Western Oz J/122 LITHIUM Smokes Perth

(Perth, Fremantle, Australia)- Graeme Monkhouse sailed his recently acquired J/122 LITHIUM in his first double-handed race.  Graeme purchased LITHIUM after a long selection process.  The objective was to find a boat which can be comfortably cruised with the family, be competitive on IRC, and have a turn of speed which keeps the excitement levels up.  The J/122 ticks all the boxes. LITHIUM reduced its IRC rating from 1.086 with class sails to 1.058 with a furling number 4 jib and A5 spinnaker to suit double-handed sailing in the predominantly fresh Fremantle breezes. Good move.  The "Fremantle Doctor", if you all recall, was the notorious wind that smoked many an America's Cup program in 1987 with steady 20-35 knot breezes!

The first offshore race of the Perth summer season saw record numbers compete in gentle, uncharacteristic 0–12 knot winds.  The Double-handed race was a 25nm course off Fremantle.  The race started in no wind before a south westerly change saw spinnakers hoisted to the day buoy.  In 5 knots of breeze the fleet sailed close hauled 5nm before tacking for a 4nm reach into the shipping channel.  LITHIUM set its Code Zero to great advantage and was doing over 8 knots in under 10 knots of breeze.  A 6nm beat up to Garden Island saw the lead narrow and it was a close battle for first place at the rounding mark.  However the 6.5nm square run down the channel saw LITHIUM drop back.  A 2.3nm broad reach to the finish and LITHIUM crossed the line second and placed 2nd on IRC, a tantalizing 56 seconds off 1st place.

  

The DRAGON Wins AYC Fall

(Rye, NY)- For the 59 J's sailing in a fleet of 90 boats (60% of the fleet), it was a challenging two weekends of sailing.  No wind, floods, massive shifts.  Perfect conditions with sun crystal clear skies.  OK.  Just another fall day on Long Island Sound in classic mid-October weather.  Granted that, it was still good sailing for all competitors.

The J/122 One-Design class had a solid turnout with six boats.  This time, it was "the DRAGON" showing their forked-tail to the rest of the fleet.  Andrew Weiss and team on CHRISTOPHER DRAGON took three firsts to secure their lead on this competitive class by four points.  Their erstwhile nemesis, the triumvirate of Bruno/ Boyle/ Callahan sailed to a solid second place with three seconds for nine points.  Third was a good showing by Barry Gold on SUNDARI, winning two races, but not being consistent enough with three 4ths to miss first by five points.  For more AYC Fall Series sailing information

  

J/122s Dominate AYC Fall Series

(Rye, NY)-  The forecast was not good.  Cloudy, drizzly Saturday.  ESE nothing, building to nothing.  Sunday, clearing slowly, from the WSW nothing, building to almost nothing.  Seems it was true for most of the East Coast.  Except for those areas that can build sea-breezes from nothing into something, like Newport and Buzzards Bay!  And so it was.

For the 59 J's sailing in a fleet of 90 boats (60% of the fleet), it was an exercise primarily in frustration with the weather Gods.  This time it had less to do with the "classic Long Island Sound" weather conditions producing nothing, but more to the point that wind gradients and weather systems were stalled, pouring buckets of rain on those who needed it the least (already flooded out, mind you)!

Undaunted, the huge turnout of J/Teams nevertheless produced good racing for the ONE race that was conducted all weekend long.  Ouch. The J's sailing in the "handicap racing world" had their work cut out for them in the challenging conditions in both IRC and PHRF.

In IRC 5 Division, the J/122s showed up "en masse" and with five of them entered, it was certain that many would be amongst the leaders of the class.  Sure enough, the J/122s finished 2-3-4-5, led home by Andrew Weiss's family team aboard the famous CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, followed by Mike Bruno and Jim Callahan on WINGS, then Stephen Furnary on PATRIOT and Barry Gold on SUNDARI.

 For more AYC Fall Series sailing information

J's Sweep LIS IRC/PHRF Championship

(Riverside, CT)- At host Riverside YC and Storm Trysail Club this past weekend, there was quite a remarkable display of corinthian sailing by J sailors across the spectrum, from the tippy top of the IRC racing spectrum to the "classic" PHRF warhorses that have proven time and again they're good, competitive sailboats.  J/Team's swept first place in FOUR of the five classes sailing in the 2011 Long Island Sound IRC/ PHRF Championships!  The sailors were all treated to spectacular easterlies with 10-17 knots and clear skies on Saturday's racing.

In IRC 3, Tom Boyle's J/122 WINGS won with three 2nds, a 1st and 3rd.  Andrew Weiss’s J/122 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON won the first two races on Saturday to place second in the IRC 3 division.  Third was Jim Bishop's J/44 GOLD DIGGER winning the last two races to finish just one point out of second.

Sailing photo credits- Daniela Clark/ photoboat.com 

For more Long Island Sound sailing information

  

IRC Atlantique Regatta

(Lorient, France)- Concurrent with the J/80s sailing one of their French J/80 Season Series, the offshore boats were racing one of their premiere fall regattas on the offshore French sailing circuit- The Groupama IRC Atlantique Regatta.  Sailing in IRC 1 were a range of J's including Jean Marie Patier's J/122 ILE DE FRANCE, Yves Lanier's J/120 LES QUATRE VENTS BREST (a.k.a. the "four winds of Brest"), Stephane Blanchard's recently launched J/111 LE JOUET and Alain Rouaults' veteran offshore team on the J/133 JIVARO just back from the Rolex Fastnet Race.

After a series of races that saw all forms of weather thrown at them, it was Patier's J/122 ILE DE FRANCE that managed to capture a fourth place in fleet with a 5-7-3-9-1 score.  Just two points behind them was Lanier's J/120 LES QUATRE VENTS BREST with an 8-4-4-6-5.  In one of their first tune-up regattas of the season, Blanchard's J/111 LE JOUET managed 9th overall.    For more IRC Atlantique Regatta sailing information

  

J/Dragons Eviscerate Vineyard Race

(Stamford, CT)-  Imagine fifteen classes of offshore keelboats racing from the middle of Long Island Sound, out through the infamous "Race", out around Buzzards Tower and back, then imagine one brand of boats and their fun-loving owners that passionately enjoy the sport of sailing and you most likely have a pretty good recipe for success on a race course that provides its participants the ultimate challenge in all-around sailing.  That's exactly what happened in this year's edition of the Vineyard Race.  Six class wins by one brand, nearly 50% of the podium silverware went to J owners across the spectrum.

Labor Day weekend's Vineyard Race is a classic American yachting event; a 238-mile course stretching from Shippan Point, through the swirling currents of the Race or Plum Gut, past Block Island, and on to the light tower at the entrance to Buzzard's Bay, to return leaving Block Island to starboard en route to the finish in Stamford Harbor. Begun in 1932, it has attracted the finest sailors and fastest boats for over 70 years, and its intricacies and challenges bring them back time after time. Those who are successful nearly always credit local knowledge of these tricky waters and a good deal of luck.  The event now has three courses to accommodate the needs of various sailors, from the shorter Cornfield Point course, to the middle-distance Seaflower Reef course, to the original Vineyard course.

The formula for winning was apparently straightforward for most of the class winners.  Andrew Weiss' J/122 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON was perhaps the textbook example of how to win.  On the way out, most of the faster boats sailed rhumbline towards the Race.  Going through the eastern end of Long Island Sound, DRAGON went just north of Plum Island and south of Gull Island, staying in stronger southerly breezes with better current.  From there DRAGON sailed down the middle of channel between Point Judith and Block Island, staying further to right (south) of the fleet.  After rounding Buzzards Towers at the opening of Buzzards Bay, DRAGON headed off on starboard tack for several miles offshore before tacking onto port tack and laying the Block Island mark.  From there, DRAGON headed through Plum Gut between Plum Island and Orient Point and stayed just south of rhumbline headed back to finish line off Stamford's Shippan Point.   For more Stamford-Vineyard Race sailing information

  

Foggy Cherbourg Race Finale

J/105 DH'ers Knife Through Mist to 1-2
(Cherbourg, France)-  After a record breaking Rolex Fastnet Race, the final race of the RORC Season's Points Championship took place last weekend. After a scintillating season of racing with the Royal Ocean Racing Club, current weather models predict a light airs race, in sharp contrast to a very windy season, for the 78 nm dash across from the eastern end of the Solent across "La Manche" to Cherbourg.

The Royal Ocean Racing Club's Season's Points Championship consists of a testing series of races that attracts an international and varied fleet. For the serious offshore sailor, trying to win the Season's Points Championship is a real challenge. The Season's Points Championship this year included the tactically and physically challenging Rolex Fastnet Race, the oldest and most prestigious offshore yacht race in the world.  Pending the outcome of the race was the IRC Overall Season Points Championship for IRC 2 for Neil Kipling's J/122, JOOPSTER.

At the end of it all, one could call this race "the foggy bottom version".  After a wet and windy season the weather gods conjured up a new and unusual challenge for the finale of the RORC 2011 season: light airs and thick fog. Speaking after the race, RORC Vice Commodore, Mike Greville said that it was a good and challenging tactical race. "The combination of thick fog and light patchy breeze made it really difficult to sail to the wind. The instruments were not a lot of help because of the wind sheer and we struggled to see the tell tales in the thick fog in the dark. The secret of success appeared for many was to go west. There was more breeze and at a better angle particularly as boats closed the finish at Cherbourg."

The fog also caused the race committee problems at the start and the RIB at the outer distance mark was invaluable in checking for OCS boats. The wind was westerly force 3 and the fleet were just able to carry their kites. Exiting the Solent to the East there were large holes in the wind to spot and avoid off Bembridge.

The light wind prevailed throughout the race.  David Ballantyne's J/133 JINGS took second in both IRC One and IRC Overall finishing at 1057. After them there was a long wait until the rest of the fleet trickled into Cherbourg over the course of the afternoon.  In IRC Three Nikki Curwen triumphed in her J/105 VOADOR from sister ship DIABLO-J sailed by Rear Commodore Nick Martin, a remarkable feat considering they're racing against fully-crewed boats.  Both boats finished 3rd and 4th, respectively against their IRC Doublehanded competitors.

The outcomes of the race had a meaningful impact on the overall standings with J sailing teams well represented in the top five in each class, by far the best performance of any sailing brand in European waters.  For IRC Overall, the J/122 JOOPSTER finished fifth and in IRC Two, the J/122 JOOPSTER wins!

For more RORC Cherbourg Race Sailing information