Key West- Day Two- More Classic, Post-Card Conditions

(Key West, FL)- January 18th, 2011-  Hard to imagine the Keys would offer up a duplicate day for the second day of racing.   But that's exactly what happened.  Forecast breeze of 180 to 195 TWA.  Perhaps 6 to 12 knots if the forecasters were correct.  The best part is that a serving of 100% SUN, no clouds, and a challenging conditions for winds would keep everyone on there toes. Go left?  Maybe.  Go right?  No guarantees.   Go to either corner at your peril and watch the world pass you by. That was the story across all three courses today.

On the Division 1 course, IRC 1 Class has the J/44 WHITE GOLD and the J/122 POWER PLAY dueling for class leadership against a very strong eight boat fleet.  Currently, Jim Bishop's WHITE GOLD is in second with a very consistent 3-2-2-2 score and are vying for the lead in class.  Peter Cunningham from Cayman Islands Sailing Club is sailing the J/122 GAMBLER/ POWERPLAY and is currently in 4th just 4 points back from third.  As Pete said before, "we're having fun and anything goes in the top three is good for us.!"

The J/105s continue to provide extraordinary competition amongst one another.   Leading the pack is Tom Coates's MASQUERADE with a 2-1-2-10 with 15 points.  However, just off the pace are Brian Keane's SAVASANA with a 1-6-8-1 for sixteen points in second; Damian Emery's ECLIPSE with a 4-8-1-4 for seventeen points in third; Adam Rosen and Jeff Marks' WASABI in fourth with a very consistent 3-3-9-3; and Travis Wiesleder's LUCKY DOG just off the pace with an 8-2-6-6 for 2 points.  Perhaps the strongest move of the day came from Carter William's CREATIVE DESTRUCTION with a 3-8 ; Bill Zartler's SOLARIS with a 4-7; and John Gottwald's EAGLES WINGS 5-5.  All three rocketed up the standings based on these strong races.

The J/80s continue to be a lesson in not hitting corners, sailing conservative and sailing smart.  Glenn Darden and crew aboard LE TIGRE continue to be the poster children on how to do it best.  LE TIGRE's 1-1-2-1 is dominating the the fleet for a 5 point total.  Chris Bulger's crew on GOOSE is lying second with a 2-2-10-4 tally and the team of Ron Buzil and Nigel Brownett on VAYU 2 are third with a 5-6-1-8.  Fourth is Jeff Brown with a 6-3-5-6 on J/World San Diego and fifth is Steve Wyman on NUHUNU with a 3-11-4-3, coming on strong today to leap into the top five.

The duel between the J/111 and the J/109 sister 35 footers continues to be a dead heat.  Jim Sminchak's crew on the new J/111 KONTIKI V continue to hang in with the best teams that Key West has to offer, with a 2-2-3-2 score to be only one point behind the J/109 champion team led by Bill Sweetser on the J/109 RUSH with a 1-1-2-4 tally.

The J/95s sailing in PHRF 2 are having a lot of fun.  As a veteran Key West sailor, Ed Palm continues to lead the 95 crew.  A 4-3-5-4 score puts them in first amongst the 95s.  After today's racing, Terry is now second with a 7-8-4-3 to strongly finish amongst the 95s and earn second.  Third is now Trudie Ficks with a 6-4-7-5.

Amongst the J/24s, BLAH BLAH BLAH sailed by Mark Milnes continues to be the top J/24.  Screaming up the ladder is Evanlena Worthington with a 6-4-4-4 to ace out fellow 24 sailor Matt Mullan on FLYING WASP with a 4-5-6-6.

Photo credits- Tim Wilkes- www.timwilkes.com

For more Key West Race Week sailing results:
http://www.premiere-racing.com  

Key West- Day One- Classic, Post-Card Conditions

(Key West, FL)- For two days prior to the start of the 24th edition of Key West Race Week, the teams practicing were treated to nearly perfect, classical Key West sailing conditions- ENE breezes blowing 10-18 knots in clear blue azure waters with temps in the 70s in the day and 50s at night.  Postcard perfect, chamber of commerce weather that you can only imagine in one's most wonderful sailing dreams.  Monday's weather forecast was nearly as good, with the wind predicted to keep oscillating further southeast in the 8-12 knots range.  However, a cold front roaring in from the WNW  was forecast to arrive later in the day or evening and throw in a few blast fronts of wind, water spouts and even tornados! Fun stuff!  Extreme perhaps?  What else is new for weather in the Keys in the middle of winter, some years its hit temperatures in the 40s blowing 25 knots on the race course!

Despite the fact an early "pulse" from the front moved through early Monday morning around 3 am and doused Key West with an inch of rain in about a half hour, the first day's racing dawned with a good breeze and stiff chop from the ENE across all three division courses.  The breeze started in the 175 to 180 degree range and slowly moved further SE during the course of the day to the 185-195 degree range.  The progression meant that tacticians had to take into account the breeze was veering constantly, but could also generate solid wind streaks from the left in an oscillating-persistent shift scenario.  In other words, hitting the right corner every time was not going to be a good "play" to win races.  The teams that faired the best watched the oscillations, kept them in synch and stayed in contact with their competitors without hitting any corners. Furthermore, perhaps the greatest issue for anyone on the course today was "weeds"-- lots of it in huge patches up to 200-300 yards long with no escape!  Sailing through it was painful and slow, resembling massive patches of straw and bamboo strewn across the water.

On the Division 1 course, IRC 1 Class has the J/44 WHITE GOLD and the J/122 POWER PLAY dueling for class leadership against a very strong eight boat fleet.  Currently, Jim Bishop's WHITE GOLD is in second with a 3-2 and Peter Cunningham from Cayman Islands Sailing Club racing his first Key West regatta lies tied for third with a 2-5.  Said Peter after the race, "trailing weed is slow"....they were winning the second race quite handily until they got caught in an enormous weed patch and sailed slow for over half the race.

After taking a hiatus from competition due to family and business priorities, Tom Coates (4 times Key West Champion) sailed his renowned J/105 MASQUERADE to a 2-1 to be leading the 14 boat J/105 class.  Just off the pace is Adam Rosen and Jeff Marks on WASABI with a 3-3 in second place and past Key West Champion Brian Keane on the well-traveled SAVASANA is lying third with a 1-6.  Fourth is Travis Weisleder with an 8-2 on LUCKY DOG and fifth is 105 Class champion Damian Emery's ECLIPSE with a 4-8.

The J/80 class has a very competitive sixteen boat class.  Star for the day was past World/ North American / Key West Champion Glenn Darden sailing EL TIGRE to double bullets, winning both races convincingly over Chris Bulger's GOOSE with a 2-2.  Lying third is San Diego sailor Jeff Brown with a 6-3 on J-WORLD SAN DIEGO.  Fourth is Bruno Pasquinelli on TIAMO with a 4-5 and fifth is Ron Buzil/ Nigel Brownett on EMOTIONAL RESCUE with a 5-6.

The anticipated duel between the J/111 and the J/109 sister 35 footers is currently a dead heat.  Jim Sminchak, the SAIL Magazine Best Around Buoys winners from Cleveland, OH, is tied for first with a 2-1 record for three points sailing the brand new J/111 KONTIKI V/IT.  Bill Sweetser's champion J/109 RUSH has a 1-2 (redress).  Unfortunately, Bill's RUSH had a minor collision prior to the start of the second race, hurting their chances to score better.  Just off the pace is Doug Curtiss's J/124 beautifully painted WICKED in fourth place.

The J/95s are sailing in PHRF 2 as a group and having a lot of fun.  Ed Palm is a veteran Key West sailor and has raced a number of J's, including most recently his J/105.  Ed is sailing his J/95 STILL CRAZY to a 4-3 tally so far for seven points and is leading the J/95s.  Second is Trudie Ficks SEVENTH HEAVEN with a 6-4, a great start for Trudie who has dreamed of sailing in Key West for years and after buying her seventh (7th!!) J Boat over time she decided that she better take her gang down for a spin around the race course and beautiful waters off Key West.  Hanging in there in third amongst the J/95s is Terry McKenna's FINN with a 7-8.

As mentioned earlier, one of the heart-warming stories of this year's Key West regatta is the resurgent J/24 class participation with a fleet of J/24s participating within PHRF 3, literally a "class within a class".  Leading the J/24s in PHRF 3 is Mark Milnes on BLAH BLAH BLAH with a 3-3, followed by Matt Mullan on FLYING WASP with a 4-5 and Evalena Worthington on FREYA with a 6-5.

Amongst the notables at the event is Russell Coutts from Oracle Racing (4x America's Cup winner), a former One-design I-14, J/105 and J/44 racer in various regattas over time.  Said Russ, "It is great to be back in Key West. It's good to take a week out of the calendar and enjoy the regatta in a relaxed atmosphere. Premiere Racing does a great job, and creates a very social regatta. The whole atmosphere is very laid back, and it is a great regatta. The racing is always great, and very challenging." Among the notable owners entered in Key West is Vincenzo Onorato, whose Mascalzone Latino syndicate is the Challenger of Record for the 34th America's Cup-- Vincenzo is a former J/24 and J/39 sailor/ owner from Italy.  Photo credits- Tim Wilkes- www.timwilkes.com

For more Key West Race Week sailing results:
http://www.premiere-racing.com
  

J/111 Star of London Show

(London, England)- The crowds are flocking to J stand #H69 to see the IRC giant-killer J/97 as well as the hot new J/111 speedster-- the latest one-design racer/cruiser.

Louay Habib from boats.com did an introductory review of the 111 at the London show, please view it here on boats.com.  

J/111 and J/108 Florida Debut

SAIL Key West Reception
(Key West, FL)- Remember, please don't hesitate to get out of the cold, the snow, the rain out west and come on down and take a peek at two of the latest 35+ footers to debut in the J stable of fun, fast, easy-to-sail boats.  SAIL Magazine, in concert with its industry partners NORTH SAILS and HARKEN, are hosting a reception for sailors interested in taking a closer look at the J/111- KONTIKI V's electric royal blue and candy red color scheme looks spectacular on the water.  With North Sails latest carbon wardrobe with brilliant candy apple red spinnakers and Harken's latest sailing equipment, the 111 will turn heads anywhere it goes. The event will be held on Saturday, January 15th at 5:00 pm at the Galleon Resort Marina- free beer, wine and munchies!

In addition to the 111, CrossCurrent Marine's Craig Crossley will feature J's newest shoal-draft performance cruiser- the J/108. It's all happening down at the Galleon Resort Marina in Key West.  Please join us.  For more information please call J/Boats at ph- 401-846-8410 or email info@jboats.com.  More J/111 sailboat information is here.  And, J/108 shoal-draft performance sailboat information can be found here.

  

Strong J Fleet @ Key West

(Key West, FL)- This year's Key West Race Week has another strong showing of J's across all three race courses.  With nearly 130 boats participating, the 45 J's represent the largest brand at the event for at least the tenth year running, with 35% of the keelboat fleet.  The large J one-design classes include the J/80s (16 boats) and the J/105s (15 boats).  Also stronger this year are a half-dozen J/24s sailing one-design in PHRF 3 class!

Leading the charge amongst the big boats will be the J/122 GAMBLER in IRC Class 2, sailed by Peter Cunningham, a long-time J owner and J/22 sailor from the Cayman Islands Sailing Club.  Giving them a run for the money will be a familiar name to long-time J sailors, Jim Bishop racing his fast J/44 WHITE GOLD.

In the PHRF Class 1 division, it will be strong competition amongst a trio of well-sailed J's-- the new J/111 KONTIKI V sailed by the SAIL magazine Best Around Buoys team led by Jim Sminchak from Lakeside YC in Cleveland, OH; the spectacular graphics and colors of 2010 Block Island Race Week winning team on the J/124 WICKED, skippered by Doug Curtiss from New Bedford YC in South Dartmouth, MA and having aboard designers Rod and Alan Johnstone; and the North American and Key West Race Week champion J/109 RUSH, very well sailed by Bill Sweetser and crew from Annapolis YC in Annapolis, MD.

The J/95s will have their first one-design type competition at this year's Race Week.  A trio of them have showed up from across North America.  The long-distance award surely must be Terry McKenna from Prince Edward Island, Canada sailing FINN.  Also sailing will be Trudie Ficks from Cudjoe Key, F on SEVENTH HEAVEN and Ed Palm from Grosse Pointe Woods, MI/ Naples. FL sailing USA 18.

Perhaps the most heart-warming and surprising growth is the participation of the J/24s in this year's event.  Six of them are sailing, 3 from the Keys fleet and 3 from Newport, RI!  Amazing.  They will certainly have a lot of fun and building on the heritage of the J/24 being the original inspiration for Key West Race Week back in 1978!

The J/80s have a solid turnout with a number of very strong teams.  Sure to factor into the leader board will be past World Champion Glenn Darden on EL TIGRE, regional champions Chris Bulger on GOOSE and Jeff Brown on J/WORLD SAN DIEGO.  Sure to factor into the scrum will be the Spanish team TEC with Konstantin Jacoby sailing Jay Lutz's World Champion boat as well as Bruno Pasquinelli on TIAMO.

Finally, the J/105s are enjoying a competitive renaissance with several top teams headed south for more fun in the sun.  The competition amongst this fleet of fifteen boats will be as tough as any North American Championship.  Leading the charge after several years absence will be four-times Key West 105 champion Tom Coates on MASQUERADE.  Fellow Key West Champion Brian Keane on SAVASANA will be giving Tom a run for the money, as will Block Island Champion and 105 East Coast Champion Damian Emery on ECLIPSE, Chuck Millican and Dave Brining from Bermuda racing ELUSIVE, Ken Colburn on GHOST, Travis Weisleder on LUCKY DOG, 105 Class President Bernie Girod on ROCK & ROLL and Bill Zartler on SOLARIS.  Let the games begin, that will be a tough class to win.  For more Key West Race Week sailing information  

J/111 London & San Diego Show Debut

(London, England/ San Diego, CA)- Be sure to wander down to the London show January 7-16th and see the  new J/111 along with her fast IRC sistership, the J/97- the new "Terminator" in European IRC sailing events.  As part of it's debut in Europe, the J/111 ARABELLA experienced a fast launch in challenging weather in order to prepare for her maiden voyage a few weeks ago.  Remember?  Snow.  England.  Trains. The M1 and M25 gridlock.  It was miraculous that ARABELLA sailed at all in the last weekend of the Hamble Winter Series race.  Nevertheless, a few kindred spirits and hardy souls persevered to get her rolling.  Kudos to the team.  And, on hand to witness and video the proceedings on and off the water was Richard Langdon, a renowned British yachting photographer.  Recently, he published a nice video on the J/111 in conjunction with YACHTING MONTHLY magazine, check it out here on Vimeo.

For those of you in the Americas who wish to escape some unseasonably cool weather and want to get a close look at the J/111 that has been creating a lot of buzz in SoCal, be sure to check out the San Diego Sailboat Show January 27-30th-- schedules and links for both events are below.  

J/111 and J/108 Florida Debut

SAIL Key West Reception
(Key West, FL)- Come on down and take a peek at two of the latest 35+ footers to debut in the J stable of fun, fast, easy-to-sail boats.  SAIL Magazine, in concert with its industry partners NORTH SAILS and HARKEN, are hosting a reception for sailors interested in taking a closer look at the J/111.  You also get a chance to meet and chat with the SAIL Best Around Buoys winners, Jim Sminchak and crew from Cleveland, OH.  The event will be held on Saturday, January 15th at 5:00 pm at the Galleon Resort Marina- free beer, wine and munchies!

The SAIL Best Around Buoys 111, KONTIKI V, has arrived in Miami, FL (photo above) and is heading down to Key West to be sailed by Jim's Cleveland J/105 "Team it".  The electric royal blue and candy red color scheme look spectacular on the water.  With North Sails latest carbon wardrobe with brilliant candy apple red spinnakers and Harken's latest sailing equipment, the 111 will turn heads anywhere it goes.

In addition to the 111, CrossCurrent Marine's Craig Crossley will feature J's newest shoal-draft performance cruiser- the J/108 along with its siblings, the J/95s that were introduced in 2009.  It's all happening down at the Galleon Resort Marina in Key West.  Please join us.  For more information please call J/Boats at ph- 401-846-8410 or email info@jboats.com.  More J/111 sailboat information is here.  And, J/108 shoal-draft performance sailboat information can be found here.