J/70s Sailing Video- Mile-High Andes Mountains!

(Lake Panguipulli, Chile)- A new fleet of J/70s have been sailing on Lake Panguipulli high up in Chile’s Andes Mountain range.

This J/70 sailing video was taken during their recent Chilean LAND ROVER J/70 Nationals the weekend before last. Enjoy the spectacular scenery and nicely done footage.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGiNSewrsH8

J/70 Sweden Boat of the Year!

(Stockholm, Sweden)- The J/70 continues to garner accolades from knowledgeable sailors around the world.  In particular, Europe is seeing a significant uptick in one-design J/70 activity with more countries and more fleets developing across the Continent.

This past month the Swedish yachting press selected the J/70 as Sweden’s Boat of the Year, citing its scintillating performance, family-friendly boat-handling characteristics, easy transportability and extraordinary value relative to all other sportboats in the market today.

Here is J/Dealer Peter Johansson from Marstrand Yachts accepting the award at the boat show in Sweden. For reference, here’s the original article written in Swedish about the J/70’s qualities (translated into English).  For more J/70 sailboat information

Having Fun Sailing-- according to Don Finkle

(Youngstown, NY)- Don Finkle from RCR Yachts, the J/Dealer in upstate New York, wrote a nice perspective regards why successful one-design sailboat classes have a “collegial atmosphere” amongst their sailors.  Here are Don’s comments as posted in Scuttlebutt:

There are not as many racing sailors out there as I thought there were. Much has been said about the decline in sailboat racing so that is no secret, but it dawned on me recently that it is worse than I had thought.

When I was sailing 36 foot racer-cruisers, we usually sailed with and against people we knew from year to year, even as we moved around. And those people normally stayed with the same crew, or maybe switched from one boat to another within the same fleet.

Now that I sail mostly on J/70s we travel a lot more and are exposed to a much larger pool of sailors, many of whom I did not previously know. So I pay a lot more attention to the other sailors in our fleet, who they are, where they sail, their backgrounds, etc. I want to meet new sailors, follow their accomplishments and hopefully learn from them.

What I have found is that many of these people sail in a variety of boat designs, not just in one class. They may have a favorite but they can be found in different boats in different events, sometimes driving, sometimes crewing.

Where I am going with this is that if you name four different fleets of say small keelboat one designs you don’t have four distinct sets of sailors. Many of the names sail in multiple fleets, so the total number of participants is less than you would first think. I figured this out by looking at the results of the J/70 class at first, then scouring the results of other classes….and the same familiar names cropped up on scoresheets all over the place.

Some of these people sail Melges 20s, Melges 24s, J/80s, Lightnings, J/22s, J/24s, etc. in addition to the J/70, often 3 or 4 different classes. This is not a bad thing at all; it means that sailors get to try and enjoy different boats (there is no perfect boat) and meet more people as they move around. But it can give the impression that there are a greater number of sailors than is actually the case.

Each class is thus in somewhat of a precarious position. With sailors hopping from class to class they might not have the long term commitment to any one, so any given class could find itself with a drop in attendance at any time.

The exception to this would be those classes that focus their energy on sustaining membership based on a collegial atmosphere, involvement at a social level, being inclusive of sailors of varying ages and abilities, etc.

Australian J/70s On Show

(Sydney, Australia)-  Since the J/70's arrival in Australia, interest continues to increase in the dynamic little speedster that has been taking the world by storm since its introduction in America in the spring of 2012.  With record turnouts in American winter/ spring regattas and building fleets in Europe, the world of sailing in the Asia-Pac world is just beginning to get its taste of the J/70 magic.

From May 23 to 26, the J/70 will be debuting at the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show, its first big show and first “Australian International” show since its arrival.  For those passionate J sailing enthusiasts in Australia, this is a great opportunity to enjoy a classic "fall boat show" Down Under and learn more about why the J/70 will soon be the world's next giant international one-design class!  After all, when club sailors were having a ball sailing their J/70s in 20-30 kt breezes (with no boat breakages) recently in the Charleston Race Week regatta, many sailing "other sportsboats" were doing cart-wheels across the water with massive breakages and capsizes taking place everywhere (rigs blowing-off boats and crews seen standing on keels in just 20 kts of breeze!).  Learn more about the fun, family-friendly, one-design speedster- the world's most popular new sportsboat- J/70!

Growing Sailing- Girls Rule?

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

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

Sailing is becoming the activity of adult women.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

J/70 Sailing in Chile!

(Talcahuano, Chile)- We recently got an updated report from our friends "down under" in South America regarding J/70 fleet development.  Juan Eduardo-Reid sent us a report and photos of demo-sailing on the spectacular Panguipulli Lake nestled into the western part of the Andean Mountains during their summer!  Juan's commentary follows:

"We have finally had the chance to show the J/70 in four different places this summer:

- Talcahuano- along the Pacific Coast where the Soto 40 World Championships were recently sailed by some of the world's best sailors.  We only exhibited the boat since we were still waiting for our sails!

- Ranco- it's a very big lake and sailing area, small sailing activity, but we sailed the boat four days there!  Great interest because it was so easy to sail!

- Frutillar- we went racing the 8th to 10th of February there and have the J/70 in a very good position at the club, with the J70 winning most of the time!

- Panguipulli- this is where I rigged and sailed J/70 #156 with the customer and also sailed with 5 or 6 potential customers there. In Panguipulli, it's the lake with the greatest potential as there are over twenty J/24 sailing teams and another group of good sailors, too.

We're focusing on bringing in new people to sailing on the lakes and so far the effort is bringing nice results!  More news in the near future.  J/70 is a very nice solution for Chile, easy to tow behind a car, easy to ramp launch-- very, very important here in Chile-- we have no hoists!"

Russian J/70 Racing is Family & Friends Affair!

(Kaliningrad, Russia)- Over the past several years, the Russian sailors have become increasingly visible on the international sailing circuit and they're developing their local sailing talent quite quickly.  Having sailed the J/80s in Lanzarote, Canary Islands for their Russian Federation Sailing Championships, the Russian sailing teams are not only learning fast, they've taken a few "plays" from the Spanish and French "playbook" on how to develop better, faster, smarter sailors!  This past year JBoats in Europe was pleased to announce the creation of "J/Russia" with partners Grigory Aksenov and Dmitrii Zaritckii.

We had a chance to catch up with this dynamic duo recently after their participation in the J/70 class at the Primo Cup in Monaco.  Here's Dmitrii's commentary,

"For starters, we just picked up MOJO, the first J/70 in Russia and Eastern Europe, she just arrived to Kaliningrad, South Baltic, Russia!  As you know, already much has been written about Primo Cup Monaco before. So, we will add our $0.02 about our experiences so far as J/Russia!

The big news is that the J/70s just had their first regatta in Europe, debuting at the Primo Cup at Yacht Club Monaco.  We have sailed in the Primo Cup before, so know it well and love it! This is a good event to start the European sailing season, with good organization, comfort and the social part is especially great, if not fantastic!  How can you not like Monte Carlo!? Unfortunately, the weather in the Bay of Monaco was a real challenge, due to the proximity of the mountains. The wind was not stable coming offshore from the North, constantly changing direction and strength. But, the high level of competition and sailing new one-design J/70s made this regatta very interesting for us. We will definitely go to Primo Cup Monaco again next year!!

We were happy to see the tremendous interest and focus on the J/70s by Yacht Club de Monaco.  There were dozens of participants who came up to us and asked us our opinion of the J/70s! Needless to say, we enjoyed ourselves sailing the J/70, it's quite easy to steer, easier to control the sails and easier to crew relative to other types of sailing boats.  Just so you know, for a basis of comparison, we've had a lot of experience of racing against top Europeans and Russians sailing J/24s, Platu 25s, J/80s and SB20s. But, we like the J/70 more than anything else! It's a fun, amazing boat! We think many Russian sailors will like it, too.

After the race in Monaco, we drove across France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Poland and arrived to Kaliningrad, Russia. We drove with the J/70 on a trailer for more than 4,000km, but the road-trip did not seem very difficult for us and our Nissan Qashqai 2L passed the test very well. On the road we were traveling as a normal passenger car, the overall weight of the car and the boat was a little more than 3 metric tons. On toll roads, we also paid as a regular passenger car, this is also good news!  Easy to trail in Europe and economical!

We live in Kaliningrad, our sailing club is based here and we plan to create the Russian J/70 Fleet here, too. Kaliningrad is the best place for sailing in Russia (and ex-USSR nations) - we have a lot of water (the Baltic Sea) and two huge bays with good breeze. From Kaliningrad, in one day you can get by car to the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, and can quickly go by ferry to Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway. At the same time, the one day trip to the East means you can quickly reach the Baltic states, Belarus, Ukraine and St. Petersburg, Russia.  Moscow is a bit far, but only 2,000km away-- a long, long day's drive!

We plan to buy a few J/70s and open a J/Sailing School here in Kaliningrad, holding regattas and taking part in other regattas in Europe and ex-USSR countries. We hope to see all European J/70 sailors again soon! Best, Dmitrii and Grigory.  Sailing photo credits- Irina Belousa  Irina also photographed the Russian Federation Championship sailed in J/80s off Lanzarote, Canary Islands this past November 2012.

Happy Holidays! Wishing You Great Sailing in 2013!

The J/Team

Al, Bob, Drake, Jeff, Kendra,
Paul, Peter, Phil, Rod and Stuart

---

"America's Best Boat of the Year"
The J/70 one-design speedster was introduced to critical acclaim in March 2012 and has rapidly taken the world by storm with over 300 boats sold in over 15 countries-- it's the fastest growing one-design sportboat ever.  Such remarkable success is a tribute to the entire team, including CCF Composites in Bristol, Rhode Island (the USA builder) and suppliers like Harken, Southern Spars, Marlow, various sailmakers (Doyle, North, Quantum, Ullman, to name a few) and the entire J/Dealer network worldwide.




In addition, the new "baby J" has also achieved sailboat industry acclaim, taking SAIL Magazines "Best Boat- Performance Under 30 ft" category and also SAILING WORLD'S 2013 "Overall Boat of the Year" over all six categories!




"A European Sensation"
J//70 started sailing in Europe mid-summer 2012 wth first deliveries from JB Composites in Les Sables des' Olonne taking place in July.  Since then the fall/ winter boatshows are generating extraordinary enthusiasm across the European Continent as well as in the United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong, South Africa and South America.  Plus, J/70 is a "European Yacht of the Year 2013 Nominee" in the Performance Boat Category!

J/Boats @ American Boat Shows

St Petersburg Show- Nov 29- Dec 2
This event is held in St Petersburg, FL from Nov 29th to Dec 2nd and on display will be two J/70s, one as a demo boat in the water at the Discover Sailing docks and the other a show boat on land.  Please be sure to contact Craig Crossley at CrossCurrent Marine- craig@crosscurrentmarine.com or ph# 941-365-9095 to setup and appointment to go sail a J/70.

Portland Boat Show- Jan 9-13
Sail Northwest will be participating in this event in Portland, Oregon from January 9 - 13 and will be displaying the J/70.  Since it's an indoor show, you don't care what the weather is like outside (often snowy or rainy at this time of year, but there will be good skiing at Mt Hood!). For more information, please contact Bob Ross at bob@sailnorthwest.com or ph# 206-286-1004.  Portland Show information.

Sunroad Boat Show- Jan 24-27
JK3 Yachts, Jeff Brown and crew will be displaying the J/70 and the J/111 from January 24th to 27th in San Diego, California.  The J/70 is growing fast and the J/111 fleet is growing steadily-- its offshore racing capability under ANY handicap rule (PHRF, IRC, ORR) is compelling and one-design activity nationwide will see the J/111 North Americans in Chicago in August 2013!  Be sure to connect with Jeff at JK3 Yachting- ph#619-224-6200 or email- jeff@jk3yachts.com.

Seattle Boat Show- Jan 25-Feb 3
In the development of the J/Community in the Pacific Northwest, the J/Team from Seattle will be showing their J/70 in the Seattle Boatshow from January 25th to February 3rd in the Seattle Kingdome.  Please be sure to contact Bob Ross at bob@sailnorthwest.com or ph# 206-286-1004.  Seattle boat show information.

Maine Boat Builders Show- Mar 15-17
East Coast Yacht Sales will have its J/70 on display at the Maine Boatbuilders Show in Portland, Maine from March 15-17.  Just in time for the spring sailing season in Maine's southern parts, you will be able to dream about what it's like to sail in and around Maine's most gorgeous harbors, inlets and bays.  With luck, you may even go for a sail in April or May!  Be sure to coordinate those dreams with Jon Knowles and crew at ECYS at ph# 207-846-4545 or jon@ecys.com.

Port Sanilac Marina Show- April 13
Detroit, Lake Huron and Lake St Clair sailors will be treated to an "Open House" on April 13, 2013 with a J/70 and J/111 at Port Sanilac Marina located on Lake Huron, north of Detroit.  At this point, spring flowers, day lilies and fragrant frangipani will be blooming across the prairies and lakeshores of the Midwest.  Please be sure to contact Chuck Kolascz at ph# 810-622-9651 or sales@portsanilacmarina.com.

J/70, J/97 & J/111 @ Newport Boatshow

Discover Sailing a J/70, J/80 & J/95 Too!
(Newport, RI)- From September 13th to 16th, J/Boats and J/Dealers will be displaying the NEW J/70, J/97 and J/111 at the traditional location on the end of the Newport Yachting Center just NW of the "gas dock", right on the waterfront- location NYC Dock N-O E.

As part of the "Discover Sailing" program offered by the Newport Sailboat Show and J/Boats, anyone attending the show can sign-up to sail the brand new J/70 speedster, International J/80 One-Design and the fabulous shoal-water performance cruiser/ daysailor- the J/95!  Be sure to book your calendar now and take the opportunity to sail three fun J's around Newport Harbor!  Please be sure to contact your J/Dealer now for an appointment and even a demo sail soon!  For more Newport Sailboat Show information