NEW! Around Jamestown Record Sailing Race

(Newport, RI)- The new Around Jamestown Record Sailing Race sponsored by Mount Gay Rum & Double Cross Vodka with Café Zelda commences this year.  And, the outright Record Holder for each year will be Awarded the Skipper’s Weight in Mount Gay Rum?!  Cool! Manuka Sports Event Management are excited to announce The Around Jamestown Record, a perpetual all-out record for sailing around Conanicut Island (also known as Jamestown) in lower Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island.

Similar to other outright speed records, contenders will decide when they to make a record attempt and also the direction in which they will sail around Jamestown. This means contenders can choose the most advantageous weather conditions and tidal flow in which to attempt the record.

Four categories of sailing boats will be recognized to vie for divisional honors with the overall perpetual trophy going to the boat with the outright fastest time.

The four divisions recognized are:
- Monohull keelboats greater than or equal to 50 feet
- Monohull keelboats less than 50 feet
- Multihulls over 20 feet
- Other sailing craft

The record will be open during the summer months from Memorial Day, May 28th, 2012 until September 30th, 2012 during the hours of daylight. An Official Prize Giving Party will be held on the weekend immediately following September 30th and will be open to the local community as well as the contenders.  Double Cross Vodka and Mount Gay Rum will provide cocktails and prizes. The yacht that wins the outright record will be awarded Mount Gay Rum equal to the Skipper’s weight.

Additionally, a portion of each $500.00 USD entry fee (the cost for each record attempt) will go to benefit the Boomer Esiason Foundation and their fight against Cystic Fibrosis and Newport’s community sailing center, Sail Newport.

Race Director, Hugh Piggin stated, “Being able to choose your weather window adds an interesting twist to an iconic sailing course here in Narragansett Bay. The Record will be a challenging way for the local boating community to vie for bragging rights and fun prizes while supporting two worthwhile causes.”  Please contact Julianna Barbieri @ Manuka Sports Event Management for more information- email- Julianna@ManukaSEM.com or work phone- 917-693-1656.  For more sailing information on the Around Jamestown Record

Annapolis NOOD Sailing Preview

NEW J/111 One-Design Class Debuts
(Annapolis, MD)- While the Sperry Topsider crew can't guarantee awesome sailing, they certainly can make sure the sailors are happy with their togs and clogs and make life ashore festive and fun.  With a forecast of light to moderate winds for Thursday/ Friday out of the south and a weak front switching the winds into the northerly quadrants at a robust 4-7 knots for Saturday/ Sunday, the PRO's will be on their toes to get some decent sailing in for the madding crowds.  How many teams will be in attendance?  With nearly 200 boats registered, there will be over 1,100+ J sailors crewing on 141 J's (that's 72% of the fleet!).

The J One-Design fleets are all well-represented and are broken down into five J/111s, a dozen J/109s, aye-teen J/105s, ocho J/35s, move J/30s, thirty-four J/80s, nineteen J/24s and thirty-six J/22s.  In fact, it's quite a significant turn-out of the 35 foot J-Designs- J/35s from the 80s, J/105s from the 90s and the new J/111s.

On that score, the J/111 fleet is shaping up to be a good test of how crews adopt to the flatter, choppier, shiftier waters of the Chesapeake Bay.  Three of the 111 teams all sailed in Charleston, having to cope with massive easterly swells from an offshore storm in NW to NE winds, making for a rolly-polly ride upwind and downwind.  Past champion VELOCITY sailed by Marty Roesch will surely be on the comeback trail and CRW Champion RAGIN led by Bob Moran and 3rd place finisher Henry Brauer on FLEETWING will be challenging for the top of the pack.  With those three as a benchmark, it will be interesting to see how quickly the other two boats, Jim Whited's BAD CAT and Anthony Culotta's CUORE DI LEONE fair against some of their well-practiced compatriots.

With three dozen teams showing up on the starting line, the J/22s continue to demonstrate that a bit of chutzpah, fun and camaraderie go a long way for long-term fleet success.  There are many familiar faces in this crowd as well as some new ones.  The event may yet turn into another donnybrook between the Rochester crowd versus the Annapolis gang.  Leading the Rochester crew will be Chris Doyle on THE JUG 41 and Vic Snyder on MO'MONEY.  The local Naptown crews are pretty formidable, amongst them will be Jeff Todd on HOT TODDY, Al Terhune on DAZZLER, Sandy Adzick on HOT TICKET and Todd Hiller on LEADING EDGE, just to name a few.

After nearly 35 years of racing, you'd think the J/24 teams would have an established pecking order amongst the top teams.  NOT!  As has been atypical of many top international one-design classes, the J/24 is so easy to pick up fast by good sailors that just about anyone can be competitive in a short period of time.  Same holds true now as it did back in 1977.  However, octogenarian Tony Parker on the storied BANGOR PACKET XXX is the local Maine/DC boy who's been keeping all the latest boys and girls in check.  After all, many a J/24 World Champion has crossed swords with Tony and lost-- he's still sharp as a tack after all those years of "ultimate fighting" in the J/24 class.  Making sure they learned a thing or two and hope to stay in front of Tony are recent J/24 World Champ Tim Healey on 11TH HOUR RACING from Newport, Robby Brown from St Pete on USA 799, Travis Odenbach on HONEY BADGER and Pete Kassal on SPACEMAN SPIFF.

An excellent turnout of thirty-four J/80s re-affirms their class strength after good fleets at Key West, Bacardi Sailing Week and Charleston Race Week-- all events on the J/80 Winter Circuit.  J/80 sailors are having a lot of fun racing their fast, closely-matched A-sail boats.  Teams that could be factors are changing as some teams improve their capabilities on boat-speed, boat-handling and tactics.  Showing great improvements recently has been Kristen Robinson and team aboard ANGRY CHAMELEON.  Others in the hunt will include Andy Burton on GROMIT from Newport, Chris Chadwick's CHURCH KEY, Bruno Pasquinelli's TIAMO, Mike Sudofsky's BOB DYLAN, Ramzi Bannura's STACKED DECK, Will Crump & Tom Klok's R80, Brian Keane's SAVASANA and Erik Storck's NA Champion RUMOR.

The J/30 sailors continue to enjoy the first cruiser-racer ever built by the J/Boats Team.  And, many "classics" of this genre abound.  These teams have a scream, no doubt about it. So, making any predictions about an outcome are certainly beyond the comprehension of even the J/30 sailors themselves.  Has something to do with rum, beer, sun, fun and varying degrees of that combination over three days of sailing.  So, working on past performance, we can at least look for Pam Morri's BUMP, Ron Anderson's INSATIABLE, George Watson's AVITA and Bob Rutsch & Mike Costello's BEPOP to be hunting around the front of the pack most times this weekend.

The eighteen boat J/105 fleet will be as competitive as ever.  Chesapeake locals such as Peter McChesney on the now famous MYSTERY MACHINE, Chris & Carolyn Groobey on JAVA, Andrew Kennedy on BAT IV, Bob Reeves on A-TRAIN, the Gitchell's on TENACIOUS and Jack Biddle on RUM PUPPY will certainly be factors in the top five.  Toss in top three J/105 NA's sailor Jim Rathbun on HEY JUDE from Toronto, ONT, Canada and some US Naval Academy Sailing Team college sailors and you're certain to see a running gun battle taking place on the waters just off Easton's Point.

J/35 sailors continue to enjoy one of the most successful 35 footers ever built as racer-cruisers.  Love the boat names, some of the old classics and some new variations.  T-BONE, AUNT JEAN, DAKOTA GIRL, BAD COMPANY, MEDICINE MAN, REBEL YELL.  Hell, might as well be at a Harley Davidson reunion in the Badlands of North Dakota, don't ya think?  Free tattoos go with this gang (although the J/30 guys might argue this point).  And, they love it, working those grinders on the massive kevlar/carbon genoas and monster masthead spinnakers to go faster and faster.  Cool boat.  Cooler crews.  Predictions here?  None.  Teams change, teams get hungover. Bless'em all, they will certainly have fun and one may guess it would be a dead heat with their J/30 friends for the highest "fun quotient" amongst the J/Clan.

At a dozen strong, the J/109s have amongst their fleet three past J/109 North American Champions in the form of Bill Sweetser's RUSH (the Local) versus Rick Lyall's STORM (the Outsider- just a Long Island Sound guy), all contending with that silver fox from Buzzards Bay/Cape, Ted Herlihy on GUT FEELING (the Foreigner- so far East the Earth ends in a cliff).  In the end, way too hard to call this one with some many other strong teams tossed into the mix.  For more Sperry Topsider Sailing World NOOD Annapolis sailing information

J/24s- Fun Sailing Australia

* Sequins and Pearls! All right. It is not about Mardi Gras or Carnivale, or even our impending Presentation Night, for then it would be sequins and pearls, after all.  What it is about is that you know that I just love a good sequence of images and our pal, who's "Not the Oldest Bowman on the Bay", Chris Furey, has supplied us with a "pearler". We'll just let him explain his pictures, then.  Said Chris, "I know that J/24s are often maligned as old-fashioned boats these days, but they still provide tight tactical racing in good sized fleets and at an affordable entry level. I sailed my first J/24 back in the late 70s and was the original Victorian dealer for the class, so I have a bit of a soft spot for the boats. We have a growing and very active fleet at Sandringham Yacht Club, with 18 boats now parked on the hardstand and prospective owners clamoring for space for more boats. A fantastic initiative from the local fleet has been to provide two fully-kitted J/24s for intermediate and youth sailors to charter and race for a season, as a stepping stone from the off-the-beach dinghy scene to keelboat racing."

"Last Sunday, I was fortunate enough to hitch a ride with ISAF Judge, Rob Ware, on the Jury boat to observe and photograph the 20 boat J24 fleet fighting out the last three races on the final day of their 2012 Victorian State Championships, which were held off Sandringham. It’s a privileged position for a keen sailing observer and photographer to be in, as we were right up close and personal with the sailors as they raced hard on a gusty Port Phillip."  For more great photos and the rest of this great sailing story.

J/122 Third In St Tropez 900 Race

(St Tropez, France)- With the support of the City of Saint-Tropez, under the aegis of the FFV (Federation Francois de Voile) and the race sponsors, the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez held its famous first offshore race in the Mediterranean- the 900 nm St Tropez Race.  This "tour of the Mediterranean" makes the Giraglia and the Middle Sea Races, both notorious for having to cope with demanding and often capricious weather on the Med, look like practice races.  The St Tropez race, to give you some perspective, is nearly 35% longer, crosses a number of major shipping lanes and rounds some of the most famous (and largest) islands in the Med.  The race goes from St Tropez, to the island of Minorca, then around Sardinia, then around Corsica and back to St Tropez.

Like their other famous J/122 sisterships in Malta and Italy, Olivier Parchet's French team on his J/122 NOISY OYSTER finished third overall in IRC, just behind famous French Solo Champion Lionel Pean, in an elapsed time of 6 days, 20 hours and 58 minutes. Said Olivier, "It was a difficult finish for us since we were in first position for over 75% of the race after passing the Minorca turning mark!  A bit frustrating but nevertheless a fantastic race for us.  We're happy with the outcome, not bad for a "comfort without compromise" 40 foot sailboat!  The J/122 is simply amazing, perfect for how we sail in the Med. By the way, NOISY OYSTER will participate to Giraglia in June, Copa del Rey in Palma in July and Middle sea Race in October in Malta!"  Best regards, Olivier

In addition to the J/122, the 2011 St Tropez Overall Winner, the J/109 ALBACOR IV sailed by Jena-Louis Pezin, managed to hang tough in this demanding race to score a sixth overall in an elapsed time of 7 days, 13 hour sand 12 minutes.   For St Tropez 900 Race sailing results   For St Tropez 900 Race sailing information

KAOTIC Wins J/24 Vic States

Or, Was It Simply Benny & The Jets Flying Away?
(Sandringham, Victoria, Australia)- The Australian J24 fleet is returning to its glory days and enthusiastic owners and crews are reaping the benefits.  This year the 2012 Monjon J24 Victorian Championship attracted 3 National champions, 4 New South Wales, 2 South Australian and 1 youth competitor along with the majority of the Victorian fleet to make the most competitive regatta in years.  All praise to the committee who worked to secure a major sponsor Monjon Securities and two minor sponsors U.K Halsey sailmakers and Quantum Sailmakers.  Not since 1996 have 20 first class J24′s raced a Victorian Championship. Credit must go to Greame Watt and crew who did an excellent job in running 7 heats which started in 5 knots and progressively increased over two days to the final race in 30 knots.

The MONJON Victorian Championship went along without a hitch last weekend, largely due to the huge amount of preparation from a dedicated team of volunteers, led by the Victorian Association’s own Sarah Thompson and Doug Macgregor.

The weather, race committee and eager owners and crews combined to provide exhilarating racing and spectacular viewing for those lucky enough to be out there. Throughout the fleet we could see the individual battles, all as important as the next.

Up front Ben Lamb hung in on a testing Saturday and then took control on Sunday in a performance as good as I have seen in a J24, to hold the Pacemaker and Convicts teams at bay. Kaotic's win all the more important as they helped NSW get one back, after Pacemaker had taken out the NSW and National Titles earlier this summer.

I remember racing Ben Lamb in similar conditions at the 2006 Worlds when Kaotic won Race 7 and we finished third, and I can safely say they have lost none of their speed, particularly downwind.

The racing between Kaotic, Pacemaker and Convicts Revenge in the big breeze on Sunday was as tough as it gets, as we pushed each other to the limit. Stephen Girdis, a multiple National Champion and successful worlds campaigner has certainly regained his J24 mojo and would have probably taken the title, if not for two separate incidents with hyperactive which resulted in costly penalty turns.

The battle for top 5 honours was intense but Adam Evans and Hugo Ottoway showed cool heads on Sunday with solid performances in the strong northerly, enough to keep the chasing pack at bay, which was no easy task considering the improvement of the next bunch. Our first female skipper Kirsty Harris on Hyperactive was a very credible sixth, followed by Jumping Jack Flash who had fourth all but stitched up with consistently strong finishes, until their OCS in the final race. In eighth and sailing a chartered boat we had Dave West, followed by By the Lee and Make My Jay rounds out the top 10.

Normally a report might stop at the top ten but the next four boats need special mention, especially when 11th place is Joel Aulich helming Gridlock. Sailing with dad Steve on strings and sisters Megan and Kate keeping the front half in order with Steph Strong, this was their first regatta and I look forward to watching this crew cause headaches further up the order in the near future. Ron Thomson finished 12th to comfortably keep the ‘Thommo Cup’ in Victoria, followed by Michael Lewenhagen in Excite your Sense. This was a very solid result considering most of their energy went towards ensuring we had an awesome Saturday evening BBQ, which we did!  Thank you Mark Haughton (VIC Measurer) for your efforts getting the fleet measured, and in some cases painted, so we had another boat on the water.

Andrew Hunting and his youth team are new to the class and in finishing 14th they kept 6 boats behind them in their first regatta, despite carrying maximum points in the final two races following gear failure. Smart thinking from their team got the boat home safely and I must say it is great to see the rejuvenated “Sidetracked” being sailed by such a great bunch of guys.

The racing was very tough, and as we continue to tweak our equipment, Ben Lamb highlighted the value of perfecting the pin end start. At the pointy end, the crew work was super slick and the speeds were so even, that in most cases if you want to win races, it comes down to who gets off the line best. This is especially the case when the pin end is favored and the left side of the course is paying, as it has been in almost every race of both the Nationals and the Vic States. At the Nationals each race went to whoever won the battle at the pin end, and on Sunday Kaotic did it in every race for three wins!

So where to from here you ask? Well at the moment a Victorian boat holds the NSW Title, a NSW boat holds the Victorian Title and the Nationals went the way of the Victorians by a solitary point. VIC 2 lead NSW 1. Bring on the NSW Titles later this year! One Design all the way.  Thanks for the contribution by Dave Suda-- more reports coming next week!  For more J/24 Australia and Vic States sailing information

J/122 Wins Corsica Race

(Riva di Traiano, Italy)- The first major offshore event of the Mediterranean sailing season for Italian sailors is the Corsica Offshore Race.  This 540 nm distance race, along with the famous Rolex Middle Sea and Rolex Giraglia Races, is one of the most important offshore competitions in Mediterranean. The race starts from Riva di Traiano, crosses the gate of Ventotene Island, heads off to round the Island of Lipari in front of Sicily, then back to Riva di Traiano. The course is oriented with the two predominant winds from SE & NW, therefore depending on the weather fronts, is easy to sail at least half of the race up-wind and against considerable seas.

When all the boats crossed the finishing line and the final tally's were in for handicap scoring, the Winner in IRC, with all kind of weather conditions and with a record of top-Speed down wind of 18.8 knots, was the  J/122 CHRISTINA III sailed by Alessandro Brighenti.

In the same race, the J/111 J-STORM sailed their first major offshore race and crossed the line in fourth, missing the Podium by just a few minutes!  All in all, it was a great showing and result for both the J/122 and the J/111 in very demanding wind and sea conditions.  Thanks for this report from Paolo Boido in Italy.

Perfect Sailing- J/Fest San Francisco

(San Francisco, CA)- It was picture perfect weather on San Francisco Bay for J/Fest, with mild winds gaining steadily through the day. Even the tides were kind, allowing rusty crews a chance to remember and practice their skills without paying too heavily before the racing season kicks into full swing.   Thirty one J/Teams participated in this year's J/Fest, with twenty J/105s, five J/120s and six J/24s.

Like their counterparts way across the continental divide in Charleston, the San Francisco J/24 crews had a serious three-way battle for first place.  Perhaps it was more of a rugby scrum than anything else.  The regatta winner was determined on a tie-breaker while third place was only one point back!  Talk about suffering a bit of anxiety on the race-track.  Settling the score by virtue of having more firsts was Darren Cumming's DOWNTOWN UPROAR, starting well and hanging tough to earn a 1-2-3-1-3 record for 10 pts.  Losing the tie-break and finishing second was Luther Strayer on LITTLE WING with a 2-3-2-2-1 tally also for 10 pts.  The only other double race-winner was Rich Jepsen's RAIL TO RAIL, gathering a 4-1-1-3-2 tally for 11 pts.  Fun, tough competition amongst those J/24 crews.

The J/120s also saw a hard fought series amongst the top three with just three points separating the teams.  In the end, Barry Lewis' CHANCE sailed consistently to garner a 4-1-3-1-2 record for 11 pts.  John Wimer on DESDEMONA sailed fast, but not fast and smart enough, to collect a 2-3-4-3-1 score for 13 pts.  Were it not for a third race scoring penalty, Steve Madeira's MR MAGOO may have had a better shot at 1st or 2nd.  Instead, the "mean green fighting machine" that is the "MAGOO" managed a 1-4-scp(4)-2-3 for 14 pts to round out the podium.

The J/105s had a great turnout with a highly competitive fleet of twenty boats.  There were some familiar names again at the top of the fleet.  This time, it was Jeff Litfin and John Case on MOJO that simply had this weekend completely dialed-in and walked off with first place.  MOJO's 2-4-2-4-2 record was blindingly consistent, winning no races, but sailing fast and conservatively smart to with with only 14 pts, 7 pts clear of the fleet.  Second was 2011 Rolex Big Boat Series Winner Scooter Simmons on BLACKHAWK, winning two races but having a tough time in the other three (7-6-6) to hang on to second place with 21 pts.  Third was another Rolex Big Boat Series winner, Bruce Stone on ARBITRAGE, starting slowly then improving over the course of the weekend, scoring a 9-5-3-6-1 for a 24 pts total.  Bruce's team just edged out Adam Spiegel's team on JAM SESSION on a tie-breaker, Adam's team accumulated a 5-10-4-2-3 for 24 pts to finish fourth.  Fifth was Tom Kennelly's WONDER, sailing one of their best regattas in J/105s so far.   Sailing Photo Credits by Chris Ray   For more J/Fest San Francisco sailing information

Busy Sailing Warsash Spring Weekend

J/109 JAHMALI, J/80 J2X, J/92 J'RONIMO Lead Their Classes
(Warsash, So'ton, England)- It really was a busy weekend on the Solent for the Warsash Spring Championship and Series.  The Warsash Spring Championship offers an intense schedule of four days’ racing for selected classes. This year all IRC1 and IRC2 boats are eligible as well as J/109 one designs. Sportsboats include J/80 classes, too.

The forecast 5 knots on Saturday did not materialize in the morning and everyone waited for the wind until around 1130. When the breeze arrived it was in the 8/10 knot range west/southwesterly to westerly but shifty. Racing for Black Group got underway just before noon near Fastnet Insurance buoy with short windward/leeward courses set. In the afternoon the wind increased and dark clouds formed resulting in gusts to 20 knots in the showers. This enabled longer six mile courses to be set for the second and third races. It was a long day for competitors who were finishing the third race after 1600, so it was sensibly decided not to go for a fourth race. White Group racing under the lee of the northern shore had less stable conditions and there was an interval of two hours between the first and second races. Even so, three races were completed for the J/80s.

Conditions on Sunday morning were bright and sunny with a forecast for increasing wind and squally showers. In Black Group, IRC1, IRC2 and J/109s were scheduled for two races. Even with an adverse tide, the fleet pushed the line and were all recalled. Starting at Fastnet Insurance, the first leg was a long beat to Air Canada buoy by the Brambles Bank. Most tacticians decided to put in a long port tack across the tide towards Calshot shore. The restart of IRC1 was under the ‘Z’ flag penalty system. The J/109s were given a shorter first leg and by the time the leaders were round Flying Fish buoy, they were sailing back downwind in parallel with IRC1.

The remaining Black Group classes enjoyed one longer race using a combination of fixed and laid marks with a windward/leeward loop towards the finish. The J/Sprit class got away cleanly but in others there were several declared OCS, including some of the front runners for overall honours.

With the first races completed for the relevant classes the Black Group committee boat moved north and west for the start of the second and shorter race. The wind had by now swung towards the southwest which allowed the continued use of Air Canada as the first mark followed by a short series of runs and beats before finishing at East Knoll buoy. In the first fleet, the changed tidal conditions meant most boats cleared the start line and kept on their starboard tack all the way to the port layline. Judging that point was crucial. Some in all classes overstood the mark and lost places.

In the second race, the entire J/109 class was OCS and a general recall was signaled. They got away OK at the second attempt under a ‘Z’ flag preparatory signal. The afternoon conditions also suited the sportboat classes racing near the entrance to Southampton Water, although by the final race, conditions were brisk and even the front runners in each class were having difficulty gybing smoothly.

Now joined by the Spring Championship contenders, J/80s had increased in class size to 20 plus. With the J/80 World Championships being held at Dartmouth in June, there has been a steady increase in both quantity and quality. Rob Larke has been the man to beat but this weekend Stewart Hawthorn, returning to the class, has slowly been narrowing the gap. Although Rob holds a substantial lead in the main series, things are much tighter in the Spring Championship with Rob (J2X) and Stewart (J’ai Deux Amours) only a couple of points apart. Ian Atkins (boats.com) had a bad result in the first race of the day and trails slightly but in a 14 race series, with no discard, this could still prove a small setback.

In IRC 1 class, Ivan Trotman's J/122 JOLOU is now lying in 4th overall for the series after a slow weekend.  And in 9th is Ken Lowe's new J/111 GHOST.

The J/109 class continues to see Mike & Sarah Wallis' JAHMALI leading the series with a 2-2-1-3-4-1 scoreline for 9 pts, followed in 2nd by David Mcleman's OFFBEAT with a 4-1-3-4-6-4 tally for 16 pts.  Lying third is David & Mary McGough's JUST SO with an 11-3-5-2-5-3 record for 18 pts.

In the mixed J/Sprit class, the class leader continues to be the J/92 J'RONIMO (David Greenhalgh & John Taylor) with a 1-1-1-4-5-7 record for 7 pts.  Second is Nick and Adam Munday's J/97 INDULJENCE with a 5-2-2-2-2 scoreline for 8 pts.  Third is Andy Howe's J/92 BLACKJACK with a 3-3-3-6-6 score for 15 pts.  Fourth is Chris Jones' J/105 JOURNEYMAKER 5 and fifth is Charles Ivill's J/97 BLACK MAGIC.

Next weekend has the grand finale on 28th/29th April with a full schedule of racing over the weekend which sees the conclusion of both events in the Warsash Spring Series and Spring Championship Powered by SLAM.   Sailing photo credits- Eddie Mays   For more Warsash Spring Series sailing information

J/80 PRO-RIGGING Wins PalmaVela

(Palma de Mallorca, Spain)- Four days of picture-perfect sailing conditions have decided the winners of the 7th edition of the Mapfre PalmaVela regatta, which has gathered 115 boats of 16 countries in the bay of Palma.  It came down to the wire on the last day for winners in most of the 15 divisions at the 2012 Mapfre PalmaVela regatta, which began Friday with over 1.000 sailors representing countries such as Spain, Italy, Ireland, Russia, Virgin Islands, England, Sweden and Great Britain. The event is hosted by the Real Club Náutico de Palma, and is considered the first event of the Mediterranean sailing season.

The nineteen teams sailing in the J/80 fleet had excellent competition.  However, this time a new team took the honors at the top of the podium, local hotshot sailor Javier Sanz racing for Real Club Nautico Palma on PRO-RIGGING won the event easily.  Second was the "sponsor's" team, MAPFRE sailed by Carlos Martinez and third was past Spanish Olympic Gold Medalist, Jose Maria Van Der Ploeg racing NILFISK.  The American team on FIRED UP sailed a charter boat and managed a credible 7th, led by Gary Kamins and crew (Jay Lutz) from California YC and Houston, TX.

In the ORC fleet the J/145 ACE sailed by Fred Stelle with guest star Rod Johnstone had a fabulous time sailing and managed to grab a third overall in their division.

On the first day or racing, the forecast was for Westerly winds of around 15 knots all day, reaching 16-17 knots at 12:00, when the start of races is scheduled. The nice westerly breeze and clear sunny skies brought another great day of sailing for the season`s first event.  Of note, in the Soto 40 class the series favorite Iberdrola, with J/80 World Champion Pichu Torcida at the helm, showed they are in form and finished the day in the first position after the three races held today.  In the ORC 0 Class, Fred Stelle's J/145 ACE managed a 3-4.

On the second day of sailing, Southerly winds of 8 to 10 knots in the early afternoon cooperated to give almost all classes three races, although the breeze didn`t settle until later in the afternoon, 15:00 hours, when the clear sunny skies and 15 knots delivered picture-perfect conditions.  In the J80 class Javier Sanz`s Pro-Rigging skippered by David Madrazo clawed their way up to first after a great performance notching two first and a second place, leaving Jose María Van der Ploeg`s Nilfisk as runner up. The Spanish Olympic medallist posted a sixth, an eleventh - discarded- and a first.  In ORC 0, Fred Stelle's J/145 team on ACE repeated their performance from the day before, scoring a 4-3.

The third and last day of races started in tactically demanding conditions of 6 to 8 knots of Northeasterly wind and light overcast skies which prevented the breeze from pushing through until 14:00 hours, when a nice Southerly breeze stablished in the bay of Palma.  The J-80 class was a cause for joy at the RCNP for its President Javier Sanz`s PRO-RIGGING clinched the Mapfre PalmaVela Trophy in the One-Design class which gathered nineteen boats for this seventh edition. Carlos Martinez`s MAPFRE was second, whereas Olympic medallist Jose María Van der Ploeg`s NILFISK was third.  On the last day, Stelle's J/145 ACE in ORC 0 class managed a 3rd to clinch 3rd overall for the division.   Sailing photo credits- Martinez Studio   For more PalmaVela sailing information

More SPI Ouest France J/111 Multi-Media
(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- Evidently, the J/111 one-design class that sailed recently in the famous SPI Ouest France Regatta touched a raw nerve in the European sailing media, some of the most fastidious, sharpest, insightful, fair & balanced sailing experts one may see anywhere in the sailing world.

For starters, here's the latest J/111 sailing video from Blur.se providing a summary of the experience of sailing J/111s at SPI Ouest.  In one week Blur.se's website saw 11,000 views on the videos on Vimeo and YouTube. Soon, there will be an interview in Swedish SEARCH Magazine and the Danish BAAD Magasinet is publishing a 5 page article on the J/111 boat test in Kappeln in their May issue.

So far, J/111 coverage on major sailing sites in BeNeLux, Germany, Denmark, Norway and Sweden include the following:
Germany- Hübsches Schiff Segeln
Norway- «Blur» klarte seg fint i Spi Ouest debuten
Norway-  Blur.se i Spi Ouest
Denmark TV- Svensk J/111 sejler i Frankrig i Spi Ouest
Netherlands- Xcentric Ripper 3de op Spi Ouest-France regatta