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/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 Lacre Memorial Trophy

ECC VIVIENDAS Still Leading

(Santander, Spain)- With twenty nine  boats entered in this series, it has been difficult for any one boat to sail consistently well and maintain a leading position overall.  Witness the fact that some new players are in the top five and the three series leaders are only separated by six points.  This past weekend, Inigo Jauregui's GOLD SAILING was an example of this new blood, getting two second places for the weekend to jump into fifth overall.  Pichu Torcida's ECC VIVIENDAS is still leading overall followed by Tony Piris' YATES & COSAS and Jaime Piris' FONESTAR.

The J/80s probably enjoyed the best afternoon of racing so far this year. The cold weather in Santander finally gave way to much more Mediterranean balmy conditions and the sailors enjoyed a fantastic weekend of two windward-leeward course in Santander Bay.  The courses were fun since they setup the leeward mark close to Isla de Mouro and a windward mark off the Mataleñas beaches.  Northwest winds blew great intensity and there were some good-sized waves, too.

ECC VIVIENDAS dominated both races with two firsts.  With their two victories, the crew consisting of Pichu Torcida, Alex Muscat, Abelardo Quevedo and Juan González is placed just in front of YATES & COSAS sailed by Santi López-Vázquez.  While Y&C was leading going into the weekend, a fifth and fourth dropped Tony Piris four points back in the overall standings.  With two weekends still to go, it is still a  championship. In third position is FONESTAR, sailed by Jaime Piris, which could only get a ninth and third to stay on the podium overall.  They are followed by Paul Santurde's SPACIO 10 in fourth overall with GOLD SAILING in fifth overall.   Photo credits: chapifoto.com  For more Spanish J/80 sailing info.

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.

J/22 Fun- Cayman Islands Commodore's Cup

(Cayman Islands- Jan. 16-17)- The government of the Cayman Islands must be doing a few things right.  Hard to imagine how this island nation (comprised mostly of service industries like international banks and offshore trusts) were compelled to honor their heritage as a nation by having school children learn the sport of sailing.  And, as part of that initiative work with local sailors to create a fabulous sailing center accessible by all.  Amongst the fleet at the CISC National Sailing Centre are a raft of dinghies and a fleet of J/22s sailing in those gorgeous crystal clear waters. 

This years edition of the Commodore's Cup was a closely fought affair.  In the end, despite having four firsts in seven races, the COMPASS team sailed by Mr. Farrington barely squeaked by with a win over Hanson's FORTIS.  FORTIS sailed a remarkably consistent series to finish tied for first with COMPASS with eleven points.  But, after a drop race FORTIS lost the tie-breaker on who-beat-who more times.  Third on the podium was Johnson racing YAHOO!, accumulating seventeen points after six races.

Of note, there will be a J/22 Invitational International Regatta with 12 J/22s starting on the outer course Saturday 13th March. It’s going to be busy out there on North Sound!   For more Cayman Island J/22 Sailing 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/30 Midwinters- New Orleans Mardi Gras!

Ken Buhler's JALAPENO Wins

(New Orleans- Feb. 20-21)- Hosted by the amazingly charming and low-key New Orleans Yacht Club, this year's J/30 Mid-Winters regatta was held in the balmy 65 degree temperatures and persistent 10 knot plus breezes.  The venue was Mardi Gras Regatta in New Orleans. It was great to shake off the icicles with some hot racing. As always, starts and mark roundings are critical in One Design J/30 racing.  The fleet speed was very close with multiple leaders and three individual first place finishers; BLACK MAGIC, ZEPHYR V2 and JALAPENO.  As a result, with multiple boats winning with a certain amount of braggin rights, it all culminated in great story telling at the bar. JALAPENO was lucky enough to hold off the hard pressing fleet to win the J/30 Midwinters for the third time since 2004. The crew gave credit to their newest crew member, Henrietta, for calling tactics. Second went to  the tough team aboard ZEPHYR V2.0 and third just off the pace was GRITZ II not having won one race.

The Gulf Coast will hold NA 2013 and the Midwinters again next year.  New Orleans is a great venue for J/Boat sailing all year long.  Come on down and join us next time!  Here's a YouTube video of our NOYC "Welcoming Crew".   For J/30 Midwinters regatta and sailing info.

J/80’s Are Back on Long Island Sound!

(NY/ CT)- J/80’s are one of the most exciting one-design boats to sail, but, previously, if you wanted to race one-design on the Long Island Sound, you either had to sail dinghies or buy a larger boat like the J/105.  There always were a few J/80’s around, but split in two different groups: the one-design travel boats and the local PHRF racing boats.  Among the travelers, some of the best crews in the country, if not the world, call the Long Island Sound their home. The more prominent boats are Kerry Klingler’s LIFTED and John Storck, Jr.’s RUMOR who probably both don’t need any further introduction to the readers of this newsletter. On the other hand, there have always been various J/80s scattered about in clubs like AYC, LYC and Centerport that mainly sailed PHRF in club races. But, until this year, the local boats did not come together as a fleet.

This February, representatives from nine boats got together at Larchmont Yacht Club to meet each other, organize and reaffirm that western Long Island Sound was ripe for J/80 one-design events.  Five more boats joined Fleet 17 since the word got out bringing the total count of boats in the area up to 14 and at least two more are expected to join soon. The newly invigorated fleet agreed on three local races for this year to complement the full 2010 USA Tour schedule.  These events are:
May 22-23    Lloyd Harbor YC Spring Race for the Case (of Rum)- Lloyd Neck, NY
Jun 6-7         Cedar Point YC One Design Regatta- East Norwalk, CT
Sep 25-26    American YC Fall Series (1st weekend only)- Rye, NY

In addition, the fleet is planning to launch an annual J/80 Long Island Sound Cup – “J/80 LIS Cup” – which will be scored similar to the J/80 2010 USA Tour with a combination of qualifying local races. For more information on the fleet and how to get involved, please contact J/80 Fleet#17 rep Ansgar Chorhummel (ansgar@kiaora.us) of  or go here-  J/80 Fleet #17 website.

J/22 Euro-League 2010

The J/22 class in Europe, led by class leaders from The Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy have announced their J/22 2010 Euro-League circuit.  This year's Euro-League will include the following events:
May 13-16      J/22 Open French Championship (Ecole Navale Lanvéoc, FRA)
Jun 26-Jul 4    J/22 World Championship (Scheveningen, NED)
Jul 30-Aug     Travemünder Woche (Travemünde, GER)
Oct 15-17       J/22 Dutch Open Nationals (Braassemermeer, NED)
For more J/22 Euro-League Sailing information.

J/109 East Coast Circuit

(East Coast, America)- In addition to Bill Sweetser's offering up the gorgeous trophy now hanging at Annapolis YC, US J/109 Class President Rick Lyall has outlined a proposed schedule of J/109 events for the 2010 season.  The key one-design events are:
- J109 Mid Atlantic Championship at the Annapolis NOOD (Part I- East Coast Series)
- American YC Spring Series
- Breakwater Yacht Club Sprit Fest
- Block Island Race Week
- J109 North American Championship at NYYC Race Week
- J109 East Coast Championship- Larchmont NOOD (Part II- East Coast Series)
- American YC Fall Series
- Storm Trysail Club Intercollegiate Regatta

I have also included a number of events where J109s are likely to sail under IRC, hopefully in the IRC 35 Class.  These include:
- Larchmont YC Edlu Distance Race
- Roosevelt Cup
- Storm Trysail Club's Block Island Race
- NYYC Annual Regatta
- NYYC Race Week 2nd half: IRC National Championship
- Vineyard Race
- Long Island Sound IRC Championship
  For more information on the J/109 East Coast Circuit.

J/105 Narragansett Bay Championship Tour

(Newport, RI)- Fleet 14 (southern New England) is pleased to announce the J-105 Narragansett Bay Championship Tour consisting of three closely-spaced regattas that typically draw competitors from Marblehead to Annapolis:

July 10-11    Coastal Living Sail Newport- Newport, RI
July 17-19    Rolex NYYC Race Week- Newport, RI
August 7-8    West Passage Regatta- Wickford, RI

To make it easy for out-of-towners, Brewer Wickford Cove Marina, adjacent to Wickford Yacht Club, will haul, power wash and store visiting boats during the Tour at deeply discounted rates.

During the West Passage Regatta, Sampson Rigging will award the top boats their choice of its newest hi-tech sheets and halyards, West Marine will spice up the Saturday night dinner with some exciting product giveaways, and Waterlines, the Portsmouth RI builder of the J-105, will award the overall Tour winner the J-105 Narragansett Bay Championship half-model perpetual trophy along with gift certificates for spare parts.

Along with these generous product contributions, North Sails will provide mark set boats during the West Passage Regatta as well as offering on-the-water coaching for all comers on Friday, August 6, followed by a debrief and welcome party at Wickford Yacht Club.

For further information, contact Nelson Weiderman (Nelson@weiderman.com) of J/105 Fleet 14. And for more J/105 Class information.

J/122 Northeast Circuit

(Newport, RI)- The J/122 Class is pleased to announce its 2010 J/122 Northeast Circuit.  J/122 WINGS co-owner, Mike Bruno, said "We encourage all J/122 owners to join us in a wonderful series of J/122 one-design class events this summer that includes the highlight, the J/122 North Americans held in conjunction with the Rolex New York Yacht Club Race Week."  Here are the events all J/122s are invited to:

April 24-25   American Yacht Club Spring Series-  Rye, NY
May 1-2        American Yacht Club Spring Series-  Rye, NY
May 28         Storm Trysail Block Island Race- Stamford, CT
June 11-13    NYYC Spring Regatta- Newport, RI
July 16-19     J/122 North Americans at Rolex NYYC Race Week- Newport, RI
Sept 11-12    Larchmont SW NOOD Regatta- Larchmont, NY
Sept 25-26    American Yacht Club Fall Series- Rye, NY
Oct 2-3         American Yacht Club Fall Series- Rye, NY

For J/122 Class information- please contact info@jboats.com

Sailing World NOOD- St. Petersburg

Tim Healy's J/24 Wins St. Pete Overall

(Feb. 12-14- St. Petersburg, FL)- This year's SW NOOD St. Pete was an excellent kickoff to the nine-stop 2010 NOOD Regatta series, with ninety six keelboats boats contesting six quality races—which is pretty good considering the light-air conditions that have challenged this regatta venue over the past several years.  Of the ninety six keelboats attending, the largest sailing fleet were the J/24s with twenty-three racing around the track, followed by the fifteen J/80s participating in the second stop of the J/80 USA Tour and four happy-go-luck J/22s enjoying all the festivities.  In short, with forty-two J's sailing, they constituted 44.0% of the SW NOOD fleet-- nearly a J/Fest Southeast!

As the final day of racing progressed on Tampa Bay on Sunday, the towering smoke stacks on the eastern shore hinted at what was to come: the morning's horizontal streaming plumes slowly giving way to vertical trails. Luckily, the 0930 warning signals at the Sperry Top-Sider St. Petersburg NOOD Regatta's three circles allowed the race committee to squeeze in two more races before it all went kaput.  And in the dying northeasterly that defined the day's sunny but cold conditions there were all sorts of puffs, lulls, shifts, and holes and to avoid. There was no predictably to the breeze whatsoever. Even a few competitors that came out on top in the day's races admitted that conditions were of the mind-bending sort.

For the J/24s, one smart move by Tim Healy netted his team the overall win in St. Pete and a trip to the Caribbean later in the year for SW NOOD Championships.  Healy, a sailmaker with Quantum Sails, Rhode Island, went into the last race with a slim lead over Argentinean champion Joaquin Doval sailing U2 for YCA (Yate Club Argentina in Buenos Aires), and approached it with a pretty simple plan: beat Doval and keep his nose clean in the process. That later element would later be critical.  "We didn't want to be over early or hit anyone," says Healy. "We just wanted to be conservative."

Healy, with crew John Mollicone, Steve Lopez, Dan Rabin, and Gordon Borges, got a decent jump on Doval's U2 squad on the first beat, but their focus on the Argentineans almost cost them the regatta. "We sailed ourselves pretty deep into the fleet, and we gave them the opportunity to put a lot of boats between us," says Healy. "We should have sailed our own race and just stayed in phase with the shifts."

At the ensuing leeward mark rounding, some heads-up logic saved their bacon. Approaching the mark on starboard, and with inside rights on a multiple-boat pile-up, they quickly realized that taking advantage of their right-of-way wasn't going to do them any good. "We would have stuck it in there and either hit the mark or other boats," says Healy. Instead, they sailed around the entire pack and got in on the tail end of the pinwheel. "It definitely got pretty bad."

He estimates they rounded 20th (while Doval was top-five), but they worked the right side of the race course hard on the following beat, where they were banking on better pressure. They passed enough boats to make it nearly impossible for Doval to put enough points between them, and Healy's eighth to Doval's fourth gave the New Englanders a 1-point win and a trip to the Caribbean in November to the Sperry Top-Sider Caribbean NOOD Championship.  Finishing just behind these two were another Argentinean Champion Nicolas Cubria racing JESUS LIZZARD for Real Club Nautico, winning the last race but not nearly enough points to knock the other two off the podium.

For the J/80 class, J/80 champion Kerry Klingler won this important tune-up regatta for the October J/80 Worlds in Newport. After establishing primal supremacy over the fleet, starting off with two bullets, Kerry and crew onboard LIFTED rattled off three thirds and a last race first to win the regatta by a healthy margin of six points.  Two fellow Long Island Sounders also sailed solid series to further establish the primacy of their light air, shifty wind sailing skills.  In second was John DiMatteo racing CHRISTE and just off the pace in third overall was John Storck and family sailing RUMOR. 

The J/22s apparently had some fun despite the low turnout.  Everyone won races and in the end they nearly all finished tied!  How's that for some healthy racing!  Nevertheless, it was a tie-breaker for first place with Jackson Pentith sailing DELERIUM winning the regatta by having more first places.  In second on the short end of that stick was Jim Chorostecki racing THREE'S COMPANY.  Finishing third was Daniel Kresge on board JABBERWOCKY.  Photo Credits:  Tim Wilkes   For more Sailing World NOOD Regatta and sailing information.

J/22 Grows and Grows in Germany

Hardy Kleinefeld has this to report about J/22 class development in Germany: "The Boot 2010 Sailboat Show has once again confirmed that the J22 continues to grow nicely as a class in Germany.  The two week boot show saw great interest in the J/22 class. The German J/22 Class Association was well prepared and had plenty of KV-members willing to accommodate the crowds that came by in their high-traffic location in Hall 17. The attention has been great and the J/22 class in Germany continues to grow. Since 2005, the number of members has almost doubled. And if the ice has melted, the class will start racing in March, probably around 40 boats on the Braassemermeer for the first event.  By the way, after Europe's 2010 "Ice Age", we will have a winter training session under the leadership of former J/22 World, European and Masters Champion, Dutchman Jeroen den Boer.  For more German J/22 Class Sailing information.

Challenge J/80 La Trinité France

(La Trinite sur Mer, France- Feb 6-7)- Like their J/80 classmates in Spain, the J/80 French teams are starting their late winter/ early spring racing and training programs for the 2010 summer season and many of the teams are looking at gearing up for the J/80 Worlds in Newport, RI in October. 

Thirteen teams participated in the second weekend of the Challenge J80 Trinitaine, racing in very tough weather conditions.  On Saturday in light, shifty six to twelve knot NW winds off La Trinite, marked by lots of current, the teams spent a lot of time training on their maneuvers; with starts, mark roundings and leeward gate roundings.  On Sunday, under bright spring sunshine and fifteen knot NE winds, the Race Committee sent the teams around a one nautical mile windward-leeward course.  At the end of the day, it was COYOTE that won the day with a 4-1-1 record.  J'BOULET was second with a 5-2-2 tally and third lay JALUCYNE with a 4-3-3 series score.  For more J/80 French Class sailing information.

J/80s Spain Report

(Feb. 17th)- The Spanish J/80 teams press on regardless of wind, weather, European Ice Age and anything else that may be thrown in front of them.  This past weekend was no exception.  Of note were the training sessions conducted by past J/80 World and European Champions, highlighted by the participation of Murciano Carlos Martinez (3rd in the 2009 Worlds in Santander, Spain and 3rd in the 2008 Worlds at Kiel, Germany), the Spaniard Jose Maria Torcida (2007 World Champion in La Trinité, France and 6th in the 2009 Worlds in Santander, Spain).

RCNB Winter Trophy 

(Barcelona, Spain)- This past weekend, Real Club Nautico Barcelona conducted six races in excellent wind conditions- shifty fifteen knot winds from the southwest.  The RC PRO setup a nice 3.5 nautical mile windward leeward course.  Jordi Negroni won two of the three races Saturday while FORTY FIVE, skippered by Richard Terrades, continued to dominate the rest of the races. For more Spanish J/80 sailing info.

Castro Ricardo III Trophy

(La Coruna, Spain)- This past weekend saw the start of the Castro Ricardo III Trophy for the J/80 class, hosted by Real Club Náutico de La Coruña.  The fleet was greeted by two solid days of racing with widely varying conditions.  On Saturday, it blew hard from the NE at 20-25 knots and two fun, fast races were sailed.  Ultimately, it was a dogfight between MELTEMIA skippered by Fernando Lago, MARINA CORUNA skippered by Paul Chavert and IN ITINERIES skippered by Miguel Fernandez.  Miguel Fernandez sailed well on the final downwind leg of the last race to win.  On Sunday, it started light from the south at 6-7 knots, but later built to a gusty 20-23 knot winds, testing the crews again in large choppy seas and shifty breezes.  Overall the J/80s are led by MELTEMI followed by IN INITNERIES and MARINA CORUNA.  For more Spanish J/80 sailing info.

J/80 RCN Clinic a Success

(La Coruna, Spain- Feb. 8th)- There was a lot of intense activity at Real Club Náutico de La Coruña during the past weekend with the celebration of "CLINICA CORUNNA J/80."  RCNLC hosted this training for the local J/80 fleet.  Renowned J/80 sailors were invited to conduct the clinic, including Murciano Carlos Martinez (3rd in the 2009 Worlds in Santander, Spain and 3rd in the 2008 Worlds at Kiel, Germany), the Spaniard Jose Maria Torcida (2007 World Champion in La Trinité, France and 6th in the 2009 Worlds in Santander, Spain) and Peru Bilbaino Mugica. At 1030 hours the J80s began with a lecture-panel led by Carlos Martinez, on the set-up and speed for J/80s. When finished, the crews got aboard their J/80s for a very constructive on-the-water training session.  Each of the guest coaches sailed on the boats with their owners and crew, focusing on boat-handling and boat speed. Upon returning to the club from these on-the-water sessions, everyone analyzed training videos of the day, examined the pictures, always striving to improve tuning, speed and maneuvering.  The day ended with a dinner where sailors and guests continued their discussions of the tips and trick learned from the days' training session. For more Spanish J/80 sailing info.

J/80 Lacre Memorial Trophy

(Santander, Spain)- This past weekend, Toño Piris-Santi Lopez-Vazquez onboard YATES & THINGS continued their winning ways in the J/80 Santander fleet, they continue to lead the Lacre Memorial Trophy series.  Not to be outdone, Pichu Torcida-Alex Muscat sailing ECC VIVIENDAS got the win in the second race of the day was the best boat of the day and is second overall.  True to the determination of the Santander sailors, the freezing cold did not deter the twenty five crews from going to the starting line.  The teams were greeted by a moderate southwest breeze blowing 8-10 knots, which permitted the RC to conduct two races.  After some spirited racing that saw boats play both sides of the course and shifts influenced by the renowned "Moors" section of grassy beach off Santander (see J/Sailing Calendar photo), the teams are looking forward to more racing next weekend.  Lying third after the dust settled is FONESTART sailed by Jaime Piris, fourth is SPACIO 10 raced by Paul Santurde and fifth is BANCAJA sailed by Javier López-Vázquez and Alvaro Mazarrasa.  For more Spanish J/80 sailing info.

J/80s and J/World Annapolis Partner with USSTAG/GEL Sailing Program

* J/80s at J/World Annapolis were used for a USSTAG/ GEL program with US Olympian Graham Biehl.  Donna Berry from GEL had this to say about the program-  "I wanted to share the following sailing story with you involving the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, sailing experiential learning company Group Experiential Learning, J World Annapolis and Olympian Graham Biehl.

It’s not every day that one gets to meet an Olympic sailor, let alone race with one.  On February 4, 2010 in Naples, Fla., AlphaGraphics, the title sponsor of the US Sailing Team, took its sponsorship to the next level with a pioneering event that intertwined world-class sailing with corporate relationship building.   AlphaGraphics brought its top franchisees out to sail and race with US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) team member Graham Biehl, a 2008 Olympian and 2012 Olympic hopeful, in an event organized by fellow sponsor, Group Experiential Learning (GEL), the country’s premier provider of experiential outdoor and sailboat-based leadership development, team building and corporate entertainment programs.  Ninety-five percent of the participants had never sailed, let alone raced, prior to the afternoon on the home waters of the Hamilton Harbor Yacht Club, but tight racing ensued, facilitated by a highly experienced coaching team from J World Annapolis, a sailing school partner which powers many GEL programs.   Participants were divided into four teams on J80s, with each team guest-coached by Biehl during one round of the four races which comprised the regatta.

“Our role as a title sponsor of US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics has really evolved into a greater and greater relationship year-after-year,” said Kevin Cushing, CEO of AlphaGraphics.  “Our event was a great example of how the members of the team are more engaged with our franchisees and our franchisees are engaged with them.  Graham Biehl was present on every boat giving us tips and having a blast with our franchisees.  It was a once-in-a-life experience.”  

Added Dan Cooney, Commercial Director for US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, "We were thrilled to have our team-building partner GEL lead our title sponsor AlphaGraphics and their top franchisees through the paces on the water, culminating in some competitive but friendly racing.  It serves to deepen and add value to these relationships."

The day’s outcome?  Sixteen key franchisees and AlphaGraphics employees experienced an unprecedented opportunity to compete with and against a young Olympic athlete, and got a glimpse into the teamwork required to battle wind, currents and competitors in the intense world of sailboat racing.  Several teams won individual races and the regatta did award trophies, but as Kevin Cushing pointed out, the victories are truly measured in the smiles of the participants and the deepened relationships between AlphaGraphics and its vital franchisees.

J/109 East Coast Series

Bill Sweetser, owner of the J/109 RUSH, has a challenge for you!  "The RUSH team will proudly display the prestigious J/109 East Coast Regatta Series trophy at the Annapolis Yacht Club until someone takes it away."  All you have to do is compete in this year’s J/109 Mid-Atlantic Championships at the Sailing World Annapolis NOOD, and the Sailing World Larchmont NOOD, and achieve the best average points. Each year the Class Association defines the Series events.

The SW Annapolis NOOD is on April 30-May 2 and the SW Larchmont NOOD is September 11-12.  The Larchmont NOOD’s will be the awards ceremony. The Class Association will ship it to the yacht club you designate where it will remain on display until another team wins it. The "keeper trophy" is a beautiful 16 inch silver tray engraved with the year and names of the Series regattas.  For more J/109 sailing and regatta information.

Sailing World NOOD- St. Petersburg

J/80 2nd Stop of USA Tour

(St. Petersburg, FL- Feb 12-14)- The Sperry Top-Sider St. Petersburg NOOD is pleased to host the second stop of the J/80 World Championship Tour.  Premiere Racing's Nautica Key West Race Week, the first stop of the tour, saw nineteen J/80s on the starting line and the St. Pete NOOD is sure to see a strong showing as well with fifteen boats already registered. The J/80 tour will be heading up the East Coast throughout the spring and summer including a stop at the Annapolis NOOD and concluding with the J/80 World Championship hosted by SailNewport in Newport, RI during October of this year.  Look for class leaders like John Storck on RUMOR; Kerry Klingler on LIFTED; Al MInella on RELENTLESS; and Henry Brauer on RASCAL to be contenders for the podium-- all of them had flashes of brilliance at  Key West Race Week.

J/24s will also be participating with a twenty-two boat strong showing, one of the largest classes at the SW NOOD event.  Many of the J/24 Midwinters participants racing this past weekend at Davis Island Yacht Club will be racing in St. Petersburg, too.  In addition, the J/22s will have a fleet racing, too, with mostly local sailors and a team from Toronto, Canada looking forward to sunny Florida sailing.  For regatta and sailing news go here.

Sea Scouts at St. Peter NOOD

The St. Pete NOOD is pleased to welcome members of the Sea Scouts who will be racing two boats in the J/22 class and one boat in the J/24 class. All participating Sea Scouts are members of Ship 185, based out of Apollo Beach, FL. Don St. Amour has been an adult skipper for Ship185 for about 6 years. Sailing World is happy to have The Sea Scouts, a non-profit youth organization, participating in the event. Jabberwocky, a J/22 sailed by 3 young adults ranging in age from 14 to 20, will be skippered by Ryan Kresge, the Ship's Bos'n. Don will be skippering J/24 Black Magic. Don hopes to increase the number of Sea Scout boats racing in the St. Pete NOOD for 2011.

Sea Scouting is a part of the Boy Scouts of America, and is a co-educational program offered to young adults between the ages of 14 and 21. Sea Scouting is organized to promote citizenship, improve boating skills, increase knowledge through instruction, promote water safety, enhance outdoor, social, and service experiences, and expand knowledge of our maritime heritage.   For more SeaScout information.

RSYC Doyle Sails Frostbite Series

Crews Scrape the Ice for Second Weekend

(Southampton, England- Feb 6-7)- The series name was apt as crews scraped ice from the decks of their boats in preparation for the second day of racing in the Royal Southampton Yacht Club’s Doyle Sails ‘Frostbite Series’. The clear skies and -4ºC slowed the build up of the wind, resulting in the AP being raised at 1000. Eventually the WNW breeze steadied at about 7 knots which allowed class 1 to start at 1140. Everyone was happy to be moving again and warming up.

In Class 1 IRC, David and Kirsty Apthorp's J/109 J-DREAM is hanging onto third spot overall for the series, just one point out of second place.    After starting the first weekend with two seconds, the fifth place this past weekend dropped them to third overall.  Also competing is IvanTrotman's J/105 JOLENE, enjoying the challenging conditions on the Hamble River/ Solent.

The J/92 fleet were close at the start but soon split into two groups choosing different routes to the first mark.  Andy Howe's BLACK JACK edged into the lead with Mike Cooper's JAVA LITE and the trio of Andrew, Matt & Pete aboard JAMMIN in hot pursuit. The slower class 1 boats were soon overtaken by the J92’s which were enjoying the lighter wind conditions. Racing remained tight all round the course with shouts for water at the mark roundings. Andy Howe kept BLACK JACK in the lead to take line honours and the class win. Close behind were JAVA LITE and JAMMIN who crossed the line together allowing JAMMIN to take second on handicap. After an hours racing only 40 seconds covered the first three boats.  In the series lead after two weekends is JAVA LITE followed by BLACK JACK and Mike Garvey's J-ARROW.

For more RSYC Frostbite Sailing series info.   Photo credits- Hamo Thornycraft Marine.

J/24 Midwinter Championship

Enright Wins Nail-biter In Last Race

(Tampa, FL- Feb 6-10)-  The Davis Island Yacht Club offers a great escape from the February temperatures, a famous laid-back social atmosphere, and an an inviting venue for the 2010 Midwinters regatta. Februrary in Tampa Bay typically includes some excellent weather for sailing and an excellent way to spend your winter vacation.

Thirty three boats were on the line and amongst them include class notables such as veteran J/24 sailor Tony Parker of Annapolis, MD on BANGOR PACKET, Kirk Reynolds of Skaneateles, NY on OLD CROW, class stalwart Mark Pincus from Miami, FL on SCOUTS HONOR, strong contenders such as Charlie Enright, Peter Bream, Will Welles (fresh from J/80 Midwinters) and from Buenos Aires, Argentina, champion sailor Nicolas Cubria racing JESUS LIZARD.

By the fourth day of the regatta, Charlie Enright from Bristol YC (RI) kept the team of John Mollicone/ Tim Healy from getting in front of them in the last race to win the regatta by two points, they finished first and second respectively.  Just behind them in 3rd, 4th and 5th places, respectively, were Will Welles, Peter Bream and Tony Parker, each having won at least one race each.   For more J/24 Midwinters regatta and sailing information.

J/80 Spain Winter Series Update

The J/80 fleets in Bilbao, Santander and Palma Mallorca, Spain continue strong racing with some series leaders emerging.  Come rain, snow, cold or violent squalls, nothing seems to deter this group of sailors from having great sailing on the water and camaraderie in the local harborside pubs after sailing.

Winter Trophy 2010

(Bilbao, Spain- Feb 6-7)-  Winter Trophy 2010 and has a clear candidate for title: Peru Mugica and his crew of PAKEA BIZKAIA. A first and a second on the third weekend helped Peru Mugica consolidate his lead with eight points, five less than the AS DE GUIA VIII's skipper Joseph Azqueta, who finished third and fourth.  In third place overall is FREUS's  Cristian Jauregui with seventeen points.

On a cold rainy day with little wind, the race committee postponed for two hours.  Then, they got two races off, the first one being light winds and strong currents making for challenging tactical decisions and the second marked by a powerful squall shifting the winds into the north.    In the first race, Zubiaga Ramon sailing MANDOVI led the race from start to finish after a difficult start.  MANDOVI chose to duck a bunch of transoms on port to get to the favored side and simply sailed away with the race.   Behind them, Peru Mugica staged a great comeback to finish second by the end of the race. The second race was considerably closer and much windier for the fleet.  The leaders all went to the right side of the course, playing the shifts.  In the end, victory belonged to Peru's PAKEA BIZKAIA followed by Cristian's FREUS and Joseph's AS DE GUIA VIII' in third place.

After the racing a dinner was held at SALTILLO's.  After the cold and rain, the warm atmosphere and great food and drink made for some amusing stories and celebration-- a lot of potato's were eaten!  More Spanish sailing news here.

J/30 Class Growing Stronger

Bill Kneller and Dave Erwin, J/30 Class Co-Presidents have been doing a magnificent job re-connecting many J/30 sailors from across the country.  The resurgent interest in the class is heartwarming to see and, more importantly, they're having a helluva lot of fun!  Like the J/24 Australia story below regards "revamp that old boat", the J/30 Class has similar initiatives.  Read more about what Dave Erwin did to take a J/30 wrecked by Hurricane Katrina and resurrected it as the great "as new" looking J/30 called TOY BOX.  Furthermore, another great story on Tim Lawton resurrecting another J/30 called CHAOS.  Read more about these J/30 Class building efforts.

J/24 Åustralian Sailors Growing Fleets

J/24 Australian sailors are growing their fleets and having a lot of fun.   Recently, Simon Grain, from Melbourne, sailing MAKE MY J, had some thoughtful hints on "Get out and revamp your old boat, it's worth it!".  As Simon explains, "One of the huge benefits of sailing a windward leeward course is, it evens out the boats. At the 2006 Melbourne World Championships, many of the top performers were boats with a minimum age of 15 years. None was more noticeable than Mike Ingham who shipped a 20 year old J out from America, whilst not in the top 3, his top 5 finish was excellent. He then went on to come second at the 2007 Worlds in Mexico in the same boat. At the 2009 J Worlds in Sardinia last year, the majority of the fleet were boats 10 years+, just with new rigs and fast as ever. Since then in Melbourne we have seen older J’s revamped and now competing at the front of the fleet. Ron Thompson’s AUS 1324 “Kicking Bottom” ( 20+ years old) has won several races at the beginning of the season, and Micheal Lewenhagen has just put AUS 1687 “Excite your Senses”, back in the water after a major rebuild. In addition, 3 boats have new rigs and 2 have upgraded 2nd hand rigs. The end result of all of this effort, is improved performance across the fleet.

This was driven home when the J fleet sailed in the Audi Victoria Week at Geelong. Out of the 4 races that weekend the J’s got line honours in 3 and a 2nd in the 4th. A fantastic effort out of 50+ boats all of whom were bigger. In past years the S80 design yachts would have sailed past the J’s, this year, none of the 10 S80’s beat a J24 for line honours!  In South Australia several owners have revamped old J’s. Some of these boats were past Australian champions, were cheap to buy, cheap to clean up and revamp and are now sailing at the front of the national fleet again.  J24’s in Australia, can be brought up to race speed with a minimum of effort and experience. With the racing opportunities now offered, the excuse that your boat is no longer competitive no longer holds water. There are around 200 J24’s in Australia and most can be revamped into a competitive boat.  Over the next few months I will be listing hints on how to get old J’s fast, by reducing weight and getting rid of the huge amounts of junk found down stairs.

So, to all the owners of J’s not currently being used because of a notion that they’re no longer competitive, get out there and fix them up and see how quick they still can be.  Just maybe, your boat may have been one that started a legend…. and …. one that could start another. A revamped active fleet maintains the investment we all have in our boats, increases the enjoyment and interest in the class. So get the spanners out, find the screw driver and start taking off all that old crap.  Read more about sailing J/24s in Australia/ Tasmania: