Long Beach Race Week Preview

(Long Beach, CA)- One of the classic California regattas will be taking place this coming weekend off Long Beach, renowned for being the host of the famous match race series, the Congressional Cup.  The conditions are considered the best in southern California, with summer sea-breezes often developing out of the West at 10-17 kts.

Over the course of time, the event has become a big J/Fest with six J one-design fleets participating, including J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, J/105s, J/109s and J/120s. In addition, there are two PHRF divisions with several offshore J racing teams sailing.

The fast-growing J/70 class in SoCal has eight teams sailing with top sailors from Cal Race Week also gunning for repeat performances. New York YC Annual Regatta J/70 class winner Bennet Greenwald will be sailing PERSEVERANCE, others sure to be challenging them will be Cal Week J/70 class winners Jenkins/ Kownacki on DFZ, Karl Pomeroy's ZERO TO 60, Dan Gribble & Kurt Wiese's GO-RILLA, and looking for redemption will be Dr Laura Schlessinger's VENDETTA.  For more Long Beach Race Week sailing information

Gorgeous New York YC Annual Regatta

NEWPORT, R.I. (June 16, 2013)  – The New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta presented by Rolex—the oldest regatta in the country—has entered the history books for the 159th time. With 153 teams competing, the 2013 edition also was the largest Annual Regatta on record, with enough action on the water and ashore to guarantee the event’s venerable reputation into the next century.  The regatta was blessed with great sailing conditions all three days, starting with the immensely popular Around Jamestown Island Race, a 20nm affair that can challenge the best sailors anywhere.  A massive frontal system was moving offshore, greeting the sailors with 20-30 kts of NNE breeze on Friday's Round Island race. Saturday saw beautiful SSW breezes in the 6 to 13 kts range with partly cloudy skies and balmy temperatures.  By Sunday, a weak cold front presented the fleet with dazzling blue skies and a cool fresh Northerly blowing 8-15 kts in the morning that slowly died off by noon, followed by 6-14 kts of classic SSW sea-breezes under sunny skies in the afternoon.

“We are proud and privileged to be able to open our home to this many yachtsman and sailors that come from all over the world, both professional and Corinthian, with great crews,” said Commodore Thomas Harrington after an Annual Regatta dinner that hosted 800 sailors and is as much of a tradition as the racing. “We extend the hospitality of the New York Yacht Club both on the water and off, because what we are about is sharing in our traditions. And like anything else, to have a great party you need people to come, and they came.”

J/Teams were a significant part of the regatta, and the parties!  One-design J's included J/70s, J/80s, J/105s and J/111s. Sailing on the Red course located just north of Newport Bridge in Narragansett Bay were the J/70s, which also are preparing for their first J/70 North American's in Annapolis, MD. Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT lived up to its name by launching itself into first place on Sunday after winning three of four races to displace Saturday’s leader SUGAR DADDY, skippered by Mark Ploch.  Finishing third in the eleven boat class was Heather Gregg-Earl and Joe Bardenheier's MUSE.  Rounding out the top five were brothers Blake & Lud Kimbrough's NOSTALGIA in fourth and Don & Tim Finkle's JUNIOR in fifth.   Sailing photo credits- Rolex/ Daniel Forster   For more New York YC Annual Regatta sailing information

Stellar J/70 UK Nationals

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- Hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron from Friday 14th June to Sunday 16th June 2013, the rapidly growing J/70 class held the National Championship in widely varying, challenging sailing conditions on the Solent. Winners in the J/70s were Ruairidh Scott on NORTH SAILS.

The J/70 UK Nationals were the first major UK one-design regatta for the new sportsboat that is storming the world. J/70 crews will then go on and sail one-design at Cowes Week and at the fabulous J-Cup Regatta at the end of August.

The first day of the regatta on Friday could not have been nicer.  Both fleets were presided over by PRO Captain Simon Van Der Byl. Conditions on the race-track (in the area of Brambles Bank) were some of the Solent’s finest with a brisk but variable 10 to 18 knots from South to South West. Captain Van Der Byl explained, "We really did have the best of days. We had to use the Z flag on the first start for the J/80 fleet but after that the behavior of both the J/70s and the J/80s was immaculate."

The first race for the J/70s saw newcomer to the Class, Russell Peters and his team on BOB in first at the first windward mark!  But, Race 1 and Race 2 ultimately belonged to Ruairidh Scott and his boys on board North Sails who scored bullets in both. Ben Field, tactician for North Sails explained, "We got the boat going well, we took the shifts and tried to play every little lift and header. Russell did a tremendous job keeping the pressure on, as did the guys in Team RABF Spitfire." Ruairidh added, "The first race was really close but at the start of the second we saw a potential fight brewing at the pin and we came up to avoid it. We got a clean start and then worked the shifts as they arrived to our advantage." At the close of racing, North Sails led the J/70 UK Nationals with Bob in second place with five points and Simon Ling’s Team RABF Spitfire in third, also on five points.

It was a challenging day on the water for all on Sunday. Having completed the first two races of the championship on Friday in sublime race conditions, competitors were sent ashore and racing was abandoned before the first start sequence on Saturday, as an easily sailable 21 knots quickly built to a steady 33 knots in the course area near Mother Bank on the Solent. Three races were scheduled for Sunday, of which two were completed by the J/70s and the J/80s in a fading breeze of between 6 and 12 knots which swung between 230 and 190 degrees.

Sunday was a ‘double bullet’ day for Ruairidh Scott and the boys on the J/70, North Sails. For Ruairidh, these two wins completed his perfect regatta score-line and stamped convincing authority on this first J/70 UK National Championship title. 

Both fleets were invited to a Pimms loaded prize-giving on The Platform at the Royal Yacht Squadron on Sunday afternoon, which, unsurprisingly, was extraordinarily well attended. PRO Captain Simon Van Der Byl thanked competitors for their sportsmanship throughout the weekend and presented prizes alongside the Rear Commodore for Finance, the Honourable Patrick Seely.

In third place at the 2013 J/70 UK National Championship was Simon Ling and his crew from Team RAFBF Spitfire Powered by SLAM with 12 points on their score-sheet. Second overall was class newcomer Russell Peters and his team from Bob with 9 points. Ruairidh Scott, Hugh Fletcher, Ben Field and Matt Curthoys sailing North Sails stepped up to accept the J/70 UK National Championship title, never having lost a race. They were presented with a stunning J/70 half-model, sponsored by Wilson Covers.

On behalf of the J/70 and the J/80 fleets, Ruairidh thanked all at the Royal Yacht Squadron for the Club’s unrivaled hospitality and for the excellent race management delivered by Captain Simon Van Der Byl and his team. He went on to congratulate and thank his crew for their skill and support throughout the season so far and all of those racing at the championship for their competition and sportsmanship. Sincere thanks were also proffered for the other supporting sponsors of the event, Grapefruit Graphics, Peters and May, Wight Vodka and SLAM.

The next key event on the 2013 calendar for J/80 and J/70 sailors is AAM Cowes Week and then both fleets will race at the J-Cup in Plymouth later in August. The 2014 J/70 and J/80 UK National Championships will take place at Poole Regatta from the 24th to 26th May 2014.   Sailing photo credits- Rick Tomlinson   For more J/70 & J/80 UK Nationals sailing information

J/70 Teams Love Cleveland Race Week!

(Cleveland, OH) – Seventy-one one-design boats invaded Cleveland Race Week at Edgewater Yacht Club on June 14-16. Seven fleets competed, including four J one-design classes- J/22, J/24, J/70 and J/105. Light and inconsistent breeze on Saturday allowed only the J/105s to complete a race. Sunday dawned with winds between 14-16 knots, and all fleets were able to run three races.


J/70s had a terrific regatta with the second largest one-design fleet at the event.  Having learned some lessons from Key West and Charleston Race Week, Dave Ullman from ULLMAN SAILS simply staged another "runaway" with three firsts in three races to win handily.  Second was Ron Copfer on CLOUDSOURCED with three seconds and third was J/70 Class President Joe Colling.  Fourth was Tim Gibbs and fifth was David Koski sailing SOUL.  For more Cleveland Race Week sailing information

Delta Ditch Run Sailing J/70 style

(Richmond, CA)- We received some great reports from the J/70 sailors participating in this infamous race.  It was clear all five J/70s that sailed the race loved it.  Here's Bruce Cooper's report for starters sailing on-board the J/70 ZERO TO SIXTY, quite entertaining:

"Any sailor who says they have raced the best downwind race truly has not done so till they run the ditch! Racing up the delta is loaded with decision making, sail handling and challenges waiting at every bridge and turn.

This race attracts all types of boats. At the start you will see various J/Boats, fast planning monohulls like the M38 and Melges 20's, original Santa Cruz downwind flyers like the Moore 24 and Express 27s, IOR death roll machines and some regular cruising type boats and then an assortment of multihulls ranging from beach size cats to Formula 40 style catamarans and last but certainly not least, throw a foiling moth into the mix!

Racing 67 miles up river in a J/70 in a typical medium to high breeze downwind "gybe, crash and burn times 50" race sounds too good to be true. I joined Karl Pomeroy and Erik Mayol from BCYC in SoCal to race in the 2013 Delta Ditch Run hosted by Richmond YC and Stockton Sailing Club. I had raced this race in Hobie 33's and Melges 24's, so I instantly became the local expert. To date I still have not hit dirt, so at least I know where deeper water is compared to some of the racers who park their boat in the mud every year!

Five J70's started with Tom Jenkins & Erik Kownacki sailing the J/70 "DFZ" double handed with the other J70's sailing with three.  If the breeze comes up, the crew of two will get their workout for the summer and then some! If the wind stays light, this might be the right recipe for steep'n into Stockton ahead of the fleet! Joining the J/70's in the Sport 2+ class was a mix of boats: Melges 20's, Thompson 650, Ultimate 20's, J80's and a heavily modified Santana 27.

This year, the double handed approach worked perfectly for the speedy "DFZ". Tom and Erik sailed in the front of Sport 2+ class and by the George Miller Memorial Bridge they started to open their lead against the next two J/70's, Peter Cameron's "Baby War Pony" and Pomeroy's "Zero to 60". The strategy of staying in the strongest flood tide while sailing low-deep angles is an important part of the race. I have found that staying away from larger boats that are slower is also a major part, but maybe not as much as staying in the major flood tide when the wind is lighter. "DFZ" and "Baby War Pony" took off from the other 3 J/70's at mid course while we all sailed in-out-back in of slower traffic. The lead J/70's were sailing out of traffic and soaking nicely down the channel.
 
On "Zero to 60" our strategy changed at turning buoy #19. The two lead J/70's were within sight but were getting 5-7 minutes ahead and the race was getting shorter, not longer. All the boats we could see were headsail reaching on the dog leg left turn, no spinnakers. The breeze is usually windier and gusty here, so spinnaker sailing is a big no-no (unless you are a Wylie Wabbit with big cojones and carry the spin with full trapeze and flog the main and jib), so we put the spinnaker up and let it all hang out. The J/70 sailed the razor thin line of spinning out and keeping the foot on the gas pedal at full RPM passing boats, squeezing in to the lead boats and pulling away from the boat chasing us.

As the river gets closer to Stockton, there are more turns with one or two more tight reaches and then almost dead downwind to the finish line. The breeze "usually" starts to die off, but this year it started to blow with some gusts in the mid-20's. "Zero to 60" pushed hard with the spinnaker up and down on the tight reaches with boats around us spinning out trying to match the narrow angle to stay off the rocks on the leeward side of the channel and out of the mud on the windward side! This was awesome sailing with very little room to maneuver and burn down in the puffs and try to avoid submerged trees sticking out of the water and dozens of water ski boats and jets ski's. We were sailing in a real life sailing combat zone video game, don't spin out Karl!

After the last tight reach, the dead down angle was the only way to go. By this point, most asymmetric boats have gybed 40+ times with 10+ more gybes before the finish in 5-7 miles. Finally some carnage started to hit the race course with the breeze picking up instead of dying, more gybe wipe outs were happening and one FT-10 stuck in the mud after a spin out! "Zero to 60" went into our 2 minute "no huddle" offense with "wing-on-wing" sailing down the puffs. We were closing rapidly in on the lead J70's as we could get on the step and start planning with the wing-on-wing sail trim. Erik steered dead down wind or just by the lee, I trimmed (held) the spinnaker sheet while Karl was letting out the tack line for better separation from the spinnaker and main. It was exhilarating sailing as each puff would hit and the boat jumped in speed as the boats around us kept wiping out during their jibes. Erik would simply sail toward the spinnaker when the boat got out of balance and kept the boat and sails in perfect balance and trim, it was wicked fast and as good as VMG as you could get!
 
J70 JAYA- skippered by Craig Tallman:
"In the end, we ran out of race course and crossed 3rd behind "DFZ (3m:30sec ahead)" and "Baby War Pony (0:33sec ahead)". Keeping the spinnaker up on the reaches and the wing-on-wing technique was a big reason we were able to get up next to the lead J/70's by the finish. The earlier part of the race where we jibed away from bigger slower boats and sailed out of the best water and wind made too much separation. The J/70's performed amazingly well in this race and will be a factor in next year's race for sure. But, the best part of the race for the J/70's was at the hoist with all of the other trailerable boats there. Watching (not really helping) Karl and Erik put away the boat and ready it for the hoist and dropping on the trailer made me a believer. It was so dang fast and simple I could not believe it. Seeing the other trailer boats get their ladders out and mess with gin poles to drop the rigs, the J/70 experience was fast and easy.  I would expect to see close to 20 of the J70's at next year's race after taking 1,3,4, 7, 12 in their class and fun it was to race with your friends and how easy the boat was to launch-race-put away at the end of the day."

J/70 DFZ- sailed by Eric Kownacki:
We won our division. PHRF didn't treat the Sport boat division well enough to win overall but we beat the half dozen J70's, 3 or 4 Melges 20's, Thompson 650's, etc boat for boat and corrected. Peter Cameron was the second J/70, he sails from Alameda. Arcadia is that crazy modified Santana 27 that long timer and old timer, crafty old Gordie Nash sails.  Flight Risk was the Thompson and they were so out of control I couldn't tell you what they were doing as it seems when we were near them they were broaching!

It was moderate rather than light. Always wind and we were never below 5 knots over water and usually over 6/7 over land with a 1-2 knot current push. Top speed was 17.2 kts, so we had our moments!! Typically, sailing around 7-8 knots.  I would say most of the race was in the 10-15 kts range with gusts to 25 kts. A Melges 20 snapped a rig (just like one in Charleston that was winning the race). Plenty of the usual groundings. Nacra wrecked on the rocks, etc.  Fun race!"   Sailing photo credits- Slackwater SF   For more Delta Ditch Run sailing information

J/70 Kaliningrad- Sailing on the Baltic Sea!

(Kaliningrad, Russia)-  The first training and boat demonstration session for the J/70 MOJO took place over the June 7th to 9th weekend off Kaliningrad.  The wind was somewhat light, just 4-7 kts with gusts up to 12 kts.  The conditions were gorgeous with plenty of sun and warm weather.  Taking the boat for test rides included Irina Gorbatyuk and Dmitry Zaritskiy from Kaliningrad.  Their comments were that "the J/70 is very well behaved, to windward it has very good speed. Downwind with gennaker we were planing in the puffs, very nice!  All who have tried it give the J/70 very high praise, noting that the boat is light and nimble, well-balanced, and very comfortable to drive."  J/Russia are planning on getting a complete sailing program running in Kaliningrad with a fleet of J/70s!

J Sailors Raise Funds for Leukemia Cup

(Annapolis, MD)- This past weekend both Newport, RI and Annapolis, MD sailors had enjoyable times sailing with families and friends supporting the great cause to raise funds to help beat leukemia cancers, an event supported by leukemia survivor Gary Jobson himself!

Eastport YC and Annapolis YC co-hosted the 21st annual Leukemia Cup regatta in Maryland.  More than 100 boats were out there supporting this great cause including four one-design J/Boat classes.

The racing was held on a very sunny, 70-degree day with 10-15 knots of breeze.  Perfect conditions on the water for sailing...except for the 2 knots of current that plagued the fleet much of the afternoon.  A number of the boats found themselves in tacking duels with the windward mark as well-planned laylines fell apart under all that moving water.

Jen Wulff sailing "Joint Custody" with her husband Ray were able to top the 8-boat J/70 fleet.  Thanks for contribution from Dan Phelps at Annapolis and SPINSHEET.com.

For the Rhode Island chapter the New York YC and Sail Newport co-hosted their Leukemia Cup regatta on Narragansett Bay, raising a new record in excess of $250,000 in one evening of auctions.  Of note, the J/70 one-design class saw Heather Gregg-Earl of New York YC and Boston, MA win the class.  She was followed by Newport's Morgan Paxhia in second place.  For more Leukemia Cup sailing information, please support them.

J/70s @ Verve Cup Regatta

(Chicago, IL)- The Verve Cup Inshore Regatta is a spectacular sailing event. Hosted by the Chicago Yacht Club at Belmont Station August 24-25, the Verve Cup is the most popular inshore regatta in Chicago. One Design classes compete for two days to determine which boat has the best skipper and crew.  Invited to this year's event are J/111, J/105s, J/109s, J/70s and J/24 classes!  So, mobilize your fleet and sign up for wet and wild racing at Belmont this August, enjoy views of the world's most spectacular waterfront city on one of the world's largest freshwater lakes- Lake Michigan!

This year, the Verve Cup will be bigger than ever and is assured to be the best One Design sailing around. Featuring optimal late summer breezes, competitive racing, and the best race committee on the water, the Verve Cup delivers outstanding racing. Big name sponsors providing premium swag and generous free pours turn the party into a real blast. Get onboard for the 2013 Verve Cup Inshore, the best One Design Sailing event in the Midwest!  For more Chicago Verve Cup Regatta sailing info

German J/70 Sailing League Sails Tutzing

Jochen Schuman and Yachtclub Berlin-Grunau Draw First Blood!
(Tutzing, Germany)- The newly founded German Sailing League (Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga) completed their inaugural regatta on the Starnberger See, hosted by the Deutscher Touring Yacht-Club off Tutzing located on a spectacular lake in southern Germany- a lake that is up to 3 nm wide and 12 nm long oriented north and south.  The Starnberger See is surrounded by the foothills of the Austrian and Bavarian Alps to the south, and just about an hour's drive from the famous ski resorts of Innsbruck, Austria.

The idea for the event is a simple one:  gather together eighteen of the best sailing clubs in Germany sailed by their best sailors and provide them a nationwide competition for an entire sailing season in one-design J/70s at five fabulous sailing venues.  The matched fleet of six J/70s would be used in a round-robin format so that all eighteen teams could sail an equal number of races over a three day regatta based right on the waterfront.  After starting in Tutzing's Starnberger See, the Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga next sails in Travemunde on the Baltic (July 19-21), then Hamburg's Alster Lake (August 30- September 1st), then Friedrichshafen's Bodensee (September 27-29) and concludes on Berlin's Wansee (November 8-10).  The event was founded by sports marketing agency Concept Shipyard, led by Benjamin Jeuthe and Oliver Schwall-- their hope is "the Bundesliga is supposed to be the highest level of performance sailing on a national basis for those sailing at club level."  Their colleague from the Württemberg YC and an Olympic Sailing Gold Medalist in 1976, Dr. Eckart Dietsch, adds: "The Bundesliga is a wonderful opportunity for our WYC members to participate in an event of national prominence with Germany's best sailors. I am convinced that the format has a future, because it is independent of age and generations. "

As it turns out, their vision for a national sailing league has hundreds of enthusiastic supporters throughout Germany.  None other than one of Germany's most famous sailing stars, Jochen Schuman, appeared at the first showdown for the 18 sailing clubs and won with his team from Yacht Club Berlin-Grunau. But their victory was not secure until all the teams had completed their last set of races!  In the end, the team of Jochen Schumann, Reinhard Hübner, Oliver Freiheit and Philipp Leo took the gold. "For the Bundesliga and the YCBG it's a perfect start. We have quickly come together as a team and we just try to avoid mistakes," said helmsman Schumann, who also celebrated his 59th birthday during the regatta!

In the second place after finishing the last of the 36 races (twelve each per team) was the Deutscher Touring Yacht-Club. Skipper Maximilian White sailed with crew Anna Seidel, Jonas Vogt and Michael Tarabochia. "It's a great experience to match one-on-one against Jochen Schumann. We are very pleased that we managed to get second place," said the Maximilian.  They managed to win a tie-breaker to take second with 27 net pots after twelve races!

Finishing third, losing the tie-breaker, was the Württemberg Yacht Club with skipper Stefanie Rothweiler- a two-time German Olympic sailor.  Her crew on the J/70 included Thomas Stemmer, Felix Dietsch and Klaus Dietsch. "It was a really cool race. Great to see how our team sailed better from race to race. In the end, it was great to sail against the other clubs - not just against other people," said Stefanie.

All sailors expressed tremendous enthusiasm for the regatta format and the short races in front of the audience along the shore. The regatta even had the famous Maike Christiansen- top German women racer, boardsailor and kiter sailing for her home team of Mühlenberger Segel.

About 200 spectators watched the spectacle of the racing hosted by the German Touring Yacht Club. Even the wind and weather were simply fabulous- a constant, slight to moderate wind and sun allowed the RC PRO Wolfgang Stückl to run the full program of 36 races!  Sailing photo credits- Nils Bergmann   Find more info and sailing friends on Facebook/ Deutsche Bundesliga   For more Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga sailing information

J/70 @ San Diego Boat Show

(San Diego, CA)- JK3 Yachts will be presenting at this year's San Diego International Boat Show, June 20-23, at Harbor Island in San Diego. We will be featuring a very impressive lineup of boats for this show, including a J/70, the hottest one- design boat and fastest growing class in the world! For tickets or more information on any of these extraordinary yachts, please contact info@jk3yachts.com.  For more J/70 sailing information

New York YC Annual Regatta Preview

(Newport, RI)- An impressive lineup of J sailing talent will be participating in the oldest regatta in America, with over a century and a half’s worth of history and lots of family fun. For three days, yachts sailing in IRC, J one-Design classes as well as a PHRF Cruiser-Racer division will be hosted at New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court and will race on Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound.  The leading brand by a significant margin are the forty four J's (29%) sailing in the fleet of 153 boats.

“Newport is a great place to sail and offers a very impressive nautical town steeped in tradition,” said Terry McLaughlin, the Canadian Olympic silver medalist, J/24 Canadian Champion, current J/105 owner and former America’s Cup skipper who will be at the helm of John Hele’s 42 footer (himself a past J/24 Canadian champion). “As well, the New York Yacht Club always does a bang-up job on and off the water. The event has a long history and a lot of competitive classes, so it attracts a wide range of boats and people. I’m a great proponent of one-design racing, because I like to cross the finish line and know immediately how we did,” said McLaughlin.  McLaughlin & Hele and the rest of the fleet have been invited to kick off the event on Friday, June 14 with a separately scored 21nm Around the Island Race. The circumnavigation of Jamestown remains a favorite among racing sailors visiting Newport, and at stake in the IRC division is a Rolex Submariner watch, which will be presented to the overall winner during that evening’s festivities at Harbour Court.

Fielding ten boats as the largest J one-design class are the J/70s.  Included is St Pete NOOD Champion Joel Ronning sailing CATAPULT from Minneapolis, MN and Charleston Race Week's Corinthian Class winners Heather Gregg-Earl & Joe Bardenheier's MUSE from Boston, MA.  Several new teams are participating in their first major J/70 regatta, including Jen Wulff's JOINT CUSTODY, Morgan Paxhia's PENNY PINCHER, Amory Loring's RASCAL and Nick Johnstone on USA 308.  Look for the family team of Mom, Dad and the two kids having fun on the Flack's TORQEEDO!  For more New York YC Annual Regatta sailing information

Captain Jack Sparrow Defends J/70 Speedster Sailboat!

(Sanctuary Cove, Australia)- "Avast ye' matey's"!  The Honourable Captain Jack Sparrow graciously looks after the J/70 at the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show in Australia.  Jack's doing a great job protecting the J/70 from pirates of all shapes and sizes that are invading from the islands and beaches nearby!

As reported by Sandra Entwistle at the J/Australia dealership, "we had a great time at the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show and had an awesome response to the J/70.  Here's a photo of ‘Captain Jack Sparrow’ in front of the J/70.  A very entertaining guy!"

For more J/70 sailing information in Australia, please contact Yachtspot at Ph +612 9449 4976, info@yachtspot.com.au or on http://www.yachtspot.com.au

J/70 Sailors Love Southern Bay Week

(Hampton, VA)- One of the highlights of the southern Chesapeake Bay racing season is the Southern Bay Race Week hosted by Hampton Yacht Club.  The event actually starts with the annual "feeder race" from Annapolis, the "Down the Bay Race".  After the racers have recuperated from their blast down the Chesapeake, the Hampton YC plays host to an amazing regatta that is loaded with an enormous amount of social activities and festivities for the next four days straight!  Great bands, great food and simply fabulous Southern hospitality.  No wonder its popular for "those in the know" in the mid-Atlantic region.

For their debut event, the J/70s had a good turnout for Southern Bay.  In the end, it was evident the teams were all on an enormous learning curve as some boats that did well in the beginning soon found themselves on a slippery slope trying to cope with others who were learning how to go faster and apply better tactics upwind and, especially, downwind. Locals Ron Thompson and crew started strongly but struggled later in the regatta.  Their 1-1-2-1-4-1-3 for 13 pts sealed the deal to win the J/70s.  The Kimbrough boys on NOSTALGIA sailed well and their 3-4-1-3-3-2-1 for 17 pts was good enough to take a comfortable second overall.  Third was John Hanna sailing VORTEX Racing, beating on a tie-breaker their friend Basil Rowland sailing GETMYBOAT.COM.   For more Southern Bay Race Week sailing information

J/70 Fest @ Cal Race Week

(Marina del Rey, CA)- Cal Race Week continues to be a highlight for many sailing teams as more and more racers discover the pleasure of late spring sailing in Marina del Rey, with afternoon breezes in the low to mid-teens, sun and perfect temperatures for racing around the buoys.  That's what the Marina del Rey Chamber of Commerce proclaimed before everyone headed for the race course-- one where the boats are sailing in the shadows of the monstrous LAX Airport and having to sometimes suffer from  their noise abatement take-off procedures for such lilliputian jumbo jets like the Airbus 380!

Despite the noise to the south, the standard "sea breeze" blows most of the noise away as it fills in from the WNW and builds all day long, thanks to the mountain ranges to the east and massive amounts of concrete throughout the smog-ridden Los Angeles basin sucking in all the breeze.  The enormous benefit of this phenomenon is that sailors enjoy beautiful, crystal-clear, smog-free days along a somewhat picturesque coastline.

Furthermore, what many SoCal sailors have come to know, is that California Yacht Club has won US SAILING’s prestigious St. Petersburg trophy for excellence in race management three times in recent years! Multiple courses with separate start/finish lines minimize interference between boats in different classes and insure that most of your time on the water will be spent racing. No kidding, the Cal YC RC team does a fantastic job of keeping the pace rolling with fleets starting and finishing at the same time!

The weekend’s hospitality was a fitting complement to the on-the-water competition. There was entertainment both days, with hosted beverages on the docks after racing (yes, ice-cold, refreshing local micro-brewery beer served from a kegger on the dock!). Plus, it's hard to beat their no-host BBQ on Saturday and complimentary beverages with hors d’oeuvres at the trophy presentation on Sunday.

Enjoying every minute of the weekend were a small armada of J Teams enjoying the fine weather and fabulous hospitality.  While the regatta attracted 77 boats from around SoCal, ranging from Santa Barbara to the north and San Diego to the south, fully 38% of the fleet (29 boats) were J sailors racing one-design in J/70s, J/80s, J/109s, J/105s and J/24s.

For Saturday's racing, the wind started out in the NW quadrant and slowly backed to the WNW.  As a result, the old axiom of "left early, right late" never worked.  In fact, the strategy of the day was highly atypical for the area with "go West young man" being the order of the day.  Sunday's racing was quite radically different, too.  Despite filling in from the SW due to an enormous High pressure ridge, the wind never clocked (or did so rarely), so the breeze funneling down the coast had greater pressure and lifts coming from the left upwind (and, conversely, downwind).  As a result, the "south of the border" strategy appeared to be the order of the day.  Strange, that it was!

Course 2, north of the Marina del Rey jetties and halfway to the Santa Monica Pier, were the fleets of J/70s, J/80s and J/24s.  The J/70s debut in the Cal Week regatta saw good, close racing. In the end, the Jenkins/ Kownacki duo on DFZ took the crown, winning with a 2-1-1-5-1 record for 10 pts.  Starting strong but fading on the first race Sunday was Karl Pomeroy's ZERO TO 60, accumulating a 1-2-3-4-2 for 12 pts to take second. Third was Dan Gribble's GO-RILLA showing they were quick learners after a very slow Saturday, amassing scores of 5-5-2-1-4 for 17 pts to snatch third overall!  They very narrowly beat-out two of their competitors on become a nearly three-way tie for third!  Craig Tallman's JAYA won that battle for 4th while Sean O'Keefe on DECOLORES 3 for 5th.
Sailing photo credits- Bronny Daniels/ Joysailing.com   For more Cal Race Week sailing information

J/70 North American's Sold Out!

(Annapolis, MD)- Anticipation was high for the first ever J/70 North American Championship, but no one expected the overwhelming, rapid response to the opening of registration this past Monday.  In what may be a world-record for any one-design fleet (dinghy, catamaran or keelboat), the regatta reached its 90-boat entry threshold within 28 hours!!  That's stunning, it will be sailing's version of a "Woodstock rock festival" as hundreds of J sailors flock to the Chesapeake Bay in September. Hosted by the Annapolis Yacht Club and J/70 Fleet 1, the J/70 North American Championship will take place from September 26-28, 2013. The list of sailors participating is simply astounding, with many World, North American and European champions from dozens of classes participating.

Regatta registration opened on Monday, June 3 at 9:30 am ET, and J/70 sailors from across North America flooded the event website until the 90-boat limit was achieved around 12:30 pm ET on Tuesday, June 4.  “In 35 years of sailing, I’ve never seen anything close to this,” exclaimed J/70 Class President Joe Colling of Ohio! “Watching the registration all day and seeing those numbers keep climbing demonstrates the unbelievable enthusiasm for the J/70. It’s already an epic event!”

Event organizers limited entries to 90 boats to ensure the highest level of race management and onsite logistics. Competitors may still sign-up and be placed on a wait list.

If you have any questions, you can contact event co-chairs Kathy Parks (kathyparks10@gmail.com/ ph# 443-386-9057) or Will Keyworth (will@sales.northsails.com/ ph# 410-269-5662). Any questions about Annapolis YC should be directed to Regatta Manager Linda Ambrose (lambrose@annapolisyc.org/ ph# 410-263-9147 x106).  Sailing photo credit- Onne Vanderwal.  For more J/70 North Americans sailing information

J/70 SPITFIRE Dominates Round Island Sportboats!

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- Saturday 1st of June was certainly a day to remember, a day of highs, and more highs and, it was a day for Round the Island Race records to tumble.  It was the day when Great Britain's most successful Olympic sailor, Sir Ben Ainslie (past J/24, J/80 and J/109 sailor/tactician) and his all-British crew aboard JP Morgan BAR, trounced the existing Round the Island Race multihull record, held for 12 years, by an impressive 16 minutes.  Equalling this awesome, impressive feat was Simon Ling's team aboard the J/70 SPITFIRE, just blowing away their 15 boat Sportboat Class by 15 minutes on corrected time and were declared winner of the prestigious Sir Edward Heath Trophy (named after a former British Prime Minister who dearly loved sailing).

As dawn broke over the Solent, a weak weather front was clearing away to the east, leaving clear skies and a northerly airflow in its wake. The wind strength peaked at 17-22 knots as the front passed over, reducing to 13-17 knots for the first starters. It was clear it was going to be a day to break records for all kinds of boats, especially with flat water and a good wind angle on every leg of the course.  A critical turning point in the race, St Catherine's Point, had a comfortable 15 kts with occasional gusts to 20-25 kts to make for fast surfing or planing for the lighter boats. It was nearly idyllic sailing conditions for the massive 1,500 boat fleet. However, by the time Simon Ling’s J/70 SPITFIRE, the leading sportsboat, was approaching Bembridge Ledge at 1030 hrs there were holes appearing in the breeze, with just 5-6 knots reported in places. Otherwise, conditions remain glorious on the water, with almost unbroken sun now warming the 15,000 sailors after a cold start to the day.

The fourteen boat IRC Sportsboat class saw very, very fast sailing.  While Ling's J/70 SPITFIRE dominated overall, what's important to note is that they beat a Melges 32 by 15 minutes on corrected time and a pro-sailed Bavaria B-One by over half an hour elapsed-- that's quite a feat! Next up were a string of Royal Yacht Squadron/ Royal Thames YC J/80 one-designs with ROYAL 1 taking 4th, ROYAL 5 in 6th, ROYAL 2 in 7th and ROYAL 3 in 9th.   Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth @ PWPictures.com.  For more Round The Island Race sailing information

A Women's View Sailing the J/70

(Annapolis, MD)- We asked Kathy Parks, proud owner of the J/70 SUNDOG from Annapolis, Maryland to offer her views on what it's like to sail the J/70.  Here's her commentary:

"I think it all started with the Rolex Women's International Keelboat Regatta in Annapolis in 2001.  I sailed all season with a friend on her J/22 in preparation for the big event in September.  Shortly after that regatta I realized I was hooked on big fleet one design racing and my husband suggested we buy a J/22.  I raced it for 12 years including five more Rolex's, two world championships and numerous North American Championships.  My husband, Paul, a great sailor in his own right has been a wonderful ground support for my sailing adventures.

Last spring I caught sight of the J/70 in the parking lot at Charleston Race Week and sailing around the harbor.  I began daydreaming about the sport boat with the asymmetrical spinnaker.  I had crewed for my husband on numerous sport boats we owned over the years but I was concerned that they would be too much boat for me.  The J/70 seemed to be a great option-- speed, ease of handling yet more stability than usual in a sport boat.   And, I loved the idea of sailing in a brand new fleet.  The next thing I knew I was ordering a J/70 and was asked if I needed it by Key West Race Week.  Guessing that it might mean I would get one sooner, I committed to KWRW which was a blast and provided a fast start to my learning curve.

I guess because I started out racing in a Women's Regatta I just kept on racing mostly with women over the years.  Every once in awhile we'd fit a guy in without going over the weight limit on the J22 but typically I raced with four women.  Now, the J/70 is "not your father's Chevrolet" and with no weight limit it requires bigger people.  In Charleston I raced with my good friend Nancy Haberland who has been generous in assisting me in learning the boat and getting up to speed.  Nancy is a former Olympic sailor and Offshore Coach at the Naval Academy and without her help I would have been overwhelmed.  In addition I had Regan Weaver and Lisa Simpkins, two wonderful sailors who have raced with me for years.  All three of my crew are fit, strong and competitive athletes (think "Triathlons").  They inspire me and I work out twice a week with a trainer at the gym just to keep up with them.

We showed up at Charleston Race week weighing a scant 565 pounds and hoping for light winds.  In retrospect, it just doesn't work in heavy winds like we had.  My crew handled the boat beautifully and we had literally no problems when others were crashing, losing chutes, rounding up, etc.  Their strength, fitness and sailing talent was impressive throughout the regatta.  The discouraging thing is that you just can't compete without more weight.  Since my women crew are not interested in gaining 50 pounds each it was easy to conclude that I need to get some big guys on the boat.

Fortunately with such a fun boat as the J/70 it's suddenly easy to find crew!  So, I've been adding one or two guys to the mix and we are all enjoying it.  My husband has encouraged me to increase my racing to take my sailing to a new level.  That is easy to do in Annapolis.  I'm racing Wednesday nights with Annapolis Yacht Club and Thursday nights with J/World plus the weekend regattas which come fast and furious.  With over 20 J/70's in Annapolis there are plenty of activities and lots of room for additional crew to fill out the schedule.

What I like the most about the J/70 is how well she handles in heavy air.  In Annapolis we typically have lighter air during the summer so I never really got comfortable sailing my J/22 in big wind.  This year between Key West, Charleston and some local heavy wind regattas I've had more experience than ever and the boat does amazingly well.  For instance, one day at Key West  before the first race we put that chute up and flew down the course in the heaviest air I had experienced under spinnaker.  It was easy to control the boat and I felt both comfortable and exhilarated.

The J/70 is attracting lots of women skippers and one day there will surely be a women's championship regatta held in J/70's.  Until then I plan to add big guys along with my women crew and I'm finding it's really fun!"

J/70 New England Circuit

(Newport/ Marblehead)- The J/70 fleets in Marblehead and Newport in New England are looking forward to their summer-time circuit and invite all J/70 sailors to join in on the fun.  With two of New England's famous sailing venues on offer, the expectation is that sailors will be challenged by a wide variety of conditions in both Narragansett Bay and Massachusetts Bay.

Beginning with the Leukemia Cup Weekend on June 8-9, the sailors will be treated to a fabulous event hosted by New York Yacht Club in Newport on June 8th for the racing.  Come join the festivities in the evening to support the battle against leukemia.  Then, on Sunday the fleet will have top J/70 sailors from North Sails, Doyle Sails and Quantum Sails conducting a J/70 training/ tuning clinic on Sunday for all J/70 sailors!  For more info- http://www.leukemiacup.org/ri/

The following weekend, the New York YC Annual Regatta will again host the J/70 sailors on a Narragansett Bay course north of the Newport Bridge from June 14th to 16th.  For the more adventurous sailors, be sure to include the famous "Around Jamestown Island Race" on Friday-- the PHRF Division was won last year by a J/70 sailed by a double-handed team! Furthermore, rumor has it that NYYC's Sailing Master Brad Dellenbaugh may be the J/70 fleet P.R.O. for the regatta.  Watch out, you may sail so many races so fast you may lose track of which leg on the "sausage courses" you're sailing! For more info- http://nyyc.org/yachting/racing/159th-annual-regatta

Then, July 12th to 14th is the Bacardi Sail Newport Regatta held off Fort Adams.  This is an enormous one-design regatta and an excellent turn-out is expected, especially with world famous host and Master of Ceremonies, SailNewport's Executive Director Brad Read, presiding over the awe-inspired masses.  This regatta is renown for being a fun time, with great sailing and race management, excellent entertainment onshore in the evenings and, of course, the extraordinary support of Bacardi Rum all weekend long. For more info- http://www.sailnewport.org

Two weekends later, from July 26th to 28th will be the J/70 New England's/ Marblehead NOOD Regatta.  Again, the red carpet will be rolled out for the J/70 fleet with tremendous support from the Sperry Topsider NOOD Regatta organizers and Sailing World sponsors, including Mt Gay Rum amongst others.  Like its predecessors, this regatta has excellent race management and the social/ entertainment in the evenings is second to none.  For more info- http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas/marblehead

For the Newport events, it's important to note that all J/70 sailors are welcome to rig and store their boats on trailers with "rigs up" at the Fort Adams Sailing Center and its parking lots.  In Marblehead, a similar arrangement will be available.  Please be sure to contact Morgan - fleetcaptain@j70fleet2.com.

J/70 North Americans Update

(Annapolis, MD)-  The inaugural J/70 North American Championship will be hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club from September 25th to 28th, 2013. The Notice of Race is available at the regatta website- http://www.j70nac.com. At this time, interest is so high that it looks like nearly 100 boats could be attending the regatta.  However, because of space constraints and basic regatta management, registration will be limited to the first 90 boats that register (first-come, first-served).

Registration will open on June 1, 2013. If you have any questions, you can contact event co-chairs Kathy Parks (kathyparks10@gmail.com/ ph# 443-386-9057) or Will Keyworth (will@sales.northsails.com/ ph# 410-269-5662). Any questions about Annapolis YC should be directed to Regatta Manager Linda Ambrose (lambrose@annapolisyc.org/ ph# 410-263-9147 x106).  Sailing photo credit- Onne Vanderwal.  For more J/70 North Americans sailing information

Round the Island Race Preview

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- Hold on to your hats, bloomers and knickers!  This coming weekend the annual JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, organized by the Island Sailing Club is taking place.  The one-day yacht race around the Isle of Wight, an island situated off the south coast of England, attracts over 1,700 boats and around 16,000 sailors--  making it one of the largest yacht races in the world and the fourth largest participation sporting event in the United Kingdom after the London Marathon and the Great North & South Runs (in other words, more sailors participate than any of the famous Harrod's department store sales in downtown London!).

Competitors come from all over the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe and as far away as America to sail the 50nm course round the Isle of Wight. Starting on the famous Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes, the fleet races "westabout" to The Needles, round St Catherine's Point and Bembridge Ledge buoy and back into the Solent to the finish line at Cowes.

Since 1990, the J's have always been factor in this famous race, often winning class or overall.  It attracts the famous and not so famous and that's what's so fun about sailing the original "100 Guinea Cup" race course (e.g. the original infamous regatta where the yacht AMERICA "stole" the silver cup, took it home and renamed it the "America's Cup"-- using an entirely professional crew of sailors-- as our English sailing friends might say, "that's not cricket!").

The fourteen boat IRC Sportsboat class has two J/70s and six J/80s sailing, all vying for "max speed, terminal velocity" on the largest breaking comber off the infamous St Catherine's Point bell. 

Good luck to all!  Fair winds, clear skies and fair tide!  For more Round The Island Race sailing information