LA SUPERBA Crowned J/24 European Champion!

(Patras, Greece)- This past week the Sailing Club of Patras hosted 175+ sailors and thirty-five crews from all around Europe for the 2019 J/24 European Championship. Participating teams came from Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Hungary, and Italy.  In the end, it was Italy's Ignazio Bonanno skippering LA SUPERBA with his Italian Navy crew, that were declared 2019 J/24 European Champions; winning with a day to spare!

Day 1- Spectacular Windy Day
Thirty J/24s vied in three races in winds of 15-25 knots to open to 2019 J/24 European Championship, hosted by the Sailing Club of Patras in Greece. Four different nations comprise the top four: Stefan Karsunke’s SCHWERE JUNGS of Germany (5 points), Ignazio Bonanno’s LA SUPERBA of Italy (8 points), Miklos Rauschenberger’s EL NINO of Hungary and Anthimos Nikolaidis’ EVNIKI of Greece (17 points).

Bonanno’s LA SUPERBA opened the Championship successfully as the breeze started in the mid-teens. Karsunke’s SCHWERE JUNGS and Rauschenberger’s El Nino followed. Nikolaidis’ EVNIKI won race two when the winds began piping up, and both Karsunke and Bonanno kept their claim at the front end of the fleet. Karsunke capped a nearly perfect day with a bullet, ahead of Panagiotis Kampouridis’ JMania and Alexandros Tagaropoulos’ HELLENIC POLICE in Tuesday’s last race.

Day 2- A Pretty Day on The Med
Six races have been completed so far. Ignazio Bonanno’s LA SUPERBA of Italy has jumped into first place. With scores of 3,2,3 on Wednesday, and factoring in the discard race (a fourth for them), LA SUPERBA tallies just 12 net points. Anthimos Nikolaidis’ EVNIKI of Greece moved up a spot to second overall (17 points), and fellow countryman Alexandros Tagaropoulos’ HELLENIC POLICE can now be found in third (25 points).

Winds began at 5-8 knots under blue skies and increased to 10-12 by day’s end for the 30 J/24s.

Nikolaidis rattled off two bullets in the first two races on Wednesday, shadowed initially by Tagaropoulos and Bonanno, and then again by Bonanno and Dave Hale’s CACOON of Great Britain. Two German teams rocked the day’s final and windiest battle: Lynn Wolgast’s all-women's crew on DERBE KERLE won the race (photo below of bow #19) and Thomas Cramer’s JUX & DOLLEREI took second place. Bonanno placed third.

Day 3- More Breeze, More Sun!
In nine of 10 scheduled races at the J/24 European Championship, Ignazio Bonanno’s LA SUPERBA consistently placed in the top four. Factoring in one discard for the Series, that left the Italian team as the J/24 European Champions for the second time (they also won in 2012 in their home country), with one race to spare. Retaining scores of only firsts, seconds and thirds, LA SUPERBA scored just 18 pts net!

Teams battling for the balance of the podium are over 18 points in arrears. Those teams include Anthimos Nikolaidis’ EVNIKI, Alexandros Tagaropoulos’ HELLENIC POLICE, Panagiotis Kampouridis’ J-MANIA and Stefan Karsunke’s SCHWERE JUNGS. The other thirty J/24s conclude racing Friday, with just one race scheduled.

The top Women’s J/24 European Champion contender is Lynn Wolgast’s German all-women crew from the Muhlenberger Segel-Club sailing on DERBE KERLE; she sits in 9th place with 70 pts net.

Conditions were perfect again on Thursday, with breeze at 10-15 knots, sunny skies and warmer temperatures. Bonanno’s LA SUPERBA notched their second bullet of the series to start the day, tailed by two German teams— Stephan Mais’ RUNNINGMEN and Karsunke’s SCHWERE JUNGS. Kampouridis’ J-MANIA of Greece snagged the win in the day’s middle battle, while Bonanno settled for second and Nikolaidis’ EVNIKI third. Then Kampouridis’ J-MANIA went back-to-back with another victory, ahead of Karsunke and Bonanno. Sailing photo credits: Batistatos Spyros/ Chris Howell   Follow the J/24 European Championship on Facebook here  For more J/24 European Championship sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/24 European Championship Preview

(Patras, Greece)- This coming week the Sailing Club of Patras will be hosting 175+ sailors and thirty-five crews from all around Europe for the 2019 J/24 European Championship. Participating teams come from Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Hungary, and Italy.

The leading crews may include Stefan Karsunke’s SCHWERE JUNGS and Jan Kahler’s UNITED 5 from Germany, and Paolo Rinaldi’s AMERICAN PASSAGE, Fabio Apollonio’s J-OC ALCE NERO, and Ignazio Bonanno’s LA SUPERBA.   Follow the J/24 European Championship on Facebook here   For more J/24 European Championship sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Exciting J/24 Europeans In The Making!

(Patras, Greece)- There are almost fifteen days left before the first official race of the J/24 Class European Championship, organized by the Sailing Club of Patras, in collaboration with the Hellenic and International J/24 Class and the Hellenic Sailing Federation.

Some 175 sailors and thirty-five crews from all around Europe have already arrived or are expected to arrive in the city of Patras, the third largest city of Greece. Patras is well known for its annual carnival and is surrounded by some of the most magnificent, well-known archaeological sites of Greece.

Preparations are well on the way, with official races commencing on May 7th. Prior to that, measurements, registration and a practice race will be held from the 4th to the 6th of May 2019. All boats will moor at the pier of Agios Nikolaos in the old northern harbor of the city.  Racing will be taking place just outside of the harbor, providing spectators with the possibility to observe a magnificent view of all J/24’s racing around the course. Besides the sailing, the Sailing Club of Patras has planned an exciting program of social events for all the participants.

Following a very successful J/24 World Championship in Italy with ninety participants, the city of Patra is ready to host another exciting event for the world’s largest keelboat class. The European J/24 Championship is open to anyone; and last minute registrations are welcome! We have a few more J/24 charter boats available for these last minute crews who would like to participate. Follow the J/24 European Championship on Facebook here  For more J/24 European Championship sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/36 JAZZ Cruising Corfu- Sailing Greek Islands!

(Corfu, Greece)- The J/36 JAZZ has been sailing thousands of miles between the UK and the Mediterranean over the past decade by a  salty dog named Norman Curnow.  He loves his boat, originally owned by designer Rod Johnstone in Stonington, CT.  Here’s Norm’s latest update:

“Hi JAZZ here!  After Corfu we went on to Preveza.  There is a large lake there, where Linda and I used the car to go to Koransia- a narrow peninsula of land about 2 miles long just about a road width wide! On the end, there is a marina and few cafes & bars.  We stopped for a meal and had a great day! On to Lefkes Canal where I touched the bottom, silting is a big thing there. They’re always dredging and entry is difficult, since the sands are always on the move!

Next we had to wait for the large swing bridge to open, swear to God its chipmunks on a treadmill opening it, it takes sooo long!  Anyhow, down the canal we went to Tranquil Bay were I saw my pal Annie on board a Nicholson 43- she lives on board, she set sail back in 2011 and loves living in Tranquil Bay!  Who can blame her, pretty place and nice locals! More to come-  Norman”

GREEK POLICE Leading Greece J/24 Series

(Paleo Faliro, Greece)- The Greek J/24 Class are well on their way into their 2014 National Championship Series having completed their first event at YC Paleo Faliro this spring.

With great weather, nice breeze and awesome race management by YC Paleo Faliro, the eleven teams from Athens, Crete and Thessaloniki and about 70 sailors gave major battles during the three days of racing, offering great competition and a tremendous spectacle for all the spectators watching from the shoreline.  This is the spirit of the Greek J/24 class- fun in the sun!!

The big winner of the First Phase of the National Championship, with just 10 penalty points, was the team GREEK POLICE commanded by Alexander Tagaropoulo and crew Nick Black, Pericles Aidinidis, Yannis and Dimitris Kokkori Trap, which confirmed the title favorite winning with great ease eight of the ten races that took place.

The great battle was for second place, which eventually was won by the team of Eunice Altsiadi, Dimitri Vangelis, and crew Mitakis, Claus Portosalte, Mano Smirli and Sotiris Kartal.  They were just three points ahead of Team JMANIA with crew of Nikos Spingou and crew Katerina Kaitatzidis, Dimitris Kolios, Menelaus Reizidi Costas Tridimas and Alexander Michaelides. The two teams had great competition racing against one another every race, with the two finishing most races just a few seconds difference from one another.   For more Greek J/24 sailing information

The J/36 JAZZ a Winner Every Year!?

 
 (Kalamta, Greece)- Remarkably so, it may be true ever since she started sailing off Newport in 1985.  Reports her current owner Norman Curnow, “Last year (2013) she sailed Gibraltar to the Balearics off Spain then onto Corfu near Turkey via Sicily’s Messina Straits at the bottom of Italy- spectacular scenery, by the by, sailing past active volcanos blowing smoke at sunrise!

I am in Kalamta at the moment.  When I go back my partner and I will travel on to Crete for a month or two then possibly back to Great Britain (most likely Plymouth) single handed on all sea passages. My partner, Linda, only likes to go “boating” at the marina or somewhere nearby!  JAZZ is a delight to sail short-handed! Good job, too, since I’m pushing 70 and have false hip, knee and ankle.  The J/36 is truly a remarkable boat!  Pleasant sailing to all at the J/Boats HQ in Newport! Cheers, Norman.”

KIKA Sweeps J/24 GIZA CUP

Great Sailing in J/24 Pan-Hellenic Cup Series
(Greece)- This past weekend, a fleet of seven J/24s sailed in the beautiful azure waters on the Bay of Pantanassas, just off the famous island of Crete in the Mediterranean.  The Gazi Cup Regatta is the second event in the Pan-Hellenic series that is organized by YC Gazi-Crete.

The fleet was treated to simply classic Med-sailing conditions with north-northeast winds all weekend long with boat-loads of sunshine.  Saturday's sailing saw idyllic NE 8-12 kts wind with four races sailed from 1300 to 1700 hrs.  Sunday was no different, in fact, nearly "postcard perfect" sailing and a repeat of Saturday's wind but a bit more breeze.

After the eight races were completed over the two days, the final rankings for the teams were as follows:
- 1st- KIKA skippered by Angel Psomopoulos and crew of John Pachaki, Christina Garaki, John Voulgaris and John Dialektaki.
- 2nd- MINOAN SPIRIT sailed by Mars Pallikaris and crew of Nikos Kampitakis, Nikos Petroulaki and Karyotakis Stavrakakis.
- 3rd- SIMERA sailed by George Lyroni and crew George Makridakis, Peace Syngelakis, Stella Lenakaki and Katerina Maragaki.  For more J/24 Class Greece sailing information

J/36 JAZZ Sailing in Greece!

(Mykonos, Greece)- Rod Johnstone's original J/36 JAZZ has now found a new home after traveling around the world for over 34 years!  JAZZ is now living in the Mediterranean in the lovely crystalline blue waters off Greece.  Her latest owner, Norman Curnow, is proud to have her and he reports that she continues to collect lots and lots of silverware!  Here is Curnow's heart-warming report from Greece:

"If I recall, Rod J's own J/36 from 1980, won the Block Island Race Week and a few other races, as well BVI Week and other events in the Caribbean.

JAZZ then went through a name change to "Cassiopeia Beta" and was registered in 1981 by her new owner in the United Kingdom-- Jon Adamsthwait, a former J/24 owner in the UK.

Later, she was purchased by my brother in the UK in 1986.  She was sailed back to New York via the Caribbean (taking the old trade-wind routes south from England past the Canary Islands off Portugal). She covered most of the Caribbean Islands, including Puerto Rico and Cuba.

Since that time, she's done the trans-Atlantic crossing twice.  She got caught in Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and sadly got badly holed-- 5 holes in hull and she was dismasted at the second spreader.  I took her over from my brother, lifted and repaired her, renamed her to the original name JAZZ and sailed back to the UK!

I then raced across "The Channel", doing the RORC Channel Race and winning double-handed.  Also won the Plymouth Offshore Race; won the Plymouth Inshore Series; and won the Around Scilley Isles Race!

In all, the reconditioned J/36 JAZZ has won 55 trophies, from 2005-2013, in Plymouth Yardstick and IRC events.  I've sailed her to the Mediterranean twice single-handed!  And, for now, I'm in Greece enjoying every moment with her!

I often wonder if the old JAZZ is one of the best-scoring, most trophy-winning J/Boats ever in the Johnstone family of boats? She's had just three owners in 34 years of sailing, won 60+ trophies overall, and sailed well over 100,000nm offshore!  Amazing boat.  We hope to have many, many more happy days sailing our J/36 JAZZ!  Cheers to all, Norman Curnow."  Great story!  Love to hear how some of the old warhorses never die and just "keep on ticking"!

HELLENIC POLICE Winning J/24 Pan-Hellenic Championships

(Athens, Greece)- This year's first phase of the Pan-hellenic J/24 Championship hosted by the Yacht Club of Paleo Falero was full of twists and turns for the thirteen teams that participated from Athens, Crete and Thessaloniki. After 8 exciting races, the HELLENIC POLICE, with skipper Alexander Tagaropoulo took an important step forward for the Pan-hellenic Championship Class by winning this event before heading down to Agios Nikolaos, Crete in October 2013 for the second phase to complete the championship.  Behind HELLENIC POLICE in second place was JMANIA with Spingo Niko and Dimitris Petkidi skippering. Third was ANIMA sailed by Alexander Mogantam.

The first day of racing began with an unpleasant surprise for the teams as they were leaving the harbor-- complete absence of wind. However, a light breeze from the south appeared and spread throughout the Paleo Falior Gulf growing into a beautiful 8-15 kts breeze. Three races were completed, which included spectacular duels between the leading groups. The three favorites to win (HELLENIC POLICE, ANIMA, JMANIA) made very strong starts with the trio winning all three races.

The second day of racing was the most exciting, as there were four races in difficult conditions for teams. The prevailing southerly winds were strong to begin with and grew even stronger throughout the day, reaching 20-25 kts with huge, choppy waves coming down the gulf.  JMANIA stole the day with some amazing races, including winning two races with HELLENIC POLICE taking the last race win.

On the last day, the weather permitted only one race as the sailing conditions diminished rapidly for the sailors.  With an early start at 11:00am, the RC was hoping to get in at least two races before the forecasted 20-25 kts winds increased in intensity to 30-35 kts near-gale conditions.  It turns out, the forecast was right, but late!  By the time the J/24 teams were finishing the first race, gusts were already hitting 30 kts!  At that point, the RC wisely called it a day and told the fleet to head for home!   The only race was won by HELLENIC POLICE

The crews now look forward to their next appointment to complete the PanHellenic Championships in October at Agios Nikolaos, Crete. With only 5 points separating the top four teams, interest in the second phase remains high, and the final victory of the Panhellenic open and unpredictable.  Sailing photo credits- Stavros Kouris  For more J/24 Greece Pan-Hellenic Championship sailing information

J/122 ARTIE RTFX Wins Middle Sea Race

(Gzira, Malta)- For the second year in a row, the Maltese family-powered J/122 ARTIE RTFX managed to win IRC Class 3 in this year's Rolex Middle Sea Race over some of their arch rivals to yet again establish their claim to Mediterranean offshore sailing supremacy!  Hoping to repeat their extraordinary performance winning last year's race overall, the crafty team of Lee Satariano and Christian Ripard led their J/122 team again to the head of the fleet overall for a brief period of time after rounding Sicily!  However, that excitement was fleeting at best once the light, variable winds kicked in the for the whole fleet.

This year's race was characterized by an exasperating search for a fickle breeze that tested crews’ resolve, patience and determination. This was not split second, "thrust and parry" racing but rather tactically strenuous, mentally arduous sailing with concentration and team spirit at the fore for long, long periods of time.

A record-breaking 83 international entrants from 20 countries took part over the 606 nm course that takes the fleet around Sicily and a series of islands in the middle of the Mediterranean, starting and finishing in Malta.  One of the main challenges faced by all teams was managing supplies. "We’re not expecting to see winds above 10-12 knots so we aimed to be as light as possible. We go through sails, spares, food and whatever we can to remove a few key kilos," said Rán 2 team manager Tim Powell.  Supplies onboard the majority of the Corinthian crews – more readily braced for a week at sea and less concerned about carrying extra weight –lasted a while longer. Many enjoyed the slow but stunningly scenic passage around Stromboli with a hearty meal. For these teams, the increasing challenge in the final few days was fatigue.

"It was very tactical. The crew worked round the clock. The boat was pushed to its optimum throughout," explained Lee Satariano, co-skipper of the defending champion and the fastest Maltese finisher Artie. "This race was mentally tiring with constant sail changes, it didn’t let up," added co-skipper Christian Ripard.

Such fighting spirit was typical of a contest that may have been light on drama but was never richer in human spirit. "This is always a difficult race. Every leg brought something new," explained one skipper. "The goal was to have a good time and get round." A sentiment echoed by the entire fleet.

The fleet enjoyed champagne sailing conditions on the first day; a brisk south easterly breeze propelled the fleet across the open sea to Sicily and towards the Strait of Messina. However as the wind faded on the first night, a tactically challenging and meteorologically intriguing Rolex Middle Sea Race was developing.  Last year’s champions, Lee & Christian’s all-Malta crew on ARTIE RTFX were leading after time correction. ARTIE RTFX rode a favourable current through the narrow gap between Sicily and the Italian main land as the leading yachts came into a grinding halt as the wind died close to Stromboli.

This was the first of many ‘re-starts’ in the race, as a high-pressure system settled over Sicily and periods of calm weather enveloped the course. Meanwhile the rest of the fleet were desperately seeking breeze to make Favignana, the northwest corner of the race course. This became a crucial part of the race, as fresh northwesterly winds would be the prize. So far, the weather had favored the smaller yachts but only the Class 1 and Class 2 yachts were to make Favigana before the wind totally shut down. The race had turned into ‘big boat race’, especially favoring the Class 2 yachts.

On the morning of Day Two, the battle for class honours and the overall crown was totally undecided, the majority of the fleet were trapped in whispers of wind trying to reach the fresh breeze to the west of Sicily.

By Day Three, ARTIE RTFX could only watch as their dream of winning for the second year running were fading fast.

In the early hours of Day Six, ARTIE RTFX became the first Maltese boat to cross the finish line and win Class 4.  Co-skipper, Christian Ripard, spoke dockside: “We did our best, it was a great race and everybody did a great job working really hard but we just kept on getting stuck in patches of no wind, which was very frustrating. This race took a whole day longer than last year and it was really tiring mentally, you were always looking for the way out; you could never relax.”

Artie RTFX was under considerable pressure to be the first Maltese boat home. Jonas Diamantino & Ramon Sant Hill’s ILC40, Comanche Raider 2 Gasanmamo pushed them all the way to the finish, as Christian Ripard explains.

"Comanche caught up about 20 miles on us, I was anxious watching them close the gap on us but in a way that was fantastic. There are a lot of good people doing the race this year. All of the crew on Artie are amateurs but they are top class sailors, we have had more or less the same crew for the last three races. I am the old man on the boat but they really know what they are doing and they keep me young! Many of them are dinghy champions that have got into keelboat racing and they are the future of yachting in Malta and the Rolex Middle Sea Race is a major occasion in our country and a fantastic showcase for our sport.”

The Grand Prize Giving for the 33rd Rolex Middle Sea Race took place at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta. Guest of Honour, Tourism Minister Mario de Marco, described the Rolex Middle Sea Race as the most prestigious international event in Malta. A packed house applauded each prize winner with great enthusiasm.  Lee Satariano & Christian Ripard’s J/122 ARTIE RTFX were awarded The Transport of Malta prize for the top performing Maltese yacht and the award for the best performance by a three boat international team was awarded to Malta taking into account the performance of ARTIE RTFX, Comanche Raider II Gasanmamo and XP-ACT. This is an astounding achievement considering that 19 countries were represented in the race but only six of the record 83 entries were from Malta. Plus, ARTIE RTFX finished 5th overall in what was purported to be a "big boat" race, beating in fact Nikolas Zenstrom's highly-professional team on the JV 72 RAN.

For much of the race, ARTIE was being pushed hard by their J sailing colleagues, the J/122 OTRA VEZ sailed by another Maltese team, the Florida family, the J/111 STORM and the J/133 OILTANKING JUNO. In the end, the J/133 finished 6th in IRC Class 3.  The two stablemates in Class 4 for ARTIE sailed very well, with the J/111 J/STORM from Italy finishing 9th and narrowly beating out the Floridia family from Malta on their J/122 OTRA VEZ finishing 10th.

For a perspective on what it takes to compete in this famous race, Aaron Gatt Florida sailing on the J/122 OTRA VEZ had the following commentary prior to the start of this year's race:

"After last year's result in the RMSR we wanted to spend 2012 getting to know the boat better and pushing our performance. In June 2012 we took OTRA VEZ to the South of France and participated in the Giraglia Rolex Cup. This was an excellent regatta and we achieved a very respectable result considering the conditions this year. More importantly it was an excellent training camp for us and we learned a lot about the boat. We have made quite a few upgrades to the boat this year too - a new jib top which is essential for long distance racing, instrumentation upgrades, more efficient running rigging layout, etc.

Right now OV is in Malta. Preparations are in full swing and we are having the bottom redone to a racing finish in time for the race. Crew core is the same as last year with a couple of newcomers.  We're excited and looking forward to the start! It's still a bit early to get a clear picture of what the conditions will be like. The weather in the Med can be very unstable at this time of the year and forecasts change quickly."  Indeed, it was.  And it's a tribute to the Floridia's and their Maltese team-mates to have fought valiantly to secure a respectable class finish in one of the toughest Middle Sea races in years.   For more Rolex Middle Sea Race sailing information

A Dream Cruise on a J/130

*  Experience what John & Mary Driver describe in a recent sailing article sailing aboard their J/130 cruising sailboat.

"Have you dreamed about sailing across the Atlantic to explore the beauties of Italy, France and Greece; or maybe taking a more northerly route to Scotland or through to Scandinavia? A west to east Atlantic crossing can be a daunting prospect, but making the effort is well worthwhile.

During the late 90s and early 2000s, while sailing on the Chesapeake Bay, we had started to think about some long term cruising. During that time we entered three Annapolis to Bermuda races and an Annapolis to Newport race and did several cruises along the East Coast. These offshore excursions gave us the taste for more adventure and we soon started to think about an Atlantic crossing and sailing into the Mediterranean.

We gradually converted our 43 foot J130 from an around-the-buoys racer to an ocean cruiser/ racer. With the boat fairly well equipped for safety, we focused on changes needed for long-range passages and cruising comfort. Additions included a fuel cleaning system, second fuel tank, solar panels, wind generator and updated electronics.

Where next?  We made a summer shake-down cruise to Maine to test out all the new gear, while not adventuring too far from home in case we needed to get any warranty work done. After a lot of thought and discussion with other sailors, we decided to join the Caribbean 1500 to sail in company from the Chesapeake Bay down to the BVIs. Our plan was to cruise the Caribbean and participate in the ARC Europe rally leaving the following May. This was a decision that worked very well for us and which we never regretted.

European Highlights:
Since arriving in Europe in 2010, we crossed the Mediterranean and  wintered in Northern Cyprus. It seemed the longer we stay in the Mediterranean, the more we realize there is to enjoy. Some of our most memorable highlights to date were:

• Off-road Segway tours in Sintra, Portugal.
• Passing through the Straits of Gibraltar with the Atlas Mountains of Africa to starboard and the peaks of Estrecho National Park in Europe to port.
• Playing with the Barbary apes on the Rock of Gibraltar.
• Walking the streets of Cartagena, Spain, full of ancient Roman historical sites.
• Sailing around the bays and islands of the Spanish Balearics.
• The unique culture and character of Cagliari, Sardinia.
• The friendliness of the Maltese island of Gozo.
• Enjoying local cuisine on the Island of Crete.
• Helping conservationists release baby green turtles on a remote beach in Northern Cyprus.

We are now preparing for the next part of our adventure which will be the Turkish coast to Istanbul and then the Greek isles. At some point, we’ll have to think about returning home, but so far we are in no hurry. What’s another year when you are enjoying a once in a lifetime experience?"  John & Mary Driver

Italian LA SUPERBA Wins J/24 Europeans

Brazilian Maurizio Santa Cruz Wins "Open" Europeans
(Arzachena, Sardinia, Italy)- Can the newly minted Italian Champions in Sardinia also become the J/24 European Champions?  As "the Fates" will have it, yes.  Ignacio Bonanno on LA SUPERBA wins the J/24 Europeans while past J/24 World Champion Brazilian Mauricio Santa Cruz on BRUSCHETTA wins the European Open competition.

In the end, after a remarkable nine races spaced over four days the Brazilian team of Mauricio Santa Cruz managed to completely dominate the J/24 teams assembled for the European Championship.  After starting slowly (really slowly for them), Mauricio's crew sailed a 13-28-1-2-2-2-1-1-3 to win with a 25 pts total, 14 points in front of the second place finisher, LA SUPERBA. After winning the Italian J/24 Championships, Ignazio Bonanno on LA SUPERBA  sailed a very solid regatta, starting off strongly with a 3-2-2-8-3-10-4-7 to finish with a net 39 pts, winner of the "Europeans".  Third overall in the regatta was the American team from Seattle, Washington, Keith Whittemore and crew on FURIO.  They started with about as crappy a score-line as anyone could imagine- 19-ocs-21 but managed to overcome the romance of the Sardinia women and seductive coastline to score a 4-1-1-5-2-2 for the best tally in  the fleet for the last six races for a 55 pts total.  They just edged out the top German tea, Kai Mares on ROTOMAN that sailed a solid regatta to get a 9-1-3-3-9-12-13-6 for 56 pts.  Fifth was the American team of Mike Ingham on JULIA with a score of 2-ocs-13-16-4-3-7-9-4 for 58 pts.  For more J/24 European Championship sailing information

J/130 SHAZAM Goes transAtlantic Cruising

John and Mary Driver have been sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary will have just finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam. You can get updated on their exploits over the last 18 months by checking http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.  BTW, the "sailblogs.com" website is a great way for cruising sailors to stay in contact and includes photo gallery, email, blog and location updates for friends and family.
  

J/44 Cruising in Greece

Christos Patsavos sent us a recent note and photo of his J/44 from Athens, Greece- "I am a happy owner of a J/44 based in Athens, Greece and I am cruising, day sail or racing occassionaly.  I wonder if I could get in touch with other J/44 owners in US and would appreciate to have your advice about this possibility. Kind regards, Christos!"  For you J/44 owners, you can reach Christos at email- "patsos2002@yahoo.gr"