J/80 TV- J80s Sailing off Spain

The J/80s sailing off Santander, Spain are starting to document some of their adventures sailing against one another.  Not a bad fleet to learn from! Just a few J/80 World Champions in Spain and the tops guys are from Santander-- including the two most recent J/80 World Champs.  Here are a selection of videos from various boats.

For the ESP 880 team- here's their commentary-  "Great sailing conditions. NW wind ranging 18-25 knots. Gusty with rain squalls. Recorded while attending regular fleet racing. Unfortunately, I lost a GoPro2 attached to the bow-sprit in the process. Don't worry, a new one is on the way!  Javier Lopez-Vazquez helming on ESP 880."  The skipper of NEXTEL ENGINEERING is Ignacio Camino and, of course, the leader of ECC VIVIENDAS is Pichu Torcida.  Good perspectives on sail trim, body movements, boat positioning on waves and boat-for-boat positioning- very informative and instructional!

Jan 30th sailing- ESP 880 sailing team
Jan 28th sailing- ESP 880 sailing team
Jan 28th sailing- NEXTEL ENGINEERING sailing team
Jan 28th sailing- ECC VIVIENDAS sailing team
November- J/80 Mundialito off Santander

J/27 Sailboat Stars in "The Ripple Effect" Novel

* Must Read for J/Sailors from a Clive Cussler Novelist- Bob J recommends THE RIPPLE EFFECT as the only novel he knows of where a J/Boat (a J/27) plays an important role in the story.  It is written by Paul Garrison who, in response to an email of thanks and praise for the great tale about 8 years ago, confessed to Bob that he was really Justin Scott who wrote SHIPKILLER --- amongst other great novels!! His sailing novels under Paul Garrison are fantastic.  He is now one of the Clive Cussler brand authors, under both the Justin Scott and Paul Garrison names, with a new book, THE THIEF, being released in March 2012.

Here's the book review:  This fifth sea adventure from Garrison starts out calm enough, but then a stiff wind fills its sails, and it races to a thrilling finish. The plucky heroine, 15-year-old Morgan Page, in search of her missing father, sails single-handedly across the Pacific Ocean in a tiny stolen sailboat (the J/27). Her father, Aiden, supposedly killed in the destruction of the World Trade Center on 9/11, had actually used his supposed "death" as a ruse to escape from a federal investigation into his actions as the CFO of a private bank, one that is suspected of laundering money for arms dealers. Innocent Page was left holding the bag by the duplicitous bank owner, Henry Ho Hong. The male protagonists take a backseat to the colorful female characters--not only resourceful Morgan but also two feisty lesbian nuns, a ruthless mercenary, and Hong's wife, a psychopathic femme fatale. Readers may have to suspend their disbelief at many of the bizarre plot twists but should find it a rousing voyage nonetheless.

Read more about RIPPLE EFFECT here or order on Amazon.com.
http://www.seastoriesbypaulgarrison.com/rippleeffect.html

Famous J/133 CHESTRESS-2 For Sale

Mediterranean Winner in Italy & France

CHESTRESS-2 is a 2005 J/133 with only one owner that has sailed her with passion and with extraordinary success in the Mediterranean.  She has been professionally, impeccably maintained by her captain for six loving years.  And, it shows.  CHESTRESS-2 is in mint condition, with no defects or damage, she is ready for cruising, club racing or serious offshore campaigning anywhere in the world-- Phuket, Auckland, Sydney, Newport, Cowes, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Stockholm, Sardinia, Cabo, Cape Town, Punta or Ilhabela.

The sail and equipment lists are extensive.  She's a 2 cabin/ 2 head arrangement- a gorgeous interior with extraordinary "fit and finish".  Her racing inventory of sails is primarily NORTH SAILS 3DL.  Her cruising sails include Elvstrom-Sobstad gennakers and snuffers.  The equipment list includes: Autohelm B&G ACP1 complete with: display unit FFD, Acp2 processor, feed-back sensor, linear hydraulic Ram; Raymarine C80 chartplotter; VHF Raymarine with DSC + external repeater;  stereo hi-fi 2 speaker internal and 2 external (new 2011); 2 extra hi load batteries  with energy management system; Hi power inverter for ac 220v; Extra engine filter for water/dirt separation; anchor support with roller; Lewmar electric anchor raise winch; Delta 12kg anchor + 50m chain (+ extra racing anchor 10kg); Self-inflating emergency life-raft certified for 8 people; Additional water tank (200+160 lt); Hi capacity american frigor; electric WC in aft toilet; Sunbrella mainsail shade; Original Sprayhood Sunbrella; original external cushions in cockpit and aftseat; External hot/cold shower; Cockpit table; Outboard engine wooden support and more!

Please contact Enrico Malingri.  For more J/133 Chestress-2 sailing information

J/122 LITHIUM Wins Cockburn Sound Regatta

(Rockingham, Western Australia)- The 54th annual Cockburn Sound Regatta was sailed in fantastic conditions off Rockingham, Western Australia from December 26 to 30, 2011.  The six race format consisted of three windward-leeward and three “around the buoys” courses including one 34nm passage race.  Division 1 IRC entries ranged from a  Marten 49 to a Beneteau 34.7.  The J/122 LITHIUM performed consistently with three first placings to clinch the win (on countback).

The coolest part about LITHIUM's success?  It was primarily an all-family affair, with all the crew sleeping on-board the moored boat during the regatta-- highlighting the dual nature of these superb racer/cruisers!

The Monkhouse family team of Graeme and Heather, plus their two teenage sons, was supplemented by another teenager to round out the crew of only five people.  Said Graeme about their family team, "Although relatively short-handed the enthusiastic crew performed brilliantly, including a flawless asymmetric kite peel to a code zero!"  Fantastic. The stuff of legends.  Yet another "David & Goliath" story for the record books-- one that proud J/122 owners seemingly do on a routine basis!

J One-Design Sailing Events 2012

J/22, J/24, J/80 & J/105 Classes 
(Newport, RI)- For those of you considering sailing in any European, North American or World Championships in the large J/One-Design classes like the J/22s, J/24s, J/80s and J/105s you should be thinking about keeping abreast of the latest developments in sails, speed techniques and tactics at the following events:

J/22 Sailing Events:
J/22 Midwinters- Feb 23-26- Houston YC, Houston, TX- http://www.j22mw.com
J/22 Worlds- Le Crouesty, France- Jun 26-29- Crouesty Arzon YC, Brittany, France
J/22 North Americans- Sep 11-14- Tawas Bay YC, E Tawas, MI- http://www.j22na.com/

J/24 Sailing Events:
J/24 Midwinters- Feb 11-15- Davis Island YC- Tampa, FL- http://www.diyc.org
J/24 Australian Nationals- Mar 9-12- Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia
J/24 Europeans- May 30-Jun 3- Club Nautico Arzachena, Arzachena, Italy
J/24 US Nationals- Jun 24-30- Dillon YC, Dillon, CO- http://www.j24nationals.com/
J/24 Worlds- Sep 13-21- Rochester YC, Rochester, NY- http://myyc.org/site/2012umgj24worlds/
J/24 North Americans- Nov 14-18- Florida YC, Jacksonville, FL- http://www.thefloridayachtclub.org/

J/80 Sailing Events:
J/80 Winter Circuit:
    Valentines Cup- Feb 11-12- US Sailing Center, Miami, FL
    Bacardi Week- Mar 8-10- Coral Reef YC, Miami, FL
    Biscayne Cup- Mar 24-25- US Sailing Center, Miami, FL
    Charleston Race Week- Apr 19-22- Charleston Harbor Resort, Charleston, SC
J/80 Worlds- Jun 9-15- Royal Dart YC, Dartmouth, England- http://www.j80worlds2012.com
J/80 North Americans- Oct 31-Nov 4- Fort Worth Boat Club, Ft Worth, TX- http://fortworthboatclub.com

J/105 Sailing Events:
J/105 Midwinters- Mar 9-11- Lakewood YC, Houston, TX- http://www.j105mw.com
J/105 North Americans- Oct 17-21- San Diego YC, San Diego, CA- http://www.j105nac.com/

Also, for some amazing J/24 shots at the past J/24 Aussie Nationals, check out "Paparazzi.com.au"

Silver Anniversary Key West- A Memorable Classic!

J/122 TEAMWORK Wins PHRF A/ J-Class & LE TIGRE Wins J/80 Midwinters
(Key West, FL)- It was a frantic finish for the 119 entrants at Quantum Key West 2012 as several boats snatched victory with strong performances on the final day.  It was a fitting end to the 25th Silver Anniversary Edition of Key West.  As usual, Key West delivered on an almost picture-perfect "postcard" week of sailing.  The weather conditions provided a challenge for all over the course of the five days and the creme d'la creme rose to the top in every class.

The weekend before Race Week started was fabulous, great N/NW winds blowing 10-20 knots, sunny, flags snapping away, with gorgeous aquamarine waters sparkling in the fresh breezes.  Happy dolphins were frolicking and jumping everywhere and curious sea turtles kept poking their heads out to see strange contraptions approaching them looking for all the world like an upside-down shark.  Pelicans walked around the docks and massive 8-10 ft long tarpon swimming beneath hung around like stray dogs waiting for any scrap of food the sailors might toss them.  It was even more amazing to watch giant, sleek black cormorants dive beneath the surface to seemingly always come up with a fish stuck in their gullet-- amazing fishermen!  While the "wildlife" on the waters were appreciated by all, perhaps the most ambivalent opinions were directed at all the wild hens and roosters (not talking about sailors here!) that were scampering around the streets-- if you were unlucky, you'd have a rooster crowing really loudly near your bedroom window at around 5-6 am every morning!  Certainly not a good thing for those sailors who themselves were enjoying Key West's notorious nightlife into the wee hours of the morning!

The sailing was simply incredible.  Each day presented a new challenge and each day ultimately presented a unique set of sailing conditions-- they may have appeared to be the same, but they never are exactly the same.  Monday was the windiest day, with 18-24 knots of wind from the NNE, starting out grey but clearing as the day went on for two excellent races.  While it was forecast to be an oscillating-persistent shift veering further East, one could often play the wind shifts and make gains on the left side of the course upwind.  By Tuesday, as the fronts kept moving and the High went offshore, the wind moved into the Easterly quadrant and diminished to 8-14 knots-- again it was sunny with deliciously clear, azure-colored waters reflecting the white sands beneath the boats and the fleet was treated to three races.  Much like Monday's racing, you could not hit a corner upwind or downwind, lest you get killed by those playing the wind shifts.  As predicted, Wednesday's sailing was washed out, no wind, not even a breath of air.  Thursday and Friday's sailing were simply classic Key West "shorts & shades" sailing days- ESE winds 8-14 kts, sunny, with temps in the balmy 70s all day.  With three races on Thursday and two on Friday, it was a fitting, memorable finale for this Silver Anniversary event.

Making the most of the conditions was Glenn Darden's J/80 LE TIGRE team from Fort Worth Boat Club, Fort Worth, Texas.  Glenn and his affable team comprised of co-owner Reese Hillard, Johnnie Gluek (Newport, RI) and Karl Anderson (Cape Cod, MA) never looked back after the first day; it was clear their experience as past J/80 World and North American Champions was keeping them out of trouble and sailing fast.  Leading the regatta from wire-to-wire, LE TIGRE walked off with the J/80 Class and were declared J/80 Midwinter Champions.  Giving them a run-for-the-money at times was Swedish J/80 Champion Mikael Lindqvist on ROCAD RACING.  Mikael's team ended the regatta on a high-note, winning the last race and tied LE TIGRE for top J/80 of the day on Friday, securing 2nd place for the regatta.  Third was Ron Buzil's VAYU 2, fourth was past J/80 North American Champion John Storck, Jr on RUMOR and fifth was Chris and Liz Chadwick's CHURCH KEY- one of their best J/80 Championship performances to-date.

Of special note, the SAIL Magazine's Best Around the Buoys competition winner, Ryan Glaze from Dallas, Texas, sailed remarkably well to finish 6th on their boat SAIL BAB-Team Gringo.  In fact, after the first two days of sailing on Monday/Tuesday, Ryan and crew were lying in a solid second place overall!  However, perhaps the lay-day Wednesday and the classic Key West "daze" (e.g. late evenings) got to them as they faded from their podium position and fell out of the top five in the last two days, posting a 10-12-6-3.

Competition was fierce all week in PHRF 1 class with four different boats winning races. TEAMWORK, a J/122 owned by Robin Team of Lexington, NC, fought its way through the fray to edge the J/111 MENTAL (Paul Stahlberg, Barrington, IL) by four points. It came down to the final day and TEAMWORK was up to the challenge, winning Race 9 and placing second in Race 10.  "We come down here to Key West to get the best competition we can find and boy did we this year," Team said. "We could not believe how close the racing was in this class. TRES HOMBRES, MENTAL and RUSH were all very well-sailed and pushed us from start to finish."

This was the second Key West victory for Robin's TEAMWORK crew, who won in 2003 with a J/120. North Sails professional Jonathan Bartlett called tactics while fellow Annapolis residents Jeff Riedel and Kevin Ryman trimmed the jib and spinnaker. It was a particularly special win for Team since he had brother Adam and sons Alston and Coleman aboard.   "We were as well prepared as we ever have been for this regatta and it's a good thing because our competitors were really, really good," said Team, who also took top honors in the J/Class.

Rounding out the top five in PHRF A behind TEAMWORK in 1st and MENTAL in 2nd was Bill Sweetser's Annapolis, MD based team on the J/109 RUSH in fourth and Doug Curtiss's New England/ Buzzards Bay team on the J/111 WICKED 2.0 in fifth.

In the J-Class ToT (time-on-time) Division, behind TEAMWORK was Bill's J/109 RUSH taking second overall, interestingly enough, over a tie-breaker with Paul's J/111 MENTAL.  Fourth was Doug's J/111 WICKED 2.0 and fifth was Gary Weisberg's J/109 HEATWAVE from Boston/ Marblehead, MA.  A notable accomplishment was that Sweetser's RUSH team (see right) were the Boat of the Day after Tuesday's racing with a 1-1-2!

In the final analysis, perhaps what was most interesting about this year's 25th Silver Edition of Key West was to see the dominance of J sailors past and present who've risen to the top in other racing classes at Key West Race Week.  As the primary winter sailing event worldwide for many leaders in the sailing industry, for sailing professionals and for top amateur teams, its quite remarkable to see how many of them are alumni of the larger J/One-Design classes; proving yet again that many of the world's best sailors (legendary, famous sailors at that) have "gone to school" learning the ropes of sailboat racing on a "J".  Examples abound across the spectrum of the fleets.

In the Farr 40s, Jim Richardson (Newport, RI) raced J/24s for years, proving that he's still got it to race at the top of the game, winning the Farr 40 class in BARKING MAD.  "I wasn't too optimistic that we could win the regatta after what happened in that second race, but we just had to keep sailing with the understanding that every point was crucial," Richardson said. "We got better as the week went along and everything just sort of fell into place at the end." In other words, exactly what any good J/24 sailor would do to win.

It was a similar story in Farr 30s as skipper Deneen Demourkas (Santa Barbara, CA) and the GROOVERDERCI crew compiled an entire line of bullets. Deneen has raced J/105s with her husband "Johnnie D" for years in Santa Barbara, California on-board their J/105 ROCKIN & GROOVIN and learned the nuances of what it takes to get around the race track while minimizing mistakes and going fast, not the least of which why it's so important to have a good crew!

The TP/IRC 52-foot class was a bare knuckle brawl with all eight entries filled with fully professional world-class crews, the best that money can buy for these multi-million dollar campagins. Virtually every single boat had a J/Class veteran aboard steering or calling tactics to keep them going in the right direction.  Tough company for sure!  Regatta winner was former J/24 and J/44 owner Doug Devos sailing QUANTUM RACING, with J/24 World Champion Terry Hutchinson (Annapolis, MD) calling tactics.  Second was J/22 Cayman Islands owner (and former J/29 owner) Peter Cunningham racing POWERPLAY with J/24 class champion Tony Rey (Newport, RI) calling tactics (seen left here).  Third was Hap Fauth on Team BELLA MENTE with a crew loaded with J/Class sailors from Newport, RI.  Fifth was Ashley Wolfe sailing MAYHEM with Seattle J/24 champion sailor Charlie McKee calling tactics.  Seventh was Austin and Gwen Fragomen's INTERLODGE with J/24 World Champion Brad Read (Newport, RI) calling tactics and eighth was past J/24 sailor Irvine Laidlaw sailing his brand new HIGHLAND FLING XII with Caribbean J/24 Champion Peter Holmberg (St Thomas, USVI) calling the shots.  Needless to say, for a class filled with "superstar" sailors, it was the top J/Class sailors that guided all the winners home!

In the Farr 400s, the top boat RED sailed by Joe Woods and Paul Goodison are all former J/24 UK sailors.  And the rest of the fleet was dominated by top J/24 and J/105 sailors across the board, Eric Arndt from California was tactician on BLADE, Nick Turney from Ohio was tactician on SPACEMAN SPIFF, Mark Foster from Texas was calling the shots on MERIDIAN X and Kevin Miller from California was directing traffic on TEAM PREMIERE NORCAL!

In the High Performance Class, past J/24 Champion Larry Leonard (Annapolis, MD) was tactician on second place STRAY DOG.  And, former J/105 owner Patrick Eudy replaced one infamous BIG BOOTY with another "bigger BOOTY", sailing well enough to capture third.

In the highly professional, talent-laden class of Melges 32s, most of the top boats were all either past J/Class owners or had J/Class Champions calling tactics on-board.  Former J/80 sailor Ben Schwatrz (New York) sailed PISCES with J/24 World Champion and America's Cup Champion Ed Baird (St Petersburg, FL) as tactician, adding in top J/24 sailor Scott Nixon as trimmer; they led the fleet at one point and finished a solid second place.  Capturing third was past J/24 and J/39 owner Vincenzo Onorato sailing MASCALZONE LATINO (his family owns the Italian ferry-boat/shipping group called MOBY Lines).  Fourth was past J/105 North American Champion Alec Cutler (Annapolis/ Bermuda) sailing HEDGEHOG.  Sixth was past J/35 Great Lakes/ North American Champion Bob Hughes (Ada, MI) sailing HEARTBREAKER.  Eighth was CATAPULT with J/24 World Champion Chris Larson (Annapolis, MD) calling tactics along with another J/24 and Intercollegiate Champion (and 2011 Rolex Sailor of the Year) on-board- Bill Hardesty (Chicago, IL).

All in all, Key West was a fun event (a "bucket list" event for sure!) and to see the dozens of J sailing "alumni" makes for an entertaining regatta.  And, especially in Key West where sailing friends from around America, Europe, the Antipodes and points further beyond congregate for what may be one of the few events worldwide (like a Cowes, Spi Ouest, Block Island, Big Boat Series and others) that attracts a broad spectrum of sailors- industry, professional and amateur alike!  Next time, we all hope to see more J/Teams and J/Sailors participating in 2013!   Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes    For more QUANTUM SAILS Key West Race Week Sailing information

ECC VIVIENDAS Leading Trofeo Bodegas Maximo Bolado

(Santander, Spain)- One of the world's top J/80 fleets is at it again.  When the Santander J/80 fleet gets rolling in early January on the spectacular northern shores of Spain, it not only marks the start of the J/80 sailing season in Spain, it is also an opportunity for the newer J/80 teams to test themselves against some of the world's best sailors.

The first trophy event of the season for the Santander J/80s is the Trofeo Bodegas Maximo Bolado, an event that runs for over four weekends and attracts many of Spain's top J/80 sailors from other fleets- the depth of talent in the twenty-eight boat fleet is simply breath-taking!

The first weekend saw two very tough races sailed in beautiful spring weather.  The day started slowly with a postponement, but by 1500 hours the wind began to blow from the northwest about eight knots.  The race course was set south of the navigation channel in the area known as "The Moors", making for tough tactical decisions regarding both current and wind as the breeze kept  veering in an oscillating-persistent scenario further Northeast.

In the first race, the favored side of the line was the port "pin" end, but the wind shifted to the right so much that the entire fleet arrived in a very compact package at the first windward mark.  Setting the standard by leading at the first windward mark was Pichu Torcida's J/80 World Champion team on ECC VIVIENDAS followed by Paco Cospedal skippering WIND and OPTICA CENTRALE sailed by Julia Casanueva.  On the first downwind leg, ECC VIVIENDAS managed to escape clear and held first place throughout the race. It was a very tough fight behind them for the next few positions.  In the end, GO FIT sailed by David Madrazo finished 2nd, followed by Toño Piris' YATES Y COSAS in 3rd, FONESTAR (Jaime Piris) in 4th and OPTICA CENTRALE with Fernando Pereda at the helm in 5th. J/80 World Champion Ignacio Camino on NEXTEL ENGINEERING was 6th.

The second race was much more complicated.  It was a "black flag" start with three boats sent home!  The wind kept shifting and was full of holes, making for complex decisions related to current as well. In the end, A&G PRIVATE BANKING sailed by Tono Ribalaygua won their first race of the season.  FONESTAR was second, followed by GO FIT, ECC VIVIENDAS and MATRAKO to round out the top five.

The leading trio is very tight with ECC VIVIENDAS and GO FIT at the top of the standings with 5 points each and FONESTAR is third with one more.  Then, in a tie for fourth is YATES Y COSAS and Paco Cospedal's WIND with 13 points each.  For more Trofeo Bodegas Máximo Bolado sailing information