SLAM UK has this week confirmed major sponsorship support for the 2012 J/80 World Championship, which will now be Powered by SLAM. The regatta will take place between the 9^th and 15^th of June and will be jointly hosted by the Britannia Yacht Club, the Royal Dart Yacht Club and the J/80 UK Class Association. Both the Opening Ceremony and the Prizegiving Ceremony for 2012 J/80 World Championship Powered by SLAM will take place at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon.

In addition to significant financial support for the regatta, the partnership with cutting edge sportswear company SLAM UK will bring style, flair and inimitable glamour to the event, along with real and quantifiable added value for the competitors of the 80 teams which are predicted to travel to the UK this summer to compete. Not only will competitors be able to enjoy the tangible benefits of SLAM UK’s investment in the Championship, but they will also witness first-hand the competitive edge afforded on the race-track by this technologically advanced clothing range; Chris Ducker, Owner of SLAM UK, will also be racing his brand new J/80 at the Worlds.

Chris Ducker explained his passion for SLAM and his commercial desire to be involved at a grass roots level with the J/80 Worlds: ‘I am delighted to have an opportunity to work with the Key Yachting team and for SLAM to sponsor the 2012 J/80 Worlds; this will certainly be a fantastic event on and off the water. I look forward enormously to sailing and socialising in the J Community throughout the 2012 season.’

At the London Boat Show in January, SLAM UK was appointed official clothing partner of Key Yachting Ltd. Key Yachting is the UK agent and distributor for the J/80 Sportsboat and for the whole range of yachts by J Boats, and this is the first time that Key Yachting has entered in to a partnership of this sort. Paul Heys, Managing Director of Key Yachting explained ‘There is a strong parallel between the design credentials of the SLAM technological clothing range and J Boats, not least in the fundamentally intelligent and performance oriented design. I’ve worn SLAM kit on the water for a number of years and it unfailingly delivers the results one expects. This new partnership is great for Key Yachting and it will also prove extremely valuable to our clients during the coming year. Competitors at the 2012 J/80 World Championship Powered by SLAM have a real treat in store.’

Entries for the 2012 J/80 World Championship are rolling in at serious pace now. The online entry system at www.j80worlds2012.com is easy to use, the entry fee represents real value for money and Brittany Ferries has offered discounted pricing for J/80 teams travelling to the UK from the continent. February may be frosty but the competition in Dartmouth in June is looking hotter than ever.

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International J/111 One-Design/ Offshore Events
(Newport, RI)- The International J/111 Regatta Schedule for 2012 is outlined below for one-design and offshore events for J/111s located in Europe (UK/ Ireland/ France/ Sweden) and for the Americas (East, Pacific, Great Lakes).

The J/111 has already achieved phenomenal race results under IRC, ORR and PHRF handicap systems including class wins at the Round the Island Race, Cowes Week, Key West Race Week and Annapolis Race Week, to name just a few.  However, the intention has always been to launch an International One Design Class as soon as a viable number of J/111s had been sold and were out on the water racing. This point has now been reached: over seventy-five J/111s have been sold and fifty of these are already sailing!

The J/111 Class has been created as a true one-design Class where the real test when raced is between crews and not boats and equipment.  The fundamental objective of the J/111 class rules is to ensure this concept is maintained. J/111 hulls, appendages and rigs are only be produced by a licensed manufacturer (every single boat is weighed on a load-cell prior to leaving the factory) and all J/111 sails measurement will be controlled under the ISAF Certification system.

The J/111 Class Association will initially be administered by both J/Boats in Newport and Key Yachting Ltd in the UK for the J/111 owners on an international basis.  The intent is to have the formalized J/111 Class organization operating by Fall 2012 by J/111 owners. For more information on the J/111 or on the regatta schedule detailed below, please contact Becci Eplett at Key Yachting Ltd or J/Boats Newport.

The primary J/111 Championship events for each “region” are the following: Europeans (Cowes Week), Great Lakes (Harbor Springs), East Coasts (NYYC Annual, Newport) and Pacific Coasts (Rolex Big Boat Series, San Francisco).  Please look at the schedule and links below to help organize your 2012 summer schedules.  In addition, we suggest you look at Peter Gustafsson’s BLUR.SE (http://www.blur.se)(he’s sailing the European circuit) and the French LE JOUET (http://lejouet.eu) websites for an example of how teams are organizing in Europe.  A J/111 Class website will be on-line soon.

England/ Ireland/ France:
Mar 18-Apr 29  Warsash Spring Series- http://www.warsashspringseries.org.uk/
Apr 5-9         SPI Ouest France- http://www.spi-ouestfrance.com/
Apr 28          Tour de Belle-Ile- http://bit.ly/zg9jWa
May 18-20     Vice Admiral’s Cup- http://www.rcyc.co.uk/da/13094
May 25-28     Grand Prix Crouesty- http://www.ycca.net/
Jun 1-5         Record SNSM- http://www.recordsnsm.com/
Jun 9-10       Royal Southern YC Regatta- http://www.royal-southern.co.uk/
Jun 30          JP Morgan Round the Island Race- http://www.roundtheisland.org.uk
Jul 7-13        Cork Week- http://www.corkweek.ie/
Jul 25-28      J-Cup 2012- http://www.royal-southern.co.uk/
Aug 11-18    Cowes Week (J/111 Europeans)- http://www.aamcowesweek.co.uk

East Coast Circuit:
May 4-6      Annapolis SW NOOD- http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas/annapolis
Jun 8-10     NYYC Annual Regatta- http://www.nyyc.org
Jul 13-15    SailNewport Regatta- http://www.sailnewport.org/regattas/newportregatta/
Jul 18-22   NYYC Race Week (J/111 East Coasts)- http://www.nyyc.org
Aug 3-5       Buzzards Bay Regatta- http://www.buzzardsbayregatta.com
Aug 17-18   Ida Lewis Distance Race- http://ildistancerace.org

Great Lakes Circuit:
Jun 2-3       Colors Regatta- http://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=583
Jun 8-10     Chicago SW NOOD- http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas/chicago
Jul 21-24    Chicago-Mackinac Race- http://www.cycracetomackinac.com/
Jul 27-29   Harbor Springs Regatta (J/111 Great Lakes)- http://ltyc.org/sailing/regattas
Aug 10-12   Verve Cup Regatta- http://www.vervecup.com

Pacific Coast Circuit:
May 4-6       Yachting Cup- http://sdyc.org/yachtingcup
May 25-26    Spinnaker Cup- http://www.sfyc.org
Jun 13-17    Coastal Cup- http://bit.ly/wmZa5H
Jun 22-24    Long Beach Race Week- http://www.lbrw.org
Jul 27-29     Aldo Alessio Regatta- http://www.stfyc.com
Sep 5-9       Big Boat Series (J/111 Pacific Coasts)- http://www.rolexbigboatseries.com

Future International Regattas:
2013    J/111 European Championship, France
2013    J/111 World Championship, USA
2014    J/111 World Championship, UK

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Last Chance! Get Rolling 2012 With Trophies on Shelves!
Give the Crew the LOVE they Deserve!
(Newport, RI)- For 2012 we’ve got the answer for all your scheduling and crew needs, another spectacular J/Sailing Calendar that fits onto any office, kitchen or dormitory wall.  This large format, easy-to-use sailing calendar helps keep all your regattas organized.  Plus, it’s great for keeping your friends and crew organized, too!  A great gift for anyone, one that reminds them of how much you LOVE them 24×365 this year!  See the J/Calendar and order now!!

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J’s Sailing Worldwide

The past week has been a moment of time and reflection as many sailors are taking stock of what happened in Key West regards how various sailboats performed as well as taking into account rather extraordinary developments that impact the activity of sailing as we know it today.  In the former category, the J/111 fleet is starting to get organized worldwide, as evidenced above by significant activity taking place in key sailing areas of the world.  Plus, some boats like J-DREAM in England are starting to get a leg-up on their competition sailing the infamous Solent in early frostbite series.  In the latter category, the New York YC announcement regards the J/70 speedster is having a profound impact on J/70 fleet development in America and Europe, with production nearly sold-out in both America and Europe for 2012!  Bolstering J/One-Design activity are some of the “classic J’s”, the J/22, J/24s and J/80s continue to show strength as fleets continually evolve in the cycle of development, growth and expansion.  No matter where they are on the evolution curve, with thousands of boats available to sail (as well as those inexpensively “for sale”), it doesn’t take much to get people motivated to get out on the water and enjoy a beautiful day. On that theme, it’s wonderful to see the French, Benelux and Spanish sailors all supporting J/80 fleet development in the early spring. Not far behind are the J/80s in the UK as hosts of the 2012 J/80 Worlds in the gorgeous “southwest” of England past the “Moors” in Dartmouth.  And, in the final events of the J/22, J/24 and J/80 Winter Circuits in America, it appears there will be great training programs for participants at Charleston Race Week in April.

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north.  Check them out!  More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page! Below are the summaries.

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Jan 27- Feb 5- Seattle Sailboat Show- Seattle, WA- http://www.seattleboatshow.com
Feb 4-12- Gothenburg Boatshow (J/108)- Gothenburg, Sweden- http://www.batmassan.se
Feb 11-15- J/24 Midwinters- Davis Island YC- Tampa, FL- http://www.diyc.org/
Feb 11-19- Boston Boatshow (J/111)- Boston, MA- http://www.neboatshow.com/
Feb 16-20- Miami Boatshow- Miami, FL- http://www.miamiboatshow.com/
Feb 17-19- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Pete, FL- http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas
Feb 23-26- J/22 Midwinters- Houston YC- Houston TX- http://www.j22mw.com/
Mar 2-10- J/24 Regata Copa de Mexico- Puerto Vallarta, Mexico- http://j24mex.com/copa_mexico/
Mar 9-11- J/105 Midwinters- Lakewood YC- Houston, TX- http://www.j105mw.com
Apr 12-15- StrictlySail Pacific (J/111)- Oakland, CA- http://www.strictlysailpacific.com/
Apr 19-22- Newport Beach Boatshow (J/111)- Newport Beach, CA- http://newportinwaterboatshow.com

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.

NEW J-DREAM Leads Frostbiters

This past weekend, the vagaries of the wind were challenging both the RC/PRO and sailors alike.  It was a bright morning with a steady 11 knots of breeze from 260 degrees when the committee boat set up adjacent to Hover 2 and set a course cascading down Southampton water for race 3 of the frostbite series. As yet, no sign of frost with another mild day in store and gentle wind, or so we thought.

With the minimal tide all classes had good starts even though the wind had started to freshen a little after the warning signal and one or two were shortening sail. By the end of the starting sequence the wind gradient was up to 22 knots and a solid force 6 with some stronger gusts.  What the heck!?  What forecasted this?!  It sure made it lively for the Class 1 boats running back to Hover 2 from the windward mark off Solent Refit at Hythe. The wind started to back and increased further as the race progressed resulting in some spectacular broaches and as the committee boat positioned herself for the second race we were reaching a near gale with a gradient of 30 knots and the gusts blowing dogs off chains from the Pitcher & Piano and across our bows!  Well, the decision was easy- NOT! The decision not to continue racing was never in doubt with such conditions especially as the highest reported wind speed was in excess of 40 knots.

Class 1 was won by Kirsty and David Apthorp’s new J/111 J-DREAM which hit 19 knots on return to the Hamble. Their record of 3-1-1 is giving them a clear lead in Class 1 division, leading by five points with a total of five points!

In J/Class it was the J/80 J’AI DEUX AMOURS owned by Stewart Hawthorn who took the bullet, making their tally of 1-2-1 look pretty strong.  The J/92 BOJANGLES is now in second with a score card of 4-1-6.  Third is JAMIN, John Cooper and Ian Townsend’s J/92, with a 2-4-6. So, other than first place, the racing is close indeed for the 2 to 5 slots on the leader board, only four points separating BOJANGLES, JAMIN, JUST ENOUGH and J’RONIMO.   For more Royal Southampton Frostbite Series sailing information

J/24 MAKE MY J Wins Geelong Regatta

“This year the passage race was on the Thursday, with 3 windward/ leewards on the Friday and a short round-the-sticks race on Saturday.  Sunday was light wind and blazing hot.  More than that it was time to go home after the race.  And, you guessed it, the wind was on the nose back to Sandy, so we skipped the last race in favour of the tow we organised from one of the Sandy patrol boats and we all bought blue tarps to keep the sun off (looking like a B&Q or Home Depot “special”!).

So perhaps the most unusual regatta paparazzi photo-op is 3 of the 4 boat “tent city” towing back to Sandy (seen above with “greenies” on the afterdecks and wishing “shrimp on the barbie” was a possibility!).

The series was won by Simon Grain’s MAKE MY J with a 1-1-2-2-1 for 7 points.  Next was Ron Thomson’s KICKING BOTOM accumulating a respectable 3-3-1-1-3 for 11 points.  The KICKING BOTTOM boys narrowly edged out Robyn Coombs’ HYPERACTIVE with their 2-2-3-3-2 for 12 points.

One of the highlights of the regatta was the gracious presence of J/24 International Class Measurer and Ambassador– Stuart Jardine and his lovely wife Mary Ann.  Stuart was on hand to help Australian J/24 Class Measurer Peter Stevens, Victorian measurer Mark Haughton, Assistant measurer Doug McGregor and several members of the J/24 fleet at Sandringham learn the nuances of measuring a J/24 for International One-Design standards.

Stuart (now only 78 years young) is based in the UK and is a member of the International J/24 technical committee. His experiences in Europe, as well and the America’s over the past 30 years has given him a wealth of knowledge regarding the boats and he spoke of his vision regarding future and the where the class is going in the next 10 years and beyond (BTW, he still kicks the crap out of a LOT of young bucks/ newbies in the class who have NO idea who “that old guy” is). Stuart was impressed by the J/24 Australian national data base which has been correlated by the states and processed by Pete Stevens. With changes in the boats and new technology the class will be able to keep abreast of the best ways to make the measurement process fair and quick.

A strong measurement process is one of the fundamental foundations that make the J/24 Class such a great boat to race.  It’s not easy being a measurer, as I know having been involved at the highest level since 1988 and we should support the system that maintains our status as a prestige Class. To win a J24 National Title is one of the highest achievements in sailing, both here and abroad.  Lets help in maintaining our investment and encourage and support our measurers who currently are working towards a updated list of measured boats!”

Thanks to Hugo and Simon for their commentary. For more information on Stuart, please see this article on the International J/24 Class site.    For more Geelong Regatta Sailing results

Charleston Race Week J/22 Sailors Growing Fast!

Greg’s commentary- “This year’s Charleston Race Week will be a super event, and especially great for the J/22s. We have organized our own special J/22 launching and trailer storage at James Island YC–only $50/boat with no hassle of long lift lines or fighting the tides!

We will have free docking in our College of Charleston Basin in the Patriots Point Marina for all J/22s. We are a 5-minute walk to party/regatta central and a 10-minute sail to the race course. The weather mark of our race course will be 10 minutes from James Island YC so the whole set up couldn’t be more convenient. Our PRO will be Tommy Harken, one of the best in the south and a great sailor himself, so we are guaranteed good racing.

A new attraction will be that our College of Charleston varsity coaches (myself included) will be running practice starts and races–with a little coaching on the side–Thursday afternoon for those who are interested….more on that later.

Since you’re asking…Charleston was recently ranked 2nd in Travel and Leisure’s America’s best Cities! High on the list was Quality of Life and Visitor experience!  We’ve been working on decent hotel rates and have found that Mainstay Hotel, 5 minutes from the Patriot Points Marina, is offering good pricing and they still have a number of rooms available. They offer the basic double, and then a special 2 bedroom suite at reasonable rates. The Mainstay Hotel number is 843-881-1722.

We hope you can make CRW 2012 as it should be a great regatta! Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you make the trip!”

Please feel free to contact Greg Fisher at cell# 410-212-4916 or email- greg@gregfishersailing.com for any kind of help in the greater Charleston sailing scene.  Of course, tactical information comes at a price T.B.N. with Greg (good beer is a good idea!). Sailing Photo Credit- Tim Wilkes- timwilkes.com

J/80 Grevelingen Cup

As was reported this past week from J/80 sailors at the Grevelingen Cup, “training is clearly starting to bear fruit.  In the Grevelingen Cup last weekend, the fleet of fourteen boats sailed very close together.  How you finished was determined by meters or less for the top five positions.  That’s great racing!”

For 2012, the J/80 class in Belgium and the Netherlands have a number of objectives to continue growing the class and participation in major events.  One of those is to grow a fleet of ten boats in the northern Benelux areas.  As a result, the summer 2012 sailing season is envisioned to encompass the following events:

February- Grevelingencup Series

March- last Grevelingencup plus awards.  JOIE de VIVRE proposes sail training between the G-Cup matches, time and place TBD.

April 28-29- Almere Regatta Muiderzand. Berths for the entire fleet in the harbor are “FREE”! Working on “free beer”, too.

June-August- Naarden- sailing Wednesday “beer-can” races, minimum 5 J/80s present. Create a Netherlands/ Benelux Nationals.

Please contact us at the J/80 Benelux/ Netherlands class association.   For more J/80 Grevelingen Cup sailing information For a nice video on J/80 sailing the Grevelingen Cup.

What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide

* Must Read for J/Sailors from a Clive Cussler Novelist- Bob J recommends THE RIPPLE EFFECT as the only novel he knows of where a J/Boat (a J/27) plays an important role in the story.  It is written by Paul Garrison who, in response to an email of thanks and praise for the great tale about 8 years ago, confessed to Bob that he was really Justin Scott who wrote SHIPKILLER — amongst other great novels!! His sailing novels under Paul Garrison are fantastic.  He is now one of the Clive Cussler brand authors, under both the Justin Scott and Paul Garrison names, with a new book, THE THIEF, being released in March 2012.

Here’s the book review:  This fifth sea adventure from Garrison starts out calm enough, but then a stiff wind fills its sails, and it races to a thrilling finish. The plucky heroine, 15-year-old Morgan Page, in search of her missing father, sails single-handedly across the Pacific Ocean in a tiny stolen sailboat (the J/27). Her father, Aiden, supposedly killed in the destruction of the World Trade Center on 9/11, had actually used his supposed “death” as a ruse to escape from a federal investigation into his actions as the CFO of a private bank, one that is suspected of laundering money for arms dealers. Innocent Page was left holding the bag by the duplicitous bank owner, Henry Ho Hong. The male protagonists take a backseat to the colorful female characters–not only resourceful Morgan but also two feisty lesbian nuns, a ruthless mercenary, and Hong’s wife, a psychopathic femme fatale. Readers may have to suspend their disbelief at many of the bizarre plot twists but should find it a rousing voyage nonetheless.

Read more about RIPPLE EFFECT here or order on Amazon.com.
http://www.seastoriesbypaulgarrison.com/rippleeffect.html

*  J/80 TV-  The J/80s sailing off Santander, Spain are starting to document some of their adventures sailing against one another.  Not a bad fleet to learn from! Just a few J/80 World Champions in Spain and the tops guys are from Santander– including the two most recent J/80 World Champs.  Here are a selection of videos from various boats.

For the ESP 880 team- here’s their commentary-  “Great sailing conditions. NW wind ranging 18-25 knots. Gusty with rain squalls. Recorded while attending regular fleet racing. Unfortunately, I lost a GoPro2 attached to the bow-sprit in the process. Don’t worry, a new one is on the way!  Javier Lopez-Vazquez helming on ESP 880.”  The skipper of NEXTEL ENGINEERING is Ignacio Camino and, of course, the leader of ECC VIVIENDAS is Pichu Torcida.  Good perspectives on sail trim, body movements, boat positioning on waves and boat-for-boat positioning- very informative and instructional!

Jan 30th sailing- ESP 880 sailing team
Jan 28th sailing- ESP 880 sailing team
Jan 28th sailing- NEXTEL ENGINEERING sailing team
Jan 28th sailing- ECC VIVIENDAS sailing team
November- J/80 Mundialito off Santander

* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel’s big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand.  Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/

* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years.  Their blogs/journals can be found at- http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker.  The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com.  Search for “SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing” by Bill Stellin or William Stellin.”  UPDATE-  Just a short note to update from Bill- “Our cruise began in May of 2000 and ended in May of 2008, some 8 years later. I have just finished and published my third and final book covering the last three or so years including our double handed crossing in 16 days and one winter in the Caribbean. Like the others, “Sea Trek- A Passion for sailing- Book III,” can be found at www.blurb.com.  Thanks, Bill and Judy”

* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.

* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world’s oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between.  Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins??  Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).

-  SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).

-  Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun).  Read about their latest adventures as they’ve gotten to New Zealand- “Avante Cruises the Pacific”.

- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com.  Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA), then to the South Pacific and New Zealand.  MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet–she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.

* The J/109 GAIA (seen right in the Java Sea) was sailed by Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay around the world. In February 2011, their cruising adventures came to an abrupt, sad ending.  As a tribute to them and their cruising friends worldwide, we hope their chronicles on their GAIA website remains a tribute to their warm-hearted spirits- read more about why many loved them dearly and will remain touched by their loving spirit forever- http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/

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J/One-Design Events 2012
J/22, J/24, J/80 & J/105 Classes
(Newport, RI)- For those of you considering sailing in any European, North American or World Championships in the large J/One-Design classes like the J/22s, J/24s, J/80s and J/105s you should be thinking about keeping abreast of the latest developments in sails, speed techniques and tactics at the following events:

J/22 Midwinters- Feb 23-26- Houston YC, Houston, TX- http://www.j22mw.com
J/22 Worlds- Le Crouesty, France- Jun 26-29- Crouesty Arzon YC, Brittany, France
J/22 North Americans- Sep 11-14- Tawas Bay YC, E Tawas, MI- http://www.j22na.com/

J/24 Midwinters- Feb 11-15- Davis Island YC- Tampa, FL- http://www.diyc.org
J/24 Australian Nationals- Mar 9-12- Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia
J/24 Europeans- May 30-Jun 3- Club Nautico Arzachena, Arzachena, Italy
J/24 US Nationals- Jun 24-30- Dillon YC, Dillon, CO- http://www.j24nationals.com/
J/24 Worlds- Sep 13-21- Rochester YC, Rochester, NY- http://myyc.org/site/2012umgj24worlds/
J/24 North Americans- Nov 14-18- Florida YC, Jacksonville, FL- http://www.thefloridayachtclub.org/

J/80 Winter Circuit
Valentines Cup- Feb 11-12- US Sailing Center, Miami, FL
Bacardi Week- Mar 8-10- Coral Reef YC, Miami, FL
Biscayne Cup- Mar 24-25- US Sailing Center, Miami, FL
Charleston Race Week- Apr 19-22- Charleston Harbor Resort, Charleston, SC
J/80 Worlds- Jun 9-15- Royal Dart YC, Dartmouth, England- http://www.j80worlds2012.com
J/80 North Americans- Oct 31-Nov 4- Fort Worth Boat Club, Ft Worth, TX- http://fortworthboatclub.com

J/105 Midwinters- Mar 9-11- Lakewood YC, Houston, TX- http://www.j105mw.com
J/105 North Americans- Oct 17-21- San Diego YC, San Diego, CA- http://www.j105nac.com/

Also, for some amazing J/24 shots at the past J/24 Aussie Nationals, check out “Paparazzi.com.au”

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Get Rolling in 2012!
Give the Crew the LOVE they Deserve!
(Newport, RI)- For 2012 we’ve got the answer for all your scheduling and crew needs, another spectacular J/Sailing Calendar that fits onto any office, kitchen or dormitory wall.  This large format, easy-to-use sailing calendar helps keep all your regattas organized.  Plus, it’s great for keeping your friends and crew organized, too!  A great gift for anyone, one that reminds them of how much you LOVE them 24×365 this year!  See the J/Calendar and order now!!

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J’s Sailing Worldwide

The end of January saw the wrap-up of some excellent racing in the Silver Anniversary (25th edition) of the Quantum Key West Race Week for the 119 boats that participated this year.  The conditions were nearly “post-card perfect” with warm, sunny days and gentle breezes from the easterly quadrants.  The J/80s celebrated a terrific Midwinter Championship and the newly created J/Class with Time-on-Time handicapping in PHRF was well-received by the sailors- the racing was incredibly tight and tactical.  Down Under, the J/122 and the J/111 were doing their thing, one off Perth/ Western Australia showing the big boys how it’s done with a family crew, the other celebrating the start of the New Year in the shadows of the famous Sydney Opera House and bridge.  In Europe, things were starting to heat-up for the J/80s, with racing and training programs getting underway in La Trinite Sur Mer, France as well as Santander, Spain.  Across the English Channel (a.k.a. “La Manche”), the British sailors were enjoying spring-like sailing conditions in the first sailing series of the year, the Royal Southampton YC Frostbite Series on the northern part of the Solent.

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north.  Check them out!  More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page! Below are the summaries.

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Jan 26-29- Strictly Sail Chicago (J/111)- Chicago, IL- http://www.strictlysailchicago.com/
Jan 26-29- Sunroad Boatshow (J/95)- San Diego, CA- more Sunroad Boatshow information
Jan 27- Feb 5- Seattle Sailboat Show- Seattle, WA- http://www.seattleboatshow.com
Feb 4-12- Gothenburg Boatshow (J/108)- Gothenburg, Sweden- http://www.batmassan.se
Feb 11-15- J/24 Midwinters- Davis Island YC- Tampa, FL- http://www.diyc.org/
Feb 11-19- Boston Boatshow (J/111)- Boston, MA- http://www.neboatshow.com/
Feb 16-20- Miami Boatshow- Miami, FL- http://www.miamiboatshow.com/
Feb 17-19- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Pete, FL- http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas
Feb 23-26- J/22 Midwinters- Houston YC- Houston TX- http://www.j22mw.com/
Mar 2-10- J/24 Regata Copa de Mexico- Puerto Vallarta, Mexico- http://j24mex.com/copa_mexico/
Mar 9-11- J/105 Midwinters- Lakewood YC- Houston, TX- http://www.j105mw.com
Apr 12-15- StrictlySail Pacific (J/111)- Oakland, CA- http://www.strictlysailpacific.com/
Apr 19-22- Newport Beach Boatshow (J/111)- Newport Beach, CA- http://newportinwaterboatshow.com

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.

J/122 LITHIUM Wins Cockburn Sound Regatta

The coolest part about LITHIUM’s success?  It was primarily an all-family affair, with all the crew sleeping on-board the moored boat during the regatta– highlighting the dual nature of these superb racer/cruisers!

The Monkhouse family team of Graeme and Heather, plus their two teenage sons, was supplemented by another teenager to round out the crew of only five people.  Said Graeme about their family team, “Although relatively short-handed the enthusiastic crew performed brilliantly, including a flawless asymmetric kite peel to a code zero!”  Fantastic. The stuff of legends.  Yet another “David & Goliath” story for the record books– one that proud J/122 owners seemingly do on a routine basis!

Silver Anniversary Key West-  A Memorable Classic!

The weekend before Race Week started was fabulous, great N/NW winds blowing 10-20 knots, sunny, flags snapping away, with gorgeous aquamarine waters sparkling in the fresh breezes.  Happy dolphins were frolicking and jumping everywhere and curious sea turtles kept poking their heads out to see strange contraptions approaching them looking for all the world like an upside-down shark.  Pelicans walked around the docks and massive 8-10 ft long tarpon swimming beneath hung around like stray dogs waiting for any scrap of food the sailors might toss them.  It was even more amazing to watch giant, sleek black cormorants dive beneath the surface to seemingly always come up with a fish stuck in their gullet– amazing fishermen!  While the “wildlife” on the waters were appreciated by all, perhaps the most ambivalent opinions were directed at all the wild hens and roosters (not talking about sailors here!) that were scampering around the streets– if you were unlucky, you’d have a rooster crowing really loudly near your bedroom window at around 5-6 am every morning!  Certainly not a good thing for those sailors who themselves were enjoying Key West’s notorious nightlife into the wee hours of the morning!

The sailing was simply incredible.  Each day presented a new challenge and each day ultimately presented a unique set of sailing conditions– they may have appeared to be the same, but they never are exactly the same.  Monday was the windiest day, with 18-24 knots of wind from the NNE, starting out grey but clearing as the day went on for two excellent races.  While it was forecast to be an oscillating-persistent shift veering further East, one could often play the wind shifts and make gains on the left side of the course upwind.  By Tuesday, as the fronts kept moving and the High went offshore, the wind moved into the Easterly quadrant and diminished to 8-14 knots– again it was sunny with deliciously clear, azure-colored waters reflecting the white sands beneath the boats and the fleet was treated to three races.  Much like Monday’s racing, you could not hit a corner upwind or downwind, lest you get killed by those playing the wind shifts.  As predicted, Wednesday’s sailing was washed out, no wind, not even a breath of air.  Thursday and Friday’s sailing were simply classic Key West “shorts & shades” sailing days- ESE winds 8-14 kts, sunny, with temps in the balmy 70s all day.  With three races on Thursday and two on Friday, it was a fitting, memorable finale for this Silver Anniversary event.

Making the most of the conditions was Glenn Darden’s J/80 LE TIGRE team from Fort Worth Boat Club, Fort Worth, Texas.  Glenn and his affable team comprised of co-owner Reese Hillard, Johnnie Gluek (Newport, RI) and Karl Anderson (Cape Cod, MA) never looked back after the first day; it was clear their experience as past J/80 World and North American Champions was keeping them out of trouble and sailing fast.  Leading the regatta from wire-to-wire, LE TIGRE walked off with the J/80 Class and were declared J/80 Midwinter Champions.  Giving them a run-for-the-money at times was Swedish J/80 Champion Mikael Lindqvist on ROCAD RACING.  Mikael’s team ended the regatta on a high-note, winning the last race and tied LE TIGRE for top J/80 of the day on Friday, securing 2nd place for the regatta.  Third was Ron Buzil’s VAYU 2, fourth was past J/80 North American Champion John Storck, Jr on RUMOR and fifth was Chris and Liz Chadwick’s CHURCH KEY- one of their best J/80 Championship performances to-date.

Of special note, the SAIL Magazine’s Best Around the Buoys competition winner, Ryan Glaze from Dallas, Texas, sailed remarkably well to finish 6th on their boat SAIL BAB-Team Gringo.  In fact, after the first two days of sailing on Monday/Tuesday, Ryan and crew were lying in a solid second place overall!  However, perhaps the lay-day Wednesday and the classic Key West “daze” (e.g. late evenings) got to them as they faded from their podium position and fell out of the top five in the last two days, posting a 10-12-6-3.

Competition was fierce all week in PHRF 1 class with four different boats winning races. TEAMWORK, a J/122 owned by Robin Team of Lexington, NC, fought its way through the fray to edge the J/111 MENTAL (Paul Stahlberg, Barrington, IL) by four points. It came down to the final day and TEAMWORK was up to the challenge, winning Race 9 and placing second in Race 10.  “We come down here to Key West to get the best competition we can find and boy did we this year,” Team said. “We could not believe how close the racing was in this class. TRES HOMBRES, MENTAL and RUSH were all very well-sailed and pushed us from start to finish.”

This was the second Key West victory for Robin’s TEAMWORK crew, who won in 2003 with a J/120. North Sails professional Jonathan Bartlett called tactics while fellow Annapolis residents Jeff Riedel and Kevin Ryman trimmed the jib and spinnaker. It was a particularly special win for Team since he had brother Adam and sons Alston and Coleman aboard.   “We were as well prepared as we ever have been for this regatta and it’s a good thing because our competitors were really, really good,” said Team, who also took top honors in the J/Class.

Rounding out the top five in PHRF A behind TEAMWORK in 1st and MENTAL in 2nd was Bill Sweetser’s Annapolis, MD based team on the J/109 RUSH in fourth and Doug Curtiss’s New England/ Buzzards Bay team on the J/111 WICKED 2.0 in fifth.

In the J-Class ToT (time-on-time) Division, behind TEAMWORK was Bill’s J/109 RUSH taking second overall, interestingly enough, over a tie-breaker with Paul’s J/111 MENTAL.  Fourth was Doug’s J/111 WICKED 2.0 and fifth was Gary Weisberg’s J/109 HEATWAVE from Boston/ Marblehead, MA.  A notable accomplishment was that Sweetser’s RUSH team (see right) were the Boat of the Day after Tuesday’s racing with a 1-1-2!

In the final analysis, perhaps what was most interesting about this year’s 25th Silver Edition of Key West was to see the dominance of J sailors past and present who’ve risen to the top in other racing classes at Key West Race Week.  As the primary winter sailing event worldwide for many leaders in the sailing industry, for sailing professionals and for top amateur teams, its quite remarkable to see how many of them are alumni of the larger J/One-Design classes; proving yet again that many of the world’s best sailors (legendary, famous sailors at that) have “gone to school” learning the ropes of sailboat racing on a “J”.  Examples abound across the spectrum of the fleets.

In the Farr 40s, Jim Richardson (Newport, RI) raced J/24s for years, proving that he’s still got it to race at the top of the game, winning the Farr 40 class in BARKING MAD.  “I wasn’t too optimistic that we could win the regatta after what happened in that second race, but we just had to keep sailing with the understanding that every point was crucial,” Richardson said. “We got better as the week went along and everything just sort of fell into place at the end.” In other words, exactly what any good J/24 sailor would do to win.

It was a similar story in Farr 30s as skipper Deneen Demourkas (Santa Barbara, CA) and the GROOVERDERCI crew compiled an entire line of bullets. Deneen has raced J/105s with her husband “Johnnie D” for years in Santa Barbara, California on-board their J/105 ROCKIN & GROOVIN and learned the nuances of what it takes to get around the race track while minimizing mistakes and going fast, not the least of which why it’s so important to have a good crew!

The TP/IRC 52-foot class was a bare knuckle brawl with all eight entries filled with fully professional world-class crews, the best that money can buy for these multi-million dollar campagins. Virtually every single boat had a J/Class veteran aboard steering or calling tactics to keep them going in the right direction.  Tough company for sure!  Regatta winner was former J/24 and J/44 owner Doug Devos sailing QUANTUM RACING, with J/24 World Champion Terry Hutchinson (Annapolis, MD) calling tactics.  Second was J/22 Cayman Islands owner (and former J/29 owner) Peter Cunningham racing POWERPLAY with J/24 class champion Tony Rey (Newport, RI) calling tactics (seen left here).  Third was Hap Fauth on Team BELLA MENTE with a crew loaded with J/Class sailors from Newport, RI.  Fifth was Ashley Wolfe sailing MAYHEM with Seattle J/24 champion sailor Charlie McKee calling tactics.  Seventh was Austin and Gwen Fragomen’s INTERLODGE with J/24 World Champion Brad Read (Newport, RI) calling tactics and eighth was past J/24 sailor Irvine Laidlaw sailing his brand new HIGHLAND FLING XII with Caribbean J/24 Champion Peter Holmberg (St Thomas, USVI) calling the shots.  Needless to say, for a class filled with “superstar” sailors, it was the top J/Class sailors that guided all the winners home!

In the Farr 400s, the top boat RED sailed by Joe Woods and Paul Goodison are all former J/24 UK sailors.  And the rest of the fleet was dominated by top J/24 and J/105 sailors across the board, Eric Arndt from California was tactician on BLADE, Nick Turney from Ohio was tactician on SPACEMAN SPIFF, Mark Foster from Texas was calling the shots on MERIDIAN X and Kevin Miller from California was directing traffic on TEAM PREMIERE NORCAL!

In the High Performance Class, past J/24 Champion Larry Leonard (Annapolis, MD) was tactician on second place STRAY DOG.  And, former J/105 owner Patrick Eudy replaced one infamous BIG BOOTY with another “bigger BOOTY”, sailing well enough to capture third.

In the highly professional, talent-laden class of Melges 32s, most of the top boats were all either past J/Class owners or had J/Class Champions calling tactics on-board.  Former J/80 sailor Ben Schwatrz (New York) sailed PISCES with J/24 World Champion and America’s Cup Champion Ed Baird (St Petersburg, FL) as tactician, adding in top J/24 sailor Scott Nixon as trimmer; they led the fleet at one point and finished a solid second place.  Capturing third was past J/24 and J/39 owner Vincenzo Onorato sailing MASCALZONE LATINO (his family owns the Italian ferry-boat/shipping group called MOBY Lines).  Fourth was past J/105 North American Champion Alec Cutler (Annapolis/ Bermuda) sailing HEDGEHOG.  Sixth was past J/35 Great Lakes/ North American Champion Bob Hughes (Ada, MI) sailing HEARTBREAKER.  Eighth was CATAPULT with J/24 World Champion Chris Larson (Annapolis, MD) calling tactics along with another J/24 and Intercollegiate Champion (and 2011 Rolex Sailor of the Year) on-board- Bill Hardesty (Chicago, IL).

All in all, Key West was a fun event (a “bucket list” event for sure!) and to see the dozens of J sailing “alumni” makes for an entertaining regatta.  And, especially in Key West where sailing friends from around America, Europe, the Antipodes and points further beyond congregate for what may be one of the few events worldwide (like a Cowes, Spi Ouest, Block Island, Big Boat Series and others) that attracts a broad spectrum of sailors- industry, professional and amateur alike!  Next time, we all hope to see more J/Teams and J/Sailors participating in 2013!   Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes For more QUANTUM SAILS Key West Race Week Sailing information

ECC VIVIENDAS Leading Trofeo Bodegas Maximo Bolado

The first trophy event of the season for the Santander J/80s is the Trofeo Bodegas Maximo Bolado, an event that runs for over four weekends and attracts many of Spain’s top J/80 sailors from other fleets- the depth of talent in the twenty-eight boat fleet is simply breath-taking!

The first weekend saw two very tough races sailed in beautiful spring weather.  The day started slowly with a postponement, but by 1500 hours the wind began to blow from the northwest about eight knots.  The race course was set south of the navigation channel in the area known as “The Moors”, making for tough tactical decisions regarding both current and wind as the breeze kept  veering in an oscillating-persistent scenario further Northeast.

In the first race, the favored side of the line was the port “pin” end, but the wind shifted to the right so much that the entire fleet arrived in a very compact package at the first windward mark.  Setting the standard by leading at the first windward mark was Pichu Torcida’s J/80 World Champion team on ECC VIVIENDAS followed by Paco Cospedal skippering WIND and OPTICA CENTRALE sailed by Julia Casanueva.  On the first downwind leg, ECC VIVIENDAS managed to escape clear and held first place throughout the race. It was a very tough fight behind them for the next few positions.  In the end, GO FIT sailed by David Madrazo finished 2nd, followed by Toño Piris’ YATES Y COSAS in 3rd, FONESTAR (Jaime Piris) in 4th and OPTICA CENTRALE with Fernando Pereda at the helm in 5th. J/80 World Champion Ignacio Camino on NEXTEL ENGINEERING was 6th.

The second race was much more complicated.  It was a “black flag” start with three boats sent home!  The wind kept shifting and was full of holes, making for complex decisions related to current as well. In the end, A&G PRIVATE BANKING sailed by Tono Ribalaygua won their first race of the season.  FONESTAR was second, followed by GO FIT, ECC VIVIENDAS and MATRAKO to round out the top five.

The leading trio is very tight with ECC VIVIENDAS and GO FIT at the top of the standings with 5 points each and FONESTAR is third with one more.  Then, in a tie for fourth is YATES Y COSAS and Paco Cospedal’s WIND with 13 points each.  For more Trofeo Bodegas Máximo Bolado sailing information

J/111, J/80 & J/92 Frostbiting
Sailing Southampton Winter Series

There were 30 boats on the water out of an entry of 33 which was an excellent start to the series and perhaps an indication of how good the weather was. The class 1 IRC were 1st away and as always the start was competitive and there was an OCS who quickly restarted before the beat from Hover 1 across to the Hythe ship buoys, the course then running back to Hover 1 before a return to Hythe and then a short reach to the finish at Bird Pile.  Class 2 IRC were up next and had a clean start before their beat to the same mark although the run was shorter to a laid mark to the west of Hover 1. Finally the J class for J92’s and J80 were away but they too were over enthusiastic and there was an OCS.

In Class 1, J-DREAM, David & Kirsty Apthorp’s new J/111 finished 2nd, just 27 sec behind the leader.  Stuart Hawthorn’s J/80 J’AI DEUX AMOURS won by 9 sec over JAMIN, John Cooper and Ian Townsend’s J/92. So it is close racing indeed.

With the wind slowly building to the low teens but steady in the West race 2 was quickly under way on the same course . This time they were all well behaved and clean starts were had by all. This time it was the J/111 J-DREAM who won Class 1 taking “all the chocolates”. Currently, J-DREAM’s 3-1-1 is leading the class for the series.  Class 4 was won by BOJANGLES, Richard Sainsbury’s J/92s.  However, Stuart Hawthorn’s J/80 J’AI DEUX AMOURS is leading the series with a 1-2-1.  For more Royal Southampton Frostbite Series sailing information

J/111 First Sailboat To Start New Year!

Ray, Peter and the “JAKE family” were the first J sailors to experience the dawning of the end of civilization as we know it in the Chinese Year of the Dragon 2012.  After all, only one hour past the dateline, they celebrated New Year’s Day in Sydney at 12 AM when it was 5 AM the day before in Southern California 19 hours later!  So, the Sydney J sailors can easily lay claim to be the first sailors in the world to start the New Year! OMG, looks like they had one helluva lot of fun!  Read more about it here on Peter Gustafsson’s BLUR.se sailing website.

J/105 Loving South Africa’s Southerly Busters!

“Hi J/Team- By the way here are some images of my J/105 PANTS ON FIRE and another J/133 JACANA participating in Simon’s Town’s Spring Regatta in South Africa in September 2011.

My crew of 3 and I sailed the J/105 from Cape Town round Cape Point (my first rounding) in very pleasant weather (thank goodness) a few days before the regatta.  First J/105 rounding the notorious Cape of Storms? I certainly think so!

We competed in a return race from Simon’s Town to Cape Town after the Spring Regatta and completed the course in 6 hours 16 min beating into a mild South-easterly to the Point and enjoying a marvelous run all the way to Cape Tow– broaching spectacularly under masthead A2 on the finish line as the South-easterly wind crept up to 35 kts! We finished 4th on club handicap behind the J/133 (1st) an Archambault 35 (2nd) and a Beneteau 44.7 (3rd) beating a Simonis 42, Farr 40, Lavranos 52 and some others.

Coming up on February 24-25 is the annual downwind dash from Cape Town to the huge, wildly luxurious Mykonos resort in Langebaan Lagoon some 60nm north of Cape Town.  Last year’s race attracted over 100 entries!  It’s fun!  Pictured here is how they start to promote the regatta, my oh my!

Keep up to date with the event and the Royal Cape Yacht Club sailing scene at http://www.rcyc.co.za.  Please note, our resident photographer Trevor Wilkins has a sailing photo collection here.

Regards from Sunny South Africa!  Dwayne”

J/80 French Fleet Preparing for J/80 Worlds

The first event called the ARNO SKIPPER is now also a Sport Boat Regatta in La Trinite sur Mer.  Leading up to the famous monster spring event called SPI Ouest Regatta, there will be five training weekends for any French J/80s wishing to participate. The dates are: January 28/29, then February 11/12 and 25/26, then 10/11 and 24/25 March.

These training programs are being organized on the following basis: on-the-water sailing, racing, speed-testing, boat-handling and so forth followed by a de-briefing in the evening with video, photos and questions/answers with the top sailors (tactical, strategy, weather, boat-settings, etc).  If you want to get your J/80 team up-to-speed very, very quickly, then participation in these training weekends will be the best investment of time and resources you can possibly make!

For further J/80 training/ sailing information, please contact- Arnaud Walter- ph- 06 69 58 21 21 or arnoskipper@yahoo.fr For more J/80 France sailing information

What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide

*  In the “We Love to Get These Emails” category, we recently got a note from JP Teague, owner of a J/92 in France and sailing in the Mediterranean.  JP’s note- “Hello- We race our J/92 in IRC in France and elsewhere.  We recently bought a nice suit of North Sails 3DL sails for our boat, so we’re competitive!  It’s very beautiful sailing in Palmares on the Mediterranean in 2011 and we plan to continue having fun in 2012!  Bravo J/Boats, beautiful boat!”  Thanks JP!  We love you guys, too! 

* Kid Leadership!? Seven years ago, if you had told Jahn Tihansky, owner J/ World Annapolis, that he would be the head coach of the U.S Naval Academy (USNA) varsity offshore sailing team, he would have told you that you were nuts. With a sailing school to run, he wasn’t exactly looking for work – certainly not the kind which would consume 60 or 70 hours per week in sailing season. But, opportunity knocked.

After much debate, as well as some prodding from Annapolis sailor Gary Jobson, (who’s a “rainmaker,” says Tihansky), who assured him that it was the opportunity of a lifetime, the business owner had to quickly find a way to make his school run without him and immerse himself into his new challenging post. Six years later, Coach T, as the midshipmen call him, is still surprised at his good fortune and how well the pieces have come together.

A native of Tampa, FL, Tihansky’s family joined the Davis Island YC “because it had a pool.” Curiosity and courage enough to hitch a ride on a Cal 27 at the age of 12 led him deep into the sport. “The crew figured out that I’d do anything on the boat from open beers to set the spinnaker, so they taught me to sail,” he says, which opened the door to yacht deliveries and many years of interesting racing experiences such as the 1978 Key West to Cuba Race.

After having run his own Sobstad loft as a young man and a stint at Sobstad’s corporate headquarters in Connecticut, Tihansky moved to Annapolis where he worked for Sobstad for four years before his opportunity to run J/World Annapolis and in 1993, to buy the sailing school.

It was his brainchild, the J/World big boat winter training program – during which students would train for and successfully compete in big regattas such as the Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race and Key West Race Week – that fit the type of coaching experience USNA was seeking.

What makes the USNA offshore sailing team unique is that beyond winning sailboat races, participation on the team counts as professional leadership development. “Other sports just can’t compare to a kid leading a team of seven to prepare a big boat to go to Bermuda or even down the Bay,” says Tihansky, who says that coaches are on the boats as mentors, but the team runs the boat.

“It’s a huge responsibility to learn to take care of an asset and take care of teammates. In the tough situations, that’s when your character comes out – you’re puking and cold. It’s 2 a.m., and you’re called on watch. The crew must perform. They have to drive, trim sails, navigate, and compete. We do sail to sail well.” — The Stern Scoop from APS Ltd, read on.

* Villanova Wins First-Ever Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta Video Contest- Sailors captured the breeze from a creative angle during a video challenge at the Larchmont Yacht Club and Storm Trysail Foundation 2011 Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta (IOR), which took place over Columbus Day Weekend.  Nearly 85% of the 47 boat fleet were J’s- ranging from J/105s to J/109s to J/122s! During the two-day event, 30 HD Flip video cameras, donated to the Foundation by Storm Trysail Club members Rick Lyall (owner of the J/109 STORM) and Barry Gold (owner of a J/122 and J/105), were made available so that each sailing team had the opportunity to document as much action as possible onboard their boats and dockside before and after racing as well as during social events. This week, Villanova University, with sophomore Scott Barnhill (Baltimore, Md.) serving as video editor, was declared the winner of the video challenge (click to view video) and will receive a $1,500 donation made out to its sailing team.

“We’re in a big fundraising stage for our team, so this a fantastic boost for us,” said Barnhill, adding that it was Villanova’s first time attending the event and that it certainly lived up to its reputation as the world’s largest, if not most exciting, college regatta. Over 400 collegiate sailors from across the country raced on the placid waters of Long Island Sound off Larchmont, N.Y. They sailed on 47 offshore boats, which were lent for the weekend by private owners. The boats ranged in size from 35 to 44 feet.

“The cameras really brought everyone together; you saw a lot of people come forward to share their creative ideas with each other,” said Barnhill. “Looking back, the level of footage that we got to work with was fantastic because we had cameras in so many different places. It is impossible to be at every spot and to capture all the shots, but because we had all those cameras we were able to document the whole event.”

Once the regatta had concluded, the footage, which totaled over 50 hours, was uploaded to a server, and each team was challenged to turn the collective work into a short video that would best capture the atmosphere of the event. “The video that Villanova submitted not only met the criteria of the contest, but it was a superior effort that will serve to show what this regatta is all about and help the Storm Trysail Foundation and Larchmont Yacht Club build interest in the event,” said IOR Regatta Chairman Adam Loory.

“We will definitely run the contest again in the future,” Loory added. “Having cameras on all the boats and in the hands of so many different shooters let us cover the regatta so much better than just one or two professional photographers, and we have a lot of good footage that was left on the cutting room floor, so to speak, that we will be able to use in other projects.”  To watch the winning sailing video, click here.

* Fellow J-Sailors Ken Read on PUMA and Iker Martinez on TELEFONICA are now back to real “live” ocean-racing on their Volvo 70s in the Volvo Ocean Race.  They’re now sailing the Maldives (Indian Ocean) to Sanya, China leg.  Ken had this to say about the experience for Leg 3- “And now we are off. Sailing the leg that really nobody looks forward to when they sign up for this race. Upwind for about a million miles!” So far, in the tight, tactical racing relished by Ken and his PUMA MAR MOSTRO gang, they’re currently leading the fleet into the Singapore Straits before making a long left turn to head north up to Sanya (a gorgeous, almost Hawaiian-like island that is China’s southernmost point of land).

* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel’s big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand.  Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/

* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years.  Their blogs/journals can be found at- http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker.  The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com.  Search for “SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing” by Bill Stellin or William Stellin.”  UPDATE-  Just a short note to update from Bill- “Our cruise began in May of 2000 and ended in May of 2008, some 8 years later. I have just finished and published my third and final book covering the last three or so years including our double handed crossing in 16 days and one winter in the Caribbean. Like the others, “Sea Trek- A Passion for sailing- Book III,” can be found at www.blurb.com.  Thanks, Bill and Judy”

* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.

* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world’s oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between.  Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins??  Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).

-  SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).

-  Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun).  Read about their latest adventures as they’ve gotten to New Zealand- “Avante Cruises the Pacific”.

- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com.  Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA), then to the South Pacific and New Zealand.  MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet–she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.

* The J/109 GAIA (seen right in the Java Sea) was sailed by Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay around the world. In February 2011, their cruising adventures came to an abrupt, sad ending.  As a tribute to them and their cruising friends worldwide, we hope their chronicles on their GAIA website remains a tribute to their warm-hearted spirits- read more about why many loved them dearly and will remain touched by their loving spirit forever- http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/

Congratulations to Willem Wester and his formidable team on board the Grand Soleil 46 Antilope!

A convincing win at Key West Race Week deserves much credit!

IRC 3 (Shared start with High Performance)

1. Antilope, GBR46N, Willem Wester – 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 1, 1, ; 14

2. Vitesse, USA4240, Jon Halbert – 5, 6/DNF, 1, 3, 3, 4, 3, 1, 4, 3, ; 33

3. Cool Breeze, USA60432, John Cooper – 3, 2, 3, 4, 2, 5, 4, 5, 3, 2, ; 33

4. White Gold, USA4994, James D. Bishop Sr. – 4, 3, 4, 2, 5, 3, 5, 2, 2, 4, ; 34

5. Sarah, USA52756, Greg Manning – 2, 4, 5, 5, 4, 2, 1, 4, 5, 5, ; 37

Great Work Willem!

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J-70 Featured in New York YC Invitational Cup Qualifier Series

(Newport, RI)– The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) announced today that the new J/70 will be featured at the 2012 NYYC Invitational Cup U.S. Qualifying Series (USQS). The J/70 will join the NYYC’s fleet of Sonars when 24 of the nation’s most competitive yacht clubs compete in the NYYC Invitational Cup USQS off Newport, RI from September 4 to 8, 2012. The top three finishers will earn the right to compete in the 2013 NYYC Invitational Cup presented by Rolex.

The USQS will continue the successful format from 2010 in which teams compete in two fleets of one-design keelboats. By utilizing the J/70, a modern high-performance planing keelboat 22.7’ in length with an asymmetrical spinnaker – along with the 23’ Sonar with its symmetrical spinnaker — the NYYC is raising the bar for competitors by testing their versatility across different boat designs as well as allowing the final decision to be made in a boat closer in philosophy to the NYYC Swan 42 — the yacht used in the international event.

The J/70 is J-Boats’ ramp launch-able keelboat, making its world debut this spring in Newport, RI. It is designed as an easy-to-own, high-performance one-design that is stable enough for the family and built to last. Notable features include a high-aspect carbon rig, vertical-lifting keel, manageable three-sail inventory (fat-head main, roller-furling jib and masthead-asymmetric spinnaker) and large cockpit to accommodate a racing crew of three or four. “We’re excited to have the J/70 involved in this prestigious event,” said Jeff Johnstone, President of J-Boats. “The teams will find the boats well-balanced upwind and down and a blast to sail.” The J/70 is being built in the USA, by CCF Composites of Bristol, RI, builder of the J/95 and J/111 and over in Europe by J-Composites in Les Sables d’Olonne, France.

Both the Invitational Cup and the USQS are for Corinthian (amateur) sailors who represent their yacht clubs. “The 2012 USQS will provide teams with some of the most challenging sailing possible by continuing the dual-fleet format and testing sailors in both traditional one-designs (Sonars) and modern high-performance keelboats (J/70),” said Will Crump, event co-chair, who added, “We expect to announce the invited clubs soon.”

In the inaugural NYYC Invitational Cup presented by Rolex in 2009, 19 yacht club teams from 14 countries, from four continents competed. The winner was the team from the host NYYC. In the 2010 USQS, 24 yacht club teams from the U.S. competed. Eastern Yacht Club won the USQS followed by Annapolis Yacht Club and Newport Harbor Yacht Club (Calif.). The second biennial Invitational Cup presented by Rolex in 2011 saw 22 yacht club teams from 16 nations from six continents compete. The winner was the team from the Royal Canadian Yacht Club sailed by Terry McLaughlin and John Hele from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

On the web at http://invitationalcup.org/2012-us-qualifying-series.  Contact: saillingoffice@nyyc.org. Media seeking further information contact Michael Levitt- communications@nyyc.org. ]]> http://www.keyyachting.com/keyyachting/the-vip-j70/feed/ 0 http://www.keyyachting.com/keyyachting/doyle-sails-frostbite-series-races-1-2-8th-january-2012/ http://www.keyyachting.com/keyyachting/doyle-sails-frostbite-series-races-1-2-8th-january-2012/#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:14:33 +0000 Becci http://www.keyyachting.com/?p=2871 Doyle Sails Frostbite Series Races 1 & 2  8th January  2012

Ready to Fly!

The production is on schedule with “the twins”, the first two production boats, to be hatched and sailing in March and with full production scheduled for roll-out in April.

Major sailmakers are on-board to help in preliminary sail development on “the twins” as they start to carve up the waters of Narragansett Bay this spring off Newport, RI.

Order books on the J/70 are filling very fast, so be sure to contact your J/Dealer ASAP to get your hull reservation slot today!  Start a fleet in your area and get the kids involved! It just couldn’t be any easier to get a truck-load of four boats on trailers with sails under $45,000 each on your local lake or harbor!  For more J/70 sailboat information

J/22 & J/80 @ boot show

In addition, Mittelman’s Werft will be hosting the J/80 class sailors and those interested in the J/80 one-design class at the boot show as well.  Please be sure to visit both of these booths, talk shop, talk boats and get a chance to go for a sail in the spring-time on either the Baltic or one of Germany’s gorgeous lakes!   For more boot Dusseldorf sailboat show information

J/24 Regata Copa de Mexico II

The regatta has quickly established a reputation for being a fabulous week-long culinary, sailing, party, cultural experience; you WILL make many new friends in the warm embrace, warm weather and gracious hospitality in Mexico (just ask Tom Leweck of Scuttlebutt Sailing News fame “why PV?”).  Over fifty-six J/24 teams from over a half-dozen countries are already registered! And, the depth of talent is only getting better in this remarkable event. Repeat offenders (e.g. attenders) will be champion J/24 sailor Chris Snow and team from San Diego, California aboard DIGGER.  There will be two (if not three) other J/24 World Champions joining them, including Tim Healey’s TRES VELAS team from Newport, Rhode Island and Mike Ingham’s BLUE DEMON team from Rochester, New York.  Rumors are that Maurizio Santa Cruz may be sailing another one of his famous BRUSCHETTA’s in this second edition of the Copa de Mexico, hard to imagine why they wouldn’t go, they won the party AND the sailing regatta last time around!

Other top teams include leading Mexican J/24 sailors like Ken Porter and regatta host Peter Weigandt on the old BRUSCHETTA.  There are teams from Sweden, France, Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Germany (including German Champion Jan-Marc Ulrich on 4×4).   Join them in the fun!  You can still register and attend, get charter boats, relax in gorgeous hotels, swim off beautiful beaches and enjoy spectacular sunsets.  Plus, the mojitos and fresh-made salsa are to die for, as are fresh “ceviche” (fish) right off the local fishing boats!  Toss in an ice-cold cerveza and you’ll never return home.  Yummy stuff!  For more J/24 Copa de Mexico sailing information

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J’s Sailing Worldwide

While the J/24 and J/105 fleets “down under” in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Tasmania are enjoying the middle of their summer sailing seasons, the middle of January marks the start of many winter sailing seasons in the northern hemisphere.  J/22s and J/80s are getting ready to start in Spain, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, France and England.  Their friends up north in Sweden may have to wait until they actually have some sun during the afternoons!

In the America’s, January marks the start of the Midwinter one-design championships as well as the start of the most prestigious sailing race week in the winter-time, Key West Race Week down in Key West, Florida.  With new sponsorship from Quantum Sails, KWRW 2012 continues its traditions and is celebrating its 25th Anniversary Edition this year– of note, thanks to the J/24 Midwinters setting the pace in 1978 that ultimately evolved into sailing’s premier midwinter event!  Additionally, the Storm Trysail Club, Lauderdale YC and the SORC organization also continue to host one of the longest running offshore races in the Florida Winter circuit, the Lauderdale to Key West Race.

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north.  Check them out!  More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page! Below are the summaries.

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Jan 5-13- London Boatshow (J/80, J/109, J/111)- London, England- http://www.londonboatshow.com
Jan 15-25- Key West Race Week- Key West, FL- http://www.premiere-racing.com
Jan 15-25- J/80 Midwinters- Key West, FL- http://www.premiere-racing.com
Jan 21-29- boot Dusseldorf (J/22, J/80)- Dusseldorf, Germany- http://www.boot.de/
Jan 26-29- Strictly Sail Chicago (J/111)- Chicago, IL- http://www.strictlysailchicago.com/
Jan 27- Feb 5- Seattle Sailboat Show- Seattle, WA- http://www.seattleboatshow.com
Feb 11-15- J/24 Midwinters- Davis Island YC- Tampa, FL- http://www.diyc.org/
Feb 11-19- Boston Boatshow- Boston, MA- http://www.neboatshow.com/
Feb 16-20- Miami Boatshow- Miami, FL- http://www.miamiboatshow.com/
Feb 17-19- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Pete, FL- http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas
Feb 23-26- J/22 Midwinters- Houston YC- Houston TX- http://www.j22mw.com/
Mar 2-10- J/24 Regata Copa de Mexico- Puerto Vallarta, Mexico- http://j24mex.com/copa_mexico/
Mar 9-11- J/105 Midwinters- Lakewood YC- Houston, TX- http://www.j105mw.com
Apr 12-15- StrictlySail Pacific (J/111)- Oakland, CA- http://www.strictlysailpacific.com/
Apr 19-22- Newport Beach Boatshow (J/111)- Newport Beach, CA- http://newportinwaterboatshow.com

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.

Lauderdale-Key West Race Preview

The original forecast was for an upwind race only as the wind is predicted to start off from the south and clock around to the southwest and west as both the front and the race progress . “This race is always a Navigator’s race and changing weather patterns make it an even greater challenge”, says Race Committee Chairman Joel Bowie.

With nearly 50 entries headed for the starting line, the early starters in the race saw a tough uphill slog into 20-25 knots southerly winds down to Miami Beach/ Key Biscayne and the first major turning point of Fowey Rocks.  But, the front is already dying- as it nearly always does when it hits that massive 85 F degree thermal wall called “the Gulf Stream”.  However, with a fast-dissipating front and waning breezes clocking NW, then N, then NE, there was still promise for spectacular moonlit nights of racing under spinnakers, watching the dolphin contrails of phosphorescence criss-crossing your wake and knifing upwards pass your bow in dramatic fashion.  Time will tell.

What is unique about the Lauderdale Race among offshore races is that it’s sailed within cell phone range the entire race!  Race competitors are permitted to do just about any type of communicating they want, including updating Facebook pages, Twittering away to any friends worldwide– enabling them to compete for a prize for “Best On-Water Reporting”!! With technology, the folks living vicariously through these sailors can be along for the ride!

Amongst the J/Sailors that love this annual challenge, you’ll find a bunch of tough, but fun-loving, hombres sailing PHRF A.  Leading the pack may be Robin Team’s J/122 TEAMWORK (2011 Lauderdale Race Champion) along with a trio of J/120s- Frank Kern’s globe-girdling champion from Detroit, the famous yacht CARINTHIA; fellow Detroiter Bob Kirkman sailing HOT TICKET (yet another Great Lakes Champion tearing up Florida/ Bahamas offshore waters); and Bill Terry’s well-traveled TAMPA GIRL.  Lone wolf, but perhaps the toughest of the lot may be David Bond’s gang aboard crimson red J/105 LOKI sailing in PHRF B.

An interesting side-note, SAILING WORLD’s Stuart Streuli is sailing aboard Robin Team’s TEAMWORK- learning how to race, navigate, drink beer, avoid the reefs, avoid the Gulf Stream, employ race-winning strategies while sailing fast– all at the same time!  Imagine that!  It should be an interesting report at some time in the spring- look for it in Sailing World here- http://www.sailingworld.com.   Sailing photo credits- Imagesbymarco.com and John Payne photos.com For more Lauderdale Key West Race sailing information.

25th Key West Race Week

One of the features of this year’s 25th Key West is the very welcomed sponsorship and support from Quantum Sails, whose headquarters in the Great American Midwest belies the subtle, laid back, but competitive approach they have to supporting their sailors, their teams and their customers.  “We recognize that Key West Race Week is the flagship regatta in this country and has been for well over two decades,” Quantum President Ed Reynolds said. “This has been reinforced by many people we’ve spoken with both here and abroad. Even with the smaller fleet sizes of recent years, this midwinter, big-boat regatta is very important to North American and international sailboat racing. We would like to see it continue and are committed to supporting the regatta during this transition period.”

SAIL Magazine’s Best Around the Buoys competition is another regatta highlight– a remarkable “award” for the team that qualifies to sail in a supplied boat with sponsors J/BOATS, NORTH SAILS, HARKEN and others.  The aim is to grow sailing at a grass-roots level with both one-design and PHRF competition- growing awareness that sailing can be fun with family and friends.  This year, the SAIL BAB sailors from Dallas, Texas will be racing a J/80 one-design against some of the top teams in the country.

Yet another special feature of this year’s 25th Anniversary is the creation of a J/Class.  It’s quite a turn-out of some of the top J/Teams that have raced Key West over the past few years.  At the top of the food chain in PHRF 1/ J-Class is the J/122 TEAMWORK- Robin Team from Lexington, NC- these guys have done it all, won Lauderdale-Key West and Key West IRC Class and will always be a team in contention at the end of a week long series like Key West.  A new team from Detroit is the J/120 HOT TICKET sailed by Bob Kirkman from Bayview YC in Detroit, Michigan– no shrinking violets this crowd is, having beaten all other multiple Chicago/Bayview Mac Champions to the finish line in the 2011 version of the races.  More new faces to the Key West crowd include the J/111 trio, including the J/111 WICKED 2.0 sailed by Doug Curtiss from Buzzards Bay (he sailed his J/124 in Key West last year); the J/111 MENTAL sailed by Paul Stahlberg from Chicago YC (a very fun-loving crew); and the J/111 WARLOCK skippered by Tom Hickey from Newfoundland YC, St John’s, NB, Canada (a fast-rising team from near the Arctic Circle and the cool Northwest Passage).  If this fleet wasn’t’ tough enough, you only need to toss in two well-sailed J/109s, like a past J/109 North American Champion and Key West Champion, Bill Sweetser’s RUSH from Annapolis YC in Annapolis, MD; he’s accompanied by Gary Weisberg from Gloucester, MA sailing his J/109 HEATWAVE in Key West for the first time.

The J/80s are sailing their J/80 Midwinter Championships, the 19 boat turnout makes them the biggest class for Key West– quite a remarkable achievement over the course of time!  In addition to the SAIL BAB Team (which must feel like they’re getting fed to the sharks), you will find the J/80s led by World Champions like LE TIGRE- Glenn Darden from Fort Worth Boat Club in Fort Worth, TX and Swedish Champion ROCAD RACING sailed by Mikael Lindqvist from KSSS (Royal Swedish YC).  Plus, you have multiple Key West J/105 Champion Brian Keane on SAVASANA from Buzzards Bay, MA and J/80 North American Champions John Storck and family on RUMOR from Storm Trysail Club in New York rounding out the leaders.  Finally, toss in Bruno Pasquinelli on TIAMO from Fort Worth Boat Club and he’s sure to be a factor amongst the leaders so long as he doesn’t argue with his boom!

The PHRF 2 Class have ten boats participating. It will be a competitive fleet with two J’s flying the flag and leading the fleet home (we hope)- the J/105 MAX POWER sailed by Gerrit Schulze from Cape May, NY and the J/95 STILL CRAZY sailed by Ed Palm from Grosse Pointe, MI and Naples, FL.  For more QUANTUM SAILS Key West Race Week Sailing information

What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide

* J/27 Lake Ontario Championships on August 11-12! If you’ve got a classic fast & fun J/27 (or wanna get one), then be sure to consider sailing in the J/27 Lake Ontario’s!  The Oakville Yacht Squadron (www.oysqn.com) will be hosting the J/27 Lake Ontario Championship Regatta as part of it’s annual Mercedes-Benz Oakville Regatta this coming August 11th & 12th, 2012.

In attendance will be the four local J/27s, plus they are expecting between 4 to 6 other boats from the rest of the Lake Ontario/Fleet.

If there are any boats still out there who have an interest in attending, and have any questions or need any assistance, please drop an e-Mail to J/27 Ontario Class Guru- Andrew Riem- email- andrew_riem@hotmail.com

* The J/30 Class continues its healthy growth over the past few years.  Credit the “Bill & Dave Show” for making it happen, keeping the J/30 gang organized, having fun and, most importantly, keeping it all in perspective.  Apparently 75 “official class members” agree!  Wonderful stuff.  It’s also a model for ANY J/Class organization to keep their members involved, informed and enjoying what you love to do the most– “simply messing around in boats” and sharing it with family and friends (sure helps that they’re fun boats to sail, too!).  Here are some excerpts from Bill & Dave’s 2012 New Year’s Welcome message to the J/30 Class:

“The word ‘camaraderie‘ means: Mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together.  We are very proud of our class as we have developed a sailing leadership image over the years. We have overcome our differences of opinions through various levels of diverse thinking. Across the nation, we have developed a lot of lifelong friends in our class. We are thankful to have the best people with a focus of family.  With a goal to keep the costs of our sport low, let’s work together to produce a class built on the basic foundations of sportsmanship and camaraderie. We are like a softball league on water. As the economic times improve and the new sailing season begins, give yourself a pat on the back for creating a world in which we compete, laugh, collaborate and succeed on and off of the water.

After reading Nicholas Hayes book Saving Sailing, it’s clear that we need more families sailing together. Let’s host more junior regattas and act as mentors to younger sailors.  The J/30 is a perfect boat to help Save Sailing.”

Perhaps one of the best things a class can do is provide “recognition awards” for how various individuals contribute to the “cause”.  This year’s J/30 President’s Recognition Awards go to:
– North Americans– David McConaughly- with Hampton based crew aboard WHITE BOAT
– Newest Member to Finish Top 5 at NAs– Whitney Kent- with TEAM RAFIKI from Milwaukee, WI
– Media– Molly Winans- for coverage of multiple J/30 events in Spinsheet Magazine.
– Funniest Video– Bob Rutsch- watch this video- pretty darn amusing.
– Sailor Recruitment– Vic Farmer- who created a youth sailing program in Naples
– Training Videos– Vic Farmer – check many of them out on the J/30 forum
– Innovative Story– Dell Todd – check out his story on the J/30 website
If you would like to recognize a J/30 class member for accomplishment visit this forum thread.

* Southampton University Student Wins Prestigious Sailing Trophy- Will McGough (age 22), while studying for his finals in Aeronautical Engineering, also achieved sailing success with JOG (Junior Offshore Group) this year. Will was awarded the “Youth Challenge Trophy” when JOG held its prize-giving recently in Southampton. The prize is awarded to a participant under 25, for sailing ability, commitment to offshore racing and Corinthian spirit.

Will races aboard the J/109 JUST SO with his Mum and Dad, Mary and David McGough. During the summer JUST SO won races from Cowes to Dartmouth and St Peter Port as well as from Cherbourg to Cowes and was second overall in the series. Furthermore she was placed 2nd in JOG’s 60th anniversary regatta in Falmouth.

Will is clearly on a winning streak and he has also found himself a job, albeit he hopes this will not interfere with his sailing in 2012! Mary and David, on the other hand, are looking forward to Will’s pending financial contributions towards JUST SO’s running costs!

* Bob Musor sails his J/130 SCEPTRE just about everywhere on the West Coast of America, from California to Mexico on multiple occasions.  Who can blame him?  Gorgeous sailing, gorgeous waters, dolphins and whales swimming everywhere in the Baja, tasty fishing and so forth.  We wanted to share Bob’s Happy New Year note to us:

“Happy New Year!  Stuart et al. I was cleaning out my email and came across this little video of my J/130 SCEPTRE rolling a 44 foot boat during the 2009 Baja Haha cruising race down the coast.  We were about 40 miles off the coast of Baja and about 100 miles NW of Cabo St. Lucas.

As a long time J-Boat owner (32 years and counting), I read your newsletter each week and enjoy watching the evolution of J-Boats and the new group of sailors coming up.

There is more to J-Boats than buoy racing and “Fast Cruising” is certainly among the fun things one can do with a J-Boat.  Best wishes to you and the J/Family in the New Year!

Fair Winds and following seas-  Bob Musor- J130 #25 Sceptre”

Watch the YouTube video here of Bob’s fast sailing adventure off Mexico

* New Year’s notes and wishes are always nice to receive, especially when it’s a family of J/Sailors enjoying their boat on New Year’s Day itself!  I must admit, I’m jealous.  On New Year’s Day in Newport, RI we had a gorgeous, but very cool day– one intrepid cat boat did make it out for a quick tour of Newport Harbor, perhaps fueled we might imagine by some deliciously hot toddies or hot rum ciders!  In this case, we got a cute note from Allen Rives sailing his J/29 in Florida. Said Allen, “Here we are on our J/29 SUPER DUCK sailing on St. Andrews Bay, Panama City, FL on New Years Day 2012! Wish you’all were here!  Best Wishes in 2012!”  We love to get these notes and photos, please send more of them to us at “editor@jboats.com”. 

* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel’s big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand.  Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/

* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years.  Their blogs/journals can be found at- http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker.  The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com.  Search for “SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing” by Bill Stellin or William Stellin.”  UPDATE-  Just a short note to update from Bill- “Our cruise began in May of 2000 and ended in May of 2008, some 8 years later. I have just finished and published my third and final book covering the last three or so years including our double handed crossing in 16 days and one winter in the Caribbean. Like the others, “Sea Trek- A Passion for sailing- Book III,” can be found at www.blurb.com.  Thanks, Bill and Judy”

* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.

* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world’s oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between.  Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins??  Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).

-  SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).

-  Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun).  Check out there recent travels- now past Fiji!

- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com.  Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA), then to the South Pacific and New Zealand.  MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet–she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.

* The J/109 GAIA (seen right in the Java Sea) was sailed by Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay around the world. In February 2011, their cruising adventures came to an abrupt, sad ending.  As a tribute to them and their cruising friends worldwide, we hope their chronicles on their GAIA website remains a tribute to their warm-hearted spirits- read more about why many loved them dearly and will remain touched by their loving spirit forever- http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/

Yikes! We’re already half way through the 2012 Tullett Prebon London Boat Show and it feels like we’ve barely started. The Key Yachting team are all fighting fit and as fresh as proverbial daisies; astonishing really, given the rapid pace of business here this year.

Before you ask or leap to peculiar conclusions, I can categorically state that our mental and physical wellbeing is not down to a new found interest in Ashtanga Yoga, a fat-buster exercise routine or organic health-food products. On the contrary, our renewed energy and enthusiasm is due in part to the recent expansion of the Key Yachting team (more on that later in this email) and largely because of the simple fact that we are thrilled with the quality of the product we are selling. All five of the shiny new ships that we have on exhibit here at the show are being displayed on The Boardwalk in the South Hall at London ExCel. And yes, we have already sold five new boats whilst we’ve been at the show.

We always knew that the Grand Soleil 39 would be a crowd-puller for us here in London. After all, she is the first of her kind here in the UK. Having watched her progress whilst she was in design, then through her build and finally the launch at the Genoa Boat Show we were always confident that she would be well received in the UK. What we had not anticipated was just how hungry the UK market is for a performance cruiser of this class. The GS39 is the smallest boat in the range by Grand Soleil, the perfect entry-level yacht for Grand Soleil and by crikey she’s a stunner!

The J/111 is without question the raciest boat at the show, and as such, she has pulled an eager buying crowd on to The Boardwalk. You may recall that the first J/111 in the UK was on show here just one year ago: that was hull number 6. Just twelve months down the line and the next order for a J/111 will list hull number 69 on the paperwork. She’s an absolute diamond and she continues to deliver the race results which will keep her at the top of the racing sailor’s wish list for 2012 and beyond.

Next door to the J/111 on The Boardwalk is the J/80. Nineteen years old and still looking foxy, the J/80 remains the Sportsboat of choice for the discerning (speed-junky, adrenaline hungry) yachtsman.  The fact that the 2012 J/80 World Championship will take place in Dartmouth, Devon in June is obviously appealing to sailors from a variety of other classes but the interest in her is as diverse and varied as ever and we are delighted to say that we will have new owners to welcome to the class once the boat show is over.

What’s 35 foot, races in forty boat one-design fleets and puts mile wide smiles on the faces of all who sail her? Well. I hardly need to clarify really, but for those of you who have been asleep on the start-line for the last ten years I’m talking about the J/109, of course. The popularity of the J/109 never ceases to astound me. Everyone who comes by the stand seems to have a J/109 story to tell. ‘I crew on one of these’, ‘My son races one of these’, ‘My mate would love to buy one of these’, ‘My daughter married a man she met on one of these’ (!) are all common anecdotes relating to the inimitable J/109. But still my personal favourite and the most frequent comment remains ‘We were passed by one of these…’

MJM Yachts (a range of high-tech, fuel efficient motorboats from the J Boats family) is a new brand for the Key Yachting portfolio and a welcome addition to the fleet. The MJM 29z is the smallest model in the range but foot for foot I suspect that she has accrued more attention here than any other motorboat on exhibit. The ladies and gentlemen of the motor-boating press have been paying their respects to the MJM 29 virtually incessantly since the show opened and so I am confident that you will read all about it throughout the spring editions of the magazines! Should you wish to size her up for yourself now is the time to do it; she’s resplendent on The Boardwalk and we look forward to showing you around.

If you do decide to make a trip to the show there is plenty here to see. The Outdoor Show which runs concurrently with the main event opens tomorrow and so your boat show ticket will deliver more bangs for your buck from here on in. Tomorrow night (Thursday) is late opening night and so if you are London based you should be able to get here after work and stay until 9pm should the mood take you. You will also have the opportunity to meet Annabel Shove, who joined our sales team just before Christmas and also Kim Vasey of Plymouth Yacht Brokers who will now be acting as a sub dealer for Key Yachting in the Westcountry.

Annabel joins us to work primarily with the Grand Soleil brand. She knows the industry well and has proved her sales ability and customer focus elsewhere in the industry. An active cruising sailor and boat owner, Annabel has accrued her Grand Soleil product knowledge as fast as a GS39 downwind in a blow. We’re delighted to have her as part of our team.

Kim has been selling boats since 1988 and sailing for much, much longer! He moved from Hamble to Plymouth to set up Plymouth Yacht Brokers and his extensive racing experience includes huge amounts of one-design racing and more recently a hugely successful double-handed offshore campaign in a J/105. Kim is really excited about our product range and it’s great to have him on board just as the Westcountry gears itself up for a full-on sailing year.

That’s a wrap from me for now. We really hope to see you here at the show. Happy new year to you all.

Newport J/70 Demo & Fleet Program
(Newport, RI)- Following early spring sea-trials in Newport, we will maintain two demo boats here in Rhode Island through mid-summer.  As a result, J/Sailors can arrange factory tours with J/Dealers at our building facility at CCF Composites in Bristol, Rhode Island and also go for demo sails off Newport in beautiful Narragansett Bay.

J/70 fleet development is growing rapidly with the two largest fleets so far being Annapolis/ Chesapeake Bay and Seattle/ Puget Sound with dozens of enthusiastic new J/70 sailors!  Fleets can be shipped in “four-packs” anywhere in America with fleet pricing of boat, trailer and sails under $45,000.  Hull commitment slots have filled up remarkably fast, talk to your J/Dealer soon to get in line, we’ll be past the century mark on J/70 orders in no time flat!  For more J/70 sailboat information

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London Boatshow- J/80, J/109 & J/111!
(London, England)- Opening up this weekend for a week-plus is the Tullett-Prebon International Boat Show in London at the ExCel Exhibition Centre.  From January 5th to 13th, you can take a stroll down the “Boardwalk” in the South Hall and view the J/80 (M009), the J/109 (M008) and the J/111 (M011).  Paul and Marie-Claude Heys and Becci Eplett, amongst others, will be glad to help you learn more about these three boats as well as the upcoming J/70 in Europe!  For more London Sailboat Show information.

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The Perfect Gift for People Who Love Sailing!
(Newport, RI)- For 2012 we’ve created another beautiful calendar for J sailors who love the joys of sailing a J in some of the most spectacular harbors and waters of the world.  Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will  transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in far away places. Enjoy the color and excitement of J sailing with these gorgeous photos. The J/Sailing Calendar features photos of a J/44 powering upwind off Key West, a flying J/24 on the Chesapeake, J/125s dueling on San Francisco Bay, surrealistic scenes of J/80s off the Cantabrian and Brittany Coasts, a J/120 and J/95 playing in the azure waters of the Caribbean and J/105s parading past Alcatraz in a pastel of colors.  A great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew!  See the 2012 J/Calendar and order now.

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J’s Sailing Worldwide

Taking a moment to reflect back on 2011, it’s pretty clear most J sailors had a remarkably fun time sailing their boats on the Seven Seas of the World.  No matter where you went, you could see that joy and big smiles on their faces, whether it was day-sailing, going for an evening cruise, weekending with buddies out in the islands, racing offshore watching a gorgeous (you choose- sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset) or simply messing about with their boats getting ready for yet another adventure around the buoys or a cruise around the bay.

There were some extraordinary moments amongst the thousands of experiences J sailors had in all types of weather, wind and sea conditions.  They saw it all, that’s for sure.  Notable highlights included the J/97 crushing its competition at SPI OUEST, Cowes Week and the Hamble Winter Series; the J/122 winning New York YC Annual Regatta, Block Island Race and Rolex Middle Sea Race; the J/111 winning both Chicago-Mac and Port Huron-Mac Races, the Round Island Race, Key West Race Week and Cowes Week (amongst many victories worldwide); fleets of J/120s, J/109s winning their classes offshore; and another strong year of one-design sailing for all the big J/One-Design classes, in particular, the J/22s, J/24s, J/80s, J/105s, J/109s and J/44s.

Recent awards have been given to the J/111 in France (VOILES Magazine) and England (YACHTS & YACHTING) for their Boat’s of the Year and Yacht’s of the Year, respectively!  Piling on the silverware were the J/80, J/97, J/111 and J/122 in the recent Garmin Hamble Winter Series.  The same held true for a dozen J’s in the Pacific Northwest taking a third of the Top 25 sailboats in Seattle/Puget Sound area, by a mile the biggest haul of silver by any sailboat brand!  Finally, the J/105s continue to spark good competition with fleets springing up in some far-flung places like Chile in South America; added a “new” site for the J/105 Midwinters down in Houston; and race in fun, easy-going packs sailing offshore in Seattle’s Puget Sound and Chicago’s Lake Michigan!

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north.  Check them out!  More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page! Below are the summaries.

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Jan 5-13- London Boatshow (J/80, J/109, J/111)- London, England- http://www.londonboatshow.com
Jan 15-25- Key West Race Week- Key West, FL- http://www.premiere-racing.com
Jan 15-25- J/80 Midwinters- Key West, FL- http://www.premiere-racing.com
Jan 27- Feb 5- Seattle Sailboat Show- Seattle, WA- http://www.seattleboatshow.com
Feb 11-15- J/24 Midwinters- Davis Island YC- Tampa, FL- http://www.diyc.org/
Feb 16-20- Miami Boatshow- Miami, FL- http://www.miamiboatshow.com/
Feb 17-19- St Petersburg NOOD Regatta- St Pete, FL- http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas
Feb 23-26- J/22 Midwinters- Houston YC- Houston TX- http://www.j22mw.com/
Mar 9-11- J/105 Midwinters- Lakewood YC- Houston, TX- http://www.j105mw.com

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.

VOILES Magazine “Boat of the Year”- J/111

Y&Y Reader’s Choice Awards-  “Yacht of the Year”- J/111

The UK had a sun-filled season. One which lifted the spirits, and one which further boosted that feeling of “goodness” by a number of special events that had the sailing scene buzzing.  The America’s Cup launched its World Series and came to Plymouth and Cowes Week got a new sponsor. The result, with Aberdeen Asset Management’s branding, was the liveliest Cowes for years – especially with the J/111s criss-crossing the Solent in wild, planing rides buzzing past everyone and keeping pace with TP52s on some legs- hitting steady 16 knots with bursts to 22 knots! Plus, the 111’s had a great time in the Around Island Race, that 65nm classic around the Isle of Wight, winning their class.  If that weren’t’ enough proof the 111 could sail well in a wide variety of conditions, it finished 2nd in IRC Class 1 in the Garmin Hamble Winter Series (more below) and even got a 3rd in IRC Doublehanded in the Rolex Fastnet Race despite being parked for hours within a stone’s throw of the finish line (and watching a sure overall win evaporate as time passed by).

As a result of all that activity, the Yachts & Yachting readers selected the J/111 as “Yacht of the Year” in the UK!  As described in Y&Y, “it’s no wonder the J/111 won, imagine a J/109 on steroids – a one-design that’s nearly 20 per cent lighter, with a longer waterline and bigger sail area!  It’s fast and it shows, the trophy shelves are already stuffed with all the Queen’s Garrard silverware!”  Sailing photo credits: Paul Wyeth @ PWPictures.com Find out more about the J/111 story in England in the latest February 2011 issue of Yachts and Yachting. For more J/111 sailboat information.

J-Team’s Haul the Silver in Winter Series

The series prize-giving for the Garmin Hamble Winter Series took place on the 10th of December at Hamble River Sailing Club and the Class winners and podium finishers were all in attendance as one would expect, to collect their prizes. Racing took place across eight classes in the main IRC series including a J/109 one-design class and then there were four additional classes for the J/109s, the J/80s and other sportsboats on the two ‘Autumn Championship’ weekends. As usual, the J/Boat entry list for the series was both strong and successful.

In the main IRC series, raced over eight Sundays, David Ballantine’s J/133 JINGS achieved a creditable third place overall; a great result to round off his first full year in the boat. Chaz Ivill took the helm of the J/111 JENGA VI and finished second in IRC 1. Ivan Trotman and his J/122 JOULOU were placed fourth in the same class. Fourteen J/109s raced as a one-design class on a level rating basis and Richard and Valerie Griffiths veritably romped into the top slot with OUTRAJEOUS clocking up just ten points to count across the ten races sailed. David and Mary McGough’s JUST SO slammed in a second place in the J/109s and Paul Griffiths was third with JAGERBOMB. J/97s and J/92s raced in IRC 3 and Mike and Jamie Holmes J/97 JIKA-JIKA won the class convincingly, accruing just eight points to count at the end of the series– some might call that “a schooling” on how to race the Solent!

The Autumn Championship was a nail-biter for the J/80 Class. Sailed over two weekends in October, Rob Larke’s J2X was leading the fleet by a single point after the first weekend, but let things slip on the second weekend. At the end of the fourteen race series, Phil Taylor and Kevin Sproul’s J.A.T emerged victorious. J2X settled for second, just three points behind and Thor Askeland took third in ELLE S’APPELLE.  The J/109s also raced at the Autumn Championship and once again it was OUTRAJEOUS which emerged victorious. Steven Tapper’s STALKER finished in second place and Jody Windmiller’s J2EAU took third.

So it was a bunch of very happy J Boat owners at the prize-giving. However, after the series silverware was presented, there were still the two main prizes to be awarded: YACHT OF THE SERIES and SPORTSBOAT OF THE SERIES.  Race Director Jamie Wilkinson explained that these prizes are awarded at the discretion of the race management team to the two boats which in their opinion put in the most impressive performance across all classes. He made the point that the standard of competition at the Garmin Hamble Winter Series is always top-flight and he also reminded the assembled crowd that the sheer number of entries each year means that any single race win is an achievement of which one should be extremely pleased: to actually win YACHT OF THE SERIES is a major accolade. Mike and Jamie Holmes scoreline in the J/97 JIKA-JIKA included eight bullets! IRC 3 was considered one of the most competitive classes in the series and Mike, Jamie and the crew of JIKA-JIKA were deserving (and extremely proud) winners of the Garmin Hamble Winter Series YACHT OF THE SERIES.  Phil Taylor and Kevin Sproul never once finished outside the top two in any of the fourteen races they sailed in their J/80 J.A.T. and the class was 22 boats strong! The Garmin Hamble Winter Series SPORTSBOAT OF THE SERIES was awarded to Phil, Kevin and the crew on J.A.T.: delighted and proud winners.  For more Garmin Hamble Winter Series sailing information

J’s Dominate Pacific NW Offshore

48 North Magazine awards the popular Top 25 Pacific NW Boats every year.  Ten major events were tracked, including SSSS’s South Sound Series, Corinthian YC’s Center Sound Series, Seattle YC’s Tri-Island Series, CYC’s Puget Sound Sailing Regatta, West Vancouver YC’s Southern Straits Classic, Royal Victoria YC’s Swiftsure International Yacht Race, Whidbey Island Race Week, SYC’s Start & Bar Regatta, Bellingham YC’s PITCH Regatta and CYC’s Puget Sound Sailing Championship.

You had to sail at least four events to be counted.  Performance of all boats sailing in one or more of the above ten events was tracked with a boat’s best four event performances being used for calculating her final positions, e.g. a best four of ten.

The goal is to celebrate participation first and foremost and then consistent top-end sailing and performance.  Each boat earned her spot on the 48 North Top 25 List based on her performance in the four regattas under an enormous variety of sailing conditions.  Amongst the leader board in the Top 25 for J/Owners were the following boats:

2. J/105 JUBILEE- Erik Kirsten
6. J/109 TANTIVY- Stu Brunell
9. J/33 KORVO- Tom Kerr
10. J/29 HERE & NOW- Pat Denney
11. J/29 SLICK- Pat Nelson & Bob Mayfield
14. J/105 ALLEGRO VIVACE- Lorenzo Migliorini
16. J/105 DELIRIUM- Jerry Diercks
25. J/105 LAST TANGO- Jim Geros

All winners can stop by the 48 North booth (West 11) during the Seattle Boat Show Jan 27th to Feb 5th at CenturyLink Exhibition Hall!  Please visit http://www.seattleboatshow.com and head-on over to chat with Bob Ross and crew from Sail Northwest- or contact him at Ph- 206-286-1004  / email- bob@sailnorthwest.com.    For more sailing information on the 48 North Magazine Top 25, go to page 64 here.

Chilean J/105 Clinic Runaway Success

“The Growing J105 fleet in Chile recently hosted a 3 day seminar at Club de Yates Algarrobo in Algarrobo on Chile’s  beautiful coastline.  Algarrobo is a fantastic venue for sailing and to bring your family and friends and the Yacht club is a very friendly club that is excited about having active one-design sailing and a fleet like the J/105.

Daniel Gonzalez, the fleet Captain, and Juan Reid of J-Boats CHILE organized the clinic and I (Andrew Kerr) came in from the USA to coach the seminar.  Local sailor Phillip Goyeneche helped with translating the technical terms of Sailing and did a fantastic job, Phillip has spent time in the USA and is also fluent in German, he is a remarkable person!

TEN J/105 teams attended the clinic, we spent 3 day’s sailing right in front of the yacht club in light, medium and heavier conditions which was perfect for teams as they developed there techniques and boat handling.  We would meet in the morning in the classroom for a talk on topics such as starting techniques and tuning and then sail a very short course with lots of starts and mark rounding’s all of which were videotaped by Andrew for review back at the shore side debrief.

What is fantastic about the J/105 is how it is great for family and friends to sail on – Daniel Gonzalez regularly sails with his 3 daughters, Vernon Robert who is a really good J/24 sailor sails with his father steering, he trims the mainsail and his sons trim and are on the foredeck.  Many teams sail with family on board and the fleet emphasizes family and friends, good sailing and good camaraderie on and off the water.

The J/105 fleet is growing fast in Chile and with people like Daniel, Juan , Vernon and Phillip and many others the J/105 fleet will flourish, there are already 16 boats in the area with many sailors expressing interest in the boat and the fleet.  A big “Thank You” to the fleet and Yacht club for all its hospitality, I am very much looking forward to going back to Chile and seeing my new friends!  For more J/105 sailboat information

2012 J/105 Midwinters in Houston!

Lakewood Yacht Club sits on 38 beautifully landscaped acres with four sheds and seven docks. There are over 200 open slips on fixed and floating piers ranging in size from 40 feet to 100 feet. The spacious clubhouse offers its members a beautiful view of Clear Lake and Galveston Bay.

The Bermuda-style clubhouse provides the 500 plus Lakewood members with quiet harbor-view dining facilities and excellent cuisine while the bar and piano lounge with three large plasma televisions invite members to relax by the fire or gather around the bar. The beautiful ballroom overlooking the inner harbor is the venue for many of the Lakewood social events as well as weddings, meetings and the popular Sunday Brunch. A Game Room provides supervised activities for members children.  Lakewood Yacht Club has been recognized in the “Robb Report” (a high-end lifestyle magazine) as one of the Top 10 most prestigious yacht clubs in the United States.  For more J/105 Midwinter Championship sailing information

What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide

* Southwest Airlines SPIRIT Magazine- November 2011. This holiday season (and in 2012), get off the couch and get out into the world. Rather than must-have toys and tech gear, SPIRIT Magazine handpicked 32 action-filled trips that take you from the snow-covered peaks of Park City, Utah, to the tale-tinged pubs of New York City, to the gorgeous water of San Francisco Bay. Ready, set, wish!

Check it out!  SPIRIT picked Orange Coast Sailing Club’s J/80 to be on the cover seen here!  Here’s the blurb below inside the SPIRIT Magazine as the FIRST activity you should pick– go sailing!!

SAILING- SCALE THE BAY!
Berkeley, California-based OCSC Sailing provides all manner of maritime education, but its Basic Keelboat class is ideal for windjammer wannabes without a clue. Master the sport over five days or two consecutive weekends. On Day One you’ll be at the helm of a 24-footer; by the next afternoon you’ll be commanding your crew to “Jibe ho”! The fog lifts from the San Francisco Bay in the winter months, making it an apt time to test the waters, which will host the 34th annual America’s Cup catamaran race in 2013. $995; go to http://www.ocsc.com See SPIRIT Mags article on Sailing Experience Gifts- cool stuff!

* Over the course of the holidays, the Volvo 70s managed to sail into the “Land of No Return”, the “Twilight Zone”, the “No Spin Zone”, the “No Go Zone”, the “Stealth Zone” and the “Party Zone”.  Whatever.  The sailing part didn’t work for a lot of teams.  The party part perhaps soothed some severely bruised egos.

Nevertheless, it’s pretty clear the hard-charging Spanish team on TELEFONICA led by Iker Martinez can probably credit their extensive small keelboat racing experiences on J/80s in Spain against World Champions as critical in keeping them on edge and on top of the Volvo Ocean Race World.

Ken Read, the J/24 World Champion, has had his share of hard-luck, first the broken mast and Tristan da Cunha shipping episode, then having to deal with the Indian Ocean Doldrums and a slow boat going into Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.  We wish our J/Team friends all well and good luck on the next leg to Sanya, China!  For more Volvo Ocean Race sailing information

* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel’s big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand.  Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/

* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years.  Their blogs/journals can be found at- http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker.  The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com.  Search for “SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing” by Bill Stellin or William Stellin.”  UPDATE-  Just a short note to update from Bill- “Our cruise began in May of 2000 and ended in May of 2008, some 8 years later. I have just finished and published my third and final book covering the last three or so years including our double handed crossing in 16 days and one winter in the Caribbean. Like the others, “Sea Trek- A Passion for sailing- Book III,” can be found at www.blurb.com.  Thanks, Bill and Judy”

* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.

* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world’s oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between.  Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins??  Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).

-  SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).

-  Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun).  Check out there recent travels- now past Fiji!

- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com.  Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA), then to the South Pacific and New Zealand.  MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet–she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.

* The J/109 GAIA (seen right in the Java Sea) was sailed by Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay around the world. In February 2011, their cruising adventures came to an abrupt, sad ending.  As a tribute to them and their cruising friends worldwide, we hope their chronicles on their GAIA website remains a tribute to their warm-hearted spirits- read more about why many loved them dearly and will remain touched by their loving spirit forever- http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/

Southampton University Student Wins Prestigious Sailing Trophy

Will McGough (age 22), whilst studying for his finals in Aeronautical Engineering, also achieved sailing success with JOG (Junior Offshore Group) this year. Will was awarded the “Youth Challenge Trophy” when JOG held its prize-giving recently in Southampton. The prize is awarded to a participant under 25, for sailing ability, commitment to offshore racing and Corinthian spirit.

Will races aboard Just So, a J109, 36ft yacht with his Mum and Dad, Mary and David. During the summer Just So won races from Cowes to Dartmouth and St Peter Port as well as from Cherbourg to Cowes and was second overall in the series. Furthermore she was placed 2nd in JOG’s 60th anniversary regatta in Falmouth.

Will is clearly on a winning streak and he has also found himself a job, albeit he hopes this will not interfere with his sailing in 2012! Mary and David, on the other hand, are looking forward to Will’s pending financial contributions towards Just So’s running costs!