Glorious Whidbey Island Race Week

(Oak Harbor, WA)- After nearly four decades, Whidbey Island Race Week delivered one of the nicest three days of sailing the Pacific Northwest has seen for awhile- three straight days of sun and breeze. This year’s event has attracted a fleet of sixty-one boats; twenty-eight of them are J/Crews- 46% of the regatta! There were one-design classes for J/80s and J/105s, with the rest sailing in various PHRF handicap classes. Here are the reports from those three glorious days of sailing.

Day One
Just two days before “the Whidbey” started, the weather did not look so promising. However, the first day of the 37th edition off Oak Harbor made for many happy memories before the fleet moves over to Point Roberts for the 2020 race week edition.

After an opening evening of renewing cross-border friendships, while dancing to live music on the lawn of the Oak Harbor Yacht Club, and a night of crispy winds and an unexpected rainfall, Charley Rathkopf’s Race Committee led the fleet of 61 US and Canadian boats south into what most sailors were hoping was the last day of an unusually cool and cloudy July.

The two one-design classes of J/105s and J/80s and J/PHRF sailors enjoyed the day’s courses that tested the crews’ fortitude and patience thanks to dying breezes and a 10-foot tidal exchange. Wednesday’s uncertain waters and wind caused skippers to greet the week with conservative starts and no “over-earlies”. The J/109 Lodos reveled in Wednesday’s southerly breeze though rued the calm waters that ensued as the wind slowly achingly and shifted to the west before finally evaporating for the day.

Day Two
What better way to stave off Saturday’s inevitable tears with a fun-filled blast from the past. Thursday’s 1980’s Reggae theme brought out a colorful cacophony of garb, from retro polo’s to tie-dye tees, plus boom boxes and wigs galore, including mullets, fro’s and dreadlocks. Even the weather seemed to join in and add to the light-hearted mood of the day.

Under intensely blue and cloudless skies, the cool morning soon grew into a warm afternoon. And right on schedule, Penn Cove’s forecasted westerly filled in by the “noon o’clock” first gun.

With a waning flood, most of the day’s first of three starts had at least one OCS. But, that minor inconvenience didn’t seem to deter some of those who were a bit too hasty to take a bite out of the on-course side.

Stuart Burnell’s J/109 TANTIVY, for example, turned their OCS, and a subsequent foul plus 360, into a tactical advantage and maneuvered to a third place finish, showing that a solid background of hard-earned experience can turn a negative into a positive.

Others weren’t as fortunate. For example, Buckey’s J/105 INSUBORDINATION managed to make contact with the committee boat’s fenders at the start. After that, and a series of other unfortunate events, they retired from the day’s third and final race, skulking back to the Oak Harbor marina with their tail between their legs and a whopping 12 points added to their score card.

Regardless, if Charley and his committee can pull out more multiple-race days like Thursday’s, INSUBORDINATION may be able to throw out that last-place finish. It’s not inconceivable that they’ll make a comeback, as they have several race week veterans, and winners, aboard, including Pat Denny (owner) and Gary Harr (skipper) of that infamous black boat- the J/29 HERE & NOW.

Mike Kalahar’s Port Angeles-based LITONYA darted around the course on Thursday to earn another bullet in the wily J/80 class.

No strangers to race week, John Aitcheson and his veteran crew aboard the J/105 MOOSE UNKNOWN took home first place honors for Thursday’s three races with two bullets and a second. With just 5 points going into Friday’s racing, they are poised to take home the overall trophy. It’s just the halfway point of the regatta. However, the J/105 fleet is one of the most hotly contested one-design classes on the Salish Sea, so they’ll have to fight hard to keep their lead.

Day Three
The bovine aroma off Blowers Bluff signaled the arrival of a solid westerly breeze (a bit like Mackinac Island’s famous aroma of fudge and horse manure wafting across the Straits!). On such a day, the air becomes very clear with no haze on the horizon. One crew excitedly announced, “the mountain is out!” While passing through the channel from Oak Harbor into Saratoga Passage, she was exclaiming that Mt. Baker had emerged over the eastern horizon.

Knowing with confidence that if that marine layer burns off over the Straits beyond Penn Cove’s west head, the breeze will indeed fill in nicely. As a result, that meant the smart money would try port tacking the fleet to hitch the elevator ride up the cove to finish line at North Beach. For that final leg, sailors were salivating, anticipating getting to Coupeville’s Red Barn, the garlic shrimp, and ice cream at Kapaw’s. Others, of course, were wishing there was more time for beer and fish’n’ chips at Toby’s.

Jerry Diercks’ crew on DELIRIUM was maybe a bit delirious in the beginning of the regatta, starting off quite slowly with a 3-4-8 tally in the eleven-boat J/105 class. However, in the next six races they came on strong like a locomotive gathering steam downhill, smoking the closely-fought class with three 1sts, two 2nds and a 3rd to win with 17 net pts after a single discard.  Second was Chris Phoenix’s JADED with 20 pts. Then, just two points back doing the “reverse fade” of the DELIRIUM tally was John Aitchison’s MOOSE UNKNOWN, a fun-loving Canadian crew. While the “Mooser’s” opened up with a stunning three bullets in a row, they slowly faded to black, closing the regatta with a 5-3-5-8 in their last four races to drop down to the bronze medal. The balance of the top five included Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE in 4th and Buckey’s INSUBORDINATION in 5th place.

Never looking back after day one in the seven-boat J/80 class was David Schutte’s TAJ MAHAL. After leading day one, Schutte’s crew keep up the pressure on the fleet and won with just 12 pts net, counting only podium finishes in their scoreline that included five 1sts! Second was Bryan Rhodes’ CRAZY IVAN and third place was earned by Mike Kalahar’s LITONYA.

The six-boat PHRF 1 Class saw Bruce Chan’s J/111 65 RED ROSES II take the silver, missing the gold by a mere point.  Then, in PHRF 2 class, David & Vernice Cohen’s J/90 EYE EYE took the bronze. Rounding out the top five were Stu Burnell’s J/109 TANTIVY in 4th an Brian White’s J/35 GRACE E in 5th position. Two other J/109s finished behind them, with Tolga Cezik’s LODOS in 6th and Mike Campbell’s LAPA in 7th. In PHRF 3 class, it was Stephanie Arnold’s J/33 DASH that took 4th place. Finally, in PHRF 5 class, Christine Nelson’s J/29 SLICK took the silver.  For more Whidbey Island Race Week sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

Whidbey Island Race Week Preview

(Oak Harbor, WA)- The kids are now adults. And, the adults are still acting like kids. And, after nearly four decades, Whidbey Island Race Week remains the stalwart among true race weeks. This year’s event has attracted a fleet of sixty-one boats, twenty-eight of them are J/Crews- 46% of the regatta! There are one-design classes for J/80s and J/105s, with the rest sailing in various PHRF handicap classes.

The J/105 class has, perhaps, its largest turnout ever. Eleven teams are making the trek north to enjoy some fun in the sun, lots of socializing, and perhaps a few round-the-cans races! If they have not gone delirious at the evening parties, these teams should be contenders in the leaderboard; Tom Kerr’s CORVO 105, Jerry Diercks’ DELIRIUM, Chris Phoenix’s JADED, John Aitchison’s MOOSE UNKNOWN, and Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE.

Similarly, the J/80 class of eight crews also have one of their largest turnouts ever.  Watch for these crews to stay somewhere near the forefront of the leaderboard, David Schutte’s TAJ MAHAL, Ryan Porter’s JOLLY GREEN, Bryan Rhodes’ CRAZY IVAN, and Morris Lowitz’s UPROAR.

In the PHRF handicap racing world, the J’s are well represented across the board. In PHRF 1 is Bruce Chan’s J/111 65 RED ROSES II. In PHRF 2 are three J/109s (Mike Campbell’s LAPA, Stu Burnell’s TANTIVY, & Tolga Cezik’s LODOS), Brian White’s J/35 GRACE E, and Dave & Vernice Cohen’s J/90 EYE EYE. Then, in PHRF 3 class is Stephanie Arnold’s J/33 DASH (yet another woman owner ready to dust the class).  For more Whidbey Island Race Week sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/90 Wins GYA Challenge Cup

(Gulfport, MS)- The J/90 HOT TODDY recently won Class A of the 2019  GYA Challenge Cup hosted by the Gulfport Yacht Club In MS. Class A included 2 well raced and well-funded M32’s (War Canoe and Rougaroo) which are the perennial winners of Gulf Coast sailboat racing.

As the winner of Class A, HOT TODDY helped Pontchartrain Yacht Club to third place in the team competition and won several class A boat of the day trophies, the Overall Class A trophy, and the prestigious Buddy Friedricks perpetual trophy for the winner of Class A. This will be on display at the Pontchartrain Yacht Club for one year.

Said John Guy, crew on HOT TODDY, “we had to sail really hard and well to correct out and defeat both of these well-sailed M32’s. The weather was really great for the three days of racing, that included one long distance race and six windward-leeward races.” Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Crews Love Whidbey Island “Summer Camp”!

(Whidbey Island, WA)- Over the course of time, J/sailors from the Pacific Northwest have dreamed of sailing one of their favorite regattas of all time in Whidbey Island, the annual “race week” hosted by Oak Harbor YC.

From Canada and California, Oregon and Idaho, and even Hawaii, sixty-eight boats made the pilgrimage to sailing mecca for Whidbey Island Race Week (WIRW). What counts is a glorious opportunity to reconnect with old friends, make new ones, race hard, hone sailing skills, dance, eat and take deep gulps of fresh, clean Pacific Northwest air. New this year was a NFS cruising class, a J/80 one-design fleet, and for a fifth or so of the fleet, this is their first WIRW. There were twenty-eight J’s racing, one-third of the fleet. Here is how it all went down, enjoy the daily reports.

Day One- Friday
The clock said 2:20pm when the westerly finally settled in Penn Cove, but who’s counting? Race Week runs on island time. The wind’s delay meant more time for making a run into Coupeville for a Bloody Caesar at the Front Street Grill, a hoppy IPA and fresh steamed mussels at Toby’s, or a triple scoop from Kapaw’s Ice Creamery. Or, perhaps a catnap on the bow, far away from the work world’s worries, listening to the “chi-kee” of a Kingfisher diving for its meal, or the sneaky splish of a curious sea lion. Or maybe gazing at the fire-red trunks of the Madrona trees circling the west end of the cove like a ruby necklace. However, one chose to bide the time waiting for Charley Rathkopf’s CYC race committee to signal the start of the first day’s first race, after 36 years it’s a wait that never gets old.

After a week or so of hottish temperatures, Thursday’s cooler weather reminded the racers why they’re pros at layering, bundling up in foulies only to strip down to shorts when blue finally appeared in the north sky later in the day. On the race course, a swift ebb tide, beach currents and flukey wind shifts combined to make leads swap like cards in a fast-paced game of Go Fish. The first hand has been dealt, three more to go!

Day Two- Saturday
After 36 years you might think you’ve seen it all at WIRW. Charley Rathkopf’s race committee set a bizarro course that sent the fleet into the mussel beds at the west end of Penn Cove, which they’ve done before, but for the first time ever, they finished the race. Sure there were a few classes that saw their courses shortened (the prudent thing to do) but it still qualifies as a WIRW first. Winds had been forecast oh, somewhere between 5 and 12, and with the RC calling for a start one hour later than usual, Friday was NOT a lay day. Yay! Adding to the challenge of playing chess with Mother Nature, the ebb tide saw nearly 2 knots at various places on the course, causing some boats to overrun their sails. Unfortunately, a couple of the classes did see some DNFs (so here’s hoping for a throwout). Regardless, it was a fun day under the sun and on the water, with a stop at the Coupeville dock for a crew or three, so in the grand scheme of things, who’s complaining?

Back at the marina, it was Pink Boat Regatta night, with donations gladly given for the chance to play Bra Pong next to the refreshment station, then dancing to crowd favorite Gertrude’s Hearse. They get better each year, and it’s always fun to see fellow sailors out of their foulies and into their top hats. After tucking into burgers or ribs (yours truly got the last of ’em), the good-natured revelers continued into the wee hours back at Tent City, though the laughter did eventually die down, only to be replaced by the constant clanging of the porta-pottie doors and the plaintive hoo, hoo-hoo of a lonely owl

Day Three- Sunday
Sunday seemed more like the Mad Hatter’s tea party. Too little wind, too much current, cold weather, free hot showers (what?!?), new faces picking up awards, old regulars wondering who tied cement blocks to their keels.

Saturday’s weather wasn’t as favorable for others, however. Plenty went from hero to zero, albeit it painfully slowly, as the pseudo-westerly clocked to a southerly, sending the fleet on a scavenger hunt for a river of anything in Saratoga Passage.

Courses were shortened, and some boats didn’t finish, whimpering while limping back to the marina, hoping to nurse their unfulfilled racing needs with hefty doses of freshly caught and cooked Dungeness crabs. The ensuing scene was like some sort of primitive offering, the racers holding claws aloft, mouths full of juicy meat, bribing and begging the Northwest wind Gods for more breeze on Sunday. For all the frustrations that light air days bring, back on terra firma, where the laws of nature seemed at least a little less collusional, comments ranged from NSFW to “We had a blast!”. A rich feast of memories was made regardless of the lack of a stiff breeze, and will get embellished with each re-telling.

The ten-boat J/105 Class saw Jerry Diercks’s DELIRIUM take the class by just one point over Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE. Third was Chris Phoenix’s JADED. The balance of the top five saw John Aitchison’s MOOSE UNKNOWN take fourth and Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO in fifth.

The J/80 class continued to expand and this year’s fleet of six boats saw very competitive racing for the top three boats. Winning was David Schutte’s TAJ MAHAL, second was Lek Dimarucot’s UNDERDOG, third was Emre Sezer’s RECKLESS.

In PHRF 2, it was Stu Burnell’s J/109 TANTIVY that won class closing with three bullets. Then, David & Vernice Cohen’s J/90 EYE EYE won PHRF 3 Sport Class. And, in PHRF 5 class, Pat Denney’s J/29 HERE & NOW took an easy silver. Finally, in PHRF 9 Cruising enjoying the festivities was Steve Kirsch’s J/35C WILDFLOWER, finishing in 4th.

Speaking of memories, be sure to check out all the photos of this year’s Whidbey Island Race Week at
http://www.janpix.smugmug.com — all proceeds benefit Kids Camp (thanks, Jan!).
Sailing photo credits- Jan Anderson For more Whidbey Island Race Week sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Whidbey Island Race Week Preview

(Whidbey Island, WA)- An annual right of passage in the Pacific Northwest is to attend what many consider to be the “adult summer sailing camp” of the year- the infamous Whidbey Island Race Week.  It’s not hard to see why it’s so popular with sailors from the state of Washington and the province of British Columbia.  The entire week is predicated on having fun and the social calendar is heavily populated with all kinds of fun events.

That there are twenty-eight J’s racing of 68 boats registered (1/3 the fleet) is a testimonial to the broad popularity of the event. Sailing in PHRF 1 Racing are three J/109s (Ed Pinkham’s JEOPARDY, Tolga Cezik’s LODOS, & Stu Burnell’s TANTIVY), Chris Johnson’s J/120 WITH GRACE, three J/29s (Veli-Juhani Levaho’s AMELIE, Christie Nelson’s SLICK, and Pat Denny’s HERE & NOW), Rex DuPuis’ J/30 GADZOOKS, Jay Pyles’ J/33 DASH, and David & Vernice Cohen’s J/90 EYE & EYE.

The ten-boat J/105 Class includes Tom Kerr’s CORVO, Jerry Diercks’ DELIRIUM, Chris Phoenix’s JADED, Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO, Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE- in other words, the creme’d’la’creme of the Pacific Northwest J/105 fleet.

The J/80 class continues to expand.  This year there will be six boats, including Mike Poole’s JOLLY GREEN, David Schutte’s TAJ MAHAL, Mike Gridley’s CRAY IVAN, and Lek Dimarucot’s UNDERDOG.  Finally, in PHRF 9 Cruising enjoying the festivities will be Steve Kirsch’s J/35C WILDFLOWER.  For more Whidbey Island Race Week sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

A Fun Great Vallejo Race

(Richmond, CA)- The Great Vallejo Race has become a time-honored tradition every year for northern San Francisco Bay sailors. The event is hosted by the Vallejo YC.  It is a popular race, with over 100 boats sailing in 24 divisions, including everything from multihulls to J/24s up to J/125s.

The race most often starts near the Berkeley Circle on Saturday morning, rounds a single weather mark near Alcatraz, and then heads to Vallejo, usually under spinnaker for the remainder of the race.  The challenge is to maintain speed through the shadow of Angel Island, find the best combination of wind and current past the Richmond-San Rafael bridge and East Brother Light Station, and then avoid the mud shoals on the east side of the San Pablo Bay. Depending on the day, the passage can be a challenging breeze (intentional pun), or a miserable drifter, complicated- as always - by the currents, no matter its direction.

As the boats enter Carquinez Strait, they bunch together, making the turn into Mare Island Strait.  Because of the topography of Mare Island, as well as the fact that it sits at the mouth of the Napa River, local knowledge (or many years of sailing the race) can make the difference as the yachts maneuver toward the finish line on the Vallejo city waterfront.  Winds vary from light to heavy, and becoming exceedingly shifty.  By the time they enter the Strait, many of the crews are let's say "over-relaxed" by sun, surf, and suds.  This is where the fun really starts!  In the mad dash for the finish line, sharp crews can usually pick off several places with close attention to trim, wind, and current. A good depth sounder is usually a big help in this part of the race.

The event is popular for J/crews as it is relaxed and is never the same twice, that is for sure.  In the PHRF 3 Sportboat class, Trig Liljestrand’s J/90 RAGTIME took third place.

The J/105 one-design class of six boats had stiff competition.  It was nearly a three-way tie for first place!  As it was, two boats tied for first with identical records of 2-3, with the countback going to Richard Butts’ MELILANI over Chuck Pick’s BOX OF RAIN.  Third was Chris Kim’s VUJA STAR with a 5-1 for 6 pts!

The five-boat J/24 class had tight racing around the Bay course.  This time it was Jasper Van Vliet’s turn to win on his famous EVIL OCTOPUS by scoring a 1-2 to win with 3 pts.  Darren Cumming’s DOWNTOWN UPROAR had a 4-1 record for 5 pts to snag the silver. However, behind him it was a tiebreaker for third place at 6 pts each, the countback going to Randy Rasicot’s FLIGHT over Val Lulevich’s notorious SHUT UP & DRIVE.

In PHRF 9 class, Aya Yamanouchi’s J/88 BENNY scored a 1-9 to take fourth.  Class 12 had Jack Vetter’s J/80 PEARL take third after breaking a three-way tie for second place!  Class 18 Non-Spinnaker had John Kalucki’s J/109 LINDO crush the class with two bullets.  Meanwhile, Jeff Johnson’s J/35 AKIALOA posted a 3-3 to secure third place.  Class 21 Cruising Division saw Elvin Valverde’s J/35 JOKER post a regatta-winning 4-2 for 6 pts, winning with the highest score in the whole regatta!  For more Great Vallejo Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/90 HOT TODDY Wins F.O.R.C.

(Pensacola, FL)- The 43rd West Florida Ocean Racing Circuit, held at Pensacola Yacht Club (PYC), provided a good variety of wind conditions for the three-day series. This factor was appreciated by both local and out-of-town competitors who were all too weary of this year's active hurricane season—including Hurricane Nate, whose Oct. 8 landfall near Biloxi, MS, also caused damage to PYC's marina.

Fortunately, PYC's dockmaster, Greg Spitzer, had matters well in hand before WFORC began. A widely distributed email reassured everyone that necessary repairs were made, and along with the club's bulkhead space, three-ton hoist, and newly widened boat ramp, the regatta would start as scheduled.

PYC also offered visiting competitors' boats and trailers storage for up to one week prior to and after the regatta without any storage charge.

Last year, 30 boats competed, including five that participated concurrently in the first WFORC Ocean Race.

For 2017, the fleet totaled 14, including three who did just the Ocean Race. It is opined that the recent storms had impacted many along the Gulf Coast who normally participate in this highly competitive event.

PYC's fleet captain, John D. (Dave) Oerting, had established the Ocean Race in his desire to be all-inclusive and offer something for everyone. "It provides an option for those who aren't equipped for three days of racing; for those who don't perform well in W-L buoy races, and for those who harken back to the earlier WFORC days when the series actually included offshore racing," Oerting explained.

Clinton Edwards (Gulfport), the Gulf Yachting Association's Race Management Committee chair, was Principal Race Officer (PRO) for Friday's three races. PRO for Saturday's distance Ocean Race and the final two races on Sunday was PYC's Richard Brent.

With six races completed, competitors were allowed to drop one race score.

Class awards for first place were presented after Day 1 and Day 2. On Sunday, class awards were awarded for first, second, and third overall. However, a familiar name was called to accept the coveted Dr. Lindsay Riddle Trophy for the most competitive PHRF class. John Guy of Saint Andrews Bay YC, skippering his J/90 HOT TODDY, accepted the perpetual trophy for a record seven times!! And, for the first time, he also won the Commodore Ronald F. Richards Memorial Trophy for overall winner, Spinnaker Class A, corrected time.

Guy was understandably a little overwhelmed. He told the crowd that he considers Pensacola his second home and vacations here every year in anticipation of WFORC. He graciously thanked long-time Pensacola sailors Hunter Riddle (son of the late Dr. Riddle) and Rick Zern for having "taught me how to sail."

But, the real kudos went to his crew. "This sport, he said, "runs on people and money. The better people you have, the better you can do."

2017 WFORC overall winning crew. From left: Dan Peckham, Jupiter, FL; Rives Allen, Mandeville, LA; PYC's Vice Commodore Linda Brent; skipper John Guy, Thomasville, GA/Panama City, FL; Billy Ross, Mandeville, LA; James "Pee Wee" Chason, Pensacola, FL; John Tribaldos, Panama City, FL; and Alex Johnson, Panama City, FL.  Photo by Julie B. Connerley Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Rare J/90 Sailing Fast in Florida!

(Pensacola, FL)- John Guy has been sailing one of the rare J/90’s produced by J/Boats many moons ago.  He passed along his recent experience having a great time with this early J/Boats speedster:

“I just wanted to share with you our recent win in J/90 #6 at the West Florida Ocean Racing Conference in Pensacola, FL. The regatta consisted of five windward/leeward races and one ocean race over three days ending October 15th. We won Class A with scores of 1-2-1-2 (ocean race)-1-1.

In addition, Class A was declared to be the most competitive class, so we won the overall regatta and the Riddle Cup (so named after a prominent sailboat racing family in Pensacola).

The picture shows a large silver tray for winning Class A, a wooden ship's wheel for winning Class A, a glass keeper Riddle Cup trophy vase held by John, the perpetual silver Riddle Cup trophy, and small silver trays for the winning crew!” 

Thanks John for this heart-warming report! Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Crews Dominate Doublehanded Farallones Race!

(San Francisco, CA)- The famous Farallones Islands Race, the often brutal 58nm course that goes from inside San Francisco Bay, out around the Farallones Island to port and back to the finish line on the San Francisco city waterfront saw some great performances by J/Crews this past weekend.  This year there were seventy keelboat teams participating, fifteen of which were J/crews (21% of the fleet)!

In the twelve-boat Doublehanded Class, sweeping the top two spots were Sean & Jeff Mulvihill’s J/120 JAMANI in first place, followed by David Morris and Neal Barth’s J/90 RAGTIME in second place!

In the large PHRF 2 Class, a fully-crewed division, it was Doug Bailey’s J/105 AKULA that placed 2nd, with crew of Caspian Bailey, Lyndon Bailey, Collin Breakstone, Les Yamamoto, and Roberto Giramonti.  Then, in PHRF 1 Class, taking 8th was Tracy Rogers’ J/120 HOKULANI and in 10th was Graham Ellis’ J/124 ALBION.  For more Farallones Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Farallones Race Preview

(San Francisco, CA)- The famous full-crewed Farallones Islands Race will be taking place this weekend.  The 58nm course goes from inside San Francisco Bay, out around the Farallones Island to port and back to the finish line on the San Francisco city waterfront.  The race is notoriously tough if there is any breeze whistling down the Pacific coast outside the Golden Gate Bridge.  It can be exhilarating as well, producing a fast reach on starboard tack out across the infamous Potato Patch (a shoal outside the Bay that can produce massive breaking waves), around the Farallones, and a fast port tack spinnaker reach on a full-on plane (for some boats) on the return to the Bay that gets you back to the bar to enjoy the fabulous sunset shining through the Bridge.

This year there are seventy keelboat teams participating, fifteen of which are J/crews (21% of the fleet)! There is a great doublehanded fleet registered.  In the twelve-boat Doublehanded Class are Mario Wijtman’s J/105 J-TRIPPER, Sean Mulvihill’s JAMANI, Richard Leute’s J/44 ACEY DEUCY, two J/88s (Jim Hopp’s WHITE SHADOW, Chris Cartwright’s VENTUS), and David Morris’ J/90 RAGTIME.

The biggest class is the thirty-boat PHRF 1 Class that includes two J/105s (Bill Woodruff’s RUSSIAN ROULETTE and Doug Bailey’s AKULA), Jim Goldberg’s J/109 JUNKYARD DOG, two J/120s (Tracy Rogers HOKULANI, Timo Bruck’s TWIST), Graham Ellis’ J/124 ALBION, and Rich Pipkin’s J/125 CAN’T TOUCH THIS.

The twenty—boat PHRF 2 Class includes Jenny Thompson’s J/30 FRICTION LOSS and Tom Borgstrom’s J/92 HIJINKS.  For more Farallones Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Whidbey Island Preview

(Whidbey Island, WA)- In the northwestern parts of America, adult sailors from Seattle northward look forward to what amounts to a real vacation sailing in some of the nicest parts of the islands north of the famous Puget Sound.  For many, it’s called Whidbey Island Race Week, but is also known as an “R&R” week for those escaping the pressures of working for the likes of Microsoft and Boeing- a form of an “adult sailing camp”.  A time to blow-off steam, a time to reflect, a time to socialize and enjoy friends and family in spectacular setting- fragrant pines, gentle breezes, snow-capped mountains in the distance, brats and burgers on the barbie with refreshingly cold locally made craft beers.  For those reasons and more, that is why “the Whidbey” attracts scores of sailors annually, for decades.

Running from July 11th to 15th, there is a veritable J/Navy participating in this fun-loving event.  There is a one-design class of J/105s and a fleet of PHRF handicap racers.  In the thirteen boat J/105 class, by far the largest in the regatta, many of the top dogs in the PNW are sailing, including Jerry Diercks’ DELIRIUM, Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO, Bob Blaylock’s USAWI, and John Weil & Kent Sisk’s TROUBLEMAKER.

In the world of PHRF handicap sailing, there are “symmetrical” and “asymmetrical” divisions.  Interesting.  In short, the older J/classics sailing in the 28-boat PHRF Sym are Jim McAlpine’s J/24 LUCKY JIM, two J/29s (Pat Denny’s HERE & NOW and Nelson & Johnson’s SLICK), two J/30s (Rex DuPuis’ GADZOOKS and Adrien Felon’s CONRAD J), and Tim DuMontier’s J/100 BRILLIANT.

Many of the usual local suspects are sailing in PHRF Asym class, a cast of characters to be sure.  Such crews include Chris Johnson’s J/120 WITH GRACE, Tom Kelly’s J/122 ANAM CARA, Ed Pinkham’s J/109 JEOPARDY, and one of the rare J/90s- David & Vernice Cohen’s EYE & EYE.  Here is a nice Whidbey Island Race Week promo sailing video, featuring the J/105 class and others.  For more Whidbey Island Race Week sailing information

Beautiful, Benign Farallones Race

(Belvedere, CA)- Amazingly, the 2016 edition of the fully-crewed Farallones Race hosted by San Francisco YC will go down in the books as not the fastest nor the must brutal.  Instead, it will go down as one of the most beautiful experiences of sailing offshore of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, past the infamous Potato Patch and around the foreboding pile of stinky rock islands known as “the Farallones”.  The race is 58nm from inside the San Francisco Bay, around the rocks and back into the Bay.

The forecast was a bit frightening and, in fact, convinced some sailors to abandon the start.  The original forecast was for 30 mph wind at 1500 hrs - about the time many boats would be reaching the Island. Combined with high swells, this is a gear-busting forecast. Although there's danger on any sail around the Farallones, conditions like this make it even more so.

According to one veteran Farallones racer, the strategies for rounding the rocks are fairly sensible, “the counterclockwise route takes you along the North side of the island. You need to watch for the large break on the NW corner. If conditions are rough, you can see it from far away. Stay North of anything that looks like breaking water- that means staying away from the island (North) on the approach and until you are past the breaking seas. It's hard to get North of the off-island break if you're too close. Sometimes it looks like there's a calm path between the open water break and where the swells are breaking 60 feet up on the Island's cliffs, but that choice cost multiple lives a few years ago. In rough conditions, if you're not frightened when you round the NW corner, then I don't think you should be out there.

Once you are clear of the island and the breaking seas, you need to decide where to jibe. Jibe too early and you can't clear the South side. Consider how to jibe in high wind and sometimes breaking seas. If the wind is NW you won't be able to get into the lee of the Island for the jibe.”

The crew on the J/109 JUNKYARD DOG said, “It was near perfect conditions, such a great day! We had decent position in the fleet rounding the island, saw a boat ahead of us round up, saw Javelin blow up a kite behind us which threw me into a cold sweat since we just blew up 2 kites during the Spinnaker Cup a couple weeks ago. Although we knew there would be a lift closer to SF we weren't convinced it would be enough so we held high for a while with white sails on the way back before setting the kite. One of those things where it seemed like a great idea until it turned into a terrible idea! You guys all really smoked us by going south, congrats and very well done! Live and learn I guess. We'll be back next year and, hopefully, give everyone a little more competition then. Post mortem autopsy of the Dog Pound's Farallones race on Junkyard Dog here if you're interested.”   J/109 JUNKYARD DOG sailing video recap of the Farallones Race.

According to another J/crew member, “The race around the stinky rocks was a great one! We kept a wary eye out for big wind and/or swell but none of it materialized for the Adrenalin Junkies. We even used the Middle Farallones as a sneaker wave indicator.  We saw whales (who, thankfully, did not do a "Horizon job" on us), silly sunfish, sea lions, sea birds, and sunshine. It was definitely feeding time out there.  The biggest swell we saw was around 8 feet and the wind hit around 15 knots.  Smiles were had by all.”

A report from one of the southern-tracking sailors was, “that race was fun! Thankfully the forecast of 20-30 kts with big seas was a bit over blown (no pun intended).  We clocked a 29-knot gust at some point during the day, probably just after we rounded the island and put up the 3/4 kite, and probably while we were falling off a swell that could have tainted the speed. When we put up the relatively light kite we were instantly doing 11's and about a minute later dropped the kite bald headed and went for a 1.5 shy kite which we carried all the way to mile rock on a head stay reach, where the lift we expected was actually in force. There was a weird wind shift near Bonita/mile rock and we did a peel back to the 3/4. A jibe on the Marin side and back on a head stay reach on the other side with wind in the mid teens all the way to the finish. 9-hour race, in the car in Berkeley by sunset, it does not get much better than that. We guessed the biggest seas we saw were 10-12 ft combined and as expected was right by the island. We took a very conservative line with a minimum depth of about 75'.  All in all a delightful day, I'm glad the brochure (forecast) was wrong.”

The various J/teams enjoyed the race and collected some silverware along the way.  In PHRF 1A class, the J/125 CANT TOUCH THIS skippered by Rich Pipkin took third in class with Graham Ellis’ J/124 ALBION in seventh and Bill Williams’ J/44 VIAJANTE in ninth.

In PHRF 1B class, Trig Liljestrand’s J/90 RAGTIME took second place, missing the class win by a mere 31 seconds!  Ah, to think of having to surf just one faster wave on that rip-roaring slender rocketship!

Finally, in PHRF 1C class, the J/105s cleaned house with Doug Bailey’s AKULA winning class and classmate Sergei Podshivalov’s JAVELIN in second just 2 minutes behind on corrected time. Jim Goldberg’s J/109 JUNKYARD DOG took sixth in class.   For more Farallones Race sailing information

BLUE FLASH Seen @ Spinnaker Cup Race!

J/111 SYMMETRY Garners Silver
(Tiburon, CA)- The San Francisco YC Race Committee started fifty-eight boats in seven Divisions in the 2016 Spinnaker Cup that was sailed over the Memorial Day Weekend.

SFYC and Monterey Peninsula YC co-host the Spinnaker Cup that races from San Francisco Bay to Monterey Bay; it is a classic offshore race that sends boats surfing down the “Cali” coastline in huge swells and NW breezes on a 100nm one-way course south that finishes off the Municipal Wharf in picturesque Monterrey Bay.

Sailing this year’s event were a number of offshore enthusiasts from the J/tribe.  Sailing with twelve boats in Class E, it was rough sledding for Howard Turner’s J/111 SYMMETRY from Santa Cruz YC; nevertheless, they managed to snag second overall.  Settling for fourth place in class was Trig Liljestrand’s J/90 RAGTIME from San Francisco YC.

The largest fleet was Class F with sixteen boats; several hot J/teams did quite well.  Sailing into second overall was Scott Grealish’s J/88 BLUE FLASH from Willamette Sailing Club in Portland, Oregon; Bob Goosey’s J/105 JAVELIN was fifth; and eleventh was Jim Goldberg’s J/109 JUNKYARD DOG.

In Class J, Brent Vaughan’s J/105 JABBERWOCKY placed fourth overall.  Many of the boats will be continuing on from Monterey to San Diego in this year's Coastal Cup offshore race next weekend.  Sailing photo credits- Sharon Green/ UltimateSailing.com.  For more Spinnaker Cup Race sailing information

Spinnaker Cup Race Preview

(Tiburon, CA)- Coming up this holiday weekend is one of classic offshore races that sends boats surfing down the “Cali” coastline in huge swells and NW breezes- the famous Spinnaker Cup Race from San Francisco Bay to Monterey, CA.  The race starts Friday, May 27 and the mad dash down the coastline often takes less than 24 hours.

San Francisco Yacht Club, in partnership with the Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club has hosted the annual Spinnaker Cup regatta since 1998. In its 19th year, the Spinnaker Cup holds a long tradition in offshore racing with a 100nm one-way trip from the San Francisco Bay’s Knox racing area to Monterey‘s Municipal Wharf.

Sailing this year’s event are a number of offshore enthusiasts from the J/tribe.  Sailing with twelve boats in Class E are Howard Turner’s J/111 SYMMETRY from Santa Cruz YC, Ludovic Millin’s J/120 SAETTA from Singlehanded Sailing Society, and Trig Liljestrand’s J/90 RAGTIME from San Francisco YC.

The largest fleet is Class F with eighteen boats and it is rife with hot J/crews!  With a number of big offshore wins under their belts already, Scott Grealish’s J/88 BLUE FLASH is hoping to duplicate those efforts again.  Chasing them hard will be Jim Goldberg’s J/109 JUNKYARD DOG and two J/105s- Bob Goosey’s JAVELIN and Brent Vaughan’s JABBERWOCKY.   For more Spinnaker Cup Race sailing information

Beautiful SSS Race in San Francisco

(San Francisco, CA)- The Singlehanded Sailing Society of San Francisco held their annual springtime ritual this past weekend- the 18nm circumnavigation of San Francisco Bay, a.k.a.- the SSS Race. The event started at 11:00 at the CYC and left Harding Rock to port, Blossom Bell to starboard, Blunt Point to port, South Hampton to one side or the other, Blunt Point to starboard, Harding Rock bell to starboard and back to the finish.

It is a popular event and attracts a legion of enthusiastic doublehanded and singlehanded teams on boats that range in size from around 20 ft to 50 ft.  J/crews had a fun time and a number of they were successful. Starting on the big boat side of things, in the PHRF 4 Double class, the J/44 ACEY DEUCY, team of Richard Leute/ Steve Taylor took 4th place. In PHRF 7 Single, the J/30 IONE skippered by Peter Jermyn grabbed 2nd position.  In PHRF 8 Double class, the pretty little J/32 PARADIGM sailed by Luther & Robert Izmirian secured 5th place.  The big winner of the day was in PHRF 9 Single, with the J/80 PAINKILLER skippered by Eric Patterson winning followed closely by another SSS veteran- the J/92 RAGTIME in 3rd skippered by Bob Johnston.   Then, he was followed by the J/120 SAETTA skippered by Ludovic Millin in 4th.  Finally, the PHRF 10 Double class had a number of J/105 class veterans in the mix with JAVELIN in 2nd place sailed by the team of Sergie Podshivalov & Charlie Abraham.  Next was AKULA sailed by Doug & Lyndon Bailey in 6th.  10th was RACER X sailed by Richard Pipkin & Mary Mcgrath in 10th.   Sailing photo credits- Erik Simonson   For more SSS Society race sailing information

Doublehanded Farallones Race Preview

(San Francisco, CA)- This weekend marks the start of a West Coast double-handed offshore classic- the Bay Area Multihull Association’s Doublehanded Farallones Race.  It is a race that has challenged some of the best offshore sailors in California and is legendary for producing outrageous sailing conditions offshore.

The biggest obstacle is not necessarily rounding the foreboding pinnacle of rocks known as the Farallones, but making it through a body of water known as “the Potato Patch” just offshore of the entrance to San Francisco Bay.  Imagine what happens when several million gallons of water per minute are ebbing at 5-6 kts, emptying all of San Francisco Bay beneath the majestic Golden Gate Bridge at depths down to 330 ft.  Then, just over 4nm offshore, all that water encounters the infamous Potato Patch Shoal, a four fathom bank (24 ft) loaded with kelp and massive great white sharks, that forces enormous Pacific swell driven by distant gales in the north Pacific (up to 15 ft or more in height!) to crest and break all over your boat!  If it’s a blustery day in the 20-30 kts range, the waves and crests can be precipitously steep and foreboding, more like a tsunami of water!

Looking forward to that challenge are an intrepid collection of J/crews, most of them have sailed the Farallones Race in brutal conditions before and are hoping for a more benign version this weekend.  Starting off with sixty-six boats in the fleet are J/120s, J/105s,  a J/88 and J/90.  Those teams include a trio of J/120s- Mike O’Callaghan’s PEREGRINE, Sean Mulvihill’s JAMANI and Ludovic Milin’s SAETTA.  The triple J/105s include John Robison’s LIGHTWAVE, Rich Pipkin’s RACER X and Dave Miller’s BALD EAGLE.  Joining them is Jim Hopp’s J/88 WHITE SHADOW and Trig Liljestrand’s J/90 RAGTIME (Rod J’s old boat!).
For more BAMA Doublehanded Farallones sailing information

Three Bridge Fiasco: Long Live the Counter Culture

(San Francisco, CA)- Three hundred sixty-nine singlehanded and doublehanded entrants signed up for the 2016 Three Bridge Fiasco on January 30, an iconic event on San Francisco Bay that lays testament to the support of shorthanded sailing in the Northern California area as well as the pursuit race curriculum.

This year’s fleet eclipsed the previous record of 368 boats signed up in 2011, but considering it’s an El Niño year with epic rain totals already measured, attracting a crowd of this size is a big accomplishment. Long live the counter culture!

With starts strung out from 0900 to 1112 hours for PHRF ratings ranging from 264 to -102, the 21.7 nm reverse pursuit course has become a must-do for sailors from all walks of life and all areas of the country. For many, it might be the only race they may sail shorthanded all year. For others, it’s another one of the fun runs combined with long distance and offshore events fulfilling a busy competition schedule.

The start and finish off the Golden Gate Yacht Club can be done in either direction and the marks of the course – the Blackaller Buoy representing the Golden Gate Bridge, Red Rock Island representing the Richmond San Rafael Bridge, and Yerba Buena Island representing the Oakland /SF Bay Bridge – can be rounded in any direction and any order. Playing the currents, the wind, and out foxing you competitors is the name of the game. Along with a little luck.

This year’s winner, Bill Erkelens, agrees wholeheartedly on the luck aspect. Start times for the 3BF can also play into your luck card, and this year Bill admitted they hit the jackpot. Starting somewhere in the middle of the fleet, just behind a large contingent of Express 27’s and Moore 24’s, Bill saw enough pressure left in the dying northerly to get to Blackaller, staying in the stronger breeze and current and away from the masses which went to the beach and wallowed.

Catching a lucky puff, Erkelens was able to round Blackaller and get to better breeze and ride the current up to Raccoon Strait where a gaggle of boats had stalled at the entrance. They were able to use the bad luck of others and navigate around them, catching a couple additional puffs in the process, laying the eddies up to Hospital Cove before heading into the Richmond Channel.

Watching the boats ahead, mainly keel boats which were sailing close-hauled towards Red Rocks in a 5-6 knot northerly, Erkelens was forced to crack off a bit to maintain VMG, which as luck had it put them into the cone behind Red Rock and they were able to slingshot past a horde of boat riding the back eddie up to the western shore. The ebb was still in force at the island at the time, and with the breeze easing, many boats found themselves on a treadmill, attempting to round the rock. Another lucky break came in the form of a puff that gave Erkelens just enough pressure to slide up and over and into favorable current again.

Just after Erkelens began riding the Richmond Channel Current back south, the now transitioning breeze began to die, leaving many boats sputtering in its wake. Riding the remaining ebb for all it was worth, Erkelens slid slowly toward Point Blunt, noticing many of the boat ahead had sailed much lower to avoid the opposite ebb on the Berkeley Flats. Now higher than most other boats, Erkelens was in position to set the kite again as the new breeze from the south west filled.

“The timing was pretty spot on, as far the forecasts predicted,” Bill said “And we were just lucky to get to where we could take advantage of the transition.”

Bearing down around Treasure Island and Yerba Buena, Erkelens chose a tad closer route than some of the other boats, then tacked up the City Front in 10-12 knots and were then able to lay the cone behind Alcatraz before tacking back to Gas House Cove for more current relief and to lay the X buoy with just one tack.

Overall, J/Teams sailed well in these challenging conditions.  

In PHRF 2 Singlehanded Class, the J/92’s had a good day.  The J/92 RAGTIME sailed by Bob Johnston took 3rd while the J/92S WINDTRIP INFINITY took 4th skippered by Todd Olsen.  Then, in 5th not far off the mark was the J/88 WHITE SHADOW helmed by Jim Hopp.

The PHRF 10 Class doublehanded saw the J/88 INCONCEIVABLE place 9th led by Steven Gordon & Eli Gordon.  There were a number of J/111s sailing in PHRF 11 Class doublehanded.  Top boat was the J/111 SWIFT NESS skippered by Reuben Rocci & Nesirin Basoz in 5th place.  The J/44 ACEY DUCEY broke the 111 train, with the team of Richard Leute & Luis Echevarria taking 11th.  Just behind them in 12th was the J/111 SYMMETRY sailed by Howard Turner & Jay Crum.

The PHRF 12 double division saw a battle of the J/32’s.  Top banana was PARADIGM led by Luther & Robert Izmirian in 7th place.  Second J/32 was LA DOLCE VITA sailed by John Riley & Laurence Weinhoff; taking 11th in class.

PHRF 16 class for double sportboats saw the lightning fast J/90 RAGTIME sailed by Trig Liljestra & Corey Lynch take 2nd in class.

PHRF 31 Class was comprised of DH San Francisco 30s; J/Teams dominated the top ten.  Winning was the J/30 WIND SPEED skippered by the women family team of Meghan & Maureen Castruccio.  In fact, they may have been the top women duo in the entire event!  Not to be outdone by them, yet another women double team took 3rd in the J/30 FRICTION LOSS, sailed by Jenny Thompson & Evelyn Hull.  Then, some more J/32s were sailing in this class!  Taking 8th was STRATOCASTER (Lewis Lanier & Dan Byrne), just ahead of their colleagues on RHAPSODY (Chris Boome & Molly Morris). Yet another J/30 crew on IONE (Peter Jermyn & Curt Brown) took 10th place.

The PHRF 32 class- singlehanded with spinnaker- had the lone J/80 representative sail nicely to grab 5th place- Eric Patterson’s PAINKILLER.

There was an enormous turnout for the one-design fleets overall in the regatta.  The most numerous were the five J fleets- the 22s, 24s, 70s, 105s & 120s. The J/22 class had 11 boats.  The winners were SAMBA PA TI skippered by Gerard Sheridan & Halsey Richartz.  Second was TOM ALLEN sailed by the team of Russ Silvestri & John Bonds Jr.  Third was T-BIRD (Mike Bishop & Amand Farrelly), 4th SF22 (Elizabeth Weiler & Tim Stark), and 5th WILDMAN (Bill Adams & Harry O’Reilly).

The grande dame of the fleet was the J/24 class with 7 boats in the lineup.  Taking 1st was none other than DOWNTOWN UPROAR (Darren Cumming & Loren Moore).  Second was EVIL OCTOPUS (Jasper Van Vliet & Steve Meyers), third FLIGHT (Randall Rasicot & Jessica Ludy), fourth SHUT UP & DRIVE (Val Lulevich & Calvin Patmond), and fifth LITTLE WING (Luther Strayer & Ryan Admiral Nelson).

The J/70s had a competitive turnout.  Taking the class win was 1FA (Scott Sellers & Adam Lowry).  Just off the pace in second place was PRIME NUMBER (Peter Cameron & Mike Herlihy).  Third was CHRISTINE ROBIN (a family affair with Tracy & Christy Usher), taking fourth was SCILLA (Fabio Maino & Felice Bonardi), and fifth was another family affair- PENNY PINCHER (Morgan & Jordan Paxhia).

The J/105 class saw its fleet nearly double in size with eleven boats on the line this year! Taking class honors was PERSEVERANCE (Steve & Gregg Kent), followed by the legendary MASQUERADE (Steve Marsh & Ben Wells) in second place.  The balance of the top five was MOJO (Jeff Litfin & Brendan Bradley) in third place, LIGHTWAVE (John Robison & Simon James) in fourth, and MAMALUC (Scott Lamson & Paul Kaplan) in fifth.

The J/120 class also turned out in spades, providing very stiff competition for the crews as they wound their way around the convoluted race course.  Winning class was the Mighty MR MAGOO sailed by Steve Madeira & John Clark.  Second by a whisker was the family duo sailing SAETTA (Ludovic & Delphine Millin), third was KOOKABURRA (Tom Grennan & Herb Kleekamp), fourth was TWIST (Timo Bruck & Rich Hudnut) and fifth was ALCHERA (Bruce Ladd & Joe Wells).

The 20163 Bridge Fiasco provided yet another legendary day of fun, challenges, camaraderie and variety of weather for all participants, the majority of which completed the course before the daylight faded, and enjoyed a robust breeze for their final legs and ride home. And for a day on the bay in the middle of an El Niño winter, that makes us all lucky!  Thanks for photos and story contribution from Erik Simonson.   Sailing photo credits & story- Erik Simonson/ h2Oshots.com/ pressuredrop.us

FUN Whidbey Island Sailing Camp!

(Whidbey Island, WA)- 68 boats made their way to beautiful Oak Harbor, Washington for 5 days of racing and festivities hosted by Oak Harbor YC in that eternally warm Pacific Northwest weather we are becoming to know and love.  Whidbey Island Race Week 2015, on its first year of new ownership, brought out some solid numbers with a 10 boat J/105 fleet, 2 making the long delivery from Portland, Oregon, a small J boat Asym class and various J’s spread throughout the PHRF fleets.

10 boats for a one-design class may seem small to some but it’s a huge step in the rapidly growing PNW J/105 fleet. To get 10 J/105s sailored-up and committed to a weeks’ worth of racing is pretty awesome stuff.  12 races over 5 days to be exact, and all the logistics that come with deliveries, managing the crew, housing and festivities, the J/105 fleet is overcoming a large amount of adversity to get together for some great races.

James Geros and crew aboard #212 LAST TANGO jumped out to a quick lead after Monday’s races on both the Southerly morning breeze in Saratoga Passage and then up in Penn Cove for the afternoon Westerly off the Straits.  LAST TANGO was given a bit of trouble by those sailors from Portland aboard Kent Siks’ #604 TROUBLEMAKER yet through consistent finishes and solid crew work LAST TANGO held on throughout the week to finish 10 points ahead of TROUBLEMAKER after the final flags came down.  TROUBLEMAKER wasn’t without their own nemesis as their cohorts from “stumptown” gave them a run for their money.  Fresh off last year’s class victory in the Pacific Cup (that’s that short race to Hawaii, yep, on a J/105), Eric Hopper’s #519 FREE BOWL OF SOUP was only 1 point behind TROUBLEMAKER after 12 races to hang on the podium in third place.

PHRF Class three sailed hard with 2 J/109’s, a J/120 and a not often seen J/90(!!).  Four Asym boats battling hard with the two J/109s not giving an inch all week.  One day Jerry Woodfield’s J/109 #44 SHADA captured the podium and the next day it was Stuart Burnell’s’ J/109 #248 TANTIVY taking the podium.  Back and forth they went and in the end the two 109’s were just 1 point apart with SHADA taking home the blue ribbon, leaving TANTIVY in second and the J/90 EYE EYE, owned by David Cohen in third.

PHRF 4 finished with Brian Whites J/35 GRACE E in 5th and Ernie Catham’s J/35 JIBARU in 7th.  PHRF 7 had 3 J/29s out of the 10 boats and Pat Denny’s BEER & NOW lost the tie breaker for 3rd and finished in 4th, Mayfield’s SLICK finished in 6th and Kirk Schroeder’s BLAZING SALSA finished in 7th.

PHRF 8 had Rex Dupuis’ J/30 GADZOOKS finish solidly in 7th and just behind them the boat that started it all for the J/Boats company strutted its stuff.  The J/24 ITCHY & SCRATCHY, #3593 owned by Richard Demmler, held on after their mid-week string of first place finishes to show that the old design can still make it happen in PHRF by taking 1st place in the 9 boat division, 8 points in front of second.  The J/24 #3747 ROSHAMBO, owned by Mark Daniel finished the week in 3rd and the Race Week stalwart LUCKY JIM, J/24 #3202 owned by James McAlpine rounded out the week in 6th.

If you’re ever looking for a true week of racing and want to do it with some stellar race committee work, extraordinary shore side activities, complete with a kids sail camp, rum tent, nightly bands, camping, cabin rentals and the smooth PNW summer lifestyle followed by some time in the best cruising grounds the world has to offer – make the trip to Oak Harbor Washington in July!!  YOU WILL NEVER REGRET IT!!  So says, “Sasquatch” from the ooohhh soooo coooll Olympia mountain range.

In short, Race Week 2015 was EPIC! “Rabbit Wilde” (the band) rocked the post race party Tuesday night. And, after hearing from many of you who were there, they’re booked again for Race Week next year (July 11-15, 2016)!! Finally, a big thanks to all the racers who participated and the event sponsors and partners for supporting WIRW including Bacardi, Tesla Motors, Helly Hansen, Fisheries Supply, CSR Marine, Ullman Sails, Prism Graphics, Sea Bags, Brenda Van Fossen and the Oak Harbor Yacht Club.   Sailing photo credits for Best Northwest Yacht Shots- Jan Anderson.  For more Whidbey Island Race Week sailing information