DEJA VOODOO ECLIPSES J/105 MIDWINTERS

(Seabrook, TX)- The J/105 Midwinter Championship returned to the calendar this year as twelve teams competed at Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, TX from March 11-14. Over the three-day regatta, the fleet enjoyed truly amazing Texas-style hospitality and pretty amazing sailing conditions- warm, breezy, and moderately choppy waters on Galveston Bay.


After the first day it was abundantly clear that one team must've consumed several spinach cans of Popeye's "whupass", flexed their muscles, and completely smoked the fleet. Starting first and never looking back. the DEJA VOODOO team left everyone in their wake as they peeled off all bullets on the first day. The second and third day of racing never saw them take their foot off the gas, keeping it "firewalled" and reeling off a bunch more bullets.  In the end, Bill Zartler's team on DEJA VOODOO may have been surprised at their own incredible record, counting all bullets after tossing a 2nd place in the eight race/ one-drop series...just 7 pts net!  


The Vice-champion of the last J/105 North American Championship in Marblehead, MA- FINAL FINAL- was put into the unenviable position of playing chase the entire regatta. Accumulating five deuces and the only bullet not taken by DEJA VOODOO, Ken Horne's team on FINAL FINAL sailed to a clear second place with 14 pts net.

Completing the podium in the bronze position was Uzi Ozeri's BONBON, they closed with a 3-5 on the last day for all top ten finishes and 32 pts net.

Rounding out the top five was John Barnett's PESTO with 35 pts net in fourth position and Mark Smith's EAU LA LA took 5th with 36 pts net.  For more J/105 Midwinter Championship regatta sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

J/99 For Sale in Houston, Texas

 

J/99 Hull #007 is a well outfitted capable and versatile J/99. ProFurl roller furling jib and code 0. Great B&G Instruments, Fusion Stereo and Speakers, North 3Di Main, 3Di med/hvy jib, 3Di light/med. jib, AirX A2 Asym, Code 0 NPL on roller furler, all safety gear. 

Factory options include: Upgraded interior cushions, 110v Shore Power, 12V DC refrigeration, Additional 100 Amp battery, 2 burner propane stove, Pop Up morning cleats. Instruments include: 3 Triton Mast mounted displays, 2 bulkhead mounted multi-displays, V60 VHF Radio, Nav Station mounted Chart Plotter, Triton, speed, depth, wind, GPS sensors. The blue stripes are a wrap and can be easily removed. New Lower price! Learn more here on J/Net Brokerage. 

Awesome J/Fest Southwest Regatta

 

(Houston, Texas)- According to Scott Spurlin, J/Dealer in Texas, "the J/Sailors in Texas needed this event!  The enthusiasm to get out on the water was over the top!  On Friday, the rain was coming down and the gusts were in the 40’s and people still trailered their boats in!  We delayed the start on Saturday to give them time to set up and launch. Then we had a full weekend of racing.  I will always think of this J/Fest as fondly as I remember the very first one!"


The J/Fest Southwest Regatta celebrated its 11th Anniversary and proved yet again it was a popular tradition among the J/Boat owners throughout the region with over 70 J/Boats. This 11th edition was a bit more challenging with the current Pandemic conditions. But Lakewood Yacht Club's team rolled out their traditional (and amazing!) red carpet treatment for the 250-plus sailors and made sure the event was fun, while complying with both State of Texas and US Sailing COVID-19 guidelines.


The two-day, six-race regatta had amazing attendance in every class, including seven J/70s, nine J/105s, five J/ORC boats, twenty-one J/22s, and fifteen J/24s! Many familiar happy faces were seen aboard the boats, overjoyed with being to get together safely and fulfill their wishes to finally sail their first regatta since the advent of the pandemic lockdowns back in March.  


Perhaps the most surprising outcome of the regatta was the win by Scott Spurlin's team on the J/70 YOLO. Despite the fact it was just a half-dozen boats, the fleet was riddled with National, North American, World Champions and Olympic Medallists! Apparently, it helps to have some "secret sauce" on board in the form of mainsheet trimmer and tactician Reed Baldrige (a National and World Champion sailor).  Scott's team had a remarkably consistent performance, rattling off a 2-2-1-2-3-2 record for a mere 12 pts! Just behind them it was truly a "shoot out at the OK Corral" for the balance of the top five. Taking the silver was Jay Lutz's MOJITO, after compiling an ever-improving performance with finishes of 4-4-2-3-4-1 for 18 pts. The bronze was determined by a tie-breaker at 19 pts each between two World Champion teams. Bruno Pasquinelli's STAMPEDE won the countback over Glenn Darden's HOSS. Taking fifth position was Dov Kivlovitz’s TURBO DUCK. 


The J/105 class also saw a few duels taking place at the top of the leaderboard.  Winning the regatta by just one point was Ken Horne's FINAL FINAL over Bill Zartler's DEJA VOODOO. Like the J/70s, the bronze medal battle went to the final race and ended up in a tiebreaker at 24 pts each. After the countback, the bronze was awarded to John Bell's KINDERSPIEL 2 over Bill Lackenmacher's RADIANCE. Taking fifth place was Uzi Ozeri's BONBON.

The huge J/22 fleet was extremely competitive and the battle at the top of the leaderboard raged all weekend-long. How tight was the fleet? Well, the top five were only separated by an anxiety-inducing six points! Like their brothers and sisters in the J/105 and J/70 classes, the showdown for the podium was not determined until the final leg of the final race! Starting off with a blistering 1-2, Larry Wise's crew on LET THE WOOKIE WIN faltered in the next four races, chalking up a 12-6-3-6 for a 30 pts total. Nevertheless, after surviving the onslaught from several National and World Champions crew in the J/22 class, Wise's team held their composure to win with 30 pts- a 5th average, the highest winning average of the regatta! Casey Lambert's crew on BLACKBURN MARINE RACING took the silver with a roller-coaster scoreline of 4-5-3-7-4-9 for 32 pts. Rounding out the podium in a hard-earned bronze medal was Mark Foster's PRESSURE DROP, posting a 10-3-1-4-5-10 for 33 pts (how did you bracket your record with two 10's??). The balance of the top five included Jim Freedman's MISS CONDUCT and Tom Meeh's MEEHEM in fourth and fifth, respectively. 

The only class to see what could only be defined as a "runaway shopping trolley" collecting all podium finishes was Chris Holmes crew on the J/24 BAD MOON. Holmes' team cruised to a 2-3-2-3-2-2 record for 14 pts. A distant second was taken by Gerald Rademaker's YIKES team, followed by Greg Newsome's SIXTY NINE (the sail number of his very old TPI-built J/24!). The rest of the top five saw Rod Favela's PHANTASM in fourth and Graham Gardner's SURPRISE in fifth position. 


Finally, the big offshore boats all sailed in the J/ORC class. Winning was Forbes Durdin's J/121 BEAR, closing the last four races with all bullets! Mark Funk's J/27 USA 23 was second and Bill Sutton’s fire-engine red J/35 LEADING EDGE. The rest of the top five included Dave Christenson's J/109 AIRBORNE in 4th and Albrecht Goethe's J/46 HAMBURG II (a beautiful "upgrade" from his former J/109 by the same name!). 

Enjoy the sailing highlights video on YouTube produced by Stuart Lindow/ Pelican Productions   Enjoy the sailing photos on Flickr   For more J/Fest Southwest sailing information

Eight Bells- Scott Self- J/22 Sailor Extraordinaire

* Scott Self, 70, passed away due to glioblastoma on June 30 in in Rockwall, TX. He was diagnosed May 19, 2020.


Scott Self was born to Dr. Stanley Allen and Gloria Rust Self in Victoria, Texas. In 1963 the family moved to Fort Worth, Texas where he graduated from Paschal High School in 1968. During those years in Fort Worth, Scott learned to sail a Sunfish sailboat and worked on the family’s cattle ranch near Saginaw, Texas.

Scott graduated from Texas Christian University in 1972 with an honors degree in Economics, where he was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. TCU is also where he met his wife, Jan, whom he married on June 9, 1973 in her parents’ backyard—-a 50’ magnolia tree as their altar.

Their honeymoon was spent sailing and racing Dick Williamson’s Swan 44 Stuart Little from Cowes on the Isle of Wight, England, then home to the states via La Rochelle, Lisbon, Gibraltar, Morocco, Canary Islands, and the Bahamas.

Upon their return, Scott worked for Merrill Lynch as a stock broker in Dallas. Four years later in 1977, he bought a company that produced Micro Brush, renamed it ProSoap, and moved the company to Rockwall.

He and Jan moved to Chandlers Landing and Scott was able to pursue his love of sailboat racing on Lake Ray Hubbard—-the best sailing lake in Texas due to its shape and orientation to the prevailing southerly breezes. He and Jan were immediately active in the community.

Scott founded Dallas Race Week, a regatta now in its 38th year. In 1985, Scott was the founding Chairman of Rockwall United Way. In 1986, he chaired the Rockwall YMCA Board and in 1987, he served as Commodore for Chandlers Landing Yacht Club. In 1988, he was chairman of the Rockwall Noon Rotary Board. And in 1989 he was Chairman of the Rockwall Area Chamber of Commerce Board. He loved to serve the community.

In 1990, Scott began his political career and was elected to his first office in Rockwall as County Treasurer in which he served seven years. In 1999, he was elected to Rockwall City Council, and in 2000, he was elected Mayor of Rockwall.

From 2003 until 2006, he served as Rockwall County Commissioner. His proudest accomplishments in these roles were doubling the size of Harry Myers Park and increasing the biking trails, starting the process of Hometown 2000, and keeping taxes in Rockwall the lowest in the Metroplex.

Scott never stopped serving his community. In 2001 at age 51, Scott began a five-year career as a volunteer firefighter for the Rockwall Fire Department and served as the President of the Rockwall Firefighters Association in 2005. He spent eight years as a Board Member of Rockwall County Helping Hands and recently served on the board of Women In Need, as well as serving in numerous other volunteer organizations.

Scott’s sailing career was as illustrious. Scott crewed on the winning boat in the 1973 North American Men’s Sailing Championship, known as the Mallory Cup. That same year, he competed in the 420 World Championships held off the coast of Israel during the Israeli 1973 Yom Kippur war with Egypt.

A story Scott liked to tell was that his crew had become ill and Scott was facing dropping out, so the Israeli sailing committee kindly offered a substitute crew. The substitute showed up and Scott asked what he did for a living. The sub responded, “I’m a fighter pilot. They told me if I could get here in time, I could sail with you, so I put on the afterburners and here I am!” Scott and his new crew placed ninth out of 75 of the best world-class teams.

Further admirable finishes in his sailboat racing career include racing the aforementioned Stuart Little in the Fastnet Race of Great Britain, placing sixth in the 1994 J/22 World Championship in Holland, and again in 1996, as well as placing second in the 2004 J/22 US Nationals.

In 2005, Scott and his longtime sailing partner Nigel Brown won the double-handed division of the Transpac race from Los Angeles to Hawaii aboard their Hobie 33, Soap Opera. Later that same year, he and Nigel were the Overall Winners of the Harvest Moon Regatta, which they came back to win overall again in 2006 and in 2012.

These are the highlights but in brief, Scott placed in the top 10 in every major class of National Championships from Sunfish to 60 footers.

In addition to his racing career, he also sailed open oceans. At age 17, he single-handedly sailed a small boat named Sprinter from Galveston to Corpus Christi, without any sea charts. He sailed across the Atlantic Ocean twice, once heading east, and again heading west.

And in 2007, Scott became a United States Coast Guard 100 Ton Masters Captain. He captained three sailing yachts through the Panama Canal: Erik Oisted’s Angantyr, Bobby Pryor’s Poetry and most recently a 70-foot catamaran, Chamonix, in February 2020.

Scott has introduced thousands of people to the love of sailing aboard Seawolf, a 25’ x 40’ catamaran he custom built himself inside his company’s warehouse. Over the past 12 seasons, Scott has taken over 30,000 people sailing and performed over 700 weddings. He built “Sail With Scott” to be a unique attraction for the DFW metroplex.

Scott was also physically very active throughout his life. He ran 10 marathons, including the prestigious NYC Marathon in 1990, the original Athens, Greece Marathon, as well as four Dallas Marathons.

He was also an avid cyclist with his wife Jan and rode the AIDS 3-Day Ride from Houston to Dallas three times. He completed the HHH Century (100 miles) bike ride in Wichita Falls three times, twice with Jan on a tandem bike. In 2018, Scott, Jan and daughter Chandler hiked and summited Mount Kilimanjaro together.

For most workdays of the past 16 years, Scott looked forward to having lunch with one of his best friends, consultant and confidant: his son, Billy.

Scott is survived by his wife Jan of 47 years, his children Billy and Chandler, his daughter in law Katie, his granddaughters Elliott, Julia, Alexandra and Isla, and his soon to be son-in-law, Matthew Tinley. He is also survived by his older brother Fred, his wife Suellen and their children, and sister Becky Doody, her husband Jack and their children.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Scott’s honor to Women-In-Need (http://www.wintexas.org).

J/121 Smokes Harvest Moon Regatta

J/Teams Sweep ORC Offshore Division!
(Port Aransas, TX)- The weather forecast for this year’s Harvest Moon Regatta race, hosted by Lakewood Yacht Club south of Houston, was either intimidating to some, or a thrill for others. An impending front that ultimately produced deadly tornados north in the Dallas/ Fort Worth region also produced 5-10 foot steep Gulf of Mexico “chop” with 23 to 45 kt winds. Not exactly a recipe for a family’s “walk in the park”, a 150.0nm race from Galveston Bay to Port Aransas down south towards the equally famous Corpus Christi region of the Texas Gulf Coast.

According to Scott Spurlin, “in the 60+ boat fleet, it was Forbes Durdin and his brand new J/121 BEAR that took line honors, won the Bacardi Cup in the ORC fleet overall, won their division and received the first annual J/Boats Award (courtesy J/Boats Southwest). The brand new J/99 YOLO finished 2nd in their ORC Division. Great showing by the two J/46's, the J/105's and the J/120!”

Reflecting on their fun-loving performance, Forbes Durdin had this to say, “great weekend aboard BEAR in the 2019 Harvest Moon Regatta. Monohull line honors— 16 hrs 22 minutes— Bacardi Fleet (ORC) win, matching division win and J/Boats Trophy. Water-ballasted J-121 is a rocketship! Love it!”

Perhaps, what was more remarkable was the fact that in the 22-boat ORC Division, by far the biggest in the regatta, was that J/Teams took six of the top 7 places overall!  Here is how that panned out: the J/121 BEAR in first, then Jim Demarest’s J/46 SODALIS III in second, Albrecht Goethe’s J/46 HAMBURG II in third, JD Hill’s J/122 SECOND STAR in fourth, John Barnett’s J/105 PESTO in sixth, and James Liston’s J/120 AEOLUS seventh.  Congratulations to all on such a remarkable performance!

In the class breakdowns, ORC A was won by the J/121 BEAR, with the J/122 SECOND STAR in second. In ORC B class, first was the J/46 SODALIS III, second the J/46 HAMBURG II, fourth the J/105 PESTO, and fifth the J/120 AEOLUS.

In the ORC C Class, second was the J/99 YOLO, followed by John Bell’s J/105 KINDERSPIEL 2 in third.

Finally, in the 13-boat PHRF Fleet, third in PHRF A Class was Rob & Stephen Epstein’s J/120 SCOUT, and taking 4th PHRF Overall. An excellent outcome for J/Crews across the board offshore in the Harvest Moon Regatta! For more Harvest Moon Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Fest Southwest Preview

(Lakewood, TX)- This coming weekend, the Lakewood Yacht Club south of Houston, TX will be hosting the annual J/Fest Southwest Regatta on Galveston Bay from October 25th to 27th. A record fleet of sixty-nine boats is participating from across the Deep South. There are big one-design fleets of J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, and J/105s and a J/ORC class.

The 20-boat J/22 class features a number of leading teams from the region, including Casey Lambert’s BLACKBURN MARINE RACING, Jeff Jones’ GAS STATION SUSHI, Anne Lee’s HELMS A LEE, Farley Fontenot’s OLD TIMES, Dan Pletsch’s SKETCHY, Gary Theis’ STUDENT DRIVER and Kevin Orff’s TROUBLEMAKER.

While the J/24 Worlds are taking place in Miami, FL, a solid fourteen-boat J/24 class is assembling on Galveston Bay. Leading crews include Kirk Reynolds’ TYRUS, John Parker’s CHUPACABRA, Amanda Casey’s MOMENTOUS, Ryan Miller’s TRICK BAG, Darren Hill’s FRAT HOUSE, and Stu Juengst’s VANG GO.

Perhaps the most competitive fleet will be the 14-boat J/70 class as the event is a 2020 J/70 Worlds qualifier for the regatta in Marina del Rey, CA. Top teams on the leaderboard should include Jack Franco’s 3 BALL JT, Doug Strebel’s BLACK RIVER RACING, Mallory & Andrew Loe’s DIME, Glenn Darden’s HOSS, Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE, and Jay Lutz’s ZOUNDS.

The J/ORC fleet features a few gold-platers from the region. Two J/46s that recently collected some silverware in the Harvest Moon Regatta will be participating; Albrecht Goethe’s HAMBURG II and Jim Demarest’s SODALIS III. In addition, there will be J.D. Hill’s J/122 SECOND STAR, two J/109s (David Christensen’s AIRBORNE and Andy Wescoat’s HARM’S WAY), the new J/99 TBD, Bill Sutton’s famous J/35 LEADING EDGE, George Cushing’s J/92 USA 77, and Ray Bentele’s J/29 PRESS TO MECO. Should be fun handicap racing in that fleet!  For J/Fest Southwest results   For more J/Fest Southwest sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Fest Southwest Regatta 10th Anniversary!

(Lakewood, TX)- The 10th annual edition of the J/Fest Southwest Regatta will feature many of the exciting and fun events that J/Sailors have enjoyed over the past decade. This year’s event will feature live music, a shrimp boil dinner, free beer, spectator boats (for family and friends), and lots of J/Sailors having a lot of fun! Hosting the event at their expansive facilities on Galveston Bay is the incredibly accommodating Lakewood Yacht Club. Participating are one-design fleets of J/22s, J/24s, J/70s and an ORC handicap class.

For the thirteen-boat J/70 fleet, the regatta serves as a 2020 J/70 Worlds qualifier that will be held in Marina del Rey, CA at California Yacht Club. Despite the relatively small size of the fleet, it is bursting with talent from many top southwest sailing teams. Watch for these teams to be factors on the leaderboard; such as Doug Strebel’s BLACK RIVER RACING, Mallory & Andrew Loe’s DIME from Seattle, WA, Glenn Darden’s HOSS, Forbes Durdin’s MOJITO, Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE, Mark Masur’s TWO FEATHERS, Al Poindexter’s USA 241, and Jay Lutz & Doug Strebel’s ZOUNDS.  Fun and games for that fleet!

The eleven-boat J/24 fleet also features a number of leading crews in the southwest.  Chief amongst them is Jack Franco’s 3 BALL JT, plus Stu Juengst’s VANG GO, Andrew Theismann’s YOUNG’UNS, and Gerald Rademaker’s YIKES!

The fourteen-boat J/22 fleet has a number of amusing teams participating. Who’s on first in this fleet? Who knows. But, it could be Casey Lambert’s BLACKBURN MARINE RACING, Jeff Jones’ GAS STATION SUSHI, Dan Pletsch’s SKETCHY, Gary Thies’ STUDENT DRIVER, or Kevin Orff’s TROUBLEMAKER. Wow, sounds like a bunch of refugees from the local mental asylum… anyone want to race against that crazy crew? For sure, they will have a lot of fun.

The J/105s have seven teams participating from around Galveston Bay. Based on their performance at the recent J/105 North American Championship, there is no question the outright favorite has to be Ken Horne’s FINAL FINAL team (the infamous boat with class illegal “no windows”). Who will challenge them? Perhaps John Barnett’s PESTO, Brad Robbins’ RUMPUS, Dennis Kokkinis’ SPITFIRE, or Albert Shannon’s WIKI WIKI V.

In the J/ORC Division are six teams that will be pointing their bows across the starting line. Those teams include the brand new J/99 USA 007 (another Agent 99!), Albrecht Goethe’s J/46 HAMBURG II, Andy Wescoat’s J/109 HARM’S WAY, J.D. Hills’ J/122 SECOND STAR, Jim Demarest’s J/46 SODALIS III, and George Cushing’s J/92 77. Included in this group is Richard Bell’s J/97E VESPER.  For more J/Fest Southwest sailing information

See the NEW J/99 Offshore Speedster

Newport - Houston - San Francisco!
(Newport, RI)- There's a new 33 footer in town, and based on early sailing reports, it's fast, stable, and has a surprisingly comfy interior (with headroom). If that sounds familiar, it's because J/Boats has been re-defining the ultimate racer/cruiser for over three decades, leaving its indelible mark on the sailing world with racer-cruisers like the J/35, J/109 and J/120 amongst many notable others.

With racing recently trending towards adventure-style, open-course events, the J/99 is optimized for straight-line speed for both a short-handed and normal sized crew – taking its cues from its bigger sister, the 40' J/121 (Sailing World BOTY winner in 2018). High customer demand has already pushed the order backlog out to the spring of 2020, but three J/99s are just hitting the water for this season, and you're invited to see and sail one at the upcoming:

J/99 Open House & Demo Day
Saturday June 1st in three locations:

• Newport, Rhode Island
• Houston (Seabrook), Texas
• San Francisco (Alameda), California

Everyone is welcome to climb aboard and check out the new design, and weather permitting even go for a sail!  Please RSVP below for an invitation to the J/99 Open House nearest to you. Please fill out the online webform here to get an invitation and more details.   For more J/99 Shorthanded Offshore Speedster information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Open House! See the NEW J/99 Offshore Speedster

Newport - Houston - San Francisco!
(Newport, RI)- Treat yourself to a visit to take a tour of the new boat that is taking over Europe by storm (50+ boats) and is turning heads everywhere it goes around the world! The new J/99 shorthanded offshore speedster will have an Open House on Saturday, June 1st at three different locations nationwide- Newport, RI / Houston (Seabrook), TX / San Francisco (Alameda), CA.

If you wish to see the J/99 firsthand, please fill out the online webform here to get an invitation and more details.

For more J/99 Shorthanded Offshore Speedster information
Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Open House! See the NEW J/99 Offshore Speedster

Newport - Houston - San Francisco!
(Newport, RI)- Treat yourself to a visit to take a tour of the new boat that is taking over Europe by storm (50+ boats) and is turning heads everywhere it goes around the world! The new J/99 shorthanded offshore speedster will have an Open House on Saturday, June 1st at three different locations nationwide- Newport, RI / Houston (Seabrook), TX / San Francisco (Alameda), CA.

If you wish to see the J/99 firsthand, please fill out the online webform here to get an invitation and more details.

For more J/99 Shorthanded Offshore Speedster information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/105 Speeds, Tips, Tricks

(Newport, RI)- Going down to the J/105 Midwinters soon?  Here is a good compendium of speed tips, tricks, and how to sail faster from the North Sails J/105 team. 

It is a good “pre-season” primer and reference to get you and your team going in the right direction and faster, sooner!

Most of the ideas are quite practical and apply to whatever sails you may have.  Read more here. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Weakley Tops 2018 Texas J/22 Circuit

(Houston, TX)- Texas is a stronghold for the J/22 one-design sailing; areas like Galveston Bay can see 18 boats on the line for Wednesday night racing, which makes for plenty of competitive racing. Sailing his J/22 consistently throughout the seven regattas making-up the Texas J/22 Circuit, Doug Weakley (Corpus Christi, TX) came out on top after winning four events and placing well in the remaining three.

The primary keys for his success were Doug’s relentless drive to keep his older boat (hull #24) and his crew competitive. Sporting a new suit of sails, combined with awesome crew-work, good speed, and extraordinary perseverance to do tactically well in all weather conditions, ultimately, led to their tremendous performance.  Here is Doug’s take on the season:

“2018 started out great with Jim Kondziela and Joe Mayfield sailing with me on HNL (#24) at the Houston Yacht Club’s Midwinter regatta. We were really fast throughout the event and starting with a bullet in race one. We were pretty excited about our 6th place finish in the 39-boat fleet, competitive fleet.

We then sailed using our new radial jib at Austin Yacht Club and took first in a competitive fleet made of locals and traveling boats.

We got back into the boat in the fall and took back-to-back wins at Corpus Christi and Canyon Lake yacht clubs and the HYC Heritage Cup. At Corpus, we sailed with the cross-cut jib for power through the chop and we used it again at Canyon Lake in the light conditions. Canyon is all about avoiding a really bad race in the shifty conditions there, and we were the boat that did just that.

At HYC’s Heritage Cup, we went back to the radial jib and we were very fast in all the conditions. Saturday started out in very light air and we were quick in the light stuff, coming back from a terrible start to win the first race. The breeze quickly built and our old boat was set up really well for it. The radial jib was great, the boat just felt really fast. We had great downwind speed also with the new spinnaker design.

We look forward to more success in 2019, beginning with the J/22 Midwinters at Ft Walton Beach in March!” Thanks for contribution from Adam Loory at UK Sails.  For more J/22 Class sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/44 Wins Palm Beach “Race to the Buffet”!

KENAI Leads SORC Islands In the Stream Series
(Palm Beach, FL)- Elapsed time records fell in the Sailfish Club of Florida’s 62nd annual Wirth M. Munroe Ocean Race to Palm Beach, the second event of the 2018-19 SORC Islands in the Stream Series- the fabled Miami to Palm Beach “Race to the Buffet” wrapped up with one of the best feasts in sailing. Twenty-eight teams raced in near-perfect conditions on a new two-course format that started on December 7 in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

“We are delighted that this year’s race was a success at every level and encouraged that the excitement around our event reflects the growing momentum in the South Florida racing scene,” said Wirth Munroe Event Chair, Tom Bowler of the Sailfish Club.

“We had records broken, spectacular weather, a diverse fleet across a broad spectrum that included veterans and newcomers alike, and the wonderful post-race camaraderie that has made the Wirth Munroe Race such a special event.”

In last Friday’s second event of the 2018-2019 Southern Ocean Racing Conference (SORC), Chris and Karen Lewis’s Texas-based J/44 KENAI won the race Palm Beach.

Their first overall finish in ORC scoring paired with their 4th overall finish in last month’s first event of the SORC, the Miami-Nassau Race, puts them in first place Overall in the standings for the SORC Islands in the Stream Series.

With 12 to 15 kts easterly breezes, race managers opted for ORC’s Triple Number Coastal/ Long Distance scoring model for medium wind conditions, resulting in close finishing scores for the leaders in the fleet. After six-plus hours of sailing the 60-mile course, KENAI’s victory was only 5 min 27 sec on corrected time over another Texan team, Andy Wescoat’s J/109 HARM’S WAY (who are lying in 4th overall in the series, just one point away from third).

Taking 5th place in ORC was the J/92 HILLBILLY sailed by Bradley Stowers.  Combined with their 3rd in the Nassau Cup Race, they are now sitting in the third spot on the overall leaderboard.

The next race, the classic Ft. Lauderdale to Key West Race starts Thursday, January 17, 2019 south of Port Everglades. Another Conch Grinder Race and party at the First Flight Island Restaurant and Brewery (formerly Kelly’s Caribbean) are on the agenda for the weekend.

The SORC Islands in the Stream Series consists of these five events:

• Nov 15 – Nassau Cup Ocean Race
• Dec 7 – Wirth M. Munroe Invitational Race
• Jan 17 – Ft. Lauderdale to Key West Race
• Jan 27 – Pineapple Cup Montego Bay Race
• Mar 13 – Miami to Havana Race

Follow the SORC Islands In The Stream Series on Facebook   For more SORC Islands in the Stream Series sailing information
Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Spectacular J/Fest Southwest!

(Houston, TX)- J/Fest Southwest was a spectacular success this year! Sixty-two boats total; the J/22’s and J/24’s really came out in force! The sailors were treated to awesome sailing conditions both days; in particular, it was windy on Saturday with gusts in the high 20’s, which was tough on humans, sails, and boats.  Reported Scott Spurlin- J/Boats Southwest dealer- “we had a nice sustained downhill ride on the J/88!  Held 17.2kts for a loong time.  Crew was hooting and hollering!”

The J/FEST Southwest Regatta took place from October 12th to 14th, hosted by Lakewood YC.  The event started out with the newly famous “LEGENDS RACE” that was sailed in a “stadium-sailing” scenario right off BARge 295 on Clear Lake, right in front of the club. Five (5) video cameras recorded the live action, broadcast worldwide on YouTube!

As for the sailing, it was Danny Pletsch’s SKETCHY crew that won the fifteen-boat J/22 class by a Texas mile- winning six of seven races.  Taking second was Casey Lambert’s BLACKBURN MARINE RACING with 22 pts and third was David Bethancourt’s USA 1271 with 27 pts.  The balance of the top five was Farley Fontenot and son’s USA 707 in 4th and Dov Kivlovitz’s USA 951 in 5th position.

The seventeen-boat J/24 also saw a near clean sweep take place.  Certainly, the first four races looked like a runaway for Jim Freedman’s MISS CONDUCT crew, posting four bullets in a row.  Thereafter, they stepped off the gas a bit and closed the regatta with a 3-2 to win with just 9 pts. Sitting 7 pts back was woman skipper Natalie Harden and her crew on GIGGLES with a near reciprocal scoreline to MISS CONDUCT, posting a 3-2-6-3-1-1 to close the regatta with 16 pts total.  Taking the bronze was Frank Keesling’s THE DUMPSTER from Dillon YC in Dillon, CO. The balance of the top five was Josh Bowens-Rubin’s ZERO GRAVITY in 4th and David Broadway’s SUPERMAN in 5th place.

Winning the J/70s was not easy for Jay Lutz’s ZOUNDS team.  They were involved in a dogfight with Forbes Durdin MOJITO.  In the end, they both had all top four finishes and dominated the top of the leaderboard.  However, ZOUNDS had an amazingly consistent tally of 1-2-2-2-1-3-3 top score the gold, while the MOJITO boys popped for a 3-4-1-1-2-2-4 for 17 pts to take the silver. Glenn Gault’s SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE started strong with a 2-1-5-3-, but lost their “mojo” on the last day, dropping 5-8-5 to settle for third with 29 pts.

For the nine-boat J/105 class, it followed a similar story to the J/22s and J/24s, a near blitzkrieg for the top team.  In this case, it was John Barnett’s PESTO that started off with a 1-1-1-1, then forgot how to sail in race #5 and score a 2nd, then closed with a 1-1 to win with 8 pts total.  That was an extraordinary performance in what is normally a very tight, close-racing class on Galveston Bay. Taking the silver was Uzi Ozeri’s INFINITY with 19 pts and third was Dennis Kokkinis’ SPITFIRE with 24 pts.  Rounding out the top five was Brad Robbins’ RUMPUS in 4th and Bill Lackenmacher’s RADIANCE in 5th position.

Taking a page out of their J/one-design colleagues success was Jim Demarest’s J/46 SODALIS II. His team of Tom Johnston, Terrill Munkres, Don Lemire, Pedro Gianotti, Sally Thurner, & Scott Demarest won their J/PHRF Class with five bullets in seven races!  Second was JD Hill’s gorgeous J/122 SECOND STAR and third was Dave Christensen’s J/109 AIRBORNE.

In the random-leg J/PHRF Distance division, Alan Bates’ J/105 ZIPPITY took class honors, followed by Doug Love’s J/95 UP TEMPO in second and John McCutchen’s J/29 SUPERGIRL in third.

Watch the J/FEST Southwest highlights video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dbDLpQyzZY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd_wZludUZ8

For more J/FEST Southwest sailing and registration information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Fest Southwest Preview

(Houston, TX)- This year’s J/FEST Southwest Regatta will be taking place from October 12th to 14th, hosted by Lakewood YC on Clear Lake and on Galveston Bay.  J/Owners from across the spectrum are participating in PHRF handicap racing as well as in one-design classes for J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, and J/105s. Come one, come all, still not too late to head south and enjoy some fun in the Texas sun, great beer, and awesome TexMex food!

In the one-design world, the boats to watch include father/son combo Farley & Barrett Fontenot’s J/22 USA 707, Natalie Harden’s GIGGLES keeping the J/24 boys in check, Bill Draheim’s PONY and Jay Lutz’s ZOUNDS topping the J/70 pack, and Bill Lackenmacher’s RADIANCE brilliantly showing the path for the J/105 fleet.

The J/PHRF fleets in the Asym Class and Distance Class look a bit formidable. In the PHRF Asym group, JD Hill’s gorgeous J/122 SECOND STAR should lead the fleet around the track. Then, in PHRF Distance fleet, it’s anyone’s guess with a pair of J/29s, a J/95 and J/46 wondering what kind of “random-leg” track will determine the outcome of the race on Galveston Bay!

Since it was such a HUGE hit last year, the “LEGENDS RACE” will take place on Clear Lake, right in front of the club.  This year, it will be a fleet of J/22s with live commentary on-site and on Facebook Live off the patio of the “party-barge” called BARGE 295.  There will be five (5) video cameras recording the live action!

On Friday October 12th at 3:45 PM CST the broadcast for the Legends Race will go “live”.  It will be fun! Make sure to mark your calendar with a reminder to go to the You Tube link below at 3:45 pm CST and share it to your Facebook feeds!   https://youtu.be/PG2fhfwRFpk

IF you have any questions at all, please contact Scott Spurlin at mobile- 512-423-2179 or email- scott@jboatssouthwest.com.   Watch the J/FEST Southwest promo highlights video here. For more J/FEST Southwest sailing and registration information. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/FEST Southwest Announcement!

(Houston, TX)- This year’s J/FEST Southwest Regatta will be taking place from October 12th to 14th, hosted by Lakewood YC on Clear Lake and on Galveston Bay.  Again, all J/Owners are invited to participate and the hope is that several one-design fleets will have starts, including J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, J/105s at a minimum!  Plus, there will be PHRF racing for the larger J’s. Come one, come all!  Never too late to head south and enjoy some fun in the Texas sun, great beer, and awesome TexMex food!

Since it was such a HUGE hit last year, the “LEGENDS RACE” will take place on Clear Lake, right in front of the club.  This year, it will be a fleet of J/22s and J/24s, with live commentary on-site and on Facebook Live off the patio of the “party-barge” called BARGE 295.  There will be five (5) video cameras recording the live action!  It will be a blast for everyone!

IF you have any questions at all, please contact Scott Spurlin at mobile- 512-423-2179 or email- scott@jboatssouthwest.com  Watch the J/FEST Southwest promo highlights video here.  For more J/FEST Southwest sailing and registration information. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Eight Bells for J/22 Sailor- Julie Goetschius

(Houston, TX)- Eight Bells: Julie Goetschius- A long time member of the J/22 fleet, she passed away in Houston, Texas on May 6, 2018 at the age of 63. Julie led the J/22 Fleet 6 as Fleet Captain for many years, chaired countless events, and never missed the opportunity to teach new sailors.

She was the first woman to hold the title of Houston Yacht Club Champion in 2013, competed in the Adams Cup finals 4 times, the J/22 Worlds in Holland, the Harvest Moon Regatta (winner of the Luna Trophy in 2006), the US Sailing Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship, and many other circuit and national events.

Julie always included new sailors in her crew, no matter how big the event, and always gave back to the sport through supporting the fleet, coaching the Special Olympics Sailing Team at HYC, and being part of the local sailing community.

She was a counselor at Houston Yacht Club’s Windward Bound Women’s Sailing Camp every year, and so many women across Texas took the helm or flew a spinnaker for the first time on Julie’s boat, CRAYOLA. In 2017, she won HYC’s Fairfax Moody Women’s trophy with, as always, a new sailor as crew.

Julie’s love for the sport and mischievous sense of humor will be missed on Galveston Bay.  Thanks to Marie Wise for this tribute. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/70 Texas Circuit Announcement!

(Austin, TX)- Huge news, cause for celebration!  After much debate, consternation, cogitating, planning, pleading, and brainstorming, the Texas fleet captains have created the J/70 Texas Circuit, sponsored by Parkway Chevrolet and J/Boats Southwest!  Please mark your calendars and go J/70 one-design racing all over Texas! Here are the dates and locations for each event:

• Apr 20-22- Fort Worth Boat Club- Annual Regatta
• May 19-20- Lakewood Yacht Club- Shoe Regatta
• Sep 22-23- Houston Yacht Club- One Design Regatta
• Oct 13-14- Lakewood Yacht Club- J/Fest Southwest
• Nov 2-4- Fort Worth Boat Club- Ol’ Man of the Sea Regatta

For more J/70 Texas Circuit sailing information, please contact Scott Spurlin at Mobile# 512-423-2179 or email- scott@jboatssouthwest.com. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Foster Crowned J/22 Midwinter Champion

(Houston, TX)- Four J/22 World Champions finished in the top five of the 2018 J/22 Midwinter Championship, an event hosted by Houston YC and sailed on the muddy waters of Galveston Bay.  However, it was 1999 Champion Mark Foster on PRESSURE DROP who edged out fellow Texan Terry Flynn on TEJAS to earn the title on a tie-breaker.

Both teams had 23 points net, but Foster’s bullets secured the top spot. Fellow past World Champions Mike Marshall on BAD NEWS and Chris Doyle on THE JUG 4 1 finished third and fifth, respectively, with Travis Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER in fourth.

Thirty-nine teams completed eight races on Friday and Saturday, however light winds today did not allow the final scheduled contest. With 39 boats on the line, this attendance matched the highest for a J/22 Midwinter Championship since 2008.  Here is what transpired on those first two days.

Day 1- Light and shifty
Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER led the field after day one. Four races were completed in a smorgasbord of conditions from overcast clouds to sun and winds from light and shifty to solid breeze between off and on rain showers.

Doug Weakly’s HNL opened the regatta with a bullet, ahead of HONEYBADGER Flynn’s TEJAS. Marshall’s BAD NEWS earned the next victory, with the two Doyle’s behind him— Kevin’s MO’MONEY and Chris’s THE JUG 4 1. Chris Doyle took race 3 followed by Odenbach and Marshall. Race 4 saw some new names with Foster’s PRESSURE DROP at the top followed by Danny Pletsch’s SKETCHY and Chris Doyle in third.

As a result, Odenbach’s team of Justin Damore and Kris Werner were leading with a 2-4-27 for 15 pts.  Following in second was Chris Doyle’s crew of Will Harris and Adam Burns from Youngstown YC with a 9-3-1-3 for 16 pts.  Sitting in third was Marshall’s crew with a 5-1-3-8 for 17 pts.

Day 2- More Light stuff
On what was the penultimate, then final day of racing, the luck of the Irish on St Patrick’s Day was with Foster’s PRESSURE DROP. Posting a line of 1-3-4-3, Foster won the day and moved to the top of the leader board tied with his old friend and Texas neighbor Terry Flynn on TEJAS.

After a postponement ashore, racing started just before noon. In light but steady winds, race five was won by Foster’s PRESSURE DROP, with Flynn’s TEJAS and Alexander Hanna following in second and third. Pletch’s SKETCHY jumped to the top spot in race six followed by Kevin Orff’s TROUBLEMAKER and then Foster. Then, Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER took race seven followed by Flynn and Doyle’s MO’MONEY. As the conditions continued to improve, the RC squeezed in an eighth race that was won by Doyle’s THE JUG 4 1, followed by Flynn and Foster, respectively.

As a result, with no winds on Sunday, Foster’s team of Brian Babbit and Matt Romberg on PRESSURE DROP were declared the J/22 Midwinter Champions!  Flynn’s crew on TEJAS- Brett Allred and Bryan Clark lost the tie-breaker to secure the silver, while Marshall’s BAD NEWS rounded out the podium in third position.  Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER team of Justin Damore and Kris Werner took 4th and Chris Doyle’s THE JUG 4 1 took 5th place.

Foster enjoyed battling it out with friend Flynn, who he has known more than 30 years. “We have sailed together in many Championships,” said Foster. “Terry was sailing the boat I won the Worlds in (hull 707), and I was sailing the boat Terry won the Worlds in (hull 1501)!”  What a coincidence!

Top woman skipper at 7th overall was Nataleigh Perez’s crew on FORGET ME NOT from Fort Worth Boat Club- Alex Crowell and Blake Billman.  Second women’s skipper was Anne Lee’s HELMS A LEE from the host Houston YC, and third was Jessica Lombard’s FOLKA from Hudson YC in Quebec, Canada.  For more J/22 Midwinter Championship sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.