Is J/80 Sailing Growing In Canada?

Yes! According to Larry Alexander.  "We’re building slowly but surely on the north shore of Lake Ontario have formed a small group that are diligently putting together a fleet of J/80s adding two more boats over the winter out of the Ottawa region and very excited about the 2012 One Design season with up to three separate J/80 events planned. The theme for the first event this season was to give back. As we see more success building locally, we wanted to align to a charitable cause and one that is know across the local sailing community. We’ve negotiated with the TAHR organization to have the first north shore Lake Ontario J/80 start. We need to get as many of you out as possible for this inaugural local Lake Ontario J/80 fleet, support our fledging local J 80 One Design fleet and a great charitable cause.

The 2012 Toronto Area Hospice Regatta (“TAHR”) is celebrating its 5th Year the weekend of June 16-17, 2012 hosted by the National Yacht Club in Toronto.  Thanks to the participation and generosity of Lake Ontario sailors, we have raised over $100,000 over four years to benefit Perram House – a palliative-care residence in Toronto’s inner city.  For more Canadian J/80 sailing information.

FLYING IRISH Crushes Bayview Regatta

(Detroit, Michigan)- The inaugural Bayview One-Design Regatta had twenty-one classes with 179 competitors on four race circles-- an average of 8.5 competitors per class.  In the J/120 Class, it was Bill Bresser's team on FLYING IRISH that won a tie-breaker by virtue of a blitzkrieg of four 1sts in the last four races to take top honors in the J/120 class.  Second was Henry Mistele on NIGHT MOVES.  Third was J/120 Class Legend Frank Kern on CARINTHIA with 20 pts.  For Complete Bayview One-Design Regatta sailing results

J/111 Wins Nova Scotia Opener

(Halifax, NS) - The Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron celebrates its 175th year this season and the Opening Regatta was run in bright sunshine and breezes from 12-18 knots.

Racing in the A1 fleet was the J/111 BLAST sailing against a Farr 11m, a Soto 40, a Farr 40, a 1D35 and two Mumm 30's. When the weekend ended, BLAST sailed by Mark Surrette's crew finished in 1st place.

John Whynacht sailed his J/24 STICKY FINGERS to a 1st in class while John Heseltine's few onboard J-ZEUS II-9 won the very competitive J/29 class.  LULA, a J/22 finished 2nd in B class.

Please note, in August, the Lunenburg Yacht Club will be hosting the North American J/29 Regatta!

BLUR Wins Marstrand Big Boat Race

(Marstrand, Sweden)- Amongst sailing cognoscenti, Marstrand is considered to be one of the world premier sailing locations. Currently, the Stena Match Cup and RC44 Sweden Cup draws the rock stars of our sport, but many remember the famous Skaw Race, the J/24 Worlds and the Dragon Gold Cup.

This year the Marstrand Race Committee, together with blur.se and North Sails, invited all sailors to the first edition of "Marstrand Big Boat Race". The format was simple-- two days of intense windward/leeward racing as well as some great parties.  Hard to beat that proposition in one of the world's sexiest places to go sailing!

The starting list featured 37 boats from western and southern Sweden and a "who's who" list of offshore racers. From the current ORC European Champion Salona 37 Feelgood and Farr 30 European Champion Farrbar II (with Olympic sailors Martin Strandberg and Mattias Rahm on board) to X-50 Krabat with Lars Idmyr as helmsman.

Challenging conditions with up to 24 knots of wind on Saturday, and the notorious steep waves of the Marstrand fjord, rewarded crew work and small errors resulted in spectacular wipe-outs. One boat broke their mast after a huge surf going 16-18 knots before the fun ended with a bang. Late afternoon the wind increased even more and the third race was canceled and everyone was relieved to go back to the surprise dock party and a huge regatta dinner.

Even better conditions Sunday. Sunny and 12-18 knots of wind. A shorter windward/leeward course and many general recalls made everyone work hard and the race committee easily pulled off three races. With many OCS in the last two races, the final results were unclear until they were posted online.  With a dominating 16.5 points margin, it was self-evident the J/109 BLUR with Peter Gustafsson as skipper won the regatta.

"We know we're fast in these conditions, so we sailed conservatively and didn't take any chances. Also, we're on the third seasons with the same crew which helps when it's blowing +24 knots. I'm so happy to be able to compete with all those great sailors!" said Peter Gustafsson.

"We've had some amazing racing with the J/109, but now we're focusing on the J/111. We started out with Spi Ouest and have done a lot of training, but still there's much work to get 100% out of the new speedster. On some of the downwind runs this weekend I really missed the 111 - going 18 knots instead of 12!!"    Sailing photo credits- Dan Sjunnesson - Studio CA   For more J/109 BLUR sailing information

J/Sailors Enjoy Susan Hood Race

35 Ft J Teams Dominate IRC 2
(Mississauga, Ontario, Canada)- This past weekend, J teams had a fun time sailing the Susan Hood Trophy Race, emblematic of the start of the summer sailing season on the western end of Lake Ontario.  A strong fleet of J's sailed the event spread across both IRC and PHRF Divisions.

In IRC 2, which included several past race winners, it was going to be a tough fight to the finish.  In the end, it was a legendary J/35 CRIME SCENE sailed by Stephen Trevitt that took second in class.  From there it was a near "J-Class" sweep.   Third was the J/109 BLUE STREAK sailed by Robert Eckerseley from Toronto, fourth was Sheila Smith's J/109 PHOENIX and fifth was local Port Credit YC sailor Leszek Siek's J/35 JEAGER.  For more Susan Hood Race sailing information

Great Sailing For Grand Prix Crouesty

J/80 INTERFACE CONCEPT II & J/22 EUROPEAN HOMES Winners
(Crouesty, France)- Forty teams participated in the fourth leg of the Coupe de France J/80 over the weekend.  If the wind gave the competitors a wonderful first day with three beautiful races contested in gorgeous medium wind conditions, it proved far more elusive the next two days-- with only one race sailed between Sunday and Monday.  The crews, however, could console themselves somewhat on Sunday evening with the traditional "feast of oysters" offered by the Crouesty Yacht Club Carnac, host of the event.

The Grand Prix du Crouesty, sponsored by the Yacht Club de France, has been held since its inception in 1990 during the weekend of Pentecost on the magnificent body of water bounded by the Presque Ile Rhuys, and the islands of Houat Hoedic, called "Mor Braz".  Beyond the festival at sea with over 600 sailors engaged in tight battles in over 200+ boats, the Grand Prix of Crouesty is also great entertainment with a tremendous festival and "carnival spirit" associated with having fun both on and off the water.

In general, the sailing was very tight for the top three boats, only two points separating them in the end. But, ultimately it was the crew of Simon Moriceau on INTERFACE CONCEPT II that won the battle, beating Nicolas Lunven sailing GENERALI in second and Philip Guigné on MARINE LORIENT in third, losing the tie-breaker to Lunven.  Fourth was Luc Nadal sailing GANJA and fifth was Eric Brezellec on INTERFACE CONCEPT I.

For the J/22s, a half-dozen boats participated with Patrick Huet on EUROPEAN HOMES winning with straight firsts.  Second was Claire Pouteau on SOFFE and third was Fabrice Cahierc on J'M.  The event was good practice for these teams that will be hosting the upcoming J/22 World Championships in Crouesty at the end of June.   For more J/80 & J/22 Grand Prix Crouesty sailing information

Calling all J/80 Sailors!

(Fort Worth, Texas)-  Get your game on in Texas for the 2012 North Americans to be held at Fort Worth Boat Club on October 31-November 1st!  There are a great slate of feeder events starting with the HOOD regatta at Houston YC, followed by J/Fest at Houston YC.  J/Fest Southwest has become a "can't miss" event for the local J Sailors, and the Texas J/80 sailors would like to see all their J/80 counterparts to go down and experience the fun times at this great event!

The very next weekend is the last Southern circuit stop two weeks before the North Americans!  So, get your J/80 on down there and dial up your favorite airline (Southwest, maybe?) and get some cheap tickets to fly back and forth.  Local J/80 owners will try to pitch in and help trailer boats to Ft. Worth from Houston!  In the true vernacular of Southern hospitality, "you'll come on down, ya here!"  They mean it.  When the Texan contingent decide to throw a "hoe-down" and have some fun, you really don't want to miss it.  Fun sailing and entertainment for all!  Here's how the schedule lays out for those who wish to extend their sailing seasons into the fall (especially for our J/80 European friends):
     Sep 22-23rd- The HOOD Regatta- Houston YC
     Oct 13-14th- J/Fest Southwest Regatta-  http://www.jfestsouthwest.com/
     Oct 20-21- Old Man of the Sea Regatta- http://fortworthboatclub.com/
     Oct 31-Nov 1- J/80 North Americans- http://j80northamericans.com/

Challenging Sailing In Colors Regatta

J/111 KASHMIR, J/109 KIII, J/105 THE ASYLUM Win Class
(Chicago, IL)- For the past several years, the Columbia Yacht Club hosts their "Colors Regatta" as the "warm-up" for the summer offshore racing season in Chicago.  The event has continued to grow in popularity simply because it has become the "fourth" regatta on the summer sailing calendar locally, an important one to grind out the old rust from the winter, tune up the boat and the crew and basically get the wheels greased before they simply spin off the shopping trolley before you can collect ANY silverware! Rest assured, the CYC Support Crew at this event bend over backwards to make sure all sailors are having a fun time, hard not to. With a wonderful dinner and entertainment Saturday night on the afterdeck of their ship (literally!) moored on Chicago's fabulous waterfront and a trophy presentation on the docks after Sunday's sailing, it's hard not to enjoy the sights and sounds of sailors enjoying the best that Chicago has to offer.

Continuing their strong sailing over the past season in the J/111 class, the trio of Brummel/ Henderson/ Mayer on KASHMIR have continued to lead the class, but only barely.  After the first day of racing, Paul Stahlberg's crew on MENTAL were leading the fleet with a 1-1-1-2 for 5 pts.  The KASHMIR crew had managed a 3-2-2-1, showing improvement every race.  Sunday dawned with an even shiftier, crazier wind pattern from the WNW.  In the end, the KASHMIR boys led by their ever-present Spinnaker Goddess, Karen Gottwald, managed to strike a 1-2 in the last two races to "seal the deal", winning the regatta by 2 pts.  Paul's crew on MENTAL had a bit of a "brain fade" on Sunday, managing a 4-5 to swing their delta from a 3 pt lead to a 2 pt loss.  Steve Dabrowski's NIGHTHAWK sailed a consistent series to grab third.  Fourth was George Miz's IMPULSE.  And, J/111 newcomer Rich Witzel on ROWDY managed to be a "spoiler" on Sunday, racking up a 2-1 to throw a curve-ball into the class standings.

Amongst the J/109s, Irv Kerbel's team on KIII put a dent into the usual pecking order to win by 3 pts over the rest of the madding crowd.  KIII's 1-3-2-2-2 tally for 10 pts was remarkably consistent despite the crazy, shifty, puffy conditions the fleet experienced off the Chicago waterfront just off the famous McCormick Place (a.k.a.- the place where NATO members and Osama-bama recently had a chat with some protestors nearby).  Don Meyer's CERTAINLY managed two bullets, but not enough to overcome Irv's crew, amassing just a 5-1-1-3-3 for 13 pts.  Kevin Saedi's team on MOMENTUS were always in the hunt with a 3-4-3-1-4 for 15 pts.

As the J/105 fleet continues to evolve in Chicago, new faces in the crowd pop-out of the woodwork and put their stamp on the local fleet.  So it seemed it was the case in this regatta and time will tell if this holds true for the balance of the Chicago NOOD Regatta, Chicago-Mackinac Race and the Verve Cup during the season.  Nevertheless, Jon Weglarz's team on THE ASYLUM certainly showed it was NOT the "inmates running the asylum", it was the inmates ruling the roost!  Their 1-1-1 was, to say the least, pretty good?  Not bad?  OK?  A schooling? A spanking? Just plain luck?  Whatever one's opinion, they sailed "well".  Congratulations to the ASYLUM gang.  Another up and comer was Clark Pellet's crew on SEALARK sailing a perfect "3"- all 3rd to grab 2nd overall.  Past champs Tom & Gyt Petkus on VYTIS sailed a 4-2-5 to snare 3rd.  Mike Newman's VALHALLA was 4th and JohnnY Moore's HERE'S JOHNNY was 5th.   For more Colors Regatta sailing information

Awesome Sailing J/80 Copa de Espana

El Conquistador Pichu Torcida/ ECC VIVIENDAS Wins
(Bilbao, Spain)- Past J/80 World Champion, Pichu Torcida, can seem somewhat invincible sometimes; sailing his trusted ECC VIVIENDAS J/80 to yet another regatta win against another field of strong Spanish J/80 teams.  Pichu managed to overcome late challenges from NILFISK, sailed by Catalonian Olympic Medalist Jose Maria van der Ploeg.  During the three days of the regatta, Torcida never dropped below fifth place and finished with 15 points.  Meanwhile, Van der Ploeg sailing for the Club Nautico El Balis of Barcelona, ​​finished with just 16 points after an intense struggle on the water with Torcida.  Completing the podium was RAITAN sailed by Amaliach Gonzalez with 20 points.  The first three teams had a thrilling final day to determine the champion and the podium outcome.

This year's Copa de Espana had 32 teams participating.  After the top three, fourth was Paul Santurde's GO FIT, fifth was yet another J/80 World Champion, Ignacio Camino's familiar NEXTEL ENGINEERING. Remarkably, even past champions like Jaime Piris on FONESTAR could only manage an eighth.  With this practice behind them, the J/80 sailors during the Worlds in Dartmouth will have to again face a well-honed group of sailors from Spain.   For more Spanish J/80 sailing information

A PEARL For J/24 Canadians

(Vancouver, BC, Canada)- This year's J/24 Canadian Nationals were held in the incredibly picturesque city of Vancouver, British Columbia. Like her famous sister-city, Victoria, that hosts the annual Swiftsure Lightship Classic Offshore race every year, the Vancouver locals seem to have a habit of making sure that any sailor and their merry bandits of crew have a happy time, no matter the conditions or circumstances anyone encounters.

For the near dozen or so J/24 teams that participated in this year's J/24 Canadians, it would be fair to say that most every crew had a "happy face" no matter where they were in the fleet.  Beautiful sailing.  Fabulous hosts at West Vancouver Yacht Club.  Great racing with an RC determined to get in a lot of great races, nine total sailed for the series!  More often than not, tired sailors are happy sailors.  "Veni vidi vici", as they say!  We came to sail.  We came to party.  We came to have fun!  West Vancouver YC and their supporting cast delivered.

In the end, it was a "pearl" of a regatta for Mike Johnson and crew from Seattle YC sailing their great yacht PEARL to 5-4-3-1-2-2-7-3-1 to lay down the gauntlet for others to match, generating a mere 21 points in 9 races-- about a 2+ average?  Recent J/24 Seattle NOODS Regatta winner, Mark Laura on TUNDRA ROSE could not match their prodigious output, managing to amass a 2-3-2-4-1-1-3-9-8 record for 24 pts net.  Third was Bard Miller's HAIR OF THE DOG, managing to compile a 4-2-8-5-3-5-1-6-3 for 29 pts net-- an appropriately named boat, by the way!  To show you how deep the competition was, past J/24 Seattle NOOD champion Scott Milne started off incredibly strong and then faded from view, collecting a 1-1-4-10-5-7-2-8-2 for a 30 pts net to earn 4th place.  Fifth was Eric Sanderson and buddies on SUSPENCE, working hard against some formidable competitors to scratch out a 3-5-1-9-4-5-5-9 for 40 pts.

All in all, a very tight fleet that had a lot of fun amongst friends in a gorgeous setting.  The remarkably roller-coaster finish results were a testament to the competitiveness of the fleet-- only a dozen or so College All-American sailors sprinkled throughout the fleet.  Case in point?  Steve Fleckenstein on BABALOUIE, a former top Canadian Star and Laser sailor struggling against fellow bro's to grab a 7th in this crazy fleet, just 3 pts(!!!) from third place.   For more J/24 Canadian sailing photos  For more J/24 Canadian sailing information