J/100 BAD GIRL Wins St Croix Hospice Regatta

Tony and Ellen Sanpere from St. Croix supplied this report: "We came in second in Performance cruising in my old J/36- CAYENNITA GRANDE. We also had J/27's in the race with one of them getting close to a podium finish. Also sailing was Bob Armstrong's J/100 BAD GIRL.   On the Buck Island Channel course, the J/100 BAD GIRL won the Spinnaker Racing class with an all-Crucian crew and six top three finishes. Though long-time J/24 sailor and helmsman Jens Hookanson was born in St. Croix, he has lived in the U.S. since age 16 and had never sailed in the annual SCYC regatta. He liked the race to Christiansted, followed by windward-leeward courses in the Channel. "Tactician Carlos Skov is key to the program," according to Hookanson. "Skov was especially touched by the win, as his mother was the first hospice patient on St. Croix, and Skov weighed in at eight cases of Cruzan Rum."  Armstrong and his J/100 crew also received an invitation to the National Hospice Regatta Championships, to be sailed in Rochester, NY in June.

J/44 GOLD DIGGER Wins Miami Grand Prix

STARK RAVING MAD 3rd IRC Overall

(Miami Beach, FL- Mar 4-7)-  There was an interesting mix of IRC entries at Miami Grand Prix with the TP52 DECISION (Stephen Murray, New Orleans) and the J/105 GUMPTION (Kevin Grainger, New York) at opposite ends of the spectrum.  Meanwhile, in between were the two Jim's, Jim Bishop on the J/44 GOLD DIGGER and Jim Madden and his crew aboard STARK RAVING MAD who were eager to see how the J/125 performs in IRC.

“We always assumed this boat would have a poor IRC rating, but have discovered there are a few minor changes that can be made to get credits under the system,” said North Sails president Gary Weisman, tactician on STARK RAVING MAD. “So we are testing the waters and seeing how well the boat can compete under IRC.”  In retrospect, Weisman now wishes STARK RAVING MAD had entered IRC 2 class at Key West 2010 instead of PHRF 1, which it won in convincing fashion – finishing first in eight of 10 races. “This will be an  interesting regatta because there is such a wide spread in boat sizes and speed from the top to the bottom end of the fleet that it’s hard to gauge how things will turn out,” he said.

After ten races, sailed in mostly N-NW winds ranging from 10-15 knots, it was clear the outcome of the series. Jim Bishop completed a wire-to-wire win in IRC class with a first and a second in Sunday’s two races. The Rhode Island skipper steered his 20-year-old J/44 to victory in five races and finished no worse than second in totaling 19 points.  Jim Madden's J/125 STARK RAVING MAD was in second most of the series but just lost out the last day to finish third overall-- a remarkable achievement considering that it's a "pre-IRC" designed boat.

“It’s absolutely fabulous,” an ecstatic Bishop said of the victory. “We had an excellent crew and great preparation, and were fortunate to get the type of conditions that favor this boat. We need a breeze and it blew pretty strong for this entire regatta.”

“GOLD DIGGER is very capably sailed and does well in the moderate breeze,” Madden said. “We’d like to see winds that are either 18 knots or more so we can plane or less than 10 knots so our lighter displacement will be an advantage. This moderate breeze is challenging for us.”  STARK RAVING MAD normally sails PHRF and Madden’s team is using this regatta as a test for how the J/125 can perform under IRC. “It’s been a competitive class, evidenced by the fact only four points separate the second through sixth place boats,” he said. “While there is a wide range of designs here, the speed differences aren’t as great as you might think. We’ve seen a lot of other boats within our quadrant of the race course.”

Organizers with Premiere Racing had no trouble completing the 10-race series as winds rarely dropped below 10 knots and often reached the upper teens. Principal race officer Dave Brennan and team set terrific courses and it was notable that there was not a single protest. “South Beach once again delivered the conditions it’s known for, the competition in all three classes was tremendous and the race committee work was flawless as usual,” event director Peter Craig said following the awards ceremony at Miami Beach Marina. “Combine all those factors and that explains why there are so many smiling faces around here.”  For more Miami Grand Prix regatta information and sailing results

St. Maarten Heineken Regatta

Successful J/95 Caribbean Racing Debut

(Simpson Bay, St. Maarten- March 7)- There can be few events in the world that match St. Maarten Heineken Regatta’s unique cocktail of fun and serious racing. Under the leadership of Robbie Ferron – St. Maarten Yacht Club commodore – who set up the regatta 30 years ago, this Caribbean classic continues to go from strength to strength and, if the positive buzz on the street is anything to go by, next year’s event is going to reach record levels.

With some of the world’s most talented sailors including the likes of many J/24 and J sailing veterans like America’s Cup legends Peter Isler, Peter Holmberg, round the world PUMA sailor Kenny Read and Olympic/America’s Cup skipper Andy Beadsworth, among the many high profile sailors competing here this week, it’s not surprising this event is fast becoming a Mecca for seriously fun winter racing.

The final race of the three-day St. Maarten Heineken Regatta may have lacked one special Caribbean ingredient – sun – but there was certainly no shortage of action for the 240-boat fleet in the extremely lively northerly breeze which allowed the big raunchy yachts the opportunity to really strut their stuff on the 27nm race from Marigot Bay back to Sint Maarten Yacht Club.

In what was arguably one of the most competitive fleets at the regatta, Spinnaker 5 class saw two J's vying for class honors, the J/120 EL OCASO and the J/122 LOST HORIZON.  The first day of racing was an auspicious one for Jim Dobbs J/122 LOST HORIZON.  Starting off with a 1-3 on the water, Jim later find out the first turned into an OCS.  Nevertheless, Jim and the LOST HORIZON crew dominated the rest of the regatta with three straight firsts over the next two days to get third overall.  Rick Wesslund's veteran Key West Race Week winning J/120 EL OCASO sailed a remarkably consistent series, with a 2-2-3-2-3 record, to finish second overall, just two points out of first.

Two J's sailed very well in Spinnaker 6 class to finish third and fourth respectively.  David Cullen's J/109 POCKET ROCKET finished third and the new J/95 SHAMROCK VII saw its Caribbean racing debut with Tom Mullen and crew sailing to a very respectable fourth overall in this large class-- not bad for a shoal-draft cruising and day sailing boat that draws only 3.5 feet!

Bob Armstrong's red-hot J/100 BAD GIRL that has been winning a number of the Caribbean events over the past few years managed to finish third in this year's St. Maarten regatta in Spinnaker 7 class.  Rumor had it the gang on BAD GIRL were really enjoying the festivities and reggae bands in apres-racing during the evenings.

After a relaxing afternoon prize-giving on Sunday at St. Maarten Yacht Club, competitors and guests were treated to an exuberant evening dancing the night away on the beach in the presence of International Reggae superstar Maxi Priest and his band who played classic hits of the last three decades, concluding yet another successful St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.  For more St Maarten sailing and regatta information.

J/24 Copa de Mexico Regatta

Brazilians Winning After Two Days

(Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)- The fifty-three J/24 competitors are enjoying a very special treat sailing off Puerto Vallarta in Bahia de Banderas.  So, far the weather has held true to form with the midday westerly thermal winds 5-15 knots from 220-240 degrees giving way to the afternoon thermal breezes from 300-320 degrees.  The shifty, streaky winds make for challenging conditions and are keeping the tacticians on each team anxious to avoid significant mistakes going around the race track.

The current leaders include J/24 class veterans fighting it out for the podium separated by only three points after four races and two days of sailing.  It will be interesting to see if the top three can maintain the consistency they've managed to achieve so far with three more days of sailing left.  So far,  Maurizio Santa Cruz from Brazil, the current J/24 World Champion, is in first place sailing BRUSCHETTA to a 13-4-1-1 record.  After a slow start the first day, Maurizio and team were red hot the second day, getting two firsts in very tough sailing conditions.  Javier Arribas Leigh from Peru is second overall sailing PRIMERO to a consistent 1-8-4-8 tally.  Just one point back is Chris Snow, the current J/24 NA Champion, sailing "S" to a 10-1-5-6 record.  Chris and Javier were both in the top three going up the final leg of race four, leading the series until the wind got very shifty with puffs coming off the beach and down from the mountain ridges off Puerto La Cruz.  The top ten shows the diversity of international talent in the world's largest one-design keelboat class; Brazilians are 1st, 6th; Peruvians 2nd; Americans 3rd, 7th, 10th; Mexicans 4th, 9th; Puerto Ricans 5th; and Germans 8th.  

The sailing has been fun and challenging so far, but what a social event! Peter Wiegandt and Kenneth Porter have done a spectacular job for everyone to enjoy.  The Mexican Ministry of Tourism, the President of Mexico- Felipe Calderon (a sailor himself sailing on the lake of Valle de Bravo) and the Mexican Navy (with Optimist youth training programs at every facility) are all supporting sailing, the Regata Copa Mexico and the J/24 Class in particular.  And, the line-up of sponsors is extraordinary: MICROSOFT Office, Nyssen, Dos Equis XX Brewery, Nextel, Icon Vallarta, DELL Computers, Comex, Grey Goose, Coca Cola, Marival and Banamex.  The Marival Suites Hotel, an all-inclusive resort, has every amenity, activity, food and drink one could ever wish for in a beach-front complex- four pools, horseback riding, hiking in the mountains, sailing, surfing, paddling, shuffleboard, bocce ball pits, tennis, 18-hole golf course, world-class spa (mud baths, whirlpools), the list is endless.  Throw on top of that a spectacular sunset dinner on the beach and a Mayan-inspired evening show at the romantic and gorgeous Bahia Las Caletas on the luscious, mountainous south shore of Bahia de Banderas and you have a recipe for a fabulous event (read more about it below in an excerpt from SAIL's Kimball Livingston's blog).  For more Regatta Copa Mexico sailing information.

J/95 Owners Profile- Gerry & Trudie Ficks

* Gerry and Trudie Ficks are moving into their SEVENTH J/Boat.  This photo shows Trudie Ficks checking out Rod Johnstone's J/95 no. 2 outside Gordon Pass in Naples, Florida yesterday. Onboard also were Tom McFadden and Craig Crossley of CrossCurrent Marine, our J/Boat Southeast dealer. Trudie has previously sailed on hull #1 and used the sail on #2 to finalized specifications on their own hull #11 to be completed this May -- just in time for a summer vacation with friends on Buzzards Bay prior to the boat going south to the Ficks home port in the Florida Keys. The Ficks have owned, cruised, raced J's from the littlest J/22 all the way up to the J/44 and think the new shoal draft J/95 is their perfect and (lucky!) seventh J to sail and race.

J/24 Sailor Katie Burns- SA Interview

*  Katie Burns ("KB24")- J/24 bow goddess. We had to include this heartwarming story about a U.S. Army veteran discovering what it's like sailing J/24s.  Katie Burns, a.k.a. "KB24" on Sailing Anarchy provided SA updates on her recent escapades.  Katie had this to say, "With the advent of some of the most advanced yacht racing in the world during the 33rd America’s Cup, I decided to start my 2010 sailing year quite a few steps back from the huge multihull monsters. If you guys remember, I had quite the ride in 2009. From sailing with Quantum Racing in the 2009 Audi MedCup to gaining a lot of sportboat experience on Pete Hunter’s Wairere, and the many other exciting opportunities I had (including working with Sailing Anarchy during the Melges 24 Worlds in Annapolis), I came out of 2009 with some definitive objectives. There were definitely a few times when I found that I was in over my head, but I persisted to pitch myself into every opportunity without abandon because I just have too much pride to do it any other way. The truth is that I discovered a newfound competitive edge in sailing last year, but I was struggling to keep up with it. And since I have a severe problem with not being really good at the things I like to do, I decided to start 2010 by retraining in technical knowledge. Here’s how: J/24 one-design racing.

I knowwwwwwww. I know. Believe me, I know. Everyone proclaims to hate J/24 sailing, but listen to what I have to say. See, I raced on Paul Van Ravenswaay’s MILLENNIUM FALCON (#5350) from Annapolis in the J24 Midwinters at Davis Island Yacht Club and also in the St. Pete NOODs the following weekend. We pretty much raced that J/24 for 9 days straight, and it was excellent training. Yes, I got really bruised. Yes, I was really freaking cold. Yes, I’m pretty sure my organs began to liquefy. But it’s all good. I had an opportunity to race in a competitive one-design fleet, so I took it. And let me tell you about the competition:

The J/24 fleet in Tampa and St. Pete was laden with some of the top guys in the class and even the industry, which proved to be tough racing. As a relative newcomer to the class, I didn’t have as much to offer as guys like Charlie Enright, Tim Healy, Will Welles, Tony Parker, Chris Snow, or Chuck Allen, but they were all nonetheless encouraging and the fleet as a whole created a great environment for one-design sailing. I also have to mention Brian and Kat Malone for acting as both hosts and competitors, and I would like to congratulate Charlie Enright and crew for winning the 2010 J/24 Midwinters. In the end, it was the perfect event for honing skills, opening my season, challenging the crew, and getting out of the snow-covered North.

After getting used to the boat and the crew (Paul Van Ravenswaay, Mike Zinkgraf, Eric Haneberg, Jarrett Hering – a great group from Annapolis), I really started to learn more and get a little more aggressive in my role. I wanted to contribute to the team, but I also was completely out of my sportboat comfort zone. See, the J/24 has this thing called a “cabin-top” to crawl over during tacks, and that alone was a pretty big feat. I honestly think I’ve low-crawled through Army infiltration courses that had more clearance than the J/24.  Once or twice, I actually had to be pulled across by my crew, which was a pretty big blow to my ego. I even think at one point I screamed like a little girl when I found myself caught on leeward with no chance of pulling myself to the other side. That was hilarious. But, I can adapt and overcome what I have to, so what I once said about TP-52 sailing also applies to the J/24; “A boat is a boat, and I can do at least that much.” I figured it out.

Here is another way to learn something on the water:  While rounding the top mark, get hit really hard on your port side by the bow of a leeward J/24. It’ll put a nice chunk of a hole in your hull, and you’ll have to figure something out about your boat, and quick! This happened to us at the NOOD regatta, and we had to retire from the race to address the puncture wound. Thankfully the hole was nicely above the waterline, so Eric made some quick work with the duct tape, and we were able to compete in the last 2 races of the day. We hauled the boat out afterwards, and Mike did an overnight fiberglass job to get us back out on the water.  Honestly, we probably should have all left our fenders on, especially those last 2 days. There was a lot of bumper-boat action out there. J/24 sailors are a scrappy bunch, eh? At times, I came out of a race feeling like we had been in a bar fight. It was aggressive, and I liked it that way. (By the way, no hard feelings to the boat that hit us, considering they actually sailed very well otherwise. We all know that accidents happen, and we all know that it’s a part of the learning process. Adapt and overcome, you know!?  Oh, and props to Tim Healy sailing his J/24 for the overall win of the St. Pete NOOD regatta.

So, now I am exhausted, dehydrated, and bruised, but I’m also a lot more proficient and I had a lot of fun. A racer CANNOT move to upper levels of sailing without learning the basics first. Just don't do it. I had to learn how to shoot a rifle before I could learn how to shoot a grenade launcher, and I wore an expert marksman badge in both at one point. It’s not different in sailing. J/24 racing is a great way to sharpen skills. Next step: BOR 90 … ??? Haha, just kidding.   Much love,  Katie Burns

J/80 Winter Trophy Club de Mar

(Palma Mallorca, Spain- Feb 20)- On Saturday February 20, Club de Mar in Palma de Mallorca ran the final three races of the Winter Trophy.  Sailing well in their first regatta of the 2010 sailing season was the overall winner was the wildly graphic J/80 PORTCALL COMPOSITES.  With no meltemis to worry about and seasonably warm conditions, the island "nation" of Palma blessed the J/80 fleet with near perfect conditions for sailing in the famous bay.  Capturing the essence of sailing in these idyllic waters off the eastern coast of Spain was the remarkable photographer, Jesus Renedo. Credits- http://www.sailingstock.com   For more Spanish J/80 sailing information.

J/80 Castro Ricardo III Trophy

(La Coruna, Spain- Feb. 22)- The second part of the Castro Ricardo III Trophy was held this past weekend at the Real Club Náutico de La Coruña.  The J80s sailed two races with little sea and gusty winds ranging from 7 to 22 knots, causing continuous changes in the leading pack. Proof of this was victory in the first race of IN ITINERIES skippered by Miguel Fernandez.  What was remarkable was that Fernandez, who was over the line early and circled back very late, caught back up to the leading pack at the end of the first run.  He ultimately won the race ahead of the MIUDO sailed by Carlos Pampín in second and ZEIK raced by the Zapata brothers in third. The second race was very close and was a constant battle between the crew of IN ITINERIES, MARINA CORUNA and MELTIME; nevertheless they finished in that order with IN ITINERIES winning.  For more Spanish J/80 sailing information.

RORC Caribbean 600 Race

Glimcher's J/122 CATAPULTs Home

(Antigua- Feb. 23)- The 2010 version of this new bluewater classic really was an enormous navigational and tactical challenge.  The majority of the fleet entered into the "black hole" stage of the race when they all arrived at the easternmost turning "mark"- Guadeloupe Island.  Seemingly, the weather Gods played a nasty trick on the fleet, shutting down the smaller boats leaving them bouncing around in swells with little wind while the big boats simply blasted off under fast reaching conditions to the finish line.  After spending long periods with little rest and virtually no wind, the sailors began to feel the effects, leading to substantial numbers of boats retiring.

The long leg south from the northern turning mark off the coast of St. Maarten to the island of Les Saintes off the southern tip of Guadeloupe was an upwind surprise for the fleet, with the breeze from the south, turning southwest early on Wednesday morning.  This was quite a different story from the start where clear blue skies, fresh breeze and aquamarine seas greeted the sailors-- the sailors were treated to some superb champagne sailing conditions that typify these waters at this time of year.  The first boats crossed the starting line for the 605 mile race on February 22nd to start an adventure that would take them around fourteen Caribbean islands, in what is regarded as probably the finest sailor's play ground.  By the morning of the second day, the wind direction had changed to southerly and windless spots were appearing all over the race course. And, that was all she wrote for a vast majority of the fleet.

Les Saintes proved to be the nemesis for many boats that were caught in the wind shadow from the high mountains of Guadeloupe, the bigger boats managed to get through but the breeze was really beginning to tail off and the smaller boats became trapped. Marc Glimcher's J/122 CATAPULT had been sailing a very intelligent race and were leading overall on handicap when the breeze died out.  Despite such challenges, kudos to Marc and team on CATAPULT for persevering until nearly the fourth day, still leading and having rounded Les Saintes/ Guadeloupe headed towards Antigua, English Harbour, before making the difficult decision to simply pack it in and turn on the "iron genny".  From the track of CATAPULT above, you can see they were seventh boat-for-boat with 50-65 footers around them!  Better luck next time!   For more RORC 600 sailing and regatta information.

J/24 "Regatta Copa de Mexico"

(Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)- The Mexican J/24 Class is hosting a remarkable event that may go down as one of the main fixtures on the spring sailing circuit in years to come.  In what is traditionally an event that marks the start of the MEXORC (Mexican Ocean Racing Circuit) with the San Diego-Puerto Vallarta Race, the J/24 class was invited to spice things up a bit and participate en'masse.  The response has been overwhelming.  Fifty-three J/24s registered from nine countries, including USA, Mexico, Brazil, Monaco, Germany, El Salvador, Italy, Puerto Rico, Peru.  Talk about some "time travelers", would do Dr. No proud to see this assemblage of talent.

Amongst the J/24 class notables participating are Chris Snow, the current J/24 NA Champion racing "S" and Maurizio Santa Cruz from Brazil- the current J/24 World Champion- who will be sailing TRES VELAS, heading up the Brazilian contingent that also includes Claudio Ruschel.  Furthermore, current J/105 North American Champion Bruce Stone will be sailing HOT TUB with tactician Stu Johnstone- himself a former J/24 World Champion tactician. Not to be outdone by other Latino-Americano firepower, the Mexican J/24 class has seven of their top ten sailors from their 2009 Nationals making an appearance, including three of the top five- Peter Colliard on KAWABUNGA, Mario Velasquez on VENDETTA and Luis Alvarez sailing TA'LENTO.    For more J/24 Mexico sailing regatta information.

J/95 Sailing Swiss Lakes

J/Lane, the J Dealer based in Strasse, Switzerland has its J/95 just about ready to roll on the gorgeous Swiss lakes, starting with the HallwillerSee (Lake Hallwiller).  Peter Bangerter is quite excited about the enthusiasm they're seeing for the revolutionary shoal-draft J/95.  The fact that it can be towed on European Community roadways ensures  that J/95 will have broad appeal to those who wish to explore not just remote reaches of their own lakes and shorelines but to take it far afield to the Med, the Atlantic or to the Adriatic Sea-- it will be interesting to see how far European J/95 sailors push the limits of its capabilities- the ultimate in sailing freedom.  Take it anywhere you wish to sail in complete comfort and with remarkable performance.