Happy Holidays! Wishing You Great Sailing in 2013!

The J/Team

Al, Bob, Drake, Jeff, Kendra,
Paul, Peter, Phil, Rod and Stuart

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"America's Best Boat of the Year"
The J/70 one-design speedster was introduced to critical acclaim in March 2012 and has rapidly taken the world by storm with over 300 boats sold in over 15 countries-- it's the fastest growing one-design sportboat ever.  Such remarkable success is a tribute to the entire team, including CCF Composites in Bristol, Rhode Island (the USA builder) and suppliers like Harken, Southern Spars, Marlow, various sailmakers (Doyle, North, Quantum, Ullman, to name a few) and the entire J/Dealer network worldwide.




In addition, the new "baby J" has also achieved sailboat industry acclaim, taking SAIL Magazines "Best Boat- Performance Under 30 ft" category and also SAILING WORLD'S 2013 "Overall Boat of the Year" over all six categories!




"A European Sensation"
J//70 started sailing in Europe mid-summer 2012 wth first deliveries from JB Composites in Les Sables des' Olonne taking place in July.  Since then the fall/ winter boatshows are generating extraordinary enthusiasm across the European Continent as well as in the United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong, South Africa and South America.  Plus, J/70 is a "European Yacht of the Year 2013 Nominee" in the Performance Boat Category!

J/70 Sailing Videos- udpate

(Newport, RI)- As more and more J/70s start sailing around the world, we're seeing more J/70 sailing videos getting posted all the time on YouTube.

Here are some new videos of sailing a J/70 in the Annapolis Fall Brawl Regatta- courtesy of North Sails One-Design (Will Welles, Chuck Allen, Vince Brun, Chris Snow);
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_8626jEqaI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPJFvprARm4


Here's a nice video put together by VOILES Magazine while they were doing their sail test for the J/70.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfeFgKO5MAE




Ullman Sails one-design team (Dave Ullman, Eric Shampain, Keith Magnussen) in Newport Beach, California put together a nice intro on sail testing the J/70 out West.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Grfqq8e19ZI



Doyle Sailmakers one-design team from Clearwater/ Marblehead (Robbie Doyle, Mark Ploch, Juddie Smith, Greg Marie) had their sailors doing two boat sail testing on Western Long Island  Sound in preparation for Key West Race Week.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbY17KB1z2Y

The Seattle gang are having fun, too, and have posted a few videos worth watching. Here's their description of their J/70 sailing experiences:  "These were taken (with a GoPro) from this past weekend’s PSSC up in Seattle, where surprisingly enough we actually had some fairly serious winds; at least we did on Saturday.  This is our downwind leg, we set a new personal speed record of 16.1 on this leg!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW0vnVxJOCk

TRICALMA Wins J/105 Chilean Nationals

(Algarrobo, Chile)- One-design sailing continues to grow quite dramatically in the Southern Hemisphere.  It's a result of the efforts of numerous sailors and sailing clubs in the region that see sailing as a family activity. In general, the local sailing community continues to grow and foster development both at the beginner levels in Optimist sailing as well as in more advanced levels of offshore keelboats.

A testimonial to that development evolution is the growth of the J/105 fleet in Chile over the last two years.  There is no question the Chileans have some magnificent sailing areas both on the Pacific Ocean as well as in the many bays and island archipelagos in the southern parts of their gorgeous country.

With nineteen boats on the starting line, the 2012 Chilean J/105 Nationals were sailed this weekend in a wide variety of conditions that challenged the sailors during the six races sailed. On the first day, the J/105 teams experienced nice steady 10-12 kts Southwest winds, enabling the PRO to run three races.  On Sunday, the wind shifted into the Northwest and got lighter during the day with winds ranging from 5-10 kts, the fleet again enjoyed three good races.

Most of the boats sailing had family crew onboard, including lots of women and kids as crew.  In fact, several boats had husband/wife combinations and a few even "engaged couples"!  The camaraderie amongst the sailors was evident as all had a lot of fun both on and off the water.

The racing was very very close for the fleet with both 1st and 2nd and 3rd and 4th determined by tie-breakers!  Finishing first was TRICALMA sailed by Daniel Gonzalez, the J/105 Chile Class President.  Second was RECLUTA III sailed by Miguel Perez, also with 15 pts.  Third on the podium was BIG BOOTY sailed by Miguel Salas and losing the tie-breaker at 17 pts was Patricio Seguel's GRAND SLAM, taking 4th overall.  Rounding out the top five was Sergio Baesa's family team with 21 pts-- in fact they had perhaps the most family on one boat, Sergio Baesa father & son, Sergio Jr's wife, daughter and two friends!  Their hull #173 was the first J/105 brought into Chile fifteen years ago!  Today, there are now 24 J/105s in Chile, most in the Algarrobo/Valparaiso sailing harbors.

The next event for the J/105 Chile fleet is the "Bio Bio Circuit" at the end of January 2013. For those of you familiar with the disastrous earthquake/tsunami that hit almost 3 years ago on Feb 27 2010, they will be sailing  at "Zone Zero", the waters over the epicenter of that massive earthquake!  Oh, and here's the photo of the the sneak attack by the J/70 on the 105 fleet loaded with pirates!

J/70 Class Update

(Newport, RI)- Class development is accelerating dramatically around the world.  In the USA alone, there are over a dozen J/70 fleets that have formed already with nearly twice that amount in the formative process across America. 

The J/70 Regatta schedule has expanded considerably, here's a short-list of what's happening in the 70 world for 2013.

J/70 Regatta Schedule
January-     Key West Race Week- Key West, FL
February-   SW NOOD Regatta- St Petersburg, FL
March-       Bacardi Race Week- Miami, FL
April-         Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
                  Warsash Spring Series- Solent, England
                  SPI Ouest France- La Trinite sur Mer, France
May-         SW NOOD Regatta- Annapolis, MD
June-         Bacardi Regatta- Newport, RI
                  Sail Newport Regatta- Newport, RI
                  Cleveland Race Week- Cleveland, OH
July-          Leukemia Cup Cleveland- Cleveland, OH
                  Youngstown Level Regatta- Youngstown, NY
                  New Englands/ Marblehead NOOD- Marblehead, MA
August-      Cowes Week- Cowes, England
September- Europeans- Lake Garda, Italy
                  North Americans- Annapolis, MD
October-    Fall Brawl Regatta- Annapolis, MD
                  SoCal Championships- San Diego, CA

More regattas are coming on-line all the time. Teams out West are working out the PCC's and SoCal Championships.  J/70 owners in Texas/Gulf Coast are forming a Texas Circuit rolling between Forth Worth, Austin, Houston.  In the Midwest (Chicago, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio) teams are forming their circuit plans, too. The European 70 teams were discussing at the Paris Show and soon the London Boat show plans for the J/70 European Circuit. In Europe, fleets are developing in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Germany.  South America also has boats and fleets are in development in Chile, Argentina, and Peru.  Also in the Southern Hemisphere, it looks like J/70s may become popular in Sydney, Australia and even in Perth-- can you imagine a J/70 flying home downwind in the "Freemantle Doctor"!?  That would be insanely fun.

Read more about J/70 class development on the newly formed J/70 Class Association- J70class.com or learn more from owners on the J/70 Class on Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/J70Class.

J/70 SAIL Best Boat

(Boston, MA)- Recently, SAIL Magazine's panel of sailing experts reviewed a large cross-section of "performance" sailboats in the 30 foot and under size range.  After a thorough evaluation of all the boats, the SAIL Best Boat  expert panel chose the J/70 as the "Best Boat" in the "Performance Category" (30 ft & under).

Here are some comments from them, "..the trailerable J/70 is a simple, nimble sport boat that's rapidly growing into one of the most impressive one-design classes afloat."  And furthermore, "expect big things from this 22 footer as fleets take root and blossom-- the same as with its 24-foot cousin (the J/24) back in the 1970s."  Click on the photo to read more about it.

Read more about J/70 class development on the newly formed J/70 Class Association- J70class.com or learn more from owners on the J/70 Class on Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/J70Class.

J/70 Fun in Santa Barbara Holiday Regatta

(Santa Barbara, CA)- J70 fleets are growing fast on the West Coast- a recent report regards a new J/70 owner's experiences in the Santa Barbara YC Holiday Regatta:

"It was a slow, wet two days for the Santa Barbara YC Holiday Regatta. Nonetheless, it was fun watching Mike Drammer and Eli Parker's new J-70 ROXIE'S ROCKET compete. They won their first regatta in the PHRF B fleet! Saturday's crew included Mike, Eric Stokke and Ken Kieding. We're looking forward to seeing more in 2013 from a new and growing J-70 fleet locally!"  They're pictured here looking focused, going fast and having fun on their practice day!

J/70 Crushes Hot Rum Class 4

J/105 Flies To Class 3 Win
(San Diego, CA)- The last major San Diego YC racing event came to a close on the first day of December with the final of three races in the Hot Rum Series. The fleet of 130 boats in 6 classes enjoyed gorgeous sunny, warm "winter" sailing conditions on the 11.9 nm  pursuit race course located off the majestic Point Loma.

Race 1 was simple enough with nice sun and a great wind, and the usual inquisitions and opinions over ratings.  The conditions favored the smaller sport boats and the early finish line looked a little like a J/105 regatta. But you know what they say about the Hot Rum, one "nice day", one "light day".

And so, the fleet experienced "the light day" for Race 2.  Sunny, yes, but very light winds.  There was enough breeze (6+ knots) to whisk everyone out to the half-way mark in the Roads, but the wind evaporated from there. The larger boats, that have 50+ feet of mast and sail up in the air, managed to make enough breeze to ghost to the finish.  A last little puff of wind just before the 1600 deadline brought the front of the other five fleets to the finish, but in total, only 57 of the registered 130 boats finished.  Several boats received ratings adjustments that reduced their handicaps (estimated their speed faster) at the start of Race 2, and after a protest hearing, those boats were given redress (RDG) of a time credit for that race and their ratings were returned to those posted for Race 1. The redress did not change any of the results.

And the last part of the saying about the weather for the Hot Rum says "one stormy day".  But despite the low clouds and rain through the night, a really nice day popped out of the clouds around 10 am.  At noon, fluffy white clouds with 10+ knots of wind got the race going in perfect Hot Rum conditions.

In the "big boat" Class 1, the J/125s were having a tough time against the 60-70 footers with their sky-scraping masts.  On the second race, the big rigs had their day, all finishing at the lead of the class and overall.  Amongst the J/125s, the top boat was essentially determined on a three-way tie-breaker!  Jim Madden's STARK RAVING MAD had a 25-11-5 for 41 pts to be top dog amongst the 125s.  Second was Viggo Torbenson's TIMESHAVER with a 12-15-14 also for 41 pts!  Third was Tim Fuller's RESOLUTE with a 15-13-13 for 42 pts.

Class 2 was made up of J/109s, J/120s and J/124s.  Leading the J's home was John Laun's J/120 CAPER, getting 2nd in class with a 1-9-2 for 12 pts, nearly taking the entire event had they sailed a slightly better second race!  Second J/120 was Mike Hatch's J-ALMIGHTY with a 12-7-4 for 23 pts and third J/120 was Chuck Nichols' famous CC RIDER with a 5-11-11 for 27 pts.  Amongst the J/124s, Seth Hall's MARISOL was the leader with a 21-15-9 for 45 pts, beating classmate Tom Barker sailing his boat, GOOD CALL.  Top J/109 was Rex Butler's JD followed by the Pikin/ Carter/ Bush trio on GERONIMO and third 109 home was Daylen Teren's GREAT BALLS OF FIRE.

As usual, the J/105 fleet gave everyone enormous headaches in Class 3.  Taking both the Class and J/105 honors was Sharon and Dennis Case sailing WINGS to a 4-3-1 scoreline for just 8 pts.  Second 105 home was Dave Vieregg's TRIPLE PLAY with a 2-5-4 tally for 11 pts.  Third was the Dagostino/ Fisher duo on VIGGEN with a 3-9-3 for 15 pts.

Making their mark in Class 4 were four J/70s-- three of which were sailed by sailmaker teams on boats provided by Jeff Brown's JK3 Yachts.  After the dust had cleared, the top dog amongst the 70s was Bruce Cooper sailing J/70 ULLMAN to a record of 1-2-3 for 6 pts, winning the 70s, winning Class 4 and getting 20th overall!  Pretty good show for their first time out in the Hot Rum.  Second 70 was J/70 QUANTUM with a 3-10-12 for 25 pts and third was Hugh Bennett sailing J/70 #31 to a 14-10-7 for 31 pts.

Class 5 had several of the J/Classics sailing.  Getting third overall was Mark Clements' J/24 BRIGADOON with a 4-3-6 record for 13 pts.  Finishing behind them was the J/22 GOOD ONE! sailed by Shala Lawrence and the J/24 IRIE sailed by Jeremy Miller.

Many thanks to Mount Gay Rum and San Diego Yacht Club and the Race Committee for their support of this hallmark event.  Mark you calendars now for next year's Hot Rum (Nov. 9, 23, Dec. 7)!  Sailing photo credits- Bob Betancourt and Bronny Daniels/ JOY Sailing.   For more San Diego YC Hot Rum sailing information

J/70 & J/111 Half-Model Gifts

(Newport, RI)- If you are looking for creative ideas for gifts overthe holidays, nothing can bring a bigger smile to anyone than to see their favorite J represented in living color as a beautiful half-hull model.  There are numerous sources to find them.  Here are two that you might consider for putting that pretty boat into a large stocking hanging from the fireplace.

A long-time sailor and J/80 owner that sails in the Newport J/80 Fleet is Andrew Burton.  Andy founded Trident Studios and has been building models for decades in between his yacht delivery business (over 350,000 nm of sailing to date!).  Andrew has many molds of J/Boat half-models, including the J/111.  His half-models were the ones given out to all the Top 5 crew at the recent J/24 Worlds in Rochester, New York.  You can reach Andrew at email- andrew@tridentstudio.com) or see his Trident Studio website.

Also a J/80 owner, Denis Cartier is founder of Abordage Models and builds very detailed full models (rigging, lifelines, wheels, deck gear, etc) or classic half-hull models. They build many "J" class models, including the latest J/70 and the J/111.  Contact Denis at email- abordage@abordage.com or visit his website- http://www.abordage.com.

2013 J/Calendar- Perfect Sailing Gift!

For People Who Love Sailing- Enjoy 24x365!
(Newport, RI)- For 2013 we've created another beautiful calendar for J sailors who love the joys of sailing a J in some of the most spectacular harbors and waters of the world.  Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in far away places. The 2013 sailing calendar features photos (pictured here) of a dramatic J/111 powering upwind off Newport; a fleet of J/24s off sunny Tampa; surrealistic scenes of J/80s off Santander, Spain and flying downwind off Marseilles, France; a fleet of J/120s rocking downwind under spinnakers on San Francisco Bay; J/70s flying along under spinnakers; J/22s starting in the Rocky Mountains; and a J/97, J/109 and J/122 sailing in sunny Solent conditions.  A great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew!    Order your 2013 J/Calendar today, click here

SALON NAUTIQUE PARIS- Dec 8-16

J/70, J/97 and J/111 on Display
(Paris, France)- One of the world's more spectacular sailboat shows starts this weekend.  J/Composites will be displaying the J/70, the J/97 and the "International J/111" at Stand J-62 Hall-1. Furthermore, J/Composites is hosting cocktails & hors'd'oeurves for J/111 owners and potential customers to review the 2013 European J/111 Circuit- please contact "Fred" at "info@jeurope.com".  Paris Show information.

J/Boats @ South American Boat Shows

Peruvian Boat Show- Nov 29-Dec 2
Spring skiing!! How is this for an idea.  Since it's already after the peak winter season in the Andes, you can travel down to South America right now, get in some awesome spring skiing in Peru/ Chile/ Argentina and take a peek at the J/111 in Peru. 

Two J/70s will be arriving shortly, so you could enjoy some late spring/ early summer sailing in the Pacific or some gorgeous lakes in Peru-- how about Lake Titicaca? World's highest sailable lake?  Maybe a future J/70 South Americans or J/70 Worlds site?  Easy to trailer and ramp launch, even from exotic Miami Beach! 

For those adventurers, please be sure to contact German Fuchs in Lima, Peru at gfuchs@topsa.com.pe or ph# 511- 989-146-428.

J/Boats @ Australian Boat Shows

For those in the lands Down Under, the current boatshow calendar indicates the J/70 and the J/111 will be on display at the Pittwater Sail Expo and the J/70 will be shown at the Melbourne Show.

For you J enthusiasts hoping to catch a glimpse of the latest, fastest, most fun boats to come out of the J/Design Studio in some time, please be sure to contact Ray Entwistle at YachtSpot at info@yachtspot.com.au for more information.

• Feb 3-5- Melbourne Boat Show- Melbourne, Victoria
• Mar 16-17- Pittwater Sail Expo- Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club

J/Boats @ Canadian Boat Shows

Toronto Boat Show- Jan 11-20
Pat Sturgeon from PSYachts in Toronto, Ontario will be hosting an enthusiastic group of sailors who are expressing tremendous interest in getting their J/70 fleet going on Lake Ontario-- in particular in Toronto at Royal Canadian YC and points east and west and in the lakes.  Pat's team will be available to chat about all things J/70 as well as how the J/111 and other boats are developing in the Great Lakes.  Please be sure to contact Pat Sturgeon at ph# 905-278-5100 or pats@patsturgeonyachts.com.

Vancouver Boat Show- Feb 7-11
On display will be J/70 #58, the first boat into the Pacific western parts in Canada in Vancouver, British Columbia.  Oh! Canada! Amazing to see Far Eastern Canada starting to grow with J/70s.  Even cooler to see the strong interest in J/70s in Way West Canada.  Those Canadian sailors predisposed to having fun and including all their friends in the festivities won't be disappointed.  While this is an indoor show, it won't be surprising to see this J/70 sailing in the warm, friendly waters of the Sound soon afterwards!  Be sure to contact Ian Fraser at ph# 604-734-3344 or ian@fraseryachtsales.com.

Halifax Boat Show- Feb 21-24
The Nova Scotians are nothing if not hardy sailors.  Renown for fishing offshore in "perfect storms" and bringing home the cod (not bacon!) to satisfy hungry appetites at home, their sailors are no different.  Witness the first J/111 video in cool fall conditions in 2010-- great video, eh??  Damn the torpedoes.  J/70 enthusiasm is stirring similar passion amongst the Halifax cognoscenti of all things different, cool, fun and fast!  Get a chance to see the J/70 and take her for an elegant spin amongst the whales, porpoise and icebergs as your first demo sail! Contact Jim Snair at ph# 902-275-2424 or syb@eastlink.ca.

Victoria Boat Show- Apr 18-21
For Western Canadians, if the February Vancouver show was a bit "chill", despite the warm, fuzzy, cottage-like atmosphere, then the Vic show will be a refreshing alternative.  With all snow melted on Blackcomb/ Whistler, with ski legs all in shape, now's the time to sport some shorts, toss some Molson Lites into the cooler and demand that J/70 #58 be taken out for demo sails from inside the main tent.  Of course, you can have that discussion with Ian Fraser at ph# 604-734-3344 or ian@fraseryachtsales.com.  Make arrangements with them soon!

J/Boats @ American Boat Shows

St Petersburg Show- Nov 29- Dec 2
This event is held in St Petersburg, FL from Nov 29th to Dec 2nd and on display will be two J/70s, one as a demo boat in the water at the Discover Sailing docks and the other a show boat on land.  Please be sure to contact Craig Crossley at CrossCurrent Marine- craig@crosscurrentmarine.com or ph# 941-365-9095 to setup and appointment to go sail a J/70.

Portland Boat Show- Jan 9-13
Sail Northwest will be participating in this event in Portland, Oregon from January 9 - 13 and will be displaying the J/70.  Since it's an indoor show, you don't care what the weather is like outside (often snowy or rainy at this time of year, but there will be good skiing at Mt Hood!). For more information, please contact Bob Ross at bob@sailnorthwest.com or ph# 206-286-1004.  Portland Show information.

Sunroad Boat Show- Jan 24-27
JK3 Yachts, Jeff Brown and crew will be displaying the J/70 and the J/111 from January 24th to 27th in San Diego, California.  The J/70 is growing fast and the J/111 fleet is growing steadily-- its offshore racing capability under ANY handicap rule (PHRF, IRC, ORR) is compelling and one-design activity nationwide will see the J/111 North Americans in Chicago in August 2013!  Be sure to connect with Jeff at JK3 Yachting- ph#619-224-6200 or email- jeff@jk3yachts.com.

Seattle Boat Show- Jan 25-Feb 3
In the development of the J/Community in the Pacific Northwest, the J/Team from Seattle will be showing their J/70 in the Seattle Boatshow from January 25th to February 3rd in the Seattle Kingdome.  Please be sure to contact Bob Ross at bob@sailnorthwest.com or ph# 206-286-1004.  Seattle boat show information.

Maine Boat Builders Show- Mar 15-17
East Coast Yacht Sales will have its J/70 on display at the Maine Boatbuilders Show in Portland, Maine from March 15-17.  Just in time for the spring sailing season in Maine's southern parts, you will be able to dream about what it's like to sail in and around Maine's most gorgeous harbors, inlets and bays.  With luck, you may even go for a sail in April or May!  Be sure to coordinate those dreams with Jon Knowles and crew at ECYS at ph# 207-846-4545 or jon@ecys.com.

Port Sanilac Marina Show- April 13
Detroit, Lake Huron and Lake St Clair sailors will be treated to an "Open House" on April 13, 2013 with a J/70 and J/111 at Port Sanilac Marina located on Lake Huron, north of Detroit.  At this point, spring flowers, day lilies and fragrant frangipani will be blooming across the prairies and lakeshores of the Midwest.  Please be sure to contact Chuck Kolascz at ph# 810-622-9651 or sales@portsanilacmarina.com.

J/Boats @ European Boat Shows

(London, England & Paris, France)- With the holidays fast-approaching consider taking the time to visit some of Europe's more famous boatshows this winter season to see some of the latest boats the J/Team has to offer.  It's a wonderful opportunity, in particular, to visit Paris in December and London in January to see their spectacular shows, visit "bright lights & big cities" and enjoy delicious international cuisine, evening entertainment and historical cultural attractions with friends and family!  After these two major shows, there are numerous others in delightful cities and countries around the Continent.  See more below.

SALON NAUTIQUE PARIS- Dec 8-16
The Salon Nautique Paris on the south side of Paris will again present one of the world's most spectacular sailboat shows.  J/Europe will be displaying the J/70, the J/97 and the "International J/111" at Stand J-62 Hall-1.  You will get a chance to speak to many top French sailors who've been trained on J/22s, J/24s and J/80s over the course of time.  And, you'll get a chance to "talk shop" with winners of SPI Ouest, La Rochelle Race Week, RORC Fastnet Race and many others who are renowned in the French offshore sailing community.  Furthermore, J/Europe is hosting cocktails & hors'd'oeurves for J/111 owners and potential customers to review the 2013 European J/111 Circuit- please contact "Fred" at "info@jeurope.com".  Paris Show information.

TULLET-PREBON LONDON BOATSHOW- Jan 12-20
On display at the Key Yachting booth will be the "International J/111" and the new J/70 speedster.  Perhaps most significantly, the J/70 will be a new "SPITFIRE", supporting the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund.  Featured at the show will be the Royal Air Force SPITFIRE Team that is headed-up by Wing Commander Simon Ling.  In addition, the International J/80 one-design will be on display along with the IRC family-cruiser-racer- the J/97- runaway winner of 2012 Cowes Week and Scottish Week in the most competitive IRC Division. London Show information.

BOOT DUSSELDORF- Jan 19-27
With dozens of great sailing lakes, access to the North Sea and the Baltic, it's not surprising the J/70 and near bigger sisterships like the J/80 and J/95 are attracting an entirely new group of German sailors.  Most importantly, you'll be able to meet the European Boat of the Year Nominee- the J/70 Speedster! Contact Henning Mittelmann at info@mittelmannswerft.de for more show information.  BOOT show info.

HISWA AMSTERDAM- Mar 6-10
As a seafaring nation, the Dutch are amongst those without peer and take their sailing seriously! The latest HISWA Boat of the Year nominee is the J/70! To chat more about J/70 class development in the Benelux region (or about the J/111 XCENTRIC RIPPER's amazing sailing season), please contact Angelique Verhoef of J/Benelux at info@jboats.nl.  HISWA show information.

SCANDINAVIAN Boat Shows
Mid-December frozen sailing! Cool! Reports Peter Johansson at Marstrand Yachts, "the first three J/70’s will arrive in the middle of December, we will start test sailing ASAP in Marstrand!"  He's not kidding.  It is warmer than you think up there-- sleeping in ice-cave hotels is normal.  After some schnapps and a very warm fire, don't hesitate to give our Scandinavian friends a visit at one of their Swedish indoor boatshows this winter.  For more Scandinavian Sailboat Shows information, please contact Peter Johansson peter.johansson@marstrandyachts.com.  Here's the list for those adventurous sailors:

• Feb 2-10- Gothenburg Boatshow- Gothenburg, Sweden
• Mar 1-10- Stockholm Boatshow- Stockholm, Sweden
• Mar 13-17- Norwegian Boatshow- Oslo, Norway                   

SWITZERLAND Boat Shows
In the land that iconized the cow bell for "cheerleading" and dreamed up tasty items like swiss cheese, chocolate and cheese fondues and schnapps, it's no wonder Swiss sailors have plenty of energy to sail all day on their gorgeous mountain lakes so high up in the Swiss Alps.  Learn more about why the J/70 and J/95 are rapidly growing in popularity in Europe's Alpine region.  Be sure to contact Peter Bangerter at J-Lane Yachting GmbH for more show information- peter.bangerter@jboats.ch.  They will be displaying the J/70 at the Suisse Nautic and Austrian Boat Shows.

• Feb 16-24- Suisse Nautic- Bern, Switzerland
• Feb 28- Mar 3- Boot Tulln- Austrian Boat Show- Tulln, Austria

J/70s Biggest Key West Fleet!

(Key West, FL)- 37 boats and counting.  And, the possibility the fleet may reach 40+ boats is better than even odds by mid-January 2013! It's quite remarkable to see J/70 one-design fleet growth for Key West, catching even Premiere Racing's Director, Peter Craig, by surprise.  Taken from a historical perspective, J/70's first Midwinters in 2013 will be nearly twice as big as the legendary J/24's first Midwinters in 1978.

What's more amazing is to see many of the top sailors in both J's and other international classes (multiple World, European and North American Champions) that will be participating.  Top names and sailmakers like Jud Smith (Doyle), Dave Ullman (founder of Ullman Sails), Mark Ploch (Doyle-Ploch and first J/24 Midwinter Champion in 1978 on the RED EYE EXPRESS), Tim Healy (Quantum), Jay Lutz (North), Jim Allsop (North), Don Trask and Kerry Klingler (Quantum) will be looking forward to their first experience sailing in a highly competitive J/70 fleet down in the legendary, crystal azure blue waters off Key West.  Coupled with the frontal systems that toss in Northwesterly curveballs blowing 15-25 kts or the classic, benign, sunny southeaster that blows at 8-15 kts, you can be sure the competition will be incredibly fun and "white hot" around the race-track.  For more Key West Race Week sailing information

NEW 2013 J/Calendar!

The Perfect Gift For People Who Love Sailing!
(Newport, RI)- For 2013 we've created another beautiful calendar for J sailors who love the joys of sailing a J in some of the most spectacular harbors and waters of the world.  Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in far away places. The 2013 sailing calendar features photos (pictured here) of a dramatic J/111 powering upwind off Newport; a fleet of J/24s off sunny Tampa; surrealistic scenes of J/80s off Santander, Spain and flying downwind off Marseilles, France; a fleet of J/120s rocking downwind under spinnakers on San Francisco Bay; J/70s flying along under spinnakers; J/22s starting in the Rocky Mountains; and a J/97, J/109 and J/122 sailing in sunny Solent conditions.  A great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew!    Order your 2013 J/Calendar today, click here

J/70 One-Design Class Update

(Newport, RI)- Over the past month the evolution of J/70 one-design class development continues its inexorable fast pace around the world.  While the first J/70s are just beginning to appear in such exotic locations like Santiago, Chile; Sydney, Australia; Hong Kong, China; and Miami, FL, other famous sailing venues are seeing fleets blossom like spring flowers across the sailing landscape.  Europeans are just beginning to get a taste of the J/70 in the Netherlands (Belgium & Holland) as well as in England and France.

In the Americas, the class is developing rapidly.  To date there are over a dozen fleets in development with nine confirmed already.  At this stage, it looks like Annapolis can lay claim to being the J/70 capital of the world with Fleet #1 status, followed closely by their friends in Newport/ Narragansett Bay with Fleet #2.  The Great Lakes are growing fast with Cleveland as Fleet #3, Western Lake Ontario #6, South Shore Lake Ontario #7 and Erie, PA as #8.  Out West, SoCal (Southern California) is Fleet #5 and the California fleets may soon expand to include Santa Barbara, CA as its own fleet along with San Francisco, CA.  Plus, the Cascade Locks, OR and Seattle, WA fleets are not far behind! In the East, Fishing Bay, VA is now Fleet #4 and just recently Marblehead attained Fleet #9 status.  Not far behind are fleets forming in Chicago, IL; Fort Worth, TX; Houston, TX; Lake Dillon, CO; Tampa, FL; and Long Island Sound.

Reports from the frontiers of J/70 fleet development are encouraging.  Recently, Jud Smith, a world-renowned sailor (Etchells 22 World Champion, Sonar North American Champion, IOD World Champion and Dennis Conner's mainsail trimmer in the America's Cup), had the following commentary after sailing in Marblehead recently: "I saw the J/70’s sailing in Newport a bunch this summer.  It looked well mannered, without the crew having to fight it to go fast.  I also like the decision to go with dacron race sails for this size one-design.  The ramp-launch trailer, roller furling headsail, carbon rig with adjustable backstay all makes a lot sense.  However, it wasn’t until I had the opportunity to sail with Peter Duncan this fall in New York that I realized that this boat was going to be a game-changer.  I couldn’t help but think the J/70 class was going to take-off like the J/24 did  years ago.  When I got home I told my wife, Cindy, how impressed I was with the boat and that it was a class we could race together. I was pleased to finally be able to get her out sailing at the Marblehead Demo day.  When she returned to the dock she insisted I join her for another ride. I wasn’t expecting that! She’s quite excited now for racing the J/70 together. Our two daughters can race it as well, even if I’m away!"

The report from San Diego was similar.  Jeff Brown at JK3 Yachts said: "This past Sunday we had a J/70 Demo Day hosted at San Diego Yacht Club with sailmakers from Ullman, Quantum, and North sails on each boat for people to test. It turned out to be a perfect day with about 30 attendees.  We offered food, beer, and drinks on the dock after and it was a very successful, enjoyable event. We're looking forward to growing our Socal Fleet #5!"  For more J/70 one-design sailing information