J/122 PUGWASH Wins In New York YC Cruise

(Camden, ME)- This year's 154th Annual New York YC Cruise in Maine had over 100 yachts. How cool is that?  Well, it was more like 60 sailboats and 40 motor yachts as support/ mother-ships.  Fun stuff.  The social calendar is nearly as important as the sailing calendar...some think the former is way, way more important than the latter (where was JP Morgan and The Queen?). 

The Queen's Cup, a marquee event of the Annual Cruise, saw Dave Murphy's J/122 PUGWASH (pictured above sailing off Key West) finish second overall by 20 seconds (but winning class)! Two days later, on August 10, Dave's J/122 PUGWASH also finished second overall in the equally iconic Astor Cup by 22 seconds (but winning class)!  Ouch!  That hurts...two huge chunks of silverware lost were it not for some lobster pots on rudders, a few slow tacks and a better spinnaker take-down.  Nevertheless, the PUGWASH gang, like George Washington forging across the Delaware River, persevered against all odds and took first overall for IRC 2 for the Squadron Runs.  For more New York YC Cruise sailing information.

  

J/122 JINJA 2nd In Cowes Week

J/122 JINJA 2nd IRC 2

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- Racing conditions for this year's Cowes Week could be described as challenging interspersed with "champagne sailing" for those sun gods and goddesses looking to enjoy the "southern climate" of England; enjoying all the Solent could possibly muster over the week long event.

The J/122s were quite successful racing both handicap and one-design class within IRC 2 Class.  On handicap, Ian Matthews' JINJA climbed into second overall for the series and Rodolphe Marchais' JOLLY JOKER hung onto their mid-week position of sixth overall.  In one-design class, JINJA, JOLLY JOKER were first and second, respectively, followed by David Richard's JOLLY in third, David Hunt's JACOB'S LADDER in fourth and Robin Myerscough's MINT JULEP  in fifth.

 For more Cowes Week sailing information.

  

Cowes Week- Midweek Update

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The racing conditions have been challenging with the fourth day of racing producing some "champagne sailing" conditions.  A patchy early-morning westerly wind built into a 15-20 knot south-westerly by lunchtime, giving perfect racing conditions.
 
By late morning as the larger handicap classes started, the champagne sailing conditions kicked in.  The wind in the central Solent rose to a solid south-westerly of 15-20 knots, giving an increased tempo and energy to the short tacking and progressively more anxious calls for water as all boats headed upwind to the first markers. 

The J/122s are racing both handicap and class within IRC 2 Class.  On handicap, Ian Matthews' JINJA is in third and Rodolphe Marchais' JOLLY JOKER is in sixth.  In one-design class, JINJA, JOLLY JOKER are first and second, respectively, followed by David Richard's JOLLY in third.



For more Cowes Week sailing information.   

Sailing photo credits- Rick Langford- Ocean Images  

Cowes Week Preview- J/122 Class

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- Since 1826 Cowes Week has played a key part in the British sporting summer calendar and is one of the UK’s longest running and most successful sporting events. It now stages up to 40 daily races for over 1,000 boats and is the largest sailing regatta of its kind in the world.

Cowes Week is a fusion of many exciting elements, with its great mix of competitive sailing and social activities. The 8,500 competitors range from Olympic and world class professionals to weekend sailors.  In excess of 100,000 spectators come to watch the sailing, enjoy the parties and live entertainment, and to experience the unique atmosphere. It is genuinely a one-of-a-kind event!

This Saturday the largest sailing regatta of its kind, Cowes Week, kicks off for its 184th year.
IRC 2 Class has a lone J/133, Angus Bates' ASSARAIN IV, who will have to contend with a very tenacious group of J/122s, including David Hunt's JACOB'S LADDER, David Richards' JOLLY, Robin Myerscough's MINT JULEP, Ian Matthews' champion JINJA and Rodolphe Marchais' JOLLY JOKER from France.

For more Cowes Week sailing information.
 
  

J/122s Dominate Chicago-Mackinac Race

Three-Peat For SKYE, FLYING JENNY VI Romps Again

(Chicago, IL)- The Chicago Yacht Club's Race to Mackinac (aka 'The Mac') is unquestionably the world's pre-eminent freshwater distance race. Boats travel from near and far (this year's globe-trotting award goes to BEAU GESTE, a well-campaigned Farr 80 hailing from Hong Kong) for this storied race, which just completed its 102nd running.  With a dramatic starting line off of downtown Chicago, its Gothic-inspired architecture and soaring skyline providing the backdrop, to the race's decidedly bucolic finish at lovely Mackinac Island, a place where cars are banned, horses and bikes rule the roost and fudge is the local currency. The Mac is full-on sailing for its 333 miles.

"This was a fantastic race with our second largest fleet, and every kind of sailing imaginable -- calms with flies to 25 knots on the nose," summed up Greg Freeman, Mackinac Committee Chair. "These conditions rewarded well rounded boats that were well sailed," said Ron White, Chief Measurer. "The physical conditions were also spectacular. We saw a full moonrise with a simultaneous sunset in the Manitous."

In a demanding, challenging race, it took well-sailed boats that could sail easily in a wide variety of wind and wave conditions to win- indeed, weather that was well-suited to J's of all sizes in all classes.  There was an impressive line-up of J's sailing the race, 69 of 355 boats, nearly 20% of the fleet and certainly the largest single brand participating as a whole.  The range of J's included the new J/97 HIT GIRL to the offshore speedsters like the J/145s MAIN STREET and VORTICES. In between were highly competitive fleets of J/105s, J/109s and J/120s pushing one another hard for every last boat-length.  Tossed into the mix fighting for every inch against their stablemates were J/30s, J/35s, J/122s, J/130s, a J/124, J/125, J/44 and J/92.

The J's had an impressive showing.  Winning 3 of 5 major trophies for the race! A feat unequaled by any major sailboat brand in the history of the Chicago-Mac Race.  As they say, "veni, vedi, vici"- they came, they saw, they conquered.  The only two J/122s sailing in this year's "Mac" trounced all comers, from the maxi 80 BEAU GESTE to last year's IRC National Champion, the 52 foot VINCITORE.  In fact, J/122s have won their division in "the Mac Races" five-for-five times!  Fresh off winning not just the IRC C Class in the Bayview Mackinac Race, but first in class in the IRC Great Lakes Championship was David Askew's J/122 FLYING JENNY VI (Annapolis, MD), winning both their section as well as the Mackinac Cup trophy (overall winner) over 152 Boats.  In fact, J’s took 15 of the top 33 slots (45%) overall!

Coming back for a very rare "three-peat" was the J/122 SKYE, duplicating their Mac Double-handed Race win last year, it extended their streak to a third win in a row (having won class/fleet the previous year with a full crew).  Richie Stearns and Bill Zeiler (Wilmette, IL) sailed fast, made few mistakes and won by hours over their tough double-handed competition. Interestingly, of 13 Boats racing in the Double-handed division, J’s took 5 of top 10 (50%) overall!  In fact, SKYE sailing doublehanded would have finished 10th on corrected time behind her J/122 sistership among the 152 boats in the fully crewed Mackinac Cup.
 
For more Chicago-Mackinac Race Sailing information.
  

Coors Light Island Double

(Southampton, England)- It's 30 years since Neil Cox of Solent Rigging organised the first Double Handed racing at the Royal Southampton Yacht Club. Since then the series has continued without a break and grown in popularity.  And, it has to be one of the most challenging of the famous "around island" races anywhere in the world, especially shorthanded.

The tides for this year's Coors light Island Double were more suited to the east-about circumnavigation of the Island instead of the more usual west-about course - If only the boats had enough wind to get over the line. The forecast, and the actual conditions were very light but the Race Committee made the right call by getting the boats away, some of whom were swept OCS by the tide. The fleet of over 100 boats flying spinnakers of all descriptions made a great sight as they ran, slowly, down towards the forts in the bright morning sunshine.

All tactics were used to get down to Bembridge with some boats following the mainland shore and taking a long, wide sweep east and others hugging the Island shore and sometimes getting caught in wind holes from where they watched others further north overtake them.

Once at Bembbridge the very light wind slowly picked up but immediately became so flukey that it was hard to know which sail to hoist or which tack to take. Eventually the conditions settled down with the earlier boats taking full advantage of the favourable tide to make the Needles in two tacks. The later boats were robbed of that option and had to take the inshore route but at least then found the tide in their favour in the Needles Channel.

The western Solent delivered winds that hadn't appeared on any of Friday's forecasts and strengthened the nearer the boats got to the finish where the Race Committee were on station to the south-east of Williams Shipping buoy, setting a line that was a near straight run from Sconce. From there the main question then became, if we raise the kite will we get it down again? The hardy souls that took that risk had an exhilarating, surfing run to line.

Here is Neil Martin's and Deb Fish's report from the J/133 JAMMY DODGER:  "With just over an hour of flood tide left, the race committee sent the fleet East down the Solent for a clockwise circumnavigation. Neil got us a good start at the Squadron end of the line, where we could stem the lighter tide until it was time to turn for the line. Seconds before the start we hoisted the light runner and set off in the forecast light NWly winds. We gybed all down the Solent, generally staying away from the lighter winds on the Island shore and gybing between mid channel and the mainland. The patchy wind became a bit steadier and we found ourselves leading the fleet by some margin by the time we reached the forts. We crept inside No Mans Land fort, deep inshore to get out of the foul tide, and the wind died before shifting dramatically. Fortunately the fleet of Redwings racing off Bembridge allowed Neil to anticipate the new wind, and we soon had the kite down and were beating to Bembridge Ledge.

The wind soon shifted to the SW and built to 17 knots, and we tacked along the middle of the course to Dunnose, trying to keep out of the bays and in the stronger tide, but stay right in anticipation of the wind veering. (At least, we think it was stronger tide - having tossed Winning Tides overboard in the spinnaker drop at Bembridge, we were relying on the tide atlases in the Almanac...) By St Cats the wind had veered and we could just lay the Needles on port tack. Visibility was amazing - halfway between St Cats and the Needles, both looked just a couple of miles away, and we could see Anvil Point and Portland Bill really clearly. The sea had built with wind over tide, so I was in for a soaking on the bow to clip the spinnaker on. I managed to cut my finger, covering the deck with blood - unbelievable how such a tiny cut can cause so much mess. We passed the wreck, bore away and hoisted the kite in 20 knots of breeze. Gybing the light runner on the J133 down the Needles Channel then the Solent double-handed was hard work, with the boat on the edge, but we managed to avoid wraps and stay in control somehow. We still led the fleet around the Needles, but the two multihulls that had been drawing ever closer finally overtook us in the Needles channel.

Conscious of stemming the strong tide in the middle of the Solent, we gybed in to the mainland shore, but I had failed to notice the shallow waters further along our gybe out on the small screen on the hand-held chart plotter and we held our breath as the depth decreased to 0.0m and we touched the bottom with full main and spinnaker up doing 10 knots. Mercifully we got through the shallow patch and out of the other side.

The final drama was finding the finish buoy just upwind of the Bramble bank and getting the kite down quickly (listening at the race committee's urgent calls to one of the following boats to beware the Bramble bank!)."

Besides winning elapsed time overall, JAMMY DODGER also managed to finish fourth in Class 1 on corrected time.   Finishing ninth was the OSTAR class winner (and nearly overall), the J/122 JBELLINO, ably sailed by experienced offshore sailing veteran Rob Craigie with Charles Allen as part of his team.  For more Island Double sailing information.  Sailing Photo Credit- Paul Wyeth
   

J/122 2nd In RORC Channel Race

(Cowes, England)- This year's Channel Race was blessed with good breeze around the 130 mile course with sunshine during the day and warm air temperature at night.  Missing the overall win and IRC One class win by just under three minutes on corrected time was Neil Kipling's J/122 JOOPSTER. Next on their agenda will be a mixture of inshore and offshore races for the Rolex Commodores' Cup.  For more RORC Channel Race sailing information