VOTE for J/Boats in Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image contest!

Here are the four images, the four photographers, and the four links!

Tim Wilkes
This is an amazing photo of J/70s off Cleveland, OH for J/70 North Americans. “As a yacht racing photographer, there are certain days that you live for,” commented Tim. “They are the most difficult days to create photos in, given the extreme wind and sea state. This was one of those days on Lake Erie… of all places! Purely magical. Pure excitement. Surfing a breaking wave down the course with the entire fleet behind you is a great feeling. I'm happy I was able to be there in the right spot and stable enough to capture it.”   View image and vote here.


Andy Green
“This was a cool shot of the J/125 JACK KNIFE from the IRC Regatta held at Pwllheli in August,” said Andy. “It had been champagne sailing with blue skies and 20 knots of breeze. I could see a squall moving to us and within minutes we where in 40+ knots of wind, heavy rain, and near zero visibility. The fleet where being battered by the conditions. But, as soon as it came the squall lifted, we returned to blue skies and 20 knot winds!”  View image and vote here.


Daniel Ljungsvik
“This was very amusing and picturesque perspective of a J/70 at this year’s Swedish J/70 Nationals taking a shortcut back to harbor! Through the weeds!!,” said Dan.   View image and vote here.


Pierrick Jeannoutot
It was an amazing regatta for the French J/70 class on the Mediterranean this summer. The J/70s were sailing off Marseille, France for their French J/70 Nationals.. fabulous conditions and love the backdrop, too! Said Pierrick, “I like this photo because, just before the finish line on the last leg of the regatta, the two J/70’s were symmetrically aligned on the two different gybe angles downwind.. So cool!”  View image and vote here.

GO VOTE for J/Boats in Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image contest!

Here are the four images, the four photographers, and the four links!

Tim Wilkes
This is an amazing photo of J/70s off Cleveland, OH for J/70 North Americans. “As a yacht racing photographer, there are certain days that you live for,” commented Tim. “They are the most difficult days to create photos in, given the extreme wind and sea state. This was one of those days on Lake Erie… of all places! Purely magical. Pure excitement. Surfing a breaking wave down the course with the entire fleet behind you is a great feeling. I'm happy I was able to be there in the right spot and stable enough to capture it.”   View image and vote here.


Andy Green
“This was a cool shot of the J/125 JACK KNIFE from the IRC Regatta held at Pwllheli in August,” said Andy. “It had been champagne sailing with blue skies and 20 knots of breeze. I could see a squall moving to us and within minutes we where in 40+ knots of wind, heavy rain, and near zero visibility. The fleet where being battered by the conditions. But, as soon as it came the squall lifted, we returned to blue skies and 20 knot winds!”  View image and vote here.


Daniel Ljungsvik
“This was very amusing and picturesque perspective of a J/70 at this year’s Swedish J/70 Nationals taking a shortcut back to harbor! Through the weeds!!,” said Dan.   View image and vote here.


Pierrick Jeannoutot
It was an amazing regatta for the French J/70 class on the Mediterranean this summer. The J/70s were sailing off Marseille, France for their French J/70 Nationals.. fabulous conditions and love the backdrop, too! Said Pierrick, “I like this photo because, just before the finish line on the last leg of the regatta, the two J/70’s were symmetrically aligned on the two different gybe angles downwind.. So cool!”  View image and vote here. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Order Your Gorgeous 2019 J/Calendar Now!

(Newport, RI)- A sailing calendar is a great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew.

For 2019, we have created another beautiful calendar for J/Sailors who love the joys of sailing a J in some of the most spectacular harbors and waters of the world.  Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in far away places.

The 2019 sailing calendar features the most popular as well as latest creations from the J/Design team sailing in many of the worlds most popular sailing areas- St Petersburg (Russia), British Virgin Island, St Barths, Chicago, France, Italy, Chile, Ireland, Germany, and Spain.  See the gorgeous photo gallery and order your 2019 J/Calendar here Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Eight Bells: Warren Miller- a great J/Boats sailor

(Newport Beach, CA)- Eight Bells: Warren Miller- a great J/Boats sailor in Southern California.

Warren Miller, the iconic and beloved filmmaker who introduced generations to the thrills and freedom of skiing and outdoor adventures (e.g. sailing), passed away at the age of 93 on Wednesday evening, January 24th. He died peacefully of natural causes at his home on Orcas Island, WA.

Miller earned global acclaim and a passionate, multi-generational following for his annual ski feature films, which kicked off the ski season for more than 60 years, showing in hundreds of cities across the U.S. and around the world. Packed with adventure and exotic travel, Miller’s distinct, droll narration and humorous hijinks on the slopes highlighted his films.

Beyond his ski films, there are legions of sailing enthusiasts that knew Miller for how his films captured their sport. A sailor himself, Miller was active in the P-Cat, J/24 and Tornado with his son Kurt. Their highlight was finishing third in the 1981 J/24 Worlds in Sydney, Australia.

“Nothing got my dad more excited than having our boat well prepared, sailing out to the start line, and the excitement of racing around the buoys with friends,” remarked Kurt.

Miller used his template of blending action, adventure, youth, light hearted moments and his engaging dialogue to entertain yacht club audiences and millions of television viewers. In all, there were over 20 sailing films including “Hot Yachts, Cold Water”, “High Performance Sailing” and “Gold Medal Sailors”.

Many iconic manufactures used the Warren Miller films to launch their brands including Windsurfer, J/24, Hobie 33, and Laser. Overall, Miller produced more than 500 films that primarily covered outdoor pursuits. As an artist, cartoonist, and author, he wrote some 1,200 columns and 11 books.

In retirement, he turned to destination motor boating in his 70s and 80s, exploring the Northwest and Alaska from his home on Orcas Island. During his 80s and 90s, Miller’s philanthropic efforts provided entrepreneurial training to thousands of youth nationwide, emphasizing hard work, ingenuity, and creativity.

Perhaps one of his most cited quotes provides some insight as to how Miller packed so much into one lifetime: “If you don’t do it this year, you’ll be one year older when you do.”

Miller is survived by his wife Laurie; by his sons Scott (Melissa) and Kurt (Ali); by his daughter, Chris (David Lucero); and by his stepson, Colin Kaufmann; three granddaughters (Valeska, Kasimira, and Jenna) and two grandsons (Alexander and Ryan).  A detailed look at Warren’s incredible life is available here: Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Gear Holiday Special!

A Holiday Special for all J/Boat owners, crews, and sailing friends!  Lots of great gift ideas & clothing for everyone!

Please go shopping EARLY for your custom J/GEAR to ensure delivery in time for the holidays!  You can get a 20% discount if you enter this code- JBH2017xm- when you are ready to check out and pay for your items.  This offer is good until November 19th, 2017 (note- half-models and JBoats custom prints are not included in this offer).  Visit the J/Gear store now-  http://jgear.vsport.biz Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Make Your Office Merry & Bright With Ultimate Sailing!

Choose from prints of the world's top regattas or select a digital download and use a D.I.Y. print and frame.  You'll be a star this holiday season, with images from Sharon Green and Ultimate Sailing- another famous Canadian sailor!

J/Sailors get 30% OFF prints and digital downloads.  Please use coupon code- PHOTO30 - at checkout.

Recent regattas that feature Sharon's extraordinary shots of J/Boats include:

•  J/70 Worlds- San Francisco, CA- click here
•  Rolex Big Boat Series (J70, J88, J105, J111, J120, J125)- San Francisco, CA- click here
•  New York YC Annual Regatta (J105, J109, J44)- Newport, RI- click here
•  Key West Race Week (J70, J80, J88, J111, J122)- Key West, FL- click here

J/105 North Americans Announcement

(San Francisco, CA)- St. Francis Yacht Club, will host the 2015 J/105 North American Championship in conjunction with Rolex Big Boat Series on September 17-20. The four days of racing cover a wide variety of courses, not just windward-leeward, thereby providing a great test of seamanship and navigational skills.

According to J/105 Class President and Regatta Chairman, Bruce Stone, “We have several boats available to charter – just call or email me, and I'll put you in touch with the owners.

Boat and sail inspections will take place on the days leading into the regatta. Non-SF Bay teams may purchase HA (heavy air) sails without them counting against their 2015 sail tags as long as they sell those sails prior to year end. They also have the option to tag them in 2016.

On Wednesday, September 16, most teams practice between noon and 3:30 pm, and then come into the Club for weigh-in and onsite registration. The North Sails team will be on the water taking photos of all boats (not just their clients), and then during the late afternoon weigh-in, they will provide a slide show with individualized pre-regatta commentary on each boat's rig tune, sail shape and even how your crew is hiking!

You and your team are then invited to an opening reception at the Club, sponsored by Rolex— a great chance to meet your fellow J/105 competitors and exchange local knowledge. The PROs will provide an initial briefing and answer questions about the courses.

For the first three days, there will be two races each day, starting either on the Berkeley Circle or on the western face of Treasure Island, with long windward beats and then dramatic downwind runs, including planing across the Bay to a reach mark. The second race will start on the opposite course, and generally finish in front of the clubhouse, a spectacular scene for your friends and family who come to watch.

Mt. Gay and Rolex will host parties at the Club after racing Thursday and Friday, and treat us to a video montage of the action. Here's what the regatta looked like in 2014, watch the Rolex J/105 Big Boat Series promo here.

Your regatta entry fee covers dinner for six on Saturday night at the St. Francis Yacht Club's Northwest Room with stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge. You may buy extra tickets onsite for family and friends.

As a no-throw-out regatta, the competition comes down to what happens on Sunday! This is generally one longer race, the famous “Bay Tour”, finishing in front of the Clubhouse. The winner of the J/105 North Americans will have his or her name inscribed on the J/105 perpetual trophy, and will receive the coveted Rolex Big Boat Series Oyster Perpetual Date Submariner (worth almost $9,000) with an inscription on the back commemorating the victory.

Come on out to San Francisco with your J/105!!  We’ll help you find a talented local rigger and a compatible marina for launching and berthing before the event... or let us know if you want us to connect you with a local owner for a charter or a joint-venture. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you in September!”  You can contact Bruce at email- “bruce@brucestone.com” or cell# 917-822-4060.  Registration information here.  For more J/105 North Americans sailing information

BACARDI Newport Sailing Week Announcement

(Newport, Rhode Island)- On behalf of Bacardi USA, EFG Bank, and all our sponsors we would like to extend an invitation to the J/70 Class to attend the 5th edition of the BACARDI Newport Sailing Week presented by EFG Bank to be held in Newport, RI from June 26th to the 28th, 2015.

June’s most anticipated sailing event in the Northeast, the BACARDI Newport Sailing Week presented by EFG Bank, will return to Newport this summer for a week filled with good sailing and festivities.  This year’s event will hold an exciting agenda with amazing sailing, an impressive “Light Photography” exhibit at Bowen’s Wharf, and exciting BACARDI events in bars and establishments throughout town.  Host for this year’s event will be the Newport Yacht Club with the help of Sail Newport as the race committee.

With the continued support from our generous sponsors along with the precious and professional experience of Sail Newport, the BACARDI Newport Sailing Week, now in its fifth year, attracts sailors from all over the country. Five one design fleets will be participating, including the extremely popular J/70.  The fleets will gather and compete in a weekend regatta filled with fun and exciting racing on the waters of Narragansett Bay.  A welcome cocktail and registration will take place on Friday, June 26th with racing on both Saturday and Sunday.  After racing competitors will enjoy the warm BACARDI hospitality with plenty of food, drinks and good music!

Official Regatta Cocktail
The Bacardi “Cuban Storm” is the official drink of the regatta. Simple and refreshing, “Bacardi 8, Ginger Beer & Lime” is a sailor’s favorite that was introduced to celebrate the famed Bacardi Cup. Sailors and friends will be treated at the Bacardi bar inside the hospitality village.

In Miami, we had the privilege to host 46 J/70 boats, and it was a lot of fun!  If you’d like to review images of the event we’ve put together a nice sailing video recap here on YouTube.

Registration is open and you can register here.  For more Bacardi Newport Sailing Week sailing information

Organized & Ready To Get Busy?!

(Newport, RI)- Order your J/Calendar 2015 now!  It’s not too late to get yourselves scheduled for the New Year! 2015 promises a lot of fun sailing and wonderful times to kick back, relax and socialize with friends both on and off the water.

For 2015, we have created another beautiful calendar for J sailors!  Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, each month will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in far away places.  Even better yet, use it to make sure you get to those sailing events to create those wistful memories!

The 2015 sailing calendar features photos of J/70s flying off Monte Carlo & Lake Garda; J/24s dueling off Sweden, Newport & Seattle; surrealistic J/80s off Santander, Spain; J/120s gliding off San Diego; J/111s serenely sailing on the Solent; J/22s sailing off the Netherlands; and other gorgeous images of J/105s and J/122.  See gallery here. Order your 2015 J/Calendar today here!

Organized & Ready To Get Busy?!

(Newport, RI)- Order your J/Calendar 2015 now!  It’s not too late to get yourselves scheduled for the New Year! 2015 promises a lot of fun sailing and wonderful times to kick back, relax and socialize with friends both on and off the water.

For 2015, we have created another beautiful calendar for J sailors!  Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, each month will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in far away places.  Even better yet, use it to make sure you get to those sailing events to create those wistful memories!

The 2015 sailing calendar features photos of J/70s flying off Monte Carlo & Lake Garda; J/24s dueling off Sweden, Newport & Seattle; surrealistic J/80s off Santander, Spain; J/120s gliding off San Diego; J/111s serenely sailing on the Solent; J/22s sailing off the Netherlands; and other gorgeous images of J/105s and J/122.  See gallery here. Order your 2015 J/Calendar today here!

Welcome to 2015! Get Organized & Get Busy!

(Newport, RI)- Order your J/Calendar 2015 now!  It’s not too late to get yourselves scheduled for the New Year! 2015 promises a lot of fun sailing and wonderful times to kick back, relax and socialize with friends both on and off the water.

For 2015, we have created another beautiful calendar for J sailors!  Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, each month will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in far away places.  Even better yet, use it to make sure you get to those sailing events to create those wistful memories!

The 2015 sailing calendar features photos of J/70s flying off Monte Carlo & Lake Garda; J/24s dueling off Sweden, Newport & Seattle; surrealistic J/80s off Santander, Spain; J/120s gliding off San Diego; J/111s serenely sailing on the Solent; J/22s sailing off the Netherlands; and other gorgeous images of J/105s and J/122.  See gallery here. Order your 2015 J/Calendar today here!

The Perfect Gift For People Who Love Sailing!

(Newport, RI)- HOT Off the Press!  Order your J/Calendar 2015 now! There’s still enough time to fill the stockings or toss some under the tree for your favorite sailors!

For 2015, we have created another beautiful calendar for J sailors who love the joys of sailing a J in some of the most spectacular harbors and waters of the world.  Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in far away places.

The 2015 sailing calendar features photos of J/70s flying off Monte Carlo & Lake Garda; J/24s dueling off Sweden, Newport & Seattle; surrealistic J/80s off Santander, Spain; J/120s gliding off San Diego; J/111s serenely sailing on the Solent; J/22s sailing off the Netherlands; and other gorgeous images of J/105s and J/122.  A great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew (see gallery here). Order your 2015 J/Calendar today here!

J/70 Key West Photo- Top Twenty Finalist- Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image Award 2014!

(Barcelona, Spain)-Thanks to all J/Sailors worldwide for your support! This competition is open to professional photographers from all over the world. Its goal is to pay tribute to their work, to provide them with a promotional platform and to help promote the sport of sailing to a wider audience.  No less than 120 racing photographers from all over the world submitted photographs of their choice for the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image award 2014.

The votes are now closed and the top 20 pictures– chosen by the public– are presented in this gallery, including Sharon Green’s (Ultimate Sailing.com) photo of the J/70’s starting in storm conditions off Key West in January 2014. See this photo here.

Two prizes will be awarded on December 11, in Barcelona, during the World Yacht Racing Forum:

1. The Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image (main prize)- selected by an international, independent jury consisting of Carlo Croce (ISAF President, ITA), Ken Read (North Sails Group President, USA), Karin Bäcklund (Volvo Ocean Race Commercial Director / Volvo Cars Sponsorship Director, SWE), Antonio Palma (Partner and CEO of Mirabaud, SUI) and Abner Kingman (Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image award winner 2013, USA),
2. The Prize of the Public- with the winner selected by delegates attending the World Yacht Racing Forum from the top twenty photos.

Learn more about the Mirabaud Yacht Racing image award here.

Awesome J/24 & J/70 Worlds Photo Gifts!

(Newport, RI)- After the success of the J/70 and J/24 Worlds in Newport, Paul Todd/ OUTSIDE IMAGES would like to offer all sailors a Christmas “coupon” so you can buy prints of yourselves (or for friends, family or crew) from the Outside Images website. The two galleries are: J/70 Worlds   J/24 Worlds

The coupon code “Jchristmas” can be applied at checkout on all prints. It’s a 20% discount on all prints!  For more Outside Images photo or ordering information, please contact Paul Todd @ paul@outsideimages.co.nz.

NEW J/Calendar 2014! Never Too Late!

Never too Late For Those Naughty or Nice!
(Newport, RI)- Order today!  Give a beautiful 2014 J/Sailing Calendar to  sailors who love the joys of sailing a J in some of the most spectacular harbors and waters of the world.  Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in far away places. Plus, it's time to get organized for your 2014 sailing schedule!

The 2014 sailing calendar features photos of flying J/70s off Key West; a fleet of J/24s dueling upwind off Monte Carlo, Monaco; surrealistic scenes of J/80s off Santander, Spain and sailing off “the cathedral” in Palma Mallorca; a fleet of J/120s crossing Alcatraz Island on San Francisco Bay; J/111s sailing in front of the spectacular Chicago skyline; a J/42 cruising along an idyllic Maine coastline; and other gorgeous images of J/105s, J/22s and a J/125.   A great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew (see gallery)!   Order your 2014 J/Calendar today, click here.

J/111 North American Photos

(Chicago, IL)- For those J/111 sailors that competed in the inaugural J/111 North American Championships recently sailed off Chicago's spectacular waterfront, be sure to take a look at the on-line photo gallery for the event.  There are many beautiful photos of J/111s sailing offshore with the fleet and individual boats juxtaposed against the dramatic backdrop of downtown Chicago skyscrapers and smoke trails from the acrobatic planes doing mind-blowing aerial tricks in the awesome Chicago Air & Water Show.

Sailing Photographer Meredith Block has loaded over 300 of her images to Exposure Manager; a high quality online order-and-print service. The photos are organized by team name and prints are available from small to poster size. Order a memento for your desk or art-size wall prints for your team or anything in between!  You can also contact Meredith directly by email- meredith@blocksail.com with any questions.   For more J/111 North American Championship sailing photos.

J/70 JUGADOR Nationals Video!

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The J/70s in the UK recently held their J/70 UK Nationals at the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes, Isle of Wight, England.  One of the teams, Jack Davies's JUGADOR had some fun with GoPro video on-board.  Said Jack, "Here is a video of us on the J/70 JUGADOR. The video was compiled from footage taken over the weekend of the inaugural British J/70 National Championship held out of Cowes, UK. Hope you enjoy! It features a bit of heavy airs downwind sailing and some lighter airs stuff, and a healthy broach at the end! If anyone would like to keep up with how J/70 sailing in the UK is developing, and with how Team Jugador are getting on then click "Like" on our Facebook page.   Watch J/70 Team JUGADOR's sailing video here.

J Media Around The Globe!

(Newport, RI)- While many sailors in the USA and Europe have seen the J/70 sail or saw one in local boat shows or sailing magazines, there are still parts of the world that have not- like Belgium and Chile.

Recently, Belgian sailors had their taste of the J/70 sailing experience. Their premiere sailing magazine- VAREN- did a test of the J/70 on the Braassemermeer and it was recently featured in latest issue- please see http://www.varen.be 

Furthermore, VAREN did a cameo video on the J/70 sailing on YouTube, please watch here.

In the meantime, Manuel Eguiguren was recently out sailing J/70s on a spectacular Chilean lake high in the Andes Mountains of South America-- enjoy this "J/70 sailing music video" here.

Cover Girl- J/70! Did anyone see the April issue of Sailing World magazine?  The J/70 was on the cover and SW Editor Dave Reed's article was about the J/70 sailing experience in Key West Race Week. In addition, the "From the Expert's" article was about sportboat tips that are directly applicable to the 70.

Cover Girl- J/24! The March Sailing World cover was about how the International J/24 continues to maintain passionate, devoted followers of the world's largest one-design keelboat class.  With used J/24s available at affordable prices, the J/24 class continues to attract many of the world's best sailors worldwide due to its affordability, quality of competition and depth of talent. What was true 35 years ago is true today, one-design keelboat sailing in a strictly controlled ISAF one-design class affords many people the opportunity to learn quickly and progress forward according to their ability-- at any level of sailing-- locally, regionally, nationally or globally. Even America's Cup and Volvo Race sailors owe their experience as sailors to J/24s.  Never forget it!  Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes.com and Sharon Green/ Ultimate Sailing.com.

Rick Deppe- Volvo Ocean Race media guru & J/Sailor delivers VOR65

(London, England)-  Once upon a time, Ricky was learning the ropes of the yachting world back in 1990.  As a lad from deep in the Midlands of the UK, he managed through serendipity and connections with amazingly nice guys like Richard Mason from Lymington (then at North Sails UK) to connect with leaders in the sailing world.  His intersection with the J/World was to be captain of the J/44 J-HAWK for a period of time (Winner of the 1990 Cowes Week CHS 1 Class and Overall Performance Boat of the Week!), then later other J/Boats teams and then videographer for Discovery Channels "Most Dangerous Jobs" program filming Alaskan king crab fishermen in the Gulf of Alaska. Yes. Ricky is a cool, incredibly nice guy with kids who sailed the Orange Bowl Regatta in Miami over Christmas and all those other things that sailing Dad's are supposed to do!

Ricky is still at it pioneering all manner of how to "bring it live" the Volvo Ocean Race to the world's couch potatoes, armchair navigators and tacticians who all know better!  Working with the Volvo Ocean Race crew, he's now looking after a unique concept in offshore sailing at a "grand prix" level-- uhhhh, one-design Volvo J/65s? Ooops, typo? Perhaps not! The concept was first introduced to the old Whitbread Race mafia back when Sir Peter Blake had just won with the IOR Maxi STEINLAGER.  Peter subsequently teamed up with UBF Finland's Team Manager Mark Musgrove and J/Boats' Rodney & Stu Johnstone to create the "J/Team"-- a 65 foot multi-tasking offshore grand prix racer in 1992 over 20 years ago.  The world does take time to adopt to such revolutionary ideas.  Thank Goodness it's now happening. As an interesting aside, the J/105 hull/sprit concept was an outgrowth of that partnership in 1992-- pioneering the entire sprit revolution as the world knows it today!

Today, we now see Ricky, in no small part of that evolution now looking after the first Volvo Ocean 65 hull.  As he describes it, "the Volvo truck towing it, its driver and three attendees have been on the road for five days now. They left the Persico factory in Bergamo, Italy, this past Friday. They are taking the ferry today from Hook of Holland to Harwich and the crossing from the Netherlands to the UK will take them six hours. The convoy is expecting to arrive at Green Marine in Southampton, tomorrow at lunchtime.

Once in the English boatyard, the hull will be put together with the other elements of the very first One Design boat to be sailed in the next two editions of the race.

But that’s for later. The 65-foot long structure is still traveling across a snowy northern Europe. It is quite a spectacle as the heavy load, taking up two lanes of highway, displays the slogan 'Coming soon to an ocean near you' on the side of the hull.

'It’s really tiring but it’s really fun. It’s just a massive adventure!' says Ricky, who is on the road to report this momentous journey.

'Paul Hamels is driving the lorry. We call him the "Flying Dutchman". He drives a lot of boats and big machinery. His life is quite comparable to that of the sailors. He has an unusual job and is away from home for a really long time. He works very unusual hours.

'He is almost the helmsman of the boat at the moment. When you’re helming a Volvo boat, it’s a lot of responsibility. Well, when you’re driving an exceptional convoy, it’s a lot of responsibility, too. You cannot just turn and go too fast. He plays it pretty cool.'

Hamels may be used to these unusual deliveries but that doesn’t make the trip an easy cruise. The snow in Europe has been slowing the convoy down in Germany, but they made it on time to the ferry nonetheless.

'The other truck drivers have asked Paul what was going on,' adds Rick. 'You see people slowing down and taking pictures. You know, it’s pretty important and we’re going to do it at least seven more times!'

Follow Ricky's Volvo 65 journey here!  http://www.volvooceanrace.com/

Gorgeous New 2013 J/Calendar!

The Perfect Gift For People Who Love Sailing!
(Newport, RI)- For 2013 we've created another beautiful calendar for J sailors who love the joys of sailing a J in some of the most spectacular harbors and waters of the world.  Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in far away places. The 2013 sailing calendar features photos (pictured here) of a dramatic J/111 powering upwind off Newport; a fleet of J/24s off sunny Tampa; surrealistic scenes of J/80s off Santander, Spain and flying downwind off Marseilles, France; a fleet of J/120s rocking downwind under spinnakers on San Francisco Bay; J/70s flying along under spinnakers; J/22s starting in the Rocky Mountains; and a J/97, J/109 and J/122 sailing in sunny Solent conditions.  A great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew!    Order your 2013 J/Calendar today, click here