Extremely Light Delta Race Weekend

(Colijnsplaat, The Netherlands)- The 49th Delta Race Weekend opened with a lot of promise on Friday. Sun and wind saw the fleet leave the port of Colijnsplaat with the hope of having multiple races for around the cans racing offshore. The moderate northeast wind slowly died off from its promising 10 kts morning breeze to the point where all afternoon races were canceled.  That “movie” was repeated for the rest of the weekend.  Morning winds that veered into the east, then southeast, quadrants looked good early, but would die off in the afternoons.  Consequently, it was difficult to get in the full repertoire of racing for all fleets.

In the ORC 2 Class, Arjen van Leeuwen’s J/109 JOULE took the bronze in class.

In the Sportboat Class, Bart van Gemert’s J/80 JIVE won, followed by Paul Kersten’s J/80 BABY J in second, and David van de Plasse’s J/70 DRV in third.  Rounding out the top five was Jan-Marien Nijsse’s J/80 VERDER SCIENTIFIC in fourth and Gijs Golverdingen’s J/80 JACHTING in fifth place.  Follow Delta Race Weekend on Instagram here  Follow Delta Race Weekend on Facebook here  For more Delta Race Weekend sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Ingham Crowned J/24 N.A. Champion

Sailors Enjoy Spectacular Mexico Sailing Conditions
(Riviera Nayarit, Mexico) – The Riviera Nayarit greeted competitors with stunning sailing conditions for the thirty-seven teams from Brazil, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Monaco, Peru, Sweden and the United States.  For the entire event, the sailors enjoyed clear skies and warm sea-breezes starting off around 6-8 knots and steadily building to 12-14 with gusts to 16 kts— all 150% class genoa weather all week.  Incredibly, it was one of those near postcard-perfect regattas many sailors dream about, perhaps the epitome of the Mexican “siesta fiesta” approach to life— wake up late, breakfast at 10am, go sailing at 12pm as the light sea breeze builds, enjoy a few laps around the cans with friends and foe, sail back in for amazing post-race libations and even more stunning evening parties under the stars.  As they say, “lather, rinse, repeat”!  Bahia de Banderas can, indeed, deliver some remarkable experiences.

Enjoying it all more than most and soaking it all in was Mike Ingham’s newly-minted 2014 J/24 North American Championship crew on DIGGER- Tim Healy, Enrique Pirez-Cirera, Marianne Schoke and Max Holzer.  It was a masterful performance for them, posting an impressive scoreline of 1-2-3-1-4-1-1-1 for only 14 pts.

Behind the big winners, the second through fourth positions were separated by only two points and it all came down, literally, to how they finished the last race.  Surviving the wrestling match by grabbing a 4th in the last race, American Tony Parker’s BANGOR PACKET from Annapolis, MD finished second with 31 points.  Ian Ilsley’s JOBBIT crew from Monte Carlo, Monaco took a 3rd in the finale to secure third with 32 pts.  Coming up short of the podium was Mauricio Santa Cruz’s BRUSCHETTA of Brazil; they’re 8th race DSQ dramatically affected their chances for an “easy silver”, instead taking 2nd in the last race to settle for fourth with 33 pts.

Rounding out the top five was an excellent performance by the German team, JJ-ONE sailed by Jeronimo Landauer.  The top Mexican team was Ken Porter’s COMEX team, taking sixth overall.  Top Peruvian team was Jimena Gavino Barbieri skippering JITANA into seventh.  The Italian team, led by Giovanni Campi on ALEBRIJE, finished twelfth, sailing well and much improved from their last outing to Mexico a few years back.  The Swedish team’s appropriately named boat- FOR FUN- took 19th under the able leadership of their rockstar skipper Andreas Olovsson.

As for the winners, Ingham is no stranger to sailing in the Riviera Nayarit, having raced three Copa Mexico’s as well at the 2007 J/24 World Championship. “When this regatta was announced, I didn’t have to look at my calendar. No matter what else was on it, I wouldn’t miss this,” Ingham said. He noted that although he has personally sailed with each of his teammates, the entire crew had never raced together before this event. He praised the conditions, saying, “I’ve probably sailed 60 days in Mexico, and we’ve never missed a day of racing, and I’ve never worn a spray top. I love the 1:00 p.m. starts, with the thermal every day!!”  Sailing photo credits- Jen Edney  For more J/24 North Americans sailing information: http://j24mex.com/nac2014_copamexico

Wells Fargo J/22 Midwinters Preview

(New Orleans, LA)- The gracious hosts at Southern YC are looking forward to hosting their first Wells Fargo Advisors J/22 Midwinters since that infamous hurricane that decimated the Gulf Coast shoreline a few years back.  With a spectacular new facility, the J/22 sailors can expect the red-carpet treatment from one of the world’s best corps of volunteers anywhere.

For the February 14th to 16th weekend, an optimistic, near-perfect weather forecast has been ordered up by the local Lake Ponchartrain Chamber of Commerce for the twenty-six J/22 teams.  Sunny and clear all week-end long, Friday’s sailing may have 10-15 kts SW breezes veering to NNE at 5-10 kts on Saturday with perhaps a lightish day on Sunday of 5-8 kts from the southerly quadrants.

Several leading J/22 teams are participating with championship pedigree, including local hotshot Benz Faget sailing the infamous FATS, Terry Flynn aboard TEJAS from Ft Worth Boat Club in Texas, the brothers Doyle from Youngstown, NY (Chris sailing THE JUG 4 1 and Kevin on MO’MONEY), Alan Terhune on DAZZLER from Annapolis YC (current World Champion), and Chris Princing skippering PIGS IN SPACE from Tawas Bay YC in Michigan.  Long distance traveler award must surely go to Ron Harris on JAZZ coming “in from the cold”, and across the border, from Hudson Heights in Quebec, Canada!  Such a competitive fleet promises great sailing and, as usual, there will be surprising scorelines at the end of this regatta!  For more J/22 Midwinters sailing information

NEW J/Calendar 2014! Never Too Late!

Never too Late For Those Naughty or Nice!
(Newport, RI)- Order today!  Give a beautiful 2014 J/Sailing Calendar to  sailors who love the joys of sailing a J in some of the most spectacular harbors and waters of the world.  Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in far away places. Plus, it's time to get organized for your 2014 sailing schedule!

The 2014 sailing calendar features photos of flying J/70s off Key West; a fleet of J/24s dueling upwind off Monte Carlo, Monaco; surrealistic scenes of J/80s off Santander, Spain and sailing off “the cathedral” in Palma Mallorca; a fleet of J/120s crossing Alcatraz Island on San Francisco Bay; J/111s sailing in front of the spectacular Chicago skyline; a J/42 cruising along an idyllic Maine coastline; and other gorgeous images of J/105s, J/22s and a J/125.   A great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew (see gallery)!   Order your 2014 J/Calendar today, click here.

Happy Holidays- The J/Team

The J/Team

Al, Bob, Bryn, Drake, Jeff, Kendra,
Ned, Peter, Phil, Rod and Stuart

NEW J/Calendar 2014- Hot off the Press!

The Perfect Gift For People Who Love Sailing!
(Newport, RI)- For 2014 we've created another beautiful calendar for J sailors who love the joys of sailing a J in some of the most spectacular harbors and waters of the world.  Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in far away places.

The 2014 sailing calendar features photos (pictured here) of flying J/70s off Key West; a fleet of J/24s dueling upwind off Monte Carlo, Monaco; surrealistic scenes of J/80s off Santander, Spain and sailing off “the cathedral” in Palma Mallorca; a fleet of J/120s crossing Alcatraz Island on San Francisco Bay; J/111s sailing in front of the spectacular Chicago skyline; a J/42 cruising along an idyllic Maine coastline; and other gorgeous images of J/105s, J/22s and a J/125.  A great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew (see gallery)!   Order your 2014 J/Calendar today, click here.

The Perfect Gift- 2013 J/Calendar!

(Newport, RI)- It's not too late for those naughty or nice on your Holiday gift-giving list!  Give them the gift that lasts all year-- the 2013 J/Calendar. Whether you're a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in far away places. The sailing calendar features photos (pictured here-) of a dramatic J/111 powering upwind off Newport; a fleet of J/24s off sunny Tampa; surrealistic scenes of J/80s off Santander, Spain and flying downwind off Marseilles, France; a fleet of J/120s rocking downwind under spinnakers on San Francisco Bay; J/70s flying along under spinnakers; J/22s starting in the Rocky Mountains; and a J/97, J/109 and J/122 sailing in sunny Solent conditions.  A great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew!  Order your 2013 J/Calendar today, click here.

J/24 Sailboat Screen Prints

(Charleston, SC)- This Holiday season, surprise that sailing fanatic who already has everything with a gift they're sure to love, a custom handmade J/24 sail print. Each 18"x24" J/24 print is screen-printed on recycled sail cloth and is hand-signed and numbered by the artist (and avid sailor)- Chad Covert. Made locally in Charleston, SC, this print makes a wonderful gift—but hurry, as these are limited-run prints. Customize the print with your very own sail numbers for a small charge. Each print retails for $80.00. Please order at- http://www.etsy.com/shop/BattenCreative