J/70 Gadgets & Mods

(Youngstown, NY)- Don Finkle at J/Dealer RCR Yachts has been sailing his J/70 JUNIOR for over a year with his family and friends, starting with the 2013 J/70 Midwinters at Key West.  Amongst other things, Don is always looking for ways to improve the overall experience of going to regattas, seeing friends and sailing fast, but comfortably.

Some of the upgrades they’ve employed are helpful for those first getting engaged in the whole program.  Here are Don’s commentary on the upgrades to share with all J/70 friends:

“The first is the J/70 mast stepper that was made by RCR’s Brian Buczak (initially designed & engineered by the J/Boats Team in Newport). We’ve now used it several times and it has made stepping and dropping the rig much easier to accomplish, especially if you don’t always have three people around to help.  As you can see from the picture, there is a wooden piece that sits on the stern rails and is fastened down to hold in place.  There is also a tall post approximately six feet high, with a trailer roller at the top (the key piece!), that fits through the cross beam that we clamped down on the motor bracket by using a c-clamp.  While down in Florida, friends of ours from the J/70 fleet stopped by as we were stepping the mast and commented on how easy it looked when using this contraption.  When the rig is down, we could very simply slide out the stepper and secure it to the trailer while the cross beam held the mast in place when towing.  We highly recommend using something like this and we’d be happy to show you the one we are using.

The other new upgrade that we are using is the soft deck installed on the floor of our cockpit.  We absolutely LOVED this addition.  The deck not only looks good but has great grip, wet or dry, and provided good cushion on the knees when in light air and kneeling on the cockpit becomes a necessity.  We’ve been told that the weight of the deck is about 3 to 5 pounds, but the benefits greatly make up for any added weight.  This past weekend in St Pete brought some bigger breeze on Saturday and we found ourselves on our side a few times.  At the angle of heel we would normally slip on the deck but we had no such issue with the soft deck.  There are several suppliers of these soft decks and we have not tested them all out, but the “Raptor” deck we are using has really worked out great.

J/70 Worlds Announcement

(Newport, RI)- The inaugural J/70 World Championship will be held in Newport, R.I. from September 8th to 13th and hosted by New York Yacht Club.  Races will be sailed on either Narragansett Bay or offshore on Rhode Island Sound, depending on weather conditions.  Principal hosting partner for the event is Sail Newport, where boats will be docked for the event.

Stu Saffer, the Event Chairman, comments: “New York YC is honored to host the inaugural J/70 World Championships in Newport, RI, this September. We look forward to welcoming sailors from around the world to Harbour Court, our on-the-water clubhouse, and hope they enjoy all the services and amenities our club has to offer. The initial growth of the J/70 class is remarkable, and we are anticipating an extremely competitive regatta on Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound.”  Harbour Court will be the site for the skipper’s meeting and kick-off party, the Wednesday dinner and the Final Awards.

There is a fleet limit of 120 boats. Due to the high level of interest, qualifying events around the world will determine which teams get to sail in the World Championship. U.S. teams should visit the U.S. J/70 Class Association website (http://www.j70class.com) for detailed information on qualifying regattas. Foreign teams should refer to the International J/70 Class Association website (http://www.j70ica.org) for qualification and registration requirements.

Charter boats will be available for international teams, please contact Kendra at J/Boats (ph# 401-846-8410 or email- info@jboats.com) for further information. Rooms are being held at area hotels for Worlds competitors.  For more information on housing, qualifying or the regatta in general, please visit the J/70 World Championship website.

J/70 Teams Love Bacardi Newport Regatta

(Newport, RI)- As has been the tradition for years, the SailNewport team led by Brad Read and a select group of PRO's provided excellent race management over the course of the two-day Bacardi Newport Regatta to ensure most classes had four good races.

As the largest fleet in the regatta, remarkable considering it's "the new kid on the block", the J/70s managed to put twenty-two boats on the line for a highly competitive and fun event. Perhaps most importantly, the fleet has demonstrated that newcomers to the fleet can be quite competitive against earlier season "veterans" and sail quite well.  Following on earlier season success, Joel Ronning's CATAPULT team from Lake Minnetonka, MN sailed well with a 1-7-7-1 series for 16 pts to just beat out Bruno Pasquinelli's STAMPEDE team that sported a 9-4-2-2 scoreline for 17 pts-- it all came down to who-beat-who in the last race.  Taking third was Bennet Greenwald with a 4-1-6-10 tally for 21 pts-- fresh off wins on the Pacific Coast at Cal Race Week and Long Beach Race Week.  Dave Franzel's SPRING sailed a solid series, capturing a consistent 6-8-5-4 for 23 pts for fourth and lying fifth was newcomers TOUCH 2 PLAY sailed by Martin Kullman with a 5-6-1-12 record for 24 pts (nearly pulling off an overall win in their first try were it not for the last race "bomber" race!).  For more Bacardi Newport Sailing information

J/70 Regatta Updates

(Newport, RI)- After a strong showing at recent summer regattas, J/70 sailors along the eastern seaboard of America should consider the J/70 New England Championship in Marblehead, MA as well as the Fall Fling Regatta in Hampton, VA held after the J/70 North Americans in Annapolis, MD.

J/70 East Coast sailors should have a wonderful time sailing in the Sperry Topsider Marblehead NOOD Regatta, as they're simultaneously hosting the J/70 New England Championship over the July 26-28 (Friday-Sunday) weekend.  Over a dozen boats are already registered including a German team.  So if you're are looking for a chance to get in a good weekend of racing at the end of July, head on up to Marblehead for one of the true Mid-Summer classics.  Plus, the J/70 teams will be able to launch their boats at Eastern Yacht Club at no cost and should be able to either raft up on the Pleon Yacht Club floats or share moorings that will be available through the Eastern Yacht Club.

Later in the fall, Hampton Yacht Club is hosting the J/70 class in their Fall Fling Regatta held from November 16th to 17th.  One of the best fall regattas you can participate anywhere on the East Coast-- the water is still warm, the southern hospitality even warmer and gracious and it has to be one of the most fun regattas socially for those who have ever experienced what it's like to sail in the southern Chesapeake Bay area.  Furthermore, a "best practices/ tuning /what-we-have-learned" clinic will be provided to J/70 sailors as part of the regatta held the day before the regatta on Friday, November 15th.  Please be sure to contact Steve Taylor at email- Steve.Taylor@wartsiladefense.com.  For more J/70 one-design regatta information, please visit the J70 class site

J/70 Newport Cup Experience

(Jamestown, RI)- Nick Johnstone (son of Peter J of Gunboats fame and varsity sailor on the College of Charleston Sailing Team) is interning at the J/Boats office for summer 2013, enjoying a wide variety of experiences regards business, boat building & design, sales, marketing, maintenance and so forth.  Recently, Nick and friends had a chance to do some demo sails and also participate in the famous IYAC Newport Cup Race-- the highly popular "around Jamestown Island" race of about 21nm.  Here's Nick's account as a "virgin round islander" sailing the J/70:
"The Newport Cup Around Jamestown Island race was put on and hosted with ease and incredible organization by IYAC and its sponsors. The weather couldn’t have been better and a nice light, but building southwesterly breeze filled the harbor for the start.

The J-70 was fortunate to get a handful of boats entered in the regatta. I put together a crew of friends all currently on the college sailing circuit and we were all excited sail together. None of them had prior experience in the boat, but with the simplicity offered by the J-70 deck plan, they were quickly able to figure out their roles and what was required of each other.

Before going out, I happened to make possibly the single biggest mistake before racing a keelboat regatta. I forgot to clean the bottom. The bottom hadn’t been cleaned in over 4 weeks, which is an incredibly long time for a non-drysailed keelboat with no bottom paint. My friend Bobby went over and tried to clean a bit of it off with an extra t-shirt we had before racing, but the scum had amassed to so much that he used up an entire T-shirt cleaning just an eighth of the bottom of the boat and we were running out of time. The bottom reminded me of what the bottom of the Flying Dutchman from Pirates of the Caribbean must look like. It was very bad. So key advice to anyone racing, clean you’re bottom!

The second we cast off the mooring, I could feel the boat stick to the water and I knew right away this was going to be a long race. We got off the line and tacked out on a nice lane on port out to the right side of the course, but with the growth on the bottom of our boat in the light air and big chop, we might as well have thrown out an anchor. The entire fleet rolled us and a large lefty that rolled in didn’t help either.

We rounded the windward mark in DFL, or last place as some like to call it, but were determined to catch up even with our handicap. Soaking low on the downwind and playing the breeze better more intelligently than the rest of the fleet off of the western Jamestown shore, we caught back up right into the middle of the fleet. The breeze then shifted to a more due west direction, steadied out, and the fleet again pulled ahead of us. This was pretty discouraging, but it was too nice a day for us to be let down.

At this point we all switched off and took turns skippering and doing other positions in the boat and just enjoyed the rest of the race as more of a day sail. We ended up finished in dead last place and I can honestly say I can’t remember the last time I lost a regatta (never), but great weather, good friends, and a simple easy boat to sail made it all bearable!"

Bacardi Newport Preview

(Newport, RI)- What has become a right of passage for New England summer sailors is the annual pilgrimage to Newport to sail what many consider one of America's best run regattas-- the Bacardi Newport Regatta.  Hosting nineteen one-design classes is never easy, but the management team of PRO's led by Brad Read always manage to make it happen no matter what cards the weather God's have thrown down on the table.  So far, the prognosticators indicate this year's event taking place from July 12th to 14th may end up with some classic Newport sea-breeze conditions.

The J/70's are "the new kid on the block" and as the world's fastest growing sportboat class is fielding a fleet of twenty competitors.  And, there's no doubt it will be quite a competitive affair with several top teams participating from the winter/ spring events like Key West, Charleston, St Pete and Annapolis.  Look for some of these teams to be in the top five, including James Allsopp's MOXIE, Joel Ronning's CATAPULT, Bennet Greenwald's PERSEVERANCE, Dave Franzel's SPRING, Blake Kimbrough's NOSTALGIA, Joe Bardenheier's MUSE, Bruno Pasquinelli's STAMPEDE and Jud Smith's Marblehead team.

For the sixteen J/24s, it' a double-whammy, a District 2 Championship World's Qualifier and US Adult Sailing Championship Qualifier.  As a result, Tim Healy is leaping back into the J/24s sailing HELLY HANSEN.  They will be challenged by arch nemesis Travis Odenbach on HONEY BADGER, Steve Wood on TASMANIAN DEVIL, Frank McNamara on ZOT, Ian Scott on CRACK OF NOON and Aidan Glackin on MENTAL FLOSS.

Nine J/22s will be racing and for many it may prove to be good practice for the upcoming J/22 Worlds sailing in Newport in October 2013.  Expect to see amongst the top boats champion J/22 sailor Chris Doyle sailing JUG 4 1, Brad Julian skippering JULIAN ASSOCIATES, Lowell Thomas on CHAOS and Matt Dunbar on WHARF RAT.  For more Bacardi Newport Sailing information

Gorgeous New York YC Annual Regatta

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

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

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

New York YC Annual Regatta Preview

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

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

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

J/70 New England Circuit

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

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

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

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

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

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

J/70s Join New England Leukemia Cup

(Newport, RI)- Come support a great cause on Saturday June 8th for the Newport Leukemia Cup!  There will be dozens of J/Teams from all across the spectrum supporting this event on a regional basis- J/111s, J/22s, J/24s, J/27s, J/29s, J/30s, J/35s, J/40s, J/124s, J/100s (maybe Governor Chafee of Rhode Island?) and others will be in the mix.

The J/70s are being given their own one design start. So, come one, come all to make this a successful event to help combat leukemia.

On Sunday June 9th, the J/70s are hosting a "Tuning Day"-- a "can't miss day" full of learning all the go-fasts in a seminar environment.  North University’s Bill Gladstone will be filming both days. Following on-the-water tuning, boat-speed sessions, practice starts and races, a panel discussion with Tim Healy (North Sails), Kerry Klingler (Quantum Sails) and hopefully more will be part of the program.

SailNewport has graciously offered their facilities and have provided access to the Alofsin Piers for dockage on Saturday night and the Museum of Yachting to host the panel discussion!  Be sure to sign up now!  Please RSVP to "fleetcaptain@j70fleet2.com"    For the Newport Leukemia Cup sailing information

One J/24 World Champion Joins Another!

(Newport, RI)- Here's one for the "why you sail a 'J' to learn how to sail better, faster, smarter and move ahead in the world department"-  J/24 World Champion Tim Healy has been asked by yet another J/24 World Champion, Ken Read (now President of North Sails) to re-join "Team Blue".  Prophetically enough, North Sails announced that Tim would join in the role of One Design Coordinator after Key West. Healy, who won the J/24 World Championship in 2010, worked for North Sails from 1998-2004 and has been in the sailmaking industry for 14 years.

"Tim has proven himself countless times in a wide array of one design sailboats from J/24s and Shields to Lightnings and Etchells – and now in the new and quickly growing J/70 class, where he won top honors in the 39-boat fleet last week in Key West,” said North Sails President Ken Read. "Having Tim back at North Sails gives us an opportunity to work closer with clients through his experience and knowledge of how to prepare and win on the race course,” Read continued.

Healy, who was a three-time All-American Sailor at St. Mary’s College in Maryland, has earned his place in the world of one-design sailboat racing. He has won 17 major titles in the J/24 class since 1999 and 7 National and North American championships in other classes. Healy also won a Gold Medal at the Pan Am Games in the Dominican Republic in 2003.

"What I enjoy most about sailing and sailmaking is learning how to fine tune everything about the boat -- sails, rig tune, boat setup, tactics -- to make it go faster. Sailing our J/70 in Key West last week was a great example of how fulfilling it is to race in a brand-new boat and tweak our tactics and boat setup all week long until we found our groove. What we learned in Key West will be shared within the North Sails Group and will be applied to help our clients go faster on the race course,” he continued. “My love for the sport of sailing never seems to subside and rejoining North Sails allows me to utilize the best tools in the business to ultimately better serve my clients," Healy concluded.

"We are very excited to have Tim back onboard and look forward to his knowledge and input on where we can improve our sail designs and client outreach," said Vince Brun, head of the One Design division of North Sails. "Not only is he an accomplished and talented sailor but he is also committed to helping clients at regattas and he will work with our team internally to make sure we are doing the best job possible with regatta preparation and presence," continued Brun. "Our goal within the One Design division of North Sails is to have a stronger presence for our clients leading up to and during regattas and to provide better client services across the board," Brun said.  "Vinnie" should know, he sailed one of the first J/24 Midwinters himself starting in 1979 as a "newbie" just off the ship from Brazil. :)

NEW 2013 J/Calendar!

The Perfect Gift For People Who Love Sailing!
(Newport, RI)- For 2013 we've created another beautiful calendar for J sailors who love the joys of sailing a J in some of the most spectacular harbors and waters of the world.  Whether you are a cruising, racing or armchair sailor, these stunning sailboat photographs will transport you to wonderful sailing experiences in far away places. The 2013 sailing calendar features photos (pictured here) of a dramatic J/111 powering upwind off Newport; a fleet of J/24s off sunny Tampa; surrealistic scenes of J/80s off Santander, Spain and flying downwind off Marseilles, France; a fleet of J/120s rocking downwind under spinnakers on San Francisco Bay; J/70s flying along under spinnakers; J/22s starting in the Rocky Mountains; and a J/97, J/109 and J/122 sailing in sunny Solent conditions.  A great gift for loved ones, family, friends and crew!    Order your 2013 J/Calendar today, click here

J/70 One-Design Class Update

(Newport, RI)- Over the past month the evolution of J/70 one-design class development continues its inexorable fast pace around the world.  While the first J/70s are just beginning to appear in such exotic locations like Santiago, Chile; Sydney, Australia; Hong Kong, China; and Miami, FL, other famous sailing venues are seeing fleets blossom like spring flowers across the sailing landscape.  Europeans are just beginning to get a taste of the J/70 in the Netherlands (Belgium & Holland) as well as in England and France.

In the Americas, the class is developing rapidly.  To date there are over a dozen fleets in development with nine confirmed already.  At this stage, it looks like Annapolis can lay claim to being the J/70 capital of the world with Fleet #1 status, followed closely by their friends in Newport/ Narragansett Bay with Fleet #2.  The Great Lakes are growing fast with Cleveland as Fleet #3, Western Lake Ontario #6, South Shore Lake Ontario #7 and Erie, PA as #8.  Out West, SoCal (Southern California) is Fleet #5 and the California fleets may soon expand to include Santa Barbara, CA as its own fleet along with San Francisco, CA.  Plus, the Cascade Locks, OR and Seattle, WA fleets are not far behind! In the East, Fishing Bay, VA is now Fleet #4 and just recently Marblehead attained Fleet #9 status.  Not far behind are fleets forming in Chicago, IL; Fort Worth, TX; Houston, TX; Lake Dillon, CO; Tampa, FL; and Long Island Sound.

Reports from the frontiers of J/70 fleet development are encouraging.  Recently, Jud Smith, a world-renowned sailor (Etchells 22 World Champion, Sonar North American Champion, IOD World Champion and Dennis Conner's mainsail trimmer in the America's Cup), had the following commentary after sailing in Marblehead recently: "I saw the J/70’s sailing in Newport a bunch this summer.  It looked well mannered, without the crew having to fight it to go fast.  I also like the decision to go with dacron race sails for this size one-design.  The ramp-launch trailer, roller furling headsail, carbon rig with adjustable backstay all makes a lot sense.  However, it wasn’t until I had the opportunity to sail with Peter Duncan this fall in New York that I realized that this boat was going to be a game-changer.  I couldn’t help but think the J/70 class was going to take-off like the J/24 did  years ago.  When I got home I told my wife, Cindy, how impressed I was with the boat and that it was a class we could race together. I was pleased to finally be able to get her out sailing at the Marblehead Demo day.  When she returned to the dock she insisted I join her for another ride. I wasn’t expecting that! She’s quite excited now for racing the J/70 together. Our two daughters can race it as well, even if I’m away!"

The report from San Diego was similar.  Jeff Brown at JK3 Yachts said: "This past Sunday we had a J/70 Demo Day hosted at San Diego Yacht Club with sailmakers from Ullman, Quantum, and North sails on each boat for people to test. It turned out to be a perfect day with about 30 attendees.  We offered food, beer, and drinks on the dock after and it was a very successful, enjoyable event. We're looking forward to growing our Socal Fleet #5!"  For more J/70 one-design sailing information

Discover the Joy of Sailing a J!

(Newport, RI)- With fall boatshow season starting in full-swing, it's a wonderful opportunity to visit one of many boatshows around the world to experience the latest in the J line-up of fun-to-sail boats that can be enjoyed by your family and friends.  Here is a quick boatshow guide of current shows and see the show schedules below for others coming up soon!

Cannes Boatshow- September 11 to 16- Cannes, France- J/Composites is exhibiting the new J/111 speedster for those who wish to have fun on the Med, not just daysailing off the quaint harbors in the Rivieras of France or Italy, but sailing fast around the archipelagos of Greece and the islands of the Adriatic.  Visit Grigory Aksenov at Pontoon QML121  to see the high-performance J/111 and discover why it's been such a world-beater on many of the world's most demanding offshore races.  Please contact Grigory for an appointment to see the J/111- email- aksenov.grigory@gmail.com or mobile- +7 909 157 69 24.

Newport Boatshow- September 13-16- Newport, RI- 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! Please be sure to contact your J/Dealer now for an appointment and a demo sail soon!  For more Newport Sailboat Show information - http://www.newportboatshow.com/

Southampton Boatshow- September 14-23- Southampton, England- Key Yachting Ltd is exhibiting five J/Boats, including the new J/70 Speedster which will be making its UK debut.  Other J's on display are the International J/80 one-design, J/109 IRC offshore cruiser/racer champion, the latest J/111 offshore speedster (recent IRC Benelux Champion) & J/122 IRC offshore benchmark for cruiser-racers in the 41 foot sailboat range.  For more Southampton Boatshow information, please contact J/UK Key Yachting at "info@j-uk.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

J/70 NYYC IQS Preview

(Newport, RI)- This year's NYYC Invitational Cup U.S. Qualifying Series (USQS) will feature twelve new J/70 speedsters! The J/70 will join the NYYC’s fleet of Sonars when 24 of the nation’s most competitive yacht clubs compete in the NYYC USQS off Newport, RI from September 4 to 8, 2012. The top three finishers will earn the right to compete in the 2013 NYYC Invitational Cup presented by Rolex.

The USQS will continue the successful format from 2010 in which teams compete in two fleets of one-design keelboats. By utilizing the J/70, a modern high-performance planing keelboat 23’ in length with an asymmetrical spinnaker – along with the 23’ Sonar with its symmetrical spinnaker -- the NYYC is raising the bar for competitors by testing their versatility across different boat designs as well as allowing the final decision to be made in a boat closer in philosophy to the NYYC Swan 42 -- the yacht used in the international event.

Of the twenty-four yacht clubs participating across the country, several are known to have top crews participating.  Ft Worth Boat Club has Glenn Darden from Ft Worth, TX (also a NYYC member) skippering for their team- Glenn is a past J/80 World Champion, J/105 North American Champion and top NYYC Swan 42 sailor. Also a factor in the top of the fleet will be Eastern YC's Billy Lynn, past Sonar World Champion and top J/24 and J/80 sailor from Marblehead, MA.  Alan Field from Cal YC is sailing their entry, Alan is a champion Melges 24 sailor from Marina del Rey, California.  Past Olympian Andy Lovell is sailing for Southern YC from New Orleans, LA; St Francis YC is sending champion sailor Peter Vessella; and Storm Trysail Club from Rye, New York is sending a "Q-ship" team of undercover agents that includes Jimmy & Brenda Crane.

Many other clubs are fielding top teams, including Bay Head YC from New Jersey (Russ Lucas, Mike Fortenbaugh and Peter Wright); Carolina YC from South Carolina; Edgartown YC from Massachusetts; Fishing Bay YC from Virginia; Florida YC from Jacksonville, Florida; Grand Maumelle SC from Little Rock, Arkansas; Grand Traverse YC from Michigan; Indian Harbor YC from Greenwich, Connecticut; Larchmont YC from New York (Danny Pletsch, Clay Bischoff and Cardwell Potts); Little Traverse YC from Harbor Springs, Michigan; Nantucket YC from Massachusetts; Newport Harbor YC from California; Pequot YC from Connecticut (Dave Rosow and two Dellenbaugh's); San Francisco YC from California; Seattle YC from Washington; Texas Corinthian YC from Kemah, Texas; and Youngstown YC from New York.  The competition promises to be fast, furious and extremely competitive.  Last time around, packs of boats were rounding marks en-masse leading to massive changes around every corner of the race track-- it was a bit like the children's game- "Chutes & Ladders"!  Anything that can happen, will happen.   For more New York YC Invitational Qualifying Series sailing information

J/70 Newport Sailing Demos

(Newport, RI)- For Memorial Day weekend and the balance of the Newport summer the J/70 will be ready to go speeding around Narragansett Bay and Newport Harbor for those interested in experiencing a fun, easy-to-handle sailing machine they can trail and launch anywhere off a boat-ramp with three feet of water. Kids love it. Girls & boys love it. Moms love it. What's not to like for Dad?  Volvo 70s hit 15+ kts in 20 kts TWS.  So do J/70s, in complete control.  Mom and the kids may just plane-away into the sunset they're having so much fun.  J/70 is a lovable, fast, easy-to-handle boat for family sailors. With 100+ owners to date that are ready to roll-- why not you?

If you wish to experience the extraordinary, exhilarating performance of the J/70, then simply contact us and setup a demo in Newport this summer.  Call 401-846-8410 or email info@jboats.com-- we'll happily schedule a sail for you in lovely Newport Harbor.  For more J/70 speedster sailing information

J/70 Speedster Goes Sailing!

 
(Newport, RI)- The weather Gods have continued to provide incredible sailing conditions for the sea-trials of the new J/70 Speedster in Rhode Island.   After launching J/70 #1 last Monday, March 12th, it was time to launch J/70 #2 this past Tuesday, March 20th.  Both boats gently slid off their trailers into the ocean waters off the Bristol boat ramp and shortly after were sailing on upper Narragansett Bay in a building southwesterly.  By day’s end both boats were flying across the Bay at 12-15 kts with Team North and Team Quantum scoping out the new speedster.  Overnight, some sail tweaks were done, and the boats were back out yesterday in similar 12-18 knot conditions.  Sailing trials continue over the next several days as more sailmakers arrive.  The plan is to lock in the class sail sizes by the end of next week.  Take a peek at some more sailing shots on the website!   For more J/70 Speedster sailing information

24 Teams Sailing NYYC Invitational Cup Qualifiers

(Newport, RI)- Twenty four of the leading American yacht clubs have accepted the invitation of the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) to compete in the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup U.S. Qualifying Series (USQS) to be sailed in Newport, RI from September 4-8, 2012.

Returning to the event are American in Rye, N.Y.; Carolina in Charleston, S.C.; Eastern in Marblehead, Mass.; Fishing Bay in Deltaville, Va.; Forth Worth Boat Club in Fort Worth, Texas; Indian Harbor in Greenwich, Conn.; Larchmont in Larchmont, N.Y.; Little Traverse in Harbor Springs, Mich.; Newport Harbor in Newport Beach, Calif.; Pequot in Southport, Conn.; San Francisco in Belvedere, Calif.; Seattle in Seattle, Wash.; Southern in New Orleans, La. and St. Francis in San Francisco, Calif.

The event has generated considerable interest, and 10 yacht clubs new to the event have accepted invitations: Bay Head in Bay Head, N.J.; California in Marina Del Ray, Calif.; Edgartown in Edgartown, Mass.; Florida in Jacksonville, Fla.; Grand Maumelle Sailing Club in Roland, Ark.; Grand Traverse in Traverse City, Mich.; Nantucket in Nantucket, Mass.; Storm Trysail Club; Texas Corinthian in Kemah, Texas and Youngstown, in Youngstown, N.Y.

The complement of clubs represents a cross section of the country with three clubs from the Northeast, four from Long Island Sound, two from the Mid Atlantic, four from the Southeast, three from the Great Lakes, four from California, one from the Pacific Northwest and two from Texas. Storm Trysail comes to the event with a nationwide membership.

The top three U.S. yacht-club teams will join host New York Yacht Club, Royal Canadian Yacht Club, of Toronto, Canada, the winner of the 2011 Invitational Cup, and some of the most prestigious yacht clubs in the world to compete for the 2013 NYYC Invitational Cup presented by Rolex September 7-14.

The USQS will continue the successful format from 2010 in which teams will compete in two fleets of one-design keelboats. An initial qualifying round will advance the top-12 teams into a gold fleet competing for the top-three spots, while the bottom-12 teams will be competing for an invitation to the 2014 USQS. The NYYC will be utilizing the J/70, a modern high-performance planing keelboat 22.7' in length with an asymmetrical spinnaker along with the 23' Sonar with its symmetrical spinnaker.  For more NYYC USQS sailing information, please contact the NYYC Sailing Office- saillingoffice@nyyc.org- or NYYC website

J-70 Featured in New York YC Invitational Qualifier

(Newport, RI)– The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) announced today that the new J/70 will be featured at the 2012 NYYC Invitational Cup U.S. Qualifying Series (USQS). The J/70 will join the NYYC’s fleet of Sonars when 24 of the nation’s most competitive yacht clubs compete in the NYYC Invitational Cup USQS off Newport, RI from September 4 to 8, 2012. The top three finishers will earn the right to compete in the 2013 NYYC Invitational Cup presented by Rolex.

The USQS will continue the successful format from 2010 in which teams compete in two fleets of one-design keelboats. By utilizing the J/70, a modern high-performance planing keelboat 22.7’ in length with an asymmetrical spinnaker – along with the 23’ Sonar with its symmetrical spinnaker -- the NYYC is raising the bar for competitors by testing their versatility across different boat designs as well as allowing the final decision to be made in a boat closer in philosophy to the NYYC Swan 42 -- the yacht used in the international event.

The J/70 is J-Boats’ ramp launch-able keelboat, making its world debut this spring in Newport, RI. It is designed as an easy-to-own, high-performance one-design that is stable enough for the family and built to last. Notable features include a high-aspect carbon rig, vertical-lifting keel, manageable three-sail inventory (fat-head main, roller-furling jib and masthead-asymmetric spinnaker) and large cockpit to accommodate a racing crew of three or four. “We’re excited to have the J/70 involved in this prestigious event,” said Jeff Johnstone, President of J-Boats. “The teams will find the boats well-balanced upwind and down and a blast to sail.” The J/70 is being built in the USA, by CCF Composites of Bristol, RI, builder of the J/95 and J/111 and over in Europe by J-Composites in Les Sables d'Olonne, France.

Both the Invitational Cup and the USQS are for Corinthian (amateur) sailors who represent their yacht clubs. “The 2012 USQS will provide teams with some of the most challenging sailing possible by continuing the dual-fleet format and testing sailors in both traditional one-designs (Sonars) and modern high-performance keelboats (J/70),” said Will Crump, event co-chair, who added, “We expect to announce the invited clubs soon.”

In the inaugural NYYC Invitational Cup presented by Rolex in 2009, 19 yacht club teams from 14 countries, from four continents competed. The winner was the team from the host NYYC. In the 2010 USQS, 24 yacht club teams from the U.S. competed. Eastern Yacht Club won the USQS followed by Annapolis Yacht Club and Newport Harbor Yacht Club (Calif.). The second biennial Invitational Cup presented by Rolex in 2011 saw 22 yacht club teams from 16 nations from six continents compete. The winner was the team from the Royal Canadian Yacht Club sailed by Terry McLaughlin and John Hele from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
 
On the web at http://invitationalcup.org/2012-us-qualifying-series.  Contact: saillingoffice@nyyc.org. Media seeking further information contact Michael Levitt- communications@nyyc.org.