Jen Edney Photography- she did a magnificent job of shooting the J/24s in the recent Regata Copa Mexico event in March.  She dropped us a quick note since some of here girl friends in the area also started sailing on J/24s in Valle de Bravo, Mexico.  Said Jen, "I had the incredible opportunity to photograph two amazing female athletes. Both Olympians, Tania Elias Calles and Lisa Ross. A top Mexican sailor, Tania  just recently achieved a new Guinness Record for distance by sailing by wind alone in a laser sailboat from Los Cabos to Riviera Nayarit. Her next step is to sail from Cancun to Puerto Progreso in 2011, as part of her route to the Olympic Games in London in 2012. After competing in the 2004 Olympics in Athens and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Lisa is currently sailing and training full time, working towards the goal of representing Canada at the 2012 Olympic Games. Their coach, Rosie Chapman is an incredible athlete herself and is the new Nova Scotia Sailing Team Coach. Rosie, is from the UK where she was a member of the Great Britain national Sailing Team and has a number of years of coaching experience. Cheers ladies!"

To see some cool photos of the girls sailing Lasers and more of the J/24s in Bahia de Banderas, Mexico, please go to- http://jenedney.wordpress.com/  

US Armed Forces Sailing Team Sailing J/24s

Six U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Sailors comprising the U.S. Armed Forces Sailing Team competed in a J/24 Match Racing event against representatives from 21 countries at the 44th World Military Sailing Championship March 13-21. Hosted for the first time by the Kingdom of Bahrain, the World Military Sailing Championship was hosted by the International Military Sports Council, which is headquartered in Belgium and boasts 122 military member nations worldwide.  The main mission of the International Military Sports Competition is fostering friendship through sport and enhancing military-to-military ties.

The U.S. team is part of the Department of Defense (DoD) Armed Forces Sports Program, which promotes goodwill and a positive image of the armed services through sports, encourages physical fitness by promoting a highly competitive sports program and provides the avenue for military athletes to participate in national and international competitions.  The U.S. team spent five days practicing in J/24 sailboats at J World in Key West, FL, prior to the match races at the Bahrain Sailing Club's Al Jazayir beach.  The Team finished #15 out of 21 with Italy, Russia and Turkey taking the top three places.

Team Members: CAPT Eric Irwin, USN - Senior US Military Delegate-  Newport RI; CDR Jay Cavalieri, USN - Team Captain/Skipper, San Diego CA; LT Nicole Auth, USCG-  Pearl Harbor HI; LTjg Brittani Koroknay, USCG-  Hampton Roads VA; LTjg Abby Lafond, USCG- Portland, OR; AN Michael Fleck, USN-  Boston, MA.  The team members, who had been selected earlier this year by submitting resumes to the DoD Armed Forces Sports Program, had never met before their first practice on March 5.  To learn more about opportunities to participate in the U.S. military's sports program, visit the Web site at http://www.armedforcessports.com   

Close Racing in Warsash Spring Series

J/97  JIKA-JIKA Racing Fast!

(Hamble, So'ton, England)- The third week of Warsash Sailing Club's Spring Series saw the first south-westerly breeze of the season. The wind stayed true in direction with the strength varying from 10 to 14 knots, providing near ideal sailing conditions if still cold. Despite the clocks going forward, competitors were out early for practice with new entries joining the fleets.

The Black Group committee boat anchored near Hamble Yacht Services buoy and used Air Canada, close to the Bramble Bank, as the first windward mark with a finish at East Knoll. Adjustments were made to the lengths of the courses with IRC1 completing 15 miles and IRC3 12.5 miles. IRC4 used a White Group start line but also finished with the other Black Group boats at East Knoll after a course covering over 10 miles. High water occurred during the start sequence, so competitors had the favoured combination of beats with the current and runs against it. Tacticians kept careful watch of the depth to benefit from or dodge the tide.

The number of "Big Boats" competing in IRC1 has increased as their Spring Championship after Easter approaches. In IRC1 the J/122 JOLLY JELLYFISH sailed to an uncharacteristic 7th, but still remained in second overall in the standings.  the J/133 JAMMY DODGER raced by Neil Martin sailed a great race to get a third to move into fifth place overall.

In IRC3, the J/97 JIKA-JIKA sailed by Mike and Jaime Holmes again made another jump up in the standings from this past week to move into second overall!

For J/105s, there was an unprecedented three-way tie for first place last week.  And, in short, they're still only separated by a point.  Chris Jones JOURNEYMAKER 5 is now first one point ahead of a tie for second between Paul Griffith's FAY-J and Rob Dornton-Duff's JAVA.  Bet everyone's relieved to not have to race Easter Weekend!

The J/109s saw Kirsty and David Apthorp's J-DREAM start to separate themselves from the pack by winning this weekends race to be ahead by two points.  James Arnell's JEEZ-LOUISE is now second and moving up the standings with a well-deserved third place was David McGough's JUST SO.

The J/92s continue to have very tight class racing amongst the top competitors.  The trio of Andrew, Matt and Peter Campbell sailing JAMMIN are now in second, just behind Dominic Horner's JEKYLL.  Rory and Cathy Staunton on JAYA and Bill Howard's team racing WIZARD are just off the pace.

The J/80s seem to have a new class standard to live up to since the leader by a wide margin is Terri Palmer on JUST DO IT with twenty one points after nine races, just over a second average!!  The fly-boys on TEAM SPITFIRE are now solidly in second with thirty three points and John Cooper's OI! has dramatically risen in the standings with three firsts this past weekend to jump into third place with forty five points.    Full results on the Warsash Website.  Photo by Eddie Mays- http://www.eddiemays.com.  

SPI OUEST Starts With 430 Boats

Monster J/80 Class with 93 Entries

(La Trinite Sur Mer, France)-  A cast of thousands have descended upon the quaint, beautiful seaside village of La Trinite for this Easter weekend.  Renowned not only for its premiere sailing event but also for its soothing thassolotherapy spas along the seashore, La Trinite will serve up yet another fantastic weekend of sailing for some of the top sailors in France and the rest of Europe.  The J/Fleet is enormous. Of the 430 boats racing, over one-third- about 125- are J's ranging from ten J/24s to ninety-three J/80, a smattering of J/92s to J/97s and over twenty J/105s, J/109s and J/122s.  Sailing on Circle B will be the J/105, J/109 and J/80 classes (only J/Boats- a first in French sailing) and on Circle C will be the three IRC Classes- 1-2-3. More than ten nationalities will be represented with crews from Germany, England, Spain, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Russian and Sweden.  Within IRC1 with 32 boats starting on the line will be 5 J/122s, including last year's winner Philipe Delaporte's champion PEN AZEN.  For more SPI OUEST Sailing information.  

J/Fest NW Celebrating 27 years

Sail Northwest would like to invite all J Boat owners and their crew to join us at the 27th annual J/Fest Northwest regatta June 19th and June 20th hosted by Sail Northwest and Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle.

Fleets expected this year are J/22, J/24, J/80, J/29, J/30, J/105, J/35, J/109, J/PHRF and J/Cruising.

The J/Cruising Class, J/28, J/32, J/35c, J,37c, J/40, J/120,  J/42, J/130, J/44, J/46, J/160, and any other J that wants to do a casual one day race on Saturday.  PHRF ratings will be assigned for flying sails and no flying sails.  Last year the J/Cruisers had a great time joining in on the festivities and we expect a large turnout this year.

Saturday evening will be the ever popular J/Fest dinner and door prize give-away.  Join us to make this 27th J/Fest one you won’t want to miss! For more information you can call Sail Northwest at (206) 286-1004 or email us at sales@sailnorthwest.com or go to http://www.sailnorthwest.com  

J/24 World Military Sailing Championship

Italians Beat the Russians!

(March 22, 2010) - Bahrain Sailing Club hosted this years 44th edition of the World Military Sailing Championships.  Imagine  that!  Just after Woodstock's famous rock and roll festival in New York that rocked the world, the boys in dress blue were chomping at the bit to determine who were the leaders in the Cold War World.  After a period of time, contestants included ALL sailors in ALL militaries around the world who simply wanted to get together and have a great time sailing against one another.  Without getting into too much detail (embarrassing perhaps to some countries), it's clear everyone has had a fantastic time at these events.  J/Boats have been a significant sponsor and supporter of the World Military Sailing Championships over times, having supported them with J/22s, J/24s and, of course, the European Military Sailing de-facto one-design sailboat, the J/80 International Class.

This year's event was hosted by another one of the renowned United Arab Emirates, Bahrain.  It was clear the kingdom was prepared to put on a remarkable show for ten days and no one was disappointed.  With great sailing conditions (yes, Ernesto and Ed Baird we do believe you) the teams and spectators were treated to 100+ races on the Gulf.    The week-long championship got underway with 21 teams, including six Arab countries - Oman, UAE, Tunisia, Qatar, Libya and hosts Bahrain. The remaining countries were Italy, France, Russia, Pakistan, Canada, India, Poland, US, Norway, Brazil, Turkey, Finland, Austria, Denmark and Spain.

Teams were divided into three groups of seven squads. The first stage featured round robin races and the top four teams from each group qualified for the second round.  The second round also featured a single round robin battle, with the best four countries reaching the semi-final knock-out stage.

At the end of the amazingly civil proceedings (after all, this IS the military), ITALY defeated RUSSIA to clinch the 44th World Military Sailing Championship which concluded recently at the Bahrain Sailing Club premises near Al Jazayer Beach, Zallaq.  It was a perfect finale to the 10-day event, organised for the first time in the Middle East with top sailing teams from across the world in the fray.

The final was held in strong winds starting from 15 to 20 knots and reaching up to 25 knots.  But it was the ITALIANS who proved the better side in the final race. The ITALIANS were coached by Ercole Petraglia and comprised of Romolo Emiliani, Fabio Montefusco, Pierlulgi Fornelli, Paolo Emilio Ciam and Giancarlo Simeoli.  RUSSIA, coached by Kanov Sergey, were spearheaded by Andrey Arbuzov, Sergey Budanov, Alexey Krylov, Vyacheslav Kaptyukhin and Petr Kochnev.  TURKEY, comprising Kemal Mujlubas, Kaan Ozooneng, Metin Yasamali, Mert Koseoglu, Baris Bilge and coached by Kani Vardar, finished third.  FRANCE were fourth, followed by NORWAY in fifth place, FINLAND sixth and DENMARK seventh.

Bahrain Maritime Sports Association (BMSA) president and organising committee member Shaikh Khalifa bin Abdulla Al Khalifa witnessed the final day's action with Italian Ambassador Enrico Padola and his Russian counterpart Ambassador Victor Smirnov.  Shaikh Khalifa thanked General Organisation for Youth and Sports president Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa for his support to sailing activities in Bahrain.  The BMSA chief also highlighted the significant role of companies and establishments which sponsored the event, adding that without their support it would have been difficult to have this championship here in Bahrain.

The event was sponsored by a star-studded group of regional supporters, including:  LURSSEN YACHTS, Trafco, Abu Dhabi Ship Building, Alba, Bapco, Batelco, MBDA Missile Systems, Banagas, Bahrain International Travel, Dadabai Travel and Yateem Air-conditioning.  Other sponsors included Jawad Group, Al Safeer Travel and Tours, Nadia Travel Agency, Turkish Airlines, AJM Kooheji Group, House of Travel, Bahrain Kuwait Insurance, GPIC and A A Bin Hindi.  For more World Military Sailing information.  

SW NOOD San Diego- Huge J Fleet

JAVELIN Dominates J/105s

(San Diego, CA)- Fifty-one J's sailed this past weekend's NOOD in San Diego, over 50% of all offshore keelboat fleets!  The weather was spectacular.  Postcard perfect perhaps.  Great winds.  Good race management.  Great parties.  What's wrong with this picture?  Hmm, yet another great spring weekend in San Diego, CA.  Ever wonder why more US NAVY Admirals retire on Point Loma and Coronado Island?  Go figure, find out for yourself why guys like Dennis Conner, Malin Burnham and other notables can't ever be convinced there's a better climate to live in worldwide-- heck, they oughta know since they've sailed everywhere.  Although, too much sun can't possibly do the soul too much good, does it?

There were more J/Boats represented at the NOOD than any other boat manufacturer! With 18 boats the J/105s took the honors of being the largest class at the regatta with J/105 JAVELIN having a nearly perfect regatta with four bullets and one second place finish. JAVELIN, owned and sailed by Pam and Doug Werner, didn’t miss a shift and consistently lead the two day event in their home waters. JAVELIN crew SDYC Commodore Bill Campbell and wife Sherri thoroughly enjoyed being out in front with the two couple crewed JAVLEIN.  One of the big challenges for the crew was trying to keep up with the NCAA’s and Sherri’s alma mater Syracuse University’s game on Sunday.  Second was Dennis and Sharon Case sailing WINGS and third was Gary Mozer on CURRENT OBSESSION 2. The top five boats sailed remarkably well, taking all podium finishes for the series. 

J/World San Diego also came out in full force, hosting tune up races on Friday and adding four J/80’s to the racing in the 12 boat J/80. San Diego’s morning fog took a little while to burn off and the first race of the day kept the J/Sailors racing in less 150 -200 feet of visibility at times. After the fog burned off typical San Diego conditions replaced the fog revealing a beautiful day with the breeze consistently at 7 – 14 knots and sunny skies.  J/Sailors were surprised with candy and treats being delivered on the water between races by J/Concierge Amanda Denton. The twelve boat J/80 fleet was won by Curt Johnson on AVET with nine points, six points ahead of Gregg Kelly sailing MERKIN.  John Steen sailing UNDERDOG was tied for third with Steve Wyman on HUNU, but UNDERDOG won by virtue of not "who beat who" but by most 1sts, 2nds and 3rds! 

On Sunday the wind built to 12 knots, however racing proved to be challenging with constant shifts. In a great example of Sportsmanship to help his fellow fleet members Tom Brott, owner of ELECTRA and Fleet Captain of J/109 Fleet, stepped up to help Daylen Teren, new to the 109 fleet and the owner of GREAT BALLS OF FIRE in his first ever high point regatta by sailing with him during Sunday's races. Tom Brott's ELECTRA did, indeed, electrify their competition, winning with straight bullets- five firsts!  Second behind that ELECTRA-fying performance was Steve Carter's GERONIMO beating by just one point John Shulze's LINSTAR who finished third.

In the nine boat J/120 fleet, a repeat winner scored top spot on the podium. CC RIDER sailed by Chuck Nichols won with a 1-1-2-1-5 record for 10 pts to win by nine points over CAPER, raced by John Laun and JIM, raced by John Snook.  It was tight, solid racing with podium finishers amongst 8 of 9 competitors!

The J/24s as always had a great time.  After all, can't kill the spirit of a class that has survived the test of time over 30+ years!  Eight boats showed up and RUMBLEFISH with Peer Fischel won a closely fought series by a scant three points over Charlie Fox's MOURNING WOOD.  Just off the pace was Norman Hosford on SUPER STRINGS.  Susan Taylor put in a nice performance getting fourth overall with TAKE FIVE.  For more Sailing World NOOD San Diego information.  Photo credits- Tim Wilkes Photography  

J/24 Copa de Mexico Regatta

Brazilian World Champs Win

(Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)- The fifty-three J/24 competitors enjoyed a very special treat sailing off Puerto Vallarta in Bahia de Banderas this past week. The weather held true to form with the midday westerly thermals of 220-240 degrees giving way to the afternoon thermals of 310 degrees most of the days.  The shifty, streaky winds kept tacticians busy.  But, perhaps most importantly, the Mexican Ministry of Tourism, the Presidente of Mexico- Felipe Calderon (a sailor himself sailing on the lake of Valle de Bravo) and the Mexican Navy did not hold back in their support and enthusiasm for supporting the J/24 Mexico sailors to conduct a world-class event.  It was beyond comprehension when you compare it to most sailing events worldwide.  With special events and parties each night, the sailors were treated to delicious foods indigenous to the region along with entertainment reflective of Mexico's rich, mixed culture of Spanish, Mayan/Aztec and European flavors.  Cowes, Key West, Spi Ouest, Sardinia, Phuket, St Maarten beware!  The Mexicanos joi'd'vivre is in a class unto itself when it comes to throwing a world-class event with chutzpah, fun and great sailing-- a cocktail that is indeed hard to pass up. 

Partaking with great gusto in the activities were the German, Italian, Mexican, Peruvian, Puerto Rican and, of course, the American and Brazilian teams.  It was pretty clear the winners of both the parties and the sailing were the beloved Brazilians.  Between the salsa dance-offs for DELL laptops, the spontaneous dance party on the party boats to and from Bahia Las Casetas dinner/entertainment evening and the ultra-Euro chic Puerto Vallarta resort in downtown with the live DJ/ disco, the Brazilians simply reclassified for all how to have fun and win a regatta. Kudos to Maurizio Santa Cruz and his crew for having fun and winning it in style and with class-- helped in no small part by long-time J/24 class stalwart and builder, Paolo Boido from Turino, Italy.  Remember, these are the same guys who taught Chris Larson a lesson on how to train and win another 24-footer's Worlds last summer in Annapolis, MD.

When the smoke cleared on the waters of Bahia de Banderas, it was pretty clear J/24 class veterans used to very tight, close quarters racing with an unmistakeable capability to make the best of really bad situations at starting lines, mark roundings and weather conditions were the ones whom ultimately prevailed.  The cream would rise to the top after such a long series of five days and ten races.  While Chris Snow from the USA sailing "S" won "college-style" on the water with the most consistent no-throw out scores, it was Maurizio Santa Cruz from Brazil sailing BRUSCHETTA who prevailed by four points by tossing two bad scores for an impressive victory over a talented and remarkably, deep fast fleet.  Just off the pace in the top three was Maurizio's Brazilian colleague, Claudio Ruschel racing A QUE SI, finishing a solid third.  The Mexican contingent are proving to be not only fast, but wily as coyotes.  They know their waters, are strong tactically and are a force to be reckoned with--- guess it doesn't hurt to race every two weeks in fifty+ boat fleets on Valle de Bravo for bragging rights as best sailors in Mexico! Both Jorge Murrieta on VIVO MEXICO and Ken Porter on MONSTER FISH COMEX sailed strong last days to finish 4th and 7th overall, respectively. Of note aboard Jorge's boat was Regatta Chairman Peter Wiegandt, DELL Computer's chief sponsor representative for the regatta.  The top ten shows the diversity of international talent in the world's largest one-design keelboat class; Brazilians were 1st, 3rd; Americans 2nd, 5th; Mexicans 4th, 7th, 10th; Germans 6th; Puerto Ricans 8th; and Peruvians 9th.    For more J/24 Copa Mexico sailing regatta information.  

UK Warsash Spring Series

Perfect Start for J Sailors

(Hamble, So'ton, England- Mar 14)- Glorious sunshine and a steady breeze made for a perfect first day of this year’s Warsash Spring Series on 14th March. Competitors in the 170-strong entry list were out bright and early, some putting into practice lessons learned during a Jim Saltonstall training session organised by the Royal Southern Yacht Club the day before.  Black Group comprises four IRC classes plus one design starts for J/109, J/105 and J/92. The committee boat set up station between East Bramble and Universal Marina buoys.

The family of J/Boats in Black Group has increased this year by J/92s joining the J/105 start. Interestingly the finishing times of the two classes overlapped, showing that a better sailed small boat can keep up with the larger J/Boat design. The class wins went to JOS OF HAMBLE (Roger Williams) and JAMMIN (Andrew Campbell). In the J/109s David and Kirsty Apthorp continued where they left off last year by sailing J-DREAM to victory.  In IRC1, the J/122 JOLLY JELLYFISH sailed to a solid third overall.  Expect to see more competition in this class when Ian Matthew's J/122 JINJA, Neil Martin's J/133 JAMMY DODGER and Jackie and Robert Dodson's J/133 JERONIMO get cranked up for the series next weekend.

Following the successful pattern of the past couple of years, White Group is split into two separate courses. The J/80s area under the care of Jon Spencer. In the J/80s another trophy holder from 2009 was competing but sadly this time Charles Somerset in LOUDWATER had to retire from the final contest having gained third place in the preceding races behind Terry Palmer’s JUST DO IT and ELLE S'APPELLE helmed by Thor Askeland. Mark Baskerville and Steve Sault took the final victory on board HOOLINGKAZAN.

Back at Warsash Sailing Club after racing, the weekly class winners were presented with champagne whilst everyone enjoyed a well-earned rest and time to catch up with sailing friends at the beginning of the new season. The Warsash Spring Series runs on Sundays until 25th April, with a break for Easter. New entries are welcome and enquiries can be made to Warsash Sailing Club on 01489 583575, admin@warsashsc.org.uk or visit  www.warsashspringseries.org.uk.  

Australian J/24s Race SA State Championships

Conyers' NO EYE DEER Wins

(Adelaide, SA, Australia- Mar 14)- We had Fun-- that was the motto. The SA states were held over the weekend of 13/14 March in Adelaide. With typical late summer soft winds and fine weather the sailing was a glamour and easy on the body.  Trevor Conyers in NO EYE DEER sailed an almost perfect series to win with five bullets and a second, from Alyn Stevenson sailing FUN 2.  Here is Simon Grain's report:

"Pete Stevens should have finished third but a small mistake in leaving the life jackets in the car on Saturday morning meant he was late to the starting line for the first race and scored a DNF and with no drops meant he had to carry that.  Instead he had to watch his old boat sail away into third ahead of him with me at the helm …. because we had ‘Fun’. Pete had invited us over, leant me the boat, given us a bed and as it turned out conceded to us the third he would otherwise have got. Sometimes it all turns out sweet … for us anyway.

Saturday and the weather was hot and sunny, wind around 8 knots from the south and flat water, you’ll be asking yourself why you didn’t come to this one. The CYCSA held the Great Southern Regatta in conjunction with the J States and did a very good job to get 3 races in – shortish courses with 2 or 3 times round and nice tight start lines to keep us on our toes. We had 10 boats on the line and plenty of talent in the field.  Competition was fierce around the track in all 3 races on Saturday with most of the fleet sailing the course and finishing in a tight pack.

Sunday and we had light westerlies with sun-blocking cloud – thankfully – once again the PRO did a good job to set up a tight line and course giving fair racing and tactical sailing. Trevor didn’t seem to have a lot more speed but with good sailing put himself in the right place each time and he moved through to lead each race by a small margin from either Alyn, Pete and in the last shortened race Simon.

Snapping at the transoms of the first 4 boats were VERTGO, GOOD COMPANY, SUCH IS LIFE and KAIZEN. Never far out of the picture, these boats are ready to jump you if you make a mistake. FOOLISH BEHAVIOR and COOKIE MONSTER rounded out the fleet.  The club and the State Association came together to put on a good regatta with many thanks to the PRO, his team and all the volunteers who made this happen.  Oh did I forget to mention we had the most amazing stroke of luck as I hadn’t even considered the handicap part of the series … but we took that out too.

As the only interstate boat we had a Fun time and were looked after by Pete Stevens in particular, but thanks to all who made us feel so welcome. Next time get on the blower and organise yourself a berth interstate, there is a cost but it is worth the effort and having class members organising billeting and help to get on the water makes this a great short holiday and a way to get to know your interstate friends better.

The next regatta is the Vic States on 17/18 March and if you haven’t already decided to come then have another thought about it. Melbourne in autumn is traditionally a carbon copy of the regatta above, warm and light and lots of fun.  For more J/24 Australia sailing information.  

J/24 SCOUT'S PRIDE Wins Bacardi Cup

(Miami, FL- Mar 14)- For the first time ever, the fabled Star class was joined by several one-design fleets for the expanded Bacardi Miami Sailing Week.  The J/24 Class had a small, but very competitive fleet.  The conditions were good considering the passage of some fronts, making it challenging to sail consistently over the six race series.  At the end, Patricia Walker sailed SCOUT'S PRIDE to four first to win by three points over Enrique Quintero, sailing SCOUT'S HONOR.  Six points further back was Gerd Pedersen sailing SUMMERTIME.   For more Bacardi Cup/ Miami Sailing Week information.  

J/100 BAD GIRL Wins St Croix Hospice Regatta

Tony and Ellen Sanpere from St. Croix supplied this report: "We came in second in Performance cruising in my old J/36- CAYENNITA GRANDE. We also had J/27's in the race with one of them getting close to a podium finish. Also sailing was Bob Armstrong's J/100 BAD GIRL.   On the Buck Island Channel course, the J/100 BAD GIRL won the Spinnaker Racing class with an all-Crucian crew and six top three finishes. Though long-time J/24 sailor and helmsman Jens Hookanson was born in St. Croix, he has lived in the U.S. since age 16 and had never sailed in the annual SCYC regatta. He liked the race to Christiansted, followed by windward-leeward courses in the Channel. "Tactician Carlos Skov is key to the program," according to Hookanson. "Skov was especially touched by the win, as his mother was the first hospice patient on St. Croix, and Skov weighed in at eight cases of Cruzan Rum."  Armstrong and his J/100 crew also received an invitation to the National Hospice Regatta Championships, to be sailed in Rochester, NY in June.  

J/24 Copa de Mexico Regatta

Brazilians Winning After Two Days

(Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)- The fifty-three J/24 competitors are enjoying a very special treat sailing off Puerto Vallarta in Bahia de Banderas.  So, far the weather has held true to form with the midday westerly thermal winds 5-15 knots from 220-240 degrees giving way to the afternoon thermal breezes from 300-320 degrees.  The shifty, streaky winds make for challenging conditions and are keeping the tacticians on each team anxious to avoid significant mistakes going around the race track.

The current leaders include J/24 class veterans fighting it out for the podium separated by only three points after four races and two days of sailing.  It will be interesting to see if the top three can maintain the consistency they've managed to achieve so far with three more days of sailing left.  So far,  Maurizio Santa Cruz from Brazil, the current J/24 World Champion, is in first place sailing BRUSCHETTA to a 13-4-1-1 record.  After a slow start the first day, Maurizio and team were red hot the second day, getting two firsts in very tough sailing conditions.  Javier Arribas Leigh from Peru is second overall sailing PRIMERO to a consistent 1-8-4-8 tally.  Just one point back is Chris Snow, the current J/24 NA Champion, sailing "S" to a 10-1-5-6 record.  Chris and Javier were both in the top three going up the final leg of race four, leading the series until the wind got very shifty with puffs coming off the beach and down from the mountain ridges off Puerto La Cruz.  The top ten shows the diversity of international talent in the world's largest one-design keelboat class; Brazilians are 1st, 6th; Peruvians 2nd; Americans 3rd, 7th, 10th; Mexicans 4th, 9th; Puerto Ricans 5th; and Germans 8th.  

The sailing has been fun and challenging so far, but what a social event! Peter Wiegandt and Kenneth Porter have done a spectacular job for everyone to enjoy.  The Mexican Ministry of Tourism, the President of Mexico- Felipe Calderon (a sailor himself sailing on the lake of Valle de Bravo) and the Mexican Navy (with Optimist youth training programs at every facility) are all supporting sailing, the Regata Copa Mexico and the J/24 Class in particular.  And, the line-up of sponsors is extraordinary: MICROSOFT Office, Nyssen, Dos Equis XX Brewery, Nextel, Icon Vallarta, DELL Computers, Comex, Grey Goose, Coca Cola, Marival and Banamex.  The Marival Suites Hotel, an all-inclusive resort, has every amenity, activity, food and drink one could ever wish for in a beach-front complex- four pools, horseback riding, hiking in the mountains, sailing, surfing, paddling, shuffleboard, bocce ball pits, tennis, 18-hole golf course, world-class spa (mud baths, whirlpools), the list is endless.  Throw on top of that a spectacular sunset dinner on the beach and a Mayan-inspired evening show at the romantic and gorgeous Bahia Las Caletas on the luscious, mountainous south shore of Bahia de Banderas and you have a recipe for a fabulous event (read more about it below in an excerpt from SAIL's Kimball Livingston's blog).  For more Regatta Copa Mexico sailing information.  

J/24 Sailor Katie Burns- SA Interview

*  Katie Burns ("KB24")- J/24 bow goddess. We had to include this heartwarming story about a U.S. Army veteran discovering what it's like sailing J/24s.  Katie Burns, a.k.a. "KB24" on Sailing Anarchy provided SA updates on her recent escapades.  Katie had this to say, "With the advent of some of the most advanced yacht racing in the world during the 33rd America’s Cup, I decided to start my 2010 sailing year quite a few steps back from the huge multihull monsters. If you guys remember, I had quite the ride in 2009. From sailing with Quantum Racing in the 2009 Audi MedCup to gaining a lot of sportboat experience on Pete Hunter’s Wairere, and the many other exciting opportunities I had (including working with Sailing Anarchy during the Melges 24 Worlds in Annapolis), I came out of 2009 with some definitive objectives. There were definitely a few times when I found that I was in over my head, but I persisted to pitch myself into every opportunity without abandon because I just have too much pride to do it any other way. The truth is that I discovered a newfound competitive edge in sailing last year, but I was struggling to keep up with it. And since I have a severe problem with not being really good at the things I like to do, I decided to start 2010 by retraining in technical knowledge. Here’s how: J/24 one-design racing.

I knowwwwwwww. I know. Believe me, I know. Everyone proclaims to hate J/24 sailing, but listen to what I have to say. See, I raced on Paul Van Ravenswaay’s MILLENNIUM FALCON (#5350) from Annapolis in the J24 Midwinters at Davis Island Yacht Club and also in the St. Pete NOODs the following weekend. We pretty much raced that J/24 for 9 days straight, and it was excellent training. Yes, I got really bruised. Yes, I was really freaking cold. Yes, I’m pretty sure my organs began to liquefy. But it’s all good. I had an opportunity to race in a competitive one-design fleet, so I took it. And let me tell you about the competition:

The J/24 fleet in Tampa and St. Pete was laden with some of the top guys in the class and even the industry, which proved to be tough racing. As a relative newcomer to the class, I didn’t have as much to offer as guys like Charlie Enright, Tim Healy, Will Welles, Tony Parker, Chris Snow, or Chuck Allen, but they were all nonetheless encouraging and the fleet as a whole created a great environment for one-design sailing. I also have to mention Brian and Kat Malone for acting as both hosts and competitors, and I would like to congratulate Charlie Enright and crew for winning the 2010 J/24 Midwinters. In the end, it was the perfect event for honing skills, opening my season, challenging the crew, and getting out of the snow-covered North.

After getting used to the boat and the crew (Paul Van Ravenswaay, Mike Zinkgraf, Eric Haneberg, Jarrett Hering – a great group from Annapolis), I really started to learn more and get a little more aggressive in my role. I wanted to contribute to the team, but I also was completely out of my sportboat comfort zone. See, the J/24 has this thing called a “cabin-top” to crawl over during tacks, and that alone was a pretty big feat. I honestly think I’ve low-crawled through Army infiltration courses that had more clearance than the J/24.  Once or twice, I actually had to be pulled across by my crew, which was a pretty big blow to my ego. I even think at one point I screamed like a little girl when I found myself caught on leeward with no chance of pulling myself to the other side. That was hilarious. But, I can adapt and overcome what I have to, so what I once said about TP-52 sailing also applies to the J/24; “A boat is a boat, and I can do at least that much.” I figured it out.

Here is another way to learn something on the water:  While rounding the top mark, get hit really hard on your port side by the bow of a leeward J/24. It’ll put a nice chunk of a hole in your hull, and you’ll have to figure something out about your boat, and quick! This happened to us at the NOOD regatta, and we had to retire from the race to address the puncture wound. Thankfully the hole was nicely above the waterline, so Eric made some quick work with the duct tape, and we were able to compete in the last 2 races of the day. We hauled the boat out afterwards, and Mike did an overnight fiberglass job to get us back out on the water.  Honestly, we probably should have all left our fenders on, especially those last 2 days. There was a lot of bumper-boat action out there. J/24 sailors are a scrappy bunch, eh? At times, I came out of a race feeling like we had been in a bar fight. It was aggressive, and I liked it that way. (By the way, no hard feelings to the boat that hit us, considering they actually sailed very well otherwise. We all know that accidents happen, and we all know that it’s a part of the learning process. Adapt and overcome, you know!?  Oh, and props to Tim Healy sailing his J/24 for the overall win of the St. Pete NOOD regatta.

So, now I am exhausted, dehydrated, and bruised, but I’m also a lot more proficient and I had a lot of fun. A racer CANNOT move to upper levels of sailing without learning the basics first. Just don't do it. I had to learn how to shoot a rifle before I could learn how to shoot a grenade launcher, and I wore an expert marksman badge in both at one point. It’s not different in sailing. J/24 racing is a great way to sharpen skills. Next step: BOR 90 … ??? Haha, just kidding.   Much love,  Katie Burns  

J/24 "Regatta Copa de Mexico"

(Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)- The Mexican J/24 Class is hosting a remarkable event that may go down as one of the main fixtures on the spring sailing circuit in years to come.  In what is traditionally an event that marks the start of the MEXORC (Mexican Ocean Racing Circuit) with the San Diego-Puerto Vallarta Race, the J/24 class was invited to spice things up a bit and participate en'masse.  The response has been overwhelming.  Fifty-three J/24s registered from nine countries, including USA, Mexico, Brazil, Monaco, Germany, El Salvador, Italy, Puerto Rico, Peru.  Talk about some "time travelers", would do Dr. No proud to see this assemblage of talent.

Amongst the J/24 class notables participating are Chris Snow, the current J/24 NA Champion racing "S" and Maurizio Santa Cruz from Brazil- the current J/24 World Champion- who will be sailing TRES VELAS, heading up the Brazilian contingent that also includes Claudio Ruschel.  Furthermore, current J/105 North American Champion Bruce Stone will be sailing HOT TUB with tactician Stu Johnstone- himself a former J/24 World Champion tactician. Not to be outdone by other Latino-Americano firepower, the Mexican J/24 class has seven of their top ten sailors from their 2009 Nationals making an appearance, including three of the top five- Peter Colliard on KAWABUNGA, Mario Velasquez on VENDETTA and Luis Alvarez sailing TA'LENTO.    For more J/24 Mexico sailing regatta information.