J/80 + SLAM for Worlds 2012

(Darmouth, England)- SLAM UK has this week confirmed major sponsorship support for the 2012 J/80 World Championship, which will now be "Powered by SLAM". The regatta will take place between the 9th and 15th of June and will be jointly hosted by the Britannia Yacht Club, the Royal Dart Yacht Club and the J/80 UK Class Association.  Both the Opening Ceremony and the Prize-giving Ceremony for 2012 J/80 World Championship Powered by SLAM will take place at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon.

In addition to significant financial support for the regatta, the partnership with cutting edge sportswear company SLAM UK will bring style, flair and inimitable glamour to the event, along with real and quantifiable added value for the competitors of the 80 teams which are predicted to travel to the UK this summer to compete. Not only will competitors be able to enjoy the tangible benefits of SLAM UK’s investment in the Championship, but they will also witness first-hand the competitive edge afforded on the race-track by this technologically advanced clothing range; Chris Ducker, owner of SLAM UK, will also be racing his brand new J/80 at the Worlds.

Chris Ducker explained his passion for SLAM and his commercial desire to be involved at a grass roots level with the J/80 Worlds: ‘I am delighted to have an opportunity to work with the Key Yachting team and for SLAM to sponsor the 2012 J/80 Worlds; this will certainly be a fantastic event on and off the water. I look forward enormously to sailing and socializing in the J/Community throughout the 2012 season.’

At the London Boat Show in January, SLAM UK was appointed official clothing partner of Key Yachting Ltd.  Paul Heys , Managing Director of Key Yachting explained ‘There is a strong parallel between the design credentials of the SLAM technological clothing range and J/Boats, not least in the fundamentally intelligent and performance oriented design. I’ve worn SLAM kit on the water for a number of years and it unfailingly delivers the results one expects. This new partnership is great for Key Yachting and it will also prove extremely valuable to our clients during the coming year. Competitors at the 2012 J/80 World Championship Powered by SLAM have a real treat in store.’

Entries for the 2012 J/80 World Championship are rolling in at serious pace now. The online entry system at http://www.j80worlds2012.com is easy to use, the entry fee represents real value for money and Brittany Ferries has offered discounted pricing for J/80 teams traveling to the UK from the continent. February may be frosty but the competition in Dartmouth in June is looking hotter than ever.

For those of you who may not be familiar with SLAM's participation in sailing, their mission is to conceive, test, and produce advanced technology sportswear in order to improve the performance of sailors and to create a nautically-inspired sportswear collection for everyone with a passion for the sea.  Selected by many of the world's top sailors and competitive racing teams, SLAM sailing gear not only protects against the worst of the weather but, at the same time, allows for maximum comfort and freedom of movement.  You can learn more about SLAM's sailing products here- http://www.slamuk.com

For more information on the J/80 Sportsboat or the 2012 World Championship Powered by SLAM, please contact Becci Eplett of the J/80 UK Class Association at becci@keyyachting.com.

JAKE Sails To Double Victory in Royal Sydney YS Event

(Sydney, Australia)-   Following the great success of the Sydney-based J/111 JAKE in the offshore summer series, JAKE headed back to the harbor to compete for the first time with Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron.  In keeping with their remarkable performances to date, the Ray and Sandra Entwistle have this to report from their recent escapades flying around Sydney's gorgeous harbor.

"On Saturday the 4th February, JAKE was joined by two other casual entries to boost the Division One fleet to 19 boats. The fleet consisted of a wide variety of boats including a Sydney 60, Jutson 50, Lyons 49 to name a  few plus the regular spread of  Beneteau 45s, 40s, Sydney 36s, Elan 350 RP, Farr canting-keel and other high performance one-offs.

It was looking like a potential glass-out (no wind) just 30 minutes before the start but then the wind began to fill the course with a shifty 8 to 13 knot southeaster.  JAKE was buried on the start by some of the larger boats so took an early port tack out of the traffic into more favorable tide and wind heading up Sydney Harbor from Kirribilli to Neilson Park.  It was then a short run to Taylor's Bay followed by another beat to "Sow and Pigs" buoy.  We thought the criss-cross harbour course which included some legs which were simply power reaching under jib would be detrimental to the J/111 amongst the larger boats, but she held her own admirably with the much bigger boats in town.

It wasn’t until the last spinnaker reach the Jutson 50 “Braveheart” managed to ease past JAKE and went around the Kirribilli bottom mark for the last time, dropping spinnakers just 10 seconds ahead. The last beat back up the harbor was a case of keeping out of the 50 footers dirty air as he covered our every move. JAKE powered through the line just one minute forty seconds 40 behind him and enjoyed a wonderful sight behind as most of the fleet were still on the last spinnaker run.  It was amazing to see some 40 to 50 footers behind us on the water with some of the other similar sized boats up to 15 minutes behind, JAKE's crew knew they had done well.

JAKE scored a first on IRC by four minutes 22 seconds and a first on PHS by four minutes 34 seconds in its first harbor sail at Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, proving like here European and American sisterships the J/111 is as devastatingly quick inshore as she is offshore."   For more J/111 sailboat information

J's Leading Sailboat Brand In Newport-Bermuda Race Entries

(Newport, RI)- Three weeks into the entry process for the 48th Newport Bermuda Race, applications for entry for the 2012 race continue to roll in at a rapid rate for the 106-year-old biennial ocean-racing classic, with expectations of another large fleet.

Brin Ford at the Bermuda Race Organizing Committee, commented, "As of February 3rd, the rate of entries was exactly on pace with the 2010 race with 105 boats having submitted Applications for Entry (AFE)." The Newport Bermuda Race is an invitational event, so skippers must submit an application and receive an invitation before completing the registration process. The 2010 race was the third largest ever, with 183 boats. The only bigger fleets were 264 in the 2006 Centennial Race and 198 in 2008.

Among boat builders, currently J/Boats has 21 entries, twice as many as any other brand!  In other words, nearly 25% of the Bermuda Race fleet are comprised of passionate offshore J sailors.  Many of them are amongst some of the most experienced and successful offshore sailors.   Amongst the returning boats is GOLD DIGGER, Jim Bishop's J/44 (New York, NY) who will be back for its twelfth race in what looks to be like another tour'de'force for the five boat J/44 class so far.  Included amongst them are Phil Gutin's BEAGLE, Len Sitar's VAMP, Jason Leblanc's GLORY and Lawrence Glenn's RUNAWAY.  In addition to the strong turnout of J/44s, there are a number of other very competitive boats in the St David's Lighthouse Division, including two well-sailed J/120s lead by Richard Born's WINDBORN and Jim Praley's SHINNECOCK.  Also present are past Bermuda Race competitors Darren Garnier sailing his J/35 GREAT SCOT, Jan Smeets on his J/133 BACCHANAL and Andrew Weiss sailing his highly successful J/122 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON.  In Cruising Division will be Howie Hodgson's J/160 TRUE.

Finally, the Double-Handed Division is only getting stronger every Bermuda Race.  This year we'll see repeat Bermuda Race winners participating, like Jason Richter's incredibly well-sailed J/35 PALADIN.  Like last time, Jason will have his hands full with two J/120s, Hewitt Gaynors' MIRIELLE and Gardner Grant's ALIBI- both tough contenders.  Plus, toss in Scott Miller's J/122 RESOLUTE and Nathan Owen's J/46 SEABISCUIT and you have a nearly "one-design" race amongst these five boats.  Thanks for contribution from- Talbot Wilson.  For more Bermuda Race sailing information.

J/111, J/97, J/80 Sailors Lead Weekend Frostbiters

(Southampton, England)- It was a cold overcast day with 10-12 knots of wind from the NNE swinging by 10-15 degrees.  While snow had been a possible forecast the fleet were fortunate; it remained dry with 35 boats braving the conditions. The committee boat set up south of Deans Lake and set a course cascading up Southampton Water for race 5 of the Frostbite Series.

With minimal tide all classes had good starts with the first leg to Hovercraft 1. Conditions near the Netley shore were challenging with lighter and variable wind in pockets. Several positions changed here.  For race 6, the wind dropped to 6-8 knots and the direction was generally NNE but varying by as much as 30°. Temperature had also dropped and the race committee made the decision to use a shorter cascade course. The line was also reset.  Although tide was minimal for the majority of the race it had started to ebb by the finish and with wind pockets appearing across the course the conditions were very challenging with positions changing as the holes were wrongly read.

Class 1 was won by Kirsty and David Apthorp’s J/111 J-DREAM. Their record of 3-1-1-1-3 is giving them a clear lead in Class 1 division, leading by four points so far.

Class 2 winner was Nick and Adam Munday's J/97 INDULJENCE finding the lighter conditions to their liking and rapidly climbing the learning curve in Southampton Water, an often tricky place to sail since winds are always shifty coming off the shore and current is a key consideration from a tactical and strategic standpoint.  Their two bullets raced them up the ladder to have them just 2 pts off the podium in a four-way tie for fourth!

In Class 4- J/Class, it was the J/80 J'AI DEUX AMOURS owned by Stewart Hawthorn who took two bullets, making their tally of 1-2-1-1-1 look even  stronger than last week, increasing their lead over the fleet to fourteen points!  The J/92s J'RONIMO has leapt into second place over the weekend by virtue of scoring a 2-3 and are winning over a tie-breaker on 20 pts with another J/92 JUST ENOUGH.  The J/92 BOJANGLES has now dropped to fourth with a score card of 4-1-6-5-6 for 22 pts.  For more Royal Southampton Frostbite Series sailing information

Joyous J's Swing Grenada Sailing Festival

(Port Louis Marina, Grenada)- More fun in the sun!  SAILING’s Contributing Photographer Bobbie Grieser was on assignment, along with Contributing Editor Betsy Crowfoot, capturing the action at Grenada Sailing Festival this week. The event is a colorful four-day regatta drawing entrants from the Caribbean, Europe and North America to race in the area’s strong breeze by day and gather to enjoy delicious Spice Island fare and festive Caribbean music at night.

In 1994 when organizers named the island’s first international yachting event the ‘Grenada Sailing Festival’, it was for a very good reason: to highlight its unique blend of great sailing and great Grenadian hospitality. The 19th Festival lived up to all of its promises to keep up this tradition with some of the most challenging racing in the southern Caribbean plus some of the best parties.

For the newly styled Grenada Sailing Festival Camper & Nicholson's Racing Series 2012, organizers had planned four days of yacht racing over different set courses, all based at the company’s world class Port Louis Marina.  However, it was not just about tactics, wind conditions and bragging rights.  Once racing was over, all yachtsmen & women -  this year coming from the UK, USA, Canada, France, Austria and Italy, as well as Caribbean neighbors, Trinidad and Antigua - enjoyed the Festival fun and action on land in the laid-back atmosphere that has made the event so popular.

While the sailing is fabulous, the entertainment is simply off-the-charts.  Working closely with hosts Camper & Nicholson's and The Victory Bar & Restaurant, the event kicked-off on Friday with a "Welcome to Grenada Party" with steel pan, drummers and dancers giving a great first flavor of traditional island entertainment. Then, top of the list of ‘Must be There’ Parties is always the famous Mount Gay Rum Red Cap Party held on Saturday night.  Monday night was another great experience, when the party moved to old festival favorite Dodgy Dock at True Blue Bay Resort for a Reggae Night that was not to be missed. The Festival finished back at the Victory Bar on Tuesday with a grand Prize Presentation and Farewell with DJ and live band to send all home with great memories until next year. If you can survive all that, you can just about survive anything.

Ensuring their bid to be overall Caribbean Offshore Circuit Champion again was Jim Dobb's famous J/122 LOST HORIZON.  Racing in CSA division Racing, Jim and crew simply smoked their competitors, sailing to a 2-4-1-1-1-2-1 for 12 points to win by 6 pts over some fast company, like an RP 37, Henderson 35, First Class 10m and Hobie 33.  Just off the pace behind them was Peter Lewis racing the J/105 WHISTLER finishing in 6th place.

Having a ball in CSA Cruising 2 Division was Robbie Yearwood and crew sailing their shiny blue-black, groovy-lookin' J/24 called DIE HARD-- an appropriate name for this crew and their decades-old J/24!  Good looking crew and one that may have had dibs on winning the party after the four day event!  On the water, they certainly deserved to be crowned champions with a scoreline of six 1sts and one 2nd to win by over ten points!   For more Grenada Sailing Festival sailing information

J/105 EuroCup Announcement!

(Yarmouth, England)-  In 2012, the intention is to raise the bar for J/105 one-design class sailing teams and organise some dedicated class racing that will encourage J/105s based outside the Solent and from northern Europe to come and race together.

2011 was a RORC Fastnet Race year and there were several J/105s from Europe sailing in the UK for the offshore series and for Cowes Week.  Keeping this in mind, the J/105 EuroCup in 2012 will take place over 2 weekends – partially offshore and partially inshore.   The first weekend’s racing will incorporate the Round The Island Race [over 60 miles around the Isle of Wight] on 30th June with the following weekend [7th/8th July] comprising 5 inshore races at Yarmouth that would include at least one day’s racing in Christchurch Bay and the second day within the West Solent.

The overall regatta, branded as the J/105 EuroCup, will be managed by The Royal Solent Yacht Club based in Yarmouth.  There are approximately fifteen J/105s based in the Solent area and already ten of these owners have signaled their intention to enter the J/105 EuroCup 2012.  For those J/105s owners in France, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Germany, it's a great way to meet other J/105 owners and learn more about sailing your boat competitively!

Of note, there is no clash on dates with the J-Cup being staged on the Solent from the 25th to 28th July– indeed it is anticipated the J105 EuroCup will be a natural feeder for boats to stay in the Solent for more fleet racing later in the month.  On shore facilities will be based out of the Royal Solent’s new Clubhouse that is presently under-going a complete face lift over the winter; a huge marquee will be in place for the event plus live music and dinner on the Saturday evening.

For more J/105 EuroCup sailing information, please email- sailing@royalsolent.org or contact Becci Eplett (becci@keyyachting.com) at J/UK Key Yachting Group in Southampton, England.

Promoting sailing and fun

* Promoting sailing and fun-- one musical video at a time?!  A well-known European musical group called "The Pantless Knights" recently joined "The Yacht Week" (a large "cruise-in-company" sailing vacation group) for a trip to the Mediterranean to shoot a music video while sailing.  Apparently it was an amazing trip and it's refreshing to see that people on The Yacht Week don't take themselves too seriously.  So, we thought it'd be fun to do something you don't often see while sailing: excessive fist-pumping while sailing-- a bit like Tony Horton's famous Beachbody.com fitness program called "P90X" mixed with sailing your boat and grinding winches!  Too amusing for words.  Check it out.  If more people had this much fun sailing, the sport of sailboat racing and the recreational activity of sailing would have nothing to worry about-- the masses would be flinging their bodies at you in droves demanding to be crew! Wouldn't that be nice?     YouTube Yacht Week Sailing Video here

J/24 Sailing Fun @ Monaco's Primo Cup

(Monaco)- For almost 30 years, the European elite has been gathering in Monegasque waters at the beginning of February to take part in the Mediterranean yachting season’s biggest event in terms of the number of participants.  With almost 1,000 sailors coming from all over Europe, representing some 15 nationalities, the Primo Cup – Trophee Credit Suisse organised by the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM), is one of the most important winter events in Europe, marking the start of the international racing season in Europe and the Med.

Strong breezes and bright sunshine marked the first weekend of sailing which saw five very competitive series racing from Friday to Sunday for the J/24s and other classes.  International teams from all over Europe faced tough conditions, with winds up to 30 knots from the north-east to south-west, providing an excellent early start to the regatta season in demanding rather wintery conditions. “I take my hat off to all the participants, some of whom braved traffic problems caused by the wintery weather to get here, and while it was a bit chilly this year there was sunshine and wind in the bay of Monaco,” said a delighted Thierry Leret, Race Committee President, at the prize-giving when all the winning crews are presented with SLAM clothing and a pair of waterproof binoculars with compass from Bernard Optic.  No fewer than six races were held for the one-designs, still the best format for the most seasoned sailors when it comes to competing on a level playing field.

For the J/24 sailors, their sights are set on the J/24 European Championship in Monaco in 2013.  What a spectacular venue!  Sure to be a popular event, J/24 sailors must remember that none other than the HRH Prince Albert II of Monaco (and President of Yacht Club Monaco)  cut his teeth on one-design sailing in the family's principality sailing J/24s with numerous Americans and Europeans over the course of time-- at least a dozen years straight at last count!  Prince Albert is sure to be the gracious host yet again for the 2012 International J/24 European Championship at Yacht Club de Monaco!

In the 2012 edition, it was good to see the “southerners” clinch victory in the J/24s after several past series have been dominated by the “northerners”.  The crew from ST ANDREWS SECURITIES, with François Brenac as tactician, fought off the attacks by the Swede Marianne Schoke and her team sailing JULIA.  “I’ve been competing regularly in the Primo Cup for the last seven or eight years with members of the Yacht Club de Monaco. The Primo Cup is a fantastic event to kick-start the season and prepare for the big regattas later in the year. And, I am delighted to learn that Monaco will be hosting the J/24 European Championship from 6 to 12 October 2013,” said Marianne, who is also president of the J/24 European Class Association.

TOPO TOO, helmed by Claude Rodelato, finished third but the skipper was very satisfied with the result. He had a totally new team who came together specially for the Primo Cup, as his brother Jean and Blandine Medecin are currently among the leaders of the Transquadra Double-handed Transatlantic Race between Cascais (Portugal) and Le Marin (Martinique).  For more J/24 Monaco Primo Cup sailing results

J/24 Midwinters Preview

(Davis Island YC, Tampa, FL)- There are twenty-six plus J/24 teams headed down to "The Sailingest Club in the South", Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, Florida, to do battle for honors of J/24 Midwinter Champion 2012.  As the world's largest one-design keelboat class, the International J/24 routinely develops some of the world's best sailors-- many of whom have won (or are about to win) events like the America's Cup, the Volvo Ocean Race, Fastnet Races, Transpac Races, and far too numerous National and World Championships in other one-design classes to name here.

Today, with used J/24s running from $3,000 "garage specials" to fully kitted-out $40,000 ready-to-win racers, there's a "weapon of choice" for anyone from just about any walk of life- from the 1 per centers to the 99 per centers.   Some J/24s have "cold taps" installed for casual-to-serious racing in weekday beer-can events to others that have nano-sphere micro-polished hulls and blades where even water molecules fear a close-encounter with such perfection!  No matter the expectations or level of playing field one chooses, you're bound to see all types at a J/24 event anywhere in the world-- all having fun!

Amongst the better teams attending the J/24 Midwinters in Tampa are some National and World Champions in the class.  Look for Mike Ingham from Rochester, NY, a past World Champion, to be on the leader-board as well as class veteran Tony Parker sailing the famously-named BANGOR PACKET from Annapolis YC, Annapolis, MD.  Also factoring amongst the leaders will be John Mollicone sailing 11th HOUR RACING from SailNewport, Newport, RI and Travis Odenbach steering HONEY BADGER from Rochester, NY.  Most likely winning the "Long Distance" award already is Ken Johnson, an Englishman hailing from Club Nautico de Olivos, Buenos Aires, Argentina-- a recent participant in the J/24 Worlds 2011 in Buenos Aires.   For more J/24 Midwinters sailing information.

J Sailors Continue to Lead Volvo Ocean Race

* J sailors continue to be tough competitors in the Volvo Ocean Race.  Winning the proverbial "Hat Trick" so far is Iker Martinez sailing TELEFONICA-- his J/80 friends and family in Spain were certainly jumping for joy!  Helping him along as Navigator/Tactician is Andrew Cape, a J sailor himself having competed on many of them on the Solent in England.  Plus, Andrew was a Southampton YC "Island Double Race" winner on the J/44 J-HAWK sailing with Stu Johnstone back in 1991!  The Island Double is a famous short-handed race in England that starts/ finishes off the notorious Royal Yacht Squadron line off Cowes, Isle of Wight-- it's the 65 nm dash around the Isle of Wight, the infamous original America's Cup course.  Andrew and Stu won the Island Double sailing the "classic" clockwise course, leaving all the buoys and the island to the right all the way around.  Ken Read and the boys on PUMA Mar Mastro do seem to have a bit of a "black cat hex" on them-- they just can't seem to "buy a break or a wind shift" to "save their bacon" and keep them out of trouble.  This last leg was literally a "minefield" of ships, fishing boats, fishing nets and all sorts of shoals and other islands obstacles, forgetting the fact they also had to deal with capricious winds and weather.  Kenny and crew took a flyer off to the right on the last segment from the Straits of Malacca, up the Vietnam coast to Sanya, China-- unfortunately, the gambit didn't pay off.  We wish both Iker and Kenny "fair winds and fair sailing" on their next leg from Sanya to Auckland, New Zealand.