J/Newsletter- June 15th, 2022
The beginning of June finds two of America’s pre-eminent yacht clubs hosting major regattas on their home waters for hundreds of passionate sailors. For starters, the New York Yacht Club hosted its 168th Annual Regatta and the famous Round Island Race over the three-day weekend. J/Teams ended up sweeping some of the divisions in both ORC and PHRF handicap divisions. Sailing was a J/100, J/105s, J/109s, J/111s, J/112e’s, J/121s, and J/122s.
Meanwhile, out in the Great Lakes, the Chicago Yacht Club hosted their Chicago Sailing World Regatta on Lake Michigan. Not surprisingly, the lake offered up some of its more capricious, challenging weather conditions for one-design classes of J/70s, J/88s, J/105s, J/109s, J/111s, and PHRF handicap offshore racing for a J/112E, J/120, J/122, and J/44.
Across the Atlantic, the Royal Ocean Racing Club in Cowes, England hosted the 2022 IRC Nationals with a J/109 and J/112E ending up “in the chocolates” after three days of racing. Further to the east, a J/111 team is enjoying sailing the Aegean Rally amongst the gorgeous, historic Greek isles with a unique start/ finish line in the shadow of the Temple of Poseidon (made famous by Homer’s The Odyssey).
J/45 ACADIA Sailing Narragansett Bay
(Newport, RI)- Enjoy this fun video of the new J/45 ACADIA undergoing sailing trials and tuning on Narragansett Bay. She effortlessly cruises well into the 8.5 to 9.5+ knot range depending on the point of sail in just 15 kts of breeze… remarkable performance for a 45 ft offshore cruising yacht loaded down with every amenity a bluewater cruiser could ever wish for…e.g. air conditioning, heating, freezers, carbon boom mainsail furler, real teak decks, and 5 kW diesel generator, to name just a few items on her long list of luxury options. Watch the J/45 sailing video here:
In case you missed it last week, here is a review by Dave Reed, Editor of Sailing World, in which he takes you through an introduction to the variety of features the J/45 offshore performance cruiser has to offer you. He posted a short video taken during Sailing World’s test sail last week:
For more J/45 performance offshore cruiser sailing information.
SAIL Magazine’s Poster Child- the new J/9 Daysailer!
(Newport, RI)- The June 2022 issue of SAIL magazine features the J/9 daysailer out for a lovely evening cruise on Narragansett Bay.
The SAIL magazine boat review team (comprised of Adam Cort and Lydia Mullan) was in Newport, RI to give the J/9 a thorough “test” and an in-depth review of its endearing qualities and features; the huge “living room sofa” cockpit, the light touch on the helm, the benefits of mainsail-only maneuverability, the remarkable sea-kindly motion, and its extraordinary “stiffness” and stability. Read more about the SAIL magazine review here (a 10 MB PDF fie).
The J/9 has proven to be incredibly popular with J/Sailors far and wide, exceeding most people’s expectations for how a daysailer can perform. Learn more about the J/9 daysailer here
J/99 Spring Tune-up Report
(Newport, RI)- On June 3rd in Newport, RI, J/Boats hosted the inaugural J/99 Spring Tune-up for New England area J/99 owners. The goal of the clinic was to get a jump-start on the season and bring J/99 owners together to share tips and techniques and coordinate future plans. A total of eight owners (from as far away as Buffalo, NY, and Lima, Peru) participated, with four local boats on hand. There are now a dozen J/99s in the New England area!
Notwithstanding the no-wind and rainy forecast, we found a 6-10kt northerly breeze in the morning for upwind side-by-side speed tuning, followed by tacking drills, a spinnaker set, and practice jibes.
After a dock-side lunch break, there was just enough wind remaining for several practice starts, some short windward-leewards, and light air Code Zero practice.
It was a fun first event for the J/99 group and everyone was excited for many more events in the future. Special thanks to our coaches including Nick Bailey, Will Bomar, Brett Lyall, Tim Kohl, John Savage, Drew Dillon, and Rod Johnstone. For more J/99 shorthanded offshore speedster information
Bermuda Race Preview
(Newport, RI)- This year’s Newport Bermuda Race is the 52nd running of the biennial offshore race and the first since 2018 when the 2020 event was canceled due to that pandemic thing. The action starts at 1300 hrs EDT Friday, June 17th from Newport, Rhode Island, just beneath the famous Castle Hill Inn & Lighthouse at the port end of the starting line. Beginning in 1906, it is the oldest known regularly scheduled ocean race.
The purpose of the Bermuda Race was stated in 1923 by Cruising Club of America Commodore Herbert L. Stone: “To encourage the designing, building, and sailing of small seaworthy yachts, to make popular cruising upon deep water, and to develop in the amateur sailor a love of true seamanship, and to give an opportunity to become proficient in the art of navigation”.
This year’s event is expected to be one of the largest in the race’s history, with approximately 193 boats! The race attracts sailors from across North America and the globe; the fleet is extremely diverse, and a total of 23 countries are represented in the crews.
Depending on the weather and the currents in the Gulf Stream, and the boat’s size and speed, the race takes two to six days. The first boat arrives at the finish line off St. David’s Lighthouse on Sunday or Monday, and the smaller boats may arrive as late as Wednesday or Thursday.
The race is demanding. The rules say, “The Newport Bermuda Race is not a race for novices!” The course crosses the rough Gulf Stream, is out of the range of rescue helicopters, and Bermuda is guarded by a dangerous reef. The race is nicknamed “the thrash to the Onion Patch” because most Bermuda Races include high winds and big waves (a combination sailors call “a hard thrash”), and because Bermuda is an agricultural island (notably in its old days for onions!).
The race demands good seamanship, great care, and a boat that is both well-built and properly equipped. The boats must meet stringent equipment requirements and undergo inspection, and the sailors must also pass a review and undergo safety training. The bonds formed by these sailors are strong. Numerous sailors have sailed more than 10 races, often with family and friends.
It is no wonder that over the past 30+ years that more and more Bermuda racers have put their faith and trust in high-quality, offshore performance sailboats produced by the J/Design team that are easy to sail in any weather conditions- from sybaritic and benign to stormy as hell. In virtually every major offshore race around the world, J/Teams have prevailed in some of the nastiest conditions imaginable and sailed home safely to win class or overall trophies. And, remarkably, many of them have repeated those winning performances over time on their J/Boats.
J/Boats Dominant Offshore Brand
In this year’s 52nd Bermuda Race, there are forty-six J/crews- a new record- ready to take on the challenges of the Gulf Stream meanders and rocky approaches to Bermuda. Notably, thirty-six J’s in the 41 to 46-foot size range is about 80% of the J/Boats sailing the race! The smallest J’s are the twin J/105s and the largest are the twin J/160s.
Of the 144 production boats participating, the 46 J’s are 33% of that fleet… the next closest brand is Nautor Swans with just 10%. Here is how those J/Teams are distributed between the two divisions- the St Davids Lighthouse Division and the Gibbs Hill Division.
ST DAVIDS LIGHTHOUSE DIVISION
With 108 boats, the largest division of the race has traditionally been the St David’s Lighthouse Division as it’s comprised primarily of amateur/ corinthian sailors. There is an enormous fleet of J/Teams participating, a veritable J/NAVY!
There are nine J/122s sailing, the largest fleet of 122s ever gathered outside of the initial North Americans about a dozen years ago. Those teams include Stephen Guyer’s ALLIANCE, Doug Evans ELBOW ROOM from Milwaukee, WI, Kevin Kelley’s SUMMER GRACE, Don Dwyer’s BLUE YONDER, Constantine Baris’ DIRE WOLF, David Cielusniak’s J-CURVE, Dan Heun’s MOXIEE, Andrew Clark’s ZIG ZAG, and Eric Irwin & Mary Martin’s ALLIANCE.
Seven J/133s will be lining up for the start. Those teams include the US Naval Academy’s WASP, Phil Helmes’ FAST COMPANY III, Matt Stokes’ BLUE JAY III, Ray Rhinelander’s BELLA J, Mike & Dale McIvor’s MATADOR, Chris Nicholls & Cao Deambrosio’s RHIANNON, and Robert Manchester’s VAMOOSE.
Not to be denied their claim to fame in the Bermuda Race is the eight-boat J/120 fleet. A number of them have won both class and the SDL Division overall in past races. The lineup this year includes Jim Chen’s CHAOTIC FLUX, Brian Spears’ MADISON, Mark Nannini’s SALACIA, William Klein’s SPECK, Richard Born’s WINDBORN, and Richard West’s CHARLOTTE.
Not surprising has been the strong turnout of the classic offshore cruiser/racers, the J/44s. Sailing this year are two military academy teams- the US Coast Guard’s GLORY and the US Merchant Marine’s COMET. Other 44s racing include Chris Lewis’ KENAI from Houston, TX, Martin van Breems’ MONHEGAN, and the family team aboard PALANTIR 5- June Kendrick and the Storck family from Long Island Sound.
Amongst the J/Big Boats will be Brian Hiller’s Bermuda team on the J/125 CROSSFIRE and two Long Island Sound teams- Brian Prinz’s J/145 SPECTRE 4 and Len Sitar’s J/160 COUGAR.
GIBBS HILL DIVISION
Known by many as the “pro division”, the GHD boats include water ballast, canting keels, pro helmsmen, and crew with no limits.
Sailing this division are FOUR J/121 offshore speedsters! Last time around, it was Don Nicholson’s J/121 APOLLO that won the class and overall! Will the J/121s repeat APOLLO’s amazing performance in 2018! Only time will tell. Racing is Ken Comerford’s DARK STORM, Steven Levy’s EAGLE, US Coast Guard Academy’s WINGS, and Fred Stelle’s ACE. Joining them is Leonid Vasiliev’s J/120 DESPERADO.
FINISTERRE DIVISION
This is known as the “cruising division”- only one main, one jib, one spinnaker fixed on centerline permitted, and only amateur/ corinthian helmsmen. Sailing this division is Charles Willauer and his family on board their J/46 BREEZING UP, John Plominski’s J/40 ARTEMISIA, and Howard Hodgson’s J/160 TRUE.
DOUBLEHANDED DIVISION
Finally, sailing in the Doublehanded Division Peter Becker’s famous J/105 YOUNG AMERICAN #146, Thomas O’Connell’s J/99 FINALE, and Scott Miller’s J/46 RESOLUTE.
GULF STREAM ANALYSIS
For those armchair racers and navigators, there is a significant challenge that all sailors have to endure on their way to Bermuda. It’s called the Gulf Stream. No matter who you talk to about past race experiences, nearly everyone can describe a “fresh to frightening” passage across the notorious Stream. It’s a bit like dealing with a real-world version of Rod Serling’s “twilight zone”… you have no idea ahead of time of what’s in store for you. The unpredictable nature of the beast stems from the enormous river of hot, hot flowing water that creates its own weather systems… a gorgeous sunset evening in an 8-12 kts westerly can often turn into sheer hell for 6-8 hours with numerous rain squalls, thunder, lightning, and getting tossed around like a cork in 8-12 ft breaking waves… you’ve become the participant in your own “tempest in a teapot”. Thankfully, because of extensive pre-race safety training and preparation, most boats live through the best and worst to tell a few tall “dark’n’stormy-fueled” tales on the Royal Bermuda YC waterfront bar/ veranda.
For example, this May 10th view shows a southeasterly flowing meander parallel to the rhumb line approx. 240 miles from the start. Recognizing that the Gulf Stream is typically a well-defined boundary current between the warm waters of the Sargasso Sea surrounding Bermuda and the cooler waters off the east coast of the United States it’s logical to begin study by examining data detailing sea surface temperatures in the vicinity of the rhumb line. Several websites can be used to obtain the data (see links listed on Bermudarace.com). One typically starts with a review of the sea surface temperature (SST) satellite images at (http://rucool.marine.rutgers.edu/), a site maintained by Rutgers University. This site provides both instantaneous SST images and daily composites allowing analysis of Stream characteristics during periods of moderate cloud cover. Plus, NOAA’s Ocean Prediction Center provides daily updates from the GOES Satellite- here’s the loop of the Gulf Stream:
For more Newport Bermuda Race sailing information
RORC Morgan Cup Race Preview
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The Royal Ocean Racing Club Season’s Points Championship continues with the 8th race of the series, the Morgan Cup Race. Starting from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line at 1800 BST on the 17th of June. The intention is to start the RORC fleet to the east and around the south side of the Isle of Wight. The final destination will be Dartmouth where a warm welcome awaits from the Royal Dart Yacht Club. 44 teams have entered the Morgan Cup Race competing for the overall win under the IRC Rating Rule and for IRC Class Honours.
In IRC 1 Division, RORC Honorary Treasurer Derek Shakespeare will be racing his J/122 BULLDOG as the lone J/Team in the division. A good result will put the team into pole position in IRC One for the season.
Fully crewed entries in IRC Three include three J/109s, a fourth is the highly successful JAGO raced Two-Handed by Mike Yates & Will Holland. The Royal Navy Association’s JOLLY JACK TAR is second in class for the season, less than 11 points ahead of Rob Cotterill’s MOJO RISIN’. The Royal Armoured Corps Yacht Club’s WHITE KNIGHT 7 will also be racing skippered by Matthew Pollard.
Competing boats in the Morgan Cup Race can be tracked using AIS data, when in range, via the free YB tracker player: http://yb.tl/morgancup2022. There is also a YB Races App for available free to download on smart devices. For more Royal Ocean Racing Club Morgan Cup Race sailing information
Cleveland Race Week Preview
(Cleveland, OH)- Cleveland Race Week (CRW) has become one of the largest sailing regattas on Lake Erie and one of the largest in the country. The annual event, celebrating its 41st year, attracts hundreds of boats from across the United States and Canada. Founded in 1980, CRW has developed into 10 days of racing and special events. Based at Edgewater Yacht Club, the first part of the week is oriented to one-design racing fleets. Subsequently, it then hosts a Doublehanded event, a Women’s sailing event, then concludes with the PHRF Offshore event on the final weekend. Concurrently, the 2022 J/70 Corinthian National Championship will be taking place, also hosted by Edgewater YC.
One-Design Division
The eight-boat J/70 class features a few notable local sailors like Lee Sackett & Dave Kerr’s USA 1516, Tod Sackett’s FM, Don Glover’s MISS KILLER, and Jim Gary’s AYACUCHO.
The six-boat J/105 class may be difficult to handicap as many of them have been competitive in both handicap and one-design racing. The top of the leaderboard may see Chip Schaffner’s FALL LINE, Stu Butcher’s HIGHLANDER, Tom & Cindy Einhouse’s OVATION, or Paul Uhlir’s TRIO.
The five-boat J/111 class will see a few of the top boats from the Midwest dueling for class honors. Those teams should include Rob Ruhlman’s SPACEMAN SPIFF, Jeff Davis’ SHAMROCK (recent Bayview One-Design Regatta J/111 class winner), and Seth & Kevin Young’s BLACK SEAL (another podium finisher at the Bayview One-Design Regatta).
Doublehanded Division
In the five-boat doublehanded event, Dave Krotseng’s J/34 BONAFIDE will be vying for class honors with Jason Snider’s J/35 PHRFECTION.
Women’s Division
Sailing the five-boat singlehanded division is the women’s trio of Harriete Uhlir, Mindy Sminchak, and Laura Schaefer on the J/105 TRIO.
PHRF Spinnaker Division
The huge 32-boat PHRF Spinnaker division features several top offshore teams from Lake Erie. Top amongst those teams will be the Ruhlman’s J/111 SPACEMAN SPIFF and Seth & Kevin Young’s J/111 BLACK SEAL. Joining them will be Don Hudak’s J/111 CAPERS to test their capability amongst the top boats in the country. Other top boats include Chris Mallett’s J/109 SYNCHRONICITY, Tim Yanda’s J/120 VIVA LA VIDA, and Kim Oleski’s J/88 VANQUISH.
PHRF Non-Spinnaker Division
The sixteen-boat fleet should have fun sailing in the breezy conditions that are forecasted all weekend long. Sailing is two J/30s (Paul Blonski’s SOLIDARITY and Doug Wahl’s RUBBER SOUL), plus Jason Snider’s J/35 PHRFECTION. Sailing photo credits- Sharon Green/ UltimateSailing.com. Follow Cleveland Race Week on Facebook here For more Cleveland Race Week sailing information
Key Yachting J-Cup Update
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The Key Yachting J-Cup is the largest meeting of J/Boats in Northern Europe, fifty-two teams have already entered with over 300 sailors taking part. At least twelve examples of the J/Boats range will be in action, including National Championships for the J/70, J/111, and J/109 classes. Mixed J/Boats will race under the IRC Rating Rule divided into several classes. The organizing authority is the world-renowned Royal Ocean Racing Club. All competitors are invited to the RORC Cowes Clubhouse for the duration of the regatta.
“The Key Yachting J-Cup is a celebration of the J/Boats family and offers extremely good value for a truly enjoyable and memorable occasion,” commented Key Yachting’s Wayne Palmer, who will also be racing his J/99 Jam one of three J/99s in the regatta. “The three-day regatta is a proper J/Boats get-together with sailors ranging from Olympic medallists to complete novices and everybody in between. With three national championships, the competition on the water will be at the highest level, but there is something for everybody at the J-Cup. We have families, veterans, and youth teams racing. A big part of the regatta is getting together after racing, Key Yachting has daily prize-givings and great parties every day at the impressive RORC Clubhouse in Cowes.”
Title sponsor B&G has supported the regatta for many years and will be providing big-ticket, hi-tech electronics as prizes. The regatta features a bevy of supporters delivering superb prizes including Cyclops Marine, Wight Vodka, Salcombe Gin, Fastnet Insurance, Grapefruit Graphics, Hambledon Vineyard, XV Stripes, Ocean Rope, Dolphin Covers, and Henri Lloyd. North Sails have also continued its generous support for the regatta, once again offering on-the-water coaching, drone footage, and an overnight sail repair service, as well as North Sails merchandise. Full entry list for The Key Yachting J-Cup
Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth/ PWPictures.com For more Key Yachting J/Cup sailing information
J/70 David Haw Youth Trophy Announcement
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The J/70 UK National Championships will be taking place as part of the Key Yachting J-Cup in The Solent from the 30th of June to the 2nd of July, 2022. A new perpetual trophy will be awarded for the first time in memory of David Haw.
The David Haw Youth Trophy will be awarded at future J/70 UK National Championships to the top-scoring team where half of the crew are under 25 years of age at the start of the year.
The award of the David Haw Youth Trophy is fantastic,” commented David’s parents Richard and Gill Haw. “We are so proud and humbled that you are using his name to promote and encourage young sailors into the sport, which is so, so worthwhile.” For more Key Yachting J/Cup sailing information
NEW J/Gear JUNE Special- 20% off!
(Newport, RI)- The perfect shirt for the perfect month to outfit the whole crew for the upcoming regatta season- the 100% cotton polo short sleeve shirt. Made of Peruvian pique cotton, it’s soft, but rugged, and comes in sizes ranging from Small to XXXL for the largest crew member. Many colors to choose from.
This polo shirt comes with the J/logo embroidered and you can customize it with all the details of the next regatta to outfit your crew in style. For more J polo shirt ordering information
Sailing Calendar
Jun 23-26- J/70 Corinthian Nationals- Edgewater YC- Cleveland, OH
Jun 23-25- Edgartown Race Weekend- Edgartown YC- Edgartown, MA
Jul 2-9- J/80 Europeans- Centre Nautique de Saint-Cast- Saint-Cast, France
Jul 3-8-J/22 Worlds- Point YC- Durban, South Africa
Jul 12-16- J/109 East Coast Championship- New York YC- Newport, RI
Jul 14-22- J/24 Worlds- Corpus Christi YC- Corpus Christi, TX
Jul 16- Bayview Mackinac Race- Bayview YC- Port Huron, MI
Jul 23- Chicago Mackinac Race- Chicago, IL
Jul 28-31- Marblehead Sailing World Regatta- Marblehead, MA
Jul 28-30- J/46 Camden Classics- Camden YC- Camden, ME- contact Tom Babbit- [email protected]
Jul 28-30- J/42 Camden Classics- Camden YC- Camden, ME- contact Galen Todd at 207-542-3239 or [email protected]
Jul 29-31- Ugotta Regatta- Harbor Springs, MI
Jul 29-31- J/111 Great Lakes Regatta- Harbor Springs, MI
Aug 12-14- Safe Harbor Race Weekend- Newport, RI
Aug 18-20- Ida Lewis Distance Race- Ida Lewis YC- Newport, RI
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
Fun, Stormy Chicago Sailing World Regatta
(Chicago, IL)— The best teams in sailboat racing excel across a range of conditions, and for competitors at the 2022 Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series Chicago, that’s exactly what was required over three days of challenging Lake Michigan conditions, where the breeze eventually blew from all points and all strengths.
J/109 Class
For the final day, host Chicago Yacht Club served up a great one for the nearly 180 teams— 12 knots of wind and steep waves— just the sort of conditions in which Jim Murray’s team on the J/109 CALLISTO excels. CALLISTO won its nine-boat division and earned the regatta’s overall prize— a berth at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Caribbean Championship, hosted by Sunsail.
“This is our 13th season with the boat,” says Murray, of Lake Bluff, Illinois. “This fleet of J/109s is so evenly matched that, if you screw up, you get ejected.”
In today’s stronger winds, however, Murray and his squad won the last two races to close with an impressive 11-point winning margin. “When it’s windy like it was, you have to be aggressive on the starting line,” he says, “and in this fleet, everyone’s starting game is really high.”
With good starts and the sails set for maximum power, he says, CALLISTO’s helmsman Mike Hendrie was able to work his magic while the team’s tactician, Bill Colombo, put them in the right places at the right time. “I’ve been sailing with Mike since we were kids,” Murray says, “so I know he can hold a lane even in the slop we had today. He’s so fast off the line, and can hold a lane for a long time, so that helps us get into the top three right away.”
Standing with them on the podium was Team Northstar sailing NORTHSTAR in second and the quartet of Miz/ Dreher/ Hatfield/ Neenan on SMEE AGAIN in third place.
J/111 Class
John Kalanik’s team on the J/111 PURA VIDA was dinged with a race disqualification earlier in the series (after a minor incident with a boat in a different fleet), which required his teammates to work that much harder to earn a class win, which they did with two wins on the final day and emerged atop a tiebreaker with Tom Dickson’s WARLOCK.
“We knew the boats we had to beat so we just focused on boat speed,” says Kalanik of the final day. “Our team is phenomenal and has been sailing together for three or four years so everyone knows their jobs and our boat handling was executed perfectly. The key was to keep sailing fast.”
Still, they had their hands full with the tactical side of the series and it wasn’t easy keeping Warlock behind them. “We focused on them on the first leg only, and once we got ahead, it was just staying between them and the finish. Our guys were really good at calling the puffs and shifts because they were oscillating all day. We had great starts, and just focused on body placement and making sure the boat was always going fast in the heavy chop.”
The rest of the podium included Tom Dickson’s WARLOCK in second and Kevin Saedi & Raman Yousefi’s MOMENTUS in the third position.
J/88 Class
Ben Marden’s team on the J/88 BANTER, which was selected as the North Sails boat of the day on Saturday, then completed their weekend with two more top-three finishes to claim the J/88 title in the huge fifteen-boat class. Participation and enthusiasm were high for the class as many teams have set their sights on the upcoming J/88 North American Championship that will also be hosted by Chicago Yacht Club in September 2022. Behind BANTER, it was John & Jordan Leahey’s DUTCH that took the silver, with Dave Dennison’s PIRANHA taking the bronze medal.
J/105 Class
Jon Weglarz’s J/105 team on THE ASYLUM eked a 1-point win over Richard Stearns HOKEY SMOKE. They were followed by Gyt Petkus’ VYTIS in third, just three points in arrears.
J/70 Class
John Heaton’s EMPEIRIA team from Wilmette, IL took the J/70 division by 7 points, counting four bullets in their scoreline. Second and third place was determined by a tiebreaker at 22 pts each. Winning the countback was past J/70 champion Bruce Golison’s MIDLIFE CRISIS from Long Beach, CA. Settling for third place was Chicagoan Rich Witzel’s ROWDY. Coincidentally, the balance of the top five was also determined by a tiebreaker at 33 pts each. Taking fourth place on countback was Laura Sigmond’s NORBOY (top woman skipper and winner of the Mixed-Plus division), while Martin Johnsson’s AQUAHOLIKS settled for 5th place in the Open Division but also won the Corinthians Division.
Behind Johnsson in Corinthians was Bob Willis’ RIP RULLAH in second and Steve Knoop’s AMERICAN FLYER in third place.
ORC 2 Division
Sailing offshore around government marks for just one day was a dozen-boat ORC fleet. Taking the bronze was Len Siegal’s J/122E LUCKY DUBIE, followed by Jim Richter’s J/44 CHEEP’N’DEEP II in fifth, Mark Olsen’s J/120 JAHAZI in sixth, Benjamin Lumpkin’s J/112E MARY GAIL in seventh, and Arne Fliflet’s J/120 MAZAL TOV in tenth.
The Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series continues in Marblehead, Massachusetts in July, and concludes with the October Helly Hansen Sailing World Caribbean Challenge in the British Virgin Islands where individual winners from all five regattas will compete in charter boats provided by Sunsail. Sailing Photo Credits- Paul Todd- Outside Images
Watch fun sailing video of J/70 on Lake Michigan For more Chicago Sailing World Regatta sailing information
New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta Report
(Newport, RI)- The second week of June marked the start of the summer sailing season for the New York Yacht Club. The 168th NYYC Annual Regatta was sailed over the June 10th to 12th weekend on the waters of Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound. Hundreds of sailors enjoyed the incredibly popular Round Island Race on Friday (a 21.0nm circumnavigation of Conanicut Island) and the combination of course racing and navigator racing on Saturday and Sunday.
Clean Sweep for J/Teams in Round Island Race
It was an unsettled week in Rhode Island, with the weather going from downpour to sunshine in a few hours and then back again the following day. Day 1 of North America’s oldest annual regatta continued that trend. The 19-mile racecourse straddled a convergence zone between a punchy southerly sea breeze and an inconsistent gradient flow from the west. Wind shifts of 45 degrees or more were common and the breeze would go from 15 knots to 5 knots in a heartbeat.
Leading a complete route of the dozen-boat ORC D Division was a trio of J/122s. Winning was Robin Team’s TEAMWORK, followed by Jack Gregg’s TARAHUMARA in second and Eric Irwin & Mary Marti’s ALLIANCE in third place. Ken Comerford’s J/121 DARK STORM took fifth, followed by Doug Evans’ J/122 ELBOW ROOM in sixth and US Coast Guard Academy’s J/121 WINGS in seventh place.
A similar scenario nearly played out in the 10-boat ORC E Division. Tom Sutton’s J/109 LEADING EDGE grabbed the silver medal, while Andrew & Sedgwick Ward’s J/111 BRAVO earned the bronze. Just behind was Bill Kneller’s J/109 VENTO SOLARE in fifth, Scott Devine’s J/112E REVIVER in sixth, and George Harrington’s J/112E #BIGSANDWICH in the seventh position.
In the eleven-boat PHRF 2 Division, Bob Manchester’s J/133 VAMOOSE took the bronze, while Joe Brito’s J/121 INCOGNITO finished fourth. Just off the pace was Jim Phyfe’s J/44 DIGGER in sixth place.
The fourteen-boat PHRF 3 Division saw Dawson Hodgson’s J/100 GRIMACE sail off with the silver medal. Meanwhile, Chris Tate’s J/105 BLITZ finished fifth.
The 168th Annual Regatta
The next two days of sailing saw a mixed bag of weather conditions, but certainly good enough for most divisions to complete up to six races over the two days.
The nine-boat ORC D Division again saw strong performances by J/Crews, taking seven of the top eight positions on the leaderboard. Taking the silver was Jack Gregg’s J/122 TARAHUMARA, bronze went to Robin Team’s J/122 TEAMWORK, fourth was Doug Evans’ J/122 ELBOW ROOM, fifth went to Ken Comerford’s J/121 DARK STORM, sixth was US Naval Academy’s J/133 WASP, seventh went to US Coast Guard Academy’s J/121 WINGS, and eighth was US Coast Guard Academy’s J/44 GLORY.
In the ten-boat ORC E Division, the Ward’s J/111 BRAVO won two races on their way to a well-deserved silver medal. Sutton’s J/109 LEADING EDGE placed fourth while another J/109 filled out the top five- Bill Kneller’s VENTO SOLARE.
Yet again, there was a clean sweep of thirteen-boat PHRF 2 Division by J/Teams. Winning was Bob Manchester’s J/133 VAMOOSE with all bullets! Second went to Doug Curtiss’ J/111 WICKED 2.0, followed by Joe Brito’s J/121 INCOGNITO in third place.
Continuing their excellent performance in the Round Island Race was Dawson Hodgson’s J/100 GRIMACE, taking home the silver medal for their two days of hard work. For more New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta sailing information
Sunny, Breezy IRC Nationals
(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- It was an outstanding long weekend of yacht racing, where the full program was sailed under brilliant sunshine in 10-20+ knot winds and a mix of tidal states on one of the world’s most challenging stretches of water – the infamous Solent. Hosting the 2022 IRC National Championship was the Royal Ocean Racing Club in Cowes, England.
In the thirteen-boat IRC Three Division, John Smart’s J/109 JUKEBOX started strongly with a 2-2-1 on the first day to be leading the class. However, they could not maintain that pace for the next two days and still ended up “in the chocolates” to win the silver medal in a very hot, competitive class. Rounding out the podium was past class winner, James Chalmer’s J/112E HAPPY DAIZE, having to settle for the bronze medal after easily holding the silver for most of the regatta. Their last two races torpedoed their results with an 11-7 in races 7 & 8. For more RORC IRC Nationals sailing information
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J/111 Aegean Rally Report
This year the 59th Aegean Rally started below the Temple of Poseidon on the island of Sounion. The course took us to the island of Chios.
We had medium-strength northerly winds until Cabo Doro. Overnight, the wind stiffened to 25 kts gusting occasionally past 30 kts. The A5 small asymmetric made the difference to the competition as we were surfing at 10+ kts vs 8 kts with just the jib. Unfortunately, 20 miles from Chios, the wind turned to 60 degrees and we raised the jib again.
Today, we will tour the beautiful island of Chios. Then, tomorrow we sail an inshore 50.0nm race around Chios. On Thursday, we sail around the island of Psara and back. Then, on Friday we return to the island of Sounio to again finish under the Temple of Poseidon! Basically, a “mini-tour” of Homer’s The Odyssey.
What has been the key success factor is good warm food for the crew. We make spaghetti with gourmet sauces, risotto ai porcini, mushroom soups at night, and eggs Aiolia for breakfast!! For more Aegean Rally sailing information
