racing, this is intended to promote the wonderful experience of sailing J/105s on the Bay, and possibly inspire purchase.  It also rewards your experienced crew to try their hand (if you'll lend them the boat). Plus, doublehanding a J/105 is fun and a great challenge!

In terms of additional doublehanded racing, we anticipate a good turn-out of J/105s for the SSS's Three Bridge Fiasco on January 30th. Thereafter, the San Francisco J/105 fleet will host another doublehanded regatta on Valentine's Day, February 14th! 

Entry is free, and you may review the NOR and SI's and sign-up here.

When you register, we suggest you list your crew as an additional owner so we can know who is racing.  Alternatively, you can register as a team of two under the crew section and then add the crew there.

Our PRO Don Wieneke will once again send us off at the start, this time either from a boat or from the shore, while we'll take our own times at the finish.  The top three finishers will receive my famous bittersweet chocolate brownies. Feel free to contact Don or myself if you have any questions.  Looking forward to seeing you on the water in January.

Feel free to contact Bruce Stone for more J/105 sailing information- email- bruce@brucestone.com or call- 917-822-4060. Sailing photo credit- Will Keyworth.  For more Bittersweet Chocolate Doublehanded Regatta sailing information

HOT J/CREWS @ HOT RUM SERIES II

 

(San Diego, CA)- J/Boats continue to perform well in the competitive Hot Rum Series in San Diego, hosted by San Diego Yacht Club.  

Two J/145s are near the top of the overall results from the first two races. PALAEMON (Rudy Hasl) is 3rd and MORE MADNESS (Ernie Pennell) is 4th out of 124 boats registered. 

The competition within Class I is also very strong, with MORE MADNESS taking 1st place with 6 points and PALAEMON taking 2d with 8 points. The J/145s have been very competitive against famous offshore racing competitors such as Pyewacket, Stark Raving Mad, Blue Blazes, Staghound, Fast Exit, Volpe, Pendragon, and Compadres.

The J/120 CC RIDER (Chuck Nichols) has taken two bullets in Class 2 against some stiff competition. Also, very competitive is the J/125 NEREID (Standish Fleming) and a trio of J/105s- ZUNI BEAR (Vieregg/ Bermann), J-OK (Jim Dorsey), and SWEET KAREN (Jeff Brown).

The final race in the series will be on December 5. The conditions for the 2d race were very different from the windy in-bay first race. With many boats struggling to get off the starting line and dealing with light shifty winds for the beginning and at the end of the race. Fortunately, the offshore portion of the race saw steady winds in the 10-15 kt range and some fog.  For more San Diego YC Hot Rum Series information

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.

Hot Rum Series Preview

 

(San Diego, CA)- The San Diego Yacht Club's incredibly popular Hot Rum Series will be starting on time again on November 7th, 2020. With nearly 100 entries, it proves the event is as popular as ever for Southern Californians, despite living in pandemic times. It's one of the most popular "pursuit style" races in America, where slowest boat starts first hours ahead of the biggest and fastest boats, whoever crosses the line first wins! Starting and finishing just off the western end of Shelter Island, the fleet heads out en-masse through the Point Loma passage to two buoys offshore and return to the same start line to finish the race just off Shelter Island.

Since it is consistently one of the world's largest PHRF "pursuit races", the little boats know they almost always have no chance of winning overall and simply enjoy the parade of beautiful large sailing yachts gliding past them in all their glory. The smallest, slowest boats (J/22s & J/24s) start well over an hour before the biggest boats- the J/145s and J/160s, for example.

In this year's edition, there will be two J/145s- Rudy Hasl's PALAEMON and Ernie Pennell's MORE MADNESS. In addition, participating will be three J/105s- George Scheel's SUN PUFFIN, Steve & Lucy Howell's BLINK, and Richard Collins' LUCKY DUCK. Joining them will be Seth Hall's J/124 MARISOL, Ed Sanford's J/111 CREATIVE, Chuck Nichols J/120 CC RIDER, Chuck Bowers's J/29 RHUMB RUNNER, and two J/30s (Tim Lynch's RUFFIAN & Bob Noe's MAD HATTER). Good luck to all on this upcoming event.  For more San Diego YC Hot Rum Series sailing information

J/145 KATARA Wins OVERALL in Catalina Race

(Catalina Island, CA)- Sean Motta from Davis Island Yacht Club in Florida recently sailed on the J/145 KATARA off southern California in a very popular offshore spring race to Catalina Island.  Here is Sean's report:

"I normally have a strict “more time on the race course than in the airport/airplanes getting there” policy. However, after Covid-19 effectively destroyed the second half of DIYC Member Roger Gatewood’s J/145 KATARA’s west-coast sailing season, I got a call from Bill Wingrove that we had been invited to participate in the 2020 Long Point Regatta! Myself and the rest of the crew were all too happy to schedule a flight and jump at the opportunity!


KATARA was moved to the Los Angeles area last year where she participated in the 2019 TransPac (DIYC Log Article October 2019), the LAYC’s Midwinter Around Catalina Race (DIYC Log Article March 2020), and the 2020 Puerto Vallarta Race (DIYC Log Article April 2020). There were plans for the Newport-Ensenada Race, the Rolex San Francisco Big Boat regatta, and many others, all of which were cancelled by the pandemic.

Bill and I headed to the Tampa airport to hop a flight to LAX where we would join up with Roger, his daughter Cat, Sam Heck (our CA boat captain), and several other CA based sailors for the regatta. This race is generally as much about the parties on the island of Catalina as it is the two day-races out and back. While the large on-shore activities were cancelled, our sister J/145 PALAEMON (owner Rudy Hasl is a member of the San Diego Yacht Club) had access to a beautiful remote camp facility on the island. 

Unlike most of KATARA’s races, where we frantically comb through the boat looking for anything of weight not bolted down to be thrown ashore before we depart, this race’s prep involved loading in a dinghy, oars (thanks Liam and Tyler!), home-cooked Korean BBQ (thanks, Allie!), sleeping bags, pillows, adult beverages, cookies, and doughnuts!


After a brief motor down to the starting line, the race started in a light breeze around 5-6kts out of the southwest. The forecast expected this to build slightly to near 10-11 kts and clock to the right as we sailed across the channel and to the island. We made a short 3 mile beat to the North on Port tack before tacking for what we hoped was, and turned out to be, the lay line to the finish. Other than an expected area of highly turbulent air just outside the mooring field within a mile of the finish line, the rest of the outbound race was uneventful and largely an uphill endeavor. 

Sail stacking was allowed for this race, so many of the crew spent a fair bit of the race man-handling massive sail bags around the deck for optimal weight distribution.

Once finished, we picked up our mooring ball and shuttled the crew in the dinghy, a few at a time, ashore.  Once everyone assembled together, Allie prepared an incredible meal of Korean BBQ, rice, and salad. In the morning, many of the crew took a hike to the top of one of the nearby peaks, while others enjoyed a relaxing morning aboard or took a swim through the mooring field.

The race back on Sunday started at 1300 in southwest winds like we had on Saturday. Starting with the light-medium genoa, then quickly proceeding through the tweener, the A1, and ultimately the A2. The bow team did an excellent job of peeling between the various headsails. The A2 and Staysail carried us much of the way through the second half of the race to a beautiful finish just off of Newport Beach, CA. A few hours motoring home ended what was a fabulous weekend enjoyed by all."

In the 2020 Long Point Regatta to Catalina, Roger Gatewood’s (DIYC) J/145 KATARA took 1st overall ORR (1-1) and 2nd in Class PHRF (3-2). Her sistership- the J/145 PALAEMON owned/ skippered by Rudy Hasl- took 2nd overall ORR.

The KATARA team included: Sean Motta (DIYC), Bill Wingrove (DIYC), Sam Heck, Cat Gatewood, Julia Jaynes, Liam McCarthy, Allie Tsai, Tyler Caroe, Louis Tuey, Daina Bandziulis, and Ruta Bandziulis.  Reprinted with permission from the Davis Island Yacht Club October 2020 Newsletter- "The Log". Thanks for sailing photo credits- Tom Walker. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Pandemonium Regatta Preview

(Tiburon, CA)- Corinthian Yacht Club will host the Pandemonium Regatta, a one-day double-handed event for one-design boats on Sunday, August 30th, 2020.  There will be recognition for the overall winner as well as mixed-gender teams. Invited classes include J/24, J/70, J/88, and J/105's.

According to Bruce Stone, who will be competing with his J/105 Arbitrage, “Our objective in working with Corinthian Yacht Club is to offer chances to build experience with a training partner, and if we have great turn-out, we’ll go for longer lengths a month from now. In this iteration, there will be a long course of around 25 miles for J/105s and J/88s, a medium course for Express 27s and J/70s, and a shorter course for smaller boats like Knar’s, Cal 20’s, J/22s and J/24s. 

The start will be off of the west end of Angel Island and a route going just north of the Richmond Bridge, then a challenging beat to Pt. Bonita, outside the Golden Gate Bridge, and an exciting spinnaker run to the finish at Corinthian YC in Raccoon Straits.”  For more CYC Pandemonium Regatta sailing and registration informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

Pandemonium Regatta Announcement

(Tiburon, CA)- Corinthian Yacht Club will host the Pandemonium Regatta, a one-day double-handed event for one-design boats on Sunday, August 30th, 2020.  There will be recognition for the overall winner as well as mixed-gender teams. Invited classes include J/24, J/70, J/88, and J/105's.

According to Bruce Stone, who will be competing with his J/105 Arbitrage, “Our objective in working with Corinthian Yacht Club is to offer chances to build experience with a training partner, and if we have great turn-out, we’ll go for longer lengths a month from now. In this iteration, there will be a long course of around 25 miles for J/105s and J/88s, a medium course for Express 27s and J/70s, and a shorter course for smaller boats like Knarrs, Cal 20’s, J/22s and J/24s. 

The start will be off of the west end of Angel Island and a route going just north of the Richmond Bridge, then a challenging beat to Pt. Bonita, outside the Golden Gate Bridge, and an exciting spinnaker run to the finish at Corinthian YC in Raccoon Straits.” Sailing photo credits- Pressure-drop.us.  For more CYC Pandemonium Regatta sailing and registration informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

Successful, Fun-Loving Fiesta Cup Regatta!

(Santa Barbara, CA)- In the face of every obstacle known to man, the Santa Barbara YC hosted their 14th annual Fiesta Cup Regatta off the beautiful harbor of Santa Barbara, California from July 18th to 19th.  The fleet was greeted by nice sailing conditions and a total of seven races were held for the one-design J/70 and J/111 classes.

The eight-boat J/70 class was fiercely contested by the two protagonists, and well-known, racing teams in Santa Barbara.  Past J/24 North American Champion Pat Toole and his team on 3 BIG DOGS had their hands full taking on Scott Deardorff/ Jon Ziskind/ Gus Duncan's CAKE.  Over the course of seven races, these two teams won all seven races and accounted for six 2nds! In the end, it was Toole's 3 BIG DOGS that took the regatta by two points over the CAKE team.  Third was the MONKEY HOUSE gang, led by Paul Castleberg and Lauren Amery. Fourth was Thomas Tunberg's NAMASTE and fifth John McCaffery's MAGIC CARPET RIDE.

The J/111 Class was a three-way duel between very experienced offshore teams. The surprise winner was not what the Ladbroke's Betting Parlour in London was betting on- Bernie Girod's ROCK & ROLL. Instead, it was Mike Drammer & Shaun Hughes' TITANIUM that rode their fast horse to the head of the class with a 1-3-1-1 tally for 6 pts total. Incredibly, the next two spots were determined on a tie-breaker at 9 pts each! With a 2-1-3-3 tally, it was Kenny Kieding's ARGO 3 that took the silver over Bernie Girod's ROCK & ROLL that had a 3-2-2-2.  For more Fiesta Cup Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Round Catalina Double-Race Produces J/Silver

(Newport Beach, CA)- Thirty-six boats sailed in South Shore Yacht Club's annual 90.0 nm Round Catalina Island Doublehanded Race. The annual event starts & finishes off the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach and only allows two sailors aboard. Club officials stated this was a record turnout! Yachts ranging in size from 24 ft to 72 ft LOA entered this classic Southern California Handicap Race. 

The J/124 MARISOL skippered by NHYC member Tom Pollack & American Legion Yacht Club member Rick Hancock were the 2nd boat to finish, 3rd in class & 3rd overall in the PHRF Fleet. The race started in 7.0 knots of breeze building to 27 knots on the back side of Catalina near the island's east end where a local venturi effect from the 1000' tall sheer cliffs accelerates the normal 15 knot westerly breeze.

It was near here that Marisol caught up to larger boats and managed to exit the local windless parking lot in the lee of the island to find the westerly breeze on the other side.  22 miles later at the Balboa Pier, Marisol put her bow across the finish line just 1 second ahead of the Choate 48' Amante in a 15 knot westerly wind that refused to die down at 1:40 am local time.

"Our big yellow asymmetrical spinnaker attached to a retractable spinnaker pole that owner Seth Hall added a couple years ago has made Marisol a much better downwind ride than when she was built 16 years ago," added Skipper Tom Pollack. "All we did was keep it simple and not tack or gybe much, just letting the fast J/124 do the work! She rides on rails!"

The race started at 11:00 AM in a 7-8 knots building westerly breeze taking the fleet 15 miles north on a long port tack. As the breeze built to 20 knots, "We just kept sliding the genoa lead aft, sheeting tighter and pointing higher," said crew member Rick Hancock. "Hoping to use the smooth water in the harbor to change to a #3 jib."

Marisol purposefully navigated to enter the Long Beach Harbor entrance and exit the harbor at Los Angeles Angels Gate.  

"What you take for granted on a fully crewed race boat, does not happen on a sailboat with only 2 crew" said Pollack. "It's how you plan ahead & manage that challenge that allows you to finish the race safely. With the Olympics in 2024 in Paris featuring sailboat racing with mixed crews of 2 people, it should be interesting to watch the video feed," noted Tom Pollack.

Taking 1st place in PHRF B Class & 4th overall was J/109 BLUE CRUSH skippered by Bob Little and Dan Milefchik from Alamitos Bay Yacht Club.

J-109 FUZZY LOGIC skippered by Jeff Shew & Bill Durant from Long Beach Yacht Club took 2nd in PHRF B & 6th Overall.

So, if you find yourself in July of 2021 in Southern California and want to try something different, try SSYC's Crew of 2 race.   For complete results of the Round Catalina Double Race Results.

J/Sweep of Doublehanded PSSA Race

(Marina del Rey, CA)- The Pacific Singlehanded Sailing Association held their annual 27.0nm "David Wall Race" from Marina del Rey to Malibu sea buoy and return this past weekend. The PSSA was sympathetic to the numerous requests for "doublehanders" to participate in their offshore season. The response was nothing short of dramatic, with the Doublehanded class garnering 13 entries versus the 11-boat Singlehanded class.

Here is the report from Dan Murphy on the J/105 CUCHULAINN:
"On Saturday, Rob Dekker and I did the 27-mile PSSA race to Malibu and back. The wind was predicted to be 6 kts, peaking at 10 kts, by mid-afternoon. So, I tuned the rig for that wind expecting we would not do very well at the outset and might be in OK shape for a longer race.


Indeed, the wind from the start until we had Malibu in sight was the predicted 6-8 knots.  And, we had a hard time keeping up with the smaller J/Boats with their big genoas. But, then the wind started building, and once we turned around at Malibu Pier, it built rapidly until we had a 16-18 knot winds that powered up the spinnaker and had us surfing at 8-10 knots for the short 10-mile trip back to Marina Del Rey. We made up a lot of ground on those smaller boats and ended up fifth in our doublehanded class and third out of the boats competing for the series. The entire race took us just 4 hours 45 minutes. We love sailing the J/105, particularly in moderate to big breeze!"

Winning the Doublehanded Class was Curt Johnson & Paul Burnett's J/80 AVET. Taking the silver was Brian Kerr & Grant Bartee's J/92 DOUBLE DOWN and rounding out the podium with the bronze medal was Caesar Berger & Ron Agustsson's J/29 ZULU.  The balance of the top five was Lenny Gordon & John Thomas' J/92 SUNSHINE and fifth was the J/105 CHUCHULAINN. Also participating were two bigger J's; Jack Rose & Ken Robinson sailed the J/120 PRIVATEER to 8th place and Bruce Keller & Neil Fletcher sailed their J/130 BEAUTY to 9th place! A great show of force by all doublehanded J/Sailors, taking 7 of the top 10 is real proof of the ease-of-handling and boat speed of J/Designs in a wide variety of conditions.  Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Fiesta Cup Regatta Preview

(Santa Barbara, CA)- The Santa Barbara Yacht Club is pleased to host the 14th annual Fiesta Cup in gorgeous Santa Barbara, California from July 18th to 19th, 2020.  One-designs invited to participate include the J/111 and J/70 classes. Due to Covid-19 restrictions in California, this year's event will only be open to Santa Barbara YC and Santa Barbara Sailing Club boats.

The sailing will take place in the Santa Barbara Channel. The scenery is unparalleled, since the 50-mile channel is bordered by the Channel Islands National Park to the southwest and the "American Riviera" and San Pablo Mountain range to the northeast. In July, the venue typically provides a sea breeze of 12-18 knots from the WNW, but has a variety of wind conditions and average temperatures of 77 degrees.

Looking forward to a weekend on the water is a large contingent of J/Sailors. As the largest class in the regatta, the eight-boat J/70 fleet will enjoy great sailing and competition. The usual suspects will be present, including Scott Deardorff's CAKE, Tom Tunberg's NAMASTE, Pat Toole's 3 BIG DOGS, and Paul Castleberg's MONKEY HOUSE.

The J/111 Class will be a three-way duel between very experienced offshore teams, such as Bernie Girod's ROCK & ROLL, Kenny Kieding's ARGO 3, and Mike Drammer & Shaun Hughes' TITANIUM.  For more Fiesta Cup Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/105s Prevail in Dave Wall Memorial Race

(Marina del Rey, CA)- In one of the first sanctioned races in Santa Monica Bay in a long time, on June 13th the Pacific Singlehanded Sailing Association (PSSA) held its regularly scheduled single/ doublehanded “inverted start” from Marina Del Rey to Redondo Beach and back.

The 16.0nm course attracted what must be a recent record of thirty-two entries. The fleet included a pair of J/105s, a pair of J/92s, a J/29 and J/80. The Class 1 Singlehanded class had 12 boats, while the Class 2 Doublehanded class fielded 16 boats.

The fleet was blessed with a somewhat classical SoCal offshore day. Sunny, good breeze, and in the mid-70s F. In consistent wind of 14-16 knots that ranged from a beam reach to close hauled, Dan Murphy and Rob Dekker sailed their J/105 CUCHULAINN to the top of the leaderboard, more than two minutes ahead of their nearest competitor, the J/29 ZULU sailed by owner Caesar Berger and Ronald Augustsson. Just off the pace was the famous J/80 AVET, the duo of Curt Johnson and Paul Burnett took fourth place. Notably, working out their early season kinks to take an 8th place was Brian Kerr and Edwina Gillin's J/92 DOUBLE DOWN. 

Charles Spear in his J/105 TWELVE BAR BLUES finished second amongst the Class 1 Singlehanded boats.  

J/145 Takes MEXORC Silver!

(Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)- The MEXORC Trophy 2020 took place over a three-race series that starts with the famous Puerto Vallarta Race from San Diego, CA to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It has proven to be a popular event over the years since the series ends with an amazing awards ceremony in Puerto Vallarta.

It is not hard to see why the MEXORC Trophy continues to attract sailors from around the world. Fun racing. Amazing hospitality. Sailing on the azure waters of Bahia de Banderas with whales, sharks, sunfish, flying fish, wahoo, dorado, tuna, lobster, and good Lord knows what else. It's a seafood fiesta, sailing fiesta to excite the senses.


Notably, Roger Gatewood's J/145 KATARA took 2nd in the ORR 5 Class in the Puerto Vallarta Race, then managed to post an overall record of 5-5-2 for the MEXORC Trophy to take 3rd overall! Job well done...and, notably, just about a week before Mexico went into "shutdown/ lockdown" mode in Mexico as well. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Re-define Normal and Enjoy It!

(San Diego, CA)- Last weekend on San Diego Bay, thirty-nine boats participated in the first race to be held since early March in all of southern California. Remarkably, the announcement had come out only three days earlier, and the strong response had everything to do with a smart plan and an eager audience.

As an active commercial and military port, the challenge with hosting events inside San Diego Bay is securing permission. However, amid this pandemic health crisis, optics are a challenge, too. For starters, the harbor is in plain view of government offices and an impatient population in downtown San Diego. To do this race, the boxes needed to be checked.

But, with strong relationships, and a track record for doing what they say, the Cortez Racing Association was able to work with the San Diego Harbor Police and U.S. Coast Guard to get their understanding and permission and created the CRA "Race Your Household I" event.  The hope is that it will evolve into a series all summer long!

As for the plan, it was shorthanded classes and same household crew, using government marks and a bare-bones race committee.

It was also about Corinthian spirit to cooperate and appreciate, and with Chamber of Commerce post-card sailing conditions, it laid the groundwork for future events.

Answering the call in the Singlehanded, Doublehanded, and Family Crew (3 or more) classes were an amazing cross-section of J/Teams enthusiastically heading "down to the sea again".  Those crews included Rudy Hasl's J/145 PALAEMON with family crew of Philip, Melanie, and Harris Hasl); Christina Seidel's J/24 CYGNET 2 (with family crew of Susan, Ella, and Holly Seidel); Bill & Robert Quealey's J/105 J-RABBIT SLIM; and Tim Lynch & Sandy Vissman's J/30 RUFFIAN.

In the end, winning the 3 or More Class was the Hasl family on their J/145 PALAEMON, while the Lynch & Vissman duo on their J/30 RUFFIAN sailed home to take the silver.

"Thank you's" to Race Committee Chair Colleen Cooke and Fleet Captain Rich Chambers! And, congratulations to the class winners, who will receive a $25.00 gift certificate from Fiddler's Green- compliments of owner Steve Rock! You have to LOVE Steve and his crew at Fiddler's Green, truly amazing people! :)

Said Scuttlebutt's Craig Leweck, "I have said this before, but for those harbors waiting to return to their normal competition schedule, you will be waiting too long. The season is on, people want to use their boats, and there are ways to do it. While major sports leagues struggle to return to their normal, we can re-define ours and still have a great time. We sure did!" 

Stay tuned for Race Your Household II, tentatively scheduled for Saturday, June 6!  Thanks for contribution by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News   Learn more about the Cortez Racing Association racing schedule here. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

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.