Gorgeous Block Island Race Week

(Block Island, RI)- This year's Block Island Race Week was up to its usual, fun, laid-back atmosphere that's associated with a "Bermuda Race" year....while the offshore nuts go offshore, the "day sailors" have fun, hang up their sea boots and oilies, take their showers, and enjoy evening festivities with family and friends at The Oar or Yellow Kittens.  The regatta has a mix of one-design classes (the J/105s and J/109s) and a combination of PHRF and IRC fleets.

In the IRC division, George Marks' beautiful J/122 GEORGETOWN finished second overall, beating all other Swan/ NYYC 42s quite convincingly.

 For more Block Island Race Week sailing information.

  

Huge J Turnout For Round Island Race

J/122 2nd In IRC 1 Class

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- A total of 1,754 entries sailed in this past weekend's JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race crewed by nearly 16,000 sailors!  On Saturday, June 19, the race began at 5am, from the famous Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes, after which the fleet raced westabout to The Needles, around St Catherine's Point and Bembridge Ledge buoy and back into the Solent, to the finish line in Cowes. It's considered Britain's favorite yacht race and this year's 79th edition of this great event saw thirteen classes ranging from grand prix 100 ft high tech racing boats to the famous J/24s (some 30 years old!) take off on a gorgeous sunrise to enjoy a "shorts and shades" pleasant daysail past all the beautiful sights the Isle of Wight has to offer to its passionate enthusiasts and visitors.

The premiere IRC division for the Round Island Race-IRC 1A- were a fleet of J/122s and J/133s vying for supremacy.  After the gunsmoke cleared on the Royal Yacht Squadron finish line off Cowes, it was Ian Matthews' J/122 JINJA that finished at noon in time for "high tea" on the lawn at RYS, taking both second in class and second overall in IRC 1!  Fifth in class and finishing just 36 seconds behind JINJA was Fiona and Malcolm Thorpe's J/133 KING LOUIE.  Sixth just five minutes back was Neil Kipling's J/122 JOOPSTER.  In seventh, finishing just two minutes in front of JINJA, was Louis Kenna's J/133 BNP PARIBAS.  Ninth was Herman Berghaven's J/133 SOLNESS.  Herman said he's done so many RI races and RORC races that he's simply lost count! 

 For more Round The Island sailing information

  

J/122s Enjoy Giraglia Rolex Cup

NIKITA Top J/122

(St Tropez, France)- The 2010 Giraglia Rolex Cup comprises a series of inshore races in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, followed by a 245nm offshore race starting in St. Tropez via La Giraglia islet off Corsica, then to San Remo in Italy.  It is one of the world's most picturesque coastlines, the views are dramatic and the people equally as beautiful-- the "apres sailing" is just as much fun as the gorgeous sailing venues.  Making it all happen are, of course, Rolex as primary sponsors, as well as strong event organization, managed by the Yacht Club Italiano in collaboration with the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez. 

The racing had more than its fair share of shifty, windy offshore winds (Mistral like but not too strong) to moderate air on-shore seabreezes.  A total of four races were sailed between San Remo and St. Tropez.  The J sailors faired reasonably well, although based on some of the results of well-campaigned J's it was clear the off-the-water festivities must've been taking their toll-- after all, it is the French and Italian Riviera at the height of summer with far, far too many distractions (or attractions) for one to focus on sailing all week long!  Nevertheless, there were over two dozens J's participating.  Notable performances include Andreas Farber's J/122 NIKITA.

In the 58 nm St. Tropez Race, the Farber's J/122 NIKITA won IRC B class quite handily.  And, for the Giraglia Race Week Combined Overall results for all four races, Farber's J/122 NIKITA finished sixth in IRC A class within a fleet of 137 boats

For more Giraglia Rolex Cup Sailing information        

 Photo credits- ROLEX/ Kurt Arrigo

  

Bermuda Race Preview

J's Largest Brand Sailing

(Newport, RI)- The town of Newport is buzzing with sailors frenetically gathering together the last minute details one sweats preparing for a 635 nautical mile race that sends you bashing and crashing across the capricious Gulf Stream.  Despite the somewhat chaotic pre-race logistics, it's only to be rewarded with the delight of digging your toes into soft, pink sands sitting in plaid Bermuda shorts, shades on with a garishly bright polo shirt, sipping goofy drinks with umbrellas stuck in them or some brownish concoction called a "dark'n'stormy".  The surrealistic magnetic pull Bermuda exerts on its long-time participants  (and some "newbs") is seemingly more powerful than the fabled Siren's songs luring sailors to their demise in ancient seas.  This year, there are 185 boats entered headed for the fabled St. David's Light finish line.  The weather should be an improvement over 2008's head-bashing beat through the monstrous walls and breaking waves of the Gulf Stream (toss in a few suicidal flying fish hitting you in the head and you wonder what the attraction is to get to Bermuda by boat?).

The most startling (and heart-warming) development from the last edition is the growth of the Double-handed Division.  Is this "baby boom" market demographics kicking in big time?  After going around the track a few times with big budget programs and lots of crew, isn't it still about the skill of the sailor?  With 26 varieties of sailboats participating, eight of the double-handers are J's- about 33% of the fleet!  Leading the charge may be Scott Miller's J/122 RESOLUTE

We wish everyone fair winds, fair current and sail fast (oh, and remember to duck when the fish start flying)!  For more Bermuda Race sailing information and iTracking real-time positions.
  

RORC IRC Nationals Preview

(Solent, England- June 25-27)- This year's RORC IRC National Championship includes competitors from Belgium, France, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Ireland and the Netherlands.  Several well-sailed J's will be competing, ranging from the J/97 to the J/122s.

IRC One has a highly competitive international line-up. Philippe Delaporte's, PEN AZEN, is over from France and the J/122 is a proven winner; having been awarded RORC Yacht of the Year in 2008.

For more RORC IRC Nationals sailing information.

  

J's Dominate Rolex New York YC Annual Regatta

J/122s Sweep IRC Class

(Newport, RI- June 11-13) – Known as the longest running regatta in America, having started in 1845, the New York Yacht Club’s 156th Annual Regatta presented by Rolex also has the distinction of kicking off the sailing season in New England. This past weekend, June 11-13, over 1,000 sailors on 111 boats gathered from across the U.S. and Europe for three days of racing on Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound. 

The start to the weekend was the Around the (Conanicut) Island Race on Friday, which is scored separately from the Saturday/Sunday races. The race has become a popular “add on” for competitors, especially those gearing up for the biennial Newport Bermuda Race the following week.  The J/122 WINGS was second in IRC Class (the winner last year) and Governor Pete du Pont's J/122 SPITFIRE was third. Winning their IRC Class was Bill Sweetser's J/109 RUSH.  As a result, the J's won the prestigious ROLEX CUP – presented to the best performing two-boat team in the Around the Island Race – won by a globally dominating "J-Team"-  RUSH, a J/109 sailed by Bill Sweetser (Annapolis, MD) and SPITFIRE, a J/122 skippered by Pierre (Governor Pete) du Pont (Rockland, DE).

On Saturday, the first day of the two-day buoy racing, most classes completed three races. The skies may have threatened rain but didn’t deliver much on that promise. The wind was forecast to be S veering SW in a classic scenario.  However, it was not to be.  No matter what fleet one spoke to, it was quite clear that "middle left" on the windward legs prevailed and hanging into longish streaks downwind, no matter the direction, was the strategy that prevailed for the winners.  Those who'd gone right upwind simply evaporated into thin air.  By Sunday, the promise of ideal conditions didn’t materialize until late in the day, and most classes ended up adding only one more race to the total score.  And, with a breeze forecast to go from Easterlies to North and later Northwest in the day, it didn't seem clear that going right upwind would pay dearly.  Yup, as one might've guessed, staying left of your competitors was the winning strategy.

Adhering to good starts and sound strategies all weekend was IRC4 overall winner WINGS, a J/122 co-skippered by Mike Bruno and Tom Boyle; they won the largest class in the regatta with fifteen boats from across the IRC spectrum.  WINGS' 3-2-1-2 score was more than enough to overcome a strong challenge from Andrew Weiss' very well-sailed J/122 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON with a 4-1-2-4 record.  Most importantly, rounding out a J/122 sweep of IRC4 was Governor Pete du Pont's J/122 SPITFIRE with a 1-3-4-5 tally.  Just off the pace was Jim Bishop's experienced, winning team racing the J/44 GOLD DIGGER, finishing in fourth place and giving the J/122s a strong run for the money all three days of sailing (note- these are the same guys who won the Miami Grand Prix in March this year).
 
For more Rolex NYYC Annual Regatta sailing information.

  

Peter Tanner- On Cruising J/122 OOJAH

Peter Tanner is currently cruising in Norway in his J/122 OOJAH. He previously owned a J/110 of the same name.  Here is Peter's latest report-  "Hi all.  For the benefit of the navigators amongst you we're at 61 36N 05 02E, for the rest of you Floro is just south of the big kink in the Norway coastline & just North of the mighty Sognefjord, at 115 miles the longest fjord in Norway. Thanks to Gordon Cossor's help we had a relatively easy passage up the North Sea dodging all the gas & oil rigs & arriving in Stavanger 6 days after leaving Hamble - it was cold (4 or 5 layers) & we had to motor half the way due light wind. Christene thought she was suffering from a bit of seasickness but it turned out to be a hangover after an unsuccessful attempt to lock herself out of Lowestoft marina!

Stavanger is a forgettable landfall but the Lysefjord just inland was quite stunning with sheer rock faces, steep sides, wooded slopes & tumbling streams all intermingled. We then motored north weaving in & out of fjords, between islands, through nooks & crannies for a week until we reached Bergen. There is no way we'll have time to explore all the fjords but we did go into the Hardangerfjord and moored against an old pontoon from where we were able to walk up to the Bondhus glacier - it was beautiful but the effect of global warming on the retreating glacier was all too evident. In Victorian times ice was carried down to the fjord & exported all over Europe for refrigeration. Bergen was buzzing, with a jazz festival in progress, & everyone was out partying - boats were rafted 4 or 5 out. The waterfront with its old colourful wooden houses & narrow streets is very picturesque, & even the more modern parts of the centre are attractive It is the wettest place in Norway with rain over 250 days a year, & it is said that when a young boy was asked if it ever stopped raining he replied "I don't know - I'm only 13!".   However our weather was improving day by day & we were down to 3 layers! The next 2 days of the inner lead through the Radsund were very intricate with sometimes less than a boat's length between the rocks but all well marked. The anchorages have been beautiful but some proved too cramped, too deep or subject to fierce mountain downdrafts (fallvindor probably in plain mans English "foul wind") & after several attempts we had to move on! The depth can vary from nothing to over 1,000 metres in a moment, a marked contrast to the North Sea much of which is only 25 m deep. If a rock has your name on it you certainly will not see it coming!

After a week of predominantly motoring we had our first real sail today and we're down to 2 layers & shorts. The coastline has opened out a little although we're still weaving between mountainous islands with the wind coming from all angles. Some days we see hardly anyone but tonight we're in a small marina - trying to operate a Norwegian washing machine was the most stress we've had so far! The Norwegians are all delightful & usually speak very good English - fortunate for us because Norwegian is a bit of a mystery. It remains chilly but dry & increasingly sunny & we're not running the heating for the first time this evening; night is about 3 hours of twilight. Shopping or eating out are around twice as expensive as at home, but diesel is similar to the UK and berthing a lot cheaper. OOJAH is behaving herself & absolutely rocketed along on the few occasions we've had the spinnaker up, although we struggle to de-power her in stronger wind.  To answer one question - we are still speaking, & C's not missing  work, although she says looking after me is a full time job.  With much love,  Christene, Peter & OOJAH"

  

J/Cup Mediterranean Biggest Yet

MADE IN LOVE is Top J/122

(Ill de Porquerolles (Hyeres), France- 4-6 Jun)- just south of Hyeres, France lies one of the most beautiful islands of the French Mediterranean.  Iles de Porquerolles is nothing but short of magical.  Renowned for French island/ fishing cuisine, extraordinary hospitality and fabulous weather, it's hard to go wrong with a venue of such international repute.  There was record participation with 29 entries for the fourth edition of the J-Cup on the Mediterranean island of Porquerolles.

Third place was the J/122 MADE IN LOVE owned by Jean-Marie Patier and skippered by Catherine Chabaud.

The racing was very close amongst the fleet overall.  In fact for the long distance race, the traditional tour of the island of Porquerolles and the opening race for the regatta on Saturday, there was less than 30 minutes separating the first from last boat to finish!

The weekend of racing ended with a cocktail party and dinner bordering the Perzinsky estate and vineyard, musically accompanied by the popular Hyèrois group "shush".  For more J/ Med Cup sailing and regatta information

  

J/Cup England- Shorts & Shades Racing

J/122 JINJA Rocks The Fleet!

(Hamble, England- 3-6 June)- Having already had two days of awesome ‘shorts and shades’ racing at the J-Cup 2010, the 74 boat fleet were postponed ashore for a short time on Saturday until ten to twelve knots of breeze filled in from the south east. The J-Cup 2010 was hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club and the Principal Sponsors of the regatta were B&G, Dubarry of Ireland, North Sails and Universal Marina. The J-Cup series comprised eight races in total and on Saturday the J/109s, racing for their UK National Championship had just one race left to complete whilst all other classes had two.

Neil Kipling’s brand new J/122 JOOPSTER had her best day on the water in IRC 1 on Saturday with a third place in Race Seven and a fourth in Race Eight, consolidating their fourth position overall. Once again it was Ian Matthews team on JINJA who took the top slots in both of the final races, resulting in a perfect first place scoreline and a convincing class win. David Hunt’s team on the J/122 JACOB'S LADDER finished second overall with Herman Bergshaven’s J/133 SOLNES III in third overall at the close of the event. SOLNES III was presented with the North Sails Boat of the Day prize on Saturday.

The bar was open, the sun was shining and (appropriately) Elvis was on the sound system as competitors returned to the dock to see the overall results and to prepare for the legendary J-Cup Gala Dinner and Prize Giving Party. Silverware and goodies donated by the numerous, generous Prize Sponsors of the J-Cup 2010 were presented to the podium finishers. This year each class winner also took home (or consumed on the spot!) a bottle of Wight Vodka and some rather special Wight Vodka caps as well as other fabulous gifts.

B&G have been a Principal Sponsor of the J-Cup for several years now, and their generosity continued unabated. This year, Chris Greetham of B&G was racing at the event in IRC 1 for the first time but, it has to be said, he didn’t get his hands on any of his own prizes! A set of Deckman software was presented to JINJA for winning IRC 1.

Dubarry of Ireland is another Principal Sponsor of the J-Cup and has been involved with the event for many years now. They present some of their fabulous footwear as prizes each year and this is accompanied by two trophies, fashioned in bronze, to represent the iconic Dubarry Boot.

The Dubarry Boot for Outstanding Achievement was presented to the crews of the three boats which were entered in the event by the charity Toe in The Water. This charity works to re-inspire and rehabilitate injured servicemen through the sport of sailing. They entered one J/109 and two J/80s in the J-Cup. They have to beg, steal and borrow boats and the host Club funded their entry. These guys and girls are amazing. Many have never sailed before and a number of them have just the most horrific injuries it’s incredible that they ever take to the water at all. Then they go out, race hard and competitively and are right in the mix with the rest of the fleet both afloat and ashore. They are all monumentally courageous and there have never been such unanimously popular winners of a trophy. The 500 person standing ovation seemed to last forever.

Universal Marina hosted the opening party at the J-Cup 2010, complete with pink mojito cocktails and a rocking band. In addition to this, they also ran a photographic competition at the J-Cup 2010 for which the prize on offer was a free marina berth at their Hamble facility for one year. Awesome! The berth was won by JIKA JIKA, for a rather clever photo of the Universal Marina Solent race mark, a couple of pink Universal Marina backstay flags and a JIKA JIKA crew member!

The J-Cup trophy itself is the silverware from which this regatta takes it’s name. Over the years it has been presented for many different reasons; sometimes racing related, sometimes not, but nobody has ever won it twice. Ian Matthews and his family have raced at the J-Cup for many years, formerly in a J/120, winning their class on so many occasions that their boat name was eventually stenciled on to the transom of the half-model trophy! This year Ian and his red-headed clan won IRC 1 on their J/122 JINJA with eight straight bullets and the J-Cup is deservedly theirs.

This was the fourth visit to the Royal Southern Yacht Club for the J-Cup, and each time we go there things just get better and better. Racing was faultlessly managed by Peter Bateson and Tony Lovell and their huge team of volunteers and helpers on the water. On the ‘house’ side, Mike Rogers and Natalie Gray kept everyone (including your author) organised and on-track. The whole team of staff, volunteers, committee boat owners, RIB drivers and the friendly Club members we met along the way must be congratulated. If invited, the J-Cup will return to the Royal Southern Yacht Club without hesitation.

J-UK would specifically like to express our enormous gratitude to the four Principal Sponsors of the J-Cup 2010: B&G, Dubarry of Ireland, North Sails and Universal Marina. Without the partnership of these companies the event could simply not maintain its current size and status.  For more J/Cup sailing information    Photo credits- Tim Wright
   

67th Swiftsure Predictably Unpredictable

(Victoria, BC)- Gear buster to drifter, the 67th Swiftsure proved challenging for its competitors. In 15 knots of wind the first two starts went off without a hitch, but Class 3 was recalled. Principal Race Officer Jennifer Guest postponed the start sequence to allow enough time to get all the Class 3 boats back for their re-start. By late morning winds gusted to 30 plus knots causing 25 boats to withdraw because of gear failure. Two boats were dismasted, and two experienced rudder failure. By late evening the winds started to shut down at the western entrance of the Juan de Fuca Strait, which, coupled with an adverse ebb tide, made for slow and challenging overnight racing. By late Sunday afternoon 66 boats had withdrawn, leaving just 26 sailboats still on the race course.  As the 67th Swiftsure wrapped up, Chairman Bill Conconi was quoted as referring to this year’s race as unusual in its extremes, noting it starting with a bang and ending with a whimper, keeping with its tradition of unpredictability.

In the face of such adversity and extraordinary challenges, several J sailors persevered to not only push through the first day of "condo jumping" upwind, but despite the current/wind "shutdown", prevailed to win or place well in their respective classes.  In Cape Flattery Race Class 5- Division H, Tom Kelly's J/122 ANAM CARA was sixth in the same class. 

 For more Swiftsure Race sailing information
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J/122s Sweep STC Block Island Race

(Larchmont, NY- May 31)- In a race where choosing sides is key, the teams aboard the three J/122s in IRC40 Class rolled "sevens" on their dice twice, ran the table and hauled off all the silverware! The 186 nautical mile race began Friday afternoon, May 28, and sent the J/122s and ninety-five other one-design, IRC and PHRF boats off on a course from Stamford, Conn. (where host Stamford Yacht Club is located), down Long Island Sound, clockwise around Block Island (R.I.), and back.   Choosing Plum Gut over an equally notorious passage called “The Race” on the way to Block Island and then again coming back, proved critical to winners in every class.  Plum Gut and The Race are 60 miles away from the start, and there is a 20-minute current change between the two (the Race starts earlier).  “If you are hitting that gate close to the change,” said Race Chairman Ray Redniss, “you have to make a quick choice, and it also depends on the conditions and whether you want to sail on the southern or the northern side of Long Island Sound.”  The Race Committee was forced to postpone the start due to light breezes and that was a worry. “You can start in a lighter air if the tide is taking you down the sound, but when it isn’t, if you delay too long, you run out of tide,” said Redniss.  As it was, most classes started in a 5-6 knot westerly, which built to 10 knots for the larger boats that started last.  And indeed, some boats had to retire when the wind dropped to zero and they could not make headway through the foul tide at The Gut and The Race.

In IRC40 class, the J/122s dominated with a 1-2-3 overall.  Leading the pack was David and Mary Ellen Torterello's PARTNERSHIP, a highly experienced team with thousands of offshore racing miles under their belts.  Second was an equally strong family team led by Andrew Weiss skippering CHRISTOPHER DRAGON just 4 minutes behind.  And, finishing third another 20 minutes back were Mike Bruno and Jim Callahan skippering WINGS.

For more information on sailing the STC Block Island Race and race results.

  

FIGAWI RACE Fun For All

(Hyannis to Nantucket- May 29)- Over thirty J's raced the 39th Annual Figawi Race from Hyannis to Nantucket on May 29th, which saw fifteen to twenty-knot southwest winds and a steep Nantucket Sound chop of 3-5 feet.  The race is a "pursuit style" event where the slowest boats rated under PHRF handicap start first at a specific starting time, then in succession, all faster boats start with the biggest boats, like the J/160 starting last.  For the J's this meant the J/24s started first followed by an assortment of racing/ cruising J's spread throughout six divisions, including one entire "sprit division" that was 76% J's!

In Division S- Sprit Boats was David Murphy's well-traveled J/122 PUGWASH finishing third in class.

The FIGAWI race is first and foremost a "fun" family event that hosts a FIGAWI Charity Ball to benefit 24 Cape Cod charities prior to the start of the race.  According to folklore, a long time ago , three sailors started out from Hyannis to race their sailboats to Nantucket. That race would be the first of the Figawi Race Weekends and the beginning of what has become a Cape Cod tradition.  Since that inauspicious start in 1972, whether it was the charm of a race to Nantucket, or maybe just the personal appeal of the early founders is really not clear, but Figawi began to grow by leaps and bounds. A lay day was added in 1978 along with a race back to Hyannis, as the race committee, now formerly organized, turned the Figawi from a one day race into a three day weekend event.  Today, the Figawi has grown into one of the premier sailboat races on the East coast.. a great way to start the summer sailing season! Join them next year for great sailing on Nantucket Sound, great fun and camaraderie on the beautiful island of Nantucket, and memories of being part of a great tradition.  For more FIGAWI Sailing information
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J-Cup England Preview

Sun Blessed Js Set Sail!

(Hamble, England- 3-6 June)- Over 500 competitors sailing 74 J's commence racing this weekend for the J/Cup 2010 in England.  The regatta is being hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble, and the J/109 UK National Championship takes place as part of the event. Eight races are scheduled between Thursday 3rd and Saturday 5th June and in addition to the 28 boat J/109 UK National Championship fleet, a full range of Js are packed in to five other classes.

IRC 1 is where the J/122s and J/133s will be fighting it out. Ian Matthews and his team on the J/122 JINJA were looking good in training but newbie to the J/122 fleet Neil Kipling has had a stunning start to the season in JOOPSTER. Rob Larke will be at the helm of David Hunt’s J/122 JACOB'S LADDER, he also recently won the J/80 UK National Championship as Tactician on Boats.com.

For more information, please contact Becci Eplett at Key Yachting +44-2380-455669 or email- becci@keyyachting.com   Photo credits- Tim Wright
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