Sailing World Detroit NOOD

Frank Kern Wins J/120 Class!

(Detroit, MI May 29-31)- The host Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit, MI had 191 boats competing in 20 classes. Frank Kern's Carinthia, took a seven-boat J//120 class by 3 points over second and six points over third. Five of seven boats won races in the J/120 class, six of seven recorded a top-two finish.
The assessment of the competition for the J/120s at "Day-twaah" was insightful: "In spite of the large spread of the J/120 class IRC ratings, these boats are very close in speed and any one of them can win the NOOD based on tactics and crew ability. Jerry Bresser of Flyin' Irish comes in from his 2008 one-design victory in the Bayview Mackinac. Don Hudak's Capers returns from his overwhelming 2008 victory of the J/120 class in Harbor Springs. Henry Mistile Night Moves will be defending his 2008 NOOD victory, which he won in the last race. Marv Ihnen's Ihnsanity will be returning with his first place success in the DYRA series on Lake St. Clair. Bob Kirkman's Hot Ticket, although he didn't claim any bullets in 2008, will be returning with a veteran J/120 crew and is always in the thick of competition. Frank Kern's Carinthia did not race in last year's NOOD, but will be coming back with a class triumph in the Chicago Race to Mackinac class and winner of the J/120's Great Lakes Trophy. Competition in this class is very competitive and these veterans of the J/120 class should have another close battle for victory." Ultimately, Frank and crew prevailed. For more info.

SLAM J/24 Italian Nationals

Casale Wins, Followed by American Keith Whittemore

(Riva del Garda, Italy- May 29-June 1)- Steady southerly winds made for great racing during the third day of J/24 Open Italian Championship. The race committee at Fraglia Vela Riva Yacht Club managed to run three great races for the fleet of thirty-two J/24s. Andrea Casale, helmsman of Fiamme Gialle, reigned supreme with 2 first-place finishes and 1 second. Onboard with Casale: Vittorio Rosso as tailer, Ernesto Angeletti as tactician, Fabio Montefusco as bowman and Enzo di Capua on halyard and mast. American Keith Whittemore (USA 5399 - Furio), who won the second race, surpassed the German crew steered by Mares Kai (GER 5420 - Rotoman), to finish second overall. Keith is originally from Seattle, WA having cut his teeth racing against other veterans of the J/24s in the Pacific Northwest like Jonathan and Charlie Mckee and Carl Buchan.
Sponsors of the J 24 OPEN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2009, organized by the Fraglia Vela Riva and the Italian J 24 Class Association, are SLAM and Trentino SpA. For more info.

J/24 Asia - Pacific Championships in Australia

25 boats to race in first AsiaPac regatta

(Adelaide, Australia- June 6-8)- The Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia will host the first J/24 Asia - Pacific Championships. With resurgence worldwide in the J/24 class, Asia is one of the last areas on the globe to have an active international circuit for the class. Five Australian states as well as Singapore and Korea will be represented at the Regatta. This Regatta will have a tremendous depth of talent with multiple Australian Championship winners Sean Kirkjian - NSW and Sean Wallis - West Australia, challenging to take out the first Asia - Pacific title. Hugo Ottoway from Victoria, also a past National Champion, will be joined by David Suda and three other teams from Victoria, with four times SA State Champion Alyn Stevenson heading a strong local contingent, including the much travelled Hi team skippered by Peter Stevens. The Aussies won't have it all their own way as Singapore National Champion Vladimir Borstnar, a specialist light air sailor, is likely to get eight knot breezes in June. The field is completed with Korea fielding a team from different continents, to be skippered by Park Ki-Cheol.
The South Australian fleet has provided eight loaner boats for the event and is hosting five teams. 'It's time to turn the clock back and run low cost regattas' according to regatta Chairman Alyn Stevenson. With the regatta being held off the North Haven Marina in Gulf St Vincent during 6th to 8th June, competitors are likely to encounter 6 to 12 kts during the event. There will 10 races sailed over three days ensuring plenty of tired bodies come Monday. The Cruising Yacht club ran the J24 Nationals in January and should produce another excellent event with Race Officer Stuart Ross at the helm.

Seattle SW NOOD

A bit of a drifter, but the tent party was HOT!

(Seattle, WA May 15-17) Leave it up to the locals in Seattle to make the most of seemingly nothing. On Puget Sound, when the wind is light and shifty, you don't hear a lot of complaining. Racers are used to variable conditions; with the Olympic Range towering to the west and the entire North American continent to the east, weather systems frequently lock horns over the Sound, resulting in confused wind patterns and Seattle's characteristic lingering rain. The regatta was characterized by light, variable winds. That's not to say the weather wasn't beautiful-- with clear skies and stunning views-- and it's certainly not to say that the racing wasn't tight. There were 17 classes racing, but only 8 classes got enough racing to generate any results- 3 of those fortunately enough were the J Classes- the J/80s, J/105s and J/109s.

The six boat J/109 class was won by Robert Arney on It's Only Rock & Roll with a first and second. The J/105s had Jerry Diercks on Delirium scream around the course to net a first and third to triumph over their nine boat class. And, perhaps the cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers, was the incredibly tight racing amongst the six boat J/80 class. There was a three-way tiebreaker with four points a piece that was broken in favor of Dave Schutte on Taj Majal, followed by Chris White on Crazy Ivan and Mike Brewis on Swish.

Gene Brown and Pete Bristow, who crewed aboard Edward Pinkham's J/109 Jeopardy, were pleased with their boathandling. "Any day we don't have trouble with our spinnaker sets and takedowns," said Brown, "that's a good day." Over a plate of tasty, local barbeque, SW columnist spoke with Jack Seznick, who grew up on the bluff behind the Corinthian YC and reckons he's been sailing these waters for thirty years. For the past three years, he's been working with the crew of the J/109 J-Tripper, co-skippered by Dave Dack and Rick Nordquist. Before purchasing their J/109, Dack and Nordquist were only occasional racers. Since Seznick hopped aboard, however, the team has made drastic improvements to their boathandling and their scoreline. Seznick finds the steep part of the learning curve extremely rewarding. "When I joined the team," he says, "I told the guys, 'I want to be a part of this crew, but we've got to keep it fun."

Strategy in the light air was critical and local talent certainly had their advantages. As in other tidal locales, the key to success is often deciding where to position oneself in relation to the fast-moving current in the middle of the Sound. At times, there is a "toilet bowl" effect, as the tide flowing out of Lake Union and through the locks moves through the marinas and swirls out along the shore, providing for a peculiar, near-shore lift. See Sailing World for more info/ results. Photo credits- Tim Wilkes