One of the first major events of the sailing season in the Pacific Northwest is hosted by the Sloop Tavern Yacht Club called the Race to the Straits—a 30.0nm dash from Shilshole Bay in Seattle up to Port Townsend, WA. It is principally a short-handed event, featuring both Single and Double-handed divisions. The full course length is 30.710 nautical miles each day. Saturday’s race is from Shilshole Bay to Point Hudson, and Sunday’s race is the return leg. This year's weekend saw predominantly light airs on both days, with a lot of DNFs/RETs on Sunday for most of the fleet. In the PHRF 10 division of doublehanded J/105s, winning was Erik Kristen's MORE JUBILEE, followed by Al Hughes' CREATIVE in second and Adrien Felon's DOUBLE TROUBLE in third position. For more Sloop Tavern Yacht Club "Race to the Straits" information, visit https://www.styc.org/.
2023 San Francisco Bay J/105 Women Skipper Invitational
Thanks to Nicole Breault for this report:
On "Mothers’ Day Eve" Saturday, May 13, eight boats of J/105 Fleet 1 rallied for the second running of the San Francisco Bay J/105 Women Skipper Invitational, hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club. The teams were led by women skippers who had been invited by boat owners to take the helm and show the world their mettle. While some were crewed by the regular team (with the owner or owner-rep taking another job on board), two teams were crewed by an all- or predominantly all-woman crew, expanding impact in another impressive way. Acknowledging the lack of female J/105 owner-drivers, Fleet 1 conceived of this regatta to celebrate the talented women who already sail in the Class as crew and to attract others interested in getting a taste of the largest one-design racing on the Bay. More specifically, this event provides an opportunity for women sailors to take the lead – or the conn – smashing any real, perceived or accidental barriers to the notion that women can be owner-drivers in this popular, competitive Class. Around North America, other J/105 fleets have created or re-energized similar regattas that invite women into the competitive spotlight: Toronto has an all-women championship, Charleston just ran an all-women regatta, Annapolis has a majority-women crew quota for its women-skippered event, and Seattle, Cleveland and Houston have showcased J/105 participation attached to women-specific multi-class regattas. To fan the flame of this veritable grass-roots women sailors’ movement, the National Class leadership has earmarked funding for trophies for fleets that undertake a project to make a lasting impact on the women sailors of their local racing communities. Under a beautiful blue sky and the dancing fog of the Golden Gate, Principal Race Officer Peggy Lidster, her all-women signal team, and the skilled mark set teams ran four races to complete a series full of spirited competition and camaraderie. Team Arbitrage took wins in Races 1 and 3, but still had their hands full in securing the overall win. Team Niuhi, all women and skippered by Maggie Bacon, played the currents strategically well and managed speedy downwind lanes with expert spinnaker handling until one bad drop at the leeward mark earned them unwanted points to leave them in third place overall. Blackhawk’s exceptional team led by co-owner Kristin Simmons took firsts in Races 2 and 4 to secure second overall, only two points behind Arbitrage. After racing on Saturday, Nicole Breault, both Regatta Chair and current J/105 Class Vice President, raised the new perpetual trophy for the SF Bay J/105 Women Skipper Invitational – first, to show it off as a new symbol of blending diversity into skipper ranks, and then also as the winner of the regatta as skipper of J/105 Arbitrage. "I expect all of you to race again next year and try to take it from me!"
Full results: https://theclubspot.com/regatta/aJA1IoRPa6/results
Regatta photos by Chris Ray:
https://www.crayivp.com/2023-StFYC-Regattas/SF-Bay-J105-Women-Skipper-Invitational-23/
Pictured L-R: Molly O'Bryan Vandemoer, Karen Loutzenheiser, Olivia Corzine, Sophia Corzine, Nicole Breault, Wendy Corzine, Colin Duffy.
Pictured L-R: Molly O'Bryan Vandemoer, Karen Loutzenheiser, Olivia Corzine, Sophia Corzine, Nicole Breault, Wendy Corzine, Colin Duffy.San Diego Yachting Cup
Yachting Cup racing was blessed with champagne San Diego sailing conditions on the first day, presenting an average of 13 knots steadily through the day. Visitors from neighboring cities got lucky with blue skies and sunshine. Seven classes sailed on two ocean courses just south of Point Loma, with a special Classics/Navigator course that started in the "near ocean course" and concluded with a Bay tour on the city front. The San Diego J/105 fleet always has tough competition. The top of the leaderboard was fought hard by two class veterans: Chuck Driscoll's JUICED and Stew Cannon's J-OK. JUICED started with two bullets on the first day. Closing with two bullets after a slower start was Cannon's J-OK. However, that was not enough to close the gap, as the JUICED team won with 11 points total. Second went to Cannon's crew on J-OK with 14 points. Rounding out the podium was John & Elena Bennett's BOSS LADY with 20 points. For more San Diego Yachting Cup information, visit https://www.yachtingcup.com/.
American YC Spring Regatta
American Yacht Club hosted its 44th Annual Spring Regatta from May 5-7, kicking off the 2023 sailing season in the Northeast and Long Island Sound. The regatta committee moved to the increasingly popular three-day weekend format with a Friday Coastal Race on May 5, followed by the Spring Series on Saturday and Sunday, May 6-7. For the Friday Coastal Race, conditions were overcast with light winds, while Saturday was sunny and beautiful but sailors dealt with a challenging and fluctuating wind environment. Sunday was another gorgeous day, but competitors had to grind through light air Long Island Sound conditions, and some races were shortened as a result. The J/105 Skipperdee, helmed by Dwight Greenhouse, placed first in the PHRF Division 4 Friday Coastal Race and also finished the weekend with a strong second-place showing in the Spring Series J/105 division. With twice the field size from 2022, David Willis' SOLUTION was once again the winner of the J/105s, holding off SKIPPERDEE in second and 2021 winner LOULOU (Paul Beaudin) in third position. For more American YC Spring Regatta information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=15669.
The Inaugural ChYC J/105 Ladies Regatta was a Great Success!
Thanks to Katie Mallory for this report: What started out as a fun idea, to an awesome grass-roots movement, we were able to get five J/105s with full female crews out for an amazing day of racing on the Charleston Harbor on April 29. The five boats headed to the racecourse on time but were met with light air and a postponement flag. It didn't take long for the breeze to fill in nicely, and the Race Committee was able to get four solid races off. The five ALL-female teams were experienced, and it showed. The racing was tight, and three different boats took race wins with the final results coming down to a tie. Skimmer led by Cathy Swanson took first, and RumFont led by Katie Mallory ended up second. And then the other three boats all ended up within 3 points of each other: Ruckus led by Sarah Schaill Colarusso, Spectacle led by Mandy Pitcavage and JoyRide led by Betsy Pilcher. After racing, the teams and Race Committee were greeted with a Mount Gay Rum tasting and awards celebration. Fun was had by all, and plans are in the works for even more sailing opportunities for the female sailors in Charleston! Watch out for updates for next year’s event as we hope to have even more boats available to welcome ladies from other parts of the US for a great day of racing in Charleston!
Charleston Race Week
At the end of the day, a regatta is all about the breeze. And when the wind generously gave its all for the last race of Charleston Race Week 2023, it brought smiles to many faces and success across all 15 fleets racing. PRO Taran Teague commented, "We had some weather challenges. We were lucky to get four races in on Day 1, and we had an incredible front come in on Day 2 which was beautiful to watch and we managed to get two races off. Then on the final day, we started an hour early so all classes got their full complement of racing in." George Masson (Taylors, SC) owner/driver of the J/105 Temeraire, took first in class and commented, "It was a lot of hard work. I really have to thank my crew. We never gave up, we just kept on grinding away. It was a fantastic venue; the race committee and everybody did a great job, but I really can’t say enough about my crew. It was challenging, the tide was on, the tide was off, we had a great time. Sailing in close fleets like the 105 is all about mistakes and not making them, or not making as many as the other folks. I have to say that was our edge this week. We made no major mistakes, no bad roundings, we were consistent. We only won one race, yet we were in the running – consistency!" Full Results: https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=15538
Encinal Yacht Club Invitational
Thanks to Bruce Stone for this report: Racing in the Encinal YC One Design on March 25-26 on the Olympic Circle in a light northerly, the SF Bay J/105 fleet faced a stiff ebb running from north to south, fueled by persistent rain that has fallen over NorCal the past two months and enhancing the flow of the Sacramento River that feeds the Bay with fresh water. This led to tough decisions as to hug the right going upwind and avoid adverse current or protect the left for the anticipated westerly that develops on most days starting in March/April. Hedging their bets, Bruce Stone (helm) and Nicole Breault (main/tactics) on Arbitrage managed the risks and won the six-race regatta, scoring just 12 points with three bullets and a 2, 3 and 4, ending up six points ahead of Doug Bailey in Akula and twelve points ahead of Ian Charles in Maverick. Along with Bruce and Nicole, the team consisted of Owen Sordillo, Will Paulsen, John Horsch and Jim Dorsey. Bruce mentioned, "This was tougher than racing on the City Front with its more predictable wind direction, and we ignored the tide and current charts as they did not reflect the actual water flow we witnessed. There was hardly any flood as the fresh water from the interior of California enhanced the ebb and overwhelmed and rode over the twice-daily flood. The tide lines were demonstrable, and most boats steered by water color, as the river water has more sediment and is brown compared to the bluer ocean water." On Saturday's third race, the course took competitors out to the notorious Blossom Rock buoy where they set spinnakers for a long downwind through the Oakland estuary, past the container port and finishing at the host club. (Photo: Team Arbitrage enjoying their run down the Oakland shipping channel to the finish at Encinal YC in race three.) "We ran wing-on-wing for most of this leg, passing several boats and nearly catching Akula at the finish. Super important to play the tack line, like playing the halyard on a blooper from our IOR days! Sunday’s three races were equally challenging, and it was not obvious how to play the conditions, especially whether to swap out our AP jib as the wind picked up to mid-teens. We decided to keep it simple and just adjust the rig tighter rather than the distraction of dropping the AP jib and hoisting the HA (heavy air) jib. While we can do this quickly as the new jib was pre-flaked at the dock with the battens installed, it still takes five minutes and that’s time for the crew to relax, get hydrated, debrief the last race so we can sort out mistakes and talk about the wind and currents we expect in the upcoming race. Our results that afternoon were great, so we chose wisely!" Results at https://www.jibeset.net/show.php?RR=EYC_T008411383&DOC=fh&TYP=html
Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series San Diego
Stuart Cannon’s team on the J/105 J-OK won the first race of the final day, and with a seventh in the final race, they’d padded their lead enough to win the fleet with four points to spare. Full Results: https://www.sailingworld.com/regatta-series-san-diego
J/105 Midwinter Championship, March 2023, Lakewood Yacht Club, Texas
Thanks to Bill Mead for this report:
Friday started with predicted light wind. Boats sat at the dock until 11:00 when Yolo and Kinderspel2 ventured out and radioed there was a chance to race. Two races ensued with Rocky doing everything right, probably for all the wrong reasons. But that’s light air sailing. Saturday, the predicted winds were there with a vengeance: 19-22 knots true. Rocky proved herself again in the first race. But then the finishes started spreading out. With that wind, it doesn’t take much to get in the tank—whether it’s the start, a tangled sheet, an hour-glass asym or guessing which side of the course to favor. But one thing for sure, it was blowing hard. The crews’ mettle was tested. One unfortunate boat, Spitfire, got their asym hopelessly wrapped in the roller furler bearing at the mast top, so they had to head downwind for several miles until the halyard was cut. Spitfire missed two races while getting their act together but were back in the game for the fourth race (finishing third). Rocky got into the same mess but didn’t have to climb the mast. Sunday saw 16-19 knots, but it came in spurts with some 8-10s, shifting right as the morning passed. It was all the RC could do to move the marks quick enough to get three races off. There would have been four, but a further 15-degree shift to the right threw that start beyond the time limit.
Kudos to the talented team from Texas Corinthians Yacht Club who chartered Pesto and won first place overall. Their last four races separated the scoring and allowed their win, taking the Midwinters. Our Chief Measurer from Fort Worth Boat Club found his tempo as the series progressed, moving up in the standings after the first day, and taking second overall. Rocky pulled in to third place overall, showing a great effort in those last Sunday races. The Race Committee, run by Dwight Bengtson and his experienced LYC team of mark setting boats, scorers and signal handlers, got these races off with quite a bit of precision. I noticed though Dwight must really like seeing J/105s up close and running hot, as most races favored the committee boat end of the line. By the way, there were no protests in the series. But don’t write Al Goethe, Chief Judge, any sympathy cards, he was just as happy that way. For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=15736.
Southern Collegiate Offshore Regatta
Sixteen college teams competed in the Southern Collegiate Offshore Regatta held February 11-12 in Charleston, SC. With racing held in two divisions using PHRF handicaps, the six-race series faced a range of conditions. The hosts College of Charleston and CORA (Charleston Offshore Racing Association) did a great job getting in relatively short course races inside Charleston Harbor. The first day consisted of using only main and jib, due to steady and strong 15-20 knot winds with 35 knot gusts. The sailing on Sunday provided exciting and challenging racing conditions. PHRF B Division was dominated by well-sailed J/105s. The University of South Carolina won with the J/105 RUCKUS, owned by Patrick Chisum, Russell Smith and Paul Jacques. The Gamecocks team posted a consistent scoreline of 1-3-4-2-1-1 for 12 points. Just one point back and battling the Gamecocks the entire weekend were the Tigers. Taking the silver was Princeton University’s Tigers sailing on the J/105 SPECTACLE owned by the duo of Pitcavage & Bowden. The Tigers were the only team to score all podium finishes: 3-2-2-1-2-3 for 13 points. The bronze position was taken by the University of Vermont Catamounts on the J/105 SKIMMER owned by Martschink & Hagood; they had a 2-1-1-3-7-2 tally for 16 points. The balance of the top five included The Citadel Bulldogs taking fourth sailing the J/105 RUMFRONT owned by Martschink & McKenzie. In addition to the two PHRF Divisions, there were PHRF Overall Awards based on the combined corrected times of both divisions (the two divisions sailed the same course every time). Here's the list of the PHRF Overall winners (combined corrected times averaged over six races):
- J/105 RUCKUS- University South Carolina Sailing team- 00:38:42 average
- J/105 SPECTACLE- Princeton University Sailing team- 00:38:44 average
- J/105 SKIMMER- University Vermont- 00:38:54 average
Three Bridge Fiasco
The Singlehanded Sailing Society in San Francisco, CA hosted their annual season-opening classic: the Three Bridge Fiasco. 309 entries participated in this pursuit style race for singlehanded and doublehanded racers on San Francisco Bay. The instructions are simple—start at your assigned time slot, cross the start line just off St. Francis and Golden Gate Yacht Clubs, and chose which way to go around the Bay to three marks next to the three principal bridges crossing the Bay...Golden Gate (west), Bay (south) and San Rafael (north). This event will be remembered for a number of things including the cold weather, the big ebb tide, very light winds at the start, the persistent thick fog that hugged the course in some very dense sections and the late clearing of fog that led to a late building seabreeze. In the 13-boat J/105 fleet, the Hecht & Silvestri duet on NIUHI won, followed by Scott Sellers & Mike Nunes' BEAST OF BURDEN in second, Eric Patterson & Kim Heade's KESTREL in third, Walter Sanford & Ed Sharp's ALCHEMY in fourth, and Steve Hill & Ben Corwin's LULU in fifth position. For complete results, visit https://www.jibeset.net/JACKY000.php?RG=T002368094.
J/105s Podium in San Diego Hot Rum Series III Finale
The San Diego Yacht Club's Hot Rum Series started on November 5 with races scheduled on November 19 and December 3. With 128 entries, it's one of the most popular "pursuit style" races in America, where the slowest boat starts first, hours ahead of the biggest and fastest boats, and whoever crosses the line first wins. Starting and finishing just off the western end of Shelter Island, the fleet heads out through the Point Loma passage to two buoys offshore and returns to the same start line to finish the race just off Shelter Island. In the huge 38-boat PHRF 3 division, the top five were primarily occupied by J/105s. Winning was Jim Dorsey's J-OK with a 2-1-2 for 5 points. Second was Rick Goebel's SANITY with a 1-2-7 tally for 10 points. Fifth was Dave Vieregg/Bennet Greenwald's PERSEVERANCE with a 3-4-16 for 23 points. For more San Diego YC Hot Rum Series information, visit https://www.sdyc.org/.
San Diego Yacht Club Wins 2022 Lipton Cup in J/105s
It’s official - San Diego Yacht Club is the winner of the 2022 Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup. The home team has done it again. It all came down to the battle of the coasts in the final day. After 10 highly competitive and close races, San Diego Yacht Club and New York Yacht Club got off the starting line one more time with determination to prove which coast is in fact...the best. The final results have San Diego Yacht Club (Skipper Tyler Sinks) in first place with 38 points, Coronado Yacht Club (Skipper Scott Harris) in second place with 43 points and New York Yacht Club (Skipper Peter Levesque) in third place with 45 points. "It’s just staying in the fight and continuing to battle. When it wasn’t looking good, we stayed in it and never lost faith. It worked out for us," commented Sinks upon their champagne arrival back at the Club. Sunday started off with a short postponement and two general recalls. Boats were eager to get off the starting line and fight for the sought-after trophy in the final two races. Spectators lined the course in anticipation. Long Beach Yacht Club (fourth overall) had their strongest day of the regatta finishing race 10 in first place with NYYC and Newport Harbor Yacht Club right behind them. With NYYC earning second place and SDYC two boats behind in fourth, the two teams finished race 10 with only one point dividing them. The competition between SDYC and NYYC started again during the sequence for the final race (race 11). The two teams battled for their spot on the starting line as if in a match race. To avoid follow the leader tactics, NYYC split from the fleet. Unfortunately for them, it did not pay off. SDYC rounded the weather mark in third with NYYC in tenth. Even their four-boat gain on the downwind could not make up for the upwind loss. Coronado Yacht Club made it their mission to stay ahead of SDYC for the entire race and finished first, placing them second overall in the final results. The team sailed an amazing regatta, but just couldn’t gain the necessary points on SDYC to take the overall win. Hats off to Skipper Scott Harris and his Hawaiian-shirted crew for a well-earned second. Avid followers of the Lipton Cup each year will know that SDYC skipper Sinks is no stranger to the Lipton Cup championship title. In fact, the skipper has won five of the last seven run regattas (2022, 2021, 2018, 2017, and 2015). His team of Erik Shampain, Nevin Snow, Max Hutcheson, Lucy Wallace, Jake La Dow and Nick Kaschak can be found sailing together quite often. Erik Shampain is actually the most "winningest Lipton Cup sailor of all time." Shampain commented, "I’ve been told that Dave Ullman and Dennis Conner have six wins, and this is my seventh. I was really honored when Dave called me a few days ago and said if anybody breaks it, I’m glad it’s you. That was really nice. We were trying to get off the start line, get clean races, sail by ourselves and keep an eye on the competition. We had a nice last start right above New York, and we controlled our destiny. For complete event details, visit https://sdyc.org/liptoncup/.
J/Fest Southwest Regatta
The J/Fest Southwest Regatta celebrated its 13th anniversary this year with over 70 competitors from around the country. Lakewood Yacht Club hosted from October 22-23 and provided up to seven races for the one-design fleets. Here is the regatta report from Scott Spurlin: The weather was mid 70s and the wind started Saturday morning at a nice 8-10 knots from the SSE. By noon it was clocking around to the south blowing 15-19 and gusts up to 26. The J/105s were a nine-boat fleet, and every boat in the fleet led at least one leg of the seven races held. YOLO! skippered by Scott Spurlin put together a 12-point regatta to win, followed by Uzi Ozeri’s BON BON crew in second place. John Bell’s KINDERSPEL had an amazing Sunday climbing up from eighth place to third after posting a 2-1 the last day. For more J/Fest Southwest Regatta information, visit https://www.jfestsouthwest.com/.
Augie Diaz Wins 2022 International Masters Regatta in J/105s
Augie Diaz has officially been named the 2022 International Masters Regatta Champion. It’s only ever so often that a regatta stays this unpredictable down to the last leg of the last race. All four of the top players went into the final race of the day with the chance to come out on top. Diaz, however, was the one of 11 skippers just talented enough to take home the coveted blue blazer. Some say a sprinkle of luck, too, can go a long way. The final standings have Augie Diaz with 46 points in first, Terry McLaughlin with 50 points in second and Tad Lacey with 51 points in third. "It was all about our team. We had a great team. Mark Reynolds did a great job, Benny Mitchell, Craig Leweck, Chuck Sinks and Al Pleskus kept us going. It was very exciting, and it was really tough. I feel very fortunate to be able to prevail," explained Diaz. "[The secret was] to stay out of my own way," he joked. The morning started a little bit slow. An hour-long postponement due to winds averaging only 4 knots gave each boat a little more time to recover from the "famous" Masters banquet. Once Race Committee felt confident enough in the wind, race nine commenced. Phil Lotz came to sail with the same momentum as Saturday’s races. Nigel Cochrane gave Lotz a run for his money in the first race of the day, ultimately beating him to the finish line. Diaz kept a few boats of distance...perhaps trying to keep everybody on their toes until the last possible race. Bill Abbott came forward in race ten and led the fleet the entire race. McLaughlin and Lotz trailed closely behind. The final race of the day is when it really got interesting. Augie Diaz, Alan Field, Terry McLaughlin and Tad Lacey all lined up on the start with the chance to win. Spectators and committee boats alike held onto their seats as they calculated potential scores in their heads at each rounding. Lacey was the first to the weather mark. His lead on each leg only increased, and he won the final race, earning his first and only bullet of the weekend. Behind him trailed in second place McLaughlin and third place Diaz. It was such a close call. Diaz won the regatta by a mere four points over McLaughlin. In fact, the top four finishers were all within five points in the scoresheet. Diaz and his team crossed through the finish line as spectators cheered them on. Champagne was popped, and the fleet made their way back to SDYC for celebratory cocktails and high-fives from friends. This is Augie Diaz’s second time as Masters Regatta champion. Diaz has been, and still is, an extremely active member of the sailing community. Just recently, he came in 13th out of 84 at the Star World Championship in Marblehead, MA. Diaz has been named US Sailor of the Year, was inducted in the National Sailing Hall of Fame, is a two-time Snipe and four-time Snipe Masters World Champion, and has too many World Championship and National Championship titles to mention. Diaz won the Silver at the Pan-Am Games in Snipes in 1971 and 2022 and won Bronze in 2015. The success in his sailing career has not gone unrecognized, and the International Masters Regatta is thrilled to invite skippers of his caliber to sail against the best at SDYC. IMR Chair JR Young wrapped up the weekend, "I couldn’t be happier with the way this year’s Masters Regatta turned out. We had some great competitors who were very excited to be here. And the racing across the field has been very competitive. At the banquet, we saw lots of camaraderie, and everyone seemed to have a really good time." Young continued, "Putting this regatta on takes over 60 volunteers, whether it’s preparing the 11 chartered J/105s, maintaining the boats, moving and manning the changing docks, or managing registration. And of course, our great Race Committee of 18 volunteers." After racing, skippers and their crews were invited to SDYC’s Main Deck for the Awards Ceremony before heading back to their homes around the country. For complete event details, visit https://sdyc.org/masters/.
Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta
2022’s rendition of the co-hosted Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta between Storm Trysail Club and Larchmont Yacht Club ran in perfect conditions, allowing the race committee to get off seven windward-leeward races over two days. Over 260 college sailors came from all over the country to compete in one of the world’s largest intercollegiate big-boat regattas on yachts ranging from 29 to 44 feet. 28 colleges were represented amongst 34 entries divided into five divisions, with five schools fielding multiple teams. The goal of the event is to expose college sailors to keelboat racing. In the J/105 fleet: Coleman Peppered, Captain of the USCGA crew who won the J/105 Class onboard GRAY MATTER, said "trusting each other, communication and endurance were the keys. We kept reminding ourselves to stay calm, drink water and pass around the Sour Patch Kids! We worked on defining everyone’s roles, communicating early, and having solid trust in each other, and that enabled us to overcome mistakes. As officers when we graduate, this racing experience translates really well to being on the ocean, under pressure, fighting exhaustion in high-intensity situations, it’s very relevant." The balance of the podium was comprised of the University of Toledo onboard BREAKTHROUGH in second and Webb Institute on INEVITABLE in the third position. For more Intercollegiate Regatta sailing results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=15491.
American Yacht Club Fall Series
Over the weekends of September 24-25 and October 1-2, the American Yacht Club hosted their annual Fall Series Regatta. Racing took place in Western Long Island Sound just south of Rye, NY. While the first weekend saw glorious weather and up to six races for the one-design Classes, the second weekend got blown out by the remnants of Hurricane Ian with near-gale force winds. The 17-boat J/105 fleet enjoyed a fantastic turnout. In the end, it was Dave Willis' team on SOLUTION, winning four of six races to crush the competition with all podium finishes. The next two steps on the podium were a fight between Paul Beaudin and Gardner Horan. The battle came down to the last race, with Horan's CUSH team posting a third, while Beaudin's LOU LOU posted a fourth. As a result, Horan's CUSH took the silver, with Beaudin's LOU LOU taking the bronze. For more American Yacht Club Fall Series information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=15021.
Randy Hecht’s Niuhi Controls J/105 North American Championship
Randy Hecht’s Niuhi mastered the J/105 North American Championship through 11 races to become 2022 Champion. With crew Maggie Bacon, John Bonds, Spencer Cole, Ethan Doyle, Russ Silvestri, Juliana Testa and Ryan Treais, they dominated from Race One, tallying only 29 points. Even without a discard for the event, Niuhi wouldn’t need to participate in the final contest, although they did join their 27 fellow J/105s for one last trip around the course. Ryan Simmons’ Blackhawk landed in the runner-up position with 62 points. Tim Russell’s NeNe earned third place via tiebreaker at 75 points over Jeff Littfin’s Mojo. The San Francisco Yacht Club in California hosted from September 29-October 2. Sunday’s race winners were Hecht’s Niuhi in winds of 8-12 knots and Charles Pick’s Box of Rain as the breeze increased to 12-15.
Top Five:
- Niuhi, Randy Hecht - 1 -7 -2 -1 -2 -2 -1 -2 -2 -1 -8 ; 29
- Blackhawk, Ryan Simmons - 3 -13 -1 -3 -1 -7 -2 -8 -3 -14 -7 ; 62
- NeNe, Tim Russell - 20 -12 -9 -5 -4 -4 -6 -1 -1 -11 -2 ; 75
- Mojo, Jeff Littfin - 5 -6 -13 -2 -9 -15 -10 -3 -7 -2 -3 ; 75
- Maverick, Ian Charles - 2 -9 -3 -11 -3 -6 -11 -7 -8 -6 -15 ; 81
Randy Hecht’s Niuhi on Verge of J/105 North American Championship
There may be quite a few position changes at the J/105 North American Championship, but they aren’t at the top of the 28-boat fleet. Hosted by San Francisco Yacht Club in California, conditions were Bay-like again with breeze at 15 knots, gusting near 20 and choppy seas. Randy Hecht’s Niuhi continued to dominate, posting a 1,2,2 on the day for 20 points. There are no discards in the regatta, now standing at nine races. Ryan Simmons’ Blackhawk (41 points) and Ian Charles’ Maverick (60 points) held on to second and third places respectively. Hecht’s Niuhi kicked off Saturday just like the prior two days—with a bullet. Simmons’ Blackhawk stayed strong in second and John & Michael Rivlin’s Peaches broke into the top three. Tim Russell’s NeNe moved up the leaders’ list with a victory in the middle battle, in advance of Hecht and Jeff Littfin’s Mojo. Russell’s NeNe went back-to-back in the final contest (launching him to fourth overall with 62 points), tailed by Hecht and Simmons. Racing concludes Sunday with two races planned. Photos are available on the J/105 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eid=15010.
Randy Hecht’s Niuhi Commanding J/105 North American Championship
The J/105 North American Championship hosted by San Francisco Yacht Club in California continued Friday for 28 boats. Other than a seventh in Race 2, Randy Hecht’s Niuhi has tallied only firsts and seconds for 15 points in six races. No scores will be excluded. Ryan Simmons’ Blackhawk put together a solid day to move into second overall with 28 points. Ian Charles’ Maverick remained in the top three with 34 points. As with day one, Hecht’s Niuhi began Friday on top, as Jeff Littfin’s Mojo got in on the action with Simmons’ Blackhawk behind. Simmons added his second bullet in the next match, while Hecht and Charles stayed close. Doug Bailey’s Akula moved into fourth overall with a win in Race 6, with Hecht again in second and Shawn Bennett’s Masquerade in third. Racing continues through Sunday. Photos are available on the J/105 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eid=15010.
J/105 North American Championship Launches in San Francisco
Twenty-eight J/105s have gathered for the 2022 North American Championship hosted by San Francisco Yacht Club in California. Conditions built from 6-8 knots to typical San Francisco winds of 19-20. Although many different boats had the lead, Randy Hecht’s Niuhi recorded scores of 1,7,2 for 10 points to top the pack. They hold a four-point advantage on Ian Charles’ Maverick. Ryan Simmons’ Blackhawk tallied 17 points for third place. Hecht’s Niuhi succeeded in the first battle, along with Charles’ Maverick and Simmons’ Blackhawk. Then it was Adam Spiegel’s turn on Jam Session, as Shawn Bennett’s Masquerade and Rolf Kaiser’s Donkey Jack completed the top trio. A familiar group comprised the top three in the day’s final race: Simmons, Hecht and Charles. Racing concludes Sunday. Photos will be available on the J/105 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eid=15010.
2022 Rolex Big Boat Series, Hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club
Final exams are stern for a reason and the final day of racing at the 2022 Rolex Big Boat Series, hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, CA, delivered stiff—if not downright nautical—conditions. Crews arrived at dock call to seldom-seen southerly airs, big puffs and scattered rain. While this year’s Rolex Big Boat Series had plenty of breeze-on racing, the hounds howled a rare tune Sunday, with uncommon Cityfront-created lees, big swells, squalls and gusts that registered in the low-30 knot range. Fortunately for boat-battered bodies, squally conditions moderated as the day progressed. The ability to shift gears and sail fast at all angles and in varying breezes was evident across all eight classes that competed at the 2022 Rolex Big Boat Series. The fleet of J/105s again presented the largest one-design fleet at this year’s Rolex Big Boat Series. As such, the 29-strong group competed for StFYC’s Commodore’s Cup, in addition to a Rolex timepiece. Randy Hecht’s Niuhi demonstrated their ability to negotiate crowded starting lines and command a talented fleet to win this historic perpetual trophy and its accompanying Rolex. Ryan Simmons’ Blackhawk finished in second place, while Tim Russell’s Ne Ne completed the top-of-class trifecta. For complete event details, visit https://rolexbigboatseries.com/.
Bi-State Races
Chicago and southern Lake Michigan sailors enjoyed their annual round-trip from Chicago to St. Joseph, MI. For the J/105s, the combined scores for the weekend were very close, with just 4 points separating the top five teams. The winner was the most consistent: Gerhard Zinserling's Y-NOT posted a 2-2 for 4 points to win by only a point. Taking the silver was Jon Weglarz's THE ASYLUM with a 4-1 tally for 5 points. The bronze went to the leader on the first leg, Judith & Ross McLean's ESPRIT D'ECOSSE with a 1-5 scoreline for 6 points. Rounding out the top five were Branwell Lepp's IT WASN'T ME with a 3-4 for 7 points to take fourth place, while Clark Pellet's SEALARK posted a 5-3 for 8 points to take the fifth position. For more Bi-State information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=15166.
Aldo Alessio Race & Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Regatta
The St. Francis Yacht Club hosted their annual Aldo Alessio Race and Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Regatta. Sailed from August 19-21 on the western end of San Francisco Bay between Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge, the fleet experienced classic Bay weather with fog, intermittent sun and plenty of breeze. As has been the case for decades, the 25-boat J/105 fleet most often has very close, tactical racing amongst the top of the leaderboard. Blasting out of the starting box on the first day to lead with a 2-1, Ian Charles' MAVERICK never relinquished their lead over the next two days. They posted three firsts and three seconds over the six races for 9 points total. Behind the winner, it was Ryan Simmons' BLACKHAWK dueling with Doug Bailey's AKULA for the next step on the podium. Both boats had slow starts in the first two races, then they literally traded all podium finishes for the rest of the regatta. In the end, it was Simmons' BLACKHAWK getting the better of the two, posting a 6-6-1-1-3-2 for 19 points to earn the silver. Bailey's AKULA racked up an 11-2-3-3-2-3 for 24 points to take the bronze. Rounding out the top five was Rolf Kaiser's DONKEY JACK in fourth and John & Mike Rivlin's PEACHES in fifth place. For more Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Regatta information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=15400.
Storm Trysail Club Ted Hood Regatta
The Storm Trysail Club’s Ted Hood Regatta provided fleets great sailing over the three-day event, despite the challenging weather conditions. Hosting the fifth annual event from August 19-21 was Eastern Yacht Club, in conjunction with their local partners the Corinthian Yacht Club and the Boston Yacht Club. The J/105 fleet saw Ric Dexter's BROUHAHA rock straight bullets in five races. Similarly, Miguel Martinez's TAINO posted mostly seconds to grab the silver with 12 points. Then, rounding out the podium was Marty Galligan's ATALANTA. For more Storm Trysail Club Ted Hood Regatta information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=15294.
Gorgeous, Stormy Offshore Verve Cup Chicago
The 31st annual Verve Cup Offshore Regatta featured three days of offshore buoy racing for a fleet of over 75 yachts. The regatta coincided with the Chicago Air & Water Show that features the US Navy Blue Angels flying acrobatic team in their F-18E Super Hornet fighter planes. The forecasted "postcard perfect" Friday went off without any issues, with all fleets sailing at least three races in the best that Chicago waterfront sailing on Lake Michigan has to offer: South to southwest winds in the 8 to 14 knots range, sunny skies, clear waters, lots of chop, winds oscillating through 40 degrees. The offshore gradient was fighting the onshore seabreeze effect all day long, making it especially challenging for the tacticians. Saturday's forecast was spot on, with cloudy skies, more Southerlies but in the 10 to 19 knots range, and spotty showers. Most fleets got in three more races. Sunday dawned with a gorgeous sunrise until about 10:00 AM when an ominous line of black clouds aligned NNE/SSW and kept streaming toward the city. As the day progressed, the center of the Low moved east and those black clouds swept across the course areas, producing North to northeast winds with 20-30 degree shifts and rain showers. By the time the two scheduled races were completed, the front was off to the east and produced a day of white caps, sun, partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the 70s F. The seven teams in the J/105 fleet saw a three-way battle evolve for the podium, with Judith & Ross McLean's ESPRIT D'ECOSSE taking class honors with 23 points and winning one race. Jon Weglarz's THE ASYLUM took the silver medal by just one point, everything coming down to the outcome of the last race (total 27 points). John & Laura Lutton's KINSHIP took the bronze medal by winning the last race for a total of 28 points. For more Verve Cup Regatta information, visit https://www.vervecup.com/.
An Outstanding J/105 Ontario Women’s Championship in 2022
Thanks to Kirsty Clarke for this report: Eighty women, 11 boats and one day of highly competitive racing: August 20, the Royal Canadian Yacht Club in Toronto held the second annual J/105 Ontario Women’s Championship. Hey Jude with skipper Karen McRae won the Championship, Jen Provan Paterson on Mandate took second, and Chantal Hearst on Kernel (with owner Jan Heisey) finished third. The Race Committee, ably led by Anne Sanderson and including judge Dale King, squeezed four races into one light wind, but picture-perfect day. After the first start, all were sailed under the U flag, but while starts were close and the racing intense, no protests were made throughout the day. Felicity Rodness, Regatta Chair, said "It was a great day on the water, with fiercely competitive teams making the most of the wind we had. This event includes some women with relatively little experience and many with impressive racing records, but has been a great experience for all levels." The crew bank for the regatta included women new to the fleet, and most were able to find spots on boats for the day, embodying the intent of the event to bring more women into racing on Lake Ontario, and more sailors to the J/105 fleet. This year saw new competitors from around the lake. Heather McCann from Port Credit Yacht Club brought NagaDragon; Anne Marie Shewfelt led Endeavour from Mimico; Chantal Hearst skippered Jan Heisey’s Kernel from Royal Canadian Yacht Club; and Rhonda Joyce sailed with the Trident Sirens team from Port Credit Yacht Club, embodying the theme of the event, Sailors to Sirens. Crews embraced the theme throughout the day, from team shirts on the water to siren-inspired outfits at the celebratory dinner in the Rose Garden at sunset. "We’re happy we were able to have so many boats on the water," said Kathy Pask, regatta organizer and J/105 fleet representative. "Owners were generous in donating their boats for use in the event, and women were eager to sign up as skippers and crew. We’re already hoping for more boats next year, and looking forward to seeing new competitors." Continuing her impressive efforts from last year, Piper Treadwell was the youngest skipper again, at age 25, driving Thunderstruck with the Hell’s Belles team. Regatta organizers Kathy Pask, J/105 Fleet Representative, and Felicity Rodness, Regatta Chair, are grateful for generous sponsorship from Michael Mountford, Scotia Wealth Management, The Mountford Group, and for donations from AI Bags (https://ai-co.ca/), and donations and organization of gift bags by Jessica Perraton of The Charter Yacht Company (https://www.thecharteryachtcompany.com/). They also appreciate the many hands involved in making the regatta a success, including Piper Treadwell (regatta t-shirts); Emma Struthers (shore support and social media), Kirsty Clarke and Heather Broll (communications). Find photos and info on the Facebook Page, J/105 Fleet 4 Women's Racing and on Instagram at J/105women. Last year’s Toronto event has inspired similar events across North America this year including the J/105 Women’s regatta at the Sailing Club of the Chesapeake in Annapolis on June 25; the San Francisco Bay J/105 Women Skipper Invitational hosted May 22 by St. Francis Yacht Club in the US; and one regatta in Seattle. Others are possible for next year in Texas. The J/105 Class is actively sponsoring and supporting women sailing, so please reach out if you're interested in hosting an event.
Chester Race Week
One hundred seventeen teams competed in the 2022 Chester Race Week on August 10-13 in Chester, Nova Scotia. Racing was held for one design with inshore and distance courses for PHRF. Five J/105s raced in PHRF ToT, led by Sean McDermott & Rory MacDonald's McMac with 6 points, including four bullets. Capt. Bradison Boutilier's Shipyard claimed second place with 8 points, followed by James Mosher's MOJO (16 points). For complete event details, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=15068.
Ugotta Regatta
The Ugotta Regatta was hosted by Little Traverse Yacht Club in Harbor Springs, MI on July 29-31. In PHRF B, the J/105 Hokey Smoke of Rich Stearns topped the fleet. For full results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=14935.
Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Marblehead
The Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series at Marblehead Race Week, it’s been said, is a regatta of mental endurance. With no discards, every race and every point counts. There can be no quit until the final leg is sailed, especially in the waters off Marblehead Harbor where the local sailors know that the wind and weather conditions are never the same from one day to the next. And no lead is ever safe. Class winners included Charlie Garrard’s Merlin in the J/105 fleet with 12 points in eight races. Rob Marsh’s Blowboat!! placed second with 20 points, trailed by Thomas Root’s El Jefe at 31.
For complete results: https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eid=14804
Lightning, Strong Winds Hit Chicago Mackinac Race
In a race that will be remembered as "one for the books," the 113th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust is a wrap after staggered starts on July 22 and 23 in Chicago, IL. And while this year’s 289 nm race didn’t break any official records other than the number of Lake Michigan lightning strikes late on July 23, it was one of the overall fastest races in recent years. Congratulations to the top participants in the J/105 section: Clark Pellett’s Sealark, Michael Sheppard’s Flying Pig and Josh & Laura Lutton’s Kinship.
Full details: https://cycracetomackinac.com/
Pacific Cup
This year's biennial Pacific Cup, the 2,070nm race to Hawaii, turned into one of the more challenging races in recent times due to light to medium air conditions. The fleet of 62 boats took off from San Francisco on their way to Kaneohe, Hawaii on Oahu's north shore in near drifting conditions at times. In the Weems & Plath Division, the J/105 FREE BOWL OF SOUP, sailed by Eric Hopper & Doug Schenk from Portland Yacht Club, started in the lead and never relinquished it, winning by 5+ hours. For more Pacific Cup Race information, visit https://pacificcup.org/.
Chicago to Michigan City Race
The annual summer dash across the bottom of Lake Michigan from Chicago, IL to Michigan City, IN was a relatively light affair for the fleet of 80 boats. The Columbia Yacht Club RC/PRO team started the fleet on Friday, July 8 evening, and then it was a 32.0nm dash to the Michigan City breakwater finish line. Teams took over eight hours, averaging of 4.0 knots. Winning the 11-boat PHRF 4 Division and the J/105 one-design fleet was Peter Schwarzbach's PHANTOM. Taking the silver in both classes was Josh & Laura Lutton's KINSHIP. Then, Branwell Lepp's IT WASN'T ME took fifth in handicap and third in J/105 one-design. For more Chicago to Michigan City Race information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_scratch_sheet.cfm?eID=15160.
Key Yachting J-Cup Regatta in association with B&G Organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club Thursday 30th June – Saturday 2nd July 2022
The Key Yachting J-Cup, in association with B&G, was topped-off with a third day of fantastic conditions in The Solent. Classic south westerly breeze, pumped up to 15 knots with more in the gusts, but the wind was with the tide for most of the day, giving a flatter sea state. Three races were completed by all classes to bring racing at the 2022 Key Yachting J-Cup to a conclusion. Results link: https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=14875. Mark Stevens’ J/105 Jacana scored a 1-2-3 on the final day to secure the class title. "It wasn’t easy, but it was good fun!" commented Jacana’s Mark Stevens. "This was something else, Jacana is a great bunch of friends enjoying a great regatta, that is what it is all about. The good competition made us focus on our performance, it was great to race with well-sailed J/92s and another J/105. We had sunshine and wind, what more do you want?"
Giving Women Confidence to Continue
Part of the success of the J/105 Class has been its inclusion of women in its ranks. The majority of teams across North America have, or have had, women sailors as integral crew members, including as owner-drivers. But when the World Sailing Trust released its Women in Sailing Strategic Review in December 2019, the report that revealed wide scale gender imbalance perpetuating throughout the sport and consequently recommended a global effort on the part of sailing organizations to help remedy the situation by increasing participation and creating space for women to compete. The J/105 Class responded with an openness for doing more. In addition to incentivizing teams comprised of 50+ percent women with a weight maximum exemption, the Class encourages local Fleets to launch women’s regattas and programs to further expand the interest and involvement of women in the Class. Fleet #4 in Toronto was the first to act on this grassroots initiative, and last August put on the successful 2021 J/105 Ontario Women’s Championship Regatta at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, with 13 boats raced by all-women teams. Now the momentum is growing for women-centered events across North America, with Fleet #1 in San Francisco running the 2022 SF Bay J/105 Women Skipper Invitational on May 22, and the Sailing Club of the Chesapeake (Annapolis, MD) hosting the first annual J/105 Women’s Regatta for J/105 Fleet #3 on June 25, 2022. When the PRO Drew Mutch announced at the skipper’s meeting that he was running a "105 regatta, not a women’s regatta," a large cheer was raised, with thirteen teams consisting of 85 competitors meeting on the starting line. The RC had near-perfect Chesapeake Bay conditions to work with, a fairly steady 5-10 knots out of the south with gorgeous blue skies. Sailors navigated a current change during the day for three windward leeward races. The SIs waived the owner/driver rule and required a minimum of four women aboard, including the driver. While the top two boats overall were coed with owners trimming main, eight of the teams were all women. The top three all women boats were four points apart, with Rum Puppy leading Firebrand and Doghouse. "It was a ton of fun, and the caliber of racing was excellent," said Alexandra Wardell, skipper of Rum Puppy. "After the first start I thought, ‘Whoa, okay, this is going to be as fun and competitive as any other regatta!’ The focus and nonstop hard work of my crew was at one of the highest levels I have sailed with in a while." Katie Zimmerman skippered Firebrand into second all-women with consistent finishes. Sandra Libby on Doghouse proudly announced at the awards ceremony, "I want you to realize we sailed with a crew of all women over the age of 50!" Good Trade, Velvet Hammer and Rum Puppy were the top three boats overall. Good Trade, which won all three races, was driven by Marie Klok Crump, who had pursued an Olympic campaign in Ynglings in 2004, was joined by owner Peter Bowe, Erin Bak, Tammy Kolbe, Mike McNamara, Maxine Phillips, and Madeleine Schroeher. "Our team thoroughly enjoyed the whole event," said Amy Harris, the skipper of Breakaway. "Next year I hope to race again and perhaps skipper some Wednesday Night Races in the meantime. That is what this was all about – giving women the confidence to continue as crew and as helmswomen."
Results: https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=15087
Photos: https://spinsheet.smugmug.com/SpinSheet/2022-Events/SCC-J105-Womens-Regatta/
Slow Start, But Fast Finish to Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Chicago
The best teams in sailboat racing excel across a range of conditions, and for competitors at the 2022 Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series Chicago, that’s exactly what was required over three days of challenging Lake Michigan conditions, where the breeze eventually blew from all points and all strengths. For the final day, host Chicago Yacht Club served up a great one for the nearly 180 teams—12 knots of wind and steep waves. Jon Weglarz’s J/105 team on The Asylum eked a 1-point win over Richard Stearns Hokey Smoke. For comprehensive results from YachtScoring.com, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=14803.
SF Bay J/105 Women Skipper Invitational
The inaugural San Francisco Bay Women Skipper Invitational was won by Nicole Breault and Team Arbitrage (with Nicole’s husband Bruce Stone at mast/squirrel), followed by Kristin Simmons and Team Blackhawk in second (with Kristin’s husband Ryan Simmons taking a lot of waves at the bow), and Chloe Lepert and Team Aquavit in third. Wind started in the 12-14 range and quickly ramped up into more typical SF Bay conditions with 16-20 by the third race. Here is the pre-regatta video that introduced the skippers and included interviews with several SF Bay J/105 owners about their thoughts on owning and racing a J/105: https://www.dropbox.com/s/tbd8hmo1a2ifhj3/SF%20Bay%20J105%20WSI%20Video.mp4?dl=0. The eight teams all reported great interest in doing this again next year and hopefully attracting even more boats. Photo is of the skippers together with Commodore Peter Gilmore: Shannon Kaiser, Kate Gregory Molitor, Kristin Simmons, Csilla Andersen, Commodore Gilmore, Nicole Breault, Chloe Lepert, Libby Zhang (not pictured Marcia Bever).Race to the Straits
Hosted annually by Sloop Tavern Yacht Club in Seattle, WA, the Race to the Straits featured two days of racing from Shilshole to Port Townsend and return over the May 7-8 weekend. When the fleet arrived at Port Townsend, they were treated to an amazing "Halfway Party" at the Northwest Maritime Center. The racing didn't disappoint either, with the usual challenging conditions facing the fleet, having to deal with current, holes, streaks and various forms of commercial traffic. PHRF Class 7 was the J/105 division. Winning was Tom Kerr's CORVO 105, followed by Erik Kristen's MORE JUBILEE in second and Jonathan Saunders' EL GATO in third place. For more Race to the Straits information, visit https://www.styc.org/Race-to-the-Straits.
Patience Rewards Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series Competitors
The Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series – Annapolis was hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club on May 13-15. Classes racing further out in the Chesapeake Bay were not fortunate with wind. On the circle with the J/105s, only two races were completed over three days, putting a premium on top finishes. Cedric Lewis and Fredrik Salvesen’s J/105 Mirage was having its own battle. Having won the previous day’s race they were in command, but then found themselves going head-to-head with Ray Wulff’s team on Patriot when the race committee set the fleet off into the unpredictable and light wind. The crew of Lewis and Salvesen's Mirage celebrate their selection as the 2022 Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series Annapolis Overall Winner. "We got a clean start—not the perfect one—and after a long and crazy race, we basically finished a foot behind Patriot," Lewis says. That set up Mirage with a 1-point lead going into what was expected to be the regatta’s final race, which Patriot was winning by a large margin before the race committee canceled it on account of too little wind. "We’ve won this regatta so many times and never won the overall," said Mirage’s navigator Molly Wilmer. "Honestly, we always thought it was rigged against us, so this is amazing and we will definitely be there (Caribbean Championship). We’re going for sure, and we’re going to win it." For comprehensive results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eid=14802.
Tight Racing at American YC Spring Regatta
The 2022 American Yacht Club Spring Regatta in Rye, NY spanned April 23, 24, 30 & May 1 and attracted seven J/105s. It doesn’t get any closer over nine races as seen in these scorelines:
- Solution, David Willis - 1 -1 -1 -2 -1 -3 -1 -[4] -3 ; 13
- loulou, Paul Beaudin - 2 -[3] -3 -1 -2 -1 -2 -1 -1 ; 13
J/105s Return to Charleston Race Week
Consistent breeze that ranged from light to medium to heavy? Check. Close competition and exciting racing across the broad spectrum of classes? Check. High-quality race committee work? Check. Factor in three days of beautiful, warm, sunny weather and the 2022 Charleston Race Week demonstrated why sailors come back year after year. In the J/105 fleet, Rob Marsh got the gang back together again and the results were simply spectacular. The Maryland resident, who had not participated in competitive sailboat racing in 13 years, bought a J/105 back in December and convinced five childhood friends to compete at Charleston Race Week. "We sailed the boat for the first time just last weekend," Marsh said. "We used this regatta as an excuse to spend time together and party." Marsh and his team aboard Blowboat!! did much more than that, winning two races and placing second in three others en route to capturing the J/105 title in a close battle with Skimmer. Marsh’s crew, consisting of men aged 62 to 68 who grew up sailing out of North Shrewsbury Ice and Boat Club in Red Bank, NJ, counted no result lower than fifth in the nine-boat fleet. "It was a fantastic regatta with great organization, great racing, great people and great weather," said Marsh, who owns a boat dealership and storage facility on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Skipper Mike Martschink and his Carolina Yacht Club crew on Skimmer took second by tiebreaker over Dead on Arrival, owned by Joe Highsmith. The J/105 Class was deemed the most competitive one-design class at the 2022 Charleston Race Week, and Blowboat!! received the Charleston Race Week Cup. Marsh was somewhat surprised by Blowboat’s success considering he had a crew of five, while every other boat in the fleet had seven. "Honestly, it came down to making fewer mistakes than the competition. We sailed fairly smart and consistent," he said.
50th Yachting Cup in San Diego
Conditions for the final day of the 50th Yachting Cup were, well...swell. After a smooth day of racing on the Pacific Ocean course the prior day, sailors were greeted by a bit more wind and notably choppier seas built by the all-night southerly wind. Such drastic changes in conditions forced sailors to adapt, mentally and tactically. The challenge for sailors would be pushing through the overnight chop in 10-14 knots. Besides the obvious goal of the Yachting Cup -- winning -- the regatta has always been about fostering the sport of sailing and getting as many people on the water as possible. Dave Vieregg, sailing J/105 Perseverance, is doing just that for our junior sailors. Junior sailor Cameron Schnoor played a crucial role to the team according to Vieregg. It's easy to believe Yachting Cup's original founder, John Driscoll III, would be proud. "We had to lose weight in order to add him to the crew. He was all over the boat from the bow to the stern and down below checking for kelp. He was terrific and super fun to sail with. He made sure to give us grief if we weren't trimming correctly," joked Vieregg. Perseverance won the final race, keeping them in second place in their class. Class winner was Rick Goebel's Sanity. After racing, the weekend was concluded with an Awards Ceremony and party on SDYC's Main Deck. Prizing for the 50th anniversary of the event was supplied by sponsors Rigworks and Helly Hansen. Complete event details are available at https://www.yachtingcup.com/.
Spring Regatta Fun in San Francisco
Thanks for the contribution from Jay Dean: The 2022 St. Francis Yacht Club offshore racing season launched with the Spring Fest Regatta, April 9-10, with lively competition in spring sunshine and strong westerlies, thrilling spectators along the shoreline and at the Clubhouse. The J/105s, the largest fleet and largest boats competing in this event, always produce hard-fought, competitive racing. In Saturday’s action, Tim Russell’s NeNe (SFYC), a regular at the top of the scoresheet, took two first-place finishes to take the lead into Sunday’s racing, just ahead of Ryan Simmons’s Blackhawk. On Sunday, the J/105s drew two general recalls as the ebb current pulled this aggressive fleet across the line early. The third attempt at a start was successful. After rounding the windward mark, placed just off Crissy Field, the fleet ran downwind in a tense gybing duel close to shore to avoid the ebb flow. Crews struggled to control spinnakers in the building breeze and rough seas, while skippers threaded the needle through the mass of competitors. Sunday’s results brought different boats to the top with first-place finishes from Phillip Laby’s Godot (NoYC), Ian Charles’s Maverick and Adam Spiegel’s Jam Session. A consistent performance from Simmons’s Blackhawk claimed the overall victory with four thirds along with a second and a fourth. Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault, sailing Arbitrage, gained with each race on Sunday placing fourth, third and then second on the final race, ending the regatta in second place overall. Ian Charles was third in Maverick ahead of Doug Bailey (SSS) sailing Akula. Laby’s Godot took wins in two races but was forced to retire from the final race and ended the regatta in fifth. Saturday’s leader NeNe suffered a breakdown on Sunday and was unable to sail the fifth race, dropping to sixth place overall.
Team J/OK Wins Helly Hansen Sailing World San Diego Regatta
Sailing a borrowed J/105, J-OK #45, Bruce Stone won the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series in San Diego, formerly known as the NOOD. This was Bruce’s fifth NOOD win in five different venues: San Francisco, Chicago, Larchmont, Marblehead and now San Diego, racing five different J/105s (three of them borrowed). Bruce reported, "I got a call last Wednesday night from Stewart Cannon, the owner, quarantined in London and not able to return for the regatta, asking me to come to San Diego and drive his boat. Fortunately, I have sailed many regattas with three key members of the team, main trimmer Jim Dorsey, tactician Julie Mitchell and jib trimmer Philipp Berner, and knew the boat to be well-prepared, so jumped at the opportunity. After getting caught on the outside of a 50-degree shift and posting a disastrous 8th in the first race, we settled in and put up some good scores (three bullets and a second) to take the lead, just needing to stay ahead of local favorite Chuck Driscoll on Juiced to take the podium. We match raced them off the racecourse at the unfavored pin end while the rest of the fleet started at the boat. Juiced is a well-sailed boat and managed to catch up, but we kept the lead and finished two places ahead in that race...and won the regatta by four points. Co-Owner Merrill Cannon (on bow) commented, "The teamwork was remarkable and, even when we got buried, we waited for the right time to make our moves." Photos attached and results at: https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eid=14801. In photo from left to right: Jim Dorsey (main), Philipp Berner (jib trim), Merrill Cannon (bow), Bruce Stone (helm), Tom Ross (spin trim), Ray Tofolo (mast), Julie Mitchell (tactician) and SDYC Junior Staff Commodore Mike Morton handing out the trophies.
2022 J/105 Midwinter Championship
Ten boats competed in the 2022 J/105 Midwinter Championship held March 11-13 in Fort Worth, TX. With no racing on the first day due to strong winds and cold temperatures, three races were completed on day two with five races held on the final day. Winning four races to take the title was Glenn Darden, building a seven-point margin over Bill Zartler in second with Rich Schaffer finishing 21 points off the lead in third. For complete results, visit https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/23759.
Wet Round the County Race
Pacific Northwest sailors enjoyed their end-of-the-sailing season classic known as the Round the County Race. It's a circumnavigation of some of the San Juan Islands that sit at the border of the USA and Canada. Over 100 boats signed up. The J/105s had their way in the 13-boat PHRF Division 4. Winning was Aitchinson's J/105 MOOSE UNKNOWN (and taking third overall). Their colleagues, Schenk & Hopper, on their J/105 FREE BOWL OF SOUP took the bronze. For more Round the County Race Weekend information, visit https://roundthecounty.com/?app=home.
Tim Russell’s NeNe Dominates J/105 North American Championship
As the 2021 North American Championship hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club in Annapolis, MD wrapped up on Halloween, it was Tim Russell’s NeNe who tricked the fleet during the seven-race series. With crew John Claude, Bill Higgins, Kyle Hunt, Bob Little and Ted Wilson, the San Francisco-based team on J/105 hull #3 controlled the Championship, winning the title by 24 points. They never finished out of the top four, and will look to defend their title next year when San Francisco Yacht Club hosts the 2022 Championship. Bill Zartler’s Deja Voodoo earned the silver position with 39 points, and fellow Texan Ken Horne’s Final Final gained the bronze with 43 points. There were no discards in the Series. Sunday’s winds started at 8-10 knots and increased to 15-20. Race winners were Russell, Zartler and Bruce Stone/Nicole Breault on Arbitrage.
Top Five:
- NeNe, Tim Russell 4 -2 -3 -1 -1 -2 -2; 15
- Deja Voodoo, Bill Zartler 2 -7 -1 -7 -18 -1 -3; 39
- Final Final, Ken Horne 14 -1 -5 -2 -6 -10 -5; 43
- Arbitrage, Bruce Stone/Nicole Breault 9 -6 -7 -10 -12 -3 -1; 48
- Key Players, Andrew Adler/Kevin Elion/Dan Mathias 6 -5 -12 -4 -3 -14 -12; 56
SDYC Skipper Tyler Sinks Adds 4th Lipton Cup Win to Sailing Resume
The 2021 Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup is once again in the hands of the home team. San Diego Yacht Club came out determined to repeat history and get the Cup back in their name. After sailing only nine of 12 planned races due to light winds in South San Diego Bay, SDYC finished with four bullets, four seconds, and a fifth. The battle was won after Race 8 when the team finished first, giving them a 23-point lead over their competitors with only one race left to sail. "It’s all about teamwork," said skipper Tyler Sinks. The team consisting of Sinks, Lucy Wallace, Nick Kaschak, Nevin Snow, Erik Shampain, Max Hutcheson and Jake La Dow are no strangers when it comes to the Lipton Cup. La Dow and Hutcheson have sailed with Sinks in five consecutive Lipton Cups, Nevin Snow sailed with the team in 2018, Nick Kaschak is back after a three-year hiatus, and Erik Shampain is one of the most "winningest Lipton Cup sailors of all time." Not only does this crew sail together at this regatta, but most have been actively sailing together the past few years, including in the 2019 and 2021 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup. Sinks himself has now won four Lipton Cups (2015, 2017, 2018 and 2021) making him the Lipton Cup skipper with the most wins in the past decade. Is it a coincidence that Sinks sailed through the finish in boat number four? When speaking with Sinks earlier, he confessed that the secret weapon on their team was tactician Nevin Snow. "We mostly just played it pretty simple in the end. We had a great crew that made it happen. It was shifty all over, and every race was different. Everyone on the team has been sailing a lot this summer so it was easy to plug it into the right system," said Snow. The overall results have SDYC in first with 17 points, Coronado Yacht Club in second with 42 points, and New York Yacht Club in third with 45 points. The final day of the Lipton Cup was off to another slow start. The AP flag went up at 1125 and didn’t come down until around 1345. After getting in one race won by SDYC, the AP flag went up again. The breeze filled back in at 1515, and the final race of the day was won by NYYC. With SDYC earning their win early, the race was on for second place. NYYC, CorYC and Newport Harbor Yacht Club had been swapping spots on the scoresheet all weekend. NHYC and CorYC were neck and neck through Race 9, the final race of the day. On the last leg of the race, NYYC increased their speed and took the win. Even with NYYC's bullet, it wasn’t enough to beat CorYC out for second overall. San Diego Yacht Club came through the finish line to over a dozen spectator boats beeping their horns, SDYC burgees flying high and fans cheering them on. As they approached the dock, the celebration continued and the Club presented the team with a champagne toast. After participating in the dockside camaraderie, all of the yacht club teams were invited to the Saturday Night Banquet and Awards Ceremony. The banquet is traditionally known to be a highlight of the weekend and an opportunity for skippers to roast their crews. Twelve teams will be invited back next year in 2022 to compete for the Lipton Cup once again. "I always have a blast at the Lipton Cup. It's our yacht club’s premier event, and it's great to see all the SDYC members, volunteers and supporters out on the water cheering us on. SDYC does a great job organizing the event on and off the water. It's a first-class regatta," finished Sinks. Thank you to all of the J/105 owners who chartered their boats this year in support of the regatta. For complete results, visit https://sdyc.org/assets/results/results21/liptoncup21-res.htm.
Worth the Wait for J/105 North American Championship
Thirty-five J/105s have gathered for the 2021 North American Championship hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club in Annapolis, MD. Mother Nature stepped in on the first two days of scheduled races, losing day one due to lack of breeze, and then day two to a Nor’easter barreling through. It took to day three to put scores on the scoreboard, as four races were completed under sunny skies and winds of 12-15 knots. Holding the top three podium positions are non-local boats, led by Tim Russell’s NeNe of California with 10 points (4,2,3,1). In second place is Bill Zartler’s Deja Voodoo of Texas with 17 points. Also from Texas, in third place is Ken Horne’s Final Final with 22 points. Damian Emery on loulou kicked off Saturday successfully, tailed by Zartler and Andrew Kennedy’s Bat IV. Horne’s Final Final took the next victory, ahead of Russell and then the Mirage team led by Cedric Lewis and Fredrik Salvesen. Zartler earned the victory in race three, in front of Hugh Bethell’s Jester and Russell. Russell moved up to the top spot in the final contest, with Horne and Kennedy following to shore. Racing concludes Sunday. Photos are available on the J/105 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eid=13152.
2022 J/105 North American Championship
San Francisco Bay J/105 Fleet One will host the 2022 North American Championship at San Francisco Yacht Club from September 29-October 2, and we’re encouraging visiting teams to come a few weeks earlier to compete in the Rolex Big Boat Series on September 15-19 at the St. Francis Yacht Club. This is a wonderful time to be on SF Bay with more moderate winds and no rain. With seven long format and bay tour races at Rolex and 11 buoy races at the NAC, teams will get a full season of 18 highly competitive races over the two regattas, and the 10 laydays in between provide time to go home or even head up to the wine country or Yosemite for some hiking, sightseeing and camping. Fleet 1 is already getting requests from some top East Coast teams for local boats to charter for both events. Folks should contact Bruce Stone or Tim Russell, Regatta Chair for the NAC, if they want to charter a boat.
Here’s the link to the video: https://t2p.app.box.com/s/5wd2a7c4p9vq22zb8z1i5ngqtf3f7it0
Carl Buchan Earns the Title of International Masters Regatta Champion in J/105s
Who more fitting to earn the championship title at this year’s International Masters Regatta than the 2021 National Sailing Hall of Fame inductee himself, Carl Buchan. Buchan has dedicated a significant amount of his life to the sport, and his experience was apparent in this regatta. It only makes sense that a sailor with so much success never stops fighting for the win. "Our crew all worked together really well. We all did our job and trusted each other. It was good to feel the team coming together. We kept our focus on what we needed to do. The starts were really close and hard-fought. We had some great breezes, but sometimes it got a little tricky on the shift," stated Buchan. Buchan didn’t start the regatta with any advantages. Similar to the rest of the fleet on day one, his results were all over the board. After the first day of racing with a 5, 7, 1, 10, Buchan only returned to the course with more ambition. On day two, the skipper and his team took 3 bullets and a 4. After finishes of 3, 5, 1 on the final day of the regatta, Buchan graciously offered his boat in the last rotation to take the place of a breakdown rather than use the untested spare boat. Such are the hallmarks of a Hall of Fame sailor. However, Buchan wasn’t without a fight from the rest of the competition, especially Rod Davis. Davis beat Buchan in the first race of the day, race nine, by one point and never let down. Davis and Buchan also seemed to have sailed their own match race in race 10. Davis was a mere foot behind Buchan for the entire race and at the finish line. He really impressed the fleet in race 11. Davis and his crew started the race with an OCS, were last to round the weather mark, and still finished third. Unfortunately for Davis, it wasn’t enough to beat Buchan on the scoresheet. Honorable mention goes three past International Masters Regatta champions who each won a race Saturday: 2016 Champion Bill Menninger (race 9 winner); 2019 Champion Andy Roy (race 11 winner); and 2017 Champion Bill Campbell (race 12 winner). After Buchan retired from the regatta, the fight was on for second place. Davis and Campbell were only five points in reach, and both were determined to win race 12, the final race of the weekend. Campbell was able to hold his position in front of Davis from start to finish. Although the team claimed their one and only win of the regatta, Davis still beat them on the scoresheet and earned second place overall.
The overall top three results were:
Carl Buchan, 52 Points
Rod Davis, 57 Points
Bill Campbell, 61 Points
Buchan started earning this symbolic win at a young age following in the footsteps of his father, Bill Buchan. Bill was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2013. Carl Buchan won a gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in the Flying Dutchman Class in 1984 while his father won the gold medal in the same Games in the Star fleet. Carl’s history of winning includes the World Singlehanded Youth Championship, Laser US Nationals, and North Americans, Flying Dutchman World Championship, Americans Cup (as crew), Tasar World Championship, Star North Americans and Western Hemispheres, Star World Championship, and the Soling North American Championship...just to name a few. Buchan is a great example of what the International Masters Regatta is all about: sailors who have dedicated their lives to the sport, who have shown great success on the water, and who are still passionate about the competition. After the races, the competitors were invited to the Saturday Night Awards and Banquet. The Banquet is historically a much-anticipated part of the weekend, where skippers take their time on stage to talk about (and roast) their crews. "On behalf of myself, co-chair Tim Fuller and the San Diego Yacht Club, thank you to our sailors for coming out and making this a really exciting regatta weekend for everyone. It’s great to be back after a year off in 2020. We had a great regatta with plenty of competition out on the water. We hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as we did," said Co-chair JR Young. Thank you to all of the J/105 owners who chartered their boats this year in support of the regatta.
35 Teams to Vie for the 2021 J/105 North American Championship at Annapolis YC October 28-31
Annapolis Yacht Club will host the J/105 North American Championship on October 28-31 with 11 races scheduled over four days of racing. 35 boats will be on the starting line. Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault, who won in 2019 in Marblehead on their East Coast J/105 Good Trade, will compete in a borrowed boat, Rum Puppy. Bruce and Nicole have registered to race under the St. Francis YC burgee as Arbitrage #116, their West Coast boat. In scanning the field, Bruce commented, "In addition to perennial local champions Cedric Lewis and Fredrik Salvesen on Mirage, Hugh Bethell on Jester, and newcomer Peter Bowe on Good Trade, there’s a strong line-up of out-of-town teams including two Texans: Bill Zartler’s Deja VooDoo who dominated the recent AYC Fall Series with three bullets, and Ken Horne on Final Final, a close second behind us in the previous NAs; New Yorker Damian Emery on Paul Beaudin’s loulou, frequent winner of the East Coast Championship and Block Island Race Week; and SF Bay Area sailor Tim Russell on NeNe, recent winner of the SF Fleet #1 Season Championship. We expect to see each of these well-sailed local and out-of-town boats in the hunt, plus a few dark horses." T2P.tv will produce daily videos and wrap-up coverage. View complete event details at: https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eid=13152.Stratford Shoal Race Gearbuster
This year's Indian Harbor Yacht Club Stratford Shoal Race Gearbuster saw winds gusting to 30 knots on western Long Island Sound with 52 boats. The event has two races: the classic Stratford Shoal Light turning mark for 46.5nm and the shorter Eaton's Neck course of 19.0nm. Leading a clean sweep of the podium in PHRF Spinnaker 51-99 Division was The Young American J/105 team, not only winning class but winning PHRF Overall. Also, second in class and second overall was another J/105—Randy Bourne's STRANGE BREW. While there were a large number of dropouts (retired) in every division in the race, winning the Eaton's Neck Course PHRF division was James Reichel's J/105 SCAPEGOAT by a margin of 45+ minutes on handicap. For more Stratford Shoal Gear-buster Race information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=14775.
J/Fest Southwest
The 12th Annual J/Fest Southwest Regatta was hosted by Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, TX from October 2-3. Ten J/105s were on hand and got in three races, all of which were won by Uzi Ozeri’s bonbon for 3 points total. Chuck Wielchowsky’s Texas Ranger IV edged out Jonnie Bednar’s Stinger to earn second place (10 points to 11). For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=14771.
American Yacht Club Fall Regatta
The 2021 American Yacht Club Fall Regatta was hosted by American Yacht Club in Rye, NY on September 25-26 and October 2-3. Eight J/105s enjoyed eight races. Paul Beaudin’s Loulou racked up six bullets for only 8 net points and the victory. Frank Latawiec’s Ataraxis followed in second place with 17 points, three ahead of Max Kalehoff’s LauraBea in third. For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=14292.
College Keelboat Racing on Great Lakes in J/105s
The 2021 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta was held September 25-26 in Chicago, IL. The event was co-hosted by the Storm Trysail Club and Columbia Yacht Club with support from the Chicago Tartan 10 Fleet and the Chicago J/105 Fleet. This year 18 college teams participated in the competition alongside owners, coaches and organizing staff. The event saw over 160 individuals involved in total. Five races were completed on day one, but by race three the average wind speed was over the spinnaker limit of 15 knots and the "E" flag was displayed, racing without spinnakers ensued. However, the final race had the winds back down and the "E" flag was struck and teams could once again fly spinnakers. At the end of the day, the University of Michigan was in the lead for the J/105 fleet. On day two, competitors awoke to winds from the southwest, initial WSW and later stabilizing to more a more southerly SW/SSW. Wind speeds were hovering around 13-15 knots and the harbor start occurred at 0900 as scheduled. The PRO was able to kick off three more races before the 1400 no racing time set by the notice of race. Teams lamented "fluky winds" this day as the PRO battled to maintain a relatively square course. Spinnakers were allowed at all times and at the end of the day, the University of Michigan continued their streak and was able to secure first place in the J/105 fleet.
J/105
- University of Michigan-5-3-1-1-2-5-2-1; 20
- University of California San Diego-4-2-4-4-3-3-4-3; 27
- University of Rhode Island-1-5-6-6-6-1-1-2; 28
- United States Naval Academy-6-1-5-3-5-2-3-5; 30
- United States Coast Guard Academy-3-4-2-2-4-4-6-7/RET; 32
- University of Wisconsin Madison-2-6-3-5-1-7/RET-5-4; 33 Details: https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=14482
Podium Finishes and Perpetual Trophies Decided at 2021 Rolex Big Boat Series
The final day of the 2021 Rolex Big Boat Series, hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club, featured long courses for all eight divisions, sending boats into every corner of San Francisco Bay. Clear skies, a steady westerly and the vagaries of current provided plenty of opportunities to mix things up as sailors vied for podium positions, perpetual trophies and—for three classes—Rolex Submariner Date watches. The final downwind run delivered all 78 competitors to a finish line positioned directly in front of St. Francis Yacht Club, where a crowd of spectators cheered from shore. Every year, the Commodore’s Cup is awarded to the largest one-design class at the Rolex Big Boat Series, with a preference for fleets based in San Francisco Bay. This year, 22 J/105s raced amidst exceptionally tight competition. In the end, Ryan Simmons’ Blackhawk (San Francisco Yacht Club) and Tim Russell’s Ne Ne (San Francisco Yacht Club) tied for first on points, granting the overall win to Simmons for his four first-place finishes, compared to Ne Ne’s two. The win also earned Simmons a Rolex Submariner Date watch. Simmons and Russell both finished the regatta with 22 points, followed by third place Keith Laby’s Godot with 37 points. Notably, fourth place finishers Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault aboard Arbitrage (St. Francis Yacht Club) ended with 40 points. For complete event details, visit https://rolexbigboatseries.com/.
Rest in Peace Nelson Weiderman
Nelson Weiderman played an important part of the growth of the J/105 Class, serving as Class Administrator, webmaster and Fleet 14 Captain.
Click here for Online obituary
Nelson won the US SAILING One-Design SERVICE Award for the John H. Gardiner, Jr. Trophy in 2005: The John H. Gardiner Jr. Trophy recognizes distinguished service and leadership in the promotion of one-design sailing and Class organization. This year’s recipient has been the Class Secretary and Treasurer for the J/105 Class Association for quite some time. That in itself should not qualify him for a one-design award; however his never ending enthusiasm and willingness to do any job left undone should. An example of the results of his efforts is the participation of the J/105 Class at Key West Race Week. Over the last three years, the number of boats has increased from the upper twenties to forty. This individual begins working in August and continues to keep those interested informed of who is going, what they need to prepare and how to get logistics organized up until the day before the event. If that was not enough, he then changes hats and becomes the Class’s daily reporter, keeping the website up to date with what happened, how it happened, and what resulted. These are just a few examples. He continues to promote the Class, maintain its website and really steer the Class throughout the year.
Conanicut Round Island Race
The 2021 edition of one of New England's more famous round island races took place on Labor Day Sunday. The 21.0nm Round Conanicut Island Race was hosted by Conanicut Yacht Club for a fleet of 77 boats. Crews enjoyed the relatively fast race in the 8-15 kts southerly breeze. While it was a little gray and overcast, it was a classic race going clockwise around the island. A short beat from the start off Jamestown to Beavertail Point, rounding it to starboard, then a long spinnaker run down the west passage to the northern two buoys, then back down Narragansett Bay's East Passage to the finish just past the Newport Bridge. The J/105s led a sweep of the 10-boat PHRF F Division. Winning was Sean & Susan Doyle's KESTREL, with Matt Schmitt's HARDTACK taking the silver. For more Conanicut YC Round Island Race information, visit https://conanicutyachtclub.org/ati-race-details-waterfront.
Light Trans-Superior Race
The annual 326.0nm Trans-Superior Race, organized and hosted by Duluth Yacht Club in MN, is one of the most challenging of the four major Great Lakes offshore races. The fleet starts at the eastern end of the deepest, coldest lake—Sault Ste. Marie, MI—then they all head west to finish at the westernmost harbor of Duluth, MN. For this year's competitors, it was a near "glass-out" with the clouds mirrored in the perfectly flat lake. Michael Hettel's J/105 GLOBAL NOMADS won the six-boat PHRF B division by nearly 2 hours corrected time. For more Trans-Superior Race information, visit https://www.transsuperior.com/.
Inaugural J/105 Ontario Women’s Championship
The J/105 Class has a strong presence in Toronto, and as a boat well suited for all shapes and sizes, local fleet sailors launched the inaugural J/105 Ontario Women’s Championship to lower the barriers to women racing in the fleet. On August 21 the strength of women’s sailing was on full display in at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club on Lake Ontario, Canada. With the goal to encourage and welcome women sailors at every level, the result was twelve J/105 boats and 96 competitors ranging from local club sailors to Olympians and ages that ranged from 15 to 70 years. As a "Regatta for Women by Women", Felicity Rodness was the Regatta Chair, Kathy Pask as the Regatta J/105 Organizer, Anne Sanderson as Race Committee, and Lynne Beale as the Jury. On the day of the event, what looked like a no-wind day turned into champagne sailing and very tight competitive racing with boats finishing within seconds of each other in a total of four races. Additionally, the racing had the one of the largest spectator fleets cheering from the sidelines. Each race saw a different winner and only nine points separated first to sixth place. In the end, Team WOMandate skippered by Sarah Douglas (just back from a 6th place finish at the Tokyo Olympics) and team Jenny Farrand, Mariah Millen, Ingrid Merry, Emily Merry, Ali Ten Hove, and Mickey McLaughlin won the last race for the overall win. WOMandate edged out Team Hey Jude with Karen McRae skippering a team with Charlotte de Heinrich, Laura Chalmers, Martha Henderson, Charlotte Scythes, Stephanie Hardes, and Janine Clark in a tie breaker. Team Sonic Boom, made up of team members Emily Sale, Brownyn Richardson, Joanne Prokop, Allison Boyd, Michelle Skutelsky, Kira Fulford, and skipper Jen Paterson (Provan) finished third. Once racing was finished, the competitors transformed themselves from sweat and grit to glitz and glamour at the "Tactics to Tiara" sit-down dinner with a spectacular Island sunset. The success of every women sailor was celebrated from team biographies to team awards and each crew being personally introduced. Results click here.
Sunny, Choppy Verve Cup Offshore Weekend
Chicago Yacht Club rolled out the red carpet again for their end-of-season regatta: Verve Cup Offshore from August 13-15. Friday offered a Northeast breeze, and the next two days offered more of the same, with sunshine and 70 degree temperatures, but a lighter 5-9 knots breeze in the east/southeast quadrants and continued large chop. The seven-boat J/105 fleet saw a few familiar names at the top of the podium. Those veterans include Jon Weglarz's THE ASYLUM winning with 14 points, followed by Clark Pellett's SEALARK in second with 16 points, and Judie & Ross McLean's ESPRIT d'ECOSSE in third with 26 points. For more Chicago YC Verve Cup Offshore information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=14617.
Foggy, Light Chester Race Week
The Helly Hansen Chester Race Week ended up becoming a typically light air, foggy affair over the four days of racing. The finale ended with a lot less fog than the previous three days, with even lighter winds. Winning the five-boat J/105 fleet was Sean McDermott & Rory MacDonald's McMAC, followed by Jim Mosher's MOJO in second, and John Sapp's VTACK in third. For more Chester Race Week information, visit https://www.chesterraceweek.com/.
Chester Race Week 2021
The fourth day at Helly Hansen Chester Race Week ended with a lot less fog and lighter winds for the final day of racing. In J/105 PHRF Inshore (5 Boats):
- McMac, CAN506, Sean McDermott / Rory MacDonald - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - [3] - 1 ; 6
- MoJo, CAN606, James Mosher - [3] - 3 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 1 - 3 ; 13
- VTack, USA51563, John Sapp - [4] - 2 - 4 - 3 - 3 - 2 - 2 ; 16 For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=14401.
Long Island Sound Championship
The 17th Annual YRALIS Championship Regatta (PHRF and One-Design) was hosted by a trio of yacht clubs in western Long Island Sound—American YC, Indian Harbor YC, and Riverside YC. Racing took place on three circles, one hosted by each club, from August 7-8. In the PHRF Navigator Spin division it was Randy Bournes's J/105 STRANGE BREW that won their division. For more Long Island Sound Championship information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=14685.
San Francisco YC Summer Keelboat Regatta
The SF Bay wind machine kicked in with full force for the San Francisco Yacht Club Summer Keelboat Regatta held on the Berkeley Circle on August 7-8, with winds starting at 14-16 knots and quickly ramping up to the high teens/low 20s. The 16 J/105s on the course found challenging conditions and reported sustained winds of 24 knots for the final race each day, gusting to 27. Amidst this, one team – Bruce Stone’s J/105 Arbitrage - stood out with a score line of 2, 1, 2, 3, 1 for a total of 9 points over five races – and even that score was elevated after having shredded a kite on the last downwind leg of the first race on Sunday and finishing on white sails, with such a lead that they only lost two spots in that race for a third place finish. Results: https://theclubspot.com/regatta/fjFFfJTkZD/results. The team included John Horsch at main/tactics, Philipp Berner trimming sails, Marc Acheson at pit, Halsey Richartz at mast and Claire Dennis at bow. Bruce reported that they actually used their North AP 3di jib, as their older heavy air North jib has a lot of mileage and the new HA design from North is not yet here, arriving in a few weeks for Rolex Big Boat Series. "We tightened the shrouds, put on some more jib halyard, boned the jib sheet and were able to flatten the sail enough to handle the conditions. While we certainly benefited from great starts, our straight line boat speed was superior to anything we’ve achieved so far. We also used this AP jib and those tighter settings in the recent Sausalito YC J/105 Invitational Regatta and found similar benefits. However, torturing a jib by flying it above is optimal range is not recommended, and we eagerly await our new heavy air sails! In the meantime, we’ll likely tighten the forestay before the next regatta in two weeks as these conditions are likely to persist."
60th Ugotta Regatta
Living up to its reputation as one of the most fun and beautiful regattas of the Great Lakes summer sailing season, the Little Traverse Yacht Club was blessed with good weather and great sailing for their annual Ugotta Regatta. Sailing took place from July 30-August 1. The PHRF B handicap class saw Bob Christoph's J/105 LIL LOKI take the class win with double bullets. For more LTYC Ugotta Regatta information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eid=13110.
Susan Hood Trophy Race on Lake Ontario
The 2021 edition of Port Credit Yacht Club's Susan Hood Trophy Race was sailed by a fleet of ORC and PHRF offshore handicap racing teams on Lake Ontario. Sailing the large offshore 78.0nm triangle, starting off Port Credit YC's starting line in western Toronto, the diverse fleet of boats sailed both shorthanded and fully crewed boats. Winning the PHRF 3 class was Bill Bevan & Paul Martini's J/105 ENDEAVOUR. For more Susan Hood Trophy Race information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=13259.
Hook Race “Death Door’s” Challenge
The HOOK Race is a 189.0 nautical mile race on Lake Michigan held each year in July. The challenging event starts outside the harbor in Racine, Wisconsin, "hooking" through Death’s Door, a narrow passageway between Washington Island and Wisconsin’s Door County Peninsula, continuing across Green Bay, and ending in Menominee, Michigan. Winning the five-boat Doublehanded Division was Davie Pierce and Albert Jurkiewicz's J/105 CAUGHT IN TRAFFIC. In the five-boat Singlehanded Division winning was Brian Crabb's J/105 SEA-U. For more The Hook Race "Death Doors" Challenge information, visit https://www.racineyachtclub.org/the-hook.
Marblehead NOOD
The Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta at Marblehead Race Week was held July 22-25. The J/105s were the only fleet to start a race on Sunday before it was abandoned when a squall swept across the course. Charlie Garrard’s team on Merlin had started perfectly and were well ahead on the first leg before the race was called off, but five wins in six races over the previous two days were plenty to secure the win over Ric Dexter and the team on Brouhaha. For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eid=13228.
Larchmont Race Week is Back
In its 123rd edition, 140 offshore yachts competed on the weekends of July 10-11 and July 17-18 at Larchmont Race Week on Long Island Sound. Continuing where he left off in his previous Long Island Sound regatta near the top of the fleet, Paul Beaudin's LOU LOU won with straight bullets. Second with all deuces was Max Kalehoff's LAURA BEA and third was Mike Kontonotas' APOLLO with all threes. For more Larchmont Race Week information, visit https://www.larchmontyc.org/race-week.
Cloudy, Drizzly Round the Island Race
The weather may not have delivered, but for many of the 7,000 sailors who headed out for the 90th anniversary of the Island Sailing Club's Round the Island Race, this was a big day out in Cowes, Isle of Wight, England. The forecast for overcast skies and light winds were not enough to put off 1,078 teams to take part in one of the biggest races in the world. The J/105 fleet saw Andrew Roberts' JIN TONIC win, with William Newton's JELLY BABY in second, and Tom Hayhoe's MOSTLY HARMLESS in third. For more Round Island Race information, visit http://www.roundtheisland.org.uk/web/code/php/main_c.php?section=home.
Block Island Race Week presented by Margaritaville 2021 / J/105 East Coast Championship
Thick fog and light winds greeted sailors on the final morning of Storm Trysail Club Block Island Race Week presented by Margaritaville. After an hour-long postponement, the Race Committee ultimately decided to abandon racing on Margaritaville Race Day due to the low visibility and lack of wind. Bill Zartler’s DEJA VOODOO from Lakewood, TX won the J/105 fleet – one of the largest in a decade with 13 boats. "As usual, it’s great to be at Block Island Race Week because of the challenging conditions. You have to watch the current and the wind shifts. This team was on top of the racecourse, at all times paying attention, and was ready to change gears quickly." Zartler attributes having a team that has sailed together a long time to the victory. The Vintage Yacht Trophy: Best Yacht at Block Island Race week 25 years old or older, substantially unaltered, with the best point score for the week went to Bill Zartler, DEJA VOODOO.
Top Three:
- Deja Voodoo, USA130, William Zartler – 1 -7 -2 -1 -4 -1 -1 ; 17
- Boat 63, USA63, Bruce Stone / Nicole Breault – 7 -1 -1 -5 -3 -4 -2 ; 23
- Honey Badger, USA568, Brian M. Nelson – 4 -2 -3 -6 -2 -8 -4 ; 29 For complete event details and video, visit https://stormtrysail.org/regattas/blockislandraceweek/.
Cleveland Race Week One-Design
Edgewater Yacht Club in Cleveland, OH hosted their annual Cleveland Race Week One Design on Lake Erie. Despite challenging weather, the sailors enjoyed up to four races over the two-day weekend. The half-dozen J/105s saw Chip Schaffner's FALL LINE winning with a 2-2-1 scoreline for 5 points. The balance of the podium was determined by a tie-breaker at 8 points each. On the countback, taking second were the Trio Brothers on TRIO with a 4-1-3 record, and third went to Rob Mock's UNBRIDLED with an identical 1-3-4 record. For more Cleveland Race Week information, visit https://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=14435.
Anacortes Race Week
The reincarnation of the old Whidbey Island Race Week took in the Pacific Northwest with six races over the three days. The 11-boat J/105 fleet saw John Aitchison's MOOSE UNKNOWN take the win, followed by Lenny Rezabek's INSUBORDINATION taking silver and Chris Phoenix's JADED earning the bronze medal. For more Anacortes Race Week information, visit https://www.raceweekpnw.com.
J/105 in Bermuda 1-2 Race
The Bermuda One-Two is a 635.0nm singlehanded race from Newport, RI to Bermuda, followed by a doublehanded race back. Hosted by Newport Yacht Club and St Georges Dinghy & Sports Club in Bermuda, it's the premier shorthanded race on the US East Coast, run in the off year from Newport Bermuda races. In PHRF 2 Class, Peter Becker's J/105 YOUNG AMERICAN finished in an elapsed time of 118 hrs 53 min to take both elapsed and handicap honors. In addition, Becker's YOUNG AMERICAN won PHRF Overall. For more Bermuda One-Two Race information, visit http://www.bermuda1-2.org/index.htm.
Glider IV Tops J/105s at Chicago NOOD
The Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Chicago on June 11-13 was the largest regatta hosted on Lake Michigan since the pandemic began. Eight J/105s competed in five races. Richard Stearns’ Glider IV tallied 8 points by finishing in the top two of all races for the fleet victory. Clark Pellett’s Sealark followed in second with 12 points, and Gyt Petkus’ Vytis rounded out the top three at 16 points. Full results: https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=13227
Fun Eastport One-Design Classic
The season opening regatta for Eastport Yacht Club in Annapolis, MD is their annual Eastport One-Design Classic. The J/105s had a runaway winner in the form of Peter Bowe's GOOD TRADE, winning three of the four races. The silver went to Jon Slabaugh's FIREBRAND, and third went to Kristen Robinson's VELVET HAMMER. For more Eastport One-Design Classic information, visit https://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=14387.
Clark Pellett’s Sealark Tops J/105s at COLORS Regatta
Columbia Yacht Club in Chicago, IL hosted the COLORS Regatta from June 5-6, including eight J/105s who got in three races. Clark Pellett’s Sealark won two of those races to take the win with 4 points. Josh Lutton’s Kinship earned second place on the tiebreaker over Peter Schwarzbach’s Phantom (11 points each). Full results: https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=14422
Loulou Takes Top Honors at Cedar Point One Design Regatta
Thanks to Fleet 6 for this report: Paul Beaudin's Loulou took top honors at the Cedar Point One Design Regatta, including best overall performance with five firsts and a 3 as a throw-out. John Horan's Cush also posted solid scores with a bullet and no score worse than third to take the silver. Randy Bourne's Strange Brew, also with a bullet, took the bronze. The Race Committee and the CP yacht club put on a very good show, and the weather for sailing was outstanding. Complete results: https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=12983
Paul Beaudin’s loulou Tops J/105s at American YC Spring Regatta
The 2021 American Yacht Club Spring Regatta, hosted by American Yacht Club in Rye, NY, took place April 24-25 & April 30-May 2. Six J/105s competed in 12 races over the two-weekend Series. Paul Beaudin’s loulou won seven races, surging him into first place with 18 points. David Willis’ Solution followed with 25 points, and Greth Lester claimed third with 35 points. Complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=14291.
Battle to the End at Helly Hansen Annapolis NOOD
The 2021 Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Annapolis was hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club from April 30-May 2. Twenty-one J/105s took to the racecourse for six races. Competition was tight, but it was Bill Zartler’s Deja Voodoo who took the gold with 27 points. Close behind was Ken Horne’s Final Final (29 points) and the Mirage team of Cedric Lewis/Fredrik Salvesen (32 points). Complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=13226.
Teamwork Leads J/105 J-OK into First Overall at the 2021 Yachting Cup
It wasn’t exactly a day of smooth sailing on day two, the final day of San Diego Yacht Club's 2021 Yachting Cup. With misty weather and large, choppy ocean swells, teams used to sailing in champagne San Diego were in for a bit of a challenge. Overall 2021 Yachting Cup winner, the J/105 J-OK, was one of the boats that embraced the ocean and saw the regatta the whole way through. The crew attributes their success to working together as a team. "We put together a good team, and we have a good boat," said J-OK Crew Jim Dorsey. "It’s one hundred percent teamwork. It was very tough steering conditions today, and Stewart (Cannon) did an excellent job. Between Jim and Stewart, they really worked it," added Julie Mitchell, the J-OK Tactician. Following J-OK were George Scheel’s Sun Puffin and Steve & Lucy Howell’s Blink! Complete event details may be found at https://yachtingcup.com/.
J/105 Fast at St. Maarten Finale
The traditional end-of-the-season regatta for the winter Caribbean circuit for St. Maarten sailors is the St. Maarten Yacht Club's Simpson Bay to Friar's Bay Race and return. Virtually all the major players in the St. Maarten sailing community attended their grand finale. In the end, it was Jordan Mindich's J/105 SOLSTICE that "blinded the fleet with science and brilliance," taking overall honors over two hard-charging Melges 24s and a J/70.
Charleston Race Week 25th Anniversary
While many regattas around the world are still getting canceled because of coronavirus, Charleston Race Week pressed forward with its 25th anniversary celebration. It came one year late since the 2020 edition was canceled due to the developing pandemic last April. Mass vaccinations combined with a decrease in positive cases throughout most of the United States prompted longtime event director Randy Draftz to forge forward with a Charleston Race Week 2021. Regatta management did so with an abundance of caution, and numerous precautions were put into place to ensure the event was held in a safe and responsible manner. For this year, the focus on April 9-11 was fully on producing top-notch racing, and on that front the regatta was a tremendous success. Classes on Circle 1 (VX One), Circle 3 (J/88, J/105, ORC D) all reached 10 races, while those on Circle 2 (J/70, Melges 24) and Circle 4 (J/22, J/24, PHRF Inshore) finished with nine. Ken Horne pulled off a rarity in the J/105 fleet, counting all first-place finishes in winning going away. The League City, Texas resident did not need to sail Final Final in Race 10, using that DNS as a discard in netting nine points – 16 less than the runner-up boat. "It’s great to be back on the water racing in a major event. I think this regatta is going to be one of the biggest of 2021, and we were thrilled to be here to experience it," Horne said. "We couldn’t have asked for better weather conditions, although the current was very challenging." Horne became a Charleston Race Week winner for the first time in three attempts in the J/105. After struggling at the Class Midwinter Championship, he made some rig and tuning changes that improved Final Final’s boat speed. For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=12954.
Lots of Races at St. Pete NOOD
For the first time in its 33-year history, the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta St. Petersburg moved from its traditional February slot, and the Sunshine City showed off its spring break charm for the 120 teams competing April 2-4 to deliver the full package of wind, waves and fun in the sun. In PHRF 2, the J/105 Breezin Bayou owned by Mitcham Stephen won the five-boat fleet. For full results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=13224.
Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta San Diego
The Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta San Diego was hosted by San Diego Yacht Club & Coronado Yacht Club from March 19-21. Seven J/105s completed five races. Stewart Cannon’s J-OK topped the fleet with 10 points, followed by George Scheel’s Sun Puffin (13) and Donica & Scott Ryder’s Sanity (15). For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=13225.
ARBITRAGE Circles Fleet in J/105 “Pi” Doublehanded Race
J/105 Fleet #1 continues to have fun organizing their own one-design doublehanded racing on San Francisco Bay. With races easily started and finished just off Golden Gate Yacht Club, and with a few hundred navigational buoys to choose from on Bay charts, it's easy to tailor a race course to the forecasted breezes and tides for the day. Here's Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault's report from aboard ARBITRAGE on the inaugural "Pi" Doublehanded Race held on 3.14.21: "The wind was uncharacteristically from the south, around 8-10 knots, so the PRO set us on a reaching course from the Golden Gate YC's X Buoy against the 2-3 knot flood tide out to Pt. Bonita buoy and back. We had an ultra-cautious start (not our usual, of course). We were a bit late at the start, as we decided to hoist the big asym spinnaker before the gun and allowed a generous amount of space so as to not risk being over-early. Most of the other boats started ahead of us and then jib-reached up along the shore to avoid the flood and what appeared to be lighter air. By contrast, we felt the extra sail area would allow us to plow ahead on the rhumb line, and that proved to be the winning formula against the adverse current. We were in much more breeze, and we were well-ahead by the time the others hoisted their spinnakers. We then nearly stopped dead when passing the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge and running into both its wind shadow and a 4-5 knot flood...reducing our VMG to around 1.5 knots! We persisted and poked through to some relief. We were then knocked toward the north shore of the entrance channel, but did not mind that as we expected early ebb, which proved to be true. As we got closer to the lee shore (on the north side of the channel), we were headed some more and dropped the kite, but then lifted back up to the mark and benefited from the ebb. After passing Pt. Bonita, we were still way ahead of the fleet. However, we couldn't locate the mark! We suspect it had been pulled for maintenance! Oops! We called our competitors on the radio and asked if any of them could find the mark. We then suggested they should round our spot (GPS coordinates) and race to the finish. Everyone agreed, and we then turned for a pleasant close-reach and then a beat home to the finish. It was notable that two of the teams, RUSSIAN ROULETTE and AKULA, had young crew on board. Nicole had baked some fruit pies and awarded them to the second and third place finishers, AKULA and AQUAVIT."
Bill Zartler’s Deja Voodoo Rocks J/105 Midwinter Championship
The J/105 Midwinter Championship returned to the calendar this year as 12 teams competed at Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, TX from March 11-14. Bill Zartler’s Deja Voodoo won seven of the eight races to convincingly take the title (9 points). Ken Horne’s Final Final put together a solid series to secure second place with 18 points. Uzi Ozeri’s Bonbon claimed the bronze position with 39 points. Enthusiasm was high amongst the competitors to hold a Class Championship again.
Top five:
- Deja Voodoo, Bill Zartler - 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -1 -1 ; 9
- Final Final, Ken Horne - 3 -2 -2 -2 -4 -1 -2 -2 ; 18
- Bonbon, Uzi Ozeri - 2 -4 -7 -6 -5 -7 -3 -5 ; 39
- Pesto, John Barnett - 8 -6 -4 -3 -6 -6 -9 -4 ; 46
- Eau La La, Mark Smith - 11 -3 -5 -4 -3 -11 -7 -3 ; 47 Photos are available on the J/105 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at https://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=14324.
Challenging SSS Corinthian Race
The Singlehanded Sailing Society of San Francisco Bay held their annual Corinthians Race with 180 competitors. Starting and finishing off Golden Gate Yacht Club, the 15.5nm course rounds Blackaller Buoy to starboard, Southampton Shoal red bell to port, Little Harding green buoy to port, Blossom Rock green bell to starboard, then to GGYC finish on the waterfront. Crews made the most of the light to medium, very challenging conditions on San Francisco Bay. In PHRF C Doublehanded J/105s, the winners were Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault's ARBITRAGE. Pushing them hard all race was the duo of Charles James & Panda Love's ROXANNE to take the silver. Rounding out the podium was Tom Struttmann & Joerg Esdorn's ARRIVED. For more SSS Corinthian Race information, visit Jibeset - Regatta list.
ARBITRAGE Triumphs at J/105 Valentine’s Rally
As part of their ongoing San Francisco J/105 Doublehanded Winter Series, the fleet got together for their first-ever J/105 Valentine's Rally on February 14. San Francisco Bay served up its usual challenges to the sailors, having to make decisions between wind and current on every leg of the course. Here's the report from Bruce Stone from aboard ARBITRAGE:
"With the typically modest mid-winter breeze out of the northeast, and our starting area in front of Golden Gate YC, the RC announced a course to the East with port roundings. So, we re-ran our spin gear to account for that, but just 10 minutes before the warning, we had a shift to the WSW. So, the RC announced a last-minute call for the new course to Blackaller- just before the Golden Gate Bridge. OMG! So, us and the other crews scrambled to re-run the spin gear for the starboard rounding that would take everyone out into the flood tide. Given the adverse current, teams were challenged right from the start to exploit the relief along the shore and were ping-ponging off the breakwater in front of the St. Francis; normally quite easy with a full crew but a workout for double-handers. ARBITRAGE had a great start and, after making some gains toward the shore, decided to stretch out on port tack for the better wind just 100 yards out; it was the typical arbitrage of wind and tide...hence the name of the boat. ABITRAGE won that battle and rounded clear ahead, setting the kite and reaching out to the favorable flood in the light breeze. A long downwind to channel mark 4, passing Alcatraz to port, created passing opportunities for the trailing boats. Some went low toward Treasure Island, staying in the dying flood, while ARBITRAGE and JAM SESSION looked for better wind toward the north and took a gamble in cutting behind Alcatraz. That approach backfired, as they were both swept up in the reverse eddy of the famous cone. After apparently losing its lead, ARBITRAGE jibed back into fresh air and extricated themselves from the ebb in a clean spinnaker reach to the downwind mark, converging with the other boats that had stayed away from Alcatraz. Stone and Breault executed a Mexican drop just past the mark with the jib preset for the upwind leg and were able to round tightly and head right toward the finish at Golden Gate YC. However, our competitors were a little less fortunate, as the other teams dropped too early and struggled to round the mark in the light winds and early ebb tide. Everyone headed toward the city front as the flood had ended and ebb was established there. But, once again, wind pressure trumped tide, and it was better to stay in the deeper water. Tom Struttmann and Joerg Esdorn on ARRIVED went too far, ran out of wind and retired." In the end, the J/105 Valentine's Rally was won by Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault in ARBITRAGE, followed by Justin Oberbauer in STRANGELOVE, Adam Spiegel in JAM SESSION and Bill Woodruff in RUSSIAN ROULETTE.
J/105 Newport Regatta Series 2021
J/105 One-Design Regatta Series Newport 2021
NYYC Annual: June 11-12-13
Sail Newport Regatta: July 10-11
NYYC ORC East Coast Regatta: July 16-17-18
Race Weekend by Safe Harbor at NEB & Newport Shipyard Aug 13-15
J/105 Owners interested in participating in all or any of the above regattas need to make their intentions known as soon as possible to guarantee our One Design starts. For further Series details contact Robert Taylor, Jinx#246 Email: ic24us@gmail.com Cell/Text msg: 443-223-6268
Slow Lauderdale to Key West Race
With a time limit of 48 hours, the 29 starters for the 2021 Lauderdale to Key West Race were on the clock as light winds plagued the 155nm course. 17 teams tapped out after the 11am start on January 21. The J/105 Whistler (Schaedler/Taylor) was the lone PHRF finisher. For complete event details, visit https://www.keywestrace.org/.
J/105s Rock Hot Rum Series
In the 27-boat PHRF 4 Class of San Diego Yacht Club’s Hot Rum Series, leading the charge and sweeping the podium were top J/105 teams. Winning was Jim Dorsey's J-OK, followed by the Vieregg/Bermann duo on ZUNI BEAR in second and Jeff Brown's SWEET KAREN in third. For more San Diego YC Hot Rum Series information, visit San Diego Yacht Club (sdyc.org).
Rule Interpretation Posted
Rule Interpretation 20-04 A-sprit end options and low friction rings has been posted at http://j105.org/rule-interpretations/.
Baltimore Skipper Captures J/105 Chesapeake Bay Championship After Emergency Boat Repair
Thanks to the Capital Gazette for this report: Hugh Bethell wasn’t sure he would be able to sail in the J/105 Chesapeake Bay Championship. Two days before delivering his boat to Annapolis for the National Offshore One Design series, Bethell discovered core damage. Jester lives on a trailer at the Clinton Street Marina in Baltimore, and Bethell noticed the problem while cleaning the bottom. "I saw an area that was concave instead of convex," he said. Heeding the recommendation of other J/105 owners, Bethell brought Jester to Muller Marine in Annapolis to perform the repair. That boatyard just changed hands with longtime owner Bobby Muller selling to Corey Blazevich and Brandon Beylo. "After we got her off the trailer at Muller’s, we discovered it was worse than I initially realized," Bethell said. "Luckily, the new owners of Muller’s made it their mission to have the boat done in time for the event." Muller Marine cut the outer skin of the hull and replaced the core in four places then replaced the skin. Bethell thanked Beylo and Blazevich for their "concierge" service and said the repair was so professional one could hardly tell it had been done. Jester was launched a day ahead of schedule, and Bethell promptly skippered the Baltimore boat to victory in the J/105 Chesapeake Bay Championship. Kevin Petrikas served as tactician for Bethell, who won two races and placed second in two others. Bethell sailed with his regular crew that does the Baltimore City Yacht Association Tuesday Night Series on a regular basis. Rich Shores (bow), Michael Woollen (headsail trimmer), Todd Cagwin (main trimmer), Jake Wolf and Chris Endres (both pit) completed the team. "I was fortunate to have a crew that really knows the boat. We’ve sailed together on a lot of Tuesday nights in Baltimore, and I can count on them to cover up all the mistakes I make at the back of the boat," Bethell said. This was the first Chesapeake Bay Championship for Bethell, a Baltimore resident who has owned a J/105 since 2002. Bethell named his boat in honor of his son. "We bought this boat when my son was two years old. He was a funny kid with a wicked laugh and really loved being out on the water," Bethell explained. When the wind was strong and the boat was heeling, he would let out this crazy laugh. My wife and I started calling him our little Jester." Storms passed through Annapolis Thursday into Friday, and a gale was forecast for Sunday night. Competitors expected variable conditions, and the Chesapeake Bay delivered with Saturday’s breeze ranging from 6 to 16 knots with massive changes in direction. "There were literally 25-degree shifts happening multiple times per race. You could lose a lot of places in a hurry, so some luck was involved," Bethell said. Sunday brought more consistent velocity with winds holding steady in the upper teens, but shiftiness persisted – forcing the Annapolis Yacht Club race committee to work overtime to keep the course square. Because of the previous two days of rain, there was a strong current coming out of the Severn River that impacted the racetrack. "Our strategy throughout the event was to get off the line cleanly, even if a little late because Fleet 3 is full of teams that know how to start well," Bethell said. "After that, we just focused on staying in a clear lane headed to the side of the course we thought might see more velocity or an early shift." Midshipman Katie Boyle skippered the Naval Academy varsity offshore sailing team to a second-place finish aboard Constellation. Maddie Ploch steered for Navy, which won Race 3 after placing second in Race 2 in totaling 15 points, nine astern of Jester. Ben DuPont skippered Ctrl Alt Del to a consistent score line of all single-digit results in the 20-boat fleet to take third. Mirage totaled six points in three races but was undone by a 15th-place finish that was largely a result of one of those huge shifts. "We’re really grateful that Linda Ambrose and everyone else at AYC found a way to put on this regatta despite the pandemic, the weather, and all the other challenges they faced," Bethell said. "Out on the water, for just a few hours, we could all forget how much the world has changed."
Fun J/Fest Southwest Regatta
According to Scott Spurlin, J/Dealer in Texas, "The J/Sailors in Texas needed this event! The enthusiasm to get out on the water was over the top! On Friday, the rain was coming down and the gusts were in the 40s, and people still trailered their boats in. We delayed the start on Saturday to give them time to set up and launch. Then we had a full weekend of racing." The J/Fest Southwest Regatta celebrated its 11th anniversary with over 70 boats. The J/105 fleet saw a few duels taking place at the top of the leaderboard. Winning the regatta by just one point was Ken Horne's FINAL FINAL over Bill Zartler's DEJA VOODOO. The bronze medal battle went to the final race and ended up in a tiebreaker at 24 points each. After the countback, the bronze was awarded to John Bell's KINDERSPIEL 2 over Bill Lackenmacher's RADIANCE. Taking fifth place was Uzi Ozeri's BONBON. For more J/Fest Southwest information, visit https://www.jfestsouthwest.com/.
Rule Interpretation Posted
Rule Interpretation 20-03 Small On-Deck Changes has been posted at http://j105.org/rule-interpretations/.
J-OK Tops J/105s at Yachting Cup
A diminished fleet of 37 teams competed in San Diego Yacht Club’s signature event, the 2020 Yachting Cup on October 10-11 in San Diego, CA. With local COVID-19 regulations postponing the event from its annual spring slot, and with uncertainty prior to the region lifting its boating restrictions, the 48th edition held racing in ORR/EZ, four PHRF fleets, and in J/105 and Beneteau 36.7 one design classes. Six J/105s registered for the event and got off six races. Leading the pack was Stewart Cannon's J-OK with 8 points including four bullets. Trailing Cannon were George Scheel's Sun Puffin (14 points) and Donica & Scott Ryder's Sanity (17). For complete results, visit https://sdyc.org/assets/results/results20/yachtingcup-res.htm.
Doubling Interest in Two-up Test
The second annual Double Handed Distance Race on October 3-4 attracted 37 teams from across the USA, more than doubling the number of teams from the inaugural year in Annapolis, MD. Inspired by the new Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat Olympic event announced a year and a half ago, Annapolis Yacht Club committed to offering events to support shorthanded sailing. The 24-hour, 92.2-mile course provided a varied test for the fleet which has the majority of boats in the 28 to 45-foot range, divided into the J/105 OD Mixed Doubles class and ORC 1 and ORC 2. In all, there were 17 mixed-gender teams – the 11 J105s, 3 in ORC 1, and 3 in ORC 2. With light winds highlighted by lots of changes in breeze direction and velocity, the challenging conditions were multiplied by Chesapeake currents and the topography of rivers along the Bay. Randy Smyth and Christina Persson topped the J/105s. Full event details are at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=11749.
Newly Formatted Tri-State Fly-By Race
The annual Tri-State regatta fell victim to the coronavirus in 2020. Instead of the traditional Friday night 60+ mile race to St Joseph, Michigan, followed by a 30+ mile race to Michigan City, Indiana on Sunday, and finishing on Labor Day back in Chicago, the race was run in a single night. The renamed "Tri-State Fly-By" was a 78.0 nm triangle around southern Lake Michigan. Starting in Chicago, the race took the fleet eastward across the lake to an Orange Tetrahedron set off New Buffalo, Michigan, then to a Red Flashing Gong off of Burns Harbor, Indiana, and then back to the south side of Chicago. At the 7:00 PM start, the weather was perfect—high 70s on the lake, lake water in the 70s with a west wind at 12 MPH. With a course of 100 degrees, it was a spinnaker run to the first mark. PHRF 3 Class was won by Judith & Ross McLean's J/105 ESPRIT d'ECOSSE. The PHRF Doublehanded Class saw four J/105s in the top five: second was Mike Sheppard's FLYING PIG, third Mark Gannon's GANGBUSTERS, fourth Ralph Krauss' YUKON, and fifth Mike Hettel’s GLOBAL. The singlehanded J/105 sailors swept the top of the podium in the PHRF Singlehanded Class too. Winning was Brian Crabb's SEA-U and second was David Pierce's CAUGHT IN TRAFFIC. For more Tri-State Fly-By Race information, visit https://www.columbiayachtclub.org/default.aspx?p=.NETEventView&ID=202606&qfilter=&type=0&ssid=311921&chgs=.
Young American Team tops PHRF 7 at Vineyard Race
Hosted by Stamford YC, Labor Day weekend's Vineyard Race is a classic American yachting event. This 238-mile course stretches from Shippan Point through the swirling currents of Plum Gut past Block Island, and on to the light tower at the entrance to Buzzard's Bay. Once reached, sailors return by leaving Block Island to starboard en route to the finish in Stamford Harbor. In the pandemic version of the race, crews had to sail with fewer people to satisfy the multiple constituencies governing the waters the fleet would be sailing through. This year's race was a fast one for most boats, with the fleet starting off in fast reaching spinnaker conditions. There was a good mix of beating, reaching and running. The Vineyard Race (longest distance), doublehanded crews reveled in the conditions. Winning the PHRF 7 Doublehanded Class was the Young American AYC team on their J/105 YOUNG AMERICAN. For more Vineyard Race information, visit https://stamfordyc.com/Sailing/Vineyard_Race_(1).
J/Fest Chicago Celebrates Sailing Again
Following Chicago's pandemic guidelines, the Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club was able to host Chicago's first one-design keelboat regatta for just J/Crews - the inaugural J/Fest Chicago. The event took place August 29-30, sailing out of Montrose Harbor, with racing taking place on the waters of Lake Michigan. The J/105 fleet had a closely fought battle for first, with the top two boats tied at 11 points with identical records of 1-1-2-2-2-3. In the end, by winning the last race, Josh Lutton's KINSHIP won the gold, while Mike Sheppard's crew on FLYING PIG slipped to second. Rounding out the podium taking the bronze was Rich Stearns's GLIDER IV. For more J/Fest Chicago information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=13130.
Battle at Beaver Island Race Weekend
Little Traverse Yacht Club in Harbor Spring, MI annually hosts their 68.0nm Beaver Island Race Weekend toward the end of summer. This year was different than past races, due to the pandemic guidelines they had to adhere to from the state of Michigan. It was a straightforward weekend regatta, comprising of two legs of 34.0nm each: a round-trip from a start off Harbor Point Light in Little Traverse Bay, out into Lake Michigan, across to Beaver Island, finishing off St. James Light. Stay overnight on anchor or mooring, then race back. On the outbound race to Beaver Island, winning that first leg was Bob Matthews's J/105 GRYPHON, with Scott Sellers's J/111 NO SURPRISE taking second. On the return, Sellers's NO SURPRISE took second again while Matthews's GRYPHON dropped to fourth place. For the combined results, the J/111 NO SURPRISE lost the tie-breaker to take the silver overall, while the J/105 GRYHPON took the bronze. For more Little Traverse YC Beaver Island Race information, visit https://ltyc.org/.
Sixteen J/105s at Annapolis NOOD
Racing was held August 28-30 for the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Annapolis. The final of three days of racing treated sailors across 78 teams to cooler temperatures, sun and moderate (but signature Annapolis shifty) winds for the final two to three races among the two divisions and 10 fleets. In the largest fleet of the event, 16 J/105s battled it out with co-owners Cedric Lewis and Frederik Salvesen winning the class by 24 points with their family and friends aboard Mirage. Lewis and Slavesen met during high school sailing and have sailed together for 35 years. "It was nice to have a bit of normalcy in this age of Coronavirus and get out racing," said Lewis. "Our team has been dealing with adversity so sailing together was great." He credits flawless crew work as a major key to their success. "Today we finished up strong with a 2-1-1," he said. "The breeze was all over the place, and we saw pretty hefty shifts. We would start with a plan and stick to it. No freaking out if we fell behind." Complete results are available at https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=9673.
Welcome Back Regatta a Success
The Lunenburg Yacht Club in Nova Scotia hosted the first Welcome Back Regatta on August 21-23. They had just over 200 competitors and 36 boats across five classes. Due to COVID restrictions, the club’s property had a maximum of 250 people onsite, so sailors had to be limited for health safety reasons. Winds on day one were 15-25 knots resulting in some boats retiring early. Saturday the racers were treated to a sail past by the 140’ Bluenose II. Sunday saw more manageable 10-15 knot breezes, making for exciting, close sailing. Several classes sailed up to eight races over three days. The six-boat J/105 fleet was won by Rory Macdonald's McMAC, winning seven of eight races and throwing out a third and a first to win with all bullets. John Sapp's V-TACK and Richard Gerstenberger's AXIS finishing second and third, respectively. For more event information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=13097.
Brouhaha at Ted Hood Regatta
The fourth Annual Storm Trysail Club Ted Hood Regatta was held in Marblehead, MA from August 21-23. As befitting a regatta named after the multi-faceted Ted Hood – sailmaker, yacht designer, inventor, yacht builder, and America’s Cup-winning skipper, designer, sailmaker and builder – the Storm Trysail Club’s Ted Hood Regatta had a wide variety of courses, sizes and types of yachts. The 45 participating boats included six J/105s. The "THR" ran a total of eight inshore races over the course of three days: four races Friday, and two on both Saturday and Sunday, plus the ocean race on Friday night for the Double-Handed and Ocean Race entries. While the pandemic did not dampen the enthusiasm for the race, the usual shore-side festivities were eliminated entirely, and other precautions were put into place. The usual skippers’ meeting before the regatta was held via Zoom, and a COVID-19 release form had to be completed every day by all racers, all Race Committee members, and every volunteer. Three days of around-the-buoy racing began Friday in perfect conditions. Winds 10-14 knots allowed all three racing circles to get in four very competitive races. Saturday’s winds were much lighter, and after a postponement of 1.5 hours, conditions had improved to seven knots of breeze. Although it was shifty, the committees worked hard so that all three circles were able to get in two races. Sunday saw an AP fired at 1200 hrs, but the seabreeze filled in an hour later. The fleet enjoyed 16 knots, providing a great end to the regatta with several boats battling right to the last finish line to win their classes. Brouhaha, a J/105 skippered by Ric Dexter, delivered a standout performance. Their almost perfect record was marred by a "mere second." He described, "There were several maneuvers that we were able to pull off in at least 1/2 of the eight races that put us in winnable positions and kept our lanes clear. Many tight tacks and jibes made a big difference overall. The crew was on their game the whole weekend. The lines and courses were square and well managed. Short races were appropriate for the conditions, and we got in lots of races. I cannot remember a regatta where we actually got eight races in three days!" Trailing in second place was Blown Away led by Ben Chigier & Jon Samel, and Steve Hollis’ Sirocco took third. For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=12937.
62 Teams at Verve Cup Offshore Regatta
The 2020 Verve Cup Offshore Regatta, open to any sailboat of 29 feet LOA or greater, was held August 7-9 in Chicago, IL. A mix of windward-leeward and distance races were held for 62 teams. Six J/105s registered for the event, which saw eight races. Jon Weglarz’s The Asylum notched five bullets for the clear victory at 13 points. Runner-up was Sealark, led by Clark Pellett (20 points), then Mike Sheppard’s Flying Pig with 25. Results are available at https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=13040.
Annapolis Two-Bridge Fiasco
"Build it and they will come," reported Will Keyworth from Annapolis. "Annapolis Yacht Club built on a race format used successfully in San Francisco Bay called the Three Bridge Fiasco but named theirs’s the Two Bridge Fiasco. Over 100 single and doublehanded teams hit the starting line for this new event, and no one was disappointed. Mother Nature turned on the wind machine to put some relief to the 90+ F temperatures. It was a wild ride on the way back from the Bay Bridge mark with all of the waves set up by the 15 knot southerly compounded by all of the residual boat wakes. Thanks to the handicapping expertise of Bruce Bingman, starting times staggered based on predicted performance on the course. Boats competed in the 10.0-mile Two Bridge Fiasco course which started at G9 at the mouth of the Severn River. From the start, competitors had to decide which order to round marks at the Naval Academy and Bay Bridges before returning to the finish again at G9. They could cross the start and finish line in either direction." There was a great turn-out for the J/105s, with seven boats. Winning was Arthur Libby & Tom Carter's DOG HOUSE, followed by Brian Robinson's VELVET HAMMER and Fredrik Salvesen's MIRAGE. For more news on the Two-Bridge Fiasco, visit https://www.annapolisyc.com/racing.
New Twist on Larchmont Race Week
For over a century, Larchmont Race Week has been a crown jewel of racing on Long Island Sound with adults racing on the weekends, as many as 450 juniors sailing during the week, and the Storm Trysail Club’s Jr. Safety-at-Sea seminar on the Friday. All that was to be accompanied by grand shoreside après sailing activities and dinner dances in the evening, but the reality of the pandemic required a rethink for the 122nd Larchmont Race Week as regatta organizers sought to continue the historic event in 2020. The biggest change was the shift of days of junior racing to a single day of racing (8/3, weather date 8/4) with on-the-water meet-ups in August. Adult sailing, however, did proceed over the four weekend days (7/11-12, 7/18-19) with 90 boats sailing in 13 classes on three circles. The Sound is known for light winds during July, but the weather gods smiled on Larchmont Yacht Club (Larchmont, NY) by having Tropical Storm Fay depart Friday night before the first day of racing and a second weekend with great breezes enabling sporty racing. But the "new norm" was clearly in place. Shoreside activities were cancelled. Those sailors who came ashore social distanced from each other. Even the awards ceremony was COVID-appropriate as it was recorded in the Club’s Library without a live audience. Five J/105s completed six races, five of which were won by division winner Paul Beaudin’s loulou (5 points). Max Kalehoff’s LauraBea (10) and Jason Barron’s Raven (14) rounded out the top three. "Our 122nd Race Week was one for the records," notes Rear Commodore Steve Leicht, Race Week’s event chair. "Our primary objective was to keep participating sailors, race committee, and members safe and compliant with prevailing COVID-19 guidelines. Although we had no shoreside activities, we were able to retain the integrity of the event, competitive racing. We provided lots of racing, the traditional greetings and salutations on the water, and a one-of-a-kind virtual awards ceremony. Here’s to the 123rd Larchmont Race Week when, we all hope, we can return to the competition, camaraderie, and fun of years past." Results: https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=13059
J/105 Enjoys Doublehanded PSSA Race
The Pacific Singlehanded Sailing Association held their annual 27.0nm David Wall Race from Marina del Rey to Malibu sea buoy and return. The Doublehanded class garnered 13 entries versus the 11-boat Singlehanded class. Here is the report from Dan Murphy on the J/105 CUCHULAINN: "On Saturday, Rob Dekker and I did the 27-mile PSSA race to Malibu and back. The wind was predicted to be 6 knots, peaking at 10 knots, by mid-afternoon. So, I tuned the rig for that wind expecting we would not do very well at the outset and might be in OK shape for a longer race. Indeed, the wind from the start until we had Malibu in sight was the predicted 6-8 knots. And, we had a hard time keeping up with the smaller J/Boats with their big genoas. But, then the wind started building, and once we turned around at Malibu Pier, it built rapidly until we had 16-18 knot winds that powered up the spinnaker and had us surfing at 8-10 knots for the short 10-mile trip back to Marina Del Rey. We made up a lot of ground on those smaller boats and ended up fifth in our doublehanded class and third out of the boats competing for the series. The entire race took us just 4 hours 45 minutes. We love sailing the J/105, particularly in moderate to big breeze!"
2020 J/105 North American Championship to be Sailed in 2021
The J/105 Class Association, Annapolis Yacht Club and J/105 Fleet #3 have determined, because of the varying levels of infection and disruption across the world, that this year’s J/105 North American Championship scheduled for October 29-November 1 will be raced October 28-31, 2021. The Organizing Authority has been closely monitoring the worldwide developments in the COVID-19 pandemic. They understand the commitment of time and money required to participate in a Continental Championship, as well as the enormous resources that our hosts dedicate to such events. Cedric Lewis, #328 Mirage and Event Co-Chair, said, "We were hopeful when we sent out the Notice of Race that COVID-19 would be a distant memory by the time the event took place at the end of October, but unfortunately, that may not be the case. We have complete confidence in AYC's ability to conduct Championship-caliber racing in a safe manner, but the other aspects of the event, including social events and post-race gathering on the dock, would not be possible. The Organizing Committee recommended postponing the event until we can hold a true Championship and offer sponsors the visibility that is expected when supporting an event. On behalf of my Co-Chair, Andrew Kennedy #220 Bat IV and Fleet Captain Bill Carruth #252 Peregrine, we look forward to hosting our fellow competitors in 2021." Previously scheduled North American Championships will shift back one year as follows: San Francisco Yacht Club (San Francisco, CA) in 2022, American Yacht Club (Rye, NY) in 2023 and Edgewater Yacht Club (Cleveland, OH) in 2024. In the meantime, the Class wishes all J/105 sailors and their families the best in these difficult times. We look forward to resuming sailing as soon as we can.
Two New Rules Interpretations Posted
Please review the two new Rules Interpretations from the Technical Committee regarding Advertising and Minimum Fuel Level at http://j105.org/rule-interpretations/.
J/105s Prevail in Dave Wall Memorial Race
In one of the first sanctioned races in Santa Monica Bay in a long time, on June 13 the Pacific Singlehanded Sailing Association (PSSA) held its regularly scheduled single/doublehanded "inverted start" from Marina Del Rey to Redondo Beach and back. The 16.0nm course attracted 32 entries. The fleet included a pair of J/105s. The fleet was blessed with sun, good breeze and temperatures in the mid-70s F. In consistent wind of 14-16 knots that ranged from a beam reach to close hauled, Dan Murphy and Rob Dekker sailed their J/105 CUCHULAINN to the top of the leaderboard, more than two minutes ahead of their nearest competitor.
J/105s Duel at Big Daddy Regatta
Richmond Yacht Club in Richmond, CA every spring hosts the Big Daddy Regatta. On Saturday, the various PHRF handicap and one-design fleets enjoy up to three quick windward-leeward races. Then, on Sunday the pursuit race takes place with the smallest/slowest boats starting first in the morning and the fastest boats starting much later. For Saturday's buoy-racing, the fleet enjoyed good breezes, and the Richmond YC PRO managed to run three races. The J/105s enjoyed a duel between two boats with Dick Maclay's YELLOWFIN taking class honors with a 1-1-2 for 4 points over Chris Kim's VUJA STAR that posted a 2-2-1 for 5 points. For Big Daddy race results, visit https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/20330.
J/105 Midwinter Championship Cancelled
Due to the Novel Corona Virus COVID-19 and the request for social distancing, the J/105 Midwinter Championship originally scheduled March 20-22 in Texas has been cancelled.
Beautiful St. Maarten Heineken Regatta
After four sensational days of racing, parties and entertainment—and some of the closest competition ever seen in the long history of this storied Caribbean event—the 40th Anniversary Edition of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta concluded March 8 in the same fine fashion with which it started, with the waters south of the isle dotted with tall, white mainsails and billowing, colorful spinnakers of every size and description. Congratulations to Jordan Mindich's J/105 Solstice, winner of the CHS 4 Class! For complete event details, visit https://heinekenregatta.com/.
J/105 Wins PHRF Division in Duwamish Head Race
The Three Tree Point Yacht Club kicked off the Pacific Northwest offshore sailing season with their challenging Duwamish Head Race. The course: start in a northerly direction between an offshore orange mark and the RC flag on the Des Moines Marina fishing pier, leaving the green navigation buoy to starboard. Proceed to the Duwamish Head Light, leave it to port, then proceed to Blakely Rock Light, leaving it to port. Finish in a southerly direction between offshore orange mark and the RC flag at the end of the Des Moines Pier, keeping the green navigation buoy to port. Winning PHRF 6 Division was Matthew Gardner-Brown's J/105 DULCINEA. For more Three Tree Point Yacht Club's Duwamish Head Race information, visit https://www.ttpyc.org/duwamish-head-race.
2019 Hot Rum Series Closes
The third and final race of the 2019 San Diego Yacht Club Hot Rum Series could not be sailed due to a lack of wind. The expected seabreeze that often develops from the WNW never fully materialized to launch the fleet of 125+ boats across the starting line with any hope of getting them all back in by sunset. As a result, the series standings from the previous two races stood as this year's overall results. J/105s dominated the large 28-boat PHRF 4 Class. Leading the fleet was Dennis Case's J/105 J-OK. For more San Diego YC Hot Rum Series information, visit https://sdyc.org/.
J/105 Class Association Apology
On behalf of the J/105 Class Association Executive and Technical Committees, we sincerely apologize for the composition and the poor choice of words used in the Technical Committee Report published in the Spring 2019 edition of the Class Newsletter. Since its inception, the J/105 has proven to be an ideal platform for all sailors, and the Class remains dedicated to being inclusive for anyone who wishes to participate in its programs and events.
Sincerely,
Christopher E. Howell
Class Administrator
J/105 Class Association
AIRFORCE Four-peats J/105 Bacardi Keelboat Regatta
The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club once again hosted the Bacardi Keelboat Regatta from November 21-24. The J/105 participation is at the invitation from the local J/105 fleet. The J/105s raced with a combined Bermuda and Overseas crew to compete for a Bermuda, Overseas and Overall series. Over the three-day series, up to 10 races can be sailed by the teams. In the end, the fleet of Bermudian and International sailors were rewarded with great sailing conditions, with all 10 races being sailed. While they may have four-peated the regatta win, it did not come easy for the AIRFORCE duo of Peter Bromby and Cheryl Harvey. Starting off hot, the AIRFORCE crew had all podium-finishes in the first seven races, followed by a tough eighth race. The James Macdonald & Bill Lackenmacher duo on PASSION were third after the first day, but they climbed back into contention over the next two days to nearly snatch the regatta win. In the end, AIRFORCE finished with 26 points to take the gold, with the PASSION team closing with 29 points for the silver. Third was the MORNING GLORY duo of Glen Astwood & Hasso Plattner. Rounding out the top five was MAYHEM (Jon Corless & Jason Owen) in fourth place and WINDFIRE (Keith Chiappa & Paul Beaudin) in fifth position. At the awards ceremony, the International Team Trophy, sponsored by the Bermuda Tourism Authority, went to Team MAYHEM's Jason Owen. The Bermuda Teams Trophy, sponsored by Goslings Rum, went to Team AIRFORCE's Peter Bromby. And, the Bacardi Keelboat Overall Trophy, sponsored by XL, was awarded to the Overall winner, Team AIRFORCE yet again. For more J/105 Bacardi Keelboat Regatta information, visit https://rbyc.bm/other-regattas/bacardi-keelboat-regatta/.
San Diego Hot Rum Series II
The second race of the Hot Rum Series took place in classic San Diego fall weather conditions. Starting light in the morning, the winds gradually built into the NNW in the 7-12 knots range. In the PHRF 4 Class, leading is Dennis Case's J/105 J-OK with an 11-1 to be heading a three-way on 12 points each. For more San Diego YC Hot Rum Series information, visit https://sdyc.org/.
Sanity Rocks San Diego YC Hot Rum Series I
The San Diego Yacht Club's popular Hot Rum Series started with 133 entries. Starting and finishing just off the western end of Shelter Island, the fleet heads out through the Point Loma passage to two buoys offshore and return to the same start line to finish the race. In PHRF 4 class, Rick Goebel's J/105 SANITY won class (garnering his second trophy for the day after placing second overall). For more San Diego YC Hot Rum Series information, visit https://sdyc.org/.
Fun Witches Brew Race
The CORA (Charleston Offshore Racing Association) held their annual Witches Brew Race on October 26 in Charleston, SC. Women skippers are required for this fun race around Charleston Harbor. Plus, Halloween costumes are required. The weather could not have cooperated any better with sunny skies and moderate breeze. A local traditional drink is the Fireball Vodka, which was developed in Charleston. The J/105 RUM FRONT decided to change their team’s theme to the FIREBALL FRONT. They won PHRF A Class. For Witches Brew Race results, visit https://www.facebook.com/Charleston-Ocean-Racing-Association-CORA-338605089591/.
Smoky Great Pumpkin Regatta
Richmond Yacht Club’s Great Pumpkin Regatta entered its 34th year in 2019. Due to the wildfires taking place off the northeast of San Francisco Bay, the windy northeast winds of the Santa Ana’s were blowing warm, dry, smoke-filled air into the Bay area. While there was great buoy racing on Saturday, the 40-60 knots of NE winds on Sunday forced cancellation of all racing at the various clubs in the Bay area. The plan at the Great Pumpkin Regatta was to have three races on Saturday and a fun Pursuit race on Sunday, however due to the weather conditions and wildfires, only the Saturday racing was completed. Winning the J/105 fleet on countback was Larry Levit’s ARCHIMEDES over Kim Chris’ VUJA STAR, both with 1-2 records. Third was Greg Arkus’ STREAKER. For more Great Pumpkin Regatta information, visit http://www.richmondyc.org/.
J/105 Chesapeake Bay Championship
Annapolis Yacht Club hosted the 2019 J/105 Chesapeake Bay Championship, a warm-up for the 2020 J/105 North American Championship being held there at the same end-of-October weekend, drawing a strong turnout of 19 locals plus one out-of-town team, Good Trade from San Francisco. In light and shifty conditions, Fredrik Salvesen and Cedric Lewis on Mirage won the first day with two bullets and a second for four points, followed by Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault on Good Trade with a bullet, a second and a fifth for 8 points, and AJ Libby on Doghouse matching Ben DuPont on Control Alt Delete at 17 points, with Doghouse ahead on the tie-breaker. Andrew Kennedy’s Bat IV and Carl Gitchell’s Tenacious were close behind with 18 and 20 points respectively. Severe weather set in on Sunday and seeing a chance of tornadoes, the Race Committee canceled, so Saturday’s finishes stood and Mirage is the 2019 J/105 Chesapeake Bay Champion. Full report from AYC at: https://www.annapolisyc.com/default.aspx?p=.NET_ArticleView&tview=0&plugid=1077771&ssid=332130&qfilter=RSC21621&itemID=312423
Pictured from left: AJ Libby (Doghouse) takes third, Fredrik Salvesen (Mirage) takes first and Bruce Stone (Good Trade) takes second in 2019 J/105 Chesapeake Bay Championship.10th Anniversary J/Fest Southwest
The J/Fest Southwest Regatta celebrated its 10th anniversary on October 26-27 at Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, TX. Ten J/105s were on hand, completing seven races. Ken Horne's Final Final racked up six bullets for just 8 points total and the win. John Barnett's Pesto grabbed second place with 18 points, and Matt Arno's Blue Flash took third with 25 points. For complete event details, visit https://www.jfestsouthwest.com/.
Newport Harbor Yacht Club Wins the 2019 Lipton Cup
The coveted Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup trophy is leaving San Diego Yacht Club and heading north to the home of this year’s winners: Newport Harbor Yacht Club. After three days of intense, close racing on J/105s, skipper Justin Law and his seasoned crew earned their bragging rights by winning four of 11 races and staying in the top half of the fleet for almost every other race. "It was super stressful. We just really played ball that last race. We had to stay five boats within Chicago, and the team just did enough. Winning the first race made the tension go away, and it was a great way to start the day. It set us up for a successful final two races," commented Law. The overall results of the 2019 Lipton Cup show Newport Harbor Yacht Club finishing first overall with 40 points. Close behind is Chicago Yacht Club in second with 43 points and San Diego Yacht Club in third with 47 points. During the entirety of the Lipton Cup and down to the last race, there were multiple competitors in the running for first place. Ending day two, three teams were tied for third place, making Sunday’s racing extra crucial. Newport Harbor went into the third and final day of the regatta only one point behind Chicago Yacht Club and made sure to battle their way past them to the top. Chicago, however, still held their own in the top of the fleet Sunday, seeing good competition from teams like San Diego Yacht Club, Coronado Yacht Club (fifth) and San Francisco Yacht Club (eighth). SFYC skipper Tim Russell commented on their great sailing, "If you look at the scores, we had gradually gotten better and we just started to really gel. I actually hate that it's over because I'm ready to go again!" Law has been sailing with this crew for quite some time... a factor that he credits toward their success. Recently, the team has been competing in yacht club keelboat circuit team racing and sailed in the Morgan Cup and the Baldwin Cup. "Whether it’s team racing, club circuit or offshore big boat, we’ve been doing this with the same team for a couple of years. This is the first time I’m driving, but it’s kind of the OG squad," he said. Law has crewed at the Lipton Cup the past two years for their usual skipper Jon Pinckney, who came in fifth in 2018. Bill Menninger, a frequenter to SDYC’s Lipton Cup and International Masters Regatta, was also on NHYC’s crew. After crossing through the finish line, team NHYC was presented with a winning bottle of champagne by Lipton Cup Chair Tim Fuller as they headed back to the San Diego Yacht Club. All teams joined together on the Main Deck for the awards ceremony officially concluding the 2019 Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup. "I know it's a big trophy, and it's a huge deal for us to win the Lipton Cup. The biggest thing is how many people are reaching out and saying congratulations. It's really cool," finished Law. For complete results, visit https://sdyc.org/assets/results/results19/liptoncup19-res.htm.
Andy Roy Wins 2019 International Masters Regatta
The only international team at the 2019 International Masters Regatta (IMR) is heading back north with the win after three days of tough, competitive racing. Andy Roy and his Canadian team grabbed the lead after the first day of the regatta and wouldn’t budge for the remainder of the weekend. The win, Roy attests, is due to clean starts and even better crew work. "It was all Andy!" the team cheered on their way back up the Bay after the win. "We didn’t start off the day great, but we got our act together just in time and had a great third race. We knew it was time for a good start. We just had to pull it off and get off the line. We had an opportunity to get underneath out biggest competitor (Chuck Sinks) at the start line and forced them to go up high," Roy explained. The IMR saw three beautiful, windy days of sailing in breezes up to 13 knots each day. By the last race, the South Bay course had white caps and extra chop. Andy Roy finished in first place overall with 41 points, followed by Scott Harris in second with 47 points and Chuck Sinks in third with 49 points. In race nine, the first race of the day, the win went to Gary Jobson, who battled his way back up the score sheet through the day, ending in fifth place. In race 10, Harris proved his master status with the bullet and a solid lead on the rest of the fleet. "We started a little slow at the beginning of the weekend, and then we just got better," Harris said laughing. "We brought Jon Pinckney on board who sailed in the regatta last year, and learned a lot from him over the course of the weekend. One of which was to play the backstay more." Harris will be back at the San Diego Yacht Club next weekend for the 105th Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup where he will be sailing with his son. "We’ll go for first this time," joked Harris. In the final race, race 11, Roy and his crew got back into the game. After a fifth and an eighth in the first two races, Roy was only one point ahead of Sinks going into the final race. It all came down the start. The team got under Sinks and was able to control their fate for the rest of the race, sealing their regatta win. Roy and his fellow Canadian sailors are headed back up to Canada, where they’ll be retiring the boat for the winter and breaking out the skis for the season. After the races, the skippers and their crews gathered on the Front Deck of the San Diego Yacht Club where they were presented with their awards. The teams enjoyed dock-side cocktails and ended the weekend with good camaraderie. The 2019 International Masters Regatta was an unpredictable, highly competitive regatta between experienced sailors over the age of 60. Many of the men and women sailing have national, world and Olympic titles paired with their names. During the IMR, these sailors get to rejoin old friends, teammates and competitors for three days of sailing in the beauty that is South San Diego Bay. View the final results at https://sdyc.org/assets/results/results19/masters19-res.pdf.
J/105s at Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta
This invitational regatta is held annually out of Larchmont Yacht Club in New York, who is a co-organizer in addition to the Storm Trysail Club and Foundation. For the 2019 edition, the STC Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta was hosted by LYC from October 12-13 for 48 college teams from across the country and Europe, in boats donated by owner/sponsors. The dozen-boat J/105 fleet was won by the U.S. Naval Academy team sailing on CONUNDRUM, skippered by Nick Walden with crew of Luke Gillcrist, Sam Hall, Jack King, Zach Medeiros and Eddie Rankin. Second was Boston University sailing RAVEN, skippered by Stanley Schreyer with crew of Collin Alexander, Jim Collins, Liam Dwyer, Emily Garrard, Matt Hamelsky and Teo Waalberg. Third place went to Stevens Institute of Technology sailing MAGIC, skippered by Matt Roleke with crew of Aidan McEnroe, Townsend Morey, Mack Totman, Jesse Stevenson and Alex Wiggins. For more STC Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta information, visit https://www.stormtrysailfoundation.org/intercollegiate-regatta.
AGM Minutes Posted
Minutes of the October 14, 2019 J/105 Annual General Meeting have been posted on the Class Business page at http://archive.j105.org/members/business.php (log-in to view).
Epic Sailing for American YC Fall Series
The two weekends of racing in the American Yacht Club Fall Series got excellent racing conditions. With a solid 15-25 knots of breeze, the AYC PRO and Race Committee were able to run six races over the first two days. The second weekend saw more great sailing breezes, and the fleets were, for the most part, able to sail six more races. After 12 races, rising to the top in the 14-boat J/105 fleet was Paul Beaudin skippering his LOULOU team to victory. They concluded the series with 27 points net. The early regatta leader, Dwight Greenhouse’s SKIPPERDEE, closed with a 7-DNF in the last two races to drop to second place. David Willis’ SOLUTION closed out the series with a consistent 3-1-2-3-3 in the last five races to leap onto the podium in the bronze position. Rounding out the top five were John & Marisa Koten’s GRAY MATTER in fourth and Jeremy Henderson & Harald Edegran’s CONUNDRUM in fifth place. For more American YC Fall series information, visit http://www.americanyc.org.
Fun J/Fest San Diego
It was a gorgeous weekend of sailing in California for the J/Fest San Diego Regatta. In the J/105 fleet, Chuck Driscoll’s JUICED won three races in their five-race series en route to a dominating class win. However, behind them it was a battle for the balance of the podium including Steve & Lucy Howell’s BLINK!, Stew Cannon’s J-OK and Jeff Brown’s SWEET KAREN. As each team enjoyed a roller-coaster ride up and down the standings, it was the Howells’ BLINK! that took the silver (that was based on winning a tie-breaker over Cannon’s J-OK at 18 points each). Rounding out the top five was Brown’s SWEET KAREN just one point back with 19 points, and still only 1 point behind them was Rich Bergmann’s ZUNI BEAR with 20 points.
Smyth/ Persson Win Annapolis YC Doublehanded Offshore Distance Race
The Annapolis Yacht Club hosted a new 24-hour distance race for mixed double-handed crews that started on Saturday, September 28 off the entrance to the Severn River. The fleet took off on a race course designed to be sailed in about 24 hours across the Chesapeake Bay. The AYC event featured two divisions: one for mixed gender crews in J/105s and a second division open to male or female teams in boats of 25 to 42 feet using the ORC handicap rule to score the different size boats. The seven-boat J/105 fleet had several famous offshore sailors participating. Winning the race was Randy Smyth, a two-time Olympic medalist and winning America’s Cup sailor. He was paired with his friend Christina Persson on-board MIRAGE. Taking second was a U.S. Naval Academy Team comprised of Midshipman 2/C Donald Poirier and USNA Coach Nancy Haberland. Third was the duo of Bill Bomar and Bri Grenier on PEREGRINE. Rounding out the top five were RJ Cooper & Courtney Cumberland’s PRISCILLA/ TENACIOUS and Ethan Johnson & Cat Chimney’s OAKCLIFF SAILING/ RUM PUPPY. For more AYC Doublehanded Distance Race information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=9531.
Mandate Takes J/105 Canadian Championship Again
Canada’s premier one-design, big boat regatta, the J/105 Canadian Championship was held September 27-29 on Lake Ontario in Toronto, ON. Terry McLaughlin, a five-time Canadians Champion and three-time J/105 North American, dominated the eight-race series, winning, with partner Rod Wilmer, six of the races enroute to a final margin of 12 points over his brother Frank McLaughlin, an Olympic Bronze medalist. Late September on Lake Ontario can deliver a variety of racing conditions, and this regatta got it all. Day one started with an AP for an hour, followed by a light air race building to winds in the mid-teens for the second race and light wind for the third. Day two saw stronger winds with a steady 12-16 knots for the first race, however a line squall came in and hit the fleet on the final downwind leg of the second race with a 180 degree shift ending the day for racing. The last day saw huge waves for Lake Ontario of 10-12 feet out of the east and winds 16-18 with gusts over 20 knots for all three of the final races. A Gold Clean Regatta, for the third time in a row from the Sailors for the Sea, this event had it all covered, from responsible dinnerware and reusable signage to refilling water bottle station and paperless race management. The annual fundraising effort in support of the local Broad Reach Foundation that introduces kids at risk to sailing raised $29,500. The J/105 Fleet 4 Lake Ontario has been supporting Broad Reach for over 15 years and is now an important part of this regatta and Fleet culture. For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=6243.
Schaffner Continues Hot Streak at Cleveland 216 Regatta
The Edgewater Yacht Club in Cleveland, OH hosted their annual Cleveland 216 Regatta for one-design fleets. Chip Schaffner’s FALL LINE won the J/105 fleet with an impressive tally of three firsts and two seconds and, with a discard race, finished with a mere 5 points net after four races. Second was Rob Mock’s UNBRIDLED with a 1-1-3-2-3 for a 7 points net score. Third went to the Uhlir Brothers’ TRIO with a 3-3-4-3-2 tally for 11 points net. For more Cleveland 216 Regatta information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=9542.
Massive Test at Great Lakes Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta
After massive winds opened the 2019 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta, the second day endured another round of challenging conditions to complete the event. With the wind out of the west, steadily between 20 and 25 knots with gusts up to 35 knots, teams raced one additional race to finalize the results. The United States Naval Academy won in the J/105 fleet. Twenty-two teams competed in the regatta, a record for the event being held September 21-22 in Chicago, IL, including Tartan 10s.
J/105s
- The Asylum, United States Naval Academy , USA – 1 -3 -1 -3 -1 -1 ; 10
- Sealark, University of Notre Dame , USA – 4 -1 -2 -2 -2 -2 ; 13
- Vytis, University of Michigan , USA – 2 -2 -3 -1 -3 -3 ; 14
- Flying Pig, Grand Valley State University , USA – 3 -4 -4 -4 -4 -5 ; 24
- Gangbusters, University of South Carolina , USA – 5 -6 -5 -5 -5 -4 ; 30
- Kinship, University of Minnesota Duluth , USA – 6 -5 -6 -6 -6 -6 ; 35 For complete event details, visit https://www.chicagot10.com/glior.
Fastest Guns in the West Decided at the Rolex Big Boat Series
Cool onshore temperatures, ebbing fog, flooding waters and a gathering sea breeze greeted the 79 teams gathered on San Francisco Bay to contest the final day of racing at the 55th edition of the St. Francis Yacht Club’s annual Rolex Big Boat Series (September 11-15). Despite a slow start to the regatta, courtesy of higher-than-usual onshore temperatures earlier in the week, Sunday’s longer-form Bay Tour course gave teams a chance to whip their horses around the West Coast’s most competitive racecourse one last time. Better still, the day’s course selection allowed all teams to strut their big-air skills while enjoying a stadium-style finish in front of cheering fans ashore on StFYC’s Race Deck. StFYC’s Commodore’s Cup is awarded to the regatta’s largest One Design fleet, an honor that once again falls to the 23-strong J/105 class. Ryan Simmons and his Blackhawk (USA 40) crew showcased their big-fleet-management skills to win this proud trophy and accompanying Rolex timepiece; they were joined on top of the J/105 Class’ leaderboard by Tim Russell and crew of Ne*Ne (USA 003) and Ian Charles and his Maverick (USA 385) squad. Simmons’ father, Scooter, also won an StFYC perpetual trophy aboard Blackhawk in 2011. For more information and full results, please visit the Rolex Big Boat Series' website at https://rolexbigboatseries.com/.
Stone/Breault Team Wins J/105 North American Championship
Good Trade, led by Nicole Breault and Bruce Stone, won the J/105 North American Championship hosted by Corinthian Yacht Club in Marblehead, MA from September 5-8. Conditions were considerably lighter after Hurricane Dorian passed by the day before, with winds from the west. Taking the first race of the fourth and last day of competition (race seven) was Ken Horne on Final Final, followed by The Usual Suspects in second (who slipped to eighth after a penalty) and Californian boat Ne*Ne in third. Charlie Garrard's Merlin took fourth. The final race of the day made all the difference, with Good Trade taking first place, Merlin second, and Terry Michaelson and The Usual Suspects in third. Overall, the 2019 J/105 North American Champion is Good Trade, followed by Final Final in second, and local favorite Merlin in third. It was a hard fought regatta over four days, with some great racing and sportsmanship throughout. Photos are available on the J/105 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=6023. This was the second J/105 North American Championship for co-owners Stone and Breault who also won in Larchmont in 2009. The team consisted of Bruce Stone, Halsey Richartz, Bill Higgins, John Sahagian, Nicole Breault and Stu Johnstone (absent from photo (photo credit Patti Kelley).J/105 wins Cleveland Cup
Edgewater Yacht Club hosted their final offshore race of the Cleveland Sailing Association season—The Cleveland Cup. The J/105 FALL LINE, skippered by Chip Schaffner, took an early lead and extended against the rest of the J/105 fleet and PHRF overall to take home the trophy for a four-peat. The win also secured the 2019 Boat of the Year Award for Schaffner’s FALL LINE. Counting toward their overall series win and BOTY Award was winning both the Funday Pursuit Race and the Green Islands Race.
Stone/Breault Team Remains in Lead After Day 2 of J/105 North American Championship
Good Trade, led by Nicole Breault and Bruce Stone, is in first place with 12 points after day two of the J/105 North American Championship hosted by Corinthian Yacht Club in Marblehead, MA on Friday. Conditions were considerably stronger than on day one, with steady winds from the Northeast and ENE between 10-15 knots and building as the day went on, along with the seas, in anticipation of Hurricane Dorian’s brush by on Saturday. Taking the first race of the second day of competition (race four) was Tim Russell’s NeNe out of Tiburon and St. Francis Yacht Club, followed by Texan Ken Horne on Final Final in second, and Marblehead boat Merlin, skippered by Charlie Garrard. Team Good Trade came in fourth, but made up for it in the next race by taking first place, and then a second for race six, to retain their top spot. Final Final was again second in race five, and fifth in race six for a total of 19 points, followed closely by NeNe with a sixth place in race five, and first place in race six for 23 points and third overall by tiebreak (though numerically tied with Merlin, who rolled a 3-4-3 for the day for fourth overall). Terry Michaelson’s The Usual Suspects, winner of the first race of the Championship, has clawed back into fifth place overall, taking third in race five. No racing occurred on Saturday, September 7, due to high winds and sea state from Hurricane Dorian. Photos are available on the J/105 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=6023.
J/105 North American Championship Launches in Marblehead
Eighteen teams gathered for excellent fall conditions in Massachusetts Bay on the initial day of the J/105 North American Championship hosted by Corinthian Yacht Club in Marblehead, MA. Winds predictably started off from the Northeast and clocked East and Southeast as the day went on. CYC PRO Mark Toso got off three races for an action-filled first day of competition. Taking the first race of the Championship was Canadian boat The Usual Suspects, led by skipper Terry Michaelson, followed by Bruce Stone and his boat Good Trade in second, and Texan Ken Horne on Final Final in third. In the second race, Horne took first, Stone and crew were second again, and fellow Californian Tim Russell and Ne*Ne came in third. For the third and last race of the day, a pair of local boats, Charlie Garrard’s Merlin and Steven Goldberg’s Air Express, were third and second respectively, while Good Trade took first, and moved into first overall after Day One. Ken Horne and Final Final was in second, and local favorite Merlin, skippered by Charlie Garrard, third. While Good Trade has a healthy, but by no means insurmountable lead, the battle for second through fourth places continues to be tight and hard fought (just like the previous warm-up regattas, the Ted Hood Regatta and the Marblehead NOOD). Photos are available on the J/105 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=6023.
Blustery Ted Hood Regatta
Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead, MA hosted its annual Ted Hood Regatta in conjunction with the Corinthian Yacht Club and the Boston Yacht Club for a fleet of both one-design racers and offshore PHRF handicap sailors. Friday’s racing saw light winds, followed by a beautiful day with very lumpy, shifty northeast winds on Saturday. Racing was cancelled on Sunday due to 8-10 feet waves and 15-30 knot winds from the ENE. In the 17-boat J/105 fleet, Houston sailor Bill Zartler won with a 1-3-1 to take home the gold on DEJA VOODOO. Just one point back was another sailor from Houston—Ken Horne’s FINAL FINAL. Then Tim Russell on NE*NE took the bronze. For more Ted Hood Regatta information, visit https://www.tedhoodregatta.com/.
Maverick Earns PHRF Win at Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Cup
Sailors were treated to three good days on San Francisco Bay, sailing their annual regatta honoring famous sailors from St. Francis Yacht Club: the Aldo Alessio & Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Cup. For the Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Cup event, in the ORR C class, it was Ian Charles’ J/105 MAVERICK winning on a tie-breaker. Sergey Lubarsky’s J/105 RUSSIAN ROULETTE took third place. For more Aldo Alessio & Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Cup Regatta information, visit https://www.stfyc.com/.
McMac Sweeps J/105s at Chester Race Week
Five J/105s raced in the Inshore 1 PHRF division at Helly Hansen Chester Race Week on Mahone Bay on the south shore of Nova Scotia. The McMac team of Sean McDermott and Rory MacDonald won all four races for the clean-sweep victory. Barry Eisener’s Buzz and James Mosher’s Mojo tied on points at 11 for second and third places, respectively. For complete event details, visit http://www.chesterraceweek.com/.
Sealark Flies at Verve Offshore Cup
As one of the largest offshore regattas in the Great Lakes, the Chicago Yacht Club’s Verve Cup Offshore has developed into a world-class regatta attracting many national and international competitors. From August 9-11, CYC hosted the 28th annual Verve Cup Offshore Regatta in an array of weather conditions over the three-day event. On Friday, a post-frontal, shifty breeze from the northwest started at 15 knots, then quickly diminished and swung to the north-northeast by late afternoon in the 5-8 knots range. Saturday saw a light east-southeast wind slowly build after a one-hour onshore postponement into the 4-8 knots range, with 40-degree swings. Sunday dawned with the possibility of another frontal system with thunderstorms. Fortunately, the front moved south. Out on the lake, the wind started in the SSE quadrant in the 4-7 knots range, then swung SSW to 240 degrees and increased in pressure to 8-12 knots, before oscillating from 230 back to 190 for the last two races of the regatta. The six-boat J/105 fleet was dominated by Clark Pellett’s SEALARK. They won the first two races, and in the end, racked up six bullets and a 2-3 to win with just 11 points. Gyt Petkus’ VYTIS team made a run at them, winning races 3 & 4. They had an impressive scoreline of two firsts, four seconds two thirds for 16 points total to take the silver. Rounding out the podium with the bronze was Jon Weglarz’s THE ASYLUM, closing out the regatta with double deuces on the last day. For more Verve Cup Offshore information, visit https://www.vervecup.com/offshore.
Perfect Down The Sound Race
The Down The Sound Race is a double-handed overnight rally race in the Puget Sound hosted by the Sloop Tavern Yacht Club. The race goes from Seattle up to Gig Harbor on Saturday. Then after overnight festivities, race back on Sunday. Sailors enjoyed perfect weather conditions all weekend: 80 degrees, blue skies both days and 10-15 knots out of the north. The J/105s swept Class 8 Double Handed Flying Sails. Winning was Tom Kerr & Serhad’s CORVO 105, followed by Steve Summers’ PUFF in second and Sara Billey’s PEER GYNT in third. There was another prize for the top man/woman "Jack’n’Jill" team for the two 21.667nm races on Saturday and Sunday. Winning was Summers’ J/105 PUFF. For more Down The Sound Race information, visit https://www.styc.org/race_info/DownTheSound/index.shtml.
J/105 Good Trade wins Marblehead NOOD
St. Francis members Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault topped the J/105 fleet in the Marblehead NOOD Regatta sailing their J/105 Good Trade in back-to-back victories after winning the NY Yacht Club 175th Anniversary Regatta. Also on board were Bill Higgins, Halsey Richartz, Casey Williams and Alex Porter. John Sahagian joined them on Friday when Bruce was out of the country and Nicole steered. Bruce commented, "Along with the upcoming Storm Trysail Ted Hood Regatta, this was seen as a warm-up for the J/105 North Americans in Marblehead so competition was tight among us and several well-sailed boats from Texas, especially Bill Zartler and his team on Deja VooDoo, with whom we’ve shared the podium at the past several NAs." Ken Horne's Final Final placed second and Zartler third. For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=6038.Delirium is Top J/105 at Whidbey Island Race Week
Nearly 60 teams competed July 23-27 in the final edition of Whidbey Island Race Week to be held in Oak Harbor, WA. One-design divisions, including the J/105s, along with six fleets for PHRF were on tap before the event is rebranded as Point Roberts Race Week as it moves north to Point Roberts, WA. Jerry Diercks' Delirium topped the 11-boat J/105 fleet, scoring 17 points in nine races. Chris Phoenix's Jaded followed with 20 points. John Aitchison's Moose Unknown rounded out the top three with 22 points. For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=6142.
Sixteen J/105s Battle at J/Fest Great Lakes Regatta
The Royal Canadian Yacht Club in Toronto, Ontario hosted the J/Fest Great Lakes, and 33 boats participated. Posting six straight bullets in the 16-boat J/105 fleet, North American Champions Terry McLaughlin & Rod Wilmer on MANDATE walked off with the title at J/Fest with just 12 points total. Second was Peter Hall’s JAMAICA ME CRAZY, and third was Frank McLaughlin’s STARCROSS. The J/PHRF class was won by Paul-Angus Bark’s J/105 CRIME SCENE. For more J/Fest Great Lakes Regatta information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=7296.
J/105 Rakall Rocks PHRF Division at Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge
Since 1993, the Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge has been a Chesapeake Bay three-day regatta held every July. Hosting the event was the Southern Maryland Sailing Association. The regatta started on July 22, but it was too hot and too sunny for the wind to develop much anywhere on the Bay. As a result, the PRO postponed the start and waited for the wind to develop before sending everyone off for a few races. In PHRF A-3 division, Mark & Robin White’s J/105 RAKALL won quite easily, posting all firsts. For more Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge information, visit http://screwpile.net/.
Good Trade has Good Time at NYYC 175th Anniversary Regatta
Celebrating the 175th anniversary of its founding in 1844, the New York Yacht Club hosted a week-long regatta at Harbour Court from July 15-20. The participation was limited to members of New York YC and the four invited yacht clubs (Royal Thames Yacht Club, Royal Yacht Squadron, St. Francis Yacht Club and Yacht Club Costa Smeralda). Easily eclipsing the PHRF Navigator’s Division was Bruce Stone & Nicole Breault’s J/105 GOOD TRADE, counting all podium finishes to win with just 13 points total. Fourth went to another San Francisco J/105 team, led by Bill Dana. For more New York YC 175th Anniversary Regatta information, visit https://nyyc.org/175th-anniversary-regatta.
Grand Tradition of Larchmont Race Week
The month of July in western Long Island Sound has traditionally brought light and shifty winds. For the past few years, however, Larchmont’s annual Race Week, held the third week in July, has enjoyed atypical conditions providing excellent sailing. And, while the sailing for the 121st Larchmont Race Week on July 13-21 was keenly competitive, the light and variable winds returned to heighten the challenge. The recurring theme of comments made by the competitors was that, to win, you had to "connect the dots" of puffs and shifts. Paul Beaudin from Harlem Yacht Club won the J/105 fleet and, when asked, commented that, "In deep summer, this is a traditional event for us to race. Larchmont Yacht Club does such a great job running this regatta, both the sailing and the parties, that it’s really special to have won our class." The team of Jeremy Henderson & Harald Edegran on Conundrum was the runner-up, and Max Kalehoff’s LauraBea placed third. Seven J/105s were on hand. For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=6240.
J/105 PTERODACTYL Wins Class and Finishes 11th Overall at Chicago to Mackinac Race
The 111th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac Race, sponsored by Wintrust, will go down as one of the slowest on record. Winning the J/105 class was Mark Symond’s PTERODACTYL, finishing 11th overall. Second in class was Mark Gannon’s GANGBUSTERS, and third was Peter Schwarzbach’s PHANTOM. For more Chicago to Mackinac Race information, visit https://www.cycracetomackinac.com/.
Sealark Prevails in Chicago to Waukegan Race
A fleet of nearly 100 boats gathered for a sprint of 30.0nm from Chicago to Waukegan, IL. The first fleet started in a light easterly of 5-6 knots, but the subsequent starts were in nearly calm breeze. After three fleets could not fully clear the starting line, the Chicago Yacht Club’s Race Committee was forced to postpone the starts of the remaining fleets. Subsequently, as the next set of classes took off in the building breeze, it was clear the last class to start was going to have the greatest handicap advantage overall. The always competitive nine-boat J/105 fleet saw Clark Pellett’s SEALARK win, followed by Gerhard Zinserling’s Y-NOT in second, and Mark Stoll’s PEREGRINE in third. For more Chicago to Waukegan Race information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=9446.
J/105s Love Stratford Shoal Race
The Riverside Yacht Club in Connecticut hosted its 88th annual Stratford Shoal Race on Long Island Sound. The event featured a combination of fully-crewed, doublehanded and the "Plus+One" PHRF divisions for offshore racing teams. The PHRF 4 division was won by Eben Walker’s J/105 STRANGE BREW. Fifth was the American YC’s J/105 YOUNG AMERICAN youth offshore team. For more Stratford Shoal Race information, visit https://www.riversideyc.org/homepage.
Paul Beaudin’s Loulou Takes East Coast Championship at Block Island Race Week
Legendary musician Jimmy Buffett made a surprise appearance at the final awards party for Block Island Race Week, presented by Margaritaville. Buffett took the stage to address the huge gathering of sailors enjoying Margaritaville margaritas and LandShark lager and expressed total enthusiasm for the regatta his lifestyle company sponsored this year. "I think Margaritaville is Block Island right now," said Buffett, who performed an impromptu concert to cap off Margaritaville Race Day. "I always thought it would be kind of cool to have a regatta that was part of Margaritaville. Thank you Block Island for being the very first one." Buffett, performing solo, then launched into renditions of ‘Son of a Sailor’, ‘Margaritaville’ and ‘Five O’Clock Somewhere’ to the delight of the massive crowd jammed into the big top tent. The J/105 fleet, largest of the regatta with 16 boats, came down to the wire with Paul Beaudin steering loulou to a two-point victory over defending champion Good Trade (Bruce Stone/Nicole Breault) for the East Coast Championship. Good Trade got into a duel with Gray Matter in the ninth and final race as those two boats were first and second at the time with 26 and 27 points, respectively. Beaudin and his team on loulou were allowed to sail their own race and placed second, overtaking both Good Trade and Gray Matter. For complete event details, visit www.blockislandraceweek.com.
Fall Line Rules Cleveland Race Week One-Design Weekend
72 teams competed on Lake Erie from June 14-16 in Cleveland Race Week’s One Design Weekend, part of the largest sailing regatta on Lake Erie and one of the largest on the Great Lakes. Racing began on Friday for several classes, with the remainder beginning on Saturday. 10 fleets competed over the weekend on four racecourses. Conditions were ideal on Friday, with 12-16 knots out of the northwest, sunshine and 1-2’ waves. Saturday brought 8-12 knots from the southwest, with flat water and a bit of rain for the competitors to deal with. Sunday dawned extremely foggy and glassy; the regatta was placed on a one-hour delay onshore before racing was entirely abandoned for the day and the regatta concluded. Five J/105s completed three races, all of which were won by local Chip Schaffner’s Fall Line. Rob Mock’s Unbridled scored a 2 -2 -3 for 7 points and second place. Ronald Carson’s Dark N Stormy finished out the top three with 10 points. Following racing each day, competitors were greeted with live music, great food and cocktails provided by sponsors Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Pusser’s Rum and Regatta Craft Mixers. The Race Committee did an outstanding job on all four courses and in all weather conditions. For complete information, visit www.clevelandraceweek.com. Photos are available on the Cleveland Race Week Facebook page.
Gyt Petkus Earns Trip to BVI at Chicago NOOD
The Helly Hansen Chicago NOOD wrapped up Sunday, June 9 in a shroud of fog, again. Morning rain and fog saw the remaining scheduled races cancelled on the third day of the regatta. Spirits were high, however, as competitors gathered at Chicago Yacht Club for the evening’s awards party. At each NOOD Regatta, individual fleet winners earn a chance to be selected for one berth at the Caribbean Championship in November in the British Virgin Islands. Gyt Petkus (La Grange, IL), winner of the J/105 fleet, had the luck of the draw, winning his second Caribbean Championship appearance since 2007. "We’ve owned our J/105 Vytis for 25 years," says Petkus, who’s nephew Keith Krause trims the mainsail. Steve Druzbicki calls tactics, Mike Brown trims jib and Petkus’ daughter Julija is the team’s foredeck crew. The team started the regatta with two third-place finishes Saturday, before winning the next two and taking the lead."Friday was a bit frustrating with the fog coming through," says Petkus of the first day’s cancelled races. "But (Saturday) was awesome. The conditions were great. The J/105s are tweaky boats, so the little details made a big difference as far as point and speed." Petkus finished the shortened series tied with rival skipper Clark Pellet (Chicago, IL) aboard Sealark. The tiebreaker went to Pytkus and his crew. Petkus says he’s looking forward to returning to the Virgin Islands, this time with his daughter, Julija. "All I’ve heard growing up was how much fun sailing in the Caribbean is," said Julija Petkus. "I can’t tell you how excited I am to finally have the chance to go down there and sail with my dad." For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=6037.
J/105s Enjoy One Design and Singlehanded at COLORS Regatta
The COLORS Regatta was hosted by Columbia Yacht Club in Chicago, IL from June 1-2. 1. Six J/105s raced one-deign and got off three races, all of which were won by Jon Weglarz's The Asylum. Gyt Petkus' Vytis scored all seconds for 6 points to take the silver, and Judith & Ross McLean's Esprit d'Ecosse claimed the bronze with 12 points. Three J/105s also competed in PHRF - Singlehanded (GLSS). Brian Crabb's Sea U earned the victory, and Mark Gannon's Gangbusters was the runner-up. For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=6244.
Tight Leaderboard at Cedar Point One Design Regatta
Eight J/105s competed at the Cedar Point One Design Regatta hosted by Cedar Point Yacht Club in Westport, CT from June 1-2. Six races were held, and in the end, the top three boats finished tied on points at 14. Harald Edegran & Jeremy Henderson's Conundrum earned the tiebreaking win, by way of a tally of 4,1,1,[6],6,2. Frank Latawiec's Ataraxis followed, posting a 5,2,5,1,1,[6]. On the lower end of the countback was Max Kalehoff's LauraBea. For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=6099.
J/105 Rocks FIGAWI Memorial Day Race
Many people say the most popular offshore Memorial Day event in New England is "The Figawi." The PHRF pursuit-style race starts off Hyannis at 10:00am and sends the fleet on a 25.0nm ride to Nantucket. While it was a gorgeous day, the wind Gods did not cooperate, making it a longer than normal cruise across Nantucket Sound to the finish line off the harbor entrance. Most boats took around 6+ hours to make the crossing. Nevertheless, the breeze angles seemed favorable to a number of teams. In PHRF S2 Class, winning was Dwight Greenhouse’s J/105 SKIPPERDEE, followed by the trio on the J/105 DARK’N’STORMY (Joyce, Reservitz, Wagner). Results can be found at https://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=6206.
J/105s Enjoy Block Island Race
Fifty-nine of the 64 teams completed the 74th Annual Block Island Race, starting May 24 from Stamford Harbor (CT) and taking the fleet through Long Island Sound on either the 186nm Block Island Race Course or the 125nm Plum Island Course. Two J/105s competed in Class 3 PHRF, topped by Frank Conway's Raptor. The Young Americans team followed. Complete event details may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=6203.
J/105 Tops Fleet at Tampa Bay to Ft. Myers Race
The Tampa Bay to Ft. Myers Race included 30 teams for this 100nm coastal course along the Gulf side of Florida. Dating back to 1946, racing started May 24 for the Spinnaker, Racer-Cruiser, Non-Spinnaker, Cruising, and Multihull classes. George Cussins’ J/105 Fire & Ice topped the 13-boat Spinnaker class by over four minutes. Complete event details may be found at http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/18189#_home.
Not so swift Swiftsure Race 2019
Light winds, relentless rain and unforgiving current was the theme for the 76th Swiftsure International Yacht Race on May 25, with only 16 of the 128 starters completing one of the six courses ranging from 79 to 138 nm that start and finish in Victoria, BC. The Cape Flattery Race for Monohulls (PHRF handicapped boats) is from a starting line at Clover Point, leaving a mark at Neah Bay to port, and crossing a finish line across the Victoria Harbour (101.9 nautical miles). Several J/105s competed, and a duo of J/105s placed first and second: Chuck Stephens' Panic and Chris Phoenix's Jaded. For complete results, visit https://www.swiftsure.org/live-race-results/.
Awesome Elite Keel Regatta
One of the more popular events on San Francisco Bay late in the spring is the Elite Keel Regatta hosted by San Francisco YC in Belvedere, CA on the north side of the Bay. The regatta has proven to be a popular one for the large J/105 fleet, with 26 boats participating in the two-day event. Tim Russell’s NE*NE won by a significant margin, posting a 2-3-3-1-2 for 11 points total to win by 7 points. Behind them, it was a battle for the balance of the podium. The final results were not determined until the last race between Ryan Simmons’ BLACKHAWK and Phil Laby’s GODOT. Both teams are consistently at the top of the leaderboard, but it was the BLACKHAWK crew who held on to take the silver with a 4-4-2-2-6 for 18 points. Just one point back was the GODOT team with a record of 3-2-4-5-5 for 19 points. The rest of the top five included Adam Spiegel’s JAM SESSION in fourth with 23 points and Ian Charles’ MAVERICK taking fifth with 25 points. For more Elite Keelboat Regatta information, visit https://www.sfyc.org/.
J/105s Enjoy Battle to the Finish at Oregon Offshore Race
The 43rd Annual Oregon Offshore International Yacht Race, sponsored by Schooner Creek Boatworks, started on Thursday, May 9 after a postponement that was waiting for the 5.5 knots ebb tide and current to begin to flow out of the Columbia River and over the Columbia River Bar just offshore. The 193-mile race started at 9:25am at Buoy 2 off the Columbia River entrance off Astoria, Oregon and finished at the entrance to Victoria, British Columbia harbor in Canada. After the start, everyone took off on starboard, heading offshore, apparently following the information gained at the skippers meeting. Wind was a light northeaster, blowing offshore at the start. As the race progressed, it appeared the predicted northwest shift would hit the fleet overnight, then the teams would have to contend with light winds in the Straits of Juan de Fuca and avoid adverse currents. The fleet enjoyed decent winds for most of the race. After rounding Cape Flattery at the northwestern tip of the Olympic Peninsula, teams sailed down to at least Clallam Bay on the USA side before heading across the Juan de Fuca Straits to the Canadian side to the north to play that shoreline into the finish at Victoria. The Portland J/105 fleet had a one-design start, producing a three-way battle between Dough Pihlaja’s ABSTRACT, Dennis Sibilla’s ESCAPE ARTIST, and the trio on FREE BOWL OF SOUP (Doug Schenk, Eric Hopper, Matt Davis). It was Pihlaja’s ABSTRACT that snagged PHRF A2/ J/105 honors, knocking off three-time winner of the race, FREE BOWL OF SOUP, by over 2 hours. As a result, third was Sibilla’s ESCAPE ARTIST, just eight minutes behind. ABSTRACT’s big move was to continue way offshore on starboard tack until late midday on Friday, over 20 hours after the start. The initial leaders both tacked away at 6pm on Thursday, and both dueled going up the shore, tacking on shifts headed to Cape Flattery, the first major turning point. 33 hours into the race, ABSTRACT rounded Cape Flattery at 7pm, just before sunset, with neither of their competitors in sight. For more Oregon Offshore Race information, visit http://www.oregonoffshore.org/.
Fast & Furious Edlu Distance Race
Larchmont Yacht Club in New York kicked off it summer offshore sailing season with their Edlu Race, first sailed in 1956. The event has two courses for different types of sailors. The Spinnaker course is 32.0nm from the Larchmont Breakwater to Gong 11B off Eaton's Neck and back. The Non-Spinnaker course is approximately 20.0nm. Winning the PHRF Spinnaker II division was the youth team racing the J/105 YOUNG AMERICAN 324. For more Larchmont YC Edlu Distance Race information, visit https://www.larchmontyc.org/.
Challenging Race to the Straits
The Sloop Tavern Yacht Club’s Race to the Straits in Seattle, WA is all singlehanded or doublehanded teams. Saturday’s leg to Port Townsend was a light wind, current-plagued challenge. Sunday’s leg back was with plenty of breeze from the north. In the six-boat J/105 doublehanded class, it was John Aitchison’s MOOSE UNKNOWN that took honors, followed by Matthew Gardner-Brown’s DULCINEA in second and Sara Billey’s PEER GYNET in third. For more Sloop Tavern YC information, visit https://www.styc.org/.
Paul Beaudin’s loulou Gets American Yacht Club Spring Series Win
The second and final weekend of the 40th Annual American Yacht Club Spring Series in Rye, NY concluded May 5 in the same way it started on April 27-28 – with challenging weather that included little wind on Saturday and heavy rain on Sunday. Seventy boats competed in nine classes. The J/105s were well represented with 14 boats. Paul Beaudin’s loulou stood out from the pack in first place with 7 points. John and Marisa Koten’s Gray Matter dueled with David Greenhouse’s Skipperdee for the balance of the podium, with Gray Matter ending in second place on the tiebreaker (15 points each). For complete results, visit https://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=6132.Eighteen J/105s Compete at Annapolis NOOD
The Helly Hansen Annapolis NOOD regatta took place May 3-5. In the 18-boat J/105 fleet, Peter McChesney (Annapolis, MD) closed out the regatta with a first and a second to take the championship. "We sailed clean, played the shifts, and had an overall conservative last day," said McChesney. "We didn’t do anything fancy. Our goal was to get two solid scores to finish it." The victory marks a reunion for McChesney’s crewmates, who sailed with each other for more years than they would like to admit. "It means a lot to us to be able to come here and perform at the NOOD," he said. "We had a lot of fun both on and off the water, and the conditions offered plenty of challenges. Our strategy was to stay out of trouble and start in the middle of the line. We have good boatspeed so we never had to do anything crazy to be in the mix. Once we started the last race clean, we knew we were going to win." Following McChesney were Cedric Lewis & Fredrik Salvesen’s Mirage and Hugh Bethell’s Jester. For complete event details, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=6036.
J-OK Time at Yachting Cup
There were plenty of high-fives, handshakes and celebratory cheers back on the docks after the final day of the San Diego Yacht Club’s Yachting Cup. SDYC relies heavily on the local J/105 fleet to support its signature fall regattas, the International Masters and Lipton Cup regattas. Many of the J/105s used to run those events competed in this year’s Yachting Cup with fleet captain Stewart Cannon’s J-OK finishing on top while winning the final three races of the weekend. Full results are available at https://yachtingcup.com/results.
J/105 PHRF Win at Newport to Ensenada Race
The second major event of the Southern California offshore season, the Newport to Ensenada Race, started off quite light, especially overnight, but as the fleet made their way down the coastline, the onshore sea breezes and northerly flows kicked in for a sunny, breezy finish for most boats. The 125nm sprint that starts off the piers at Newport Beach, CA is a simple race course—after the start, head south down the California/Mexican coastline to a finish inside Toto Santos Bay, off the Hotel Coral & Marina in Ensenada. In PHRF ULDB D Class, Juan Lois’ J/105 ROCINANTE won class honors. For more Newport to Ensenada Race information, visit http://nosa.org/.
J/105 Rules Proposal Approvals
On 4/15/19, the Executive Committee of the J/105 Class Association voted to change Class Rule 7.1 to increase the maximum crew weight to 500 kg. Although this Rule change will not take effect until 2020, your fleet can request, under RRS 87, to utilize the crew weight of 500 kg for the remainder of 2019 for events other than Regional or National Championships. To do so, e-mail howell@j105.org. Also, Class Rule 6.5.3 will be changed to read: "The jib shall have a minimum weight of 9.0 kg (19.8 lb), including any battens." Minutes of the meeting can be viewed on the Class Business page. You must log-in to view at http://archive.j105.org/membership/login.php
Strong Close at Charleston Race Week
Sperry Charleston Race Week concluded April 14 in spectacular fashion with strong winds producing exciting action. ORC D was won by Skimmer, a locally-based J/105 team led by Miles Martschink and Ben Hagood. "This was our first experience with ORC racing," said Tucker, "and with some more measurements, we probably could have optimized our rating a little better. Yet on the whole we thought the ratings were fair." For complete event details, visit https://charlestonraceweek.com/.
Tight Battles at J/Fest San Francisco
The annual J/Fest San Francisco, hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club, provided excellent race management and close racing for the fleet of one-designs that included J/105s. Over the two-day weekend, the fleet was able to get in three races per day for a total of six overall. In the 25-boat J/105 division, the top of the leaderboard saw battles that raged race-by-race. The key was consistency and, other than the regatta winner, all teams posted at least one or more double-digit finish. It was rough going for everyone, as evidenced by the scorelines. It was Tim Russell’s NE*NE, with an 8-1-1-9-5-3 tally for 27 points, that took the class honors. Leading the regatta after four races was Ryan Simmons’ BLACKHAWK, scoring a 2-2-10-3-13-2 for 32 points to take the silver. Taking the bronze was Adam Spiegel’s JAM SESSION with a 3-8-5-10-10-7 scoreline for 43 points. The balance of the top five was Justin Oberbauer’s STRANGELOVE with 44 points in fourth and Phil Laby’s GODOT with 53 points in fifth (breaking a tie-breaker with Jeff Litfin’s MOJO that ended up sixth). For more J/Fest San Francisco information, visit https://www.stfyc.com/.
Center Sound Series Finale
The third and final race of the Center Sound Series took place on Puget Sound. In the end, the Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle managed to run three good, challenging races, from fast drifting to hiking hard in 15-25 knots breezes. PHRF 4 CLASS was the one-design J/105 fleet. Winning was Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE, followed in second by Bucky Rezabek’s RACERS FORMALLY KNOWN AS HERE&NOW, then Chris Phoenix’s JADED in third, Tom Kerr’s CORVO 105 in fourth and Allen Hughes/Shauna Walgren’s CREATIVE rounding out the top five. For Corinthian YC Seattle Center Sound Series information, visit http://racing.cycseattle.org/results/registrants-results.html.
Driscoll/Hurlburt Team Prevails at San Diego NOOD
Glamourous weather prevailed for the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta San Diego on March 15-17 in San Diego, CA. Fourteen divisions hosted 123 teams, with racing inside San Diego and Coronado Bay and offshore on ocean courses. Going into the final race of the J/105s, a two-point margin between the top-three boats produced a winner-take-all showdown. After two races, Chuck Driscoll and his team on Juiced emerged victorious. "This win is important to us," said Driscoll, of San Diego. "My partner, Tom Hurlburt, and I have been sailing this regatta for 12 years, and we’ve come second many times. This was the first time we’ve been able to put it together for a win." The Driscoll family has a long history with the San Diego Yacht Club. "My grandfather was commodore here in 1939. My father won the Star Worlds in 1944 and was the skipper of Intrepid in the America’s Cup trials. My father also won the Lipton Cup, along with my brother and I. Our family has been involved in boating my whole life. We’ve been very fortunate." Stewart Cannon’s J-OK and Steve Howell’s Blink! Rounded out the top three. For complete event details, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=6035.
J/105 Fleet 4 Hall of Fame Dinner
On March 12, Fleet 4 held its first Hall of Fame dinner at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club in Toronto. Ian Farquharson, Past Fleet Captain and Past Class Association President, was the first inductee. He was honored for bringing the first J/105 to the club and being instrumental in building the Fleet. Over 50 owners and crew gathered, and some great stories were told of the early days - going back 20 years.Perfect Bahia de Banderas Bay Regatta for Bart Smit
This year’s Bahia de Banderas Regatta was another almost perfect weekend of sailing on the waters off Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. Thirty-seven boats in six classes enjoyed postcard perfect weather every day. The Vallarta YC, based out of Marina Vallarta, provided excellent race management, waiting for the seabreeze to build by noontime before sending the sailors out for their races each day. In PHRF Performance B class, Bart Smit’s J/105 SINFONIA NAUTICA eclipsed their fleet with straight bullets for a total of just 3 points in three races. For more Bahia de Banderas Regatta information, visit https://www.banderasbayregatta.com/index.php.
Light Airs Big Daddy Regatta
The Big Daddy Regatta marks the 34th year of mark racing on Saturday and a Pursuit race on Sunday hosted by Richmond Yacht Club. All mono-hulled keelboats with a Northern California PHRF rating of 280 and below were invited. Fleets over 5 boats may be given one-design starts on Saturday. In the J/105 one-design class, Chris Kim’s VUJA STAR from Richmond YC swept the series with straight bullets. Taking second with all deuces was Eric Patterson’s KESTREL from San Francisco YC, and taking the bronze was Dick Maclay’s YELLOWFIN from Berkeley YC. For more Big Daddy Regatta information, visit http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/16268.
Challenging Scatchet Head Race
The second race of the Center Sound Series is in the books, a three-race series hosted by Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle. The start on Saturday was at 10:00 AM, and the fleet had to contend with light airs and lots of current. The 26.0nm course left the starting mark buoy to port, rounded Scatchet Head Lighted Gong Buoy to port, and finished by leaving the finishing mark buoy to port. Class 4 was the nine-boat J/105 fleet. It is very close racing with three boats tied on 4 points each for the overall lead. That trio is Chris Phoenix’s JADED with a 3-1, Bucky Rezabek’s RACERS FORMALLY KNOWN AS HERE & NOW with a 1-3, and Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE with a 2-2. The balance of the top five has Tom Kerr’s CORVO in fourth with a 5-4, and Allen Hughes & Shauna Walgren’s CREATIVE with a 4-6 in fifth place. For more Corinthian YC Seattle Center Sound Series information, visit https://cycseattle.org/.
Glenn Darden & Reese Hillard’s Hoss Claims J/105 Midwinter Championship
The J/105 Midwinter Championship returned to the calendar this year as 11 teams competed at Fort Worth Boat Club in Fort Worth, TX from March 7-10. Locals Glenn Darden and Reese Hillard led the Hoss team to victory with 24 points. They racked up three bullets over the weekend and never finished lower than sixth. Following Hoss in second place was Bill Zartler’s Deja Voodoo (30 points) and Kenneth Horne’s Final Final in third (33 points). Darden summarized, "It was a wild three days of tight racing with winds ranging from 3 to 30 knots. Eagle Mountain Lake always makes it interesting! I would like to thank my Hoss team, first, co-owner and long-time shipmate Reese Hillard trimmer, Jake Scott tactics and mainsheet, Tony Waldon on bow, Peter Philpott at the mast and Lindsay Scott doing everything else. They really pulled Hoss to the top. The Fort Worth Boat Club ran a top-notch event, and PRO Dwight Bengston and his race management team did an outstanding job in getting in eight quality races in three days." Added Matt Arno, J/105 Chief Measurer, "It’s not often you get to race in three different seasons in three days. Winds from 0 to 40 and temps from 40 to 80 gave us the full range of conditions. Despite that, racing was tight for the whole regatta."
Top five:
- Hoss, Darden/Hillard, 5 -1 -1 -1 -2 -6 -2 -6 ; 24
- Deja Voodoo, Bill Zartler, 9 -2 -6 -8 -1 -1 -1 -2 ; 30
- Final Final, Kenneth Horne, 1 -4 -2 -2 -3 -5 -8 -8 ; 33
- Beauty, Dwight Horton, 6 -6 -8 -3 -4 -3 -4 -1 ; 35
- DoubleDare, Rick Schaffer, 2 -3 -3 -7 -8 -9 -3 -3 ; 38 Photos are available on the J/105 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=6095.
J/105s Enjoy St. Maarten Heineken Regatta
Congratulations to Jordan Mindich's J/105 SOLSTICE, second in CSA 4 Class at the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. It was a gorgeous four days of racing. J/105s were first and second in class, with Peter Lewis' Barbados crew on WHISTLER taking the class win. For complete event details, visit https://heinekenregatta.com/st-maarten-heineken-regatta/.
Three Bridge Fiasco
The 2019 edition of the Three Bridge Fiasco in San Francisco, CA will go down in the history books as one of the nicest in recent memory—sunny skies, gentle northeast winds of 4 to 12 knots and warm 72 F temperatures. The Singlehanded Sailing Society welcomed a fleet of 334 boats that were entered as singlehanded or doublehanded teams (most were sailing doublehanded). It is believed the race, a 21.0nm dash around three marks is considered the largest shorthanded sailing event in the world. Starting off Golden Gate YC on the south shore of the Bay, the sailors can choose which direction to go (clockwise or counter-clockwise). The marks are Blackaller Buoy near the south pylon of the Golden Gate Bridge at the westward opening of the Bay, around Red Rock Island near the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge in north Bay, and around the Bay Bridge by rounding Treasure & Yerba Buena Islands. Since the race is a reverse start (pursuit) race, the start time for each boat is based on its PHRF rating, with slowest boats starting first at 0900 hrs and the fastest at -102 starting two hours later. There was an enormous turnout for the J/105s, with 18 boats showing up on the starting line. Will and Jayden Benedict’s ADVANTAGE 3 easily won, crossing at 13:47:58. Chasing them was Chris Kim and Carl Plant’s VUJA STAR, finishing just under five minutes behind at 13:52:29. Morgan and Jordan Paxhia’s STILL PINCHIN finished 14:12:59. A pair of racers were left rudderless after a collision with a whale in the middle of the San Francisco Bay on Saturday. Adam Spiegel and his partner had been roughly an hour into the race before the incident occurred. They'd rounded one the race's marks up by Fort Point and were heading across the Bay toward the Richmond-San Rafael bridge when their J/105 JAM SESSION abruptly came to a stop. "All of a sudden, it felt like we'd ran aground," Spiegel told SFGATE. A second or two later, Spiegel said, there was another thud, followed by another thud. Then, the pair heard a loud, cracking noise and what sounded like a splintering sound. After that, a gray whale, which Spiegel estimated to be at least 25 feet long, surfaced next to them. Spiegel couldn't see any blood in the water or damage to the whale, but they wondered if the whale was going to "come after" them like Moby Dick. Then, they wondered if their boat was going to sink. They figured out they'd lost partial steerage and couldn't get back safely on their own. Spiegel and his partner contacted the dockmaster of the St. Francis Yacht Club, and they came out in a powerboat to rescue the pair and tow them back safely. The boat's rudder was dislodged and the underside of the boat was scraped up by the whale, Spiegel said. It's still not clear what injuries the whale sustained. Ship collisions are a frequent cause of death for whales along the California coast. Here is the story on SFGate.com: https://www.sfgate.com/whales-sharks/article/Whale-hits-sailboat-three-bridge-fiasco-race-adam-13565892.php. For more Three Bridge Fiasco information, visit http://sfbaysss.org/main/.
St. Francis YC Sailors of the Year – Two J/105 Sailors
The St. Francis Yacht Club Sailor of the Year is a member who, through dedication and persistence, achieved excellence as an amateur skipper and/or crew in the sport of yacht racing. For 2018, the award went to Bruce Stone, a past Rolex Big Boat Series winner, Rolex Block Island Race Week winner, and J/105 North American Champion. In addition to a busy season racking up wins sailing J/105s across the USA, Bruce Stone also chaired the US Match Racing Championship Committee, organized the 2019 Nations Cup Match Racing finals to be held at St Francis YC in April 2019, and continues to chair multiple StFYC regattas. Congratulations Bruce Stone! Coincidentally, it was Bruce’s crew and wife, Nicole Breault, who was awarded the StFYC Yachtswoman of the Year, recognizing her for a woman member’s contribution to the sport of yachting! Nicole continues to be an amazing sailor and supporter of the Club, running learn-to-sail and learn-to-match-race clinics that are getting more women out on the water. In addition to adding to her own podium moments in both match racing and J/105 fleet racing, she’s been an important role model in motivating women to improve their skills and lose their fear of taking responsibility on board. She’s the #1 Woman Match Racer in the USA for the third year in a row, and #6 in the Women’s World Match Racing rankings! She’ll be representing the Club at the 2019 Nations Cup, which will be held at StFYC in April 2019. Congratulations Nicole Breault!
AIRFORCE Three-Peats J/105 AXA XL International Challenge Cup
Every November for three days, the Bacardi Keelboat Regatta is held in Bermuda. The J/105 fleet is an invitational-only event, as they race with a combined Bermuda and international crew to compete for three awards: Bermuda and International Divisions and the Overall AXA XL International Challenge Cup series. In addition to Bacardi’s sponsorship, the J/105s were competing for the AXA XL International Challenge Cup, a sponsorship supported by one of Bermuda’s largest re-insurance companies (their Managing Director is an active J/105 sailor). The J/105 fleet fielded its usual strong contingent of competitors with international helmsmen and crew hailing from the US and the UK, paired with an equal compliment of local Bermuda sailors onboard each boat. There were seven J/105s competing this year in a Bermuda Series where the Bermuda skipper drives, alternating races with the international skipper for the International Series, and combined results for the AXA XL Overall Trophy. The first day of racing produced a gorgeous sunny day of 10-20 knots with four races counting, two for the Bermudian skippers and two for the international skippers. The second day was blown-out, with winds topping 40+ knots. Fortunately, the huge North Atlantic storm passed quickly, producing another day of 10-20 knots of breeze that permitted four more races to determine the winner of the AXA XL J/105 International Challenge Cup. It was the team of Bermudian Peter Bromby and Peter Snelling on AIRFORCE who ultimately won the regatta. After four races on day one, they were sitting in third place. Then, on the closing day, they had to contend with a DSQ in Race 6. Leading after the first day with a 1-2-3-2 were the duo of Bermudian Trevor Boyce and American Stew Neff sailing YABSTA. Owever, the YABSTA crew could not find good pace in the last four races, closing with a 6-3-4-6 to miss the win by just two points to settle for the silver. American Mike Riley and Bermudian Ed Faries on BACK IN BLACK closed with a 1-2-1 tally on the last day to rocket up the leaderboard from mid-fleet, taking the tie-breaker at 28 points each over MAYHEM (American Jason Owen and Bermudian Jon Corless). Rounding out the top five was the PASSION Team (Bermudian James MacDonald and Texan Bill Lakenmacher). For the Bermuda Division, winning was Peter Bromby, followed by Jon Corless in second and James MacDonald in third. In the International Division, winning was Mike Riley, with Stew Neff second and Bill Lakenmacher in third position. For more Royal Bermuda YC Bacardi Keelboat Regatta information, visit http://rbyc.bm/other-regattas/bacardi-keelboat-regatta/.
Hot Rum Series II Report
In the second installment of San Diego Yacht Club’s famous Hot Rum Series, there were a lot of position changes for various teams going up and down the standings as they navigated the waters of San Diego Harbor and the Pacific Ocean off Point Loma. Again, the conditions were generally favorable to the bigger boats starting later in the PHRF pursuit-style race, as they started with more wind than the earlier slower boats. Leading the fleet in PHRF Class 4 is Dennis Case’s J/105 J-OK with a 4-2 for 6 points. Third is Erostino Dagfish’s VIGGEN with a 6-5 for 11 points. Fourth is Steve Wyman’s J/70 NUNUHUNU with a 2-10 for 12 points. And, sitting is fifth place is Donica & Scott Ryder’s J/105 SANITY with a 14-1 for 15 points. For more Hot Rum Series information, visit https://sdyc.org/.
J/105s Love Harvest Moon Regatta
Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, TX hosted the 32nd Annual Harvest Moon Regatta from October 25-28. This year's regatta had 119 sailboats returning to the usual finish line in Port Aransas after a one-year hiatus because of the damage rendered to the city by Hurricane Harvey the previous year. Hundreds of racers look forward to this event each fall. In the ORC B Class, winning was John Barnett’s J/105 PESTO, followed by Chuck Wielchowsky’s J/105 TEXAS RANGER IV in fourth place. For more Harvest Moon Regatta information, visit http://www.harvestmoonregatta.com/.
AGM Minutes Posted
Minutes of the 11/5/18 J/105 Annual Meeting are posted on the Class Business page at http://archive.j105.org/members/business.php (you must log-in to view).
Stormy Chesapeake Championship for J/105s
Here is the report on the Chesapeake Bay Championship: "With a nor’easter bearing down, Race Chair Sandy Grosvenor and Event PRO Steve Kling made the decision to postpone Saturday’s first warning by two hours to allow the sea state to settle in and the predicted 30-40 knot gusts to continue northward. At 1300, the first race of the day kicked off in 20+ knots and 2-3’ swells, but considering how many days were lost of racing this year due to no wind, the conditions were perfect, if not challenging, for a mid-fall championship weekend. The Race Committee ran two races on Day 1 including a five-leg course for race 2, which put the tired, cold, and wet competitors closer to home at the finish line. Day 2, Sunday, kicked off 30 minutes earlier than initially planned to give the Committee a good chance of fitting in three races in a timely manner before sending crews ashore to warm up in the Skipjack for the trophy presentation. With the sun out and the breeze in the mid to high teens, the 1030 warning sent the J/105s off on the first of two four-legged races before wrapping up Race 5 for the regatta with five legs and very happy sailors. Cedric Lewis and Fredrik Salvesen with their long-time crew on Mirage once again found themselves on the trophy list for the J/105s, picking up first place for the regatta. In second place was John White sailing with Shane Zwingelberg and Sarah Russell. In third place was Andrew Kennedy’s team on Bat IV. Closing out the presentation was the most meaningful award for local J/105 sailors, as a trophy lost in the fire was adopted by member Andrew Kennedy, Bat IV, and Andy & Leslie Skibo, former owners of Plum Crazy, and presented for the first time since its loss. The Steve Gale Memorial Award was awarded to Mirage’s Greg Larcher. Gale, who passed away in 2010, was a long-time bowman for both Plum Crazy and Bat IV, and the trophy was created to recognize the bowman for the top place boat in the fleet’s fall Championship. The trophy is now on display in the Clubhouse and will be updated with the winners’ names since its origination." For more Chesapeake Bay Championship information, visit https://www.annapolisyc.com/.
Clean Sweep at The Great Pumpkin Race
Over the Halloween weekend, the Richmond Yacht Club hosts its annual Great Pumpkin Regatta over two days in the northeastern part of San Francisco Bay. It is a popular event with costume parties. The J/105 fleet saw a clean sweep, with Sergey Lubarsky’s RUSSIAN ROULETTE winning handily, followed by Chris Kim’s VUJA STAR in second and Larry Levit’s ARCHIMEDES in third. For more The Great Pumpkin Regatta information, visit http://www.richmondyc.org/.
SDYC Wins Tiebreaker at Lipton Cup in J/105s
It’s a marathon, not a sprint. That’s the theory that San Diego Yacht Club skipper Tyler Sinks followed during this weekend’s 12 intense races that brought his team to win the 2018 Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup for the second year in a row. "We hung on by the hair on our chinny chin chin," said SDYC skipper Tyler Sinks. "We just tried to sail our own boat all day. It was such a tricky race course that it was hard to be in the right spot, but I have such good teammates. They kept the boat moving the whole time, and I just took orders all weekend. Having a good team really helped us pull it out." The final day of the Lipton Cup started with gloomy skies and cool breezes around two knots resulting in postponement. Traffic in San Diego Bay was limited, allowing for a wide-open course and minimal wake. Once the breeze picked up to over eight knots, the teams were ready to compete in their final day of races. The sun broke through the clouds, and spectator boats surrounded the course in anticipation of the final results. The overall first place winner was San Diego Yacht Club, followed by Long Beach Yacht Club in second and California Yacht Club in third. LBYC started off day three in first with 32 points followed closely by SDYC’s 35 points. Little did they know those three points would follow them to the last race of the day. Interestingly enough, neither team saw particularly great races Sunday. SDYC’s third place in race 11 was the highest placement for either team all day. However, with incredible races on days one and two, the teams were able to hold their positions at the top of the fleet. The real race Sunday was a match race between LBYC and SDYC. SDYC went into the final race of the day, race 12, with 48 points, three points behind LBYC. SDYC finished in ninth place only beating LBYC by three boats. That was enough for the two teams to end the day in a tie at 57 points. Four bullets for SDYC determined that the tie breaker go to the home team. "It was a close race. Kudos to those guys for sailing a hell of a regatta. It could have easily been the other way around. It was high stress, but we’ve been in these situations before and the guys were cool, calm and collected," explained Sinks. LBYC Skipper Shane Young described the races behind the tie breaker. "There were three races left, and we knew we were tight with San Diego. It came down to one point over the whole regatta and losing the tie breaker. It came down to the last leg, and there were three boats in between us, giving them the points they needed. Congrats to them and hats off!" A notable connection between the two teams were their crews. San Diego Yacht Club brothers John and Chris Busch raced head to head on opposing teams, SDYC (Chris) and LBYC (John). The brothers have been racing together for 45 years. They typically sail against each other in long distance races, but this weekend the two saw a friendly family rivalry. For complete results, visit https://sdyc.org/assets/results/results18/liptoncup18_res.htm.
Blustery Puget Sound Sailing Championship
The Saturday of CYC-Seattle’s Puget Sound Sailing Championship saw 18-22 knot winds, big waves, and bright sun. A total of 56 boats sailed the event, with three PHRF classes and five one-design Classes, four of which made up the south course right off Shilshole Bay Marina. CYC got in 9-11 races for all the fleets. Sunday was sailed in more sedate sunny conditions. The nine-boat J/105 fleet reveled in the circumstances, with Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE team winning easily. Second was John Aitchison’s MOOSE UNKNOWN, and third was Chris Phoenix’s JADED. Rounding out the top five were Jerry Diercks’ DELIRIUM and Jeff Pace and Philiippe Le Mouel’s LIFTOFF in fourth and fifth, respectively. For more Puget Sound Series information, visit https://cycseattle.org/CYC-Racing.
John Barnett Dominates J/105s at J/Fest Southwest
Sixty-two boats total participated in J/Fest Southwest, hosted by Lakewood Yacht Club in Houston, TX from October 12-14. Sailors were treated to awesome sailing conditions both days; in particular, it was windy on Saturday with gusts in the high 20s. The event started out with the newly famous Legends Race that was sailed in a "stadium-sailing" scenario right in front of the club. Five video cameras recorded the live action, broadcast worldwide on YouTube. For the nine-boat J/105 fleet, it was John Barnett’s PESTO that started off with a 1-1-1-1, then scored a second, then closed with a 1-1 to win with 8 points total. Taking the silver was Uzi Ozeri’s INFINITY with 19 points, and third was Dennis Kokkinis’ SPITFIRE with 24 points. Rounding out the top five was Brad Robbins’ RUMPUS in fourth and Bill Lackenmacher’s RADIANCE in fifth position. In the random-leg J/PHRF Distance division, Alan Bates’ J/105 ZIPPITY took class honors. For more J/FEST Southwest information, visit https://www.jfestsouthwest.com/.
Dave Perry Tops International Masters Regatta in J/105s
Dave Perry kept his scores in the top 6 on the final day of the 37th edition of the International Masters Regatta in San Diego to take the title over the 12-boat fleet of notable and notorious skippers. After finishing the first day tied for the lead with Ted Lacey, Perry and his team of John Reiter, Alex Camet, Chuck Sinks, Chris Busch and Al Pleskus took over the lead on day two and closed out the final four races Sunday on the venue in South San Diego Bay east of Coronado Bridge. This is Perry’s first win in the event where the skipper must be 60 years and the crew are at least 45 years in 2018. Winds were on the lighter side for the round-robin fleet racing format in supplied J/105s. Report from San Diego Yacht Club: When asked about the most important aspect of his win, 5-time Match Racing Champion Dave Perry responded, "The day I put together my crew." Perry had several local SDYC members return from last year and added previous friends he has sailed with in the past. "When they all said yes was the best day of the regatta." Perry came to the San Diego Yacht Club from Connecticut where he sails at Pequot Yacht Club. He is known all around the country as an expert on the Racing Rules of Aailing and as a Match Racing guru. Perry is a member of the Sailing World Hall of Fame and has dedicated much of his career volunteering with US Sailing, currently serving on its Board of Directors. He is a true ambassador for the sport of sailing. "I’m at the [San Diego Yacht] Club a lot but I’m usually here to teach, not to race. Similar to match racing, there were so many situations just one on one in this regatta... like coming into the start and coming into the windward mark. If you teach something, you’re always thinking about it. I have a good visual image of the race course," Perry explained. The breeze for day three started off similar to days one and two with light winds from the south. The morning’s foggy skies burnt off just in time for the regatta, but made for some unique photo opportunities on the way out to the course. The wind picked up and peaked at 9 knots midday, again making for ideal racing conditions on South San Diego Bay. Two new sailors to the International Masters Regatta also proved themselves with smart, intense sailing this weekend. Andy Roy, coming from Royal Canadian Yacht Club, started off day one in fourth place and moved one step up the ladder each day, finishing in second place and earning his spot on the podium. California Yacht Club’s Bill Peterson saw a similar climb finishing in third place by the end of the regatta. Both sailors are new to the J/105. Roy returned to the docks after the races thrilled with his position. "We’re really blown away. I’ve never been in a J/105 until the regatta. I owe this success to the crew; these guys are really good and they made it all happen. It was a bit of a learning curve for me. I learned a lot the first day about handling the boat and picked it up the second day. If I get invited again, I’ll absolutely be back." For complete results, visit https://sdyc.org/assets/results/results18/masters18_res.htm.Fun, Sunny J/Fest San Diego
This year’s J/Fest San Diego was hosted by San Diego Yacht Club, with racing taking place off the Point Loma promontory and the beachfront off the city. The fleet was blessed with sunny skies and moderate winds for the two-day event. For the 10 J/105s, it was Chuck Driscoll’s JUICED that took the title with a 3-1-1-3-1 tally for 9 points. Stew Cannon’s J-OK kept a close watch, but could not match JUICED for the series, posting a 1-3-2-2-2 for 10 points total to take the silver. Rounding out the podium was Ed Sanford’s CREATIVE with a 4-2-3-1-3 for 13 points total. The balance of the top five included Steve & Lucy Howell’s BLINK! in fourth and Rich Bergman’s ZUNI BEAR in fifth place. For more J/Fest San Diego information, visit https://sdyc.org/calendar/event/j-fest18/.
College of Charleston Crushes Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta
Forty-eight boats raced in the 2018 edition of the Storm Trysail Club and the Larchmont Yacht Club annual regatta for college sailors known as the Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta (IOR). The event has become the most popular in all of college sailing, with 45 colleges, universities and academies gathering together to go racing in one-design classes and offshore boats on western Long Island Sound in the first weekend of October. In the huge J/105 division, having a lot of offshore talent onboard their crew were the winning COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON crew racing the YOUNG AMERICAN boat, crushing their one-design fleet with straight bullets for the most dominating performance in the entire regatta. Second was VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY on ECHO and third was WEBB INSTITUTE on HOONIGAN. For all STC IOR race results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_scratch_sheet.cfm?eID=5979.
Uhlir Family Rocks Cleveland (216) Regatta
For the fourth annual Cleveland (216) Regatta, after some rain showers on Friday, warm weather and beautiful fall breeze welcomed six J/105s at Edgewater Yacht Club in Cleveland, Ohio on October 6-7. Three races were completed in shifty breeze on Saturday with 8-12 knots out of the southwest, flat water and sunshine peeking through. On Sunday, unusual Cleveland fog prevailed and even with some breeze, Organizers were unable to get any racing in due to visibility. Following racing, teams met on the drysail for the Quantum/Sailing Inc. "SAIL-gate" where the Browns pulled off an OT win for the first time on a Sunday in two years! The J/105 fleet shook things up this year with Jim Uhlir's Trio taking home first place, Rob Mock's Unbridled in second and Chip Schaffner's Fall Line in third. Many thanks to the sponsors: Quantum Sails Cleveland, Sailing Inc., Tito's Handmade Vodka, Pusser's Rum, Yuengling, Regatta Ginger Beer, Pope's, Caruso's Coffee, Distillata, West Marine and APS. PRO Joe Colling, with help from Sam Patterson, put together a phenomenal team for Race Committee. The fifth annual Cleveland (216) Regatta will be held September 20-21, 2019. For complete results, please visit: http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/16434#_newsroom.
Team Good Trade Wins American Yacht Club Fall Series
With 18 J/105s competing in this fall classic of four days of racing over two weekends, the St. Francis YC team of Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault on Good Trade dominated from the first day. With two bullets on the initial Saturday and two more on Sunday, they established a solid lead and finished first, 7 points ahead of locals Harald Edregan and Jeremie Henderson on Conundrum and 22 points ahead of George and Ann Wilbanks on Revelation. Good Trade also earned the Zilph Trophy for best overall performance among level rated fleets. This was the third year in a row for Stone and Breault to have won AYC Fall Series and their second time winning the best overall. For complete event details, visit https://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4664.2018 Canadian Championship
Thanks to Rod Wilmer & Terry McLaughlin for this report:
[caption id="attachment_4478" align="alignleft" width="300"]
J105 Canadian Championship 2018 in Toronto at Royal Canadian Yacht Club[/caption]
September is remarkable month in Canada. Most of us think of it for back to school, and the change of season. For the Canadian J105 fleet, it brings on the finale to our season, the championship event, the highlight of the year and this year did not disappoint.
Friday had been hyped as a heavy wind affair as we watched the path of hurricane Florence wreck havoc through the Carolinas and turn north. There was talk on the dock as to at what sustained wind strength should racing be cancelled. In fact, Florence dissipated, though the isobars over Southern Ontario narrowed significantly. As we set out on Friday morning we experienced18 knts of wind building to 22knts from the SSW. A heavy sea built up from across the lake. Challenging conditions indeed, but the J105 is the best keel boat class for a reason. It performs brilliantly in these challenging conditions.
Race one start saw 17 boats pitching up and down with flogging sails. Boats that set up early and high near the RC boat found themselves being denied entry at the windward end as the east to west current carried the fleet to the line earlier than expected. The key decision was when to pull the trigger to sheet in and go. Some boats found themselves being called over early. Heartbreak for Jamaica Me Crazy, who for brief moment, had the whole fleet tucked away below them. Mandate got her nose out, hiked hard and was able to tack and cross followed by Hey Jude. Starcross was early on back in the pack and was a victim of a port tacker who failed to duck the additional seven feet necessary to avoid a collision. Despite that incident, they were able to move into second place on the first run before being passed back by Jude.
The downwind legs were epic sailing with fantastic surfing conditions. The crews worked hard to get the boat up on top of the waves providing big rewards for the boats who were able to literally surf by other competitors at 15knts. Though a few spinnakers were shrimped, blown out and shredded, I don’t think too many crews will forget the experience of high excitement downwind sailing.
Races two and three on Friday were sailed in similar conditions with a slight build in velocity. The compass was rock steady, and the seas continued to roll down the lake. Mandate, Hey Jude and Jamaica rounded out the top 3 in race 2. In race 3 Mandate, Usual Suspects and Hey Jude claimed the podium, despite Jude sailing the whole race with no spinnaker.
At this time there was a developing trend at the top of the fleet. Fresh off a North American Championship win Mandate revelled in the windy conditions. Hey Jude was challenging and Suspects, Starcross and Jamaica rounded out the top 5 at the end of day 1.
Unfortunately, someone turned off the fan for Saturday. Race 4 was away in a dying NNE breeze that was very shifty and puffy and continued to fade over the course of the race. Mandate and Suspects worked the left side off of the starting line, which produced a two-boat battle at the front with Mandate hanging on downwind for a ¼ boat length win. Is it possible that the narrow victory was made certain by the skipper of Suspects, just before the finish line, going to the back of the boat in the light air to crank on the backstay thinking that they had another upwind leg to go? We will never know. After two attempts at starting a second race of the day in the dying breeze the PRO, Mike Milner, sent the fleet back home.
Sunday brought no wind in the morning, so the fleet remained on shore for a few hours. The RC was finally able to get a race underway in 6knts of breeze out of the SE. Jude and Mandate worked the middle left on the first beat to come out on top at the first mark. A good battle ensued with Mandate taking over the lead on the last downwind. With Starcross placing 3rd and Suspects 8th in the race, the former managed to slip by the latter in the standings to take third overall. Jamaica claimed fifth overall.
The Canadian Championship is a well-run event and Doug Bullock is a true workhorse. The whole fleet is grateful for his continued efforts. The Saturday evening festivities was a huge success with Errol Blackwood and his band transforming the club into a reggae goombay smash.
We should all be proud of the effort to share our good fortune with the Broad Reach Foundation. Thank-you Doug Bullock and Susan Reisler for organizing the silent auction and Michael Mountford for going above and beyond in finding sponsorship. Let’s continue to build our class on and off the water. We will see you next season on the water and at the AGM in November.
Results: https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=4671
Tim Wilkes photos: https://timwilkes.com/searchlinksJ105CAN18.html
J105 Canadian Championship 2018 in Toronto at Royal Canadian Yacht Club[/caption]
September is remarkable month in Canada. Most of us think of it for back to school, and the change of season. For the Canadian J105 fleet, it brings on the finale to our season, the championship event, the highlight of the year and this year did not disappoint.
Friday had been hyped as a heavy wind affair as we watched the path of hurricane Florence wreck havoc through the Carolinas and turn north. There was talk on the dock as to at what sustained wind strength should racing be cancelled. In fact, Florence dissipated, though the isobars over Southern Ontario narrowed significantly. As we set out on Friday morning we experienced18 knts of wind building to 22knts from the SSW. A heavy sea built up from across the lake. Challenging conditions indeed, but the J105 is the best keel boat class for a reason. It performs brilliantly in these challenging conditions.
Race one start saw 17 boats pitching up and down with flogging sails. Boats that set up early and high near the RC boat found themselves being denied entry at the windward end as the east to west current carried the fleet to the line earlier than expected. The key decision was when to pull the trigger to sheet in and go. Some boats found themselves being called over early. Heartbreak for Jamaica Me Crazy, who for brief moment, had the whole fleet tucked away below them. Mandate got her nose out, hiked hard and was able to tack and cross followed by Hey Jude. Starcross was early on back in the pack and was a victim of a port tacker who failed to duck the additional seven feet necessary to avoid a collision. Despite that incident, they were able to move into second place on the first run before being passed back by Jude.
The downwind legs were epic sailing with fantastic surfing conditions. The crews worked hard to get the boat up on top of the waves providing big rewards for the boats who were able to literally surf by other competitors at 15knts. Though a few spinnakers were shrimped, blown out and shredded, I don’t think too many crews will forget the experience of high excitement downwind sailing.
Races two and three on Friday were sailed in similar conditions with a slight build in velocity. The compass was rock steady, and the seas continued to roll down the lake. Mandate, Hey Jude and Jamaica rounded out the top 3 in race 2. In race 3 Mandate, Usual Suspects and Hey Jude claimed the podium, despite Jude sailing the whole race with no spinnaker.
At this time there was a developing trend at the top of the fleet. Fresh off a North American Championship win Mandate revelled in the windy conditions. Hey Jude was challenging and Suspects, Starcross and Jamaica rounded out the top 5 at the end of day 1.
Unfortunately, someone turned off the fan for Saturday. Race 4 was away in a dying NNE breeze that was very shifty and puffy and continued to fade over the course of the race. Mandate and Suspects worked the left side off of the starting line, which produced a two-boat battle at the front with Mandate hanging on downwind for a ¼ boat length win. Is it possible that the narrow victory was made certain by the skipper of Suspects, just before the finish line, going to the back of the boat in the light air to crank on the backstay thinking that they had another upwind leg to go? We will never know. After two attempts at starting a second race of the day in the dying breeze the PRO, Mike Milner, sent the fleet back home.
Sunday brought no wind in the morning, so the fleet remained on shore for a few hours. The RC was finally able to get a race underway in 6knts of breeze out of the SE. Jude and Mandate worked the middle left on the first beat to come out on top at the first mark. A good battle ensued with Mandate taking over the lead on the last downwind. With Starcross placing 3rd and Suspects 8th in the race, the former managed to slip by the latter in the standings to take third overall. Jamaica claimed fifth overall.
The Canadian Championship is a well-run event and Doug Bullock is a true workhorse. The whole fleet is grateful for his continued efforts. The Saturday evening festivities was a huge success with Errol Blackwood and his band transforming the club into a reggae goombay smash.
We should all be proud of the effort to share our good fortune with the Broad Reach Foundation. Thank-you Doug Bullock and Susan Reisler for organizing the silent auction and Michael Mountford for going above and beyond in finding sponsorship. Let’s continue to build our class on and off the water. We will see you next season on the water and at the AGM in November.
Results: https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=4671
Tim Wilkes photos: https://timwilkes.com/searchlinksJ105CAN18.htmlStrange Brew Led J/105s in Light Long Island Sound PHRF Championship
The Storm Trysail Club and the Riverside Yacht Club were the hosts of the PHRF/J/105 Long Island Sound Championship. While Saturday was an overall non-starter for all fleets, Sunday at least produced two races to save the day for everyone. The seven-boat J/105 one-design fleet saw dominance from Randy Bourne’s STRANGE BREW, winning with two bullets. Similarly, second was taken by David Price’s TRIFECTA, posting a pair of deuces. Yet again, taking third with two thirds was George Wilbanks’ REVELATION. The balance of the top five included Max Kalehoff’s LAURA BEA in fourth and Richie Palmer’s TOLO in fifth. For more Long Island Sound PHRF Championship information, visit https://www.stormtrysail.org/regattas/li-sound-championship.
J/105s Love Wild Jack & Jill Regatta
The annual end-of-season Jack & Jill Regatta is hosted by the Sloop Tavern Yacht Club for a fleet of "mixed doubles" crews. Each team is comprised of a man/woman, and you can only sail doublehanded. There were over four dozen boats that made it to the starting line to race the 13.848nm course—a random leg affair this year that took the fleet around six marks from start to finish. Clearly at home in the wild conditions were the J/105s in the PHRF 6 FS division, as they swept the podium. Winning was Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE, followed by John Aitchison’s MOOSE UNKNOWN in second and Paul Viola’s PEER GYNT in third. For more Sloop Tavern YC’s Jack & Jill Regatta information, visit https://www.styc.org/.
Mojo Wins Commodore’s Cup at Rolex Big Boat Series
Bright sunshine, steady breeze and flat seas greeted the 76 teams for the final day of racing at the 54th edition of the Rolex Big Boat Series (September 12-16), hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club. The race committee announced a 15-minute postponement on both the Alcatraz and Treasure Island race courses to allow the breeze to consolidate and—given the flood-tide cycle that the racers have been enjoying all week—the water to flatten-out prior to the day’s single long-form Bay Tour race. This traditional final-day course selection allowed all seven competing classes to finish this no-drop series directly in front of StFYC’s Race Deck, giving onshore spectators a fantastic view. StFYC’s Commodore’s Cup went to the winner of the largest one-design class—once again the J/105 Class, which has commanded this enviable perpetual for the past decade. With 28 on the starting line and top contenders shuffling firsts, this was one of the regatta’s toughest wins. After seven races, Jeff Littfin’s Mojo (USA 119) crew claimed top honors and a beautiful new Rolex chronometer, followed by Tim Russell’s Ne*Ne (USA 3) and Ryan Simmons’ Blackhawk (USA 40). For more information, please visit the Rolex Big Boat Series' website at https://rolexbigboatseries.com/.
Four Bullets Lead Two Feathers at Storm Trysail Club’s Ted Hood Regatta
August 24–26 saw the return of the Storm Trysail Club’s Ted Hood Regatta to Marblehead Harbor. Under glistening conditions, almost 100 boats participated in various classes over three days. The host of the regatta was the Corinthian Yacht Club, while on-the-water Race Committee duties were shared by Corinthian, Boston and Eastern Yacht Clubs. In the J/105 fleet, Mark Masur won the weekend with his team on Two Feathers, followed by Ken Bowden on Knotless taking second place and Jon Samel on Blown Away in third. For complete event details, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4697.
Cliffhanger Final for J/105s at Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Regatta
St. Francis Yacht Club hosted the Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Regatta on August 18-19, with 19 J/105s. After five races, it was apparent the entire podium was going to be determined by a cliffhanger finale in the last race, as anyone could have won amongst the top five. In the end, Tim Russell’s NENE won the countback on a tie-breaker for first place with Ryan Simmons’ BLACKHAWK. NENE was consistent from the start and faltered a bit in the end, posting a 4-1-1-2-8 for 16 points. BLACKHAWK had a 3-3-2-7-1 tally to nearly pull off the win, also finishing with 16 points. Just out of the money was Bruce Stone’s ARBITRAGE, posting a tally of 1-6-3-6-3 for 19 points total to hang on to third place. Fourth went to Ian Charles’ MAVERICK with a 6-7-4-1-2 record for 20 points. Fifth place was Doug Bailey’s AKULA with a 2-2-6-4-10 for 24 points total. For more event information, visit https://www.stfyc.com/.
Variety of Conditions at Chester Race Week
After three nearly perfect sunny days, sailors brought out their foul weather gear for the fourth and final day of racing at Helly Hansen Chester Race Week 2018. Thick fog, swells and rains that varied from a sprinkling to torrential downpour didn’t dampen enthusiasm at the many start lines. Five J/105s took part in PHRF Inshore 2 with Sean McDermott and Rory MacDonald’s McMac commanding the group with five bullets resulting in 5 net points. James Mosher’s Mojo put together a nice series for second place with 10 points, followed by Barry Eisener’s Buzz in third with 13. For complete event details, visit http://www.chesterraceweek.com/.
The Asylum Runs Verve Cup Offshore
Eight J/105s competed at the Verve Cup Offshore Regatta hosted by Chicago Yacht Club from August 10-12. Conditions ranged from a lumpy 6-10 knots on Friday, light winds on Saturday and about 8 knots on Sunday under sunny skies. Jon Weglarz's The Asylum won four of the seven races and secured first place with 14 points. Gyt Petkus' Vytis won the battle for second place with 17 points, one better than Clark Pellett's Sealark. For complete event details, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4700.
NE*NE Edges J/105s at Summer Keelboat Regatta
A fleet of 23 J/105s was engaged in battle for San Francisco YC’s annual Summer Keelboat Regatta. After five races in two days, it was Tim Russell’s NENE winning by a whisker over Ian Charles’ MAVERICK. J/105 #3 NENE posted a 9-1-1-7-1 tally for 19 points, while MAVERICK had a 4-9-3-1-3 record for 20 points. Rounding out the podium was Ryan Simmons’ BLACKHAWK with a 3-11-2-2-4 scoreline for 22 points. The balance of the top five included Doug Bailey’s AKULA in fourth place just one more point back, and Phil Laby’s GODOT in fifth with 27 points. For more SFYC Summer Keelboat Regatta results, visit https://www.sfyc.org/racing.
Sterling Time at Buzzards Bay Regatta
The 2018 Buzzards Bay Regatta was held August 3-5 by Beverly Yacht Club (Marion, MA) and New Bedford Yacht Club (South Dartmouth, MA), with six course circles hosting nearly 200 entrants. In PHRF Race 2/Fontaine Race, the top five spots saw four J/105s, led by Mark Lindquist’s Sterling, who also claimed the PHRF New England Championship Race 2. Complete event details may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4710.
Hey Jude Wins J/Fest Great Lakes
Thanks to Hey Jude for this report: This year’s edition of J/Fest was hosted by the National Yacht Club on July 21-22. One-design starts were provided for the J/27, J/80 and J/105 fleets, and there was also PHRF starts for assorted boats. Our J/105 fleet was the largest with 16 entries. In spite of the warm and moderate- breeze summer we have been having, this event was promising fresh breeze with an easterly component that could stir up some waves. Saturday did not disappoint with building breeze out of the eastern quadrant, but still relatively flat water. The Race Committee set a course with a weather mark in the Gibraltar area. Down at the start line, there was a fair amount of east-to-west current running, which meant that one needed a start which would let them get to the left side of the course...and the "lefter the better!" It did not take the teams too long to figure this one out, and there were some pretty aggressive moves for the pin. With the current and wind, there was little room for error—if you got it correct, you were launched; if you got it wrong, you were taking transoms and/or doing a one-turn penalty for touching the pin. This trend built with the increasing breeze throughout the day. The top left of the windward leg was incredibly puffy, but the flat water and current relief was worth the gear shifting you needed to do to be effective. Four races were sailed on Saturday, with each race being a bit breezier than the last; the wind was also backing a bit to the left over the day. Avoiding posting a big number was tough, and a few boats were successful in this regard. Starcross proved that consistency pays with a 2-2-3-1 on the day, and their lead in the fourth race was impressive. Jamaica Me Crazy and Usual Suspects also avoided big numbers to card 16 and 20 points on the day, respectively. Hey Jude got off to a good start with three bullets in the first three races, but had to scramble from the back of the pack to grab a fifth in a photo-finish on the last race of the day. NYC put on a great show on a beautiful, windy, Saturday night. Special shout out to Flip Cup Challenge J/105 podium finishers" Wrecking Crew, second, and Full Tilt Boogie, first! Way to represent the fleet. Sunday promised a good showdown between Starcross and Hey Jude, both sitting with 8 points on four races. However, it was not to be as the building breeze and rain squalls, combined with waves from the east that had been fetching all night, made the course unsailable. The RC called the day in the early afternoon, and Hey Jude would win the regatta on the tie-breaker. A few observations and reflections to share... When looking at the forecast, one should consider shortening the forestay at the dock if that is an adjustment you are comfortable making. When you have good breeze and flat water, you can and should wind down the rig pretty hard; there is little or no downside to it. And finally in the puffy conditions, when you get a relative lull, ensure that your jib is not sheeted in too hard as it will really strap in from the reduced pressure. Actually, Saturday was the kind of day where it might have been good to cross-sheet the jib like some of the San Francisco teams do.
- Hey Jude, 8 points
- Starcross, 8 points
- Jamaica Me Crazy, 16 points
- Usual Suspects, 20 points
- Live Edge, 22 points
Terry McLaughlin and Rod Wilmer’s Mandate Dominates J/105 North American Championship
Terry McLaughlin and Rod Wilmer’s Mandate went wire to wire to earn their third J/105 North American Championship title in five years. The Toronto-based team, including Sandy Andrews, Fraser Howell, Ian Howes and Andrew McTavish, won seven of the 11 races and never finished out of the top three. Their 16 points in the no-throw-out series were nine better than Bruce Stone’s Gryphon who tallied 25 points. Bill Zartler’s Deja Voodoo took third place with 31 points. All three teams reigned over the top three in nearly every race of the four-day Championship hosted by Little Traverse Yacht Club in Harbor Springs, MI. Beautiful summer conditions again greeted the 15 J/105 teams on Little Traverse Bay, with a bit lighter breeze than previous days. Sunday’s race winners were Mandate and Deja Voodoo. Congratulations to Clark Pellett’s Sealark who won the combined award for the highest finish in the Chicago Race to Mackinac and the North American Championship.
Top five:
- Mandate, Terry McLaughlin/Rod Wilmer, 1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -1 -3 -1 -2 -1 -2 ; 16
- Gryphon, Bruce Stone, 2 -2 -2 -3 -1 -2 -1 -3 -1 -3 -5 ; 25
- Deja Voodoo, Bill Zartler, 3 -3 -3 -2 -5 -5 -2 -2 -3 -2 -1 ; 31
- The Asylum, Jon Weglarz, 5 -11 -6 -6 -3 -3 -8 -7 -4 -4 -8 ; 65
- Phantom, Cynthia & Jim Best, 6 -6 -9 -4 -9 -8 -6 -4 -10 -13 -6 ; 81 Photos are available on the J/105 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4490.
Merlin has Magical Time at Marblehead NOOD
Though early morning winds appeared promising, the breeze disappeared and never returned for the final day of the Helly Hansen National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta at Marblehead Race Week July 26-29. In the 12-boat J/105 fleet, Charlie Garrard’s Merlin claimed the win with scores of 2 -1 -3 -2 -5 -[7] -1 -2 for 16 net points. Mark Lindquist’s Sterling was just two ticks back after tallying 5 -2 -1 -4 -2 -1 -[6] -3. Jon Samel’s Blown Away was another two behind in third place after recording 4 -[5] -4 -1 -3 -4 -3 -1. For complete event details, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4475.
Terry McLaughlin and Rod Wilmer’s Mandate Closes In on J/105 North American Championship
Three teams have commanded the J/105 North American Championship, but none more than Terry McLaughlin and Rod Wilmer’s Mandate. Of the nine races thus far on Little Traverse Bay, the Toronto-based Mandate has won six of them, hoping to earn their third North American Championship since 2014. Bruce Stone’s Gryphon ruled the day Saturday with two bullets and a third, bringing them within four points of Mandate with two final races planned for Sunday. Bill Zartler’s Deja Voodoo kept hold of third place. Champagne conditions returned Saturday to Harbor Springs, MI with breeze in the mid-teens, temperatures in the 70s and puffy white clouds. The top three teams traded spots in the day’s trio of races, with Stone’s Gryphon earning the first victory, trailed by Zartler’s Deja Voodoo and McLaughlin/Wilmer’s Mandate. The shuffle in the next duel saw Mandate top Deja Voodoo and Gryphon. But is was Gryphon’s turn again the day’s final match, followed by Mandate and Deja Voodoo. Racing concludes Sunday. Photos are available on the J/105 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4490.
Delirium Tops J/105s at Whidbey Island Race Week
From Canada and California, Oregon and Idaho, and even Hawaii, 68 boats made it to Whidbey Island Race Week hosted by Oak Harbor YC. The 10-boat J/105 fleet saw Jerry Diercks’s DELIRIUM take the win by just one point over Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE. Third was Chris Phoenix’s JADED. The balance of the top five saw John Aitchison’s MOOSE UNKNOWN take fourth and Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO in fifth. For more Whidbey Island Race Week information, visit http://whidbeyislandraceweek.com/.
Terry McLaughlin and Rod Wilmer’s Mandate Keeps Hold of J/105 North American Championship
While the weather on Little Traverse Bay turned cooler, Terry McLaughlin and Rod Wilmer’s Mandate stayed hot at the J/105 North American Championship hosted by Little Traverse Yacht Club in Harbor Springs, MI. Mandate recorded their fourth and fifth bullets of the Championship, and added a second, to tally just 7 points in the six races so far. Bruce Stone’s Gryphon maintained second place with 12 points and Bill Zartler’s Deja Voodoo third with 21 points. A misty sky, 60-degree temperatures and winds at 10-15 knots greeted the 15 teams Friday. The top three in the day’s first race matched the same trio as all of Thursday’s races: Mandate, Gryphon and Deja Voodoo. Stone’s Gryphon broke into the top spot in the next contest, ahead of McLaughlin and Wilmer’s Mandate and Jon Weglarz’s The Asylum. The Mandate team returned to their familiar position in Friday’s final battle, with Stone’s Gryphon in second and Weglarz’s The Asylum back in third. Racing continues through Sunday. Photos are available on the J/105 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4490.
Perfect Start to J/105 North American Championship
Little Traverse Bay presented picture-perfect conditions for 15 teams on the initial day of the J/105 North American Championship hosted by Little Traverse Yacht Club in Harbor Springs, MI. Winds in the teens joined by blue skies and temperatures in the low 70s made for three ideal races, all of which were won by Terry McLaughlin and Rod Wilmer’s Mandate. Two-time North American Champions (2014 and 2016), the Toronto-based team ruled the day, with eight remaining races planned through Sunday. Each boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores without exclusion. The top three for each race never changed. Following Mandate were Bruce Stone’s Gryphon, who recorded all seconds and Bill Zartler’s Deja Voodoo with all thirds. Photos are available on the J/105 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4490.
110th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac
From tragedy and big seas to flat calm and floating, the 110th Chicago Mackinac Race was a race of extremes for the 289.4 nm course from the Chicago Lighthouse, just off Navy Pier, to Mackinac Island. After the Cruising Division start on July 20 and the Racing Division start on July 21, the 288-boat fleet was soon dealt with 20+ knots and six-to-eight foot seas as they sailed up Lake Michigan. Ultimately, 65 teams would retire. As the low moved east, the wind lightened and a weak high pressure system met the fleet in the northern part of the lake. Fourteen J/105s started, and it was Mark Symonds’ Pterodactyl that took Class honors, ahead of Clark Pellett’s Sealark and Gyt Petkus’ Vytis. For complete results, visit http://competitor.cycracetomackinac.com/results.cfm.
Tight Racing at Whidbey Island Race Week
From Canada and California, Oregon and Idaho, and even Hawaii, 68 boats made the pilgrimage to Whidbey Island Race Week in Oak Harbor, WA. One design fleets including J/105s were joined by five PHRF fleets, one Sport PHRF class and one Performance Cruising class for racing from July 19 to 22. The 10-boat J/105 fleet completed six races. Jerry Diercks’ Delirium edged out Erik Kristen’s More Jubilee by one point (11 to 12). Chris Phoenix’s Jaded rounded out the top three with 15 points. Complete event details may be found at http://whidbeyislandraceweek.com/.
Beaudin’s loulou Stays Hot at Larchmont Race Week
The western end of Long Island Sound has the reputation of being a light-air venue during the summer. However, Larchmont Race Week 2018 disproved that theory as the wind gods smiled on the sailors from July 14 to 22 with puffs at one point approaching 30 knots. Over 100 one-designs and PHRF boats sailed in the 120th edition over two weekends. The J/105 fleet was won by Paul Beaudin’s loulou, ahead of George Wilbanks’ Revelation and the Young American Sailing Academy. For event details, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4660.
J/105 North American Championship Kicks Off Thursday, July 26 from Harbor Springs, Michigan
Nearly 20 J/105 teams are gathering for racing at the J/105 North American Championship in Harbor Springs, Michigan. The competition begins Thursday, July 26 and continues through Sunday, July 29. Look for photos on the J/105 Class Facebook page, and keep up with all the action from Little Traverse Yacht Club at the regatta website: https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4490.
PTERODACTYL Leads J/105s in Bayview-Mackinac
Light winds plagued the 2018 edition of the Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race, which began on Saturday, July 14. Over 50 boats dropped out of the 199 boats that started the 93-year-old race. Taking seventh Overall and the J/105 one-design Class win was Mark Symond’s PTERODACTYL, with crew of Matthew Morin, Arthur Rose, John Quinlan, Kevin & Mike Morin, Thac Nguyen and Duane Rose. For more Belles Beer Bayview Mackinac Race information, visit http://www.bycmack.com/.
J/105 Midwinter Championship Returns in 2019
The J/105 Midwinter Championship returns in 2019, hosted by Fort Worth Boat Club in Fort Worth, Texas! Mark your calendars for March 7-10, 2019, and keep an eye for more information coming soon.
Minutes Posted
Minutes of the July 2018 Executive Committee meeting are now posted on the Class Business page at http://archive.j105.org/members/business.php (members must log in to view).
Seven J/105s Went Round the Island in the UK
It was another challenging 60nm offshore adventure for the Round the Island Race in the United Kingdom, hosted by the Island Sailing Club in Cowes, Isle of Wight. Over 1,000 boats began starting at 0630 hours. First off was the IRC Zero class, followed by over two-dozen more classes sailing across the Royal Yacht Squadron line. On Saturday, the high pressure system produced a light NE breeze to start, veering SE-SW during the afternoon depending where you were. In the IRC 2B Class were seven J/105s. Winning was the J/105 JOS OF HAMBLE, fourth the J/105 JIN & TONIC, sixth the J/105 TYREFIX UK, seventh the J/105 MOSTLY HARMLESS and eighth the J/105 JIGSAW. For more Round the Island Race information, visit http://www.roundtheisland.org.uk/web/code/php/main_c.php?section=home.
Loulou Earns East Coast Championship
Paul Beaudin and his team on loulou won the Red Grant Regatta and J/105 East Coast Championship held at Raritan Yacht Club in Perth Amboy, NJ on July 7-8. Past winners Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault on Good Trade finished second, Brian Nelson on Honey Badger finished third, and Gary and Ann Myer on Magic finished fourth. For complete event details, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4703.Doublehanded Dutch Victory for Windshear
Hans Mulder, the Dutch owner of the J/105 WINDSHEAR, recently sailed a 35nm doublehanded race in L’Escala Spain. Here is the report from Hans and the Club Nautic L’Escala. "The J/105 WINDSHEAR from Club de Vela Golfus is the winner of the IX Commodore’s Cup-Jotun Grand Prix that brought together a total of 20 doublehanded racers to the starting line. The long-distance regatta began at 1105 hrs and was the second sporting event in the calendar of activities that the Club Nàutic L'Escala has prepared to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The Dutchman sailing the J/105 WINDSHEAR, Hans Peter Mulder, took the absolute class and overall victory after being one of the few boats that managed to finish the race in the established time. The northeast wind, between four and eight knots at the start, began to diminish when the fleet began to reach Messina Island. As a result, many boats did not finish within the time limit for the race. WINDSHEAR was also the first boat to arrive at 22:37:36 hours after racing for a total of 11 hours, 32 minutes and 36 seconds to complete the 35.5nm course. With departure from L'Escala, the route made the fleet navigate to a virtual buoy, the Medes Islands, and the island of Messina before returning to the starting point."
J/105s Enjoy More Cleveland Race Week
Following Cleveland Race Week one-design weekend is additional days of women’s, youth, double-handed and "big boat" sailing. The fleet of seven J/105s enjoyed close racing over the weekend. It was a strong performance on Rob Mock’s UNBRIDLED that kept them in the lead, winning two races and adding two deuces to take the win. Just two points in arrears was the Uhlir brothers’ TRIO; then rounding out the podium with the bronze was Stephen Mitcham’s BREEZIN BAYOU. On Women’s PHRF Racing Day, the two J/105s sailed fast and both took podium honors. Winning was Cindy Einhouse’s crew on OVATION and hoisting the bronze medal was Angela Mazzolini’s SLINGSHOT. For more Cleveland Race Week information, visit www.clevelandraceweek.com.
J/FEST Northwest Led by Jaded
Hosted by Corinthian Yacht Club Seattle, the 2018 edition of J/FEST Northwest was a great success for the 47 teams that participated in the two-day regatta. The J/105 fleet of 11 teams saw Chris Phoenix’s JADED winning with a 2-1-3-3-1 for 10 points. Grabbing the silver was FREE BOWL OF SOUP from Portland with Eric Hopper, Matt Davis and Doug Schenk posting a 3-2-4-2-2 for 13 points. Third (just one point back) was Jerry Diercks’ DELIRIUM with a 5-3-2-1-3 for 14 points. Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO and Tom Kerr’s CORVO 105 rounded out the top five. For more J/Fest Northwest Regatta information, visit http://sailnorthwest.com/j-fest/.
Tight Racing for J/105s at Cleveland Race Week
Cleveland Race Week started June 15-17 on the waters of Lake Erie, hosted by Edgewater Yacht Club for its one-design weekend. The seven-boat J/105 fleet had a three-way tie on 4 points after just two races sailed. Rob Mock’s UNBRIDLED scored a 3-1. Ron Carson’s DARK’N’STORMY posted a 1-3. And the Uhlir brothers’ TRIO took the 2-2. The countback/tiebreak worked in Mock’s favor, winning over Carson in second and the Uhlirs in third. For more Cleveland Race Week information, visit www.clevelandraceweek.com.
Sailors Raise Money For Annapolis Leukemia Cup
A successful 26th Annual Leukemia Cup was held on June 2 to support the Leukemia Foundation, hosted jointly by Annapolis Yacht Club and Eastport Yacht Club. As a leukemia survivor, Annapolis’ own legendary sailor Gary Jobson was a proud host for the event that raised thousands of dollars to support research and support for the Leukemia Foundation. The 11-boat J/105 fleet, the biggest contributors Class-wise, saw John White’s USA 113 take the honors. For more Annapolis Leukemia Cup information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=4708.
Gryphon Perfect at Chicago NOOD
[caption id="attachment_4387" align="alignleft" width="300"]
From left to right: Muieen Cader (mast), Bruce Stone (helm), Bill Higgins (bow), Nicole Breault (main/tactics), Halsey Richartz (spin/jib trim) and owner Sam Powers (pit)[/caption]
At the Chicago NOOD on June 8-10, San Francisco native Bruce Stone, a NOOD veteran and former overall winner, is sailing in Chicago for the first time in nearly 40 years in anticipation of the J/105 North American Championship in nearby Harbor Springs this July. Stone and his wife Nicole Breault own two J/105s of their own, but are chartering Gryphon from owner Sam Powers, who joined their crew. This is their second regatta as a team, and despite sailing with a completely new crew over the weekend, team Gryphon was the only crew in the event to win every race they sailed. "We were very attuned to rig tune," Stone said. "In between races, we were adjusting the rig based on whether the wind was picking up or not. We didn’t really see a lot of other boats doing that, so we think it was really important. We also roll tacked a lot — the team was sailing it like a dinghy instead of a big boat. Weight placement was really critical, sailing a little bit low and fast to keep the boat moving." For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=4474.
J/105 (top three - 10 Boats)
From left to right: Muieen Cader (mast), Bruce Stone (helm), Bill Higgins (bow), Nicole Breault (main/tactics), Halsey Richartz (spin/jib trim) and owner Sam Powers (pit)[/caption]
At the Chicago NOOD on June 8-10, San Francisco native Bruce Stone, a NOOD veteran and former overall winner, is sailing in Chicago for the first time in nearly 40 years in anticipation of the J/105 North American Championship in nearby Harbor Springs this July. Stone and his wife Nicole Breault own two J/105s of their own, but are chartering Gryphon from owner Sam Powers, who joined their crew. This is their second regatta as a team, and despite sailing with a completely new crew over the weekend, team Gryphon was the only crew in the event to win every race they sailed. "We were very attuned to rig tune," Stone said. "In between races, we were adjusting the rig based on whether the wind was picking up or not. We didn’t really see a lot of other boats doing that, so we think it was really important. We also roll tacked a lot — the team was sailing it like a dinghy instead of a big boat. Weight placement was really critical, sailing a little bit low and fast to keep the boat moving." For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=4474.
J/105 (top three - 10 Boats)
- Gryphon, Bruce Stone/Nicole Breault/Sam Powers - 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1; 6
- The Asylum, Jon Weglarz - 2 -6 -2 -5 -2 -5; 22
- Vytis, Gyt Petkus - 6 -3 -3 -3 -7 -2; 24
Casual Elegance Enjoys Fast Susan Hood Trophy Race
This year’s Susan Hood Trophy Race, an offshore race on Lake Ontario on June 1, had continuous wind throughout the night and into the morning, making it one of the fastest overall in regatta history. The course was the reverse of recent years. The 75nm course started at Port Credit Yacht Club, going straight SSE across Lake Ontario to the Niagara Mark on the New York shoreline, then westerly to the Burlington Weather mark on the NY/ONT border, and then back to PCYC on an ENE course to the finish. From the start, there was a mix of spinnakers and close reach sails going across the lake to the Niagara R2 mark with some of the lead boats topping over 14 knots boat speed. At Niagara, there was a quick douse of the spinnaker and a close reach all the way to the Burlington Mark where winds held, for the most part, over 13 knots. The final leg from Burlington to PCYC was dead upwind and held steady throughout most of the day. In the PHRF-FS-FC4 Class, first was the J/105 CASUAL ELEGANCE (Geoff Clarke) and third was J/105 ANOTHER HAZARD (Peter Wolniak) only another 5 minutes back. For more LOOR Susan Hood Trophy Race information, visit https://www.loor.ca/susan-hood-trophy-race.
Trifecta at Cedar Point Yacht Club One Design Regatta
Cedar Point Yacht Club hosted its largest-ever One Design Regatta June 1-3, as a record 106 boats and 560 sailors competed in eight Classes. Fickle breezes and constantly changing seas created challenges on Saturday, as sailors worked through periods of dead calm followed by a thunderstorm that roared across Long Island Sound from the north. On Sunday, brisk winds across the circle courses southeast of Compo Beach made for more favorable conditions, and more races were completed. Joseph Scarpulla’s Trifecta finished first twice of five races to win in the eight-boat J/105 fleet, ahead of the Duncan Hennes/Za & Lib Jelliffe crew on Arete and Harald Edegran & Jeremy Henderson on Conundrum. Thanks to the Hamlet Hub for this report. For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=4538.
Bruce Stone and his team on Gryphon #29 score all bullets to win Lake Michigan fleet’s season opening Colors Regatta
St. Francis J/105 skipper Bruce Stone journeyed to Chicago this past weekend for the season opening Colors Regatta hosted by Columbia YC and crushed the competition with a perfect five bullets in five races on the chartered J/105 Gryphon #29 with owner Sam Powers on board at pit. The SF-based team is using the Colors and next weekend’s Chicago NOOD as a warm-up for the J/105 North Americans in Harbor Springs in July. Stone’s team photo is from left to right: David Kelly, Ryan Simmons, Sam Powers, Bruce Stone, Philipp Berner, and Aliki Navajas. Clark Pellett’s Sealark #349 finished second with 12 points, and Jon Weglarz’s The Asylum #673 finished third with 14 points. Full results at:https://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=4699. Additionally, in the Singlehanded (GLSS) division, Mark Gannon's J/105 Gangbusters took the win.Fast, Windy FIGAWI Race
On a May Saturday morning, the 500+ sailors on the 180 boats participating in the 2018 edition of the FIGAWI Race were greeted by a solid 15-20 southwest breeze, making for a mostly starboard close reach/fetch from Hyannis, MA on Cape Cod down to Nantucket Harbor. The smaller boats did the "straight shot" course of 23nm and the big boats did the "long course" around enough buoys to make it 30+nm and included beats and reaching under spinnakers. The PHRF S2 Division was essentially a J/105 one-design class with three other boats mixed in. The J/105s swept the top five! Winning was Andrew Reservitz’s DARK’N’STORMY, second Mary Schmitt’s HARDTACK, third Ed Lobo’s WATERWOLF, fourth Joe Lloyd’s Nantucket High School Sailing Team on PRIMA, and fifth was Francis Dougherty’s LYRIC. For more Figawi Race information, visit http://figawi.com/.
Full Range for Block Island Race
Eighty boats crossed the starting line in big breeze on May 25 off of Stamford Harbor (CT) to begin the 73rd edition of the 186 nm Storm Trysail Club Block Island Race. The good times lasted until most of the boats had rounded Block Island, but on the return leg conditions became increasingly variable. Massive holes appeared at seemingly random times and places. Wind conditions ranged from 30+ knots to nothing. Frank Conway’s J/105 Raptor won the Class 3 PHRF division. For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_detail.cfm?Race_Number=1&eID=4673.
Epic Elite Keel Regatta
In windy, gusty weather, the San Francisco Yacht Club hosted their annual Elite Keel Regatta along the northern side of the Bay near Sausalito. In the 18-boat J/105 fleet, it was the first big regatta win for Tim Russell’s NE*NE, posting a 1-4-1-1-4 tally for 11 points. Taking the silver was Doug Bailey’s AKULA with a 4-3-3-4-1 score for 15 points. Third was Adam Spiegel’s JAM SESSION with a scoreline of 2-1-12-6-3 for 24 points. The balance of the top five included Eric Stang’s JUJU in fourth and Pat Benedict’s ADVANTAGE 3 in fifth. For more SFYC Elite Keel Regatta information, visit https://www.sfyc.org/racing.
J/105 ABSTRACT Tops Oregon Offshore Race
The 42nd annual Oregon Offshore International Yacht Race started on May 10. The starting line was off the mouth of the Columbia River. Boats then proceeded north to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and finished at Victoria, British Columbia, inside the harbor entrance. The course distance is 193 miles; 22 boats entered the race while 14 finished. From the start and going up the coast, it appeared the boats that worked offshore had better winds. However, once turning the tip of the Olympic Peninsula to head back southeast down the Straits of Juan de Fuca, the big battle became the flood turning to ebb and which side to pick? Canadian (north shore) or Washington (south shore USA)? Virtually all boats chose the northern shore to escape current and for more breeze. In PHRF A2 Division, it was Doug Pihlaja’s J/105 ABSTRACT that won class honors. For more event details, visit http://www.oregonoffshore.org/.
Doublehanded J/105 Action at Race To The Straits
Every year, the Sloop Tavern Yacht Club in Ballard, WA holds its annual Race To The Straits Regatta. The format is essentially a double-handed race from Seattle to Port Townsend and back. This year, 101 sailboats sailed in the 18 keelboat divisions. The leg North had the fleet beating in 12-18 knots of breeze. The return leg presented a different challenge–the conditions meant a lot of gybes seeking out the right breeze while staying out of bad current. The J/105s had a fantastic time sailing doublehanded. Winning was Vince Townrow’s KINETIC, followed in second by John & Leslie Aitchison’s MOOSE UNKNOWN, and Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO in third. For more Race to the Straits information, visit https://www.styc.org/.
Brisk J/Stop
San Francisco Bay gave sailors and race committee some of the usual course challenges, but the result was a great weekend of racing for the 23 J/105s that came out for J/Stop. The regatta commenced on Saturday, May 5, with overcast skies and raw conditions that had sailors commenting on the cold by the end of four races. Fortunately, the sun broke through in time to warm up competitors during post-race beers on the docks. The wind cooperated early with westerlies building steadily to the mid-teens. Racing started with the tide just turning from ebb to flood and, as often happens with this very competitive fleet, the first start led to a general recall as most boats got to the line too early and were pushed over. From then on, Saturday’s races were started under the "U" flag rule, and the fleet behaved much better. To the sailors’ great credit, Sunday’s starts were all under the regular "P" flag, with no boats called over early. Wind was brisker on Sunday, reaching into the high teens. As veteran Bay racers know, the tide first turns close to shore, so in the early races there was a greater advantage in getting out to the middle of the Bay when going upwind to catch the last of the ebb tide heading out the Gate. To compensate, the race committee set a start line that initially favored the pin, making adjustments for each race as the flood set in across the whole Bay. It’s always a challenge to convince the sailors that the line is fair, so they don’t all crowd one end, but it doesn’t always work, even if the math is done right. In race 6, for example, while the bulk of the fleet thought the committee boat end was the place to be, Arbitrage and Mojo came in from the pin end and port-tacked the whole fleet with room to spare. Arbitrage went on to win that race and took third overall in the regatta. Many of the top competitors shuffled first-place finishes, and prizes were awarded for each, so several skippers took home some StFYC glassware, including SFYC’s Ryan Simmons on Blackhawk for races 1-2, and Tim Russell’s Ne-Ne in races 3 and 7. StFYC’s Donkey Jack, skippered by Shannon Ryan and Rolf Kaiser, Walter Sanford’s Alchemy and Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault on Arbitrage finished first in races 4, 5 and 6, respectively. Though StFYC’s Ian Charles’s Maverick didn’t take any firsts, they finished second overall in two days of racing, seven rounds total. View all the results at https://www.regattatoolbox.com/results?eventID=bDmqyAmRtu.
Stewart Cannon Earns Win at Yachting Cup
Seventy-nine teams competed in 10 fleets in the Yachting Cup, held May 5-6 in San Diego, CA. Stewart Cannon's J-OK topped the nine-boat J/105 fleet with 12 points in seven races. Donica Ryder & Rick Goebel's Sanity took second place with 18 points, and Hurlburt Driscoll's Juiced was third with 19. For complete results, visit https://sdyc.org/assets/results/results18/yachtingcup_res.htm.
loulou dominates at American Yacht Club Spring Series
The Fleet 6 opener at the American Yacht Club Spring Series was sailed in a variety of challenging and shifty conditions. Paul Beaudin and loulou seemed to have it the most figured out, posting seven first-place finishes in the 11-race regatta. A tight battle continued over two weekends with Maddy Ploch and the Young Americans winning the team’s first ever second place fleet finish, nipping Harald Edegran and Jeremy Henderson’s Conundrum (finishing third even after taking a season off). The fleet is happy to see them back. Fourth was fleet captain Thom Herring and Trifecta. loulou was also awarded the 1888 Trophy for best overall performance in a One-Design division. Complete results are at https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=4663.Mirage Conquers J/105s at Annapolis NOOD
The Helly Hansen National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta wrapped its third stop of the season with two races completed Sunday, May 6 amid challenging wind conditions on the Chesapeake Bay. In the 18-boat J/105 fleet, the Cedric Lewis/Fredrik Salvesen team on Mirage dominated the seven-race series with five bullets and 16 points for the victory. Andrew Kennedy’s Bat IV edged out the silver position with 28 points, one ahead of Carl & Scott Gitchell’s Tenacious. For complete event details, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4473.
MELILANI Edges Out Win at Great Vallejo Race
The Great Vallejo Race has become a time-honored tradition every year for northern San Francisco Bay sailors. The event is hosted by the Vallejo Yacht Club, with over 100 boats sailing in 24 divisions. The race most often starts near the Berkeley Circle on Saturday morning, rounds a single weather mark near Alcatraz, and then heads to Vallejo, usually under spinnaker for the remainder of the race. The challenge is to maintain speed through the shadow of Angel Island, find the best combination of wind and current past the Richmond-San Rafael bridge and East Brother Light Station, and then avoid the mud shoals on the east side of the San Pablo Bay. As the boats enter Carquinez Strait, they bunch together, making the turn into Mare Island Strait. Because of the topography of Mare Island, as well as the fact that it sits at the mouth of the Napa River, local knowledge (or many years of sailing the race) can make the difference as the yachts maneuver toward the finish line on the Vallejo city waterfront. Winds vary from light to heavy, and becoming exceedingly shifty. The J/105 one-design fleet of six boats had stiff competition. It was nearly a three-way tie for first place. As it was, two boats tied for first with identical records of 2-3, with the countback going to Richard Butts’ MELILANI over Chuck Pick’s BOX OF RAIN. Third was Chris Kim’s VUJA STAR with a 5-1 for 6 points. For more Great Vallejo Race information, visit https://www.vallejoyc.org/.
CTRL ALT DEL Tops J/105s at Annapolis YC Spring One-Design Regatta
The Chesapeake Bay had its annual Spring One-Design Regatta on April 29, hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club. The Bay delivered good conditions to get off three races in each fleet. The 14-boat J/105 class had a tight spread between first to fifth, as three different boats won a race. Comin out of top was Ben duPont’s CTRL ALT DEL with a 1-2-3 for 6 points. With a 4-1-4 for 9 points, Cedric Lewis & Fredrik Salvesen’s MIRAGE took second, and then Jim Konigsberg’s INIGO posted a 6-4-1 for 11 points snatch third. For more Annapolis YC Spring Series information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4677.
Delirium at Puget Sound Spring Series
Over two weekends, the annual Puget Sound Spring Regatta (PSSR) was hosted by the Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle. The J/105s had an excellent turnout of seven teams from across the various Puget Sound clubs. Following on their successes in 2017, Jerry Diercks’ crew on DELIRIUM’s last race first-place earned them the top of the podium over the 2017 J/105 Seattle Boat of the Year Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE. The difference was just one point. Third was John Aitchison’s MOOSE UNKNOWN, fourth Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO and fifth Chris Phoenix’s JADED. For more Puget Sound Spring Series information, visit https://cycseattle.org/event-2812354.
Executive Committee meeting minutes posted + Mast Cam Cleat Rule 87 letter
The minutes of the April 16, 2018 J/105 Executive Committee meeting, as well as the Rule 87 letter allowing a mast-mounted spinnaker halyard cam or clam cleat is now posted on the Class Business page at http://archive.j105.org/members/business.php(you must use your member log-in).
Robert Scribner’s Joyride Earns Southeastern Championship at Charleston Race Week
Robert Scribner's Joyride won four of five races at Charleston Race Week to earn the J/105 Southeastern Championship. Joe Highsmith's Dead on Arrival placed second in the six-boat fleet, followed by the Smith, Seif, Jacques trio on Ruckus. For complete event details, visit https://www.charlestonraceweek.com/.
Blakely Rock Benefit Race Report
The race in Seattle, WA is dedicated to the memory of Carol Pearl. Carol was a Sloop Tavern YC member for 39 years. She was a two-term past Commodore, a very active board member, the club historian, champion, mentor, friend and she was involved in organizing the Blakely Rock Benefit Race for as long as anyone can remember. Many sailing teams from across the northwest participated in the event. Class 8 was dominated by the J/105s. Winning was Tom Kerr’s CORVO, followed by Chuck Stephens’ PANIC in second and Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO and Jon Aitcheson’s MOOSE UNKNOWN tied for fifth place. For more Blakely Rock Benefit Race information, visit https://www.styc.org/race_info/Blakely%20Rock%20Benefit/index.shtml.
SF Bay J/Fest Victory Goes to Arbitrage
J/105 Arbitrage #116 with co-owners Bruce Stone at the helm and Nicole Breault at main/tactics won the 2018 San Francisco Bay J/Fest in the face of difficult tidal conditions. Full results are at: https://www.regattatoolbox.com/results?eventID=rsSG2XdU5M. Commentary from photographer Chris Ray: "In the face of a challenging weather forecast, the St. Francis Yacht Club held its annual J/Fest with 27 J/105s competing. Rain? Low clouds, wind? Sun? Well, parts of all of the above. It all turned into a glorious weekend. The tide charts professed that we would have an ebb tide, but the starting line had strong flood currents going well into the early afternoon, making ‘local knowledge’ all the more important." In each race, around 20 of the 27 teams tried to start at the signal boat, tack to port and foot out to the late ebb in the middle of SF Bay. Those who were pinned off the line on starboard, going southerly toward the shore into more flood (even for just one minute) quickly found themselves a quarter mile behind any who escaped to the North into the westerly river, swollen by recent heavy rains. Those in the river found themselves sliding sideways, at several knots, upwind toward the starboard layline, accomplishing impressive VMG up to 9.5 knots due to both the favorable tide and the enhanced apparent wind. Despite being in some second or third row starts, Arbitrage and others were still able to tack around the signal boat, and go bow down on port, reaching out to the river and catching up to anyone in the peloton sailing their boats normally upwind on a beat. Nevertheless, there are always exceptions to the rule and in one start, Arbitrage spotted a left shift before the gun and boogied down to the tidally-unfavored pin end, starting on port and crossing the entire fleet, then footing back out to the ebb. The regatta was initially dominated by new owner Tim Russell and the talented team on NeNe who scored two bullets and two fifths, leading Arbitrage by 3 points going into the last race. However, just before arriving at the three-boat length circle around the last leeward mark, NeNe luffed Arbitrage sharply and caused a collision. After untangling themselves, both boats passed several others on the remaining two legs, with NeNe finishing that race in second and Arbitrage third while securing #1 and #2 respectively in the regatta. However, after a long evening in the protest room, NeNe was DSQ’d and Arbitrage moved up to the top spot on the podium. Ryan Simmons on Blackhawk took second, Phillip Laby on Godot third, and Ian Charles on Maverick fourth. Pictures and videos are at www.crayivp.com in the 2018 StFYC Regattas folder, J-Fest 18 gallery. Pictures by Chris Ray (www.crayivp.com), including this picture of Arbitrage.J/105 MORE JUBILEE Tops Class in Center Sound Series
Corinthian Yacht Club’s Center Sound Series kicks off the central Puget Sound racing season with three medium distance, one buoy rounding, 20-30 mile races. Saturday’s Three Tree Point Race, which usually takes the fleet from Shilshole to Des Moines and back, was re-routed back and forth and up and down the central Sound so that it could be easily shortened if the wind died. The course took the fleet to Blakely Rocks, across to Duwamish Head, to a temporary mark off Edmonds, back to West Point and finish for a total of nearly 27 miles. The 10-boat J/105 fleet, one of the largest in years, had close racing amongst the top three boats. In the end, it was Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE taking class honors with an unassailable 2-1-1. Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO took second. Chris Phoenix on JADED earned the bronze. For more Corinthian YC Seattle Center Sound Series information, visit http://racing.cycseattle.org/results/2018_specific/center.html.
Stinger Takes Texas J/105 Invitational
Fleet 17’s 2018 Texas J/105 Invitational, held March 17-18, is now in the books. The combination of the J/22 Midwinter Championship at Houston Yacht Club and Spring Break reduced the number of boats from an initial eight to four. Still, the regatta was a great success and loads of fun. And Race Management by Lakewood Yacht Club was exceptional under light, shifty conditions. Bee Bednar and John Barnett drove Stinger to a 3,1,1,1,1, 2,2 for an overall first place finish. Uzi Ozeri and Matt Arno helmed Infinity to a 2,3,2,2, 2,1,1 for second, and Chuck Wielchowsky and John Bell finished third on Texas Ranger IV with a 1,2,4,4,3,3,3. Racing was always close, including all boats overlapped (or close to it) at the finish in race five. Under the Invitational format, each boat has two helmsmen—the Fleet 17 owner of the boat helms the odd races and the guest skipper helms the even races. Fleet 17 plans to continue this Invitational regatta with a future that includes guest skippers from a wider range of boats. The idea is to introduce potential new owners to the J/105 in a way that provides a bit of fun and experience to all.St. Francis Spring One Design
The San Francisco J/105 Fleet is alive and growing with 20 teams on the starting line for each mid-winter race, and 25 boats competing in the St. Francis Yacht Club’s Spring One Design, its opening fleet racing regatta of the 2018 season. This was an uncharacteristically light wind regatta due to little gradient as the Central Valley has not yet heated up. Despite the resultant light winds and building tides, the race committee managed to pull off three races on Saturday and one on Sunday. The fleet welcomed returning owners Tim Russell and Ian Charles, both highly experienced skippers who had sold their J/105s a few years ago while attending to growing families. In the past few months each of them bought a well-prepared used J/105, shipped them to San Francisco, and jumped right into the front row for each race. Nevertheless, Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault on Arbitrage #116 turned in a consistent score line of 4,2,3,3 to win convincingly with a total of 12 points, followed by Tim on NeNe #3 with 20 points and Ian on Maverick #385 with 22 points, with Shannon Ryan and Rolf Kaiser on Donkey Jack #26 in fourth with 27 points. For complete results, visit https://www.regattatoolbox.com/results?eventID=L8VMUwWcrN. (Photo: Arbitrage #116 leading Donkey Jack #26 and NeNe #3 downwind with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.)Team J-OK Tops J/105s at San Diego NOOD
The Helly Hansen National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta hosted 11 fleets of boats on courses outside San Diego Bay and within Coronado Bay, along with the North Sails Rally Race in San Diego Bay from March 16 to 18. Stewart Cannon’s J-OK bested the 10-boat J/105 fleet with 11 points. The Tom Hurlburt/Chuck Driscoll team on Juiced claimed second with 16 points, and Richard Bergmann’s Zuni Bear third with 22. For complete results, visit https://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=4472.
Light Air Big Daddy Regatta
The Big Daddy Regatta marks the 33rd year of mark racing on Saturday and a Pursuit race on Sunday for the host Richmond Yacht Club. All mono-hulled keelboats with a Northern California PHRF rating of 280 and below were invited. Fleets over 5 boats may be given one-design starts on Saturday. In the J/105 one-design class, Justin Hersh’s crew on 007 took the victory with a 4-1-1 for 6 points. Just one point back was Chris Kim’s VUJA STAR from Richmond YC with a very steady 3-2-2 for 7 points. Third place went to Richard Butts’ crew on MELLIANI from Sequoia YC with a 2-5-3 tally for 10 points. For more Big Daddy Regatta information, visit http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/16268.
Gorgeous Blakely Rock Benefit Race
The March 3rd weekend marked the completion of the first of the Center Sound Series, a total of three events that start spring-time sailing on Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest, with the start and finishing lines in Shilshole Bay. Dozens of sailors turned out for the 21.0nm race. The J/105 One-Design Class 4 had one of their largest turn-outs in years, with nine boats on the starting line. Winning was Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO, followed by Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILE in second, Chuck Stephens’ PANIC in third, Chris Phoenix’s JADED sitting fourth, and John Atchison’s MOOSE UNKNOWN rounding out the top five. For more CYC Blakely Rock Race information, visit https://cycseattle.org/event-2837430.
2018 J/105 Class Rules Posted
The 2018 J/105 Class Rules are posted at http://j105.org/rules/.
Exciting Chiloe Santander Regatta in Chile
The archipelago of Chiloé in the southern region of Chile known famously as Patagonia has been the site of the event called the "Regata de Chiloe" (Chiloe Regatta) that takes place every two years. The boats and crews all convene in Puerto Montt, then head south toward the archipelago. For a week, more than 800 sailors gather together for lots of sailing and socializing. There are more than 200 miles of racing in eight legs. This year, the regatta started in Castro, the main island in the Chiloe archipelago. Then, for seven days the sailing teams and their ‘mother ships’ meandered through the channels, straits and fiords that give form to the Chiloé Archipelago. The point-to-point coastal racing saw the boats visit anchorages and harbors in Dalcahue, Mechuque, Hornopirén and Calbuco and finished in Puerto Montt, where two windward-leeward buoy races where scheduled. Chiloé gave the fleet all the expected challenges. Crews had to deal with 90 degree wind shifts, calms, 30 knots gusts crossing the gulf, tide currents and shallow sea obstacles. From day one, the J/105 fleet saw GRAND SLAM, with Patricio Seguel at the helm, take a comfortable lead. Then, with three firsts in the five coastal races they finished with just 6 points net (including one toss race). The silver went to Rufino Melero’s RUFIAN with a 4-1-8-3-4 record for 12 points net. Then, rounding out the podium with the bronze was TRICALMA skippered by Claudio Leon, accumulating a 3-5-3-8-3 tally for 14 points net. Rounding out the top five for the J/105s were Miguel Perez’s RECLUTA in fourth place and Jose Manuel Ligarte’s SCIMITAR in fifth position. For more Santander Bank Regatta Chiloe information, visit http://www.regatachiloe.cl/.
J/105 Owner Nicole Breault Awarded Jerome B. White Yachtsman of the Year at St. Francis Yacht Club
In a male dominated sport, opportunities for women have not always come easily. Change is not always swift, but one Northern California club is now shattering the ceiling with two hallmark movements. At the 2018 Annual General Meeting of the membership of the St. Francis Yacht Club, as the club welcomed in its first female Commodore, it also awarded J/105 owner Nicole Breault with the Club’s highest honor – the Jerome B. White Yachtsman of the Year – which recognizes the member who has made the greatest contribution to the sport of yachting during the preceding year. Breault, whose contributions to the sport of yachting ran the gamut from competitor to coach to volunteer, reflects on the achievement: "I am blown away by the notion that my name joins such a weighty list of names in the club’s history, and many with great fame in the sailing world. I am deeply moved by this acknowledgement of my racing and contributions to the club, even more so by the symbolic gesture to grant a woman the rank of yachtsman. I hold a deep respect for the women in competitive sailing who have preceded me with successful racing careers, as well as for the female competitors who have challenged me on the water and have helped make me the competitor I am today. All of these tenacious women have had to struggle against the inertial forces of a sport historically enjoyed by men alone, and by doing so they carved a sphere of accomplishment within the wider field. When a woman achieves distinction as ‘yachtswoman,’ the recognition is loaded with gender-specific importance, and the title is loaded with the legacy of women in the sport. Kudos to those leading ladies of the sailing world, and especially to rock star foiling kite world champion Daniela Moroz, US Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year for 2016 and repeat StFYC Yachtswoman of the Year for 2017. Whether intended or not, in naming me the StFYC Yachtsman of the Year for 2017, the club has made a huge statement to neutralize the gender qualification of this top award. Perhaps the name of this honor should change to ‘yachtsperson,’ and yet in delaying such a change while awarding it to me, we see the cultural paradigm of our past and its sticky influence on gender disparity in sailing laid bare. Over time, the courage of female sailors and their male advocates has eroded the rules of exclusivity, and using me as an example, the StFYC has made a bold move naming me their 2017 Yachtsman of the Year. Were that merely for a successful racing record, it would be significant enough. However, the club also focused attention on my efforts to bring more women into sailing and create opportunities to advance their skills, thus amplifying the message and mission of inclusiveness going forward. I’ve been racing all my life, and I’ve only ever wanted to be among the best of the best and earn their respect by winning on the water. I’ve always put my best out on the water, and I try to not make it about gender. I thank all with whom I’ve done battle with out on the water and those who I hope to do battle with in the future."
Mount Gay Round Barbados Race Record Breakers Include a J/105
Squally winds reaching 30 knots from the northeast made for magical sleigh-ride, record-breaking conditions in the 82nd Mount Gay Round Barbados Race. While the lively conditions in big seas proved too much for many of the 34 entries in the 60nm sprint around the Island of Barbados, for others it couldn’t have been more thrilling. In total, seven records were broken – the largest ever number of records broken in the history of the event. The consistently fast local team on the J/105 Whistler with Peter Lewis on the helm, fresh from her CSA Racing Coastal Series overall win, took the CSA Record with a time of 6h 11m 40s. For further event information, visit http://www.barbadossailingweek.com.
One-design Racing Returns to Barbados Sailing Week
The final day of Coastal Racing at Barbados Sailing Week was reaching its crescendo with fleets battling it out for all-important overall points. Although the well-sailed J/105 Whistler with Peter Lewis and his seasoned team had already secured the overall win going into the final race, the challenge was on to make it a hat-trick. Their smart pin-end start, and good first beat helped keep Conviction – David Staples’ TP52 – at bay on corrected time and, after a 16nm race that took the fleet along the south coast to Oistins, Conviction once again had to settle for second, and second place overall in the series to the J/105 Whistler. For complete event details, visit http://www.barbadossailingweek.com.
J/105 Fleet 17 Invitational at Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, Texas
Fleet 17 invites you and your fleet members to join the 2018 Invitational on March 17-18 at Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, Texas. Each participating Fleet 17 boat will have a crew consisting of two teams of three members each. One team will consist of non-Fleet 17 members with one of those members being a J/105 owner, and the other team will consist of a Fleet 17 boat owner and two crew. The visiting driver and Fleet 17 driver alternate in each race. Fleet 17 officers can modify this restriction as necessary. Please consider coming for some fun racing this March down in Galveston Bay by emailing Chuck Wielchowsky (first come first served).
Hot Rum Series II
Sailors were treated to another classic day of sailing off San Diego’s Point Loma for the second installment of the Hot Rum Series. As usual, the little boats and early starters (the lower rating boats) go off in relatively light winds as they sailed out the channel to the first turning mark. Then, with the building WNW seabreeze, the big boats took off in a decent breeze that was starting to hit 8-10 knots. In PHRF 3 Class, Dagfish’s J/105 VIGGEN is in second, just two points back from the lead. Scheel’s J/105 PUFFIN sits in fifth place, 10 points off the lead. And, Jon Dekker’s J/105 AIRBOSS is in ninth, but only 14 points off the lead. Overall in the in the 137-boat fleet, VIGGEN is eighth. For more San Diego YC Hot Rum Series results, visit https://sdyc.org/calendar/event/hot-rum-i17/hot_rum_series.
Bromby/Murphy Three-peat Bermuda J/105 Regatta
The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and the sponsor/partner Bacardi host their annual Bacardi Bermuda Keelboat Invitational every year just prior to Thanksgiving weekend. For the J/105 fleet, the format is designed to be fun and inclusive of J/105 sailors around the world. The local fleet provides their boats and three crew and invite three international sailors to race with them. In the past, the international crews have come from the USA, Canada, United Kingdom and the Caribbean. The racing format is all short-course W-4s—the Bermudians skipper odd-numbered races, the internationals skipper on even-numbered races. For the first time in the event’s history, one team has posted a three-peat performance. The local Star World Champion Peter Bromby from Warwick, Bermuda partnered with Kevin Murphy from the USA to dominate this year’s series with three bullets and two deuces in their six-race tally to win with just 12 points. While the Bromby/Murphy team may have sailed away with the event, it was nothing like that taking place for the balance of the podium. After six races, three boats finished three points apart. Joining the trio of Trevor Boyce/Mike Neff from Bermuda and Stew Neff from Marblehead, MA, USA was the third Neff, brother Terry from Wisconsin. While posting top three finishes in three races, a last in race 2 and a fifth in the last race gave the trio 20 points, just enough to hang on for the silver. Hot on their heels with a nearly identical scoreline was the duo of James Macdonald from Smiths, Bermuda and Bill Lakenmacher from Seabrook, Texas in the USA. Their last two races were a mirror of the Boyce/Neff record of 2-5, posting a 5-2 to finish with 21 points to close out the podium. For more Bacardi Bermuda J/105 Invitational information, visit http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/15305.
San Francisco Bay One Design Winter Series Kick Off
The annual San Francisco Bay One Design Winter Series kicked off at Sausalito Yacht Club. Teams enjoyed sunshine and mild breeze on the first race day of the weekend series that sails on the second Saturday of each month from November thru February. The J/105s had the largest fleet registered with 16 teams. Leading after the first weekend was the duo of Colin Miller and Peter Baldwin on BIG BUOYS with a 2-2 tally for 4 points. Sitting in second with a 1-6 for 7 points is Sergey Lubarsky’s RUSSIAN ROULETTE. Then, rounding out the top of the leaderboard is Phil Laby’s GODOT with a 7-3 for 10 points. For more San Francisco Winter Series information, visit https://www.regattatoolbox.com/results?eventID=5iUCj4q2SV.
Hot Rum Series Opening
Every year, many sailors in southern California look forward to the Hot Rum Series run by San Diego Yacht Club in November and December. It is a pursuit race, so you start at an appointed time pre-determined by the SDYC PRO and PHRF calculators, and where you finish is how you actually finished in the race. The first weekend in November was quite typical of the Hot Rum Series. The first starters saw light breezes from the northwest, building as the afternoon progressed up to 8-10 knots. Dag Fish’s J/105 VIGGEN took eighth overall and first in their PHRF 3 class. For more Hot Rum Series information, visit https://sdyc.org/calendar/event/hot-rum-i17/hot_rum_series.
Annual Meeting Minutes Posted
The J/105 Executive Committee held its Annual Meeting on November 1. Minutes of the meeting are posted at http://archive.j105.org/members/business.php (you must log-in to view).
Maverick Time at Great Pumpkin Regatta
Richmond Yacht Club’s 32nd Great Pumpkin Regatta had a mix of fall weather with mostly grey skies and generally light airs, but some occasions with more breeze. On Saturday, the fleet enjoyed three well-run races in classic "around the cans" scenarios in the Berkeley Circle. Winning the J/105 fleet was Ian Charles’ MAVERICK with a 1-1-2 for 4 points. Tied at 8 points each was Sergey Lubarsky’s RUSSIAN ROULETTE/ RACEQS.COM and Jamie Isbester’s ENERGY on 8 points each, for second and third place respectively. Thanks for contribution from Pressure-drop.us Erik Simonson. For more Great Pumpkin Regatta information, visit http://www.richmondyc.org/.
John White Victorious at East Coast Championship
Over the October 28-29 weekend, 17 J/105s took to the line to battle for honors as the 2017 J/105 East Coast Champion. The host Annapolis Yacht Club and its volunteers put on a great weekend of sailing, managing to get in five races for the fleet. Winning the regatta handily with two firsts and a trio of seconds was John White’s team on USA 113, with a total of just 8 points. Working hard to stay with them all weekend was the duo of Cedric Lewis & Fredrik Salvesen on MIRAGE, posting yet another amazing record of 4-1-2-1-3 for 11 points total. Then, rounding out the podium was Andrew Kennedy’s BAT IV, winning a tie-breaker on 21 points each with Carl & Scott Gitchell’s TENACIOUS. For more J/105 East Coast Championship information, visit https://www.annapolisyc.com/.
Three-Year Veteran Skipper Brings Lipton Cup Home to San Diego in J/105s
The final day of the 103rd Challenge for the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup began with a postponement while breeze filled in from the South. Race Committee was able to get the first race off at 1:45pm setting a shorter, three-lap course across the bay which was key in achieving all three races needed to complete the regatta. The sun was just breaking through the clouds at the start of Race 10. Chicago YC was OCS, St. Francis YC won the boat end, and Larchmont YC had a great start at the pin but was soon rolled by San Diego YC. Chicago YC recovered from their start moving into third at the first windward mark rounding. With lots of lead changes throughout the six-leg course, it was anybody’s race. Cal YC found themselves in great pressure sailing deep on the second run. They were able to keep that momentum and secure the top seat in the first race of the last day. Larchmont had an impressive race as well, finishing second; their best race of the regatta. Consistency came into play in Race 11 as there were not nearly as many lead changes throughout the race. The fleet stayed in the middle to right on the course, and there was a change of course to the right for the third leg. At the finish, the results were completely shaken up from Race 10 as Cal YC went from first to 12th, and Coronado came up to take the top spot. Balboa YC also made a big leap to second whereas they finished 11th in the previous race. Meanwhile San Diego YC and Newport Harbor YC earned a fourth and a sixth respectively for both Race 10 and 11, fighting their point battle further back in the fleet. At the start of Race 12, San Diego YC was sitting in first place overall with 47 points, Newport Harbor YC in second with 48 points, and San Francisco YC in third with 55 points. And in the event of a tiebreaker, Newport Harbor YC would have had the edge. It was very quiet as the Race Committee sent the boats on their way up the course. The fleet was even off the line, and New York YC was in the lead at the first windward mark rounding. Newport Harbor YC made their way through the fleet on the first three legs, and approaching the second windward mark rounding were in the lead but were just under the layline. As they stalled and slowly managed to get around the mark, Chicago YC and San Diego YC were able to pass by. Chicago YC led the pack for a little while until Coronado YC sailed in front on the last run of the regatta getting another first. San Diego YC came in at seventh and Newport Harbor YC in 10th, resulting in a four point overall win for the San Diego team as they won the regatta and brought the Lipton Cup trophy back home to SDYC. San Diego YC had a tough first day of the regatta but improved throughout, seeing their best scores Saturday which put them neck and neck with Newport Harbor YC, the defending 2016 Lipton Cup champs. After the victory, San Diego YC skipper Tyler Sinks said, "It feels like redemption. Having won and lost once before – it’s definitely more fun to win than to lose." SDYC Commodore John Reiter talked about the win and regatta. "The future of the sport is in provided boats. We had visionaries back in 2010 that helped to make this event one of the best of the best. The 2017 Lipton Cup win was a great way to cap off a strong year." For complete event details, visit www.sdyc.org/liptoncup.
Steve Rhyne’s Mojo Rules J/105 North American Championship
Of the 10 races at the J/105 North American Championship, Steve Rhyne’s Mojo won five of them, en route to a commanding victory in the 22-boat fleet. No races took place Sunday due to lack of wind, but it wouldn’t have mattered for Rhyne, who had already wrapped up the Championship, hosted by his own Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, TX. With Brian Shores, Jake Scott, Joe Taylor, Alan Woodyard and Ryan Glaze, the Mojo team recorded scores of 4,1,1,2,1,5,1,1,1,6 for a slim 23 points in the no-throw-out series. Fellow LYC members Bill Zartler on Deja Vodoo (49 points) and Bill Lakenmacher on Radiance (57 points) completed the top three overall. Rhyne only bought his J/105 in the past year, lured by the strong Fleet 17 in Galveston Bay as well as this Championship at his own club. The conditions did not disappoint over the three days of competition, as winds held in the teens for the duration. "These were physical conditions but not unmanageable," summarized Rhyne. "After we got the lead on day one, we went into conservative mode. We felt we had speed, so we just couldn’t do anything stupid with no throw-out. It was about points management." Rhyne gave all the credit to his team, saying, "Crew is everything on any boat. I think my crew could’ve stepped on any boat and won."
The top five:
- Mojo, Steve Rhyne, Lakewood Yacht Club, 4-1-1-2-1-5-1-1-1-6; 23
- Deja Vodoo, Bill Zartler, Lakewood Yacht Club, 1-3-4-4-2-8-2-4-10-11; 49
- Radiance, Bill Lakenmacher, Lakewood Yacht Club, 3-6-5-8-4-6-3-6-15-1; 57
- Sanity, Rick Goebel, San Diego Yacht Club, 8-9-3-1-3-7-9/SCP-2-2-18; 62
- Good Trade, Bruce Stone, St. Francis Yacht Club, 12-10-2-6-7-1-8-13-3-8; 70T Photos are available on the J/105 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at www.j105nac.com.
Steve Rhyne’s Mojo Continues Magic at J/105 North American Championship
Steve Rhyne’s appropriately-named Mojo continued to cast a spell on the 22-boat fleet at the J/105 North American Championship hosted by Lakewood Yacht Club on Saturday. Winds at 12-14 knots allowed an additional three races to be completed for a total of 10 so far, with one more on the docket for Sunday. Rhyne and crew posted another two race wins and added a rare sixth to give the local helmsman 23 points total. With a 26-point advantage, Rhyne has already secured the Championship. Bill Zartler on Deja Vodoo recorded scores of 4,10,11 but maintained a hold on second place with 49 points. Bill Lakenmacher’s Radiance stumbled in race 9 with a 15th place but recovered with a bullet to retain the third position overall with 57 points. Rhyne and Rick Goebel’s Sanity locked in the gold and silver spots in Saturday’s first two contests, followed initially by Osmond Young and then by Bruce Stone’s Good Trade. Lakenmacher ended the day on a positive note, as did James Macdonald’s Distant Passion and Uzi Ozeri’s Infinity in the top trio. Racing concludes Sunday. Photos are available on the J/105 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at www.j105nac.com.
Eclipse Dominates Manhasset Fall Series
The 39th annual Manhasset Fall Series took place October 14, 15 and 21. The event was blessed with a variety of conditions over the two weekends, from near gales one day, to sunny and not much winds another day. The Manhasset YC Race Committee crew and volunteers did a wonderful job to knock-out a six-race series for most of the classes.
The eight-boat J/105 fleet saw Damian Emery’s ECLIPSE collect four firsts en route to a dominating win with just 6 points in seven races. Frank Latawiec’s ATARAXIS was winning the regatta after the first three races with a 2-1-3 however dropped a 3-6-3 to close out the series with 12 points net. Taking third was Max Kalehoff’s LAURA BEA with 18 points net. For more event information, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4445.
Sanity Takes Stormy J/Fest Southwest Regatta
From October 21-22, the eighth annual J/Fest Southwest Regatta took place on Clear Lake and Galveston Bay, hosted by Lakewood Yacht Club. The event featured the "Legends Regatta" on Friday afternoon. Thereafter, it was an attempt to get in as many races as possible despite the somewhat unusual weather pattern that had setup over the Gulf of Mexico and the southern plains just to the west of Galveston Bay. In the end, the 70-boat fleet managed to get in four races. The 18-boat J/105 fleet had spirited competition amongst the top three boats. Winning was Rick Goebel’s SANITY team from San Diego YC with a 1-4-2-1 tally for 8 points. Behind them, it was a battle until the final leg of the fourth race, where two boats ended in a tie for second place with 11 points each. Winning that tussle was Osmond Young’s NE*NE with a 2-5-1-3 over Ryan Glaze’s MOJO from Rush Creek YC with a 4-1-4-2. For more event information, visit http://www.jfestsouthwest.com/.
Locals Take Over Leaderboard at J/105 North American Championship
As the spotlight shines on Houston for the World Series, so does the focus at the J/105 North American Championship hosted by Lakewood Yacht Club. Locals Steve Rhyne on Mojo and Bill Zartler on Deja Vodoo continued to dominate the 22-boat fleet, as seven races are now in the books of the no-throw-out series. By way of a 1,5,1 on Friday, Rhyne holds a nine-point advantage over Zartler (Mojo tallies 15 points to Deja Vodoo’s 24). Fellow Lakewood Yacht Club member Bill Lakenmacher’s Radiance moved up to third overall with 35 points. It was another solid day on the racecourse with winds between 12-16 knots and puffs into the 20s. Rhyne earned his first of two bullets in the initial contest, trailed by Zartler and Rick Goebel’s Sanity. Bruce Stone’s Good Trade seized the win in Friday’s middle battle, as Josh Richline’s Veloce and Rick Schaffer’s Double Dare made the top three. The familiar Rhyne and Zartler were the one/two punch in the last race, followed by Lakenmacher. Racing continues through Sunday. Photos are available on the J/105 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at www.j105nac.com.
Spectacular Opening to J/105 North American Championship
Under sunny skies and with breeze at 10-15 knots, 22 teams completed four races on the first day of the J/105 North American Championship hosted by Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, TX. Local Steve Rhyne’s Mojo grabbed the early advantage with scores of 4,1,1,2 for 8 points. Bill Zartler’s Deja Vodoo put together a solid day with a line of 1,3,4,4 for 12 points and second place. Rick Goebel’s Sanity holds the third position with 21 points. Winds began at 10 knots, when Zartler kicked off the regatta with a victory, ahead of two Class Presidents (Past President James Macdonald’s Distant Passion and current President Bill Lakenmacher’s Radiance). The breeze built throughout the day to 15 knots. Rhyne earned bullets in races two and three, ahead of Osmond Young and Zartler in the second meeting and in front of two Californians in the third (Bruce Stone’s Good Trade and Goebel). Goebel took the final win of the day, as Rhyne and Rick Schaffer’s Double Dare rounded out the top three. Racing continues through Sunday. Photos are available on the J/105 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at www.j105nac.com.
J/105 North American Championship Kicks Off Thursday, October 26 from Texas
Twenty-two J/105 teams are gathering for racing at the J/105 North American Championship in Seabrook, Texas. The competition begins Thursday, October 26 and continues through Sunday, October 29. Look for photos on the J/105 Class Facebook page, and keep up with all the action from Lakewood Yacht Club at the regatta website: www.j105nac.com.
Mirage Tops 18 J/105s at Annapolis YC Fall Series
For the 2017 edition of the annual fall tradition on the Chesapeake Bay, a large turn-out participated in the Annapolis Yacht Club Fall Series. A variety of weather conditions greeted the crews. The 18 J/105s had their usual tight racing throughout the fleet. Leading the pack after seven races was the duo of Cedric Lewis & Fredrik Salvesen on MIRAGE, posting all top four finishes to win with 20 points. Not far off their pace was Ben duPont’s CTRL ALT DEL, never winning a race but with all top five finishes to close with 24 points. Taking third on the podium was John White’s USA 113 with 35 points. Rounding out the top five were Jim Koningsberg’s INIGO with 39 points and Carl & Scott Gitchell’s TENACIOUS with 42 points. For more Annapolis YC Fall Series information and results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=3033.
Bill Campbell Wins 2017 International Masters Regatta
The final day of the 2017 International Masters Regatta on October 22 could not have been a more picturesque day out on the water. Under the bright sun in South San Diego Bay, the 12 accomplished master sailors completed the last three races of the three-day regatta hosted by San Diego Yacht Club. The one weather complaint Sunday was lack of wind at the scheduled start time. Race Committee postponed racing for an hour until the breeze came up to 5 knots, and they were able to start the first race. There was a huge wind shift to the right at the end of the first race, so Race Committee re-set everything for the second and third races. Due to timing, Race Committee made the call to only run 11 races total, and they sent competitors on a long three-legged race for race 11 in order to get back to SDYC for the awards ceremony. By day three of racing, Bill Campbell (SDYC) and Jon Andron (St. Francis Yacht Club) were pretty much locked in for first and second places. However, it was incredibly tight between third through fifth places going into the last race. Tad Lacey (San Francisco Yacht Club) placed fourth in race 11 which solidified his third-place podium finish, just one point over defending champion Bill Menninger (Newport Harbor Yacht Club). This is Lacey's first time racing the International Masters Regatta as a skipper, though he has crewed it several times before. "We had great races today. We went from seventh place last night to third place overall by the end of today, and I owe it all to my crew. They did a fabulous job on the course, calling the wind, trim, tactics, everything. It was a great day." Andron placed second overall and was the winner of race 10. "We had a fun weekend, but we were all racing for second place. Bill Campbell is a well-deserved champion, and he sailed beautifully. My favorite race was the race we won. It was puffy and streaky, and we were able to be in the right place at the right time." With five bullets over three days, Bill Campbell was a powerhouse, earning his first place finish by 23 points. In addition to Lacey, this was also Bill's first time skippering the Masters Regatta, though he crewed for Richard du Moulin last year and for Malin Burnham a few years back. Campbell has been sailing J/105s for a while now, but attributes his success in this regatta to his crew. "We were fortunate and lucky in many respects. I had a great crew: Al Pleskus on the bow, Chuck Sinks and Andy La Dow trimming, Dwight Allgood in the pit, and Vince Brun as tactician and helping in the back of the boat steering. It's easy when you have a bunch of great guys working for you. We had a wonderful time, and we were fortunate to have a couple of great starts and races. We were able not to lose boats but always to gain boats if we had to." Event organizers would like to thank everyone involved in this year's International Masters Regatta for all of their hard work on and off the water. The top three finishers were Bill Campbell (24 points), Jon Andron (47 points), and Tad Lacey (56 points). The final results after 11 races can be found at https://sdyc.org/assets/results/results17/masters_res.htm.
Boston U Wins Intercollegiate Offshore
Over 360 college students from the United States, as well as international teams from Canada and France, participated in the 2017 Storm Trysail Foundation’s Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta (IOR), October 6-7. Boston University took home the overall honors and the "Paul Hoffmann Trophy" in the hotly contested J/105 class on Young American with four bullets and a second place in the second largest class in the regatta. Echo, crewed by Vanderbilt University (a first time entrant to the regatta) took home second place in the J/105 class by edging out Drexel University on Fairhope with a tie-breaking first in the third race. Robert Alexander and Peter Becker received the Ed du Moulin Trophy awarded to the boat owner/syndicate of the overall winning team. Barry Gold, Chairman of the event, said, "In spite of some of early Saturday pea-soup fog and intermittent rain on Sunday, we had two days of fantastic racing, with steady and increasing breeze. With a few well-timed postponements and relocations, the race committee gave the teams five competitive and fun races. We want to thank The Corinthians, who started the Corinthians Intercollegiate Regatta in 1983 and ran it until 1999, for transferring their original four perpetual trophies to the Storm Trysail Foundation. These four beautiful trophies bring together the initial regatta with its later reincarnation by Storm Trysail, and begin new traditions for the competitors. The rededicated trophies were presented to class winners this year for the first time along with two perpetual trophies donated by Larchmont Yacht Club." For more event details, visit https://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4452.
Good Trade Takes American Yacht Club Fall Series
The 2017 Fall Series Regatta ended October 1 at American Yacht Club in splendid fashion. This Saturday and Sunday concluded the latter half of the Fall Series Regatta which occurred over the course of two weekends. Saturday racing was met with an anticipated Fall feel as temperatures hovered below 60 degrees with oscillating winds ranging from 15-20 knots. The higher than forecasted breeze velocities created some epic sailing conditions and top speed records for certain boats. Towards the end of Saturday, several boats set personal speed records both upwind and downwind. Eight8 classes of boats embraced the chilly weather to compete on the Long Island Sound. The competition was fierce in the J/105 fleet. A tiebreaker for first place left Good Trade (StFYC) skippered by Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault winning the class and Eclipse (MSSA) skippered by Damian Emery finishing in second place. For complete event details, visit https://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=2994.
Dark Horse Jumps to Win at Cleveland (216) Regatta
Beautiful fall sailing conditions greeted competitors at the Cleveland (216) Regatta, hosted by Edgewater Yacht Club from September 30-October 1. In the growing J/105 fleet in and around Lake Erie, five boats made up the J/105 division for this event. Rob Mock’s Dark Horse came in first with 15 points, including three bullets. Stephen Mitcham’s Breezin Bayou and Jim Uhlir’s Trio tied on points at 18, with Mitcham earning the tie-breaker. Complete event details may be found at http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/14533#_home.
Chuck Driscoll Juices J/Fest San Diego
It was an outstanding weekend for racing and nostalgia when San Diego Yacht Club hosted the second annual J/Fest Regatta on September 22-24. Over two days, teams raced on San Diego Bay and ocean courses in four classes, and competitors had the opportunity to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of J/Boats at numerous social events scattered throughout the weekend. Starting with a sellout crowd on Friday night, almost 100 attendees heard from J/Boats President Jeff Johnstone in SDYC’s Frost Room. Following the first day of racing on Saturday was the spirited "Sending it Back to ‘77" Party on the Spinnaker Deck and Sail Wash Lawn. On the water, PRO Becky Ashburn reported sunny and warm conditions on Saturday morning with a light breeze. Sunday’s two scheduled races began in wind that started at 9 knots and built to over 16 knots during the last leg of race 5. The J/105s experienced a solid turnout with most top teams in attendance. Taking the win was Chuck Driscoll’s JUICED, winning the fleet handily with three bullets in their scoreline for just 8 points total. However, for the rest of the crews it was a tight battle for the balance of the podium as the top five had just four points separating four places. Second and third place were determined by a tie-breaker at 18 points apiece, with Steve & Lucy Howell’s BLINK! winning on count-back over Stew Cannon’s J-OK. Just one point back in fourth place was Jeff & Karen Brown’s SWEET KAREN with 19 points, and placing fifth was Rich Bergmann’s ZUNI BEAR with 20 points. For more J/Fest San Diego information, visit https://sdyc.org/calendar/event/j-fest17/j_fest.
2017 J105 Canadian Championships
The 2017 J105 Canadian Championships were hosted by RCYC on September 22-24. Atypical late September weather brought temperatures in the lower thirties and light winds for the three days of racing. The regatta’s first event was the 8 AM Thursday morning crew weigh-in, this year held at the RCYC City Station. To celebrate this first-time location, the Fleet Captain went to the trouble to arrange for some unpaid entertainment for those lucky sailors who showed up right at 8 AM. This very well received entertainment may, or may not, have violated the Club’s public space dress code rules.
The race committee, led by Mike Milner did a good job completing 7 races in challenging conditions. With good size starting lines, and boats being called over early from both ends, there were no General Recalls, I Flags, U Flags or Black Flag starts in the whole regatta. In the usually aggressive J105 fleet, this was an anomaly and helped to get the races off quickly.
In the light air and flat water, the racing was very close with the fleet often bunched up at the first windward and leeward gate marks. The approach to the windward mark, and the exit from the leeward gate, often were key elements in determining one’s race finish.
On Friday, sixteen boats appeared on the starting line. After the two races, Hey Jude led (3, 1) followed by Starcross (2, 3) and Mandate (6, 2). The next day, after a delay on shore waiting for wind to appear, three races were held where Mandate took over the regatta lead with a 3, 1, 1. Both Hey Jude and Starcross had two good and one not as good races to stay in contention. Sentient scored three top four finishes and Full Tilt had a 1, 5, 6 to move into the top 5 overall.
Saturday evening was the traditional Canadian Championship dinner held in the RCYC dining room with the Master of Ceremonies Sentient’s Andrew Chapman taking good humoured shots at as many competitors as he could fit in. Michael Mountford presented Fleet Captain Doug Bullock with a beautiful framed photo of Doug steering his True Blue to a nice leeward end start as a thank you for his years of service acting as the Fleet 4 Fleet Captain. Doug is going on to bigger and better things taking over as President of the J105 Class Association. Doug will still be around though sailing True Blue next year and has even offered to continue running the J105 regattas at RCYC.
After another delay on shore Sunday morning, enough wind appeared in the early afternoon to hold two races before the daily start time limit of 3 PM came and went. Starcross led the first race from wire to wire with Mandate on their tail. Hey Jude made an amazing come back to finish third. Full Tilt and Sentient once again rounded out the top five in the race. With one race to go, Mandate held a 5 point lead over both Hey Jude and Starcross. Mandate started the last race at the committee boat end with Jude and Starcross further down the line. Mandate felt that they had a good start but as boats from the left came across strong combined with starboard layline dirty air their race went downhill quickly rounding the first mark in 10th or 11th with Jude and Starcross both in good shape. As the regatta lead was at this point lost, for the first time all regatta there could be no guarantee that Mandate’s tighty whities were both so. Working the left on the second beat, Mandate managed to climb back to 7th place in the race and with Jude finishing 3rd Mandate was able to hold onto a slim 1 point victory in the regatta.
In the end, the top five boats Mandate, Hey Jude, Starcross, Sentient and Full Tilt were separated by only 6 points making it one of the closest Canadian Championships ever held. Jamaica finished 6th and True Blue, showing great improvement over the season, finished 7th. Nine of the sixteen boats recorded at least one top five finish. By: Terry McLaughlin
Photos are available at www.tillertakes.com, and complete results may be found at https://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4459.
Perkins Brothers Earn Commodore’s Cup at Rolex Big Boat Series
Racing concluded Sunday, September 17 at the 53rd edition of the Rolex Big Boat Series hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club on the wind and tide-torn waters of San Francisco Bay. After seven races spread across four days of on-water action, winners were crowned in 11 classes, including six perpetual trophies. En route to determining this year’s winners, the 89 entries experienced a wide range of San Francisco Bay conditions, with an emphasis on each team’s heavy-air sail inventory. While the first three days of this Grand Prix regatta featured long-course windward-leeward racing, the final day of racing sent competitors on "Bay Tour" courses with a finishing line directly in front of the StFYC clubhouse, providing onshore spectators a fine view of this year’s warhorses as they paraded past the Club’s stunning Race Deck. While any racecourse hardware is to be celebrated, the Rolex Big Boat Series perpetual trophies, which reside at the StFYC, are especially desirable, as each is engraved with the names of the winning team whose skippers also receive an engraved Swiss-made Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner chronometer. One-design sailing has always been a core component of the StFYC’s Rolex Big Boat Series, and this year the Commodore’s Cup—awarded to the winner of the regatta’s largest one-design class—went to brothers Chris and Phil Perkins and their J/105 Good Timin’ (NZL 35), followed by Adam Spiegel’s Jam Session (USA 434) and Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault’s Arbitrage (USA 116). Please visit www.rolexbigboatseries.com for more information about the Rolex Big Boat Series, including the complete 2017 results list.
Rule Interpretation 17-03: Backstay Adjusters
Rule Interpretation 17-03 Backstay Adjusters is now posted on the Rule Interpretations page at http://j105.org/rule-interpretations/.
Fast Ride for J/105s in Chicago Bi-State/Tri-State
The Bi-State and the Tri-State is a multi-leg offshore race held over Labor Day Weekend on the southern parts of Lake Michigan. Chicago to St. Joseph, MI is the first leg of the race. More than 100 boats departed Friday evening for a fast sprint of 50.5 NM across the lake, most boats finishing early Saturday morning. For most, Saturday was a day of rest in St. Joseph with the Annual Beach Volleyball Tournament and live entertainment at the St. Joseph River YC. Then, on Sunday morning, racers chose whether to continue to Michigan City, IN as part of the traditional Tri-State or head back to Chicago for the Bi-State leg of the race. Most chose the latter based on the forecasted light winds down the Michigan shoreline. The J/105s raced as a one-design class, with eight crews vying for control. Winning the leg across was Mike Hettel’s GLOBAL NOMADS. Then, on the Bi-State leg back to Chicago, Kris Reichert’s ANGRY SLOTH won. As a result, the combined scores saw Hettel’s GLOBAL NOMADS win with a 1-3 for 4 points, followed by a rare three-way tie for second place. Winning that on countback was Reichert’s ANGRY SLOTH with a 5-1 for 6 points. Third went to ESPRIT D’ECOSSE (Judith & Ross McLean) with a 4-2 for 6 points, and fourth position went to SEALARK (Clark Pellet) with a 2-4 for 6 points. Find all the YachtScoring information here:
Chicago to St Joe: https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4306
St Joe to Michigan City: https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4333
St Joe to Chicago: https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4332
Michigan City to Chicago: https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4334
J/105 Raptor Flies at Vineyard Race
Labor Day weekend's Vineyard Race is a 238-mile course stretching from Shippan Point through the currents of The Race, past Block Island, and on to the light tower at the entrance to Buzzard's Bay. Once reached, sailors return by leaving Block Island to starboard en route to the finish in Stamford Harbor. This year, a massive offshore Low was spinning away, producing strong Northerly winds that ultimately swung East as the fleet rounded Buzzards Bay Tower. The race has expanded its format to include three races being run simultaneously. The "classic" is the "round Buzzards Bay Tower" and back. The two additions are the Cornfield Point Course (the shortest) and the Seaflower Reef Course (middle distance). With PHRF 4 class was Frank Conway’s J/105 RAPTOR. For more Vineyard Race information, visit http://www.stamfordyc.com/Sailing/Vineyard_Race_(1).
Kestrel Takes Division at Classic Narragansett Bay Contest
Heavy breeze and high seas – remnants of Hurricane Harvey – made for some exhilarating racing on Narragansett Bay for the 90th edition of the Conanicut Yacht Club Around the Island Race. The day kicked off with wind speeds clocking in over 20 knots, forcing Race Committee to postpone the start 1.5 hours and send the five small boat classes on a shortened inshore course. The remaining five classes proceeded to race 18.1 nautical miles counter clockwise around Conanicut Island. Although the rigorous conditions convinced 35 of the original 98 entrants to drop out before the start, the remaining 63 teams all successfully finished the race and winners were crowned in 10 classes. In Division G, the J/105 Kestrel led by Sean Doyle won the 10-boat fleet. "This is the second year in a row that we’ve had to contend with hurricanes during the race, but I think the conditions definitely made for an exciting race and competitors enjoyed the challenge that it provided," said Race Organizing Chairman Alan Baines. "The Around the Island Race is a summer favorite among many sailors in the area and the enthusiasm surrounding it seems to build every year. All in all, I think we rang in The Race’s 90th anniversary in style, mixing some thrilling racing with lots of fun. I look forward to what next year will bring." For complete results, click here.
Good Trade Dominates Storm Trysail Ted Hood Regatta in Marblehead
[caption id="attachment_4147" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Team Good Trade and Ted Hood's son Bobby presenting the award.[/caption]
With three days of racing with winds below 10 knots, the J/105 team from San Francisco on Good Trade, skippered by Nicole Breault, dominated the Marblehead fleet with a 1, 3, 5, 2, 1, 1, 1 scoreline for 14 points. Her team consisted of Dave Marshall at bow, Halsey Richartz at mast and tactics, Casey Williams at pit and jib trim, Jamie Ewing at main, and co-owner Bruce Stone at spin trim. The top local team skipped by Fred deNapoli on Allegro Semplicita was 13 points behind with 27 points, followed by Matthew Pike and Dave Nelson's Got Qi with 35 points. Nicole and Bruce are on a roll, having won three regattas on SF Bay (St Francis YC Spring One Design, SF Bay J/Fest and SF Yacht Club Resin Regatta) plus Cedar Point One Design, Storm Trysail Block Island Race Week, Buzzards Bay Regatta and now the Ted Hood Regatta, the latter two skippered by Nicole, who commented, "It was great to get back to Marblehead and its picturesque harbor and its strong racing heritage. I remember coming here to race in the Bemis championship in the 80s and the International 420 North Americans in the early 90s, so it was fun to return in a big boat and run into many friends from those years. The hospitality was terrific, and we plan to be back in a few years for the J/105 North Americans." For complete results, visit https://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=3000.
Team Good Trade and Ted Hood's son Bobby presenting the award.[/caption]
With three days of racing with winds below 10 knots, the J/105 team from San Francisco on Good Trade, skippered by Nicole Breault, dominated the Marblehead fleet with a 1, 3, 5, 2, 1, 1, 1 scoreline for 14 points. Her team consisted of Dave Marshall at bow, Halsey Richartz at mast and tactics, Casey Williams at pit and jib trim, Jamie Ewing at main, and co-owner Bruce Stone at spin trim. The top local team skipped by Fred deNapoli on Allegro Semplicita was 13 points behind with 27 points, followed by Matthew Pike and Dave Nelson's Got Qi with 35 points. Nicole and Bruce are on a roll, having won three regattas on SF Bay (St Francis YC Spring One Design, SF Bay J/Fest and SF Yacht Club Resin Regatta) plus Cedar Point One Design, Storm Trysail Block Island Race Week, Buzzards Bay Regatta and now the Ted Hood Regatta, the latter two skippered by Nicole, who commented, "It was great to get back to Marblehead and its picturesque harbor and its strong racing heritage. I remember coming here to race in the Bemis championship in the 80s and the International 420 North Americans in the early 90s, so it was fun to return in a big boat and run into many friends from those years. The hospitality was terrific, and we plan to be back in a few years for the J/105 North Americans." For complete results, visit https://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=3000.J/105s Enjoy Swiftsure & Aldo Alessio Regattas on SF Bay
On a day that started grey and not particularly windy, the St. Francis Yacht Club hosted their annual Aldo Alessio & Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Regattas for boats LOA >35' or holding an ORR-fully measured certificate. Friday's races involved heading out the Golden Gate to marks out in the ocean. Then, on Saturday and Sunday, the fleet continued sailing in the Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Regatta. In Friday’s racing, Chris Kim’s J/105 VUJA STAR took third in the PHRF ToT Division. Over the two-day weekend, Ryan Simmons’ crew on BLACKHAWK won two races and closed with two seconds to seal the deal in the J/105 fleet with just 9 points in five races. Second was the duo of Bruce Stone & Nicole Breault on ARBITRAGE, winning the last race but not enough to reel in BLACKHAWK, finishing with 13 points. Rounding out the podium was Doug Bailey’s AKULA, closing with two thirds to finish third place with 18 points. For event details, visit https://www.stfyc.com/.
J/105 Featured in Sailing World
Check out the J/105 featured in the Sailing World Inside the Classes article: "Sixteen years on, the J/105 remains the gold standard of Corinthian one-design big-boat racing" at http://www.sailingworld.com/inside-classes-j-105#page-2.
J/105 Youth Team Rocks Ida Lewis Distance Race
The weather started out gloomy, then got downright nasty for the 13th edition of the Ida Lewis Distance Race, which started Friday, August 18 off Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI. A forecast calling for storms to pass over the race course during the night convinced seven of the original 40 entrants to drop out prior to the start for six classes. Of the remaining 33 teams, an additional 10 were forced to retire due to damaged equipment or other problems incurred during multiple squalls that left memorable impressions and their calling cards of driving rain and winds gusting 40+ knots. Perhaps most impressive was the performance by Young American Yacht Club’s Junior Big Boat Team aboard the J/105 Young American, which persevered with three others teams in Spinnaker B to finish the race and take the top trophy for its first-place finish as well as the Arent H. Kits van Heyningen Trophy for the race’s Youth Challenge. "We knew the forecast wasn’t going to be easy on us, but we didn’t think we’d see 50 knots," said Constantyn van der Voort (Rye, NY), who helped steer and ran things in the cockpit. "That was a little scary, because we had three sails up... the storm jib, the #3 jib on the furler and the mainsail." His crewmate Nick Hein (Westport, CT), who was on bow, said that the team of eight is preparing for the next Newport to Bermuda Race. "This was the most open ocean sailing we’ve ever done as a team," he said. For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=4193.
VYTIS Dominates Verve Cup Offshore
At the 25th annual Verve Cup Offshore Regatta in Chicago, the J/105 fleet of 10 boats witnessed a walk-away, as Gyt Petkus’s crew on VYTIS collected three bullets and three deuces on their way to the win. Second was past winner Jon Weglarz’s THE ASYLUM, third was Clark Pellet’s SEALARK (another past winner), fourth Mike Sheppard’s FLYING PIG and fifth Robert Amos’ SOUTHBOUND. For more Verve Cup Offshore information, visit https://www.chicagoyachtclub.org/verveoffshore.
Team Allora! Tops J/105 Fleet at J/Fest New England
New J/105 owners Alex and Alexandra Clegg and their team on Allora! won the J/Fest New England on August 12-13 in Newport, RI, hosted by Sail Newport. Thanks to Alex for the following report: After a multiple hour postponement in light winds on Saturday, the fleet was sent in with no racing completed. Sunday had a better forecast, and excitement was palpable to get some racing in. Fog was thick when we arrived at the boat, and the RC made the prudent decision to race up in the northern section of Narragansett Bay, in the vicinity of Halfway Rock. The sun burned the fog off, and we had 10-12 knots, flat water and an incoming tide for the first race, relatively perfect conditions for racing. The five-boat class of Allora!, Good Trade, Madcap 2.0, Pieces of Eight and Tonto got off a race close to on time and proceeded to have two more great races in a slightly weaker breeze. Allora!, Good Trade and Tonto mixed it up quite close at the front, rounding all the marks within a couple boat lengths of each other. Allora! won the first race and Good Trade the second race, and were tied on points at 3 each going into the final race with Tonto three points back from us, so it was down to the third and final race of the day in a fading 8 knot breeze. We jockeyed fairly hard for position at the pin to go left which had been slightly favored all day. Allora! managed to avoid getting hooked from a leeward Good Trade by inches, and still make the pin without being over early. The race was a very close one with Good Trade and Allora! in a tacking duel to an upwind finish, with Allora! squeezing it out. Great fun and an awesome finish to our first one-design regatta on Allora! Most of the credit is due to my crew, my wife Alexandra, Todd McGuire and Josh Parks with whom I have sailed years and countless miles, and Ben and Kelley Steinberg. Final results were Allora! in first, Good Trade second, Tonto third. Excited to get to our next one-design event, hopefully soon!
Perfect Weekend for Good Trade at Buzzards Bay
Spectacular conditions greeted competitors for the Buzzards Bay Regatta at New Bedford Yacht Club in South Dartmouth, MA from August 4-6. In the five-boat J/105 fleet, Nicole Breault's Good Trade went a perfect 10 for 10, leaving the team with 9 net points. Mark Lindquist's Sterling took the silver position, and Matthew & Lisa Schmitt's Hardtack the bronze. Complete event details may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm.
Rule Interpretation 17-02: Stiff Chafing Patches
Rule Interpretation 17-02 Stiff Chafing Patches is now posted on the Rule Interpretations page at http://j105.org/rule-interpretations/.
Blackhawk Sets Tanker as Pick, Edges out Arbitrage in Windy 2017 Sausalito YC J/105 Invitational
The Sausalito Yacht Club J/105 Invitational on July 22-23 brought 19 J/105s out of their summer slumber for a weekend of heavy air racing—typical SF Bay summer conditions with winds in high teens and building into the 20s, with gusts into the mid-30s on Sunday. The Race Committee set up the starting area off the west face of Alcatraz and the windward mark toward mid-span of the Golden Gate Bridge. With a significant flood tide on both days, many boats were doing dip-line starts. The PRO managed to cant the line so that competitors had to make a decision—start at the pin, closer to the relief along the city front, or start 15-20 degrees upwind toward the signal boat and hope that was enough to outweigh the extra time spent in a foul tide. Once the fleet hit the city front, the decision was reversed—tack back into the middle of the Bay on layline, fighting more current, or sail extra distance in the better water. With such a heavily favored side of the course upwind, there was a premium on clear lanes and the ability to tack when desired, leaving many boats no choice but to overstand the weather mark. Conditions Saturday were classic San Francisco summer, with 15-25 knot winds with fog rolling in and significant ebb chop in race 3. The finish to race 1 proved to be one of the more exciting and critical moments in the regatta. Arbitrage, Blackhawk and Godot all came into the downwind finish overlapped, slightly above layline for the left (pin) end of the line. With the heavy flood tide and breeze near 20 knots, a late decision by Godot caused all three to overstand and started a chain reaction of them jibing and broaching, leaving the tide to take them across the finish line. Both Arbitrage and Blackhawk protested Godot for not providing room to finish, and the protest was scheduled for Thursday. After two more races, Blackhawk held a three-point lead over Arbitrage and Godot, pending the outcome of the protest. Sunday brought a repeat of the conditions from Saturday—15-20 knot breeze with a flood tide for race 1 led to a runaway victory for Arbitrage, with the next boat a half leg back. The three boats were tied going into the final race, pending the prior day’s protest. At the start of the final race, the same decision had to be made—start on the left end of the line and go for current relief, or start at the heavily favored right side. Blackhawk and Godot chose the pin, and Arbitrage the committee end. Soon after the start, a tanker came through the fleet. The boats at the pin were able to cross to the relief on the City Front and had a significant advantage over Arbitrage, Advantage and a few others who had to tack back into the flood so as to avoid the tanker. Blackhawk then led around the first weather mark, and with the heavy flood tide and 20-25 knot breeze, the lead quickly built. By the end of the race, the wind reached 25-30 knots with gusts into mid-30s, leading to planing conditions downwind and challenging maneuvers for all crews. Blackhawk went on the win the race, with Godot finishing second and Arbitrage a hard earned sixth after being forced to go behind the tanker on the first leg. Upon discussion after racing, Godot retired from race 1, leaving Blackhawk 4 points ahead of Arbitrage for the regatta victory. The top five were rounded out by Donkey Jack in third, Jam Session in fourth, and Godot in fifth, beating Hazardous Waste via tie breaker thanks to their victory in race 2. Full results at: http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/15018#_newsroom+results
Pterodactyl Overtakes Ugotta Regatta
The Ugotta Regatta at Little Traverse Yacht Club in Harbor Springs, MI took place from July 28-30. Five J/105s completed five races, and it was ultimately a duel between Mark Symonds’ Pterodactyl and Carter Williams’ Creative Destruction. In the end, Symonds earned the victory with a bullet in the final race, leaving him with a line of 1,3,2,1,1 for 8 points. Williams took second place with 11 points, and William Petzold’s Green Flash third with 17. For complete event details, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=2986.
Merlin Dazzles at Marblehead NOOD
Of the nine classes competing in the Helly Hansen National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta at Marblehead Race Week July 28-30, two winners were local sailors including Charlie Garrard on Merlin in the J/105 fleet. Garrard, who was also the recipient of Sunday’s North Sails Boat of the Day and the Cressy Award said the key to his success this weekend was having his teenage kids, Emily (pit) and Jack (bow), onboard. "Without them it wouldn’t happen," Garrard said. "Together, we make it work."
Marblehead NOOD Recap from Fred deNapoli: Fleet 2 (Mass Bay) wrapped up three days of racing at the final stop on the National Offshore One Design regatta tour in Marblehead, MA. Local BYC sailor Charlie Garrard’s Merlin did an amazing job with four firsts and a second to utterly dominate the 13-boat fleet of J/105s in the light/moderate conditions of Friday and Sunday. Saturday's conditions were anything but light/moderate....20-25 knots with gusts higher and 4-6' seas (very short and very steep) on the offshore course where we were. The CYC committee tried their best, but it was just too rough to even keep the committee boat on station in 150+ feet of water, let alone the marks. The three mark boats and their crews were battered for hours. The fleet blasted around the starting area under postponement for over an hour trying to assimilate to the conditions while experimenting with settings. Photographer Paul Todd did a great job catching a 105 launching off a wave going upwind, tuning with Two Feathers, a team from Texas who come up each year for this event. Eventually, the committee had to abandon the outside line. On the final day of racing (Sunday), the weather turned another 180 degrees for an absolutely perfect 10-15 with flat water. When the smoke cleared, second overall went to Fred deNapoli’s allegro semplicita, while Steve Goldberg’s Air Express from Beverly, MA came third. Here’s a video interviewing the winner, Charlie Garrard: http://www.sailingworld.com/inside-classes-j-105
Final Results – Top Three
J/105 (One Design – 13 Boats)
- Merlin, Charlie Garrard, USA – -1 -1 -1 -1 -[2]; 4
- Allegro Semplicita, Fred deNapoli, USA – -2 -2 -6 -2 -[10]; 12
- Air Express, Steven J. Goldberg, USA – -[10] -3 -2 -9 -1; 15 For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=3009.
Record-setting Bayview Mac
Racing for the 93rd Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race concluded when the last team of 191 to complete the race finished on Monday, July 24. The celebrations, however, continued through Tuesday for more than 5,000 sailors, their family members and friends gathered on the grounds of Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel for a prize giving and party that included live music and the awarding of special trophies as well as Larry Bell’s announcement of a two-year extension of title sponsorship for Bell’s Brewery. After the start on Saturday, July 22, there were 123 teams competing on the 254-nautical-mile Cove Island course and 82 teams racing on the shorter 204 nm Shore Course. With rain and several storms to encounter, some boats retired, but for most, the race was extraordinarily fast. In Class D, the J/105 crews were tough, sweeping the top two spots and placing three of the top four in class. Winning was Mark DenUyl’s GOOD LOOKIN’ with crew of Brennan Churchill, Brock & Bryson DenUyl, Kevin Irland, John Anter and Ron Churchill. Taking second place was the Chicago to Mackinac Race winning crew Mark Symonds’ PTERODACTYL, with Robert Bailey, John Quinlan, Kevin Morin, Michael Morin, Thac Nguyen and Duane Rose. Fourth in class was the J/105 WIND SHADOW sailed by skipper Jim Murphy with crew of Daniel Burleson, Dan Gidcumb, Lauri Ellias, Mike Hendrie and Ruth Barrett. For more Bayview Mackinac Race information, visit http://www.bycmack.com/.
J/105s Enjoy Inaugural J/Fest Great Lakes
This regatta was heavily promoted by ABYC and supported by Fleet Captain Doug Bullock with some impromptu assistance from Team Sonic’s Flip Cup Challenge experts Michelle Skutelsky, Emily Sale and
Kira Fulford. ABYC worked hard to organize a great event and did it with help from the old style reggae tunes of the Errol Blackwood band. Fleets included J80, J27, J35 on Alpha course and the 18 boat strong J105 fleet with a mix of J109/120/33 in a PHRF division on Bravo adding up to total 42 boats. The shore
side effort promised a great event.
Top contender Mandate had its usual crew, but Hey Jude was short one doctor and long one Jarvis with Scott C. taking the helm. It promised to be a good challenge between these two and Jamaica looked strong but no Jorge. Usual was back in strength with Johnny Wright on the helm. It was promised to be tight racing.
All the J105’s were well prepared and raring to go but woke up to a Saturday forecast of absolutely no wind until maybe late in the afternoon. Guess what? That’s exactly what happened as the fleet sat idle until a wind line showed up around 2PM. The patient PRO hung in wisely and managed to get off 2 short races in a light but sailable shifty breeze which saw the fleet sailing much later into the afternoon than normal. Key to the race was as usual, getting off the line especially with 18 boats in a light breeze. Mandate took the first race but finished 2nd behind Hey Jude in the second. JMC was consistent with two
3rds finishing the first day in 3rd. Al Megarry helming Starcross had a solid day in 4th with Usual Suspects taking 5th place. Three boats (Sonic, TrueBlue and Voodoo Magic) were a little too eager at the start of the 2nd race and found out on shore they were scored UFD which dropped them back out of any chance of contention.
The shore side party was fantastic reminding me of some of the club parties in the 80’s and 90’s when sailing attracted many more boats and sailors ashore. Michelle ran a fun flip cup event, the club sold lots of great rib-chicken dinner combos. All was good.
Sunday’s forecast proved equally correct but completely different with a strong easterly wind overnight and current from around 50-70 degrees building throughout the day with 16 to 18 knots solid which created quite a bump and wave condition by days end. The PRO remained determined to complete the scheduled three races which were long and challenging. It ended up that the regatta winner was determined by the race 1 results as both Hey Jude and Mandate each had a 1st and 2nd on the remaining four races. So Mandate takes overall, Hey Jude 2nd and Usual Suspects sailing a really solid 2nd day (4, 3, 3) to overtake Jamaica who fumbled the ball (7, 4, 6). Mike Mountford’s Live Edge remained consistent to take 5th and Sentient punched above her weight level taking 6th. As a Sentient team member, the call was to stay away from other boats and sail our own race. We missed getting off the line but made it up by doing early takedowns and controlled gybes working the wind as best we could with a lighter weight and strength crew.
Noteworthy sails by Team Endeavour who tanked in the light stuff on day 1, but took off in the breeze with a (3, 5) but a retirement from the last race pushed her back. Good solid sailing on the first 2 races though!
Some observations (mine);
1) It was interesting to see that many of the J105’s passed the “faster” PHRF boats who had
started 6 minutes ahead. J105’s rock with the breeze up!
2) It paid to gybe early. Not only could you work down the waves taking advantage of the larger waves offshore but when you gybed back, the bigger waves helped you surf faster and farther.
3) Teams that were more conservative taking down spins early were faster around the gates and better prepared upwind. It’s tempting to leave it late but any delay was disastrous.
4) Some lighter crew boats like Sonic and Jamaica still performed well in the big breeze.
Next event is the National YC, August 12 & 13th after the Long weekend. Enjoy!
Robert Baker
Team Sentient
Tactician and Lunch fetcherREVELATION Wins Larchmont Yacht Club’s 119th Race Week
Sailors from Long Island Sound and nearby yachting areas congregated at Larchmont (NY) Yacht Club from July 15 to 23 to sail in one of the grandfathers of American regattas, the Larchmont Race Week. This annual event spanned top one-design classes, racer/cruisers, classic yachts, junior boats, and hosted the Storm Trysail Club’s Jr. Safety-at-Sea Seminar. The Charles Vanderlaan Trophy, recognizing the best overall racer/cruiser performance was awarded to George and Alex Wilbanks’ J/105 REVELATION. They won the eight-boat J/105 fleet with 8 points over six races. The Young American Junior Big Boat Team came in second, just one point back. Max Kalehoff took third with 12 points. Race Committee Chairman John May noted, "Our Race Committee again was up to the job running three circles every day, and, despite the lack of cooperation by the wind gods, lots of good races were conducted and excellent competition was demonstrated." For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4236.
Mark Symonds Wins J/105 Fleet at Wild Chicago Mackinac Race
This year’s 109th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac will go down in the history books as one of the toughest races ever. Just 200 of the 297 starters completed the 289.4 nm course. A frontal passage hit the fleet at midnight on Saturday, just hours into the race, producing a rare "dry front" that looked menacing as it came over the water but had no rain over Lake Michigan. As the front passed over the fleet, a blast front of 35-50 knot winds flew across the water. Shortly thereafter, the front passed by, pulling behind it a far stronger northerly breeze than forecast, so the fleet settled into a 20+ hour beat to windward in 15-30 knot winds from the NNE and punching into a classic 6-10 ft Lake Michigan chop. The winds rapidly shut down between the Manitou Island Straits and the open waters headed to Grey’s Reef. There were 21 boats in the J/105 one-design fleet. Here is the report from the winner, Mark Symonds on PTERODACTYL: "It was one of the most challenging Chicago Mac races I have sailed. It started out like a typical Mac Race—a pleasant sleigh ride under spinnaker. By late Saturday though, we could clearly see the storm system coming down the lake. Thankfully, the really bad stuff seemed to be tracking over the Wisconsin coastline off to the west of us. We kept our spinnaker up a little too long and suffered a knockdown in a sudden increase in winds to 40+ knots. It seemed like we were at a 90-degree angle forever, but more likely about 30-40 seconds. We were able to retrieve our spinnaker (in several pieces) and all the control lines. From there, the wind turned north for over 24 hours. North winds on Lake Michigan create big, powerful waves. We slammed upwind all of Sunday. We were very grateful and probably lucky that no one was hurt, being tossed around the cabin or deck. We soldiered on trying to catch Buzz and SeaLark who were launched in front of us. When we reached the Manitou passage, we had momentary cell coverage and found that we had caught them, but that Striking had also caught up. Four of us were bobbing for hours or ghosting along at very low speeds for quite some time. We tried everything to get going—jib and main, spinnaker and main, spinnaker only. We constantly worked it to try to accelerate out of the doldrums. Three of us were neck and neck getting to Grays Reef. This is the reason I love one-design racing—after two plus days of racing, we were in a clump of competitors who all had the same capabilities. When we finally got past the reef and turned toward the bridge, it was a drag race with the wind out of the south. We were able to barely hang on flying a spinnaker at a tight angle the whole way. Kudos to the whole J/105 fleet. They are a great bunch of talented and well-prepared competitors. While many had to drop out, we were very happy there were no serious injuries." For complete event information, visit http://www.cycracetomackinac.com/.
Troublemaker Takes Whidbey Island Race Week
Sixty-two entrants competed in the 35th Annual Whidbey Island Race Week, held July 10-14 at Oak Harbor, WA. The 13-boat J/105 fleet completed 13 races, with John Weil and Kent Sisk’s Troublemaker taking the win with 27 points. John Aitchison’s Moose Unknown claimed second with 34 points, and Erik Kristen’s More Jubilee third with 38. For complete event details, visit http://whidbeyislandraceweek.com/.
The Cloudy Bay Round the Island Race 1st July in the UK
Thank you to William Newton for this report: This year in Class 2B (48 entries), 10 J/105s were competing including one French boat, Job d’ete. The total entry was 1,342 boats, of which 1,207 finished. Our start was at 0620hrs, marginally better than the first start at 0530hrs. The wind was NW 18 knots, but forecast to decrease. Starting with several other classes, we were one of the largest starts so the fetch from the line reduced the chance of any incidents. With a good breeze and the tide with us, the leg to the Needles lighthouse was fast. The big decision at the Needles is always do you go between the lighthouse and the remains of the Varvassi, or outside? The J/105 Jester didn’t quite get it right, taking the inside route, and clipped the side of the wreck, but fortunately was able to continue. From the Needles to St. Catherine’s lighthouse, it was a run, however with the wind coming off the Island, tricky if you sailed too close to the Island to avoid the foul tide. At this stage, Jin Tonic was the leading J/105 offshore, with Jelly Baby inshore and the chasing pack of J/105s close behind. At St. Catherine’s, the wind headed us so it was predominantly a beat to Bembridge ledge. At Bembridge, the tide was against us and the wind decreasing, not ideal for the 105s. Short tacking along Ryde sands, the shallows were clearly marked with the odd competitor firmly aground. Very helpful! As we approached Osborne bay, Jin Tonic had moved ahead of the chasing pack, and the race between the 105s Jelly Baby, Redeye, Jazz and Jos started, much to the delight of the cheering spectator boats in Osborne Bay. Positions changed frequently, with Jelly Baby bouncing off one rock. Rounding the point, the unfortunate Jazz went too close to the shore, ran aground and was unable to continue. The wind had now dropped to 5 knots, and combined with the foul tide, crossing the correct finish line was extremely difficult with boats coming from all directions. The finishing order for the J/105 fleet was Jin Tonic, Jelly Baby, Redeye, Jos and Job d’ete, with Jin Tonic finishing second overall in Group 2. It was great to have 10 boats competing, and the design still proving competitive under IRC.
J/105s Dominate Doublehanded Class at Stratford Shoal Race
This past 4th of July Independence Day weekend marked the annual 45nm offshore dash from Riverside, CT to the Stratford Shoal Light and back to the finish link just off the club. This was the 86th edition of the Stratford Shoal Race, hosted by the Riverside YC on Long Island Sound. The highlight of the race included a duel between two well-sailed J/105s vying for class honors in the PHRF Doublehanded division. Sailing in one-design class configuration at a PHRF rating of 93, the top two boats finished just minutes apart after criss-crossing the Sound for 45nm. Winning by just over four minutes was Randy Bourne’s STRANGE BREW, and taking the silver was Josh Burack’s PEREGRINA. In fleet, they did quite well, taking fourth and sixth, respectively, overall. After starting at 0955 hrs on Saturday morning, virtually the entire fleet was finished by 1730 hrs, in time for fireworks, cocktails and food and a gorgeous sunset over New York City. For more Stratford Shoal Race information, click here.
Block Island Race Week
[caption id="attachment_4078" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Team Good Trade, from left to right: John Sahagian (mast), Bill Higgins (bow), Nicole Breault (main/tactics), Casey Williams (jib trim and pit), Marc Acheson (spin trim) Bruce Stone (helm).[/caption]
After five days of hard racing at Block Island Race Week, on Friday, June 23, there were 16 ecstatic winners and an equal number of disappointed runners-up. One of the happier crews was located at the far end of the Champlin’s dock aboard the J/105 Good Trade, owned by the husband-wife team of Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault. Good Trade sailed impressively all week en route to capturing the J/105 New England Championship, winning five races and placing second in two others in posting a low score of 12 points. That was seven better than runner-up Eclipse (Damiam Emery, Shoreham, NY), and earned Stone and Breault the prestigious Everett B. Morris Memorial Trophy. First awarded in 1967 and rededicated in 1991, the Morris Memorial Trophy is presented to the Block Island Race Week entry that wins its class and, in the judgment of the race committee and Storm Trysail Club commodore, put forth the Best Overall Performance. "We were on fire, really in the zone," Breault said. "We sailed the boat really well and minimized our mistakes." Stone steers while Breault calls tactics on Good Trade, which they bought last May from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. The couple resides in San Francisco and races a J/105 named Arbitrage on the West Coast.
"We’ve won five of the last seven regattas we’ve entered so I’d say we’ve been on a bit of a roll," Stone said. "We’re having a really strong season so far and hope to keep it going." Marc Acheson (headsail trimmer), Bill Higgins (bow), John Sahagian (mast person) and Casey Williams (jib trimmer) complete the crew on Good Trade, which opened the regatta with a third then reeled off a steady string of firsts and seconds the rest of the way. "Our crew work is so solid that I can call for any type of maneuver at any time and not worry one bit," Breault said. The fleet also featured team Rigadoon, owned by Bill Riggs and skippered by his 20-year-old grandson Kyle Riggs. Kyle finished ninth in his first regatta skippering the boat. The oldest crew member was 21 years old. In the J/105 Class overall:
[caption id="attachment_4075" align="alignright" width="300"]
In photo: Team Rigadoon led by Kyle Riggs, grandson of owner Bill Riggs, second from left.[/caption]
3rd overall and 3rd in the J/105 New England Championship: OJ Young, LOU LOU
2nd for Friday, 2nd overall and 2nd in the 2017 J/105 New England Championship: Damian Emery, ECLIPSE
1st for Friday, 1st overall, winner of the EVERETTE B. MORRIS MEMORIAL TROPHY for the Best Performance for the Week and the 2017 J/105 New England Champion: Bruce Stone & Nicole Breault, GOOD TRADE
For complete event information, visit www.blockislandraceweek.com
Team Good Trade, from left to right: John Sahagian (mast), Bill Higgins (bow), Nicole Breault (main/tactics), Casey Williams (jib trim and pit), Marc Acheson (spin trim) Bruce Stone (helm).[/caption]
After five days of hard racing at Block Island Race Week, on Friday, June 23, there were 16 ecstatic winners and an equal number of disappointed runners-up. One of the happier crews was located at the far end of the Champlin’s dock aboard the J/105 Good Trade, owned by the husband-wife team of Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault. Good Trade sailed impressively all week en route to capturing the J/105 New England Championship, winning five races and placing second in two others in posting a low score of 12 points. That was seven better than runner-up Eclipse (Damiam Emery, Shoreham, NY), and earned Stone and Breault the prestigious Everett B. Morris Memorial Trophy. First awarded in 1967 and rededicated in 1991, the Morris Memorial Trophy is presented to the Block Island Race Week entry that wins its class and, in the judgment of the race committee and Storm Trysail Club commodore, put forth the Best Overall Performance. "We were on fire, really in the zone," Breault said. "We sailed the boat really well and minimized our mistakes." Stone steers while Breault calls tactics on Good Trade, which they bought last May from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. The couple resides in San Francisco and races a J/105 named Arbitrage on the West Coast.
"We’ve won five of the last seven regattas we’ve entered so I’d say we’ve been on a bit of a roll," Stone said. "We’re having a really strong season so far and hope to keep it going." Marc Acheson (headsail trimmer), Bill Higgins (bow), John Sahagian (mast person) and Casey Williams (jib trimmer) complete the crew on Good Trade, which opened the regatta with a third then reeled off a steady string of firsts and seconds the rest of the way. "Our crew work is so solid that I can call for any type of maneuver at any time and not worry one bit," Breault said. The fleet also featured team Rigadoon, owned by Bill Riggs and skippered by his 20-year-old grandson Kyle Riggs. Kyle finished ninth in his first regatta skippering the boat. The oldest crew member was 21 years old. In the J/105 Class overall:
[caption id="attachment_4075" align="alignright" width="300"]
In photo: Team Rigadoon led by Kyle Riggs, grandson of owner Bill Riggs, second from left.[/caption]
3rd overall and 3rd in the J/105 New England Championship: OJ Young, LOU LOU
2nd for Friday, 2nd overall and 2nd in the 2017 J/105 New England Championship: Damian Emery, ECLIPSE
1st for Friday, 1st overall, winner of the EVERETTE B. MORRIS MEMORIAL TROPHY for the Best Performance for the Week and the 2017 J/105 New England Champion: Bruce Stone & Nicole Breault, GOOD TRADE
For complete event information, visit www.blockislandraceweek.comCleveland Race Week One-Design
In one of the largest Cleveland Race Week events, 138 one-design boats were welcomed at Edgewater Yacht Club for the 37th annual Cleveland Race Week One-Design Weekend from June 15-18. Eleven fleets competed on four race circles. Light winds prevailed at the start of the event, but the weather only improved throughout the weekend. The J/105 fleet had five local boats, with Chip Schaffner and team on Fall Line placing first in class with 12 points after seven races. Trailing him were Rob Mock’s Unbridled with 18 points and the Uhlir Brothers on Trio just off the pace in third with 19. Following racing each day, competitors were greeted with live music, food trucks and cocktails. The Race Committee did an outstanding job on all four courses and in all weather conditions. For complete information, visit www.clevelandraceweek.com. Photos are available on the Cleveland Race Week Facebook page.
Chicago COLORS Regatta
The annual regatta that marks the start of the offshore sailing season in Chicago on Lake Michigan is Columbia Yacht Club’s Skyway Yacht Works Colors Regatta. Depending on weather and fleets, most boats sailed three to four races over the weekend in the challenging weather conditions. A familiar face was at the top of the leaderboard on Sunday afternoon in the J/105 fleet of eight boats. Clark Pellet’s SEALARK won with straight bullets, while Mike Sheppard’s FLYING PIG was second, Bob Amos’ SOUTHBOUND was third, Gyt Petkus’ VYTIS was fourth and Vanessa Gates’ STRIKING was fifth. For more COLORS Regatta information, visit http://www.columbiayachtclub.org/.
NYYC Annual Regatta
The 163rd New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta presented by Rolex, sponsored by Porsche and AIG and supported by Helly Hansen, took place June 9-11 in Newport, RI. The J/105 Tonto, skippered by Fred Darlington, won both races Sunday to claim top honors in PHRF 2. For complete event details, visit http://nyyc.org/yachting/racing/163rd-annual-regatta.
Chicago NOOD
The Helly Hansen National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta in Chicago came to a close June 11 after three days of stellar sailing weather on Lake Michigan for more than 145 teams. Seven races were completed in the eight-boat J/105 division, with Clark Pellett’s Sealark taking the win with 16 points. Mark Gurney’s Buzz placed second with 21 points, and Gyt Petkus’s Vytis third with 30. For complete event details, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=3008.
Good Trade wins Cedar Point One Design Regatta
Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault (Good Trade #96) launched their 2017 East Coast J/105 program with a solid win at the Cedar Point One Design Regatta, scoring four bullets and two seconds for 8 points, followed by George & Alex Wilbanks on Revelation with 11 points, Davie Willis’ Solution with 18 points, and Jordan Mindich’s Shakedown in fourth place with 19 points. Many teams were using the regatta as a warm-up for Storm Trysail Block Island Race Week, and got a lot of chance for practice in widely varying conditions, generally mid to high teens on Saturday except for a brief 40 kt squall that ripped through the race course, and 4-8 kt on Sunday. On both days, the ebb tide was a significant factor in gauging starts as well as lay-line calls. According to Stone, "We used our flatter, heavy air jib on Saturday and cross-sheeted to have our team always on the high side, and be able to shift gears when hitting a wave set or needing to duck some traffic from other fleets on the race course. Nicole trims both main and jib upwind, and we maintain a running dialogue on what we’re trying to accomplish. She also breaks on tacks so our crew can stay on the rail until the last moment. During the squall, while boats were shredding or dropping their spinnakers, Good Trade got up onto a plane and surfed at 18+ kt, something we last did at Block two years ago when we hit 20.9 kt during the Around Island Race. On Sunday, we were sheeting to the low side as well as roll-tacking the boat, and used our light LA-3 AP jib, which is optimized for 3-10 kt. Both days were quite shifty so we avoided pinching and instead sailed low and fast to get to the next shift. With such an unstable wind direction, we also found it profitable to jibe soon after rounding the windward mark and carry that down to the gates. In general, there were great opportunities for the crew to practice everything, and we now feel readier for Block. Trimming sails on Good Trade was Mark Taylor, a new J/105 owner (#246 based in Mystic, CT), at pit was John Sahagian, owner of J/109 Picante, and two dinghy sailors, Claire Dennis and Meredith Killian, who provided wind calls and ran the bow." For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=2999. Link to wrap-up video: https://youtu.be/iCd-PUR2gFQ.Cape Flattery Race
In the Cape Flattery Race (a part of Swiftsure Race Week at Royal Victoria Yacht Club in British Columbia Canada) in the J/105 one-design class, PHRF L3, Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO won by nearly 15 minutes over Chris Phoenix’s JADED and Chuck Stephens’ PANIC, in second and third, respectively. Rounding out the top five were Doug Schenk’s FREE BOWL OF SOUP in fourth and Doug Pihlaja’s ABSTRACT in fifth. For complete information, visit http://www.swiftsure.org/.
Block Island Race
The 72nd edition of the Block Island Race on May 26 off of Stamford, CT was 186nm with 66 entrants. The breeze at the first start was a shifty 4 knots, but by the third start, it settled into a stiff northwesterly of 15 knots with significantly higher gusts. Most of the fleet popped their kites right at the start, with the majority paralleling the CT coast for the first 15-20 miles. A number of forecasts predicted a big wind hole in the middle of L.I. Sound in the Bridgeport-to-New Haven area, and soon the leading boats in the fleet began to see the first signs of its unwelcome appearance. The quandary was which side of the Sound would be better for getting around the hole–the CT shore, or the Long Island shore. Some gybed toward the LI shore, and others decided to stay the course along the CT side. Cutting across the Sound carried an additional risk of not making it to the other shore before the wind shut down. The key– in hindsight– was being close to either shore: it mattered less which shore you were on, as long as you weren’t out toward the middle. The hole, however, didn’t last nearly as long as some of the forecasts had predicted, and the fleet made good progress toward buoy 1BI off the north end of Block Island, with most flying spinnakers all the way to, and then around, the island. As they passed the south side of the island, the fleet was faced with a NW breeze and back toward Long Island Sound. The forecasts indicated a good chance the wind would shift toward the SE, with a light and fluky transition period. After the fleet leaders re-entered the Sound (most through Plum Gut), the wind from the NW faded to a period of calm before the southerly wind began to fill in, but somewhat erratically. Eventually, the southerly took precedence, and by Saturday afternoon (May 27), the lead competitors began to reappear on the Stamford horizon. American Yacht Club’s J/105 Young American Junior Big Boat Team took first place in PHRF Class 3. For more STC Block Island Race information, visit https://www.stormtrysail.org/regattas/block-island-race.
Manhattan Regatta
Continuing a NYC and J/105 tradition, Fleet 10 in conjunction with the Liberty Yacht Club hosted the seventh annual Manhattan Regatta in the amazing racing venue of New York Harbor. Nine J/105s fought it out in eight races over two days in courses set by PRO Vicky Neiner between Lady Liberty and the Brooklyn shoreline. The regatta started with a light air first race in a course paralleling the Staten Island Ferry path where the wind shifted 180 degrees. At one point, spinnakers were simultaneously used in opposite directions. After this slow start, a steady sea breeze kicked in from the south necessitating a course reset to the Brooklyn shore. Three races were then completed with tight competition, leaving area favorite Paul Beaudin’s Loulou first with Ann and Gary Myer’s Magic and Mark van Schalkwyk’s Circe close behind. Paul is currently the area’s hot boat after winning the American Yacht Club Spring Regatta. Additionally, the Perth Amboy, NJ-based boat Escapade skippered by Al Rothschild won the single day PHRF division. At the end of the day, all the competitors returned to the Liberty Landing Marina to enjoy the traditional BBQ aboard the Liberty Lightship under the Manhattan skyline. Sunday featured a steady mid-teens southeast breeze and bright sunshine. Another course was set up along the Brooklyn shoreline under the gaze of Lady Liberty. The competitors enjoyed four races with Magic constantly nipping at Loulou’s heels in every race. Both split the bullets while Magic gained ground in races they did not win. An exhausted Loulou survived the eighth race of the weekend to win their first place Lady Liberty trophy. Magic and Circe completed the podium positions. Thank you LYC members Jim Chambers and Huhnsik Chung for generously providing their boats and time for RC. Also to Fleet 10 officers David Spence and Paul Zajac for once again organizing a great spring event. Complete results can be reviewed in the following Yacht Scoring link https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4167.Vashon Island/Tri-Island Series Report
Seattle Yacht Club continued their popular Tri-Island Series of races, hosting the Vashon Island Race on Puget Sound for a fleet of nearly 80 boats. In the large J/105 fleet, Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE is on a winning streak, posting another first to easily be leading the series. Lance Rummel & David Cohen’s INCONCEIVABLE added a second to their scoreline to now sit in second for the series. Third in Vashon was Chris Phoenix’s JADED (fourth in series), and then taking a fourth place and sitting in third for the series is Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO. For more SYC Tri-Island Series information, visit http://www.seattleyachtclub.org/.
J/105 Free Bowl of Soup Wins PHRF Overall at Oregon Offshore Race
The prestigious trophy for winning first overall in the Oregon Offshore International Yacht Race will have another three names on it this year: Schenk, Hopper & Davis. The trio sailed their J/105 FREE BOWL OF SOUP to an overall victory in the 2017 race under blustery conditions. They were not only the PHRF Overall winner, but the J/105 Class winner, too. According to Schenk, "Another epic one is in the books with a Southerly up the coast, and not too dead in the straights for an early finish. Having a J/105 division was super cool, and J/105s finished first, third and eighth overall!" The Oregon Offshore is one of the toughest races on the entire West Coast, hosted by Corinthian YC of Portland and the Astoria YC in Astoria, OR along the opening of the Columbia River. The race starts off the Columbia River Buoy 2 and goes 193nm north to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, leaving Duntze Rock buoy to starboard and finishing off the piers at Victoria, British Columbia in Canada on the northern side of the Straits. Twenty-one teams entered this year. Behind the J/105 winners, it was Doug Pihlaja’s ABSTRACT that took second place (third overall), while Dana Sibilla’s ESCAPE ARTIST placed third (eighth overall). For more information, visit http://www.oregonoffshore.org/.
62nd Annual Edlu Distance Race
The 62nd Annual Edlu Distance Race attracted 59 entrants for what has long been a classic tune-up race for the around Block Island Race and Block Island Race Week. Hosted by Larchmont Yacht Club (Larchmont, NY) on May 13, spinnaker fleets were on a 32.2nm course and non-spinnaker on a 19.6nm course, with racing followed by a classic party to make it one of the must-do events on western Long Island Sound. In the 13-boat PHRF 2, the Young American Jr. Big Boat Team's J/105 placed first, followed by another J/105, Arete, with Duncan Hennes/Za & Lib Jelliffe in second. For complete event details, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=3041.
Race to the Straits
The 16th Annual Race to the Straits provided a Single- and Double-Handed event on May 6 and 7, hosted by Sloop Tavern Yacht Club in Seattle, WA. An entry limit of 125 boats was reached, with each accepting the race’s preamble: The Race to the Straits is a challenging event where a boat can be subjected to the heavy weather typical of the Puget Sound and Admiralty Inlet. The Race to the Straits Race Committee expects that each competitor has prepared their boat accordingly and possesses the skills necessary to successfully navigate their boat in such heavy weather. The full course length is 30.036 nautical miles each day. Saturday’s race goes from Shilshole Bay to Point Hudson keeping the Double Bluff Buoy to port. Sunday’s race goes from Point Hudson to Shilshole Bay keeping the Double Bluff Buoy to starboard. All boats are prohibited from using the Port Townsend Canal. The short course lengths (if necessary) are 17.873 nautical miles on Saturday and 12.163 nautical miles on Sunday and finish at the Double Bluff Buoy. Eight J/105s competed in Class 14 - Double Handed Flying Sails Division. Matthew & Tessa Gardner-Brown's Dulcinea topped the fleet, with Erik Kristen's More Jubilee in second and David Cohen's Inconceivable in third. For complete results, visit https://www.styc.org/race_info/RaceToTheStraits/2017/Res_Series_Class.html.
Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta in Annapolis
It was the largest Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta in recent years, with more than 200 boats in 17 fleets competing in the unpredictable conditions of the Chesapeake Bay from May 5-7. In the 22-boat J/105 fleet, Canadian Michael Mountford’s Live Edge earned the victory over locals Andrew Kennedy on Bat IV and the Lewis/Salvesen team on Mirage. Three races were completed. For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=3007.
Yachting Cup
The third and final day of the 2017 Yachting Cup concluded on Sunday, May 7 with a change of course due to atypical San Diego weather. Race Committee decided early to change all courses from the ocean to inside the San Diego Bay where waters were much calmer. All of the boats that sailed in Saturday's Near Roads course sailed in the South Bay and all the boats that sailed in the Middle and Far Roads courses sailed in the North Bay. All of the fleets sailed course 1 which was 7.28nm except the Pac52s and the Division AA boats. These bigger boats sailed course 2 which totaled 10.53nm. After an hour delay, the first races started at 12:30pm in a steady drizzle with wind speeds reaching 14+ knots in certain parts of the course. Race Committee on the South Bay course was able to complete two races, but the North Bay course was not as lucky. Shortly after 2:00pm when Race Committee on the North Bay started the second race, a line of squalls came in with heavy rain and wind, forcing Race Committee to abandon the second race in the North Bay. Though all the sailors can confirm that conditions were insane for San Diego, that didn't stop Rick Goebel and his crew on Sanity from winning the J/105 fleet and the overall regatta. In addition to winning every race this weekend, Goebel was also named the Yachting Cup Overall winner in 2014. "We really had a great regatta, especially in the heavy air. We go up to the Big Boat Series every three or four years so we are really set up for heavy air and we have a great heavy air crew. Only two of the crew members have changed since we last won Yachting Cup, so we are basically the same group. This year was really tough, but to win it this year was fantastic." Chuck Driscoll’s Juice placed second, and Ed Sanford’s Creative third in the 12-boat fleet. Complete results posted at http://yachtingcup.com/results, and photos from all three days of the event are located at http://yachtingcup.com/media/image-gallery.
American Yacht Club Spring Series
Seventy boats competed over the course of two weekends in the 38th Annual American Yacht Club Spring Series Regatta. This year was no disappointment as the final weekend brought breezes and sunny skies to challenge racers as they prepare their boats and crew for another sailing season in the Northeast. The Spring Series saw eight classes complete 10 and 11 races on the East and South courses respectively, over the two-weekend event. Race days were followed by cocktails and food on the picturesque lawn of the American Yacht Club overlooking the course. Paul Beaudin's LouLou with crew, Lionel Crear, Miguel Sanchez Maymi, Carina Becker, Dave Schrader and Burton Williams walked away with the nine-boat J/105 fleet victory at 14 points, keeping Thom Hering and his Trifecta at a safe distance in second. Third place was hotly contested as three boats posted 38 points each. The Junior Sailors of American Yacht Club, however, topped the group by winning two races during the series. The junior team, made up of high school age 420 sailors, began their keelboat racing experience led by US Sailing's "Volunteer Coach of the Year," Peter Becker. Peter had coached and nurtured these young sailors to unprecedented success in the 2016 Newport to Bermuda Race. For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=2993.
Team Arbitrage Wins SF Yacht Club Resin Regatta
Bruce Stone & Nicole Breault and their team on Arbitrage posted their third regatta win of the 2017 SF Bay season by topping the 21-boat J/105 fleet in the San Francisco Yacht Club’s Resin Regatta on the Berkeley Olympic Circle. The Race Committee waited out the light early northerlies for the westerlies that kicked in almost on schedule around noon, providing great racing in flat water. Competitors enjoyed warm winds generally in the 13-16 kt range each day with gusts to 27 kt late Saturday and 18 kt on Sunday. Starting Sunday in third place, Arbitrage posted two bullets to wrest the lead away from Rolf Kaiser/Shannon Ryan’s team on Donkey Jack, with Phil Laby’s Godot taking third and Adam Spiegel’s Jam Session in fourth. Major drama for several teams on Saturday was trying to get out of the city-front marina near the St. Francis YC in San Francisco, as the tides were at record lows and Arbitrage was fully stuck in the mud at its slip, while Jam Session ran aground at the exit to the harbor. Along with Perseverance, they waited for the water to rise and were then able to leave, just making it to the starting area across the bay. Full results at: http://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_regatta_results.php?regatta_id=14187.Blakely Rock Benefit Regatta
The Sloop Tavern Yacht Club Blakely Rock Benefit Regatta took place on April 1 in Seattle, WA. 116 boats signed up to support The STYC Sailing Foundation fundraiser (promoting the advancement of youth sailing and boating safety), and after all the starting horns were done, 109 boats in 16 different classes crossed the start line on their way to Blakely Rock off the southeast end of Bainbridge Island. Winds were light at first, but eventually built before trailing off again. The Class 11 J/105 one-design fleet was easily taken by John Atchison’s MOOSE UNKNOWN. They finished six minutes ahead of Tom Kerr’s CORVO-105, and two minutes back from them was Chuck Stephens’ PANIC. The rest of their top five included Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO in fourth and Matt Rockett’s INCONCEIVABLE in fifth. For more Blakely Rock Benefit Race information, visit http://www.styc.org/.
CowTown Stampede
The Fort Worth Boat Club hosted their Annual Regatta & Cowtown Stampede on Eagle Mountain Lake. The J/105 fleet was won by Rick Shaffer’s DOUBLE DARE with nearly all bullets. Taking second was Dwight Horton’s BEAUTY with a 4-4-2-3-3-1 tally for 13 points net. Only one point back was HOSS sailed by Williamson Phillip to a 1-2-3-4-5-4 record for 14 points net. For more Cowtown Stampede information, visit http://www.j24texas.com/.
Puget Sound Spring Series
Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle recently hosted their Puget Sound Spring Series. It is a popular event that is comprised of two divisions (big boats and small boats) which sail over two weekends. The eight-boat J/105 fleet was incredibly competitive. First was Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE with 9 points net, winning six of eight races for the landslide victory. Behind them, it was quite the battle for the top five. In the end, taking second was David Cohen & Lance Rummel’s INCONCEIVABLE with 17 points net. Then, in third position was Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO with 20 points net, followed in fourth by Jerry Diercks’ DELIRIUM, and in fifth was Chris Phoenix’s JADED. For more Puget Sound Spring Series information, visit http://www.cycseattle.org/racing/results-and-registrants/.
Charleston Race Week
Charleston is known for its reliable spring seabreeze, but the Holy City’s coast outdid itself this year during the 22nd edition of Sperry Charleston Race Week. It wasn’t just the three race days either; from the first team’s arrival for practice more than a week earlier until the lengthy awards ceremony on Sunday night, reliable southerly winds buffeted the region, ensuring maximum racing, maximum action, and maximum enjoyment for the nearly 2,000 sailors, shore crew, staff, and volunteers that comprise this largest event of its kind in the Americas. Teams that clinched their wins before the end of the regatta included Frickie Martschink and Bill McKenzie’s RumFront in the five-boat J/105 Class. For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=2997.
Voile de St Barths
With a dying breeze and shortened course Friday, J/105 Solstice skippered by Bruce Stone with Nicole Breault at main/tactics managed to post a hard-earned fourth place finish (after leading the regatta) and, with racing cancelled Saturday due to lack of wind, finished in second place overall after posting a 1, 2 and 4. Reported Bruce: "We're satisfied with this outcome given it was handicap racing and the boat's owners, Jordan and Shannon Mindich, felt that conditions favored the boats with genoas and masthead kites...and now we have a day to go snorkeling." Final results are at https://regattaguru.com/lesvoiles/100213/class_results/100973.
J/Fest San Francisco
J/Fest San Francisco was held at St. Francis Yacht Club on April 1-2 with 21 J/105s on the starting line looking for the wandering river of spring run-off ebb that snuck through the weak flood tide. Heading out to late ebb away from the shore was sometimes the ticket to the fast lane, and later in the tide cycle footing to the city front brought some relief, though some boats won both sides and arrived together at the top mark. Scoring a consistent 4, 4, 4, 5, 3 for 20 points, Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault’s Team Arbitrage won by two points over Jeff Littfin’s Mojo and Ryan Simmons’ Blackhawk, with Mojo winning on the tie-breaker, followed by Adam Spiegel’s Jam Session and Theresa Brandner’s Walloping Swede just one point further back with 23 points. Said Stone, "This was an amazingly close regatta – five boats separated by three points! In fact, including Rolf Kaiser/Shannon Ryan’s Donkey Jack with 25 points, each of the top six boats were in contention to take the victory based on the last race. This was also the first time on the podium for Theresa Brandner, and we were thrilled to see her progress. The SF Bay fleet had 20 entrants on the starting line for each of the midwinters, with several new owners, and over 20 entrants in the Spring One Design and in this J/Fest, so that bodes well for the vibrancy of the Class." In winning SF Bay J/Fest, Stone and Breault celebrated their second win of the season, and look forward to competing in other J/Fests. On their calendar are J/Fest New England in Newport RI in August, and J/Fest Southwest in Galveston in October. View complete event information by clicking here. (Thanks to Bruce Stone for this report.)
Seattle Center Sound Series
The Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle finished their Seattle Center Sound Series. It is three weekends of sailing in March that consist of random-leg buoy races around the Puget Sound. The first race took place on March 4: the Blakely Rocks Race of 16.57nm. Then, on March 11, the fleet sailed the Scatchet Head Race of 26.29nm. The finale took place on March 25: the Three Tree Point Race of 14.1nm. The J/105 Class saw an excellent 10-boat turnout, with Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE walking off with class honors, posting a 3-1-1 for just 5 points total. The real battle was for the balance of the top five, with Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO getting a 5-2-4 for 11 points. Just one point back was a tiebreaker between Jerry Diercks’ DELIRIUM and Chris Phoenix’s JADED, with DELIRIUM taking the bronze. Sitting only one point behind them to round out the top five was Dave Cohen & Lance Rummel’s INCONCEIVABLE with 13 points. For more CYC Seattle Center Sound Series information, visit http://www.cycseattle.org/racing/results-and-registrants/.
Texas Invitational Regatta
Thank you to Paul Beaudin for this report: I just spent a fantastic weekend at Lakewood Yacht Club, enjoying the Texas Invitational Regatta. Fourteen teams of three teamed up to put seven boats on the line for two days of warm weather sailing on Galveston Bay. The goal is to give owners from other areas an inexpensive way to go to an event without all the expense of taking your boat. Along the way, you get to sail with new friends and experience J/105 racing in a new place. This particular place also happens to be the host club for this year’s North American Championship. It is a great sailing venue and relatively inexpensive. Winning or losing was not the priority of the format but here are a few results: First place was taken by two new J/105 owners OJ Young and Steve Rhyne. Second was Uzi Ozeri and myself, Paul Beaudin. Third was Nat Kimberling and past owner Bill Zartler. I very much recommend this type of event for other fleets. It is very easy to do, low cost for the visitors and an excellent way to make new friends and pick up some tricks from your teammates. Nice going Fleet 17!
San Diego NOOD
The Helly Hansen Hansen National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta in San Diego attracted 126 boats for 13 classes of competition on March 17-19. This was the second stop of the 5-event NOOD national tour, with the top teams from each event advancing to the Caribbean NOOD Championship Regatta in the British Virgin Islands on October 22-29. Here are the top three of the 11-boat J/105 fleet:
- Sanity, Rick Goebel, San Diego, CA, USA, 2 -2 -1 -3 -1 -3 ; 12
- Wings, Dennis Case, San Diego, CA, USA, 4 -3 -2 -1 -2 -7 ; 19
- Juiced, Tom Hurlburt / Chuck Driscoll, San Diego, CA, USA, 3 -1 -3 -2 -5 -6 ; 20 For complete results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=3006.
J/105 Team Arbitrage Wins 2017 St. Francis YC Spring One Design
The 20 J/105 teams in the season opening St. Francis YC Spring One Design Series were greeted with rain, hail, winds in high teens to low 20s with gusts to 35 kts and an erratic flood tide that was overrun by streaks of ebb from recent storm-induced water run-off from the NorCal rivers and reservoirs. On Saturday, the southerly wind caused the course to run across the tides, while on Sunday the westerly ran parallel to the tides. Going into the fifth and last race, it was a three-way tie among Brent Vaughn’s Jabberwocky, Philip Laby’s Godot (winner of the 2016 J/105 Fleet One season championship) and past national fleet captain Bruce Stone’s Arbitrage, with Jeff Littfin’s Mojo and Ryan Simmon’s Blackhawk just a few points behind and challenging for the podium. With flood on the pin end at the shore and ebb outside, the Race Committee skewed the starting line to favor the pin, but Arbitrage won the committee, flopped onto port and ran away from the pack, with Jabberwocky slightly back on its windward hip, both footing out toward the ebb. Godot dug out of a third row start and reached off to clear its air. Arbitrage faced the dilemma as to whom to cover. Mainsheet/tactician (and co-owner) Nicole Breault kept Arbitrage high to pinch off Jabberwocky, and hedge against the southerly gusts which favored Mojo and Blackhawk on the inside. This had the effect of letting Godot get to the ebb first, shooting forward from a 10-length deficit to a five-length lead at the windward mark. Arbitrage caught up downwind, and could have pinned Godot outside but let them gybe to round the unfavored port gate. In going there, Godot sought to replicate its strategy of getting to the ebb first, but Arbitrage chose the well-upwind starboard gate, coming out of the rounding way ahead and romping home with a huge lead. Godot finished second, with Mojo third, Jabberwocky and Blackhawk tied for fourth with Jabberwocky winning on the tie-breaker due to its two bullets to Blackhawk’s one bullet. Full results at: https://www.regattatoolbox.com/results?eventID=g0EvWKuBY9USF Wins Southern Collegiate Offshore Regatta in J/105
Nine universities from across the U.S. competed in the Southern Collegiate Offshore Regatta, held February 11-12 in Charleston, SC. Held in keelboats using PHRF, the seven-race series was won by the University of South Florida. The competition was staged in a fleet of donated boats randomly assigned to the nine teams with racing inside Charleston Harbor on medium-distance courses. The University of South Florida team won on the J/105 JOYRIDE with a record of 5-1-2-1-4-1-2 for just 16 points total. Securing fifth position on the J/105 SKIMMER was the Vanderbilt University team with a total of 43 points.
J/105 Feature in Latitude 38
Check out the J/105 feature in the February issue of Latitude 38 at https://issuu.com/latitude38/docs/l38201702/82.
Three Bridge Fiasco
The 362 entries in the Singlehanded Sailing Society's 2017 edition of the Three Bridge Fiasco in San Francisco, CA had more wind than predicted, except when they had none at all. One of the factors that makes the race a "fiasco" is that the crews, all singlehanded and doublehanded, must choose which way to start and finish and which direction to sail around the three marks: Blackaller Buoy near the Golden Gate Bridge, Red Rock just south of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, and Yerba Buena Island in the middle of the Bay Bridge. The clockwise pack had a restart when the wind died north of Treasure Island. Fortunately, the current on this patch of water was mellow, though at least one boat dropped an anchor. Kame Richards, a local sailmaker and highly successful racer, offered some advice about strategy at the skippers' meeting on Wednesday. "If you go clockwise you're statistically in an okay group," he commented. Probably 95% of the racers went clockwise on Saturday, but this year it was the contrarians who finished first. "The tidebooks are going to be wrong," stated Richards. "The tides will not be normal." He was right on that score. It wasn't so simple as flood turning to ebb. Rip currents abounded. The velocity of rushing water in some places was unusual on the Bay. Patches of meringue and weird whirlpools popped up in seemingly random places, all adding to the day's challenges. With so little breeze and such strong currents, the starboard rounding of Yerba Buena was far trickier than the much earlier port rounding of it by the CCW boats had been. Some boats were dragged into the island and ran aground, others piled up into a buoy tender docked at the Coast Guard station there. Some of the clockwise crews had fretted about typically light air at Red Rock and the flood turning to ebb, so they went straight to Red Rock after the start, leaving Blackaller Buoy for last. (As it turned out, there was plenty of breeze at Red Rock, though the ebb did start early there). In the late afternoon, this group shot toward the Golden Gate Bridge on a river of 4- to 5-knot ebb. Turning toward shore, they found an equivalent back eddy of flood surrounding their last mark. As Kame explained,"When it's ebbing very hard, all the water can't fit under the Golden Gate Bridge. Some of it hits Fort Point and gets bounced back along the City-front." In the large J/105 Double class, winning was Chris Kim & Mike Lazarro’s VUJA STAR. Nearly a half hour behind them in second was Adam Spiegel & Chris Tholstrup’s JAM SESSION, with William Woodruff & Mike Weinman’s RUSSIAN ROULETTE in third, John Robison & Simon James’ LIGHTWAVE in fourth and Phil Laby & Matt Skafel’s GODOT in fifth position. Thanks for contribution from Erik Simonson.
Rule Interpretation 17-01
Rule Interpretation 17-01 "Immediate Family" has been posted on the Rule Interpretations page at http://j105.org/rule-interpretations/.
Mount Gay Round Barbados Series Coastal Series Finale
The final day of the Coastal Series at the 81st Mount Gay Round Barbados Regatta, organized by Barbados Cruising Club in association with Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., and Mount Gay, concluded in spectacular style Thursday with sunshine, a good working breeze up to 17-18kts, and a relatively flat sea. The 15nm course took the fleet out to the west, followed by a long windward leg to Oistins, not far off South Point. Peter Lewis and his seasoned local team aboard the J/105 Whistler clinched the series with three straight wins. This super-tuned team demonstrated their impressive kite handling skills once again so it wasn’t particularly surprising to see them take overall honors. For complete event information, visit http://mountgayrumroundbarbadosrace.com.
J/105 Chilean Championship
The 2016 Chilean J/105 National Championship was sailed at Higuerillas Yacht Cub, located in Con-Con Bay in late November. The club members welcomed the fleet of 12 J/105s including six teams from Algarrobo and six from the Valparaíso/Higuerillas area. On the first day, the fleet was treated to four races, with winds up to 20 knots from the south. Crews worked hard in the tricky, shifty winds to sail consistent and fast. Downwind, the teams had fun surfing 10-12 foot waves. On day two, teams woke up to even more waves and winds. With steady breezes in the 25-30 knot range, gusting higher (and forecast to get even stronger), plus waves cresting over 15 feet, the fleet realized it was going to be impossible to sail any race. A Sunday brunch and awards presentation took place instead. The clear winner was declared, with Patricio Seguel guiding GRAND SLAM to a comfortable win with a 1-3-1-1 record for 6 points total. They were chased hard by Vernon Robert skippering ARCHIMEDES who claimed the silver with a 2-1-3-2 tally for 8 points. For the final spot on the podium, it was a three-way contest between Miguel Perez’s RECLUTA, Martin Baeza’s UTOPIA and Jose Manuel Ugarte’s SCIMITAR. In the end, the teams were just three points apart. Starting out strongly with a 3-2 was Perez’s RECLUTA. Even though their last two races were a 4-9, the closing tally was just enough to score the bronze medal with a total of 18 points. Baeza’s UTOPIA finished with 19 points to Ugarte’s SCIMITAR with 21 points to round out the top five.
Hot Rum #3
The San Diego Hot Rum Series is now in the books. With 132 boats entered in a reverse PHRF handicap, the race to finish first is always a crap shoot. But for Race #3, the winds were 10-17 knots and just right for San Diego Fleet 8's J/105s. Of the five first to finish, three were J/105s. Dennis Case’s Wings was second, Rick Goebel's Sanity was third and Erostino Dagfish’s Viggen was fifth in the final race. In class overall for the series, it was Sanity first and Wings third. For complete results, visit http://sdyc.org/results16/hotrum_r3_res.htm.
Hot Rum Race II Report
For the 140+ boats racing in the San Diego Yacht Club Hot Rum Series for the second race that took place on November 19, it was a slow light air affair. The J/105 division/Class 3 continues to have four J/105s in the top ten. Lead boat is Rick Goebel’s SANITY with a 1-5 for 6 points to hold second overall. Dennis Case’s WINGS has an 11-3 for 14 points, good enough for fifth place. Tim Fuller’s STEADFAST has a 7-10 for 17 points and is in seventh position. Then, "Dag" Fish’s VIGGEN is in 10th place with a 4-16 for 20 points. It will all be on the line next week. For more SDYC Hot Rum information, visit http://sdyc.org/.
Bermuda Invitational
From November 17-19, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club hosted the Bacardi XL Catlin Bermuda Keelboat Invitational. On Thursday, a harbor postponement was posted for a few fleets, including the J/105s. It became clear it was a good decision as by 11am, gusts at Pearl Island were in excess of 45 knots with intermittent rain squalls flooding the streets. By noon, the RBYC PRO canceled racing for the day. The regatta is a unique format, as it’s invitation-only. Local Bermuda J/105 teams invite a non-Bermuda team to join them, so three "foreigners" join three "locals" to form a team of six crew. Then, the skippers of each group (Bermuda/foreigner) take turns skippering each race. Awards are given for the top three Bermuda skippers, the top three foreign skippers, and for the overall team leaders. It is a fun regatta format that produces camaraderie between the crews, particularly since the event sponsors include Bacardi. Friday dawned partly cloudy and sunny with a 10-12 knot westerly breeze. As the teams took off to get some early practice, it was evident it was going to be a difficult day to get in four to five races (the race day’s schedule). Over the course of the day, the wind direction changed 70 degrees at least twice, and during the racing there was little rhyme or reason to the wind shifts as the cloud lines passed by, often producing 30-45 degree shifts per leg and at least twice per race. After four races on Friday, local Star World Champion Peter Bromby’s team on AIRFORCE from the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club posted a very consistent 1-2-3-1 to take the lead with 7 points total. Just behind them was Jon Corless’s MAYHEM from Royal Bermuda YC posting a 4-3-2-3 for 12 points and James Macdonald’s PASSION from RBYC in third with a 3-7-1-2 for 13 points. Saturday dawned with one rain squall after another sweeping the Great Sound. Forecasted was a rapid increase of breeze from 10-20 knots to 20-35 knots, accompanied by massive rain squalls. The RBYC PRO took no chances and simply postponed for one hour. As expected, the weather did not improve at all and got dramatically worse. At that point, it was time to put the boats away and celebrate the coronation of the winners of Friday’s racing by early afternoon. For more information, visit http://rbyc.bm/.
Hot Rum Race
A 115-boat fleet completed a West Coast pursuit-style event: the Hot Rum Race hosted by San Diego Yacht Club. Winning by over two minutes was Rick Goebel’s J/105 SANITY, also taking the Class 3 win. Taking fourth in Class 3 was Dag Fish’s J/105 VIGGEN, followed by Tim Fuller’s J/105 STEADFAST in seventh. The teams all enjoyed their celebrations on the San Diego YC docks in the post-race festivities. Next race takes place on November 19. For more Hot Rum Series information, visit http://sdyc.org/calendar/events/4493.
J/Fest Southwest
The turnout at this year’s J/Fest Southwest at Lakewood Yacht Club was great and so was the sailing on Galveston Bay. The leaderboard for J/105s was a three-way battle all weekend-long. Lakewood YC local Uzi Ozeri took class honors skippering INFINITY to a one-point victory over Scott Spurlin’s AFTERSHOCK. John Barnett’s VICI crew came on strong in the last three races to post a 3-2-2 to close within four points on AFTERSHOCK, taking the bronze on the podium. Mark Masur’s TWO FEATHERS from Fort Worth Boat Club sailed consistently to take fourth place. Brad Robbins’ RUMPUS took fifth overall. For complete information, visit http://jfestsouthwest.com/.
Chesapeake Championship
The J/105s held their Chesapeake Bay Championship October 29-30 at Annapolis Yacht Club. Competition was tight between John White's 33 THOUSAND EMAILS and Andrew Kennedy's BAT IV. Kennedy had three bullets in five races, and was on top for the weekend. But, it all came down to the final race, and Kennedy fell to fifth place, allowing White to come in on top by just a point. The balance of the top five was a three-way battle. The teams—Lewis/Salvesen’s MIRAGE, Ben duPont’s CTRL ALT DEL, and Hugh Bethell’s JESTER—all traded off top five finishes in the five races sailed. In the end, the final race also determined the outcome of this trio, with MIRAGE taking the bronze, duPont settling for fourth and JESTER in fifth. For complete results, click here.
Newport Harbor Yacht Club Wins 2016 Lipton Cup
The 2016 Lipton Cup ended dramatically on Sunday, October 30 under ominous clouds and light rain. Despite challenging wind directions on San Diego Bay, Race Committee ran three races, completing all 12 scheduled races for the weekend, meaning every team competed in each of the J/105s. Newport Harbor Yacht Club (NHYC) won the first two races and even though they finished ninth in the third race, they were able to keep their overall lead and win the regatta by one point. NHYC finished third in 2014 and second in 2015, so it was game on to see if they could pull off the win this year. The first race on Sunday was between Coronado Yacht Club (CorYC) and NHYC. CorYC was leading until the second weather mark when NHYC moved into first place, with a clean spinnaker. Race two was a Southern California battle between San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC), Long Beach Yacht Club (LBYC) and NHYC who were all neck and neck at the beginning of the race. LBYC passed SDYC on a tack and maintained their lead around the second weather mark and downwind to the finish. Jon Pinckney shared how he was successful the whole weekend, "We fought really hard, and we had a really good team. I think one of the keys was whenever we were down in the race, we were able to come back. There were two races we didn’t, but there were also a lot of other races when we did. The first two races (Sunday) we started well, but the last race we had to battle once again. When you’re battling you have to rely on your whole team, and everyone was really good." The skies opened up and it started raining for the final race of the day at 3pm in about 9 knots of wind. Almost the whole fleet rounded the first weather on top of each other, but St. Francis Yacht Club (StFYC) managed to break in front of the fleet and keep the lead until the finish. StFYC's win of the last race moved them up to a second place finish overall and just one point away from the overall win. StFYC's skipper, Chris Raab, knew where he needed to finish going into the last race, saying, "I was thinking about how badly I screwed up in race eleven, so I knew we had to win the last race. It was an interesting race since SDYC and NHYC were so close. My strategy was to get ahead of NHYC, because once we get ahead, we stay strong and nobody catches us. So that's what we did." Before the awards ceremony, Pinckney reflected on his overall win, "It feels really good. It's been a long time coming." Full results are available at http://sdyc.org/results16/liptoncup_res.htm. Photos are available at http://sdyc.org/liptoncup/media/image-gallery. The Lipton Cup would like to thank its sponsors: Ballast Point, Helly Hansen, North Sails, Pacific Gate San Diego & Zeal Optics. And special thanks to the local J/105 owners for lending their boats to make this regatta possible.
Seattle Grand Prix
The 40th Annual Seattle Grand Prix Regatta took place on Puget Sound, hosted by Seattle Yacht Club. The fleet enjoyed two gorgeous days of sailing in relatively light winds on the Sound. Amongst the fleets, there was one-design class racing for the J/105s. James Geros’ LAST TANGO won the J/105 fleet with a 1-1-2-5 for 9 points total. Chris Phoenix’s JADED was second with a 2-5-1-6 for 14 points. Third was determined by a tie-breaker, with Lance Rummel’s INCONCEIVABLE with a 5-4-7-2 for 18 points taking it over FREE BOWL OF SOUP campaigned by the trio of Schenk/Davis/Hopper. Fifth place was taken by Jerry Diercks’ DELIRIUM. For more event information, click here.
Bill Menninger Wins International Masters Regatta
After pulling themselves up from seventh to fourth on Saturday, October 22, Bill Menninger (Newport Harbor Yacht Club) and his team posted two bullets Sunday to climb to the top of the 12-boat fleet and win San Diego Yacht Club’s International Masters Regatta in J/105s. Meninger was sailing with Scott Mason, Jon Pinckney, Steve Schupak, Robert Kinney and Shawn Patrick. Sunday’s conditions were unusual for San Diego, featuring cloudy and sporadically rainy skies with little wind at noon. Racing was delayed for about an hour and a half due to 100 degree wind shifts, making the Race Committee unable to set a course. Eventually, the wind settled to more typical conditions, and the Race Committee was able to run two of the four scheduled races. The delay in racing provided plenty of time for the skippers to reminisce with their crews about past races in their careers, a central theme of the International Masters Regatta. Chuck Nichols (SDYC), the winner of the 2013 Masters Regatta, describes the International Masters Regatta as "...a bunch of old characters that come back and tell you about sailing. It reminds you of how great they were and still are." Race one got underway just before 2pm once the wind was up to five to six knots. The fleet was split at the start, but the right side of the course was clearly favored upwind. Mennniger had the lead at the first weather mark and was able to keep his lead throughout the entire race as the wind picked up to about 10 knots. Jon Andron (St. Francis Yacht Club) and Don Trask (St. Francis Yacht Club) were behind Menninger and eventually finished second and third. Racing was slightly delayed before the second race so that a proper course could be set in shifty conditions. Three skippers–Menninger, Richard du Moulin (Storm Trysails Club/Larchmont Yacht Club) and Jon Andron (St. Francis Yacht Club)–were in a three-way tie for first place overall going into the last race. The anticipation was visible once the race started and six boats were immediately OCS. Menninger was not among them, which helped him gain a commanding lead. Menninger was able to keep this lead and sailed across the finish line as the 2016 International Masters Regatta champion. This is Menninger’s first time winning the International Masters Regatta and also the first win from a Newport Harbor Yacht Club skipper. Menninger will be back at SDYC next weekend for the 102nd Challenge for the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup where he will crew for Jon Pinckney on the Newport Harbor Yacht Club team. Menninger reflected at the end of the weekend, "My overall strategy for these three days was to get better every race. My starts were not very good at the start of the regatta, but they got a lot better by the end. Sailing aside, my favorite part of the Masters Regatta is the camaraderie of the guys that you’ve raced against your whole life, or new guys that you haven’t sailed against yet." du Moulin, who had led the event through the first two days of the competition, posted an 8-2 Sunday to slip to second overall, one point off the lead. du Moulin was sailing with Barrett Holby, Bill Campbell, Peter Bauer, Chris Reyling and Gerard Girstl. Completing the podium was Andron sailing with Shawn Bennett, Tom Ducharme, Spuds Whidden, Dave Kelly, and Allie Rowe. For complete event information, visit http://www.sdyc.org/masters/.
Terry McLaughlin & Rod Wilmer’s Mandate Rules J/105 North American Championship
It took until the sixth race of the Stella Artois J/105 North American Championship before another team could cross the finish line ahead of Terry McLaughlin and Rod Wilmer’s Mandate. Following five consecutive bullets, the Canadian team (including crew Graham Hicks, Fraser Howell, Evert McLaughlin and John Millen) added a 2,3 to end the seven-race series with just 10 points, earning their second J/105 North American Championship title in three years. By virtue of a six in Sunday’s only contest,
Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault’s Good Trade took second place, winning the tie-breaker on points at 27 with local Damian Emery on Eclipse. Larchmont Yacht Club in New York hosted the four-day event for 37 teams representing Bermuda, Canada, Great Britain and the USA. Bill Lakenmacher’s Radiance won the seventh and final race of the event in breeze that started around 25 knots, and then increased to 35 by the end. "If we had another race, we might have worn hockey helmets," joked McLaughlin. "This was good Canadian weather, and a real test of crew work." Rod Wilmer added, "We had solid starts, focused on finding a lane and getting clear to stay out of trouble." Photos are available on the J/105 Facebook page, and complete results may be found at www.j105nas.com.
Top Five:
1. Mandate, CAN83, Terry McLaughlin / Rod Wilmer - 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -3; 10
2. Good Trade, USA96, Bruce Stone / Nicole Breault - 2 -4 -3 -8 -3 -1 -6; 27
3. Eclipse, USA50, Damian Emery - 4 -2 -2 -3 -2 -3 -11; 27
4. loulou, USA334, Paul Beaudin - 7 -7 -6 -6 -4 -8 -12; 50
5. Mad Blue, GBR8, Adrian Owles - 3 -5 -7 -12 -18 -4 -2; 51
Terry McLaughlin & Rod Wilmer’s Mandate Nearly Flawless at J/105 North American Championship
Terry McLaughlin and Rod Wilmer’s Mandate built a perfect scoreline through five races at the Stella Artois J/105 North American Championship, until Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault’s Good Trade won Saturday’s final race. The Canadian team on Mandate holds a nine-point advantage over local Damian Emery on Eclipse going into the final day of racing on Sunday. Good Trade rests in third overall with 21 points. After racing was postponed Friday at Larchmont Yacht Club in New York due to a lack of wind, a cold front drastically changed conditions on Saturday. Temperatures dropped into the forties under gray skies, in winds that began at 12-15 knots and quickly jumped to 18-20 with major puffs. Trailing Mandate in the first race were Texan Bill Lakenmacher on Radiance and Emery. The familiar three boats of Mandate, Eclipse and Good Trade comprised the top three in the second match, and again in the next—just flip-flopping to Good Trade, Mandate, and Eclipse. Racing concludes Sunday for the 37 teams representing Bermuda, Canada, Great Britain and the USA. Photos are available on the J/105 Facebook page, and complete results may be found at www.j105nas.com.
Harvest Moon Regatta
The Harvest Moon Regatta is an offshore experience taking off from Galveston Bay on an afternoon start, sailing out into the Gulf of Mexico and turning left down the shoreline to Port Aransas about 50 nm down the coastline. This year, a good weather forecast meant that teams turned out to enjoy the gorgeous overnight sail. In ORC Class B, John Barnett’s J/105 Vici from Lakewood Yacht Club took first, second was Josh Richline’s J/105 Veloce from Corpus Christi Yacht Club, third was Bee Bednar’s J/105 Stinger from Lakewood YC, and fourth was John Bell’s J/105 Kinderspiel 2 from Corpus Christi YC. For more information, visit http://www.harvestmoonregatta.com/.
Terry McLaughlin & Rod Wilmer’s Mandate Leads Pack at J/105 North American Championship
Terry McLaughlin and Rod Wilmer’s Mandate reveled in the blustery conditions on day one of the Stella Artois J/105 North American Championship, hosted by Larchmont Yacht Club in New York. In winds between 16-20 knots, the Canadian team on Mandate lined up perfect scores in Thursday’s three races to take a five-point lead over second place Damian Emery on Eclipse (4,2,2 for 8 points). Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault’s Good Trade is in third with 9 points (2,4,3). Thirty-seven teams representing Bermuda, Canada, Great Britain and the USA took to the waters of Long Island Sound for the 11 a.m. kick-off of the Championship. McLaughlin and Wilmer, winner of the North American crown in 2014, dominated the fleet. Behind them in race one were the Stone/Breault husband and wife team on Good Trade and Adrian Owles on Mad Blue. Local favorite Eclipse earned the silver spot in the middle battle, with David Greenhouse’s Skipperdee in the bronze position. The top three in the final contest matched the top three overall for the day: Mandate, Eclipse and Good Trade. Racing continues through Sunday. Photos are available on the J/105 Facebook page, and complete results may be found at www.j105nas.com.
Manhasset By Fall Series
Out-of-towners dominated the J/105 fleet at the Manhasset Bay Fall Series held in Western Long Island Sound on October 15-16, a precursor to the North American Championship being held this week in the same waters. Team Mandate from Toronto, skippered by Terry McLaughlin, won in convincing fashion, posting a 2,1,2,1,1,1,(2) for 6 points, followed by San Franciscans Bruce Stone/Nicole Breault on Good Trade with 15 points, winning the tie-breaker over Fred deNapoli's gang from Marblehead on Allegro Semplicita. Chamber of Commerce fall weather greeted sailors with temperatures in the low/mid 60s and winds in the 4-8 kt range Saturday and 14-18 kt on Sunday, offering a chance for the 13-boat fleet to test out both light air and medium-heavy air skills and settings. The John B. Thomson, Sr. trophy was awarded to Mandate as having the best overall performance in one-design racing. Complete results are available by clicking here.Cleveland (216) Regatta
Warm weather and chamber of commerce breeze welcomed seven J/22s, thirteen J/70s and six J/105s October 15-16 for the second annual Cleveland (216) Regatta at Edgewater Yacht Club. Four races were completed on a bright and sunny Saturday in varying breeze, flat water and 8-15 knots out of the south. All fleets were extremely competitive with aggressive starts and close finishes. In the J/105 fleet, Chip Schaffner's Fall Line from Cleveland Yachting Club was leading with four bullets, and Robert Mock's Limousine Liberals (Edgewater Yacht Club) was following with all second place finishes. Day two started off cloudy, but with more breeze out of the southwest at 15-22 knots, gusting over 25 and nearing 80 degree temperatures. All fleets were again aggressive getting off the starting line and competitive at each mark rounding battling for podium finishes. Chip Schaffner's Fall Line won the J/105 fleet with straight bullets followed by Robert Mock's Limousine Liberals in second and Stephen Mitcham's Breezin' Bayou in third. Many thanks to the sponsors: Quantum Sails Cleveland, Sailing Inc., Tito's Vodka, Boston Beer Co., Mapleside Farms and APS, as well as the families who were so generous hosting visiting teams. Bobbi and Bruce Sundman pulled off a traditional Southern boil on Saturday evening, and Quantum Sails sponsored the tailgate party on Sunday during the awards ceremony. PRO Mike Vining put together a flawless Race Committee, and great fun was had by all! The third annual Cleveland (216) Regatta will be held in early October 2017. For complete event information, click here.
J/105 North American Championship Kicks Off Thursday, October 20 from Larchmont, NY
Forty J/105 teams are gathering for racing at the J/105 North American Championship in Larchmont, New York. The competition begins Thursday, October 20 and continues through Sunday, October 23 for the entrants representing Bermuda, Canada and the USA. Look for photos on the J/105 Facebook page, and keep up with all the action from Larchmont Yacht Club at the regatta website http://www.larchmontyc.org/Yachting/Regatta_Schedule/2016_J105_NA.aspx.
Storm Trysail Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta
Forty-five college teams competed in the Storm Trysail Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta, with keelboat racing October 8-9 on Western Long Island Sound hosted by Larchmont Yacht Club in Larchmont, NY. Division winners included the University of South Florida/Gary Myer in the 10-boat J/105 fleet. Second was Massachusetts Maritime Academy/Bruce Stone, and third was U.S. Naval Academy/Za Jelliffe. For complete event information, click here.
American Yacht Club Fall Series
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* Photo Credit Aliki Navajas[/caption]
* Photo Credit Aliki Navajas[/caption]
Scoring six bullets, three seconds and one third-place finish (which was their drop), St. Francis Yacht Club members Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault dominated the two-weekend American Yacht Club Fall Series, not only winning the J/105 fleet in their East Coast boat Good Trade, but also earning the trophy for best overall performance in a one-design class. They were assisted by bowman Bill Higgins and trimmer Philipp Berner, both regulars on their SF Bay based J/105 Arbitrage. Also crewing were two different cadets each weekend from Mass Maritime Academy. Stone and Breault are lending their boat to Mass Maritime for the Storm Trysail Foundation’s Intercollegiate Regatta next weekend at Larchmont YC, then their team return to Larchmont for the Manhasset Bay Fall Series and the J/105 North Americans. Damian Emery's Eclipse placed second, and Harald Edegran/Jeremy Henderson' Conundrum third. For complete American YC Fall Series information, visit http://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=1645.
Canadian Championship
On September 16, 18 J/105s gathered at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club in Toronto for the Canadian Championship. Friday’s racing saw three light air races out of the east with a significant current running roughly with the wind. The current, along with a leftover swell, made weather and offset mark roundings challenging, especially for those in a crowd. Several boats were forced to do circles after either hitting the mark or fouling a competitor. Eight different boats had at least one top five finish on the day. Full Tilt Boogie owned by Kevin Pask had a solid day with at 4,3,10. Saturday brought a fresh SW breeze with a good amount of waves to power through. Three races were sailed in winds that ranged from 8-22 knots. Mandate (Terry McLaughlin and Rod Wilmer), which seems to like the breeze, got clean starts and sailed to three bullets to take a firm lead in the regatta. Hey Jude (Jim Rathbun) got progressively better over the day with finishes of 7,5,2. Starcross (Frank McLaughlin/Paul Currie/Michael Penny) with a 6,2,4, Jamaica Me Crazy (Peter Hall) 2,8,3, Sonic Boom (Ian Farquharson) 3,4,7, Rounding Error (Felicity Rodness) 8,3,5 and Live Edge (Michael Mountford) 4,6,8 all had good days to keep themselves in contention. Three races were planned for Sunday, but the weather did not cooperate. In the only race of the day, Hey Jude got off the starting line going left to never be challenged for the win. Fleet Captain Doug Bullock sailing True Blue sailed a solid race working the left side of the upwind legs to round the last mark in second place with Mandate on their heels. Despite Mandate to True Blue discourse down the last leg, in an attempt to throw Doug off, True Blue kept their lead on second until close to the finish line when Mandate was able to gybe onto starboard and force True Blue to do the same, thus preventing them from reaching the zone. Nonetheless, Doug had sailed well and was happy with his third place finish. All in all, it was three days of great racing. Many thanks to Regatta Chairman Dough Bullock, the RCYC race committee and the volunteer jury members who sat through a few number of protest hearings. For complete results, visit https://rcyc.ca/getmedia/341084c7-670d-4431-96b8-b2c9e8130804/J105_Canadians_2.aspx.
Trifecta Takes First Fleet Win at Long Island Sound Championship
Team Trifecta with Thom Hering, Joe Scarpulla and David Price took their first podium win at this weekend’s Long Island Sound Championship at Riverside Yacht Club. Saturday had zero wind and no races, but Sunday started with a nice 10-12 knot breeze, and the race committee got three races off. Racing was tight with positions changing on every leg. Trifecta did the best job of closing the deals and taking solid finishes. The next three spots were virtually tied with the kids on Young American taking silver, followed by Paul Beaudin’s loulou and Harald Edegran helming Conundrum. Things now will get into full swing for the North Americans with the top five boats here all able to win races. The heat will just get hotter at next week’s American Fall Series with more quality teams getting out to the course. Results are available by clicking here.
Rolex Big Boat Series
The record-setting 52nd Rolex Big Boat Series hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club drew to a close September 18 in splendid late-summer sailing conditions. After a slight delay waiting for the breeze to fill, a seabreeze of 15-18 knots arrived and brought with it decidedly warmer temperatures. For the first time in four days, crews shed their foul weather gear and fleeces as they took to the racecourse. This year’s regatta attracted the largest fleet ever: 127 boats in 11 classes. San Francisco’s reliable seabreeze came in every day, starting at a gentle 8-10 knots and then steadily increasing into the 20s, with a peak of 30 knots yesterday. All classes completed their full slate of racing. The coveted prize at all Rolex Yachting events is a specially engraved Rolex timepiece. Class winners were presented a Stainless Steel Submariner Date watch as well as a St. Francis Yacht Club perpetual trophy. The Atlantic Perpetual Trophy, a ship’s bell from the schooner Atlantic, which established a transatlantic record in 1905 that stood for 92 years, was presented to Philip Laby’s (Oakland, CA) Godot, winner of the J/105 Class. In a seesaw battle that came down to the seventh and final race, Godot scored a 1-point victory over Ryan Simmons’s (Sausalito, CA) Blackhawk. For more information, please visit the Rolex Big Boat Series website at http://www.rolexbigboatseries.com/, and for complete results, visit http://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=1620.
ONE Regatta
he ONE Regatta (Offshore New England Championship) in Marblehead was conducted in ideal conditions over a period of three days, August 26-28, off Marblehead, MA. Boston Yacht Club Race Committee did a brilliant job by orchestrating no less than 10 races in very difficult conditions at times, led by PRO Karen Tenenbaum. This was an all-time high number of races for this event, spanning over 30 years (formerly called "PHRF NEs"). The fleet of 14 J/105s had a star studded cast: Merlin sporting no less than two Malory Cup winners, Got Qi with stand-out intercollegiate sailor Dave Nelson at the helm, last year's winner and multiple MA Bay Champions Blown Away, Fleet 2 captain Fred deNapoli's allegro semplicita with intercollegiate All-American Nick Burke calling tactics, and visiting teams from as far away as Dallas, Texas (including last month's Marblehead NOOD regatta runner up Two Feathers). After an extremely challenging first day, it was a local boat Knotless, helmed by Marblehead sailor Ken Bowden, who topped the leader board, and another new addition to the fleet Aqua Boggie (formerly Steal Away) in the hunt, with Got Qui and allegro fighting it out for third and fourth. The second day, Karen ran no less than five races, and when the smoke cleared once again Knotless held the lead, while Got Qui and allegro were in close pursuit. The final day's three races saw Nelson and deNapoli trade off firsts with a do or die final shoot out with the score tied. DeNapoli was over early by a foot, and so after 10 races Nelson and his team went on to win the final race and the event by 2 points—well earned! Hard to imagine a better series; a great warm up for the North Americans. For complete event information/results, visit www.oneregatta.org.
Swiftsure Cup
The Phyllis Kleinman Swiftsure Cup took place on San Francisco Bay, hosted by St. Francis YC. Winning the 19-boat J/105 fleet was Phil Laby’s GODOT with a consistent 4-1-2-3-1 record for 11 points. The Simmons family, led by skipper Ryan, took BLACKHAWK to the silver with another all top five record, posting 5-5-1-2-3 for 16 points. Third was Bruce Stone & Nicole Breault’s ARBITRAGE with a 3-3-5-1-10 for 22 points, just squeaking out that scenario by one point over Adam Spiegel’s JAM SESSION with a 2-4-7-4-6 for 23 points. Fifth was Tom Kennelly’s WONDER with a 6-10-4-5-2 for 27 points. For more J/105 Swiftsure Cup sailing information, visit https://www.stfyc.com/.
Verve Cup Offshore
Seven J/105s took on the Verve Cup Offshore at the Chicago Yacht Club from August 12-14. Clark Pellett’s Sealark earned the victory, ahead of Mike Sheppard’s Flying Pig and Jon Weglarz’s The Asylum. For complete event information, visit https://www.chicagoyachtclub.org/verveoffshore.
J/Fest New England/East Coast Championship
This year, J/Fest New England in Bristol, RI doubled as the East Coast Championship. Six J/105s were on hand, including the winning team on Good Trade, led by Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault. Good Trade won five of the six races and totaled just 8 points. Fred Darlington's Tonto settled for second with 13 points, and Mark Lindquist's Sterling took third with 18 points. For complete event details, visit http://jfestnewengland.com/.
UK J/105 Update
On the July 16, in the Royal Southampton YC Island Double Class 1 IRC, the J/105s Jin Tonic and Jelly Baby were second and third in this two-handed event. Six J/105s started. There were 32 boats in IRC 1 and a total of 80 boats entered. On July 29, the Taittinger Regatta hosted by the Royal Solent Yacht Club in Yarmouth, Isle of Wight took place with 178 boats in various classes competing. In IRC 2, the J/105 Jin Tonic won the class with Jelly Baby third. Four J/105s were in this very competitive class.
Chicago Mackinac Race
The 108th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac had 121 boats race the Mackinac Cup Division and 121 boats race the Chicago-Mackinac Trophy Divisions in their annual 289nm race from the Chicago waterfront north to Mackinac Island. The race was incredibly wet, wild, blustery and squally, with thousands of lightning bolts flickering across the sky. Winning the largest one-design class in this year’s Mac Race was Mark Gurney’s BUZZ in the J/105 Division. With 21 boats, it was going to be a tough road to the finish line as so many teams have won so many events over the course of time. So close was the racing that the first six boats all finished within a half hour of one another. Behind BUZZ by just seven minutes was Dave & Matt Pierce’s CAUGHT IN TRAFFIC, third was Carter Williams’ CREATIVE DESTRUCTION, fourth Sandy Curtiss’ ROCKING HORSE and fifth Ken Ganch’s GONZO. For more Chicago to Mackinac Race sailing information, visit http://www.cycracetomackinac.com/.
Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta
The Storm Trysail Foundation and Larchmont Yacht Club invite all J/105 owners to participate in the Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta (the "IOR") to be sailed October 8-9 at Larchmont Yacht Club. This regatta gives college dinghy and big boat sailors a chance to enjoy the team work and fun of keelboat racing against teams from all over the US, Canada and some from Europe. The IOR is the largest US collegiate big boat regatta, and it continues to grow. The 2014 IOR had over 450 collegiate sailors and 50 boats; the 2015 regatta was cancelled due to an impending tropical storm. They typically have three one design classes (J/44s, J/109s and J/105s ) and two close-rating handicap classes. The J/105 is a perfect platform for dinghy sailors new to big boat racing, as well as experienced big boat racers. It is a perfect size for most teams, the sails are manageable, visibility is enhanced with the non-overlapping jibs, and the boats are evenly matched. In this event, the boat owner, who is the skipper of record, is part of the experience. The owner (or their representative) is not only the "safety officer," but also a coach. Owners are encouraged to share their experience with the collegiate sailors in all aspects, except tactics. It is made clear to the students that if the owner feels that something unsafe could happen, he or she is free to take the helm or to give a command to change course. Many of the owners learn a thing or two from the students. The Storm Trysail Foundation does have a fund to take care of sail repairs and gear that gets lost or broken. The IOR is a totally free event for the boat owners and college sailors thanks to the Storm Trysail Foundation, the Larchmont Yacht Club and the event sponsors. There is a free dinner for the students on Friday and Saturday evenings and a legendary Storm Trysail Club cocktail party for the boat owners and coaches on Saturday evening. For those of you planning to sail in the J/105 North American Championship, you can moor your boats at Larchmont for the time between the IOR and that event. Please contact the IOR Chairman, Barry Gold, (a former J/105 owner) with any questions you may have (barrypgold@gmail.com) and visit the regatta website at: http://www.stormtrysailfoundation.org/intercollegiate.htm. The Storm Trysail Foundation is a charitable 501 (C)3 organization that accepts J/105 sail donations. They keep these sails so that owners without practice sails can use the donated sails during educational events like the IOR and Junior Safety At Sea Seminars.
Marblehead NOOD
With 16 J/105s on the entry list for the Marblehead NOOD, great competition was to be had over the seven races. Fred deNapoli on allegro semplicita kept all his finishes in the top three, earning him the victory with 11 points. Mark Masur's Two Feathers took second place with 14 points, and Steven Goldberg's Air Express third with 21. For complete results, click here.
Sausalito YC J/105 Invitational
San Francisco Bay whipped up a significant flood tide which, together with fearsome 20-27 kt winds, made for a challenging weekend for the 19 J/105s that made it out to the western face of Alcatraz for a weekend of windward-leeward racing in the Sausalito YC J/105 Invitational on July 23-24. Unlike racing anywhere in the country where you need to sail upwind both legs, time the oscillations of the shifts and take into account a progressive veer or backing of the wind based on forecasts, here it was a case of advance planning. Before leaving home, skipper Bruce Stone reviewed the Sailtactics.com wind and tide forecast with his team on Arbitrage and announced, "We’re starting at the pin and banging the shore for tide relief upwind, and then jibe setting or a quick set-and-jibe out to the bigger flood." Well, of course it doesn’t perfectly work like that, as you can do too much of a good thing. Arbitrage nailed the pin end of the line on the first two starts and led to the shore, winning both races by large margins. On the third try, the rest of the pack caught on and, with heavy traffic at the pin, Arbitrage managed to slide into the mark and had to jibe and restart, taking 18 sterns and going in the wrong direction, away from current relief. Regatta over? "We’ll get some leverage outside in more pressure – no other option." Heading into the teeth of the flood, they made little progress up the course while the fleet legged over to the shore. Coming back, Arbitrage was in solid last, but started picking people off, and passed two boats by the windward mark. Rounding the outside and seemingly wrong gate was a winner, gaining many lengths to windward and more boats.By the end of the race they finished tenth and were still leading the regatta, albeit by just one point. On Sunday, same weather and tide, and they once again couldn’t make the pin, jibed and restarted. Rinse and repeat, taking plenty of sterns and heading the wrong way, and it seemed once again that it was game over. However, when they tacked back toward the City Front, they saw that the fleet banging the shore headed into light air, while staying out in pressure allowed for major gains. Grinding up through the fleet, they made it through the scrum and finished second. Finally, Stone tried a more conservative start in the middle of the line, pulled away, and earned a solid third to secure the victory with a score line of 1,1,10,2 and 3, two points ahead of Steve Kent’s team on Perseverance and six points ahead of Philip Laby’s team on Godot. Stone remarked, "It was really special for the J/105 fleet to have a dedicated race course, with our own water and no delays. Sausalito YC did a great job in arranging this for us and dealing with really tough conditions for setting marks. Hospitality in sunny Sausalito was off the charts, with the Commodore pouring free beers for us and offering sandwiches. We’re looking forward to coming back next year. (Thanks to Bruce Stone for the report.)
Photo caption: A crowd of J/105s starting mainly at the leeward end. Arbitrage is to the left, in front of ferry, jibing onto port tack to restart...flood tide having swept them far back (photo credit Cynthia Willson)
118th Edition of Larchmont Race Week
The historic 118th running of Larchmont Race Week attracted 206 entries on its two weekend format of July 16-17 and 23-24 in Larchmont, NY. Eleven J/105s competed, and Paul Beaudin's loulou dominated the seven races, winning five, for just 8 net points. It was a tight battle for the next three positions, as Jeremy Henderson & Harald Edegran's Conundrum eked out the silver position with 17 points, one ahead of the Young American Junior Big Boat Team. George & Alex Wilbanks' Revelation was just another notch back with 19. For complete results, click here.
Red Grant Regatta July 9-10
On its 151st anniversary, the Raritan Yacht Club, located in Perth Amboy, NJ, hosted the 70th annual Red Grant Regatta in Raritan Bay approximately 10 miles south of the Verrazano Bridge. The regatta continued its tradition as the largest keelboat regatta in NY Harbor/NJ coastal area. 46 boats raced in a various windward/leeward and point-to-point races, including a competitive 10-boat J/105 division. Competitors benefitted from steady breezes in the 15 knot range and good weather. There were three races on Saturday in warm cloudy weather with 10-15 knots out of the southeast. Paul Beaudin’s Loulou took two bullets and a sixth to lead Paul Zajac’s skål by a point and Mark van Schalkwyk’s Circe by two points in close racing. On the second day of the regatta, a front came through along with a fresh northwest breeze. Skål pulled ahead in the first race with Ann & Gary Myer’s Magic taking a bullet and moving up to within three points of skål and tying Loulou. Loulou showed its real potential by coming back to clearly win the last race to take the regatta. The rest of the fleet was compressed in very close racing with all finishing within a few boat lengths. Skål got lost in the mix by finishing ninth and Magic finishing sixth. In the final results, Loulou won with 16 points. Magic won the tie-breaker over skål, both with 22 points. Circe and Marcus Wunderlich’s Stratos finished just behind with 22 and 25 points, respectively. The regatta and charity auction proceeds benefited the US Coast Guard Foundation, and Goslings was the primary sponsor. Click here for full results.
Round Island Race
The fleet of 1,000+ sailboats all knew they were going to have their hands full round the back (southern side) of the infamous Isle of Wight in England for the Round Island Race. The race track is simple—start around dawn, head west out past the Needles Lighthouse, turn left around St. Catherine’s Point, sail eastward to Bembridge Ledge, left around the Forts and back west up the Solent to the finish (a 60nm race). The morning came and the forecast was true holding steady at 27kts, still windy but it all seemed manageable for most crews. Getting out toward the Bramble Banks in the western approaches to the Solent, things were starting to heat up a bit, wind against tide made for square-walled 5-8 foot waves. After passing Needles Lighthouse, the fleet took off on a fast reach, most under jibs and reefed mains. However, the big tactical consideration was when to pop the kite approaching the first turning point downwind at St. Catherine’s Point. Some did, most did not. Those who did took off, with many crews experiencing some of the most amazing planing rides in their lifetimes. After rounding the Forts/Bembridge Ledge at the eastern end of the Solent, it was a beat against the tide up the beaches off the Ryde Sands in flat water to the finish line off the Royal Yacht Squadron. In IRC Division 2B, winning in such heavy weather conditions were the J/105s, taking the first four positions: JELLY BABY (Bill Newton), JIN TONIC (Roberts/Edgerley), NEILSON REDEYE (Neilson Holidays/Peter Tyler) and JESTER (David Cowell). For the overall "J/Boats Trophy," two of the top three boats were J/105s: Bill Newton’s JELLY BABY and Roberts/Edgerley’s JIN TONIC. For more JP Morgan Round the Island Race, click here.
Queens Cup
J/105 Fleet 5 Chicago organized J/105 one-design racing in the South Shore Yacht Club Queens Cup Race. 10 foot waves and 30 knots of wind greeted the sailors early in the morning prior to the start. As the day progressed, winds settled to 15 knots at the 3:55pm start of this 79 NM race across Lake Michigan to St. Joseph, MI. Winds slowly diminished as the night race across the lake progressed - which created a race lasting approximately 24 hours for the J/105 fleet. Competing in the event were nine J/105s - Smokin' J, Esprit d'Ecosse, Global Nomads, Buzz, The Asylum, Attitude, Striking, Phantom and Peregrine. Angry Sloth was entered but unable to compete. Winners of the event: 1st place Buzz, 2nd place Attitude, 3rd place Peregrine. Full results are at http://ssyc.org/queens-cup-2016/2016-queens-cup-race-results/263-2016-queen-s-cup-race-results-updated-on-7-4-16/file. J/105 Queens Cup Race Chairman Mike Ludtke organized a J/105 party in Milwaukee prior to the event and did a great job as J/105 RC. Congratulations to all J/105 competitors and award winners.
Cleveland Race Week
In the J/105 fleet at Cleveland Race Week's offshore weekend, Chip Schaffner’s FALL LINE won convincingly, posting six bullets for a final tally of 6 points. Sailing fast, but not fast enough to catch FALL LINE, was Rob Mock’s UNBRIDLED, settling for second with 11 points, and Jim Uhlir’s TRIO finished third. For more Cleveland Race Week information, visit http://www.clevelandraceweek.com/index.php/offshore-regatta/.
Ballard Cup Series II Update
The Sloop Tavern YC in Seattle, WA is enjoying hosting another of their famous Ballard Cup Series (there are three of them). At this stage, a J/105 is leading overall. In Class 6 Flying Sails, John Aitchison’s J/105 MOOSE UNKNOWN is first in class and first overall. Lloyd Fogg’s J/105 AVALANCHE is third and 21st overall, Margaret Pommert’s J/105 PUFF is sixth and 39th overall and Jim Geros’ J/105 LAST TANGO is in 8th and 44th overall. For more information, visit https://www.styc.org/race_info/Ballard_Cup/index.shtml.
Farallones Race
The fully-crewed Farallones Race hosted by San Francisco YC is 58nm from inside the San Francisco Bay, around the rocks and back into the Bay. In PHRF 1C class, the J/105s cleaned house with Doug Bailey’s AKULA winning class and classmate Sergei Podshivalov’s JAVELIN in second just 2 minutes behind on corrected time. For more Farallones Race sailing information, visit http://www.sfyc.org/.
Annapolis YC Annual Regatta
The Annapolis YC’s Annual Regatta continues to be a popular event at the beginning of the Chesapeake Bay summer sailing season. This year’s event was well-attended across the board in both offshore PHRF handicap divisions as well as in one-design fleets. With a dozen boats, the J/105s had the largest fleet in the event. Winning was the Lewis/Salvesen team on MIRAGE with straight bullets. Second was John White’s ONE LESS BAD PERSON. Third was a familiar local team, Andrew Kennedy’s BAT IV. Slotting into fourth was Mark Elert’s WIND RIVER, and fifth was assumed by Carl & Scott Gitchell’s TENACIOUS. For more Annapolis YC Regatta sailing information, click here.
Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta in Chicago
Patience. Plenty of it was required over the four-day Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta in Chicago as wind conditions varied from fresh to frustrating, and wind shifts swung unpredictably from the lakeshore to offshore. But those who kept their composure during long morning postponements were rewarded with challenging races in the end. Irrespective of the outcome for each of the 163 teams sailing in the regatta, it was a beautiful weekend to be on the cooler Lake Michigan waters, looking westward to the heat factory of downtown Chicago. In the 10-boat J/105 fleet, six races were completed, and Clark Pellett’s Sealark won four of them. Totally 16 overall points, they beat Mike Sheppard’s Flying Pig with 20 points, and Jon Weglarz’s The Asylum with 21. For complete results, click here.
NYYC Annual Regatta
J/105 Fleet 14 (Southern New England) held its inaugural 2016 season counter with the New York Yacht Club’s 162nd Annual Regatta, consisting of the Around Island Race on Friday, June 10, scored as a separate event, followed by two days of buoy racing. While the J/105 fleet had a small turnout, skippers used it to try out some new crew and tune their boats for the upcoming season. The 22-mile race around Conanicut Island (Jamestown) was highly tactical, and the lead changed several times between Sean Doyle’s Kestrel and Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault’s newly-launched Good Trade, with Mark Lindquist’s Sterling and Mark Masur’s Two Feathers close behind. Aside from deciding how close to hug the island to avoid the adverse current, each team had a lookout for overtaking maxi-boats and classic 12 meters which, while beautiful to see, cast a large wind shadow. Coming down West Passage from the Jamestown Bridge to Brenton Reef buoy at the southern tip of the island, Good Trade managed to catch the last shift and made up the distance needed to lead with a comfortable spinnaker run to the finish...only to run smack into 30 nearly-becalmed Gunboats, maxi’s, 12 meters, 8 meters, and a wide assortment of other classic yachts including Dorade, all trying to squeeze into a tiny finish line. Nicole pulled out her famous SF City-Front wing-on-wing maneuver with the kite out to starboard and the main out to port, with starboard rights, carried the dying Southerly right through the scrum to the finish, gathering a win for Good Trade in its inaugural race, followed soon thereafter by Kestrel. Saturday saw mellow stadium racing in flat water and 8-12 kt breezes off scenic Ft. Adams, between Newport and Jamestown, and Good Trade notched two more bullets. Team Stone/Breault sealed the perfect score-line on Sunday with two more bullets on the ocean course, with large swells and 15-25 knots in the first race, followed by a sustained 29-31 knots in the final race. Good Trade actually broke its bow sprit fitting in the first race and doused the kite, sailing to the finish once again wing-on-wing, without being passed. The crew were unable to make a repair, so they raced that way again in the second race, actually making 9+ knots downwind with a terrific VMG, staving off the hard-charging Sterling in both races.
J/105–5 Boats:
1. Good Trade, Bruce Stone/Nicole Breault, San Francisco, CA, USA – 1 -1 -1 -1 ;4
2. Sterling, Mark Lindquist, Kingston, MA, USA – 4 -2 -2 -2; 10
3. Two Feathers, Mark Masur, Dallas, TX, USA – 2 -3 -3 -3; 11Goose Island Colors Regatta
The annual regatta that marks the start of the offshore sailing season in Chicago on Lake Michigan is Columbia YC’s Goose Island Colors Regatta. Jon Weglarz’ THE ASYLUM led the charge in the J/105 fleet with score of just 6 points—the result of winning four races and having to tolerate a second in the second race of the first day. Behind Weglarz, it was a race for the balance of the podium. A trio of boats were at it all weekend, with Ken Ganch’s GONZO just squeaking out a second place by one point over the next two boats. Third was determined by a tie-breaker with both boats sitting on 15 points each: Mike Sheppard’s FLYING PIG taking the bronze over Clark Pellet’s SEALARK. Fifth place went to Judith & Ross McLean’s ESPRIT D’ECOSSE. For more Goose Island Colors Regatta sailing information, visit http://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=1617.
Renaissance Reinsurance Sailing Day
Friday, June 3 saw the annual Renaissance Reinsurance Sailing Day take place and supported as always by the Bermuda J/105 Fleet. Eight J/105s turned out to sail, and the format was something along the lines of three windward/leeward courses in Granaway Deep followed by a distance race to the Royal Naval Dockyard and a tour of the Oracle Team USA Americas Cup Base. In a change from previous years, this year’s edition of the Sailing Day also had a charitable side to it, and competitors were aiming to raise money for KAASO Primary School in Uganda. This effort was spearheaded by Emma Outteridge (whose husband Nathan is the Skipper of Artemis Racing), and the goal was to raise some money to provide a school bus for the children in Uganda. The highlight of the day was the final race back to Renaissance Re Headquarters in the company of eight Americas Cup skippers who had generously donated their time to helm each of the J/105s. From Artemis Racing came Iain Percy, Francesco Bruni and Nathan Outteridge. Oracle Team USA was represented by Jimmy Spithill, Tom Slingsby and Grant Simmer, and the line-up was completed by Dean Barker and Chris Draper from Softbank Team Japan. What a line-up! This was a fantastic experience for all involved, and the race was won by Iain Percy helming Mayhem. Overall the day was won by Dave Brining and team on Elusive. Post-race festivities included a BBQ, silent auction and many other items up for bidding with Americas Cup, Artemis Racing and Oracle Team USA all donating rides to follow the AC45s on their chase boats. At the end of a highly successful and fun day, the combined efforts of all involved had raised enough money to provide a new school bus for the children in Uganda. Please see: www.ileftmyheartinuganda.com.Loulou Wins Cedar Point One Design
15 boats made it out for what was to be a very trying regatta. Day one only finished one race in a dying breeze with Revelation showing good form in their home waters to take the gun, followed by Strange Brew and Conundrum. Loulou was over and took penalty turns at the start to put them in last at the first mark. The next run was a reach, and on the last two legs they passed nine boats to scratch out a sixth. Sunday brought more fickle light winds and rain squalls. Bad positioning on starts or lay lines took a heavy toll on many boats, putting teams from the front row to the cheap seats with a few extra tacks in no wind and current. Loulou just pulled out reasonable top four finishes, while most others posted at least one pushing double digits. That was enough to take the gold, followed by relative newcomer Dave Willis and family on Solution. Za Jelliffe’s Arete rounded out the top three, also by sailing a consistent regatta. Results are available by clicking here.
FIGAWI Race
The 45th Annual Figawi Race Weekend is one of the top sailing events that takes place on the northeast coast over the Memorial Day weekend and ranks as one of the largest pursuit-style races in the world. Sailors from several states crewed the massive fleet of 220+ sailboats, with over 3,000 sailors and visitors enjoying the sailing and festivities all weekend long. After the kickoff party at Hyannis Yacht Club on Friday evening, the competitors gathered early Saturday morning to head out to the start line. The first boat officially began at 10 am off the Hyannis Port Jetty after the parade of sailboats that took place at 0800 hrs sharp. Depending on the various conditions, the theory of the Pursuit Race format is that all competitors should reach the Nantucket MO(A) Buoy at around the same time. They finish at the entrance of Nantucket Harbor and parade into Nantucket Boat Basin. In PHRF Spinnaker 2 division, it was a clean sweep of the top five by the J/105s, with the trio of Joyce & Reservitz & Wagner sailing DARK’N’STORMY onto the top of the podium, followed by Art Cox’s LYRIC in second, Chris Lund’s WHOMPER in third, Ed Lobo’s WATERWOLF in fourth and Nick Aswad’s CLIO in fifth. For more FIGAWI Race sailing information, visit http://www.figawi.com/.
Oregon Offshore
Corinthian YC of Portland celebrated their 40th anniversary of their famous race offshore race, the Oregon Offshore, which took place in May. It was yet another test of wills, perseverance and clever sailing as the fleet took off in sloppy seas and light winds. There was a huge tidal ebb flow out of the Columbia River for much of the start of the race. This allowed the boats on the northern edge of the fleet to benefit early with a lee bow push upwind, northwesterly, and out to sea. Later in the race, when the fleet was making its way down the Straits of Juan de Fuca towards the finish line on the north shore of the channel, the fleet had to negotiate the infamous Race Rocks. As night time set in, and the tide slowly changed from flood to ebb, the J/105 FREE BOWL OF SOUP made a calculated move north of the leaders in the fleet as they approached Race Rocks. Despite some considerable distance to make up, SOUP was gambling on playing the coastline of Canada on a northerly track as a hedge against the imminent ebb tide running until about 4:30 am. It was a good tactical play in the final analysis. Dominating Class A2 was Eric Hopper/Doug Schenk’s J/105 FREE BOWL OF SOUP and taking third overall in PHRF. For more Oregon Offshore Race sailing information, visit http://www.oregonoffshore.org/.
Manhattan Regatta
Fourteen J/105s competed in this year's Manhattan Regatta in the strong currents and busy commercial waters of New York Harbor. Mixed weather provided breezy weather the first day and light air the second day. The fleet got five races in with W-L courses set in the area just east of the Statue of Liberty. The competition was close with different boats winning each of the races, and the final standings coming down to the last race. Marcus Wunderlick (Stratos) won the regatta with consistent placings through the whole weekend. Paul Beaudin (Warlock) and Ann and Gary Myer (Magic) rounded out the podium. Dennis Driscoll (Hornet), the defending champion, ended with the same number of points as Magic, but missed the podium and winning the whole event because of an untimely protest. Thanks for the efforts of Fleet 10 and Fleet 6 and the hospitality of Liberty Landing Marina to make the event possible. The weekend included a great deck BBQ aboard the Liberty Light Ship permanently docked at the marina immediately across the Hudson from the skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan. For complete results, go to http://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=1624.
RORC De Guingand Bowl Race Report: J/105 Jumps Into RORC Season Points Lead
The Royal Ocean Racing Club's offshore racing season continued this past weekend with the fourth race of the RORC Season's Points Championship. Designed to last 24-36 hours, the De Guingand Bowl Race starts and finishes in the Solent and is a flexi-course allowing the Royal Ocean Racing Club to design a bespoke course. "Without the constraint of finishing the race in a totally different location, we concentrate on the weather and tidal conditions to decide the course," explains RORC Racing Manager, Nick Elliott. "We try to get all of the fleet to finish the first leg in the same tidal vector, so as to avoid a tidal gate early in the race and that is often why we start the slower yachts first. After that, wherever possible, we try to set turning marks that give tactical options to yachts during the race, although trying to predict exact wind speed and direction can be difficult. The race should last over 24 hours but the breeze looks to be changing over the weekend and that will be a factor in what is possible with the course." This year’s DGB Race was held in the Solent and South Coast of England in highly changeable conditions. During the course of the race, the wind direction swung to every point on the compass and the wind strength varied from zephyrs to 16 knots. Keeping your head out of the boat for the changes and pre-empting and correctly adapting to them was the key to success. RORC racing manager Nick Elliott chose a longer course of 123nm for the faster yachts and a shorter course of 105nm for the smaller and slower boats, with the overall result being decided on average speed. In IRC 4, Robert Nelson's J/105 BIGFOOT was fourth in IRC 4 and fourth in IRC Two-handed division, which was enough to put the Two-handed team in first place overall for the RORC Season's Points Championship. Just behind them was Nick Martin’s J/105 DIABLO-J in fifth place. The Royal Ocean Club's Season's Points Championship continues on May 28 with the Myth of Malham Race. The 256 nautical mile Cowes - Round Eddystone - Cowes course is weighted 1.2 for the championship, and a highly competitive fleet is expected to be racing. For more RORC De Guingand Bowl Race sailing information, visit http://www.rorc.org/.
SHOE Regatta
Lakewood Yacht Club’s Race Committee Chairman Larry Rogers was looking forward to hosting the 34th Annual Shoe Regatta. The regatta was held over the weekend of May 14-15. Bay Access, a not-for-profit organization that supports amateur racing, is the organizing authority of the races. The Shoe Regatta, which is open to the public and raced on Galveston Bay, is a favorite among local racers because, in the past, each crew member of the winning boat in each class was awarded a certificate for a pair of Sperry deck shoes; hence, the name of the event. This year, every crew member of the winning boat of every class received a pair of premium Musto Sailing Shoes with exceptional grip for the serious sailor. The Shoe Regatta is for one-design, handicapped offshore sailboats. The one-design classes sail as many races as conditions permit. On Saturday, the racing was postponed on shore because of no breeze. However, the fleet went out by noon to a light breeze that built quickly to 15 knots (much more than predicted). The J/105s sailed six races.Winning four races on their way to a class win was JB Bednar’s STINGER. No one else came close to that performance. John Barnett’s VICI took second, followed by Uzi Ozeri’s INFINITY in third place. For more Musto SHOE Regatta sailing information, visit http://lakewoodyachtclub.com/regattas-781.html.
Larchmont Edlu Race
The spring classic distance race, the Larchmont Yacht Club Edlu, brought a little bit of everything for the 61 entrants. The race started in a 5 knot Northwesterly which clocked all the way East and died, making for a confusing and prolonged outbound leg to Eatons Neck. The return trip to Larchmont was a tight reach in a 15 knot afternoon Southwesterly. It was picture perfect main and jib J/105 weather, with Josh Burack’s Peregrina hitting 9 knots with one crew (former Hillaria owner David Florence) and Arete )owned by Za and Libby Jelliffe) reaching 10 knots with a full crew. Peregrina won the PHRF double-handed division, and Arete was the winner in division PHRF 2. All were rewarded with a post-race party at LYC with complementary Dark and Stormys (until they ran out).
J/Stop at St. Francis YC on May 14-15, 2016
21 J/105s competed in the inaugural J/Stop at the St. Francis Yacht Club on May 14-15, with an innovative format featuring more racing with shorter courses so there could be more action for skippers and crews, and a lower entry fee due to just enjoying a keg on the dock instead of a catered event inside the Club. "We tried this out a few years ago at the Wickford YC in Rhode Island, with nine races, and it was a major success with J/105 owners reporting it was the best weekend of racing they had ever had," reported regatta organizer Bruce Stone, Past President of the J/105 Class and owner of Arbitrage #116. "While we usually have five races on the weekend, St. Francis PRO John Callahan agreed to try out eight races. John set us up with the same long beat as the four J/111s and five J/120s so we could get some separation going into the windward mark, and a separate set of leeward gates so the downwind leg and the second upwind beat were shorter. We were rarely mixing it up with the other fleets...though of course being J/105s, there was a lot of action among ourselves at the windward and leeward marks. With the stronger ebb in the middle of SF Bay, the RC favored the shoreside pin end of the line by a little over 10 degrees to attract some customers, and in a few races the winning move was to start at the pin, flop immediately to port and cross the fleet, well-executed by Phil Laby's team on Godot #44, who won three races and finished second. Arbitrage won two races by starting at the other end, at the committee boat, and tacking to port to foot out to the strong mid-bay ebb. Ryan Simmons' Blackhawk #40 took fewer risks, was almost always on the starting line with speed, and won the regatta without actually winning a single race. Tom Kennelly's Wonder #266 turned in a strong last day with a bullet on the final race to move up to third, edging out Arbitrage. Back at the docks, teams intermingled, blenders appeared on several boats, and competitors reported how wonderful it was to actually get a chance to match up faces with boats. With a low entry fee of just $80, or $10 per race, our expectation is that this less formal format will be tried again." Results at: https://www.regattatoolbox.com/results.html?eventID=lNNcOLWe4y
Race to the Straits
The Sloop Tavern Yacht Club hosted the weekend Race to the Straits Regatta in Seattle, WA. On Saturday, the fleet heads north; Sunday, the fleet returns down south. Saturday’s racing was cancelled due to no wind, so the fleet powered north to the party. Sunday saw just enough breeze, requiring a combination of playing current versus winds to make both tactical and strategic gains. Seventh overall was Kathryn Meyer’s J/105 JUBILEE, ninth was David Cohen’s J/105 INCONCEIVABLE, 10th was Matt Gardner-Brown’s J/105 DULCINEA, 15th Henderson/Barber’s J/105 DELIRIUM, 19th Jim Geros’ J/105 LAST TANGO. In the Jack & Jill Class, Kathryn Meyer’s J/105 JUBILEE was fourth, Matt Gardner-Brown’s J/105 DULCINEA was sixth and Henderson/Barber’s J/105 DELIRIUM was ninth. In Class 9, J/105 Doublehanded, Meyer’s JUBILEE was first, Cohen’s INCONCEIVABLE second, Gardner-Brown’s DULCINEA third. For more Sloop Tavern YC Race To The Straits sailing information, visit https://www.styc.org/.
The Great Vallejo Race
This event is hosted by the Vallejo Yacht Club. The race most often starts near the Berkeley Circle on Saturday morning, rounds a single weather mark near Alcatraz, and then heads to Vallejo, usually under spinnaker for the remainder of the race. The challenge is to maintain speed through the shadow of Angel Island, find the best combination of wind and current past the Richmond-San Rafael bridge and East Brother Light Station, and then avoid the mud shoals on the east side of the San Pablo Bay. As the boats enter Carquinez Strait, they bunch together, making the turn into Mare Island Strait a nightmare for many boats. Because of the topography of Mare Island, as well as the fact that it sits at the mouth of the Napa River, local knowledge (or many years of sailing the race) can make the difference as the yachts maneuver toward the finish line on the Vallejo city waterfront. Winds vary from light to heavy, and become exceedingly shifty. In the dash for the finish line, sharp crews can usually pick off several places with close attention to trim, wind, and current. The big J/105 one-design fleet saw spirited competition, with BLACKHAWK (Kristin Simmons) winning followed by 007 (Justin Hersh) second and CUCHULAININ (Jim Mullen) in third. For more Great Vallejo Race sailing information, visit http://www.vallejoyc.org/#!great-vallejo-race/snxu0.
North Sea Race
The North Sea Race from Harwich UK across the North Sea to Scheveningen Netherlands welcomed summer-like conditions. After a beat to South Galloper Buoy, the fleet turned north for a long starboard tack reach to Smith's Knoll Buoy, followed by a port tack reach to the Netherlands coast and a beat to finish at Scheveningen. The course length: 181 nautical miles. The race featured 10 teams racing Two-Handed and five of the short-handed crews made the top ten overall. In IRC 4, in second place and winning a tough IRC Two-Handed Class was Yvonne Beusker & Eric Van Vuuren racing the J/105 Panther. "My usual sailing partner for Team Panther is Edith Voskamp but she has had shoulder surgery, so Eric was my partner for the race. He is our team coach, and we did some of the Global Ocean Race together in a Class40. Two-Handed racing has become very popular in the Netherlands, and the North Sea Race is part of our National Championship. I believe our win was down to keeping each other sharp. It is difficult to stay alert in light winds, but we made a big point of keeping each other focused, even after 30 hours with little sleep." The North Sea Race is one of seven weighted races for the RORC Season's Points Championship, carrying a points factor of 1.2. Full results for the North Sea Race are online at www.rorc.org.
Helly Hansen Junior Crew Gets a Taste of Big Boat Sailing at Annapolis NOOD
Sailors are a superstitious bunch, and the same goes for the youth sailors aboard J/105 More Cowbell. During a race on Saturday, bowman Andrew Hiller was hungry, and reached into the pocket of his PFD to grab a snack, but his team wouldn’t let him. "The fruit rollup was in his PFD when we were winning the race," says skipper Kate Riley. "So, it was staying there until we finished that race." Riley (16) is one of four Annapolis YC Youth Sailors selected by coach Jane Millman to the Helly Hansen Junior Crew. Ben Podlich (15), Andrew Hiller (14), and Annabelle Hutchinson (17) round out the squad. The Junior Crew sailed, with Millman and another adult aboard, in the18-strong J/105 class. As they head down to the boat on Sunday morning to complete the regatta, Podlich carries a brand new box of fruit roll ups in his bag. "I chose four kids who love to sail first, and love winning second, because I think that’s a recipe for success," says Millman. "I chose Ben because he has a goofy side to him, but when it’s game time he’s really serious. Kate is a good driver and very focused. She’s handling a really large boat, compared to a dinghy, well this weekend. I chose Annabelle because she has a positive attitude to bring to the team, and if things are going wrong I can count on her to keep our morale up. Andrew is a part of the team because, even though he’s the youngest on the team, I see a lot of keelboat sailing in his future and I want to start him young." Pendleton Alexander, an AYC member who was speaking at a conference this weekend, made the opportunity possible. Alexander handed over the keys to his race boat with full confidence in Millman and the AYC youth sailors. Strategy in a keelboat fleet is vastly different than the experience in dinghies, and the four youth sailors enjoyed the change of pace. "It’s fun, even though it’s been difficult getting used to the boat," says Podlich. The Junior Crew all sail on different teams, though Millman coaches them all. "Having to communicate every last thing has been challenging but also really helpful," says Podlich. "It’s something we’ll be able to use again." Tactics on long-leg races are a change from the small dinghy races the Junior Crew sailors are used to, where starts are the most vital aspect of any race. "The races are long enough that, if you mess up the start, it’s not a death sentence," says Podlich. "You can only work back from it. We had a not-great start yesterday, but ended up catching five boats by the end of the race. It wasn’t the best race I’ve ever had but I was happy with our performance." They finished the regatta in 11th overall, with one seventh place race finish on their scorecard. For these four youth sailors, the Junior Crew is an early step onto the path of their adult sailing career. "You don’t get to stay in a dinghy forever, or stay in high school forever," says Podlich. "It’s the future for all of us, and it’s a great opportunity to get to sail keelboats as early as we are."
Yachting Cup
After 29 teams competed in the Friday Ton Cup Race, the precursor of San Diego Yacht Club’s signature spring regatta, Yachting Cup, 85 boats in 12 classes competed April 30-May 1 in the Yachting Cup on three ocean course venues. Mostly sunny skies with 7-12 knots offered up to seven races with tie breakers required to determine trophies in three of the fleets. After a tiring, bumpy day on Saturday, many competitors were relieved that Sunday’s races were back to familiar conditions. "Today was much nicer than yesterday," confirmed Joanne O’Dea on the J/105, Viggen, which took fourth place in the J/105 class. "The breeze was perfect and steady at 220-225 on Course C for today’s three races. Our crew hadn’t all sailed together since the New Year’s Day Race, and it was so nice to be with them this weekend and get back into a groove. Our roundings were perfect, the mechanics on the boat were great and though our starts were shy at first, they steadily improved each race." Sunday’s winds were slower to accelerate, but picking up to about 10 knots with gusts at 12 by the start of the second races. The wind was consistently blowing right all day. Eight J/105s completed seven races, with Rick Goebel's Sanity earning the victory with 10 points. Dennis Case's Wings and the Hurlburt/Driscoll team on Juiced tied on points at 12 for second and third place, respectively. For complete results, click here.
American YC Spring Series Finale
The American YC Spring Series finale was a very strange and fickle event tasking the competitors with very inconsistent conditions for this time of year on Long Island Sound. 30 degree shifts and big jumps in velocity were the norm. Lead changes were more common than tacks, and even the magic 8 ball was of little help. But Paul Beaudin’s loulou held their lead to take the gold, followed by Harald Edegran and Jeremy Henderson on Conundrum, plus a great showing by Randy Bourne's team Strange Brew with the third (including two bullets). Complete results are available by clicking here.
Annapolis NOOD
Despite steady showers, strong winds made for favorable sailing conditions Sunday as the 2016 Helly Hansen National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta, the largest national sailboat racing circuit in the United States, came to a close after three days of competition. During the three-day event, nearly 200 boats and 1,000 sailors raced in 13 classes in a battle against rain, wind and fierce competition from around the world, ranging from amateur to world champion. 19 J/105s completed six races, with Jim Konigsberg’s inigo earning the victory with 19 points. Carl & Scott Gitchell’s Tenacious followed in second with 24 points, and James Macdonald’s Distant Passion rounded out the top three. The first-ever Helly Hansen Junior Crew, comprised of four local teenagers, competed against 18 other teams in the J/105 class, coming out in 11th place overall, with one 7th place race finish on their scorecard. For complete results, click here.
American YC Spring Series Weekend One
Fleet 6 opened their season at American Yacht Club with 10 boats for the first weekend of the Spring Series. There were sunny skies but very challenging conditions with frequent big shifts in velocity and direction. Paul Beaudin’s loulou is on top with 8 points followed by Conundrum and the AYC juniors on Young American--both with 12 points. Results are available by clicking here.
Puget Sound Spring Series
Hosted by Corinthian YC Seattle, sailors came out to experience a sunny weekend with nice breeze both days. The J/105 fleet had a great turnout, and it was Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE crew that took class honors with three firsts and two seconds in their scoreline. Second was Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO with two firsts, two seconds and a third. Jerry Diercks’ team on DELIRIUM won the last race to snag third overall. The rest of the top five included Chris Phoenix’s JADED in fourth place and David Cohen & Lance Rummel’s INCONCEIVABLE in fifth. For more Puget Sound Spring Regatta sailing information, click here.
Annapolis Youth Sailors Selected to Helly Hansen Junior Crew on J/105
Sailing is a pastime that doesn’t discriminate age. It’s a competitive outlet where young sail with, against, and alongside elders, as well their peers. And whereas many youth sports segregate kids to the field of play and adults to the sidelines, sailboat racing does not. Sailing is the ultimate lifetime sport. Ask the outstanding youth sailors selected to be members of Helly Hansen’s Junior Crew, which will compete at the 2016 Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta in Annapolis. "There’s small hole in the pipeline of our sport where kids can fall out after junior sailing," says Dave Reed, Editor of Sailing World, which owns the 26-year NOOD Regatta series. "They come back eventually, but miss out on great years of keelboat team sailing. This initiative will prove the value of having young sailors on the team. They and bring infectious curiosity and energy to every race." These five sailors, aged 14 to 17 will compete in the J/105 Class, against national champions and highly experienced teams, putting their dingy skills to use in the big keelboat:
Annabelle Hutchinson, Age 17: Born and raised in Annapolis, Annabelle Hutchinson comes from a big sailing family. She has raced competitively on the St. Mary's High School sailing team since freshman year, and while she loves dinghy sailing, she is very excited to get more experience on keelboats.
Andrew Hiller, Age14: Andrew Hiller has been sailing as long as he can remember, mostly in Optis and a local J/70 fleet on Wednesday nights. He also plays Water Polo for Navy.
Kate Riley, Age 16: Kate Riley has been sailing dinghies (420s and Optis) since she was about six years old and has been racing on her high school's sailing team since 8th grade. She has had some experience with sailing keelboats, but she hopes to have more opportunities to do so as her sailing career advances.
Ben Podlich, Age 15: Ben Podlich has been sailing since he was a little kid, and has been racing at the high school level for the past couple years. He loves sailing in dinghies, but gladly takes any opportunity he can get to sail keelboats, as they are the future in terms of sailing as an adult.
Liam Kennedy, Age 17: Liam Kennedy has been sailing since Optis in 2008 at Eastern YC, has competed in two previous NOOD regattas on J/70s, the AYC Sunday frostbite series on J/88, and sailed J/22s and J/24s on and J/70s in various local fleets. He is excited to sail in the 2016 NOODs here in Annapolis.
They’re not old enough, yet, however, to be given the keys to the Cadillac. Rather, Annapolis AYC Sailing Director, Jane Millman, will oversee the campaign. She will be on board to ensure the safe return of Dr. Alexander’s yacht. "I chose sailors who I feel represent what the sport of sailing is about, a Corinthian spirit and willingness to learn in any situation," says Millman. "By bringing different ages and skill levels together, we will have success in continuing to instill and foster a passion for keelboat sailing at a young age." The Helly Hansen Junior Crew is an initiative of the NOOD’s partner, Helly Hansen, which has been making gear for sports and work on the ocean and in the mountains since 1887. They dress world-class sailors, skiers and adventurers with full-protection gear, with the understanding that if you’re not comfortable, you’re not performing at your best. This is especially true of on raceboats, so to be sure the Youth Crew are focused on sailing fast and competitive, they will be outfitted with proper Helly-Hansen gear: from footwear to neckwear. For information on the Annapolis NOOD, visit http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas/annapolis.
J/Fest on San Francisco Bay
Twenty-five J/105s competed in J/Fest 2016 on April 16-17 at St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, CA. With two races completed, the standings were tight. Phillip Laby's Godot notched a 4,1, and Pat Benedict's Advantage3 a 1,4 for 5 points each. Also tied on points were the third through fifth place boats with 12 each: Charles James' Roxanne, Bruce Stone's Arbitrage and Ryan Simmons' Blackhawk. For complete event information, click here.
Texas Invitational Regatta
Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, TX hosted the Texas J/105 Invitational Regatta during the first weekend of April. Alternating between Galveston Bay skippers and guest skippers, six teams completed eight races as the winds were mighty on Saturday and started Sunday almost nonexistent. They had five races Saturday, and as the wind built they added the final three on Sunday. A good time was had by all with no formal protests filed. Local Uzi Ozeri with guest skipper Glenn Darden on Infinity topped the pack with 13 points, with Bill Lakenmacher and James Macdonald on Radiance in second with 19. The remaining places: John Barnett and Harry Diorio on Vici took third with 32 points, Brad Robbins and Mark Smith on Rumpus were in fourth with 34, tied on points with John Bell and Don Santa on Kinderspel 2. Bee and Kevin Bednar with Nat Kemberling on Stinger completed the standings with 36 points.
Invitational Scoring
BVI Spring Regatta
The third and final day of the 45th BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival delivered the fleet with a light easterly of 8-12 knots throughout the morning, becoming a little lighter towards the end of racing. In CSA-Racing 3, the J/105 Dark Star, skippered by Jonathan Lipuscek took first with 8.5 points, including five bullets and a tie for first over eight races sailed. Event website
Double Handed Farallones Race
This year's BAMA Doublehanded Farallones Race (San Francisco, CA) was 'nuking.' The J/105s nearly swept their class. It was the duet of John Robison & Simon James on Lightwave who won their PHRF 9 division with an elapsed time of 9:41:22 and corrected time of 10:01:44. Taking third place was Richard Pipkin & Mary McGrath on the J/105 Racer X, finishing 9:58:30 on elapsed and 10:19:28 on corrected. Event website
Wind was the word in St. Thomas
The real story of the 43rd St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) was wind. Lots of it. Gusts blustered over 30 knots all three days with 6 to 8 foot seas. Yet combine these conditions with 80-degree weather, bright sun and bathwater warm turquoise seas and it's a recipe that racers on the 67 entered boats relished. In CSA Spinnaker Racing 3, Puerto Rico's Jonathan Lipuscek on his J/105, Dark Star, successfully defended their title. Event website
GBCA Performance Cup
Six J/105s checked in to Galveston Bay Cruising Association's March 19-20 Performance Cup. They were greeted by 20-30 knot north winds gusting to 35+. There were reports of 39 knot gust with many seeing sustained 30-35 knot breezes. The super strong gusts on Saturday moved the buoys around to the extent that GBCA's PRO was forced to cancel racing. While testing crew skills in the tough wind conditions, Bill Lakenmacher sailed around the windward mark only to jokingly report that he watched it sail past him as he returned to the starting area. Winds on Sunday were originally predicted to be 10-15 knots but to no one's surprise were actually in the 20-25 range with 30+ knot gusts. With some difficulty, GBCA managed to get the line set and start all races on time. Bee Bednar's Stinger was forced to withdraw before the first race with equipment failures. John Bell's Kinderspel2 and Uzi Ozeri's Infinity had similar issues during one or the other of the following races. With what surely amounted to super crew work and great tactics, Brad Robbins' Rumpus, took the tie breaker over John Barnet's Vici and Bill Lakenmacher's Radiance to win their first ever J/105 regatta. Although very experienced racers, Brad and company are relative newcomers to Fleet 17, having joined the fleet in 2015. Congratulations guys!
San Diego NOOD
The second stop of the Helly Hansen National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta series relished three days (March 18-20) of quality conditions for more than 100 teams in San Diego. With 12 classes spread out on two ocean courses and one bay course, 10 J/105s were on hand to complete seven races. Rick Goebel's Sanity won four of those to claim the victory with 12 points. Dennis Case's Wings put together a great weekend for second place with 18 points, followed by Gary Mozer's Current Obsession 2 with 25. Complete results
Scachet Head Race
The Scachet Head Race (on Puget Sound, the second of three races in the Center Sound Series hosted by Corinthian YC Seattle) was a challenging one for many with chilly temperatures and winds howling in the 20-25 knots plus range for most of the day. Class 4 is the one-design J/105 fleet. Winning the day and hanging onto first by virtue of a tiebreaker is Erik Kristen & Kathryn Meyer's More Jubilee. In second is Jim Geros' Last Tango, also with three points. Third place counting two third places is David Cohen & Lance Rummel's Inconceivable. They are followed by Robert Blaylock's Usawi in fourth and Jerry Diercks' Delirium in fifth. Next race in the Center Sound Series will be the Three Tree Point Race on March 26. The entire fleet was treated to a Chalk Talk by hometown Olympic Gold Medalist Carl Buchan on March 11. More Center Sound Series/Scachet Head Race sailing information
Spring One Design
Tested by strong system-generated, cross-current wind, a heavy ebb tide, and 22 J/105 teams hungry for their first win of the season, Rolf Kaiser, Shannon Ryan and the other crew of Donkey Jack finished on top at the 2016 StFYC Spring One Design Regatta, March 5-6. Gale force winds were forecasted on Saturday afternoon, so PRO Bartz Schneider and his RC team compressed time on the water with three short races, featuring a .4-mile-long reach against the ebb tide to the offset buoy to enable a square downwind leg. Southerly winds built in pulsing storm-driven fashion and showed a westerly shift, challenging racers to find the early starboard layline. Donkey Jackposted consistent finishes of 4-2-2 to lead the day by 3 points, despite Tom Kennelly's team on Wonder taking bullets in both race 2 and 3! Kaiser credited their relatively conservative strategy with Saturday's success: "Our goal was to start 'upriver' at the pin, and then make sure we could tack before we got to the port-tack layline as it (too) came up quickly on such a short course. Then we made sure to tack well under the crowd (fetching the windward mark) since you could always make it with such a strong left-to-right ebb. After that we just focused on keeping the boat upright downwind." Noted Rules expert and sailing coach Dave Perry finished up a week of seminars in San Francisco with an all-day session Saturday, following the J/105 fleet on-the-water and providing a debrief in the evening. Following his advice, several boats got out to the starting area much earlier on Sunday to practice and collect pre-race information. Day two presented sailors with more customary winds from the WSW and even some sunshine. "Now this was in the brochure!" remarked Santiago Said, owner of the Chilean J/105 Patagonia Virgin (#346), as he sailed out to the starting area aboard Bruce Stone's Arbitrage. His smile grew wider when Arbitrage won the first race of the day. Santiago had come all the way from Chile to crew for Stone in this regatta, and he left for home with Dave Perry's book and the hope that some of his colleagues read it. He seemed to think they could use help in following the Racing Rules of Sailing! Both races Sunday featured tough decisions concerning the accelerating ebb and a rather large transition zone between westerly influenced outside pressure and southerly puffs along the shore. Pat Benedict and his team on Advantage3 demonstrated their savvy local knowledge by winning the final race of the regatta in convincing fashion. "In the last race, we got a great start and stayed in the ebb upwind. Downwind we took relief along the shore even though the wind was slightly lighter. It must have paid off, because on the last leg we nipped Akula at the finish," Benedict explained, and added, "These kind of days keep you coming back!" In the end, it was Donkey Jack that held onto the overall lead with a 3-6 and clinched the first regatta win of the season. We "had challenging conditions to start the season but everyone seems to be able to keep their boats and people in one piece," reflected Kaiser. "Plus, there were a few new faces out there we are happy to welcome to the fleet. Let's get 20+ boats on the line for each event this year!" More Spring One-Design sailing information
Blakely Rocks Race
The first of many races in the Center Sound Series took place this past weekend. The Blakely Rocks Race is a 16.7nm dash up and around a famous rock in the Sound and back to the finish line. Hosted by Corinthian YC of Seattle, the Center Sound Series continues all year long and concludes in the fall. The J/105s sailed one-design as Class 4. It was Jim Geros' Last Tango taking the class win followed by Erik Kristen/Kathryn Meyer's More Jubilee in second, David Cohen/Lance Rummel's Inconceivable taking third, Jerry Diercks' Delirium in fourth and Chris Phoenix's Jaded in fifth position. More Blakely Rocks Race sailing information
Gonzo report from Miami to Havana Race
The J/105 Gonzo from Chicago was sailed by Ed Reagan and his team in the inaugural Miami to Havana Race this year that finished in the historical Hemingway Harbor in Havana, Cuba. Here is Ed's report on their experience: "We sailed aboard Gonzo, our J/105, co-captained by myself and Ken Ganch with a total crew of eight in the Miami to Havana race. It started in lighter winds right outside of government cut on a beautiful Florida day, albeit it was cooler than usual with a cold front heading in. That was welcome news as were all heading south veering southwest as the fleet headed down the keys so North winds were favorable and were forecast to go Northeast at some point. There were also fairly cold temperatures forecast for the first night but fortunately the water was warm. The route from Miami to Key West takes you south and you constantly turn to the west keeping outside of the reefs, which are well marked along the entire stretch of the Keys. On our port side was the Gulf stream, so you have a narrow band in which you want to sail to avoid sailing against the Gulf Stream that is running counter to our course at up to 6 kts! One of the most strategic decisions is where and when to cross the Gulf Stream. As the first afternoon went on, the winds steadily built along with the waves. There were long periods with sustained wind speeds 15-25 knots and the Gulf Stream varied but seemed to have reached 4-5 knots at that time according to our readings. The challenge was to get through it as efficiently as possible and then, hopefully, catch a counter-current closer to the coast of Cuba that was still heading west. The moon was very small and the stars were brilliant the first night when we were crossing the Gulf Stream. Wind speeds maintained all through the next day and into night when we finally saw Cuba at dusk. The winds died down only for the last 50 miles and we sailed along the length of Havana and finished right about midnight. We took second in PHRF C and eighth overall! Imagine that!? A Chicago boat collecting silverware for placing in a race to Havana. That's awesome! Hemingway Club Nauticio in Havana hosted the fleet with excellent facilities and the staff was gracious and welcoming. There was a race along the Malecon on Sunday but winds were very strong and only a handful of boats completed the race after several dropped out. Overall for us, it was an amazing experience and hope others do the same in the future!"
Winter Newsletter
Members will receive the Winter edition of the J/105 newsletter via e-mail. It is also posted on the newsletter page.
Miami to Havana Race
It was a beautiful, sunny day that saw the 46 sailboats prepared for a brisk forecast at the start of the first-ever Miami to Havana Race, organized by the Southern Ocean Racing Conference (SORC). In PHRC C class, it was Ken Ganch & Ed Reagan's J/105 Gonzo from Columbia YC in Chicago, IL happily celebrating taking the silver in one of the more eccentric collection of boats in any class. Event website
18 boats already on the NAC list!
18 J/105s registered on the first day that the 2016 North American Championship website went live! Sign up now, and pay at the end of summer. The event will be hosted by Larchmont Yacht Club in Larchmont, NY from October 19-23. For charters and logistics, contact Paul Beaudin at j105loulou at gmail.
Register
Texas Invitational
The second annual Texas J/105 Invitational Regatta is scheduled for April 2-3. The format is based on the pioneering Bermuda J/105 Regatta wherein local crews consisting of a local owner and two of his or her crew team up with a non-Galveston Bay or Dallas (Fleet 16 and Fleet 17) skipper and two of his or her crew for two jam-packed days of sailing fun. Weather permitting, 10 races with five helmed by local owners and five by non-local owners are to be sailed over the two-day period. Six invitees have already accepted invitations, but there are still boats available. If you are interested in an invitation or would like to join in with your own boat, contact Uzi Ozeri (uzio at hotmail), Bee Bednar (bee at panoramatech dot com) or Bill Lackenmacher (Bill at lockeprotective dot com).
2016 NAC website
The event website for the 2016 Stella Artois J/105 North American Championship at Larchmont Yacht Club in Larchmont, NY from October 19-23, 2016 is now live here.
Bermuda J/105 Regatta
November 2015 saw the annual running of the Bermuda J/105 Invitational event with competitors coming from the UK and the US to compete. The format involves crews comprising a local owner and two crew teaming up with an overseas skipper and two crew for three days of fast and furious fun on and off the water! Where else in the world would you get to do all this on a beautiful island and be racing in the company of the Americas Cup catamarans? This year's event runs from November 17-19. Invites will be going out soon but if you are interested in attending, please e-mail the Class President James Macdonald at jmwork@ibl.bm. This link is also useful: www.gotobermuda.com. Video of last year's event
Three Bridge Fiasco
369 singlehanded and doublehanded entrants signed up for the Three Bridge Fiasco on January 30, an iconic event on San Francisco Bay that lays testament to the support of shorthanded sailing in the Northern California area as well as the pursuit race curriculum. With starts strung out from 0900 to 11:12:10 AM for PHRF ratings ranging from 264 to -102, the 21.7 nm reverse pursuit course has become a must-do for sailors from all walks of life and all areas of the country. For many, it might be the only race they may sail shorthanded all year. For others, it's another of the fun runs combined with long distance and offshore events fulfilling a busy competition schedule. The start and finish off the Golden Gate Yacht Club can be done in either direction and the marks of the course-the Blackaller Buoy representing the Golden Gate Bridge, Red Rock Island representing the Richmond San Rafael Bridge and Yerba Buena Island representing the Oakland /SF Bay Bridge-can be rounded in any direction and any order. Playing the currents, the wind, and out foxing your competitors is the name of the game-along with a little luck. The 2016 Three Bridge Fiasco provided yet another legendary day of fun, challenges, camaraderie and variety of weather for all participants, the majority of which completed the course before the daylight faded, and enjoyed a robust breeze for their final legs and ride home. (Submitted by Erik Simonson) In the 11-boat double-handed J/105 fleet, Steve & Gregg Kent on Perseverance placed first, followed by Steve Marsh & Ben Wells on Masquerade and Jeff Littfin & Brendan Bradley on Mojo. Complete results
GBCA Icicle Series
The fifth and final race of Galveston Bay Cruising Association's Icicle Series was completed with beautiful partly cloudy Texas skies, temperatures in the mid 70s and 15-25 knot winds. Does it sound like and Icicle race to you? Bee Bednar's Stinger finished this race in second place just behind the GP26 Pingo. Bill Lakenmacher's Radiance finished fourth in the race but still in the points. Bee's second-place finish gave Stinger the tie-breaker for a second place finish with Infinity in third.Regata de Chiloe
Two J/105 teams from the St. Francis YC, one led by Bruce Stone and the other by Ralph Silverman, journeyed south last week to Patagonia, Chile to compete in the prestigious Regata de Chiloe 2016, held every other year in the lovely Chiloe archipelago, framed by volcanoes to the east and Pacific Ocean to the west. Bruce reported that the regatta is run by the Chilean Navy under the auspices of Club Nautico Oceanico de Chile, and with eight days of racing, it might be one of the longest in duration. He said, "Ending up in a different small port each night, it places a premium on navigation and also juggling shoreside logistics. Aside from the Race Committee's ocean-going patrol boats and helicopters, over 50 private support boats (for meals and lodging) followed the fleet, and had their own subtle competition, trying to get to the next port for a great anchorage prior to the arrival of the 70 racing boats. Each was at anchor with hot showers and a late lunch ready for whenever their team arrived, the earliest being 4:30 pm and the latest 8:30 pm. Per Chilean custom, shoreside events or dinner onboard generally began around 10:00 pm, therefore racing did not start until between noon and 2:00 pm. With just two days of windward-leeward buoy racing, and five days of 25-30 mile point-to-point racing, the courses wound around islands and required skill in avoiding shoals and the salmon fishing farms along the shoreline." Stone's team, on the chartered J/105 Patagonia Virgin, included Bill Higgins (bow) and Bruce's wife Nicole Breault (main/tactics), together with owner Santiago Said (trim), Ignacio Alvarado Segovia (mast) and Victor Cook (pit). Ralph chartered Harald Schilling's J/105 Sandy and was supported by Melissa Purdy Feagin (main/tactics) and daughter Whitney and husband Randle made an appearance onboard for the final long-distance race. Stone further commented, "The Chilean J/105 fleet is strong and growing, with just over 30 boats racing, and more expected to buy boats in the next one to two years. Members expressed satisfaction with the size and cost of the boat, and the fact that they could race with family members on board, as did every J/105 in this regatta except for the Navy cadets." He continued, "This week offered an extremely difficult combination of light air and strong current, placing a premium on local knowledge, and we were in fourth place going into the last day. We then found our wheels in perfect SF Bay conditions of 14-18 knot winds, scoring a third and then a bullet to take the top spot on the podium. The Baeza family team on Utopia and Jorge Gonzalez on Plan B tied for second with Utopia winning the tie-breaker, then Jose Manuel Ugarte on Scimitar just another point back to take fourth. Martin Baeza told us that competing in the 2015 J/105 NAs at St. Francis Rolex Big Boat Series took their game up to a much higher plane, and they intend to come to the NAs in Larchmont this October. Ralph and his team on Sandy turned in a solid performance, hanging really close but finishing sixth." Along with Baeza, several other Chilean teams, including the naval cadets, now intend to come to the U.S. for the J/105 North Americans, while both Bruce and Ralph are considering returning to Patagonia for the next Regata de Chiloe in 2018, or possibly sooner for the Chilean J/105 fleet's National Championship in December, held in the north near Valparaiso. Event website
80th Mount Gay Round Barbados Series Coastal Series
The final day of the Coastal Series at the 80th anniversary Mount Gay Round Barbados Regatta, organized by Barbados Cruising Club in association with Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., and Mount Gay, concluded in fine style with sunshine, wind up to 28 knots and a relatively flat sea. Peter Lewis and team on Whistler (J/105) in CSA Division had one of the best starts of the day, at the pin end of the line. They kept up the pace on the long beat to South Point and some good kite trimming on the long run back ensured them their third win of the series. In doing so, they beat Conviction the local TP52 sailed by Clint Brooks and team representing the Barbados Offshore Sailing Syndicate (BOSS). Event website
GBCA Icicle 3
Saturday January 16, three J/105s dominated Galveston Bay's third Icicle Series Race. In somewhat cool 50+ degree temperatures and 15-20 knot winds, Uzi Ozeri's Infinity, Bee Bednar's Stinger and John Barnett's Vici hit the line in for a picture perfect start. Amazingly, Vici managed to hold her genoa in the strong winds. She did lose some ground during the beat on the first leg, but holding that genoa was to turn out to be a brilliant choice. Stinger rounded the first mark approximately one boat length ahead of Infinity and two boat lengths ahead of Vici. As if by magic, the winds dropped dramatically down to the 5-10 knot range, and the big genoa on Vici proved to be the proper weapon to conquer Stinger and Infinity. As far as they were concerned, first place among the 105s was settled. Stinger and Infinity rounded the third and final mark together heading toward the finish 3.5 knots away and hoisted their jumbo kites. From that point on, the two boats sailing on starboard with Infinity on the leeward side were in a virtual tie until just before the finish. In the controlling position, Infinity held Stinger out until the last minute, but after the final gybe, Stinger managed just enough extra speed to eek out the victory. Over 60 boats, of varying vintages and styles, competed in this race. The three 105s Vici, Stinger and Infinity, finished 1, 2 and 3, followed by 2 J/109s. It's safe to say that a good time was had by all.