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(San Francisco, CA)- This year's J/Fest hosted by St Francis Yacht Club
had another strong turnout of San Francisco Bay area J/Teams. Leading the
way with twenty boats was the J/105 class, with good sailing for the J/24, J/70
and J/120 teams as well.
The J/105 class on San Francisco Bay continues to remain a strong fleet and
fresh blood is always popping up over the course of time to make life
interesting. Such was the case this past weekend. Leading the way
home was Steve Kleha sailing the renown DONKEY JACK to first place with a
3-5-10-4-1 record for 23 pts to just nip a group of four veteran boats hot on
their tail. Second was the team of Jason Woodley and Scott Whitney
sailing RISK to a 4-2-5-5-9 tally for 25 pts, just two points back. Third
was Pat Benedict on ADVANTAGE 3 putting on a strong effort to finish in the
money with a 5-7-6-6-3 scoreline for 27 pts. Rounding out the top five
based on a tie-breaker at 29 pts were Scooter Simmons on BLACKHAWK in 4th and Walter
Sanford on ALCHEMY in fifth.
Similarly, the J/120s have such an evenly matched fleet it's often
the case the top three are all just about tied on points after the smoke clears
on the race course. For this event, it was Dick Swanson's GRACE DANCES
that started off strong with two bullets to finally win the regatta with just
11 pts. Second was Barry Lewis's CHANCE with 13 pts, climbing up the
score ladder quickly in the last three races with a 1-2-2. Third
was Steve Madeira's MR MAGOO sailing a "barbell" series, weak start
and finish scores bracketing a solid 2-3-3 to finished with 18 pts. Incredibly,
though not too surprisingly, for this fleet was that 4th was a tie-breaker with
John Wimer's DESDEMONA taking it over Timo Bruck's TWIST.
Familiar faces did prevail amongst the leaders in the J/24s, with Darren
Cumming's DOWNTOWN UPROAR taking first by only one point over his buddy Mike
Whitfield's TMC RACING! Third was Valentin Lulevich's brilliant,
metaphorically named boat- SHUT & DRIVE! Smart guy, Valentin is-- drive
that bus fast! :)
As for the J/70s, Jim Cascino's EOS prevailed while Chris Andersen's OLD AND IN
THE WAY stayed out of the way! They apparently had some amazing rides
blasting around San Francisco Bay at about 100 kts with afterburners and
vapor-trails smoking behind them! OK, well maybe 15-18 kts at GPS speeds.
:0
Sailing photo credits- Rolex/ Daniel Forster. For more J/Fest San Francisco sailing information
PACEMAKER Overcomes CONVICTS REVENGE
(Victoria, Australia)- Two days of hard competitive racing saw Dave Suda
sailing ‘Pacemaker’ regain the Vic States crown – just. Not his closest
winning margin (that goes to a previous tussle with yours truly, winning on a
countback in the last race), but by one point from Stephen Girdis sailing
Convicts Revenge from Sydney. The most important point to take out of all this
for the rest of the fleet was the lack of individual dominance that has been
seen in the class over the last few years. Dave won with a score of 25 points,
rather than the single digit scores we have seen sometimes recently. Put that
down to the shifty conditions or to the growing depth in talent of the top half
of the fleet. You choose, but congratulations go to Dave and his crew.
Previous winners Ben Lamb and Arthur Crothers didn’t defend, Ben is in the
wilds of NT or FNQ (gone a roving for work … nobody knows) Sean Kirkjian was
another missing face from interstate amongst many missing out on a great
regatta this year. But with 19 local boats (including two interstate crews) and
another two boats from interstate, the 21 boat fleet fought it out over 4 races
on Saturday and 3 on Sunday.
Third was taken out by Adam Evans in SDM and it seemed this was a popular
placing as the next 4 boats all came very close to coming third, with only 6
points separating 3rd from 7th and with a number of stories of ‘if onlys’ and
‘might have beens’.
Doug Watson from SA will be thinking if only he hadn’t gone deep
to the left going downhill on Sunday when the wind came from the right he would
have been third. Ron Thomson giving an awesome display of ability in the old
green boat will be thinking how close he came to winning a new kite in the
middle of the field when his OCS was reinstated back to a first, but if he
hadn’t had the uncharacteristic 11th on Saturday he would have been 3rd. The
girls on Hyperactive with their new ‘import’ calling the shots would be
thinking that a couple of double digit placings on Sunday morning took them out
of 3rd and then there is Jet going hard left to engage the forecast change when
running 3rd found the breeze went the other way, losing those 6 points made all
the difference.
Brendan Lee sailing ‘By the Lee’ finishing a bit further back could have been
3rd too – if only he hadn’t had the DSQ after communing with Doug MacGregor at
the top mark. Doug didn’t sail after that either. If only !
Hard luck stories abound in racing, Hugo lost a rudder on the first day, the
only one he had so that was catastrophic to his cause, Warren Campbell lost his
kite pole around his foredeckies ear, meaning a new pole and hospital surgery
for his bowman after an ambulance ride. Sam Haines and his crew all came down
with gastro on Saturday night so MMJ did no work at all on Sunday – did they
eat together ?
But really – was it that bad, well apart from the aching bones and sore
muscles, the fleet went about it’s business in a pretty orderly way. A
southeasterly on Saturday around the genoa /jib mark with many changing back
and forth and a little lighter then windier from the north east on Sunday, but
shifty, very shifty. It’s not often you see Dave Suda mixing it with some of
the back markers and some of the back markers were pretty surprised to find
themselves next to Dave !
And the Sunday was nearly Dave’s undoing, after ones and twos on Saturday and
being required to wear the new ‘Club Pro T-shirt at Mike Lewenhagens great BBQ
night (thanks again Mike) in the evening as he wielded the BBQ tongs and downed
the sherbets, Dave put in a very ordinary day by his standards on the Sunday.
With a 7,8,4 he only just scraped home ahead of Convicts Revenge. Can’t have
the title going to NSW two years in a row !
As usual we had a cast of worker bees and volunteers doing the planning and
organising to get us all on the water, thanks again to Sarah, Doug, Kirby and
Jill, mainstays of the Vic Association, plus the committee and hangers on.
Thanks once again to MonJon Security for their most appreciated and continuing
support. Special mention to Sam Haines from UK sails for putting up a new kite
to be won by the boat coming 11th out of 21 boats, This is to show his support
for the middle of the pack, the unsung heroes of the bulk of our fleet, out
there every day learning and moving up the pecking order. Of course it was won
by Robin and Jim Townsend, two of the nicest people in the class …. from SA.
Well Sam the plan was good and much appreciated. Sam has chartered ‘Make my
Jay’ this season and is now buying the boat, pity he hasn’t got to sail it much
and only got one day out of the states. Much more to come from Sam I think !
So the racing was tough, the course legs around a mile, longer than we do in
club racing, but the learning curve for many is steep and rewarding. Many
skippers telling me of their experiences and enjoyment, a tough but a good
regatta by any standard. The highest placed new owner, Mark Foster sailing
‘Gridlock’ at 9th a very good effort, no major ups or downs, just a good
consistent performance. Andy Hunting, one of our youth boat skippers at 10th
with a best placed 3rd, Michael Lewenhagen a long time class stalwart, now in
Vertigo has jumped up the placings to 13 and at times was right up near the
pointy end. Best placed newcomer though was Bruce Alexander in ‘Melbourne
Sailing’, the old ‘Dolly’ which he recently picked up for a song (and maybe
some dance).
Bruce also took out the handicap win for the series ahead of John Neville in
‘Vice Versa’ (raffle winner as well) and Robin Townsend sailing in Good Company
(well-- renamed from Excite Your Senses for the regatta)
Perhaps the most unusual thing to happen was a text message from a new French
crew member to be sailing with Janette Symes in the middle of the night to
indicate the potential success he was about to have with an Australian woman
and the subsequent no show! Rotten luck Janette, I didn’t see it awarded,
but that would be where you lost the Thommo Cup this year I guess!
The results this year mean the racing is wide open, Dave is nearly beatable
(last seen recharging his confidence with a beer under the boat) and although
the usual suspects are still near the pointy end the pattern is definitely
changing. Victoria is the place to race J/24s at a club level at the moment in
Australia with consistent racing all year and a strong ‘traveling’ group of
owners as well. However, some of the best sailors still come from Sydney and I
know Steve Girdis is taking the message home to the harbour city that the storm
is coming from the South in the next two major regattas.
Now is the time to start thinking about going to the NSW States on Cup weekend
at RPEYC and the Nationals at the same venue in early January and mixing it
with our Sydney mates.
Finally, thanks go to all the owners, skippers and crews, their traveling
companions and those left at home, without you this group of sailing loving
people could not get together regularly and tell old stories while they make
new ones. For more J/24 Victoria States Championship sailing information
J/Teams Sweep Perpetual Trophies!
(Charleston, SC)- Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week has a reputation for consistent, solid breeze. In fact, Charleston’s great wind is one of the big reasons this event has grown so spectacularly over the past decade. It was on the eve of the regatta when most weather models predicted big breeze for the start of racing on Friday, with Sunday promising similarly apocalyptic conditions. And that is exactly what the 2013 edition received.
With the 287 teams scattered about on harbor and offshore courses, race organizers were eager to seize the day, completing 3 to 4 races in Friday’s 15-30 knot winds. Saturday’s moderate breezes and calm seas allowed for some recovery, but it was another 3 to 4 race day to insure each fleet was given the chance to sort out the pecking order in the standings. With the podium positions far from certain, Sunday looked to be the determining factor if not for one thing: the forecast. If Friday’s winds were “monster”, there really wasn’t an appropriate superlative to describe what happened Sunday morning. Rapidly increasing winds and huge seas offshore (8 feet at the mouth of Charleston Harbor) prompted the principal race officers to cancel all competition offshore. Inshore, the race committees set up courses and attempted to get races going on all three courses, but the action was quickly cancelled for everyone.
Marking its debut in dramatic fashion, the 55 boat J/70 fleet was the largest at the regatta by nearly 50%! The level of competition was incredibly close and positions could change dramatically leg to leg as entire packs of boats would gain and lose on each shift, such was the tightness of the fleet. While upwind speed for most boats was quite close, it was off-the-wind, particularly in the planing conditions, where boat-handling and pure speed were permitting some teams to make dramatic gains even on the short 0.7 to 0.9 nm downwind legs. In the end, Key West Race Week winner, Tim Healy skippering HELLY HANSEN, sailed an excellent regatta, staying out of trouble and out of the corners to compile a consistent series to take the J/70s with all top five finishes as counters. Just behind them was Jud Smith sailing RELATIVE OBSCURITY, themselves also counting top five finishes in their scoreline to finish second with 21 pts net, just two back from Healy. Sailing in their first big J/70 regatta, Henry Filter dragged "Moose" Mclintock aboard as tactician to put together a great series to finish third overall with 36 pts. The balance of the top five saw St Pete NOOD Regatta winner, Joel Ronning on CATAPULT, take fourth overall and the team on STAMPEDE led by Bruno Pasquinelli (2nd at Key West Race Week) took fifth.
In the J/70s Corinthian Division (amateur teams), it was Heather Gregg-Earl and Joe Bardenheier aboard the beautifully color-coordinated MUSE/ TEAM ATLANTIS that took the honors over sixteen other teams. Second was Brian Elliott sailing B-SQUARED and third was Mike Glover and Robbie Wilkins sailing LUCY, the top local Charleston team in the regatta.
In the J/22 fleet, Chris Doyle’s consistent performance earned his team the victory. Racing "THE JUG 4 1", Doyle’s lowest score of the seven-race series was only a 3, leaving a tally of 1-2-1-1-2-2 for just 9 points. Arthur Libby on TORQEEDO trailed in second with 14 points, and Greg Fisher and Todd Hiller on LEADING EDGE placed third with 19 points. Fisher narrowly beat out the top Canadian team, Ryan Flack sailing BLIND PIG, that finished with 20 pts. Fifth was Keith Zars on USA 1646.
J/24's had the second largest J fleet sailing in the regatta with twenty-six teams showing up on the starting line. After the first six races, it was evident the top two teams were going for broke to take the lead, with Kris Werner's team on SUPERFECTA trying valiantly to hold off a strong challenge from Mike Ingham's team on USA 5443. In the end, SUPERFECTA took the top spot with scores of 1-1-3-4-1-14-6 for 16 pts net. Second was Mike Ingham scoring a 5-5-1-2-6-8-1 for 20 pts net. Third was taken by Ron Medlin Jr on BASH with consistent scores of 3-6-4-6-5-5-4 for 27 pts net. The balance of the top five included Aidan Glackin in 4th sailing the infamous MENTAL FLOSS and in fifth was Frank McNamara sailing ZOT. Good, tight racing in the J/24s, with a dozen boats all posting top five finishes over seven races!The J/80s had a mild turnout and in the end it was Bert Carp who reigned supremo taking near straight bullets to win class on USA 11. Just behind them two points back was Richard Donn's SUPERFLOUS that took second and in third overall was Brad Bertram's ROCKET DOG.
Offshore, the PHRF fleets were treated to some excellent sailing with the solid 10-18 kt southerly breezes on Friday and the moderate NNE winds on Saturday. Taking PHRF A Big Boat division was Robin Team's J/122 TEAMWORK, sailing a solid series and amassing a 2-1-1-2-7-3 record for 9 pts net. Just behind them was a super-sharp J/120 team aboard the pretty flag-blue REBECCA, led by skipper Glenn Gault and tactician Terry Flynn (of J/22 World Champion fame) they managed to score a 4-3-2-1-4-2 against some top teams to net 12 pts for second place.
Within PHRF A, the J/111s had a closely fought series amongst themselves. In the end, Doug Curtiss' WICKED 2.0 prevailed with 24 pts total as top J/111. Second was the rapidly improving FIREBALL from Annapolis, MD sailed by Fast Eddie, Kristen Berry and crew. In their first major outing in a tight racing fleet, Robert Stein's KINETIC was third J/111, narrowly missing out second by one point!
In PHRF B was the "battle of the 35 footers". Gary Weisberg was the top J team, taking 4th overall with his J/109 HEAT WAVE. Fifth was the J/105 DEAD ON ARRIVAL sailed by Joe Highsmith. And, sixth was Willy Schwenzfeier's J/35 ARROW.
PHRF C had its moments and plenty of drama for the top boats. It was very close racing for these fast 30-footers and, as expected, the top teams were the J/29 MIGHTY PUFFIN and the J/92 AMIGOS. When the dust cleared, Dave Pritchard's J/92 AMIGO had to take an SCP (scoring penalty) in the first race, hurting their chances at taking the golden ring. In the end, Steve Thurston's J/29 MIGHTY PUFFIN sailed a very consistent series to score a 1-3-5-1-3-2 for 10 pts net to take the gold by one point. Second was the J/92 AMIGOS with a 6-2-3-2-1-3 for 11 pts net.
In the Pursuit Class, the only fleet to sail all three days, the J/105 JADED sailed by Peter Rugg from Long Island Sound started off with a bad first race, but rapidly learned the ropes of Charleston Harbor's whirlpool currents and twisting breezes to close on the leaders to finish 6th overall with 16 pts, just two points from third!
What was most remarkable about this year's CRW was that not only were J/Teams by far the largest brand at this year's event, but J sailors also took all three perpetual trophies! The Palmetto Cup, awarded to the best performer under PHRF, went to Robin Team and his family crew aboard their J/122 TEAMWORK. The Charleston Race Week Trophy, awarded to the top boat in the most competitive one-design class, went to J/24 Class winner Kris Werner and his Rochester, NY-based crew on board SUPERFECTA. And, the Jubilee Perpetual Sportsmanship Trophy went to local J/24 racer and the Commodore of CORA, Mike Palazzo. Palazzo and his JO MOMMA crew rescued a man overboard in Friday’s heated action and never approached the jury for redress. In fact, the skipper of the boat that lost the man overboard tried to do that on Palazzo’s behalf. Congratulations to all for job well done! For more Charleston Race Week sailing information
Men & Women to Compete in Open
Format First Time!
(Portsmouth, RI) – US Sailing has adapted one of its most historic
championships (the Mallory Trophy) into a new and exciting event for
competitive adult women and men sailors in America. The first edition of the US
Adult Sailing Championship for the Clifford D. Mallory Trophy will take place
August 22-25, 2013 at the Rochester Yacht Club in Rochester, NY in matched,
one-design international J/24 class sailboats!
The US Adult Sailing Championship features an open format allowing women and
men to compete as skipper or crew. While women have been sailing for the US
Men’s Championship since its inception, they were only permitted to race as
crew. With more and more mixed gender teams now racing, there was demand for a
championship to meet this ever-growing segment of the sport.
“Through hard work and dedication of the committee and Rochester Yacht Club,
this championship has been restyled and rejuvenated for a broader field of
participants, while allowing its rich, historical significance to continue
within the sailing community,” said Shannon Bush, Chairperson of US Sailing’s
Championship Committee.
Sponsored by Gill North America, the US Adult Sailing Championships will have
no gender restrictions on skipper or crews. Teams will be limited by weight.
The traditional format of qualifying events remains has been expanded.
Local sailing organizations will field teams to Area Qualifiers or designated
qualifying events with two teams rather than one from Areas A, B, C, D, E, F,
G, K and J and one team from Areas L and H proceeding onto the finals. Teams
will compete in the finals in a round robin format on provided one-design
International J/24s- THE world's largest one-design sailboat class. In
fact, many local J/24 fleets are helping to sponsor/ support this year's
inaugural event with local/ regional qualifying regattas-- please be sure to
contact them! Girl's rule? Maybe this year is that opportunity!!
"For many years, competitive sailors have been putting together teams of
great male and female sailors to compete at local, national,and international
events," said Linda Epstein, Chairperson of the US Adult Sailing
Championships. "Now, they will have the chance to put together their best
team from their local sailing area to compete for a US Sailing championship and
the opportunity to win the Clifford D. Mallory Trophy." Learn more about eligibility requirements, qualification process, boat
and equipment, scoring, prizes, and more. Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes.com
(San Francisco, CA)- This year's J/Fest hosted by St Francis Yacht Club has
another strong turnout of San Francisco Bay area J/Teams. Leading the way
is perhaps one of the strongest J/105 fleets in the country followed by the
always competitive J/120 class on the Bay. In addition, the J/70s are
making their debut in this year's event and will be sailing alongside their
stablemates, a fleet of a half-dozen J/24s.
For the J/105 teams, there's a likelihood that you may see past Rolex Big Boat
Series Champions like Scooter Simmons on BLACKHAWK, Bruce Stone on ARBITRAGE
and Adam Spiegle on JAM SESSION amongst the leaders.
The J/120s have such an evenly matched fleet it's well-nigh
impossible to forecast a fleet leader as nearly all of the boats have won some
regatta or another over the course of time. In any event, you should see
amongst the leaders Barry Lewis's CHANCE, John Wimer's DESDEMONA, Dick
Swanson's GRACE DANCES and Steve Madeira's MR MAGOO.
Familiar faces should also be amongst the leaders in the J/24s, including
Darren Cumming's DOWNTOWN UPROAR, Mike Whitfield's TMC RACING and Rich
Jepsen's RAIL TO RAIL.
As for the J/70s, it will be interesting to see how their first San Francisco
Bay regatta ends up for the competitors. Amongst them are Jim Cascino's
EOS, Chris Andersen's OLD AND IN THE WAY and Mark Nelsen's SUGOI. Sailing photo credits- Rolex/ Daniel Forster. For more J/Fest San Francisco sailing information
(Howth, Ireland)- This year's J/24 Worlds promises to be a special event,
one remembered for decades to come. It's the first 24 Worlds hosted by
the Irish J/24 class and you can bet the Irish sailors will do their best to
roll-out the red carpet for all participants and ensure everyone (almost
without fail) will have an absolutely fantastic time!
With the event sailing from August 22-30, 2013, we recently got a nice update
from Derek Bothwell - Event Chairman. Says Derek, "With just a
little over five months to go until the start of the BMW J/24 World
Championships I am very happy to say that everything is going well on the
planning side. Entries are stacking up and I am very pleased to see that we
have interest from many J2/4 sailors representing North & South America,
Europe & Asia.
I am delighted that the current World Champion, Mauricio Santa Cruz, from
Brazil, will arrive in Howth to defend his title. This really puts it up to the
Europeans who have only a pond to cross in comparison to arrive in large
numbers.
We will also have Allison Young heading up a ladies team from the UK. Allison
who competed in the Laser Radial in the Weymouth Olympics has a very busy year
ahead as she continues to train for the next event in Rio. It is a challenge
for our lady sailors which should not be overlooked.
Charter boats are being snapped up and there is a lot of activity on the
accommodation front, so if you are thinking of entering, do not get left out!
The Irish J/24 National Championships will be run on the 16th and 17th of
August in the same waters with the same Race management team, so why not come
early and get a taste of the venue and tides." For more BMW J/24 Worlds sailing information
(Athens, Greece)- This year's first phase of the Pan-hellenic J/24 Championship
hosted by the Yacht Club of Paleo Falero was full of twists and turns for the
thirteen teams that participated from Athens, Crete and Thessaloniki. After 8
exciting races, the HELLENIC POLICE, with skipper Alexander Tagaropoulo took an
important step forward for the Pan-hellenic Championship Class by winning this
event before heading down to Agios Nikolaos, Crete in October 2013 for the
second phase to complete the championship. Behind HELLENIC POLICE in second
place was JMANIA with Spingo Niko and Dimitris Petkidi skippering. Third was
ANIMA sailed by Alexander Mogantam.
The first day of racing began with an unpleasant surprise for the
teams as they were leaving the harbor-- complete absence of wind. However, a
light breeze from the south appeared and spread throughout the Paleo Falior
Gulf growing into a beautiful 8-15 kts breeze. Three races were completed,
which included spectacular duels between the leading groups. The three
favorites to win (HELLENIC POLICE, ANIMA, JMANIA) made very strong starts with
the trio winning all three races.
The second day of racing was the most exciting, as there were four races in
difficult conditions for teams. The prevailing southerly winds were strong to
begin with and grew even stronger throughout the day, reaching 20-25 kts with
huge, choppy waves coming down the gulf. JMANIA stole the day with some
amazing races, including winning two races with HELLENIC POLICE taking the last
race win.
On the last day, the weather permitted only one race as the
sailing conditions diminished rapidly for the sailors. With an early
start at 11:00am, the RC was hoping to get in at least two races before the
forecasted 20-25 kts winds increased in intensity to 30-35 kts near-gale
conditions. It turns out, the forecast was right, but late! By the
time the J/24 teams were finishing the first race, gusts were already hitting
30 kts! At that point, the RC wisely called it a day and told the fleet
to head for home! The only race was won by HELLENIC POLICE
The crews now look forward to their next appointment to complete the
PanHellenic Championships in October at Agios Nikolaos, Crete. With only 5
points separating the top four teams, interest in the second phase remains
high, and the final victory of the Panhellenic open and unpredictable. Sailing photo credits- Stavros
Kouris For more J/24 Greece Pan-Hellenic Championship sailing information
(Porto Santo Stefano, Italy)- Eighteen J/24s representing Hungary, Germany and
Italy made the migration down to sail the gorgeous and enchanting
stretch of sea between Porto Santo Stefano and the offshore islands of Giglio,
Talamone and Giannella. If the weather and sailing are good or bad often
doesn't matter much to the J/24 sailors who love participating in Pasquavela;
the seaside village is beautiful and quaint with many nice cafes and
restaurants to enjoy any time of day!
On the first day of Pasquavela the winds were from the south/ southeast with a
nice, gentle 12-15 kts breeze. Establishing an early lead in the regatta
was LA SUPERBA, winning two of the three races with BUDAPEST BANK taking the
other race.
The next day was characterized by adverse weather conditions, which was both
widely expected and forecasted! Nevertheless, the excellent work of the
Race Committee made it possible to carry out at least one race in the
"scirocco" winds, blowing 20-25 kts at the start and gusting to 35
kts in heavy rain showers by the weather mark near shore (in fact, located just
off the beach at Gianella!). After that experience, the PRO wisely sent the
fleet home to lick their wounds and prepare for another day of sailing.
Unfortunately, Sunday's sailing was also adversely affected by crazy
weather! This time lack of wind was the problem and sailors (happily)
suffering from too much bright sun and flat seas. However, despite
repeated attempts by the PRO to start a race, the wind simply would not
cooperate, so no races were sailed on Easter Sunday. It was time to head
back to shore and enjoy Easter Brunch with family and friends along the seaside
cafes!
Finally, perhaps either by the Grace of God or King Neptune himself feeling
happier, Easter Monday was celebrated with three good races on a sunny day,
decent breeze and flat water. A fitting end to a regatta punctuated by
some wild weather conditions.
Continuing on their performances in 2012 as both Italian and
European J/24 Champions, the LA SUPERBA team led by Ignazio Bonanno (crew
included Simone Scontrino, Francesco Linares, Alfredo Branciforte and Massimo
Gherarducci) won five races to help them win by four points. Sailing
faster and smarter all the time is the Hungarian team BUDAPEST BANK sailed by
Farkas Litkey, their five 2nds and a first nearly pulled off a win were it not
for the 4-2 on the last races. Instead, Farkas and the B-BANK boys took a
well-deserved second overall with 11 net pts. Third was top German team
JJ ONE form the Segel Club Joersfelder with a total of 26 net pts.
Rounding out the top five were JAMAICA sailed by Pietro Diamanti in 4th and
CAPTAIN NEMO skippered by Guido Guadagni in 5th.
"Overall it was a wonderful Pasquavela-- the total number of sailing teams
is slightly lower than in 2012, but the quality is definitely increased,"
commented YC Santo Stefano Commodore. "Pity about the weather (too windy
Saturday, Sunday too little ), but the race course off Porto Santo Stefano
always presents an excellent challenge to all sailors. The race committee
was excellent considering the weather! The behavior of the participants was
wonderful and 'Thanks' to the Jury on the water. Please feel welcome,
enjoy the awards, rivers of beer and pasta for everyone!"
The German J/24 report on their experience at Pasquavela was quite amusing-
"three German teams sailed Pasquavela this year. The sailing could
be characterized as "assault and demolition" one race to "lulls
and flat" the next. At times it was sunny, then cloudy again, and
finally we also enjoyed a bit of rain. After the months of snowfall in Germany,
we were certainly happy to have a variety of weather. After all, there were
temperatures up to 18 C.! Plus, the Italians are always great hosts--
pasta, beer, red wine!
The races were sometimes very tricky and not every team did so well. The
best German team were the guys from the JJ ONE who fought hard on the last day
(getting a 7-2-4) to place third overall. Peter Langhans and his OSTE hoodlum
boys occupied eleventh place and the ALICE girls (you know, all the pretty
blonds) finished the series ranked 17th.
Legendary German sailing coach, Thorsten Paech, appeared quite happy with the
whole weekend. We practiced on the water in all kinds of situations. Pre-start,
tons of mark roundings, and boat-for-boat tactics against the competition. I'm
curious to see how our teams will implement their learning experiences in the
next event?"
No question, the Germans, Hungarians and Italians are all gunning for a
"good show" at the J/24 World Championships being sailed in Ireland
later this summer! Thanks for contribution from Paola Zanoni- Italiana di
Classe J24 (email- pzanoni@libero.it).
For more J/24 Italy Pasquavela sailing information
(Cordoba, Argentina)- The past weekend was the second and final round of the
fall J/24 championship on Lago San Roque called the "Sailor's Cup",
sailed off the picturesque Andean Mountains' town of Cordoba.
An excellent fleet turnout of seventeen boats produced close competition with
the top five all riding "roller coaster" finishes over the two
weekend event with six races completed. It was evident the various J/24
teams are increasingly more even in their performance, boat speed and teamwork
are such that many races aren't determined until the final 100 meters by those
making the fewest mistakes!
In the end, is was Team INDIGO led by Despontin Ezekiel, who managed to win the
championship after an excellent final day posting finishes of 2-4-1 for 16 net
pts. Just behind them a true Argentinean polo pony race hit the pelota
into the goal! The next four boats finished within four points of each
other!
Taking second on a tie-breaker was CALEUCHE PHONE SERVICE followed by CAIDO DEL
CIELO in third, also with 21 points. By virtue of winning one of their
first races, the team on MARIA MARIA sailed by Julia Wheat, Vicky Allende,
Carlos Trigo, Miguel Bailo and Ramiro Camiloto finished fourth with 24
pts. They were followed in fifth by A PRUEBAS DE BALAS with 25 pts!
A close finish indeed for these crazed mountain J/24 sailors who know how to
have lots of fun. Must be the deliciously yummy pampas fed beef and sweet
malbec red wines that all grow in the region. For more J/24 Cordoba sailing information
Awesome J/22, J/24, J/70, J/80,
J/105, J/109 OD Participation!
(Houston, TX)- Houston Yacht Club recently hosted its 27th annual Elissa
Regatta for the benefit of the tall ship ELISSA. This event not only raises
money for the ELISSA but also raises awareness of Texas' sailing heritage.
The ELISSA is an iron-hulled sailing ship built in Scotland in 1877, and is now
a National Historical Landmark as well as the "Official Tall Ship of
Texas". She is a three masted barque with nineteen sails covering over
one-quarter of an acre in area. The Elissa is housed at the Texas Seaport
Museum and is owned and operated by the Galveston Historical Foundation.
Proceeds from the Elissa Regatta Weekend not only help maintain the ship but
also fund exhibits, community activities and educational programs in connection
with the Elissa for youth and adults.
Sailing in the regatta was local luminary Jay Lutz, racing aboard his J/80 USA
803 with son, Taylor Lutz. Here's Jay's report- "What a great time of year
to sail on Galveston Bay in Texas! Throw in a good cause, the 27th annual 2013
“Elissa” Regatta, hosted by legendary Houston Yacht Club and you have a fun
time for all.
The regatta consisted of twelve classes ranging from the hot new
J/70 to a pursuit start in mixed PHRF rated boats. I had the pleasure of
crewing with my son Taylor, in our J/80 along with our good friends Joe Taylor
(JT) and Casey Rogers. JT and I are old, and when we added up, (with a
calculator) just the years we’ve sailed together, it was more than the J/80 is
long-- 30 years!! At least the “kids”, Taylor and Casey brought our “average”
crew age down considerably. Advil anyone?
Our race course consisted of the PHRF, J/109, J/105 and J/80’s. Winds were SSE
12-18 knots for both Saturday and Sunday (and I might add 78 degrees). In our
J/80 fleet the competition was very tough with many different competitors
leading our class at some point during the six race event. Kevin Funsch and
crew of “Geaux Fast” (AKA “Kicks”) did an outstanding job to win the event by
one point over “USA 803”, Taylor Lutz and crew on a very tight last race
finish. Third was Ramon Torres on “80 Proof” who did a great job winning
race #1 on Saturday. Fourth place was our local fleet captain Forbes Durdin on
“Mojito” who had the most unlucky first day rounding the first windward mark of
race #1 with a comfortable lead after an excellent beat but missed the offset
mark (yes, it was a ways away Forbes) and having a spin takedown/ jib out, back
upwind to clear the offset and dropping back to 6th…And then again leading race
#2 and missing the mark change (not sure we heard or saw any “C” flag either)..
He needed a couple Mojito’s after that!" Thanks for that
contribution, Jay!
The six J/105s battled it out for Galveston Bay supremacy. Winds in the 15-25
knot range made for some exciting extremely tight racing under beautiful Texas
skies and very comfortable temperatures. First place changed hands several
times during the six races, but Mark Young on KILLER RABBIT won his first ever
J/105 regatta and was properly doused in the drink afterward by his admiring
competitors. Has Fleet 17 found a new tradition? Bill Lakenmacher on RADIANCE
stole second by one point from Bee Bednar on STINGER. A great time was had by
all.
The six J/70s saw two matches form over the course of the regatta, one a race
for first and the other for third overall. In the end, Tom Romberg from
Austin YC won the first match with Chris Lewis from Lakewood YC taking
second. In the second match, Jim Mitchell from Fort Worth Boat Club
sailed BOOMTOWN into third by virtue of winning a tie-breaker over Bruce
McDonald's team from Austin YC sailing ROGUE WARRIOR.
The largest class at the regatta were the fun-loving J/24s. The fourteen boats
supplied great competition and the top five really was not settled until the
smoke cleared in the final race. Squeaking by with the top honors was Stu
Lindlow's TROPICAL AGGRESSION, winning by only one point over Jim Kondziela's
ODALISQUE. Third was Natalie Penner's GIGGLES, an awesomely fun team from
Dallas Corinthian YC just three points back. Fourth was Kelly Holmes-Moon
on BAD MOON and fifth was Bryan & Vicki Dyer on RUM LINE.
The six J/22 teams saw a streak of bullets from Larry Blankenhagen's team on
PARROT TALES LIGHT, winning comfortably with 6 pts. Taking second was Don
Peloquin's STUDENT DRIVER and third was Chris Morlan's TILT.
Finally, the J/109s sailed as a trio with some spirited competition. At
the end of the day, is was Dave Christensen's gang on AIRBORNE that was crowned
champion. Next in line was Tom Hutton's LEADING EDGE and in third was
Barry Hoeffner's POLE DANCER. For more ELISSA Regatta sailing information
(Buenos Aires, Argentina)- While winter seemingly still has not left the
northern hemisphere, clinging a bit too tenaciously for most battle-hardened
sailors, the J/24 gang down in Buenos Aires are enjoying nearly equally crazy
conditions in their J/24 Autumn Cup, hosted by Yacht Club Argentino.
After a hard day of racing Saturday, the fleet was able to complete three good
races. Southwest winds prevailed despite, providing the fleet with what is
known locally as the "borneo conditions", rains blasting the fleet
with massive wind shifts and winds gusting from 15-25 kts. With the
racing taking place not far off the "North Dock", the fleet was
constantly challenged with shifty, gusty cells that keep mixing up the
fleet. After three races sailed, it was clear the CACIQUE team led by
Sergio Pendola had established a good lead on the fleet with a 1-1-2.
For Sunday's racing, the fleet was blessed with a sweet sunny day with little
breeze. After two hours of postponement a gentle northerly settled onto the
race course, veering to the northeast that grew stronger during the day.
The RC managed to run two good races to make for a nice start for the two
weekend series. The first race with soft breeze was again won by Sergio Pendola
and the CACIQUE gang and the second race was won by Nico and Rina Cubria. The
Rossi brother's on SHARK are still lurking and waiting for their chance at the
lead. Also, the BA J/24 fleet welcomes newcomer Adrian Segurado.
Next weekend concludes the Autumn Cup at YCA- April 13 & 14.
For more J/24 Buenos Aires sailing information
(Barbados)- Commenting on hosting the Nation's Cup Qualifier, President of the
J/24 Club of Barbados, Greg Webster said, "such organized events
will help to further develop the sport of sailing on the island.
Support-funding and events of this nature also allows the J/24 Club to promote
Barbados as a sailing destination and helps to train and develop our youth
sailors for international competition."
The Barbados J/24 Club founded in July 2007 has rejuvenated Barbados to the
sport of sailing and yacht racing with its camaraderie and spirit of
competition. The J/24 One Design fleet grew from 4 to 10 boats in just 14
months. And, most importantly, it's mission is to encourage and grow the
recognition of the J/24 class throughout the Southern Caribbean and in in
Barbados.
Following a convincing victory in the Barbados ISAF Nation's Cup Qualifiers,
Team USA, skippered by Dustin Durant, will represent the Caribbean and Americas
region in the 2013 Nations Cup J/24 yachting championship in Denmark.
Team USA spoiled the party for Team Canada when it mattered most, registering a
convincing 3-0 victory in the final sail-off in Carlisle Bay on Sunday
after the Canadians had completely dominated the preliminaries.
Six teams took part in the United Insurance Nations Cup qualifiers which were
hosted by the J/24 Club of Barbados and sailed over three days as an
international regatta in Carlisle Bay.
The Canadians, skippered by Peter Wickwire, entered the final with 15
points, having defeated all rivals in the round-robin preliminaries, but
encountered a more tactically-charged American team in an exciting tussle for
the finals.
Durant and his crew, from Long-Beach California, grabbed the
championship as they controlled the pre-start sequence and tactically
stifled the Canadians in each of the three races in the finals.
The Canadians finished second overall while Team Puerto Rico, captained by
Marco Texidor, were third after defeating Robert Povey's Barbados team 2-1 in
the sail-off for third place.
The Barbadians, who made the semifinals and were defeated by Team Canada, won
the first race in an impressive performance against the Puerto Ricans but were
unable to subdue their more aggressive rivals and took fourth place.
"It was truly a new level of competition for us Barbadian sailors but it
was also a fantastic week learning from our competitors from North
America . It will certainly raise the bar for our local guys to achieve new
heights. We look forward to meeting them again in the coming year,"
said Povey.
The lone female crew in the regatta, an American team skippered by
Sandy Hayes, have also qualified for the Nations Cup Women Finals in Denmark as
winners of the female division. Part of Sandy's team includes the famous
bow/cockpit goddess, Martha Parker of TEAM ONE Newport- the world's leading
foul-weather gear experts!
President of the J/24 Club Barbados, Greg Webster, said the International
Sailing Federation Grade-2 event was a learning curve for local J/24 sailors
and thanked all sponsors for helping to make it a success. Along with
title-sponsors United Insurance, other support came from RL Seale, EarthWorks
Pottery, 10 Saints Beer, the BYC, and RoseBank Apts.
"The pre-start sequence for each match was fantastic to watch as the
competitors were very aggressive and the boats were in extreme close proximity
to one another and the helmsmen were required to maintain the control of the
boat with assistance from the crew in a precision manner so as to prevent fouls
and penalties. It was great to watch and learn from the top international
sailors. It was a successful event hosted by Barbados and many thanks to our
sponsors and volunteers", he said. For more J/24 Barbados Nation's Cup sailing information
