Month: May 2023

(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- Over last weekend, a local crew of friends hopped aboard the famous J/99 J-LANCE 25 and sailed the popular overnight offshore race called “La Nuite Armen Race”. Here is the report from one of the crew- Fred Bouvier.
“Before the start, our team decided to sail just the overnight race version of the Armen Race. This permitted us to have fun sailing offshore, as well as having time to visit family and friends over the long French bank holiday weekend.  
Our decision was also a good way to continue proving the versatility of the J/99 by competing in this race. Interestingly, this is primarily an “Osiris- OSH” French handicap event, a handicap system mainly based on ORC.
The weather conditions were driven by a powerful High-pressure center over western England. As a result, that meant we would be treated to clear weather over our 130.0 nm course up and down the Brittany coastline. This also meant that we would see a largely reaching race, with northeast winds being influenced by thermal breezes along the shore in the late afternoon due to the sunny, warm weather conditions. 
We had a very strong start for our race. A few hours after our start, one of the famous Maxi Ultime 100 meter multihulls came flying by us (literally) going over 25 knots faster than us– a bit like the runaway TGV (tres grand vitessse) train blowing by!
It was apparent that the predominant reaching conditions would be challenging for us, as the boat was set up with symmetric spinnakers for matching the preferred sail wardrobe for the predominant doublehanded fleet in France.
As a result, we made many sail changes to optimize our VMC (velocity made good on course). We did a lot of “spinnaker peels” between the big S2 kite and the smaller Code 0 to keep our lead.
At the first turning mark, the only boat ahead of us after eight hours of sailing was the Solaris 50-footer!
Then, during the second part of the night, we saw a J/105 catching back up to us like a rocketship with his perfectly sized big code 0!
We had to push hard in the second half of the night to regain enough time on the J/105 to be clear on corrected handicap time. This was easier for us with the strong stability of the J/99 and a closer angle of wind. We had 20 knots TWS, which was perfect for our small code 0.
The last part of the race was upwind at sunrise in a very choppy sea. We even extended our lead to save on corrected time by 3 minutes on the J/105! 
After having a nice breakfast, we discovered that finally, our biggest challenger was the smallest rating boat of the fleet- an old Contessa 33 which rated like a J/22! OMG! Amazingly, we found out we finally beat them by less than 90 seconds on corrected time in OSH ratings over 20 hours of sailing! Such things are always a shocker since we never saw them! For more J/99 sailing information

(Scheveningen, The Netherlands)- The Royal Ocean Racing Club’s 2023 North Sea Race, hosted by the Royal Harwich Yacht Club, attracted 73 boats for the 180.0nm race. The course across the North Sea meanders around the Galloper wind farm before heading north to Smith’s Knoll Buoy and across to the famous sailing city of the Hague and the Yacht Club Scheveningen. The majority of the entries came from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, with over 350 sailors taking part that include crew from Belgium, Germany, Israel, and the USA.
The stunning J/122e AJETO won the North Sea Race in both ORC & IRC Overall! The extraordinary Dutch doublehanded team of Robin Verhoef & John van der Starre showed that you can have a comfortable boat that performs well and still win the silverware. AJETO won all five classes it participated in – IRC Overall, IRC 2, IRC Doublehanded, ORC Overall, and ORC Doublehanded!!
The overall winners of the North Sea Race were tired, but elated dockside in Scheveningen. Robin Verhoef and John van der Starre from Ajeto! spoke about their victory.
“This was a great experience; it was a race with a lot of things in it. In the tactics for the long upwind to Smith’s Knoll, you needed to take the correct shifts, and I think we did that really spot on. After racing AJETO for seven years, we know how to run the boat. The different modes and settings become like a computer game, knowing how to set up the boat. For example, in choppy water, it makes a big difference for us to be constantly adjusting the boat. We are always busy, but it is worth it for good boat speed and to be competitive.
Our result (under IRC) always depends on the wind. For the North Sea Race, we had 16 knots on the reach at an angle that some boats could not surf. If that had been 20 knots, more boats would have been planning, so our chance of winning would have been less. AJETO is a very good all-round boat, it does well upwind and downwind, so we always have a chance, whatever the conditions. The J/122 is not an extreme boat like some of our competitors, and we have modified it so that on every type of course we can sail well. Also, working with Kevin Sproul, we have a sail wardrobe with big cross-overs. This means that we can avoid many sail changes, these take a lot of time when you are Two-Handed.” 

AJETO will be competing in IRC DoubleHanded Division for this year’s ROLEX Fastnet Race, with over 100 double-handed teams expected on the start line in Cowes on July 22nd. 
“The Fastnet is going to be a fantastic race! This will not be our first rodeo, so to speak! In fact, we have already raced five times! Of course, we want to win, but it’s also about having fun, that gives us the passion to race hard,” commented Verhoef. 
The remarkable performance of AJETO was replicated, to some degree, by several other J/Teams. Many earned their fair share of silverware on the podium as well. 
Finishing 6th IRC Overall, 1st IRC 1, 2nd ORC 1 was Frans van Cappelle & Michele Witsenburg’s J/122e MOANA. Evidently, the race course and wind conditions were favorable for fast-sailing J/122e teams on the North Sea!
Then, 11th IRC Overall, 2nd IRC 3, and 4th ORC 2 was S. Tienpont’s J/35 FEVER. Their performance is a good example of how a “classic” J/Boat design, well-sailed, is a spirited and competitive performer nearly 40 years after the first 35 was launched in Newport, RI!
Following their colleagues in 15th IRC overall, 4th IRC 3, 4th IRC Double, and 2nd ORC Doublehanded was Wim van Slooten and Jochem Nonhebele’s J/109 FIRESTORM. Yet another J/109, Martijn Graafmans’ J/109 EAU J, took 5th IRC 3, 5th IRC Doublehanded, and 6th ORC Doublehanded.  
Two J/99s were sailing but scored solely in ORC handicap ratings. Taking third in ORC 2 division was Jan Scholtes’ J/99 WARP 5. Then, finishing fifth in ORC Doublehanded was Paul Manuel’s J/99 JONGEHEER. 
Notably, J/Teams faired incredibly well as a group in the ORC Doublehanded division, taking 4 of the top 6 finishes!
The RORC North Sea Race is part of the 2023 RORC Season’s Points Championship, the world’s largest offshore racing series. The ten-month series comprises 15 testing offshore races. Over 600 international teams are expected to compete this year. Every race had its famous prize for the overall winner after IRC time correction with more coveted trophies for class honors.  Sailing photo credits- Sander van der Borch   For more North Sea Race sailing information

(Stellendam, The Netherlands)- For the first time in years, individual J/Teams took top honors in all three ORC Divisions. In a bid to have a crack at the podium in this year’s upcoming Rolex Fastnet Race, the dynamic duo of John van der Starre and Robin Verhoef guided their J/122e AJETO to the ORC Doublehanded win by winning both races. Second went to Martijn Graafmans and Diederik Forma’s J/109 EAU-J. 
In a similar scenario, Rutger Krijger’s J/112e JACK RABBIT took ORC 1 Division honors winning their last three races. Frans van Cappelle’s J/122e MOANA ended up in 6th place in the same division. 
Leading a contingent of four J/99s to the top of the podium in ORC 2 Division was Jorg Sigg’s Swiss LALLEKONIG team from Zuricher Segel Club. Bob Jansen’s J/99 FUN J took the fifth position. 
The nine-boat J/22 class watched as Dirk Jan Verdoorn’s NED 1295- JUT EN JUL put on a “clinic”, winning the regatta by scoring just bullets in their five-race scoreline. His team consisted of Renee Groenevel, Liselotte Verdoorn, and Anneloes Krikhaar. 
Second place went to the German team 7-SITZER led by Holger Schmitt and sailing with a crew of Sabine Schonfeldt and Thomas Hanf; scoring mostly 2nds and 3rds. Then, rounding out the podium was Frederik Winnubt’s NED 1455- JOTUNBAD, counting mostly 3rds and 4ths! His team included anne van Rijn, Ezra van der Ven, and Berend van der hijden. 
Team Spotlight:Arethusa is a J109, crewed by the male members of the family Mijs (Kees, Dik, and Camille) and friends. We started offshore racing in 2007 in the Scheveningen – Cork race and since then participated in all Fastnet races since 2009, all Vuurschepen races and North Sea races since 2008, and most Bruinebank races since 2007. The best results were a victory in ORC 2 in the Vuurschepen race, a victory in IRC 3 in the North Sea race, and 12th place in IRC 3 in the Fastnet race. This year we will participate in the Fastnet race once more. Being at sea and enjoying good sailing and good company is our motive for sailing Arethusa.  For more Van Uden Reco Regatta sailing information

(Seattle, WA)- The final race of Corinthian Yacht Club’s Center Sound Series sent racers sailing a familiar course up to south Whidbey Island in lovely conditions. As March drew to a close, so did the Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle’s Center Sound Series. Like the second race in the series, the final race allows the committee to determine the course on the day of the event, based on the conditions. Accordingly, the committee boat set the line several miles farther north than usual, anticipating more breeze to the north than to the south. Sure enough, when the course was set on the board, it was a 22-mile out-and-back run to Scatchet Head at the south end of Whidbey Island for the 60 boats across nine classes. 
The moderate southerly hovering near 10 knots meant a downwind start — which always makes things a little extra exciting. Every kind of start was on display, from the early kite hoist with a speed-and-distance run to the line; to an approach from leeward of the line at the pin end, which puts a boat in a controlling starboard leeward position on all other boats. That is if they can get back to the pin sailing up against an already pumping springtime ebb. In general, the pin was a very busy spot for these starts. 
Once the fleet got off the line, it seemed like the middle of Puget Sound would provide a stronger current, and some models suggested the breeze should be better a little farther west too. As happens, the course was pretty even, with possibly even a slight advantage in the first part of the run for the boats whose course kept them closer to the east side. 
The breeze was quite consistent for the run north, so soon it was a boat speed game. Gains were minimal, but with more than 10 miles to work with, the faster boats did eventually eke ahead. 
As the fleet approached Scatchet Head, the current was already causing fits as it pushed out of Saratoga Passage, moving boats westward at a healthy clip. Talking with sailors from other fleets reinforced this idea — the farther east you were on the beat home, the better. 
By the time offshore boats tacked off the Edmonds shore, the other boats had gotten ahead. This was a big advantage with miles of short tacking ahead, where they would have a windward position. 
Eventually, the breeze lightened, and the writing was on the wall with the committee boat fast approaching. Some boats took fliers farther west, which didn’t pan out. 
Happily, sun-kissed and windburned sailors made their way south across the finish line. Most of the fleet had to navigate a dying breeze, and leads changed hands in the shifting conditions in several fleets. 
The PHRF 4 Class was simply one-design J/105s, an incredibly strong fleet of fourteen boats! WOWOWOW! Talk about strong fleet growth, the J/105 Class went from about a half-dozen enthusiastic teams in the previous year to a tsunami of new teams! Winning class was Chris Phoenix’s JADED with a 1-3-1 for 5 pts. Taking the silver was Al Hughes’ CREATIVE with a 4-1-2 for 7 pts. Rounding out the podium with a mind-numbing 2-2-7 for 11 pts was John Aitchison’s MOOSE UNKNOWN! Theirs was a sad tale… tied on points for the lead going into the last race and simply “nuking” their scoreline with a final race 7th. The balance of the top five in this huge fleet was Tom Kerr’s CORVO 105 in fourth and Adrien Felon’s DOUBLE TROUBLE in fifth position.  
The PHRF 6 Class saw a pair of J/120s race neck-and-neck with one another the entire series. In the end, it was Carl Sheath’s SHEARWATER that took the bronze medal in the division, with Chris Johnson’s WITH GRACE settling for fourth place. 
The PHRF 7 Class looked like it was a running “gun battle” between the J/111s and J/122s all series. In the end, it was a SHOCKING outcome to see THREE boats all tied on 9 pts each after three races. On the tie-break countback process, taking the silver medal with a 1-3-5 was Tolga Cezik’s J/111 LODOS and John Renehan & Fritz Lanzinger’s J/111 HOOLIGAN with a 3-2-4 to take the bronze medal! Rounding out the top five was Steve Kirsch’s J/111 FLASH with a 2-7-6 tally. 
PHRF 5 class was a mixed bag of boats. Going into the last race leading class with a 1-2 was David Schutte’s J/109 SPYHOP. However, their last race 7th “torpedoed” their chances to sit atop the podium, having to settle for the bronze medal. Sailing consistently to take fourth place was Don & George Leighton’s J/35 TAHLEQUAH. Just off their pace was David Miller’s J/99 ONE LIFE to take the fifth position. 
In the PHRF 2 Class, it was Lek Dimarucot’s J/80 UNDERDOG that took class honors with a 1-1-2 for 4 pts. Not far off their pace was Ryan Porter’s J/80 JOLLY GREEN with a 2-3-3 for the three weekends to snag the bronze medal. Finishing just outside of “the chocolates” was Morris Lowitz’s J/80 UPROAR with a 5-4-5.  For more Corinthian YC Seattle’s Center Sound Series sailing information

(Brisbane, Queensland, Australia)- The 75th Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race (B2G), organized by Queensland Cruising Yacht Club, recently took place over the Easter Holiday weekend in Queensland, Australia. The B2G is considered by the yachting fraternity to be one of Australia’s flagship offshore yacht races- a 308.0nm whopper of a challenge along the shoreline. The Race is an officially recognized icon of Queensland and the highest profile Easter Weekend sporting event, setting sail from Moreton Bay on Good Friday annually. From the start, yachts proceed via a mark off Redcliffe Point to the North West Channel up to Caloundra and through to Gladstone, a distance of approximately 308 nautical miles.
For Tony Craner, owner of the J/99 BALANCING ACT, this was his first B2G as skipper, having sailed the race many times before as crew. BALANCING ACT had performed well in the qualifying race, the 90.0nm “Surf to City Race” in January with an IRC Div 2 win and 5th overall in IRC.
The 308.0nm B2G is normally a downhill race with often strong SE breezes. This year was different with strong northerlies predicted for the first 24 hrs and variable winds thereafter.
Tony commented, “The start is on Good Friday, the wind was light and we were a little buried. After the first mark was one of only two occasions this race we had a kite up. Once exiting Moreton Bay, the wind increased from the North, with a J4 and either a full main or a reef. The wind and stormy weather kept our crew of four busy, as we were often changing gears. 
Well into the night, the storm fronts hit with wind, rain, and spectacular lighting. We initially kept to our strategy of tacking back into the coast, for sightly calmer seas and to stay out of the current. This paid dividends and we were up with many 40-footers. There were several retirements that night with one boat reporting a lightning strike. We were keeping pace with our friends on the J/111 BLACK DOG, so we were pleased. By morning, we were even happier, as we found out we were leading our division and overall on IRC.
Mid-day Saturday, we rounded “Indian Head” at the halfway mark. The winds now dropped and we went to the J2. A secret of the boat I previously sailed on was to cut close to the reef at Sandy Cape, the north part of Fraser Island. Given that opportunity, we did the same thing and sailed to a depth of just 3.5m! 
On Saturday night was the run to Lady Elliot Island and the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef. We rounded the island at midnight, together with a pack of about ten boats nearby. During the rounding, the wind just died. All of us wallowed in the tide next to the island reef for two hours, and finally with the code zero up, we made some progress towards the mainland.
Early Sunday morning, we approached Bustard Head, only to become becalmed again for close to two hours. The boats behind still had some wind, so we knew our handicap time advantage had disappeared into thin air! Ourselves and the J/111 BLACK DOG headed to the shore to be first to pick up the new wind. Once moving again, the wind went to the north and took us the 10 miles to Gladstone Harbour entrance. 
Finally, we got our kite up again for a short three miles. Then, back on the nose for the final 11 miles. On the run down the harbor, three larger boats took us due to waterline length, but we held others off by staying out of the tide.
As always in yachting, what might have been…
There were no disappointments for us! The J/99 and the crew performed well above expectations, particularly in the heavy sailing weather!
In the end, we got 6th place in IRC Division and 3rd place in ORC Division. Thankfully, picking up a few “pickle dishes” as rewards for our efforts!”