J/9 DAYSAILER UPDATE

(Newport, RI)- Hull #1 is out of the mold! Sitting on a shop cradle, the hull is stunning, seemingly already gliding effortlessly through the water. Shown here in the prototype shop at CCF Composites, hull #1 is being utilized for constructing and verifying patterns for key interior components such as the main cabin berths and shelves, forward v-berth, and additional bulkheads. The main bulkhead, mast step and keel floors are fitted, and once patterns are finished it will move into the assembly area.


Meanwhile, the J/9 deck mold is completed and the first deck is underway. The deck is shown below with just the skin coat applied. To this will be added structural fiberglass skins on either side of Corecell foam to produce an extremely strong but lightweight structure. 

The J/9 structural and laminate engineering is being designed by Steve Koopman of SDK Structures, a leading engineering firm with extensive background in high-performance sailing.


Above, a new fiberglass drilling jig is fit over the deck plug. They will position hardware on the deck plug and take the boat for a “virtual sail” to finalize hardware locations. We are excited to get the first boat in the water soon as Spring has sprung here in New England. We expect the first boat to be launched and sailing in the first week of May. Be sure to contact your J/Boats Dealer NOW to make arrangements for a demonstration sail in the near future.  For more J/9 Daysailer sailboat information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

ARBITRAGE CIRCLES FLEET IN J/105 "PI" DOUBLEHANDED RACE

(San Francisco, CA)- J/105 Fleet #1 continues to have fun organizing their own one-design doublehanded racing on San Francisco Bay. With races easily started and finished just off Golden Gate Yacht Club, and with a few hundred navigational buoys to choose from on Bay charts, it's easy to tailor a race course to the forecasted breezes and tides for the day. Here's Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault's report from aboard ARBITRAGE on the inaugural "Pi" Doublehanded Race held on 3.14.21 (get it? LOL). 

"The wind was uncharacteristically from the south, around 8-10 kt, so the PRO set us on a reaching course from the Golden Gate YC's X Buoy against the 2-3 kt flood tide out to Pt. Bonita buoy and back.


We had an ultra-cautious start (not our usual, of course). We were a bit late at the start, as we decided to hoist the big asym spinnaker before the gun and allowed a generous amount of space so as to not risk being over-early.  

Most of the other boats started ahead of us and then jib-reached up along the shore to avoid the flood and what appeared to be lighter air.

By contrast, we felt the extra sail area would allow us to plow ahead on the rhumb line, and that proved to be the winning formula against the adverse current. We were in much more breeze and we were well-ahead by the time the others hoisted their spinnakers.  

We then nearly stopped dead when passing the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge and running into both its wind shadow and a 4-5 knot flood...reducing our VMG to around 1.5 kt! We persisted and poked through to some relief.  


We were then knocked toward the north shore of the entrance channel, but did not mind that as we expected early ebb, which proved to be true.  As we got closer to the lee shore (on the north side of the channel), we were headed some more and dropped the kite, but then lifted back up to the mark and benefited from the ebb.  

After passing Pt. Bonita, we were still way ahead of the fleet. However, we couldn't locate the mark! We suspect it had been pulled for maintenance!! Oops!  

We called our competitors on the radio and asked if any of them could find the mark.  We then suggested they should round our spot (GPS coordinates) and race to the finish.  Everyone agreed, and we then turned for a pleasant close-reach and then a beat home to the finish.  It was notable that two of the teams, RUSSIAN ROULETTE and AKULA, had young crew on board. Nicole had baked some fruit pies and awarded them to the second and third place finishers, AKULA and AQUAVIT."  Sailing photo credits- Don Weineke.Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Beautiful J/44 Sloop For Sale

Beautiful customized 1990 J/44 Available for Sale. Southern Cross has an extensive inventory and has been meticulously maintained, spending most of her time sailing summers on Long Island Sound and fully winterized for the long winter seasons in New York.   Learn more about this custom J/44 McMichaels Yacht Brokerage listing hereAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

SAN DIEGO NOOD REGATTA PREVIEW

(San Diego, CA)- The first of the famous HELLY HANSEN Sailing World NOOD Regatta series will be taking place in San Diego, CA this coming weekend. San Diego Yacht Club will play host for the event from March 19th to 21st for one-design fleets of J/24s and J/105s and an offshore North Sails Doublehanded Race.

The J/24 class features teams like Brian Dolan's CALAMITY from Tucson, Arizona (the long-distance traveler award!); Christian Seidel's CYGNET 2, Bill Ramacciotti's GREENBACK BOOGIE, Ryan Jurkowski's IRIE, and Dave Wethereit's SUPERDRY.


The always highly-competitive fleet of eight J/105s will see a number of the class stalwarts participating for their first time in over twelve months! Those teams include Steve & Lucy Howell's BLINK!, Stew Cannon's J-OK, Scott McDaniel's OFF THE PORCH and Bill Quealy's J RABBIT SLIM. 

Looking forward to the challenge of sailing large boats doublehanded offshore is Stephen Driscoll's J/105 JUICED and Rudy Hasl's J/145 PALAEMON. Should be fun to watch these teams wrestle their boats around the track off Point Loma. Sailing photo credits- Bronny Daniels/ JOY Sailing.com.  For more San Diego NOOD Regatta sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

STRONG WORLDWIDE GROWTH FOR J/99 SPEEDSTER!

(Les Sables d'Olonne, France)- Announced July 2018, international debut in Paris Boat Show in December 2018, then launched in January 2019 in Southampton, United Kingdom, the J/99 has garnered more than her fair share of accolades from the world's yachting press, the most prestigious "Best Boat" awards from various magazines, and most importantly, dozens of testimonials from her passionate owners from around the world.  


After just two sailing seasons (including the highly abbreviated 2020 pandemic summer), the worldwide reach of the J/99 is somewhat astonishing- now sailing in 22 countries on four continents! Hull #100 should be building later this year! There are five or more J/99s in the following countries: France (12), Italy, Spain, Australia, Netherlands and USA (14). Here is the list of countries: 

• Antipodes (Australia, New Zealand)
• North America (USA, Canada)
• South America (Chile, Peru)
• Europe (Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom)
• Asia (Hong Kong, Japan)

If you recall, the accolades just kept rolling in from the world press from professional offshore sailors that know a thing or two about offshore single and doublehanded sailing.  Here are a few excerpts:


Pip Hare/ YACHTING WORLD review
According to Pip, “the J/99 is all thrills, no frills on board the versatile 32-foot offshore speedster.... within ten minutes our demure departure was all but forgotten as we came bursting out of Southampton Water, our senses assaulted from all angles by the bitter north wind and our 100m2 dayglo yellow spinnaker. As the sun rose, everything about the day and this little powerhouse of a boat became bright, sharp and dynamic. I don’t know what the rest of the world was doing at 0800 on that January morning, but we were having a blast.

The eagerly awaited J/99 directly targets a growing demographic of sailors who enjoy the fantastic short-handed racing scene available all across Europe.... from the first moment I stepped into the cockpit, this boat struck me with its no-nonsense approach. Sail handling is simple, the cockpit clean and well laid-out, the helm dynamic and responsive. Just cruising down the river, the boat felt light and seemed to directly translate every puff of wind into increased speed. Compared to the Class 40s I have spent much of the last two years racing, the J/99 felt like a go-cart – a promising combination of agility and power.”  Read more of Pip's YACHTING WORLD review here

Andy Howe/ SAIL magazine review
"This boat is gonna create more temptation in sailors’ minds than one could possibly imagine. She’s been touted as a "market disruptor" by SEAHORSE Magazine and "versatile & exciting" by YACHTING WORLD as she sits proudly on their April 2019 magazine cover.   
   
The all-new J/99, from J/Boats, checks more boxes than any boat they’ve produced in over 30 years, period.... the J/99 packs a lot of performance and versatility into a manageable size and budget.”  Read more of Andy's SAIL review here


SAIL NORTHWEST Review
Some perspectives from Ben Braden after a San Francisco Bay sail on the 99. 

"I was able to do a demo sail on San Francisco Bay awhile back on the first boat Sail California brought in to the West Coast.

That demo sail was great! From the east Bay in Richmond, CA, we went upwind around Angel Island, leaving it to port. We got some good puffs up by the bridge, then set the chute for the run back downwind towards the northeast Bay.  She maneuvered well and reacted to the puffs, but not so much that you had to scramble to blow something.  

She dug in and sped up in the puffs rather than dropping the deck down and spinning to weather.  This is when I first thought "rails", she's stiff, like being on "rails", she just accelerates forward.

Pop the chute in 16+ kts of wind and she will slide off downwind, pushing 10 kts boatspeed easily.

The J/99 is simple to drive and smooth to recover when the new guy driving gets excited with things and stops paying attention.  

Cool boat, stiff and responsive was my first impression."   Read more of Ben's review here


J/99s Race-winning Performance in DUO CAT-AMANIA
The Duo Cat-Amania, the premiere doublehanded offshore regatta in France, was hosted by the Yacht Club Crouesty Arzon (YCCA). An amazing fleet of fifty doublehanded teams participated in the event. The regatta is a combination of round-the-buoys plus point-to-point offshore racing legs. The regatta started in Crouesty and headed to Quiberon. Then, from there they headed to Lorient. Next leg was then to Concarneau. Then, the fleet returned to Morbihan, with a stopover in Locmiquélic, then La Trinité-sur-Mer, then back to Le Crouesty for the finish!

The J/99 J-LANCE 14 sailed by Frederic Bouvier and Benjamin Dutreaux took the silver, while the J/99 GRASSI BATEAUX sailed by Olivier Grassi and Frederic Duthil took 5th place.

Bouvier commented on their successful regatta. "All the races counted in the general classification," explained Fred. “Despite one bad decision in one race- a 20th- we always finished in the top 5 in front of larger sailboats than ours. In medium wind conditions, which normally favor large boats, we were successful, and we managed to keep a good pace. Our second place reaffirms the versatility of the J/99 at all wind speeds and in all weather situations. The J/99 is a well-designed sailboat that is fully in tune for doublehanded sailing. The level of competition was extremely high in this year's Duo Cat-Amania. We are also delighted with the fifth place of another J/99, Olivier Grassi and Fred Duthil's GRASSI BATEAUX."

Perhaps most significantly from a competitive standpoint, the J/99s beat out a number of "professional factory teams" from the following camps- JPK (960, 1010, 1030, 1080), Beneteau (Figaro 2s) and Jeanneau Sunfast (3200, 3300, 3600).   Read more of Fred Bouvier's commentary sailing the DUO CAT-AMANIA


KING OF BLUE Views on Winning IRC E- Les Voiles de St. Tropez
Owner Pascal Fan of the J/99 KING OF BLUE sailed "Les Voiles" with a largely family crew. Their performance was all the more remarkable considering they were up against a number of French offshore "factory teams" in their rather large division. Here's Pascal's commentary:

“We are very happy with our races at Les Voiles. This year has been very special for us. We bought the J/99 at the beginning of the year, before the Covid-19 crisis. We were only able to sail on board in regattas in the spring.  In fact, during the Sémac Trophy, we were fortunate to have finished 3rd overall!

It is with great pleasure that we’ve participated in this 2020 edition of Les Voiles de St Tropez.  We are so happy and so grateful to participate as a family and friends.  During the various coastal races, we were around 3rd or 4th on the downwind tracks and 1st on the upwind tracks. Our J/99 KING OF BLUE is the real bomb! We were all delighted to sail on board! You really have to try it to enjoy!"  Read more about the KING OF BLUE experience here


AUSTRALIA Offshore Doublehanded Domination
Sailing out of Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club in Pittwater (Sydney), Australia, our J/Dealer Ray and Sandra Entwistle have been sailing their J/99 JEDI as a doublehanded team.

After their first 20.0nm race, Ray commented, "...the J/99 is so easy to sail, perfectly balanced, highly versatile and comfortable. She was also very dry considering the lumpy seaway and simply carved her way through the swell. The race was tactically challenging as we had to keep out of as much dirty air as possible with so many larger boats around us. We popped the A2 for the return run, Sandra cross sheeted the kite sheets and enjoyed the ride home...”

Then, in their next trio of races, skipper Ray offered this view, ”...we've been lucky enough to experience the J/99 in many different wind and sea states and the results have been just as impressive. The first race in 8-15 knots and lumpy seaway, second race in 15-25 knots and very rough seaway, third race in light conditions and fairly flat seas. The J/99 has performed outstandingly well in this wide range of conditions, is incredibly easy to manage, and a real joy to sail.” 


A Woman's Doublehanded Perspective
After a season of sailing the J/99 JEDI, Sandra Entwistle offered her perspectives.

"We’ve been practicing two-handed racing in our J/99 while joining in with fully-crewed fleet from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC) Short Offshore Point Score (SOPS) series.  While Ray and I have sailed together for many years, we haven’t seriously raced two-handed since 2008 when we owned our J/109 Sweet Chariot.  

By no means am I a professional sailor or have any aspiration to enter the Olympics, I’m just keen to get out there and enjoy sailing.  The J/99 is perfect for us as she can be easily sailed by two, large enough to race fully crewed plus has enough creature comforts down below for some family cruising.

Actually, in all honesty, I prefer racing two-up as I get to do a bit of everything – from tactics to jib trim to kite trim to steering and all the tasks to make that happen. Paradoxically, I find it less stressful with just two on board, the reason being that we ensure we are organized and prepared for what’s going to happen next, I know what Ray is going to do and vice versa."

Sandra goes on to exclaim what happened after a 2 hour upwind leg and rounding the mark.. "after hoisting the kite, we immediately got a gust and scooted down the swell doing about 17 kts – woo hoo!  The J/99 is so stiff and balanced, at no time were we out of control or concerned. Speed is your friend when going downwind as there is less sheet loading. 

...at then end of the run, we opted for a letterbox drop where the kite is dropped between the mainsail and boom and down the main hatch. That technique is by far the safest, easiest spinnaker drop for any shorthanded sailing team."   Read more of Sandra's experiences and lessons-learned here

There are several entertaining and instructive sailing videos on J/99s on YouTube.  Here's the latest from Chile.


Chile J/99 video on YouTube

If that video didn't get you excited enough to get on the water, enjoy this J/99 sailing videos playlist on the J/Boats YouTube channel   For more J/99 shorthanded offshore speedster sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

SAN DIEGO STARTS NOOD 2021 SERIES!

 

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

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


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

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

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

FUN & FROLIC FOR SSS CORINTHIAN RACE

 

(San Francisco, CA)- Last weekend, the Singlehanded Sailing Society of San Francisco Bay held one of their more revered races of the year- the Corinthians Race.  Answering that siren's call were 180 intrepid souls that are gleefully showed up in the early morning to take their stab at winning their respective classes. 

Starting and finishing off Golden Gate Yacht Club, the 15.5nm course rounds Blackaller Buoy to starboard, Southampton Shoal red bell to port, Little Harding green buoy to port, Blossom Rock green bell to starboard, then to GGYC finish on the waterfront. Basically, the course is criss-crossing the Bay in a circumnavigation of all the tourist sites! 

The two-plus dozen shorthanded J/Crews made the most of the light to medium, very challenging conditions on San Francisco Bay.  In PHRF C Doublehanded J/105s the winners were Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault's ARBITRAGE. Pushing them hard all race was the duo of Charles James & Panda Love's ROXANNE to take the silver. Rounding out the podium was Tom Struttmann & Joerg Esdorn's ARRIVED!  

In Class 6 J/70 Doublehanded, the fleet suffered a trouncing at the hands of the dynamic duo of Justin & Shar Foox on FLOTEK, winning by over a half hour on elapsed time.  Second was Peter Cameron & Ben Mercer's KANGAROO JOCKEY and third was Scott & Hannah Sellers' 1FA. 

The thirteen-boat PHRF H Doublehanded Spin class was a tough group. Taking five of the top seven were all J/duos.  Third was Ted Rogers & Tim Burks on the J/100 GRACE. They were followed by Barry Lewis & Scott Kozinchik's J/120 CHANCE in 4th, Nesrin Basoz & Reuben Rocci's J/111 SWIFT NESS in 5th, Tracy Rogers & Cris Sena's J/120 HOKULANI in 6th, and Timo Bruck & Elaine Scott's J/120 TWIST in 7th place. 

The seventeen-boat PHRF L Class Doublehanded Non-Spin saw Brian Richards & Ernie Baton's J/109 LA VIAJERA take fourth position.

Finally, the fourteen-boat PHRF P Class Singlehanded Non-Spin saw John Kalucki's J/109 LINDO take fourth place. Sailing photo credit- Will Keyworth.  For more SSS Corinthian Race sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

ARBITRAGE TRIUMPHS @ J/105 VALENTINE'S RALLY

 

(San Francisco, CA)- As part of their on-going San Francisco J/105 Doublehanded Winter Series, the fleet got together for their first-ever J/105 Valentine's Rally on Sunday, February 14th. San Francisco Bay served up its usual challenges to the sailors, having to make decisions between wind and current on literally every leg of the course. Here's the report from Bruce Stone from aboard ARBITRAGE:

"With the typically modest mid-winter breeze out of the northeast, and our starting area in front of Golden Gate YC, the RC announced a course to the East with port roundings.  So, we re-ran our spin gear to account for that, but just ten minutes before the warning we had a shift to the WSW! So, the RC announced a last-minute call for the new course to Blackaller- just before the Golden Gate Bridge! OMG! So, us and the other crews scrambled to re-run the spin gear for the starboard rounding that would take everyone out into the flood tide! 

Given the adverse current, teams were challenged right from the start to exploit the relief along the shore and were ping-ponging off the breakwater in front of the St. Francis; normally quite easy with a full crew but a workout for double-handers!  

ARBITRAGE had a great start and, after making some gains toward the shore, decided to stretch out on port tack for the better wind just 100 yards out; it was the typical arbitrage of wind and tide...hence the name of Bruce's boat.  

ARBITRAGE won that battle and rounded clear ahead, setting the kite and reaching out to the favorable flood in the light breeze.  A long downwind to channel mark 4, passing Alcatraz to port, created passing opportunities for the trailing boats. Some went low toward Treasure Island, staying in the dying flood, while ARBITRAGE and JAM SESSION looked for better wind toward the north and took a gamble in cutting behind Alcatraz.  That approach backfired, as they were both swept up in the reverse eddy of the famous cone!

After apparently losing its lead, ARBITRAGE jibed back into fresh air and extricated themselves from the ebb in a clean spinnaker reach to the downwind mark, converging with the other boats that had stayed away from Alcatraz. 

Stone and Breault executed a Mexican drop just past the mark with the jib preset for the upwind leg and were able to round tightly and head right toward the finish at Golden Gate YC. However, our competitors were a little less fortunate, as the other teams dropped too early and struggled to round the mark in the light winds and early ebb tide.  

Everyone headed toward the city front as the flood had ended and ebb was established there. But, once again, wind pressure trumped tide and it was better to stay in the deeper water. Tom Struttmann and Joerg Esdorn on ARRIVED went too far, ran out of wind and retired!"

In the end, the J/105 Valentine's Rally was won by Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault in ARBITRAGE, followed by Justin Oberbauer in STRANGELOVE, Adam Spiegel in JAM SESSION and Bill Woodruff in RUSSIAN ROULETTE.

Next up for the J/105 doublehanders is the Singlehanded Sailing Society's Corinthian Regatta on February 27, with 150 boats competing, 7 of which are J/105s - see www.jibeset.net - and then the Pi Regatta on March 14th Add to Flipboard Magazine.

SSS CORINTHIANS RACE PREVIEW

 

(San Francisco, CA)- The Singlehanded Sailing Society of San Francisco Bay is back at it again. After hosting their eponymous Three Bridge Fiasco (won overall by a J/70, if you recall), they will now be hosting one of their more revered races of the year- the Corinthians Race.  Answering that siren's call are 180 intrepid souls who are gleefully looking forward to more wind on SF Bay! It will be the first event of the season that includes the huge doublehanded contingent on the Bay.

Starting and finishing off Golden Gate Yacht Club, the 15.5nm course rounds Blackaller Buoy to starboard, Southampton Shoal red bell to port, Little Harding green buoy to port, Blossom Rock green bell to starboard, then to GGYC finish on the waterfront. Basically, the course is criss-crossing the Bay in a circumnavigation of all the tourist sites! 

So far, the weather forecast is for a sunny day starting out with a light 5-8 kts NNW breeze, swinging into the classic westerly seabreeze by noon, and increasing to 8-15 kts by late afternoon! Sounds amazing!


Looking forward to that challenge are a raft of shorthanded J/Crews.  In PHRF C class are the doublehanded J/105s; including Adam Spiegel's JAM SESSION, Eric Patterson's KESTREL, Tom Struttmann's ARRIVED, Bruce Stone's ARBITRAGE, Phil Laby's GODOT, Charles James' ROXANNE, and Chris Kim's VUJA STAR-- wow, quite the all-star cast from the local SF J/105 fleet!

Sailing in PHRF 5 Class for singlehanded J/70s is John Brigden's COOL STORY BRO. He'll be taking on the PHRF 6 Class doublehanded J/70s that include David Fried's SON OF A SON, Scott Sellers 1FA, Pete Cameron's KANGAROO JOCKEY, Justin Foox's FLOTEK, and Tom Thayer's RAMPAGE. 

The thirteen-boat PHRF H Doublehanded Spin class looks pretty formidable. Rated at the top is Nesrin Basoz's J/111 SWITF NESS. He'll be challenging a gaggle of tough J/120 honchos, like Timo Bruck's TWIST, Barry Lewis' CHANCE, Tracy Rogers' HOKULANI, and Jeff Phillips ALCHERA. Wishing they were sailing in a different class is Ted Rogers' pretty J/100 GRACE!

PHRF 13 Class is Doublehanded Powered Winches boats, which includes Richard Leute's J/44 ACEY DEUCY. 

PHRF I Class Doublehanded Spin has thirteen boats and just one J/Crew- Tim Roche's J/92 ZAFF. Then PHRF K Doublehanded Spin of 11 boats also has a sole J/30 sailing- Jenny Thompson's FRICTION LOSS. 

The seventeen-boats PHRF L Class Doublehanded Non-Spin is also seeing a solo performance by Brian Richards' J/109 LA VIAJERA. 

The eleven-boat PHRF N Class Singlehanded Spin has Ralph Morganstem's J/30 GEODESIC up against another classic J, Chad Peddy's J/24 IRISH BLESSING.

Finally, the fourteen-boat PHRF P Class Singlehanded Non-Spin includes yet another solo performance by John Kalucki's J/109 LINDO. Fair winds and God Speed to all, hoping for a gorgeous day of sailing on the Bay!  For more SSS Corinthian Race sailing information

Inaugural ORC Doublehanded European Championship Announcement

(Sounio, Greece)– The Hellenic Offshore Racing Club (HORC) and the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) are pleased to announce entry is now open for the inaugural ORC Doublehanded European Championship to be held from July 2nd to 10th, 2021. The event is being held concurrently with the AEGEAN 600, a non-stop 600-mile full-crew race tour of the Aegean Sea that also starts and ends in Sounio.

The ORC DH Europeans is a new event in the portfolio of annual ORC World and European championships, one that harnesses the growing enthusiasm for Doublehanded sailing following the proposal by World Sailing for this to be included as a mixed gender two-person offshore keelboat event in the Olympic program for the 2024 Games in Paris.


The regatta will be based at the Olympic Marina, gateway to the Aegean Sea, 70 km southeast from central Athens and just north of Cape Sounion. The format consists of a short Coastal Race and a Long Offshore Race worth 1.0 and 1.5 points, respectively, with registrations and inspections starting on Friday, July 2nd and concluding on Sunday, July 4th before the Coastal Race start on Monday, July 5th. The intended length of this race is 10-12 hours on a course set in the Saronikos Gulf and the Cyclades islands.    
    
After a recovery day on Tuesday, racing will resume on Wednesday, July 7th with the Long Offshore Race of 60-72 hours duration in the same course area in the Aegean. Awards will be given in a Closing Ceremony held on Saturday, July 10th.

Entries are open to all boats with a valid ORCi DH certificate with a GPH rating from 500 to 700 seconds per mile. Class divisions will be determined at the closing date for entries on June 4th, with no more than three classes defined with expected GPH ranges of 80-120 s/mi per class.

All entries are expected to have their boats and crew suitably prepared for Doublehanded racing and are expected to have experience in participation in offshore racing of extended duration. Trophies will be awarded to the top three winners in each class, and additional prizes may be awarded to the top three male/female and mixed gender crews in each class.    
    
“The Aegean Sea is considered the cradle of western civilization,” said Ioannis Maragkoudakis, Commodore of HORC. “And it’s due to these deep roots of life on the sea that we have a rich maritime heritage, in general, and a robust sailboat racing culture, in particular. Xenios Zeus, the ancient Greek god of hospitality, promises to provide to all participating crews exceptional hospitality and exciting racing!”


Watch promo video of "In the Sea of Myths & Legends" here

“We are very excited that our friends at HORC have organized this important new ORC championship,” said Bruno Finzi, Chairman of ORC. “There is a long history of competitive offshore racing in Greece, and the Aegean Sea is both beautiful and challenging, so we encourage all offshore sailors to considering joining us in Sounio for this significant new event that for some may be on a pathway to the Olympics.”
For more ORC Doublehanded European Championship sailing information

Add to Flipboard Magazine.

What's the DNA of the NEW J/45 Offshore Cruising Yacht?

(Newport, RI)- Hitting the sweet spot for an ultimate offshore cruiser racer is not easily achieved. To design and build the optimum combination of performance and comfort, requires the highest level of experience and technical ability. The J/45 is part of the Elegance range built by J/Composites, France and is the result of three years collaboration with J/Boats Inc. in Rhode Island USA.


The J/45 is designed for high performance sailing at any wind angle. However, where it differs from most of the J/Boat range, is the interior is designed and built for living aboard in comfort. J/Composites’ Fred Bouvier explains more about the new J/45, just as Hull #1 came out of the mold at their facility in Les Sables-d’Olonne, France.

“The first J/45 owner will be from France and the plan is to launch in June this year. We will have some sea trials in the Atlantic,” commented Mr. Bouvier. “The J/45 is the perfect size to combine the interior volume required of an ocean-going cruising yacht, with the advanced composite construction and hull shape of a performance race boat.”

For all J/Boats there is a desire to keep the DNA of the brand in every model: sleek lines and a practical purpose for sailing. There is a wish to design J/Boats with moderate freeboard and not too much height in the coach roof. All of this needs to be combined with an interior that has good headroom, so every centimeter counts.

One example of J-Composites collaboration with J/Boats for the J/45 design and engineering, was to provide a shower in the second head of the aft cabin. Together, the design/ engineering team made as many as 15 tiny changes to the design of the coach roof to allow this feature to be possible.

"Working in partnership with J/Boats, we embraced both the DNA of J/Boats and famous French designer- Isabelle Racoupeaux- to create an interior that is really exceptional. The accommodation is like no other J/Boat before it, both in terms of the facilities and the beautiful finishing. It is a cruiser-racer, but the J/45 is not a compromise, it’s a combination,” commented Mr. Bouvier. 

Click here to watch the video of the J/45 virtual tour today!   Visit J/Boats website for more details on the J/45.Add to Flipboard Magazine.

GORGEOUS J/100 FOR SALE

This J/100 is an elegant daysailer and is a modern classic with teak decks and navy hull. With a carbon Hall spars mast, North sails and Raymarine electronics, she has proven to be a very competitive boat. Having achieved first in her class (ISC Group 5) in the 2019 Round the Island Race, as well as 3rd in Cruiser div B in 2019 Cowes Week with an all-family crew.

TIDERACE has had 2 owners from new and has been very well-maintained. Specified with optional stanchions and double lifelines she is prepared for crewed racing. The J/100 is a versatile model that can also be day-sailed easily shorthanded. Please contact Key Yachting for a full video tour!Add to Flipboard Magazine.

How is the J/9 Daysailer Created from Idea to Reality?

Ever wonder how a boat is created from an idea to reality? Here are some progress photos of the new J/9 daysailer. 

The quick lesson is that once the designer has created the hull and deck lines for the boat, it's sent to our Symmetrix tool maker in Bristol, RI to make the male "plugs". 

Step 1- make the frames and spray coat with what looks like wedding cake white icing (a foam). 

Step 2- the 5-axis CNC milling machine "carves" out the shape of the plug.  

Step 3- coat the mold with an epoxy/ fiber mix (the gray stuff). 

Step 4- the 5-axis milling process carves the mold to within 1mm of the designed shape. 

Step 5- mold is "long-boarded" manually for smoothness. 

Step 6- final thin coating (black) of mold release epoxy is sprayed and hand-sanded and buffed to a brilliant, smooth shine! 

Step 7- apply mold release, then cover the plug in multiple layers of glass to create the female "mold". Add several cross frames and longtitudinal supports (mostly steel tubing). Flip it all over, pull the plug out of the mold! Now, we're ready to make boats!

Sounds easy, right? Not! But, it's much faster and more accurate today than it was back in "the old days" of wooden frames and strip-planking and hand-sanding everything!  

Learn more here- http://www.jboats.com/j9