Tri-State Fly-By Race Preview

(Chicago, IL)- In days past, the traditional Labor Day Weekend Tri-State Race (a 3-day event) would start in Chicago, head over to Michigan across the southern parts of Lake Michigan, stay overnight, then race down to Indiana, stay overnight and party-hardy again, the race home to Chicago. However, due to all kinds of multi-state guidelines on pandemic guidelines, the race is now simply a long-distance triangle race. Starting in Chicago, over to the St Joseph, MI harbor entrance buoy (a fly-by), down to Michigan City, IN harbor entrance buoy (another fly-by), then back to Chicago.  What is surprising is the strong interest in the race, especially by the double-handed and singlehanded entries.

In the PHRF Double class, four J/105s are participating; including Mike Sheppard's notorious FLYING PIG, Mark Gannon's GANGBUSTERS, Mike Hettel's GLOBAL NOMADS, and Ralph Krauss's YUKON. Joining them is John Kalanik's J/111 PURA VIDA and Ron Otto's J/110 TAKEDOWN 2. In the Singlehanded class are duel J/105s (David Pierce's CAUGHT IN TRAFFIC and Brian Crabb's SEA-U).

In PHRF SPIN 3 class is Andy Graff's race-winning J/88 EXILE along with Judith & Ross McLean's J/105 ESPRIT d'ECOSSE. Sailing PHRF SPIN 2 class is the J/99 RAMBLER along with Mitch Weisman's J/105 FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER. PHRF Spin 1 Cass features two J/111s (Boyd Jarrell's HEADROOM and Kevin Saedi & Raman Yousefi's MOMENTOUS) and Tom Papoutsis's J/133 RENEGADE.  For more Tri-State Fly-By Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Beautiful J/Fest New England Regatta

(Newport, RI)- The 2019 edition of the J/Fest New England Regatta, hosted by Sail Newport at the fabulous Fort Adams facility, had great racing for a fleet that included a J/PHRF fleet as well as the 2019 East Coast Championships for both the J/80 and J/109 classes.

The eight-boat J/80 fleet had a number of very strong teams representing each of the major fleets on the East Coast, including North American and Key West Champions. In the end, it was quite clear which team outclassed the fleet; winning with straight bullets in five races and crowned as 2019 J/80 East Coast Champions was Will & Marie Crump and Thomas Klok’s R80 from Annapolis YC in Annapolis, MD. A distant second place went to Conor Hayes’ MORE GOSTOSA with 11 pts, and rounding out the podium in the bronze position was Jason Viseltear’s UPSETTER with 17 pts.

The seven-boat J/109 class was also loaded with past North American, East Coast, and New England Champions. However, it was not one of the dominant New England teams that won. Instead, it was a cast of characters from Houston, TX that spoiled the party, with Tom Sutton’s LEADING EDGE winning with all podium finishes (three 1sts, two 2nds, one 3rd) for just 10 pts. While LEADING EDGE set the pace, it was a full-blown battle for second place between Ted Herlihy’s GUT FEELING and Brooke Mastrorio’s URSA. The outcome literally came down to the last race. Holding on to 2nd place going into the last day, Mastrorio’s team just had to maintain their consistent performance to stay on the podium. However, her team nearly blew it on the first race on Sunday, posting an uncharacteristic 7th place. Regrouping after that shocking outcome, Brooke got her team motivated and posted a deuce to take the silver. Had she posted a 1st, she would have won the regatta; nevertheless, she still got on the podium with a bronze medal.

Winning the J/PHRF class of seven-boats was Joe Brito’s J/121 INCOGNITO with an unassailable record of four bullets and a deuce for 6 pts total! Second was the new J/99 shorthanded offshore speedster- AGENT 99 skippered by Jeff Johnstone with an impressive tally of one 1st, two 2nds, and two 3rds for 11 pts. Just behind the two leaders, it was Kevin Dakan’s J/110 MEMORY that fortunately survived an unfortunate dismasting to take the bronze. For J/Fest New England overall results.  For more J/Fest New England sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Fest New England Preview

(Newport, RI)- The 2019 edition of the J/Fest New England Regatta, hosted by Sail Newport at the fabulous Fort Adams facility, will include a J/PHRF fleet as well as the 2019 East Coast Championships for both the J/80 and J/109 classes.

The eight-boat J/80 fleet has strong teams representing each of the major fleets on the East Coast, from the Chesapeake Bay up to Buzzards Bay and Lake Winnipesaukee. The principal teams include Peter McCarthy’s EAGLE, Peter d’Anjou’s LE TIGRE, Conor Hayes’ MORE GOTOSA, Will & Marie Crump and Thomas Klok’s R80, Bill & Shannon Lockwood’s SHENANIGANS, and Jason Viseltear’s UPSETTER.

Remarkably, the eight-boat J/109 class is loaded with past North American, East Coast, and New England Champions. The J/109 continues to attract competitive, talented family teams from up and down the Eastern seaboard; that is not surprising since the J/109 does a very nice job of being both a family cruiser as well as fun one-design racing boat. Leading crews include Ted Herlihy’s GUT FEELING, Tom Sutton’s LEADING EDGE, Cory Eaves’ FREEDOM, John Sahagian’s PICANTE, Bill Kneller’s VENTO SOLARE, and top woman helm Brooke Mastrorio on her URSA.

The J/PHRF contingent of seven-boats should be an interesting match-up across the spectrum of 23 to 40 feet! At the top end of the scale is Joe Brito’s J/121 INCOGNITO. The J/121 will be working hard to overcome a few fast smaller boats, such as Jeff Johnstone’s J/99 AGENT 99, Chuck Stoddard’s J/105 FALCON 2.0, Kevin Dakan’s J/110 MEMORY, EC Helme’s J/92S SPIRIT, and two J/70s (Brendon Scanlon’s HIGH TENSILE RIGGING and Scott Dinse’s MARGARITAVILLE).  For more J/Fest New England sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Edgartown Race Weekend Preview

(Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard)- According to world-famous New Zealand sailor Gavin Brady, “Edgartown Race Week always produces a lot of great stories.” He should know, since he sailed for years in Martha’s Vineyard on the TP52 VESPER- which belongs to summer native Jim Swartz (notable for his prescient investment in a little social media company called Facebook). Brady goes on to say, “the Vineyard is an awesome destination, and the club has a great feel to it with loads of history. The ‘Round-the-Island Race is a very tactical race with tides and plenty of passing opportunities– always enjoyable and never the same. This will be as much a great adventure as a race.”

Edgartown Race Weekend divisions includes racing for IRC, ORC, ORR, PHRF-NE (including Spinnaker and Non-Spinnaker), Classics, One-Design, Multihull and Doublehanded boats. ’RTI/’RTS and ‘RTB are scored separately, with top-three prizes awarded in each class.

A Mount Gay-sponsored “Jump-Up” party on Friday night (July 26) and awards on both Friday afternoon and Sunday morning (July 28) round out the amazing social schedule.


Not surprisingly, the event is incredibly popular with many New England J/Crews, especially for those in Cape Cod and surrounding waters. Sailing in the RTB race PHRF B is Dan Heun’s J/122 MOXIEE.  In PHRF C are two J/105s (Matt Schmitt’s HARDTACK & the trio of Joyce/ Reservitz/ Wagner on DARK’N’STORMY).

For the RTI race, in PHRF 2 is Alan Fougere’s J/160 AVATAR and Kent Nicholas’ J/42 PANASEA. Sailing PHRF 5 are three J/105s (HARDTACK, DARK’N’STORMY, & Nantucket Community Sailing’s CLIO), Phil Stathos’ J/110 AIRBENDER, Steve Dahill’s J/35C RIVA, and Ira Perry’s J/29 SEEFEST.  Racing PHRF 6 are Jonathan Burt’s J/130 LOLA, Dick Egan’s J/46 WINGS, Doug Curtiss’ J/111 WICKED 2.0, Stephen Besse’s J/120 APRES, and two J/109s (Ed Dailey’s RAPTOR & Eliot Shanabrook’s HAFA ADAI).

Finally, in the RTS race, in PHRF 2 is Heun’s J/122 MOXIEE and the J/70 Class includes JP Bretl’s SEAHAWK, Veronica Lundgren’s GHOST, and Anthony Giordano’s TONIC.  For more Edgartown Race Week sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

New England Solo-Twin Race Preview

(Newport, RI)- Newport Yacht Club is hosting their annual New England Solo-Twin Race, starting on Friday, July 26th at noon.  The NYC PRO has an opportunity to select from five race courses for the singlehanded and doublehanded racers that are 60.0 to 100.0nm ocean triangle courses that start and finish in Narragansett Bay.  The selected course is based on weather forecasts for the two-day race.  So far, the various weather models (NAM, ECMWF, GFS) are showing seabreeze SSW 10-15 kts for the start, slowing swinging SE by evening and more ESE Friday night and Saturday morning in the 5-10 kts range.

Looking forward to the challenge are several well-sailed J/Crews.  In the Monohull Spinnaker Solo division is Ben Hodgson’s J/100 GRIMACE.  In the Monohull Spinnaker Twin division are two J/121s (David Southwell/ Scott Meier on ALCHEMY and Greg Manning/ Todd Johnston on SARAH), Bill Kneller/ Eric Irwin’s J/109 VENTO SOLARE, Patrick Gavin-Brynes/ Evelyn Hull's J/99 AGENT 99, Paul Grimes/ David Moffet’s J/35 BREAKAWAY, Kevin Dakan/ Bob Kinsman’s J/110 MEMORY.  For more New England Solo-Twin Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Teams Dominate in Annapolis to Newport Race

(Newport, RI)- Picture-perfect conditions greeted the Friday fleet of starters for the 2019 Annapolis-to-Newport Race, which got underway at 11:00am on the Chesapeake Bay. North-northeasterly winds ranging from 8 to 12 knots enabled the 23 boats in five classes to enjoy a downwind start and many miles of port tack beam reaching SSE out of the Chesapeake Bay to the first, and only, turning mark offshore of the Bay entrance.

A popular strategy was to come off the starting line on port jibe and make a beeline to the deep water of the shipping channel since the current was about to begin flowing out the bay from an unusually high tide.

Off the boats that went southeast in search of the expected current advantage, LADY GREY– a J/110 skippered by Herrington Harbour Sailing Association member Joe Laun– showed strong form and speed in leading the entire fleet down the Bay.

Annapolis resident Ken Comerford skippered the J/111 MONEYPENNY and had his two sons– Kyle and Willy– as part of the crew. Kyle Comerford recently completed an outstanding career as skipper of the SUNY-Maritime offshore sailing team while younger brother Willy competes at the College of Charleston.
“As you get older, I think you do anything you can to spend time with your kids,” said Ken Comerford. “I do very much appreciate every opportunity I get to go sailing with my sons.”

There is quite a rivalry between the Comerford brothers, and it will no doubt manifest itself at some point during the long trip between Annapolis and Newport. Kyle is serving as navigator while Willy has agreed to handle the foredeck out of necessity.

“They both have their own strengths and skills,” Ken Comerford said. “Willy has really impressed me with his ability on the bow. Kyle will be doing the navi-guessing the whole way, making sure we’re pushing the boat as fast as we can and living up to our polars.”

Comerford, a veteran ocean racer with many miles under his belt, expected a fairly straightforward passage. “I don’t think it’s going to be a big tactical race. I think it’s going to be a drag race with a lot of reaching,” he said. “Every time we run our models the wind seems to go farther and farther aft, which would be good for this boat.”

In short, it was a simple race.  After starting in the Northeast breeze which sent the fleet flying down the Bay on port tack, a Low pressure system moved by to the south and offshore, so the wind swung quite rapidly from 50 degrees to 120 degrees.  As Comerford mentioned, they just tacked at the first turning mark and fetched Newport on starboard the whole way.  The only mistake the J/111 MONEYPENNY made was to go “over” to windward (leaving Block Island to port) on their way in to Newport from offshore. Most of the fleet went to leeward (leaving B.I. to starboard and benefitted from an enormous current boost over the northern bar near the 1-BI Green bell buoy.

In ORC 1B Division, the J/44 GLORY sailed by the US Coast Guard Academy took 2nd, while the Comerford family took third on their J/111 MONEYPENNY.

In ORC 2 Division, the J/110 LADY GREY maintained her good pace and in the end, her skipper Joe Laun was quite happy to take the bronze.

In PHRF Racing 1 Class, the J/120s gave everyone and themselves a serious run-for-the-money.  Winning was Rick Hanson’s NO SURRENDER from North East River Yacht Club. Jim Praley’s SHINNECOCK, a past winner in class and overall, took third, while Richard Born’s WINDBORN was fourth and James Chen’s CHAOTIC FLUX was fifth.

In PHRF Racing 2 Class, it was Albert Bossar’s J/42 ALLEGIANT that won from the Herrington Harbour Sailing Association, while Lynn McClaskey’s J/110 CIMARRON placed fifth, just 11 seconds from 4th place!

Finally, in the PHRF Doublehanded Class, Mike Greene’s J/35 LOBLOLLY placed third.  For more Annapolis to Newport sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Scottish Islands Peaks Race Preview

(Oban, Scotland)- This adventure race is for teams of sailors and “fell” runners (both youth and adult) and is held annually around the most beautiful parts of the west coast of Scotland.

The race starts in Oban (northwest of Glasgow) with a short hill run, and then the teams sail to Salen on the Isle of Mull, about 20.0nm south. After a run over Ben More on Mull, back to the boats and a sail to Craighouse on the Isle of Jura, about 45.0nm further south. After running the Paps, back aboard for the longest sail to the Isle of Arran, about 82.0nm to the south, then east. The last run is around the Goat Fell, then a short sail east over to Troon, about 17.0nm. The race takes 3 to 4 days in total. The sailing part is about 165.0nm, the running part covers about 60.0 miles and 11,500 feet of climbing.

Each team consists of five (usually 2 runners and 3 sailors), and there is also an All-Rounders class for sailors that can run or runners that can sail, and a class for Youth (with the assistance of a few adults).

Background
The race has several objectives:

• one is to encourage sailors to appreciate fell running, for runners to appreciate sailing, and for both to enjoy what must be some of the best sailing and hill running in the world.
• another is to help to build the self-confidence of the youngsters sailing in the Youth Teams.
• Yet another is to raise funds for various good causes; but
• the main objective is to provide a challenging experience to sailors and runners who may be too busy to devote weeks to sailing the Atlantic or trekking in Tibet, but who still relish overcoming a challenge which is well beyond those normally encountered in our modern well-insulated lives.

The race is intended to be challenging and competitors need to be well prepared, fit and experienced to complete this course successfully. Senior Runners must be experienced in the hills and all carry specified survival gear. Yachts must have comprehensive safety gear including flares, VHF radio and engines (for emergency use and when the runners are off the boat). Oars and other muscle-powered devices are permitted for use in calms (e.g. think of the American version called the “Race to Alaska”).

Many teams return year after year for their annual battle against the elements over one of the most beautiful running and sailing courses in the world. Perhaps, part of its charm is that every year brings its own memorable scenes, whether it is getting ahead of your nearest rival by means of a ‘cunning plan’, racing neck and neck with another team under spinnaker, gliding quietly through the water as dawn breaks, or encountering numerous whales and dolphins. The mountains offer a wide variety of challenging terrain and the sailing is equally varied so that, coupled with un-rivaled views of mountains and sea, so that each year brings a totally unique team experience for everyone.

Although the race can be extremely competitive, for most people, it is not the thought of winning that brings them, but simply the pleasure of sailing and running in the company of a great crowd of like-minded people. We all love the hills and seas of the Scottish West Coast and the race is just an excuse for the annual jamboree when we can celebrate our good fortune at being able to experience this great adventure in these wonderful surroundings and in such good company.

The sole J/crew this year will be a Youth Team on the J/110 BLUE BIRD owned by Iain Loudon. The FETTES CHOCOLATES Company is their sponsor. The crew consists of Laurie Mill, Ben Rushton, Maggie Rait, Duncan Harrison, Ellie Marks, Fiona Rees, Louisa Letts, James Mackman, Hector Tomlyn, and Murray Wilson. They will collectively be taking on thirty-nine other teams in the event!  For more Scottish Islands Peaks Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Light Air Queen’s Cup Race

J/145 MAIN STREET Tops Class, J/110 Eclipses Doublehanders
(Milwaukee, WI)- The 80th running of the Queen’s Cup, one of the most storied yacht races on the Great Lakes hosted by the South Shore Yacht Club will certainly not go down as one of the fastest in history.  When TP52s take an average of 7.5 kts to cross a distance of 68.5nm from Milwaukee, WI across Lake Michigan at a course of approximately 89 degrees to Grand Haven, MI, you know it was not going to be one of those famous Midwestern “barn burners”, for sure.

Nearly 200 boats participated, with over 1,200 sailors enjoying great parties both pre-race and post-race at each venue.

The Queen's Cup is one of the oldest cups in the yachting world yachting that is still offered for competition every year. Its history dates back to an age when both British Victorian silverwork and sailing yachts were without rival anywhere.

American shipyards of this era were turning out very fast sailing vessels called “clipper ships”. These craft were extreme designs built to out-perform the fast new breed of ships powered by steam. The American racing sloop Silvia was built during this era using this radical new technology.

On August 19, 1853, she won second place in a regatta scheduled by the Royal Yacht Squadron that was raced off Cowes, England.

First prize- the 100 Guineas Cup - was won by the English yacht Gaily, six minutes and 38 seconds ahead of Silvie. This outstanding performance by the American Silvie led the RYS to award a special prize to her, the 50 Guineas Cup, now known as the Queen's Cup.  Notably, this took place exactly two years after the yacht America won the first 100 Guineas Cup in 1851!

The cup was brought back to the New York Yacht Club, Silvia's home port, and went into obscurity until 1874, when a Mr. J.H. Godwin, of Kingsbridge, New York, gave the Cup to his friend Kirkland C. Barker, Commodore of the International Yacht Club of Detroit. The Cup was to be offered as an international challenge called the Godwin Cup.

But, as it turned out there was only one challenge, Annie Cuthbert of Hamilton, Ontario. Barker's yacht Cora won the first race, with the Canadians winning the second, but forfeiting the final race. This gave Barker his victory, but left very strained relations between the Detroit and Hamilton yachtsmen. The Cup was never offered for competition again, probably due to the sudden death of Commodore Barker. He and two other crewmembers drowned while shifting ballast in Cora in preparation for the 1875 racing season.

Nothing more is known about the Queen’s Cup until about the turn of the century, when a young lad, while cleaning out a family storeroom, discovered an exquisite rosewood box holding the Cup. The lad was Walter Hull, whose father was Charles Hull, son-in-law of Commodore Barker, to whom the Cup had been given.

Walter Hull treasured the Cup for the rest of his life and kept it in his possession until September 1, 1938. At that time, his good friend William Lawrie (late Commodore of South Shore Yacht Club in 1944) persuaded him to deed it to South Shore Yacht Club, "for an annual race across Lake Michigan, always starting off South Shore Yacht Club, and ending at a point in Michigan, open to all yachts of a recognized yacht club on the Great Lakes."

Of note, the silversmith firm of Robert Garrard, 29 Panton Street, St. Martins, England, created the Queen’s Cup in 1847-1848 (the official silversmith of the British Royalty).  Interesting history, how “son of America’s Cup” ended up at one of the most laid-back, unassuming sailing clubs on Planet Earth- and, at that, in the Great Lakes!

Given that cool history behind the how the Queens’ Cup ended up in Milwaukee, here’s how it all went down for this year’s race.

Winning PHRF 1 Class was Bill Schanen’s elegant, bright fire-engine red J/145 MAIN STREET, a fixture in big boat offshore events for over a decade on Lake Michigan. As usual, it was a “family affair” with many Schanen generations enjoying a benign cruise across the lake.

J/Crews nearly swept PHRF 2 class. Taking second was Doug Petter’s J/130 WILLIE J, fourth was Bob Klairmont’s J/133 SIROCCO 3, fifth Jim Richter’s J/44 CHEEP-N-DEEP II, and sixth Bob McManus’ J/130 EDGE.

PHRF 3 was the J/111 Division.  Winning that incredibly competitive class was Mark Caliban’s NO QUARTER, followed by Brad Faber’s UTAH in second and Richard Hobbs’ HOBGOBLIN holding on for the bronze.

Hanging in for fourth place in the PHRF 4 class was Doug Evans’ J/109 TIME OUT.  Then, in PHRF 8 Class also taking fourth was Dennis Dryer’s J/30 FRANK LLLOYD STARBOARD.

Sailing like a dynamic-duo possessed in the PHRF Shorthanded was Ron Otto’s J/110 TAKEDOWN 2, taking home the gold by a fairly decent margin!   For more Queen’s Cup Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J’s Cruise Annapolis to Bermuda Race

(Hamilton, Bermuda)- The biennial Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race took place over the past week with J/crews collecting a few more pickle-dishes for their trophy rooms.  Hosted by the Eastport YC and the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club in Bermuda, the 753nm race is the longest ocean race on the east coast of the U.S.A., delivering a unique combination of inshore and offshore racing through its route down the Chesapeake Bay (starting in Annapolis, MD), across the Gulf Stream, and onto Bermuda.

Winning CRCA ORR handicap division was Bob Dunigan’s J/124 JANE SAYS.  Then, it a truly heart-warming story, it was Oklahoma native Lynn McClaskey’s J/110 CIMARRON that took the silver in PHRF 2 Class.

Here is Lynn’s amazing story about how she fell in love with sailing while growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, thousands of miles away from either the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans.

“We have a lot of lakes in Oklahoma and they’re all dammed for power supply and agriculture,” McClaskey said. “Considering the way the wind comes whipping down from the plains, sailing really is a natural pursuit.”

McClaskey was a longtime member of the Windycrest Sailing Club and initially raced a Thistle with her family. She got into junior sailing and became quite proficient at racing a Sunfish, Laser and 470 on Keystone Lake.

McClaskey moved east for work purposes as she’s an analyst with the United States Department of Defense. She has lived in Crofton (MD) for 20 years and got involved with big boat racing out of Annapolis, crewing for various skippers in the J/30 class.

In 2012, McClaskey competed in the Annapolis to Bermuda Race aboard a C&C 38 named Dare Greatly, which was owned by Joe Donahue. Her first thought upon completing the challenge?

“Hey, I could do that!” McClaskey said to herself.

So McClaskey bought a J/110 the following year and began the long process of preparing herself and the boat for ocean racing. She previously owned a C&C 27 that was equipped with “lifeline netting and car seats” as she cruised with two young children.

“I’ve been working on the boat ever since I got it in 2013,” McClaskey said, who served as a safety inspector for the 2014 Annapolis to Bermuda Race in order to gain an even better understanding of what is required of a skipper. “I didn’t want to go offshore until I was absolutely certain it was completely ship-shape.”

She entered the biennial race two years later with CIMARRON, which is named after one of the rivers that flows into Keystone Lake in Oklahoma, placing second in PHRF Spinnaker 2. The J/110 was the first boat in its class to exit the Chesapeake Bay, but could not maintain that pace during the ocean crossing and wound up being overtaken by the J/42 Schematic (Robert Fox from Arlington, Virginia).

“It wasn’t quite the result I wanted,” McClaskey said. “That was my first big offshore passage and there were many, many lessons learned. I think the most important lesson is that a lot of the race is won or lost before you leave the dock in terms of preparing the boat and developing a plan.”

McClaskey subscribes to the theory that one has not truly lost until they quit trying. So, she is doing Annapolis to Bermuda again this year with the intent of capturing class honors and finishing further up within the overall fleet.

This time around, CIMARRON has been slotted into PHRF II, which has attracted 10 entries that are all different designs. Among the competition is a J/42, Frers 41, Outbound 44, C&C 37 and Sabre 38.

“We have been working ever since the last Annapolis to Bermuda to prepare for this year’s race,” said McClaskey, one of only two female skippers entered. “It’s a big organizational challenge to get all the training, equipment and skills you need. A key element is building a crew that you trust, and that is something that has happened over time by doing more and more sailing.”

McClaskey appreciates that everyone has pitched in to help prepare the J/110. “Any offshore boat is going to have a long list. Those big jobs are getting smaller and smaller, as we speak. We have a great mixture of skills and have trained for every situation– man overboard, firefighting, losing rudder, and losing rig. We’ve rehearsed it all.”  Thanks for contribution from Bill Wagner-  The Baltimore Sun.  For more Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Hot, Sunny J/Fest New England!

(Bristol, RI)- The first New England J/Fest was a popular event that saw forty-one boats from across New England enjoy roasty-toasty weather, intermittent thunderstorms on Saturday and spectacular sea breezes on Sunday.  The sailing conditions provided for tight racing in the one-design classes and spirited competition in the PHRF Class.  Bristol YC hosted the regatta and racing took place on the upper reaches of Narragansett Bay, with most classes getting in six races.  One of the highlights of the regatta was the Friday evening skipper’s meeting and “local knowledge” presentation put on by local heroes Ken Read and Charlie Enright from North Sails- both are national and world champions in various classes and both have conducted successful Volvo Ocean Race campaigns- Kenny twice on IL MOSTRO/PUMA and Charlie once on ALVIMEDICA.

The fleet was split onto two courses, with the J/22s and J/30s sailing in the immediate vicinity south of beautiful Rumstick Point with views of the Mount Hope Bridge- with the course managed by Bristol YC’s Race Committee.  The J/105s, J109s, and PHRF class was hosted by Barrington YC’s Race Committee over on the northern course, just west of the famous Colt State Park.

Winning the J/105 class was Bruce Stone & Nicole Breault’s brand new (re-constructed) J/105 96- GOOD TRADE, winning five of six races to win their class by five points.  Fred Darlington’s TONTO gave them a run for the money on Sunday, winning the first race and taking two 2nds, but not enough to overcome GOOD TRADES lead on Saturday that had three bullets in the scoreline.  Third was Mark Lindquist’s crew on STERLING from Buzzards Bay.

The J/109s saw past North American Champion Ted Herlihy skipper GUT FEELING to a big win in their class, finishing with four 1sts in their six races to win by 9 pt.  John Sahagian’s PICANTE, featuring guest helmsman Dr Rob Salk, managed to overcome an enormous deficit on Saturday to close with a 1-2-3 on Sunday to leap onto the podium and grab the silver.  Bill Kneller’s team on VENTO SOLARE sailed a steady series to secure third place. As one of the top women helms in greater New England, it was not surprising to see Brooke Mastrorio’s URSA sail fast to take 4th position.  Fifth was Brian Kiley’s GAMBIT.

The J/22s had a terrific turnout, with Bill Porter’s CONUNDRUM overcoming Matt Dunbar’s WHARF RAT early regatta lead on Saturday to close the deal on Sunday with a 1-2-1 and the class win.  Third was Nick Cromwell’s DIRT DOG, showing the other teams how it’s done in the big breeze on Sunday, with 10-20 kts puffs crossing the course the DIRT DOG boys closed out the regatta with a 1-2.  Taking fourth was Neil McDermott’s KONA and fifth place was David Wehr’s SHAKE & BAKE.

Sailing on the same course as the J/22s, it was Mark Rotsky’s NEMESIS that secured the class win with just 6 pts.  Second was Robert Rude’s MMMMM and third was Jim Hilton’s KAOS.  The pretty bright red DIPLOMATICO from Hamilton, skippered by Dan Borsutzky, sailed with just main & jib on the final day due to a small family crew and very blustery conditions; nevertheless, they were always in the hunt and enjoyed themselves immensely!

It was blistering HOT racing in the PHRF division, especially between the two J/88s, a J/29 and a very well-sailed J/110 cruiser!  In the end, the regatta was determined on a tie-breaker between Doug Newhouse’s J/88 YONDER and Jeff Johnstone’s J/88 ELECTRA (with guest tactician Charlie Enright on board), with YONDER taking class honors.  The series went down to the wire and perhaps the spoiler in the J/88’s epic battle was Kevin Dakan’s pretty J/110 MEMORY- being sailed by a full family crew!  After Saturday’s light-airs racing, YONDER was winning by one point over both ELECTRA and Steve Thurston’s J/29 MIGHTY PUFFIN- both tied on points with 2-3 records.  However, the breezier Sunday brought a huge change in the scores; after three fast races in flat water, the big winner on the day was Dakan’s MEMORY, posting a 4-1-1 to win the day and jump into third place for the regatta.  Thurston’s MIGHTY PUFFIN dropped to fourth and taking fifth place was Charlie McCoy’s navy blue J/29 HAWK.

A big “thanks” goes out to regatta sponsors North Sails and East Coast Yacht Sales for their support and, again, a warm “thanks” to host Bristol YC, Commodore Joe Brito, the BYC volunteers as well as their friends at Barrington YC.   Sailing photo credits- John Lincourt Photography  For more J/Fest New England sailing information