Light, fast, incredibly manageable both with her centreboard up or down, this wheel steered, twin ruddered 32 footer is precisely what we had hoped for. We are delighted.

The weather may have been freezing but the J/95 is a little hottie! Check out the photos below.

The hull mould will be built next, while the deck plug begins to take shape in the coming weeks.

For dealers/clients contemplating a visit, anytime in late February/early March would be ideal to sit in the cockpit of the deck plug before the mold is taken.

A reminder that the next available J/111 hull slot is #21 with projected finish in late February/early March 2011.

The J/80 is fastest selling sportsboat in Europe and with this in mind, marine electronics specialists Tacktick have agreed title sponsorship for the UK Nationals.

James Hewitt, Sales Manager for Tacktick Suunto said ‘We are delighted to kick start what we hope will be a long standing association with the UK J/80 Class. We see the Tacktick Race Master as the perfect product for this performance sportsboat. Of course the Suunto range of watches also hold massive appeal across all J Boat sailors from the J/80 to the J/133, as does our entire range of wireless, self powered marine electronics.’

This is the second time the J/80 National Championships have been fought in the waters of Cardiff Bay. The racing is extremely tactical, tidal considerations are clearly important and racing here on short windward-leeward courses presents a real challenge and reaps it’s own rewards for the clever sailor. Facilities at Cardiff Bay Yacht Club are superb for sportsboats and the Class is very pleased to be back. 

Thirty plus UK boats are expected at the event in June, along with visitors from Italy and elsewhere in Europe. The growing domestic fleet welcomes many new owners in 2010 and the spring date for the Tacktick Suunto J/80 UK Nationals means that this is the first time most teams will be lining up against each other in advance of the Euros on Lake Garda in June and the Worlds in Newport at the end of the summer. 

Tacktick wireless by Suunto: Besides giving you reliability and performance, Tacktick displays are unique. They are wireless and use “micro-power” solar technology which means they are lightweight and reliable. Tacktick wireless displays take marine instruments to a new level of usability and precision. For more information check out www.tacktick.co.uk

Tacktick Suunto J80 UK Nationals & 1720 Regatta 2010 Notice of Race

Tacktick Suunto J80 UK Nationals & 1720 Regatta 2010 Entry Form

Batnytt: Superior Italian elegance is what those sailors looking for performance meet in the Grand Soleil 46. Luxury look with the brand´s typical low, flat coachroof and stylish long black windows, speak of style and clever taste. In exterior design no other yard has match eddel Pardo for some years and the 46 is again proof of how set goals are kept. Neat decklayout that makes her easy to control as a soloskipper or with a crew. Inside furnishings are best in class. Again Grand Soleil maintain their high ambitions with great sense of quality in the details.

Seilas: A stylish and fast cruiser with a bit of taste from bigger yachts. It’s very hard to point out the boat’s weak points, and the price makes it a good buy. Grand Soleil contemporary style is impressive.

Yachtrevue: A well done compromise between racing and cruising; one of the best cockpits I have seen; nice styling under deck; fantastic acceleration in light gusts; easy behaviour in rough seas.

Yacht&Sail: A good example of how a Grand Soleil is supposed to be, she showed a fantastic sailing ability even with her spacious and luxurious interior arrangements. Good results in high level racing confirmed the performance capability of the Botin design. The deck is a good compromise between racing ergonomics and cruising comfort, with some “maxi-yacht” items, such as flush hatches and the wide toerail. Last but not least, the interior style is in typical Italian, simple and linear but warm and cosy. At last Pardo is back!

Yachting World: Superb Botin&Carkeek hull form, spacious cockpit layout and modern, workable interior. Sexy in a way only Italians can do, with her grey caulked deck matched with light oak inside, she’s stable and easy to handle, in rough weather too. Her balance and response makes her a true delight to helm. An extremely tight category that’s been clinched by this dictionary definition of a modern performance cruiser.

Voile Magazine: Stunning look, impressive deck, wide cockpit, rather modern and well designed accomodations, and something more: it performs extremely well. For sure the quality of the mast and the good sails takes a good part in this judgement. But if you want to have the first boat on the finishing line, the boat everyone looks at in a marina, and you can afford the state of the art technology, then go for it ! The Grand Soleil 46 is the performance cruiser of the year and deserves it.

Yacht: Grand Soleil have found their tracks again. What started promisingly with the 43 in 2006 has turned into a really great overall package with this latest performance cruiser. A-best-of-both-worlds-boat: offering lots of cruising comfort as well as race-winning potential. And it comes with a distinctive look and feel as well.

Waterkampioen: Grand Soleil made with this model a step forward in building quality and finishing. A very good sailing yacht, both in light airs and in windy conditions. However we have to make the comment that this particular yacht, owned by the director of Hall Spars in Breskens, was fitted out very well with carbon spar and boom, hydraulics and electric/hydraulic winches which make trim in general much easier. However: a good looking boat, well built and finished with very good sailing abilities. Very ‘2010′.

The 9 boats in IRC class 1 were first away and the fleet soon split into two groups with Mike Henning’s ‘Alice’ taking the lead hotly pursued by ‘Njos’ and ‘J Dream’. ‘Alice’ took line honours and the class win with ‘J Dream’ second and ‘Njos’ third. Race 2 saw a repeat performance by the three lead boats but after 90 minutes of racing there was only 90 seconds between first and third. 

Next away was the J92 fleet with 7 of the 8 entered boats lining up for the start which was hotly contested. ‘Jammin’ was called back for being OCS as the rest of the fleet made hast towards the first mark. ‘Jarrow’ got a good start and stayed at the front of the fleet for the whole race to take line honours and the win. The rest were close behind with ‘Java Lite’ taking second and ‘Black Jack’ third. The second race had everyone closer together with only 2 minutes covering the fleet after 90 minutes of racing. ‘Jaya’ took line honours & the win just 6 seconds ahead of ‘Java Lite’ second and ‘Jungle Fever’ third. 

In Class 3 RSYC ‘Vader’ the Cork 1720, enjoyed the conditions and together with ‘Arcadian’ and ‘Me Julie’ took an early lead. Although ‘Vader’ took line honours the lower handicap of Peter Slimming’s Hunter 30 ‘Anne Louise’ gave him the class win with ‘Escapade’ second and ‘Vader’ third. Race 2 allowed ‘Vader’ to take a big lead on the water with ‘Arcadian’ again in second but the handicap finish had ‘Anne Louise’ in first with ‘Vader’ second and ‘Escapade’ third.

The next pair of races in the series is on 31st January when it is hoped that more boats will join in. 

For details contact Cathy Crawley, Sailing Secretary, RSYC, Tel: 023 80 223352 or email racing@rsyc.org.uk

Report by Andrew Campbell

Cruising World magazine announced today the winners of its 17th annual Boat of the Year awards. Topping this year’s list of winners for the most anticipated awards in the sailboat industry were the J/95 and the Leopard 38. The J/95 won the Domestic Boat of the Year award, and the Leopard was named Import Boat of the Year.www.cruisingworld.com.

Four other boats also won awards from an independent panel of experts who inspected and tested 18 nominated boats following the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, earlier this year. Decisions were based on extensive dockside inspections and sea trials of the boats. All of the winners, along with the rest of the 2010 BOTY nominees and several other boats reviewed by the magazine’s editors, will be featured in the January issue of Cruising World.

In addition to claiming the Domestic Boat of the Year award, the J/95 was also named Best Weekender. “The judges were impressed with the J/95’s sailing performance, functional accommodations, and shoal-draft keel/centerboard,” said Cruising World senior editor Bill Springer. “At a time when many families are cruising waters closer to home, it’s the ideal weekender for nearby bays, and it’ll be up to longer coastal cruises when time permits.”

For more information on all the winners and other nominees, please visit Cruising World’s website