Newport Trio Trump J/22 World Championship!

(Kingston, ONT, Canada)- The world-famous CORK International Sailing Week was host to the 2015 J/22 World Championship, held in Kingston, Ontario.  Forty-six teams participating from Canada (15 boat), the Cayman Islands (three teams) and the USA (28 crews) sailed an amazing four-day series, with Mike Marshall’s crew of Luke Lawrence and Todd Hiller from Newport, RI winning the regatta in the thrilling finale.

After three days and nine races, the ultimate outcome for the regatta came down to the final few races.  On Wednesday, it was another day of champagne sailing conditions on Lake Ontario with sustained winds of 12-15 knots for the three races. Brad Julian won the first two meetings, followed by Travis Odenbach and Jeff Todd in race seven, and by Chris Gaffney and Doyle in race eight. Behind Marshall in race nine were Terry Flynn and Jeff Todd.

By way of a victory in Wednesday’s third race, Mike Marshall’s team was tied at 30 points for the overall lead with the New York-based team of Chris Doyle, Will Harris and Adam Burns. Jeff Todd was still in the hunt in third place with 35 points. Marshall had been discarding a 10, but with a 16th in race 8, the team needed to rebound to keep pace with Doyle who took a four-point advantage into Wednesday’s final battle.  As a result, Marshall held the overall lead with the tie-breaker being the three bullets. Reigning World Champion Doyle maintained a consistent tally by counting all top five finishes.

At dawn on the final day, the after effects of an overnight storm left breeze in the mid-20s, so the Race Committee postponed on shore. But, it didn’t take long for the winds to subside to the upper teens, so the flag came down allowing for the showdown between Marshall and Doyle.  It was a “do-or-die” scenario for the two leaders; it took every leg of the final race to determine the winner.  With a second place finish in Thursday’s only race, Marshall’s team was declared the 2016 J/22 World Champions.  Brad Julian won the race, while Doyle placed sixth in the race but second overall with 36 net points. Jeff Todd took third with 43 points.

“We went into Thursday with the idea that it’s really three teams (Todd was 5 points behind Marshall and Doyle), so it changes the whole dynamic. If it’s two people, you can do a little bit more match racing,” explained Marshall. “We just wanted to sail the best possible race we could, and we executed our plan exactly as we wanted to. We got the first cross, and from there we were able to control the race.”  Rounding out the top five were Travis Odenbach’s HONEY BADGER in 4th place and Brad Julian’s crew in 5th position.

Over the 10-race series, only two races were sailed under 15 knots, and 9 knots was the lightest. “Kingston as a venue is just spectacular,” praised Marshall. “This week was totally different than what Kingston is normally, which is about going left. This week, it was all about going right.” Marshall thanked the Race Committee and PRO David Sprague for their efficient execution, saying, “They changed marks when they needed to, dealt with two shoals on either side and set the right length courses. They were cranking out the races without much downtime.”   For more J/22 World Championship sailing information

Berliner YC Win SAILING Champions League- RUSSIA!

(St Petersburg, Russia)- It was a successful first day for the SAILING Champions League in St. Petersburg, hosted by St Petersburg YC. In good weather, 23 Clubs from 12 nations were battling hard but fair, pleasing both host and participants. After day one, the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (Germany) was leading the fleet, followed by the Berliner Yacht-Club (Germany) and the Regattaclub Bodensee (Switzerland).

For the third time in the history of sailing, the SAILING Champions League was taking place in matched International J/70 one-designs. Everybody was keen on participating in this new, international Club competition. The first day of the regatta provided the sailors with good conditions, successfully completing 14 races. The Norddeutscher Regatta Verein was in the lead after four consecutive wins.

"We were a bit lucky in the first four races to win four times in a row. In the fifth race we misread the wind, but still managed to lead the fleet after the first day and, of course, we are very happy about that,” said Tobias Schadewaldt, helmsman of the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein.

The 23 sailing clubs from across Europe were fighting for one of 14 starting positions in the Grand SCL Finals in September in Porto Cervo, Italy. In Sardinia, it will be all about the silver bowl by Robbe & Berking and the title of “Europe´s BEST SAILING CLUB.”

Day Two
It was champagne sailing on day two- simply amazing conditions! 20 knots of wind and full sunshine spoiled both sailors and spectators. Sailing conditions like these might be expected in Porto Cervo, but not in Russia. The Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (Germany) defended their lead. First runner-up was the Berliner Yacht Club (Germany), followed by the Société Nautique de Genève (Switzerland).

Nothing seems to stop the German Champions from 2013 and 2014. Tobias Schadewaldt and his crew won three more races on Saturday and continued to lead the fleet. “We were completely satisfied with today’s results. The Berliner Yacht Club being so close behind us proves how strong the fleet in St. Petersburg is,” commented Tobias Schadewaldt from the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein from Hamburg.

The team from the Berliner Yacht Club with helmsman Stephan Mölle is just as competitive, despite strong competition. With four wins in a row, they defended their second place in the table. “It was a perfect day. Only the last race was really rough, when our jib ripped apart. Luckily the judges leveled this race, so overall we only had first places today,” said Valentin Gebhard from the Berliner Yacht Club.

The regatta had to be cancelled in the afternoon after 14 races due to strong winds of more than 30 knots!  It appeared that some crews were being challenged by the extremely puffy conditions.

Day Three Finale
Amazingly, St. Petersburg laid on a third day of picture-perfect international sailing. Thrilling head-to-head races in front of spectacular scenery was a big treat for both sailors and spectators. In the end, the Berliner Yacht-Club (Germany) held their nerve and took over the lead in their last battle with their rivals Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (Germany) who were runners-up ahead of third placed Société Nautique de Genève (Switzerland). The first 16 teams are qualified for the grand final in Porto Cervo end of September.

It was a tense battle between two German Clubs: The Berliner Yacht-Club was hard on Norddeutscher Regatta Verein´s heels from the beginning. Until the very end, they never managed to get ahead of the Hamburgers. For most of the three-day regatta, it seemed as if the German Champions from 2013 and 2014 could not be stopped. Tides turned in the penultimate race when Berlin took the lead and secured their victory.

“We would have never expected to win here. We went to St. Petersburg to qualify for Sardinia. And then we kick off a first place here. It´s unbelievable – we´re so incredibly happy,” said Max Nickel, who is part of the Berliner winning team together with Stefan Mölle, Valentin Gebhard, and Philipp Bruns.

Behind the two German DSBL teams (BYC and NRV), it was Societe Nautique de Geneve from Switzerland (Nicolas Anklin, Marc Stern, Nicolas Kauffmann, Mathieu Fischer) that sailed consistently well enough to secure the bronze medal on the podium.  Yet another Swiss club took 4th place, Regattaclub Bodensee (Julian Flessati, Massimo Soriano, Stephan Amman, Stefan Zurfluh) while the top Italian sailing club- YC Adriaco (Andrea Micalli, Furio Benussi, Matteo Stroppolo, Jacopo Ciampalini)- placed 5th overall.

The Boat- J/70 Sailing Champions League overview- by Joachim Hellmich- the Project Lead at the SCL explains the International J/70 class sailboat

SAILING Champions League YouTube videos-    Day 1 Highlights   Regatta summary
For more J/70 SAILING Champions League information

A Woman's Perspective Sailing World Championship

(Vancouver, BC, Canada)-  Isabella Bertold provided some wonderful perspective on her team's experience sailing J/70s at the recent Women’s World Championships at American YC in Rye, New York.  The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club Team finished 6th at the International Women’s Keelboat Championships!

“From August 15 to 19, I had the privilege of competing with three other British Columbia women at the International Women’s Keelboat Championships in Rye, New York. 

Along with myself, the team consisted of fellow Royal Vancouver Yacht Club member Maggie Drinkwater, Royal Victoria Yacht Club member Maura Dewey, and Vancouver sailor Elizabeth Dier.

Our team was unique in that both Maggie and Elizabeth had never raced outside of the Vancouver area, the team had never actually sailed together, and we were brand new to the J/70 sailboat. The other teams were made up of past Olympians, experienced international J/70 sailors, and former All-American college crews.  Even former America’s Cup champion, Dawn Riley, captained a team.   Needless to say, we went in with low expectations!

Our Canadian entry rounded out a truly international fleet including teams from Germany, New Zealand and 15 U.S teams.

American Yacht Club in Rye, NY hosted an incredible regatta, and wowed us with their hospitality. The regatta was raced following the league sailing format in J/70’s. J-boats provided a fleet of brand new J/70’s for us to race with, and even in strong breeze, the boats were not only manageable but also incredibly fun for the all female teams. It didn’t take long for us to understand why there have already been over 1100 J/70’s sold.

The championship was also unique for me in that it was my first time racing in a league sailing regatta, and it was my first time skippering a team.

The regatta was a 5-day event with up to 10 races each day.  The races lasted an average of ten minutes and consisted of a windward leeward twice around racecourse.   After five races, a crew would sit out one to three races before switching back into a new boat. The racing was intense, tiring, and I have never been involved in as many photo finishes as I was that week.

As the results show, we had a few races filled with learning moments, but otherwise we had consistent top 5 finishes, a couple of race wins, and finished 2nd overall in round two.

One of the more memorable moments happened on the final day of the regatta. Our team had come together seamlessly, and we were suddenly disappointed to finish races outside of the top three. We flew to New York ready for a learning experience, and with low expectations; we flew home to Vancouver satisfied with our 6th place finish at this prestigious championship, but hungry for more and with a clear goal of winning the 2017 championship to be held in Bermuda.”

Isabella Bertold is a member of the Canadian National Sailing Team in Laser Radials.  She has represented the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club on the international stage since joining the race team in 2001.

Viggo's J/125 World View!

(Long Beach, CA)- Viggo Torbensen has been the proud owner of the J/125 TIMESHAVER for a long time.  He recently sent us this note as he is getting prepared for Long Point Race Week and, soon, the Rolex Big Boat Series:

“Hi guys- just wanted to tell you that our J/125 is STILL the BEST boat EVER!  See you all soon flying down the Pacific Coast someplace!  And, for certain will see you at Rolex BBS on San Francisco Bay!”

Windy, Grey J/105 Swiftsure Cup

(San Francisco, CA)- The Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Cup took place this past weekend on San Francisco Bay, hosted by St Francis YC.  This memorial regatta has been a popular one in the Bay area for years and is always well-attended by the J/105 one-design class as well as PHRF and ORR offshore racers.

Winning the huge nineteen-boat J/105 class was Phil Laby’s GODOT with an amazingly consistent 4-1-2-3-1 record for 11 pts.  The Simmons Family, led by skipper Ryan, took their famous BLACKHAWK and guided it around the race track in good order to take the silver with yet another all top five record, posting 5-5-1-2-3 for 16 pts.  After these two boats, the scores were all over the map, inconsistency for some reason or another due to all manner of extenuating circumstances.  Third was Bruce Stone & Nicole Breault’s ARBITRAGE with a 3-3-5-1-10 for 22 pts, just squeaking out that scenario by one point over Adam Spiegel’s JAM SESSION with a 2-4-7-4-6 for 23 pts.  Fifth was Tom Kennelly’s WONDER with a 6-10-4-5-2 for 27 pts.

The PHRF “sportsboat” division saw Gorkem Ozcelebi’s J/111 DOUBLE IGIT sail fast to just miss taking the class win by two points. After five races, they were tied on points for first place overall, however, a 5th in the final race dropped them into the silver position.  Meanwhile, Dick Swanson’s J/111 BAD DOG didn’t make the first race (scoring a DNC), but won two races on their way to finishing 4th overall!   Sailing photo credits- Chris Ray   For more J/105 Swiftsure Cup sailing information

Ullman Sails J/70 UK Nationals Preview

(Plymouth, England)- The J/70 UK Class Association is delighted that their 2016 Nationals will be hosted by the Royal Western Yacht Club in Plymouth, a popular venue amongst J/Boats sailors. The Commodore, Flag Officers and members are very enthusiastic about welcoming our visiting J/70 sailors to our beautiful sailing waters in the south west of England.

Racing will take place from Friday 2nd September to Sunday 4th September with a total of 11 races planned for the Championship. As long as weather conditions are suitable, sailing will be outside (south) of the Plymouth breakwater that is only a short sail from the RWYC and marina base.  The racing should be exciting, close and packed with action, with twenty boats currently registered from all over the UK.

Top teams include the Cowes Race Week winning team of Jack Davies on Team YETI.  Hoping to give them strong competition for top honors will be crews like Allan Higgs’ ESF ENERGY, Simon Cavey’s JUST 4PLAY, David McLeman’s OFFBEAT, Ian Wilson’s GILL RACE TEAM, Patrick Liardet’s COSMIC, Ripard/ Calascione’s HARLEQUIIN, and Clive Bush’s DARCEY.   For more Ullman Sails J/70 UK Nationals sailing information

Moss SF Leads Norwegian J/70 Sailing League- Act III

(Stavanger, Norway)- Moss Seilforening went to the top in Sunday's Norwegian Seilsportsliga Division 2 match in Stavanger, Norway.  As a result, they have continued to extend their lead in the overall series with a 1-3-1 record.

The sailors were faced by broad range of conditions over the weekend.  Saturday was characterized by massive wind shifts, huge streaks and a refreshing downpour or two.  Conversely, Sunday was relatively quiet, streaky but steady breezes and a simply beautiful day!  As a result, the teams were treated to thirteen races each.

The Moss Seilforening crew managed to win 10 of 13 races, posting just one race below 2nd in the entire regatta.  In other words, it was a “runaway” for the MSF team!  The big battle was for the balance of the top five and the podium places.  Bergens SF managed to hang in there, winning four of their last five races to take the silver with 54 pts.  Third was Grimstad SF just two points back with 52 pts total.  Fourth was Handelshoyskolen BI with 50 pts and fifth place went to Asker SF with 46 points, mostly due to their last place in the final race.

The overall leaderboard sees Moss SF with a commanding lead for the series with 43 pts.  However, behind them it’s a wide-open field for the silver and bronze positions.  Currently, Asker SF is second with 36 pts due to their 2-4-4 record; Grimstad SF is third with 35 pts based on their 3-7-3 tally; and fourth is Oslo SF with 33 pts due to their scoreline of 6-1-8.  In this series, “snakes & ladders” seems to be the theme of the day!  Whomever can acquit themselves in the finale avoid massive mistakes and sail somewhat consistently might eventually land themselves on the podium!  Everyone will find out after sailing in Bergen at the next event from September 3rd to 4th.  For more Norwegian J/70 Sailing League information

Record Fleet for Rolex Big Boat Series

(San Francisco, CA) – The waters of San Francisco Bay will be churned by more than strong winds and tidal currents next month when a record-size fleet of 112 boats lines up for the 52nd Rolex Big Boat Series, hosted September 15-18 by the St. Francis Yacht Club.

This year’s fleet eclipses by eight boats the previous record of 104 that was set in 2013 during the 50th anniversary regatta. Throughout its storied history, the Rolex Big Boat Series has showcased the top end of the sport and this year’s fleet features everything from a 70-foot multihull down to a multitude of trailerable sportboats. The fleet epitomizes the variety of shapes and sizes that grand-prix racing offers these days.

“The new-looking Rolex Big Boat Series, a rose by any other name, continues the tradition of serving the best of a sport that is ever-changing, ever-evolving,” said St. Francis Yacht Club Commodore Kimball Livingston, who has competed in many Rolex Big Boat Series. “Every generation makes its own legends, and we’ll have a full spectrum fleet this year.”

The largest class by far is the J/70, with more than 30 boats entered. The class is using the regatta as a tune-up for the J/70 World Championship, which the St. Francis Yacht Club will host one week after the Rolex Big Boat Series. Among the entrants are boats hailing from Australia, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Chile and Mexico, giving the regatta an international flair.

To accommodate this massive one-design fleet race officials have made the unprecedented decision to host a third racing area on the Berkeley Circle, an area in eastern San Francisco Bay, in addition to the two traditional areas west of Alcatraz Island. The J/70s will sail two days of windward/leeward races on the circle to become familiar with the area where the worlds will be held.

The rest of the fleet will sail a combination of windward/ leeward and buoy races around San Francisco Bay, in which the J/70s will also partake for two days. The buoy races are expected to take the fleet past landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands, with the traditional finish line placed off the St. Francis yacht Club.

“The Rolex Big Boat Series is an awesome event,” said Chris Howell, the executive director of the J/70 Class Association. “With our Worlds just a week later this gives people a chance to sail in the same venue, and everyone’s excited about it because the boat is built to go off the wind. With the asymmetrical setup, it loves a big breeze. Most of the sailors in the San Francisco Bay area who have the boat love the way it performs.”

The second-largest class in the regatta is the 34-foot J/105, which currently has 21 boats entered and has many past Rolex Submariner watch winners participating.

“We’re excited to be hosting a record number of entries at this year’s Rolex Big Boat Series,” said Lynn Lynch, race director at St. Francis Yacht Club. “In preparation, we’ve compiled a world-class Race Committee who’ll ensure that racing runs smoothly and is as fair and competitive as possible. In addition to our race professionals, we are organizing more than 100 volunteers who will help out on the race course. It’s incredible to think that more than 110 boats will be racing on the Bay. It’s a massive logistical challenge, but we’ll be ready for it.”  Sailing photo credits- Pressure-Drop.us   For more Rolex Big Boat Series sailing information

Classic Chicago Verve Cup

(Chicago, IL)- The Chicago Yacht Club end-of-season finale has been a well-attended event for decades and the 2016 version continued in that tradition, with strong ORR handicap fleets and also great turnouts for the top one-design fleets in Chicago- like the J/111s, J/109s and J/105s.

After a successful hosting of the J/111 North Americans, the Chicago YC PRO/ RC crew continued to provide great racing for the local fleet of eleven boats.  This time, it was San Diego sailor Bennet Greenwald's PERSEVERANCE that won the tough class.  They were followed by Brad Faber’s UTAH in second, Jeff Davis’ SHAMROCK in third, Rich Witzel’s ROWDY in fourth and Dorin Candea’s WOOTON in fifth.

After winning their division in both Mac Races this year (Chicago-Mac & Bayview-Mac), it was not surprising to see that Bruce Danly & Jim Mitchell’s TOA won the seven boat J/109 class by just one point over Peter Priede’s FULL TILT.  Third was David Gustman’s NORTHSTAR, fourth Robert Evans’ GOAT RODEO, and Jack Toliver’s VANDA III.

A familiar face was sitting atop the podium for the J/105 class; winning the competitive seven-boat class was Clark Pellett’s SEALARK, with Mike Sheppard’s FLYING PIG in second, Jon Weglarz’s THE ASYLUM in third, Sandy Curtiss’ ROCKING HORSE in fourth and Gyt Petkus’ VYTIS in fifth.

In the ORR 2 Division, Andy Graff’s new J/88 EXILE took second and Tim Wade’s J/88 WINDSONG placed fifth. Rick Stage’s J/35 ALPHA PUPPY ended up 7th, though only 4 pts out of fifth!  For more Verve Cup Offshore sailing information

Furesøen Tops Denmark J/70 Sailing League- Act III

(Thisted, Denmark)- Even before the Sejlsportsligaen.dk season's last rally in the Danish Sailing League Division 2, the YC Furesøen may be able to celebrate their advancement to the Sailing League's Division 1! It is clear after their triumphant victory in Thisted that YC Furesøen is ready for “the big leagues”!

The talented YC Furesøen struck again and secured their season's second victory of three possible in Sailing League's second division. The team rallied in Thisted, the four young YCF sailors won six races in 11 races, never finishing out of the top three!  A simply incredible performance!  With such a strong record, it provided them a comfortable lead for the three races in the Gold Finale.  Ironically, their competitors grew quite excited when they bombed their first race in the finale, posting an uncharacteristic last place!  But, their hopes were soon dashed as YCF simply smoked the fleet in the last two races with a 1-2 to win with ease.

"We lead around the first windward mark in the first race, but then we got locked in by starboard boats behind us on the run who had slid inside on puff.  As a result, the entire fleet rounded inside us on the favored side of the course," explained Kasper Skiveren from YCF.

"We came back with a second place in the next race and the last we raced we got a bullet. It was super nice to come back that way," said Jacob Pjetursson, a YCF crew member.

Behind Furesøen, it was Gilleleje YC in second and Sejlklubben Sundet in third place. Sejlklubben Copenhagen, Thurø Sailing Club and Silkeborg Yacht Club also reached the FINAL 6 and finished in that order in places 4th to 6th.

As a result of their win, YC Furesøen have a 5pt lead over Sejlklubben Sundet in the season series after three events.  Lying third is Silkeborg Sailing Club with 44 points.

Only one event is left in Skovshoved, scheduled for September 10th-11th. While it is clear that YC Furesoen will emerge as the ultimate winners, it is “clear as mud” what is happening for the balance of the podium.  The balance of the top five all sits within 8pts of each other, so anything can happen in the finale at Skovshoved for Sejklubben Sundet, Silkeborg Sejlklub, Sonderborg YC and Struer Sejlklub.  For more Danish J/70 Sailing League information