THE CABO RACE EXPERIENCE- J/145 KATARA'S ENTERTAINING LOG

(Newport Beach, CA)- Last Friday, a fleet of eighteen offshore racers headed south from the Newport Harbor Yacht Club starting line set off Newport Beach, CA and they basically flew down the 800.0nm race down the Mexican coastline to the famous beachside resort of Cabo San Lucas at the southernmost tip of the Baja Peninsula. 

Always a challenging race, this year the fleet was blessed with strong northerly breezes that fluctuated from northwest to northeast and back again. The conditions were epic for the "big boats", Roy Disney's PYEWACKET 70, a former Volvo 70 race boat, shattered the course record set many moons ago by 14 hours! That gives you an idea of how quick the race was for most of the fleet. 

Looking forward to that challenge were two thoroughbreds in the J/Design stable. Racing in ORR Class C were Standish Fleming's J/125 NEREID and Roger Gatewood's J/145 KATARA. For the duration of the race, we received daily reports from KATARA's log...it makes for entertaining reading and insights on what it's like to sail offshore with a full race crew.

Log # 2
Position: 32 53.0N 1117 48W
Speed: 12.8 kts
Distance to go: 748.1nm
Weather: Cool, Sunny. Seas 5-6'
Winds: 298 at 16kts
Sail Package: Tweener

The start occurred at 1300 PDT in a very light (3-6 kts) breeze out of the south. Weird for a downwind race, but we started with the LM Genoa up and started completely close-hauled.

First day is nearly in the books. Bow team Avery and Alex just executed their first offshore headsail peel, bringing us from the Light medium upwind genoa to the reaching Tweener (similar to a code zero). 

We've just put blue watch (Ron, Clay, and Avery) to bed as we anticipate that we will be shifting from the Tweener to the A4 running kite in the next hour to hour and a half. One of our biggest competitors, Horizon (a Santa Cruz 50) is just above us with a kite up and working their way down to us. We'll likely do the same as they get closer, but we're currently working just a little hotter in the hopes that we can maintain more of the gradient pressure that exists just offshore of us at the moment.

Looks like everyone is having a good time. Steve got his first helm time in a race on Katara a few hours ago. Capt. Roger drove us through the start and several hours after that. Liam, Sam, Steve, Ron, and Roger have been our helmsmen so far.

If the forecast holds true, we're in for a pretty wild ride overnight and into tomorrow with breeze in to the 20s and a building sea state.

Hope everyone else at home is warm and dry in their beds - it's looking like it's going to be a little chilly for us out here tonight.

Log # 3
Position: 30 44.13N 117 28.7W
Speed: 14 kts
Distance to go: 625.9nm
Weather: Cold! Seas 5-6'
Winds: 306 at 23kts
Sail Package: A4

It's almost the end of night 1. The crew is still working on getting in to their watch schedule, and I think several (myself included) are quite tired.

Just after sunset we went from our Tweener to our A4 heavy weather running sail. Avery and Alex managed the bow for the maneuver, Steve and Clay worked the mid-deck, Liam and I were on trim, Ron worked the main, and Roger drove. 

There is an area of lower winds speed just inside of us which we've been attempting to avoid. So, at times, we're sailing a much hotter angle than we normally would with this sail. We've got validation in the fact that we can see Horizon, Bretwalda, and several others in our class doing nearly the same thing along our line.

We got distracted last night and no one made dinner, so snacks got hit hard. We'll make sure we've got someone on kitchen duty this evening.

Conditions have been very pleasant, with seas 6-7' and breeze mostly in the teens until just the last few hours where we have seen a build to near 20 kts.

Log # 4
Position: 29 27.2N 115 34.3W
Speed: 12-18++ kts
Distance to go: 532.34nm
Weather: Beautiful day out with a slightly confused 6-8ft sea state.
Winds: 308 at 22kts
Sail Package: A4
 
What a day! Good breeze, cool weather, not too sunny, an acceptable sea state, and one hell of a fast boat. We've enjoyed the day running downhill bouncing between waves where our helmsmen (Roger, Sam, Steve, Ron, Liam, and I) have tried to keep the pointy side forward and the white side up. Earlier this morning we put in our first gybe and started reconnecting with the shore. We were leveraging a further right (320-ish) wind direction than we had seen before which made the port tack more optimal. 

As I am writing this, I heard the loudest of roars from upstairs. Glancing through a port hole, I see an entire universe of white foam go flying by the window as the new deck team (Ron, Clay, and Avery) with captain Roger just laid down a new race record for the boat of 25.8 kts!! Ron sneaked this one out after having had to share the previous 22.8 kts record with Clay and Avery. Later, we were all awakened when our southern "gentleman" Steve was a whoopin' and a holerin' as he was laying down his own record.

Now. Where was I? Right. We're headed to shore. After a few hours on port working our way back to the coast the breeze went left (near 305) again which makes the starboard tack preferred. We executed our second gybe of the trip (a beaut, if we may be so bold) and started heading back offshore.

While not perfect conditions competitively for this boat, we've been sailing extremely well against our polars and our own modeling, and the crew is having an absolute BLAST!

Ron, Clay, and Avery just took the 1400 watch with Roger finishing out the last two hours of his captain watch with them. 

I figure somewhere in the next 10-12 hours we'll be on the hunt for another righty where we can capitalize and head back ashore.

We've got our arrival "betting pool" started. It ranges from a *VERY* optimistic Avery hoping for a 0700 Tuesday arrival (hehe - not gonna happen, kid), to least optimistic old salt Ron guessing at 0400 Wednesday. For SOME reason they wouldn't let the guy with Expedition and all the routing work take his best guess.... The prize is absolutely nothing more than bragging rights, but it's a KATARA tradition.

Log # 5
Position: 28 32.3N 115 19.4W
Speed: 15++ down to 11ish kts
Distance to go: 484.14nm
Weather: A stiffening breeze with a confused 7-9ft sea state.
Winds: 315 degrees, 22 gusting 30kts
Sail Package: keep reading...

Welp....Every great sailboat race comes with its challenges to test sailors' resolve and skill and to keep the thrill of adventure in the game.

About 1 hour ago we were screaming along under our A4 running spinnaker when a wave caught us and caused a roll out. OUCH! Unfortunately, this also "over-shocked" the A4 and we lost both sheets holding it in. An all-hands on deck was called and, in relative short order, the team had recovered the sail.

We're not making much headway with just the Light Medium #1 genoa, as the only other spinnaker we have for these conditions is the A3 reaching kite. Our plan for now is to be conservative overnight reaching under just the genoa and re-evaluate tomorrow morning at day break. Hopefully at that time we can get the Kite back up, as we're currently down over 3.6 kts VMG towards the finish line...UGH!

In other news, there were no injuries and we're currently making dinner - Chili Mac & Cheese - Thanks, Clay! Avery is also whipping up a salad for everyone.

Log # 6
Position: 27 27.1N 115 we.9W
Speed: 10-20 kts depending on waves
Distance to go: 403.4nm
Weather: A stiffening breeze with a confused 7-9ft sea state.
Winds: 315-330 at 18-24 kts
Sail Package: Reaching A3

Now, we're back in this here sailboat race! Just before 2200 hrs, Roger and I did a comprehensive analysis of the forecasts, sea state, and current winds and decided it was time to launch the A3 kite. While not a downwind runner like the A4 that we lost, this sail is FAR superior for this task than our #1 Genoa was. We timed the hoist with a watch change (these are *VERY* big sails) and by 2230 we were under A3 and a full main again. VMC (velocity made good towards our target) jumped by over 5.6kts. We also did a gybe as part of the maneuver and are now working our way back towards the coast.

If the breeze continues to stay left (not exactly what's forecast) then we'll stay on this Port tack as far as it will take us - it's much closer to the finish line than the other board. If the breeze shifts left through the morning and in to the afternoon, then we will gybe out again for a little while to get clear of the peninsula.

Clay and Avery took kitchen duties this evening and we had a freeze-dried chili mac & cheese again dressed up with some fresh cut onions and cheese. Lots and lots of snacks aboard, so no one is going to go hungry.

We lost quite a bit of ground to our competition for the several hours we were running just on the Genoa, but we're slowing making some of that back up according to the tracker we all carry.

The sea state is challenging for our primary drivers, but Ron, Liam, Steve, and Sam are giving it their all and doing excellent.

Hope that the 320-330 TWD holds for us and that we just keep truckin' down range.

Log # 7
Position: 26 27.2N 114 1.3W
Speed: 9-12 kts
Distance to go: 308nm
Weather: Champagne sailing.
Winds: 300-320 at 11-20 kts
Sail Package: Light Air Runner A2 Spinnaker, Spinnaker Staysail, Full Main

Early this morning the breeze decayed enough for us to downshift to our light-air running spinnaker, the A2. Not only did it give us a boost in speed and better angle, but all of us who drove it say it's a heck of a lot easier on the helmsmen.

We're currently the inside boat and we just executed a gybe to get us out and around Lazarro Point. I figure we'll be here for 5-6 hours before gybing back on to Port tack.

Breakfast was home-made pancakes and sausage (thanks, Sam!) and was hugely well received.

Roger and Sam are swapping watches as we speak with Roger taking the 1200-1600 Captain's watch. For the first 2 hours of his watch, he'll have the current deck team of Liam, Alex, and Steve to help him. The off-watch appear all to be asleep which is great, because there's still plenty of fighting and sail wrangling left to be done.

Alex, our last second pick up when one of our crew couldn't get his passport sorted in time (dang Rona), is doing an excellent job on his first offshore adventure. Great attitude and always ready to jump in.

Our other newbs, Avery and Steve, both seem to be excelling and soaking in the experience. I think Steve summed it up just a few minutes ago on deck when we were talking and he goes, "I could get used to this. This is pretty good stuff. Think I might have to do some more of this". You tell em, Steve!

First 24 hours of the race we covered 254.5nm, a really great run for this boat. We'll know what the second 24 looks like in about an hour once we've passed the 48-hour mark.

If you've got any influence with whoever you believe controls the wind, put in an order of a hard Lefty right around our boat for about the next 6 hours that we can capitalize on as a header and make better angle to the finish line.

Latest projections have an arrival of late evening on Tuesday - but we all know how fickle these things can be. We've still got a lot of racing (over 300nm) to do, and almost anything could happen.

Log # 8
Position: 24 52.9n 113 12.2w
Speed: 9-13 kts
Distance to go: 215 nm
Weather: More Champagne sailing.
Winds: 300-320 at 14-19 kts
Sail Package: Light Air Runner A2 Spinnaker, Full Main

Less than 250nm to go! Much of today was extremely enjoyable conditions. Cool and sunny on deck, pleasantly cool and dry down below for crew rest, and champagne sailing. Wind at a great angle with plenty of pressure to keep us moving. We launched the Spinnaker Staysail to compliment the A2 and they worked nicely together most of the day. As the evening came in, we got a little uptick in wind speed as well as a slightly more confused state. We've dropped the Staysail as it's easier to control and recover the spinnaker without it.

Early evening, we made a gybe over to starboard tack to work our way out away from the coast to line up for what we were hoping was a layline right past Lazaro Point. Unfortunately, when we gybed back, we weren't quite clear of the point, and more importantly there was growing concern on the latest forecast models that there was a large hole forming over the point and bay just below it. Our initial routing runs had us cutting through there with minimal impact on pressure and a shorter distance. Now that appears unlikely, we've gybed back over to starboard again for what should only be a 3-5 hours before we'll head back over to port tack to follow the coast around towards the finish. This is the first significant slip of our routing arrival times, now projecting either very very late Tuesday or early sometime in the first few hours of Wednesday.

Dinner was freeze dried sweet and sour pork and it seemed to go over fairly well. We picked up a bunch of bags of pre-made salads as well which have been going well before dinner.

Seems everyone is in their sleep cycle and have been doing well at being on deck ready to go for the start of their watches.

Spinnaker trim teams Clay/Avery, Liam/ALex, and Alex/Steve had been doing their best to keep the kite full in concert with the drivers in what has, at times, been challenging confused seas.

Ron, Sam, Steve, and Liam have done the lion's share of the driving, and I've jumped in 4 or 5 times to get them some rest and a chance to eat.

Roger seems to be enjoying himself, and these are certainly conditions that makes one wish to be on deck.

Speaking of which, I'd rather be up there hanging out with the Blue team (Ron, Clay, Avery) and their 1st half watch captain Roger than down here, so we'll sign off.

Log # 9
Position: 23 47.9N 112 13.0W
Speed: 10-12.5 kts
Distance to go: 136 nm
Weather: Gorgeous sunrise on a clear crisp day.
Winds: 310-325 at 14-19 kts
Sail Package: Light Air Runner A2 Spinnaker, Full Main

Dawn of the last day! And what a gorgeous dawn it is. Roger, Avery, Ron, and Clay have had what most consider to be the coveted watch - the 0600-1000 dawn patrol. They've spent the last hour or so watching a gorgeous sunrise on what's currently a beautiful cool crisp morning.

We're currently in VMG mode (go down wind as fast as possible watching your target wind angle) and we're watching very closely several of the competitors ahead of us. There is a large area of light air that started to develop overnight right off the coast north of Cabo. We gybed out to put a little more distance between us and that and so far, have had steady breeze near 15 kts.

Nereid, the J/125, is a ways ahead of us and closer to shore and the latest position reports indicate she's lost a significant amount of speed. We're currently tracking the same line as the Santa Cruz 50, Horizon (an EXTREMELY well sailed local boat), and are watching anxiously to see any sort of deterioration to their speed. We're using the boats ahead of us as a set of whiskers to help determine when we may want to gybe out again (hey, you get to be up front, but you've gotta share data- Sailing Instruction 2.13.4).

Our arrival time has slipped some due to the expected lighter breeze later today, now looking at something like 0200 tomorrow morning. Still a very quick run down here. When we did the Puerto Vallarta race down here last year at this time, we were less than half way there and nearly completely becalmed.

Sam is whipping up some freeze-dried biscuits and gravy (right, I have no idea how you freeze dry biscuits either.... stand by and we'll update on edibility on the next log) and fresh eggs (from past experience we have determined that freeze-dried eggs are absolutely inedible and aren't even suitable for wild animal consumption).

Log # 10
Position: 23 27.9N 111 37.9W
Speed: 8-10 kts
Distance to go: 99.5 nm
Weather: Gorgeous clear crisp day.
Winds: 290-305 at 10-14 kts
Sail Package: Light Air Runner A2 Spinnaker, Full Main

Welcome Shore Family, to this special "double-digits" edition of the KATARA Log. Just moments ago, we sailed through the 100nm to destination mark and are now officially in the double-digits!

It's been a very pleasant day, but we'd certainly sign up for more breeze if that was an option. There is a very large hole in and around the finish line, and several of the faster boats that were ahead and approaching it this morning struggled to get through. The forecast swears we are supposed to be bringing some breeze with us from behind which would be awesome, but we've spent most of the early morning up to now trying to sort when to gybe out to shift lanes and when to come back in and optimize our VMC (velocity made good on course). It's a fine line, because every step we take outside adds mileage to our distance but sailing too close to the hole and losing pressure is equally as devastating. Looks like we may be in for 2-3 more sets of small hour-long gybes to shift lanes as we get closer. For now, she's light but cooking along.

Breakfast freeze dried biscuits and gravy was met with generally positive reactions, with Liam and Alex seeming to particularly like it. The fresh eggs Sam made for on top were universally appreciated.

We got Clay on the helm for the first time this trip this morning 0900-1000. These are very tricky conditions and we've largely been sticking with our most experienced offshore helmsmen (Ron, Liam, Sam, Steve, and I). Clay did an excellent job and took great coaching from Sam and I who took turns sitting next to him walking him through the maneuvers. Roger, Avery, Alex, and Clay have been largely leading the spinnaker trim team and have been giving it their all to keep us powered up and give the helmsman the options he needs to keep the pressure on.

Looking like a very late-night arrival - somewhere near 0200 PDT perhaps. The crew house starts today, so as long as we can find our way to, and inside, it we'll have a lovely nice dry clean place to lay our heads this evening.

POST-LOG
In the end, thanks to the KATARA team for their daily log of their experience sailing one of the signature offshore races in the Southern California yachting schedule. It's a classic race and challenge for what is largely a "downhill sleigh ride". Despite their 7-8 hours of 3.5 kts VMG under genoa on their third night, the consequence of blowing up their A4 downwind runner, the KATARA team managed a 4th in class, just behind their classmates- Standish Fleming's J/125 NEREID.  For more Cabo Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/CREWS PREVAIL IN NORTHERN CENTURY RACE

 

(Anacortes, WA)- In the "it's never too late to report" department, the Anacortes Yacht Club hosted the Northern Century Race in the beginning of the fall. It is a 100.0 nm offshore triangle that delivers the toughest race you’ll ever love. The course extends through and around (skipper’s choice) the San Juan Islands, and each year competitors are met with a unique set of challenges and some of the most beautiful conditions the Salish Sea has to offer.

Though a 50-mile option exists (for the sane people), the Northern Century 100 course starts to the north in Fidalgo Bay off Anacortes and heads further north to Point Roberts, then south any way you choose to Hein Bank, followed by a return finish at Anacortes.


The race starts on Friday evening, and night-time spinnaker runs are the norm on the way up to the first mark of the course. Due to the time of year, meteor showers and phosphorescence that light up the night add to the excitement of the race.

Bruce's Briefs from Sailish.com had this sobering forecast to offer the sailors this year:

"We said summer had arrived last week and this weekend it will arrive with some very, very warm temps especially on Sunday. Today’s satellite pic shows just how spectacularly clear conditions are over the Salish Sea.


That’s both the good news and the bad news as the Surface Analysis Charts show our Pacific high weakening and tending to flatten while a thermal trough of low-pressure expands along the coast running from San Francisco inland to southern BC. This will convert our current onshore flow to an offshore flow on Saturday which will bring some downslope winds and compressional heating to the area, hence the high temps. The weather charts also show the distinct lack of any kind of pressure gradient over the area. This will make for, once again, a very challenging Northern Century Race.

The real challenge for this race is that in this transition period from onshore to offshore flow, the Race course is right in the convergence zone where the flow coming down the Strait of Juan de Fuca (SOJ) meets the flow coming down the Strait of Georgia (SOG). As the flow coming down the SOJ weakens, the flow coming down the SOG will build slightly turning the southerly/southwesterly flow over the San Juan Islands to a north/northwesterly flow. The big question is always, when will this happen? The models are not in agreement which is not surprising considering the lack of a pressure gradient.

The keys for the race are getting out of the starting area, getting through the lee of Guemes Island, and getting up Lummi Island. From there to the Point Roberts Buoy there will probably be more wind slightly to the east of the rhumb line. The wind will be light and from the south/southwest with it generally going very light after around 0200hrs. You would really like to be around the Pt Roberts mark before 0200 and then be sure to take your time at the shorten course mark.

One model does have a northerly of 5-8 kts filling down the SOG and down San Juan Island just before dawn. That combined with the big ebb of the day could get you to Hein Bank in time to catch the flood to the finish. If you’re a big boat with a tall rig and really wanted to roll the dice, you could try sailing down the inside of San Juan Island and gamble that you could make it out of Cattle Pass before about 0900 Saturday morning and the start of the big flood of the day. The big boats could finish by mid-afternoon Saturday.

For the once this year, expect the lighter air to be in the SOJ while the central Sound will have a delightful northerly of 10-15 knots on Saturday before it becomes light on Sunday. This will be a great weekend to be on the water just be sure to have plenty of sunblock and be sure to reapply throughout the day."

That was a pretty accurate forecast by the famous "Bruce the weatherman"! It was a light airs race, with beautiful vistas, and lots of flying code zeros to keep things moving. 

In the three divisions that had thirteen J/Crews participating, each had a podium finish by a top J/Boats team. In the Full Crew 100 Division, taking second was Jim Hinz's J/120 HINZITE. The balance of the top eleven included Dougherty & Andrew's J/125 HAMACHI in 4th, Cathy Van Antwerp's J/111 VALKYRIE in 7th, Phil Dean's J/80 RUSH in 8th, Bob Brunius' J/120 TIME BANDIT in 9th, Jason Vannice's J/35 ALTAIR in 10th, and Tolga Cezik's J/109 LODOS in 11th. An amazing performance by these teams in very challenging conditions. 

Similarly, in the Doublehanded 100 Division, J/Crews took 5 of the top 10! Taking the silver was Vincent Townrow's J/105 KINETIC. They were followed by Christina & Justin Wolfe's J/111 RAKU in 4th, Emre Selzer's J/80 RECKLESS in 5th, Mike Powell's J/33 KEET in 9th, and Karl Halfkinger's J/35 SHEARWATER in 10th. 

Finally, in the Full Crew 50 Division, taking 3rd was Walt Meagher's J/35 SUNSHINE GIRL. All in all, kudos to all crews for their perseverance and concentration to get the job done!

Also, in the recent Scuttlebutt Sailing Newsletter, there was a great article by a participant in the race that gives you a front row seat perspective on the amazing beauty and the trials and tribulations of sailing this tough race.  Read more here on Scuttlebutt.  Sailing photo credits- Sean Trew 

J/111 AND J/99 GARNER SILVER IN PERU!

 

(Puerto Callao, Peru)- This past weekend, the Puerto Callao Yacht Club held the first of its summer series on the Pacific Ocean, with a fleet of ten boats sailing in Puerto Callao Bay.

There was a lot of excitement amongst J/Boats enthusiasts in Peru with the arrival of the new J/99 TUNCHE. After her launching and a tune-up sail the TUNCHE team sailed in their first regatta of the summer. Anticipation was high amongst many ex-J/24 racers that have gotten a bit older and are racing in offshore ORC handicap events.


After the weekend of sailing, it was clear the J/111 CHALLWA was determined to maintain their control over Peru's ORC fleet, winning the regatta with room to spare on points. However, fast out-of-the-box, the J/99 TUNCHE progressed fast up their learning curve and managed to pull off a silver in the regatta, a great start for the inaugural race of the J/99.


According to J/Peru dealer German Fuchs, "it's expected the new J/99 will continue the winning saga of J/Boats in Peru. After all, Peru has always been one of the largest and oldest fleets of J/24s in South America. Many sailors are looking closely at the new J/99 and, perhaps, there will be a J/99 fleet soon in Perú."  For more J/99 shorthanded offshore speedster information

J/145 KATARA Wins OVERALL in Catalina Race

(Catalina Island, CA)- Sean Motta from Davis Island Yacht Club in Florida recently sailed on the J/145 KATARA off southern California in a very popular offshore spring race to Catalina Island.  Here is Sean's report:

"I normally have a strict “more time on the race course than in the airport/airplanes getting there” policy. However, after Covid-19 effectively destroyed the second half of DIYC Member Roger Gatewood’s J/145 KATARA’s west-coast sailing season, I got a call from Bill Wingrove that we had been invited to participate in the 2020 Long Point Regatta! Myself and the rest of the crew were all too happy to schedule a flight and jump at the opportunity!


KATARA was moved to the Los Angeles area last year where she participated in the 2019 TransPac (DIYC Log Article October 2019), the LAYC’s Midwinter Around Catalina Race (DIYC Log Article March 2020), and the 2020 Puerto Vallarta Race (DIYC Log Article April 2020). There were plans for the Newport-Ensenada Race, the Rolex San Francisco Big Boat regatta, and many others, all of which were cancelled by the pandemic.

Bill and I headed to the Tampa airport to hop a flight to LAX where we would join up with Roger, his daughter Cat, Sam Heck (our CA boat captain), and several other CA based sailors for the regatta. This race is generally as much about the parties on the island of Catalina as it is the two day-races out and back. While the large on-shore activities were cancelled, our sister J/145 PALAEMON (owner Rudy Hasl is a member of the San Diego Yacht Club) had access to a beautiful remote camp facility on the island. 

Unlike most of KATARA’s races, where we frantically comb through the boat looking for anything of weight not bolted down to be thrown ashore before we depart, this race’s prep involved loading in a dinghy, oars (thanks Liam and Tyler!), home-cooked Korean BBQ (thanks, Allie!), sleeping bags, pillows, adult beverages, cookies, and doughnuts!


After a brief motor down to the starting line, the race started in a light breeze around 5-6kts out of the southwest. The forecast expected this to build slightly to near 10-11 kts and clock to the right as we sailed across the channel and to the island. We made a short 3 mile beat to the North on Port tack before tacking for what we hoped was, and turned out to be, the lay line to the finish. Other than an expected area of highly turbulent air just outside the mooring field within a mile of the finish line, the rest of the outbound race was uneventful and largely an uphill endeavor. 

Sail stacking was allowed for this race, so many of the crew spent a fair bit of the race man-handling massive sail bags around the deck for optimal weight distribution.

Once finished, we picked up our mooring ball and shuttled the crew in the dinghy, a few at a time, ashore.  Once everyone assembled together, Allie prepared an incredible meal of Korean BBQ, rice, and salad. In the morning, many of the crew took a hike to the top of one of the nearby peaks, while others enjoyed a relaxing morning aboard or took a swim through the mooring field.

The race back on Sunday started at 1300 in southwest winds like we had on Saturday. Starting with the light-medium genoa, then quickly proceeding through the tweener, the A1, and ultimately the A2. The bow team did an excellent job of peeling between the various headsails. The A2 and Staysail carried us much of the way through the second half of the race to a beautiful finish just off of Newport Beach, CA. A few hours motoring home ended what was a fabulous weekend enjoyed by all."

In the 2020 Long Point Regatta to Catalina, Roger Gatewood’s (DIYC) J/145 KATARA took 1st overall ORR (1-1) and 2nd in Class PHRF (3-2). Her sistership- the J/145 PALAEMON owned/ skippered by Rudy Hasl- took 2nd overall ORR.

The KATARA team included: Sean Motta (DIYC), Bill Wingrove (DIYC), Sam Heck, Cat Gatewood, Julia Jaynes, Liam McCarthy, Allie Tsai, Tyler Caroe, Louis Tuey, Daina Bandziulis, and Ruta Bandziulis.  Reprinted with permission from the Davis Island Yacht Club October 2020 Newsletter- "The Log". Thanks for sailing photo credits- Tom Walker. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/121 CRESCENT IV Report from Japan

 

J/121 CRESCENT IV blasting upwind on the Sea of Japan.

* "Like many of the world’s most splendid sailing areas, such as Narragansett Bay and Waikiki, Japan’s very own Sagami Bay, just south of Tokyo, has been without sails and sailors for months; staying socially distant, and abiding by the rules.


Nevertheless, I’m now happy to say that sailing in Sagami Bay is finally back! Hayama Marina Yacht Club has restarted its fortnightly summer club races, given the rules and regulations set forth by our national and local governments.


After restarting the sailing season July 12th, our J/121 CRESCENT IV dutifully performed as committee boat at this first race and happily watched eighteen other boats enjoy a strong sea breeze. Then, on August 8th, the time was finally at hand for CRESCENT IV to compete. That morning, we had a fairly nice wind and succeeded in making a top finish in race #1 for our first club race!

Wherever you may be in this windy world, I hope and believe that all J/Boats advocates will enjoy a nice summer sea breeze!" Thanks to Aki Hirai's report, the owner of the J/121 CRESCENT IV

Successful, Fun-Loving Fiesta Cup Regatta!

(Santa Barbara, CA)- In the face of every obstacle known to man, the Santa Barbara YC hosted their 14th annual Fiesta Cup Regatta off the beautiful harbor of Santa Barbara, California from July 18th to 19th.  The fleet was greeted by nice sailing conditions and a total of seven races were held for the one-design J/70 and J/111 classes.

The eight-boat J/70 class was fiercely contested by the two protagonists, and well-known, racing teams in Santa Barbara.  Past J/24 North American Champion Pat Toole and his team on 3 BIG DOGS had their hands full taking on Scott Deardorff/ Jon Ziskind/ Gus Duncan's CAKE.  Over the course of seven races, these two teams won all seven races and accounted for six 2nds! In the end, it was Toole's 3 BIG DOGS that took the regatta by two points over the CAKE team.  Third was the MONKEY HOUSE gang, led by Paul Castleberg and Lauren Amery. Fourth was Thomas Tunberg's NAMASTE and fifth John McCaffery's MAGIC CARPET RIDE.

The J/111 Class was a three-way duel between very experienced offshore teams. The surprise winner was not what the Ladbroke's Betting Parlour in London was betting on- Bernie Girod's ROCK & ROLL. Instead, it was Mike Drammer & Shaun Hughes' TITANIUM that rode their fast horse to the head of the class with a 1-3-1-1 tally for 6 pts total. Incredibly, the next two spots were determined on a tie-breaker at 9 pts each! With a 2-1-3-3 tally, it was Kenny Kieding's ARGO 3 that took the silver over Bernie Girod's ROCK & ROLL that had a 3-2-2-2.  For more Fiesta Cup Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

The BIG SECRET About Weather?

Having known Peter Isler since his college sailing days at Yale University, sailing out of "Yick-Yick" (a.k.a. Yale Corinthian Yacht Club in Branford, CT), sailing the infamous "Snow & Satisfaction Regatta" (with famous sailors like multiple-Olympic Champion Paul Elvstrom from Denmark), it is remarkable to see how he and fellow Yale Bulldogs sailing alumni from that era like Dave Perry, Stan Honey, Steve Benjamin, Jonathan McKee, amongst others, have grown and evolved in the sailing world as knowledgeable leaders, World Champions, Offshore Champions, and experts in various permutations of the sport.

Scuttlebutt recently had a chance to catch up with Peter, a world renowned sailor, educator, and two-time America’s Cup winning navigator. Peter had some ideas he wanted to share with fellow sailors around the world as we sit in front of our computer screens in this pandemic world dreaming, wishing, we could be flying down magnificent Pacific swells under spinnaker at sunset doing 25 kts down the face of a never-ending surf to forever....  We’ll let him explain…

"When was the last time a friend bragged about their latest “weather app du jour” that is the “best ever” for forecasting the wind in a particular location? It happens to me a lot. And most of the time, when I check out the app or website – it’s just a new-fangled “re-packaging” of a weather model that is freely available (often thanks to some nation’s taxpayer funding) in a host of places.

Now, weather models are good things– invaluable tools for meteorologists, but they are not created equally– and none of them are exactly right.

In the right hands, these models (the grist for the forecasting output of 99.9% of every weather app out there) can provide invaluable data that will result in good forecasts. But used blindly in their raw form (e.g. with the thumb swipe to the screen) – well, let’s say their batting average won’t get you into the Hall of Fame.

It’s kind of like self-medicating with hydroxy-chloroquine to prevent a coronavirus infection. You might do okay, but you would probably be better off if you enlisted a medical doctor to direct your treatment.


I studied meteorology in college, obtained a bachelor’s degree in that fine course of study, and I have raced sailboats professionally for most of my life. I have navigated boats to offshore course records in both hemispheres, on the Pacific and the Atlantic. So, I hope you may agree my weather savvy is above the median. And yes, I use weather apps (want to know my favorites? – hang on for a minute – the answer isn’t as simple as you may hope).

I use weather models regularly, but when there’s big money on the line, I do more than “swipe right” on my favorite app.

I appreciate important characteristics of different models– like their pedigree, resolution, initialization time and more– and that helps me be more discerning when looking at their output and, ultimately, assists me in making better decisions in my forecasting/tactics.

Don’t get me wrong– I love weather apps. And, I use them all the time.

For example, when it comes to deciding whether I can get one or two more good runs in on my windsurfer before a thunderstorm (still learning to kite– so probably wouldn’t cut it so close), there’s nothing like the amazing weather radar we have here in the US – available (repackaged) on just about every good weather app. And, before a long back-country horse ride when there’s rain threatening, I have my go-to apps.

But here’s fact of life #42 – Weather forecasts have their limitations. They have been the brunt of jokes about their inaccuracies for centuries and now that computers have gotten into the game– they, too, have had their share of spectacular failures. That’s when we come back to the batting average analogy.


When I’m really serious about getting the weather right, I work hard at it– burning the midnight oil– not relying on a single data source, app, or model. And, I don’t just look on my phone/computer. I do what sailors have been doing for centuries– looking at the sky, the present conditions, and I scan the horizon for clues. Because, it is the human side of the forecast process that the app-bound sailor misses out on– it is a big swing and a miss.

And, when I’m really serious about getting the weather right– I hire a professional. Ironically. You see, even if I’m better than most professional meteorologists at running weather routing software; they're probably better than me at the human side of the art and science of weather forecasting.  The part where you have to decide between all the different forecast outputs (by definition every one of them is always ‘wrong’ to a degree– never perfect.)

Weather professionals do it for a living and some are really good at what they do. They don’t have to get a good night sleep before the race, they don’t have to attend the skipper's meeting, or work on some last minute item on the boat’s to-do list, and they probably have a good internet connection to be able to send out a crew email/ Whatsapp when I’m still packing my sea bag.

For me, having an outside meteorologist providing a morning forecast before a big race is money well spent and allows me to better do my job.

All this brings me to a new endeavor– Marine Weather University. I’ve teamed up with my weather guru and long-time friend, Chris Bedford (http://www.sailwx.com) to create an online school to teach sailors about the weather. Chris is adroit at teaching the weather– he’s one of those people who have the ability to make complex subjects become understandable.

Marine Weather University is designed to help sailors go beyond their favorite weather app and build a foundation of knowledge that will make them smarter about the weather. Chris has designed the curriculum with that goal in mind. Classes are rolling out throughout the summer with the first launching in a live webinar on June 2.

Ultimately all classes will be online for 24/7 access. Students can sign up for single classes, but we encourage they take one of MWU’s two full courses (Fundamentals or Advanced) – where the classes are bundled together, in a curriculum designed by Chris– like a real university course.

Check it out – you will learn what are my favorite apps (and Chris’ too), but more importantly, you’ll learn about the weather the right way. You will be able to read the sky better, make the most of the data you have available, and understand the limitations and strengths of your weather information." Thanks for this contribution from Scuttlebutt Sailing News.   For more Marine Weather University information.Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/70 Mexico Regatta Report

(Valle de Bravo, Mexico)- The new year had started off well for "nuestros amigos" in Mexico. The 2020 Mexican J/70 Circuit blasted off with a lot of enthusiasm and families and teams looking forward to a winter/spring regatta series across the country in some of the more famous "watering holes" in Mexico. 

Here is the brief report from Mexican J/70 Fleet Captain Ignacio Perez Morett, just before the world went off the cliff and into the abyss of the pandemic.

"We started this year with the first two J/70 Mexico regattas in 2020. The first regatta was held in Valle de Bravo at the La Peña Sailing Club, over the January 11th to 12th weekend, with the participation of six boats.

The top of our leaderboard had some of our most exceptional sailors. Winning was Hector Guzman's ESCIPION, followed by Diego Reyes' RAGTIME in second and Roberto Escalante's LAMPUGA bringing home the bronze.

Our second regatta was sailed off Puerto Vallarta on January 18th to 19th on the famous Bahia de Banderas, famous for being one of the world's most beautiful places to sail, with its highly reliable 10 to 18 kts seabreeze that builds like clockwork from 11:30 am onwards.

In this regatta, we had eight boats participating. Wow! I can tell you from my personal experience, the competition was getting significantly better over last year! The leaderboard was comprised of Fernando Pérez Ontiveros' BLACK MAMBA taking class honors, with José Luis Pérez Morett's AMIGO earning the silver, and Eduardo Cano's CHILCANO holding the bronze medal."

Like many other J/70 sailors around the world, they are anxious to get out sailing again in a socially responsible way-- perhaps, a Doublehanded J/70 World Championship, anyone? Anywhere? Serious!? Why not!? Simple to organize, BTW.

Editor's note- "Having done over 100 Around Conanicut Island circumnavigations (yes, that does include my J/World days in Newport), I can honestly say one of the most satisfying and enjoyable were my last two double-handed around the island races.  Ironically, the first was a complete lark.

A good friend at Ida Lewis Yacht Club- Dan Faria- offered his Shields 30 ft. classic, beautiful, day sailor to do the race. Of course, we took him up on his offer, as it was the first (of three) Round Jamestown races that summer- Cafe Zelda's version is always the first. It was a blast. Spectacular day in Newport. Sunny, a gentle seabreeze blowing out of the south/ southwest.

Our principal competitor was a green Shields from Jamestown with SIX guys aboard, about average weight just a bit north of 250 lbs (our best guess, they looked like NFL offensive linemen). Most importantly, when asked what was in the Igloo Cooler in the middle of their cockpit before the start, they simply replied "beer". LOL. As is the tradition of the Round Island race (a day race, thank God), the partying had started early, like pre-noon.  So, after the start, they were first to the weather mark. We were not surprised.

However, the several mile downwind run from Beavertail Light to the top end of Jimmie-town proved to be their undoing. One wonders why!? LOL. A few missed shifts, a missing beer over the side, and they were done. Never saw them again... we simply gybed the Shields downwind, 470-style with tiller between my legs, handling both spinnaker sheets, while Julia gybed the spinnaker pole standing at the mast... a bit difficult sometimes, of course. Conversation during each gybe was, as you might imagine, along the lines of "What the hell honey, ease the sheets and bear off for God's sakes"...and, some other choice expletives hurled in the skipper's general direction.

The subsequent round island race was on a J/70. It was a "no dramas" circumnavigation. Fast. A blast. Perfect day. We had a scream as it reminded us of sailing in dinghies, like 470s, Hobie 16s, and International 14s. Upwind was simple, since the jib on a J/70 is easy to trim by anyone- young, small, old, man or woman. Downwind, gybing all day long was a complete "no-brainer". Having reflected on our Shields experience the previous year, it was laughably easier and more enjoyable. Change tacks, change gybes? Simple. Let go one sheet, pull the other, all day long.  Perhaps a consideration for the near future for J/70 events? And, true for offshore sailors, as well! Think J/88s, J/99s, J/105s, J/111s, J/121s, J/122s, truly the simplest, easiest boats to sail offshore double-handed, ever.  For more J/70 and J/70 Class sailing information. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

A View from Pandemic Newport- Cats!

Following the thoughts and perspectives last week from the two J/Boats founders- Bob & Rod Johnstone, a few friends encouraged the "next generation" to describe their "home sheltering" experiences in the past few weeks.

Your J/News publisher/ editor- Stu Johnstone- has had one prominent theme while working at home for the past few weeks- "CATS"! LOL. 

My wife- Julia- and I live in a quaint "craftsman's cottage" in Newport that is shared with three complete characters (cats), each unique in their quirks and personalities. Living here is a bit like living on a boat, you're supposed to stay at anchor, stay on the boat, and occasionally you can row to shore to get supplies.


Meanwhile, the cats rule the roost. We started off a few years ago with one Russian Siberian forest cat we named "Allie". As an alpha female, she tries to rule the others, but at a strapping 8 lbs, her efforts are often for naught. She does claim your editor as her protector (as seen here) and enjoys spending lots of time hugging my shoulder while I type away and write the J/Newsletter. 

Our second cat came about for one simple reason, "Allie" seemed lonely or bored at times. So, Julia decided to call back the cat breeder of Allie and find another cute Russian Siberian forest "kitten".

While the story of meeting the breeder to pick-up "Allie" the first time would be described as "epic", the second adventure was even more adventurous. You might describe it as an "interstate buying trip." I had decided to buy a powerboat (yes, going over to the 'dark side' has its merits). But, without a tow-vehicle, I had to rent one! Thanks to Enterprise, I got a nice Ford F-150 quad-cab pickup with a hitch, drove from Newport to New Haven to pick up a brand new aluminum trailer, then drove through New York (via I-287/ Tappan Zee Bridge), through New Jersey (past Delaware Water Gap) onto I-80 in Pennsylvania to meet our "cat lady" halfway across Pennsylvania.


Much to our surprise, when we met her in a brew-pub parking lot just off the I-80 highway, she hops out of her car with a 7-month old "kitten" that was enormous- just your basic 17 lb. black panther hugging her shoulder. I nearly died of laughter... or, maybe it was shock! Nevertheless, "he" was a "lover" (as described by her breeder) and our new black kitty was promptly named "Hobie". Off we went to pick up the boat- a 30 ft Intrepid center console- in southern Long Island, with "Hobie" crawling all over inside the truck. Ultimately, we picked up the boat on Sunday 8:00am and drove back to Newport with the new "J/CREW" in tow (a bit larger than its predecessor- a 16 ft Boston Whaler!).

As if having two cats was not enough, segue forward three more years and my wife is now working at the Kitty Corner Cat Clinic in Newport. While I was "away at sea" over Thanksgiving weekend/ first week of December (I was racing a TP 52 with my cousin Jimmy in Phuket, Thailand, sailing in the famous King's Cup Regatta); my wife decided to add a THIRD cat to our household. This one was no spring chicken. Like Hobie, she was an enormous cat- a 13-year-old female Maine Coon cat tipping the scales around 17 lbs, too. Yikes! Sadly, she was a 'rescue cat', left by a previous owner, and was very timid at first. Her name was "Impy", but I nicknamed her "Whimpers". With both of us at home all the time, she's slowly coming out of her 'shell' and feeling more comfortable, and less intimidated, with the other two cats- Allie and Hobie. Thank goodness. 


As for your J/News editor, I had two "Throwback Thursday" moments while writing on Thursday. My calendar program promptly notified me at 9:00am that Charleston Race Week was taking place this weekend- remember that event? It was a poignant moment for me, as the original plan was to sail with my "Meatballs" friends on their J/88 ALBONDIGAS. Bummer. It reminded me of all the other wonderful times sailing in Charleston Harbour, racing J/70s and J/111s in the past. With Doug Curtiss on his J/111 WICKED 2.0, Heather and Joey on their J/70 MUSE, and Brian Keane's J/70 SAVASANA. Fond memories all...wishing that we can enjoy Charleston again in the near future...

The second throwback moment was a truly epic, adventurous trip to Chile that Julia and I took a year ago. Fourteen days. 12 hours flying from Boston to Miami to Santiago to Punta Arenas. A 30-hour trip by water on the Yagan Ferry down the Straits of Magellan, across the spectacular Beagle Channel (at least two-dozen glaciers spilling down to the seashore) to Puerto Williams, the truly "southernmost city" in the world.


Puerto Williams is part of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago; it’s known as a starting point for trips around Cape Horn. It’s also a gateway to trails around the jagged peaks of the nearby Dientes de Navarino. (https://goo.gl/maps/v6PVoJkBAnVK4j379).

How far south is it? 55 deg south latitude...versus the next closest place to the north familiar to many sailors, the southern tip of New Zealand's South Island- 46 deg south- just 540 miles north!

So far, that is the furthest south the J/Newsletter has ever been published- Puerto Williams! Coincidentally, there is a J/24 fleet there- part of the Chilean Navy's training program (the southernmost J/24 fleet on the planet)!


Thereafter, we did hike the trails up to Dientes de Navarino (they do look like "teeth"). From that height, you can see Cape Horn down south! Then, visited the famous Torres del Paine National Park north of Punta Arenas. Then, up to Puerto Montt and visiting Lago Llanquihue- famous for being surrounded by three volcanic snow-covered peaks- plus there is a J/80 fleet on the lake.

Thereafter, it was a fun trip up to Isla Negra (remember last week's visit to Chilean poet Pablo Neruda's museum?). A trip to a spectacular vineyard northeast of Algarrobo, a day tour of eclectic Valparaiso. And then home. Next time, New Zealand's South Island!

Best wishes to all. Stay safe & healthy. Cheers, Stu & Julia"