Fantastic J/70 Fall Package Special!

(Newport, RI)- There is no hotter class in the new millennium than the J/70.  With 1,500 boats sailing in 25+ countries, the worldwide growth of J/Boats’ first ramp-launchable keelboat has been remarkable.

The owner-run J/70 Class is thriving with events for all ages and levels, youth and women’s championships, and includes upcoming World Championships in Torbay, England (2019), Marina del Rey, CA (2020), Monte Carlo, Monaco (2021), and Newport, Rhode Island (2022). 

More than just a world-class one-design, the J/70 is FUN to sail, easy-to-own, and easy-to-trailer for that next family adventure.   And now, it’s never been easier to get started!  From today until October 15, 2019, J/Boats is offering a special North American J/70 sail-away package.

J/70 Fall Package Special:

• 2020 Model J/70 with standard equipment
• Selden carbon mast and boom
• Harken Snubbair low-profile winches
• Cross-sheet jib cleats and vang cheek blocks
• Galvanized, single-axle, float off/lift off trailer
• One-Design Class Sails – mainsail, 100% jib and A2 class spinnaker with class sail tags.
• Companionway spinnaker bag.
• Safety Gear – anchor, chain & rode, bucket, bilge pump, first aid kit, two fenders, two dock lines.

The Package Special is $49,900 (Bristol, RI) for orders placed prior to October 15, 2019.  Please contact your local J/Dealer or J/Boats for more information.  Learn more about the world’s most successful sportboat- the International J/70 here. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/88 Class Update

(Rye, NY)- The J/88 class continues to enjoy excellent class racing in the Great Lakes and the East Coast.  Here is a class report and update from J/88 Class President Iris Vogel, she is the owner of DEVIATION.

“For starters, we would like to congratulate the winner of the STC Championships at Rochester YC, Al Minella and the team of ALBONDINGAS, well done!  Second went to DEVIATION and third to ESCAPE.  Team ALBONDIGAS also took first in the “Can One” Thursday night series.

At American Yacht Club’s annual Fall Series Regatta, we congratulate Doug Newhouse and the team of YONDER for an excellent performance followed by Elizabeth Barry and team ESCAPE in second and team DEVIATION in third.

In both regattas, the racing was extremely close and every competitor had great races with many different boats taking firsts in individual races.  Saturday, 9/30 finally gave us some big breeze to show what the J/88 can do- gusts hit 29 kts at one point on Saturday!

With two great OD events behind us, let's finish the 2017 Long Island Sound season in style.  There is still the Gearbuster (IHYC) and Manhasset Bay Fall Series - dates are October 14th, 15th, & 21st.  Let's have a strong showing at these two end of season events!

Also, we look forward to some J/88s that are also participating and supporting college sailing teams in the Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta at Larchmont YC.

For all who are planning their winter schedule, we will again focus on three great regattas!  They are:

• Jan 19-21- J/FEST St Petersburg- St Petersburg, FL
• Feb 16-18- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Petersburg, FL
• Apr 12-15- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC

Please note- in St Pete, the J/88 fleet has a special rate for storage at the Sailor's Wharf.

I look forward to seeing you all in the fall and winter events!  Best, Iris”

What is interesting to note about the J/88s is that it is a very “women-friendly” owner class- with four top teams all owned and skippered by very good women sailors!

For more J/88 one-design class information   For more J/88 family speedster sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Electric J/88 SEAHORSE Feature!

(Lymington, England)- French sailmaker Alain Janet is the founder of Solar Cloth System which has been busy developing a practical system for generating electrical power from thin photovoltaic films laminated onto modern sail fabrics…

In the past sailors have taken the ecological high ground over other boaters, yet modern sailing requires far more electrical power than it used to. With new onboard technologies and their growing demands for power, it’s clear that sailors now experience regular energy shortages while cruising and/or racing, even over relatively short distances. And of course, the problem grows exponentially when you are racing across oceans and around the world.

Sea and sun go hand in hand, so solar power has long seemed to offer an answer to this problem. However, rigid solar panels are heavy, bulky and require a lot of ingenuity to install discretely; but what about producing electricity with our sails?   See the article attached here- thanks to SEAHORSE magazine.

J/88 Sailing Perspectives- by Don Finkle

(Youngstown, New York)- “Why the J88?  Now that we have a couple of seasons of sailing and selling the 29 foot J88 we can answer this question with confidence.  An acknowledged perk of our business is the ability to sail the newest designs as they come out, not just once or twice, but over a season or more.  We have been able to do this for over 40 years, and the boats we like the most are the ones we hold onto the longest.  This will be our fourth year with the J70 and the third with the J88, which will tell you what we think of these boats.  There is much you can figure out by reading specs and studying equipment lists, such as the standard carbon fiber rig and retractable sprit, diesel saildrive, full race deck layout, a real marine head, etc.  What you can’t really tell is how the boat sails and handles, that is where we can fill in the blanks.

J/Boats has made themselves the preeminent performance boat company by focusing on what the majority of racers want.  Because they are racing sailors themselves and spend a great deal of time on the water and at regattas they know their customers.  They are not after the Grand Prix market, that is too small and there is very limited staying power there.  J/Boats are designed to be fast and agile enough to be fun and competitive with the vast majority of the boats out there but not tweaky and skittish or demanding of excellent crew to keep the mast pointed up and the keel pointed down.  The J88 is a perfect example of that, a fast boat that is fun to sail, easy to handle, and not over the top powered up.  Don’t get the idea that it is not quick enough however, for unless you are looking for the ultimate in speed you won’t be disappointed.  The 88 is well balanced on the helm, goes where you point it, is surprisingly close-winded and stable.  The various sail tests out there (one included below) will emphasize that the 88 is nimble yet has a bigger boat feel.  That is comforting when you are day-sailing, taking out friends and family, training new crew, or when the weather gets nasty.

The 88 has become one of our all-time favorites because we can have so much fun with it.  It is a perfect size for those who don’t need to go cruising for any length of time.  The inboard engine, furling jib, marine head, real electrical system and seats in the forward cockpit make for convenience.  The retractable sprit and asymmetrical kits mean easier sailing with less demand for crew experience.  The deck and cockpit layout allow for comfortable places to sit.  The lack of midship toerails makes for much more comfortable hiking, as does the increased spacing between upper and lower lifelines.  The low deckhouse and small headsail overlap improve forward visibility upwind. We can be underway very quickly and putting the boat away after sailing is also simple.  This means more time having fun and less time for chores.  On the flip side all of the sail controls are there as standard equipment so you can have lots of fun fine-trimming to your heart’s content.

Yes, we love the J88 and make no apologies for that.  A good, solid, all-around performer designed by people who know what matters and built to last.  So please tell us what more one can ask for?

At least 6 J/88s racing out of Youngstown this summer:  We have one of, if not the, biggest local fleet in North America.  On any given race night, we could have six J/88’s on the starting line.  Whether we have our own start or not, there will be great one-design racing between the boats on Lake Ontario.  We found out last year that there were a lot of boats in our PHRF range that made for good competitive racing.  We were given a PHRF-LO rating of 87, but raced it at 81 because of the six second “protect the fleet” penalty.  That rating didn’t seem to hurt too much and still had good competition with the other Beneteau 36.7’s racing with a 78 rating, the J/109 at 80, Beneteau 10R at 92, NM Custom 30 at 93.  The J/88 is tough to beat if sailed to its potential.  We don’t know what the rating will be this year, but we are fine with any number between 81 and 87, knowing that we can be competitive in that range.

Longest J/70 delivery yet?

(Sydney, Australia)-   Maybe.  Sydney to Fremantle is only 2,485 miles driving!!  But, the distance from Bristol, Rhode Island to Sydney is over 11,000 miles!  Total J/70 traveling distance before it’s first sail?!  13,485 miles minimum, no wrong turns!  Here is the story from Malcolm, her new owner:

“What I got for Christmas and how it became the most travelled J/70 in the world??

It all started when I met Rod from VicSail WA (the J/Boats Western Australia dealer) at the Mandurah Boat show where he had the first J/70 in Western Australia on display. I had done my research on the J/70 and, after seeing it, ordered one!

As it happened Rod & Tony of Vicsail Yachts WA’s Sydney colleague, Ray from Yachtspot, had placed an order for two and the second one had no name against it.  So, it became mine!  With a promise of delivery before Christmas!

However, the odds began to stack against the J/Boat guys in Australia. The J/70s left the Port of New York on time but the freighter ran into problems in Jeddah and was delayed by several days.  This delay impacted the arrival time in Singapore to the point the container had to be trans-shipped and placed on another freighter from Singapore.

The original delivery time into Sydney of the 2nd December was now in serious doubt.  Fate struck again when the ship was delayed in Brisbane, Australia but it finally arrived in Sydney on the 12th December.  Sweet!  Still plenty of time!  Or, so we thought.  Then, a strike by the Stevedores in Port Botany!  Good Lord, now another few days of delays and my Christmas boat in jeopardy once more.

The J/70s finally trucked from Port Botany to Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club to be un-packed on 17th December and this is when the service from the J/Boat guys really kicked in. They were now finally in control of the boats.

I spoke to Tony and he advised, ‘No worries Malcolm, we will have your boat un-packed, keel fitted, prepped for the journey and on a waiting trailer today (Wednesday the 17th).  We are meeting Ray at the “Big Galah” on Friday the 18th and he said his own J/70 can wait until he returns.’

The “Big Galah” for the non-Australians amongst you is the name of a famous landmark featuring a giant model of a “galah” 8.5 meters high and situated halfway between Perth in Western Australia and Sydney on the east coast.  Tony, Rod and Ray made this amazing trip of 2,100 km each in 2 days and met with my boat at the Big Galah on Friday 19th December. Tony & Rod delivered my J/70 to Royal Perth Yacht Club on Sunday 20th December after its memorable journey from the USA, and an even more incredible delivery of over 4,200 km across Australia!  Amazing!

Thanks to the combined efforts of the J/Boats Team in Australia, my new J/70 arrived in time for Christmas as they promised!  Thanks a million, Malcolm”

Recent reports from Malcolm is that he’s one incredibly happy guy!  Loves the boat, especially since it’s about the only sport boat in Fremantle that can handle the daily 20-30 kts TWS!  Malcolm has promised some “amazing video” soon!

Best Practices- Boat Maintenance

For All J/Boats from J/22 to J/65
(Newport, RI)- The recent tragedy involving four British sailors lost in the Atlantic and their boat (the 40 foot sloop Cheeky Rafiki) that was found adrift without a keel, is a chilling reminder of the potential hazards of undertaking an offshore sailing passage.  One can never be too careful when it comes to preparing for such a voyage.

We’d like to stress to all J owners the ongoing need to be vigilant in the routine inspection and maintenance of boats in the field.   Boats should be inspected annually, surveyed every 5 years, and key components should be specifically checked and replaced well before their expected life-spans are reached.

J/Boats first published a Best Practices Boat Inspection article in 2008 which has since been circulated several times via dealer bulletin, J/News, and on J websites, including the Technical Bulletin section of all boat models on jowners.org.   The document is also included in new Owner Manuals.   Last year, we additionally circulated a Best Practices Corrosion bulletin for models equipped with sail-drives.

Please refresh your memory by reading these important documents and sharing this information with your boat service providers.
-  Best Practices- Boat Inspection
-  Best Practices- Corrosion

J/70 Gadgets & Mods

(Youngstown, NY)- Don Finkle at J/Dealer RCR Yachts has been sailing his J/70 JUNIOR for over a year with his family and friends, starting with the 2013 J/70 Midwinters at Key West.  Amongst other things, Don is always looking for ways to improve the overall experience of going to regattas, seeing friends and sailing fast, but comfortably.

Some of the upgrades they’ve employed are helpful for those first getting engaged in the whole program.  Here are Don’s commentary on the upgrades to share with all J/70 friends:

“The first is the J/70 mast stepper that was made by RCR’s Brian Buczak (initially designed & engineered by the J/Boats Team in Newport). We’ve now used it several times and it has made stepping and dropping the rig much easier to accomplish, especially if you don’t always have three people around to help.  As you can see from the picture, there is a wooden piece that sits on the stern rails and is fastened down to hold in place.  There is also a tall post approximately six feet high, with a trailer roller at the top (the key piece!), that fits through the cross beam that we clamped down on the motor bracket by using a c-clamp.  While down in Florida, friends of ours from the J/70 fleet stopped by as we were stepping the mast and commented on how easy it looked when using this contraption.  When the rig is down, we could very simply slide out the stepper and secure it to the trailer while the cross beam held the mast in place when towing.  We highly recommend using something like this and we’d be happy to show you the one we are using.

The other new upgrade that we are using is the soft deck installed on the floor of our cockpit.  We absolutely LOVED this addition.  The deck not only looks good but has great grip, wet or dry, and provided good cushion on the knees when in light air and kneeling on the cockpit becomes a necessity.  We’ve been told that the weight of the deck is about 3 to 5 pounds, but the benefits greatly make up for any added weight.  This past weekend in St Pete brought some bigger breeze on Saturday and we found ourselves on our side a few times.  At the angle of heel we would normally slip on the deck but we had no such issue with the soft deck.  There are several suppliers of these soft decks and we have not tested them all out, but the “Raptor” deck we are using has really worked out great.