FROSTBITING J/22s at 44.6 DEG. NORTH

Commodore Sean McDermott of Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron shares a video and update:

"As the oldest yacht club in the Americas (since 1837), it's a day at Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron to shovel snow, frostbite J/22s, and finish at the fire.

"Our plan was to start our Spring J/22 frostbiting with the first sign of decent weather and, as soon as provincial COVID-19 health regulations eased a little. With a maximum outdoor gathering limit raised to 150 persons, we were given the green light… and then we had a big snowstorm on the day before the start!


Undaunted, teams used the hatch sliders on the J/22s to shovel snow off the decks and out of the cockpits, and soon enough we were good to go! Double windward-leewards in shifty conditions made for a ton of fun on March 20. Now our fingers and toes are collectively crossed that we can run our bi-annual Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race with our friends from Boston Yacht Club."  Enjoy the short YouTube sailing video here  Thanks to our friends at Scuttlebutt Sailing for the round-the-campfire enjoymentAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

2020 J/22 North Americans Cancelled

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)– The International J/22 Class Association (IJ22CA) and CORK in Kingston, Ontario Canada have determined, because of the varying levels of infection and disruption across the world, that the 2020 J/22 North American Championship scheduled for August 6-9 is cancelled. The Executive Committee has been closely monitoring the worldwide developments in the COVID-19 pandemic. They understand the huge commitment of time and money it takes to participate in a major Championship, as well as the enormous resources that our hosts dedicate to such events.

The Class intends to hold the 2023 J/22 North American Championship at CORK in Kingston, following the 2021 J/22 World Championship in Corpus Christi, Texas (July 18-24) and the 2022 J/22 North American Championship in Tawas Bay, Michigan (September 13-17). In the meantime, the Class wishes all J/22 sailors and their families the best in these difficult times. We look forward to resuming sailing as soon as we can.

Trevor Collins, J/22 Canadian Class President, said, “It was important to the organizing group that we would be able to offer competitors an event complete, memorable and worthy of a North American Championship title. We hope all J/22 sailors get on the water soon, and we look forward to inviting you all back to CORK in the near future.”  Learnmore about the J/22 and the class here. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/99 Debuts @ Toronto Boat Show

(Toronto, ONT, Canada)- Visit the Toronto International Boat Show, North America’s largest indoor boat show and is the preeminent selling venue for Canada’s recreational boating industry! The show is celebrating 62 years and runs from January 17th to 26th at the Enercare Centre, Exhibition Place, in downtown Toronto.

Making her 2020 Canadian boat show debut will be the exciting J/99 offshore speedster! You can find her at Stand B2 & B3. Presenting the J/99 will be Pat Sturgeon Yachts from Mississauga, ON. For more J/99 visitation information, please contact Pat Sturgeon at phone- 905-278-5100 or email- pats@patsturgeonyachts.com.   For more Toronto Boat Show information and tickets Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Canadians Crowned J/105 Masters Champions!

(San Diego, CA)– The 2019 International Masters Regatta got off to an entertaining start today. After a slight course adjustment to the south and the first race of the weekend, the sailors and their crews were gifted an extra-long lunch break with a view. Just around 1200 hrs, the U.S. Navy rained down on the South Bay course during an airdrop exercise, presenting the sailors and spectators with another San Diego airshow.

Meanwhile, down on the water, 11 boats skippered by seasoned sailors over the age of 60 were putting on their own show of fast, competitive and close racing. It was the perfect fall day in San Diego to impress the out-of-towners from the East Coast and Canada. The conditions saw a breeze of 12 to 15 knots and not a cloud in the sky.

Day 1- Beautiful opening day
Finishing the first day in the lead was Canadian Andy Roy with 12 points, the only International team at the event. Following Roy was Tad Lacey with 11 points in second and the famous two-time America’s Cup winner Gary Jobson with 15 points in third.

Roy proved that consistency was key in a successful regatta. Managing to stay fairly consistent with his scores, Roy never finished below fifth place. He slowly crept his way to the top, finishing the fourth and final race of the day in first.

“We were over early in the first race which wasn’t a great way to start, but we made a pretty good come back towards the end. Staying in the lower, single digit numbers is what we were going for. Last year we did this race and stayed closer to the 8s and 9s. So far this year we kept our races clean, got a clear lane on the first windward leg, and had good speed up and down,” Roy explained.

Only one point behind Roy was Lacey, showing off his experience with two bullets; one in the second race and one in the third. Roy and Lacey often found themselves neck and neck today. In the second race, the two boats went head to head on their approach to the first weather mark. In the third race, Lacey finished only a foot or two ahead of Roy.

“Roy and I were really close in the third race, but we stayed in front of them. The two of us were well out in front and the race was really between the two of us. That’s when we inched him out. He’s a great sailor. Now we’re going to get a good night’s sleep and do it again tomorrow,” Lacey commented.

Several sailors today deserve notable mentions for their outstanding performances during the day. Jobson (3rd) started off race four with an OSC and managed to pull himself back into fourth place by the end of the race. Chuck Sinks (4th) took a hard turn in race two, finishing 8th, but kept their spirits high to finish with a second and third and the final two races. Bill Peterson and Scott Harris both kept their name on the top half of the score sheet, moving in and out of the top of the fleet throughout the day.

It’s to go without saying that SDYC’s International Masters Regatta brings some of the best to San Diego and that was easy to see with the incredibly close racing and skillful tactics out on the water. Despite the distractions and visitors to the course, each one of them proved that they belonged there with the rest.

Day 2- Fleet "Moving" Day
It was “moving day” and the skippers were getting more comfortable making their homes on the score sheet and moving in on their competitors. After the second day of the regatta, there were major position shifts in the results.

After Saturday’s races, Roy was still in first with 27 points, with Chuck Sinks moving up to second with 29 points, and Lacey holding on to third with 37 points.

The master skippers and crew were greeted with light winds and glassy water as they headed down to South San Diego Bay this morning. After a short AP to wait for the breezes to fill, teams were soon sailing in 10-13 knots. Similar to yesterday, the South Bay course was blessed with clear skies and temperatures in the high 60s.

The first race of the day was dominated by Mary Brigden-Snow. Snow held her position until the last leg of the race when Roy was able to pull ahead into first, leaving the all-female team narrowly in second. Brigden-Snow kept her momentum going all day, finding herself at the top of the fleet in several races. The team finished at the top again in race seven with a third and in race eight with a second.

“We had a little more time to get ourselves sorted out today. We got our starts going, my crew is amazing and it was fun seeing us get a little momentum. As JJ [Fetter] says ‘keep her rumbling’ so I’ll be staying focused on the rumbling while my crew keeps doing a great job. Hopefully we can keep on doing some of that tomorrow,” expressed Brigden-Snow.

Sinks and his crew moved around the score sheet quite a bit as well. The team finished the first day of the regatta in fourth place tied with Gary Jobson. In race six, Sinks battled it out with Scott Mason and Roy to take the first-place finish. He climbed his way to the top of the fleet by the end of the day but not without more competition from Jobson. In the final race of the day, Jobson took the lead around the first weather mark. Sinks caught up and rounded the leeward mark first while Jobson got caught on the outside, spinning to make it through gate. Sinks was able to keep a solid lead on the rest of the fleet, taking his second bullet of the regatta.

“We had pretty good starts today in both races that we won, which gave us a lot of space to do what we wanted to do. The team did a phenomenal job as usual. We’re happy to be where we are with three more races left. We’re all having a good time and we’re all still talking to each other, so, so far so good,” said Sinks in high spirits.

Scott Harris also came ready to play today, especially in race seven when he was leading the fleet by about a minute. With Harris’ strong, unbeatable gain, the real race was for second place. Bill Peterson, who was standing mid-fleet yesterday, made an impressive comeback, fighting against Brigden-Snow in the second to last race to take second place. Peterson was able to improve his position by a few places to fourth place.

The day ended with a high-note for many, especially for the San Diego Yacht Club’s home-teams. To celebrate wins and join in on friendly camaraderie, skippers, crews and their families enjoyed the International Masters Regatta traditional Saturday night banquet. Each skipper took to the stage where they could recap their successes and roast their fellow sailors and crew… always one of the greatest laughs at the regatta.

Day 3- Another sunny, pretty day?
The regatta saw three beautiful, windy days of sailing in breezes up to 13 knots each day. By the last race, the South Bay course had white caps and extra chop. Andy Roy finished in first place overall with 41 points, followed by Scott Harris in second with 47 points and Chuck Sinks in third with 49 points.

In race nine, the first race of the day, the win went to Gary Jobson, who battled his way back up the score sheet through the day, ending in fifth place. In race 10, Harris proved his master status with the bullet and a solid lead on the rest of the fleet. “We started a little slow at the beginning of the weekend, and then we just got better,” Harris said laughing. “We brought Jon Pinckney on board who sailed in the regatta last year, and learned a lot from him over the course of the weekend. One of which was to play the backstay more."

Harris will be back at the San Diego Yacht Club next weekend for the 105th Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup where he will be sailing with his son. “We’ll go for first this time,” joked Harris.

In the final race, race 11, Roy and his crew got back into the game. After a fifth and an eighth in the first two races, Roy was only one point ahead of Sinks going into the final race. It all came down the start. The team got under Sinks and was able to control their fate for the rest of the race, sealing their regatta win.

Roy and his fellow Canadian sailors headed back up to Canada on Monday morning, where they’ll be retiring the boat for the winter and breaking out the skis for the season.

After the races, the skippers and their crews gathered on the Front Deck of the San Diego Yacht Club where they were presented with their awards. The teams enjoyed dockside cocktails and ended the weekend with good camaraderie. The 2019 International Masters Regatta was an unpredictable, highly competitive regatta between experienced sailors over the age of 60. Many of the men and women sailing this weekend have national, world, and Olympic titles paired with their names. During the IMR, these sailors get to rejoin old friends, teammates and competitors for three days of sailing in the beauty that is South San Diego Bay.  Sailing photo credits- Mark Albertazzi/ San Diego YC   For more J/105 Masters Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Canadian J/105 Championship Preview

(Toronto, ONT, Canada)- The Royal Canadian Yacht Club will be hosting the 2019 Canadian J/105 Championship on Lake Ontario from September 27th to 29th. The enormously popular J/105 has continued to grow in Toronto and the fleet will be hosting their Canadian Nationals for a fleet of a dozen teams.

The Canadian fleet is surprisingly deep, with two teams that lay claim to four J/105 North American Championship titles between them; Terry McLaughlin & Rod Wilmer’s MANDATE and Jim Rathbun’s HEY JUDE. They are joined by other top crews like Peter Halls’ JAMAICA ME CRAZY, and Kevin Pask’s FULL TILT.  For more Canadian J/105 Championship sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Fun J/Fest Great Lakes Regatta

(Toronto, ONT, Canada)- The Royal Canadian Yacht Club in Toronto, Ontario hosted their first J/Fest Great Lakes on their magnificent setting on an island offshore of the majestic city of Toronto.  The event featured one-design fleets for J/27s, J/80s, J/105s and a PHRF fleet that included J/88s, J/35s, and J/109. Thirty-three boats participated in the event, an excellent turnout for the inaugural event at RCYC.

In the five-boat J/27 class, winning was Bruce Scott’s WARPED PERCEPTION.  Second was Chris Johnston’s AFTERNOON DELIGHT, and third was Madeleine Beese’s MESSING ABOUT.  Rounding out the top five were Rich O’Hare’s TAKE 5 and Christian Greenfield’s MISS TRIXIE, in 4th and 5th, respectively.

There were three women owner/ skippers in the nine-boat J/80 class. It just so happens the women triumphed! Winning was Trudy Murphy’s FEISTY and in third was Chrissy Thompson’s PUFFIN. Sandwiched in between were two guys- Dave Doyle & Mark McLean’s INNOCENT BYSTANDER.

Surprise, surprise, guess who won the sixteen-boat J/105 class? MANDATE? No, couldn’t be!? Well, after posting six straight bullets, who else would it be? Yet again, the 3x J/105 North American Champions, Terry McLaughlin & Rod Wilmer on MANDATE walked off with the J/105 title at J/Fest with just 12 pts total- an astonishing, eye-popping, draw-dropping, low score compared to the rest of the fleet. As the Queen was once rumored to have remarked after the yacht AMERICA won the 100 Guinea Cup after rounding the famous Isle of Wight in 1851, “who was second”? The answer was purported to be, “Your Majesty, there was no second!”  And so it goes for the J/105 class in North America, the “Mc/Wilmer” duo is pretty unstoppable, with MANDATE usually seen at the top of the leaderboard.  Second was, in fact, Peter Hall’s JAMAICA ME CRAZY and third was Frank McLaughlin’s STARCROSS.

The J/PHRF class was won by Paul-Angus Bark’s J/105 CRIME SCENE. Second was Tim Sweet’s J/88 PUFFIN and third was yet another woman boat owner on the podium- Denys Jones’ J/109 CARPE VENTUS.  For more J/Fest Great Lakes Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Fest Great Lakes Regatta Preview

(Toronto, ONT, Canada)- The Royal Canadian Yacht Club in Toronto, Ontario is hosting their first J/Fest Great Lakes on their magnificent setting on an island offshore of the majestic city of Toronto.  The event will feature one-design fleets for J/27s, J/80s, J/105s and a PHRF fleet that includes J/88s, J/35s, and J/109. Thirty-three boats are participating in the event, an excellent turnout for the inaugural event at RCYC.

The five-boat J/27 class includes Chris Johnston’s AFTERNOON DELIGHT, Madeleine Beese’s MESSING ABOUT, Christian Greenfield’s MISS TRIXIE, Rich O’Hare’s TAKE 5, and Bruce Scott’s WARPED PERCEPTION.

The nine-boat J/80 class includes three women owner/ skippers, including Trudy Murphy’s FEISTY, Janet Geisberger’s HAPPY J, and Chrissy Thompson’s PUFFIN. They will up against “the boys”, six of them, that include Owen Schneider’s ENIGMA, Gary Stephenson’s FLYER, Martin Rutter’s FREE RADICAL, Dave Doyle & Mark McLean’s INNOCENT BYSTANDER, Richard Bruneau’s JUBILATION, and Chris Hobb’s LIFTED.

Starting over a half-dozen years ago, several members of the Royal Canadian YC wanted to come up with a “family-friendly” day sailor and offshore racing keelboat that was also easy to maintain. They focused on picking up “gently used” J/105s and the fruit of their continuing efforts has materialized in a class of sixteen boats for the event.  Perhaps even more amazing is that the local J/105 fleet includes two past multiple J/105 North American Champions- Jim Rathbun’s HEY JUDE and Terry McLaughlin & Rod Wilmer’s MANDATE. Other top contenders include Mike Mountford’s LIVE EDGE, Peter Hall’s JAMAICA ME CRAZY, Mike Chapman’s SENTIENT, Ian Farquharson’s SONIC BOOM, and Frank McLaughlin’s STARCROSS.

The J/PHRF class includes Tim Sweet’s J/88 PUFFIN, two J/105s (Paul-Angus Bark’s CRIME SCENE and Andrew Koolman’s LOYALIST), and Denys Jones’ J/109 CARPE VENTUS.  For more J/Fest Great Lakes Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Lake Ontario 300 Offshore Race Preview

(Port Credit, ONT, Canada)- From July 12th to 16th the Port Credit YC in Port Credit, Ontario will be hosting their annual Lake Ontario 300 race for a fleet of singlehanded, double-handed, and fully-crewed yachts from across Lake Ontario. It is considered one of the most challenging Great Lakes long distance offshore races due to the nature of the course sailing a criss-crossing navigation of the lake.  The event is popular with J/Boats crews in the region and many are participating in nearly all the divisions.

In the IRC 1 Class, Bruce Pierce’s J/122 HOOLIGAN II from Toronto, ONT.  In the PHRF Singlehanded 1 division will be Geoffrey Roulet’s J/35 JEANNIE from Kingston, ONT. In the PHRF 1 Division are several full-crewed teams, such as Robert Dewitte’s J/100 PERSPECTIVE, Kim Piller’s J/109 LIVE WIRE, Murray Gainer’s J/109 LIVELY, and Matt Emerson’s J/120 RED LEAF.  For more Lake Ontario 300 sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Van Isle 360 Race Report

J/Crews Leading Sweeps in PHRF 1 & 2!
(Victoria/ Nanaimo, BC)- The biennial Van Isle 360 Race has been going on for well over a week now. The race is actually a series of nine individual legs that circumnavigate the outrageously picturesque Vancouver Island off the Pacific coastline of British Columbia.

The combination of the nine legs determines the class winners as well as the overall winner.  The legs are:

1. Nanaimo to Comox- 36.9nm
2. Comox to Campbell River- 27.6nm
3. Deepwater Bay to Hardwicke Island- 24.2nm
4. Hardwicke Island to Telegraph Cove- 41.0nm
5. Telegraph Cove to Port Hardy- 28.7nm
6. Port Hardy to Winter Harbour- 69.1nm
7. Winter Harbour to Ucluelet- 138.1nm
8. Ucluelet to Victoria Harbour- 98.2nm
9. Victoria Harbour to Nanaimo- 59.9nm

That makes for a total course length of at least 486.8nm as the crow flies down the rhumbline. However, as all sailors know, it could be almost 30% more than that depending on weather conditions. This year it has been quite windy at times and there were reports of 40 to 50 kt blasts (more like microbursts) tripping down off the mountains peaks on Vancouver Island while racers were in the notorious Johnstone Straits.

At this time, J/Teams are leading sweeps in the two largest big boat divisions.  In the PHRF Division 1, leading is B. Chan and A. Smyth’s J/111 65 RED ROSES II with 15 pts and they are also sitting in 1st PHRF Overall (six classes). Tied for second place on 22 pts each are Bill Fox’s J/160 JAM and Scott Campbell’s J/121 RIVA.

Then, in PHRF Division 2, leading is T. Sitar’s J/109 SERENDIPITY with 21 pts, Mark Hansen’s J/109 MOJO is second with 22 pts, third is C & J Wolfe’s J/120 SHEARWATER with 25 pts and fifth is Tolga Cezik’s J/109 LODOS with 38 pts.

With just one race left, the approx. 60.0nm leg from Vancouver Harbour to the finish line off Nanaimo Harbour, anything goes for 2nd and 3rd spots on the podium in PHRF 1 and no question it will be one heck of a battle in PHRF 2 class for all three spots on the podium as the three boats are only separated by 3 pts!  For more Van Isle 360 Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Dreary “Driftsure Race”!

J/Crews Sweep Cape Flattery Race!
(Victoria, British Columbia)- Light winds, relentless rain, and unforgiving current was the theme for the 76th Swiftsure International Yacht Race on May 25, with only 16 of the 128 starters completing one of the six courses ranging from 79 to 138 nm that start and finish in Victoria, BC!! The winning J/105 averaged 2.59 knots of “rhumbline” boatspeed over their 101.9nm Cape Flattery Race course (notably, they did not sail rhumbline, read what they had to say below!).

Chuck Stephens, owner of the J/105 PANIC, had this to say about their adventure up and down the Straits of Juan de Fuca, “we had a rather successful Swiftsure 2019, winning The Cape Flattery Race overall.  It was very much due to the teamwork of the crew lead by Iain Christenson.  We likely did more (maybe twice as many) tacks, gybes, sets and take downs than in all of the twelve prior Swiftsure’s that PANIC has done since 2002! Here is a photo of the crew at the inspection dock after the race.  We did well but getting a "Thank You" card from the Race Committee was very special.”

A quote from PANIC’s main trimmer Naomi Medley after the race, “the crew was great! How many people could you spend 40 hours with racing in light wind with several hours of drenching rain and be absolutely all smiles at the end?" 2.59 kts was the rhumbline race average for J/105 winner!!

Behind the winning J/105 in the Cape Flattery Race were a slew of J/Crews. Taking the silver overall was Chris Phoenix’s J/105 JADED, while Kirk Fraser’s J/109 ECLIPSE took the bronze. Taking 5th place was Chad Stenwick’s J/35 THE BOSS, and then Bob Hayward’s J/105 KINETIC took 6th. Notably, the three J/105s swept PHRF L3 Class, while the J/109 won PHRF L2 Class.

The Juan de Fuca Race had Ulf Gwildis’ J/30 IMPULSIVE finish the race, take 4th overall, and win PHRF L2 Class!

In addition, there is a “day race” called the Swiftsure Inshore Classic. Based on the wind conditions, the RC PRO chose Course #10, a random-leg 19.0nm course.  In the top PHRF INF1 Division, Matt Dahabieh’s J/29 GODZILLA got onto the podium, taking the bronze.  Then, Jim Bottles’ J/30 CELEBRATION took fourth place and Tom Kerr’s J/105 CORVO 105 placed 5th.  For more Swiftsure Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Susan Hood Trophy Race Preview

(Port Credit, Ontario)- Since 1955, fully crewed yachts have been taking on the challenge of a spring offshore race- the 75.0nm Susan Hood Trophy Race on Lake Ontario. The 2019 edition of the Susan Hood Trophy Race is presented by driveHG.ca. Hosting the race is Port Credit Yacht Club and is scheduled to run on Friday, May 31, 2019 at Port Credit YC. Everyone is looking forward to decent winds that are forecast for this year’s race, due to the insane tornadic weather systems that have been crossing the American Midwest.

In the seven-boat IRC Division are Bruce Pierce’s J/122 HOOLIGAN II and John McLeod’s J/133 HOT WATER. In the PHRF Singlehanded class are Kim Piller’s J/109 LIVE WIRE and Ard Van Leeuwen’s J/112E HIGH TEA. In the PHRF Racing class are eleven J/teams, including Robert DeWitte’s J/100 PERSPECTIVE, two J/105s (Peter Wolniak’s ANOTHER HAZARD & Geoff Clarke’s CASUAL ELEGANCE), Murray Gainer’s J/109 LIVELY, two J/120s (Matt Emerson’s RED LEAF & Graham Toms’ THE CAT CAME BACK), Mike Pietz’s J/35 SHORTHANDED, two J/88s (Ed Berkhout’s ALL CAT & Tim Sweet’s GIVE’R), and Andrew Sharp’s J/92 SWITCH.  For more Susan Hood Trophy sailing information- Entries/ results here   Regatta site here Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Susan Hood Trophy Race Announcement

(Port Credit, Ontario)- Since 1955, fully crewed yachts have been taking on the challenge of a spring offshore race on Lake Ontario to get their crews trained and coordinated for summer races- it's the 75.0nm Susan Hood Trophy Race.

The 2019 edition of the Susan Hood Trophy Race is presented by driveHG.ca. Hosting the race is Port Credit Yacht Club and is scheduled to run on Friday, May 31, 2019 at Port Credit YC. Boats typically are back at PCYC mid-day or during the afternoon of the following day. The first great race of the season!

Why race the Susan Hood??

• Excellent warm up race for the Lake Ontario 300
• Experience the weather challenges offered in spring
• Convenient overnight racing will not tie up the weekend
• Great pre-race and post-race camaraderie
• Post-race party is AWE-some!

For more Susan Hood Trophy sailing information.   Entries/ results here.   Regatta site here. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

McLaughlin Eclipses Canadian J/105 Nationals

(Toronto, Ontario, Canada)- The 2018 Canadian J/105 Nationals were hosted by Royal Canadian YC for a fleet of seventeen boats on Lake Ontario.  The RCYC RC crew managed to produce five races for the fleet over the two-day weekend.

Not surprisingly, ace Canadian sailor Terry McLaughlin (an America’s Cup skipper for Canada, 2x J/105 North American Champion, and Olympic Medallist) managed to post five bullets to be crowned the 2018 J/105 Canadian Champion.  Fellow J/105 North American Champion, James Rathbun, guided his famous HEY JUDE to an easy second place with a tally of 2-2-3-4-2 for 13 pts total. Rounding out the podium in third place was Frank McLaughlin’s STARCROSS with a tally of 3-7-4-3-3 for 20 pts total.  The balance of the top five included THE USUAL SUSPECTS in 4th and Peter Hall’s JAMAICA ME CRAZY in 5th position.  For more Canadian J/105 National Championships sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Howarth Tops J/24 Canadian Championship

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)- Thirteen teams took on the 2018 J/24 Canadian Championship held August 18-20 in Kingston, Ont. Michael Howarth’s crew started hot, winning three of the first five races, and held off a late charge by David Ogden to take the title. Ogden’s team won the final four races but still finished five points back in the 9-race series. Peter Dixon finished one point further back in third overall.

Rounding out the top five were Jean Levac in fourth with 38 pts and Edmond Rees in fifth with 42 pts.  For more Canadian J/24 Championship sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

QUEBEC Yachting J/121 Boat Review

(Montreal, Quebec, Canada)- “The new J/121 from J/Boats, with its 40 ft (12.19 m) in length, is a performance sailboat that can be used to race or simply sail with a crew of five or less,” commented Joani Hotte-Jean, Editor-in-Chief, of Quebec Yachting. “The rigging, sail and deck plan has been designed to simplify maneuvers in all conditions. The versatile and ergonomic cockpit is inspired by the design of the J/111 with its workspace, light dodger or hardtop that protect against the elements. Two helm stations allow the captain to handle the wheel and to reach all the main controls of the mainsail when driving. Inside, you will find a complete galley area and two full length berths in the middle of the boat on which your crew can sleep and a storage space at the front that can turn into a removable V berth.” Learn more about the J/121 here.  Read more here (in French) on Quebec Yachting. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

40th J/24 Canadian Nationals Preview

(Kingston, ONT, Canada)- The 2018 Canadian J/24 Nationals are being held in conjunction with CORK/ Sail Kingston Regatta in that famously windy (mostly) location at the far eastern end of Lake Ontario.  Since 1979, the J/24s have been sailing on Lake Ontario and across all parts of Canada for over 40 years, this year marking the 40th time Canadians have sailed their National Championship in J/24s!  The lake is a perfect venue for the event, as the classic seabreezes start out light in the mornings from the SSW, then slowly build from 6-10 kts into the 12-18 kts range by late afternoon.

The thirteen boats sailing in this year’s event has a dozen Canadian teams and one American (a woman skipper- Kira Munger from Fair Haven, New York sailing USA 423).  The Montreal crews include Stephan Blais CAN 3366, Fred Deom CAN 4019, & Brian Morris CAN 3782.    The Ottawa fleet (the Canadian capitol) sailors include Jean Levac CAN 5254 and Richard Tanguay CAN 2594. The Toronto crews include Dave Ogden’s CAN 5235 and Ed Rees’ CAN 3729.  For more Canadian J/24 Nationals sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

HIJINKS J/88 Great Lakes Champion

FM J/70 Lake Ontario Top Dog!
(Youngstown, NY)- The Youngstown YC hosted yet another awesome CanAm Challenge Regatta on western Lake Ontario this past weekend.  The fun and games included an “impromptu” (but, fiercely fought) street hockey game along the waterfront parking lot between Canadian and American sailing teams; bragging rights for North American supremacy again go to the Canadians with a 2-1 victory!

Perhaps the consolation prize goes to the Americans for winning the principal J/one-design classes- the J/70s and J/88s.

After eleven races, it was quite apparent who was going to become the 2018 J/88 Great Lakes Champion.  By winning the first three races and closing the last day with a 1-1-2, Laura Weyler’s HIJINKS had a seemingly unassailable control over their 88 colleagues in terms of tactics and speed.  Their record was six 1sts and four 2nds for just 14 pts net!  A distant second, like in the next county, was Tim Finkle’s SEAWEED, winning the fight for the silver in a nail-biting, anxiety-ridden final race over Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION.  The women skippers are sailing fast in the 88’s, as Cindy Goodin’s QUIXY took 4th and Tim Sweet’s Canadian crew on GIVE’R was fifth.

Also sailing an amazing eleven races over three days was the largest class in the event, the dozen-boat J/70 class.  Tod Sackett’s FM crew sailed the most consistently, posting all podium finishes as his counters to win with 19 pts.  The balance of the podium was determined by a tie-breaker at 24 pts each, with Travis Odenbach’s USA 40 winning the countback over Kevin Morgan’s WILD CARD.

As anticipated, the duel in the J/22 class of a half-dozen boats would come down to Vic Snyder’s MO’MONEY and Mark Sertl’s MONEY FOR NOTHING, the outcome poetically determined by tie-breaker on 8 pts each!  Snyder’s crew got the win based on the most 1sts.  Third was Trevor Collins’ ALTERNATIVE GIRLFRIEND team from Canada.

In the world of PHRF handicap racing, the PHRF 1 Spinnaker saw the two J/35s finish next to each other; 3rd was CRIME SCENE (Paul Angus Bark) and 4th LOYALIST (Andrew Koolman).  In PHRF 2 Spinnaker, the J/80 LIFTED (Ed Berkhout) was 2nd and the J/24 SQUIRMY (Alex O’Brien) was 3rd. In PHRF 1- Non-spinnaker, Doug Clarke’s J/35C won the class, with Jocelyn Sikorski’s J/34 SOUND WAVE in third.  Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes 2017. For more J/88 Great Lakes and CanAm Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

REX Crowned Canadian J/70 Champion

J/29s & J/100s Cruise @ Charlottetown Race Week
(Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island)- The annual Charlottetown Race Week was recently held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island over the July 12th to 14th weekend. The event feature a J/29 one-design class, a PHRF class, as well as the Canadian J/70 class hosting their Canadian Nationals.

Starting out with just five bullets, Scott Weakley’s team on REX simply put the hammer down and never looked back, winning the Nationals with a mere 8 pts net after seven races! However, the balance of the podium was a dogfight the entire weekend between Graeme Carr’s JOYRIDIN’ and Stu McCrea’s CAN 550. In the last two races, these two boats traded off 1st and 2nd, but neither could get enough boats in between them to gain further separation. As a result, Carr’s team took the silver with 12 pts net over McCrea’s team with 14 pts net.

In the J/29 division, it was Randy Johnston’s SATISFACTION that walked off with the class honors, winning easily with six 1sts in seven races. Second was David McInnis’ GEORGIA GIRL with 12 pts and third was Jason Aspin’s ONE 4 SURPRISE.

Leading a near sweep of the PHRF Spinnaker division were two J/100s. With three 1sts and three 2nds, it was not an easy win for Larry Creaser’s YOUNG BLOOD, finishing with 9 pts. Just one point back with four 1sts and three 3rds was Terry McKenna’s DOG PARTY with 10 pts! Other J’s in the top five were John Rankin’s J/35 PEPPER in 4th and Brandon Forbes’ J/30 ENDEAVOUR in 5th place. For more Charlottetown Race Week and Canadian J/70 Nationals sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Crews Triumphant in Southern Straits Race

(Vancouver, BC, Canada)- The 50th annual Southern Straits Race took place this past weekend, hosted by the West Vancouver YC in British Columbia- the Canadian side of the infamous Straits of Juan de Fuca that separate the wild and majestic Olympic Peninsula from the Canadian Maritimes to the north.

The race is a popular one in the Pacific Northwest for the offshore racing fraternity.  Like the Swiftsure International Yacht Race that sails later in the year, the West Vancouver YC has also evolved the race over the course of time to be more accommodating to the reality of today’s lifestyles.  The participants have the choice of three course- the Long Course (140nm), the Medium Course (106nm), and the Short Course (73nm).  A majority of the J/Teams participating sailed the Long Course (mostly 35 footers on up), while the smaller J’s did the Medium Course.  Here is a report of what took place during the race by Peter Salusbury who sailed on a boat called Longboard.

“This was the 50th anniversary of the Southern Straits Race classic and weather cooperated for what most will admit was a very pleasant and enjoyable race. Bruce Hedrick’s pre-race forecast was mostly spot on, though the NW wind stayed on a little longer than forecast into Saturday morning and then re-built closer to Vancouver to get most boats home early Saturday evening.

After a brief postponement waiting for the westerly winds to build into English Bay, all the fleets started in a light westerly which built fairly quickly as we passed Point Atkinson and hit the Bowen Island shore. On the long course, most boats left the Bowen Island shore after reaching Cowan Point and started the long starboard tack over to the Nanaimo harbor area. The now NW wind built to between 12 to 16 knots all afternoon. The J/160 JAM and others really legged out with their long waterlines on the smaller long course boats. The long and fast downwind sail to T10 was beautiful, with a huge full moon all night long and clear skies. On our boat, we seemed to notice an unusual amount of wood in the water and twice ran smack into substantial logs doing 10+ knots!

On the downwind leg, it seemed to pay dividends to keep tacking to port offshore every time the wind went light while on starboard tack. We always found bigger breeze offshore and made big gains on our fleet by approaching T10 from the north.

After rounding T10, we had a solid beat upwind to Ballenas (second time) with winds peaking out over 20+ knots at time, but lightening substantially after Nanaimo Harbor. Going upwind, it seemed advantageous to be a little closer to the Valdez/ Gabriola Island shores as we picked up a nice port tack lift that definitely helped us on those competitors who were more offshore.

After rounding Ballenas, the NW backed to more of a westerly and softened to less than 5 knots. We favored the north side of the course home, found a very nice 4 to 7 knot northerly that seldom hit the water, but we were able to keep the boat moving at 3 to 5 knots and sneak along over boats. Eventually the NE wind disappeared, and after a short period of calms (good time for hot oatmeal and cinnamon buns), a very light westerly started to build, which continued to build all the way to the finish. The smaller, slower boats on the Long Course were a little less fortunate with the westerly dying off not long after we finished, with many finishing late into Saturday evening– well done to them for persevering and getting a result! Overall, a very pleasant but somewhat ‘longer’ Long Course race compared to more recent years – but no rain, no clouds, full moon, lots of sun – none of us were complaining!

The boat that really impressed us on the Long Course was Bill Fox’s J/160 JAM who took the ORC Overall win by a wide margin– they appeared to sail a flawless race– super-fast up wind, and really managed the light air on the last leg to get the win– kudos to their team.

On the Medium Course, the J/109’s seemed to love the conditions as they took 3rd to 5th overall with a double handed J/120 called SHEARWATER, skippered by Justin Wolfe, taking an impressive 6th place overall, beating some very talented fully crewed boats. Great job to you both!

Once again, the race organizing committee deserves so much credit for making the 50th anniversary race so successful. On behalf of all participants, I’d like to thank first time Race Chairman, Mike Seper, and his army of volunteers at West Vancouver Yacht Club for making the race possible – great job, Mike! And lastly, thanks so much to all the participants who travelled from afar from home bases like Seattle and Victoria for the race – we appreciate the commitment you make to deliver your boats up and back at this time of the year and hope to see you all back next year.”  Thanks for contribution from Peter Salusbury and Sailish.com (http://sailish.com/index.php/category/racing/).

Winning the Long Course ORC Division was Bill Fox’s J/160 JAM, correcting out by nearly two hours over a TP52 and 1D48.

Winning the Medium Course ORC Division was Tom Sitar’s J/109 SERENDIPITY.  They were followed by Alex Smyth’s J/111 65 RED ROSES II in third place.

For the Medium Course PHRF 2 Division, J’s took 5 of the top 6 places. Sitar’s J/109 SERENDIPITY took the silver, with Mark Hansen’s J/109 MOJO awarded the bronze, John Peterson’s J/109 LEGACY in 4th, Wolfe’s J/120 SHEARWATER in 5th (sailing doublehanded!), and Smyth’s J/111 65 RED ROSES II in 6th.

The Medium Course PHRF Doublehanded Division was dominated by two J/Teams.  Winning was Justin Wolfe’s J/120 SHEARWATER and taking second was Scott Shaw-Mac & Brian Isaacs’ J/30 NATURAL HIGH.

The Medium Course PHRF 3 Division saw Ron Mackenzie’s J/37 FUTURE PRIMITIVE almost in the chocolates, having to settle for 4th place only 3.5 minutes back on corrected from taking the bronze!  Ouch.

Finally, in the Medium Course PHRF 4 Division, winning class was Phil Wampold’s J/92 ZAFF, taking the class by over a half hour on corrected time.  Taking the bronze was the Doublehanded team of Shaw-Mac and Isaacs on the J/30 NATURAL HIGH!

As a result of their performance, the J/crews did well in the Medium Course PHRF Overall scoring, with 5 of the top 8 going to J’s.  Top boat was Sitar’s J/109 SERENDIPITY taking the bronze, with Hansen’s J/109 MOJO in 4th, Peterson’s J/109 LEGACY in 5th, Wolfe’s J/120 SHEARWATER in 6th (sailing doublehanded!), and Smyth’s J/111 65 RED ROSES II in 8th.  Sailing photo credits- Jan Anderson/ Janpix.com.  For more Southern Straits Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/105 Lake Ontario- Winning Attributes of a Successful Fleet

(Toronto, Ontario)- Winning Attributes of a Successful Fleet- contributed by Doug Bullock, J/105 Class President.

On Lake Ontario, we have a relatively short six-month sailing season from May to October. So to be a successful fleet, you have to have the right combination of boat, culture and schedule to attract and retain owners and crew.

J/105 Fleet 4 Lake Ontario has been a very successful fleet, and I thought I would share what I believe for us are the winning attributes of the J/105 as a boat, the culture of the Class, and our own approach to each season’s schedule.

Our schedule looks for a balance of our racing life with our other life that really helps owners get the crew out and committed for the summer. Our goal is to hold two regattas per month while ensuring that every other weekend and every long weekend are free. This creates a balance that owners, and especially crew, love because it allows them to enjoy other activities during our short summers. It is a winning formula we have used for years.

As for J/105 culture—it is one thing to get people out racing and another to ensure their total experience for the weekend is a good one. There are two essential ingredients of every weekend regatta, the racing and the social.

With the racing, the J/105 Class nailed it with the Corinthian approach to the Rules, and while our fleet is very competitive, it is the camaraderie between owners and crew that is Corinthian to the core. It is this culture of our Class that I believe is one of the true attractions that keeps our fleet alive and vibrant.

With the social, it is the “off the water” receptions, BBQs and dinners that help ensure a regatta is remembered as a good time. This is where the camaraderie of sharing knowledge and helping each other to do better reflects the true Corinthian culture of the J/105 Class. We always work at ensuring everyone attends with free dinner and drinks tickets, live bands and fun games, like Flip Cup, Bocce Ball, and Beer Pong.

Then there is having the right boat, and here the J/105 is nothing short of awesome. It was a revolutionary one-design when it came out in 1991 with its asymmetrical spinnaker on a bow sprit, huge cockpit, sleek low profile hull, and it is still one hot boat to race today 26 years later. It is easy to sail, yet challenging to master.

We have 21 boats in our fleet, and it is the largest one-design big keelboat on Lake Ontario. Most of the boats have been in the fleet over 15 years, and while the owners may change occasionally, the boats remain. It is just the right boat for us.

I am going into my eighth year of owning a J/105, and while I am never on the podium at our regattas, I never tire of participating in the racing. A great start, a well-executed duck or perfect mark rounding give me huge satisfaction. When everyone on my boat is having fun, we have completed the regatta to our best ability and at the end of the weekend everyone had a good time, then I am one happy skipper.

To continue the success of J/105 fleets everywhere, we need to support the one-design nature of the J/105 boat and ensure there is always a balance to all our fleet activities while embracing our Corinthian culture.