Family Sailing @ Regattas Can Be Fun!?

(St Petersburg, FL)- Embracing the regatta experience as a family really can be fun. Here's what Brandon Flack, his wife Cindy, and the kids have been doing with their J/70 TORQEEDO.  Pretty amusing and cute story, not exactly the "DisneyWorld" experience many parents promise to their kids!  Here's Brandon's story:

"When we bought a new sailboat this year, one thing on my mind was the advice of boats.com editorial director, John Burnham. “Don’t make the mistake I did,” he said. “Invite your kids to race with you while they still think you’re cool.”

Well, we just finished up a family trip to Florida to race our new J/70. I could’ve chosen a lot of different boats if I were the only one involved. My former college race buddies make a formidable crew in any boat. But the J/70 has a multi-purpose aspect that jumped out at me right off the design table. Here’s a sport boat that’s fun for my pals, but easy to handle for my family.

When we landed in Florida, it was 60 degrees, light wind, and lots of RAIN. Not what the brochure (or the old man) had promised. It took a bit of convincing to get the family into their fresh new foul weather gear but once they realized they would stay dry, we made it off the dock for an afternoon practice sail. The sails went up and down and everyone watching seemed impressed our family crew could do it. And at the end of the day we cheered as a hint of sunshine finally broke through.

When the official racing began the next day, we sailed our first race as a full family team. Dylan, 7, is the bowman/driver in a pinch. Lily, 10, is the jib trimmer and neat freak who keeps the middle of the boat tidy. My wife Cindy is the spinnaker trimmer and voice of reason. Dad does the boat work and drives.

Coaching was all about trying to do things in very slow motion and set up a rhythm for how each job was done.  Crew placement, line locations, labels, terms, and new vocabulary were all our part of our “comfort level curve”.

Not that we didn’t have some frustrations. They say what goes up must come down, but that was not the case with our spinnaker. We just could not seem to get the hang of getting that thing back in the boat and spent a few mark roundings chasing it for a few extra minutes.

I usually make the tactical decisions around the course, but the kids made the best call of day. After the race, with the wind dying, they radioed the RC and said we’d be heading in — the pool was calling. This caused a domino effect, and the whole fleet soon followed suit.

Our crew work was flawless when it mattered most. After the kids radioed the RC, they jumped down below and pulled out the Torqeedo in its three easy-to-move, lightweight parts (battery, tiller and shaft). They assembled and lit up the engine, and we were off and running-- first place all the way in, for the all-important race to the dock and, more importantly, THE POOL!!  Kids win.

When all was said and done, we could've sailed better as a team.  However, I know we won our own personal victory; the kids are pumped to sail in the next event and try to do better!"

Growing Sailing- Girls Rule?

(Newport, RI)- While sailing industry types scratch their heads trying to find the right formula to increase the number of kids in sailing programs, and sailing clubs and racing associations nationwide worry about declining memberships, sailing is shifting and growing under their feet.

Promoters repackage races to appeal to shoreside fans of testosterone-loaded extreme sports, selling sponsorships to brands which, in turn, hope fans will buy shirts or drinks, and sailboat builders seek designs hoping for mass appeal or some new “breakthrough” formula, all while sailing is being revolutionized from the inside out.

Sailing is becoming the activity of adult women.

Don’t believe it? Quick, say the last names of Heather, Ellen, Dawn, Betsy and Anna. You got them all in a few seconds right? Now try to do that quickly with the names of five guys who sail.

But it’s much more than a few popular female sailing athletes. This revolution isn’t being led by pros or celebrities, but by grassroots changes and on all new terms.

Here’s some evidence: Facebook analytics reports that among 1.1 million Americans who express an interest in sailing, women account for 51%, and 88% of them are over 25 years old. But they’re not just fans. Women under 24 and over 35 share their own sailing experiences on Facebook almost twice as often as men.

Consider that only 20 years ago, men outnumbered women in sailing 7-to-1.

You might see it in your town. What sailing center’s teaching staff isn’t dominated by strong, athletic, articulate and confident female sailing instructors? What collegiate sailing team doesn’t have at least as many women as men? What yacht club doesn’t like to boast about its first female commodore? And what regatta doesn’t overplay its all-female entries?

In many cities near water in the U.S., women are organizing all-women teams and events. These events often grow organically out of a small network of veteran sailors who cobble together some used boats and recruit and help train newcomers until they’ve built a decent-sized fleet. In my town, summer Monday nights (the night the women sail) are the busiest nights on the bay.

When a sailing mom’s kids are very young, they get an inspiring early taste. They learn to be on and around boats and sailors, to wear life jackets, to touch water, and to be safe. Then, when her kids are old enough to be on a sailing team, the family becomes the team. Mom doesn’t sit in the bleachers at a soccer field, she trims the kite, steers the boat or calls tactics.

So, the most important person on any sailing boat is the mom. Think about it this way: When a mom sails with her kids (instead of driving them to soccer) she’s doing something deemed suited only to men just a few years ago, and she is not doing the things thought to be the status quo for moms today. She’s a renegade. An innovator. A leader.   Read on at SAILING Magazine.

College of Charleston Crew Takes on J/70 World

(Charleston, SC)- Charleston Race Week attracts a broad range of competitors, and they arrive from all over the U.S. and at least six foreign countries. Among the participants in this three-day competition you’ll find full-time professional racers, sailing industry experts and talented amateur sailors, along with those who are just getting a taste of serious sailing competition for the first time.

One of the most hotly contested groups among the 18 different classes that make up the event is apt to be the J/70 Class. With 56 boats registered, this will also be the largest class at the regatta. These 23-foot long speedsters were only introduced last year, but already they’ve gained tremendous market traction.

Within the J/70 Class will be an equally broad spectrum of competitors, with plenty of nationally renowned sailors scattered across the fleet. Among those in the class who aren’t so widely known is a crew with close ties to Charleston, and they’ll be sailing on a boat they’ve christened MOXIE.

Skippered by Cole Allsopp who now lives in Annapolis, Md, Moxie’s crew includes Zeke Horowitz, Brendan Healy, and Sam Stokes – all recent graduates of the College of Charleston and former stalwarts on the school’s top-notch varsity sailing team.

The College of Charleston’s Director of Sailing, Greg Fisher, sat down with this quartet recently to hear them out on their plans for Charleston Race Week.

"Greg Fisher: You guys had a great regatta at Key West, a big one for you and the J/70 Class. How do you look forward to, and prepare for, Charleston Race Week?

Zeke Horowitz:  I think it is important to look at CRW as a completely different event than Key West. People have been in the boats for a while now, and I would imagine that the speed differences will be less in Charleston. Most importantly, though, the conditions that we will see in Charleston will be absolutely nothing like what we saw in Key West. Conditions will be changing dramatically from race to race and leg to leg, whereas in Key West, the conditions (and therefor the race track) were pretty much the same for the entire event. This will make tactics and strategy the driving force to success as opposed to KWRW where speed was most important. We will be prepared to use our local knowledge to put our boat in the right spots on the race course where we will be able to use the speed that we know we’ll have.

GF: How much time had you guys spent in the J/70 before Key West?

Cole Allsopp: Unfortunately, we had spent very little time in the boat. Fortunately that was also the case for most of our competitors. We attempted one practice day in Annapolis all together, but the breeze did not cooperate. James (Cole’s brother who sailed with them at KWRW) and Brendan sailed the boat for the Fall Brawl and we did some frostbiting. Beyond that, we spent very little time preparing.

ZH:  As far as I know, Cole, Brendan, and James spent a decent amount of time in the boat together before the event, but KWRW was really my first time in the boat, and first time crewing for Cole or sailing with either of the other two. That gave me a pretty good chance to learn the boat and get a lot of the tuning ideas in mind.

Brendan Healy:  We didn’t spend a great deal of time in the boat before the event to be honest.  James and I sailed the Fall Brawl in Annapolis with fellow College of Charleston alum, Russ O’Reilly.  I’m pretty sure Russ and I were a pretty enormous and expensive headache for James.  We figured out in no time how exactly to shrimp and shred a kite. We did, however, come away from that event with a few nuggets of knowledge. We also sailed in a practice season against one other local boat in town, but as a group we only sailed one short afternoon in Annapolis with very little breeze. So, how much time did we have in the boat before KWRW?, not much."   Please read on at Scuttlebutt's complete interview here.

Warsash Series Swings Into Spring Sailing- Finally!

(Warsash, England)- After three weeks of freezing weather, a hint of spring was in the air on 14th April 2013 for the fourth Sunday in the Brooks Macdonald Warsash Spring Series. With the temperature rising to double figures, the thermal layers could be left behind and there was no ice to clear from the decks. Although the forecast promised 16-20 knots from the south with gusts to 30 knots, these did not materialize and the full program of racing could be completed for all classes.

The sportsboats in White Group also assembled in the entrance to Southampton Water. Relieved to find no forecast Force 4-6, a three-round windward/leeward course was set parallel to the shore, 0.65nm long.  In the J/70s a mere 66 seconds separated the fleet on the finish line, with North Sails taking this first race.

In the second White Group race there were individual recalls in the J/70s and J/80s but this time everyone returned quickly. Halfway through, the wind started to shift and had soon gone through 90 degrees to the south-west. The race was shortened and the committee boat moved inshore ready for the third race. With the wind in the 8-10 knot range the J/70s got away cleanly only for one of the forecast gusts to come in at over 20 knots just two minutes before the J/80 start. At this point the committee boat’s anchor began to drag causing a short delay. The enthusiasm of the fleet to get under way showed when half the boats were too keen on the start line. With several hidden in the middle a general recall was needed before all went smoothly on the next attempt. Again, there was close racing in the J/70s. This time the fleet finished within 27 seconds after 50 minutes of racing.

As a result of the days scores, Ian Atkins' boats.com crew are still in the lead, but having less than a brilliant day on the scorecard (a 4-2), all of a sudden they look vulnerable despite having a seemingly insurmountable series lead.  With 23 pts total, the boats.com team has a 7 pts lead over the fast improving PHEEBS team lead by Simon Cavey, now with an aggregate 30 pts.  Also faltering a bit this past weekend was NORTH SAILS (Ruairidh Scott) notching a 2-4 on his scorecard to drop into third two points back with 32 pts.

Next weekend sees additional racing on Saturday for the Spring Championship whilst the Brooks Macdonald Warsash Spring Series meets for the fifth time on Sunday 21st April 2013.  Sailing photo credits- Iain McLuckie    For more Warsash Spring Series sailing information

Big Fleet, Big Winds @ Charleston Race Week

(Charleston, SC)- Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week has a reputation for consistent, solid breeze. In fact, Charleston’s great wind is one of the big reasons this event has grown so spectacularly over the past decade.  It was on the eve of the regatta when most weather models predicted big breeze for the start of racing on Friday, with Sunday promising similarly apocalyptic conditions. And that is exactly what the 2013 edition received.

With the 287 teams scattered about on harbor and offshore courses, race organizers were eager to seize the day, completing 3 to 4 races in Friday’s 15-30 knot winds.  Saturday’s moderate breezes and calm seas allowed for some recovery, but it was another 3 to 4 race day to insure each fleet was given the chance to sort out the pecking order in the standings. With the podium positions far from certain, Sunday looked to be the determining factor if not for one thing: the forecast. If Friday’s winds were “monster”, there really wasn’t an appropriate superlative to describe what happened Sunday morning. Rapidly increasing winds and huge seas offshore (8 feet at the mouth of Charleston Harbor) prompted the principal race officers to cancel all competition offshore. Inshore, the race committees set up courses and attempted to get races going on all three courses, but the action was quickly cancelled for everyone.

Marking its debut in dramatic fashion, the 55 boat J/70 fleet was the largest at the regatta by nearly 50%!  The level of competition was incredibly close and positions could change dramatically leg to leg as entire packs of boats would gain and lose on each shift, such was the tightness of the fleet.  While upwind speed for most boats was quite close, it was off-the-wind, particularly in the planing conditions, where boat-handling and pure speed were permitting some teams to make dramatic gains even on the short 0.7 to 0.9 nm downwind legs.  In the end, Key West Race Week winner, Tim Healy skippering HELLY HANSEN, sailed an excellent regatta, staying out of trouble and out of the corners to compile a consistent series to take the J/70s with all top five finishes as counters.  Just behind them  was Jud Smith sailing RELATIVE OBSCURITY, themselves also counting top five finishes in their scoreline to finish second with 21 pts net, just two back from Healy.  Sailing in their first big J/70 regatta, Henry Filter dragged "Moose" Mclintock aboard as tactician to put together a great series to finish third overall with 36 pts.  The balance of the top five saw St Pete NOOD Regatta winner, Joel Ronning on CATAPULT, take fourth overall and the team on STAMPEDE led by Bruno Pasquinelli (2nd at Key West Race Week) took fifth.

In the J/70s Corinthian Division (amateur teams), it was Heather Gregg-Earl and Joe Bardenheier aboard the beautifully color-coordinated MUSE/ TEAM ATLANTIS that took the honors over sixteen other teams.  Second was Brian Elliott sailing B-SQUARED and third was Mike Glover and Robbie Wilkins sailing LUCY, the top local Charleston team in the regatta.

Congratulations to all for job well done!  Sailing photo credits- Meredith Block.  For more Charleston Race Week sailing information

J/70s Join New England Leukemia Cup

(Newport, RI)- Come support a great cause on Saturday June 8th for the Newport Leukemia Cup!  There will be dozens of J/Teams from all across the spectrum supporting this event on a regional basis- J/111s, J/22s, J/24s, J/27s, J/29s, J/30s, J/35s, J/40s, J/124s, J/100s (maybe Governor Chafee of Rhode Island?) and others will be in the mix.

The J/70s are being given their own one design start. So, come one, come all to make this a successful event to help combat leukemia.

On Sunday June 9th, the J/70s are hosting a "Tuning Day"-- a "can't miss day" full of learning all the go-fasts in a seminar environment.  North University’s Bill Gladstone will be filming both days. Following on-the-water tuning, boat-speed sessions, practice starts and races, a panel discussion with Tim Healy (North Sails), Kerry Klingler (Quantum Sails) and hopefully more will be part of the program.

SailNewport has graciously offered their facilities and have provided access to the Alofsin Piers for dockage on Saturday night and the Museum of Yachting to host the panel discussion!  Be sure to sign up now!  Please RSVP to "fleetcaptain@j70fleet2.com"    For the Newport Leukemia Cup sailing information

J/70 Newport Beach Show

(Newport Beach, CA)- As an enormous contingent of J/70s are marking their debut at Charleston Race Week on the East Coast with 56 boats attending, the West Coast J/70 fleet is rapidly building momentum with fleets developing in the southern California areas-- such as San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and points even further north like San Francisco.

This weekend the J/70 will be marking its debut at the upcoming Newport Beach Spring Boat Show.  The show is at the Lido Marina Village in Newport Beach, CA and runs from April 18-21.

Furthermore, the Southern California J/70 Fleet # 4 members will be hosting an open house at the show! Please come on down to the show and talk shop with 70 sailors who've already been out on the water having a fun time with their friends and family!  Sailing photo credit- Onne Vanderwal   For more Newport Boat Show information

Charleston Race Week Preview

J/70s Debut With Monster Fleet
(Charleston, SC)- Starting on April 18th, a massive navy of J/Teams will descend upon the beautiful sleepy town of Mt Pleasant, South Carolina and transform the Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina into "J/Town".  Of the 295 boats participating, 117 J/Teams (40% of the fleet) are sailing in the event coming from all points of the compass, by far the dominant boat brand for Charleston Race Week.

Making its debut as the single largest fleet ever since CRW began, the J/70 class will have 56 teams vying for both Fleet and Corinthian class honors.  The depth of the competition is quite extraordinary, as it has been since its debut in Key West Race Week in January of this year. As more J/70s are delivered there will be more new faces showing up for the first time enjoying the fun, camaraderie and amazing sailing that is on offer from the world's best 23 ft sportboat!

Many of the top teams from the first three 2013 J/70 regattas to date will be participating, making this event a good indicator of what the competition may be like for the J/70 North Americans in Annapolis in September (100 boats, maybe?).  One thing is certain, Brian Keane's SAVASANA team are proving to be incredibly consistent, tough competitors no matter what the weather conditions or where they've buried themselves on the race course-- seemingly always "rolling 7's and 11's" to take the pot at the end of the day!  Key West winners and top teams include Tim Healey (Newport, RI) sailing with Will Welles on RASCAL; Bruno Pasquinelli (Houston, TX) on STAMPEDE; Dave Ullman (Newport Beach, CA) sailing USA 32; Cole Allsop (Annapolis, MD) on MOXIE; and Corinthians winner David Franzel (Boston, MA) on SPRING. In addition to this tough crowd, St Petersburg NOOD winners Joel Ronning (Minneapolis, MN) will be

racing CATAPULT and Kerry Klingler (Larchmont, NY) will be sailing MENACE. The entire fleet of twenty boats that raced Bacardi Miami Sailing week will be attending, including top five finishers like Joe Woods (Torquay, GBR) on RED; Brian Elliott (Sayville, N.Y.) on B-SQUARED; and Peter Duncan (Rye, N.Y.) and Jud Smith on RELATIVE OBSCURITY.  New teams participating in their first major J/70 regatta that could easily be factors in the top ten include champion Etchells 22 sailor Peter Vessella (San Francisco, CA) on RUNNING WILD; Richie Stearns (Chicago, IL) sailing TYLISHAN; Ryan Ruhlman (Cleveland, OH) on SPACEMAN SPIFF; Henry Filter (Stevensville, MD) on WILD CHILD; and Nick Johnstone (Charleston, SC) sailing CAT'S PAJAMAS.

Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes.com and Onne Vanderwal.   For more Charleston Race Week sailing information

J/70 Lake Ontario/ Lake Erie News

(Youngstown, New York)- The action is hot and heavy in the world of J/70 sailing!  There is a major event every month somewhere, and we haven't even gotten to the local events yet.  This month Charleston Race Week promises the largest fleet to date, then the Annapolis NOOD two weeks later will no doubt have another big turnout.  Boats from the Lake Erie/ Lake Ontario region will be taking part in both events.

Here's the latest report from J/Dealer Don Finkle from Youngstown, says Don, "Our first J/70 to be launched and sailed here this spring has already hit the water (seen here acting like an ice-breaker!).

On Friday, I was at the factory in Rhode Island and there were J/70s all over the place waiting for pick-up.  They are building a boat a day and still cannot keep up with the demand.  We are only talking about the USA builder, they are also building J/70s in France for other parts of the globe.  I've been in this business for over 40 years and only once before have I witnessed anything to rival the immediate success of the J/70 and that was back when the J/24 first came on the scene.  But back in those days this was a much different business, it is much harder to develop a new boat today that sells in large numbers.  That is what makes the J/70s meteoric rise in popularity so amazing.  The right boat at the right time!

Some news and notes, in no particular order. Local J/70 Fleets have started in: Erie, Buffalo, Youngstown, Rochester, Canandaigua, Lake George and, of course, in nearby Ontario & Ohio.

Upcoming Regattas for J/70s in the Lake Erie/ Lake Ontario region include the following

- June 15-16- Cleveland Race Week- is a perennially entertaining regatta that is a favorite for those along Lake Erie's south shore.  The J/70 class will have a warm reception and the Race Week is looking forward to have them aboard.  For more Cleveland Race Week sailing information.

- July 27-28- 40th Annual Youngstown Level Regatta:  This is the final year for this famous event and we'll have a good turnout of boats from out of town.  Don't miss it.  We will take good care of you!  For more Youngstown Level Regatta sailing information on YachtScoring.com.

- August 9- J/70 Clinic- to be run by former Rolex Yachtsman of the Year and Etchells 22 World Champion- Jud Smith- at the Buffalo YC.  This event will be held the day before the J/70 Great Lakes Championship hosted by BYC.  More details to follow, stay tuned, this should be a really helpful program.

- August 10-11- J/70 Great Lakes Championship-  The Buffalo Yacht Club has plans well underway for the hosting of this event which promises to be a good one.  BYC has the experience to do the job right and they have signed on Wayne Bretsch as the PRO.  Wayne has done many high profile regattas all over North America, including Key West, Charleston, Annapolis, Youngstown Level and various championship events.  More details will be forthcoming before long but in the meantime mark your calendars."  Registration is up on YachtScoring.

J/70s Frozen @ SPI OUEST

(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- Of the 423 boats sailing, over 130 alone were J/Teams (31% of the entire fleet) and, it's safe to say, that after the first day of racing many were wondering how they were going to survive the chilling weather forecasts for the next four days of sailing.  Facing unusually cold, windy conditions for this traditional Easter Regatta, the competitors woke up three mornings in a row to temperatures in below 0 C. (under 32 degrees F), winds blowing 15-25 kts for two of the days. Over the course of the regatta, dropouts were not uncommon, especially with the smaller one-designs-- several people were "med-evac'd" to the hospital using RIBS for treatment of hypothermia.

After a freezing rainy and windy Thursday, the next two days were relatively quiet. However, on Sunday, the last day of racing saw a return to the strong winds and an icy northeast breeze gusting to thirty knots!  While some suffered, others rubbed their hands with glee. 

As for the J/70s, suffering no less than their counterparts in the J/80s, the cold was equally taxing on their abilities to sail fast and smart and not be too "numb" from the chilly, windy sailing conditions. In the end, perhaps the ultimate survivor was M Thomas skippering OEUST GREEMENT, winning the J/70 class by just one point! The top four places were so close, that the last race determined how the entire top five finished in the overall standings.  Second was Fred Bouvier of J/Composites sailing J BECRE. Third was M. Kerscaven sailing PL YACHTING with 24 pts.  Fourth was FLAHAULT MARINE sailed by M. Ferchaud, perhaps sailing the most "dyslexic" series-  five 1sts and three 10ths! Rounding out the top five was M. Chapelot sailing ALBERTO.

Until next year!  May it be much warmer for all sailors in the third weekend of April- Easter Weekend 2014!  For more SPI OUEST France Intermarche sailing information

J/70 Red Square & Moscow Boat Show Tour!

(Moscow, Russia)-  Grigory & Dmitry of J/Russia where not only working hard selling both the J/70 and various J's at the Moscow Boat Show recently, they were also having fun playing "tourist" on the way home from the show.  And, so they decided to take a "side trip" with their J/70 around Moscow's RED SQUARE!  

Imagine.  Red Square remains, as it has been for centuries, the heart and soul of Russia. Few places in the world bear the weight of history to the extent that Moscow's central square does. Inextricably linked to all the most important historical and political events in Russia since the 13th century, the Kremlin (built between the 14th and 17th centuries by outstanding Russian and foreign architects) was the residence of the Great Prince and also a religious centre. At the foot of its ramparts, on Red Square, is the 16th Century St Basil's Basilica, one of the most beautiful Russian Orthodox monuments and most famous pieces of architecture in the world.  Then, across the square is the constructivist pyramid of Lenin's Mausoleum, leader of the famous Communist Party in Russia (then known as the Soviet Union or CCCP). Red Square is rich in symbols of Russia's turbulent and intriguing past.  If you want to learn more about Moscow- read more here- http://www.moscow.info/ or on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Square.

The photos of the J/70 are taken in front of the Kremlin and Saint Basil's Cathedral.  Yes, a J/70 actually went around Red Square without getting arrested, impounded or destroyed!  In fact, it was attracting a crowd!  Here's the photo journey of the J/70 MOJO in front of some famous landmarks before heading from Moscow back to Kaliningrad on the Baltic.  Very, very cool stuff. On the right is what it looks like on a sunny day!

We also believe the J/70 is the first SAILBOAT that has ever traveled around Moscow's Red Square in front of all those famous monuments, the Kremlin and all those other historical elements of Russian history.  Next time Grigory & Dmitry, put up the mast, hoist the sails and spinnaker and go sailing around Red Square on the trailer!

Learning Curve: J/70 Sailing Lessons

From the Front Lines @ Bacardi Sailing Week
(Miami, FL)- "The new J/70 has gathered a lot of momentum from coast to coast. Earlier this month, twenty boats competed at the 2013 Bacardi Miami Sailing Week making it the fourth major regatta in the short history of the class," says Terra Lee Berlinski.

She goes on to explain, "Participating in the regatta was Quantum San Diego’s Eric Heim who served as trimmer and tactician on board USA 98 owned by Al Poindexter (below left). It was the crew’s first regatta together, resulting in a lot of lessons. Reflecting on the highs and lows of the regatta, the boat, what worked and what didn’t, Eric took away several lessons from the event."

As Eric describes of their experience, "During Wednesday’s practice, it blew 16-20 knots providing steady planing conditions. Upwind, the bowman and pitman hiked legs out while the tactician/trimmer hiked in ball form next to the winch, in order to make trim adjustments. This allowed the helmsman to focus on steering. It was helpful to cross-sheet the jib to the weathered winch and to foot rather then pinch through the waves. Downwind, the jib stayed open while planing to give more sail area in front of keel to help pull the bow down."   Read more here about Eric's description on what they found made the J/70 sail better

(Warsash, England)- The Brooks Macdonald Warsash Spring Series continued for the second Sunday of racing on 24th March 2013. With a steady 15 knots mainly from the east, the wind chill factor dropped the apparent temperature down well below freezing but the conditions did not deter the enthusiasm and energy of competitors, some of whom had battled with the unseasonable snow to reach the Solent. All classes got away on time to complete the day’s schedule. The wind was at the lower end of that forecast and gusts to 28 knots did not materialize.

The Black Group team set up station near Flying Fish buoy in a constant NNE force 4-5 - ideal sailing conditions except for the temperature. The west-going tide combined with the NE wind helped keep boats back from the line, allowing all starts to get away cleanly. No one wanted to have the delay of a general recall. Courses of 13/15 miles were set basically of a windward/leeward pattern, using permanent and laid marks and with a finish close to Calshot buoy. The boats with slick sail handling did well. It was not easy for crew members to move nimbly wearing so many layers of clothing and with numb fingers. Competitiveness was to the fore, resulting in some hairy moments. Four sailors went overboard: three, all sensibly wearing lifejackets, were caught out when a lifeline snapped. For both incidents, neighboring boats quickly stopped racing and went to their assistance. Everyone was soon back on board, with no adverse effects and the Protest Committee is being asked to award redress to those boats that stood by.

Peter Knight’s White Group for sportboats was closer inshore where the wind varied between 15 and 19 knots with gusts to the low 20s. The windward/leeward course was set between hamblewinterseries.com and Meon buoys. The breeze was slightly shifty and by the last race the course was moved 15 degrees left. The J/70s and J/80s all enjoyed three races around 40 minutes each. The fleets so far have been well behaved, with only one boat starting early.  In the smaller new J/70 class North Sails (Ruairidh Scott) was competing for the first time and took two firsts and one second places to move into 3rd position overall.  But, Ian Atkins in Boats.com heads on series points counting three 1sts and two 2nds to date.

The Brooks Macdonald Warsash Spring Series takes a break over the Easter holiday and returns on Sunday 7th April, by which time spring must surely be in the air. In the meantime, the annual RORC Easter Regatta is being held from 29th to 31st March.   Sailing photo credits- Iain McLuckie  For more Warsash Spring Series sailing information

J/70 Great Lakes Championship Announcement!

(Buffalo, New York)- The Buffalo Yacht Club is honored to announce that we have been selected to host the inaugural J/70 Great Lakes Championship Regatta.  Racing will be on August 10th and 11th and past Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Jud Smith will be hosting a clinic on August 9th.

Having recently run the extremely successful and competitive 2010 J/22 NA’s, 2011 LYRA as well as the annual J/22 “Raw Bar” Regatta, the BYC has demonstrated that it's a great place to sail and the fun continues once everyone is off the water.  With 39 boats at Key West this year and 54 currently registered for Charleston Race Week – there is little doubt that the J/70 has quickly become a premier one design machine offering exciting sailing and strong camaraderie in an affordable package! The racing in the Buffalo Harbor offers consistent breeze and wave patterns perfectly suited for mind-blowing downwind surfing!

We are proud to welcome back TOWNE BMW & MINI as our title sponsor.  The TOWNE Automotive Group has been a fantastic supporter of competitive sailing for 20+ years. Other sponsors are Doyle Sails, Mount Gay Rum, RCR Yachts and the Great Lakes Brewing.  We look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones this summer!  Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes.  For more J/70 Great Lakes sailing information

J/70 Texas Circuit Announcement!

(Houston, Texas)- The J/70 fleets in Texas, now three strong with Houston, Austin and Fort Worth/Dallas, have announced their "Texas Circuit" for the 2013 sailing season.  For starters, these "southerners" are perhaps the most accommodating and fun-loving group of sailors you may ever run into.  So, given any open time in your schedule, either drive down or volunteer to go down and join in on the fun as skipper, crew or volunteer.   Sailing photo credit- Onne Vanderwal.com

The J/70 Texas Circuit includes the following events and venues:

Apr 6-7        Elissa Regatta- Houston YC
Apr 27-28    Audi Annual Regatta- Fort Worth Boat Club
May 18-19    Shoe Regatta- Lakewood YC
Jun 22-23    Leukemia Cup Regatta- Houston YC
Sep 21-22    HOOD Regatta- Houston YC
Nov 2-3        J/Fest Southwest- Lakewood YC

For more information, please contact Scott Spurlin at J/Southwest- scott@jboatssouthwest.com