Yachting Cup Preview

(San Diego, CA)- San Diego Yacht Club’s signature spring regatta, the Yachting Cup, will be sailed for the 44th time April 29- May 1 and many prominent sailors are eagerly awaiting and training for the event. There are eighty-eight boats participating, with thirty-three J/Teams (38% of the fleet) competing in offshore PHRF handicap and four one-design classes (J/70, J/80, J/105 and J/120).

Many of those registered for the 2016 Yachting Cup have a history with the event, including Curt Johnson from California Yacht Club, skipper of the J/80 AVET.  “This is probably our tenth or twelfth Yachting Cup we’ve competed in. The spring conditions in San Diego, in addition to the stellar competition and race management, make it a ‘must do’ event for us. SDYC often adds a new element to keep the regatta fresh and interesting, whether it’s a new format for Friday racing or a new social activity. This all adds up to a terrific experience that keeps us coming back year after year.”

The event will feature three days of racing. One design and handicap racing fleets compete on courses in the ocean or in San Diego Bay, usually in ideal sailing conditions normal for this time of year. After racing, crews gather at race parties at SDYC’s beautiful Club facilities for socializing and planning the next day’s strategies.

Many previous winners of Yachting Cup have their goals set high, especially the regatta’s 2013 winner, Tim Fuller on the J/125 RESOLUTE. "The Yachting Cup is the premier fleet racing event in San Diego, and the Resolute crew will do all they can to fly the winners flag."

SDYC Staff Commodore John Laun, winner of the 2012 Yachting Cup and owner of the J/120 CAPER, is also registered for this year’s race. “The level of competition is typically been very high, in fact, J/120 class winners have been named the overall winners of the Yachting Cup for all classes competing 3 times since 2006. As a SDYC signature regatta, it’s always one we aim for on CAPER every year, and this year will be especially fun and focused since it is essential that we win to be in the hunt for the overall series championship. We always look forward to the close competition and excellent camaraderie in the J/120 fleet.”

Another SDYC Staff Commodore and past winners, Chuck Nichols’ CC RIDER, will be chasing CAPER around the track along with John Snook’s JIM, Ernie Pennell’s MAD MEN and Rudolph Hasl’s HASL FREE.  Missing is the Manok’s POLE DANCER since they just completed the Ensenada Race.

The J/105s have nine boats on the starting line and they will be missing some of their friends from the Los Angeles area.  Nevertheless, in the last event, the San Diego NOOD Regatta, it was a duel to the finish in the final race for Rick Goebel’s SANITY and Dennis Case’s WINGS.  Watch for them to get all tangled up again this weekend.  Meanwhile, other fast teams can slip through the fireworks and score some good races, like Steve Howell’s BLINK or the Hurlburt/ Driscoll duo on the bright safety orange-colored JUICE!

Like the J/105s, there could be some “wash, rinse, repeat” scenarios in the J/70 class after the SD NOODs. With several more new teams showing up on the starting line, veteran teams like Dave Vieregg’s SOGGY DOLLAR, Bruce Cooper/ Shawn Bennett’s USA 32, Jeff Janov’s MINOR THREAT and Eric Kownacki/ Tom Jenkins’ DFZ are hoping to stay in contention for a podium finish.

Finally, as outlined above, the J/80s will no doubt have a tough time with Curt Johnson’s super-fast AVET, but Suzuki Yusuke on SAVAGE and Wayne Zittell’s J/WORLD I are looking forward to their three-way cage fight for first!

In the offshore PHRF categories, the dueling J/125s, Tim Fuller’s RESOLUTE and Mark Surber’s DERIVATIVE, will spar with one another for handicap honors along with the J/46 ANONA sailed by Fred Hawes in the big boat class.  In the mid-sized PHRF class, two 35-footers will be at it hammer and tong, the classic J/35 RIVAL (David Boatner) vs. the J/109 GERONIMO (Gene Pitkin).

The awards ceremony will be held at San Diego Yacht Club after the completion of races on Sunday, May 1 where prizes will be awarded by class.

The Yachting Cup would like to thank its sponsors: Pirates Lair, Ballast Point, SunBum, Helly Hansen, North Sails, North Sails Graphics, SD Boatworks, Tesla Motors, Anchor Gloves and Lemon & Lime.   For more SDYC Yachting Cup sailing information


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Annapolis NOOD Regatta Preview

 
(Annapolis, MD)- The end of April has traditionally marked the start of the long racing season on Chesapeake Bay and the principal event that sailors look forward to after a long winter is the Helly Hansen Annapolis NOOD regatta, hosted by the trio of clubs around Annapolis- Annapolis YC, Eastport YC and Severn Sailing Association.  As has been the case for years, a veritable J/Navy invades for the weekend to enjoy the warm southern hospitality on offer from the local denizens in downtown Annapolis as well as at the various clubs.

Not surprisingly, the popular event attracts teams from far and wide, Chicago to Maine and upstate New York to Florida.  194 boats will be taking to the water, 146 of them (75% of the total fleet!) spread throughout JBoats’ eight classes (a record number of classes ever in one event!)- J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, J/80s, J/30s, J/35s, J/105s, J/111s and PHRF teams (J/109s, J/42, J/110, J/29).

A rather benign weather forecast indicates the sailors may enjoy the rum squalls under the tents more than what happens on the water.  The Wunderground.com weather service indicates a light, rainy east/southeast breeze on Friday; a partly cloudy day on Saturday with a strong northerly in the morning, quickly dying and shifting east; and then a nice sunny day on Sunday with a light southeast wind- temps in the high 50s to mid 60s all weekend.  Not bad, but let’s hope those ivory tower weather gurus are wrong!

A new feature for this year’s Helly Hansen Annapolis NOOD Regatta is the advent of the Helly Hansen Junior Crew team.  Sailing is a pastime that doesn’t discriminate based on age. It’s a competitive outlet where young sail with, against, and alongside elders, as well their peers. And, whereas many youth sports segregate kids to the field of play and adults to the sidelines, sailboat racing does not. Sailing is the ultimate lifetime sport. Ask the outstanding youth sailors selected to be members of Helly Hansen’s Junior Crew, which will compete at the 2016 Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta in Annapolis in May.

“There’s small hole in the pipeline of our sport where kids can fall out after junior sailing,” says Dave Reed, Editor of Sailing World, which owns the 26-year NOOD Regatta series. “They come back eventually, but miss out on great years of keelboat team sailing. This initiative will prove the value of having young sailors on the team. They bring infectious curiosity and energy to every race.”

These five sailors, aged 14 to 17 will compete in the J/105 class, against national champions and highly experienced teams, putting their dingy skills to use in the big keelboat:

Annabelle Hutchinson, Age 17
Born and raised in Annapolis, Annabelle Hutchinson comes from a big sailing family. She has raced competitively on the St. Mary's High School sailing team since freshman year, and while she loves dinghy sailing, she is very excited to get more experience on keelboats.

Andrew Hiller, Age 14
Andrew Hiller has been sailing as long as he can remember, mostly in Optis and a local J/70 fleet on Wednesday nights. He also plays Water Polo for Navy.

Kate Riley, Age 16
Kate Riley has been sailing dinghies (420s and Optis) since she was about six years old and has been racing on her high school's sailing team since 8th grade. She has had some experience with sailing keelboats, but she hopes to have more opportunities to do so as her sailing career advances.

Ben Podlich, Age 15
Ben Podlich has been sailing since he was a little kid, and has been racing at the high school level for the past couple years. He loves sailing in dinghies, but gladly takes any opportunity he can get to sail keelboats, as they are the future in terms of sailing as an adult.

Liam Kennedy, Age 17
Liam Kennedy has been sailing since Optis in 2008 at Eastern YC, has competed in two previous NOOD regattas on J/70s, the AYC Sunday frostbite series on J/88, and sailed J/22s and J/24s on and J/70s in various local fleets. He is excited to sail in the 2016 NOODs here in Annapolis.

They’re not old enough, yet, however, to be given the keys to the Cadillac. Rather, Annapolis YC’s Sailing Director Jane Millman, will oversee the campaign. She will be on board to ensure the safe return of Dr. Alexander’s J/105 MORE COWBELLS!

“I chose sailors who I feel represent what the sport of sailing is about, a Corinthian spirit and willingness to learn in any situation,” says Millman. “By bringing different ages and skill levels together, we will have success in continuing to instill and foster a passion for keelboat sailing at a young age.”

The Helly Hansen Junior Crew is an initiative of the NOOD’s partner, Helly Hansen, which has been making gear for sports and work on the ocean and in the mountains since 1887. They dress world-class sailors, skiers and adventurers with full-protection gear, with the understanding that if you’re not comfortable, you’re not performing at your best. This is especially true on raceboats, so to be sure the Junior Crew are focused on sailing fast and competitive, they will be outfitted with proper Helly Hansen gear.

Who will the kids be up against in the hot, nineteen-boat J/105 class on the Chesapeake Bay??  A rogue’s gallery of past NOOD regatta winners and podium finishers, that’s all!  Familiar names will be dueling for class honors, including Mark & Jolene Masur’s TWO FEATHERS from Fort Worth Boat Club in Texas, Jack Biddle’s familiar RUM PUPPY from Annapolis YC, Jim Konigsberg’s INIGO, Don Santa’s SANTAS REIGN DEAR, Carl & Scott Gitchell’s TENACIOUS and Andrew Kennedy’s BAT IV.

One of the J/105 skippers from Bermuda offered his perspective on the regatta. “We have learned to enjoy subjecting ourselves to the vagaries of the Chesapeake Bay,” says Bermuda-based skipper James Macdonald. “It’s always a challenge to sail well.”

Macdonald, skipper of the aptly-named, Bermuda-flagged J/105 DISTANT PASSION admits that the class isn’t as active as it once was, but maintains that there are still hotspots for regattas, including Annapolis. In Bermuda, says Macdonald, he generally races between six and eight other boats in their weeknight and weekend racing series. “In Annapolis, we see nearly twenty boats,” he says. “Those twenty are of high caliber as well. When it blows here, the racing gets interesting. When it’s lighter, the J/105 can be underpowered, but that’s when the tweaking and tactics come into play.”

After sailing his first J/105 from Bermuda to Key West Race Week and not enjoying the long haul, Macdonald purchased a second J/105 in 2009, DISTANT PASSION, exclusively for sailing events in North America, like the Annapolis NOOD. When not competing in Annapolis, Block Island, or even Ontario, DISTANT PASSION sits on a trailer in Annapolis, what Macdonald calls a good “jumping off point” for northeast regattas. Conveniently, then, the boat is already in place for this weekend’s competition.

The NOOD is a perfect event for he and his crew, says Macdonald, because the three-day event structure gives them enough time to make the trip worthwhile. Macdonald’s tactician, Jon Corless, also runs his own J/105 program in Bermuda, but the two combine forces for faraway regattas. They bring a variety of crew every year, another option made available by the characteristics of the J/105. “It’s easy to sail in some ways,” says Macdonald. “There are still enough controls for great variation among the fleet, but overall it’s a great way to get new keelboat sailors comfortable with the bigger boats.”

With forty-three boats on the line, the J/70s will again be the largest fleet sailing in the regatta.  The top foreign team will be none other than 4x J/24 World Champion Mauricio Santa Cruz from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, sailing BRUSCHETTA.  He will be facing a formidable array of local talent as well as visitors from around the eastern seaboard.  Top teams like J/22 World Champion Al Terhune will be racing DAZZLER, along with other Chesapeake Bay area talents like Jenn & Ray Wulff’s JOINT CUSTODY, Jim Allsopp’s MOXIE, Geoff Becker’s PAPA WHEELIE, Dan & Gannon Troutman’s PIED PIPER, Tom Bowen’s REACH AROUND, Peter McChesney’s TROUBLE, and Henry Filter’s WILD CHILD.  Noteworthy out-of-town crews include Brian Keane’s MOJITO/SAVASANA (Buzzards Bay), Heather Gregg & Joe Bardenheier’s MUSE (Boston), Marty Mckenna’s RARITY (Youngstown), John Brim’s RIMETTE (Fisher’s Island), Will Welles (Maine/ Newport), Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE (Forth Worth) and Nick & Bodo von der Wense (Wayne, PA).

Always a popular local fleet is the twenty-six boat J/22 class.  Having been on a winning streak lately, Mike Marshall’s BAD NEWS hopes to keep their podium finishes rolling.  Chasing them hard all weekend in the shifty stuff where their circle is located will be Jenn Gaffney’s COMMITTED/ PIRATE PRINCESS RACING TEAM, Julie  Mon’s HOT TICKET, Jeff Todd’s HOT TODDY, past J/22 World Champion Terry Flynn (Houston), Chris Doyle’s THE JUG 41 (Youngstown), and Brad Julian’s USA 677.

With seven boats, the once super hot J/24 class has dwindled in numbers but they still enjoy fun racing on the Bay.  Virtually all are local teams from Severn Sailing Association or Eastport YC, such as Peter Rich’s BUXTON, Bill Davenport’s JABB, Pat Fitzgerald’s RUSH HOUR or Pete Kassal’s SPACEMAN SPIFF.

Showing a resurgence in class activity in recent years has been a loyal group of local J/30 owners. Many of the boats have been spruced up quite nicely and look virtually good as news with fresh paint jobs, refinished interiors and new sails.  The refrigerators will be filled with cold “cervezas”, but the gloves will be off as the fleet goes to battle over the three days.  Several crews have had a go at each other over the years, including George Watson’s AVITA, Bob Rutsch & Mike Costello’s BEPOP, Pam Morris’ BUMP, Ron Anderson’s INSATIABLE and Tristan & Sheila Keen’s INFECTIOUS SMILE.

Another old classic that has seen a revival at previous Annapolis NOODs are the J/35s, with a nice half-dozen boat fleet led by a perennial class leader- Jim Sagerholm & Jerry Christofel’s AUNT JEAN.  Who will knock them off the top of the podium this year??  Certainly giving it a try will be Chuck Kohlerman’s MEDICINE MAN, Bruce Artman’s T-BONE and Masci/McGonigle’s WINDEPENDENT.

A strong showing of twenty-two J/80s will produce tight racing and tough mark roundings for this popular Bay class.  Participating will be a top five crew from the 2014 J/80 Worlds- Will & Marie Crump sailing R80 from Annapolis.  They will be chased by other Worlds Top 20 teams, like David Andril’s VAYU, John White’s USA 1162, Ken Mangano’s MANGO, Bert Carp’s ELEVEN, Chris & Liz Chadwick’s CHURCH KEY, Les Beckwith’s FKA and Bill Blank’s BLIND SQUIRREL.

After braving wild conditions off Charleston Harbor for the Charleston Race Week Regatta, seven J/111s are looking forward to the “billiard-table-flat” waters of the Bay (at least compared to Gulf Stream-type breaking 10 footers offshore!).  The top three boats could very well include local champion Martie Roesch’s VELOCITY, Bennet Greenwald’s PERSEVERANCE crew from San Diego, CA, and Doug Curtiss’ WICKED 2.0 team from Buzzards Bay.  However, some stalking horses that could upset that apple cart may be David McCreight’s DARK HORSE or Jim Connelly’s SLUSH FUND.

The world of PHRF offshore racing includes the PHRF 50-75 fleet that looks more like the ninth J one-design class since it has four J/109s in a five-boat class!  So, without further ado, the J/109s are all fast boats, including Bob Schwartz’s NORDLYS from Long Island Sound, Francis Albert’s RESOLUTE from Manassas, VA, Rick Hanson’s ROSALITA from Avondale, PA and multiple class champion Bill Sweetser on the famous RUSH!

The North Sails Rally Race take place on Saturday only and they will be praying for breeze!  Hopefully, the big norther hangs around for a while.  Since it’s a pursuit race, the earlier starts may enjoy a bit of an advantage.  Nevertheless, all will certainly have fun on their “Bay Tour”.  Looking forward to that adventure are Paul & Sue Mikulski’s J/42 FULL CIRCLE, Bob Dymond’s J/29 GABRIELLE and Joe Laun’s J/110 LADY GREY.  Sailing photo credits- Paul Todd/ Outside Images.  Sailing photo Spinsheet.com credits- Dan Phelps.  For more Helly Hansen Annapolis NOOD Regatta sailing information

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J/46's cruising all over the Caribbean!

(Tortola, British Virgin Islands)- According to Tom Babbit, the happy owner of BRAVO (J/46 #24), “after a raucous offshore leg to the Caribbean, we have encountered no fewer than six J/46s that are down here for the "season”!  Holy Smokes!  What fun!  Great folks and great celebrations everywhere we go, one of the major benefits of being part of the J family!  We look forward to reconnecting with at least some of these folks this summer in Camden!  Please contact me at- bravoj42@gmail.com”

According to Tom, those enjoying the steady sun and breezes include:

• Rob and Melanie Shaw on #14 Jazolo (UK)
• Glenn and Elsa Gustafson on #25 Windara (Michigan)
• Herni Van Miele on #40 Jent (Dutch)
• John and Anne Burnett #43 Folie a Deux (San Francisco)
• In Nanny Cay, #23 (USVI)
• Tom & Jane Babbit, Bravo, #24 hailing from Camden, Maine

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J/111s Loving Benelux Series!

(Stellendam, The Netherlands)- Last weekend saw the start of J/111 One-Design Racing in the Benelux region at the Van Uden Reco Regatta in Stellendam.  And, what a great start it was!!

The conditions on Saturday were very tricky, to say at the least. The conditions saw very tight, close racing, demanding everything from everybody on the boats; resulting in some very exhausted crews at the end of the day.

But, what great racing! Three races, three different winners with the top three boats (Zwijnenburg’s SWEENY, Sigg’s LALLEKONIG and Vroom’s RED HERRING) all in a three-way tie on equal points!  As a result, that meant the racing on Sunday was going to be anyone’s game to play for. Both de Liedekerke’s DJINN and Burkert’s TOP JOB were playing “catch-up”, learning a lot every turn around the course and getting closer and closer to the top 3.

On Sunday, the wind kicked in like a hammer, beating the boats with brutal force all day long. This ended up with TOP JOB (broken Jib#3.5) and LALLEKONIG (injured person on board) needing to retire before the racing actually began. Thankfully, they are both in good shape and will be ready to resume racing at the next J/111-event in two week’s time.

The two races sailed that day had two different winners: Zwijnenburg’s SWEENY and Vroom’s RED HERRING.  The outcome again left both boats on equal points, tied for the lead.  However, as ISAF-rules apply (best result in the last race is decisive), this made Vroom’s RED HERRING the winner of the first event. De Liedekerke’s DJINN showed great progress that day by catching up on the two leaders to take third overall.

All owners and crews were very enthusiastic and looking forward to the next J/111 Benelux One Design event- the North Sea Regatta in Scheveningen from May 13th to 16th.  Then, all participating boats in the races in the Benelux countries will also participate in the J/111 World Championship in Cowes (UK) in early August!  Thanks for the report from Paul Gladdines!   For more J/111 Benelux Van Uden Reco sailing information


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Grand Finale- Warsash Spring Series & Championship

(Warsash, England)- According to one observer out on the Solent race track, it was “synchronized broaching on the final weekend of the Crewsaver Warsash Spring Championship!”  Perhaps it was not that bad, but it certainly was marked by a bitter wind chill, sunshine and cloud, shifty winds and some cracking racing!

The wind remained in the north similar to last weekend but this time a NNE on the Saturday with around 10-15 kts of wind. The forecast for Sunday had been a NNW veering north but it was in fact close to a NNE backing N that made course setting quite a challenge for the race committee. Gusts of up to 20 kts became a challenge for the competitors, with many significant broaches and trawling of spinnakers and asymmetrics seen during the days racing (no update on the flounder and oyster count yet off Bramble Banks!).

There were few surprises in the results with those boats leading their class at the end of the first weekend of the Championship further consolidating their lead this weekend to finish overall winner in their class.

The Black Group classes were started near South Ryde Middle with four windward / leeward races on part laid courses with some use of fixed marks when they served our purpose. The first General Recall of the Championship (and in fact the Spring Series as well) was for IRC2 in the first race of the weekend but all boats were away cleanly at the second attempt.

White Group starts were laid at the Jonathan Janson mark with courses running diagonally into the Meon shore.

CREWSAVER SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP
Peter Bateson, Series and Championship Chairman, summed up the Championship saying, "Each year I think that the Spring Championship can't get any better, and each year it does. With 110 boats and around a thousand people taking part there has been a real buzz to the event and some really exciting racing out on the Solent. So far, the feedback has been positive so we are really pleased. A big thank you to Crewsaver and race partner Rolly Tasker for their continued support of the Spring Championship."

In IRC 2 Championship, the J/88 EAT SLEEP J REPEAT sailed by Paul Ward managed a fifth place after twelve races and fellow J/88 crew SABRIEL JR skippered by Dirk Van Beek placed seventh.

Despite not having sailed the first weekend and taking all DNS’s, the J/35 BENGAL TIGER just about thrashed her IRC 3 Championship class on the last weekend, posting an amazing 2-2.5-1-1-4 to win the day by an Irish country furlong!

Finally, the J/109 Championship fleet saw Supercalifragilistically-close sailing between Robert Stiles’ DIAMOND JEM and David McGough’s JUST SO.  After 12 races, just one point separated them with DIAMOND JEM taking the crown followed by JUST SO.  Third was Simon Perry’s JIRAFFE.  The balance of the top five was Chris Copeland & John Smart’s JUKE BOX and past class winner, Owain Franks’ JYNNAN TONNYX in fifth place.

The J/70s produced a winner that was not too surprising to the locals.  As winner of the J/70 World Championship Corinthians Division, Simon Ling’s TEAM RAF BENEVOLENT FUND SPITFIRE won their class with room to spare after posting five 1sts after an awfully slow start in their first race- a 10th place.  Taking second and sailing lights out was Russell Peters on BOB (a past I-14 World Champion and former West Kirby Sailing Club Commodore, famous for the World Championship Team Race Regatta- the Wilson Trophy).  Third in this talented class was Ian Wilson’s GILL RACE TEAM (the skipper is an SB20 World Champion himself!).  Fourth was Jonathan Calascione’s HARLEQUIN and fifth was Allen Higg’s ESF ENERGY.

According to Simon Ling, captain of the RAF SPITFIRE TEAM, “The second and final weekend of racing at the Warsash Spring Championships was amazing. 24 J/70s battling it out over two weekends and twelve races. Some fabulous racing in a very competitive and talented fleet. Team RAF Benevolent Fund Spitfire scored 1,2,3,2,1,1,1,3,2,3 and, in so doing, won the Championships. This is the first event of our 2016 campaign that will culminate in San Francisco in September for the J/70 World Championships. Great start for Team RAF BENEVOLENT SPITFIRE that includes myself, Ian Southworth, Craig Burlton and Tony Hanlon!”

HELLY HANSEN WARSASH SPRING SERIES
The final Sunday (24 April) of the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring proved to be a tricky day's racing when the wind ignored the forecast and dished up between 5-20 kts plus, with massive, cold microbursts that switched direction up to 30 degrees; dumping more than one crew's legs in the water!

The start for race one for the Black Group was near S Ryde Middle, courses with a 2-mile first beat to a laid mark just inshore of the North Channel and then triangles and windward / leeward legs between there and the Ryde Middle Bank before a finish between the East Bramble and Hill Head buoys.

The first windward mark was carried away by a boat in the first class to race was then left drifting! The next two classes managed somehow to round it as it blew rapidly downwind before it was spotted by the race committee and replaced in position with new ground tackle; the final two classes were delayed whilst this was done.

The second Black Group race start was near Deloitte Sailing Club mark; 6-7 mile courses with a first windward leg up to hamblewinterseries.com mark, then one or two windward / leeward legs before a spinnaker reach to a laid mark near Kilchoman and a short beat back to the same finish.

As a result of their incredibly strong leadoff to their series, Cornel Riklin’s J/111 JITTERBUG walked off with the Black Group IRC 1 Class championship.  Paul Griffiths’ JAGERBOMB managed a sixth in class despite missing the first two races.

The Black Group IRC 2 division was a tough one, but in the end Paul Ward’s crew on the J/88 EAT SLEEP J REPEAT were up to the difficult task of taking a non-IRC boat up against IRC-rule-beaters and busting their bubble through superior tactics, boat-handling and just plain-old boatspeed when it counted.  They took third in their grouping.

Just about leading from the start in IRC 3 division was David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’RONIMO. However, they were put to the test on the last weekend but managed to close and win their class by one point.  Andy Howe’s J/97 BLACKJACK II took fourth in a closely fought group.

Another closely fought series took place in the Black Group J/109 Class; the last two races of the series determined that outcome.  In contention were David McGough’s JUST SO and Simon Perry’s JIRAFFE.  However, when “the pedal meets the metal”, you begin to separate “the wheat from the chaff” as they say in America.  In this case, the intense pressure of firewalling their team led to the JUST SO crew blasting two bullets in the last two races to take the class win.  Meanwhile, wilting under the nuclear winter was JIRAFFE, closing with a 2-7 to just eke out a second place on a tie-breaker, much to their surprise!  The points scenario going into the last weekend for the leaders was “clear as Lymington mud” (just ask Bob Fisher what than means!).  Nevertheless, JIRAFFE took second over Owain Franks’ JYNNAN TONNYX on the tie-breaker based on number of firsts.  Fourth in class was Chris Burleigh’s JYBE TALKIN and fifth David Richards’ JAZZY JELLYFISH.

In the White Group, it was anything but obvious who was going to win the J/70 fleet.  But, an experienced former J/80 sailor who knows the Solent better than the color of his socks each morning took the J/70 sailors to task over the entire spring series.  Local knowledge is a good thing.  Patrick Liardet and his J/70 COSMIC crew were truly “on”, or at least beyond, the B52’s Planet Claire and perhaps to “the future and beyond”, according to Buzz Light-year!  In short, after a 1-3-1-2 at the start of the series, it was their’s to lose and they did not squander that position, winning the series by 12 pts.  The huge surprise was the great performance by J/70 class newcomer, Steve Venables’ crew on INJUNCTION, taking second overall. Third was taken by a J/Class veteran, Andrew Barraclough’s JENGA VIII.  The balance of the top five was Nick Denney’s JALAPENO in fourth and Nigel Evans’ SPINNAKER WEALTH MANAGEMENT in fifth position.

For the J/80 class, it was a whitewash by Jon Powell’s BETTY, taking eleven 1sts on their way to a class win by 15 pts.  Second was Mike Lewis’ JESTER and in third was Rachel & Robert Hunt’s JUMBLESAIL.  For more Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series sailing information


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German J/70 Sailing League Act I Preview

(Starnberg, Germany)- On a beautiful lake in Bavaria, 25 kilometers southwest of Munich, will begin the 2016 season for the Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga (DSBL).  The fifth largest lake in Germany, it is most notorious for the scandalous drowning death of King Ludwig II in 1886.  While this bit of trivia may be lost on the sailors, there is no question the 36 teams and nearly 200 sailors participating in DSBL’s inaugural 2016 event will try to avoid tragic performances themselves as they all seek the coveted silver plate, emblematic of the Overall DSBL Championship.

The long weekend starts with a qualification series from April 27th to 28th for six teams on the DSBL’s matched fleet of International One-Design J/70 class sailboats.  The pressure is immense since it is the only time these teams can hope to participate in the “premiere” division of the DSBL- League I.

The Düsseldorf Yacht Club (13th), the Segelkameradschaft (14th place) and the Yacht Club Berlin-Grünau (15th place) want to confirm their status in the Bundesliga I. Their competitors from the Bundesliga II division want to replace them!  That includes the Hamburger Segel-Club (No. 4), the club at Rupenhorn (No. 5) and the Blankeneser Sailing Club (6th place).  Every point will count and no one will give a millimeter as the teams fight to either stay in, or climb into, League I.

The Hamburger Segel-Club (HSC) is a “repeat offender” for the start of the season.  For the second year in a row, the club from Alster Lake is in the qualification round and has to fight for the rite to be in League I. The second time, they hope, things should finally work out:

"We have trained hard on the Alster Lake and, yet, we are completely relaxed. I think we have a good chance in light winds. Since we have two league newcomers to the Starnberg qualifiers, we will still need for better coordination in our crew, but we are getting better. This past weekend, we practiced one last time our maneuvers.  Now, it’s time to get serious. We know that the other clubs have also trained and at the end, little things will decide how we place. It is an intense competition, a fight to the end that will be exciting and something we look forward to,” said HSC skipper- Silke Basedow.

The qualification races start on Wednesday, 27 April at 1100 hrs in front of Munich YC in on Starnberg Lake. Twelve races are planned. The minimum number of five races must be completed to ensure the qualification to be officially valid. If there is no official rating, the table from last season remains.  Thursday, April 28 is scheduled as a make-up day, just in case.

Then, from Friday through Sunday, the League I teams will be sailing as many races as weather permits!  Truly, the “horses will be on the track” working hard and hoping to establish an early pecking order amongst the top sailing clubs throughout Germany.

The Sailing Instructions, the schedule and, most importantly, LIVE SAP SAILING Analytics Tracking can be found here.   For more Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga sailing information


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J/Teams Crush Epic, Record-breaking Ensenada Race

(Newport Beach, CA)- For decades, one of southern California’s most popular offshore races has been the annual 125nm blast down the SoCal/ Mexico coastline from Newport Beach to Ensenada.  It is a marquee event in SoCal offshore circles for many reasons:  the downhill sleighride more often than not is loads of fun flying spinnakers most of the way; and the pre-race “send-off” party and the post-race awards party have gone into notorious folklore status for many boats and crews, good, bad, or otherwise!  It is truly a classic event for those who’ve experienced the traditions of SoCal offshore sailing.  Organized and hosted by the Newport Ocean Racing Association, the beloved N2E is an eclectic mix of serious sailors campaigning multi-million dollar yachts racing alongside recreational cruisers.

This year, the weather forecasters promised a somewhat benign event, a light start with a building breeze from the north to northwest in the overnight hours.  What no one anticipated was that a bizarre El Nino-influenced setup for weather systems would accelerate the strength of the breeze on a clear evening into the low 20 kts all night long!  The consequence was that records for this 125nm sprint were simply eviscerated!  The multihull record set by a MOD 70 was blown away, and the monohull record that stood for 20+ years was also obliterated.  What this meant for most of the fleet was an epic sleighride downhill into Ensenada of near Biblical proportions guided by the stars and the moon into the finish line!  It was an experience to be memorialized for the scrapbooks!

For starters, read these two stories below, one from the J/88 BLUE FLASH and the other from the well-known J/125 TIMESHAVER to get a flavor of how much fun this record-breaking race was for the crews.

J/88 BLUE FLASH Report
Sailing the J/88 BLUE FLASH was Scott Grealish from Portland, OR from the Pacific Northwest. Scott bought the gorgeous flag blue, impeccably prepared boat from the famous radio talk-show host, Dr. Laura from Santa Barbara, CA.  His goal was to have fun sailing in warm waters with his son and friends.  To say that he is well on his way to reaping the rewards of that choice would be nothing short of an understatement.  Who knew that a bunch of guys in INTEL-land could race boats even faster than they blast down the famous nuking 20-30 kts Gorge River, which is mostly flat water but blows “dogs off chains” every day!  They are no strangers to pushing boats to their absolute limits.  Here is Scott’s commentary:

“I won’t remember the 2016 Newport Ensenada for the record setting pace, the perfect breeze that veered and built, letting us nearly sail the rhumbline and never set a jib, or the sunny warm day turning into a crystal clear full moon night with that same “just right” wind in the low 20’s at just the right angle to gybe and finish before shutting down on the boats behind solidifying our class win and 4th place overall in a solid 200+ boat fleet.

My memories will be all about coming together as a team and sailing to our potential after a “disappointing” Islands Race the month before where an epic wipeout during a 30 knot gust with the big kite up left us with our new boat speed record of 18.5 knots- - plus, a shredded kite and staysail.  We still had a six mile lead, but in trying to play it “safe”, we throttled back too far and ended up second in division.  As a skipper, I did some serious reflection afterwards and as a crew, we rallied around our strategy for the next race:  Be safe, be totally prepared, keep everyone focused on their roles, but keep pushing the boat!!

Summary of N2E 2016?  It was awesome, and everything the Islands should have been for us.  The main difference?  Great boat preparation and bow work from Andrew Coates at SD Boatworks, great navigation and weather calls from fellow Portlander Andrew Haliburton, and fast driving in the waves split between myself, my long time friend Kerry Poe from North Sails Oregon and my 17 year old son Sean.  We all know the boat well, and driving at speed in waves was uneventful this time.  No wipeouts, no drama, just hours of surfing between 10-16 knots boat speed.   We found the class kite to be quick and actually easier to drive than our bigger kite.  With a full moon, it was possible to keep pushing all night, and just when we saw a burst of 17.5 knots on a big wave and thought about “backing off”, the breeze eased just enough keep us comfortable with boat speeds in the low teens.

Overall, the whole race had perfect conditions for the boat, with the big zero up at the start, then the breeze built and veered as expected so we went to the A4, then finally the A2 all the way to the end, while we stayed pretty much on the rhumbline throughout.  But, as the breeze got above 18 kts, rather than follow an exact “route”, we mostly drove to catch waves like sailing a Laser in our home waters of the Gorge.  The boat really comes into it's own with either zero conditions or surfing conditions, and we were lucky to have both!

At the finish, we had no idea where we had placed in the absence of trackers, but when we docked in with some 50 foot boats and saw all the open slips in the marina reserved for race boats, we had a feeling we had placed well!  But more importantly, we knew we had sailed well as a team, and that was an even better feeling.  But, what was the best feeling?  Well, we have a little string of blue LED lights inside the boat that give a cool effect at night.  They have always brought us luck, but for the Islands Race they didn’t work.  Bad juju.  I’m not superstitious, but I tested them the night before N2E just to be sure...and, at the finish, we celebrated in the blue glow of the cabin!  The “Flash” was back!

J/125 TIMESHAVER Report
The J/125 TIMESHAVER is pretty well-known in the SoCal offshore circuit.  Owner Viggo Torbensen has campaigned her for years and, more often than not, they “finish in the chocolates”!  No strangers at collecting their fair share of silverware, Viggo often has some of the leading edge sailors in his neighborhood sailing with them. One of them happens to be Eric Shampain from Newport Beach. He’s done the race multiple times and won class and overall twice on the Santa Cruz 50 Horizon.  Said Eric about this year’s event, “it was an amazing race! Maybe my personal fastest finish at just a hair over 12 hours elapsed on the mighty J/125 TIMESHAVER. So fun, so fast. Not a bad streak as well! Insanely, we got 3rd class, 3rd overall PHRF monohull! In other words, our class crushed it! The crew consisted of owner Viggo Torbensen, Tom O'Keefe, Jack Maranto, Blake Hamilton, and my dad Jon Shampain!”

Erik continues to explain; “It had been a while since I sailed a J/125 so I was looking for my fix. The 2015 Transpac doublehanded on Tim Fuller’s RESOLUTE was my last J/125 sail to be precise. When Viggo from Dana Point asked if I would do the Ensenada Race along with the following series of races that comprise the California Offshore Race Week, I had to say yes! I figured that the light air battle that is generally the Ensenada Race would be well forgotten by the time we got the boat in its element offshore down the central California Coast!

Our intel had it being a good race. It ended up being a great race. While it never got extremely windy, it did blow a solid 19-22 kts for an extended period of time making the overall race time quick. With the changing wind speeds and directions, I believe we did 6 or 7 spinnaker peels, each better then the last.  The driving was great fun as we hit 16-17 knots consistently. One of the highlights was late in the evening as we gybed into the moonlight on port. The seas lined up and the boat was humming with figure tip control.

We finished just past 12:12am for an elapsed time of just over 12 hours on the 125nm course. The next morning, we awoke and went to the host hotel to find out that we were 3rd in class and 3rd overall PHRF! Not too shabby for having a fleet of around 142 PHRF entrants. 212 counting all the multihulls and various cruising classes.

After that blast, I am really looking forward to the California Offshore Race Week, which is comprised of three legs starting in San Francisco, and stopping in Monterey, and Santa Barbara, before finishing in San Diego.”

The epilogue?  TIMESHAVER was fastest boat down the track on elapsed time in the winningest division- Class C, crushing Shampain’s former SC50 Horizon ride by nearly 45 minutes!  The winner corrected at 12:32:26.  TIMESHAVER corrected at 12:35:24, e.g a delta of just 2 minutes after 125nm!

While the J/88 and the J/125 had amazing runs down the track, a number of other J/Teams also faired incredibly well.

Peter Bretschger claimed two trophies for his J/120 ADIOS, for Best Corrected PHRF-D and Best Corrected J/120. “I couldn’t be more elated for my crew,” said Bretschger. One of which is only 14 years-old. “It was our fastest race ever. 15 hours!” he said. In 17 years racing N2E, he’d only placed second one other time.  Rudolph Hasl’s J/120 HASL FREE from San Diego YC took third in class.  In fifth place was the J/122 TKO, sailed by John Raymont from Balboa YC.

Then, the J/120 POLE DANCER skipper Terri Manok, took home the Caroline Starr trophy back to Oceanside Yacht Club. Many of her all-women crew dedicated the race to veteran sailor Sue Senescu, who died unexpectedly last year. “I learned a lot from her,” Manok said and called her crew, “my dream team, the best I could have ever hoped for. The team agreed they were in great company while reviewing all the names of groundbreaking women sailors etched onto the side of the trophy!”

In the big boat world in PHRF A, John Lyon’s J/160 INNOCENT MERRIMENT from San Diego YC dueled with classmate Carolyn Parks’ J/145 RADIO FLYER from Santa Barbara YC the entire race.  On elapsed time, the two big J’s were just over 7 minutes apart and docked at virtually the same time in Ensenada!  However, on handicapped time, Lyon’s INNOCENT MERRIMENT took third in class while Parks’ RADIO FLYER took fifth.

The lone J/105 on the race track was Juan Lois’ ROCINANTE from Santa Barbara, taking 4th in PHRF H Class.  Another team from Santa Barbara took fourth in PHRF J Class, Stephen Mcdonough’s J/30 EGGEMOGGIN and Scott McKenney’s cute J/32 cruiser BETTY sailed with determination to grab fifth in class, much to the surprise of her classmates!   Sailing photo credits- Tom Walker   Sailing Photo credits- Leslie Richter.  Sailing photo credits- Ultimate Sailing/ Sharon Green.  For more Newport to Ensenada Race sailing information


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JBoats Founders Honored at Mystic Seaport Museum!

(Mystic Seaport, CT)- Bob and Rod Johnstone to be honored by the Mystic Seaport Museum this October 22nd!  Mystic Seaport will present its 2016 America and the Sea Award to Bob and Rod Johnstone – J/Boats. Given annually by the Museum, the prestigious award recognizes individuals or organizations whose contribution to the history, arts, business, or sciences of the sea best exemplify the American character.

The Johnstone’s will receive the award Saturday, October 22, at a gala dinner held in their honor at Mystic Seaport. The gala will be the first and only dinner held in the Collins Family Gallery of the new Thompson Exhibition Building prior to its ongoing use to display exhibits. The America and the Sea Award Gala is the single largest fundraising event for the Museum. Proceeds from the event benefit the mission of the Museum to inspire an enduring connection to America’s maritime heritage.

“Over the past 39 years, the Johnstone family and their company have influenced American yachting and sport of sailing in incomparable ways. They have established a record of accomplishment that few will ever challenge, and they have instilled in countless Americans a passion for enjoying time on the water with family and good friends aboard good boats,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport. “For these reasons and many more, Mystic Seaport is proud to bestow its America and the Sea Award to Bob and Rod Johnstone – J/Boats.”

To purchase tickets or a table, or to inquire about corporate sponsorship or dockage for the event, please contact- advancement@mysticseaport.org or call 860.572.5365.  More information on Mystic Museum website here.


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J/Sailors Cruise Les Voiles de St Barth

(Gustavia Harbour, St Barths)- From the 11th to 16th April, the beautiful French island of St Barths played host for the 7th edition of Les Voiles de St. Barth.  This year’s event was notable for what it lacked, namely plenty of wind!  Unusual conditions prevailed for the sailors as much lighter winds than forecast jinxed the fleet, making for an exasperating week of sailing for most boats.  One day was even canceled due to no wind!  While the beach parties raged, other prayed for breeze to round out the week, but it never happened.

In CSA 3, Eddy Chalono’s J/111 J-BOSS from Martinique managed to post a strong comeback after taking an 8th place in their first race, sailing fast & furious to post two deuces and take the bronze in class.  Similarly, the J/120 JAGUAR sailed by Vladimir Kulichenko from Moscow, Russia also had a slow start in race 1 with a 9th, but came back with a 3-5 to finish a respectable 6th overall on a tie-breaker over Pamala Baldwin’s J/122 LIQUID team from Antigua.

Like their classmates in CSA 3, the J/109 POCKET ROCKET skippered by David Cullen from St Barths/ Ireland took 4th in CSA 4 class with a scoreline that showed improvement every race.  Peter Lewis’ J/105 WHISTLER from Barbados sailed consistently to take 6th in class.   For more Les Voiles St Barth Regatta sailing information


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Gorgeous Puget Sound Spring Series!

(Seattle, WA)- It was one of those rare weekends that everyone dreams about sailing on Puget Sound.  The famous local sailing photographer, Jan Anderson, commented about the weekend, “first, the wind forecast helped us choose which day to show up, and then Mother Nature delivered a gorgeous weekend! And hey, those that came out sailed their hearts out … what fun! Hope you enjoy these images!”

Hosted by Corinthian YC Seattle, the sailors came out in droves to experience a sunny weekend with nice breeze both days.  The J/105 class had a great turnout and it was Erik Kristen’s MORE JUBILEE crew that took class honors with three 1st and two 2nds in their scoreline.  Second was Jim Geros’ LAST TANGO with two 1sts, two 2nds and a 3rd.  Jerry Diercks’ team on DELIRIUM were, indeed, delirious with glee winning the last race to snag third overall.  The rest of the top five included Chris Phoenix’s JADED in 4th place and David Cohen & Lance Rummel’s INCONCEIVABLE in 5th position.

In the PHRF handicap world, we find Stu Burnell’s J/109 TANTIVY place third in Class 2 with Jerry Woodfield’s J/109 SHADA taking 5th position.  They were followed by Brian White’s classic J/35 GRACE E in 6th place.

In PHRF Class 5, it was the battle of the “29s” yet again!  This time, it was Patrick Denney’s J/29 HERE & NOW taking the silver just one point back from first place! Fourth was the Kaplan/ Erickson/ Moynihan/ Sandler crew on the J/29 WINGS.  Four J/80s were sailing, with David Schutte’s TAJ MAHAL snaring 6th and Lek Dimarucot’s UNDERDOG in 7th place.   Sailing photo credits- Jan Anderson/ JanPix   For more Puget Sound Spring Regatta sailing information


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Mexican J/24 Nationals in Yucatan!

(Cancun, Yucatan, Mexico)- Hold on to your hats!  A soon to be famous sailing venue is being championed by none other than the J/24 class off the famous old fishing village of Cancun in the Yucatan.  Now a famous resort, but even more incredibly, a fantastic place to be sailing literally on the edge of the cobalt-blue Gulf Stream that goes whistling by offshore less than a mile from the harbor entrance.  With spectacular tradewinds that start pumping hard in late spring, early summer, the J/24 sailors from across Mexico, the USA and Europe will revel in the wavy, windy, warm weather conditions on offer in this special place in the world.  Truly, it is an undiscovered, under-appreciated place to hold major regattas!

Register NOW for the Mexican J/24 Nationals and, better yet, get a crew organized and ask J/24 Yucatan Fleet Captain Jorge Ojeda for a borrowed boat to go sailing on for a week!  Contact Jorge here- j24yucatan@hotmail.com/ www.j24yucatan.org/ Facebook J24 Yucatan.

The regatta takes place from June 30th to July 3rd, hosted by Club Marina Sureste in the main harbor of Cancun.  They are supported by the Mexican Federation of Sailing, the Yucatan Tourism Office and supported by sponsor Sherwin Williams Paint.  Up to three windward-leeward races are planned each day starting no earlier than 1100 hours.  A throwout race occurs after five races sailed.
                            
According to Jorge, “we have beautiful sand and weather, but, especially a solid wind all the year, so its a great place for sailing!!  We expect at least 25 J/24s.  The three top Mexican teams are planning to attend and we hope to attract some American, Canadian and European teams, too!  Please contact me, we have good boats available to sail!”   For more Mexican J/24 Nationals sailing information


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Warsash Spring Series IV Report

(Warsash, England)- Competition in the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring continues over the past few weekends.  Here are the latest reports.

April 10th weekend
Crews and skippers alike had their work cut out with a SE to ESE wind of 19-24 knots, gusting 28-29 knots and a big spring tide in the Solent, the fourth day of the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series.

Black Group classes, except for IRC4, started racing near mark 'Deloitte Sailing Club' and followed a largely windward leeward pattern to and from the Ryde Middle Bank and then up the North Channel for further legs before finishing at East Knoll.

In IRC1, Cornel Riklin’s J/111 JITTERBUG was the only one of the three boats leading the class to finish the race. JITTERBUG finished first, with Simon Bamford’s J/111 KESTREL taking second.

In IRC2, the J/88 EAT SLEEP J REPEAT sailed by Paul Ward loved the heavy weather conditions and won her first race in the series.

In IRC3, David Greenhalgh's J/92 J’RONIMO took second by just three seconds and continues to hang on to second overall.

For the J/109 class, it was David McGough’s JUST SO taking the win over Owain Franks’ JYNNAN TONNYX in second and Chris Copeland & John Smart’s JUKEBOX in third place.

Racing did not go ahead for the White Group because of the conditions. Some competitors were seen hoisting their spinnakers as they headed back to the River Hamble, only to find themselves sailing horizontally.  One boat broke their mast and they had to be assisted into port. Back at the clubhouse, Chief Race Officer for White Group Peter Knight was heard to say that he was 'comfortable' with his decision!

Hats off to the Spring Series race officers out on the committee boats where conditions at anchor were less than comfortable!  WSC Commodore Nigel Russell presented Champagne and prizes.

April 19th
It was tight racing for the first weekend of the Crewsaver Warsash Spring Championship; 110 boats were competing with around 850 people on the water!

A NNW wind dominated in the Solent over the weekends racing. Saturday was largely grey and cold with the wind generally 8-10 knots, dropping away for a time during race three to 5-7 knots and coming up to 12-15 knots at the end of the afternoon. Sunday bought sunshine but a very light breeze from between the W and NNW. Fluky and between 3-7 knots.

Black Group start area was towards the eastern end of the Ryde Middle bank near the 'Roger Swinney' buoy. The four races on Saturday and two on Sunday were mainly windward / leeward courses around laid inflatable marks for the six classes; Fast 40+, IRC1 to IRC4 and the J/109. The race course was swung for each race to suit the prevailing conditions; lots of work for the four people on the two mark laying RIBs!

The J/109 class had several new boats all sharing the lead in a three-way tie on 11 pts each; Robert Stile’s DIAMOND JEM, David Richards’ JUMPING JELLYFISH and Simon Perry’s JIRAFFE!  Sitting 5 pts back is David McGough’s JUST SO and another 4 pts further back is Owain Franks’ JYNNAN TONNYX.

The IRC 1 Class saw stiff competition, with Chris Jones & Louise Makin’s J/111 JOURNEYMAKER II posting all top five scores to hang on to 5th position.

IRC 2 saw Paul Ward’s J/88 EAT SLEEP J REPEAT take a fourth position.  Ward said of the weekend's racing: "Courses were all very good and the four race format is exactly what we need to get the boat handling sharpened up at the start of the season. With the wind up and down and swinging around there were a lot of decisions for the race team and from what we could see you got them right and gave us all a really good and challenging day on the water".

White Group saw the first Black Flag of the year raised when the 24 strong J/70 class was too eager to start in the third race and the middle of the fleet pushed out over the start line. The Group raced four races on Saturday but the faltering wind meant only one race could be run on the Sunday despite moving the start inshore from Hamblewinterseries.com to the Royal Southern buoy.  Russell Peter’s BOB is leading the J/70 class with just 13 pts, winning two races in the process and having all top five finishes.  Second is the J/70 Worlds Corinthian Champions, Simon Ling’s TEAM RAF BENEVOLENT FUND SPITFIRE and third is Ian Wilson’s GILL RACE TEAM.  Rounding out the top five is Jon Calascione’s HARLEQUIN in fourth and in fifth is Nick Phillips’ CHAOTIC.

Mike Lewis’s JESTER is leading the J/80 class, followed by Rachel & Robert Hunt’s JUMBLESAIL, third is Terence O’Neill’s AQUA-J.

Peter Bateson concludes, "Next weekend is the last of both the Series and the Championship. If the advance weather forecast of force 3-4 breezes proves correct, there should be some great sailing conditions to make a climax to this year's event."

April 19- Part 2
For the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series, Peter Bateson, Series Chairman, commented that, “the competition in some of the Black Group classes has really heated up now with many boats which had been leading the series in their class finding themselves in second place this week. The points are really tight between the boats and so it's all to play for as we head into the final races of the Spring Series next weekend".

The weather had provided a complete reversal of racing conditions in the Solent from last week leaving competitors searching for wind on day five (Sunday 17 April) of the Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series.

The forecast NNW wind of 5-10 knots shifted around 105 degrees extreme to extreme, causing the first race - and in the end the only race- of the day for White Group to be AP'd as the wind had shifted dramatically to the left.

Black Group's start area was around the eastern end of the Ryde Middle Bank with windward / leeward courses laid by inflatable marks. IRC4, which normally starts with the White Group, was moved into the Black Group start area due to the light winds.

In IRC 1 class, Cornel Riklin’s J/111 JITTERBUG has maintained her overall series lead with an astounding 10-point gap to second place. However, JITTERBUG sustained some damage in an incident with another competitor and was not able to race on the Sunday. Hopefully, she will be out next Sunday.

Paul Ward’s J/88 EAT SLEEP J REPEAT continues to climb the ladder for the series in IRC 3 Class and now sits in third overall.  Richard Cooper’s J/88 JONGLEUR has been doing the same, is tied for fifth place, and has a good chance for a top five finish.

David Greenhalgh’s J/92 J’RONIMO is now leading IRC 3 Class with 11 pts.  Meanwhile, Andy Howe’s J/97 BLACKJACK II took a 2nd in her last race and has an excellent chance of hopping into 3rd overall with a good finish next week.

The J/109s still have the same top three boats leading the class, McGough’s JUST SO in 1st with 9 pts with Franks’ JYNNAN TONNYX in 2nd with 11 pts and Perry’s JIRAFFE in 3rd with 12 pts.  Who beats who in the last weekend will determine the final outcome of this trio?  Chris Burleigh’s JYBE TALKIN’ is 4th with 22 pts and David Richards’ JAZZY JELLYFISH is 5th with 33 pts.

The White Group course was moved inshore from a start at Hamblewinterseries.com buoy to a start from Royal Southern buoy and the racing was able to finally got underway. But with the wind dying steadily competitors found themselves struggling around the windward mark because of the strong tide. Nevertheless, the racing was tight, with the three J/80's rounding the gate mark within three boat lengths of one another.

BETTY (Jon Powell) continues to lead the J/80 class with a sizeable 16-point lead over JUMBLESAIL (Rachel & Robert Hunt) in second place with 26 pts.  Third for the series is Terence O’Neill’s AQUA-J with 34 pts.

In the J/70 class, COSMIC (Patrick Liardet) is holding on as series leader with just 15 pts in 9 races counted.  INJUNCTION (Steve Venables) is holding onto second place after posting three bullets in three of the last four races.  Andrew Barraclough’s JENGA 8 is sitting tenuously in third position with 34 pts, just 4 pts clear of Nick Denney’s JALAPENO in fourth.  Fifth overall is Doug Struth’s DSP.

Annabel Shove presented Champagne and prizes from Rolly Tasker Sails who have provided the winner's champagne throughout the Series.   For more Helly Hansen Warsash Spring Series and CrewSaver Spring Championship sailing information


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