Month: May 2025

(Annapolis, MD)- The first, and largest regatta of the summer on the Chesapeake Bay for the past few decades has been the Helly Hansen Regatta Annapolis. Hosted by the experienced veterans at Annapolis Yacht Club and their partners (Eastport Yacht Club and SSA), the fleet of 240+ boats was treated to exceptional, professional race management over the three days of the regatta, with some fleets experiencing a packed agenda of up to nine races! Remarkably, J/Boats accounted for over 75% of the fleet! Here’s how it all went down over the three days.
Day One- FridayWith four race circles hosting multiple classes, clear air didn’t come easily either, especially on the southernmost circle with the J/105s, J/80s, J/70s, and J/88s— more than 80 boats racing up and down the course.
Cate Muller-Terhune’s CASTING COUCH, last year’s overall winner of the J/70 class and the regatta, has proven in the past that they know how to manage the traffic and came away with two race wins and a second to set up a 4-point lead on Alec Culter’s team on HEDGEHOG.
John Bell’s team on HIWASSEE is sitting pretty with two race wins, but Andy Graff’s team EXILE, a perennial rival to the HIWASSEE crew, is only 5 points back (winning with a 2-1-1), but Andy Graff’s EXILE is only 5 points back.
Equally close in points are the J/105 leaders, with Ben DuPont’s WARBRIDE winning the last race to end day 2 points atop Bill Zartler’s DEJA VOODOO.
Over on the Division 2 course, Jeff Hayden’s team on the POLAR EXPRESS leads the J/22s, Dan Watson’s AVITA is top J/30, and Michael Baugh’s J/29 PERSEPHONE is tied with Glenn Smyth’s SHADOWFAX.
Day 2- SaturdayWinds were moderate from the south, the current was ebbing most of the day, and the sun was shining again—all in all a perfect day for the competitors that have been racking up races over the past two days.
James Sagerholm’s legendary J/35 AUNT JEAN executed a similar strategy from the start, promptly tacking after crossing the line and beelining to the right, which ultimately set them up for a second on the day and put them only a point behind Time Machine going into Sunday’s second distance race.
The J/24s got their series underway on Saturday. Pete Kassal’s SPACEMAN SPIFF won two of five races to finish the day with a 3-point lead over Pat Fitzgerald’s RUSH HOUR.
Out on the jam-packed Division 3 circle, with the J/88s, J/80s, J/70s, and J/105s— the intensity of the respective fleets certainly went up a notch in the moderate winds and busy race course. No one got away easy; every point was a battle, said Andy Graff on the J/88 EXILE. His team’s 1-2-1 scoreline came with its challenges.
“We had a good day—we were going pretty good, felt fast, and made some good calls— but it’s all pretty close and the next two boats are just barely behind us.”
Indeed, John Bell’s HIWASEE is only 3 points back, and Lindsay Duda’s SIN DUa won a race to keep themselves well within striking distance of the lead.
EXILE and the J/88s have the fortune of being the first start on the circle, which gives them an open course on the first beat, but a different strategy was required for the second. “The second beat is a bit harder to cross back through the middle,” Graff says, “so when we picked a side on the second beat, we really had to stick with it. Choices are more limited on the second.”
Cate Terhune Miller’s CASTING COUCH kept its consistency alive with three top-five finishes and now sits on a 4-point lead over Paul Green’s PROGRESS, which won two races to keep the series plenty tight. The two teams have built a comfortable margin over the rest of the fleet with the potential for two more races on Sunday ahead of an approaching cold front.
In the J/80s, Mike Beasley’s BLACK SHEEP found itself at the back of the fleet in the morning’s first race, posting an 18th before winning the next and finishing the day with a second in the last race. Only 5 points now separate BLACK SHEEP and Warren Flannery’s team on FESITY, which won the final race. Sarah Alexander’s MORE COWBELLS, however, is third overall, only 1 point in arrears, which should make for an exciting final day for the J/80 sailors.
Ben duPont’s WARBRIDE maintained its lead in the 22-boat J/105 fleet, but only by 4 points over Ray Wulff’s PATRIOT. Wulff’s squad won the day’s first race and followed that with a second in the next, but a 14th in the final kept them from snatching WARBRIDE’s lead. Like the J/80s, this series will no doubt come to the final race on Sunday.
Michael Baugh’s PERSEPHONE put three wins on the board and now leads the J/29 fleet by 9 points, and Jeff Hayden’s team on the J/22 POLAR EXPRESS has 4 points on Brad Julian’s YARD SAIL.
Day 3- Sunday“Race for every point” is a phrase heard often at regattas, and that was certainly the takeaway for many teams at the regatta. Three days packed with races allowed every sailor to make good on that cliché, especially the team on Andy Graff’s J/88 EXILE, which won in its fleet after a stressful two-race final day. Their class win, on a tiebreaker, earned them the regatta’s overall title and a berth at the Regatta Series championship in the BVI in October.
With a strong southerly on the final day, EXILE was sitting on a marginally comfortable lead over John Bell’s HIWASEE, and Graff intended to sail a clean race and stick to what had been working for them over the previous two days.
That plan quickly unraveled in the first race.
“It wasn’t how I planned on things going when I woke up this morning,” Graff says, “but we got out to the course and the breeze was like 17 knots. We expected more wind and made the poor decision to go to the small jib, and also got caught with the rig too tight and with chop the way it was today. That was a tough spot to be in when it dropped down to 8 knots. We just couldn’t get the wheels going through the chop.”
EXILE finished sixth in the 8-boat fleet, and HIWASEE won the race, putting them on top.
Then came HIWASEE’s drama. In the final start, Bell says, there was a miscommunication on the timing, and they found themselves OCS, clearing out to restart, and chasing down the rest of the fleet.
Battling back to earn point by point, at the beginning of the second beat, Bell realized their headstay had come off. They quickly attached a spare halyard to secure the rig and continued to sail the race. “We didn’t do so hot on that last race, but we needed to beat one boat to keep first place. When we got the one point we needed we we were pretty pumped.”
Pumped until they later learned that another boat had been OCS as well, but wasn’t scored as such. When that boat was later given an OCS, the scores shuffled once more, this time in favor of EXILE, which finished fourth in the final race and was ultimately declared the winner on the tiebreaker.
“It was hard,” says EXILE’s tactician Kris Werner. “I was admittedly pretty dark after the first race, because it felt like we just made a really poor decision with the jib. We finished that race and regrouped. The last one was tough, too. We had a pretty good start, we were kind of right in that top three for most of the race. We fought till the very end, we had almost a photo finish with [Iris Vogel’s] DEVIATION. That point was critical.”
J/80 ClassA similar fate awaited Mike Beasley’s team on the J/80 BLACK SHEEP, which went into the day with a comfortable lead in the 21-boat fleet. In the first race, they posted a 13th and then a ninth in the second race.
“In the first race, we got trapped off the start line and made it hard for ourselves,” Beasley says. “The right came in…we were protecting the left.”
In the final race, they were 1 point out of first behind Warren Flannery’s Canadian team on FEISTY. FEISTY won the final race, and BLACK SHEEP stumbled again with an OCS that had them last and fought their way back through the fleet to salvage every point they could.
As a result, FEISTY won with 44 pts, followed by JR Maxwell’s SCAMP with 50 pts. Just one point back to take the bronze medal was Sarah Alexander’s MORE COWBELLS with 51 pts. Beasley’s BLACK SHEEP got the short end of that exchange in the last race and well to fourth place with 53 pts. Rounding out the top five was Bengt & Marie’s BLAZE with 59 pts.
J/22 ClassJeff Hayden and his teammates on the J/22 POLAR EXPRESS battled with their regular rivals on Brad Julien’s YARD SAIL, with Hayden posting a 2-3 to Julien’s 4-1 in the final two races to claim the class title. The delta was only 4 points. Rounding out the podium in third was Jeff Todd’s perennial contender- HOT TODDY.
J/30 ClassDan Watson’s AVITA was the top J/30 by 11 points, with Watson’s team winning both races on Sunday. They had an unassailable lead over the next two teams on the podium- Valhalla Sailing’s SHAMROCK and Charles Lutz’s POGO, in second and third, respectively.
J/29 ClassMichael Baugh’s J/29 PERSEPHONE, which sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay to Annapolis from New Jersey to compete with the rejuvenated Chesapeake J/29 fleet, won seven of 10 races to easily win the class. Second went to Glenn Smyth’s SHADOWDFAX with 25 pts, just edging out third-place finisher Tom Lloyd’s ROSALITA with 27 pts.
J/70 ClassCate Muller-Terhune’s CASTING COUCH convincingly topped the J/70s, counting nearly all podium finishes for a total of 19 pts in 8 races! Taking the silver was Paul Green’s PROGRESS with 25 pts, while Alec Cutler’s HEDGEHOG team from Bermuda won the last two races to take the bronze medal with 30 pts.
J/105 ClassRay Wulf’s PATRIOT came on strong on the final day with 1-2 finishes to defend their title in the J/105 division. DuPont’s WARBRIDE slipped a bit on the last day with a 3-10 to take home the silver medal, while Bill Zartler’s talented Houston, TX crew on DEJA VOODOO won the last race to jump onto the podium for the bronze medal.
J/24 ClassOn the Division 4 race circle featuring J/24s, Pat Fitzgerald’s RUSH HOUR went 1-2 to upset the overnight leaders on Pete Kassel’s SPACEMAN SPIFF. Rounding out the podium for third place was Peter Rich’s BUXTON, just one point back.
ORC DivisionThe ORC Division enjoyed the breezier conditions and big chop. That favored Jim Sagerholm’s J/35 AUNT JEAN, which ultimately won the race and the ORC title. Kevin Sherwood’s J/99 BAY RETRIEVER took fourth place, while Zack Bayhan’s J/109 PATRIOT VIII was fifth, and Keith Cole’s J/124 LUCKY EIGHTS took sixth place.
For more Helly Hansen Annapolis Regatta sailing informationhttps://www.sailingworld.com/regatta-series-annapolis/

(San Diego, CA)- Day 2 of SDYC’s Yachting Cup started with a bit of rain and overcast coastal skies. The race management team was concerned about the forecast conditions – specifically the sea state, which built as a result of an overnight offshore front. A race committee boat went out about 7:30 am to check the conditions on both ocean courses; the decision was made to postpone racing by one hour and to move both courses to more protected areas closer to shore. Here is how the weekend broke down by classes/ divisions.
J/111 ClassPeter Wagner’s SKELETON KEY continued their hold on the top spot in the J/111 class after winning 3 of 5 races, taking top honors in the class for the second year in a row. SKELETON is also the current J/111 North American champion after their win in January in Key West. Several of the J/111s racing this weekend in San Diego (CREATIVE and GURLI) will be shifting gears into offshore mode to prepare to race to Hawaii this summer in the Transpac Race.
The balance of the podium was determined by a tiebreaker at 12 pts each. Winning that battle on countback was Marty Vogel’s MADMEN to take the silver medal. Meanwhile, John Staff’s OBSIDIAN team had to settle for the bronze medal step on the podium.
J/105 CLASSThe J/105 class also came down to the last leg of the last race. Bennet Greenwald & Dave Vieregg’s PERSEVERANCE held a 2-point lead going into the final race. However, last year’s overall winners, Chuck and Stephen Driscoll on JUICED, were not going down without a fight. “We knew we needed to put one boat between us and PERSEVERANCE going into the last race”, said Stephen Driscoll. We managed to get on the right side of a couple of shifts and pull off the win. It was a challenging weekend, and we are really happy with our teamwork.” Just one point in arrears to take the bronze medal was Mike Hatch’s J-ALMIGHTY.
J/24 ClassWhile the two ocean courses were postponed for an hour and moved to more favorable locations to avoid the bigger swells, the J/24s racing the bay went ahead as planned for 3 races starting at 1130. Course PRO Susi Graff gave the condition report for Sunday. “Today’s conditions at the city front were mixed with periods of squalls and light air. There is close racing among the J/24s, with TAKE FIVE and WHARF RAT duking it out, and others are not far behind.” The final bronze step on the podium went to Mark Thaidigsman’s CHALLENGER.
Christian Seidel and crew on WHARF RAT won the first two races on Sunday and went into the final race with a 2-point lead over last year’s class winner, Susan Taylor’s TAKE FIVE. WHARF RAT just needed to hang close to TAKE FIVE during the final race to win the class this year, and they did just that, finishing 45 seconds and one place behind them to give WHARF RAT the class win by one point. “Our job was just to stick with TAKE FIVE in the last race, which we were fortunate enough to execute.”
In addition to the narrow win in the J/24 class, Christian Seidel and WHARF RAT were selected as the Yachting Cup overall winner by the organizing committee to receive the Overall Yachting Cup perpetual trophy. “We’d like to thank San Diego Yacht Club and all the volunteers involved. We’d also like to thank all the competitors who came from as far away as Arizona to join us in this well-attended event. It is amazing to watch our J/24 fleet improve. Thanks for putting on an amazing event.”
ORC 1 DIVISIONIn this six-boat fleet, Mark Stratton’s J/122 CHEEKY took top honors, winning two races and hanging within less than a minute of the race leader in two more. CHEEKY led a clean sweep of the division. Taking the silver medal was John Laun’s J/120 CAPER, followed by Chuck Nichols’s CC RIDER in third place.
Competitors gave many thanks to the SDYC race committee and event chairs, Donica Ryder and Pete Whitby, for hosting a great weekend of racing.
San Diego Yacht Club would like to thank the Yachting Cup sponsors – Maui Brewing Company, Cutwater Spirits, Mount Gay Rum, Baila Tequila, South Coast Yachts, Helly Hansen, North Sails, First National Bullion, Sun Bum, and The Bay Club Hotel & Marina – who help made this signature event special.
Sailing photo credits- Colin Grey
For more San Diego Yacht Club Yachting Cup sailing informationhttp://www.yachtingcup.com/

As spring breezes build and regattas fire off around the globe, the J/Boats community has once again made its presence felt in spectacular fashion. From the foggy Pacific swells off San Diego to the gusty shores of Sweden and the shifting mountain winds of Switzerland, J/Teams have been racking up podium finishes, overall victories, and unforgettable moments. The past two weeks showcased everything from high-stakes international contests like the Nations’ Cup in Hong Kong to iconic American staples such as Annapolis’ Helly Hansen Regatta and the Race to the Straits in Seattle. Whether in offshore epics like the RORC Cervantes Trophy Race or short-course shootouts in the J/22 Sailing League, J/sailors met every challenge with tenacity, teamwork, and signature style. Here’s how the action unfolded across ten different regions and regattas—each one offering a new chapter in this ever-evolving season of speed.

New J/40 Goes for Shakedown Sail off Newport!
(Newport, RI)- This past week, the new J/40 #4 set sail off Newport on Naragansett Bay for her initial “shakedown” to test systems and check out rig-tuning and her new sails. A sistership #6 will be launching soon and will also be in Newport for most of the summer. Please contact your local J/Boats dealer or the J/Boats office for a demonstration sail soon! For more J/40 offshore performance cruiser sailboat information. Read more here.

The J/Cup Goes International- Cherbourg 2026!

(Cherbourg, France)- J/Cup Europe 2026 is happening in Cherbourg, France from June 19th to 20th, 2026!! All J/Sailors across Europe and the United Kingdom are invited!
Running in association with AXE Sail, this is your chance to join a buzzing fleet of J/Boats for a weekend of two unforgettable days of racing and socials in classic J/Cup style.
The J/99 European Cup is part of the event, so you can expect red-hot competition as well as serious fun back on shore.
Are you based in the United Kingdom? Join the Cherbourg delivery race- the perfect warm-up leg for your crew.
Questions? Please get in touch with Harry, call the office on +44 (0) 23 8045 5669, or email harry.tilling@keyyachting.com.

J/Teams Sweep PalmaVela! J/99, J/97E, J/70 Win Divisions.

(Palma Mallorca, Spain)- As one of the first major sailing regattas on the Mediterranean, the Real Club Nautico de Palma’s very popular PalmaVela Regatta is always a huge draw for top sailing teams throughout Europe. It’s not hard to see why sailors love to go to a famous, glitzy, seaside resort in the crown jewel of Spain’s Balearis Islands offshore in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. After all, what’s wrong with amazing ambience, a historical city and seaport, and generally awesome sailing conditions in the Bay of Palma- 10 to 15 kts seabreezes, sunny, and a balmy 75 F degrees- perfect shorts and shades weather!
Enjoying a long weekend of sailing in this fantasy-land of a bucket list regatta were a range of J/Teams from across Europe in J/70s, J/80s, J/97, J/99, J/109, and J/122s. Most all of them garnered some silver in this year’s event. Read more here.

J/24 WHARF RAT Crowned Overall Yachting Cup Winner!

(San Diego, CA)- Day 2 of SDYC’s Yachting Cup started with a bit of rain and overcast coastal skies. The race management team was concerned about the forecast conditions – specifically the sea state, which built as a result of an overnight offshore front. A race committee boat went out about 7:30 am to check the conditions on both ocean courses; the decision was made to postpone racing by one hour and to move both courses to more protected areas closer to shore. Here is how the weekend broke down by classes/ divisions.
J/111 ClassPeter Wagner’s SKELETON KEY continued their hold on the top spot in the J/111 class after winning 3 of 5 races, taking top honors in the class for the second year in a row. SKELETON is also the current J/111 North American champion after their win in January in Key West. Several of the J/111s racing this weekend in San Diego (CREATIVE and GURLI) will be shifting gears into offshore mode to prepare to race to Hawaii this summer in the Transpac Race. Read more here.

Fun-loving, Challenging Helly Hansen Regatta Annapolis
(Annapolis, MD)- The first, and largest regatta of the summer on the Chesapeake Bay for the past few decades has been the Helly Hansen Regatta Annapolis. Hosted by the experienced veterans at Annapolis Yacht Club and their partners (Eastport Yacht Club and SSA), the fleet of 240+ boats was treated to exceptional, professional race management over the three days of the regatta, with some fleets experiencing a packed agenda of up to nine races! Remarkably, J/Boats accounted for over 75% of the fleet! Here’s how it all went down over the three days.   Read more here.

J/109 WHISKEY JACK Wins Nation’s Cup
(Hong Kong, China)- The 2025 Nations’ Cup was the highlight of a spectacular day of international racing and national pride on Victoria Harbour. Held on May 4th by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, the 15th edition featured sixty-seven boats representing 19 countries, blending competitive sailing with dazzling costumes and crew camaraderie.
J/109 Whiskey Jack Win Secures England’s Fourth Nations’ Cup TitleLeading the charge was Nick Southward’s J/109 WHISKEY JACK, sailing under England’s banner. Their impressive performance in shifting wind conditions secured first place in the ATI division, marking England’s fourth Nations’ Cup title — the most of any nation. WHISKEY JACK’s win was a testament to the J/109’s proven design and offshore versatility. Read more here.

Royal Gothenburg YC Triumphs @ Swedish J/70 Sailing League Act I

(Saltsjöbaden, Sweden)- The first Allsvenskan Sailing competition of the 2025 season was hosted in Saltsjöbaden at the Royal Swedish Yacht Club (KSSS) from May 3-4.
The first round of the Allsvenskan was held off Marstrand under varying conditions, and there were also varying crews at the top over the two days. In the end, Göteborgs Kungliga Segelsällskap (Royal Gothenburg Sailing Club) emerged as the winner, closely ahead of the home club, Kungliga Svenska Segelsällskapet.
The first day offered brilliant sunshine and moderate winds. GKSS did best on the day, closely followed by KSSS. But Strängnäs Sailing Club and Umeå Sailing Club also did surprisingly well and were constantly in the running to challenge for the top positions. Read more here.

J/Teams Sweep ORC Divisions @ SAILWORKZ Stellendam Regatta 

(Stellendam, Netherlands)- Stellendam Yacht Club hosted the Stellendam Regatta as the offshore sailing season opener for many classes in The Netherlands. 
For over fifteen years, this regatta has been sailed in April on the Haringvliet in front of the Marina Stellendam. It has also become the season-opening party. Here, the sailors from the ORC and the one-design classes met again after the winter season.
 Read more here.

San Francisco YC Tops J/22 Sailing League Regatta

(San Francisco, CA)- This past weekend, St. Francis Yacht Club hosted its J/22 Sailing League Regatta for seven sailing club teams from across California. The winner got an automatic invitation to participate in the 2025 SAILING Champions League event in Kiel, Germany, that will be sailed on J/70s!
The SAILING Champions League is an international high-level club vs. club fleet racing circuit that’s been held in Europe since 2014. Currently, over 500 sailing clubs compete in the series, which is focused on spectator-friendly events. An effort to expand the league to the United States has been spearheaded by St. Francis Yacht Club, which invited seven clubs for two days of competition in J/22s. Read more here.

J/Teams Silver Multi-divisions @ Race to the Straits Regatta 

(Seattle, WA)- The Sloop Tavern Yacht Club in Seattle, WA, hosted its popular season-opening offshore race- the Race to the Straits Regatta- for a fleet of 103 boats. The full course length is 30.25 nautical miles each day. Saturday’s race was from Shilshole Bay to Point Hudson, keeping the Double Bluff Buoy to port. Then, Sunday’s race was from Point Hudson to Shilshole Bay, keeping the Double Bluff Buoy to starboard. All boats are prohibited from using the Port Townsend Canal. The regatta has always been popular with J/crews over the years.  Read more here.

Excellent Sailing @ American YC Spring Regatta

(Rye, NY)- This past week, the American Yacht Club hosted its annual Spring Regatta from Friday to Sunday on Western Long Island Sound. Dozens of J/crews from around the region enjoyed racing in coastal PHRF and ORC fleets as well as one-design racing for J/44s, J/88s, and J/105s. Here is what took place for each division. Read more here.

Club Nautique de Versoix Leads Swiss J/70 Sailing Super League- Act 1

(Morges, Switzerland)This past weekend, the Swiss J/70 Sailing League began its summer-long series of events on various mountain lakes in the gorgeous, story-book Swiss Alps. Eighteen teams participated in the sailing league format of quick 15-20-minute races in the challenging, often very shifty and puffy mountain lake sailing conditions off Morges, Switzerland.
In an abbreviated regatta that saw just one day of racing, the Club Nautique de Versoix asserted their preeminence as they did last season by winning the first event. Their team consisted of Victor Casas as skipper with a crew of Romain Defferrard, Romuald Hausser, and Benjamin Delaloye. Read more here.

J/Teams Silver in Ghosting to Gusty RORC Cervantes Trophy Race

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The RORC Cervantes Trophy Race delivered a dramatic shift in conditions that tested skill and strategy from the very start, followed by raw pace for a spectacular finish. The fleet ghosted off the Royal Yacht Squadron line in barely a whisper of breeze, but any thoughts of a slow passage to Le Havre were soon blown away.
Mid-channel, the race ignited as a powerful north-easterly filled in, sending boats surging downwind at top speeds. As the 128.0nm race unfolded, the action intensified with the tightly packed RORC fleet locked in a fierce battle for IRC supremacy— dozens of boats, seconds apart, all chasing the coveted trophy and vital points for the world’s largest offshore racing series: the RORC Season’s Points Championship Read more here.

J/Puma Zip-Top: May 20% off J/Gear Special
(Newport, RI)- Puma has long been synonymous with outdoor performance gear. The J/Puma Performance Zip Top is a contrasting moisture-managing top and is built to handle robust conditions. Distinctive 2-tone design with your J/Class logo embroidered on the front. Choose from a selection of colors.
Material:86% polyester, 14% elastaneDryCELL moisture-wicking performanceUV resistant UPF
Features:4-way stretch for ease of movementSolid base with color-blocking under the armsThe Puma Cat logo on the left sleeve
Customize option with yacht name and sail number for a competitive crew team.
Comes in a broad selection of colors for every crew and is offered at a 20% discount for May.  Click here to order.

(Annapolis MD)- The Helly Hansen Regatta returns to Annapolis, May 2nd to 4th with more than 160 teams expected to race in boats ranging from 20 to 40 feet. The annual spring regatta, which is considered the premiere local sailing event of the year on the Chesapeake Bay, also serves as the unofficial kickoff for the robust and thriving Annapolis sailing scene. This year’s event will be heavily attended by J/Boats aficionados, with an astonishing EIGHT J/one-design classes: J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, J/88s, J/29s, J/30s, and J/105s! The Annapolis regatta has truly evolved into a proverbial “J/Fest”!
J/22 ClassThe dozen-boat fleet features some of the leading veteran teams, such as Jeff Todd’s HOT TODDY, Chris Wilson’s LIL’PUFFY, Kevin Doyle’s MO’MONEY, Jeff Hayden’s POLAR EXPRESS, and Chris Doyle’s THE JUG 4 1.
J/24 ClassThis seven-boat fleet features Pete Kassal’s SPACEMAN SPIFF and Sam McGuire’s THE UPGRADE.
J/29 ClassIn what amounts to a significant revival of the local fleet, seven teams will be vying for class honors; including John Burnham’s DEFIANT, Mike Bolf’s DIRTY HARRY, Elizabeth Principe’s THE DOGHOUSE, and Tom Lloyd’s ROSALITA.
J/30 ClassThe ever-present, omniscient J/30 Annapolis fleet will again post a nice turnout of good teams. Amongst those boats are Dan Watson’s AVITA, Jim McGinnis’s BLITZ, and Charlie Lutz’s POGO.
J/70 ClassTwo-dozen teams are poised to establish themselves as Chesapeake Bay Champions, include Mark Hillman’s SIX, Roy & Marina Lamphier’s BEAT MACHINE, Cate Muller-Terhune’s CASTING COUCH, Tod Sackett’s FM, and Ian Hill’s SITELLA.
J/80 ClassWith a dozen boats, the J/80s will certainly experience top-notch racing among the local veterans. Some teams that may feature at the top of the leaderboard include Mike Beasley’s BLACK SHEEP, Bengt & Marie Johansson’s BLAZE, Bert Carp’s ELEVEN, Tom & Jennifer Kipp’s KOPP-OUT, and Kyle Comerford’s LITTLE STORM.
J/88 ClassAfter Charleston Race Week, several J/88 teams elected to complete their eastern tour by sailing the Annapolis regatta. Among the eight teams are several hot, veteran J/88 crews, including Chris & Liz Chadwick’s CHURCH KEY, Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION, Andy Graff’s EXILE, Lindsey Duda’s SIN DUDA, and Bill Purdy’s WHIRLWIND.
J/105 ClassWith nearly two dozen boats, the J/105s will certainly have good, hard-fought, tight racing around the cans. Some of the title contenders maybe Bill Zartler’s DEJA VOODOO, Peter Bowe’s GOOD TRADE, Hugh Bethell’s JESTER, Ray Wulff’s PATRIOT, Bill Clary’s RUM PUPPY, and Don Santa’s SANTAS REIGN DEAR.
ORC Handicap DivisionSeveral J/crews will be participating in the ORC division, including Keith Cole’s J/124 LUCKY EIGHTS, Kevin Sherwood’s J/99 BAY RETRIEVER, Zack Bayhan’s J/109 PATRIOT VII, and Jim Sagerholm’s famous J/35 AUNT JEAN.
For more Helly Hansen Annapolis Regatta sailing informationhttps://www.sailingworld.com/regatta-series-annapolis/

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The Royal Ocean Racing Club will be hosting the first of its summer-long series of offshore sailing races for hundreds of enthusiastic sailors from across the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and others from around the world. The RORC Offshore Season Point Series is the most popular circuit of offshore races worldwide and this year it incorporates the famous Fastnet Race- a true test of endurance and teamwork.
Starting off the classic Royal Yacht Squadron starting line off Cowes, the teams will race down the Solent from Cowes to Le Havre, France on a 110.0nm race track that crosses the infamous “La Manche”, the English Channel. Over 100 boats are participating along with a formidable contingent of J/Teams.
IRC 1 DivisionIn a “big boat” race, this 14-boat division often fields the overall winners in the IRC Division. Hoping for the best will be multiple race winner, the J/121 DARKWOOD- sailed by Mike O’Donnell’s crew of Irish mercenaries. Giving them plenty of competition will be the Frenchman Francois Charles on his J/133 SUN HILL IV and the British crew on the J/45 STICKLEBACK.
IRC 2 DivisionThis 15-boat fleet will be contending with one of Great Britain’s top offshore crews, the past RORC Offshore Champion Derek Shakespeares J/122 BULLDOG. Another British J/133, Lawrence Herbert’s CORAZON, will be hoping to fulfill the time-honored tradition of J/133s getting onto the podium in almost any weather conditions!
IRC 3 DivisionBy far the largest fleet in the race will be the 35 boats participating in the IRC 3 division. Four J/99s will be giving it a go to top many French and British crews. Those J/99s include Jean-Baptiste Brians’s JOLLY JUMPER, Jean-Lion Flip’s YALLA, Alain Waha & Matt Waite’s FURTHER WEST, and Phillippe Rios’s GWAHIR VENTURI from France.
IRC 4 DivisionIn the second largest division with 29 boats will be eight J/crews! Three more J/99s, including Jerome Baudy & Clement Garitan’s AN AEL 4, Mark Kendall’s JIRO, and Steven Deutsch & Tim Tolcher’s RAGING BULL. Joining them will be four highly regarded, race-winning J/109s; including James Fitchett’s JUMUNU, Rob Cotterill’s MOJO RISIN, Gillian Burgess’s RED ARROW (from the Royal Air Force Sailing Association), and Jamie Parker’s WHITE KNIGHT 7 (from the Royal Armoured Corpos YC). Finally, going up against all of that fire-power will be Richard & Emma Breese’s J/105 MOJO,
IRC Double DivisionThe sole J entrant in this large fleet is Steven Deutsch and Tim Tolcher’s J/99 RAGING BULL. They will have their hands full with many top teams from England and France.
For more RORC Cervantes Trophy Race sailing informationhttps://www.rorc.org/2024-race-programme

(Rye, NY)- Looking forward to hosting their annual opener for the summer sailing season on Western Long Island Sound will be the American Yacht Club. Their Spring Regatta is taking place from Friday to Sunday and will feature both ORC and PHRF handicap fleets. Dozens of J/crews from around the region will be looking forward to dusting off the accumulation of winter’s cobwebs, shaking out the creases in their sails, praying the electronics still work, and getting their crews functioning as well-oiled machines, whipping them into shape with a hundred gybes, tacks, spinnaker sets & takedowns!
ORC Division Participating in this ten-boat fleet will be Al Minella’s J/112E THE ROCC and Trevor Roach’s J/121 TOUCH OF GREY.
PHRF 1In this dozen-boat fleet will be Erik Asgeirsson and Tom Stokes’s J/45 ACADIA (past class winner!), Len Sitar’s J/160 COUGAR, two J/133s (Ron Richman’s ANTIDOTE and Steve Brownlie’s ASSARAIN IV), Constantine Baris’s J/122 DIRE WOLF, and John Pearson’s J/111 RED SKY 4.
PHRF 2Leading the charge in this eight-boat fleet should be Albrecht Goethe’s J/46 HAMBURG II, Bill Ingraham’s J/124 TENEBRAE, and Richard Wests’s J/120 CHARLOTTE.
PHRF 3With nine of the twelve boats registered are J/Teams, it’s likely a sweep of the top five is a possibility. Some of the top teams may include Robert Schwartz’s J/109 CAMINOS, John Greifzu’s J/109 GROWTH SPURT, Ray Warner’s J/99 AGENT 99, Todd Aven’s J/99 THIN MAN, and Kevin Marks’s J/99 VELOCITY 2.
J/99 and J/100 ClassesIn addition to the J/99 teams mentioned above, some of the top J/100 teams may include William Hennes’s LIBERTY, Nick Everett’s RESOLUTE, and the BLUEFIN trio (Tom Boiyle, Bob Clyatt, & Doug McKiege).
For more American YC Spring Regatta sailing informationhttps://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu/16312

(Seattle, WA)- The Sloop Tavern Yacht Club in Seattle, WA will be hosting its popular season-opening offshore race- the Race to the Straits Regatta- for a fleet of 103 boats. The full course length is 30.25 nautical miles each day. Saturday’s race will be from Shilshole Bay to Point Hudson keeping the Double Bluff Buoy to port. Then, Sunday’s race will be from Point Hudson to Shilshole Bay keeping the Double Bluff Buoy to starboard. All boats are prohibited from using the Port Townsend Canal. The regatta has always been popular with J/crews over the years.
PHRF Singlehanded DivisionSailing in this fleet will be Rafe Beswick’s J/32 DRAGONFLY and Dan Wierman’s J/35 GREAT WHITE.
PHRF Doublehanded DivisionOver two dozen J/crews are sailing in the largest fleet in the regatta. Here is a short list of some of those teams:Two J/30s- Ulf Georg Gwidlis’s IMPULSIVE and Mark Meenan’s SLINGSHOTOne J/27- Mike Darcy’s ZEPHYRThree J/80s- Gerry Gilbert’s AFTERBURNER, Ryan Porter’s JOLLY GREEN, and Peter Lisy’s JOUSTERTwo J/70s- Neil Roberts’s MERCURIUS and Justin Nodolf’s PUCAEight J/105s- including John Aitchinson’s MOOSE UNKNOWN, Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE, Mark Prentice’s PANIC, Drew Zangle’s JADED, and Sara Billey’s PEER GYNT. One J/88- Matt Gardner-Brown’s SEA STORIESOne J/99- David Miller’s ONE LIFEOne J/109- Kirk Fraser’s ECLIPSEThree J/35s- Tyson Varosyan’s SOLUTION, Paul Hanson’s TCHOUPITOULAS, and Chad Stenwick’s THE BOSSOne J/112E- Stephanie Arnold’s MYSTERYTwo J/111s- Steve Kirsch’s FLASH and Jay Renehan’s HOOLIGAN,
For more Sloop Taven YC’s Race to the Straits sailing informationhttps://www.styc.org/Race-to-the-Straits

Dent’s JELVIS Crushes J/70 Spring Champs(Warsash. England)- The Warsash Sailing Club concluded the Warsash Spring Championship for IRC Divisions and the J/70 Class last weekend. A total of nine races were sailed for the tenacious sailors taking on the always capricious, ever-changing Solent.
IRC 1 DivisionNearly sweeping the top five were five J/teams. The J/111s prevailed again, with Chris Jones & Louise Makin’s JOURNEYMAKER II taking class honors, followed by Paul Griffiths’s JAGERBOMB. Fourth was Jim Chalmers’s J/112E HAPPY DIAZE, fifth was Derek Shakespeare’s J/122 BULLDOG, and sixth was Ellie Wollmann’s J/111 FREQUENT FLYER.
IRC 2 DivisionIn a near repeat of their colleagues in IRC 1, five J/crews took five of the top seven places! Taking the silver medal was Kevin Taylor’s J/99 JUMP 2 IT, with Rob Cotterill’s J/109 MOJO RISIN garnering the bronze medal. Then, fourth went to Peter McConnell’s J/109 KARABOUDJAN. Sixth was David Richard’s J/109 JUMPING JELLYFISH and seventh went to Louise Davis’s J/109 JEROBOAM.
J/70 ClassWinning this twenty-two-boat fleet was Martin Dent’s JELVIS with 19 pts net. Then, rounding out the podium was Arthur Farley’s GENIUS winning the tiebreaker at 25 pts each over Henry Edwards’s JOSKIN.
For more Warsash Spring Series sailing informationhttps://warsashsc.org.uk/

(English Harbour, Antigua)- The 56th edition of Antigua Sailing Week took place this past week, with sailors enjoying spectacular Caribbean weather conditions with, plenty of sun, strong tradewinds, and big, white-capped seas for adrenaline-packed sailing. In the end, it was another powerful testimonial to J/Boats designs excelling in the demanding racing conditions.
CSA Racing 3 DivisionBefore the start of racing, most racing pundits in Antigua knew the ultimate battle for division honors would be between two past Caribbean Offshore Series and Antigua Race Week Champions- Steve Rigby’s British crew on the J/122 EL OCASO and Sir Richard Matthew’s famous TEAM OYSTERCATCHER from London, England sailing the chartered LIQUID. After a ten-race battle trading all podium finishes, it was Rigby’s EL OCASO team that won with 16 pts net. Then, taking home the bronze medal was Sir Richard’s TEAM OYSTERCATCHER- LIQUD with 24 pts net.
At the start of the final day of racing several boats were still in contention to win each of these classes. “We started today in second place, so we’re really surprised to win,” says Rigby, “but we had an amazing first race of the day and won the second as well. We’re delighted.”
“There are five boats that could have won this regatta,” he adds. “We’ve won four races and the next boat won three, so it’s been very competitive and it really could have been anyone’s regatta, so we’re delighted, despite the boat’s success in the past. It feels like the most competitive regatta that El Ocaso has ever been in.”
After a week of intensely close racing, Steve Rigby’s chartered J/122 EL OCASO triumphed in CSA Racing Class 3 and claimed Antigua Sailing Week’s most coveted prize, the Lord Nelson Trophy. This recognizes the CSA Racing 2, 3, or 4 class winner with the fastest overall corrected times calculated on a time-on-distance basis.
What’s the appeal of Antigua Sailing Week? “The seas are amazing. The weather’s amazing. It’s been rather rainy this week, but despite that, we had amazing racing, so we love coming here,” Rigby continues. “We love the people, we love what happens here, and can’t wait to come back next year.”
Other J/Teams in the highly competitive division were Marc Emig’s J/133 CREDIT MUTUEL- JIVARO from Marseilles, France taking 5th place and Peter Lewis’s J/121 WHISTLER from Barbados finishing in 6th position.
CSA Racing 4 DivisionFrom the beginning, it was known among the sailing glitterati in Antigua that a top contenders in this large division includes Ryan Hope Ross’s J/105 MORE ZESSIN from St. Maarten Yacht Club. As a multiple Caribbean winter circuit regatta winner, this well-tuned J/105 has been on the podium so many times, most everyone seems to have lost track of them all. In the end, Hope Ross’s J/105 MORE ZESSIN took home the silver medal for their efforts.
CSA Club Class B DivisionThis class encompasses a mix of smaller boats, ranging from Carrack & Tyden Jones’ J/30 ABSOLUTE PROPERTIES (Blue Peter) to assorted other classic racers. Like their stablemates, the Jone’s J/30 team of virtually all Antigua Sailing School youth sailors took home the silver medal after losing a disappointing tiebreaker at 11 pts each!
For more Antigua Sailing Week regatta informationhttps://www.sailingweek.com/