New Orleans Hosts GYA Women's Champs

(New Orleans, LA- May 22)-  The Gulf Yachting Association, in collaboration with host club New Orleans YC, hosted the GYA Women's Championships recently using a three race format with no throw outs.  The local J contingent showed up in force with five Js sailing- a J/22, J/24, two J/30s and a J/35.  The gals apparently had a wonderful time racing and produced some cute videos for the event.  Please see the links below.

After the smoke cleared and gloves put safely away, it was pretty clear that Debbie Grimm's capable team racing the J/35 FOOTLOOSE TOO were not to be stopped, taking three firsts to dominate the event.  Louise Bienvenu sailed their J/22 LOLA into second with a 3-2-2 record followed by Cathy Cromartie in third place sailing the J/24 IRISH NINJA to a 2-4-4 tally.  Of note, recent J/30 one-design class leader JALAPENO was sailed into fourth by Elaine Boos and fellow J/30 TOY BOX was skippered by Margie Offan, finishing sixth.

Watch the YouTube video- "A Few Good Women"
Part I- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIZ4Y9dU1us
Part II- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x-Kl94ICmI
  

FIGAWI RACE Fun For All

(Hyannis to Nantucket- May 29)- Over thirty J's raced the 39th Annual Figawi Race from Hyannis to Nantucket on May 29th, which saw fifteen to twenty-knot southwest winds and a steep Nantucket Sound chop of 3-5 feet.  The race is a "pursuit style" event where the slowest boats rated under PHRF handicap start first at a specific starting time, then in succession, all faster boats start with the biggest boats, like the J/160 starting last.  For the J's this meant the J/24s started first followed by an assortment of racing/ cruising J's spread throughout six divisions, including one entire "sprit division" that was 76% J's!

In Division S- Sprit Boats, the J/105 VIXEN skippered by Chris Beane placed first by just 1:40 over Wagner Reservitz's J/105 DARK'N'STORMY.  Third was David Murphy's well-traveled J/122 PUGWASH another three minutes behind.  Interestingly, VIXEN's finish time of 14:32:51 put her in third overall of all 230+ boats, meaning third fastest boat to finish to Nantucket!

In Division A- Spinnaker, four J's sailed with Alan Fougere's J/160 AVATAR leading the J's home finishing at 14:40:40.  In Division B- Spinnaker, four J's sailed with Mark Scheffer's J/35 SURPRISE leading all other J's finishing at 15:03:32.  In Division C- Spinnaker, three J's sailed with Ira Perry's J/29 SEEFEST leading the J parade finishing at 14:39:15.  In Division D- Spinnaker, four J/24s raced and Jonathan Wenderto's J/24 DRAGIN-Z-BALZ (?) finished second in class finishing at 14:48:58.  In Division F- Non-spinnaker, two J's cruised over to Nantucket with Bill Jones' J/40 SMITTEN finishing second overall!

The FIGAWI race is first and foremost a "fun" family event that hosts a FIGAWI Charity Ball to benefit 24 Cape Cod charities prior to the start of the race.  According to folklore, a long time ago , three sailors started out from Hyannis to race their sailboats to Nantucket. That race would be the first of the Figawi Race Weekends and the beginning of what has become a Cape Cod tradition.  Since that inauspicious start in 1972, whether it was the charm of a race to Nantucket, or maybe just the personal appeal of the early founders is really not clear, but Figawi began to grow by leaps and bounds. A lay day was added in 1978 along with a race back to Hyannis, as the race committee, now formerly organized, turned the Figawi from a one day race into a three day weekend event.  Today, the Figawi has grown into one of the premier sailboat races on the East coast.. a great way to start the summer sailing season! Join them next year for great sailing on Nantucket Sound, great fun and camaraderie on the beautiful island of Nantucket, and memories of being part of a great tradition.  For more FIGAWI Sailing information
  

Gonzalo Rocha Wins J/80 Copa de Espana

(Barcelona, Spain- May 29-30)- Real Club Nautico de Barcelona and the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation hosted the fourth J/80 Copa de Espana, a prelude to the J/80 Spanish Championships next month.  Sailing TURISMO DE ALGARVE, Hugo Gonzalo Rocha and Araújo, who was competing under the pennant of Arenys de Mar Boat Club, have been proclaimed champions.  Second overall was PERALEJA GOLF skippered by Carlos Martinez from the Real Club de Regatas Santiago de la Ribera and third overall was GUNTER, skippered by Javier Scherk from RCNB, the host club.

The fleet had good wind conditions for the first day, with four races run by the RCNB Race Committee in 9 knot winds from ESE to SE, with some large windshifts making it a challenge for some of the crews.  It was clear from the beginning of the regatta that it would be a three-way battle for the podium with Rocha, Martinez and the defending champions, Ignacio Camino sailing NEXTEL ENGINEERING, fighting for the top spots.  However, two bad races (a ninth and thirteenth) by Camino took him out of the running early, opening the door for Scherk's GUNTER to take third overall.

Hugo Rocha, tactician on TURISMO DE ALGARVE said, "It's been a very positive experience, with the competitive fleet that is in Barcelona it is very important to keep up with good, consistent races.  The level that is in the City is of very high quality, with the world champion in 2008, among others- Camino's NEXTEL ENGINEERING. The results were more or less expected, although I note Javier Scherk who has had a wonderful day and I'm happy because he is my friend."

Carlos Martinez sailing PERALEJA GOLF said, "It was a beautiful day for sailing .. 7 to 9 knots of wind. A good level for training and that after the Copa de Espana, we go to the Europeans in Italy and then to the Worlds Newport.  The secret of our success is undoubtedly the crew-- the four owners have all sailed together for a long time for Club Deportivo. We have been sailing together for many years in this type of boat, in the four races on the first day the windward leg was favored on the right, so if you make a bad start or stay in the middle of the fleet is difficult to make good gains."

Javier Scherk, owner and skipper of GUNTER, said "I am delighted with today- sun and wind- happy sailor!  The race course has been very tight, the groups of boats came within seconds apart-- this is what happens when we compete against the world elite of J80. We take the Copa de Espana as seriously as the World Championship to be held in Newport, I'll be proud to represent the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona, which again demonstrates just as everybody knows how to organize races."    For more Copa de Espana sailing information.     Photo credits: Jesus Renedo
  

J/109 Captures Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta

(The Hague/Netherlands- May 21-24)-  Considered the largest sailing event in the Netherlands for offshore racing, the Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta is hosted in front of The Hague, Netherlands and includes everything from dinghies, to catamarans, to J/22 One-Designs to IRC offshore handicap racing.  As a result, most of the top offshore sailing teams from the region participate to compete for top honors in the Belgium/Netherlands region.

The IRC classes race from The Hague over to England and back.  Despite the wide variety of conditions, the J's continue to demonstrate their remarkable capabilities to sail well, and fast, in challenging conditions on all points of sail (no one trick ponies, flying wedges of cheese here!).  In short, 4 of the 6 podium places for IRC2 went to J/109s!  On the race to England, the J's finished 1st- J/105 PANTHER, 2nd- J/109 XCENTRIC RIPPER, 4th- J/109 JETI and 6th- J/109 ARETHUSA.  On the return trip from England back to The Hague, it was 2nd- J/109 X-CENTRIC RIPPER and 3rd- J/109 JETI.  As a result of their consistent finishes, the J/109 X-CENTRIC RIPPER skippered by John van de Starre was also the Overall Winner of IRC2.

The J/22s didn't follow their bigger sisterships across The Channel, thank goodness.  Instead, they opted to race around-the-cans just off The Hague for one-design class honors.  It was a great turnout, great racing and the winner in the J/22 one-design class was John den Engelsman.   For more information about sailing the Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta and race results.
  

J/120 North Americans Preview

(Long Beach, CA- June 26-27) Long Beach YC is hosting this year's J/120 North Americans during Long Beach Race Week.  According to John Laun, owner/skipper of CAPER and regatta Chairman, "Everything is shaping up nicely for our J/120 NA's at Long Beach.  We have 8 entries already and many of you that I expect are planning to race are not yet on the list, so I bet we get at least a dozen, and maybe 15 boats.  Please note that LBYC will give us starts on Friday, but they are for practice races only. " For more information, please contact- John Laun (jlaun@earthlink.net).
  

J-Cup England Preview

Sun Blessed Js Set Sail!

(Hamble, England- 3-6 June)- Over 500 competitors sailing 74 J's commence racing this weekend for the J/Cup 2010 in England.  The regatta is being hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble, and the J/109 UK National Championship takes place as part of the event. Eight races are scheduled between Thursday 3rd and Saturday 5th June and in addition to the 28 boat J/109 UK National Championship fleet, a full range of Js are packed in to five other classes.

Recent form in the J/109 fleet would suggest that things will be very close throughout this Class. The current UK National Champions are Kirsty and David Apthorp in J-DREAM, but at the last two J/109 one-design events it has been VELVET ELVIS, raced by Adam Wright and Martin Miller at the top of the podium. Also, Commodore’s Cup triallist David Aisher’s YEOMAN IX should be fast.

Eighteen J/80s are racing at the J-Cup, and racing here will be hot for sure; John Cooper and his team in OI! will be on the money, having won the Spring Series and Spring Championships, but Simon Ling and his crew on SPITFIRE will be out to make every race count.

The J/105s also race one-design and they are going to love this weather, although this class in particular comes alive in the bigger breeze. Andy Dennis and his team on ORIJIN have travelled all the way from Cornwall to come and give the Solent fleet a bit more competition.

The J/92s are twelve strong and have their own start at the J-Cup for the first time this year. Bill Howard, Class Captain and owner of WIZARD has created an extraordinary spurt of interest and competition in this 30 foot planing J. He has been well supported in this by Andy Howe and Annie Kelly of BLACKJACK. Paul Chapman’s JAVA won the recent spring series here and there are also plenty of travelers with much J/92 experience under their belts. Richard Sparrow is a past J/92 Nat Champ in WHO'S TO NO and the Tyler brothers have shown recent winning form in their local waters sailing NEILSON REDEYE.

IRC 1 is where the J/122s and J/133s will be fighting it out. Ian Matthews and his team on the J/122 JINJA were looking good in training but newbie to the J/122 fleet Neil Kipling has had a stunning start to the season in JOOPSTER. Rob Larke will be at the helm of David Hunt’s J/122 JACOB'S LADDER, he also recently won the J/80 UK National Championship as Tactician on Boats.com.

In IRC2, the J/97s and the J/95 will be at it hammer and tongs. Current holder of the J-Cup, Colin Wall will be racing the lifting centerboard J/95 J-FEVER; he won the event last year in his J/97. Grant and Brigitte Gordon will be out to win in their new J/97 FEVER JR.  Brighton Boy Graham Allen has had more time in his J/97 JENERAL LEE than most in this Class and he should be near the front of the pack.   For more information, please contact Becci Eplett at Key Yachting +44-2380-455669 or email- becci@keyyachting.com   Photo credits- Tim Wright
  

J/80 Europeans Preview

(Lago di Garda, Italy- June 21-26)- Massimo Rama, J/80 Europeans Regatta Chairman, reports that excitement has been growing for this year's J/80 Europeans being hosted by Malsacine Yacht Club on the picturesque Lago di Garda.  A venue renowned not only for great sailing, but also for the remarkable northern Italian cuisine.  To date, fifty-two entries from eight countries are competing.  As Massimo remarked, "I really think it's a great success, especially considering the "economic situation" in Europe.  Represented are top teams from Italy, France, England, Germany, Estonia, Spain, Netherlands, Poland.  From England will be the newly crowned J/80 UK National Champion, Ian Atkins on boats.com as well as last race winner Terry Palmer on JUST DO IT.  The J/80 2010 French National Champion will also be represented, Eric Brezellec and his crew JACCUZZI / GOLD SAILING.   Jean-Charles Moriceau and his team on INTERFACE CONCEPT 1 are always near the top as is Luc Nadal and Laurent Sambron on ATLANTIS.  The leading Spanish teams include familiar names like J/80 champions Jose Maria Torcida on ECC VIVIENDAS and World Champion Ignacio Rodriguez Camino on NEXTEL ENGINEERING.  This group of sailors are some seriously tough hombres, it will make for some great competition and an excellent warm-up for this year's J/80 Worlds in Newport.   For more info on sailing the J/80 Europeans.
  

J-Days On Lake Neuchatel, Switzerland

(Lake Neuchatel, Switzerland)- From 25 to 26 June, Peter Bangerter and several local sailmakers are offering Swiss mountain lake sailors the opportunity to visit and compare six different types of J's in-the-water that are appropriate for sailing on Swiss lakes.  The following J's will be available for viewing:

- J/80- Europe's fastest growing International keelboat class
- J/92s- a sporty Daysailor/ Weekender for the family
- J/95- a fast, fun Daysailor/ Weekender with only 90 cm (3.5') of draft
- J/97- a Performance Cruiser with real comfort
- J/100- the Gentlemen Racer optimized for single-handed sailing
- J/109- Top class Performance Cruiser

Please visit Peter and the team on their gorgeous mountain lake, enjoy extraordinary Swiss hospitality, then go for an invigorating hike in the mountains afterwards and plan your next sailing trip on a Swiss lake over a glass of good Swiss wine, cheese and fresh made local bread.  Location/ Date/ times are Friday, 25th June (1600 – 2000) and Saturday, 26th June (1000 - 1800) at Port of Estavayer-le-Lac (between club house and  crane), Lake Neuchatel, Switzerland.  Contact Peter at ph# +41-78-843-0970 or email- peter.bangerter@bluewin.ch
  

J/22 Champion Greg Fisher- T2P.TV Interview

Greg Fisher on T2P.TV!  Check out this nice interview with Greg - perhaps one of one-design sailing's most gracious Champions.  Greg Fisher has spent a lifetime sailing one designs and along the way has won 21 championship events in 7 different classes (including Lightning and J/22 World Championships)-- a remarkable achievement in and of itself.  But, if you know Greg, what's more important to him is his untiring love for the sport and people in it, helping anyone who cares to ask, and often those who don't need to ask since he helps you anyways!  View Greg Fisher's T2P.TV interview.
  

J One-Design Champions Leading The Charge At Louis Vuitton Trophy

Who says that former College Sailors of the Year and J One-Design Champions don't know how to match race?  Amongst the world's top teams competing in the current Louis Vuitton Trophy are J sailors such as John Kostecki (Oracle/BMW), Ed Baird (LUNA ROSSA),  Terry Hutchinson (ARTEMIS), Chris Larson (MASCALZONE LATINO), Sebastien Col (ALL4ONE) and Morgan Larson (MASCALZONE LATINO).  And sprinkled amongst the crew of 8 of the 10 boats are champion J sailors of one form or another- guys who raced and cut their teeth on J/22s, J/24s, J/80s and J/105s across the world match racing in various venues.

One of the more amusing anecdotes of the racing in La Maddalena came from American Morgan Larson commenting on tactics that were employed between two former J/24 Champions:  "Mascalzone Latino slammed the door on Artemis with a strategy the Italian team had been refining for some time. The guys on the boat made a great call for the left side and Gavin did a beautiful job of executing that," said tactician Morgan Larson. "We spent a lot of time this morning talking about Terry Hutchinson's weaknesses in the prestart. I think Gavin exploited that weakness. It was very close. Terry was really close to getting an overlap with us that would have shifted everything. If they got an overlap they would have got the left and probably won the race."  Read more about how these top sailors are doing to win the Louis Vuitton Trophy.