Grevelingen Cup Report

(Marina Port Zelande, Netherlands)- This year’s Grevelingen Cup saw over 200 competitors participate across multiple classes in both ORC handicap racing as well as one-design classes.  Enjoying a strong turnout this year was the Benelux J/80 fleet sailing both in the Cup as well as sailing their J/80 Benelux Nationals.

The sailors were greeted with a real mixed bag of weather conditions that were very “un-fall like”.  Instead of fast-moving fronts bringing broken clouds, sun, plenty of wind and occasional rain showers (which is quite typical), the fleet was instead having to fight fog, gentle breezes and light air patches.  On Saturday the clouds did break up enough for a nice sea-breeze to fill in behind the fog.  Sunday was even more challenging as it was generally overcast and by later in the afternoon the wind simply quit.

The ORC world saw a number of Dutch offshore J/Teams sailing well.  GGPM Van Beers’s J/122 JAM SESSION took second overall while H Zwijnenburg’s J/111 SWEENY took fourth in their class.   For more Grevelingen Cup sailing information

J-DREAM Crowned J/111 Hamble Winter Series Champ!

(Hamble, England)-  For the last and final round of races for the Garmin Hamble Winter Series, the standings saw little change from the weekend before.  Some of the boats that had dominated throughout the series affirmed their overall leads and a few others that had their sights set on podium finishes actually managed to pull them off.

In IRC 0, David & Kirsty Apthorp’s J/111 J-DREAM continued their consistent series and maintained their solid record with a 5th this past weekend to hang on to their third overall in class as well as their gold position in the J/111 one-design class overall.  Some of the spoilers to the party on the last weekend were the arrival of Cornell Riklin’s J/111 JITTERBUG and David Ballantyne’s J/122 JINGS!, each taking a 3rd and 4th respectively in the final race.

Finally, David & Kirsty Apthorp’s J-DREAM were leading the J/111 class after the halfway point and never looked back, taking top honors for the series.  By virtue of winning the last race, Cornel Riklin’s JITTERBUG leapt into second overall while  Andrew Christie’s ICARUS placed third overall in class.  For sailing photo credits-  Paul Wyeth Pictures.  For more Hamble Winter Series sailing information

Hamble Winter Series- Weekend VII

(Hamble, England)-  The penultimate weekend of the Garmin Hamble Winter Series saw a chilly and gusty breeze that shifted regularly between 002 and 022 degrees, demanding frequent tacks and rewarding tacticians with their heads out of the boat. Despite only reaching 18 knots, the wind was gusty enough to keep trimmers on their toes.

In some classes, boats that have been dominant throughout the series consolidated their overall lead, despite not topping the fleet in Sunday’s race.  In IRC 0, David & Kirsty Apthorp’s J/111 J-DREAM continued to sail a consistent series in their class and maintained their strong record with a 3rd this past weekend to hold on to their bronze podium position as well as their gold position in the J/111 one-design class overall.


Finally, David & Kirsty Apthorp’s J-DREAM are leading the J/111 class, ahead of Andrew Christie’s ICARUS in second and Cornel Riklin’s JITTERBUG in third.

Prizes were generously provided by Driver’s Dry Berthing at a prize-giving back in the Hamble River Sailing Club club house. See you next week on the water for one more race! Thanks for the contributions from Ben Meakins.  For sailing photo credits-  Paul Wyeth Pictures   For more Hamble Winter Series sailing information

J/111 Worlds & European Circuit Announcement!

(Cowes, IOW, England)- The European J/111 circuit is shaping up to be an exciting season for 111 sailors from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean and from Italy to Ireland!  There are events taking place on the Mediterranean as well as in “classic” sailing ports along the North Sea and the Channel, all leading up to the first J/111 World Championships to take place in the famous waters of the Solent and hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron off Cowes, England from August 20th to 24th!

Teams from Northern Europe as well as the Mediterranean can look forward to early season warm-up regattas that include Vice Admirals Cup, North Sea Regatta, Normandy Week and Giraglia Rolex Cup prior to the J/111 Europeans being hosted in 2014 in conjunction with the massively popular Cowes Week event in early August.  The Europeans will serve as a “Pre-Worlds” for the 111 teams participating in J/111 Worlds two weeks later.  Below is the schedule for the major J/111 events in the 2014 J/111 European Circuit:

• May 9-12- Vice Admirals Cup- Cowes, England
• Jun 6-9- North Sea Regatta- The Hague, Netherlands
• Jun 9—15- Normandy Week- Le Havre, France
• Jun 14-22- Giraglia Rolex Cup- St Tropez, France & San Remo, Italy
• Aug 2-5- J/111 European Championships- Cowes, England
• Aug 20-24- J/111 World Championships- Royal Yacht Squadron- Cowes, England
• September- Benelux J/111 Regatta- Breskens, Netherlands
• October- Tour de Corse- Bonifacio, Italy

For more J/111 Class sailing information, charter boat information, please contact J/Composites (jcomposites.eu) or J/Boats- ph# 401-846-8410.

Hamble Winter Series- Weekend VI

(Hamble, England)- After weeks of gales, it was with some trepidation that the Garmin Hamble Winter Series fleet nosed out of the river on Sunday in time for their start. Fears of wintry weather were misplaced, however, and some hours later the fleet returned with grins on their faces. ‘Awesome day on the water’ and ‘Champagne sailing conditions’ were some of the phrases heard bandied around the clubhouse after racing by competitors sporting that most unseasonal of things – sun-kissed faces.

The north-west 15-18 kts breeze provided some delightful but testing sailing conditions for the assembled racing yachts, with big shifts offering up big gains for some competitors with their eyes out of the boat and big losses for the less fortunate. One race was sailed.

In IRC 0, David & Kirsty Apthorp’s J/111 J-DREAM continued to sail a consistent series in their class and maintained their strong record with a 2nd this past weekend to hold on to their bronze podium position as well as their gold position in the J/111 one-design class overall.   For sailing photo credits-  Paul Wyeth Pictures   For more Hamble Winter Series sailing information

MOJITO Blasts Around Hong Kong Islands!

Veteran J/Sailors Love Windy, Wavy Conditions
(Hong Kong, China)- Hong Kong's largest and most inclusive sailing event, the Tommy Bahamas Around Island Race, featured more than 200 sailing boats, together with outrigger canoes and coastal rowing boats.  All teams battled it out over the 26nm course that is known as the “Round Island Race” (e.g. all around the islands that comprise Hong Kong)!  Cool race, spectacular vistas of the world-renown city and breathtaking views of the ginormous, lush, jungle green mountain-tops. Anyone looking out of their window in Hung Hom or Chai Wan on the morning of the start would see hundreds of boats converging on Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour from every point of the compass for Hong Kong’s biggest annual celebration of sail and paddle on the water.

The Around the Island Race became an annual event in 1983, however its origins go back to 1864 when six boats raced around Hong Kong Island to Starboard (clockwise) and Hong Kong’s sailors have since regarded this route as a tricky challenge with unpredictable wind shifts.  The race course features a 26nm circumnavigation of Hong Kong Island to starboard, which has been sanctioned by Hong Kong Marine Department since 2003. This year there was record-setting breeze, so the Royal Hong Kong YC PRO, Ms Inge Strompf-Jepsen, managed to fire off twenty separate starts for sailboats at RHKYC’s Kellett Island clubhouse.

With the replenishment of the northeast monsoon filling in overnight, many competitors took one look at the conditions and decided that prudence was the better part of valor.  This included the majority of the beach cat classes, where even the most battle hardened sailors took one look at the conditions whipped up by the 15-18kt easterly in the harbour and decided that the 25kts plus and two to three metre seas at Cape D’Aguilar were not for them or their boats.

With 258 entries, this was the biggest prospective fleet recorded for the 26nm circumnavigation.  With even Cyberport Gate getting a good 20-25kt blow and the relatively flat stretch along the south and south west of Hong Kong Island meant the entire fleet would likely be on record-setting paces for their respective classes.  Indeed, after the finish times were recorded and handicap times applied, it was pretty clear that most records fell from previous years.

Amongst the J/Teams, there were some excellent performances.  In the highly competitive IRC 2 Class, the J/111 MOJITO sailed by Simon Blore had a tremendous race, taking second overall and narrowly missing the overall win by a mere minute and a half!  For more Tommy Bahama Around Island Race sailing information

Peruvian J/111 Offshore Report

(Lima, Peru)- Since July 2012, the J/111 CHALLWA (means “fisherman” in the native Peruvian language), has being sailing and racing in Peru’s and Ecuador’s offshore racing circuits under the ORC handicap rule.  Their latest event, the Copa del Pacifico Regatta, belongs to a series of races between Peru and Ecuador that is held annually.  This particular event is sailed in Paracas Bay 150 miles south of Lima- the capital of Peru.

German Fuchs, sailing aboard CHALLWA, reports the following about their experiences in this year’s Copa del Pacifico: “We had a series of eight windward-leeward races and two offshore- one of 32nm and the other 28nm.  The fleet was quite competitive with teams from Peru, Chile and Ecuador.  We sailed in ORC Class A against a new Soto 48R, Sydney 46, Swan 45R, two Grand Soleil 42R’s and a Soto 42R.  Most of our races were sailed in 15-20 kts TWS, except one W/L was sailed in 6kts TWS. Our best results on the J111 were in light winds and running or reaching in 16-22 kts TWS.

For this regatta we opted to set a bigger spinnaker of 157sqm instead of the J/111 one-design class size of 130sqm.  This change for ORC handicap racing gave us very good results in light winds and we were able to get the boat into “planing-mode” (like the J/70) in just 16 kts TWS for best VMG downwind! In fact, we reached average 15kts boat speed with just 22kts TWS running downwind- this monster kite cost us only 1 sec/mi in GPH, that is nothing compared with the benefits gained!

From the racing perspective, we had great success against some of the top offshore teams in South America.  We managed to win both long distance races in ORC Class A and two W/L in light winds in Class A2.  We also managed to finish 4th in Class A and 2nd in Class A2 for the Regatta Series.  It sure helped to have Wally Cross and Kerry Klinger from Quantum Sails onboard to race with us, especially after their experiences in winning the J/111 North American Championship in Chicago!  By the way, we’re planning to race the 2014 Chicago-Mackinac Race in a J/111 as a preparation for the Galapagos 2014 Race that will be held in October 2014 here in Peru!  Looking forward to see other J/111 sailors soon in America!  Best, Germán”

J/111 PIRANHA Speed Sailing on Baltic Sea

(Baltic Sea, Germany)-  The Piranha Department of Autobahn Speed presents its latest small cruise of the season 2013.  Crazy Germans are we?!  You bet.  We LOVE sailing as fast as we can drive our cars (your basic Porsche, BMW or Mercedes) down the Autobahn in Germany, especially in the sinuous, windy curves of the famous Black Forest.

Nevertheless, we digress!  Recently, we had the opportunity to hop aboard the PIRANHA and take here “for a cruise” in the Baltic Sea, just your cool breeze howling out of the Northeast with 1-2.5 meter breaking waves and winds around 7 m/sec— really just your average small gale.  It was a spectacular day of sailing for the PIRANHA crew!  Record speed: 22.64 knots!!  Yah!  We are still learning how to sail this speedster faster.  Any tips for us??  Please see our J/111 PIRANHA website to contact us.  Here’s the sailing video of the J/111 PIRANHA on “cruise-control” in the Baltic Sea.

J/111 Gone Fishin' in Middle Sea Race?!

(Gzira, Malta)-  We had an interesting update regards the performance of Massimo Colossimo’s J/111 J/STORM in the recent Rolex Middle Sea Race- the 606nm race that starts/finishes in Malta and goes around a series of islands in the Mediterranean that includes several active volcanoes like Sicily, Italy!  Said Colossimo about their race, “we had some bad luck on J/STORM during the Middle Sea Race.  After the fast run from Malta to the first mark in the Straits of Messina (between Sicily and mainland Italy), J/STORM was amongst the leaders of the race.  By playing the left of the course, we were able to hold nice speed before rounding Stromboli and were leading the ALL of the J/Teams in the fleet.

However, during the first night of the race, we caught a huge fishing net in the rudder and propeller.  I ended up jumping overboard at night to clean the bottom after we realized we had a speed problem!  You cannot believe what I found (see picture here of the offending nylon net and buoys)!!

The sad part for us was that the whole situation took place in light air and was much more complicated than we expected.  As a result, it took place long enough for us to lose contact with the leaders and, unfortunately, delayed us from catching the next good breeze.  Short delays, in a distance race, as you know, add more delays and more frustration!

The rest of the race became an uphill battle for our crew, but we never lost concentration and to catch back up with the leaders in the light air windward beat at the Lampedusa Island rounding.  In fact, we were ahead of the J/122 ARTIE RTFX and near the J/122 OTRA VEZ.  Then, we had one unfortunate tack that took us back out of the lead!  In any case, it was a Herculean effort and we hope next time to have a little bit better luck!”

Hamble "Winter" Series Update- Weekend III

(Hamble, England)- "Windy, wet and lumpy" was how one competitor described Sunday’s racing in the third weekend of the Garmin Hamble Winter Series. It was a breezy day indeed that saw a base wind of 23 knots and gusts of up to 30 that greeted the fleet as they made their way to the start on Sunday morning. A gusty breeze, combined with a steep Solent chop and intermittent heavy rain squalls kept competitors on their toes – and, occasionally, their boats on their sides in tricky conditions.

Ian Brown from One Sails, the day sponsor, was on hand back in the HRSC clubhouse to present day prizes to the exhausted crews as they enjoyed beer for £2.50 a pint and hot food. In many classes the challenging conditions shook up the overall results.

In the IRC 0 Winter Series class, the all J/111 class continues to see the team of David & Kirsty Apthorp on J-DREAM leading by virtue of their 1-1-1-2-1-1 record this past weekend.  Richard Barnes's BIELA-MUNKENBECK is very close behind having scored an equally impressive 2-2-2-1-2-2 to hold onto second place.  Lying third is the British Army team led by William Naylor aboard BRITISH SOLDIER.  These standings for the Winter Series scoring are virtually identical for the Big Boats J/111 One-Design Series scoring.

Next weekend hosts the final weekend of the Doyle Sails Hamble One Design Championships, as well as the fourth Garmin Hamble Winter Series race day.

Congratulations to all winners and competitors for some masterful displays of big-breeze sailing in what proved to be some challenging sailing conditions. Thanks to all the volunteers who braved the unpleasant conditions to man the committee boats and mark laying RIBs and to run the galley back in the club– the event couldn’t go ahead without them! Thanks for contribution from Ben Meakins.  Sailing photo credits- Malcolm Donald/ GHWS Ross Elliston/ HBBC Trevor Pountain   For more Garmin Hamble Winter Series sailing information

J/Teams Lead Rolex Middle Sea Classes!

(Gzira, Malta)- More often than not, sailors who have plied the Mediterranean Sea since the days of Sumerian trading ships and Homer's Odyssey share one thing-- the endless wrath by Neptune and the weather Gods for not having given homage (e.g. respect or enough tasty red wine) to permit safe, fast passage through the Straits of Messina (the famous geographic "boot" of Italy) and a sleigh-ride home to Malta.  Sitting at the cross-roads of the ancient trading routes in the Med, Malta has a long seafaring history of her sailors plying their trade between the Middle Eastern and European empires and, more often than not, were long sought for their knowledge of the capricious winds and seas in the region.  So, it was not too surprising that a combination of Maltese and Italian sailors who've got that DNA coursing through their veins managed to succeed in some of the most challenging conditions yet seen in the RMSR's 34th edition.

A record fleet of 100+ yachts set forth on their 606nm race with less than favorable weather conditions.  While the start from Malta to the Straits of Messina had an encouraging forecast of southeasterly winds, the Straits of Messina on the approaches to Sicily were notoriously light, and the balance of the race was going to be a challenge of racing from one breeze patch to another nearly all the way around the islands course to the finish line at Malta.

The grand irony of this year's race is that J/sailors dominated the entire event.  First to finish was Hasso Plattner's 86 footer MORNING GLORY (Hasso is an avid J/100 owner and sailor).  The overall winner was the TP52 B2 skippered by none other than Mediterranean sailing star, Francesco De Angelis from Naples, Italy-- the famous winner of the J/24 Worlds in Capri, Italy many moons ago.

In IRC 4 Class, yet another Maltese boat won with Aaron Gatt Floridia's J/122 OTRA VEZ taking both line and class honors as well and taking 11th overall in a "big boat race"!!  Just behind them sailing an incredible race was the J/111 BLACK BULL sailed by Marco Flandin from Italy-- she took a 5th in class and 16th overall!  In fact, just a few miles from Lampedusa Island, the last turning mark before the "sprint" to the Malta finish line, BLACK BULL was sailing nearly boat-for-boat with the J/122 OTRA VEZ!  One wrong tack made the difference between these two boats for line and handicap silverware.

The sound of clinking of glasses and rousing voices filled the air Thursday at the Royal Malta YC. Hundreds of competitors enjoyed the full hospitality of the club, sharing their stories with fellow competitors over copious quantities of delicious food and thirst-quenching beverages. After days and nights at sea, isolated from the outside world, the cosmopolitan crowd also enjoyed good food and excellent company.

IRC Four was the largest class taking part in the Rolex Middle Sea Race. 46 yachts from 10 different countries including Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Ireland, Italy, Montenegro, Malta, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.  Edward & Aaron Gatt Floridia's J/122 OTRA VEZ completed the 606-mile race at dusk on Day Five, after racing with a highly competitive fleet.  “After being becalmed several times last year, we decided that this year that would not happen,” commented Edward Gatt Floridia. “Racing in light airs is very tiring, to keep the boat moving requires the whole crew to concentrate, even the off-watch have to wake up and move their weight to the correct side of the boat. The critical point in our race was after Stromboli. There was virtually no wind and on that first night we took the main sail down and hoisted our wind seeker. We were determined to keep going and we did. The moral on board was excellent and we are very proud of winning the class. Nearly half of the yachts racing were in Class 4 and there were a number of very well sailed boats for the overall win. The weather suited the bigger yachts this year. We can't do anything about that, we can only try to win our class and that is what we have done.”

J/24 World Champion Francesco De Angelis also had some war-stories to tell about his experience sailing the TP52 B2.  After losing all their electronics on the first night out, B2's navigator Nacho Postigo said, “We tried everything to reboot the system, but it simply didn't work.  In the end, we used the GPS on a smartphone taped to the pedestal, it worked quite well!” The impromptu solution forced the crew to rely more on their instinct, as Postigo closes: “We raced B2 like a J/24 and Francesco had to call the strategy almost completely blind - I don't think he had more than two hours sleep!”  Not surprising they could sail fast with limited input, as De Angelis had sailed dinghies and J/24s for years on the Italian circuit with no more than a compass!  Said De Angelis, “It was a difficult race, the first time this team has done a race this long together. To arrive ahead of almost 100 boats is a great achievement. We are very tired! Comfort is not really associated with a TP52 and we experienced everything: light, medium and some strong wind. Technically and physically it was a very challenging race. The key was not losing ground in the difficult moments or getting blocked during periods of light air.”   Sailing photo credits: Rolex/ Kurt Arrigo   For more Rolex Middle Sea Race sailing information

Chilly & Rainy "Winter" Series Update

(Hamble, England)- The Garmin Hamble Winter Series lived up to its name on Sunday with torrential rain and a chilly 18 knots from the northwest that left competitors glad to retire to the bar after racing for a few "hot toddies" and warm Guinness! But despite the conditions the crews and the volunteer race teams alike braved the conditions to fit in two exciting races.

The worst of the rain held off until the second race, with the first sailed in a marginally preferable light drizzle. In IRC 0, Cornel Riklin's J/111 JITTERBUG sailed fast to snag a 2-3 to be tied for second, just three points clear of David & Kirsty Apthorp's J/111 J-DREAM with a 4-4 tally.

In the J/111 class, Riklin’s JITTERBUG are sailing fast and smart and managed to beat the Apthorp's J-DREAM in both races to take first overall. Lying third is William Naylor's BRITISH SOLDIER.

Day prizes were – quite appropriately, given the foul weather conditions – provided by clothing supplier Hudson-Wight at the prize-giving back at Hamble River SC after racing, as well as by Southern Ropes, whose prizes went un-awarded last week due to the lack of wind.

Kudos to all the teams who braved Sunday’s weather and to the volunteers who manned the committee and mark-laying boats. Here’s hoping for better weather next weekend, which hosts the final MDL Hamble Big Boat Championship weekend and the third race day of the Garmin Hamble Winter Series, with One Sails as the Day Sponsor.  Thanks for contribution from Ben Meakins.    YouTube sailing video of Hamble Winter Series   Sailing photo credits- Malcolm Donald   For more Garmin Hamble Winter Series sailing information

J/Teams Ready For Rolex Middle Sea Race

(Gzira, Malta)- Closing the Mediterranean sailing season with gusto, the 34th edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race starts on Saturday 19th October and is destined to mark a significant chapter in the history of a popular offshore event. The race is in a period of ascendancy. Over one hundred international yachts have registered for the 606-nm contest commencing and finishing in Malta, and comprising a challenging anti-clockwise circumnavigation of Sicily. First held in 1968 and organized by the Royal Malta Yacht Club, the race has been sponsored by Rolex since 2002.

The appeal of the race is clear: first-rate competition, a largely Corinthian atmosphere, a fascinating racecourse.  The race is a true challenge to skippers and crews who have to be at their very best to cope with the often changeable and demanding conditions. Equally, the race is blessed with unsurpassed scenery with its course, taking competitors close to a number of islands, which form marks of the course. Ted Turner described the MSR as "the most beautiful race course in the world". Starting from the Grand Harbour, Valletta, beneath Fort St Angelo and the Saluting Battery in Valletta, the fleet head north along the eastern coasts of Sicily up towards the Straits of Messina. Mt Etna is usually visible on the fleets port side, billowing ashes and lava throughout the night. Once through the Straits, the course leads north to the Aeolian Islands and the active volcano of Stromboli where the yachts turn west to the Egadi Islands. Passing between Marettimo and Favignana the crews head south towards the island of Lampedusa, leaving Pantelleria to port.  Once past Lampedusa the fleet turns northeast on the final leg towards the South Comino Channel and the finish at Marsamxett Harbour. En route the crews take in an amazing diversity of landscape and sea conditions, all of which combine to create the attraction and challenge of the race.

In any race of this type, the most coveted prize is for overall victory.   There are two J/111s participating this year from Italy and, given the "stop & go" driving in light to moderate conditions that are typical of this race, these two boats may give their larger stablemates enormous headaches.  Marco Flandin's BLACK BULL and Massimo Colosimo's J/STORM will be dueling for leadership not only in class but overall if they get a mix of the right reaching/ running/ beating conditions.  Be sure to follow the fleet and the updates as all boats have YellowBrick trackers on them and you can track them each day as they progress around the course!   Sailing photo credits: Rolex/ Kurt Arrigo    For more Rolex Middle Sea Race sailing information

Smokin Hot Hamble Winter Series Rolling!

A Case of the Tortoise & The Hare All Weekend
(Hamble, England)- From the long-range forecasts over the past week it was clear that there wasn’t going to be much wind for the first weekend of the Garmin Hamble Winter Series, incorporating the first of two MDL Hamble Big Boat Championship weekends.

So it was a relief to find that the forecast had improved during Friday night, predicting 8-10 knots by late afternoon on Saturday. With an oscillating breeze that swung between 260 and 310 degrees, racing started on time at 11am for an 18-strong fleet that included many of the Solent’s top racing yachts in IRC 0, IRC 1 and J/111 classes.

In race 1, David & Kirsty Apthorp's J-DREAM topped the J/111 fleet, ahead of William Naylor’s BRITISH SOLDIER. The light breeze held up for race 2 with Richard Barnes’ BIELA-MUNKENBECK topping the J/111 class. The 10 knots promised by late afternoon failed to materialize, and the third race got underway as the breeze began to die, with a course comprising fixed Solent windward marks and an inflatable leeward mark. In the J/111s, BIELA-MUNKENBECK again took line honours.

Sunday’s forecast was never looking good, but the race committee headed out into the Solent just in case, followed by most of the 70 + boats. Unfortunately, the wind steadfastly refused to build above 2-3 knots and racing was abandoned for the day at noon.

In the MDL Hamble Big Boat Championships, that meant BIELA-MUNKENBECK heads the J/111 class, tied on points with J-DREAM. That all leaves much to play for in the second weekend of the MDL Hamble Big Boat Championships, held in a fortnight’s time.

Next weekend hosts the second Garmin Hamble Winter Series race day as well as the first of two Doyle Sails Hamble One Design Championships weekends. Day Sponsor is Hudson Wight. Here’s hoping for some more breeze – see you then!  Thanks for contribution from Ben Meakins.  Sailing photo credits- Malcolm Donald.    For more Garmin Hamble Winter Series sailing information

J'Taime Les Voiles de St Tropez!

J/97, J/109 & J/111 Win The Party!
(St Tropez, France)- For its 15th edition, from 28 September to 6 October 2013, Les Voiles de Saint Tropez offered thousands of sailors, skippers and owners of sublime yachts an idea, a state of mind, a certain experience of yachting, that was colored by the unique convivial atmosphere synonymous with the gathering of seafarers far and wide.  It's the "history" and the "future" of yachting side by side in Saint-Tropez. A dizzying, intoxicating mixture of fashion, parties, gorgeous people and fabulous sailing (usually) in the beautiful azure waters off the picturesque village of St Tropez.

The autumn’s major festival of international yachting lived up to its expectations for the sailors doing battle in the Gulf of Saint Tropez and the waters off Pampelonne Beach in front of the infamous Cub 55 (where beach clothing is often optional). A festival on shore, a sporting celebration at sea, it's a proven recipe for success that is synonymous with "la dolce vida" or, perhaps, "la vida loca" (as in Rio's Festival or New Orleans' Mardis Gras)!

Boasting Modern and Classic boats alike, the 300+ yachts brought the Baie of Saint Tropez to life. As always,  Les Voiles brings the magical spectacle of yachts hitting the water that represented over a century of yacht design and aesthetics.  After sailing, the heart of the event was the "Les Voiles Village"-- the event’s hub where sailors from across the yachting world and locals gathered ashore to enjoy evening festivities.

The sailors were greeted by an extraordinary mix of weather this year.  From fierce storms that swept down from the northwest bringing 30-45 kt gales to sublime, gorgeous days of westerlies with 10-15 kts-- perfect for a day's sail with friends after a long evening of entertainment with friends in the village of St Tropez or dancing at the Club 55 disco on the Pampelonne beach until dawn!

In the end, the event was declared "Unforgettable", according to Bruno Troublé, Louis Vuitton Cup master-mind and long-time J/80 owner and sailor in J/80 French, European and World Championships. It was a week full of contrasts, indeed, with a quiet start in calm weather, culminating with two fantastic sailing days on Wednesday and Saturday-- mostly remembered for excellent sailing conditions under a blazing sun. The 15th edition of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez proved once again the place to be and put an emphatic exclamation mark to the end of a great sailing season!! Good times ashore, with parties on board, and the great musical atmosphere of the Village were only rivaled by the excellent sailing on the spectacular Gulf of Saint-Tropez.

And, Saint-Tropez attracts the stars, both human and sailing machines. Many of them J sailors past and present (J/24s, J/80s, J/109s)-- Sébastien Col, Jan Dekker, Peter Holmberg, Jean-Pierre Dick-- they were all there, most sailing anonymously and enjoying one of the world’s greatest sailing festivals.

J/Teams had great fun sailing in the wide variety of conditions.  IRC D class had 40 boats participating and taking 6th was the J/111 MERLIN sailed by Michel Buffet, finishing just 8 pts from second. The IRC E class had 36 boats sailing.  Taking 10th was the J/109 JEDI skippered by Patrick Gouedart, 12th was the J/109 JAVA BLUE III helmed by Eric Bardaille who, in turn just beat by one point the 13th place team- the J/97 NO LIMIT led by Pascale Barbier.  Sailing photo credits- Gilles Martin Raget/ Marseilles, France.  For more Les Voiles des St Tropez sailing information

Dramatic, Misty AYC Fall Series Finale!

(Rye, New York)- The classic fall offshore sailing series on Long Island Sound got off to a spectacular start on its first weekend.  But, the luck was not going to hold with gigantic swings in the weather and the USA's ginormous budget-busting battles full of hot-air down in Washington, DC-- no question that amount of "hot air" was surely going to have its affects as far north as Wall Street and their favorite playground- Long Island Sound!  No question, the DC goons were "raining on everyone's parade" this past weekend.  What could've been a brilliant weekend for Saturday and Sunday turned into a goofy day of racing on Saturday and a wet, foggy, misty easterly on Sunday.  Heck, if you were a betting man (or trading guru) you would've shorted the markets worldwide Monday at dawn, such was the gloom!  But, a few Mt Gay & tonics and local micro-breweries tempered the atmosphere to simply a dull roar for the awards Sunday afternoon.

The American YC RC took their time on Saturday (much to their chagrin) to get in only one race on the East Course while the West Course guys got in two races. But, both AYC RC's took the bit in their teeth to get the ball rolling on Sunday to get in two solid races for all.

PHRF A class had three J/111s sailing and Paul Strauch's crew on ANDIAMO started out the series on the first weekend as top dog amongst the 111s, continuing their great performance this summer at Storm Trysail's Block Island Race Week. However, in the end the ANDIAMO gang "kissed" a rock on the way into Mamaroneck Harbor Saturday afternoon and withdrew from Sunday's sailing.  Only one point back after the previous weekend, the PARTNERSHIP team led by David and Maryellen Tortorello sailed fast and smart and posted a 2-3 on the last Sunday to take over 3rd spot for the series!  Sailing photo credits- Tom Young/ American YC.   For more American YC Fall Series sailing information

Gorgeous Start to AYC Fall Series

(Rye, New York)- The classic fall offshore sailing series on Long Island Sound got off to a spectacular start this past weekend.  The American YC Race Committee took full advantage of the sunny skies, beautiful breeze with skies punctuated by "torn cotton" clouds scudding across the horizon, by running five great races for the fleet of ninety boats sailing in the western reaches of the Sound.  Sailing were fleets of IRC & PHRF handicap classes as well as one-design classes of J/105s, J/109s and J/44s.  J/Teams comprised well over 50% of the fleet with 49 J's participating in the event, by far the dominant brand sailing in the AYC Fall Series.

Starting with the handicap classes,  PHRF A class has three J/111s sailing and Paul Strauch's crew on ANDIAMO are continuing their great performance this summer at Storm Trysail's Block Island Race Week.  ANDIAMO's crew sailed well to finish 3-5-3-4-5 for 15 pts to hold third overall after the first weekend.  Just one point back is PARTNERSHIP sailed by David and Maryellen Tortorello with scores of 6-3-4-3-7 for 16 pts.

With a Saturday forecast for light Northeast winds filling in behind a large Low pressure system going out to sea, the fleet will be challenged to make the most of 4-8 kts breezes against the strong Long Island Sound tides and currents.  Sunday's forecast shows some improvement with southeasterly breezes in the 6-12 kts range.  Sailing photo credits- Tom Young/ American YC   For more American YC Fall Series sailing information

Garmin Hamble Winter Series Preview

(Hamble, England)- Garmin (UK) will be supporting the Hamble Winter Series as title sponsor for the eighth time when the 2013 series gets under way on the weekend of the 5th October. The series organized by the Hamble River Sailing Club and now in its 32nd year, will retain the same successful format as last year. The main series will run for 8 Sundays with a break on 3rd November to avoid the start of the oyster dredging season in the Solent. It will cater for IRC Classes as well as J/111 and J/109 one-design classes.

In addition to the Garmin sponsored main series,  HRSC will be running the Hamble Big Boat Championships again on the first and third weekends of the series,  the 5th & 6th and the 19th & 20th October. The Big Boats will be sponsored by MDL Marinas again this year. IRC class plus the J/111 one-design class will be sailing.

The series will also contain the Hamble One Design Championships for J/109, J/80 and the J/70 class. The one-designs race on weeks 2 and 4 of the Garmin Hamble Winter Series, the 12th & 13th and the 26th & 27th October.

J/111 one-designs have an excellent turnout of competitive teams, including BIELA-MUNKENBECK, BRITISH SOLDIER, ICARUS, J-DREAM and JITTERBUG.   Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth- http://www.pwpictures.com.  For more Garmin Hamble Winter Series sailing information

XCENTRIC RIPPER Rips Breskens Weekend

(Breskens, Netherlands)- The tenth edition of the Gaastra Breskens Sailing Weekend was blessed with great weather and, especially, big breeze and big seas almost all weekend long.  With gorgeous sunny days on Friday and the finale Sunday punctuated by a rainy, cold front early on Saturday morning meant the sailors could go home happy after sailing hard in seven races over three days!  In fact, the Chairman of the Gaastra Breskens Sailing Weekend, Roy Aller, said "unlike the past few years, we were blessed this year with great weather!"

A number of J/Teams sailed in the J/111 One-Design class as well as IRC handicap divisions.  The five-star performance of the weekend goes to John van der Starre's famous J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER, simply dominating their class with straight firsts.  Sailing fast up the learning curve was K. van Vliet's SWEENY, taking mostly 2nds in the four boat fleet.  Third overall was K. Cleeren's J-BIE just 1.5 pts back.  Sailing photo credits- Anusjka Martens   For more Breskens Race Week sailing information

J/111 Adelaide Winter Series Champion!

(Adelaide, Australia)- South Australian based J/111 HOROPITO scored an impressive 1st in the Royal South Australia Yacht Squadron Nautilus Marine Winter Series and 2nd overall in the combined series with their close neighbors The Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia.

From the owner Mark Robertson- "We have just completed our second winter series here in Adelaide in our J/111, HOROPITO that was launched in 2012. This 6 race series is a PHS format with a mix of windward leeward and fixed mark races that saw 10-15 combined RSAYS and CYCSA Division One boats turn out fortnightly for some keenly contested racing.

Our crew had been getting progressively more comfortable with the systems on HOROPITO through the summer IRC racing and, with that confidence, had begun to extract more speed and consistent performances as we headed into the winter racing. Our competition was a competitive mix of Sydney 38’s, First 40’s and 45’s and a couple of 47.4 foot Benetaus to name a few, drawn from the combined fleets of the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron (our club) and the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia. Winter sailing in Adelaide can be challenging from a wind perspective. The normally reliable sea breezes depart and are replaced by either 2 knots or 25 knots depending on the weather systems that roll in from the Great Australian Bight.

We had a great series and were first equal on handicap as we headed into the penultimate 3 lap windward leeward race held on Sunday the 11th August. The day turned out to be a cracker with an 8-14 knot breeze out of the North a sign that spring is just around the corner. After a conservative start we were second around the top mark and gave little away as we worked down-wind to the bottom gate. The longer boats started to eat into us upwind  on the second and third legs as the breeze built but we held on to third across the line after sailing a pretty much flawless race in terms of positioning the boat on the course and executing transitions. It turned out that we were giving too much time to a couple of the bigger boats but came away really happy to have secured 1st place in our own club results by 5 points and 2nd place by one point for the overall combined club series series.

It is a credit to the J/111’s great design that an inexperienced group can quickly get up to speed and extract the obvious potential that the boat has. Sailing HOROPITO has been fun and always rewarding. We are now looking forward to summer racing with the Adelaide – Port Lincoln race firmly in our sights."

The Port Lincoln Race is South Australia’s premier ocean racing event.  Nearly eighty boats leave Outer Harbour to compete in a 156 nautical mile race that takes them south west to Marion Reef at the foot of York Peninsula along the foot to the spectacular Cape Spencer then North West past Wedge and Thistle Islands and Dangerous Reef to the welcome of Port Lincoln nestled on Boston Bay.   For more Royal South Australian Winter Series sailing information

J/111 SYMMETRY Smokes Windjammer Race!

(San Francisco, CA)- This past weekend was the occasion for one of the most popular offshore classics in the San Francisco/ Monterrey Bay region that take place all summer long.  The Windjammer Race is the late summer dash of 67nm from San Francisco, past Año Nuevo, down the picturesque California coastline to the sunshine of Santa Cruz. For many, it's a great way to enjoy a Labor Day holiday weekend in the sun and join in with the "Day on The Bay" charity organization to support the "Big Brothers" and "Big Sisters" organization.

Celebrating more than most this past weekend may have been Howard Turner's brand new, fresh out-of-the-box, J/111 #91 called SYMMETRY.  Indeed, there was good "karma" for this team from Santa Cruz YC, as all the commissioning bits & pieces all magically came together in time to sail their first offshore race!  And, what a ride it was!

Up against the creme'de'la'creme of the Northern California offshore racing community, Turner's J/111 team on SYMMETRY simply blew the doors off their competition to take both class honors and overall fleet honors!  Their sleigh-ride down the California coastline was described as "breathtaking"!  With spinnakers up and all kinds of "laundry flying", the J/111 flew down the track and when the breeze came on they were just sitting at 20-22 kts boat-speed for minutes at a time, totally planed-off and "hauling the mail" down to Santa Cruz!

SYMMETRY's win was all the more astonishing since they beat the pants off other well-known, famous Left Coast sleds like the SC 50 ROLLER COASTER in 2nd, Greg Slyngstad's J/125 HAMACHI in 3rd, the SC 50 HANA HO in 4th and the infamous R/P 45 CRIMINAL MISCHIEF in 5th.  One can only begin to hear the drumbeat of why J/111's are so effective offshore-- this "newbie" crew simply proved it, again.  Given most conditions, the J/111 is simply a "roller-skate" once the wind is aft of abeam when it's smoking, or when it can launch a Code Zero and simply disappear on any fleet.  No wonder it's such a wildly successful, popular boat for the Chicago-Mackinac Race (a largely reaching race).  For more Windjammer Race sailing information

The B&G J-Cup Enjoys Dramatic Finale

(Plymouth, England)- With gusts close to 20 knots ripping through the race area in Plymouth Sound, the final day of the B&G J-Cup 2013, produced some ballistic action for the forty-five J/Teams that were in attendance. Hosted by the Royal Western Yacht Club, the J-Cup was also the venue for the Lifedge J/109 UK National Championship and the 2013 edition produced the closest finish in the 10 year history of the event. It was a fitting end to another fabulous weekend of sailing-- the sailors enjoyed near-perfect sailing conditions for most of the regatta, closing with an epic final day of sailing.

Day One Report:
The first day of racing could best be described as the "Champagne Opener".  A building sea breeze, topping out at 15 knots provided great sailing for the 300+ sailors that competed in four races, inside and outside of the Plymouth Breakwater. With several one designs taking to the race course, there was plenty of thrilling boat-on-boat action.

Tony Mack's McFly produced the goods on the first day, scoring three bullets in the J/111 fleet but Jamie Arnell's J/111, Jeez-Louise, which won the J/111 Class at Cowes Week, led IRC 1 at the J-Cup.

“We weren't very consistent today but we were bloody determined and we made up very well from poor positions, especially downwind.” said Jamie Arnell. “The crew work today was excellent, typified by the penultimate mark in the last race. It was a spinnaker drop to harden up with a lot of tide and the maneuver went like clockwork, super-fast, that gave us that few vital seconds but tomorrow we will need to improve if we are to succeed. Well done to Tony (Mack), he has had a bit of bad luck at Cowes Week and the European Championship, so it was great to see him score so well today.”

Day Two Report:
Day two was perhaps the trickiest day for sailing on Plymouth Sound. In stark contrast to the previous day's sublime sailing conditions, racing was delayed by lack of breeze.  Eventually, everyone got underway in the early afternoon, once a light and just race-able breeze stabilized. All classes got one good race in but the second was abandoned, as light rain killed off the gradient wind completely.

Jamie Arnell's J/111, Jeez-Louise continued to excel in IRC One, winning the day's race to open up a three point margin at the top of the leader board. Tony Mack's J/111, McFly wasn't far behind and with one more day to go, McFly could still catch Jeez-Louise. IRC Class One is likely to be won by one of these two yachts. However, there was a close battle for third place. David & Kirsty Apthorp's J/111, J Dream was lying third but four other J-Boats were still in the hunt for third place; Martin Miller's J/111, Velvet Elvis, Ian Dewhurst's J/133, Jump, Richard Barnes' J/111, Biela Munkenbeck and Jackie & Robert Dobson's J/133, Jeronimo.

Day Three Report:
The final day of racing was filled with drama, with lots of anxiety faced by tacticians on how best to handle their blood-thirsty competitors in the 15-20+ kts of big breeze and big seas.

In IRC One, Jamie Arnell's J/111, Jeez-Louise finished the regatta in style, winning the last race to take the class title from Tony Mack 's, J/111, McFly. Jackie and Robert Dobson's J/133, Jeronimo reveled in the big breeze winning race seven and finished third in class.

The official prize-giving was held at the National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth with a fine buffet supper celebrating the B&G J-Cup 2013. Surrounded by the UK's biggest collection of marine life, the regatta came to a close and the organisers are not aware of anyone ending up in the shark pool!  The organisers would like to thank the principle sponsors of the regatta; B&G, Fusion, North Sails, Fastnet, and Grapefruit Graphics. Thanks also to our supporting sponsors SLAM, Peters & May, Lombard, RS Divers, Ocean Safety, Lifedge and Harken.  Thanks for story contribution from Louay Habib.  J/Cup sailing video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9obIieub90w    Sailing photo credits- Tim Wright/ Photoaction.com    For more B&G J/Cup Regatta sailing information

J/Teams Enjoy Brilliant Chester Race Week!

(Chester, Nova Scotia)- Competitors from across Canada and the Eastern Seaboard descended upon the picturesque fishing village of Chester, Nova Scotia for Canada’s largest keelboat regatta – Chester Race Week, sailed from August 14th to 17th.

Under variable conditions that included light air, fog and medium air with brilliant sunshine along with the 183' Fidelis anchored in the inner harbour in Chester, 133 yachts competed in this years running of Chester Race Week.

The Alpha Distance 1 class championship at this years Chester Race Week was tough sledding for many.  Taking third was Chester YC's Dave Connolly onboard the J/111 STAMPEDER.

In Alpha Distance 2 division,  Mark Surrette's J/111 BLAST finished second in class.   Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes (timwilkes.com) & Steve Jess (stevejess.com)   For more Chester Race Week sailing information

J/111 Xcentric Ripper- Fastnet Sailing video

(Plymouth, England)- J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER sailed by John van de Starre and Robin Verhoef sailed well again in this year's Fastnet Race sailing in the IRC Double-handed class.  Here's a video sequence by videographer Robin Knight of them flying along under main, code zero and jib on starboard tack headed to Fastnet Rock-- with no one on the helm!!  They're using, of course, a powerful auto-pilot on the steering quadrant to enable one person on deck to trim sails and adjust the autopilot magnetic course.  Get a feeling for their experience by viewing this short YouTube sailing video.

B&G J/Cup Regatta Preview

(Plymouth, England)- Competitors are gearing up for an exciting B&G J-Cup 2013, scheduled to take place in Plymouth this week- August 21st to 24th. The event returns to the Royal Western Yacht Club in Queen Anne’s Battery Marina for the first time in six years, and comprises the Lombard J/97 UK National Championships and the Lifedge J/109 UK National Championships. The J/105s, J/70s and J/111s will be racing one design, the latter two classes building on the momentum of racing one design at Cowes Week this month, a first for both boats. The remainder of the fleet will race in mixed IRC J Boat classes.

Racing starts on Thursday 22nd August.  The J/111 Class has five boats racing on a level rating basis at the J-Cup this year, three of which enjoyed champagne sailing conditions in the J/111 Class at Cowes Week. David and Kirsty Apthorp’s J-Dream will be fighting off the competition to retain their title from 2012.

In usual J-Cup style we’re set for a massive event: six classes, eight races inside and out of the breakwater, two National Championships, an anticipated 50 boat entry, 400 sailors, live entertainment every night, fantastic sponsor support from B&G and Fusion, prizes galore including North Sails daily prizes, vouchers from Lifedge, RS Divers and Grapefruit Graphics, bags and clothing from SLAM, Lombard and Harken, plus extra goodies from Peters & May and Ocean Safety, and of course the infamous J-Cup Prize-giving Party on the final Saturday, this year to be held at the spectacular National Marine Aquarium, where the winners will be presented with some beautiful locally made trophies sponsored by Fastnet Insurance. A live blog from the race-track can be found at the event website.

Title sponsor B&G will also be providing some special prizes on the final night. Alan Davis, Product Line Director for B&G said: “We are delighted to be supporting the J-Cup 2013, it promises to offer fast and exciting racing, and is one of the highlights of the UK racing calendar. The B&G team is particularly looking forward to meeting the competitors, working with Key Yachting and being an integral part of this fantastic regatta.”   Sailing photo credits-  Tim Wright   For more J/Cup Regatta sailing information

Fastnet Race Report

 
J-Doublehanders a Tour'd'Force
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)-  The international attraction of the Fastnet Race is unquestionable. The race organizers, the Royal Ocean Racing Club and in particular its CEO, Eddie Warden Owen (who has 7 races under his belt and is a pedigreed J/24 European & United Kingdom Champion) are quick to recognize the status the race has achieved and its widespread popularity. “It’s the people’s Everest of the ocean,” says Warden Owen. “It’s a tough challenge but one people enjoy.” A view plainly echoed by the some 3,000 sailors drawn to the contest every two years and the intrepid yachtsmen who have gone before.

Over 20 different nations from four continents sailed this years Fastnet. Around 40% of fleet and half the sailors are non-British.  From the United States to Russia, the United Arab Emirates to Australia, the fleet reflects the continued international reach of the sport of offshore yacht racing pitting together the finest professional sailors and passionate Corinthians. From young Omani female sailor Raiya al Habsi, taking on the event for the first time, to 83-year old Dutchman Piet Vroon making the nautical pilgrimage to the Fastnet rock for a 25th time, the allure is irresistible.


The majority of the record-breaking 336 race starters share two common goals: the first naturally enough is to finish this 611-nautical mile test of skill and character. The second is to win the event overall and to claim the coveted Rolex Fastnet Challenge Cup and Rolex timepiece.

In IRC 2A Class, the winning French team from 2011 sailing J/122 NUTMEG IV, with skipper Francois Lognone, again sailed a great race to capture a 4th place.  Behind them in 9th were the Netherlands J/122 JUNIQUE sailed by double-handers Chris Revelman & Pascal Bakker.  And, in 10th was the French J/122 LORELEI sailed by Alain Catherineau.  After them were a trio of J/111s from 13th to 15th: OJE (Andrew Hill), BRITISH SOLDIER (Henry Foster) and XCENTRIC RIPPER (John van der Starre & Robin Verhoef- who also sailed doublehanded).

The double-handed world saw a record forty-five entrants and, again, the J/Class sailed remarkably well considering the difficult conditions.  A former J/105 stablemate (the French father/son Poison team) won the entire Fastnet Race overall (kudos to them!).  Not far off the pace behind them were the third place Netherlands team on the J/122 JUNIQUE (Chris Revelman & Pascal Bakker), the fourth place J/109 JANGADA TOO (Richard Palmer) the eighth place J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER (John van der Starre & Robin Verhoef) and the ninth place J/122 J-BELLINO (Rob Craigie).  As a fleet, the J/Teams did great, capturing nearly 50% of the top prizes in the 45 boat strong doublehanded fleet!  Sailing photo credits- Rolex/ Kurt Arrigo.  For more Rolex Fastnet Race sailing information

J/Teams Love Champagne Sailing At Cowes Race Week!

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- As Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week 2013 drew to a close on Saturday evening, organisers Cowes Week Limited (CWL) reflected on another highly successful regatta which saw an increase in overall entry and visitor numbers, plus online interaction figures which already surpass the totals seen for the whole of 2012.

With the exception of a forced lay-day on Tuesday 6 August, the conditions provided some champagne sailing throughout the Week and at the overall prize-giving on Saturday evening, there were many happy faces. Stuart Quarrie, CEO of Cowes Week Limited commented: “It’s been a fantastic, very rewarding week. The weather Gods have been smiling on us and it’s a testament to the huge efforts of our entire team that this year’s regatta has been so successful”.

Martin Gilbert, CEO of title sponsor, Aberdeen Asset Management, added: “There was a terrific buzz around this year’s event and there was a tremendously exciting atmosphere. Our guests all had a great time and it felt like the event achieved even more positive press coverage than in previous years. We’re all tired but happy after the week, it couldn’t have gone any better.”

Five J One-Design classes participated in this year's Cowes Race Week (J/70, J/80, J/105, J/109, J/111), a record number of fleets for any sailboat brand by a significant margin and in six of the nine IRC handicap racing and cruising classes, J/Teams placed several teams in the top ten plus winning two of them.

Racing in the nine boat J/111 was extremely tight for most of the series with just twelve points separating the top five in the end.  Some boats started strong but had a few niggles to deal with in their scores, others started slow and closed with a flourish of good races.  Sailing the most consistently and avoiding any enormous pitfalls was James Arnell's JEEZ LOUISE, posting a 1-2-3-1-1-4 tally for 8 pts net to take class honors.  Sailing quite fast but dealing with a few niggles was Duncan McDonald's SHMOKIN JOE, bobbing and weaving to a 2-1-5-3-4-1 record for 11 pts net to snare second overall.  Starting out quite slowly, but clearly finding a second or third gear for the last four races was TOE IN THE WATER led by Capt Lloyd Hamilton MBE. TOE's 8-7-4-2-2-2 scoreline for 17 pts net was just enough for them to win the tie-breaker for third overall.  Losing the tie-break was past champion J-DREAM sailed by David & Kirsty Apthorp, posting a 4-4-2-4-3-5 tally for 17 pts net.  Also starting fast but having a tough go of it for the last three races was Tony Mack's MCFLY, having to settle for fifth with a 3-3-1-10-7-6 record for 20 pts net.  Sailing photo credits- Rick Tomlinson    For more Cowes Week sailing information

WINDCZAR- The Wind Wizards Win J/111 North Americans

(Chicago, IL)- The last day of the International J/111 class inaugural North American Championships dawned with the prospect that just about any team in the top six boats could win the regatta.  With a promising breeze flowing in from the east at dawn onto the spectacular Chicago shoreline and slowly building for the day (at least that was the forecast) the final day of racing could be a real battleground.  Could the Lucky Dubsters pull it off to win and maintain their lead?  Or, could the wind wizards on WINDCZAR pull it out of their hats?  And, if they could sail magnificently in their last day, could the MENTAL crew pull the rabbit out of the hat and take it all?

With racing scheduled to start at 1030 hrs, the Chicago YC PRO and crew did a magnificent job to get the ball rolling and after two general recalls the fleet took off into an ESE breeze at 105 degrees blowing 5-7 kts. With yet another "classic southeast sea-breeze" building the big question would be which way the "locals" would go and how would the "foreigners" figure it all out?  With the breeze fluctuating from 90 to 125 degrees, it was anyone's guess what would happen.  As it turns out, just about any strategy worked so long as you stayed on the lifted tack. For the top five boats, it was going to pose a difficult challenge.

Sailing "lights out" was Richard Lehmann's crew on WINDCZAR taking the lead in the regatta with a first place in race nine while Len Siegal's LUCKY DUBIE had to score their worst race in the series, a tenth.  Paul Stahlberg's crew on MENTAL sailed a great race, working their way through the fleet to register a fourth and put themselves in a position to have a shot at the overall title. 

With the stage set for the last race, it was anyone's guess what the outcome would be for the overall title.  In the end, Lehmann's team on WINDCZAR stayed out of trouble, sailed a smart and conservative race to finish third and were crowned the first overall J/111 North American Champions!  While their disastrous ninth race hurt their chances at the overall title, Len Siegal's crew on LUCKY DUBIE concluded their regatta with an emphatic first place in race ten to take the second spot overall. Sailing their hearts out all week were Paul Stahlberg's MENTAL crew.  Just a few points off the lead going into Sunday, their 4th in the first race kept them in contention for the lead.  However, their last race performance became their toss race, dropping them into third overall.  Fourth in the regatta was Marty Roesch's VELOCITY crew from Annapolis, Maryland and fifth was Bill Smith's WOOTON crew from Bay Harbor, Michigan.

The J/111 crews all had a wonderful time.  Thanks to the sponsors SLAM Gear, Stearns Boating, Skyway Yachtworks and friends of Chicago Yacht Club.  Furthermore, the Chicago YC Race Committee and PRO did an admirable job of producing great racing in what many would consider to be very challenging wind conditions. 

Sailing photo credits- Meredith Block @ Blocksail.com
Social Media credits- Alan Block @ Blocksail.com

For more J/111 North Americans sailing information

Dramatic Roller-Coaster Day Three for J/111 NA's

(Chicago, IL)- No one could have scripted the extraordinary day experienced by the fourteen J/111s that are sailing in their inaugural J/111 North American Championship.  With a forecasted easterly breeze in the 4-7 knots range and an insane amount of chop bouncing off the Chicago city waterfront (with a few thousand powerboats adding their wakes into the mix watching the Chicago Air & Water Show), it was anyone's guess who would continue to lead the fleet after day three.

What was known was the "wind wizards" on Richard Lehmann's WINDCZAR team from Harbor Springs, Michigan only had to stay in sequence with the breeze and walk off with the regatta.  Or, at least that seemed to be the case after their dominating performance on Friday.  Not to be discounted as a contender was the fact that the LUCKY DUBIE gang spearheaded by Len Siegal were not far off the pace and that Paul Stahlberg's MENTAL gang of merrymakers had a shot at the gold.

The day dawned with a beautiful sunrise and an easterly breeze in the 4-6 knots range and the Chicago YC PRO determined the fleet had to start far enough offshore to mitigate the enormous spectator chop from powerboats partaking in the Chicago waterfront festivities.  It was a good idea!  The first race started off in an ESE breeze in the 135-140 degrees range. From there it was anything but obvious that the left hand side of the course would pay off for the rest of the day sailing upwind. 

Starting fast off the starboard end of the line in the first race of the day, William Smith's WOOTON simply sailed off to the left, tacked once for the weather mark and won the race by a country mile.  Simple, smart and a no-brainer.  Sailing an incredibly smart race behind them was Rob Ruhlman's SPACEMAN SPIFF from Lakeside YC in Ohio, taking second place after rounding the weather mark in the top half of the fleet.  Also showing signs of brilliance were Dr George Miz's team on IMPULSE, sailing fast and taking a third in a closely fought race.

In the second race, Smith's WOOTON followed the same formula.  Why not?  Start conservatively, sail higher and faster than anyone around them and simply win the race!  That's exactly what they did.  Starting mid-line, they took off and after a few hundred yards simply sailed away from the fleet, taking their second first in a row with a dominating performance.  Second was Dave Irish's NO SURPRISE crew from Harbor Springs, MI and third was Paul Stahlberg's ascendant Milwaukee crew on MENTAL.

The third race proved to be the roller-coaster ride so far for the regatta.  For many, the "wheels fell off the shopping trolley", in other words, like the proverbial "Icarus" flying too close to the sun, their wings got burnt off and came crashing down to the reality of Earth.  Remarkably, the regatta leader WINDCZAR fell into that category.  After a brilliant second day, the "wind wizards" posted a 6-8-8 for the day to drop into a tie for second place one point off the lead!  The Lucky Dubsters led by Señor Siegal sailed a solid day to take a 4-7-2 for the day to become, again, the regatta leaders by one point.  Finishing in triumphant fashion after their first two races was Stahlberg's MENTAL, improving every race to post a 5-3-1 score to emphatically put their mark on their bid for top honors overall.  Tied with them is Marty Roesch's VELOCITY team from Annapolis, Maryland in the top five.  Just behind this group with a shot at the top three are Rob Ruhlman's SPACEMAN SPIFF, Brauer's FLEETWING, and Miz's IMPULSE.

Tomorrow promises to be another cliff-hanger for the fleet with a light ESE breeze that will likely be fed by an onshore sea-breeze effect midday.  The fact the lead has changed hands so dramatically in the last two days and that the top five are all within ten points of one another means the championship is wide open for the team that can rise to the occasion.

Sailing photo credits- Meredith Block @ Blocksail.com
Social Media credits- Alan Block @ Blocksail.com

For more J/111 North Americans sailing information