J/99 Trio Sweep Australian Offshore Classic

(Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia)- Three J/99’s took the podium 1-2-3 in the Australian offshore classic- RPAYC Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Race.

Twenty-seven yachts competed in the 226.0nm coastal classic, ranging in size from an old Dubois 30 ft half-tonner up to the 100 ft all-carbon speed machine- Andoo Comanche- with three J/99’s in the mix.  The race was professionally run by the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC), with welcoming reception from Coffs Harbour Yacht Club.

The conditions were challenging for the light wind race, where the wind unusually went around the clock twice and the adverse current was running quite close inshore in places.

The three J/99’s topped the leaderboard in both ORC Overall and ORC Two-Handed Divisions. The winners were a familiar team to most J/sailors by now- the dynamic duo of Jules Hall and Jan Scholten had a conservative strategy, sailed a careful tactical race, and guided their now famous DISKO TROOPER- CONTENDER SAILCLOTH to the top of the podium. Second, went to some of DISKO’s proteges, their friends Chris O’Neill and Ian Smith on BLUE PLANET took second, and other sailing mates Shane Connelly and Tony Sutton on RUM REBELLION took third. Good on’ya to all three teams, congratulations on an amazing performance!

On IRC handicap, the J/99’s came in 2nd, 4th, and 5th in the Two-Handed Division and 2nd, 4th, and 7th IRC Overall. J/99 BLUE PLANET won PHS (Performance Handicap System) overall, which is a fantastic result considering Chris has only owned his J/99 for a few months!

Here is an extract from Di Pearson’s post-race interview with Jules Hall & Jan Scholten.

Jules Hall commented, “It was a fabulous race, a thinking race. We were keeping a close eye on Mistral and they obviously sailed a fantastic race. Our start was good, but around Cape Three Points we were in a lull. Mistral (Lombard 34) got a jump on us at Newcastle as they were better placed when the land breeze kicked in.”

The 2021 Sydney Hobart Two-handed winner acknowledged the hardest part of the race was from Smoky Cape to the finish.

“Then the sou’easter came in as forecast and we took off,” Hall said. “We were doing 7 knots and Mistral 3 knots and we thought ‘this is it’, but then it reversed. It was pouring rain. We couldn’t see a thing. The sou’easter came back but was too late for us!

He agreed to balance current and wind was hard and that keeping a close eye on that and the water temperature was imperative. 

“You couldn’t make a single mistake. Little mistakes made a big difference on that course. We had a great boat-on-boat race with She’s The Culprit. We’d be in front of them, then they’d get in front of us. It was good fun.”

Pre-race YouTube sailing interview of Jules Hall & Jan Scholten

For more Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club sailing regatta information