New York YC Annual Regatta
The New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta presented by Rolex—the oldest regatta in the country—has entered the history books for the 159th time after two days of weekend racing (June 15 and 16) preceded by an optional and separately scored competition “Around the Island” on Friday (June 14). With 153 teams competing, the 2013 edition also was the largest Annual Regatta on record, with enough action on the water and ashore to guarantee the event’s venerable reputation into the next century. In the 11-boat J/70 fleet, Joel Ronning's Catapult put up impressive scores of 1,7,1,2,1,1,1 for 14 points and the victory. Mark Ploch/Mike Bruno on Sugar Daddy placed second with 18 points, and Joe Bardenheier/Heather Gregg-Earl's Muse third at 28. For the complete report, (click here).
Cleveland Race Week
71 one-design boats invaded Cleveland Race Week at Edgewater Yacht Club in Cleveland, Ohio from June 14-16. Seven fleets competed, including 14 J/70s. Light and inconsistent breeze on Saturday did not allow the J/70s to complete a race. Sunday dawned with winds between 14-16 knots, and all fleets were able to run three races. Dave Ullman notched a perfect line of 1-1-1 for just 3 total points. He also led a clinic on Friday for the J/70s registered for the event. For complete information, visit www.clevelandraceweek.com.
Leukemia Cups
Both Newport, RI and Annapolis, MD sailors had enjoyable times sailing with families and friends while supporting the Leukemia Cup. Eastport YC and Annapolis YC co-hosted the 21st annual Leukemia Cup regatta in Maryland. More than 100 boats were out there supporting this cause. The racing was held on a very sunny, 70-degree day with 10-15 knots of breeze. Perfect conditions on the water for sailing, except for the 2 knots of current that plagued the fleet much of the afternoon. Jen Wulff sailing Joint Custody with her husband Ray were able to top the 8-boat J/70 fleet. For the Rhode Island chapter the New York YC and Sail Newport co-hosted their Leukemia Cup regatta on Narragansett Bay, raising a new record in excess of $250,000 in one evening of auctions. The J/70 class saw Heather Gregg-Earl of New York YC and Boston, MA win the class. She was followed by Newport's Morgan Paxhia in second place. For more Leukemia Cup sailing information, visit http://www.leukemiacup.org/.
J/70 North American Championship Hits 90 Entries in 28 Hours
Anticipation abounded for the first ever J/70 North American Championship as the regatta reached its 90-boat entry threshold within 28 hours. Hosted by the Annapolis Yacht Club and J/70 Fleet 1, the J/70 North American Championship will take place from September 26-28, 2013. Regatta registration opened on Monday, June 3 at 9:30 am ET, and J/70 sailors from across North America flooded the event website until the 90-boat limit was achieved around 12:30 pm ET on Tuesday, June 4. “In 35 years of sailing, I’ve never seen anything close to this!” exclaimed J/70 Class President Joe Colling of Ohio. “Watching the registration all day and seeing those numbers keep climbing demonstrates the unbelievable enthusiasm for the J/70. It’s already an epic event!” Al Johnstone shared his registration experience, saying, “Cousin Drake Johnstone called me this morning at about 10:00am with great concern in his voice that Rod had not yet entered his J/70 Ragtime in the J/70 NAs, and that entries were capped off at 90 boats for the event. I casually told him it was no big deal, as Rod would check-in later that afternoon and register for himself. Drake then shared the news that there were only five slots remaining and STRONGLY encouraged me to immediately sign him up on the website, which I thankfully did. Thanks to Drake, Ragtime is official entry number 86 of 90 boats, and when I went back to check the regatta site, the inaugural J/70 North American Championship entry book was full with 90 boats entered! So, in about 24 hours the event was already booked, that must be some kind of record! I'm looking forward to sailing with Rod, cousin Andrew Sheriff and a to-be-determined fourth family member in Annapolis for what promises to be a fantastic regatta!” Event organizers limited entries to 90 boats to ensure the highest level of race management and onsite logistics. Competitors may still sign-up and be placed on a wait list. Visit www.j70nac.com for complete regatta information.
Southern Bay Week
One of the highlights of the southern Chesapeake Bay racing season is the Southern Bay Race Week hosted by Hampton Yacht Club. The event actually starts with the annual "feeder race" from Annapolis, the "Down the Bay Race." After the racers have recuperated from their blast down the Chesapeake, the Hampton YC plays host to an amazing regatta that is loaded with an enormous amount of social activities and festivities for the next four days straight. For their debut event, the J/70s had a good turnout for Southern Bay. Locals Ron Thompson and crew started strongly. Their 1-1-2-1-4-1-3 for 13 points sealed the deal to win the J/70s. The Kimbrough boys on NOSTALGIA sailed well and their 3-4-1-3-3-2-1 for 17 points was good enough to take a comfortable second overall. Third was John Hanna sailing VORTEX Racing, beating on a tie-breaker Basil Rowland sailing GETMYBOAT.COM. For complete information, visit http://www.hamptonyc.com/sbrw/.
Cal Race Week
The J/70s debut in the Cal Week regatta saw good, close racing. In the end, the Jenkins/Kownacki duo on DFZ took the crown, winning with a 2-1-1-5-1 record for 10 pts. Karl Pomeroy's ZERO TO 60 accumulated a 1-2-3-4-2 for 12 pts to take second. Third was Dan Gribble's GO-RILLA, amassing scores of 5-5-2-1-4 for 17 pts to snatch third overall. Craig Tallman's JAYA won the battle for fourth while Sean O'Keefe on DECOLORES 3 was fifth (both with 18 points). For complete results, visit http://results.calyachtclub.com/RaceResults/2013/calraceweek-2.html.
J/70 New England Circuit 2013
Inaugural North Americans
Annapolis Yacht Club and the J/70 Class Association cordially invite you to attend the inaugural J/70 North American Championship from September 26-28, 2013 in Annapolis, MD. The Notice of Race is posted, and registration opens on June 1 at the event website: www.j70nac.com.
Yachting Cup
This year marked the 41st year of San Diego Yacht Club's signature regatta, the Yachting Cup. This premiere regatta brings together competitive fleet and one-design racing at multiple venues in San Diego. For their debut in the Yachting Cup, the half-dozen J/70s certainly served up some excellent racing in the windy Saturday conditions with huge waves and massive, almost epic planes/surfs down the big Pacific rollers. It was close racing with the top four boats all finishing within 7 points of each other. The Kownacki/Jenkins team on DFZ sailed the most consistently, with four seconds counting towards their total of 12 points to take the J/70 crown. Karl Pomeroy's ZERO TO SIXTY sailed some great races (including three firsts) but couldn't maintain that "fast & furious" pace, settling for second place overall with 14 points. Third was Scott Grealish's SPLASH with 18 points. Craig Tallmans' new JAYA was fourth, only one point back. And, taking the fifth spot was Kenyon Martin's CHEETAH CUB. Four boats won races. For complete results, visit http://sdyc.org/results13/yachtingcup_res.htm#J70.
Charleston Race Week
Tim Healy edged out Peter Duncan to win the J/70 fleet at Charleston Race Week. After eight races, some of which were sailed in very gusty conditions, team Helly Hansen grabbed a two-point victory over Relative Obscurity. 55 J/70s registered, and 53 competed in the three-day regatta from April 19-21. Blustery winds challenged the teams on Friday, before moderating on Saturday. Sunday racing was a no-go due to brutal winds and huge seas. Healy tallied a line of 5,3,3,1,2,4,10,1, and dropped the 10 for a total of 19 points. Duncan threw-out an 11, leaving a line of 3,2,4,4,3,3,2 for 21 points. Henry Filter’s Wild Child placed third with 36 points. There were multiple race winners among the fleet, but Healy’s consistency earned him the title. For complete results, visit: http://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=742.
In the J/70s Corinthian Division (amateur teams), it was Heather Gregg-Earl and Joe Bardenheier aboard MUSE/TEAM ATLANTIS that took the honors over 16 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.
College of Charleston Alums Take on the J/70 World
Check out the Scuttlebutt link for a Q&A with Greg Fisher and the College of Charleston alumni team competing in the J/70 fleet at Charleston Race Week: http://bit.ly/Z8FmhQ
Elissa Regatta
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. 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. For more information, visit http://www.houstonyachtclub.com/Racing/ElissaRegatta.aspx.
Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta – San Diego
The second stop for the eight event Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta circuit was in San Diego, CA on March 15-17. The feast or famine tradition for this event prevailed, where strong conditions in past events were set aside this year for light and spotty winds. Three race courses hosted 101 boats competing in 12 one design classes. Bennet Greenwald's Perseverance claimed first in the impressive 10-boat J/70 fleet, with 16 points in the six-race series. David Ullman's USA32 took second with 20 points, and Joel Ronning's Catapult was one point back with 21. Complete results may be found at http://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=753
Bacardi Miami Sailing Week
The J/70 class made a strong debut in Miami with 20 boats racing. In pole position with no finish worse than third to start the final day of the series, Briane Keane (Weston, Mass.) added two wins to his score line to take the inaugural BMSW class win with 13 points. “Learned a lot in Key West, tried new things here in Miami and things have worked out!,” said Keane. “Our goal was to be in the top-five and we did it. The J/70 class is the most exciting class in 10 years with top sailors; it’s the best fleet in North America right now; winning Miami is a great accomplishment.” Keane had the largest point cushion – 19 points – of any top finisher in the competing fleets. Peter Duncan (Rye, N.Y.), who won one of the day’s races, finished second overall with 32 points, beating Will Welles (Portsmouth, R.I.) in a standings tie-breaker. Joe Woods (Torquay, GBR) with 43 points, and Brian Elliott (Sayville, N.Y.) with 47, complete the top-five. Event details: http://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=729. More information on the BACARDI Miami Sailing Week and the 86th BACARDI Cup is available at www.MiamiSailingWeek.com andwww.BacardiCup.com.
Joel Ronning's Catapult Dominates St. Pete NOOD
Twenty J/70s hit St. Petersburg, Florida for the NOOD Regatta from February 15-17. Joel Ronning's Catapult dominated the fleet with a line of 1,4,4,1,1,2,1,6,2,2 for just 24 points overall. This was 20 points ahead of runner-up Will Welles' Rascal. Kerry Klingler's Menace came in third with 58 points. Friday saw the breeziest conditions with gusts to near 30, while Saturday moderated just a bit but the breeze was still on. The final day dawned quite chilly, but the Race Committee was able to complete 10 races over the three days. For complete regatta information and results, visit www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas/st-petersburg.
Tim Healy's Team Helly Hansen Wins J/70 Fleet at Quantum Key West Race Week
The J/70 was the largest class at Quantum Key West Race Week with 39 boats registered, and the brand new design was showcased with some spectacular racing. Tim Healy and his experienced team on Helly Hansen seized the lead on Thursday then held it by winning both races on Friday, which featured 14-16 knot winds. Geoff Becker (tactician), John Mollicone (trimmer) and Dave Reed (foredeck) comprised the crew on Helly Hansen. "It was really fun to figure out how to sail the boat. Right up to the last race, we were working on tuning and experimenting with techniques,” said Healy, a J/24 champion who was making his J/70 debut. “We went out early every morning and tinkered with sail trim and rig tune. We made progress every day, and the crew worked very hard at fine-tuning every maneuver.” David Franzel (Somerville, MA) captured the Corinthian portion of J/70 fleet, consisting of 12 boats that did not have a professional aboard. Franzel sailed Spring to a steady stream of firsts and seconds within the Corinthian contingent. For complete regatta information, visit www.premiere-racing.com.
Quantum Key West Race Week Day 4
With four days of racing complete, it is not difficult to identify the stars of Quantum Key West Race Week: the sun and the wind! Even the most veteran sailors have been amazed by the fact that every day of the regatta has brought spectacular conditions with warm temperatures and solid breezes. Wednesday brought 18-22 knot winds, and Thursday was equally ideal as the breeze held steady between 14-18 knots. Tim Healy and his team on Helly Hansen seized the lead in the J/70 fleet, largest of the regatta. Geoff Becker is calling tactics for Healy (Newport, RI), who posted high scores of a first and a second in three races on Thursday, and slighly leads Savasana (Brian Keane, Weston, MA) heading into the final day of racing. For complete regatta information, visit www.premiere-racing.com.
Quantum Key West Race Week Day 3
It appeared there was a new leader in the J/70 fleet after racing concluded on Wednesday. Newport-based pro Tim Healy and his Helly Hansen team won Race 6, finished third in Race 7 and threw out a 23rd suffered in Race 1. That briefly allowed Helly Hansen to overtake Moxie for the overall lead in the regatta’s largest class with 39 boats. However, Healy lost a protest and was hit with a penalty that changed the seventh race result to 19th and dropped Helly Hansen to fourth in the overall standings. Moxie, sailed by brothers Cole and James Allsopp (Annapolis, MD), remained the leader for the second straight day with 34.5 points, 1 ½ better than Relative Obscurity (Peter Duncan, Rye, NY). Healy was disappointed with the protest decision, but remained confident his crew could wind up on top at the end. We’re going to give it our best shot. We just have to keep plugging away,” he said. For complete regatta updates, visit www.premiere-racing.com.
Quantum Key West Race Week Day 2
With northerly winds in the 12-16 knot range, Tuesday provided a perfect opportunity to complete an extra race, for three races on the second day of the 26th annual Quantum Key West Race Week. The J/70 is the largest class in the regatta with 38 boats. The Allsopp brothers (Cole and James) aboard Moxie grew up sailing together before heading off to College of Charleston and the Naval Academy, respectively. Cole is driving while James is handling the bow, and the team closed with a fourth and third on Tuesday to overtake Dave Ullman, the Day 1 leader. For complete regatta information, visit www.premiere-racing.com.
European Yacht of the Year 2013
The awards of this yearÂ’s European Yacht of the Year contest were determined after thoroughly inspecting and testing the 25 nominated boats in Southampton and La Spezia. Leading the winners in five categories was the J/70! See the complete story at http://blog.boats.com/2013/01/european-yacht-of-the-year-2013-the-winners/#ixzz2IkFbKR2H.
Quantum Key West Race Week Day 1
In the J/70 class, all the sailors were going into the first day of racing with wide-open expectations about what might happen on the race track. With a fleet deeply-laden with talent, the outcomes for the first two races were going to help the teams learn more about how their boats were going to perform against their colleagues. With two races behind them, it was pretty clear one team had the day dialed in with Dave Ullman scoring an impressive 2-2 to lead the fleet. Just behind them in second place is Brian Elliott on B-SQUARED with a 4-7; Bob Hughes on HEARTBREAKER with a 1-12 tied with Ryan Ruhlman on SPACEMAN SPIFF with an 8-5; and lying fifth is Cole Allsop on MOXIE with a 5-10. In the J/70 Corinthian Division, Brian Elliott on B-SQUARED is leading with a 1-1, Chris Carroll on TORQEEDO is second with a 2-4 and Kathy Parks and husband Paul Parks are third on SUNDOG with a 6-2. 38 J/70s are competing. For complete regatta updates, go to www.premiere-racing.com.
J/70 Wins Yachts & Yachting Best Performance Award
The winners of the Yachts & Yachting Awards 2013 have been announced and the J/70 has been voted the "Best Performance Boat under 30 feet." The Yachts & Yachting Awards celebrate the very best in what was a fabulous year for sport and for sailing. Readers of the Yachts & Yachting Magazine and web users were asked to vote for their preferred "winner" in each of ten categories and then these "reader" votes were added to the votes of the official judging panel. The award for "Best Performance Boat Under 30 feet" is sponsored by Garmin. The commentary from Y&Y Editors was, "This was a clear winner. Arguably a boat on which the hopes of many sailors are resting – it fills a hole in a sector of the market that has been waiting for the next new thing for several years. J/Boats has almost 40 years of success with one-designs of this size, and this design brings the concept bang up to date. It’s a lightweight boat that planes readily in moderate breezes and is therefore great fun to sail in its own right. Add in one-design racing and you have a recipe that’s proven to make owners and their crews very happy. The J/70 is also well-mannered, easy to sail and to look after, minimising hassle and maximising sailing time. The lifting keel format that makes it launchable from a slipway is also one of a number of factors that helps to minimise annual running costs. It’s easy to see why the boat has been so successful just months after its launch, with almost 200 already built."
Inaugural J/70 North American Championship
The J/70 Class Association is proud to announce the first ever J/70 North American Championship, hosted by the Annapolis Yacht Club in Annapolis. MD! Home of J/70 Fleet 1, the Chesapeake Bay will welcome competitors for three days of racing from September 26-28, 2013. More detailed information will be forthcoming throughout the year, but save these dates, and plan to be part of history this Fall!
J/70 Announced as 2013 Boat of the Year
Sailing World magazine announced the winners of its annual Boat of the Year awards, the most anticipated awards in the sailboat-building industry. Topping this year’s field of winners as the Boat of the Year is the J/70 from J/Boats and CCF Composites (Bristol, RI).
The J/70 and five other new boats won awards from an independent panel of experts that evaluated 15 nominees following the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, MD in October. Selections were based on extensive inspections and sea trials of all the boats. Sailing World’s January/February 2013 issue will feature all six winners.
“When it comes to successfully launching a new design, especially a one-design in a crowded market, no other builder in the performance sailboat industry rivals J/Boats. With the J/70, it meticulously refined the design and construction while promoting it to yacht clubs and potential owners before the first boat was ever built,” says Sailing World editor and Boat of the Year director Dave Reed. “The result is a high-performance, but modestly technical sportboat that instantly appealed to a wide range of racing and recreational sailors.”
“The thing is really sweet,” says BOTY judge Chuck Allen, whose enthusiasm is echoed by fellow judge and professional boatbuilder Tom Rich: “It’s really fun to sail, but I’m really impressed with how well it’s built—the quality is excellent for the price.”
“J/Boats promotes it as a multigenerational boat, and I can see why,” says Greg Stewart, a naval architect and veteran BOTY judge. “A good young sailor could steer this boat just fine. It felt solid going through the waves. We could sail the angles we wanted. This is a boat that could definitely be raced by the family.”
Annapolis NOOD
An impressive bunch of 49 J/70s marked the largest fleet at this weekend's Annapolis NOOD regatta. Bennet Greenwald's Perseverance took first place with a final score of 49.1 points. With RDG in race 5, the team lodged 16,12,4,2,6.1,2,1,6 in the series. Joel Ronning's Catapult claimed second with 57.1 points, and Tim Healy was literally right behind with 58 points. Eight races were completed in all, with Friday as the nicest day of breeze around 15 knots. For Saturday and Sunday, the winds began around 10-12, but decreased and became shifty with choppy seas. For complete results, visit http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas/annapolis/2013-sperry-top-sider-annapolis-nood-results.
Following up on his win at the San Diego NOOD, the victory earned Greenwald’s team of Jeff Madrigali, Steven Pickel and Morgane Renoir as the event's overall winner, earning an invite to participate in the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Championship Regatta in the British Virgin Islands this fall.
The J/70 Speedster (22.75 feet) is J/Boats' first ramp-launchable keelboat - designed to fulfill the growing need for an easy-to-own, high performance one-design that is exciting to sail, stable enough sailboat for the family and built to last.
Features include:
- Large comfortable cockpit with open transom
- Deck-stepped carbon mast with single spreaders
- Three sail inventory with masthead A-Sail
- Vertical lifting keel
- Small cabin for storage and personal privacy
- Easy to trailer and ramp launch
