LANDSAIL TYRES J/CUP ANNOUNCEMENT

(Southampton, England)- Key Yachting is delighted to announce the launch of the 2021 Landsail Tyres J/Cup. This will be the first major regatta in England following the proposed final stage of the UK Government roadmap to cautiously ease lockdown restrictions.
 
"Landsail Tyres are thrilled to once more be supporting the J-Cup regatta," said Chris Saunders, Landsail UK Brand Manager. "This will be Landsail's seventh regatta and being the first one after Covid restrictions are expected to ease - it is going to be extra special. The J/Boats community always delivers exciting racing, and we can't wait to see who comes out on top this year!"


Hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club, well over 50 teams are expected for the exclusive J/Boats regatta. Three one-design classes will be competing including the J/70 Class and J/109 Class. The J/111 Class has the added thrill of competing for the National Championship. A variety of J/Boats crewed by friends and family, as well as professional sailors, will be racing in organized IRC Classes.


The Landsail Tyres J/Cup invites all J/Boats owners and crew to take part in three days of exciting racing in The Solent with daily prize givings. The most coveted award at the Landsail Tyres J/Cup is the J/Cup itself, which will be awarded at the J/Cup 2021 Dinner.
 

“A big thank you to Landsail Tyres for their continued support of the J/Cup, this is going to be a lot of fun,” commented Key Yachting’s Wayne Palmer. “For over 20 years this has been the event that brings the J/Boats family together and that is especially important in the current climate. The Key Yachting team is just as passionate about the regatta as the hundreds of sailors that will be taking part. We are determined to make it a memorable event for everyone involved.”   Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth/ PwPictures.com  Event Reporter: Louay Habib

The 2021 Landsail Tyres J/Cup is open for entry. Online registration and race documents including the Notice of Race can be found at YachtScoring.  Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Spectacular Finale @ Landsail Tyres J-Cup Regatta

 

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- By invitation of Key Yachting, the 2020 Landsail Tyres J-Cup celebrated the 21st birthday of the annual regatta exclusively for J/Boats. While the regatta was somewhat different this year, the spirit of the J/Family was as strong as ever. Hosted for the first time by the Royal Ocean Racing Club, the regatta was a huge success. Fifty J's with over 200 crew enjoying great racing, plus safe and secure social functions at the RORC Clubhouse in Cowes.
 
The regatta featured two National Championships. Tony & Sally Mack’s McFLY retained the J/111 National Championship and was also awarded the J-Cup. Simon Perry’s JIRAFFE won the 2020 J/109 UK National Championship. In the J/70 Class, Paul Ward’s EAT SLEEP J REPEAT was the winner for the second year in a row. IRC One was won by Christopher Daniels’ J/122 JUNO. In IRC Two, Nick Munday’s J/97 INDULJENCE was the victor.
 
Tony & Sally Mack's J/111 McFLY - J-Cup winners and J/111 UK National Champion (Paul Wyeth)

At the final prize giving ceremony, Tony & Sally Mack and team McFly got the biggest cheer of the party. This was McFLY’s fourth championship win but the first time to win the J-Cup. The final day’s racing was far from easy; Chris Jones & Louise Makin’s JOURNEYMAKER II, won the last two races. Finishing in third place, Paul Griffith’s JAGERBOMB, beat McFLY in the penultimate race. 

At the final prize giving, Key Yachting’s Hannah Le Prevost commented. “It was fantastic to see the J/111s racing again and well done to McFLY for a terrific performance. Tony and Sally Mack have been coming to the regatta for many years always with a fantastic spirit. Marie-Claude Heys (MD, Key Yachting) and I, have no hesitation in awarding the J-Cup to McFLY.”


McFLY leads the J/111 Class. (Paul Wyeth)

“One mistake and you pay for it in the J/111 Class,” commented Tony Mack. “Credit to all of the competitors, the racing was fantastic!” Sally Mack added: “The J-Cup is like a family get together; we really enjoy the friendship. It is a special occasion and really lovely to win the J-Cup.”


Simon Perry's J/109 JIRAFFE (Paul Wyeth)
 
Simon Perry’s JIRAFFE won the J/109 UK National Championship for the first time. Racing on board JIRAFFE were four members of the Perry family, and the rest of the crew are godfathers to the children and family friends. The 2019 national champion, John Smart’s JUKEBOX, was runner-up this year. David Richard’s JUMPING JELLYFISH came within a whisker of winning the championship with victory in the last race but finished third for the regatta.


2020 J/109 UK National Champion - Simon Perry's JIRAFFE. (Paul Wyeth)

“JUKEBOX had a big lead going into the final day’s racing, so we decided to go out and enjoy ourselves by sailing well and see what would happen,” commented Simon Perry. “We won the first race of the day, caught up JUKEBOX on the scoreboard, and we realized we could do it. We were 30cm ahead of JUKEBOX at the finish of the last race. It was literally that close.”


Paul Ward's J/70 EAT SLEEP J REPEAT. (Paul Wyeth)
 
Paul Ward’s J/70 EAT SLEEP J REPEAT is the reigning J/70 World Champion and the top crew of Scott, Cumbley and Trindade have come a long, long way together. However, they had to be at the top of their game to win the class. New to the J/70 is Nick Phillips’ TEAM CHAOTIC, and the young team from Parkstone YC put in a stellar performance in a RTYC charter boat to take runner-up in the 21-boat fleet. Charles Thompson’s BRUTUS managed two bullets in the series and was a close third.


J/70 fleet of 21 boats at the Landsail Tyres J-Cup (Paul Wyeth)

“To have 21 teams out racing was just superb,” smiled Paul Ward. “I have to say that the race management and shoreside organization by the RORC was first class, and that is so important. Well done especially to CHAOTIC and BRUTUS who gave us a run for our money in every race. EAT SLEEP J REPEAT are looking forward to some great racing at the J/70 UK Nationals next weekend.”


Christopher Daniel's J/122 JUNO. (Paul Wyeth)
 
Christopher Daniel’s J/122 JUNO won the ten-strong big boat class in IRC One. Going into the final day of racing, JUNO was just half a point ahead of Chaz Ivill’s J/112 DAVANTI TYRES. JUNO finished the regatta in style winning the last two races to clinch the class. DAVANTI TYRES was second with Mike & Sarah Wallis’ J/122 JAHMALI in third. Competition in IRC One was first class; DAVANTI TYRES, JAHMALI and TIGIRS and J-DREAM are all past winners of the J-Cup. This was JUNO’s first J-Cup regatta and their impressive performance also earned JUNO the North Sails Trophy for Best Newcomer. 

"JUNO normally has quite a full program of racing, but this year with all the cancelled regattas, we finally made it to the J-Cup. We are glad that we did, and we will definitely be back," commented Christopher Daniel. "Three days is a perfect length for the regatta and it was great to get boat-on-boat with other asymmetric designs. The race management and shoreside was extremely well organized with great communications, we thoroughly enjoyed the event."



Nick Munday’s J/97 INDULJENCE. (Paul Wyeth)
 
Nick Munday’s J/97 INDULJENCE scored a string of five bullets and two second places to win IRC Two, Nick was sailing with a crew including son Adam Munday, from regatta sponsor Ocean Rope. David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’RONIMO was second, David is a veteran of the J-Cup as depicted by his J-Cup 2000 t-shirt, which still fits! Making their debut regatta was Lawrence Barnett’s J/97 JACKAROO, and a great performance lifted the team to third in class.


Nick Munday’s J/97 INDULJENCE. (Paul Wyeth)

“It was just fantastic to get out racing, it is something we really enjoy, and a lot of credit should go to Key Yachting for getting the regatta on,” commented INDULJENCE’s Adam Munday. “The competition was good especially with J’RONIMO, and it took us a little time to get going, as we do not race as much these days. As regatta sponsor Ocean Rope, many of the J/Boats are customers, and personally we were absolutely blown away by the generosity of all the sponsors. In particular, B&G donating a superb chart plotter. All of the prizes were well thought out; items that sailors really want.” commented Munday.


Ian Poynton's POWDER MONKEY winner of the Nipper Trophy. (Paul Wyeth)

While the racing champions receive great applause from their competitors, the Landsail Tyres J-Cup, also acknowledges great spirit and friendship. The Nipper Trophy is awarded to someone who acted in the spirit of the event. This year’s winner was Ian Poynton racing J/70 POWDER MONKEY. Faced with reducing his crew to accommodate Covid-19 restrictions for the regatta, Ian chose to charter another boat as a solution, which was named POWDER MONKEY JOBSEEKERS, and crewed by university graduates, looking for employment in these difficult times. Well done to Ian Poynton!

The 22nd edition of the regatta will be organized by the Royal Southern Yacht Club by invitation of Key Yachting, 24-26 June 2021. There is a prize for the first entry! Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth  For more J-CUP United Kingdom sailing information.

Landsail Tyres J-Cup UK Update

(Cowes, England)- Fifty J/Boats have entered the Landsail Tyres J-Cup and the sizable fleet had a thrilling start to the three-day regatta with a fresh south-westerly breeze gusting over 25 knots. The RORC Race Team, led by PRO Stuart Childerley, completed one race for all classes before the tide changed, stirring up an already agitated Solent. Class winners on the opening day were Gavin Howe’s J/88 Tigris, David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’Ronimo, Tony & Sally Mack’s J/111 McFly, Simon Perry’s J/109 Jiraffe and Paul Ward’s J/70 Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat.


In IRC One, three former J-Cup winners filled the podium for the first race of the regatta. Gavin Howe’s J/88 Tigris won by just 22 seconds on corrected time from David & Kirsty Apthorp’s J/88 J-Dream. Chaz Ivill’s J/112E Davanti Tyres was third.

“I am delighted with the team’s performance today,” commented Gavin Howe. “The race was very competitive. In the conditions we decided not to hoist are spinnaker on the downwind leg and J-Dream decided to go for it and passed us. However, Tigris fought back to win, which was delightful.”

In IRC Two, David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’Ronimo reveled in the conditions to take line honours and the race win after time correction by nearly three minutes. Nick Munday’s J/97 Induljence was second and Becky Walford’s J/92 Brenda’s J was third.

Volvo Ocean Race sailor Libby Greenhalgh is navigator and tactician for her father driving J’Ronimo. “We went for an early reef on J’Ronimo and sailed the course that suited our boat rather than following the fleet,” she commented. “Our overall strategy was to minimize tacks and race in flat water, rather than use the tide.”


In the J/111 Class, Tony & Sally Mack’s McFly opened their defense of the J/111 UK National Championship with a solid performance taking the race win. Chris Jones’ Journeymaker II was second and Tim Tolcher’s Raging Bull 2 was third.

In the J/109 Class, also their UK National Championship, Simon Perry’s Jiraffe was today’s race winner. Mike & Susie Yates’ Jago was second and David Richards’ Jumping Jellyfish was third.

Paul Ward’s Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat won a high-speed encounter in the J/70 Class. Nick Phillips racing RTYC Charter boat Chaotic, only racing in a J/70 for the second time, was runner up. Tim Collins racing EV Experts was third.


The daily prize givings were held at the RORC Clubhouse. Dividing the fleet for social distancing, the J Boat family enjoyed complimentary pasta and a bottle beer and applauded today’s prize winners. Racing continues tomorrow, Friday 4th September, with lighter winds forecast for the Landsail Tyres J-Cup.

Key Yachting and the Royal Ocean Racing Club have been hard at work to maintain safety of all involved, both ashore and afloat. The sailing instructions include details of COVID-19 procedures. There is also a no spinnaker/gennaker wind limit designed to work with reduced crew numbers. All Competitors are welcome at the RORC Cowes clubhouse during the event.

The most coveted award at the Landsail Tyres J-Cup is the J-Cup itself, which will be awarded at the Prize Giving Dinner on Saturday 5th September.   Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth  For more J/Cup UK Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Cup U.K. Regatta Announcement

(Cowes, England)- The 2020 Landsail Tyres J-Cup has attracted nearly 40 teams so far, for the 21st birthday of the regatta exclusive to the J/Boats family. Organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club, by invitation of Key Yachting, eight races are scheduled in The Solent over three days (September 3rd to 5th, 2020). The 2020 Landsail Tyres J-Cup is a celebration of racing designed for all J/Boats, no matter the level of experience or ability.

The organizers have been hard at work to maintain safety of all involved, both ashore and afloat. All Competitors will be welcome at the RORC Cowes clubhouse during the event with daily social events, which will be restricted in number. The complimentary berthing at Cowes Yacht Haven is proving very popular.

The 2020 Landsail Tyres J-Cup will feature one-design racing for at least three classes and IRC Racing Classes for mixed fleets. There will be both windward leeward courses and round the cans racing.


Seven different J/Boat designs are set to race with results decided by IRC time correction. This allows fair racing for J/Boats not racing in one-design classes. Nine teams are currently entered under IRC, including the 2018 J-Cup winner J/112E Davanti Tyres, skippered by Chaz Ivill.


Eleven J/70 teams from all over the UK have entered, including Paul Ward’s reigning J/70 Open World Champion; Eat, Sleep, J Repeat. Last year’s Cowes Week winner, Jolt steered by Tilly Harrison and Charles Thompson’s Primo Cup winner Brutus, will also be in action.


Eight J/109s have entered including proven winners and all of last year’s podium. John Smart’s Jukebox is defending J/109 National Champion and will face stiff competition from last year’s runner up, Simon Perry’s Jiraffe. Third last year was the 2017 J/109 National Champion, David Richards’ Jumping Jellyfish.


The J/111 Class will be out in force with nine teams entered including last year’s winner and J/111 National Champion Tony Mack’s McFly. The 2018 J/111 National Champion will also be racing, Chris Jones and Louise Makin's Journeymaker II.

The most coveted award at the Landsail Tyres J-Cup is the J-Cup itself, which will be awarded at the Prize Giving Dinner on Saturday 5th September.   For more J/Cup U.K. sailing and registration informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

Breault Goes Bananas in Isolation Series II

(San Francisco, CA)- St. Francis Yacht Club has been running their so-called "Isolation Series" sailing virtual J/70s around a virtual San Francisco Bay race track. They are now into Round 2 of the series and there have been some amusing developments along the way. Without a doubt, the learning curve has been steep for "virgin virtual skippers."  Starting techniques and mark roundings are particularly challenging; especially when hoisting or dowsing the J/70's asymmetric spinnaker. When to go into "planing mode" is also a key differentiator for the many virtual skippers, just as it is in the real world!  Here is the latest report from StFYC:

Did you know that bananas float? In the flotsam of some shipwrecks were found floating stalks of bananas.

Did you know that bananas emit ethylene gas, causing other fruit to ripen quickly?

Did you know that bananas are favored hideouts for tarantulas and other spiders, which then travel around the ship infesting other food stores (and bedding)?

Is it any wonder that sailors are so wary of the yellow fruit coming aboard their vessels, for fear of bad luck? Legend has it that this superstition was even recorded long, long ago in an ancient Sanskrit text.

Nicole Breault brazenly puts that superstition to the test every time she races in the Virtual Regatta Inshore game by brandishing a giant banana on the mainsail of her yellow boat (nbsailor).

Last Wednesday evening, going into the final session of the StFYC Spring Invitational Series Round 2, Breault sat two points behind VR master Philipp Berner (philippdk), the champion of Round 1. Nerves were on edge as the competitive cauldron of our Club racers cranked up the heat on the series leaders.

Race 1 of the night was won by David James (LedaSailor), and Berner added another point to his lead over Breault by finishing 3rd to her 4th place. Race 2 saw both Berner and Breault completely falter off the starting line, and thus became a contest of who might better fight their way back through the fleet.

Breault bailed right and found a clear lane, pressure and a favorable shift, and by Mark 1 was at the front of the pack! Much to his dismay, Berner couldn’t shake the tenacious fleet around him. Breault nabbed the bullet in the end, while Berner finished 10th.

Race 3 brought sporty play at the front of the fleet for both racers, and Berner rallied to win. It was not enough to retake the overall series lead, however, as Breault crossed the line in 4th and secured the Round 2 title.

So back to the humble banana lore… more recent research has shown that authors of ancient Sanskrit texts sometimes use double negatives, as in the case of the banana citation: “Do not fail to bring bananas as they are healthy for your crew!” 

Our virtual racers are back to their daily race at noon. Interested in joining? Newcomers to the Virtual Regatta Inshore game can access play and spectating on VR’s website. Join our StFYC WhatsApp group to get synced up.

Editor's note: the two protagonists in this fierce battle for virtual J/70 regatta supremacy both sail on the same boat in the St. Francis YC J/105 class- Bruce Stone's ARBITRAGE.  Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Indian Summer for Landsail Tyres J-Cup

(Cowes, England)- In the light of recent United Kingdom Government announcements, it has become clear that the 2020 Landsail Tyres J-Cup will be postponed and not take place in July. The new date, confirmed by an amendment to the Notice of Race, will be September 3rd to 5th, 2020.


Whilst the current measures on social distancing have been eased, they are still in place. However, by early September, the UK Government may allow competitive sports for fully crewed yacht racing, which would allow the Landsail Tyres J-Cup to take place. Key Yachting will continue to monitor the Government announcements and will keep the J Boat community updated with any relevant developments. Sailing photo credits- Tim Wright/ Photoaction.com. For more information.

J/Fest Southwest Preview

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

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

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

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

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

J/Fest Southwest Regatta 10th Anniversary!

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

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

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

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

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

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

J/Fest San Diego Preview

(San Diego, CA)- San Diego Yacht Club is proud to host the 2019 J/Fest San Diego regatta in Southern California – presented by JK3 Yachts- from September 28th to 29th.

J/Boats of all types are invited to the 2019 J/Fest Regatta. Any J/Boat is eligible to participate, and all are welcome to race in One-Design or J/PHRF classes.

The event features two days of racing, a BBQ/party on Saturday evening, and trophy ceremonies on Sunday following racing.

Eighteen teams are entered so far, with one-design classes for J/22s, J/70s, J/105s and J/120s, plus two J/145s entered in the J/PHRF Division.

In the J/105 class, you have class leaders like Rich Bergmann’s ZUNI BEAR, Jan Dekker’s AIR BOSS, and Steve & Lucy Howell’s BLINK participating. And, in the J/120s, many of the top crews are entered, such as John Laun’s CAPER, Ernie Pennell’s MAD MEN, Chuck Nichols’ CC RIDER and John Snook’s JIM.  Sailing photo credits- Paul Todd/ OutsideImages.com.  For more J/Fest San Diego sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Beautiful J/Fest New England Regatta

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

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

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

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

J/Fest New England Preview

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

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

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

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

Epic, Windy Landsail Tyres J-Cup Regatta

(Hamble, England)- The J/Boat family bid a fond farewell to Paul Heys who “sailed away” in February this year. Before the start of racing, the sixty-boat fleet gathered in the vicinity of the proposed location for the Paul Heys Memorial Buoy for a special tribute. Whilst observing a minutes silence, Paul Heys' ashes were released in a seashell by his wife Marie-Claude, assisted by Paul's daughters, Gemma and Natalie. Over £25,000 has already been raised, covering the cost and maintenance of the Paul Heys Memorial Buoy for ten years. The target of £34,000, will ensure that the buoy will be raced around by Paul Heys' grandchildren and those of the J-Boat family. To make a donation: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/paulheys

Martin Dent (owner of the J/70 and J/111 named JELVIS) commented after the memorial to Paul Heys, “It was fantastic when we came in and congregated, I looked at the other boats and teams were standing in rows on deck to attention. It was very moving. We got to our feet as well in honor of an absolute legend. I am glad that we are fund raising to put a mark in to celebrate Paul. I hope the mark will be a place of much carnage..... If ever we are doing a mark rounding there, we will leave the drop late, rodeo drop, and possibly fling it in with borderline rights in honor of the greatest rogue. Paul Heys has made more impact on sailing than any other single person, and is responsible for so many Solent sailors, including my family and team Jelvis. I miss him.”

The Landsail Tyres J-Cup is an annual event in which all J/Boats are invited to attend, to race in one-design classes or under IRC. The 2019 edition was hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club with racing in the Solent. Sixty teams racing ten different examples of the J/Boat range were in action with skippers from Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and the United States. This year's regatta also featured the J/70 UK Class Training Event.

All nine races were completed over three days of thrilling racing for over 300 sailors. Conditions ranged from moderate to fresh and frightening. Mother Nature saved her best until last with 25 knots of breeze in clear blue skies for the last race of a fantastic regatta. Competitors enjoyed the use of modern facilities at the Royal Southern Yacht Club, including the spacious Upper Bar with elevated views over the Hamble River. In the dining room North Sails delivered a video debrief, a master class on heavy airs trimming and boat handling from: Dave Lenz, Ruairidh Scott, Jeremy Smart and Charlie Cumbley.

In the 16-strong J/70 Class, Paul Ward's Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat scored seven bullets out of nine races to win the class from Charles Thompson's Brutus. Clive Bush's Darcey was pushed hard by Graham Clapp's Jeepster for the podium, with Jeepster winning the last two contests. However, Darcey was third by a single point after nine race.

Paul Ward's Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat was awarded the J-Cup for their impressive performance, the first time a J/70 team has won the prestigious trophy. A very surprised Paul Ward was quick to thank his team and Paul Heys at the Prize Giving. “I am shocked, this is totally unexpected!” commented Paul. “A big thank you to Paul Heys, all of us here wish he was still around, and like many many of us, he has helped me enormously with my sailing. A big thank you to the Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat team, Charlie (Cumbley), Ruairidh (Scott), and Mario (Trindade).”

In the IRC Big Boat Class, Chaz Ivill's J/112 Davanti Tyres won the class for a third year in a row, but it was far from easy. Davanti Tyres put in a stellar performance on the last day, winning all three races to win the class, just ahead of Mike Wallis' J/122 Jahmali. Isabelle Hung's “The Outsiders” racing J/122 Jolly Jellyfish were competing in their first J-Cup, and finished on the podium in third.

In the IRC Small Boat Class, Frédéric Bouvier's J/99 J Lance 14 was in commanding form, scoring all podium finishes in nine races, including six bullets. Jeff Johnstone racing J/99 Jet was runner-up, and the American skipper gave the French J/99 a great battle, succeeding in victory and one tie during the regatta. President of J Composites SAS, Didier Le Moal was part of the J Lance 14, racing against the President of J/Boats Inc, Jeff Johnstone.

“What an amazing weekend,” commented Jeff Johnstone. Having this many J/Sailors together is when the magic happens - you can design boats in a vacuum, and you are never quite sure how people respond to it until you show up at a regatta like this. The racing has been fantastic, run by a stellar race committee. Meeting up with so many friendly people, enjoying their boats and testing them to the limits. I know I speak for the J Boat Company back home, and Didier (Le Moal), when I say that the great camaraderie shows great respect for Paul Heys, who started this event.”

Ten teams competed in the J/92 Class, a bumper entry for the high performance 30-footer. Robin Stevenson's Upstart impressed, scoring four race wins and a tie for first place to win the class and retain the J/92 National Championship. David Greenhalgh's J'ronimo, with VOR sailor and daughter Libby on tactics was second. A very close third was Alan Macleod's Samurai J scoring eight podiums out of nine races.

“With a new baby this year, the J-Cup is the first regatta of the season for Upstart,” commented Robin Stevenson. “The J/92 is the only boat I know, and this is a regatta full of great competition in the class. Boat handling was the key, especially for the last two days, and the Upstart crew performed very well in the big conditions”

In the J/111 Class, Tony Mack's McFly held off a strong challenge to win the class from 2018 J/111 National champion, Chris Jones & Louise Makin's Journeymaker II, and 2018 J-Cup winner Paul van Driel's Sweeny. In a high-octane close encounter, races were won by just seconds. Tony Mack was full of fun at the Prize Giving, and was quick to praise his crew. Journeymaker II and Sweeny tied for second place, both scoring equal points after nine races. Sweeny was scored second on countback after winning the last race of the regatta.

In the J/109 Class, eleven teams duked it out over nine races. Last year's runner up, John Smart's Jukebox, won the class scoring five race wins with Ireland's Mark Mansfield calling tactics. Simon Perry's Jiraffe was second, scoring seven race podiums, including a win in big conditions in the last race. Racing in the class is highly competitive, with a full program of J/109 events through out the year. Thirteen J/109 will be competing at Cowes Week and 19 J/109s are set for the Rolex Fastnet Race for the J/109 Fastnet Trophy.

Kirsty & David Apthorp's J/88 J-Dream was on the race podium for all nine races, including six bullets, to retain the J/88 National Championship for a third year in a row. Gavin Howe's Tigris scored all but one podium finishes, including a race win to finish the regatta in second place. Tim Tolcher's Raging Bull saved their best until last scoring a 2-1-4 on the final day to finish on the podium in third.

Video action from the 2019 Landsail Tyres J-Cup and J/70 UK Class Training Event. (Thanks to Louay Habib, Shaun Roster, and North Sails). Sailing photo credits- Tim Wright/ Photoaction.com.  For more Landsail Tyres J-Cup sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

The Landsail Tyres J-Cup Regatta Update

J/70 Worlds Training Event
(Hamble, England)- Before the start of the 2019 Landsail Tyres J-Cup, the J/Boat family gathered for a special tribute to Paul Heys. All of the racing fleet gathered their yachts and all crew observed a minute silence. Surrounded by the J/Boat fleet, Marie Claude Heys, accompanied by Paul's daughters Gemma and Natalie, released a seashell containing Paul's ashes into the Solent. Funds are being raised to support a campaign for a permanent mark in the Solent, the Paul Heys Memorial Buoy. Nearly £20,000 has been raised of the target, to maintain the racing buoy for generations of sailors to come. To make a donation: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/paulheys

Racing for the 2019 Landsail Tyres J-Cup and J/70 UK Class Training Event, started shortly after noon, with 15 knots of breeze from the southwest. Six classes enjoyed highly competitive racing with 24 teams achieving race podiums in the three races held for all classes.

Michael Wallis' J/122 Jahmali leads the Large IRC Class, from J/112 Davanti Tyres, skippered by Marie-Claude Heys. Isabelle Hung's “The Outsider” racing J/122 Jolly Jellyfish is third on countback.

“Paul Heys was like a father to all of us, and personally we go a long way back,” commented Michael Wallis. “We have been coming to race at just about every J-Cup. It is a fantastic get-together with like minded people, who like to race but observe the rules, and every now and then you let someone cross ahead, knowing they will return the favour. Paul Heys was a huge inspiration to all of us, and it was wonderful to pay tribute to him with such good people out on the Solent.”

There was close racing in the J/92 Class right from the start, with a tie for the win in the first race between Robin Stevenson's Upstart and Alan Macleod's Samurai J. Upstart continued to impress with a second and first to end the day at the top of the leaderboard. David Greenhalgh's J’Ronimo scored a 4-1-2 to finish the first day in second place, just 1.5 points in front of Samurai J.

In the J/111 Class, Tony Mack's McFly scored a 3-1-1 to lead the class but only by a single point for Chris Jones & Louise Makin's Journeymaker II. Paul van Driel's Sweeny is in third position. In the J/109 Class, John Smart's Jukebox is ahead by a single point from Christopher Preston's Jubilee; Simon Perry's Jiraffe is third. In the J/88 Class, Kirsty Apthorp's J-Dream scored a 2-1-1 to hold a five-point advantage over Gavin Howe's Tigris. Richard Cooper's Jongleur is third. In the Small IRC Class Frédéric Bouvier J/99 J Lance 14 scored a 1-1-2 to top the leaderboard. Bob Baker's J/97 Jaywalker is just a point behind in second, and Jeff Johnstone's J/99 Jet is third.

In the J/70 UK Class Training Event, Paul Ward's Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat was fully launched, winning all three races. Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat was the top performing U.K. J/70 team at the recent European Championships, and that time on the water against top international competition, is reaping rewards.

Clive Bush's Darcey posted a 5-3-2, to end the day in second place. Charles Thompson's Brutus is third by way of countback despite equaling Darcey's scoreline. Martin Dent's Jelvis is fourth, also by virtue of countback from Tim Collins' EV Experts.  Sailing photo credits- Tim Wright- http://www.photoaction.com.    Landsail Tyres J-Cup results page   J/70 UK Class Training Event  For more Landsail Tyres J-Cup sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/46 Rendezvous Announcement

(Camden, Maine)- There must be some magic alchemy in the combination of one of the worlds greatest cruising destinations (Camden, Maine on Penobscot Bay), the spectacular Camden Classics Cup Regatta, and a bunch of enthusiastic J/46 owners.

Last year’s event organizer, Tom Babbitt (Party Master in Chief), while thinking deep thoughts on his J/46 BRAVO in Antigua, suggested to some J/46 friends by email back in 2018 that they gather for the Classics Cup and race one design, with a modest handicap for deep draft boats. When BRAVO arrived back in Camden from the Caribbean on May 21st, there was a one-design fleet registered consisting of four boats. It was a fabulous series, with great racing and very special after race parties and activities.

Word spread fast after last year’s J/46 Rendezvous and this year, months before the 2019 event, TEN J/46 s are already registered!

On registration day July 25th, we will meet at 1630 at Lyman Morse at Wayfarer for a J/46 Owners Forum. It will be a “meet and greet” to discuss our favorite modifications, repairs and enhancements as well as reach out for solutions to unsolved mysteries.  After each race, we will attempt to have a Skipper’s Debrief where all can share their brilliant and not-so-brilliant decisions on the water.

The one-design rules, taking into account that J/46 owners are cruisers (first and foremost), are as follows:

• Suitable anchor and chain in the bow
• Dodger up
• #3 jibs only, no spinnakers
• autopilots, electric winches permitted
• outboards, biminis, bikinis, and grills on the stern rail are not required, but encouraged
• single handed, doubled handed, or a whole gang of crew- all good
• shoal draft boats favored by 9 seconds per mile handicap
• no other rating penalties

For any questions, please contact Tom Babbitt, bravoj42@gmail.com or phone- +1-207-632-1262 Add to Flipboard Magazine.