J/FEST Northwest Regatta Preview

(Seattle, WA)- The 2018 edition of the J/FEST Northwest Regatta will be hosted by Corinthian YC Seattle and J/Boats Northwest for forty-seven teams that include a PHRF class, and one-design fleets of J/24s, J/80s, J/30s, J/97E’s, J/105s, and J/109s.

For 26 years, J/Fest NW produced some of the best racing and after-race socializing available on the planet.  This year it is a two-day regatta (with a Friday night PHRF fun race) open to all J/Boats owners and crew.  The on-the-water activities are hosted by Sail Northwest and CYC Seattle.  Shoreside activities will be at the CYC Seattle Shilshole clubhouse Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday evening’s dinner and door prize extravaganza is always a sellout.  So, come on down and join us for what Northwest Yachting Magazine called “the most looked forward to regatta of the year”- J/FEST Northwest.

The eight-boat PHRF Division includes a fun, eclectic mix of J’s from across the spectrum of time.  At the top end of the spectrum are the sisterships, the J/46 CLAYMORE (Michael Johnston) and the J/44 ASYLUM (Kyle Caldwell and Jamie Thomas).  At the other end of the scale is the J/32 DRAGONFLY (Anice & Alan Flesher).

The eleven-boat J/24 class includes some local, notable, celebrities, like TREMENDOUS SLOUCH (Scott Milne) and TUNDRA ROSE (Carl Sheath).

With eight J/80s, it is the largest turnout ever for this class in the PNW.  Some notable teams are Bryan Rhodes’ CRAZY IVAN and Mike Poole’s JOLLY GREEN (J/80 #1!!).

The J/97E class has Rocky Smith’s INDIGO HORIZONTAL and Eric Barlow’s IRIE. The J/30 class includes Cindy Gossett’s OUTLAW and Jim Bottle’s CELEBRATION.

The always-popular J/105 class of eleven teams has just about all the movers and shakers in the PNW participating. In fact, it’s like a class reunion for 105-lovers!  Amongst the 105 cognoscenti are Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO; Tom Kerr’s CORVO 105; Eric Hopper, Matt Davis, Doug Scherk’s FREE BOWL OF SOUP from Portland, Oregon; Chris Phoenix’s JADED; Jerry Diercks’ DELIRIUM; and Ryan Porter’s AVALANCHE.

Similarly, the five J/109s will be sure to have spirited racing for the Pacific NW Championship Trophy!  Top contenders will certainly include Stu Burnell’s TANTIVY and Jerry Woodfield’s SHADA.  For more J/Fest Northwest Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Crews Raise Big $$ For Annapolis Leukemia Cup

(Annapolis, MD)- An enormously successful 26th Annual Leukemia Cup was held on Saturday, June 2nd, 2018, to support the Leukemia Foundation, hosted jointly by Annapolis YC and Eastport YC.  As a leukemia survivor, Annapolis’ own famous and legendary sailor, Gary Jobson, was a proud host for the event that raised thousands of dollars to support research and support for the Leukemia Foundation.

Dozens of J/Sailors participated in the event, sailing in a combination of one-design classes and PHRF handicap classes.  Focused on having fun and raising funds for a worthy cause, J/classes included J/30s, J/35s, J/80s, J/105s and PHRF classes.

In the five-boat J/30 class, it was Tristan & Sheila Keen’s INFECTION SMILE taking class honors.  Topping the four-boat J/35 class was Bruce Artman’s T-BONE.  Leading home the six-boat J/80 fleet was Ken Mangano’s MANGO.  The eleven-boat J/105 class, the biggest contributors class-wise, saw John White’s USA 113 take the honors.  In PHRF N Class, Steve Grimm’s PANDORA was 3rd. And, in CRCA-ORR division, it was Dan Leonard’s pretty J/100 FLASHPOINT winning class.  For more Annapolis Leukemia Cup sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

TINTO Crowned Australian J/24 Midwinter Champion

(Cronulla, Sydney, Australia)- The 2018 Australian J/24 Midwinter Championship had fourteen hot, talented crews ready to do battle to be crowned Midwinter Champion over the June 8th to 10th weekend.  The event was hosted by the Cronulla Sailing Club, racing in the waters of Bate Bay on Saturday and the Port Hacking Estuary on Sunday.

Saturday began in a light 4-8 knot breeze. Dave Mclachlan, the Cronulla SC PRO and his team on the start boat, got proceedings underway on time.

David West and his crew on ACE were using this regatta in their lead up to representing Australia at the J/24 World Championships in Lago di Garda, Italy later this year. They won the start and won the first race ahead of NSW J24 President, John Crawford, on INNAMINCKA in second, and Bryce Edwards driving WOOD DUCK in third.

Second race saw the forever-young David McKay in STAMPED URGENT rise to the top, with INNAMINCKA in second and again newcomer to the class, WOOD DUCK third.

The PRO kept things moving in a dying breeze and race three got underway. Stephen Wright’s TINTO took first.  West’s ACE was second, with McKay’s STAMPED URGENT again making an appearance in third.

The fourth, and what ended up being the final race, for the day saw TINTO again take first with WOOD DUCK in second and Janette Syme’s WILDFIRE arriving in third. Sails were then dropped, and each J/24 mounted there 3.5 hp engines of fury, for the motor back to Cronulla Sailing Club for an evening BBQ with the sun disappearing on the horizon.

Day 2 and someone ordered wind right?  With the southerly gear-buster (as forecast) hitting early Sunday morning, there was no question wind for racing was a non-issue.  A steady 20 knots, with 30-knot busters, made for some interesting times and some equipment failure.  Can anyone gybe without broaching?

Race 5 saw the girls from Sandringham YC, with Kirsty Harris driving HYPERACTIVE; win pole position followed by Mr Consistency TINTO and WOOD DUCK in third. Race 6 saw WOOD DUCK popping to the top, followed again by TINTO, with INNAMINCKA in third. Race 7 saw WOOD DUCK again hit first, TINTO in second and STAMPED URGENT in third. Cool! Cronulla Boats 1-2-3!!

This is where the PRO decided enough was enough and racing was concluded. However, the crowd on Bass and Flinders Point had enjoyed watching the colorful sails and inspecting the clean hull of VERTIGO “keel-flapping” away after one wild broach.  Such is life on J/24s.

Final results, congratulations to Stephen Wright and TINTO first on scratch and handicap. Second on scratch was Class newcomer Bryce Edwards in his dad’s J/24 WOOD DUCK; could be an interesting discussion leading into the States in November. Bryce also achieved 3rd on handicap. Second on handicap was J/24 Southern Sydney Fleet President, John Zagame driving JARGON with third overall going to the forever-young David McKay on STAMPED URGENT.

The Organizing Committee would like to thank all of the events sponsors- Infinity Rigging, Wet Tech Rigging, AUSSEA Sailing School, Cronulla Marina, SPOT-A-YACHT Photography, Sail Connect, Ocean Sports and Newton Real Estate.

Lastly, events like this are only as successful as the unpaid volunteers- “Thank you” to all who contributed on BBQs, driving support boats, dock duties, and just generally being there. This list of volunteers is too long to mention them all by name, however, special mention goes to Jared Macquart, supporting this event since its inception through his professional advice on boat set up, maintenance assistance including supply of tools to effect emergency repairs to INNAMINCKA on Friday afternoon. Cheers Jared and thanks for the ongoing support!  Sailing photo credits- SPOT-A-YACHT.com. For more Australian J/24 Midwinters sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/70 EURO CUP V Regatta Preview

(Riva del Garda, Italy)- The first pan-European J/70 event took place on the spectacular waters of Lago di Garda in 2014.  As usual, the host club in Riva del Garda- the famous Fraglia de la Riva- played host to a fleet of nearly 50 boats that first year.  In the 4th edition for the 2018 Euro Cup Regatta, a new record fleet of seventy-three entries will be vying for the prestigious trophy.

J/70s from fourteen nations across the pantheon of Europe (Austria, Belgium, Spain, France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, & Turkey) and two international countries (Brazil & Cayman Islands) will be looking forward to three-days of sailing fantasia.

The famous Lake Garda “wind machine” during the summertime can be scheduled for racing like clockwork.  After a lazy morning breakfast and stroll along the waterfront, the teams assemble at the yacht club and begin to saunter out to the starting area between 12 and 1 pm.  As the breeze builds up to 15-20 kts from the south, the PRO simply sets the standard course and can, generally, conduct three races per day.

Watch for some of these teams to be factors on the leaderboard over the weekend, Austrian Klaus Diem’s PFANDER, Belgian Patrick Van Heurck’s JAXX, two Brazilians (Mauricio Santa Cruz’s MANDACHUVA and Marcos Soares’ CAPIM CANELA), Cayman Islander Peter Cunningham’s POWERPLAY, Spaniard Jose Maria “Pichu” Torcida’s NOTICIA, British Jeremy Thorp’s PHAN, German Tobias Feuerherdt’s HANDWERKER, six Italians (Carlo Alberini’s CALVI NETWORK, Claudia Rossi’s PETITE TERRIBLE, Luca Domenici’s NOTARO TEAM, Vittorio Di Mauro’s TCL TEAM, Gianfranco Noe’s WHITEHAWK, & Alessandro Zampori’s MAGIE DAS TEAM), Maltese Sebastian Ripard’s CALYPSO, two Monegasques (Ludovic Fassitelli’s JUNDA- BANCA DEL SEMPIONE & Stefano Roberti’s PICCININA), Dutchman Wouter Kollmann’s PLAJ, two Polish (Krzysztof Krempec’s EWA & Pawel Tarnowski’s APOTEX), three Russians (Valerya Kovalenko’s ARTTUBE RUS1, Denis Cherevatenko’s JOYFUL, & Petr Nosov’s JESSIE TANTA), two Swiss (Ruedi Corbelli’s JIM & Julian Flessati’s JILL), and the Turkish Emir Icgoren’s AMEERA JET.  For more J/70 EURO CUP sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Sweden Midsummer Solo Challenge a Success!

(Stockholm, Sweden)- Without a doubt, Swedish offshore sailor and entrepreneur extraordinaire, Peter Gustafsson, is always thinking, always dreaming, always innovating, wondering how to do things better in business as well as indulging in his favorite pastime- sailing his J/111 BLUR.SE.

Recently, Peter had yet another spasm of inspiration, commenting, “we have a crazy new side project, to start a solo archipelago race through Bohuslän. 125 nm with no rules.  We managed to fill 60 slots within 24 hours of announcing the race! 48 boats started, 15 finished (due to light winds and two nights at sea).  Nevertheless, the first edition of Midsummer Solo Challenge lived up to expectations. Remember, that far north in Scandinavia, it is “sunset twilight” all night long, the sun never fully sets!

Here is Peter’s commentary on the race from aboard his beloved J/111 BLUR.SE:

“How about 50 solo sailors completing a 125 nm course through one of the world's most beautiful archipelagos, in the middle of the light and warm Swedish summer night?

When the initiative was launched six months ago, the initial 50 spots filled up within 24 hours. We’ve seen the popularity of similar races, like the Danish Silverrudder, but a true archipelago race for solo sailors is something new.

On Thursday evening, 48 skippers met for a three course dinner and a weather briefing promising light to moderate winds from south... and lots of sunshine! Administration was kept to a minimum, and everyone just had to put a signature on a list to verify that they intended to take part.

A few of us had a final beer, but then everyone wandered off to their boats to prepare for the challenge ahead.

Friday morning, the mini class (boats from 18 to 25 feet) stated at 10:00 in 4-8 knots of wind from SW. With a mix of downwind sails set, the group set off to the north. As the second group started an hour later, the first wrestled with some major decisions; inshore through the small straights and through the picturesque fishing village of Gullholmen, or the westerly route close to Käringön and the landmark lighthouse of Måseskär. Inshore is shorter, but offshore you can catch a current pushing you north at 2 knots. One of many decisions to be made in the coming 24-48 hours.

Leif Jägerbrand in his Seascape 24, loved the conditions, took the shortest route and quickly extended his lead.

At 13:00 the bigger boats left Marstrand, trying to hunt down the smaller boats ahead. J/111 Blur with Peter Gustafsson was expected to be the fastest boat, and showed pace and set of offshore before hoisting his huge 155 sqm gennaker.

Late afternoon, the different classes started to mix, gybing through the islands ticking of Lysekil, Hållö, Smögen and many of the anchorages where people spend their summer vacation. It’s easy to spend 4-5 weeks cruising here and each night find a new amazing spot to anchor.  It was a strange feeling to cover the same distance in a day.

When the sun set, the leading boats were leaving Fjällbacka and aimed for the northern mark of Ramskär. The wind became even lighter, and some struggled to keep their boats going. It is always a special feeling to turn the boat around and sail towards the finish. But knowing it would be 15-30 hours of light upwind sailing and adverse current everyone understood the meaning of the word ”challenge”.

The first three boats, the Seascape 24, Jonas Dyberg in his J/88 and J/111 Blur stayed in the archipelago to avoid the current. Short tacking south, they reached the finish late afternoon. The smaller boats had a duel where the Seascape had to give in to the J/88 after leading the way for almost 30 hours. Blur crossed the line within the hour to post the fastest time around the course with 27 hours 35 minutes and 3 seconds.  Second was Dyberg’s J/88.

But that didn’t really matter. No winner was announced; no awards were handed out and the important thing was to prove to yourself that you could do it. And naturally to receive the t-shirts with ”FINISHER” printed at the back.

The three finishers had dinner, wondering if anyone else would make it. The wind had slowly died and many boats were parked with the finish in sight. Another bunch where anchored or drifting at Måseskär, as every attempt to get past just resulted in being pushed back by the current.

Would the skippers have the patience and endurance to hang in there and wait for the morning breeze? Later Saturday night, a few boats trickled in, managing to cross the line.  Early morning, a few more, and after 46 hours Staffan Cederlöf closed the gate in his red Compis 28 Retro Balloon.

All in all, 15 boats of the 48 that started, managed to complete the Midsummer Solo Challenge. And as always, it came down to grit and sheer will. It wouldn’t be surprising to see all of them, and quite a few more, back next year to challenge themselves again.

Enjoy this entertaining J/88 sailing video from Jonas Dyberg
https://youtu.be/GSTO0kPmqUU

The story and results in Swedish: http://www.blur.se/2018/06/11/midsummer-solo-challenge-2018/

For more information about the Midsummer Challenge Race- please contact Peter Gustafsson- M: +46 733 304000 / E: peter@blur.se Add to Flipboard Magazine.

WV Hemelingen Lead German J/70 Sailing League

(Tutzing, Germany)- The German J/70 Sailing League (DSBL) returned to the place where everything began five years ago- Tutzing on Lake Starnberg, hosted by the Deutscher Touring YC (DTYC)- for the season opener that was sailed from June 8th to 10th on the incredibly picturesque lake.

Exactly five years ago (June 7, 2013), 18 clubs joined the Deutsche Touring YC for the first time in the history of yacht racing, competing in a club competition. Sailors, clubs and the media were so excited by the idea that the league has continued with great success. Much has happened in the meantime, from the initial 18 clubs in the DSBL, to today’s 36 clubs that participate in two leagues. The league is no longer just a pastime, because whoever participates here wants to win. But, the DSBL itself has also undergone a major development process: the number of well-known sponsors is increasing, as well as the number of employees and the number of European countries adapting to the league format.

"The league is back to its roots and a lot has changed since then. We are pleased that we were able to participate in this development and are now organizing an event for the fourth time. No league club can handle such a league event alone, so DTYC, together with the Munich Yacht Club (MYC) and the Chiemsee Yacht Club (CYC), cooperated together to host the event. We therefore, thank the associations of the region and, in particular, the MYC and the CYC for the support " said Wolfgang Stückl from DTYC.

To the surprise of most leading teams on the circuit, it was a newcomer to the DSBL that took the win on Lake Starnberg.  The Wassersport-Verein Hemelingen won the second round of the DSL at Tutzing.  The 36 sailing clubs participating were able to complete a total of 63 very close and exciting races.

"We had a great event here in Tutzing and are very happy that we could achieve the victory here. A big thank you goes to the race committee, who did a great job," said Eike Martens of the WV Hemelingen. Their team consisted of Carsten Kemmling, Eike Martens, Markus Maisenbacher and Tjorben Wittor. The Chiemsee Yacht Club and the Segelkameradschaft Das Wappen von Bremen placed second and third, respectively.

The host club, the Deutscher Touring YC, could not use its supposed home advantage. The team, based around champion helmsman Julian Stückl, did not seem to find the right way around the racetrack and, therefore, finished the event in 14th place- a bit of a shocker for the defending DSBL champions.

Overall, the sailors had to prove they had nerves of steel. The three-day weekend threw everything at them in terms of weather that you could possibly imagine: extremely shift winds, light winds, no wind, sun, thunderstorms, tropical downpours, and on Sunday afternoon, winds up to 13 kts or more.  Tutzing “threw the book” at the sailors in terms of wildly disparate sailing conditions to determine whether they had the diversity and tenacity to sail to prevail and win.

The third DSBL event will take place from July 21st to 23rd, as part of the Travemünde Week in Travemünde, Germany.  Sailing photo credits- Lars Wehrmann. For tracking, results, and analytics, please visit SAP Sailing  For more Deutsche J/70 Segel-Bundesliga sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J’s Cruise Annapolis to Bermuda Race

(Hamilton, Bermuda)- The biennial Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race took place over the past week with J/crews collecting a few more pickle-dishes for their trophy rooms.  Hosted by the Eastport YC and the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club in Bermuda, the 753nm race is the longest ocean race on the east coast of the U.S.A., delivering a unique combination of inshore and offshore racing through its route down the Chesapeake Bay (starting in Annapolis, MD), across the Gulf Stream, and onto Bermuda.

Winning CRCA ORR handicap division was Bob Dunigan’s J/124 JANE SAYS.  Then, it a truly heart-warming story, it was Oklahoma native Lynn McClaskey’s J/110 CIMARRON that took the silver in PHRF 2 Class.

Here is Lynn’s amazing story about how she fell in love with sailing while growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, thousands of miles away from either the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans.

“We have a lot of lakes in Oklahoma and they’re all dammed for power supply and agriculture,” McClaskey said. “Considering the way the wind comes whipping down from the plains, sailing really is a natural pursuit.”

McClaskey was a longtime member of the Windycrest Sailing Club and initially raced a Thistle with her family. She got into junior sailing and became quite proficient at racing a Sunfish, Laser and 470 on Keystone Lake.

McClaskey moved east for work purposes as she’s an analyst with the United States Department of Defense. She has lived in Crofton (MD) for 20 years and got involved with big boat racing out of Annapolis, crewing for various skippers in the J/30 class.

In 2012, McClaskey competed in the Annapolis to Bermuda Race aboard a C&C 38 named Dare Greatly, which was owned by Joe Donahue. Her first thought upon completing the challenge?

“Hey, I could do that!” McClaskey said to herself.

So McClaskey bought a J/110 the following year and began the long process of preparing herself and the boat for ocean racing. She previously owned a C&C 27 that was equipped with “lifeline netting and car seats” as she cruised with two young children.

“I’ve been working on the boat ever since I got it in 2013,” McClaskey said, who served as a safety inspector for the 2014 Annapolis to Bermuda Race in order to gain an even better understanding of what is required of a skipper. “I didn’t want to go offshore until I was absolutely certain it was completely ship-shape.”

She entered the biennial race two years later with CIMARRON, which is named after one of the rivers that flows into Keystone Lake in Oklahoma, placing second in PHRF Spinnaker 2. The J/110 was the first boat in its class to exit the Chesapeake Bay, but could not maintain that pace during the ocean crossing and wound up being overtaken by the J/42 Schematic (Robert Fox from Arlington, Virginia).

“It wasn’t quite the result I wanted,” McClaskey said. “That was my first big offshore passage and there were many, many lessons learned. I think the most important lesson is that a lot of the race is won or lost before you leave the dock in terms of preparing the boat and developing a plan.”

McClaskey subscribes to the theory that one has not truly lost until they quit trying. So, she is doing Annapolis to Bermuda again this year with the intent of capturing class honors and finishing further up within the overall fleet.

This time around, CIMARRON has been slotted into PHRF II, which has attracted 10 entries that are all different designs. Among the competition is a J/42, Frers 41, Outbound 44, C&C 37 and Sabre 38.

“We have been working ever since the last Annapolis to Bermuda to prepare for this year’s race,” said McClaskey, one of only two female skippers entered. “It’s a big organizational challenge to get all the training, equipment and skills you need. A key element is building a crew that you trust, and that is something that has happened over time by doing more and more sailing.”

McClaskey appreciates that everyone has pitched in to help prepare the J/110. “Any offshore boat is going to have a long list. Those big jobs are getting smaller and smaller, as we speak. We have a great mixture of skills and have trained for every situation– man overboard, firefighting, losing rudder, and losing rig. We’ve rehearsed it all.”  Thanks for contribution from Bill Wagner-  The Baltimore Sun.  For more Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Block Island Race Week Update

(Block Island, RI)- The Duck Island Yacht Club in Westbrook, Connecticut and the Block Island Yacht Club have teamed up to co-host Block Island Race Week 2018. The event will feature five days of racing (2 per day) on Block Island Sound June 17th to the 22nd.

In a “Bermuda Race” year, the event has always been much more laid back with a smaller fleet of boats.  Nevertheless, the camaraderie is proportionately greater as everyone seems to know everyone sailing in the regatta.  That quaintness, in fact, serves as its appeal for many sailors that simply want a relaxing “sailing vacation.”

A number of J/crews have answered that call of competitive, but laid-back random leg races, not all that windward-leeward, rest, rinse, repeat, again and again in monotonous fashion kind of stuff.  This year’s DIYC and BIYC PRO’s have promised to make it fun, easy, and not too many sets and takedowns each day!  In the PHRF Spinnaker division, a total of eight boats are sailing, half of it J/teams.  Three J/111s are racing; Sedge & Andy Ward’s BRAVO, Greg Slamowitz’s MANITOU, and Kenn Fischburg’s WILD CHILD.  Joining them is a very fast J/29, John Hammel’s appropriately named SLEEPER from Noroton YC. Sailing in the PHRF Non-Spin Class is Peter Hilgendorff’s J/29 MEDDLER. Should be fun!   BIRW Sailing results here   For more Block Island Race Week sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

LA SUPERBA Dominates Italian J/24 Championship

(Riva del Garda, Italy)- The 38th Italian Open J/24 Championship finished after eight races in the waters of Garda Trentino.  At the end of August, the same course will host the J/24 World Championship where more than 80 boats have already registered.

For Ignacio Bonanno, skipper of Italian Navy ITA 416 LA SUPERBA, this was their fifth Italian title in the J/24 Class- the previous ones were 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2017 (in addition to the J/24 Europeans title). It was a gratifying win for Bonanno and his crew- Simone Scontrino, Vincenzo Vano, Francesco Picaro and Alfredo Branciforte.  "We would like to thank the Italian Navy and, in particular the Sport and Sailing Office, for allowing us to be present at this Championship,” commented Bonanno. “We are very happy, especially, for having won for the first time the Italian J/24 Championship on a lake!”

Second in the Open classification, as last year, was the American J/24 star from Seattle, Washington- Keith Whittemore’s FURIO with crew of Kevin Downey, Brian Thomas, Mark Rogers, Shelley Milne.

Third overall, and second Italian on the podium, was the crew of ARIA from Sardinia. The crew consisted of skipper Marco Frulio, Mattia Meloni, Fabrizio Masu, Grazia Maria Savona and GianVito Di Stefano.

"We are very happy with this result and we want to thank our Club,” commented Marco Frulio. “We are obviously used to other conditions and also, those found in these days on the Garda were not what we would have expected. We had to settle a bit and study the lake, the wind, and the weather. In the end, we learned to interpret the new conditions, the wind shifts and to choose (unlike many crews, even local ones) the center of the lake, a choice that eventually proved to be a winner. We are really happy. "

Bronze medal in the National ranking and fifth overall was NOTIFYME-PILGRIM owned by Lario Mauro Benfatto and helmed by Fabio Mazzoni (with crew of Lorenzo Airoldi, Alberto Benedetti, & Pietro Kostner). "It was a great championship and I really enjoyed it," commented Mauro Benfatto. "We had the opportunity to race with really good people, very good. Overall a very positive and fun Championship that made us stay on pace until the last race.”

The Italian J/24 Championship was an excellent opportunity for the teams to test the competition and learn the waters of Lago di Garda prior to the J/24 World Championship scheduled in Riva del Garda from 23 to 31 August.  For more Italian J/24 Class sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/46 Rendezvous @ Camden Classics Cup- It’s official!

(Camden, Maine)- There will be a J/46 One-Design Class at the Lyman Morse Camden Classics Cup July 26th to 28th, 2018.

Four J/46s are already entered in this fun and well-run event that will surpass 50 entries. Besides an owner’s forum Thursday afternoon during registration, there will be J/46 One-Design races on Friday and Saturday and great parties both nights.

So that no one has to get out of cruising trim for the event, here are the rules:

• Appropriate anchor and chain in place on the bow
• Dodger up
• Jib maximum is 100%, no genoas
• No spinnakers
• Autopilots, electric winches, and whisker poles permitted
• Single-handed, double-handed or a whole gang of crew, all good
• Deep-draft boats will carry a PHRF handicap relative to the shoal-draft boats per Rod Johnstone’s recommendation.

To register go to camdenclassicscup.org or regattaman.com. For more information, contact Tom Babbitt at bravoj42@gmail.com or cell: 207 632 1262. Add to Flipboard Magazine.