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

Stephanie Roble- Her Views Sailing As A Women Pro

(St Thomas, USVI)- Stephanie Roble has been busy over the past year, working her way up to the 6th ranked spot in ISAF’s Women’s Match Racing standings and 54th in the Open list in her run to try to conquer the WIMRS; all this as she finished up a multi-year stint helping to run the Chicago Match Race Program.  Steph has also been active sailing J/22s, J/24s and J/70s, and recently sailed in the IC-24 (the modded J/24) fleet in the St Thomas Invitational Regatta.  Here’s her interview with Sailing Anarchy:

“Steph’s an all-around talent, one of very few pro sailor chicks in the game, and this week, she’s sailing with her friend Taylor Canfield in the St. Thomas International Regatta.  Steph gave us a few minutes of her time – you can give her a few minutes of yours by checking out the Epic Racing newsletter and her team’s Facebook Page.

SA: After a season of Grade 1 and 2 match racing, you just rocked up to St. Thomas regatta to sail on a chartered IC-24 boat in a crazy local 1-design class.  What made you do that, and what are your expectations?

SR: I came down here for the free rum, some fun in the sun, to get rid of my tan lines and the dance party (just kidding…though that is definitely a bonus).  Actually it just so happened that my boyfriend and reigning World Match Racing World Champion, chartered an IC 24 and signed me up to sail with him. It was a great excuse for him to come home to roots and see his family [dad Bill Canfield runs the event -ed].  Taylor’s been doing a lot of coaching and pro crewing and hasn’t really steered since the Monsoon Cup, so he wanted some tiller time – I just wanted to sail! We recruited good friends to join Team Line Honors: Mike Rehe, Matt Clark & Taylor Ladd (see crew positions here).  Basically, it’s awesome to sail with good friends, and the regatta and class are major fun on and off the water.

SA: What makes St. Thomas stand out as a racing venue?

SR:  Obviously, being in the islands in the middle of winter isn’t bad!  It’s 85 degrees everyday and the trade winds are in full force right now. Our forecast for the week is 15-20 knots every day and some possible rain showers. Can you really beat that? Well, St. Thomas does, because in addition to the great sailing, the STYC is just so chill.  You come in from the water to a huge beach covered with palm trees, sponsor flags, and a stage for the band right on the water, the breeze blowing right on the club from the topaz water…have I painted the picture yet? All around, a fantastic vibe.

SA: Lots of folks find racing with their significant otherwise difficult, and knowing both of your personalities, it can’t be easy for you two.  How do you guys do it?  Have any tips for other guys and gals to make it fun, and positive?

SR: It’s definitely a unique situation; people always ask how we make it happen. We’ve sailed 3 US Match Race Championships together, he coached me in match racing and we do a lot of pro sailing together. I’m a very competitive person, so when I’m on a boat or team, I treat every person the same. It’s definitely easy to get more annoyed or sensitive with someone who is that close to you, but it’s important to understand the competitive atmosphere. It’s important to leave whatever happens (good or bad) on the water and when you get back to shore you can go back to normal. It’s also cool learning from your significant other; I ask questions and become a better sailor because of that, it’s definitely a win-win situation. Bottom line is that we both love to have fun and being on the water with our close friends is, well, fun.

SA: You’re America’s top-ranked women’s match racer and 6th in the world, what does that really mean for you?  Where do you go with that now that the MR Olympics are gone?

SR: I fell in love with match racing back in college and it was a bonus that it was in the Olympics. I did a short campaign with Maggie Shea and Darby Smith afterwards, and fell even more in love with the fast paced, tactical and athletic game. It’s definitely a bummer that it’s not in the Olympics anymore but that hasn’t stopped me yet! I was also fortunate enough to have a job at Chicago Match Race Center where I could focus on improving as a skipper and crew.

Now we have a professional women’s match race series (WIM Series) that is set up similar to the World Match Race Tour and my team, Epic Racing (follow us on Facebook please!), will sail all 5 Series this year.  The WIMRS is a huge step towards developing women’s professional sailing but also giving girls something to look forward to besides the Olympics. As for the ranking, it’s really cool to be ranked so high in the women’s, but as my college coach, Mitch Brindley, always said, rankings only mean so much. We believe we are the top team at every event, and we will continue working our hardest no matter what the ranking says. We are also proud of our work in the open match race events we have done. Training and racing against the guys has been great for our development as a team.   Read more about Steph Roble’s SA interview here.

DAZZLER Wins J/70 Q-III

TOUCH2PLAY Crowned Overall Series Champion
(Tampa, FL)- No one could have predicted the outcome of the inaugural J/70 Quantum Winter Series that was hosted by Davis Island YC.  Not even the wildest bets at Ladbroke’s parlours in London would’ve put any money on the horse called “Touch2Play”.  Why? Because, from the American’s point of view, it was some wild & woolly Canadians headed south because it was either too cold (which it was) or their fabled Toronto Maple Leafs were firing blanks.  Nevertheless, no matter how you slice it, on the road to redemption for their friends “north of the border” was Rob Butler’s crew on TOUCH2PLAY (and friend Martie Kullman) taking the inaugural Quantum J/70 Winter Series hosted on Tampa Bay. Quite a feat, that is, considering the formidable talent arrayed against them over the three months series.

As they had experienced over the past few weekends, both the Davis Island YC PRO and the fleet were challenged by yet another curveball tossed at them from a growing “El Nino” weather phenomenon.  With thunderstorms and frontal passage forecast for Friday afternoon and most of Saturday it was a question of whether or not the third weekend in a row would be “jinxed” with weather. The final result was one race Saturday and three races Sunday.

According to one sailor, “it was light weather on Saturday morning.  We started postponed on shore. The first race was around noon.  During the race it went from 6-8 kts to 15-20 kts and more by end of race (many teams were way wrong on tuning their rigs!). The racing was then postponed after the 1st race, due to an impending weather front, and everyone went back to shore at DIYC. When the storm hit with thunderstorms, wind and rain, everything was called off after 1400 hrs. Sunday was a beautiful day with NW breeze, puffy, shifty, 10-15 kts and velocity slowly diminished and we managed to get in three races. Beginning with the first race on Sunday, it was going from planing to displacement mode, but soon thereafter it was all displacement downwind.”

Making the most of what transpired was the “big newbie” in the series, Allan Terhune’s DAZZLER from Annapolis YC with good friend Chris Larson on board— quite the formidable duo!  They sailed a dazzling series, by far the most consistent boat in the fleet.  By Sunday afternoon the DAZZLER team amassed a fleet-leading 2-3-1-6 for 12 pts total to win by a dozen points!

The balance of the top five was solved by who beat who in the last race and a tie-breaker, all within five points of each other when the dust all settled!  Taking second on the podium by virtue of a tie-breaker was class newcomer Peter Tuite sailing CURRAGH to an 8-12-3-1 record for 24 pts.  Peter was also top Corinthian sailor for this event.  He beat out the top Canadian team, REX sailed by Scott Weakley from Port Credit YC.  REX’s scoreline of 3-4-9-8 also scored 24 pts and was good for third overall.  In fourth was Rob Butler’s TOUCH2PLAY with friend Martie Kullman on board.  Their performance was sufficient to move them onto the top of the overall Quantum Winter Series lead.  Taking fifth was Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT with guest tactician, Tim Healy, aboard.

In the Corinthians world, as we mentioned above, Peter Tuite won on CURRAGH.  He was followed by Rob Britts on HOT MESS in second and Blake Kimbrough on NOSTALGIA in third.  It was an unfortunate regatta performance for Britts, making a real “mess” of their strong leadership position in the overall series with their 9-1-12-20 record for 42 pts.  One of the notable performances was to see top woman skipper, “Cat” Evans sailing MOJITO to fifth overall in Corinthians— if you recall she overcame enormous obstacles at the Key West Midwinters when just about everything was stolen out of her boat while trailering MOJITO down the Keys.  Thankfully, Don Finkle and many others in the J/70 class supported her and got her back on the road to success.  “Congratulations” to “Cat” for a well-deserved performance- one, in fact, that enabled her to finish 3rd in Corinthians in the overall series.

As for the overall Open Division results for the Winter Series, the combined three event results saw Butler’s TOUCH2PLAY win.  They were followed by Britts’s HOT MESS and in third was Mark Ploch on SUGAR DADDY from American YC in Rye, New York; he was sailing with “Moose” McClintock on board.  Fourth in the series went to Thomas Bowen on REACH AROUND, a fellow American YC member.  And, fifth went to the Werner/ Barnash duo on SUPERFECTA from Rochester YC.

In the Corinthians overall series standings, Britts won anyhow followed by Ted Johnson’s VITAMIN J in second, Cat Evans’s MOJITO in third, Noel Clinard’s LOONATICTU from Fishing Bay YC in fourth and Blake & Lud Kimbrough’s NOSTALGIA also from Fishing Bay YC in fifth.  Next up for many of these J/70s teams?  Lipton Cup in New Smyrna Beach, FL and Charleston Race Week in mid-April!  For more Quantum J/70 Winter Series sailing information

Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga: Ready-Set-Go!

(Glucksburg, Germany)-  The second annual Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga is about to get under way!  Flensburg Sailing Club in Gluckburg, is hosting the first event running from April 4th to 6th.  The best sailing clubs in Germany are participating in a season-long regatta circuit that features a full weekend of sailing in six different locations.  Each club provides their best team of sailors that can sail J/70s and J/80s fast! At the end, the winners are crowned as the “best sailing club” in Germany!

Last year with only eighteen teams participating, the fleet of six J/70s could accommodate everyone on a rotating basis.  And, it was a resounding success everywhere the Bundesliga hosted an event, the local sailors and club members came out in droves to watch the fun racing taking place near shore.

Due to the overwhelming requests to participate in the 2014 edition of the Segel-Bundesliga, the format has been expanded to accommodate sixty-three teams!  As a result, the fleet has also expanded to include the original fleet of six J/70s plus J/80s where there are local fleets.  The first three events this year are acting as “qualifiers” for the final five events- ending with the “championship” round again on Hamburg’s gorgeous Alster Lake in the middle of city.

The event is an enormous undertaking.  “Everything is going to plan. We hope the wind and weather forecast are favorable and we expect to get all the scheduled races to the finish," said Claus-Otto Hansen of the host Flensburg SC. Adding, “the boats are ready to sail. We are well prepared and looking forward to the play-offs."  The plan is for 252 sailors from all over Germany to sail 90 races over the weekend! 

The regatta schedule for this year’s Segel-Bundesliga is the following:

• 04.04.    06.04.    Glücksburg / Flensburger Förde
• 16.05.    18.05.    Starnberg / Starnberger See
• 23.05.    25.05.    Tutzing / Starnberger See
• 19.07.    21.07.    Travemünde / Lübecker Bucht
• 22.08.    24.08.    Berlin / Wannsee
• 05.09.    07.09.    Kiel / Innenförde
• 26.09.    28.09.    Friedrichshafen / Bodensee
• 31.10.    02.11.    Hamburg / Außenalster

Sailing photo credits- Sven Juergensen.   For more Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga sailing information

J/Fest San Francisco Preview

(San Francisco, CA)- The latest edition of the J/Fest San Francisco is taking place from April 5th to 6th on San Francisco Bay.  The teams are looking forward to excellent sailing conditions with sunny skies, 15-25 kts winds and an amazing party hosted Saturday night by St. Francis Yacht Club.  Perhaps the best part about this regatta is that all the racing takes place right along the StFYC city-front, should be fun and games for all!

J/Fest has expanded the one-design program this year, welcoming in two new fleets that have grown significantly on the Bay- the J/70s and J/111s.  They’re joining long-time supporters of the regatta, the J/24s, J/105s and J/120s.  A good turn-out of thirty-plus boats are expected to participate in the weekend-long event.

The J/70s have a very nice fleet for their inaugural participation in J/Fest, they have at least eight boats on the line with many new faces meeting for the first time.  The veterans include DFZ (Eric Kownacki & Tom Jenkins) from San Diego, COOL STORY BRO (John Brigden), JENNIFER (Chris Kostanecki), PERFECT WIFE (Chris Anderson) and SUGOI (Mark Nelson).  Joining them for the first time are 1FA (Scott Sellers & Geoff McDonald), BANDIT (Scott Mack) from Nevada City, and LOOSE LUCY (Justin Kromelow).  No question this fun-loving crowd are expecting “planing mode” conditions all weekend!  And, will Chris Kostanecki’s JENNIFER crew continue their winning ways after their first weekend of one-design racing at the Big Daddy Regatta in Richmond?

The weekend forecast looks like it could shape up to be “classic” San Francisco Bay weather. According to Bruce Stone, “it looks like we’ll have some nice weather this weekend, and initially a counterclockwise course (of course wind dependent), heading out for the late ebb and down the city front on the early flood – sure beats short tacking the city front!  That will probably switch for the third race on Saturday and we’ll go up the shore once the full flood is established and we want to head upwind in lessening flood inside.  The fleet will likely split on this routing during the second race as the heavy rains we’re experiencing might create an earlier than normal ebb.”  For more J/Fest San Francisco sailing information