Texas Two-Stepping "J/Fests"

(Houston, TX)- Texas likes'em big.  Regattas. Parties. Cars. Mechanical Bulls. Trucks. Girls hair. Guys hats. College football.  Longhorns.  Rattlesnakes.  Tumbleweed.  Trucks, did I mention them already?  Doh.  But, most of all, Texans LOVE people and friends.  So, it's no wonder ya'all out there are just "family" to them.  Big hearts is what Texans are all about, that's why the gals call you "love" or "sweetie" the first time they see you.  Join in any BBQ with a case of beer and you're a hero and friend for life.  Their sailing is simply an extension of that fun-loving, simple philosophy on life.  Ever wonder why they're renown for their fabulous hospitality?  Wonder no further.  Just jump in the car, toss the family (and dogs) inside, head on down to warmer climes (BTW, it's no longer 100+ degrees down there) and have a blast.  The combination of warm weather, cheap boat storage, cheap lodging, cheap tickets on Southwest Airlines into Houston-Hobby might entice some northern folk who may already be shivering to come on down.  (Note- one of the Dillon J/80 owners leaves his J/80 in Houston over the winter and gets $60.00 round trip tickets and comes every weekend)!!  There are three events to whet your whistle and strum along on any available ukelele or "geetar" at the saloon:

- The Compass Regatta- October 1-2- open to all boats, one-design and PHRF.  The J/111 will be racing in this one along with the J/109 fleet, J/105's, J/120's, etc.  Online Registration here.

- Harvest Moon Regatta- October 13-16- hosted by Lakewood YC in Houston.  This is a 120 nm race from the Galveston Bay jetties to Port Aransas. It's the "Texas Chicago-Mac".  Last year there were 250 boats, racing everything from Grandma's old bathtub to the latest racing machines, J/105s to J/44s.  Like the Chi-Mac, it's the voyage that counts, so you can tell the story at the party later!  Is their a "Pink Pony" in Port Aransas?  Register on-line here.

- J/Fest Southwest- October 29-30th- also hosted by Lakewood YC as a J/Boats only event.  There will be one-design classes for J/22 (J/World Annapolis on the water coaching for this fleet), J/24 (circuit stop), J/80 (circuit stop), J/105 (Regional invitational), J/109 (regional invitational) and J/PHRF, and J/Cruise.  On course video/ photography will also be streamed to TV's live during the day.  Friends and family not on the water can track their favorite J team or head over to the amusement park at Kemah or NASA/Johnson Space Center for the tour, or museum's shopping!  After racing, the J/24 fleet is sponsoring lawn games after Saturday's racing and Lakewood YC is putting on a Cajun feast Saturday night!  After dinner, boogie to some live music!  If you have a big boat we are offering free in-and-out launch/haul with a 50 ton crane!  Register on-line here.

  

J's Dominate "The HOOD" Regatta

(Houston, TX)- The Houston Yacht Club along with their neighbors in the "hood", Lakewood and Texas Corinthian YCs, always seem to be favorites amongst sailors for hosting regattas.  For all the reasons outlined above when talking about our friends in Texas, they pull out all the stops and make sure everyone is welcome-- and, most importantly, do it in a "big" way so everyone is happy!  This past weekend's HOOD Regatta (Houston Offshore One-Design) was an epochal, history-making event for the region.  There were one hundred boats that showed up and the J sailors simply dominated the proceedings, showing up with 48 J's in total spread across J/22s (19), J/24s (12), J/80s (13) and J/105s (4)- by a country furlong the most dominant "brand" at the regatta- 50% of the fleet!  Might as well have been called "J/Fest Pre-Regatta"!

In the biggest fleet of the event, the J/22s saw some excellent racing across the board with a few surprises, twists and turns thrown in for good measure.  Past J/22 World Champion Terry Flynn had a rough go of it, sailing his J/22 TEJAS to a hard fought third place with a 2-3-1-2-5-11 record for 24 pts, losing out any chance at first because of the "slow" last race.  Reigning supreme was a long-time road warrior Rob Johnston from Dallas' Rush Creek YC, sailing his J/22 DIESEL SNACK to a pretty convincing first overall, snagging four bullets, a 3rd and 6th to win by 8 pts.  Second was another Dallas team, Max scott racing FAST LANE to a 4-5-2-3-2-5 for 21 points, holding off the indomitable Terry Flynn for one more regatta.  Fourth was Brank Koeopke sailing RICH SKANK (?) and fifth was Ruthie Lambert skippering OUT OF SIGHT.

The J/24s had a real donnybrook for the top three, with all scores being settled between the teams in the last race.  Emerging from the dust bowl of a scrum was Bobby Harden's team on MR HAPPY, their 3-1-3-3-2-3 for 15 pts being the most consistent of the top teams.  Winning going into the last two races was Bryan Dryer on RUM LINE, but Bryan's team couldn't hold it together, adding a 7-5 to their previous 1-2-2-2 record to finish second with 19 pts.  After starting slowly with a 4-6, Doug Weakly's team on AMBASSADOR screamed into contention with three straight bullets, only to blow it in the last race with an 8th for 21 pts to secure third overall.  Lying fourth was Corey Harding on another "happy" boat- HAPPY DANCE.  And, fifth was Dov Kivlovitz on USA 93!

There was a great turnout for the J/80s in this event.  Bill Rose's team on KICKS simply did "kick up their heels" and show their transom to the fleet, amassing an impressive two 1sts and three 2nds for 8 pts to win by the healthiest margin in the entire regatta- 12 pts in five races!  Paul Parsons raced PARSONS PROJECT to a 1-2-6(scp)-5-6 for 20 pts, good enough for second.  Just behind them it was a full-on wild ride for four boats, all of whom nearly all tied each other after the last race!  Winning the tie-breaker for third was Claude Welles on JACKRABBIT, fourth was Forbes Durdin on MOJITO.  Winning the tie-break for fifth was Al Poindexter skippering ANDALE, sixth was Alan Bates on WHISKEY TANGO.

While the J/105s may have had one of the smallest fleets in the regatta, it might as well have been a three-way match race for top honors.  No quarter given here, or there, or anywhere!  At the end, the top three boats finished just three points apart after five races.  Emerging from the scuffles in the last race was Bob Brann's RADIANCE, winning with a 3-2-2-1-1 for 9 pts.  Missing out a strong opportunity to win was Uzi Ozeri's INFINITY.  Uzi's team started by firing off a 1-1-1, then succumbed perhaps to a case of missing brain cells (or "slows") on Sunday, amassing a 3-4 for 10 points to drop into second.  Hanging tough all regatta long was Malcolm Brenner's BABE, sailing to a 2-3-3-2-2 for 12 pts to snag the bronze on the podium.

Finally, "Thanks" must be given to the amazing program laid out by the event's sponsors.  Mount Gay Rum had a bevy of Mt. Gay Girls running around serving up Rum drinks.  The HYC Ragnots also supported the event with "Weinerfest", raising money for the HYC Youth programs-- no question the crowds seem to be pleased with the delicious combination of wieners and Mt Gay for dinner!    Sailing photo credits- Lacy Photos   Sailing photo credits- Byrne Photo   For more J/80 & J/105 sailing information.    For more J/22 & J/24 sailing information

  

MENTAL FLOSS Wins J/24 NE Regionals

(Harlem, NY)- In a battle of wits, cunning, intrigue, wisdom and plain old luck, it was MENTAL FLOSS over a weakened BLITZ(krieg) that took it all from DOUBLE VISION (the gang that couldn't shoot straight), with a VANISHING ACT not too far behind. Are you serious?  This cannot be real!  But, again, "truth is often stranger than fiction".  In this case, J/24 boat names in themselves can be wonderfully entertaining to discuss over evening cocktails with friends (though, in some cases, NOT family).

The Harlem Yacht Club and J/24 Fleet 61 were hosts for this year's 2011 J/24 Northeast Regional Championships.  They held the racing on Eastchester Bay off of beautiful City Island, The Bronx, New York.  Cool stuff, really.  A Bronx yacht club with tremendous heritage, it all started with a bunch of great guys from Harlem who simply wanted to enjoy some time on the water with their friends.  What a great recipe for broadening the sport of sailing to many who may not have had the opportunity to participate because of where they lived in New York city.

Perhaps one of the most remarkable elements of this regatta was the re-emergence of J/24 class's stalwarts from the 80s/90s, for example- Al Constants from Long Island, NY.  Al and team showed up with BLITZ  to perhaps dial-up their program for the J/24 Worlds in Rochester, NY in 2012??  The wheels are spinning now.  The BLITZ boys, as both Al and his brother Dave had always been renown, put on a terrific performance in this event, sailing consistently in the top three to finish second for the regatta with 22 pts.  Holding the "old guard" off was Aidan Glackin on MENTAL FLOSS, sailing an impeccable regatta to win with 20 pts.  Just off the pace was Phil Walters DOUBLE VISION with 28 pts for third place.  Fourth was John Surguy on VANISHING ACT and fifth was Kevin Sailor racing SURCEASE.   For more J/24 Northeast Regionals sailing results

  

J Sailors Dominate New York YC Rolex Invitational

* Friend, 470, J/24 and J/105 sailor- Terry McLaughlin along with fellow friend, J/24 sailor John Hele (owner of DARING), won the NYYC Invite Cup on Swan 42s.  In fact, the entire top FIVE finishers in the NYYC Invite Cup were all comprised of top J sailors in various J classes.  Besides John and Terry, Ken Colburn and Phil Lotz were champion J/105 sailors themselves racing for NYYC; Peter McChesney and friends from Annapolis YC in third were champion J/22 and J/24 sailors (many in the crew); Billy Lynn and friends from Eastern YC in fourth were champion J/22, J/24 and J/105 sailors; and in fifth was Jim Madden from Newport Harbor YC of STARK RAVING MAD fame (J/125) and BRAND NEW DAY (J/65 Bermuda winner).  Apparently, unless you had some form of "J/One-Design" experience, you were "toast" in this event-- the evidence is clear and unmistakable.

For Terry Mclaughlin and John Hele, it was a "redemption" regatta.  In a reversal of fortunes from the inaugural event two years ago, they cleaned-out their competitors starting from the very first day. Terry/ John and crew sailed a nearly flawless series with seven top five finishes out of eleven races. In races where they were deep in the fleet, they inevitably overhauled the boats ahead. Terry said, “I think we came back quite well this series. It's important because you can’t get off the line in great shape or get around the first mark in great shape for eleven races in a row.”

McLaughlin won a silver medal in the Flying Dutchman class in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and was the skipper of CANADA I in the 1983 America’s Cup challenger series. These days Terry's business is importing the famous DUBARRY clothing and footwear from Ireland, and his sailing more relegated to occasional racing with friends-- like J/105s for serious competition with Ken and other friends in Toronto! Gotta test out those boots, eh!?

In a new addition to the event, the team leading in points at the end of each day flew a “gold” spinnaker in the following day’s races (e.g. a "borrowed" idea from that famous French bike race- The TOUR DE FRANCE- remember the famous "yellow jersey"?).  Cute!  The Royal Canadian team quickly took that honor after the first day and never relinquished it for the week (one wonders, was it as fast, or faster?).

  

RELOADED Blasts BMW J/24 Europeans

(Dublin, Ireland)- In ideal conditions - moderate to fresh south-easterly winds and sunshine - the BMW J/24 European Championships concluded at Howth with four back-to-back races to complete the full 10-race program.  Top of the table was the American team of RELOADED (Mark Penfold) with 34 points, three ahead of the leading European entry IL RICIO (Ian Southworth/Chris McLaughlin) which takes the European Championship trophy.

For the 210 competitors from nine countries this year's J/24 Europeans was a resounding success both on and off the water.  Despite the fact that the event had seen real, honest-to-goodness, nuclear gale conditions the first day.  That day (Monday) fell victim to the weather, when winds in excess of 30 knots and gusts over 50 knots left the Principal Race Officer David Lovegrove with no option other than to abandon racing.

A major factor in the event's success was the generous sponsorship from BMW Ireland whose displays added immensely to the occasion. BMW's contribution was huge, not just in financial terms but also by way of support in several other key areas.  The Race Management team, led by Principal Race Officer David Lovegrove, deservedly received countless plaudits for completing the 10-race schedule despite severe weather conditions preventing two full days of racing. The quality of the courses and the efficiency of the race management were also applauded.

Ashore, the pre-event measurement and registration went smoothly and the craning in and out of 42 boats was an exercise in real co-ordination by the marine staff. Organising Committee Chairman Derek Bothwell paid tribute to the core group on his committee who handled general administration, measurement, accommodation, PR and social activities and to the 60 volunteers who helped in other ways such as RIB drivers, committee and mark boats personnel, race office etc.

With the exception of their discard of a 20th in the fifth race, RELOADED was consistently in the top four in most races and had one bullet, while closest rivals IL RICIO had two bullets and only a 9th to discard.  That they had some 28 points to spare over the third placed SERCO (Bob Turner) emphasized their dominance over the series. The German champion ROTOMAN (Kai Mares) was only a point behind in 4th place and won the final race of the regatta while Stuart Jardine, the oldest helm in the championship, had the distinction of winning three races, including the first two races of the final day. Another German boat HUNGRIGER WOLF (Johann Huhn) had six top ten results to earn 6th overall.

Local boat JIBBERISH (O'Kelly/Wormald/Walsh) enjoyed its best result when finishing second behind STOUCHE (Jardine) in the seventh race while German entry JJONE (Frithjof Schade) was looking at the same transom in the eighth race. The Southworth/McLaughlin crew topped the fleet in the penultimate race followed by the Hungarian boat NAVISCON (Farkas Litkey) while SERCO took second behind ROTOMAN in the final race.

Needing to beat their US rivals by several places in the last race to take 1st overall, IL RICIO could only manage an 8th to RELOADED's 5th. The leading Irish crew was HARD ON PORT (Flor O'Driscoll, HYC) in 10th overall with JAMAIS ENCORE (John-Patrick McCaldin, Lough Erne YC) next best in 17th.

The 42-boat fleet had faced a tough schedule of five back-to-back races on the third day of the regatta, sailed in ideal conditions. They made up for the weather-affected program and it was the consistency of the sole American entry and a leading UK contender over those five races which put them very much in command going into the final day.

RELOADED (Mark Penfold, Rochester YC) with Mike Ingham on helm, won the first race of the day, sailed in a brisk westerly, with Irish champion Flor O'Driscoll (Hard on Port, HYC) producing the best local result to date by finishing 2nd ahead of the much-fancied IL RICIO (Ian Southworth/Chris McLaughlin, RCYC Cowes).

The British boat moved up a gear in the second race, winning from defending champions SERCO (Bob Turner, Castle Cove SC) and the Greek champions EVNIKI (Aitsiadis Dimitrios) but RELOADED bounced back by taking the gun on the series' 4th race ahead of SERCO again and JELI (Stig McDonald, Royal Western YC).

Race 5 in the series saw a complete reversal of fortunes, with the honours going to boats not previously in the frame. Victory went to JAWBREAKER (David Cooper, Royal Western YC) in front of German boat JJONE (Frithjof Schade, Joersfelder SC) and the Italian champions LA SUPERBA (Ignazio Bonanno, C V Marina Militara).  At the same time, it proved disastrous for RELOADED and SERCO who finished 20th and 22nd respectively. Added to a black flag on the opening race, that result had a significant impact on SERCO's chances of retaining the trophy.  The fifth race of a long day was a triumph for one of the J/24 Class stalwarts Stuart Jardine whose STOUCHE headed HUNGRIDER WOLF (Johann Huhn, SVAOe) and RELOADED to the finishing line.  With one discard in force at the moment, RELOADED had just two points of a margin over IL RICIO, with SERCO 21 points adrift in the bronze medal position.   Sailing photo credits-  FOTOSAIL
For more J/24 Europeans sailing information

  

White Wins J/24 Downeast Regatta

(Portland, ME)- One word to describe the weekend EPIC!  Another one?  Yes, on the East Coast of America, instead of San Francisco Bay!  In all 42 boats made it to the starting line during the 25th Anniversary Downeast Regatta in Falmouth Maine hosted by Portland Yacht Club and J24 Fleet 43.  Two thirds of the fleet was from out of the State of Maine as far away as Florida, Wisconsin, Maryland, New Jersey, and Nova Scotia Canada.

Conditions were excellent given that there was a full moon and left over surge from Katia creating a decent current around and through the islands of Casco Bay.

On Saturday the fleet sailed in a north easterly breeze of about 8 to 12 knots with decent 10 to 15 degree shifts and even current over the course.  It was difficult to pick which side of the course would pay out, when as both sides seemed to work a different times.  Bad Apple skippered by Bruce Morse from Falmouth, Maine picked the right side at the correct time in race two to take the gun in a great race.  However Bill Fastiggi, from Burlington VT, skippering USA 5357 Beauty picked all the correct sides all day and finished with two firsts and a second to lead day one.

On Sunday the competitors were met with flat water and no wind around 9am on the waterfront.  However by 11am the southwesterly prevailing wind filled to 10 to 12 knots and started to build to 15knots by the end of the day.  Again strong currents were a factor and played into a prevailing right course side favor in both in-coming and out-going tide, which perplexed even some of the locals.  Tony Parker sailing USA 58 Bangor Packet, currently hailing from Washington D.C. won the day with two firsts and a third.  Tony is a "honorary" Maine local having started his J24 career way back in the late seventies and early eighties and has won the State of Maine Championship on a couple of occasions.

Overall, consistency on both days paid as USA 2785 AL, skippered by Carter White and crewed by owner Mark Klein, Tom Hall, Scott Thomas and Molly White won the regatta and the State of Maine Championship for best Maine boat.  They never finished worst than sixth and averaged 3 points to win the event by a narrow margin (3 points) over Bangor Packet.

Rounding out the top five were Beauty placing third, Dogfish skippered by Bob Kinsman from Newport RI placing fourth and Bubbles skippered by Taylor Neff from Wayzata Yacht Club in Wisconsin placing fifth.

There was a fleet award presented to the top J24 Fleet from outside of the local Fleet 43.  Calculated using the scores of the top three boats from each fleet the Fleet award the prizes went to Fleet 50 in Newport Rhode Island.  The top three boats that helped them win were Dogfish, On the Beach skippered by Lee Buress and Tasmanian Devil skippered by Steve Wood.   J/24 Maine State photos- Ann Blanchard  For more J/24 Maine State Championships sailing information

  

BMW J/24 Europeans Update

(Dublin, Ireland)- To date, the J/24 Europeans have seen real, honest-to-goodness, nuclear gale conditions.  The first day fell victim to the weather (Monday 12th September), when winds in excess of 30 knots and gusts over 50 knots left the Principal Race Officer David Lovegrove with no option other than to abandon racing.  The event has attracted 42 boats from nine countries, which include the national champions of Ireland, Britain, Germany, Italy and Greece.

After losing the first day's racing to the weather, day two at Howth (Tuesday 13th) saw one race completed in fresh and gusty south-westerly winds and witnessed a win for the defending champions (and current British champions) 'Serco' (Bob Turner) with Nathan Batchelor on the helm.

The 42-boat fleet got away at the second time of asking in winds touching 30 knots and it was the right-hand side of the course which was favored, with 'Serco' leading around the windward mark. The downwind leg proved precarious for several boats who struggled with spinnakers in the gusty conditions, with sail damage forcing a number of retirees.

By the end of the second beat, another British boat, 'Il Riccio' (David Southworth/Chris McLaughlin) had taken over the lead but as a shredded spinnaker put paid to their chances of victory and dropped them back to 5th. 'Serco' took the gun ahead of another British entry 'Madeleine' (McCarthy/Phelps), with German boats filling the next two spots, with 'Max Bahr' (Stefan Karsunke) and 'Rotoman' (Kai Mares) 3rd and 4th respectively.

Four German boats finished in the top eight while 9th place went to the highest-placed local boat, Irish champion Flor O'Driscoll and crew on 'Hard on Port'.

With winds forecasted to increase later in the day, the fleet was sent ashore and a subsequent decision by the Race Officer David Lovegrove and his team confirmed that the conditions would not allow any further racing on the day.

It is hoped to run up to five races back-to-back on Wednesday (14th).  At the moment, the top five are 1st- SERCO, Bob Turner, GBR; 2nd- MADELEINE, McCarthy/Phelps, GBR; 3rd- MAX BAHR, Stefan Karsunke, GER, 4th- ROTOMAN Kai Mares, GER and 5th- IL RICCIO, Southworth/McLaughlin, GBR.  For more J/24 Europeans sailing information

  

J/24 Ugotta Regatta Announcement!

(Wayzata, MN)- On October 8th and 9th the Wayzata Yacht Club will be hosting the J/24 Great Lakes Championship on Lake Minnetonka as part of the Pig’s Eye Brewing Company U-Gotta Regatta, a Great Lakes Championship.  Yes, we’re serious about that title sponsor, and that’s one more reason to come.

The U-Gotta has always been a wonderful event. The hospitality of the fleet and members of WYC are second to none.  2011 will be no exception. We encourage any and all J/24’s to attend this great event, and here’s the rub:  If you are a J/24 Class Member, and you’re looking to sail the 2012 J/24 Worlds in Rochester, this is the final event of the year that will get you qualified.  Remember – Rochester’s Worlds is the first “Open” J/24 Worlds in about a J/24s century, and the only qualification is to sail at least one major event in 2011, and this is the last of them!  All you have to do is show up with your boat and race. We will wash the road grim off, help you launch and get you back on your way, and by the way…the entry fee for out-of-town boats is FREE (and we may even be able to provide you with housing).

As if that isn’t enough, it’s fall. You will be treated to a beautiful back drop of colorful trees, and if it’s anything like the last few years, BREEZE! Saturday night will be awesome with a $50.00 per-out-of-town-boat fee for the famously tasty Shrimp Boil provided by Uncle Bernie and his lovely assistant Matt. Oh yeah, and the famous E-Scow bar will be here serving up the libations. We also welcome back Pig’s Eye Brewing Company as our presenting sponsor.

Get on up here!  P.S. We have women.  Lots of women.  And, they serve you drinks from the E-Scow boat bar (like the one pictured here).  That’s gotta be worth something!  Trust us, it's worth the trip!  We could even give you a J/24 if you're nice to us!  For more J/24 Ugotta Regatta sailing information