Top Ten Sailing Highlights for 2021
(Newport, RI)- Another lap around the sun didn’t bring as much fun in twenty-one as we’d hoped for. Us humans coping worldwide with the pandemic has created remarkable disparities in different parts of the sailing world. Some wonderful surprises. Some disappointments. However, humans are amazingly adaptable, especially the sailing variety. Throw any challenge or roadblock in front of sailors and it’s yet another chance to prove that sailors, in general, persevere and overcome them with innovation, inspiration, and out-of-the-box thinking, often with a remarkable degree of empathy and compassion. That’s a good thing, thank goodness to all of you.
What were some of those examples and why in 2021, amongst our J/Community of family and friends? Some were regattas, some were personal experiences, some were new J models. Here is by no means the “best” top ten… so, please let us know your thoughts too on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter).
1. Key West Race Week- Version 3.0
Reincarnated as “The Southernmost Regatta”, powered by Sailing Inc. from Cleveland, OH. Sailors from around the world cheered when Rob & Ryan Ruhlman and Doug Moose from the famous line of boats “SPACEMAN SPIFF” grew so tired of pandemic/ covid-19 boredom and inaction that they decided to start up a “home-grown” version of Key West for a long four-day weekend in January 2021. Well, it was a runaway success and wildly popular with those that had the privilege to sail the inaugural event of Version 3.0 of Key West Race Week. It proved so popular, that many friends asked how to help grow it more and participate for next year. Good things have happened since. It’s still not too late to register and go sailing in a “Caribbean-style” sailing event in the Florida Keys! For more Southernmost Regatta sailing information
2. Launching the new J/45 Performance Offshore Cruiser in France
Remarkably, there were two new launchings of new J/Designs from across the design spectrum in the middle of the pandemic. The first was the new J/45 Performance Cruiser by our partner J/Composites in Les Sables d’Olonne, France . Despite crushing job shortages, supply chain disruptions, the dynamic duo of Didier LeMoal and Fred Bouvier and their capable team managed to create the new J/45 from scratch; making the plugs, the molds, molding, assembling, finishing, launching the first boat in the spring 2021 off Les Sables d’Olonne, France . An incredible effort. The results were nothing but extraordinary, she’s proving to exceed her new owner’s expectations, and then some. Make it your New Year’s resolution to fly over to France (or Palma Mallorca, Spain) and take one for a sail! Learn more about the J/45 performance cruiser here
3. Launching the new J/9 Daysailer in Rhode Island
While the J/45 project had started a bit earlier than the J/9 daysailer, the team at C&C Composites in Bristol, RI went through a similar process to launch the new J/9 in Bristol, RI in late spring 2021. Experiencing similar job shortages, supply chain disruptions, the team of Jeff J & Al J, C&C Composites, and Symmetrix Composites (the 5-axis CNC plug-makers) persevered through several remarkable challenges to get the first boat sailing on Narragansett Bay in late May. Despite every imaginable disruption, her first sail proved to beat everyone’s expectations, including the critical eye of her designer Al Johnstone. More importantly, for the dozens of demonstration sails completed during the summer and fall, virtually 100% of those who sailed her ordered one! Falling in love with a “living room couch” on the water that’s easy-to-sail hit a raw nerve amongst those who’ve sailed on hard, unforgiving fiberglass decks for so long! Make it your New Year’s resolution to fly down to Miami (Coconut Grove), FL and take her for a sail! We are certain that you won’t be disappointed.
New J/9 Daysailer Just Launched! Learn more about the lovely J/9 daysailer here
SAIL Best Boat J/9 Daysailer! Joining many of her sisterships on the SAIL magazine Best Boats Awards is the J/9 daysailer! She won the “Best Daysailer” Award category. More news soon on this recent development!
4. J/112e Continues to Dominate Offshore Events
To date, the J/112e , a true “wolf in sheep’s clothing”, has compiled an amazing record in offshore racing for a true Racer-Cruiser.
How else does one explain J/112E’s amazing six-year continuous production run (an eternity in new boat life cycles) and the backlog into Q3 of 2022? There is no design on the market with such comfortable cruising accommodation that can claim two ORC World Championship and two ORC European Championship titles in the last four years. Most North American J/112e owners have been cruising more than racing. But, a few new programs are being dialed up for 2022, so stay tuned!
J/112e Tops ORC World Championship The 2021 ORC World Sailing Championship took place on the Baltic Sea, sailed off the beautiful, historic seaside city of Tallinn, Estonia. A large fleet of 100+ offshore racing sailboats from across Europe were enthusiastically looking forward to their first major offshore sailing event in what was once a Soviet Russia “satellite” nation in the Baltic States. By far the largest division in the event was the sixty-three-boat ORC C Division that included two J/112e ‘s.
A total of 104 entries from 12 nations were registered for competing in three classes, each with its own World Champion titles and awards, on August 9-14 in Tallinn, Estonia. Read more here.
Joachim Aschenbrenner is the helmsman onboard the J/112e MATHILDA 4 that won the ORC World Championship. He is a previous top match racer holding titles as Youth World Champion and European Champion as well as numerous participations in World Match Racing Tour regattas including four Congressional Cups. Read more here.
5. J/121s Remarkable Run Offshore Collects Even More Silverware!
Since its introduction, the J/121 has been turning heads for its clean, aggressive, sexy look and its remarkable ability to sail at high average speeds consistently offshore. A big, wide, comfortable platform, and J’s first twin-wheeled boat, the J/121 has proven beyond any reasonable doubt it has the pedigree to take on custom offshore carbon speedsters costing 4x as much and beat them at their own game. Here are some examples of that capability that took place alone in the 2021 offshore sailing season.
J/121 RORC Offshore Season Championship Winner- IRC 1 Division The Royal Ocean Racing Club Season’s Points Championship concluded this past weekend with the Castle Rock Race, the grand finale for the RORC season. The eleventh and final race for 2021 season ultimately decided many of the class winners for the world’s largest offshore racing series. Over 400 teams competed in the championship over the twelve-month series.
From the beginning of the series, one of the teams vying for contention and a podium finish was Michael O’Donnell’s J/121 DARKWOOD. The format is simple, and it encourages participation, you can count your best five finishes in an eleven-race series. In theory, if you raced all eleven races, you would have six discards! The DARKWOOD team sailed seven races (Myth of Malham, Morgan Cup, De Guingand Bowl, Cowes-St Malo, Channel Race, Rolex Fastnet Race, Castle Rock) and managed to post finishes of 4-1-3-4-1-6. However, “finishes” is deceptive as the five best “counters” are your highest points scoring finishes. The more boats, the more points; so, a 1st in a race of 25 boats versus a 6th in the 400-boat Fastnet Race provide dramatically different points scores. In the end, O’Donnell’s J/121 DARKWOOD team were crowned RORC 2021 IRC 1 Season’s Points Champions. They have a lot to be proud of after a long season of sailing offshore in every weather, sailing, current, and wind conditions imaginable. Read more here.
J/121 JOLENE Report winning Gotland Runt Race
J/121 Wins Gotland Runt Race Shorthanded Division
J/121 Blitzes Bermuda 1-2 Offshore Race
J/121 WINGS Report on Winning SORC Islands in Stream Series
J/121 Wins SORC Islands in the Stream Series
6. J/99- Latest “Giant-killer” in J’s Offshore Stable Wins Again
Following in the footsteps of amazing offshore pedigree- like the J/111 , J/88 , J/121- the J/99 continues to demonstrate that sailing as a powerful shorthanded offshore speedster, it has the capabilities to take on the “giants” in offshore racing and win… quite handily. Here are the most recent accomplishments of J/99s around the world.
J/99 Crushes Rolex Sydney-Hobart Offshore Race Winning ORC Overall in the 606.0nm race by THREE hours corrected ORC handicap time is a bit of a stunner in any major offshore race. But that’s exactly what happened in this year’s Boxing Day spectacular, the CYCA of Australia’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Offshore yacht race. The J/99 DISKO TROOPER- CONTENDER SAILCLOTH won all three Doublehanded divisions- IRC, ORC, PHS. A duo of experienced Laser sailors, no less, from Sydney!
J/99 Crushes Italian ORC Doublehanded Offshore Championship series
7. J/111 Continues to Eclipse & Confound Elite, Pro’d Up Offshore Racers
For over 10 years, the J/111 has continued to predominate in a wide variety of offshore events around the world. Whether it’s the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club Round Island Race, the Rolex Middle Sea Race, the Rolex Big Boat Series, the Aegean 600 Race, or the classic Chicago Mackinac Race. Winning in literally ANY conditions Mother Nature throws at the J/111 , “glass-outs” drifting along watching your face to leeward reflected on the glassy surface, to full-on safety harnesses and heavy gear blowing 40+ kts on the nose with reef and #4 getting thrashed by breaking 15 ft seas… body-slamming kind of stuff. One tough boat that J/111 is. Sailing photo credit- ROLEX/ Sharon Green.
J/111 Wins Rolex Middle Sea Race In late October 2021, the Royal Malta Yacht Club hosted their famously challenging 606.0nm- the Rolex Middle Sea Offshore Race. 114 boats showed up to take on the challenging race course, essentially a counterclockwise circumnavigation of Sicily starting and finishing in Malta and rounding over three magnificent volcanic islands.
Winning the ORC 5 Division by over an hour corrected time was Peter Gustafsson’s Swedish J/111 BLUR.SE
J/111 Rolex Big Boat Series Winner
Berne Girod J/111 Interview
J/111 Wins Aegean 600 Race
J/111s Sweep Chicago-Mackinac Overall- Mackinac Cup
8. J/122 Performance Racer-Cruiser Continues to Dominate Offshore
Nearly 20 years old, the J/122 has created one of the most enviable records of any 41 ft. sized racer/ cruiser anywhere in the world. Having won most major offshore races around the world on just about every major body of water, it’s hard to believe the J/122 and its newer sistership- the J/122E- continue to garner silverware every year. 2021 was without exception. Here are a few shining examples of this “evergreen” offshore racer-cruiser.
J/122s Podium in Rolex Middle Sea Race In late October 2021, the Royal Malta Yacht Club hosted their famously challenging 606.0nm- the Rolex Middle Sea Offshore Race. 114 boats showed up to take on the challenging race course, essentially a counterclockwise circumnavigation of Sicily starting and finishing in Malta and rounding over three magnificent volcanic islands. The two J/122s both either hopped on the podium or had top five finishes.
https://www.jboats.com/2021-blog/j-111-wins-orc-5-division-rolex-middle-sea-race
J/122 & J/88 Eclipse Mid-Summer Solo Challenge
J/122 Repeats at UK IRC National Champion!
Husband & Wife J/122 Winning Doublehanded Offshore in Australia
9. J/70s Grow & Grow, from Strength to Strength
Now in its 10th year of production, the J/70 continues to be the world’s fastest growing one-design keelboat class, with nearly 1,650 boats sailing. At this pace, the J/70 will eclipse both the J/22 and the J/80 in 2022 to become the second most prolific J design ever (after the J/24 ).
Why? Perhaps the secret lies in its “simplicity & sailability” by a wide range of sailors, from beginners to multiple Olympic Medallists and World Champions, from 7 to 70-year-olds, women or men, from anywhere in the world. Proof has been the amazing growth of the J/70 sailing leagues in Europe and Russia, with over 10,000 sailors participating every year.
J/70 SAILING Champions League Grows Ever Stronger! The 2021 SAILING Champions League Grand Finale took place from 7th to 10th October 2021 in Porto Cervo in Sardinia, hosted by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. The best 29 sailing clubs from 15 countries had amazing competition for the title “Best Sailing Club of the Year”.
The teams came from 15 European countries: Austria, Denmark, Finland, France , Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and for the first time Turkey. 12 clubs directly qualified for the final in Porto Cervo as national champions of their National Sailing League from the previous year, 12 clubs secured their starting place at the SCL Qualifier in Kiel, Germany, in July. The remaining places were allocated by wild cards. There was a very surprising winner, showing the strength of how the J/70 sailing leagues have evolved to date!
https://www.jboats.com/2021-blog/flying-finns-win-stunning-j-70-sailing-champions-league-finale
Sailing #Art4GlobalGoals- The J/70 Culture Regatta With an absolute world first, the Monheimer Kulturwerke and the visual artist Stefan Szczesny, together with the YOU Foundation and the Düsseldorf art-star Verlag, set out to support the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) initiative of the United Nations’ UNESCO.
Seventeen sails, designed by visual artist Stefan Szczesny, will be flown on the J/70s from the German J/70 Sailing League for a sustainable cultural regatta with a focus on the urgent issues of our society.
The internationally renowned painter and sculptor Stefan Szczesny interpreted the 17 Global Goals on behalf of the #Art4GlobalGoals campaign and presented his works in a very special kind of “vernissage” on the water.
https://www.jboats.com/2021-blog/sailing-art4globalgoals-the-j-70-culture-regatta
10. Fun Family Stuff & Experiences
There were dozens of examples of family fun & experiences across the world sailing J’s on every imaginable body of water on all five continents. Amongst them were some very surprising highlights that we illustrate below. In both cases, responses to the stress and emotions of having to contend with the pressures of everyday life and looking for an outlet to relax, chill, and recharge one’s body, soul, and spirit on the water with family and friends.
1. Facebook’s Famous Couple go J/80 Sailing Mark and Priscilla Zuckerberg went sailing their J/80 SHENANIGANS with friends on October 3rd, 2021. Proof that many of Silicon Valley’s leaders get away from the extreme pressure of their jobs in the frenetic, fast-paced world of high-tech and get out on the water. More often than not, most enjoy sailing a J/Boat of some kind, like Facebook’s “Chief” wishing to get away from it all, chill, relax, and take in a quiet peaceful day on the water with friends.
https://www.jboats.com/2021-blog/facebook-founder-zuckerberg-goes-sailing
2. The Garret Family Pandemic Sabbatical on their J/46 RUNNING TIDE An epic adventure it was and fully chronicled on their blog and with summaries of each major section of their trip on our J/Blog. Essentially, with the advent of the pandemic in March 2020, and school for the Garret’s kids ending in May 2020, the family decision was made to “bail out” and go for a long family cruise together. They explored Maine, the East Coast down to Florida, and the Bahamas over the course of more than a year. Read more here:
https://www.jboats.com/2021-blog/the-garrett-family-pandemic-sabbatical-on-j-46-running-tide-part-iv-bahamas-then-home
https://www.jboats.com/2021-blog/the-garrett-family-pandemic-sabbatical-on-j-46-running-tide-part-iv-bahamas
https://www.jboats.com/2021-blog/garrett-family-sabbatical-on-j46-running-tide-part-iii-the-bahamas
https://www.jboats.com/2021-blog/the-garrett-family-took-pandemic-sabbatical-on-their-j46-running-tide