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.

"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

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

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!