J/122E ANITA Report- Rolex Middle Sea Race

(Gzira, Malta/ Santiago, Chile)- After a really tough 50th edition of the ROLEX Middle Sea Race, the J/122e ANITA finished 3rd in IRC Class and 24th among 115 boats sailing.

The Spanish-Chilean team led by owner/ skipper Nicoléas Ibañez Scott, put up a strong effort in wildly variable weather conditions on the Mediterranean Sea, from “glass-outs” with burning sun, to 40+ kts, grey, cold, and 15 ft seas rolling over the deck.

Here is their “insider’s report” on what went down in this incredibly challenging “bucket list” race on the Mediterranean Sea.  Thanks to ANITA’s owner- Nicoléas Ibañez Scott.

“This was the second year that Anita, a J/122E, participated in the Middle Sea race, 600-mile race around Sicily and the islands that surround it.

It was an especially hard race, with only one-third of the fleet completing the race.

This year we sailed with more sails, more crew (8), and made various improvements in our maneuvers and how we used our navigation/ electronics equipment.

The race started off for us with a collision! The other boat came from behind and hit us in the stern and they ended up getting a badly broken bowsprit. We just got a little scratch astern.

The first long leg is getting to the Straits of Messina between Sicily and the mainland.  It was a long windward leg, with 12-16 knots. Our closest references were the J/133 JIVARO that was easily advancing on us in these conditions. And, the other was the J/122 JOY; they helped us find the correct sail trim.

At nightfall, the wind got lighter and near land, it also became unstable in intensity and direction.  Good tactical decisions and the use of our Code 0 in some transitions allowed us to place ourselves at the head of the fleet in our group and very well positioned in the overall fleet.

In the morning, a zone of total calm trapped the fleet. We floated for hours trying to move. Our new windseeker became crucial!

In the afternoon, the wind finally returned astern and propelled us towards the Strait of Messina. We sailed in sight of the JPK 1180 for hours; in the end they would end up winning the regatta in our class and overall.

In the Straits of Messina, the wind and the currents became capricious, and forced us to continuous changes of sails and maneuvers.

The duel with the JPK 1180 "Courier Recommandée" in this section of the race was exciting for us, we go forward several times, sometimes the boats sail backwards due to the current.  In fact, we sailed just 20-30m from the shore to reduce the current effects.

Finally, we managed to escape from the "claws" of Messina and with a strong wind we got to the Strómboli volcano.

Then, there was one of the biggest highlights of our race, a port-starboard under spinnaker with the JPK 1180 in the middle of the night. From there, they would escape from us, culminating in a masterful race for them! But, frustrating for us!!

Soon after, an enormous lightning storm hits us. The wind came from every direction and intensity. Fortunately, a heavy thundershower caught us with the spinnaker on deck!

After rounding Strómboli, we began a long windward course to the Egades. The wind raged (up to 40 kts) and the waves were difficult to steer through.  In this section, the larger and heavier boats could pound through the seas better and took off from us.

We rounded Favignana rocks on the third night.  We believe this is where the JPK 1180 got away from us, as until this time we were still very close to them after beating upwind for so many hours.  At this stage, the wind was aft and the big waves behind us.  This leg was over 150 miles with 20-30 kts of wind.


We tried the A4 spinnaker for 15 minutes.  But, we quickly realized the boat was difficult to control in the big waves.  So, we lowered the A4 before losing control and breaking something. We sailed this leg with the main and 105% jib only, sailing much slower than many of our rivals.

We finally rounded Lampedusa the fourth night and we had a very wet leg from there to Malta, with 20 knots of wind.

We passed between Gozo and Malta before sailing under kite the last 15 miles and crossing the finish line after four exciting days of racing.

Good times, exciting duels, new lessons, a 3rd place in our class and we want to repeat next year!” Add to Flipboard Magazine.

SPI OUEST France Easter Regatta Announcement

(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- For many sailors in the northern hemisphere Easter regattas are the first major test of a new season. Perhaps the most competitive Easter regatta of all is SPI OUEST France- the largest inshore regatta in France and home to some of the world’s most competitive sportsboat and IRC fleets in Europe.

The fleet is based in La Trinité-sur- Mer and racing takes place in the splendid surroundings of the Quiberon Bay in southern Brittany. The islands of Belle Ile, Houat and Hoëdic offer shelter and also spectacular scenery for coastal races. Lorient is only 15 miles to the north, which means the regatta attracts the cream of French offshore racing sailors who are based there. The beautiful scenery, consistent winds, and top-level competition of SPI OUEST France are a hard combination to beat.

The Société Nautique de La Trinité-sur- Mer (SNT) organizes the regatta. The club is undergoing a rejuvenation at present under the stewardship of its ambitious president, Antoine Croyère.

“My fondest memories of sailing are of competing internationally– as a youngster racing around the world with Eric Tabarly and more recently racing double-handed in the Fastnet. One of my aims since becoming president of the SNT has been to have more international involvement, both of our club members competing abroad and with international teams coming to race with us,” commented Mr. Croyère.

One-design sports boats make up more than half of the SPI OUEST fleet. The J/80s will once again be the biggest fleet (there were 73 last year), with numerous world champions from France and Spain expected to attend in 2019. There are also signs that the French J/70 fleets are developing well; aided in part by the SNT’s own youth teams.

“Traditionally our youth teams have raced in French boats such as the Open 5.70. Recently, however, the club has bought two J/70s and we would like to buy eight more. It will enable our youngsters to race internationally and, hopefully, encourage more international teams to come and race us here,” said Croyère.  For more SPI OUEST France sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Brassieres Topless @ Red Bra Regatta

 
(San Francisco)- San Francisco’s Red Bra Regatta is as much fun as its cheeky name suggests. Now in its seventh year, more than 100 women on fourteen boats met on San Francisco Bay to share camaraderie and spirited competition, against one of sailing’s most beautiful backdrops. For the first time, the Red Bra Regatta was sponsored by another stunning, yet relatively undiscovered, sailing destination— Taiwan.

No protest flag? Just use your red bra…
The idea for the Red Bra Regatta was hatched from an amusing protest incident in the Jazz Cup, the annual Labor Day weekend race to Benicia, a decade or so ago. A small group of women created an all women’s fleet within the mostly-male fleet, but one of the group’s husbands was serving as the PRO (principal race officer) for the race. As they charged toward the starting line, the opposing female skippers (jokingly) decided to protest her colleague’s “unfair advantage”— using her red bra. Not only was the protest registered, but the uproarious laughter created a commotion that helped the protesting skipper win the race.

The group continued the tradition in the Jazz Cup for the next two years before founding a new regatta at the South Beach Yacht Club to elevate their skills and share in the fun of sailing.


Festive fun at the 2018 Red Bra Regatta! Clockwise from the top: J/105 AIRJALDI crew: Janet McDaniel, Gene Harris, Maggie Heilman, Kim Zimmer, Kira Taylor, Jane Hratko, Vicky Haller, (missing: Samantha Clarke and Logan Ashcroft)

Padded or push-up?
Red wigs, berets, headscarves, boas, and of course red bras were a dime a dozen on the dock at San Francisco’s Pier 40 the morning of the event. The Taiwan Tourism Bureau provided competitors with beautifully designed technical t-shirts and then it was time to dock out.

The breeze in October in San Francisco can be temperamental and Saturday, October 20, was no exception. The regatta didn’t get underway until 2:00 PM., but it was worth the wait and beautiful to behold. There were fourteen incredibly diverse boats on the starting line, including J/22s, J/30, and J/105s.

“Joan Byrne’screw is called Heart of Gold and Taiwan is known as the “Heart of Asia,” so it just seemed like a natural connection and one that would be a win-win for everyone,” said Frances Larose of PR Magic, who coordinated the sponsorship on behalf of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau. Frances is a member of the South Beach Yacht Club, and she raced in the 2017 Red Bra Regatta.

“Linda Lin, the executive director of the SF Taiwan Tourist Bureau, and I were both delighted to have Joan and her crew represent Taiwan. She is such a strong sailor and a visionary for the expansion of the Red Bra Regatta into the future,” Frances added.

Joan has a reputation for winning San Francisco regattas and having fun doing it— for the past 20 years. It was a pleasure to watch Joan and her talented crew work together on the water, flying a glorious “Taiwan, The Heart of Asia” spinnaker barreling downwind across the Bay.

Because the boats were so different, the performance handicap racing fleet (PHRF) formula was used to calculate the results. Each boat is assigned a handicap based on size and weight, which means the boat that crosses the finish line first doesn’t necessarily win. Once all the boats had finished the race, skippers and crew headed back to the dock and up to the club for the party and the results.


Après race celebrations begin! Top: Team Squirrel, on the cabin top, left to right, Graziella Solinas, Karen Clarkson-Colombo, Collette Meyers, Elizabeth Little, and Joan Byrne (skipper), on the lower rail: Lisa Anderson, Angie Liebert, and Mara Guttman; bottom left, Team Boudicca Lisa Caswell, Cathy Moyer (skipper), Petra Gilmore, Jenna Recupero; bottom right, the Iseult crew: Phaedra Fisher, Patricia Corcoran, Yuning Pathman, Fernanda Castelo (skipper). Iseult was on loan from Larry Mayne, Sequoia YC Staff Commodore. Photos: top, Joan Byrne; bottom row, Kara Hugglestone/Sail Couture.

Yacht club celebration
On the dock and in the yacht club, the champagne bottles were a-popping! We enjoyed a short presentation by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, which is celebrating the “Year of the Bay”— including pristine coastlines, stunning islands, bay recreation, and the beauty of the ocean itself. Taipei and San Francisco are sister cities and also both members of the exclusive “Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club,” made up of only 43 bays worldwide.

The adorable O’Bear was a popular party guest, here with Logan Ashcraft, left, and Collette Meyers, right. Photos: Kara Hugglestone/Sail Couture.

Interestingly, Taiwan is both the world’s largest producer of sailing parts and a spectacular sailing destination. Taiwan spokesperson Frances Larose inspired us with imagery of scenic vistas, creative festivals, gourmet cuisine, and blue water sailing! Taiwan yacht clubs host regattas throughout the spring and summer, with several premiere events in April and May.

Taiwan’s beautiful Turtle Island, or Guishan Island, which is also in the Northeast Coast National Scenic Area, is a favorite destination for whale-watching from April to October. Photo: Taiwan Tourism Bureau.


With Taiwan added to all of our “To Sail” lists, it was time for the awards! Fernanda Castelo took home the top prize in the non-spinnaker division. Fernanda is an inspiring and passionate advocate for the sport. The president of California Inclusive Sailing for sailors of all abilities, she uses a wheelchair on land, but you wouldn’t know that from her skill on the water. Joan Byrne, proudly flying the Taiwan kite, triumphed in the spinnaker division. I love that two such important women sailors won, Fernanda, who makes dreams come true regardless of the challenges, and Joan for supporting the sport of sailing so well and so long. In short, it was a phenomenal day for women empowerment.


Regatta Co-chairs Winnie Kelly, Joan Byrne, and SBYC Rear Commodore and PRO Andrew Lorenzen present the award in the non-spinnaker division to Fernanda Castelo (skipper and President of California Inclusive Sailing with the mission of sharing a love of sailing with people of all abilities), Patricia Corcoran, and Yuning Pathman. Photo: Gerard Sheridan.

The event concluded with a delightful raffle of travel trinkets, stadium blankets, and Chinese Zodiac figurines based on birth year, the latter I actually won. My table enjoyed reading about the Asian zodiac and accessing its accuracy, which we agreed was right on—just like the Red Bra Regatta!

Many thanks to the South Beach Yacht Club organizing committee, all the fun-loving and talented competitors, and most of all, to the Taiwan Tourism Bureau for supporting women’s sailing in such a wonderful way.  Thanks for the story from Sail Couture’s Kara Hugglestone

J/99 Offshore Speedster Update

(Newport, RI)- We’re excited to report that J/99 hulls #1 and #2 are nearing completion at J/Composites in France and the J/Team is gearing up for a very busy December. Twenty (20) J/99 orders are already confirmed which extends the initial backlog into July 2019.

Hull #1 will make its world boat show debut at the Paris Show (Salon Nautique Paris) from December 8-16 and then ship to J-UK in Hamble, England to launch and sail in the Solent.

Meanwhile, hull #2 will splash just before Christmas in Brittany, France for some end-of-the-year sailing. To kick off 2019, the J/99 will be displayed at the Dusseldorf “boot” Show in Germany from January 19-27.

The first boat to North America will arrive in Rhode Island in early February and be commissioned for an early season (March) launch. The J/99 will make its North American boat show debut at the Pacific Sail Show in Richmond, CA, April 4-17, 2019.

Hull #1 is shown above with graphics already in place and in final prep mode for deck installation at the end of the week.  For more J/99 doublehanded offshore speedster information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/24 World Champions Bleeding Edge??

* Pretty cool to see what past J/24 World Champions and College Sailors of the Year are doing recently.

One of them, Terry Hutchinson, is spearheading the AMERICAN MAGIC team in the New York YC’s quest to win back the America’s Cup in foiling monohull 75 footers.

Just this past week, they launched a 1/2 scale model using a heavily customized production 38-footer’s hull and launched it, flying around Narragansett Bay at 25+ kts. Pretty wild to see how the boat actually works.  Watch the “Mule”, as the test boat is called, on this very cool YouTube sailing video here. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

PRO Yachting J/70 Series Awards Announcement

(Moscow, Russia)- On Tuesday, November 20, the PRO-Yachting project will complete the 2018 sailing season with their annual gala prize-giving award banquet at the Royal Yacht Club in Moscow, Russia.  The occasion is the “PRO-Yachting Persons of the Year Award.”

By tradition, PRO-Yachting will celebrate the most significant yachting events of the season and the people who have made a significant contribution to the development of sailing in 2018. The awards will be granted for the following categories: “Children's Coach of the Year”, “Sailing Event of the Year”, “Teapot of the Year”, “Discovery of the Year”, “For Lighting of Sailing”, “Photo of the Year”, “Patron of the Year”, and “Man of the Year”.

At the gala evening, PRO-Yachting will award the winners of the evening series of regattas- the Tuesday Warm-Up Race Series and the Wednesday Night Race Series.  All races were held on one-design J/70 class yachts at the Royal Yacht Club from May to October 2018.

The leader of the Wednesday Night Race series will receive the main trophy of the season- the Marine Torpilleur series watch from the Swiss watch manufacturer- Ulysse Nardin.

The overall winning team of the Tuesday Warm-Up Race series will receive four fully sponsored travel vouchers to Germany to visit the unique natural region of “Eifel”- the mountain source for the premium-class mineral water “Gerolsteiner”.

The award banquet for the "PRO-Yachting Man of the Year” has been held since 2014. Last year, SSA-9 Moscow24 Team were the winner of the Wednesday Night Race series. The Tavatuy team (Pavel Kuznetsov, Yevgeny Neugodnikov, Yegor Konyukhovsky) was recognized as the “Person of the Year” for the development of sailing sports in the Sverdlovsk Region.

Partners for the event include: watch manufacturer Ulysse Nardin, mineral water premium-class Gerolsteiner, marina luxury Porto Montenegro, yachting clothing Marinepool, sunscreen Lancaster, the Belgian premium beer Asteria, Czech Beer Bakalar. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

U.S. J/70 Youth Championship Preview

(St Petersburg, FL)- The 2018 edition of the U.S. J/70 Youth Championship will be taking place from November 16th to 18th on the sunny, warm waters of Tampa Bay.  Hosting the top J/70 youth teams from across the country will be the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, in St. Petersburg, FL.

The regatta will be sailed in supplied J/70s from StPYC’s Junior Sailing Center.  The goal of this event is to help develop and build leading-edge junior keelboat sailing programs across America.

Like the inaugural event held last year in Newport, RI by SAIL Newport, the youth teams had a series of twelve qualifying events that started in February at the St Pete NOOD Regatta and ended in late August with the J/70 Pacific Coast Championship in San Francisco, CA.  The teams will be sailing in a round-robin format and short-course racing of less than 20 minutes each.  The action should be fast and furious and will be held just off the beautiful St Petersburg city waterfront.

The following teams have qualified for the event: Musto Youth Team from Stonington, CT; Coral Reef YC from Miami, FL; King Harbor YC from Los Angeles, CA; South Carolina YC from Hilton Head, SC; Annapolis YC Youth Team from Annapolis, MD; American YC Youth Team from Rye, NY; Gotham Racing Team from Chicago YC in Chicago, IL; Little Traverse Sailors from Little Traverse YC in Harbor Springs, MI; Manchester YC from Manchester, MA; and Santa Barbara YC from Santa Barbara, CA.  For more U.S. J/70 Youth Championship sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Sweep @ Harvest Moon Regatta

(Seabrook, TX)- Lakewood Yacht Club hosted the 32nd Annual Harvest Moon Regatta from October 25th to 28th. This year's regatta had 119 sailboats returning to the usual finish line in Port Aransas after a one-year hiatus because of the extensive damage rendered to the city by Hurricane Harvey the previous year.

Hundreds of racers look forward to this event each fall. No matter their sailing skill-levels, novice to expert, the “Harvest Moon” is a fun offshore race that ends with a fabulous outdoor party with plenty of refreshments, excellent BBQ dinner, and live entertainment.

According to JD Hill, owner of the J/122 SECOND STAR, “it was a big weekend for J/Boats down here in Texas, as J’s swept the podium in the ORC division at Harvest Moon Regatta. In a 119 boat regatta, our J/122 SECOND STAR was the best monohull in ORC Overall, followed by John Barnett’s J/105 PESTO and James Liston’s J/120 AEOLUS.”

Here was the breakdown of this year's big winners:

In the ORC A Class, the “Bacardi Cup” was awarded to Hill’s J/122 SECOND STAR.  Taking 2nd in class was Liston’s J/120 AEOLUS.

Then, in the ORC B Class, winning was Barnett’s J/105 PESTO, followed by Charles Wielchowsky’s J/105 TEXAS RANGER IV in fourth place.

Finally, in the PHRF Spinnaker Division, taking 5th place was the J/46 SODALIS III sailed by Jim Demarest and crew from Lakewood YC.   Follow the Harvest Moon Regatta on Facebook here   For more Harvest Moon Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Hamble Winter Series- Mid-series Report

(Hamble, England)- The second four weeks of the series have only one race per day as the nights close in and the winter proper begins. Even so, these four races can be crucial as discards start to play their part. So, with eight races gone and four to go it is time to look at the story so far.

In Class 1, Chaz Ivill and Paul Heys, sailing the J/112E DAVANTI TYRES, continue to lead the way with a pretty solid 8 point lead.

For Class 2, it is very much a J/Boats battle. Mike and Susie Yates’ J/109 JAGO, is in first place on 11 points over Simon Perry's J/109 JIRAFFE, second with 20. But, once again, JIRAFFE has a 15 point DNC to discard. With no cancellations in the series so far, the likelihood of eleven races and three discards is pretty strong. Then, Gavin Howe’s J/88 TIGRIS also has 20 points in third place; just ahead of their sister ship J-DREAM (Kirsty & David Apthorp) on 22 points.

As a result of those races in Class 2, the J/88 One-design calculations show that Howe’s TIGRIS is winning the class, followed by the Apthorp’s J-DREAM in second and Dirk van Beek’s SABRIEL JR in third.

In the top five of Class 3 is David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’RONIMO, sitting on 31 pts, but including a DNC (17 pts).  As they’ve done before, don’t be surprised if they leap up the standings after collecting more discard races.  The races they have sailed in gives them a 3rd average, good enough to vault them onto the podium if they keep up that pace.

One of the HYS Hamble Winter Series' great supporters, Force 4 Chandlery, will be the day sponsor this weekend. Force 4 at Port Hamble Marina open early on Sunday mornings to cater for last minute purchases by our competitors. Watch out for Force 4 money off vouchers at the prize giving in the club on Sunday lunchtime, always useful for Christmas presents at this time of year. Remember, if you don't come in your prize will cascade down to the next boat. For the rest of us it will just be beer and chips as usual.  Thanks for contribution from Trevor Pountain.  For more Hamble Winter Series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Beautiful Start For Hot Rum Series I

(San Diego, CA)- The annual fall bacchanalian festival in San Diego known as the “Hot Rum Series” took place last weekend, hosted by the San Diego YC.  A fleet of 136 boats is participating in the series of three weekend races that take place on Saturdays.  The race is a simple “pursuit style” event, where the slowest boats start first and the fastest boats start last; whomever crossed the finish line first boat-for-boat is declared the winner.  As has been the case over time, the building seabreeze often benefits the bigger faster boats that start late.  In last weekend’s event, that was certainly true for most of the classes.

In PHRF 2 Class, the J/120s led the way home, with John Laun’s CAPER winning with Ernie Pennell’s MAD MEN second by just 1 min 40 sec behind.  Fifth was the J/124 CIRRUS.

In the PHRF 4 Class, it was Steve Wyman’s J/70 NUNUHUNU that took 2nd, followed by Dennis Case’s J/105 J-OK in 4th, Erostino Dagfish’s J/105 VIGGEN in 6th and Dave Vieregg’s J/70 SOGGY DOLLAR in 7th.

Then, in PHRF 5 Class, it was David Cattle’s J/27 BLACKADDER in 4th position.  Sailing photo credits- Bronny Daniels/ JOYSailing.com.   For more San Diego YC Hot Rum Series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.