Year: 2024

J/111 PRAVDA Smokes ORC Division
(Newport, RI) – The 19th Ida Lewis Distance Race hosted forty-five teams, including both world-class and recreational racers. The competition’s 24-hour format saw seven classes leave Newport Harbor at 11:00 AM Friday, August 16, and return on Saturday to a finish line sighted from host Ida Lewis Yacht Club where volunteers were on watch to record times and meet each team on the water with a congratulatory bottle of prosecco!!
“With the forecast for light air, we chose a course of 135.0nm for all three ORC classes and a shorter 120.0nm for the four PHRF classes,” said Will Museler, a member of the race team. “Most of the other established distance races in the country have the same set course, from start to finish, each year. Depending on the wind, you can be gone for a day or three days, you never know. Here you know!”
ORC DivisionBy all accounts, the sailors were pleased with the courses, which for ORC took the competitors out to Buzzards Bay Tower, then west past Block Island to a mark off Montauk, back to Buzzards Bay, and home again.
ORC 3 DivisionEdward Kaye’s J/111 PRAVDA from Marblehead, MA finished in 1d 1h 39m 20s to win ORC 3 Division and also take the silver medal for ORC Overall, only missing winning ORC Overall by a mere 5 minutes!
PHRF DivisionPHRF’s shorter course sent the teams first to the south side of Block Island, then east to Cox Ledge, Buzzards Bay Tower, and back to Newport.
PHRF Bagheera DivisionJeff Johnstone’s J/99 AGENT 99 (Newport, R.I.) won this division quite easily and just missed the podium for PHRF Overall by a mere 26 seconds! Johnstone’s AGENT 99 pulled off a daringly strategic downwind start, launching a spinnaker well before it crossed the pin end of the line. The boat rode low on a puff to separate from the fleet and then capitalized on a right shift that eventually enabled the team to get a mile ahead of the fleet within the first hour of racing.
“That start set us up mentally for the next six hours,” said AGENT 99 crew Tom Kirk. “In sailing, anything you do well motivates you; the key is not to let the bad things slow you down.”
Just finishing “out of the chocolates” was EC Helme’s J/92S SPIRIT, settling for 5th place. 
PHRF Coronet DivisionThis ten-boat division saw three J/crews predominate in the top four spots. David Rosow’s J/122 LOKI is on a roll this summer, taking the silver medal and 3rd PHRF Overall. John Pearson’s J/111 RED SKY 4 took the bronze medal and 6th PHRF Overall. Then, Jim Phyfe’s J/44 DIGGER took 4th place and 9th PHRF Overall!
Youth Challenge DivisionWinning the Arent H. Kits van Heyningen Trophy for the Youth Challenge was James Phyfe’s J/44 DIGGER (Cranston, R.I.), which finished fourth in Coronet. Digger had a total of eight youths and two adults on board, and they were up against three other Youth Challenge entries. NOTE- Youth Challenge entrants must have more than 40% of the team reaching their 14th birthday, but not their 20th birthday before August 16.
Ida Lewis Distance Race Gold Sponsor was Contender Sailcloth. Silver Sponsors were Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard and Hogan Associates/Christie’s International Real Estate. Bronze Sponsors were Gold’s Wine and Spirits, Langan Design Partners, Newport Construction Services, Inc., and North Sails. Contributing Sponsors were Toni Mills Graphic Design, Mac Designs, Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, and Stella Artois. Sailing photo credits- BLOCK ISLAND STEVE/ Stephen Cloutier. Follow Ida Lewis Distance Race on Facebook  For more Ida Lewis Distance Race sailing information

(Newport, RI)-  The 2024 Ida Lewis Distance Race has attracted nearly 50 entrants for the revered 24-hour race on August 16 in Newport, RI. From south of Pell Bridge in Narragansett Bay’s East Passage, the fleet heads off to some of the most storied cruising grounds in the Northeast, including Rhode Island Sound, Buzzards Bay, Vineyard Sound, Long Island Sound, and the waters south of western Long Island before returning to a finish off host Ida Lewis Yacht Club.

“It’s a fun distance race that has been enjoyed by veterans and newcomers alike for 18 editions,” said Event Chair Anselm Richards. “Fine-tuning over the last few years has all but guaranteed that every boat will finish in 24 hours, so that makes the time on the water just right: not too long, not too short.”
Richards added that the Ida Lewis Race Course Development Team has plotted a choice of several courses between 100 and 235 nautical miles; before the start, it will determine which class will sail what course, based on weather and handicap ranges for each class.
Teams sail either in ORC (classes 1, 2, and 3) or PHRF (classes Aloha, Coronet, Bagheera, and Double handed) for top-three and overall trophies as well as special trophies for Collegiate and Youth Challenges. The event also is a qualifier for the Northern Ocean Racing Trophy and Double-Handed Ocean Racing Trophy.
Returning this year is perennial favorite Spirit, a J/92 skippered by EC Helme (Newport, RI). “Last year’s race was pretty interesting for us,” said Helme, who finished second in Bagheera class and will sail in that class again. “Being the smallest and lightest boat combined with those steady, strong conditions made it a real test for Spirit and crew, but it made crossing the finish line that much sweeter.
“Being pushed a little physically and mentally is one of the reasons why we keep coming back. The Bay races generally don’t offer that, and the Ida Lewis Distance Race is just the right distance to make it an honest challenge while being ‘reasonable’ on a 30-foot boat.”  For more Ida Lewis Distance Race sailing information

(Marina del Rey, CA)- The Women on the Water/ Woman at the Helm Regatta (WOW/WAH) was a community effort, with multiple clubs- like California YC- in the marina helping out to make the event a success. Twenty-five women’s teams entered, with a strong contingent of J/crews. After a five-race, two-day series, several women J/Crews prevailed.

PHRF A DivisionIn this seven-boat division, Melody Simnegar’s J/111 J-BOSS too the bronze medal after posting a 3-1-2-4-4 tally for 14 pts. 
PHRF B DivisionIt was bullets all the way all day for Talin Babikian’s J/80 AVET in their five-boat division!
WOW DivisionThis ten-boat division saw Susan Taylor’s J/24 TAKE FIVE finish in 4th place, while Lisa Bronitt’s J/105 CUCHULAINN took fifth place. For more WOW Regatta SoCal sailing information. 

(Chicago, IL)- One of the largest regattas in North America, Chicago Yacht Club’s Verve Cup is an annual world-class sailing event attracting many national and international sailors. Both the Offshore Regatta and the Inshore Regatta host well over 100 yachts to sail off the beautiful Chicago lakefront and skyline. The regatta features one-design fleets for J/88s, J/105s, and J/109s, plus PHRF/ ORC offshore handicap racing. 
J/88 ClassIt was a great turnout of ten teams for the class! The winner was a shocker for many Chicago J/88 veterans! Winning was Lindsey Duda’s SIN DUDA with an absolutely blistering record of five 1sts in their seven-race tally for a total of 10 pts. Not surprisingly, it was Andy Graff’s EXILE in second with 25 pts. Then, rounding out the podium was Ben Marden’s BANTER with 34 pts. Rounding out the top five was Dave Dennison’s PIRANHA in fourth and John & Jordan Leahey’s DUTCH in fifth place (a shocker for them as past J/88 North American Champions!).
J/105 ClassThe J/105s enjoyed a real battle for the top four spots on the leaderboard. After the seven-race series, it was Mark Fruin’s NYCTOSAUR that the battle with six podium finishes for 19 pts total. Second was a long-time Chicago veteran, Clark Pellet’s SEALARK with 24 pts. Third place went to Mike Sheppard’s FLYING PIG with 26 pts
J/109 ClassDominating the seven-boat fleet was the quartet on SMEE AGAIN (Mix/ Dreher/ Hatfield/ Neenan). Starting with a blistering 1-1 on the first day, they went on to win with 15 pts total in their seven races. Second was Peter Priede’s FULL TILT with 18 pts and third was Ray Douglas & Kristine Maybach’s COURAGEIOUS with 21 pts. 
ORC DivisionsKevin Saedi & Raman Yousefi’s J/111 MOMENTUS ended up taking the bronze medal in this class with 18 pts total.   For more Verve Cup Regatta sailing information 

(Marina del Rey, CA)- The Women on the Water/ Woman at the Helm Regatta (WOW/WAH) is a community effort, with multiple clubs- like California YC- in the marina helping out to make the event a success. Twenty-five women’s teams are entered, with a strong contingent of J/crews. 

Those teams include Kathryn Dynes’s J/22 MAJIC DRAGON, Susan Taylor’s J/24 TAKE FIVE, Talin Babikian’s J/80 AVET, Olivia Loveland’s J/100 KANANI, Lisa Bronitt’s J/105 CUCHULAINN, and Melody Simnegar’s J/111 J-BOSS! For more WOW Regatta SoCal sailing information. 

 (Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- For the first week of August, the Cowes Combined Clubs    hosted their annual highlight of the summer sailing season on the Solent- the infamous Cowes Race Week off Cowes, Isle of Wight. Yet again, hundreds of boats and thousands of sailors flooded the quaint seaside town with raucous parties and challenging sailing on the capricious waters of the famously fast-flowing currents of the  Solent Water. 

The racing was benign by Solent standards, with mostly warm “shirts & shades” weather, sunny skies, light to medium airs in general, and lots of socializing ashore. Here is how it all went down by division. 
IRC 2 DivisionThis eighteen-boat division saw the J/122s predominate. Winning was the Brian Jones Family team from Ireland on their J/122 JELLY BABY and taking second was Derek Shakespeare’s J/122 BULLDOG.  
IRC 3 DivisionThis fifteen-boat fleet saw David Franks’s J/112E LEON again battle a boat called YES. In the end, Adam Gosling’s professionally sailed YES team triumphed in their duel over Frank’s all-corinthian crew on LEON… happily earning their silver medal in this tough division. 
IRC 4 Division- the J/Boats DivisionAll nine entries in this fleet were J/Teams! Taking class honors was Matt Waite’s J/99 FURTHER WEST, followed by Richard Newsom’s J/105 JAVELIN in second place, and Libby Finch, Jack & Joe Banks, & Penny Jeffcoate’s J/92 NIGHTJAR taking the bronze medal. 
Performance Cruise B DivisionThis fifteen-boat fleet saw Andy Hunt’s J/120 ASSARAIN III take the silver medal. 
J/109 ClassThe nine entries in the fleet J/109 class saw very spirited competition. In the end, it was the Dutch on top! Winning was Arjen van Leeuwen & Silvy Leijh’s JOULE, followed by John Smart’s JUKEBOX in second, and Charlie & Rosie Berry’s JENIE in third place. 
J/70 ClassWith thirty entries, the J/70 class was the largest international class sailing at Cowes Week. The week consisted of the short series and the week-long series.
J/70 Short SeriesWinning was Martin Dent’s JELVIS. Second was Bill Edwards & Ian Dobson’s SARDONYX, followed by  Simon Patterson’s STANDFAST in third place. 
J/70 Long SeriesWinning was Patterson’s STANDFAST, followed by Bertie Fisher’s POWERHOUSE in second place, and the Edwards & Dobson team’s SARDONYX in third position.  
Follow Cowes Week on Facebook here  For more Cowes Week sailing information

(La Rochelle, France)- The Société des Régates Rochelaises, the École de Voile Rochelaise, and La Rochelle Nautique were able to run eleven races for this year’s 2024 J/80 World Championship held in La Rochelle, France.
Seventy teams from seven nations competed in the four-day regatta; including Belgium (5), China (1), Spain (16), France (45), Hong Kong (1), India (1), and The Netherlands (3).
It was a battle to the final race for the French team of CV AILEE- ECOLE NAVALE led by skipper Pierre Laouenan and his crew of Christian Ponthieu, Jean Queveau, Tiphaine Ragueneau, and Damien Iehl. After taking the early lead in the first two days, they were fighting to maintain their composure against the onslaught of the top Spanish teams. In the end, it was an amazing closing scoreline of 1-1-2-2-1-1 in the last six races by Javier Padron Torrent’s Spanish team on  EUROFRITS  & AVIKO- NEWIND FOODS (Jon Arrazabal, Alberto Padron, Daniel De La Pedraja, and Alba Ponce) that took home the J/80 World Championship title! Pierre Laouenan’s CV AILEE- ECOLE NAVALE had to settle for the silver medal just three points back. Rounding out the podium with the bronze medal was Iker Almandoz’s Spanish team on ENBATA 80 (Ligo Jauregui,  Ligo Sanchez, and Borja Ponte). 
Rounding out the top five were two former J/80 World Champions from Spain. In fourth was Jose Maria “Pichu” Torcida’s FREDA LA ESTRELLA DEL NORTE, losing the tiebreaker at 56 pts behind ENBATA 80. Taking fifth place was Jose Azqueta’s  BIOBIZZ with 84.9 pts. For more 2024 J/80 World Championship sailing information 

(Mackinac Island, MI)- By finishing the Chicago Mackinac Race (289.0nm) in 23 hrs 24 mins 22 secs, the 80-foot canting keelboat MAVERICK owned by Sanford Burris and brothers Bill  & Bud Kinney set the new elapsed time record by over an hour. Previously, the record had been set 20 years ago by Roy Disney’s 75-footer PYEWACKET at 24 hrs 33 mins. Furthermore, MAVERICK also crushed the Super Mac Race (Chicago to Port Huron 595.0nm) record by 10+ hours!
What was unique about MAVERICK’s crew is that two sons were aboard and of the nineteen-man crew, only two were pros. As a largely amateur, family-oriented team, the MAVERICK crew has mostly grown up on the Cleveland waterfront sailing a variety of J/Boats over time, from J/22s to J/24s, J/70s to J/80s, J/105s, J/109s, and J/111s!
Finally, MAVERICK’s  navigator/ strategist was none other than your J/Newsletter Editor- Stuart Johnstone- now fastest Chicago-Mac Race navigator ever!

    (Anacortes, WA)- The fabled reincarnation of the old Whidbey Island Race Week (the fabled “adult playground”) took place last weekend, much to the delight of the large numbers of J/sailors in the Pacific Northwest. They enjoyed great racing, celebrated often, and had lots of races over the three days. J/Crews were sailing in both ORC and PHRF handicap divisions and one-design classes of J/70s, J/80s, and J/105s.
J/70 ClassThe nine-boat J/70 class enjoyed ten races over the three-day regatta. Winning handily with a mind-blowing nine bullets was Mike Brevik’s FRAM, counting just 1sts after a single drop race! A distant second was Boris Luchterhand’s RIFF with mostly 2nds with 21 pts net. Rounding out the podium was Mike Powell’s TALLY HO with 32 pts net. 
J/80 ClassThe half-dozen J/80s also saw a complete “schooling” by the winning team. In this case, it was Julian Croxall’s RECKLESS that seven straight races to count only 6 pts net! The silver was won by Mike Kalahar’s LITONYA with 14 pts net, while Ryan Porter’s familiar JOLLY GREEN team took the bronze with 21 pts net. 
J/105 ClassUnlike their colleagues in the J/70s and J/80s, the nine-boat J/105 class saw a battle to the final race for the top two spots on the podium. Winning that duel was Lenny Rezabek’s INSUBORDINATION with 14 pts net, followed by John Aitchinson’s MOOSE UNKNOWN with 16 pts net. Rounding out the podium in third place was Adrien Felon’s DOUBLE TROUBLE, earning that bronze medal in a tiebreaker at 24 pts each over Bob Haward’s KINETIC. 
ORC C DivisionThe seven-boat fleet saw Bruce Chan’s J/111 65 RED ROSES II toss a 3rd place to count just four 1sts and two 2nds for 8 pts net to win with ease. Fourth was a fellow J/111 owner, Steve Kirsch’s FLASH with 25 pts net. 
PHRF B DivisionThe half-dozen-boat fleet had a pair of J/35s top the podium. Winning was Brian White’s GRACE E win counting five races with 7 pts net total. The bronze medal went to Eric Johnson’s FLICKA counting all podium finishes with 15 pts net. 
For more Race Week Anacortes results   For more Race Week Anacortes sailing information