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/88 AND J/122 TRIUMPH @ PORT STEPHENS REGATTA

 

(Port Stephens, NSW, Australia)- The Sail Port Stephens 2021 Regatta was held 19-25 April with the Port Stephens Trophy Event held 23-25 April with 130 keelboats and 50 trailerables and off-the-beach classes enjoying the mild-Autumn conditions. 

Sail Port Stephens goal is to give competitors the best possible on and off water regatta experience in one of the east coast’s finest sailing destinations, a little over 2 hours north of Sydney by car or an easy 90.0nm day sail.  The Port Stephens slogan is "Incredible By Nature"! And, if you love pristine beaches, crystal blue waters, spectacular sunsets over the nearby ranges and great sailing conditions then this is the place to be.

Two particularly outstanding results for the three-day event were the J/88 JOJI and J/122 JACKPOT, both winning their class convincingly.  Mark Wharton’s J/88 JOJI winning 1-1-2 in their 26 boat Division 3 fleet.  Rob Hale’s J/122 JACKPOT with 12-2-2 scores in their 22 boat Division 1 fleet.

Friday, the fleet looked spectacular as they headed offshore from Port Stephens under spinnaker, rounded the offshore islands then headed to the mark off Fingal Bay’s white sandy beach. A westerly of around 12-14 knots stayed for their course.  Saturday was the Broughton Island Passage Race with light and variable breezes and a few DNF’s, but there was no stopping the J’s.  Sunday, the South Westerly breeze returned for the final day of the regatta being an inshore W/L race.  Reports from Mark (J/88 JOJI) and Rob (J/122 JACKPOT) are below:

J/88 JOJI:
“It was J/88 JOJI’s second Sail Port Stephens Regatta, its first in 2019 when the fleets got smashed by a 40-knot southerly squall in the last race. Not a fun moment or one to repeat. So this year’s breeze and weather conditions were just what the race organizers  ordered. It was a record fleet of 130 boats spread across a number of varied divisions. The racing was serious but lots of fun too with some close quarter starts and tense top mark roundings.

JOJI went into all races knowing who the local boats were, as local knowledge was key to master the currents and breeze shifts. The size of JOJI relative to the Division 3 fleet meant that it was essential to get a clear air start. Lucky for us, all three starts were good and so we managed to break away from the main fleet to chase down the fast locals.


The first 2 races were passage races out offshore around the Islands and made for terrific asymmetrical spinnaker sailing. The 3rd race, an up and down with two marks top and bottom to give the 60 or so boats room at either end.

JOJI’s handicap wins in the first two races didn’t separate the field very much “points wise” and going into the last race four boats were within a couple of points of each other. The pressure was on.

The 3rd race started in similar fashion, close quarters, downwind start, gybing onto port on the line and positioning for clear air again. And, also keeping the local gun boat within reach. JOJI’s superior speed upwind along with some great crew work on the tacks meant we knocked off the “boat to beat” and he eventually got buried in amongst the bigger boats. JOJI maintained its clear air lead and took line honors and 2nd on handicap and winning the series by a clear 16 points.

A great result for JOJI and its crew!“


J/122 JACKPOT:
Sydney-based J/122 JACKPOT lived up to her name again with a convincing win at Sail Port Stephens regatta over the weekend. The result is even more impressive as this is the first time JACKPOT has competed in the ever-growing Sail Port Stephens regatta. 

“It’s a very different sailing area to our beloved harbor, with much more navigational effort required for the shallows, channel markers, wind shifts, and tidal effects than we are used to,” said Rob.  

At 40ft, JACKPOT was at the smaller end of the impressive 22 boat competitive fleet including Farr 52, Dehler 46, First45’s, McConaghy 47, first 47’s, and an X43 to name a few.

Rob Hale commented, “the first race was very light with plenty of shifts and tidal influence, we were a bit rusty, but still managed a 12th. Being one of the smallest boats in the fleet, we had to re-think our start line tactics which helped us come back with vengeance in race 2 with a hard fought second place. Race three was inshore, but again we managed a second place totaling 16 points for this three-race regatta, a clear 4 points ahead of our closest competitor.


It’s such a good feeling when you know you are at the smaller end of the fleet, but finish with the top four boats crossing the line and look back thinking that was another great race.

Port Stephens is a beautiful and scenic place to race, and we will be back to defend our title in 2022. We would like to thank our competitors for keeping us on our toes, Port Stephens Race organizers, and of course, our trusty crew for a great event.”

Sailing Photo Credits: J/122 Jackpot photos by D Edmiston.  J/88 Joji photos by Sail Port Stephens.

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!

Edlu Distance Race Preview

  

(Larchmont, NY)- The classic spring opener for offshore races has been Larchmont Yacht Club's annual Edlu Distance Race. For many sailors, it provides the incentive to clear off the cobwebs accumulated from over a year of not sailing, make sure the winches and blocks spin properly, the wheel/ rudder bearings didn't lock up, and sails actually go up and down. Having been starved of going down to sea and dreaming about it for over a year, there must be more than a few sailors that recall that yearning in John Masefield's famous poem- SEA FEVER:

"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a gray dawn breaking....."

With one of the best turnouts in years, the sixty-boat fleet will be looking forward to one of two courses the Larchmont YC Race Committee can select: Course #1 – from the start around Eaton’s Neck Point Lighted Gong Buoy and return for about 32.0nm or Course #2 – from the start around Twenty-Six Foot Spot Lighted Bell Buoy mid-sound off Lloyd’s Neck and return for about 18.0nm. 

Looking forward to this offshore "sprint" are twenty-four J/Teams (40.0% of the fleet!). Sailing in the eleven-boat ORC Division is Steven Levy's J/121 EAGLE, John Greifzu's J/109 GROWTH SPURT, Bill Ingraham's J/124 TENEBRAE, and Len Sitar's big blue J/160 COUGAR. 

In the PHRF Doublehanded divisions is Josh Burack's J/105 PEREGRINA and Glenn Marck's J/109 WATERDOG.  In the 28-boat PHRF Spinnaker division are two J/111s (Ken Luczynski's USMMA team on BLACK DIAMOND and Bill & Jackie Baxter's FIREBALL), Cory Eaves' J/109 FREEDOM, Arthur Hanlon's J/112E DAUNTLESS, Chuck Taus' J/33 SIRIUS, Kurt Locher's J/42 ATALANTA, Neeko Helbich's USMMA team on the J/44 VAMP, Jason Viseltear's J/80 UPSETTER, and Jim Weil & EJ Haskell's J/92 VIXEN.  In PHRF Plus-One division is Ron Richman's J/133 ANTIDOTE and Richie Palmer's J/105 TOLO. PHRF Non-spinnaker class has Erick Blanc's J/112E REBELLE.

Finally, the J/88s are sailing as a one-design class with six teams ready to do battle for 32 miles straight! The usual suspects may be at the top of the leaderboard; such as Justin Scagnelli & Tim Price's ALBONDIGAS, Iris Vogel's DEVIATION, Larry Cutler & Andrew Weiss' ONE TOO MANY, and Kevin Marks' VELOCITY.  For more Edlu Distance Race sailing information

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.

RORC SPRING SERIES OFFSHORE RACE PREVIEW

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- After a year and a half of disruptions to offshore racing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Royal Ocean Racing Club is delighted to confirm an overnight race for Offshore and Two-Handed teams starting on May 1st.
 
The combined entry list for May 1st has a fleet of 48 yachts, including all the top Two-Handed boats from the inshore RORC Spring Series. For crewed entries, the RORC Spring Series will conclude this weekend. Michael O'Donnell’s J/121 DARKWOOD is just two points behind the leaders, currently holding down the bronze step on the podium. 
 
“Safety always comes first; it is just too early to run an overnight race for fully crewed teams. However, when the club offered to run an offshore race for Two-Handed teams, the response was an overwhelming!” commented RORC Racing Manager Chris Stone. “Details of the course for IRC Two-Handed will be determined by the weather, but our intention is to set an overnight race, taking the Two-Handed fleet out of the Solent. For crewed teams racing under IRC, the final race of the Spring Series will be inshore with a target time of 6-8 hours.”

Racing for their first time this spring are a few top offshore doublehanded teams that may prove to be the "dark horses" in the racing that has been dominated by the smaller 30-34 foot boats. They include Clive Miles & Will Ayliffe's J/122 JANGLE, Simon Harris & Dan Laws J/112E J'OUVERT, Deborah Blair & Tim Long's J/88 TIGRIS, and Mike Yates' J/109 JAGO. It would be a shocker to the UK two-handed offshore community if these yet untested teams sweep the podium! Stranger things have happened, time will tell.  

The RORC fleet is scheduled to start racing from the Squadron Line Cowes from 10:00 BST on Saturday 1st May.  For more RORC Spring Series 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.

NEWPORT 2 ENSENADA RACE PREVIEW

(Newport Beach, CA)– Nearly 170 boats will cross the start line of the 73rd Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race, April 23rd off the Balboa Pier. Perhaps the cleverest element of the event is the race organizers- NOSA- have offered three courses to the intrepid adventurers that cannot wait to get out on the open, unrestricted, Pacific Ocean! Talk about "horses for courses", more than two dozen J/Teams are entered in all three ocean "sprints".  The classic race goes from Newport Beach/ Balboa Pier start line to Ensenada, Mexico and that start line has 120 boats doing the 125.0nm passage.  Twenty boats will take the day-race course down to Dana Point (about 25.0nm) and forty boats will take the mid-range course around the Coronado Islands and finish off Point Loma in San Diego.  

A big "thanks" to everyone for good behavior and helping to reduce COVID restrictions. And, an even bigger "thanks" to the Mexican Navy offering landing assistance so that sailors will be able to safely disembark and enjoy Ensenada.

Answering that "siren song" to go offshore seems innate and is a common bond for many sailors. In a 1962 America's Cup dinner given by the Australian Ambassador at the Vanderbilt family's former estate- The Breakers- then USA President John F. Kennedy made some prophetic remarks about that passion on September 14th, 1962. Listen to it here. He explained:

"I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it is because in addition to the fact that the sea changes, and the light changes, and ships change, it is because we all came from the sea. And, it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins, the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it, we are going back from whence we came."



Recently, when one person about to sail the race was asked "why sail the N2E", he commented:

"There’s a misconception about yacht racing, boat racing, in that some think it’s stuffy, blue-blazer-boring kind of stuff. But, in reality it's not. Sailing is a fun passion-based hobby, in which everyone has a story about overcoming adversity. Sailing is really about solving problems; things break as boats do and you figure it out. Perhaps the best part? It's sitting with a crew member at the helm in the middle of the night, 30 miles offshore, freezing, talking about life, watching the moon; man taking on machine and nature, the whole thing is magical.”


Sailing the classic N2E course are John Staff's J/111 OBSIDIAN, Scott Torrance's J/124 FORGIVENESS, Dave Gorney's J/105 NO COMPROMISE, Chuck Bowes' J/29 RHUMB RUNNER, and Brian Kerr's J/92 DOUBLE DOWN.

Taking the fast-track out and around the Coronado Islands to San Diego is the largest collection of J/145s ever- four of them- including Robert Pace's ANDIAMO 2, Roger Gatewood's KATARA, Ernie Pennell's MORE MADDNESS, and Rudy Hasl's PALAEMON. Joining them will be Tom Pollack's J/124 MARISOL, Dean Stanec's J/130 NIGHT'S WATCH, Derek Gaertner's J/27 PROJECT 53, Fed Hayem's J/46 MISTER J, and Mike McCarthy's J/88 BLUE FLASH. On a PHRF overall handicap basis, that will be one remarkably competitive division!


Another tough collection of J/Crews are sailing the Newport to Dana Point race. Talk about a wind-sprint! Taking a "swing for the fences" in this race are Joaquin Cobelo's J/109 MARIAH, Matt Campbell's J/120 ADIOS, Charles Brewer's J/124 HEARTBEAT 4, Jock McGraw's J/22 TEKEELA, Tom Garrett's youth team on the J/70 SLOOP JOHN B, and the duo of Richard Bennett & David Matthews on the J/92 FIREWATER. 

As pandemic restrictions have been lifted, options for social activities have increased. The annual Yachtsmen’s Luncheon and pre-race dinner at Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club, albeit without the infamous crowds, are being held. Plans for Sunday’s trophy ceremonies at the festive Hotel Coral and Marina are still being determined, pending the number of revelers, and in coordination with the host city’s guidelines. In light of Ensenada’s restrictions on large gatherings, Sunday afternoon’s awards ceremony, always joyful and celebratory, may be conducted in shifts.  For more Newport 2 Ensenada Race sailing information

On social media, follow all the action on these links:
Facebook.com/newporttoensenada
Instagram.com/newport_to_ensenada
Twitter.com/newsfromnosa
 Add to Flipboard Magazine.

AWESOME 25TH ANNIVERSARY CHARLESTON RACE WEEK!

(Charleston, SC)- Expectations were high for this year's celebration of the 25th anniversary of Charleston Race Week. Hosted at the Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, the dozens of volunteers from the Charleston Offshore Racing Association (CORA) delivered in spades after more than a year off. With the added bonus of having the weather Godz cooperate for once, most all fleets were able to fulfill their full schedule of races, with most one-design fleets experiencing ten races after three days of sailing!


The sailors experienced mostly sunny days with southerly winds; with winds varying from southeast to southwest, depending on the degree of cloud cover, and breezes ranging in velocities from 6 to 16 kts. As usual, the mostly ebbing currents of up to 3.5 knots played havoc with laylines both upwind and downwind for many sailors...many boats "doing donuts" after hitting one of the robotic MarkSetBots being used as marks. 

A total of 188 boats in 16 classes were finally able to celebrate the 25th anniversary race week in Charleston, SC. Not surprisingly, passionate J/Sailors across the country couldn't wait for this rendezvous with destiny! Of the 188 boats registered, 103 of them were J/Boats sailors (a stunning 55.0% of the fleet)!  


The regatta featured five one-design J/Classes, including J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, J/88s, and J/105s.  In addition, there were two “Pursuit-style” sailing divisions for both PHRF and ORC handicap rated boats that included a J/30, J/35, J/109s, J/111s, J/120s, J/121s and a J/122. 

Starting with the biggest fleet in the regatta, the J/70s near runaway winner was Bruno Pasquinelli's STAMPEDE. With the red bull billowing broadly on their big white chute, there were most often seen at the front of the fleet, posting seven podium finishes to win with just 24 pts net; quite a feat in this hotly contested fleet! Joel Ronning's CATAPULT returned to their regatta-winning form and gave the Stampeders a good run-for-the-money, but were not able to close the gap fast enough on the last day, taking the silver with 40 pts net. Rounding out the podium was Mike Goldfarb's WAR CANOE, winning two races on their way to earning the bronze with 43 pts net.  The balance of the top five include John Heaton's Chicago team on EMPEIRIA in fourth and Dave Jannetti's VERY ODD in fifth. 

The J/70 Corinthians Division was won by Henry Filter's Napolitan crew on WILD CHILD, followed by Alex Meleny's TRUCKIN in second, and Mike Sabinash's SABOTAGE in third position. 


The large 19-boat J/24 class saw a full-blown duel take place for class honors. In such a classic confrontation, it was the final race that determined the outcome for the two protagonists that are well-known amongst J/24 class veterans- Kirk Reynolds on TYRUS and Aidan Glackin on MENTAL FLOSS. After trading off bullets in the first six races, it became a war of attrition to see who would blink last. In the end, it was Reynolds' TYRUS crew that avoided the "send it down the mine shaft" race to win by two points. Glackin's MENTAL FLOSS crew sailed a stellar series, save for their 9th place in race 2 that slowed down their chances for the win. Watching the fireworks taking place all weekend-long from the bleacher seats was Denny Vaughn's HABANERO, themselves winning two races but suffering from inconsistency to settle for the bronze. Rounding out the top five were Chris Stone's VELOCIDAD and Jim Thurlow's FORTITUDE in fourth and fifth, respectively. 


The J/22s were subject to a good'ole butt-whippin' by Justin DaMore's YEM team, counting seven bullets in their scoreline to win with a mere nine points net. An easy second-place performance was earned by Fed Plasecki's CoC 7 team with 17 pts. net. The bronze went to Nathan Bowen's USA 8 team with 29 pts. net. 


A near-dozen J/88s showed up for some of that famous southern hospitality and no one left disappointed. Great sailing, great food, spirited competition across the board. Such was the evenness of the racing that every single boat on the podium had a double-digit race to get discarded, a first to be sure for this class. Sitting in third place after the first day, brothers John & Jordan Leahey's DUTCH from Chicago, IL decided they were ONLY going one-way on day two- "go left young man" was the local advice they heeded in spades. For four straight races, they would start at the port end of the line, check-in with the tour guides at Fort Sumter, stamp their ticket for being the ONLY boat in the left corner, then proceed to the windward mark to rejoin the fleet. A winning formula it was for that day! They were rewarded with three bullets in four races to leap to the front of the fleet at the end of the "moving day" (the second to last day of the regatta). The final day dawned gray and served up the most bizarre wind conditions of the regatta. Not doing themselves any favors, the DUTCH team posted their second-worst race of the regatta with a 9th place. That left the final race to determine who amongst the top three teams would win the regatta. In the end, the DUTCH'ers traded in their "left turn signal" for a "right turn signal" in the finale...and rolled the dice. In short, that strategy worked again..."when in doubt, hit a corner", if not left, then why not right?! LOL. DUTCH won the final race to take class honors by 4 pts. Second went to their arch-nemesis in the hotly-contested J/88 Chicago Fleet- Andy Graff's EXILE. Just three points back, after torpedoing their chances at a class win with a DFL in race 9, was Justin Scagnelli and Tim Price's ALBONDIGAS from the Long Island Sound J/88 fleet. The balance of the top five included Brian O'Malley's BLUE in fourth and Andrew Weiss' ONE TOO MANY in fifth.  


Not surprisingly, the J/105 fleet was treated to a complete "white-washing" by Ken Horne's Houston, TX team on FINAL FINAL. Proving themselves in the 2019 J/105 North American Championship in Marblehead, MA with a second place, Horne's crew continues to post strong performances in the class. After nine bullets in nine races, they elected to not sail the last race and went home. The Schaedler/ Taylor duo on WHISTLER posted eight podium finishes in their final tally to take home the silver. Third was Joe Highsmith's DEAD ON ARRIVAL with 35 pts net. The rest of the top five were Joe Pitcavage's SPECTACLE in fourth and Bill McKenzie's RUM FRONT in fifth place. 


The ORC B Offshore division was treated to a podium sweep by three top J/Teams. Winning for the millionth-time was Robin Team's J/122 TEAMWORK with 6 pts net. They were challenged hard by two J/121s. Bob Christoph's LOKI traded bullets with TEAMWORK in a few races, but that was not enough to overcome TEAMWORK's consistency. Both teams tossed 3rds (!) but LOKI had to count one more third to settle for second place. Third was Bill Wiggin's & Ashley Maltempo's WINGS. 


In PHRF A Pursuit Spin division, J/Teams took six of the top eight places. Richard Moore's J/120 KEELFORCE took the silver with Bob Musor's J/130 SCEPTRE earning the bronze. Fourth was John Keenan's J/120 ILLYRIA, sixth Willy Schwenzfeier's J/35 ARROW, seventh Ed Goss' J/36 SOUL, an eighth Bill Hanckel's J/120 EMOCEAN. 


The PHRF B Pursuit Spin division, the Warrior Sailing Team took third place with their J/95 WARRIOR 95, while Mark Swatta's J/30 LAS BRISAS finished fifth. 

Thanks to Quantum Sail Design Group for its team of professionals that did on-site daily weather briefings, discuss tactics and strategy provided on-the-water "live" commentary on all racing circles. For more Charleston Race Week sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

CHARLESTON RACE WEEK PREVIEW- A RENDEZVOUS WITH DESTINY!

(Charleston, SC)- Starting two weeks later than its traditional schedule the weekend before Easter/ Bank Holiday, the amazingly popular Charleston Race Week will be taking place this weekend from April 8th to 11th at the historically famous venue (Fort Sumter is where the American Civil War started) for a long three-day weekend of sailing on six courses spread around the huge harbor.

The Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina serves as host for the event and the CORA organization provides all logistical and professional race management for the 500+ sailors.  While the on-water racing is fun, fast & furious, it’s the après’ sailing social activities on the beach ashore with loads of rum, beer, southern food, and live music that keeps sailors coming back for more fun-loving memories in the Deep South....NOT this year, sadly enough, due to the pandemic protocols. 

While the party atmosphere that has always been synonymous with Charleston Race Week is not possible in 2021, the focus this year will be on the race course for one of the largest, most popular regattas in North America.

A total of 188 boats in 16 classes are entered following a one-year layoff caused by the pandemic, and finally able to celebrate its 25th anniversary in Charleston, SC.

“When you boil it all down, great racing is the main reason why Charleston Race Week has become such an iconic event,” observes event director Randy Draftz. “After all that has happened over the past year-plus, I think sailors just want to go racing again.

“We have been thrilled by the response from the national sailing community to the return of this great regatta and will be introducing several new features designed to enhance the racing experience.”

While COVID-19 continues to pose a threat throughout the world, social gatherings remain risky with state and local government officials advising against such activity. As a result, there will be no post-race events this year, but Charleston Race Week management is confident social-distancing, mask-wearing and hand-washing will allow for a successful and safe three days of racing.

Not surprisingly, passionate J/Sailors across the country have been anticipating this rendezvous with destiny for well over a year! Of the 188 boats registered, 103 of them are J/Boats sailors (a stunning 55.0% of the fleet)!  
 
The regatta features five one-design J/Classes, including J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, J/88s, and J/105s.  In addition, there are two “Pursuit-style” sailing divisions for both PHRF and ORC handicap rated boats that includes a J/30, J/35, J/109s, J/111s, J/120s, J/121s and a J/122. 

Starting with the biggest fleet in the regatta, the J/70s will have their hands full negotiating the shoals and currents and wildly shifting breezes on 3/4 mile windward legs (max!).  Despite the challenges, for most J/70 sailors, it is like a big college regatta, but on keelboats. Looking forward to that experience are many top J/70 teams loaded with talent, including Joel Ronning's CATAPULT, John Heaton's EMPEIRIA, Maggie McKillen's MAGATRON, Cate Muller-Terhune's MURDER HORNET, Mike Illbruck's PINTA (with John Kostecki as tactician), Peter Duncan's RELATIVE OBSCURITY, Brian Keane's SAVASANA, Chuck Thompson's SOAK RACING from the United Kingdom, Bruno Pasquinelli's STAMPEDE, Ryan McKillen's SURGE, and Buddy Cribb's VICTORY. 

Another large class is the J/24s, which has attracted 21 entries – double the number that attended Charleston Race Week 2019! They will race on Circle 4 along with the J/22 class, which consists almost entirely of junior teams. Notable J/24s teams include Jim Thurlow's FORTITUDE, Taylor Borges' BLIND SQUIRREL, Mike Palazzo's JO MAMMA, Eric Trejo's junior team on the KELLY HOLMES-MOON BOAT GRANT, Chris Jackson's LUCIFER's HAMMER, Aidan Glackin's MENTAL FLOSS, Kirk Reynolds' TYRUS, and Chris Stone's VELOCIDAD. 

The two other J/One-design classes sailing on Circle 3 are the 88s and 105s.  The eleven-boat J/88 class promises to be a very closely-fought amongst a number of the class leaders. Look for these teams to be near the top of the leaderboard over the course of the regatta; Justin Scagnelli's ALBONDIGAS, Iris Vogel's DEVIATION, John & Jordan Leahey's DUTCH, Andy Graff's EXILE, Andrew Weiss' ONE TOO MANY, Rob Ruhlman's SPACEMAN SPIFF, and Tim Wade's WINDSONG. So competitive these teams are that any one of them can have a strong, consistent event and leap to the top of the podium. 

The nine-boat J/105 class is also the largest turnout the class has seen in nearly a decade. The Ladbroke's Betting Parlour on the High Street in Liverpool would have a hard time handicapping this group, as there is a broad cross-section of teams in the mix. Nevertheless, watch for these crews to feature on the leaderboard; Ken Horne's FINAL FINAL (2nd in the 2019 J/105 NA's in Marblehead, MA), Joe Highsmith's DEAD ON ARRIVAL, Betsy Pilcher's JOYRIDE, Pete Boland's LONDON CALLING, the trio on RUCKUS (Matt Self/ Russ Smith/ Pat Chisum- e.g. "local home boys"), Bill McKenzie's RUM FRONT, and the "foreigners" from Lake Erie- the Schaedler/ Taylor duo on WHISTLER (yup, same famous boat from the Caribbean)!

As has been the case for many editions of Charleston Race Week, there will be pursuit racing and ORC racing out on the Atlantic Ocean. In the ORC B class of a half-dozen boats are four J/Teams; two J/121s (Bob Christoph's LOKI and Bill Wiggins/ Ashley Maltempo's WINGS), Robin Team's J/122 TEAMWORK (they hardly need any introduction, do they?), and John Keenan's J/120 ILLYRIA. 

In the Pursuit Spinnaker A Class of eleven boats is Bob Musor's J/130 SCEPTRE, two J/120s (Bill Hanckel's EMOCEAN and Richard Moore's KEELFORCE), Willy Schwenzfeier's J/35 ARROW, John Wrangle's J/105 PALADIN, an Ed Goss' J/36 SOUL. With six J/Crews on the starting line, perhaps there's a chance for a J/sweep? Time will tell. Finally, in Pursuit Spinnaker B Class is Mark Swatta's J/30 LAS BRISAS and Warrior Sailing's J/95 WARRIOR 95 as the lone wolves carrying the J/flag in that fleet. 

To help all participants get back up to speed quickly, Charleston Race Week will be providing TracTrac devices that deliver live tracking using the latest technology. TracTrac is an innovative analytical tool that records each boat’s performance and displays various metrics online in real time.

This marks the first time Charleston Race Week has implemented live tracking on all five courses. The TracTrac device will be included in your registration packet along with an instruction sheet.

In addition to live tracking, Charleston Race Week will also introduce on-course observers to provide expert commentary and analysis. These seasoned professionals will offer interesting insights and observations about various aspects of racing.

Also, Quantum Sail Design Group will have its team of professionals on-site to deliver daily weather briefings, discuss tactics and strategy or answers any other questions sailors might have. Sailing photo credits- Priscilla Parker. For more Charleston Race Week sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

VARIETY ADDS SPICE TO IDA LEWIS DISTANCE RACE IN AUGUST!

Something for Everyone Offshore and in the Bay!

(Newport, RI)– The 17th edition of the annual Ida Lewis Distance Race, scheduled for August 19th to 21st, literally offers something for every type of big-boat sailor. Not only are there classes for ORC, PHRF (including Cruising Spinnaker) and Double-Handed (Mixed Gender and Open) but also there are Youth and Collegiate challenges. As well, entrants have a choice of racing in either the traditional OFFSHORE distance race, starting on Friday (August 20) and requiring overnight sailing, or the shorter IN BAY distance race, starting and finishing Saturday (August 20). The latter is a holdover from Covid-19 adaptations made last year to accommodate sailors during uncertain times.

“Last year’s inaugural IN BAY distance race was a big hit,” said Event Chair Pat Kennedy, “because it allowed a lot of people to sail who otherwise – due to Covid restrictions – wouldn’t have been able to. On top of that it was not just another buoy race on Narragansett Bay; it was an exciting short distance day race of 33 miles, starting off Fort Adams and heading north around Conanicut and Prudence Islands. That said, the OFFSHORE distance race with its overnight component and long track record is what has made the Ida Lewis Distance Race one of the most iconic events on the East Coast.”


The OFFSHORE distance race starts off historic Fort Adams and finishes in front of the lighthouse that serves as the clubhouse for Ida Lewis Yacht Club, the event’s host. Based on wind and sea conditions, the overnight course is chosen by the Ida Lewis Race Committee just prior to the start and it can be anywhere from 112 to 169 nautical miles. The courses are aptly named for the scenic waypoints and offshore buoys (marks of the course): “Buzzards Bay”, “Point Judith”, “Block Island” and “Montauk”.

“We have been racing the Ida Lewis Distance Race OFFSHORE event since 2013,” said EC Helme (Newport, R.I.), skipper of the J/92 SPIRIT that has twice taken a second in its PHRF class. “Our typical program is really just day racing since the boat is pretty sparse, but the OFFSHORE race is perfect for a smaller boat. It’s a reasonable distance; never too far from a good bailout point; and usually there are boats that are similar enough to us to make it directly competitive. It’s a chance to push ourselves a bit and figure out currents, winds and tactics we don’t normally get to deal with.”


One of the first teams to sign up this year for the OFFSHORE race was Bill Kneller’s (Newport, R.I.) J/109 VENTO SOLARE, which placed third in class last year in the IN BAY race, finishing the course in just over five hours.

“On the first leg from the start off Rose Island to R2 off Brenton Reef it was a spinnaker run,” said Kneller. “Our strategy was simple - sail our own race away from other boats, do transitions methodically with ample time to execute, and constantly change trim to optimize for the ever-changing conditions. The strategy paid off to reach the podium.” 

Youth and Collegiate Challenge
Youth and Collegiate challenges have been popular components of the Ida Lewis Distance Race, encouraging a healthy future for the sport of sailing. With special trophies for each, the challenges are applied to both OFFSHORE and IN BAY racing.

Youth entries must consist of a minimum of two adults (one designated as Captain), and more than 40% of the crew must have reached their 14th birthday but not their 18th birthday prior to August 20, 2021.

Collegiate entries also must consist of a minimum of two adults (one designated as Captain), and more than 40% of the crew shall not reach their 26th birthday prior to August 20, 2021.

Compete for LOTS of Trophies!
Trophies for the Ida Lewis Distance Race OFFSHORE race will be given in ORC, PHRF (Aloha and Coronet divisions), ORC Double-handed and PHRF Cruising Spinnaker classes. Trophies for the IN BAY race will be given in PHRF (Aloha and Coronet divisions), PHRF Double-Handed and PHRF Cruising Spinnaker classes.

GMT Composites Boat of the Year Series
For 2021, the Ida Lewis Distance Race IN BAY race has been included as a qualifying event in the Narragansett Bay Yachting Association’s Boat of the Year series. The trophy for the series – the Narragansett Bay Boat of the Year Trophy sponsored by GMT Composites – is awarded in the Fall to the owner of the boat on Narragansett Bay that has achieved the best overall performance for the season.

For questions, please contact Ida Lewis Distance Race Chairman- Pat Kennedy- email"distancerace@ilyc.org".  For more sailing information on the Ida Lewis Distance Race Add to Flipboard Magazine.

SSS CORINTHIANS RACE PREVIEW

 

(San Francisco, CA)- The Singlehanded Sailing Society of San Francisco Bay is back at it again. After hosting their eponymous Three Bridge Fiasco (won overall by a J/70, if you recall), they will now be hosting one of their more revered races of the year- the Corinthians Race.  Answering that siren's call are 180 intrepid souls who are gleefully looking forward to more wind on SF Bay! It will be the first event of the season that includes the huge doublehanded contingent on the Bay.

Starting and finishing off Golden Gate Yacht Club, the 15.5nm course rounds Blackaller Buoy to starboard, Southampton Shoal red bell to port, Little Harding green buoy to port, Blossom Rock green bell to starboard, then to GGYC finish on the waterfront. Basically, the course is criss-crossing the Bay in a circumnavigation of all the tourist sites! 

So far, the weather forecast is for a sunny day starting out with a light 5-8 kts NNW breeze, swinging into the classic westerly seabreeze by noon, and increasing to 8-15 kts by late afternoon! Sounds amazing!


Looking forward to that challenge are a raft of shorthanded J/Crews.  In PHRF C class are the doublehanded J/105s; including Adam Spiegel's JAM SESSION, Eric Patterson's KESTREL, Tom Struttmann's ARRIVED, Bruce Stone's ARBITRAGE, Phil Laby's GODOT, Charles James' ROXANNE, and Chris Kim's VUJA STAR-- wow, quite the all-star cast from the local SF J/105 fleet!

Sailing in PHRF 5 Class for singlehanded J/70s is John Brigden's COOL STORY BRO. He'll be taking on the PHRF 6 Class doublehanded J/70s that include David Fried's SON OF A SON, Scott Sellers 1FA, Pete Cameron's KANGAROO JOCKEY, Justin Foox's FLOTEK, and Tom Thayer's RAMPAGE. 

The thirteen-boat PHRF H Doublehanded Spin class looks pretty formidable. Rated at the top is Nesrin Basoz's J/111 SWITF NESS. He'll be challenging a gaggle of tough J/120 honchos, like Timo Bruck's TWIST, Barry Lewis' CHANCE, Tracy Rogers' HOKULANI, and Jeff Phillips ALCHERA. Wishing they were sailing in a different class is Ted Rogers' pretty J/100 GRACE!

PHRF 13 Class is Doublehanded Powered Winches boats, which includes Richard Leute's J/44 ACEY DEUCY. 

PHRF I Class Doublehanded Spin has thirteen boats and just one J/Crew- Tim Roche's J/92 ZAFF. Then PHRF K Doublehanded Spin of 11 boats also has a sole J/30 sailing- Jenny Thompson's FRICTION LOSS. 

The seventeen-boats PHRF L Class Doublehanded Non-Spin is also seeing a solo performance by Brian Richards' J/109 LA VIAJERA. 

The eleven-boat PHRF N Class Singlehanded Spin has Ralph Morganstem's J/30 GEODESIC up against another classic J, Chad Peddy's J/24 IRISH BLESSING.

Finally, the fourteen-boat PHRF P Class Singlehanded Non-Spin includes yet another solo performance by John Kalucki's J/109 LINDO. Fair winds and God Speed to all, hoping for a gorgeous day of sailing on the Bay!  For more SSS Corinthian Race sailing information