Gorgeous 2011 J/Calendar

(Newport, RI)- This year's beautiful 2011 J/Sailing Calendar is for sailors who love the joy of sailing a J in spectacular harbors and waters around 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 2011 J/Calendar features more photos of flying J/22s and J/80s, a J/122 powering upwind, serene scenery off the Spanish Balearic coast, J/105s and J/120s dueling in the Rolex Big Boat Series, J/24s crowding a start on Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta, and some gorgeous shots of J/109s and a J/30 on sun-splashed seas.  There are two formats this year- the standard size (11.5" W) is perfect for home, school or office where space may be limited and the large, wide format (17.5" W) is a spectacular feast for your eyes! For those who love the sailing lifestyle, it's the ultimate sailing gift for your friends and family.  Sailing photo credit- Paul Todd/ Outside Images.  For more 2011 J/Sailing Calendar information.

  

Unique J/24 Prints

(Newport, RI)- Just in time for the holiday season, WG Sofrin Fine Prints of Newport, RI is pleased to announce the introduction of a customizable J/24 sail and lines plan print.

This print was developed in conjunction with the J Boats design team using the original design data from Rodney Johnstone. This classic keepsake is perfect for any office, home or club.

The print is produced using archival inks on acid-free select print stock.  WG Sofrin Fine Prints specializes in customizable print services.  Sofrin's work is collected around the globe, and his original work can be viewed upon prior appointment at the MIT Museum in Boston, MA.  Visit http://www.willsofrin.com for all the details or email will@willsofrin.com.

  

Wintry Hamble Winter Series

JIKA-JIKA and J-DREAM Contending for Overall Title!
(Hamble, England)-  A week to go in the series with one or two interesting battles to watch, and as mentioned below even those who have already won their classes will be gunning it to improve their chances of winning the overall trophies, the Garmin Yacht of the Year and Garmin Sportsboat of the Year. These are not just lowest points trophies, but also factored against size of class and a competitiveness factor, and worked out by Race Director Jamie Wilkinson.  At this stage, the J/97 JIKA-JIKA and the J/109 J-DREAM are vying for overall honors.

With the air temperature barely climbing above zero degrees on this penultimate day of the Garmin Hamble Winter Series, thankfully the north-easterly breeze never got much above 10 knots. Even so it was shifting widely, and enough to delay the Black Fleet starts by ten minutes while the committee re-laid the start line near the Sunsail racing mark on the Ryde Middle.

Having picked Fastnet Insurance buoy as a first mark the IRC and one-designs were set windward leeward courses, but with a breeze that was gradually dropping, and mindful of the many pairs of cold hands, the race committee made a popular decision in shortening the races after 100 minutes of sailing.

The J/109s had a very tactical race Sunday.   The Black Fleet committee boat was on station on Ryde Bank and gave the preceding classes a long race of windward/leewards with an initial beat almost all the way to the north shore, followed by a good down wind back to Ryde Bank.  When the J/109 Class course was announced with similar legs to the earlier starts, it was obvious that the day was going to be dominated by tidal tactics.

The fleet headed upwind with an even split on port and starboard only to converge again at the windward mark.  This mark rounding saw OUTRAJEOUS (Richard & Valerie Griffith) judge the tide perfectly to lead from ARIA (Luca Rubinelli), JAGERBOMB (Paul Griffiths), RED ARROW (Marcus Wilson), DESIGNSTAR 2 (Roger Phillips) and last week’s race winner, OFFBEAT (David McLeman). Season leader J-DREAM (David and Kirsty Apthorp) was buried back in the pack.

A spinnaker run of nearly two miles saw many position changes as OUTRAJEOUS extended her lead from ARIA and J-DREAM pulled through to third.  RED ARROW with her new crew were delighted to be in the pack and determined to protect their position.

Halfway up the next beat ARIA was overhauled by J-DREAM and within metres of the mark OUTRAJEOUS ducked J-DREAM, who was on starboard.  Another long run back across the Solent saw OUTRAJEOUS take better advantage of the tide to round the leeward mark first.

The leaders had an uneventful leeward mark rounding, buy the majority of the fleet arrived at the mark at the same time.  A starboard rounding had thrown some and with strong tide, there were a few interesting calls for mark room.

The final beat saw J-DREAM once again lead at the windward mark and as they did not repeat the mistake of the previous downwind leg, OUTRAJEOUS was unable to pass.  A beat back to the finish saw J-DREAM extend the lead from OUTRAJEOUS to take the win by 30 seconds, their seventh victory of the series.

ARIA retained 3rd place, whilst some of the fleet rounded the leeward mark and set off for the wrong finish line.  JAGERBOMB and DESIGNSTAR were losers in this maneuver, whilst RED ARROW benefitted to finish 4th —only 9 seconds off 3rd and 5 seconds in front of OFFBEAT in 5th.  Overall, the results still are: 1st- J-DREAM (David & Kirsty Apthorp), 2nd- OFFBEAT (David McLeman) and 3rd- ARIA (Luca Rubinelli).  What's interesting to note is that in the 11th race, all top five took all top five places!  Now that's tough racing!

In the White Fleet, racing in the relative shelter of the mainland shore, an amended windward leeward course was in use to reduce time between the three races. With the finishing committee boat near the start line it worked well, with the J/80s getting three start sequences cycled in two hours. Despite a soft breeze and some huge wind shifts, plus one black flag start in the J/80s in race 2, the fleet was heading for the crane by 12:45 pm after a 35-minute final race.  Overall, the results still are 1st OI!- John Cooper, 2nd AQUA J- Patrick Liardet, and 3rd is SWALLOW- Gordon Craigen.

Over in IRC Class 2, there have been four J/105s racing and they are 7-8-9-10 in class dueling with one another for one-design "Top Dog". In the fray are JACKPOT sailed by Vernon Bradley in 7th, JOS OF HAMBLE skippered by Professor Roger Williams in 8th, JOURNEYMAKER 5 sailed by Chris Jones in 9th and JOLENE with Ivan and Peter Trotman leading the charge lying 10th.

IRC Class 3 has simply been dominated by the J/97 JIKA-JIKA  (seen here) sailed by Mike and Jamie Holmes, they have seven 1sts, a 3rd and two 4ths!  Tough "hombres" these guys might be called in Texas/ Spanish slang.  Call it a "schooling" or simply a good old-fashioned "spanking", but Mike and Jamie simply set a new standard of performance with their well-sailed J/97 in this year's Winter Series.  Proof positive it's a tough boat to beat, often sailing as fast as the J/109s in lighter conditions downwind! Sailing a nice series and not far off the pace lying 4th is the J/110 SHADES OF BLUE sailed by Ed Holton-- just one point out of 3rd!

The series concludes next Sunday, December 5th, and day sponsor will be Elvstrom Sails.  One race for the Black Fleet and three races for the White Fleet are scheduled, and as well as finalizing the points series for the ten classes these results will help determine the Garmin Yacht of the Year and Garmin Sportsboat of the Year that will be awarded at the overall prize giving on Saturday December 11th.  Report contributions from Jontey Sherwill.  Full sailing details of the 2010 Garmin Hamble Winter Series.  Sailing photos courtesy- Paul Wyeth/ PWPictures.com.

  

J/92 Ice Cup Sweden

A Snow-Filled Fun Fest
(Stockholm, Sweden)- Photographer Oskar Kihlborg covered the 10th edition of Ice Cup in Sweden (aka "Viking Cup") and provided a quick report for frost-bite, snow-loving sailors.  As Oskar reminds us all, "It was -10 degrees C but the snow was not a big problem for the 120 Vikings who turned up for the start.  However spinnakers were not allowed due to too much ice on foredecks and winch handles were used to hack off ice from deck.

The 25 teams raced in J/92 boats and on Sunday six teams contested the final. The normal coin flipping between 'Dream Team' and Australian Tim Shuwalows 'Sweden Racing' was decided in a saucer or sledge race down the snowy slope to the water. Tim won that race but overall winner of the final was Team Tham.
J/92 Ice Cup Sailing Photo credits- Oskar Kihlborg   

ECC VIVIENDAS Wins J/80 Autumn Championship

(Santander, Spain)- The Spanish J/80 teams are at it again.  No matter how many J/80 World Champions they have, their fellow J/80 sailors are simply having fun getting out on the water and thrashing around the buoys before retiring after the race for some great Spanish paella and vino rojo.

The wavy conditions and good southwest 10-20 knot winds, combined with the flexibility of the Race Committee, allowed three good sets of races to play out on Santander Bay for the weekend.  It was fortunate that three sets of six races were completed, it's been a nasty few weeks for storms that have lashed the coastline.  The winner Pichu Torcida on ECC VIVIENDAS sailed to a very consistent 3-3-5 score.  Second place went to NEXTEL ENGINEERING sailed by Ignacio Camino and Armando Gutierrez and bronze was won by the BANCAJA-AVIVA, raced by Javier Lopez-Vazquez and Alvaro Mazarrasa.  Rounding out the top five were MABLE in 4th sailed by Alberto Padron and Jose Miguel Oriol, winning on a tie-breaker over Jaime Piris on FONESTAR (5th overall).     For more J/80 Autumn Championship sailing information.  Sailing photos courtesy of Chapifoto.com

  

J/80 Sailor- Torcida Awarded As Spanish National Sports Hero

(Santander, Spain)-  In the Cantabrian region there are many excellent, world-class sportsmen.  Many are cycling, soccer and basketball stars that win medals at an Olympic level or play professionally on such teams as Real Madrid or Barcelona.  In that rarified air is none other than Pichu Torcida.  A jury of the board of the Sports Press Association of Cantabria (APDC) and the heads of the major sports media in the region, selected eleven winners across a range of sports.  Pichu's team is recognized as the "Best Team of Cantabria 2010" for their victory in the J/80 Worlds in Newport, RI.  The entire team won the award, including his team-mates Carlos Martinez, Javier de la Plaza and Juan Gonzalez of Real Club Maritimo de Santander.  For more info on Pichu's awards for sailing.

  

Santander J/80 Mundialito Regatta

SLAM RACING's Gorostegui Wins

(Santander, Spain)-  Last Saturday it was a freezing cold November day, but the sailors were undeterred. They headed out for their version of a "mini-J/80 Worlds" (e.g. "mundialito").   Hosted by the Real Club Marítimo de Santander, the event is a traditional friendly and festive trophy "Mundialito" which brought into Cantabria many renowned Spanish sailors.

On Saturday afternoon the race committee sent the 27 teams around windward-leeward courses for a series of good, tactical racing.  By Sunday morning, the PRO's instead ordered a special tour and unusual hitch, starting with coastal stretch down the coast and back and finishing off the RCMS after a final double windward-leeward laps halfway between Santa Marina and Camel Beach. The conditions were tough, because a strong hailstorm struck the sailors when sailing against upwind to the first mark.   It was in this race that SLAM RACING took control of the regatta, winning by a comfortable margin.  Unfortunately, one of the contenders in the race, current J/80 World Champion Pichu Torcida, had to retire due to some painful muscle injuries in the difficult weather conditions.  Overall, the results were SLAM RACING in first sailed by Tonio Gorostegui and Harry Lavin, 2nd was Fernando Rita and Jaime Piris sailing the picturesque FONESTAR, 3rd was Ignacio Camino racing his familiar NEXTEL ENGINEERING, 4th was a new face amongst the leaders, Chuny Bermudez de Castro sailing COMPESCA and tied for 5th were Jesus Amaliach on RAITA and Angel Herrera on GROUP RHIN, the latter getting 6th on the tie-breaker.    For more J/80 Santander sailing information.  Sailing photo courtesy of Chapifoto.com

  

J/80 Sailor Bruno Trouble- Announces Louis Vuitton & AC34 Partnership

* Louis Vuitton Cup For AC34- Bruno Trouble (J/80 sailor extraordinaire from France), Russell Coutts, Yves Carcelle, Richard Worth, and Pietro Beccari celebrated their new partnership between Louis Vuitton and the 34th America's Cup!  Amazing, from the ashes a Phoenix yet rises again-- gotta hand it to Bruno, brilliant man and a French gentleman who knows how to get the job done.

Continuing its 30-year long association with the America's Cup, the Paris-based fashion house will present the prize, the Louis Vuitton Cup, to the winner of the America's Cup Challenger Series, as well as serve as Official Timing for the 34th America's Cup. "We are thrilled to announce today the continuation of our 30-year partnership with the America's Cup. Having met with the team several times, we believe that the 34th edition will be the best America's Cup yet," said Yves Carcelle, Chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton Malletier.   

Nicole Scott- Budding OZ photographer

* Chicks dig it, especially Nicole Scott and Kitty Logan-- remember this photo?  Of the J/24 J-SPOT in Sydney Harbour, Australia dragging one of its crew members who'd fallen overboard for a few yards (they luffed head to wind shortly thereafter and pulled him aboard)?  See more about how this happened-- they love the J/24 fleet down in Sydney.  Nicole and Kitty started SailingImages.net and ply their trade with a "network" photographers in Australia.  There's a cute story on the infamous Sailing Anarchy site about Nicole and her friend Kitty.  Another Scot Tempesta "SA InnerView"- "Sailing is one of the great sports, it is has grown to encompass all walks of life and is one of the rare recreational pursuits that is not age or gender specific. In particular so many women are now so intricately involved, not only in the sailing but in associated marine trades. A group that you will be seeing a lot of are Nicole Scott, Kitty Logan and the team at Sailing Images.net. These girls spend most weekends plying their trade of marine photography on Sydney Harbour and at all the major sailing events. They will go to any length to get the ideal angle, hanging out of boats and constantly striving for the magic shot for your office or mantelpiece.

This company in its short life has already made a significant impact with its photographs featured on international websites and magazines. It is expanding quickly and notably with acquisitions of the highest order. Two more Sydney based female photographers, Beth Morley and Michele Rogers have joined the team along with Greg Maunder in Victoria, Aaron Goldwater in Canada/US, Lisa McMenamin Personal Assistant and Daryl Hill, the chase boat driver. All this is the space of three months!

The birth and success of this company is a testament to the drive and dedication of Nicole Scott. She has had to overcome personal loss of the highest order. Three and a half years ago she lost her partner to a rare form of aggressive Leukemia. Her life was turned upside down overnight and the ensuing stress and emotional turmoil took its toll. However out of this difficult time came a new zest to live life to the fullest. She embraced her favorite pastimes, photography and nature, her 10th birthday was a milestone in her life with the gift of her first camera and she was clicking the shutters from that day."  Continue to read more about Nicole's adventure here on SA.   

Glenn Gustaffson on Caribbean 1500

*  Glen Gustaffson is sailing his J/46 this year in the Caribbean 1500.  He says, "There are two J/46's and I believe one J/44 in the event, which has a record turnout this year.  We are pumped up and looking for a fast ride to the Islands.  I'll see if I can get a story together on the J's in the event, and send it on after we reach Tortola.  There is live tracking on the website- http://www.carib1500.com.  Here's the latest update from Glenn- "Three J/Boats participated in the Caribbean 1500 this year.  Our boat, WINDARA, a J/46 owned by Glenn & Elsa Gustafson of Chicago, SKITTERY GUSSETT a J/46 owned by Chris Holm of Wayzata, MN and ZAFU a modified J/44 owned by Mike Scott of Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

The Caribbean 1500 is a "rally" that runs from Hampton, VA to Tortola, BVI. This year was the 21st running of the event. 66 boats participated this year, 27 in the "rally class" which means they were being timed, and 39 in the cruise group, which means they were not being timed.  Being a rally, you are allowed to run your engine in gear in the light stuff, with your engine hours added to your time.

After a weather delay for Hurricane Tomas to decide where it wanted to go, we finally left Hampton on November 8th.  Weather was dominated by a large offshore atlantic low to that was slowly moving in a southwest direction toward Bermuda.  As a result, we had strong winds from 20 to 35 during the first 5 days of the event, as we raced south trying to stay ahead of the really big swells further north.  The J/46 was really in her element, surfing down the 10' to 15' swells at speeds up to 14 knots at times, using a poled out 100% jib and full main or single reefed main when it piped up over 28 to 30 knots. Never saw any nasty weather, just a few rain squalls with +5 knots of wind and some rain.

6 days of downwind sailing was a blast.  We averaged 220 miles a day for the first 5 days, with our largest day being 239 NM. The wind lightened up to less than 10 knots  the last 2 days so we flew the Asymmetrical and heated up a little from rhumb line to keep the speed up.

We ended up second in Class 2, 4 hours behind a Leopard 46 cat, and with the 6th fastest elapsed time in the fleet.  Avg speed was 8.4 knots and averaged over 200 nm per day for the entire trip.

After a day to unwind, we took the crew to the Baths and Virgin Gorda before they headed back home.  All in all, we had a terrific time.  Plan to spend the winter in the Caribbean, and will head south from the Virgins in another week or two.  Best Regards, Glenn"