CALYPSO VICTORIOUS @ J/70 UK GRAND SLAM I

 

(Warsash, England)- Twenty-three teams competed in Round One of the J/70 UK Grand Slam Series. The event was organized by the Warsash Sailing Club as part of the Warsash Spring Championships 2021.

Calascione & Peters racing CALYPSO took the first victory in the seven-event series, scoring three wins out of seven races held in brisk and beautiful conditions on The Solent.

Paul Ward’s EAT SLEEP J REPEAT (still the defending J/70 World Champion) recovered from a Black Flag DSQ to post consistent results, but fell short by a single point to finish second. Nick Phillips’ CHAOTIC scored a hat trick of bullets in the final three races snatching third place, ahead of Graham Clapp’s JEEPSTER and Martin Dent’s JELVIS (a J/111 World Champion).


Notable performances included Simon Patterson’s STANDFAST, Jonnie Goodwin’s HARLEQUIN and Charles Thompson’s BRUTUS. The mid-fleet peloton is always a competitive arena in the J/70 Class with three teams tied on points after seven races. Duncan McCarthy’s team came out on top on countback from J/70 stalwart Patrick Liardet, racing COSMIC, and a new team in the J/70 Class, Tony Dickin’s EXCESS.
For more United Kingdom J/70 Class sailing information

JENIALE EUROSYSTEM TOPS J/70 CUP ACT I

 

(Marina de Nettuno, Italy)- The first event of the 2021 J/Cup Italy took place off Anzio and Nettuno, a pretty seaside town southwest of Rome. The regatta was hosted by Marina de Nettuno and Yacht Club Anzio-Nettuno for the fleet of three-dozen teams from across Italy. The teams were treated to strong breezes for the three-day event, so strong in fact, that the third and final day had to be canceled due to enormous seas breaking at the entrance to the marina.  

After a seven-race series, it was Massimo Rama's JENIALE EUROSYSTEM that took the class honors against some of the best-known European teams from the past four years. Rama commented, "we're so excited about this early season result, probably the result of the many winter training sessions in the waters of Genoa, which helped us greatly improve as a crew. It is precisely thanks to the excellent on-board synergies that we have managed to be consistent in the regatta this weekend and to achieve this important result that I really want to thank my crew for. The J/70 proved to be a fun boat once again and the fleet level is growing from stage to stage. At the next stage in Rimini, we hope to continue doing well!" 


Sailing in his home waters, Luca Domenici's NOTARO Team finished in second place. His team included tactician Diego Negri, a famous sailor in Italy as a champion in multiple classes. Domenici commented, "what a fantastic day in the waters of Anzio and Nettuno, where I was born and raised. And, how nice it is to win three such challenging races on a day where marine weather conditions left all the participants heavily challenged. Afterwards, the greatest emotion was celebrating these victories with my family; I'm thankful they were here supporting me during the regatta. It was an incredible day for our NOTARO Team, we can't wait to get back on the water for the next act of the J/70 Cup 2021."

The bronze medal went to the young ANIENE YOUNG crew of Luca Tubaro, also winner of the Corinthian category. In fact, rounding out the Corinthians Division behind Tubaro was Ludovico Fassitelli's JUNDA-SUMUS CAPITAL and Mauro Brescacin's LA FEME TERRIBLE. 


The next Italian J/70 Cup regatta is scheduled for the weekend from June 11 to June 13 in Rimini. The main sponsor of the J/70 Cup 2021 is Lincoln International. The official clothing partner Sail Racing, official sport nutrition partner Alphazer, official timekeeper Garmin, technical partners Armare, Savona Shipyard, Remigo, Quantum Sails and official supplier Girmi and Serena Wines.

Watch video by Zerogradinord for the J/70 Italian Class.  For more Italian J/70 Cup series sailing information

J'S BUZZING BANK HOLIDAY SERIES IN U.K.

 

J/109 Wins RORC Doublehanded Offshore, J/120 Screams to a Win!

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The Solent was buzzing with activity over the May Bank Holiday with well over one hundred keel boats taking part in racing. Inshore and offshore races organized the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) and the Junior Offshore Group (JOG), attracted no less than 27 J/Boats, and they were very much in the chocolates.

RORC Doublehanded Offshore
The RORC ran their first overnight doublehanded race this year, a 91-mile marathon which was to last over 17 hours. Starting from the Squadron Line the fleet raced upwind to the east. After exiting The Solent, they were off the breeze for a spinnaker run along the South Coast of the Isle of Wight. After passing The Needles, a broad reach into Poole Bay was followed by a harden up to finish at North Head.

Mike Yates’ J/109 JAGO, racing with Eivind Boymo-Malm, was the winner, beating Sam White & Sam North racing Mzungu by just 12 seconds after time correction! RORC Yacht of the Year for 2021 Jangada was third. The big win was made even more special by the fact that of the 29 teams taking part, the competition included Solo Round the World sailors, Figarist, Olympic Medallist and World Champions.


“It was a very complex race, with many sail changes and tactical decisions from beginning to end,” commented JAGO's Mike Yates. “A big cloud at the Nab Tower caused a split in the fleet and we just managed to hold our kite. Our jib top was very effective on the southside of the island and the decision to go offshore at St Catherines worked well with a breeze filling in from the southwest. We also just made several tidal gates in the latter part of the race. We are delighted to win and all credit to Elvind, two-handed racing is heavily reliant on teamwork, so he deserves just as much praise.”

RORC Inshore Race
The RORC fully-crewed inshore race was essentially a 24-mile windward-leeward from the Squadron Line to Bembridge Ledge and back. The impressive fleet included professionally sailed FAST40+ yachts and an IRC optimized TP52 plus an array of performance race boats, built for the IRC rule. However, the breeze built during the latter part of the race, giving an advantage to the smaller boats. Ross Bowdler’s J/80 JUSTIFY, was second in an impressive fleet.

“A big thank you to the RORC for the race,” commented J/80 JUSTIFY’s Bowdler. “It is so cool to race against the big boats and get a great result.” JUSTIFY will be at the Landsail Tyres J-Cup confirmed Ross. “We did our first J-Cup last year and really loved it. The atmosphere is just great because we get to race against other J/Boats. This year it looks like we will be able to party, and I can tell you we have no problem with our rating in that department!”

JOG Sopranino Race
Fourteen J/Boats took part in Salcombe Gin Sopranino Race on Saturday May 1st organized by JOG (Junior Offshore Group). The 48-mile course was also essentially a windward-leeward from Cowes to Owers and return. 


Stuart Lawrence’s J/120 SCREAM 2 took Line Honours in the 58-boat fleet winning IRC One and placing second overall. IRC Class Two was dominated by J/Teams, with the top six teams all racing models of the J/Family. IRC 2 was won by David McGough’s J/109 JUST SO. Second was Chris Burleigh’s J/109 JYBE TALKIN' and third was Gordon Craigen’s J/105 JACANA. Tom Hayhoe and Natalie Jobling, racing J/105 MOSTLY HARMLESS was third in the Doublehanded Class.

A substantial number of J/Crews will be racing in the first big regatta of the season for the Royal Southern Yacht Club. The May Regatta will be held this weekend, 8-9 May. 26 J's have already entered including ten J/70s for a new style Sprint Series. An armada of J/Teams is expected for the Landsail Tyres J-Cup which will be held 24-26 June. Online entry is open and, with the planned relaxation in restrictions, the band is booked for the first big party of the summer!  For more RORC offshore sailing information

J/105 J-OK WINS YACHTING CUP OVERALL

 

(San Diego, CA)- The 2021 Yachting Cup, one of San Diego Yacht Club’s most popular signature regattas, was a little smaller in size this year, but it certainly matched the on-the-water spirit of Yachting Cup’s past. While normally hosting nearly 100 boats, the 2021 regatta hosted forty-eight teams, all eager to race and itching for good competition. J/Crews sailed quite well in conditions that varied from postcard-perfect Saturday to a stormy Sunday.  

Day 1- Gorgeous "Shorts & Shades" Sailing

On Saturday, the conditions on both the “far” and “near” ocean courses were shifty at about 225 degrees, seeing sporadic puffs from 5 to 11 knots. The day started with a short postponement while the breeze filled in. 

The conditions were described as perfect for Ed Sanford’s J/111 CREATIVE that finished first in the PHRF-C class at the end of the day. “The conditions were perfect for our 111, especially when it hit around 8-10 knots. However, we did have to steer through the waves, and it was challenging going upwind on port tack,” commented Sanford.


The third race for the PHRF classes finished with a 6-mile race home. “The first and third race for us were pretty much flawless. Coming down the channel in the last race was challenging, but perfect once we got past Ballast Point. The kite was pulling like you couldn’t believe and we just started gaining distance boats in front of us,” said Sanford. 

In the J/105 one-design class, Stewart Cannon’s J-OK stood first with a 2-1-1 tally. Cannon has owned his J/105 J-OK for over 20 years. His crew has been sailing together for some time and they all rely on a full team effort for success. “We really enjoyed ourselves out there,” stated Cannon, while his team chimed in. Crew Ryan Lorence added, “We spent all day going the way we thought it was going to go, and it went the opposite, but luckily we were able to get through. We had to switch gears and change some jibs, but we had a pretty good day.”

Post-racing, competitors were invited to take "to-go" cocktails back to their boats and enjoy live music by Stylus Overhaul. 

Day 2- Tempestuous Finale

It wasn’t exactly a day of smooth sailing on day two. With misty weather and large, choppy ocean swells, teams used to sailing in champagne San Diego were in for a bit of a challenge, especially compared to the previous day's conditions. It seemed while most boats were up to it, a handful were not able to look past the waves and towards success on the horizon by the final race.

Overall 2021 Yachting Cup winner, J-OK, was one of the boats that embraced the ocean and saw the regatta the whole way through. The crew attributes their success this weekend to working together as a team.

“We put together a good team and we have a good boat,” said J-OK Crew Jim Dorsey. “It’s one hundred percent teamwork. It was very tough steering conditions today, and Stewart (Cannon) did an excellent job. Between Jim and Stewart, they really worked it,” added Julie Mitchell, the J-OK Tactician.

Rounding out the J/105 leaderboard was George Scheel's SUN PUFFIN in second, Steve & Lucy Howell's BLINK! in third, Donica & Scott Ryder's SANITY in fourth, and Rich Bergmann's ZUNI BEAR in fifth position.


In the PHRF C division, John Laun’s J/120 CAPER did not give up against Ed Sanford’s J/111 CREATIVE in any of the day's races, earning three bullets and putting them ahead by one point.

“It was a fun day with challenging conditions. The boat was set up well for it, and we had more breeze, so it was a little quicker. Our boat really likes 15 knots or more,” started Laun. “The first race stood out the most and set the tone for the day. It showed us that our set up was right. In between the first and second race, we switched jibs to match the wind,” he finished.

Behind the J/120 and J/111 sweeping the top spots in PHRF C division was Chuck Nichols' J/120 CC RIDER in fifth place. 

In the ORC Division scoring, Sanford's J/111 CREATIVE won quite handily, posting five bullets on their way to a runaway victory. 

The PHRF B division saw a few big J's participating. Taking second was Rudy Hasl's J/145 PALAEMON, followed by Ernie Pennell's J/145 MORE MADNESS in fifth and Standish Fleming's J/125 NEREID in sixth place. 

PRO Summer Greene explains Sunday's sailing, “we were averaging about 15 knots the whole day, but the sea state was really bad and made it hard on all the teams. There were a lot of kite catastrophes and messy mark roundings. We were still able to get in three races. About a third of the boats dropped out before the last race, but the lead boats were still there, their boat handling was a bit better, and we thought it was important to get that last race in for them.”

Due to State and County protocols, there was no formal award ceremony. After the racing, awards were announced, and competitors were invited to pick them up at their convenience. 

"Congratulations to all of our first-place finishers. San Diego Yacht Club is proud this year to be able to host our premier regatta of the season: Yachting Cup. A special thanks goes out to the Race Committee for all their hard work, especially on rough days like today. It feels good, during these crazy times, to be back on the water sailing and being able to participate in something that feels fairly normal. We hope everyone will be return for the 2022 Yachting Cup so we can continue to grow this event into something bigger and better,” concluded Chair Patrick Murray.  Sailing photo credits- Mark Albertazzi  For more Yachting Cup sailing information

J/70 North American Championship Preview

(Annapolis, MD)- A preview of the 2021 J/70 North American Championship took place last weekend during the Annapolis NOOD Regatta, sailing on the choppy, cols waters of Chesapeake Bay.  While nowhere near the sixty boats entered for this weekend's event, it will be interesting to see how last week's leaderboard fair against a deeply talent-laden fleet. Having "practiced" well last weekend, the host Annapolis Yacht Club will be looking forward to providing a solid four-days of sailing with up to a dozen races sailed. 

Who's the odds-on favorite to be one of those at the top of the leaderboard? None other than a local "home-boy", past J/24 World Champion and America's Cup Champion Terry Hutchinson from Annapolis, MD. Last weekend, Terry, co-owner Jenn Norwood, tactician Scott Nixon, Gil Hackel, and Dan Morris sailed USA 419 in challenging weather conditions, with massive breezes and currents, and they managed to eclipse many top J/70 teams...much to their surprise.  

However, as experienced sailors as they are, Hutchinson/ Norwood are under no illusions the J/70 N.A.'s will see the competitiveness level rise several notches. Needless to say, it's truly a "rogue's roost" of Olympic, World, and European champions taking aim at their competitors to be "top dog" by the time the dust clears on the racetrack. A highlight of those teams may include John Evans' AIRPLANE, Josh Becker's AWKWARD TURTLE, Dan Goldberg's BAZINGA, Joel Ronning's CATAPULT, John Brigden's COOL STORY BRO, John Heaton's EMPEIRIA, Doug Rastello's GOOD TO GO, Travis Odenbach's HONEYBADGER, Trey Sheehan's HOOLIGAN: FLAT STANLEY RACING, Chris Kostanecki's JENNIFER, Alex McPhail's NESSUNA, Steve Benjamin's REGGAE SHARK, Peter Duncan's RELATIVE OBSCURITY, Peter Barrett's RESET, Rich Witzel's ROWDY, John Brim's RIMETTE, Brian Keane's SAVASANA, Bruno Pasquinelli's STAMPEDE, Ryan McKillen's SURGE, Bruce Golison's  TEN, Dave Jannetti's VERY ODD, Buddy Cribb's VICTORY, and Mike Goldfarb's WAR CANOE.

Racing starts on Wednesday of next week and concludes on Saturday, with up to three races per day scheduled.  For more J/70 North American Championship sailing information

ANNAPOLIS NOOD A CELEBRATION FOR J/CREWS!

 

J/22 SCOOBY Crowned as Overall Winner!

(Annapolis, MD)- J.R. Maxwell and the crew of the Annapolis-based J/22 SCOOBY were happy with their results Saturday in the big breeze of the 2021 Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Annapolis; consistency being the key in the highly tightly competitive 15-boat fleet.


J/22 Overall Winner
And after winning Sunday’s first two races, they were well on their way to winning the regatta. Until the final race. With an over-early start, they were recalled to the line, restarted, and looked up the course to see the work ahead.

“We had to grind back from being second-to-last and finished fifth in that race,” Maxwell says. “Today was all about the puffy conditions so you had to stay in the puffs and that wasn’t always intuitive of where that was going to happen. We figured that over time.”

Like most sailors Maxwell and his team have had limited time sailing over the duration of the pandemic, but were happy to back on the water and racing again together.

“We’re super happy with the win this year,” Maxwell says. “We’ve been sailing this regatta for the better part of a decade and we were ready to get this one this time. We had a regatta last weekend that we won so we were feeling good coming into this weekend.”

With Maxwell on SCOOBY was crew Jim Schmicker and Matt Spencer (with Bryan Pryor sailing on Saturday only) and as winner of the J/22 class they were also selected as the overall winner, earning a berth to compete in the Helly Hansen Caribbean NOOD Championship in October.

Rounding out the top spots in the J/22s were Brad Julian's YARD SAIL in second, Jeff Todd's HOT TODDY in third, Aden King's RIDING DIRTY fourth, and Jake Doyle's ZESTY ENTERPRISE in fifth position. 


J/35 Nail-biter Finale
The J/35s are one of the few legacy classes of the Annapolis NOOD, which has been hosted for more than 30 years by the Annapolis YC (with race committee support by Eastport YC and the Severn Sailing Association) and while the J/35s were smaller in numbers, the battle of the top of the fleet was a big one, with Roger Lant’s ABIENTOT winning the tiebreaker over the perennial champions on James Sagerholm’s AUNT JEAN.

“They are very, very fast upwind so if you let them get away it’s a tough battle after that, so we worked on a strategy to deal with them on the starting line,” said Lant. “We carried out our plan and it went well.”

What was that plan?

“The boat that won the start won the race. They were looking for space on the starting line and we were looking to engage, so yesterday we engaged them fairly hard.”

But after AUNT JEAN won the day’s first two races, Lant had only one option- to win the final race!

“We knew we had to control him at the start, but we also had to win the start, get ahead and get clear. They are such a fast boat upwind, especially in conditions where the racecourse is even like it was today.”

But still, to win also requires good crew work under pressure.

“As skipper, I’m the most fortunate skipper on the course,” Lant says. “I have a core crew that has been sailing together for three year and the skills keep building and today we had some of the most fabulous crew work I’ve ever seen on the boat. Exceptional.”

The balance of the podium and top five included Jim McNeely's MAGGIE in third, Mike Wood's VALHALLA in fourth, and Masci McGonigle's WINDEPENDENT in fifth place. 


J/80 Cliff-hanger Finale
Conor Hayes and Jeff Kirchhoff’s J/80 MORE GOSTOSA, also contributed their win to the flawless crew work of their team, which has had limited sailing over the past years. More than once, says Hayes, it helped them get back places that ultimately impacted the final outcome—they won by a single point.

“The wind was pretty spotty, so it was about finding the pressure and staying in it on the runs,” Hayes says. “It was surprising the current was flooding all day and that was a big factor.”

After the winning the second to last race of the day, Hayes knew the points were extremely close between his team and runner-up Daniel Wittig’s TURBO SLOTH, but he had no idea how close. All he could do for the last race was keep TURBO SLOTH in his wake. That didn’t happen, and it almost went worse.

“We had a tough start in that last race,” Hayes says. “We wanted to start at the pin but got shut out. We were able to tack out immediately onto port and were in phase [with the windshifts] and from there it was a matter of just staying in more wind. It helps to have boatspeed and good crew to be able to get out of bad situations like that.”

The balance of the top five included Tom & Jennifer Kopp's KOPP-OUT (aka The Lasso Way) in third, Mike Hobson's MELTEMI in fourth, and Sarah Alexander's MORE COWBELL in fifth.


J/70 Mind-blowing Finish
Terry Hutchinson, skipper of the winning J/70 USA 419 he co-owns with Jennifer Norwood, had a similar starting experience in the first race of the day and he, too, almost lost the regatta. They were buried in the start and immediately found an escape route.

“We didn’t trust the Velocitek [a GPS-based starting device],” Hutchinson says. “We were poked [close to the line] and I didn’t pull the trigger. The boat on our leebow was about a boat length ahead of us at the start, unfortunately. It was a rookie mistake. When we set up at 40 seconds we were in a good spot, but I felt exposed.”

With the focus of his crew, Scott Nixon, Dan Morris, Gil Hackel, and Jennifer Norwood, they clawed their way back to an eight-place finish in the 40-boat fleet— no small feat— which Hutchinson says ultimately won the regatta for them. Although, they did win the next race and finished second in the last to secure the win by 7 points over John Heaton’s EMPEIRIA.

“Yesterday was a lot of fun because it was breezy,” Hutchinson says. “We weren’t fast in the first race and then when it lightened up, our limited time in the boat didn’t bite us as hard and we were more competitive.


“We were much better today and it’s amazing how hard this racecourse is in Annapolis. The course location was hard because the current was good on the right, but there was pressure [more wind] and shift on the left so you had to balance the two.

“You did not want to be in the middle. In the first race the leader came out of the right, and in the second, the leader came out of the left. Each leg was unique to itself, which kept us on our toes.”

Behind the Hutchinson/Norwood team was John Heaton's EMPEIRIA in second, Rich Witzel's ROWDY third, Doug Rastello's GOOD TO GO fourth, and Peter Duncan's RELATIVE OBSCURITY in fifth place. 

Winning the J/70 Corinthians Division was James Gary's AVACUCHO, followed by Mike McNamara's TEA DANCE SNAKE in second, and Kelly McGlynn's BEARNARCHY in third. 

How did things go down in the other classes?  

North Sails Doublehanded ORC division
Richard Born's J/120 WINDBORN took the bronze, with John Bell's J/100 HIWASSEE taking eighth place. 


J/24's Experience a Good'ole Fashioned Butt-whippin'
The ten-boat class may have been a bit surprised that class octogenarian Tony Parker would wake up after his Rip Van Winkle-esque pandemic experience and still remember how to sail a J/24. Well, for those in the know, racing a J/24 for Tony is a bit like riding a bike, having been racing the class since inception in 1978 out of Portland, Maine. Now based in Washington, DC, Parker and his BANGOR PACKET team demonstrated near-perfection, winning all eight of their races.  Having a similar score of mostly seconds, Pete Kassal's SPACEMAN SPIFF team sailed home to an 18 pts tally. They were followed by Pat Fitzgerald's RUSH HOUR in third with 25 pts total. 


Shoot-out at Houston's OK Corral for J/105s
The huge, competitive J/105 fleet didn't disappoint with regards to close competition like their colleagues in other classes. However, it was not the home boys that were showing everyone their transom going home. Instead, it was a pair of Texans hailing from Houston's Galveston Bay that topped the leaderboard in a "mano-a-mano" fight to the end.  In the end, Bill Zartler's DEJA VOODOO led fellow Texan Ken Horne's FINAL FINAL by closing with a 2-2 to win with 27 pts. Third was Cedric Lewis & Fredrik Salvesen's MIRAGE with 32 pts, fourth Hugh Bethell's JESTER with 35 pts (winning the last two races somewhat convincingly), and fifth Doug & Amy Stryker's MAYHEM. 


J/30 Triad Trade Podium Finishes To the End
Perhaps the most interesting battle in the one-design classes was amongst the passionate J/30 owners. No one would've guessed beforehand that a trio of boats would monopolize the podium finishes in every race! In short, the main issue was the trade-off of covering one competitor while another "escaped" to do their own thing...often times it was the "escapee" that won the race and beat the other two in their own duel! After six races, it was clear that Bob Rutsch & Mike Costello's BEPOP had a slight edge to win class with a 1-3-1-2-1-2 tally for 10 pts. Taking the silver was Bruce Irvin's SHAMROCK with a 2-1-3-3-2-1 record for 12 pts. Earning a well-deserved bronze medal was Tristan Keen's INFECTIOUS SMILE with a 3-2-2-1-3-3 scoreline for 14 pts!  Sailing photo credits- Paul Todd/ Outside Images.com.  For more Helly Hansen Annapolis NOOD Regatta sailing information

NEGRONI TOPS REGATTA SAN ISIDRO LABRADOR

 

(Buenos Aires, Argentina)- One of the most important regattas on the evolving Argentinean J/70 regatta calendar is the San Isidro Labrador Trophy hosted by Club Nautico San Isidro along the Rio de La Plata. Such was the passion and desire of the Argentinean sailors to get rolling on the waters again within the state's pandemic guidelines that twenty-eight boats registered to participate in the event- a record turnout for any J/70 regatta in Argentina!  

Over the course of the weekend regatta, the two protagonists that battled for class supremacy ended up with a fearsome battle in the last race to determine who would beat who. In a classic regatta scenario, Paolo Cosentino's NEGRONI team from Yacht Club Argentino (P. Pruden, P. Consentino, and L. Carissimi) won the first race and posted a 6-4-1 in the next three races to be the leader without throw-outs, but a loser with a throwout. With one more race in the cards, Alejandro Irigoyen's BUTANTAN team (J. Fregonese, L. Cerrato, and G. Martinez) had a disastrous first race 14th, but managed to get their act together and reeled off a 1-1-2 in the next three races. As a result, with a good fifth and final race, they could toss their 14th to win the regatta.  As one might expect, the scenario was not lost on Cosentino's NEGRONI team. With a fifth race started on Sunday, the NEGRONI team simply match-raced BUTANTAN into the bottom of the fleet, forcing them into an 11th place finish. As a result, NEGRONI won with 12 net points with BUTANTAN having to settle for second place with 15 pts net. 


While the top two teams were dueling for supremacy on the high seas, the battle for the final step on the podium, in fact for the top five, was nothing short of an epic 15-round battle in the boxing ring. Emerging from that four-boat, wildly swinging, race-to-race fortunes was the Silva family's aptly named MERCENARIO 6, skippered by top woman helm Martina Silva. They took the bronze medal on the podium on a count-back tiebreaker at 25 pts each over Van Avermaete’s SI QUERIDA. One point back was the Gwozdz & Herman-Suarez's BACHAJO in fifth place.  For more Argentina J/70 Class sailing information

AYC SPRING SERIES CLOSES WITH DOZEN RACES

 

(Rye, New York)- The second half of the 2021 American Yacht Club Spring Regatta held on April 30 – May 2 had over 50 boats entered in the One Design, PHRF, and ORC classes to compete off Rye, NY on Long Island Sound. The AYC Race Committee was able to complete races for the Short Course ORC and J/44 classes, and one distance race for the Coastal Racing course, which included PHRF, Doublehanded, and Mixed Doublehanded classes.

The weekend began with a gale warning holding teams shoreside Friday. The wind subsided Saturday afternoon to a more manageable 15-18 knots across the Long Island Sound allowing just enough time for three races. Sunday started off light and shifty with the rain looming over the New York City skyline, before giving way to sunshine and a little more pressure for three more races rounding out the series.

Continuing where they had started on the first weekend of racing, Bill Ketcham's MAXINE sailed a very consistent series to win the J/44 one-design class with 17 pts after eleven races, counting all podium finishes. Frequently giving them a run-for-the-money was Don & Dick Rave's RESOLUTE, finishing just three points back to take the silver. Rounding out the podium was Tom Blackwell's BREAKAWAY with a total of 29 pts.


Winning the J/105 one-design class was Paul Beaudin's LOU LOU, winning seven races enroute to a somewhat dominating win in the highly competitive class with 18 pts total. Second was Dave Willis' SOLUTION, counting nine podium finishes for a total of 25 pts. Taking the bronze in his first known podium finish in the J/105 class was Greth Lester's ECHO, showing flashes of brilliance, like winning the first race, but getting "unglued" and inconsistent in other races to fall behind the leaders. 

The J/88 one-design class was a tale of two weekends and two protagonists "flip-flopping" their roles in the fleet. On the first weekend, it seemed Iris Vogel's DEVIATION team could do no wrong and was winning by a good margin in the light to moderate conditions and flat water. Then, the second weekend saw a dramatic change in wind/ wave conditions which proved to be the undoing of the DEVIATION crew, but also much to the liking of the dynamic duo of Lawrence Cutler & Andrew Weiss on ONE TOO MANY. After closing with four straight bullets, the ONE TOO MANY boys finished tied with DEVIATION, winning the tie-breaker on countback. Watching the battle unfold from the bleacher seats on both weekends was another fun-loving duo on ALBONDIGAS, Justin Scagnelli & Tim Price, taking home the bronze for their second successive major event of the season. 

The J/70 one-design class saw Jean Marc Papin's PEN SEGAL take the class win with nearly all bullets, followed by Ben Hunt's NO NAME in second, with Gibbons Sinclair's HALF MINE II taking the bronze. 

In the Coastal PHRF Division, it was Steven Levy's J/121 EAGLE that won class with consistent sailing. Just two points back, Robert Schwartz's J/109 NORDLYS took the bronze. In the Coastal ORC Mixed Doublehanded, it was Todd Aven & Barbara Karpinska's J/99 THIN MAN that took the silver!

J/105 BLINDINGLY FAST @ ST MAARTEN FINALE

(Simpson Bay, St. Maarten)- The traditional end-of-the-season regatta for the winter Caribbean circuit for St Maarten sailors is the St Maarten Yacht Club's Simpson Bay to Friar's Bay Race and return. 


Virtually all the major players in the St Maarten sailing community attended their grand finale and super-fun race.  In the end, it was Jordan Mindich's J/105 SOLSTICE that "blinded the fleet with science and brilliance", taking overall honors over two very fast, hard-charging Melges 24s and a J/70 (all of whom have won many regattas). This time, Garth Steyn's J/70 IGY RACING could not overcome his good buddies on the M24s to have to settle for fourth place by one point.Add to Flipboard Magazine.

SPRING SPRANG ON LONG ISLAND SOUND

(Rye, New York)- The first weekend of the 2021 American Yacht Club Spring Regatta on April 24-25 had over 50 boats entered in the One Design, PHRF, and ORC classes to compete in Rye, NY.

Racing began with a light, variable wind on day one, but the breeze built significantly as the day progressed. The Race Committee was able to complete four races for the Short Course ORC and J/44 classes, and one distance race for the Coastal Racing course, which included PHRF, Doublehanded, and Mixed Doublehanded classes.

Day two began with a wet and chilly morning, but the rain tapered off just in time for the start of the first race. The day proved to be somewhat more challenging for everyone, with 50-degree wind shifts combined with dramatic changes in wind velocity and direction.

All the races were conducted by Principal Race Officers John (“Tinker”) Myles on the East Course, and Commodore Nicholas Everett on the South Course, along with their respective Race Committee teams.

Amongst the five-boat J/44 class, it was past New York Yacht Club Commodore Bill Ketcham's familiar navy-blue MAXINE that leads the series by just one point with finishes of 3-1-4-1-1-3 for 9 pts. Just behind them is Don & Dick Rave's RESOLUTE with a 1-3-2-2-2-4 tally for 10 pts. Lying third is Tom Blackwell's BREAKAWAY with a 2-4-1-4-3-1 record for 14 pts. 

The PHRF Coastal Division saw a near clean sweep of the top ten by J/Crews. Sweeping the podium were Cory Eaves' J/109 FREEDOM in first, Bob Schwartz's J/109 NORDLYS in second, and Steve Levy's J/121 EAGLE in third!  Finishing fifth was Jim Weil & EJ Haskell's J/92 VIXEN, and seventh was Jason Viseltear's J/80 UPSETTER.

The J/88 one-design class saw Iris Vogel's DEVIATION press the pedal-to-the-metal and firewall it all the way around the race track, winning the first three races on Saturday and completing the weekend on Sunday with a 2-3-1 for 6 pts net! Behind her it was a full-on duel between Larry Cutler & Andrew Weiss' ONE TOO MANY and Justin Scagnelli & Tim Price's ALBONDIGAS. Just one point separates the two after six races. 

The always-competitive J/105 class of seven boats saw tight racing amongst the top three boats. Currently leading by two points is Paul Beaudin's LOU LOU, followed by David Willis' SOLUTION in second, and just two points further back is Gareth Lester's ECHO. 

In the J/70 one-design class, it's Jean Marc Papin's PEN SEGAL leading after winning five races, with Ben Hunt's NO NAME in second with 10 pts and Gibbons Sinclair's HALF MINE II in third place. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/70S AND WOMEN J/80 TEAMS INVITED TO COPA DEL REY MAPFRE!

(Copa del Rey, Spain)- The 39th Copa del Rey MAPFRE, organized by the Real Club Náutico de Palma (RCNP), will be held from 31st July to the 7th of August, 2021. Racing will take place on the Bay of Palma in front of the historic and incredibly picturesque waterfront of the city of Palma on the island of Mallorca. 


For the first time the European J/70 class is invited to participate as well as women's team to sail on supplied J/80s from the local Palma J/80 fleet. Sailing in Palma for most sailors ranks as a "bucket list" event, such is the notoriety of the region for fun in the Mediterranean sun!

Generally, the regatta is nothing short of spectacular. For four straight days, the competitors can expect clear blue skies in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea with the noon-time sea breezes building from the southwest into the 8 to 15 kts range...at least that's what the local chamber of commerce claims on their brochure! No question, that part of the Med is famous for its remarkable weather in August and is a reason why Palma is notoriously famous amongst the world's "glitterati", with numerous famous super yachts often parked inside the marinas.  Treat yourself to an amazing experience. Click here and learn more about the Copa del Rey MAPFRE.Add to Flipboard Magazine.

ANNAPOLIS J/FEST (AKA NOOD REGATTA) PREVIEW

 

(Annapolis, MD)- IF there was ever proof that J/Sailors in general are passionate, enthusiastic sailors, one only needs to look at the astonishing statistics for the 2021 HELLY HANSEN Annapolis NOOD Regatta being hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club from April 30th to May 2nd this coming weekend.  A total of 157 teams are participating, of which 124 of them (79% of the fleet!) are J/Teams sailing J/22s (16), J/24s (10), J/70s (40), J/80s (13), J/30s (13), J/35s (5), J/105s (21), J/111s (7), and 2 in the Doublehanded class. 

The sailors may be treated to a little bit more than what they bargained for in the weather department. As is often the case on the Chesapeake Bay in the springtime, the somewhat unstable weather patterns can dish out rapidly changing sailing conditions. This weekend the NOAA forecasts indicate 15 to 35 kts northwest winds trailing a massive front that is rolling through Thursday evening. Then, the powerful nor ‘westers will diminish into a somewhat benign 8-15 kts Saturday and shifting, backing into the southwest on Sunday at 6-14 kts. No matter what, whatever cobwebs that may have accumulated over the past pandemic year will no doubt get blown out over the horizon in short order!

In the sixteen-boat J/22 class, many of the regional class leaders are in attendance, including Sandy Adzick's HOT TICKET, Jeff Todd's HOT TODDY, Aden King's RIDIN' DIRTY, JR Maxwell's SCOOBY, Brad Julian's YARD SAIL, and Jake Doyle's ZESTY ENTERPRISES. 

The ten-boat J/24 class will feature the four-decade class veteran Tony Parker on his famous BANGOR PACKET along with Pat Fitzgerald's RUSH HOUR, Pete Kassal's SPACEMAN SPIFF, and Sam McGuire's BLOW'VIATE. 


The ten-boat J/30 class continues to enjoy its on-going renaissance with many beautifully restored/ reconstructed boats ponying up to the starting like a bunch of ancient thoroughbreds at Churchill Downs. Familiar faces include Bob Rutsch & Mike Costello's BEPOP, Dan Watson's AVITA, Jim McGinnis' BLITZ, Heidi Fritz's SUZIE Q, and Tristan Keen's INFECTIOUS SMILE. 

With just five-boats, the J/35 class will certainly not be lacking for strong competition. A few class veterans will be going at it hammer & tong all weekend. Watch for good battles between Jim Sagerholm's AUNT JEAN, Jim McNeely's MAGGIE, and Roger Lant's ABIENTOT. 


At forty-boats, the J/70s all have their eyes fixated on their upcoming J/70 North American Championship sailing on the same Chesapeake Bay waters in the following two weeks.  Many top teams are in attendance, including Andrew Fisher's BUTTON FLY, John Brigden's COOL STORY BRO from San Francisco, CA; John Heaton's EMPEIRIA from Chicago, IL; Doug Rastello's GOOD TO GO from Newport Beach, CA; Travis Odenbach's HONEYBADGER from Pittsford, NY; Cate Muller-Terhune's MURDER HORNET; Marty McKenna's RARITY; Peter Duncan's RELATIVE OBSCURITY; Sandy Askew's RIMETTE; Brian Keane's SAVASANA; Bruno Pasquinelli's STAMPEDE from Fort Worth, TX; Bruce Golison's TEN from San Diego, CA; and Terry Hutchinson's USA 419 (yes, the America's Cup guy and J/24 World Champion!). Quite the rogue's gallery of talent preparing for the J/70 NA's as well as the J/70 Worlds later this summer in Long Beach, CA. 

The thirteen-boat J/80 class will certainly have its fair share of top-flight competitors vying for class honors. Amongst the contenders to the leaderboard will be Bert Carp's ELEVEN, Mike Hobson's MELTEMI, Sarah Alexander's MORE COWBELLS, Ramzi Bannura's STACKED DECK, and Dan Wittig's TURBO SLOTH. 


With their J/105 North American Championship happening in late fall 2021, the twenty-one-boat fleet has most of the local leading teams in attendance, such as Andy Kennedy's BAT IV, John Kircher's CHESSIE, Ben duPont's CTRL ALT DEL, Bill Zartler's DEJA VOODOO, Ken Horne's FINAL FINAL, Cedric Lewis & Fredrik Salvesen's MIRAGE, Don Santa's SANTAS REIGH DEAR, Carl Gitchell's TENACIOUS, and Bill Sutton & Bob Taylor's TRIM.  

Finally, enjoying a tour of the Bay around government markers will be the North Sails Doublehanded Class of ten boats. Hoping to grab some silverware will be John Bells' J/100 HIWASSEE and Richard Born's J/120 WINDBORN (a famous class winner in both the Annapolis to Newport Race and the Bermuda Race).  For more Helly Hansen Annapolis NOOD Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

GREAT START TO CHESAPEAKE SAILING SEASON

(Annapolis, MD)— The Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta returns to Annapolis, April 30 to May 2, for its 33rd edition, with more than 160 teams expected to race in boats ranging from 20 to 40 feet. The annual spring regatta, which is considered the premiere local sailing event of the year, also serves as the unofficial kickoff for the robust and thriving Annapolis sailing scene.
 
“What I’m hearing is that a lot of sailors have been using the downtime of the pandemic to work on and improve their boats while also going to school with webinars all winter long. They’re keen to apply all that learning to the race course for real,” says Dave Reed from SAILING WORLD, which co-hosts the event with Annapolis Yacht Club and other area yacht clubs. “After a year of so many regatta cancellations, sailors are ready to get back to racing in a big way. The Annapolis NOOD has always been an amazing event, and this year will be no different.”

The Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta series is the largest national sailing circuit, with Annapolis serving as the third event of five, along with regattas in St. Petersburg, Florida, San Diego, Chicago, and Marblehead, Massachusetts. At each regatta, one team is selected as the overall winner, earning a berth at the championship in the British Virgin Islands in late October.


With such national prestige and a reputation for its professional race management, the Annapolis NOOD continues to be a major draw for competitors from all points of Chesapeake Bay and afar. This will be especially true in late April as competitors registered in two of the regatta’s largest classes will be using the event to train for major class championships later in the year. 

The J/70 class, for example, will host its North American Championship in early May in Annapolis and its World Championship in California in August, so organizers expect a high number of professional sailing teams will be in attendance, training and studying the venue’s challenging winds and tides. In addition, the J/111 class (36-foot/seven crew) will host its North American Championship at the NOOD.
 
“We’re especially excited this year,” says competitor Bill Carruth, who races with his wife, Linsley, in the J/105 class. The J/105s will have its North American Championship in Annapolis in October. Their NOOD fleet could have as many as 30 of these 35-footers. “It is a blast to have so many J/105s on the starting line,” Carruth says. “These are good sailors and they know the rules, so we tend to be aggressive, which makes it’s entertaining and exciting.”
 
In all, 11 classes will compete over three days, on race courses set on the waters south of Bay Bridge and immediately outside Annapolis Harbor and the U.S. Naval Academy, which will also field teams across a few classes. Regatta organizers have also added a new competition with the North Sails Doublehanded Distance Race where two-person teams will one day-long endurance race on Saturday, May 1, starting and finishing at entrance of the Harbor.   Sailing photo credits- Paul Todd/ Outside Images   For more Annapolis NOOD Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.