17.May.12 - NOR for NAC  The Notice of Race is posted for the 2012 J/105 North American Championship at San Diego YC this October. Now is the time to make your plans to be there!  Notice of Race

10.May.12 - Yachting Cup  Yachting Cup sailed out of San Diego Yacht Club on May 12 had something for just about everybody. The sailing had enough wind shifts and puffs to keep any in the J/105 fleet of 15 in the game if they hit the up elevator right. Two boats had OCS starts and still came back to win the race--never say die. The fleet racing was won by Wings with Sanity and Triple Play taking second and third. An added feature of this year's Yachting Cup was match racing in J/22 on Friday. Four J/105s qualified to match race in a fleet of 14. The Ton Cup was awarded to the boat with the best combined Fleet and Match racing score, and it when to the J/105 Wings. The Match racing results may be found at http://sdyc.org/raceinfo/results12/toncup_res.pdf and the Fleet Racing results at this  Website.

07.May.12 - Kincsem Wins AYC Spring  Kincem took the lead in the AYC Springs Series on Saturday and narrowly held on on Sunday to win the regatta over Sean Doyle's Kestrel. The Joerg Esdorn/Duncan Hennes team finished the regatta with a scant 25 points over 11 races. But Kestrel also ended with 25 points, thanks to a 2-3 finish on Sunday versus a 1-6 for Kincsem. The tiebreaker went to Kincsem. Over the 11 races, Kincsem finished ahead of Kestrel 6 times, while Kestrel had the better finish 5 times. Kincsem won four races; Kestrel three. Both teams threw out a 6 as their worst finish (Kincsem had two 6s). Doesn't get much tighter than that. Paul Beaudin's loulou finished the regatta in third, followed by Kevin Grainger's Gumption3 in fourth, and George and Alex Wilbanks's Revelation in fifth.  Complete results

07.May.12 - Annapolis NOOD Regatta  James Rathbun from Fleet 4 in Canada sailed a consistent 2,2,1,3 to win the Annapolis NOOD with just 8 points over the four-race series. The locals followed with Peter McChesney on The Mystery Machine and Cedric Lewis/Fredrik Saldesen on Mirage tied at 14 points. 18 J/105s competed over the weekend.  Complete results

04.May.12 - Juneau Wins SORC Round Island Race  The SORCs (Solo Ocean Racing Club) Solo Round the Isle of Wight race had a total of 31 yachts entered. Laurence Mead reports the following, "I took Juneau back from Oscar this last weekend and got first in Class 2 in the Solo Round the Isle of Wight race. Class 3 won it on a tidal gain somewhere, but we had 3 J/105s in the first 10 overall. Good show for 105s!!"  Solo Offshore Racing Club website

04.May.12 - AYC Spring Series  The annual spring rite of passage for the start of the Long Island Sound offshore sailing season took place this past weekend. Hosted by the American Yacht Club in Rye, NY, the excellent turnout was helped by cool, spring weather with sunny days prevailing for both days of sailing. In the J/105 fleet, Sean Doyle's team on Kestrel started off the first weekend in first with 11 points. The top five are all close, including Paul Beaudin on Loulou in second, tied with Joerg Esdorn and Duncan Hennes in third on Kincsem, followed in fourth by Kevin Grainger on Gumption 3. Fifth are George and Alex Wilbanks on Revelation.  Current results

03.May.12 - J/105 on Sailing Magazine cover  Check out the May issue of Sailing Magazine, which features a J/105 on the cover!  Sailing Magazine website

03.May.12 - Manhattan Regatta Update  11 boats so far, can we make it at least a dirty dozen? There is a great mix of Fleet 6 and Fleet 10 boats, so please invite family and friends to see the action from the water or on shore and join the party afterwards. Festivities include keg and BBQ Saturday night aboard the deck of the Liberty Landing's Marina's Lightship with a 'Digital Photo Booth' installation for crew snapshots and a fantastic view of the Harbor and Manhattan. This is truly a unique regatta experience, where boats and crews can dock together after racing and be only a spin halyards length to the party and restaurants. Docking is available at Liberty Landing Marina and North Cove Marina. You should also know that the Atlantic Cup (a double-handed event on Volvo-40s) is also in town, which means, prior to the J/105 start, you'll be able to watch these yachts start their second leg to Newport, RI. The organizers of the AC have also offered to share their resources, so there will be plenty of spectators (and press) watching from NYC! If you have any questions regarding the event, please email Regatta Chairperson David Spence at: David@windigodesign.com. And check Landfall Navigation's Facebook page and see who is talking about the event: www.facebook.com/landfallnavigation.   Registration and the NOR

02.May.12 - Minutes posted  Minutes from the 4/24/12 Executive Committee Meeting are posted.  Class Business page

27.Apr.12 - J Fest San Francisco  At J Fest San Francisco held at the St. Francis Yacht Club from April 21-22, 20 J/105s were on the line and completed five races. Jeff Littfin and John Case consistently raced Mojo to first place with 14 points (2-4-2-4-2, winning no races, but sailing fast and conservatively smart to finish seven points clear of the fleet). Scooter Simmons' Blackhawk followed with 21 points. Bruce Stone's Arbitrage and Adam Speigel's Jam Session tied with 24 points. Conditions were beautiful with mild winds gaining steadily through the day, and kind tides.  Complete results

23.Apr.12 - 2012 East Coast Championship at Cedar Point June 2-3  The East Coast Championship at Cedar Point YC (Westport, CT) promises to be the big eastern regatta in 2012. Well over 20 boats have expressed an interest in participating, and the range of competition should make this event fun and challenging for everyone who races. Cedar Point is a terrific one-design oriented club with a reputation for first class race management. You don't want to miss this one. You'll also be able to tell how professional and excited the club is when you go to their website to sign up (see link at end of this story). Nine 105s are already registered. One more thing worth mentioning about this regatta: it's the only major event this year that brings all the boats together to dock in one place. So it's a great opportunity to see your fellow 105 racers and check out the vessels up close and personal in a friendly and beautiful setting. Still another thing: be careful navigating in and out of this harbor. It's no problem if you stay inside the channel markers, which arc into the club. But if you cut one by even a few feet, you'll hit bottom. The bottom is soft, and you are unlikely to damage your keel. However, if you do it during the event, you will also likely have a huge audience of witnesses to your piloting mishap. It's also really hard to get unstuck without help. Take it from Paul Beaudin who has grounded twice at Cedar Point, one time raising something of a sarcastic ovation from those onshore.  Website

20.Apr.12 - Warsash Spring Series  The second half of the Warsash Spring Series arrived on April 15 after a break for Easter. Following three Sundays of light and fickle breezes, competitors were greeted with a brisk and chilly northerly of 12-14 knots, which unexpectedly rose to over 20 knots by late morning. In the mixed J/Sprit class, the J/105 Journeymaker V (Chris Jones)-the biggest boat in the class-reveled in the conditions to take line honours.  Website

18.Apr.12 - Race for the Case  Warm up for the Cedar Point Yacht Club's East Coast Championship at the Race for the Case on May 19-20 at the Lloyd Harbor Yacht Club in Long Island, NY. The NOR and registration may be found at the  LHYC Website.

16.Apr.12 - San Diego YC opening day  The San Diego YC opening day race with 18-28 knots at the start had the J/105 fleet salivating. It is a pursuit race with the J/22 starting first and TP 52 bringing up the last of a 43 boat fleet. The J/105 Wings, Airboss and Triple Play got the top three spots. Surfing on the downwind leg and having control in the beats were the keys to success and how much fun was THAT!  San Diego YC website

11.Apr.12 - J/105 Chile Nationals  The Chilean J/105 fleet is growing quickly. Having formed just under two years ago, they may have two dozen J/105s by the end of 2012! As part of this growth, the fleet was able to gather a strong fleet of 15 J/105s for their first J/105 Chile Nationals on the weekend of March 17-18 in Algarrobo Bay. During Saturday, wind conditions allowed the fleet to sail 2 of the 3 races programmed for the day. On Sunday the wind conditions were very light making it impossible to sail and to achieve the 3 races to validate the championship. As a result, the new date for the J/105 Chilean National Championship has been re-scheduled for October 6-7. 20 boats are expected. For any of you J/105 sailors interested in attending, contact Caroline Ecclefield (Chile phone number +562 9807079 or email marketing@windmade.cl).

08.Apr.12 - Fleet 3 Annual Meeting/Awards  
Chesapeake J/105 Fleet 3 met at the Junior Sailing building to hold their annual meeting and awards ceremony.  Award list

02.Apr.12 - HYC Elissa  The Houston Yacht Club's Elissa Regatta, to support continuing maintenance and restorations of 19th century Tall Ship Elissa, was held the weekend of March 31 and April 1. Some 70 boats including six J/105s signed up and were awarded with sunny skies, temperatures in the 80s, and winds ranging from 0-21 knots. As the sea breeze filled in each day, gear change was brought to the forefront. Bill Zartler took command after the first race to post 6 points in a 2,1,1,1,1 campaign. Bee Bednar's Stinger held on to second with a 15 point 1,4,2,4,4 performance and Bill Lakenmacher's Radiance took a 17 point 4,2,5,2,3 performance to third place.   Houston Yacht Club website

30.Mar.12 - Border Run  "The Border Run," that begins in Newport and heads to Dana Point (the Sprint course), or to San Diego (the Short course) or San Diego via the Coronado del Norte Island (the 90 mile Long Course), provided Southern California sailors with long-distance racing this month. In Short PHRF D Light class, three J/105s were sailing but it was Bill Moore's Kestrel that out-sailed the rest to take top honors in their class by nearly two hours on corrected time.   Complete results

30.Mar.12 - International Rolex Regatta in the Caribbean   Winning by a mere half point in CSA 2 was Jonathan Lipuscek's (San Juan, PR) J/105 Dark Star. Lipuscek had gone into Sunday's races of the International Rolex Regatta in the Caribbean with a half-point advantage on the merit of two bullets posted the prior day. He posted a 2-3 to prevail as the winner--also winning a Rolex watch for his performance.   Regatta website

26.Mar.12 - Rolex Regatta  Jonathan Lipuscek's J/105 Dark Star took top honors in CSA 2 at the 39th annual International Rolex Regatta.  Full story

19.Mar.12 - San Diego NOOD  It was tight racing among the J/105s at last weekend's San Diego NOOD. With the upcoming North American Championship in San Diego, it was a good test for the boats involved. Gary Mozer's Current Obsession2 narrowly beat Bennet Greenwald's Perseverance by one point (10 to 11). Rick Goebel's Sanity was not far behind in third with 13 points. Four races were completed, and 17 J/105s were registered.  Complete results

14.Mar.12 - Midwinters photos from Gary Trinklein  Photos from races 1-2 are available at the following link.  Photos

14.Mar.12 - Midwinters photos from Christopher Howell  Photos from races 3-7 are available at the following link. Feel free to download any you would like.  Photos

12.Mar.12 - Midwinters racing video  Thank you to Alan Bates for the video he made and narrated at the J/105 Midwinter Championship. It captures the exciting conditions at the event!  Video

12.Mar.12 - Alan Bates, Zippity  Alan Bates, skipper of Zippity, shares his overview of the J/105 Midwinter Championship and what there is to look forward to sailing in the Galveston Bay area.  Video

12.Mar.12 - Paul Beaudin, Avici  After coming all the way from New York for the J/105 Midwinter Championship, skipper of Avici, Paul Beaudin, gives us a recap of the regatta and his time spent in Texas.  Video

12.Mar.12 - Bill Zartler, Solaris  Skipper of Solaris, Bill Zartler, gives us an overview of the conditions on the race course and his victory at J/105 Midwinters.  Video

11.Mar.12 - Bill Zartler on Solaris Crowned J/105 Midwinter Champion   
Local Bill Zartler raced Solaris to a dominant victory at the J/105 Midwinter Championship in Seabrook, TX. Finishing with just 10 points over seven races, the team won five of the races, and scored a second and third in the others. Solaris won Sunday's only race, as a storm forced an end to the regatta in the late morning. The top four overall were comprised of local sailors, with Bill Lakenmacher on Radiance in the runner-up position (21 points), Uzi Ozeri on Inifinity in third (29 points) and Alan Bates on Zippity in fourth (34 points). Following Zartler, Bates's Zippity came in second in Sunday's race, trailed by Lakenmacher's Radiance. Twelve teams competed in the annual event, held for the first time at the Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, TX. Competitors enjoyed favorable breeze throughout the championship and multiple social opportunities on shore for the fleet to interact. The J/105 Class would like to thank the Lakewood Yacht Club for hosting, and Dwight Bengtson and his Race Committee for their excellent race management. Pictures are currently available on the J/105 Facebook page, and Kattack race reports are at www.kattack.com.
  Complete results

11.Mar.12 - J/105 Midwinters - final day  Today is the final day of the J/105 Midwinter Championship in Seabrook, Texas. Follow racing updates and Kattack tracking at the  Regatta Website.

10.Mar.12 - Bill Zartler Takes Charge on Day 2 of J/105 Midwinter Championship  
Bill Zartler from the host Lakewood Yacht Club gained control of the 12-boat fleet at the J/105 Midwinter Championship in Seabrook, TX on day two of the event. Four races were completed on Saturday, bringing the series total to six. Sailing Solaris, Zartler and team scored three firsts plus a third-place finish to end the day with just nine points total. The locals continue to dominate the top spots, as Bill Lakenmacher on Radiance stands in second place overall with 18 points and Uzi Ozeri on Infinity is in third place with 23 points. Other than Zartler's Solaris, the day's other race winner was Paul Beaudin racing Avici. The New York-based team came on strong all day, also tallying a second, fourth and sixth. Conditions on Galveston Bay were ideal for the J/105 with winds at 16-20 knots. Racing concludes Sunday. There are no throw-out races in this series.  Regatta website and results

10.Mar.12 - J/105 Midwinter Championship Day 2  Day 2 of the J/105 Midwinter Championship kicks off at 10:30 am CT from Seabrook, Texas. Check out live race reports and Kattack tracking at the  Regatta Website.

09.Mar.12 - Zartler and Lakenmacher Rule Windy Day 1 of J/105 Midwinter Championship  
Three local teams are at the top of the leaderboard after day one of the J/105 Midwinter Championship at Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, TX. Bill Zartler on Solaris and Bill Lakemacher on Radiance are tied at three points each after flip-flopping the first and second place finishes in the day's two races. Uzi Ozeri on Infinity lodged two third-place tallies and stands at third place overall. Winds on Galveston Bay howled at a consistent 16 knots, with gusts well into the 20s. The 12 teams battled through choppy waves and swells of six feet. Racing continues through Sunday.  Regatta website and results

09.Mar.12 - J/105 Midwinters Day 1  Follow action at the J/105 Midwinter Championship today from Seabrook, Texas. Racing updates and Kattack tracking are LIVE at the  Regatta Website.

08.Mar.12 - J/105 Midwinters prep  
The teams have all arrived at the Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, TX for the J/105 Midwinter Championship. Today is dedicated to registration and preparations, leading up to three days of racing starting Friday. You can check out some photos on the J/105 Facebook page. During the regatta, follow live racing/scores and Kattack tracking at the  Regatta Website.

06.Mar.12 - Winter Newsletter  Members should have received the Winter edition of the J/105 newsletter via e-mail. It is also posted on the  Newsletter page.

04.Mar.12 - Follow the J/105 Midwinters this week  The J/105 Midwinter Championship hits Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, Texas this Friday through Sunday. Follow live racing updates, Kattack feeds and results on the  regatta website.

28.Feb.12 - EuroCup  Plans for the J/105 EuroCup are now well advanced and to date there are 13 owners who have already confirmed their interest in the event (with a goal of at least 15). The opportunity for Class racing with such a number of J/105s is fantastic and unheard of recently within the UK. The preliminary details are as follows. 1)Round the Island Race (30th June), entry to be made direct to Island Sailing Club. Scoring will be based on IRC handicaps for this sole race and incorporated into the overall J/105 EuroCup results. 2) The following weekend (7th July), racing organised by the Royal Solent Yacht Club at Yarmouth. All boats to level rate with the exception of boats from Europe who will use their IRC handicaps to save buying new sails for a single event. Friday evening (6th July) will be Happy Hour, Saturday (7th July) 3 x windward leeward races in Christchurch Bay (weather depending) and evening reception is dinner dancing to the Accelerators at RSYC, Sunday (8th July) 2 x round the cans racing within the west Solent, then prize giving. Moorings: suggestion to be moored within Cowes Yacht Haven for the RTI race, moorings within Yarmouth Harbour already reserved via RSYC for the following weekend. Full Notice of Race will be issued soon. To make sure you receive your copy, please email events@royalsolent.org. This will be the largest J/105 regatta event which does not clash with the J-Cup.  Website

28.Feb.12 - Manhattan Regatta  Fleet 10 invites you for a weekend of intense competitive racing and merriment in one of the most exciting ports in the world, New York Harbor. Join the fleet on May 19-20 for the second annual Manhattan Regatta. The challenge of navigating between tugs, barges and the Staten Island Ferry, while under the watchful gaze of the Statue of Liberty makes for a thrilling and unique racing experience. This is an event solely dedicated to the J/105 Class. Courses will primarily be windward/leeward with inflatable markers and managed by several support boats. Social events include an outdoor barbeque aboard Liberty State Park's Lightship and an awards party at North Cove Marina on Sunday after racing. Berthing locations have many amenities within the length of a spin halyard, so boarding on/off your boat with restaurants, clubs and bars nearby makes this regatta truly a destination event for the whole crew. And please invite family and friends too. Probably the only local J/105 regatta where spectators can watch the racing without ever stepping off land.  Event website

24.Feb.12 - Three Bridge Fiasco  For the 14-boat J/105 Class, it was Adam Spiegel and Matt Clark on Jam Session that took victory at the Three Bridge Fiasco in San Francisco, CA, winning by just 1:57 over Peter Wagner and Al Sargent sailing Sleighride.  Website

24.Feb.12 - SCYA Midwinters  At last weekend's Southern California Yachting Association Midwinters regatta, the J/105s sailed out of San Diego YC out off Point Loma. The J/105s, who are gearing up for their 2012 North Americans in San Diego, saw a highly competitive fleet with the top honors determined by the outcome of the last two races. Climbing back on top of the fleet were Dennis and Sharon Case sailing Wings to a 1-1-4-2-1 tally for 9 points.  SCYA website