J/80 Europeans Announce On-Line Registration Now Open!

 
Competitors, sailors and friends of J80:

We remind you that the registration for the J80 Europeans Championship is available on the web www.j80europeans.cnelbalis.com. Until May 19th, you can take advantage of the special "Early Entry Fee" described in the Notice of Race: only 300€ per boat!

For the teams who register between May 20th and June 19th, the regular "Entry fee" of 350€ will be applied. (Kindly note that this price will also be applied to the teams registered but unpaid on date May 19th).  At the championship website you can find the Notice of Race, along with other useful information.

Join the great family of J80 Europeans Championship, a competition with high level skippers and crews! And please feel free to share this newsletter with your sailing friends.

Thank you and see you soon at Cantiere Navale El Balís (see location here)!

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Inscription en ligne pour l’Européen J80
Régatiers, marins et amis de J80,

Nous vous rappelons que l'inscription pour le Championnat Européen J80 est disponible sur le web www.j80europeans.cnelbalis.com. Jusqu'au 19 mai, vous pouvez profiter du tarif spécial "Early Entry fee" décrit dans l'Avis de Course: seulement 300 € par bateau!

Pour les équipes qui s'inscrivent entre le 20 mai et le 19 Juin, l’"Entry fee" régulier de 350€ sera appliqué. (Veuillez noter que ce prix sera également appliqué pour les inscriptions réalisées mais non payées en date 19 Mai).  Dans le site web du championnat vous pouvez trouver l’Avis de Course ainsi que d'autres informations utiles.

Joignez la grande famille du Championnat Européen J80, une compétition avec des capitaines et équipages de haut niveau! Et n’hésitez pas à partager ce bulletin avec vos amis régatiers.

Merci et on se voit bientôt à El Balís!

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Inscripciones On Line para el Europeo de J80
Regatistas, Navegantes, Amigos del J80,

Os recordamos que la inscripción al Campeonato Europeo J80 está disponible en la web www.j80europeans.cnelbalis.com. Hasta el 19 de mayo podréis disfrutar de la tarifa especial  “Early Entry Fee” reflejada en el Anuncio de Regata: sólo 300€ por embarcación!

A los equipos inscritos entre el 20 de mayo y el 19 de junio les será aplicada la tarifa  “Entry fee” normal de 350€. (Nota: este precio se aplicará igualmente a todas las unidades inscritas y no pagadas en fecha 19 de Mayo).  En la página web del campeonato podéis  encontrar el Anuncio de Regata, junto con otra información útil.

Uníos a la gran familia del Campeonato Europeo J80, una competición con patrones y tripulaciones de gran nivel! Os animamos a compartir este boletín con vuestros compañeros regatistas.

Gracias y nos vemos muy pronto en El Balís!

SAIL FIRST Sponsors ISAF Youth Worlds!

(Limassol, Cyprus)- Recently, Giannos Photiou, President of the Cyprus Sailing Federation, announced that SAIL FIRST has come on board as the title sponsor of the 2013 ISAF Youth Worlds and, in a difficult financial climate in the country, extended his special thanks to the company for their financial support.

With 358 sailors from 55 countries set to compete in Limassol Photiou said, "The ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship is one of the greatest sports events ever to be held in Cyprus and it is characterized as a small sailing Olympiad for ISAF Youth Sailors."

SAIL FIRST, based in the harbor of Paphos on the western end of Cyprus (the island itself is in the far eastern Mediterranean), have a fleet of 10 fully-equipped J/80s to make on-water activities available to those who want to get out sailing.  They organize and manage events at any level, including fleet, match and team racing events for both yacht clubs and corporate events.

With a full-time staff based in Paphos Harbour, Cyprus including two RIBs, racing buoys, and judging and technical support, it's simply a phone call/ email to SAIL FIRST to enjoy a weekend/ week-long event of sailing on the gorgeous eastern Mediterranean-- all year long with great winds, too!  Plus, you can be one-design racing with less than four hour flights from London, Frankfurt, Paris, Moscow and other EU cities and stay in 3-5 star hotels on the island! No need to live in cramped charter-boat cabins! Plus, it's a very convenient "two in one" holiday-- one with the family and the other-- your participation in the regatta!  For more SAIL FIRST J/80 one-design fleet sailing information

PRO RIGGING Wins PalmaVela J/80s

(Palma Mallorca, Spain)- Gaastra PalmaVela reaches it’s tenth edition this year and is part of the Semana Náutica Internacional de Palma. More than 140 yachts from 17 countries, take part to inaugurate the cruising/racing calendar season in Spain.  Gaastra PalmaVela is one of the three most important regattas the Real Club Náutico de Palma organizes during the year.

Other than the ORC Class of 52 boats (in fact three classes), the single largest class are the International J/80 One-design Class.  Attending this year's events are many hopefuls from Spain that wish to attend the J/80 Worlds in Marseilles, France later on in July.

After the first day of racing for the J/80’s, the "locals" dominated, including Javier Sanz's PRO RIGGING and José Carlos Frau's BUFETE FRAU. Representing Real Club Náutico de Palma, Javier Sanz won two races and with a third place lead the evens.  David Madrazo of Pro-Rigging, is very satisfied with the teamwork: “We sailed well and won the first two races of the day. Although in the third race we took an OCS and after starting last, we were able to rebound up to the third position.”  He also has pointed out that it was a very difficult day for the Race Committee. “This wind direction from the north is very tricky and difficult to dealt with.”

For the second day of racing, the wind took its time to develop again.  But, after an hour and half postponement, the Race Committee was able to start races in a Southeasterly wind that increased during the day. It was a long day at sea, but it turned out to be a good racing day. The J/80s managed to get in three W/L race and the teams could then discard their worst race result.

The J/80 had an interesting tactical and strategic competition between PRO RIGGING and BUFETE FRAU. Javier Sanz’s boat added two victories to their scores, which gave them a small lead over José Carlos Frau who finished second in the first two races of the day. Third is current J/80 World Champion, GREAT SAILING sailed by José María van der Ploeg.  GREAT SAILING won the third race and they were followed by Javier Scherk's GUNTER.

The third day of racing provided simply spectacular sailing for the last day of competition in the Gaastra PalmaVela. With 12 knots of wind from the Southeast, the one-design classes in the Bay had a memorable day of racing-- rolling seas and long surfs and planes off the wind made for epic rides across the Bay in front of the spectacular waterfront of Palma!

In the end, the J/80 class was dominated by the "locals". Sanz's PRO RIGGING was declared PalmaVela champion with an amazing five 1sts and three 3rds in his final scores for a total of 13 pts. They were followed by van der Ploeg's GREAT SAILING in second with three bullets and three 3rds in their scoreline for 19 pts total.  Third was Frau's BUFETE FRAU with five 2nds in their tally with a total of 25 pts. Rounding out the top five were Dionisio Martinez in PUERTO SHERRY- INTUIL TEAM in fourth and Javier Scherk on GUNTER in fifth.  The top German team sailing was Dirk Euler on LIMMAT EXPRESS.   Sailing photo credits- Ingrid Abery   For more Gaastra PalmaVela J/80 sailing information

J/80 Italy Race Training

(Tigullio, Italy)-  The New Year's festivities have come and gone, but the competitive activity for the J/80 sailors have never ceased!  In fact, J/80 racing is continuing with 10 boats participating in the Winter Championship Tigullio, clear evidence of good class growth and participation.  The next event for the Winter Championship in Santa Margherita Ligure started on February 3rd.  Then in the second half of May the fleet will be primarily engaged in sailing these two events before the Worlds Marseille in July:
- May 18-19- Marina Yachting Trophy- Chiavari, Italy
- May 24-26- J/80 Italian Championship- Sestri Levante, Italy
For more J/80 Italy class and sailing information

J/80 BlueProject Sailing Italy!

(Lavagna, Italy)- Team-building and leadership development on J/80s on the sunny, warm Mediterranean?  Yes, it can be done.  Michele Rayneri at BLUEPROJECT SAILING ITALY has this to offer to fellow J/80 sailors and fellow J sailing enthusiasts in the corporate world:

"Dear J friends and enthusiasts,  warm greetings from Michele Rayneri- At BLUEPROJECT, we are passionate about sailing and we have been in the business of getting people out on the water for many years.  Our fleet is made up of  nine J/80 one-design sailboats and our team is extremely experienced and has gained experience in very important international regattas.

BLUEPROJECT sees sailing as a vital corporate event and provides tailored programs: professional coaching, instruction, and innovative team building, incentive and leadership development programs.

We are dedicated to actively promoting sailing at all levels through clinics, lectures and events and, in particular, improving sailing performance on keelboats by sailing the J/80.

Our team teaches the basics of sailing whilst working as a team including: navigation, sail trimming, boat handling skills, how to work and communicate together whilst also providing team building games. Individually, each team member benefits with improving: decision making, communication, leadership skills, being part of a team, self-confidence the need to build a strong, competitive and winning spirit!

BLUEPROJECT is situated in Port of Lavagna (Genoa), but we can organize events with our J/80s all over the Mediterranean Sea.  Lavagna is an ancient seaside village, a hidden treasure and great destination for everyone enjoying a yacht rental holiday along the Italian Riviera.  Lavagna is situated in the wonderful Gulf of Tigullio, between Portofino and Sestri Levante and not far from Genoa, Montecarlo and France. It is one of the most beautiful gulfs in Italy and offers facilities and situation for excellent sailing.

The coast is a sequence of marvelous villages with their marinas, pastel-coloured houses, first-rate sports facilities and the fashionable atmosphere of "la Dolce Vita".  The beauty of the seascapes, the intense blue of the sea and the green mountains are breathtaking.

In Lavagna there are good sea food restaurants, quality beaches and a medieval, charming town centre.  A yachting vacation to the Italian Riviera can definitely be made much more enjoyable and a lot of fun with BLUEPROJECT.  For more info please visit- http://www.blueprojectsailing.it   Or, call mobile +39 335 8093904 or email- ivanaquattrini@concepteventi.it

Brezellec Wins J/80 Coupe de France

(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- With over 190 participants, it can be said the J/80 Coupe de France is by far the most successful sailing circuit for one-design sailboats in the entire world.  Without a doubt, the level of sailing overall in France has improved considerably since the introduction of the J/80 and the development of fleets on all three coastlines (Bay of Biscay to the west, Mediterranean down south and La Manche in the north).  It is not without coincidence that this year's 2012 Coupe de France was taking on special significance since the next J/80 World Championships are being held in 2013 off Marseilles in July-- and the J/80 French Association are expecting well over 130 J/80s to participate.

The Coupe de France consists of seven events that starts with the famous "monster regatta" known as "Le Spi" (a.k.a. SPI OUEST France) that is sailed in April off the quaint seaside village of La Trinite sur Mer and ends with the Atlantic Telegramme Regatta sailed off Lorient.  The series scoring is based on a "high point" basis that counts 4 of 7 events.  Proving yet again they're the team to beat was Eric Brezellec's INTERFACE CONCEPT I, finishing the series with 359 pts and winning by a clear margin, most notably because of their exceptional performance at SPI Ouest.  Fellow colleague Simon Moriceau also proved they're a rapidly improving team that is a force to be reckoned with for next year's Worlds, finishing 2nd overall with 306 pts due in large part to their strong showings at the Grand Prix Crouesty and the Atlantique Telegramme event in Lorient.  Taking third only one point back was Luc Nadal's GAN'JA with 305 total pts.  Fourth was Herve Leduc's J'ILE DE RE with 287 pts and fifth was Martin Le Pape's ARPEGE PROMOTION with 266 pts.   For more J/80 Coupe de France sailing information

Williams Trumps Match Race France

Englishman Eclipses World's Top Match Racers
(Marseille, France)- The reigning Alpari World Match Racing Tour champion, Ian Williams won the Match Race France title and moved up to take the overall lead of the Tour. Williams did it by defeating the young New Zealander, Will Tiller 2-0 in a downpour and freshening breeze off Marseille in the matched fleet of J/80 one-design racers. The final was delayed by light winds, so the race committee shortened it to the first to two points. When it did freshen enough to start racing, the rapidly increasing breeze came with heavy rain - not exactly Mediterranean conditions! It did not put Williams off his game however, with a shut-out in the first race, he then passed Tiller at the final mark in the second race to close it out.

The overall Tour leader, Bjorn Hansen added no points to his score at Match Race France, after finishing ninth, while Williams scored 25 points for his win. It means that Williams now takes a nine point lead into the final two events of the year, the Gold Cup in Bermuda next week, and then the season finale, the Monsoon Cup in early December in Malaysia.   For some great YouTube video action   For more World Match Race Tour sailing information

Tabares Takes J/80 Copa Espana

(Palma Mallorca, Spain)- Only in Spain.  A nation that has produced some great sailors in the last decade or so.  J/80 sailors dominating the Volvo Ocean Race on Volvo 70s with the Martinez family having an impact on sailing TELEFONICA.  Olympic 49ers, Olympic 470s and other classes the Spaniards have sailed well.  And, sailing J/80s has proven to be their "national testing ground" for next-generation keelboat sailors.  It's clear Spanish sailing team efforts have seen their efforts come to fruition on a global scale in the J/80 class.  Nowhere is this more self-evident than sailing against some of the world's best sailors in the J/80 Worlds- Spanish teams have won the last SIX J/80 Worlds in a row (Dartmouth 2012 (UK), Copenhagen 2011 (Denmark), Newport 2010 (RI, USA), Santander 2009 (Spain), Kiel 2008 (Germany), La Trinite sur Mer 2007 (France))!

Therefore, when the top teams in Spain congregate for their Copa Espana from around the country at the High Performance Center in Los Alcazares Infanta Cristina de Murcia, it's going to be clear that year-end "bragging rights" for "top dog" in the Spanish sailing world will be the winner of the Copa Espana.  The world be damned, who wins in Spain is what counts.

The first day of sailing was marked by a good breeze of 15 kts average, which made it easy to get in three races for the madding crowd of champions. From the start the fleet opted for the left side of the course, led by Rayco Tabares at the helm of the J/80 AUTRAN who would never relinquish his lead to win the first race.  The second race was for local and reigning Copa del Rey Mapfre J/80 Champion Carlos Martinez.  With a great start, he controlled the race despite repeated attacks by Rayco Tabares' AUTRAN, with whom he had a nice "match race" in the second beat.  In the third and final race of the day, the strategy again favored those who got left.  Again, Rayco's AUTRAN team started well and won the race followed by Carlos Martinez on MAPFRE.  The reigning world champion Jose Maria van der Ploeg and his crew of NILFISK after a slow start stood at 6th place overall after the first day.

The second day was marked with hotly contested races amongst the top ten teams.  The Race Committee had a difficult job because the wind was unstable in strength and direction. It would not be possible to start the first race of the day until 2:30 p.m. with winds of 5 to 9 knots.  On the first beat the fleet divided between left and right with a clear advantage to HERBALIFE sailed by Leonardo Armas playing the middle of the course quite well, rounding the first weather mark first and never relinquishing his lead in difficult, shifty conditions.  The second race was clearly for NILFISK and MAPFRE on the left side of the course on the first beat, finishing 1-2 in that order.  For the third race, Jose Maria van der Ploeg after a great start took the lead from the start and with good speed controlled all his rivals to win the race.  Meanwhile, the battle for second place was between three boats, Rayco Tabares' AUTRAN, Carlos Martinez's MAPRE and Jose Ballester's Bureaufax-Eu; ultimately they finished in that order.

After trying to get races going on the third and last day of the event, the RC had to cancel all racing after 1500 hours. As a result, Rayco Tabares on AUTRAN was proclaimed the 2012 Copa de Espana Champion with just 11 pts net with a well-sailed 1-2-1-3-6-2-2 record.  Second was Carlos Martinez on MAPFRE with a dsq-1-2-8-1-3-10 record for 25 pts net.  Third was current J/80 World Champion NILFISK with José María Van der Ploeg with a 7-7-13-4-2-1-1 for 26 pts net, narrowly missing out getting second for the regatta.  Fourth was Emilio Azofra on YACHT PORT CARTAGENA sailing a solid series with an 11-3-3-9-4-9-1 record for 20 pts net.  And, rounding out the top five was Pablo Benjumeda on PUERTO SHERRY I scoring a commendable 4-4-9-7-5-7-3 for 30 pts net.  Close racing, indeed, for the top five overall!

The awards ceremony was attended by the Director General of Sports of the Region of Murcia, Antonio Peñalver, accompanied by the mayor of Los Alcazares, Anastasio Bastida; RFEV president, Gerardo Pombo, president FVRM, Pedro Román, Spain J80 class president, Alejandro Diaz, with his secretary, and Pepe Gándara Cartagena Premium BMW manager, Miguel Angel Poor.   J/80 Copa Espana YouTube  For more J/80 Copa Espana sailing information

J/80 Match Race France

World's Top Match Racers Sailing 80s In Marseilles 
(Marseille, France)- As the world’s top match racers arrive in Marseille for Match Race France this week, they embark on two crucial events in two weeks, which could transform the Alpari World Match Racing Tour (AWMRT) leader-board ahead of the season-finale Monsoon Cup in December. Pierre-Antoine Morvan believes his Vannes Agglo Sailing Team can be one of the surprise packages.

Morvan (FRA) Vannes Agglo Sailing Team comes to his home regatta after a podium finish at the recent St. Moritz Match Race and a strong performance at last week’s final warm-up, Internationeaux de France de Match Racing in Pornichet, where he lost in the final to compatriot Mathieu Richard.

Morvan holds a Tour Card for the first time this year but has proved his abilities against the world’s top match racers, establishing joint third position in the overall Tour leader-board. He now feels that a win at his favorite event of the season can set up an exciting showdown for the Tour title. He said: “We have been looking forward to this event, it will be a great feeling to sail the Alpari World Tour in France. We know the boats as we use the J/80’s at home and we know the event from previous years.  If we win Match Race France, we can start thinking about winning the whole Tour. Coming into our first full season we were targeting a top 5 finish. Now I think we can do a good event here and go to the Monsoon Cup aiming for the podium and challenging for the title hopefully.”

Twenty-five points are available to each the winner of Match Race France and the subsequent Argo Group Gold Cup in Bermuda (1-7 Oct) and should one team manage to win both, they could transform their season as Johnie Berntsson managed in the 2011 season, taking a podium finish at the last event of the season.

Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team went into last year’s final three events in mid-table but managed to take second place at both the Argo Group Gold Cup and Monsoon Cup, securing a third overall in the premier international sailing series. Having recorded a season-best fifth place at the recent St. Moritz Match Race and currently sitting in eighth position on the leader-board, he is hoping that he can recreate that late run of results once again. He said: “I’m expecting us to finish strongly again this year, perhaps even more so than last year. It is still wide open this season I think, there are a few teams that could come through to challenge and we’re one of them."

Match Race France sees wildcard entries from local favorite and 2011 event winner, Damien Iehl (FRA) Wind 2 Win, former ISAF Match Racing World Champion Adam Minoprio (NZL) Black Match and recent Women’s Elliot 6m Olympic Champion, Tamara Echegoyen (ESP) Echegoyen Team.

Gold medallist Echegoyen is excited about taking on the world’s top match races and thinks her team can really hone their abilities amongst a world class professional field. She said: “The Olympics was a great experience and something that made me very happy. This is the a very different challenge and it’s the first time I’ve entered a men’s event at this level. It’ll definitely be a challenge and one I can really learn a lot from every day. It’ll be really good for our development. I am expecting that perhaps the racing will be slightly more aggressive and with the bigger boats, it is likely to be a bit more physical than we are used to. Let’s see how we get on.”   For more World Match Race Tour sailing information

BABY J Wins Deauville Open

(Deauville, France)- 13 races (11 to count) in four days of racing.  Windward-leeward courses of 1-1.2nm.  Wind from 8-20 kts. It was a prescription for some great sailing by the eighteen J/80 crews assembled for the gorgeous Deauville Open.

After establishing their supremacy in the first eight races with four 1sts, 2nd and 3rd, the team of BABY J lead by Jean Francois Guionet backed off the throttle a little bit and put themselves into "cruise control" knowing that they'd won the regatta with only 3 counters left to go in the entire event to finish with 34 pts.

A strong women sailor in the form of Nathalie Corson led her team on JAWS to a strong second place, only two points behind the BABY J team.  Her finishes nearly were the converse of Jean Francois's team- with a 5-4-6-4-3-2-1-1-3-5-2 for 36 pts.

In third place overall was Marine Cherbourg Issartel sailed by Gilles Drouet with finishes of 2-5-1-6-10-5-4-5-1-1-3 for 43 net pts.    For more J/80 Deauville Open sailing information

J/80 MAPFRE Wins Copa del Rey

(Palma de Mallorca, Spain)- The J/80s gathered together in Palma Mallorca for what has to be one of the world's better sailing venues for offshore one-design racing.  The Bay of Palma provides classic sea-breeze conditions most of the time and this year was not a disappointment for most of the sailors.  It all started on the first day for the J/80s.

The Bay of Palma delivered another day of fantastic conditions in spite of a not so optimistic wind forecast. The latter announced light Southerly winds of around 10 knots for most part of the day, but the locally known as "Garbi" picked up progressively reaching 18 to 20 knots. This allowed the fleet to display a fantastic show on the water, which saw several spinnakers blow under such unexpected wind pressure.

The J-80s enjoyed lighter winds in the race area Charly which hosted the day`s two races. Ignacio Camino`s Nextel and Jose María van der Ploeg`s Nilfisk won race one and two respectively, thus cutting down distances with Carlos Martinez`s Mapfre which remains leader in spite of her third and fourth places today.

For the second day of racing, the wind pattern of around 15 knots from the Southwest-West that prevailed the three past days switched to a Southerly-Southwesterly light breeze of around six knots at the beginning of races today, gradually picking up and reaching 12 to 14 knots in the early afternoon. Demanding conditions and very tactical racing in a very decisive day in which discards came into effect in J-80 divisions.

The J-80 division saw Carlos Martinez`s Mapfre increase her lead thanks to her rival`s Nextel`s over the line in the first race and a fourth place in the second, whereas Martinez was second and first. The victory in the first race went to Nilfisk of José María van der Ploeg, but the boat skippered by the Olympic sailor could only finished seventh in the second. Nextel lies second in the overall classification, followed by Nilfisk, which is twenty points clear of fourth classified.

For the third day of sailing, the J-80 Mapfre stood out as clear favorite with just one day of races left. Conditions proved tricky for the J/80s, with 14 knots of wind gusting up to 18 knots and lumpy seas in the first race. Carlos Martínez discarded his result on today`s first race, which was won by Jose María van der Ploeg skippering Nilfisk, and was third in the second, a good result given that his closest competitors, Nilfisk and Nextel where eighth and sixth respectively. Mapfre held to the hot spot with six points advantage over second place Nextel.

For the final day, the Bay of Palma provided perfect sailing which started in Northeasterly winds of 18 knots at the beginning of races, dropping to 12 knots along the day. The wind shifts of around ten degrees and almost flat seas made for the perfect challenge for aspirants to the crown of each class.

In J-80s, Ignacio Camino`s Nextel lost his options when his boat dismasted right before the start of race 1, forcing him to abandon. This benefited Mapfre who got rid of his main contender, so he sailed conservatively the two last races of the event, and got his first Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre crown. Nextel was third.  For more J/80 MAPFRE Regata Copa del Rey sailing information

J/80s Sailing Copa del Rey

(Palma Mallorca, Spain)- The 30th edition of the famous Copa Del Rey Audi Mapfre regatta again promises world-class competition in Spain and the Mediterranean.  And, continuing to be one of the pre-eminent classes at this prestigious gathering of sailors from around the world will be the J/80 International Class.  For sailors in Europe, the J/80s have become the breeding ground for top international competitors.  In Spain, in particular, World, Olympic and European champions from many classes are tested routinely in local and regional competitions.

For this year's edition of Copa del Rey, top teams will be participating from Spain, Germany, United Kingdom and Italy.  The UK representative is John Horn sailing BALTIC ROPES/J-SAILING for the Royal Yachting Association.  From Italy, it will be veteran campaigners Massimo Rama on JENIALE! racing for YC Chiavari.  The German teams will be represented by the Segelkameradschaft Das Wappen von Bremen sailing from Bremen, Germany.  Then, Spain is showing up with an armada of recent and past World Champions and national champions, including 2012 World's Champ Jose Maria van der Ploeg sailing NIFILSK/ GREAT SAILING.  Also, in attendance will be NEXTEL ENGINEERING sailed by past World Champ Ignacio Camino and past Copa del Rey champion MAPFRE will be sailed by the Martinez/ Barrionuevo team-- yes, the same Martinez family that saw Iker race the Volvo 70 TELEFONICA in the 2012 Volvo Race.  The racing promises to be extremely competitive across the board.  For more Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre sailing information

J/80 PRO-RIGGING Wins PalmaVela

(Palma de Mallorca, Spain)- Four days of picture-perfect sailing conditions have decided the winners of the 7th edition of the Mapfre PalmaVela regatta, which has gathered 115 boats of 16 countries in the bay of Palma.  It came down to the wire on the last day for winners in most of the 15 divisions at the 2012 Mapfre PalmaVela regatta, which began Friday with over 1.000 sailors representing countries such as Spain, Italy, Ireland, Russia, Virgin Islands, England, Sweden and Great Britain. The event is hosted by the Real Club Náutico de Palma, and is considered the first event of the Mediterranean sailing season.

The nineteen teams sailing in the J/80 fleet had excellent competition.  However, this time a new team took the honors at the top of the podium, local hotshot sailor Javier Sanz racing for Real Club Nautico Palma on PRO-RIGGING won the event easily.  Second was the "sponsor's" team, MAPFRE sailed by Carlos Martinez and third was past Spanish Olympic Gold Medalist, Jose Maria Van Der Ploeg racing NILFISK.  The American team on FIRED UP sailed a charter boat and managed a credible 7th, led by Gary Kamins and crew (Jay Lutz) from California YC and Houston, TX.

In the ORC fleet the J/145 ACE sailed by Fred Stelle with guest star Rod Johnstone had a fabulous time sailing and managed to grab a third overall in their division.

On the first day or racing, the forecast was for Westerly winds of around 15 knots all day, reaching 16-17 knots at 12:00, when the start of races is scheduled. The nice westerly breeze and clear sunny skies brought another great day of sailing for the season`s first event.  Of note, in the Soto 40 class the series favorite Iberdrola, with J/80 World Champion Pichu Torcida at the helm, showed they are in form and finished the day in the first position after the three races held today.  In the ORC 0 Class, Fred Stelle's J/145 ACE managed a 3-4.

On the second day of sailing, Southerly winds of 8 to 10 knots in the early afternoon cooperated to give almost all classes three races, although the breeze didn`t settle until later in the afternoon, 15:00 hours, when the clear sunny skies and 15 knots delivered picture-perfect conditions.  In the J80 class Javier Sanz`s Pro-Rigging skippered by David Madrazo clawed their way up to first after a great performance notching two first and a second place, leaving Jose María Van der Ploeg`s Nilfisk as runner up. The Spanish Olympic medallist posted a sixth, an eleventh - discarded- and a first.  In ORC 0, Fred Stelle's J/145 team on ACE repeated their performance from the day before, scoring a 4-3.

The third and last day of races started in tactically demanding conditions of 6 to 8 knots of Northeasterly wind and light overcast skies which prevented the breeze from pushing through until 14:00 hours, when a nice Southerly breeze stablished in the bay of Palma.  The J-80 class was a cause for joy at the RCNP for its President Javier Sanz`s PRO-RIGGING clinched the Mapfre PalmaVela Trophy in the One-Design class which gathered nineteen boats for this seventh edition. Carlos Martinez`s MAPFRE was second, whereas Olympic medallist Jose María Van der Ploeg`s NILFISK was third.  On the last day, Stelle's J/145 ACE in ORC 0 class managed a 3rd to clinch 3rd overall for the division.   Sailing photo credits- Martinez Studio   For more PalmaVela sailing information

French J80s Prepare For Sailing Season And Worlds

First England 2012, Then France 2013
(La Trinite Sur Mer, France)- As their Spanish counterparts are ramping up their sailing and training schedules, the French J/80 Class are doing the same in La Trinite, Lorient and other ports around the French coastline.  No question the top French teams have in their sights top 10 finishes (or better) at this year's J/80 Worlds in Dartmouth, England and later in the 2013 J/80 Worlds in France.

The first event called the ARNO SKIPPER is now also a Sport Boat Regatta in La Trinite sur Mer.  Leading up to the famous monster spring event called SPI Ouest Regatta, there will be five training weekends for any French J/80s wishing to participate. The dates are: January 28/29, then February 11/12 and 25/26, then 10/11 and 24/25 March.

These training programs are being organized on the following basis: on-the-water sailing, racing, speed-testing, boat-handling and so forth followed by a de-briefing in the evening with video, photos and questions/answers with the top sailors (tactical, strategy, weather, boat-settings, etc).  If you want to get your J/80 team up-to-speed very, very quickly, then participation in these training weekends will be the best investment of time and resources you can possibly make!

For further J/80 training/ sailing information, please contact- Arnaud Walter- ph- 06 69 58 21 21 or arnoskipper@yahoo.fr    For more J/80 France sailing information

J/80s Sailing Mar Menor

(Cartagena, Spain)- Along the SE tip of Spain jutting into the Mediterranean is a gorgeous "ocean lake", a fully enclosed body of water with access to the sea via a ditch cut through the border island.  The flat water and strong sea-breezes make for fun, fast, exciting sailing.

Setting the bar high in this series was Carlos Martinez sailing MAPFRE to victory in the Trophy V "Infanta Cristina".  The trophy series started in October, completing six races over three weekends in 8-12 knot NE winds.  Such steady, stable breezes made for very competitive sailing as it was not easy to break away from the fleet on massive, oscillating wind shifts.  Instead, it was like sailing in ocean breezes with mild oscillations in direction and minor changes in wind speed.

The courses were windward-leeward, with a duration of approximately 50 minutes per race. The presiding PRO Jesus Moreno, aided by the stable wind conditions, managed to get off nearly flawless races for the J/80 fleet.

At the end of the series, behind Carlos Martinez's MAPFRE, was Emilio Azofra's OPORTO YATES in second and Charles Beltri's SAYULA in third- in a very tight final match only 2 points separated the top three when all results were tabulated.  For more Spanish J/80 sailing information.

80s Lovin Copa Del Rey

(Palma de Mallorca, Spain)- The 30th Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre regatta opened today with two windward-leeward races which started at 13:00 hours as scheduled, thanks to a reliable sea breeze which picked up to 15 knots in the early afternoon.  The racers were greeted with the fabulous (and famous) "Palma conditions", with the stunning backdrop of the famous hills, city and cathedral behind them.

The reigning J-80 World Champion Ignacio Camino sailed his renowned NEXTEL ENGINEERING perfectly, clearly dominating this one design class division and is first after today's two bullets.  Two-times Star world champion Tono Gorostegui is second, after a sixth and a second place, Olympic Finn gold medalist Jose María Van der Ploeg's Factorenergia - Great Sailing is third.  More news next week when they're finished on Saturday!   Sailing photo credits: Nico Martinez  For more Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre sailing information

  

French Win J/80 WMRT #1

(Marseilles, France)- Damien Iehl and his French Match Racing Team made the perfect start to their World Match Racing Tour season after defeating Bertrand Pace's Aleph Sailing Team in an all French Final at Match Race France in Marseille. Surprised?  Most French sailors in J/80s wouldn't be.  After all, only 107 J/80s recently sailed Spi Ouest-France.  Many French sailors are fast in J/80s.

This was Iehl's second ever victory on the World Match Racing Tour following his win at Match Race Germany in 2008 (also in J/80s) and his early justification for being awarded a Tour Card for the 2011 season. The victory caps a week in which the Frenchman has been in majestic form, firstly by Qualifying in second position, then defeating the 2003 Tour Champion Jesper Radich (DEN) 3-1 in the Semi-Finals and finally Pace in the first all French Final on the Tour since 2007.  Sailing Photo by Nico Martinez/ www.nicomartinez.com.   Sailing Photo Gilles Martin-Raget / Match Race France

  

OLJ SPIRIT HATAMURI Wins J/80 Italians

(Chiavari, Italy- May 13-15)- In their usual sublime, easy-going but elegant style, the Yacht Club Chiavari hosted the J/80 Italian Championships.  The fleet was blessed with nice weather, warm temperatures and nice breezes across the Mediterranean Sea.  It was a closely fought regatta for the top two and perhaps an even tougher fight for third spot between three boats over the course of seven races.  The first day was light offshore scirocco breeze of only 5-8 knots that died in the afternoon, permitting two races to be run.  On the second day, more scirocco breezes from ESE of around 150 degrees and never more than 10 knots, but it was sufficient to get in three races.  At the end of the day, it was time to return to port and happy hour at the Marquee Club, with beer, white wine, peas, salami and cheese for everyone!  The third day started out with storm conditions blowing 30-35 knots from the northeast and raining, a classic winter day in Italy.  The Race Committee at YCC wisely decided to postpone racing and were rewarded with a great day for sailing by midday, winds 15-25 knots from the northeast with 30 degree shifts.

Winning this year's  event was Federico Rajola sailing OLJ SPIRIT HATAMURI, managing the win the last race of the series to post a score of 1-6-1-1-3-2-1 for 9 points (dropping a 6th).  Losing out in the last race was the regatta leader at the time, Carlo Cesaris sailing J-VIVADO.  Carlos and crew sailed a beautiful series but simply lost it in the end, getting a 2-2-3-2-1-1-6 scoreline for 11 points (also dropping a 6th!).  Fighting it out for the bronze medal on the podium were past winner Massimo Rama sailing his well-traveled JENIALE!, Paolo Montednonico skippering MONTPRES and Giorgio Guzzi steering ORSO J.  Going into the last race, it was anyone's guess who would triumph in this horse race.  In short, they nearly all managed to tie each other in a three-way tie for third!  But, it was Massimo's JENIALE! that withstood a last minute dash of his competitors to secure a third with a scoreline of 3-5-2-3-4-4-5 for 21 points.  Tied for fourth and winning the tie-breaker was Paolo's MONTPRES with a 6-1-4-6-12-3-2 tally for 22 points.  On the losing end of that stick was Giorgio's ORSO J with a 5-3-5-4-2-7-3 for 22 points.   For more J/80 Italian Championship Sailing information

  

J/80 Copa de Espana Features Olympic & World Champions

(Palma Mallorca, Spain)- This weekend's Copa de Espana for the J/80 class in Spain is nearly as competitive as a J/80 World championship, especially since many of the top J/80 teams worldwide come from Spain. Hosted by the Real Club Nautico de Palma, the thirty teams will be competing on Palma's gorgeous bay, with spectacular green mountains as a backdrop and the famous Cathedral La Seu along the waterfront, it will surely create a memorable and beautiful canvas for those sailing this weekend in Palma.

As a reflection of the fact that the J/80 has grown into the most important one-design racing boat in Spain, there will be many highly competitive teams taking part in this year's regatta, including many top Olympic and World-class sailors.  Featuring amongst them will be HOTEL PRINCESA YAIZA skippered by ex-J/80 World Champion Rayco Tabares Alvarez from the Canary Islands.  Also sailing is another J/80 World Champion, NEXTEL ENGINEERING, skippered  by Ignacio Camino and Armando Gutierrez.  Rounding out some of the potential leaders will be local Palma team PORTCALL COMPOSITES led by Jose Carlos Frau Greenfield, the recent PalmaVela winners MAPFRE with Carlos Martinez and crew hoping to repeat their performance; Barcelona 1992 Gold Medallist Jose María van der Ploeg will take the helm of the J/80 GREAT SAILING; Montreal 1976 Silver Medallist Toño Gorostegui will be onboard CANTABRIA INFINITA; and Portuguese sailor Hugo Rocha, Bronze Medallist in Atlanta 1996, will skipper TURISMO DO ALGARVE.  For more Copa de Espana J/80 sailing information.  Sailing photo credits- Chapifoto.com

  

PalmaVela Features Olympic/ World Champions Sailing J/80s

(Palma de Mallorca, Spain)- Some of the most magnificent sailboats of the world will compete from the 20th to 24th of April in the Mapfre PalmaVela regatta. Twelve classes will join competition during the four racing days. A total of 120 boats, 1000 sailors, 15 divisions and 15 countries will compete, distributed across four racing areas.

While the giant sailing yachts will be racing further offshore, the giants of sailing in Spain will be racing in the J/80 class.  The J/80 has grown into the most important one-design racing boat in Spain and will see 23 highly competitive teams taking part in this year's regatta.  It's a gathering some of the best national and international sailors that call Europe home.  For these teams, the Mapfre PalmaVela will also serve as a warm-up for the debut of the class in the Copa del Rey Audi-Mapfre regatta that will be sailed in July.

The participation of three Olympic Medallists and a World Champion is proof of the extremely competitive level of the class. Barcelona 1992 Gold Medallist Jose María van der Ploeg will take the helm of the J/80 GREAT SAILING and so will Montreal 1976 Silver Medallist Toño Gorostegui onboard CANTABRIA INFINITA. Portuguese Hugo Rocha, Bronze Medallist in Atlanta 1996, will skipper TURISMO DO ALGARVE, while J/80 World Champion Ignacio Camino will sail onboard NEXTEL ENGINEERING. ALCOLA sailed by Estanislao Carpio, FIERABRAS skippered by Diego Colón, PORTCALL COMPOSITES helmed by José Carlos Frau, Javier Sanz's PRO RIGGING, or Miguel Pujadas' EDER HOTELS are some of the strong Majorcan J/80 teams to compete this week in Palma. Defending champion Carlos Martínez also stands out as one of the favorites.  For more Mapfre PalmaVela Sailing information.