USA Debut in Newport/Annapolis Sailboat Shows
The J/97 will make her boatshow debut at the Newport Boat Show on September 17-20. Hull #6 arrived in Bristol, RI and will be launched by September 7th. The J/97 will be available for demos in Newport before and after the Newport Show. If you're interested in taking a tour/demo of the new J/97, please contact J/Boats or a dealer.
The timing couldn’t be better for the USA introduction of the new J/97: Hull #2 just finished a nearly clean sweep of their IRC Class at Cowes Week and earned the coveted Overall Black Fleet prize for outstanding performance in the fleet; and the USA sailing market is starting to show life with new boat inquiries at J Boats (over the past 8 weeks) at double the monthly rate of the previous 18 months.
We’re excited to debut the J/95 and J/97 together at the Newport and Annapolis shows. Two new, clearly differentiated, designs with cool design features, high performance value and the easy handling attributes J Boats are known for.
Monday, August 31, 2009
The J/World Annual Fall Cruise
Southbound from California to Baja and Mexico
Each October and November, J/World heads south for the winter... we go where the sailing is great, off to the warm waters and predictable breezes of Banderas Bay on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. And you are invited to join us for the journey! Come along for one leg, or multiple passages, with our J/World offshore cruising instructor to help show you the ropes. The best way to learn to cruise is by cruising!
Our getaway to the cruising grounds, pueblos, and spectacular south-of-the-border cities starts with LEG 1 in San Francisco, and we work our way down the rugged and spectacular northern California coastline. The famous maritime centers of Santa Cruz and Monterey are just a couple of possible ports-of call.
LEG 2, our Southern California leg, begins in the spectacular town of Santa Barbara, and cruises south to San Diego via the unique Santa Catalina Island. Natural beauty and an intriguing history make this a truly special place.
Then the rally begins on LEG 3. In San Diego, we join up with the (in)famous cruiser's rally to Cabo San Lucas, the Baja-Ha-Ha. Some 150+ boats participate in this annual pilgrimage to Mañana-Land.
There are a total of three legs over the period of two weeks, and the sailing is generally great. Add to that a couple of stops in some of the most beautiful bays on the Baja peninsula and the camaraderie of a great fleet, and you have one of the most impressive events we have been a part of!
As if that wasn't enough, we wrap up the annual cruise with LEG 4, a 7 day adventure across the Sea of Cortez. Starting in lovely Cabo San Lucas, the crew will make a couple of stops in Baja, then it is off towards the mainland. Islands, small towns, and quiet bays await, culminating in the arrival at our beautiful winter base in Puerto Vallarta.
For more details on each leg, including specific dates and costs.
Each October and November, J/World heads south for the winter... we go where the sailing is great, off to the warm waters and predictable breezes of Banderas Bay on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. And you are invited to join us for the journey! Come along for one leg, or multiple passages, with our J/World offshore cruising instructor to help show you the ropes. The best way to learn to cruise is by cruising!
Our getaway to the cruising grounds, pueblos, and spectacular south-of-the-border cities starts with LEG 1 in San Francisco, and we work our way down the rugged and spectacular northern California coastline. The famous maritime centers of Santa Cruz and Monterey are just a couple of possible ports-of call.
LEG 2, our Southern California leg, begins in the spectacular town of Santa Barbara, and cruises south to San Diego via the unique Santa Catalina Island. Natural beauty and an intriguing history make this a truly special place.
Then the rally begins on LEG 3. In San Diego, we join up with the (in)famous cruiser's rally to Cabo San Lucas, the Baja-Ha-Ha. Some 150+ boats participate in this annual pilgrimage to Mañana-Land.
There are a total of three legs over the period of two weeks, and the sailing is generally great. Add to that a couple of stops in some of the most beautiful bays on the Baja peninsula and the camaraderie of a great fleet, and you have one of the most impressive events we have been a part of!
As if that wasn't enough, we wrap up the annual cruise with LEG 4, a 7 day adventure across the Sea of Cortez. Starting in lovely Cabo San Lucas, the crew will make a couple of stops in Baja, then it is off towards the mainland. Islands, small towns, and quiet bays await, culminating in the arrival at our beautiful winter base in Puerto Vallarta.
For more details on each leg, including specific dates and costs.
J-CUP and J/109 UK Nationals
J/109 J-DREAM Wins Again!
(Torquay, England- August 22-23)- After two days and six races in big breeze, the final two races of the 2009 J-Cup, sponsored by Dubarry of Ireland, B&G and North Sails, were hotly fought on Saturday. Most of the 63 boats racing at the event, which was hosted by the Royal Torbay Yacht Club, seemed to enjoy the benign but shifty 8 to 12 knots from the South to South East.
After much counting and phoning and haranguing of the Race Committee for the results, the nail-biting finale to the 2009 J/109 UK National Championship saw Kirsty and David Apthorp in J-DREAM crowned with the title on 28 points whilst Brian Moreton and his team on JUKE BOX were forced to settle for the runner-up slot.
Silverware and prizes donated by the numerous generous prize sponsors of the J-Cup were presented to the podium finishers in each class racing at the event, in addition to several special awards.
B&G have sponsored the J-Cup as a principal sponsor for a number of years now and their generosity continues; for IRC1, some extremely valuable Deckman software went to the winner, John Patterson, and the new J/109 UK National Champions Kirsty and David Apthorp and the crew on J-DREAM were given B&G branded Henri Lloyd gilets. B&G affiliate, Lowrance, now produce a combined VHF and GPS (complete with MOB alarm transmitter). This fabulous bit of brand new kit was presented to the bowman of the J/105 JEOPARDY, who had taken an unscheduled swim earlier in the regatta.
Dubarry of Ireland also has a long established and extremely valuable sponsorship relationship with the J-Cup and two trophies, fashioned in bronze to represent the iconic Dubarry Ultima Boot, are presented each year, along with numerous valuable product prizes from the Dubarry range.
The Dubarry Boot for Endurance was presented to Mike and Sarah Wallis and their team from the J/109 JAHMALI.
The Dubarry Boot for Outstanding Achievement was presented this year to Brian Moreton and his crew on the J/109 JUKE BOX.
The Elvstrom Trophy for the best newcomer to the J-Cup was presented to Andrew Ashworth and his team on the J/80 JAMMY DODGER. Andrew is by his own definition, relatively new to sportsboat sailing, and this class win at his first J-Cup tops off a very fine season for JAMMY DODGER.
The Musketeer Trophy is a double champagne bucket and is presented to the lowest scoring two boat team (comprising one J/109 and then a second boat from another class) at the event. This year, the bucket and the bubbles were awarded David Richards (J/109 JUMPING JELLYFISH) and Colin Wall (J/97 TRUE LOVE).
And finally… the coveted J-Cup is the trophy... Colin Wall is a stalwart of the J-Cup and has raced at the event in a variety of different J Boat models which have included the J/100, the J/105 and the J/92. Colin has won his class at the J-Cup before but he has never been presented with the J-Cup Trophy. This year, after achieving a perfect 8 out of 8 scoreline, and in recognition of his commitment to the J-Cup cause, Colin Wall and his crew on board the J/97 TRUE LOVE, were deservedly presented with the J-Cup Trophy.
Top three by class, were the following:
In IRC Class 1 the J/122 PANACEA sailed by John & Hill Petterson was first, followed by the J/122 JINJA Ian Matthews in second and Jackie Dobson's J/133 JERONIMO in third.
The IRC Class 2 Colin Wall's J/97 TRUE LOVE got the gold with straight bullets and following him in second and third, respectively were Andrew Robets' J/92s JUST IN TIME and William Howard's J/92 WIZARD.
For the J/80 class, the usually competitive group was not to disappoint. Andrew Ashworth won onboard his JAMMY DODGER, but giving them a heck of a run for the money were Peter Wanstall racing JASMINE and Jeremy Round-Smith driving JEZEBEL only four points back and tied, with tie-breaker going to Peter.
The J/105 was essentially dominated by Ron Dorton-Duff steering JAVA, winning again with nearly straight firsts and a thirteen point margin over Richard Watney's JEOPARDY and William Newton's JELLY BABY, second and third, respectively.
The J/109 UK Nationals as mentioned above were won by David & Kirsty Apthorp onboard J-DREAM, capping a wonderful and successful summer sailing season on their well-campainged J/109. Brian Moreton raced JUKE BOX into second, fighting tooth and nail the entire time only to be beaten by one point! Nevertheless, while the two class leaders fought it out for the top honors, Ben Richards and Mike Ewart-Smith hung in there to grab the bronze podium finish with ZELDA.
(Torquay, England- August 22-23)- After two days and six races in big breeze, the final two races of the 2009 J-Cup, sponsored by Dubarry of Ireland, B&G and North Sails, were hotly fought on Saturday. Most of the 63 boats racing at the event, which was hosted by the Royal Torbay Yacht Club, seemed to enjoy the benign but shifty 8 to 12 knots from the South to South East.
After much counting and phoning and haranguing of the Race Committee for the results, the nail-biting finale to the 2009 J/109 UK National Championship saw Kirsty and David Apthorp in J-DREAM crowned with the title on 28 points whilst Brian Moreton and his team on JUKE BOX were forced to settle for the runner-up slot.
Silverware and prizes donated by the numerous generous prize sponsors of the J-Cup were presented to the podium finishers in each class racing at the event, in addition to several special awards.
B&G have sponsored the J-Cup as a principal sponsor for a number of years now and their generosity continues; for IRC1, some extremely valuable Deckman software went to the winner, John Patterson, and the new J/109 UK National Champions Kirsty and David Apthorp and the crew on J-DREAM were given B&G branded Henri Lloyd gilets. B&G affiliate, Lowrance, now produce a combined VHF and GPS (complete with MOB alarm transmitter). This fabulous bit of brand new kit was presented to the bowman of the J/105 JEOPARDY, who had taken an unscheduled swim earlier in the regatta.
Dubarry of Ireland also has a long established and extremely valuable sponsorship relationship with the J-Cup and two trophies, fashioned in bronze to represent the iconic Dubarry Ultima Boot, are presented each year, along with numerous valuable product prizes from the Dubarry range.
The Dubarry Boot for Endurance was presented to Mike and Sarah Wallis and their team from the J/109 JAHMALI.
The Dubarry Boot for Outstanding Achievement was presented this year to Brian Moreton and his crew on the J/109 JUKE BOX.
The Elvstrom Trophy for the best newcomer to the J-Cup was presented to Andrew Ashworth and his team on the J/80 JAMMY DODGER. Andrew is by his own definition, relatively new to sportsboat sailing, and this class win at his first J-Cup tops off a very fine season for JAMMY DODGER.
The Musketeer Trophy is a double champagne bucket and is presented to the lowest scoring two boat team (comprising one J/109 and then a second boat from another class) at the event. This year, the bucket and the bubbles were awarded David Richards (J/109 JUMPING JELLYFISH) and Colin Wall (J/97 TRUE LOVE).
And finally… the coveted J-Cup is the trophy... Colin Wall is a stalwart of the J-Cup and has raced at the event in a variety of different J Boat models which have included the J/100, the J/105 and the J/92. Colin has won his class at the J-Cup before but he has never been presented with the J-Cup Trophy. This year, after achieving a perfect 8 out of 8 scoreline, and in recognition of his commitment to the J-Cup cause, Colin Wall and his crew on board the J/97 TRUE LOVE, were deservedly presented with the J-Cup Trophy.
Top three by class, were the following:
In IRC Class 1 the J/122 PANACEA sailed by John & Hill Petterson was first, followed by the J/122 JINJA Ian Matthews in second and Jackie Dobson's J/133 JERONIMO in third.
The IRC Class 2 Colin Wall's J/97 TRUE LOVE got the gold with straight bullets and following him in second and third, respectively were Andrew Robets' J/92s JUST IN TIME and William Howard's J/92 WIZARD.
For the J/80 class, the usually competitive group was not to disappoint. Andrew Ashworth won onboard his JAMMY DODGER, but giving them a heck of a run for the money were Peter Wanstall racing JASMINE and Jeremy Round-Smith driving JEZEBEL only four points back and tied, with tie-breaker going to Peter.
The J/105 was essentially dominated by Ron Dorton-Duff steering JAVA, winning again with nearly straight firsts and a thirteen point margin over Richard Watney's JEOPARDY and William Newton's JELLY BABY, second and third, respectively.
The J/109 UK Nationals as mentioned above were won by David & Kirsty Apthorp onboard J-DREAM, capping a wonderful and successful summer sailing season on their well-campainged J/109. Brian Moreton raced JUKE BOX into second, fighting tooth and nail the entire time only to be beaten by one point! Nevertheless, while the two class leaders fought it out for the top honors, Ben Richards and Mike Ewart-Smith hung in there to grab the bronze podium finish with ZELDA.
J/105 Southern California Championships
TRIPLE PLAY Wins The Crown
(Los Angeles, CA- August 22-23)- The Long Beach Yacht Club hosted the first ever J/105 SoCal Championships this past weekend with nineteen entrants from Santa Barbara to San Diego.
In the first annual J/105 Southern California Championship Sunday, co-owners Chuck Driscoll and Tom Hurlburt, San Diego Yacht Club, drove their boat TRIPLE PLAY to first place honors in the event sponsored by Ullman Sails and North Sails.
Expecting typical Long Beach conditions of strong breeze and white caps, the 19 mostly San Diego area teams were greeted with light shifty winds of anywhere between 5-8 knots throughout the weekend… kinda like, well… San Diego!
'We were looking forward to heavy air,' Driscoll said, 'wanting to work on our heavy air sailing. But this was a lot like San Diego, which of course our boat is optimized for.' Of the five races in the regatta, TRIPLE PLAY only had two first-place finishes, getting two fourths and one third-place finish in the last race of the day. But consistency paid off as they picked off competitors one by one, race by race. 'We kept whittling away, whittling away,' Driscoll said, 'getting good starts in each race to keep us in there.'
Posting second place for the regatta was local favorite Gary Mozer, LBYC, and his team onboard CURREN OBSESSION 2. 'This certainly was not normal Long Beach conditions,' Mozer said. 'If it was, we would have had a local advantage. But consistency won and that’s what Triple Play did. 'In our first race Saturday, we went the wrong way and that was the defining moment of the regatta.' Mozer finished eighth in that race.
Third place went to Bennet Greenwald, SDYC, and his crew on PERSEVERANCE. 'The wind machine failed to work this weekend,' Greenwald said. But this is a very competitive fleet and it was always close racing. 'There were boats out there always looking for an inch, straining for that perfect set… and today, that was TRIPLE PLAY.'
Praise came from many sailors for the event organizer, Dennis Case, SDYC, who also competed on his J/105, WINGS. 'I think this was a big success,' Case said, 'to get this many boats together from Santa Barbara to San Diego for a regatta… this was quite an accomplishment. Santa Barbara out-of-towners included ROCK'N'ROLL, SHORT SKIRT and FREE ENTERPRISE. Alex Rasmussen, Tedd White and the rest of the crew on board FREE ENTERPRISE did the best finishing fourth (they recently won the Fiesta Cup in Santa Barbara).
As Dennis from WINGS proclaimed, 'Our plan is to continue the J/105 SoCal Championships annually, to make it a 'must attend' event for our SoCal J/105 fleet. This was our most significant race of the year and because of this success, it certainly gives us bragging rites as the pre-eminent one-design class in SoCal.'
John Bush, Vice Commodore of Long Beach Yacht Club summed up, 'We were very happy to host the first annual J/105 SoCal Championship here and it was great to see so many boats from all up and down the coast participate. We hope to carry on this tradition and look forward to their return in 2010.'
(Los Angeles, CA- August 22-23)- The Long Beach Yacht Club hosted the first ever J/105 SoCal Championships this past weekend with nineteen entrants from Santa Barbara to San Diego.
In the first annual J/105 Southern California Championship Sunday, co-owners Chuck Driscoll and Tom Hurlburt, San Diego Yacht Club, drove their boat TRIPLE PLAY to first place honors in the event sponsored by Ullman Sails and North Sails.
Expecting typical Long Beach conditions of strong breeze and white caps, the 19 mostly San Diego area teams were greeted with light shifty winds of anywhere between 5-8 knots throughout the weekend… kinda like, well… San Diego!
'We were looking forward to heavy air,' Driscoll said, 'wanting to work on our heavy air sailing. But this was a lot like San Diego, which of course our boat is optimized for.' Of the five races in the regatta, TRIPLE PLAY only had two first-place finishes, getting two fourths and one third-place finish in the last race of the day. But consistency paid off as they picked off competitors one by one, race by race. 'We kept whittling away, whittling away,' Driscoll said, 'getting good starts in each race to keep us in there.'
Posting second place for the regatta was local favorite Gary Mozer, LBYC, and his team onboard CURREN OBSESSION 2. 'This certainly was not normal Long Beach conditions,' Mozer said. 'If it was, we would have had a local advantage. But consistency won and that’s what Triple Play did. 'In our first race Saturday, we went the wrong way and that was the defining moment of the regatta.' Mozer finished eighth in that race.
Third place went to Bennet Greenwald, SDYC, and his crew on PERSEVERANCE. 'The wind machine failed to work this weekend,' Greenwald said. But this is a very competitive fleet and it was always close racing. 'There were boats out there always looking for an inch, straining for that perfect set… and today, that was TRIPLE PLAY.'
Praise came from many sailors for the event organizer, Dennis Case, SDYC, who also competed on his J/105, WINGS. 'I think this was a big success,' Case said, 'to get this many boats together from Santa Barbara to San Diego for a regatta… this was quite an accomplishment. Santa Barbara out-of-towners included ROCK'N'ROLL, SHORT SKIRT and FREE ENTERPRISE. Alex Rasmussen, Tedd White and the rest of the crew on board FREE ENTERPRISE did the best finishing fourth (they recently won the Fiesta Cup in Santa Barbara).
As Dennis from WINGS proclaimed, 'Our plan is to continue the J/105 SoCal Championships annually, to make it a 'must attend' event for our SoCal J/105 fleet. This was our most significant race of the year and because of this success, it certainly gives us bragging rites as the pre-eminent one-design class in SoCal.'
John Bush, Vice Commodore of Long Beach Yacht Club summed up, 'We were very happy to host the first annual J/105 SoCal Championship here and it was great to see so many boats from all up and down the coast participate. We hope to carry on this tradition and look forward to their return in 2010.'
Catalina Long Point Race Week
J's Clean House With 1-2-3
(Catalina Island, CA- August 20-23)- The theme of this year's event was "Woodstock" to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the good and bad times of 1969 in the history books.
For those of you who can remember that far back (includes the Editor, by the way) 1969 was a watershed in world history in more ways than anyone may have imagined back then, or even today. Some of the highlights of that notoriously historical year include, amongst others: in America that was the "Man on the Moon Apollo XI Mission"; Woodstock the bachannalian festival was held in upstate New York; President "I cannot tell a lie" Richard Nixon became President of America; Joe Namath the American football quarterback declared "I can guarantee a victory" and takes the New York Jets to a Super Bowl victory in the last minute; Led Zeppelin releases Led Zep I as the first of the "heavy metal" rockers to make their mark in the music world; not to be outdone, Elvis Presley records and releases the famous "Long Black Limousine" song/album; the Beatles do their last "live" concert on the roof of Apple Records in London, then release the album Abbey Road to critical acclaim; the Boeing 747 and the Anglo/French Concorde supersonic jets make their debuts; Golda Meir become the first female premier of Israel (antedating, of course, the hand-bag swinging Maggie Thatcher in England); the British Hawker Siddeley Harrier "jump jet" becomes a novelty item as it debuts in the Royal Air Force; US college campus radicals SDS-Students for a Democratic Society and the Weathermen are running amok in Chicago and Harvard University; the Americans call it quits in Vietnam; US Congressman Ted Kennedy (who passed away today) drove off a bridge at Chappaquidick Island, Martha's Vineyard and accidentally killed Mary Jo Kopechne; Charles Manson runs amok in California; Hurricane Camile obliterates Mississippi; Monty Python's Flying Circus debuts on BBC One; ARPANET (aka "the Internet") connects first computers to send "packet-based" messages; and, remarkably Robin Knox-Johnston from England becomes the first person to sail around the world solo without stopping!!
Befitting such extraordinary historical milestones, this year's Long Point Race Week included a race from Newport Beach to Catalina Island, followed by a buoy race on Saturday. However, Sunday's race was cut short after a postponement and finally cancelation with no wind; on Sunday the fleet normally races back to Newport Beach.
The results are as follows: John Schultze's J/109 LINSTAR was first with twelve points, Anthony Wetherbee's J/109 COMMOTION was second tied with seventeen points with Roy Jones' J/133 TANGO who finished third. Just off the pace was Mark Surber's J/125 DERIVATIVE in sixth.
(Catalina Island, CA- August 20-23)- The theme of this year's event was "Woodstock" to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the good and bad times of 1969 in the history books.
For those of you who can remember that far back (includes the Editor, by the way) 1969 was a watershed in world history in more ways than anyone may have imagined back then, or even today. Some of the highlights of that notoriously historical year include, amongst others: in America that was the "Man on the Moon Apollo XI Mission"; Woodstock the bachannalian festival was held in upstate New York; President "I cannot tell a lie" Richard Nixon became President of America; Joe Namath the American football quarterback declared "I can guarantee a victory" and takes the New York Jets to a Super Bowl victory in the last minute; Led Zeppelin releases Led Zep I as the first of the "heavy metal" rockers to make their mark in the music world; not to be outdone, Elvis Presley records and releases the famous "Long Black Limousine" song/album; the Beatles do their last "live" concert on the roof of Apple Records in London, then release the album Abbey Road to critical acclaim; the Boeing 747 and the Anglo/French Concorde supersonic jets make their debuts; Golda Meir become the first female premier of Israel (antedating, of course, the hand-bag swinging Maggie Thatcher in England); the British Hawker Siddeley Harrier "jump jet" becomes a novelty item as it debuts in the Royal Air Force; US college campus radicals SDS-Students for a Democratic Society and the Weathermen are running amok in Chicago and Harvard University; the Americans call it quits in Vietnam; US Congressman Ted Kennedy (who passed away today) drove off a bridge at Chappaquidick Island, Martha's Vineyard and accidentally killed Mary Jo Kopechne; Charles Manson runs amok in California; Hurricane Camile obliterates Mississippi; Monty Python's Flying Circus debuts on BBC One; ARPANET (aka "the Internet") connects first computers to send "packet-based" messages; and, remarkably Robin Knox-Johnston from England becomes the first person to sail around the world solo without stopping!!
Befitting such extraordinary historical milestones, this year's Long Point Race Week included a race from Newport Beach to Catalina Island, followed by a buoy race on Saturday. However, Sunday's race was cut short after a postponement and finally cancelation with no wind; on Sunday the fleet normally races back to Newport Beach.
The results are as follows: John Schultze's J/109 LINSTAR was first with twelve points, Anthony Wetherbee's J/109 COMMOTION was second tied with seventeen points with Roy Jones' J/133 TANGO who finished third. Just off the pace was Mark Surber's J/125 DERIVATIVE in sixth.
Ida Lewis Distance Race
J/42 CEOL MOR and J/35 PALADIN Succeed Double-handed
(Newport, RI- August 22-23)- The end of season long distance race to commemorate the famous lighthouse keeper, Ida Lewis, who became the namesake for the equally renowned Newport yacht club, Ida Lewis YC, was a very fast one indeed for all entrants. While the maxi sleds (all owned of note by ex-J/24 sailors!!) that included Tom Hill's Reichel-Pugh 75 foot TITAN and George David's 90 foot RAMBLER and Irvine Laidlaw's brand spanking new Wally 90 footer HIGHLAND FLING all started to fly around the course in near record time while the rest of the fleet watched the "three musketeers" take off in a cloud of dust and spray. Only one of the "big dogs" managed to get around the track without a mishap, Tom's TITAN- winning overall while George's RAMBLER repaired a running backstay and hung on without dropping it's 120 mast over the side. Only Irvine's HIGHLAND FLING suffered enough of a mishap, tearing all jibs out of its new new carbon luff foil to have to retire, other than look like an awfully expensive 90' Laser cruising around the race course.
The J's had a very nice showing in the DoubleHanded Division with the J/35 PALADIN sailed by Robert Fischer and Jason Richter from Setauket YC finishing 2nd overall. They were followed by the J/42 CEOL MOR raced by the able bodied team of Jim Wilson and Brian Klippenstein from NYYC handily getting 3rd in the division.
For PHRF Class 2, the beautiful J/42 TRUE owned and well-campaigned by Howard Hodgson from NYYC and Newport, RI finished third overall in class.
(Newport, RI- August 22-23)- The end of season long distance race to commemorate the famous lighthouse keeper, Ida Lewis, who became the namesake for the equally renowned Newport yacht club, Ida Lewis YC, was a very fast one indeed for all entrants. While the maxi sleds (all owned of note by ex-J/24 sailors!!) that included Tom Hill's Reichel-Pugh 75 foot TITAN and George David's 90 foot RAMBLER and Irvine Laidlaw's brand spanking new Wally 90 footer HIGHLAND FLING all started to fly around the course in near record time while the rest of the fleet watched the "three musketeers" take off in a cloud of dust and spray. Only one of the "big dogs" managed to get around the track without a mishap, Tom's TITAN- winning overall while George's RAMBLER repaired a running backstay and hung on without dropping it's 120 mast over the side. Only Irvine's HIGHLAND FLING suffered enough of a mishap, tearing all jibs out of its new new carbon luff foil to have to retire, other than look like an awfully expensive 90' Laser cruising around the race course.
The J's had a very nice showing in the DoubleHanded Division with the J/35 PALADIN sailed by Robert Fischer and Jason Richter from Setauket YC finishing 2nd overall. They were followed by the J/42 CEOL MOR raced by the able bodied team of Jim Wilson and Brian Klippenstein from NYYC handily getting 3rd in the division.
For PHRF Class 2, the beautiful J/42 TRUE owned and well-campaigned by Howard Hodgson from NYYC and Newport, RI finished third overall in class.
Sweden's Around Tjörn Island Race
J/109 BLUR Wins 40-foot Class
(Tjorn Island, Sweden- August 22-23)- This year 548 boats entered the 28-mile race race around the island of Tjörn on the west coast of Sweden. It was the 46:th race and as usual there was a great mix of boats ranging from 20' to 100' trying to find
the shortest and fastest way through the archipelago.
This year the wind picked up during the day, and a number of boats ran aground in some of the narrow passages. Some of them got caught on film, and are now featured on YouTube-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1s4qoYKCqM
Meanwhile Peter Gustafsson and crew on J/109 #326 BLUR stayed out of trouble to win the very competetive 40-foot class, beating the all new FinnFlyer 36 Club and First 35 as well an most of the 40' boats on the water.
(Tjorn Island, Sweden- August 22-23)- This year 548 boats entered the 28-mile race race around the island of Tjörn on the west coast of Sweden. It was the 46:th race and as usual there was a great mix of boats ranging from 20' to 100' trying to find
the shortest and fastest way through the archipelago.
This year the wind picked up during the day, and a number of boats ran aground in some of the narrow passages. Some of them got caught on film, and are now featured on YouTube-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1s4qoYKCqM
Meanwhile Peter Gustafsson and crew on J/109 #326 BLUR stayed out of trouble to win the very competetive 40-foot class, beating the all new FinnFlyer 36 Club and First 35 as well an most of the 40' boats on the water.
2010 USA J/80 Tour
Join the J/80 Class in 2010 for an incredible East Coast tour of events - starting in Key West, Florida, then working up the coast and culminating with the J/80 World Championship in Newport, Rhode Island. If you can’t do them all, partner up with a buddy to share the program and enjoy great sailing, world class competition, and camaraderie in some of the world’s most famous seaports:
Jan 18-22 Key West Race Week - Key West, FL (J/80 Midwinters)
Feb 12-14 St. Petersburg NOOD Regatta – St. Petersburg, FL
Apr 9-11 Charleston Race Week – Charleston, SC
Apr 23-25 Annapolis NOOD Regatta – Annapolis, MD
Jun 6-7 Sprit Fest – Shelter Island, Long Island
Jul 9-11 Sail Newport Regatta – Newport, RI (Pre-Worlds)
Aug 6-8 Buzzard’s Bay Regatta – Marion, MA
Sep 9-12 North American Championship – Marion, MA
Oct 4-9 J/80 World Championship – Newport, RI
Jan 18-22 Key West Race Week - Key West, FL (J/80 Midwinters)
Feb 12-14 St. Petersburg NOOD Regatta – St. Petersburg, FL
Apr 9-11 Charleston Race Week – Charleston, SC
Apr 23-25 Annapolis NOOD Regatta – Annapolis, MD
Jun 6-7 Sprit Fest – Shelter Island, Long Island
Jul 9-11 Sail Newport Regatta – Newport, RI (Pre-Worlds)
Aug 6-8 Buzzard’s Bay Regatta – Marion, MA
Sep 9-12 North American Championship – Marion, MA
Oct 4-9 J/80 World Championship – Newport, RI
J/109 North Americans/ Verve Cup
Storm-tossed Conclusion to Great Lakes Regatta
(Chicago, IL- August 14-16)- The word of the day is "carnage". Thankfully, all competitors and race committee were accounted for after a wet and wild Sunday on the lake this past weekend--- complete with blown spinnakers, broaches, man-overboards, and even a capsized race committee boat.
Testing the boat handling skills of the crews, the morning winds were the strongest of the regatta, blowing about 15-20 knots. Mains were reefed, and some boats were on the run without spinnakers. But it was the afternoon storm cell that really shook up the regatta, as puffs up to 30 knots inshore forced a number of boats to retire, Circle C to abandon their second race of the day (since it was blowing near 55 knots!), and drew the Coast Guard out to aid in the rescue of an injured crew member aboard SOCIABLE and the Marine Police to aid three crew on board the capsized race committee whaler.
Racing for the J/109 North American Championship was a very strong one-design fleet of 14 boats that had traveled from just about all points of the continental USA- Connecticut, California andTexas to race with the large Chicago J/109 fleet hosts. STORM, skippered by Rick Lyall of Wilton, Connecticut, sailed a great regatta, winning the section and the championship with a score of 20 points, a 10 point lead ahead of second place finisher Albrecht Goethe's SURPRISE/ TEAM HAMBURG of Seabrook, Texas. Another thirteen points back in third overall was Robert & Cornelia Zerban's ZEITGEIST from Kenosha, Wisconsin. “It was an intense day of racing,” said Ryan, crew of Storm. “Overall the Verve was a great event. The race committee did a great job. They treated us out of town boats really well, and it was a solid weekend of racing.
Among the extremely competitive J/105 One-Design class section, Tom Petkus's VYTIS was able to pull out the win above John Weglarz’s THE ASYLUM by just four point. VYTIS was one a few boats awarded redress for their aid in to SOCIABLE, who had a crew member injured and taken to the hospital for treatment. Lying third on the podium was David Wagner's GIGI just five more points back-- the last race proved to be a cliff-hanger for this group, not just because of the storm but the final race standings essentially determined the ultimate outcome of the regatta.
In PHRF 5, Ed Bayer's J/35 FALCON from Grosse Pointe, Michigan won overall by thirteen points. over another J/35 AFTERSHOCK sailed well by William Newman of Muskegon, Michigan. Just off the pace were Bruce Metcalf's BOZO'S CIRCUS from Burr Ridge, Illinois in fourth and Geary Finn's IRISH ROVER from Prospect Heights, Illinois in fifth.
In PHRF 6, Dan Pesch's J/100 REMEDY from Chicago, Illinois sailed a strong regatta to gain second overall and a fellow J/100 BRAVO ZULU sailed by Lee Edwards of Hinsdale, Illinois finished fifth.
And finally, congratulations to Bill and Vivianne Smith on their J/30 AWESOME from Downers Grove, Illinois, who took first in PHRF 7. A fellow J owner, Dan Arntzen raced his J/27 TRUE NORTH to fourth overall.
(Chicago, IL- August 14-16)- The word of the day is "carnage". Thankfully, all competitors and race committee were accounted for after a wet and wild Sunday on the lake this past weekend--- complete with blown spinnakers, broaches, man-overboards, and even a capsized race committee boat.
Testing the boat handling skills of the crews, the morning winds were the strongest of the regatta, blowing about 15-20 knots. Mains were reefed, and some boats were on the run without spinnakers. But it was the afternoon storm cell that really shook up the regatta, as puffs up to 30 knots inshore forced a number of boats to retire, Circle C to abandon their second race of the day (since it was blowing near 55 knots!), and drew the Coast Guard out to aid in the rescue of an injured crew member aboard SOCIABLE and the Marine Police to aid three crew on board the capsized race committee whaler.
Racing for the J/109 North American Championship was a very strong one-design fleet of 14 boats that had traveled from just about all points of the continental USA- Connecticut, California andTexas to race with the large Chicago J/109 fleet hosts. STORM, skippered by Rick Lyall of Wilton, Connecticut, sailed a great regatta, winning the section and the championship with a score of 20 points, a 10 point lead ahead of second place finisher Albrecht Goethe's SURPRISE/ TEAM HAMBURG of Seabrook, Texas. Another thirteen points back in third overall was Robert & Cornelia Zerban's ZEITGEIST from Kenosha, Wisconsin. “It was an intense day of racing,” said Ryan, crew of Storm. “Overall the Verve was a great event. The race committee did a great job. They treated us out of town boats really well, and it was a solid weekend of racing.
Among the extremely competitive J/105 One-Design class section, Tom Petkus's VYTIS was able to pull out the win above John Weglarz’s THE ASYLUM by just four point. VYTIS was one a few boats awarded redress for their aid in to SOCIABLE, who had a crew member injured and taken to the hospital for treatment. Lying third on the podium was David Wagner's GIGI just five more points back-- the last race proved to be a cliff-hanger for this group, not just because of the storm but the final race standings essentially determined the ultimate outcome of the regatta.
In PHRF 5, Ed Bayer's J/35 FALCON from Grosse Pointe, Michigan won overall by thirteen points. over another J/35 AFTERSHOCK sailed well by William Newman of Muskegon, Michigan. Just off the pace were Bruce Metcalf's BOZO'S CIRCUS from Burr Ridge, Illinois in fourth and Geary Finn's IRISH ROVER from Prospect Heights, Illinois in fifth.
In PHRF 6, Dan Pesch's J/100 REMEDY from Chicago, Illinois sailed a strong regatta to gain second overall and a fellow J/100 BRAVO ZULU sailed by Lee Edwards of Hinsdale, Illinois finished fifth.
And finally, congratulations to Bill and Vivianne Smith on their J/30 AWESOME from Downers Grove, Illinois, who took first in PHRF 7. A fellow J owner, Dan Arntzen raced his J/27 TRUE NORTH to fourth overall.
Snails Pace For Rolex Fastnet Race
J/133 JIVARO Wins IRC 0-B
(Cowes/ Plymouth, England- August 9th-12th)- While the previous Rolex Fastnet Race is remembered for the course record time being demolished, the only record broken in this year's running of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's biennial 608 nautical-mile classic was one relating to competitor patience, as light winds at the start and end, combined with powerful spring tides, made for a 'tactically challenging' race, and one of the longest in recent years.
Running from Cowes to Plymouth via the Fastnet Rock off southwest Ireland, the race again proved it remains one of the world's most prestigious offshore yacht races. The 300-boat entry limit was reached quickly, attracting boats from a wide spread of nations. The bulk came from the UK and France, but there were potent entries from the USA, Hong Kong, Ireland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands and others coming from afar afield as Chile and Australia.
Although the doomsayers were forecasting no wind for the start, in the end it could not have turned out better with an easterly wind forcing spinnakers to be hoisted in all eight classes - a magnificent colourful spectacle for competitors and the spectators crowding the Cowes seafront, alike. All was good, with the tide shooting the boats west in the early part of Sunday afternoon. Then the wind shut down at the Western extremity of the Solent, with particular abruptness on the mainland shore. After this first roll of the dice, a new south-westerly breeze filled in gently, but with insufficient strength to power the majority of the fleet past Portland Bill on the first night.
Portland Bill was probably the defining moment of the race, with most of the big boats managing to make it past before the tide turned foul. The majority were forced to set their anchor and kedge, typically for an hour or so, but in some instances for up to six hours, to prevent themselves being ripped back east. While the early stages looked to be favouring the big boats, they by no means had it all their own way. The wind remained on the nose down the Channel, then inconveniently veering northwest causing them to remain upwind while crossing the Celtic Sea towards the Fastnet Rock.
In the sixty boat IRC Class 0-B the J/133 JIVARO sailed by Yves Grosjean from France won its class and just ahead of him is another J/133, the well-campaigned BATFISH III raced by Bill Blain and crew from England that fought hard at the last few turns into Portsmouth Harbor to finish fourth. A fellow J/133 JAMMY DODGER raced by Neil Martin from England had been a front runner for much of the race but a few zigs which should've been zags cost them some places, dropping them to a well-earned sixth overall in the perplexing conditions.
The J/122s were racing in the twenty three boat IRC Class 1-A and European/French favorite PEN AZEN raced by avid campaigner Philipe Delaporte fought hard towards the end of the race to salvage a well-earned fifth overall and the J/122 NUTMEG IV sailed by fellow Frenchman Francois Lognone finished a well-deserved third overall!
A remarkably consistent season led to a strong performances by the team on board David Walters' J/39 JACKDAW. In the thirty boat IRC Class 2-A they've taken advantage of the shifting, light air conditions to win their class overall! Job well done David and crew!
The thirty boat Doublehanded Class has Simon Curwen's J/105 VOADOR as top J in seventh overall followed by Richard Palmer's J/109 JANGADA TOO in eighth and just down the ladder was Martin & Johnston's J/105 DIABLO-J. For more info.
(Cowes/ Plymouth, England- August 9th-12th)- While the previous Rolex Fastnet Race is remembered for the course record time being demolished, the only record broken in this year's running of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's biennial 608 nautical-mile classic was one relating to competitor patience, as light winds at the start and end, combined with powerful spring tides, made for a 'tactically challenging' race, and one of the longest in recent years.
Running from Cowes to Plymouth via the Fastnet Rock off southwest Ireland, the race again proved it remains one of the world's most prestigious offshore yacht races. The 300-boat entry limit was reached quickly, attracting boats from a wide spread of nations. The bulk came from the UK and France, but there were potent entries from the USA, Hong Kong, Ireland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands and others coming from afar afield as Chile and Australia.
Although the doomsayers were forecasting no wind for the start, in the end it could not have turned out better with an easterly wind forcing spinnakers to be hoisted in all eight classes - a magnificent colourful spectacle for competitors and the spectators crowding the Cowes seafront, alike. All was good, with the tide shooting the boats west in the early part of Sunday afternoon. Then the wind shut down at the Western extremity of the Solent, with particular abruptness on the mainland shore. After this first roll of the dice, a new south-westerly breeze filled in gently, but with insufficient strength to power the majority of the fleet past Portland Bill on the first night.
Portland Bill was probably the defining moment of the race, with most of the big boats managing to make it past before the tide turned foul. The majority were forced to set their anchor and kedge, typically for an hour or so, but in some instances for up to six hours, to prevent themselves being ripped back east. While the early stages looked to be favouring the big boats, they by no means had it all their own way. The wind remained on the nose down the Channel, then inconveniently veering northwest causing them to remain upwind while crossing the Celtic Sea towards the Fastnet Rock.
In the sixty boat IRC Class 0-B the J/133 JIVARO sailed by Yves Grosjean from France won its class and just ahead of him is another J/133, the well-campaigned BATFISH III raced by Bill Blain and crew from England that fought hard at the last few turns into Portsmouth Harbor to finish fourth. A fellow J/133 JAMMY DODGER raced by Neil Martin from England had been a front runner for much of the race but a few zigs which should've been zags cost them some places, dropping them to a well-earned sixth overall in the perplexing conditions.
The J/122s were racing in the twenty three boat IRC Class 1-A and European/French favorite PEN AZEN raced by avid campaigner Philipe Delaporte fought hard towards the end of the race to salvage a well-earned fifth overall and the J/122 NUTMEG IV sailed by fellow Frenchman Francois Lognone finished a well-deserved third overall!
A remarkably consistent season led to a strong performances by the team on board David Walters' J/39 JACKDAW. In the thirty boat IRC Class 2-A they've taken advantage of the shifting, light air conditions to win their class overall! Job well done David and crew!
The thirty boat Doublehanded Class has Simon Curwen's J/105 VOADOR as top J in seventh overall followed by Richard Palmer's J/109 JANGADA TOO in eighth and just down the ladder was Martin & Johnston's J/105 DIABLO-J. For more info.
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