J/125s Crush Puerto Vallarta Race

(San Diego, CA)- For the first roll call of the 2018 Vallarta Race, it was clear that Peter Isler’s weather briefing the morning before had been spot on. “You’re going to have a banner evening with full moon and full breeze…” he advised.

At Peter Isler’s very detailed pre-start weather briefing for the Friday starters (Division 6, 5, and 4) Peter mentioned the Friday starters drew the proverbial “Short Straw” – alluding to the less favorable forecast for boats leaving Friday. But, observations from the start line showed full sun, winds 10-12 kts from 230ish degrees. The velocity will be lighter Friday night, but sailors are expected to avoid the impact of a low-pressure system filtering down the west coast.

“I’m feeling very excited. It’s been awhile since I’ve been offshore, so I’m really looking forward to getting out under the stars and having some nice quiet sailing with my friends. I’m lucky enough to be sailing with my dad, John, who is navigating. It sounds like it’s going to be a little light, which simply means we get to enjoy the ocean for that much longer I guess,” commented Erik Shampain who is sailing on Viggo Torbensen’s J/125 TIMESHAVER.

And, although the forecast had diminished in severity for Saturday, the velocity will be up and the direction will be down…or rather more southerly. Saturday starters are expected to be beating for most of their first day. The winds will back and become more southwesterly as they progress down the coast and into the evening.

Mark Surber’s J/125 DERIVATIVE issued this report on Friday, March 3rd, 1330 hrs:
“We are enjoying a beautiful day, 70 degrees, sun, blue water and winds slowly going right to a Westerly... not always this nice, so pretty happy here!

Friday's start was typical... aggressive and leading out. Four boats in our class (Timeshaver, our J/125 sistership; Fast Exit, a beautifully redone Andrews 40; and Fractions a turbo 1D35), all got away clean and picked our way out the harbor towards the Coronado Islands. We and Fast Exit took the highest line with the others a bit lower. We were the first to reach the islands and elected to go between North and Middle Coronado Island. Fast Exit and TS to the left of Middle Island. They snuck through nicely and came out abeam and to leeward. As the inshore route was forecast to be light, we and Fast Exit stuck to our plan of getting ~20-25 miles West of Todos Santos. Timeshaver went a bit lower and in the end paid off as they came out ahead of us this AM. They are currently off our Starboard bow and offshore from us (probably 6-8 miles closer to the finish). We are positioning ourselves to line up close to Cedros to cut distance off the easterly turn and perhaps gain a few back. Long ways to go. We shall see...

Everyone is doing well, well-fed (beef burgundy for last night dinner, fresh roll and frozen chocolate truffles for dessert. Today's breakfast was chorizo, egg and cheese burritos. Tonight's menu includes cage-free pork and wild rice with devils glazed chocolate brownie surprise. Not bad for a one-pot stove (thanks to Ian and Rob for putting these meals together!).

Everyone says hi and is setting up for another long-night battle. Hopefully, no more rain!”

Saturday Update
“It’s going to be Champagne Sailing…” a phrase meant to bring to mind ‘optimal’ sailing conditions. In the case of the Puerto Vallarta race, it would bring to mind a full moon lighting the seas at night, fresh winds of 12-15 kts aft of the beam, and long ocean swells just large enough to lift the transom and give your boat a little invisible push, followed by a subtle roar of your bow wave peeling past the hull.

Between rain squalls, the fine tuned sailing teams leaving Saturday were not so much concerned with the sunshine as much as the wind direction and velocity.  West of south, and as much as possible are the answers to those ‘wants’. Unfortunately, the quickest boats in the fleet are going to have to press through some unstable southerly winds as the anticipated arm of a  pressure swings through southern California.  By Saturday night, weather models show the boats reconnecting with the regularly scheduled westerly trade wind patterns.

Sunday, March 4- 1300 hrs- J/125 DERIVATIVE update
“Mostly sunny, 18-22 kts wind good rollers and back sitting in first.  Good times, but still a long way to go!

As hoped last night, the inshore passage at Turtle Bay paid off and we gained massively, retaking first from our sistership and catching the quicker boats ahead. Good routing was part to blame, having solid breeze and waves always helps! Lots of high teen boat speeds and many 20s. The boat is a washing machine, but no one gives a crap when we're ripping! Yee haw!

Next tactical decision is Mag Bay. That ETA is about 1 AM tonight. That said, we are a little perplexed where our competition is as their YB Tracking system is apparently on the fritz. Suuure it is. That said, we snuck a  private antennae on their mast before leaving the dock and the jokes on them! (OK. Just kidding...) While we are on a long distance race, this is still buoy racing. Know where your competition is, stay in the pressure and stay between your competition and the finish. I think we know clearly how to do two of three, but will for now keep it a secret which we are less confident. Time will again tell.

Dinner: Ian is currently icing his elbow on dinner. Not sure why, but it is thawing quicker with his generosity. He's OK, but I think the wait to beer-thirty at the finish got a little more real.

Just hit another 21 kts boat speed. Hard to type on spin cycle... gotta run and get me some of that!”

Monday update- March 5- 1620 hrs
“Here I sat, tired and dirty, hoping like hell that we didn't screw the pooch - but then...

Touching back on yesterday, very fast, very wet, very good. Still in first! As mentioned the Saturday night Cedros "corner cut" paid big time and set us up for an epic day of planing in close quarters with Timeshaver. Before getting to that... Fun breeze (mostly 18-22 kts, with a few 25 knot puffs late in the evening). While our goal is to always stay straight and maintain solid average speeds and prolong wave rides, the occasional (ahem, Pike) stray occurs and large speeds are reached. Pike was the day's master with 23 knots, I was in a solid 5th with a few 21s. Other than that, lots of 20s and sustained 18-19 knot runs each a minute or so at a shot. Great surf, right direction, crap-load of water (a little down below... maybe all of it), and fun breeze. Good times! Oh! I failed to mention the huge moon! Wow! Doing 20 knots while surfing across moon sparkled ocean is spectacular. It's why we do these events!

Back to the point, Timeshaver did a great job reeling us in, and after several hours of hauling ass and a few jibes, we were able to pull back away. We ultimately separated about 1 this AM (they stayed on an in-shore path, we headed out). Fun playing with you guys!

In the middle of this goings-on, Ian made another stellar meal. Jambalaya, and jumbalaya. As this was a pot full of food and paper bowls, and flat out blasting off waves, there was zero need for sides. Only time for a quick shovel. Another solid effort!

So what has happened since then? As mentioned, we split with Timeshaver. All our forecast models said light inside today and that we need to go wide and far past Cabo to miss the huge wind shadow.  All according to plan until today's new weather arrived... a bit late as we had already made our bed. That said, while we had zero second guessing (OK. Maybe a little), it was entirely satisfying to just now have Rio100 go blasting by a quarter mile to weather. If they're doing what we are doing, my confidence just went way up. Hope we aren't both idiots. Tomorrow will tell the story. Did our competition, who appear to be heading for a tight turn at Cabo do better? Or did our path, much longer sail, much further South, pay. We will know at roll-call. Please send us good vibes!”

Well, all good things must come to pass.  In the end, it was the “little guys” against the “big guys” in this year’s PV race.

Incredibly, the J/125s proved, yet again, why they are so notoriously fast offshore against the best the world has to offer.  Viggo Torbensens’s TIMESHAVER won the bruising battle between the top two J/125s in their final approach to the finish line off Punta Mita, taking 1st in Division 6 and 2nd overall!  Taking 2nd in class and 5th in fleet against the world’s best offshore SoCal sailors was Mark Surber’s DERIVATIVE!

More news later on this incredibly epic battle for class supremacy and overall offshore domination by these J/125 grand prix crews!  Congratulations to both teams for an amazing performance!  Sailing photo credits- Bronny Daniels/ JOY SAILING- http://www.joysailing.com
For more Puerto Vallarta Race sailing and YB Tracking information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

17 National Sailing Leagues Competing Europe 2018

(Hamburg, Germany)- Five years after the first National Sailing League kicked-off in Germany, 16 other sailing leagues were founded in Europe. The newest “family members” are Croatia and Lithuania, starting in 2018.

The wave of success is still running strong and sailing leagues are taking over Europe. Each country that has sailable waters within its borders has sailors that are crazy about the league format; most of them are getting prepared to start their own National Sailing Leagues.

Besides the Premiere Sailing League in the USA as the only non-European sailing league, Greece hosts its kick-off event of “Hellas Sailing League” in July 2018.

Spain already sent tracking operators to the latest training session by SailTracks even though there is no sailing league founded– yet. The organizers of SAILING Champions League were also contacted by Estonia. So, the “sailing league family” of International Sailing League Association continues to grow…

Of note, of the 17 leagues to date, a dozen of the largest leagues have all standardized on the wildly popular J/70, the world’s fastest growing and largest sportboat class.  Its popularity stems from its tremendous ease-of-sailing by all ages (young and old alike), as well as by its attractiveness for speed and one-design competition by all levels of competitive sailors, from beginners to Olympic Medallists. For more SAILING Champions League information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Welles Crowned 40th J/24 Midwinter Champion

(Miami, FL)– All eight scheduled races were completed in gorgeous conditions at the J/24 Midwinter Championship, hosted by the Shake-A-Leg Foundation team and PRO in Coconut Grove.  Will Welles’ BOGUS only needed seven races to tie up the victory over the 35 competitors.

The Rhode Island-based helmsman led his team of Rich Bowen, Jock Hayes, PJ Schaffer and Nick Turney to a score of 15 points, allowing them to forego the eighth and final race. Tony Parker’s BANGOR PACKET secured second place with 33 points, six ahead of both Aidan Glackin’s MENTAL FLOSS in third and Ron Medlin’s BASH in fourth. Rounding out the top five in fifth place was John Poulson’s LONG SHOT.

The BOGUS team is a blended group of all J/24 World Champions— Welles, Bowen and Turney from COUGAR in 2014 and Hayes and Schaffer from SALSA in 2004. This Championship was the first time they had all sailed together, and it was on a chartered boat.

Welles said Miami is one of his favorite places to sail, but his team definitely had to earn this win. “Super shifty and hard to see the puffs and lulls. There was a lot of gear shifting and trying to get on the lifted tack.”

The J/24 Midwinter Championship debuted 40 years ago in 1978 in Key West, Florida. “There are a lot of famous names today who cut their teeth in this class,” said Welles. “The difference today is that people know all the tricks when it comes to sail trim and rigging. It usually comes down to good starts and teamwork.”

The top women’s skipper was Natalie Harden’s GIGGLES from Austin, TX in 13th place, followed by Erica Beck Spencer’s famous SEA BAGS WOMEN’S SAILING TEAM from Falmouth, ME in 19th place and then Elaine Haher’s A GOOD HAIR DAY from Atlantic Highlands, NJ in 24th position.  For more 40th J/24 Midwinters sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Gorgeous, Chill Heineken St. Maarten Regatta

(Simpson Bay, St. Maarten)- The 38th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta wrapped up on Sunday, March 4 with hundreds of sailors gathering at the event’s “Regatta Village” at Princess Port de Plaisance in St. Maarten to celebrate victors in the event’s 16 classes.

Ever since Hurricane Irma hit the Caribbean island of St. Maarten this past September, the support from the yachting community has poured in, and the regatta welcomed an international fleet of 100 boats for spectacular racing on the crystal-clear waters of the Northeast Caribbean Sea. With another epic event in the history books, organizers announced that the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta’s 39th edition has been scheduled for February 28 – March 3, 2019.

The turnout of teams was impressive. They represented 25+ countries and participated in four days of stellar competition. Every day, racing concluded off Simpson Bay and boats were greeted with cheers and champagne spray from fans at the St. Maarten Yacht Club as they paraded to Simpson Bay Lagoon by way of the famed Simpson Bay Bridge opening. From there, the sailors headed shoreside to top off their “Serious Racing” with some "Serious Fun” that included a series of concerts and performances culminating on Sunday with a performance by Grammy Award winning musician Shaggy.

The battle began for the four-day Heineken St. Maarten Regatta on Thursday, March 1, 2018 with the Gill Commodore’s Cup. Set in the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean, powered by the cooling northeast trade winds and run by an experienced, friendly race team, the sailors were hoping for four days of world-class racing in idyllic conditions. However, that was not going to be the case for the 2018 edition, as light airs uncharacteristically plagued the race courses for three days before a highly unusual westerly settled in at 12-18 kts for the finale on Sunday.

J/111 Wins Gill Commodore’s Cup
In the light, but consistent easterly breeze, all fleets sailed series of stadium-style racing off Simpson Bay, competing in short around the buoy courses. Taking home the event’s coveted “Most Worthy Yacht” trophy was Sam Talbot and his team racing the J/111 SPIKE, which finished the three races in fiercely competitive CSA 3 Class with straight bullets.

“We were up against a lot of very competitive boats that are well known on the Caribbean circuit, so we were excited with this outcome,” said Talbot whose team – of U.S. and BVI sailors – is probably one of the younger ones competing, with the average age onboard being 30.  “This is my second time racing in the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta and we are so happy to see such an incredible turnout of competition. We owe today’s win to some great crew work onboard, and will have to stay on our ‘A Game’ for the remaining three days, as we now have a target on our back with the competition.”  Rounding out the top four in CSA 3 Class were the new J/121 APOLLO (Don Nicholson) in third place and the J/121 EL OCASO (Chris Body from the United Kingdom) in fourth place.

Heineken- Day One
It was a fun but challenging day of racing for the 100-boat fleet at the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. The light breeze and tricky conditions resulted in only the larger boats completing the regatta’s famed 26-mile around the island race, while the remaining classes completed a shorter coastal race.

The CSA fleets took off on a 15.0nm course, on the western coast of the island, starting and finishing off Simpson Bay with turning marks north of the island in the Anguilla Channel.

“It was really nice going downwind at the start and then around the western side of the island, but on the way back toward the finish, the conditions were a little chaotic,” said tactician Colin Symes, whose team on Peter Lewis’ J/105 WHISTLER took the win in CSA 4 Class. He added that many boats got parked with no wind off Baie Longue. “We were lucky and managed to sniff out the wind and stay in it. The whole team was better today and we hope to take that momentum through to the next few days.”  Fourth in CSA 4 Class was the J/30 BLUE PETER/ CARIBBEAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE and 5th was Jordan & Shannon Mindich’s J/105 SOLSTICE.

In the CSA 3 Class, it was a runaway win for Nicholson’s J/121 APOLLO, finishing fifteen minutes ahead of the next boat on elapsed time.  They not only won class on corrected time by nearly 9 minutes, but also earned the overall win over all CSA classes. Taking second was Body’s J/122 EL OCASO and third was Talbot’s J/111 SPIKE- a clean sweep for the day by J/Teams.

Day Two- Light & Squirrely
It was game on for competitors on Saturday, with many class leaders holding onto their positions by just a thread. Punctuated with abnormally light breeze from due south, the 100-boat fleet took to the water for shorter buoy-to-buoy racing off Simpson Bay. All CSA Classes were able to get two races off while the rest of the fleet finished with one.

In the event’s highly competitive CSA 3 fleet, Nicholson’s J/121 APOLLO was holding onto a two-point lead. “This class is very well sailed with really high quality crew onboard,” said Nicholson who finished the first race of the day in fourth, but came back in race two, to take the bullet. “There was definitely an absence of wind today. We’ve never sailed this boat in light air, so we weren’t quite sure of settings and sail choices. We were underpowered with the kite we used in the first race, but for the second race we made some adjustments to the boat and that got us moving.”  Posting a 2-4 and holding on to third place was Talbot’s J/111 SPIKE.

In the CSA 4 class, the best J/crew was Mindich’s J/105 SOLSTICE, posting a 4.5-3 to jump into third position with the J/105 WHISTLER in fourth place.

Day Three- Gorgeous Finale
A gorgeous westerly breeze of 12-18 kts made for a spectacular grand finale of racing, and with lead positions still up for grabs in several classes, many teams were eager to make their final claims on class victories.

Chris Body’s J/122 EL OCASO sailed a brilliant final day, posting a 1-1-4 to take their very competitive class by three pts.  “We had a really tough class, so for us to be on top today means a lot,” said Bob Hillier who raced onboard with owner Chris Body. “There was no one dominant boat in the fleet, and taking the overall win came down to the last race.”  Taking third in class was Nicholson’s J/121 APOLLO with 15 pts net.  Then, not able to maintain their momentum from the Gill Commodore’s Cup, Talbots’ youthful team on the J/111 SPIKE took fourth place with 15 pts net, losing the tie-breaker to APOLLO.

Nicholson commented on their performance with his new J/121 APOLLO after the regatta:

“I’m extremely pleased with our first regatta in Apollo (J121 hull#2).  We placed 3rd in CSA class 3 of both the Gill Commodore's Cup and the Heineken Regatta in diverse and challenging conditions against a fleet of extremely well-sailed boats.  Being scratch boat in the class and crossing the line first in most races was a thrill.  The J/121 handles extremely well, with dinghy-like responsiveness and quick acceleration.  She pointed higher to weather than I expected and we routinely found ourselves both higher and faster than the other boats in the fleet, giving us many tactical opportunities, especially in close quarters at the start.  Downwind she was delightfully fast and competently handled all the sail area we put up.  My crew was awesome and the J/121 provided them a great opportunity to experiment with trim, weight distribution and boat handling so that we got up the learning curve quickly.  Our next regatta will be the St Thomas International Regatta in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the adjacent British Virgin Islands Spring Regatta, where we hope to hone our skills and push the boat to its full potential.  After that, Apollo will return to her homeport of Newport, RI in preparation for the Newport-Bermuda race.  I’m a big fan of the J/121 already and it’s great to be able to reduce our crew numbers and simplify the logistics of the Apollo program.”

The CSA 4 racing class was able to sail four quick races- all windward-leewards with a finish leg that consisted of sailing through the “Heineken Gate” to the finish near the harbor mouth.  With a course setup just off the Simpson Bay point, the winds were blowing offshore and were quite shifty.  After missing the first race of the day and scoring a DNS, Mindich’s J/105 SOLSTICE nearly ran the table, posting a 1-1-2 to win the day on points and also leap onto the podium, taking the silver with 16.5 pts net.  Just behind them was Lewis’ Barbados team on the J/105 WHISTLER, posting a steady 5-4-2-3 to take third with 19 pts net. Fourth place went to the Antiguan J/30 BLUE PETER/ CARIBBEAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE with 21 pts net.  Sailing photo credits- Laurens Morel  For more Heineken Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

The J/122 LIQUID RORC Caribbean 600 Report

(English Harbour, Antigua)-Pamala Baldwin, owner of the J/122 LIQUID based in Antigua, gave us a report on her epic experience sailing the RORC Caribbean 600 Race two weeks ago. 

Baldwin is a 60-year-old recruiter from New Jersey specializing in executive recruitment for remote five star resorts and private island estates worldwide.  Needless to say, she is living her dream sailing on her J/122.

“Last night at Antigua Yacht Club my team and I were honored at the 10th anniversary of the RORC CARIBBEAN 600 to win RORC IRC’s ‘Caribbean’s Highest Performing Yacht’ in IRC Class 2 Racing following the 600 and 3rd in Class.

Conditions were grueling over the 600nm course, presenting the competitors with unexpected and dangerous conditions...constant winds of 25-30 knots with gusts to 41 knots and 4 meter sea states and endless squalls with record low temperatures.

Of the 85 competitors, 40 retired.  There was a man overboard, a sinking and helicopter rescue, about a dozen medical emergencies and endless squalls.

Commenting during this perilous yet high adrenaline ordeal, ‘my team is relentlessly teasing me about offering up cappuccino during a perilous squall with little visibility’.

We were wet 24 hours a day and cold; we were all physically punished so hard it felt as if we were in a train wreck, pushing our limits with shear grit.  And, to think pre-race we opted to fly our cruising sails and not our 3Di’s…thank goodness, that was a blessing.

My team was skippered by 33-year-old Nico Dillingh from The Hague, Holland- his first race as skipper. Last season Nico was on the crew and showed solid potential.  When the Caribbean regatta season wrapped up, Nico  sailed Europe’s racing season, including the Fastnet.

Lymington UK based Julian White is our co-navigator, foredeck, and is an up and coming star on our team.

As our winter season unfolds, Team LIQUID is sailing the famed Heineken Regatta in St Maarten, St Thomas International Regatta, British Virgin Islands Race Week, Voiles de St Barth, and wraps up with Antigua Sailing Week

Bacardi Cup J/70 Invitational Preview

(Miami, FL)- After a near perfect three days of sailing on Biscayne Bay two weeks ago, the J/70s are returning to Miami to race the Bacardi Cup J/70 Invitational.  Coral Reef YC in Coconut Grove, FL will again host the racing.  The forecast certainly looks promising with good breezes and sunny skies on the menu from Thursday through Saturday, with winds starting in the 10-20 kts NW and slowly swinging to the SE in the 10-15 kts range to conclude the regatta.

The 50-boat fleet has an international flavor to it since there are many teams from Europe and South America joining in for early training time before the J/70 World Championships being hosted in Marblehead, MA by Eastern YC in September 2018.  Teams are sailing from Great Britain, Brazil, Canada, Monaco, Chile, Argentina, Norway, and Mexico.

Amongst those to challenge current J/70 World Champion Peter Duncan is his J/70 World's winning teammate Jud Smith (USA) and 2017 Worlds runner-up Brian Keane (USA). Italy’s Vincenzo Onorato, who holds World titles in the Farr 40 and M32, will be racing his well-known Mascalzone Latino with a formidable team including three-time Olympian and Gold Medallist in the Laser Class and two-time Moth Class World Champion Paul Goodison (GBR). Joel Ronning (USA), who won the 2016 Worlds and the recent J/70 Midwinters, will also be in the field.

In fact, most of the top five from the recent J/70 Midwinters will be participating, including Ronning’s CATAPULT, Duncan’s RELATIVE OBSCURITY, Bruce Golison’s MIDLIFE CRISIS, and Keane’s SAVASANA.  In addition, two more top teams will be mixing it up with these leading boats, such as the first J/70 World Champion- Tim Healy on USA 2 from Newport, RI and also the J/105 North American Champion and J/80 World Champion Glenn Darden from Forth Worth Boat Club who will be sailing HOSS (his crew includes Olympic Gold Medallist Jonathan McKee as tactician).

Overseas visiting teams include the 2017 J/111 World Champion- Martin Dent on JELVIS from England and J/24 South American Champion- Vernon Robert from Algarrobo, Chile sailing MORENITA.
For more Bacardi Cup J/70 Invitational sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Sailors Enjoy Miami to Havana Race

(Havana, Cuba)- Coral Reef Yacht Club and the Southern Ocean Racing Conference, proudly hosted the third annual Miami to Havana Race for a determined group of sailors from across America and the Caribbean.  The sailors were greeted by record-breaking, near-perfect sailing conditions from their start off Miami, FL, across the notoriously tough and lumpy Gulf Stream to Marina Hemingway in Havana, Cuba.

The raced started on Valentine’s Day- February 14, 2018, just south of the Miami harbor entrance. It was a gorgeous day, breeze on; everyone headed fast SSW to Havana.  A long-time J/sailor (J/24s, J/35s, J/105s, J/70s recently), Steve Benjamin and his wife Heidi sailed their TP52 SPOOKIE to an elapsed time record.

Meanwhile, in PHRF B Class the J/109 AFTERTHOUGHT sailed by Craig Wright took the bronze on the podium.  They were followed by the J/120 TAMPA GIRL skippered by William Terry, his crew included Andrew Kranz, Oscar Rivas, Michael Gold and Wesley Shaw.  For more Miami to Havana Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/11S Loves TransQuadra Race

(Martinique)- The race is billed as “the 40th anniversary offshore race for amateur” sailors. The event links Atlantic and Mediterranean short-handed sailing teams with Doublehanded and Singlehanded categories.  The first legs are short “sprints” from Lorient, France to Quinta do Lorde, Madeira and from Barcelona, Spain to the same finish line- a spectacular, mountainous island several hundred miles west off Morocco off African coastline.  From there, the race goes from Madeira west-southwest across the eastern Atlantic across the Atlantic to Le Marin, Martinique.  The fleet experiences sailing in well-known “trade wind route” breezes that flow off the Bermuda High, starting from the northerly quadrants at the start and swinging to the easterlies commonly found in the Caribbean at the finish line.

The J/11S JATAKA took 3rd overall (boat-for-boat) in the Duo Lorient Class of 54 boats.  She was sailed by the doublehanded team of Phillipe Girardin and Gwenael Thomas from France- sailing the course in 13 days 12 hrs 41 min 20 sec. The team triumphed over many famous offshore teams and boats that are renowned in RORC offshore events- like JPK 1010s, JPK 1080s, SunFast 3200s, SunFast 3600s, and others.
YellowBrick Tracking here   For more TransQuadra Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Indian J/80s Love Afton Cup

(Chennai, India)- The Royal Madras Yacht Club (established 1911) is located inside the Chennai harbour and has been producing international and national Medallists for years.  It is a great source of pride for Royal Madras YC to produce many of India’s best sailors.

The Club is the first one in South India to be recognized as an Accredited Training Centre for India’s sailing governing body- Yachting Association of India. The Club has many classes of sailing boats and regularly hosts sailing regattas. The RMYC is the only Club in India having a fleet of four J/80s and they hosted the first AFTON CUP J/80 Regatta on 10th and 11th February 2018.

AFTON is a well-known brand in the health and fitness equipment industry in India. Today’s generation is very health conscious and sailing is an eco-friendly and exciting sport promoting fitness. AFTON was excited to sponsor the first J/80 sailing regatta, sending a strong message that fitness and sailing have a common goal in promoting good health and endurance.

Sailors practiced the whole of the preceding week under Chinna Reddy (International gold Medallist and YAI Instructor).  Ayesha Lobo (International gold Medallist and RYA Senior Instructor and YAI Senior Instructor) arrived a few days before the event and supervised the tuning of boats. Both of them decided on the course and the race formats.

Four teams signed up for the regatta and each team was comprised of eight sailors. Any given race each team had 4 to 5 sailors on the waters. Boats were allotted by draw. The plan was to sail 4 races from noon onwards. The course was a triangle followed by a loop. The finish line was after the leeward mark so that the boats finished on a beat (e.g. the classic Olympic course).

Day 1- Gorgeous Blue Day
The weather was blue skies with blue waters and winds just under 10 knots. LOBO SAILING Team won the first 2 races pretty easily with some superb helming by Aahan and Maulin with Ayesha on the gennaker. There was some fierce competition between AVIATORS Team and the AFTON Team for the second place. The competition heated up for the next 2 races and at different points in time a different boat was in the lead. The 3rd race was a gun for LOBO SAILING and the 4th race was won by AFTON. At the end of 4 races, LOBO SAILING was firmly in the lead followed by AFTON and AVIATORS.

Day 2- More Gorgeous Sailing
The course remained same and four races were held with one discard out of a total of eight races.

Again, the weather was gorgeous- sunny skies with medium waves and winds around 10 knots with gusts of 15 knots.

The teams had developed enough experience that all boats were bunched at the start line and also at the windward mark and the leeward mark roundings.

There was lot of action at the windward mark with teams screaming for water, starboard etc. The kites were hoisted quickly and there was no snagging of the kites. It was a majestic sight with the gennakers hoisted on all four J/80s. With 4 boats gybing it was a wonderful scene as they jostled for water at the leeward mark, dropped the kites, rounded the mark and immediately hardened up on to a beat. Each team had a gun.

A protest was made by LOBOS SAILING against AFTON for double fouls at the start line.  The jury heard the protest and AFTON paid a heavy price. This outcome changed the standings quite dramatically in such a close contest.  The final results saw LOBO SAILING win, followed by the AVIATORS in second place and AFTON holding on to the bronze.

The J/80 Regatta Night and awards presentation was held at the Navy Beach. With a live band playing, the gentle waves flowing ashore in harmony, the stars lighting the skies, it was a truly a sailors night with unlimited dark rum on the house and a sumptuous dinner spread. The music and dancing continued past midnight until the now tired and happy crews polished off the last drops of rum. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Banderas Bay J/80 Clinic and J/80 Regatta

(Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)- The annual J/World Banderas Bay Clinic and Regatta is filling up fast, and is not one to be missed! Every year, J/World hosts a three-day racing clinic aboard their J/80s in Puerto Vallarta, followed by (coached) participation in the Banderas Bay Regatta!  This year it will take place from March 19th to 24th.

If you want a way to combine advancing your sailing and racing skills with a fun vacation, look no farther.  Bring your crew, your family, or just yourself and get ready for a fantastic event!

The Banderas Bay Regatta is a special event held every March at our Puerto Vallarta Sailing Center.  Participants range from flat-out racers, to cruising vessels that have sailed the seas to enjoy the wonders of Banderas Bay.  The regatta represents the culmination of the month-long “Festival Nautico” in Puerto Vallarta, and has become a favorite of locals and visitors.

J/World, the Performance Sailing School, offers sailors the opportunity to come play (and learn) during this special event.  They host a three day racing clinic prior to the regatta, which will include boathandling, sail handling, strategy, tactics, rules, etc. etc…  all the elements which will contribute to a successful regatta.

Then it is test time…  and they have the ultimate test:  a real regatta!  The event is a perfect blend of positive attitudes, friendly competition, and ideal weather.  Participation in the event of course includes participation in all the land-based activities that the Vallarta Yacht Club has planned.

Each of the J/80s will have teams of three to four students plus one coach per boat.  Everyone aboard will rotate through all the positions while getting the positive insights of one of their renowned J/World instructors. The host facility, the Paradise Village Resort, also offers great room rates for regatta participants, so bring the friend and family along for a fun vacation.  For more J/World Banderas Bay Regatta sailing & course information Add to Flipboard Magazine.