J/70 North American Championship Preview

(Annapolis, MD)- A preview of the 2021 J/70 North American Championship took place last weekend during the Annapolis NOOD Regatta, sailing on the choppy, cols waters of Chesapeake Bay.  While nowhere near the sixty boats entered for this weekend's event, it will be interesting to see how last week's leaderboard fair against a deeply talent-laden fleet. Having "practiced" well last weekend, the host Annapolis Yacht Club will be looking forward to providing a solid four-days of sailing with up to a dozen races sailed. 

Who's the odds-on favorite to be one of those at the top of the leaderboard? None other than a local "home-boy", past J/24 World Champion and America's Cup Champion Terry Hutchinson from Annapolis, MD. Last weekend, Terry, co-owner Jenn Norwood, tactician Scott Nixon, Gil Hackel, and Dan Morris sailed USA 419 in challenging weather conditions, with massive breezes and currents, and they managed to eclipse many top J/70 teams...much to their surprise.  

However, as experienced sailors as they are, Hutchinson/ Norwood are under no illusions the J/70 N.A.'s will see the competitiveness level rise several notches. Needless to say, it's truly a "rogue's roost" of Olympic, World, and European champions taking aim at their competitors to be "top dog" by the time the dust clears on the racetrack. A highlight of those teams may include John Evans' AIRPLANE, Josh Becker's AWKWARD TURTLE, Dan Goldberg's BAZINGA, Joel Ronning's CATAPULT, John Brigden's COOL STORY BRO, John Heaton's EMPEIRIA, Doug Rastello's GOOD TO GO, Travis Odenbach's HONEYBADGER, Trey Sheehan's HOOLIGAN: FLAT STANLEY RACING, Chris Kostanecki's JENNIFER, Alex McPhail's NESSUNA, Steve Benjamin's REGGAE SHARK, Peter Duncan's RELATIVE OBSCURITY, Peter Barrett's RESET, Rich Witzel's ROWDY, John Brim's RIMETTE, Brian Keane's SAVASANA, Bruno Pasquinelli's STAMPEDE, Ryan McKillen's SURGE, Bruce Golison's  TEN, Dave Jannetti's VERY ODD, Buddy Cribb's VICTORY, and Mike Goldfarb's WAR CANOE.

Racing starts on Wednesday of next week and concludes on Saturday, with up to three races per day scheduled.  For more J/70 North American Championship sailing information

ANNAPOLIS NOOD A CELEBRATION FOR J/CREWS!

 

J/22 SCOOBY Crowned as Overall Winner!

(Annapolis, MD)- J.R. Maxwell and the crew of the Annapolis-based J/22 SCOOBY were happy with their results Saturday in the big breeze of the 2021 Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Annapolis; consistency being the key in the highly tightly competitive 15-boat fleet.


J/22 Overall Winner
And after winning Sunday’s first two races, they were well on their way to winning the regatta. Until the final race. With an over-early start, they were recalled to the line, restarted, and looked up the course to see the work ahead.

“We had to grind back from being second-to-last and finished fifth in that race,” Maxwell says. “Today was all about the puffy conditions so you had to stay in the puffs and that wasn’t always intuitive of where that was going to happen. We figured that over time.”

Like most sailors Maxwell and his team have had limited time sailing over the duration of the pandemic, but were happy to back on the water and racing again together.

“We’re super happy with the win this year,” Maxwell says. “We’ve been sailing this regatta for the better part of a decade and we were ready to get this one this time. We had a regatta last weekend that we won so we were feeling good coming into this weekend.”

With Maxwell on SCOOBY was crew Jim Schmicker and Matt Spencer (with Bryan Pryor sailing on Saturday only) and as winner of the J/22 class they were also selected as the overall winner, earning a berth to compete in the Helly Hansen Caribbean NOOD Championship in October.

Rounding out the top spots in the J/22s were Brad Julian's YARD SAIL in second, Jeff Todd's HOT TODDY in third, Aden King's RIDING DIRTY fourth, and Jake Doyle's ZESTY ENTERPRISE in fifth position. 


J/35 Nail-biter Finale
The J/35s are one of the few legacy classes of the Annapolis NOOD, which has been hosted for more than 30 years by the Annapolis YC (with race committee support by Eastport YC and the Severn Sailing Association) and while the J/35s were smaller in numbers, the battle of the top of the fleet was a big one, with Roger Lant’s ABIENTOT winning the tiebreaker over the perennial champions on James Sagerholm’s AUNT JEAN.

“They are very, very fast upwind so if you let them get away it’s a tough battle after that, so we worked on a strategy to deal with them on the starting line,” said Lant. “We carried out our plan and it went well.”

What was that plan?

“The boat that won the start won the race. They were looking for space on the starting line and we were looking to engage, so yesterday we engaged them fairly hard.”

But after AUNT JEAN won the day’s first two races, Lant had only one option- to win the final race!

“We knew we had to control him at the start, but we also had to win the start, get ahead and get clear. They are such a fast boat upwind, especially in conditions where the racecourse is even like it was today.”

But still, to win also requires good crew work under pressure.

“As skipper, I’m the most fortunate skipper on the course,” Lant says. “I have a core crew that has been sailing together for three year and the skills keep building and today we had some of the most fabulous crew work I’ve ever seen on the boat. Exceptional.”

The balance of the podium and top five included Jim McNeely's MAGGIE in third, Mike Wood's VALHALLA in fourth, and Masci McGonigle's WINDEPENDENT in fifth place. 


J/80 Cliff-hanger Finale
Conor Hayes and Jeff Kirchhoff’s J/80 MORE GOSTOSA, also contributed their win to the flawless crew work of their team, which has had limited sailing over the past years. More than once, says Hayes, it helped them get back places that ultimately impacted the final outcome—they won by a single point.

“The wind was pretty spotty, so it was about finding the pressure and staying in it on the runs,” Hayes says. “It was surprising the current was flooding all day and that was a big factor.”

After the winning the second to last race of the day, Hayes knew the points were extremely close between his team and runner-up Daniel Wittig’s TURBO SLOTH, but he had no idea how close. All he could do for the last race was keep TURBO SLOTH in his wake. That didn’t happen, and it almost went worse.

“We had a tough start in that last race,” Hayes says. “We wanted to start at the pin but got shut out. We were able to tack out immediately onto port and were in phase [with the windshifts] and from there it was a matter of just staying in more wind. It helps to have boatspeed and good crew to be able to get out of bad situations like that.”

The balance of the top five included Tom & Jennifer Kopp's KOPP-OUT (aka The Lasso Way) in third, Mike Hobson's MELTEMI in fourth, and Sarah Alexander's MORE COWBELL in fifth.


J/70 Mind-blowing Finish
Terry Hutchinson, skipper of the winning J/70 USA 419 he co-owns with Jennifer Norwood, had a similar starting experience in the first race of the day and he, too, almost lost the regatta. They were buried in the start and immediately found an escape route.

“We didn’t trust the Velocitek [a GPS-based starting device],” Hutchinson says. “We were poked [close to the line] and I didn’t pull the trigger. The boat on our leebow was about a boat length ahead of us at the start, unfortunately. It was a rookie mistake. When we set up at 40 seconds we were in a good spot, but I felt exposed.”

With the focus of his crew, Scott Nixon, Dan Morris, Gil Hackel, and Jennifer Norwood, they clawed their way back to an eight-place finish in the 40-boat fleet— no small feat— which Hutchinson says ultimately won the regatta for them. Although, they did win the next race and finished second in the last to secure the win by 7 points over John Heaton’s EMPEIRIA.

“Yesterday was a lot of fun because it was breezy,” Hutchinson says. “We weren’t fast in the first race and then when it lightened up, our limited time in the boat didn’t bite us as hard and we were more competitive.


“We were much better today and it’s amazing how hard this racecourse is in Annapolis. The course location was hard because the current was good on the right, but there was pressure [more wind] and shift on the left so you had to balance the two.

“You did not want to be in the middle. In the first race the leader came out of the right, and in the second, the leader came out of the left. Each leg was unique to itself, which kept us on our toes.”

Behind the Hutchinson/Norwood team was John Heaton's EMPEIRIA in second, Rich Witzel's ROWDY third, Doug Rastello's GOOD TO GO fourth, and Peter Duncan's RELATIVE OBSCURITY in fifth place. 

Winning the J/70 Corinthians Division was James Gary's AVACUCHO, followed by Mike McNamara's TEA DANCE SNAKE in second, and Kelly McGlynn's BEARNARCHY in third. 

How did things go down in the other classes?  

North Sails Doublehanded ORC division
Richard Born's J/120 WINDBORN took the bronze, with John Bell's J/100 HIWASSEE taking eighth place. 


J/24's Experience a Good'ole Fashioned Butt-whippin'
The ten-boat class may have been a bit surprised that class octogenarian Tony Parker would wake up after his Rip Van Winkle-esque pandemic experience and still remember how to sail a J/24. Well, for those in the know, racing a J/24 for Tony is a bit like riding a bike, having been racing the class since inception in 1978 out of Portland, Maine. Now based in Washington, DC, Parker and his BANGOR PACKET team demonstrated near-perfection, winning all eight of their races.  Having a similar score of mostly seconds, Pete Kassal's SPACEMAN SPIFF team sailed home to an 18 pts tally. They were followed by Pat Fitzgerald's RUSH HOUR in third with 25 pts total. 


Shoot-out at Houston's OK Corral for J/105s
The huge, competitive J/105 fleet didn't disappoint with regards to close competition like their colleagues in other classes. However, it was not the home boys that were showing everyone their transom going home. Instead, it was a pair of Texans hailing from Houston's Galveston Bay that topped the leaderboard in a "mano-a-mano" fight to the end.  In the end, Bill Zartler's DEJA VOODOO led fellow Texan Ken Horne's FINAL FINAL by closing with a 2-2 to win with 27 pts. Third was Cedric Lewis & Fredrik Salvesen's MIRAGE with 32 pts, fourth Hugh Bethell's JESTER with 35 pts (winning the last two races somewhat convincingly), and fifth Doug & Amy Stryker's MAYHEM. 


J/30 Triad Trade Podium Finishes To the End
Perhaps the most interesting battle in the one-design classes was amongst the passionate J/30 owners. No one would've guessed beforehand that a trio of boats would monopolize the podium finishes in every race! In short, the main issue was the trade-off of covering one competitor while another "escaped" to do their own thing...often times it was the "escapee" that won the race and beat the other two in their own duel! After six races, it was clear that Bob Rutsch & Mike Costello's BEPOP had a slight edge to win class with a 1-3-1-2-1-2 tally for 10 pts. Taking the silver was Bruce Irvin's SHAMROCK with a 2-1-3-3-2-1 record for 12 pts. Earning a well-deserved bronze medal was Tristan Keen's INFECTIOUS SMILE with a 3-2-2-1-3-3 scoreline for 14 pts!  Sailing photo credits- Paul Todd/ Outside Images.com.  For more Helly Hansen Annapolis NOOD Regatta sailing information

SPACEMAN SPIFF TWO-PEATS AS J/111 NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION

 

(Annapolis, MD)- Sailing their 2021 J/111 North American Championship concurrent with the Annapolis NOOD Regatta, the seven teams were truly put to the challenge this past weekend on Chesapeake Bay. 

The first day of the regatta was canceled due to gale-force winds and massive chop. After getting blown off the water the first day, “challenging, puffy conditions” is how SKELETON KEY's skipper Peter Wagner described the second day. “We had to keep our eyes out of the boat and change gears frequently, but it was really good racing.”

With three races in winds that started near 20 knots and faded and shifted through the day, Wagner and his crew on SKELETON KEY, emerged as the top boat, winning the first two races and finishing fourth in the third. The outcome, he says, was better than he expected having not raced the boat since August 2019.


“It’s been a long time,” Wagner says. “We got out to do some boathandling work in San Francisco before we brought the boat here, but no racing, it was just putting ourselves through our paces and making sure the boat was still functional.”

For the day’s first two races, Wagner says, they were able to get off the starting line clean and control their own race, sailing the course as efficiently as possible.

“That was pretty important because things were changing quickly and we had to be able to react to the changes as they happened. In the third race, we ended up on the wrong side of one windshift and the result showed, but that will happen sometimes.

“In that race, you had to be on the right [side of the course]. We got stuck a little too far left and couldn’t quite find a shift to come back. We almost did, but our friends on [Rob Ruhlman’s] Spaceman Spiff faceplanted us at a critical moment, bouncing us back left and sealing our doom. That was a good move by them.”

Wagner says his team did a great job settling into their roles after a long absence and their boathandling and speedwork were as good as could be expected. For tomorrow, the third and final day of racing, Wagner’s goal is to continue sailing well and not worry about the rest of the fleet, which are not far behind on the scoreboard.

“It’s about incremental improvements,” he says, “and for me, I guess the one area to improve getting back in sync with my mainsail trimmer, so we’ll continue to focus on that.”

Stumbling out of the blocks with a 6th place on the first racing day, Rob Ruhlman’s SPACEMAN SPIFF crew regained focus to win two of the six races on Sunday to capture the title by one point over Andrew and Sedgwick Ward’s BRACO with Rod Jabin’s RAMROD a point further back in third. 

Ruhlman was the defending champion from 2019, as the 2020 event was cancelled due to the pandemic. The Ruhlman "family" crew consisted of Mike Case, Martin Kullman, Doug Moose, Abby Ruhlman, Ryan Ruhlman, Maegan Ruhlman and Mark Wiss. 


J/111 Class Director Chris Howell interviewed Rob after the event for perspectives on what it took for his family team to win.

How does it feel? 
Ruhlman: How does it feel? Fantastic! Particularly because of the way it all came together on the last day. Trust me, none of us left the house on Sunday morning with winning even on our mind. This is a really tight, competitive class; top three was our goal. And as always, doing this with my family is incredibly special.

What was the key to the victory?
Ruhlman: From our side, it took perseverance and a belief in ourselves. In all honesty, when our good friends on SKELETON KEY pulled the trigger a bit early at the start of Race 4, that opened the door to the possibility of a step up. This Class is so competitive and the boats so even that one misstep at any point in the race is very difficult to recover from.

What is it you like about the boat and the Class? 
Ruhlman: Our family has grown up in Lightnings (and by “grown up,” I mean since birth), with the exception of my wife Abby, but she may has well have since she was introduced to it at 19 years old. The one-design aspect of it, with the boats as even as they are, and the lack of an “arms race”, is great. Maybe more importantly is the camaraderie. After several years (a lot of these guys know each other from racing all kinds of other big boat classes), I’ve gotten to know a lot of really neat people and look forward to seeing them onshore as much as I do offshore. For me, it’s the Lightning Class of big boats.

What’s next for the team? 
Ruhlman: We’ll likely spend most of the summer in the Great Lakes where the J/111 Class is growing very nicely. There are three boats in Detroit now. We have three 111s in Cleveland already and a fourth on the way with the impending delivery of Jeff Davis’ new 111. It is quite possible we will have six, maybe seven J/111s at both Cleveland Race Week and Put-in-Bay Race Week. Might be time to start a Great Lakes Championship!

We do also have our Lightning North American Championship in Cleveland this summer, which is a qualifier for our Worlds in May of ‘22 and the Lightning Women’s, Junior’s and Master’s Championships are being held at our home (Lightning) club, Pymatuning, where we will all be competing as well as helping conduct the event. After that, it will be back to J/111 World’s prep and then the main event in Hampton, Virginia.

In the end, with SPACEMAN SPIFF winning with a 6-3-2-1-1-4 tally for 17 pts, the Ward's BRAVO posting a 3-6-1-3-4-1 record for 18 pts, and Jabin's RAMROD (top local boat) driving to a 4-2-3-2-3-5 for 19 pts, it's readily apparent that Ruhlman's commentary was prophetic... nothing comes easy in the J/111 class they are so well-sailed and so close in speed and tactics.  Rounding out the top five was Wagner's SKELETON KEY with a 1-1-4-7-5-3 record for 21 pts and Martie Roesch's VELOCITY scoring 2-5-7-4-2-2 for 22 pts, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. Tough racing, indeed, when the winner has a near "middle of fleet" average of 2.85 and fifth place had a 3.66 average...not much difference!  For more J/111 North American Championship sailing information

J/111 NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

(Annapolis, MD)- Sailing their 2021 J/111 North American Championship concurrent with the Annapolis NOOD Regatta, the seven participating J/111 teams will also have their eye on getting their teams and boatspeed dialed in for their J/111 World Championship later in the fall on Chesapeake Bay. 

If there was ever a fleet that would drive the handicappers delirious at the Las Vegas or Ladbrokes UK betting parlors, it would be the J/111s.  Basically, all seven boats racing have been on the podium of a major J/111 regatta in the past three years. Those teams include Andrew & Sedgwick Ward's BRAVO from Long Island; Ken Comerford's MONEYPENNY from Annapolis; Rod Jabin's RAMROD from Annapolis; Ian Hill's SITELLA from Hampton, VA; Peter Wagner's SKELETON KEY from San Francisco, CA; Rob Ruhlman's SPACEMAN SPIFF from Cleveland, OH; and Marty Roesch's VELOCITY from Annapolis. Grab a bowl of popcorn, a six-pack of brewskis, pull up a chair and watch the battle unfold all weekend-long!  For more J/111 North American Championship sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

ANNAPOLIS J/FEST (AKA NOOD REGATTA) PREVIEW

 

(Annapolis, MD)- IF there was ever proof that J/Sailors in general are passionate, enthusiastic sailors, one only needs to look at the astonishing statistics for the 2021 HELLY HANSEN Annapolis NOOD Regatta being hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club from April 30th to May 2nd this coming weekend.  A total of 157 teams are participating, of which 124 of them (79% of the fleet!) are J/Teams sailing J/22s (16), J/24s (10), J/70s (40), J/80s (13), J/30s (13), J/35s (5), J/105s (21), J/111s (7), and 2 in the Doublehanded class. 

The sailors may be treated to a little bit more than what they bargained for in the weather department. As is often the case on the Chesapeake Bay in the springtime, the somewhat unstable weather patterns can dish out rapidly changing sailing conditions. This weekend the NOAA forecasts indicate 15 to 35 kts northwest winds trailing a massive front that is rolling through Thursday evening. Then, the powerful nor ‘westers will diminish into a somewhat benign 8-15 kts Saturday and shifting, backing into the southwest on Sunday at 6-14 kts. No matter what, whatever cobwebs that may have accumulated over the past pandemic year will no doubt get blown out over the horizon in short order!

In the sixteen-boat J/22 class, many of the regional class leaders are in attendance, including Sandy Adzick's HOT TICKET, Jeff Todd's HOT TODDY, Aden King's RIDIN' DIRTY, JR Maxwell's SCOOBY, Brad Julian's YARD SAIL, and Jake Doyle's ZESTY ENTERPRISES. 

The ten-boat J/24 class will feature the four-decade class veteran Tony Parker on his famous BANGOR PACKET along with Pat Fitzgerald's RUSH HOUR, Pete Kassal's SPACEMAN SPIFF, and Sam McGuire's BLOW'VIATE. 


The ten-boat J/30 class continues to enjoy its on-going renaissance with many beautifully restored/ reconstructed boats ponying up to the starting like a bunch of ancient thoroughbreds at Churchill Downs. Familiar faces include Bob Rutsch & Mike Costello's BEPOP, Dan Watson's AVITA, Jim McGinnis' BLITZ, Heidi Fritz's SUZIE Q, and Tristan Keen's INFECTIOUS SMILE. 

With just five-boats, the J/35 class will certainly not be lacking for strong competition. A few class veterans will be going at it hammer & tong all weekend. Watch for good battles between Jim Sagerholm's AUNT JEAN, Jim McNeely's MAGGIE, and Roger Lant's ABIENTOT. 


At forty-boats, the J/70s all have their eyes fixated on their upcoming J/70 North American Championship sailing on the same Chesapeake Bay waters in the following two weeks.  Many top teams are in attendance, including Andrew Fisher's BUTTON FLY, John Brigden's COOL STORY BRO from San Francisco, CA; John Heaton's EMPEIRIA from Chicago, IL; Doug Rastello's GOOD TO GO from Newport Beach, CA; Travis Odenbach's HONEYBADGER from Pittsford, NY; Cate Muller-Terhune's MURDER HORNET; Marty McKenna's RARITY; Peter Duncan's RELATIVE OBSCURITY; Sandy Askew's RIMETTE; Brian Keane's SAVASANA; Bruno Pasquinelli's STAMPEDE from Fort Worth, TX; Bruce Golison's TEN from San Diego, CA; and Terry Hutchinson's USA 419 (yes, the America's Cup guy and J/24 World Champion!). Quite the rogue's gallery of talent preparing for the J/70 NA's as well as the J/70 Worlds later this summer in Long Beach, CA. 

The thirteen-boat J/80 class will certainly have its fair share of top-flight competitors vying for class honors. Amongst the contenders to the leaderboard will be Bert Carp's ELEVEN, Mike Hobson's MELTEMI, Sarah Alexander's MORE COWBELLS, Ramzi Bannura's STACKED DECK, and Dan Wittig's TURBO SLOTH. 


With their J/105 North American Championship happening in late fall 2021, the twenty-one-boat fleet has most of the local leading teams in attendance, such as Andy Kennedy's BAT IV, John Kircher's CHESSIE, Ben duPont's CTRL ALT DEL, Bill Zartler's DEJA VOODOO, Ken Horne's FINAL FINAL, Cedric Lewis & Fredrik Salvesen's MIRAGE, Don Santa's SANTAS REIGH DEAR, Carl Gitchell's TENACIOUS, and Bill Sutton & Bob Taylor's TRIM.  

Finally, enjoying a tour of the Bay around government markers will be the North Sails Doublehanded Class of ten boats. Hoping to grab some silverware will be John Bells' J/100 HIWASSEE and Richard Born's J/120 WINDBORN (a famous class winner in both the Annapolis to Newport Race and the Bermuda Race).  For more Helly Hansen Annapolis NOOD Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Annapolis to Newport Race Announcement

(Annapolis, MD)- The Annapolis Yacht Club is pleased to announce the Notice of Race for the 2021 Annapolis to Newport Race has been posted and online entry is now open. This will be 38th biennial edition of the Race, which originated in 1947.  Starts will take place on Friday, June 4th and Saturday, June 5th.

In order to deal with the complications of Covid-19 we have made a few adjustments to the format:

Given current the current public health climate in Maryland and Rhode Island, we are unable to commit to the social components of the event at this time, including the pre-start All Hands Competitors’ Party at Annapolis Yacht Club, and the Hospitality Tent and Awards Party in Newport.  The resulting good news is that gives us the opportunity to significantly reduce the entry fee to a flat $700 per boat, if paid by March 15th.  By comparison, a 40’ boat paid a $1,400 entry fee in 2019.  The popular social events of the race are still on our radar and if the public health situation improves, we may be able to add some or all to the schedule. Social events will be charged on a per person basis, separately from the entry fee. 
    
Entry fees are fully refundable if the race is cancelled, or a boat withdraws before May 21st.
    
The registration process has been streamlined so that all entry requirements or paperwork can be completed online, by email or fax, so that only a quick, socially distanced visit to Annapolis Yacht Club to pick up the YB tracker will be required. 
    
Trophies will be awarded via a virtual Awards Presentation if we are unable to host an in-person event.
    
Our very popular seminar series on boat and crew preparation will be presented virtually via Zoom Webinar.  The first "What to Expect Seminar on Sails, Rigging and Electronics" is scheduled for Saturday, February 20th at 1000 EST. 
    
The official event site https://www.annapolisnewportrace.com/ will continue to be populated with information including event partners.  At this time, we’d like to thank Spinsheet, Helly Hansen and Team One Newport for joining us again and supporting the 2021 Annapolis to Newport Race.    

In 2021, we will be offering starts for boats rated under the ORC and PHRF rules, including an ORC Double Handed division and a Classic Yacht division rated under PHRF.

Some good things remain the same:

• As in the past several races, there will be two starts, with the slower ORC and PHRF boats and the Double Handed division starting on Friday, June 4th and the faster boats on Saturday, June 5th.
• All boats will sail the offshore course, leaving the Chesapeake and rounding Chesapeake Light Tower.
• We will provide a truck to transport your gear to and from Newport.
• Arrangements have been made for discounted dockage at Newport Yachting Center.

For more Annapolis to Newport Race sailing information

J/70 North American Championship Announcement

 

(Annapolis, MD)- The 2021 J/70 North American Championship, hosted by the Annapolis Yacht Club (AYC), will be held May 10-15, 2021 in Annapolis, Maryland.  Registration is now open.  The event will be limited to the first 60 registered boats that are 100% paid in full.  All boats registered after the first 60 will be put on a waiting list.  The hope is that we will be able to expand the entries if pandemic-related restrictions are eased.  For more J/70 North American Championship sailing and registration information

J/24 & J/22 East Coast Champs- Fun on the Bay!

 

HONEY BADGER Tops 24s, HOT TODDY Blitzes 22s
(Annapolis, MD)- Over the weekend of October 17-18, Severn Sailing Association held the annual J/24 East Coast Championship in Annapolis, MD. Each year, almost every team on the East Coast looks forward to this long-standing regatta. The event attracts some of the very best in the Class. But, not only that, it usually supports one of the best parties in the J/24 Class as well. Here is the report from Travis Odenbach of the famous HONEY BADGER fame:


"Obviously, this year has been a little different to say the least. I was truly happy to see that 22 boats make the trek to participate. It was a breath of fresh air to see the J/24 family out in force. 

Everyone was safe and kept their distance for the most part. What SSA showed us is that we can run regattas safely and hopefully others will follow their lead. 

The racing was challenging as always. Annapolis provided us with a true Annapolis weekend. Light air with lots and lots and lots of power boat chop. The breeze ranged anywhere from 5-10 knots all weekend with 20-degree shifts thrown in there, just to keep it interesting. 

My team of Patrick Wilson, Chris Stocke, Wilson Stout and Collin Kirby did an excellent job at getting the boat around the race track. I truly would not have had success if it weren't for these guys. 


So, what did we learn this weekend while sailing in lump and light air? The first lesson to us came quickly on Saturday to focus on our own race. The third race, we port tacked the fleet and saw Tony Parker below us heading out right. We all agreed that with Tony being a local, we might as well keep going this way. Boy were we in for a surprise the further right we went. A massive left shift provided us with our excellent place in the back of the pack, and to make matters worse I decided to hit the mark. What a moron! But after a quick pep talk by Patrick, the team got back on track and decided to worry about our numbers and our speed. This allowed us to salvage a seventh and take away a big lesson going forward. Worry about your race, your gut feelings and stay on the lifted tack and out of trouble. Those are things you can really control in a race, and they seemed to keep us in the top after that race. 

The second lesson was a progression throughout the regatta. The winds were light and sometimes variable, so we had to set the boat up for max power. We ended up making sure we had enough headstay to power the genoa up, and we made sure to sail the boat as flat as possible unless going through a big chop. The key here is constant communication with your driver if you are a trimmer. The trimmer must let you know they are easing or that you have ups at all times so you never detach from the breeze and that you are always sailing as upwind as you can. I truly think we improved on this all weekend, and it was the difference maker in the end. 

At the end of the day, getting to sail with great friends and keeping it light was a joy and no matter the outcome it was nice to be around some great people. Just the mention of great friends and keeping it light and fun makes me reflect on one person in particular: Geoff Ewenson, who sadly and shockingly recently passed. 


Geoff was the HONEY BADGER's East Coast Championship tactician the last three out of five ECCs. Geoff passed away suddenly last week, and the entire sailing community around the country (and I am sure around the world) felt the loss of a man bigger than life. Finding out the news last week made me buckle at my knees and become overwhelmed with sadness. But, reading his wife's brief post helped me shed some light on the sad and heart wrenching situation. 

Geoff's wonderful wife Mary said that she was lucky to have shared the time she had with him and that hit a nerve with me. I have decided to celebrate his life with the amazing memories he has given me and so many others. 

One of those memories reverts back to the first East Coast Championship Geoff did with the HONEY BADGER team. I believe it was about three minutes to the first start, and Geoff dipped below. All of a sudden, I hear music blasting. I couldn't tell what kind of music it was, but it could have been reggae or The Clash most likely. I said, "Geoff what the hell are you doing? I can't concentrate." Geoff responded with a warm smile, "I noticed you are a little jacked up, so I figured some music will calm you down." 


All of us on the boat kind of chuckled, but I continued to explain that I would not be able to focus. At that, he stood up tall and pointed at me and said, "Look, I am going to play this music, and when you lose a race, I will shut it off." 

I just said "fine". Not willing to argue that point, we went with our starting process. Well, that music never shut-off until the awards. We laughed around the race course, and changed bands to listen to, and I think he even played some Chris Rock stand-up comedy! LOL! 

It was an amazing regatta and our first East Coast victory. Since this is a regatta report, I thought I would share that story with you. Because, not only was Geoff about having fun and keeping people entertained, but that is what the East Coast Championship has been about since I started sailing at the event. 

My heart goes out to Mary and Geoff's family, and to everyone at the East Coast Championships this last weekend...thank you for another amazing event!"  Thanks to Travis Odenbach for his report and honoring the loss of a close, heartfelt friend.  


In the end, the HONEYBADGER team crushed the competition...nearly lights out! The Rochester YC team posted a 2-7-1-1-2-1-2 record for a mere 16 pts. Second was, in fact, Tony Parker's BANGOR PACKET crew (Will Bomar, Zeke Horowitz, & Emma Mendenthal) and taking third was Aidan Glackin's MENTAL FLOSS crew (Patrick Fitzgerald, Kelly Fitzgerald, Mike Coe, & Meredith Jacob). 

Like their J/24 colleagues, the J/22s also saw a dominant team govern the top of the leaderboard. After a disastrous first race, Jeff Todd's crew on HOT TODDY posted a 7-2-2-1-2-1-2 tally for 16 pts to win by a country furlong.  The balance of the podium was, in fact, a huge battle between three teams, all finishing in the end separated by just 3 pts! Ultimately, the US Navy Academy's Jeff Petersen took the silver by one point over Chris Junge's THE CORNER OF SANITY & MADNESS. In turn, they were just two points clear of JR Maxwell's SCOOBY in fourth. For more J/24 and J/24 Eastern Championship sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

A Hopeful Report from a New J/122 owner

 

* "Hello sailing friends in the J/Community! My wife Cindy and I purchased a 2008 J-122 from Cowes, England last fall. We had it shipped here to Annapolis, Maryland and we rehabbed her over the winter 2019 & 2020. We could not wait to go sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. But, like everyone else, we had to put our plans on ice because of the pandemic.

When racing resumed in June/July, we entered Annapolis Yacht Club's Wednesday night races, the AYC Annual regatta, and AYC Labor Day regatta. We took a first in the WNR second series, a first in the AYC annual with two bullets, and a first in the ALC Labor Day regatta with three bullets. All of these were racing under the ORC handicapping system. We have raced a few other events, but due to light wind, we abandoned two of those. The third one was an all-day affair to Solomons, but light-air downwind for 6 hours is not our best point of sail.

We are thrilled with our new boat, and, frankly, we did not see these good results coming so soon.  A great deal of credit to the Johnstone's for their design! And, the rest goes to our amazing crew!" Thanks for this report from Ed Hartman and his wife Cindy!

J/22 & J/24 East Coast Championship Overview

 

* SAM MCGUIRE INTERVIEW ON THE 2020 J/22 AND J/24 EAST COAST CHAMPIONSHIPS

David Schmidt from SAIL-WORLD.com conducted an interview with Annapolis J/24 Fleet Captain- Sam McGuire.

"Fall can be a bittersweet time for East Coast sailors. Winter isn’t far over the horizon, yet fall brings cooler temperatures, markedly less humidity, and some of the year’s best breeze and racing conditions. This is especially true for the Chesapeake Bay, where the 2020 J/22 and J/24 East Coast Championships, which are being organized by the Severn Sailing Association, U.S. J/24 Fleet 8, and U.S. J/22Fleet 19, are set to unfurl from October 17-18 on the waters near the mouth of the Severn River.

While J/22s and J/24s are not new designs, these classic keelboats have long attracted some of the country’s—and the world’s—fastest sailors, and, as a result, both classes offer some of the most competitive One Design keelboat racing afloat.

Couple October’s usually fantastic conditions on the Chesapeake Bay with these highly competitive classes and with the historic (and sailing-obsessed) town of Annapolis, Maryland, and the result is almost always a regatta to savor long after fall’s nip has given way to winter’s full-scale chill.


I checked in with Sam McGuire, who serves as the Severn Sailing Association’s J/24 fleet captain, via email, to learn more about this exciting regional championship regatta.

SW:  What kind of entry numbers are you expecting this year?
DS:  We hope to have 15-20 J/24s and expect the same number of J/22s as well. The last few years, we have been averaging around 30 J/24s and 20 J/22s.

Our regatta has been steadily growing over the last five years, and while this year certainly has its challenges, we look forward to welcoming back all of our friends and competitors.

SW:  Do you have your eye on any pre-racing favorites in both classes? What about any dark horses?
DS:  I would say Tony Parker and the Bangor Packet team is the prohibitive favorite. He won the J/24 Midwinters in February and is an incredible J/24 sailor and supporter of the class. This is the 42nd J/24 East Coast Championship, and I believe Tony has sailed every ECCs!

Many of the out-of-town boats from upstate New York and Maine will be giving Tony a run for his money, but the Bangor Packet is definitely the hometown favorite.

In the J/22 class, I’d have to say Jeff Todd and his team on Hot Toddy are the team to beat. They consistently score in the top three of this event, and [they] have been sailing incredibly well all year long.

SW:  How many racecourses will be operating simultaneously? Also, how many races per day (and for the entire regatta) does the race committee hope, provided that the weather cooperates?
DS:  We will race on one circle, and [we] are planning on seven races [total].

SW:  Weather-wise, what kind conditions can sailors expect to encounter off of Annapolis in late October? Also, what are the best-case and worst-case weather scenarios?
DS:  October sailing in Annapolis is best sailing anywhere in the country. In the summer, it is often hot, hazy and humid. The winds are predictably light and variable and there is a tremendous amount of powerboat slop.

However, after Labor Day, the days get a little shorter, the air is little crisper and most of powerboats are gone.

We will have cold fronts rolling through regularly and invariably, we will have at least one day that will blow “the dogs off the chains” with a Northwesterly blowing 25-30+.

This is typically followed by a big southerly the next day, offering competitors fun and challenging conditions. The water temperature is still warm in mid-October, so you do not mind getting dunked. We put on our boots, hank on the jibs, and hang on for a wet and wild time.

The worst-case scenario would be a full-fledged hurricane, and this being 2020, we can't rule that out. Fingers crossed though!

SW:  How important do you think local knowledge will be? Also, do you expect most visiting teams to arrive early and acclimatize to conditions?
DS:  Current can be a big factor when sailing off Annapolis. Many of our competitors have sailed here many times and are familiar with the lay of the land, so to speak.

We are expecting new-comer Erica Trejo and her J/24 Boat Grant team from Chicago. We will team them up with a local pro on Friday for some tuning and help get them up to speed with the Annapolis area.

SW:  If you could offer one piece of advice to visiting (and local) teams, what would it be?
DS:  Enjoy being on the water, enjoy sailing with your closest friends, and enjoy great racing in most competitive keelboat class of all time!

SW:  What kinds of safe-play pandemic tactics are you expecting from the racers on the water? Also, do you expect that this will be a highly competitive event, or—given the pandemic—is the spirit of this year’s event more about getting out on the water for some friendly racing?
DS:  Many teams are choosing to sail with four-up on the J/24, as opposed to a full crew of five. We strongly encourage mask use on the water and [we] mandate it off the water on all club premises.

A few weeks ago, we had the Annapolis NOOD, which was a huge success. This was the first large weekend regatta of 2020 and they did an excellent job with electronic check-ins, drive-by skipper’s bag pickups and virtual awards. Every sailor had a grin from ear to ear and [was] just happy to be racing again.

We are working with our fleets and Severn Sailing Association to implement the same policies to ensure everyone has a safe and fun regatta.

This regatta always attracts the best J/24 and J/22 sailors on the East Coast, and while this year may look a little different than years past, I expect it to be highly competitive. Don’t get me wrong—this is a fun, friendly crowd, but once you’re on the starting line, it’s go time!

SW:  Can you tell us about any efforts that you and the other regatta organizers have made to try to lower the regatta’s environmental footprint or otherwise green-up the regatta?
DS:  The Severn Sailing Association has been at the forefront in reducing our environmental footprint on the Chesapeake Bay. From installing a water bottle filling station to planting [an] oyster garden onsite, they are committed to efforts large and small.

They are currently in the process of a major infrastructure program aimed at reducing the effects of storm water and runoff into our watershed. We continue to look at ways the club and our fleets can be a leader in green initiatives.

SW:  Anything else that you’d like to add, for the record?
DS:  Yes, to say that 2020 has been a disruptive year is an understatement, but it has also come with a silver lining. Instead of carrying on with status quo in terms of our sailing season, it has allowed adapt to this new normal. While we were on lockdown the sailing community as a whole and our J/24 Fleet 8 specifically shifted our focus to fleet development. We organized multiple webinars and zoom calls with Coach Robby Brown to go over every aspect on how to better sail a J/24.

In June, we were able to start our weeknight racing once again. Our local fleet held a sail auction fundraiser and used the proceeds to hire local pros as coaches and made them available to any team who wanted their input. We felt that this was away to take advantage of our strong weeknight program and also help teams feel more competitive towards larger championship level regattas.

With the lower expected entries this year, we decided to cut our typical three days of racing down to two. We lowered the entry fees substantially, and on Friday October 16, we will offer a speed and tuning clinic held by North American Champion Robby Brown in the morning, followed by practice races in the afternoon.

Our goal is to get as many J/24s and J/22s as possible out on the race course for the best fall sailing on the East Coast!"  For more J/22 & J/24 East Coast Championship sailing information  Thanks to SAIL-WORLD's David Schmidt for this interview

Annapolis Double-Handed Distance Race Preview

 

(Annapolis, MD)- With thirty-seven entries confirmed in three classes, the Annapolis YC’s Double-Handed Distance on October 3rd & 4th is the largest double-handed overnight race of the 2020 USA season. Its popularity after last year’s debut is impressive, having doubled in size in only its second year. With 18 J/Boats on the starting line, that's 50% of the fleet!

Driving this popularity are the favorable early Fall sailing conditions on the Chesapeake Bay and an accessible yet challenging format: an overnight race of 24 hours duration held on course options that vary from 95 to 100 miles in length.

The fleet includes the mandatory "mixed doublehanded" 11-boat J/105 one-design class. The class is full of highly-competitive offshore sailors and a few "newbies" on the block that are sure to be considerable factors over a long-distance offshore race. The Ladbroke's Betting Parlour favorite certainly has to be last year's winners- the duo of Randy Smyth and Christina Persson sailing BAT IV. Two teams would be odds-on bets to give them a run-for-the-money, the duo of Patrick Gavin-Byrne’s & Cole Brauer on BETTER MOUSETRAP and Christina & Justin Wolfe on FIREBRAND (top sailors from Seattle, WA). Don't count out the "Middies" from the US Naval Academy Sailing Team- they are well-practiced, well-coached, great navigators, know the Bay and its current stone cold, and know their J/105s very well; those teams include Don Poirier & Ashley Koenig on AVENGER, Katie Boyle & Matt Gillcrist on CONSTELLATION, and Paul Jervis & Grace Vandergrift on DREADNOUGHT. 

Sailing in the ORC Handicap classes are seven J/Teams. Three are sailing in ORC 1 Class; Richard Born & Guillaume Seynhave on the very well-known offshore winner, the J/120 WINDBORN; Keith Cole & John King's J/124 LUCKY EIGHTS, and Jim Demerest & Dobbs Davis on the J/46 SODALIS III (this is a "sleeper team"- watch out!). Sailing in the fourteen-boat ORC 2 Class are two J/105s (Arthur & AJ Libby's DOGHOUSE and Kyle McLaughlin & Raymond Bay's SMOKE'N'OAKUM), John Bell & Ryan Treat's J/100 HIWASSEE, and Roger Lant & Mike Wellins' J/35 ABIENTOT. 

Annapolis YC PRO Dick Neville is looking forward to the opportunity to tailor the race to the course and weather conditions for fair and transparent scoring; hopefully, with equals elements of beating, reaching, and running. For more AYC Double-handed Distance Race sailing information

Annapolis YC Double-Handed Distance Race Announcement

 

(Annapolis, MD)- With thirty-eight entries confirmed in three classes, the Annapolis YC’s Double-Handed Distance on October 3rd & 4th is the largest double-handed overnight race of the 2020 USA season. Its popularity after last year’s debut is impressive, having doubled in size in only its second year.

Driving this popularity are the favorable early Fall sailing conditions on the Chesapeake and an accessible yet challenging format: an overnight race of 24 hours duration held on course options that vary from 95 to 100 miles in length.

The J/105 Class will have mandatory mixed-gender crews, while the other two classes will be raced using ORC ratings determined for boats varying in size and design diversity from a 21-foot Mini-Transat to Jim Demerest’s J/46 SODALIS III.

Each ORC entry has an ORC Double-Handed certificate, introduced this year to give not only more accurate ratings due to the smaller crew weight aboard, but the option of having a different sail inventory that is more suitable for shorthanded sailing as well. 

This versatility along with four scoring model options will give Annapolis YC PRO Dick Neville the opportunity to better tailor the race to the course and weather conditions for fair and transparent scoring. For more AYC Double-handed Distance Race sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

Thrilling Annapolis NOOD Regatta

(Annapolis, MD)- Even a self-described “punch in the nose” couldn’t stop Will Crump and his teammates aboard R80 from winning the J/80 fleet at the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Annapolis today. The feat also earned them an invitation to the British Virgin Islands—as the regatta’s overall winner—to represent Annapolis at the Helly Hansen Caribbean NOOD Championship, scheduled for 2021.


“John [White – friend and rival on board J/80 USA 1162] must have heard me say I was going after him in the starting sequence today,” Crump said jokingly. “Well, he won that round in race one today when he came after us right away, ‘punched us in the nose,’ and we finished fifth.

“Then we traded, and I got him in the next race,” Crump said. “It was another really fun day, very challenging and shifty. The fleet continues to be super competitive so winning is very rewarding.”

Behind the two leaders was a well-known world-class Naptown sailor- Mike Hobson on MELTEMI, securing the bronze on the podium with a win in the first race and posting five more races in the top three to finish with 31 pts. Top woman skipper Sarah Alexander on MORE COWBELLS took 4th place and Derick Lynch's OUTLAWS ended up 5th.

The final of three days of racing treated sailors across 78 teams to cooler temperatures, sun and moderate (but signature Annapolis shifty) winds for the final two to three races among the two divisions and 10 fleets.


In the largest fleet of the event, sixteen J/105s battled it out with co-owners Cedric Lewis and Frederik Salvesen winning the class by 24 points with their family and friends aboard MIRAGE.

Lewis and Slavesen met during high school sailing and have sailed together for 35 years. “It was nice to have a bit of normalcy in this age of Coronavirus and get out racing,” said Lewis. “Our team has been dealing with adversity so sailing together was great.”

He credits flawless crew work as a major key to their success. “Today we finished up strong with a 2-1-1,” he said. “The breeze was all over the place and we saw pretty hefty shifts. We would start with a plan and stick to it. No freaking out if we fell behind.”

The MIRAGE team compiled an impressive record, winning 7 of 9 races for a total of 12 pts, an unheard-of record in the usually extremely competitive Annapolis J/105 fleet.  A distant second was Andrew Kennedy's BAT IV with 36 pts and taking the bronze was top woman skipper Sara Morgan Watters on CRASH!


First-time Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Annapolis competitor John Heaton on his Chicago-based Empeiria adapted quickly to Annapolis’ tricky sailing conditions, winning the 11-boat J/70 fleet by 17 points over Cate Muller-Terhune on Murder Hornet.

“Hats off to Annapolis; wow, what a challenging place. You can see why sailors here are very good tactically; it’s just so shifty,” said Heaton. “It’s a great venue and we’re thrilled with how much racing we got in. It was fun to sail against other, new boats here.”

According to Heaton, Sunday was a day of transitions, with special attention paid to crew movement as the wind strength went up and down. “Our first race today started a bit slow; I think we rounded the top mark in 8th, but we just focused on sailing the boat well and grinding boats down,” he said. “We ended up second, holding off two boats right at the end. A really fun, super competitive race and I was really proud of us to keep our heads up and sail hard.”

Another big surprise for the J/70 fleet, aside from a Chicago "outsider" winning, was top woman helm Cate Muller-Terhune sailing MURDER HORNET. She won two races along the way to earning a solid second place...it may have helped her to have someone like Alan Terhune on mainsheet- a past J/22 World Champion. Rounding out the podium was a familiar team on the J/70 circuit, Henry Filter's WILD CHILD took the bronze while, simultaneously also winning the Corinthians Division.  Second in the Corinthians was the trio of Bowe/ Jenner/ McNamara on TEA DANCE SNAKE and third was Peter Firey's PHOENIX.


With just three days practice under their belts, the J/22 U.S. Naval Academy entry won the J/22 fleet, breaking yesterday’s tiebreaker with J/22 veteran Jeffrey Todd on Hot Toddy. Taking third place was Zander King's RYTHMIC PUMPING.

USNA Skipper Jeffrey Petersen, from Santa Ana, Calif., is a plebe in his first two weeks at the U.S. Naval Academy, but he has raced internationally as a youth match-racing sailor. That experience helped today as he said the unstable and shifty wind created opportunities for them to do more maneuvers. Otherwise, Petersen said, “In a straight line, Mr. Todd’s speed was incredible. My team did an incredible job putting the boat in the right spot,” he said. “I really do owe it to them, especially as I shift out of my match-racing hat and into fleet racing.”


In a Herculean effort to get his dismasted J/35 Abientot to the starting line of this weekend’s Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Annapolis, Roger Lant went to extreme measures.

“I actually bought another J/35 last week,” Lant said. “We pulled the mast out of it, stripped it and then sent it to the junkyard. It was everything I had in me to get to the starting line. But, today went very well so I am absolutely thrilled."

He credits his crew’s tenacity and great teamwork for their solid performance in the four-boat J/35 fleet to secure three first-place finishes and one second in shifty, challenging conditions on Chesapeake Bay. “It was very tough sailing out there, but also a lot of fun.”

The breeze, which peaked at 10 to 15 knots with large wind shifts, kept the committees on their toes to deliver three to four races across the 10 fleets and two circles.

The quartet of J/35s saw a very strong battle for the top of the leaderboard. Sure enough, Jim Sagerholm's AUNT JEAN and Roger Lant's ABIENTOT traded off 1st and 2nd over the course of nine races. First team to blink was, amazingly, Sagerholm's AUNT JEAN, suffering defeat in the fourth race and having to post a 3rd on his scoreline.  As a result, Lant's inspired crew on ABIENTOT with their "new" mast pulled off the unthinkable, beating AUNT JEAN to the top of the podium! Third was Jim McNeely's MAGGIE.


The J/30s had great racing amongst their fleet of eight boats from all over Chesapeake Bay. Surprising many, a smoking hot TOTALED MAYHEM sailed by Doug & Amy Stryker's basically decimated their class, posting all top 2 finishes in the nine races sailed, finishing with just 15 pts.  Also sailing a solid regatta was Bruce Irvin's SHAMROCK, collecting four bullets along the way, to finish with 21 pts.  Third was top woman skipper Heidi Frist, sailing SUZIE Q on to the bronze step on the podium. Heidi started the regatta strongly with a 1st and 3rd, leading the fleet. Thereafter, she closed the first day in 2nd place with an additional two 4th place finishes. Sunday was another story for her team, faltering in a few races but nevertheless still earning a well-deserved bronze medal.


The half-dozen J/24 class saw another case of getting "schooled" on how to get around the race track. Winning his first six races before taking a breather, Pat Fitzgerald's RUSH HOUR won handily with a tally of seven bullets in eight races for 10 pts. In a tight battle for the balance of the podium were Kent Bartlett’s SPACEMAN SPIFF and Jim Bonham's SISU. Their battle went down to the wire on the last day with the SPIFFERS closing with a strong pair of deuces to take the silver, with SISU taking the bronze.


Annapolis NOOD Overall Winner Crump, selected from among individual class winners, summed up the weekend, saying “I’m really grateful for winning, and very grateful that we were even able to have an event this year. This is the only event we are doing all year,” he said. “It felt great to get out and sail and sort of pretend the world is the way it’s supposed to be, even for a short amount of time.

“We’re definitely looking forward to going to the Caribbean. Our team was lucky enough to get down there in 2011, and now that we know what it’s like we can’t wait to go back.”  For more Annapolis NOOD sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.