Royal Hong Kong YC Selects J/80s

From Little Things, Big Things Grow

(Hong Kong, China)- In late 2009 the Royal Hong Kong YC firmed up plans to purchase a number of new boats in partnership with members.  A short list of designs was studied, and after many long hours of discussion and negotiation an agreement was reached with Jim Johnstone of J-Boats Asia, with the boats being built by Hudson Yachts in Xiamen. A few short months later the first J/80's rolled through the Boatyard gates. With a total of 16 boats currently ordered this is a spectacular start to a new fleet in anyone's books, and marks a new chapter in the already strong history of class racing at the RHKYC.

The seed of this idea was sown by past Commodore Inge Strompf-Jeppesen, and came from her own experiences sailing International events in one-design fleets that were owned and managed by a Yacht Club.

The new RHKYC fleet comprises of 6 boats owned by the Club in partnership with members and 10 boats that are 100% member owned. Hebe Haven Yacht Club has also bought 2 boats on the back of the fleet deal offered by J-Boats, and hopes are that we will be well into the twenties before too long.

It is expected that the new fleet will hit the water 'running', with a J/80 division being offered by the HHYC for the summer "Typhoon Series". Plans are for the fleet to base first at Kellett Island, move to Sai Kung for the summer then down to Middle Island for the start of the 2010 - 2011 season. Match racing and keelboat training programs will also be coming on line soon, and the Club owned boats will be available for use by members.  In this photo is new J/80 owner Lonny Chen (J/80 #1211) with Roger Eastham (RHKYC Manager).   For more Royal Hong Kong YC J/80 Fleet info and YouTube videos.  

J/80 Wake-boarding?

OK, so our British J/80 friends sailing on Plymouth Sound have a great sense of humor.  Or, perhaps whoever dreamed up this idea surely has a "mad streak"?  How about wake-boarding, powered by the big a-sail and using a 6 hp engine and towed by the main halyard to blow off some steam before a regatta?! A new side-bar event for J/80 regattas? If you don't believe it, watch this YouTube video with a rapping Moby song mixed into it. 

Spanish J/80s Miss Volcano Cloud

(Spain)- With the ash cloud hanging heavy over northern Europe and severely curtailing outdoor activities, the Spanish fleet of J/80s enjoyed good racing off their Mediterranean coastlines in Palma (see above), Santander and Bilbao.  In the Santander J/80 fleet, they're racing for the MAQUCHE TROPHY and FONESTAR raced by Jaime Piris, Alfredo Portilla, Carlos Bats and Bryan Lee continue to be the leader in the overall standings, winning four straight races against a thirty boat fleet! Second is LUPA skippered by Adrian Zamacona and third the MABLE V sailed by Oriol.   Photo credit- Jesus Renedo

In the Bilbao J/80 fleet, the Basques were racing for their Spring Trophy on a perfect day for sailing, sunny, clear with a fresh northeast wind around 15-18 knots creating surfable one meter waves.  José Azqueta with GUIDE VIII continues to lead with 11 points ahed of Meda Diego's SUMINAM and 15 points ahead of Ibon Basanez's JET SET. Next Saturday will be the second day of the championship.  For more Spanish J/80 sailing information. 

Hublot Palmavela Regatta

Tres Amigos, Tres Campiones

(Palma de Mallorca, Spain)- If there is any place on Earth that comes close to a sailing paradise, Palma surely has to be on the list with its spectacular geography, great sailing on the bay and beautiful, historic town anchored by the skyscraping Santa Maria cathedral.  The mountainous ridge along the NW portion of Mallorca creates a reasonably reliable sea breeze from the WSW.  No wonder Palma's town and harbors are favorites of super yachts and sailors alike for centuries, or why photographers like Jesus Renedo (featured here), that call Palma "home", consider it one of the most spectacular places to shoot sailboats in the world.

The first big event of the sailing season for Palma is the Hublot Palmavela and it's considered one of the best of the year, often because of the spectacular spring sailing conditions with bright, crystal blue skies.  This year's seventh edition lived up to those expectations, with skies made even clearer with no European air traffic due to Iceland's volcanic ash cloud over northern Europe.

The J/80 fleet had twenty-two entries, attracting a star-studded cast of sailors that included two former J/80 World Champions, Jose Maria Torcida and Ignacio Camino, from 2007 and 2008, respectively.  According to Jesus, "it was an incredibly tight fleet to watch and, to our joy, one of the WALLY super yacht owners, Thomas Bascher, left his Wally 100 footer OPEN SEASON to have loads of fun racing one-design in J/80s."

After two beautiful days of sailing, it was hard to hold the ex-World Champions and the Spanish National champions off the podium.  At the end, it was Martinez on PERALEJA GOLF that set the standard with just twelves points!  Camino on NEXTEL finished second with thirty one points, just beating his fellow World Champion Torcida sailing ECC VIVIENDAS who finished third with thirty five points.  Photo Credits- Jesus Renedo.  For more J/80 Sailing results.  For more Palmavela sailing and regatta information  

ECC VIVIENDAS Wins J/80 AVEGA CUP

(Santander, Spain)- Thirty two boats participated in the coveted J/80 AVEGA Cup in Santander.  The event is widely popular because the winners get to take home HUGE new LED television sets to enjoy with family and friends those popular futbol (soccer) matches so prevalent in Spain and Europe.  The picture here is of José Manuel Sansalvador, CEO of AVEGA SRL, along with the winners of the biggest TV, Pichu Torcida and crew from ECC VIVIENDAS.  They sure are happy aren't they?

After two very nice days of sailing in the beautiful waters off Santander, Pichu's crew won by six points over his arch competitor BANCAJA sailed by Javier López-Vázquez.  There was a big point jump after the leaders up to NEXTEL ENGINEERING raced by Ignacio Camino, fourth was GRUPO RHIN skippered by Angel Herrerias and fifth was a regular front-runner in this fleet, FUNDESTIC capably steered by Toño Gorostegui.  For more J/80 Spain sailing info.  

Nicolas Troussel, Famous French Sailor, Racing J/80s SPI OUEST

Of interest to those who follow the French offshore sailing scene were some of the notables racing J/80s at SPI OUEST the previous fortnight.  Sailing with J/France West Brittany dealer, PL Yachting, was the famous French offshore sailor "Nicolas Troussel", the past Figaro race winner and offshore Figaro annual championship winner.  Also joining them in the 93 boat J/80 class was Jean Galfione, the old French Gold Medallist at the Olympic Games (pole vaulting)!  Apparently, Jean said handling the J/80 foredeck duties with a carbon pole, the horizontal variety, was "tres simple"!  

J/80 Cruising Across the Atlantic?

Seriously? Why? Here's an amusing story about sailing a J/80 on the old "trade-winds" route from Europe to the Caribbean, going by way of the Azores and the Canaries.  Follow the adventurous blog of two Swedish J/80 sailors, Andreas and Jens, a fire-fighter and IT consultant, respectively.  "The idea of sailing to the West Indies was born during a warm summer night on our way to Fårö, Sweden. A J/80, is an eight metre long racing boat with the same conveniences as a two-man-tent and is so fast that it even leaves some 40-feet boats behind. J/80 boats have been sailed in races like Gotland Runt and other ocean races many times but still, no one has crossed the Atlantic Ocean in one. We will change that during the autumn 2007.  So follow us during our preparations and also during our journey to the West Indies in one of the smallest racing boats!"  They're now down in Los Roques/ Tortuga off Venezuela having a scream cruising, fishing and kite-boarding.

So, Ken, maybe you should get these guys to sail with you on the Volvo 70 PUMA!  Clearly, a luxury yacht ride compared to a J/80, eh?  Could even use their "rubber-band auto-steering" innovation, too, that works surfing down waves up to 20 knots!  This story had me in tears laughing.  http://adventure.roxen.com/  

Can Favourites Win Match Race France in J/80s?

Not.  Instead, it was "Local French Hero Reverses History!"  Here's the report from the WMRT.  "Twelve skippers went to Yacht Club Pointe Rouge, Southern France for the start of the 2010 World Match Racing Tour (WMRT). The first of this 10 event global series starts in Marseille and will count towards points for the ultimate prize of becoming the 2010 ISAF World Match Racing Champion.  With a daunting line up of skippers including seasoned World Champions, Olympic medal holders and adrenalin-fuelled youngsters, any skipper lining up to perform pre-start tactics would have to be confident of their match racing prowess and boat handling abilities onboard the J/80 yachts. The J/80 will provide a lively model for the skippers to race, a design that works for dinghy sailors as well as big boat racers making tight boat maneuvering during the pre-start achievable for all skippers. The J/80 cockpit is also spacious for the four person crew to perform their jobs to the best of their ability, involving constant alteration of sails, body weight and vantage points to see the competing boat's next move. The J/80's will be raced asymmetrically for this event so it will be interesting to see if those skippers who have previous asymmetric experience will have an advantage on the downhill legs."

As the regatta unfolded, it was clear that strong dinghy sailors had an advantage.  Here's what happened, "Stage 1 of the ISAF World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), has put a new twist on an ancient maritime tale. The scenario of English sailors battling French sailors is reminiscent of the famed 1805 Battle of Trafalgar when UK’s Lord Nelson defeated Emperor Napoleon of France. Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAM ORIGIN took on Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team.  The French local, Richard, took a convincing victory winning both of the final two matches raced under a testing 6-7 knot westerly. Richard celebrated with local Marseille supporters, who were quick to take to the water in boats of all sizes."  Photo Credits- Gilles Martin-Raget

Mathieu Richard, who is also tactician for the French America’s Cup syndicate, ALEPH, observed, “We had a slow start to the regatta, but a slow start motivates you to really improve when it counts.” Ainslie sees his time invested in attending WMRT events as a profitable way to keep his match race training fresh, “My ultimate goal for the ISAF World Match Racing Tour events is to improve my match racing skills and rules knowledge”. The Tour forms an important ingredient in Ainslie’s long term America’s Cup ambition with TEAM ORIGIN.   Richard advanced to the finals by beating Francesco Bruni (ITA) 2-1, while Ainslie bested Paolo Cian (ITA) by a similar score. Bruni beat Cian in the single race Petit Final.  For more info sailing J/80s in the World Match Racing Tour  

J/80 Wins Asia's ABMA Sportboat Class Award

(Shanghai, China)- The awards and enthusiasm for the J/80 class continue to roll in, a phenomenal achievement for the world's largest ISAF International sportboat class and a boat first designed in 1993 to grow the sportboat revolution worldwide.  This past week, the Asia Boat Marine Association voted on the "Best Sportboat for Asia", a category that had a slew of other well-known sportboats competing.  The J/80 received five of ten votes while its erstwhile competitors received only one or two votes each!  The four reasons mentioned by the ABMA Committee that strongly influenced the voters were:
    * New Hong Kong Fleet
    * Use of the J/80 in the Asian Games
    * Production in Xiamen
    * Overall an all-around performer meeting the sportboat and daysailing requirements.
For more information on the ABMA Sportboat Sailing Awards  

Can The Favorites Win Match Race France in Marseilles?

Twelve skippers are headed to Yacht Club Pointe Rouge, Southern France this week for the official start of the 2010 World Match Racing Tour (WMRT). The first of this 10 event global series starts in Marseille and will count towards points for the ultimate prize of becoming the 2010 ISAF World Match Racing Champion.

With a daunting line up of skippers including seasoned World Champions, Olympic medal holders and adrenalin-fueled youngsters, any skipper lining up to perform pre-start tactics will have to be confident of their match racing prowess and boat handling abilities onboard the J/80 yachts. Tipped to win and "dark horse of the Tour" is new entrant, Francesco Bruni (ITA) who has recently won the Congressional Cup, while competitors should pay note of re-emerging helms such as Bertrand Pace racing on the waters of his home nation.

All teams including the new wild card entries will be up against the 2010 Tour Card Holders: Adam Minoprio (NZL), Torvar Mirsky (AUS), and Ben Ainslie (GBR) who finished in the top 3 standings during the 2009 Tour and have been actively training with their chosen teams prior to Match Race France.

Marseille offers excellent match racing conditions with excellent spectator opportunities. The J/80 will provide a lively model for the skippers to race. A small keelboat launched by J/Boats, the style works for dinghy sailors as well as big boat racers making tight boat maneuvering during the pre-start achievable for all skippers. The cockpit is also spacious for the four person crew to perform their jobs to the best of their ability, involving constant alteration of sails, body weight and vantage points to see the competing boat's next move. The J/80's will be raced asymmetrically for this event so it will be interesting to see if those skippers who have previous asymmetric experience will have an advantage on the downhill legs.  For more info sailing J/80s in the World Match Racing Tour- http://www.wmrt.com  

J/80s Dominate SPI OUEST Race Week

ATLANTIS  Dominates Field of French Sailing Legends

(La Trinite Sur Mer, France)-  This year's SPI Ouest fleet was blessed with good racing and an experienced committee was able to get off a full flight of races for all three days for all three courses.  The winds were strong, mostly offshore NNE and blowing with one moderate spell (somewhat similar to what they saw in Marseilles for SNIM).  The 93 boat J/80 fleet, by far the largest fleet at SPI OUEST, had some tight racing behind the runaway leader, Louis Sambron racing ATLANTIS.  The J/24s enjoyed tight racing as did the J/105 and J/109 fleet.  Over on the handicap course, the various J's had a tougher time getting off the competitive, crowded starting lines and picking the shifts to stay in contention.

The talk of La Trinite and the French sailing community was the domination of the 93 boat J/80 class by Louis Sambron sailing ATLANTIS. Sailing to  five firsts, a second and fifth in the first seven races, Team ATLANTIS didn't sail the last race to win by 32 points!  Quite an achievement when you have some of France's more renowned sailing talent and legends like Pierre Follenfant, Bruno Trouble, Christine Briand, French J/80 National Champion Luc Nadal and Yves Tabarly.  With teams representing Italy, England, Netherlands, Spain, France, Sweden it was clear to most competitors that it was not going to be difficult to be consistent to do well in the event with so many good sailors fighting to get off the starting line.  Nevertheless, behind ATLANTIS's remarkable performance, that view held true for all other competitors.   Pellisier sailed VOILERIE ALL PURPOSE to second place just three points in front of Pierre Follenfant on TBS.  Christine Briand sailed very well to finish fourth overall and was Top Woman for the event!

On the J/105 and J/109 class course, there was a good regatta for the boats vying for top honors.  At the end, Blanchard's J'ADORE finished first by staying out of trouble, winning by just three points, despite having to drop a DNF/ 11th in the fourth windy race.  In second was Tostivint's J CROIS PAS sailing quite consistently, but having to eat a sixth in the ninth race and tossing an 11th/DNF in the seventh just to be a contender.  Third was the most consistent boat in the fleet, Barouch's J'VOLE finishing only three points back and tossing only a fifth!  Were it a no throw-out series, Barouch and team on J'VOLE would've tied for first but lost the tie-breaker!

In the J/24s, Aubert on JULIA finished strongly with two firsts in the last two races to win over Lemaistre racing MARTA and Cahto racing COUTOT ROEHRING.   For more SPI Ouest Regatta and Sailing information  

J/80 Champion Racing IMOCA 60 New York-Barcelona

J/80 champion Spanish sailor, Antonio ("Toño") Piris from Santander, is skippering in the New York-Barcelona Race in IMOCA 60s.  You'll have seen his name frequently pop up in reports of the extremely competitive J/80 fleet racing off Santander, especially in this last Winter Series.  Great training to keep you sharp offshore in a 3,000 match race!! Toño began sailing in the Optimist class and soon moved on to the Laser, becoming runner-up in the Spanish national championships in 1981, and later winning in the youth category , as well as taking part in the Junior IYRU Laser World Championships in Portugal. He has sailed on boats across many different classes, such as J/24s, J/80s, IOR, IMS, IACC, TP52, as well as having taken part in the building process of many of them: Hispania, Galicia Pescanova, EF Education y EF Language, España 92, Rioja de España, Bravo España, Caixa Galicia and Iberdrola.  Read more about this epic assault on a Trans-Atlantic record with two IMOCA 60s racing.  http://www.ny-bcn.org/en/index.jsp   

Benelux J80 Winter Series

Ms. Vroon's JOIE DE VIVRE Wins!

(Belgium)- After 18 races, divided over 6 racing days, the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg) J80 winter-trophy goes to the JOIE DE VIVRE sailed by Laura Vroon.  Racing took place at the Grevelingen, Zeeland, a salty formed sea branch, closed off by the sea with a dike, with fair weather, smooth water and a moderate to fair breeze.  Up to the last racing day on March the 14th, the number one and two positions were uncertain. Before the last day Faber Munker from Twan Hanse was in the lead with only a few points difference with her closest contender.

So, on this last racing day of the winter series, stakes were high.  Not all the contenders fully applied the racing rules during the starts but no protests were fought out in the Jury rooms.  Port side of the course had a more favourable wind angle and the starboard side more pressure with hardly any noticeable advantage for either side.  After all, FABER MUNKER took place three, JALAPENO place two.  JOIE DE VIVRE took first convincingly with the three first places, and won the daily prize, too. That just did the trick for her to come out of this winter series as the glorious winner.  Third place overall was for Erik Scheeren's JALAPENO.

In total 18 boats have joined this winter series. After being launched only three years ago, the J/80 class in the Benelux shows a steady growth, in terms of fleet size as in the level of sailing.  For more info on J/80 one-design sailing.  

Race Charter J/80s At J/World San Diego

J/80 North American and J/80 World Championships are just around the corner right here in the US and J/80 sailing is gearing up from Coast to Coast. J/World San Diego recently entered four J/80s into the San Diego NOOD Regatta, adding to the class totaling 12 competitive boats. Bring your crew to San Diego and tune up for the season and big races this fall. Yachting Cup 2010

is coming up the first weekend in May. J/World San Diego is offering individual positions as well as full boat charters for the regatta. Contact us for more information at info@jworldsandiego.com or http://www.jworldsandiego.com  

BMW Sailing Cup 2010 in J/80 One-Designs

BMW Wins Sports Marketing Award

(Munich, Germany)- BMW won this years Sports Marketing Award in Munich with the BMW Sailing Cup Series on J/80s,  one of the most coveted prizes in the sports business industry.  It is quite an honor for BMW to be the winner of this award in Europe's biggest sports business conference- the Congress of ISPO SpoBiS held this year in Germany.  BMW decided earlier this winter to continue the series with the International J/80 One-Design fleet.  As a result, BMW will prepare their eight J/80s for the new season that starts in May with 14 events at different locations all over Germany in 2010.

The project, known last year as "SAILING CUP 2009", by the Bavarian car maker BMW has now established itself as the world's largest amateur regatta series.  According to the results of the online vote in Germany, it has BMW demonstrating that its marketing efforts with J/Boat's International J/80 Class in Germany is an ideal way to combine the positive images of the yachting experience with sales/CRM measures that measure impact on auto sales.

Manfred Bräunl, Marketing Manager for BMW of Germany: "We are delighted with the award. We are, with the BMW Sailing Cup, on a successful path and our commitment to yachting continues in the future. In the field of yachting, BMW can take the opportunity to demonstrate our technological competence and we can also share common values such as teamwork, innovation and high-tech to be experienced. Sailors and sailing enthusiasts are already looking forward to sailing the J/80s in the BMW Sailing Cup 2010."

The BMW Sailing Cup, which goes into its fifth season in 2010, has been an inspiration to the sailing community around the world.  Promoted under the slogan "pleasure is sailing" it has attracted sailors from around the world, including teams from Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain.  BMW has established with the BMW Sailing Cup Regatta series for a sport boaters. Every year more than 1,200 sailing enthusiasts are participating in the event.  BMW has a long tradition in yachting and is a premium partner and presenter of major sailing events: Since 2002, BMW has been involved actively in international yachting and the America's Cup as a partner in the Team BMW ORACLE Racing.

For this year's qualifying regattas, the BMW Sailing Cup is handled by a combination of the local BMW dealer organization and a local sailing club.

TOUR CALENDAR 2010
May 1-2- Leipzig, Cospuden, Leipzig branch
May 8-9- Hamburg, Elbe, Office Hamburg
May 15-16- Northeim, Northeim Big Lake, Autohaus Leinetal
May 29-30- Munster, Lake Aa, Autohaus Hakvoort

For more BMW and J/80 Sailing Cup information.

  

World Match Race Champions Racing J/80s

Current World Match Racing Champion, Kiwi Adam Minoprio, will be racing J/80s in the Match Race France Regatta from April 6-11 in Marseilles.  Adam's signed on to Team New Zealand as understudy to Dean Barker.  It's Adam's unflappable nature that has earned him the call up from Grant Dalton to be Dean Barker's side-kick in Team New Zealand's two-boat development programme for the next America's Cup. "For Adam it's how fast is he, because you can be able to match race, but on these boats Dean's instinctively fast, there's only a few that are fast," says Grant Dalton.  "I'd like to think I'm fast enough. I've been sailing a long time, I'm always learning and I think I've got what it takes to make one of those Cup boats go fast," says Minoprio. At 24, Minoprio is the reigning world match racing champion, set to defend his title on the eight month long World Match Racing Tour circuit with his team Black Match Racing. First event is Match Race France in Marseille to be held in J/80s on April 6 - 11, 2010."  Time to prove you can beat the world's best on a J/80.  A boat that is sailed fast by many, many people worldwide- French, Spanish, Germans, Belgians, Americans, British.  Good on ya mate...master these like other J Champions before you (Ken Read, Ed Baird, Terry Hutchinson, Chris Larson, Dave Curtis, Brad Read, Eddie Warden-Owen, Francesco D'Angelis, to name just a few) and the "big ride" could be yours! Good luck!   

Royal Hong Kong YC J/80 Fleet

(Hong Kong, China)- J/Boats Asia and HYM (Hudson Yacht & Marine) are running at full throttle this spring building J/80's for the newly formed Hong Kong J/80 fleet.  Currently, 15 J/80s are going to the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.  After a detailed look at competitive options in the market the J/80 was chosen because it was stable for the new sailors, but exciting enough for the experienced yachtsmen who wanted sportboat performance.

The long-term goal for the local Hong Kong and Chinese sailing clubs is to host the J/80 World Championships in 2015.  The buzz around the club is contagious, everyone is anticipating sailing the new J/80s in the fleet later this spring.  With the J/80 being built regionally in Xiamen, China, the club is also seeing the benefit of the factory support for hosting such an event in 2015 with the factory willing to supply 10 brand new charter boats for the 2015 J/80 Worlds.  You won't want to miss sailing in this exotic and exciting location!  

J/80 European Circuit Update

J/80 European Events ready to roll with strong competition.  Less than three months away are the J/80 Europeans on the famous Lago di Garda.  Leading up to the Europeans are national events that are not to be missed!  Starting with France's SPI OUEST Regatta off La Trinite, you will be treated to excellent sailing and 100+ boat fleets.  Next up are the J/80 UK Nationals in Cardiff Bay where the hearty competition, 50+ boat fleets and "dogs blown off chains" wind conditions can test the heartiest of souls.  For some R&R, you can then relax after these two marquee events with a trip to the Costa del Sol in southern Spain for the Copa de Espana in Barcelona for some tapas, sangria and Latin-inspired flamenco/ salsa dancing to the wee hours of the morning. See below for appropriate links to each event.  

J/80 Best Practices – Part II

Since publishing J/80 Best Practices Part I, many J/80s have undergone the seven-step inspection recommended annually for the keel/keel floor area.  If you have not conducted this inspection, we strongly urge you to do so before the coming season. Part II documents the damage found on a 1994 J/80 as a result of this inspection as well as the subsequent repair.  The subject boat is a 1994 J/80 that was purchased by its current owner in the fall of 2008 after 14 seasons of sailing with at least two previous owners.  The boat was run through the seven-step inspection process at International Marine, in Bristol, RI.... link to rest of article.  

J/80 Grevelingen Cup

(Oosterschelde, Belgium- Feb 7)- The J/80s started off their 2010 season in Belgium.  Here's the regatta reports from Faber Münker on J/80 NED524:  "Sunday morning. The alarm rings at 5am. Three hours later, we’re onboard our J80, Faber Münker (NED524). On the way we see the wind turbines next to the Zeeland Bridge barely turning, the Oosterschelde has the appearance of a mirror, and the car thermometer marks 2.5°C. That does not promise well.

After we changed the halyard of the genoa, we chug from our home port Brouwershaven towards Port Zélande. A porpoise accompanies us from the exit of the port until we dock in the marina. A good omen? During the palaver we’re informed that we’ll be sailing three windward-leeward races, that we’ll share our race course with the First 31.7 fleet and that we’ll be starting at 11.40am us usual. So we have some time to reheat ourselves and share a cup of coffee with our fellow J80 sailors.

Prior to undocking, we tune the mast in light weather setting to generate enough power in these light conditions. A half hour before the warning signal, a 13 boat strong fleet is present. A new crew on board Jachtig is fully prepared to make things hot for the rest of us.

The wind is blowing steadily 6 knots (90-100°). After the more than 100 boats of the different tour and race classes have started and the 31.7s have shown us the way towards the windward mark, it’s our turn. A quick wind and start line check learns us that the pin end is slightly favored. We win the pin with speed and gain immediately several meters on our closest competitors. We round the windward mark in first place followed closely by Joie de Vivre, Jachtig, Jalapeño and Juul. We are able to establish a loose cover on our pursuers during the three windward-leeward loops and finish the race in first place.

The second race turns out to be identical to the first one. We get off to a good start. The unpredictable shifts seem to favour the middle of the race course. However, based on local knowledge, Jalapeño and Jachtig head for the left layline. Their gamble works out fine and they round the mark in front of us. Sailing downwind we try to sail as a team: we (try to) minimize the usage of the rudder by weight-steering the boat and everybody has his specific task to keep the concentration level high: the gennaker trimmer informs the helmsman on the pressure in the chute; the forward crew member looks back for puffs and keeps track off the closest competitors; the mainsheet trimmer looks forward and weighs the different tactical choices; and the helmsman steers the boat for optimal VMG based on all the information. During the final leg, we gain a few places and we obtain our second bullet. Jachtig ends in second place, followed by Jalapeño and Joie De Vivre. In the middle of the fleet, the fight is just as fierce. Yes, Juul and Jippie J all finish within 30 seconds difference.

For the final race, the committee decides to relocate the pin end and to restrict the number of legs to two due to the freezing conditions. An overeager start gets All Ears an individual recall. The rest of the fleet is clear to start. Jippie J together with Jachtig and Jalapeño lead the way toward the windward mark. A good mark rounding and quick hoist enable us to fight back to first place which we maintain until the finish line.  We close the day with several meat croquettes – a local delicacy- and beers in Le Bateau together with the rest of the J80 fleet. The highs and lows of the day are discussed and tips and tricks are shared.  Results of this race, which is part of an unofficial J80 Benelux winter championship can be found here.