Lovely, Windy Poole Regatta

Great Sailing for J/70 Nationals
(Poole, England)-  This year’s International Paints Poole Regatta was blessed with great breeze and awesome race committee work, making it fun and exhausting for all!  The regatta is a huge bi-annual event held over the three days of the late May Bank Holiday Weekend.  In addition to the U.K. National Championships for J/24s, J/70s and J/80s being run as part of the regatta, there was excellent IRC handicap racing, too.

First, the J/70 Nationals.  The report from Paul & Marie-Claude Heys comes from the perspective of sailing their J/70 JOSEPH’S COAT: “The regatta is run by a consortium of the Poole Yacht Clubs and was a brilliant example of how a regatta should be run; swift launching of trailerable boats by the Parkstone YC travel hoist crew, excellent on-the-water race management, a prompt results service and a delightful clutch of socials spread between Parkstone Yacht Club, Poole Yacht Club and the Royal Motor Yacht Club. Congratulations and thank you to the hardworking army that made it all happen.

Race day 1 was planned as a four race day, the morning races were sailed in 10-12 knots which was enough to see the J/70s planing downwind. There is a big difference in the downwind sailing styles of the J/70 and the J/80, with the 70s opting for an aggressive crew weight aft, bow up ‘hot angle’ mode and the 80s sailing in a deeper displacement mode. PRO Peter Sexton set the J/70s on their way six minutes ahead of the J/80s, this worked really well with no resulting traffic issues.

The first bullet for the J/80s went to Ben Richards and Andrew and Julia Dallas on Boysterous, with new class chair Mike Lewis second on Jester.

Races 2-4 of the J/80 series were won by Patrick Liardet’s Aqua- J which when added to a third in race one left Patrick sitting on a solid overnight lead.

In the meantime, on the J/70 circuit, defending National Champion and European Champion, Ruairidh Scott, having now teamed up with Ian Atkins to own and sail Boats.com, took the first two bullets. Ian Southworth helming Simon Ling’s Team RAFBF Spitfire won races 3 and 4, with Boats.com taking two seconds and thus the overnight lead. Team RAFBF Spitfire appeared to find the lighter conditions in the afternoon very much to their liking. Other noticeable results on day one were a second place in race one of the J/70 series for Charlie Esse’s Baby J, and class chairman Simon Cavey’s pair of thirds on Just 4 Play.

Race day 2, the Sunday, was again to be a four race day. The wind had increased to 15-22, which meant both fleets were planing downwind, with the J/70s sailing at 15 knots+ of boat speed for long periods. Others were drifting sideways with their keels horizontal for brief and embarrassing periods!

Boats.com showed the benefit of their experience and the hard work that they have put in during training to score an outstanding four firsts, Team RAFBF Spitfire took four straight seconds, the lead pair now opening up a points gap on the rest of the fleet. Charlie Esse’s Baby J completed the podium for the day with a flush of thirds.

The final day was, as forecast an ‘off the land’ 8 knots, making Poole bay nice and calm, thus giving the sailors some respite after a windy Saturday. For the third day in a row, PRO Peter Sexton got the fleet away on time. In the J/80 class, any one of three boats, Juicy, J.A.T. and Aqua-J, could win the series, so the pressure was high!

For the J/70 title Boats.com only needed to punch in one good result from the two final races, with a second as discard they were in a strong position. Their only possible challenger was Team RAFBF Spitfire who looked solid for a top two result. First to the top mark in race nine, was Joseph’s Coat helmed by Marie-Claude Heys, who had predominately worked the right hand side of the course. Boats.com assumed their normal position at the head of the fleet just before the end of the run. Team RAFBF Spitfire was a little further back in the pack. On the next upwind leg, Boats.com placed a general cover on the bulk of the fleet whilst Team RAFBF Spitfire headed hard left and found a nice shift that propelled them into a big lead at the final windward mark. Boats.com reeled them in on the final run closing them down but not passing.

That second place was enough for Boats.com to take the title, so they sailed in, to beat the queue for the crane leaving Team RAFBF Spitfire to pick up a fourth bullet in race ten, followed by Dave Atkinson sailing Jawbreaker in second and then Just 4 Play in third.

Boats.com were the deserved winners, with Spitfire a very solid second and Ian Wilson’s Wilson Covers being helmed by Geoff Carveth knocking Baby J out of third.

For the J/70s as a young fleet, techniques are still being developed to get the best out of these fast-planing machines, the build up to September’s inaugural World Championship continues with Boats.com looking the class act.

At the final prize giving, Boats.com was awarded the Kleinwort Benson ‘Boat of the Regatta’ trophy as an accolade to their tally of twelve points from ten races. Top boat out of 180 competitors, well done Ian Atkins, Ruairidh Scott, Dan Brown and Ben Field! Oh, and to their coach, the legendary Q.P. Saltonstall!”   Sailing photo credits- David Harding   For more Poole Regatta sailing information

Southern Bay Race Week Preview

(Hampton, VA)- With eight-nine boats participating, the Southern Bay Race Week has undoubtedly enjoyed a more prosperous participation level than it has seen in recent year.  Taking place from May 30th to June 1st in Hampton, VA there is a happy coincidence that taking place on the harbor as well is the “Blackbeard Pirate Festival” and the “Hampton Block Party” hosted by the City of Hampton!

In other words, with visitors from all over the country enjoying the sights and sounds of 18th century Hampton overrun by “pirates” (and pirate-wannabe’s), Hampton’s waterfront gets a bit wild and crazy.  The waterfront comes alive with dozens of pirate re-enactors, costumed in historically accurate garb, who transform today’s Hampton into the busy seaport of yesterday. Led by “Blackbeard the Pirate” himself, re-enactors help visitors step back in time and re-live the history and legends of 1718 Hampton. The Festival offers a variety of children’s activities, live musical entertainment, fireworks, period vendors, arts and crafts, and much more!  Learn more here- www.blackbeardfestival.com

So, were we talking about sailing?  Yes, “avast’ye’matey’s”, the J/70s are making a huge debut in this year’s event.  Perhaps the reason why participation has massively increased?  Nine J/70s are sailing with several top traveling teams in the mix.  Top of the box (e.g. the podium) candidate has to be Blake & Lud Kimbrough’s NOSTALGIA and giving them a run for the money are experienced 70 veterans like the VORTEX Racing Team’s two boats, GETMYBOAT.COM and VORTEX.  Noel Clinard’s LOONATICTU and Clark Dennison’s CAT’S PAJAMAS will be sure to give them all a battle over the weekend.   For more Southern Bay Race Week sailing information

Delta Ditch Run Preview

A Cannonball Rally For Huge J/70 Fleet!
(Stockton, CA)- The Richmond YC and Stockton YC are hosting their incredibly fun, infamous, outrageous race that runs for 67 nm up the “delta” that forms the northeastern part of San Francisco Bay and heads off into the estuaries of the “flatlands”.  Notoriously windy most times, it’s a mad dash up the Sacramento River from Richmond YC’s starting line in NE Bay to Stockton YC’s finish in the muddy estuaries of the San Joaquin River.

With a fleet of 125 boats registered so far, it looks to be a full-on, crazy, wacky race.  With 30-40 foot carbon catamarans whistling down the straits at 75 kts, avoiding mudbanks along with J/22s, J/70s and dozens of others, you can bet there will be stories to tell after this event (e.g. groundings, dismastings, cart-wheeling humans into marshes full of mating snail-darters, etc, etc).

Last year, a number of J/70s did the race and nearly won the entire thing despite making all kinds of rookie mistakes in boat-handling and boat-speed.  This year, there is an entire armada of experienced J/70 teams tackling the race hoping to beat the fable Moore 24’s who’ve been a stalwart of the race for years. This year’s rogues gallery of competitors include DIVERSION (Chris Gabriel from Santa Barbara YC), the famous ZERO TO 60 (Karl Pomeroy- Newport Harbor YC), PERFECT WIFE (Chris Andersen- St Francis YC), CAKE (Scott & Leslie Deardorff- Santa Barbara YC), ECLIPSE (Mike Drammer, Shaun Hughes, Andrew Nunn- Santa Barbara YC), SPITFIRE (Tyler Karaszewski- Santa Cruz YC), 1FA (Scott Sellers & Geoff McDonald- St Francis YC), SUGOI (Mark Nelsen), DFZ (Eric Kownacki & Tom Jenkins- Monterey Bay YC), BOTTLE ROCKET (David Schumann & Jeff Thorpe- from San Francisco YC), and LOOSE LUCY (Justin Kromelow- St Francis YC).  God Speed to this group! My God how much fun could that possibly be planing downwind for 67 nm in perfectly flat water!?

Fun and games for who’s top J/Team?  Might be worth a magnum of Veuve-Clicqout champagne!?
Better yet, there’s a famous BBQ combined with one of the top classic and blues bands in Northern California that finish off the day of racing in grand style!  The party band, for over a decade the “Blue-a-Fuse” gang has been one of the top classic rock and blues bands in Northern California.  They go back to the roots of modern music.  They cover fun, upbeat, danceable tunes by great artists like Santana, Van Morison, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, and many more...this band ROCKS!

Even better yet, for you armchair-racing fans, there is a new race-tracking “app” on the Android or iOS devices that are being provided by RaceQs for the Delta Ditch Run.  Totally cool stuff.  Even Manhattan YC in southern New York City uses RaceQs for their Tuesday night races!  Check out some Manhattan YC races here.   For more Delta Ditch Run sailing information

Seattle NOOD Debuts J/70 Class!

(Seattle, WA)- This year’s Sperry Top Sider Seattle NOOD Regatta brought tears of joy and smiles all around to the sailors for one simple reason- wind!  At least enough of it so that most fleets got in a least six if not ten races over the three day event.

Friday was a rather auspicious start for the regatta.  A consistent 10-15 kts southerly allowed some classes to complete as many as five races.  For the second day of sailing, there was still wind, but just a bit less.

Sailing ten races in the regatta were the inaugural J/70 class.  Clearly, the fleet loved the first day of sailing with a combination of planing and soak modes all day long.  Sailing super-fast out of the box on that day was the experienced team aboard DaSPENCER, skippered by Mike Pitt, taking two bullets to lead the fleet after day one.  However, as the wind dropped off over the next two days, so did Team DaSPENCER’s fortunes.  In the end, JUST LISTED sailed by the Sail Northwest team took top honors with 13 pts.  They were followed by Andrew Mesher’s PERIDOT in second with 24 pts and in third was DaSPENCER with 27! Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes.com.  Sailing World video interview - Dave Reed and Chris Snow   For more Sperry Top Sider Seattle NOOD regatta sailing information

Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga Starts With Three-Way Tie!

Norddeutscher RV Win The Tie-Breaker
(Starnberg, Germany)- After an intense qualification regatta a few weeks back, eighteen clubs participated in the Bundesliga season opener on Lake Starnberg at the Bayerischer Yacht Club. The thirteen sailing clubs that qualified from the first season in 2013 were joined by five “newcomers” that had qualified in early April- Bodensee Yacht Club Überlingen, Düsseldorf Yacht Club, Kieler Yacht Club, the S.C.”Wappen von Bremen" and the Seglervereinigung Itzehoe.

Prior to the start of the regatta, Ilya Wolf (BYC team manager) said, "Our team is perfectly prepared. We are looking forward to the coming weekend and are proud host of this event. We are very excited about participating with the Segel-Bundesliga. It is a very good opportunity for our young sailors and a great way to promote sailing to everyone."

Recognizing the importance of this season long series that culminates with the Finale in Hamburg, many clubs pulled out all the stops to get their top sailors to hop aboard the teams as either crew or skippers.  Among the most prominent sailors in Starnberg were four German Olympians. Sailing for Württemberg Yacht Club was Stefanie Rothweiler (two-time Olympic 470s); sailing for Wansee was Ulrike Schumann (Olympics in Ynglings); and Kristin Wagner (Olympic Yngling) and Patrick Follmann (Olympian 470) were both sailing for Deutscher Touring YC.

With so much talent and tactical horsepower aboard the various boats, the racing was going to be close.  In fact, far closer than anyone could have imagined!  After the first day of sailing, three teams were tied on points- Bayerischer YC, Deutsche Touring YC and Flensburg SC! Lots of sunshine and light 7 kt winds greeted the fleet, enough to get in seven races.  "The weather conditions were not optimal. In fact, it was often difficult.  But, we are extremely pleased and excited that we were able to get a good start in the new season on home turf," concluded Christian Schäfer, helmsman of the BYC boat.

The second day offered sailing at its best. Starting out with a bit of rainy weather, by afternoon, the weather had cleared and the good breezes enabled twenty-four races to be sailed! The defending champions, Norddeutscher RV, had an impressive day of sailing.   "The field is so close and tight that a single mistake is sufficient to be passed from the very front to the very back of the pack. With good starts and safe maneuvers, we were able to stay up front most of the time. Our goal is the top three," stated Florian Weser from the NRV team.  In fact, after Saturday’s racing, they did much better than that; Team NRV was leading after ten races.  Following them were Wannsee in second, Deutscher Touring YC in third and Konstanzer YC in fourth.

After Sunday’s sailing, only 39 of the 45 scheduled races were completed, 13 for each club.  In the end, the defending Segel-Bundesliga 2013 champions, Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, took first place overall by breaking the tie-breaker with seven race wins over their competitors.  The other two teams tied on 44 pts each were Verein am Wannsee and Deutscher Touring YC, taking 2nd and 3rd respectively.

"For us it was a roller-coaster of emotions. The quality of sailors and the competition were extremely high. All in all, we really sailed well and look forward to enjoying our first win," commented NRV teammate Carsten Kemmling.

Second-placed VSaW Team manager Ulrike Schumann said, "After the bad start, we pressed the reset button and then it all ran much smoother. We want to win this year, that's our goal!"

Next stop on the Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga is July 19-21 as part of Travemünde Sailing Week on the Baltic Sea.  Remember, all races are broadcast via “live stream” on the Internet, so thousands of sailing enthusiasts in Germany and around the world can watch it “live” on the water.   Sailing photo credits- DSBL/ Lars Wehrmann    Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga sailing video:   Day One    Day Two   Day Three   For more Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga sailing information

Poole Regatta Preview

(Poole, England)-  The Poole Regatta is a huge bi-annual event held over the 3 days of the late May Bank Holiday Weekend starting 24th May.  In addition to the IRC series, there are a number of national championships being run as part of the regatta, including J/24s, J/70s and J/80s.

The one-design side of things is pretty remarkable, three International J one-designs are sailing their UK Nationals at this event!  What is even more impressive is that all three fleets have excellent attendance, the J/24s have 19 boats registered, the J/70s have 13 and the J/80s have 16.  Fun and games for all!

For the J/70 UK Nationals it is a compulsory qualifying event for teams that wish to go to the 2014 World Championship in Newport, RI.  Many of the top UK teams are attending, including Ian Atkins on BOATS.COM (top finisher at Key West Race Week), Simon Ling skippering TEAM RAF SPITFIRE Powered by SLAM and Marie-Claude Heys on JACOBS COAT.  In addition, participating is the American team of Jen & Ray Wulff from Annapolis, MD; they are sailing a chartered J/70 called JOINT CUSTODY.   For more Poole Regatta sailing information

Sailing J/70s Fast Off Malta- 18.6 kts!

(Gzira, Malta)- The gang from Malta were having fun sailing their fleet of J/70s in the often epic sailing conditions they encounter in the middle of the Mediterranean- 18.6 knots boatspeed!!  Things get especially fun and the amp-meter goes off the charts when they get the tail end of giant mistrals that blow across from France and Italy, often churning up enormous 10-15 ft waves and 40-60 kts winds from the NNW.  Catch the tail end of one of these on a spectacular sunny day and you can have the ride of your life in 20-30 kt winds and ginormous left over waves!  Watch this video made by the Maltese gang (Christian Ripard steering with friends) on their J/70s ripping around the Med.

J/70 CALVI NETWORK Triumphs in Scarlino

(Scarlino, Italy)- The J/70 class continues to grow in Italy, with increasing participation by top Italian sailing teams in this new class.  Many are planning to participate in the upcoming J/70 European Championships being sailed at Riva del Garda from September 23rd to 27th.  Some teams are also considering sailing in the J/70 World Championships in Newport, RI from September 8th to 13th at New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court.

An emerging leader in the Coppa Italia J/70 Circuit is one of Italy’s top sailors- Carlo Alberini sailing his renowned CALVI NETWORK.  Carlo has sailed for years at the top of the game in the M24 and M32 classes around the world as well as sailing in the European offshore circuits on the Mediterranean.  His “Lightbay Sailing Team” are now currently leading the Coppa Italia J/70 Circuit.

This past weekend, the third event in the circuit was sailed off picturesque Scarlino, a beautiful seaside town in Tuscany.  The J/70 teams enjoyed six races during the weekend sailing in the challenging waters of the Gulf of Follonica, bordered to the west by Elba Island, to the north by the headlands of Piombino and to the south Punta Ala.

On the first day of sailing, Carlo and crew aboard CALVI NETWORK sailed “lights out”, taking three bullets and managing to keep themselves out of trouble.  With the wind from the South up to 20 kts with short waves and irregular chop, sailing upwind took some skill to navigate the seas, rewarding those who had fine-tuned their sail-trimming skills.  Downwind was full-on planing-mode, extremely exciting and fast downwind with gennakers flying.

While CALVI NETWORK enjoyed their evening with newfound J/70 friends, it was clear some of them were listening to “go-fast” tips on sailing their boats.  As a result, there were three different winners on the second day of sailing- PENSAVO ITA-262 (1-5-5) sailed by Beppe Zavanone; MAGIE ITA-455 (3-1-4) skippered by Gianluca Grisoli; and ITA-570 (7-4-1) led by helm Andrea Zaoli.  Hanging on tough was CALVI NETWORK, sailing to a 2-3-2 to clinch the regatta and the overall lead for the Coppa Italia circuit; their team was comprised of  Carlo (owner-driver ), the Slovenian Olympic sailor Karlo Hmeljiak (tactics), Irene Bezzi (mainsail trimmer) and Sergio Blosi (trimmer).  Just behind them in the standings were PENSAVO in 2nd, MAGIE in 3rd, SPIN ONE with skipper Peter Saccomanni in 4th and Zaoli’s team in 5th.

The next stage of the Italian Cup will be staged again in the waters off Scarlino between May 31 and June 2.  Thereafter, the last two events are both being sailed at Riva del Garda- the first one on 26-27 July and the last one from 23-27 September for the J/70 European Championships.

For more Italian J/70 sailing information, please contact Paolo Boido at J/Boats Italy- email- jboats@jboats.it or mobile# +39-335-688-5005.

Seattle NOOD Regatta Preview

(Seattle, WA)- From May 16th to 18th, the one-design focused Sperry Top Sider Seattle NOOD regatta will be held in the waters of Puget Sound.  One hopes the sailors will be blessed with great sailing on Friday with sun and good breeze since the weekend forecast looks very “classic” Seattle (a bit of wind, some rain and misty southerly breezes.

Joining the fray are one-design fleets of J/24s, J/70s, J/80s and J/105s.  The most significant fleet happens to be the venerable J/24s, with a dozen of the area’s veterans going at it hammer and tong.  Potential fleet leaders could be Chris Snow & Pat Dore on BABBA LOUIE, Scott Milne on TREMENDOUS SLOUCH (a past NOOD 24 winner) and Jasper Van Vliet from Mill Valley, CA sailing EVIL OCTOPUS!

The J/70s are starting to prosper in Seattle and this will be their debut in the Seattle NOOD.  Hard to know how it will shake out for this fleet other than the fact that Mike Pitt’s DaSPENCER has the most experience so far.  Andy Mesher’s PERIDOT and Bill Henry’s RIP VAN WINKLE will be doing their best to overcome their experience deficit in the 70s with plain smart sailing.  Sailing photo credits- Jan Anderson and Tim Wilkes.com.  For more Seattle NOOD Regatta sailing information

Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga - Premiere League Begins!

(Starnberg, Germany)- The second stage of the 2014 Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga is about to commence this weekend on the Starnberger See- a beautiful lake SSW of Munich surrounded by gently rolling hills to the north and just 15 miles north of the majestic German/ Austrian Alps.  Host for this event is the Bayerischer Yacht-Club Munich situated at the very northern end of the lake.

Sailing in this weekend’s event are the top eighteen clubs that pre-qualified from the first event held from April 4th to 6th in Glucksburg (a total of sixty-one teams participated).  The Bundesliga is now split into two “leagues”- the Premiere League sailing in J/70s for the next four stages and the Bundesliga II League.  The five clubs who qualified for the “Premiere League” from the first Glucksburg event, were the winners Kieler YC, the Bodensee YC Überlingen, the Seglervereinigung Itzehoe, the Segelkameradschaft "Wappen von Bremen" and the Düsseldorf YC.

Joining them will be the top five teams from the 2013 DSBL, including the champions Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, followed by Württembergischer Yacht-Club in second and Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee in third, Yachtclub Berlin-Grünau fourth and Chiemsee Yacht Club fifth.  The winner of the first event at Tutzing last year (also on the Starnberger See) was Yachtclub Berlin-Grünau; they certainly hope to repeat that performance again this year!

In addition, the following clubs will also have strengthened their teams, including the host Bayerischer Yacht-Club, Berliner Yacht-Club, Deutscher Touring Yacht-Club (the host for the next event in Tutzing), Flensburger Segel-Club, Konstanzer Yacht Club, Lübecker Yacht-Club, Mühlenberger Segel-Club, and Schweriner Yacht-Club.

The teams hope the weather forecast (http://bit.ly/1qAdgv2) improves a bit, nevertheless, it looks like there will be breeze all weekend long.   After the passage of a Low pressure system on Thursday, it looks like Friday will be in the 50s F. with WNW winds in the 6-12 kts range, followed by the passage of another Low pressure system Saturday bringing some cool rain and WSW winds in the 5-10 kts range.  With any luck, Sunday’s forecast for partly sunny skies in the mid-60s F. may effect the forecast light SW winds (hopefully a sea-breeze can build on the northern end of the lake!).  For more Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga sailing information

J/24 Champion Sailor Terry Hutchinson Joins Quantum Sails

(Traverse City, MI)-  Quantum Sails is pleased to announce the addition of Terry Hutchinson as Executive Vice President for Business Development Worldwide.  Much of his work will be with the company’s racing division, overseeing development of the company’s high-level performance products and customer racing programs as well as providing overall sales leadership. He will report to Quantum President Ed Reynolds.

Hutchinson is not new to the business side of sail making. After graduating from college with a business degree, he played a very successful sales role at Reynolds’ original sail loft in Traverse City, MI. “Terry makes things happen,” says Reynolds. “He brings a strategic discipline, deep dedication, and high level of energy to everything he does.” Reynolds continues, “As a professional sailor, Terry has a user’s perspective and finger on the pulse of the market; he is aware of trends and keen observer of how things change. He is a proven leader, setting high expectations, continuously challenging himself and his colleagues. His experience, commitment, and leadership will be great assets to the company and the clients we serve.”

While at Old Dominion University, Hutchinson was named All-American four times and selected twice for collegiate sailor of the year. Terry is a six-time world champion in the J/24, TP 52, Farr 40, and IMS classes and a winning tactician of the Louis Vuitton Cup. In 2008, Hutchinson was named Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, earning the coveted award on the fourth time he was shortlisted.  Hutchinson has been part of four America’s Cup campaigns: in 2000 he served as the mainsail trimmer on America One; in 2003 as tactician for Stars & Stripes, and in 2007 as tactician for Emirates Team New Zealand helping lead the team to the only sweep in Louis Vuitton Final history. Hutchinson served as skipper of Artemis Racing and won the 2011-12 AC World Series Match Racing Championship.

Since 2008, Hutchison has served as both helmsman and tactician with the TP52 program Quantum Racing, winning three world championships and three circuit championships. Along with his corporate responsibilities, Hutchinson will continue in his role as tactician for Quantum Racing.

“As a professional sailor, I’ve had the opportunity to compete at the highest level of the sport with several different sail manufacturers providing me with an understanding of strengths and weaknesses in the industry. What’s clear to me is that Quantum shares my values and principles: hard work, commitment to excellence, and integrity. This relationship with Quantum starts a new chapter for me and is a step in raising my game both on and off the water.”

Adds Hutchinson, “I’m looking forward to working closely with programs wanting to take their performance to the next level as well as Quantum’s internal product development and sales teams. It’s an exciting move for me.”  You may contact T-Hutch at ph# +1 443-994-4663 or email- thutch@quantumsails.com

Blustery Finish For AYC Spring Series

Big One-Design Battles For J/70s, J/105s, J/109s & J/44s.
(Rye, New York)- For the second and final weekend of the American Yacht Club Spring Series, the sailors could not have seen two radically different days for sailing.  While Saturday was somewhat sunny and benign with reasonable winds, Sunday’s racing was beyond epic, like other events in the northwest, this Long Island Sound adventure also made for a “fresh to frightening” day.  For some it was simply too much and many boats didn’t even venture out on Sunday with winds gusting up to 30 kts from the WNW all day.

The J/70s were the largest fleet in the regatta and, arguably, one of the most competitive.  Unlike the previous weekend, no one in the top three managed to stay in the top three!  The ultimate winners were the brother team of Scott & Alex Furnary sailing NO NAME YET to a total of 22 pts, finishing the regatta with three 2nds and taking their first regatta win!  Second overall was Carrie & Ed Austin on CHINOOK and third were the Ploch sisters (Megan & Madelyn) sailing SUGAR DADDY- in fact, winning the last windiest race!  Fourth was Dan Goldberg sailing BAZINGA and fifth was Trevor Roach on SEMI-CHARMED.   For more American YC Spring Series sailing information

SAVASANA Overall Annapolis NOOD Winner!

J/Crews Enjoyed Awesome Weekend of Sailing
(Annapolis, MD)- With 200+ boats participating in the Annapolis NOOD the crew at Sailing World officially announced the end of winter on the East Coast. Earlier this year, Ken Read challenged the sailing community to step up and build better events. “Field of Dreams” was not referencing sailing when that voice whispered to Kevin Costner “if you build it they will come,” but that is a great movie and sailing should take the advice. Build a better regatta experience and chances are your event’s participation will grow.

The Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regattas is a perfect example of an event that is working hard to grow participation. With three down and three to go, NOOD Regattas are working with partners to add more onshore activities to the regatta program. Event organizers, Sailing World and long-time event supporter North Sails have teamed up to offer sailing performance analysis, One-Design Dock Talks, awards for the top performing local sailor, and after sailing parties.

The end goal? Make regattas fun for all sailors. Because who doesn’t want to have fun?

Annapolis NOOD got off the a soggy start as eager sailors crammed into the tent on Thursday night to attend a local weather knowledge talk with North Sails’ Chris Larson. “North Sails Local Knowledge is a program we added to the NOOD Regattas this year,” said Larson. “It’s an opportunity for both local and out-of-town sailors to brush on local conditions. May offers the most diverse and enjoyable sailing conditions in Annapolis. As the ‘local guys,’ we want to arm people with as much knowledge as possible so they can maximize their regatta experience.”

If you were sailing a J-Boat during Annapolis NOOD, chances are you had a chance to join one of the many scheduled Dock Talks. The highly competitive J/70 class boasted the event’s highest entry list with 54 boats. Rumor is 70+ sailors almost sunk the dock during a post race chat with North Sails’s Tim Healy and Will Welles!

For the first day of racing on Friday, breezy conditions on Chesapeake Bay welcomed the sailors. The favorable winds granted a full day of racing for competitors with most classes getting in three races.

With 56 entrants, the J/70 class is by far the largest of the regatta, and one of the most competitive. As expected, mark roundings were crowded, putting a premium on boat-handling and positioning. Skipper Martin Kullman from St. Petersburg, Fla. improved race-by-race throughout the day, culminating with a first place finish for Touch2Play in the final race of the day and holds the class lead. Skipper Joel Ronning and crew aboard Catapult, one of the class’s top professional teams won the first two races, but stumbled slightly in the third race, and currently sits in fourth place overall. The Minneapolis-based team is keen to avenge a narrow defeat in last year’s regatta to Bennet Greenwald, the regatta’s overall champion in 2013.

On Saturday, when southerly winds finally filled in the afternoon, racing got underway and most classes completed one race. The light-winds and strong current, however, made it extremely challenging, even for the most experienced local teams that are accustomed to such conditions.


The J/70 class finally started after two general recalls, sailing in extremely challenging conditions that required boat speed and patience. Brian Keane’s Savasana showed their experience early in the race as they built a lead that no other team came close to challenging. Keane’s win put them solidly in the series lead going into the final day of racing.


For the third and final day skipper Brian Keane on SAVASANA had a single goal to preserve his lead in the J/70 class- to avoid any “dingers.”  “It was the biggest flood effecting the Chesapeake in 15 years, which meant there would be a lot of current ripping out, and the wind was all over the place,” said Keane. “We knew everyone was going to be up and down, so we wanted to make sure we’d be consistent and just sacrifice the first and seconds to makes sure we had top finishes.”

“With the tide as strong as it was it really played a factor on the starting line, and we saw boats clustering and we avoided them in order to be able to get away, use our speed, have a lane, and tack when we wanted to tack.”

In the first of two races on the day Savasana finished ninth, its highest finish in the six-race series, which preserved their lead with one more to go. In the last race, sailed in shifty 10-25-knot westerly in the shadow of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, they did all they could to avoid high-risk situations. Their final result was a sixth, which gave them an 8-point victory over Doug Strebel’s Black River Racing, from Kemah, Texas.

“We felt really fast downwind,” said Keane, whose crew included Olympic 49er sailors Thomas Barrows and Joe Morris, and Ron Weed. “The key in the they type conditions we had today is sensing when to step up and put the boat an plane. That was key and I think we were doing better than anyone else, especially in the second race.”  As overall winner of the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta in Annapolis, Keane and his crew have earned a berth at the NOOD Championship in the British Virgin Islands in October, which will be sailed in 44-foot charter boats provided by Sunsail.

Behind Keane’s SAVASANA and Strebel’s BLACK RIVER RACING, the balance of the top five in the J/70 class was Martie Kullman on TOUCH2PLAY in third, Bryan Cameron on B-SQUARED in fourth and Allan Terhune on OCHO CINCO in fifth (aboard were current J/22 and J/24 World Champions and J/70 Key West winners)!


The next NOOD Regatta will be in Seattle, WA on May 16-18, which will include the NORTH Rally Race. After making its debut at the San Diego NOOD, this one day, random leg, PHRF-scored race is geared for new-to-racing sailors, families, custom boats that don’t fit within the One Design concept of the NOODs as well as the avid racer that only has one free day.

Scuttlebutt is such a fan of the Seattle NOOD North Rally Race that the first five people to contact us will have their $55 entry fee paid for them. Be sure to enter by May 9 as the $25 late fee is not part of this offer. Entry includes the Saturday party and two drink tickets.  Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes.com.    For more Sperry Topsider Annapolis NOOD Regatta sailing information

J/Teams Prevail @ Yachting Cup Regatta

(San Diego, CA)- Record temperatures and the sizzle of Cinco de Mayo celebrations set the stage for the 42nd running of the Yachting Cup Regatta on May 2-4. Hosted by San Diego Yacht Club, 11 fleets competed in one design and PHRF handicap divisions.

The regatta kicked off with a single random leg “Beer-Can style” race inside San Diego Bay, with 80 degree temperatures and winds gusting to 13 knots providing near Caribbean conditions. “By having today’s start at 3:00pm, it gave crews and skippers a chance to get organized, work a half day, or just gradually ease into the regatta,” noted event Chair Julie Servais. “The idea was to provide some diversity to the race schedule, and since random leg racing typically requires fewer crew, boats that couldn’t gather their full crew wouldn’t be a disadvantage.”

After their dominating first day, the Kownacki/Jenkins team on their J/70 DFZ took top honors with a closing scoreline of 4-1-3 to win with 14 pts total.  World renowned world champion in all things dinghies and keelboats, David Ullman, managed a strong challenge to DFZ to take 2nd overall with 17 pts. Third was John Fuller sailing BLISS in his first major J/70 regatta, taking the tie-break over Dave Vieregg’s SOGGY DOLLAR team at 21 pts each.  Fifth in the 70s was the Gribble/ Weise duo on GO-RILLA at 27 pts.
  Thanks for contribution from Scuttlebutt Sailing News.  Sailing photo credits- Bronny Daniels       For more San Diego Yachting Cup sailing information

Warsash Spring Series Grand Finale

(Warsash, England)- After the Easter break, the closing races in the Brooks Macdonald Warsash Spring Series and Spring Championship took place over 26th/27th April 2014. Having had no problems with gales or flat calms, the event has been a great success all round, with new entries joining week by week as the weather became warmer, especially for the open sportsboats. Over the eight race days, the 100 plus team from Warsash Sailing Club has run over 170 separate races and each week title sponsors Brooks Macdonald have welcomed competitors back to the Club with champagne prizes for the lucky class winners.

Saturday- Spring Championship Day 3

This was an exhausting but exhilarating day, especially for the sportsboats in White Group which experienced gusts to 33 knots and lulls at 18 knots. Understandably, there were a number of broaches. Boats.com (Ian Atkins – J/70) shredded her spinnaker during Race 2 but fortunately had a spare and still managed to win their race. Whilst most of the J/80 fleet stayed out for four races, several eventually stuck to white sails rather than risk using, and possibly losing, a spinnaker. Some in the J/70 classes decided, having worked so hard for the first two races, to call it a day.

The RAF-crewed J/70 Team Spitfire RAFBF clinched a win by just one second from Django (Malcolm and Tristan Jaques) in the first race, the remaining contests going to Ian Atkins’ Boats.com. Betty (Jon Powell) took two wins in the J/80s; Jester (Michael  Lewis) and Rock and Roll (Gillian Ross) coming up trumps in the others.

Sunday- Spring Series Day 6/ Spring Championship Day 4

Sunday morning found the breeze had dropped to 16/20 knots. By the end of the morning the rain cleared and crews finished the day wearing sunglasses. Two races were scheduled for Black Group, starting with a two hour course for Race 1, reduced to 45 minutes for Race 2. The design was principally windward/leeward with beats south-easterly against the tide which continued to build during the day. Race 1 used the area between Ryde Middle and East Knoll banks and Race 2 to the east of the North Channel. All classes, except IRC4, started at East Knoll with an initial windward leg to Bart’s Bash followed by an exhilarating sleigh ride downwind. During this leg some chose to make a speedy swap for bigger headsails, ready for the next beat, to power more easily through the Solent chop. This being the final day of racing, many competitors needed to cover others, thinking about their placing overall as well as in individual races.

The White Group committee boat had a busy time when one boat picked up a laid mark and started dragging it along. A replacement mark was deployed but that too was caught and removed by another boat; the two giving the impression of an unexpected “gate” on the course! In the confusion, the race was abandoned and restarted. Boats.com took the first race in the J/70s by 24 seconds from Team Spitfire but dropped to sixth place in the second race when Django was the winner. In the J/80s, Betty has performed consistently very well and this year wins both the Spring Championship and Spring Series. She finished with an eight second win over Juicy in Race 1 and was runner-up to Aqua-J in the remaining races.

CRO White Group Peter Knight commented that this was the first time in his memory of the event that the Black Flag has stayed firmly below decks for the whole Series. He puts this good starting discipline down to an increasing number of boats having invested in new electronics to mark the start line.

For the two sportsboat classes sailing in the White Group, it was a tale of two worlds for the J/70s and J/80s.  JOYRIDE skippered by Ian Wilson took the J/70 spring series with a total of 65 pts.  Taking second in the series was Malcolm & Tristan Jacques on DJANGO with 78 pts and third was Simon Cavey’s JUST4PLAY with 85 pts.  In the J/70 Championship series, it was clear that Ian Atkins’s team on BOATS.COM had benefitted from their experiences sailing in Key West Race Week, taking ten 1sts in fourteen races to win overall.  Second was Simon Ling’s RAF SPITFIRE crew with 34 pts, just one point ahead of Malcolm & Tristan Jacques DJANGO in third.

The final weekly champagne prizes were presented by Brooks Macdonald Director John Wallace, accompanied by his daughter Eleanor. The SLAM jacket went to Brian Moreton of the J/70 Jukebox. Sailing photo credits- Tim Wright/ Photoaction.com  For more Warsash Spring Series sailing information

AYC Spring Series Starts Strongly

(Rye, New York)- Counting their blessings that the weather forecast would hold and produce suitable winds, the seventy-eight boats participating in the American YC Spring Series were not disappointed.  After two days and six races, the various fleets couldn’t have been more pleased with the performance of AYC’s excellent RC work.

 The largest fleet is also the youngest and also marks its debut in the AYC Spring Series!  With fifteen boats registered, the J/70s saw spirited competition across the board.  Currently leading is class newcomer David Murphy sailing COOKIE MONSTER to an amazing five 1sts in a row!  Just behind them is John Brim’s RIMETTE only five pts back.  Lying third is Scott Furnary on NONAME YET.  Dave Florence in BUZZZ is 4th and Carrie & Ed Austin sailing CHINOOK are sitting in 5th.

Next weekend may see an entire flip-flop in these standings, especially in the one-design classes.  A change in the weather, a new moon blooming, Mars ascending over Venus, just about anything can influence the karma of the leading teams.  Check the standings after next weekend here, could be an eye-opener!  For more American YC Spring Series sailing information

CALVI NETWORK Wins J/70 Italia Cup II

(San Remo, Italy)- The Yacht Club San Remo organized the second stage of the "Coppa Italia J/70”, a national circuit of six events that takes place throughout the summer season across Italy.  So far, the series has achieved great success and it is generating a lot of interest in this new international one-design class.

Over the April 25th to 27th weekend, eight races were completed in winds and waves that varied from light airs to breezy, puffy conditions— exactly the type of weather where the J/70 has demonstrated its potential and performance.

It was a tough struggle for the leading positions, with different winners in each race.  There is no question the Italian J/70 sailors are learning fast, with good competition and are having fun sailing the J/70.  There is a nice mixture of young and old alike on the teams along with increasing participation by women.   

Carlo Alberini, skippering CALVI NETWORK, won the second stage of the Coppa Italia J/70.  Following them in second was MAGIE sailed by Mr Grisoli from Soldano and in third was PENSAVO PEGGIO sailed by Mr Magni from Tortarolo.

At one point on the third day TERIBLE, sailed by the newest entry in the Italian J/70 class- Claudia Rossi from Negri,  remained in the fight for the podium during the course of the entire event.  However, a difficult last race cost her a chance for a top three position, having to settle for fourth overall.  Rounding out the top five was SPIN ONE with skipper Mr. Saccomani from Eulisse.

After Alassio and San Remo, the Italian Cup now moves to double weekends of sailing at Scarlino Marina (10/11 May & 31 May/2 June) and finally Riva del Garda (26/27 July & September 23/27).

This last weekend will complete the Italian J/70 Circuit and will be considered the J/70 European Championship 2014, the first in the history of J/70 class.  For more International J/70 class sailing information

Annapolis NOOD Preview

(Annapolis, MD)- Another epic Sperry Top Sider Annapolis NOOD Regatta is in the making this coming weekend on the Chesapeake Bay.  What has now become an annual right of spring in the Bay area, the Annapolis YC, famous for being one of the most gracious and accommodating hosts clubs anywhere, somehow fits in over 200 boats at its various facilities.  157 J teams are sailing (79% of the fleet!).  With three separate racing areas, eight one-design fleets of J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, J/30s, J/35s, J/105s, and J/109s are looking forward to a wonderful weekend of racing, great social activities and a chance to sit back, relax, and catch up with friends who’ve been buried in snow this past winter.

The forecast for the weekend looks promising.  With the clearing out of the massive low-pressure front inflicting enormous damage with tornado’s, thunderstorms and hurricane force winds across the Midwest midweek, the sailors should benefit with cool, classic spring weather on the Chesapeake for the weekend.  Breezes are forecast to be in the SW-NW quadrants from 5-12 kts all weekend long.


As the largest fleet in the regatta with fifty-seven boats registered, the J/70 fleet again has many new faces in the crowd joining class veterans from the past year.  Past leaders from the winter circuit in Tampa Bay, Key West, Bacardi Miami and Charleston are all present.  As one of the last major regattas prior to the J/70 North Americans in Rochester, NY and the Worlds in Newport in September it will be a good test for many of the crews. With teams from fourteen states across America and even a team from Great Britain, the jury is out on how the top teams fair sailing the shifty breezes and tricky currents on the Chesapeake Bay.   For more Sperry Topsider Annapolis NOOD Regatta sailing information

Quantum Key West Race Week 2015 Update

(Key West, Florida Keys)- Classes and sailors from across the country and around the world already have Quantum Key West 2015 on their winter calendars. Boats ranging in size from 23 to 72 feet will compete in the waters off America's southernmost city during the 28th edition of Key West Race Week, scheduled for January 18-23.

"Quantum Sail Design Group and its backers recognize how important this international event is to sailing in North America," commented Ed Reynolds, Quantum President. "For nearly 3 decades Key West has kicked off racing here in the U.S. with a superb event that sets the standard for the entire year."

Boats big and small are already making plans for North America's premiere winter event. The ever-popular J/70 class may see this year's 60-boat turnout grow to 70-80 according to class sources.  Kathy Parks, owner of SUNDOG, shares the enthusiasm of many other J/70 owners... "The Division 2 race committee gave us another great Quantum Key West Regatta. I love the 5 days of racing, which we rarely see anywhere else and we love the energy at the panels, party and awards."

A notable component of the Key West event since year 1 back in 1988 has been the PHRF racing. While there may not be the number of classes that were commonplace a decade ago, the significance of a class win is unchanged. "It feels fantastic to finally win here in Key West," said Bill Sweetser after his PHRF 2 win on the J/109 RUSH. "You could say we got the monkey off our back, or maybe it was a gorilla... Everybody is so ecstatic. We can't wait to get the whole crew up on stage at the awards party again.”
                
"Where else would you want to be on the third week of January?" asked multiple world champion Cam Appleton. "I've done my share of race weeks over the years in any number of classes and the boat you race on really doesn't matter - the conditions are always terrific, the race committee work and event management are unsurpassed, and the competition is always full on. When I think of sailing in the U.S. I think about Key West Race Week."

This will be the fourth straight year that Quantum will serve as title sponsor and Reynolds said the Michigan-based sail-making company has enjoyed its partnership with Premiere Racing. "It's been a great relationship because we both have the same interests in mind, which is to keep an iconic regatta moving forward. Quantum's goal is to perpetuate our sport by supporting one of the finest events in the country."  Sailing photo credit- Onne Vanderwal.    For more Quantum Key West Race Week 2015 sailing information

Glorious SPI OUEST France Regatta

J/70s & J/80s Enjoy Great Sailing Weather
(La Trinite-sur-Mer, France)- It was yet another fun, challenging SPI Ouest France Intermarche Regatta that was held from April 17th to 21st on Quiberon Bay.  The 300+ boats participating were not disappointed with the sunny breezy weather, certainly a far cry from last year’s event that saw some teams suffer hypothermia in the cold, stormy conditions.

The J/70s enjoyed equally fun racing over the four days, also managing to sail twelve races in all!  However, unlike the 80’s, the 70’s saw a dominant performance put in by Luc Sambron sailing HEMON-CAMUS.  Sambron’s team are former top J/80 sailors and have taken quickly to the J/70 performance envelope.  By taking eight 1sts and three 3rds (tossing a 3rd!) for a total of 15 pts, it was clear they were the runaway winner.  However, giving them a strong run for the roses in the last five races was T. Mellano’s LE HAVRE NAUTIQUE.  Mellano’s crew had troubles in races 4, 5 & 6 but sailed a 2-2-1-1-2 to race back up the ladder to capture second overall for a total of 47 pts.   Third in class was F. Charles’s crew on SUPER U LANMEUR- CABINET ABALLEA A (quite the sponsor name, eh?) with 51 pts.  The balance of the top five was Jan Bergh’s Swedish KSSS YC sailing team on MOVEIT and Jm. Gosset’s LOCATION SPORT BOAT in 4th & 5th, respectively.   For more SPI Ouest France sailing information

J/70 Coppa Italia 2014

(Alassio, Italy)- During the International Offshore Week, a classic Spring event that starts off the summer sailing season, the first of the Italian J/70 Circuit regattas took place.  The interest has been high for J/70s in Italy and the fleet is having a lot of fun for many of them who were competing for the first time. 

In the first regatta off Allasio, it was a closely fought race with Carlo Alberini the winner and Beppe Zavanone taking second overall.

The second regatta of J/70 Italian Circuit will be organized at YC San Remo from 24-27 April.  Many J/70s are already present practicing for the weekend regatta.  The regatta expects teams from Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia and Monaco  On 24th April, J/Boats Italy is hosting a “J/70 day” for all sailors interested in discovering more about the boat.

J/70 European Championship 2014- further to the ISAF approval of the International Status for the J/70, the first European Championship will be sailed on Riva del Garda from 23/27th September.  The host is Club Fraglia della Vela with the support of J/Boats Italy and J/Composites of France (builder of the J/70).  The J/70 Italian Class Association is working with the Italian Sailing Federation (FIV) to set up a great event for all.  For more J/70 European and Italian circuit information

Warsash Spring Champs Report

(Warsash, England)- It was a busy time for Warsash Sailing Club on 12th/13th April with racing on both days for the opening of the Brooks Macdonald Warsash Spring Championship and the fifth Sunday of the Spring Series. As the weather became warmer, entry numbers have increased so that some 140 boats were out to enjoy the full schedule of racing. During the two days, the race officers ran over 50 separate races – a challenging but rewarding weekend all round.

Saturday– Day One

The White Group committee boat set up station in what might be regarded as their usual spot near Meon buoy close to the entrance of Southampton Water. The weather did not turn out as forecast with a shifty breeze reaching 20 knots at times. The stronger wind caused some equipment failure- the J/80 Juicy finished flying their mainsail from the head and clew only when the tack and bolt rope gave way. Nonetheless, four races were completed. It was a clean sweep for Ian Atkins, out for the first time in the J/70 class, with Boats.com.  In the J/80s Aqua-J (Patrick Liardet) and Betty (Jon Powell) each took two wins.

Sunday- Day Two

White Group experienced shifty conditions too with the breeze moving through 110 degrees during the day and ranging between 10 and 15 knots. The first race had to be abandoned for all classes after one lap but with some nifty relaying of courses, all three races were completed. CRO Peter Knight felt competitors had coped admirably well at the starts given the wind against tide situation, most boats were on the line every time with no need for general recalls. Ian Atkins’ run of success in the J/70s was halted by Django (Malcolm and Tristan Jaques) in two races. There was close racing in the J/80s and a dead heat between Betty (Jon Powell) and Boysterous (Ali Hall) in the first race, each scoring 1.5 points, with Juicy (Allan Higgs) only 24 seconds adrift in third place. Jasmine (Douglas Neville-Jones) came to the fore in Race 2 and Rock and Roll (Gillian Ross) in Race 3.

It was a good sunny day to enjoy Warsash Sailing Club’s riverside garden after racing where Jonathan Broad, Investment Manager from Brooks Macdonald, presented champagne to the weekly class winners and WSC member Aron Wellband from the SB20 Flutter won the jacket donated by SLAM UK. The event now takes a break for the Easter holiday and returns on 26th/27th April for the grand finale of both the Brooks Macdonald Warsash Spring Series and the Spring Championship.   For more Warsash Spring Championships sailing information

J/70 Teams Have a Scream @ PSSR

(Seattle, WA)- It was a fun weekend regatta with three J/70s & two J/80’s in one class, nine J/105’s in another, and three J/29’s in a mixed PHRF class.  The report from Ben Braden follows:

“If you didn’t return to the dock with a smile on your face it’s time you quit sailing and take up horse riding! It simply does not get much better than the two days of racing that showed up for this year’s Puget Sound Spring Regatta, hosted by Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle. Fifty-five boats made it out April 12/13 for two of the most stellar days of the year for sailing in the Pacific Northwest.

Fifty five boats split up on two different courses with 4 One Design and 4 PHRF classes. Up on the North Course, set just North of Meadow Point, they had the fast PHRF class with ratings from -21 to 36, a one design Farr 30 class with 6 local boats, a 9 boat PHRF class with ratings from 57 on up to 87 and a burgeoning J/105 class with 9, count em, 9 local boats on the line. Down on the South course, set off the Shilshole Bay Marina, there was the always active Melges 24 fleet with 8 boats, a PHRF J/70 & J/80 class, an 8 boat PHRF class with ratings from 114 to 129 and 5 boat San Juan 24 fleet rounding out the racers.

The forecast wasn’t great for wind Saturday, but it wasn’t bad. Thank God, once again, the foreguessers had it all messed up and what was supposed to be 10 knots of breeze turned into 12 to 16 with some gusts recorded at 18 to 20! The sun was out, the wind was blowing, the pink skins were thronged on Bikini Beach and the race committee rolled off race after race in the solid Northerly breeze.

As the day went on, the flooding current combined with the strong Northerly to create some river-like conditions in the middle of the sound. Way far over on the right corner you could find some current relief on the South course, way, way far over. Boats had to over stand the mark by what felt like 50 boat lengths before tacking over to layline. The driver then lined up the mark on the leach of the jib, yes the leach, and then powered along to weather as they crab walked over the mark some half a mile away. Still just barely getting around the mark after the biggest over stand anyone had ever seen. But if you made it around cleanly it actually paid off to hit the far right corner!

Up on the North course there was no relief from the current to be had and the safe move became coming in on port approach to the weather mark. Safe on laying the mark and not hitting it, but not safe on starboard traffic. Boat after boat didn’t lay the mark on both courses and many were seen spinning their circle just below the weather pin. Consider yourself in the minority if you didn’t hit a weather mark at PSSR, the current was that strong.

5 to 6 races Saturday for everyone on both courses and as the procession began the long reach into the marina, the smiles were seen all across the fleet. Even though, the stoke level was high in the clubhouse on Saturday night, even with the sore muscles and bruises from a 6 race day in 12 to 16 knots of breeze.

Sunday dawned looking way better than the forecast 0 to 5 knots out of the North and as the first horns blared away on the committee boats it actually built up into the 10 to 12 knot range! Class 4, the J/105s had a close battle going between Delerium & Jaded and with 7 other boats pointing at their transoms they each need to reach down and keep sailing hard.

Down on South course, the Sail Northwest Crew on the J/70 Just Listed had an equal hold on the J/70-J/80 class with Crazy Ivan solidly in 2nd and DaSpencer & Periodot battling it out for 3rd place.

So with winds way better than forecast, once again the sausage course racing commenced and with less current than Saturday the way far corners didn’t play into the game as much on the South course and the current and wind lanes were shifting all over the Sound. For a while the far left worked well to get to weather, then it shifted to right middle for just as long. The sailors really had to pay attention to the wave action and the color of the water to find the strongest winds with the least adverse current. Those who did this the best could make up for the worst start in the history of sailing and round the weather mark in front of their competition. Peaking out at 12 knots the winds eventually settled in to the 8 knot range with the lightest winds at the end of the day for the final races thrown off just before the time limit ran out on racing for another amazing day at PSSR.

There is never any wind in Seattle, and it always rains – remember this while your finishing this article and looking at Jan Anderson’s amazingly sharp and colorful pictures. It’s too bad we have to live here and deal with these conditions, somehow we make it through.  After another 5 to 6 races Sunday.

Down on the South course, in Class 6, the consistent sailing of the crew on the J/70 Just Listed (often seen on a boat called More Uff Da) left them solidly in the lead by 10.5 points over the shiny blue J/80 Crazy Ivan.   Sailing Photo Credits- Jan Anderson  For more PSSR Regatta sailing information

Charleston Race Week Report

(Charleston, SC)– From the newly, massively, dynamic J/70 fleet to the revved-up PHRF classes, there was a tremendous amount of racing activity across Charleston area waters for Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week on April 11-13; the 19th edition hosted racing for 16 separate classes.

The growth of the event drew competitors from 27 states and five continents, from as far away as New Zealand, Scandinavia, Brazil, Guatemala, Australia and Peru. Many of these foreign sailors are among the sport’s top names, including Vasco Vascotto from Italy (in the J/70 Class), 2013 College Sailor of the Year Juan Maegli of Guatemala (in the J/24 Class), Jordan Reese from Australia (in the J/70 Class), and Peruvian Olympic Laser hopeful Stefano Peschiera (in the J/24 Class).

This pantheon of stars notwithstanding, the majority of the competitors racing in Charleston are folks whose faces wouldn’t catch notice on the pages of a sailing magazine, yet they’re definitely capable of scorching up the race course.

In the regatta’s largest class, the 80-boat J/70 fleet, Jim Barnash on SUPERFECTA took top honors in the J/70 Class by four points over Rob Britt’s crew on HOT MESS from St. Petersburg, FL. For Britts, who has only been sailing the boat for three months and sails with an all Corinthian team of friends, it was a very sweet moment after taking a 1-2-1 in the last three races.  Third was Will Welles from Newport, RI on SCAMP, fourth was Joel Ronning on CATAPULT and fifth was Tim Healy on HELLY HANSEN.   Sailing Photo Credits- Priscilla Parker and Allen Clark/ Photoboat.com.  For more Charleston Race Week sailing information

SPI OUEST Regatta Preview

(La Trinite-sur-Mer, France)- The 36th SPI Ouest France Intermarche Regatta is taking place this weekend from April 17th to 21st, with four days of racing planned on Quiberon Bay.  Over 300 boats are sailing and, again, the J/80 class will be by far the largest fleet (one-design or handicap) with 86 boats expected on the starting line.  This year’s event also marks the debut of the J/70 class with a dozen boats primed to do battle for SPI Ouest honors.

The J/70s have several notable teams registered, including a new French crew sailing PEN AZEN that will be skippered by Philipe Delaporte, a long-time J owner and past RORC Offshore Champion in his J122 PEN AZEN.  Joining the French J/70 class sailors will be J. Bergh’s HAPPY team from KSSS YC in Sweden and also C. Esse’s crew on DARWIN PROPERTY INVESTMENT from Royal Thames YC in Great Britain.   For more SPI Ouest France sailing information

Gorgeous J/Fest West On the Bay!

Fun Sailing For J/24s, J/70s, J/105s, J/111s, J/120s
(San Francisco, CA)- The annual salute to all things “J”, the St Francis YC’s J-Fest got a well needed shot in the arm this year with the addition of the J/111's and J/70's. A staple of the StFYC spring series for decades, the J-Fest originally featured dozens of J24's, J-30's and the then, elite J-35's. The fleet of these boats have lessened in years gone by and the introduction of the J/105's in 1991, the J/120 in 2000 enabled the J-Fest to enjoy a bit of a resurgence. Fast forward to 2014, the addition of the new J-Speedsters, the J/111s and the J/70s, were a welcome new addition to the regatta.

The fleet of forty-eight boats were treated to “beyond glam” conditions.  Starting with sunny, cloudless mornings, the StFYC PRO kept the fleet in the cozy confines of the harbor until 11am under harbor postponement.  As soon as the first whispers of the sea-breeze wafted in under the Golden Gate Bridge, StFYC PRO John Craig sent the fleet out to the starting line just off Alcatraz Island and the magnificent San Francisco city-front.  It is hard to imagine a more fun and challenging race course than having to divine the ins-and-outs of traversing tide-lines and playing wind streaks funneling over the peninsula’s headlands down through San Francisco Bay.

On the J/70 side of the world, they also had many newcomers to their rapidly expanding fleet.  Ben Mercer had this to say about their experience, "Friday was a great opportunity to learn more about the boat from Stu Johnstone during Fridays J/70 Clinic. Rig tune, sail trim, and using the winch to keep the boat at a constant level of heel, were all highlighted points as we went through the weekend. Saturday brought on solid "Chamber of Commerce" sailing conditions on the city front in a burgeoning flood. As we learned in the clinic, aggressive mainsail trim and driving is needed to keep the J/70 tracking without making too much leeway so mainsheet trimmers got a workout but the drivers who trimmed their own mains were looking especially tired at the Rum Party. Sunday brought us a chance to relax and mingle on the dock in a postponement till the breeze filled in. It was all about rig tune and using the shifts to get to the current relief on the beach. The biggest takeaway was having a solid team that could all work together because every position has a crucial role on the boat. It was great to see all the J/Boat classes have such a strong showing, new and old designs alike! "

Josh Butler was working the strings and calling shots for Mark Nelson's J/70 SUGOI (which literally translates to- ‘terrible, dreadful, terrific, amazing, great, or wonderful’ depending on its context). "I think conditions were great for the J/70's and overall the Bay is a great place to sail them. The competition level is already high and there is plenty of room for growth in the fleet. The nice thing about the J/70 is a family can race them, the boat handles very well upwind and pops up onto a plane off-wind quite nicely.”

"The J-70s will add six boats to the 15 boat fleet very soon," says Drew Harper, who is working with Sail California. "Those six boats should sell at the Strictly Sail Show,” Drew adds.

The J/70 called 1FA, sailed by Scott Sellers and Geoff McDonald are in familiar territory in the J/70 fleet- they took delivery the day before the regatta of their brand new boat.  "Norm Davant from Sail California helped us tune the boat on Friday when we took delivery, and we were ready to sail on Saturday,” said Scott.  He continued, “It is a pretty easy boat to sail so there weren't a lot of tricks. Our crew has a lot of miles sailing together in small keelboats on the City Front so despite being a new boat for us, we felt we were playing a game that we have played before. Just like with any boat on the City Front in 15 to 20 knots of breeze, keeping the boat flat and tracking consistently through the puffs is the key to speed. Everyone in the fleet is fairly new to the boat so I am sure techniques will be refined and the class will get more competitive as more people enter the class and spend more time in the boats. The momentum in the class nationally and locally is undeniable. I expect 30+ boats on the Bay in the next 2 years."

Behind the Sellers/McDonald team on 1FA, in second place was Peter Cameron’s much improved team on USA 29 “PRIME NUMBER”.  And, sailing equally consistently in the top three was Chris Kostanecki’s JENNIFER taking the bronze for the J/70 class.  Sailing photo credits- Erik Simonson   Sailing photos credits- Chris Ray   For more J/Fest sailing information

Blustery Cold Conditions @ Warsash IV

(Warsash, England)- An exhilarating day’s racing was completed for the fourth gathering of the Brooks Macdonald Warsash Spring Series on 6th April 2014. Competitors come from near and far for this early season contest and journeying through the driving rain to their boats early on Sunday morning, the sailors might well have been thinking an indoor sport could have been a better choice. During the racing however the visibility cleared, the deluge stopped giving way to glimpses of warm sunshine.

The weather forecast had suggested a brisk south-westerly in the 14 to 20 knot range but with, unusually, the possibility of double that in the gusts. The Black Group committee boat set up station at Bart’s Bash buoy just above the North Channel. Courses were set, largely cross-tide, cascading east with windward legs towards the Isle of Wight shore, giving protection from the heavier seas building up from the Western Solent. Nonetheless, flag “Yankee” was hoisted requiring life jackets to be worn. IRC1 and IRC2 shared a course and completed 15 miles. J/109 and IRC3 had a similar designed circuit of 12.5 miles. Tacticians were kept busy at times hugging the shallower water to avoid the worst of the rising tide on windward legs. Given the strong winds, there was many a spinnaker trawled in the water. Warsash Sailing Club member Iain Mcluckie, the Club’s photographer, multi-tasked to rescue several boats. There was close racing in all classes with many boats nip-and-tuck on the beats- altogether an exhausting but rewarding day’s racing.


The White Group racing area was closer to the Meon shore. It was a blustery day and misty initially; sometimes the committee boat could make out the shape of the Isle of Wight, at other times they were pushed to see the windward mark. Although the visibility improved the wind was on the edge of 25 knots so again life jackets needed to be worn.

The forecast doubtless resulted in some sportsboat skippers deciding to stay ashore. With racing off the lee shore, there was definitely a more cautious approach to the leeward mark, many opting for an early but safe drop, which at times led to changes of position as later boats threw caution to the wind and gained places with good boat handling and mark rounding. As expected, given the conditions several boats took the opportunity to “rinse their spinnakers”.

JENGA 8 (Andrew Barraclough), out for the first time, won in the J/70s ahead of JUST4PLAY (Simon Cavey).  The two-lap second race saw the wind building to 25 knots and the visibility closed in again. There were plenty more spinnaker incidents. This time JOYRIDE (Ian Wilson) beat JENGA 8 in the J/70s. With the wind at 30 knots, Peter Knight decided to call it a day after two hard races. It had been a white knuckle ride all round for everyone.

Tired but elated sailors gathered at Warsash Sailing Club after racing, well deserving the free beer! Tracey Gray, Investment Manager from Brooks Macdonald, presented the weekly champagne prizes to class winners and Douglas Struth of the J/80 DSP won the jacket donated by SLAM UK. Next week the pace hots up, with the start of the Spring Championship on 12th-13th April. 80 boats are already entered and more are welcome in all classes. The second weekend of the Spring Championship follows on 26th-27th April. There will be a party at Warsash Sailing Club on the two Saturday nights (12th and 26th April) with live music, food and a friendly bar available. The Spring Series continues on 13th April, then takes a break over the Easter holidays before reconvening for the grand finale on 27th April.  For more Warsash Spring series sailing information

Kiel YC Wins Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga I

23 Teams Qualify for DSBL I & II
(Glucksburg, Germany)-  The second annual Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga (DSBL), hosted by Flensburg Sailing Club in Glucksburg, Germany from April 4th to 6th was a resounding success.  Sixty-one of the best sailing clubs in Germany sailed in fleets of J/70s and J/80s on an arm of the Baltic Sea directly across from Denmark (see http://bit.ly/1epRk0y).  In the end, the team from Kieler YC skippered by Martin Menzner were crowned winners and, therefore, the early leaders in the season-long series.  Twenty-three teams in total qualified for the next round of sailing in the DSBL.  The weather conditions were challenging for all, with a storm on Friday and medium winds on Saturday and Sunday testing everyone’s skills to their physical and tactical limits.

The event has taken on a massive scale like never before seen in the history of sailing in Germany.  The cooperation of the German Sailing Association, the German Offshore Sailing Association HANSA (DHH) and the local host clubs like Flensburg S.C. are providing a fantastic sailing experience for all sailors; young and old alike, women, children and experienced sailors (both professional and amateur).  Tellingly, one would not be able to say after this unique weekend, “that there was a better place and a more perfect organization that would have all parties onshore and on the water that they would want to go to," said Joachim Hellmich, a manager of Project DSBL GmbH.

Florian Weser, Vice-Chairman of the DSBL, summarized the numbers for the qualifying regatta, “with 61 sailing clubs participating, there were 244 sailors from all over Germany, over 85 volunteer helpers at the FSC and DHH, and 86 races were conducted over three days with 600 exchanges (team switches per boat) between the races. Astounding!”

The format has proven itself over the 2013 season.  The suspense and “roller coaster” emotions for the teams continues this year as everyone watches “live” results on “Jumbotrons” from race-to-race, seeing their team members climb or drop in the standings as they cross the finish line.

The five clubs who qualify for the “Premiere League” in the Bundesliga this year, are the Kieler YC, the Bodensee YC Überlingen, the Seglervereinigung Itzehoe, the Segelkameradschaft "Wappen von Bremen" and the Düsseldorf YC.

The KYC commented on their victory in the qualification series, "We are obviously delighted that we are now in the Premiere League here. Our goal was to qualify for the DSBL II Series and, hopefully, make it into the Championship. From now on we need to practice even more to stay atop the standings," said a relieved KYC helmsman Martin Menzner.

"The start of the season was perfect: great organization by the Flensburg Sailing Club and the German Offshore Association HANSA, enthusiastic participants and sailing at the highest level that the league format has provided for the sailors. We look forward to the upcoming season and the start of the first Premier League from 16 to 18 May at the Bavarian Yacht Club on Lake Starnberg," said Oliver Schwall, founder and CEO of the German DSBL Gmbh. Qualifying in the top three for Bundesliga II series were the Segel-Club Bayer Uerdingen, the Hamburg Sailing Club and Munich YC.

The first day of qualifying was spectacular. The organizers had to contend with a stormy wind forecast and some boat damage. After the first fourteen races in the Segel-Club Bayer Uerdingen from Krefeld was leading with Lennart Luttkus, Hendrik Coers, Holger Blumenkamp and Thomas Schubert as crew.

After the first grueling day of racing with a lot of crew and boat errors, the second day had very pleasant sailing conditions with moderate winds; good enough in fact to get in 39 races!  At this point, it was becoming evident the Kiel YC crew were both sailing confidently and with few mistakes, leading at the end of the day.  From that position, the third day of benign sailing conditions enabled the KYC crew to sail away from the series on Sunday.  Their crew of Martin Menzner, Mikael Rolfs, Frank Lichte and Julian Ramm are now the “team to beat” in the upcoming series on Lake Starnberg.   Sailing photos and commentary on Facebook  For more Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga sailing information

Charleston Race Week Preview

(Charleston, SC)- From April 10 to 13, the Charleston Harbor Marina & Resort again plays host to one of the best one-design and handicap race weeks in America.  Taking place over a four day weekend, an enormous navy of J’s are participating ranging from the sporty J/22s up to the majestic J/122s. Fully 51% of the fleet are J/Teams (147 J’s in a field of 287 boats). Racing takes place on three one-design circles inshore and one PHRF handicap circle offshore.

The weather forecast looks promising, nearly postcard-perfect weather, with winds out of the south from 8-15 kts each day, sunny skies and minimal (for Charleston) currents. It’s no wonder Charleston attracts so many fun-loving teams in late spring, with magnificent beach parties each night, “JumboTron” video highlights of the day’s racing on a massive 20 ft wide by 10 ft high screen, and daily awards with world-class commentary from famous J/24 sailors like Ed Baird (an America’s Cup winner on ALINGHI), it’s a hard program to beat.  Plus, rumor has it that a massive “drone strike” on the fleet may be happening each day, with FPV video of teams “up close & personal” as they fly around the race track.

Over on Inshore Course Two just off James Island YC is the massive fleet of J/70s.  At eighty-one total boats, it is by far the largest fleet that has ever sailed in Charleston Race Week.  Due to the size of the fleet, Regatta Chairman Randy Draftz felt it would be not only more competitive but more fun and easier for the RC PRO to have 40+ boat starts instead of one gigantic starting line.  As a result, the entire fleet of 70s will be “seeded” into four “flights” and with two starts per “set”, each flight will get a chance to race each other every day all weekend.

The J/70 class has not only gotten significantly bigger for this event, it has also become a much more “deeply” talented fleet.  Beginning with notable class veterans, you find most of the top five teams at Key West sailing, including winner Tim Healy on HELLY HANSEN, Brian Keane on SAVASANA, Ian Atkins on BOATS.COM and Joel Ronning on CATAPULT.  Joining them are current J/70 North American Champion Heather Gregg-Earl & Joe Bardenheier on MUSE; past Etchells 22 World Champion Jud Smith skippering AFRICA from Eastern YC; past J/24 World Champion (4x) Mauricio Santa Cruz from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on BRUSCHETTA; past Newport J/24 Champion Vinnie Pattavina on CARLOS; past J/105 and Farr 40 North American Champion Don Wilson from Chicago, IL sailing CONVEXITY (founder of the Chicago Match Race Center); past Sunfish North American Champion Chuck Millican from Bermuda sailing ELUSIVE; Key West Corinthians winner Rob Britts on HOT MESS from Tampa, FL; current Etchells 22 USA National Champion Jim Cunningham sailing LIFTED; past J/80 World Champion Kerry Klingler skippering MENACE from Cedar Point YC in CT; past College Champion at College of Charleston (e.g. a “local”) Cole Allsopp sailing MOXIE from Annapolis YC; Pacific Coast winner Bennet Greenwald on PERSEVERANCE from San Diego YC; John Brim of offshore Farr 60 RIMA fame sailing RIMETTE from Fishers Island YC; Peter Vessella of Star Championship fame skippering RUNNING WILD from St Francis YC; past J/105 North American Champion Henry Brauer and Will Welles sailing SCAMP from New York YC; past Lightning and Chesapeake Bay Champion John Aras from Annapolis YC sailing SCHOOL’S OUT; past Key West Corinthians winner Dave Franzel sailing SPRING from Boston Sailing Center; and Henry Filter (sailing with “the Moose is Loose” McClintock- champion of everything) on WILD CHILD from Annapolis, MD.

  For more Charleston Race Week sailing information

Warsash Series Reaches Halfway Mark

(Warsash, England)- The Brooks Macdonald Warsash Spring Series reached the midpoint on Sunday 30th March this past weekend. Following last week’s heavy conditions, again there was a change back to bright sunshine accompanied by a light south-easterly. In fact, for some hardy sailors it got warm enough for honest-to-goodness “shorts & shades” weather!

The Black Group committee boat set up station at East Knoll, giving an initial windward leg for all classes to Fastnet Insurance buoy south of Lee-on-the-Solent. Courses were tight – IRC1 having 13 marks over 15 miles and the course setters mixed in plenty of starboard roundings to ring the changes. All the starts went remarkably well. The breeze, while fairly constant in direction, occasionally dropped from 11 knots down to 8 kts. Tacticians were fully occupied trading less tide for more wind. Given several marks in common to all classes, rounding could be tricky with many and varied designs in one place at the same time. The strong ebb tide on the windward legs caught some boats out judging the layline incorrectly, causing them to make several attempts to round, short tacking close to the buoy.

In IRC 1 class, the J/111s are having close racing around the dozen plus marks set out each weekend.
JITTERBUG continues to lead the class now by only one pt.  Their 1-2-3 score for 6 pts just nips  David & Kirsty Apthorp’s J-DREAM with a 4-1-2 for 7 pts.  Tied for third on 14 pts apiece are Will Naylor’s crew on BRITISH SOLDIER and Simon Boadle’s MUNKENBECK.  Revving up their engines this past weekend with a solid race was Charles Ivill’s ETB TYRES, taking a first in class and also 2nd in IRC overall!

In the J/109 class David Mcleman’s OFFBEAT put a stop to JAGERBOMB’s (Paul Griffiths) chance of a hat trick; these two boats pulling away from the rest of the class in the Series.  The J/109 series is getting interesting because there are two races within the series at this time.  The leaders are just one point apart with JAGERBOMB still leading and OFFBEAT beginning to “get their groove on”.  Just behind them, another duel is shaping up between Owain Franks & Jean Lockett’s JYNNAN TONNYX and Marcus Wilson’s Royal Air Force crew aboard RED ARROW.  Both are tied for third overall with 15  points each.  More interesting news to come from this set of duels!

In IRC 3 division, Nick and Adam Munday’s J/97 INDULJENCE didn’t sail this past weekend.  The IRC 4 class saw David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’RONIMO continuing their consistent performance in the series with a 3rd this past weekend.  Their finishes of 3-4-3 for a total of 10 pts, puts them just 3 pts out of first.

White Group has kept to the full schedule of racing, with nine races now completed. Their racing area was chosen this week off Hill Head. After Race 1 the courses were shortened to two laps and the leeward end of the course was swung 10 degrees before Race 3 due to a slight wind shift.

JUGADOR (Jack Davies) showed up for the first time in the series and nailed two wins in the J/70s.  Another newcomer, JUST NOW (Paul Molesworth) took the remaining race. At this halfway stage, Ian Wilson’s JOY RIDE is leading the series with 44 pts, followed by Marie-Claude Heys on JOSEPHS COAT in second with 46 pts and Ian Atkins on BOATS.COM in third sitting on 63 pts.  With a great turnout of nine boats registered, there is a certainty the standings will get jumbled in the second half since drop-out races starting coming into effect.

The French boat J-OUT-OF-THE-BOX (Yannig Loyer) came to the fore in the first J/80 race with AQUA-J (Patrick Liardet) taking Races 2 and 3.  The nine boat J/80 fleet are also having exciting close racing.  Jon Powell’s BETTY continues to hold on to the lead by a thread, giving up a lot of real estate this past weekend with a 3-6-2 to finish the halfway mark at 22 pts.  Just one point back with 24 pts is Liardet’s AQUA-J; their outstanding performance in the last two races helped their case immensely.  And, only three points in arrears of AQUA-J is Mike Lewis’s JESTER with 26 pts.

Competitors made brief visits to Warsash Sailing Club after racing, probably anxious to fulfill their Mothering Sunday responsibilities. A couple of class winners even missed collecting their weekly champagne prizes presented by Lisa Vincent from Brooks Macdonald. With so many class leaders close on points, there is everything to play for going into the second half of the Series next Sunday 6th April. Thanks for contribution from Louay Habib.  For more Brooks Macdonald Warsash Spring Series sailing information