J/Newsletter- August 17th, 2022
August 17th, 2022 
The Sun Never Sets on J’s Sailing Worldwide
What a difference a week makes. Europe is on vacation, for those who don’t know. Traditionally starting in the third week of July, it would go for six weeks until the end of August. Offices shutdown. Manufacturing shuts down. The autobahns have 100 kilometer backups. You get the picture… everyone is on the seacoast in southern France, Netherlands, Denmark, southwest Sweden, Portugal, Palma, Spain, Sardinia, Italy, Greek islands, and the Adriatic. Hey, why not? With all those government handouts, why work? Well, even Europe is facing that “grim reaper” as inflation heads out of control due to easy fiat money policies. What? Printing “monopoly paper money” is not good? Well, when you can, might as well “party like it’s 1999”, right Prince?
As for how all that stuff impacts the sailing world? Perhaps all that leisure activity is a good thing. So far, so good. As a result of the pandemic, lots more people chaffed at government controls on their life and took to the sea! Freedom at last! It has been a real, massive, generational shift in people’s thinking. Even the “emancipated” Russians know that for those who are antithetical to the current regime… if you can appreciate that singularity. Many of the “classic” regattas around the world have benefitted from that enlightened frame of thinking. This past week saw a few of those examples.
In northern Europe, the Royal Norwegian Yacht Club (KNS) hosted the 2022 edition of the ORC European Championship off Hanko, Norway. The largest fleet so far enjoyed great sailing, amazing vistas, extraordinary “apres sailing” at the sweet Hanko club, and the support of their “sailing King” Harald… an avid sailor himself. His enthusiasm for sailing amongst European Royalty is matched by King Felipe IV of Spain, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, and Prince Albert II of Monaco. Who’s the best J/24 sailor amongst them? “From your lips to God’s ears” hahaha…
Over in the Americas, it was the opportunity for Nova Scotians in Canada to finally enjoy a rather epic Chester Race Week. For an often fog-bound part of the world, the global warming stuff had an impact on their sunny, warm, light airs event… in Nova Scotia? No, it’s not a typo. Chester YC hosted a large fleet of boats that included a J/105 one-design class and a PHRF handicap fleet.
South of them, the Safe Harbor Regatta weekend in Newport, RI also saw significant growth in participation in the second year of their event, it was enjoyed by a wide variety of J/Crews from a J/92 to J/44s.
In the J/Community section, we got an interesting article from Sailing World magazine regards why sensors are helpful for optimum, repeatable performance for all kinds of sailboats large and small. Fascinating discussion. Enjoy.
Verve Cup Chicago Preview
(Chicago, IL)- Beginning Thursday, August 19, the Chicago Yacht Club will host the 31st annual Verve Cup Offshore Regatta that will feature three days of offshore buoy racing and a separate Saturday distance race.
Annually, this event hosts over 100 yachts ranging in size from 25-70 feet and carries crews from 4-20 racers. During this regatta, the Chicago Yacht Club looks forward to welcoming more than 2,000 racers, family members, and friends to its award-winning lakefront Monroe Station Clubhouse.
For the 3-day regatta, boats will sail either in a handicap section or in a one-design section. Brag flags and prizes will be awarded to the top finishers in each section. The winner in what is determined by formula to be the most competitive section, “The Elite Fleet,” will be awarded the perpetual Verve Cup Trophy. The Verve Cup trophy dates back to 1893 and is the Chicago Yacht Club’s oldest trophy.
Likewise, for the Distance Race, brag flags and prizes will be awarded to the top finishers in each of the four handicap sections and the first place winner in the fleet determined by handicap will be awarded the 8 Mile Buoy Trophy.
Looking forward to the weekend of racing will be a small J/Navy, over 30 teams are sailing in one-design classes for J/105s, J/109s, and J/111s, plus offshore ORC/ PHRF handicap fleets.
J/111 Class
A half-dozen J/111 teams are participating, including Jeff Davis’ SHAMROCK, Brad & Ian Faber’s UTAH, Tom Dickson’s WARLOCK, John Kalanik’s PURA VIDA, Kevin Saedi & Raman Yousefi’s MOMENTUS, and Jeff Schaefer’s SHMOKIN JOE! Small fleet, but extremely talented teams across the board. Without question, there will be hot, competitive racing amongst those teams, most of which have all won in previous J/111 events across the Great Lakes.
J/105 Class
With seven teams signed up, the J/105 class will also feature many crews that have been at the top of the leaderboard this summer. Those crews include Mike Sheppard’s FLYING PIG, Judith & Ross McLean’s ESPRIT D’ECOSSE, Clark Pellet’s SEALARK, Jon Weglarz’s THE ASYLUM, and Gyt Petkus’ VYTIS.
J/109 Class
Another quality fleet will be the seven J/109 teams. That class features class leaders like the quartet on SMEE AGAIN (Miz/ Dreher/ Hatfield/ Neenan), Kate & Jim Murray’s CALLISTO, Jim Caesar’s LIQUID LOUNGE II, and Ray Douglas & Kris Maybach’s COURAGEOUS, to name a few.
PHRF Buoy Class
The half-dozen teams sailing all three days will have to contend with Mike Cook’s J/88 ARIEL from Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club.
ORC Distance
The ten boats sailing ORC distance races will have past Chicago-Mac class winner participating- Tom Papoutsis’s J/133 RENEGADE from Columbia Yacht Club.
PHRF Distance
With eight teams, the PHRF Distance class has half the fleet as J/Teams. Yikes! All of them are capable of winning, including Mark Olsen’s J/120 JAHAZI, the two J/88s (Grace & Mike Gillian’s JULIA and Alex Abell’s PAJAMA PARTY), and Blane Shea’s J/111 STRIKING BACK.
Food, beverage, and music will be provided during each evening’s festivities in the Race Village at Monroe Station, and the Sundowner Party will be held on Saturday, August 20. Members and non-members, crews, families, and friends may utilize all the food and beverage amenities of the Chicago Yacht Club for breakfast, lunch, and dinner during this three-day festival including bar service, BBQ offerings, and al-fresco dining and inside dining with a relaxed dress code. Please come to race and stay to enjoy our wonderful views and dining experiences.
The Verve Cup Distance Race Awards will be given out during the Saturday Sundowner Party, and the Verve Cup Regatta Awards, including the Verve Cup Overall winner, will be given out during the Sunday Awards Party. For more Verve Cup Regatta sailing informatio
Ida Lewis Distance Race Preview
(Newport, RI)- When the Ida Lewis Distance Race starts this Friday (August 19) at 11:00 AM, spectators on land and water will bear witness to one of New England’s most unique sailing adventures, observing its 17th edition. Forty-one teams, split into classes for ORC, PHRF, PHRF Double Handed, and PHRF Cruising Spinnaker, will head out to sea, past Fort Adams and Castle Hill to take on one of four overnight round-trip courses (“The Montauk”, “The Block Island”, “The Point Judith”, “The Buzzards Bay Tower”) that range in length from 112 to 169 nautical miles. The course will have been chosen in advance by the Ida Lewis Yacht Club Race Committee when it is clear what the wind and weather will be doing over the coming 18 -24 hours.
“The Ida Lewis Distance Race is a fun overnight sprint where strategy and tactics are important,” said Sheila McCurdy (Middletown, RI), a very experienced offshore woman sailor with multiple Bermuda Races on her resume. “My crew is a combination of three very good offshore sailors and three sailors who want more experience on big boats. I love that offshore sailing is an opportunity to mix generations; our crew has an age range from one in her teens to one in her 60s.”
PHRF Class
For Ida Lewis Yacht Club veteran James Phyfe (Cranston, RI), who has entered his J/44 DIGGER, this is the first year that he is participating in the race with this boat. “We were registered last year with many of the same crew and were headed down the Bay when it was canceled,” said Phyfe, explaining that his crew is comprised mostly of family and juniors. His niece, Brooke (15), is bringing five friends from her junior racing program at New Bedford Yacht Club.
“With this group, we did the Whalers Race (in New Bedford, Mass.) this spring, and we have our eye on the 2024 Newport to Bermuda Race,” said Phyfe. “I really enjoy sailing with these kids because they are very enthusiastic, and I’m hoping this is a stepping stone for some other future offshore sailing for them!”
Joining them in the sixteen-boat PHRF class is another J/44, Owen Harren’s SINGULARITY, plus Jim Coggeshall’s J/121 CEILIDH, EC Helme’s J/92S SPIRIT, Mark Nannini’s J/120 SALACIA, and two J/109s (Brooke Mastrorio’s URSA and her prime competitor- Bill Kneller’s VENTO SOLARE Youth Team).
ORC Class
In the eight-boat ORC class, there are two J/122s competing against a mixed bag of larger offshore machines like TP 52s and a canting-keeler Cookson 50! Nevertheless, looking forward to the thrash around Rhode Island Sound will be Jack Gregg’s TARAHUMARA and Eric Irwin & Mary Martin’s ALLIANCE.
PHRF Doublehanded
Considered to have “something for everyone,” the Ida Lewis Distance Race has attracted a large group of double-handed sailors. One of the entrants in the doublehanded entrant, Steve Clarke (Tiverton, RI), will sail his J/99 NEW WAVE, which he has owned for a little over a year now.
“She’s designed for short-handed distance racing and I’m excited to try her out in the Ida Lewis Distance Race,” said Clarke, who will sail with friend Chris Bowley, an accomplished bowman and all-around sailor. “I’ve sailed the Ida Lewis Distance Race twice before on my previous boat with a full crew. It’s a great race format that really challenges your skills.”
Joining the NEW WAVE team will be another J/99, Tom O’Connell’s FINALE, plus Jack Silberman’s J/105 RIGADOON.
The Ida Lewis Distance Race is enjoyed by veteran offshore sailors as well as those trying overnight sailing for the first time. It begins off Fort Adams and ends just inside Newport Harbor where Ida Lewis volunteers can sight the finish line from their clubhouse on Lime Rock and greet each team on the water with a congratulatory bottle of Prosecco.
Catching the fleet’s return to Newport may be somewhat more difficult to witness firsthand, since larger boats typically finish early Saturday morning, sometimes in the dark, and the smaller boats finish at random intervals throughout the morning and afternoon. Fans may, however, follow their favorite teams on the YB tracker, which will be linked and activated on the Ida Lewis Distance Race website once the race has started.
Presenting Sponsor for the 2022 Ida Lewis Distance Race is Bluenose Yacht Sales. Gold Sponsor is Contender Sailcloth. Silver Sponsors are Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard and Hogan Associates. Bronze Sponsors are Newport Construction Services, Inc. and Gold’s Wine and Spirits. Contributing Sponsors are Toni Mills Graphic Design, Mac Designs, Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, and Stella Artois. For Ida Lewis Distance race results on Yachtscoring. For more Ida Lewis Distance Race sailing information
STC Ted Hood Regatta Preview
(Marblehead, MA)- As befitting a regatta named after the multi-faceted Ted Hood– sailmaker, yacht designer, inventor, yacht builder, and America’s Cup-winning skipper– the Storm Trysail Club’s Ted Hood Regatta will have a wide variety of courses, sizes, and types of yachts. The fleet will include J/70 and J/105 one-design classes, plus PHRF and PHRF Doublehanded classes.
Hosting the 5th annual event from August 19th to 21st is Eastern Yacht Club in conjunction with their amazing local partners- the Corinthian YC and the Boston YC.
The J/105 class includes Miguel Martinez’s TAINO, Ric Dexter’s BROUHAHA, Marty Galligan’s ATALANTA, and Steven Goldberg’s AIR EXPRESS.
The J/70s have Holly Fabyan’s ASTERIA, Rich Witzel’s ROWDY, Dave Franzel’s SPRING, and Jim Raisides & Charlie Pendleton’s BAD HOMBRES.
Sailing the fourteen-boat PHRF Division will be Ed Kaye’s J/111 PRAVDA, Chris Lund’s J/133 JUMP, and Liz Smith & Ward Blodgett’s J/33 SIROCCO. For the PHRF Doublehanded Division, Eliot Shanabrook’s J/109 HAFA ADAI is the lone J/crew. For more Storm Trysail Club Ted Hood Regatta sailing information
Fabulous Prizes for Land Union September Regatta!
(Hamble, England)- The Land Union September Regatta has an impressive bevy of prizes including a holiday with flights, superb accommodation, and entry to the world-famous Munich’s Oktoberfest. Antigua Sailing Week is offering a regatta experience of a lifetime; an all-in trip to Antigua including; flights, Dream Yacht Charter, and boat entry to Antigua Sailing Week.
“The Club has planned for a big event with around 80 boats racing and joining us for the party ashore. More than half of the places are filled so please make your entry as soon as possible and we look forward to seeing you at the Club in September” commented Royal Southern Rear Commodore Sailing Paul Ward (owner/skipper of the famous J/70 World Champion EAT SLEEP J REPEAT). “There is no doubt that the fabulous prizes are making the Land Union September Regatta extremely popular.”
Black Group will have tight Solent courses around fixed and laid marks and will be designated for IRC Classes one-design J/111 class. White Group will race on a separate laid windward leeward course with short sharp action for the J/70 class. The J/70s will be ranked in both Open and Corinthian Divisions and also introduce the new Mixed Plus Division, where at least 50% of the crew must be women.
Den’s Deck at the Royal Southern Clubhouse transformed into Oktoberfest
Land Union has supported the September Regatta for three years and the hundreds of sailors who take part thoroughly enjoy the shoreside entertainment. After the first day of racing, sailors return to find Den’s Deck at the Royal Southern Clubhouse transformed into Oktoberfest with complimentary German Beer and Sausage supper.
“We are delighted to be sponsoring the final round on the Royal Southern Summer Series at the Land Union September Regatta. I am looking forward to racing my J/70 sportsboat in a super-competitive fleet and we will be there for the party afterward looking forward to seeing all of our sailing friends,” commented CEO of Land Union, Lutz Strangemann.
After racing on the final day of the Land Union September, the class winners for the Royal Southern Summer Series will be announced. The occasion will also be marked by the awarding of two of the best prizes at any Solent regatta.
The overall winner of the Land Union September Regatta will be awarded an all-in trip to Antigua Sailing Week! For Land Union September Regatta results and registration on Yachtscoring For more information about the Royal Southern Yacht Club
Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Regatta Preview
(San Francisco, CA)- The St Francis YC will be playing host to the Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Regatta, an event named in memoriam to a highly regarded member and contributor at StFYC. The regatta will be sailed from August 19th to 21st on the western end of the Bay between Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge- a.k.a. “the city front course.” Two J/classes are participating- J/88s and J/105s, plus an ORC Division.
Recording one of their biggest turnouts in years is the twenty-boat J/105 class. Many new teams have joined the class and will be measuring their capabilities and talents against some of the grizzled veterans of past J/105 wars on the Bay. Some of the “old guard” are participating; often at the top of the leaderboard are teams like Bruce Stone’s ARBITRAGE, Ryan Simmons’ BLACKHAWK, and Rolf Kaier’s DONKEY JACK. Of the “newbies”, many Bay area sailors are familiar with Russell Long, America’s Cup skipper, navigator on his father’s famous ONDINE, and now the new owner of USA 157 RAKUSU. Quick learner that he is, Russ should have some good races if his team is familiar with the “pinball effect” fighting for tactical space up the city front!
The J/88s have a solid seven-boat class and nearly half the boats are sailed/owned by woman skippers. The three teams are Logan Ashcraft’s HIJINKS, Andrea Ciccardi’s PELAGIA, and Brice Dunwoodie’s RAVENETTE. Of the “boys”, it’s hard to handicap this fleet as their results have been so dependent on the crews that show up for each event. In that category are Dave Corbin’s BUTCHER, Steve Gordon’s INCONCEIVABLE, Mark Howe’s SPLIT WATER, and Jim Hopp’s WHITE SHADOW.
The eight-boat ORC Division is 62.5% J/Teams! Five of those mercenaries are Reuben Rocci’s J/111 SWIFT NESS, Dave Halliwill’s J/120 PEREGRINE, John Arens’ J/109 REVERIE, Dave MacEwen’s J/90 LUCKY DUCK, and Zach Berkowitz’s J/100 FEATHER! That should be fun racing up and down the waterfront! For more Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Regatta information
J/24 Florida States Preview
(Coconut Grove SC- Miami, FL)- The Florida State Championship has been sailing for over 40+ years, ever since the first J/24 Midwinters were sailed in 1978 in Key West, Florida. Carrying on that tradition for 2022 is the Coconut Grove Sailing Club for the passionate, almost rabid, fans of J/24 sailing on Biscayne Bay. A round dozen boats will be sailing this year’s edition from August 20th to 21st, 2022 with up to seven races planned, weather permitting.
Perhaps the most familiar name on the registration list is Mark Pincus’ USA 3416 from Coral Reef Yacht Club, truly a member of the “old guard” having sailed the J/24 in Miami since 1979. A member of the famous Sly sailing family in Miami will be sailing- Patricio Sly is racing BITCOIN… paid for by bitcoin investments… Miami is the self-anointed “bitcoin capital of the world”! For more J/24 Florida States sailing information
Twin J/112E’s Silver @ ORC European Championship
MATILDA 4 Silvers Class C, SHADOW Silvers Class C Corinthians
(Hanko, Norway)- It came down to today’s last inshore race of the series for the winners and podium positions to be determined at the 2022 ORCi European Championship hosted by the Royal Norwegian Yacht Club (KNS).
A big winner this week was the weather: every day of the entire week featured near-perfect champagne sailing conditions of sunny skies and 8-18 knots of wind for six inshore and two offshore races. Coupled with the natural beauty of Hankø and the surrounding rocks and islands of the Oslofjord, this was truly a spectacular setting for this event.
The hospitality of the hosts at the Hanko Yacht Club was also outstanding, with sailors and volunteers treated to daily prize givings, post-race meals, and a centralized venue large enough for the fleet to be moored together and teams to socialize before and after racing.
Class C Division:
In the final race, there was an interesting battle of match race sailing between two teams vying for the Silver medal position in the Class C Division. Before the start Juss Ojala’s J/112E MATILDA 4 (EST) applied classic match race pre-start tactics (see photo below) against Patrik Forsgren’s TEAM PRO4U (SWE), forcing the Swedes beyond the layline to the pin end of the start and only breaking off the attack until a full minute after the start signal.
Thereafter, in this race the MATILDA team kept a close cover on the Swedes, pushing them back whenever possible and not letting them get ahead, and pushing them both back in corrected time as well. Yet, this did not matter since their results were going to be their discarded scores anyway and MATILDA needed to ensure that TEAM PRO4U did not get any leverage to get ahead. The scheme worked, with MATILDA winning Silver medals.
In the Class C Corinthians, Harles Liiv’s J/112E SHADOW was the runner-up and was also 4th place overall in the Class C Open division. Both J/112E’s suffered from the long first offshore race scores that could not be discarded and, to make matters worse, were “double-counted”. Had that not been the case, it’s likely the two J/112Es would have both podiumed with MATILDA 4 repeating her ORC European Championship wins in the past.
“His Majesty King Harald of Norway is our Honorary President of ORC,” said Bruno Finzi, Chairman of ORC, “and we, therefore, share a common heritage in promoting competitive and fair offshore racing. Certainly, this week has proven the sailors and organizers in this nation can produce world-class ORC racing, and we congratulate not only those on the podium but all who took part in this fantastic and memorable event.” For more ORC European Championship sailing information
Sunny, Fogless Chester Race Week!
J/100s Sweep PHRF 2 Fleet!
(Chester, Nova Scotia)- The final day of Helly Hansen Chester Race Week may have been the most spectacular day of racing this year. Day 4 certainly made up for Day 3 when there were no winds at all, but gorgeous and sunny anyways. Crazily enough for this often fog-bound coastline, this global warming stuff has unintended consequences and benefits for some… one is sunny Halifax, Nova Scotia!
Pat Nelder, the on-water chair of Chester Race Week, commented, “the weather was completely different to the forecast. I am pretty sure it’s being forecast out of a basement in Moncton,” he joked. “We had lovely sunny days the first two days with light wind. On the third day, no winds but beautiful and sunny. Today champagne winds and even sunnier!”
For the 117 boats that participated this year, it was a welcome change from past race weeks. Loving it was a large group of J/Teams in the various classes.
In PHRF 1 Division of nine-boats, Matt Stokes’ J/133 BLUE JAY III managed to sail consistently to earn the bronze medal. Then Richard Calder’s J/120 BRILLIANCE ended up fifth and Ray Rhinelander’s J/133 BELLA J was sixth.
PHRF 2 Division of eleven boats was treated to a clean sweep by J/100s. Winning was Larry Creaser’s YOUNGBLOOD by winning 3 of five races for an 8 pts total. Second was Terry McKenna’s DOG PARTY winning the remaining two races to take the silver with 12 pts. Then, rounding out the podium on the bronze step was Paul Rafuse’s CROWS with 16 pts.
The dozen-boat PHRF 3 Division was pretty well dominated by J/Temas. The top dog was Paul Fillbee-Dexter’s J/29 PAINKILLER, taking the silver. The bronze medal went to perennial favorite Colin Mann’s J/92 POOHSTICKS. Behind him were four more J/29s! Fourth was Don Williams’ PARADIGM SHIFT, fifth was Chris Power’s JAEGER, sixth was Chris MacDonald’s SCOTCH MIST IV, and seventh was Terry Schnare’s HEAD GAMES.
The PHRF Inshore I division saw two J/30s post good performances (seen above). Jordan MacNeil’s FLUX took the bronze medal on a tiebreaker at 15 pts each over Jesleine Baker’s JUST ADD WATER.
Finally, the J/105 Class saw Sean McDermott & Rory MacDonald’s McMAC walk off with class honors after winning four of six races. Capt. Bradison Boutilier’s SHIPYARD J105 took the silver only counting 1st and 2nds! Rounding out the podium for the bronze medal was Jim Mosher’s MOJO.
One of the highlights for CRW was the Friday night appearance of country music star- Brooklyn Blackmore.
Fun, Light Safe Harbor Race Weekend
(Newport, RI)- The second edition of Safe Harbor Race Weekend saw sixty-two teams in boats ranging from 30 to 116 feet enjoy nice sailing on Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound. The sailing commenced once the fabled sea breezes kicked in during the afternoon with most classes counting up to six races. Despite the fickle weather offshore and in Narragansett Bay, the “apres sailing” ashore at Newport Shipyard was greatly enjoyed by all participants- good food, fun music, and great camaraderie amongst friends.
The ten-boat PHRF C division was rough going in the wildly fluctuating sea breezes that were fighting northerlies of various types in the middle of Narragansett Bay. In the end, the lone survivor on the podium was Joe Brito’s talented team on his J/121 INCOGNITO, surviving a first race debacle in 9th place to close the regatta with two bullets to leap onto the bronze step on the podium!
For the eight-boat PHRF D division, the first race saw six of eight boats take a TLE (time limit expired)! Wow! In the end, Ted Herlihy’s J/109 GUT FEELING made it onto the podium and, in fact, lost a tiebreaker on 20 pts each to settle for the bronze medal. Kevin Dakan’s J/110 MEMORY closed the regatta with a 3-2 to end up in fourth place. Bill Kneller’s J/109 VENTO SOLARE closed out the top five. Sailing photo credits- John Lincourt Photography. For more Safe Harbor Regatta sailing information
J/Community
What J/sailors, friends, and family are doing worldwide each week
Accurate Sensors For Repeatable Settings
The applications and benefits of the Cyclops Marine load sensing technology allow professional and amateur teams to better understand what’s happening with rig and control lines.
Long-time J/Boats sailor in everything from J/22s to J/24s, J/70s to Santa Cruz 70s, J/125s to J/111s, Erik Shampain provides interesting insights on how accurate sensors can help improve repeatable high-performance settings for everyone across the fleet. Erik explains;
“Every now and then something very cool and helpful comes along to help take some of the guesswork out of our sailing. Enter Cyclops Marine’s Smarttune turnscrew and Smartlink load sensors. Smarttune sensors are used exclusively for standing rigging applications, but the Smartlink sensor can be used just about anywhere. What’s especially cool is that you can see the data they provide in real-time, and you can download all of it to a smartphone to view it on a graph or in other formats. While these sensors might not be race legal in your class (they’re not in the J/70), they are immensely useful for training. I used them on the J/70 Midlife Crisis in preparation for the 2021 World Championships in Los Angeles, California.
To display the sensor information on our J/70, we used a B&G Triton-2 display, which requires the addition of Cyclops’ wireless gateway to the NMEA 2000 backbone of the B&G instruments. The data is compatible with many other instrument brands and can also be viewed using the Cyclops Marine “Smart Fittings Manager” App, communicating via Bluetooth. The App allows you to review, record, graph, and save the data in multiple formats. The graphing function is especially revealing as it shows what’s happening with the rig tension, etc. as you go through settings on the dock or sailing upwind through different conditions.
For example, we always wondered what happened to the headstay load as we tightened our shrouds, so we put a Smarttune turnscrew sensor on our headstay. We thought if we were to plot the headstay load relative to the number of turnscrew turns above our base setting, the headstay load would graph as a curve. At some upper end in shroud tensioning, however, the forestay would stop getting much tighter. To our surprise, the graph was very linear— the forestay just got tighter and tighter. So, in heavy air, within the safety tolerances of the mast, we learned we could go with tighter turnscrew settings, producing a gradually tighter headstay.
The Cyclops Smarttune also reinforced the importance of getting shroud settings correct before the start so that our other settings— backstay, vang, inhaul, etc.— stay consistent.
Another example: the graph clearly showed that the amount of backstay used is relative to how much shroud tension we are carrying. Not enough shroud tension and we had to carry too much backstay to hold the forestay load. Too much backstay and our mainsail got too flat, and so forth. That’s essential stuff to know.
We also used the Smartlink to help confirm and quantify what we already knew. When it’s windy, a J/70 vang is often tight when sailing upwind, so we installed a Smartlink Nano (the smallest sensor in the line) on the vang. As we ease the main in big puffs, the downward load on the leech is transferred from the mainsheet to the vang, which bends the mast more. That, in turn, affects forestay tension. How much? The sensor quantified that for us. It also quantified how much additional headstay load we could achieve by sheeting the mainsheet harder. All told, that data helped us balance settings and sheet loads as the wind speed went up and down.
The crew of past J/70 world champions, Paul Ward’s EAT SLEEP J REPEAT, took the system a step further by adding wind instrument data into the mix, which allowed them to figure out which settings worked best in certain wind conditions. They were still able to train themselves as to what 8 knots of wind feels and looks like and duplicate proven settings for that wind range.
What would be some applications for other boats? World champion sailor Andrew Palfrey has been using these products on Etchells and 5.5 Meters to help develop accurate instincts for the trimmers on the water.
“On the Etchells, the jibs have to go through such a wide wind range that headstay sag, especially in light to medium winds, is critical,” Palfrey says. “With the Cyclops sensors, we now have a reliable tool to accurately measure headstay load. It is a training tool, as they are not legal for racing in the Etchells. But, they do provide factual information and help develop your eye for determining headstay sag by comparing the sag amount and luff entry angle to a given load. It’s also a great learning tool for seeing the factual effect of differing backstay and mainsheet loads on the headstay.”
The Cyclops products offer the potential of further equalizing performance between professional and amateur teams. With the Cyclops Smarttune and Smartlink and a little time sailing, it could be far easier for amateur teams to match the settings and loads of the professional teams. Top sailmakers share settings and many one-design classes have round table discussions after sailing about what top boats were doing, and with the Smarttune, especially, mid-fleet teams could learn how to achieve proper headstay tension throughout wind ranges, thus ratcheting up their performance.
The Cyclops products also have applications aboard bigger boats, since you can put them between just about anything. They are often used on blocks and lines to make sure that safe working loads aren’t exceeded. In the 2021 Transpac Race, Pyewacket, first-to-finish, and new 24-hour course record holder, was equipped for this race with outriggers to optimize sheeting angles for their large downwind sails. They didn’t want to go beyond the safe working load for the outriggers, but they also wanted to be pushing the boat as hard as possible and not break anything. Adding a Smartlink to the outrigger down line allowed them to monitor the load in real time, displayed on their B&G instruments. The outriggers never failed. The Smarttune comes in five sizes (from 5/16 to 3/4″ thread diameter). The Smartlink also comes in five sizes (from 600kg to 20 tons). The smallest in the line, the Smartlink Nano, is accurate to within ±6kg. Both Smarttune and Smartlink are factory calibrated and accurate up to ±1 percent of the sensor maximum working load.” Thanks for this contribution from Erik Shampain and Sailing World magazine
A Dolphin escort just showed up today in front of Sail Newport during the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center sailing program! Sail Newport Keelboat Instructor Alice Kennedy captured the rare sight.