J/111 JAKE Thunders Down Under!

(Sydney, Australia)- The Australian J/111 JAKE owned by Ray & Sandra Entwistle has been busy competing in two offshore series since her launch at the Sydney International Boat Show in July.  The Short Offshore Pointscore Series is 7 race windward/leeward series held just off Sydney Harbour Heads.  The Ocean Pointscore series is a 6 race series of passage races north out of Sydney Harbour towards Pittwater and south towards Botany Bay and Cronulla of around 50nm.  Here's Ray's report about the thunder they're generating Down Under:

"The J/111 is one of the smallest boats in these highly competitive IRC Division 1 Sydney fleets.  The two fleets in the two events have included boats from Beneteau First 40s, 45s, 47.7s,  Cookson 12s, DK 43s, one off 50 footers, Corby 49, Transpac 52s, Kerr 40, Sydney Kerr 43, Swan 60, to name a few.  A Volvo 60 even joined in the fun for few races.

The weather was a real mix from drifters to over 30 knots, clear sunny days to complete fog "white-outs", but the J/111 showed no vices in any wind or sea state. She just reveled right through the range often beating much larger boats on the beat and on the water. Off wind she is an absolute dream and we have seen speeds of over 18 knots.

Bang for buck the J/111 has really gone head to head with much more expensive programs. She has proven beyond doubt this new 36 footer can mix it up with highly professional crewed boats. The crew and many visitors have complimented how easy she is to sail, and really enjoy that adrenalin rush that is missing from so many models these days.  The J/111 really responds to every tweak and change in trim.

JAKE finished 2nd on IRC in both series.  We know we still have a bit more to learn about her, and can’t wait for the next series to start so we can work to claim first prize."  For more J/111 sailboat information.

Summer Sailing In Hamble Winter Series

J/97 JIKA-JIKA Leads the IRC3 Pack
(Hamble, England)- The recent stunning weather lasted long enough to bathe Sunday’s Garmin Hamble Winter Series racing in a beautiful sunshine and light breeze. All classes enjoyed some close racing and many remarked on the champagne sailing conditions that felt more like a summer’s day than the distant end of November.

After an hour’s postponement to allow a thick "pea-souper" fog to clear enough for the race committee to see their own start-line, racing got underway in 9 to 12 knots of breeze, which oscillated from 090 to 110 degrees.

Some over-enthusiastic jockeying by the combined IRC 0 and IRC 1 starters saw a General Recall and the use of a Z flag on the restart. Nevertheless, the J/133 JINGS! managed to stay away from the fray and post a good score to stay in the top five in IRC 0, snagging their fifth 4th place in a row to maintain, appropriately enough, fourth place overall (and are just 2 pts out of third).  In IRC 1, Ivan Trotman's J/122 JOLOU sailed a good race to finish 4th and fourth position in a tie with Chaz Ivill's J/111 JENGA VI.  In fact, 2nd to 8th are all within 7 points of each other, making it the proverbial horse race for the second and third spots on the podium, presuming of course the leader doesn't' stumble too badly.

The J/109s followed suit, jumping the gun but finally getting a good race off.  This time it was David Richard's JUMPING JELLYFISH showing up for the first time all Winter Series long and managed to post a first, beating series leaders, Richard and Valerie Griffith's OUTRAJEOUS by 40 seconds.    Third in the race and still second in the series was Dave and Mary McGough's JUST SO.  This last race puts the next three teams in a nearly three-way tie for third overall-- it's getting tougher to maintain consistency for some of these teams over the course of four fortnights!  In their current order are 3rd, Paul Griffiths' JAGERBOMB with 21 pts, fourth David Jobson's AUDAJIOUS also with 21 pts and fifth is David McLeman's OFFBEAT with 23 pts.  Showing improvement over time has been Owain Franks' JYNNAN TONNYX, getting their best finish to date in the series with a fourth place.

IRC 3 was dominated by the up-and-coming J/97 class, with Mike and Jamie Holme's JIKA-JIKA beating Richard Watney's JEOPARDY 2 to take first place.  Five J/97s are racing in IRC 3, with JIKA-JIKA winning class by a wide margin, followed by Nick and Adam Munday's INDULJENCE 2nd in J/97s and 6th overall.  Third in the J/97s is Gillian Ross' INJENIOUS.  The two J/92s' are also having fun racing, with David Greenhalgh and John Taylor's J-RONIMO sitting in 5th and Andy Howe and Annie Kelly's BLACKJACK in 7th.

Back in a packed clubhouse, Race Day Sponsor Elvstrom Sails’ Jeremy White presented prizes for the podium positions. Next Sunday sees a full program of racing, with the first start at 1000 and the day sponsors are our Media Partners Y&Y. Let’s hope that the balmy weather holds for the rest of November!  Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth.  For more Garmin Hamble Winter Series sailing information

J/111 BLUR.se Sailing Test

(Kappeln, Germany)- Last weekend during the eponymous "happy-lucky" date of 11-11-11, Peter Gustafsson (founder of blog website "blur.se") and friends hopped aboard the J/111 PIRANHA in Kappeln, Germany to go for a test sail on the Baltic.  Thanks to Henning Mittelmann, the German J/Boats dealer- Mittelmann’s Werft, the "boys" went out and had a great sail in nearly perfect weather.  As the successful owner of the J/109 BLUR from Gothenberg/Marstrand, Sweden, Peter's commentary below provides good perspectives for those who've raced various J's in the 35-36 foot range over time (J/35, J/36, J/34 IOR, J/105, J/110, J/109):

"I’d never been to Kappeln in northern Germany before, but it turned out to be a charming little town that's probably bustling with tourists in the summer. Understandably, mid-November was a bit slow but we hadn’t come to spend time on the beach or party. We found the boat parked right outside our hotel, and as the date was 11-11-11 we took that as the sign to get serious about the 111.  After dinner we checked in to our hotel, Pierspeicher Gästehaus, an beautiful old industry building right at the harbor that’s been renovated for five years and now have a distinct marine theme. And it’s hard to beat the view from my hotel window.

Saturday morning dawned pretty cold and with ice on deck.  But, the forecast was for southerly wind 14-18 knots decreasing during the afternoon. And sunny. So we couldn’t have asked for better weather.  The boat looks fast already at the dock. Low, light, slender and functional. Just like a parked sports car longs to get driven when it’s parked. Very much “the speedster” that J/Boats referred to when they presented the design.

It had been blowing Friday, so the sea state was still pretty messed up. With a new boat, different sails (the sails was from local sailmaker Tommy Sails) and an crew not used to the boat it was hard to find the groove at first.  At first I tried to sail it the same way as my J/109, that’s a weaker boat. But as soon as I put the hammer down, accepted a bit more heel and went for speed the boat light up and reached the target speed 6.9-7.1.  Naturally you need time in the boat to be able to keep your average speed up, but it shouldn’t be hard to find the right settings.

My theory was that the J/111 would make an excellent shorthanded boat for Scandinavian waters. Small enough to be handled by two. Easy setup with furling jib and asymmetrical spinnaker on a retractable sprit. But racing in our waters it’s not uncommon to have 16-18 knots sea breeze during the afternoon, and then just 2-3 knots during the night, so you need to be able to perform at both ends of the scale.

So the J/111 performs OK upwind. Check. But that’s not why people buy this boat. It’s for the downwind experience. Moderate displacement (4,200 kgs), and +130 m2 kite could lead to big smiles in a blow.  We’ve seen many videos and stories about 111's topping 20 knots.  Everyone was a bit careful at first, starting out with a smaller kite. Shape (and color) was a bit different from what I’m used to, but to get a feel for the boat, it was close enough. With the waves coming from the side it was hard to get going, but after a jibe and some bigger waves we took f and did 12-13 knots.  Big difference compared to the J/109, the 109 really loads up before getting up to speed. On the 109, we usually can make 10-11 knots quite steadily but it’s hard to go faster even in a blow. Our record is 20 knots in extreme conditions, and that ended when the R5 exploded in a big broach!

As the wind came down we shifted to the bigger kite and the boat was fun to drive in just 12 knots. At the end of the day we did 6.6 knots in just 6 knots of breeze when we heated up. Nice!  The J/111 is much more like a J/80.  Slippery and responsive to both puffs and handling and I’m sure it will be fun downwind throughout the wind register.

All in all, a great sailing boat with everything set up right to go sailing without any hassle.  Just like a station wagon from Audi, BMW or Volvo that are both practical and great drive when the whole family are heading for the ski slope. But they can’t beat a Porsche or Aston Martin for that weekend drive. The J/111 doesn’t pretend to be everything for everyone."   For more BLUR.se Sailing Review of J/111 PIRANHA   And, here's a Slide Show of J/111 Sailing in Germany

Love That Sunny SW J/Fest!

(Houston, TX)-  Hosted by Lakewood YC on Galveston Bay, the 2nd annual J/Fest Southwest was a huge success!  There were fifty boats on the line with J/80's and J/24's leading the way with 15 boats in each class, followed by the J/22's with 10 and the J/105's with 7 boats.  A norther blew through on Friday leaving light and fluky winds for Saturday's racing.  As usual PRO Dwight Bengston's RC did a superb job of getting two races off on each of the two lines before the winds died for good mid-afternoon.  Not to worry, the Lakewood YC had it going on shoreside with a live band, a Cajun feast, Kattack replays of the day's racing, and streaming photo's. The sailors were gathered around the various TV sets enjoying the photo's and Kattack well into the night.  Rod Johnstone also attended and talked with just about everybody on-hand, providing pearls of wisdom about having fun cruising on J/95s or J/105s or sailing J's faster-- conversations enjoyed by all!

Sunday's weather forecast looked pretty grim, but fortunately the weather man was wrong!  The fleet headed out for a 10am start and when rounding the corner to head out the cut by Kemah Boardwalk the wind was blowing well into the high teens! In fact, with the wind on the nose and the foul current, it made getting through the cut a challenge for the sailors headed out to sea!  Once on the race course, skippers were uncertain whether the wind would hold, strengthen, or die as predicted! Do we back off the rig, expecting a dying breeze or crank it on a few turns in case the wind stays?  The wind stayed and both fleets got off a couple races, much to the delight of all the sailors!

The racing was tight and a lot of fun.  This year saw two "repeats", not "three-petes yet, but Bill Zartler sailing his j/105 SOLARIS won his class for the second year in a row while Terry Flynn/ David Whelan also won the J/80 class on their boat GULF COAST RACING.

The J/22 fleet got obliterated by a DC Comic book hero, the GREEN FLASH!  Sailed by Chad Wilson from Royal Dickinson YC, the Flash-Men sailed over the horizon to a remarkably consistent, conservative scoreline-- four 2nds and one 1st!  With just nine points, FLASH topped Ruthie Lambert's team sailing OUT OF SIGHT from Galveston Bay Cruising Association by four points.  Ruthie's team sailed a respectable 3-2-1-4-3 for 13 pts.  Rounding out the podium was a J/22 class veteran of many one-design wars, Farley Fontenot sailing RINGO from Houston YC.  Farley's team managed a 5-5-4-1-4 for 19 pts to take third.

While MR HAPPY didn't rule the roost again in the J/24 class, it was the RUMLINE gang that took the gold from them.  Bryan Dryer's RUMLINE from way, way up north in Texas (Fort Worth Boat Club) came down south to show the Houston honky-tonk crowd how it's done- starting off with a bullet and never letting the pressure off the fleet- amassing a 1-2-3-5-2  for 13 pts to win their class.  Bobby Harden's team on MR HAPPY from way West in Texas (Austin YC) managed to win two races, but it wasn't enough to overcome the challenge laid down by the boys from the North.  HAPPY's 4-5-1-1-6 was good enough for 17 pts and second place.  In fact, there was a "bad moon rising" behind MR HAPPY most of the regatta!  Kelly Holme's team from generally around Dallas, TX were sailing BAD MOON and the "Moonies" were, in fact winning (or tied) for winning the regatta going into the last race!  But, it seems the hangovers from the wild festivities at LYC the night before took their toll, with the Moonies taking the big fade on the last race-- their 3-1-4-2-8 tally gave them 18 pts, securing the bronze for sure on the podium (but less beer to celebrate with, too)!

The J/80s were graced by the presence of mondo J/80 World Champion/ North American Champion Terry Flynn and Dave Whelan sailing their boat GULF COAST RACING.  These boys from Ft Worth Boat Club sailed to three 1sts and one 3rd for a total of six points-- ouch!  Looks like they schooled the fleet pretty badly, winning by 10 pts.  Behind them was a real battle for 2nd and 3rd, not resolved in fact until the last race!  And, at that in a tie-breaker!  Getting the short end of that stick was Bill Rose on KICKS while Greg Buck and crew on LICKETY SPLIT won the luck of the split! Of special mention, J/Boats designer Rod Johnstone was sailing with a "pick-up" crew on FIRED UP and still managed to win a race!

As usual, the J/105s all seem to go the same speed, making for some fun racing and tight mark roundings.  The fleet standings would jumble up and down rapidly depending on boat-handling errors or (doh!) mental errors.  While the "Z-man", Bill Zartler, and crew aboard SOLARIS set the standard for the top of the podium with an impressive 2-2-1-1 scoreline, behind them it was anything but "clear as mud" (or Galveston Bay) as to who would take the next four spots.  Ever heard of the saying, "off to the races like a herd of snails in a dust-storm"?  Well, that's what happened, things were going nowhere fast and you couldn't see anything-- it was totally unclear who would arise to lead this pack.  Seemingly glued together anywhere they went, the "gang of four" had a heckuva fun time racing for the silver and bronze.  Winning the tie-breaker for second was Mark Masur on TWO FEATHERS with a 1-6-4-2 while Matt Arno sailing BLUE FLASH had to settle for third with a steady 3-3-3-4 for 13 pts.  Just behind them were Uzi Ozeri sailing INFINITY into 4th with a 7-1-2-5 for 15 pts and JB Bednar on STINGER getting stung for 5th place with a 4-4-7-3 for 18 pts.

The "big boys" in J/PHRF saw the mighty yacht GAMBLER, Doug Shaffer's J/122, sail around the course in fine fashion with some Gucci-looking North 3di sails to beat the sleek J/111 "007" sailed by Scott Spurlin in their weekend-long match race.

Finally, a big "Thanks" to the J/Fest's two biggest sponsors- the City of Seabrook and Parkway Chevrolet.  Furthermore, the LYC volunteers did a phenomenal job running the event.  It was a lot of fun and all of the participants will be back!  Ya'll come back by and join us too, ya hear!?   Sailing photo credits- John Lacy Photos   For more J/Fest SW sailing information and results

NEW! J/111 Speedster Sailing Video

(Newport, RI)- Since August, we'd been waiting for the perfect day to do a video/photo shoot of the J/111 off Newport with world-renowned yachting photographer Onne Van der Wall in a helicopter.  Incredibly, the intersection of wind, light, sea and tide conditions didn't materialize until the second Friday in October.  The results were stunning.  Spectacular photos and video of the J/111 sailing in 15-20 knot SSW winds off Newport, in big seas with an ebb tide flowing fast past Castle Hill and Brenton Reef.

As Onne remarked on the radio after 90 minutes in the air (they were about to run out of fuel), "it's a wrap, perfect day, the best!"  Little did we know how good it was.  Later, Onne said, "I've never seen a boat sail to windward so smoothly, the bow just lifts so naturally, leaving little spray or waves rolling over the deck, it's just magic! And, you guys were sailing in at least 3-6 foot seas with breaking waves!  Plus, it was obvious from the air the 111 just accelerates like a scalded cat downwind with that big red spinnaker!  How fast were you going?"  To answer Onne's question, while sailing in just 15-20 kt wind and waves, the J/111 was easily planing along at a steady 10-12 knots with bursts to 16 knots!  Quite a remarkable performance, an extraordinary experience many 111 owners already had in the past year!  See it for yourself in the latest J/111 YouTube video here.   Video and sailing photo credits- Onne Van der wal   For more J/111 sailboat information.

  

Australian J/111 JAKE Proves Good Design Matters

(Sydney, Australia)-  In what many sailors were reporting as a frustrating day on the race course with light winds and lumpy seas off Sydney’s North Head, Ray Entwistle’s new J/111 JAKE had a tremendous day out sailing. Here is Ray's report:

"Granted it was a light fickle day, with the wind swinging from north east to north west from 2 to 8 knots and a very lumpy seaway with 1.5 knots of current running south 3 miles offshore.  Despite the J/111 being one of the smallest boats in the 19 boat division you just know you are going to have a good day when you leave the Sydney Harbour start line in Watson's Bay and go around the top mark 4 miles offshore not far behind the TP 52 and just behind the new Ker 40 and Sydney Ker 43. The J/111 just sliced through the choppy water and pointed high!

After the first lap of the windward leeward course we were already leaving 44.7s, DK43s, First 40s and 45’s, A40’s, Cookson 12s, and large X yachts a long way behind.  We, like most, were hoping for a shortened course on the second lap as we could the see TP52 extending on every leg. However, unbeknown to us (due a last minute change of support boats because of a mechanical issue) the replacement support boat did not have an ‘S’ flag to shorten the course so the full 3 lap course had to be sailed.

On the last beat we heard the retirements coming in over the VHF radio as the boats a long way back began to realize they would time out and not finish the course.  We were surprised as some of the 38 to 45 footers behind us started to call it day....we were going to make it with ease. On the last rounding of the top mark, spinnaker flying and crew calling the angles perfectly to enter Sydney Harbour we still had many things to smile about. As we passed the bottom mark (which was no longer part of the course for us as we were on our way back to Watson's Bay and the finish line) we actually lapped a First 40 and an Archambault 40. Not surprisingly, they called it a day and followed us back into the harbour.

The J/111 finished 5th on the water and 2nd on IRC beating the new Sydney Ker 43 and Ker 40 by 7 and 8 minutes and a racing carbon/kevlar 51 footer by an astonishing 26 minutes.

We would like to thank our crew for their constant perseverance and Ian Short for yet another superb set of sails which have been devastatingly quick in all conditions, and of course to all the Johnstone’s for another stunningly designed boat!  Thanks, Ray"

  

J/111 Wins Silver in RORC Season Championships

(London, England)- It was a tough year.  It was a Fastnet year.  And, an RORC 600 year.  It was not going to be easy for any boat participating in this years RORC Seasons Points Championships to easily walk off with all the silverware and pickle-dishes.  Nevertheless, some J/Teams prevailed despite some harsh and very, very challenging conditions offshore- some absolutely not within the "wheelhouse" of where these J/Teams can succeed, if not dominate offshore.  Again, this year's series points to the fact that a good all-around design is critical to offshore success-- too "type-formed" and you win big in one event and get crushed in the next.  Such was the case this year.

In the IRC Classes the best five offshore races are counted towards the RORC Season's Points Championship. These were heavily contested and in some of the classes, the results were undecided until after the Cherbourg Race, the last race of the season.  For the J/Teams, "Congratulations" are in order for those that persevered and prevailed against the best offshore sailors from Western Europe.  Here's the scoreline for these J/Teams:

- Alan Paul Trophy - Consistent High Performance in IRC Overall: ARABELLA- J/111 - Niall Dowling (GBR)

In addition to the winners, special mention should be made of the following performances:

- IRC Overall- the J/111 ARABELLA sailed by Niall Dowling was 2nd overall behind the custom Ker 46 Tonnere- the overall winner.  Just behind them was the J/122 sailed by Neil Kipling.

The net, net of the 2011 RORC summer sailing season is that it takes solid, easy-to-sail, all-around boats to succeed in the RORC events.  Again, with primarily all amateur/ corinthian teams, the fleet of J sailors not only had fun but won their fair share of silverware, too.  Nothing like adding a few more pickle-dishes to the serving inventory at home!  For more RORC Offshore Season sailing information.

  

J/111 JAKE Dazzles East Oz

(Sydney, Australia)- So far, so good.  JAKE has now taken the lead in Sydney’s Division 1 Short Ocean Point Score Series.  The second race of the SOPS was held last Saturday and the J/111 JAKE is cementing her position in this competitive fleet.

This was the J/111’s first windward/leeward race in light and variable conditions. The wind was only 8 to 10 knots from the south east so the light #1 jib and the class A2 running spinnaker were the order of the day. The winds were not strong enough for the J/111 to get up on the plane, however, we were able to run almost as square as the symmetric boats.  On the last homeward run back toward Sydney Harbour Heads we were unfortunate enough to be on the wrong side of a wind shift which came in from the south and cost us some time. When inside Sydney Heads we made a mistake and dropped the spinnaker into the water which cost us another 2 minutes!  Agh!  Despite this, JAKE finished 2nd on IRC and is now leading Division 1 in the Sydney Short Ocean Pointscore Series. Ray and Sandra Entwistle are delighted with the new J/111, remarked Ray, "she is proving to be a highly versatile, remarkably competitive boat in all conditions.  And, being the "baby-sized" boat in the fleet is proving no handicap."

  

J/Fest Winter Circuit

(Ft Lauderdale, FL)- With fall sailing events progressing across America and Europe, tremendous interest is developing for a "J/Fest Winter Circuit" in Florida that encompasses J/111s, J/105s, J/109s and larger J's (J/120s, J/122s, J/124s, J/44s).  To that end, a regatta schedule for J sailors that includes sailing once per month all winter includes the following dates and events:

1. Lauderdale- Key West- Jan 12-13- http://www.lyc.org (optional)
2. Quantum Key West Race Week- Jan 15-20- http://www.premiere-racing.com
3. J/Fest Ft Lauderdale- Feb 18-19- President's Day- http://www.bahiamarhotel.com/marina
4. J/Fest Ft Lauderdale- Mar 16-18- St Patrick's Day- http://www.bahiamarhotel.com/marina
5. Charleston Race Week- Apr 19-22- http://www.charlestonraceweek.com

So far, several J/111s, J/105s, J/120s and J/122s have expressed interest in a winter circuit based out of easy-to-access deep-water facilities in Fort Lauderdale- the Bahia Mar Marina and Hotel complex will be the base of operations for the regattas.  A complete, professional "concierge service" has been developed to make it a "turn-key", affordable proposition for J owners from Chicago to Houston, Newport to Halifax and Annapolis to fully transport their boats, launch/ haul and have their boats "ready-to-sail" at each location- cleaned, polished, rigged, literally ready-to-race.  Fly down with the crew, hop aboard and off you go, "no muss, no fuss"!  Daily awards will be given for each event as well as overall and at the end of the J/Fest Winter Circuit, awards will be given for best three of five results at the conclusion of Charleston Race Week.  For more information on the J/Fest Winter Circuit including "all-in budgets and costs", please contact J/Boats at Ph. +1-401-846-8410 or email- info@jboats.com.  Or, call you local J/Dealer for more information.

  

J/111 JAKE Impressive in Sydney Offshore

(Sydney, Australia)- The boys (and girls) down under are full-on into their early summer Sydney Offshore Points Series with many of the top offshore boats in the greater Sydney/ Melbourne region participating.  Many use the Sydney Offshore series as a warm-up/ tune-up program for the boat, sails and crew for the famous Sydney-Hobart Race that starts on Boxing Day in December.

As owner Ray Entwistle describes, the "J/111 continues to prove her form even in light airs offshore!  In a stark contrast JAKE's first offshore race a few weeks ago, where it was gusting to 30 knots and JAKE's boat speed was up to 18 knots, JAKE  proves herself in complete opposite conditions.  In the Short Ocean Pointscore race a few race weeks ago we had big winds and a fantastic kite ride heading north. This week’s 30nm race headed south to Port Hacking with the wind only averaging 8 knots, 30 degree wind shifts and a sloppy seaway.  A mixture of beating and just cracked sheets really tested the boat and crew and being the smallest boat in this division in these conditions has to be the most challenging (we were up against the larger boats including Corby 49, Sydney  47 and other much larger boats in Division One).  However, we are delighted with the J/111’s performance. We were looking forward to the ride back to Sydney, planning to set the A2 asymmetric, heating it up and pulling some distance back on the 50 footers when mother nature changed the plans. The wind swung from ESE, to SW, then back to ESE again!  Due to the shape of the coastline we were back to beating and just cracked sheets again, it wasn’t until Maroubra 5nm south of Sydney harbour that we were able to just hang onto the code 0, then set a larger kite to get into Sydney Heads then drop it again to beat back into Rushcutters Bay for the finish line.

In summary, for the six hour long race we only had the spinnakers up for approximately 1 one hour!  We were the 4th boat over the line on the water and finished 3rd on IRC, leaving a bunch of 40 to 45 footers behind us!  For a 36 ft yacht this is one incredible boat."

  

25th Key West "J/Fest" Ready to Roll!

(Key West, FL)- America's premiere midwinter big-boat regatta, Key West Race Week sailing January 16-20, 2012, has much to celebrate. It's the 25th anniversary of the event, it has Quantum Sails as a title sponsor, and J sailors will again help create what has become a "de facto" J/Fest every winter in January down in the sunny, warm, near tropical trade-winds that are typical in the lower Keys at this time of year.

The tradition all started with the J/24 Midwinters in 1978, a week of sailing after the traditional "SORC feeder-race" known as the Lauderdale-Key West Race.  The first year was a resounding success, attracting most sailing industry luminaries you hear/ read about today in a 21 boat J/24 fleet- Tom Whidden, Vincent Brun, Dave Ullman, Dave Hirsch, Mark Ploch, Larry Leonard, Augie Diaz, Gary Weismann, Ed Reynolds, Jimmy Allsop, Dave Curtiss, Bob Barton, Bill Allen, Gordy Bowers, John Southam, Jimmy Scott, Scott Allan, John Kolius, Neal Fowler, Rick Grajirena, Carter Gowrie, Charlie Scott and so forth.  In less than five years, YACHTING magazine's Charlie Barthold was so inspired by the success of the J/24 Midwinters event in Key West they created Key West Race Week to incorporate not just one-design classes, but handicap classes, too.  The rest is history.  Later, as the baton was passed onto others, now under the leadership of Peter Craig at Premiere Racing, the event has continued to both prosper and survive the "best of times, the worst of times".

This coming year, a new innovation for 2012 will be J/Boats specific handicap classes.  “We are really excited about the prospects of developing J-specific handicap classes at Key West next January,” said Jeff Johnstone. “The concept is to group together different J designs of similar speed to provide both excellent class racing, as well as to open up the possibility for sub-class one-design racing. An example would be the J/111s and one or two other models racing together with a tight rating band. We are already projecting as many as six J/111s next year.”

In addition, the J/105s and the J/80s are again expecting solid turnouts for their 2012 Midwinter Championships in Key West with twenty or more boats expected in each class.  Most importantly, for both the J/105s and J/80s, there are "winter circuits" that enable sailing once a month from Jan-Feb-Mar-Apr leading up to the spring season on the Chesapeake!   Sailing photo credit- Ken Stanek.com  For more 25th Anniversary Key West Race Week sailing information.

  

J/111 @ Annapolis Boatshow

(Annapolis, MD)- Featured at the show will be the new J/111 speedster, the boat that has been taking the offshore world by storm. It's perhaps the most evolutionary/ revolutionary J designed to date-- simplicity, speed and minimalism, comfort and control in a uniquely thrilling package.  Nearly a year after it's launch in 2010, over 40 J/111s are now sailing and the "winners list" reads like a "who's who" of events worldwide, quite a remarkable start for any boat.  Better yet?  Success at a world-class level has been achieved by a cadre of corinthian/ amateur sailors having a great time at what they love to do best--- sailing with friends and family, having fun, and winning a pickle dish or two for the trophy shelf.  Isn't it time to join in on the fun?!

For more J/111 information- http://www.jboats.com/j111

  

J/111 International One-Design Schedule

(Hamble, England)- The International J/111 One Design Regatta Schedule for 2012 is announced today, with six one-design regattas planned for the UK and Ireland. The one-design events detailed below will be governed by and raced according to the International J/111 Class Rules which are due for ratification and publication by ISAF by January 1st 2012.

The J/111 has already achieved phenomenal race results under IRC and PHRF handicap systems including class wins at the Round the Island Race, Cowes Week, Key West Race Week and Annapolis Race Week. However, the intention has always been to launch an International One-Design Class Rule as soon as a viable number of J/111s had been sold and were out on the water racing. This point has now been reached: seventy J/111s have been sold and fifty of these are already sailing!

The J/111 Class has been created as a strict one-design Class where the true test when raced is between crews and not boats and equipment. The fundamental objective of these class rules is to ensure this concept is maintained and "fun" is maximized by its owners and sailors.  J/111 hulls, appendages and rigs are only produced by a licensed manufacturer and all J/111 sails will be measurement controlled under the ISAF In-House Certification system using a "sail tag" program, although the choice of sailmaker is open.

Prior to the Class being formed with suitable By-Laws with 50 active owners, J/Boats and Key Yachting will take the initial position of the Class Association and the Executive Committee. Outlined below are J/111 Class events for the near future.  For more information on the J/111 or the International J/111 Regatta schedule detailed below, please contact Becci Eplett at Key Yachting Ltd (becci@keyyachting.com).

The 2012 International J/111 One-Design Event schedule for the UK and Ireland follows (best four count overall):
May 18-20- Vice-Admiral's Cup
Jun 09-10- Royal Southern Yacht Club 175th Anniversary Regatta
Jun 30- JP Morgan Round the Island Race
Jul 07-13- CORK Week
Jul 25-28- J-CUP 2012
Aug 11-18- AMM Cowes Week

Other International J/111 Regattas:
2012- Jan 16-20- J/111 Winter Championship, Key West, FL
2012- Jun- J/111 Atlantic Coast Championships, Newport, RI
2012- Jul- J/111 North American Championship, Newport, RI
2012- Sep- J/111 Pacific Coast Championships, San Francisco, CA
2013 J/111 European Championship, France
2013 J/111 World Championship, USA
2014 J/111 World Championship, UK

  

J/111 JAKE Flying in Sydney Offshore Series

(Sydney, Australia)-  The day finally dawned for the start of the Spring racing series for the new J/111 JAKE  in Sydney.  For those of you who have been to this side of the world, the spring weather is usually glorious, with clear blue skies, temperate 23 degrees C, and gentle winds, and this is what we had been experiencing for the 2 weeks up to our first race. But as luck would have it, winter decided to take one last bite, and the Saturday race from Sydney to Lion Island (out the heads and 25nm up the coast and back), was held in 25-30knot cold SSW winds, with a sloppy 2-3m easterly swell rebounding off the coast line.

We had a pretty good start.  We were the smallest boat in Div 1 and with such a mix of boats up to 60foot on the start line a clean start was paramount.  Out of the heads and with the wind on our quarter we set the #3 asymmetric and had the time of our life!.  The J/111 just took off - she has such acceleration in the gusts it was exhilarating, and yet not overwhelming.  She rode the waves and skipped over the crests, the backstay humming along like a V8 engine.

The conditions took their toll on a number of yachts. The new Sydney GTS 43 did a remarkable maneuver for their maiden race, pirouetting next to us just as we got out of the Heads (we had been going boat-for-boat, if not faster than them most of the way to the Heads).  We figured they must have lost someone overboard, but in fact their rudder had snapped in half, and they had to be towed home. The J/111 just reveled in the conditions.

We wanted to leave the kite up and just keep going but we were heading too far east, so had to drop it and head up towards the Island under #4 jib and full main.  Even under just jib & main we were hitting 17.4 knots at times.  What a remarkable machine.  Around the Island, and back to Sydney.  We thought the bigger boats would have the advantage over us on the way back.  The wind had swung more south so it was one long tack with slightly cracked sheets all the way back home.  The J/111 held her own though, and no one took any time from us.  We came in 2nd on IRC in the Short Ocean Series.  Not bad for our first offshore against the large Division 1 boats.

  

J/111 VELOCITY Wins Annapolis Race Week

(Annapolis, MD)- The end of August marks one of the larger regattas held on the Chesapeake Bay every year.  The three-day event always has a strong turnout from locals in the northern Chesapeake, often attracting "outsiders" from the southern part of the Bay.  Again, the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association, the principal host for the event, had its extremely popular tent parties and regatta HQ at the Annapolis City Dock. The change in venue to the Susan C. Campbell Park heightened visibility and attendance and by opening it up to the public, created a citywide festival type event.

Leading the big boys home in PHRF A1 this year was Martin Roesch's new J/111 VELOCITY, sailing to a convincing 2-1-2-1-1-1 record to eclipse their small, but highly competitive fleet by nine points after six races.

For more Annapolis Race Week sailing results

  

Foggy Cherbourg Race Finale

(Cherbourg, France)-  After a record breaking Rolex Fastnet Race, the final race of the RORC Season's Points Championship took place last weekend. After a scintillating season of racing with the Royal Ocean Racing Club, current weather models predict a light airs race, in sharp contrast to a very windy season, for the 78 nm dash across from the eastern end of the Solent across "La Manche" to Cherbourg.

The Royal Ocean Racing Club's Season's Points Championship consists of a testing series of races that attracts an international and varied fleet. For the serious offshore sailor, trying to win the Season's Points Championship is a real challenge. The Season's Points Championship this year included the tactically and physically challenging Rolex Fastnet Race, the oldest and most prestigious offshore yacht race in the world.  Pending the outcome of the race was the IRC Overall Season Points Championship for Niall Dowling and crew on the J/111 ARABELLA as well as the top place in IRC 2 for Neil Kipling's J/122, JOOPSTER.

At the end of it all, one could call this race "the foggy bottom version".  After a wet and windy season the weather gods conjured up a new and unusual challenge for the finale of the RORC 2011 season: light airs and thick fog. Speaking after the race, RORC Vice Commodore, Mike Greville said that it was a good and challenging tactical race. "The combination of thick fog and light patchy breeze made it really difficult to sail to the wind. The instruments were not a lot of help because of the wind sheer and we struggled to see the tell tales in the thick fog in the dark. The secret of success appeared for many was to go west. There was more breeze and at a better angle particularly as boats closed the finish at Cherbourg."

The fog also caused the race committee problems at the start and the RIB at the outer distance mark was invaluable in checking for OCS boats. The wind was westerly force 3 and the fleet were just able to carry their kites. Exiting the Solent to the East there were large holes in the wind to spot and avoid off Bembridge.

The light wind prevailed throughout the race.  The outcomes of the race had a meaningful impact on the overall standings with J sailing teams well represented in the top five in each class, by far the best performance of any sailing brand in European waters.  For IRC Overall, Niall Dowling's J/111 ARABELLA finished second overall, a remarkably good showing considering the range of conditions they faced over the course of the season, none of which ever permitted ARABELLA to kick up her heels and take-off.  In IRC Two, the J/111 ARABELLA was fifth.

For more RORC Cherbourg Race Sailing information 

Lovin' J/111s @ Fall Boatshows

Jump on the Bandwagon and Have Some Fun!
(Newport, RI)- For the  past few months J/111s have demonstrated time and again that a great all-around design can succeed in a wide variety of weather conditions worldwide.  Plus, it's just as easy to sail as a couple double-handed or with a full crew!  Beer-can racing with a J/24 sized crew is, in fact, quite easy and a lot of fun!  Whether sailing off Sydney Heads, Australia, dueling off the coasts of France and England, flying down the coast of California and Baja, Mexico, enjoying the sparkling waters off Key West, or winning in the challenging racing on the Great Lakes or the Northeast, J/111s have brought lots of smiles and silverware to their lucky owners.

Even if you're just thinking about J/111s, take a trip down to one of these boatshows in the near future to see J/111s up-close and personal.  You'll begin to understand why current J/111 owners simply love their boats-  friends and family for daysails and beer-can racing, with standing headroom and a bathroom (!), but can go offshore with the "big boys" and make them pay!  Check them out at:

Sep 14-19- Grand Pavois Boatshow (J/111, J/108)- La Rochelle, France
Sep 15-18- Newport Boatshow (J/111, J/109, J/95)- Newport, RI
Sep 16-25- Southampton Boatshow (J/97, J/108, J/111)- Southampton, England
Oct 6-10- Annapolis Sailboat Show (J/111, J/108)- Annapolis, MD

  

J/111 NIGHTHAWK Wins Tri-State Race

(Chicago, St Joe, Michigan City)- The last offshore race of the Lake Michigan sailing season has traditionally been fraught with a wide variety of weather, often too much of a good thing, like wind, sun or waves.  Roll on top of that serious entertainment at every venue the boats race to, specifically St Joe's, Michigan and Michigan City, Indiana, and you can understand why so many souther Lake Michigan sailors look forward to this end of the year bash.  The host clubs literally go overboard to entertain the sailors, headlining top rock & roll acts from the region, like Libido Funk Circus-- wildly popular with the locals as well as the sailors.

The racing itself can be very challenging, despite the fact that each leg is literally a straight shot from port-to-port.  The first leg from Chicago to St Joseph, MI had very light shifty winds, followed by a great day at the pool and the beach!  The next day of racing, everything changed.  A powerful northerly breeze 25+ knots always makes getting into the dredged entrance channels with long breakwaters a dangerous proposition for many.  In fact, Jackson Park YC said they couldn't guarantee boats could get out of Michigan City on Monday.  As a result, many boats elected to not sail the Tri-State, but sail the Bi-State and sailed back to Chicago.  The consequences were an abbreviated race for many.

The J/111s sailed 2/3 of the Tri-State.  Breaking the streak of KASHMIR was NIGHTHAWK sailing to a 3-4 for 7 pts.  KASHMIR sailed to a 7-1 for 8 pts and IMPULSE rounded out the top three getting a 6-10 for 16 pts.   For more St Joe sailing results    For more Michigan City sailing results

  

X-Centric Performs In Breskens

(Breskens, Netherlands)- The Breskens Regatta is considered one of the pre-eminent events the Dutch summer sailing season and generally marks the culmination of the summer offshore series prior to the fall European events.  Overall the J's had a respectable showing with a real battle going for the top of the IRC 2 class between an IRC-optimized J/33 and the new J/111.

Ultimately, in IRC 2 Class,  the J/111 J-XCENTRIC skippered by John van der Starre, sailed well with a good scoreline in this tough fleet by winning the offshore race and then adding a 5-6-4-7-6 for a total of 22.5 points to get the third position on the podium.

The sailing was better than what most expected for the weekend.  The first day saw weather forecasts for light or no winds. However, the wind did fill in and the challenging conditions for the 36 nm offshore course not only was a mandatory score and counter for the Breskens Regatta, but it would also count as an offshore race for the Dutch championship IRC.  First prize in IRC2 in class went to J-XCENTRIC, the J/111 sailed by John van der Starre (NED).

During the second day of sailing, between showers and strongly increasing winds, the participants had to demonstrate good seamanship and boat-handling skills.  There was a lot of sail and mast damage in all three fleets.  After starting the day with 49 boats, at the end of the day only 33 were left-- as it turned out, with breezes varying from 6 to 7 on the Beaufort scale, it was still too heavy for many.

For the final day of the regatta, the wind had not diminished.  For most of the classes they had trouble keeping everything under control, spinnakers and hour-glasses around the forestay were commonplace, as were more torn sails, broken booms and severely bruised egos.    For more Breskens Regatta sailing information

  

J's Enjoy Ida Lewis Race

(Newport, RI) - A highlight of the Newport summer offshore season is the only round trip distance race to begin and end in Newport, the Ida Lewis Distance Race.  The event, which enjoyed its seventh edition this year, is a qualifier for the 2011 New England Lighthouse Series (PHRF); Northern and Double-Handed Ocean Racing Trophies (IRC); and the US-IRC Gulf Stream Series. Furthermore, the race incorporates something that was a first amongst all known offshore races- the Youth Challenge.   The Youth Challenge is comprised of teams that have more than 40% junior sailors to qualify for a special trophy.  In fact, one of the fastest growing divisions in this end of summer event is the Doublehanded PHRF Division!

There are five courses the RC can choose from depending on wind and weather conditions that range from 70 nm to 150 nm.  In the PHRF Class, the largest class in the fleet with 20 boats, the fleet sailed the No-Man's Course (122 nm).  The J/111 FLEETWING sailed by Bob Johnstone and crew sailed the race in just over 19 hours-- a fairly fast pace. “After rounding Sakonnet Point Bell we decided to stay on the offshore (southern side) of our competitors to hopefully get some better breeze on the windward beat in S/SW winds to Montauk Point Bell.  That strategy seemed to work out pretty well,” said Johnstone.  "Furthermore", he said, "the highlight of the race had to be the bright moon-lit night providing us a brilliant path towards the No-Man's Bell, the numerous meteor showers and the pod of porpoises playing in our wake and diving under the boat leaving blazing phosphorescent trails behind them made for a spectacular and memorable evening!"  By the time FLEETWING passed the R-2 Brenton Reef Bell before turning into the East Passage to finish the race off Ida Lewis YC in Newport Harbor, it was clear the J/111 had a strong opportunity to win PHRF overall.  However, a strong, late-filling S-SW breeze of 7-12 knots after 9:00 am enabled two other boats to take advantage of FLEETWING's finish in light 2-4 kt winds and beat her on corrected time by just 11 minutes! As a result, FLEETWING earned a tough third place overall in the fleet of twenty boats.
For more Ida Lewis Distance Race sailing information