J/111 Wins SAIL's 2011 Best Boats Award

Command A Rocketship with Finger-tip Control!
(Boston, MA)- "There’s a lot to like about the new J/111— an aggressive rig, racy good looks, a hull form that loves to be driven- and tying it all together is one of the best production-boat cockpits we’ve seen. J/Boats has had decades to improve on the simple trench it carved out of the aft deck of the J/24, and it hit the ball out of the park on this one."  And, "to those lucky sailors who will have the opportunity to crew aboard a J/111 in the years to come: have fun, and make sure you get a chance to drive this beauty. It’s an experience not to be missed." Contact your J/Dealer for more information or a demo today.  Out West, Jeff Brown at JK3 Yachts in San Diego or Norm Davant at Sail California in San Francisco have 111s in the water for those who dare venture into the twilight zone of joy, happiness and peace-of-mind at 20+ knots surfing offshore.  Contact Jeff at jeff@jk3yachts.com (SoCal) or Norm at norm@sailcal.com (NorCal).   Read more about SAIL's Best Boat Awards selection of the J/111. 

  

Hamble Winter Series 6th Weekend

JIKA-JIKA and J-DREAM Bidding for Overall Title!
(Hamble, England)-   With two more weekends to go in the 2010 Garmin Hamble Winter Series most classes will be fighting it out all the way, but in the IRC3 and J/109 classes two boats are  dominating. With another win on Sunday Mike and Jamie Holmes’ J/97 JIKA-JIKA looks set to clinch their points series, as does David and Kirsty Apthorp's J-DREAM in the J/109s. If this form can be maintained they should both be strong contenders for the "Garmin Yacht of the Series" award for the best overall performance of all Black Fleet classes!

12-18 knots of cold north to north-easterly breeze coupled with a strong west-going tide made it a challenging day for both competitors and the race committees. The Black Fleet courses were cascaded down tide across the entire width of the Solent from a start on the Ryde Middle, while inshore the White Group was set a full trapezoidal course with a separate finishing boat, to cycle the three races with minimum delays.

The White Fleet points battle resumed after last week’s abandoned racing, with a small but keen fleet of J/80s braving another cold day.   The J/80s continued to have a competitive series.  Through race 14, the leader continues to be OI! sailed by John Cooper with 16 points after winning two more races.  Second is AQUA-J skippered by Patrick Liardet with 26 points after getting two 2nds.  Just 4 points shy is Gordon Craigen's SWALLOW with 30 points.  The Royal Air Force team on SPITFIRE are lying fourth with 58 points. Mike Lewis' JESTER is hanging in fifth with 78 points.

In race 10 of the J/109s, J-DREAM skippered by Kirsty and David Apthorp reaffirmed their leadership at the top of the standings with a convincing win.  Second was OUTRAJEOUS sailed by Richard and Valerie Griffith and third was ARIA sailed by Luca Rubinelli.  Overall, the Apthorp's J-DREAM continues to strengthen lead with just 9 points followed in 2nd by Dave McLeman's OFFBEAT with 24 points, 3rd is OUTRAJEOUS sailed by the Griffiths with 29 pts, 4th is ARIA led by Luca Rubinelli with 32 pts and 5th AUDAJIOUS skippered by David Jobson with 45 pts.

In IRC Class 3 the J/97 JIKA-JIKA sailed by Mike and Jamie Holmes again crushed the competition and grabbed another victory over tough competition.  Currently, the Holmes' J/97 has only 10 points for the series and leads by 12 points over the next closest boat.  Hanging onto 4th place is Ed Holton's J/110 SHADES OF BLUE.

The series continues on November 28th with one race for the Black Fleet classes, while three races are scheduled for the sportsboats in the White Fleet.  Report contributions from Jontey Sherwill.  Full sailing details of the 2010 Garmin Hamble Winter Series.  Photo courtesy- Tim Wright- photoaction.com

  

NoCal SoCal AnyCal On J/111

Join Us For 111 Calorie-Free, Adrenalin-pumping Days
(San Francisco and San Diego, CA)- Two high-octane J/111s are now sailing on the West Coast.  One in San Diego and one in San Francisco.  If you're predisposed to having a bit of fun sailing, getting your "ya ya's out" with some friends and don't mind planing or surfing for days on end with finger-tip control at 20+ knots in some SoCal offshore classics like Transpac, Ensenada, Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, then belly up to the table and get yourself and some friends or family out for a little spin.  For the Bay gang, it's all about getting uphill to turn the corner, pop the big one and go for a hugely pleasure-inducing, hootin'n'hollerin blast down the Bay past Alcatraz, just remember to get kite down before you hit Treasure Island or Berkeley!  We promise you'll have a hard time wiping the grin off your face.  If you thought the J/125s were having all the fun, think again.  For NorCal Bay fanatics, please contact Norm Davant at ph# 510-523-8500 or norman@sailcal.com.  For SoCal surfers, be sure to contact Jeff Brown at ph# 619-224-6200 or jeff@jk3yachts.com.  To get you amped before you go, watch the J/111 Nova Scotia "flat water planing" YouTube video....enjoy.  

J/111 NASailor.com Review

The new J/111 is a 36-foot one-design racer, with basic overnight or weekend accommodations for cruising and offshore racing. Great looking boat, and has been a great success in the market so far, with over 50+ sold. Sounds like it has some real improvements over the 122 and the 109 in performance in a big breeze, while also improving in light air due to a lower displacement – nearly 2,000 lbs lighter than the 109, and 7,000 lbs less than the 122. Read more of NASailor.com's in-depth review and pictures.

  

Just A Walk In The Park- 111-style!

(Halifax, Nova Scotia- Oct 30)- Leave it up to our Canadian friends to push the envelope and have some fun on their new 111.  On a spectacular cool, fall weekend, the Nova Scotians decided to mimic what the 55 knot kite-boarders were achieving in the Ludertiz Speed Challenge in Africa and do their own version- the Halifax 111 Speedster Experience! 20+ knots! The photo here is no joke, the 25 foot chase boat had a hard time keeping up with the 111 flying downwind.  It's 111 #5 off Halifax in a northwester, gusts to 25 TWS in flat water. Boat speed was a sustained 15-19 knots downwind; bursting to 20+ knots.  110 sq m asym and reefed main.  Basically, it was a bunch of friends and potential owners having fun, no one was pushing the envelope.  Just going for a "walk-in-the-park" 111 style! Why wasn't anyone hiking?  Because everyone wanted to drive!  See the great video taken by Jim Snair and friends.