ESCAPE'D TIGGER Wins By A Whisker!

J/105 & J/33 Win Epic Santa Barbara-King Harbor Race
(Santa Barbara, CA)- The SB-KH distance race that spans 81 nm has been a tradition for Santa Barbara YC and King Harbor YC for nearly 40 years.  The blast around the Channel Islands offshore down to King Harbor is never an easy race, but it's clearly the most fun when the fleet starts off on a blast reach, sets the kites at the first turning point off the Channel Islands and head SSE toward Los Angeles under spinnaker, surfing constantly on the ginormous Pacific swell.  This year it was nearly a record run, making for epic rides sledding downhill towards the finish with many boats finishing by midnight!

15 J/Teams (17% of the total fleet) headed south out around the famous Channel Islands off the western coast of Los Angeles along with 71 other teams in what turned out to be one of the fastest ever races on record for the 81nm blast out around the islands.  The fastest 70 footers covered the race in 6 hrs, 48 min.  The fastest J/Team was the J/145 RADIO FLYER, covering the same distance in 8 hrs, 52 min- a 9 kt average over a race course that sees many highs and lows.

Here was the forecast for the race:

FRI
WINDS VARIABLE 10 KT OR LESS...BECOMING W 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.
WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 2 TO 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
PATCHY FOG IN THE MORNING.

FRI NIGHT
W WINDS 10 TO 20 KT WITH LOCAL GUSTS TO 25 KT IN THE EVENING...BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT.
WIND WAVES 2 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 2 TO 3 FT.
PATCHY FOG AFTER MIDNIGHT.

That's from the USA NOAA weather forecast center!  Perfect sailing?!  Shirts. Shorts. Shades. Lots of sun-screen.  Plenty of wind and sunshine.  Yup, pretty damn close to perfect.

It was a glorious morning for the start and the wind picked up about 30 minutes after the start.  It was a phenomenal race, the wind held up in the 20s until well after dark, and even when it lightened it went south so the angles were hot and the surfs were long and many. On Larry Leveille's J/29 RUSH STREET, they reported they had only had four guys, "so gybing and/or peeling in 25 kts after dark was hearts-in-mouth stuff, but the boat relished it and the boys made it look easy."

From a divisional basis, here's how it all shook out amongst the primary players in this classic  "SoCal" offshore race.

In PHRF B, the first boat on handicap was the J/33 TIGGER sailed by Fred & Suzanne Cottrell, plus they were 6th in fleet-- repeat offenders!!  They won their class last year, too!  This time around lying in 5th was the J/124 MARISOL sailed by Islands Race winner Seth Hall.

In PHRF C, there's no question that local Santa Barbarian Larry Levielle and team have this race pretty much "dialed-in", like their TIGGER friends.  While 2nd last year, Larry's added yet more silverware to his trophy cabinet now busting with pickle-dishes, artwork and bowls from races past, garnering a well-deserved 3rd in class and 15th in fleet on his J/29 RUSH STREET!

In what may have been a wise move or a "political move", the race managers decided to create a Sprit PHRF fleet and toss all the fast-moving VMC/VMG flyers into the same group-- quite a broad range of PHRF numbers here!  J/92s at 90 to J/122s at 18!  Nevertheless, as one might expect, the outcome was that 9 of the top 10 were J/Teams.  Starting with the Top 8.  So, the J/105 ESCAPADE sailed by Mark Noble wins for the second year in a row (only a two-peat) and can lay claim to be "prodder master of western civilization" (or at least in SoCal).  2nd was the J105 OFF THE PORCH (Scott McDaniel), 3rd the J/120 SHENANIGANS (Gary Winton), 4th the J105 ARMIDA (Tom Bollay), 5th the infamous J120 POLE DANCER (Tom & Terri Manok), 6th the J92 DOUBLE DOWN (Brian Kerr), 7th the J109 LINSTAR (John Shulze), 8th the J111 JATO (Webster/Moorhead) and 10th the luxurious cruiser-racer J/122 SUNDAY TICKET (Daniel Scouler).

While the Sprit PHRF Class was dominated by J/Teams, their compatriots in Sprit ULDB B nearly managed to do the same!  2nd was the J125 TIMESHAVER sailed by Viggo Torbensen and 4th was the gorgeous candy-apple-red J145 RADIO FLYER sailed by Carolyn Parks.  For more Santa Barbara-King Harbor Race sailing results

J/Teams Sweep Chicago-Mackinac Race

J/111 One-Designs Smoke the Fleet!
(Mackinac Island, Michigan)- For the enormous fleet of boats sailing in this year's Chicago-Mackinac Race, the forecasts weren't the most promising in the world for a fast passage north on the 289nm course to Mackinac Island.  As the morning dawned with a light southwesterly gradient breeze, it was becoming clear to the "locals" that a sea-breeze would likely develop and by early afternoon power the fleet down the course in an 8-13 knot southeasterly breeze.  The Double-handed fleet took off in near drifting conditions which include a J/29 and J/105.  About an hour later, the big divisions of J/105s, J/109s, J/111s and J/120s all took off in a building sea-breeze reinforced by the gradient.

Because of the stronger than forecast sea breeze, the race became an enormous chess match on the water, with all teams focused on when the breeze would shift from the southeast to southwest and then play gybing angles all the way down the Michigan shoreline, passing the famous Point Betsie turning point to head further NE towards the Greys Reef 3nm passage before turning to 97 degree for the final sprint to 30nm to the finish line off the famously picturesque Round Island Lighthouse off Mackinac Island.  The tale of the tape for various classes came down to two major decision points, when was the first gybe made in the middle of the lake late Saturday evening when the winds went from about 170-185 degrees to 200-220 degrees and when teams made the decision to gybe and go inshore along the Pt Betsie/Michigan shoreline to stay in breeze with more velocity.

All the J/Teams had some great racing, as demonstrated by their extraordinary performances overall in the Mackinac CUp Trophy fleet standings.  The first NINE of the Top 10 Teams were J/Boats owners.  12 of Top 15 were J/Teams and 16 of the Top 25! J/111s were 8 of Top 15 and 11 of Top 20!! An unprecedented sweep of the top 25 positions-- the best ever by any brand in the history of the Mackinac Race (or for that matter any major offshore race around the world).  Here is how the top 25 teams faired

1st- J/109 REALT NA MARA- Tom & Joe Londrigan
2nd- J/109 NORTHSTAR- David Gustman
3rd- J/111 KASHMIR- Brummel/ Henderson/ Mayer
4th- J/111 VELOCITY- Marty Roesch
5th- J/111 NO SURPRISE- Dave Irish
6th- J/111 NIGHTHAWK- Tom Edman & Steve Dabrowski
7th- J/122 SUFFICIENT REASON- Mitch Padnos
8th- J/111 IMPULSE- George Miz, Peter Dreher, Mark Hatfield
9th- J/111 WIND CZAR- Richard Lehman
13th- J/111 MENTAL- Paul Stahlberg
14th- J/120 NIGHT MOVES- Henry Mistele
15th- J/111 ROWDY- Rich Witzel
20th- J/111 MISTY- Tom McIntosh
21st- J/111 LUCKY DUBIE- Len Siegal
22nd- J/120 PERSEVERANCE- Matt Songer
23rd- J/109 KIII- Irv Kerbel

In addition to doing well overall, the four J/One-Design divisions had extremely close racing amongst their colleagues.  According to Mike Mayer, a partner in the J-111 KASHMIR, the 10-boat J/111 one-design fleet battled all the way up the lake. "What a fun race," said Mayer. "We had multiple lead changes throughout. Going through the Manitous we had eight boats within a mile of each other. What great racing."  Winning the 111 one-designs was the team on KASHMIR- Brummel/ Henderson/ Mayer and it was their 2nd Mac race win after 2011!! Putting on an amazing performance for being "newbies" to the Mac were the strong Annapolis team led by Marty Roesch on VELOCITY, finishing second after a duel with their classmates going into the final five miles of the race.  Third was Dave Irish's NO SURPRISE, fourth was NIGHTHAWK sailed by the dynamic duo of Tom Edman & Steve Dabrowski and fifth was IMPULSE led by the trio of Dr George Miz, Peter Dreher and Mark Hatfield.  Incredibly the entire J/111 one-design class all finished less than 50 minutes apart after the long race, perhaps one of the smallest "spreads" ever in a one-design class-- great racing for all!

The J/109s again proved they're one of the toughest fleets to beat on Lake Michigan, liking the light to moderate off-the-wind breezes.  Top boat in the Mac and J/109 Class winner was the J/109 REALT NA MARA sailed by Tom and Joe Londrigan.  Second was NORTHSTAR (David Gustman), third was KIII (Irv Kerbel), fourth the trio on MOMENTUS (Kevin Saedi/ George and Robin Simkins) and fifth was CERTAINLY (Don Meyer).

Amongst the J/105s, it was also a tough race amongst these evenly matched teams.  Leading the pack home was Mark Gurney's BUZZ, followed by Mark Symond's PTERODACTYL in second, Clark Pellet's SEALARK in third, GOOD LOOKIN (Dean & Lana Walsh) in fourth and fifth was Nancy Glover's TEMPEST.

Top gun in the J/120s was Henry Mistele's NIGHT MOVES, finishing 14th overall and winning the 120 class.  22nd overall and 2nd in class was Matt Songer's PERSEVERANCE, third was Bob Kirkman's HOT TICKET, fourth Frank Kern's CARINTHIA and fifth Bob Klairmont's SCIROCCO 2.

In the handicap world, Section 2 saw the two J/145s finish next to one another. Grabbing 4th and 5th, respectively, were Chris Saxton's VORTICES and Bill Schanen's MAIN STREET.

Section 3 saw another repeat winner!  The original J/122 SKYE was bought by Mitch Padnos and Tracy Brand and is now the current SUFFICIENT REASON!  Mitch and crew were incredibly happy with their performance, repeating the J/122s win in this division for the second time in four years!  Eighth in class was the J/133 RENEGADE sailed by Tom and Beth-Ann Papoutsis, ninth was the J/130 EDGE (Bob McManus) and tenth was the  J/130 WILLIE J (Doug Petter).

Section 5 also saw another repeat winner, perhaps a three-peat winner?  First was the J/109 VANDA III sailed by Jack & Jim Tolliver and Jim Mitchell with a great crew consisting of Simon Minoprio and Rodney Keenan from Auckland, New Zealand and Dallas Kilponen from Sydney, Australia along with Jimmie's dad "James".  Congratulations to them as they were 4th overall in the Mackinac Trophy division.

The Section 6 sailors must've felt a bit overwhelmed by the presence of 35 foot J/Teams sailing amongst them-- which, ultimately, took 7 of the top 10 in section!  The winner was a classic cruiser/racer, the J/110 LADY K sailed by Mike Stewart.  Third was the J/35 AFTERSHOCK (Bill Newman), 5th the J/92 SPLIT DECISION (Bruce Santerre), 6th the J/35 BOZO'S CIRCUS (Bruce Metcalf), 7th the J/35 TOUCH OF GREY (Larry Schell), 8th the J/33 RETRIEVER (Matt Beer) and 10th the J/35 SHEARWATER (Tom Anthony).

Finally, the Double-Handed Trophy was again won for the third year in a row, the proverbial "three-peat" for J/Teams by the J/29 TFWB RELENTLESS sailed George and Scott Petritz.  They were following up the previous year's double-winner, the former J/122 SKYE sailed by Bill Zeiler and Richie Stearns.  Fifth overall in DH was the J/105 OCH! sailed by Brendan Docherty and Jim Hilliard.  For more Chicago Mackinac sailing information

J/111 Wins Bayview-Mac Race

J/29 Wins Double, J/44 Wins Too!
(Port Huron, Michigan)- The 233 boats that sailed this year's Bayview Mac sailed a fairly typical race on Lake Huron in the middle of the summer.  With no significant weather systems roaring by at a frenetic pace, it was the usual stuff of Lake Huron lore-- light to medium winds, variable, starting south, shifting west, maybe shifting northwest, but then going back west.  In the end, it means only one thing for the "long" Cove Island course, a somewhat reachy, runny leg up to the Canadian shore followed by a long beat of sorts to Mackinac Island.  For the short course guys, it would be mostly a reachy race.  Such was the tale of the tape this time around, almost two completely different races, "the reach up the beach" or the "two sides of a bad triangle."

Sailing the Division I Cove island course were a trio of J's that found the difficult conditions much to their liking.  In fact, the more difficult and variable, the better this trio of boats were going to perform in this race.  Sailing PHRF C were two J/111s and a "classic" J/33.  To no one's surprise, the wiley old fox of the Great Lakes, Dave Irish from Harbor Springs, Michigan, again won his class for the second year in a row sailing his appropriately named NO SURPRISE! Dave is a veteran of a few dozen Mac Races, so it stood to reason that if anyone was going to figure out how to sail the Cove Island Course fast, it was Dave and crew.  Not far off the pace was the J/33 SHENANIGAN sailed by Dick & Dan Synowiec, getting a third in the division.  And, perhaps most surprisingly was the strong showing for their first time in the "racing" division of the J/111 UNPLUGGED sailed by Tim Clayson (last year's winners overall in the Cruising Division)!  They sailed to a well-deserved 4th overall in a tough, competitive fleet.

On the short course, the eight J/120s sailed a classic one-design race with many familiar faces dueling it out for line honors.  Many of the pre-race favorites were in for a surprise.  Leading the gang home was Ken Brown's JAYHAWKER in first place.  They were followed by a bunch of Canadians upsetting the American apple cart, preventing a clean sweep of the podium.  Gerald Hines team on IRRESISTIBLE TOO from Ontario finished second.  Third was J/120 ring-leader Frank Kern on CARINTHIA, four was Bob Kirkman's HOT TICKET and fifth was Don Hudak's CAPERS.

The Level 35 Class proved to be a J/35 "tour'de'force" with a record number of eight J/35s racing.  After the smoke cleared in this incredibly competitive class, it was a very familiar face at the top of the podium- the amazingly famous MR BILL'S WILD RIDE sailed by Bill Wildner, of course!  Second was the very experienced FALCON team sailed by Ed (43 PH Macs) and John (37 PH Macs) Bayer (only 250+ Bayview Mac Races amongst the crew-- e.g. "been there, done that" 100x!).  Amongst the 35s, Robert Gordenker's TIME MACHINE ensured J/35s took the majority of the top five with a 5th place!

In PHRF D Class the fleet of J/105s had many well-sailed boats, but it was Mark Symonds' PTERODACTYL that delivered and took home the bronze for 3rd place this time around.   In PHRF E, the J/44 SAGITTA sailed by its co-owners/skippers, both past Commodores of Bayview Yacht Club, Com. Larry Oswald (1990) and Com. Jon Somes (2000) proved, yet again, why they're considered "Grand Masters of the Huron Universe", taking it home against a tough group to secure a solid first place in their division.  For PHRF F Class, the classic J/36 POLARITY sailed by Murphy Palmer, the last of its breed as J/36 hull #55, pulled off a 5th in class! A similarly classic J/34 IOR design, SEA FEVER, also managed a third place in PHRF G class sailed by an incredibly experienced Mac Race team, led by Den Balcirak and Tom Burleson from Grosse Point Woods, Michigan.

Finally, in the Double-handed Division IV group, the J/Teams again proved they can sail their boats faster more consistently than any of their short-handed competitors.  A well-proven scenario in Fastnet Races, TransPac Races and Trans-Atlantic Races over time.  In this case, it was the J/29 PATRIOT sailed by David and Lyndon Lattie that won their class and a fellow J-sailors on the J/105 PIRANA (CJ Ruffing and Chris Ongena) pulled off a dramatic third place finish to round out the podium!  For more Bayview-Mackinac sailing information

Chicago-Mac Race Preview

NEW J/111 One-Design Class Ready-to-go!
(Chicago, IL)- The famous offshore yachting classic in the Great Lakes is about to get underway with over 300 boats undergoing last minute preparations for the 289nm dash from Chicago up Lake Michigan to that quaint, cute little island called Mackinac sandwiched between the top of Michigan and the Canadian border.  This annual right of passage has enough of a tradition for offshore sailors in the Great Lakes that those old sailors who never die and come back for more are honored, even revered, by those in the know-- that secret society known as "the Old Goats Society".

This reunion of sailors from across the greater Midwest (and the World) is celebrated first at the famous Chicago YC Monroe St Station, then after a few days on the water, is re-celebrated again with even taller stories to tell of what happened in the race conquering 'ole Mother Nature.  Ever heard about the boat planing past competitors in 95 kt winds under bare poles with lightning lighting the way home.  Or, the one about surfing the front of a water spout to the finish while God's light show of lightning bolts blew out all the instruments are were lighting up the carbon fiber in the jib like St Elmo's fire?  Yup.  Mac Racers have seen it all, heard it all --ironically there's even some truth in those "Paul Bunyan-type" stories for many who frequent the infamous Pink Pony Bar & Restaurant, de facto post-race headquarters for the thousands of weary sailors.

Gathering under the tents and along the docks of Chicago's waterfront are some of the world's better sailors and certainly a remarkably strong contingent of J sailors from across the lakes, including visitors coming from afar to participate in one of the true "Lake classics".  Four J/One-Design classes are represented- J/105s, J/109s, J/111s and J/120s.  It's the first year for the J/111 One-Design class, first for the Mac Race, too.  Plus, there are J/Teams spread throughout the Double-handed and handicap classes, many who've proven time and again they're not only champions in their own classes and divisions, but quite a few who've won the variations of the Mackinac Island races overall!

Starting with the one-design classes, it's quite exciting to see the J/111 speedster evolve into a full-blown one-design racing class in this eponymous offshore race.  There are ten J/111s entered and, quite frankly, there's no telling how it's all going to end up at the finish line.  What J/111 owners and their teams have proven to date is that just about anyone can win, especially an offshore race like the Mac.  The J/111 is so fast offshore, that anyone getting any leverage on their classmates extracts fast and enormous gains.  And, it works both ways. Especially if you're the boat behind, you're never out of the hunt for a podium finish, as last year's Mac Race proved for the five 111s that sailed in that stormy race!  Amongst the top contenders will be teams that have competed in Key West, Charleston, Annapolis, Newport, Bayview and Chicago over the past year.  From Chicago, you have several winners of recent regattas, including Paul Stahlberg's MENTAL, IMPULSE (Dr George Miz, Peter Dreher, Mark Hatfield), KASHMIR (the Mayer, Henderson, Brummel team), Tom McIntosh's MISTY and Tom Edman/ Steve Dabrowski's NIGHTHAWK. Newcomer to the Chicago fleet, the J/109 Great Lakes Champion Len Siegal, is sailing his new J/111 LUCKY DUBIE! From Annapolis is one of their top boats, VELOCITY sailed by Marty Roesch from Annapolis YC.  And, past year's double Mac Race winner NO SURPRISE sailed by Great Lakes racing legend Dave Irish should be amongst the top of this incredibly talented fleet.

The J/120s have a few Lakes legends of their own sailing amongst their one-design class along with some newly revamped programs all looking to dial-up their programs to take a shot at the top of the fleet.  From the Bayview Mac Race, you'll see all the top teams- CARINTHIA (Frank Kern), JAYHAWKER (David Sandlin), IRRESISTIBLE TOO (Gerald & Joanne Hines)- plus add in two strong Chicago teams in the form of SCIROCCO 2 (Bob Klairmont) and JAHAZI (Frank Giampoli) and it's likely you will find it hard to pry these teams apart even going into the finish line just short of Mackinac Island!

The J/105s have the largest J/One-Design fleet with fourteen boats participating.  Some familiar names will be contenders, including the recent Bayview Mac top J/105, Mary Symond's PTERODACTYL from Grosse Point YC and then add in top local Chicago boats like Tom and Gyt Petkus' VYTIS, Clark Pellett's team on SEALARK and John Weglarz's inmates already running THE ASYLUM and you have the makings of a 289nm gunfight at the OK Corral-- tough teams having a great time!

Not to be outdone by their other 35 foot sisterships, the J/109 class has ten strong teams racing to Mackinac Island, many of whom are past Mac podium finishers, Sailing World NOOD Regatta winners and Verve Cup winners.  Like their J/111 friends, the J/109s can see just about any boat finish in the top three due to the competitiveness of the fleet, nevertheless likely to be amongst the top boats will be MOMENTUS (Kevin Saedi and George & Robin Simkins), REALT NA MARA (Tom & Joe Londrigan), NORTHSTAR (David Gustman), K-III (Irv Kerbel) and DRIVEN 2 (Jim Milliken from Traverse City, MI).

In the handicap classes will be a wide variety of J's participating, from J/42s to J/145s.  In the Cruising I Division will be the J/42 ANOTHER J sailed by Conrad Dieter from Minnesota.  In Double-handed division will be the J/105s GONZO (Ken Ganch) and OCH! (Brendan Docherty) and the J/29 TFWB RELENTLESS (George & Scott Petritz).  In Section 2, there will be two J/145s fighting in out with some Santa Cruz 52s, Tripp 47s and Neiman-Marcus 43-50 footers. Both J/145s, VORTICES (Chris Saxton) and MAIN STREET (Bill Schanen, publisher of SAILING MAGAZINE) are tough contenders, both having won their classes in the various Mac Races.  Section 3 sees three J/130s, a J/122, J/133 and J/124 all slugging it out with Farr 395s and Sydney 41s for class honors.  Mitch Padnos's J/122 SUFFICIENT REASON, the J/124 STILL MESSIN (Adam & Jerome Esselman), the J/133 RENEGADE (Tom and Beth Ann Papoutsis), and the J/130s SALSA (Jim Gignac), WILLIE J (Doug Petter), EDGE (Bob McManus) will amongst the class leaders.  In Section 4 is the J/46 WINDRUSH from Lake Forest sailed by George Hender.  Section 5 has the "sleeper Q ship" in the fleet, the J/109 VANDA III sailed by past Chicago-Mac Winners Jimmy Mitchell and Jack & Jim Tolliver.  Section 6 seems to be a 35 footer shoot-out with J/35s, a J/33, J/110 and J/92 dueling it out with Beneteau 10R's, Shock 35s and Thomas 35s.  In the end, the J/110 LADY K (Mike Stewart), the J/92 SPLIT DECISION (Bruce Santerre), the J/33 RETRIEVER (Matt Beer) and the J/35s BOZO'S CIRCUS (Bruce Metcalf), HOUQUA (Jack Andree) and TOUCH OF GREY (Larry Schell) will all be scrapping for the podium by Monday-  OMG, what a tough fleet to sail against (please note- some of these boats have all won Mac Overalls in the past, too)! Finally in Section 7 is the J/92 CYCLONE sailing against, of all things, old NA 40s for silverware!   Chicago Mackinac Race Yellowbrick tracking   For more Chicago Mackinac sailing information

Bayview Mackinac Preview

(Port Huron, MI)- Starting July 14th 233 boats will be sailing from Port Huron, Michigan north up Lake Huron to finish at the fabled summer resort known as Mackinac Island.  The Bayview Mac is comprised of two courses, one is known as "the short course" and takes those classes up the Michigan shoreline on the western side of Lake Huron for 204nm.  The bigger, faster boats sail the "Cove Island course" (e.g. the big course) and from the start head in a northerly course towards a buoy off the Canadian coastline called the "Cove Island Mark", whereupon the fleet then heads WNW towards Mackinac Island for a total distance of 254nm, just 45nm less than its "sister" race, the Chicago-Mac which runs 289nm.

Sailing the Division I Cove island course in PHRF B is the J/145 VORTICES sailed by Chris Saxton, they finished 2nd in class and 4th overall last year and hope to aim even higher!  Sailing the same course in PHRF C will be two J/111s, NO SURPRISE skippered by Dave Irish and UNPLUGGED sailed by Tim Clayson (last year's winners overall in the Cruising Division) and the J/33 SHENANIGAN sailed by Dick & Dan Synowiec.

On the short course, the eight J/120s are sailing one-design with many familiar teams going for the gold!  Included are the top three finishers from the 2011 race-- the famous CARINTHIA sailed by  Frank Kern, FLYIN IRISH skippered by Bill Bresser, HOT TICKET sailed by Bob Kirkman and Don Hudak's CAPERS.

In the Level 35 Class, a record number of eight J/35s are racing, including the famous MR BILL'S WILD RIDE sailed by Bill Wildner, of course!  Remarkably, Meme Carter's SPECIAL K will be sailing this year's race for the 19th consecutive year!  Also sailing is FALCON is owned by Ed (43 PH Macs)and John Bayer (37 PH Macs) and brother in law Jim Barnes.  Falcon was the 2005 and 2006 and last year's (2011) J-35 North American Champion and has won its J-35/T-35 One Design Class in the last two Mac Races. Falcon's experienced crew has over 250 Bayview Mac Races between them. This race will mark Ed Bayer's 44th Mac, John Bayer's 36th, Mike Welch's 29th and Ron Rossio's 27th! Newcomers WHIPLASH sailed by Gregg Whipple are on their second Mac Race and hope to have some fun in the Level 35 Class!

In PHRF D Class is a J/100 and five J/105s.  The J/100 BLUEJAY is sailed by John McVeety.  She is normally rigged as a single handed daysailer on Alpena's (Ontario) Thunder Bay. Twice a year they add crew and go racing. She has participated 7 times in the Huron Double handed Challenge.  Challenging them will be the fleet of J/105s with top boats like Mark Symonds PTERODACTYL, GOOD LOOKIN sailed by Dean Walsh and SORCERY sailed by Larry & Brian Smith-- the top three finishers from 2011 hoping to repeat their performances again!

In PHRF E, the J/44 SAGITTA will be sailed by its co-owners/skippers, both past Commodores of Bayview Yacht Club, Com. Larry Oswald (1990) and Com. Jon Somes (2000).  They've been racing Port Huron to Mackinac races together for nearly 15 years. Previous to year 2000, they raced on Com. Oswald's NA 40 Disruption and since year 2000 on Sagitta, a J-44. While racing together, they have won their class two times on Sagitta and five times on Disruption.

For PHRF F Class, the J/35 RAGTIME is skippered by Allan Schmidt and the J/36 POLARITY will be sailed by Murphy Palmer.  POLARITY has a rich history with its beginnings on the East Coast and is the last of its breed as hull #55 which was the last J-36 built.

PHRF G Class has the beautiful, classic J/34 IOR boat sailed by an incredibly experienced Mac Race team, led by Den Balcirak and Tom Burleson from Grosse Point Woods, Michigan.  This is Commodore Balcirak's 49th Mackinac and Tom's 36th. It is sailed by a crew of family and close friends. Their Mackinac Race highlight was a clean sweep in 2004 when they won their class, overall, and the Yacht Club Challenge. This year grand-daughter Mackensie Balcirak and daughter-in-law Susie Balcirak will be doing their first Mackinac!

Finally, in the Double-handed Division IV group, the J/29 PATRIOT will be sailed by David and Lyndon Lattie and the J/105 PIRANA will be sailed by the team of CJ Ruffing and Chris Ongena.  For more Bayview Mackinac Race sailing information

J's Sail Fast, Epic Swiftsure Race

J/109s Crush Juan de Fuca, J/80s Win Inshore
(Victoria, BC)-  This year's running of the "Swiftsure" was another epic, challenging race, with all types of weather thrown at the sailors as they criss-crossed the Straits of Juan de Fuca seeking advantage over their fellow competitors.  For many the race really starts once they past "Race Rocks", a symbolic, but not official mark of the course. The iconic black and white stripped lighthouse is the divide between the Juan de Fuca strait and the coastal waters off Victoria and it’s where the true strategy and tactics of Swiftsure begin. The sailors then face open ocean swells, stronger currents, and hopefully, more wind. On the return trip back to Victoria, Race Rocks is the “almost there” point when the city lights of Victoria come into view.

Unusually, the weather conditions were close to what the Canadian weather services were predicting-- a steady wind filling in from the West with a high-wind warning for the Strait of Juan de Fuca with winds in excess of 25-35 knots overnight.  Remarkably, they got this forecast and more, some sailors reporting gusts to 40 knots and breaking waves.

The race started off nicely enough, sunny, light winds, with the current pushing the fleet towards the first turning point, Race Rocks.  Thereafter, with a strong ebb, the top teams sailed upwind into the Northwesterly breeze playing large shifts and staying in the middle of the Straits to take advantage of a strong ebb current pushing the fleet to their faraway turning marks.  Most of the fleet ended up on the western shore about halfway up the Olympic Peninsula (that wild place where the famous "Sasquatch" man/animal lives).  By midnight, most of the fleet in the Straits were sailing in 20+ knots of breeze and by morning many were sailing downwind under spinnakers flying down the waves and trying to avoid a massive broach or "sending it down the mine" in a submariner's dive into the trough ahead.

In the classic Swiftsure Race division that goes out of the Straits of Juan de Fuca for 139 nm- the 24 boats participating from the start to Swiftsure Bank and return had to beat the "wind shutdown" that often happens at the opening of the Straits.  The big boats made it, the small boats didn't.  In the end, the gorgeous J/160 JAM sailed by John McPhail finished 5th in Class I and 6th overall.  And the speedy lightweight flyer, the J/125 WARRIOR skippered by Greg Constable finished 2nd in Class 2 and 8th overall!

The popular Cape Flattery Race division that goes for 103 nm had 75 boats going from the start to Neah Bay and return.  In the Unlimited Class, the J/145 DOUBLE TAKE sailed by Tom Huseby (his second J/145!) finished 3rd in class and was not far behind the leaders for the top of the podium.

The successfully campaigned J/122 ANAM CARA (Tom Kelly- from Portland YC in Oregon) sailed an incredibly good Cape Flattery Race despite breaking their boom in a 40 knot gust and gybe-broach downwind in the Straits with all the laundry flying!  Reports Bob Ross who was a crew member aboard ANAM CARA, "we were winning our class boat-for-boat and on corrected time with about 40nm to go to the finish, when we tried to do an 'inside gybe' on the A3 spinnaker down big waves and a big puff.  Broke our boom and broached.  Not a good idea.  It took awhile to wrestle in the mainsail after taking down the chute.  We proceeded in under a smaller chute and jib to the finish-- quite an amazing and unexpected outcome to get 2nd in Class and 2nd Overall!"  Always a top contender in class, and past winner, was the J/120 TIME BANDIT (Robert Brunius), sailing a great race to finish 4th in class and 6th overall.  Sailing in their inaugural offshore race was the new J/111 ADALGISA (Lynn Adkins), sailing to a 5th in class and 11th overall!

In the Cape Flattery Heavy division, the J/46 RIVA sailed by Scott Campbell sailed a great race and managed to finish 2nd in class and 4th overall.  Just behind them was the J/37 FUTURE PRIMITIVE sailed by Ron Mackenszie getting a 4th in class and 6th in fleet.

The Juan de Fuca Race division that goes for 80 nm had 44 boats sailing from the start to Clallam Bay and return to the finish off Victoria's waterfront.  The J/109 teams simply cleaned house.  Winner in class and overall in the Juan de Fuca Heavy Division was DIVA (Jim Prentice) followed in second by TIPPY (Peter McComb) and 4th was JEOPARDY (Ed Pinkham).

In the Inshore Racing along the waterfront, the much vaunted battle between SWISH and JOYRIDE, a pair of J/80's, saw SWISH beating JOYRIDE by just under a minute on a 22 nm course with a wind ranging from 3 to 10 knots all day long.  Elapsed time for this pair was about 5 hours and 10 minutes.  As a result, in the Battle of the Sexes, Commodores (men) vs. Commodores Wives (women), the boys prevailed.  Congratulations to the Commodores from Royal Victoria Yacht Club (Jeremy Smith), Royal Vancouver Yacht Club (Guy Walters) and Seattle Yacht Club (Chuck Lowry) that raced SWISH.  And, "good on ya gals" to their wives- Tara Smith, Barbara Picton and Pam Lowry that raced JOYRIDE to a solid second in the large class of competitors!  For more Swiftsure Race sailing information on Facebook   For more Swiftsure Race sailing information

J/111s Sweep Bayview-Mackinac

(Mackinac Island, MI)- It was a fantastic tour'de'force for the 35 foot J designs in this year's Bell's Beer Bayview-Mackinac Island race.  Winds for the 221 boat fleet were as predicted for the 87th sailing of the Bell's Beer Bayview Race to Mackinac. They were light to non-existent at the starts, causing three delays in getting the boats off. Racers out on the race course reported  there was little or no wind, especially for the boats with earlier starts.  Most people were hoping that thunderstorms predicted for later tonight and Sunday night would bring more wind. Getting wet isn't a problem; they expect to get wet at some point during this race. But they also want some wind to help make the race more fun.  Earlier, it was a warm and overcast morning when the boats were leaving Port Huron's Black River for the annual Bells Beer Bayview Mackinac Race.  An announcer called out each boat as they passed on their way out to the race course on Lake Huron. A bagpipe band on the balcony of the Port Huron Yacht Club piped the sailors out on their voyage.

After their terrific performance in the Chicago-Mackinac Race (3rd in class), Harbor Springs, MI native Dave Irish and his team also sailed their J/111 NO SURPRISE in this year's Bayview-Mac.  Said Dave, "After a slow start, boats enjoyed much better conditions for sailing in the early hours Sunday. Some thunderstorms did materialize late Saturday near the tip of the Thumb area (SW part of Lake Huron) but missed the vast majority of the boats headed northeast up the track.  But the storms did bring some much needed wind, which was welcome after an agonizingly still race day on Saturday.  Winds approached 15-25 knots for most of the day Sunday, from the east, which helped boats considerably.  We spent a whole lot of time in the light running on Saturday, mostly on starboard.  I don't recall that we saw SW, maybe during the night, but most of that was done with the wind backed into the Easterly Quadrant, which became brisk with jib reaching/fetching in a strong easterly breeze.  After the Cove Island buoy up near the Canadian Manitoulin Islands, we ran west towards Mackinac Island with fresh NE wind using our North 2A "middle chute" (the big one).  From there, with the wind shutting down gradually to a light NE, then light NW, then at dawn the Westerly filled for a two-sided beat into the finish line for us."

Overall, J's did incredibly well, taking into account the fact that all boats had to sail in the variable winds beating, reaching and running-- the strong suit of good all-round designs. Leading the pack into Mackinac was the J/145  VORTICES sailed by Chris Saxton and crew, getting second in IRC B class and 5th overall IRC, covering the long Cove Island course in 37:49:17.  Not too far behind VORTICES were a trio of J/111s sailing in IRC C Class.  Remarkably, the J/111s swept IRC C class taking 1-2-3 on the podium and were led home by Dave Irish's NO SURPRISE in first (14th Overall IRC), followed by Steve Dabrowski's NIGHT HAWK in second and Tim Clayson's UNPLUGGED in third.  In IRC D Class, Jimmy Mitchell's crew on the J/109 VANDA III simply crushed their class, winning by a corrected time of 6:35:49 and finishing 16th overall behind the J/111 NO SURPRISE.

Sailing photo credits- PhotoElements.com- Martin Chumiecki   For more Bayview-Mackinac Race sailing information

  

J/111 KASHMIR Wins Epic Chicago-Mac Race!

(Chicago, IL)- This year's Chicago to Mackinac Island 289 nm dash was a tale of two races, the "haves" (the big fast boats) and the "have nots" (the smaller boats).  For the 361 sailboats entered (about 1/3 J/Boats), the first 30 hours after the starts at noon Saturday were near postcard perfect, Chamber of Commerce sailing. No bugs, plenty of breeze from the right angle, a kindly sea-state, warm air and brightly colored spinnakers punctuating the horizon as far as the eye could see. Nothing broken about this picture at all-- yet.  However, about midnight Sunday/ early Monday the dogs came howling off their chains and the lights went out. At the time, the 18-22 knots southwest breezes saw a large part of the Mackinac fleet sailing on port gybe headed from the Point Betsie turning point up through the Manitou Island Straits and headed to Grey's Reef Lighthouse- a 50 mile stretch of water.  Then, all hell brook loose and the maelstrom struck. Sheet lighting started illuminating the sky and it became a mad scramble aboard most boats to get the spinnakers down and either batten-down the hatches (and crew) or hoist heavy-air sails and press-on regardless through the storm.

Sailing on the J/111 NO SURPRISE was legendary Great Lakes yachtsman (and winner of multiple Mac Races), Dave Irish from Harbor Springs, Michigan.  Dave's commentary is both insightful and helpful:  "The race started with 230 miles more or less of running, from light to over 20kts of warm and pleasant wind. In the higher wind, with good sea running, we heated the angle significantly up to 150-155 TWA, and using the waves, sailed at speeds in the teens. We made significant gains on boats sailing conventional downwind angles. Fun and active too.

The real story of the race was the weather at the north end of the lake. The whole middle of the fleet, maybe over 100 boats, were hit with severe weather in the middle of the night, which resulted in the loss of two lives.  My call is that we had a 60 knot hit. The wind would move your body, it was necessary to hold on. The big wind was preceded by an hour of incredible electrical activity. It was clear we were in for a "pasting", but as usual it is difficult to tell when it will hit, especially when it's pitch black outside, and in the meantime there was racing to be done.

As the inevitable neared we got the spinnaker off, the #3 jib on, and of course Spinlock deck-vests on with tethers. The wind came and the boat laid down, rig near but not in the water. Lots of white water in the air and no clear line between. I won’t claim actual control, but the boat took care of us until there was a little moderation and it was possible for the crew to move and act.

Reefing: We have only one mainsail reef, and it is 2.5 meters deep, big enough to make a difference. So two crew members proceeded to pull in the reef, one easing the halyard (on a winch), and one grinding in the single reef line, (also on its own winch). We had opted for the Antal cars on the luff so that part of the sail was under control as well. It is just a routine operation to reef the boat in those conditions, with no-one outside the cockpit. I think we partially rolled the jib. But within a short period of time the boat was all snugged down and we were back at work sailing towards Grey's Reef.

I have known fear on the water, but not this time, and not in this boat (have sailed over 60 years).  The J/111 was amazing.  It was under us, did not demand that we do dangerous things to manage it, and only had to be taken out of race mode for a few minutes. This weekend we race the Lake Huron Mac race, the boat arrived in Port Huron last evening, and we are ready to go. Bring it on, we have the weapon to play this game!"

From another perspective was the team on the J/111 IMPULSE sailed by George Miz, Peter Dreher and Mark Hatfield.  Said George, "This boat certainly had the fun meter pegged in the 'red' all of Sunday afternoon on the Mac. We had 3 consecutive drivers hit 18+ kts in 20-25 kts of breeze and in full control. The boat just likes to go fast with none of the drama we've dealt with on previous boats (George is a former Farr 395 owner)."

Adding to George's commentary was Karl Brummel on KASHMIR, stating that "the boat was fantastic in a variety of conditions. Saturday we were doing 6-7 kts boat speed in 4-5 kts wind with Code Zero. Sunday we were killing it 10-15 kts downhill in 20-28 kts wind with the 2A asym up.  Sunday, after we went storming by a well-sailed Farr 395 at 11-15 kts boat speed/ 155-165 TWA, I said, 'We should have named this boat HORIZON JOB.'"

During the early stages of the race, it was apparent the strategies that were unfolding for the sailors headed north were the following:  a) sail the classic rhumbline of 21 degrees from Chicago to Pt Betsie,  b) sail West and up the Illinois/ Wisconsin shoreline in a "thermal" scenario based on various forecasters prognostications, or c) toss everything out the window (ignore all forecasts) and sail at least as high as rhumbline and head east overnight to be on the eastern lake/ west Michigan shoreline to take advantage of southerly breezes accelerating along the shoreline due to the massive heating of the Michigan sand dunes during Sunday's sailing.  Post-race analysis showed the best scenario was a combination of the 1st and 3rd options-- a very bizarre circumstance considering the pre-race forecasts from leading offshore weather routers that recommended staying west of rhumbline and away from the middle of the lake at night!  The boats that worked further east saw more easterly breezes (75-110 degrees) with more pressure until it went light, swung south and accelerated Sunday morning.  The boats that worked west saw the forecasted SSW winds of 7 to 14 knots and sailed mostly 6.5 to 8.5 knots all night long (albeit on a much longer routing).

Off the starting line for the J/111's it was clear the fleet was split on strategy as outlined in the 3 approaches to the race above.  KASHMIR sailed by the team of Brummel/Henderson/Mayer that won Class 3 started at the starboard end with a Code Zero and simply sailed down rhumbline and ultimately worked further east.  Near them was Steve Dabrowski's and Tom Edman's team on NIGHTHAWK that finished 7th.  Going north/northeast just west of rhumb was NO SURPRISE sailed by Dave Irish that finished 3rd, but Dave made it pay by sailing more aggressively downwind (as mentioned above) when the wind hit the high teens/ low twenties and they moved into "planing mode" to pass other boats like they were pylons on a race course.  Near them was Thomas and Carol McIntosh's team on MISTY that finished 10th, sailing a bit more conservatively than most and apparently not taking advantage of "planing mode" to make large gains.  Headed the most westward, heading due north after the start were MENTAL and IMPULSE.  MENTAL was sailed by Paul Stahlberg, Richie Stearns and father Dick Stearns, taking the northernmost route and finished 14th (modified based on a time award for helping with the rescue efforts of the capsized boat WINGNUTS).  IMPULSE, sailed by George Miz, Peter Dreher, Mark Hatfield started north, but bailed at Sheboygan and played gybe angles across the lake to Pt Betsie, ultimately sailing for over 80 nm on starboard gybe at speeds up to 18 knots before having to gybe down the Manitous Islands channel northeast of Pt Betsie, finishing 11th in class.

 For more Chicago-Mackinac Race sailing information

  

Great Lakes Offshore Classics

(Chicago, IL and Toronto, ONT)- Coming up next weekend is a "head-to-head" battle between the "classic" or the "longest" Great Lakes race in the great American Midwest.  On Saturday, July 16th, two huge events start.  The "grand dame" and perhaps the most prestigious is the Chicago to Mackinac Race- a 289 nm classic that basically pits the best-of-the-best offshore sailors from the western Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie) and the other is the Lake Ontario 300- a 300 nm race around buoys in Lake Ontario.

CHICAGO-MACKINAC RACE
The fleets to follow will be the fourteen J/105s, fourteen J/109s and the J/111s.

Amongst the new J/111s, sailing in Section 3 will be six very well sailed boats.  It's not certain amongst this new group who will factor into the lead boats, but certainly all have amongst their teams crew who've won several Chicago-Macs amongst them, both in class as well as overall!!  On MENTAL sailed by Paul Stahlberg (pictured here) you have multiple Mac winners Richie and Lori Stearns and Richie's father Dick Stearns.  On KASHMIR sailed by the team of Brummel/Henderson/Mayer you have local J/105 class and Mac champions racing the boat.  On NO SURPRISE, you have renowned, legendary Great Lakes offshore sailor Dave Irish from Harbor Springs.  Finally, on IMPULSE sailed by George Miz, Peter Dreher, Mark Hatfield you have Stu Johnstone helping on tactics/navigation.  Quite an impressive line-up and along with them are also Thomas and Carol McIntosh's team MISTY and Steve Dabrowski's team on NIGHTHAWK who have put together equally strong crews.  It should be interesting as all boats are fast enough to take class, if not division or overall.

PORT HURON-MACKINAC RACE
Following these two big Lakes races is the Port Huron-Mackinac starting on July 23rd.  The longest consecutively running freshwater long-distance race since 1925. Of 222 boats entered, J's sailing in IRC B include the J/44 SAGITTA (John Soames/ Larry Oswald), J/145 VORTICES (Chris Saxton); in IRC C there will be THREE J/111s, including NIGHTHAWK (Steve Dabrowski), NO SURPRISE (Dave Irish) and UNPLUGGED (Tim Clayson); in IRC D the J/109 VANDA (Jim Mitchell and Jack Toliver) and the J/33 (Dick & Dan Synowiec); eight J/35s sailing in the Class 35 Class including MR BILL'S WILD RIDE (Bill Wildner); six J/120s including class leader ex-Bayview YC Commodore Frank Kern's CARINTHIA in the J/120 Class; five J/105s in the PHRF C Class; and a smattering of J's in other classes including a J/100, J/42 and J/40.    For more Port Huron-Mackinac Race sailing information

  

Strong J Fleet Blasting to Ensenada

(Newport Beach, CA- April 15-17)- A West Coast classic, a 125.5 nm overnight race that provides the perfect mix of fun and adventure as racers decide whether to head off-shore for stronger winds or to sail the rhumb line towards the finish. With over 50 trophy categories and numerous classes the opportunity to "take home the silver" makes this race appealing to all levels of participants. Whether you are a first-time racer or an experienced pro, this one is for you.

The race is sandwiched between some really fun events – something that all sailors like. Enjoy the "Send-Off" Fiesta at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club the night before the race, a long-standing traditional that must be experienced to be believed. The post-race party atmosphere Saturday and Sunday at Race Headquarters, the Bahia Hotel in Ensenada, will definitely make you smile. Plus, a lucky raffle winner will get to ride around in the new Tesla Motors all-electric Roadster for the whole bloody weekend!! By Sunday afternoon, the city of Ensenada pulls out all of the stops and puts on a huge fiesta for racers, crew, family and friends. In the courtyard of the Bahia Hotel, the music rocks, food and drink flows and everyone parties to all hours of the night.  Most importantly, get your picture taken riding the burros! A Kodak moment to memorialize for your Facebook pals you actually went there to race, not to party.

Amongst the 175 entries is a large and strong contingent of J sailors.  Perhaps leading the charge down the coast for the J/Fleet will be the four "superfast" J's in Sprit A class.  Never to shy away from a fun challenge is perennial front-runner Tom Holthus on his well-campaigned, TransPac winning J/145 BAD PAK from San Diego YC.  Yet another J/145 vying for honors will be Santa Barbara YC's team of Poppe/ Parks sailing with a good crew aboard SEQUOYAH.  Nipping at their heels like a mad dog with a bone in its teeth will be Mark Surber's J/125 DERIVATIVE from CORYC.  Cruising in serious comfort and giving all these J "sleds" a case of anxiety attacks (depending on conditions, of course) will be Paul Marais's gorgeous J/160 INDIGO from SYC-LB.  And, just to keep these trophy-hunters honest will be a J/130 sailed by yet another good crew from Santa Barbara YC, Chuck Browning and gang aboard BEBE.

Leading the charge in Sprit B class will be two J/120s, BARAKA sailed by Janet Mostafa from Balboa YC and FEE EVENT raced by Chuck Wert from BCYC.  Along with them will be two J/105s, ROCINANTE's Juan Lois from SBYRC and LUCKY STAR's Mark Wyland from ALYC.  Spread across other parts of the PHRF classes are the following:  Seth Hall's J/124 MARISOL from CYA, Larry Leveille's J/29 RUSH STREET (last year's Kings Harbor Race Winner) from Santa Barbara YC and Tom Lehtonen's J/30 EGGEMOGIN from SBYRC.  Any one of these boats has the ability to upset the proverbial "apple cart" for the big boys-- won't be the first time a J/29 or J/30 has spoiled the party.   For more Ensenda Race sailing information  

J "Musketeers" Crash The Cabo Race Party

J/111 and J/145 Second In Class, 3rd & 4th Fleet, Respectively!
(Newport Beach, CA)- OK.  The forecasts for the classic 600 nm sprint south down the Cal-Mex coastline to "Cabo" was daunting-- the Friday starting group (including all  J's) looked reasonable, but the Saturday starters looked troublesome.  With any luck, the Class C & D fleet would be treated to early jib reaching that would morph into high-speed spinnaker reaching as the fleet moved south; the winds typically move more into the NW quadrants at this time of year the further south you get.

For the three "J-Musketeers" participating, leading the charge down the track was Tom Holthus' J/145 BAD PAAK from San Diego, CA.  The veteran J/124 GOOD CALL sailed by Tom Barker from San Diego and the "new kid on the block", the J/111 speedster INVISIBLE HAND sailed by Frank Slootman and crew proved to be "double-trouble" for the fleet and their own class.  Given the fact that winds hit 15-20+ knots, it was an epic ride down the coast for this gang of serious speedsters- a trio of trophy-hunting thieves. Other than the unfortunate withdrawal of GOOD CALL within 50 miles of Cabo (due to a crew injury), all three boats would have made it on to the podium!  The two that did grab trophies were Frank's J/111 INVISIBLE HAND getting 2nd in Class D and 3rd overall and Tom's J/145 BAD PAK getting 2nd in Class C and 4th overall sailing under the ORR (offshore racing rule) handicap system!  Here is what happened:

On Saturday Class C and D started in light to moderate winds. By Sunday, a massive front with strong breezes and very choppy waves hit the tail-end of the Cabo fleet (see photo to right), primarily affecting the big boats in Class A & B that started a day later than Class C and D.  A and B basically got hammered and a bunch of top boats dropped out later on Sunday, early Monday morning (California "sleds" and modern, lightweight "wedges of cheese" cannot sail well upwind, period).  Meanwhile, SoCal was drowning in water with record rainfalls generating road closures and massive mud slides.  Pacific Coast Highway (Route 1) was washed out and Santa Barbara set a record of 6" rainfall in 24 hours with yet more to come.  Perhaps some of those J/24s and J/105s in SB Harbor may be put to good use as second homes!

By Monday, Class C and D saw light winds south of Cedros Island and made significant headway south along the coast.  Frank's team aboard INVISIBLE HAND reported on SailingAnarchy.com, "C & D divisions had steady but light pressure for the start.  Most everyone worked offshore to pick up a bit more pressure into the evening.  Looks like the boats outside the rhumbline did a bit better on the morning report.  With very little time on the new J/111 we are happy with her performance thus far.  Moves very well in the 14-17 knots we had for the majority of the night and held impressive speeds during the lighter 8-12 knot periods.  Tomorrows GRIB looks quite interesting with some challenging decisions for the next day or so.  We'll keep pressing the cloth and hopefully we won't get smacked by the the Southerly moving through."

On Monday afternoon, fleet compression was occurring as the northwesterlies filled in and continued building behind Class C and D.  With approximately 300 NM to go (finish line off harbor to the right), the fleet saw increasing pressure from the NW, which usually dominates the Baja peninsula this time of year.  By late evening, the night-time pressures increased to 18 knots along the lower Baja California peninsula and the entire fleet flew chutes with increasing speeds through the night, taking advantage of a clear, moonlit sky with warmer winds.  The Monday afternoon Anarchy report from Frank's INVISIBLE HAND was, "Well, as expected, the last 36 hours on the course were full of challenges.  The A & B classes that started Saturday got the full impact of the southerly system and the retired casualty list is larger than those still racing.  The boats in our class (C) had very light winds out of the south.   We looked OK at yesterday's check-in but after 24 hours beating into a light southerly we could not overcome the longer waterline of our class competition so we slipped a place but held the same in the overall.  The GRIBs have been consistent so we still have some running to look forward to over the next few days and hopefully reel in those that slipped by.  To still be in full foulies on the 3rd night was not what we expected and the shorts are still in the crew bags.  This is not what they said it would be in the brochure!  The boys on deck just unfurled the Code-0 and dropped the Light #1 to see if we can get a bit more out of the new J/111.  We've got our work cut out for us, back to the grind."

By Monday nightfall, it was amazing to see the Class C and D boats locked in a very strategic duel with roughly 170NM to the finish (winds looking like this photo to right!).  It was a very interesting strategic mix off Cabo San Lozaro in the early hours of the moonrise as the Class C and D boats were making tactical turns downwind and a break for the beach for offshore-wind pressure or better sailing angles by going slightly outside on the right side of the course.  It was in this part of the race were some boats made significant gains and others lost out some distance on their competitors--- the J/111 INVISIBLE HAND happened to be one of the latter.  The afternoon Anarchy report from INVISIBLE HAND stated, "we were finally able to stop sailing upwind Monday and had a spinnaker up by late afternoon.  The morning check-in showed what we expected with us still in 3rd in class since the prior 24 hours still included a lot of upwind work.  Since dark we started to put on pace with winds of 10-20 knots.  There were pretty large swells rolling through with another direction wind wave so driving was challenging as the stern quarter kept getting checked around.  The 6am morning scheduled radio report had us 17 miles behind the Beneteau First 40.7 NOAS 2 with 179nm to the finish.  To our surprise we spotted them and crossed several miles in front by 2:45pm this afternoon.  So we made up quite a bit of miles in just under 9 hours with boat speed in the 10-13 knots range.  We have about 90nm to the finish so we hope to be able to make up more of the time lost on course while sailing upwind.  The swells have now reorganized and are allowing us a much better average not fighting to keep the boat on course.  Finally feels like we entered a Mexico race, the Sun is finally out and so are the shorts. Hopefully the wind will hold and we will finish in the wee hours Wednesday morning."

By Tuesday midday, it was clear that all three boats were simply flying down the race track to Cabo.  Tom's J/145 BAD PAK was averaging 10-12 knots under spinnaker, gybing back and forth to maintain speed and angle.  Perhaps one of the best navigated J's was Tom's J/124 GOOD CALL.  For most of the race it was pretty certain GOOD CALL was likely winning Class D and was well positioned to take overall honors for the fleet.  The boys on the J/111 INVISIBLE HAND were both planing and surfing at times up to 15 knots and having an amazing ride.  However, they took a few meanders both right and left that chewed up a few too many miles versus their competition, first gaining big chunks of distance, then losing ground quickly in an hour or two.  By Tuesday afternoon, the gang on the J/145 BAD PAK sailed a great race, kept pressing hard, finishing at 4:14 pm off the beach at Cabo.  Just before the finish, a crewman was injured on GOOD CALL, necessitating an emergency VHF call, help from the Mexican Navy and the withdrawal of GOOD CALL (we hope he's OK).  Locked in a boat-for-boat battle with a First 50 and the First 40.7, INVISIBLE HAND played the last few gybe angles into Cabo well to pass both, but then in yet another nail-biting finish, lost the First 50 Sarasvati II within the last 0.5 mile at midnight Tuesday.  INVISIBLE HAND finished at 00:31:22 am!  Congratulations to all three J's for great sailing, great seamanship and heads-up sailing at the end of the day.   For more Cabo Race tracking and sailing information.  See this great example of how to use Facebook for sailing events and regatta reporting.  

Classic Cabo Race- Preview

J "Musketeers" Speeding Down The Beach!
(Newport Beach, CA)- Forecasts are looking good for a classic offshore California event, the Cabo Race to take place this coming weekend.  That classic sprint going south down the California and Mexico coastline to that quintessential beach town called "Cabo".  With any luck, the fleet will be treated to early jib reaching that turns into more high-speed spinnaker reaching as the fleet moves south and winds typically move more into the NW quadrants.

For the J trio participating, leading the charge down the track should be Tom Hothus' J/145 BAD PAAK from San Diego, CA.  BAD PAAK is a veteran SoCal offshore racer and is a known speedster in these conditions, hoping to add a bit more silverware to their already impressive collection that includes TransPac Race wins.  Running neck and neck down the coast may be the veteran J/124 GOOD CALL sailed by Tom Barker from San Diego and the "new kid on the block", the J/111 speedster INVISIBLE HAND sailed by that fun-loving crew from San Francisco Bay, Frank Slootman and crew.  Given the fact that winds could hit 15-20+ knots with TWA's on starboard tack running around 110 to 140 degrees, it could be an epic ride down the coast for this gang of serious speedsters- a den of trophy-hunting thieves thicker than the "three musketeers."  We wish them luck and look forward to following their progress down the track.
For more Cabo Race tracking and sailing information.