04.Dec.13 - Fall Newsletter  Members will receive the Fall edition of the J/105 newsletter via e-mail. It is also posted on the  Newsletter page.

24.Nov.13 - Bermuda J105 Invitational Regatta  
The final day of competition (Saturday) in the Bermuda J/105 Invitational Regatta, sponsored by XL, got underway shortly after the breeze filled in. With everything to play, the teams had a single race to decide the local winner, and a single race to decide the international winner, plus a fun race back to Hamilton Harbour to round out the event. Race 9 had two general recalls before the race committee, led by Charles Tatem, resorted to starting under more punitive conditions - anyone over the line early now had to restart by rounding the end of the line. The racing finally got underway in the freshening conditions, and the win went to Back in Black, with Elusive and Yabsta taking second and third. Race 10 started under the black flag rule. This enabled an orderly start, and after three circuits of the course the win went to Mayhem, followed by Elusive and Back in Black. The event now concluded with a long distance race back to Hamilton Harbour, taking in the Small Sound and the channel up to dockyard. Mayhem took line honours and won the Bermuda Project Managers prize. The Tops Limited boat of the day was Back in Black. Results are: the Overall (XL Trophy) in 1st place was Elusive (21 points), followed by Passion (24 points) and Mayhem (42 points). The top International helmsmen (Bermuda Tourism Trophy) in 1st place was Bill Lakenmacher (11 points), followed by Steve Cucchiaro (15 points) and Greg Turman (17 points). The top local helmsmen (Goslings Trophy) in 1st place was Chuck Millican (6 points), followed by James Macdonald (13 points) and Jon Corless (16 points).  Royal Bermuda YC website

22.Nov.13 - Minutes posted  Minutes from the 11/14/13 Annual Meeting are posted.  Class Business page

11.Nov.13 - Bermuda Sailing Association Keelboat Championship  James MacDonald clinched a maiden J/105 national title on the penultimate day of the 2013 Bermuda Sailing Association (BSA) Keelboat Championships in the Great Sound. MacDonald came from behind to claim the top prize after pipping rival skipper John Corless on a countback after the two teams remained tied at the end of the eight-race series for the championship. MacDonald, who was joined by crew Paul Watson, Alison Hill, Nick Smale, Mary Geraghty and Jay Tucker, entered the final day of racing in the J/105 fleet trailing overnight leader Corless by a single point. Chuck Millican rounded off the podium finishers respectively.  Full story

05.Nov.13 - J-Fest Southwest  
Lakewood Yacht Club's annual J-Fest Southwest Regatta began on Saturday, November 2 under almost brutal conditions. Northerly winds in the 20-25 knot range produced the usual big chop with the potential for some serious carnage. The 8 J/105s on the line survived with only minor damage to sails and hardware. Saturday saw Bee Bednar's Stinger hold on to first place with Matt Arno's Blue Flash in second and Uzi Ozeri's Infinity in third. Sunday's 16-20s made for somewhat better conditions but resulted in a reversal of fortunes for the top three boats. Infinity came out on top with Blue Flash in Second and Stinger in third. Six points separated the top five finishers.   Complete results

04.Nov.13 - NAC Awards  
Check out the North American Championship award photos for the top five teams helmed by James Rathbun of Hey Jude, Damian Emery of Eclipse, Cedric Lewis of Mirage, Bruce Stone of LouLou and Jack Biddle of Rum Puppy.  NAC award pictures

04.Nov.13 - Photos   Photos from day 4 of the North American Championship are available  here.

04.Nov.13 - Lipton Cup  The 99th edition of the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup hosted eight yacht club teams representing California and Louisiana, competing in equally matched J/105s for three days (November 1-3) of fleet racing inside San Diego Harbor. Defending champion California Yacht Club was unable to overcome a day one black flag penalty, falling short by one point to 2013 champion San Diego Yacht Club. Winning SDYC teams included Brad Rodi (skipper), Chris Busch, Andrew Campbell, Steve Hunt, Al Pleskus, Molly Pleskus and Chuck Sinks.   Complete results

03.Nov.13 - James Rathbun Earns J/105 North American Championship  
James Rathbun of Toronto, Ontario led after day one of the J/105 North American Championship and never relinquished his advantage. He is now the 2013 J/105 North American Champion. With crew Mark Robertson, Dave Jarvis, Andrew Van Nostrand, Ian Richardson and Scott Collinson, Hey Jude tallied 6,3,1,1,1,4,5,2 for just 23 points in the eight-race series. Damian Emery's Eclipse of New York placed second with 39 points, and local Cedric Lewis on Mirage came in third with 45 points. The event was hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club in Maryland. After racing was cancelled on Saturday due to lack of breeze, conditions allowed for three races on Sunday in winds between 12-16 knots. Jim Konigsberg's Inigo won the opening contest, trailed by Emery and Lewis. Emery moved up to first in the next race, with Bruce Stone's LouLou in second and Chris Groobey's Java in third. Emery again took the bullet in the final bout, followed by Rathbun and Stone.
The top 10:
1) James Rathbun, Hey Jude, 23 points
2) Damian Emery, Eclipse, 39
3) Cedric Lewis, Mirage, 45
4) Bruce Stone, LouLou, 56
5) Jack Biddle, Rum Puppy, 58
6) Ken Colburn, Ghost, 61
7) Stephen Phillips, Le Renard, 63
8) Hugh Bethell, Jester, 68
9) Michael Mountford, Live Edge, 96
10) Jim Konigsberg, Inigo, 102
27 teams from Bermuda, Canada and the USA competed in the event. Photos are available on the J/105 Facebook page.   Complete Results

02.Nov.13 - NAC update  No racing today at the North Americans due to lack of wind in Annapolis. The Championship will be determined tomorrow. You will be able to follow live updates on the Class Twitter page, and results will be available on the  regatta website.

02.Nov.13 - And more photos  Photos from day 2 of the North American Championship are available  here.

02.Nov.13 - More photos  More photos from day 1 of the North American Championship are available  here.

01.Nov.13 - James Rathbun Extends Lead at J/105 North American Championship  James Rathbun's Hey Jude won both of Friday's races at the J/105 North American Championship to open up a 10-point lead on day two of the event. Rathbun, of Toronto, now has three consecutive bullets, succeeding a sixth and third in the initial races on Thursday, for 12 points. With a pair of fourth-place finishes today, Cedric Lewis' Mirage moved into second overall with 22 points. The next two boats are tied at 24: Ken Colburn's Ghost and Stephen Phillips' Le Renard. The championship is hosted by the Annapolis Yacht Club in Maryland. Teams were postponed onshore until noon, waiting for a line of storms to pass through the area. Once they did, the fleet was sent out for two races. The first was started in about 5 knots of breeze that died quickly as the boats went up the first beat. When the wind filled in, it shifted left and settled in at 6-8 knots for the rest of the day. Following Hey Jude in Friday's opening battle were Chuck Lawrence's Froya and Damian Emery's Eclipse. In the second contest behind Rathbun came Hugh Bethell's Jester and Phillips. Racing continues through Sunday for the 27 teams from Bermuda, Canada and the USA. Photos are available on the J/105 Facebook page, and complete results may be found at the  regatta website.

01.Nov.13 - Seattle Grand Prix Regatta  One of the regattas many sailors look forward to in the Seattle area is the season-ending Seattle Grand Prix hosted by Seattle YC on Puget Sound. This year's event was characterized by epic conditions for at least one of the days, blowing 20-25 knots and sunny with puffy white clouds. In the J/105 one-design class, Jerry Diercks' Delirium sailed an excellent series to post a 2-1-1-3-1-4 for 8 points net to nearly sweep their class. Taking second was Erik Kirsten's Jubilee with a 3-2-2-2-3-4 for 12 points net for the runner-up position. Third was Lorenzo Migliorini's Allegro Vivace with a 5-3-3-5-2-1 for 14 points net. Rounding out the top five were Jim Geros's Last Tango in fourth and Stephen Summers's Life is Good in fifth.  Seattle YC website

01.Nov.13 - NAC photos  Day 1 North American Championship photos from Dan Phelps are available on this  website.

31.Oct.13 - James Rathbun Leads Tight Pack at J/105 North American Championship  The standings couldn't be much closer after day one of the J/105 North American Championship, hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club in Maryland. Just four points separate the top five after three races were completed on Thursday. James Rathbun's Hey Jude holds the top position with scores of 6,3,1 for 11 points. Bruce Stone's LouLou trails by one point in second place after tallying a 4,4,3. Stephen Phillips's Le Renard is in third with 12 points, earned from an 8,2,2 performance. Ken Colburn's Ghost netted 13 points for fourth place, and Cedric Lewis's Mirage has 14 points for fifth. Colburn, of Massachusetts, won the opening race of the championship, as Lewis and Damian Emery's Eclipse completed the top three. Emery, of New York, topped the fleet in race two, with Phillips and Rathbun behind him. Rathbun, of Toronto, won the day's final bout, with Phillips again in second and Stone in third. Winds on the Chesapeake Bay were between 12-14 knots, with some gusts and a 2-foot chop. Racing continues through Sunday for the 27 teams from Bermuda, Canada and the USA. Photos are available on the J/105 Facebook page, and complete results may be found at the  regatta website.

30.Oct.13 - North American Championship Launches Thursday  27 teams have descended upon Annapolis, Maryland for the 2013 J/105 North American Championship. Racing begins Thursday and runs through Sunday for the competitors from Bermuda, Canada and the USA. Keep up with the action on Twitter and on the  regatta website.

28.Oct.13 - International Masters Regatta  Eleven teams from throughout the US and UK descended on the International Masters Regatta, hosted by San Diego Yacht Club on October 25-27. Sailing in equally matched J/105s, 11 races were held inside San Diego Bay, with local Chuck Nichols separating from the fleet to take the title. John Jennings was second with Rod Johnstone in third.   Regatta website

28.Oct.13 - Manhasset Bay Fall Series  At the 35th Annual Manhasset Bay Yacht Club Fall Series from October 19-20 and 26, Harald Edegran and Jeremy Henderson on Conundrum scored all bullets to win the Series with 4 points. George and Alex Wilbanks on Revelation notched all seconds for 8 points and second place. Josh Burack's Peregrina placed third with 13 points.  Complete results

25.Oct.13 - Bermuda J/105 Invitational Regatta, Sponsored by XL  The Bermuda J/105 Class is preparing for the inaugural Bermuda J/105 Invitational Regatta, Sponsored by XL Group. Eight teams are lined up for the event to be held November 21-23. This event will bring together sailors from the USA, Canada, UK and Bermuda to form eight teams competing for the XL Trophy (Overall Series); the Bermuda Tourism Trophy (International Series); and the Goslings Trophy (Bermuda Series). Teams are made up of three international sailors and three Bermuda sailors who will sail together in each race. Races will be designated as Bermuda or International. The respective nominated helmsman shall helm for that race, and compete for either the Bermuda or International trophy, with all the team results counting towards the XL Trophy. This is the first time this format has been used. Participation in the event was quickly fully subscribed, being limited by the number of local boats, and there is much interest for an invitation for 2014. One of the Island's top Race Officers, Charles Tatem, will oversee the racing, and the event is hosted by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. Racing will take place in the Great Sound, with the first race getting underway shortly after 10am each day. A final fun race The Last Blast will round out the event.  Royal Bermuda YC website

22.Oct.13 - Harvest Moon Regatta  
(Thank you to Bee Bednar for this update.) Every October, a couple hundred boats of all varieties line up off Pleasure Pier in Galveston for Lakewood Yacht Club's 150-mile Harvest Moon Regatta race to Port Aransas, TX. This is a PHRF only race so sometimes how you finish is not always how you finished. For the first time in a number of years, the entry list included more then one J/105. In this case, three J/105s - Bee Bednar's Stinger (PHRF of 78), John Bell's Kinderspel2 and Greg Turman's Horny Toad (yes that is a real Texas toad, PHRF 87) - raced in the Bacardi PHRF Racing Fleet's PS-C class with the Viper 830 Rented Mule (PHRF 69). The Bacardi Fleet started downwind at 14:55 in cool and light 10-knot breezes out of about 10 degrees. As the evening progressed, the winds increased to the mid 20s, finally topping out at 28+ in the early morning light. Rented Mule took line honors with Stinger finishing in sixth place scratch. The two other J/105s finished about an hour after that. This was definitely a hot chute run and perfect for the Mule. Being able to fly the big 110 sq mt kite made the difference for Stinger's second place. Turman's Horny Toad finished third, and Bell's Kinderspel2 came in fourth. Stinger's maximum speed was 18.1 knots. Have no idea what the Mule's top speed was, but even with the smaller class kites, the other two 105s hit speeds above 14 knots. It's somewhat interesting to look at the overall finishes in the 21 boat racing fleet. Rented Mule was the first boat across the line followed quickly thereafter by a J/44, two J/120s, the Hobie 33 Soap Opera and Stinger. On corrected time, it appeared that the final overall finishing order would be Rented Mule, Soap Opera and Stinger. Well, that will teach us one design hardheads a thing or two! Rented Mule finished fourth and Stinger eighth overall. Nevertheless sailing under spinnakers under the big moon-lit skies and spectacular stars provided a beautiful environment for all races. The big party afterward is a big payoff for a long 20+ hour run. The ride back on Stinger turned out to be more then just interesting. After about four hours motoring toward Galveston, the winds picked up to around 5 knots so we decided to hoist the main to gain a bit more speed. This resulted in a few degrees of lean which of course none of us thought much about. About an hour later, a considerable amount of water in the port quarter berth made it a big deal. Stinger was taking on water though what is thought to be the upper rudder bearing. At that point along the Texas coast, there is no place to run. It took a little thinking to realize that the incoming water was actually due to the fact that because of the lean the rudder stock was under the water line. Flattening out the boat allowed the water to flow into the bilge where the auto pump flushed it out pretty quick. It also simultaneously stopped the incoming water flow. All movable weight was moved forward. Sailing somewhat fatter angles minimized the lean and significantly reduced the flow over the top of the rudder stock. Stinger safely returned home after a slow 29 hour trip. Moral of this story is: always check all potential leaks before you leave the dock on any kind of extended run. The leaking bearing is the result of not recognizing the full extent of damage due to hitting a submerged object some time prior to the race.  Regatta website

21.Oct.13 - College Big Boat Regatta  The Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta (IOR) as it is officially known, run by the Storm Trysail Foundation and the Larchmont Yacht Club, had an epic regatta this year. Over 300 college sailors hopped aboard 54 borrowed offshore boats to make this year's IOR the largest collegiate regatta in North America. Eleven J/105s were in the fleet. As a result of a stationary low, strong northeast winds blew for three days before the regatta as well as for the two days of racing, making conditions extreme, even for experienced Long Island Sound racers. After two races were sailed on the first day in winds blowing from 22-30 with higher gusts, the race committee sent the dwindling fleet back to the harbor in hopes of more benign conditions the next day. But the low pressure system still refused to budge and conditions remained the same. After a two-and-a-half hour harbor postponement, the RC called it quits and neither the owners of the borrowed boats nor the sailors thought it was a bad call. After two races, the standings were tight; three divisions were won by boats with two firsts and the other two divisions were won with scores of a first and a second. Picking an overall winner was impossible; therefore, the Paul Hoffman Trophy for the overall winner of the 2013 IOR went jointly to Georgetown and the College of Charleston. The Charleston team sailed on Austin Fragomen's J/105 Warlock. Each boat had the boat owner or his representative aboard as well as a second adult. The adults are encouraged to teach boat-speed, boat-handling and sail trim since much of big boat sailing is new to dinghy sailors. Since the regatta is a stand-alone event and is not used to rank the teams, the regatta organizers encourage teaching during the regatta. The only line that is drawn covers tactics. The college sailors call their own tactics since figuring out which way to go on the race course is universal to all sailboats.   Intercollegiate Offshore Race sailing information

07.Oct.13 - Kestrel wins American Fall Series  Sean and Susan Doyle were victorious at the premier Long Island Sound fall regatta. Although never winning a race, consistency paid for Kestrel posting no worse than a fourth place during the 11 race two- weekend event. 16 boats competed with everyone else in the top five winning at least one race. George and Ann Wilbanks on Revelation and Damian Emery on Eclipse each had a strong regatta posting four firsts each to take second and third respectively. The top five rounded out with Paul Beaudin's Loulou fourth and Harald Edegran's Conundrum fifth. Fleet 6 is showing growth with two new boats on the line for this event.  Results

01.Oct.13 - SoCal Championship  
J Fest hosted by JK3 and San Diego Yacht Club sponsored by Ullman Sails saw four classes of J boats from the J/120s down to the new J/70s. The largest fleet this year was again the J/105s with 14 boats. The J/105s were double dipping the J Fest regatta by also hosting the SoCal Championships within the same regatta. Last year, the SoCal Champs were the weekend before the North American Championship also hosted by SDYC with 22 boats showing up to battle the kelp and winds off Pt. Loma. The first day of racing started with glassy conditions but soon saw winds to 16 knots and 85 degree sunny San Diego weather with a little twist. The usual steady San Diego breeze was shifty with velocity changes of 8 knots or more. The first race of the day saw several top boats getting high scores and several lead changes. Race two saw a 40-minute delay for the J/105s due to the shifty wind and the committee trying to get the course square. After the first day, the top 3 J/105s were Wings, Current Obsession 2, and Viggen, separated by one point. The second day brought on steady conditions but lighter overall wind under 12 knots. In the J/105s, Dennis Conner and Gary Mozer made significant comebacks from the slow start on Saturday with Mozer once again taking the top place on the podium followed by Wings and DC's Pholly.  Complete results

30.Sep.13 - American Yacht Club Fall Series  Sean Doyle is on top for weekend one of the American Yacht Club Fall Series. 19 boats are registered in the classic two-weekend event on Long Island Sound. Two days of beautiful weather with 8-12 knots of wind in challenging shifting conditions had the fleet working hard. This first weekend had six races with Doyle coming out on top, and five points separating the top four boats. Kestrel is follow by George Wilbanks on Revelation that put in a great day on Sunday to move up to second with a 1,5,1. Revelation is the only boat to put two wins on the board, with every other race won by a different boat. Damian Emery's Eclipse and Paul Beaudin's Loulou are third and fourth, respectively.   Current results

30.Sep.13 - Rolex Big Boat Series  Just as the America's Cup finals did for two weeks before it, the Rolex Big Boat Serie (St. Francis Yacht Club's signature regatta) took over San Francisco Bay for four days of spirited racing this week (Thursday through Sunday, September 25-28), giving 107 teams in 10 classes the chance to enjoy stadium sailing at its finest. In fact, for 49 years the annual event has captured for its competitors the thrill of sailing in a famous venue with even more famous winds. Thus, there is always plenty of fast action for spectators to enjoy from multiple vantage points around the Bay, including St. Francis Yacht Club's own race deck, which serves as one end of the finish line in each day's final race. For Sunday's traditional Bay Tour finale (the single long race that wraps up each class's series and determines final winners) the fleet's final push to the finish was tame in comparison to previous days when boat speeds were jacked up by brisk breezes and a strong flood tide, but the end result was all that mattered. The J/105 Blackhawk, skippered by Scooter Simmons (Belvedere, CA), managed a sixth to maintain its lead in that class, and take home the Atlantic Perpetual Trophy. With 27 points in the seven-race series, Simmons topped Bruce Stone on Arbitrage (second place), Jason Woodley and Scott Whitney on Risk (third place), as well as the remaining J/105s in their 22-boat fleet.  Complete results

22.Sep.13 - Quisset Round-the-Bay a Nail Biter  Results from the Quisset Round-the-Bay race (MA) are in, and the J/105s made it a one-design 1-2-3 finish. Mark Lindquist of the Beverly Yacht Club in his J/105 Sterling beat Eric Wagner of the Buzzards Yacht Club in his J/105 Dark 'n' Stormy by two minutes and 11 seconds in the long distance race September. 7. Lindquist finished at 04:24:14 to Wagner's 04:26:25. In third place was Matthew Schmitt, also of the Buzzards Yacht Club, in his J/105 Hardtack at 04:28:47.  Complete story

20.Sep.13 - Star & Bar Regatta  One of the all-time late summer sailing classics in the greater Puget Sound region that surrounds Seattle, Washington is the Star & Bar Regatta hosted by Seattle YC. The J/105s enjoyed some great one-design class racing with the top three teams, all hailing from CYC Seattle, having a very tight battle for the podium positions. In the end, it was Delirium sailed by Jerry Diercks that amassed a consistent scoreline of 2-2-1-2-1-DNF for 8 points net to take the gold. Second was Jubilee helmed by Erik Kristen that scored 3-1-2-3-3-1 for 10 points net. Consistent top finishes in the last three races brought Lorenzo Migliorini's Allegro Vivace into third position with a tally of 4-3-4-1-2-2 for 12 points net.  Star & Bar Regatta information

13.Sep.13 - Summer Newsletter  Members received the Summer edition of the J/105 newsletter via e-mail. It is also posted on the  Newsletter page.

10.Sep.13 - GBCA Rum Series  
Galveston Bay Cruising Association's annual pursuit style Rum Race Series concluded on September 7 with the eighth and final race. The series traditionally begins near the end of May and finishes at the end of August or beginning of September. Racing is divided into non-spin, sprit-spin, non-sprit spin, single/double handed, and Club Cruising classes. Entrants in the Club Cruising Class enjoy having their PHRF ratings adjusted based on where they finish in each race. The new ratings are computed by the all powerful super chicken. This year saw some 60+ boats competing in these classes. Boats in the sprit-spin class included Melges 24s, 105s, 109s, 120s, 80s, J70s, a 122, a GP26, an FT10, and a Beneteau 47.7. After the smoke cleared, Bee Bednar's J/105 Stinger eked out a third place overall behind a Melges 24 and the GP26. Click on the picture at left to see a larger version.