J/Boats News & Reviews

(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/

(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- The largest sailing event in France, the SPI Ouest-France Banque Populaire Grand Ouest, brought together its partners on Thursday, January 30, at the Ouest-France group headquarters to launch the 47th edition, which will be held from April 18 to 21, 2025, in La Trinité-sur-Mer (56). Hosting the epic regatta is SN La Trinite sur Mer, with nearly 200 volunteers to support the organization and actively participate in welcoming the nearly 2,500 expected sailors.
For decades, J/sailors have religiously flocked to the regatta always held over Easter Weekend. Again, a large fleet of J/80s will be participating as well as a growing fleet of J/70s. In addition, a large offshore contingent of J’s will be sailing offshore in IRC and Osiris handicap divisions.
Day 1- Rain & Wind to StartThe 47th edition of the SPI Ouest-France Banque Populaire Grand Ouest began under very rainy skies.As predicted, the wind conditions (20 knots established from the southeast) and a rough sea gave race management a hard time. The first starts were given at 11:00 for the majority of the fleet. However, the start of the J/70 class was delayed until 12:30. The sailors took the opportunity to share a friendly moment in the Spi village before facing a heated Quiberon Bay. Due to these very strong conditions, the Hansa and Miniji were forced to stay ashore without being able to take any starts. The day unfolded under incessant rain and a constantly strong wind. The one-designs raced two races while the J/99 class completed three races. At the end of the day, several sailors had been washed out and boats with minor damage among the 461 competing crews.
Day 2- Less Wind, Beautiful DayThe second day got off to a flying start with the traditional Voiles et Voiliers grand parade.
Under the Morbihan sun, the many spectators were able to admire the fabulous ballet of the 461 boats under full sail, in the channel of La Trinité-sur-Mer. The very light conditions forced the sailors to wait in Quiberon Bay before the wind picked up. A test of stoicism that ended at 12:30 p.m. In a 6 to 10-knot westerly wind, the race committees were able to launch two to three races for all series. The J/80s made their debut with three races.
Day 3- Easter Egg Hunt On this Easter Sunday, while the ritual egg hunt at the town hall of La Trinité-sur-Mer was in full swing in the village, the crews headed towards Quiberon Bay for their third day of racing.
Despite cloudy skies and a fresh breeze, all series benefited from the optimal wind conditions, which remained between 10 and 15 knots all day.
Day 4- Strong Steady BreezeOn this final day, the sailors set sail early in the morning to make the most of the weather conditions. With races underway and competitors fully fueled, the ingredients were there to round off the 47th edition of the benchmark regatta for amateurs and professionals in style.
All series completed one final race before packing up their gear and closing this enchanting interlude. Gilles Bricout, the new race director, along with the race committees and their teams, managed to get the 2,345 sailors sailing in all conditions: wind, sun, rain, and calm.
J/70 ClassTwenty teams participated in this year’s edition, a significant jump over last year’s entries. The battle for class supremacy came down to two teams; Phillippe Gzuigne’s SAILING IMPACT and Beatrice Joyaud’s D-DAY. In the end, it was Guigne’s SAILING IMPACT crew of Cedric Pouligny, Damien Scelo, and Cedric Meunier that won class honors with 16 pts net. Just one point shy of the gold was the top woman helm- Beatrice Joyaud. Her team on D-DAY included Eliot Merceron, Nicolas Dore, and Ben Amiot. Between her team and Guigne’s, they took most of the top two finish positions in the nine-race series. Rounding out the podium taking the bronze medal was Richard Fromentin’s LECLERC SPORT HENNEBONT and his crew of Elorri Golhen, Pierre Louiset, Valentin Massu, and Theau Guilcher.
The balance of the top five included Tangi Le Goff’s HYDRO SAILING TEAM in fourth and Herve Leduc’s JIBE SET/ PIERRE OCEANE in fifth place.
J/80 ClassThis fifty-five-boat fleet featured many top veteran teams from past battles in the largest one-design keelboat class in France. Not surprisingly, it was the multiple past French J/80 Champion- Simon Moriceau on PL YACHTING/ ARMEN HABITAT- that took class honor with just 7 pts net in seven races! Moriceau’s team consisted of Julien Augereau, Vincent Guillarm, Simon Bertheau, and Alice Bigot. The silver medal went to Pierre Laouenan’s CV AILEE ECOLE NAVALE team of Morgan Rio, Jean Queveau, Damien Ieh, and Tiphaine Ragueneau. Rounding out the podium was a top Spanish team- Jaime Piris’s MERCURY AVATOR and his team of Antonio Piris, Alfredo Portilla, and Jesus Gonzalez.
The rest of the top five included Julien Plessis’s OUROBOROS in fourth place and Luc Nadal’s veteran crew on GAN’JA in fifth position.
J/99 ClassA large contingent of eleven J/99s sailed as a one-design class for the first time at SPI Ouest. The fleet was treated to a full-blown “schooling” on how to sail a J/99 fast and smart. With four bullets in their seven-race scoreline, Julien Bentz’s WHIMJY 99 team (Baptiste Roynette, Jerome Samuel, Romain Troube, Vincent Fertin, Rose Bentz, Tessa Bentz, and Nemo Trouble) sailed away from the fleet, tossing a 3rd place (!!), to win with just 8 pts net! Not to be too outclassed was the Spanish team on Emigdio Bedia’s GORILON that won three of seven races to take the silver medal with 14 pts net. The GORILON crew consisted of Alvaro Lopez-Doriga, Daniel Martini, Jaime Salcines, Javier Sanchez-Barcaizteg, Juan Bedia, and Victor Gonzalez. Rounding out the podium with the bronze medal was the famous Swedish team of BLUR, led by Peter Gustafsson. His crew consisted of Mattias Bodlund, Simon Kindt, Jens Allroth, and Fredrik Rydin.
The balance of the top five included Eric Kerscaven’s PL YACHTING in fourth place and Herve Bihan-Poudec’s LEONARD in fifth position.
For more SPI OUEST France regatta sailing informationhttps://spi.ouest-france.fr/

(Vancouver, BC, Canada)- The annual Southern Straits Race took place this past weekend, hosted by the West Vancouver YC in British Columbia- the Canadian side of the infamous Straits of Juan de Fuca that separate the wild and majestic Olympic Peninsula from the Canadian Maritimes to the north.
The race is a popular one in the Pacific Northwest for the offshore racing fraternity. Like the Swiftsure International Yacht Race that sails later in the year, the West Vancouver YC has also evolved the race over time to be more accommodating to the reality of today’s lifestyles. The participants have the choice of three courses- the Long Course (140nm), the Medium Course (106nm), and the Short Course (73nm). A majority of the J/Teams participating sailed the Long Course (mostly 35 footers on up), while the smaller J’s did the Medium Course.
ORC 2 DivisionIn this competitive fleet, Tolga Cezik’s J/111 LODOS took the bronze medal, missing the silver by a mere 5 minutes and overall by 15 minutes corrected time! Fourth went to John Murkowski’s J/122E JOY RIDE just 4 minutes in arrears of her stablemate.
ORC 3 DivisionTaking the silver medal in this large dozen-boat fleet was John Polglase’s J/109 DOUBLE TIME.
PHRF 4 DivisionWinning this class was the veteran J/109 SPYHOP team led by David Schulte, taking class honors by nearly 20 minutes over the next boat!
PHRF 5 DivisionSweeping this fleet were two J/teams. Winning was Nick Conti’s J/92 LIVE WIRE, followed by Bruce Townson’s J/112E KAJOFI.
PHRF 6 DivisionJ/Teams also faired well in this fleet taking two spots on the podium. Winning was David George’s J/29 RHUMB LINE, followed by Mardy Grosman’s J/30 DESPERAFO– two classics still have it in them!!
For more Southern Straits Race sailing informationhttps://www.wvyc.ca/on-the-water/racing/southern-straits

(San Francisco, CA)- The battle-hardened, hard-core sailors of San Francisco Bay, accustomed to the worst their Bay can dish out, were pleasantly surprised to contend with a very sybaritic weekend of sunny weather and light to moderate wind conditions! Hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club, their Spring Fest regatta had one-design fleets of J/24s, J/88s, and J/105s.
J/105 ClassWith twenty-four boats, the J/105s were again the largest class by far participating in the event. After five races, there were many familiar teams at the top of the leaderboard. Winning was Tim Russell’s NE*NE with a 6-7-2-1-1 tally for 17 pts. Ten points behind to take the silver medal was Ryan Simmons’s BLACKHAWK with a 4-14-1-5-3 record for 27 pts. Then, rounding out the podium garnering the bronze medal was Ian Charles’s MAVERICK with a 2-3-3-6-16 scoreline for 30 pts.
J/88 ClassThe winner of this tightly-fought class was determined on a tie-breaker at 8 pts net each. Winning the regatta on the tie-breaker countback was Dave Corbin’s BUTCHER with a 4-4-1-2-1 tally. Losing that battle to earn the silver medal was Tom Thayer’s SPEEDWELL with a 2-3-2-1-4. Rounding out the podium on the bronze medal step was Christos Karamanolis’s PELAGIA with a 1-2-3-3-3 record for 9 pts— close racing!!
J/24 ClassThe half-dozen J/24s had fun, close racing amongst the top of the leaderboard. Winning was Brandon Mercer’s TENACIOUS CUTTLEFISH with a 2-2-4-1-1-1 record for 7 pts net. Taking the silver medal four points back was Jasper Van Vliet’s EVIL OCTOPUS with a 1-3-14-3-3 scoreline for 11 pts net. The final bronze medal step on the podium was determined by a tiebreaker at 13 pts each. Winning that battle on the countback was Darren Cumming’s veteran crew aboard DOWNTOWN UPROAR with a 6-1-2-2-4-4 scoreline for 13 pts net. Losing that countback to take fourth place was Robin Van Vliet’s LITTLE WING.
For more St. Francis Yacht Club’s Spring Fest sailing informationhttps://www.stfyc.com/racing

(Scheveningen, Netherlands)- After three days of sailing in very different weather conditions from the RZV Naarden, it was the DON JUAN team sailed by the De Zeeuw brothers that were declared the 2025 J/80 Dutch Champions! The past two years they were close to victory, which made the team extra keen to stay ahead of everyone. There were many exciting battles due to the fierce opposition from the JOYRIDE and FUN Jr. teams.
“We did it! We feel like champions, because we had to fight for it, and at certain moments we tackled it tactically,” says Wouter Köllmann, skipper of the DON JUAN team. At the end of the first day, DON JUAN was five points ahead of Bob Jansen’s FUN JR team and Torsten Nullmeier’s JOYRIDE crew. On day two, FUN JR and JOYRIDE swapped places. The difference between DON JUAN and JOYRIDE was only five points at the start of the last day.
Both DON JUAN and JOYRIDE had a difficult time on Sunday (with fourth place as the highest score in four races). There were also some anxious moments due to a protest between the two. On the other hand, FUN JR had a good day with first place, two second places, and a drop race. Although FUN JR closed in on JOYRIDE to only a two-point difference in the final standings, the podium remained as it was, with the big winner being DON JUAN – with an eight-point lead.
All kinds of weather and windThe weather played a major role in the tension on the water. The winner Köllmann explained, “We had all kinds of weather. Fortunately, it was sunny every day, but the wind varied enormously.”
On Friday, the matches took place on the Gooimeer. The wind concentrated mainly on one side of the playing field with 3-4 Beaufort. On Saturday, the fleet moved to the Markermeer where it could count on wind up to a strong wind force 5 with the necessary waves. On the final day, the wind changed from 2 to a strong wind force 4 within a few minutes, accompanied by enormous wind shifts. Explained Kollmann, “That meant chess on Friday. Saturday was full-throttle racing and Sunday was a bit of a gamble, but that was challenging racing! That also made it a complete event in terms of weather.”
For team DON JUAN, the Dutch Championship meant a return to the J/80 after a winter break. The priorities were elsewhere during the past Frostbite Cup season. But, according to Köllmann, it was nice to sail in the J/80 again, together with the De Zeeuw brothers and Wick Hillege.
“The J/80 is just a great boat! As a team, we have a good connection in terms of sailing and the competitions were always exciting.” Looking back at history, that can certainly be said. In 2023 and 2024, the DON JUAN team was the favorite for the title of Dutch Champion, after winning the Frostbite Cup. But, they just missed out with a fourth and second place, respectively.
Strong southern neighborsWhat also stood out in this edition of the J/80 Championship was the large number of Belgian and French teams. No fewer than seven of the 23 participants came from outside the Netherlands. “That of course has everything to do with the J/80 World Championship that will take place in Nieuwpoort in July,” says Bernard Holsboer on behalf of the J/80 class organization Benelux. “We have now seen again how strong our southern neighbors are. Fortunately, we also have a nice J/80 field during the WAC (Wednesday evening competition) that we sail from Naarden. That will mean a lot of training in the coming months!”
For J/80 Dutch Championship results:https://rzvnfiles.blob.core.windows.net/2025/day3.htm
For more J/80 Dutch Championship sailing informationhttp://www.j80.nl