J/Mediterranean Cup

Enjoy the best the Med has to offer racing your J

On June 6-7, J/Europe distributor K-Yachting is sponsoring its third annual J/Med Cup event. This regatta has a passionate following amongst those J sailors cruising and racing in the Mediterranean. The locations have been terrific and this year's event promises to be every bit as fun as they have been the past two years. Pierre Duchein at K-Yachting promises that it will another fantastic year. For more details, please visit the K-Yachting website or download the NOR.

J/122 Growing and Winning Worldwide

North Americans @ BI Week, One-Design @ NYYC Regatta, IRC Champions in Europe!

The J/122 continues its winning ways in regattas around the world this spring. With that rare combination of speed, comfort, great modern looks and competitively rated in IRC and PHRF, J/122 owners continue to collect silverware and have seen increased participation of J/122s in events this year.

In the USA, Robin Team's TEAMWORK won PHRF A going away in both Charleston Race Week and the Ft Lauderdale-Charleston Race. Robin reported hitting 20+ knots during the Charleston race while out in the Gulf Stream. They beat two well sailed, competitive STP 65s on handicap in this IRC event. During the American Yacht Club Spring Series, the J/122 class had 5 boats. Perennial campaigner Andrew Weiss and his capable team aboard CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, comfortably won by a six point margin. Mike Bruno's WINGS hung in there for 2nd with John Chapman's team on board SCREAMING EAGLE finishing 3rd. For more info, news and scores see the American YC's site.

In the Caribbean, Jamie Dobb's LOST HORIZONS was dominating Antigua Race Week and looked to have a lock on the Big Boat class win. However, in epic conditions with big seas and big winds they broke their boom and a chance to walk home with an armful of silverware.

In Europe, PEN AZEN sailed by Frenchman Philippe Delaporte continues to dominate, winning a highly competitive IRC1 Class in the prestigious Obelix Trophy. The Obelix Trophy is one of the most prestigious events on the French offshore racing circuit each spring. The J/122 beat the latest IRC-influenced offerings from several builders, including the new Beneteau 41, Archambault 40RC and others. Also campaigning their J/122 successfully in European waters is John Patterson's PANACEA. They were the overall series Champion at the RayMarine Warsash Spring Series in England sailing against all the newest IRC boats in the 37-44 foot size range. The Black Group fleet were set long courses, using much of the central Solent, for the entire series of weekend events. PANACEA had taken a healthy points lead into the final day's racing, ultimately winning and taking the IRC1 Championship handicap honors. PANACEA won by six points over Bill Blain's BATFISH III, a well-sailed J/133. The Big Boat class included a number of J/133s, J/122s as well as a range of other designs - Comet 41, Farr 52, TP52, Ker 39 and Corby 40 and a new Santa Cruz 37.

It's clear the J/122 continues to be the "40 foot boat to beat" in international and regional IRC competition. This solid, all-around performer continues to be the best combination of cruising and racing in the 40 foot category. Competitive boats are "niche-oriented" and become "type specific" in terms of breeze/conditions they're targeted at-- many are extremely tender, hard-to-sail "twitchy" boats.

If you haven't tried one, hop aboard a J/122 in your local area, see them at the J/122 North Americans at STC Block Island Race Week or the New York YC Annual Regatta in Newport. Or contact J/Boats for a dealer/owner near you who can fill you in on why the J/122 has been such a fun, competitive boat to sail

J/122 hits the Jackpot in Australia

Ray and Sandra Entwistle’s J/122 ‘Jackpot’ is turning heads in Sydney’s IRC racing circuit. ‘Jackpot’ tied for first place in the Short Ocean Point Score Series, a six race series sailed off the Sydney coast and run by the CYCA. Sandra shared this report:

The first race in the series was the 173rd Australia Day Regatta, the oldest continuously-conducted sailing regatta in the world, held on January 26, the day the City of Sydney was founded in 1788. We had a great day sailing, a perfect 28c and 15-20kt breeze for the 35nm mile race to Botany Bay and back. This was our first serious race, and the J/122 behaved just as we had hoped, a smooth beat down the coast, and an effortless but exciting run back with the 155m2 kite. We came 3rd on IRC in this race, but couldn’t believe it when we found we had missed 2nd place by 1 second in the 4 ½ hour race. The fleet of 35 yachts were the cream of Sydney’s highly competitive racing circuit, attracting TP52’s, Swan 60, 47.7’s, and a trio of Cookson 12’s to name a few.

The rest of the series were windward-leeward courses and the boats performance improved as we fine-tuned the stock J/122. Our local sail maker ‘Ian Short Sails’ did a superb job on the sail wardrobe, particularly the running kite allowing us to sail at 165 TWA.

Our worst result was a fourth, and the last race was down to the wire with 4 yachts within 1 point of each other. It was a nail-biter from start to finish with some exciting tactical racing and all the yachts performing at their peak to try and take the top prize. In the end ‘Jackpot’ scored equal first in the series with a professionally skippered Swan 60.

We are extremely pleased with the J/122, and like our prior J/109 she has proved to be exceedingly competitive out of the box. We are now looking forward to fitting the dodger and taking her cruising over the Easter holiday break whilst we decide which winter race series to enter.

2009 J/122 North Americans

The inaugural J/122 North American Championship will take place June 21-26, 2009 in Block Island, RI as part of Storm Trysail Club’s Block Island Race Week presented by Rolex. J/122 teams from all over the country are invited to participate in the first national championship of the class. Early indications point to strong attendance with two J/122s coming from Texas, two from Annapolis and one possibly from California in addition to the already strong New England fleet. Event website

Screaming Eagle wins at Manhasset Bay

John Chapman’s first event in his new J/122 happened to be the 630 mile rough, upwind Bermuda Race against four other sisterships. A few months and a few buoy races later, Chapman and his team aboard SCREAMING EAGLE (Peconic Bay, Long Island) savored victory of their own by winning IRC 3 Overall at the Manhasset Bay Fall Series. The regatta featured three days of big breezes followed by a day of sun and shifty northwesterlies. SCREAMING EAGLE won their competitive 10 boat class on the strength of 3 bullets in 6 races. Photo by Allen Clark of Photoboat.com

J/122 is RORC Yacht of the Year

Philippe Delaporte’s PEN AZEN was recently named the 2008 Yacht of the Year by the Royal Ocean Racing Club. Delaporte was recognized for his ‘outstanding racing achievement… and in particular for his sportsmanlike approach, Corinthian spirit and the support he has shown his fellow competitors.’ What a great way to cap off a second straight winning season.Delaporte, a multiple J owner who helped launch the J/80 class in France, sent the following email report:

“This year was very good for us. We just finished the RORC season and we are more than happy with the results. We won the season’s overall, our class and a total of 6 annual RORC trophies: - Best Overall - Best IRC 1- Best Overseas Yacht- Best Series-produced Yacht- Special trophies for events 3 and 4.

We raced 9 regattas including 2 long distance races from Cowes to Madeira and back that are 1,480 miles each. Both of them with strong winds. On the way to Madeira we got 30 knots upwind with gusts up to 46 knots during 3 days. 5 boats only arrived and we win overall. We won our class 7 times and finished second the 2 others. In short a full success. Pen Azen has now sailed 11,000 miles and we are very happy with her.” RORC site

TKO Repeats at Rolex Big Boat Series

Dave Kirby of Manhattan Beach, CA sailed his J/122 TKO to its second straight Rolex Big Boat Series win last weekend hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco. Racing in IRC C division, TKO notched 5 bullets in 7 races, finishing 9 points clear of a custom Wylie 42, followed by a Sydney 38 and Tim Fuller’s J/122 RESOLUTE. The J/122 continues to demonstrate her racing versatility with impressive results in light air, heavy air, inshore and offshore venues. Of particular note is that most owners also daysail and cruise their J/122s, while many of their IRC competitors sit idle between races!