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