J/92 Prevails in Stormy Dubai-Muscat Race

(Muscat, Oman)- After three and a half days of racing the prestigious Dubai to Muscat Race came to a conclusion with all yachts accounted for on the morning of Thursday, 22nd November. Racing under the RORC’S IRC Rule, one of the sailors commented, “We stayed out of trouble and kept going, it was as simple as that. We stayed offshore at the start in the Arabian Gulf, to keep away from fishing nets and we got the added bonus of more wind than the yachts that chose the inshore option. Later in the race, after we rounded Khasab (the "horn" of the UAE that creates the Strait of Hormuz), we could see a terrific storm ahead and we prepared to reef and eased sheets to avoid it, this good seamanship was rewarded as we managed to skirt around the edge of the storm."  Another sailor commented that "..we experienced a huge range of conditions, probably the most bizarre was a series of water spouts, which caused very confused winds."

In the end, Matt Britton from the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club sailed his J/92 PRIVATEER double-handed for the 360nm race.  As the smallest yacht in the class they claimed third overall-- it would have been tough going on their 30-foot yacht in the raging storms and wind they encountered along the way.

With all of the yachts in the Dubai Muscat Race finished, attention in Muscat turned to two days of inshore racing. Hundreds of sailors from Oman and overseas took part in the regatta.  For more sailing information about Dubai-Muscat Race    Dubai Offshore Sailing Club has a great Facebook page.

J/Boats @ Canadian Boat Shows

Toronto Boat Show- Jan 11-20
Pat Sturgeon from PSYachts in Toronto, Ontario will be hosting an enthusiastic group of sailors who are expressing tremendous interest in getting their J/70 fleet going on Lake Ontario-- in particular in Toronto at Royal Canadian YC and points east and west and in the lakes.  Pat's team will be available to chat about all things J/70 as well as how the J/111 and other boats are developing in the Great Lakes.  Please be sure to contact Pat Sturgeon at ph# 905-278-5100 or pats@patsturgeonyachts.com.

Vancouver Boat Show- Feb 7-11
On display will be J/70 #58, the first boat into the Pacific western parts in Canada in Vancouver, British Columbia.  Oh! Canada! Amazing to see Far Eastern Canada starting to grow with J/70s.  Even cooler to see the strong interest in J/70s in Way West Canada.  Those Canadian sailors predisposed to having fun and including all their friends in the festivities won't be disappointed.  While this is an indoor show, it won't be surprising to see this J/70 sailing in the warm, friendly waters of the Sound soon afterwards!  Be sure to contact Ian Fraser at ph# 604-734-3344 or ian@fraseryachtsales.com.

Halifax Boat Show- Feb 21-24
The Nova Scotians are nothing if not hardy sailors.  Renown for fishing offshore in "perfect storms" and bringing home the cod (not bacon!) to satisfy hungry appetites at home, their sailors are no different.  Witness the first J/111 video in cool fall conditions in 2010-- great video, eh??  Damn the torpedoes.  J/70 enthusiasm is stirring similar passion amongst the Halifax cognoscenti of all things different, cool, fun and fast!  Get a chance to see the J/70 and take her for an elegant spin amongst the whales, porpoise and icebergs as your first demo sail! Contact Jim Snair at ph# 902-275-2424 or syb@eastlink.ca.

Victoria Boat Show- Apr 18-21
For Western Canadians, if the February Vancouver show was a bit "chill", despite the warm, fuzzy, cottage-like atmosphere, then the Vic show will be a refreshing alternative.  With all snow melted on Blackcomb/ Whistler, with ski legs all in shape, now's the time to sport some shorts, toss some Molson Lites into the cooler and demand that J/70 #58 be taken out for demo sails from inside the main tent.  Of course, you can have that discussion with Ian Fraser at ph# 604-734-3344 or ian@fraseryachtsales.com.  Make arrangements with them soon!

J/97 Winning Hearts & Silver in Australia

(Sydney, Australia)- Every once in awhile, we get reports from J sailors around the world describing their experiences sailing across the Seven Seas.  In this particular case, a J/97 made its magical way to the southernmost reaches of the Pacific Ocean and landed in Australia.  Even more remarkable was that a long-time sailor saw the potential that a fun family cruiser-racer might be able to bring to his friends and family.  Here's the story of how that all happened by Jim Chambers, proud new owner of the first J/97 in Australia.

"I had enjoyed 25 years of faithful service from my little 26 footer. It was a boat that was ahead of its time when designed, a forerunner of today's sports boats really, and certainly still punched above its weight even after all those years. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about those of us that sailed her as we seemed to have aged a little less gracefully. I started to think that it would be nice to have a boat that did not try to take control whenever one of the crew needed to move off the weather rail, one that had head room and did not need a 25kg outboard hung off the transom on every outing.

Size was an issue in considering a replacement as I needed to be able to find suitable competition in my home port of Sydney Harbour. My main club, the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club, had a very active division for boats of approximately 30 ft and so that strongly pushed me towards a boat of that size. I had been keeping an eye on the J-Boats displays at the Sydney Boat Show and the J/97 showed promise but I was not going to order a boat without having test sailed one beforehand. Enter my plans with my wife for an extended touring holiday of the UK and Europe, which was well into its organization and planned for the third quarter of 2009. On hearing of our plans one of my crew thoughtfully pointed out that our time in England coincided with the Southampton Boat Show. This introduced a pivotal component to our travel plans.

There were several 30 footers at that show and so I got excellent value from my entrance fee. The folk from Key Yachting knew there was not a sale in it for them, what with me being from Australia and all, but they happily let me crawl all over the J/97 they had on display. They could not give me a sail of the J/97, but made sure I got a go on the J/109 they had on the water, to give me a taste of J-boat sailing. This hands-on sail was critical in my decision-making as I needed to see how the boat behaved under conditions which I knew made my 26 footer behave quite badly. As you would guess, the J/109 was much nicer. I have to say that none of the other exhibitors at the show were as helpful.

On my return to Sydney I still had a short list of possible boats, but Ray and Sandra at Yachtspot picked up the friendly service where Key Yachting had left off and by the end of that year I had placed my order for the first J/97 to come to Australia. The team at Yachtspot prepared her perfectly on arrival and we had her in the water just in time to display at the 2010 Sydney Boat Show. She was named KNOCKABOUT (sorry, not a single "J" in the name).

So, I started racing with the SASC Super 30 division. Racing is around the cans within Sydney Harbour. It is a mixed class division, with about 30 entrants, and contains a bunch of Flying Tiger 10s, some Hick 30s, Farr 30s, Sydney 32s, MASRAM 920s, a selection of sports boats and, what my sailmaker describes as, some 'psycho nutter' boats. Firstly, I have to say that the J/97 is everything I wanted it to be. She is a joy to sail, the control systems are well set up, powerful and easy to use. The helm is direct and we have to be pushing very hard before she shows any antisocial behavior. It is particularly pleasing when the breeze is up and we snug her down and carve through the carnage that generally befalls some of our lighter competitors. Make no mistake, this is a high performance fleet and so every now and then we like to give ourselves a reality check by joining in on the local Greenwich Flying Squadron twilight race. Here we usually beat the best of their 30-35 foot division home by 5 minutes, and have been known to record fastest time when compared to the next division up!

The primary pointscore for the Super 30 division is a PHS system. So, the system penalizes a good result and vice versa. The J/97 almost sails herself to windward and is satisfyingly high and quick. We did, however, have a learning curve to climb in transferring from symmetrical to asymmetrical downwind sailing. Part of this process involved me working out the best spinnaker designs for our style of racing. Once again the Yachtspot crew were more than helpful and we have this pretty much sorted out now and the results are starting to show it. With a happy coincidence of us getting the boat to speed offwind and the right swing of the PHS handicap pendulum we are currently leading this season's pointscore. The really interesting thing that has happened this season is that the division has also introduced a measurement based handicap system to run in parallel with the PHS results. They are using the Australian Measurement System (AMS), which I understand is not dissimilar to IRC. The J/97 absolutely shines under this system. After 5 races we are running equal first under AMS, and that includes the race where a sudden surge in the 15 knot breeze to 30 knots resulted in the little bit at the top of the headsail separating itself from the big bit at the bottom.  Not the best result that day.

Our competitiveness under PHS will change with time and results but the AMS is unchanging and we are very competitive. So, all in all, I am a happy little J/97 owner."  Enough said.  A fun, sexy, little cruiser-racer for the family, even Down Under in Oz!

J/Boats @ American Boat Shows

St Petersburg Show- Nov 29- Dec 2
This event is held in St Petersburg, FL from Nov 29th to Dec 2nd and on display will be two J/70s, one as a demo boat in the water at the Discover Sailing docks and the other a show boat on land.  Please be sure to contact Craig Crossley at CrossCurrent Marine- craig@crosscurrentmarine.com or ph# 941-365-9095 to setup and appointment to go sail a J/70.

Portland Boat Show- Jan 9-13
Sail Northwest will be participating in this event in Portland, Oregon from January 9 - 13 and will be displaying the J/70.  Since it's an indoor show, you don't care what the weather is like outside (often snowy or rainy at this time of year, but there will be good skiing at Mt Hood!). For more information, please contact Bob Ross at bob@sailnorthwest.com or ph# 206-286-1004.  Portland Show information.

Sunroad Boat Show- Jan 24-27
JK3 Yachts, Jeff Brown and crew will be displaying the J/70 and the J/111 from January 24th to 27th in San Diego, California.  The J/70 is growing fast and the J/111 fleet is growing steadily-- its offshore racing capability under ANY handicap rule (PHRF, IRC, ORR) is compelling and one-design activity nationwide will see the J/111 North Americans in Chicago in August 2013!  Be sure to connect with Jeff at JK3 Yachting- ph#619-224-6200 or email- jeff@jk3yachts.com.

Seattle Boat Show- Jan 25-Feb 3
In the development of the J/Community in the Pacific Northwest, the J/Team from Seattle will be showing their J/70 in the Seattle Boatshow from January 25th to February 3rd in the Seattle Kingdome.  Please be sure to contact Bob Ross at bob@sailnorthwest.com or ph# 206-286-1004.  Seattle boat show information.

Maine Boat Builders Show- Mar 15-17
East Coast Yacht Sales will have its J/70 on display at the Maine Boatbuilders Show in Portland, Maine from March 15-17.  Just in time for the spring sailing season in Maine's southern parts, you will be able to dream about what it's like to sail in and around Maine's most gorgeous harbors, inlets and bays.  With luck, you may even go for a sail in April or May!  Be sure to coordinate those dreams with Jon Knowles and crew at ECYS at ph# 207-846-4545 or jon@ecys.com.

Port Sanilac Marina Show- April 13
Detroit, Lake Huron and Lake St Clair sailors will be treated to an "Open House" on April 13, 2013 with a J/70 and J/111 at Port Sanilac Marina located on Lake Huron, north of Detroit.  At this point, spring flowers, day lilies and fragrant frangipani will be blooming across the prairies and lakeshores of the Midwest.  Please be sure to contact Chuck Kolascz at ph# 810-622-9651 or sales@portsanilacmarina.com.

J/122 Leads Hamble Series

J/111 J-DREAM & J/109 JAGERBOMB OD Leaders
(Hamble, England)- If last week's lack of wind was anything to go by, this year's Garmin Hamble Winter Series looked set to be one of the lightest in memory. And then Sunday came along. In a brief gap between two ginormous Lows that came screaming up the Channel in quick succession, all classes fitted in a race on a windy, wet and cold day.  In fact, the weather was so ferocious, some crews faced logistical nightmares in making the start via a flooded and storm-battered countryside, which was reflected in slightly lower entries this week.

A deceptively light 10 knot breeze wafted boats to the start line, before a line squall heralded the arrival of 20-28 knots of Southwesterly wind - and frequent showers of icy rain, which persisted throughout the day. The blustery conditions heralded some impressive broaches and saw some shredded spinnakers. But luckily, the advancing Low held off just long enough for the assembled crews to enjoy the spectacle from the comfort of the HRSC clubhouse as it whistled in across the Solent.

Out on the water, IRC 0 was first away and Dr Ivan Trotman's crew aboard their J/122 JOULOU had a rough go of the conditions, managing a 5th place, sufficient to hang onto their lead for the series by two points.

For Nick & Adam Munday's J/97 INDULJENCE the conditions were generally to their liking but again managed to hang on tenuously to their position in second overall, hoping for a good last race next weekend!  The "feel good" story of the day had to be Andy Howe's J/92s BLACKJACK that sailed a good race to snag a 2nd!

Of the J/111s on the water, Cornel Riklin's JITTERBUG finished first in what amounted to a match race for the top of the class.  At this stage, David & Kirsty Apthorp's J-DREAM has a 3 pt lead on the class and short of a crushing last race or two, they hope to hang onto the lead for the Winter Series win.  JITTERBUG can mathematically have a shot, but it's at pretty long odds that J-DREAM will be displaced at the top of the leader board.

In the J/109s, Paul Griffiths' JAGERBOMB was first of the two J/109s that completed the race, further tightening their grip on first place overall and pulling into a 6 pts lead in the class.  Like their former J/109 competitors, J-DREAM, the Griffiths' JAGERBOMB team look set to take home the crown for the J/109 class next weekend barring an apocalyptic race of sorts.  Second is Owain Franks' JYNANN TONNYX with 16 pts and in third is David McLeman's OFFBEAT.

Event Photographer Paul Wyeth took some brilliant photos of the day's racing and more evocative images can be found on his website - http://www.pwpictures.com.

Thanks to Force 4 Chandlery, who, as Day Sponsors provided prizes in the clubhouse after racing.  One race remains - and crews wait to see what the weather gods have in store!   For more Hamble Winter Series sailing information

J/Boats @ European Boat Shows

(London, England & Paris, France)- With the holidays fast-approaching consider taking the time to visit some of Europe's more famous boatshows this winter season to see some of the latest boats the J/Team has to offer.  It's a wonderful opportunity, in particular, to visit Paris in December and London in January to see their spectacular shows, visit "bright lights & big cities" and enjoy delicious international cuisine, evening entertainment and historical cultural attractions with friends and family!  After these two major shows, there are numerous others in delightful cities and countries around the Continent.  See more below.

SALON NAUTIQUE PARIS- Dec 8-16
The Salon Nautique Paris on the south side of Paris will again present one of the world's most spectacular sailboat shows.  J/Europe will be displaying the J/70, the J/97 and the "International J/111" at Stand J-62 Hall-1.  You will get a chance to speak to many top French sailors who've been trained on J/22s, J/24s and J/80s over the course of time.  And, you'll get a chance to "talk shop" with winners of SPI Ouest, La Rochelle Race Week, RORC Fastnet Race and many others who are renowned in the French offshore sailing community.  Furthermore, J/Europe is hosting cocktails & hors'd'oeurves for J/111 owners and potential customers to review the 2013 European J/111 Circuit- please contact "Fred" at "info@jeurope.com".  Paris Show information.

TULLET-PREBON LONDON BOATSHOW- Jan 12-20
On display at the Key Yachting booth will be the "International J/111" and the new J/70 speedster.  Perhaps most significantly, the J/70 will be a new "SPITFIRE", supporting the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund.  Featured at the show will be the Royal Air Force SPITFIRE Team that is headed-up by Wing Commander Simon Ling.  In addition, the International J/80 one-design will be on display along with the IRC family-cruiser-racer- the J/97- runaway winner of 2012 Cowes Week and Scottish Week in the most competitive IRC Division. London Show information.

BOOT DUSSELDORF- Jan 19-27
With dozens of great sailing lakes, access to the North Sea and the Baltic, it's not surprising the J/70 and near bigger sisterships like the J/80 and J/95 are attracting an entirely new group of German sailors.  Most importantly, you'll be able to meet the European Boat of the Year Nominee- the J/70 Speedster! Contact Henning Mittelmann at info@mittelmannswerft.de for more show information.  BOOT show info.

HISWA AMSTERDAM- Mar 6-10
As a seafaring nation, the Dutch are amongst those without peer and take their sailing seriously! The latest HISWA Boat of the Year nominee is the J/70! To chat more about J/70 class development in the Benelux region (or about the J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER's amazing sailing season), please contact Angelique Verhoef of J/Benelux at info@jboats.nl.  HISWA show information.

SCANDINAVIAN Boat Shows
Mid-December frozen sailing! Cool! Reports Peter Johansson at Marstrand Yachts, "the first three J/70’s will arrive in the middle of December, we will start test sailing ASAP in Marstrand!"  He's not kidding.  It is warmer than you think up there-- sleeping in ice-cave hotels is normal.  After some schnapps and a very warm fire, don't hesitate to give our Scandinavian friends a visit at one of their Swedish indoor boatshows this winter.  For more Scandinavian Sailboat Shows information, please contact Peter Johansson peter.johansson@marstrandyachts.com.  Here's the list for those adventurous sailors:

• Feb 2-10- Gothenburg Boatshow- Gothenburg, Sweden
• Mar 1-10- Stockholm Boatshow- Stockholm, Sweden
• Mar 13-17- Norwegian Boatshow- Oslo, Norway                   

SWITZERLAND Boat Shows
In the land that iconized the cow bell for "cheerleading" and dreamed up tasty items like swiss cheese, chocolate and cheese fondues and schnapps, it's no wonder Swiss sailors have plenty of energy to sail all day on their gorgeous mountain lakes so high up in the Swiss Alps.  Learn more about why the J/70 and J/95 are rapidly growing in popularity in Europe's Alpine region.  Be sure to contact Peter Bangerter at J-Lane Yachting GmbH for more show information- peter.bangerter@jboats.ch.  They will be displaying the J/70 at the Suisse Nautic and Austrian Boat Shows.

• Feb 16-24- Suisse Nautic- Bern, Switzerland
• Feb 28- Mar 3- Boot Tulln- Austrian Boat Show- Tulln, Austria

J/145 ACE Flying The ARC

(Las Palmas, Canary Islands)- The ARC is a ‘must do’ for many sailors and attracts over 200 boats and 1,200 people every year to sail 2,800 nm across the Atlantic from Las Palmas on Grand Canary Island to Saint Lucia in the Caribbean.

Las Palmas has been the 'home' of the ARC since the very first edition of the rally in 1986.  It is a natural departure point for boats crossing the Atlantic from Europe to the Caribbean, and all summer and autumn boats will converge on the port of Las Palmas from northern Europe and the Mediterranean.

The Canary Islands are located at the edge of the tradewind belt, so boats leaving the islands will sail south (until the butter melts, as the saying goes) until they pick up the north east trade-winds which then blow them west across the Atlantic.  The ARC starts in late November when the trade-winds become established, and the boats arrive at the end of the Caribbean hurricane season.

The ARC is for everyone; families with children, tough racers, cruising couples, big budgets, and modest boats. Crossing the Atlantic together, but having their own adventures. More than just a boat race, the ARC is about friendships made ashore in the two weeks of pre-departure activities continued over the "radio net" at sea. It’s about arriving in Saint Lucia to be met on the dock with a rum punch and a chilled beer, knowing you have achieved something fantastic - crossing an ocean on a small sailboat.

At the start of this year's edition, the weather forecast was a bit more exciting than it had been in previous races. The low pressure that had been affecting the area was centered about 50NM south east of Gran Canaria at 1009mb and would continue to track southeast and develop moderate to strong northeast flow of 15-25 kts for several days.  Plus, some clouds and squally showers were also expected to cross the area with the squalls containing some strong gusts of wind.

For the first time in ARC history, the start took place within the busy port of Las Palmas, with the boats maneuvering just outside the marina entrance, before starting on a line between the two harbour breakwaters.  Commercial traffic in the port came to a standstill for an hour, and even joined in the fun by hooting their horns.

The second start at 1100 was the cruising division with 155 boats - quite a spectacle!  One of the boats leading the charge was the J/145 ACE sailed by Rob Grimm and their small offshore team (their reports are below).  The clear skies just before the start were quickly replaced by total cloud cover bringing squalls of 25 knots and rain showers.  The boats were warned about the wind acceleration zones off the island shore and many prepared by reefing early.

In addition to ACE, the J/109 ALBACOR IV is being sailed by Sophie Olivaud from France in Racing Division II.  Joining them in the same division is the J/122 JOLLY JELLYFISH sailed by a British team.

As for the J/145 ACE, we received the first report from Captain Rob Grimm.  "The first 24 hrs at sea- fair winds, fast sailing, all is well. 230 nm in first 24 hrs!  We set off at 1100 yesterday from Las Palmas in 25 kts of breeze with moderate following sea, quickly settled into a routine of surfing and showers, followed by a fairly tiring night but all caught up on sleep now.

ACE is, as ever, looking after us well, a dry boat, fast and forgiving.  Wind has dropped off considerably now, overcast and a bit rolley. Peter has his fishing rod out in hope of sashimi later!

On the subject of food- breakfast, lunch and dinner have been expertly prepared by William so far, and I am happy to report that all meals have subsequently stayed exactly where they should be-- within the diners.

I have to say that I am mightily impressed how all us rusty sailors have settled into life at sea, are enjoying each others company, and look forward to some great sailing ahead.  Of course although we are very much enjoying the experience, thoughts do often turn to home and knowing you are all sharing this with us in some way, certainly helps.  That's all from me, keep following us!"  Rob

For the third day out, the nautical scribe was Peter Sabbeth. "From the smiles, It's clear that everyone is full of possibility at this point.  Our third unbelievable day sailing has everyone fighting for their time behind the wheel.  We are regularly sailing at 10+ knots, with surfing rides that easily push the boat to 15, 16, 17, and even 18 knots!  I hit 19 once, and Chris hit 21!! All with white sails! Hopefully we will get to the spinnakers soon, though no one is eager to give up these amazing reaching stints.

A pod of dolphins arrived a few minutes ago just as we were tucking into our citrus/vegetable soup, expertly cooked by galley king, William.  The dolphins stayed for 15 minutes or so, acrobatically jumping from wave to wave bidding us a good journey.  Last night's moon made the night watches a dream, while the full moons departure seemed to help everyone get their Atlantic sleeping rhythm.  Perhaps that might be adding to the intensity of today's smiles as well.

A few of us had our first showers, even those who didn't shower appreciated the showers of those that did.  Chris and I were thinking of opening our night club in the forward cabin this evening-- the question is whether we should charge admission?  Sorry Jackson, we have been moving too fast to fish so far!"  Cheers, Peter.     You can follow all the sailing teams on the ARC Tracker

J/70s Biggest Key West Fleet!

(Key West, FL)- 37 boats and counting.  And, the possibility the fleet may reach 40+ boats is better than even odds by mid-January 2013! It's quite remarkable to see J/70 one-design fleet growth for Key West, catching even Premiere Racing's Director, Peter Craig, by surprise.  Taken from a historical perspective, J/70's first Midwinters in 2013 will be nearly twice as big as the legendary J/24's first Midwinters in 1978.

What's more amazing is to see many of the top sailors in both J's and other international classes (multiple World, European and North American Champions) that will be participating.  Top names and sailmakers like Jud Smith (Doyle), Dave Ullman (founder of Ullman Sails), Mark Ploch (Doyle-Ploch and first J/24 Midwinter Champion in 1978 on the RED EYE EXPRESS), Tim Healy (Quantum), Jay Lutz (North), Jim Allsop (North), Don Trask and Kerry Klingler (Quantum) will be looking forward to their first experience sailing in a highly competitive J/70 fleet down in the legendary, crystal azure blue waters off Key West.  Coupled with the frontal systems that toss in Northwesterly curveballs blowing 15-25 kts or the classic, benign, sunny southeaster that blows at 8-15 kts, you can be sure the competition will be incredibly fun and "white hot" around the race-track.  For more Key West Race Week sailing information

NEW 2013 J/Calendar!

The Perfect Gift For People Who Love Sailing!
(Newport, RI)- For 2013 we've created another beautiful calendar for J sailors who love the joys of sailing a J in some of the most spectacular harbors and waters of 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 2013 sailing calendar features photos (pictured here) of a dramatic J/111 powering upwind off Newport; a fleet of J/24s off sunny Tampa; surrealistic scenes of J/80s off Santander, Spain and flying downwind off Marseilles, France; a fleet of J/120s rocking downwind under spinnakers on San Francisco Bay; J/70s flying along under spinnakers; J/22s starting in the Rocky Mountains; and a J/97, J/109 and J/122 sailing in sunny Solent conditions.  A great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew!    Order your 2013 J/Calendar today, click here

J/100 Sailing Charleston Harbor

(Charleston, SC)-  We love these stories from the frontiers of sailing anywhere in the world.  Even from a river in Charleston, South Carolina!  Recently, Rick Hall, President of Hall Marine/ Sea-Ray/ Scout of Charleston wrote-

"Hi Guys- The story about how I got to sailing a J/100 is probably "atypical" .........kinda of a strange contradiction of sorts as I am a powerboat dealer here in the Carolinas and Georgia that sells Sea Ray, Boston Whaler and Scout.

I grew up outside of Charlotte,  NC racing Windmills and Lightnings during the late 60's on Lake Norman with my dad who built his own boats in his garage wood shop.  We got into the boat business in the mid 70's with Chris Craft and, later, with Sea Ray.  In the early 80's, we bought a sailboat business that did pretty well for a time......I was one of the riggers.  I remember when the very first J/24 was shown at the Charlotte boat show and, I believe, Rod Johnstone was there.  The new J/24 was the talk of the show as it was so "radical" for it's time. Later, I came to the College of Charleston and sailed 420's on the sailing team and crewed on various boats here including what I think was the prototype J/30.

Fast forward a few years and I returned to Charleston to establish a powerboat dealership and, in the course of doing boat shows and various events,  got to know Bob Johnstone who lived in Charleston at the time and was representing J/Boats. I sailed with Bob several times onboard his J/105. One day he told me about the new J/100 and that he was having one built for his personal demo boat.  Once I saw the drawings, I was in. 

My family took delivery of "Radiant" in late 2005 and we have enjoyed many wonderful days around Charleston Harbor and offshore sailing "Radiant".  We have never raced her, just love to daysail. The photo is a typical Wednesday when I found myself caught up at the office, looked out the window at the beautiful weather, and decided to go for a sail. I get a lot of interesting comments  around the docks...like 'aren't you the Sea Ray guy...what are you doing on a sailboat?'  Just Love it!

The attached photo is from a local professional photographer here in Charleston named Alistair Nical who owns 'Coastal Insight.'  He captured this shot on a weekday afternoon, thought you would appreciate this.
 Have a great Thanksgiving!  Rick Hall-  Charleston,  SC"