(Plymouth, England)- With gusts close to 20 knots ripping through the
race area in Plymouth Sound, the final day of the B&G J-Cup 2013,
produced some ballistic action for the forty-five J/Teams that were in
attendance. Hosted by the Royal Western Yacht Club, the J-Cup was also
the venue for the Lifedge J/109 UK National Championship and the 2013
edition produced the closest finish in the 10 year history of the event.
It was a fitting end to another fabulous weekend of sailing-- the
sailors enjoyed near-perfect sailing conditions for most of the regatta,
closing with an epic final day of sailing.Day One Report:
The first day of racing could best be described as the "Champagne Opener". A building sea breeze, topping out at 15 knots provided great sailing for the 300+ sailors that competed in four races, inside and outside of the Plymouth Breakwater. With several one designs taking to the race course, there was plenty of thrilling boat-on-boat action.
Ruairidh Scott, skipper of J/70 North Sails knows a thing or two about sportsboats. The Scot is a former J/80 World Champion and three time 1720 European champion. J/70 North Sails swept the board, scoring 4 bullets. Plymouth local, Nigel Passmore, was second and Mike Flood was in third position but the day belonged to Ruairidh Scott and a crack crew of Ben Field, Matt Curthoys, and Stuart Miller.
“It was a tricky day with a big range in wind speed and tuning the rig was made more difficult because of that,” commented Scott. “We started the day below our base setting (8 knots) and by the second race there were times when we should have had a stiffer setting but I always like to set the rig for the wind at the start. In one design racing, getting off the line in good shape is the key, it is easier to defend a lead than try and catch up and pass a competitor later in the race. The J/70 is a great little boat; simple but rewarding and compared to similar boats, the good thing about a J/70 is that it goes upwind quite nicely. The single spreader carbon rig is great for tuning but it is also forgiving as it is a stiff spar, so if you do get stuck on slightly the wrong setting the rig isn't going to break.”
Day Two Report:
Day two was perhaps the trickiest day for sailing on Plymouth Sound. In stark contrast to the previous day's sublime sailing conditions, racing was delayed by lack of breeze. Eventually, everyone got underway in the early afternoon, once a light and just race-able breeze stabilized. All classes got one good race in but the second was abandoned, as light rain killed off the gradient wind completely.
In
the J/70 Class, North Sails kept up their perfect scoreline but Nick
Haigh's crew on Lightly Steamy was kicking themselves. “We got a great
start by winning the pin end, which was a hard fought victory and we
should have gone on to win the race but we made a school boy error.”
confessed Nick Haigh. “We were a long way ahead and didn't cover North
Sails, we managed to put ourselves in a wind hole and that was that. You
don't expect to beat a class act like North Sails with that sort of
mistake and I only have myself to blame. However, I think we had good
boat speed today and we have learnt a few tricks upwind.” In the J/70
Class, Nigel Passmore's Apollo was now second, after five races, with
Mike Flood's J7t in third.Day Three Report:
The final day of racing was filled with drama, with lots of anxiety faced by tacticians on how best to handle their blood-thirsty competitors in the 15-20+ kts of big breeze and big seas.
In the J/70 Class, Ruairidh Scott's J/70 North Sails conducted a master class of sportsboat racing, winning the class with straight bullets and a race to spare. However, it was a highly rewarding experience for the entire J/70 Class as the North Sails team were happy to share their knowledge dockside after racing. Nigel Passmore's Apollo 6 finished second and the young team on Mike Flood's J7t won the last race of the day to secure third for the regatta.
The official prize-giving was held at the National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth with a fine buffet supper celebrating the B&G J-Cup 2013. Surrounded by the UK's biggest collection of marine life, the regatta came to a close and the organisers are not aware of anyone ending up in the shark pool! The organisers would like to thank the principle sponsors of the regatta; B&G, Fusion, North Sails, Fastnet, and Grapefruit Graphics. Thanks also to our supporting sponsors SLAM, Peters & May, Lombard, RS Divers, Ocean Safety, Lifedge and Harken. Thanks for story contribution from Louay Habib. J/Cup sailing video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9obIieub90w Sailing photo credits- Tim Wright/ Photoaction.com For more B&G J/Cup Regatta sailing information
