J122

J/122 Wins Ft Lauderdale-Key West Race

noreply@blogger.com (J/Boats ED) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:59:00 +0000

J/122 TEAMWORK Wins IRC

(Key West, FL- Jan. 16th)- The 160 nm winter classic was a fast one. The race starts off the Ft Lauderdale sea buoy and heads south, then slowly curving west, keeping the string of Florida Keys reef buoys to starboard, finished in the Key West channel off the old Truman Annex Navy Base. The race started in light to medium northerly breezes with everyone under spinnakers. Chasing down streaks and better gybe angles were the name of the game. Some boats doing better than others as they seek to maximize VMC down course, dodging the reef, playing wind streaks and avoiding as much as possible playing shifts that take you offshore into the teeth of the fast-flowing Gulf Stream just outside the reef lines.

J's were well represented in both fleets. Robin Team, on the aptly named J122, TEAMWORK, won Divison B of the IRC class, and also was awarded the race¹s Seamanship Trophy for their assistance during the US Coast Guard rescue of another racing boat, Crosswinds. Once they heard the distress call on the radio and knew of Crosswind's proximity, TEAMWORK, without hesitation, went to their aid.

Congratulations to all on a great performance and kudos to Robin's "Team" for performing mid-race heroics as true corinthian yachtsmen. For more Key West race and sailing information.

J/122s Enjoy Gorgeous Key West Race Week

noreply@blogger.com (J/Boats ED) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:01:00 +0000

(Key West, FL- Jan. 18-22)- This year's Key West Race Week was sponsored by Nautica Watches along with popular supporter Mt. Gay Rum. It was a great cocktail and recipe for success, making for many happy winners celebrating with drinks plus a new watch! Check out the photos of all the J's racing on the J/Boats Facebook page! (email us if you want high-resolution photos- contact us at J/Boats).

The weather was nearly postcard perfect, hard to go wrong sailing on aquamarine seas, sunny, with gentle breezes and 70 degree temperatures during the day. The fleet was treated to a typical cold front scenario where the incoming front pulls in SSW breezes and over the course of several days veers from NNW to SE. The fleet of 134 boats saw J/Boats having the largest total fleet of boats at the event- over one-third were J's ranging in size from the "classic" J/24 upwards through the range including J/29, J/80, J/105, J/109, J/122, J/125 and J/44. The races generally got off without a hitch due to the seasoned expert PROs like Ken Legler and others who stayed on top of the shifty, streaky breezes. Races started on time at 10:30 am and most fleets generally completed two races and were heading home by 2:00 pm.

On the Division 1 course, David Murphy's J/122 PUGWASH sailed well in IRC-B Class. At one point they had a solid lead but a few slow starts, missed windshifts and streaks rapidly jumbled the standings over the last two days. Nevertheless, David and crew managed to hang in there to get a podium finish- 3rd overall for the week. Their good fortune was counter-weighted by the roller coast rides seemingly experienced by Robin Team's J/122 TEAMWORK and Jim Bishop's beautifully repainted J/44 GOLD DIGGER. Both sailed well in a couple of races but had difficulty maintaining any consistency due to the very shifty, streaky wind conditions on Division 1 course- large black holes materialized frequently, swallowing up any unsuspecting boats and never let them go.

J/122s Leading Key West Race Week

noreply@blogger.com (J/Boats ED) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:59:00 +0000

(Key West, FL- Jan. 16th)- This year's Key West is not unlike many others in the past. The typical cold front scenario that kicks into gear and flows across the southern part of America, sucking in the winds from the SSE, then shifting into the front with greater wind speeds out of the SW and, as the front passes over, shifts quickly into the NW then over a two-four day period moves back into the NE, E, SE quadrants. The fleet of 134 boats have been treated to a nice week of sailing so far, despite the buckets of rain poured onto the participants during Sunday. Despite a seemingly dour start, the clouds parted, a starry night greeted contestants dinners that evening and the week started off with a nearly postcard perfect couple of days. While the winds have not been the "dogs blown off chains" variety, it's made for pleasant cruising around the windward-leeward buoys courses set by the seasoned race committee veterans assembled by the Premier Racing organization.

On the Division 1 course, regatta leader in IRC2, David Murphy's J/122 PUGWASH is sailing very well and has been a fleet leader for the past four days...with any luck and two good races on the last day they should be vying for a podium finish. Robin Team's J/122 TEAMWORK faired a little worse in the weeks' shifty, streaky wind conditions and have dropped to fifth overall with a reasonable shot at a third overall. The tale of the tape on Friday will certainly flip-flop the standings yet again.

J/122s in Ft. Lauderdale Key West Race

noreply@blogger.com (J/Boats ED) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:55:00 +0000

(Ft Lauderdale, FL- Jan. 13th)- And they're off like a herd of snails in a dust storm, led by of all things ex-J/24 sailor George David's 90 foot sailing machine- RAMBLER. A fleet of fifty five PHRF and IRC classes took off at noon Wednesday, January 13th, for the 160 nm winter classic that starts off the Ft Lauderdale sea buoy and heads south, then slowly curving west, keeping the string of Florida Keys reef buoys to starboard, finishing in the Key West channel off the old Truman Annex Navy Base.

J's are well represented in both fleets. Racing in IRC B is Robin Team's J/122 TEAMWORK from Lexington, NC. Sailing PHRF B is John Gehrig's J/46 FULL DECK from Ft Lauderdale as well as David Bond's J/105 LOKI from Miami, FL. In PHRF A, Frank Kern from Grosse Pointe Park, MI is racing his well-campaigned and very successful J/120 CARINTHIA.

The race started in light to medium northerly breezes with everyone under spinnakers. Chasing down streaks and better gybe angles has been the name of the game so far. Some boats doing better than others as they seek to maximize VMC down course, dodging the reef, playing wind streaks and avoiding as much as possible playing shifts that take you offshore into the teeth of the fast-flowing Gulf Stream just outside the reef lines.

As of 1030 hours EST Thursday, Jan 14th, it looks like Robin Team's J/122 TEAMWORK is headed for a podium finish in IRC B (currently in 2nd); Frank Kern's J/120 CARINTHIA is also looking at a podium finish in PHRF A (currently 2nd); and John Gehrig's J/46 FULL DECK may get 3rd in PHRF B. The tale of the tape will tell all if they were successful at maintaing their leads. For you armchair sailors, navigators, racers, be sure to go to the race site and check out the action happening in real-time. For more race and sailing information.

J/122 JACKPOT Wins IRC Sydney Series

noreply@blogger.com (J/Boats ED) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 03:06:00 +0000

Entwistle's Team Takes CYCA Short Ocean Series Down to the Wire

(Sydney, Australia- Dec. 5th)- The final race of the 6 race Short Ocean Pointscore Series was held on Saturday 5th December. It was going to be a nail biter because the first 3 yachts were tied on points for first place, so the final race would decide the winner. The way the drops were working the J/122 JACKPOT sailed by Ray and Sandra Entwistle needed to win by 2 places to secure the series for IRC Class 1. That was a tough call given the skill level of the competition.

The fleet awoke to a glorious Sydney summer day, about 25 degrees C, and a soft 8-10 knot E/SE breeze. The seas outside the Sydney heads had abated, with only a slight swell remaining after the southerly from the previous night. They were also racing for the ‘David Burke Memorial Trophy’.

With a combined fleet of 22 yachts on the start line ranging from 40 footers to 60 footers - the J/122 at 40 feet was amongst the smallest. According to Ray, "Our initial concern was not to be buried at the start by the larger yachts in the fleet. We stayed back a little at the start which allowed us to come in at the committee boat end and tack into clean air. We had a pretty clean beat to get out of the heads, and then our tactician Ian picked the wind shifts perfectly to the top mark which was about 6nm offshore. The course was windward / leewards so we popped our 155sq.m asymmetric running kite for the downwind legs, and with first-rate trimming by Hedgey we ran just as square as the symmetric rigged boats. The design work on the asymmetric kites by ‘Ian Short Sailmakers’ is excellent. After 3 laps around the course we had maintained our lead. The finish was a kite run/broad reach back through Sydney Harbour Heads, then a quick gybe and a reach down Sydney H arbour to the committee boat at Watson's Bay. We just simply had a great days' sailing. The crew worked seamlessly and our J/122 JACKPOT just revelled in the conditions. We came in 1st in IRC, and most importantly, the required 2 places ahead of our main rivals that enabled us to win the series in Division 1."

Ray's perspective on the J/122 after a season's worth of sailing is helpful for those of you considering a great all-round racer-cruising yacht- "The main thing about the J/122’s performance is her consistency. Our worst result over the 6 race series was third, and given that the series had all types of wind conditions from 6-8 knots up to 30-35 knots, and from windward/leeward courses to 40nm return passage races, there is a lot to be said for her consistent performance. Her accomplishments are no fluke – this is the same series in which JACKPOT finished equal first in the Australian Autumn, just after she was commissioned. She just doesn’t have any vices."

"Special thanks to our crew – Ian, Hedgey (Glen), Darren, James, Emmy, Cassandra and Caroline for their consistent effort and skill which really made this race series a lot of fun" said Ray and Sandra Entwistle.

J/122s Dominate Voile de St. Tropez

noreply@blogger.com (J/Boats ED) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:19:00 +0000

LANCE J and MADE IN LOVE Take 1-3
(St. Tropez, France- October 2-4)- Saturday was the last, but certainly the most exciting, day of racing in the 2009 edition of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. Navigators had a tough time on the water as the winds were incredibly shifty and the water choppy, leading to lots of action both inside and outside the Gulf once the classics and modern boats had started and all the spectator boats were on the race course. The wind picked up remarkably outside the Gulf on the Classic Course and stayed steady in force, although unpredictable in direction, at about 10-20 knots.

The J/122 LANCE J won their IRC class amongst a grand prix collection of teams from around the French offshore racing circuit. Pierre Duchein and team did a nice job to win and were followed by the J/122 MADE IN LOVE in third place overall, led by Jean Marie Patier with two leading French women sailors amongst their crew- Catherine Chabaud as skipper and world renowned Christine Briand as tactician.
Photo credits by Gullain Gernier. Full results click here.

J/122 CATAPULT Wins AYC Fall Series IRC40 Class

noreply@blogger.com (J/Boats ED) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:12:00 +0000

(Rye, New York- Sept 19-20 and 26-27)- In what has become a "de facto" J/Fest East-- the AYC Fall Series had a number of strong J/122 teams competing.

For the first weekend, the J/122s essentially "practiced" for their upcoming East Coast Championship raced this past weekend. The eleven boat J/122 class was quite competitive, but Stephen Funary's PATRIOT walked off with a win followed by Mike Bruno's/ Tom Boyle's/ Jim Callahan's WINGS in second. David and Mary-Ellen Tortorello sailed their J/122 PARTNERSHIP well to finish third.

In the IRC40 class, Marc Glimcher's J/122 CATAPULT won on a tie-breaker followed by Tom Carroll's J/133 SIREN SONG from New York, NY finishing in third place.
For more info: http://www.americanyc.com/

J/122 East Coast Championship

noreply@blogger.com (J/Boats ED) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:04:00 +0000

CHRISTOPHER DRAGON Wins a Cliff-hanger
(Rye, New York- Sept. 26-27)- The nine J/122s competing for the East Coast Championship on the second weekend of the AYC Fall series saw extremely close and very competitive sailing. In addition to some of the local fleet favorites on Western Long Island Sound, some boats came as far as Annapolis- PLUM CRAZY and FLYING JENNY VI- to mix it up with the New York/ Connecticut crowd. This regatta was the culmination of the summer sailing season for the J/122 class- with strong one design showings at the Rolex NYYC Regatta in Newport, Rolex Block Island Race Week and the Larchmont NOODS.

In keeping with the close racing amongst these remarkably evenly matched boats, it was a wild finish to the J/122 East Coast Championships after the dust cleared. The weekend was tough on everyone- tacticians, crews and crew work in general, putting a premium on starts, course positioning, good execution and good mark roundings. Coming out of the fog of war in the last race was Weiss's CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, just beating their erstwhile competitors to be crowned the 2009 East Coast Champion. It was a strong finish for them after a somewhat dismal start in the first two races. CHRISTOPHER DRAGON won by one point over Skibo's PLUM CRAZY II, the last race determined the outcome of who ultimately beat who for the championship. Had these two flip-flopped their finish positions of 3-4, respectively, PLUM CRAZY would've won on a tie-breaker with most firsts! Askew's FLYING JENNY VI ultimately did end up in a tie-breaker for second with PLUM CRAZY, despite winning the last race, and got the short end of that stick to finish third overall. Showing steady improvement over their summer of sailing was David Murphy aboard their Einstein-inspired namesake, PUGWASH. Murphy and crew managed to win a race and get two more podium finishes to ultimately end up fourth; an eighth in the last race skewering any chances of their finishing in the top three. Perhaps they've earned the "Most Improved" Award for the 2009 summer season!
For more info:
http://www.americanyc.com/

J/122 North Americans

noreply@blogger.com (J/Boats ED) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:12:00 +0000

GAMBLER Rolls the Dice and Wins!
(Block Island, RI- June 22-26)- Ten J/122s showed up at Block Island Race Week to compete for the inaugural J/122 North American Championship, hosted by Storm Trysail Club's Race Committee on the White Course. An enormous variety of wind conditions both challenged and bedeviled the competitors over the five day event-- everything from 15-30 knot winds and towering breaking waves to flat water and light to moderate breezes. Certainly, whomever triumphed over the others would get a well-deserved wind considering the extraordinary variety of wind, waves, current thrown at them. In the end, Doug Shaffer and crew from Bayview, TX on-board GAMBLER threw down the gauntlet and with a bit of lady luck, took all the marbles home with them. Coming up short on the last two races were David Askew's FLYING JENNY VI from Annapolis, MD, missing the top of the podium by only three points after a disappointing fourth and eighth at the end. Just off the pace was Bill Coates and crew from Bellaire, TX on OTRA VEZ finishing third.

Doug Shaffer's GAMBLER had three points to make up on Thursday's leader FLYING JENNY VI, skippered by David Askew. GAMBLER accomplished that at the first weather mark when all the boats converged at the same time. "Everybody was ducking boats; we were in fifth place and jibed out to the left and picked up three boats (to finish second)," said Shaffer. "That was the regatta right there. FLYING JENNY had to take more boats at that mark (and finished eighth for second overall)." Shaffer, who has owned a number of different J boats over the years, says this is the first time he has won a regatta on a national level and gave credit to his crew, which included co-helmsman Eric Olving (Long Branch, N.J.) and tactician Jay Lutz (Seabrook, Texas).

Mike Bruno's Report on the eve of the final races Friday: "1st place and 3rd place will be hotly contested today—1st is between FLYING JENNY (great people from Annapolis—next to us on dock) and GAMBLER (nice folks as well from Houston)—both boats are extremely well sailed, and 3rd between the other Texas boat, OTRA VEZ, and WINGS. We have sailed well but did not deserve to place above FLYING JENNY or GAMBLER—both boats have been sailed flawlessly all week by extremely talented folks— quite impressive. Racing has been excellent and the fleet is pretty darn strong. Pete Dupont’s new boat is fast and very well sailed. The newest J/122, PUGWASH, with Larry Leonard aboard is improving daily and will ultimately be very well sailed, ditto PLUM CRAZY from Annapolis— a strong J/105 sailor previously. The J/122 owners are all quite enthused about their boats and we are getting pretty big press here. The J/122 is clearly considered one of the hottest one-designs out there at Block Island Race Week—many questions and much praise from the crowd about the boats—a lot of folks want one."

2009 OSTAR- J/122 Wins IRC1

noreply@blogger.com (J/Boats ED) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:29:00 +0000

Plymouth to Newport Classic Finishes with J/122 2nd Overall

(Newport, RI- June 17)- For starters, congratulations Rob Craigie to finish 2nd overall boat-for-boat and 3rd corrected overall on his J/122 J-BELLINO. Rob in fact won IRC-1 Class on corrected time, too!

Aboard his J/122 J-BELLINO, Rob narrowly missed winning the entire event overall on corrected time for IRC handicap. Rob was beaten on IRC corrected time by two much smaller boats that finished 3 days 5 hours behind (Tamarind) and 4 days 1 hour behind (Elmarleen). Neverthless, Rob only was 3 minutes 33 seconds behind second place and just 45 minutes behind the corrected time winner Elmarleen. Considering the fact Rob blew out his main spinnaker and destroyed part of his jib (e.g. sailing under a severe handicap in terms of the J/122s normal performance) it's amazing he achieved the feat he did to finish 2nd overall and 3rd on corrected. For more info.

ROLEX NYYC 155th Annual Regatta

noreply@blogger.com (J/Boats ED) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:26:00 +0000

Andrew Weiss's J/122 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON Wins Strong J/122 Class

(Newport, RI- June 12-14,) – The three-day regatta, the longest running in America's history, attracted a record turnout of 105 boats. The event served up weather challenges that, while perhaps disappointing to beach-goers, delighted the 1000 plus sailors competing on Rhode Island Sound over three days.

With fog shrouding the first part of Friday’s 19-mile Around Jamestown Island Race, crews had to navigate with their instruments and keep themselves out of trouble from the capricious currents and wind eddies that swirl around the Island. Amongst the J/122s racing this legendary race, it was Mike Bruno and team aboard WINGS that won the race.

For the weekend racing offshore in Rhode Island Sound for Saturday and Sunday it was classic June conditions for Newport. With a combination of weather systems and the ubiquitous thermal engine trying to kick into higher gear, the tacticians had their crystal balls going full tilt trying to divine the next wind shift to streak to victory over their erstwhile rivals.

For the J/122 class, it was their inaugural event to race as a one-design class in the NYYC Annual Regatta. A ten boat turn-out saw some incredibly tight racing with tremendous changes amongst the leaders for every race. After the three races Saturday, five boats were within five points of eachother. However, it was Andrew Weiss on-board CHRISTOPHER DRAGON from Mamaroneck, NY that sailed consistently well in the three races on Sunday to stretch out their lead to win by four points over Doug Shaffer's GAMBLER from Bayview, TX and David Askew's Annapolis-Newport winner FLYING JENNY VI. For more info.

J/122 Cruises from Auckland to Sydney

noreply@blogger.com (J/Boats ED) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:24:00 +0000

Sandra and Ray Entwistle, our J/Boat dealers from Australia, had friends sail their J/122 LITHIUM from Auckland, NZ to Sydney, Australia, a distance of 1,350 nautical miles. Here's their story of crossing the Kiwi/Oz version of the English Channel-- "The Ditch" as it's also known is a brief chronicle of the delivery across the Tasman Sea from Auckland to Sydney.
“….as for the J/122, she performed like a sailing thoroughbred, clearing every hurdle presented. A long distance voyage like this with wind and sea conditions varying so much would have shown any vices - this flyer is free of vices. She tracked well in all conditions and went as magnificently in 35 knots in a boiling sea, as she did in near dead calm, it is a wonderful boat. The cabin and accoutrements made a very comfortable temporary home that helped provide the author with some regret that this adventure had drawn to a close. Do it again? Yes, on the J/122.
Just as we were about to depart on the crossing the weather forecast was both exciting and daunting - a storm was brewing in the vicinity of Lord Howe Island and was making its way across the Tasman Sea to Auckland. On Sunday 19th April 2009 the strong winds were already apparent, so we left Auckland harbour with a small jib and two reefs.
We made good time to Tutakaka (about 90nm) and entered the harbour at about 21:30 hrs in dark and rough sea conditions. The following day we sailed to and anchored at the charming town of Russell in the Bay of Islands, a fisherman’s and sailor’s paradise and truly a lovely place.
Stewart and Bev from Russell Radio (the local marine rescue and forecast station) were excellent and became our personal weather service. The forecast was shocking – very intense lows in the Tasman with 40-55 knot winds forecast, it looked like we would be moored up for at least 4 days. There were reports of boats in trouble, one ketch on the way to Tonga turned back with shredded sails, motor failed, rolled twice and was now under tow. Another en route from Brisbane was in trouble with rig down and eventually abandoned. Lord Howe Island had been battered, the runway washed out and SES to the rescue.
The conditions eventually abated, and after 5 days of waiting we said farewell to Russell on Saturday 25th April. The first afternoon saw strong and gusty 35 knot winds in sloppy coastal seas with No4 jib and double reefed main. We hit our max speed of 12.4 knots surfing with the boat tracking splendidly.
Once through that melee we found ourselves between two weather systems and becalmed, the sea was now smooth and glassy, such a contrast. We motored for a day before we got back into some moderate breezes, then we had a series of sail changes as the wind direction and strength varied and we steadily made our way across a tempestuous ocean. During the journey we had the usual mix of calm through to stormy weather and generally speaking, although at times the conditions were uncomfortable, good progress was made. One day we achieved 200nm, with the wind favourable around 15 to 20 knots from the SE putting us on a broad reach.
The asymmetric kite was a joy to use, adding those couple of extra knots of boat speed to make the journey quicker.
At first we counted down the miles by hundreds, then fifties, then finally by 10’s. You are on your own out there, we only saw 3 vessels (no yachts) in 1,350 nm.
Our last night at sea saw a storm and lightening in the west (over Sydney), we motor sailed through the electrical storms, sheltering under the dodger because of the cold and rain. Sunday 3rd May, arrival in Sydney was fittingly at dawn. It was very quiet and dark coming in through the heads, but great to see the lights of Sydney after 8 days crossing the Tasman. While it was good to be home, we enjoyed the camaraderie and the feeling of ‘we made and made it well.’

RORC IRC National Championship

noreply@blogger.com (J/Boats ED) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:22:00 +0000

Gales, Sun, Chop Don't Diminish the Good Spirits

(Cowes, IOW, England)- It was blowing half a gale overnight, but by dawn the skies had cleared to provide sparkling conditions for the competitors in the RORC IRC National Championship. Before the end of play, the weather closed in once more to give a variety of conditions for the crews in the eastern Solent, including a 60 degree wind shift on the last beat of the championship.
There were 60-odd boats competing in the IRC Nationals, a reasonable showing considering other conflicts on the schedule. In IRC Class One John Patterson's J/122 PANACEA took third overall. For more info Photo credits- Paul Wyeth

Slow Annapolis to Newport Race

noreply@blogger.com (J/Boats ED) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:18:00 +0000

David Askew's J/122 FLYING JENNY VI Wins IRC II

(Newport, RI- June 8th)- The Annapolis to Newport race is one of the most historic and well-known of the US East Coast blue water races. Linking two seaports dating from our nation's birth, Annapolis and Newport, the race provides an enormous contrast between the country's largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay, and the stormy, brooding Atlantic Ocean. The course heads south for 120 miles from Annapolis to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, then east to the Chesapeake Light and hence northeast to Newport. After navigating the shallows and currents of the Bay, navigators have to decide if they want to sail the rhumbline to Newport, go in towards the shore or head further into the Ocean.
The J's had a good showing in this year's event with David Askew leading the pack on-board his J/122 FLYING JENNY VI, taking 1st over strong, experienced offshore competitors in IRC2 like the two J/44s- Leonard Sitar's VAMP and Jack Neades' GLORY.
The Yacht Club Challenge was won by the Annapolis Yacht Club with an entire J/Team comprised of FLYING JENNY VI (J/122), DOLPHIN (J/42) and WINDBORN (J/120). Photo credit- Don Dement. For more info

Pen Azen Wins Trophee Atlantique

noreply@blogger.com (J/Boats ED) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:17:00 +0000

The UNCL/ FFV IRC1 French Championship Dominated by J/122s

(Port des Minimes, La Rochelle, France- May 21-23)- The hosts at Société des Régates Rochelaises- Yacht Club Les Minimes put on a splendid regatta for the competitors vying for honors at the SIV Habitables Regatta and for the ultimate honor of winning the UNCL/ FFV Trophee Atlantique- emblematic of the French offshore spring championship series. With eighteen entries in IRC Classes 1, 2 and 3 it was not going to be a walk-over for any of the competing teams at this highly regarded event. Nevertheless, Philippe Delaporte and team on his J/122 Pen Azen again managed to sail a solid series, winning by one point over fellow J/122 Damacle with the world-renowned Christinne Briand as tactician. Both boats easily dispatched two very competitive Archambaut 40s (Batistyl and Stamina3) who finished third and fifth behind them, respectively. For more info

J/122 Pen Azen Victorious at Grand Prix du Crouesty

noreply@blogger.com (J/Boats ED) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:14:00 +0000

The Grey-blue French Rocketship Continues Domination of French IRC Offshore

(Crouesty, France- May 30-June 1)- The third major event of the French UNCL/ FFV offshore sailing season had excellent representation from passionate J owners from France, in particular. The Yacht Club du Crouesty Arzo hosted a wonderful event; the J's represented 50% of the fleet of the Grand Prix du Crouesty and forty one J/80s were present to do battle; not far behind in attendance were the J/22 and J/24 classes.
In the J/80's, Sylvain Pelissier won in a highly competitive fleet. In IRC1, the J122 Pen Azen again confirmed their supremacy over IRC1 competitors, beating stablemate J/122 Damacle with the renowned Christine Briand on-board as tactician. Also doing well was the J/109 Poulico, 3rd in IRC2 (beating three very competitive Archambaut A35s). For more info.

New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta

noreply@blogger.com (J/Boats ED) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:11:00 +0000

J/122 One-Design Warm-up for North Americans

(Newport, RI- June 14-16)- Nine very competitive J/122s are entered to race one-design in this year's New York Yacht Club's Annual Regatta held off Newport, RI. This classic event starts with the fun and challenging Around Jamestown Island Race on Friday and then proceeds to course racing on Saturday and Sunday off Brenton Point, about four miles southeast of Castle Hill. Teams are coming from as far away as Annapolis, MD, Denver, CO and Irvington, TX. Come down to NYYC's Harbour Court during the weekend and see why these J/122 owners are having such a fun time! For more info.

J/Mediterranean Cup

noreply@blogger.com (J/Boats ED) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:08:00 +0000

Enjoy the best the Med has to offer racing your J

On June 6-7, J/Europe distributor K-Yachting is sponsoring its third annual J/Med Cup event. This regatta has a passionate following amongst those J sailors cruising and racing in the Mediterranean. The locations have been terrific and this year's event promises to be every bit as fun as they have been the past two years. Pierre Duchein at K-Yachting promises that it will another fantastic year. For more details, please visit the K-Yachting website or download the NOR.

J/122 Growing and Winning Worldwide

noreply@blogger.com (J/Boats ED) — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:29:00 +0000

North Americans @ BI Week, One-Design @ NYYC Regatta, IRC Champions in Europe!

The J/122 continues its winning ways in regattas around the world this spring. With that rare combination of speed, comfort, great modern looks and competitively rated in IRC and PHRF, J/122 owners continue to collect silverware and have seen increased participation of J/122s in events this year.

In the USA, Robin Team's TEAMWORK won PHRF A going away in both Charleston Race Week and the Ft Lauderdale-Charleston Race. Robin reported hitting 20+ knots during the Charleston race while out in the Gulf Stream. They beat two well sailed, competitive STP 65s on handicap in this IRC event. During the American Yacht Club Spring Series, the J/122 class had 5 boats. Perennial campaigner Andrew Weiss and his capable team aboard CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, comfortably won by a six point margin. Mike Bruno's WINGS hung in there for 2nd with John Chapman's team on board SCREAMING EAGLE finishing 3rd. For more info, news and scores see the American YC's site.

In the Caribbean, Jamie Dobb's LOST HORIZONS was dominating Antigua Race Week and looked to have a lock on the Big Boat class win. However, in epic conditions with big seas and big winds they broke their boom and a chance to walk home with an armful of silverware.

In Europe, PEN AZEN sailed by Frenchman Philippe Delaporte continues to dominate, winning a highly competitive IRC1 Class in the prestigious Obelix Trophy. The Obelix Trophy is one of the most prestigious events on the French offshore racing circuit each spring. The J/122 beat the latest IRC-influenced offerings from several builders, including the new Beneteau 41, Archambault 40RC and others. Also campaigning their J/122 successfully in European waters is John Patterson's PANACEA. They were the overall series Champion at the RayMarine Warsash Spring Series in England sailing against all the newest IRC boats in the 37-44 foot size range. The Black Group fleet were set long courses, using much of the central Solent, for the entire series of weekend events. PANACEA had taken a healthy points lead into the final day's racing, ultimately winning and taking the IRC1 Championship handicap honors. PANACEA won by six points over Bill Blain's BATFISH III, a well-sailed J/133. The Big Boat class included a number of J/133s, J/122s as well as a range of other designs - Comet 41, Farr 52, TP52, Ker 39 and Corby 40 and a new Santa Cruz 37.

It's clear the J/122 continues to be the "40 foot boat to beat" in international and regional IRC competition. This solid, all-around performer continues to be the best combination of cruising and racing in the 40 foot category. Competitive boats are "niche-oriented" and become "type specific" in terms of breeze/conditions they're targeted at-- many are extremely tender, hard-to-sail "twitchy" boats.

If you haven't tried one, hop aboard a J/122 in your local area, see them at the J/122 North Americans at STC Block Island Race Week or the New York YC Annual Regatta in Newport. Or contact J/Boats for a dealer/owner near you who can fill you in on why the J/122 has been such a fun, competitive boat to sail

J/122 hits the Jackpot in Australia

noreply@blogger.com (J Boats, Inc.) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:20:00 +0000

Ray and Sandra Entwistle’s J/122 ‘Jackpot’ is turning heads in Sydney’s IRC racing circuit. ‘Jackpot’ tied for first place in the Short Ocean Point Score Series, a six race series sailed off the Sydney coast and run by the CYCA. Sandra shared this report:

The first race in the series was the 173rd Australia Day Regatta, the oldest continuously-conducted sailing regatta in the world, held on January 26, the day the City of Sydney was founded in 1788. We had a great day sailing, a perfect 28c and 15-20kt breeze for the 35nm mile race to Botany Bay and back. This was our first serious race, and the J/122 behaved just as we had hoped, a smooth beat down the coast, and an effortless but exciting run back with the 155m2 kite. We came 3rd on IRC in this race, but couldn’t believe it when we found we had missed 2nd place by 1 second in the 4 ½ hour race. The fleet of 35 yachts were the cream of Sydney’s highly competitive racing circuit, attracting TP52’s, Swan 60, 47.7’s, and a trio of Cookson 12’s to name a few.

The rest of the series were windward-leeward courses and the boats performance improved as we fine-tuned the stock J/122. Our local sail maker ‘Ian Short Sails’ did a superb job on the sail wardrobe, particularly the running kite allowing us to sail at 165 TWA.

Our worst result was a fourth, and the last race was down to the wire with 4 yachts within 1 point of each other. It was a nail-biter from start to finish with some exciting tactical racing and all the yachts performing at their peak to try and take the top prize. In the end ‘Jackpot’ scored equal first in the series with a professionally skippered Swan 60.

We are extremely pleased with the J/122, and like our prior J/109 she has proved to be exceedingly competitive out of the box. We are now looking forward to fitting the dodger and taking her cruising over the Easter holiday break whilst we decide which winter race series to enter.

2009 J/122 North Americans

noreply@blogger.com (J Boats, Inc.) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:35:00 +0000

The inaugural J/122 North American Championship will take place June 21-26, 2009 in Block Island, RI as part of Storm Trysail Club’s Block Island Race Week presented by Rolex. J/122 teams from all over the country are invited to participate in the first national championship of the class. Early indications point to strong attendance with two J/122s coming from Texas, two from Annapolis and one possibly from California in addition to the already strong New England fleet. Event website

Screaming Eagle wins at Manhasset Bay

noreply@blogger.com (J Boats, Inc.) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:51:00 +0000

John Chapman’s first event in his new J/122 happened to be the 630 mile rough, upwind Bermuda Race against four other sisterships. A few months and a few buoy races later, Chapman and his team aboard SCREAMING EAGLE (Peconic Bay, Long Island) savored victory of their own by winning IRC 3 Overall at the Manhasset Bay Fall Series. The regatta featured three days of big breezes followed by a day of sun and shifty northwesterlies. SCREAMING EAGLE won their competitive 10 boat class on the strength of 3 bullets in 6 races. Photo by Allen Clark of Photoboat.com

J/122 is RORC Yacht of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (J Boats, Inc.) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:22:00 +0000

Philippe Delaporte’s PEN AZEN was recently named the 2008 Yacht of the Year by the Royal Ocean Racing Club. Delaporte was recognized for his ‘outstanding racing achievement… and in particular for his sportsmanlike approach, Corinthian spirit and the support he has shown his fellow competitors.’ What a great way to cap off a second straight winning season.Delaporte, a multiple J owner who helped launch the J/80 class in France, sent the following email report:

“This year was very good for us. We just finished the RORC season and we are more than happy with the results. We won the season’s overall, our class and a total of 6 annual RORC trophies: - Best Overall - Best IRC 1- Best Overseas Yacht- Best Series-produced Yacht- Special trophies for events 3 and 4.

We raced 9 regattas including 2 long distance races from Cowes to Madeira and back that are 1,480 miles each. Both of them with strong winds. On the way to Madeira we got 30 knots upwind with gusts up to 46 knots during 3 days. 5 boats only arrived and we win overall. We won our class 7 times and finished second the 2 others. In short a full success. Pen Azen has now sailed 11,000 miles and we are very happy with her.” RORC site

TKO Repeats at Rolex Big Boat Series

noreply@blogger.com (J Boats, Inc.) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:22:00 +0000

Dave Kirby of Manhattan Beach, CA sailed his J/122 TKO to its second straight Rolex Big Boat Series win last weekend hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco. Racing in IRC C division, TKO notched 5 bullets in 7 races, finishing 9 points clear of a custom Wylie 42, followed by a Sydney 38 and Tim Fuller’s J/122 RESOLUTE. The J/122 continues to demonstrate her racing versatility with impressive results in light air, heavy air, inshore and offshore venues. Of particular note is that most owners also daysail and cruise their J/122s, while many of their IRC competitors sit idle between races!

Christopher Dragon wins East Coasts

noreply@blogger.com (J Boats, Inc.) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:59:00 +0000

It would be hard to find a tougher test of racing skill than at the 2008 New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex. 120 boats competed across 6 classes in this four day event that featured the J/122 East Coast Championship. Thursday’s racing was wet and woolly with all fleets having to race inside the Bay due to the severe conditions. Friday and Saturday conditions eased enough to sail outside but with very lumpy seas. Then the T-Storms returned on Sunday with winds hitting 50 knots to shorten the day’s racing.

In J/122 action, Andrew Weiss (Rye, N.Y.) on CHRISTOPHER DRAGON opened the series with 6 straight bullets, before being really tested by both FLYING JENNY VI (David Askew, Annapolis, MD) and GAMBLER (Doug Shaffer, Houston, TX). The J/122s raced around the Island on Sunday, and with a 3rd place finish (behind FLYING JENNY and GAMBLER), Weiss locked up the J/122 East Coast Championship by two points over FLYING JENNY VI and 10 points over GAMBLER.