(San Francisco, CA)- After nine races spread over four grueling days,
Peter Wagner’s SKELETON KEY was crowned the 2017 J/111 World Champion.
Going into the final day, the regatta was still anyone’s game, and all
eyes were on the top three contenders that had battled for pole position
throughout the event- Skeleton Key, Slush Fund & Joust. The regatta
was hosted by St Francis YC, with sailing taking place on the
notoriously challenging San Francisco Bay.
In
total, there were eight teams competing for the J/111 world title, with
four boats from the Bay Area, one boat from Los Angeles, two from
Annapolis, Maryland, and one boat— Rod Warren’s JOUST— from Melbourne,
Australia. Here is how it all went down over the course of the four-day
event.
Day 1- Thursday
Spend enough time sailing on any body of water and it slowly reveals its
secrets, giving sailors a set of rules-of-thumb that
should—theoretically— be the keys to success, provided that time-honored
patterns prove consistent. San Francisco Bay certainly has its closely
guarded secrets, as the sailors learned during the first three races.
But, instead of delivering conditions that were consistent with the
tacticians’ hard-won playbooks, Thursday’s action was defined by big
fleet splits that delivered interesting returns on investment at the
rounding marks, leeward gate and finishing line.
“By running three races, our goal was to let the fleet leg-out a bit,”
said Jeff Johnson, the StFYC Principal Race Officer. “We saw gradually
building conditions throughout the day that gave people time to shift
gears and to introduce their crews to San Francisco Bay.”
The build-up began with a slowly gathering morning breeze that filled in
on the Bay’s Berkeley Circle, where the racing was held, with a steady
10-knot breeze and a tide that was flooding by the time the first
starting gun sounded. While common wisdom on the Berkeley Circle holds
that one should go right until it doesn’t work, some of the fleet
instead opted for better current relief and while others sought out
stronger pressure.
Once
the starting signals began sounding, all crews brought their A-game to
bear against their rivals on a windward-leeward-twice-around course.
And, while rules-of-thumb were certainly considered, the fastest sailors
also knew when to go off-piste in terms of their rulebook strategy. “It
took a lot of grinding,” said Peter Wagner, skipper of Skeleton Key
(USA 115), immediately after taking the regatta’s first bullet. “The
race was won upwind.” When queried about the favored side of the course,
Wagner’s crew reported that things oscillated, requiring sharp focus
from the entire team, and from their skipper.
The breeze continued to slowly gather for the day’s second race, forcing
teams to work through their gear changes and apply more rig tension as
needed. Again, the fleet chose opposite sides of the racetrack up the
first uphill hike, with Jim Connelly’s Slush Fund (USA 119) winning the
start and holding her advantage all the way around to the finishing
line, where Skeleton Key almost nicked victory. Rod Warren’s Joust (AUS
1110) crossed the finishing line next to complete the second race’s Top
Three.
“Our plan was just to have fun and sail fast,” said Jason Currie, Slush
Fund’s mainsail trimmer, just after crossing the line. “We won the pin
end of the start, and we tacked and sailed away. Currents played into it
a fair amount, and we sailed into the cone of Alcatraz” to seek relief
from the flooding waters.
St.
Francis Yacht Club’s race committee was clearly paying attention to the
shifting weather conditions as the daily high-pressure system tried
valiantly to push blue skies above the course, but the marine layer
remained steady, even as the breeze swung to the south for the day’s
final race. Skeleton Key enjoyed a tactically wise mid-line start,
followed by Martin Roesch’s Velocity and Doug and Jack Jorgensen’s
Picosa, but the building breeze and steepening waves saw numerous lead
changes. By the first weather mark, Picosa was in the pole position,
followed by Skeleton Key and Slush Fund. But, instead of the rich
getting richer, Warren’s Joust team crossed the upwind finishing line in
first place, followed by Velocity and Slush Fund. At the end of the
first day of racing, Skeleton Key was topping the leaderboard, followed
by Joust and Slush Fund.
Day 2- Friday
Despite forecasts for lighter-than-average wind on San Francisco Bay,
the second day delivered fresh conditions that gathered as the day’s
action unfurled. Berkeley Circle conditions started with a gentle 5-7
knots for the first race and topped out in the high-teens with puffs
into the low-20s by the end of the day. But while Mother Nature was
dynamic in her temperament, the fleet’s fastest guns kept their
performances consistent, proving once again that one-mode boats don’t
win world championship titles.
Unlike yesterday, the old saw about the Berkeley Circle (“going right
always works until it doesn’t”) proved accurate today, especially for
teams that worked the inside lanes. Jim Connelly’s Slush Fund beat the
fleet to the first mark, followed by Wagner’s Skeleton Key— positions
that both boats held across the finish. Warren’s Joust rounded out the
top three.
“We had great upwind speed, clean air and a great start off the line,”
said Connolly, just after taking his proud win. “We were off the line
nicely. It was upwind performance— that’s what did it for us!”
The
breeze continued to freshen for the day’s second race, which was also a
windward-leeward-twice-around contest that sent teams on a 1.8 nautical
mile climb that, in turn, was rewarded with big-grin kite rides.
Wagner’s Skeleton Key and Connelly’s Slush Fund both enjoyed strong
starts. However, six of the eight-boat fleet broke left, ditching the
typical wisdom exercised on the Circle. While Skeleton Key and Slush
Fund covered each other tightly on the first leg, Warren’s Joust rounded
the first mark in the pole position and managed to stave off Skeleton’s
Key’s advances until an ugly looking gybe coming into the finishing
line almost cost the Aussies their bullet. Fortunately, the team from
Down Under man-handled their kite just in time, leaving second and third
places to Skeleton Key and Slush Fund, respectively.
“These were perfect conditions,” said Joust’s Aaron Cole, just after
finishing. As for that final gybe, “we got a little chicken-winged out
and came in a little bit hot, but we got control and luckily pulled it
off!”
Interestingly, almost all teams doused their headsails on the downhill
legs in favor of a main-and-kite-only configuration, but once the wind
began to gather to around 15-17 knots, most headsails remained at full
hoist. “It’s our cross-over between planning and soaking,” said Cole.
“If you do it at the right time, you get on the plane and go downwind
fast.”
The Race Committee gave competitors an extra few minutes to tighten
their shrouds between the day’s final two races, the latter of which saw
big breeze that was complimented by a flooding tide. While the wind was
with the water, the Bay’s long fetch still managed to churn the
Berkeley Circle into the notorious “washing machine chop” wave pattern.
Warren’s Joust enjoyed another fine start to the day’s third race,
followed by Connolly’s Slush Fund and Wagner’s Skeleton Key, but by the
first weather mark Roesch’s Velocity managed to nose in between Joust
and Slush Fund. While Velocity’s pace looked strong as the team worked
their way around the top of the course, a series of leader changes
unfurled that saw Slush Fund reap the day’s final win, followed by
Picosa and Velocity, with Skeleton Key being forced to settle for a
fourth-place finish.
After six races over two days, Connolly’s Slush Fund was in the pole
position and tied with Wagner’s Skeleton Key for total points (15).
However, Slush Fund were sitting on a net score of 9 points (due to
discarded races), while Wagner carried 11 points and Joust was in third
place with 12 net points.
Day 3- Saturday
One of the marks of a world-championship-level sailing team is the
ability to rapidly adjust to evolving conditions while also being fast
at courses of all lengths and shapes. Such was the test Saturday as the
race committee sent the eight-strong fleet on a 26.4-nautical-mile tour
of the Bay that took teams from Alcatraz out under the Golden Gate
Bridge to Point Bonito, then back into the Bay for some seriously fast
legs that tested teams at all angles and all wind velocities, while also
challenging their ability to stay focused for hours.
“There’s a strong precedent in the J/111 class to have a distance race
with their Worlds, so we’re including it,” said Jenn Lancaster, St.
Francis Yacht Club’s Race Director. “It worked out great with our
schedule, and we created a course that gave people good exposure to all
corners of the Bay and a chance to sail under the Golden Gate Bridge,
which is a Bucket List item for most sailors.”
Given
that conditions outside of the Golden Gate Bridge are usually a
different animal than conditions inside, the adventure quotient was high
come dock-out. “Lead, cover, extend, come home early, and watch out for
whales,” said Warren, skipper of Joust, which hails from the
Sandringham Yacht Club in Sandringham, Australia, of his teams strategy.
As for if his team prefers distance races or windward-leewards, Warren
jested, “I’ll tell you after today!”
A 5-8 knot breeze greeted sailors at the starting line, however the days
forecast called for must stronger winds as the sun marched west. At the
start, Jorgensen’s Picosa crossed first, followed by Wagner’s Skeleton
Key and Roesch’s Velocity. The Golden Gate Bridge’s north and south
towers were just emerging from the Bay’s infamous marine layer as the
fleet headed for the Marin side of the course and some current relief.
Here, the key to success lay in hugging close to the Marin Headlands’
rocky coastline, practically scrapping the bricks as rigs cleared the
Golden Gate Bridge.
Outside of this world-famous landmark was a confused and
sometimes-choppy seaway and even less wind pressure. Teams continued to
hug the shoreline, their laminate sails and carbon rigs camouflaged
against a backdrop of dark oceanic basalt cliffs and hills punctuated by
redwoods, sequoias and juniper trees.
Sticky, light-air conditions prevailed until teams rounded a mark off of
Point Bonita Lighthouse, popped their kites, and headed back towards
Treasure Island, with Slush Fund leading the way, followed by Picosa and
Skeleton Key, with Joust in hot pursuit.
Whales flashed their fins as the teams fought to keep their kites full—
an issue that would quickly vanish once teams entered the Bay where the
breeze was building fast.
Once past the bridge, the “Nantucket sleigh rides” commenced as teams
fought to control their steeds in 20+ knots of breeze. At the second
turning mark, situated off Treasure Island, Picosa had snatched the
lead, followed by Skeleton Key and Slush Fund, with Joust still
skirmishing for a spot in the top three.
Next,
the fleet aimed their bows back upwind for Harding Rock, the third
turning mark, as a flood tide pressed hard against the buoy. The top
four boats held their positions as crews prepared for the next kite-set
and screaming sleigh-ride back down the Bay.
The Berkeley Pier Ruins were the fourth turning point on the Bay Tour,
and teams prepared for the final beat back up to Point Cavallo, where
they would bear off and aim their bows for the finishing line.
While the boathandling wasn’t easy, Skeleton Key picked-off Picosa’s
lead at the last mark, however both boats went low after hoisting their
kites, setting themselves up to cross the finishing line under jibs and
mainsails, given the angles involved. Joust’s position gave them time to
study the leaders’ fortunes and they opted for a very different angle
that allowed them to carry their kite all the way to a screaming
first-place finish.
“On the last run down, Aaron Cole, my tactician, worked out that we
shouldn’t hoist our kite right away but instead cross the current and
then go up with the kite,” said an elated Warren at the dock. “We were
in third place, but this queued us with the guys ahead of us, who we
passed in that last bit, which I guess is the only bit that really
counts!” After seven races over three days, Slush Fund topped the
leaderboard, followed by Joust and Skeleton Key.
Day 4- Sunday- the Finale
Bright sunshine and 10 knots of air greeted the crews for the final day
of racing. Racing had been consistently competitive throughout four days
of competition, with regular leader changes and a good mix of boats
winning top-three finishes. Better still, the weather cooperated
perfectly, giving sailors a hearty dose of what they came for- San
Francisco’s legendary summer breeze.
Going into the final day, Connolly’s Slush Fund had 12 pts net, with
Joust sitting on 13 pts net, and Skeleton Key in third place with 13 net
points. To say it was anybody’s game was certainly going to ring true
after two more races were scheduled to determine the World Champion.
“Coming into today, we had already enjoyed three days of racing,” said
Jenn Lancaster, St. Francis Yacht Club’s Race Director. “After a
challenging distance race yesterday, it was great to round-out this
championship with racing on the Berkeley Circle.”
A moderate breeze worked in tandem with the current and tide to create
lumpy seas that would only increase in height, steepness and frequency.
The Race Committee signaled Course 4 (windward-leeward, twice around),
and teams jostled for a favored spot on the starting line. Come the
starting signal, Skeleton Key, Velocity and Joust were the quickest off
the line, with five of the eight boats opting for the stronger pressure
on the course’s left-hand side.
A
strong North Bay push threatened to set boats to the southeast that
didn’t properly account for this influence, and— at the first windward
mark— Slush Fund rounded and hoisted their kite first, followed by
Skeleton Key and Picosa. Slush Fund successfully held their lead through
the gate, followed by Skeleton Key and Joust. But, fortunes changed
come the second weather mark as Skeleton Key rounded first, followed by
Picosa and Slush Fund. Numerous gybes and more leader changes ensued
before Skeleton Key’s bow pierced the finishing line to take the win,
followed by Picosa and Slush Fund.
The RC promptly signaled the day’s last race, which was a
windward-leeward-twice-around affair, fortified by an extra windward leg
for an uphill finish. The starting signal sounded, with Skeleton Key
again enjoying a fine start, followed by Velocity and Reuben Rocci’s
Swift Ness. By the first windward mark, Joust had claimed the pole
position, followed by Skeleton Key and Slush Fund. Kites were hoisted
and the bow spray instantly started flying.
Positions held at the leeward gate all the way to the finishing line,
where a loud chorus of cheers could be heard coming from the Australian
boat. While Joust sailed a phenomenal last race, it wasn’t enough to
earn them the world title. Instead, that went to Skeleton Key, a team
that consistently proved their mettle. “Congratulations to Skeleton Key
and Slush Fund,” said a tired-but-happy Warren, reflecting on his
third-place overall finish. “I thought four bullets would have done it,
but not quite.”
After
nine races, Peter Wagner’s Skeleton Key crew are the new J/111 World
Champions, and their victory on their home waters is made all the
sweeter by the fact that they came in second at last year’s J/111 Worlds
in Cowes, United Kingdom.
“It took a lot of patience,” said an elated Wagner. “There was a lot of
depth at the top of the fleet. Slush Fund had the best speed; Joust was
consistent and fast; we had our moments; and several others such as
Picosa and Velocity sailed well. We took nothing for granted out there.
It was a long regatta that wasn’t decided until the final beat. It took a
lot of concentration, but I’m glad we held it together.”
When asked about the origins of his boat’s moniker, Wagner cracked a wry
smile. “A skeleton key is an Australian term for a surfboard that
performs well in a variety of conditions, and we like to think that we
sail well in all conditions.” For those that wonder where Peter came
from in his sailing career, he was an All-American at Harvard
University’s Sailing Team in the world’s toughest collegiate sailing
competitions in New England for a period of four years on the Charles
River- famous for producing many of America’s top competitors. Think
Kenny Read at Boston University as a simple poster child.
Rounding out the top five were Connelly’s Slush Fund in 2nd, Warren’s
Joust in 3rd, Jorgensen’s Picosa in 4th and Roesch’s Velocity in 5th.
Sailing photo credits- Chris Ray/ Christy Usher/ Gerard Sheridan/ Leslie Richter. For
more J/111 World Championship sailing information
Add to Flipboard Magazine.
(Jönköping, Sweden)- The third round of Allsvenskan Sailing (the Swedish
J/70 Sailing League) was settled this past weekend on Munksjön in
central Jönköping. And surprisingly, it was Malmö SS that took home
victory, only one point ahead of the heavy regatta favorites- KSSS (the
Royal Swedish YC).
In
the end, Malmo won by just one point over the powerful KSSS team that
had finally gotten their momentum going, winning five of their last six
races! They were the only team to even have a “snowballs chance in hell”
of succeeding to overcome the fast-sailing Malmo team. Third was Cape
Crow YC’s notoriously fast team that somehow had a hard time sailing on
the lake in Jönköping. 
(Chicago, IL)- The Tri-State is a 3-leg offshore race held over Labor
Day Weekend on the southern parts of Lake Michigan. Chicago to St.
Joseph, MI is the first leg of the race. More than 100 boats depart on
the 50.5 NM journey across the lake on Friday night. Saturday is a day
of rest in St. Joseph with the Annual Beach Volleyball Tournament and
live entertainment at the St. Joseph River Yacht Club. On Sunday
morning, racers choose to continue to Michigan City, IN as part of the
traditional Tri-State or head back to Chicago for the Bi-State.
(Limassol, Cyprus)- The Sail First Club has been involved in the sailing
scene in Cyprus since 2012 when they imported ten J/80 One-Design
Racing boats. Since then, the J/80 fleet has become a normal sight on
the waters off Paphos, Latchi and Limassol as they compete for everyone
to see.
Furthermore,
top sailors from different Olympic and International classes will crew
the boats during this internationally respected competition to win the
European Champion´s bowl. Among others Michael Meister (SCTWV Achensee)-
the Austrian 470-champion; Hendrik Kadelbach (Verein Seglerhaus am
Wannsee)- the German 470-champion U21; and Bo Petersen (Hellerup
Yachtclub, Denmark)- the European Dinghy-champion in 2016. High-classed
sailors, short races, identical J/70 class sailboats, and a standardized
course will guarantee a thrilling weekend in St. Moritz.
Perhaps
most impressive was the performance by the American YC’s Junior Big
Boat Team aboard their J/105 YOUNG AMERICAN. They persevered with three
others teams in Spinnaker B to finish the race and take the top trophy
for its first-place finish as well as the Arent H. Kits van Heyningen
Trophy for the race’s Top Youth Challenge.