2014 Hong Kong J/80 Class Championships

(Hong Kong, China)- The fifth Hong Kong J80 Class Championships will be held on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd of November.  The event is organized by the Royal Hong Kong YC, one of the oldest sailing clubs in Asia with a history dating back as far as 1890.  Expected to be the biggest international J/80 event in Asia thus far, over twenty J/80's are expected to participate drawing in high profile sailors from the region.  This year a number of visiting teams will travel down from Mainland China to test their skills against the local fleet.

The event will be sailed off the southern tip of Lamma island, in open waters.  November typically offers optimal sailing conditions; East-North Easterly breezes of between 12 and 18 knots, a light swell and clear blue skies.  Add in local hospitality and the stunning location and facilities of the host yacht club - its no wonder this event is growing in popularity.

For more J/80 Hong Kong Championship sailing information
http://www.RHKYC.com.hk

The J/Boats "Impact" Developing Sailing Markets Worldwide

(Liuzhou, Guangxi Province, China)- Developing recreational sports in countries such as China has always been a challenge.  The economies in these developing countries have been in booms, the wealth has come in to the households, but the people do not have the background and knowledge that developed nations have had to really enjoy the boating life.  Lack of swimming, fear of water and lack of good instruction are all real things that need to be addressed before you can even get new sailors on the water.  Riviera Liuzhou Yacht Club in Guangxi Province, China has a formula that is working. This location is in the heart of China, 5 hours from any coastline-- not the location most would think would see the largest growth of new keel boat sailors in Asia.

Two years ago, Mr. He and Frank Lin of Liuzhou had the idea of starting a club. They pushed the local government for access to get things started. With docks completed in October of 2011 they hosted their first national Masters Cup Regatta with 14 new club-owned International J/80 one-designs.  Not really knowing what they were up against, they were smart to bring in some help to organize and run the event. In the spring of 2012 they hosted another Masters Cup Regatta.  They invited sailors from around China, Hong Kong and Singapore; as a result most of the Asian sailing world began to understand where Liuzhou was located and its promise for opportunity.  But, this did little for local sailing. As we all know, local sailing is the key to growth.

In the Summer of 2012, Jim Johnstone started working with Liuzhou to help them train the instructors to establish the sailing program and help them create some local teams to compete in other events around China. As of June 2012 there were a handful of instructors that had sailed before this program started.

With many days on the water practicing and several local companies taking instruction from the club, the first base of sailors was generated and the instructors continued to improve their skills. Liuzhou won the China Club Match Challenge and was also 5th out of the 28 team fleet.  Recently, Liuzhou sailors were 4th in the China Cup and 1st in the Round Hainan Regatta in Sanya (the "Hawaii" of China, its southernmost island resort where the 2012 Volvo Ocean Race stop-over was hosted). The Liuzhou sailing team then went on to compete in Qingdao where they placed 1st in 8 out of the 9 races. With many more events scheduled for 2013, Liuzhou is a city that other teams are worried about competing against!  That's a remarkable transformation for what many thought were "farmers" in the outback of China!

What was still missing was local racing going into 2013. With 14 boats available the club went out to the students that had taken lessons and pushed for each of the sailors that had some background to sign up for a boat and bring friends that didn't have any knowledge but wanted to learn. An 8 week Sunday series was born with all 14 boats signed up.  Sailing was simple windward-leeward courses with spinnakers and a goal of 5 races per afternoon between 1pm and 3:30pm.  Prior to racing there was a 30 minutes instructional class that would cover whatever topic the fleet seemed to need the most from the previous weekend (spinnaker handling tips, rules lessons, basic tactics, sportsmanship etc).

One important rule was that a club member had to be on each boat. However, the club has two memberships. An associate membership that allowed limited use of club boats and access to the docks or the full membership that would allow full access including the club house that is not completed yet. Membership is important not only for showing growth but to cover the people under the club insurance policy.

Each Sunday, the Riviera Yacht Club gets 70 to 90 new sailors showing up to compete in these races. None of the trained instructors were allowed to sail in any of the boats and coaching was provided on the water with two inflatable crash boats. However, instruction was limited to the following: a) coaching the last two place boats if they fall behind the fleet and b) on-the-water judging to help people with the rules and keep the damage to a minimum.

The race committee was also keeping things simple: Postponement flag, individual recall flag and general recall flags along with a race committee flag were all that were used. Three minute dinghy starts were used so no sailors needed a stop watch. 2 minutes after the last boat finishes the next start would sound. Only windward leeward courses, but depending on the wind, the distance would change. The race committee had the ability to limit sails in conditions of higher winds. No spinnakers, even no jibs were used at different times to make sure that the overall group was capable of managing the boats around the course and keep it fun.

Whether you are racing Cowes Race Week, Yachting Cup, Key West Race Week, China Cup or any of the other events around the world it is very difficult to imagine so many inexperienced people out racing at one time.  If you are in Newport or Hong Kong you may have several new boats to a fleet but most of the boats have a veteran or experienced sailor as part of the crew. They may not be good, but there is someone on the boat with experience.  The J/80 being a very forgiving sailing platform, the protected river environment allow Liuzhou to pull this off more then some of the other exposed sailing areas.

Thanks to the foresight of the Riviera Yacht Club owners for getting this program started and we look forward to seeing this success spread in developing sailing areas around the world.  If anyone wants more information or advice about these types of sailing development programs worldwide, please contact J/Boats- info@jboats.com or ph. +1-401-846-8410.

Nations' Cup- Hong Kong Wins J/80s

(Hong Kong, China)- 78 boats representing 23 nations were on the start line earlier today for the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club's most fun regatta, the Nation's Cup which is as much about the activities on land as it is about those on the water.  Race Officer Sofia Mascia started the fleet in an easterly wind ranging from 15 to 20kts from Hung Hom and sent them eastwards through the Lei Yue Mun gap and then on to Shek O. The race course saw boats then head to Cape Collinson where they rounded a mark (TCS4) before going back to Shek O and then it was a dash through the harbour to the finish line back at the Club.

J/80 had very close sailing for all the national participants.  With six nations represented amongst the eleven teams, it was pretty clear it was going to be a tough, closely fought race.  With concentration and opportunistic use of wind lines and passing lanes being the order of the day, whomever was making the best of the wind holes and breeze was going to top the podium.  In the end, after three-plus hours of sailing, the top five all finished with five minutes of each other with mere seconds separating most of them!  Local Hong Kong sailor David Fan on SEA BISCUIT hung in to the bitter end, winning by a mere 30 seconds!  Just behind was the Canadian team lead by Rob Tanner on EPEKWIT'K that took second.  50 seconds back in third was the Danish Team on J-CHI led by Inge Strompf-Jepsen.  Rounding out the international top five were the Netherlands team on FOOTLOOSE led by the Dijkhuizen/ Sonnemans team taking fourth and in fifth was the Swedish team on HAKAWATI skippered by Dan Tullberg.   For more Royal Hong Kong YC Nations' Cup sailing information

J/80s Hong Kong Nation's Cup

(Hong Kong, China)-  The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club's Nations' Cup has already attracted 73 entries from 23 nations - many of whom will spend the days leading up to the event deciding what costumes to wear and what national delicacy to bring to the 'after-party'.  The race starts on Saturday, April 27th and the intent is to go "around the island" (Hong Kong, of course) as members of "national teams".

Crews are formed along the lines of nation of origin or allegiance. While the Nationality Criteria states that "100% of crew members must be nationals of the country which is represented by the boat they are racing on", the same criteria then go on to offer a multitude of different ways that a 'wannabe' can qualify - all the way down to representing a Nation in the Miss Universe Pageant.

Racing will feature a pursuit race following a simple course, starting in Victoria Harbour at Kellett Island and taking the fleet eastwards, out through Lei Yue Mun Gap, to a turning mark which will be selected to suit the prevailing weather conditions. Once around, the boats will re-enter the Harbour and, with a bit of cooperation from the wind gods, race back to the finish line at Kellett Island.

Coveted prizes include the right of the winning nation to place their flag on conspicuous display behind the Club's Main Bar until the 2014 race and, of course, the bragging rights that go with proving themselves to be "Champion Sailing Nation of The Year".

The first boat home in the inaugural event in 2011 was England, followed by Ireland, Australia, Sweden, Scotland and Japan. The 2012 edition had to be abandoned due to lack of wind and miserable weather conditions, however the 'after party' more than made up for any disappointment.

In addition to the fleet of one-design J/80s will be a raft of handicap-racing boats, including a J/111, J/105, J/109, J/92 and even J/24s!  More fun and games racing around Hong Kong Island!
For more Royal Hong Kong YC Nation's Cup sailing information

Sailing Report from Hong Kong!

(Hong Kong, China)- Dan Tullberg from J/Boats Hong Kong provided us the following exciting update from recent activities taking place in the Hong Kong/ Asian sailing world:

"For starters, we're please to announce that we have two J/70s confirmed arriving from France, and two serious contenders for the J/111 who want to (a) kick the tires on the first one arriving here mid-Nov and (b) hope to find moorings as the whole mooring market here is absolutely packed right now!  Sailing continues to grow in popularity here in Asia!

An upcoming report will be sent on the recently held International Police Worlds (13 x J/80s) and an announcement on the first formal Hong Kong-China inter-port regatta (again the J/80s) to run in Feb 2013. Also, the J/80 Class Hong Kong Championships are next weekend (3-4th Nov) off Lamma Island south of Hong Kong with 15-18 boats in what looks like a breezy weekend.

The J/80 HKG Class Association is still the only "national" class in Hong Kong that spans the interest of all three main yacht clubs here and owners take pride in that: a few weeks ago the Royal Hong Kong YC ran a "Championship Of Champions" event on J/80s between 9 different classes that was very well received by all:

1) the organizer RHKYC only had 3 of the required 6 boats available since much of the fleet was damaged in the typhoon this summer and still under repair. Three private owners offered their boats for use at this event unreservedly to make the event happen (a combination of fleet and match racing)

2) J/80 owners Andrew Moore / Nigel Welch (TIGRINA) and Jonny Hodgson (J-QI) came second and third respectively in that event, beating all but one stellar Etchells team."

A "BIG THANKS" to Dan, Joey and crew in Hong Kong for their excellent efforts in growing the J/One-design classes as well as building interest in the J/111.  We guess that a J/111 will have great fun sailing the Asian Offshore circuit!

J/80 Police World Championship Preview

(Hong Kong, China)-  More fascinating sailing development in Asia.  As sailing activity continues to grow faster in China and the rest of Asia, the three principal sailing clubs on Hong Kong's amazing harbor- Royal Hong Kong YC, Aberdeen Boat Club and Hebe Haven YC- are coordinating with the Hong Kong Police Sailing Club to host the Police World Sailing Championship on International J/80 One-Designs.  Talking about broadening the scope of sailing and participation on a global scale!  Police teams from around the world have been practicing on J/80s, wherever they can find them, to prepare for this extraordinary event.

The J/80 Police Worlds will be held in Hong Kong from Oct 21st to 27th.  The event is being sponsored by the Hong Kong Police and a company called "SF Express" - a well known "FedEx" type company that services Hong Kong, Taiwan and China.  Thirteen teams from Hong Kong (3), Australia, England (2), Ireland, Austria, Netherlands, Germany (2) and Switzerland (2) will be participating.  Rumor has it that several police teams believe Lauren Mead's all-girls team on the J/80 HAKAWATI, recent winners of Hebe Haven YC's Typhoon J/80 Series, may have the magic ingredients for coaching better tactics and strategy in the capricious waters of Hong Kong Harbour!  For more Hong Kong Police Sailing Club and J/80 Police World Championship sailing information

"Girl Power" Trumps Hebe Haven J/80 Series

(Hong Kong, China)- Sailing is growing faster and faster in China and nowhere is this more evident than the J/80 teams that are sailing off the two principal clubs on Hong Kong's amazing harbor- Royal Hong Kong YC and their counterparts on the north side, Hebe Haven YC.  Both clubs have done a remarkable job to cultivate sailing as both a recreational activity and competitive sport-- especially for women, children and newcomers to sailing in China.  Well, it seems the program is beginning to demonstrate that it has some interesting dividends.  Recently, it looks like the "girls" beat the "boys" in the Hebe Haven Typhoon J/80 Series.

More to the point, Lauren Mead's all-girls team won on their J/80 HAKAWATI!  Here is Lauren's report (courtesy of SA)- "Team Danger, as we're often referred to by the "boys" on the other teams, has had its share of moments in Hong Kong sailing.  The Hebe Haven Typhoon Series concluded with a windless race around the islands (Typhoon Tembin has been threatening to give us some awesome sailing conditions all week but they failed to materialize on the day).  I helm the J/80 HAKAWATI as part of Hong Kong's first all-girls team in about 15 years (we are known as "Team Danger" in Hong Kong for reasons entirely un-deserved), and we won our series overall - with help from some suspect swimwear and distraction tactics!

Thought I would pass the photos along to you as a demo of what NOT to wear sailing (but, our clothing sponsors demanded we needed to!), but also to prove that girls can wear literally anything on a boat and they will get attention!" - Anarchist Lauren.   For more Hebe Haven YC J/80 Sailing information

J/80s Hong Kong Host World Police Sailing Championships

(Hong Kong, China)- Royal Hong Kong YC, Hebe Haven YC, Aberdeen Boat Club and the Hong Kong Police Sailing Club are co-hosting the World Police Sailing Championships on the emerald green waters of Hong Kong's southern side of the island- the Middle Island facility for RHKYC.  The event will be sailed on the International J/80s from October 21st to 27th.  All participants must be a serving, or honorably retired, Police or Law Enforcement officer (or civilian staff) in their respective countries.

Accommodation will be provided within the Hong Kong Police College Aberdeen Campus Officers’ Mess and comprises of 40 single rooms and 10 double suites.  $37,000 HKD = $4,700 USD (about 7.75 exchange)- and for that you get a J/80 one-design sailboat with sails, food, breakfast, lunch, dinner and accommodations for ONE WEEK for four people!!  Wow. Thank Goodness our security forces know how to take care of our security needs, but more importantly ALSO know how to sail and have fun!

So far, it looks like over a dozen teams are committed to this event from around the world, including teams from Switzerland (2-3); Germany (2-3); Amsterdam, Netherlands; Dorset, England; Lancashire, England; Hong Kong; Macau; Qingdao; Shanghai; and Beijing.  For more J/80 World Police Sailing Championships

Hainan Freedom Community Wins J/80 China Cup

(Daya Gulf, Shenzhen, China)- Inaugurated in 2007, the China Cup International Regatta is the biggest boat sailing regatta held in China, approved by the General Administration of Sport of China.  Each year, the regatta attracts over 80 teams from more than 20 countries, gaining wide attention from the sailing community and the international media.  It's a unique event.  It's aimed at building an international recognition that China is serious about developing the sport of sailing and, most importantly, in the long run China plans to popularize the sailing culture in China.  With a steady and vigorous development program in place for the next 5-10 years (Chinese rarely think short-term), it's likely the China Cup and the sport of sailing will continue to grow rapidly in China!

To underscore their determination, consider who's behind the management of the event- the Chinese Yachting Association; the Shenzhen Administration of Culture, Sport, Tourism, the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club and the Shenzhen Vanke Longcheer Yacht Club.  With this kind of horsepower behind them, it's good to see the J/80 one-design fleet in "good hands"!  And, as hosts the Chinese are absolutely second-to-none in terms of ensuring all sailing participants are having a great time.  With fashion shows, fireworks shows, music in the form of concerts and DJ's, it's hard to remember that you're there to go sailing!  Nevertheless, the sailing in the Daya Gulf was fun and challenging for all.

On Day One, the China Cup racing teams were hoping the wind had used up all of its tricks so they would not have to contend with them later in the week!  The first day of the regatta dawned grey and breezy as boats prepared for the Simpson Marine Passage Race from Hong Kong to Daya Bay, Shenzhen.  However, the sun soon poked through the clouds and the breeze filled in from the northeast.  By 0830hrs there was 15 knots of wind snapping the battle flags of the boats exiting Victoria Harbor.  In a "classic Chinese Lucky Ritual", some of the local sailing teams stopped to make a "lucky double-figure-8" in front of the Joss House Bay Tin Hau Temple before continuing on to the starting area off Steep Island!  We wonder, did it work for anyone?!

The first start, for the J/80s got off to a clean.  Tt soon became evident that the day would be a frustrating one, with the wind beginning to drop off to 1-5 knots soon after the start, leaving the boats to wallow through the chop that was left behind. Not only was the wind light, it was also fluky.  Many crews watched incredulously as boats 200 meters away sailed on the same heading but on a different tack! This feat was repeated several times in the next few hours as the fleet struggled to find their way out of the wind hole and back on course. Those boats that had headed out to sea did the best, finding fresh breeze sooner than the rest of the fleet.  Just after 1300hrs the wind filled in from the northeast again.  As a result, the J/80s had their course shortened, but the rest of the fleet raced on until they crossed the line just off the breakwater of the glittering new Shenzhen Maritime Sports Base in Daya Bay. First boat home for the J/80 was JIVE, sailed by Dave Campbell from Royal Hong Kong YC.  Second in was Patrick Lam on JELIK 6 and third home as Bonnie Cheng on JELIK 7, a sweep for the RHKYC sailors.

Day Two started with light winds, with only 6 to 8 knots blowing through Daya Bay as the Race Committee set the course for Race 2 of the weekend. However, they got the fleet off as scheduled, with the international fleet keen to get some ‘round-the-can’ racing in after the long passage race on Friday.  Soon the wind dropped off even further, forcing Race Officer Russ Parker to shorten the course for most classes.  The final rounding for the fleet turned into a comical farce, with retired boats cluttering the area as those still racing tried to find the wind, and the room, to get to the finish. The result was that many boats failed to finish the course in the allotted time.  JIVE won their second race in a row in the J/80s with Wong Chi Hin getting 2nd sailing INVICTUS and Fang Liang Long sailing HAINAN FREEDOM COMMUNITY (HFC) finishing 3rd.  Unfortunately, eight other J/80s didn't make the time  limit.

The fleet had time to catch some sun and have a chat as the Race Committee tried to lay the course for Race 3. Although the wind picked up it was shifting from 340 degrees to 210 degrees, creating as much as a challenge for the course officials as for the crews trying to match their skills against each other. The starts finally got under way at 1415hrs, and the long wait showed as nearly all the starts had boats over the line early due to impatient skippers.  The wind built nicely as the fleet worked their way up to the first mark and held at between 6 and 10 knots for much of the race. However, the Race Committee once again had to shorten the course due to light winds.  This time, Fang's HFC won Race 3 with He Jiang's TEAM YIN in second and Hong Shen Hao's team on SMART HERO SAILING in third.

Light winds continued to haunt the fleet on Day 3 of the competition, but some fast thinking by the race committee kept the boats on the water and going head to head for sailing glory.  The winds blowing through the fleet while tied up at Shenzhen Maritime Sports Base in Daya Bay raised everyone’s hopes that racing would finally take place in 12 to 15 knots of breeze. However, by the time the starting sequence was underway the north-northeast wind was down to 5-8 knots.  All classes were sent off on a 2-lap around-the-cans course for Race 5.  The wind died to three knots as the fleet came downhill towards the finish.  Again, Fang's HFC team took the bullet followed by Hong's SMART HERO SAILING in second and Wong Sai Man's team on FOOTLOOSE in third.

With some boats struggling to complete the first race of the day in dying breezes the Race Committee took drastic action for Race 6, the Audi Islands/Geometric Race. The committee boat led the fleet offshore to a spot just south of Dalajia Dao before they found sufficient breeze to get the race underway. This shaved several miles off the planned 15-mile route of Course 3, which led the fleet in a counter-clockwise lap around the island.  By 1420 hours the Race Officer had the starting sequence for the second race of the day underway.  Winds were hovering around 5 knots at the start but soon built as the fleet headed north and around the island. Spinnakers soon filled the horizon, with boats vying for boat speed as there were little tactical decisions to make on the prescribed course.  It was a picture perfect finish, with the wind having built to between 8 and 10 knots and the fleet sailing into the sunset. There were plenty of spectator and media boats on hand to record the sight. By 1700 hrs the fleet has crossed the line, with many keeping their spinnakers up for a sunset cruise back to port.  It was clear that a new standard was being set on the J/80 course, Fang's HFC again won another race and now held a commanding lead for the week.  Second home was Wong's INVICTUS and third was Hong's SMART HERO SAILING.

For Day 4, the wind showed up just in time for a fabulous, glorious last day of sailing.  Perhaps the "lucky double-figure 8's" off the Tin Hau Temple in Joss Bay paid off!  There was 15 to 20 knots of breeze blowing through the harbour at the Shenzhen Maritime Sports Base in Daya Bay as boats were being rigged and readied for the last day of racing. Boats were in such a competitive mood that there were collisions in the harbour even before the boats were on the water!! Top spots in several classes were left to be decided on the last day and the tension could be felt up and down the docks.  The first race of the day got underway in 15 knots, with the Race Committee hoping to capitalize on the wind with three races. However, the wind soon died, and the Race Officer cut the course down to one lap for the J/80s. By the time the last boats crossed the line the wind was down to 5 knots, with boats wallowing in the chop left behind by the earlier wind.  Reading like a "broken record", again Fang's team on HFC won the race, with Hong's SMART HERO second and Wong's FOOTLOOSE third.

By the time the starting sequence began for Race 8, the Audi Islands/Geometric Race, the wind was back at 12 to 15 knots. The Race Officer sent the fleet off on the longest island course available in the sailing instructions, at 22 miles long. The fleet threaded their way through a giant figure-8, passing Xiaolajia Dao, Zhongyang Dao, Chizhou and Dalajia Dao, with the wind keeping the boats at top speed the whole way.  By 1620 the entire fleet had crossed the line and were on their way into port to enjoy cold beers. Once again, the final race offered the crews a lovely spinnaker run into the setting sun, with strong breezes keeping them busy to the very end.  You might ask, did it happen again?  Incredibly, yes, it did.  Fang Liang Long's team on HAINAN FREEDOM COMMUNITY won the China Cup Regatta simply going away over the horizon, winning 5 of 7 races sailed.  Second was Dave Campbell on JIVE having sailed very consistently in the top five.  Third was Hong Sheng Hao's SMART HERO SAILING, having won a tie-breaker over fourth place Wong Chi Hin's INVICTUS.  Fifth was Wong Sai Man's FOOTLOOSE!

At the end of the day, everyone returned to Sheraton Dameisha for more cold beers and the chance to bask in the glory of their wins and congratulate their friends on their success.  Next time we want to see more Americans and Europeans join us-- we're having too much fun!  Thanks for the contribution from Cameron Dueck.    For more China Cup sailing information

J/80 Wins "Best Sailboat (Under 40')" in China

(Xiamen, China)- Congratulations to Hudson Wang and his team at Hudson Yachts in Xiamen, China.  This past week, the J/80 was awarded the "Best Sailboat (Under 40')" by the Chinese Sailing Federation for its role in expanding the sport of sailing in China.  They were given this title because the J/80 has been the principal one-design selection and the largest fleet for the following events:

- China Cup in Shenzhen- the premier International sailing event in China
- China "Club Cup"- largest yacht/ sailing club event in China
- Asian Sailing Games- largest one-design keelboat class
- Taiwan Straits College Cup- largest college sailing regatta in China
- Taiwan Straits Cup- a challenge cup between China and Taiwan

For more information J/80 sailboat information

Team Hudson Wins J/80 China Match Race

(Xiamen, China)- The China Club Challenge Match is the premier Chinese sailing event for Chinese sailors, with 34 teams from around this country of 1.0+ billion people battling it out for the right to challenge the 2010 trophy holder. It is run on the waters off Xiamen in Fujian Province, renowned for serving up good breezes every day, like clockwork, at this time of year.

The event is open to all sailors in China - including foreigners who live and work in the country.  The China Club Challenge has earned a reputation in recent years for good winds, tight courses, fair, unbiased umpiring and rulings, and good tight racing in the ‘proper’ spirit of sailing.  Such is the good-natured spirit of the event that even defeated teams crossing the line a few boat lengths behind the victors have been seen spontaneously raising their hands in applause for the victor!

The regatta starts with a "fleet racing" format to setup the elimination ladder for the match races.  It was expected that the fleet racing element of the event would sort out the men from the boys. The breeze was providing a steady 20kts, and with some sailors on the J/80s for the first time it proved so, with some of the fleet opting to avoid the spinnaker. But with the committee boat recording 30+ kts in the gusts perhaps this wasn’t surprising.  Spin outs were very much in evidence, with some skippers failing to keep their boats under the rig, providing some dramatic viewing for those on the spectator boats.

A busy time was had by the on-the-water judges who then were back sitting behind the table in the protest room for much of the evening, especially on day 1 when they left the venue at 2250h. Altogether around a dozen protests were lodged, but it could easily have been more as the racing was close.  Having said that, boat damage and breakdowns were remarkably light considering the conditions, and the J/80s lent by Hudson Yachts proved to be more than up to the task-- only two requests for redress due to gear failure were lodged in the entire fleet racing section of the regatta.  After the initial three days of racing, with 14 races run in total, the fleet was whittled down from 34 to 16 for the match-racing portion of the event.

The event then shifted gear into the match racing phase with the round of 16 requiring 24 races in one day. Sounds incredible, but that is what the race management team managed to squeeze out on day four.  Race Officers Russ Parker and Tony Liu, along with umpires Al, Ewan, Peter and Tim certainly earned their stripes on this day, with all of them on the water for every race.

The fleet were gradually whittled down to four semi-finalists from all over China - SANYA, SHENZHEN, IRONROCK of Xiamen (the hosts for the event) and SHANGHAI. Two matches later, SEAWOLF from Longcheer Yacht Club in Shenzhen emerged the winners of the China Club Cup Challengers Trophy, earning the right to sail against the defenders on the final day of the event.

For the Match Race Finals, it was a bit of a David and Goliath event, with the defender Team HUDSON (the J-80 builder and skippered by Jim Johnstone) competing against the SEAWOLF team from Shenzhen.  Unfortunately for Shenzen's SEAWOLF Team, the result wasn’t the same as the Biblical encounter, with Team HUDSON successfully defending their trophy, although the SEAWOLF Team from the south were hardly embarrassed by the 4-1 score line and never finished a race more than eight boat lengths down on the winners.

What an event! There were 34 teams (seen here at right), 72 races, 12 protests, too many blue, yellow and green flags to count (along with a couple of reds and blacks thrown in for good measure), a worthy winner in the challenger series and a fair and penalty free challenger/defender series. And just like Queen Victoria was told all those years ago during the original "Round Island Race" for that 100 Guinea Cup (aka today's America's Cup)– "there was no second."  No matter, it was clear the enthusiasm and the popularity of the event continues to grow significantly across China with next year promising to be an even bigger event!  Many "Thanks" must go to Hudson Wang, Hudson Yachts and those sponsors that supported this year's China Challenge Cup.

  

J/80 China Rising

(Xiamen, China)- J/80s continue to expand their fleets and events across the vast shorelines and river deltas of China.  This fall there is a good chance for those who sail in Asia/Pac to hop aboard a J/80 and help grow the sport of sailing to an enthusiastic group of budding sailors.

The first event is the China Club Match Racing Championships, being held on October 1st through the 7th in Xiamen.  Currently there are 48 Chinese teams registered for the largest J/80 event in the Asian Market.  This event will be larger, in fact, than last year's Asia Games that saw strong participation from Asian sailing teams from across the region.  That's enormous growth in such a short period of time.  For a sense of perspective on the wealth and growth of this region and why the middle-class want to experience new outdoor activities that are supported by their governments (like sailing- the ultimate "green", environmentally-friendly recreation), the "Golden Triangle" is defined as Japan/ Korea to the East, China to the North, the "island nations" to the South (Philippines/ Malaysia/ Singapore/ Indonesia), Hong Kong and India as part of "the West"-- it's collective GDP of $15+ trillion far exceeds that of America or Europe--- with projections by 2025 to eclipse both USA and Europe combined (e.g. so what are 2.5 BILLION people going to spend their leisure time doing?  Sailing is cheap, comparatively speaking).  Ever wonder why Macau, China (one of the 16th century's most prolific trading ports) is the gambling capital of the world today? Hmmm. Good thing that J/80s will be sailing on Wuyuan Bay off Xiamen.  For more sailing and regatta information.

Next up on the schedule will be the J/80 Fall Regatta in southern China.  This event runs from October 14-16 and will be sailed off LiuZhou, GuangXi, China.   For more sailing information, please visit http://www.cnmcr.com (if you can't read Chinese, please contact Jim or Cindy below for an introduction on how to sail the event).

Finally, if you haven't been able to make travel plans to get to either Xiamen or Liu Zhou to sail J/80s, you can always catch up with the local J/80 sailors in Xiamen at this fall's Xiamen Boatshow from November 4th to 7th.  As Jim, Hudson and Cindy have explained many times, there is such enthusiasm for sailing locally that they're literally booking people weeks in advance to get on board the boats.  The Xiamen Boatshow is a great way to meet them all.  More Xiamen Boatshow details can be found here.

For more Chinese sailing and Xiamen show information, you can always email J/Boats Asia- Cindy Chen (cindy.cheng@hudsonyacht.com) or Jim Johnstone (jimjboats@gmail.com).

  

TIGRINA Wins RHKYC J/80 Spring Regatta

(Hong Kong, China)- On the weekend of May 14-15, the Royal Hong Kong YC hosted their annual Spring Regatta and had an enormous turn-out for their one-design classes.  This year's event also served as the inaugural Spring Regatta for the club's J/80 fleet.

In a clear demonstration that they've begun to master sailing J/80s fast are Andrew Moore's team on TIGRINA, taking the Spring Regatta with a 1-2-1 to win with 4 pts.  Second was Lucinda Ho and Sam Phillips racing MOZZIE with a 3-1-4 tally for 8 points.  Third was Bruce Perkins on DELIAWITE with a 5-3-2 score for ten points.  Rounding out the top five were Clark/ Bulmer racing JASMINE to fourth and Pauline Kong sailing FIGURE OF EIGHT to fifth.   For more Royal Hong Kong YC sailing information

  

Xiamen University Wins College Regatta

(Xiamen, China- Apr 4-6)- The Xiamen Sailing Club hosted the first ever China College J/80 Regatta over the weekend of April 4th to 6th.  The regatta played host to college sailing teams from Xiamen Universities and Taiwan Universities.

Seven races were held over three days, including two distance races to Kinman Island, Taiwan lying just offshore from Xiamen, China.  Nineteen teams participated, including a team that had the Vice Mayor of Xiamen as an honorary crew-member participating in the race over to Kinman Island.

Perhaps one of the most fascinating elements of this regatta was how well coordinated the "diplomatic exchange" of sailors took place, on the fly, on the water, in real-time as the teams sailed across from Chinese water to Taiwanese waters!  The Chinese Coast Guard and Taiwan Coast Guards were very supportive, handling escort across the borders to allow this event to happen seamlessly and with extraordinary decorum. It was remarkable to see the two "Coast Guards" line up in a line on either side of a "GPS line" in the water to show both respect for each other, but also to fly signal flags and exchange pleasantries as each boat sailed across into another country.  Cool stuff!

After the three days of sailing, Xiamen University came out on top.  Perhaps it was not by chance, since the two teams from Xiamen University consistently participated in the J/80 Winter Series held this past winter in J/80's every Sunday.  Practice does make perfect.  It showed, they won with ease.  But, it was not without irony that the other universities then requested to get more practice time on the J/80s for their next season!  Perhaps it didn't hurt that "boat captains" like those pictured here helped tend to  lines and fenders when the J/80s went sailing.

Events like this are fantastic for promoting the sport of sailing in Asia and China.  J/Boats Asia and Hudson Yacht and Marine supplied a brand new fleet of boats for the event.  To promote diplomacy and good will between China and Taiwan and get more students sailing is well worth the time, said Jim Johnstone from J/Boats Asia.

Watch this space!  In July, the Xiamen Sailing Club of J/80s will be hosting the Chinese National College Sailing Championships in the same fleet of J/80's!

  

J/80 Best Sportsboat in China

(Shanghai, China)- This past week saw over 27,000 visitors from 70 countries attend the largest boatshow in China, the China International Boat Show in Shanghai.  Considered the most prestigious in all of China, the event also hosts the Asia Pacific Boating Awards.  With over three dozen panelists selecting the winners for each category, it was not surprising that the creme'd'la'creme rose to the top.  Winner of the this year's CIBS Best Sportboat Award was the International J/80, recognized for being the world's leading one-design sportsboat class with over 1,600 boats competing worldwide.  J/80 is also the premier sportsboat in China.  On hand to accept the award was J/Boats China's representative Jimmie Johnstone.
For more J/80 sailboat information

  

J/80 Phoenix Cup- China Rising!

Johnstone Wins On Global TV Broadcast To Billions!
(Hong Kong, China)- One day in the future it may seem like a turning point – the first ‘local’ regatta to be televised live in China. So we’re not talking about the Olympics here, or even one of the fly-by-night pro events – Volvo, Clipper, Extreme 40s, whatever – but club sailors, in J/80s, in Hong Kong harbour. Sort of, a Club event all grown up for billions of Chinese.

The event was sponsored and broadcasted by Phoenix TV. Apart from CCTV, Phoenix is the biggest broadcaster in China, and that makes them pretty ginormously huge. The Phoenix Cup is a fleet racing event to be sailed in J/80s, based out of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, and with race management provided by RHKYC. That guarantees good organization – all that’s needed to make the event shine is a bit of sun.

It was an inauspicious start for the first day – cold, rainy and miserable, and with a distinct lack of wind. Competitors looked out gloomily out from the balcony at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. Many wondered – with some justification – whether the racing might be canned altogether. But when you have the assembled millions of Phoenix TV’s China audience just waiting to switch off the horse racing and the game-show channel and switch on to small boat racing in Hong Kong harbour on a Saturday afternoon – well, you’d better not disappoint!

First practice race, 1330 hrs start. Time for the live broadcast crews to practice their swing-and-pan shots, time for the pretty TV anchors to put on the foul weather gear, time for action on the water. The first start became a General Recall as almost the entire fleet of 22 J/80s was pushed gently over the line by the tide. Second start, same story. Third start and the fleet was away ‘clean’ for what is usually known at RHKYC as a ‘Sunset’ race (triangle-sausage-finish), right in front of the clubhouse.

The starting gun must have woken up the wind gods, as all of a sudden the breeze piped up, and crews suddenly found themselves sailing in 12-15 kts. A short beat to the windward mark – maybe 300 m – and then up went the colorful Phoenix TV and iFeng.com spinnakers. It was enough to make a photographer’s heart glad in spite of the clinging grey (and the incessant rain) as the harbour broke out all over in a rash of red and yellow.

Leeward mark roundings with a little pressure in the sails proved troublesome for some, and a few ‘interesting’ moments were witnessed - and in some cases recorded. Tiffany Koo and a well-drilled crew on JELIK 6 led all the way round the track and finished with a healthy lead, but you know what they say about winning practice races…

An interlude on shore allowed time for lunch before the ‘main event’ at 1600 hrs - timing dependent upon the arrival Guest of Honour, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, former Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR. He’s a busy man on a Saturday afternoon, so we just had to wait for Sir Tung. The rain came and went, and came again, and the breeze wasn’t quite so sure. But Mr Tung was on time and so was the start, and this time there were no recalls. Right on cue, in came the breeze, and the rain stopped. We never got the sunshine, but the fleet did get some good racing.

Fast-starting boats at the pin end set the pace for the first part of the race, with the fleet heading up towards the Hung Hom buoy before the pressing down towards the Shau Kei Wan mark. Almost all the boats held the North Point shore to stay out of the incoming tide, and were lifted along the line beneath the Island Eastern Corridor. 'We were tacking along the shore’' said Jim Johnstone later, 'but only changing 10-15 degrees on the compass heading between tacks. It felt really good.' But there are two sides to any race course, and JELIK 7 with Louie Perfectua at the helm ‘went the other way’. Standing on past Hung Hom and then all the way into Kowloon Bay and towards the old airport runway – a longer course, and crossing the tide completely, but at Shau Kei Wan they had a commanding lead of maybe 20 lengths. The scrap was for second place between ALCHEMIST (Nigel Reeves), JELIGNITE (Jim Johnstone), and HAKAWATI (Dan Tullberg).

The race was Perfectua’s for the taking, but the run back down back to Hung Hom was less kind than the beat up. ‘Low, slow, and straight down the middle’ was JELIGNITE's program, while JELIK 5 tried to run the angles – but although there was wind, there wasn’t enough to get a J/80 planing, and the extra distance took a toll. Perfectua later acknowledged that the v2.0 J/80 asymmetrics being used by most of the fleet (but not JELIK 5) allowed for deeper running, and a distinct advantage. By Hung Hom, JELIGNITE was in the lead, and ALCHEMIST (complete with Phoenix TV anchor smiling prettily under her Phoenix TV hat) had pushed into the second slot.

The race had to last 90 minutes, according to the TV people, so the next leg went back up to Dock buoy and then returned to Hung Hom. A bit like running a pursuit race, and trying to hit a specified time for the first finisher. No matter: an ‘S’ flag on the Cheoy Lee at Hung Hom was a finish line, with JELIGNITE cruising home to a comfortable victory. And the camera boat got back to Kellett Island and under cover, beating the nasty-looking rain squall coming in from Central.

It was a brisk reach from the Hung Hom finish back to the RHKYC - the lucky ones got there before the rain re-started. And then at 1900 hrs, to coincide once again with live broadcast, prize-giving time with Mr Liu Chang Le, Chairman and CEO of Phoenix TV, and Mr KK Yeung, Executive Vice President and CFO. On this, the company’s 15th birthday, Mr Yeung declared the Phoenix Cup to be a resounding success, and looked forward to another edition next year.

Jim Johnstone's commentary- "It was fantastic seeing 22 J/80s out in the harbour this weekend - really pleased we got a little breeze to get us around. You can find sailing tracks for the second (main) race of the day here - sure we all have something to learn from this information.   

J/80 China Winter Series

(Xiamen, China)-  There was light air this weekend, but no lack of turnout again for the second week of racing.  With 8 boats on the water and over 50 people attending to help with committee or sail, things have been going very well.  Since the overall participants in many cases have not sailed J/80's before, the first two weeks of light air have allowed teams to start to figure out the best ways of handling the asymmetrical spinnaker sets, jibes and take downs.  

We had two races and tried to get a third but lack of wind lead to abandoning the last race.  Boat #6 driven by Jacky Chen showed consistent first place finishes to win the day.  I must say that it is great to see so many kids joining the sailing.  Last week we had Laura and Phil Harvey with 4 small kids on board and this week we had Alain and Sacha Vermeulen and Pieter van der Plas sailing with their kids.  You will notice from the photo that the kids are driving when they got 2nd in the first race.  

I am glad to see that everyone is having a great time.  We have changed the schedule a little to help with the holiday travel schedule.  We will be racing Dec. 19th, Jan. 9th, Jan 16th, Jan. 23rd and finishing on Jan. 30th.  We are keeping track of the overall score but it is good for people to realize that this is just for fun and that we are all out just bettering out sailing ability.  I look forward to seeing everyone this weekend, We will be trying to get the first start off at 1:30pm sharp if we have breeze this weekend so don't get too far from the starting area.   

Xiamen J/80 Winter series

(Xiamen, China)- The first annual J/80 winter series started this past weekend.  Nine boats are participating in a 7 week series in Xiamen, China.  The event starts each week with a 30 minute lesson followed by boat assignments and then first race at 1:30. No starts after 3:30.  This is open to anyone that would like to join each sunday until the end of January (Space Limited). 58 people showed up for the first event.  Too many for the nine J/80's, but with support boats available everyone was able to have a great time.

There were three races to start the series with each being won by a different boat.  There was a tie for second place and winning the day was David Zhou with 2-1-2.  Current was a major factor in this days racing and consistent starts played a big role with the current pushing most competitors over the line early at least once during the day.  Reports Jim Johnstone, "We look forward to a fun series and the sailors are all quite happy to be on the water regularly in this new series."

  

Japan Wins Gold Match-racing J/80s

(Guangzhou, China/ Shanwei Sailing Center- Nov. 20th)- Japan won the Gold Medal in Open Match Racing of Sailing at the 16th Asian Games in co-host city Shanwei. This is a tribute to the long-term focus of the Japanese Sailing Team in the match-racing arena, no doubt helped by the presence of Peter Gilmour and his influence on the Japanese America's Cup programs over time. A surprise Silver Medalist was the Indian team skipper by Balraj Balraj.  Third was Korea getting the bronze led by Sungmin Cho.  Here are the standings for the Asian Games Sailing medalists and their crew:

1. Gold- Japan- OKAMOTO Yasuhiro- skipper, SAKAMOTO Wataru, WADA Daichi, YOSHIFUJI Hiroaki

2. Silver- India- BALRAJ Balraj- skipper, HELEGAONKAR Trunal, SINHA Atool, TARAPORE Farokh Fa, YADAV Shekhar Sing

3. Bronze- Korea- CHO Sungmin- skipper, KIM Sungwok, LEE Dongwoo, NAM Yongjin, PARK Gunwoo

Read more about their in the Sailing section here on the Asia Games 2010 site.   

Asian Games J/80 Tour de Force

(Guangzhou, China)- South China's host city of the Asian Games is one of the top ten cities in China.  For most Westerners this may mean nothing.  However, taken in the context of most cities around the world, Guangzhou is in the world's top 20!  Or, perhaps for many of you, a more sobering thought taken in the context of history, over half of the world's top 20 cities are in China-- and Beijing is not the biggest! 

Taking place on the water off the Shanwei Water Sports Centre is a remarkably well-organized and efficiently run regatta with a fabulous technical tour'de'force of media employing every imaginable means of technology to bring it home to the Chinese masses- live on-water video, helicopters, remote control drones doing live video and so forth.  Nothing is spared to ensure the event is brought to the living rooms of those in the Asian/ Middle Eastern World.  Remember, the "Golden Triangle" comprised of Japan to China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and points in between comprise over $20 trillion USD in GDP today....hmmm, a bit more than America.

Sailing in this event are an Olympic cross-section of classes, including Lasers, Optimists, and Hobie 16s.  Plus, J/80s for match racing.  So far, the Malaysian Team is doing quite well in the J/80s match racing.  Not far off the pace are the Singapore and Chinese teams.  The list of teams competing in the event include China, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, Bahrain, Singapore, Malaysia and India. According to Jim Johnstone in Xiamen, China "we got the J/80s ready for the Asian Games this past week.  The list of countries participating in the event will someday read like a "who's who" for top Asian sailors.  The event so far has been very good, the area that they are sailing in is quite windy this time of the year.  Best compared to American sites like Corpus Christi, Texas where it blows 20+ knots each day and it's relatively warm.  The teams have had two brand new 3/4 oz conventional spinnakers blow-up and one T-bone, but we are dealing with those things. Since there are only 8 teams it is not hard to pull two boats out of the rotation and switch on the dock." 

The 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, opened in dramatic style with a ceremony which drew on Guangzhou's rich maritime history, held in a purpose built arena, located on a small island on the Pearl River. Sailing is one of the 42 sports in this multi-sport event, held every four years in Asia, allowing athletes from all over the Asian continent to compete.

Perhaps most remarkable about this event is the degree to which national sailing authorities (NGO's) in Asian nations take national pride and success in such endeavors as seriously as they do.  It does not take one to scratch the tablets of world history very deeply to appreciate their perspectives in the age of discovery and exploration in the 16th century onwards.  Asia was at the cross-roads of powerful commercial interests and sailing ships, captains, navigators, navies were integral to their successes or failures over the course of time.  Seems to many that they're learning from such experiences fast and accelerating quickly past many of their friendly Western friends not only in the sport of sailing, but in business and culture, too.

Indicative of this change is how sailing is perceived by leaders in the Middle East and Asia and how strongly, in fact, they support sailing as a sport and activity for their growing middle classes.  Leading up to the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, a number of sailors and their sponsors in these countries issued some very interesting statements supporting such endeavors.  Read more about their sailing initiatives in the Sailing section here on the Asia Games 2010 site.